Alexander didn’t bother finding a ride to Kings Cross Station, he just stepped outside the Leaky Cauldron and stuck his wand out. Knight’s bus offered emergency transport for all stranded witches and wizards. Truth is, they’d become his go-to way to get around – so much so the conductor and driver had began to recognize him. “Ye know you can apparate at this age.” Stan Shunpike said from the driver seat.

Alexander ignored his comment and climbed aboard, trunk in tow. He learned to stop letting his extended magic restriction bother him, he’d be at Hogwarts soon enough. This was his last year. From here on out so long as he graduated without a hitch he would have magic every day for the rest of his life. He just had to get there.

He stared out the window deep in thought as usual. It was his favorite pastime, staring out windows. Soon he’d get to stare out his favorite one, the one on the train to Hogwarts. He made his way onto the train without looking for anyone, finding his own to curl up with a book. He preferred to ride in alone, he was terrible at the whole “how was your summer” dribble. Once they got into the rolling hills of green he pulled out his sketch book, taking breaks from staring out the window to draw within. Home was coming closer.

The first feast was always the best, with all his favorites. Alexander stuffed himself with a bit of everything, even slipping a few treats into his pocket for later. He’d been eating whatever food the Leaky Cauldron had drummed up that day all summer, and it was never really that appetizing. He went straight from the feast to the Slytherin common room, hoping to find a comfy chair to spend the rest of his night in, he stayed until everyone had gone to sleep and he was the last one there reading Most Macabre Monstrosities in front of the fire.

When Orion descended into the common room, he didn’t see her at first. He heard the clip of her shoes against the stone, despite her soft steps. He looked up from her book and saw she was dressed for something – a party maybe. He’d heard whispers there was one going on, not that he expected an invitation. He caught her eye from across the room and a smile split across her face. She was always so vibrant and filled with life. He went back to his book, unresponsive. She appeared in front of him, sliding a brightly colored gift bag between his book and his vision.

“What’s this?” he asked.

"That," she said with a tilt of her head and a lithe bounce in her step, "is your outfit for the night." There were dark stars glowing in her eyes, and a bright red smile on her lips.

He looked at her expression, unable to match her enthusiasm but appreciative for it anyway. Reaching into the bag with his brow furrowed, he seemed confused when he pulled out fine dark linen. It was obviously a nice outfit, but he appeared perplexed. "I don't get it...why would I wear this to bed?"

A single, perfectly dark eyebrow rose. She placed her hands on her hips, her head tilting in the other direction. She seemed to debate with herself momentarily. Finally, she said, "You wear them to bed so that I can take them off later."

Without giving him time to consider her words too deeply, she broke into a joyful laugh. "Come on, Lex! Be my date tonight."

An eyebrow quirked at the suggestion, looking Orion over. He was terrible at identifying flirting, but he was pretty sure it just happened. He mulled over her words for a few minutes, playing with the fabric of his new clothes. He didn't own many nice things, and he could tell this was *nice*. Finally, he set his book down. "Fine, since you've lured me in with the obligation of the gift of fine linen." He said, standing up.

"Besides, if I'm correct about my social standing and teenagers...when the ostensibly attractive girl asks you on a date," He said, holding the outfit against his frame to confirm it was the right size, "you say yes."

Orion's smile exploded into a grin. "I love it when you use big words, buttermilk. Now hurry up and change. Life won't wait for us."

Alexander dropped his things in his dorm, a couple of his roommates has already slipped out - presumably to the same party where he was headed. Not one to spend much time on his appearance, he changed promptly, running a hand through his hair instead of a comb. He still looked disheveled but at least the clothes gave him a polish. The clothes fit like a glove and seemed to match Orion's outfit perfectly.

He was adjusting the sleeve his entire way back to her, he hated anything that made him stand out. Still, he had to admit he looked sharp. Doing the calculations in his mind, he offered his arm to Orion. It seemed like that was what a date would do, or maybe that was just a muggle thing, maybe misogynistic - he wasn't sure. He was certain his stream of thoughts were written in his expression. He couldn't turn the them off.

Orion's smile never faltered. She looped her arm around his, letting her fingers glide against the skin of his hand. Looking at him, she stood on her toes, only just managing to reach his hair. Soft flicks of her fingers styled it to a personal preference. "There. You look dangerously handsome."

He seemed to deeply consider her words, before nodding. "And you look attractive - but you already knew that."

"Yes," she replied, "but I love it when you say it."

Alex had taken the trip to the Shrieking Shack enough times to lead the way, enchanting their shoes so their steps were muffled. He wasn't sure how they got away with these parties, he could smell the moondew from a kilometer away. His mouth began to water thinking about the substances within.

A weight on his arm made his look down; Orion had rested her head against his arm. Her eyes seemed far away, the way they did when something was not quite right inside her. She held his arm tighter, pulling him closer, as if he were a lifeline and not the other way around.
"Think of me," she said, "when you're happy in there."

He could something had shifted, but couldn’t put his finger on what. He responded with what he always did when someone who took interest in him seemed down. The corners of his lips pulled up, revealing dimples on either cheek. His smile reached his eyes, a technique he mastered years ago by smiling over and over in the mirror to perfect the authentic fake smile. He had learned early on that people responded to smiling, so he had honed his to perfection. “That won’t be hard,” He said, almost flirting for a moment, “you’ll be standing right next to me.”

He escorted her in, making sure to be as gentlemanly as the cinemas had taught him. Immediately he could see Teddy in the back of the room, people flocking to him. Alexander knew what Teddy meant – the guy had everything and anything to give Alex that high he so craved. He tensed, trying not to stare. Instead he looked at Orion, practicing his smile once again.

Her reaction wasn’t what he was hoping. Orion was not smiling back at him the way she usually would. Her red lips were lifeless on her beautiful face, and the grip of her hand on his arm tightened.

"Oh, Lex," she sighed. "We are nothing but liars, you and I."

And with that, she stepped away from his side, weaving her way to her cousin.

Alexander furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what she meant. It was a very out of character response for Orion. Maybe he had done something, maybe not – he wouldn’t be able to figure anything out while Euphoria Elixir was sitting so close. He slinked through the crowd to where he saw Theodore and his bag of loot. There had to be some in there. As he neared, he could see the phials resting within the bag, he was practically drooling.

He was unable to stop his hands from fiddling, he found making himself seem nervous when talking to people made them more sympathetic. It was habit at this point. “T-Ted?” He spoke, almost inaudible over the cacophony. “Can I…get a couple of those –“ Ted didn’t seem to even notice him. Probably for the best. Alexander didn’t feel like Theodore liked him much. He snagged a couple of phials, throwing a couple sickles into his bag. Before he could turn around, he felt a familiar arm slink into his. Orion had found her way back at his side, he analyzed her features to see if the strange moment had passed.

"Only what is enough," she said, pulling him into the dancing crowd. Her hands were so soft on him, so gentle and caressing that he didn't notice when she took the vials from him. She pocketed one, drank the other. Before he could do anything, Orion reached for the back of his neck and. pulled him into a deep kiss, Euphoria Elixir sliding into his mouth.

Usually such intimacy made him ill at ease, but all he could think about now is the elixir, he drank every drop. He didn’t even realize he was kissing her back until he felt the elixir hit. It flowed to the tips of his fingers, toes – the corners of his eyes. Suddenly he couldn’t quit smiling, and he was dancing….D A N C I N G. He grabbed Orion’s hand, twirling her where she stood. Finally, he felt alive again.

Kingsley always hated the night before her return to Hogwarts. Her father would keep her up late until the night, doing last minute planning for her independent studies until she’d come home for Christmas. Originally it would be supplementary assignments to the classes she’d struggle with, but in recent years it would be to expand on her strengths, mostly dueling. He taught her spells ahead of her years, giving her an edge to the competition. The night before she’d left, he’d have her demonstrate her wand choreography over and over until she was nearly ready to pass out where she stood. Her mother would pop in every now and again, asking them to go to bed already. Her father would always say the same thing, “Any moment now mum, just finishing up.”

It didn’t surprise her to see Teddy as tired as she was when she arrived at Platform 9 ¾‘s. Everyone grouped up, giving one another hugs and catching up before loading onto the carriages. They’d all see each other at the Shrieking shack that night. On the same page, Teddy and Kingsley found their own carriage to try to sleep the ride in. Teddy had better luck than Kingsley, soon drooling in Kingsley’s lap. She stroke his hair as she hummed a muggle tune like a lullaby. Her cheek pressed against the glass, her eyes were barely able to open. She could hear Teddy’s deep breaths, lulling her into a slumber. Always just before she’d slip into her dreams, the squeals of the first years in the compartment next door would wake her up. Teddy none the wiser would only plunge deeper into her lap, unbothered. Beside them their cats had curled up around one another. Nyhm would occasionally perk her head up, much like Kingsley, whereas Lily would bury her face in the soft fur of Nyhm’s belly, much like Ted into Kingsley’s lap.

It was around the fifth time they had erupted in excited shrieks when Kingsley had finally just fallen asleep when they started up again. “Oh for fuck’s sake.” She griped, throwing her shoe against the wall they shared. They seemed to have quiet down, but her outburst had stirred Teddy. Slowly he awoke, sleep still in his eyes. ”I’d like to die between your thighs one day, they really are heaven” He mumbled as he rotated to look up at her, “We there yet?”

Kingsley peeked at Ted behind tired eyes, smirking. He always had the right things to say. Her fingers pulled at his curls, tugging at the ends to see if they’d change colors. “Bloody hope so,” she said with a yawn “don’t reckon I could last another minute with the squealing first years next door.”

“Oh we were them once” He lifted himself off her but not away from her, leaning even closer to look out the window.” She pressed her forehead against his cheek, shaking her head.

“Let’s get one thing straight, I have never….ever squealed….in my L I F E.”

Ted gave her a wry grin, licking his lips as he tried so hard not to laugh, "Oh I'm sure I've heard you squeal a number of times. Need me to remind you?" Kingsley suppressed a smile, biting her bottom lip to hold back her laughter. She supposed he had a point.

He stretched his limbs, Kingsley pouting as he turned away to crack his back. Wrapping her arms around him to bury her face in the nape of his neck, inhaling his scent. That was one thing that would never change no matter how he’d change his appearance. He smelled like the cool night, calling her to bed. ”Fuckin’ hell tonight is going to be glorious” His excitement was contagious. She nibbled at his ear lobe, practically purring.

“I hope you’re not just talking about the party.”

He grinned, his ears tingling at the attention. She knew that was his weak spot, that wasn’t fair “Oh, King, you know I’m always referring to you.” He slipped his hands back where his head had been resting, massaging her, running his hands slowly up and down – getting a little higher every time. “Should we make the rest of this ride more fun? We have to wait till all the children have unloaded anyway.”

She laughed, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into her. Her tongue ran along his jaw line, “You’d like that wouldn’t you?”

When their lips touched it was magnetic, nearly impossible to pull away. "You're nothing but trouble, Edward Lupin." It took everything she had to stop, her lips still hovering just over his, teasing him “but you aren't ready for all this trouble just yet.” Falling into his kiss again, she melted under his touch – just about to take back her words and succumb to desire. Just as she reached to tug at the waist band of his trousers, the train pulled into Hogsmeade and the excited first years once again began their screams.

Unable to control herself, Kingsley laughed, finally breaking Teddy’s spell over her. “Ha, you know what? I’m starting to like them.”

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Kingsley had barely made it through the feast without falling asleep into her Yorkshire pudding. While everyone else welcomed the first years into their house, she snuck away for a kip before the true festivities began. By now she was a pro at sneaking around the castle at this point, most of them were. The party was in full swing when she arrived. Someone had enchanted lights to dance across the ceiling, flashing different colors in tune with the music. She tossed back some spiced mead and went to the dance floor, some of her fellow house mates called her over. For a Hufflepuff, she sure seemed to intimidate a lot of people at Hogwarts – but her housemates knew better. At one point she had seen Scor and Louis, but they disappeared into the crowd before she could find them.

She was a few meads and had the doxy’s bite by the time Ted had stormed in, pulling out a Quidditch bag filled with illicit substances. People had already begun to flock to him, his hair like a golden beacon to drugs. She caught his eyes from across the room, giving him a wink before letting the music wash over her once again. He’d find his way to her eventually. The smell of a familiar smoke drew her in, there was only one wizard who she expected to find at the end of it.

“Ne-ooo!” Kingsley said with the exuberance only someone four drinks in could have, finding the Dursley keeping to himself on the outskirts of the party. “What are you doing all the way over here? Trying to keep that good good muggle cannabaceae to yourself?” she joked, squinting one eye as she reached her hand out, pinching the air to indicate she wanted to take a hit yourself. Before he could hand it over, someone else placed a moondew joint between her fingers. She didn’t seem to notice he hadn’t given her his own joint, and took a drag, coughing in surprise.

“Fucking hell, that tastes just like moondew, it does.” She coughed, inspecting the joint, and looking back and forth between it and Neo before realizing he still had his own. A smile of realization broke across her face, she pointed at Neo – or she meant to. She ended up pointing at some rando next to him. “Ahhh, I see what you did there.”

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thanks ivi for yo words