One Shot Wednesdays -Hogwarts AU (Patreon)

Hullo all! Here's a Victorian Hogwarts AU for you. I feel like this will be longer than a one shot coz I wanna go on with it but oh well I'll cheat this once lol I couldn't decide on my character's name so I've left it blank. Suggestions welcome! Enjoy!

When The Hogwarts Express finished its journey, the young woman debated what route she would take next. There was the option of the carriages or she could take the boats over the lake with the first years to the castle. Each presented its own advantages.She would have a few minutes to decide once alighted from the train and so she was not concerned about making any hasty decision.___ made her way through her carriage and found the door to alight. Waiting at the bottom of the couple of steps was Henry –as promised. “Miss ___.”She gave a small smile and took his offered hand to assist her descent. “Thank you kindly.”“My pleasure. How was your journey?”“Very lovely, thank you.”“Looking forward to your school year?” he asked with an interest.“Yes. It should be wonderful,” she smiled. “Are you heading back to London right away?”“No I am going to stay in Hogsmeade a few days. I actually...well I actually live here most of the year,” he admitted.“Oh wow I had no idea!”“Yes it’s a wonderful place. Perhaps during school breaks we may be able to meet here.”“Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise of the idea. “Yes well we shall have to see. I may or may not be staying during those times,” she declared by way of apology of not saying ‘yes’ immediately. He was a lovely gentleman but she could see that he wished to get to know her much better than their acquaintance and although it was flattering to be given such attentions she wasn’t sure she wanted to encourage it and perhaps as a result increase his affections. ___ wasn’t interested in courting Henry and she felt secretly that he was indeed very interested in her. She had a bit of guilt over that.But he didn’t seem upset or discouraged by her words. “We shall definitely then correspond closer to the times. We shall see how events play out.In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your journey up to the castle. Will you be taking a carriage?”“I haven’t decided,” she admitted. “I have some quick business to take care of with-”When she didn’t finish –distracted- he spoke up, “With?”“Pardon? Oh, ehm, with a student,” she told him turning her gaze back to him. “I’m terribly sorry Henry but I must be going. Do take care and thank you for your assistance,” she told him politely and kindly before hurrying off in the direction that she’d been distracted by before.A grin spread across her face as she came up to the person who had been her distraction. He too was smiling happily. “Bartholemew? Whatever are you doing here?”“I’m making a delivery,” he replied with a grin, “A delivery to a long time and wonderful customer.” In his hands he held a paper box tied with some coloured string.She looked from it to his bright blue eyes and back again. “Oh goodness you really shouldn’t have, Arty!”“As I understand it, the feast is always wonderful however I must admit to a bit of jealousy that the cakes and confections up there aren’t mine that you’re sampling. So I thought I’d give you a few little treats to compare with for your week ahead. And, I suppose it’s a welcome back present as well,” he admitted with some shyness. “A—well, a sort of congratulations on the start of another year ahead. Congratulations and good luck.”She accepted his box with a warm smile. “This is most kind thank you Bartholemew,” she told him with the sudden desire to kiss his cheek but holding back her affections due to decorum and her present company and situation of having students nearby.“My sincerest pleasure, ____. Now, may I escort you along to your next vehicle of choice?”“No—”she replied immediately which made his face fall, “Well yes I mean but it’s just I am uncertain of what method I will take to get to the castle.”“Ah. Well, I see you were distracted on your train ride over if you did not make up your mind,” he teased.She laughed softly, “Certainly not... Well, yes perhaps a little.”“An indecisive woman such as yourself really should take precautionary measures against her own indecision... Come now don’t blush I mean it as a tease and a compliment. I just know you well enough. Let me guess you’ve a list of the advantages of each method but cannot come to a clear conclusion on what to choose because both stand out, and if I may venture, upon the train ride you were too busy with ink and quill or a novel perhaps...so then you did not attempt to weigh the disadvantages.”“Clearly you’ve been dabbling in divination more than you let on!”His eyes sparkled with mirth. “It is easy to tell someone’s past when one understands well the character and habits of the person they wish to read. It is observation and assumption, not crystal ball reading,” he mused.She felt herself blushing knowing what he was saying was that he knew her well enough that he understood her thoughts in many ways. She was altogether flattered, shy and pleased by this knowledge for she too felt a growing closeness and fondness that she only hoped would grow.Perhaps this too was why she didn’t wish to get Henry’s hopes up for her hopes were being placed piece by piece with Bartholemew Whitmore.“Well...which do you advise I take?” she asked him after a moment’s silence had passed between them. “The boats?” she blurted just as he answered with:“The boats.”The two realized they’d spoken the same and it caused some laughter to pass between them.“Excellent thinking,” he went on, “I was going to advise it for I’ve always loved the look of the lanterns on the water as the castle lights beckon ahead. Or so, memory serves,” he murmured a bit bashfully.She felt a bit moved by this confession. “I...I admire it too –for much the same reason,” she admitted, “the quiet save for the excited bustle of a few first years speaking and the calm rock of the water as we go along as the castle looms ahead is magnificent.”He smiled at her profession.“Well then perhaps I will take the boats in,” she agreed gently in a soft tone.“I will walk you as far as I can,” he declared at once. “Might I help you with your case?”“Oh! Well thank you but no it’s quite light from the enchantments,” she explained, “Might you, though, keep care of your gift just until we depart?” she requested.“Of course.”With a smile, the two set off together –___ forgetting all about speaking to Nancy and Edward; the prefects of Ravenclaw this year. It was no pressing matter anyhow. The journey to Hogwarts was a lovely one as was the sorting ceremony for that year. ___ looked down at all the bright new faces of her house smiling as she saw the eagerness and the potential on each of their faces. She was indeed looking forward to the year ahead of them; for all of Hogwarts.When classes began, her ideas about potential were confirmed as she saw it within the new students and noted the progress in the returning ones.Before anyone knew it, September had passed and October was nearly through. She had to suddenly reflect where the time had gone for it did not seem as though Halloween was due shortly. ___ supposed it was due to the enjoyment she felt every day in teaching her students and the enthusiasm the majority of them across all the Hogwarts houses brought to their work with her. Time passed easily when one was enjoying it.Bartholemew and ___ kept up with correspondence between one another as they had done for the past year and a half –or just under that. It was much easier to send letters when they were so incredibly close in distance to one another; replies were much more immediate to the date they were written.She supposed it had been easy to begin falling for him through letter writing. After all, she loved written words on a page and whether they were a fictional tale in a book or a truthful recount of having to stop a charmed oven from mass producing apple tarts almost made no difference for both made her smile. It was wonderful to get to know a person through letter writing for sometimes in everyday conversation one would not include certain stories or phrases thinking it menial talk but by letter it was nice to sometimes provide details of your day just to pass the time and somehow portray one’s life in a slightly different way to what the other person witnessed when the two of you were face to face. It was hard to explain, admittedly, why letter writing could be much more intimate than speaking in person. But she supposed it was that when not faced with the other, one sometimes didn’t feel inhibition of including certain thoughts in one’s narrative for you weren’t dealing with seeing the receiver’s expression and reaction as you spoke. Sometimes it was easy to get lost in admitting things or professing things you mightn’t dare were you standing before them.Alternatively the opposite was true as well: one could edit what one wished to say in order to not sound as foolish, for example.But she found through writing him, his character had truly come through as had hers and instead of their interactions when with one another being hindered by the way they wrote each other, it was actually enhanced. Neither found the other to be of a different stock than their on parchment persona. It was wildly comforting and easing on the nerves.Mr. Whitmore’s latest letter promised Hogwarts a surprise for their Halloween feast courtesy of his bakery and she found herself even more eager for the occasion to arrive than her usual excitement. He had also included a small cupcake with orange icing and an enchanted decoration made of sugar that looked like a small painted face which changed its expression sometimes looking like goblin sometimes a troll and sometimes a cat-like look. It was marvelous work and she was afraid to eat the treat in order not to destroy such a masterpiece. He truly was talented.When Halloween arrived, Hogwarts was treated to a huge, wonderful cake which was in the shape of a Jack O’Lantern that was enchanted to make different expressions and cackle. Everyone was deeply impressed by Bartholemew Whitmore’s work and ____ was definitely no exception. It appeared to her that his talents and skills only grew with each new creation of his she saw.All of her students spoke of the cake for weeks –excited that they could go visit his shop in Hogsmeade and sample new treats and delights. ___ was happy for him; he was not only in business for himself but wildly popular and successful –at least by the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s support if nothing else. But she knew he wasn’t just making his living off the patronage of Hogwarts and she was glad for him.In the meantime she hoped that the novel she was scribbling away at could also become mildly successful in its own right when she tried publishing early next year. Only time would tell.