(no subject)
Harry Potter
Angelina/Montague
Epsilon
PG-13-ish, mostly
#01 - Air Solan Montague learnt at a young age that problems couldn't vanish into thin air, but people could, and really, six was too young to smile ironically over people's effusive speculations about his future prowess at Quidditch.
#02 - Apples There was a story that he'd heard somewhere, of a dark-haired woman eating an innocent-looking apple and falling down dead, and somehow, it was wrong, because his mother was no princess and the prince married the evil queen.
#03 - Beginning Two hundred kilometres and two thousand smiles away a little girl with dark hair and bright eyes giggled with joy as she flew for the first time.
#04 - Bugs "Boys are icky, just like bugs!" Five-year-old Angelina Johnson had very decided opinions already, and didn't understand why her mother laughed over that sentiment.
#05 - Coffee Father's morning coffee fascinated him just a little, because it smelled sweet and tasted bitter, and he was shocked when, at eleven, he crashed into a girl whose eyes were the same colour-- sugar, no cream, against porcelain retinas.
#06 - Dark A dark scowl and an impetuous toss of her hair and she was gone, and he shrugged and forgot about it, mostly, as she found her way towards red and gold and glory and he descended to green and silver and dark.
#07 - Despair "No first-years on the team?!" a childish wail, echoed twice, and a girl with braids pouted with her roommates about the hopeless injustice of it all.
#08 - Doors Potions with the Gryffindors, and the coffee-eyed girl scowled at him as they both tried to pass through the door to Professor Snape's classroom, and with a gentlemanly nod, he let her pass: the last instance of courtesy he'd show her for a long time.
#09 - Drink Slytherin took the Quidditch cup that year and Montague lifted his cup with the rest of his house, exultant, unaware of any glares directed his way.
#10 - Duty Summer meant being home but duty did not dictate conversation with those already too far removed from him.
#11 - Earth "Friends forever," Angelina clasped hands with Alicia and Katie, with the warm, impetuous loyalty of pure hearts that would move mountains and go to the ends of the Earth.
#12 - End It was third year when both of them truly met again, and one blow of a whistle ended any lingering neutrality as he caught the Quaffle and she clawed it out of his arms.
#13 - Fall He almost felt a twinge of guilt when he, bigger and stronger than she, unseated her from her broom, and she fluttered to the ground in a blur of crimson and a scream.
#14 - Fire The first of many, and by the time fifth year rolled around, he almost loved her for her fire, for fighting so hard against him and making him remember how to feel.
#15 - Flexible She was sure that the dancing that she and Fred had exhibited at the Yule Ball was completely unsanctioned by all proper parties, but it was just like her friendship with Fred-- fun, flexible and without restrictions.
#16 - Flying Later that night, as Fred and George left to whereabouts unknown, a girl in dress robes kicked off her high heels and mounted a Cleansweep Seven and smiled as the wind whipped her neatly-coiffed hair around her face.
#17 - Food Still later, she sat together with Alicia and Katie, sipping hot cocoa and snacking on cauldron cakes, and gossiped about the boys at the ball and how she'd THOUGHT that Amanda Bradley had some common sense, but to go to the ball with HIM?
#18 - Foot He was courteous to the Ravenclaw reserve that he'd escorted to the ball, because Amanda Bradley was easy to get along with and didn't expect him anything more than for him to not step on her feet.
#19 - Grave But there would never be anything beyond a somewhat civil rivalry between them: she was easygoing and he was far too grave, and neither of them felt enough to even hate each other on the life-or-death Quidditch pitch.
#20 - Green The year after, he captained a team of green and grasped her hand hard enough to bruise as coffee-brown eyes met ice-blue in the middle of a verdant field.
#21 - Head It was again head-to-head and they exchanged glares and pushes, a duel of heat and equality, as they fought for dominance as though in their own worlds during the game.
#22 - Hollow Angelina's victory tasted bitter and hollow after the game and the ensuing chaos as the toad-woman from the Ministry decimated her team with one saccharine smile.
#23 - Honor And when he saw her turn away abruptly, a fleeting hint of tears in her eyes, he almost wanted to go to her and tell her that it had been an honour to be her closest enemy-- he'd never find a worthier opponent.
#24 - Hope That night she didn't go to the Great Hall for dinner, and later, after curfew, he found her in the Astronomy Tower, staring out into the darkened sky, and when she turned and faced him with dull, hopeless eyes, he felt a surge of unusual hatred for Malfoy and his antics.
#25 - Light Nothing but the two of them and a weak point of wand-light, and no one else saw him hand her a handkerchief awkwardly, and her accept it with a sigh.
#26 - Lost But right now, they couldn't be completely civil, not after so long a habit of hatred: she felt lost without it, and stormed at him.
#27 - Metal It was a flash of metal and a clash of hands: the golden hoops in her ears glinted against her hair as she flew at him, claws outstretched, and he caught her wrists in his hands as they stared each other down.
#28 - New And was it unexpected or simply the conclusion of years' build-up that they found a completely new way to release the anger and hurt and feel something, really?
#29 - Old It might never have happened with THEM before, and it certainly hadn't been expected, but when her hands pulled at his hair and his lips drank from hers as though dying of thirst, it was somehow familiar, ancient and unhindered by novel awkwardness.
#30 - Peace A few months later and he vanished without a trace and afterwards, she stayed away, not wanting to remember one night's folly, and it was on the last train home that he sought her out to finally make peace, as an indifferent friend would, and after he left, her stomach churned at the thought that he remembered none of it.
#31 - Poison He went his quiet, unobtrusive way into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, bringing his far-too-personal knowledge of poisons to good use, and kept to himself.
#32 - Pretty He befriended Hestia Jones over a pot of coffee in the cafeteria, and Hestia was pretty and understood him and never pried, and yet, he felt nothing.
#33 - Rain Two months later, he was leaving the Ministry late at night at the same time as a young woman from Magical Games and Sports, and as it started to rain, he offered her shelter under his umbrella, and she gasped.
#34 - Regret Blue eyes met brown and he knew who she was-- the rival that wasn't-- and there was a twinge of something akin to regret that they'd never truly defined anything, despite his best efforts.
#35 - Roses He found himself walking her home as though he had every right to, and she found herself taking his hand at her door, roses blooming in her cheeks, and the clock struck midnight and the spell remained unbroken.
#36 - Secret She never told him about that night in 7th year that fell away from his memories as their new friendship progressed.
#37 - Snakes When it was half-past midnight and he was smiling for once as they sat in the twenty-four hour cafe by the Ministry, sharing work anecdotes, she couldn't quite remember why she'd thought Slytherin serpents were so repulsive.
#38 - Snow It was Christmas when he kissed her for what he thought was the first time, and around them, the snow swirled, catching on her red scarf and his silvery tie, and it was perfect and he wondered why a first kiss felt so strangely familiar.
#39 - Solid And it was just a little strange that after they parted, she clung to him, her head against his shoulder as though trying to absorb his strength or hang on to something that might lose solidity and vanish.
#40 - Spring It was three months in and springtime when she finally told him, her solemn face at odds with the bluebell sky.
#41 - Stable "We're stable now," she concluded, taking his paler, larger hand in both of her brown ones, gazing up at him diffidently, "I was afraid of losing you before."
#42 - Strange And he thought it was strange for her to fear such a thing, when she was the one constant in his life-- the one source of light and fire and emotion.
#43 - Summer But it was summertime when HE finally confessed his secret and his past, on a beach by the water, salt wind blowing her hair back, seagulls calling mournfully.
#44 - Taboo "I shouldn't even bring you here," he murmured, staring moodily at the sea, "This place is cursed... my mother's buried not a kilometre away."
#45 - Ugly "You shouldn't focus on such ugly things," she told him with the blunt forcefulness typical of her, her eyes flashing as she all but glared at him like old.
#46 - War But ugly things were all around, bigger than them, in the form of war, and she didn't know that he slept fitfully every night from the things he'd seen, horrifying images flashing behind his eyelids of HER face superimposed upon the fallen.
#47 - Water The water was to high tide by the time everything was laid clear and bare between the two of them, and her cheeks were damp, and he wasn't sure if it was the ocean or tears, but he kissed away the taste of brine on her skin slowly.
#48 - Welcome Angelina Johnson was a woman of fierce, warm loyalties and devotions, and when she welcomed her former enemy into her heart, it was no different.
#49 - Winter Winter again and he felt nothing but warmth now, even smiling when he awoke to a whiff of hazelnut shampoo and Quidditch-roughened fingers resting on his chest.
#50 - Wood It was only fitting that he pulled her into the rickety old broomshed at Hogwarts during the victory celebration of the war's end and after an hour of fierce lovemaking amidst the wood and leather, asked her to become his wife.
Angelina/Montague
Epsilon
PG-13-ish, mostly
#01 - Air Solan Montague learnt at a young age that problems couldn't vanish into thin air, but people could, and really, six was too young to smile ironically over people's effusive speculations about his future prowess at Quidditch.
#02 - Apples There was a story that he'd heard somewhere, of a dark-haired woman eating an innocent-looking apple and falling down dead, and somehow, it was wrong, because his mother was no princess and the prince married the evil queen.
#03 - Beginning Two hundred kilometres and two thousand smiles away a little girl with dark hair and bright eyes giggled with joy as she flew for the first time.
#04 - Bugs "Boys are icky, just like bugs!" Five-year-old Angelina Johnson had very decided opinions already, and didn't understand why her mother laughed over that sentiment.
#05 - Coffee Father's morning coffee fascinated him just a little, because it smelled sweet and tasted bitter, and he was shocked when, at eleven, he crashed into a girl whose eyes were the same colour-- sugar, no cream, against porcelain retinas.
#06 - Dark A dark scowl and an impetuous toss of her hair and she was gone, and he shrugged and forgot about it, mostly, as she found her way towards red and gold and glory and he descended to green and silver and dark.
#07 - Despair "No first-years on the team?!" a childish wail, echoed twice, and a girl with braids pouted with her roommates about the hopeless injustice of it all.
#08 - Doors Potions with the Gryffindors, and the coffee-eyed girl scowled at him as they both tried to pass through the door to Professor Snape's classroom, and with a gentlemanly nod, he let her pass: the last instance of courtesy he'd show her for a long time.
#09 - Drink Slytherin took the Quidditch cup that year and Montague lifted his cup with the rest of his house, exultant, unaware of any glares directed his way.
#10 - Duty Summer meant being home but duty did not dictate conversation with those already too far removed from him.
#11 - Earth "Friends forever," Angelina clasped hands with Alicia and Katie, with the warm, impetuous loyalty of pure hearts that would move mountains and go to the ends of the Earth.
#12 - End It was third year when both of them truly met again, and one blow of a whistle ended any lingering neutrality as he caught the Quaffle and she clawed it out of his arms.
#13 - Fall He almost felt a twinge of guilt when he, bigger and stronger than she, unseated her from her broom, and she fluttered to the ground in a blur of crimson and a scream.
#14 - Fire The first of many, and by the time fifth year rolled around, he almost loved her for her fire, for fighting so hard against him and making him remember how to feel.
#15 - Flexible She was sure that the dancing that she and Fred had exhibited at the Yule Ball was completely unsanctioned by all proper parties, but it was just like her friendship with Fred-- fun, flexible and without restrictions.
#16 - Flying Later that night, as Fred and George left to whereabouts unknown, a girl in dress robes kicked off her high heels and mounted a Cleansweep Seven and smiled as the wind whipped her neatly-coiffed hair around her face.
#17 - Food Still later, she sat together with Alicia and Katie, sipping hot cocoa and snacking on cauldron cakes, and gossiped about the boys at the ball and how she'd THOUGHT that Amanda Bradley had some common sense, but to go to the ball with HIM?
#18 - Foot He was courteous to the Ravenclaw reserve that he'd escorted to the ball, because Amanda Bradley was easy to get along with and didn't expect him anything more than for him to not step on her feet.
#19 - Grave But there would never be anything beyond a somewhat civil rivalry between them: she was easygoing and he was far too grave, and neither of them felt enough to even hate each other on the life-or-death Quidditch pitch.
#20 - Green The year after, he captained a team of green and grasped her hand hard enough to bruise as coffee-brown eyes met ice-blue in the middle of a verdant field.
#21 - Head It was again head-to-head and they exchanged glares and pushes, a duel of heat and equality, as they fought for dominance as though in their own worlds during the game.
#22 - Hollow Angelina's victory tasted bitter and hollow after the game and the ensuing chaos as the toad-woman from the Ministry decimated her team with one saccharine smile.
#23 - Honor And when he saw her turn away abruptly, a fleeting hint of tears in her eyes, he almost wanted to go to her and tell her that it had been an honour to be her closest enemy-- he'd never find a worthier opponent.
#24 - Hope That night she didn't go to the Great Hall for dinner, and later, after curfew, he found her in the Astronomy Tower, staring out into the darkened sky, and when she turned and faced him with dull, hopeless eyes, he felt a surge of unusual hatred for Malfoy and his antics.
#25 - Light Nothing but the two of them and a weak point of wand-light, and no one else saw him hand her a handkerchief awkwardly, and her accept it with a sigh.
#26 - Lost But right now, they couldn't be completely civil, not after so long a habit of hatred: she felt lost without it, and stormed at him.
#27 - Metal It was a flash of metal and a clash of hands: the golden hoops in her ears glinted against her hair as she flew at him, claws outstretched, and he caught her wrists in his hands as they stared each other down.
#28 - New And was it unexpected or simply the conclusion of years' build-up that they found a completely new way to release the anger and hurt and feel something, really?
#29 - Old It might never have happened with THEM before, and it certainly hadn't been expected, but when her hands pulled at his hair and his lips drank from hers as though dying of thirst, it was somehow familiar, ancient and unhindered by novel awkwardness.
#30 - Peace A few months later and he vanished without a trace and afterwards, she stayed away, not wanting to remember one night's folly, and it was on the last train home that he sought her out to finally make peace, as an indifferent friend would, and after he left, her stomach churned at the thought that he remembered none of it.
#31 - Poison He went his quiet, unobtrusive way into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, bringing his far-too-personal knowledge of poisons to good use, and kept to himself.
#32 - Pretty He befriended Hestia Jones over a pot of coffee in the cafeteria, and Hestia was pretty and understood him and never pried, and yet, he felt nothing.
#33 - Rain Two months later, he was leaving the Ministry late at night at the same time as a young woman from Magical Games and Sports, and as it started to rain, he offered her shelter under his umbrella, and she gasped.
#34 - Regret Blue eyes met brown and he knew who she was-- the rival that wasn't-- and there was a twinge of something akin to regret that they'd never truly defined anything, despite his best efforts.
#35 - Roses He found himself walking her home as though he had every right to, and she found herself taking his hand at her door, roses blooming in her cheeks, and the clock struck midnight and the spell remained unbroken.
#36 - Secret She never told him about that night in 7th year that fell away from his memories as their new friendship progressed.
#37 - Snakes When it was half-past midnight and he was smiling for once as they sat in the twenty-four hour cafe by the Ministry, sharing work anecdotes, she couldn't quite remember why she'd thought Slytherin serpents were so repulsive.
#38 - Snow It was Christmas when he kissed her for what he thought was the first time, and around them, the snow swirled, catching on her red scarf and his silvery tie, and it was perfect and he wondered why a first kiss felt so strangely familiar.
#39 - Solid And it was just a little strange that after they parted, she clung to him, her head against his shoulder as though trying to absorb his strength or hang on to something that might lose solidity and vanish.
#40 - Spring It was three months in and springtime when she finally told him, her solemn face at odds with the bluebell sky.
#41 - Stable "We're stable now," she concluded, taking his paler, larger hand in both of her brown ones, gazing up at him diffidently, "I was afraid of losing you before."
#42 - Strange And he thought it was strange for her to fear such a thing, when she was the one constant in his life-- the one source of light and fire and emotion.
#43 - Summer But it was summertime when HE finally confessed his secret and his past, on a beach by the water, salt wind blowing her hair back, seagulls calling mournfully.
#44 - Taboo "I shouldn't even bring you here," he murmured, staring moodily at the sea, "This place is cursed... my mother's buried not a kilometre away."
#45 - Ugly "You shouldn't focus on such ugly things," she told him with the blunt forcefulness typical of her, her eyes flashing as she all but glared at him like old.
#46 - War But ugly things were all around, bigger than them, in the form of war, and she didn't know that he slept fitfully every night from the things he'd seen, horrifying images flashing behind his eyelids of HER face superimposed upon the fallen.
#47 - Water The water was to high tide by the time everything was laid clear and bare between the two of them, and her cheeks were damp, and he wasn't sure if it was the ocean or tears, but he kissed away the taste of brine on her skin slowly.
#48 - Welcome Angelina Johnson was a woman of fierce, warm loyalties and devotions, and when she welcomed her former enemy into her heart, it was no different.
#49 - Winter Winter again and he felt nothing but warmth now, even smiling when he awoke to a whiff of hazelnut shampoo and Quidditch-roughened fingers resting on his chest.
#50 - Wood It was only fitting that he pulled her into the rickety old broomshed at Hogwarts during the victory celebration of the war's end and after an hour of fierce lovemaking amidst the wood and leather, asked her to become his wife.