Hello HELLO! My name is Pixie and this is my SS25 challenge dedicated to my SSRPG character, Professor Airey Flamsteed. These drabbles will span over his life - from past to present - but not into the future. He says that is ridiculous and points out that I am not a Seer and therefore whole notion of writing about something I know nothing about and cannot predict is idiotic. Not that he really believes in all that Divination stuff to begin with. Although there will be just ONE drabble about the future because I say so.

As always, I do not own the world of Harry Potter and any references to it are purely fanbased. All those worshiping rights belong to the one and only JK Rowling.

☛ track list

1. Owl City- Take to the Sky
2. Across the Universe - The Beatles
3. It's a Brand New Day - Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris)
4. I'll Try - Jesse McCartney -
5. Some Nights - Fun.
6. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake
7. In Colour - HeyHiHello!
8. Wheel in the Sky - Journey
9. Fireflies - Owl City
10. Being Alive - Company (musical)
11. King and Lion Heart - Of Monsters and Men
12. Loser Like Me - GLEE cast
13. Dream On - Aerosmith
14. Meaningless Kiss - Hugh Grant
15. Back to Life - 3OH!3
16. My Eyes - Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris)
17. Freeze Ray - Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris)
18. Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root
19. Space Oddity - David Bowie
20. Stellar - Incubus
21. Where No Man Has Gone Before - Alexander Courage
22. You Found Me - Kelly Clarkson
23. All Star - Smash Mouth
24. Wig in a Box - Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Neil Patrick Harris)
25. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
26. BONUS TRACK Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit - Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris)

☄ ☄ ☄ ☄ ☄

take to the sky

"H-H-Houston, this is the Eagle c-c-coming in at f-f-f-four n-n-niner n-n-n-niner," the blonde haired boy said into a handmade headset constructed from mittens and duct tape as he stood on top of the roof to his home. "R-r-re-q-q-questing perm-m-mission to launch."

Fingers flew over the imaginary keyboard before him and his brow furrowed in extreme concentration. "All systems, check." Picking up the cardboard box beside him that he had fashioned to look like a rocket with wings made out of old Daily Prophets. "3...2...1...BLAST OFF!"

Perhaps he would have taken to the sky ... if it had not been for gravity.

across the universe

"When his eyes finally opened, the world around him was nothing but a blur. Shapes and colors were all blending into one chaos and his ears were ringing.

"Mr. Flamsteed can you hear me?"

That was his name. His eyes struggled to focus towards the voice and when they did he was confused as how he had come to be in the hospital when he had been in astronaut training moments earlier.

"Mr. Flamsteed, you were in an accident. The damage to your back is severe...."

He had been grounded permanently.

His dream of becoming an astronaut had been shattered.

it's a brand new day

He was back at Hogwarts.

Back and with professors and the Headmistress breathing down his neck to be on his best behavior from now on or else risk expulsion. All this translated very differently in the third year's head. He had been caught one too many times, including the accident in the Headmistress' office, so he needed to turn over a new leaf and not get caught.

Already he was looking around the Great Hall for his victim. No way he was going to just roll over and play nice. He had THINGS to do and a legacy to leave.

i'll try

Airey leaned a bit more on the cane that he still relied on to walk with. It had been months since his discharge from the hospital and his medical leave would be over soon, the the once hopeful astronaut felt unmotivated to return to NASA. Or anywhere.

"You could think about teaching too, you know," Jeremy replied.

"You mean follow you to Hogwarts? I doubt that school wants to see me again."

"No, I mean here. At NASA."

While the thought of helping others achieve the dream he could not was heart wrenching, it also had its appeal.

I'll try.

some nights

Sweet solstice. It was his Hogwarts days all over again. So thank you for reminding him why he had been so glad when he had finally graduated from this place. He had had his group of friends, so he hadn't been lonely. It was those unaccepting looks that made his palms sweat and question himself.

Although well into the term, he still felt like he didn't fit in with the other staff. Until he looked to his left and saw Calista and Medea.

Dinners in the Great Hall were terrible some nights, but with his two friends he felt accepted.

mirrors

Airey had not been in this part of the castle since his first year. Back then he had peered into the mirror and seen himself without his stutter and surrounded by friends. Now, two decades later, he wondered what he would see now.

So it was with great caution and closed eyes that he approached the legendary mirror and held his breath. First night back in the castle and he was already looking for ways to torture himself.

One last deep breath and his flew eyes opened. There he was. In a different sort of suit. One designed for space.

in colour

It was the teen's favorite thing to do, head into muggle London with his parents for shopping. While the adults wandered the department store, Airey would make his way to the electronics section and sit in front of the telethings and watch the muggles trapped in the boxes.

Frowning a bit that today's muggles seemed to be trapped in a black and white world, he soon found color in a colorless world. Goddard launching the first liquid-fueled rocket. Yuri Gagarin's orbital flight. Apollo 11 landing on the moon...

Dreams exploding in his mind like fireworks, Airey decided had his future.

wheel in the sky

Airey shoved his hands in his pocket to stop them from shaking but to no avail. The press conference announcing his position as Astronomer Royal was about to begin, but he could already see the flashing lights and feel the polyurethane foam on his face.

Public speaking. It brought back his stutter. A stutter he had been controlling before the accident had left him emotionally compromised.

Out the window behind him, Airey saw the sun lowering on the horizon as it had for over 6 billion years. Acting as a consistent companion and guide.

His hands steadied and he smiled.

fireflies

Tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth and brow furrowed in deep concentration, Airey used his spoon and knife to sculpt the mass of potatoes in front of him. This one was going to turn into a volcano, so he pushed his spoon down on it an remolded the sides again. Now for the broccoli. Using his fingers, the 6-year-old began pushing them into the sides of his mashed potato mountains to create forests.

"O-O-O-Oh no! It's go-go-gonna blow!"

Airey poured gravy into his mashed potato sculpture.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Nothing was ever as it seemed once his imagination woke.

being alive

Every since he had started interacting with other kids his age, Airey had found himself isolated and picked on all because of his stutter. Teachers would make him read out loud, claiming that the speaking would be good for him. Help him control it. All it did was make him stand out. Draw attention to his speech impediment. Gave people a reason to point fingers. Laugh at him. Call him names.

It all made him feel empty inside. Afraid of social interactions.

It was easier being alone.

But it wasn't the life a child should feel they needed to live.

king and lionheart

Airey had not been looking forward to today's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Practicing their Patronus Charms on fake dementors. Sounded like a way to embarrass students really.

Wand at the ready, the dementor descended upon the sixth year. Hearing the howling ghosts of his past, he steadied himself and searched his heart for a memory as he prepared to face the mountain before him.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery roadrunner dashed out of his wand, pushing the dementor back. Returning to Airey, it ran circles around his feet. That had been produced because of him.

Because of his lionheart.

loser like me

Could he go home now? Things here were just as bad as they were back home. Everyone tried to ignore him because they thought he was loser. He had been told by his parents not to mind what others thought. Everyone started somewhere. Hard to do when all you wanted was to be accepted.

The first year's feet suddenly were over his head, floating, and the mocking voice of Peeves echoed through the corridor.

"I see London. I see France. I see Airhead's golden underpants!"

Love him or hate him, people knew the poltergeist's name and Airey suddenly felt inspired.

dream on

Leaping from moon mountain to moon mountain, Airey couldn't believe how small the earth looked from here. It was just like a marble floating in a black abyss that was space. Slowly, he sat down inside a crater and fell backwards; staying this way for a few moments just looking up and wondering who was looking back. Not able to sit still for too long, he began to move his arms and legs in the moon dust to make a moon angel as a comet passed by.

And then suddenly he was falling...

THUD!

Right on to the bedroom floor.

meaningless kiss
Dedicated to DanialRadFAN01 & Roselyn

Was this what it felt like, being under the influence of a love potion? The Astronomy professor had never felt so confused in his 34 years of life. First the dance floor. Then the Tower Patch. Both times had taken him by surprise and it was difficult to take Airey Flamsteed by surprise.

He didn't know how to handle this. These emotions. The act that had been done. It was all foreign to him. All just an experiment?

Yes, that was the way to look at it.

Just two meaningless kisses.

Then why was his heart racing? And for whom?

back to life
Dedicated to the graduating class of 2081 (Term 34)

Sitting at the staff table brought him back to his final night at Hogwarts. It had been a night full of optimism and hope for the future. A night where anything seemed possible and that there was a sparkly golden path laid out before him to lead him towards his dreams.

Things hadn't worked out for him, but now wasn't about him. It was about the students he had come to know this past two years. Students who he hoped would be able to fulfill their bright dreams or, if they began to fade, would bring them back to life.

my eyes

Airey felt like stabbing his fork into the table in the Great Hall. He would have actually done so if his best friend's hand had not been in the way. The popular kids. The ones that represent the hubris that can accompany physical strength and public support. The ones that everyone said were the real Gryffindors when any dolt with half a brain could see they were as fake as a pair of muggle denchers.

But then he looked at his best friend sitting next to him and things fell into perspective. They'd make their own respectable sort of Gryffindor.

freeze ray

Airey bound down the stairs and found himself unable to stop his forward moments until he went crashing right into the Christmas tree in the middle of the living room. He had asked for something SUPER special this year, but found himself growing more and more disappointed with each layer of wrapping paper he tore off.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I-I-I-It's not h-h-h-h-here. The Fr-fr-fr-freeze Ray I-I-I-I a-a-a-asked for."

He parents glanced at one another anxiously.

"That way I could stop the world and keep happy moments forever. No pain."

"You don't need one for that."

"Y-y-y-you d-do if you fo-fo-forget."

send me on my way

Was todaaaaaaaaaaay going to be the day? The 12-year-old certainly hoped so and he was even sitting out on the front porch with his fingers crossed and toes tapping against the ground with his blue eyes fixated on the clear sky.

It had been a week of the same routine: wake up; breakfast; sit outside until lunch; sit outside until dinner; be forced to stay indoors by parents who insisted owls did not deliver after sunset; bed.

"C-C-Come oooooon," he pleaded.

Then it happened. A shape in the distance. Flapping wings. A friendly screech.

His letter had finally come.

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

space oddity

You know what class was boring? Care of Magical Creatures. Biggest snorfest EVER and the first year couldn't understand why everyone else seemed to be getting excited over these furry things. He needed to do something to entertain himself. Something to leave a tangy taste in his brain instead of an anchovy one.

Staring off past the professor, Airey imagined himself somewhere else. Somewhere up, up, up and away from everyone else. Embraced by the alienation of outer space, he flew towards the Moon and reached out to pluck a star...

"Question, Mr. Flamsteed?"

Oops.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuh....can I use the loo?"

stellar
dedicated to Roselyn

Airey had become comfortable with the idea of being forever alone with his research. Years of schoolboy unrequited crushes and advances had helped solidify that much. Not to mention the disaster that had been adulthood courting.

Nothing logical about it and he understood entirely why Vulcan's had adopted Surak's philosophies. To control or suppress all emotion and thus render one's self a purely logical being.

And he had done so. For 30 something years of his existence.

But there was just something about her that made it okay that 2+2=42 and made him lower the logic shield.

He was evolving.

where no man has gone before

After another day of enduring his glasses being broken repeatedly by the other 4-year-olds and having Madam Birtwistle Oculus Reparo them, Airey was ready to lock himself in his room with his mathematics flash cards until supper. But then he saw his father sitting on the sofa watching something on the muggle box.

"Rough day again, sport?"

Airey nodded solemnly.

"Come sit with me and watch this. You'll feel better."

He obliged.

"See that bloke?"

"Th-Th-Th-Th-The one w-w-w-w-w-with the fu-fu-funny ears?"

"Mhm. Bit of an oddity, extremely intellectual, and you know what else?"

Airey shook his head.

"Revered and appreciated."

you found me

Peering through up through the circular holes that allowed light into her cardboard prison and watched as customer after customer passed her by without a second glance. Why would they allow their gaze to linger on her rocky surface when there were collectible superhero figures still in their boxes and colorful stuffed animals in mint condition to purchase?

She had given up all hope of finding a home.

Suddenly, a suited figure stopped in front of her shelf, reached forward with complete disregard for her filthy packaging and basked her in glorious sunlight for the first time.

"Perfect," he said.

all star

Airey eagerly watched the staff table for someone to finally take a sip from their goblet. The point loss just now was totally worth it and besides, he had never been one to earn and keep.

Raising his own goblet to his fellow seventh year beside him, it was hard to fathom that this was the last night they would be spending here in the castle. Lots of lessons learned, but most important was that you don't try to fit into anyone's mold. You break it and make your own.

"NO! MY HAIR!"

Someone had finally drank from their goblet.

wig in a box

It was like dressing up for Halloween every day. Only instead of the traditional costume he was putting on confidence. Confidence in the form of clothing.

He had seen the way pops got dressed for work and the way the sleep vanished from his face and was replaced with conviction just from tying a Half-Windsor. With it on he had transformed from the meek stuttering Gryffindor to the confident trickster.

Tying his scarlet and gold tie and pulling it snug, Airey made sure that his suit was hidden under his school robes and gave himself a salute.

"Be stellar, Flamsteed."

time of your life

Looking out at the sea of faces, the Astronomy professor felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. He may not have fulfilled his dream of becoming an astronaut and was not the most sentimental during his years here, but seeing each graduating class come and go with their bright eyes looking towards their equally bright future had both humbled and inspired him.

But it was all ending tonight.

Rising to take a bow when his retirement was announced, he offered an enthusiastic salute and then made a V shape with the fingers of his right hand.

"LIVE LONG AND PROSPER, HOGWARTS!"