Fic 4/4: Know When to Call it Quits (HP AU)
Title: Know When to Call It Quits
Fandom: Harry Potter AU
Characters: Quinn O’Mara (OC), Camillo Figge (OC), Caradoc Dearborn (established member of the First Order of the Phoenix)
Word Count: 1117
Prompt: written for the month-long challenge at octoberwriting and knowing when to breath at 5_prompts
Author’s Note: This AU takes place in a world where Dumbledore didn’t win the fight with Grindelwald. The darkness is hugging in a little closer now that Cam is missing from her world. Even White Knights can’t be everywhere at once and real life seems to have taken a different turn for them. He’s not the one to blame but she harbors a bit of resentment that he doesn’t seem her the way he used to.
Quinn and Cam are both characters dreamed up for a dueling RP (two people writing back and forth) and have very extensive backgrounds. This was something new that I thought I’d play around with. You don't need to have any background on any of the characters to read this and, I hope, enjoy it.
As always, for Aster… who I hope it talking to me after reading this section.
By October, Quinn knew she couldn’t stay at Hogwarts without Cam. Try as they might, her White Knights were no match for the abuse that Quinn was dealing with. She’d made the mistake of bursting into tears in the Common Room the first night back at school, the emotions of being without Cam and seeing Cara take hold of Hestia’s hand as easily as if, maybe, they’d been doing it all summer long overrunning her until she couldn’t contain them all inside. The sharks had smelled blood where they’d forgotten there had been any and they came back at her with a vengeance.
Twice, Quinn had been sent to the Headmaster’s office after being caught trying to retaliate. She was running out of witty retributions that were easy to pull off and get away from without getting caught. It was also the start of Quidditch season and almost all of her White Knights were on the team. Even Ollie, who hadn’t made the team but liked to watch them practice, spent most of his time on the pitch.
“It’ll get better once we fuse as a team,” Cara had assured her as she tried to hide the bruise on her neck with high-necked sweaters. If he saw anything in her glance, he didn’t say anything. “What did you get for the second question?”
Why me? she asked herself every night. This was getting out of hand. There were some younger Ravenclaws who’s snickered as she fallen in the library. It hadn’t been anyone’s fault but her own clumsiness but she remembered a time when they would have at least asked if she was okay. These boys had just rolled their eyes at her when she’d blinked up at them from the ground.
She wasn’t the only one who was suffering. There was very little kindness at the school this year. When she started asking around, she heard the same thing time after time. This was one of the things that she dared share with Cam in her daily letter to him.
There’s a little girl in Gryffindor who’s a mudblood. You’d think her House would watch out for her but they’re just as hard on her as those I would expect this sort of behaviour from. She holds her head high but I can see the same pain and confusion in her eyes as I saw in my own. Do I dare help her? Will it make it worse for her? Will she even want my help? It’s those that aren’t Full Blooded that are feeling the worst of the abuse. What can I possibly do against this kind of hurt?
Quinn was haunted by the First Year she’d tried to assist at the beginning of the school year when she was still feeling confidant in her ability to help herself. When she’d offered to help him learn how to handle himself against the bullies, he’d looked at her like she was offering poison.
“Like I’d take your help,” he’d yelled over his shoulder as he’d run off. It didn’t matter that he was a regular in the Infirmary or that no one else seemed to be jumping forward to help him out.
I don’t want you to think about leaving. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, Quinn. Keep plugging away at your schoolwork and the rest will fall into place. It always does.
On 15 October, she discovered her bag full of black widow spiders. The only thing that had saved her from sticking her hand in without looking was the noise of someone dropping a book somewhere else in the library.
On 18 October, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and walked straight into a group of Slytherin waiting for her as she walked back to the dungeon from the library. Even Cara couldn’t miss the black eye. She put the tooth back in by herself but there was nothing she could do for the bruising. Thankfully, her nose didn’t break.
On 25 October, they broke her wand. She didn’t tell anyone for fear she’d be blamed. There was absolutely no money in her account for a new one after this new set of books she’d had to buy at the beginning of the year.
On 27 October, they broke her wrist. Again. With no way to heal it herself, she ran for the Gryffindor Common Room where she was told that Cara was at Quidditch practice. It took half an hour for someone to get a message to him that he needed to find her. By the time he found her in the furthest corner of the library where the books could offer up a bit of protection, she was feverish and delusional from the pain. Instead of taking her to Cam like she asked, he took her to the Infirmary.
When she got out, she packed a bag full of clothes and left the school by the front gate. It should have concerned her that it was so easy to leave but she was beyond caring. Madam Rosmerta opened the door to her, sweeping her into the warm mustiness of the pub as soon as she saw her face.
“What have they done?” she whispered when she heard the girl’s story.
“It’s not just me,” Quinn replied, like a broken record. She hadn’t actually wanted to leave after her time in the Infirmary. It had been full of battered and bruised children with no other recourse. “There are others. The abuse is on the rise and no one is doing anything.”
“Tis every man and women for themselves, not just at the school but everywhere. The world is going to hell in a hand basket, it is.” The barmaid shook her head sadly. “Not much to be done about it. You’re just one little girl. You can’t fight all their battles.”
“I’ll find a way,” Quinn retorted before losing consciousness. She’d only been able to hide the fever for a little bit to give herself enough time to fool the Healer at the school and make her escape. Now she couldn’t stop the heat as it rose up to overwhelm her.
When she woke up, she was leaning against Cam’s chest, listening to him talk to Rosmerta. “-didn’t realize it was this bad. I wish I’d been here earlier but I just got Cara’s letter. He never mentioned things were getting this bad.”
“Did he tell you about my wand?” she asked, forgetting that she hadn’t told anyone.
When Cam pressed her, she told him everything without a single tear. This last fever had burned away every tear she’d ever had inside her. “We have to help them, Cam. We have to do something about this.”
“We will, halfling. We will.”
She liked the promise in his voice. For now, that was all she needed to keep her moving forward. Later, when she finally got the courage up to write that final letter to Cara, she remembered those words and the fierceness with which Cam had said them.
Fight the shadow that is settling into the school, Cara. Don’t let it consume you. Cam and I are going to start up the fight out here. Join us when you get out. We always need good knights in our cause.
It took her weeks before she mailed the letter. As far as she knows, he’s never answered the letter with one of his own.
Fandom: Harry Potter AU
Characters: Quinn O’Mara (OC), Camillo Figge (OC), Caradoc Dearborn (established member of the First Order of the Phoenix)
Word Count: 1117
Prompt: written for the month-long challenge at octoberwriting and knowing when to breath at 5_prompts
Author’s Note: This AU takes place in a world where Dumbledore didn’t win the fight with Grindelwald. The darkness is hugging in a little closer now that Cam is missing from her world. Even White Knights can’t be everywhere at once and real life seems to have taken a different turn for them. He’s not the one to blame but she harbors a bit of resentment that he doesn’t seem her the way he used to.
Quinn and Cam are both characters dreamed up for a dueling RP (two people writing back and forth) and have very extensive backgrounds. This was something new that I thought I’d play around with. You don't need to have any background on any of the characters to read this and, I hope, enjoy it.
As always, for Aster… who I hope it talking to me after reading this section.
By October, Quinn knew she couldn’t stay at Hogwarts without Cam. Try as they might, her White Knights were no match for the abuse that Quinn was dealing with. She’d made the mistake of bursting into tears in the Common Room the first night back at school, the emotions of being without Cam and seeing Cara take hold of Hestia’s hand as easily as if, maybe, they’d been doing it all summer long overrunning her until she couldn’t contain them all inside. The sharks had smelled blood where they’d forgotten there had been any and they came back at her with a vengeance.
Twice, Quinn had been sent to the Headmaster’s office after being caught trying to retaliate. She was running out of witty retributions that were easy to pull off and get away from without getting caught. It was also the start of Quidditch season and almost all of her White Knights were on the team. Even Ollie, who hadn’t made the team but liked to watch them practice, spent most of his time on the pitch.
“It’ll get better once we fuse as a team,” Cara had assured her as she tried to hide the bruise on her neck with high-necked sweaters. If he saw anything in her glance, he didn’t say anything. “What did you get for the second question?”
Why me? she asked herself every night. This was getting out of hand. There were some younger Ravenclaws who’s snickered as she fallen in the library. It hadn’t been anyone’s fault but her own clumsiness but she remembered a time when they would have at least asked if she was okay. These boys had just rolled their eyes at her when she’d blinked up at them from the ground.
She wasn’t the only one who was suffering. There was very little kindness at the school this year. When she started asking around, she heard the same thing time after time. This was one of the things that she dared share with Cam in her daily letter to him.
There’s a little girl in Gryffindor who’s a mudblood. You’d think her House would watch out for her but they’re just as hard on her as those I would expect this sort of behaviour from. She holds her head high but I can see the same pain and confusion in her eyes as I saw in my own. Do I dare help her? Will it make it worse for her? Will she even want my help? It’s those that aren’t Full Blooded that are feeling the worst of the abuse. What can I possibly do against this kind of hurt?
Quinn was haunted by the First Year she’d tried to assist at the beginning of the school year when she was still feeling confidant in her ability to help herself. When she’d offered to help him learn how to handle himself against the bullies, he’d looked at her like she was offering poison.
“Like I’d take your help,” he’d yelled over his shoulder as he’d run off. It didn’t matter that he was a regular in the Infirmary or that no one else seemed to be jumping forward to help him out.
I don’t want you to think about leaving. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, Quinn. Keep plugging away at your schoolwork and the rest will fall into place. It always does.
On 15 October, she discovered her bag full of black widow spiders. The only thing that had saved her from sticking her hand in without looking was the noise of someone dropping a book somewhere else in the library.
On 18 October, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and walked straight into a group of Slytherin waiting for her as she walked back to the dungeon from the library. Even Cara couldn’t miss the black eye. She put the tooth back in by herself but there was nothing she could do for the bruising. Thankfully, her nose didn’t break.
On 25 October, they broke her wand. She didn’t tell anyone for fear she’d be blamed. There was absolutely no money in her account for a new one after this new set of books she’d had to buy at the beginning of the year.
On 27 October, they broke her wrist. Again. With no way to heal it herself, she ran for the Gryffindor Common Room where she was told that Cara was at Quidditch practice. It took half an hour for someone to get a message to him that he needed to find her. By the time he found her in the furthest corner of the library where the books could offer up a bit of protection, she was feverish and delusional from the pain. Instead of taking her to Cam like she asked, he took her to the Infirmary.
When she got out, she packed a bag full of clothes and left the school by the front gate. It should have concerned her that it was so easy to leave but she was beyond caring. Madam Rosmerta opened the door to her, sweeping her into the warm mustiness of the pub as soon as she saw her face.
“What have they done?” she whispered when she heard the girl’s story.
“It’s not just me,” Quinn replied, like a broken record. She hadn’t actually wanted to leave after her time in the Infirmary. It had been full of battered and bruised children with no other recourse. “There are others. The abuse is on the rise and no one is doing anything.”
“Tis every man and women for themselves, not just at the school but everywhere. The world is going to hell in a hand basket, it is.” The barmaid shook her head sadly. “Not much to be done about it. You’re just one little girl. You can’t fight all their battles.”
“I’ll find a way,” Quinn retorted before losing consciousness. She’d only been able to hide the fever for a little bit to give herself enough time to fool the Healer at the school and make her escape. Now she couldn’t stop the heat as it rose up to overwhelm her.
When she woke up, she was leaning against Cam’s chest, listening to him talk to Rosmerta. “-didn’t realize it was this bad. I wish I’d been here earlier but I just got Cara’s letter. He never mentioned things were getting this bad.”
“Did he tell you about my wand?” she asked, forgetting that she hadn’t told anyone.
When Cam pressed her, she told him everything without a single tear. This last fever had burned away every tear she’d ever had inside her. “We have to help them, Cam. We have to do something about this.”
“We will, halfling. We will.”
She liked the promise in his voice. For now, that was all she needed to keep her moving forward. Later, when she finally got the courage up to write that final letter to Cara, she remembered those words and the fierceness with which Cam had said them.
Fight the shadow that is settling into the school, Cara. Don’t let it consume you. Cam and I are going to start up the fight out here. Join us when you get out. We always need good knights in our cause.
It took her weeks before she mailed the letter. As far as she knows, he’s never answered the letter with one of his own.