Chapter 1: Solitude (7/2/23)
Chapter Text
Lumine knew, deep down, that visiting Snezhnaya, even for a fleeting moment, was a mistake. She had made an enemy of the influential; she expected a knife to meet her chest the instant she left the port. Though, despite his denying of the fact, she could tell that Ajax had commanded the guards to leave her be. Lumine was perfectly able to defend herself, an aspect that Childe knew first-hand, but from the way he had held himself whilst they boarded would console her, nor would his cavalier attitude. For all her centuries, Lumine's perceptions were second to none, unless you were consulting a prodigal genius such as Albedo. The latter did steer clear of each and every gathering that passed his way, except those cerulean eyes spoke volumes.
"Um... Miss Lumine?"
Her head jerked up at its own accord. She realised with painful clarity that not only had she been standing in a stupor on the prow for some time, she had also summoned a sword in the midst of a crowd. Glaring at the steward, for someone had to take her anger, she swallowed the sharp remarks, dropped the pretence of enjoying herself and stormed off to her cabin.
Chapter 2: various scenes from a hogwarts au (february to april 2023)
Chapter Text
Diluc woke with a start the next morning. Even through a haze of sleep, he could sense Adelinde already bustling about his room as she sorted through her chores, yet he tried to stop the scintillating energy coursing through him.
Ah... right. It’s my birthday, so there’ll be presents and a fancy breakfast. And this year I’ll be going to Hogwarts!
There was sudden movement behind him, as a soft voice murmured in his ear.
“Get up, ‘luc. I want to show you something.”
Diluc’s head turned and his eyes met his younger sister’s blue right one. Her other was obscured by strands of dark hair, the hour too early for her to bother covering it. He still didn’t know why she hid it so desperately, but he did not wish to pry. She was wearing a shabby-looking nightdress, pale blue and terribly creased. The sleeves reached past her wrists. Diluc slipped out of bed, careful not to alert Adelinde to his presence, and padded along the floorboards, self-conscious in yesterday’s stained shirt. Kar’ah grabbed his hand firmly, dark fingers looping around his.
She led him to the dining room, laughing as he gasped. The grand room was dimly lit, table set, and piled in front of his usual seat was a pile of presents. Resting atop the pile was unmistakeably an acceptance letter; purple wax seal, the snake, lion, eagle and badger on the crest, his name written in swirling green ink. Kar’ah dragged him over to the table and handed him the letter.
Master D. Ragnvindr
Dawn Manor
Dawn Winery
Mondstadt
There was no denying it, the letter was his.
Adelinde, having finished her cleaning, made her way over to the table. “Oh? Master Diluc, I didn’t see you come downstairs.”
“It’s not a problem,” Diluc beamed.
“I’m afraid your father was sent for. He won’t be back until evening. If I may, shall we go into London? I expect you need the necessities, at any rate,” Adelinde’s eyebrows furrowed over her green eyes as she spoke. She understood why his father had to work so often, though it was clear she didn’t think much of it.
-
Kazuha leant back onto his haunches, struggling a Bludger into the case. Beidou eyed him warily, resting against the wall of the broom shed.
She put her hands on her hips.“Kazuha, I’ve figured out who Slytherin are playing later. Got a new Seeker, Heizou… something. I don’t know. From what I know he’s pretty bloody good too, really observant,” Beidou scowled, then continued. “On the other hand, you’re fast as hell. Reckon we’ll have a challenge this time, but we haven’t lost horrendously yet.”
Beidou sauntered off to talk to the rest of the team, leaving Kazuha to his thoughts. He picked up his bat from beside him, standing up to give it a few experimental swings. He wasn’t as accurate as he was in the air, he never would be, but he was good enough.
Someone called his name from the stadium. “Oi, Kaedehara! Watch what you’re doing with that bat! You’ll have her other eye out in a minute!” Kazuha glanced over to see a shock of ginger curls and nothing else.
-
Any time Alice left the warmth of her home for an errand, it was usually within the hour that she returned, and it was usually bound to end in some sort of confrontation with her neighbours. Though for all her years she could not have anticipated herself being in the situation she was currently in.
The situation entailed the young, frail boy now cradled against her, blood painting his pale skin red and drying into his flaxen locks. She had given him an admittedly brief once-over for wounds, but the blood did not seem to be coming from anything she could see, nor did it appear to be his own. Yet it was slippery in her hands, as she held him in her arms. Despite that, she had to get him somewhere safe, fast.
When Alice had found the boy wandering the outskirts of the Hollow, her first instinct was to help him, and seeing his condition it was the least she could do. Now she could see the outlines of the cottages, warm, golden light seeping from under doorways and through windows. The boy was silent save for quick, shallow breaths.
“What’s your name, then?” Alice asked, brusquely. She had not meant to come across so curt, especially as she felt the boy stiffen in her grasp. “Why- What were you doing out here?”
The boy paused, tentatively worrying his lower lip in response. “...Name? Albedo. Calx.” His voice was clipped, monotonous. “I’m... not sure what I’m doing here.”
“Albedo, was that? Can you remember how you got here? Where you came from?”
“My master- she sent me here, I think. I believe she wanted me to retrieve materials, I just can’t figure out what,” Albedo answered, sentences punctuated with a harsh cough.
Alice crashed through the front door of her house.
“Miss Alice?” Fischl started, before her eyes widened and sent a hand flying to her mouth in shock. “Miss Alice! Who is that?”
“He says his name’s Albedo. He was wandering the outskirts when I got to him. I have my suspicions, though. I’ll find Razor, don’t worry yourself with that. I need hot water, clean cloths, anything of the sort. You know exactly what to do.”
The housemaid nodded, green eyes lingering on Alice’s bloodstained front in barely concealed annoyance, then she turned on her heel and ran off. Pushing furniture aside, Alice laid the boy on the carpet, brushing a stray curl away from his face. She lit the fire with a muttered spell, hoping the heat would do something to keep him alive. Long eyelashes fluttered open to reveal brilliantly blue eyes. Albedo’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, bringing a trembling hand to his neck and clamping it over his throat.
“Albedo?” Alice murmured. “My name is Alice Rosenfeld. I’m from around here, and I’m going to help however I can.”
“Is this…” Albedo’s voice came out cracked and husky. “Is this the Hollow?”
“Yes, it is. Godric’s Hollow. It really shouldn’t matter, not right now.”
Albedo gasped. “No! It does matter, it does! What do I tell Master if she can’t find me?”
Alice pressed a finger to her lips. “Shush. I can deal with that for you.”
“Y-You can’t, you won’t be able to, she’d kill you!” Albedo cried. “And then she’d just leave me somewhere…”
“Albedo. I’m not a witch for nothing, and I’d like to think I’m a good one. I’m trying to help you, not your master.”
-
“He was pretty lucky, you know.
Good thing Tighnari saw what happened, right?”
“Silence, do you wish to wake him?”
“N-No… I was only thinking… Anyway-“
“Hush, Chongyun. Now isn’t the time to discuss your plummeting Defence Against the Dark Arts results.”
Bennett could hear the voices talking, as if he wasn’t there, but they made no sense whatsoever. He didn’t have a clue where he was, or what he was doing beforehand, or why he was there. He was only acutely aware of a sharp, throbbing pain at the base of his neck. Bennett let a soft groan escape his lips.
“Bennett?”
Bennett’s eyes flew open. He was lying in the hospital wing. Again. His friends, looking only a little better than he probably did, had gathered around his bed. Tighnari was also there, a few feet away, shuffling hs feet awkwardly.
“Bennett… Okay now?” Razor’s voice was low and scratchy, as if something was permanently stuck at the back of his throat.
Fischl made a small, upset sound. It was Xingqiu who cut in, gently.
“Bennett, are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah. I’m okay. I’m fine. What happened?”
“Truth be told, I haven’t a clue.”
“What he means to say is that your friends don’t know,” Tighnari remarked. “Right, Miss Meyer, Mr Ying, Mr Feiyun, it’s about time you three made an appearance. I sent word to your teacher, although I’d like to save you from unnecessary attention.”
The three of them nodded, hastily leaving. Razor wheeled around to follow, before the man laid a hand firmly on his shoulder. “Razor, you can stay, I don’t mind.”
Razor’s eyebrows furrowed. Tighnari shoved a hand into the pocket of his coat, eyes narrow.
“Razor? Hey, don’t worry, I’ll live!” Bennett burst out, unsure of what to say. Frankly it was rather awkward to be surrounded by people who knew something you didn’t.
“But… Razor’s fault,” the boy replied.
Tighnari shot him a look of contempt. “Razor…” he said in a tone of warning.
“No. I want to- to tell him.”
-
“Mister Albedo? Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Albedo tugged the drawstrings on his knapsack tight with a defiant yank. “Yes, Sucrose, I’m confident. I’m absolutely sure of it this time,” he said, breathlessly.
“What if Professor Minci ends her studies early today?”
“She won’t, not at such a late hour,” Albedo murmured, nimbly slipping a deep blue cloak over his shoulders and fastening the clasp at his chest.
Sucrose nodded briefly, the slightest of cautious looks thrown at the ajar door. The common room was all but deserted, constellations peeking through the domed ceiling. They cast an eerie, almost melancholy light that illuminated the cluster of delicate silver instruments she and Albedo used for their personal projects.
Sucrose could just about read the notes on that Transfiguration essay they were planning, make out the shape of a potion vial, and despite her limited line of vision, she knew that Albedo had placed textbooks and novels alike in the middle drawer that stuck more often than not. She chewed anxiously at a fingernail.
Albedo shook his head fondly, a flicker of a smile on his lips, before curtly placing a small wooden box onto the desk.
“Here. I promised you something of worth. The basis of Khemitic alchemy, as I myself use it. I have left a few textbooks on the subject in the middle drawer, as always. Feel free to read them without me. You know where I’ll be?”
Sucrose smiled. “Yeah. The empty Charms classroom on the second floor.”
“Remarkable memory as always, Sucrose,” Albedo said, a note of pride to his voice. “Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Albedo turned and left. He would not be going to the Charms classroom on the second floor. That was never his plan.
-
Lumine lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. She felt herself breathing hard, her heart thudding against her chest as if she had been running. She sat up gingerly, all the while idly gazing at the starlit sky outside. Lumine shut her eyes in an attempt to recall the dream she had been having. Not even the faintest image came to mind, although she told herself it wasn’t important. Dainsleif had not said a word to her for long enough that she knew wholeheartedly that he was not going to be contacting her by any means. Even if either of their lives depended on it.
Aether’s soft murmurs filled the still silence of the room. He was fast asleep somehow, yet his nights had a tendency to be restless. If he wasn’t up late rereading textbooks he was prodding Paimon with his wand or tossing bits and pieces around and sending them soaring into the wardrobe. Usually alternating between the three. Lumine stepped out of bed, eyeing the clear sky suspiciously. The last letter from Thoma was on her desk. He was working in Inazuma, overseas, helping part of the Tri-Commission fight the strict decrees in place.
Lumine,
There’s a lot more happening right now than we thought. The Commissioner and I can only really talk in private and even then we’re watched like hawks. I think you’d like Inazuma, though. It’s beautiful here. I should be able to get out of Ritou by September, Miss Kamisato is also trying to sway them. If not I’m sure they’ll cart me off to Hogwarts regardless of the Shogunate’s word. I’ll be able to get on the next ship over (hopefully) so we’ll see. Also, Miss Kamisato wishes to meet you.
Reckon I’ll be holed up here for a while longer, but I am begging you to send over provisions. I miss the taste of Butterbeer. And tell your brother not to hex Paimon too often, but if he does just send her over anyway, I could use emergency food.
Thoma
P.S: I’m joking. Paimon is a very sweet owl. Give her an Owl Treat or something from me.
-
Her O.W.L.S. had finally ended. It wasn’t particularly eventful, save for a classmate melting a hole in their cauldron during Potions, and now Lumine had retired to the shade of a tree. She watched her fellow fifth years idly, eyeing them with envy. Clearly Heizou’s lot, from the way the distant students’ voices sounded as they cheered. They were tossing around a Fanged Frisbee, firing jinxes at the runners. The cheers became yells of delight as one was lifted into the air by the ankle. Typical of Heizou to use a spell like that, although it was popular a few years before any of them joined Hogwarts. It was also admittedly fun to see Heizou’s famed Chaser skills in action. Heavy footfalls behind her made her whip her head around rapidly. She was met with a beaming, freckled face. A deep scar now ran from his upper jaw to his cheek, which she had hardly opened her mouth to say anything about before he brandished a bottle of pumpkin juice and passed it to her.
“I bet Megistus got Outstanding in Divination,” Ajax said as he sat down with a groan.
“Yeah. That’s Mona for you. How about History of Magic?” Lumine asked, sipping her drink. She was confident she had barely scraped an ‘Acceptable’.
“Should’ve Confunded Zhongli when I got the chance. Maybe it’d convince him I’m actually a prodigy.”
“That would be one of your worse ideas,” Lumine snorted.
Childe laughed. “What’s the worst then, girlie?”
“You’ve done a lot, I don’t know… What about the time you convinced yourself you could climb the Quidditch stands and fractured your skull? Or the time you tried to sneak into Hogsmeade in second year to try cockroach clusters? Take your pick, Aj, if you insist,” Lumine raised her wand and closed her eyes in the manner of their Divination professor. “Your destiny is looming ever closer, Ajax Andreev. You may master it now if you wish.”
“Shut up, you. You sound more like Barbeloth than Megistus ever could!”
The redhead was laughing harder now, blue eyes shining. “How d’you reckon you did on Defence Against the Dark Arts? Halloran probably passed with flying colours.”
It still felt odd to hear her brother referred to as Halloran when they shared the same surname, but she persisted nonetheless. “Knowing him, it’d be a tragedy if he didn’t.”
“If you get anything below ‘Exceeds Expectations’ you might as well live as a house-elf. Everyone knows you want to be an Auror.”
Lumine shoved him. He fell backwards onto the grass. She was still grinning.
“Hey, Lumine?” Ajax smiled softly.
“What now, Aj?”
“Next Hogsmeade trip, meet me outside Zonko’s. It’s important,” he murmured. His grin widened a fraction. It looked unnaturally crazed. Ajax gasped suddenly. “Oh! I’m planning something, nothing to do with Hogsmeade, but I want to tell you then. Don’t be alarmed, okay?”
Lumine scowled. “If you say not to be alarmed it sounds like you’re scheming. What the hell are you planning now, Ajax?”
“You don’t need to know,” Ajax sighed.
“I do! What if you go missing again? You said it was three months, your family say three days! I saw you that night, for god’s sake!”
For a single, inexplicable moment, the light seemed to leave his eyes. “You did, did you? I don’t care how. It could’ve just been a dream. If you saw me, tell me what my mentor looked like.”
“Fine!” Lumine closed her eyes briefly. An image swam to the front of her mind. “Black hair, dark eyes that could be more than one colour depending on the light, well-built, a head taller than you even though you were ridiculously tall for fourteen, knew how to use a knife five different ways… Is that enough?”
Ajax’s hand twitched as he clutched the leg of his robes. The mannerism struck her as familiar. She couldn’t see how, but it was. “That’s her. That’s Skirk.” he said hollowly.
“Ajax?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah? What?”
His usual cavalier attitude was back at once.
“We should get going. We’ll miss dinner,” Lumine said.
“Got it. Shall we?” He stood up, holding a hand out for her.
“Of course, dumbass.”
She took his hand gladly.
-
Their compartment door slid open as a tall boy poked his head through.
“Mind if I sit here?” he said. He had a cheerful voice, rather long gingery hair and green eyes.
Aether nodded. “Sure.”
The boy sat down carefully. He rummaged in his jacket pockets for a while before pulling out a slightly chipped wand. He twirled it cautiously in his hand with great interest.
“Be careful with that. I’d prefer to arrive at Hogwarts with all my limbs,” Lumine said coolly.
The ginger boy just laughed. “I won’t hurt you, I’m only looking. Maple and unicorn hair, this one. I think.”
Lumine shook her head. “Never mind that, we all have wands. Who are you, anyway?”
“Thoma. By the way, have you got any idea what house you’re going to be in? My mother was in Ravenclaw.”
“We don’t know. We didn’t know anything until we got our letters.”
“Oh,” Thoma said. “It can’t be helped, I suppose. My dad’s a Muggle, so I’m not one of those pure-blood maniacs.”
“Er- Thoma, sorry, we don’t have any idea if our parents were like us or not,” said Aether dejectedly.
“Don’t worry! I only know so much, and most of that’s about Quidditch. It’s better than most Muggle sports if you ask me.” said Thoma brightly.
Chapter 3: The (Many) Adventures of a Boy and a Girl (21/5/23)
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It wasn’t so much for him as it was for Lumine.
For Lumine was quiet, yes, but she was also sharp-tongued and quick-witted and definitely not the bravest between them.
She was also older, even if they were twins and there was no age difference between twins, Lumine liked to make that minute count.
He knew he would deny it every time someone asked who was oldest, but he knew in his heart it was true.
Aether swallowed thickly.
He still felt nervous.
Aether stared at his hands. Stared at the blackened tips of his fingers with disgust.
He wondered why he had settled into this lifestyle, when the infection had spread further and burrowed deeper within him.
It had taken roots in his soul, he supposed.
He hated it.
He wanted to go home.
He was the goodness, the hope, as easy-going as the wind in the trees.
Sometimes it felt like all the world had dropped dead at his feet.
He hoped that reality would never come to light.
Chapter 4: aether and lumine headcanons (21/5/23)
Notes:
these headcanons are so dear to me you have no idea
Chapter Text
for full reference
it’s so annoying to describe but i have a good idea of what the twins look like
- Obviously the markings on their backs, like wings. They’re like crescents turned away from each other and it’s the spot their wings would have emerged.
- On their middle fingers there’s a gold band around the base that goes up their arms to their elbows, ending in a four-pointed star like the star on their constellations
- On their feet it’s similar. Gold band around their big toes to just below their knees ending in a star.
- The Abyss corrupts, so the missing twin’s fingertips and eventually up to the middle of their fingers are a purplish-black colour before fading to normal skin. The wing markings are the only ones that remain, the rest have faded away and look more like scars. That’s why both twins would have gloves of some sort, Aether hiding his completely and Lumine showing off hers a little but covering the gold. Abyss Lumine would also have a dress that covers her back, compared to Traveller Lumine, whose dress makes it so that the wing markings are just about visible.