When I’m With You (Feels Like I’m Home)
Title: When I’m With You (Feels Like I’m Home)
Pairing: Santana Lopez/Brittany Pierce
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Nothing owned, no profit gained.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: [Brittana Week-Day 2: Harry Potter/Hogwarts] Being away from home is one of Brittany's least favorite things in the world.
Being away from home is one of Brittany’s least favorite things in the world. She likes her house, her parents, her cat-the simple things in life. Leaving all of that behind for something as big and as scary as Hogwarts is…
Well, at least she got to bring Lord Tubbington along for the ride.
Tubbs is good company and everything on the train (which he hates; he’s not really a people cat, and large vehicles make his restless leg syndrome act up), but Brittany is still scared. No one in her family has ever shown the least bit of magical talent before. Heck, she didn’t even know there was magic, outside of Tinkerbell and Santa Claus, before her eleventh birthday. And now, here she is: Sorted, clutching a class schedule bearing words like Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, on the brink of becoming a real live witch.
Witches probably aren’t supposed to cry, but Brittany thinks Glinda or whoever should make an exception for her.
She’s jackknifed in an empty corridor, winding her yellow-and-black striped tie around one hand, when she hears the footsteps. Coiled in her lap, his fluff hanging over her knees, Tubbs utters a low, disapproving yowl. He always gets mad when any of his six daily naps is interrupted.
Brittany lifts her head and squints into the shadows, habitually stroking his fur until he settles. With her luck, she’s bound to be caught here by a teacher on her very first day-maybe that scary man with the uncomfortably pale face and the hair that hasn’t been washed in months. Or the older woman who looked down her nose at Tubbs like she’d never seen anything so stupid in her life. Brittany doesn’t think she likes that woman. Tubbs definitely doesn’t.
The person who comes sauntering into the dim lanternlight, however, is not a teacher. It’s not even one of the ghosts, who seem to parade around this castle like they own the joint (making Brittany deeply nervous all the while, because, wow, not exactly Casper). Instead, she finds herself staring down a slim girl about her age with dark hair and eyes. Pretty.
Green-and-silver tie. Brittany racks her brain, trying to remember what that means.
“Whatcha doin’ down here?” the girl asks. “Boo-hooin’ like a Hufflepuff?”
“I am a Hufflepuff,” Brittany replies, stumbling over the foreign word. It still tastes funny in her mouth. She wonders what her mom will think when she reads about it in a letter.
“Lame,” the girl announces, flipping her hair. “But better than Gryffindor, I guess. Those suckers are such goody-goodies.”
Brittany’s not sure what to say to that. She settles for lowering her gaze back to Tubbington’s head, patting behind his ears until he works up the energy to purr.
“I’m Santana,” the girl goes on, thrusting a hand under Brittany’s nose. “Slytherin. Total badass.”
Wincing, Brittany lightly shakes the offered hand, feeling more uncomfortable than ever. “Aren’t you guys the snakes?”
“Hell of a lot better than a dumb badger,” Santana replies with a snort. Brittany bites her lip.
“I guess.”
The girl tilts her head, curious. “What’s your deal, anyway? You freakin’ out or something? Cuz I’d probably be freaking too, if I got sorted into Lamebrain Central, but you look…”
Something tells her that crying won’t help her case, but Brittany can’t help sniffling a little. Santana’s eyes go wide.
“Oh hell, you really are crying. Shit. I mean. It’s okay. I’m sure Hufflepuffs aren’t all bad. I mean, hey, if you’d gotten yourself into my House, you would’ve wound up rooming with this little loudmouth who keeps belting Muggle showtunes. I can’t wait until I learn a few hexes to shut her ass up with-”
“Muggle?” Brittany wipes at her eyes miserably. “Like my parents?”
“Shit.” Santana’s gaze darts left and right. She sinks down on the bench beside Brittany, chewing the inside of her cheek. “You’re really lost, huh? Total Muggle-born?”
Brittany gulps a bit of air, trying to swallow the boulder in her throat. “I don’t-I think they made a mistake. I don’t belong here…”
Surprisingly, Santana’s hand settles atop hers.
“Hogwarts doesn’t make mistakes,” she informs Brittany fiercely. “Dumbledore’s kind of a hippie ass sometimes-that’s what my dad says, anyway-but he knows what he’s doing.”
Brittany frowns. She remembers the Slytherin table, how they hooted and hollered, booing everyone who wasn’t Sorted their way. They looked mean, but this girl…
“Are you even supposed to be talking to me?” she wonders, trying to piece this bizarre world together. Santana’s cheeks pinken slightly, her hand retreating back into her own lap.
“Probably not,” she admits. “House loyalty’s really important. But if you want the truth, you seem a little cooler than the idiot midget singer. Even for a Hufflepuff.”
“So…does that mean…” Brittany hesitates, scratching at Tubbs’ favorite sweet spot. “Are we friends?”
The girl makes a sputtering noise. “I, uh. Friends?”
“We don’t have to be,” Brittany assures her, heart sinking. “I just thought maybe-”
“Sure,” Santana blurts. “Sure. Friends. Why not? Just, uh…” She pauses, scraping a hand through soft-looking hair, and shakes her head. “Maybe keep it on the down-low? For a while, ‘til we get settled in. Don’t want to be making any enemies in my own House, you know?”
Brittany nods absently. Tubbs is staring Santana down, eyes narrowed, his tail twitching warningly back and forth. Santana takes the hint.
“Anyway, we should get back to the dorms. You know that creepy dude with the cat? He finds you out of bed, you actually get detention. And sometimes they even make you do it in the Forbidden Forest.”
Brittany has no idea what that means. She swallows.
“Okay. Hey, Santana?”
“Yeah?”
“You think we could maybe talk again tomorrow? I really, uh…don’t know how to use my wand.”
Santana laughs, eyes twinkling. “Wanky. Yeah, sure. Meet me outside the Great Hall after classes. I’ll show you what’s up.”
And then she’s gone, sauntering back the way she came. Brittany stands, crushing Tubbs to her chest, and tries her best to remember which direction she’s supposed to be going. The castle is way too big, with its moving staircases and dancing portraits, and she’s pretty sure she can hear that creepy dude Santana was talking about, scratching around nearby. This whole place-this whole thing-is totally crazy, and weird, and she’s not sure she believes Santana’s everyone here is supposed to be speech.
Still, Santana seems really nice. And everything is better with a friend.
Maybe being a witch won’t be so bad, after all.
Pairing: Santana Lopez/Brittany Pierce
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Nothing owned, no profit gained.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: [Brittana Week-Day 2: Harry Potter/Hogwarts] Being away from home is one of Brittany's least favorite things in the world.
Being away from home is one of Brittany’s least favorite things in the world. She likes her house, her parents, her cat-the simple things in life. Leaving all of that behind for something as big and as scary as Hogwarts is…
Well, at least she got to bring Lord Tubbington along for the ride.
Tubbs is good company and everything on the train (which he hates; he’s not really a people cat, and large vehicles make his restless leg syndrome act up), but Brittany is still scared. No one in her family has ever shown the least bit of magical talent before. Heck, she didn’t even know there was magic, outside of Tinkerbell and Santa Claus, before her eleventh birthday. And now, here she is: Sorted, clutching a class schedule bearing words like Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, on the brink of becoming a real live witch.
Witches probably aren’t supposed to cry, but Brittany thinks Glinda or whoever should make an exception for her.
She’s jackknifed in an empty corridor, winding her yellow-and-black striped tie around one hand, when she hears the footsteps. Coiled in her lap, his fluff hanging over her knees, Tubbs utters a low, disapproving yowl. He always gets mad when any of his six daily naps is interrupted.
Brittany lifts her head and squints into the shadows, habitually stroking his fur until he settles. With her luck, she’s bound to be caught here by a teacher on her very first day-maybe that scary man with the uncomfortably pale face and the hair that hasn’t been washed in months. Or the older woman who looked down her nose at Tubbs like she’d never seen anything so stupid in her life. Brittany doesn’t think she likes that woman. Tubbs definitely doesn’t.
The person who comes sauntering into the dim lanternlight, however, is not a teacher. It’s not even one of the ghosts, who seem to parade around this castle like they own the joint (making Brittany deeply nervous all the while, because, wow, not exactly Casper). Instead, she finds herself staring down a slim girl about her age with dark hair and eyes. Pretty.
Green-and-silver tie. Brittany racks her brain, trying to remember what that means.
“Whatcha doin’ down here?” the girl asks. “Boo-hooin’ like a Hufflepuff?”
“I am a Hufflepuff,” Brittany replies, stumbling over the foreign word. It still tastes funny in her mouth. She wonders what her mom will think when she reads about it in a letter.
“Lame,” the girl announces, flipping her hair. “But better than Gryffindor, I guess. Those suckers are such goody-goodies.”
Brittany’s not sure what to say to that. She settles for lowering her gaze back to Tubbington’s head, patting behind his ears until he works up the energy to purr.
“I’m Santana,” the girl goes on, thrusting a hand under Brittany’s nose. “Slytherin. Total badass.”
Wincing, Brittany lightly shakes the offered hand, feeling more uncomfortable than ever. “Aren’t you guys the snakes?”
“Hell of a lot better than a dumb badger,” Santana replies with a snort. Brittany bites her lip.
“I guess.”
The girl tilts her head, curious. “What’s your deal, anyway? You freakin’ out or something? Cuz I’d probably be freaking too, if I got sorted into Lamebrain Central, but you look…”
Something tells her that crying won’t help her case, but Brittany can’t help sniffling a little. Santana’s eyes go wide.
“Oh hell, you really are crying. Shit. I mean. It’s okay. I’m sure Hufflepuffs aren’t all bad. I mean, hey, if you’d gotten yourself into my House, you would’ve wound up rooming with this little loudmouth who keeps belting Muggle showtunes. I can’t wait until I learn a few hexes to shut her ass up with-”
“Muggle?” Brittany wipes at her eyes miserably. “Like my parents?”
“Shit.” Santana’s gaze darts left and right. She sinks down on the bench beside Brittany, chewing the inside of her cheek. “You’re really lost, huh? Total Muggle-born?”
Brittany gulps a bit of air, trying to swallow the boulder in her throat. “I don’t-I think they made a mistake. I don’t belong here…”
Surprisingly, Santana’s hand settles atop hers.
“Hogwarts doesn’t make mistakes,” she informs Brittany fiercely. “Dumbledore’s kind of a hippie ass sometimes-that’s what my dad says, anyway-but he knows what he’s doing.”
Brittany frowns. She remembers the Slytherin table, how they hooted and hollered, booing everyone who wasn’t Sorted their way. They looked mean, but this girl…
“Are you even supposed to be talking to me?” she wonders, trying to piece this bizarre world together. Santana’s cheeks pinken slightly, her hand retreating back into her own lap.
“Probably not,” she admits. “House loyalty’s really important. But if you want the truth, you seem a little cooler than the idiot midget singer. Even for a Hufflepuff.”
“So…does that mean…” Brittany hesitates, scratching at Tubbs’ favorite sweet spot. “Are we friends?”
The girl makes a sputtering noise. “I, uh. Friends?”
“We don’t have to be,” Brittany assures her, heart sinking. “I just thought maybe-”
“Sure,” Santana blurts. “Sure. Friends. Why not? Just, uh…” She pauses, scraping a hand through soft-looking hair, and shakes her head. “Maybe keep it on the down-low? For a while, ‘til we get settled in. Don’t want to be making any enemies in my own House, you know?”
Brittany nods absently. Tubbs is staring Santana down, eyes narrowed, his tail twitching warningly back and forth. Santana takes the hint.
“Anyway, we should get back to the dorms. You know that creepy dude with the cat? He finds you out of bed, you actually get detention. And sometimes they even make you do it in the Forbidden Forest.”
Brittany has no idea what that means. She swallows.
“Okay. Hey, Santana?”
“Yeah?”
“You think we could maybe talk again tomorrow? I really, uh…don’t know how to use my wand.”
Santana laughs, eyes twinkling. “Wanky. Yeah, sure. Meet me outside the Great Hall after classes. I’ll show you what’s up.”
And then she’s gone, sauntering back the way she came. Brittany stands, crushing Tubbs to her chest, and tries her best to remember which direction she’s supposed to be going. The castle is way too big, with its moving staircases and dancing portraits, and she’s pretty sure she can hear that creepy dude Santana was talking about, scratching around nearby. This whole place-this whole thing-is totally crazy, and weird, and she’s not sure she believes Santana’s everyone here is supposed to be speech.
Still, Santana seems really nice. And everything is better with a friend.
Maybe being a witch won’t be so bad, after all.