Fandom Chasing Grace (A Harry Potter RP)

[kakemha]

Daniel Walsh
​

Even in the face of Jacob Halloway almost jumping him, Daniel still remained unflinching. To him, it was a normal thing for Gryffindors to get a little out of hand when it wasn't required. Hearing that Andrew was quite unwilling to show off his grades to the group of Slytherins almost confirmed that Daniel would have won the bet. But everyone knew that rivalries ran deep, so this dispute wouldn't end without a few more taunts being thrown.

The Astor twins glance at each other, a seemingly playful smirk splayed across both of their faces. It was almost like they shared the same mind at that moment. The two brothers could make people think that twin telepathy was truly a real thing. "I think there are more interesting things to be had here." Artem finally stepped forward, placing a hand on Daniel's right shoulder.

"I must agree. I wonder what the reason could be for Gryffindors to lose their cocky confidence?" Arthur backed up his brother as he moved to Daniel's left side. "You can't have flunked that badly? Could you? I mean little birdies are going around saying that your girlfriend has gotten pretty high OWLs." Arthur continued to taunt Andrew. "Your partner is a direct reflection of you after all." The pureblood traditional thinking shone through with that statement.

"Remind me, Daniel, how great were Amelia's scores again?" Artem turned to ask Daniel, full well knowing the answer himself. "My darling betrothed scored the highest in Slytherin. Wouldn't expect anything less from her." Daniel said very proudly and matter-of-factly. From behind him, Amelia formed a small blush and proud smile from the praise from Daniel. "Arthur and I scored well in our own rights. All Outstanding." Artem continued, rubbing in the facts that their group of Slytherins probably scored higher than the trio that sat in front of them.

"From the looks on their faces, it seems like we all know how this bet is going to end." Arthur laughed. "So why not just confirm your fate?" Artem finished the thought.

 

[Edric Blight]

Andrew Crosby​

It only got worse and as per usual, the Slytherins were relentless. Andrew was determined to hold his own and this time, he didn’t want Jacob or even Kelly jumping in to help defend him, despite the fact that he was being outnumbered three to one here. Leave it to Daniel Walsh to hide behind his goons, thought Andrew to himself. Andrew gave a bitter glare to the Astor twins and Daniel as they only continued to taunt him. He hated that thing the Astor twins did where they finished each other’s sentences. It was irritating and creepy, and just confirmed to Andrew that those two idiots were incapable of thinking for themselves. Kelly sat uncomfortably by, not really knowing what to say. She had scored all O’s (Outstanding) and only two E’s (Exceeds Expectations) on her OWL Exams. Her boyfriend on the other hand was a much different story.

In potions, Andrew had scored a P (Poor), which was a failure, and in pretty much every other class, it was just barely an A (Acceptable). He had no E’s or O’s at all. Jacob was mostly A’s as well but had a few E’s scattered throughout in some subjects. To Andrew, he might have well gotten all D’s (Dreadful). While one might not think A’s were bad, one aimed for E’s and O’s, and when everyone else was getting Outstanding and Exceeds Expectations, it made Andrew look silly. It was no secret that most people in year five across all four houses had done quite well on their OWLs. Andrew had failed to even get a single E.

Deciding to direct his words to Daniel first, he turned to him and looked at the Slytherin boy with disdain. “Getting dumb and dumber to speak for you?” he asked, referring to the Astor brothers. “At least I’m not using half wit wimps to do the talking,” he scoffed. At least when Andrew initiated, he usually took the charge instead of idly sitting back. But Andrew was on the receiving end now and of course, the stubborn boy was adamant on handling all three and whoever else may join in, all on his own. Kelly was always saying his stubbornness would be the death of him. “Why don’t you take Tweedledee and Tweedledum and piss off Daniel?” chimed in Jacob. “What does it matter to you what he got on his bloody OWLs?” he asked frustratedly.

Andrew wasn’t willing to back down and he sure as hell wasn’t going to show his all A’s and one P OWL results. He quickly took the paper and folded it up, shoving it into his robe pocket. “OWLs don’t matter that much anyway,” said Andrew with a roll of his eyes. They did, in fact. Kelly knew that was probably an understatement but decided to keep her mouth shut. She knew her boyfriend was more focused on Quidditch and becoming pro if anything. But he knew his mother was going to be rightly disappointed, even if he had technically passed all but one subject. His father on the other hand would be more enthused that his son won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup that year. He’d certainly end up sitting back though if his son was subjected to the wrath of his wife. There was something so pleasant yet so scary about all Crosby women.

“Here’s a thought! Take your O’s and shove ‘em all up your a-“ said Andrew before he was cut off by his girlfriend before he could get the expletive word out. She knew her boyfriend had quite the mouth on him. “Why don’t we all calm down and forget about this?” she offered softly, trying to mediate things, even though she knew her boyfriend hated when she stepped in and did this. Andrew rolled his eyes. “Go back to admiring yourself in the mirror or doing whatever you Slytherin slime do,” spat Jacob. The comment was slightly ironic as Andrew, a Gryffindor, often did this in private. Boy, how he wished he could just take that paper and swallow it up so no one could ever see it again. Maybe he would. “Just leave…” muttered Andrew to the Astor twins and Daniel. It was a pathetic attempt but Andrew knew he was on the losing side here- a side he felt he wasn’t on often.

 

[kakemha]

Daniel Walsh
​

"There's no way we're leaving until we see that piece of paper. Us Slytherins value a bet only once there's been proof." Artem said, still pushing to see the paper containing Andrew's grades that he has now shoved in his pocket. "Agreed, brother. And it seems like there is only one way to get that proof." Arthur told his brother, a glint present in his eyes. To Daniel and every other Slytherin knew that glint. And it usually didn't end well.

However, before Daniel could even utter a word to either one of the brothers, their plan was put into action. "If you won't show us that paper willingly." Artem started the thought, reaching into his robe. "It looks like we may just have to take it by force." Arthur finished, pulling out his wand. In an instant, both brothers had their wands pointed at the 3 Gryffindors.

At that exact same moment, Daniel and Amelia looked at each other. Their minds working in tandem with one another. Both held prefect status. In fact, the pair just acquired the title in their 5th year. Professor Slughorn had told them both that they were well on their way to being Head Boy and Head Girl in their 7th year. They both knew that this little bet couldn't end with a student in the infirmary. It wouldn't be a good look for them. It wouldn't be a good look for the Slytherin house as a whole.

Just as the Astor brothers pulled out their wands, Daniel and Amelia pulled out theirs. It was a race to see which team would cast a spell first. The people in the Great Hall who chose to watch the exchange held their breath. Would the Gryffindor trio end up harmed by Slytherins or saved by Slytherins? Which spell would be cast first? It seemed like everyone leaned in with interest. A new situation to gossip about for sure.

The first word to be heard in the silent moment was, "Melofors" from Amelia. It was quickly followed by another spell, "Relashio", from Daniel. As those spells were cast, bright orange pumpkins formed around their heads. Their grip on their wands loosened, and the sound of the wands hitting the floor was almost amplified. Just like hearing a pin drop in the silence.

"Are you two that daft? You should have never brought out your wands in the first place." Amelia scolded the pair, hitting the pumpkins on their heads. The fiery redhead Amelia was on display for all to see. It was pretty evident now how she could keep her fellow Slytherins in line. "Amelia is right. If anyone was harmed, you could've cost us house points, you bloody idiots." Daniel joined in the scolding, picking up their wands from the floor.

Although you couldn't see their faces, it could almost be felt from the aura that the Astor brothers wanted to protest, but couldn't. No matter what they tried to say, it was all muddled by the pumpkins around their heads. Amelia then turned to the trio of Gryffindors that the brothers attempted to assault. "Quite sorry about them. Sometimes their heads aren't in the right place. Dumb and dumber as you've called them." She said apologetically, referencing the name Andrew assaulted them with. "But since no one was harmed, there is no need to tell your head of house. Correct?" Daniel inquired from behind Amelia.

 

[Edric Blight]

Andrew Crosby​

It seemed that the twins weren’t satisfied with Andrew’s no for an answer at all. They insisted and were going to keep pushing him. But Andrew was as stubborn as a mule- his will was not going to be broken. Andrew continued to glare at Arthur and Artem, clearly not going to budge. Then, an idea seemed to come to both of the twins’ heads and before anyone knew it, Artem and Arthur were pulling out their wands and drawing them, pointing them directly at Andrew, Jacob, and Kelly. Andrew’s brown eyes widened and beside him, Jacob and Kelly looked stunned. Were these two fools really willing to start a scene like this in the middle of the Great Hall? Andrew’s hairs stood up on the back of his neck as he was alert now, ready to go into fight or flight mode if needed. The atmosphere became tense and it seemed like everyone around them hushed and watched the scene. Even Jacob, who usually had some quip for every occasion, wasn’t expecting such a silly bet between Slytherins to cause the twins to draw their wands.

But luckily, before anything could get escalated and before Andrew could even draw his wand to cast a spell back at the brothers before they did, suddenly, a female’s voice could be heard, followed by Daniel’s own. In an instant, two orange pumpkins had appeared on both twins’ heads and their wands fell out of their hands. Crisis was averted, and Andrew was stunned, still processing what was going on. Then his saviors were revealed, and he was surprised to learn that it was Amelia and Daniel. Andrew was silent, still trying to digest everything that had happened, but looked at Amelia first and nodded. As much as Andrew didn’t like her, if he had to admit, she was never really that cruel to him like her husband was. The boys’ girlfriends seemed to take a backseat in their conflict and rivalry.

He then looked at Daniel who chimed in from behind her. It all made sense now, Andrew thought to him. Daniel Walsh was just trying to save face and make sure his silly little reputation with the professors, specifically Slughorn, wasn’t ruined or anything. Andrew directed a glare over at Daniel. “Bloody coward,” he spat, “You only did that to save your arse and theirs because you knew I’d hex the twins into next year and they’d be crying for mummy,” he muttered. “Yea, no one got hurt, but I’d buzz off before someone does,” chimed in Jacob, threatening Daniel. Kelly remained quiet but looked worried, feeling that the boys could get carried away as they sometimes did. Andrew then pulled out the folded piece of paper with his OWL results on it and unfolded it, looking at Daniel. “You want to see my OWL results?” he asked. “You really want to see it?” he asked, standing up now, holding the paper with two hands, all unfolded.

Kelly gulped nervously as she watched her boyfriend, wondering what he was going to do. Andrew, much to everyone’s surprise, began to rip the paper with his OWL results and crumple some of the pieces. When it was excessively ripped enough, Andrew took the little pieces in his hand and threw them into his mouth, confusing his friends watching on. Andrew then winced and scrunched up his face as he swallowed the pieces of paper, getting rid of it forever. When he was done, he winced a bit feeling the papers go down his throat, but faced Daniel Walsh. “Now no one gets to see them!” he declared. Kelly rubbed her temples at her boyfriend’s stupidity. “That was incredibly silly,” she muttered quietly under her breath. Jacob just grinned. Andrew felt proud of himself. Now no one could see his grades, not even his mother. Of course, getting rid of that one official paper with the marks on it via eating it was unorthodox, but didn’t change the scores. His mother could easily find out the grades from Hogwarts when the time came to ask about OWL results. But, he was hoping to shock Daniel into silence and get him to go somewhere else.

 

[kakemha]

Daniel Walsh​

Daniel was expecting a lot of things, but he wasn't expecting this. Who was crazy enough to quite literally eat their grades? Andrew Crosby apparently. He knew people who would go a long way to hide things from others, but he had to admit this was a first. As he watched Andrew tear up the piece of paper into small chunks and eventually swallow the crumpled-together lump, he stood there in shock. His jaw threatened to fall open as he declared with pride that no one would get to see the results.

However that statement was false, he could think of several spells that would make him sick enough to vomit out the contents of his stomach. Subconsciously, he gripped his wand tighter. His eyes held a threat of casting one of those many spells. He couldn't just stand there and lose to Andrew Crosby of all people. Daniel Walsh wasn't one to just let his pride get injured by a Gryffindor boy.

But before he could issue any kind of retort to Andrew, he felt a headache come on. Amelia gripped his hand, taking control of his hands. "I know what you're thinking, Daniel. Don't." She whispered to him a warning, wrestling his wand out of his hand and taking it for herself.

Unbeknownst to most, Amelia was quite proficient in Legilimency. She had entered Daniel's mind and saw what he was thinking, what he was thinking to do Andrew. "Alright, maybe this little bet has gone a bit too far." She joked, laughing slightly at the end. "And it's not like we can get the results out of good ol' Andrew's stomach," Again. A lie. "so perhaps it's time to call it quits." Amelia said to Daniel, but also to the 3 Gryffindors. "We do have 2 idiots who need their heads free of pumpkins."

"Stay if you'd like, but I should take these 2 to the infirmary before they lose all of their oxygen." She knocked on the pumpkins on their head and lead them out of the Great Hall. Leaving Daniel alone with the 3 Gryffindors. "So I suppose that I'm not getting those results any time soon. I doubt you've memorized your results after all." He took a small jab at Andrew. "I will warn you however that I cannot guarantee that Artem and Arthur won't come back for more torment about that piece of paper. But I guess I can cut you some slack and leave you alone." He said with smugness, as if him leaving was granting Andrew a favor.

 

[Edric Blight]

Andrew Crosby​

The move to eat his own OWL results was so spectacularly bold and unexpected- it was so Andrew Crosby. The fifth year Gryffindor boy wore a self satisfied smirk on his face as he successfully got rid of the evidence by swallowing the bits and pieces of the paper with his grades on it. He knew if he just ripped it up and left it on the table, Daniel, or someone else could easily repair it with a spell. Another idea was to burn it with fire by lighting one underneath the page with his wand. That too would most likely to be recollected and restored. So, in a moment of quick thinking, the fifteen year old just gulped it down for no one to ever see again. It was gone for good, at least in his mind, currently being dissolved by his stomach acids. He never even thought that Daniel or anyone possessed the ability to make him upchuck what was inside of his stomach. That would be a rather nasty affair. So for now, Andrew’s official OWL results remained inside of his stomach being dissolved by digestive juices along with lunch.

Kelly, like many things Andrew did on the fly without thinking, found her boyfriend’s antics to be foolish. One, she knew that would probably anger Mrs. Crosby. Two, his mother could easily request his grades from the school as they were on record. Finally, three, Kelly found it silly that her boyfriend would eat a bloody piece of paper and swallow it. She’d never seen anything like that. Andrew though seemed satisfied, taking a quick drink of water to wash out the taste of ink and paper from his mouth. While Andrew looked content and even smug with his actions, which the boy thought in his mind were ones of a genius, Kelly noticed Daniel seem to fiddle with his wand. She instantly became on high alert, running through all of the possible spells and hexes Daniel Walsh could possibly perform. She knew he could perform a spell to make Andrew vomit if he really wanted to sift through bile and stomach acid along with bits of digest food to try and salvage the paper. That would be disgusting, but she wouldn’t put it past the prideful Slytherin boy, who didn’t stop at much to win.

But then, she saw his girlfriend Amelia seem to wrestle with his wand and take it out of his hand to stop him from doing anything brash. Jacob didn’t seem to notice either and only looked as if he thought Andrew were some sort of genius. Eating his grades so they’d be in his stomach- brilliant! While Kelly, more mature and sane, found it childish, she was ready to spring into action if needed, but seeing Amelia get Daniel to stand down, she stood down a bit. Kelly nodded as Amelia said that the bet had gone too far. It certainly had, she thought. Andrew looked over at Amelia, ever the surprised look on his face as his arch nemesis and rival’s girlfriend seemed to come to his defense. Andrew smirked as Amelia mentioned that it would be near impossible to retrieve the swallowed grades paper from his stomach, but Kelly knew that Amelia, Daniel, as well as herself all knew that was bull shit and there was a simple spell that could lead to an unpleasant result and experience for poor Andrew. But, Kelly was glad she’d said that, because her airheaded boyfriend and his bonehead of a best friend didn’t know that.

Kelly continued to nod as Amelia proposed that Daniel called his little bet amongst his Slytherin friends off so that further conflict or crisis was averted. Andrew looked from Amelia to Daniel, who he glared at. He then looked to Artem and Arthur, who both had pumpkins on their heads, as Amelia mentioned them and gave a little knock on each of them. With that, the “Princess of Slytherin” took her leave, leading the two pumpkin-headed twins out of the Great Hall. The three Gryffindors stared at Daniel to see what his next move would be. Andrew looked a mixture of hateful yet smug, Jacob glared at him, and Kelly just intently watched the Slytherin boy. She hoped this stupid little squabble could all be over. She was tired of five years of bickering and fighting between Andrew and Daniel that only appeared to get worse with their age.

Andrew smirked as Daniel stated that there was no way of retrieving his results now that he had ate them. He didn’t quite catch the subtle little jab at him nor the fact that Daniel was lying about the fact that he couldn’t hypothetically get the paper from Andrew’s stomach with a simple vomiting spell (Kelly did though). Andrew looked mostly unmoved by Daniel’s warnings about the Slytherin twins. “Whatever,” scoffed Andrew, “They don’t scare me,” he said. “Besides, no one can get those bloody grades now,” he said with a grin as he placed a hand over his stomach. Kelly internally rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s cluelessness. “Now, I’d buzz off. Your little princess and two pumpkin-headed goons are waiting for you,” he said with a snarky mocking tone. This caused Jacob to snicker. Andrew saw this all as a win over Daniel and for that, he was happy. Kelly just saw it as silly and immature and that no one had “won.”

Jacob looked to Andrew with a playful little grin. “Swallowing the paper? Brilliant idea! No one can get it once it’s been in your stomach!” Andrew’s best friend began to praise him. Andrew just continued to wear his smug smile. “I suspect in a few hours you’ll be shi-“ Jacob went on before Kelly quickly put a hand up to put a stop to Jacob’s statement before he went any further. “I think that’s enough, thank you!” Kelly interjected firmly. She rolled her eyes- boys…. She then looked back to Daniel. “Have a nice rest of your afternoon, Daniel,” she said softly, trying to be polite as she essentially sent him off with a small wave. Kelly knew if Daniel stuck around any longer, her boyfriend would surely have more words for him and perhaps things would get ugly if magic was involved.

 

[kakemha]

Daniel Walsh
​

Daniel thought about retorting back to when Andrew mocked his friends and most especially his girlfriend. But he decided better, in his mind taking the better road. He settled with shooting Andrew and Jacob a menacing glare.

He prepared to walk away from the table. Jacob and Andrew were now seemingly celebrating their victory over the group of Slytherins. But stopped just before he took a step. Kelly has spoken up, interrupting the 2 boys. And the words that came out of her mouth were quite unexpected.

Kelly was actually being polite, a very drastic difference from the other 2 Gryffindors within their group. Outwardly, Kelly's greeting seemed completely normal. However, to Daniel, he saw it as an opening, one way he could get the last move in before walking away.

He stepped towards Kelly and grasped her hand and brought it up to his lips and placed a quick kiss on it. It was a normal greeting in pureblood society, but he didn't think Andrew knew about the custom just yet. "Thank you, I do hope you have a nice rest of your day as well." He greeted back as he let go of her hand and began to walk towards the main doors of the Great Hall.

 

[Edric Blight]

Andrew Crosby​

​

Clearly Kelly was done with this whole interaction. Andrew would’ve stayed and continued it on, going back and forth with Daniel as he typically did. But, his girlfriend was there to step in and she had decided to defuse the situation by being kind- something Andrew couldn’t even fathom being to Daniel. Andrew just sat there, holding his tongue, knowing that Kelly would probably have some words for him if he continued bickering. Jacob shut up too as he didn’t want to be on the end of Kelly’s wrath- his best friend’s girlfriend could be something else when pissed off. Then, Daniel did something that shocked Andrew and left a bad taste in his mouth. While both Andrew and Kelly were pure bloods, they weren’t from the traditionalist camp. Kelly knew of pure blood traditions but her family didn’t observe them, and the Crosby’s were wholly against them despite their long pure bloodline, so Andrew didn’t know any of them. It is why what Daniel did was so shocking and left him in silence.

Andrew watched as Daniel stepped forward and took his girlfriend’s hand, planting a small kiss on it before bidding farewell to Kelly. Brown eyes widened as Andrew was left stunned. In his mind, Daniel had just kissed his girlfriend. Kelly couldn’t help but smile and slightly blush at the sweet gesture from the Walsh boy. Unlike her boyfriend, she knew it was only a formal pure blood tradition to greet and say goodbye in this way. Before either of them could say anything, Daniel took his leave. Andrew’s mouth hung open as Kelly turned to him and closed it for him. “Don’t keep your mouth open like that. You’ll catch flies, baby,” she reminded him gently. To keep Andrew from going to far and casting some insane hex on Daniel for this, Kelly would later explain to Andrew that this was the pure blood tradition and it wasn’t anything more.

While this certainly wasn’t the end of Andrew Crosby and Daniel Walsh’s heated rivalry, the year finished off with no catastrophic events and the two seemed to leave each other alone for the remaining couple of days of the week until they all went back on the train home. Of course, when Andrew got home, he was asked about his OWL results by his mother, to which she verbally berated him once he found out that one, he’d hidden the results, two, eaten them to hide them from her, and three, had scored so poorly in many subjects. It was safe to say that Andrew was not spared from the wrath of his mother Mary Crosby. Luckily though, his father seemed not to be concerned at all with his grades and instead, found it cooler that his son had won the Quidditch Cup again (to which he was scolded for by his wife). The rest of the summer consisted of punishment work, cleaning around the house and assisting his mother. In his downtime, when he wasn’t practicing Quidditch, he was writing love letters to Kelly and writing to Jacob occasionally.

-Present-

The end of fifth year was an interesting memory. While their rivalry didn’t end at all, Daniel had at least shown some restraint and Amelia had certainly helped him out unexpectedly. But, that was when he was fifteen. He was a grown adult now and had been for many years, as was Daniel. They were no longer schoolboys, bantering back and forth. Times had changed, and although Andrew didn’t agree with Daniel’s traditionalist pure blood ways, he knew now he had to put aside their past squabbles for the good of their children. It was no secret that Chase and Grace were very deeply in love, Andrew could obviously see it. Young love hit close to home for Andrew who’d fallen in love with his current wife very early on in Hogwarts.

Who was he to deny his son happiness? And all because he didn’t like his dad because they’d battled back in school? Chase was infatuated with this girl and Grace very clearly loved his son back and wanted his approval. Even Daniel Walsh had come around and formally approved of his son. Kelly was crossed with him for his apprehensions with Grace and unwillingness to move past his conflicted relationship with Daniel. But, dancing around in their living room, everyone happy, smiling and laughing- it showed Andrew that he didn’t need to be stuck living in the past. Their families could get alone and most of all, his youngest son was happy. He was happy and in love, and clearly, Grace Walsh was the right girl for him. Even he had to admit that the girl would certainly keep his rowdy son in line.

From that day forward, Andrew would finally drop his suspicions and approve of Grace. Everything she had done while here in their home was nothing but nice. She helped cook, she made him and his wife a bouquet, and even did little things to keep Chase in line like reminding him not to talk with his mouth full (yes, even at fifteen) and reminding him to use a napkin once and a while as he ate. Over the next few days, Andrew had something on his mind. As part of moving on from his past, Andrew wanted to formally apologize for his actions in the past and reconcile with Daniel. He wanted to shake the man’s hand and put everything behind them, not only for their children but for them. Perhaps an unlikely friendship between the two could now form after many years.

So, on a lazy weekend, without really telling Kelly, Andrew decided to take matters into his own hand. He was going to step up and be a man, putting his past behind him and hopefully turning over a new leaf with Daniel Walsh. Andrew had caught Daniel while he was alone. “Daniel, m- may I talk for you a bit?” he asked, a little awkwardly. He was hoping Dan accepted his request. “Promise- nothing bad,” he added with a little chuckle to keep the mood light. It felt weird doing this- apologizing to his childhood rival and trying to take steps to move past it. But, it was necessary. He had to do it, for himself, for Daniel, and most importantly of all, for Grace and his son Chase.

 

[kakemha]

Daniel Walsh
​

Everything was shaping up for this to become a pretty good summer. Grace was happy with the youngest Crosby boy. Thomas was on good terms with everyone again. And Amelia and Kelly seemingly became the best of friends in Daniel's eyes. He supposes that they're making up for lost time. Even he had to admit that those 2 girls would've made great friends back in their Hogwarts days if it wasn't for the raging rivalry going on between Andrew and himself.

Currently, it was a pretty lovely weekend. The skies were clear and everyone was off doing their own thing, leaving the house surprisingly quiet. Daniel found himself in the library/study of the Crosby Manor. It definitely wasn't as impressive as the library/study at the Walsh Estate, but that wasn't surprising. The two families were practically opposites. The Crosbys favor more athletic pastimes and the Walshs indulge in the more academic ones. He currently had his nose buried in a book about old traditional dueling competitions. Anyone looking at the scene now could say this was practically how Daniel looked back in his Hogwarts days when he wasn't hanging out with this group of Slytherins or putting on a performance as the Prince of Slytherin.

However, his intensive reading session was interrupted as he heard footsteps entering the room, slowly getting closer to the table he was seated at. Looking up to see who the visitor was, he was slightly shocked to see Andrew standing right across from him. In response to his backward query, Daniel closed the book pushed it slightly to the left of him, and responded, "Of course, is there any pressing matter that needs to be urgently addressed?"

He was honestly quite surprised to see Andrew this awkward. Back in Hogwarts, he usually had this confidence and arrogance whenever they had a confrontation. So this entire situation intrigued Daniel. He would listen intently to hear what the next words to come out of Andrew's mouth were.

 

[Edric Blight]

Andrew Crosby​

​

This was it. He was finally going to be a big man and put years and years of squabbling behind him. Seven tumultuous years at Hogwarts going back and forth, like the houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin were at war with each other. It was all going to fade away if this apology and offer of a permanent truth and perhaps a friendship went smoothly. The usually confident and formerly arrogant man was reduced to an anxious stuttering mess, nervous to talk to someone he used to so confidently stand up to. Things were going great for everyone but this still lingered in the air. Kelly and Amelia were getting along swell, like they had been the best of friends their whole lives. Perhaps in another reality the two might have truly been good friends back at Hogwarts were it not for their partners’ heated rivalry. Chase was in good spirits, although it was rare he was not, and he and Grace were getting along smashingly, which was no surprise. Even Thomas was in a better mood, having apologized to his brother and come to terms with his actions. It seemed his eldest son was out of his depression and starting to talk more. He’d even gotten a big contract offer from the Wimbourne Wasps professional Quidditch team recently and was in the process of getting that sorted out.

Everything was perfect- except for Daniel and Andrew’s relationship, and it was really on Andrew. While the two weren’t fighting nor was anything necessarily wrong between the two, Andrew really was hesitant to accept Grace as his youngest son’s boyfriend and Daniel into his home. It seemed that Daniel had mostly put things behind him, as evidenced by the Walsh ball a while back, but Andrew still held reservations. Seeing the Walsh family in his own domicile over the summer and particularly how well Grace and Chase got along, he was ready to finally accept that things had changed. He needed to do this for the good of his family and to settle his conscience. Perhaps once Kelly found out she’d reward him handsomely, although that would be just a bonus. He wasn’t doing this to impress Kelly. A teenaged Andrew would have done anything to impress Kelly, and still would, but this wasn’t one of those instances. This was for him- for Daniel. For Chase and Grace.

Andrew cleared his throat and steeled his nerves, collecting himself and standing up straighter, more confident. “Well I’d say I’d like it addressed sooner rather than later,” he replied. “Look Dan, I’ll cut right to the chase,” he said with an exhale, “I know we haven’t gotten along in the past, which is an understatement quite frankly. I mean man we were at each other’s throats,” he said with a chuckle. “But err, I digress,” said the former Gryffindor man, getting back on track. “I never felt we quite moved past it all. I don’t think I’ve atoned for what I’ve done and the way I used to treat you,” he began. “Basically what I’m trying to say is Daniel, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for years of fighting and pointless bickering that got nobody anywhere. If you’d like, I’d love to put this all behind us and, well…” he said, pausing before what he was going to say next. “I’d like to extend my hand to you in friendship,” he said, doing so and hoping that he was speaking Daniel Walsh’s language with a formal handshake. “I can see clearly now that your daughter and my youngest boy are madly in love. You and I both know what young love is like. They can’t go their whole lives having their fathers bitter and resentful towards each other,” he said. “So I came to you today to formally apologize and offer my hand in friendship. I hope we can move past things. I’m very happy to have your family here in my home as well and you’ve been nothing but great guests, despite all of the times you could’ve taken a cheap jab at me or my manor,” said Andrew. He then offered the man he used to hate a little smile as he waited for him to hopefully take his hand and shake it.

 

[kakemha]

Daniel Walsh​

Daniel waited as Andrew finished his apology. And to say he was shocked, would be the understatement of the century. Who would've thought that today would be the day that Andrew Crosby would apologize to Daniel Walsh?

Listening to the tone of his voice, he could tell that Andrew was definitely nervous; no matter how much he tried to appear not to. But Daniel could also tell that Andrew was genuine in his apology. It seemed like Andrew would finally give up the grudges he held against him ever since their first year at Hogwarts.

With Andrew's hand outstretched, Daniel stood as he took Andrew's hand in a firm grasp and shook it. Their rivalry is officially behind them. All for their children. In fact, Grace had informed both Daniel and Amelia that she would be accompanying Chase to practice some Quidditch. If she was actually riding a broom herself was yet to be revealed. However, Daniel could wager that his daughter wouldn't touch a broom unless absolutely necessary.

"And I apologize as well for all the damages I may have caused in the past and the present." Daniel reciprocated the apology. "Let's hope the children are happy with each other for all their days. Unfortunately, I know what it's like to lose a daughter over love." He muttered the last sentence under his breath, it was possible for Andrew to hear it if he was listening closely, as he let go of Andrew's hand.

"I do believe that the children, or rather your youngest son, are out practicing some Quidditch." He revealed to Andrew, a proposition of sorts to go out and visit the pair of children.

 

[Edric Blight]

Andrew Crosby​

​

Andrew Crosby, both as a boy and even now, was the last person who’d apologize in this manner and admit he was wrong. He had far too much pride. Yet here he was, doing just that to the man he hated for most of his life. But he knew he needed to do this, for his children and for himself. Chase was currently out back flying on his broom practicing Quidditch, and Andrew was pretty sure Grace was out there watching him and supporting him. Clearly they shared a love for each other so why couldn’t their fathers move past their differences? That’s why Andrew was somewhat shocked but pleasantly surprised when Daniel Walsh, a man he’d never touched other than to push or shove out of the way back in school, shook his hand firmly.

A small smile came across Andrew’s face as Daniel shook his hand, both accepting his apology and giving a little one of his own. Andrew nodded, agreeing that he only hoped for happiness for their children for the rest of their days. A happy Chase and even a happy Grace was good enough for him. He’d heard Daniel mutter something about losing a daughter to love and while he didn’t know the whole story (and wasn’t going to bring it up), he was aware of the rumblings regarding Daniel and Amelia’s eldest daughter who had since been disowned. He remembered hearing about it long ago and feeling rather bad for their eldest, chocking her disowning up to the Walsh’s being stuck in their silly traditional ways.

As Daniel let go of Andrew’s hand, the former Slytherin man hinted at their two youngest children having been outside, specifically Chase practicing Quidditch. It seemed like an invitation to go out and visit them and Andrew was more than happy to do so. Perhaps it would be good for both children to see their fathers getting along. “Oh that sounds like Chase alright,” chuckled Andrew, knowing the boy’s near obsession with Quidditch. Really, it was like Andrew when he was a young lad. “Why don’t we go out into the backyard, shall we?” asked Andrew, gesturing for Daniel to come follow him. The two men, leaving their pasts behind them, head out to the large sprawling backyard of Crosby Manor.

Outside of course was a teenaged boy flying around on his broom throwing a ball into some makeshift hoops. Sitting on the ground, watching and admiring him, was a pleasant red haired girl. Andrew smiled as he came out back and saw the scene. It reminded him of the many times he’d practice Quidditch as a boy all alone on the pitch yet have Kelly sitting in the stands watching him. Of course, he could see that Chase was showing off a bit, doing some flips to impress Grace. Again, it was just like he used to do as a boy and it brought back fond memories of him practicing in front of Kelly. Chase seemed entirely too busy on his practicing and didn’t seem to notice the two fathers come out.

 

[kakemha]

Grace Walsh
​

The day was coming to be quite a fun one for Grace. From the moment breakfast had ended, Chase took Grace by the hand and asked if she wanted to watch him practice. She didn't have the heart to decline even if she wanted to, so she said that she'd meet him outside.

It was a well-known fact that Grace was never a flyer. However, she knew her boyfriend was the cream of the crop when it came to flying. She headed to her room at the Crosby Manor and changed into something for staying outdoors. She planned to set out a little picnic blanket and read under the sun.

While she may not be a flyer, she was an excellent dueler. After getting changed, she grabbed a dueling book and headed toward the kitchen. She knew Chase would be hungry as soon as he would step off the broom for a break, so grabbing a few snacks would be beneficial to everyone. Having dated for quite a long time, she knew his favorite snacks right off the bat and made them quickly. Placing them in a basket and grabbing a medium-sized blanket, she made her way to the massive lawn on Crosby Manor.

It seemed like Chase had already set up makeshift Quidditch hoops and did some warm-ups on his broom. It didn't take long for either of them to get settled, Chase on his broom and Grace on the picnic blanket with her dueling book cracked open. The moments passed quickly as the pair did their things together. It was a nice break from reading to watch Chase perform some cool tricks on his broom.

But soon the moment was interrupted by some unexpected guests. Grace was the first to take notice of the 2 men walking out onto the lawn. And what she observed shocked her. The pair seemed...cordial. She never thought she'd live to see the day.

She stood on the picnic blanket and greeted them. "Father, Mr. Crosby! How lovely of you both to join us. The weather is great for spending the day outside, won't you agree?" With her greeting out of the way, she hoped it would signal to Chase that they had visitors.

 

[Edric Blight]

Chase Crosby​

​

The boy couldn’t complain at all about this nice summer day. The weather was beautiful and he had his favorite person in the whole world outside with him. As soon as breakfast had ended, he’d taken her by the hand and asked if she wanted to join him outside and watch him practice Quidditch. Luckily she agreed and after a few moments alone outside, doing some warm ups, Grace had come out with a book in hand, a bunch of snacks in a basket, and a little picnic blanket for her to sit on while she observed. She was the absolute best- by now she probably knew how hungry Chase got after practicing and he could even see in the basket that his favorite snacks were prepared. Grace knew him well and that touched his heart.

Chase knew flying and Quidditch was absolutely not Grace Walsh’s forte but he was happy that she’d stayed out there and watched him, keeping him company, and was even thankful that she watched his Quidditch games at Hogwarts and supported him (silently if Gryffindor was playing Slytherin). In fact, anyone who knew Grace Walsh was surprised she even showed up to watch Quidditch games at all since she was such a non-flyer (at least if they could get over the fact that Slytherin’s classiest girl was dating Gryffindor’s resident goofball). But Chase was the best on a broom there was at Hogwarts, and he absolutely loved to practice and did so frequently both at school and at home like today.

Chase spent the day practicing drills and towards the end, was just showing off to Grace, doing various tricks, even though he didn’t need to show off to her anymore- she knew he was the best around. Chase was so busy practicing/trying to impress Grace that he didn’t notice their two fathers walking outside and approaching them. Chase could hear Grace’s voice and that caused him to perk up and stop what he was doing. As he looked down at his girlfriend on the picnic blanket, he was rather surprised to see Andrew and Daniel standing so close to each other, as if they were comfortable around one another. It appeared they had visitors, so Chase flew down and dismounted his broom, walking over to the two dads and Grace.

“Dad! Mr. Walsh!” said Chase as he greeted them, adjusting his locks of brown hair out of his eye and to the side. His hair was windswept as it typically was after a Quidditch game or practice session. “Err, what brings you two outside?” he asked, more concerned with why Andrew and Daniel were together rather than the fact that they were outside. It was a very nice day- who wouldn’t want to be out here? “Can’t I just check in with my son and his lovely girlfriend?” replied Andrew with a little grin. “And you know, Chase, I don’t think you have to break your back impressing Grace. Don’t quote me on this but I’m pretty sure she thinks your the bee’s knees already,” he said with a chuckle, although ironically, as a boy, Andrew spent hours needlessly impressing Kelly, even though she was head over heels for him and thought he was just the greatest.

At this, Chase blushed. “I wasn’t trying to impress her!” he insisted quickly, obviously lying. His father just grinned, “Sure son,” said Andrew sarcastically. He then turned to Grace and smiled. “It is rather nice, isn’t it? Thought we’d join you two and soak in the sunshine,” said Mr. Crosby. Chase wiped some sweat from his brow and hoped his cheeks were turning from red back to their normal color as he still tried to process what was going on between his father and Grace’s. They didn’t seem uncomfortable around each other and ironically, that was odd. Andrew could see that in a basket were some of his youngest son’s favorite snacks and smiled fondly. The only one who knew him that well was his mother. Chase bent down and grabbed one of them, taking a bite as he looked at Grace. “Did ya see my triple back flip Grace? Did ya? Did ya?” asked Chase excitedly. Andrew grinned at this, chuckling. “Right- not trying to impress. Got it.”

 

[kakemha]

Grace Walsh
​

Something was different between the pair in front of Chase and Grace. Andrew Crosby has never once called Grace a "lovely girlfriend" before. His demeanor made it seem like he actually liked Grace now. The young girl was shocked at first but didn't outwardly show it. However, she had to admit to herself that she was quite curious about what had transpired between the former rivals.

She remained silent with a small smile as Chase and his father were talking to one another. Much like her own father, Grace wasn't as talkative unless it was necessary. As the Crosby's were engaging in the normal family banter, Grace gave her father a particular look. And as soon as Daniel saw it he knew what she was trying to say. "What happened?"

Right before he was going to respond to her non-verbal questioning, Chase had called out to Grace, asking her if she had seen a trick he performed earlier. "Don't worry, Chase. I did see that amazing triple backflip. Quite impressive I must say." Grace looked at Chase, who was currently eating the snacks she had brought. "I can see that your Quidditch genes weren't lost," Daniel commented. Although he didn't see the trick first-hand, he had heard about almost all of his Quidditch games from Grace.

"You know Chase, you're always showing off impressive tricks for my daughter. Has my daughter ever shown you some of her impressive tricks regarding dueling?" Daniel asked the boy. Grace's head whipped back to look at her father and her eyes widened. She had never told Chase about her proficiency in dueling. She never asked him to watch one of her dueling competitions.

Grace knew Chase almost in and out. She always worried that he would find dueling much too dangerous a sport. She was worried he'd be fussing over her before and after every match no matter the outcome. And as endearing as that sounds, she didn't want to burden him with the thoughts of her dueling ever.

 

[Edric Blight]

Chase Crosby​

​

Chase couldn’t help but blush a little and smile sheepishly as it seemed that Grace did indeed see his little trick. Even though she’d probably seen that more and others countless times before, if she was the least bit impressed and complimented him, it always made his heart flutter with joy. He just grinned proudly as Daniel commented on the strong Crosby Quidditch genes, although he had to wonder what had led Daniel Walsh of all people to say that about his old childhood rival. Andrew smiled, beaming with pride for Chase and happiness that he and Daniel had moved past their differences. “Of course! Got to keep the tradition alive!” said Andrew. Chase adjusted a lock of his brown hair out of his face that had been blown by the wind as Daniel asked if he’d seen any of Grace’s tricks- specifically dueling tricks.

Chase looked at Daniel, utterly confused. “Dueling?” he asked, looking over at Grace with questioning eyes. Dueling? The wizard sport where you practically tried to kill your opponent with magic? The irony of a Quidditch player thinking dueling was too dangerous of a sport was lost on Chase as worrying thoughts came to his head. Grace dueling worried him- she could get hurt, or worse. He didn’t really know she’d decided to actually take after her mother and father and get into dueling too. Chase swallowed those worrying thoughts and looked back to Daniel, shaking his head. “Umm n- no, she hasn’t…” he said. Was she keeping this hidden talent a secret from him? Was he just dense and missed it? Did she know it was so dangerous and just didn’t want to tell him? He had lots of questions for his girlfriend. “Ah, she duels does she? Just like mum and dad,” said Andrew. “You know, when I was tearing it up out on the Quidditch pitch, Daniel and Amelia were off taking the dueling world by storm!”