Snowbaz Oneshots

Different Ways to Go Off

I've been looking forward to posting this, I really poured my heart into it haha and it was super engaging to write. Hope y'all like it, too!

Read as you see fit here- warnings for the Mage being a colossally bad parent, lol. I don't think anything's too startling in particular, but this story is about him and Simon, so.

Takes place 5th year!

Simon

I didn't mean to anger the bird, for the record.

It was a nest of cardinals—Crystal Cardinals, named not because they're made of actual crystal, but because of crystal balls, or something. Apparently they can see the future.

I'm still not so sure, but the Mage enlisted me to help him get ahold of them, so I went along with it. I did pretty well for a while. I listened attentively when he went over plans in the car, I followed him all throughout the forest we'd driven to, and I even landed a spell correctly when we got to the birds' nest. He told me to nick a couple of eggs. Mama Bird was not happy about this, based on the cut running 'cross my eyelid.

I wanted to give the eggs back. I didn't blame the bird—putting myself in her shoes (talons?), if someone tried to take my kid, I'd certainly get a good scratch in. But I could tell that the Mage already thought I'd fucked up, so I didn't say that I thought we should jump ship. I think he's gonna put these eggs in an incubator and use them for scrying.

The car ride back to Watford is silent.

I'm cursing my clumsiness, inside my head. Five years of training and missions like these, and I can't properly sneak up on a bird? (Maybe it saw the future and knew I was coming. I don't think the Mage would be all too happy to hear that right now.) (Regardless, I should be better at this. I know I should. He knows it too.)

"Want me to stop by and see the birds later?" I ask, breaking the silence when the Mage drives across the drawbridge.

"I think you've contributed enough." He points at my eye. "Make sure to see the nurse for your injury."

Okay then. He used to go see Miss Christy with me. Maybe he thinks I've outgrown it.

The physical reminder of that day goes away quickly, but I can't find it in me to forget. I'm usually pretty good at not thinking about things, but this mission keeps sneaking up on me. The second I'm not distracted by class or scones or Baz, it's waiting in my brain like a baseline.

I think I need to make it up to the Mage.

Just to show him that I can really handle all of this. I dunno, maybe I've been slacking off lately. He'll be happier if he sees me trying harder.

I enlist Penny's help, who is pleasantly surprised but eager. She starts by cleaning up all of my notebooks and bags—something about how having an organised system for your stuff helps your brain to be more organised. Then she tutors me extensively in all the classes we have together (Greek, Magick Words, Magickal History, and Potions). I'm in the library all the time, which isn't a very new phenomenon, but it's new that I'm actually hanging off of every word Penny says.

Classes go decently. I'm not top of my year, (I'm not Baz, he's been a genius since we were eleven,) but I'm passing. Doing well on tests. Remembering presentations.

It's extremely fucking exhausting to be up at eleven p.m., studying verb conjugations and doing worksheets on the anatomy of spirits, but my teachers seem to realise that I'm putting in effort. The Minotaur is less grumpy around me and takes to calling on me during fourth period. Plus, one afternoon in Magick Words, Mrs. Possibelf hands me a graded paper—one that took a week to understand and a week after that to write—with a big red A at the top.