Chapter Text
Two girls were standing in front of each other at the back of the quidditch bleachers. One of them wore a gold and red quidditch robe. Her blond wolf-cut hair was soaked with sweat, while her heavy eyeliner stayed perfectly still. She had a sly smile on her face making her teeth show. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm and love as she looked at the girl before her. The other girl wore box braids with gold accessories, making her dark-skin pop out. She wore a purple, cornflower necklace along with her white button which was slightly tucked up by the sleeves. She wore a green and silver ty and a black skirt.
They were having a heated conversation about the match that had just been finished. It was Gryffindor against Slytherin which was one of the most deadly things in the world. If you knew better, you stayed away from both the Gryffindor and the Slytherins, but some unfortunate souls didn't know how fierce could it get, so they would get the short end of the stick.
Today, Gryffindor won just by an inch, so it was obvious that there was going to be not only one argument between the two houses.
"Oh yeah, you think you won because of the 'talent' your team has? Let me tell you, that little fantasy about you being one of the best chasers in the world, is just your twisted imagination playing you! You really thought you had a chance? You only won because our team was sick the other week!"
"Oh. My 'twisted imagination' you say? It's not my problem that you can't accept single facts. Oh and by the way, I was sick the other week too. Don't you remember? Shall I remind you?"
"Oh don't be so full of yourself. And no, I don't need a reminder. I perfectly remember how you wept on the flora because I wouldn't come near you. You know I hate being sick. Especially in the exam season."
"Yeah, I remember you hating being sick but for the life of me, I can't recall you staying away from me. No, you were so worried sick over my little fever, that you stepped into the Gryffindor tower. Hell, even slept in there on the same bed as me."
The blond girl was grinning with pride while saying those words. She was especially happy about her little cold last week. The dark-skinned girl was burning up with heat from hearing that story out loud. It was embarrassing for her image. She is worried about a Gryffindor? No way!
"Oh shut the fuck up! It's not my fault you thought it was a good idea to jump in the bloody Black Lake in the middle of spring! You know the weather is unpredictable this time of the year!"
The blond girl just smirked and stepped closer. Then when she was at arm's length she reached out and cupped the other one's face, pulling her closer. She leaned next to her ears and whispered into it.
"I didn't hear you complaining when I was between your legs. If I remember correctly, the only thing that left your mouth was my name, begging for more."
Then she kissed her earlobe, making the other one shiver.
"Y-yeah, well that was a one-time thing. It won't happen again."
"Oh~ but it was so much fun! Taking you apart and then helping you pick up the pieces that were left. Cuddling, clinging to each other like our life depended on it."
"Don't you dare tease me Marls after you almost died, falling off your broom!"
"Now I understand why you are so mean. You were just worried about me. How sweet!"
Marlen's hands, which were cupping the dark-skinned girl's face slid down to her waist, pulling her even closer. The other girl melted at the touch while putting her own hands-on on Marlen's shoulders, making their noses touch.
"If you don't kiss me in about ten seconds, I'm leaving you for a fucking squirrel."
"As you wish, Dorcas, my princess."
Their lips connected in the second Marlen was done talking. They breathed each other oxygen while devouring the other lips. It was like a fresh breath of air. They backed into the bleachers, tongues intertwined. Dorcas' hands were already in the blond wolf-cut, making a bigger mess than the wind could. Marlen then slipped her hands under Dorcas' thighs, lifting her. Dorcas yelped at the way her back collided with the wood. Dorcas broke the kiss, gasping down glumps of air. Her head lulled back a bit, hitting the wood. Marlen took the chance and started to kiss down her throat. She placed butterfly kisses on the soft and sensitive skin. She worked her way to Dorcas' yaw, bruising the skin below her jaw, right on the pulse point which was beating madly.
"I-if you ev-ever lift me up lik-like that a-again, I'm gonna e-end you!"
Dorcas was panting heavily, gripping Marlen's shoulders. She clutched so hard that Marlen was positive she was going to leave a bruise. Then Marlen nuzzled into the other girl's neck and looked up while answering.
"But you love it! It's like you're addicted whenever I do this."
Dorcas looked away with one hand before her mouth as she mumbled into it.
"Go shower. You stink."
"If you say so. But you know I'm right."
And with that, Marlen placed her back on the floor with a cheeky grin, which made her dimples show, she left with the grass smell mixing with the scent of cloaths full of sweat. Dorcas was burning up as she left the bleachers. She knew that the moment she stepped into the Slytherin common room she would be teased and tackled to death.
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It has been a year since Nessa showed up. Two of the best years of Harry's life. He loved Nessa with all of his heart. Nessa was always there when he needed help, or when he had a nightmare. She was always there to calm him down and tell stories about the other Gods and Goddesses or she would take out a book called 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'. His favourite story is the 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart'. He found it absurd and asked Nessa why she let the warlock do that to himself. Every time he asked, Nessa just shook her head with a small chuckle and said:
"It was his own choice to destroy Love for himself. I am not Fate to take away free will. I, of course, knew the consequences but even if I could have stopped him, I would not have. I knew how it would end, but I had to let him experience it. If I declined his wishes he would have found other, more painful ways."
Then she would go on about how much she wanted to save the maiden. How she wanted to tell her not to accept the invite. How she wanted to protect her from Fate. She would then tell how Fate had a sick and rotten mind for playing with people like puppets. She said that playing with people, dragging them around like rag dolls against their wills was how Fate made her boring life a little more eventful.
Nessa always said to listen to his heart and never do as others want. Don't be a puppet, entertaining them while making a fool out of yourself, or in this case running to the doorstep of your death. She always encouraged him to never listen to what the norm tells you. She said that it would be boring if you always followed the norm and never tried to bring a bit of colour into your life. She especially said to never truly listen to Dumbledore. She said that he could pretend to listen but never take it to heart. She said that he needed to act like a lost and abused boy without anyone to love him. At least to the outside world.
Harry also liked how Nessa would teach him about magic and rituals and all kinds of fun things. Nessa would bring books about the concept of Magic along with potion books. They were only telling how it worked, but for Harry it was everything. He has already read every word twice in each of the books.
He knew how Magic wasn't a tool and you could only guide the Magic to flow from one place to another. It was based on your Mana, and how much you could help Magic find its way. Or about how Imagination was one of the core elements along with Mana. It was another kind of Imagination that helped witches and wizards. It was a small part of Imagination that developed specifically for magic users. He also read that every human had a basic Magic core but didn't have enough Mana or Imagination. That is how Muggle-borns could exist without parents who had a direct connection to magic. Their Imagination developed with a lot more Mana alongside it. If you didn't have Imagination then you become a Squibe. Even though you had enough Mana, your Imagination blocked the flow of it and silently suffocated it. It caused painful waves to wash over the body from head to toe.
Harry was excited about Magic and its uses, so much so that it became an obsession. He worked hard to get better at reading so that he could suck in any drop of information like a sponge to store it in his little drawers in his mind. He also wanted to get better at writing. That was because he wanted to carry a small notebook with him everywhere in case he got bored so he could memorise potions or how different part of your mind was triggered by Imagination while using different kinds of Magic. He thirsted for knowledge.
And that's why one day he went to the Town Library. A place he has never stepped foot in. Back then he didn't know how to read so he didn't see any reason to go there. He promised to do almost everything around the house if she let him go once a week. It was a good enough offer for her so she let him go there on a Tuesday, but only if she found the house tidy and clean. She said it was less crowded so he wouldn't disturb anyone. At that, Nessa almost ripped the whole roof down, but Harry stopped her with a simple 'It's not worth it'. So Nessa controlled her anger, even though Harry could hear her mumbling angry threats about how she was going to rip them to shreds if they forced more work on her 'little Firefly'.
With this hard-earned new freedom, he decided to make a Library card in his name to get access to the books. The Librarian said that it would take an hour to get it made so he went to the Botanic garden. He had been there one time if he remembered correctly. It wasn't anything special. Just a bunch of pretty plants. But a small crew of pretty plants were different from the other ones. They were radiating Magic. Harry remembered seeing them both the time he came here and the times he read the books about Potions. They were more radiant, more powerful than the last time he saw them. He remembered feeling comfort coming from them but back then he blamed it on how they were pretty. But today he saw the real power they held.
"Pretty aren't they? They are my favourite. My Mum tells me how they are the most important things in this garden then she always looks at me and tells me the second most important. I love her so much. She is the one who is in charge of this garden. I love to help her out whenever I can. Sadly I'm not allowed in the Greenhouse. My Mum said that they were dangerous plants and flowers that hadn't grown up yet. What do you think about them? I love being in here. It just gives me a kind of calm. When I was little I always came here to cry. Not that I cried a lot, but there were times. Like, one time my brother didn't want to give my toys back so I tackled him but I tackled him right on top of my toys. It was crushing. Literally. Anyways, so what do you think about them?"
An energetic chirpy voice made Harry jump out of his skin. He quickly turned around and took two steps back, almost stumbling into the plants. A hand caught him in time before he could injure himself. The hand's owner was the boy who had the chirpy voice from a moment ago. He had light-brown hair with matching caramel-brown eyes. His eyes were a tad bit filled with worry as Harry swayed on his feet. He had soft features and a pointy nose.
"Did I scare you? I'm sorry about that. I was just so excited that someone noticed my favourite plants."
He let go of Harry's hands to scratch the back of his head. His cherry lips turned up sheepishly. His nose moved like a bunny's would when he let out an embarrassed chuckle. The boy had sun-kissed skin from lurking in the garden all day. His face was scattered with freckles that matched his brown skin.
The boy had a kind look in his eyes as he waited for an answer. It was the kindness Harry had never experienced. Only Nessa had shown kindness towards him. He felt intoxicated by the thought of someone other caring than Nessa. He looked up at the boy, his lips quirking a little as he started.
"It's alright, and I love these flowers. They are beautiful."
"Right!? I just love the atmosphere they create. My mum said that they are really important for her. It's like a family thing. My granny planted them. My mum said it was for protection and healing. She even creates her own creams and medicines. She sells them to help people who can't afford a higher price for the medicines that the pharmacy sells. Sometimes I help because my hands get so smooth after working with them. And I LOVE how they smell. It's really good. Do you want to try some? I have them at home if you wanna try. Follow me, I'll lead you!"
While saying those words, he grabbed Harry's hands and started to drag Harry after him. Harry just looked at the boy with shock. How could this boy trust him so easily? He didn't even know Harry's name. Now they were holding hands while going to the other boy's house. Then he realized he didn't even know this kid. He remembered all those lessons with Nessa about stranger danger and how you should never follow a stranger. Panic started to crawl at the back of his neck as he was pulled away from the flowers. The calm aura that they gave was washed away as they drew further. He yanked his hands out of the kid's grasp and started to back away.
"I'm sorry bu- but I forgot tha-that I have to go and find my mum. Sh-She must be waiting for me at-at-home."
Harry said with a rushed voice. The kid just looked confused. His brows were furrowed and his mouth fell down a little.
"Oh, I'm sorry I scared you again. I didn't mean to. Is it because you don't know my name. Or that I was too much? My brother always says that I'm too much. I never really listened to him. I just got so excited that I finally made a friend who was interested in the flowers. My name is Vesper! I know it's an unusual name but I love it! And if you think it's cool you should hear my brother or parents name. My brother's name is Elvio. It's super cool because his name means 'blond' in Latin and he is blond. My name means 'evening star' and I love to watch the stars in the evening. My mum has a really good name-picking ability. Her name is Flora which means 'flower' and she loves gardening. Unfortunately, my dad's name is Blaze which means 'fire', But he doesn't work with fire. But he has a pretty firey temper. And I'm oversharing again, aren't I?"
The boy, Vesper, started to mumble his sorry and that he didn't mean to scare Harry. At this point, Harry started to feel a little sorry for the boy. Vesper didn't even know his name and Harry already knew about his family and some really specific details that you shouldn't be sharing in the first meeting. It was rather odd and fascinating how the boy switched from embarrassment to energetic and oversharing. It kind of made Harry feel like a real kid.
"It's alright. I just wasn't expecting someone to talk to me. My name is Harry by the way."
"Hi, Harry! Wanna come with me? I promise we don't bite! My Da isn't home till 10 which means he won't get angry for bringing home mu- I mean st- strangers. Yeah, that's right, strangers eh! Well if I think about it I should ask Mum about it first. Yeah, come with me! She is right inside the shop!"
And with that, Vesper grabbed Harry's hand and started dragging him in the shop's direction. Harry couldn't even get a word out about how he should get back to claim his Library card as he was hauled away from the glowing Plants. Vesper, without care, barged into the store and with a cheerful call he asked his Mum.
"Muuuuum! Can Harry come home with me to play explod- caards with me? Pretty please!"
"Vesper! You can't barge in here like this! It's impolite! You must apologise to Mrs. Figg!"
Vesper looked down at his shoes with shame in his eyes. He always forgot his manners when he was excited. With a little bow to Mrs. Figg, he murmured his apologies. "I am so sorry for my rude attitude earlier. I hope you forgive me."
"Oh, Flora darling don't be so strict with children! They are just having fun. It is alright Vesper, I forgive you." Mrs. Figg's eyes were twinkling with amusement and the apology as she par Vesper's head. She wanted a child for herself, but at her age, it was advised not to if you wanted a healthy child. And it was not like she had met someone. After her husband died at a young age, she never found love again. So instead, she found her love in cats.
"Thank you, Mrs. Figg!"
Vesper hugged her leg, beaming up at her.
"It was nothing, darling. But I must get going to give my little Sir Pouncealot his medicine. Thank you, Flora, for your help! I hope you have a lot of fun boys!"
And with that, she took off in the direction of her house. Harry just stood there shell-shocked at the interaction. He never knew Mrs. Figg could be this kind. All the time he spent there, she never once acted this kind. Of course, she was better than the Dursleys but she never gone out of her way to make Harry comfortable. Vesper's enthusiastic voice pulled him out of his shock.
"Mum, Mum can Harry come? Pleas! I haven't met anyone my age who was interested in plants! I wanna show him our Greenhouse! He is so gonna love it-"
"Stop right there young man. What did I say about strangers? That we don't bring them home. Or we don't follow them home. Especially if they aren't tested. You know how that would end."
"But Muuum! Please! He loves the same plants as I do."
Flora quirked her eyebrow at that. Her son was hooked on any kind of Magical plant he found. She always put them under the notice not charms against muggles. Even though she never hated muggles, she also didn't particularly like them. They never looked down on the earth they were walking on so they usually trample plants and flowers down with their carelessness.
She looked down at the little boy who looked utterly confused. He didn't look like a Wizard. He was wearing dirty grey clothes which were one or two sizes too big for him. He also had messy black hair covering his forehead. He had round glasses on which looked to be ages old, not to mention they didn't help. But the most interesting about the boy was his vividly green eyes.
She had never met a muggle who had this kind of green in his or her eyes. She also sensed a strong pull from the boy. She never was good at detecting Magic even though she was taught. But the boy had an immense amount of Magic. Hell, even her son could sense it without realizing it. It was dangerous for a little boy to be alone with this much Magic.
"What kinds of plants was he looking at?" Flora couldn't help but ask. Even if it was obvious that he was a Wizard. She needed to know for certain.
"Well, he was looking at the Molys and the Alyhotsys! I found him near them! He just looked at them with so much care and I knew I wanted to be friends with him."
Flora didn't even flinch at her theory being confirmed. Now the other question was, who was this boy and where were his parents. "And have you asked Harry that or you just decided that for him?"
Vesper was ashamed again. This was the most he had ever been ashamed of. He also felt guilt building up in the pit of his stomach. He didn't even ask Harry if he wanted to come and play with him. He just took it for granted for some reason. With an embarrassed tone, he answered to his Mum.
"No? But, I don't know, he just felt different."
Harry couldn't take it anymore. He had to ask if they were Magic folks too or he was just imagining things. With the most polite voice he could muster up, he looked up at the woman and blurted out her question.
"I-I am sorry to interrupt but I have to ask if you are Magic too or not? Because you've been kind of hinting something and you were really weird about what I was looking at and I am sorry if I am bothering you. Tell me and I leave. I'm sure my Library card is done so I have to go!"
Harry was mumbling every nonsense he could. Maybe they would just think he was reading some sort of child fairy tale which he was super into. Maybe they would let him be and not call him a freak. He couldn't bear being called a freak by other than the Dursleys. It would confirm his greatest fear.
He was about to bolt when he felt a breeze of hot air brush past him, filling him with comfort. It settled around him like a warm, protecting blanket. It felt like a shield against harm. Harry looked up, searching for the source of the coat. His eyes met the same shade of caramel eyes as Vespers. It felt like the first time Nessa came and rescued him. It was the same warmth feeling washing over each and every nerve in his body.
"It's alright Harry. Yes, we are Magic as you called it."
Those words rang through his ears, making him dizzy. He wasn't alone. There were other people who knew Magic near him. He could be with them. He could run away from the Dursleys and move in with them. He wanted it so badly.
"Can I stay here? Forever?"
A small chuckle escaped Flora's lips at the small pleading voice. She so wished she could make that hope come true. She wished she could. But without the boy's guardian, there was no way he could stay with her family.
"Unfortunately, I can't let you stay with us. It's not up to me."
It was dangerous to be alone as a Magical child. Especially if they jump at the first opportunity to go with a Witch or a Wizard. It was careless of the guardians to let out this child with this much magic. Maybe he was a Muggle-born and his caretakers don't know about the Magic he has.
"But I want to! My Aunt and Uncle would be happy if I stayed away! They would let me! Please!"
Sad green eyes looked up at Flora. Harry didn't want to go back. He didn't want to be with his relatives. He didn't want this to be ripped away from him. He finally found someone who understood him.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, but you can't live with us. And you nearly know us! It's dangerous to go with someone you don't know."
"I know but you are Magic!"
"Even though we are Magci, it doesn't mean we are good people. You can't trust someone just because they have Magic. There are bad people out there who might hurt you!"
Harry looked down at the tip of his shoes. He didn't even think about what he was doing. He could have been in serious danger!
"I'm sorry." Harry's voice sounded full of regret. It was small and sad. Flora wanted to hug him. It was devastating to deny the child's pleading to stay with them. Whit a small sigh, she started to explain why he couldn't stay. That she didn't have the power to take him. But that he could sometimes stay with them and learn about Magic. She offered to teach him the basics he would need and that they would help him get into things. She also offered to let him help her with the plants just like Vesper.
"I would take the offer but my Aunt only lets me out on a Tuesday afternoon, and only if she finds the whole house clean. How can I learn anything if I only have some hours?"
Flora looked down at him with anger brewing behind her caramel eyes. She hated that Aunt of his already. How could you make a child work and don't give him any free time!? It was infuriating to see a young child treated worse than a dog. She didn't even know if the child was abused physically! With a surprisingly calm voice, she gently grabbed Harry's chin and looked into the little boy's eyes.
"If they are the problem I will.... talk to them. As I can see it's getting darker so we should close the shop. You and Vesper can go back to the Library and claim your card. I will go and talk to your Aunt and Uncle about.... your free time."
Harry's eyes were radiating happiness as he looked at Flora. He couldn't believe her words. Was he finally free? Could he now do Magic without being burnt or beaten? Did this mean he had friends? He grabbed Flora's leg and squeezed with all his strength. He couldn't help but let a tear drop down his face. This meant hope. This meant freedom. This meant Everything.