Part 3 of Hogwarts!AU. This is the last installment I have finished. Still working on the next bit, since this series is gonna be a little more plot-heavy from here on out.
Cross-posted from AO3. Not beta'd.
Enjoy!
"And that's it for today," Bilbo announced to his class, dusting his soil-covered hands off on his robes. "Remember, there's an exam on Monday, so make sure you study!"
There was a collective groan as the fourth-years packed up their belongings and filed out of the greenhouse classroom as quickly as they could and headed to lunch. Bilbo watched them go, a smile on his face, before packing what few items he brought to class in a well-worn, well-loved leather satchel. When he looked up again expecting an empty room, he was surprised to see that one student had stayed behind. A student he knew very well.
"Is there something I can help you with, Fíli?" he asked his fellow Gryffindor.
Fíli shifted from foot to foot, looking nervous about something. That immediately raised a red flag in Bilbo's mind. In the four years he'd known the young wizard, he'd rarely, if ever, seen the boy behave with uncertainty. He was always confident and straightforward, much like his mother and uncle. To be honest, he reminded Bilbo much of Frerin, who attended Hogwarts while Bilbo was still a student, albeit several years Frerin's senior.
The blond opened his mouth to speak, but evidently decided against it when he closed it again moments later.
Bilbo's smile turned upside down, his expression morphing into a concerned frown. "Are you having trouble with something?" he asked.
Fíli sucked in a deep breath, finally meeting the Herbology professor's eyes. "You and my uncle are dating, right?"
Well, that was certainly an unexpected question. Bilbo was sure Thorin told him his nephews knew about their relationship status. Tilting his head a bit in confusion, Bilbo replied, "Yes, we are." He paused. "I thought you knew...? Tho-your uncle said he spoke with you and your brother about it?"
At that, Fíli gave a small smile. "Me and Kíli figured it out on our own, believe me."
Bilbo wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "Does it bother you?" he asked carefully, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. He would hate for any member of Thorin's family to be uncomfortable with the two of them being together, especially his nephews whom Bilbo had become fond of over the years of teaching them.
Fíli shook his head vigorously, waving his hands about. "No, no, not at all! I think you're really good for Uncle Thorin; you make him happy. It's just..."
Any elation Bilbo felt at Fíli's fervent approval was squashed by those two words. He waited a few beats for Fíli to elaborate, but the young wizard remained quiet, gnawing on his lip. "It's just what, Fíli?"
Before the blond could answer, a small, misted insect flew into the greenhouse. The silvery, translucent moth fluttered around a bit until it decided to perch on the tip of Bilbo's nose.
"Headmaster Grey would like to see you in his office," the Patronus said before exploding into mystical dust that made Bilbo cough and splutter a bit. He could swear sometimes that Gandalf did things like this just to annoy him. A simple note on parchment would have sufficed just as well.
"I'm sorry, Fíli, but I suppose I'm needed elsewhere at the moment," he said with an apologetic smile. Fíli, the good lad he was, nodded in understanding. "But come find me in my office after supper, and we can talk more then?"
Fíli nodded again, shifting his school bag's shoulder strap. "Thanks, Professor," he said before seeing himself out of the greenhouse. Bilbo wasn't far behind him, locking up the greenhouse before making his way back to the castle.
"Ah, Bilbo, my dear fellow," the headmaster greeted as Bilbo stepped out of the spiraling staircase and into the lavish office. The old wizard was sat atop his desk, smoking his pipe and blowing out the smoke in various shapes and colours. After taking another drag, he held his pipe out to his colleague. "Care for some Old Toby?"
"Er, not now, thank you," Bilbo declined, instead sliding into one of the cushioned chairs in front of the desk. "You wanted to see me, Gandalf? It better be important, because I was talking with a student before I was rudely interrupted by your little moth friend."
Gandalf let out a chuckle at that. "What's wrong with my Patronus? Just because it's not something majestic like your eagle-"
"Gandalf, please," the Herbology professor interrupted, his patience growing thin. Gandalf, lifelong friend and confidante though he was, annoyed Bilbo to no end sometimes with his playful and somewhat cryptic behavior.
The headmaster scoffed and breathed out a golden eagle from his lips as if to mock Bilbo. "Very well. I summoned you here today because I'd like to know the nature of your relationship with Professor Oakenshield."
Bilbo snorted. "I highly doubt you don't already know the answer to that." Sure, he hadn't explicitly told Gandalf that he and Thorin were dating—come to think of it, neither of them had mentioned it to anyone, save for Fíli and Kíli—but pretty much the whole staff had guessed they were, and Gandalf was more apt and observant than he let on. Bilbo had learned that the hard way rather early on in his life.
The old wizard merely raised one of his bushy brows in inquiry. Bilbo sighed.
"All right, yes, fine, we're dating," he confessed, leaning back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other. "Is that a problem, Headmaster?"
Gandalf pulled a face. "Of course not! At least, no one here has a problem with it." He grew more serious then, which Bilbo knew couldn't be a good sign. "I fear that our dear Minister of Magic might take issue with it, however."
Rolling his eyes, Bilbo stood from his chair and wandered over to one of the windows overlooking the castle grounds. "Let Azog Gundebad think what he wants. What goes on in the personal lives of Hogwarts staff is none of his, or the Ministry's, business."
A tense silence followed, an irritated Bilbo glaring out the window and Gandalf pulling the last few puffs from his pipe.
"Nevertheless," Gandalf began, breaking the silence, "I urge you to be careful. You know the Ministry will find any excuse to cause trouble here, no matter how trivial."
Rather than giving a vocal reply, Bilbo merely pursed his lips and gave a couple terse nods. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning his head to see Gandalf standing beside him.
"I wish you both happiness," his old friend said, his kind smile obscured by his long, grey beard. "You are good for Thorin...and he for you."
Bilbo smiled a bit. "Thank you."
Later that evening found Bilbo pacing back and forth in his office, fraught with nervous energy. Thorin hadn't been at supper tonight—granted that wasn't exactly unusual, but Gandalf's words of caution echoed, unbidden, in Bilbo's mind and he couldn't help but worry. That, and Thorin's strange, avoidant behavior since Hogsmeade...that couldn't be just coincidence, could it? He almost went to go find Thorin himself, but his promise to Fíli kept him from going anywhere but his office after supper. Maybe he could send his Patronus out...
There was a knock on the door. Bilbo turned towards the entrance to his office. "Come in; it's unlocked!"
Fíli poked his head in before entering the room, closing the door softly behind him. "Hi, Professor."
"Ah, Fíli. Come in, come in." Bilbo ushered his pupil to his most comfortable armchair, while he himself leaned casually against the front of his desk. Flashing a warm smile, he said, "So, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?"
The young wizard fidgeted a bit in his seat. "I...it's about Uncle Thorin."
If Bilbo's blood ran a bit colder just then, he made damn sure not to let it show. He nodded, wordlessly urging Fíli to continue.
Taking a deep breath, Fíli said, "You remember a few weeks ago, when you guys had a date? Well, Dwa—Professor Fundinson had a boggart in his office, and he promised me and Kíli that we could see it. Uncle Thorin came with us, and...when he confronted it..." He fell silent then, wringing his hands in his lap.
"Fíli?" Bilbo prodded gently.
"He saw you dying in a fire!" Fíli all but shouted, bowing his head afterwards as if terrified to meet Bilbo's gaze.
Bilbo, on the other hand, stood stock still and ashen faced, gripping the edge of his desk to keep himself from toppling over. That certainly explained a few things. But...he was having a hard time digesting this new information. Just the thought that he mattered enough to Thorin to influence the form of his boggart...
The room spun for a moment. When everything came back into focus, he saw Fíli staring at him with an imploring look.
"Please don't tell Uncle Thorin I told you. He didn't want us to say anything, but I...I thought you deserved to know."
Something warm bloomed in Bilbo's chest, spreading heat through his body and chasing away the numbness of his shock. A grateful smile overtook his features. He couldn't be prouder of his fellow Gryffindor student. Trusting his legs a little more than he did a minute ago, Bilbo stepped forward and knelt down in front of Fíli's chair so that he had to look up at the young wizard. "Thank you for telling me, Fíli. And not to worry, this will stay between you and me. I promise."
Relief flooded Fíli's expression. "Thanks, Professor."
Fíli left a few minutes later, reluctantly promising the Herbology professor that he'd study hard for the exam on Monday. Once he was alone again, Bilbo headed back to his desk in search of something. True, he would keep his and Fíli's meeting between the two of them, but he still wanted to see Thorin. He had to see Thorin, especially now that he knew the reason behind his distance recently.
With a quiet, "Aha!" Bilbo pulled out an old, folded piece of parchment. He looked at it almost reverently for a moment before fishing out his wand and muttering, "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."
Ink crawled across the parchment, staining it with black lines and curves that took shape of the interior of Hogwarts itself. In numerous places on the map, little pairs of footprints paced about. Small banners above each set of prints had the names of their owners scrawled in a penmanship Bilbo recognized as his late mother's.
His eyes roamed over the map, seeking out one name in particular. Once he laid eyes on the set of inked footprints belonging to Thorin Oakenshield, he folded the map and muttered, "Mischief managed." The ink faded away almost instantly, the old parchment as blank and unassuming as ever. As soon as he stowed the map back in his desk drawer, Bilbo was out of his office and bound for the Astronomy Tower.
He climbed the last few steps leading up the tower, stilling on the top step. Thorin stood a short length away, back towards the stairs, gazing out at the expanse of the Hogwarts grounds. Evening out his breathing, Bilbo silently padded over to his lover. He came up behind Thorin and wrapped his arms around the taller man's waist, nuzzling his face between Thorin's shoulder blades. He felt Thorin stiffen in his grip, but after realizing who was hugging him, the Hufflepuff relaxed considerably.
"Has anyone ever told you that your sneaking skills are superb?" Thorin asked dryly.
Bilbo huffed a laugh into Thorin's back. "I used to scare the wits out of my parents by unintentionally sneaking up behind them. It's a habit that has carried into adulthood, unfortunately."
He felt more than heard Thorin's deep, rumbling chuckle, and Bilbo smiled despite himself. He loved making Thorin laugh. It was like a breath of fresh air into failing lungs.
The Ancient Runes professor turned in Bilbo's arms, returning the hug properly. Bilbo shivered as the tip of Thorin's long, angled nose poked through his curls and brushed against his scalp. His hands clung tighter to Thorin's robes by no will of his own. He felt as though his heart would burst right out of his chest—being here with Thorin, basking in the warmth of this closeness, drove all the worries from his mind and left only one thought untouched.
I love you.
It was a ridiculous notion, Bilbo knew. After all, they'd only been together for, what, barely a month and a half? Yet somehow, he had always known these feelings existed, deep down somewhere in his heart.
But this was the first time he'd ever let them bubble to the surface, instead of forcing them back into hiding and pretending they weren't there.
"Bilbo?"
Thorin's deep tenor pierced through the haze of his muddled mind. It was then Bilbo became aware that he was shaking, and not from the cool breeze of the mid-autumn night.
What was he so afraid of? The magnitude of the love he felt for Thorin was frightening in its intensity, if what Fíli told him was true…maybe Thorin actually felt the same?
Bilbo's trembling hands snaked their way upwards, sliding over the fabric of Thorin's robes and up his bare neck until they cupped his strong jaw. His beard scratched and tickled at Bilbo's palms, and he couldn't help but idly stroke the coarse hair with his fingertips. He could barely see Thorin's face, but the pale moonlight in the backdrop of the starry sky made his light eyes almost glow in the darkness.
As Bilbo leaned up, Thorin followed his lead to meet him halfway. Their lips almost touching, eyes half-mast, Bilbo breathed out a soft, "I love you," before closing the infinitesimal gap between them.
When they parted mere moments later, Thorin returned the whispered words of adoration, taking Bilbo's lips once again, each kiss growing more and more insistent and wanting as the seconds ticked by.
Whatever troubles came their way, they would face them together. Bilbo vowed this in their mingled breath, and their utterances of devotion and sweet nothings continued well into the night.
Next time, we'll get to meet the Minister of Magic himself, as well as some more Hogwarts staff. Can you guess who the heads of Slytherin and Ravenclaw are? :3
Until next time,
Chibi