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Chapter Text

The train whistle cut a sharp note through the soft, distant warble of Celestina Warbeck’s “only you,” and a pair of slate gray eyes opened on the Hogwarts Express. All in all, the young lady pulled from her nap didn’t fit the regular look of a Hogwarts student; the right age to be certain, but she was covered in muggle artifacts. The headphones and attached CD player looked decidedly out of place, although there was no disk and no batteries and the music was enchanted into the device. The backpack, designed in a style favored by American no-maj teenagers, was festooned with haphazardly stitched on patches that mixed muggle bands with quidditch iconography.

The girl herself didn’t seem terribly out of place, if nothing else the silvery white of her hair wasn’t seen often outside of the wizarding world, at least on teenagers. She hastily fixed her ponytail as she sat up and pulled the headphones down, and gathered her few belongings before exiting the train alongside what felt like an endless stream of unusually tall adults. The platform was nice and open, and Kyriel Kestrele took her first deep breath of Scotland’s air. It tasted like distant snow, a whiff of butterbeer, and old moss. She liked it.

An absurdly large gentleman with an expression reminiscent of a child’s innocence nested in the most impressive of beards suddenly waved at her, and Kyrr felt her lips tugged into a smile despite herself. That had to be Hagrid.

+++

Hagrid’s first impression of the girl was surprise. Dumbledore had been ever so specific about what to expect, and he’d been braced for sharp edges and defiance. Instead, the girl that exited the train had a dreamy quality about her, like the essence of her hadn’t yet been realized. Her smile was charming, and invited him to smile as well. She walked towards him without hesitation; as she did she pulled a small device from her pocket and fitted it into her left ear. Silvery and sharp, it had the shape of a dragon peering over the cuff of her ear, a dull ruby eye staring forward. She made a quick flicking gesture with her fingers and the dragon’s wing extended upward, its tiny eye turning emerald. Hagrid couldn’t keep himself from being impressed.

“Neat bit of kit, that. You must be Kyriel. Er, doesn’t that affect your hearing?”

“Call me Kyrr.” She grinned and offered a trusting hand to shake. “And yes, that’s kind of the point.” Her American accent had a lilt, but her voice was unusually low for a sixteen year old girl, something odd and compelling in it. Confident, Dumbledore had mentioned. Hagrid was fairly certain he didn’t know the half of it.

“Hagrid.” He shook her hand, careful not to squeeze too hard. “Well then. Wait-“ He paused and looked at the dragon again, and her expression that seemed to invite him into a private joke. The pieces of the puzzle, simple as it might be, fell into place and he felt pleased with himself. “You’re deaf, arent’cha?”

She laughed and nodded, enjoying the way he preened at figuring it out on his own. “Mostly. This evens things up a bit. So.” She rubbed her hands together. “Where to?”

“Oh! Right, to the castle. Shame you came in October, you missed the ride in with your year, sixth, right? Anyway, it’s a short walk. And at least you get to be sorted in private.” Hagrid looked around, and frowned. “No luggage?”

“Backpack. It’s like a TARDIS. Bigger on the inside.” Kyrr laughed at his expression. “Sorry, no-maj thing.”

Hagrid led her up the path towards the school, still intrigued by the mix of maturity and goofy innocence that warred in the American teenager. When they came in view of the castle she stopped and did a full circle in place before dropping her backpack. “I need to take a picture. Can I? For my dad?” She pulled out a camera before he could even respond.

“Err. Sure? Ilvermorny isn’t as impressive, I expect?”

“Ilvermorny is a school.” Kyriel grinned at him, a trace of wicked delight that had nothing to do with cruelty in it. “This is a fuckin castle.”

Hagrid visibly winced at the casual profanity, and cast his eyes about for some topic to move on from it. “Your dad’s a muggle, yeah?”

“Squib actually.” She took a quick picture with an odd camera designed to show immediate results, and tucked it and the picture back into her pack.

“Squib. Really? We’ve got one on staff, you know. He’s not very nice, though.” Hagrid cringed. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay. Dad mostly lives as a no-maj, so he’s happy. I imagine it would be a lot harder if he had to be around magic all the time.” Kyrr set the backpack on her shoulders again, and grinned up at the half giant. “Anyway, take me to your leader?”

“That would be Dumbledore. He’s the first stop.” He didn’t know why she giggled, but there didn’t seem to be any malice in it.

+++

“So that’s why ironwood really is the best choice for that kind of broom handle. The bristles on the other hand,” Rowan was halfway through her thoughts on brooms, based on her family’s farm and extensive research. Several seats down, Murphy shot back an excited reply based on the latest Which Broom Weekly, Orion casually leaning back as he was talked across. The breakfast conversation had been going on for almost fifteen minutes. Ophelia, the school’s resident curse breaker, had more or less started to tune it out.

Skye interjected now and again to argue with whatever McNully said, less out of knowledge on the topic and more to be contrary. Most people would have ignored her, but the teenaged commentator and statistics buff kept refuting her with a seemingly endless series of facts and numbers. Parkin looked as though she might strangle him if no one intervened soon.

“How long have they been at it?” Penny plopped down next to Ophelia with her own breakfast, the usual easygoing smile on her face.

“Long enough that I’m glad my breakfast was cold to start with.” Ophelia smiled back, and brushed her platinum hair back from her face. “Got plans today?”

“Yes!” Penny exploded a bit, delighted to have someone to share her news with. “Dumbledore asked me to give a new transfer student the tour of Hogwarts. I’ll meet her in a little bit.”

“Transfer student?” Rowan perked up. “Where from?”

“It’s a ‘her’? Beauxbaton maybe? Not Durmstrung at least.” Skye dropped her argument with McNully fast enough that the Irish boy had to shake his head to follow the shift.

“French, then?” Murphy grinned, and Orion raised an eyebrow before giving him a sidelong look.

“Into French girls, McNully?”

“The language at least.”

“You speak French?” Ophelia’s brows both lifted.

“Oui, et couramment.” Murphy grinned. “Though I’ve been told my accent spoils the effect a bit.”

“How many languages do you speak?” Rowan, a fellow academic at heart despite them both being sorted into Slytherin, was intrigued.

“Five currently. I’m a polyglot.” He was clearly pleased with the fact. “I’m learning Mandarin next. At its core, being a commentator isn’t just about knowing Quidditch backwards, forwards, and sideways… which I do…. It’s also about communication. Ergo, languages.”

“Why bother? You can just use a translation charm.” Skye made a face. “Honestly, McNully, you should have been a Ravenclaw.”

“I disagree.” Ophelia shook her head. “Ravenclaws learn for the joy of learning. Murphy might love learning-”

“-correct,” he interjected.

“-but mostly he learns as a means to achieve a goal. That ambition is pure Slytherin.”

“Here here! Thanks Coach.” He grinned at her and gave Skye a slightly smug look, which made her roll her eyes.

“As I was saying,” Penny spoke up, too polite to be annoyed by how the conversation had shifted away, “she’s a transfer from the United States. She’s from Ilvermorny.”

“That’s… far.” Rowen blinked in surprise.

“Sure is! But I have family over there, so Dumbledore thought I’d be a good fit to give her the tour.”

“Well, that and you’re the friendliest face in the school.” Ophelia smiled supportively at her friend, who blushed a little.

“Whelp, that’s all the bloody breakfast talk I can stand,” Skye muttered as she stood up. “Come on, McNerdy, Orion. We need to get ready to take the pitch when Hufflepuff finishes their drills.”

“She’s right, Ravenclaw has it booked for the late afternoon. Everyone is getting antsy before the first official games of the year.” McNully pointedly ignored Skye’s jab with the ease of long practice. “Sure you won’t be joining us, Coach?”

Ophelia smiled a little sadly. “Its getting harder and harder to make time for it, especially with the final vault ahead of me. But I’ll be watching from the stands, and I’m always here if you need someone to fill in for a friendly match.”

“Suit yourself.” Skye sighed. “Can we get on with it!”

+++

The walk down to the pitch took the Quidditch trio past the entrance to the school. McNully continued to chatter about their odds for the season without the Curse Breaker’s help, which he classified as dismal, while Orion gently deflected the negativity with his usual Zen calm. As they passed the doors, Hagrid entered the school, at his side an unfamiliar young woman.

There were very, very few things in the world that had the power to pull Murphy McNully’s entire and prodigious attention into one place. As it turned out, she was one of them. His fingers went slack on his wheels as he looked across the short distance, captivated. At first glance she could have been Ophelia’s cousin, but apart from a shared colour palate, the girls didn’t have that much in common. The Ilvermorny transfer was probably one of the tallest girls he’d ever seen, on par with Erica Rath. Her jean jacket and hooded sweatshirt were open in front, and the old tattered Ilvermorny tee shirt under it stopped just above her, apparently pierced, navel. Her loose, flowy skirt hung lower on her hips than was properly appropriate, and the few scandalous inches of bare skin between the garments showed athletic tone and a small silver ring.

The Irish commentator stared despite his best efforts, trying to pull his thoughts back into some semblance of order. He turned his chair to watch as she and Hagrid passed by. They were already fairly distant, but one didn’t become a quidditch commentator without sharp eyes and quick thinking. Several of the patches on her pack were unfamiliar, but a few he recognized, including a vintage patch from the last time Ireland had taken the World Cup. He stared until she vanished into the school.

“-Nully!” Skye’s voice caused him to jump and look over in confusion. “Bloody hell, you were miles away. We looked back and realized you stopped talking.” She glanced at the entrance where the girl had vanished, and shook her black and blue hair. “Don’t even think about it, she’s way out of your league.”

“A boy can dream.” His reply startled both of them. “Hunh. I guess I do like girls.”

“I can’t believe you’re almost seventeen and still hadn’t figured that out yet.” Skye snorted and started walking towards the quidditch stadium again.

“Look, I usually have a lot of other things on my mind!” He followed after, still thinking about the girl. He wondered what her name was.

+++

“Kyriel Kestrele.” She leaned forward across the desk and shook Dumbledore’s hand, a gesture that brought a smile to his lips. She was quintessentially American, right down to the casual disregard for personal space. He nudged aside the folder he had been looking through, clearly whatever had exasperated her professors at Ilvermorny had coloured their descriptions of her in an unflattering way.

“It is very nice to meet you, Miss Kestrele. What do you think of the school so far?” His calm, breathy voice invited honesty in a grandfatherly way.

“Well, it’s huge. I mean Ilvermorny isn’t small or anything but this is like, medieval. I kinda love it.” She laughed and scratched at her neck below the hearing aid.

“Good. Good. Now, let’s get you sorted.”

Unlike the crowded, noisy, and very public sorting that first years underwent, Kyrr had only Dumbledore and his phoenix Fawkes as witnesses. The crusty brown hat slithered into her thoughts as it was set on her head, and she found it’s grumpy old man voice amusing.

Hmmm. Yessss. I do enjoy sorting older students. Minds and personalities further developed. Makes things easy. This one, smart like a Ravenclaw but a bit crackerbox in that department. Odd lineage, pure as it gets but with a hiccup in the middle there. Self reliant but loyal to a fault. Cunning and crafty. A good mix of all the house traits, but that ambition and drive means only one thing. “Slytherin,” it added out loud.

“Perhaps the reports I’ve read weren’t entirely incorrect,” Dumbledore mused as he put the hat away. “I’ve been warned you have a penchant for rule breaking and defiance.”

“Ah. Yeah. I got into a lot of scraps. The whole no-maj vs pure-blood thing isn’t as big a deal in the states, but when you have a squib for a dad and a well connected bastard for an uncle they can make your life hell. Dueling illegally can get you banned from competitions, so a lot of students tried to provoke me.” Her voice was light, but Dumbledore didn’t overlook the fact that both her fists were clenched tight as she spoke.

“Well if you can, try not to break any noses in your first week.” He pushed warmth into his tone, and watched the building tension drain away as she sheepishly avoided his eyes.

“I’ll do my best.”

“You don’t have to disclose your father’s condition, you know.”

“I don’t care. I’m not ashamed of him. He’s the best.” Her chin came up, and the elderly headmaster’s smile grew. He couldn’t help it, potential problem child or not, he liked this one. She reminded him of….

“Very well.” He pushed his thoughts aside. “Miss Haywood will be here in a moment to escort you to Slytherin house to settle in, then give you the tour. Welcome to Hogwarts, Kyriel. Or should I say, welcome home.”

Chapter Text

For a Saturday, the day hadn’t particularly gone well. Ophelia had run into Tonks (quite literally) only a short while after leaving breakfast, and gotten absolutely covered in some sort of sticky goop from a failed prank. And in the process of helping clean it up, they’d been caught by Snape, who stuck them both with detention even though Tonks swore she wasn’t involved. Lia didn’t care what anyone said, Snape most certainly was NOT any nicer to the people in his own house. She’d ended up late for a lunch date with Talbott, and had dinner cut short when the great hall had to be evacuated following one of Tulip’s dung bombs going off. If not for the fact that Merula had caught the brunt of it and Ophelia had gotten to see her expression when it happened, the day would have been a total loss.

By one in the morning she was starving enough to break curfew. Fortunately Slytherin house was close enough to the kitchens to sneak out for a late night snack. She shifted into her animagus form, a little all white cat, and slipped out of the dorms. She crept stealthily down the hall, trying to shake the nagging feeling that she was being followed. She was within sight of the kitchens themselves when a form materialized out of the darkness ahead of her, and she shrank back. Too late.

Mrs. Norris was a curmudgeony cat on the best of days, faced with an animagus student out of bed at night she was just as fearful as Filch.

Rats. If she gets Filch, I’ll be scrubbing pots and pans for a week! She got low and flopped on her side, ears back and submissive, hoping the bigger cat would decide she wasn’t worth the trouble. Mrs. Norris growled, high pitched and aggressive, fur raised. And then froze as a deeper rumble of a growl slid out of the hallway behind Ophelia. Lia turned her head fearfully to look and caught her breath. The animal stalking out of the darkness was the size of a small dog with the profile of a cat. And it was so fluffy. Head to toe it was covered in long silver fur, including a ruff around the neck reminiscent of a lion’s mane and tufted ears like a kneazel. It was pointed: black feet, nose, and tips of the ears and tail, with smoky markings around the eyes.

It's growl was a low rumble, and it walked over to stand protectively beside her. Ophelia was startled, cat sense of smell told her the new potential ally was female. A genuine full sized Maine coon. The pictures didn’t do the breed justice, apparently. Mrs. Norris shrank back a bit, and then the fluffy nightmare snarled in a way that reminded the animagus of a manticore. Mrs. Norris bolted, her tail puffed out like a toilet brush. She fled into the darkness of the hall, and the larger cat looked down at Ophelia…. And winked.

Friend then. I wonder if she’s someone’s pet or an animagus? Surely Talbott would have said if there was another. Ophelia led her to the kitchens, spirits much higher.

Once in the doorway, a familiar voice piped up from a table where food for the next day was being prepared. “Catsies! Mackey loves catsies!!” The friendly house elf hopped down from his station and ran to fetch two saucers of milk. One of his ears was folded over, a deformity from birth that gave him an irresistible charm. He placed down the two bowls, and the cats exchanged a look before shrugging and drinking. Mackey sat between them gently patting their fur until the head elf ordered him back to work. Ophelia shifted into her human form, smiling sheepishly.

“Thanks for the help with Mrs. Norris.” To her surprise and delight, the massive cat shifted into a girl as well, though much more normally sized than her animal form.

“Don’t worry about it.” The girl gave an easy smile and held out her hand to shake. “Kyriel. Call me Kyrr.”

“Ophelia. You’re the new American?”

“I guess my reputation precedes me.” Kyrr laughed and looked around. “I was exploring a bit. I don’t sleep well.”

“I can understand that, especially in a new place. I’m starving. Missed out on most of dinner. Come on, let’s grab some sandwiches, they don’t mind.”

The two girls sat at a bench away from where the house elves were working, and talked. Ophelia shared a bit of what it was like to grow up at Hogwarts, and Kyrr shared a bit of what Ilvermorny was like. Aside from having similar animagus forms, they had a great deal in common. Both were night owls, and both were just a little obsessed with dueling. Kyrr had hopes of going pro someday, and they planned to set up a school sanctioned duel through Flitwick. They also both loved quiddich, though Kyrr laughingly admitted she wasn’t very good as a player. She’d gotten a lot of practice as an assistant referee, though.

“Why did you transfer? If that’s okay to ask.” Ophelia dipped the last of her grilled cheese into her tomato soup.

“Oh, sure. My dad has a PhD in mathematics, he got a job as an expat working for the GSS, so we moved.”

“….” Ophelia laughed, and shook her head. “We’re speaking the same language, but that didn’t sound like the same language.”

Kyrr giggled. Unlike most of her voice, which had a similar warm, low tone as Ophelia’s, her giggle was infectious and bright. “He has a no-maj degree, the highest you can get, in math. Specifically, he’s a statistician. He got a job working for the no-ma… I mean muggle? Muggle government of the UK, the Governmental Statistical Service. They crunch and track statistics for all the other branches of the government. No-m, er, muggles outnumber wizards by a lot. So a lot more to track.”

“Whoa. That’s kind of really cool though. You’re muggleborn, then? Not that I care. I mean I care because I’m curious, not that there’s anything wrong with it.” The hour was late enough that she was getting sleepy and a little frazzled. Much longer and she’d probably fall asleep right there at the table. She missed the slight edge in Kyrr’s reply.

“Dad is a squib, actually.”

“Whoa, what, really? That’s so neat! I bet he’s really proud of you, hunh?” Lia gave a sleepy smile, and wondered at Kyrr’s sheepish expression in reply. “But I bet you’re sick of maths.”

“Actually no. I got my dad’s brain in that regard.” The taller girl’s voice was even warmer than before. “I actually do long division on paper to meditate between sets in a dueling competition.”

“Crikey. You love quiddich, cats, and actually enjoy maths? I can’t wait to introduce you to my friend McNully. You’ll get on swell.” Ophelia yawned so hard her jaw creaked.

“Oh. I… saw him from a distance, Penny showed me the pitch earlier. The commentator right?” Masking her expression wasn’t hard, as her late night snack companion was too tired to really notice the faint flush in the dim lights of the kitchen. He’d been calling out the drills as Slytherin’s team practiced. Something about that voice had caught her like a snitch, low and clear enough that it didn’t cause the usual feedback hum in her hearing aid, the Irish accent a perfect balance of cute and sexy. And his looks… well. Well. Prince Charming come to life.

“Yes! He’s a good friend.” Lia gave a sleepy smile and pretended she hadn’t just seen a blush creep across her new friend’s cheeks.

“He seems….anyway, you’re about ready to fall over. We should get back.”

“I wish Talbott was here.” Ophelia yawned again.

“Your boyfriend?”

“No! I mean… yes, kind of, he’s just a little old fashioned, so we’re taking it slow. But yes. If I get sleepy he’ll carry me around in cat form. He’s really considerate like that.”

“Considerate my ass, that sounds like a boy who’s smitten.”

“Oh hush.” It was Ophelia’s turn to blush.

“Want me to give you a piggyback ride back to the dorms? I’m a lot stronger than I look. Years of no-maj sports.”

“You don’t have t-” Ophelia stumbled as she stood up, and snorted. “Never mind, actually that sounds lovely.” She wrapped her arms around Kyrr’s surprisingly broad shoulders and let the larger girl pick her up almost effortlessly. She rested her head on her arms, and took a deep breath as sleep swooped down like Talbott coming to visit. It was a nice though. Before she fell asleep, she chuckled. “Anyone ever tell you that you smell like strawberries?”

+++

The next morning Ophelia woke up in her bed with little memory of arriving. On the other side of the room where the last empty bunk had been, Kyrr was setting up some of her personal items. She was dressed in decidedly muggle clothing, black high top sneakers and athletic trousers that came down past the knees, and a button up red and white jersey with the name Rice and the number 14 on the back. When she turned around, Ophelia read the words “Red Sox” on the front.

“Is that an American quiddich team?"

Kyrr glanced down and burst out laughing, then shook her head. “No-maj sport. Baseball. Maine doesn’t have an official team, but the one we do have is associated with Boston, so dad took me to a couple of Sox games as a kid. It’s a lot of fun even without magic.”

Ophelia grinned and shook her head. “Seriously, we speak the same language, and yet.” Both girls laughed, already fast friends the way it sometimes went with like minds. “Hungry? We should go to the great hall, I really do want to introduce you to Murphy.”

“Oh. Sure.” Again a slightly evasive expression. “I already did my run for the morning and showered, I’m pretty hungry. But I have to meet with Professor Flitwick later, so I don’t have long.”

“It’s only nine!” Ophelia looked at her new roommate in a mix of awe and disgust.

“Told ya. I don’t sleep much.” Kyriel grinned and tucked her wand into a pocket in the shorts.

“Okay, just give me a minute.”

+++

After rushing through her morning routine, Ophelia led the way up through the castle to the great hall. She scanned the room and sighed in relief, McNully was set up at the far end of the hall in his usual spot. “Come on.” She walked to the end table and up the length of it, to take a seat opposite of Murphy. “Morning McNully!”

“Morning Ophelia! How are…” He trailed off as Kyrr sat down next to the curse breaker. Ophelia answered the half spoken question, but he didn’t hear her reply. From a distance, the new girl had been eye-catching. Up close she was breathtaking. Murphy had always thought the description “gray eyes” was just a light shade of blue, but he’d been wrong. Her eyes were the same light gray colour as summer clouds before a light rain. She was as pale as expected, but the band of faint, tan freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose looked like a smattering of stars. He itched to count them. To draw constellations in them with the tip of his finger. Her smile was warm like heated butterbeer by the fire in winter. She smelled like sun-ripened strawberries. He felt like he’d forgotten every word in every language that wasn’t a synonym for beautiful. He felt like an absolute smegging dolt.

“Murphy?” Ophelia sounded exasperated, one of her eyes faintly twitching. “Hi. Let’s try that again. I wanted to introduce you to my new friend and our new transfer student. This is Kyriel.”

“Nice to meet you.” The American girl held out her hand to shake and he took it by reflex, shaking as gently as if it was made of glass.

“I. Ah. Yes. Nice.” He swallowed hard.

“Kyrr is in our house. I thought you’d get along, she’s big into sports, especially quiddich, and believe it or not she actually enjoys maths.”

“Do you play?” It was the only thing in English that his brain offered up. “Right, ah, we, that is the team, is going to be holding try outs again soon.”

“Nah, I mean I can play, but I’m not great. Team sports require coordination, coordination requires hearing, and in a loud stadium my hearing aid gets overwhelmed. I do have a lot of practice as a ref, though.” She couldn’t stop smiling. Everything about him looked like it had been designed by an artist specializing in teenage crushes. Beautiful blue eyes, perfect hair, square jaw and straight nose, lips that almost looked girlish, and broad shoulders and chest that the button up dress shirt failed to hide. He was easily the most handsome boy she’d ever met, even if he sounded like he was recovering from head trauma.

“Kyrr?” Ophelia’s voice caught her attention and Kyriel looked away from Murphy quickly, glad that her hearing aid hid the rim of her ear considering how warm it suddenly felt.

“Yes?” She smiled faintly, and followed Ophelia gesture. “Oh, professor Flitwick!”

“Yes, I wanted to see if you were ready to come by my classroom for that talk.” Ophelia’s expression looked like someone trying to squash a mischievous grin into a regular smile and failing. Flitwick simply had a look of knowing which was somehow worse.

“Yes! Yes, we should do that. It was nice to meet you, Murphy.” He nodded faintly in reply. She stood up said her goodbyes to Ophelia, and followed Flitwick down the hall.

Ophelia could hear them as they got to the edge of earshot. “So what did you think of our young commentator?”

“He seems nice. Bit quiet.”

“…….a bit quiet?!”

After they were gone, Murphy’s brain resurfaced. “Call me McNully….?” A flush exploded across his entire face all the way to the roots of his hair.

Ophelia cracked up and rubbed her face. “Murphy, what in the bloody hell was that?”

“I…. You said she went to Ilvermorny? Is she here for good? What’s she like? Do you know if she’s got someone back in the US? I mean statistically school aged long term relationships have a success rate in the teens, if not lower. How did you meet her? What’s she talking with Flitwick about? Wait, hearing aid, is she deaf? I wonder if it’s congenital or was some kind of accident…..”

“Murphy.” Ophelia gave him a flat look. “Why didn’t you just ask her any of that!”

“I briefly forgot how?” He winced and dropped his head into his arms on the table.

“Mate, if you were going for cute idiot who was smitten from first look, you nailed it. Seriously, Barnaby finally has competition.”

Murphy just gave a frustrated groan.

Chapter Text

When Kyrr returned from the Charms classroom, Murphy was gone, off to prepare for a friendly match being held in the afternoon. Ophelia was still sitting in the great hall, a book open and a quill out, working on a report for transfiguration class. Kyrr sat across from her and smiled.

“Flitwick agreed that, as long as it doesn’t interfere with any of my other classwork, he’s open to coaching me on professional dueling. You’re welcome to join if you want.”

“Really? That would be great! He’s legendary. I’ve actually gotten to see him duel once, he’s incredible.” Lia smiled. “So. Murphy.”

Kyrr flushed and put her head down in her arms the same way McNully had after she left. “Augh, I don’t know. I've never had a crush before. Is this what a crush feels like?”

“Speaking as someone who has a crush…” Ophelia glanced across the room as Talbott came in, and gave a little wave. He gave her the ghost of a smile and lifted his hand before grabbing a late breakfast to eat in the owlery. “Sometimes it makes you feel silly and stupid and giddy. And other times it makes you want to chase them down and tell them exactly how you feel.” She grinned and got up, closing her book. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Kyrr looked up, baffled, and nodded. “Tell them how you feel….” She watched the curse breaker leave the hall, and frowned to herself. “What do you do when you don’t know what the hell it is you’re feeling?”

+++

Orin Ackerman glanced up from her brunch, carb loading after quidditch practice. Across from her, Rath ate in companionable silence, and next to her Andre sat reading a copy of the newest broom magazine. Orin watched the curse breaker leave the great hall, then glanced at the new girl. “I hear the new girl is a quidditch player. Think she’ll try out for Slytherin’s team?”

“Doubt it.” Erika glanced over and shrugged. She didn’t bother to elaborate, taciturn as ever.

“What do you think of her, Andre?”

Andre glanced up and looked over. “I haven’t met her personally, and I’m not sure about Americans in general, but she seems to be pulling off the casual athletic muggle look pretty well.”

“I didn’t mean her fashion, genius. I meant do you think she’s like the Wellnellys. You know, a ringer brought in to help Slytherin now that Dovewing retired.”

“That…. I have no idea.”

“Stay focused on what we can control.” Rath took another bite of her sandwich.

“Yeah, you’re right. I just hate the unknown variables.” Orin frowned.

“Variables? Starting to sound like McNully.” Egwu grinned as she winced.

“Your scarf must be on too tight.”

“No bickering. We actually have a shot this year.” Rath shook her head. “Slytherin has a friendly soon. Ackerman, you’ve got a good eye. Watch the match, see if they’ve added anything new. Egwu, meet the new girl. You’re good with people. Feel her out.”

“Yes ma’am.” Andre closed his magazine and got up.

“You know Skye is going to hate that we’re watching them play.” Orin smirked at their team leader.

“Mhm.” Erika didn’t quite smile.

+++

Ophelia followed Talbott out into the hall, and looked around. He had a bit of a head start on her, but he should still have been within sight. He wouldn’t change into his Animagus form in the hallway, especially not on a Sunday with lots of people loitering around. She bit back a moment of irritation that melted into relief as she recognized part of a black and blue robe leaning up against the quidditch trophy case. She walked over and leaned around it with a smile.

Talbott flashed a smirk back at her. “Took you long enough.”

“I was with a friend, and it never pays to be rude.”

“You’re too trusting of people.” His voice held a mix of exasperation and affection. He got up from leaning on the case and glanced both ways down the hall before plucking a long strand of white hair off her sweater. He balled it up between his fingers idly and shoved it in a pocket before offering her the crook of his arm.

“Where to for brunch?” Ophelia took his arm and smiled.

“I was thinking the owlery,” he started, and suppressed a chuckle when she made a face despite herself, “But I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll head up to the astronomy tower instead.”

“Really, you don’t have to change your plans for me.” Ophelia looked at their interlocked arms, thinking back to what she said to Kyrr and taking her own advice. “Honestly I just like any opportunity to spend time with you.”

Talbott paused on the stairs, and looked at her for a moment. “I enjoy it too. Being with you is the next best thing to being alone.”

Ophelia burst out laughing and nudged him to keep walking. “You know, only from you could that sound like such a sweet compliment.”

“You know me,” he responded dryly. “Charming is practically my middle name.” She kept laughing as they walked on, arm in arm.

+++

Andre plunked down at a table in the great hall, across from the new girl. She didn’t even seem to notice him for a moment, but when she did she offered a smile and her hand to shake. “Hi. I’m Kyrr.”

“Andre Egwu, style wizard, at your service. Can I just say that I love your ear cuff?”

She laughed and touched her ear with one hand. “Thanks. It’s a hearing aid, actually.”

“Whoa, really? I’ve never seen one before.”

She reached up to close the wing, and pulled it out of her ear to offer it. Andre took it with some excitement, turning it over in his hands and tracing the silver lines. He handed it back a moment later and waited till it was on to speak again.

“Did you know it’s enchanted to change how it appears? You could make it look like almost anything.”

“That’s what I was told. I don’t really have a lot of creativity in that department. I’m an animagus but I’m not really that good at transfiguration in general.”

“An animagus? Did you know professor McGonagall is one too?”

“I’ve heard that, yeah.” Kyrr smiled. “We’re both cats.”

“Oh, it’s good to have something in common with a professor. Did you know she also used to play quidditch? Someone mentioned that you played it at your old school too.”

“Word travels fast. I’m not really a player, though. I just like being a referee.” The American girl smiled. “Do you play?”

“A ref, eh? Those uniforms are so classy, I love the black and white. I bet it looks great with your hair. And I’m just a reserve seeker,” Andre admitted. “I’m aces on a broom, but not even McNully could teach me to focus on the snitch enough to be our primary seeker, unfortunately.”

“He seems like a really kind person.” Something in her voice changed, and Andre tilted his head.

“Sounds like you like him. That’s quick, you only got here, what, yesterday?”

“Yeah.” She avoided his gaze, and shrugged.

“Hey, no judgement. McNully is a good friend and a great guy! Stylish too. Great hair and very professional commentator look. Smart as a whip too. Only thing I could complain about is that he never shuts up.”

Kyriel laughed, and shook her head. “Everyone keeps saying that. He was so quiet when I met him, though.”

Andre’s eyes widened. “That’s a first. Look, I have to run, but it was nice to meet you. If you ever need an outfit though, don’t hesitate to send a message!”

+++

The Slytherin friendly match ended up taking nearly the entire afternoon, the skill difference between the reserve team and the primary one not nearly as vast after the curse breaker’s retirement. When the snitch was finally caught it was late enough that the stadium lights had come on, and a larger than usual crowd had shown up to watch.

Skye cheered in relief when the game finally ended. The match had been hard but she’d gotten a good look at some of the younger players, and several showed real potential. She took off her helmet and shook out her hair, looking around the stadium. Looks like everyone is waiting to see if we can win without Ophelia. One face in the crowd stood out, a familiar figure lounging without particular interest in her expression. Skye scowled.

She pointed her comet downward and shot across the stadium, and though the crowd around Orin quickly moved out of the way, the Ravenclaw player didn’t even flinch. Skye sneered. “If it isn’t Rath’s right hand woman. Come to scope out the competition?”

“What competition?” Orin waved her hand, dismissive. “Without Ophelia your team doesn’t have a prayer, you barely beat your own reserve team.”

Skye hopped off her broom and glared, arms folded. “Then what are you doing here?”

“Come on, Parkin, this is just sad.” Orin looked at her nails. “I play quidditch because I love the sport. And watching your team flail around the pitch is more fun than the Sunday night Frog Choir performance in the great hall.”

“That was tonight? Damn, glad the game ran long.” For just a moment Skye’s expression broke into amusement.

“Right?” Ackerman matched her expression and tried not to laugh when the Slytherin chaser realized that she’d been insulted AND agreed with “the enemy.”

“But we were not flailing. We’re just giving the newbies a chance to get their playing time in to learn the game. Unlike some teams that rely totally on one unlikeable player, we’re well rounded.”

“Erika just sits in your head like it's a rent free flat, doesn’t she? Even Dovewing is friends with her. Hell even the Wellnellys are now. You’re the only one with a problem just because she didn’t take well to you accusing her of theft as a damn second year.”

“It was a reasonable assumption!”

“Keep telling yourself that. You know what they say about assumptions, right?” Orin didn’t react as Skye stomped closer. The Chaser had a brash temper, but she was smart enough not to risk getting benched for hitting another player. It was just an intimidation tactic, and no one with a button nose that cute could be intimidating.

“You can watch our games all you want, you’re not going to learn anything to help you finally win this year.”

Orin grinned. If this was supposed to be some kind of battle, she’d seen enough magical creatures vying for dominance to know she’d already won. But just to make sure…. She leaned in a little closer, enough to make Skye uncomfortable. “That’s pretty obvious, kitten. You have nothing worth us bothering to learn.” She poked the very tip of Parkin’s nose, and watched the girl jump back, face red with anger and other things.

“Keep dreaming, Ackerman. That trophy case is staying green this year.” Skye glared as the only response she got was a yawn, mounted her broom, and took off.

“Nice chat.” Orin picked up her things and headed for the exit. It was almost a full moon, and she had just enough time left to help Hagrid with preparations for the lunar creatures before curfew.

+++

Between the concert and the quidditch friendly running late, dinner in the great hall was a packed affair. Although the houses were free to mingle for non-official gatherings, students often remained closer to those in their own house, especially on busy nights. Ophelia gave Talbott a quick kiss on the cheek before the antisocial boy retreated to his dorm with dinner. After a whole afternoon spent in his company she didn’t feel cheated for time for once.

She headed to the far end of their table, and sat next to McNully and across from most of their quidditch team. “Hey, how did it go?”

“It was a great game!” McNully seemed to have recovered from his tongue tie, bubbling over with excitement. “The new reserve players show some real potential. They scored 33.2 percent more often than last year, a significant jump. There’s a third year who is marked down as a chaser, but I caught him noticing the snitch three times. I’m gonna drop some playbooks on him about seeker tactics, see what he thinks.”

“Rath sent her watchdog to the game.” Skye swore, and as usual the Scottish brogue came through more strongly when she was annoyed. “Ackerman said it was just to have something to do, but I know Rath. There’s no way she isn’t planning on making this her comeback year.”

“It makes sense.” McNully sounded glum.

“We need to clear the negativity,” Orion said calmly, “or we will fall out of balance and do their dirty work for them.” McNully opened his mouth to reply, but Ophelia leaned back to look past him, then scooted down to make space between them at the crowded table.

“Kyrr, over here!” Lia smiled at Murphy’s sudden look of mild panic.

“Is dinner always this crowded?” Kyrr only hesitated a moment before sitting between the silent Irish boy and her friend.

“Outside of banquets, not usually,” Ophelia admitted. “Just lucky, I guess.”

“Sure.” Kyrr had the same sort of look Talbott got when there were too many people around. Ophelia looked at her with sympathy.

“You’re Kyriel then?” Skye looked her over, looked at McNully, and her face twisted into a mischievous expression. She opened her mouth, but stopped when Ophelia lightly gave her a warning kick in the shin from across the table.

“I was speaking with Madam Hooch,” Orion cut in, “and she mentioned that she’ll be letting you try out for a position as an assistant referee this week.”

“Yeah. Ah, Wednesday, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are having a friendly match.”

“That’s a good time for it.” Murphy blurted out despite himself. Their eyes met and the swath of skin under her freckles took on some pink. He forged ahead, even if his mouth was suddenly dry. “A regular friendly is usually full of fouls because the reserve teams don’t have as much technical skill, but during an official house match Hooch can pay as much attention to you as needed to see how you’re doing.”

“I was actually going to ask your help with that.” Kyrr looked away, and licked her lips, dinner untouched. “Everyone says you’re really good at watching the whole field at once, maybe you could make note if you see anything she misses?”

“Yeah!” McNully gave an awkward laugh. “I mean yes. I can absolutely watch you.” Their eyes met again, and then they looked away from each other, both red.

Skye sighed and muttered. “This is painful.”

Their conversations were interrupted as Dumbledore called for attention. He gave one of his usual calm, breathy speeches about being happy to see all of them starting off the school year with so much comradery and joy, and then announced that the first official house match of the year would be Hufflepuff against Gryffindor. A brief cheer went up, and he released them back to their dinner.

McNully had to look past Kyrr when the announcement was made, which was a difficult task. But it meant that he noticed the eye of the dragon in her ear flare yellow, then red, and saw her wince in pain. He swallowed hard, and fought against his own instincts to reach out and touch her hand. She looked at him with a moment of panic that had nothing to do with his touch.

“Sorry, I need a minute, I can’t….. hear.”

Murphy grabbed a notepad he always kept handy and quickly wrote down, Are you okay? You can turn off the aid if you want. I can write down people’s replies for you.

“You’d…. Do that?” The look on her face was heartbreaking, like someone being tossed a lifeline for the first time. He could imagine what it would feel like if he turned around and his chair was missing.

I’m a commentator. For all or if necessary, just for one. It would be my pleasure.

She closed the wing, and pocketed the device, looking vulnerable. The space between them that their mutual crush had formed seemed to evaporate, and for the rest of the evening they sat shoulder to shoulder as he gave her a way to stay in the conversation. As people began to file out over time, the conversation between them gradually stopped including others. Ophelia moved across the table, ostensibly to talk to Skye, but her real motive was to watch the unbelievably cute sight of two of her friends getting closer. By the time house elves were clearing the tables, Kyrr was teaching McNully the rudiments of sign language, both of them still flustered by each other, but the heat of embarrassment was cooling into something warm. Something nice.

The walk back to their dorms was silent, and when they had to part ways, Kyriel blushed and signed as well as spoke. “Thank you for making tonight easier.”

Murphy carefully and slowly signed “You’re welcome.”

She grinned and tilted her head. “You need a name sign. Can I give you one?”

He blinked and nodded, flicking his finger in the sign for “Okay.”

She thought a moment, and then grinned. She made the letter sign for M, then moved her hand in a counter clockwise circle and made a snatching motion with her hand.

“What…” He laughed and wrote the question quickly. What does that mean?

“It’s the letter M combined with the sign for the snitch.” She pointed to his commentator pin, grinned, and signed “Goodnight Murphy.”

McNully watched her disappear into the girls’ dorm, grinned so wide his cheeks hurt, and whispered after her. “Goodnight Snidget.”

Chapter Text

Whatever September grace had been granted by the professors at Hogwarts to new or returning students shaking off the freedom of Summer was gone by the first full week of October. Though friends still crossed paths in their houses and during meals, long hours of idle chat and leisure were officially a thing of the past during school hours. It put Ophelia in a foul mood; the only class she shared with Talbott was transfiguration. Kyriel and Murphy’s new interest in one another was aided by not one but two free periods they shared, as both took advanced arithmancy and both elected strongly out of divination, the former because she thought the professor was stupid and the latter because his chair could handle most challenges, but ladders were a bridge too far.

At least all their lunches should have lined up, but McNully took his out to the commentary box to get as much time as possible for observing and commentating on the teams getting practice in. Kyrr joined him, interested in getting a feel for the teams before her own tryout, and each day more of their communication involved what Merula Snyde had nastily referred to as “gang signs.” Their relationship was evolving away from the public eye.

“It’s just irritating. I introduced them you know.” Classes were done for the afternoon, and one of the first big unofficial interhouse matches was about to happen. Ophelia didn’t really expect a response, but Talbott pretended it wasn’t rhetorical.

“Shouldn’t you be happy they’re getting along, then?” They had chosen to take an early dinner in one of the Quidditch skyboxes that rarely got used, as Talbott liked anywhere high up and no one ever chose it because there were unfixed stairs. For a hawk and a lithe cat, the obstacles were minimal.

“Yes but I want to see it. They’ll be married before you know it.”

“Ophelia, luv, it’s been four days.” He gave her a dry look.

“Five. I know, I’m just being dramatic.” Ophelia sighed and sat back, arms folded and her thumb rubbing her ribs over her heart in a gesture he knew fairly well. “I took too many classes this year, and Rowan, I love her but she always wants to study, and there’s still the vault and my brother is still missing and there just isn’t enough time in the day.” She scowled. “And they’re being cute and I’m missing it.”

“Well, I don’t know why you like the big cat that much… apropos of nothing I’ve seen her form now and she is legitimately terrifying and I’m convinced she’s actually an American bobcat… but whatever she has with Murphy is still just friendly. People talk. I listen. You aren’t the only one invested.” Tal shifted to sit beside her, and put an arm around her to let her rest her head on his shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll be invited to their bloody wedding.”

“I was terrified of you the first time I saw your form, you know.” Lia pinched his ribs lightly, not really wanting him to let go. He didn’t. “Will you be my plus one?”

“Only if I don’t have to dance.”

“You will absolutely have to dance.”

“We’ll see.”

+++

“Almost ready? I want to wish you luck, but I have to get up into the commentary box. I haven’t missed the first interhouse friendly in six ye-” Murphy fell silent as Kyrr came out of the changing room, wearing the black and white robes of an assistant referee, a pair of black goggles pushed up into her hair.

“What do you think?”

“I think I’ve just realized, that uniform is rather….sexy.” They both took on a faint pink, the moment shattered by a disgusted sigh.

“Mr. McNully, in all the years I have known you, I have never wished so strongly that you had learned the value of silence.” Madam Hooch made a shooing gesture at Murphy, who grabbed Kyrr’s hand quickly and kissed the back of it, wished her luck, and fled. “I don’t know if that boy is better or worse since you came around.” She fussed with the hood and shoulders of Kyrr’s uniform briefly, and gave her a warm smile. She’d taken to the girl immediately.

“I’ll do my best, ma’am.” Kyrr looked up at her like an excited puppy. She hadn’t ever really had a maternal influence as a child, and her fractious relationship with her professors at Ilvermorny hadn’t offered her much. Madam Hooch, on the other hand, was happy to act as a mentor. The flying instructor seemed amused and pleased by the idea that her own strict and intimidating nature, not to mention sharp tongue, were traits that somehow endeared her to the typically rebellious American girl.

“You were right you know, your uncle did contact me to try telling me you were unfit for the sport, just like you expected.” Hooch watched a dark cloud cross the girl’s eyes. The teacher leaned in, voice and smirk downright conspiratorial. “I told him to stuff it. I’d like to approve you just to spite him, but you deserve to earn your way in. I wouldn’t even have told you, but I didn’t want you worrying about the unknown.”

Marcus “Black Wand” Kestrele had been trying to extend his considerable influence into Hogwarts, but he had few allies outside of America. Though most of the teachers had simply rebuffed him, Hooch had heard gossip that Flitwick told him he was ashamed of his fellow professional duelist, and Severus Snape had said a few words not fit for polite company, protective as he was of those residing in his house. As long as she was in Hogwarts, the girl would be insulated from her uncle’s vindictive ire.

Kyrr had the look of someone who learned long ago how not to let tears show, and she gave a grateful nod before looking at her feet. “Thank you ma’am.”

“Take a few minutes. And come out when you’re ready. I told Mr. McNully earlier to take his time getting to the box.” Hooch’s gold eyes glittered as she smiled, and she took her broom out with her.

“This is for dad.” Kyriel declared to the empty locker room. “For dad.” Whatever anxiety she had melted away as her mental armor closed around her and she walked out towards the pitch.

+++

Orin sat on her broom and enjoyed the pulse of the crowd. There was more than the usual amount of students for a cross-house friendly, but it was the first of the year. And more than a few people were interested to see if Ravenclaw would take things back. Upon his throne, Murphy McNully started to call out the players.

Orin had to admit that the boy did a solid job of being neutral, Ravenclaw players had the same excited introduction that any team got. But his voice changed a little as Madam Hooch arrived in black and white robes, the Ilvermorny transfer wearing an asstant’s white and black ones close behind.

“And our first potential official assistant referee, Kyriel Kestrele, takes the stage!” To his credit, McNully would likely have greeted any new ref with similar aplomb, but perhaps without the tinge of pride in his voice. The girl smiled up at him, and adjusted her hearing aid to only half open. “Looks like Hooch is ready to release the balls, let’s play some quidditch!”

Ackerman dove for the quaffle with Rath on her heels, and pulled up short as one of the newly released bludgers headed right for her. That was the gamble when trying to get the first shot. Less of a gamble when your best friend is right with you and happens to be the best beater in the game, of course. Rath swept past her and backhanded the bludger back in the direction of the nearest Gryffindor chaser, who barely managed to dodge. It gave Orin the opening to grab the quaffle, though, and she rocketed past an enemy beater. Another chaser on her team caught up and pulled in front of her to hide her from the keeper’s view. At the last moment he pulled up, headed for the tallest hoop, and Orin ducked right. The keeper misjudged the maneuver and shot down the protect the third, lowest goal, giving the triumphant chaser an open goal post, and the first points of the game. The crowd roared.

“First blood to Ravenclaw after a masterful feint by Ackerman!” McNully called out. Really, he talked too much in general but it was hard not to like the bubbly commentator.

The game moved quickly, back and forth, until a sharp whistle cut through the air. Kestrele flashed a sign to Hooch, and even from some distance the referee’s smile was visible as she agreed and called a foul against one of Gryffindor’s beaters. The game picked back up, and something became very clear very fast, this year was going to be HARD. Kestrele was nearly as nimble on a broom as Andre, and managed to be close enough to the action to catch half a dozen fouls while maintaining enough distance not to interfere or impede action.

One of Gryffindor’s chasers started to argue with Hooch after another foul halted play, and Ackerman swung near Kestrele, holding the bristle end of her broom tightly between her feet so she could cross her arms over the top end, a bit of a flex that made her look extra relaxed.

“You’re good.” Orin grinned.

Kyrr looked over at her and grinned back. “You’re sensational. Not one slip up.”

“Ehh.” She laughed, pleased with the compliment. “There’s a lot of game left.” She switched back to a normal riding stance and headed back into position as Hooch gave a final warning to the problem player. The game resumed.

Nearly three hours later Ravenclaw had enough of a lead that even the snitch would have had a hard time overcoming, and things seemed inevitable. Gryffindor’s problem chaser was getting more erratic, but it also meant he was paying less attention. A gasp ran through the stadium when a reflected bludger careened through the air and caught him in the ribs, knocking him clear off his broom. The two closest fliers dove after him as he plummeted towards the ground. The crowd leaned forward as one, holding their breath in anticipation of either a daring rescue or a catastrophic mid air crash given the speeds involved.

The two fliers adjusted their dive in unison, bristles of their brooms lightly tapping together as each grabbed one of the falling player’s arms. They slowed with the precision of long practice, and the shaken boy was dropped lightly onto the grass on the pitch. Orin hopped off her broom as Kyrr did the same, the latter pushing up her goggles. They eyed each other a moment, and Kyrr held out her hand to shake.

“Kyrr.” Her proffered hand was accepted and shaken.

“Orin.”

They grinned like idiots as the med team on standby ran out to tend the injured player, and Madam Hooch landed beside the girls. She pulled a Hogwarts patch out of her pocket and offered it to Kyriel with a chuckle. “You’re in.”

“But the game isn’t over.” Kyrr blinked, and Orin glanced up and laughed. The Ravenclaw seeker was holding the snitch above them, and he shook his head in rueful annoyance that his big moment was overshadowed by what was admittedly a memorable rescue.

“It is now.”

+++

The stadium cleared out as students headed off to various after parties trying to get in celebrations before curfew. Kyrr’s ear was still ringing, and she had an odd giddy high from all the congratulations, and the grateful thanks from Gryffindor’s team. She grabbed her broom once mostly everyone had left, and headed back to the pitch. Up in the commentary box McNully was sitting, taking down his post-game notes under the stadium lights. He looked up as she landed on the bench seats and moved down to sit next to him.

“I don’t think that could have gone any better.” She sounded relieved. He smiled and set his notes on the seat of his chair nearby, and turned to face her.

“You were spectacular, Snidget. Like poetry in motion.” He reached out to touch her ear gently. “How’s the head?”

“Not bad. I can compensate for louder environments most the time, it’s unexpected noise that gets me bad.” She bit her lip.

“Good. I want to see more of you up there.” Under the magical lighting Kyrr’s hair seemed to glow, and Murphy swallowed hard. “May I… there’s something I want to do, but it sounds silly.”

“Okay. I trust you.” She held still as he reached out again, fingers gentle. He touched her face lightly, soft and warm, as heat surged to her cheeks. All but his index finger folded away, and he traced a small shape in her freckles. She held back a giggle. “What was that?”

“A constellation. The constellation Kyriel, actually. It’s famous in my world.”

“Oh is it?”

“It is. Named after the goddess of beauty herself.” The distance between them closed some.

“You know,” Kyrr said, her voice getting softer and taking on a husky depth, “you are pretty good at this talking thing.”

“Well yeah.” Murphy’s tone matched hers. “When I met you I forgot how to talk. So I invented a whole new language.”

“Just for me?” Her head tilted a little as he leaned in.

“All for you," he whispered.

“Oi, knock that off!” The voice that cut through the moment sent them both scrambling backwards like cats splashed with cold water. Madam Hooch sat on her broom in front of the commentary box, arms crossed and smiled hidden. “Curfew is in twenty minuets, and I don’t feel like having to ground my new assistant AND the school’s commentator in one day. Get a move on!”

They scrambled to pack up McNully’s books, and took the lift down from the box together. Halfway down the laughter started, and it didn’t let up until they both raced into their dorms with barely a minute to spare.

Chapter Text

“So you got in late.” Ophelia gave Kyrr a knowing look across the table, and grinned as the fellow white haired student avoided her gaze. “Good game though.”

“I heard that Carson, the chaser? Has a couple of broken ribs but it could have been worse.” Rowan spoke without looking at either of them, carefully measuring ingredients for her cauldron.

Potions class was chilly as ever even under their robes, and Ophelia resisted the urge to stick her hands in the not-yet-hot liquid bubbling in her own cauldron. “It really was an incredible save,” she responded, then scowled as Merula gave an exaggerated eye roll.

“Blah blah, quidditch blah. Do you ever talk about anything else?”

“Ignore her,” Lia muttered, “she’s just jealous because she couldn’t make the team. For all her talk Merula is shit on a broom.”

“You want to have a go, Dovewing? I’ll trounce you in flying class.”

“Why do you bother? You have literally never beaten me.”

“Less idle chatter…ifff you please.” Snape ennunciated as his perpetual bad expression silenced the whole table. He glanced down into their cauldrons, and somehow his look got even more sour. “Miss Dovewing, I said crush those beetle carapaces to powder, not leave them in big chunks.”

“Maybe Dovewing just likes her potions gritty.” Merula looked smug until Snape gave a snort.

“I wouldn’t brag when it’s clear you forgot the anemone juice altogether, Miss Snyde. And Miss Khanna, I swear if you put those leaves in without charring them first I might just make you drink your potion as an example to the rest of the class.”

Rowan flinched. “Sorry.”

The professor rounded the table and peered into Kyriel’s cauldron with a raised eyebrow, the closest he ever came to looking impressed. “A reasonable potion, Miss Kestrele. Clearly your professors at Ilvermorny took your potions education… seriously.” He moved on, and Merula shot Kyrr a nasty look.

“Suck up.”

“Is that British slang for ‘gee I’m jealous that you’re better than me’? I’m afraid I’m still learning the dialect.” Kyrr glared right back.

“You’re not better than me at anything. You’re just some thin blooded-”

“Oh give it a rest Merula. No one cares about your posturing.” Lia’s tone held a warning in it, but their building argument was interrupted as Barnaby wandered over.

“Can you read this label for me?” He handed a vial to Ophelia, who sighed.

“Doxycide. Don’t tell me.”

“It was hard to make out, I only took a little sip! Why is it sweet if it’s poison?”

“Barnaby, use lumos like the rest of us when you can’t read a label, don’t just drink things!” The Curse breaker used scourgefy on her cauldron, since the potion was beyond repair already anyway, and whipped up an antidote with the ease of long practice.

Merula sighed and gave Barnaby a disgusted look. “If you and a bag of rocks ever have a contest to prove who has the higher IQ, I’m betting my money on the rocks.”

“Same,” Rowan sheepishly added. Lia, out of kindness, refrained from adding her opinion, although Barnaby himself nodded in miserable agreement.

He swallowed the antidote and grimaced. “If this is good for you, why does it taste like moldy socks and rancid cream?”

“Because the taste of a potion or poison isn’t an indication of danger.” Ophelia threw up her hands in frustration. “Now go so I can re-make my potion.” She glanced across the table, wondering why Kyrr hadn’t spoken in a while. The taller girl had her head on her hand and was looking across the room with a fond smile to where McNully was sheepishly getting lectured by Snape for the sorry state of his potion. “You have it bad, girl.”

Kyrr looked up and laughed, rubbing her neck under the hearing aid. “You aren’t wrong. We… almost kissed?”

“What?!” Lia grinned madly, Rowan looked up in surprise, and Merula made a face like she’d just had some of the antidote given to Barnaby. “When?”

“After the game.”

“So are you official?” It stung a little bit, even she and Talbott weren’t officially official yet.

“No? I don’t know, we’re figuring it out. But I really want to kiss him.” She grinned and looked down, as Murphy, freed of being chastised, opted not to improve on his potion in favor of gazing at his crush while she wasn’t paying attention.

“That is so gross.” Merula opened her mouth to elaborate, but Snape called a ten minute warning and everyone hurried to finish their work.

+++

Rain had the entire quidditch crew trapped inside for lunch, and a spirited discussion was already going when Ophelia got there and sat down.

“Honestly they’re just lucky they aren’t having the first house match. Carson might be a prat sometimes, but his scoring average puts him above the other two chasers in Gryffindor right now. Without him they’d be hurting. Ravenclaw came out on the pitch swinging, though, if I wasn’t worried about what it was going to take to beat them this season I would have considered that one of the best games I’ve seen in a while.” McNully shook his head, and sighed “I know, Orion. I’m trying.”

“Stupid Ackerman was all over those goal posts like she’s got something to prove.” Skye poked at her lunch in annoyance, and glared across the great hall at her rival. Out of earshot, Orin glanced up and caught her look. She returned a smirk and a wink, and Parkin’s poor sandwich bore the brunt of her embarrassed irritation.

“She really was! Her goal rate is usually pretty good, but she scored 9.9 percent higher than her usual average in last night’s game.” Murphy either didn’t notice or didn’t care that Skye shot him a murderous look.

“That game was a doozy. Makes me wish I had time to play.” Lia smiled sadly.

Kyriel stepped up behind Murphy and Orion, and nodded at Lia. “Are you busy? Professor Flitwick said he has time to do some dueling coaching if we are up for it.” Murphy pulled a face and tilted his head up and back to look at her.

“Aww, but it’s lunch time!”

“I know, cute stuff, but the professors have a lot going on. Gotta take whatever time is available if you want their help.” She smiled sadly, and he looked forward again, clearly pleased by what she said even if he didn’t want her to go.

Ophelia shrugged. “You know what, actually yeah, I could use the chance to blow off steam.” As she got up, Kyrr put her hands on McNully’s shoulders. Then slid them down and across to hug him from behind, nuzzled against his neck.

“What is that scent?” Her voice was muffled, and his face flushed red to the roots of his hair.

“S…sandalwood? My shampoo?” His usually low voice had crept up an octave.

“I like it. See you later, Murph.” Kyrr turned her head and, as if they were not literally surrounded by their friends, gently bit down on his earlobe just enough to feel pressure but not pain, for all the world like a playful cat. “Be good.” She straightened and patted his shoulder before starting to walk towards the doors, leaving him a flushed, muttering mess behind her.

Ophelia tried not to laugh at his expression and followed her. Behind her, she could hear Skye say, “Do you want me to tell her to stop doing stuff like that, McN-”

“-Don’t you dare,” Murphy blurted out, and Bean started laughing so hard she ended up with hiccups.

Ophelia met up with Kyrr at the end of the table and walked down the hall with her, lapsing into silence. Her friend seemed to notice, and after a moment, cleared her throat.

“Are you okay, Lia?”

“Yes? I don’t know. To be honest, I think I’m a little jealous. I’ve known Talbott since second year. We’ve been going on dates since fourth. But we’re still in limbo. It feels like you and McNully have made more progress in one week than we have in two years.”

“It’s not really something to compare though.” Kyrr was gentle. “We have years of catching up to do. I’m jealous you’ve been with Talbott long enough to be comfortable with each other. Have you told him that it bothers you?”

“No. He’s weird with stuff like that. It gets awkward. I know he isn’t dating anyone else, but his reluctance to admit we’re a couple hurts a bit.”

“He’ll come around. Trust me, you’re worth it. You’re… probably the first real friend I’ve ever had. I’m sorry if my flirting with Murphy is getting in your head.” She rubbed her neck.

“Oh, don’t apologize, please. I love seeing both of you happy. And I’m really glad you and I are friends.” They smiled at each other, and walked into the Dueling chamber where Flitwick was just getting set up.

+++

The duel, under Flitwick’s guidance, was remarkably fun. Ophelia had gotten accustomed to winning nearly every bout, so going up against someone who could match and even beat her sometimes was exhilarating. She had to actually think about her moves. It was almost like playing Wizards Chess.

She had the advantage of speed, and her knack for reading an opponent’s moves helped keep them even, but when Kyrr got a hit in it felt ten times heavier than a normal attack. She also knew half a dozen spells Lia had never even heard of, which had Flitwick a bit giddy. Her dueling grip on the wand was strange, like holding it in her fist but with her index finger pointing towards the tip and her opponent. It made spells harder to cast, but expelleramis was almost completely useless, and being staggered didn’t cause her grip to loosen.

Ophelia dropped back a step between rounds, mind hard at work. Winning would all come down to timing, she’d never seriously dueled someone who wanted to go pro with it and clearly worked towards that goal. She watched for openings, committed only to interruptions and defense. When the moment came, she grinned and cast with a flourish.

“Incendio!”

Kyrr’s arms came up in an X to cover her face. Tiny flames licked along her arms, and as she lowered them, Ophelia felt a sense of something wrong. Kyriel’s eyes, her expression, her entire body language shifted into something feral. She raised her wand and cast a spell that Lia didn’t recognize, and a thunder crack of lightning shot across the room and into her chest, knocking the wind out of her and pushing her out of the dueling circle.

“Oh my god I am sorry, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” Kyrr was on her in a moment, fear and concern in her eyes, the feral look gone. Flitwick leaned down to check on the curse breaker, expression unreadable.

“It’s fine. I think I was asking for that. I’ve gotten cocky lately. I wont underestimate you again.” She laughed and coughed, as Flitwick broke into a smile. “I’ll forgive you as long as you teach me that spell. That was, as Skye would say, literally smashing.”

Kyrr smiled in relief. “I promise.”

Flitwick coughed politely. “Well, that was a good first session. You’re quite evenly matched, I’d be happy to sponsor one or both of you in a few years. Miss Dovewing, your reliance on timing seems to be coming at the cost of your raw power. I’d like to see you work on that, a bit. Miss Kestrele…” He paused, sympathetic. “I’ve only once ever met someone with your kind of raw power and instinct for channeling it. And unfortunately, he shared your lack of awareness for the damage it can do.”

Kyriel closed her eyes briefly, her face turning ashen as spots of color appeared on her cheeks. “My Uncle.”

“Yes.” He didn’t hold back, but his voice was gentle. “You have, I think, the potential to be an even greater duelist than he, but you need to work on your control. I want to see more precision, less emotion. A bonfire can become a wildfire if not carefully maintained.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now. Miss Dovewing, please get yourself checked out by Madame Pomfry, just to be sure.”

“It’s really not that bad.” Lia laughed and rubbed her sternum, rueful.

“No, he’s right. Please get checked out?” Kyrr looked sincerely regretful, but something else caught Lia’s attention, like the flashes she saw during a duel. It held no malice, though.

“Two to one isn’t very fair. But fiiiine.”

+++

Lia sat on the table in the hospital wing, feeling a bit embarrassed. The pain in her chest was already gone, it hadn’t been that hard of a hit. She was about to get up and leave when she heard skittering footsteps in the hall. Talbott burst into the room, uncharacteristically emotional. He looked downright panicked. He took one look at her and sighed in relief, rushing over.

“Are you okay? I heard what happened. How bad is it?”

“Boy, slow your roll.” Lia shook her head. “Heard what? I’m fine. Barely a scratch.”

His face twisted into a scowl. “That American sent me a message that she hurt you during a duel and you were here.”

Bloody hell, Kyrr, he already doesn’t trust you. “I’m fine. Really. I can’t believe you ran the whole way here.”

“Of course I ran. My girlfriend got hurt by some mangy, feral-”

“She doesn’t have mange-wait what did you just call me?” Ophelia’s brain fired off in pop rockets like the ones children played with during the Hogsmead festivals. “Did you just call me your girlfriend?”

“Aren’t you?” Talbott looked confused, if he wasn’t so worried she could have wrung his neck.

“Well, we never had a conversation about it!”

“Do we need to?”

“Yes, bird brain,” she hissed quietly enough that no one would hear, able to feel her eye twitching, “it requires a conversation!”

He paused, and then shook his head, expression falling back to its typical neutrality. “I didn’t know that. Does this suffice?”

Ophelia dropped her head into her hands and scrubbed her face. And started to laugh. And laughed harder, as he looked on, mildly concerned again. “You’re denser than Hogwart’s foundation and I overthought this to death.”

“So I’m still less dense than Barnaby?”

The nonchalant unkindness set her off into giggles again, relief pouring through her. “Barely. And I’m only overlooking it because you’re my boyfriend.”

“Well, good.” Talbott paused, a rare vulnerable look on his face. “Truly, Li-Li, I didn’t realize it was so important to you. I’m sorry.” He took her hands, glanced around to make sure they were mostly alone, and leaned down to kiss her.

A few moments later, Madame Pomfry interrupted them with the kindly ease of a grandmother, and Ophelia was sent on her way, arm in arm, and finally official, with her boyfriend.

Chapter Text

A hectic week culminated in the kind of Friday afternoon that left those dealing with it wanting a vacation, not just a weekend. A pack of magical creatures got loose in the school and wreaked havoc in the classrooms, which led to a rare cancellation of all classes. Ophelia normally would have been thrilled to have some extra time off, but Hagrid asked for her help tracking them down and corralling them. By the time the day would normally have been over she was as exhausted as classes would have left her and had already taken two showers to get the musky reek gone. She headed to the Great Hall for a belated snack, telling herself the lingering smell was just in her imagination.

The thunderstorm that had driven the creatures into the school had also cancelled outside activities, but no one wanted to start their weekend with a weekday routine. The Great hall was nearly empty when she arrived. In the back corner of the room she spied two fair heads and brightened up, grabbed a snack, and went to watch Kyrr and Murphy play a round of chess.

As Lia sat down next to Murphy, Kyrr made a tentative move, and Murphy shook his head. “Rook to H1. That’s Checkmate. Again.” He tried and failed to hold back a laugh. “Lass, you are literally the worst chess player I have ever met.”

She dropped her head into her left arm on the table and pounded her right fist on the heavy wood in frustration. “I want another round.”

“Kyrie, you do know you don’t have to be good at everything, right?”

“I’m not good at everything, far from it.” Kyrr pulled herself up and gave him a flat look, not responding to the way he addressed her. “But I refuse to be this bad at anything.”

“Alright, reset.” Murphy glanced at Lia. His smile was always wonderful, it immediately made him endearing, but the one he wore around Kyrr was closer to the joy after his team won a house match than his normal affability. “Orion was better than this. Your chupacabra friend was better than this.” He shook his head, baffled.

“How many times has she lost?” Lia recognized Kyrr’s frustration as more playful than actually angry, her scowl was fighting back a smile and her annoyance was performative. She was earnestly losing but she was having fun doing it.

“Eight times.” McNully sounded pitying.

“Nine.”

“No, you said the first didn’t count because you weren’t ready.”

“Clearly that is not why I lost.”

Ophelia hid a snort behind her hand. “You lost nine chess games in three days?”

Murphy shook his head, with an expression that was usually reserved for doctors giving a terminal diagnosis. “She’s lost nine today.”

“Can’t you go easy on her?” Ophelia actually felt a bit of annoyance on Kyrr’s behalf. Murphy gave her a flat look and gestured to Kyrr, who scowled at him.

“Don’t you dare.”

“I’m beginning to think she’s a masochist. No one in their right mind would keep coming back for more.”

Kyrr muttered under her breath. “They might if they’d seen your victory smile.” He had the grace to blush at the comment. “Anyway I don’t want to win if it’s easy. I want to earn my wins.” She declared her opening move.

“So she’s doing it to herself, great.” Lia laughed despite herself. She would never have expected McNully to be compatible with someone who couldn’t play chess, but then she never expected a platinum haired fluffy cat to drop into his life and claim him the way cats the world over did with their chosen people. “I’m glad you two are getting on well.”

Kyrr smiled on an inside joke. “Yeah, it got better when we started sharing a language.” Their eyes met and for a moment the game that was their fight-flirting around chess fell away, both looking so taken with each other that Ophelia felt her eyes roll. “Anyway, I heard you and Talbott are finally serious. You’re welcome.”

“Oh, you’re taking credit for that?” Lia laughed. “If I remember your part in it was a cheap shot to the chest with lightning.”

“Wait, really? Lightning spells are incredibly hard to cast.” Murphy perked up.

“Well that started it. But he doesn’t trust me-”

“-I’m aware-”

“-so I sent him a message saying I fucked up his girlfriend in a duel.” Both Murphy and Ophelia cringed.

“Watch your language before I have to dock us house points-wait you called me his girlfriend?”

“Yeah.” Kyriel shrugged. “Look, from what I saw it seemed like he already considered you official. I figured scaring the shit out of him and putting the word in his head would get him over the hurdle. I am actually decent at reading people.”

“But sadly, not chess. Checkmate.” Murphy sighed.

“IT’S BEEN FIVE MOVES!!”

“I know! It’s a new record! Statistically speaking you should have made at least one good move by now. This is a fascinating anomaly.” Murphy rubbed his chin and Kyrr dropped her head down, grumbling.

“Again!”

+++

After Ophelia left to find her boyfriend and get confirmation that the creature smell really was out of her hair, Murphy watched Kyrr deliberate over a move for long enough that he wasn’t sure if she was contemplating giving up. She bit the very tip of her tongue in concentration, and he felt warmth wash over him. He thought about Lia, and wondered how she managed to last two years with Talbott so close without shouting how she felt from the rooftops. It wasn’t even a week, but the only thing holding his impatience back…

“Kestrele, can we talk?” His voice felt as though it was getting pushed through a sudden vice on his throat. She glanced up, her focus shifted from the losing prospects in the game to his face.

“Of course. What’s up?”

“I…..” He trailed off as his mind tried to find the words. “I’ll never walk.”

“Okay? I knew that already.” Her expression softened at his, and he looked down at the bishop in his hands.

“What I mean is, the chair is going to be part of my life. My whole life. If I get married, it’ll be seated. Having kids, all of it. And I need to know if that would be a deal breaker for you. Because if it is, I don’t know what that would do to me down the line. I want… more. I want you. I want to make this thing that’s happening between us into something unambiguous. But I need to know if you can live with being the girlfriend of the…” he caught his breath. “….the wizard in the wheelchair.”

“Murphy.” Her tone brought his head back up, and she stood up. Kyrr stepped on the bench and then the table, then back down to straddle the bench seat he was on, facing him. “You are the dumbest smart person I’ve ever met.”

He blinked and pulled back, a little stung. “Oh.”

“Why the hell would I care if you can’t walk? You make me feel like I can fly.” Her expression was filled with such intense sincerity that it made his chest ache.

“Girls haven’t exactly been queuing up to date me.” Giddy relief was spreading out from where the pain had been.

“Well then, British girls are stupid.” She scooted closer, smiling. “So. You and me, hunh?”

“I was lost the moment I saw you,” McNully admitted, sliding his arm around her waist and tugging her up against his side. She traced his eyebrow with gentle fingers, and brushed the very tips over his lower lip. He leaned in closer.

A hand chopped down between their faces, and both dropped back, stunned. “Minus twenty points from Slytherin.”

Kyrr stared at Snape like he had four heads. “Why?!”

“For walking on the table and this disgusting display.”

Murphy dropped his chin into his hand, the fingers of the other hand drumming irritation into the wooden table. He couldn’t believe teachers had gotten in the way twice. His eyes slid sideways to Kyrr, who looked like she was trying to hold back from giving Snape an earful. McNully shook his head a fraction, and she scowled, accepting the punishment without exacerbating the situation.

He waited till Snape moved on, jotted down a note, passed it to Kyrr, then climbed into his chair. A few minutes after he left, Kyrr shifted into her animagus form and snuck down the length of the table and out of the hall.

+++

Murphy fidgeted with his wheels while he waited by a door. A large black and white cat, big enough to push his kneazel Neil around if she wanted to, wandered up to him and shifted forms into a girl. McNully couldn’t help but whistle. “Now that’s a trick.”

“Good for late night snacks and sneaking about. The shedding gets old though.” Kyrr grinned, and nodded at the door. “This is the one?”

“It is indeed.” Murphy opened it and headed through, Kyrr right behind. The dark blue astronomical themes of the Sphinx Clubhouse always filled him with excitement. “Welcome to Sphinx, home of academics and dreamers.”

Kyrr followed along and grinned at the massive astrolabe that took up part of the room. “And it’s the students that maintain all this?”

“We have to check in with the teachers for big stuff, but mostly, yeah.” He puffed up with pride. “Our library is almost as impressive as the one on ground floor, but with more… unapproved texts.” He felt his ears redden. “Some interesting reading for those who have a hard time asking questions, not that I’d know anything about that. Oh look! A painting.”

“Mmhm hey, is that Merula? As a Puffskien?”

“It was one of the funnier things to happen here. She may not actually be the strongest witch at Hogwarts, but if there was a competition for who can bite off more than they can chew, she’d be unbeatable.” Murphy led Kyrr to the library area, glanced around to make sure they weren’t observed, and activated the secret door. He headed down the spiral staircase with Kyrr behind him, and the door closed smoothly to hide the way.

At the base of the stairs a room opened up around them, and Kyriel caught her breath. “Oh wow.” She walked to one of the massive glass windows and looked out at the school towers visible through them.

“Welcome to the secret clubhouse. There’s not that many of us who use it, sharing how to get here is reserved for close friends.”

“I’m honored.” Kyrr smiled and sat on one of the couches, and poked at a glowing green crystal floating on a pedestal.

Murphy joined her on the couch, suddenly very aware of the distance between them. “Can I ask you an innocuous question?”

“Yeah.” She fidgeted lightly, eyes on his face.

“Why do you always smell like strawberries?”

She burst out laughing, not sure what she had expected, and pulled two small wrapped candies out of her pocket. “I’m always eating these.”

He took the one she offered, surprised. “Eating candy all day long?”

“It’s exercise actually.”

“Exercise?” He blinked, confused.

“I didn’t get a magical hearing aid until I was six and displayed magic for the first time. Before that all I spoke was sign language. So when I got hearing, I had to learn a lot of shapes and things with my tongue. It’s a muscle like any other, use it or lose it.”

“I can understand that. If I didn’t do exercises with my legs I’d look like a stick figure from the hips down.” He smiled, glad they could relate to each other in a way most couldn’t.

“Exactly. So, even though I can actually talk pretty fluently now, I still eat them.” She watched him pop the candy in his mouth, and grinned at his expression.

“These are good! They actually taste like the fruit, not just sugar.” Murphy glanced at her again and suddenly felt his face turning red yet again. He accidently bit through the candy, and she laughed.

“They don’t last as long if you chew them.”

“Yeah. I just had a… thought.”

“What kind of thought?” She scooted closer.

“I realized that, if I ever actually manage to kiss you, this is what it would taste like.”

“Oh. You think? I mean I don’t eat them all day long. Like in my sleep. So it would depend when you kiss me.” They were close enough to warm the air between them, but not touching. Not yet.

“Hmm. Valid point.” He stretched, and very un-surreptitiously put his arm along the back of the couch behind her. “So, odds around sixty two percent?”

“Sixty two? I’m gonna need to see you write that proof out, math boy, because I’m preeeetty sure you don’t have a large enough n size to call that a significant statistic.” She leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her.

“Ouch, right in the statistics.” Murphy grinned and gently rubbed her arm, giddy and warm all over. “I’ll have you know I’m utilizing a variable model used for sports, so the sample size is irrelevant.”

Kyriel laughed softly, reaching up to gently loosen his tie. “So do I fit within your standard deviation?”

“No, Snidget. There’s nothing standard about you.” He paused, and glanced around, braced for an interruption. When one didn’t come, he leaned across the short distance to touch his lips to hers. Her head tilted slightly, and he pulled her in closer.

She did, in fact, taste like strawberries.

Chapter Text

Murphy hummed to himself as he rolled through Hogwarts on his way to the great hall for a Saturday breakfast. It had been a few weeks since Kyriel had arrived, and he’d never been happier. The whole school was decorated for the upcoming Halloween, pumpkins and candles around every corner. Hogsmead had one of their festivals coming up, and he couldn’t get over the fact that he was going to take his girlfriend for the first time. The thought had him float into the hall, intent on finding her. Kyrr spent the first hour of every day going on a run and working out, but it was late enough in the morning she should have been finished and seeking breakfast.

It took a moment to find her, on hands and knees next to a table, looking for something. McNully rolled up, curious. “Lost your wand?”

“Mornin, Murph.” She grinned up at him from her knees, and clambered to her feet. “Worse.”

He didn’t need to ask, once she was standing. A third of her hair, under her hearing aid, was carefully drawn and pinned back as always. But the remaining mass of silvery poof, usually up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face, had gotten loose. Her goggles hung around her neck to prevent tangling. “Lost yet another hair tie?”

“It snapped and fucked off into oblivion somewhere.” She sighed.

It was a testament to just how often the American girl cursed that Murphy didn’t even flinch anymore. “Come here.” He pushed himself as far back on his chair as he could go, and opened his knees to make a small space for her to sit in front of him. “I’ll put it up for you.”

She took his offered hand and turned around, trusting him to guide her to the seat of his chair. He smiled to himself as he took the opportunity to play with her hair, the waves not quite tight enough to be called curls and not really even very thick, she just had so much that the silken mass defied control on a regular basis. Regular enough that he’d started carrying backup hair ties for her. He pulled it back into a semblance of control that looked more than a little like her tail when in animagus form, and tied it up. Kyrr pushed her goggles back up onto her forehead to keep most of the remaining loose strands out of her eyes, then leaned back against his chest.

“I owe you one.” She grinned as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and buried his face in her neck.

“It isn’t like I don’t enjoy the process.” Murphy admitted, and planted a little kiss on her neck. He enjoyed holding her, there was something so solid and sturdy about the athletic girl that it grounded him in reality and let him focus on just one thing for a while.

“Keep that up and we’re going to lose more house points.” Her words might have been admonishing; her tone was anything but.

“Have you seen the wall? The way Ophelia rakes in house points we have plenty to spare.”

That got a laugh out of Kyriel, but before she could reply a commotion near the doors caught everyone’s attention, and the moment was shattered. “That doesn’t look good.”

“No it doesn’t. I think we need Ophelia.” He reluctantly released her and helped her up to her feet, only stealing one small peek at the glorious sight from behind her before he set aside his feelings to respond to the new crisis.

Kyrr pulled out her wand and whispered as she drew a quick square shape in the air. “Epistola papyrum.” No two people cast it exactly the same, McNully’s version of the charm took the shape of a folded paper snitch, and when he got it right Barnaby’s looked like a tiny origami knarl. They all had the same end effect, though. Kyrr’s paper message took the shape of a folded airplane, and launched off to its intended recipient. The stronger the caster, the more words it could contain and the farther it would travel.

Kyrr and Murphy had gotten very, very good at the spell sending late night messages back and forth after curfew.

She looked down at him and gave him a halfhearted smile. “Lets see if we can keep this from getting worse before she gets here.”

+++

Like Kyrr, Ophelia was also on her hands and knees looking around for something, her wand lit but the extra light from lumos not helping. She’d been tidying up her area of the dorms when she noticed her Dumbledore chocolate frog card was missing. While the frogs themselves got away sometimes, if you didn’t go for the legs at least, the cards usually stayed put.

A paper airplane came gliding into the dorm and stopped in front of her, unfolding into a papyrus note written in Kyrr’s blocky handwriting.

You better get to the Great Hall as soon as you can, looks like Parkin and Rath might finally come to blows.

“I’ll find the card later.” Ophelia hurried towards the great hall, hopeful she would get there in time. Fortunately the argument was still in words when she arrived, but the tension in the room was high. Skye, for once, was holding back some, where Erika was uncharacteristically angry. Her best friend Orin was at her side, and clearly on her side, but there was enough body language to see she was doing her best to keep the fight from escalating. Kyriel, with her typical lack of boundaries, had wedged herself between the two arguing girls and was trying to physically keep them apart.

Lia frowned. Kestrele and Rath were nearly the same height and build, a fight between them could get ugly fast. Andre and McNully were off to the side, each standing both with their housemates but outside the fight. “Hey, what’s going on?” The curse breaker’s voice, when raised, commanded attention. It wasn’t only her reputation, she was a Prefect too.

McNully looked up, relieved. “Seems the shoe changed feet, Rath is accusing Parkin of theft.”

“She did it.” Erika finally backed off after giving Lia a look. They might not be best friends, but the girls had a mutual respect and she trusted the shorter Prefect to be fair. Kyrr used the space the turn and put her hands on Skye’s shoulders, hauling her back a few feet.

“I bloody well didn’t!” Skye sounded disgusted and agitated. “Why in the hell would I steal an old beater bat?”

“Don’t know. Plan to find out.” Rath took a step forward again, but Orin put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

“Not like that.”

“Look.” Ophelia frowned. “Skye has her flaws. A lot of them actually.”

Skye turned red and scowled. “Hey!” Orin tried not to laugh at her indignance.

“But,” Lia went on, “I can say with personal experience she isn’t a very good liar.” Orin did snicker that time and Parkin gave her an angry look, not sure if Lia’s comment should be taken as an insult or not. “So what is the deal with this bat?”

“Signed. Got it first time I watched a match.” Rath glared daggers at Skye.

“Hang on now, when I got the message to come here I was looking for my signed Dumbledore card. It’s also missing.”

“See? It’s not bloody me!” Parkin stomped her foot. Rath took two steps towards her, but then paused with a confused look as Orin stepped between her and Skye with her arms out at her sides.

“Captain, wait. Think about this. What’s more likely, that Parkin would risk getting grounded from the team just to steal an old bat? Or that Hogwarts is being Hogwarts and something else is going on?” Kyrr blinked, impressed by her courage. Rath, surprisingly, backed down again.

“Give us a chance to try to track it down.” Ophelia held out her hands, palms up, as a peace offering. “If we find out Parkin stole it…” She turned to look at Kyrr, who nodded.

“I’ll tell Hooch. She’ll be suspended from the team.”

“Not fair!”

“What do you have to worry about if you didn’t take it?” McNully looked at Skye and shrugged.

“It’s the principal of the thing.” Skye folded her arms and looked away, embarrassed.

“Why should I trust you?” Rath looked at Lia and Kyrr, her anger at least slightly diffused.

“I’ll go with them,” Orin spoke up quickly. “I’ll make sure they’re fair. Okay?” Rath frowned a long moment, but then nodded her head, sharply.

“I’ll be on the training grounds.”

“And I’ll-” Parkin started, but Ophelia cut her off.

“-stay right here in case I need to ask questions, and so no one can say you ran off to dispose of evidence. McNully? Andre? Keep an eye on her.”

McNully offered a sheepish smile. “Fancy a round of chess?”

+++

“Sorry about all this.” Orin led the two white haired girls towards Ravenclaw’s common room. “That bat means a lot to Erika. I don’t know if Parkin would actually steal it, but I can’t think of anyone else with motive.”

“I understand.” Lia nodded. “Skye does a lot of things without thinking them through, but this is a bit far for her.” They climbed the stairs to the girls dorms, and entered the chamber that Orin, Rath, and Badeea shared.

“This is our dorm. That’s where the bat is usually mounted.” Rath’s area was very tidy and simple, not surprising given her personality. Lia looked around a bit, reluctant to touch anything. Kyrr walked to one of the windows and grinned.

“Damn you have a hell of a view up here.” Ori grinned and nodded. “All we have in Slytherin are stone walls and an anxiety inducing view of the black lake.”

“Not a fan of water?” The Ravenclaw chaser raised a brow. She didn’t know much about the American girl beyond her talent as a referee, the fact that she was deaf without her hearing aid, and the fact that Murphy McNully had supposedly fallen head over heels for her. She was certainly pretty enough, similar to Erika with a mix of delicate features and a dangerous figure. Ackerman was happy for McNully, he deserved it.

“Not deep water, no. And rain. Ugh I hate rain.” Kestrele shuddered and Lia laughed before giving up the search.

“I don’t see anything that shows signs of how or where it was taken.” The curse breaker sighed.

Kyrr walked over. “Maybe it needs a different set of senses.” She dropped onto all fours, and shook out her silvery fur.

Orin startled. “No way! Wow, you are the biggest cat I’ve ever seen. Hey wait, watch this.” She pulled herself into a point of black feathers and talons as she shifted into her own Animagus form, the shape of a crow gliding once around the room. Lia gave a brief squeak of startled fear before quieting, and Orin the crow landed on Kyrr the cat’s head. The massive Maine coon started to purr with a loud rumble as she looked upwards, Orin looked down at her and tilted her head to regard her with one eye.

“So, this is likely to seem crazy, but….” Lia shifted into her own cat form, and walked up to stare up at Orin with as sheepish an expression as a cat could make.

Ori laughed with a crow’s caw, and flitted to the bed before changing back. “All three of us? Wait, you’re Talbott’s girlfriend, right? Did he help you too?”

Ophelia changed back too, sitting in the floor beside Kyrr. “Yeah, a few years ago.”

The larger cat didn’t shift right away, and instead crawled under the bed for a moment. When she returned, she had a sliver of wood in her mouth She dropped it by Lia, furiously groomed her fur to clean off a cobweb, and changed back. “There’s a sizeable hole in the floorboards. Does this look like the wood from the beater bat?”

Lia passed it to Orin, who nodded. “It’s the right color. You think it got scraped off while something was carrying the bat away?”

“Unfortunately, it seems possible. Which is a good thing for Parkin, but not for this mystery. How big is the hole?”

“Big enough to drag a bat, but too small to risk crawling through,” Kyrr responded with a frown. “You said you’re missing a signed card?”

“Yeah. We should check Slytherin house next. I have a bad feeling this is only just the beginning.”

+++

As they were leaving the dorms, a note in the shape of a crumpled ball flung itself at Ophelia’s head, and she caught it with reflexes held over from her seeker days. “Ugh, Merula.” The note unfolded and she read it. “Figures.”

“What’s up?” Kyrr rubbed her neck under the hearing aid, a sign that it was irritating her.

“Merula wants to meet me in the artifact room alone. Claims she has useful information.”

“Does that bitch ever?” Kyrr’s intense dislike and profanity caused a reflexing snort, cough, and laugh out of Orin.

“Sometimes? I hate to admit it but she does sometimes prove useful as long as she thinks she has something to gain from it.”

“How about this,” Orin said as she composed herself. “Kyrr and I will go to give Rath the bad good news that we’re pretty sure it isn’t Parkin behind it, while you talk to Medusa, and we’ll all meet up in the great hall to see what we’ve heard.”

“Not a bad idea, apart from me having to talk to her.” Lia sighed and tucked the piece of wood into her pocket. “See you soon.”

As they headed the opposite way down the hall, Kyrr asked, “Why do you call her Medusa?”

“Have you seen her hair? She looks like a cat that got too old to properly lick itself. Clumps.” Orin made a face while Kyrr lost it in a fit of giggles.

Ophelia was slightly envious, they certainly had the better job ahead of them. With reluctance, she turned her steps toward the artifact room.

Chapter Text

The Artifact room sat at the end of a long corridor that frequently sat empty. Ophelia suspected that it was enchanted to hold more than it should, there wasn’t nearly enough space inside for the sheer number of things that had been both lost and found over the years. Rumors spoke of another room in the castle that appeared when needed, perhaps the artifact room was like a permanent annex.

She pushed open the door, and frowned at the sight of Merula sitting on a barrel. “Well, I’m here.”

“Took you long enough, Dovewing.” Snyder scowled. In the dim lighting, her hair really did look like it was clumped together. Ophelia hid a grin instead of letting herself be goaded.

“What do you want? I don’t have all day, I want to get through this before I run out of energy dealing with this nonsense.” She had a date planned with Talbott, and every new distraction made it more likely her plans would get ruined. Which she didn’t say, of course, Merula would consider that a bonus.

“Well I thought about helping you, but if you’re going to be rude about it…” Merula folded her arms and looked away.

“Spit it out or I’m gone. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t stand to gain.”

“Is that all you think of me?” Merula sounded wounded, as though she wasn’t literally antagonistic at every opportunity. Ophelia must have looked ready to walk out, because she quickly dropped the act. “Ismelda was in the Hall when that fight almost happened. I’m glad it didn’t, I want to be there when Kestrele finally gets her face punched in.”

Ophelia, who had seen Kyrr in the mornings running drills that she called interval training, privately doubted the girl even knew how to lose a fight. “If she ever gets into fisticuffs, somehow I doubt she’ll be the one hurting. What’s your point, Snyde?”

“Izzy said that Rath has a bat that’s gone missing, and that you have a stupid frog card that’s missing. Both signed.” Merula’s expression slid from cocky into something close to vulnerable. “I’m missing something too, since this morning.”

“Okay, that is actually useful information. Two could be a coincidence, but three is definitely a pattern. What’s missing?”

“Is that the ‘genius’ thought process that helps you keep finding vaults? ‘It must be a pattern’,” Merula lowered her voice and mimicked Ophelia’s voice.

“Okay, nevermind, I don’t care anymore.” Ophelia turned to leave.

“It’s a poster! It’s a poster, okay? Celestina Warbeck. It’s signed. It was from my mom. She… got to meet her and had her sign it for me when I was just a baby. I don’t even have it on display, I keep it rolled up in my footlocker. But this morning I noticed the footlocker was open, and it was gone. I knew no one would believe me.” Her expression had nothing of the usual guile in it.

Lia rubbed her temples and frowned. Merula would lie through her teeth, and maybe even present false information to throw her off the scent, but the story fit with what little she knew of Merula’s family. Her story about her mother singing for the frog choir had similarly rung true. “Okay. I’ll add it to the list. And this is actually useful,” she mused, giving Merula at least a little positive feedback, “Because the other two items were on display. If yours wasn’t, maybe this isn’t just about opportunity.”

“I can ask around, see if anyone else is missing anything.” Snyde shrugged.

“Why would you do that?” The curse breaker was suspicious.

“Because I want my poster back! Besides, I’m the strongest witch at Hogwarts. My help is always going to be useful.”

Lia gave her a fake smile, and sighed. “Okay. Fine. Just don’t get in my way.”

+++

Orin eyed up Kyriel as they walked down toward the training grounds, intrigued. People who saw the Ravenclaw chaser next to Rath might have thought she was the talkative sort, but anyone would next to Erika’s habitual quiet. She didn’t strike up a conversation as they walked, and appreciated that the Slytherin referee picked up on it. They were almost to the moving stairway when Kyrr rubbed her neck.

“Do you mind if I take out the hearing aid for a few minutes? It’s picking up on some kind of feedback chatter and driving me nuts. I won’t be able to hear much of anything with it out.”

“Oh yeah. Sure.” Ori watched with interest as she pulled it off and out of her ear, then turned it over and started fiddling with it. The ribs of the dragon wing could be lengthened or shortened, and she made several adjustments while the eye was a sapphire blue color. She finally put it back in as their staircase arrived, and turned it on.

“Oh, that’s better.” Kyrr sighed in relief.

“Does that happen a lot?” Curiosity might kill the cat, but it was a Ravenclaw’s bread and butter.

“The more magic I’m around, yeah. If I wanted to I could change the settings to listen for magic effects, the original version of these was to help aurors and MACUSA law enforcement track things down. As a hearing aid it’s sort of being wasted on me.”

“That’s neat.” Orin grinned. “So, born deaf, or…”

“Yeah.” Kyrr smiled, not bothered by the question. “Mostly. My right ear is the better one. Hearing loss is measured in decibels lost on a scale of one to one hundred. My right ear is eighty four percent loss, my left is ninety five. Without the aid I can still hear really loud things, but most sound is just murmurs if I pick it up at all.”

“I didn’t know any of that. Weird. I mean, not in a bad way.” Both girls laughed. “So you only have one aid?”

“Yeah, they don’t really work paired. But I’ve had it since I was a kid, so I’ve learned to compensate for most of my hearing being on the left.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but is there no way to heal it with magic?” Orin tilted her head, nearly the same gesture in the girl as when she was a crow.

“Nope, they looked into it. Injuries can be healed, but things like a physical defect in my case or a neuromuscular disorder in McNully’s can’t be changed. It was explained to me that people have a magical pattern we start with. If you’re injured, as long as the parts of the pattern are still there, you can be healed the way reparo fixes an item. But if your pattern contains something different naturally….” She shrugged. “In the eyes of a magical spell, we aren’t broken. Nothing to fix.”

“….I can’t decide if that’s reassuring or depressing.” Orin made a face.

“Right? Try wrestling with that one when you’re seven years old.” Kyrr laughed as they stepped out into the sunlight over the training grounds.

+++

On her way back down the hall, a small brown figure came gliding through the air in Ophelia’s direction. She flinched even though her mind registered what she was seeing, and Talbott quickly shifted back into his regular form. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Force of habit.” She managed a smile. “Is everything okay?”

“I could ask you the same. I saw you in the Ravenclaw common room with Orin and the cat.”

“Investigating yet another Hogwarts mystery.” Lia sighed. “And her name is Kyrr. I don’t know why you dislike her so much.”

“Bird’s instinct.”

“Orin seems to like her, and she’s a bird. Why didn’t you tell me you helped someone else become an animagus?” She tried not to pout.

“Jealous?” He actually smiled for once. “Truly, it just wasn’t my secret to tell. Same reason I didn’t tell her about you. Being unregistered means learning to keep your head down.”

“Yeah, I know.” Lia didn’t want to admit it to him, but she’d only chosen not to register so that he wouldn’t feel so alone.

“She and I are just friends.”

“I know. I trust you.” Lia turned and took his hands, smiling up at him. “I rather like Orin, anyway. We’ve bumped into each other in the reserve, she likes magical creatures the way I do. And she never carried over quidditch grudges.”

They passed a brunette Hufflepuff girl staring up at the Quidditch trophy, and Lia felt warmth from the sight that it was still green. She missed playing.

“Good. So what are you investigating?” He might have been antisocial by nature, but he was the curious type too.

“People’s signed possessions are going missing. Even ones that weren’t on display.”

“Hmm. That’s tricky. Invisibility, like that demiguise you tracked down?”

“I thought that at first, but Kyrr found… don’t make that face… a sliver of wood from Rath’s stolen bat by a hole in the floor. I don’t have a theory yet, but it could be something small.”

“Like a niffler?”

“A niffler wouldn’t need to drag the bat, it would just use it’s belly pouch.”

“True.” Talbott thought a moment, and then smiled. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Are we still on for dinner?”

“Wild abraxans couldn’t keep me away.” Ophelia grinned, and leaned up to meet his kiss. She fervently hoped the other two were taking their time informing Rath.

+++

Rath stood her ground against the bludger intent on knocking the beater over, deflecting it again and again into a training dummy that had seen better days. Her first indication that she had company was the bludger changing course, and she tracked it’s movement to the two girls joining her. Orin jumped out of the way easily, accustomed to how Rath worked out. Kyrr ducked the bludger with a surprised look on her face.

Erika thought quickly, and came to a decision. “Catch!” Lia had taught her a midair maneuver to throw someone her bat, and she was curious how the new Slytherin referee would handle herself.

Kyrr caught the bat awkwardly and turned to look at the returning bludger with a grin. She planted her feet and choked up on the bat, waiting. Her timing was spot on, and the bludger went slamming into the center of the badly abused training dummy. Rath, hands free, caught it on the next return and wrestled it back into its box.

“Solid arm.” She looked Kyriel over as the girl handed the bat back.

“Don’t expect me to do it twice. Those things weigh a lot more than a baseball.” She winced and laughed, rubbing her shoulder. “There’s reasons I wanted to be a ref and not a player.”

“Still.” One word, but it felt like a compliment. “Find it?” She addressed the question to Orin.

“No, but we found evidence. And we’re pretty sure Parkin isn’t behind it.”

“Shame.” Rath snorted in annoyance. “Hate apologizing.”

“Not like she didn’t have something like this coming,” Orin reasoned.

“Regardless, we’re not giving up.” Kyrr offered a smile. “We will get to the bottom of this and get it back.”

Rath nodded, and gave the bat a swing. “Appreciate it.” It was about as clear as a dismissal as could get, and the two animagus girls backed off to give her space to resume the workout.

“Great hall?” Orin shrugged as Kyrr nodded.

“Let’s hope Lia has found something helpful.”

+++

The hall was fairly empty in the pre-lunch lull, and the group of Skye, Andre, and Murphy in the back was easily noticed. Another boy (wearing detailed face paint despite there not being a Slytherin game that day) stood at the end of the table watching the chess match in progress.

“You’re cheating!” Skye looked annoyed, and McNully looked like he was about as done as he ever got.

“I would never. I don’t need to.” He glanced up and his expression melted into happiness. “Snidget! Just in time.”

“You’re off the hook as soon as Dovewing gets here,” Orin said as she took a seat close enough to Parkin to make the blue haired girl glare daggers at her.

“I told you I didn’t take anything.”

McNully ignored them, and looked up at Kyrr. “The hunt goes well, then?”

“Better than your match, though it doesn’t sound like that’s much better.”

“Skye is bad at chess.” He smiled and ignored Parkin’s glare. “Not as bad as you, though.”

“Oh, you’re funny.” Kyrr leaned against his back and grabbed a gentle handful of blond hair, snapping her teeth at the side of his head playfully. He hadn’t gotten past the blushing phase of their relationship yet, but their interactions had the smoothness of people who had become very comfortable with each other. He tilted his head up and back to kiss her, the playful aggression melting away.

Orin shook her head, and glanced at Skye, whose ears reddened a bit at the overt display of affection. “Aww, you’re a prude.”

“Shut up, I am not!”

Andre smiled at the couple. “It’s adorable. And also slightly disturbing.”

Murphy had to break away to laugh, and gave Andre a one shouldered shrug. “Let’s be real here, modest and private aren’t really traits I had even before getting a girlfriend.”

“Yeah but…” Face paint kid looked sidelong at Kyrr, who had planted her chin on the top of Murphy’s head. “I guess this is what happens when you date an American.”

“This is what happens when you date a girl who’s half cat,” McNully corrected cheerfully.

“Oh good, you’re all already here,” Ophelia cut in, sitting down next to him. “I talked to Merula, guess who is also missing something signed?”

“See? Definitely not me. I wouldn’t steal anything from Merula. She’d probably put something gross in my dorm in revenge,” Skye huffed.

Orin snickered and nodded agreement. “So you’re off the hook, kitten. Lucky you.” Parkin scowled and knocked over a chess piece that loudly protested the abuse.

“It still doesn’t get us any closer. We’ll have to check out our dorms and see if there’s any holes.” Kyrr frowned, and Lia sighed.

“There definitely are. We had mice get in the room when we were first years, scared Rowan half to death.”

“There can’t be that many things that size capable of hauling a beater bat away. Process of elimination?” Murphy glanced up and Kyrr smiled into his hair.

“Talbott suggested niffler, but they have a pretty decent sized pouch, it wouldn’t need to drag things. And none of the missing things are shiny.”

“Well,” Orin looked at the couple across the table, the conversation about disabilities coming back to her, “the average niffler, sure. But if you had one with a smaller pouch than usual… they can be trained to an extent. One that would rely on its trainer more might be better at choosing things that fit a non-shiny motif.”

Ophelia slowly nodded. “You have a point. But then who would want random signed memorabilia? Jae?”

“Pretty sure he has other ways of getting contraband.” Andre rubbed his chin in thought.

“That the Hufflepuff kid who is always in detention?” Kyrr looked down at Murphy, who chuckled and tugged her to sit down on his other side, opposite Lia.

“He’s actually a Gryffindor. He just wears yellow.”

She leaned back with her elbows on the table. “Well that just confuses things.”

“Can we focus, please?” Ophelia could just feel the eye twitch starting again. “If I miss my date because of this I will be quite cross. Some of us prefer our alone time.” Kyrr leaned back farther and stuck her tongue out, which at least lightened her mood.

A paper wand danced in through the open doors of the hall and sailed to Ophelia, stopping just short and giving a duelist’s flourish before unraveling into a note. She read it quickly, and sighed. “It’s from Diego. Looks like we have more missing items than we thought.”

The date was truly in peril.

Chapter Text

Of all the clubhouses, Dragon club was the most open, large gaps in the walls covered with thin curtain shields to keep out the rain allowed for students to fly their brooms indoors and practice quidditch maneuvers within reason. Dummies on the walls invited dueling practice; though strictly speaking bouts between students were banned, though practice fights were overlooked as long as no one got hurt. Kyrr looked around the room with piqued interest; if Sphinx club was a nighttime theme, dragon had all the qualities of the day.

A fifth year Ravenclaw student watched the trio of animagi walk in and tossed a quaffle to Orin, who caught it easily. “Here for practice while Hufflepuff hogs the pitch?”

“Not today.” She grinned and threw it back reluctantly.

Ophelia spied Diego practicing spells on the dummies, and walked over. “I got your message.”

“Ah, the beautiful curse breaker, and breaker of hearts. Diego is pleased you are here to lend your aid. But who is your new companion?”

“Does he always talk like that?” Kyrr gave Lia a doubtful look, and doubled down on it when the flirtatious boy sauntered closer.

“I do. Diego Caplan at your service. You have the look of a dancer.” He grinned, and Lia’s eyes rolled so hard she gave herself a headache. Orin tried not to laugh, after seeing Kyrr and Murphy together she would have guessed the American girl and the eccentric duelist would have had chemistry, but her body language said the boy was at risk of getting a hard kick to the shins if he came closer.

“Sorry. I already have a dance partner.” Her voice settled lower than usual, and Diego froze a moment before laughing it off.

“Ah well, there is always the future.” He turned to smile at Lia. “Merula mentioned that you are investigating several missing items, all of which are signed? I too am missing something of great importance. It is a copy of a famous duelist’s wand.”

Ophelia frowned and rubbed at her ribs with her thumb, lost in thought. “It fits with what we’ve seen so far. Was it put away or on display?”

“I had it on display, of course. I would never expect such a thing to be stolen, and when I hold it in my hands I can almost feel the energy flowing into me. Things that are hidden away are not truly cherished.”

“You can say that now, but wait till you run out of display space for your sentimental items.” Lia snorted. “We’ll add it to the list, though.”

The three girls stepped back to let him resume practice. Orin shook her head after a moment and looked at the others. “At this point, we’re chasing our tails. The items themselves don’t have anything that ties them together aside from being keepsakes.”

“Potentially expensive ones.” Kyrr looked back at Diego. “I know that replicas of my uncle’s wand are pretty pricy. And anything signed by Celestina Warbuck is a few dozen gallons at least.”

“I didn’t really consider that.” Lia blinked. “Hogwarts doesn’t cost anything.”

“Supplies for it do.” Kyrr shrugged. “We had a hell of a time exchanging no-maj money for wizarding cash. I was close to needing second hand school stuff. There’s no shame in it, but then, if Hogwarts is anything like Ilvermorny, some kids do get picked on for it.”

“I can see Merula mocking someone for it easily. Ugh.” Ophelia scowled as Orin nodded sagely. “And Ori is right, we’re playing catch up here. What we really need is something new. See if we can catch the culprit red handed.”

“Like a stake out?” Kyrr grinned.

“It could work. We’d need to choose an area with an easy way to get in that we can close off immediately so the thief has to use the corridors. In our animagus forms it shouldn’t be too hard to track them. Shame none of us is a dog.” Orin grinned and all three laughed.

“But where do we get something worth money signed?” Kyrr looked at Lia, who grinned.

“You need contraband? Go to Jae.”

+++

With the plan made, and Jae willing to find something so long as the price was right, the girls had nothing to investigate until nightfall. Orin left to work in the creature reserve and feed her various pets. Kyriel got a paper snitch note and took off in her cat form. Finally, Lia sent a message to Talbott to say the date was still on, but she couldn’t stay late at dinner.

Madame Puddifoot’s tea shop might have looked like the offspring of a china shop and an over zealous doily monster, but it was rather sweet and cozy if one could overlook the pink. The food made it worth the sacrifice, on a normal day. The food could have been leftover slop from the creature reserve and it still would have been worth the sacrifice to Ophelia when it meant she actually got Talbott on a public date.

He had even dressed up for the occasion, hair slicked back and in a suit no doubt designed by Andre, if the blue velvet lapels were any indication. He looked uncomfortable, though his tension faded some when Madame Puddifoot wisely put them in the corner farthest from other couples.

“It is a rather tight fit.” It wasn’t quite a grumble. Talbott pulled out Ophelia’s chair, and stole a kiss to her cheek as she sat. Whatever had prompted the change in their relationship, Kyrr’s influence or not, he had been putting in more of an effort.

“I know. It’s slightly sad, I can’t imagine McNully’s chair fitting in here.” Lia frowned, and watched Talbott sit.

“Poor him.” Talbott gave her a little half smile that clearly said “lucky boy,” and it cleared away her frown.

“McNully, that’s the boy with the wheelchair?” Madame Puddifoot smiled as she brought over glasses of water and a menu. “I told him I’d gladly reducio one of the table sets to make room if he brings that sweet girl of his in. He actually just came by, brought a basket. I think it might be for a picnic.”

“Sweet girl?” Talbott made a face and then grimaced as Lia sweetly kicked his shin under the table.

“Oh yes. She’s been working a few days a week for me, it’s been a great help.”

Lia blinked in surprise and thought back to Kyrr’s comments on the worth of the stolen items. It hadn’t occurred to her that her friend might have money troubles. It was unsettling. “She’s a good friend of ours.”

“Oh yes. Just the best. I love how much I have to hear about her.” Talbott’s fake smile and sarcasm gave Lia half a stitch in her side trying not to laugh.

“We’ll take the rosehip tea, ma’am.” Lia watched her walk away and then gave her boyfriend a look.

“What? I know, I know, she’s just the new thing around Hogwarts.” Talbott sighed. “How is your investigation going?”

“Pretty well, I think. We have some ideas, but more than that we have a plan. Jae is going to get us a signed gramophone disk and we’re setting up a trap to see what comes to get it.”

“That’s clever.” Talbott watched Lia fiddle with the edges of the doily under her plate, and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I’m sorry I’ve been a stick in the mud lately. I am trying.”

“I know.” Lia smiled. “You’re here. In public, on a date, dressed up.”

“You look like a painting of birdsong.” His voice was quiet, not used to giving compliments rather than sarcastic quips. Lia felt her face heat up, and she burst into a smile.

“And you said you aren’t romantic.”

+++

Orin strapped on the special leather pauldron she had created for her favorite creature, and made her first stop the firelands. She clicked and whistled as she walked through the Scorched Vale portion of the reserve, and stopped by an old hollowed out tree that was mostly charred carbon on the surface.

Happy noises met her whistle, and she grinned as a tiny fire salamander poked it’s head out of one of the holes in the tree, stamping its feet and twirling in excitement at the sight of her. Ori laughed and knelt. “Hey buddy.” He clambered onto the pauldron, the enchanted leather glowing red hot but not transferring any heat through to her shoulder. “Sorry it’s been a while, Zuko. Things have been busy lately.” She offered him a treat and he ate it on her shoulder like a smoky parrot.

She made the rest of her rounds through the reserve with him as her fiery sidekick. The dragons were always fun to watch, but the best were the abraxans this time of year. The foals all had their first wing feathers coming in, and their thick winter coats made them look like fuzzy ponies. They were old enough now that the adults allowed them to roam a bit, and they jumped around her in delight as she tossed them food after bowing respectfully at the stallion of the herd.

The icy hills were the last stop, and Zuko chirruped at his icy opposite, both dancing about joyfully. Orin laughed and pulled her hair back before it could get singed. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

When the feeding was done the day was getting late, and she reluctantly returned Zuko to his habitat. “If tonight goes well, I’ll sneak you into the Hogsmead festival tomorrow. I bet you would love the fireworks.” She wasn’t worried about the noise and light, he got enough exposure from the dragons who had made the smoldering wasteland area their home. He chipped at her one more time and ducked back into his hole with the last treat offered, nearly getting stuck like a dog with a long stick getting trapped in a doorway.

She watched, and then mused on the sight as she walked back to the castle. It gave her an idea for their trap. Orin changed direction and shifted into her crow form, using the bird’s superior eyesight to find the right spot in the Dark Forest to drop through the trees. The resident acromantulas weren’t very active yet, and it was easy to nab long strings of sticky webbing off the trees around the ominous cave that contained them.

She returned to her dorm through the window, and set about assembling her trap.

+++

The message from Jae had arrived just as Ophelia’s date was wrapping up, and she hurried to meet him directly from Hogsmead. The Korean boy glanced up as she walked into the artifact room, and blinked. “Fancy.”

“I had a date. Got it?”

“Yes.” He offered the gramophone disk, but as she reached out, he pulled it back. “This is a loan, I need to remind you. I do not want to deal with the fallout if I can’t get this back to its proper owner.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“No. Probably not.” He released it, reluctantly, and watched her leave. “You owe me one, curse breaker!”

Lia headed down to the dungeons quickly, wanting to change before the stakeout. She felt anxious with the disk in her possession, like it could vanish and ruin the plans at any moment. Kyrr was already in the dorms as she arrived, and Lia pulled up short. “Girly” was not a word one usually attributed to the Ilvermorny transfer, but in a deep green sundress and the bulk of her hair for once tamed into loose curls, she fit the description.

“I guess I wasn’t the only one with a date.”

“Murphy surprised me.” Kyrr flushed, and quickly changed into trousers and an athletic shirt. “He set up a picnic.” She sounded odd, wistful, as though the idea of it was still unbelievable despite their mutual affection.

“That is so stinking cute.” Ophelia laughed and changed into casual clothes as well. “I have the disk. All we have to do is meet up with Orin after curfew, and we can set the plan in motion.”

The girls pretended to go to bed, and a bit after lights went out they snuck out. Kyrr let Orin into the Slytherin common room, and the Ravenclaw girl looked around with interest.

“The rumors of how cold and damp it is down here are true.” She pulled a bundle out of her moleskin bag, and held it up. “I figured out how to keep our thief from getting away.”

“Is that acromantula webbing?” Lia grinned. “Smart!”

“I attached a few small bells, as long as it gets stuck it should easily lead us to its hiding place.” Orin laid the webbing out on a table with the disk in the center. She shifted forms briefly and gathered some ceiling cobwebs to lay in the center as well, as the dusty strands would keep their thief from noticing the danger until it was too late. She landed and shifted back, then looked at Ophelia. “Why do you flinch every time I shift?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Lia gave a weak smile.

“It’s not nothing.” Kyrr’s voice was gentle. “I saw how you reacted when that sparrow got stuck in the greenhouse during herbology.”

“It’s just… the sound of flapping wings.” Ophelia was surprised to hear the words leave her mouth, but being with two people who shared secrets with her made her feel safe. “When I was little, some of the older kids pretended to be my friends. They pulled a prank on me. Trapped me in a shed. There was a mother bird and her nest in there…. It was dark, and all I could hear was her frantic wing beats while she attacked me. It…. Wasn’t her fault. She was protecting her babies. And the physical scars healed, but….”

“Broken trust and fear last a lot longer than cuts and bruises.” Kyrr nodded, sympathetic. “Believe it or not, I can relate.” They smiled at each other as off to the side Orin rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“If it helps any, crows don’t have the greatest night vision. It’ll be easier and safer for me to keep up if I just use Kestrele as a mighty steed. If I can ride an abraxan I can ride an oversized fluff ball.”

Kyrr laughed and nodded. “I don’t mind, just hang on tight if we have to run.”

Ophelia felt something warm in her chest. Painful memories of false friends in the past faded like old photographs in the light of real friends in the present.

Chapter Text

A gentle nudge pulled Ophelia out of slumber, and she shook her head in an attempt to figure out where she was before she remembered that she was in her cat form, on a stakeout. Kyrr was curled up next to her, but her head was up and eyes alert, ears pointed toward their bait. On her head, Orin was seated, feathers fluffed.

A small commotion on the table caused Lia’s eyes to dilate, bringing the dark room into clarity. A small black form climbed up with difficulty. So it is a niffler. It moved slowly, but showed no sign of caution. Even in the false color that night vision afforded it was clear that a large portion of its fur was silver or white. It examined the gramophone disk, and attempted to shove it into its pouch. It had some difficulty, and resorted to trying to drag it off the table.

The Niffler was stuck to the webbing before it knew what was happening, and it panicked. It dropped the record and tried to run with the cats and crow hot on its tail. Lia ran as fast as she could to keep up, but it was a speedy little creature. The jingling bells it dragged behind it made it easier to follow, at least. Kyrr had the advantage, even with Orin clinging to her scruff, longer legs and a powerful breed meant she could keep up more easily. She cut it off every time it dove for a crack in the wall and forced it to stay in the main halls.

Ophelia couldn’t help but be impressed and a bit concerned, her friend could be a bit too animalistic.

They chased the Niffler through the halls until they reached the wing where Gryffindor was housed. It turned and dove for a crack between the stone floor and the door to one of the many storage rooms found around the castle. Kyrr looked at Ophelia, who nodded and stood into her human form, drawing her wand.

“Alohomora.” She swished her wand and the door unlocked and cracked open. She shifted back down and stood back to let Kyrr enter first; apart from being more of a threatening animal, she was openly registered as an animagus and didn’t take any steps to hide the fact.

Inside, at the back of what was a glorified closet, a nest of pillows big enough for a student had been constructed, with the stolen items placed on the shelves around. The Niffler was trying to clean off its feet, but panicked when it saw it had been followed in. Kyrr growled and pounced, pinning it down with a heavy foot. Orin took a beakfull of fur on her head and yanked as a warning, and the cat eased up a bit. Orin hopped down and shifted back into her girl form, examining the animal as Ophelia changed forms to do the same.

“This is the oldest niffler I’ve ever seen.” Ori frowned and picked it up gently, the creature clinging to her as Kyrr gave it a warning growl. “Their pouches lose elasticity over time.”

Ophelia was about to speak when the door to the closet opened, and a young Gryffindor student walked in, worried. He saw the two girls, and much like the Niffler, panicked and bolted. Kyrr ran after him and shot like a fuzzy dart between his legs, sending the boy tumbling to the floor. Ophelia cast a spell to hold him as Kyrr changed back. “Oldest cat tactic in the book.”

“Who are you?” Lia knelt down and frowned.

“Baily Templeton.” He shook, but with the spell immobilizing his legs, he couldn’t get away. “S…second year.”

“This is your niffler, right? Why has it been stealing signed memorabilia?”

“I… I didn’t….”

“Explain it to me, and we’ll try to set this right without getting you expelled,” Lia added dryly.

“I…. I need money.” His lower lip started to tremble, and his eyes welled up. “My mum is at St. Mungo’s, and dad is gone, so there’s no one to take care of Gran and I thought if I could just get a little more money we could have someone stay with her so I don’t have to come home from school to take care of her.” He sniffed and wiped his tears, shaking. “I only told it to find me something valuable that wouldn’t be missed right away, but Zazzy was my mom’s, not mine, so he doesn’t listen to me very well.” He startled in surprise as Kyrr sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulders, reassuring.

“Even the best trained nifflers don’t really listen well to their trainers. You did better than you think.” Orin gave him a gentle smile, petting the furry little thief that had settled down in her arms.

Lia nodded agreement. “Look, we’ll give everything back, and then tomorrow we’ll talk to Dumbledore on your behalf, okay? But you have to promise no more stealing. And if Zazzy brings you something that isn’t yours, return it right away.”

The boy slowly calmed down, and Ophelia released the spell. He leaned against Kyrr, who pet his hair like Orin pet the niffler, and he finally settled down enough to be escorted back to Gryffindor tower.

+++

The next morning, the three girls met up with Baily at breakfast, and after returning everyone’s stolen items with the explanation that it was an accident with an overzealous niffler, headed into Dumbledore’s office. Baily paced outside the office while they talked for what felt like eight hours, until finally the doors opened and he was invited in.

Dumbledore didn’t look angry, and the three girls looked supportive. The headmaster beckoned him closer. “I have been informed of your situation. I can imagine how overwhelming all of this is. It is a good lesson for a Gryffindor to learn, that courage does not always lead one to make the right decision. Many a Gryffindor has lost their way by taking action without giving it proper thought or proper empathy. However, Miss Dovewing, Miss Ackerman, and Miss Kestrele believe that you have learned that lesson, and punishment is not warranted in this case. Furthermore,” he continued, “your situation with your family is a burden that a child your age should not feel wholly responsible for. I promise that you will not be sent home, and I will see what strings I can pull to ensure your Grandmother is cared for while your mother is recovering.”

The girls patted Bailey on the shoulders as they left him to talk the details over, and left together. Kyrr stretched her arms over her head and grinned.

“We make a pretty good team.” She grinned, and Orin nodded.

“I’ve heard stories of the Curse Breaker and her investigations, never thought I’d be in one.” The black haired Ravenclaw gave Lia an appraising look, and smirked. “It was pretty fun. But I’ve got to run, a lot to do in the reserve today and… well, technically we’re still quidditch rivals.” She grinned and gave a little wave as she walked away.

Ophelia smiled up at Kyrr, then frowned, and took a deep breath. “You were right about it being a matter of money. And I know you’ve been working part time in Hogsmead. I hope this isn’t out of line, but… is there anything I can do to help?”

“Really, I’m fine.” Kyriel laughed awkwardly and looked away.

“I just mean I know you’re not used to relying on others. I’m the same way. But Hogwarts has helped me grow out of that, in a lot of ways. Just know you don’t have to do it all alone. You have friends here.” Lia fidgeted as she waited, and then Kyrr let out a little sigh.

“I’m underage. And dad can’t open an account at Gringotts to exchange money for me. So I’m kinda stuck. I have some money, but not enough to do anything extra.” She looked at her feet. “Please don’t tell Murphy? He’ll just worry.”

“I won’t. But I do have an idea. You’re going to the Halloween festival in Hogsmead tonight, right?” Lia perked up, excited.

“Yeah, Murphy is taking me. He’s really excited.”

“Good. Then I’ll see you there tonight. I have an owl to send.”

+++

Kyriel took her time getting ready for the festival. She’d asked Andre for help, he’d been extremely excited for the opportunity to dress her, and said something about how her shoulders and “lines” were perfect for some fabric he’d gotten. She had to hand it to the so called style wizard, the dress was beautiful. Nothing too formal, high in the collar at her neck but cut in to show off bare shoulders and her upper back. The skirt flowed around her legs comfortably, the overall effect enhanced by the print. On her torso the pattern was wide green leaves, but as the skirt began to flair out small pumpkins appeared, and by the hem the whole skirt was just overlapping pumpkins.

He'd even tweaked her hearing aid design, it now looked like a silver sprig of pumpkin leaves, tinted just green enough to stand out in her hair, which she’d fully let down for once. She looked ready for a real date.

Kyriel walked out of the dorms and paused in the common room, trying not to fidget as she waited. A faint gasp brought her head around, and she blushed. Murphy was staring at her with wide eyes. For the first time since they’d kissed he seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Andre was rubbing his hands somewhere and laughing, probably. He’d also gotten to the Irish commentator, McNully’s green dress shirt and orange tie matched Kyrr’s colors. In place of his usual gold pin, he had a sprig of silvery green leaves like her hearing aid.

“I think Egwu might have overdone it.” Kyrr bit her lip as Murphy rolled closer.

“I owe him a debt for that.” He looked her over and shook his head with an admiring grin. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”

“Believe it.” She smiled warmly. His presence chased away and silenced her inner demons like the sun dispelled fog.

“So, dinner, then the festival?” Murphy offered her one hand after setting his wheels to only require the other. “I have been saving up tokens for days, and I intend to use my manly prowess to win you a prize, my girl.”

“Oh really?”

+++

McNully’s manly prowess, as it turned out, was an incredible talent at a memory game where one had to match cards in a short time. He wasn’t kidding about his skill, he didn’t fail a single game until his tokens were used up. Of all the prizes, he selected two, a pair of chocolate frogs and a beautiful silver necklace in the shape of a pumpkin. Kyrr hadn’t stopped blushing and laughing almost the entire night, by the time he put the necklace on her she had her heart in her eyes every time they looked at one another.

It almost felt like a shame to interrupt them, but Ophelia cleared her throat and approached them as they were waiting for the fireworks to begin. “Wow, you guys look great!” It was an understatement, in her opinion they looked perfect together. “Kyrr, I wanted to introduce you to an old friend of mine.”

“She’s right, you look fantastic together. Congratulations, McNully.” Bill Weasley had his hands in the pockets of his suit, the neat professional outfit contrasting with his perpetually long red hair. He held out a hand to Kyrr. “I’m Bill. We’ve all been friends for years.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kyrr shook his hand, and glanced at Lia.

“Bill works as a curse breaker. Specifically, for Gringotts wizarding bank.” Ophelia smiled broadly.

“Lia tells me you’ve had a spot of trouble getting an account opened to make currency conversion easier. I can help with that. If you’re willing, Monday after classes I’ll take you to Gringotts, I’ve got some friends there that would be happy to get you set up.”

“Really? That… that would be amazing. Thank you.” Kyrr blinked, feeling the uncomfortable prickle in her eyes as an already emotional time was flooded with fresh relief.

“I’m glad to help. Lia speaks highly of you, and I can see how happy you make my old buddy McNully.” He grinned, noticing the way the blond boy kept smiling in a friendly way while also taking Kyrr’s hand a bit possessively.

“Wow, you clean up nice.” Orin grinned as she walked over to the group, a fire salamander curled up on her shoulder and a mug of butterbeer in her hand.

Bill laughed. “Me or them?”

“Both. Hey Weasley.”

“Do you just literally know everyone?” Ophelia glanced up at Bill and shot the unofficial “big brother of Hogwarts” a look.

“What can I say? I like people. Unlike some people.” He looked past her shoulder as Talbott fidgeted and finally made the decision to come close enough to stand with Lia.

The first firework shot into the air, and they all turned to look. Orin noticed a flash of blue off to her right, and grinned at the sight of Rath giving Parkin a very brusque apology. They parted ways, and Skye glanced over. Orin gave her a friendly salute with her butterbeer, and Skye flushed under the bright lights of the fireworks, hiding her expression in her own mug.

They all turned their eyes to the sky and watched as the night was briefly turned into daytime with a riot of colors.

Chapter Text

“And Parkin with a dazzling throw, Hufflepuff’s keeper didn’t even see that one coming! She’s a chip off the old block for sure.” McNully grinned as he watched the first interhouse friendly between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, two teams that had gone head to head last season with spectacular results. The new season presented all new challenges for both teams.

Slytherin’s new seeker, replacing Ophelia Dovewing on the roster, was a third year kid who had been a trainee reserve chaser during his second year. Over the summer puberty had hit the boy like a whomping willow; he’d returned taller and with a new pair of glasses, and his talent on a broom had gone through the roof. In the first friendly of the season he’d spent what seemed like half of the game getting distracted by the snitch, and a little coaxing and coaching from McNully had revealed he had a real knack for it. He’d need it, because the Wellnelly twins were a force to be reckoned with.

A loud whistle cut through the air and Murphy grinned like a fool. There was one thing about the Wellnellys that had slipped past everyone in the last season; both boys relied on power, teamwork, and talent to get by. Their technical knowledge left a lot to be desired.

“Referee sensation Kestrele is at it again, Baglan Wellnelly is flagged for cobbing, third time this game. From the looks of things Durmstrang allows for a bit more roughhousing than the rules permit. Need to watch those elbows, people.” McNully watched as the assistant referee, Wellnelly, and Hufflepuff’s captain conversed. Hooch stayed back out of the way, close enough to intervene if necessary but more than willing to trust her assistant.

All three nodded, and Baglan headed for the exit as Hufflepuff’s reserve beater took to the air. No point penalties were called, and though no one looked thrilled, the incident settled peacefully. The game ran on another half hour, and ended with Hufflepuff only barely in the lead thanks to the snitch being caught by the remaining Wellnelly twin.

Parkin looked surprisingly pleased despite the loss, it might have been disappointing but it had been far from the blowout loss that she was fearing without Dovewing leading them. Slytherin team returned to their changing room for a post-game chat, and Kyrr joined Murphy as he headed down from the commentator box, flicking her hearing aid back to full volume.

“Hell of a game, I see why they were the last two teams standing last season.”

“The Wellnellys pack a punch, quite literally. And elbows too. That was a neat bit of diplomacy you did up there.” He grinned up at her, proud.

“Eh, even Baglan knew he was out of line. He didn’t seem like he had his head fully in the game. I just offered to forego penalty if they benched him for the remainder of the game. He’s a damn fine player if not for the aggression.”

“Aye. It was interesting to see his brother was able to function without him in the game, I’d wondered if it would cause problems.” Murphy laced his fingers with Kyriel’s, idly rubbing his thumb over the spot where her pulse could be felt. She glanced down with a sly little smile and then looked away. The way her pulse picked up put a similar smile on his face.

“I just hope no one thinks I’m showing favoritism,” Kyrr admitted as the doors to the lift opened.

“I’ve been asking and listening. So far everyone seems to agree you’re fair, you aren’t going any easier on Slytherin. Joining our house in sixth year works to your advantage, tactically speaking. You don’t have a long history of loyalty to one house.” He winced after he spoke. “That sounds a bit ruder out loud than I intended.”

“No, it makes sense.” Kyriel smiled and walked with him to the changing room. “But I should probably at least try to make more friends in the other houses. I don’t know how Ophelia does it.”

“She’s just one of those magnetic people. Everything seems to happen around her. She gets dragged into everything, I think she has a hard time saying no to anyone in need.” McNully shrugged. “I just take whatever friends are willing to put up with how much I talk.”

“I love how much you talk.” Kyrr smiled and paused before they entered the changing room. “Murphy….” She opened her mouth as if to speak but closed it again. He leaned forward in his chair and reached up to brush back her hair, letting her lean her cheek into his hand.

“Ugh you guys are worse for my teeth than sugar quills.” Skye leaned out of the changing room and grinned at them both. “Get in here already, even I’m ready to admit we need new tactics if we want to win this year.”

“Skye Parkin? Caring about tactics?” Murphy straightened up in surprise.

“We did just lose a match.”

“Yet you’re smiling.”

“We almost won. If we had Dovewing it would have been a blow out.” Skye shrugged. “We might actually be able to do this, but that means,” she glared up at the much taller referee, “we need your brainy boyfriend. So bye!”

Kyrr laughed and shook her head, and headed for the smaller changing rooms reserved for the refs. McNully made a little sound and then shot Parkin a look that made her jump back. “You cheated me out of my kiss goodbye.”

“Ugh I hate you two.” She rolled her eyes, and they headed in to join the team.

+++

Ophelia sighed after yet another verbal sparring match with Merula, who as usual had discovered that the curse breaker was asked to help Dumbledore with a project and tried to insert herself into things. After six years of it Lia wondered if Merula had literally anything else going on in her life. She entered the great hall and sat across from Talbott, setting her lunch down harder than she intended to. He looked up and gave her a wry grin.

“Rough day?”

“You have no idea. I sometimes wonder if Dumbledore comes up with side projects for me just to keep me from focusing on finding my brother, and then tells Snyde she isn’t allowed to get involved just to get her interested. I am so tired right now.” She pressed her fingers to her temple to try to stop the compulsive eye twitch. It got worse every year.

“She does seem obsessed with you.” Winger truly sounded sympathetic, which showed how frequent his girlfriend’s frustration was.

“The only time she ever left me alone was when I was playing quidditch. Ugh, I’d kill to have the time free to play again.” Lia stabbed at her lunch, scowling.

“We wish you did too.” Skye set down beside her. “We lost this morning’s game. We lost!”

“Though not by a wide margin. Our team must learn this new balance, out of respect for our former captain.” Orion sat across from Skye and next to Talbott, who looked less than thrilled.

“You shoulda seen Baglan Wellnelly though. He was throwing elbows all over the place. I almost got one to the face! Kestrele ended up kicking him out.” Bean sat on Talbott’s other side, and he shot Ophelia a look that clearly asked what the hell was happening.

“Not out, technically, she asked the captain to bench him.” Penny sat on Lia’s other side, looking forlorn. “Not that it saved the game.”

“Sorry about that.” The new seeker, Peterson, sat next to Bean and gave a depressed sigh before poking at his lunch.

“It’s not your fault. Gruffyd is a seriously expert seeker, even Lia had a hard time beating him last year.” Bean gave the third year kid a solid pat on the shoulder.

Ophelia cleared her throat and looked at the increasingly uncomfortable and annoyed look on Talbott’s face. “Guys…”

“Hey, Winger, can you give me a hand with something? Hey Kitten. I hear you basically carried your whole team today. Not bad.” Orin stood back a little from the seated group, and Talbott climbed off the bench quickly.

“Yeah? Well you…” Skye sputtered as her brain caught up with her temper and she realized it was a compliment.

Orin gave Lia a wink. “Don’t worry, I won’t keep him long.” The curse breaker could practically hear the thoughts behind it, both girls knew how uncomfortable the tall Ravenclaw boy was in a situation where he was surrounded by peers.

“Better not.” Lia gave a half hearted smile. “See you later.”

Talbott gave her an apologetic shrug and hurried off after Orin as Face Paint Kid sat in his vacated spot. Parkin glared after the two leaving. “And don’t call me Kitten!”

Ophelia rubbed her eye as the twitching got worse.

+++

“What did you want?” Talbott glanced at Orin, frowning.

“Nothing, actually. You looked like you needed an excuse to leave, and Ophelia was being mobbed like a piece of bread in a pond full of ducks.”

“Thank you.” He sighed in relief. “I’ll never understand how she does it.”

“Don’t ask me.” Orin shrugged. “I’m headed to the reserve, if you want to join me. One of the unicorns has been limping and I want to check it out to make sure it’s nothing serious.”

“Sure. Can I invite Lia if she manages to shake off the ducks?”

“Don’t see why not.”

Winger flashed a half smile and cast a spell, and a paper feather floated back into the Hall.

+++

“In all my years.” Minerva McGonagall’s Scottish accent was sharper than usual as she walked into her nearly empty classroom to see a pair of students getting a bit too familiar. Kyrr blushed and quickly moved to stand back as Murphy gave the professor a sheepish grin.

“Sorry! Ah, we were waiting for you, actually.”

“Is that what the children are calling it these days? Straighten your tie, Mr. McNully, and get to the point.”

His face reddened as he refastened the top button of his collar and tightened his tie. “You see, the thing is, Kyrr and I were talking,”

“-mmhm-” McGonagall’s expression reflected doubt.

“-and she’s not very good at wizards chess, but you are,”

“It’s an understatement. I’m objectively terrible.”

“-so I thought maybe she could try playing someone else who might be better at instruction than I am. I play well but I’m not much of a teacher.” Murphy frowned and rubbed his neck. “Being an expert on a topic and helping someone understand the fundamentals are two very different things.”

“Miss Kestrele, is there a particular reason you want to learn?” McGonagall eyed up the American girl and smiled gently; decades of students had given her a keen eye when it came to motivations. Where others saw Kyrr’s physical prowess and intense presence, McGonagall saw a fragile sandcastle protecting a damaged core, as the girl tried to find ways to keep the tide from rushing in. “Because I’m sure Mr. McNully isn’t one to consider something as silly as not sharing all of the same hobbies as an issue in his… friends.”

Kyrr’s face drained of color, and she stammered a moment as she tried to find a way to explain that the professor hadn’t just skewered her heart with deadly accuracy. Murphy looked up at her and froze, a realization and horror suddenly choking him. “Kyriel?”

She didn’t look at him, just sat in an empty chair with her face turned away.

McGonagall made a quiet sound and shook her head. “I have a class coming in soon, but I’ll give you a few minutes to talk. I’ll forgo docking house points as long as you agree to have this necessary conversation.” She sighed and walked towards the door, glancing back to see Murphy touch the girl’s shoulder, and watched her flinch. He was one of her favorite students, and she had faith that he would figure things out as long as someone hit him upside the head with the critical information he was lacking.

+++

Murphy stared at his hand, feeling an ache in his chest and a growing sense of self recrimination. The flinch had been minor, but enough to know this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding. “Kyrr? Snidget? I’m so sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t mean to tease you so much, I don’t care if you’re bad at chess. I wouldn’t care if you didn’t like quidditch. For you I’d try anything to find things to share.”

“It’s not that.” Her voice sounded rough, and the slight lilt that he’d learned came from learning language late was more pronounced. She sniffled and rubbed her face, breath catching in her chest. “I’m not used…. I don’t….”

He touched her shoulder again, confident this time that she wouldn’t pull away. It didn’t take much to turn her towards him, although it worsened the ache. Tears flooded her face, frustration and pain and embarrassment all mixed together. He reached up to gently wipe them away, and cupped her face. “Sometimes, even a tactician can make a bad move. Not the one they expected, but the one that seemed impossible. Like a boy not realizing that his seemingly perfect girl is desperately afraid of not measuring up? Or that she never lets anyone see her cry?” Kyrr made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob at his words. “Or that she’s so used to standing alone that she doesn’t really know how to be in a partnership with someone else yet?”

“Please, I’m sorry, don’t….”

“No apologies. It’ll take a lot more than a few bruised feelings and some tears to chase me away, love. You’re worth it. I’ve just got to learn to be a little less good at talking and a little better at listening.” He gave her the grin that she never had the power to resist, and soaked in the ghost of a smile he got in return. He gently guided and pulled her off the chair and into his arms, her head pillowed on his shoulder. He started to wheel them out of the room to find somewhere with a bit more privacy, and chuckled gently. “This may be a bit off to say, but did you know you’re actually one of the few people who actually looks pretty when you cry? Seriously, at minimum ninety-three point one people look like boiled potatoes.”

She couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing against his shoulder. And a castle made of sand grew a little stronger.

Chapter Text

“Where are we going?” Kyrr opened her eyes and looked around. In the aftermath of the tears she’d briefly blacked out, years of forcibly repressing her stress responses had left her unable to properly regulate after giving in to one. She had a mild headache from crying, but her mind felt clearer than it had in a while. Her senses were awash in the scent of sandalwood and something she couldn’t define apart from liking it and associating it with Murphy. She was on his lap, arms around his shoulders and close enough to his neck to see the faintest gold sheen of stubble along his jaw.

“A spot I found a while ago. I think you’ll like it. And it’s not in line with any classrooms, so people rarely go there.” He kissed her hair gently. He was still shaken from the encounter, and angry with himself for not realizing how fragile she was underneath it all. He knew about some of her history, the bullying at Ilvermorny and the fact that she had a difficult relationship with her powerful and vindictive uncle, but she seemed so strong despite it. She was strong, physically. The idea that she genuinely feared being less than perfect in his eyes seemed ridiculous. And he’d stupidly played right into it instead of reassuring her. It might have been his first relationship too, but he was supposed to be observant.

He'd let her get hurt and he hadn’t even noticed it.

“I’m sorry for breaking down like that.” Her voice was quiet.

“I meant it. No apologizing. You’re allowed to feel. You’re allowed to….to NOT be strong all the time. I want you to trust me enough to tell me when you’re worried, or hurt, or afraid. I want to be the one who makes those feelings go away.”

“I can barely admit it to myself.” The confession was hard, her eyes closed right.

“But see? You just told me.” He smiled down at her, and lifted a hand to gently brush white lashes with his thumb, breaking up the salty clumps left behind when the tears were spent. “That’s progress. Also, we’re here.”

She opened her eyes and looked around, her breath catching. The west facing outside wall had a long bench under a huge window, the center clear but set under an arch of stained glass. It was sunset, and the grounds visible around the castle were lit in soft gold. It reflected off the parts of the lake that were visible, their location high enough in the castle to see for miles.

“Oh Murphy, it’s beautiful.” She sat up a little to get a better look, unwilling to let him go.

“This morning, after the game, you started to say something. May I ask what it was?” He looked down at her and smiled, enjoying the way the sunset played across her hair.

“I know we’ve only known each other a bit over a month….” Her face took on a rosy color, and she swallowed hard. “I don’t have a lot of experience with…love. But I think this is it.”

“Y….you love me?” His heart started to race like he’d just been invited to commentate for the World Cup.

“Murphy….. heh.” She met his eyes, some of her internal strength returned. “I’m honestly pretty sure I’m going to love you until every star in the sky burns out. And then I’ll love you a little longer, just to make sure I got it right.” Her voice broke off at the end, soft. McNully’s mouth worked soundlessly. He didn’t know how to respond. How anyone could respond to that. She felt him tense up, and she started to pull away, shame testing if she’d run out of tears.

“Kyrr.” His voice was rough, and his arms came up to catch her, gripped almost painfully tight. “Blimey, I….. if what I’m feeling isn’t love then I don’t know what you would call it. Bloody hell, I’m screwing this up. Kyriel, I’ve been in love with you since the moment I watched you walk in the castle. If my world had always been shrouded in night, you were my first glimpse of moonrise.”

Kyrr stopped trying to pull away and looked at him, body relaxing and letting him pull her back in close. She nuzzled against him, his mouth sought and found hers, and for a little while the rest of the world ceased to exist for them.

+++

Escaping a room full of her friends took some doing, but Ophelia managed to extract herself from the quidditch conversation and slip out of the hall without being followed. Talbott’s note had told her to go to the reserve, and she hoped she’d manage it in time to catch him. Hagrid was at the edge of the grounds with a large cart laden in various types of creature food, and he waved a hand as she approached.

“Over ‘ere, Ophelia!” She smiled and walked in his direction. “Your friends said you might be coming by soon. Here, you can take a bag of feed if you like.”

“Thank you, Hagrid.” The eye that had been twitching since the great hall finally eased up, and she walked over to accept the bag. “Did they say where they were going?”

“One o’ the unicorns is limping, I think they went to check on ‘im.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Ophelia headed into the dark forest, and checked her wand was close at hand. The portion of the forest that was marked as a reserve was somewhat safer than the deeper parts, but even there you could encounter some dangerous things. She walked for a few minutes, until the shape of Talbott in his bird form came gliding through the trees. She changed direction to follow him, and he landed on a branch near the ground, changed back, and dropped down.

“I was hoping you’d come.” He smiled, and ran a hand through his hair.

“We both were.” Orin stepped out from behind a tree, dressed in the outfit she used on the reserve. “It’s a tricky one, we need a third person for the plan.”

The tricky one was a unicorn, only a few years old and still skittish. One rear foot barely made contact with the ground when it moved, and the obvious pain made it wary of accepting help. The “plan” was simple enough, one person had to calm the beast down while another wrapped a cloth over its eyes to settle it down enough to be touched, and then the third could wrap the wounded leg with healing bandages. Ophelia took point, she had more experience with large beasts than Talbott, and Orin had the most out of all three when it came to creature injuries.

She walked slowly toward the skittish white horse, which brandished it’s horn like an anxious pickpocket with a knife. Lia murmured gently, hands out to show she wasn’t holding anything. “Easy now. It’s okay. We’re here to help.” She clicked her tongue as she got closer, and although it darted side to side, it didn’t flee or advance. When she finally got close enough, she let it sniff her hands, and held out a treat in her open palm. It nibbled the treat, tickling her fingers with its whiskers. It finally calmed, and she had to duck its horn as it sniffed and lipped at her pockets for more. “Greedy little boy.” The curse breaker laughed and held the unicorn’s nose gently as Talbott approached slowly with the cloth for its eyes. They wrapped the cloth around it gently, and the unicorn snorted and tossed its head, but it remained still enough that Orin was able to approach the dangerous back end.

Ori was careful as she moved, a hand on its haunch until the furry skin under her hand stopped twitching, then down past the knee, finally able to see the damage to the back leg. Fortunately it wasn’t a break, the leg looked as though something with large teeth had caught the unicorn but lost its hold. The wrap she covered the wound with was made from woven plant fibers that all had healing properties. A few days and the wound would be disinfected and healed over, and the wrap would fall off on its own. She backed up and gave Lia a thumbs up.

Talbott removed the cover from the unicorn’s eyes, and it stamped it’s front feet. Lia moved back slowly, and the unicorn snorted and sniffed at its back leg. It gingerly placed the hoof down and snorted, turned, and ran into the trees.

“You’re welcome,” Talbott muttered sarcastically. He paused and looked at Orin and Lia, who had identical expressions of concern, and froze.

“Treeline?” Orin whispered.

“Centaur,” Lia confirmed.

All three held perfectly still, as a figure with a notched arrow slowly vanished back into the forest.

“Well, that’s definitely our cue to leave.” Orin grinned at Ophelia as they turned to head out of the forest as fast as they could.

+++

Ophelia got back to her dorm late, a towel around her neck as her hair dried. She rubbed water out of her ear as she walked in, and immediately felt concern. Rowan was in a pile of books, reading and muttering, but Kyrr was sitting on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest.

“Kyrr? Are you okay?” She walked over and sat on her friend’s bed.

“No? I mean yeah, I don’t know. I… sort of told Murphy that I love him.”

“Oh My WHAT.” Lia gaped, and shook her head. “What did he say?”

“That he fell in love with me at first sight?” Kyrr laughed weakly, and shook her head. “I said it first, he said it better.”

“That sounds good.” Lia gave her a look, eyes gentle. “So why are you not okay?”

“Usually I can make myself not feel. But right now I can’t control it.” She sank her hand into her tangled hair and shrugged, eyes wet.

“Hey. Hey.” Ophelia smiled, and took in a shuddering breath. “Okay. So, you’re going to be okay.” She got up and walked to her area of the dorm, and grabbed hair oil and a brush. She returned to Kyrr and smiled. “I’m going to play with your hair.” It wasn’t a request, and Kyrr gave her a smile. Lia climbed onto the bed behind her, and made a face. “How does your hair get this bad?”

“Ah. Murphy-”

“NEVER MIND.” Ophelia smacked her shoulder, and Kyrr laughed. “Also why are you so tall?!” She grabbed the pillows on her friend’s bed and piled them up, then sat on them to get a better vantage. She carefully started to comb Kyriel’s hair, adding oil here and there to tease the tangles and fluff into loose curls that reminded her of Lenny. It took time, and Kyrr settled more and more until she was dozing, her hair probably the least messy it had been in years. She yawned, and turned, form shifting into her cat form.

Ophelia sighed and smiled, and cuddled with the warm, oversized ball of fluff. If one had a dear friend who was basically a cross between a hot water bottle and a stuffed animal, there was really only one thing to do. She yawned and closed her eyes. She’d move to her own bed later.

Chapter Text

Ophelia slowly stirred awake with the sense that something was off. She opened her eyes to see Kyriel hovering over her with a demented grin.

“Good morning!” At the sound of the peppy American accent Lia yelped and flailed, slapping her friend out of her face, mildly irked that Kyrr didn’t even pretend that it hurt as she laughed.

“Why would you….” Lia sat up, and the room looked strange till she realized she was in the wrong bed. “Oh no.” She grabbed at her hair and yelped, unable to believe she’d fallen asleep with it wet and crumpled on someone else’s pillows. She grabbed her brush and supplies and started to work on it, giving the larger girl the stink eye. Lia refused to even admit it to herself yet, but the ease and relaxation that had replaced Kyrr’s turmoil the night before was a relief to see. She would quite like to think it was her doing.

Kyriel’s hair being in a rare state of near perfect loose white curls absolutely was entirely Lia’s doing, not that the sacrifice felt worth it yet.

“We have a review in Herbology today, remember?” Kyrr sat outside pinching range as she pinned up the hair under the dragon on her ear. “I thought you’d want breakfast.”

“Yes, I want breakfast.” Lia scowled at her own hair, and knew it was already a losing battle in a long day.

+++

“Still coming to herbology?” Talbott sat across from Ophelia and kept his eyes sweeping the room for social threats.

“Yes. YES, okay.” Lia glared at her breakfast, as a lock of usually well behaved hair slowly separated itself from the group and attempted to curl back on itself before she grabbed it and mashed it into submission.

“Are you okay?”

“I am fine and dandy.” She gave him a look that warned him to shut up, and Talbott fell silent just in time for Murphy to climb out of his chair and sit next to him.

“So. Are you the one who helped Kyrr with…” Murphy gestured to his head and grinned, and Lia sighed.

“Yes.” Her face turned to stone as Kyriel sat next to her with more breakfast than any sane person would eat.

“Hi Talby!” Kyrr grinned as Talbott looked like he’d just discovered hatred and rather liked it.

“Never call me that again.”

“Spoilsport.” Kyrr grinned at Murphy and he looked back with the same expression, while Talbott and Ophelia gave them twinned expressions that looked like Snape’s on an annoying day.

“Sleep okay?” McNully’s smile looked gentle. “Yesterday wasn’t easy.”

“Yeah, I did. Ophelia helped me unpack it a bit. I feel a lot better today.”

“Good.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. Lia watched them a moment before turning to Talbott. He looked at the linked hands, then around the room. He looked so perplexed that Ophelia opened her mouth to ask what was on his mind.

How can you just do that when anyone could be watching. It’s like you don’t care. And no one else cares either…. The thought seemed to faintly echo in her head, and Lia rubbed at her ribs unconsciously.

“Anyway, it looks like Lia sacrificed her perfect hair to take care of me. Look at this.” Kyrr shattered the strange quiet that had come over the curse breaker, and reached for her head.

“Do not touch my hair,” Lia warned, catching her hand. Kyrr just grinned infectiously and tried harder. Ophelia made an annoyed sound and got the other involved, holding Kyrr’s wrist in both of her hands. “Stop that!” She didn’t want to start laughing, but she did anyway. “How are you so bloody strong?!”

One handed, Kyrr kept up the pressure as Lia leaned her head farther out of reach. “Ten years of no-maj gymnastics and six years of martial arts?”

“That explains a lot.” Ophelia and McNully spoke in unison, looked at each other, and cracked up laughing.

“Anyway, eat your breakfast and leave my hair alone.” Lia scowled and Kyrr finally relented, going back to her food.

“I will get you later.” Kyrr’s ominous threat turned into a laughing yelp as Lia pinched her side.

+++

They all spilled out into the corridor outside the great hall after breakfast, and Lia eyed up Kyriel with a wary look. The taller girl grinned at her and made grabbing gestures with both hands. Ophelia started walking faster, and Kyrr did too, longer legs making it easy to keep pace. She couldn’t help it, the mix of amusement and anxiety made her want to run. As she did, Kyrr did too, giving chase through the hall. Ophelia yelled at her to quit it as they barreled past Filch, and down a flight of stairs.

Lia glanced behind her as they reached the lower floor. At first it seemed Kyrr had given up the chase, she had fallen quite far behind. Lia caught her breath, then groaned as her pursuer put one foot back, toe grinding into the floor. Kyrr sprinted after her, far faster than Ophelia had realized she could run.

Orin was just getting out of Transfiguration class when Lia came flying past the stairwell, breathlessly scream laughing.

“What is WRONG with you?! How are you so bloody fast?!” Ophelia was only seconds ahead of Kyriel, and they both skidded in through the doors to the greenhouse at the same time, gasping and laughing hard enough that the taller girl ended up having to hold a stitch in her side. “You are a menace,” Lia managed to gasp between fits of giggles.

“I start almost every day with a five kilometer run.” Kyrr giggled, out of breath but recovering like most experienced runners. “You should join me in the mornings.”

“I would die, you sadistic fluff ball.” It sent them both into giggles all over again, and they did their best to recover while the other students reviewing fluxweed filed in.

The girls were mostly recovered when professor Sprout walked in, and making small talk with Penny and Tonks. Barnaby kept mostly to himself, trying to surreptitiously sniff the different kinds of fertilizer. Across the table from Lia and deliberately removed from the group, Talbott sketched one of the plants into his notebook. He never felt entirely comfortable in classes where students were bunched together.

With the last student that entered the room, a sparrow flitted in through the open door and got temporarily trapped up in the peak of the greenhouse. Lia felt her heart clench and swallowed hard, trying not to let the anxiety show. Talbott looked up at the bird and back down at her, concern masked on his face. Professor Sprout began her lecture, and for the first half hour the tiny bird simply sat on the wood braces in the roof, snatching bugs where it could.

Ophelia nearly allowed herself to relax, the review was almost over and she could leave the suddenly confining space, when a small moth took flight from a tray of flowers and flitted past Lia’s head. The bird, intent on its meal, descended after it. Time seemed to slow to a horrific stop as the curse breaker froze in place, a silent scream building pressure at the back of her teeth. A flashback of flapping wings turned the bright greenhouse into a tiny dark shed. It was as if a boggart had suddenly appeared.

And then the room flashed back to brilliance, as Kyrr’s arm swept over her head, grabbed the startled bird out of the air, and spiked it into the floor of the greenhouse like a footballer declaring victory. For a moment the entire room was in a state of shocked paralysis.

Barnaby’s expression turned into one of abject horror. “What the fuck?!” Tonks burst into hysterical, hyena like laughter, pointing at Barnaby and trying to gasp something about his face. He knelt and scooped up the tiny bird, still alive but reeling like it had just had a run-in with the whomping willow.

Kyrr had angled her body between the stunned bird and Ophelia, and she shrugged, hands up. “I dunno. I spend a lot of time in my animagus form. I think it’s a cat thing.”

Barnaby scowled at her and gently cradled the bird, the animal too disoriented to even be afraid. “Professor Sprout, can I take the bird to Madame Pomfry?”

“Yes, Mr. Lee.” Sprout shook her head, trying to hide her amusement. Tonks was still wheezing and holding her sides. “Miss Tonks, if you cannot get yourself under control I will need you to excuse yourself as well.”

“His face.” Tonks giggled so hard it sounded like it bordered on sobbing. “Did you see his face? I have to tell Tulip….” She shook her head and gasped before bursting out laughing again.

“Please go.” Sprout sighed and watched her as she left the greenhouse.

Kyrr returned to her spot, giving Lia’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as she passed. Ophelia felt immeasurably better with the threat gone, and relieved that her secret fear remained secret. She glanced up at Talbott, worried that he would see the incident as one more reason to hate her friend, especially given his own Animagus form was an avian.

To her surprise, he was looking at Kyriel with something that bordered on grudgingly grateful respect.

+++

“Well that was an interesting study session. I don’t think I’m going to even remember anything about fluxweed.” Lia sighed and fought with the ends of her hair, the crimps from sleeping in it wet refused to give up. “What a perfect waste of a Sunday morning.”

Kyriel walked next to her, stretching. “Poor Barnaby, I think I traumatized him. And Tonks almost peed herself.” She smiled, not genuinely concerned. “Poor guy really loves animals.”

“He’ll get over it.” Lia gave her a little smile. “You didn’t kill it, after all.” Talbott walked on her other side in silence, caught up in his own world.

“I hope so.” Kyrr grinned and took a step back. “I better leave you lovebirds alone, I need to tell Murphy what happened before someone else does. Knowing him, he’ll want to hear the whole play by play.”

“You’re probably right.” Lia smiled.

“Actually.” Talbott looked around, and then grimaced. “I just wanted to say thank you. For… protecting Lia.” It was clear he didn’t only mean her person, but her secret.

“Of course.” Kyrr made an odd face and laughed as she backed away. “She’s my best friend.” She turned to go, and Talbott closed his eyes for a moment.

“Tal?” Lia touched his arm gently, and he opened his eyes again and laced his fingers with hers.

“I think I might have been a little overly paranoid.” He gave her a crooked smile.

Lia looked at him, incredulous. “….you think?”

+++

The story of the bird incident spread around the school relatively quickly. Kyrr hadn’t made much of a splash outside of the quidditch fans in the month or so she had been in the school, so it was a shock to suddenly be noticed. She was a social person in small settings, but her history at Ilvermorny made her wary of too much attention.

The day had ended up unseasonably warm, and a series of notes passed back and forth led to an impromptu gathering for an early dinner by the lake, away from the hubbub of the Great Hall. Murphy settled on a picnic bench that had been set up, an arm loosely around Kyrr’s waist.

Lia sat nearby and smiled at the two of them. She had never thought Murphy would be the possessive type, but seeing Kyrr getting more than a little male and female interest that afternoon was obviously having an effect on him, even though it was clear that they only had eyes for each other. She glanced at Talbott, who to her surprise had no only elected to attend but had helped with the planning and obtaining of the shrinkable tables from storage.

“Seeing Murphy being jealous is so odd to me.” Ophelia bumped her shoulder against Talbott’s.

“I don’t really know him well. We pretty much have opposite personalities.” He looked over and then down at his crossed hands. “I understand the jealousy though.”

“You do?” It was surprising, given he barely acknowledged their relationship around others before their talk.

“Li-Li, everyone knows you. You’re always the center of attention. Most people adore you. It’s like being a moth who fell in love with the wick of a candle, no matter how close I want to get the fire all around you feels dangerous.” He sighed and stared at his hands. “And I see how you look at them. That affection, that comfort no matter who might see them. And she’s registered. It horrifies me but it gives her so much freedom that it makes being careful feel like the exact cage I’m afraid of falling into.” Lia remained silent, it was one of the longest speeches he’d ever made, and she didn’t want to cut him off. “I was scared you would end up leaving me for her.”

“Wait, what?!” Ophelia balked at his words. “No no no, it is SO not like that.” She made a face. “Strictly friends. Hell, a bit like sisters, though I can’t figure out which of us is the older one yet.” She sighed and turned to fully face him. “Tal, I know a lot of our friends are dating each other and lots of people, but that’s not me. It was always you.” She blushed and made a face. “Remember the obliviate spell? The thing I made you forget was that I…. Fancied you. I never stopped.”

“THAT’S what you made me forget? I…. Oh.” He blinked, and straightened a bit. “That does explain Flitwick’s reaction.”

“I made you forget it but still ended up going after you, if it helps any.”

“It does, actually.” He smiled slowly, a real smile. Around them friends were laughing, playing, and a quaffle was being tossed around. Tonks was retelling the story of Kyrr spiking a sparrow again, with emphasis quite literally displayed on her face just how funny Barnaby’s reaction was. And how chagrined he apparently was when the bird came out of its stupor and got loose in the hospital wing, and how Snape, who had been delivering potions, cast immobilus on it and traumatized him a second time.

Lia looked up at Talbott and smiled, not flinching as he tweaked an errant stray lock of her hair. “No one looks because no one cares as much as you think they do.”

“Well I’m learning. And it’s belated, and you already know, but… I fancy you too.” He leaned down and kissed her, no matter who might watch.

Chapter Text

“Kyrr. Like… keeer. Or fear. Tear? Butterbeer?” Kyriel sat across from Murphy in the great hall, her expression a mix of amusement and frustration.

“Alright. Kyrr.” He made another attempt and she groaned out a laugh. She put her face down on the table and he fought past the giggles to shoot Ophelia a grin as she sat down. “She seems to think I say the diminutive of her name wrong.”

“He’s adding an extra syllable at the end, like kee-er.” Kyrr glanced up and scratched at her temple, hair once again in an out of control ponytail unlike Lia’s repaired coif.

“Ah, when he rolls the tongue on the r. It’s an Irish thing,” Lia responded, and frowned in mock sadness.

“Oay, why d’ya have te say that liak eets a terminal diagnosas?” Murphy leaned into his natural accent harder than usual and lobbed a chip at the curse breaker, who dodged it like it was a bludger.

Kyrr gave a full body shiver. “God I love your voice.”

“Oh do ye? Just no when I say yer name wrong, lass?” He grinned; she made a face. She got out of her seat and came around the table as he looked over at Lia. “I think I may be in a wee speck o’ trouble.” He tried not to laugh as she sat beside him and helped herself to his chips. “Oh hey, no food theft!”

“Can’t care that much if you’re throwing your fries at people.” Kyrr grinned and nipped at him.

Murphy gave a snort. “I’ll just eat you up instead.” He nipped back at her shoulder, and she made a rather authentic growl in response. Lia could picture her tail lashing.

A new voice interrupted, wry and sarcastic. “You two are going to cost your house points again.” To Ophelia’s surprise, Talbott took Kyrr’s vacated spot and set down his own lunch. “I’ve spent enough time on the reserve to know what it sounds like when a female feline is in hea-”

Lia made a frustrated sound and clamped her hands over her ears. “Shush! None of that! They’re bad enough!” She missed the response to his sarcastic quip, but both Kyrr and Murphy lobbed chips at him in response.

To be fair, it wasn’t that she didn’t know how things worked, she’d had the same talk as the rest of her class regarding the “birds and bees” from Professor Sprout in their third year. The boys had their talk from Flitwick; apparently Kettleburn had briefly been in charge of that but his clinical descriptions of how animals copulated caused too much disruption with unruly teenage boys to continue. Even if there wasn’t a talk, the libraries had plenty of reading material for the adventurous.

Ophelia simply disliked the idea of applying her very normal technical knowledge of how it all worked to a pair of friends who she was reasonably sure were not the sort to wait for marriage. Friends she had to see EVERY DAY. Stray thoughts she picked up from classmates were bad enough, she was rather grateful that Kyrr had one of the strongest mind shields she’d ever encountered, though she worried it was a reflex tied to past trauma. Reading Murphy was like sitting in a room while fifteen different versions of the Irish boy all talked at you at once, excitedly, about different topics.

She pitied anyone who tried to read him forcibly, that was a headache waiting to happen.

The conversation moved on quickly and Ophelia watched Talbott, who was clearly trying to make an effort to be more… if not outgoing, at least less unapproachable. He mentioned astronomy, and McNully was off to the races, chatting about interesting phenomenon that was due to occur soon. Talbott seemed surprised at first, but opened up some, latching on to a topic he greatly enjoyed. Kyrr watched the boys chat and looked over at Lia with a grin.

Aww, they’re getting along. The thought was light and happy and innocent, her shields for once lowered.

And behind her, under her, around her, was a gaping maw of darkness and terror echoing with the sounds of metal being ripped. In it, a tiny raft built of fragile friendship and love kept her above the black waters, a girl clinging to the merest hint of stability in a balancing act that would have caused Orion Amari to bow in respect.

Lia forced herself to smile back before she looked away, wishing she hadn’t seen the blackness of space in which her friend hung like a moon, desperately reflecting back any light granted her. There were days that the curse breaker’s so called gift felt more like her own personal unbreakable curse.

“Anyway, we don’t have all day, later this afternoon is the first official house match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.” Murphy frowned. “After the friendly match didn’t go our way, I’m worried. Ravenclaw crushed Gryffindor in their first house match, if we don’t show some real energy out there the other teams will get a lot bolder.”

“Hard to be impartial when you’re so loyal, hunh?” Kyrr smiled and ran her fingers through his hair; the calming effect it had on him was visible.

“It really is. What do you think, Coach?” Murphy locked eyes with Lia.

“I think…” She trailed off. It was truly a mental blow that she’d taken from looking into the void, her nerves raw and her own shields cracked. Just looking into McNully’s guileless eyes was enough to trigger her ability again. To her mind’s eye, Murphy’s was fascinating, as if Escher had painted a library. She could hear whispers, observations, stray thoughts, and all of them coming and going from books. Quidditch, Chess, tactics…. Even obscure things she didn’t know about him had their own places in the library labyrinth. Ophelia pulled her thoughts back to herself and gave an uncomfortable laugh. “I think I’m glad I’m not playing this season.” She rubbed at her ribs hard, almost as if there was a cramp to work out.

“Are you okay?” Talbott sounded worried, and she refused to look at him, afraid of what she would see.

“I’m fine, I just realized something. I need to go. Sorry.” She kissed Talbott quickly and climbed off the bench, walking away a little too fast.

The three watched her go, and Murphy frowned. “That’s not like her at all.”

“What isn’t?” Kyrr looked at him, despite considering Lia her best friend, she was still learning things about her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard her lie before.”

+++

Ophelia paced around her dorm, trying to find her center of calm. Rowan was fortunately out, helping Ben with a project, and Kyrr was unlikely to come back any time soon. Lia’s pets watched her curiously, and she caught herself chewing on a fingernail as she paced. She remembered when she got the news of her brother going missing, how for days afterwards the shock of it would hit her all over again and throw her off balance. This felt similar, but it was clearly tied to her ability to pick up on the thoughts of others.

Ophelia rubbed her eyes and gave a pained laugh. It was almost a shame, she’d probably be great in the dueling ring like this.

She felt a bit like she had the previous Valentine’s Day, only then everyone was projecting their feelings and she had a hard time filtering them out. This was worse, it came with the guilt at invading other people’s privacy but she didn’t know how to turn it off.

“Hey Lia!” The sound of Rowan entering the room startled her, and Ophelia nearly jumped out of her skin.

“You’re back!” She did her best to avoid eye contact.

“Yeah, Ben had an anxiety attack over our project and had to go to the hospital wing, so I’m getting him one of my books to read while he’s in there.” Rowan smiled at her and walked to her area of the dorm, rifling through her possessions.

“Another one? I don’t know how he makes it through the day.” Lia chuckled. Now that was a mind she really didn’t want to see the inside of.

“With difficulty,” Rowan admitted, chuckling slightly. “I have some kids books that I read for comfort sometimes, this should help him calm down.” She pulled one out of her trunk and stood up. “Are you okay? You seem a little out of sorts yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Lia lied.

“You know you can tell me anything, right? You’re my best friend. I’m always here to listen.” Her kindness and sincerity hurt to hear, and Lia looked up in reflex.

Rowan’s mind was possibly one of the most peaceful places she’d ever seen. It was a forest at twilight, before the darkness fully set in, and small fireflies drifted between the trees to reveal they were constructed of books, with leather bound trunks and paper leaves. A vast, beautiful forest of books under a sky that looked like a child’s starry blanket, and an impression of the defiant childish joy of staying awake to finish just one more chapter. Lia swallowed hard, and felt some of her own anxiety fading.

“Really, I’ll be okay. I just… learned something that I have to think my way out of.”

Rowan put a hand on her shoulder and grinned. “You’ll succeed. You always do! But I better get this to Ben before he gives up on the whole weekend.” She gave a comically dramatic sigh and headed out of their dorm.

Lia sat on her bed and sighed. She really needed to find a way to fix her head, but who could she tell?

+++

The pre-match party was in full swing, and Orion had Slytherin’s team meditating in what McNully personality thought was an obnoxiously long “vivification” before the match. The commentator had sat through them before, but he opted to sit it out, instead settling in the comentator’s box early. He quietly hummed to himself, doing vocal warmups usually utilized by the frog choir that he’d picked up from Flitwick as a first year. He didn’t feel that he had much of a singing voice, nor was he overly fond of amphibians, but talking for what could be hours if a game ran long took some effort even for the pros. Murphy paused, and then smiled to himself.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” The response to his question was the warmth of Kyrr sliding her arms over his shoulders from behind. It was starting to get chilly even with the spells that kept the stands heated, and the warmth from her bare arms seeping through his shirt was rather delightful.

“I figured I’d check on you before I got dressed. Make sure you’re not too tense over the game.”

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. “Kyrr, luv, now of all times please don’t make my mind wander with word choices like that.”

She chuckled next to his ear and snuggled against his back as much as she could before his chair got in the way. “It distracted you, didn’t it?”

“Aye but I’m not sure that’s the kind of distraction that’s likely to help in this case.” He couldn’t help laughing too.

“Honestly I kind of wanted to hear your voice before I turn down my hearing aid. I like those voice exercises you do.” Kyrr sat on the bench seat behind his chair, a little awkward, but it let her continue the physical contact. “I have plenty of time to get ready.”

Murphy didn’t reply, he just smiled and soaked in the warmth of her presence and unabashed affection, and returned to humming scales.

+++

Ophelia left the dorms, careful to keep her eyes down to avoid accidentally looking into anyone’s minds. She almost made it out of the Slytherin common room when she bumped into Barnaby, who reached out to catch her when his solid frame knocked her off balance.

“Oh! Lia, I’m sorry! Are you okay?” His affable face, devoid of malice and about as intelligent as a block of wood, looked concerned. “I didn’t see you there. Did you get shorter?” He tilted his head and looked confused. Anyone else and Lia would have been angry at the question. Barnaby was actually sincerely asking.

“I’m fine, and no, I didn’t get shorter. You might have gotten taller, though.” She glanced up, and was treated to the disorienting sight of Barnaby’s mind, which featured a chocolate fountain in the middle of a chocolate watering hole surrounded by happy singing magical creatures, and at least ten versions of his pet knarl, Knarl. “Wow. Okay. That explains a lot.”

“Hunh?” His head tilted the other way, and if possible, looked even more confused.

“Don’t worry about it.” Lia smiled. “Are you going to the Quidditch house match?”

“Oh, not this time. Last time I went to a match a bludger went right for my head.”

“That’s a foul actually, beaters aren’t allowed to do that.” She frowned, concerned. It is how she met Rath, after all, but it shouldn’t be an ordinary occurrence.

“Oh, no one hit it at me, it came after me on its own! I tried to headbutt it and woke up in the hospital wing.” He smiled as Ophelia laughed awkwardly. “I have a hard head. I’m supposed to stay away from the pitch now though.”

“Well, that was certainly… something.” Lia grimaced. “I should get going though.”

“Oh, yeah. Watch out for bludgers!”

Ophelia hurried out through the school, glad that the sounds of the pre-match party winding down suggested she still had time to make it. The regular stands had stairs, and by one’s second year of going up and down stairs at Hogwarts they weren’t even a challenge, really. She veered off to the broken box, and shifted into her animagus form. Lia climbed up along the broken planks of wood and up to the seats, enjoying the view of the pitch that most people didn’t get.

The sound of flapping wings made her heart suddenly race, until she saw the form of a small eagle land near her. Talbott shifted back while crouched down, even though it was unlikely anyone would see. He straightened and smiled at her, though she quickly avoided his eyes. His smile faded a little.

“Lia, please tell me what’s going on?”

“Bit rich coming from you,” she blurted out and winced. “I’m sorry, that was mean. I just… something happened and I don’t know how to explain it.”

“….I probably deserved that, honestly.” He sat beside her, and sighed. “But what is it that you tell me every time? That you can’t help me if you don’t know what’s going on? That I don’t always need to fly solo?”

“I can sometimes see people’s thoughts. Just surface stuff, usually, but something happened and now I’m sort of just seeing their whole mind. Or at least how I interpret their mind anyway. It’s weird. And feels invasive. And I don’t want to do that to anyone, let alone someone I….love.” It hung in the air between them, and then he took her hand in one of his and turned her face to look at him.

“I trust you, Lili. Even with my secrets.”

She swallowed hard and looked up, falling into his rust brown eyes. A house. A house he’d lived in, been loved in, and lost. Burned walls and charred furniture, his mother shouting for him to flee. Tears started to roll down her face, but this time she didn’t look away. There were new rooms, too. Slowly and carefully built, out of his respect and trust for his professors. Out of his ability to trust and feel secure growing. And at the center of the house a room for her, a foundation to keep building on.

She looked away and wiped her eyes, softly laughing. “That’s not what I expected.”

“You know I love you too, right? I mean since apparently we have to say things even though you’re some kind of mind reader?” His wry tone made her giggle harder, half in embarrassment.

“I do know. And thank you for your trust.” She smiled at him warmly, and leaned up to kiss him.

“Aww you two are adorable.” Kyriel’s voice interrupted them and Lia shot her a glare. “Don’t look at me like that, we’ve all been worried. I wanted to see if Tal-”

“-don’t you dare-”

“-bbbott had figured out what spooked you earlier.” Kyrr smirked at him. “I wasn’t gonna.” She landed her broom on the small section where they had room to sit and perched on the ledge.

“I’m fine. Actually, can I do something? I just… want to check something.” Lia frowned. Talbott’s mind had given her an idea.

“Sure, what?” Kyrr looked at her, and Ophelia took a deep breath before looking into her eyes.

This time she didn’t focus on the darkness, she focused on the tiny core of stability. What had seemed like a raft teetering at the edge of an abyss was actually an island. She could feel the marks of her own presence, see black feathers from Orin’s wings, gold sunshine from Murphy… and more, every positive interaction, every new friendship, every day that passed without the rug being pulled out from under her feet strengthened the island. It wasn’t a young woman clinging to sanity, it was a young woman finally healing.

Lia laughed softly. Between her boyfriend and one of her closest friends, she was starting to see a pattern in her own life. Hurt people trusted her despite the odds. It was a precious thing to be given, and she treasured that trust. The mild headache and hypervigilence that had been constant since the morning finally abated, and she rubbed her temples in relief. “Thank you.”

“You’re… welcome?” Kyrr scratched her hair and laughed, then the whistle from Hooch calling people into starting positions before the players entered echoed across the pitch. “Whoops, that’s my cue. See you after the game!” She popped up and jumped off the ledge, broom in hand, correcting her flight on the way down. In the distance, Murphy sat upright and lifted the microphone.

“Good afternoon! It’s a fantastic day for quidditch.” He continued on and introduced the players, as Talbott put his arm around Lia and she settled against him to watch the game.

Chapter Text

The seconds hand on the clock in Professor McGonagall’s room moved ponderously slowly, but perhaps that was just an illusion caused by the far more rapid ticking of Murphy McNully’s fingertips on the table. It wasn’t any particular rhythm that his bench mate could decipher, not musical, and most likely just the manic expression of the boy’s anxiety. Talbott had his arms folded on his chest and his legs crossed, his whole demeanor reeking of closed off irritation. He managed not to say anything for at least fifteen minutes, but then the blond boy beside him uncharacteristically slouched in his chair and added foot tapping to the mix.

“Would you STOP that?!” Talbott all but exploded the words.

“I should be at the pitch right now!!”

“Well WHOSE fault is that?!”

“SILENCE!” McGonagall barked the words in irritation. “This is detention. Unless you both wish to tell me who is truly responsible.”

Both boys fell quiet and looked in opposite directions.

“Your loyalty to your friends is admirable. It is only a shame they aren’t behaving worthy of it.” She looked at McNully sidelong, surprised that he had a rare combative expression on his face.

“Sacrifice. In chess sometimes you need to sacrifice a piece to win the game.” Murphy scowled and looked away from her. Talbott eyed him up and folded his arms tighter.

“Great. So that makes us a couple of pawns.”

Several more minutes ticked by, and then Murphy looked over with a grin, voice soft. “They do it for their queen when they have to.”

“Isn’t the point of chess to protect the king?” Talbott felt irritation at the fact that he was engaging, even if he did feel his queen was worth it.

“The king is like a glorified flag, like capture the flag. Or like a lion in the pride on the savannah, existing to look flashy but he doesn’t really do much. The queen does the hard work. The queen gives the orders.” Murphy smiled and closed his eyes, fingers starting to tap again. “And I trust mine. Even if she’s shit at chess.”

He tried. He genuinely, really, strongly put in the effort to try. But nothing could stop the sudden burst of laughter that escaped Talbott’s mouth at the memory of the recent chess game he’d watched between Kyriel and Murphy before everything had gone off the rails. It only took a moment for Murphy to realize what he was laughing at and join in, contagious until McGonagall’s voice raised in irritation again.

“I said SILENCE!”

+++ Twenty-four Hours Earlier +++

“And Parkin, living up to the family name with an excellent use of the Parkin’s pincher to score another goal!” McNully’s amplified voice cut across the pitch and the roar of the crowd that had turned out to see the pivotal rematch of houses Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Behind him, he could hear Snape make a satisfied sound. Not far away Sprout gave a motherly cluck of disappointment.

The game was going fairly well. Slytherin had started off with a commanding lead, Parkin aggressively playing as though she was trying to prove something to one particular person in the crowd. Not her father, who she had a complicated relationship with and felt pressure to live up to, but a calm, dark haired witch who had DARED to send a tiny paper lizard into the changing rooms before the match with the words Let’s see what you’ve got, Kitten. Don’t drop the quaffle. Skye was playing her best to rub the victory in Orin’s smug, pretty face after the match, she didn’t even care about the Wellnellys this time.

Which, if she’d bothered to actually think about it calmly, was likely the intention of the note in the first place. But thoughts like that circled back around to how pretty had snuck into her internal monologue and she wasn’t touching THAT with a ten foot long broom handle.

She arced around again, looking for an opening as Orion ducked past her with the quaffle. Some movement caught her eye and she blinked as Baglan, lining up a shot with his beater bat, found his broom suddenly dropping towards the ground, uncontrolled. It only lasted a moment, but it was the third or fourth time something like that had happened during the game on both sides. Maybe the brooms needed to be detailed again. Past Baglan Parkin could see Kestrele, hand up to her ear and wincing a moment before a bludger swung past her as a distraction. It all felt weird.

Skye shook her head and turned to back up Orion. Their strategy, with McNully’s help, was to put all their effort into scoring. If they could outpace the snitch deficit, Gruffyd Wellnelly’s seeker skills wouldn’t matter as much. Far below her, she could see Slytherin’s new seeker Peterson in a mad dash for the snitch, Wellnelly hot on his tail. At the same time, Orion switched to surfing his broom and managed to get the quaffle through a hoop just outside the Hufflepuff keeper’s reach.

“With a dynamic 150 point lead, Slytherin is looking to lock this game up, but Jackson has the quaffle and the snitch is almost caught! This is a nail biter for sure!” McNully was practically bouncing in his seat, tracking all the action at once and choosing what to talk about with the skill of an orchestral conductor. Skye held her breath, it was all out of her hands. The whole stadium fell nearly to silence as the spectators did the same.

Then three things happened at once.

Slytherin’s Keeper dove in front of the quaffle and deflected it away from the hoops with her arm at her side, and the crack of bone snapping was audible in the hush of anticipation. Peterson shifted on his broom into a power slide and grabbed the snitch practically right out of Gruffyd’s fingertips, causing a player collision that was fortunately close to the ground.

And for absolutely no reason at all, all alone in midair… Bean’s broom snapped in half and sent her falling into the crowd. The crowd roared in a mix of confusion and shock, unsure what exactly had just happened. Kestrele dropped through the air and landed where Bean had crashed. After a moment she stood up and looked across the field at McNully. She made two thumbs up fists, one that circled the other and ended with her index finger raised. She followed it quickly with a flicking motion, then shook her head and pinched her thumb, index and middle fingers together, extended both index fingers and twisted her wrists to touch the tips together.

McNully sighed in relief. “Some good news, folks, Bean and the audience that caught her are all okay!” He shifted his focus to the ground, where Hooch was checking on Slytherin’s keeper. She gave a rueful smile up at her assistant and McNully, their whole sign language thing was quite effective at conveying information. She gestured to the medical students on standby to help the injured keeper, and looked over to Gruffyd and Peterson, who had dusted themselves off. The younger boy looked shy, but the Hufflepuff boy grinned at him, took his wrist, and held it up to show the Slytherin had the snitch.

“The snitch is Peterson’s, and with a commanding 300 point lead Slytherin takes the first house match!” Murphy pumped the air in pure delight as his voice was drowned out with cheers.

+++

“What a win.” Murphy was beaming like the sun in the aftermath of the victory, hiding out in the great hall to avoid the raucous after-party that was being held on the training grounds. He typically didn’t mind attending them, but Kyrr avoided them like the plague and to be truthful, the team needed to have a serious conversation.

Everyone but Peterson, who they had sent off to be celebrated for his first victory, and Angelino, who was in the hospital wing getting her broken forearm repaired, was sitting around their table. Ophelia, always an Honorary member of the team, was sitting at the end with Talbott on her far side.

“So yeah, what the fuck happened to my broom?” Bean sounded peevish despite the win.

“Bean!” Lia made a face and she winced.

“Sorry. Kyrr is rubbing off on me.” Bean didn’t sound sorry in the least. “But come on. My broom just exploded.”

“That wasn’t the only weird thing. I noticed a lot of brooms acting weird.” Skye scowled and shook her head. “On both sides.”

“Thirteen different times that I counted, and I’m sure I missed some. Those were just the really obvious ones,” Murphy mused.

“So you guys noticed too?” Orin’s voice cut into the conversation and Skye made a face as she felt her ears turn a faint shade of pink under her hair. “Same thing happened in our game. Not as bad, but things were going strange.” She glanced at the spot next to Skye and Bean shuffled aside with a knowing grin.

“And we still won, no thanks to you.” Skye narrowed her eyes and Orin shrugged, entirely nonplussed. “This is a team meeting.”

“In a public space. Where anyone can join in.” Orin looked over at Lia. “You we’re watching the match too, right? What did you think?”

Ophelia sighed, and felt her eye twitch. “Ever hear the saying that a hammer sees every problem as a nail? I don’t want to call this a nail, but…..”

“It feels like it might be a curse?” Kyriel offered. Lia nodded.

“Kyrr, you said that your hearing aid is actually an auror tool, right?” Orin had a calculating look on her face.

“Yeah. I had to agree to a lot of stuff not to ever use it for things outside of audio enhancement, because there’s some dangerous features to it.”

“Remember how you said you kept getting some weird feedback when we visited Rath? I noticed you made that face again a few times during the game.”

McNully looked over with surprise. “Have you ever considered commentating? That is really observant.”

“Nah, I don’t like talking much. But it seemed to me like during our game, the brooms kept being, I don’t know, hexed briefly? And she,” pointing at Kyrr, “made that face every time someone’s broom acted up during your game.”

“Usually that just means that the ambient sound of the crowd it a bit much, but you’re right. It did seem to happen when the brooms went weird.” Kyrr frowned.

“Yet another mystery.” Lia sighed and put her head down on the table as Talbott rubbed her back. “And of course I had to be an over achiever and take N.E.W.T level classes this year. I am going to bomb my exams.”

“No you won’t.” Talbott gave her a little smile.

“Yes I will. I will bomb them and my mum we say ‘oh, if only your brother hadn’t gone missing, he did so well on his exams’ or something and I’ll have to change my last name because I’m no longer fit to be a Dovewing.”

Kyrr snickered. “Yeah, to Winger.”

The blushing glare that Lia shot Kyrr was only upstaged by the very rare incident of Talbott himself taking on a pinkish hue. Orin bit back a laugh, and shook her head. “I suggest an after hours meeting, if you catch my drift.”

Kyrr perked up. “The stash?”

“Good a place as any.”

Lia rubbed her temples and nodded. “Fine. But enough about this right now. Slytherin won, we can all take a break.”

Skye glared at Orin. “What are you three on about?”

“I’ll tell you when you grow up.” Orin got up and patted her on the head before walking away.

“I am not a child! We are the same age!” Skye sputtered after her.

+++

Nearly midnight, Kyriel and Ophelia slipped into the storage room where they had caught the young Gryffindor student Baily with his accidental contraband. Orin was already there, sitting on a desk someone had shoved into the corner.

“So what are you thinking?” Kyrr shifted back and pulled two stacked chairs apart, turning one backwards and sitting on it.

“I don’t know for sure. But it’s certainly something with the potential to be serious. Bean was lucky, she didn’t fall far.” Orin shook her head. “This is going to sound silly and superstitious, because I know rationally that thestrals aren’t actually omens of anything, it’s just a misunderstanding. But the ones on the reserve are acting really off right now. Restless. Pushy? It felt like they were trying to tell me something. And that was the day before our house match. If I hadn’t been paying close attention, when my broom spun out it could have thrown me off.”

“They are sensitive creatures.” Lia frowned and sat in the other chair, ankles crossed. Orin hid a smile at how totally different her friends were, the ladylike and the mannerless. “But if they sensed it on you, it is the brooms that are hexed? Or is it the players? Can this extend to the whole of the pitch? I’ve dealt with a hexed bludger before and it was not a fun experience.”

“There’s one way to find out. All the brooms are stored in the same place under lock and key at night.” Kyrr pulled her referee whistle out of her shirt and held it up to show the small iron key stored on the same chain. “I have a copy.”

“Where did you get that?” Lia gave her friend a slightly accusatory look.

“I’m officially an assistant referee. I’m allowed to sub in if anything happens to Hooch, or if someone wants to do a friendly while she’s busy. I just can’t solo a house match.”

“Don’t you have to pass some crazy exam for that?” Orin’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yep. Hooch sponsored me. Actually she even paid the fee, which she didn’t have to. Murphy and I spent a lot of the last month studying. I just passed it on Wednesday.” She grinned.

“Oh, is that what you call what you two get up to in the clubhouse?” Lia gave her a look, then her expression softened. “Why didn’t you tell us? We would have celebrated.”

“It’s not that big a deal.” Kyrr scratched her hair, embarrassed. Despite her loud personality, she seemed to actively avoid seeking help or praise. Ophelia and Orin exchanged a look. It didn’t take a genius to imagine what might have been behind that reticence.

“Well, after we get to the bottom of this, we’re taking you out for butterbeer whether you like it or not,” Lia declared firmly, and Orin nodded in agreement.

“But first,” the dark haired Ravenclaw said with a grin, “we have some brooms to inspect. And I demand my floofy mount.”

The three girls slipped out of the store room and headed off to the quidditch storage area, Lia hiding the cat version of a laugh as Orin the crow clutched the fur on Kyrr’s head as the Maine coon ran through the halls, wings extended to catch the wind like a child on a carnival ride.

Chapter Text

The two cats and a bird raced through the halls of Hogwarts with a cautious speed. Ophelia, the smaller cat, took point to check and sniff for dangers. Due to the nature of an animagus form Kyrr’s hearing aid still functioned to a degree even as a cat, but she still lacked the depth of sound from having two functional ears of equal hearing. To her, nearly everything sounded like it was coming from the left side.

Lia was still cautious, but knowing Kyrr was close by and ready to show off how wickedly sharp her oversized claws were helped her feel more secure. Or she could even shift into her human form and demonstrate her dueling skills while Lia kept her status as an animagus hidden. She led the way to the storerooms, remembering when her team’s uniforms had been destroyed and needed to be replaced. The broom room was a separate area, one that also held the chests that contained the four balls that a game relied on.

When the time came Kyrr shifted into her human form to unlock the door without warning, while Orin held on for dear life and clutched fur that had suddenly become hair. If she could have, she’d have laughed, her talons still never even scraped scalp. Kyriel had an obscene amount of hair. She pushed open the door, and carefully closed it behind her before casting lumos.

Orin fluttered to a good spot to shift and changed back as Lia simply stood up into her human form. “So, where do we start?”

The room was larger than one might expect, and the walls were lined with brooms on hooks. The tables in the center of the room were the same that got the reducio/engorgio treatment to put them in the training grounds for students to polish the flying apparatus. Along the back wall were cases that occasionally juttered and jumped with the effort of the enchanted balls within.

“I’ll be honest here, if you need me to knock someone out with a punch or a dueling spell, I’m your girl. But detecting curses? Ehh?” Kyrr shrugged. “I’m sort of specialized.”

Ophelia frowned and rubbed her ribs in thought. “Maybe Revelio? If there’s anything hidden in here, that should do it.” She cast the spell, expression pure concentration. Nothing happened aside from Kyriel wincing.

“Dude. Do you cast any spells lightly?”

“Not really? Unlike you, I diversify. Unfortunately that’s why you keep putting pumpkins on my head in the dueling ring.” She gave Kyrr an annoyed look.

“Wait really? She keeps Pumpkin Johnnying you?” Orin couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “That’s just so… rude.” All three girls laughed as the American shrugged.

“She’s really picky about her hair, it trips her up for a second or two every time. Not that it always leads to a win. Her knockback jinx should be classified as a lethal weapon.” Kyrr grinned and wandered around the room. “My ass is still sore from yesterday.”

“Blame your center of gravity for that one, you giraffe.” Lia couldn’t help laughing. Their dueling skills were fairly evenly balanced, which made for a lot of fun and good practice.

“Suddenly I kind of want to watch you two duel.” Orin walked along the opposite wall, fingers ghosting over brooms.

“Sure, as long as you don’t mind me cursing a lot…” Kyriel trailed off and touched her ear. “Does anyone else hear that?”

“No, but I just stepped into a cold spot.” Orin froze, and felt the air around her with her hands.

“All the hair on my arms is standing up. Last time I felt like this, we were in a Cursed Vault.” Ophelia swallowed hard, alarmed. The brooms rattled faintly in their hooks. A sudden realization of how dangerous this room could become hit her, and she started backing up. “I think we should leave.”

“Yeah.” Kyrr’s concern echoed hers, and Orin nodded, all three girls slowly backing out. Once they were no longer close to the brooms, the rattling stopped.

“Okay, so they reacted to us? This is so strange.” Orin tilted her head in a birdlike fashion. “I can’t even imagine the amount of magic it would take to hex everyone who plays quidditch in the school.”

“That’s a lot of hexing. Or. One big curse.” Ophelia frowned. “You’d need something really important to all the players for something like that. Brooms aren’t going to cut it.”

“What, like the trophy in front of the great hall?” Kyriel raised a brow and Lia cringed.

“Ouch. Yeah, that could do it. And in plain sight like that? No one would believe us if we tried to examine it. That’s tricky.”

Kyrr looked at Lia, confused. “Can’t you just tell professor Hooch?” Orin snorted a laugh and Ophelia tossed her hands in the air.

“You would think so, right?”

Orin nodded in agreement. “One of the most predictable things about this school is that the professors are basically useless outside of teaching classes.”

“Damn. Well, can we check it at night when no one is around?”

“Trust me, sneaking around after curfew is a risk in general, but you do NOT want to be on the lower floor around the great hall at night. We will get caught. We’re just going to have to wait for an opening tomorrow.”

+++

Sunday morning brought clear skies and a crisp autumn scent, which boded well for having a mostly-empty castle. The curse breaker walked past the trophy case on her way to the great hall and slowed down to look at it. Even though it was just a hunch, she’d known it the moment everything came together that it was likely whatever had been cursed, though it didn’t tell her who was behind it. She reached out to touch the trophy she had won four times, hesitant. It felt like it shivered under her fingertips, and the hair at the back of her neck stood on end, but it could all have been in her own head.

She entered the great hall and walked over to where Kyrr was putting up another valiant defense in a doomed game of chess. Once she’d stopped being afraid of potential relationship consequences if she never got good at the game she had improved ever so slightly. She might even win one day. Not today, though.

Kyrr sighed as Murphy took one of her rooks with a sheepish shrug. “You just left it out there.”

“I know,” she muttered, though she brightened when she saw Lia. “Any thoughts? It was buzzing my hearing aid.”

“It feels like it might be.” Ophelia sat at sighed. “Won’t make things easy.”

“Won’t make what easy?” Talbott sat next to Lia and offered her a plate of breakfast identical to his own. She accepted it with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry. I can’t say just yet.” Lia glanced across the table at Murphy, who was pointedly ignoring whatever they had planned.

“Checkmate. Sorry luv.” McNully scratched his hair and offered his girlfriend a halfhearted smile.

“Fuuuuck!” Kyrr groaned, then yelped as Lia pinched her side.

“Language!”

“Wait is THAT why they call you the curse breaker?” Kyrr blinked and Lia burst out in a giggle.

“Want to go again?” Murphy held up his king and grinned.

“No. No I am SO done today.” Kyrr got up on her seat and shifted into her cat form, startling him. She towered over the chess board and her tail lashed.

“Good sir,” one of the chess pieces murmured to McNully, “I do believe she intends violence.” A moment later it was batted off the board along with the rest of Murphy’s army, and Kyrr curled up on the board with her tail over her nose like a giant furry dragon.

McNully stared for several seconds as his brain processed what just happened, and then burst out laughing. “That’s one way to win a game! Kestrele strong arms her way to her first technical stalemate!”

To her side, Lia heard a faint chuckle, and she turned her head in surprise to see Talbott trying not to smile. “Really?”

“It’s just a literal catastrophe of a game.” Talbott shrugged and Lia finally joined in the laughter as the stress from their most recent escapades relented.

+++

After Ophelia and Kyriel left to meet up with Orin, and Talbott went to work on a minor prophesy reading he had been translating, Murphy looked up to see Face Paint Kid across from him. “Bloody hell, you startled me!”

“Sorry. I just… thought there was something you should know. I’ve been listening in on what’s happening with the quidditch teams.” McNully didn’t even bat an eye, the Kid’s reputation for eavesdropping was legendary. “And I wanted to warn you, I think your girlfriend is going to get into trouble if you don’t stop her.”

“Stop her? From what?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but it has something to do with the trophy case later today. If she’s caught up in a conspiracy they’ll take away her assistant ref credentials.”

“Yeah, I know.” The blonde commentator sat forward in concern. “Not that I think I can stop that girl from doing anything except winning chess. Why are you worried about her status as a referee though? I didn’t think you two knew each other at all.”

“Ah. Well, we don’t really. But she always smiles at me, and we’ve talked a few times. And you are one of my best friends, and she makes you happier than I’ve ever seen you.” He paused, and the rest spilled out in a giddy rush. “And she’s amazing on the pitch, she has such a good eye and her ability to track the action without interfering is top notch, she’s definitely going to go pro if she wants to just like you and if I want to be a quidditch talent scout or referee myself, having you two in my corner will go a long way.”

Murphy offered him a little smile. “Facepaint Kid, you’ll get there just fine on your own.”

“People barely notice me even when I have my face covered in paint.” He sighed and scratched at his hair. “I don’t mind that everyone uses my nickname, I actually prefer it to my real one, but it makes me forgettable. Anonymous. Only one person in the last two years even asked me what my real name was.”

“Oh.” Murphy startled, chagrined, trying to rake his brain to remember if even he had ever known it. “Ah, uh, what is it?”

“I’m not telling you, it’s terrible.” Facepaint Kid blinked as Murphy gave him a look. “I didn’t tell her either. But you know, she asked at least. With you two I might get noticed someday.”

“As long as she doesn’t get kicked out of the quidditch program.”

“Exactly.”

+++

Orin sat in what had unofficially become the Trio’s headquarters, petting the elderly niffler that still visited from time to time the way old men would retrace their steps. In her free hand was a book, one of several she had around the small space in true Ravenclaw fashion.

Ophelia walked in and smiled to see her. At the white haired girl’s feet was a large fluffy cat with a disdainful look and her ears half back. “Okay, all here? I think I have a plan.”

“Kyrr is…. Still a cat.” Orin raised a brow as the Niffler jumped down from her lap to inspect the new “animal” as though he had no memory of it hunting him. Kyriel curled up in a ball and the niffler bumped his nose to hers before climbing onto her like she was a child’s racecar bed and he wanted to nap. Kyrr curled her poof of a tail around him to keep him warm and closed her eyes, apparently napping.

“Yeah. She had a playful spat with Murphy earlier over chess and just hasn’t changed back. I know it’s odd but this is actually pretty normal for her. And she is listening.” Lia looked down into the peaceful thoughts of Cat!Kyrr, who was worried their niffler friend was a bit colder than he should be, pleased with herself for defeating a chess board, and generally just waiting for them all to make a decision that would require her to be a human again. “She thinks the niffler is too cold.”

“He’s elderly. At this stage they don’t regulate well. Honestly this is probably good for him, cats have a pretty high body temperature.” Orin shrugged. “I know this is usually your thing, but I’ve been researching curses in the hopes of finding our culprit.”

“Please, it’s not just my thing. I’m happy for backup, believe me. Lia sat on her chair, and picked up a book. “Find anything useful?”

“Based on how you describe opening past cursed vaults, cross referenced with what I’ve been reading, it seems like curses either require a specific key to break or a powerful counter-curse spell. Or just overwhelming amounts of magic. Since we don’t have the third, and finite incantatum is the best we have without asking Flitwick, finding the key would be the easiest method. There’s always some sort of clue to the key in order to set the key. Usually.” Orin looked up at Lia, who was staring at her in surprise. “…what?”

“Where have you been all this time?”

“Playing quidditch. Taking care of animals on the reserve? Fighting migraines?” Orin shrugged. “I think through problems. It’s just how I work.”

“Well I am definitely going to ask you more questions, but for now…. How do we confirm that it is actually cursed?”

Kyrr yawned and stretched out into her human form, still mostly in the same position, cradling the sleeping Niffler. “I asked Sunshine earlier if he knew of anything, and amid the word vomit of percentages and facts he mentioned there’s an ointment that glows when rubbed on a cursed object. I asked Penny if she knew how to make it, and with a little work and a raid on Snape’s storeroom, I got it.” She fished in a pocket and offered the small tub of ointment.

Lia sputtered. “It’s barely noon!”

“I skipped my run.” Kyrr shrugged. “Not my fault you like to sleep in on the weekends.”

“So all we have to do is get the trophy, bring it here, test it, and then go from there.” Orin chuckled. “Simple.”

“Muffliato, reducio, accio. It’s the classic combo.” Ophelia grinned. “As long as no one is around, we’re in and out quick as a wink!”

“You should not have said that.” Kyrr shook her head.

“We are doomed,” Orin agreed.

Lia sighed, and felt her eye start to twitch. “I knew it the second the words left my mouth.”

Chapter Text

Murphy McNully had a lot of quirks. He knew it; he was comfortable in his skin and in his chair and everyone he’d ever cared to be close to accepted him for who he was entirely. He hadn’t ever really considered finding love in school… frankly he simply assumed he wouldn’t meet anyone who didn’t just overlook but accepted his disability until he was an adult. His mother, Eileen McNully, had taught him everything important to know but also braced him for the world ahead.

He still hadn’t figured out how to tell her that he wasn’t only in his first relationship, but that he had met his first and maybe lifelong love.

Kyriel Morrigan Kestrele was the first glimmer in his life of someone he could see being with forever. She was beautiful, not that it really mattered if the rest was bunk. But she was and the rest was just as magical. Kindness warred with a brunt temper and foul language that bordered on obscene. Protective; he'd heard the story of her grabbing a sparrow mid-flight like it was a snitch and tossing it into the floor of greenhouse one like it was venomous. It was a move to defend Ophelia no doubt, he had long since recognized his longtime friend’s response to approaching birds. Even when she’d turned a cursed snitch into a snidget he’d seen her delight colored with anxiety. He wondered how she and Talbott got along at all given the boy was obviously also an animagus, and an avian at that.

The only bad thing about Kyrr, McNully mused as he entered the halls, was that something deep inside her was fundamentally broken, evidence of the kind of betrayal and lasting trauma that left marks on every aspect of a person. Her uncle, her connection to a pure-blood and powerful, wealthy family, was a devil in her eyes worse than Voldemort. He was responsible for much of her suffering at Ilvermorny. Beyond that she hadn’t said yet… but Murphy hoped someday she would open up. He knew there was physical violence. He’d already traced his fingertips over faint but undeniable scars. He wanted to be the safety that helped heal them, but it wouldn’t happen if she lost the one place she had carved out for herself.

McNully shook off his internal calculations and looked at the silver trophy that Slytherin had won four years running. He only hoped she’d talk to him before making a move.

“What are you doing here?” The voice to his left came from Talbott, who stood at the base of the grand staircase, arms folded, looking at the Irish blonde like he had planned something bad. Their new friendship through the girls was in the process of working itself out; Murphy liked him well enough but the other was skittish and untrusting.

“I was given a…. tip. Why are you here?” McNully scowled suspiciously. He wouldn’t normally peg the hawk-nosed boy as an obstacle, but polyjuice potions were always a possibility.

“I’ve been tracking one of Trelawny’s random prophecies, and it suggested something serious was going to happen here. And now.” He narrowed his eyes. “And here you are.”

“Here you BOTH are.” McGonagall’s sharp voice cut through the conversation like a knife and both boys looked to her, expressions mildly guilty despite not knowing their crime. “As I was warned.”

“By whom?” Murphy blinked in pure innocence. Talbott shot him a look.

“Who or whom?”

“Whom. If the answer is ‘by him’ it’s whom, if the answer is ‘he’ than it’s who.” Murphy couldn’t stop his mouth.

“Damn. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it phrased like that.” Talbott blinked and nodded, impressed rather than aggrieved, typical of a Ravenclaw. The boys smirked at each other until McGonagall coughed again, and pointed to the empty trophy case.

“So I assume you don’t know WHO took the trophy just now?” In the few moments they had been talking, the trophy had vanished

Murphy held up a hand, a finger extended. And then in his mind he ran through everything he’d been told, he’d observed, and all the things he had promised not to pay attention to. The answer was as clear as 1+1. “Six,” he blurted out, hand opening into an open palm.

McGonagall narrowed her expression. “Detention. Both of you.”

“Oi whut?!” Talbott flailed, a rare moment of expression with his most trusted teacher.

“Yes, both of you. Until I know who was behind this. Because I am fairly sure you are both hiding things.” Her look made both boys shrink away.

“You said you were warned this would happen, Professor? Who warned you? Maybe they know what’s going on.” Murphy glanced at Talbott.

“It was anonymous. Now move.”

+++

“I can’t believe how rotten our luck is,” Ophelia groaned when they got back to their base. “McNully AND Talbott? And someone warned McGonagall?”

“The boys wouldn’t have been so bad, but I’ll admit her showing up makes this awkward.” Kyrr winced.

“Why didn’t you wait till they left?” Orin watched Lia take the tiny trophy out of her pocket and return it to size on the desk.

“It was the only time the hall had been almost clear. And if Murphy and Talbott were distracted, then discovered it, they could have reported it missing and not been in trouble. What are the odds that a teacher would be there?”

“A teacher who takes a lot of pride in Quidditch. And one who is the head of a house that got their butts kicked in the first match too.” Orin sighed. “Let’s get this done so we can return it and get them out of detention.”

Kyriel picked up the trophy and looked it over. “Yep. I’ve never actually looked at this thing before and I have no idea what I’d be looking for. I don’t know why I even picked it up.” She chuckled and handed it to Orin, who opened the jar of ointment and rubbed some on the base where it wouldn’t be noticed. Sure enough, it began to glow.

“Shit. Well, we know there is a curse, or a hex, or at least a jinx on it.” Lia stepped back and waved her wand. “Finite incantatum!” The glow stubbornly persisted.

“A key then?” Orin inspected the trophy inch by inch, pausing at a small impression under the rim of the cup. “What’s this?”

“No-maj silversmiths have a mark they put on stuff they make, could it be something like that, maybe?” Kyrr looked over Ori’s shoulder. “It was one of my dad’s weird hobbies.”

“No, the silversmith mark was on the bottom.” Orin frowned. “I could swear I’ve seen this symbol before.” She handed it to Lia to see and grabbed a paper to draw it out.

“Ah yes, the well known squiggly thing that looks like a snake eating a stick,” Kyrr muttered.

“It kind of does. Oh, that’s it! It looks like the symbol of Asclepius. But that makes no sense,” Orin mumbled as she rooted through her books, “because that’s a healing symbol.”

“Not something you’d normally associate with a curse. Unless that’s the key?” Lia sat upright. “Episkey?”

Kyrr nodded slowly. “Makes as much sense as any of this does. I don’t know the spell though. I’m not sure they still teach it to students these days.”

“I picked it up somewhere along the way.” Lia put the trophy down and carefully cast the spell. When the ointment was reapplied, all it left was a waxy sheen, no glow.

“Great! So all we need to do now is put it back, right?” Kyriel bounced a little.

“Slow down a second. First, we don’t know who cursed it originally or why, and secondly, by the time we get back down there the hall is going to be hopping busy.” Orin frowned as a note slid under the door and a paper beater bat flew over to her, unraveling into a message. “Oh and it gets worse. The trophy missing has the teams fighting each other.”

“First priority should be to return the trophy,” Lia mused. “We can continue to look into whoever is sabotaging the quidditch teams without it, there might be other clues near the wooden case, but we can’t search there while it’s still missing. What we really need is a distraction.”

Kyrr started to grin, and it held a wicked edge that gave Lia pause. “I know just how to get us one.”

+++

Tulip and Tonks sat side by side in a mostly empty classroom, the former with her arms folded as her toad glared at the three girls in front of them. Tonks, on the other hand, had a terrible poker face.

“You want us to what now?” Tulip schooled her features to be impassive.

“We would like you to make a disturbance in the grand hall. Something big enough to distract everyone.” Kyrr matched Tulip’s nonchalant expression. Though Ophelia was usually the leader of the group, it was her plan.

“DONE.” Tonks slapped the table, but Tulip held up her hand in pause.

“Hold on, something that big is going to cause a LOT of detention time if we get caught.”

“It would be epic though,” Tonks started.

“Yes, love, I agree however I’m just trying to find out what’s in it for us, in case we have to take the fall.”

“Oh. Good point.” Tonks folded her arms. “What’s in it for us?” Being the more excitable one meant she didn’t always have the patience to match her Ravenclaw girlfriend’s planning, but as most Hufflepuffs did she backed her up entirely.

Kyrr reached into her pocket and pulled out a small golden ticket.

“Holy shit-” Tonks breathed.

“-is that?” Tulip unfolded her arms in shock.

“One golden ticket to Zonko’s.” Kyriel smirked.

“What’s a golden ticket to Zonko’s?” Lia blinked. She’d helped Bilton Blimes more than once, and rather liked him, but she didn’t really enjoy pranking people. It just felt mean.

“It’s basically a shopping spree. You can get almost anything, even the obscure stuff. Those things are legendary, I’ve never even seen one!” Tonks gaped at the tall girl holding it. “How in the world did you get it?”

“For a while I didn’t have access to my money, so I was doing odd jobs all over town. Let’s just say I helped Bilton out when something happened that saved him a significant amount of money and lost merchandise. But the thing is, I don’t much enjoy that sort of thing and I don’t eat sugar quills. So I figured I’d save this for a rainy day. You cause a big enough distraction that anyone around will rush INTO the great hall to see what’s going on, and the ticket is yours.”

“That rules out dungbombs.” Tulip’s mind was quick at work. “Tonks, my dear, I think it is finally time for the parade.”

“Really? YES!” Tonks danced in her seat so wildly she nearly fell off of it.

“What is ‘The Parade’?” Lia had concerns.

“You’ll see. Something we’ve been working on.” Tulip gave a smirk as Tonks looked positively manic. “Something worthy of a Golden Ticket.”

Orin shook her head. “We’re doomed.”

+++

The three girls waited, quietly, just inside the lower floor corridor within sight of the great hall and the empty trophy case. It wasn’t guarded so much as surrounded, the sounds of sharp arguments reaching all the way to the hall. Within, dinner was under way, and the mood was contentious. The quidditch teams and their fans were lobbing accusations and hurling snark across the tables, the watchful gaze of Dumbledore all that kept any sense of order. Tonks and Tulip made their way down the sides of the room, surreptitiously placing small items around.

Ophelia rubbed at her ribs anxiously. “I hate the waiting part.”

“I know what you mean.” Kyriel glanced over at her and smiled. “This will work. I’m sure of it.”

“If anyone can cause chaos, it’s those two.” Orin nodded. “Although, when did they become a couple?”

“Not sure,” Lia responded with a shrug. “The writing was on the wall though, they are practically joined at the hip.”

“I think they’re adorable.” Kyrr grinned and the others nodded in agreement. “Dangerous as a team, but adorable.” That was also met with agreement.

Inside the hall, something finally happened, as the angry voices and bickering shifted to confusion, then a cacophony of laughter. It was loud enough to make Kyrr flinch. A Hufflepuff stuck their head out of the hall and yelled towards the trophy case. “You have to see this!!”

Students came racing down the hall, and once they passed, the Hufflepuff gave the trio a saucy wink as his/her hair turned purple and the features shifted back into Tonks.

The girls raced past the doors and to the case, and Lia placed the trophy where it belonged before she cast engorgio, the other two girls acting as lookouts. That done, they retreated back to the hall, took in the sights, and joined in the laughter.

+++

Talbott was about ready to shift into his eagle form, secrecy be damned, just to escape Murphy’s newest hyperactive tick in the hours long detention. The blonde boy had begun to recite pi under his breath, and after more than an hour and literally thousands of numbers it was driving him nuts. McGonagall was peacefully grading papers at her desk, allowing the silence and company to be the boys’ punishment.

“How damn long is this going to go on for?” Talbott snapped quietly. Murphy paused.

“Detention, or Pi?”

“Pi.”

“Oh, I have it memorized out to thirty three thousand four hundred and fifteen places.” He jumped at the look Talbott gave him. “I memorized it in blocks of five.”

“You are literally insane.”

“No way, that’s not even the world record for muggles. Hideaki Tomoyori of Japan has been the record holder since 1987. He recited it out to forty thousand places.” Murphy grinned.

“If I have to sit through another hour of you droning on numbers I will not be responsible for my actions,” Talbott muttered. The head of a student popping into the transfiguration classroom was a welcome reprieve.

“Professor McGonagall! You have to come to the great hall, things are going nuts! Oh, and the trophy reappeared.” The boy grinned.

McGonagall stood up with a frown, then glanced at the boys. “It seems the situation has resolved itself. Let this time be a lesson to you. Next time, just tell me what you know.”

“Yes Professor,” both replied, though Murphy’s irreverent tone was at odds with Talbott’s surly one. Murphy moved himself from the chair to his wheelchair with long practice, and they followed McGonagall and the other student out of the classroom.

The scene in the great hall was still in full swing, with Professor Dumbledore hiding his amusement and not interrupting. At different points in the room stood illusions of the professors, each rather realistic in their physical depiction. Their behavior, on the other hand. Professor Sprout ranted about how much she hated plants, professor McGonagall was dancing like a British pop star, and Snape was crooning a love song like a lounge singer seated on a piano. And they only got sillier from there. The real McGonagall gave Dumbledore a dour look as she walked up to him.

“Are you not going to do anything about this?” She frowned at his warm smile.

“It was rather effective at relieving the tension. I hear the quidditch trophy has mysteriously returned?” His calm voice that worked so well on students rather annoyed his fellow professor.

“So it seems.” McGonagall watched the hall as the “parade” spell wore off. She kept her eyes on a few specific students, and saw Lia and Talbott slip out the main doors hand in hand. The transfiguration professor clicked her tongue in disapproval at the very public display of Kyriel and McNully reunited and kissing as Orin drove Skye around the bend by using her head as an arm rest. “Why are they always in threes?”

“Technically the Marauders were a foursome.” Dumbledore chuckled. “Even if young Mr. Lupin was the odd one out.”

“Just once I’d like to see a generation that doesn’t hand me a team of troublemakers.” She sighed, not really angry. “We’ll have to keep our eyes on them.”

Dumbledore smiled fondly at her and didn’t reply.

Chapter Text

Ophelia couldn’t stop grinning. It felt like the good news was burning a hole in her pocket, and she wanted to deliver it before it exploded. She didn’t even bother with a note, she knew where Kyriel was going to be during the afternoon, so she headed straight for the secret clubhouse.

Early December had brought chilly, uncomfortable days, and the open nature of the clubhouses always felt so cold to her. Lia tugged her sweater on closer and shivered as she headed down the spiral stairs from Sphinx. Her only concern was that she might walk in on something she did NOT want to see, but the voice drifting up from below didn’t sound like two people misusing her couch. This time at least. Bloody teenagers.

As she got closer she realized it was actually singing.

Lia paused on the steps, surprised. She hadn’t known Murphy was a baritone, though it made sense. And a good one at that. She peered around the corner and had to smile; an intimate moment, yes, but a precious one.

Murphy was lounging on one of the couches and singing an Irish love song that Lia didn’t recognize, voice full of emotion and projecting it as if he was calling across the pitch. Stretched out on him, with her head on his chest, was Kyrr. Her left ear was visible and Lia could tell she had her hearing aid out. She waited till the song ended to make her presence known, and waved to McNully.

He smiled back and gently tapped Kyrr on the shoulder. She looked up at him and he made a pinching motion with his hand, drawing it across his nose and forming the letter L before pointing at Ophelia. Kyrr looked over and sat up, grinning and pulling out the device that slotted into her left ear.

Lia waited till it was on to talk. “What are you two up to?”

“Ahh. I was listening.” Kyrr grinned and flushed pink, Murphy sitting up next to her and gently brushing back her hair for her. “I can’t hear well enough to make out words, but when we’re close like that I can actually hear his voice a little. It’s nice. It’s different than through this.” She tapped her ear and shrugged.

“That is so sweet I’m going to get cavities.” Ophelia shook her head and sat down across from them. “But I wanted to bring you good news.”

Kyrr shifted from tender to excited with the same manic speed as a cat with the zoomies. “Did we get in?”

“We did!! Flitwick just gave me the news!” Lia bounced in her chair.

“Got in where?” Murphy raised a brow and smiled as Kyrr turned toward him and nuzzled hard enough to knock them both back into the lounging position like an oversized affectionate cat.

“There’s a two on two dueling competition in London next week. Each of the schools sponsor a team for the junior division. We were up against that Diego kid and whoever he convinced to team up with him.”

“He’s going to be annoyed, but he got to go last year.” Lia shrugged and waved her hand. “He asked Merula to be his partner this year, and then she went and dropped out at the last minute. It feels weird, should we send her a fruit basket or something?”

“I’m sure she had some kind of selfish reasons of her own, better not to give her incentive to change her mind.” Kyrr laughed and closed her eyes as Murphy pushed her ponytail away from his face.

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” He grinned. “Even if you are part yeti. Do you know I had to come up with an excuse for why the lap of my robes were covered in fur when McGonagall called me out? Everyone knows it’s not kneazel shedding season.” Kyrr started to giggle and Murphy grinned past her head to wink at Ophelia. “I had to throw Talbott under the carriage and claim we were both grooming them for Kettleburn, since HE has white fur on his lap too. It’s lucky McGonagall likes him having his privacy, she didn’t push after that.”

Lia winced. “I’m sure he was thrilled with that.”

“I owe him a rather large favor now.” The Irish boy chuckled and cuddled his girlfriend, who sighed and relaxed in his arms. Lia suppressed a twinge of envy, physical affection even when in the presence of others came so naturally to them. Talbott was just far too uncomfortable for things like that unless they were completely alone.

Kyrr yawned, and then gave Lia a sleepy smile. “Did you ask Talbert if he wants to come with to the competition?”

“Ugh that’s even worse than ‘Talby,’ never let him hear you say that. And not yet, but I will.” The curse breaker stood up and stretched, not wanting to interrupt for too long if Kyrr was actually going to get some sleep. “And maybe ask Andre if he wants to design us some competition gear!”

+++

The days leading up to the competition were a blur, and dueling training became a daily occurrence. Diego had gotten over his initial annoyance to offer his support in practice, and they had accepted his gesture of goodwill, though Kyriel privately avoided him if possible.

Andre had jumped on the chance to make the girls a uniform, and it was some of his finest work. The under layers were Slytherin green with gold buttons and tall black boots, similar to a one piece flight suit designed to flatter the shape and mimic a military uniform. The outer robes were black and gold, cut similarly to a Napoleonic coat but with a high mandarin collar. Lia’s had thin shoulder pads to create the sharp, broad lines so popular with muggles, Kyrr’s had to be cut out because she was already built that way. The breast had a row of gold buttons up each side, and on the left where ones medals would be hung was the crest for the four houses of Hogwarts. On the back of the coat was the gold H from the center of the Hogwarts crest, positioned over a pair of stylized crossed wands.

They looked dramatic and official.

Ultimately the girls were given two spots each for students to join them, and each took their partner. Talbott wasn’t thrilled by the idea of being so publicly exposed, but he was equally unwilling to let Ophelia down. He apologized and spent more time in isolation than usual to prepare, but given how much of her time was split between midterm exam studying and dueling practice, Lia was willing to tough it out.

For their second slot the two conspired; Kyrr invited Orin, who had become one of her closest friends, and Lia managed to convince Skye that she needed someone else to help her deal with “McNully being McNully.” Possibly a shallow plan, but the two duelists were pleased with their conspiracy. Skye was sour when she discovered who she would be rooming with, but strangely didn’t put up a fuss.

The trip on the Hogwarts Express was fun, Murphy’s chair meant they could utilize the largest cabin and all six students fit comfortably, especially once his chair had been reduced in size. Flitwick took a nearby cabin shared with Snape, who felt compelled to go after weeks of helping train the two girls representing not only the school but his house. Flitwick would never admit it, but he’d seen a smile or two on the surly potions professor’s face.

The trip from King’s Cross Station to the housing for competitors was brief, but Ophelia noticed Kyriel’s reluctance every time they crossed paths with muggles. Despite it being somewhat late at night the American girl looked like she wanted to just run out into the crowd. They got set up fairly quickly, the four girls sharing a room while the boys and the professors had a pair of joined rooms across the hall. The energy in the air between them all was faintly manic, despite arriving in the evening. No one fell asleep quickly.

Morning dawned cold and clear, and Ophelia woke up to a faint rustling. Kyrr was already dressed, and had gone full muggle. Her hair was up in its customary ponytail, though without her quidditch goggles to restrain the front it looked a bit of a mess. She laced up her high top sneakers while Lia watched, and froze when her friend cleared her throat.

“What are you doing?” Lia sat all the way up. Kyrr flashed her an embarrassed grin.

“Getting ready? They have a tour of the ministry planned for us today but I thought I might duck out and go see Big Ben.” She shrugged as Lia rubbed her face to calm the twitching.

“No! You’ll get us disqualified!”

“No, actually, the tour isn’t mandatory.” Kyrr stood up and shrugged. “And unless you forgot, I have lived like this my whole life outside school. I fit in.” She gestured to her hearing aid, and an illusion passed over it to make it look like a strange white device connected to her head and ear.

“What is that?” Lia was louder than necessary, hoping to wake Orin and Skye for backup.

“Cochlear implant. Muggle version of our tech. Sort of. Come on, just make an excuse up! I promise I won’t get into trouble!” Kyrr smiled, maddeningly calm about it all.

“You are not going.” Orin sat up and yawned. “Not without us.”

“Exactly! You’re not go-what??” Lia gave Orin an accusing look.

“What? Come on she’s going to go regardless. I’d like to see Big Ben.” Orin slid out of bed and started dressing in the outfit she’d packed when warned they would need one for the few times they crossed paths with muggles.

“Skye, help me out here.” Lia looked at Skye, who looked sleepy and disheveled, blue hair a mess.

“…..I’m with Orin, hate to say. Dad took us on a tour of London and we didn’t get a single muggle sight.” She scrambled out of bed and did the same as Orin, while Lia sputtered.

“Am I the only one who cares about rules? Oh gods I just turned into McGonagall. Okay.” Ophelia tossed up her hands and followed suit, glad she’d packed something that would pass for muggle clothing that she’d won in the Hogsmead carnival at some point she couldn't remember.

Orin finished up first, and eyed up Kyrr. “We have to do something about that mess. Sit.” She gestured to a spot in front of her bed, and Kyrr went without even a hint of hesitation. Orin sat behind her and let down Kyriel’s hair, then played with it while the other two finished getting ready. “Okay, wow, you have a lot of hair. But….finished.” She had pulled the front of what was usually a white mess up into a thick ponytail, but let the sides down so that her ears were covered. Kyrr still looked like herself, but for once her face was totally clear.

“Oh wow. I love it!” Kyriel grinned at her reflection as Lia laced up her shoes and Skye swapped out her usual quidditch jacket for a nondescript denim one. “Everyone ready?”

Lia sighed. “Unfortunately… yes.”

They spilled out into the hall shortly after, and met with Murphy and Talbott. Kyrr grinned and stole a kiss from her seated boyfriend. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? You know you can’t use any of your chair’s special features. This might end up being disappointing.” Her expression was slightly guilty.

“I know.” He reached up to touch her hair, curious and amused by the new style. “I think it will be an interesting experience to write about later, and I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Love the hair by the way.” McNully smiled up at her, and she pointed to Orin, while Talbott sidled around to Lia as she shot him a stern look.

“So you’re in on this?” Her eyebrows vanished upwards into the wash of white hair, and he shrugged.

“Heard him getting ready and asked, he told me everything. Whole plan sounds terrible. Tourists everywhere.” Talbott sighed and opened his mouth to speak again, but fell silent.

“Indeed it is.” Snape came out of the room he shared with Flitwick looking furious. “And this ends here.” Both Kyriel and Lia jumped, startled. “I expected better of you.” The fact that he chose to glower at the curse breaker specifically felt unfair.

“Oh come now, Snape.” Flitwick followed, his usual affable smile untarnished. “They are in one of the safest cities in the world. And they know to be careful and not ever use magic outside the school.”

“It isn’t just about… magic.” Snape dragged the words like a heavy sack across a stone floor. “What are they going to do, toss out some sickles and knuts and just hope the muggles accept them?”

“Actually I have euros.” Kyrr flashed him a smile and pulled out some paper money. “British pounds too. I’ve even got a few dollars in here somewhere. Murphy can translate if there are any language barriers, I have a map of London with all the muggle public transportation lines on it, my Casio has an alarm set to make sure we get back by curfew, I have my Polaroid and backup cartridges for pictures, and I have a brochure with a list of times that stuff is open to the public.” She shrugged. “I am actually prepared for this. Not much different than visiting Philly or Boston.”

Snape’s expression slid into unreadable. Whatever childish excuses he had anticipated were nothing compared to the remarkably reasonable plan she presented. Flitwick smiled up at him. “See?”

“Really, we have this whole thing prepared.” Kyrr smiled. “Orin and I have been working on it for days. Jae got us the map and the brochure.”

“I thought you didn’t know about this!” Ophelia looked over at Orin and pointed an accusing finger at her. The dark haired girl gave an awkward grin.

“Oops? Like I said. Big Ben. And she was going to go anyway…”

“Fiiiine.” Snape looked down at Flitwick. “It’s on your head if anything happens.”

Flitwick grinned back and nodded at Kyrr. “Be careful, look out for signs like I told you, no magic, be back by curfew…. And have fun.”

“Yes sir.” Kyrr turned to go and the professors watched them leave. Orin slung an arm around Kyrr’s shoulders while Lia glared up at her taller friends.

“Even Flitwick was in on this?” Their playful bickering faded as Snape grumbled about what a terrible idea this was. At least it meant he didn’t have to go on the tour of the ministry with them.

Chapter Text

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Ophelia looked up at Talbott and bit her lip, worried for him. He smiled down at her and nodded.

“I spent all week preparing. For the competition mostly, but I have this down. And truthfully…” He looked across the cobblestones to where Kyrr and Orin were dramatically crossing into muggle territory as McNully took a picture and Skye grumbled good naturedly about how cheesy they were. “The alternative is being inside the ministry, where I really did not want to be.” Talbott shrugged. “Being surrounded by strange muggles will be uncomfortable but it’s probably one of the safer places I could be, so my natural self preservation is at odds with my isolationist tendencies.”

“That’s literally the most words I’ve ever heard you say at once,” Lia teased. He offered her his arm like a gentleman, and she walked with him to the wall that parted to let them through.

Murphy grinned like a child on holiday, his disability meant travel options were somewhat limited outside of Wizarding spaces. Kyrr and Orin had done their research carefully though, and plotted a route with ramps or low sidewalks. They had also talked it out beforehand, if they needed to he was comfortable with them physically lifting his chair for him. It was a lightweight design despite the wood, and with them all pitching in obstacles could be overcome. It was an unusual freedom for the Irish teen.

The walk from the boundary between worlds to Big Ben was about twenty minutes, and all six teenagers were buzzing with excitement, even Talbott. London was already decorated for Christmas, even if it was still some weeks away. The air was a crisp ten degrees Celsius, but after months of playing quidditch in the Highlands of Scotland, the girls and Murphy were well acclimated to the temperature. Talbott had a warm trench coat that Lia found excuses to hide in with him, and the brisk walk warmed them all up. Once the clock tower came into sight Kyrr whooped, and Lia pinched her.

“Don’t even think about taking off on those long ass legs, I’ll never catch up!” She grinned though.

Kyrr turned and offered her back. “Get on, I’ll run you!”

“Oh that’s not fair, I’ve got little legs like Ophelia.” Skye grinned.

“Want to race them?” Orin jerked a thumb at her back and Skye blushed pink enough to be noticeable even with the flush from the cold and walking.

“Know what? Smashing! Let’s do it.” Skye grinned and hopped on Orin’s back as Lia scrambled onto Kyrr’s, and both sets of girls raced along the sidewalk laughing as Murphy snapped a quick picture with his girlfriend’s camera.

Talbott looked down at McNully and smirked. “I’m not picking you up.”

“Fair enough.” Murphy grinned and put his hands on the wheels, following behind their cohorts.

+++

They took a group picture from the Westminster bridge with assistance from another group of tourists, and Skye took one of just the silver trio of animagi as McNully yammered on facts he’d looked up about Big Ben and the city in general to a half-listening Talbott. They took another of Kyriel and McNully as the American girl leaned over his shoulder and he put his head back to kiss her, and one of Ophelia and Talbott arm in arm. He surprised Lia by following the trend and kissing her, not minding as much because they were far from the only couple doing it.

Skye gave into Kyrr and Lia’s goading and posed for one last picture standing next to Orin. The taller girl leaned over and kissed the side of her head as the picture was taken, and then Skye chased Kyrr all over the bridge as she refused to hand over the picture of her blushing and startled.

They walked around London proper for a while, and only encountered one spot where Murphy needed assistance to enter a small pub for an early lunch. To the surprise of all but Kyrr, who had a different view of muggles than the rest, locals stepped in to lift his chair, and they all posed for a picture together. Lunch ended up being free as a sort of apology from the owner, who admitted he hadn’t considered a ramp before but it was probably time. Lia teased Kyrr for her obsession with fish and chips; Orin muttered she was glad at least it wasn’t sandwiches like at school. Murphy defended sandwiches while they ate, and as usual Skye took up the position opposite his, which put her and Orin on the same team for a change.

Her prickly attitude, at least while in London, seemed to have eased up.

The group ended up taking an afternoon tour of Buckingham Palace, or at least the areas that were wheelchair accessible, and checked out the shops full of overpriced muggle knick knacks. Kyriel treated everyone to silly keychains with the UK flag on them, and even Talbott seemed pleased. She also got herself a new patch for her backpack.

By the time they had to leave, everyone was tired, but early sunset meant that the thousands of Christmas lights around the city were lit, a dazzling magic of its own. Kyrr kissed Murphy under a sprig of mistletoe long enough that Lia started mimicking her American accent and declaring dramatic, undying love for McNully. Talbott surprised her by breaking into his version of an Irish accent and declaring his love back, while making up percentages of exactly how much he liked each thing about her with increasingly long strings of numbers after the “point.” Orin and Skye were in stitches and the kiss was finally ruined when Talbott said that he loved her hair as much as Pi and proceeded to rattle off numbers; Murphy couldn’t stop himself from cracking up in response.

They walked back to the boundary without the energy they had left with, and Orin and Skye lingered last. Talbott and Lia held hands ahead of them, and the Slytherin chaser coughed and looked off to the side.

“Today was a lot of fun. I didn’t expect that from hanging out with the enemy.” Skye couldn’t help being cheeky.

“Aww, I was never your enemy, Kitten.” Orin smiled as Kyrr opened the wall to the wizarding section of the city.

“Ugh. Don’t call me Kitten,” Parkin muttered back. Orin blinked in surprise as Skye’s smaller, warm hand slipped into hers in an echo of the couples ahead, the blue haired girl pointedly not looking at her as she did it.

Orin grinned and laced fingers with hers, not looking down either or drawing attention to it. “You sure? I spend a lot of time on the reserve, I could probably come up with a worse nickname. Like Mooncalf.”

Skye snorted an audible laugh and shook her head. “Save that one for Lia or Kyrr. Probably Kyrr. She’s all neck.” Orin laughed too, shaking her head as they passed the boundary together and returned to a more familiar world.

+++

The morning of the competition started early, and the previous day’s excitement was replaced with nerves. Both girls had to hand over their wands to be inspected, and Kyriel’s caused a bit of a stir. It was made from Osage orange, intricately carved and polished till the black and orange wood shone everywhere but the base of the handle where she gnawed on it at times. It was passed around a few times, and Kyrr admitted that yes, it had a thunderbird core and was supposedly crafted by Shikoba Wolfe. Ultimately it was deemed sound for the competition.

Skye looked puzzled when the girls returned. “What was that all about?” Kyriel sat with a pencil and paper and write out numbers to quell her nerves.

“My wand was made by a really famous American wand maker. They’re not super common, especially over here.” Kyrr cut a fine, dramatic figure in the uniform that Andre had designed, and Orin had fixed her hair again. Beside her, Ophelia fussed with buttons on her own uniform.

“It’s why she’s so damn good at throwing pumpkins at people. Because her wand is orange.” Lia smirked and Kyrr snickered. “Did you see the boys from Durmstrang? They look put out, I think we look more masculine than they do.”

Kyrr lifted her head and looked. The two young men wore black fur half capes over red military jackets and black johdpur trousers. The red and black fur hats tied the look together, but they somehow failed to cut as dramatic a look as the two white haired girls from Hogwarts.

The two girls from Beauxbaton wore robes and hats in their school’s customary pale blue color, their floor length capes of soft velour shimmered with tiny sewn in glass beads. They watched their wands being inspected and muttered back and forth in rapid fire French.

The three primary schools weren’t the only ones represented, several smaller schools had sent teams. There was a stir at the doorway and Kyrr tensed up, a boy girl pair from Ilvermorny strolled in clad in their national colors. Murphy looked at her with concern, and Ophelia put a hand on her shoulder. Kyrr shook her head briefly and went back to her numbers.

“Are you okay?” Lia kept her voice soft.

“I’m fine. They’re seventh years, twins. I know of them, but not personally.” Kyrr’s steady tone gave voice to the silent crucial sentence, They aren’t people who bullied me.

“Okay.” Lia patted her shoulder and returned to watching the crowd. As busy as it seemed, the adult dueling matches wouldn’t begin until after the student ones, and most spectators hadn’t arrived yet.

Sixteen teams were present, and the brackets were set up for the first matches. Kyriel and Ophelia found themselves up first against a pair of duelists from a small Italian school who remained in good spirits even after the Hogwarts team crushed them. Murphy’s strategy was simple but clever; finish the early matches as fast as possible so the other teams wouldn’t get a good look at what the girls were capable of.

They walked out of the ring grinning after shaking hands with the Italians, and Kyrr walked over to Murphy to tell him so. Orin grabbed Ophelia by the arm and tugged her away, voice low and tight. “Her uncle. He’s here.”

“What?!” Lia looked around, heart beating faster than it had in the ring. “Are you sure?”

“Look.” Orin dragged her partway across the room and nodded at a wizard in black robes near the back of the spectators. Despite the left side of his face being lined with white scars and his short military cut hair being pitch black, there was no mistaking their relation. He stood nearly half a head taller than those around him, and even scarred his face was so similar to Kyriel’s that it was uncanny. Features that looked borderline boyish on her added a soft beauty to an intimidating, masculine face.

Lia cursed softly with words that would make Kyrr proud. “This will fuck her up.”

“I know. I warned McNully to keep her from coming over here. Do you think he knows she’s competing?” Orin scowled.

“He must. He’s probably here to sabotage her.” Lia felt furious. Marcus looked over in their direction and she and Orin ducked a pale gray gaze identical to Kyrr’s.

“What do we do?”

“We have to hide this from her.” Lia winced. “Better she finds out about it later. Tell Flitwick. He knows him from his dueling days. Maybe he can do something.”

“Ugh what an asshole…. But damn they look alike.” Orin let out a nervous laugh.

“…….right? Ugh, weird.” Lia laughed with her and they crept back to their staging area for the next match.

+++

Whether it was Flitwick’s doing or not, Marcus didn’t make a single appearance for the remainder of the competition.

The girls’ second opponents were also from a minor school, though the Norwegian teenagers put up more of a fight than the Italian ones. They were also flirts to a degree that put Diego to shame, and Murphy looked ready to put his own wand to the test until Skye teased him for his jealousy and Kyrr responded to the flirting by dumping a pumpkin on her opponent. The bracket was set up so that Hogwarts wouldn’t face Ilvermorny in the penultimate match, and the American twins fought valiantly against the Durmstrang boys before getting knocked out. Kyrr and Lia watched that match with interest, knowing the boys would be watching their bout with Beauxbaton. Durmstrang relied on pure power, each duelist able to carry on a fight solo for a time if necessary.

The Beauxbaton girls smiled before the match, the taller redhead nudging the short dark haired girl and nodding over at the Hogwarts team. She looked at Lia and raised a brow. “Zat tall dark and ‘andsome boy, ‘e is your boyfriend?”

Ophelia hid her annoyance behind a friendly smile. “Yes he is.”

“Nous devrions les inviter à la fête pour célébrer notre victoire,” she whispered loudly at her friend, then giggled and gave Lia a smug smile.

“Y a-t-il aussi une fête pour les perdants en France?” Lia responded in fluent French and smiled back innocently as the girl’s expression turned sour.

They squared off soon after. Both teams bowed, or in Beauxbaton’s case, curtsied. Kyrial took a smooth step backward and settled into her dueling stance in choreographed sync with Ophelia stepping forward and doing the same. Kyrr’s stance set off murmurs, and any ambiguity about whether or not she was related to the Black Wand was gone. She looked just like him in the ring. Lia favored a lighter stance, speed was her strength and her ability to tie up both opponents freed Kyrr up for the heavy hits.

The French girls prioritized style over substance, which was fine in early matches but did poorly against a superior team. Lia cast, rapid fire, trusting that anything that could hit her, her partner could counter. Spell after spell was reflected as Lia learned their timing, and a few minutes into the match she moved her weight to the ball of her back foot and wiggled her heel. Kyrr started to count silently in her head, and blocked another spell sent to knock Lia over. They weren’t even paying attention to her anymore.

Perfect.

Lia started to move and Kyrr moved the opposite direction, so for a moment Lia was fully on her own and Kyrr was eclipsed behind her. Seconds later the opposing team realized how badly they had erred. Kyrr had dropped low and tumbled to the far side of the ring while behind Lia. Both girls in blue had their wands facing Lia, who put up a shield for the first time in the match, and Kyrr placed her wand over her left forearm like it was a crossbow.

“Malleusincus!” A wave of force burst from her wand hard enough that it would have pushed her backwards if she hadn’t lowered her center of gravity. The other end of the spell hit both French girls in one blow, knocking them cleanly out of the ring. The crowd erupted in shock and cheers, the team maneuver was worthy of the adult dueling league matches yet to come.

Kyrr and Lia bumped their fists together and cheered. The curse breaker smiled sweetly again as she offered a handshake to the girl who had made a pass at Talbott. “Enjoy your not so victory party!” The other girl shook her hand with grudging respect.

On the sidelines Orin watched the boys from Durmstrang talking, and got a bad feeling about the gesture that one did towards his left ear. It could have been nothing, but it made her nervous.

+++

The final match of the day pitted Hogwarts against Durmstrang, and the crowd had almost doubled in size as word about the last match got out. All anyone would talk about was the team up of two white haired girls, one of whom was essentially descended from dueling royalty and the other who seemed to effortlessly solo most of their matches. The boys waiting to take them on seemed agitated by the chatter, not helped by the American duo cheering their former classmate on and the beautiful, defeated Beauxbaton girls cheering “Go ‘ogwarts!” as if they didn’t care about the loss at all.

The match took a while to get under way, as the room was more tightly packed than before and the venue hadn’t been set up for extra seating until the adult matches began. Things did finally settle, and the two teams bowed. Kyrr looked calm but intimidating, and Lia had her easy smile that said she was unflappable and about to squash a bug.

The boys started off with heavy hits right from the gate, so both girls went on defense with Ophelia’s shields positioned behind Kyrr’s to reinforce them. It freed Lia up to get off little shots here and there to test the defenses on the opposing side and see what they were weak to. She wasn’t surprised that they seemed to lack the empathy to read her, and they didn’t work together at all. They had only gotten so far because they were strong and relentless.

Unexpectedly a timeout was called, the heavier of the two boys was given a warning for using an illegal spell. Lia didn’t know which one, it had all been a blur and Kyrr’s shields hadn’t even budged. The girls waited for the match to resume and didn’t even speak, after enough time training they already had the sense of what to do. The match resumed and Kyrr shifted her stance and held back power on her shields, able to hold them off while waiting for Lia’s signal to throw hard. Lia got one of the boys in a stunlock, and turned to the other just in time to see a firebrand narrowly miss her face. The crowd erupted in laughter as Kyrr reflexively dropped a pumpkin on the larger opponent.

Things paused again as Kyrr got a warning, but she accepted it with grace and laughter. They squared up again, but something felt WRONG to Lia. The pumpkinned boy raised his wand.

In the crowd, Orin watched as the boy from Durmstrang who had pointed at his ear raised his wand before go was called. He started to cast and her eyes widened in fear and anger. She pulled out her wand and screamed her friend’s name.

“Diffindo!”

Time seemed to crawl and silence descended as Kyrr looked at Orin in alarm. It saved her life. The spell glanced off its target, but she still gave a shrill scream and fell, holding her left ear. The referee called a frantic pause as Lia threw herself at her friend’s side and the Durmstrang boys started fighting. Orin had her wand out and was screaming, Talbott and Skye holding her back from making it worse.

Kyrr was in a fetal position on the floor, holding the pieces of her hearing aid while a trickle of blood from her ear turned her white hair pink.

Murphy crushed more than a few toes racing out to the ring, horror on his face.

And in the crowd, unseen, a very tall man resisted a very strong urge to cast Avada Kedavra on the boy being confronted and thrown from the duel.

+++

What felt like hours was only minutes, and Kyrr was taken to be checked out by the healers. She shoved the remains of her hearing aid into her pocket as they checked her out. Murphy sat across from her and translated for her, knowing she hated speaking when she couldn’t hear her own voice.

She would be okay, physically.

Murphy left Kyrr with Orin and Skye hugging her on either side, even Talbott rubbing her back gently. He rolled to Lia, eyes red from fighting off tears. “They’re leaving it as a one on one if you want to continue. Kyrr says you should.”

“Good.” Lia was smiling but there was no mirth. “I plan to finish this.” She stood up and the core was cleared. It didn’t matter that the boy she faced was angry with his friend, he had become an enemy.

The time out was dropped and he panicked, throwing everything he had into the first shot. It was enough to knock her over, and the crowd fell silent in shock. She stood back up, hair disheveled, furious, faint wisps of smoke coming off her.

“My turn.” The boy opposite her started to cast, but it didn’t matter. If Lia was anything, she was fast. And the spell was one her friend had taught her.

Unknowingly, she cast Marcus Kestrele’s signature finishing move.

“TEMPESTAS IGNI!” The thunderbolt caught the boy in the chest and hurled him out of the dueling ring. Ophelia didn’t even look, she just put her wand away and went to check on her friend.

The boy was lifted up, coughing and smoking all over, and Hogwarts was given the win. Kyriel looked up at Lia with a weak smile and closed her eyes on tears as she was hugged, only able to faintly hear the crowd cheering their victory.

+++

Marcus Kestrele waited till nearly everyone was gone before he approached the head of the dueling organization, an energetic little man that paled to see him.

“If that boy is ever allowed to duel again,” Kestrele said in a voice low enough that it might as well have been gravel tumbling, “I will come out of retirement and kill him myself. You have been warned."

He walked away without waiting for a reply.

Chapter Text

Waking up to silence wasn’t unusual, it was normal. For a few seconds after Kyriel came to, everything seemed fine. The pain from her dueling injury was already gone; magic could fix that. Then reality set in like a punch to the gut, and Kyrr looked to her bedside table where her hearing aid lay in pieces.

She’d lived six years of her life without it. She could function without it. She knew in her heart that life without it was perfectly possible. It didn’t stop the angry tears.

The dueling team had gotten off the Hogwarts Express late at night and gone straight to bed, the small celebration for their victory scheduled over the following weekend to allow them to prioritize midterm exams before the holidays. Rowan had been excited when they returned, though. Lia explained the situation.

Or at least Kyrr assumed she had. Normal speaking voices were far too low for her to pick up.

She sat up, even though she didn’t want to go for her usual run. They were supposed to speak with Dumbledore before classes, and she did have some small shred of hope that he would tell her that the device she’d come to rely on was fixable, but she was too pragmatic to believe it likely. Flitwick’s expression had told her everything she needed to know.

Kyriel hugged her knees to her chest, and sat surrounded by the heavy emptiness enhanced by Slytherin house’s position under the lake. Dawn didn’t reach their rooms. Movement caught her eye, and she glanced up to see Lia walking across the room toward her in pajamas. Ophelia sat on the edge of the bed and smiled gently.

You okay? Lia’s signing was still fairly basic, but she had a good grasp of the fundamentals and she could follow along if Kyrr signed back slowly. Kyrr touched her chest, her head, and made a motion that flicked away from her head.

I don’t know. She shook her head to reinforce it, glad at least that she’d gotten the tears out already. She wished Murphy was there, he had absorbed sign language at a prodigious rate. Kyriel even teased him for it, since technically he was learning the wrong language; American Sign Language and British Sign Language had overlaps but weren’t exactly the same, both languages derived from the French version.

We go… Lia made a face, trying to remember Dumbledore’s name sign before giving up. She substituted with words she did know. Old wizard now? Kyrr couldn’t help it, she started to giggle, though it didn’t make a sound. Lia smiled and made the upward palm gesture for “what” while looking entirely innocent. Man old. Her expression was gentle and warm. Her eyes said what needed to be said… “You aren’t alone.”

You should still be sleeping. What time is it? Kyrr signed slowly, slightly exaggerated, and Lia laughed.

I don’t wake up early for… Lia paused to think and then slowly finger-spelled j-u-s-t a-n-y-o-n-e …you know.

I know. Thank you. Kyrr shook her head and smiled, but the sight of her broken device dimmed it. I’m scared. She could almost hear the sound Lia made in response, and she closed her eyes as her friend hugged her for a long moment.

+++

McNully was waiting outside the girl’s dorms when the two came out, anxiety written into all of his body language. Kyrr felt a strange impulse to laugh, he was just so damn expressive, she could read him without him ever even signing. His relief when they came down was as warm as a beam of sunlight on a late spring morning.

Hey Snidget. Technically it was the sign for the snitch, but they were essentially interchangeable and his meaning was clear. Sleep okay? Kyrr nodded.

I’m used to sleeping with it out, so it didn’t hit me till I woke up. Lia is helping. She signed at almost full speed with him; Ophelia made a face because “sleep” and her name were the only two things she caught.

Are you ready to face Dumbledore? He was really asking if she was ready to face the future and the terrifying possibilities in it, she could see it in his eyes. She nodded, but then wiggled her hand.

Yes and no. Food first. Slightly to Murphy’s right, Lia lit up, and Kyrr suspected it was because she followed the conversation at full speed rather than the prospect of food. McNully smiled, no trace of judgment in his expression.

Good, I’m hungry too. He looked at Lia who nodded and gave a thumbs up in the universal sign for agreement.

The three walked through the common rooms together, and Kyrr did her best to ignore any looks that came her way. Her hair covered her ears, they didn’t know she felt utterly exposed. It just felt like they did. They exited the dungeons and saw another of their own, Skye, standing with Orin and Talbott. She was talking with Orin, back turned too much for Kyrr to read her lips at all, but their body language was loud enough to make her smirk. Not a couple, not yet, but Skye was warming up between bouts of standoffishness and Orin had a surfeit of patience after years of working with the creatures on the reserve.

Orin held up a hand to stop Parkin’s talking, which got her a momentarily furious look until the shorter girl realized their friends had come out of the dungeon. Parkin waved sheepishly, she hadn’t really learned any ASL and needed to rely on Murphy to translate. Orin had picked up a little, as had Talbott; Ravenclaws couldn’t help it.

Kyrr waved back and smiled, grateful for the support. She looked at Murphy and signed as he translated for Skye’s sake. I need to eat before I can face Dumbledore. Everyone nodded, and she felt weirdly relieved by how everyone was doing their best to communicate without just speaking. Skye said something she didn’t catch, but that made Orin chuckle, and Kyrr looked down at Murphy.

Good, Dumbledore’s office stinks in the morning anyway. McNully grinned. She’s right too. I think it might be because of Fawks. Kyrr laughed as he told them what he added to Skye’s statement, and Orin nodded agreement.

I haven’t experienced that yet. Kyrr grinned. Talbott muttered a reply and Lia tried to suppress a laugh as McNully signed his words.

It’s like burned toast and old man farts. He made a face at the visual. Kyriel couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing in her first audible sound of the day.

+++

The great hall was fairly buzzing with activity. For all that Kyrr might have teased Lia for sleeping in, she’d been the one that woke up late, her mind likely avoiding what was ahead. They sat down for breakfast with Murphy across from her. He said something to Lia, who nodded and left the table. Technically it was a faux pas for an interpreter to exclude the person they were working with, but he wasn’t one officially and she got the sense he was doing it with purpose. Several students came over to offer congratulations on their dueling victory, and Murphy took his duty as the go between seriously.

Lia eventually returned with a smile, and shortly after Mackey the house elf appeared with a plate. He set it in front of Kyriel, and she gave Murphy a soft look. He signed “Surprise!” and she thanked him, even though she shook her head in disbelief. The breakfast was her favorite, a bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and a wedge of lemon. Kyrr couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had it, or if she had ever told Murphy or Lia about it. She wanted to ask them. She wanted to talk to them without the need for extra steps. The words froze in her throat, speaking when she couldn’t hear herself was one of those things that she almost never managed.

A single tear of frustration ran down her face. A soft thumb brushed it away, and Kyrr looked at Murphy, startled. She had to have been staring at her plate long enough for him to get back in his chair, come around the table, and sit next to her. He put his arms around her and gently held her close. She could feel his breath on her hair and guessed he was whispering comforting words. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t hear them, she could feel them.

Snape walked by the table and looked at them together. Kyrr glanced at her friends; every single one of them was glaring at the professor, even Talbott. He visibly scoffed, but moved on without saying anything. For the first time since her hearing aid broke, she truly didn’t feel alone. She reached out for her breakfast and took a bite as Murphy gently rubbed her shoulder.

+++

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife when they entered Dumbledore’s office. Talbott sniffed and made a face, and they all had to suppress giggles. Kyriel had to admit there was a certain burned toast quality to the air.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and gestured her forward. She went, and placed the broken pieces of her hearing aid on his desk. She backed up so that Murphy could interpret for her.

Do you think that it can be fixed? She tried to keep the anxiety out of her eyes, but Dumbledore’s expression told her she wasn’t succeeding.

He spoke, and she could almost hear his soft, breathy voice. Murphy signed. This is a very complex bit of magical work. I am afraid it is beyond my capabilities. However, if you agree, I am acquainted with a very powerful Warlock who I believe may be able to repair your aid.

Lia and Orin each put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, supportive. The mix of relief and dread that it still might not work out weighed on her, but she nodded. Yes, thank you.

In the mean time, I believe it prudent for Mr. McNully to accompany you to classes, provided it will not interrupt his own studies. Murphy nodded at the professor, speaking and signing his agreement.

Thank you. Kyrr sighed and shot Murphy a grateful look. He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. He mouthed “I love you” and she reddened a bit. Dumbledore smiled at the youngsters fondly, but eventually dismissed them off to their classes. They went without a fuss, though Kyrr had a hard time leaving her broken hearing aid behind.

+++

Any other time of year, being isolated from student activities would have been a difficult ask for teenagers with social leanings, but the week that Hogwarts underclassmen took their midterms left little or no time for personal interaction. The library was nearly as popular as the great hall, and at least one student was guaranteed to snap under the stress, it happened every year.

Kyrr fell into a routine and put her head down, finishing reports, essays and tests. She was exempt from casting spells given speech was behind a psychological barrier for her, though she could retest if her hearing aid was repaired. She wrote her father, and managed to get by when Murphy wasn’t around through writing notes. Some students surprised her, many she didn’t even know, by demonstrating that they had learned a few words of sign language to speak with her. It helped.

Lia’s skill improved quickly when they practiced at night, and even Rowan joined them, though she had a much more formal book learning that made actual communication slightly more awkward. Orin joined them over meals, and she turned out to be a natural, aided by a quick, logical mind paired with the sort of emotional understanding that anyone drawn to caring for animals either had or developed. Friday afternoon saw the return of fun to the school, and once the last of the tests were completed everyone’s mind moved to the upcoming yearly Christmas Ball.

I probably won’t go. Ophelia shrugged and signed after filling Kyriel in on what the fuss at the end of the table was. Talbott would never, and it’s not really so fun to go alone. Her finger-spelling was faster, and she filled in holes she didn’t have the words for yet by practicing.

I thought about asking Skye as a joke, but she might say yes. Orin flashed a smirk.

Yes, but grumble about it the whole time. Call you dumb and pretty when she sees you dressed up. Kyrr grinned and shook her head. Murphy is adamant that he doesn’t dance and the food always sucks. Her friends both laughed. Their rapport was becoming more fluid, though sometimes the conversations got delayed briefly when she had to teach them a new word sign.

Exactly. Orin rolled her eyes.

Actually, I was going to visit Dumbledore after lunch, ask if there’s any progress on my hearing aid. Would you two come with me? The American girl had found herself forced to ask for help more, but oddly it felt better than it did uncomfortable. Both her friends quickly agreed, and neither was rude enough to comment on how long it took her to finish eating.

They headed up toward the giant Phoenix that guarded Dumbledore’s spacious office together. The mood was deliberately light-hearted as a distraction, and Kyrr was in the middle of doing an impression of Barnaby trying to sign when she froze in horror. Orin and Ophelia turned their heads to see what she was looking at, and a Ori let out an expletive. About to enter Dumbledore’s office was the tall man that they had seen at the dueling match. He looked in their direction, and for a long, tense moment he and his niece locked eyes.

Marcus was almost impossible to read, he might as well have been a stone wall. Kyrr started to hyperventilate and he moved as if to walk toward her, but Lia drew her wand and stepped in front of her friend with a menacing smile. Kyrr couldn’t hear what was being said, she could barely breathe, flashing back to her first memories of the wizard she looked so much like. Him. Here. In her safe place. Black spots filled her vision and then she was moving, not of her own volition, half carried half dragged out of the hall and into the Trio’s headquarters. She sank to her knees and trembled, hearing nothing but the high pitched whine of memories, her throat on fire, tasting blood and terror. Gradually other things filtered through the flashbacks, the touch of Orin’s strong arms around her shoulders. The sensation of Ophelia’s hands gently brushing hair out of her face. Green swam into her vision, not the clash of magic but a pair of concerned eyes with banked fury in their depths. And her hands, shaking, felt the softness of a niffler’s fur as it rubbed against them affectionately.

Kyriel blinked, and slowly pulled herself back together, muscles aching from being locked tight for too long, especially her jaw. Her teeth ached and she literally tasted blood from where she’d bit her tongue. She lifted her head to look at Lia, who sobbed silently in relief and hugged her, narrowly avoiding knocking heads with Orin. They held her in safety and silence a few moments longer, then Lia pulled away and put something small and silver into her traumatized friend’s hand. Kyrr looked down at it in confusion, mind still not back to working order. She blinked hard again, and lifted it to her ear with shaking fingers. The little red eye shifted to green.

“Kyrr? Rylie? Can you hear me?” Ophelia still looked worried, and Kyrr nodded. Her jaw ached and her tongue felt heavy.

“It… it’s working.” She let out a sob of relief.

“Holy shit that was scary.” Orin shook her head, moving so that she could see that the awareness had returned to Kyrr’s eyes.

“Sorry. That’s my uncle. We… have history.” The immediate aches started to fade, and numbness replaced them. “Where??” The realization that he might still be near set raw nerves back on fire.

“Gone! Gone. I told him if he didn’t leave I’d mess up the other half of his face.” Lia sounded furious before color surged to her cheeks. “I may have been a bit angry.”

“And he just left.” Orin nodded and smiled, and tilted her head. “And Lia ran to get Dumbledore-"

“-and he already had your hearing aid. We thought it would help.”

“It does.” Kyrr closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing.

She didn’t see the look the other girls exchanged when she closed them. She was too disoriented from the panic attack to hear the lie in their voices. Kyriel didn’t want to know the truth.

How Marcus had faced Ophelia with something resembling regret in his eyes, or how he had offered her the hearing aid. Or how he had told the other white haired duelist not to tell his niece under any circumstances that he was the one who repaired it, because she’d never accept it.

How after they took it and her, and fled, he had looked at his black gloved hands and wondered if he would ever make things up to her.

It was easier not to know.

Chapter Text

Eileen McNully was rather satisfied. Putting up decorations around the house was easy enough with magic, but she preferred to put the ornaments on the tree by hand. Each had a story and a memory attached, and it felt like traveling backwards in time. From the mantle, a framed picture of her late husband smiled in approval. She only wished he was there to see Murphy growing up.

An owl pecked at the window, and Eileen burst into a smile. She pushed it up, and the owl passed her a letter with Murphy’s strong handwriting across the front. She felt a wave of relief as she opened it, he hadn’t been writing as often this year. Yes, he was growing up and busy with school and his life, but she would never stop worrying about him.

Her eyes skimmed the first few words and none of it registered. She blinked and reached for her glasses to try again. The words still seemed incomprehensible. Her third attempt was out loud. “Dear mum, I am sorry to say I don’t plan to come home for Christmas break this year.” The blond witch exhaled sharply and continued. “Sorry for the late notice but I’ve decided to stay and keep,” Eileen sputtered, “my girlfriend company!?” She shook her head as if to wake herself up. “Murphy? My son Murphy? Has a girlfriend!?”

+++

The castle was decorated for Christmas, and inside the walls was nearly as woodsy as the dark forest itself. There were still a few days of classes before winter break began, but no one was really learning anything. It had taken nearly two days, but Kyriel and Orin had convinced Lia to actually skip her Tuesday morning Charms class to join them and Murphy in Muggle studies.

“I still can’t believe you take Muggle Studies. You were raised as a muggle, practically!” Lia tossed her hands up after sending the message to Flitwick apologizing for feeling under the weather.

“That’s what makes it great.” Kyriel laughed at her tone of voice as she dug through her personal footlocker. “Wizards are so hilariously dumb when it comes to the muggle world, and seeing that bafflement on their faces is the best. Ah, here it is.”

“I don’t think it’s dumb, necessarily.” Lia tried not to sound put out as Kyrr pulled a dramatic canary yellow jacket out of her footlocker and put it on. “We don’t exactly understand everything cavemen did either.”

“Cavemen lived a long time ago. Muggles literally live alongside us, and I watched a girl break down in tears last class because she couldn’t figure out what a cassette tape was for, let alone how to play side ‘B’. It was hysterical.” Kyrr checked herself out in the mirror and raised a fist as Lia gave her a look that said exactly how ridiculous she looked without words. “Don’t do that thing with your face again, it’ll get stuck that way. Queen is awesome. Anyway come on, Orin is waiting.” The tall girl walked with a strut as she led the way out of their dorms and into the hall.

Orin and McNully were waiting outside the classroom when they arrived, and blinked in surprise as Lia rushed past them into the classroom before Flitwick could see her. The charms and muggle studies classrooms weren’t far apart. Orin grinned as Kyrr followed her friend.

“I don’t know what’s more shocking. That Ophelia gave in and showed up, that jacket, or that you have the audacity to actually wear that thing around people.”

“If audacity is required, I give Kyrr odds of 99.4 percent to go through with it in general,” Murphy chimed in.

“Not 100?” Orin raised a brow.

“Few things are ever truly 100%.” He shrugged. “And I have to account for the slim likelihood of bats being involved.”

“Wait, bats?” Lia looked at them as the three came in the room behind her.

“She isn’t overly fond of them.” Murphy tried not to laugh.

“Hate the little bastards. Creep me out. Hang upside down, carry rabies, and the screeching makes my hearing aid stab my brain. Loathe.” Kyrr shuddered.

Around them the classroom was in an absolute state of disarray, as Professor Quirrel had pulled several boxes of items out of storage to sort with the students’ help. He assumed it would work better than giving them actual classwork. Considering he was trying to help remove popped chewing gum from a redheaded student sobbing about her hair while a determined looking blond girl offered assistance… it wasn’t going great.

Kyrr led Murphy to a black machine sitting on a desk in front of the checkered chairs the class used. “Voila.”

“This is it?” He poked at it, interested.

“What is it?” Lia picked up a small device that looked like a slim black ice cream cone attached to the box by a cord.

“That i…i..is a s…s…stereo.” Quirrel interjected helpfully while the gummed student was escorted to the school nurse.

“Wrong!” Kyrr chirruped.

“I a…am very s….s…sure, m…miss K…k…kes…s…st-”

“-Don’t strain yourself, dude. Miss Kes is fine.” Kyriel snorted while Orin and Murphy tried not to laugh at the American’s blatant disregard for her professor. Lia shook her head and suppressed a smile. “And it does play music, like a stereo, but it’s so much better. If you will allow me to demonstrate.” Kyrr sorted through the cassettes and popped one in, before giving McNully a grin. “Murph, my love, I would like to introduce you to THE sports anthem for muggles.”

The music began to play, and Kyrr sang into the handheld device, her voice coming through the speaker with the song as if it was part of the recording. She wasn’t particularly talented as a singer, but no one could do Freddie Mercury justice, not really. Murphy looked enchanted, by both the song and by Kyrr in dramatic yellow singing for him. By the second round of “We Will Rock You” he had the other microphone in his hands and was singing along, neither caring about the noise that the other students had to put up with.

Orin and Ophelia left them to it and sorted through a box labeled “Teen girl paraphernalia” to see what it contained. By the time they had looked through all the magazines and tried on the accessories, their table looked like the floor of any teenage muggle girl’s room. Quirrel had the tired, defeated look of a man who had already mentally clocked out of work.

+++

The room looked worse than when they had arrived when the trio and Murphy finally left, still laughing and chatting. Kyrr reducioed and nabbed a rectangular box on the way out, and everyone kindly pretended they hadn’t seen it.

“So, you know, I was thinking,” Lia started, pausing to duck behind Kyrr and Orin as Flitwick left his own classroom and waved at what he thought were 3 students. Once he was gone, she continued. “Since we’re staying at Hogwarts over the holiday, we should try to look into whoever hexed the brooms. If experience tells me anything, this isn’t over yet.”

Orin cleared her throat. “Actually, I may have already informed my mum that I’m staying too. I had the same thought.”

“Mark me down for staying too,” McNully chimed in with a smile. “It’s our first Christmas. I don’t want to miss it.” He took Kyrr’s hand in his and she grinned fondly down at him.

“Sounds like we have a solid investigation team, then.” Lia grinned. “I was also thinking since Talbott is here anyway, maybe we should see if Skye-”

“Hey now.” Orin laughed and gave her a side eye as Lia held up her hands.

“I’m just saying…”

As they walked off together, a small blond figure in Slytherin green watched them from around a corner, her face screwed up into a scowl of determination.

+++

“It’s just so…. Empty.” Kyriel stretched and flopped onto the couch in the Slytherin common room.

“It’s always like this,” Ophelia confirmed. “Especially for Slytherin. Snape avoids kids as much as possible, he doesn’t check on us at all.”

“So you’re saying I can sneak into Murphy’s dorm?” Kyrr sat half up, propped on her elbows, eyes twinkling. Lia flushed.

“Kyriel Morrigan Kestrele, do not test me!” Lia gave her a sharp glare as McNully, reading a book not far away, declined to get involved in the conversation, though the tips of his ears had turned a brilliant shade of crimson. “Orin should be here soon.”

“She should have been here already.” Kyrr frowned and sat the rest of the way up, then walked to the entrance to Slytherin house. Murphy watched her go, head tilting slightly until Lia stepped into his field of vision and gave him a LOOK while shaking her head no. His flush got worse and he returned his gaze to his book.

“In my defense she is gorgeous.”

A moment later, Kyrr poked her head back in. “Lia, you need to see this.”

In the hall, Orin looked more annoyed than usual, her typical calm stripped away. “You don’t understand, this could be dangerous!”

Facing her was a blond second year Slytherin, her arms folded in defiance. Apart from the color differences, the resemblance was uncanny. “That’s even more reason for me to stay, I can help! You work with the curse breaker, she faces danger every year!”

“Don’t be a plimpy! It’s not safe to just jump into my…” Orin flushed an uncharacteristic shade of pink when she realized her friends were watching. “Ugh. Hey.”

“Hi.” The girl smiled, her argumentative nature melting away. “I’m Iris. I’m Orin’s sister.”

“This is Iris. She is my little sister. And she was just leaving to go home for Christmas.” Even though her tone was sharp, it was obvious to Lia that it was regular sibling frustrations, and there was a good deal of affection between them. Kyrr watched the exchange with a quizzical expression on her face.

“Nuh unh.” Iris tossed her hair. “I told mum I was staying with you.”

“I can’t believe this. We’re not staying to have fun! We’re looking into something dangerous!”

“It’s not fair! YOU get to be their friend? You’re not even a Slytherin.” Iris looked judgmental. Lia and Kyrr tried not to giggle as Orin gave her an incredulous look.

“That’s not important-”

“Besides, I have done my homework.” Iris smirked, and turned to Lia and Kyrr. She waved, then touched her chest, pointed out two fingers on each hand and tapped them in an X, then slowly finger-spelled “Iris.” Orin blinked in surprise as Kyrr smiled, and slid one palm along the other, bumped her hands with extended index fingers together, and pointed at the younger girl, who looked giddy. “Its nice to meet you too!”

“Okay. So you learned sign language to ingratiate yourself to MY friends. That’s…. Impressive, actually. But what am I supposed to do if you’re in danger?” Orin was more frustrated and worried than angry.

“I get in the way.” Kyrr raised a brow, as if that was obvious.

“You’d take a spell to the face to protect my sister?” Orin tilted her head.

“For any of you.” Kyriel looked surprised that it was even a question.

“Swear. Swear it on something important.” Orin’s expression was intense. Lia stayed quiet, watching the exchange and the way Iris looked hopeful, but still half hid behind her older sister. It was obvious the Ackerman family was more tight knit than a lot of wizarding ones.

“I swear on my magic.” Kyrr said it without even a hint of hesitation. There was a moment of silence, then Orin took a deep breath, and turned to her sister.

“Get in the way, or get anyone hurt, or fail to listen to what we tell you, and I call mum to come get you, understand?”

“Yes!! Thank you Wings!!” Iris hugged her impulsively, and Orin rolled her eyes. Then hugged her back.

“Don’t make me regret it, Ringtail.”

+++

“Are you okay with this, really?” Lia sipped hot butterbeer, enjoying the rare sleepover with an out of house friend. She and Kyrr had set up and used engorgio on pillows and blankets on the floor of their dorm, turning it into a comfortable nest for all of them.

Orin shrugged, and looked down at her little sister, who had already half asleep with her head on her sister’s lap. “If I didn’t agree, she would have found a way to stay anyway. At least this way I can keep an eye on her, and I think she’ll be more cautious. She can be headstrong.”

Kyrr smiled over at her, hair loose like a chaotic lions mane. “I really will protect her, though. I’ve never had a sister. She seems sweet.”

“She can be. She can also be a brat.” Orin grinned. “We have that in common.”

“You? Never,” Lia teased. “So tomorrow we search the trophy case, and if that brings up nothing?”

“Ask the portraits. One might have seen or heard something. After that, we brainstorm.” Orin shrugged. “We have a whole holiday ahead of us.”

Kyrr yawned. “As long as you have a plan, just point me where to go.” She tossed her hearing aid and shifted into her cat form, then walked around to Iris, who woke up enough to giggle sleepily and reach out to cuddle the giant floof.

“Ugh, traitor.” Lia yawned and pulled an oversized blanket closer.

Orin laughed and scritched her sister’s hair affectionately before moving away to find her own place to sleep. “Probably a waste of a holiday.”

Lia grinned, and looked at the sleeping second year girl and the cat nearly as big as she was stretched out. “I always get stuck here. This actually might be a good year. Merula went home.”

Orin hid her laugh in a pillow, and got comfortable. “I don’t know. I don’t think she’s that bad.”

“You’re not a Slytherin.” Lia muttered, then gave a sleepy laughing protest as the Ravenclaw chaser pelted her with pillows.

Chapter Text

“What exactly are we looking for?” Iris followed the three older girls down to breakfast, which had given her a chance to give a rather haughty smirk at a pair of second year Gryffindors stuck at Hogwarts for the holiday, both dripping with envy.

“Any physical or magical traces in or around the case that might have been left behind.” Lia ate her breakfast as she talked, while Talbott sat across from her and read a book.

“Wouldn’t they have cleaned that up?” Iris frowned and looked at her sister, who was enjoying a break from the usual bland breakfast sandwiches served outside the holiday.

“Possibly, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. It’s a starting point, and we’d feel dumb if we skipped that step only to come back later and find something we missed.”

“You’d also be surprised by how often wizards and witches leave a calling card behind when they are up to nasty activities. Kind of arrogant by nature,” Kyrr supplied, almost finished her own meal.

Murphy glanced at her with amusement. “You don’t really like wizards much, do you?”

“I like you. All of you.” She grinned and shrugged. “I just think magic makes people feel superior, so you end up with assholes like Merula.”

“Could she be behind it? She says she’s the strongest witch but I heard from Brady Michaels that she’s never won a single duel and Jeanette Bartleby says that she turned herself into a slug by accident once.” Iris shared the gossip with an earnest expression and Lia tried not to laugh.

“Unlikely. All of her shenanigans are things to serve her ego, hexing all four quidditch teams is a bit pointless for her. Trust me, I suspect her for most things, just not this. She talks a big game but never really involves herself in quidditch.” The curse breaker smiled at the younger Slytherin. “It was a good thought, though.”

Murphy finished his breakfast and pushed back the plate, leaned down for a kiss from his girlfriend, and grinned. “I offered to help with some administrative work over the break, it’ll give me a chance to go through the school logs to see if anyone unusual was a guest of the school at the time.”

“You’re smart.” Kyrr smiled up at him, the pair giddy for a moment before he moved himself off the bench seat and into his chair.

“Good luck with your search.” He wheeled away, and Talbott got up to follow.

“I might as well pitch in.” The only boy animagus at the table shrugged. “He might need something off a high shelf.”

“I heard that!” McNully couldn’t help laughing. Lia blew Talbott a kiss, and he caught it and tucked it safely in a pocket while winking back at her.

Iris turned to Orin. “Why are all the older kids so weird? All this kissing.” She made a face as Orin laughed.

“You’ll understand when you’re older, Ringtail.”

+++

The four girls scoured the trophy case for clues, but apart from a few scratches on the polished wood and a strand of white hair that Kyrr and Lia were quick to laughingly blame on each other, there wasn’t anything useful to find. Iris gave a dramatic sigh.

“It feels like we’ve been searching this thing for three hours. There’s nothing here.” The little Slytherin crossed her arms. “I’m bored.”

“Nice to meet you, bored. You know, it was your choice to join us.” Orin raised a brow.

“You said it might be dangerous not boring.”

“I’ll remember that for next time.” Orin looked over at Lia. “I’m inclined to agree with her though, I think this was a bust.”

“It was always going to be a long shot.” Lia didn’t sound too disappointed. “Okay, so split up and start asking portraits? It’s a shame that this is one of the few halls without any.”

Kyrr cracked her back by nearly dropping into a full backbend, then straightened. “We should prioritize portraits that have an association with quidditch, they would be more likely to take an interest. Not a bad idea to check with the ghosts too, they’re usually quick to involve themselves, except maybe the Gray Lady.”

Iris watched her with interest. “You’re very bendy. Antony Barker says he heard you can do flips and stuff, is that true?”

“You have the attention span of a butterfly,” Orin muttered as Kyrr grinned and responded to the question by doing an effortless backflip right in the hall to the delight of their younger companion. “And you, stop encouraging her.”

“It’s probably best if we split up,” Lia cut in with a grin. “I’ll take the grand staircase.”

“Oof, you can have that one. All those magical portraits talking at once gives me feedback.” Kyrr rubbed her neck under the hearing aid. “I’ll talk to the portrait in Dragon club. She’s always up for a chat about quidditch.”

“I’ll ask around the corridors.” Orin nodded. “Iris, come with me.”

“Oh come on, I can handle just asking questions! I’m twelve, I don’t need a babysitter.” The other Slytherins pointedly looked away. Orin sighed, not willing to risk pushing her sister into sneaking off and maybe getting herself into real trouble.

“Okay, follow Kyrr’s idea. Ask around the ghosts to see if they noticed anyone tampering with the trophy case.”

“Other than us,” Lia added.

“I can do that!” Iris bounced and took off down the hall like a snitch.

“I like her.” Kyrr grinned. “She’s got sass.”

“You have no idea.” Orin laughed. “Meet up in the great hall later for lunch?”

“Yep. Send a note if you find anything sooner.” Lia grinned and headed for the grand staircase.

+++

An hour or two after they parted ways, Ophelia wished she hadn’t gone for the grand staircase. Keeping the portraits on the same topic was like trying to herd a flock of Kyriels. After settling a dispute between two portraits that refused to speak to one another but kept snarking when the other talked she was drained of whatever energy she’d started out with. She thanked them for their time, even if they had been worse than useless, and headed off to lunch. A paper airplane drifted through the air and unfolded in front of her, and she grinned and picked up the pace.

“What did you find?” She was a little out of breath when she reached the great hall, only a half step ahead of Orin. Kyriel was sitting on the table, feet on the bench seat next to McNully, who was gesturing excitedly.

“I told you my sunshine boy is smart.” Kyrr rubbed her knee against Murphy’s shoulder and grinned as he leaned over to kiss it.

“Augh! There are children present!” Lia’s eye twitched as Kyrr looked around.

“Iris isn’t back ye-”

“You! You are children!” Lia flailed her arms and Orin ducked away from accidentally getting smacked.

“They were worse before you got here,” Talbott pointed out dryly. Kyrr put her finger under her eye and pulled the lower lid down while sticking out her tongue at him. Iris finally arrived and took up the space next to her sister.

“The case was a bust, and I didn’t get much from the portraits,” Orin said, as she used her younger sister’s shoulder as an arm rest.

“We found out that there were three registered guests in the school at the time when the trophy was likely hexed. Assuming the effect was immediate, and based on when the brooms started acting up, I give it 76.4% odds for that week. One was a parent picking up a first year who was homesick, which I figure has only a 1.7% chance of being the culprit. There was also Lucius Malfoy, who I figure has 45% odds of being the hexer, I just don’t have ideas as to a motive. The third was named Patrick Kellarny, and I couldn’t find any information on who he was or why he was visiting. So 23.2% odds by my calculations,” Murphy rattled off.

“That doesn’t get us to 100.” Orin gave the Irish statistics whiz a sidelong look.

“I figure 30.1% odds it wasn’t someone who was on the books.” McNully sounded slightly hurt that his numbers were questioned. Kyrr looked over her shoulder at Orin and cast her eyes heavenward; only Murphy would take numbers so personally.

The Ravenclaw girl pressed her lips together to hide a smile. “That makes sense. If they had plans to mess with quidditch I doubt they would go out of their way to be seen,” she mused. Murphy looked mollified, and Orin gave Kyrr a look that said You owe me.

Lia watched the whole exchange and shook her head, even if they weren’t making much progress having her closest friends around over the holiday was an improvement over previous years. “So highest odds on Lucius. It would make a certain amount of sense, he is always trying to sabotage the school. And I know he wants his son to go to Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts.”

“Draco, right? I met that little shit once.” Kyrr snorted. “Little fucker asked if I was a relative of the Malfoys because of my hair, and when I told him only distantly he told me my accent was stupid. I told him he looked short for his age. Never seen a kid so offended in my life.”

“Wait, you’re part Malfoy?” Lia’s brows shot up.

“Not really? My mom was like, a second or third cousin to them. Only thing we have in common is the hair and the house.” Kyrr shrugged. She rarely spoke of her mother, let alone family ties beyond pride in her father and hatred of her uncle. “And maybe quidditch, is Draco a fan?”

“Durmstrang fields one hell of a quidditch program.” Orin frowned. “If Lucius is trying to convince his kid not to go here, screwing up the quidditch teams might be extreme but it could possibly be a deciding factor.”

“Seems a bit hands on and direct for him though.” Talbott shook his head. “I know his kind. They manipulate, get others to do their dirty work.”

“So potentially multiple people behind it,” McNully frowned and scratched his chin, “and very little in the way of clues.”

“I found Nearly-Headless Nick,” Iris piped up. “He hasn’t seen anything but I told him the Gryffindor quidditch team might be in danger if we can’t find out who is behind hexing the teams. He offered to ask the other ghosts.”

“That’s pretty clever.” Orin gave her sister a proud smile.

“Work smarter, not harder.” Her nonchalance didn’t quite hold up to the obvious delight at impressing her elder sister.

“What’s the next step?” Talbott looked at Lia, who rubbed her side as she considered it.

“Lets check out the library, see if there’s anything on that Killarny guy, or better yet if there’s any spells or methods of tracing a hex to its source.” The curse breaker felt her ears redden as everyone was looking at her expectantly. “Why am I always the one leading these things?”

Kyrr grinned. “Someone has to be the mom friend."

+++

It was a bit of irony that Mrs. Pince was off on her holiday during the quietest times in the library. Then again she would have been quite put out to discover that the silence was shattered and her books rearranged when the Christmas quidditch investigation spilled over into the book repository.

The group split up to look through the shelves of books, seeking old yearbooks and magical hex theory to start with. For all that Lia was generally the leader, the two Ravenclaw students took point where research was concerned. It was late in the day when they had put together enough reading material to study, and Kyrr suggested they take the books back to their rooms for another sleepover. With Snape avoiding students it was easy enough to manage, and soon they were set up with the research materials, snacks raided from the kitchens, and oversized cushions in McNully’s dorm.

Murphy settled on the cushions gingerly, not terribly comfortable being on ground level as the one person who couldn’t simply get up from it. His concerns vanished as Kyrr snuggled against him with one of the books. He sniffed her hair and made a sound.

“What is that, it smells incredible.”

Kyrr giggled as he buried his face in her hair. “A new conditioner. Lia got it for me, it’s supposed to make my hair less poofy.” She almost dropped the book as he pulled her in closer, and Iris made a face at Orin, who shrugged back.

“Murphy Declan McNully, I did not get that for Kyrr so that you would SNORFLE her!” Lia threw a pillow at him.

“But she smells like flowers and candy.” His voice, halfway between a growl and a whine, earned him a second pillow throw that mostly glanced off Kyrr.

“Hey, friendly fire!” His girlfriend pushed him off for self preservation, still giggling. “If we spill anything on these books Pince will kill all of us.”

“Probably with some kind of paper cut spell, too.” Talbott gave Lia a smirk. “Seems like her kind of thing.”

“And I’ll be the one who gets blamed for it,” Ophelia replied dryly.

“The Killarny family was implicated as dark wizards after the wizarding war.” Iris looked up from the book in her hands. “At least one of them was sent to Azkaban, look.” She handed the book to Orin, who nodded in satisfaction.

“Nice find. You could have been a Ravenclaw.”

“There’s no call to be mean.” Iris gave her a dirty look and Kyrr lost it laughing.

Orin pretended she wasn’t trying to contain laughter as well, and looked through the log. “If this is accurate, they may well have associated with the Malfoys. We might be on to something here.”

“I have a book on hexes here and it’s the reading equivalent of watching paint dry.” Kyrr sighed. “Why don’t the people who study these things have at least a hint of excitement about them?”

Murphy frowned and reached over to tuck her hair behind her hearing aid. “You’d probably have to go into the restricted section for books like that, Snidget.”

“Shit.” Everyone looked at Lia in surprise, and her ears reddened. “Sorry but I should have thought of that. I’ve been back there before.”

“When?” Orin looked almost envious.

“Back when I was going after the second cursed vault. Ah. Maybe we should go looking there tomorrow.” Lia put her book down and snuggled into the pillows, embarrassed that something so obvious had slipped past her, like she was being actively held back. Talbott shifted to put his arm around her, and Orin smiled.

“If it means I can put this boring book away and just enjoy Christmas pizza at a sleepover with my friends, then I’m all for it.”

“Shame Skye didn’t stay.” Kyrr smirked, already moving to cuddle with Murphy.

“Why?” Iris looked at her sister, and gasped. “Are you seriously dating Skye HECKIN Parkin?!”

“Hush you!” Orin threw a pillow and laughed. “No. At least not quite yet. Probably soon. I don’t know. She’s prickly but a lot of fun.”

Iris giggled and hugged the pillow thrown at her. “She’s a quidditch legend at this school! And a Slytherin! As your sister, I grant my approval.” She tossed her hair and Orin rolled her eyes, failing to mask the smile.

“I thought you hated the kissing.”

“…..wait, is there going to be more kissing?” Iris looked disgusted, and no one could hold back their laughter anymore.

Chapter Text

“So here we are again. I thought that looking into a mystery about Quidditch was going to be fun, but…” Iris sat next to another second year who had stayed behind, a slight brunette Ravenclaw who reminded her a bit of Orin if you replaced the dry wit with a literal streak. Isobel Dougherty wasn’t exactly antisocial, but her way of failing to understand nuance and humor sometimes isolated her.

“You’re bored?”

“And I thought the kissing was bad.”

At another table the trio sat together, Kyriel with her head down in her arms, Ophelia gripping a mug of hot butterbeer like it owed her money, and Orin wearing a pair of muggle sunglasses despite being in the great hall. They didn’t acknowledge being watched, for the most part they were accustomed to it.

Murphy shifted from his chair to the bench seat next to Kyrr and rubbed her back as Talbott placed a potion in front of Orin. “Only thing we could find in the medical hall, sorry.”

“Not like anything ever fuckin works anyway.” Orin popped off the cork and downed the small bottle’s contents.

“I know you have a migraine, but come on,” Lia muttered, “one foul mouthed bestie is more than enough for our group.” Her eye twitched and she took a sip of her butterbeer.

“I’m going to ignore that.” Orin replied with a dismissive tone.

“I hate sympathetic magic.” Kyriel mumbled into her arms as McNully clicked his tongue sadly.

“At least you’ll all be through it quickly together, and done by Christmas morning?” The mystery of why close friend witches tended to sync up their cycles had never been clearly solved, but it was a well known phenomenon.

“Like that helps us right now,” Lia snapped. Indeed, potions could handle the abdominal discomfort for most witches, but nothing helped with the emotional side effects or how they triggered things like migraines in those prone to headaches.

“Lia.” Talbott gave her a look, and she relented and rubbed her forehead.

“I know, I know.” The curse breaker sighed. “I’m trying, I just can’t help it.” Her fuse was cut too short by hormones, she felt like shapeshifting into her cat form would have her lashing her tail and pointing her ears back. At least she had it better than Kyrr, Lia had to admit.

“We’re not going to find whoever was behind the hex.” Kyrr lifted her head, hair even more chaotic than usual and expression lacking any of her usual pep. “This whole plan was stupid. I’m sorry we dragged you into this, Orin.”

Orin shrugged, as small of a movement she could make. “We’ll get back to it tomorrow. I’m not throwing in the towel, things tend to work out for us.”

“Over 90 percent of the time, in fact.” Murphy smiled and tugged Kyrr over to him, petting her hair as she buried her face in his collar. “This isn’t really you talking, Snidget. Can I get you some chocolate? I usually have a frog in my chair somewhere.” He smiled as she nodded, and fished around in the hidden pocket spaces attached to his chair.

“….do… you want chocolate?” Talbott looked at Lia, who snorted.

“Taking romance cues from Murphy?’ She hated herself for being so annoyed by it, but at least Tal didn’t seem phased by her frustrations any more than the last dozen times he’d been around her during her period.

“Ordinary social ones in this case.” He scratched her back between her shoulders lightly, and it was enough to calm Lia back down. “How ARE you so good at this stuff, McNully? Sunglasses, potions, chocolate?”

“I was raised by a single mum who was also a teacher. She didn’t shy away from making sure I understood how all of this worked.” He smiled as Kyrr chomped the head off the frog and stopped it’s escape attempts.

“Can you all not-fight just a little quieter, please?” Orin winced.

Across the room, Iris and Cherry looked at each other. The ways of older girls were mysterious.

+++

On their way back to the dorms, the white feathered shape of an owl came gliding down the hall, and Ophelia for once not only stood her ground against the feathered kind but gave it the dirtiest look she could. Murphy blinked in surprise as it dropped a letter into his hands. He turned it over and opened it, then made the same expression he did whenever someone had a midair collision in quidditch.

“Uh oh.”

“Uh oh?” Kyriel looked down at him with a brow raised, her mood slightly improved after the chocolate.

“Mum. She’s, ah, coming here for a visit tomorrow. I may have broken the news that I’m in a relationship at the same time I told her I was skipping Christmas.”

“……I have to meet your mom?” Kyrr’s face went paler than usual.

“I mean you don’t have to but it would probably be appreciated.” Murphy turned his chair to face her. “I’m sorry about the timing, luv. But I promise, mum isn’t someone to be worried about. She’s going to love you.”

“That’s why you waited till Christmas to tell her about your girlfriend?” Talbott raised his brows almost high enough to get them bisected by his widows peak.

Orin groaned. “Don’t male me laugh, Tal. It hurts.” Beside her, Lia just gave McNully a pointed look and gestured at Talbott.

“I waited because I wanted to be very sure she understands I’m serious about this.” Murphy frowned. “I tend to be a bit too enthusiastic about things.” Kyrr gave a little smile at that, McNully getting tossed from a Wigtown Wanderers game for it was somewhat legendary. “I know mum would expect I was getting my hopes up too early. I told her now because it’s been almost three months, and my feelings haven’t changed. Gotten stronger, maybe.” He took Kyrr’s hand and kissed her palm, closing her fingers around it. “I’d love you to meet her, but if you’re not ready that’s fine too.”

Talbott leaned toward Lia, voice quiet. “I am actually impressed that he saved that.” He gave a slight laughing yelp as Lia pinched him in the side in reply.

“I’ll tell you how I feel tomorrow.” Kyriel ran her other hand through her hair. “I’m not thinking very clearly at the moment.”

“Take your time. I’m in no rush. I have my sights on forever with you.” He sat forward and reached up to tug her down into his arms, and the others continued on to the dorms to give them some privacy.

Orin managed her first smile in a while. “He manages romance pretty well for a guy in a chair.”

Lia nodded her head and smiled as Talbott put an arm around her shoulders. “Yeah he does.”

“Shoulda told his mum sooner though.”

“Right!?”

+++

Dinner in the great hall was sparse, Orin retreated to cool her head in bed for the evening and no one was sure where Kyriel and Murphy had ended up, something Lia was steadfastly not acknowledging. Talbott was present, but engrossed in a new book that another friend had sent him as an early Christmas gift. Iris had followed Lia to the hall, and was chattering endlessly while a quiet Ravenclaw second year girl tagged along with a sketchbook. The stream of questions was endless, and Lia felt like any moment she might pop.

They were eating dinner when a few adults accompanied Dumbledore in, and Lia froze mid bite. Iris started to ask another question but was quickly shushed. “Look at that guy. Remind you of anyone?”

Iris bit back an indignant retort and immediately fell into detective mode. “He looks like the guy from those newspaper articles, the Killarny fellow.”

Lia swore, then looked past the man and Dumbledore to a tall blonde woman who was scanning the room with pale blue eyes. “And that has to be McNully’s mum. I thought she was arriving tomorrow.” She drew a square shape with her wand while whispering, and quickly jotted down a note on the paper. As soon as she finished it folded itself up into a butterfly and took off with the same meandering look as a real one, just at higher speeds.

“What should we do? We can follow the bad guy, right?” Iris was eager, but Lia frowned.

“Orin is going to kill me for this. Okay, but we stay back and we stay quiet. No heroism.”

The two girls finished up dinner and headed out of the hall when Killarny did, Lia shifting into her cat form and Iris shifting into an adorable juvenile raccoon. Killarny didn’t seem to have a specific direction or plan, he just wandered about the halls. Lia started to suspect he knew he was being followed when he turned a corner and simply vanished. She looked at Iris, whose nose twitched in response. Ophelia was about to shift into her human form again when a low growl filled the air around them, and Filch’s cat Mrs. Norris stalked up to them. Iris backed up into the white cat that was only marginally larger than she was, as Mrs. Norris raised a paw, claws out.

A familiar sound behind Lia triggered her to act, fast as lightning to throw a paw around Iris and drag her back away from the threat as the silvery black and white shape of Kyrr careened out from the darkness with a low snarl to pounce on the stunned black and orange cat. They fought briefly, but it was no contest; Kyrr was easily twice the size of Mrs. Norris and more than twice her weight in muscle, let alone fur. Filch’s familiar fled down the hall as Kyrr spat out a mouthful of orange and black fluff and purred loudly as she approached Lia and Iris. She started to groom Iris, licking her head and purring as the little raccoon made noises not unlike giggles. It was only a moment, but it was a calming one. Kyrr bumped her forehead against Lia’s, and the smaller cat felt her own purr bubble up out of control.

Kyriel really did bring out one’s animal side.

They all backed up and shifted back, Lia smiling at her friend for another timely rescue and Iris brushing down her hair and trying to figure out whether or not being licked by your older sister’s cat friend was weird or not.

“Killarny is here. We were following him, but he vanished.” Lia whispered and shook her head. “First time I’ve ever wished I was a dog.”

“Raccoons have a good sense of smell, I might be able to track him.” Iris smiled as she whispered, having decided that the occasional impromptu reassurance grooming was simply one more wonderful thing to accept about being an animagus.

“Orin is following him. Her headache let up a bit.” Kyrr shrugged. “McNully went to meet his mom. I’m not ready for that yet, and anyway Tallguy sent word you guys might be in some danger.”

“Stop giving him terrible nicknames. He did?” Lia blinked as Iris made a face.

“I mean we could have just turned back into people, Norris isn’t that scary.” The second year puffed up a bit as if she hadn’t felt terrified when the furious cat came close to attacking her.

“Sure, Rings.” Kyrr grinned and tousled her hair gently. “But we coons gotta stick together. Annnnnd she could get Filch, and Filch can get us kicked out of school. Speaking of which, we gotta move.”

The little raccoon looked at the Maine coon as they shifted back and scampered happily after the two cats. Kyrr and Lia both nudged her forward, and they followed the smallest member of the group’s nose. It wasn’t long before they met up with Orin, who shifted back from her crow form and immediately rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“You okay?” Iris shifted as she moved to her sister’s side, concerned.

“Just another headache. Pray you don’t get this lovely curse from the family.” Orin put an arm around her sister. “He met back up with Dumbledore. I don’t know what he was doing, he can’t have escaped observation for too long.”

“We’ll know if something happens, I guess. At least we have a real lead. Even if he might be working for someone else.” Lia rubbed her ribs and frowned.

“Are your adventures always this ambiguous?” Kyrr grinned and sat against the wall, trying to pull her hair back into a proper tail.

“Sometimes? Honestly I spend a lot of time waiting on other people. You guys being quick to respond is a nice change.” Lia laughed and settled against the opposite wall.

“You’re just lucky Rath doesn’t have me scheduled for friendly matches over the break. I swear they get in the way every time I want to get things done.” Orin smiled as Iris looked up at her.

“When do I get to try out, anyway?” The little blond Slytherin made a face. “You started in your second year.”

“Our team will have tryouts again soon, there’s always the fall and spring ones. But if you want to get a leg up, ask McNully. Prepare to have him dump a bunch of playbooks on you, though.” Lia snickered.

“I’m a good reader! And I’m smart. And good on a broom!” Iris grinned as Orin rolled her eyes and smiled.

“She’s modest too.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Iris responded cheerfully.

Chapter Text

Murphy McNully had a reputation. Well, quite a few, really: Quidditch expert, chess master, chatterbox, math boy, and most recently as “The Boyfriend of the American girl” which he found rather pleasing. But one of his reputations was a kid with confidence. He had worked hard to cultivate it, figuring bullies left you alone if they didn’t see your insecurities.

He was glad it was Christmas and not many people could see the mask slip.

It wasn’t that his mum was a bad person, Eileen McNully was one of the kindest, strongest, and most wonderful witches imaginable. She was his hero. Unfortunately she could also be a bit protective of her disabled son. He had no idea what to expect when introducing her to his girlfriend.

She sat at one of the long tables in the great hall and examined the chess set he’d left earlier. Murphy squared his shoulders and rolled over to take the bench seat opposite. “Merry Christmas, Mum.”

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” She smiled warmly, and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. “I hope I’m not intruding.” She glanced down at the chessboard and ordered a pawn forward.

“You’re not. I should have told you things sooner. I just didn’t know how you would take it.” He smiled sheepishly.

“You are sixteen, luv. Seventeen in two months. You having a girlfriend is only surprising because I have a hard time picturing you taking that much time out of quidditch.”

“She’s a student referee, actually.” Murphy grinned, and carried on the chess game as they talked. “It’s a passion we share.”

“I could have guessed.” Eileen laughed. “So will I meet her?” She tried to hide the apprehension in her voice, but she was as expressive as her son. Clearly she was very interested.

“Yeah. Yes. Sorry.” He grimaced at look she gave him at the informal language. “She’s American. A little of her speech has been going around. And she’s deaf, you’ll notice her hearing aid. She understands fine though. And uh, she’s not great at chess, so don’t bring it up? And… anyway.” He threw the breaks on his voice before he could start babbling. “She should be getting here in a little while.” He glanced to the big doors at the end of the hall now and then as their chess game continued, until four girls walked in.

Eileen followed his gaze. One of the girls was clearly too young. The other three were all fresh faced, pretty teenagers, the tallest of which paused and steeled herself before walking towards them. Murphy smiled like he’d won a lottery. “That’s her.”

His mother gave a low, impressed whistle under her breath. Of course she considered her son handsome, and had high hopes of his future when it came to partnerships, but she was practical enough to know that his disability would affect who was interested in a relationship with him. If she had actually done the math on the likelihood of him dating someone who looked like they had stepped off the page of a magazine, she wouldn’t have given it high enough odds.

Murphy grinned from ear to ear at his mother’s reaction, clearly proud. And it was well earned, Kyrr was obviously trying to make a good impression. She was wearing an actual dress for once, and her hair was done up in soft waves rather than pure chaos. He could just picture Lia ordering “the moose” to sit on the floor by her bed so that the curse breaker could strongarm her white locks into submission. Kyrr smiled nervously as she stopped next to him.

“Mum, this is Kyriel Kestrele. Kyrr, this is my mum.” He watched Kyrr hold out her hand to shake.

“It’s lovely to meet you, ma’am.” Kyrr smiled through the nerves and got a strong handshake back.

“The pleasure is mine. Kyriel, hmm? Lovely name.” Eileen gestured, and Kyrr sat beside Murphy, who took her hand in his below the table. The three managed a light conversation that avoided serious topics, and the older woman watched her son and his girlfriend with a sense of amused relief. His kindness and puppy dog eagerness made him at risk of being taken advantage of, but she didn’t see anything but warmth between them. The girl spoke with expressive hand gestures, and more than a few signs peppered in, but the more interesting part to Eileen was how Murphy mirrored her. He had clearly picked up on sign language as easily as any spoken one, and his behavior towards her was gentle. Supportive. Proud. And almost unbelievably patient.

Eileen McNully didn’t need to ask to know he was madly in love, and unless the girl was a master class liar, the feelings were mutual.

“As much as I hate to do this, I have to get back to the station to take the train back. I think I’ve cut into enough of your time.” She smiled and declared checkmate. Murphy grinned and shook his head.

“Still schooling me.”

“I hope I get to be the grown up for a little while longer.” Eileen stood up and smiled at Kyrr. “It was lovely to meet you, my dear. I hope we get a chance to host you over the summer.”

“I’d love that.” Kyrr grinned, and Murphy kissed the back of her hand.

“Walk me to the doors, sweetheart?” Mrs. McNully nodded her head in a way that said she wanted one last word. Murphy nodded and promised Kyrr he’d be right back, shifted to his chair, and joined his mother down the hall. There was a long moment of silence, and then he exploded a bit.

“You like her, right? Tell me you like her.”

“I like her a great deal. I’m proud of you.” Eileen tousled his hair gently. “I have only one thing to say.” He braced for critique, she hid a smile. “Hogwarts medical wing gives out birth control potions when asked, no questions asked. So promise me you’ll be safe? I’m not ready to be a grandmother yet.”

Murphy’s entire face turned crimson. “MUM!”

“Just promise me.”

“We’re not-”

“I know. I know.” She held up her hands, trying not to laugh. “But promise me anyway.”

“……I promise.” His face calmed a bit, but his ears stayed red.

“And bring her home with you over Spring break if you can. I don’t want to miss all the holidays. You’ll only be my little boy for a little while longer.”

“I will.” Murphy leaned up for one last hug, and his mother kissed the top of his head before leaving the school and her mildly scandalized son behind.

+++

“How did it go?” Ophelia sat forward eagerly as Kyrr sat opposite her and began carefully removing nearly invisible white and silver bobby pins from her hair like army men from a child’s sandbox. They just kept coming.

“Well, I think. She’s very nice. It’s a little weird, she looks SO MUCH like him. And his accent is stronger around her.” Kyrr grinned and gave a little sigh, and ignored the swift kick Lia aimed under the table. “She’s really smart, too. And she beat him at chess.”

“It’s a shame I’ll never get to introduce you to my mom,” Talbott said to Lia, the unexpectedly vulnerable moment in the company of friends a sign that he really was warming up to the group. Lia stammered, unsure how to respond in the moment.

“I know how you feel.” Kyrr gave him a little half smile from across the table, and Lia further startled to see him return it.

Orin made a brief sound and covered her mouth, which drew all eyes to her. She shrugged, sheepish. “Just got the mental image of introducing Skye to mine. We could probably sell tickets.” Iris started laughing in agreement, and the small bit of tension cracked.

“Introducing Skye to anyone should require a disclaimer.” Kyrr grinned and looked over as McNully wheeled back into the great hall, shifting to make room beside her as if the rest of the table wasn’t mostly empty.

“One hurdle crossed.” He looked cheerful as he moved to sit beside her, eyed up the little pile of hair pins, and gently reached up to help her take them out. “She likes you.”

“What’s not to like?” Kyrr grinned and closed her eyes, tilting her head back to let him work. He had a better eye for details than most, and it almost felt like being brushed in her animagus form.

“Are we doing a camp out again?” Lia looked around the table, glad everyone was assembled. “I was thinking maybe after the feast tomorrow night we could all exchange our gifts before bed. Vincent and I always opened them the night before. I was… impatient as a kid.”

“You breaking rules? Never.” Orin grinned. “I’m game.”

“I was thinking maybe we could visit Hogsmead during the day tomorrow,” Kyrr added, “Madam Rosmerta says they have all the shops open for Christmas Eve, it might be nice.” She sighed contentedly as Murphy finished taking down her hair.

“I’d like that, maybe pick up a last minute present or two.” He glanced across the table at Lia and winked. She tried not to grin back, but it was tough; it was fun being in on more than one secret between the members of the group.

+++

Christmas Eve morning was an especially cold one, but with it came clear blue skies so bright they seemed more like a painting than reality. Kyrr breezed into the shared sleepover room after her run and brought a wave of chilly air that had Lia muttering and dragging her blankets up higher over her sleeping bag, snuggling closer to Talbott who was lightly snoring in his own.

“How can you go for a run in this weather?” She shot Kyrr a nasty look, but the tall girl just laughed and removed her furry black earmuffs.

“I have snow cleats.” She held up a pair of torture device looking spiked treads that were strapped to her shoes when she was outside.

“You’re not even wearing a coat!”

“Running heats you up!” Kyrr shrugged and slipped out of her shoes, then climbed into McNully ‘s blankets.

“AUGH! Bluidy COOLD what en the-” His sleepy Irish accent came through stronger than usual for a moment.

“I can leave.” The pile of blankets moved as she sat back up, then yelped and laughed as she was dragged back down and pinned.

“Nay, lass, I need te warm ya back up.” Both of them murmured to one another for a moment, until a well aimed pillow thrown by Ravenclaw’s best chaser set them both into giggles.

“Is she always up this early?” Orin shot a bleary eyed look to Kyrr’s usual roommate.

“Yes. She’s inhuman.” Lia yawned and stretched, kicking out of the blankets. “But I’m starving anyway.” Silence beside her pulled her head around to look at Talbott, he was awake and giving her that rare little smile that always made her heart beat faster.

“I could do with breakfast. Anyway we should separate those two before they get us all in trouble.”

Orin’s pillow set sail again, this time hitting Talbott in the head. Kyrr didn’t have Orin’s aim, but she had a lot of power behind it. The grin he shot Lia said it was worth it.

+++

Hogsmead wasn’t quite as impressive as London proper, but it was decorated to the inth degree and the locals were out enjoying the brisk day. The group of friends, tailed by Iris and her new shadow, started the day with hot butterbeer and wandered the shops, many of which had enticing stands outside their doors to lure in impulse buys.

A particularly slippery section of ice overwhelmed the magic in Murphy’s chair, and there was a brief chaotic moment on a hill where they all needed to mount a rescue attempt that left everyone laughing near to tears, even the normally taciturn Talbott. Murphy was in an even brighter mood than usual, bursting out singing Christmas carols at the drop of a hat.

“I dislike that song,” Cherry said to no one specific, though Iris took it to be directed at her.

“We wish you a merry Christmas?” The blond Slytherin raised her eyebrows and offered her box of every flavor beans to the little Ravenclaw, who looked at them with confusion for a moment before taking a single bean.

“It’s the demand for figgy pudding. Figgy pudding is terrible, and the song just gets more and more insistent.” She paused and ate the candy, thinking as Iris tossed one in her own mouth. “It’s like propaganda. Like the pudding. Like. It.”

Iris snorted hard enough she almost spit out her candy, muffling a laugh behind her glove. Orin glanced back and smiled indulgently. “What should we do next? We still have time before the big tree lighting ceremony.”

“I’m already broke.” Murphy grinned, and caught Lia’s eye. She shook her head and hid another smile, knowing very well what was contained in the little box back in their rooms. Kyrr didn’t notice, and leaned over the back of his chair to kiss his cheek.

“I can cover for you. Dad got a raise and increased my allowance, and thanks to Bill Weasley I can get it converted to magic money.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, and he gazed up at her with his heart in his eyes.

“You’re going to give me cavities faster than a sugar quill.” Lia grinned, no real heat in her voice. Her right hand was toasty and warm, clasped with Talbott’s in his large coat pocket.

“Hey, if you’re buying, another round of hot butterbeer wouldn’t go amiss.” Orin grinned.

“Aren’t your folks like, really rich?” Kyrr shot her a narrow look, no animosity in it.

“Our parents believe in us respecting the value of money and wealth.” Iris spoke for her sister, sounding annoyed. “Which translates to ‘no extra spending money’.”

“They do cover all the basics and necessities.” Orin shrugged. “They don’t want us to end up spoiled. And yet somehow Iris happened.”

“I’m the baby of the family.” Iris tossed her hair. “You bet I’m going to enjoy the perks.”

“Isn’t the youngest also usually the shortest?” Kyrr glanced back and burst out laughing as both Lia and Iris gave her death glares.

“Well, after a burn like that,” Orin snickered, “I don’t think I need a hot butterbeer anymore.”

Chapter Text

The Hogmead Tree lighting ceremony was an utter delight as more than a hundred tiny floating candles around the gigantic spruce tree erupted into light all at once. A local music club had gathered in costumes straight out of a Dickens novel to sing carols as the small crowd milled about, sipping warm mulled wine and butterbeer and taking in the cozy neighborhood atmosphere.

The adults looked the other way as several Hogwarts teenagers stuck at the school for the holidays snagged some of the wine to try, and by the time the pack of students were heading back to the school everyone had a mild buzz going on. Murphy was the strongest affected in their little sub group, and he dragged Kyrr onto his lap for the last part of the chilly walk. She kept giggling as he whispered against her hair.

“I should have known you’d be an affectionate drunk.” She leaned against his chest and smiled to herself as he wheeled them into the school.

“Of course. I’m always drunk on you. Nothing compares. You are sweeter than candy, warmer than wine, brilliant and beautiful and-”

“He’s just going to keep going, isn’t he?” Talbott smiled and shook his head in amusement.

“Probably.” Lia laughed and squeezed his hand. She slowed down her walking speed a bit, and Talbott followed suit until they were the last ones in. “I know you like your privacy, Tal. I thought maybe I should give you your present before the feast.”

He smiled warmly at her, touched by the thought. “I would prefer that, actually.”

Lia reached into her coat and pulled out a small package, trying not to look anxious. “I hope you like it. Took a while to get right.” Talbott gently peeled back the paper and blinked in surprise, examining the little book of poetry. It was filled with poems from all different authors, all with the theme of birds and butterflies, all carefully transcribed in Lia’s neat, precise penmanship.

“Ophelia.” Talbott had such a soft expression that it made her throat tighten a bit, and she smiled.

“There’s more.” She reached across and showed him how to flip through the pages quickly, which set off the magic contained. Feathers made of light drifted up from the pages and gathered into an image. Talbott gasped.

“How?” His voice cracked in disbelief at the image of him as a child sitting between his parents. “Where did you….”

“It wasn’t easy.” Lia laughed and wiped a tear off her face. “I’ve been looking for a picture like that ever since we started dating. McGonagall helped. The original is in a frame in my room, I’ll give it to you later.”

Talbott wiped tears off his own face and closed his eyes for a moment before putting his arms around Lia and squeezing almost painfully tight. “Thank you. So much.” He nuzzled her hair, and she held him back, breathing in the scent of snow and leather and something wild that was uniquely him. He drew back a little and cupped her face. “I love you, Ophelia Dovewing. I truly do.”

She smiled through the tears as he kissed her, content as she’d ever been.

+++

The Christmas feast wasn’t as grand as the ones that occurred with a full school, but it was a merry time and the food was delicious. By the time Lia and Talbott joined it was in full swing. Christmas crackers sat between the plates of food, and Murphy already had a little paper crown lopsidedly planted on his head.

Kyrr waved them over, and the couple joined their friends, fingers still laced together. She tilted her head at them and grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that, Talbott.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say my name correctly,” he retorted with a grin.

“Ah, well, it’s Christmas.” She grinned as Murphy nudged her lightly. Beside them, Orin watched Lia and her partner sit down.

“You gave it to him?” She grinned and took a bite from her plate.

“Yeah.” Lia smiled and glanced at Talbott. “Finding that many poems was a group effort.”

“I can imagine.” He smiled back at her and started filling a plate.

Murphy snickered. “I wrote one but Lia wouldn’t use it.”

“You don’t want to know.” Lia said quickly, as Kyrr put her head on the table and pounded it, laughing. “I was a haiku and a very bad one at that.”

“It was no!” McNully straightened up in mock indignation.

“Here we go,” Orin shook her head.

“It was well written. ‘I am an Eagle. I have feathers on my bum. Dramatic as hell.’ I was going to make a butterfly one too but she didn’t appreciate my contribution.” Murphy shrugged and grinned as Talbott burst out laughing, a hand over his face.

Lia rolled her eyes so hard she saw stars, but even she couldn’t hold back the laughter as Kyrr wheezed through giggles, Murphy gently rubbing her back. “You broke your girlfriend, McNully.”

“Hazards of being a true artist I guess.” He winced and laughed as her wheezing got worse. “I think I should shut up now.” He shrugged as Orin laughed out loud.

“That would be a true Christmas Miracle.”

+++

By the time dessert was finished, no one even wanted to look at food, bursting at the seams. The group returned to Lia and Kyrr’s room, and the girls set out and engorgio-d the pillows that they’d been using as comfortable seating. Orin arrived a little later after grabbing gifts from her room. Following behind her was Iris’s new friend Isobel, the girl looking mildly conflicted.

“Are you sure this is okay?” She sat near Iris, who seemed pleased not to be the only second year present.

Lia nodded at the newcomer. “Yeah. Normally Snape is strict about this stuff but on Christmas he’d rather just be left alone. I’ve been here every year, the professors don’t much care what we get up to.”

“Which is good for us.” Murphy grinned. “So, gifts?

Orin snorted. “McNully will never be a doctor, he doesn’t have any patience.”

“Ha ha.” He grinned and reached up to take the wand from his chair. “Accio box.” A small black box jumped to his hands from Lia’s side of the room, and he turned to Kyrr with a grin. “It’s not a ring. Lia hit me when I suggested it.”

“And I’ll hit you again, you are sixteen, no proposing before graduation.” Lia rolled her eyes.

“Don’t abuse my boyfriend.” Kyrr grinned and accepted the box. She took a deep breath, and cracked it open. “Oh. My God.” Nestled on the soft black velvet was a necklace, a tiny white and rose gold snidget with a real diamond eye. The craftsmanship was exquisite. “Murphy, wh… this… how much did you spend on this?” She sputtered, not knowing what else to say.

“It doesn’t matter.” He grinned, pleased by her reaction. She lifted it out of the box and he reached for it, gently clasping it around her neck. “It’s just metal and stone. You’re what’s precious to me.”

She kissed him and touched the little bird on her chest, smiling warmly. “You’re sappy. But now it’s my turn.” She reached under her bed for a rather large box, and put it in front of him. Lia and Orin exchanged a grin.

“Those looks worry me.” Murphy grinned and peeled off the paper, then opened the box. Wrapped in tissue paper was a black jacket with gold accents, a snitch embroidered over the left front pocket and the Hogwarts crest on the right.

“It takes a little explaining.” Kyrr bit her lip. “In American no-maj schools, sports teams have these things called letterman jackets. They’re a sign that you’re varsity, basically one of the top members of a school’s team. And you’re pretty much the heart and soul of Quidditch at Hogwarts. Everyone agrees, so…”

“It’s incredible.” Murphy’s voice had a rare hush. The jacket was made of leather, and he could see the fur lining could be removed for spring and fall months. He picked it up to examine it, but jumped as Talbott let out a surprised sound.

“There’s a little more,” Kyrr added.

“Wha-OH.” Murphy turned the jacket around and almost dropped it. Across the shoulders was his name, McNully, embroidered in large gold letters. And under it was a design that took up most of the back. A golden snitch with the wings positioned low created an illusion of a skull, and under it a pair of brooms formed an X.

“It’s a play on the pirate skull and crossbones. Snitch and crossbrooms.” Kyrr laughed self-consciously. “I asked Badeea to design it. Andre made the jacket.”

“This is… by far and away the most amazing gift I’ve ever received.” Murphy shook his head in wonder and pulled it on, grinning ear to ear. “Fits like a dream.” He reached out for Kyrr and dragged her into his arms as she laughed.

“You guys take couple gifts seriously.” Iris shook her head.

“We take all gifts seriously.” Lia grinned and tossed her a package. “From Kyrr and me.”

Orin looked at her sister flatly. “I sent your gift along home because you weren’t supposed to be staying. So you have to wait for mine.”

Iris shrugged and grinned, and opened the present. “Jinxes and Jokes? Oh yes.” Her face lit up. “We’re not even allowed to take this out of the library until fifth year!”

“We know.” Kyrr grinned, warm in Murphy’s arms. “Just don’t use them on us.”

“You two are a menace,” Orin said with a grin and a shake of her head.

The girls all traded gifts, and Kyrr nodded at Orin. “You first, I’ve already opened one.” The dark haired girl opened the gift from her and gaped.

“Is this seriously a first edition copy of Fantastic Beasts and where to find them?!” She looked at Kyrr in shock as Lia whistled.

“Yeah. So my dad actually has a huge collection of wizarding books that he has no use for, stuff from when he… left home. I asked him if I could have that one for a friend.”

“Bloody hell.” Orin flipped through a few pages as Lia gave Kyrr a look.

“That’s cheating.” She grinned as Orin opened her gift, and laughed at the yelp.

“It’s a tiny Zuko!” The small hand crafted fire salamander sat curled up in her palm for a moment, then stretched out and rolled on her hand for a moment before scuttling to her wrist and forming a bracelet with its tail curled under its head.

“I know you hate not being able to have him with you all the time.” Lia grinned, pleased.

“It’s perfect. Thank you. Both of you.” Orin nodded at Lia. “Your turn.” Lia opened the gift from her first, and turned it over in her hands.

“A friendship bracelet? It’s so cute! Wait are these tiny dragon scales?”

“Good eye. Now hold out your arm like you’re carrying a shield….. and say ‘scutum’.” Lia did, and jumped as a buckler of dragon scale sprang forth on her arm.

“Oh that is cool!!”

“It should stop most physical things. And it’s fireproof.” Orin looked pleased. “It folds back up when you open your hand.”

“If I don’t get my own Captain America shield too I’ll be hella disappointed,” Kyrr muttered, then whooped as she opened hers. “Yesssss I am never taking this off!”

Orin took a small, seated bow. Lia grinned, looked at the gift from Kyrr, and opened it as Orin leaned closer to see. “Ohhh.” She looked at Kyrr with soft eyes.

“Yeah, I spent all my money on Murphy, so you got a repurposed gift too.” Kyrr grinned sheepishly. “It was my mom’s. I thought you’d like it.” In Lia’s hands was a beautiful, delicate butterfly hair pin with lacy green and lavender wings. Every so often the wings beat softly like a real butterfly.

“I absolutely love it. Especially because it was your mum’s.” She leaned over to hug her friend, who grinned.

“Not like I can use it, my hair would eat it.” Kyrr opened the last gift, from Lia. “Oh shiiit I am gonna use the fuck outta this.”

“Language!” Lia went from hugging to pinching as Kyrr dodged. She hung the custom referee whistle around her neck, and admired the details. Below the mouthpiece the silver had been shaped into a Maine coon cat with its tail wrapped around its paws, black polish worked into the details to make them stand out. It hung a few inches below the snidget.

“It’s really gorgeous. I’d try it out, but….”

“Please don’t,” Talbott muttered as Lia returned to his side and leaned against him. He smiled at her. “That leaves you.” He handed her a small package, sheepish. “Sorry if this is a little underwhelming.”

She took it and carefully opened it, and let out a little gasp. “Is this one of your…”

“Feathers. Yes. I put the same spell on it that’s on my mom’s feather.” It hung from a small chain. “You already have a lot of necklaces and jewelry, so I thought maybe you’d rather hang it from something.”

“I know exactly what I want to do with it. Thank you.” Lia sighed, content, and leaned into his embrace as Murphy began to softly sing another Christmas carol.

Chapter Text

Living in the Slytherin dorms of Hogwarts had some perks, at least in the summer months; the cool air and dim light could be a nice reprieve from the heat. In winter on the other hand it could be oppressively dark and chilly no matter how many lights one put up. There was no sense that dawn had arrived, and there was a running joke around the school that the reason Slytherin students were prickly was poor quality of sleep.

Murphy wasn’t entirely sure what time it was when he woke, but he had the sense he’d slept in quite a bit. It was nice to get the chance on Christmas morning. His senses returned as slumber left, and he became aware of a weight pinning his left side. He rolled, very carefully, and smiled down at an unexpected gift.

Kyriel had skipped her morning run and stayed in his arms the whole night.

The Christmas themed lights draped around Ophelia, Rowan, and Kyrr’s bed frames were sufficient for his keen eyes to see the girl still sleeping beside him, and he felt his throat tighten with emotion even as he smiled. She really was beautiful. The fierceness that defined her by day was smoothed away by sleep; she looked vulnerable, younger. Unguarded. White lashes made soft semi circles above the faint traces of her freckles, as regrettably the constellations he’d named were nearly invisible now. She’d promised him, though, by summertime they’d be back and darker than he’d ever seen them. Above the pale expanse of faintly freckled skin her brows were strong, arched lines, and McNully grinned at the single black hair that sprung from her left brow in defiance no matter how many times she plucked it.

She had scars, too, a faint white line on her top lip from a childhood tumble, and another on her forehead that vanished into her hairline. She’d shown him before, the line continued along her scalp more than an inch hidden by hair, the result of an ill advised backflip into a muggle friend’s pool. Murphy’s smile faded at the faint discoloration of the skin inside the shell of her left ear where her hearing aid had been shattered during the duel; at least those scars would fade away in another month or two thanks to magical healing. He tucked a lock of hair behind her damaged ear and marveled, silently, that his reality somehow had managed to include a creature as beautiful as her in it.

McNully glanced around the room to see if anyone else was awake, and noted several piles of presents that left in the night. Across from where he’d slept Talbott was sitting up, the lanky Ravenclaw hugging his knees to his chest lightly as he gazed down at Lia, who was still slumbering. The boys locked eyes and Tal looked mildly caught out, but Murphy shrugged and grinned before looking away and back down at his own love. Eyes the color of shadows on snow were staring back up at him, and when he realized she was awake Kyrr leaned up to steal a kiss.

“Stop kicking me,” Orin muttered as she woke on the other side of the room. Iris shifted away as she was given a light shove by her sibling, unrepentant. Some time in the night it seemed she’d gravitated to her older sister’s side.

“Stop being in the way of my legs.” Iris yawned. “Oh. Happy Christmas.”

“You too.” Orin stretched and sat up as everyone in the room started to rouse. “Hey, more presents.”

“Yeah, Dumbledore and the staff always leave some for those of us stuck at school.” Lia sat up too, and reached for her wand to increase the lighting in the room.

Kyrr put her hearing aid in as she sat up, and grinned. “Hey. More presents.”

“I just said that,” Orin laughed.

They all moved around to clear the space for sitting rather than sleeping, and passed around the gifts. Lia was pleased by a pair of warm, dark purple furry ear muffs and a matching hand muff, along with a small box of goodies from home including fresh baked Christmas cookies from her mother. Talbott had a new set of fine quills and a pair of blank journals, and a Christmas sweater with an eagle on it. Iris grinned and handed everyone their gifts from her, headbands with fake reindeer ears and antlers. To Kyrr she presented a similar band, but with a pair of Moose antlers instead. The tall girl wore them proudly, and Orin tousled her sister’s hair approvingly.

The Ackerman sisters received a gift from their parents, to each a letter from their father and a silver chain with their house crest on it, and from their mother a predictable gift of money. Orin grinned madly. “Finally, I’ve been running low on treats at the reserve, I can stock up again.” Iris looked at her, silent and appalled at the waste of good galleons.

Murphy had a package from his mother as well, and a pair of nice warm leather gloves and brown ear muffs for the colder days up in his commentary box. Kyrr opened a package from her father, and let out a little cheer.

“Nice! A biography of Thales of Miletus!” She grinned and Murphy looked over, delighted.

“Oh I so need to borrow that when you’re done reading it.”

“Who is Tales of Miletus?” Lia sat on Kyrr’s other side, interested. Talbott looked over at the three.

“Philosopher, one of the greatest Wizards in Ancient Greece. Even muggles know about him.”

“He’s the father of modern mathematics.” Kyrr and Murphy declared in unison before cracking up. Kyrr continued on, shaking her head. “My dad is a statistician, I get a lot of math themed gifts.”

“Neeeerds every one of you.” Iris rolled her eyes, as her friend cracked a rare smile.

“You’re surrounded.”

“There’s another gift for you,” Lia interrupted before the youngsters could debate the intelligence of the mixed Ravenclaw and Slytherin group. Kyrr took the envelope and opened it. She hissed a gasp through her teeth and reflexively punched Lia’s shoulder in exuberance.

“No fucking WAY.” The foul mouthed Slytherin stared at a handful of gold edged cards.

“Lang. Widge.” Lia winced and rubbed her shoulder, hissing breaths out through her teeth in pain. “Do you have bludgers for fists?”

“Tickets to next summer’s World Cup. Oh. OH.” Murphy took them from Kyrr, gaping in shock. “Ten tickets, in the section just under the top box. These are…. The cost alone…” He trailed off when he noticed Kyrr holding the note that came with it.

“I need a minute.” She got up and left the room, the note discarded. Lia’s pain faded as worry flooded in, and she picked up the note. “It says ‘I swear on my name, no strings attached. Merry Christmas.’ Signed with the initials M, A, K.” Ophelia’s expression turned to storm clouds. “McNully, do you know her uncle’s middle name?”

“Apolloleone.” McNully winced.

Orin raised a single black eyebrow. “Say what you will about her family but they have some awesome names.”

“I can’t believe he would mess with her on Christmas.” Lia was absolutely livid.

“Maybe he’s being genuine?” Talbott touched Lia’s shoulder but withdrew his hand quickly at the tension under his fingers.

“I doubt he’s capable of that. I only know a little of their history, but what I know is bad. Really bad.” Lia rubbed at her ribs, worried. “I should go after her.”

“Give her a minute.” Orin was gentle, but working with a more level head. “She didn’t seem as upset as I would have expected.”

“I don’t feel as upset as I would have expected.” Kyrr’s voice signaled her return, and she looked defeated. She sat beside Murphy and leaned into his welcoming arms.

“Kyrr, I’m so sorry.” Lia touched her back, and the larger girl sighed.

“He’s big on honor.” The usually boisterous American spoke softly for a change. “If he swears on his name, he means it. I just can’t fathom why.”

“This might not be the best time,” Orin said slowly, taking a gamble, “But I think you should know. He was the one who fixed your hearing aid.”

“Orin!” Lia shot her a look, and the dark haired girl shrugged.

“It’s time she knew.”

“I already know. But thanks.” Kyrr gave them both a little smile, and Lia looked at her in surprise.

“How?”

“My fault,” McNully cut in, embarrassed. “I was just brainstorming who would have had the ability, and it… made too much sense.”

“I probably knew deep down and just didn’t want to admit it.” Kyrr shook her head. “He’s always been my enemy, though, ever since he tried to take me from my dad. I was six.” Talbott looked aghast.

“He what!?” Orin blinked, nearly as disturbed as her fellow Ravenclaw. “Never mind, fuck that guy, I don’t care if his name is cool, he sucks.” The unexpected expletive made Kyrr chuckle.

“You guys will come with me, right? Just in case he’s there or something? I know it’s more than a year away, I just…”

“No way.” Lia rolled her eyes. “I definitely would not be absolutely dying to see the world cup quidditch match from some of the best seats in the whole arena.” Her sarcasm set Kyrr laughing again, and McNully shot her a grateful look.

Talbott cleared his throat in the lull that followed. “Since all that is settled, breakfast?”

+++

Ophelia was the last one into the great hall for the pancake breakfast, and she was careful not to rub her arm when Kyriel was looking. She knew the taller girl proudly wearing her moose antlers hadn’t meant to hurt her, and she’d feel terrible if she knew. That was part of the problem.

No one could play quidditch without being somewhat athletic, they couldn’t even commentate on it otherwise if Murphy’s surprisingly well built upper body was any indication. Lia was no slouch, the same as Orin and Skye and the rest of the school’s athletes. But there was something different when it came to girls like Kyrr or Erica Rath. Lia knew rationally that they worked hard for it, and she didn’t have the kind of willpower or free time to spend hours running and doing interval training through the week.

Despite knowing that… sometimes the difference in strength between her and Kyrr made her unhappy. Even a little envious, if she was honest with herself. It was such a stupid thing to worry over, but the bruise on her arm was throbbing annoyingly. It didn’t help that her mind reading quirk let her know Kyrr had the opposite insecurities much of the time: it wasn’t easy being the tallest and one of the least feminine girls in the entire school. Being envious of her strength seemed cruel somehow. Lia sighed, and massaged her arm again. Talbott caught the tail end of her rubbing the spot and raised his brows, concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Lia’s eye twitched slightly, she was grateful he was becoming more attentive, but at the same time she didn’t feel like explaining the complicated emotions.

“If you say so.” He looked unconvinced, but sat next to her without pushing the issue.

“Kestrele, what the hell is that on your head?” An unexpected voice brought their heads around, and Lia grinned.

“Skye, what are you doing here?”

“They’re Moose antlers.” Kyrr tacked on to Lia’s question, sounding proud. Skye sat next to Orin, pointedly not looking at the amused Ravenclaw.

“You look amazingly stupid. And yet, somehow it fits you.”

“Thank you!” Kyrr grinned, knowing that cheerfully dismissing her got under Skye’s skin more than responding to her criticism.

“Anyway,” Skye went on, “you have no idea how annoying a Parkin family Christmas is. I made it through morning coffee and presents and had enough for the whole holiday.” She fidgeted, and gave Orin a little sideways look.

“Trust me, I get it.” The Ravenclaw girl shrugged. “I didn’t really mind staying at the school this year, even if we didn’t find the source of the curse on the quidditch teams.”

“I should have stayed. But Dad likes to do this whole group picture on Christmas Eve. With matching outfits.” Skye made a face, but Orin put an arm around her shoulders.

“On the up side, Kestrele got World Cup tickets just below the Top Box for Christmas from her shitty uncle, and I get to bring a date. You interested?” Orin grinned sidelong as Skye turned several shades of blush and sputtered at her. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“UGH whatever take your present.” Skye shoved a small box at the dark haired girl draped over her and looked anywhere else. Orin pulled back, interested, and opened it. A tiny silver arrow broom popped out of the box and zoomed around her like a pet.

“Whoa! You know, my first broom was actually an old silver arrow.” Orin looked at Skye curiously as the dual-tone haired girl avoided her eyes.

“Yeah, I remembered,” Parkin muttered, embarrassed. “It’s fine if you didn’t get me anything.” A moment passed, and Orin leaned on the smaller Slytherin chaser, bumping their shoulders together.

“I did, though.” Orin grinned as Skye shot her an annoyed look, reached over, and slipped a bracelet onto the smaller girl’s wrist. Skye stared at it, confused and flushed and annoyed by emotions she couldn’t explain. Across from her, Kyrr punched the table and made both of them (and Lia to boot) jump, startled.

“SHIELD CLUB!” Kyrr punched the air, and Murphy shook his head in amusement as he took another bite of the plate of pancakes they were sharing. Orin suppressed a laugh and showed Skye how the bracelet worked, amused by the almost feral delight on the little Slytherin’s face.

“Okay. This is smashing.” Skye gave Orin an embarrassed smile.

“Don’t worry about it.” Orin smirked back, until Dumbledore called for everyone’s attention. She started to look away, but Skye reached up to catch her, and for just a moment the girls shared a sweet, maple syrup tinged kiss while everyone else was distracted.

“Ah.” Skye blushed right to the tips of her ears.

“Oh.” Orin felt the great hall was suddenly a bit warmer than usual.

“Uh hunh.” Iris gave her sister a blank, knowing look.

The announcement was rather mild in the circumstances, but Ophelia perked up to hear that along with cider and celebrations the school was going to have an ice skating patch again for Christmas Day’s evening. Across the room, Merula was smug, and Lia’s expression soured. Leave it to Snyde to ruin a good thing.

“So, I’m not the only one who likes ice skating, right?” Lia smiled, then blinked in confusion at the looks on Orin and Skye’s faces. Clearly she missed something.

“I’ve never tried.” Kyrr shrugged and ate a slab of bacon. “I’m good at skiing though. The lakes usually don’t freeze too smoothly back home, so we just use cleats on the ice when we’re fishing.”

“You actually sit on a frozen lake and go fishing in a hole?” Talbott looked an odd blend of horrified and strangely delighted.

“Oh yeah. It’s great.” Kyrr smiled. “I mean it’s cold out, but we’re warm and bundled up. And the ice is like a foot or more thick. It’s safe as long as you know what you’re doing.” She shrugged and Lia gave Talbott an amused look.

“You’re a fan of fishing?” He shrugged and nodded, and Lia laughed. “Cats and birds share that in common I guess.”

“I haven’t done it in a long time.” Talbott ate a piece of bacon off his plate. “It’s a good solitary activity though.”

“We should fish in the black lake when it freezes over.” Kyrr grinned, and Orin almost spat out the orange juice she’d taken a sip of.

“That’s probably a very bad idea considering what’s under the ice. The point is to eat the fish, not be eaten BY them.” She started laughing as Kyrr opened and closed her mouth at the realization that she was serious.

“Maybe that’s a no on fishing then.”

+++

The Hogwarts flight training grounds had been converted into a wintery wonderland by the time students started milling around. A small forest of decorated pine trees made for a lovely romantic walk, and Talbott tugged Ophelia in behind him. A faint snowfall softened the sounds of conversation, and snow from the night before crunched under their feet. Her new earmuffs were delightfully warm, but they had less of an effect than kisses stolen amid the trees.

Orin and Skye were steadfastly NOT mentioning what had happened in the great hall, and their friends were equally steadfast in not drawing attention to the fact that they were walking hand in hand.

When the ice rink opened up, Merula took off skating, showing off some remarkable skills. Ophelia was a bit wobbly on her skates, but she got the hang of it before long. Orin had similar talents, certainly not an ice dancer but able to move around in her own. Skye drank hot cider and refused to go out on the ice, knowing she would have likely made a fool of herself and preferring to watch Kyriel do it instead. The athletic American was absolutely, hilariously atrocious on the ice.

Lia almost tripped over her own skates laughing as Kyrr landed on her backside for the third time, and swung her arms out to keep her balance. “How can you be so bad at this?”

“I don’t know! It’s just so slippery!” Kyrr grinned up at her, black ear muffs stark against her white hair and flushed cheeks. “My feet want to go in different directions. I think I’m done.” She tried to stand again, alarmingly wobbly. Lia carefully skated to her side to take one arm as Orin took the other, and they tried to support her back to the shoreline. They barely made it two meters before Kyrr yelped a curse and all three girls when down in a laughing pile. From the edge, McNully called out cheerfully.

“And here we see the newborn baby moose, legs still learning how to move. Note how her older, wiser companions are no match for the force of gravity around her.” Murphy grinned as Talbott and Skye hid laughter behind their drinks.

Orin got back up and brushed off her pants, shaking her head. “Drag?”

“Drag,” Lia agreed, and they started to tow their giggling friend back. It wasn’t a fast process. “How can you be so heavy?!”

“I dunno. Burpees?” Kyrr grinned as Lia almost lost her footing, regained it, and then dropped down in a heap.

“That’s it. I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to freeze to death. I promise the funeral will be lovely.” Lia threw her hands up in defeat as Orin nodded sagely.

“It’s winter, so the poinsettias and holly should look lovely.”

Lia looked towards the shore. “TALBOTT! You’re in charge of the eulogy!” He blinked and sputtered, gesturing at Murphy.

“Shouldn’t it be the commentator? It’s his girlfriend!”

“Yeah but have you heard my poetry?” McNully shrugged and Tal groaned. “Here lies the moose. Become a frozen goose. We loved her well, hope she’s not in hell, but her soul has surely come loose.” The blond boy grinned up from his chair as Talbott rubbed his face and muttered as if he was trying to scratch his brain. Skye shook her head, grinning.

“I missed you guys.”

Kyrr finally managed to pick herself up off the ice again, and cocked her head to the side. “Maybe I can balance on the toe picks.”

Lia stared at her with narrowed eyes. “You could have gotten to shore by yourself this whole time?”

“She’s going to break an ankle, mark my words,” Orin snickered as Murphy nodded.

“Fifty-seven point four percent odds.” McNully backed his chair up as Kyrr shot him a fierce look. “That’s my girl. Hot but scary.”

“I’m not going to break anything.” Kyrr balanced carefully. “HAH! Now what was that about leaving me to die?” Orin put her hands up in surrender and then poked one finger in Ophelia’s direction as the smaller girl balked.

“Oh come on why is it always me?” Lia took off skating as best she could, yelping as Kyrr ran on the tips of her toes after her across the ice like some kind of wild woman. She skidded to the side as Kyrr tumbled over with a fervent curse, and McNully winced.

“In retrospect, I probably should have calculated those odds higher.”

Chapter Text

“Good morning!” Kyriel’s chipper tone was accompanied by a wash of chill winter air, and Ophelia rubbed her arms under the sweater she was wearing.

“How is it that every time you get in from a run, you bring the outside air with you?” She wasn’t really cross; despite the size of the great hall they were seated near enough to the grand fireplace to warm her back up immediately.

“Dunno.” Kyrr sat next to McNully, who was reading the book she’d gotten for Christmas. Without looking up, he nudged his breakfast plate so that it was closer to her, and she helped herself to a few bites of French toast before continuing. “Always been like that. Affinity to the weather or something. Kestrele family crest has a Thunderbird on it and everything.”

“Weird. So, what’s with the extra long run today,” Lia asked as she ate her own breakfast and hid a smile at how Kyrr mindlessly polished off what was left of Murphy’s. Sometimes the lack of boundaries between those two just seemed unnerving. She couldn’t fathom Talbott just eating her breakfast without even asking, but Murphy seemed completely content.

“Same run length, just slower pace. Still going easy on my ankle. Skelegrow is great and all but I have a hard time trusting it, I’d rather be sure I’m sound than risk reinjury.” She shrugged and looked down at the last bite of the toast. Murphy glanced up, expression concerned.

“Does it still hurt, Snidget?” His face scrunched up, worried. She smiled back and offered the fork, and he ate the last bite with a wry smile as she leaned up and forward to kiss the wrinkled space between his blond brows.

“Not at all. I’m just cautious.” She bumped her shoulder against his and he returned to reading, satisfied. “You know, Lia, if you were ever going to come with me, now is probably the time.”

“Wake up at five AM to run? No thanks.” Lia snorted.

“Come on. You’re always saying you dislike having noodle arms.” Kyrr grinned at her sour expression. “Just give it a few days. I’ll wake you up after the first half of my run is done, you can do the second half with me and join me for interval drills.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Lia sighed and shrugged. “We’ll see if you can even wake me up.”

+++

At precisely six o’clock the next morning Ophelia learned the meaning of regret.

It wasn’t Kyrr’s encouraging voice that got her moving. It wasn’t having her blankets pulled off either. It was the frigid handful of snow Kyrr unceremoniously dropped down the back of her shirt that got the smaller Slytherin scrambling and yelping out of bed.

“Oh look!” Kyrr grinned like a demented pixie. “You’re awake.”

“And you are a demon spawned from the pits of hell to torment me,” Lia snapped as she shrugged out of her sleep shirt to escape the rapidly melting snow. “I said maybe I’d join you. Maybe!”

“And then you challenged me to wake you up.” Kyrr smiled, impervious to the venom. “You know me better than that.”

“I should.” Lia grumbled and climbed into clothing more fitting for exercise, and glared at Kyrr over her shoulder. “Don’t watch people change, it’s rude.”

“Not like you have anything I haven’t seen before.” Kyrr flopped onto her back on her bed, though, obliging.

“I have a pair of things you haven’t seen before, thank you very much.” Lia couldn’t help that her mood was warming up as she woke up, she might not be a morning person but something about her taller friend’s morning cheer was hard to resist. “You might have abs but the boob fairy clearly skipped you.”

“Ouch. No, but really, running with a bigger chest is way more uncomfortable, as you’re about to find out apparently.”

“Apparently?”

“Well you don’t really look like you’ve got-”

“I dress modestly, thank you very much!” Lia glared again as she zipped up her coat. “And it’s not my fault I can never find any clothes that make me look good. I swear there’s a Hogwarts spell that makes all teenagers look the same shape to keep us from getting ideas.”

“There’s a notion.” Kyrr laughed and got up. “You’re going to overheat in that.”

“Oh, shut it.”

The two platinum haired girls walked out of Slytherin house to see Orin waiting and stretching. “You’re going to overheat in that,” she said with a raised brow.

“AUGH not you too.” Lia’s eye twitched at the same time a smile tugged at her lips. “I think you’ll be cold.”

“Not my first time.” Orin smirked and pushed up a flannel hairband to keep her black tresses out of her face and her ears covered. “Rath used to make us do drills like this all winter. She stopped when the team pushed back.”

“Well, we’ll see,” Lia muttered dubiously.

+++

“Don’t say it,” Ophelia puffed heavily as she tried to regain enough breath to Reducio her coat down to a size where it would fit in her pocket. Kyriel silently stripped off her own, thinner jacket and offered it. Lia exhaled a small smoky cloud, the chill more than enough to see her breath hanging in the air. “Won’t you be cold?”

“Nah, I’m warmed up now, I was going to take it off anyway.” She had on a turtleneck under it made of some odd, shiny, stretchy fabric with sleeves long enough to vanish into her gloves. Lia pocketed her coat and pulled on the slightly oversized jacket. It was warm, but not stifling like the coat. It had Kyrr’s scent on it, something sharp but not unpleasant like cloves or maze, and a hint of summer strawberries.

“Honestly you’re doing well,” Orin offered supportively. “Even I’m a bit out of breath, and I’ve done this before.”

Kyrr smiled at both of them and nodded to the training grounds. Small cones had already been set up, and mats laid down to protect them from the frozen ground. “Okay, so, I’m going to have a timer set. When it goes off, we switch exercises. First is sprints between the cones. Second is planks on the mat. Third is push ups. Then a rest period, then crunches, then sit ups, then jumping jacks, one more rest, and back to sprints. Got it?”

Lia looked at Kyrr like she was a lunatic. “You do this every single day?”

“Uh, some variation of it, yeah.” The American grinned. “What, you thought I was naturally this strong? Come on, let’s get started.” Lia looked at Orin for support, but the Ravenclaw shrugged as she stretched out her shoulders in anticipation of push ups.

“I think we have to. She’s nuts, she might just eat the weakest of the litter like some of the reserve creatures do.” Ophelia balked so hard that it took them a minute to stop laughing enough to begin.

+++

“Never again.” Lia wheezed slightly as they walked into Slytherin house after the torture was done. “I embrace my noodle arms. I have lovely noodle arms, they work just fine.” Although at that moment they didn’t want to work at all, every inch of her body sore in a different way.

“I promise you’ll get used to it.” Kyriel sounded more sympathetic than before, even a touch proud. “Just have to keep at it.”

“Crikey, Lia, what happened to you?” Murphy wheeled up to the girls, a handful of quidditch playbooks on his lap.

“Your girlfriend is trying to break me.” Lia sighed.

“Only to build you back up.” Kyrr stripped off her long sleeve shirt and rubbed her face to wick away the sweat, oblivious to the fact that they were in the common room. She had on a sports bra that covered more than most bathing suits, but it was very clear what a lifetime of sports had done to shape her. Lia could almost see McNully’s brain crack in real time.

“What are you, a nudist?” Lia paused and tilted her head. “Wait, you have a pierced belly button?” A small green gem sat in the taller girl’s navel. Kyrr grinned and put her arms around Lia’s shoulders from behind.

“I have a tattoo too. Wanna see?”

“NO!” Lia sputtered.

“Yes,” Murphy whispered, mesmerized.

“Kyriel Morrigan Kestrele must I remind you that you are still SIXTEEN and also you REEK of sweat and now you’re getting it ON ME and you are so gross. Go shower before McNully loses any more brain cells!” She shrugged the taller girl off, and glared after her as Kyrr stalked away laughing, heedless of the other students staring. Beside Lia, Murphy gave a deep sigh, and she shot him a scowl. “No you can’t follow.”

“…..Venus De Milo.” The Irish boy gave a dreamy smile and Lia felt her eye twitch again as she nudged his chair in the opposite direction, towards the door to the hall.

“I swear I am the only one here with even a hint of propriety!”

+++

Despite her misgivings, Lia had to admit that her friends had a point about daily exercise. Kyriel constantly came up with new, inventive ways to exhaust them, but by the end of January the recovery time was getting faster and Lia genuinely felt stronger. Their workouts weren’t private for long, Erika Rath joined them one morning without bothering to ask and stuck with it, and Skye joined shortly after. The exercise kept the short chaser from shooting barbed words at Rath, though she conspicuously placed herself between the blond beater and Orin when they were running.

Rath gave Orin a few bemused looks, but nothing needed to be said as long as Skye wasn’t being disruptive. The growing closeness between the rival chasers was politely ignored off the pitch.

Madam Hooch spent a few days watching the group, and eventually approached them during a rest period after some particularly brutal burpees. Lia laid on her back on the mat, catching her breath and feeling relieved that at least she wasn’t struggling as much as Skye, who wheezed between bouts of Scottish curses. Hooch eyed them up, and Kyriel stood up respectfully, hands folded behind her back. There weren’t a lot of adults Kyrr genuinely looked up to and respected, but Hooch was one of them.

“Do you know, back when I was a student, Dragon Club hosted a yearly event for the more athletic students?” Hooch eyed up the group and tried not to smile at Skye.

“Really? What kind of event?” Kyrr sounded as curious as most of them felt.

“Specifically, an obstacle course.” Hooch smiled. “But with one rule, no magic.”

“Sounds fun,” Rath spoke up despite usually being the most reserved of the group. “Challenging.”

“Why did it stop?” Orin was puzzled, what with all the school events that pitted students against one another, it seemed strange that one was removed. Hooch sighed sadly.

“Some parents made a stink about it giving muggleborn children an advantage. I honestly hadn’t thought about it in years, but I wonder how it would be received these days.”

“It would be awesome.” Kyrr grinned madly. “I’m sure the library has resources on how to put together a course, we could have sign ups, maybe make medals or something. Have a big board with times on it, you know Murph would love to commentate, Andre might even want to design official jackets or something…” She trailed off, sheepish, but Hooch nodded.

“Exactly my thinking. I’ll bring it up to Minerva, I’m certain she’d be willing to extend the Dragon Club resources for it. And anyone who helps set it up can get a few extra house points for volunteering, even if they don’t participate. I can think of a few students who would be happy to offset some of their poor decisions this year.” Hooch nodded. “I can count on one of you to preside over the event, I’m sure?”

Orin and Kyrr called out in unison. “Not it!”

“Not….shit.” Lia, a heartbeat behind them, slapped her forehead. “Why is it always me?!”

Rath glanced over. “You’re good at it.” Skye finally caught her breath enough to sit up, and made a face like she’d just bitten into a lemon.

“I hate to agree with her but yeah. You’re good at it.”

Lia sighed and laid back down on the mat, hands over her face. “Every damn time.”

Chapter Text

Ophelia stretched and looked up into the canopy of evergreen trees that hovered over the outdoor care of magical creatures “classroom.” There was very little snow on the ground, most of it deflected by the branches overhead. She stifled a yawn, still not adjusted to the earlier morning wake ups yet. She looked around at the other students milling about and noted the array of colors; every house had someone in for the informal review session.

Lia glanced at the gap in the stone wall were students entered, and waved at Chiara as the fellow white haired girl walked in. She had a peculiar look on her face, like she was suppressing a laugh. Shortly behind her was Kyriel, wearing a smug grin and…apparently carrying another student over her shoulder in a fireman’s lift like a sack of potatoes.

“Please tell me this isn’t some new workout you’ve cooked up,” Lia muttered. Kyrr laughed and shook her head.

“Nah, nothing like that. Kalisto bet me I couldn’t pick him up.” She walked past Lia, and the dark-haired Hufflepuff over her shoulder looked up at Lia with a grin and a thumbs up.

“Kyrra ees very strong.” His thick Greek accent didn’t hide his obvious amusement. Across from them, the self-titled “strongest witch at Hogwarts” snorted.

“She’s finally found her calling as a pack mule.” Merula smirked, then scowled as Kyrr and Kalisto both shifted to give her the middle finger.

Kyrr stopped in front of Chiara and set the boy down next to her, straightening up. “You can have him back now. And you owe me a chocolate frog,” she added as she pointed at the grinning Hufflepuff. He adjusted the gray headband that barely kept his spiky black hair in check, and nodded.

“Naí, I know.” He laughed and turned to Chiara, who rolled her eyes and put a hand over her face.

“I can’t believe you actually bet on that.”

Kyrr wandered over to Lia and hopped up to sit on the large stone slab off to one side of the classroom. She watched Kalisto pull a bunch of dandelions out of his sleeve and offer them to Chiara, who accepted them and shook her head, face flushed from more than just the wintery air.

“They’re cute.” Kyrr grinned at Lia, who climbed up next to her.

“They are. Do I even want to know how that all came about?”

“Oh, I was asking Chiara if she would be willing to stand in as a healer for the obstacle course practice runs. She agreed, too.” The tall Slytherin kicked her feet slowly.

“That’s a relief, I didn’t want to have to ask Madam Pomfry.” Lia smiled and looked around. “No Orin?”

“Pretty sure she doesn’t need the review,” Kyrr snorted. “I’m helping her feed the animals on the reserve when class gets out, though. She has like a million of them. You want to join us?”

“Wish I could, but I got volun-told to run the whole competition.” Lia rubbed her ribs absently. “Construction starts later today, I want to be there to make sure it all goes the way we set it up to be built.”

“I can’t wait to try it out.” Kyrr grinned and bounced a little. “It’s a shame we’re doing this in winter, it would be fun to have water under the obstacles for when people fall.”

“The netting will have to do, it would take some pretty potent magic to keep the water warm enough this time of year.” Lia frowned, lost in thought. “The sign ups are looking good, I think half the school wants to at least give it a shot. Sorry for stealing your boyfriend for that.”

“Eh, it’s fine, he’s having an absolute blast.” Kyrr smiled warmly at the recent memory of McNully joyfully explaining the levels and brackets he was using. “Badeea is making the medals, I think Murphy almost talked her ear off about it.”

“Andre finished the design for the participant jackets, they look pretty good. I think he took inspiration from McNully’s Christmas coat. Now he and his assistants just need to duplicate enough for most of the school.” Lia watched as Professor Kettleburn limped into the classroom. “Think anyone will get bitten today?”

“I’m hoping Merula does,” Kyrr replied cheerfully as they walked over to join the class.

+++

No one got bitten, fortunately (or unfortunately) and Kyrr only had a little creature food stuck to her when she joined Orin on the reserve. She waved and wandered over, tilting her head as the Ravenclaw plucked the chunk of pressed grass and silage from her hair and tossed it to an abraxan colt prancing about.

“How was class?” She reached into her bucket and tossed another, larger chunk, ducking as the oversized baby horse flapped it’s wings in excitement.

“Boring. Kettleburn lost the nifflers we were supposed to be studying and resorted to bringing out a fire crab, and you know how sluggish they get in the cold. All I learned today was that I really can’t draw, Lia asked why I was drawing clouds instead of crabs.”

Orin burst out a brief laugh. “Kettleburn is a character alright.” She tossed out more food as Kyrr whickered softly at the abraxan colt, who came over to sniff at her hair with interest. “You’re not bad at this, you know. Abraxans don’t take to everyone.”

“It’s an animal thing.” Kyrr smiled and rubbed the baby’s soft, velvety ears. “I just don’t have the patience to memorize all the critters out here and exactly what they need. Well except for the dragons.” She snorted. “I’ve picked up that information simply from being around Charlie. That boy is fixated.”

“He really is. You know how often he asks if we can try to train one to be ridden on?” Orin set the bucket down and pulled out her list, checking off the next creature. “A lot. Like a lot a lot. Okay, Scorched Vale next, I want to make sure those fire crabs got back safely, and we can check on Zuko while we’re there. Winter is always harder on the fire based creatures.”

“Lead the way,” Kyrr responded with a grin. “You know, given how far you walk to feed them every day, I’m not surprised you’re a good runner.”

“Well, I do cheat sometimes.” Orin grinned and grabbed a pair of brooms from behind a shed, tossing one to her friend.

“Better not plan on doing that for the obstacles.” Kyrr mounted up. “Speaking of, we should visit Lia after this, she’s watching them put up the course.”

+++

Ophelia did her best to stop her eye from twitching as heavy beams of wood flew around the training grounds, the course slowly taking shape. Two wizards and a witch in comfortable robes waved their wands in a well choreographed dance of magic, turning paper plans into fully realized obstacles. Lia knew she should be grateful for the help Dumbledore had arranged, but it worried her that bringing in outside help would potentially alert undesirable elements to their plans. Lucius Malfoy was the type to hear about something so muggle and pitch a fit.

“Hey Coach! It’s looking good. You’re looking stressed though.” Murphy rolled up to her with a stack of folders on his lap, expression a mix of delight and concern.

“I’m alright.” Lia smiled at him, banishing her fears for a while. “Ever feel like your life is constantly being interrupted by four-act plays?”

“Plays? Like maneuvers?” McNully’s confused look made her laugh.

“No, like the theater. A four act play. Usually in the third act, something or everything goes wrong.” Lia sighed. “I’m tired of bracing for the third act.”

“For once I’m not going to speculate odds,” Murphy said gently, though they both recognized the subtext that he meant out loud, “but if something does go sideways you know you can count on us. Your friends will always be here to back you up, Dovewing.”

“I know. But thanks for the timely reminder.” Lia smiled down at him. McNully shuffled his folders and cleared his throat.

“If I excel at anything, it’s talking, right? Anyway, I have the full sign up sorted, grouped by year so everyone is up against their own peers. Then the top 15 will go on to finals. Everyone gets the best of their three times through the course. It’ll take a whole weekend, but I think it’ll be great.” He looked up and grinned.

“You put in a lot of work.” Lia smiled, grateful. “Thanks for taking that off my shoulders.”

“Ah, well, you’ve helped me a lot too.” He smiled back, then his eyes shifted focus and his expression turned to adoration. Lia shook her head and grinned.

“I wondered when they’d show up.” She tuned her head to look over her shoulder, where Kyrr and Orin were landing. “Just in time for the inspection!”

“Hoo-rah!” Kyriel hopped off the broom and grinned, turning to look at the nearly assembled course. “Damn it’s more impressive than I expected. Definitely going to need those nets, not everyone is making it across those hanging rings.”

“It looks tough.” Orin nodded in satisfaction. “You know, there’s going to be people trying to cheat with magic.”

“Already have a plan for that.” Kyrr grinned. “McGonnagal is helping us set up an arch that will detect magic. I told your sister that Filch got permission to take away anyone cheating.”

Orin closed her eyes and made a face, shoulders starting to shake. “So the whole school knows?” Kyrr nodded and grinned. Lia watched them and felt another burden lift off her shoulders. She really did have people to back her up, friends she could trust.

“When can I get started? “ Kyrr looked back over her shoulder as both Lia and Murphy shook their heads.

“Snidget, you are not going up there before the nets are in place. No matter how sure I am you can do it without them, I’m not risking you to impatience.” Murphy rolled closer, and took her hand. “Please?” Lia watched with interest. Kyriel was not typically one to take orders from anyone, not even teachers, but she squeezed Murphy’s hand and turned to face him.

“Okay. For you I’ll wait a little longer.”

Orin shook her head and pushed her hair out of her face. “Don’t tell me you actually learned your lesson from the ice skating incident.”

“What? I’m not allowed to grow from my experiences?” Kyrr grinned and threw a soft punch that Orin easily dodged.

“Not in my experience.”

“Oi!” Kyrr dropped Murphy’s hand and Orin took off laughing, on her broom and in the air a few seconds ahead of her friend. Lia watched the chase and laughed, feeling far better than she had alone.

+++

“So how did you get so fast on a broom anyway?” Kyrr set her plate down at dinner and sat across from Orin, who had brought a book with her. Lia sat shoulder to shoulder with Talbott, enjoying his quiet presence. Skye sat next to Orin and shot Kyrr a glare.

“Chasers are known for our speed. Orin might be on the enemy team but she’s still fast enough to outpace some referee.” She scrunched up her nose, more annoyed that Kyrr didn’t look like she was going to take the bait. McNully moved from his chair to the bench next to Kyrr, and nabbed a chip from her plate.

“Speed might be important for chasers, but it’s not like you’re a seeker.”

“No, we just have to dodge the seekers, because they never pay attention to where they’re flying!”

“I don’t know,” Murphy mused, “that sounds like a decidedly you problem.”

“Are they fighting over us?” Kyrr looked at Orin, who looked amused.

“Seems so. Calm down, Kitten.” She patted Skye on the head, watching the little Slytherin’s ears turn red. “I can fight my own battles.” Orin smiled at Kyrr. “Don’t know, just always been quick on a broom. You get a feel for it, you know?”

“Yeah, no, I’m thinking I don’t fly often enough because I dunno what you mean.” Kyrr grinned and dipped a fried fish into malt vinegar.

“We still beat them in the foot race in London.” Lia grinned as Skye grumbled to herself. There was a time she would have stalked off during an argument. These days Skye seemed willing to put up with a lot to hover near the Ravenclaw who had somehow gotten past her prickly exterior.

“That was a good day.” Kyrr grinned madly. “Do you remember-”

They reminisced for a while as they ate. Other students came and went, no one observing a specific dinner time outside of feast nights. Parkin and McNully continued to jab at each other, though without the heat. Iris shot the group a grin and a wink, her part in spreading the rumors underway.

Near the end of the night, a sharp whistle cut through the air and Kyrr lifted her head. Across the tables, Kalisto grinned and held up a small blue box.

“Catch!” He tossed it to Kyrr, who reached up to grab it with a grin.

“Thank you!” She started to open it as Murphy raised a brow at her. “Don’t ask.” Before he could do exactly that, the card board peeled away and the frog made a jump for it, hopping down the table. “Shit!” Kyrr shifted into her cat form and chased it down the table with all the fervor of a real cat chasing prey. Several students pulled back and shouted protests, but she dodged around them and managed to catch the frog as it leapt off the table. She walked back up the row between tables, tail held high like a fluffy pennant signaling victory and the frog still kicking as it hang from her mouth.

“I can’t believe you just… do that,” Skye remarked as Kyrr hopped back onto her bench seat and shifted back, taking a bite from the frog to end the magic behind it’s squirming.

“Why not? I’m more agile as a cat. And it’s not illegal or anything. Slightly rude at dinner, maybe.” She carefully avoided McConnell’s look of stern disapproval from the high table. “I’m registered.”

“I can’t imagine why.” Talbott spoke without thinking, and Lia squeezed his hand under the table. “Why give the ministry that kind of information on yourself?”

“MACUSA actually.” Kyrr shrugged, popped off a frog leg and tossed it into the air to catch with her mouth. “The fines are a bitch in the US and I didn’t want to hide what I am. I earned this. I worked for what I am. I refuse to let anyone make me feel like I have to hide it.” She looked down the table and gave the hawk-featured boy a little smile. “But that’s just me, we all react to our upbringing differently.”

Lia gave a quick nod. “Freedom means different things to different people.” Skye snorted, and everyone looked at her.

“No one should be surprised that the American’s idea of freedom is to shove it in everyone’s faces.”

Kyrr paused, tilted her head, and then nodded. “That tracks.” Skye, who had been expecting an argument, had to make do with the amused look Orin gave her as her face flushed and betrayed the little Scottish Slytherin again.

Chapter Text

“Some of this looks pretty….dangerous.” Ben Copper stared at the obstacle course that made a massive ever-heightening semicircle around the training grounds. The nets under it were made from strong spider webbing that had been enchanted to lose most of its stickiness, but it would hold the weight of anyone dropped on it easily. Hagrid himself had jumped into it as proof of concept. Across from the course itself were bleachers with sitting room enough for the entire school, with a platform at the top prepared for Murphy McNully to commentate from.

“It does,” Rowan Khanna nodded sagely, “but the wood is high quality and the builders knew what they were doing. And no one has been hurt yet.”

“Yet.” Ben made his usual sour face, his determination to be a braver Gryffindor warring with his more cowardly instincts. “No one has gone on it at full speed yet, either.”

“Kyriel did.” Rowan grinned at the mention of her and Lia’s dorm mate. “It was something to see, she’s probably going to win.”

“I heard McNully is putting highest odds on Erica Rath and Barnaby Lee.” Ben rubbed his arms to hide the shudder. It didn’t seem fair, this non-magical event was supposed to favor muggleborns like himself, but the front runners all came from families with strong magical ties.

“Oh, I know. I put a galleon on Rath being the top Ravenclaw, it seems like the safest bet.”

“Wait, you guys are betting?” Ben jumped, hands at his sides and clenching anxiously. “What if you get caught?”

“Don’t tell anyone, especially the teachers.” Rowan nudged him. “But Tonks and Tulip are running it with Jae.” She watched the course as a pair of third years struggled up the rock climbing wall, Kyriel climbing alongside and coaching them through it. The American girl had spent every free minute helping younger students learn the course, determined to make it fun for everyone.

“Can they be trusted?” Ben scowled. His instinct would normally be to turn them in, but he was already unpopular enough. Safer not to participate. “With all that money, I mean.”

“If they take anything seriously, it’s getting up to no good.” Rowan nodded. “Anyway, I’m trying the course next! I didn’t sign up to compete but I want to at least try, you know?”

“Better you than me.” Ben shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets before walking away. There were other ways to prove oneself, falling to your simulated doom was unappealing.

+++

The Saturday morning that began the competition was an unseasonably warm February day, almost warm enough to hint that spring was around the corner. A white healers tent was set up off to the side of the bleachers, and Chiara was finished setting up for any injuries sustained. Penny sat on the bleachers nearby, yawning and stretching. Bleary eyes and unusually frazzled blond braids stood as signs that she had spent the entire night making skelegrow potions, and the crate was right at hand for the healer. Kalisto Nikolaos sat under the healers tent to assist Chiara, wearing the same white vest with a blue cross that the other volunteers had. Charlie Weasley and Andre Egwu sat nearby in the same vests, drinking coffee and chatting as they waited for the festivities to begin. They each had a broom in hand, prepared as rescue fliers in case anyone got stuck.

Across the field from the healer tent was a long row of tables with years of spilled broom polish on them, covered in cloth that displayed all the house colors under heaping mounds of breakfast food and barrels of hot coffee. Even at the crack of dawn the tables were busy, and the rising sound of conversation filled the area as the last of the frost thawed on the grass.

Ophelia looked across it all from the commentator’s platform with a sense of satisfaction. It had been an absurdly early morning, but everything had come together nicely. McNully went over his notes and tested the large microphone borrowed from the Quidditch field. A medium sized scoreboard was set up beside him, and the much larger one above the finish line reflected whatever was written on the smaller one. Madam Hooch joined the two students with a content smile.

“You outdid yourself, Miss Dovewing.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Lia nodded. “We’ve all been working hard to make this event fun for everyone.” She looked over the field to where the first year contestants were warming up; she could almost feel the jittering nerves even at the distance. Almost none of the first or second year students had even finished the course in practice runs, the places for them relied on how far they made it instead.

Down at their level, Kyrr was wearing one of the volunteer jackets and checking in with the youngsters. Under it she had on a full body gymnastics leotard, and thanks to Lia her hair was, for once, actually under control in a tight French braid that had taken Lia an hour and several finger cramps to pull off. Her hearing aid shape had changed, shifted into a simple cuff shell close to the side of her head and unlikely to be knocked loose.

McNully gave the half hour warning and named the first few competitors, and the bleachers began to fill. Not all of the school had turned out, at least not yet, but it seemed likely that the upper year runs would draw a bigger crowd. Dumbledore watched the assembly from the section of the bleachers roped off for professors, a warm smile on his face. Next to him sat a scowling Snape, attending for reasons of his own.

Down near the starting line, a magical arch was set up to ensure no students were cheating. Although he wasn’t officially allowed to drag any cheaters off in manacles, Filch stood close by with folded arms, possibly out of a sadistic desire to see students injure and embarrass themselves.

“Ladies, gentlemen, students and teachers, welcome to the first Annual Hogwarts Obstacle Run!” McNully’s voice carried across the field, urging loitering students to their seats and kicking off a buzz of excitement. His enthusiasm was palpable and irresistible. “Before the competition starts, our own lovely Kyriel Kestrele will demonstrate the course, so you know what to watch for!” He flashed a grin at Hooch’s disapproving look. “Well she is.”

Far below, Kyrr grinned and slipped out of the jacket. Her arms and shoulders were bare, and she wore half finger gymnastic grips. Chalk powder sat in a large bowl beside the starting line, and she dusted her hands with it before beginning the demonstration run. The horn sounded and she took off, far slower than her actual practice runs. Jumping back and forth on offset angled platforms was simple enough that it didn’t even require a net, but the cargo net climb up to the first platform added five meters of height. From there she crossed a long balance beam barely as wide as her sneakers. A short slide down to another platform led to a short jump across a netted space onto the climbing wall. It was the first truly tricky stunt of the course, but she managed it easily and hauled herself up the wall like a cat climbing a tree.

Once at the top a series of rings dangled over an anxiety inducing 15 meter drop to test upper body strength, and after that platforms hanging and swaying from chains tested stability and balance. Here and there the course dropped short distances between obstacles, only to have the competitors climb again to even higher ones. The last slide down was a near vertical drop with no platform at the bottom, only a wide gap to a 20 meter long rope. Kyrr slid down and launched herself for the rope, an act that required timing and careful distance. She made it look easy.

She wrapped her leg around the rope and scaled it military style, pulled herself up onto the final platform, and hit the button that set off magical sparks and a triumphant trumpet sound. Even for a relatively slow demonstration run, the joyful cheering from the bleachers made a lot of noise. Murphy grinned with pride.

“And there you have it, folks! A beautiful run by a beautiful girl, showing how it’s done.” Hooch shot him another look but he ignored it, as wound up as he usually got for quidditch. “Now, first up we have Aindrew Atlier.” He used his wand to add the name to his board, and the scoreboard over the finish line reflected it.

Kyrr slid down the ladder at the back side of the platform and walked around to the front, grabbed her jacket, and took up her position at the start to keep the competitors organized. Andre and Charlie took up positions on brooms if needed for rescues, and the event officially began.

+++

To the surprise of no one, the ten and eleven year old first year students didn’t have a single finisher, but they had a great deal of heart. The balance beam broke those who were anxious about heights, but most students made it to the cargo net at least. One very enthusiastic but unlucky Gryffindor slipped on the net and ended up tangled halfway up and required a rescue and a trip to the healer’s tent, and two others lost their grip and fell into the rescue nets below.

“And another competitor falls to safety! Don’t worry, friends, the net might be spider webbing, but we shook out most of the actual spiders.” McNully was clearly joking, but the student flailed in sudden panic and he had to issue a laughter filled apology.

The rock wall took out nearly half the competitors, either lacking the strength to finish the climb or getting themselves into a position where they couldn’t find another handhold. One of those, a rather trembley Ravenclaw, refused to release his death grip on the wall. Charlie flew in to rescue him, but failed to peel him off the wall. Orin, stationed below, was preparing to climb up and help just as Charlie got him loose, and in the resulting scramble they both fell off the broom into the netting. Andre took over and Charlie got some scratches healed by Chiara, though he remained in good spirits.

Although the ring obstacle had been lowered and spaced closer together for the younger students and their shorter arms, most of those who had managed the wall didn’t make it fully across. Near the end of the first years the winner seemed to be a student who had made it ten of fifteen rings across, but a rather athletic muggleborn boy made it to the second swinging platform before tumbling into the rescue nets.

After a brief pause, McNully declared Mackenzie Smyth the first year winner, and the second year students began to queue up.

“You’ve got this.” Orin stood by Iris as the girl waited for the call to start; Rath took over the ground assistance position along the course. “Remember it isn’t about speed. It’s about pacing and paying attention.”

“I know.” Iris seemed nonchalant, but her lack of sass suggested she was hiding some apprehension. Having a last name at the front end of the alphabet didn’t give her much time to prepare. “I’m ready.”

“Don’t get hurt, Ringtail, or I will totally tell mum.” Orin smiled and ruffled her sister’s hair as she scoffed. There was little time to joke, as the only student ahead of Iris lost her balance on the beam and failed out almost immediately. Orin backed up and stood next to Kyrr, who was watching with interest.

“She’s got this. A lot of it is climbing and she’s lightweight, plus her balance is excellent. Probably a raccoon thing.” Kyrr put a strong hand on Orin’s shoulder, and the Ravenclaw let out some of the tension.

“She’ll be impossible to live with if she succeeds.” Orin snorted. “Or if she fails.” Kyrr laughed, but didn’t reply.

Murphy called for Ackerman to start, and Iris bolted toward the platforms. Her run was slower than Kyrr’s demonstration run, but she was clearly pacing herself. A little shout went up when she cleared the rings, and by the time she got off the swinging platforms, the second year students were all shouting encouragement, none louder than the Weasley twins. She had a little trouble with a zig zag beam, and her arms windmilled alarmingly, but she managed not to fall. Orin’s heart was beating in her throat as Iris made the final slide and jump to the rope, and whooped loudly when her sister caught it.

Kyrr whispered softly under her breath, encouraging, she could see how tired Iris was, arms trembling as she held on to the rope. She carefully wrapped the rope around her leg like Kyrr had shown them, and trapped it between her feet. It was a slow, shaky climb, and the cheering died down as seemingly everyone held their breath. She reached the top, and paused. All her energy had gone to the climb, she had nothing left to get over the edge. Iris gritted her teeth in frustration. So close. And then, from the ground, a single voice called up.

“You’re really gonna give up THERE?” Orin shouted through cupped hands.

“Fuck you!” The little Slytherin’s voice was an angry, shuddering squeak, but it felt like some of that lost energy returned, and Iris managed to haul herself up the last of the way and onto the platform. She smacked the victory button and sank down onto the floor, blood pounding in her ears but not enough to drown out the loud cheering from below, or Murphy McNully declaring her the first to complete the course. She laid on her back, panting and shaking, until someone on a broom landed on the platform. Orin knelt down and smiled at her.

“Well done.”

“Piece of cake.” Iris panted, grinning. She didn’t protest as her sister picked her up and gave her a ride back down to the healer’s tent for hydration and to be checked over. Orin rubbed her back gently as she sipped apple juice. Kalisto congratulated her brightly, though his accent made it hard to understand, and Chiara gave her a little hug. Isobel came down from the bleachers and sat beside her, silent but radiating pride in her friend. Together they watched as the rest of the second year students took to the course.

It took longer than the first years had, more students had signed up and they made it farther, though none as far as Iris. One boy made it as far as the final rope but misjudged the jump and had to be brought to the healer’s tent with broken fingers for a dose of skelegrow. The last of the pack were the Weasley twins. Naturally athletic pranksters, they took to the course with gusto. Fred made it to the end, though a few seconds behind Iris’s time, having gotten tripped up for a while on the rock wall. George finished several seconds ahead of Iris, but after a quick investigation he was disqualified for using magical sticky powder on his hands to help his grip. His twin teased him mercilessly for it, both boys a font of energy even after the competition.

+++

The third and fourth year students had several winners, the times shaving down further as they went on. No severe injuries occurred, mostly just bruises. By that time the day was almost over, the short span of daylight in February not allowing for as many hours to play. Medals were handed out, and Iris proudly wore hers to dinner, enjoying the attention of being a temporary “celebrity” for her year.

Ophelia presided over the medal ceremony at the end of the day, relieved it had all gone fairly well. Far from enthusiasm dying down, it had ramped up with the excitement around the next day and the fierce competition expected. A familiar voice called her name and pulled her head around, conjuring her smile.

“Are you going to be competing tomorrow?” Lenny Pindlebrook looked excited, hands opening and closing in their usual nervous tic.

“Hi Lenny. It’s been a while.” Lia nodded. “Technically yes, but I’m not expecting to place. Contrary to popular belief I don’t actually win everything.” She chuckled and shrugged.

“Oh, well I’ll be here to cheer for you anyway.” The little Ravenclaw grinned. “Today was so much fun to watch, I bet tomorrow will be even better!”

“I hope so, I’m looking forward to getting up there myself.” Lia smiled back and looked over the crowds starting to disperse for dinner. Merula, still on the bleachers, glared daggers at her that she ignored. She was fairly certain Snyde had only signed up to compete as a way to once again try to beat her in something: it was always personal. “There’s only one person I’m determined to beat.”

Chapter Text

Pre-dawn light washed over the training grounds as an even more unseasonably warm day bore down on the final hours of the competition.

“I’m never waking up this early on a weekend again. Ever.” Ophelia stretched, trying not to yawn hard enough to crack her jaw. Kyriel’s hair was, for the second day in a row, temporarily restrained by Lia’s handiwork, but close inspection showed that it was already beginning to resist the small pins and ties she’d used. Still, it would have to do.

“Considering how early you went to bed you can’t possibly be that tired. You barely made it through dinner.” Kyrr grinned madly, as energetic as ever.

“You hush.” Lia gave her a quick glare and hid a smile as the larger girl put her hands up in surrender. “Today is going to be tough with everyone on double duty.” She glanced around and spied McNully and Hooch, and headed over to say hello. The professor nodded and went on her way, and Murphy smiled up at Lia, as annoyingly peppy as his girlfriend.

“Hey Coach. Ready for your run today?”

“Mostly. At least mine is early so I can join you in the commentator’s area. Speaking of, why are you down here?” Lia had her suspicions, and he confirmed them quickly.

“Once I’m up there I won’t be able to wish my girl luck.” Murphy shrugged and grinned.

“You just want to see her in that outfit.” Lia narrowed her eyes, and he grinned sheepishly back.

“You gotta admit it’s pretty great.” They both looked over to where Kyrr and Rath were talking, backs turned.

Ophelia had never found other girls to be attractive the way she did Talbott, but aesthetically speaking, she could understand Murphy’s interest. The two young women conversing looked like something out of a textbook on athletics, similar and yet clearly in different disciplines. Erica was one of the tallest girls in the school, but even with her hair flattened out Kyrr had a noticeable advantage in height. Both favored tight leggings and sleeveless tops for their respective runs through the course. Although Kyriel had a good deal of lean, defined muscle on her upper body she had nothing on Rath. Broad shoulders and powerful arms built up over years of swinging a beater bat made the blond quidditch player stand out. Their legs went the other direction: Rath looked stronger than most girls their age but Kyrr had the lower body of a more well rounded athlete. She looked like her kicks would probably hurt a lot.

Kyrr said something, and Rath burst out in a laugh before responding, and Lia shook her head, glancing down at Murphy. His expression was something close to reverent, and she rolled her eyes before pinching him just below the armpit. He yelped and gave her a look.

“It's rude to stare. Go talk to her or we’ll be here al day.” Ophelia grinned as he rolled away, rubbing his ribs and muttering. Merula watched it all from nearby, arms folded and her perpetually sour expression even more disdainful than normal.

“I’m not going to bother trying to beat that freakish Mule over there, but I’m going to beat you, Dovewing. Even though you’ve cheated by practicing on the course already.” She rolled her eyes, and Lia gritted her teeth. No one got under her skin quite like that mess of a Slytherin. She opened her mouth to respond, but heard a loud scoff beside her.

“Posturing AND already preparing excuses for when you lose? I’ll give you credit for keeping your shitty personality consistent, at least.” Talbott looked at Merula like she was a particularly foul smelling creature in Kettleburn’s classroom.

“Shut your trap, birdbrain.” Merula clenched her hands into fists, but he simply yawned.

“I’m just here to wish my girlfriend luck on the course. Maybe you should go find someone who cares about you to do the same.” The tall Ravenclaw boy made a dismissive shooing motion at her before devoting his attention and a smile to Lia, who felt warmer than she had since she woke up.

“You’re so sweet.” Lia sighed happily. “I didn’t know if you’d come, it’s pretty crowded.”

“I had a… bird’s eye view of the competition yesterday, but I wasn’t going to miss out on supporting my girl today.” Talbott reached out to tuck back her hair, standing close enough to be considered a public display of affection even if they were surrounded by other students. Lia felt her face redden.

“You have no idea how much that means to me, Tal.” She took his hands in hers, and gave him a teasing smile. “Sure you don’t want to run the course yourself? Murphy could probably pencil you in.”

“That many eyes on me? No thanks.” He leaned down to kiss her, and for a while the world seemed to go away. Eventually the sound of McNully’s voice calling for the fifth year students to queue up cut through the tiny pocket of space they had made, and Lia reluctantly stepped back.

“You’ll be watching?”

“Every step of the way, cheering you on.” He smiled warmly.

“Okay, break it up. Competitors only down here.” Kyrr grinned as she approached them, and Talbott took a step backwards.

“I was only-”

“-being a distraction.” Kyrr smirked. “Which was fine, but now I need our administrator of the course to get ready for her run. You can have her back later.” She stepped between them, crouched, and to Ophelia’s irritated surprise picked her up over one shoulder like the smaller Slytherin weighed nothing at all.

“Kyriel Morrigan Kestrele, did you just Kalisto me?!” Lia couldn’t keep the indignation out of her voice as she looked back at Talbott trying desperately not to laugh as Kyrr carried her away from him.

“Sure did. You need to stretch properly or you’ll end up hurting yourself on the course, Feefee.”

“NEVER use that nickname again, I am not a dog!” Lia struggled a moment but Kyrr’s grip was too strong.

“Good, let that anger work for you.” Kyrr set her down next to Iris and Orin, who was laughing at the exchange.

“You should see your face.” Orin grinned at Lia before turning back to her sister. Iris was proudly wearing her medal from the day before. Orin suspected she’d slept with it on.

“Just so you know, I didn’t bet on you to win. Well, I did, but only like five knuts I had in my sock drawer. Out of loyalty, of course.” Iris smiled as Orin made a face, laughed, and looked up at the sky.

“A whole five sock knuts. That’s some loyalty.” She gave her sister a hug, surprised by how strongly Iris hugged back.

“Don’t get hurt, okay. Just…. Don’t.” Iris didn’t look directly at her, and Orin gently tousled her hair in reply. Iris turned to Kyrr, made a face, and jabbed a finger at her. “You I bet on, so you better win.”

“Don’t think that’s how it works, kiddo, but I’ll do my best.” Kyrr grinned at her as Lia attempted to fix her own hair after being unceremoniously tossed over her giant friend’s shoulder.

+++

The fifth year students showed the first signs of real competition on the course as they took it more seriously than the younger years. Every student was allowed up to three run throughs, and though most only did one, a few enthusiastic students tried for their second one once everyone had taken their turn. The injuries eclipsed the ones from the day before, and Chiara was busy with bruises, twisted ankles, and a concussion after a student hit their head as they fell between two rolling logs. Kalisto assisted as much as he could without the specialized training she had, cheering disappointed students up and running supplies about. The lowest time on the course belonged to a member of Slytherin’s reserve quidditch team, and Facepaint Kid cheered loudly enough to make Talbott’s ears ring due to unfortunate proximity in the commentator booth.

Once the fifth years were done, the queue for the sixth years began to line up. Nearly the entire school was out in force, many waving pennants in their house color that Jae was not so secretly selling behind the bleachers.

Kyrr patted Orin on the shoulder as she got ready to run, her name putting her first much like her sister. “Show em how it’s done.” On the other side Lia grinned and added in her own support.

“Go kick ass, girl.” The white haired students both stepped back to give her space, and Orin gave a feral grin as she braced for the horn.

“Five knuts my ass.” The horn sounded and she bolted for the first platforms, eyes focused ahead. She could hear cheering, but she ignored it. The rock wall slowed nearly everyone down, but she had spent enough time observing to know the route she wanted to take.

Long limbs and years of training for quidditch paid off as she scaled it in record time, launching herself onto the rings. The hanging platforms were more anxiety inducing than she had expected, but she cleared them and moved on. The rolling logs had a trick to them, and the zig zag beam was easier to cross if you treated it like a wonky staircase.

The slide down to the rope had her nervous after missing it once in practice, but her jump was timed as perfectly as if she’d been able to use her raven wings. Orin hauled herself up the rope as fast as she could, over the edge, and slammed the button down. An odd silence pulled her attention away from catching her breath, and she looked around at the crowd, perplexed, before glancing up at the scoreboard.

She’d cut almost a minute and forty seconds off the lowest time.

The cheers went up as McNully joyfully congratulated her, and she waved them off with a breathless laugh before climbing down the ladder. Kyrr caught her in a tight hug as she rejoined them, and Lia caught her around the waist from behind with a delighted laugh. The celebration didn’t last long, as the smallest of the trio wasn’t far behind in the order.

Murphy called her name, and Ophelia felt her nerves start to jangle. Her two best friends both whispered a quick encouragement, with Kyrr adding a “give us something to rub Snyde’s nose in.” She knew she was the least athletic of the three, but she’d been working out with them for weeks. Lia knew she was stronger than she had been. She just wanted to prove it now. Needed to.

The horn almost startled her, and she took off running. Her height was a disadvantage, but like Iris she was lightweight enough to make hauling herself around easier. The climbing slowed her down some but she breezed cat-footed across the beams and platforms, trying not to dread the last rope climb. She’d completed it twice in practice, but it was the hardest part of the course, the final hurdle. Her slide and jump was far higher than anyone else had attempted so far, and McNully’s shout of “Nicely done!” put a fierce grin on her face. No one needed to know she’d taken the risk of missing the rope to lessen the amount she had to climb.

She pulled herself up, gasping for breath and feeling like the time was trickling away like the sweat trickling down between her shoulder blades. Up and over the ledge. Lia stumbled over her own feet in her haste but it didn’t slow her down as she hit the button to stop her time. She glanced up at the scoreboard, trying not to hope.

Ophelia had come in just twenty-nine seconds behind Orin and taken the current second place. She shouted in pure glee and looked out at the crowd, laughter intensifying as she realized what they were shouting.

“Curse Break-er! Curse Break-er!” Somewhere in all of that Lenny was grinning like a little imp over getting the chant started.

Lia wheezed slightly as she raked sweaty hair back from her face, and took her time climbing down the ladder. She rejoined her friends as the next person to go got ready, and had the wind knocked out of her all over again as Kyrr picked her up in a bear hug that made Quidditch celebrations seem tame. Orin squeezed her shoulders and Lia laughed again, breath slowly returning.

“I need. To sit. Down.” She grinned as they sat on the grass with her, not minding as she laid back, enjoying the cold ground bringing her temperature down to normal.

They had some time to wait as students between “D” and “K” got their turn, though all three winced at a particularly bad fall that temporarily paused the event until the student was checked out and cleared. Kyrr stood up and stretched again, getting ready. Orin grinned up at her and shook her head.

“Go embarrass the rest of us, Moose.” Beside her, finally sitting up again, Lia cracked up.

“The top was nice while it lasted, right?” She looked at Kyrr, who was biting her lip. “We mean it, Kestrele. Go show them what we’ve seen.” Orin nodded in agreement. There was no jealousy between them, they were all too close friends for any such nonsense.

“Thanks.” Kyriel gave them a little smile, and moved to the starting line. A hush of anticipation fell over the crowd, her reputation had spread enough to make her run a spectacle. She planted her feet on the line and crouched like a sprinter. This wasn’t Ilvermorny. No one here was hoping for her to fail, no one was laughing at the fact that she had shot up in height almost overnight. No one was whispering that she’d only gotten this good through family connections, that she would never really earn anything. She had best friends. A boyfriend. A life.

Show them.

Yeah.

The horn sounded and she took off running like she was on fire. By the time she reached the first beam, several people in the bleachers were standing. She ran across it full tilt, and heard someone shout in the distance.

The rock wall was probably her favorite part of the course, but it seemed like it was over before it even started. She hit the rings at speed and skipped three of them as she crossed, taking the swinging platforms in short effortless jumps as if she was in her animagus form. Each obstacle, one by one, cleared with the single minded drive to prove herself. To be the person Hogwarts had let her start over as.

Her slide and jump for the rope was almost as high up as Lia’s had been, and Kyrr didn’t bother with the military footwork, just hauled herself up the rope like a sailor. She cleared the top and hit the button so fast she almost crashed into the plinth it was set on.

Kyriel couldn’t remember the last time she had been so winded. People were shouting, cheering, and across the field Murphy was punching the air and shouting like Ireland had just won the world cup. She laughed and turned the sound on her hearing aid back to normal, for once not overwhelmed. The American girl looked up to the scoreboard to see her name, and laughed out loud. She’d taken the lead from Orin by fifty-eight seconds.

Kyriel slid down the ladder, and headed back to the queue. Lia had apparently gotten back enough energy to not only get up, but tackle her once she was close enough, and they went down in a laughing pile of limbs.

“That’s what I’m fockin talking about.” Lia grinned as Kyrr giggled almost to tears at the very rare Dovewing swear word. Orin sat beside them, grinning.

“You should have seen Merula’s face.”

Lia grinned and nodded. “I think she dislikes you almost as much as she does me.”

“Good. I don’t like her either.” Kyrr chuckled again, breathing returning to normal. “Now we get to enjoy the lull until Rath or Barnaby beats me and I have to decide if I can do that again.”

Chapter Text

Barnaby Lee watched Kyriel’s run with rapt attention. Not scanning the course for how she’d managed the time, so much, she was just so fast and coordinated that it was a delight to watch. He valued strength above most attributes, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a stronger woman.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting bored of your bargain bin Lia doppelganger.” Merula had her arms folded as she looked at Barnaby. It irritated her that his allegiance had shifted to the so called Curse Breaker in their early years at Hogwarts, and took any opportunity she could to needle him. Some of the time he was even smart enough to notice.

“Hunh?” Barnaby looked at her in confusion, and followed Merula’s gaze back to the bleachers where his friend Halley sat, unconsciously pulled away and shrunk down from the others as far as she could get herself in the social setting, a wary discomfort in her eyes like an animal poised to flee. He thought it was charming. “They aren’t doppelgangers, they don’t look alike at all.”

“White hair? Light eyes?”

“Halley has short hair,” he pointed out cheerfully as if it won the argument. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was actually dumb or just very good at playing it. Probably a mix of both.

“She looks like she could keel over at any second.” Merula rolled her eyes as Barnaby stretched, McNully calling his name.

“She’s deceptively delicate. Like a little glow bug.” Barnaby smiled.

“I thought you only respected strength,” Merula snapped as he looked over at the trio of girls collapsed on the grass and laughing.

“Well yeah. But strength should be used to protect those who need it.” He looked so confused that she let loose an expletive and backed away so he could prepare for his run. It just wasn’t fun when no one would rise to the bait.

+++

“What were you saying about a lull?” Lia grinned at Kyrr, who groaned.

“How did I forget that L comes right after K?” The American groaned and sat up a bit propped on her elbows, watching Barnaby prepare to start. There were three kinds of athletes in her reckoning, the ones who worked for it and the ones who had it naturally. And the third, really dangerous ones who had both. Barnaby fell into that category. Gentle temperament, fortunately; she’d never forget his abject horror at seeing her spike a sparrow to the ground in herbology. He’d made her apologize to it after it got lose in the medical wing and had to be recaptured. She could still picture Lia trying not to laugh as he insisted it was the right thing to do, face free of guile beyond innocent determination.

But the boy had clearly hit a growth spurt around the time she had, and apart from Talbott and technically Murphy, he was one of the tallest boys in their year, even more than she was. He also worked out nearly every chance he got. She and Lia tilted their heads in sync as he stripped off his shirt before the run. Lia shook her head.

“Not my type, but bloody hell.” Lia looked at Kyrr, who laughed.

“Don’t start, I know what McNully has hidden behind that crisp shirt and tie. Lee is kind of impressive though, he’d be hot-”

“-if he wasn’t so mind numbingly dumb?” Orin finished for her, and Kyrr nodded.

“He looks like he eats crayons.”

Lia covered her mouth with both hands and wheezed a laugh. Barnaby was a good friend, and she did respect him on many levels, especially where magical creatures were concerned. But she couldn’t say the rather mean description of his character was inaccurate.

The horn sounded and Barnaby took off. In sprinting speed he matched Kyrr easily, and his jumps had a lot of power behind them. It would have been no contest if the course had been straightforward, but the difficult elements of the course played to his disadvantages. The way up the wall took him longer to figure out, even if he made the actual climb look effortless. He overcompensated and lost time on the rollers, too. He was up the rope and done quick as a flash, sheepishly waving at those cheering him on and oblivious to the girls and guys who were giving him special attention for the first time.

He looked up at the board and his face fell a little, before shrugging. He’d missed Kyrr’s time by three seconds. Barnaby slid down the ladder the way Kyrr did, and walked past their group on his way to get his shirt.

“Almost had you! Going to need to do a second run.” He grinned as she flipped him off, having long since realized the American’s profanity usually had no teeth and was frequently a sign of affection.

“Ugh, you didn’t even break a sweat.” Kyrr brushed grass off her clothes, grin impossible to miss. “Go ahead, give it a second run. See if I care. And put a shirt on, you’re giving the third years bad ideas!” Lia slowly turned her head around to look at Kyrr with an expression so flat it made her jump, and gestured at the shirtless boy walking away.

“That! That’s what it’s like living with you.”

“But I’m not hot!”

“Yes you are,” Lia and Orin both muttered with almost synchronized eye rolls. Kyrr laughed and scratched at her braid, flinching and giggling as Lia smacked her hand away.

+++

Unsurprisingly most of the well placed times belonged to quidditch players, Dragon Club members overrepresented on the leaderboard. Skye Parkin made a run that unfortunately fell below what she felt capable of, and her disappointment was palpable as she sat on the grass with the others who had finished theirs. To her surprise and consternation, Rath nodded when she got back.

“Not bad for your height. Tough disadvantage to overcome.” The blond girl seemed unflappable, and Skye glowered at her back, unsure if she was being made fun of or not.

When Murphy called her to the line, the crowd got antsy again, another highly anticipated run. The Ravenclaw quidditch team cheered for her at the starting line, and Kyrr and Lia joined Orin in it. Parkin gave the three a disgusted look. Erica prepped the way Kyrr had, for a sprint. She wasn’t usually the running type. Kyriel chewed on her lips anxiously, leaning forward as if she’d be running too.

Rath wasn’t the distance type, but her sprint was fast and clean, and she handled the course with the same brutal efficiency that she used for every aspect of her life. She wasn’t just athletic, she was smart and knew where to focus her strengths. If the swinging platforms hadn’t proved less stable than she anticipated she’d have cleared the course with a new record. As it was, when she hit the button to stop the time, the crowd erupted.

Rath and Kestrele were tied.

Kyrr fell back muttering imprecations and rubbing her eyes. “I knew it.” Orin simply laughed.

“Just wait till Barnaby goes again.”

Shortly after Rath’s run, Merula Snyde got into position on the starting line. It grated at her that it seemed like no one was paying much attention, not even Ismelda who hadn’t bothered to show up at all. She glared at Lia’s name on the leaderboard. In ninth place, the notorious Curse Breaker was at the cusp of being knocked out of the top names for the overall event depending on how well the seventh year students performed. It was the only time that Merula cared about. She dug in her heels until the horn sounded, and threw herself at the course with the kind of determination that could only be fueled by hatred and frustration.

Merula was faster than Ophelia would have expected, and she handled the obstacles with little concern for her own safety. It was a reckless but effective tactic, and Lia balled her hands into fists. She really didn’t want to run again, moreso than Kyrr who was mostly griping for the hell of it. But she couldn’t let Merula win.

In the end, Merula made it up the rope and hit the button, saw her score, and stomped her foot as she yelled at the time. She’d done well, but a half dozen seconds behind Lia.

“Oh thank hell.” Lia sighed in relief.

“You know she’s going to try again.” Orin made a face and Kyrr nodded in agreement.

“Better her than me.”

+++

The initial runs concluded, and Barnaby stepped up to be the first to retry. Kyriel chewed on her knuckles as he managed to speed up through the parts of the course that had tripped him up before, and shook her head as he got to the last slide.

“It’s over. No one is beating that.” Kyrr sighed and scratched at her hair again; this time Lia didn’t stop her.

Barnaby timed his last jump poorly, not realizing one of his shoes had come unlaced. He caught his own foot, and a chorus of worried shouts burst out as his forehead made contact with the boards under the rope line, body dropping into the spiderwebbing. Kyriel was on her feet and across the field first, in a flat out panicked run no one could keep up. Charlie and Andre carefully detangled him from the webs and handed him down to Kyrr and Orin, who carried him over to the healer tent as Lia cleared the way. People poured off the bleachers trying to get a look, and for a few minutes pandemonium reigned.

Kalisto came around the corner to see Barnaby with his head and torso soaked in blood, turned on his heel to walk away, muttered something in Ancient Greek…. and dropped nervelessly into the grass. Lia opened her mouth but Chiara shook her head.

“He’s fine.” She inspected Barnaby carefully, and used Episkey to close the remarkably short rip in the boy’s scalp. A minute figure squeezed through the tightly wound crowd, and Halley sat at Barnaby’s knee. To outside observers, Barnaby was surrounded by a cloud of four white and silver heads, and Badeea surreptitiously held up her fingers to make a shape for perspective reference later. It really looked like a broken man tended to by angels.

A moment later and Barnaby’s shaky laugh got through to the crowd, and people started to disperse, relieved.

“Don’t worry, Halley.” Barnaby smiled down at the girl worrying. “I was dropped on my head a couple times as a baby. I have a really thick skull!”

“No one is going to argue that,” she replied wryly as she ran fingers through short cropped hair, tossing a grateful nod as Ophelia carefully used Scourgify to clean up the last of the blood. Talbott entered the healer’s tent as Chiara moved to check on Kalisto, who was half consciously muttering about cursed vaults.

“McNully sent me to find out what’s going on.” Talbott glanced at Barnaby, who was sipping a skelegrow potion for his cracked head just in case. Halley looked up at him and shook her head.

“He’ll be okay, but he’s done for the day.”

“Are you okay here with him while we head back?” Kyrr frowned, but Halley nodded, calmly confident.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She sat beside Barnaby, who gave her a dreamy smile.

“Pretty glow bug.”

“O….Kay sweetie we’re going to lay you down a minute,” she mumbled, “until Madam Pomfry can take a look at that concussion you clearly have.”

The trio walked out of the tent to give everyone space, and Talbott returned to Murphy’s position to discuss things with Hooch. Orin narrowed her eyes, calculating.

“There’s no way they’ll call it, not even after that.”

+++

Orin turned out to be right, but there was a rather impassioned argument between McNully and McGonagall that led to the decision. It was decided to start the seventh year runs, given they had the lowest sign up rate. If no one beat Kyrr and Rath’s time, they would be allowed to go head to head in a tie breaker round as long as both girls agreed.

Merula was absolutely furious.

“So it looks like you win again without really trying, Dovewing.”

“I beat your first time with my first time. It’s not my fault they took away the second attempts.” Lia glared back, not liking the slightly guilty feeling that circumstances had unfairly worked out in her favor. It happened for her too often for her taste.

“You think I don’t know McNully would fix this for you?” Merula leaned forward, but backed up fast as Kyriel got in her face.

“He would never do that. He strives for fairness in everything.”

“Shut your trap, Kestrele, no mutants allowed in this conversation.”

“Don’t talk shit you can’t back up, bitch.” Kyrr’s voice dropped into a growl and her eyes flashed silver fire. Lia held her hands up, alarmed.

“Let’s not do this, okay? No one expected Barnaby to get badly hurt, we’re just lucky we can continue at all.” Lia gave Snyde a warning look.

“That’s right, call off your attack dog.” Merula sneered as Orin tried to pull Kyrr away. “She’s not EVEN a mud blood.” She spat into the grass between them. “Squibby freak.”

Kyrr lunged at her with a snarl, dragging Orin and Lia with her, but Rath yanked Merula away to safety. She didn’t bother to follow through, though, and let her sprawl in the grass. “Go cool off.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to-”

“-GO or I will HELP her kick your ass.” Rath almost never bothered with intimidation, her nature surprisingly calm for a beater, but the heat in her voice added enough fuel for Merula to scramble away and back off, still cursing.

Skye looked at Rath and made a face. “Don’t make me like you.” Erica ignored her and stepped up to Kyrr, who was breathing like she’d just done a second run of the course.

“She’s not worth it. We have a match to finish.” The calm had returned, and it dropped on Kyrr’s fire like cool sand, putting out the flames. The taller girl nodded after a moment, and Orin carefully released her.

“I’m gonna get a drink.” Kyrr waved them off and walked to the healer’s tent, where Kalisto met her with a cold pumpkin juice and some delightfully unkind words about the girl they both despised.

Lia shook her head. “That was close.”

Orin nodded, mind at work. “You know when those two finally snap it’s going to be a bloodbath.” Lia shuddered as the words reverberated up her spine like a premonition.

+++

After all the sixth year conflicts and injuries, seventh year was downright boring. Several students placed, knocking Lia down to fourteenth and Merula down to fifteenth. Any guilt Ophelia felt for her rival missing a chance to run again had been erased the moment Snyde attacked Kyriel’s family. She wasn’t looking forward to giving her a medal, though at least it was last place.

None of the seventh year students managed to unseat Rath and Kestrele, and Barnaby still had third place no matter how the rest of the day went.

Shadows were growing long and the food tables were nearly depleted as the course was once again changed slightly. Two competitors, head to head at the same time: as Murphy delightfully declared it would go down in the school’s history under the top ten percent of dramatic conclusions. Kyrr was calm after the earlier scuffle, and she and Erica waited for the course to be finished for their run.

“Do not pull a Barnaby.” Lia scowled and yanked Kyrr’s head around as the taller girl knelt in the grass in front of her, the braid having completely given up and an emergency ponytail needed to keep her eyes clear. “I would be VERY cross with you because I can’t carry your giant ass from the nets to the tent and then everyone will think I’m a bad friend.” She wasn’t even sure what she was saying anymore, her nerves were as bad as they had been for her own run.

Kyrr smiled up at her, and Lia concealed a pang of anguish to see through her eyes into her mind. Some of her friend’s hard won progress in tearing down the walls of her trauma had been undone, psychological damage re-established after her confrontation with Merula. It wasn’t as bad as it had been, but she’d been doing so well.

“I’m not like Barnaby.” Kyrr smiled and shrugged. “I am smart enough to tie my shoes.”

“You don’t have laces on the shoes you’re wearing right now, ass.” Lia frowned, and cupped her friend’s face in her hands, planting a kiss on her forehead the same way her mother would have when she was little and being feisty. It had the intended effect, Kyrr’s shoulders relaxed a bit, and when she stood up she seemed to be fully be back in the right frame of mind.

“It’s good that you quit playing quidditch and she’s just a referee.” Rath’s calm, dry voice elicited an almost Skye-like glare from Lia. “You’d be unstoppable as a team. I want a chance to win the cup this year.” She went back to ignoring them, much to Orin’s amusement and Lia’s bemusement.

McNully called the final warning for time, and both athletes prepared to start, intent and determined. They shared one smirk between them, and then the horn sounded. Kyrr exploded into motion, a split second before Rath, but by the time they cleared the cargo net it was neck and neck. The beam put Kyrr back in the lead, but the rock wall had been reworked when it was doubled and Rath’s analytical mind found the fastest route up first.

The rings also gave the Ravenclaw a lead, and she was already on the swinging platforms by the time Kyrr even got to the rings. But there the balance shifted in more than one way; the Slytherin managed to cross them with almost no effort while her opponent had to rebalance between platforms. They hit the rollers with nearly identical pacing, but Kyrr raced up the zig zags with a careless speed that made Lia grab onto Orin out of sheer nerves.

Kyriel was the first to the final rope, and caught it higher up, but Erica was a moment behind and put years of beater bat swinging to use as she scaled it with lightning speed. Both girls hauled themselves over the edge at the same time and dove for the timer button.

+++

Putting a medal on Merula would have been distasteful, but Lia was delighted to find Snyde had left the training grounds after the conflict. The Curse breaker gave Professor Snape the medal to pass along with some pithy words about how the girl had deserved her last place honor. Snape, for his part, didn’t make any comments about it, simply accepting it in Merula’s stead.

Orin happily stood in to give Lia her medal, and swapped out to receive her fifth place one, Iris screaming in delight over her sister making the top five.

Barnaby accepted his third place medal with a dozy happiness, still dizzy and tired but well enough to stand as long as he had Halley and Kalisto supporting him on either side. They got him back to the tent after and then accompanied him to the hospital wing with Madam Pomfry, Halley still by his side in unwavering solidarity. Chiara slid her hand into Kalisto’s as they walked, whispering that he’d done a good job. If his grin was anything to go on, he considered the distressing job well worth it to win her heart a smidge more.

Lia watched them go with a grin, and looked to the two golden medals in her hands. One with a center ring of silver the way Barnaby’s had bronze, one pure gold all the way through. Kyrr and Rath were smiling at each other and joking as they waited in the pause, their final run not causing any friction between the athletes. Ophelia smiled and handed Rath the silver ringed medal with a sheepish smile.

“You earned it. And hey, maybe this year will be Ravenclaw’s victory on the quidditch pitch. Don’t tell Skye, but I’m rooting for you.” She laughed with Erica as the blond girl nodded.

“It’s the wingspan. Couldn’t outreach her.” Rath looked at Kyrr, who was talking to Murphy intently, the air between them charged like lightning. Lia did her best not to make a face.

“Yeah, well, she’s often reaching too far for something. KESTRELE! HEADS UP!” Ophelia chucked the medal at her friend’s head as she startled and spun to catch it, confusion and accusation on her face, as Orin doubled over laughing.

Chapter Text

(Mild trigger warning: mentions of parental death, mourning.)

“Lookin sharp, Orin.” Ophelia grinned at her friend as she walked out of the Ravenclaw changing rooms in her Quidditch gear, carrying the new broom that had been her birthday gift a few weeks before Christmas. “Good luck up there today.”

“Thanks.” The dark haired girl looked down at her uniform and gave a chuckle. “You know, I do prefer my house to yours, but I’m sort of jealous that Rowena was more fond of blue than green.”

“Well, you look good in any color.” Lia smiled and moved to the side as one of the many spectators milling about before the game brushed past. “How are the nerves?”

“I can’t speak for Gryffindor, but I know our team is on edge. There haven’t been any really bad hex issues since we fixed the trophy, but it doesn’t feel like we solved the root of the problem. No one wants to get hurt, especially not four days before Valentine’s day.”

Lia nodded, understanding. “That wouldn’t be good. You have any plans?” She gave a knowing look. “With a certain blue hair dyed chaser?”

“Maybe.” Orin gave her a look right back. “Certainly not what you probably have planned.”

“What?” Lia did her best innocent smile. “Just because I am the planning type doesn’t mean-”

“-shit.” Orin hissed, and Lia startled, not accustomed to that level of rudeness from her friend. It was misplaced, though. “Is that Kyrr’s uncle?” Lia spun around to look, heart hammering and fingers itching for her wand.

A man stood just outside the open space that the changing room tents let out into, facing half away from them. He was certainly the right height and frame, and the glossy hair as dark a black as Orin’s was the same as Marcus, although it was quite a bit longer and faintly curled at the tips the way Kyrr’s got when Lia managed to pounce on her with a brush and product. He was dressed in a very sharp gray suit like something a muggle banker might wear, tie in an immaculate knot and shoes polished to a perfect shine. He turned his head to sweep eyes across the open space, and both girls stared. He had no facial scars like the ones Marcus did, although the almost silver gray eyes were the same both brothers shared with Kyrr. Lia fanned herself with a hand, laughing awkwardly.

“Okay, that has got to be her dad. And daaamn.” She shook her head as Orin nodded sagely. The man might have been a squib, but it was clear he’d inherited the slower aging of his wizarding roots, he could easily have passed for Kyriel’s older brother even with the striking lock of silver hair at his temple.

Across the field came a cry, and his face lit up. Kyrr flew across the space in her referee robes and jumped, throwing her arms around him. Not every man could catch a moose at full speed without falling over, but Alastair Kestrele managed it. They hugged tightly for a moment before Kyrr let him go, and they started signing back and forth too fast for the other girls to follow.

Kyriel turned her head to see them, and signed something to her father, the sign for “friend” recognizable enough. She walked over with him arm in arm, and grinned like a crazy person.

“Lia. Orin. This is my dad. Dad, this is Ophelia and Orin, my best friends.” She was brimming over with excitement, and he offered his free hand to shake theirs.

“Charmed, ladies. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Although Kyrr had an unusually low, husky voice for a woman, let alone a teenage one, her father’s gentle baritone rumble put her to shame. Lia shook the offered hand, inwardly laughing at herself for the slight flush on her cheeks. The man was gorgeous.

“Aww, you wrote your dad about us?” Orin grinned, shaking his hand next.

“Of course. I write every week.” Kyrr looked at her father with shining eyes.

“The no-maj ministry has had me working a heavy schedule, but I finally had some time off to see my girl in her official role. After all that time pretending to be a referee for your stuffed animals it should have been inevitable, I suppose.” Alastair gave her a proud half hug as she flushed with embarrassment and Lia almost died from the adorable mental image of little Kyrr with a whistle, calling a teddy bear out for elbowing. Orin’s expression suggested she was picturing the same thing.

“Yes! Well, I’m glad you’re here. Anyway.” Kyrr shook her head as he shrugged, happy and unapologetic. Behind them, Lia caught sight of a flash of blond hair and a chair. She tilted her head a little to see Murphy frozen in place by the terror most young man faced when meeting a “daddy’s girl’s” father.

“Hey McNully! Come on over here.” Sometimes people wondered if Lia really fit in Slytherin house. Those people wouldn’t wonder if they could see her face at that moment.

Murphy silently swore several kinds of revenge and got closer, swallowing hard. Kyrr turned around and grinned at him, as did the man who was unmistakably her father. McNully was accustomed to looking up at people, but Alastair was absurdly tall. Kyrr had said once that the only looks she got from her mother was the hair color, and Murphy didn’t doubt it. The Kestrele genes were potent, she was the spitting image of the man beside her. Even the single lock of silver hair that cut through his black waves started at his temple just above where Kyrr’s one black eyebrow hair grew in. Murphy couldn’t help but find it absolutely charming.

“Dad. This is Murphy McNully, my boyfriend. Murphy…. This. Is my dad.” Kyrr bit her lip, excited and apprehensive. The two men studied each other, and Murphy held up a hand to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kestrele.” Orin and Lia held their breath, but Alastair reached down to shake it.

“You as well. I’m sure we all have a lot to talk about, but maybe it should wait until after your game?” He glanced at Kyrr, who nodded.

“Murph, do you think Dad could sit up in the booth with you? Best seat in the house.” She looked hopeful and irresistible.

“Oh, of course. It’ll just be the professors up there since it’s a house match, so plenty of room. If you’ll follow me, sir?” McNully led the way, and Orin and Lia exchanged a look before turning to Kyrr, who held up her hands.

“I had no idea he was coming, I swear. I would have warned you.”

“Warned us?” Orin snickered. “You should have warned poor McNully. Talk about trial by fire.”

+++

McNully fought the urge to chatter endlessly on the way up to the box, Kyrr’s father looking around at everything with interest. He knew the man was a squib, but the only other one he’d met was Filch, and not a good example. He wrung his hands anxiously and glanced up, still startled by how much the man looked like his daughter.

“I don’t bite, kid.” Alastair laughed and shook his head. “The fidgeting is unnecessary.” The lift stopped at the top, and the two entered the box. It was early enough the professors hadn’t arrived, and they had it to themselves.

“Sorry. I’ve just never met a girlfriend’s dad before. Or had a girlfriend with a dad. Or a girlfriend.” Murphy cringed.

“I’m a bit impressed, actually. Kyrie isn’t the easiest nut to crack, she’s got a lot of armor up. Hearing she found a boyfriend so fast had me a bit worried, but you seem alright.” Alastair chuckled and shook his head, brushing hair back from his face. “My job was to teach her how to make choices for herself, support those choices, and be there to catch her if they don’t work out. Not to make them for her. So don’t worry about me, Kiddo. I’m not dangerous, shit I don’t even have magic. So if you hurt her? I’m not gonna do anything.” He pulled out a pack of black cigarettes, lit one with a metal lighter, and inhaled a breath of sweet, clove scented smoke. “Kyrr though, she might fuckin kill ya.” He exhaled the smoke and grinned. “And I would help her hide a body.”

“I can’t tell if you are the coolest person I’ve ever met or one of the most terrifying.” Murphy looked at him in fascination. “Both?” The older man just laughed and nodded to the pitch.

“Thing is bigger than I remember.”

“You’ve been here before?” Murphy startled, and winced, he all but pointed out the man hadn’t attended a magical school.

“Aislynn was a student here, she brought me once, a few years after we married.” He smiled wistfully, and McNully felt his heart tighten at the feeling in the man’s voice. “She was never healthy enough to play, but she loved Quidditch. Where Kyrr gets it, I suppose.”

“Well, she gets her love of maths from you.” Murphy smiled a bit, shrugging. “It’s one of the first things we bonded over.” He looked at his hands a moment, then back up to meet a smile so much like Kyrr’s that it was uncanny. “May I ask what house Kyrr’s mum was in?”

“Ravenclaw. She didn’t have the ability to get out and explore much, so, all her worlds and excitement came from books. Couldn’t cast worth a damn, but she could remember any spell on the first try. Invented a fair few, too. You know,” he laughed, “she used to…. Hah. Hunh. This is the most I’ve talked about her in a long time.” He looked sad, but smiled. “Overdue maybe.”

McNully swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to get his voice to work past the powerful sensation of shared grief. “Kyrr doesn’t talk about her much either.”

“That’s my fault. My Ayzee was a hard one to let go of.” He finished the cigarette and put it out, returning the filter to the box with the others. Murphy cleared his throat again.

“With all due respect, sir, I think Kyrr is the one you should be talking to about her.” He glanced up as Dumbledore arrived, and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Alastair nodded again, looking out over the pitch where Kyrr was already in position on her broom, watching the field for signs of the curse that had been plaguing the teams.

“I think it’s about fuckin time, yeah.”

+++

The house match between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had the sort of high speed chaos that always seemed to hit in a frenzy during the second half of the school year. Ravenclaw had a definite edge, Gryffindor’s keeper simply couldn’t keep up with the barrage of clean throws by the chasers bearing down on him. After nearly two hours not even the snitch could have saved the red-dressed team, and McGonagall had her lips pressed into a tight line.

Nothing seemed untoward until the end of the match, but when it happened, it happened fast. One moment Ravenclaw’s keeper was dragging himself up from a starfish and stick, the next the center goal post let out a mighty cracking sound. The third half tilted, and came crashing down, knocking the keeper off his broom. Kyrr dove after as Hooch threw out a spell to break the dazed boy’s fall, and Kyrr landed beside him with her wrist up. A shield sprung into place over the two, and the rain of shrapnel and goal pieces reflected off of it, leaving them unharmed in a ring of debris on the grass.

Alastair was on his feet and gripping the edge of the box in horror until she turned off the shield and gave Hooch a thumbs up. Madam Hooch looked up at Murphy and tooted her whistle, he gave the call to evacuate, and the medical team quickly retrieved the fallen keeper from the pitch. Kyriel remained until everyone was out, grateful for the shield Orin had gifted her. She left the stadium last, only to be grabbed in a tight hug by her father.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Kiddo, why do you have to be the type to rush into danger?” He held her tightly, and she hugged back just as hard.

“I’m fine, dad. Really. I have a shield Orin gave me for Christmas. It’s dragon scale, I knew I’d be safe.” She smiled up at him, embarrassed. “Sorry I worried you.”

Alastair gave Orin a grateful smile, and she shrugged sheepishly. “It wasn’t that hard. Dragons shed a lot.”

“Still. What on Earth caused that?”

The trio exchanged looks, and Kyrr shrugged. “Dunno, but I’m sure the school will get to the bottom of it.”

It was all Lia could do not to laugh.

+++

Dumbledore gave an announcement in the Great Hall that the Quidditch stadium was off limits until investigation could be carried out. It was all anyone could talk about in the hours afterwards apart from one small corner of the room. Kyrr and her dad sat together, sharing a quiet conversation, and Lia watched from a table away, anxious for her friend.

“She looks upset.” Lia rubbed at her ribs anxiously. Beside her, Talbott rubbed her arm, sitting as close as he could manage. He’d come flying the moment he’d heard what happened on the pitch and been glued to her since. Across from them, Murphy clutched a mug of butterbeer.

“Her dad is talking to her about her mum.” He frowned, not looking back over his shoulder. It felt cowardly but he couldn’t bear to see her face. Alastair spoke of his late wife the way McNully felt about Kyrr, and the idea of losing her so young, having to move on and raise a child all alone… it was a pain he didn’t want to imagine.

“What? Oh hell.” Lia sagged against Talbott. Next to Murphy, Orin stared off into space, quiet. It felt odd and wrong to speak up under the circumstances, given her family was still mostly intact. He mother could be intense, but she was very much alive and well.

“So we think the goal post breaking was part of the curse?” Orin hoped the change of topic would help. Skye sat sideways on the bench seat next to her, back pressed against her side. It was cute, the little Slytherin wasn’t great at expressing healthy emotions but her concern for what had happened so close to Orin was obvious.

“Has to be. Just snapping like that? It wasn’t even windy today.” Skye scowled and shook her head. “I don’t like it, someone could have been badly hurt.”

“Someone was,” Orin pointed out dryly. “Danners is going to be out of commission a while.”

“Not to mention the pitch,” Murphy said mournfully. “What if there’s more damage to the stadium? I can’t even imagine a year without a quidditch cup!”

Lia sighed, and looked across the tables again. Kyrr and her father were gone, and no matter how pressing the quidditch situation was, she couldn’t distract herself from worrying about her friend.

+++

Dinner eventually came and went, and Ophelia debated going to the library to find some light reading when Rowan flagged her down. She looked concerned, and Lia felt a growing sense of unease.

“Hey, Lia? Can you go to our dorm? I think something is… I think you should talk to Kyriel.” Rowan shook her head. “I’m not good with this kind of stuff.”

Lia wasn’t sure if she even responded, just that she made a beeline for the Slytherin dungeons. She paused at the heavy door to their dorm. Muffled sobs from within made her heart ache, and she stifled it as best she could before she entered. Kyrr sat on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest and sobbing in the circle of her arms. On the bed in front of her was a slim book, open to the last page.

Lia moved over cautiously, and sat on the bed beside her. She put a hand on her back and gently rubbed between her shoulders until the deep shuddering breaths slowed. “I’m sorry, Kyrr.”

“It’s okay. I’m okay.” She didn’t sound it, voice cracked as she forced the words out. “I will be. It’s just…..fresh.” Kyrr lifted her head, red rimmed eyes focused on the book in front of her. “Dad found one of mom’s journals from when she was a student here. He thought I should read it.” She wiped her eyes and laughed bitterly. “Mom had great handwriting, actually.”

“That has to have been a lot all at once,” Lia said softly. Kyrr nodded.

“Starts when she was my age. She…. She was funny. I didn’t know she was funny. She has little caricature drawings of professors and stuff. Silly stories. Spells she made up…. Some of them I want to try. It… it ends right after she met dad. She was smitten.” Kyrr laughed, tears running freely again. “Then there’s one last…. One more entry. For me.” She fell apart again, sobbing. She nudged the open page to Lia, who picked it up to read, honored by the trust placed in sharing.

March 4th, 1975
My dearest Kyriel. I hope these words find you when you are a woman nearly grown, in charge of your own life and experiences. I hope you have had more joys than sorrows, and that your future feels as bright as the one I wish for you. I won’t be here much longer, baby girl. I don’t want to leave you or your father, but I have held on longer than anyone expected just to come this far. I held on for you.

You are the brightest, most beautiful, incredible child. The day you were born was my happiest. The day the doctors confirmed that the malady that I suffer from wasn’t passed to you comes a close second. I hope you have a long life of health and happiness. Your father, bless his heart, fears you will be denied magic as he is, but I don’t believe it for a second. I have never seen a more magical child in my life. The world had best watch out when you come into your own.

I love you, my precious Kyriel. Though I may be gone, the best of me lives on in you.
Forever Your Mother,
Aislynn Kestrele

When my time has come, bury me in joy, not sadness. For though this life was short, you made it all worthwhile.

Ophelia gently set the book down before her tears could join Kyrr’s on the page. Beside her, Kyrr shifted into her cat form, anguished for all the years of love that circumstances had robbed her of. Lia picked the heavy cat up in her arms and settled back against the pillows, stroking her fur and staring off into space as her vision blurred under fresh tears, certain of one thing.

A letter to her own mum was overdue.

Chapter Text

(Trigger warnings: intense bullying, trauma, and death of a child)

If you asked Kyriel Kestrele what silence was, she would have looked at you in confusion. Well, to be fair, if you asked her anything she would have looked at you in confusion, and not because she was only six years old. However, if you asked her in American sign language what silence was, she still wouldn’t have understood. It was all she had known since the day she was born. She was a curious, inquisitive child, quick to investigate things that caught her attention and impossible to keep still. Her father Alastair had long since come to the realization that she used being deaf as an excuse not to listen, especially after realizing he had to extract her from the large tree in front of their home, again, for the upteenth time. She had a child’s heedless lack of awareness when it came to her own personal safety.

Some lessons could only be taught by falling.

She couldn’t hear the branch crack or her father’s shout of alarm as she leaned out too far, her first realization that danger loomed was the moment the stressed branch snapped and she plunged three meters toward the ground. Her father ran towards her in horror, ready to throw himself to break her fall. Wishing harder than he ever had that he hadn’t been born different than the rest of his family. He didn’t have magic. A foot off the ground, Kyrr stopped falling, and a gentle rush of air burst out from under her. She dropped the rest of the way, crying in fear as her father gathered her up in his arms, filled with dread and elation. She was a witch. She would be part of the world he was denied.

But it was only a matter of time now.

Less than a week later a knock on the door after dinner filled Alastair with fear. Then a second, more insistent knock. He ordered his daughter up to her room with quick hand gestures, the look on his face enough to convince her to heed him. She was at the top of the stairs when a muffled voice chanted, and the lock clicked open.

A man strode into the living room, dressed in a black on black suit as sharp as his short military cut hair. Kyrr paused and crouched down to watch. It was fascinating. Marcus Kestrele walked up to his brother, eyes narrowed. They could have been twins if not for the lock of white over Alastair’s left eyebrow, despite the latter being five years younger than the wizard he faced. They began to talk tersely, and Kyrr wished she was better at reading lips. The tone was unmistakable, though. Anger. The stranger with her father’s face turned eyes that matched theirs in color toward her, and she shivered. He smiled, but it was mirthless. Ruthless.

He took a step in the direction of the stairs, and her father ran to intercept, hands out. Yelling. More yelling, loud enough that her right ear could pick up the faintest of sounds. Marcus stepped forward again, and her father physically pushed him back. The wizard backed up a step, and pulled out a long shaft of carved ebony wood. He pointed it at Alastair and flicked it. Kyrr’s father flew backwards into the wall of the landing at the bottom of the stairs, and slumped over. Marcus froze, regret on his face for a heartbeat.

He would have pled for understanding. His younger brother lifted his head and bared his teeth to speak, it would have been scathing. But a little girl stood between them, hand out, palm open towards the intruder. Marcus reached out his own hand, in offering or threat, it didn’t matter. The damage was done. Her scream was loud enough that even she could have heard it.

Magic was unpredictable, especially in young witches and wizards who started their lives as muggles. The unfocused wave directed by her terror and anger hit Marcus every bit as hard as the flipendo had hit her father, and he was tossed away from her and into the short wall by the door with enough force to put a hole in the drywall shaped like his back. He coughed at the dust it kicked up, and watched Alastair rise up and put his hands on Kyriel’s shoulders.

Marcus picked himself up and coughed, brushing off his suit. “She’s a Kestrele all right. She belongs with the family.”

“She is with her family.” His brother snarled back. Kyrr only knew the words spoken because she asked her father later.

Marcus put a small device on the table where Alastair’s car keys sat in a bowl. “This isn’t over.” He walked out and left the door open behind him. Alastair cautiously picked up the small device and cursed profusely as Kyrr put her palms up and gestured, asking what it was. He knelt before her and gently held it up, fitting the center piece into her ear and fitting the smooth cuff around the shell. He slid his finger across the top as a small gem in the center glowed from yellow to green.

“It’s a hearing aid.” He smiled as she startled, staring at his face. She didn’t know what the sounds meant, but she knew they were sounds the way other people heard them. She turned her head in wonder, and stepped into the open doorway. The second sound she ever truly heard was crickets singing as the fireflies danced across the front lawn.

+++

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Alastair tucked a lock of white hair behind his daughter’s ear. However small the hearing aid might have been, her hair was always trying to tangle in it.

“I am. I have everything I need.” Kyrr smiled up at him, small for her age but with none of Aislynn’s frailty. Unlike the other children at the platform, she only had a backpack, although it was filled with more than a no-maj backpack could ever hold. She had stitched on patches like her no-maj friends did, including a few patches lovingly stolen from her mother’s remaining possessions. Especially the quidditch ones. They were her favorite.

“You’ll do great. I believe in you, I believe in that. But if you ever want to come home, you will always be welcome. I will always be here for you.” Alastair hugged her gently, and reluctantly released her.

For the first time in her life, Kyrr was on her own. She wandered around the platform, clutching her ticket for the train that would take her to Ilvermorny. She looked for a place to sit, but then PAIN slammed through her head and she dropped, grabbing at her left ear. Some students nearby laughed at her reaction. A sandy haired boy looked over her with derision.

“What, never heard a train horn before?” He smirked and the girl beside him whispered something. “Oh. You’re that squib kid.” He laughed as she picked herself up, frantically looking for her ticket.

A young student with skin only a few shades lighter than their dramatic cloud of black hair stepped up to Kyrr and offered her lost ticket. They had warm brown eyes and wore striking metallic eyeshadow. They looked utterly fearless.

“Ignore them. Ethan Banksly can’t help himself, being a dick is literally the only personality he has.” The student handed Kyrr the ticket and offered a warm hand to shake. “I’m Elliott Montgomery-Jackson. You can call me Em, everyone does.”

“Kyriel Kestrele.” She looked down, shy. Sometimes she hated her name, the hard “k” sound was difficult to learn late and even regular no-maj kids picked on the “accent” that came from learning to speak at the age of six. “My friends call me Kyrr.”

“Cool name. Sounds like an angel or something with all that white hair.” Em grinned as the train doors started to open. “Come sit with me.” Kyrr followed her new friend obediently, taking in the sights and sounds of the train. Em snorted. “Anachronistic, right? Why a train? Why does it have to start from New York? Seriously it’s just a Hogwarts knock off.”

“Hog…warts?” Kyrr sat gingerly in the booth Em selected, across from a boy with coffee brown hair and blue eyes and a girl with ginger hair, brown eyes, and even more freckles than even Kyrr did.

“British magic school. Overrated,” the boy muttered, not even looking up from his book. Em grinned.

“Kyrr, meet my friends. Jean-luc and Sass.” Em sat beside Kyrr, looking curiously at the side of her head. The redhead grinned.

“Sup?”

“Ah. Hi.” Kyrr fidgeted and looked at Em, who poked her ear.

“Yo is that thing a hearing aid? Cool, my granny has one but it’s way bigger.” Em tilted their head.

“Yeah. I’m Deaf.” Kyrr shrugged, knowing it was one more thing that made her different. “I like hearing but my hair gets caught in it sometimes.” Em sat up straight and reached into their bag as Sass started laughing.

“Oh here we go.”

“Buzz off, Sassafras.” From the bag came a comb with a long pick at the handle end and a small spray bottle. “Kyrrie-baby, I’m about to make your whole life better.” Kyrr sat quietly, not making a sound even when the comb caught in her hair a bit and the cold spray drenched the side of her head. It took almost two hours before Em was satisfied, but finally a mirror came out of the bag where the comb and spray came from.

Kyrr looked at the left side of her head in surprise. Three quarters of her hair on that side had been picked out and meticulously braided against her scalp in rows all the way back to the middle of her head, where the ends hung loose and mixed with the rest of her messy hair. There was nothing free to catch on the hearing aid anymore.

“Oh wow. Shit that’s cool. Thank you!” She stared with wide eyes, and Em just grinned.

“I know. I’m just that good.”

+++

The first year of Ilvermorny was a struggle, word of her father’s condition got out immediately and there were more than a few students who took the opportunity to pick on someone who ranked even lower than no-maj-lings. It would have been unbearable if not for Em. Kyrr was sorted into Thunderbird house along with her new friend, although as a first and third year they weren’t bunked in the same dorms. They spent free time together though, and Kyrr couldn’t help but admire the way Em didn’t care what anyone thought of them.

The second year got worse, Kyrr struggled to keep up with the other kids in her year academically. She’d spent her first few years in the no-maj school system learning math, geography, history, and science. Switching to a school where magic was the focus was hard, and sometimes felt stupid, even if the goal was to keep children born with natural powers from accidentally using them to hurt others or themselves. Her wand didn’t seem to like her much either, even though it had been her mother’s. Her grades lagged, and the teasing got worse.

Halfway through her second year, Em came up with a proposal, and after an uncomfortable month holding a mandrake leaf in her mouth, Kyrr became an animagus. Em was beside themself with excitement, shifting back and forth between their human and ferret form as they waited for the storm to strike so that they could see what Kyrr would become.

“You’re small, maybe a sparrow?”

Kyrr snorted and rolled her eyes. She didn’t even realize how many of Em’s mannerisms she was picking up. “I’d be the first bird ever afraid of heights.”

“It might help you get over your fear of flying on a broom. Can’t be a quidditch ref if you can’t fly.”

“I fly great, thanks. Just close to the ground.” Kyrr looked up and jumped to her feet. “Its starting.”

“How can you always tell?” Em mused. “Okay, do it just like I showed you!”

A few minutes later, Kyrr shuffled her feet, concentrated, and shifted down into her new form. Em burst out laughing.

“Holy fuck. Oh my God you are the biggest cat I’ve ever seen! And you still look like a kitten! Look at those giant paws, oh my God you are so cute.” Kyrr was scooped up and cuddled, where she hung with as close to an exasperated look as a cat could manage. “You are so fluffy. And look at those ear tufts!” Em set her down and Kyrr shifted back, sheepish.

“I guess I’m a Maine coon. They’re pretty big for cats.”

“You said your dad is tall, right? I bet you’re gonna hit a growth spurt.”

If it was meant to happen, it didn’t occur that year. The new form did make it easier to avoid the bullies, at least, and Em taught Kyrr all the fun parts of their animal forms, much of which involved sneaking about. Kyrr got a bit better with heights, but after her childhood fall from the tree she couldn’t manage much more than a two meter drop before the world would start to spin.

+++

Her fourth year was prickly, especially when puberty hormones resulted in acne but still barely another inch of growth. She settled into a routine, though. Things were looking up at first, and even if the school hours were hard her summers and weekends were spent on physical hobbies like gymnastics and martial arts. She could hold her own against physical attacks, even if the words hurt.

Things took a turn for the worse, unfortunately, when a new professor took over for their charms class. He made no secret of the fact that she was “yet another failed Kestrele.” His dislike of her gave tacit permission to those who already disliked her to be even crueler. Her things went missing, and she was subject to non stop jinxes between classes. She refused to tell her dad, who would only have worried, and her grades got low enough that the headmaster personally warned her she was at risk of expulsion. Em sensed her pulling back more and more, and gave her a lecture when they caught her using makeup to cover her freckles.

“People think freckles are ugly.”

“Only ugly people give a shit about freckles.”

Nothing helped, not even a good friend could save her self esteem from the onslaught. The idea that it was almost Em’s final year left Kyriel in a state of constant anxiety. She had bags under her eyes from not sleeping, and she was up before dawn for a run every morning just to escape the dread of classes.

Spring and Kyrr’s fifteenth birthday arrived, and she took a week off school to spend time with her father. If she’d known what would happen, she wouldn’t have returned. The day she got back, there was a note from Em to meet her in the astronomy tower. Kyrr avoided it like the plague because of the height, but the note seemed urgent. When she got there, the room was empty. She stayed away from the edge that overlooked the drop, confused.

“Em?”

“Not here, I’m afraid.” Banksly stepped out of the shadows with his girlfriend and a boy who would have had an aneurysm if he’d ever had to come up with a thought of his own. “You left. I was so happy to never have to look at your stupid face again.” He grinned and walked toward her. Kyrr lifted her wand, backing up, trapped between the terror of falling and the three students in front of her.

“Leave me alone.” Kyrr ground her teeth and lifted her wand higher, firing off a depulso. It bounced harmlessly off his shield spell and they all stepped closer, forcing her to the edge.

“You’re scared of heights, right? Let this be a lesson to you, then. There are scarier things than falling.” The boy pointed his wand at her and Kyrr backed up again, but too far, a heel over the edge. For half a second she saw fear on his face too, as gravity took over.

Then a shout, and a sleek black form darted between the students and shifted back into Em. They grabbed Kyrr by the front of her uniform. It felt like slow motion as she lurched forward, meeting her best friend’s eyes. Memories from science class hammered through her thoughts.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Em knew. They smiled one last time, thoughts clear: “It’s gonna be okay.”

Kyrr fell forward onto her knees. Em fell off the ledge.

Banksly was shouting something as his girlfriend ran for help, excuses probably. Kyrr couldn't hear them. She turned and looked back over the edge. Em’s body was far below. Too late. She looked at Banksly and just screamed, wordless, wand pointed at him. Lightning erupted from it, and the boy was tossed back into the stone wall hard enough to knock him cold. Her mother’s wand, not designed for such magic, shattered into splinters just like Kyrr’s heart.

+++

“I’m sorry this happened.” Marcus Kestrele looked down at his niece on the hospital wing bed, hand bandaged and red seeping through. She had refused healing. “I can help you with this. I can shield you from things like this. All you have to do is accept that we are family.”

“We have the same last name.” The scream and thunderbolt had left her throat raw, without healing it would forever change her voice. She didn’t care. “That doesn’t make us family. Go AWAY!”

Marcus didn’t flinch, he simply flicked out his hand, and a black card appeared. “Give this to the owner of the wand shop in Boston. Tell him I said…. Try ‘It’.” She took the card and ripped it in half.

“Go fuck yourself, uncle.”

+++

Her father eventually talked her into allowing healing. For her hand, it meant minimal scars. For her voice, it was too late. Her dad gently teased her that it wasn’t enough that she looked like him, she needed a lower voice too? It helped. Sometimes she could almost feel something other than numb. Her muscle mass faded over the first half of the summer, she could barely bring herself to eat let alone work out, and those resources were being put to a new use. Kyrr felt awkward, crashing into things unexpectedly, bumping her head on others. She barely noticed. It wasn’t until her father dragged her out of her room to go to a Boston Red Sox baseball game that she started to feel alive again. After the game she went out on her own for the first time since Em’s death.

Kyriel realized that this wasn’t what they wanted for her when they traded their life for hers.

She took the two ripped pieces of the business card her uncle gave her and sought out the wand shop in Boston. It was down a side road that only people with a magical heritage could see, tucked into a space that shouldn’t have fit a port-a-potty, let alone a whole shop. Kyrr walked in and looked around at the shelves of wands, apprehensive.

“May I help you, miss?” The man behind the counter looked kindly, the opposite of her uncle. She put the two pieces of cardstock down on the counter.

“My…. Marcus Kestrele gave me this and told me to ask you to ‘try it’ whatever that means.” Kyrr frowned and scratched at her left ear.

“He did, now? Interesting.” The man stepped back , and dug through boxes a long moment. “Here we are. I’m surprised, though I shouldn’t be.” He dusted it off and lifted the lid.

“Oh wow.” Kyrr stared down at the intricately carved and polished orange and black wand. Lines like a lightning strike crawled up the length of it, but they did nothing to make it fragile.

“Thirteen and a half inches, springy, Osage orange wood with a Thunderbird flight feather core. A rare, remaining example of a Shikoba Wolfe wand. Your uncle wanted this wand so badly that he paid for it on the condition that I never sell it to anyone else.” He looked up and offered it. “A good wand for transmutation and offensive spells, but…” He looked up and her gaze followed his, to burn marks etched in the wood ceiling. “Quite opinionated when it comes to owners.”

Kyrr nodded and swallowed hard. She accepted it and braced for the shock. It fit in the palm of her hand like it was carved to fit. “It’s lighter than it looks.”

“And it seems we finally know who it was purchased for.” He sounded pleased as tiny arcs of lightning skittered around her and settled in her gray eyes. “It is yours.”

+++

“Holy shit. Is that…. Kyriel?” Sass punched Jean-Luc in the arm hard enough to make him drop his book. Apart from growing older and to no ones surprise, starting to date, the two hadn’t changed much in the last four years. He looked up and blinked, surprised.

“Whoa.”

They weren’t the only ones surprised to see her return after how she had left the year before, coming back for her fifth year seemed unthinkable. But she had changed. Gone was the tiny, anxious girl clinging to her place in the wizarding world by the skin of her fingertips.

For one thing, she’d grown nearly half a foot in the four months since her departure. All the soft babyishness from her face had been carved away to reveal a nearly masculine face, if not for the chin and softness of her jawline. She bore her freckles proudly, but had taken dark makeup to her eyes. She wore a collar of safety pins, a loose white blouse and a short pleated black skirt over thigh-high black socks and boots that buckled all the way up to her knees. Her hair was styled the way Em taught her, but her hearing aid was no longer tiny and unobtrusive, it was shaped like a dragon peering over her ear with the wing extending high along the side of her head. It was certainly a transformation.

Banksly had managed, though family connections and pleading that he’d only intended to intimidate, not hurt anyone, not to be expelled. He looked over to see Kyrr walk up to the platform.

“Oh good, it’s you.” He gave her a dark look, then stumbled back as she walked past and shoved him hard enough to almost send him off the platform.

“Fuck off.” Her voice was lower than it had been, and had a rough edge to it.

Year five didn’t get easier, but it began a new phase of Kyriel’s life where she gave as good as she got. Detention became a common occurrence, but conversely her grades did a complete U-turn. The new wand aligned with her in ways that made her newly focused will powerful and precise. She joined the dueling club and showed an immediate affinity for it, though she was chastised again and again for deliberate cruelty.

And she never smiled.

New nicknames replaced the old ones, Runt no longer fit but Ice Queen did. After years of being on the receiving end of pain, she had become someone who gave it instead, and not only to others. She was inherently self destructive, often sitting on the ledge where Em died and staring into the abyss below. She still felt the fear, but it was muted behind hate and anger. She needed it, because it shielded her from the sense of loss.

The fights with Banksly continued to escalate, and as the anniversary of Em’s death approached, Kyrr became more and more wild and unpredictable. Whether or not it was intentional, she injured Banksly’s girlfriend badly enough in a duel that the girl had to be taken to an actual wizarding hospital. He was furious, and he had one thing Kyriel didn’t: friends.

The night they jumped Kyrr on the way back from dinner, she never saw it coming. She fought hard, but she still hadn’t fully recovered from spending half her summer in bed, and not even the best fighter in the world could win against a determined group of young wizards. They wrestled away her wand, and even if several ended up badly scratched, they won in the end. She was dragged out into the rain, all the way to the roof of Thunderbird’s house. Banksly watched, face carved into a cruel mask.

“You know, I actually liked Elliot. They were kind of a bitch, but they were cool. The only thing I didn’t like about them was the fact that they liked you for some stupid fucking reason.” Banksly looked down at Kyrr as she glared back, one eye already half swollen shut. “I hope you know you’re the reason they died. But it’s fine.” A rumble of thunder punctuated his words, and lightning lit his grin. “You’ll be able to apologize to them soon enough.” He reached over to her left side, and she struggled against the hands gripping her hair tightly as he flicked her hearing aid. “I think I’ll keep this as a souvenir.”

+++

Miles away, Marcus Kestrele paced on the roof of his penthouse, unable to sleep. His husband was a sound sleeper, but not even he could have missed the tossing and turning. The New York City skyline was beautiful at night, even if the lights blotted out the stars. Somewhere, thunder rumbled like a freight train.

He looked up at the sky and startled, almost falling over backwards. The sleek, massive shape of a Thunderbird dropped out of the sky and regarded him with cold eyes. Marcus swallowed hard, facing not only the totem of his former House in Ilvermorny, but of his own family.

“What? What do you want?” Marcus licked his lips as the rain started to fall, and the bird turned it’s head to look north. “It’s her, isn’t it. She’s in danger. It… doesn’t matter. She doesn’t want to be part of our family!” The Thunderbird turned to look at him with sharp eyes as lighting hit so close there was no time to count between the flash and sound. Marcus flinched, glad he’d left his hearing aid by the bed.

The bird regarded him with judgmental eyes, and he slowly sank to his knees. He should have protected Alastair when it became clear he was a squib. He should have stood up to his father when he was disowned. He should have told his brother that his child was welcome rather than tried to take her to bring her back to his family. He could have prevented all of it. “Even if I am not family in her eyes…. She is family in mine. Protect her. I’ll pay any price.”

The Thunderbird nodded once, and lightning flashed again, exploding along the left side of his face and burning scars into it, taking the last of his hearing on that side. The pain felt like a benediction.

+++

Lightning flashed again as Ethan Banksly grabbed the dragon in Kyrr’s ear, and he snatched his hand back with a scream as it charred his fingertips. He stumbled back as the others released her quickly. The strike had hit the edge of the roof; it broke away and Kyrr, stunned but uninjured, fell with it. The ground rushed up, and then stopped, as something snatched her from the air. She could almost hear Em laughing.

+++

“We don’t know why the Thunderbird intervened.” The headmaster of Ilvermorny folded his hands on his desk, staring at the furious squib across from him. It was strange to see someone who looked so much like one of his former students, one who might have been a student if things had gone differently. “Only that it did. Your daughter is unharmed. The boy responsible for the incident has been expelled as of yesterday evening.”

“It’s my understanding,” Alastair said through gritted teeth and looking an awful lot like his daughter, “That thunderbirds don’t live this far north or east. So forgive me if this all sounds a little strange.” His eyes narrowed as the headmaster lifted a brow. “I may not wield a wand but I can read a fucking book.”

“It was not a true thunderbird. It was the totem of the house. Think of it like a… spirit. One that can sometimes reach across the veil. There is always a cost, however. Your daughter seems unaffected, but I would advise you be aware, there is a debt owed.”

“Fuck your debts.” Alastair stood, straightening his suit. “And fuck your fucking school. Consider my daughter withdrawn.”

“You can’t just,” the headmaster started, but Alastair gave him a look that dared him to find out the cost of finishing that sentence.

“I can and I am. She is a sixteen year old girl in MY care and I will not subject her to this place any longer.” The news of how much she had suffered without confiding in him how miserable Ilvermorny made her ate away at him like a growing black pit of guilt and rage. “I’ll be taking her to the United Kingdom with me once she has recovered. If she wants, we’ll see how Hogwarts can compare.”

“If you think this institution is backwards, I regret to inform you that Hogwarts-”

“My wife was an alumna of Hogwarts. My brother an alumnus of Ilvermorny. That’s all I need to know. Good day.” Alastair turned on his heel and marched out.

+++

“Are you sure about this?” Kyrr looked at the giant black train at platform 9 and 3/4. “I didn’t exactly do well at school in the states. And I missed the first month already.” She looked up at her father, who was smiling warmly.

“It will be different here. For one thing, no Quodpot.” It made her laugh as intended. “I’m told they have a robust quidditch program, so maybe you can finally practice with someone other than the local summer league in Maine.”

“At least flying won’t be a problem.” Kyrr gave a sheepish grin. She didn’t know why, but after her fall from the roof and strange rescue, she’d woken with her fear of heights completely gone, along with the lingering pain and anger from Em’s loss. She missed them, and she wasn’t ready to talk about it, but the wound had been drained.

“Kyrie, sweetheart. This is a new beginning. A fresh start. You can be whoever you want to be, with whoever you want. I’ll be established in a few months and I’ll come to visit, and I look forward to seeing who it is you choose to be.” He hugged her, and reluctantly let her go. “And whoever that is, I will love her just as much.”

“You’re the best dad in the world.” Kyrr grinned, shaky smile holding back tears.

“You’re my reason.” He kissed her forehead and stepped back to let her board the train.

She found a seat on the train where she could wave until he disappeared, then took out her hearing aid. Kyriel pulled a pair of headphones out of her bag, and settled back. She maxed the volume all the way, just enough to faintly hear Celestina Warbeck begin to sing.

+++

And with a gasp, Ophelia Dovewing woke up.

Chapter Text

Ophelia sat up gingerly, disorientation and confusion layered on top of what felt like Erica Rath had used her heart for target practice. The nightmare had been too vivid, too detailed, too intense to have been purely her imagination. Beside her, Kyrr was still asleep, though she had uncharacteristically shifted back into her human form during the night. Lia swallowed hard, looking down at her. Under the little Christmas lights that Kyrr refused to remove from her bed frame, she could see her wand hand, fingers slightly curled.

The scars were easy to see if you knew what you were looking for.

Ophelia covered her mouth with a hand, holding back a sob. She’d known, deep down, that it had to have been bad, but the scope of it knocked the wind out of her. She wanted to hunt down that Banksly kid and earn a trip to Azkaban.

Wait. How could I know about her uncle, if she doesn’t? She scrubbed her face, thinking. Could she really have picked it up from him when he returned Kyrr’s hearing aid? Legilimency really should come with instructions.

“You okay, Li?” Kyrr yawned and sat up, concerned.

“Yeah. Weird dreams.” She bit her lip.

“Tell me about it.” The taller girl yawned till her jaw cracked.

“Actually.” Lia took a deep breath to steel herself. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure.” Kyrr crossed her legs, head tilting.

“You know how some people can learn legilimency, but some are born with it?”

“That’s the mind reading thing, right?” Kyrr blinked. “Ohhhh.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” Lia looked away, throat getting tight and her vision wavering. “I’m so sorry. And… I’m so, so sorry about Em. They seemed great.” Her hands were shaking as she tried to brush away the tears. Kyrr was silent a moment, then shifted positions to lean shoulder to shoulder with her.

“Yeah. They were.” Kyrr let out a shaky breath, but all the crying from the night before had left her hollow of tears.

“For what it’s worth? I really like the person you choose to be now.” Lia tilted her head to rest on Kyrr’s shoulder. They sat in companionable silence for a while before Kyrr responded, sounding relieved.

“Yeah. Me too.”

+++

Lia walked into the great hall in a bit of a daze, wandering over to where Talbott was sitting across from Orin. The latter looked up in surprise and concern as she sat down.

“You look terrible, are you okay?” Orin’s worry was mirrored on Talbott’s face, but he stood up.

“I’ll get you some breakfast.” He kissed the top of Lia’s head gently before walking away to let them talk. She smiled a moment and then shrugged.

“I wish you were a Slytherin sometimes, Orin. I love Kyrr, but…”

“She can be kind of heavy to carry alone?” Orin smiled in sympathy. “I get it.”

“She’s off having breakfast with her dad.” Ophelia didn’t want to admit it but she needed some space from her friend for the moment, if only to carry just her own burdens for a while. She rubbed at her ribs, acknowledging deep down that she had more than enough of those too.

“Talbott and I were just talking about investigating the pitch. It’s off limits to students right now, but….”

“Animals are a different story?” Lia brightened a bit. “We should. I heard last night that Hooch is calling for a team meeting soon.”

“Yeah, I forget sometimes that you stopped playing. It’ll be Friday, all the teams. Discussing what we want to do moving forward. They can just ban the game for the rest of the season but that wouldn’t go over well.”

Talbott returned with a plate of breakfast for Lia, and she leaned on his shoulder as she picked at it. She wasn’t really hungry, but his gesture was kind, and she didn’t need to get dizzy later when more was demanding her attention. His arm snaked around her waist so she’d be more comfortable, and she smiled until Orin’s expression caught her attention.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Orin sipped her orange juice and refused to elaborate.

+++

“We’re sure no one else is around?” Lia fretted a bit, but Talbott nodded.

“I did a sweep of the stadium. Whoever they plan to have officially investigate isn’t here yet. Honestly I have my doubts they’ll be here soon. Hogwarts is a lot of things, but it’s not terribly punctual.”

“Okay. You two check out the top of the post where it broke. Anything that might stand out as unusual. I’m grounded so I’ll check out the broken bits and the base of the goal.” She shifted into her cat form and headed into the pitch as the eagle and raven took to the sky. Lia poked about at the pieces of wood, but nothing seemed too unusual. The wide, sturdy base of the pillar was different.

Ophelia scrunched up her nose so hard her whispers pointed forward, and she crept up close. Something smelled odd, something that tickled her memories. She stood on her hind legs with her front legs on the pole, and looked for any traces. She felt a moment of amused envy, Kyrr was almost twice her length and would have had a better vantage point. She could see a mark a few feet up, and backed up a few steps, meowing up at the birds overhead.

Orin swooped down and Lia was proud of herself for not flinching, exposure to bird friends was whittling away at the stab of anxiety they had caused her for so long. Orin circled around the pole and then latched on with her talons, flapping a bit awkwardly as she examined the design. Talbott landed nearby with as annoyed an expression as he could manage; eagles were not suited to holding still in the air or on vertical wood surfaces.

Lia caught herself licking a paw and grooming her head, instincts hard to ignore in the animal form. She shook her head and looked up again as Orin cawed. The raven released her grip and swooped out towards the entrance as the little white cat and eagle followed behind. She shifted back and reached into her bag for a notepad and quill, jotting down the symbol she had seen carved into the wood.

“This is familiar. I know I’ve seen this before, in the library.” She handed it to Lia, who frowned.

“I don’t recognize it, but there was a scent I picked up that I swear I’ve smelled recently.”

“Don’t look at me, I have almost no sense of smell in bird form.” They both looked at Talbott, who snorted.

“I’m an eagle, not a turkey vulture. The big nose is all for show.” He smirked as Lia tried to hide a smile.

“It’s a very nice nose,” Lia reassured him.

“Distinguished even.” Orin didn’t even bother to hide the grin. “So, library?”

“I’ll message McNully. He might be noisy but the man knows his way around the library.” Lia summoned a butterfly note and sent it his way.

+++

A folded snitch caught up with them when they were almost at the library, an apology. Murphy was apparently spending time with Kyrr; Lia inferred from his language that they were having an important and likely difficult conversation. She hoped it went well given all the stress her friend had been under.

“Looks like it’s just going to be us,” Lia muttered. “Unless you want to invite Skye. It is almost Valentine’s day.” She gave Orin a grin.

Orin snickered. “Skye voluntarily entering the library? It’s not her drive for education that I like her for.” She smirked as Talbott tilted his head.

“What do you like her for?” His expression and tone was so genuinely puzzled that Lia had to cover her mouth to hide the laugh. Orin shrugged, nonplussed.

“She’s spicy.”

Talbott pulled a face. “Here I thought it was just because your mum wouldn’t approve.”

“Oh there’s definitely some of that too, but I’m not so into the idea of sticking it to mum that I would be in a relationship with someone I didn’t like being around.” Orin shrugged as she started looking through the books, trying to remember where she’d seen the symbol. Lia frowned as she did the same.

“Why wouldn’t your mum like Skye?” Lia glanced over at Orin as Talbott snorted.

“Other than her winning personality?” He raised a brow at Lia who felt torn between being the worst friend to Skye while also trying desperately not to laugh.

“Parkins are new money.” Orin flipped through a book. “It’s a society thing. They have money and fame because of her dad, but he didn’t come from a long line of rich, stuck up witches and wizards.”

“I guess that rules my family out,” Lia said with a shake of her head.

“At least you have a family,” Talbott added so dryly it set her laughing again. Madam Pince’s voice raised sharply from the other side of the bookshelves.

“No chortling in my library, Ms. Dovewing.”

“Me. Why does she always single out me?” Lia felt her eye start to twitch and glared through the bookshelf, making a frustrated pinching motion where she imagined Madam Pince’s head to be.

“Funny enough, Kyrr is probably the closest to ‘acceptable’ among my friends.” Orin returned the book to its place and pulled down another. “The Kestreles might be American now, but their family goes way back.”

“I refuse to believe the Moose is high society.” Talbott shook his head as he leafed through a book on arcane symbology. “Can you picture that disaster in heels?”

Lia had to put her book down and cover her mouth with both hands to muffle her laughter.

“Ms. Dovewing!”

“Again!”

+++

Gently mocking friends might have been an unorthodox approach, but Talbott had successfully cheered Lia up by the time they found the rune amid a pile of books she wasn’t looking forward to reshelving. Orin held it up triumphantly.

“Got it. That’s definitely it.” She compared it to the one in her notebook. “A beginners guide to environmental runework, third edition. I remember now, I was surprised a book like this is classed outside of the restricted section. It’s a decay rune.”

“That does sound dangerous.” Lia frowned and scooted over; the sound of her chair squeaking across the floor earned her another glare from Pince.

“Apparently the spell that charges it isn’t written here, since it’s just the beginner’s guide.” Orin frowned and tapped the book. “I bet it’s in the restricted section though.” Lia opened her mouth to reply, but her stomach rumbled loudly. Pince looked over again, and Lia glared right back.

“That wasn’t even my fault! Ugh. No restricted section today, we’ve already been in here,” Lia checked the clock, “eight bloody hours!? No wonder I’m starving.” Talbott started stacking books to return to the shelves.

“Time flies when you’re doing boring, repetitive tasks I guess. Let’s get this put away so we can get out of here, by the time we’re done they’ll be serving dinner.”

His words turned out to be prophetic, and after what felt like another three hours of putting books back, the three of them finally headed in to the Great Hall. Dinnertime might not have been as grand as the feasts, but it was still a hearty affair. The house elves had prepared a rich stew of beef roast, carrots, and potatoes along with narrow trenchers of crusty bread to eat it on. Lia wolfed hers down, no spice as powerful as hunger.

“When should we go to the restricted section?” Lia glanced over at Orin, who had just pushed her plate away.

“I can go looking in there tomorrow, I have study hall for first period.” The Ravenclaw girl stretched. “Now that we have a better idea of what we’re looking for it shouldn’t take too long.”

Talbott scowled. “I wish, Lia and I are stuck with Trelawney for first period. Having to deal with her naddy bug-eyed stare first thing in the morning gives me indigestion.”

Lia laughed and nudged him. “She isn’t that bad.”

“Oh, Ms. Dovewing.” Talbott did a good impression of Trelawney’s breathy, dipsy voice, and a great impression of her vacant expression. “I can see it in my third eye. Were you to become an animagus, it would be a….bird of some kind, like a….dove. Yes, you would be a dove. Not like Mr. Winger over there, who I am certain would be a bat.”

“Tal!” Ophelia put her head down in her arms on the table, giggling madly. All her stresses seemed to evaporate when he was being silly. Orin joined her in laughing.

“Dead on, mate.”

“Ah, and you, deerie. Ms. Ackerman, I believe you too would be a bird. A duck of some kind.”

“If you call me Quackerman I will shiv you, Batboy.” Orin grinned.

“Batboy is still a better nickname,” he shuddered, “than Tallberto.” Lia abruptly picked her head up and tried not to wheeze laughing.

“She didn’t.”

“Oh she did. Kyrr sprung that one on me in broom review last week.” He grimaced. “High society my ass.”

Orin shrugged. "Hey, I don’t make the rules. And it’s only a guess, I don’t know what her mum’s last name was. And the thing with her dad being a squib. But her uncle is definitely up there. You know, I’m surprised she isn’t here, actually.” Orin gestured to the oversized serving dish that dominated their section of the table. “You’d think she’d be wiping out the inside of the pot with whatever bread was left by now.”

“Onyxly,” Lia muttered. “Her mum’s last name was Onyxly.” She wasn’t really surprised by Kyrr’s absence under the circumstances.

“I don’t recognize it, but it sounds pretentious enough. My sister might know. Iris was always better at remembering stuff like lineages.” Orin laughed, looking across the hall to where Iris was dominating conversation at her table. The fact that she still had her gold medal on wasn’t that surprising, although the fact that her introverted Ravenclaw friend had remained a fixture at her side since Christmas was a bit of one. She glanced at Talbott and Lia, and smirked. Ravenclaws and Slytherins just got on well it seemed. “She knows the names of every adult cousin we have, and stupid stuff like what hobbies they have. She got spoiled rotten for it at big family gatherings.”

“That sounds frustrating.” Lia looked sorrowful, although Talbott seemed to quietly disagree, his personality more like Orin’s than hers.

“Not at all, actually, she makes for a good distraction so I can sneak off and read a book. The extended family can be really judgmental, and the older ladies wear so much perfume that it makes me gag.”

Lia blinked. “Shoot, that reminds me. I need to remember what that smell was. I know it was something distinct. Like some kind of potion, maybe? Or an ointment? Maybe Penny would know.”

“She’s in the review with us tomorrow,” Talbott said as dessert was served and he selected a large almond cookie. “You can ask her then if you want.” Lia nodded, satisfied.

“Sounds like we have a plan. Orin finds the details on the decay rune and how it’s activated, and we’ll ask Penny about the thing I smelled.”

Chapter Text

Murphy McNully stared at the paper note in his hands, feeling like his entire life had just fallen apart. Quidditch potentially being cancelled was bad enough, but it wasn’t as though the sport itself was going away. But four little words on what had been a paper airplane shattered him like the goal post on the pitch.

We need to talk.

He closed his eyes, hearing his pulse in his ears. Everyone knew what those words meant. It took him a long moment to drag his mind back together and come to a decision. He was in love, there was no doubt, and her health and happiness was among his highest priorities. He would be supportive. Understanding. He wouldn’t push her or hurt her for what she needed to do to protect herself. After all, she might change her mind, right? Maybe someday in the future things would work out. But if McNully was certain of anything, it was that he’d rather Kyriel be happy with someone else than unhappy with him.

He got his shaky breathing under control before he headed to the secret clubhouse. He was nearly there when a butterfly drifted through the air to him, and unfolded. He replied quickly.

Meeting with Kyrr. There’s something she needs to talk about, I guess.

He sent the snitch on its way and rolled into the clubhouse, heart hammering again. She was sitting there on the couch that held so many memories of them together, eyes red rimmed and face flushed. She’d certainly been crying. Her hands were clasped between her knees and she was hunched a bit, closed off. She looked up when he cleared his throat, and gave him a ghost of a smile.

“Hey.” The smile hurt to look at, but he couldn’t deny that even at her worst she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

“Hey.” He rolled over to the couch, and transferred himself to it, giving her some space. “I got your note.”

“I’m glad you came. Yesterday and today have been rough.” She took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Kyrr, love.” He steeled himself. “I understand. If…if you need some time, or s…space, from me for a while. I can’t imagine all that-”

“-the fuck are you talking about?” Kyrr looked startled and slightly offended.

“….’we need to talk’ is universal code for ‘I’m breaking up with you’?” He blinked, confused.

“No, ass, it means we need to talk about something. Why on earth would I break up with you? You’re the best thing in my life.” She gave him a look like he was absolutely stupid. Relief hit Murphy so hard that he felt dizzy, black spots appearing in his vision. He rested his head on the back of the couch and released an incredulous laugh.

“For your information, it is very well known that an ambiguous request to talk without any context is a fucking pretense to bad news, usually a break up. How do you not know that?” He turned his head to look at her like she was the idiot, and she blinked, embarrassed.

“Well…. I…. I don’t know.” She scowled, back to irritated. “I didn’t want to put any important details into a note! And there’s a word limit on those things!” Kyrr jabbed a finger into his shoulder and he winced. “IF I was going to break up with you I would just….”

“Just ask me to meet you somewhere to talk without any clarification of the reason?” Murphy’s tone was downright mocking, and her face fell.

“Well shit.” She grimaced. “Okay, I guess that makes sense. But still, you should know better! You are-”

“-a lot more insecure than I let on, as it happens!” Murphy tossed his hands up. He knew he was yelling, he didn’t want to be yelling, but the words just wouldn’t heed his command.

“Then why not tell me that?” Even though he was mad at her, seeing her unconsciously slip to signing while she spoke was adorable.

“Because usually I’m the one stuck reassuring YOU!" .........If he could have frozen time, reached out and stuffed those words back into his mouth before the sound reached her ears, he would have sold his soul for the privilege. He watched them hit her like a physical blow, and something in his heart cracked painfully. “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry, I didn’t mean that, gods, Snidget please I’m sor-”

“SHUT UP!” He was genuinely impressed by how loud she could scream. She panted, hurt and furious. She stared at his face as the seconds ticked away, and her breath began to stabilize. “Shut up.” Silence stretched out between them. Enough words to fill the volume of the Black Lake hammered at the backs of his teeth, but he held them in as though his life depended on it. “Just… I’m sorry. I am. I am a mess, and I’m difficult, and I am really bad at letting other people know what’s going on inside my head and giving them space to talk about what’s inside theirs. I know that. I’m just… I’m not used to making other people’s feelings into a priority because I’m always so caught up in my own.”

Murphy fought back the dragon-sized need to reassure her, not only because she had commanded him to a silence that their entire relationship likely now hinged on, but because what she was saying wasn’t actually wrong. In all the months they had been together, he loved her more every day, but it didn’t mean he didn’t see her flaws. Not the damage she’d taken in the past, but the parts of her personality that made her frustrating to be around sometimes.

“Let me be absolutely clear about this, McNully.” Kyrr swallowed hard. The catch in her voice got rougher when she was holding back tears. “You can call me Snidget, but you really are my golden snitch, my golden boy. The day I caught you was the day I won the Quidditch game of life. And if you think, even for one second, that I will let go of you for anything… then you are a friggin DUMBASS.”

A line of unwelcome heat rolled down the side of his face as a tear escaped along with a spontaneous laugh at her words, his trapped, unspoken words evaporating into thin air. Murphy hadn’t himself known how badly he needed to hear those words. He closed his eyes briefly, and felt movement on the couch. When he opened them again her silvery ones were closer.

“This thing doesn’t work if you support me but don’t let me know how and when to support you back if you need it.” More lines of heat joined the first, and she reached up to stroke his face gently. She kissed away his tears, and when she kissed his lips he tasted salt. When she pulled back again, her tender little smile stitched up the wounds in his heart as though they had never been. “Okay?”

“Okay.” He gave a hard sniff, and nodded. “I really am sor-” She put a finger on his lips to silence him again and shook her head.

“There’s nothing you can say right now that I don’t already know.” She exhaled softly as he smiled under her touch, and signed his response.

I love you. He gave a little shrug, and she shook her head and smiled at his solution. She touched her chest, then touched her temple with one finger. Thumb and pinky extended and lightly gestured back and forth between them a few times.

I know. Same. They smiled at each other softly, until hers turned silly.

“So.” Her voice took on an exaggerated seriousness. “We need to talk.” Kyrr giggled as he reached out to grab her and pull her close, his incredulous laugh ringing out into the clubhouse. The tension in his chest was gone, and he nuzzled close against her hair.

“What about? I promise I won’t make any stupid assumptions about your intentions.” It made her laugh again, and Kyrr snuggled against his chest, settling in. Somehow their fight and the resolution had cleared away the feelings that had been choking back her words. She spread the fingers of her wand hand against his, scars for once not aching with remembered pain.

“It’s actually kind of a story. It’s about a girl named Kyriel Kestrele. If you had asked her what silence was…..”

+++

Ophelia sat bolt upright when the faint sound of Kyrr returning long after curfew crept in through her sleepless thoughts. Kyrr froze on her bed and slowly turned to look as Lia cast lumos, cat eyes reflecting the light back within a guilty expression.

“Where the heck were you?” Lia kept her voice soft in case Rowan woke. Kyrr shifted back and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Sorry.” Her volume was normal. “I was sleeping with Murphy and lost track of time.”

“You WHAT!? I know you are going through a lot right now but KYRIEL KESTRELE…..” She winced and looked over, but Rowan hadn’t stirred.

“Don’t worry, she sleeps with her mandrake earmuffs on. You snore like crazy.” Kyrr shrugged. “I just take out my hearing aid.”

“I do not! Do I?” Lia blinked as her friend nodded.

“Like the Hogwarts fuckin Express, it’s impressive really.”

“Never mind that!” Lia balked. “I cannot believe you had s-”

“WHOA, slow your roll, Li! I didn’t say that! Sleeping. We fell asleep together! In the clubhouse.”

“Why didn’t you say you took a nap with him?” It was a good thing Lia’s hair was already white, the girl would have made her gray by twenty.

“It’s the same thing in sign language.” Kyrr shrugged, and Lia smacked her own forehead hard enough to sting.

“Oh my God how did that never occur to me?” She looked at Kyrr’s puzzlement. “So many things about how you talk finally just made sense.”

“If it helps any, you’re not the only one. Murphy and I had a fight about that today.”

“Are you okay?” Lia was shocked. “Is HE okay? You didn’t punch him, did you?”

“Wanted to but didn’t. We’re okay now. I told him everything. Like…. Everything everything.”

“Oh.” Lia patted on her bed, and Kyrr shifted into her animal form to cross the distance. She made biscuits with her paws as Lia pet her gently. “That must have been hard.”

Kyrr nodded, and curled up with her tail over her nose. Lia pet her and let silence fill the room, feeling strange. Her friend had been through an emotional wringer the last day or so, but she seemed a lot more stable. The bleeding had stopped, and though healing might look ugly at times, it was starting to have a permanent effect. Lia smiled softly as Kyrr began to purr, a low rumble reminiscent of her speaking voice.

“We investigated the pitch. There’s a scent I recognized and a rune Orin did. We found it in the library, it’s a decay rune. She’s looking into it tomorrow.” Lia made a face. “Pince singled me out again.” Kyrr’s tail vibrated and lashed, the cat version of a laugh. “Every time. I could wring Vincent’s neck for making such a bad impression for the Dovewing name. Which, by the way, is apparently trash according the the Ackermans. That’s fun. Apparently you are the only other society one in our little social circle. Talbott was predictably mean about it.” She yawned as Kyrr quivered in a laugh again, and felt relief in putting down her burdens. Sleep finally started to creep in.

+++

Kyrr returned from her run, feeling better than she had in days. Weeks, even. She was relatively certain she had no more tears left to cry, but it left her feeling light. Remembering Em and sharing them with the people closest to her helped more than she would have expected. She had a lunch period that overlapped Orin’s, and by now she felt like she could talk about her past without feeling like Sisyphus.

Lia’s sleepy, startled noise made Kyrr laugh silently, and she resisted the urge to hop on her bed and hug her with cold hands. Platonic physical affection, especially in the form of play, had become one of the things that she enjoyed most, but not everyone felt the same way. Murphy was thrilled by the way she carelessly invaded his space, Lia not so much. Orin played almost as hard as she did, but Talbott would have clawed her eyes out with his talons.

That Ben kid would probably have a panic attack.

She started laughing again as Lia gave her a dirty look, eyelid visibly twitching; Kyrr had honestly always thought that was just a figure of speech. “Mornin, Lia! Don’t look at me like that, you’re lucky I didn’t chase you out of bed to join me.”

“When the only person you ever save me from is yourself it really doesn’t mean as much as you think it does,” Lia muttered crossly.

“Hush, you, or I won’t help you with your plan for Wednesday.” Kyrr gave her a look, and Lia ducked back under the covers in exasperation.

“You manage to get Monday morning as a damn free period and you still get up early. Boggles the mind.” Lia’s voice was muffled by the blankets, and Kyrr grinned.

“What? I can’t understand you, my hearing aid doesn’t translate whining.” She ducked, but not well enough to dodge the carnival pillow Lia chucked in her direction.

“Shut it or I will feed you that pillow,” Lia warned. “I get to start my day with Trelawney.”

“And Talbott, right? There’s that at least.” Kyrr shrugged and changed into different muggle clothing.

“….yeah.” Lia smiled warmly, then blushed as Kyrr gave her a look. “Oh shut up. Are you helping Orin in the library?”

“Nah. It’s Dad’s last day before he heads back to London. He’s taking Murphy and me to breakfast. Apparently he and… Uncle…. Are talking again. He got the wizarding money under his name, so he’s a bit flush right now. It’s weird. We never really struggled but I’ve never been rich before.”

“….this is because I called you society last night, isn’t it.” Lia gave her a flat look, and Kyrr laughed.

“Nope, that just made it funnier.” They both danced around the mention of Marcus, and Kyrr appreciated Lia not dwelling on it. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it all yet. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. A diamond collar for my pet cat.”

“That’s it, we’re dueling.” Lia climbed out of bed, and Kyrr gave a bright laugh before bolting out of their dorm. Lia shook her head and smiled as Rowan sat up, sleepy. She pulled off her earmuffs and yawned.

“Was that Kyrr? Oh, it’s Divination morning!”

Rowan sounded exactly as excited as Lia wasn’t.

Chapter Text

“Now students, today we are going to delve into our hidden self, our hidden psyche, and review how we open our minds to the wealth of portents drifting through the dreaming world.” Professor Trelawney swayed as she talked, and Talbott leaned over slightly to Lia, voice low.

“Said like a woman who still hasn’t woken up from whatever special ingredient she puts in her tea.” He sat back and grinned as Lia covered a laugh. The professor droned on about how to open the third eye when dreaming and how to gain lucid command to examine and remember their experiences. Ophelia yawned and tried not to sigh from annoyance. She’d had enough of memorable dreams lately.

The approaching holiday was a source of both joy and dread for the unfortunate natural legilimencer, and stress had her extremely susceptible to romantic thoughts from her peers. Romance in ones teens was uncomfortably charged, and wandering thoughts often made her cringe internally. It was worse, too, that being the Curse Breaker made her popular; it seemed like half her friends were poorly hiding crushes on her during the Valentine’s season. Talbott was the only one she wanted in that way, but she had no way to let people down without letting them know she could hear stray thoughts.

It made sense that she’d gotten closer to her quidditch mates, in a way. As much as Kyrr and Murphy were uncomfortable to behold sometimes, and Murphy’s thoughts made her want to carry around a spray bottle as one did for an unruly cat, at least their fixation was strictly mutual. Orin and Skye were still figuring out what they were to each other, but that too was mutual, too busy dancing around each other to dance around Lia. Unlike…

Penny glanced over and smiled as Trelawney started at the far end of the class, teaching students to visualize their last dream. There was something a little wistful in her expression, and it made Lia a bit uncomfortable. Penny leaned in, voice soft.

“I got your note, you needed to ask about a potion? We have a little time while Trelawney makes the rounds.”

“Yeah.” Lia smiled and broke eye contact, still unsure how Penny hadn’t gotten a date yet given her popularity. “So there was a scent I noticed, and it’s definitely something with alchemy, but I can’t place it or remember where I picked it up.”

Penny sat upright, excited. “Interesting! Can you describe it?”

“It was kind of… musky? Spicy? Something like mint but not.” She cursed her memory and her cat form for making it harder.

“Hmm. I don’t know. That could be a lot of things. Oh, I know! Snape will be chaperoning the Valentine’s dance on Friday night, and I know you usually don’t go. I don’t have a date, so maybe we can sneak into his store room and you can sniff things and tell me what ingredients smell familiar!”

Lia blinked and nodded. “That’s a good idea, actually, though I can’t imagine how long it will take.” She opened her mouth to speak again but froze when the bug eyes of Trelawney’s glasses appeared in front of her.

“And you, Miss Dovewing? My third eye sees that you have found dreamwalking difficult to accomplish this far, is that not so? We should spend some time working on that.” Talbott poorly hid a laugh; she’d already told him about her unfortunate intrusion into Kyrr’s past while asleep.

Lia fought the instinct to roll her eyes.

+++

“Well that was an excruciating three hours.” Talbott stretched and yawned, putting his arms loosely around Lia’s shoulders. The PDA was unusual for him and brought a smile to her face. “Listen, listen to what your dreams tell you. They are your own mind teaching the mysteries of the cosmos.”

Lia laughed, rather enjoying his impressions. She paused as they passed by one of the hallway stairs, and felt her chest tighten. Orin and Kyrr were sitting on the stairs and hugging. Lia watched them separate, Kyrr wiping her face. Orin said something that made her laugh, and Lia quickly moved on as Talbott gave her a quizzical look. Every time Kyrr shared her past some of it got lighter, but it wasn’t her moment to intrude on.

“Should I be worried?” Talbott looked at her as they walked into the Great Hall for lunch.

“No. No, that’s a good thing, I just didn’t want to interrupt. I’m sure they’ll join us soon.” Lia sighed and smiled, feeling lighter. “Lets see if McNully already has a spot for us.”

As it happened he did, as usual on the far end of the Great Hall. Normally Lia would have been quietly irritated, the cold weather had returned and she preferred a seat closer to the fireplace, but everyone else seemed to share the same thought. The last thing she needed two days before Valentine’s Day was to catch stray mental whispers. She sat across from McNully and smiled as Talbott left to grab their lunches.

“Hey Murphy. How’s it going?” Ophelia gave him a sympathetic smile. “I heard you and Kyrr had a bit of a spat.”

“Ah, yeah. Well, 89.3% of all long term couples have at least one argument in the first year, so I’m not worried. We had a lot to talk about.” He smiled, looking tired but happy. “And breakfast with her dad was nice. Mr. Kestrele is kind of scary but he’s clearly a great dad.”

“He seems like it,” Lia agreed. She smiled as Talbott sat next to her. “So do you two have plans for the Holiday yet?”

“I have a surprise planned for her,” McNully said with a grin, “that’s going to knock her socks off, I’m 98.8% certain. Trust me, you want to be in the Great Hall Wednesday night. And then Saturday we’re going on a proper date.” He closed his mouth quickly as Kyrr walked over to them and sat beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed her hair gently. “Hey, Snidget. How did it go with Orin?”

“Good. It’s getting easier. I barely cried at all this time.” She laughed softly. McNully put his arm around her and she nuzzled against his side. Their stray thoughts were clear but for once didn’t make Lia embarrassed to pick up, just tenderness and comfort. Under the table, Talbott took Lia’s hand in his.

Orin plopped down on Lia’s other side with a plate. “So bad news on the book. I searched the restricted section, and it looks like someone took it and didn’t check it out. Pince is bloody pissed. I almost got detention for just reporting it missing. On the up side, I feel like we’re finally on to something.”

“That’s frustrating.” Lia sighed. “We’re skipping the dance on Friday to check out Snape’s storeroom, Penny thinks she might be able to identify the potion I smelled if we can pick out the ingredients.” Kyrr perked up at that.

“Can Murphy and I help? We already weren’t going.” She smiled, but McNully briefly made a face. He’d had other alternative plans for the evening. Lia shot him a sharp look.

“Yes! You can absolutely help out.” Lia and Murphy locked eyes and he flushed, looking away first.

“Good. I feel kind of useless, I haven’t been helpful this time around.” Kyrr rubbed her neck as Murphy gently rubbed her arm. Orin shook her head and swallowed a bite of food.

“Don’t feel bad, you’ve had a lot going on. We have some clues now, and you can help us figure the rest out.” Orin smiled, and Kyrr gave her a smile back. “Unfortunately I can’t help with the sniffing caper. I jokingly asked Skye to be my date to the dance and she sarcastically said yes. I think she’s trying to play chicken and see who will fold first, but I have no intention of letting her win.”

“Sure,” Talbott muttered, “you asked ‘jokingly’.” Orin didn’t respond, though Lia noticed a rare flush of color creeping up her cheeks.

“You can be of help though, if Snape leaves the dance early you can alert us so we don’t get caught.” Lia tossed Orin the justification for going to the dance like it was a life preserver off a ship.

“That’s smart. And she won’t even be mad about that.” Orin laughed and shook her head.

“See?” Lia smiled at Kyrr. “We all contribute any way we can when we can.” No one moved to disagree.

+++

“Is it all set?” Lia was anxious, no matter how silly the idea was she was certain it would make Talbott smile. Kyrr stretched and grinned at her, their room lit in the early morning hours with her bunk lights and Rowan’s alarm light.

“Yep. Go forth, have your holiday. I have a potions review for half the day.” Kyrr grinned and pulled on her school robes. “Snape is being an ass about my potions lately, which is unfair.” Lia made a face at her, Kyrr was excellent at potions and even transfiguration despite claiming to be bad at both.

“Only because you keep skipping classes. Which by the way,” Lia called out as Kyrr fled their dorm, “can get you kicked from quidditch!!” She sighed and smiled at Rowan as she distangled herself from the blankets.

+++

Lia managed to steel her features as Talbott approached, though it took effort. Her anxiety over the plan working was at least keeping the thoughts from other people at bay. Her boyfriend sat down across from her and tilted his head quizzically in a very birdlike fashion.

“I got your note.”

Lia managed a straight face with difficulty. “I stumbled onto a Valentine’s day mystery. I would love it if you could help me out. What do you say?” She held up a piece of paper with the first clue on it. Talbott tried not to laugh.

“This is because I keep roping you into the crap Trelawney foists on me, isn’t it?” Winger laughed and shook his head. “Okay, I’m game.”

“Yay!” Lia giggled as her control slipped. “You can look between classes, and if you find all the clues by the end of the day there will be a Valentine’s Day surprise for you.” Talbott looked at the first clue, unable to hide how amused he was. It was thoughtful and fun, even if it was also mild revenge for all the times he outsourced Trelawney’s ridiculous prophecies to Lia. How he was one of the professor’s favorite students baffled him.

“Coldest classroom at Hogwarts….. hmm. That’s gotta be potions, it’s like a morgue down there.”

“There’s probably some truth to that,” Lia muttered and shuddered. “I don’t want to know how bad some of those potion ingredients would smell if they were warm.” They shared a grimace before laughing.

“So if I’m right I’ll find the next clue there, hunh? I better get going, then, before Snape starts his review class.” He stood and leaned across the table to kiss her, the public display bringing heat to Lia’s face. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Lili.”

“Happy Valentine’s day.” She grinned and got up to follow, willing her cheeks to cool.

+++

“We’re gonna be late for Herbology!” Barnaby Lee raced down the hallway from the Great Hall, Halley's tiny form tossed over his shoulder as she was laughing hysterically and trying unsuccessfully to warn him he was running in the wrong direction in his haste. They dodged Kyriel and Murphy by inches, Halley calling out an apology as Barnaby dashed down a flight of stairs. Kyrr laughed and jerked a thumb in their direction.

“I think I started a trend.” Her smile faltered at his expression, though he snapped back to a smile almost immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He grinned up at her. “We’ll be late for po-”

“-Murph, we’ve talked about this. Honesty, okay? I can handle it.” She brushed his hair back and watched his expression fall.

“I just see things like that, and it worries me that there’s parts of our relationship that I’ll never be able to give you. I can’t pick you up.”

“McNully, I’m over five-foot ten and 135 pounds of mostly muscle. Even if you could walk you probably couldn’t pick me up.” Kyrr smiled gently as his eyes lost focus, converting the measurements into metric in his head. “I don’t want that in a partner, I want you. Besides, you do pick me up sometimes, and I’m pretty sure riding on your lap is a lot more comfortable than slung over your shoulder.” He started to smile back and leaned forward to put his arms around her. “Hell, most couples can’t carry each other. Talbruno definitely isn’t picking Lia up.”

“Because he hates public displays of affection?” Murphy tilted his head and she laughed, flexing one arm and patting her bicep.

“Because he’s a bean pole with skinny little chicken wing arms.” She winked and then yelped as Lia pinched her from behind. She turned to look, and Lia was scowling. Behind her, Talbott was mouthing “Talbruno” with the most baffled, disgusted face ever.

“Don’t mock my boyfriend, Moose.”

“Aww, come on, it’s not my fault he looks like a strong breeze will topple him like a tree.” Kyrr laughed and dodged behind Murphy’s chair as Lia made a pinching motion again. “Gah! Save me!”

“She’s not that mad,” Murphy said cheerfully, “when she’s actually mad she smiles. It’s scary.”

“You hush.” Lia tried not to laugh as Talbott shook off the stupor of the terrible reimagining of his name. “You two headed for potions?”

Murphy winced. “Yeah. I bombed the last exam, you would think I do well in a class that’s mostly measurements, but somehow I get distracted 81.2 percent of the time right before the bloody thing boils over.”

“Have you tried not looking at your girlfriend?” Lia put her hands on her hips.

“That only improves it by about 22.3 percent unfortunately.”

“You’re making those numbers up.” Lia started to walk with them to the class, fairly sure she was right. Murphy gave her a wounded look.

“I would never!”

+++

Talbott left the potions classroom right before Snape could kick him out or worse, force him to participate in class. He looked around, but Lia was gone, probably setting up more clues. The folded paper crane had been easy enough to notice, and he carefully unfolded it.

“I can hear a pin drop here.” He paused and grinned, shaking his head. “That’s the library for sure.” He checked the time and shrugged. He was already late for transfiguration, and with the library right next to the classroom he might as well get the clue first.

Chapter Text

Ophelia’s scavenger hunt had led Talbott all over Hogwarts, but by the time his last class was done he found the final one. It was impressive, really, she’d planted the white crane in one of the open owl boxes of the Owlry. It was downright cute. He pulled it open and grinned, ignoring the mild ache in his jaw from smiling more than usual.

“Come to the Impossible Tower.” He paused, habitual frown returning.

In a castle the size of Hogwarts there were dozens of unused rooms, bathrooms, and even towers that were either too far to reasonably expect students to visit or were damaged and deemed unnecessary to fix. The Impossible Tower was one of them. Not too far from Ravenclaw Tower, it was on the small side and had been used as a lookout tower in the early days of Hogwarts. Someone had cursed the stairs at some point over the centuries so that anyone walking up there would find themselves back at bottom of the steps. It had been a popular, harmless hazing ritual for a while: send a first year up to retrieve something from the tower and laugh at their confusion.

It wasn’t entirely impossible to access to be fair, one could get up there if they were very crafty on a broom, or for an animagus like himself with wings, it was easy. The tower simply had nothing interesting to offer. Talbott glanced around to make sure no one was in sight, and shifted into his eagle form before launching out of the large open windows of the Owlry.

He crossed the castle grounds and headed for the tower in question, surprised to see faint lights inside. One of the glass windows was open, and he flew in and landed neatly before shifting back. And then his jaw dropped.

Lia stood up, grinning and flushed with excitement. “Surprise!”

The small space of the tower had been utterly transformed. Cleaned, with a large thick rug set down and tapestries hung to keep back the chill from the stone walls. There was a large, comfortable couch that looked like something you could simply melt into, and a small bookshelf within reaching distance. The cozy nook was lined with white fairy lights, enough to easily read by, and a small writing table sat off to one side with quills and ink. It was absolutely the perfect space.

“You did all this?” Talbott stared at Lia in shock as she grinned and nodded.

“These last few months you have made so much effort to be there for me, to be present even against your nature, to put up with being more public and showing affection around others. It means the world to me, it shows me how much you care about my needs. So I wanted to give something back in kind.” She gestured at the little reading and writing nook that was virtually inaccessible to the rest of the school. “A space just for you, where you can come when you really need to be alone and not worry about someone walking in. But a little less drafty and… stinky, than the Owlry.”

“I don’t have the words.” Talbott shook his head, absolutely flabbergasted. “Thank you doesn’t seem nearly enough.” He stared at her as she walked over and hugged him, and he buried his face in her hair, taking in her scent. “No one has ever known me like you do. This is perfect.”

“Yeah, silly.” Lia pulled back and cupped his face with her hand. “That’s love. Happy Valentine’s Day.” He kissed her, and the moment seemed to linger for ages. It was a good thing Lia had promised to be at dinner for Murphy’s surprise, or she might have made some hypocritical decisions in the romance of the moment.

+++

“There’s nothing more romantic than a friggin review session helping Professor Sprout repot a bunch of mandrakes,” Kyrr muttered and stretched.

“It practically screams romance.” Murphy gave her a cheeky grin as they headed down the hallway together. She laughed and nudged his shoulder.

“Really though, if not for the looks I get by not wearing earmuffs it would be torture. Did you see that little fifth year boy staring at my head?”

Murphy snickered and nodded. “I think he considered you mental, luv.”

“Not wrong.” She winked and stretched again, sighing in relief as something popped. “So, dinner? I’m starving.” His little squirm and smirk made her eyes narrow.

“Dinner indeed. I have something special planned, in fact.”

“Murph, we talked about this, we're celebrating on Saturday so we have more time. I didn’t bring anything-”

“-it’s a surprise, not a gift. But it is proper Valentine’s Day, and I couldn’t just do nothing. Especially not when I knew something that you would truly be excited about.” He rolled alongside her as she walked, the sounds of the great hall ahead louder than usual. Kyrr paused, and sniffed.

“Wait. Wait wait. That smells like….” She looked at Murphy and squeaked, running ahead to look into the hall. “Oh my God.”

Murphy laughed and rolled up behind her, nodding. “Took a bit of bargaining with the house elves and Dumbledore, but it seemed worth it.” He looked up at Kyrr and couldn’t help gently laughing, she had genuine tears in her eyes.

“You got them to make no-maj pizza? Real pizza? Like, American pizza??” Her usually low voice went so high it cracked. In the hall, students were absolutely delighted by the unusual “muggle treat,” discussing the various odd toppings and weird shapes and stretchy cheese.

“Hopefully they taste as good as they smell.” Murphy led her in and found an open space in front of a few steaming pies stacked on metal trays. Kyrr grabbed a slice of pepperoni and sniffed it, folded it in half lengthwise, and took a bite. And groaned in a way that made McNully flush to the roots of his hair.

“Ohh goff. If purfec.” She chewed and swallowed slowly, face pure ecstasy. “I can’t believe this.”

Murphy dragged his thoughts out of the gutter and helped himself to what looked to be mushroom. “I convinced Dumbledore that it’s a no-maj delicacy, I don’t think he bought it but I brought Penny along to help make my case.” Across from them, Penny was just as delighted by the rare treat from her family visits to the states, while laughing alongside Halley as Barnaby stacked multiple slices of different pizzas to eat at the same time. “Then I told Pitts in the kitchens that I understood if the pizza was too hard to make. He threw a sandwich at me, but here we are!”

Orin sat across from the two and grabbed a slice of meatlovers, nodding in appreciation at the variety of toppings. “Why can’t we have this for lunch instead of sandwiches all the time?”

“Hey, I rather like sandwiches.” Murphy grinned and finished his first slice. Kyrr reached further down the table to grab a slice of a pizza that no one has touched.

“Anchovies, yesssss I’m taking this back to my dorm.” She took a huge bite and groaned again. “Seriously, New York style pizza. How did you know?” Kyrr looked at Murphy, puzzled.

“Well, you sometimes mention what you miss about America. When you were in the bathroom at breakfast I asked your dad what your favorites were. He was pretty happy to tell me.”

“Is this all he told you?” Kyrr raised a brow and McNully flushed, but before he could formulate a reply Lia and Talbott sat down. Lia reached for a slice of extra cheese, intrigued.

“This is American style pizza?” She looked it over, and made a face before laughing. “Its greasy, but smells good.” She took a nibble and then blinked and followed with a proper bite. “Oh that’s fabulous.” Talbott helped himself to the meatlovers like Orin had as she gave him a thumbs up, mouth full.

“Yep. They got it pretty perfect, too.” Kyrr nodded and tilted her head. “I take it Tallahassee liked his surprise?”

“Now you’re just making up words.” Talbott gave her an accusing look, but Murphy hastily swallowed.

“Actually it’s the name of an American city.” Everyone looked at him, and he flushed. “What, I also like geography.”

“Yes, Talbott did,” Lia said with a roll of her eyes. Kyrr smirked.

“I would guess so by the size of that hickey.” Kyrr grinned and took another bite as Lia’s face turned red and she quickly dropped her pizza and wiped off greasy fingers to adjust the collar of her shirt higher. Talbott did his best to look innocent and shift out of pinching range, Orin tried not to choke on her bite while laughing.

Parkin joined them a few moments later. “Ugh that took forever. I thought I was going to miss this.” She sat close enough to Orin that Kyrr gave the Ravenclaw a smirk, but Orin just shrugged and smiled back.

“Where were you?”

“Just meeting with a stupid friend for a stupid project that took way too long.” Skye rolled her eyes. Orin looked down at her and she squirmed, ignoring the look and stuffing her face with pizza.

+++

The entire school was buzzing for the big Valentine’s Day dance, breakups and makeups and new couples dancing around each other like prancing peacocks in a teenage dating ritual as old as time. Ophelia was privately glad she and Talbott had other plans, even if it was investigating another Mystery. Kyrr and Murphy were in the same boat, he hated dances as much as Talbott for other reasons. Murphy waited with Lia as most of the Slytherin students attending the dance left, and Kyriel was off with Skye, who had asked her help with something.

Lia glanced out in the hall to see Talbott waiting, and his grin was enormous. “What…” She paused and gaped. “Oh Orin!” She would have laughed if she didn’t look so great.

“Yeah, yeah. What can I say, I’m trying to one-up her.” Her hair was styled neatly back, and she wore a black, tailored suit with a dark green undershirt and black tie. The style was masculine but the cut and tailoring was undeniably feminine. She had a white rose boutonniere pinned to the front of her suit, and carried a matching wrist corsage for Skye. Orin grinned and wished she could ask Murphy the odds on how fast Skye would throw it at her face.

“Come on in to the common room, Snape is already gone.” Lia led the way. Murphy let out a low, appreciative whistle.

“Wow, Ackerman, you really clean up nice!” He sat forward in his chair with a grin. “I wouldn’t have put high odds on you taking this so formally.”

“What can I say? I’m competitive.” Orin winked. Ahead there was a commotion as Kyrr walked in from the girls’ dorm, took one look at Orin, and let out a giggle. “What?”

Kyrr stepped aside, and Skye stepped out behind her. Orin’s smile froze, her heartbeat skipped, and a mix of dismay at losing whatever game they were playing and delight at Skye’s defiant retort crossed her face.

Skye Parkin was wearing a dress.

It wasn’t a basic dress either. The top portion was black and tight to her torso, decorated in swirls of slightly reflective dark green beads like the turbulence in Van Gogh’s starry night painting. The dress lightened from black to dark green as it spread out into a loose, A-line skirt until the bead patterns were visible only by their reflective quality. Her hair was unbraided and pinned back, and the usual blue tips were temporarily dyed the color of her skirt and Orin’s shirt. They matched perfectly.

Skye’s face flushed under her freckles as she looked at Orin’s face and outfit. “Andre?”

“Yep.” Orin confirmed it, and walked over, offering the corsage. Skye made several faces in rapid succession, then offered her wrist. As Orin slid it on, she noticed Skye had small white roses dangling from her ears.

“I didn’t know you had pierced ears.”

“My mum had it done when I was little. I think she hoped after all the boys that I’d be the girly one. I never put anything in them.”

Orin smiled, and shook her head. “I say this with all sincerity, Kitten. You look beautiful.” Skye sputtered and blushed worse.

“You look absolutely smashing.” She fidgeted, and then suddenly noticed they were being watched. She looked ready to panic and run back to her dorm from embarrassment, or explode on their friends, and Orin cleared her throat.

“So we also have a mission tonight, if that’s okay. The others are going to try to find out what potion was used to break the pitch, but they need to search Snape’s storeroom. So we have to keep an eye on him, and if he tries to leave the dance we need to find a way to stop him and warn them.” Orin knew she was talking too fast, but it worked. Skye perked up.

“Oh. Yeah, that is pretty important. So we’re the decoy.” She nodded to herself, accepting the justification to take the edge off the realization that this was actually a date and she was actually really into the girl she was going with.

“Exactly. Shall we?” Orin offered an arm, and ignored Kyrr’s impressed nod. The two headed out, and Lia shook her head in amazement.

“They look so good together.” Lia looked up at Talbott and smiled. “One of these days I’ll get you to match with me for a dance.”

“Knowing how stubborn you are? Probably.” He kissed her lightly. “But not today.”

“Ophelia Wren Dovewing,” Kyrr said in a mockingly angry fashion, “enough with all the kissing, ugh.” McNully laughed as Lia shot her a glare.

“I don’t sound like that.” She winced and giggled at the cheerful chorus of “yes you do” from everyone, including Talbott.

+++

Penny paced anxiously outside the store room, and brightened when she saw Lia and the others walking towards her. “I was starting to worry.”

“We just had to see off the decoy couple keeping an eye on Snape for us.” Lia smiled and stepped into the room after her, as always impressed by the size of the room. “I think this will be easiest if I’m in my animagus form, that’s how I smelled it the first time.” She shifted down into the form of a little white cat, blinked, and then winced at the overwhelming barrage of strong smells to her sensitive little nose. She let out a fain mew of distress, and almost shifted back until Kyrr knelt beside her. The experienced cat animagus gently scratched her ears, voice soft.

“It’s a lot, right? Breathe through your mouth. Give yourself a minute to acclimate. Focus on other things, sounds, the feeling of the cold floor under your footpads, ear scritches. Center yourself.” Her voice droned softly, and Lia’s frantic breathing calmed. She could hear the faint scrabbling of mice behind the storeroom walls. Murphy in his chair never able to sit perfectly still. The stone floor was cold and textured, and the hand petting her was gentle and warm.

The overwhelming smells began to fade as she adjusted to them, and she could pick out different notes, sweet and sharp and cloying and the whiff of decay. And something familiar and musky. She walked over to one set of shelves and stood on her back legs, pointing with a paw. Penny opened the drawer and pulled out several large vials. Lia sniffed each one, then wrinkled her nose and pointed at one that was a deep slimy green.

“Bubotuber pus.” Penny perked up, and Talbott wrote it down. “Its common and used in a lot of things, but it’s a good start!”

+++

Orin handed Skye a drink with a little grin, the feisty little Slytherin was SO over people complimenting her dress and telling her she was, shudder, pretty.

“This is humiliating.” Skye scowled. Across the room Andre was a bundle of delight, their matching outfits had earned him more than a few compliments too. Their mission had been more or less successful and dull, Snape sat at the head table and looked like he had mastered the art of sleeping with his eyes open.

“You’re used to all eyes on you, Kitten. You’re their quidditch heroine, badass of the pitch, and now they’ve also seen you pull off a dress they couldn’t in their wildest dreams. Just take the win.” Orin sipped her own drink, and Skye blushed worse. She hadn’t know until seeing Skye in a sleeveless dress that the prickly girl had freckles on her shoulders too, but they were clear under the blush.

“Stop buttering me up, I am not a slice of bread!” Skye quietly fumed a moment. “You don’t have to flatter me, okay? I already….fancy you.” She didn’t look up, but her ears turned a bit pink. Orin smiled, then frowned. Her ears were also pink where the earrings were hanging; she hadn’t used the holes in a long time.

“You should take out the earrings. It’s been a while, you could get an infection from having them in that long.”

“So?” Skye looked up, defiant. “I can take it.”

Orin smiled and stepped in front of her, and gently reached up to remove the earrings as gently as pulling a thorn out of a manticore’s paw. “If you get an infection you might get sick, and then I’d have to visit you in the medical wing. And then I would have to taunt you about how you’ll miss the next house match.” She slipped the earrings into her pocket and gently checked Skye’s earlobes again with her thumbs and forefingers.

“That’s not fair.” Skye caught her wrists but didn’t move her hands, pulse visibly beating rapidly at her throat. “Orin, I….. Snape is on the move.” Her expression changed, and she looked up, expression slipping into something fierce and playful. “Send a message now.” She stalked off as Orin sent out a little salamander note as a warning. She looked over as Skye stepped in front of Snape and pointed at her. “Orin just STOLE my earrings!”

Orin stared in shock, the fleeting thought passing through her brain that actually, her mother might not disapprove as much as she thought. She hid a smile behind her mother’s classic stony disapproval and marched over.

“Are you seriously accusing me of theft?”

Snape looked even more tired than he had to begin with.

+++

A salamander slid into the storeroom, and Kyrr caught it, reading it quickly. “Seems Snape is done.”

Penny frowned. “Boomslang skin, Bubotuber pus, Dittany, and Goosegrass. It’s definitely some kind of healing potion, but I don’t know what one. I’ll have to consult some books, but I’ll get back to you once I can.”

Ophelia stood up and cracked her back, Talbott put an arm around her. “You did well.”

“I just hope it helps. I know it’s familiar.”

Murphy perked up, he’d been somewhat useless but he enjoyed watching Kyrr reaching for things. “Sense of smell is tied to memory. If we can get the right combination, remake the thing, you might have your memories trigger to tell you when and where you first noticed it.”

“We can work on that tomorrow.” Penny winced. “I don’t want to give Snape a reason to restrict me from this room.” They all nodded and filed out. Kyrr sat on Murphy’s lap, arms around his neck.

“You smell like pizza. I could eat you up.” She kissed his neck and he blushed, giving Lia an apologetic look. She opened her mouth to say something and then rubbed her own neck, blushing.

“Don’t keep her out too late.” She turned, and took Talbott’s hand, determined to give back a little grace after all that she had been given so far.

“I’ll do my best!” McNully’s cheerful tone only slightly made Lia want to yell in frustration. Talbott put an arm around her and leaned closer.

“I’ll try not to keep you out too late either.”

Lia failed to stop the full body blush.

Chapter Text

Both the darkness and the chill of Slytherin’s dungeon dorms were a long known issue for the house, but they could be lessened now and then with the right measures. Candles set around the room added a soft golden glow and a warmth that banished some of the gloom. It wasn’t a large dorm to begin with; one of the advantages of Murphy McNully’s obligate use of a wheelchair was a private dorm with a separate bathroom tailored to his particular needs. It allowed a certain level of privacy most Hogwarts students couldn’t find outside of the hidden “make out” spots in the castle that everyone learned of in their fifth year from older peers. Girls weren’t allowed inside the boy’s dorms, of course, but when one was dating a cat animagus, smuggling one in was possible.

Murphy smiled and looked down at the sleepy girl draped across his chest, feeling a warmth and tenderness that still took him by surprise. He ran his fingers up along her arm and watched gooseflesh lift tiny, almost invisible hairs on her shoulder. Kyriel made a content little sound and looked up at him with a smile that made him feel like the center of her world.

“You have to go back soon, I’d place 64.8% odds Ophelia will actually kill me if you stay out too late.”

“I’ll defend you.” Kyrr smiled and shifted, fingers playing with the sparse, curly gold hair scattered across his chest. “I don’t want to go yet.”

“Death it is then.” He folded his arms behind his head and smiled, at ease.

“May I ask you a question?” She sat up some, and he smiled to watch the way her muscles rolled under her skin when she moved. He reached down to adjust her bra strap for her, and nodded.

“Anything.”

“Why do you hate dances? When it’s brought up you get kind of… I don’t know. Different.”

He was quiet a long moment and looked up at the ceiling. “I didn’t always. Actually I found them quite fun. I like watching people, you know? Big part of commentation, watching others. Seeing how they interact. Seeing what they choose to do. Noticing how they-”

“-Murphy.”

“….sorry. There was this dance when we were fourth years. Celestial ball. Big event, everyone dressed up, everyone trying to get dates, absolutely awkward affair. And I don’t know, I guess she was in an extra bad mood for some reason, but Merula turned to me and asked if I seriously thought that someone who can’t dance belonged at one.” He frowned. “It was just her being her usual nasty self, you know? But it got under my skin and I never managed to shake the feeling that she was right.” He glanced at Kyrr and winced. “You’re making your murder face.”

“That….” Kyrr ground her teeth so hard her jaw started twitching.

“It’s not a big deal, luv.” Murphy pulled her back down into his arms, rubbing her back and trying to ease the sudden tension. “I have plenty of places where I do feel like I belong. On the pitch. And with you.” She fell quiet and started to relax. Murphy smiled in the candlelight. “Are you plotting doom?”

“Plotting, yes. Doom, no.” Kyrr smiled up at him. “I love you.”

“And I you.” He cupped her face with one hand and leaned down to kiss her.

+++

“I’m sorry this took so long!” Penny sat down across from Lia in the great hall. “It took a while to find the right ingredients and then convince Snape to let me use his stores, but I think I know what you were smelling.” Lia sat up eagerly. It had been more than a week since their sneaky raid to sniff out potion ingredients, but the late winter classes had kept her busy anyway. Kyrr sat next to her, grumbling over an essay for History of Magic, her worst class.

“What is it?” Lia leaned forward as Penny offered a small tub of ointment.

“It’s called remidus cream.” Penny smiled and sat back as Lia opened it and sniffed.

“This is it!” Lia lit up. Chiara sat down next to Penny after overhearing, Kalisto joining on her other side.

“You made remidus cream? That’s tricky, we almost never have any in the hospital wing.” The apprentice healer looked impressed.

“What’s it used for?” Lia sniffed again, certain of the scent. To her surprise, Kyrr looked up.

“It’s used to reduce scarring for things that aren’t magically healed right away, or injuries with a magical component that make healing slower. I recognize the name.” She held up her right hand, palm out, showing a faint crisscross of white lines and pits. Across from her, Chiara winced in sympathy, and Kalisto tilted his head.

“That looks painful.” He shuddered, and Kyrr nodded.

“Still hurts from time to time, but I think that’s mostly in my head.” Kyrr shrugged, and Chiara propped up her head on her hand.

“It’s also used for burns, it’s the only thing that works on injuries caused by dragonfire. Penny, could you make more of that for the hospital wing? We used up most of our supply last year for a burn someone got on the reserve, and then what was left got used to treat some poor kid’s chronic acne last month.”

“Sure, now that I know how to make it!” The girls smiled at each other.

Orin and Skye sat down near Lia, and the Ravenclaw nodded at the jar. “Is that our stuff?” Lia nodded, sniffing again and closing her eyes.

“I’m sure it is, I just can’t remember where I smelled it before.”

“Give it time.” A voice behind her brought Lia’s head around, and she smiled as Talbott put his hands on her shoulders supportively. “These things don’t happen immediately, memory is a tricky thing.” The sound of a book closing got everyone’s attention, and Kyrr sat up.

“So, while I have everyone here, I have something fun I need help with.” She grinned at the sudden rapt attention.

+++

Murphy McNully knew something was wrong, he just didn’t know what. Everyone had been whispering around him for the last few days, but no one was actually telling him anything, even when he probed for information. He tried not to let it get to him and stayed his cheerful self, but his smile was starting to falter. He’d seen almost none of his friends all day. It wasn’t their job to remember his birthday, but it still stung when he knew all of theirs.

He tried to read a book in the Slytherin common room, but the words on the pages were hard to follow. He read the same paragraph a third time and rubbed his temples. Maybe he needed glasses, his distance vision was excellent but sometimes that came at a cost.

Not even Kyrr? Murphy tried to banish the dark feelings at the edge of his thoughts.

“Hey Murph.” As if his voice has summoned her, Kyrr was suddenly there. And an absolute vision in a short, loose green dress that flowed around her legs like water.

“Whoa.” He managed to smile again, even if his heart wasn’t in it.

“Come with me.” She nodded towards the doors and walked away without another word. He frowned, confused, and followed. They didn’t need to go very far, the dungeon ballroom was right around the corner. “Actually, I’m underdressed.”

“You look beautiful.” He frowned in confusion.

“It’s a good outfit, but it’s missing something.” She clicked her heels together, and her sneakers changed, a row of wheels forming from her toes to her heels. He blinked, confusion increased. Kyrr pushed open the door to the ballroom and gestured. He rolled in.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” The sheer volume and number of voices startled him, and McNully gaped at the transformation of the ballroom. A sparkling light hung from the ceiling, snitches flying around it like fairies. The floor had been changed to smooth wood, and all the steps in the room changed to ramps. And everyone was wearing wheels. Unlike Kyrr’s, the common skates had four wheels in pairs of two, but even with the greater stability not everyone was successful.

Tonks fell on her backside like she was doing an impression of Kyrr on ice skates, and Tulip was laughing herself silly. Barnaby’s arms were pinwheeling as he tried to walk rather than move smoothly. Music started to play, and Lia grinned, skating up to Murphy. “Happy birthday! Sorry for the subterfuge. Kyrr wanted it to be a surprise.”

He looked up at his girlfriend, who was smiling but clearly anxious at his reaction. “This is… this….” McNully laughed and rubbed his eyes, more than a little teary. “You threw me a birthday party where everyone is on wheels. I’m speechless.”

“Is that even possible?” Orin grinned, leaning on one of the railings set up for those with less coordination. Kyrr grinned and shrugged, looking at the floor where everyone was skating in a wide counter clockwise circle. Most of the quidditch teams had shown up, reserve players and all, and Rath was gliding along skillfully like she was born to it. Chiara was laughing, a little awkward on her feet as Kalisto, apparently a natural on wheels, was gently leading her forward. Ben sat off to one side despite Rowan trying to convince him to join in, and even Talbott was there, watching Lia.

“Another no-maj thing from back home. Skating rinks, kind of like a dance on wheels. It’s a lot of fun, and as a kid I went to a few birthdays at them.” Kyrr put her hand on Murphy’s shoulder. “You belong anywhere you want to be. And your friends, all of us, will always want you there. And if necessary we’ll meet you in the middle.” He captured her hand and kissed the back of it, his real smile back in force.

“Well then, I guess it’s only fair to meet in the middle.” He grinned and headed down the ramp to join in the fun, laughing as people patted his shoulders as he passed, wishing him a happy birthday. Kyrr skated at his side, effortless with long practice.

Lia looked at her accusingly. “How can you be so good on those and so bad on the ice?”

“Roller blades are totally different!” Kyrr turned, skating backwards. “It’s not slippery and they’re a lot wider!” Ahead of them, Tonks took out Barnaby in an awkward crash, and Orin doubled over laughing as Skye shook her head.

“If you say so, Moose.”

By the time presents were opened and the cake cut and eaten, everyone was happy, tired, and sore. Talbott hid a laugh as Lia rubbed her calves, muttering. “This was her plan all along. Why is everything a workout with her?” Ophelia smiled despite her complaints, looking at the floor. Most people had already said goodbyes and left, and Kyrr and Murphy had the floor almost all to themselves. The gramophone played a soft, slow song, “Only You” by Celestina Warbeck, one of Kyrr’s favorites. She sat on McNully’s lap with her arms around his shoulders as he moved his wheels in different directions, looking more than a little like they were slow dancing.

Chiara and Kalisto were arm in arm, slowly skating together, not wasting a good opportunity for a romantic night as a couple before she had to start taking her wolfsbane. Orin and Skye sat together, talking and laughing; whatever had passed between them at the dance had gotten them even closer than before. A new ease in Skye’s manner appeared when it was just the two of them, as though she wasn’t fighting her own feelings as much. Tonks had given up trying to skate and watched the couples with a warm smile, head on Tulip’s lap. The redhead stroked her girlfriend’s chaotic purple hair, her toad asleep at her side and a rare tenderness on her face. Lia smiled and stood up, offering Talbott her hand.

“May I have this dance?” She bit her lip and made a cute face, he shook his head, tried, and failed to stop a smile.

“For you.” He stood up and joined her, better on skates than Lia would have expected.

In the center of the room, a now seventeen year old Murphy lent his voice to Warbeck’s and sang to Kyrr with all his heart as if they were alone.

“And always, and forever, only you.”

+++

Ophelia settled in bed in her dorm, muscles tired but mind awake. Kyrr was already asleep for a change, which was a bit of a relief. She was sleeping better than she had in the entire time Lia had known her. Rowan was out cold too, a book open on her face. There was really no reason Lia couldn’t sleep, unless you counted the little vial of healing ointment that taunted her from the bedside table. She opened it up and dipped in her finger. It was smooth, a bit less like cream and more like an oil. It didn’t smell awful, just medicinal.

Chiara had mentioned it was good for skin, and cleared up acne, so Lia rubbed the little bit that was on her fingers on either side of her nose. She laid back down and closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind to sleep. It wasn’t lost on her that Trelawney’s instruction was actually coming in handy for once. She drifted off to sleep, the scent of the healing ointment making a soft cloud around her.

And Ophelia had a dream.

Chapter Text

Trigger warning: Violence, destruction, serious injuries.

Ophelia sat bolt upright in bed. Across from her, Kyriel was tying her running shoes, and paused.

“I know where I smelled it!” Lia almost exploded with the knowledge, but realized belatedly that Kyrr wasn’t wearing her hearing aid yet. The deaf girl was adept at reading lips along with minimal sound, but had never mastered it in her natural silence. Her confused look made Lia wince.

Lia reached up to tap her chest, her temple, and then lifted her open palm up towards her nose. Kyrr lit up, and grabbed her hearing aid.

“You know where the scent came from?” Kyrr sat on the edge of Lia’s bed, excited.

“Remember when we were following that Killarney guy? And Mrs. Norris showed up? I’m sure I smelled it then. But that’s not all.” Lia sat up, trying to remember the dream. “I was walking with Talbott. And I remember I looked at the trophy case, and there was the same scent. And someone was there. I think? Ugh, I don’t know.” She scrubbed her face with her hands as Kyrr gently rubbed her back.

“This is good though! And you know it now. You’ll remember it if you cross it again.”

“Yeah. Though with my luck it’ll be that poor kid with the acne.” Lia grinned at Kyrr and shrugged. “Going for your run?” Kyrr nodded and Lia climbed out of bed. “Hang on, I’ll get dressed and come with you. Need to clear my head.”

The run was still tiring, but Lia’s lungs no longer ached like they had in the beginning. The cold morning air banished the last feelings of sleep, and Lia thought about her dream as they jogged along. The memory of the trophy case felt fleeting and forgettable if not for the scent, but it had to have been strong for her to detect it in her human form. She was surprised the dream had worked at all, most of the dreams she remembered were about vaults or her brother, with the occasional nightmare about being trapped and hearing wingbeats. Lia almost tripped up running at the realization that she hadn’t had that nightmare in months. She smiled as Kyrr slowed to a stop.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking.” Lia shrugged.

“We should head back, there’s a meeting today about the quidditch teams. They finished repairing the pitch and didn’t find anything else damaged, so the decision on whether or not to continue the season is up for debate.” Kyrr stretched and yawned. “It’s going to be a long one, I need some serious breakfast if I’m going to stay awake through it.”

“Do you ever stop eating?” Lia was mostly teasing, but it did impress her how much Kyrr consumed on a daily basis.

“Nope.”

+++

The place chosen for the meeting of the Quidditch teams was an unused classroom from the days when Hogwarts curriculum included subjects considered outdated long before the 1900s began. Normally such meetings would have been handled in the great hall, but the Frog Choir was doing a dress rehearsal for their upcoming spring concert, and quidditch was unfortunately lower on the list of the school’s priorities.

Orin sat on a bench near the back of the room, farthest from the commotion as the hotheads of the teams argued over whether or not a team should simply be declared the victor based on accumulated points so far, or if it was safe to continue the season. There seemed like little point in engaging, the conversation was running in circles and the meeting hadn’t officially even begun yet.

McNully was in the thick of it trying to play mediator, and Madam Hooch was simply listening and allowing the students to get the arguments out of their systems before the real discussion started.

Kyriel sat next to Orin, Lia on her other side. “Did we miss anything?”

“Not yet. Gryffindor was pushing for it to be a points tally victory, because they’d win by default for having the most games played, and Skye called them out for acting more Slytherin than Slytherins do, which was funny. They got heated but Rath backed her up and Murphy pointed out some math that makes the ‘games played’ even, and how that would be at their disadvantage. Hooch hasn’t even said if the field is cleared to play on, she’s just letting them talk.” Orin looked over. “Should you be up there helping?”

“Fuck that noise.” Kyrr snorted as Lia winced. “I’m still ‘the American’ in this case, no one is going to want my input.” Lia frowned and sat forward, eyes narrow.

“I smell it.”

“What. It? Here?” Kyrr looked at her and watched her look around. At the back of the room, someone in Hufflepuff robes with their hood up stepped out, and the three girls looked at each other and got up to follow.

Lia followed the scent with the others behind her, as fast as they could go, until they reached one of the exit doors from the castle. The lone figure was walking away swiftly, and Lia paused, hesitant in case she was wrong. Kyrr had no such hesitation, following swiftly and drawing her wand.

“Yo! Hold up, where do you think you’re go-”

The figure lifted a wand, and shouted a word in a feminine voice. Lia’s heart seemed to stop beating.

“Imperio!”

Lia watched Kyrr go rigid, and one by one the girl’s fingers opened to drop her wand into the frozen grass. Her whole body seemed to relax, nearly swaying. And then she turned, and Lia saw nothing of her friend’s distinct personality in her eyes. Kyriel was physically strong, but her psyche was still healing from years of damage. Dropping her wand was the only thing she had the mental resilience to do. Ophelia hoped it would be enough.

“Orin?” Lia’s voice was tight.

“Yeah.” Orin sounded furious.

“You get Kyrr, I’ll get the asshole.” Orin nodded and pulled out her wand, casting a stunning spell. Kyrr seemed to lock onto her position and shuddered, the spell failing to take hold. She charged at Orin, and Lia prayed to every god in the heavens that both her friends would be okay as she ran after their assailant.

++++

Orin looked at the charging Slytherin and shot up into the air in her raven form. Kyriel dropped into her own animagus form and launched herself after, claws missing tail feathers by a few centimeters. The bird looked around her for a good vantage point to cast from, but they were on the side of the castle with little to cling to. She flitted to the wall and gripped the stones with her talons, watching as Kyrr turned her head towards Lia.

Orin cursed out a caw in bird, and dropped to the ground to cast another Immobilus in her natural form. Kyrr dodged it neatly on nimble paws and shifted back to human, charging at her friend again. The distant, impersonal look in her eyes was directly at odds with the violence, and Orin fought down her anger at what had happened. A well cast imperious curse could damage a person. A poorly cast one could damage them permanently.

She shifted into her bird form again and took off, but her close proximity to the wall allowed Kyrr to vault off the stones for extra height. Orin felt teeth close on her flight feathers and reflexively shifted back. The fall to the ground wasn’t really that far, but the landing hurt and knocked the wind out of her lungs. Kyrr the cat lost her grip when feathers became fabric on a shirt, though she landed more lightly than Orin. The dark haired girl fumbled for her wand, and looked across the grass; she’d dropped it in the fall. She scrambled to her feet and ran for it as Kyrr followed, and grabbed it just before the pounce.

She shifted to her raven form the moment she got the wand in hand, and Kyrr’s leap went over her, the jump primed to attack a human rather than a bird. It took Orin a moment to right herself, but she launched upwards again only to fight a moment of searing pain as the oversized Maine coon leapt after and closed teeth on one of her tail feathers. She managed to get some height and flapped, raven heart beating a panicked staccato in her tiny chest as the cat below her flicked it’s plumed tail and watched her.

Before she could even wonder if it had been enough distraction, Kyrr turned her head, black tufted ears pricked forward in the direction Lia had gone. Orin swooped down to the ground and shifted back into her human form, wand up. Kyrr turned back to face her again and shifted back to human. Orin looked past her to where the American girl’s wand was in the grass; her last act of defiance was to drop her deadliest weapon. Kyrr would rather be hurt than wake up knowing she hurt her friends.

She charged again, and Orin stopped holding back. “Immobilus!”

Kyriel dropped into the grass, frozen, and Orin quickly moved to sit with her, pulling the white haired head onto her lap to keep her safe and warm from the ground. Hurry up, Lia.

+++

Their assailant had gotten a head start, but Ophelia charged after her in a dead run. All those terrible early mornings that Kyrr made her get up to run suddenly paid off, she wasn’t even winded. They started down a hill and Lia pointed her wand.

“Depulso!” A quick flick and the girl was knocked off her feet, tumbling a short distance down the hill. She rolled to her feet and fired off a fire spell in retort, but Lia dove sideways and it missed all but the tips of her hair. Lia came up smiling in a way that strangers would have considered friendly but off-putting, and those that knew her well considered terrifying.

She effortlessly deflected another fire spell with a quick ward, and dropped into a stance with one foot back and braced. Lia’s Expelleramas didn’t fully work, but it loosened her attacker’s grip on the wand enough for Lia to focus on and fire off a thunderbolt. It hit the Hufflepuff square in the chest and knocked her off her feet again, robes smoking and hood knocked back.

Ophelia scrambled over to her and pointed her wand at the girl’s face. “Let Kyrr go, NOW!”

“Done! It’s done.” The girl held her hands up, and Lia was startled to see that the brunette was a classmate she vaguely recognized.

“You… you’re a fifth year, right? You’re behind everything that’s been happening? You cursed the Quidditch teams? A Hufflepuff?” Lia stared, incredulous and confused. The girl’s expression darkened.

“You couldn’t possibly understand.” She ground her teeth in frustration. “You get everything you want, the whole school bends over backwards for you. You made the quidditch team on the first try. You’ve never once had to sit on the sidelines.”

“I’m not even playing quidditch this year!” Lia gestured in confusion.

“Because you don’t want to! You could jump in any time you want and someone else would get shoved back onto the bench to make space for you!”

“You’re one of the reserve players for Hufflepuff?” Lia tilted her head.

“Not anymore. I missed my chance.” The girl pushed her sleeves up and Lia winced. Both of the girls hands and forearms showed still healing burns, the scent of the remidus cream unmistakable. “But I was. And you, and the other players… you never see us! The main teams play against us all the time but no matter how hard we try, reserve players are just an afterthought. You have no idea what that’s like.”

“I… I don’t.” Lia was quiet, but then felt her anger rising back up. “But how does shutting down the pitch help the reserve teams? If you can’t play, no one can?”

“I just wanted to get some of the main players to step down for a while! Did you ever even learn the names of your reserve team players? I’m Harmony Gleeson. You didn’t know that, right?” The girl sat half up, heedless of Lia’s wand. “But I bet you know Charlie Weasley. Know why? Because he’s the best seeker in this whole stupid school, but they don’t even let him play!” Her whole face flushed.

“So you thought you could hurt some players in accidents and somehow the reserve teams could take over?” Lia gave her a flat look. “Like Charlie?”

“That was the original plan.” The girl smirked, and Lia felt a squeeze of anxiety.

“Come with me.” Lia hauled Harmony to her feet, and dragged her back up the hill. Orin was rubbing Kyrr’s back as she hugged her knees, expression vacant but not possessed anymore. Orin got up, a rare expression of rage on her face.

“What is wrong with you! Do you have any idea how dangerous that spell is?” She looked ready to throttle Harmony, and the girl winced, but Orin stormed past her to get Kyrr’s wand instead. She handed it back to her, and Kyrr accepted it meekly.

Lia frowned. “I don’t think this is over.”

As if on cue, a distant rumble inside the castle brought all their heads around. Harmony smiled grimly. “Now it is.”

+++

The three girls with their captive in tow ran into the castle in the direction of the quidditch meeting. Smoke billowed out through the open doorway, and Kyrr gave an anguished cry.

“MURPHY!” She bolted past Orin and shifted into her cat form, diving into the black smoke as Lia coughed and drew her wand, trying to think of a spell that would clear the air. Orin was a step ahead.

“No air spells, in case anything is still burning.” She pulled her hood around to cover her mouth and stepped into the room, casting auguamenti to create gouts of water to put out the fires around the room from burning tapestries and wood. At the back of the room Kyrr was checking on McNully, who was coughing and smudged, but not badly hurt. Orin breathed a sigh of relief that started her coughing to see Rath and Skye getting up as Hooch joined her in hosing down the room.

Outside, Lia looked up as McGonagall rushed down the hall with students in tow. She shoved Harmony at the professor. “She’s behind all this.” Before McGonagall could ask what was going on, Lia headed into the room to survey the damage. Some sort of fireball had gone off in the center of the room. Several students were burned. The worst was closest to the blast, and Lia’s chest clenched to see Slytherin’s young seeker Peterson on the ground covered in burns.

Kyrr looked over and saw the same thing, and met Lia’s eyes. She was clearly not okay yet, but it didn’t matter. The tall American girl squeezed Murphy’s shoulder and rushed to Peterson’s side. She picked him up as though the lanky boy didn’t weigh anything, and rushed out the doors towards the hospital wing.

Lia took inventory of injuries as the smoke began to clear, McGonagall dispelling it. Two students held Harmony between them, and her expression slid between horror at her actions and defiance. Anyone who knew episkey used it as they waited on proper healers to arrive. Lia looked up at McGonagall and bit her lip.

“I have some healing cream in my dorm, I can-”

“Go.” McGonagall didn’t even hesitate, and for the third time in the day Lia ran like the wind.

+++

“You know you don’t have to wait in here till my shift is done.” Chiara smiled at the dark haired boy sitting on a bed hugging one of his knees and watching her fold towels. “This has to be pretty boring.” Kalisto smiled and shrugged.

“I like watching you work.” The Greek boy picked his words carefully, English still sometimes tripped him up. “You get this soft look on your face and start humming. It’s cute.”

Chiara flushed, and opened her mouth to reply when someone burst in through the doors. “Oh!”

Kyrr was covered in soot and reeked of smoke, and the boy in her arms was badly burned and unconscious. She carried him to the nearest bed and laid him down gently as Kalisto got out of the way, alarmed. “More. A lot more.” She coughed heavily and pointed. “He’s the worst. Need healers.”

Madam Pomfrey rushed to the boy’s side and quickly began casting. “Miss Lobosca, follow Miss Kestrele. Mr. Nikolaos, make yourself useful and alert Dumbledore that I need the apparation field dropped to transport students to Saint Mungo’s.”

Chiara nodded, and grabbed a tub of cream from the cabinets. “Penny just refilled our supply of remidus cream.” She left it where Pomfrey could reach it and ran out after Kyrr as Kalisto took off in opposite direction.

Kyrr stumbled against the wall, coughing, and Chiara moved closer. “I’m fine,” Kyrr said as she waved her off. “Just some smoke. Come on.” They reached the room at the same time Lia got back, and things had changed some. The burned tables had been shrunk and removed, and the students who weren’t badly hurt were out in the hall, catching their breaths before walking to the hospital wing under their own power. The worst of the burned students were on the floor and being cared for as best they could.

Chiara took charge immediately, checking wounds and showing students what to do to care for their injured classmates. Remidus cream wasn’t effective on the deep burns that would require the help of Saint Mungo’s to heal, but those with superficial burns took small amounts from Lia’s jar. Kyrr dipped her fingers in and returned to Murphy’s side, gently rubbing it into the faint red marks on his face and hands, her own shaking until he caught them.

“I’m okay. I was pretty far from the blast.” He reached up to stroke her face, worried by her expression.

“Lia caught the person who did this.” Kyrr’s voice was rougher from the smoke inhalation.

“Are you okay?” Murphy was more alarmed by the way she didn’t meet his eyes.

“Later. After the crisis is over.” She pulled away and stopped at Chiara’s side. “Use me however you need.”

“Thank you.” The healer looked up and nodded. “I have the others putting blankets on the unburned tables, we need to get the kids off the floor before they go into shock. I trust your strength more than wingardium right now.” Kyrr nodded back and helped gently move students onto the tables.

There was no telling how long it took, but a sudden series of popping sounds in the hall preceded several witches and wizards in healers robes entering the room. They took over as Chiara had, and in moments most of them were gone along with the badly burned students. One witch remained behind to help tend to the students who didn’t require intensive care, and McGonagall left with Harmony to see Dumbledore.

Kyrr sank down to the charred floor and put her head in her arms over her knees, and Lia exchanged a look with Murphy. Skye, for once needing comfort, sought it in Orin’s arms. The dark haired Ravenclaw held her silently, giving strength as it was needed. Talbott arrived as things were cleaning up and just wordlessly pulled Lia close.

No one seemed to know what to say.

Chapter Text

Trigger warnings: Ableist slur, physical violence

How could it have gotten this bad?

Thunder rolled over the hulking edifice of Hogwarts as Ophelia knelt on cold wet flagstones in the courtyard. None of the chaos or noise got through to her as she watched the rain wash away the traces of a violence that never should have happened.

+++ Twenty-Four Hours Earlier +++

“What?” Murphy McNully wasn’t a young man with a history of anger issues, in fact aside from the occasional strong disagreement over quidditch rules or someone calling the Knight in chess a horse named Steve, he maintained a fairly calm, upbeat attitude. But his expression twisted and hands clenched hard enough to make the knuckles white as Lia nodded, hands in her hair.

“Madam Pomfrey is checking her out now that the burns have been dealt with. But….yeah. She got hit with the Imperious Curse.” Lia closed her eyes, not even able to relax as Talbott put his arm around her.

Orin grimaced and pushed her sandwich away. “The good news is that wherever that Gleeson kid learned the curse, she learned it well. It would actually have been worse if it was miscast. She was able to dismiss it at will, and it wasn’t long. If it was anyone else, they would be unnerved but fine.”

“But it’s not just anyone.” McNully’s voice was tight. “It’s my Kyrr. She’s already….” Skye snorted, and he glared at her, furious. Even Orin shot her an angry look, but Skye didn’t flinch.

“It’s the Moose. Our Moose. Come on, yeah this will suck for a while. But give her some credit. She’s unstoppable.” Skye shrugged and Orin shook her head, relaxing a bit. Her change from critical to supportive also hit Murphy, and he deflated, anger giving way to worry.

“There definitely won’t be a quidditch game now.” Murphy forced himself to switch topics. “Too many injuries. Fortunately nothing should be permanent, since it was regular fire and got treated quickly, but it will take a while. No one has a full team left.”

“I don’t even want to think about quidditch.” Lia sighed and put her face down in her arms. “We got the person responsible. She confessed to everything.”

“Why did she do it?” Talbott was perplexed. “I mean she’s a Hufflepuff!” Orin frowned and shrugged.

“Houses are assigned based on our core values and goals as kids. It’s why McNully is a Slytherin instead of a Ravenclaw. Why I’m a Ravenclaw instead of a Slytherin. And why somehow Ben Copper is a Gryffindor.” Orin smirked and everyone laughed, it was unkind but it broke the tension. “So maybe she was loyal, but loyal to a fault and loyal for the wrong reasons.”

Lia sat up and brushed her hair back. “Harmony was hurt last year. Dragon fire, burned her hands and arms pretty badly.” She shrugged. “Maybe it messed her up in other ways. I don’t know. But she hurt a lot of people, she’s definitely getting expelled at least.”

“Good.” Murphy’s voice dropped into a dark place. “She used the Imperious curse, she belongs in Azkaban.”

Orin held up a hand. “Yes, but. She’s not even sixteen yet. They’re not putting her away. I’m sure they’ll be keeping a close eye on her though.” Murphy held up a finger and Orin gave him a look. “You’re too close to it, McNully. You’re making it personal.”

“Of course it’s bloody personal, my girl had her will violated and her strength turned against her own friends!” McNully’s voice carried, and Lia winced.

“Murphy, please. It’s bad enough it happened, maybe don’t tell the entire school?” She looked at him and he closed off, head down.

“I’m going to the hospital wing.” Murphy switched from the bench seat to his chair, and left without another word. Talbott raised a brow.

“Should we be stopping him?”

Lia shrugged and sighed. “I don’t know. This all feels wrong and I keep feeling like the worst is yet to come.”

+++

Kyriel was quiet when she got back to their dorm, freshly cleaned of soot and her hair still drying. Lia came over to her side of the room and pointed to the chest at the foot of her bed. Kyrr sat, and Lia sat behind her, taking over with the towel and carefully putting the left side of her hair back up. They were silent a long time, then Kyrr cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry I attacked you guys. I’m sorry I wasn’t…”

“None of that.” Lia shook her head firmly, and carefully used the hot air charm to dry Kyrr’s hair. “It wasn’t your fault. You even managed to drop your wand. It could have been any of us. It would have been me if I hadn’t hesitated.” The thought horrified her so much that she felt a fresh wave of sympathy.

“So many people got hurt today. I feel like I’m making a big deal out of nothing.” Kyrr’s shoulders slumped and Lia pulled her hair back, or at least as much of it as would fit in the ponytail. “I’m trying not to.”

“You’re allowed to feel.” Lia climbed off her bed and returned to her own, facing her friend. “Bottling it up isn’t going to help.”

“You don’t want to see the alternative.” Kyrr didn’t meet her eyes, just climbed into her bed. “Thanks for fixing my hair.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lia’s voice was soft, the other girl had already taken out her hearing aid and shifted into her cat form to sleep.

+++

The early spring day dawned about as dreary as it could get, clouds threatening to split open at any moment. After the horrible attack on the quidditch teams the school had cancelled classes for the day. Lia wasn’t sure it was a good idea, it took away some much needed distraction. Kyrr hadn’t gone for her run in the morning, but she had joined everyone for breakfast. Murphy was on pins and needles beside her. By early afternoon the dark atmosphere of the student body was oppressive.

Orin cleared her throat. “Lets get some fresh air before the rain starts.” She stood up, and to Lia’s surprise Kyrr did too.

“Yeah, it’s just too heavy in here.” She remained mostly expressionless, but it made Lia smile to see a little bit of her usual self coming through.

Their whole group headed down the hall and out into the courtyard. The rain hadn’t started yet, though the air felt humid. Others were in the open space already, and Orin waved at her younger sister. Iris waved back without breaking her conversation.

Kyrr sat at the edge of the fountain and looked up at clouds the same color as her eyes. “It’ll rain soon. Storm is about to hit.” A rude scoff from nearby brought Lia’s head up.

“Amazing observation, Kestrele. What’s next, you’ll inform us all that water is wet?” Merula sneered and Lia stepped in front of her.

“Not the time, Snyde.” Unfortunately the warning had the opposite effect on her fellow Slytherin.

“Not the time? When is the time, then? You used to at least be fun, now you spend all your time coddling your American pet.” Merula looked past Lia. Kyrr got up and started to walk away, Murphy concerned at her side. “Then again, I guess you need to keep a close eye on her so she doesn’t stab you in the back.” Kyrr stopped walking, and Murphy paused a moment later to turn and look at her. Lia gave Merula a dark smile.

“Shut up before I shut you up.”

“What, are you gonna duel me? Fight everyone else’s battles for them again?” Snyde pushed past her to face Kyrr’s back. “Aren’t you supposed to be some kind of great duelist, Kestrele? Fight me then, I want to see what color a squib bleeds.”

Lia felt a creeping sense of alarm and rushed over to Kyrr. “Don’t listen to her. She’s all talk. Kyrr?” Behind them, Merula lifted her wand.

“Dovewing won’t duel me, you won’t duel me. What do I have to do to get some entertainment around here, challenge the cripple?”

Time stopped.

Lia had the unfortunate vantage point to see the slur hit Murphy. She watched his wince, and the way his blue eyes closed, just for a moment, before he could brush it off. A moment too long, because Kyrr saw it too.

In their first ever practice duel Ophelia had seen Kyrr when she lost her temper. The absolutely feral, manic look in her eyes. The words and McNully’s pain brought it back. Kyrr turned around smoothly and ran towards Merula like she had the obstacle course.

Snyde brought her wand up hastily, but it was too late. Kyrr tackled her so hard they both flew over the lip of the fountain and into the pool, missing the centerpiece by inches. It felt as if time resumed, and the courtyard fell into chaos as Kyrr rained down punches onto Merula’s face, the smaller girl fighting in a panic both against the pain and the terror of halfway drowning. It was nothing to outside observers but splashing and choked screams until Barnaby reached in and grabbed Kyrr from behind, physically hauling her off and out of the water.

Merula scrambled to the far side of the pool, coughing and choking, blood streaming from her mouth and nose. Barnaby was stronger than Kyrr by a good margin, but he’d never fought someone with training and in a rage before. She planted her feet on his thighs and leaned her head forward as far as his arms would allow, then slammed her head backwards into his face. He was lucky she had so much hair to cushion the blow; although he dropped her with a shout of pained surprise, only his nose was broken.

Kyrr landed on all four paws, and launched herself at the lip of the fountain, powerful cat body clearing the water in one leap. Merula stumbled away in sodden clothing as Kyrr raced after. She planted her front paws and brought her back legs around, shifting into her human form and sweeping the fleeing girl’s legs out from under her. Snyde dropped in a soaking heap and Kyrr pinned her down again, screaming wordlessly and punching over and over as Merula tried desperately to get her arms up to protect her face.

Someone far stronger than Barnaby grabbed Kyrr from behind and pulled her away, gentle despite their strength. She screamed louder and thrashed, shifting forms and biting and clawing at skin she couldn’t pierce and arms accustomed to holding wild, violent creatures on the reserve.

“Shhhh. There, there. Yer okay. It’ll all be okay.” Hagrid soothed her gently as though she was a wild animal as Merula sobbed, spitting out teeth and holding her cracked face in both hands. Chiara and another apprentice healer dropped to her side, and carefully helped her to her feet as Kyrr finally gave up the struggle and went limp in Hagrid’s grip.

Kyrr lifted her head and met Merula’s one eyed gaze, the other already swollen shut. “How do you like the sight of blood now?” Snyde couldn’t have replied if she wanted to, mouth swollen beyond speech. The healers took her away as more people showed up. Iris hugged Orin, who was still staring in shock and very, very grateful that Kyrr under the imperious curse apparently had been holding back. Iris looked up at her, shaky.

“I got Hagrid. That was right, right?”

“Exactly right.” Orin hugged her back.

Lia moved over to Kyrr, still in shock at how swiftly and brutally the fight had started and ended. The sky finally opened up and thunder rolled, rain washing blood off Kyrr’s split knuckles. Whatever fire had been lit in her was gone, her eyes blank. Lia sank to her knees as most of the others in the courtyard ran for cover from the rain and Murphy hid his face in his hands.

+++

It took time before the castle calmed down again as the news of the fight spread through the student body like wildfire. There was surprisingly little condemnation against the American girl despite how one-sided the fight had been. Merula had done nothing to make herself a sympathetic figure.

Kyrr was confined and no one was told where, only that Filch had her. Tonks and Tulip attempted a daring rescue that amounted to nothing apart from the information that she at least wasn’t shackled to the wall. Lia did her best to keep her friends calm, if only to distract herself from distress. Murphy was silent, he hadn’t said a word since the fight, which was alarming. Penny kept brushing away tears, she and Kyrr weren’t terribly close but she was emotional and seeing her friends upset set her off. Ben Copper had heard the news and Lia almost fell off her bench seat when he muttered “served her right.” It seemed to be the sentiments of the whole school that the wrong person was going to be expelled.

Kyrr sat in the guest room she had been given, in silence as she turned her hearing aid over in her hands. She didn’t hear the knock on the door but looked up when it opened, putting it back on. Filch stepped into the room holding a tray, and he cleared his throat.

“Don’t want you missing dinner.”

Kyrr blinked in confusion, it didn’t match the descriptions she’d always heard of him. “Thank you.”

“Jailor’s job, right?” He shuffled his feet and set the tray on the little table, awkward. “Met your dad when he was here. Decent fellow. Proud of you.”

“He has to be. He’s my dad. He’s the best dad.” Kyrr rubbed her arms, and Filch shook his head.

“You’re a good kid.” It sounded like the words were painful for him, and Kyrr looked up in surprise.

“I’m in here for beating someone up.”

“Ugh, well, that one isn’t. Eat your dinner before it gets cold.” He turned and left, and Kyrr smiled a little bit for the first time since the Imperious Curse.

+++

“Ih thtill hurth.” Merula glared at Chiara as the healer brought her a potion to regrow the teeth she lost in the fight. The swelling had gone down considerably thanks to spells and wiggenweld potions, but the damage was bad enough that she’d be in bed for a few days. On the bed to her left Barnaby was sleeping off a potion to fix his broken nose. He’d been cheerful about it, apparently it wasn’t the first time.

A student came into the hospital wing and walked over to Barnaby’s table, leaving a note and a chocolate frog. Merula scowled at her empty table.

“I’m the one who got hurt.”

“What did you expect?” The voice came from her other side. Kalisto lay on an unused hospital bed with his hands behind his head and one foot crossed over the other.

“Excuth me?”

“I said,” he repeated, annunciating clearly, “what did you expect? Did you think all the kids you bully were going to care you got hurt after bullying someone else? Bring you presents? You’re mean, Merula. Mean to everyone, even your own house. You call yourself the strongest witch at school but it doesn’t make you look strong, it makes you look small and petty.” He sat up and faced her. “You had a hard life? Congratulations, so did a lot of people. They don’t use it as an excuse to hurt people.”

“Tho I detherved to have my teeth punshed out?” She gave him a nasty look. “Thure you’re not thlitherin?”

“Wow you’re harder to understand than me right now.” He sat forward and shook his head. “No one deserves to get hurt, but when you’re usually the one who hurts people, no one is going to care that it came back to you. And everyone knows what you said to make her angry. McNully is my friend too you know.” His brows furrowed and his voice raised a bit. “Right now one of my friends is locked up and might get expelled because of you! If anyone should be, it’s you. Actually with your track record you still might be. I know the curse breaker isn’t going to clean up after you this time.”

“Thee dothent-”

“Naí, yes she does. Everyone knows it.” Kalisto shrugged and laid back down, waiting on Chiara. “If I was you I’d be packing my bags. Or maybe telling Dumbledore it was all a misunderstanding. Or you can just be you and stay small and petty.”

Merula clenched the teeth she had left and fought a new, growing sense of unease.

Chapter Text

Ophelia Wren Dovewing was, to put it mildly, spiraling. Her friend group was shattered by recent events, she was still reeling from finding her brother, and the never ending onslaught of demands was driving her over the edge. Hogwarts was supposed to be a place of learning and safety, yet every time she turned around there was a new threat to upheave everything.

Lia hadn’t intended Kyriel Kestrele to become one of her best friends. It was more than a little like adopting a cat that takes over your spaces, but the love and support and comfort made it worthwhile. Enough that she overlooked how they clawed furniture or messed things up or antagonized other pets.

And then, Kyrr had done what apparently half the school wanted to and beaten Merula Snyde to a pulp. Had things been a bit different the event would have been shocking but understandable. If it hadn’t been a slide back to a version of herself that she didn’t want to be. If it hadn’t been good grounds to expel her. If the brutal fight hadn’t been so damn one sided that Merula could play the victim.

If. If. If.

It became clear that the issue wasn’t going to be addressed or resolved quickly, and Lia returned to her dorm. Looking across the room at the empty bed hurt. She rolled on her side and made a soft calling sound for her cat, petting soft fur and staring off into space. Her eyes focused on her side table, on a small green and red wrapper. It wasn’t unusual, Kyrr left strawberry candy all over the place, but the sight and uncertainty of everything hurt. Lia closed her eyes tightly and hid her face, the little cat’s fur dampened with salt.

+++

Breakfast in the great hall was a somber affair. Students sometimes scuffled, and bullying was unfortunately rather common, but most antics of that sort were carried out with magic, jinxing or hexes. The idea of one student physically assaulting another badly enough to land them in the hospital wing for days was unusual. Rumors were rampant, from claims that Merula was taken to St. Mungo’s or had died (which Chiara contested), to rumors that Kyriel was already expelled and on her way to Azkaban.

“There has to be something we can do, right?” Iris sat beside Orin, guilt over her part in stopping Kyriel’s unhinged act of violence demanding she find a way to fix things.

“Sorry Ringtail. I just don’t think there is.” Orin put an arm around her shoulders as Lia stared off into space. “Merula didn’t die, but she got hurt pretty badly. The school doesn’t look kindly on that. But you stopped it from getting worse than it was, so be proud of that.”

“I just wish we could make them see it wasn’t Kyrr’s fault. Everyone wants to punch Merula some times, everyone says so.”

“I’m going to talk to Dumbledore.” Lia stood up so abruptly that Talbott had to scramble to keep her cup from overturning. He looked up, concern smoothing his habitual frown as he watched her eyelid twitch.

“Do you want company?”

“No.” Lia shook her head, the anxiety gnashing at her insides. “I need to do this alone.” She walked out of the Great Hall as her friends watched. She hated the feeling that they were all counting on her, almost as much as the feeling they were right, somehow she had to get involved before it was too late. She rushed, but didn’t quite run to get to Dumbledore’s office. To her surprise he was just arriving too, from a different direction.

“Miss Dovewing, where are you headed in such a hurry?” His warm, soft voice helped calm her racing heart some.

“I want to talk about Kyrr. I was there when the fight happened, and-”

“-she is a popular topic at the moment,” he mused. “Why, I’ve just returned from speaking with Miss Snyde.” Lia winced, angry that Merula had gotten her chance to spin a story before she could tell him the truth.

“You can’t listen to her, she’s had it out for Kyrr all year!” Lia felt herself slipping into the smile that masked her anger.

“Indeed. She said as much herself.” His reply pulled Lia up short. “But for the moment, I’m afraid I have a rather difficult conversation waiting before I can get to yours.” He opened the door to his office and Lia froze. Two men waited by his desk, their hair and the scarring on one man’s face the only difference between their appearance. They could have been twins, and they looked at her with identical gray eyes that she’d seen almost every day for the last year.

She didn’t hear Dumbledore’s next words, her gift subjecting her to thoughts not created by her own mind.

Marcus had been born first, half deaf. Alastair was born less than a year later; a lock of white hair and the ability to hear set him apart from the usual family. They’d grown up best friends, a pair of rowdy boys in a large mansion with little supervision. Marcus displayed magic by the time he was five. Alastair didn’t. The realization as time ticked away that he might never get it made both boys worry.

Only one letter from Ilvermorny arrived.

When Marcus arrived home for summer, his brother was gone, sent to live with distant cousins. A squib; an embarrassment to the family. Marcus was a child himself, there was nothing he could have done. By the time the brothers met up again years later, Alastair had changed. Angry, bitter, resentful. He’d fallen in with a bad crowd, gotten tattoos, gotten arrested for assault. His best friend was long gone.

They’d only met a few times over the years, and it never went well. Marcus was glad to see he turned his life around when Aislynn came into it, went to college, started over. But then…. A child, and the death of his wife. A daughter, who as it turned out was almost entirely deaf. They both knew what it likely meant.

He'd made a mistake in forcing the issue when she got her magic. Had made mistakes since. But then things began to change a bit. Alastair knew what Marcus’s scars meant, that he’d made a selfless choice and paid an unfathomable price to save his niece. Their father, the patriarch and bigot finally passed, leaving Marcus the sole heir.

A cup of coffee. A conversation. An olive branch. A new beginning.

And now they were here, united, to protect their family.

Lia blinked as the thoughts and images swirling in her head dissipated when the door to Dumbledore’s office closed. She backed up into the wall and slid down, trying to catch her breath. It was all too much. To big to carry alone. But if they were here together….. maybe things would work out after all.

+++

Alastair lit a clove cigarette as Dumbledore walked up to his desk, trying to keep his temper in check. Dumbledore looked at him mildly, then glanced at the burning stick in his hand.

“I’d prefer you didn’t smoke in here,” he said mildly. Alastair snapped the lighter closed.

“I don’t give a shit what you prefer.” Sweet scented smoke escaped through his sneer like a dragon. “You’ve got a bird in here that lights itself on fire. What the hell happened to my kid?”

“There was an altercation. I assure you that your daughter is physically unharmed.”

“No shit, Sherlock. I taught her to fight myself. But she wouldn’t have done it without a reason.” He handed the cigarette to Marcus, who took in a deep breath and exhaled smoke with considerably more calm than his younger brother.

“What Alis is asking is what caused this, because if you’re thinking of expelling my niece over this incident, I can and will pull whatever strings necessary to start an inquiry into it.”

Dumbledore raised both brows, amused. “Is that a threat?”

“You bet your ass it is,” Alastair snapped, and accepted the cigarette back from his brother, chomping it between his teeth.

“We of course would rather not see it come to that.” Marcus stared down at Dumbledore, expression like ice beside his brother’s fire.

Dumbledore watched the two for a long moment and then slowly shook his head. “I’m afraid my decision has already been made, regardless of threats or inquiries.” He looked at them both, a measure of power showing in his own eyes as a reminder that he was not the doddering grandfather figure that children often took him for. “And it is final.”

+++

Kyrr sat on the bed in the room she’d been kept in, staring out the single window at the castle spread around. It wasn’t a sight she got from her room in the dungeons. She tried to commit the graceful, archaic towers to memory, just in case. A knock at the door ended her reverie, and she cleared her throat. “Come in.”

The door opened and Dumbledore stepped into the room. Kyrr straightened up, turning her hearing aid up fully to catch his soft voice. He smiled kindly and sat on the only chair in the room. “I hope these accommodations have been comfortable enough?”

“Yes, sir. How… how much longer?”

“Not long. There have been a number of important conversation, and your friends and others have given their opinions on what occurred. You do understand, I hope, that this kind of physical violence is not acceptable at Hogwarts?”

“At least I didn’t break any noses until almost the end of the year?” Kyrr attempted a smile, and was rewarded with his laughter.

“But when you did, you broke two.”

“Two? When did…. Oh, Barnaby. I forgot that part.”

“Worry not, he holds no ill will, it seems. Regardless, I’ve taken into consideration your history at Ilvermorny, your conduct here, and the events that unfolded. I’ve made my decision regarding your expulsion.”

Kyrr braced herself, feeling tears start to well up. “May I at least say goodbye to my friends?”

Dumbledore gave her a kindly smile, and shook his head. “No.”

+++

“I didn’t even get to tell him our side of the story.” Ophelia scrubbed her face with her hands. “But he talked to Merula. Merula! I can’t believe after all this she gets away with everything again!”

“Well not everything. She definitely lost some teeth.” Orin offered a smile.

“Good. She should have lost more.” Lia scowled, unwilling to be cheered up. Talbott rubbed her back gently.

“Maybe if we-” Talbott flinched as Murphy, silent at the end of the table, lit up.

“KYRR!” He wheeled as fast as he could towards the open great hall doors, where Kyriel stood looking a little embarrassed. He reached her first and swept her off her feet, holding her tight and whispering love and relief against her hair. Lia and Orin were a step behind and it practically became a pile up. “Are you okay? Did they feed you? Were there manacles?” Murphy checked her wrists as she laughed and shook her head.

“No manacles. I’m okay.” She smiled up at Lia, who still looked anxious.

“Is… is this goodbye?” Lia rubbed her ribs, a sure sign she was worried. Kyrr shook her head.

“I’m on probation for the rest of the year. I get to stay.” Kyrr laughed as Murphy hugged her tightly, Orin sat on the nearest bench with a sigh of relief, and Lia turned to hide her face against Talbott’s chest. It took a few minutes to get seated normally again, more than a few students expressed relief to see her and a few Hufflepuffs joined their table.

“So that’s it? You’re going to be staying?” Kalisto grinned. “Maybe also Merula will be gone?”

“No, apparently she told Dumbledore it was her fault for provoking me. I guess since she took some responsibility, she’s getting probation too.”

“Ah.” Kalisto made a sour face and Chiara nudged him.

“Trust me,” the silver-haired girl offered, “she’s not having the best time. Tooth regrowth potions are really uncomfortable, and she lost three of them. Loosened a few others too.” She smiled as his expression lightened. Tonks groaned, and settled her head in her hand.

“I can’t believe I missed it! Of all the days to be in detention.”

Kyrr raised a brow. “Are there days you aren’t in detention?”

“Some!” Tonks couldn’t help but laugh, though.

Lia sighed, the relief finally hitting her that they were all back together and no one was being sent away. “So all of this is behind us?”

“All but Quidditch.” Murphy hadn’t stopped leaning on Kyrr since she’d returned, and it made Lia glad to hear his voice back to normal. “There still won’t be a quidditch cup this year.”

Kyrr straightened up, and smiled. “Actually, while I was in isolation, I had a lot of time to think. And I have an idea.”

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe Moose talked everyone into this.” Skye scowled down at her quidditch uniform, the unusual colors still unnerving.

“Come on, you can’t hate blue that much, it’s the color you dyed your hair.” Orin grinned, quite enjoying the green and blue uniforms they were wearing. “You’re practically wearing all the house colors right now.”

“What do you mean?” Skye glared as Orin leaned closer, not caring about the other people milling about the changing room.

“Well, you’ve got a bit of red. Right here.” Her curled fingers gently brushed the skin under Skye’s freckles and watched the heat surge up to paint it red.

“That doesn’t…. That doesn’t count!” Skye glanced around, but no one was paying attention. “Anyway, there’s no yellow.”

“Let’s find out.” Orin took a fistfull of Skye’s uniform and pulled her close, kissing her in full view of everyone and taking her time about it. The flustered Slytherin lifted her hands to grab her shoulders, but didn’t pull away. The kiss lingered long enough that the room around them seemed forgotten until they heard the unmistakable sound of Rath snorting. Skye jumped back, blushing, and Orin didn’t exactly look calm herself.

“Bout time. You two official?” Rath raised a blond brow as Skye sputtered and Orin looked at her expectantly.

“……..fine. Yeah. I guess.” She looked at her feet and Orin laughed.

“Mmmm. No yellow as it turns out.”

Andre looked absolutely cheerful at the sight, and nodded at Skye. “You know, none of this is going to work if your Keeper doesn’t show up,”

“She’s changing right now.” Skye rubbed her neck and watched Bean suiting up. “We’ll pull our weight.”

“Sure? She’s out of practice,” Rath pointed out.

Behind her, the Slyther-Claw keeper stepped out, finishing her last protective buckles. “Keeper is one of those things you never forget.” Lia grinned and shrugged. “But don’t expect me to come out of retirement. Kyrr and I are making the semi-pro dueling team next year.”

“Why were you late?” Orin raised a brow.

“Thing in the woods, stuff got crazy. Rowan almost died, it wasn’t fun. I’m glad to be able to just relax and play quidditch for once. Won’t have too many opportunities once we graduate.” Lia shrugged and Orin grinned.

“You never know.”

A wheelchair sped in through the open tent doorway, and Murphy grinned brightly. “Ten minutes till we start, Griffin-Puff is ready to go.”

“I hate these combo names,” Skye muttered. “Where did Kyrr come up with this anyway?” Orin grinned, putting an arm around her as they walked towards the pitch entrance.

“Muggle baseball thing, apparently. They have tons of teams in two leagues, and they have a special ‘all star player’ game with the best players of each. This way we have a last game with the best players from each team, and even if we have to share a cup, it doesn’t sit blank for a whole year.” To her surprise, Skye took her hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Does it bother you that the person who made this mess got her wish? Andre and Charlie both get to play.”

“I don’t think it was totally about that, Kitten. Her head went wrong. Maybe she got what she wanted, but by the time she was done she lost everything that mattered. I just feel sorry for her.” Orin shook off the feelings and grinned. “But now we get to find out if you can keep up with me.”

“By the way, if you mess up the Parkin’s Pincer you will be introduced to the Parkin’s pincher.” Skye grinned and tweaked her girlfriend’s ribs. Orin laughed in amused outrage as McNully’s voice rolled over the stadium introducing the teams.

+++

“I think it looks classy.” Kyrr grinned up at the green and blue decorations around the Quidditch Cup. “Can you imagine if they had won? Yellow and gold are similar enough it would have just looked like Gryffindor won.” She leaned on Murphy, who put an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

“The All Star game was a hit. The donations for the injured players were incredible, we have enough to outfit the teams next year, fix all the damages, and make a donation to Saint Mungo’s. Sometimes your muggle knowledge comes in handy.” McNully smiled and nuzzled against her hair, fighting the intense feeling of pending loss. Exams were done, trunks were packed, and everyone was saying goodbyes before the break for summer.

“I know. Are you all packed?”

“Yeah. Everything including Neil. He’s not happy about the carrier.”

“Kneezles are like that.” Kyrr bumped her forehead to his, and Murphy sighed softly. “So dad says…. Uncle Marcus… bought us a house. In the Mediterranean, so it’ll be warm. We’re having a floo put in, so you can visit. And I can visit. We won’t be apart too much.”

“I’m going to miss you, Snidget. Every day that you’re not close.” He sighed and leaned back as she nuzzled into his neck.

“On the up side, we’ll have a bunch more unsupervised time.” Kyrr’s grin was wicked, and he leaned down to kiss her until Lia’s groan pulled him up short.

“You two are the WORST.” Ophelia grinned, leaning on Talbott with his arm wrapped around her. “Are you going to snog the whole train ride back?”

“Actually, coach, I’m not taking the train. Mum is bringing me home by floo. We have a family thing. So this is my goodbye, my farewell, my last chance to say the words, the final-”

“-Okay, okay! You win.” Lia threw her hands up and walked off with Talbott, who was trying not to laugh. “What?”

“Oh nothing. Just looking forward to months without having extroverts invading my space all the time. I will miss you though.” He smiled and hugged her close as they walked.

“You’d better, bird brain, or I will find you and…. I don’t know. Shed on you.” Lia smiled and Talbott laughed, side stepping an amped up Skye.

She stopped in front of Orin and held up a pamphlet. “So, this is my dad’s summer schedule. Any Wigtown Wanderer games you can say your name, I’ll make sure you’re on the ‘will call’ list and let in.” Orin accepted it and tucked it away, laughing.

“Kitten, I liked you when you still thought I was the enemy. You don’t need to impress me. Just be you.” She leaned closer and Skye’s ears turned red under her hair.

“I’m not trying to impress you, I’m just letting you know my schedule!” Skye gestured in frustration and got kissed for her troubles. Chiara moved past them with a little smile, glad to see that they resolved things before the summer started. She walked over to where Kalisto was slumped a bit, bouncing a basketball off the wall to the side of the fireplace.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” He tossed it again and caught the rebound, not looking at her. Chiara sighed.

“This internship is a huge deal, they almost never take anyone under 18.” She brushed his hair back behind his headband and he caught her hand, moving to kiss it instead.

“I know. I just thought we’d be on the train back together. I’m going to miss you.” They leaned together in silence a long moment. “Do you have enough wolfsbane?”

Chiara nodded and smiled. “Thanks to you. I have enough to get through summer. And we can visit, maybe, Saint Mungo’s is on the floo network. We’ll find a way. We always have.” She smiled and cupped his face, and kissed him gently.

Merula walked past the kissing Hufflepuffs and rolled her eyes, sitting across from Ismelda. “I hate the last day of the school year. It’s nothing but kissing and people weeping over not seeing friends for the next year.”

“I hope someone dies over the summer. It would make all the weeping extra poignant.” Ismelda shrugged, and looked at Barnaby as Merula self consciously checked if her teeth were loose, a habit since the fight. “What do you want?”

“Me? Nothing!” Barnaby grinned. “I finally asked Halley out. She smacked me and told me we are already dating. I really need to pay more attention to things.” He glanced at Merula with sympathy. “I know how you feel.” He wiggled the cartilage in his nose and she flushed with embarrassment.

Rowan hid a smile as she passed her fellow Slytherins, and managed to capture Lia in a hug as she and Talbott entered the great hall before they were all called to leave.

“Hi best friend!” Rowan hugged Lia tightly, and was squeezed hard in return. “Summer with the family. And then, who ever thought it. We get to spend Year seven together!”

Lia grinned and nodded. “Liz requested we let her join our dorm next year, Kyrr and I are good with it…”

“Absolutely! I can’t wait to pick her brain for creature knowledge!” Rowan looked over as the kids leaving by floo headed out. Kyrr shifted into her cat form and curled up on the table. Kalisto did the same, and the two long haired cats ignored everyone to wallow in the sorrow of not having the last few hours of goodbye.

“Sorry. I’ll see you on the train.” Lia headed over and shifted into her own cat form, and joined the snuggle pile of cats, giving her support to the others.

Rowan looked at Talbott and he held his hands up in defense. “I’m a bird.” She gave him a look and walked away, trying not to laugh as he realized how silly his reply sounded.

+++

Alastair Kestrele stood on platform 9 and ¾ feeling like an outsider. It was normal for when he interacted with the wizarding world, but it didn’t quell the resentment he felt. A voice nearby caught his attention; for as much as his brother and daughter were deaf, he had exceptional hearing.

An attractive woman with straight black hair and stunning green eyes was waiting as he was, and the exchange he’d overheard had been a mishmash of Greek and English. He moved closer and offered a smile. “Geiá sou.” He knew his pronunciation was terrible but she smiled.

They managed to communicate with some difficulty, her English was as remedial as his newly acquired Greek, but she laughed rather than took offense to his attempts to explain he was picking up his daughter. And she showed sympathy when he managed to explain that he wasn’t a muggle like her, but someone without magic from two wizard parents. He was trying to explain what he did for a living when the train pulled up, and shortly after a scream split the air.

“DAD!!!” Kyrr was a solid mass of muscle and speed, but he was used to her launching herself at him. He hugged her tightly, relieved and soaking in the scent of strawberries tinged by a new whiff of sandalwood.

“Hey kiddo.” He paused as Anthea Nikolaos had a similar reunion with her son, the dark haired boy showing the same level of affection to his mother as Alastair’s own daughter.

The introductions were done mostly through Kalisto, who knew more of both languages than anyone else. Kyrr reacted to the knowledge that the new house was in Greece and that they were going to be living in the same country by excitedly punching Kal in the arm “lightly.”

“What are your hands made of?” He rubbed his arm and looked at her accusingly as she laughed, hugging him tightly.

“Dad! Dad what’s the new number?” Kyrr consulted with her father and then pulled out a pen, writing their phone number on Kalisto’s palm. “We have to hang out this summer. I want to know what Greek food is good! And we should hit the malls, and the movies, and….”

He caught her up in a hug that surprised her. It was hard being someone who tread the world as both magical and muggle. A whole summer of time with someone who shared interests? And straddled both worlds? It was more than either could have hoped for. They grinned like idiots at each other, and Alastair winked at Anthea.

Year 6 had ended, and summer had begun.