au yeah autumn challenge

[sunrises]

Soulmates - Riku / Namine (Kingdom Hearts)
College - Lloyd Irving / Colette Brunel
Single parent - Tyler Lockwood / Caroline Forbes
Enemy - Ochaco Uraraka / Izuku Midoriya
Laundromat - Peyton Leverett / Maxine Hunkel
Hogwarts - Stefan Salvatore / Misty Day
Famous - Tom Bronson / Sharpay Evans
Kwami swap (Power Swap) - Yato / Hiyori Iki
Summer Camp - Evan Tildrum / Tani (Ni No Kuni II)
Secret agent - Izuku Midoriya + Bakugou Katsuki
Mermaid - Senel Coolidge / Shirley Fennes
Royalty - Stefan Salvatore / Jesse Wells
Fake dating - Stefan Salvatore / Freya Mikaelson
Reincarnation - Jason Grace / Piper McLean
Life Swap - Stefan Salvatore + Eugene Woods
Neighbors - Roxas / Olette (Kingdom Hearts)
Sidekick - Iris West + Ashley Williams
Circus - Shizuku Mizutani / Haru Yoshida
Reverse Crush - Katsuki Bakugou (MHA) / Leila (Riordan-verse)
Coffee shop - Ryuji Sakamato / Makoto Niijima
Childhood Friends - Stefan Salvatore / Elena Gilbert
Crime - Tenko Midoriya + Hana Midoriya + Izuku Midoriya
Historical - Barry Allen / Iris West
Office / workplace - Sebastian Debeste / Kay Faraday
Friends with Benefits - Goro Akechi / Haru Okumura
bff swap - Sean Diaz / Ally Parker
Internet - Masayuki Hori / Yuu Kashima
Gym - Eijiro Kirishima / Katsuki Bakugou
Time travel - Max Carson / Lester Papadopoulos
Roommates - Jeremy Gilbert / Kol Mikaelson
"Dealer's Choice" - Roland Crane + Evan Tildrum

PROGRESS: 31/31

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Hogwarts - Stefan Salvatore / Misty Day | wordcount: 1000

[sunrises]

The pre-dawn meal of suhoor had completely worn out its welcome. See, when Ramadan began, Muslim students and faculty from all four houses had gathered outside the Hogwarts kitchens around suhoor time and waited for house elves to prepare a lavish, filling meal fit for a god. The dining hall kitchens would be stacked full with a buffet of muesli and yogurt, nutella and marmite, various cereals, freshly fried or scrambled eggs, and even shakshuka for the Middle Eastern students. The kitchens and halls alike would waft with spices (saffron! Cinnamon! Nutmeg and even za’atar!) often reserved for special occasions, and during those precious few hours, students like Stefan would feel at home.

Then the crushing reality of schoolwork would set in, and tumbling out of soft, warm covers became too hard for both body and soul.

At first, Stefan thought about setting a daily alarm with one of his Muggle clocks. Then his roommate Cisco Ramon had smashed it with a brick around 4:45 AM, so that option had ruled itself out.

(“Sorry, man,” his roommate had apologized later, upon realizing what had happened. “I’ll make it up to you somehow.”)

So Stefan had resigned himself to a month of cancelling one blessing out for the other: if he skipped the pre-dawn meal, he would starve, but he would also receive a few more hours of sleep. In a class like Defense Against the Dark Arts or Potions, those hours would save himself and his classmates from uncertain torture. But God, at what cost? What cost?

The cost of - of someone shaking his shoulders at an ungodly hour. Stefan groaned, forcing himself awake and sitting up straight. “I’m coming, I’m…”

In the shadows, he couldn’t be totally certain of the figure lurking in the Ravenclaw dorms, but he had a sinking suspicion that she wasn’t supposed to be here. No one of the opposite sex was. Professor Flitwick had said as much during a Charms class, citing some archaic laws about romance and temptation.

(Not that said laws had ever stopped the Ravenclaws who fancied those of the same sex, but Stefan supposed tradition was the only thing chaining those laws down.)

“Misty?” His voice was a hoarse whisper as he squinted at the shifting shadow. “What’re you doing here?”

“You’re going to miss your meal,” the shadows whispered back at him, with that warm, pleasant Southern lilt he would know anywhere. “Like hell I could let you go hungry again! You were almost a zombie in class yesterday!”

He couldn’t help laughing as he scrambled out of the covers, spelling a couple of slippers for him to wear. In the dark, he couldn’t tell if his t-shirt and boxer shorts matched, let alone looked presentable - but the house elves had never commented on his attire. Stefan doubted that they would care now.

He reached for a sweatshirt, in case the halls were colder than he remembered, and flashed her a genuine, if not sleepy, smile. “I guess we can’t have that, can we?”






If they had ventured outside Ravenclaw Tower for any other reason, the chilly air would have convinced them to turn back around. Stefan was absolutely convinced of this as he held onto Misty's hand and led her back to the corridor that connected both the Hufflepuff common room and the kitchens. The lantern lights, suspended mid-air, felt more like an omen than a celebration of the month-long fast.

Beware, ye who travel out of bounds, he could imagine someone saying, lest you get caught by a stray Professor.

Honestly, a chance meeting with Professor Lupin or Professor McGonagall was the least of their concerns. Sweet and savory food beckoned to them, with the scent of maple syrup, sugar, and even the mix of za'atar wafting in the air the closer they went. Their professors would understand. The fast of Ramadan may not be a familiar one, but they would sympathize with his religious commitments.

Misty, too, would be his moral support - and if they argued against her presence, they would have to argue against Stefan's too.

He squeezed Misty's hand in silent thanks. Despite the hour, or perhaps because of the hour, they held their breaths, unwilling to share even a cursory welcome. They turned the corner, turning left, then another left, and then a right before the familiar stone hallway stood before them.

Stefan let out a low, slow breath, listening to the sound of footsteps behind - and in front - of them.

"It smells even better than I remembered," he murmured, stealing a glance at his best friend.

"Of course it does." Misty smiled back at him, with those unfairly beautiful eyes and lips, and squeezed his hand in turn. "Now eat up. I can't keep covering for you forever, sweetheart."

"What would I ever do without you, habibti?"

"Absolutely nothing, I imagine." She laughed, her amusement echoing through the halls. "You can't even wake up for your own fast without me, you dork."

In a few hours, he would be barred from physical affection, from stealing those longing looks, from showing her just how much she mattered to him. So before he could give his entire soul, mind, and body to his Allah, and before he quite knew what he was doing - he cupped her cheeks and brushed his lips against hers.

She tasted of morning breath and peppermint, and he found himself laughing in her lips as he forced himself to let go.

"Stef?" She was staring at him, as if he were a ghost - someone else altogether. "What're you..."

"Something I should've done a long time ago," he said, as if it explained everything, before stealing yet another kiss.

If this was how he would welcome the rest of suhoor, before he would give his body and soul up to the Lord, then honestly... maybe the meal hadn't worn out its welcome after all.