Search found 19 matches for readapollily

Tinsel and Traitors

“No. You can’t wear that.”

Ace Longbottom’s arms dropped to her side, any sign of hesitancy violently transforming into indignation at Lily Potter’s tone of finality. “And why not?”

Lily Potter sat on Ace Longbottom’s bed, feeling more than a little odd about the whole ordeal. Firstly, there was this new sentiment of coldness and irritation that Ace had developed towards her, conjured out of what seemed before to be a friendly indifference. Removed from her favor, it seemed strange that Lily could trespass as she did now in her home. Secondly, there was her entire detachment to her family, not only biological family but those extended through loyalty. She had never seen Neville Longbottom so surprised as he was when she called upon his youngest, and that was quite a claim, as Neville could often become flabbergasted, even in all his age and wisdom. Thirdly, that she should be sharing this moment at all, a moment that could surely be regarded as first public appearance with Apollo. They had gone over the pros and cons of the evening, and both had realized they risked her job with their attendance. But the job itself was one she had only taken out of obligation to one Zabini boy, and her obligation to the other required she save him from such horrors as posh pureblood soirées. But to share this momentous occasion with a girl who had no sense of the gravity, who furthermore seemed unwilling to treat it at all seriously…

Lily had to remind herself that she would probably find Ace as one of her only allies at this party. She had better get used to it.

Ace, however, seemed set against considering them allies. It was only because she did not want to ask Frank that she took Lily’s invitation to arrive together. They were to meet Christian down the lane so they could enter on the arm of a friend and all seemed settled. Lily herself had been content with apparating them off as soon as she arrived at the Longbottom home, but now she was glad for her own sense of uncertainty and feelings of doom. That half hour extra she had allotted had just filled up.

Because Ace Longbottom would not be attending a Zabini party in a mustard-colored, floral print, long-sleeved woolen dress. It was not a costume party, and even if it was, Lily would not let the Longbottom girl attend as a sofa from 1785.

“It’s the nicest dress I have,” Ace said pointedly, blissfully clueless to how much this affirmed Lily’s next statement.

“Then light your closet on fire, you aren’t wearing that.”

Ace crossed her arms, pursing her lips. “Well, what then. I can’t go naked.”

She immediately mistook Lily’s thoughtful gaze as consideration as to how a nude Ace Longbottom would be received and her cheeks blossomed pink. But Lily was shaking her head. “I know someone who looks your size.”

“I don’t know, Lily, I rather like it.”

It took Clementine Lovegood looking fondly at the dress for the blonde to finally admit to herself that maybe it wasn’t the best dress for the occasion. Tactful as always with Clementine, Lily pressed, “I agree, it’s lovely in its own light, but this is a ball. We’re supposed to dress-“

“Stuffy and uptight,” Ace added, her displeasure at being dragged along all the more evident. Lily found herself wondering, once again, why Ace was even bothering if it were such a chore for her. She did not have the obligation that Lily did. Lily would have been shocked to know that Ace’s presence was only caused by her own.

Clementine tilted her head, glancing up and down Lily. “Your dress isn’t so fancy.”

“Yeah!” came Ace’s immediate cry, glad to have someone on her side in this solitary anti-Lily moment that was sure to pass all too soon.

Lily blinked, glad she had better control of her emotions than she once had. “My dress has a magical component I’ll use once I get there. Trust me, I have done my consultations. The point is-“

“Yes, yes,” Clementine said, already circling an uneasy Ace. “I know, my closet is full of odds and ends, surely I have- and I just may. Come on, Alice! Lily, you should curl the ends of your hair while you wait. It’ll go well.” A warm smile and the Lovegood dragged Longbottom away.

It took less than twenty minutes for Clementine to herald her work as complete. Lily had taken Clem’s advice and then padded about the front garden, glad once again for the Lovegoods’ tendency to travel without their daughter. Lily reentered the home, pausing before the stairwell to await Ace.

Even Lily, as irked as she was by the aggressive and unpleasant presence of Ace, could not help but grin. Clem’s warm face was a bit warmer than usual, lighted with pleasure from her objective success. Even Ace suspected that the effect was a pleasing one, but she certainly was still undecided as to how to feel about it. Though her brow was ruffled in indignation of the entire affair, there was a new delicacy in her step that betrayed the new sensations of grace at being properly fitted.

She stopped at the bottom step and there was a pause. Of course, the entire picture was ruined when Ace reached down violently scratch an itch around her knee.

“It’s perfect, Clemmy,” Lily said, taking in the entire ensemble. “How do you feel, Ace?”

“Not horrible,” came the unwilling reply, as Ace glanced down at herself again, trying to become acquainted with the strange sight. “I can breathe in it. Which is nice. And Clem even let me-“

“You look wonderful,” came Clem’s calm assertion. Ace blinked and nodded, reaching up to rub her own arm. A muttered thanks and Lily made their goodbyes, and the two girls set off, both caught up in their own trepidations as they reached out to clasp hands and-

CRACK!

They appeared at the end of the lane and their hands were immediately parting. Ace reached up and brushed her hair back, taking in a deep breath. Her eyes suddenly caught onto something over Lily’s shoulder and it seemed to the brunette that Ace’s face had gotten a little paler, which only served to highlight the pink flush brought on by the icy air. Lily cleared her throat and used an Aunt Hermione trick, transfiguring one of the coins from her clutch into a jar, before conjuring warming flames. She held the jar loosely and turned, indicating Ace follow. She could hear a low stream of curses under Ace’s breath and as her eyes found Christian Zabini, she could not help but wonder what would cause the blonde’s discomfort at being seen thus by the other Hufflepuff.

“C’mon, Ace,” she said, lifting a hand as Christian’s eyes fell on them. “We probably won’t die.”

#ReadApollily

over the moon

Lily supposed the risks outweighed the benefits. Right, so the risks certainly outweighed the benefits. But she now had a singular point of irrationality in her life, and it was very difficult not to indulge it. She had done well so far. Though they had certainly not broken things off, she and Apollo had displayed a commendable amount of restraint so far in the year. It had certainly not been easy, and the occasionally icy glares from Christian and Ace, more originated from the latter, had not been helpful.

But she supposed she was doing fine. Her class required a lot of set up, and she was not stingy with giving homework, so she managed to keep busy enough. It was this, the remaining busy, that helped.

But as Halloween drew near, and the other staff prepared for the big holiday, she found herself distracted from her busy schedule as the full moon's influence seeped into her bones and itched at her sense of comfort. She still felt horribly uncertain with transformations so close to the school, even though her work-in-progress extra-strength wolfsbane seemed to be working.

Apollo had wanted this. She reminded herself of it. She certainly wasn't against it, not completely, but she was a bit hesitant. Her wolf side had already messed up with Apollo before, and she was worried for something to go wrong. But she had prepared. Her wolfsbane was with her, she had stowed some at the shack, and she had an overnight bag packed.

She left first, since she was the one on a deadline, and she made her move before the sun even set during the final class period of the day, moving casually and swiftly. She knew she had to wait for Apollo's class to end, so she settled in with a book after a quick tidying and tried not to consider the many things that could go wrong, instead savoring the anticipation of some privacy, finally.

#ReadApollily

You don't need proof. You can feel it.

Lily would never presume to think she had any special hold over Apollo, simply because she still did not think she had any right to. That said, she did a take a little pride in her ability to banish away the stormy looks and relax Apollo's expression into one of tranquility and happiness. So often, she saw him become steeped in worry and uncertainty, and she had somehow found the solution for taking away those feelings, even for a moment. If all she did was stuck around to inspire that subtle shift towards happiness, she would be pleased. That would be enough.

He approached and certainly did not need to do any coercing to get her fingers to tangle with his, and she looked at him with that warmth that was becoming more and more familiar every day.

She had no doubt that he wasn't trying to hide her. She had not questioned him on that front. After a lifetime of everyone knowing her name and trying to predict her next move, she could appreciate some discretion about this matter, especially considering how deeply she felt about it. Her acceptance was clear through the softness in her eyes, but a bit of mischief touched her features and she tightened her grip on his hands. "You couldn't keep me quiet if you tried," she said, tilting her head. "I howl."

Now that the Marauder Map was found, Ace had to stuff all of the excess items back in. Bags were dumb. She couldn't wait for when she could just accio-everything at any given time. Dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

This random irritation was evident on her face, but it went slack as she lifted her head in undisguised surprise at Christian's words. Socially inept as she was, his tone was enough to betray what she could already guess - he wasn't pleased. She didn't blame him. Had her brother sprung something on her of the same magnitude... well, she certainly would not have been as gracious, nor as quiet, about the subject.

"What?" she repeated, squinting as she jutted her head forward, almost offended on the Hufflepuff's behalf. Christian had turned back to his work, but she was still half-glaring, half-squinting, eyes resting on his hands in an unfocused manner. "But... school and... being underage... What's the point?"

That grumble-manifested-into-an-expression took over again, and just as she was about to perseverate on the subject, Christian lifted his head to speak. But their attention was forced towards the door as Apollo and Lily appeared there.

Apollo looked at Ace in a way that made Ace wonder if he knew just how dumb his choice to move out was. The slight exasperation in her expression was probably enough to jumpstart the guilt he should have been feeling - moving out at sixteen. not telling your twin, basically keeping secrets from yourself, dumb, dumb, dumb - so she did not make it any easier on him, mimicking his expression.

"Hey Ace," Lily said, keenly aware of the Longbottom girl's array of disapproving expressions. Ace looked towards Lily, and withdrew a bit. "Hey," she said back, looking dull. "No thanks," she said, trying to keep any actual audible tones of spite out of her words.

Lily didn't know what Ace was on about, as it could have been anything from Ilvermorny to her presence to something Frank said in passing. Ace usually managed to find something to get worked up about, and she found it was best to wait for the blonde to engage in confrontation before assuming anything - it wasn't like she would shy away from it if she felt it necessary. Lily glanced towards Christian, asking him instead, "Christian?"

#ReadApollily

Perfect Match!

Ha! No worries. I was sort of investigating the dynamic. That said #ReadApollily

Andre annnnnnnd Hitame? Hitame's super sweet and needs some fun.

Blue skies are calling me

That had been a hard night. Lily had not gone in with a plan - which, in hindsight, would have helped to have - and had ended up feeling a new sense of obligation when she finally left that night. Apollo had allowed her to treat him to a big pie as he told her about the school year, the business, Christian's accident, everything she had missed. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes when she apparated him back so she had let him go off to bed.

Before he went though, she had to remind him...

"I mean it, Apollo. I'll be around." He didn't look like he believed her. "Can I stop by tomorrow?"

She was certain he didn't believe her, but she had followed through, stopping by with coffee and a chat until she also had to go. There was still a heavy darkness between them, born from his distrust and her inability to ignore that sentiment. But he let her stick around until she had to go do work of her own.

She knew she needed to see Christian. It would break her promise to Apollo if the Hufflepuff just walked in on her hanging out with his twin after so much silence. So she sent him a note, asking if she could drop by the shop around lunchtime, instructing both Zabinis to keep an empty stomach. Her offer did not go refused, so she arrived a bit before noon, her boxes of Chinese takeout wrapped up in a bag.

She slipped through the store, bell ringing. She headed for the back and stopped at the counter, tapping the bell. While she probably felt comfortable enough with the arrangement to head right into the staff room, she figured it might be good to give Christian a head start.

but i'm a creep, i'm a weirdo, what the hell am i doing here

It was late, well past business hours. Diagon Alley was beginning to wind down, but the people who called the alley home, or had homes that were not as comfortable and loving as the well-worn streets of Diagon, were still active, still moving between the shops and enjoying the night air, taking out their trash and sweeping their doorsteps. A hue of orange was beginning to light the path as the alley transitioned from is daylight activity to its tired nightlife, changed from a tourist-trafficked area to a bustling neighborhood.

A stray tabby lapped up pieces of chicken on the doorstep of a tea shop, where the owner had always been kind. The plate finally clean, the tabby straightened up and licked himself clean before taking a stroll down the lane. Across the street from the broom shop, the cat lept up unto a trashcan and sniffed the opening, trying to find any promising smell that might warrant sticking around the can. His stomach was full now, but it was never too early to plan for morning.

He hopped off of the trashcan and almost collided with a leg. He glanced up before twitching his nose and peering closer to the strange angles, investigating. Having only ever had positive experiences with humans, the cat lept up and rubbed his cheek hard against the leg, before beginning to wind himself between the two stationary legs, which still had done nothing to acknowledge his presence. He tilted his head up and let out a long mew.

Lily Potter was chewing on her pinky nail, trying not to rip anything of the nail off but finding that standing in the cold for the past twenty minutes had done nothing for the confused feelings tumbling in her breast. The meow brought her back to earth and the cat jumped back on the trashcan. She dropped her hand and began to scratch along the tabby’s spine. The purring was almost instantaneous and the cat stretched out, claws extending with pleasure.

Christian had left the shop right around the time Lily had taken up her position, which meant checking on Apollo could be done… now. Any time. If she could just move. If she could just commit.

It had been meeting with Katherine that reminded Lily of how important company was, how important just a few people had become to her in her final years at school, and the fact that she was at least partially responsible for the happiness and wellbeing of a few of those individuals. And the Slytherin boy was one of them. She had never checked in for a full moon, had never followed up after the day in the Hospital Wing. They had never really been friends, sure, but she was responsible.

And she needed people. She wouldn’t admit it, had barely let that admission register within her own mind, but she did. And she had an excuse. As lame as it was.  

She took a breath and dropped her hand, walking across the street. The shop had been closed for over an hour, so it was with the feeling of a trespasser that she knocked on the door and awaited the Zabini boy.

* @Apollo Zabini #ReadApollily

Let's get to work

Frank had told her she should just relax and be a kid for the first time in her life. That had infuriated her, of course, and she had gone off on the importance of political involvement until her mother had intervened, getting Frank to work on dishes while Ace went out and helped her dad de-gnome the garden. The gnomes had never been treated worse that day.

Since then, Ace had felt unsettled. Another year was wrapping up at school, and what had they to show for it? A smattering of PA meetings? She thought the Zabini could be a competent enough leader if he just bothered to get up and do his job. Yeah, yeah, he had fallen off of his broom or whatever, but that was hardly an accuse for letting darkness move unbridled throughout the castle.

An exaggeration, maybe, but she couldn't help her passion.  

Summer had launched and the sun was actually sticking around for extended periods of time. The garden was flourishing and the Longbottom clan had begun their plans for family vacations, but Ace had basically ground her teeth to nubs at this point. It was a beautiful Saturday and she was boiling.

"Frank. Can you take me to a friend's?"

One look at her was enough to cuss Frank to say "Merlin save your enemies if that's the face you have when talking about your friends."

He couldn't shake her. She would talk to Christian Zabini.

She hurried through the crowded store, not speaking to the people she knew, not minding that she was bulldozing through. Her eyes had latched on to her target.

A tap on the shoulder. "I've gotta talk to you."

[OPEN/GROUP] End of Year Party, Anyone?

Apollo had never been one to start the parties around Hogwarts, but dangit all, he was graduating. If there was any time to throw a party, this was it. The Zabini brothers were about to be released on the real world, and Merlin if he didn't feel a little bit bad for them. It wasn't as though they had not been involved in Diagon Alley and the sort with their ownership of Quality Quidditch Supplies or anything. But now they didn't have to attend school at Hogwarts for nine months out of the year. They would be free to do as they wished, when they wished, and with whomever they wanted.

So the elder of the twins led the way down the hall as the younger followed, not entirely sure if he should be there. Christian wasn't really the party type at all, Apollo knew, but it would have been more shocking, somehow, if the twins had not planned the potential fiasco of a party together. So they approached the Room of Requirement and passed in front of it, back and forth, until the door opened and presented them with the space for their get-together. It was easier than trying to hold the event in one of the common rooms, and the room immediately presented them with what they would have wanted and needed for a party that could possibly be made up of the entire school.

Christian made it known once more than he was not impressed with the fact that Apollo had said that anybody who wanted to could stop in. The younger students, he said, wouldn't necessarily feel safe drinking with the older students, and Christian himself wouldn't want to let them drink and hurt themselves. Nevermind if they got caught after the drinking. But it was too late for that, as Apollo reminded him. It was a students only party, and the time had come for it to begin.