Exploration
Strong hands tangled into your hair and pulled your head closer to the hot, sweaty body beneath yours. A long, needy groan escaped from deep within your arched form, making your cheeks flush. Leaves crunched under his hands as he adjusted his elegant frame to situate you properly on top of him. Your breath hitched as he tugged at your (h/c) hair, pulling you closer to the button of his tailored slacks. Your inexperienced hands fumbled with the button and zipper of his pants, too eager to release his dick from its confines to handle fine motor skills.
“...Fuck, (y/n).” he groaned, his head lulling back lazily as you took his dick into your hands, slowly pumping from base to head. You stared at his face, trying to memorize every single crease, hair, expression that crossed his face while he enjoyed the feeling of your palm stroking him over and over again. His eyes were closed as his mouth was slightly open, allowing you a glimpse of the perfect pearly teeth behind his pouty lips, flushed from pleasure. The spattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks were accentuated from his reddened skin, and a thin layer of sweat covered all his exposed skin.
He tried to stifle his moan with the back of his hand, but was largely unsuccessful as the sweet sounds of his pleasure met your ears. His hips bucked into your hands, needing more contact, faster strokes. “Nghh...(y/n)... I’m gonna -
“CAWW!! CAAAAAWWW!!!”
You startled awake. What? Where were you? Bird? Why bird?
Fuck. You remembered everything as your brain tore itself away from your dream. You rubbed your face roughly, trying to release yourself from the confines of oh-so-sweet sleep.
“CAAW!! CAAAAAAW!!! CAAAAAAAAWWWW!!”
“Jesus, I’m coming, I’m coming!” you barked angrily at the large barn owl that perched itself at the small window above your bed. You fingers were clumsy with sleep and pain, the aches of your injuries were always the worst in the morning. Nevertheless, you managed to untie the length of twine from the owl, receiving a peck in your good hand that left a stinging red mark in its wake.
“Hey, fuck you too, owl.” you snapped, pissed that the rude owl woke you from your slumber at the early hour of… two PM? You must’ve forgotten to cast an alarm spell. Lucky you, it was Saturday. “Sorry, owl.” you sighed, immediately feeling bad you were mean to an owl who was just doing her job. You were flustered from your dream and not fully awake yet. She cooed and pecked your hand again, much more gently this time.
She flew off as you examined the envelope she delivered. Nothing was written on it except your name in careful, deliberate letters. You knew this handwriting - Newt.
‘(Y/N),
I hope you’re well after your first day at Hogwarts. I’ve been thinking about you constantly and wondering how you’re settling in. How was your first day? Did everything go smoothly?
Please don’t hesitate to write. I want to know everything that happens, even if you think it’s insignificant. I am always here for you.
Take care and be brave. I’m so proud of you. I love you.
Yours,
Newt’
Tears sprung to your eyes as you stared at his sentiments. You missed him terribly. It had been less than a full day, but it was the most time you’d ever spent away from him since you first met him. Before, you had always been less than a yelling distance away from him, and now, you were thousands of miles apart. What cruel fate condemned you to this? You couldn’t bring yourself to write back yet. You needed time to think. You needed a shower.
~~~
Hogwarts was huge. And confusing. How had you managed to get lost again ? This time, however, you didn’t mind. You didn’t have a clear destination in mind, your only goal was to keep yourself busy so you didn’t have to think about Newt. Fuck. You were thinking about him now. You had already missed lunch (by a few hours), so you only had a few hours until dinner. After dinner, you were told to meet with Professor McGonagall to discuss what you deemed as Boring School Stuff.
You had already met a few of your housemates as you were leaving the common room. All of them were nice enough, but you didn’t desire to speak to them past shallow pleasantries and introductions. Thankfully, none of them had asked about why you were accepted as a new student halfway through the year. You formally met the Prefect who had given you a seat last night at dinner. Hannah Jameson. Or Johnson. Or something like that.
Snapping back to reality, you took notice of your surroundings for the first time in awhile. Gone were the sun-dappled hallways lined with stained glass murals that the Hufflepuff common room was located in, and they were replaced with dreary black bricks that made the corridor feel damp and cold. Gross.
Continuing your journey, you trekked on, sure you would find your way back to sunlight soon. Turning a corner, you nearly collided with a massive suit of armor. Its empty helmet glared down at you, and you stumbled back, unsure if it was enchanted or just an intimidating decoration. A shiver ran down your spine as you decided to take a different route.
The cold seemed to seep into your bones, making you shiver. You wrapped your arms around yourself, feeling the bandages beneath your (Newt’s, you stole it from him) brown sweater. Memories of the accident flooded back to you, making you stop in your tracks as you tried to fight them away. This was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance to heal and find your place in the world again. But it was hard when even the feeling of the bandages under your clothes caused uncontrollable flashbacks to the worst moments of your life.
Lost in thought, you didn’t notice the tall, billowing figure advancing towards you from the end of the hallway until it was right in front of you. It was him , the professor from dinner. The one who bored holes into the side of your head. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck. You weren’t ready to see him again yet, and you couldn’t think of a worse time and place to see him. Alone, in the dingy dungeons, while in the middle of a breakdown.
Your breath hitched as you looked up, meeting his cold, dark eyes. Black hair framed a pale, gaunt face, and his expression was one of severe displeasure. His robes, billowing as he walked, made him look almost ghostly in the dim light.
“What are you doing here?” he hissed, his voice cutting the silence around you.
You swallowed hard, trying to steady your already racing nerves. “I…was exploring,” you managed to say, your voice embarrassingly hoarse.
His eyes stared into you, and you felt a familiar tingling in your brain. Legilimency. You knew it. Your aunt Queenie was insistent that you learn Occlumency, knowing the amount of gossip and information that could be discovered by Legilimens. Saying a quick thanks to her in your head, you quickly cleared your thoughts and focused on your breathing, trying to fortify your mind against the professor’s probing. You had practiced with Queenie enough to know the basics: clear your mind, build mental barriers, and project a facade of calm and emptiness. It was hard, especially under pressure, but you gathered all your willpower to block Snape's intrusion.
The professor’s penetrating gaze intensified, his dark eyes seeming to see into your very soul. You felt the tendrils of his Legilimency probing tentatively at first, testing your mental defenses like a predator circling its prey. You tightened your mental shields, trying to keep him out.
He was relentless. He delved deeper, searching for cracks in your mental barriers, wanting free access to your mind. You gritted your teeth, focusing harder on maintaining the facade of emptiness and calm, pushing back against his invasive magic with all your might.
Suddenly, you felt a surge of pressure against your defenses, a probing sensation like fingers scraping at the edges of your consciousness. Panic threatened to overwhelm you as his Legilimency threatened to breach your barriers. Sweat prickled on your brow as you fought to maintain control, pushing back against the intrusion. The cold of the hallways was forgotten as your body struggled to focus against the professor’s obviously far more experienced mind.
His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes had a glimmer of determination that wasn't there before. You hoped he would give up soon. You were only a beginning in Occlumency, and you couldn’t keep this up for long.
Finally, the probing lessened, the pressure easing as he withdrew his Legilimency. The tension in the air remained palpable, the unspoken challenge lingering between you. The few seconds of silent eye contact felt like hours of battle.
Finally, the professor spoke, his voice like cold steel cutting through the silence. "Be mindful where you wander, Miss (y/l/n). Hogwarts can be a dangerous place for the… unaware." He turned on his heel and stalked away, footsteps fading as you let yourself slide down the wall to the floor. A wave of exhaustion hit you like a train. Your eyelids fluttered, threatening to close.
You can’t lose consciousness now. Not here. You had been healing so well, but the sudden encounter had made you feel like the accident occurred only a few hours ago, not the 3 weeks it had actually been. You mustered up all the energy you had left and started slowly down the corridor, the opposite way that the professor had gone.
~~~
It took awhile, but you finally found your way back to a familiar area of the castle. You found a balcony high in the castle, and you stood by the banister for a long while. The cold of the Scottish winter was biting and fresh, a welcome contrast to the musty cold of the dungeons you just escaped. You felt your energy being restored as you basked in the sunlight and fresh air outside, the smell of sunshine reminding you of Newt. Everything reminded you of him. You stuck your hand in your pocket, feeling the edge of Newt’s letter. You finally pulled out the blank parchment and pen you placed in your pocket when you left your dorm room. You weren’t sure if you would be ready to write a letter back today, but you needed to tell Newt about the mysterious professor.
‘Dear Newt,
My first day went well. I have a dorm room to myself, as Dumbledore promised. I need more school clothes, fairly soon. I got sorted into Hufflepuff. Everyone in this house is very nice, as you said they would be.
I had a few strange interactions with a professor. I don’t know his name, but he is tall and has long black hair and is scary. I encountered him alone in a hallway, and he tried to use Legilimency on me. I don’t know why, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. It took a lot out of me. Please give aunt Queenie my thanks in her Occlumency lessons, and please ask her for more tips.
I miss you. I miss our animals. Please keep writing.
I love you.
(Y/N)’
You weren’t sure if you should tell him about the professor. What if nothing came of it? You didn’t want to worry Newt for nothing. But then again, Newt told you to tell him everything. You thought about it more on your short walk to the Owelry, something you were sure to ask about yesterday. The same barn owl that delivered Newt’s letter to you this morning flew down to you, nipping at your hand when she saw your letter.
“Alright, alright. Give me a few seconds, then you can be on your way,” you told her, stroking the soft feathers on the top of her head. You decided to tell Newt about everything, hoping he could help or reassure you that everything was okay. You slid your letter into an envelope and wrote Newt’s name on the front in your very best handwriting. The barn owl seemed grateful when you finally tied the envelope onto her leg and told her where to go. She gave you a final gentle nip on your cheek before flying off in a whirlwind of brown feathers and CAWW-ing.
In the distance, you heard the faint bells of Hogwarts ringing, letting everyone in and around them that dinner was served. You paused for a moment, watching the owl disappear into the horizon. You felt a weight lift off your shoulders. Newt would want to know, and even if nothing came of it, sharing your concerns with him felt right. You knew the professor would be at dinner, and you knew you couldn’t avoid him forever. You filled your lungs one last time with the fresh, stinging air, and headed inside.