Ezra Bridger (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jabbathehutt) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
au_hogwarts2020-10-24 12:36 pm
jabbathehutt) wrote in au_hogwarts2020-10-24 12:36 pm
Entry tags:
[Closed] Snitch-Off Round Two (for brooklynishere)
[Continued from here]
It's been a strangely good day. History of Magic, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures, which is never anything but Ezra's favourite. No detention, no one digging at him more than usual, and the promise of flying after the school day. It's clearly got nothing to do with the fact he might be flying with someone he defintely isn't ever going to be friends with.
But it might help that having to share a school with Conlon might be a little less utterly tortuous from now on.
Ezra's pretty pleased with his broom - it's not top of the line in any way, but the small allowance his Local Authority pay him for educational expenses (and god knows where the muggle council think their money is going, but the exchange rate is apparently not terrible) has stretched to a second hand Cleansweep, and while charms isn't his strongest subject, he put effort into learning the right ones to keep it flying and responsive, and kept it well serviced.
He has to give his housemates the slip, though - doesn't want anyone making comments about him never making the Quidditch team, so he's a bit late hurrying out to the the pitch.
It's been a strangely good day. History of Magic, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures, which is never anything but Ezra's favourite. No detention, no one digging at him more than usual, and the promise of flying after the school day. It's clearly got nothing to do with the fact he might be flying with someone he defintely isn't ever going to be friends with.
But it might help that having to share a school with Conlon might be a little less utterly tortuous from now on.
Ezra's pretty pleased with his broom - it's not top of the line in any way, but the small allowance his Local Authority pay him for educational expenses (and god knows where the muggle council think their money is going, but the exchange rate is apparently not terrible) has stretched to a second hand Cleansweep, and while charms isn't his strongest subject, he put effort into learning the right ones to keep it flying and responsive, and kept it well serviced.
He has to give his housemates the slip, though - doesn't want anyone making comments about him never making the Quidditch team, so he's a bit late hurrying out to the the pitch.
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But he's not angry about this. Actually he's... he's kind of still looking forward to it. A bit of flying should clear his head, even if it was with Ezra.
Since the Slytherin wasn't there when he makes it out to the pitch, Spot takes to the skies while he waits, doing lazy loops and spins just for fun.
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And he has to admit that Spot probably likes having his feet off the ground for the same reason Ezra does.
There's absolutely no need to give the Cleansweep a running start, but Ezra does it anyway. He jogs the last few metres with his stick in his hands before hopping over it lightly the second he hits the pitch, shooting up to join Spot in the air.
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Spot takes a minute to notice he's not alone on the pitch, doing one last loop before coming to stop in mid-air opposite Ezra. His own broom was a nimbus, a gift from his foster parents when he'd made the team and one of his most prized possessions.
"You bring the snitch?" He asks, since he isn't particularly interested in small talk and it's probably safer to avoid it anyway.
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He holds it up between finger and thumb, and makes eye contact with Spot long enough to say: "Ready?"
Then he lets it go.
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Half of it is his affinity with magical creatures, even those which wouldn't count as something you'd 'care' for, and the rest of it just that this kind of spellwork is easiest for him.
And maybe in helps that he spends a lot of time fantasising about people he'd like to cast these kinds of spells on.
So by the time patronuses come up in the curriculum, he's already pretty confident in his ability to conjure up his wolf.
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He also didn't know, until the professor explains it, that the key to summoning a patronus is a happy memory, and, well, now he's just kind of pissed - wandwork is one of his strengths (which is why he's so good at transfiguration and charms), but this spell seems like it might evade him.
The one bright spot - and it's very strange that this counts as a bright spot - is that the professor decides they should work on the patronus in pairs. And insists that they pair up with someone from another house (something something inter-house cooperation) - so of course he goes straight for Ezra.
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A few others are struggling and producing silver sparks around him, but he hasn't started yet - he doesn't need the attention from getting it too quickly.
"Hey," he says. "At least this is better than potions."
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"Yea..." Spot nods, he does not sound convinced.
"You wanna go first?" he offers, trying to put off the inevitable as long as possible. He's almost tempted to ask Ezra what he thinks of, but maybe that's too personal a question - it's also probably going to be something to do with his parents, and that's a topic they're both careful to stay away from, Spot is pretty sure their burgeoning friendship is a little too fragile to bring that up just yet.
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And Spot.
For the first time in years he's actually got a person to share the empty castle with. And more than that - he's now got someone to share the grounds with.
The first morning of the Christmas holidays he sits down right on the empty Hufflepuff table like he belongs there.
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He walks into the great hall and can't help the grin on his face when he sees Ezra waiting at the Hufflepuff table, though he forces it into something less dumb and heads over to slide into the seat opposite him.
"Morning."
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Ezra would cheerfully grin enough for both of them, but he has a mouthful of toast which does curb it somewhat.
He has no idea if more Hufflepuffs are going to show up, but he's not sure he cares.
"Quidditch later?"
As if he needs to ask.
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"Nah, I thought I'd stay inside." Spot replies casually, grabbing a piece of toast for himself and buttering it.
He lasts all of ten seconds before he snorts and shakes his head.
"Yea, of course."
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Certain people are already furious at him for the crime of existing while muggleborn, and have been worse since he took someone else's (whose? It's not obvious) place on the Quidditch team. It's become vocal hate since he persisted in being friends with a Hufflepuff (also a Muggleborn), and it's succeeded in completely balancing all the good that's come of these other changes in Ezra's life.
In mid-January, the same Slytherin that Spot beat down on the day of the Quidditch trials manages to corner Ezra in one of the cloisters.
The verbal part of the altercation is short - the usual bit about Ezra's blood and his right to be on the team moves quickly to the exact nature of his relationship with Hufflepuffs, and Ezra doesn't hesitate in whipping out his wand.
Unfortunately the seventh year is more experienced, and older, and beats him to it, hitting Ezra hard with a curse that sends him flying back against the wall, feeling like he's been stabbed directly in the gut.
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The way that makes Spot feel is something he's going to have to examine later, because right now Ezra's just been cursed and he's acting on instinct. He can feel his body rearranging itself even as he starts moving, and thank god the Slytherin asshole isn't looking in his direction. He doesn't know if Ezra is but right now he can't care because he's just reacting, launching himself at the seventh year with claws outstretched.
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But he does see a Snow Leopard throwing itself at his bully, and he knows that this is bad.
He gets out a name, but it sounds more "Stop..."
And then he slumps backwards and everything goes black.
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The guy gets out a scream but Spot's pounce does much the same to him as his curse did to Ezra - which is to say it send him crashing back into the wall and he hits his head, which is probably for the best given that a snow leopard just attacked him.
He drags his claws down the guy's chest, shredding his shirt and causing blood to well up, soaking into the torn fabric. It's not the deepest wound but it looks nasty. He'd do more, too, if it wasn't for the sudden sound of voices echoing from the other end of the corridor. He scrambles away from the comatose Slytherin and shifts back into human form, desperately hoping he does it quick enough.
The professors - lured by Ezra's shout and his attacker's scream - come running mere seconds after Spot's finished shifting.
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It's just that now his time in the forest is just that little bit more fun, albeit at the expense of homework.
A certain date in February comes and goes with chocolates and a joke, but it's a few weeks later that an owl swoops down to the Hufflepuff table with a small box from Honeydukes. No card, of course, but who else would be using school owls to deliver packages that aren't even addressed?
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"You got a secret admirer, Conlon?" One of the other Hufflepuffs ribs him gently.
"Nothing secret about it." Spot mutters, but otherwise ignores the guy (though not without sparking a little interest - Spot has been a lot more mellow these past few weeks, and he keeps disappearing in the evenings, now the rumour is starting to spread quietly along the table - is someone actually dating Spot Conlon?)
He takes the box up to his dorm after breakfast and tucks it away somewhere safe, thinking about it all through morning classes.
It's lunchtime before he manages to catch Ezra alone, sneaking a quick kiss while nobody's looking before asking "what's the occasion?"
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His life has been a weird mix recently. The expelled kid had more enemies than friends even in the House, which means a little more respect for Ezra, but there are a few people he now actively avoids.
"Happy Purim," he says cheerfully, his hands slipping into Spots to give them a squeeze. "We don't need to do anything big but it's nice to give food as presents. There's usually hamantaschen and blintzes and stuff at dinner but no one ever asks why, 'cause every day is feast day around here."
This school is stupid.
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He's not really looking forward to a summer holiday back at the children's home, but he can get through it, he reckons. Maybe.
So it's bittersweet when he gets off the Hogwarts Express, says hi to Medda and Bryan, kisses Spot goodbye, and pushes his luggage trolley back out onto the muggle concourse, looking around for the home staff he sees every year.
When it's a member of council staff he sees instead, he knows something is up.
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"Ezra," the council member smiles brightly in that well-trained way "how was school?" Because of course they're going to start with pleasantries before explaining what's going on
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He brushes off the council lady, gives the stranger a suspicious look that takes in everything about him, and then turns to the police officer.
"What's going on?"
It can't be good; he hasn't spoken to his case officer in literally years, beyond a brief annual check up, and he can't avoid a sensation of creeping fear.
Ezra finds himself glancing around the station on the faint hope Spot will be available for emotional support, but looks right back when he sees some Ravenclaw he doesn't know staring at him.
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Do we have those in the UK who knows we do now.
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no subject
After that, it's all surprisingly anti-climactic, Spot's parents agree that it's best if Ezra comes to visit them rather than the other way round, and they set up some magical protections for additional safety - it does, however, mean that they aren't allowed to go on any more dates away from the village where Spot lives. It's not like they can't entertain themselves just fine hanging out and playing quidditch, but Spot definitely chafes a little at having to be on edge and avoid muggle places just because there's a chance his father might track him down somehow.
Unfortunately, because of all the increased attention and paranoia it means that when Spot and his family go away for a few days just a couple of weeks before the end of the holidays, he's not allowed to invite Ezra to come along with him (for fairness, Jack isn't allowed to invite Davey, so they're both a little sulky about the whole thing).
Hawkeye suspects that Ezra will also be a little sulky without his boyfriend around (even though they both still have phones) so he's decided to try to take his mind off it.
"Up and at 'em, kid," he calls, knocking on Ezra's door "we're going to the zoo with a friend today and he'll be here soon."
Radar has connections, so they're not only going to get to visit the zoo like normal people, they're going to get a little behind the scenes tour as well.
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He's out this morning in fact, which means Ezra hasn't been already rudely woken for breakfast and he's still half asleep and groggy when Hawkeye knocks.
It's a good ten or twenty minutes before he appears downstairs, confused and suspicious.
Did Hawk really say zoo?
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When he does appear, it's to the sounds - and smells - of breakfast cooking. Hawkeye is remarkably chipper, but that might have something to do with the half-finished coffee in his hand as he stands at the stove.
He glances over his shoulder at Ezra as he appears and raises an eyebrow at the look on his face.
"What?" He asks, mock-defensive "I'm not allowed to arrange fun days out? I thought we agreed the zoo was acceptable?" He grins, turning back to poke the eggs in the pan.
"Breakfast is nearly ready, set the table? Three places."
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