Im Not A Perfectionist, But Finding A Typo Or A Grammatical Error In My Own Already-published Fic Is

I’m not a perfectionist, but finding a typo or a grammatical error in my own already-published fic is like stepping on a Lego honestly

A Bouquet of New Beginnings Ch. 17 "Calendula"

Floriography - Health & Trouble

[AO3]

Summary: A month into the new school year. Professor Weasley checks in on progress, and Poppy invites Artemis for some moonlight rescue.

Below is an excerpt of the chapter; full chapter can be viewed from AO3 link above.

The beds of green slowly shifted to red, gamboge, and brown to welcome autumn. Students brought out their warm cloaks and jumpers to welcome the cooler months ahead. This particular afternoon, Artemis sat across from the redhaired Deputy Headmistress in her office. Fresh cups of earl grey wafted their elegant steam as the snow-haired girl rested her hands, right over left, in her lap.

“Miss Loreley, thank you for coming to see me so quickly.”

“It was no trouble, Professor Weasley,” responded Artemis quickly. Her palm tingled from the slight rub of her thumb against the hidden scar.

“It’s been a little over a month since you’ve come to Hogwarts, and I wished to check in on your progress. May I see your Field Guide?”

Artemis dutifully pulled out the tome from her school bag with both hands.

“How have you been adjusting?” Professor Weasley asked as she began to flip through the pages.

“Well, ma’am.”

A perfect blend of bitter and sweet swirled her mouth with her tea.

“I’m glad. I was starting to worry, since you’ve shown up to breakfast only once.”

She swallowed; the liquid felt like molten lava. Her gaze fell to the liquid surface. Reflected back was her carefully neutral façade. The additional Glamour Charm hid the increasingly darkened under eye circles.

“I eat light in the mornings, Professor.”

“I see. Well, you certainly keep yourself busy. Hospital Wing volunteering, the Briar Greenhouse, and I’ve heard you’ve taken to extra broom lessons with Miss Reyes. Nurse Blainey has also expressed that you wish to undertake the next Asclepius Record.”

A small smile stretched the Deputy Headmistress’ lips. Artemis wondered if this woman had ears in every crevice of the school.

“Collectively, all the professors of the mind that you are rapidly catching up to your classmates. You’re making great progress. Well done.”

Artemis’ gaze moved toward the desk as another sip of earl grey glided down her throat.

“Professor, may I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“The room I stayed in my first night… did it disappear?”

No matter how many times she’d passed by that hall, the door never reappeared. Professor Weasley lifted an eyebrow before she chuckled softly.

“I’d wondered when you were going to ask me. Frankly I’m surprised it took you as long as you did.”

Artemis gave a sheepish smile. “I wanted to make sure I’d not been mistaken.”

“Hm. Very well. Nurse Blainey did mention the lack of a… what was it… a Healing mannequin? Perhaps the Room will have it.”

“The… Room, Professor?”

The professor held the Field Guide toward her. “Yes. Come, I’ll show you.”

Artemis followed the Deputy Headmistress without hesitation; her heels clicked as the clumps of students parted the halls. Professor Weasley’s overwhelming presence dulled her own as she followed in the taller woman’s shadow. The seventh-floor corridor wasn’t far, and there were no students there.

“Now, walk past this wall three times, and focus on something you need. To make it simple, how about somewhere to focus on the Asclepius Record?” Professor Weasley suggested warmly and gestured her arm toward the hall.

Artemis began. To and fro, her soft treads barely made a noise on the castle floors. Her mind, however, went broader than the Asclepius Record. She needed somewhere that could offer her all the Healing texts available, including texts in the Restricted Section, for herself, for Professor Fig, for Henry, for Anne even. Somewhere to train her Healing magic. Somewhere to go that wasn’t the Witty Pear if she were ever hurt, but couldn’t raise Nurse Blainey’s suspicion.

A… clinic.

Slowly, a dark cherry wood door unfurled itself from the middle of the greyed brick, and Professor Weasley gave a noise of awe.

“Well done! I do have to say, I’d never seen a wooden door before. Go on in,” encouraged the professor.

The door opened inward to something akin to a hexagonal conservatory. Some sort of conjured sunlight warmed the room from the kinmokusei glass mosaic on the ceiling. Half of the walls were made of clear glass, and beyond was a glade that closely resembled her mother’s glade. The solid walls were painted a pale sky blue, two of them nearly covered by the dark cherry bookshelves full of every other Healing text possible – delightfully, in both English and Japanese. Two Healing training mannequins stood in the corner, where the floor was tiled unlike the rest a light English Oak.

An overly large desk with an overhead glass cabinet stood against another wall, filled with potion vials and other equipment. Hanging baskets hung on the sides, and she was pleasantly surprised the ones already filled contained dwarf roses, lavender, and mints. There was an interesting-looking quill with a bronze ink bottle that stood on the side of the desk under the soft lamp light.

Artemis breathed out in awe. “What is this place?”

“This is the Room of Requirement,” started Professor Weasley. “It’s a room that changes to fit the seeker’s needs. I requested for a comfortable bedroom for you to rest in your first night.

Now, you’ve made quite a canvas for yourself. A rather interesting Desk of Description as well.”

“Desk of Description?”

“Yes. I’m sure you’ve come across a few things you didn’t know what they were; whenever you do, place it here and it’ll tell you what the item is.”

“So, like the Information spell?” Artemis asked.

Professor Weasley nodded. “Yes, though much more powerful. I daresay you could use this space to catch up on your other studies as well. Perhaps take one of those training mannequins to Nurse Blainey?”

“I- yes, Professor, thank you.”

“Speaking of studies… I noticed that Professor Fig has put in a few requests for outdoor excursions,” started Professor Weasley. “He marked them as introducing you to the land’s history and learning to immerse yourself into wizarding communities. Now I must ask… is any of this related to what happened with the dragon attack?”

“Not at all, Professor,” lied Artemis smoothly.

A moment passed between the two before Professor Weasley gave a small, tired smile.

“I see. Now, I shall let you get acquainted with your space – you’re free to use this space as you please, though I do ask you continue to adhere to the school rules.”

“Yes Professor. Thank you, for trusting me with this.”

“You’re welcome. I did, after all, show you this on your first night; I’m sure you would’ve figured out the secret sooner rather than later. Use it well,” said Professor Weasley warmly.

Artemis nodded as she watched the redhead leave. Once the door shut, her shoulders slumped in relief. Lying had been necessary but it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She reached into the legside bag and pulled out the mysterious palm-sized box that she’d gotten from the bottom of the Black Lake. She couldn’t believe it’d been a full month since she’d picked this up.

Inside sat three, translucent stones, fashioned into ear pierces onto their velvet bed. The moment she touched one the stone changed colour until it was an iridescent blue-green with a silvery shimmer on the inside.

<<How odd,>> gasped out Artemis before she placed the box onto the desktop near the ink and bottle. Bronze runes lifted from seemingly nowhere as they encircled the box in a flurry before they coagulated into a piece of parchment where the quill wrote at a furious speed. Once it had been completed, she read the words scrawled in bronze ink.

Secret Sharer

Mid-Tier artefact, commonly used to communicate between individuals telepathically if they are within a half-mile radius. Once attuned, the stone will change to the colour of their magical core. Resets upon return.

Artemis hummed as she picked up the Secret Sharer box, and repocketed it. She supposed, on occasion, it paid to explore the lakebed. Perhaps she’d invite Richard again when he came back. Or Nerida now that they’ve started floating practise in an enlarged bathtub.

But for now, she had Healing texts to read, and a mannequin to practise on.

Her fingertips glided across the book spines until she found Duality of Healing Arts, and began to read. She’d been going to the Restricted Section on twice a week with Sebastian, and had been chipping away at its contents slowly. Now, she had the luxury of reading it at her own pace without the constant threat of Madam Scribner, Peeves, or any myriads of ghosts. The contents were not as Dark as she would’ve thought, considering where it had been located, but it did touch on the ‘other’ side of Healing arts – necromancy. Artemis scrunched her nose in distaste.

The dead should remain dead, rest from the life they’d been living.

A particular spell, however, caught her attention. She pulled the mannequin manual and tapped her wand on the rune she needed. Suddenly, the mannequin was heavily lacerated - the chicken blood flowed freely in abundance onto the tiled ground. She pointed her wand, aglow in soft green light, and attempted in a sing-song incantation.

“Vulnera Sanentur.”

A Bouquet of New Beginnings: Chapter 10 "Witch's Briar"

Summary: As the first week of school comes to an end, Artemis takes the plunge.

Floriography: Witch's Briar - Ferocity

[AO3]

Full chapter can be read through the AO3 Link above, excerpt below!

Despite returning to her room near the witching hour, Artemis awoke at five in the morning per usual. The semi-permanent black circles were even more pronounced as she braided her hair under the soft candlelight; her roommates all fast asleep. The armada of white hairpins were placed for stability, careful to avoid the side-swept bangs both along her forehead and sides that framed her face.

The day began with another self-defence training session at the Quidditch pitch, supervised by Nocturne who was happily chomping on a jerky reward, courtesy of the “for hungry students” cabinet provided by the kitchen house-elves. She even risked knife-throwing into the mannequins at the edges of the field; it was entirely refreshing to see the blades sink into the centre each time.

However, without her garden, greenhouse or rigorous summer training curriculum, after she’d gotten done with the morning shower and had a green apple from the common room, she was at a loss for what to do. Leto hadn’t sent his response yet, she’d finished up her homework and extra assignments from her long waking hours, and Nurse Blainey had stated clearly Monday to discuss volunteering. Her desire to mingle with people was non-existent at the point, but she’d decided already she’d sketch tomorrow. Aimlessly, Artemis wandered the grounds with her legside bag attached, school uniform on sans robe until she reached the greenhouses. A melodious hum carried in the air.

As she poked her head in, she saw the familiar green robes and braided red hair. Professor Garlick was tending to the venomous tentacula that stood proudly within their greenhouse classroom, the smile on her face soft and endearing. Artemis found her vivacious, bubbly demeanour treading a fine line between endearing and exhausting, but right now it leaned toward the former. A thought came to her as she quietly stepped into the space.

“Good morning, Professor Garlick.”

Professor Garlick let out a surprised gasp as she whipped around, braids and all. The older woman had a hand upon her chest, the clippers in the other lowered.

“Goodness! I didn’t hear you enter, Miss Loreley. Good morning to you as well,” greeted Professor Garlick. “It’s rare, having a student come to the greenhouse on a Saturday. Can I help you?”

“I… was wondering if there was anything I could assist you in the greenhouse today.”

Professor Garlick tilted her head. “Assist me? In the greenhouse?”

“Yes,” said Artemis as she felt the dull pain of her thumb against her hidden scar, quelling her nerves for being so forward.

Professor Garlick hummed as her expression softened considerably.

“Miss Loreley, please do be honest with the question I am about to ask. I shan’t be offended with your answer.”

“Professor?”

“How has the first week of my class been for you? And the extra assignment? In terms of challenge.”

Artemis blinked twice.

“It… was easy, Professor,” answered Artemis honestly. Truth be told, the extra assignment regarding puffapods and their uses had been simple, and the plants they’d been covering in class were second nature to her. She had to search for something to do in class so that her hands were kept busy.

“I suspected as much. I’d never seen a student be able to handle three or four different plants in one lesson without sacrificing the care,” remarked Professor Garlick with a smile. “Professors Weasley and Fig had, of course, shared with us your experience, but it’s another to see it entirely.”

Artemis gave a noncommittal hum as her gaze moved to the venomous tentacula.

“In light of that, I’d like to make some adjustments to your extra assignments,” said Professor Garlick.

Artemis looked toward the redhead, who’d gone toward her desk and came back with a bronze key, its handle decorated with a wild rose and briars. At the professor’s insistence, she followed the older woman out of their current greenhouse.

“My predecessor, before he became… indisposed, had a particular way of running the greenhouses,” explained Professor Garlick as they continued down the scenic path. “I’ve taken to reinvigorating and redoing one per year, and of course, one cannot forget maintenance. This one still is yet to be replanted, re… well, let’s just say it needs some love. A bit of an overgrowth”

Their feet stopped in front of one of the darkened greenhouses. Artemis could make out long, thick lines of some sort of overgrowth along the glass panelling.

The professor stuck the key into the lock; even the click sounded thick and rusted.

A bit of an overgrowth was a gross understatement.

raise your hand if you’re also incredibly interested in everyone’s MCs and want to hear about them all the time ✋

Thank you @sallowslove & @thefeatherwrites for the tags! ✨✨

The latest sentence in my WIP, a few chapters ahead:

He was a man once; he deserved a modicum of privacy, even when melted down to the bone.

No pressure tagging: @betheckart @theladyofshalott1989 @dom1re

LAST SENTENCE TAG GAME

RULES: Post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic / original / anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence.

@groovytimetravelflower shared this with me and I thought I'd give it a try!

Had the Lucians done something to Linda, there would be no more reason to keep cooperating like this.

Tagging @groovytimetravelflower @andywinter16 @pandansca and whoever wants to do this! I don't know many other writers on Tumblr enough to tag them in these things.

A Bouquet of New Beginnings Chapter 11: "Amaryllis"

Floriography - Determination

Summary: Snippets of Artemis' second week of school - the good, the bad, and the nightmare.

[AO3]

Below is an excerpt of the chapter, full chapter can be viewed from the AO3 Link above!

“So, I heard that you’re quite the covert little thief.”

Artemis paused her quill as she lifted her head. Sebastian and Ominis had been doing their assigned Charms essay, and she her extra assignments, in relative silence for the past half hour in the tucked away corner of the library until Ominis broke the silence.

“Oh?” Artemis asked as she pointedly looked at Sebastian. He was the only source that could’ve possibly said anything to Ominis.

Sebastian had the audacity to give an innocent smile.

“Oh indeed. Something about a padlock and a cat? A traipse into the Re-”

“-Oi! Not so loud,” cut in Sebastian. Ominis rolled his eyes as his head tilted back toward her.

“Just hadn’t expected you to be so brazen already with the rules,” paused Ominis. “Well done.”

Artemis had opened her mouth to make a counterargument, only to shut it in the unexpected praise. In contrast, Sebastian’s jaw dropped.

“What? So I get scolded when I go, but Artie gets a compliment? I see how it is.”

Ominis snickered at his friend’s expense.

“She doesn’t barge into our room with erumpent stomps at two in the morning, Sebastian. Though I am curious as to what you could possibly need. You’ve been here less than two weeks.”

Artemis was saved from answering the question as a sneering voice came from her left.

“Well, who do we have here? All alone and – oh, Gaunt. Sallow.”

Their table was at a strange angle that provided blind spots – clearly, Alistair had thought she’d been alone. The change in his tone was drastic, as the moment he saw the two boys his demeanour completely changed.

Sebastian glared daggers and Ominis’ expression was a carefully controlled brand of neutral.

“Avery. Care to finish what you were saying?” Sebastian asked dangerously.

“No, no I think I’ll take my leave,” said Alistair diplomatically.

“Do,” said Ominis as he slowly turned. Alistair’s hand balled into a fist, glared at Artemis once before he stomped away.

“Git,” spat out Sebastian before he turned to Artemis. “How’d you have the misfortune of meeting him?”

“Poppy and I stopped him from pulling on Persephone’s whiskers,” answered Artemis.

“Still petty I see. Can’t believe he’s the same year as us,” sighed Ominis.

“He seemed intimidated.”

“He should. I’d gladly fry him crispy,” huffed Sebastian.

“More my last name than me,” corrected Ominis. He looked like he bit a bitter bug. “Descendant of Salazar Slytherin, my father being friends with the headmaster. The Gaunt name has its… uses, despite the unfortunate run of pureblood mania.”

Slytherin has a bunch of pureblood supremist bigots, not to mention families associated with the Dark Arts. The Malfoys, the Blacks, the Lestranges, the Gaunts.

“The headmaster has friends…?” Artemis asked instead, perplexed at the concept.

Sebastian choked on air as he quickly muffled his laughter into his elbow; Ominis’ shoulders shook as he controlled his. Madam Scribner gave the group a warning glance as she walked by on her patrol.

“Artie, did you hear back from your contact?” Sebastian asked after it was clear the librarian had left their vicinity.

“Contact?” Ominis asked, his head giving a slight jerk.

Artemis looked between Ominis and Sebastian; the brunet nodded as Artemis let out a soft breath.

“They said they’d need to review their contract for the finer details first,” said Artemis. She’d hoped Leto would have responded back before telling Sebastian, but alas. “But, tentatively yes.”

“Really?” Sebastian asked, his eyes brightened. In contrast, Ominis’ features darkened.

“Contract?” Ominis repeated back.

“Artie has a Healer contact in the Ministry. Said she’d reach out regarding Anne.”

“A Healer? Wait, you told her about Anne?”

“I was getting her a –” started Sebastian before he stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. “Never mind, yes, I told Artie about Anne.”

“Why?”

“She’s my sister, I can tell whomever I like.”

Ominis hummed, though his expression didn’t ease as he looked at Artemis.

“Rather generous of you,” said Ominis. His jaw was set.

“Ominis,” Sebastian started, surprised.

Ominis tilted his head toward her; Artemis’ heart sank. She’d not felt this since Chalvey. Palpable mistrust, clear suspicion.  

“So? Why are you helping?”

“Because I want to.”

She managed to keep her voice controlled. It was understandable, why he would be like this.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Because she didn’t want history to repeat itself… but nobody else needed to know that.

“You’re lying,” retorted Ominis. “What do you gain from this?”

Her throat tightened. Sebastian’s warm chocolate eyes hardened toward his best friend.

“Ominis, stop it -”

“- Is treating someone the way you wanted to be treated so unbelievable?”

The soft, wobbled words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.  She hadn’t intended to say that, not really.

Her hands moved quickly as both boys were stunned; Ominis’ eyebrows furrowed rather quickly afterward.

“Excuse me,” muttered Artemis as she pulled out her wand, the rest of her items haphazardly in her arms.  She muttered a quick disillusionment.

“Artie, wait!”

“Mr. Sallow! This is the library!”

Madam Scribner’s shrill warning rang loud behind her as she slunk away into the green floo flames.