Chapter Text
Shaw should really not have expected less from Maxine Angelis, who prides herself in being the first to any hint of gossip at Hogwarts. Our very own Rita Skeeter, someone had called her once.
The little rat.
She doesn't know why she was even at the Lake that night, but she was, and now everyone is acting like they were all there to witness her kiss Root.
They're the talk of the school. Because apparently, students at a boarding school for magic had nothing better to do.
They do it quietly, sure. People are still scared of Shaw and Root, and most fear what their wraths combined would look like. It's quiet, but it's enough to grate on Shaw's nerves.
The news seems to have singlehandedly ruined Shaw's reputation of terror.
Exhibit A:
Root's coaching her through a game of Draughts against Mini when she sees a third-year staring at them, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Wanna take a picture? That'll last longer," she snaps, baring her teeth at the girl.
To her credit, she flinches and looks a second away from running away before her eyes catch Root's hand rest atop Shaw's arm. "She's watching the game, sweetie, relax," Root tells her. They both know it's a lie, spoken for the sake of the frightened kid, and she's tempted to snap again when it makes the third-year smile instead. "Also, I could do with a picture."
But Shaw doesn't snap again, not when Root's thumb begins drawing lines and circles and hearts on her skin and she's calmed, and suddenly she's reminded that anger isn't the only emotion she's good at anymore.
Exhibit B:
She's hurling insult after insult, with some encouragements here and there (Carter's idea; she's not sure it's working) at her teammates flying around like lunatics on the pitch, their minds and bodies no longer committed now that they've won the Cup. "Will you play like first-years now that Reese and Carter are gone?" she bellows. "They're not even gone yet!" she points towards the commentator's box where Reese and Carter are absentmindedly watching the team, books and scrolled scattered across the bench while Carter studied for her NEWTs and Reese tried to pretend to be studying.
Her eyes find Grice from across the field, pleading at the Seeker-to-be, Reese's prospective replacement for next season, to do something. He just shrugs, and Shaw sighs, realizing how much she'll miss the dynamic she'd developed with the seventh-years who were all leaving the team to her. She's considering the ethics of asking Reese to perhaps flunk out and stay for one more year just so she could have a competent co-leader on the team.
At least she now has Anthony, who's stepped up since his incident last year. Anthony's flying next to her, a scowl on his face deepening the scar etched across it, and sees that it's having some effect on the team. "Those of you who don't have OWLs have no excuse, and if I see that you imbeciles still play like this when we get back from break, I'm recruiting en masse." For a while, she thinks the threat works, and then —
"Sweetie, you're being rude," a very distinct voice sing-songs from behind them.
The players swivel their brooms around to look for the source of the comment and they grin, at each other and at Shaw, when they spot Root in the stands. Shaw scowls and is tempted to shout again to regain control, but it's too late. The players wander off, making playful loops up and down — did Joey just make a heart sign in the air — in that way they know Shaw loathes during practice.
Shaw seethes in annoyance for a moment, but then she glances back at Root, who's beaming up at her, looking comfortable in her sweater and scarf despite the weather already warming up, and Shaw decides that they're not worth her time. In her head, she's already composing her tryouts speech for next year.
She does fly a bit closer to the stands. "You don't like watching practice."
"I like watching you, you know that," Root teases, and she hopes to whatever god is listening that she's not blushing, because Sameen Shaw does not blush, especially not when she's in uniform.
"Yeah, well, now everyone knows that, too, Eeyore."
Root just hums in response as she makes her way towards Reese and Carter. Shaw blocks out the world for a moment, lets herself watch Root walk away. If there's a bit more sway to her gait than usual, Shaw appreciates it, enjoys it as much as she can, knowing that at this point her team thinks she's soft now anyway so she might as well make the most of it.
Exhibit C:
Martine and Lambert's group of scoundrels have long given up on going up against Shaw and the others. After five years of defeats and embarrassing attempts, any less would be the definition of insanity.
For some reason, though, finding out that Shaw might be dating Root seem to have ignited some reckless desire within them, opting to needle and taunt them whenever she and Root so much as bump shoulders.
"Since when do sociopaths date, Shaw?" Lambert calls after her once in the hallway.
Comments like that have never bothered her. She knows what she is, has long accepted it and has found ways to live with it. She's managed pretty well so far.
But the implication that she couldn't be with Root because of it, well… she knows that, too. She'd rather just not hear it out loud, especially not as a snide remark from this snot.
Getting Shaw to stop in her tracks is usually enough of a warning.
Getting Shaw to turn around and direct a glare at you should be enough to send them running.
But when Lambert stands his ground, Shaw's eyes narrow, her fingers twitching at her sides. Lambert smirks. From the corner of her eyes, she sees Martine grinning, twirling her wand in her hand.
Before Shaw could even begin to reach for her wand, though, Lambert yelps and starts jumping from one foot to the other, scratching at his neck, his arms, and as far as he could reach on his back.
Shaw, though still flabbergasted, can't help the look of glee on her face when even Martine and the rest of them start swatting at the air, shrieking every so often.
"Did you know that trollclegs are so very susceptible?" Root says, appearing behind Shaw from out of nowhere. Shaw gapes at her, and Root just grins. "They could mistake anything for trolls with the right scent."
"Root..." Shaw tries for admonishing, but the amusement in her face as she watches the group fumble around betrays her.
"Oh, they'll be fine. The smell will fade and they'll leave..." Lambert screams now, running off and calling for the others to jump into the fountain at the courtyard with him. "Eventually," Root adds, and there was no disguising the mirth in her voice. "Now, I'm technically supposed to be in Divination right now, but I wanted to ask you about this weekend..."
Shaw listens to Root rattle on about her plans for their next trip to Hogsmeade, going about as if nothing happened, but she's noticing the glances sent their way, the students recovering from laughing at this week's misfortune of Martine and her goons now realizing who was behind it, being reminded of who exactly they shouldn't ever mess with if they didn't want the same fate.
Shaw grins, supposing that these scoundrels just needed a little reminder of her reputation, and well, if Root's own is what she needs to do just that, then so be it.
Exhibit D:
She's not sure how, when, and why the rumors even reach the shopkeepers at Hogsmeade, but it does.
Hogsmeade is probably the only place Shaw doesn't appreciate her "reputation", if only because these were strangers who should have no prejudice against her, and mainly because it gets her kicked out of establishments.
The reasons for said kicking out ranged from how she's apparently scaring off clientele just by sitting in their shop and supposedly glaring at customers (she was not going to apologize for her resting witch face), or because their regulars and even relatives were students who were frightened of Shaw (she's sure that one kid had pissed off Shaw at school somehow), or because prank bombs happened to explode around her (it was one time and she'd forgotten about the dittany in her pocket, okay?).
But this weekend… might just be Shaw's weirdest Hogsmeade weekend yet.
As they usually did, the group went their separate ways for their own errands upon arrival before they all met back up at the Three Broomsticks in the afternoon. Shaw's typical Hogsmeade day consists of just walking about, taking in as much sun as she can, with the occasional stop by certain shops to restock supplies. She'd sometimes accompany the others, and today, it was her rumored girlfriend.
This isn't a rare occurrence. More often than not, Shaw finds herself tailing the Root at Hogsmeade, with the latter walking around with an air of familiarity, given how, since the summer after their first year, she's lived in one of the houses behind the line of shops the students frequented during their visits. She didn't necessarily accompany her all the time, but if they ran into each other and just silently decided to walk together, then they did.
Today, however, Root turns to Shaw when she notices her following and reaches for her hand, pulling her gently towards Dervish and Banges. "We'll need a Deluminator," she says simply, and Shaw doesn't question it (she does start to wonder later on if she should be concerned with her overall purchases, with stops at the local apothecary and the cauldron's shop, and that Deathcap (Deathcap?!) place she'd never even seen before, but she figures they'll cross that bridge of worry about what trouble Root is up to now when they get there).
Root keeps hold of her hand for as long as she could; Shaw tries to ignore it, but her skin tingles with the awareness. Still, she lets herself get dragged around shop after shop because Root's hand in hers feels light yet is weight that is keeping her grounded and steady.
Shaw stills slightly when Root moves towards Scrivenshaft's. Though she does need a new set of quills, she usually buys them in bulk at Diagon Alley and just has Lionel pick some up for him when she needs a refill. She's never been very welcome inside since she spilled a vial of ink on the owner on her first visit there.
"It'll be fine," Root says when she feels Shaw's hesitation. "Junior's taken over since last summer, so you'll be okay."
And it was. Shaw leaves with a new set of quills and was only mildly awkward about even approaching the shelf of ink bottles on display.
She also manages to browse through the sporting needs shop without much incident, though she knows that the owner manning the store today was Mr. Wilson, whose kid in Slytherin she'd sent to the infirmary during one of their matches two years ago. He'd narrowed his eyes when he saw her, his eyes widening slightly when he saw who she was with, and had merely grunted when Shaw came to pay for her new gloves. "Nice choice," he'd even said, before turning to Root to ask her about how her OWLs preparation was going.
Honeydukes was always a pleasant exception for her. Shaw always, always, went and today, of course, is no exception.
It hadn't been a conscious choice before whenever she bought a bit more of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Peppermint Toads because she knows Root enjoys them, but with the girl right there, browsing through the options a couple of feet from her, it makes her pause.
"Find something you… er, well, I think you like everything in here, Sameen, don't you?" Root whispers as she appears behind her suddenly. She watches as Root reaches out to pluck a pack of Peppermint Toads off the rack and wave it in front of her face.
Looking at Root, thinking, overthinking, about just how much she does like everything they have here, she considers saying, 'Yes, I really do,' but instead clears her throat. "Yeah, well... I'm not so fond of the toads hopping around in my stomach," she says, pointing at the packet in Root's hand.
The girl raises an eyebrow and chuckles. "And yet you always have them handy, sweetie." Shaw thinks how, for a genius, Root hasn't noticed that the frogs remain untouched in her room unless she's taking them out for her.
She's half-convinced she's dreaming when they get a warm greeting at Madam Puddifoot's.
She never was a fan of the Tea Shop (she'd gone with Cole once, and Puddifoot may have overheard her saying the décor looked tacky, and while she was never kicked out, she and the employees scowled whenever she returned with her friends, so she actively avoided going as much as she could).
But Root is ("Their Pumpkin Spice is to die for"), and the sentiment is apparently returned because Madam Puddifoot leaves her spot behind the counter to give Root a hug, squeezing Shaw's arm as she looks the two over. "Who would have thought…" she says but doesn’t finish said thought. Instead, she moves away and returns to the counter, "The usual, Root, dear?" and the woman goes on to serve them herself for the rest of their stay.
Zonko's is, as somewhat expected, an exception to the apparent immunity Root's presence has granted her. The minute she steps over its threshold, she's immediately chased out with a sharp "You, out!" from the clerk (one she's never even seen before; she wonders if they have a portrait of her somewhere inside, feeling suddenly like an escaped convict with Wanted posters of her; hers would read: Unwanted, explosive presence or something of the like) and she practically hops right out the door while Root buys whatever it was she came for (a fake cauldron that's rigged for something undoubtedly nefarious, and an ink bottle with a questionable smell; not for the first time that day, she considers being worried about what exactly Root is planning to do with her purchases in her shopping spree today).
They run into Harold and Grace at Tomes and Scrolls, where Root asks around for a very specific kind of parchment. Once Harold finishes up his riveting conversation with the storekeeper about their choice of parchment-preserving materials, the four of them make their way to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with the others.
Fortunately, there was no persona non grata on Shaw at the Three Broomsticks, considering that debauchery is expected of patrons at the pub, Shaw blends right in.
A couple of rounds of Butterbeer (and a few stronger drinks courtesy of their seventeen-year-old companions) and they were adequately buzzed for the weekend.
The train ride back to Hogwarts starts out as it normally does: Finch buys an excess of sweets from the trolley that the group devours in minutes, exchanging stories of what they've collected or who they'd run into during the trip.
Carter tells them about some students she'd again caught who were up to no good, and Reese talks about how he didn't pretend to chastise them and how he didn't join them in some way.
Lionel's lips are sealed again about his date this week (though because of her unexpected welcome at Madam Puddifoot's, of course she saw, and she grins at them, quietly promising to tell Reese later).
Grace tells them about the new art pieces she managed to buy off the peddler, and Casey and the boys drop in and join them briefly (to eat and run, as usual). As usual, they know better than to ask Root about her exploits; they'll all find out soon enough, usually moments before they get collective detention by association.
Once everyone is full and all talked out, with at least an hour left of the trip, silence falls in their cabin and they settle into their seats.
Looking around at Shaw's unexpected found family, Shaw finds herself feeling content in a way she never has before. She felt it a few times before: when she was sorted into Gryffindor; when she'd accidentally jinxed Reese during an argument and accidentally found herself with a best friend; when she made the Quidditch team, and again later when she was made Captain (and not just because of Reese and Carter, but when she was voted on by the rest of the team).
Shaw turns her head and watches as Root's, who'd been staring out the window for a while now, eyes begin to close, her chin dipping towards her chest and back up as she tries to fight back her drowsiness. Shaw smiles, nudges Root's shoulder and lifts her own shoulder once when Root looks at her questioningly. Root gives a tired smile before giving in and leaning her head on her shoulder.
Minutes pass before Shaw gathers up the courage to take Root's hand to place it between hers on her lap. She feels Root's breathing even out, starting to doze off on her shoulder, and yet she can feel her pulse racing — or is that hers? She's not quite sure.
Reese shoots her a smile across from them, which Shaw only responds to with a raised eyebrow. This, of course, only makes his smile just a bit wider.
Her body chooses her next response for her as she closes her own eyes, giving into her own exhaustion.
She's still not sure how they got here. She's not sure how much her being known as "Root's girlfriend" (is that what she is?) changes things for her.
But in the end, Shaw thinks that, maybe (certainly), this isn't so bad after all.