Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sam stared up at the castle, feeling many things at once. Awe, shock, excitement, fear. It was strange and new and Sam was wildly out of his comfort zone right now. He clung to his suitcase like a lifeline. It was the only familiarity in such an odd situation. He barely had time to process his acceptance letter and what it all meant before he was being whisked away through one portkey after another, each turning his stomach a little more than the last. But here he was, ready to start a new chapter in his life.

Ilvermorny was bigger than he had been expecting, though Sam hadn’t really had that much of a chance to think about it at all, because, really? Wizards? It was insane. Yet, here he was, surrounded by people in witch clothes in front of what he could only assume was a haunted castle, with strange creatures milling about the grounds. It was a lot to take in.

Sam tripped over his robes as he followed the crowd of First Years through the front doors. They lined the wall of the large circular room. The pristine stone floor was smooth beneath his feet as Sam shuffled from one foot to the other out of nervousness. His robes swooshed from side to side, billowing out in a way that made them seem extra large. If that was even possible, considering he already looked like a small child masquerading as some sort of Professor. Sam couldn’t complain too much, though. The mandatory clothes and supplies had been provided free to him by the school, which he was grateful for. His family didn’t exactly have extra spending money laying around. Besides, everyone around him looked equally as ridiculous as he did, so it wasn’t all bad.

The man leading their group began to speak and Sam only half listened as he took in his surroundings. A large golden knot sat in the center of the floor in front of four large statues. They were strange looking for sure, but Sam was unsettled by one in particular. A humanoid creature with a big nose and ears. Some sort of a Goblin perhaps? He wasn’t sure, but it rubbed him the wrong way. It reminded him too much of those old fashioned movie puppets for comfort. Though Sam was sure he was being disrespectful in some way, shape, or form. There was also a bird, a snake, and some sort of big cat, all with varying degrees of mystic qualities.

Sam’s eyes panned up, and for the first time he realized there was a balcony above. Hundred of faces stared down at them, making his skin crawl. The entire school was there. Sam hoped he didn’t mess up.

One by one students were called up in alphabetical order to be sorted into their Houses. It was interesting, and Sam wondered about the intricacies of the ceremony. The student was called up, stood on the knot, and waited. After a moment one of the statues would move, indicating the choice, and the student would stand behind it. Students formed groups, as they were called without incident, save for one.

A small boy around Sam’s height was called. Short brown hair, bright blue eyes, a smile that screamed a confidence Sam just couldn’t feign in that situation. James Barnes. He strolled up to the knot and waited patiently, hands in his pockets, his robes open haphazardly with his tie all sloppy and lopsided. He looked like a well put together mess and Sam instantly hated it. He could spot a troublemaker a mile away.

Sam waited to see which statue would claim the boy, curious as to what the contending factor was. Surely someone like this James Barnes wouldn’t be in the same ballpark as Sam. Then, something strange happened. The large gem in the center of the snake's head glowed brightly as the cat roared. It surprised Sam to say the least, since he didn’t know being claimed by two houses was an option. A small murmur rushed through the crowd above, and Sam picked up excitement. The boy tilted his head, looking between the two statues before shrugging and heading to stand with the small crowd of students behind the horned snake.

The names seemed to fly by in a blur after that, and for once Sam was glad that he was toward the end. Wilson always came last, or very close to it. His palms were sweaty and he absently wiped them on his robes. To his dismay, he was last. The full weight of every person in the room waiting on him made his cheeks flush slightly. Sam pushed it down with a deep breath. He approached the golden knot with hesitation. His eyes flashed to all the statues, wondering just what was in store for him.

Two things happened at once. The big cat's loud roar nearly made Sam jump out of his skin as he watched in horror as the humanoid creature raised its arrow. If he was being completely honest, Sam had been secretly worried that none of the houses would choose him, that his acceptance letter had been one giant mistake. But here he was with two options now. More murmuring caught his attention, but he ignored it. Big, loud, six legged cat. Creature with menacing eyes and opposable thumbs. The choice was simple. One was strange, the other made his skin crawl. Sam walked toward the cat, pleasantly surprised that all the students there genuinely seemed pleased with that decision.

More murmurs surged through the room and Sam did his best to ignore them. He fell in line next to a small blonde boy, for all intents and purposes seemed to be swimming in his robes. He stared at Sam with intense blue eyes for someone who looked so… sickly. Sam hated to think it, but it was true. He was skinny and pale with too much of a haggard look for someone who was only eleven or twelve.

“Hi, I’m Steve Rogers.” The boy stuck out his hand. Sam shook it as firmly as he dared, too afraid he might break what he assumed were the most delicate bones in that room.

“Sam Wilson.” He kept his voice low, fully aware he was missing out on what was probably vital information from the Headmaster. The voice drifted into his mind half heartedly, something about wands, school pride, and dangerous situations. Perhaps Sam should have listened to that last one, but it was too late now. The groups were heading through another doorway one by one, and down multiple corridors. Hopefully Sam didn’t need to memorize where anything was yet, because for the most part everything looked the same. Bland, maybe even a little boring.

Eventually the crowd let out into a similarly sized room. Shelves lined the walls by the dozens, each with hundreds of little cubbies full of long, thin boxes. Sam watched students spread out in pairs and small groups, all chatting softly. So, he did the only thing that made sense. Sam took a wide step to the left, stopping inches from Steve’s side and decided this was a partner activity.

“What now?” He asked with a shrug.

“Uh, we pick wands.” Steve said, looking mildly confused. Maybe Sam had misread the situation. Maybe the Headmaster had given them actual instructions that he missed. Maybe Steve was just thinking of a polite way to ditch him. But then the blonde boy tilted his head toward the far corner of the room and motioned for Sam to follow. “Or they pick us. Whatever happens first.”

“The wands pick us?” He asked.

“Muggle born, right?” Steve guessed. It didn’t sound derogatory, but Sam had an inkling it could have been. Still, he wasn’t sure what it meant at all, so he just quirked an eyebrow. Luckily, Steve seemed to understand. “Your parents aren’t magic?”

“Oh. No. It’s just me. Got the letter a few days ago and they’ve… they’ve been taking it as well as they can, I guess.” Which wasn’t the best. But it was a learning curve for all of them. They didn’t panic and call in a Priest, which was probably the best he could have hoped for. Still, things were tense when they said their goodbyes, and he hoped the months apart would sort of smooth things over in a way Sam couldn’t do on his own.

“A lot of no-maj’s aren’t sure how to handle it. They’re raised to believe we don’t exist.” Steve shrugged, like it was a simple fact of life. He reached up to a mid-level shelf, grabbed a box, and peered inside. After a moment he frowned, popped the cover back on and slid it back in place on the shelf. “Better than my Mom’s reaction. She cried actual tears of joy when I got my letter. Guess she was starting to think I was a squib.”

“A squib?”

“Yeah so, sometimes people with no magic have kids with magic, like you.” Steve grabbed another box and repeated his former action. “And sometimes Wizards have kids that can’t do any magic at all. It’s really rare and really embarrassing. But I made it, so…”

Steve trailed off, and Sam decided not to ask about it. He figured it was some weird Wizarding nuance he didn’t quite get yet. But, there was something in Steve’s eyes that screamed insecurity. It wasn’t something he really wanted to get into with a stranger. So, instead, Sam copied the actions of his peers. He reached for a box at chest height and opened it. Inside sat a wand. Long, dark, and plain. It kind of looked like a twig plucked from any old tree.

“Most wands choose the Wizard.” Steve explained. “It forms a really strong bond, makes your spells stronger, more accurate. If not, then just pick one that feels right and you can develop a bond with time and practice.”

“How do you know if it picks you?” Sam frowned at the box, hoping this wasn’t the wand he’d end up with. Then, the space to his right erupted in a golden mist. He looked up at the girl responsible for the mess and saw a bright smile on her face as she held the wand proudly in front of her.

“It’ll let you know.” Steve nodded at the girl, then wiped the golden dust off his shoulder. Sam placed the wand back on the shelf and followed Steve to the next section.

All around them wands dispersed. Dust, fireworks, noise. It was cool, exciting. Sam couldn’t wait to find the perfect wand. He picked up box after box, some amazing, some decent, some down right hideous. But none of them seemed right. He picked them up, waved them around, twirled them between his fingers. Steve found a wand, light in color with an ornate carved handle. The box marked it as cedar wood, unicorn hair core, 14 ½ inches. It seemed far to large for such a small boy. But, it twinkled in Steve’s hand, sparkling in approval. Steve’s eyes twinkled just as brightly.

Instead of getting disheartened, Sam became more curious. Where was his wand? Surely one would choose him. He looked high and low, picking out plain wands, elaborate wands, wands high up out of reach, even wands hidden behind others. Then he saw it. It was hard to describe. A pull. An interest. Sam slid between two classmates talking about all the classes they couldn’t wait to take, and plucked a box off the shelf.

Alder wood.
Phoenix Feather Core.
10 inches.

Hesitantly Sam opened the box and picked up the wand. Warmth spread through his fingers, tingling his entire arm. Nothing exploded from the wand. There was no big show, and yet he knew. This was the wand for him. He could feel it. Sam rolled it between his fingers. The wand was smooth and dark, with a twisted handle and a bumped shaft. He smiled to himself, and for the first time since he arrived, Sam felt like he belonged.

Chapter Text

“It just doesn’t seem like the best idea.” Sam said, staring at the boy in front of him in bewilderment.

“What’s the worst that happens?” Bucky asked with that stupid smug look on his face. Sam hated it.

“We die.” Sam said at the same time Steve said, “We get expelled.”

“One of you should change your priorities. Not saying who, but those are two opposite ends of the spectrum.” Bucky told them as he continued down the hall.

Sam rolled his eyes, but followed. His feet padded lightly at the ground, trying to be as quiet as he could. The punishment for breaking curfew was detention, which is something Sam had never gotten before. Yet here he was following two boys into what he could only assume would be his great demise. He must be insane. Or maybe just bored.

And yes, he knew it was ridiculous for him to be bored. He was a wizard in a wizarding school in a wizarding district with wizard friends. But Sam had fallen into the routine easily. Too easily, in fact. Breakfast, morning classes, lunch, afternoon classes, study break, dinner, free time, bed. He excelled at all his classes and had even taken up odd activities here and there. Helping out the Herbology teacher with watering, trimming, and replanting. Spending most weekends in the stables helping to care for some of the magical creatures on campus. He even touched up on a few outdated facts from the Muggle Studies class he wouldn’t be taking until next year. Sam had been so worried about not fitting in at Ilvermorny, yet he was thriving. So why did he feel so restless?

Maybe that’s what drew him to Steve, and inadvertently Bucky. Sam liked Steve. They got along swell. They shared a dorm room as well as all their classes, and because of that they became friends fast. Sam liked Steve… And then there was Bucky. James Buchanan Barnes was the bane of Sam’s existence. He was loud, annoying, condescending, obnoxious, and it drove Sam up the wall. Bucky was also Steve’s best friend, so there was nothing Sam could really do about it. Apparently the two of them had been basically raised together, and formed a bond that seemed almost Brotherly to Sam. Even getting sorted into two separate houses wasn’t enough to tear them apart. Sure, they couldn’t hang out all the time, but if there was a will there was a way, and Bucky always found a way to be around.

They shared some classes, he tagged along for study sessions, he even managed to sneak into the Wampus common room and annoy Sam for an hour before he was caught and given Detention. Sure, Bucky wasn’t always around. But, it was just enough to drive Sam crazy. But, maybe not crazy enough, because here he was, willingly following the boy through the halls way past curfew for something as silly as stealing some polyjuice potion. Sam internally rolled his eyes at himself. This was ridiculous.

He peaked over his shoulder, keeping watch, though for what he wasn’t sure. If anyone caught them they were done for. Still, it eased the thrum of his heart in his chest, even if only slightly. All they had to do was sneak halfway across the school, avoid any teachers or cleaning Pukwudgies, break into the Potion’s classroom, steal enough poly juice potion for whatever scheme Bucky had been planning, then sneak all the way back to their dorms without getting caught. Simple.
A creaking floorboard had Sam nearly jumping out of his skin. It echoed through the empty corridor and froze him in place. A hand fisted through his robes and yanked him to the side. Sam stumbled, nearly tripping over his feet before he realized what was happening. Bucky pulled him through a door, slamming it shut behind him.

The storage closet was cramped with the three of them in it. His knees bumped against Bucky’s thigh and Steve’s hand. There was just enough light to see shelves of cleaning supplies and the panic in Steve’s blue eyes. Bucky laughed silently and Sam could’ve throttled him if the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps didn’t have him frozen in place. This was it. They were going to get caught, get detention, and the Headmaster would tell Sam’s parents. Then, magic or not, his mother was going to come down to this school and whoop his ass. He said a silent prayer for himself and waited for the door to open.

After a long while, nothing happened. He opened one eye and looked around. Steve huffed out a sigh of relief and chuckled alongside Bucky. Sam couldn’t believe they were taking this so lightly.

“That was close.” Steve said.

“Yeah no kidding. We should head back now.” Sam said, still shaking slightly.

“Back? Whoever walked by just went the way we came. Much safer to keep going.” Bucky told him. Sam couldn’t argue with that logic. Still, he wanted to go back to his dorm, curl up in his bed, and forget the whole mess. “But if you wanna leave, feel free.”

The challenging tone in his voice had Sam’s blood boiling. Bucky had already accused Sam of being too chicken for lots of things. It shouldn’t get to him so much, but it did.

“Following you, Buck.” Sam plastered a fake smile on his face. Bucky hated when Sam called him that. His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t call him out on anything. It almost made this whole trip worth it.

Steve ignored the interaction as usual. Sam wasn’t sure if he genuinely couldn’t see the tension that went on between his two friends or just didn’t care. Either way it meant Sam didn’t feel comfortable asking Steve what Bucky’s problem was.

Surprisingly, they made it to the Potions classroom without running across anyone else. It was a miracle, really. Sam’s heart still pounded in his chest at the possibility of getting caught. He watched in curiosity as Bucky withdrew his wand from his pocket. An 11 inch Fir wand with a dragon heartstring core. It was thin and light and curved. It reminded Sam of some sort of scraggly monster bone more than a wand, but he never said anything about it. Even he wasn’t petty enough to insult another man’s wand. It was an unspoken Wizarding rule.

“Alohomora.” Bucky whispered as he flicked his wand at the door. The soft click of the door unlocking was barely audible in the silence of the hall. It wasn’t a spell Sam was familiar with and he briefly wondered where Bucky had learned it before remembering the boy was a Pure blood. Unfortunately Bucky knew significantly more spells that Sam did.

Steve waltzed into the room like they weren’t about to steal from it. Bucky casually followed. Finally, Sam took a deep breath and entered the room as well. He had to remind himself that it wasn’t really stealing. Well, it was, but it was fine. Kind of. All the stored potions were student made, and anything they took would be easily replaced. Plus they probably had more locked away somewhere else. Poly juice potion was just really difficult to make. Besides, it took a really long time and apparently Bucky couldn’t wait. Sam really should have asked why he needed it before he agreed to help.

Steve barely had his hand in the glass cabinet before there was a voice calling out from behind Sam.

“Mr. Rogers, just what do you think you're doing?” Headmaster Fury asked. His voice sent a wave of dread through Sam’s body and he wished he could simply melt into the floor to get away from it all. For a long moment no one said anything. Then, “Barnes, Wilson… Care to explain?”

“Not really.” Bucky told him, giving him the same attitude he had been warned about so many times before. Sam knew that whatever trouble they had been in before just doubled, and if he didn’t do something soon it might even triple. He sucked in a deep breath and put on his best lying face and made a silent vow to never hang out with Bucky again.

Chapter Text

It didn’t last long. It never did. Time and time again Sam said he’d stop hanging out with Bucky, and time and time again he always did it regardless, whether it lead to getting in trouble or not. They met up by the fountain in the courtyard. School had only been in session for a few days and this was the first time Sam was really seeing Bucky in months. The Summer had been fun, and Sam really enjoyed seeing his family. But, he had been missing school a lot. He didn’t really realize how much he had begun to rely on magic until he couldn’t regularly use it. Plus he was excited for all the new classes year two would bring.

They waited in silence for a while. When it became apparent Steve was running late, Bucky leaned against the fountain and faced Sam. “So… how was your Summer?.”

“Fine. Didn’t really do much.” Sam told him. It wasn’t the whole truth. His family took him out to do all sorts of little things that probably seemed insignificant to someone so unfamiliar with the muggle world. “What about you?”

“Me and Stevie went to England for a few weeks. Got a couple cousins out there.” Bucky told him like it was no big deal. Maybe it wasn’t to Bucky, but Sam had rarely ever been out of Louisiana, much less the Country. He wasn’t sure whether to be more mad that Bucky was rubbing in his friendship with Steve, or that Bucky’s family clearly had more money than Sam’s.

“Wait. Your cousins or Steve’s?” Sam asked, trying to focus on the logistics of it.

Before he got an answer Steve came running up to them carrying something large, which wasn’t hard considering most things were large in comparison to Steve. A slick handled broom with a dark brush. It was a lot nicer than the one Sam had, and again it left him feeling a little inadequate. But Sam had always thought jealousy was an ugly color on him.

“Nice broom, Man!” Sam told him.

“Oh. Yeah. I think it’s a little much, but… I’m hoping it helps for tryouts.” Steve said, looking nervous.

Right. Tryouts. Sam had been thinking about it all Summer. Quodpot, Ilvermorny’s pride and joy of School sports. If the games weren’t so different Sam might compare it to football. Every muggle school across America had an obsession with football. Ilvermorny was the same way with Quodpot. Basically two teams of eleven tried to get a leather ball into a pot before it exploded. Whoever got the goal got the point. If the quod exploded on a player, they were out. All of this took place on brooms. Sam had wanted to try out since he attended his first game.

He had learned to fly faster than most kids in his class. He practiced all year. Now he was ready. At least he hoped he was. If Steve and Bucky both made the team and he didn’t, Sam would never live that down.

Sam walked onto the field, eyeing the people in the stands. A lot of faces. A lot of people to embarrass himself in front of. The only upside was they were doing it by house, so the entire school wasn’t there to watch him mess up. Small mercies.

They started off small with some simple flying exercises. That was no problem for Sam. Despite having one of the worst looking brooms there, flying came naturally to him. He flipped and twirled, doing his best to show off without getting too cocky. The last thing he needed was to fall off his broom and break an arm in front of everyone.

Next came Quod tossing. Mostly just simple throws into a large center pot. Again, Sam was fairly good at that. He had always been into sports because of his Father. Baseball, basketball, even a little soccer. Getting a ball from one place to another wasn’t rocket science. Except maybe for Steve it was. Sam’s heart sank as he watched Steve miss throw after throw. It was true that Steve was a strong flier, but that was the only thing he brought to the table in this specific instance. Steve was smaller and scrawnier than everyone trying out. Hell, he was smaller than most first years, too. He barely had any muscle mass and was wildly uncoordinated with the ball. Sam had been hoping Steve’s flying skills might have been enough. Now he wasn’t so sure. Still, when Steve looked in his direction he shot him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. He wasn’t giving up on Steve, so Steve shouldn’t give up on himself either. Hopefully they’d get through this together.

The final test was a mock game. In total Sam managed to score two goals, which compared to everyone else wasn’t that bad. Even better, none of the Quod’s exploded on him. It did happen on several occasions to other people. A plume of mostly harmless smoke exploded, covering them from head to toe when the ball had been in play for too long. Unlike a normal game, those players were still allowed to participate, but Sam couldn’t help but wonder if any of them would be considered for the team. Explosions were the biggest nono of the game. At least Steve wasn’t one of the unlucky ones covered in multicolored powder.

Much to his surprise, Sam made the team. It was a huge relief, considering he had been stressed about it all week. Not only would this keep him busy and entertained, and hopefully out of trouble this year, but it also felt like a way to be close to his Father despite being so far apart. Maybe it was silly. His Dad wasn’t allowed to come and watch him practise. He wasn’t allowed at games. Sam couldn’t even bring home his broom and show him how things worked. There wasn’t even a way to record it now and show his Dad over Christmas break. But over the Summer he had told his Dad about the game and that he couldn’t wait for tryouts this year, and his Dad had been so proud. Just like old times, before Sam had gotten his acceptance letter and all but tore his family apart.

Sam was so caught up in his excitement that for a moment he didn’t care about anything else. Then, he saw Steve’s sad puppy dog eyes and realized what it meant. Sam made the team, Steve didn’t. He thought of the best way to do damage control. Sam knew just how excited Steve had been before tryouts.

“I can’t believe it.” Steve said, looking at Sam with a strange expression.

“Yeah, man, I-” What could he say? Sorry? He was, but saying so wouldn’t fix anything. It might even come off as condescending. There’s always next year? Unless Steve put on 100lbs and did nothing but shoot hoops for the next 365 days, the results would probably be the same.

“You made it!” Steve’s face broke out into the most genuine smile he had ever seen on the boy. Sam hadn’t been expecting that at all.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” He said, unsure of how to react. He expected Steve to be upset. Yet here he was, practically giddy with joy.

“That was amazing, Sam. I mean, I don’t want to get your hopes up, but… you could totally go pro.”

Sam flushed. He wasn’t that good. Sure, maybe someday. But that required time and practice. It was nice to hear, nonetheless. Steve had so much confidence in him that Sam was ready to hire him for pep talks before every game.

“I can’t wait to tell Buck.” Steve continued. “He’ll be so excited.”

Sam highly doubted that. It made him wonder for the millionth time if Steve just genuinely didn’t know Bucky hated Sam and vice versa. Maybe he just figured if he acted like everything was fine it eventually would be. So as usual Sam ignored it. Instead he listened to Steve spout on about how Bucky would make the Quodpot team for Horned Serpent and how cool it was that both of his friends were going to kick ass.

“Eventually you’re going to have to play his team.” Steve said, frowning for the first time in the last half hour. He had been going on non stop about the game, the history of the sport, and even pro quodpot players. “Don’t tell Bucky, but I’ll be rooting for you. Wampus forever, right?”

“Right.” Sam smiled at that. Of course he wouldn’t tell Bucky, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t think about it every time their teams went head to head. Sometimes it was nice not feeling second place.

Chapter Text

Sam ran his fingers through the Hippogriff’s feathers, noting just how sleek and soft the roan coat was. That was one of the main indicators of health, and he was glad to see his Hippogriff was still holding up so well after Christmas vacation. Well, not his Hippogriff per say, they belonged to the school. But from the moment he met Redwing, Sam had been in awe. They just seemed to click.

“I brought you a treat.” Sam said, scratching at the junction of Redwing’s shoulder where feathers became hair. He pulled the container out of his pocket. Finding a beetle this big had been difficult, but worth it when Redwing squawked and head butted his side. Sam tossed the beetle into the air and watched it disappear with a sharp crunch.

His Care of Magical Creatures class went over all the dangers of Hippogriffs, and razor sharp beaks were pretty high up on the list. That did nothing to stop Sam from catching Redwing under the chin for a scratch. If there was an adult around Sam would probably be in trouble. But most days it was him alone in the stable. The animals always were cared for, but no one hung out with them like he did.

Sam got to work cleaning. Manual labor was nothing new to him. He spent most of his Summers fishing, shucking, cleaning, and cooking. Now he had magic, albeit a limited selection of spells, which made his life a whole lot easier. He talked as he worked, telling Redwing all about the few weeks he had off from school. It might be silly, since as smart as Hippogriffs were, Redwing would never reply. He just hated working in silence. Plus it was nice to have a place to get things off his chest without judgment. Sometimes Sam would come down here when he was angry or upset, just to work through it.

“It’s nice that Sarah isn’t mad at me anymore.” Sam told Redwing, who laid in a corner, gnawing on a bone. He didn’t know what it belonged to, since Hippogriffs generally ate smaller things like bugs, birds, and rodents. But whatever it was, the meat was long gone, which was a plus. “She’s happy at her new school.”

Sam getting into Ilvermorny had been a sore spot for a while. Sarah had been hoping and praying for an acceptance letter this year as well, but it never came. She was upset enough to ignore him for months. It made him feel awful. He wished she could come here, too, but she was just as muggle as his parents were. Sarah had ignored him all the way up until Christmas eve, then finally snuck into his room just before midnight. It was something they used to do when they were little, try and stay up to wait for Santa. Neither of them believed anymore, obviously, but it was nice to sit and talk for a while. She opened up like a burst dam, practically telling Sam about every second of every day they had been apart. It made him feel like things would go back to normal eventually.

“She even said she’d write me back.” Letters were his only communication to the outside world. Wizards and muggle technology just didn’t mix. Sam was sure that had something to do with Sarah’s acceptance that she just wasn’t a witch. She always had her nose in her phone. He couldn’t imagine her giving it up for anything. “But we’ll see. She’s not big on writing.”

“So she takes after you.” A voice said from behind him. Sam jumped, nearly dropping his wand. Redwing bristled, raising his wings in defense.

He turned to see Bucky leaning casually against the door frame. For once he wasn’t in his school uniform, which was normal for the weekend. The thick blue sweater and jeans seemed like far too little for just how cold it was out. He should at least have on a hat or some gloves.

“I write home plenty.” Sam lied. He had sent out one letter this year, only after his mother had threatened to cancel Christmas if she hadn’t heard from him by then. It was reasonable, he supposed. After all, she wrote to him once a week.

Bucky just rolled his eyes. Sam hated when Bucky was right. Maybe he’d write his Momma more just to prove the boy wrong.

“What, you got nothing better to do than harass me?” Sam asked without any bite behind his words. It was odd to see Bucky in the stables. Sure he did fine in class, but Magical Creatures weren’t really Bucky’s passion. They weren’t Sam’s either, but he had his reasons for being there.

“Maybe I just wanted to come see Redwing.” Bucky shrugged. Redwing hissed in disapproval. The two of them had never gotten along, now was no different. Sam quirked an eyebrow. “Fine. I, uh, wanted to ask you something.”

Sam tried his best not to make a face. It was a surprising request at the very least. Bucky never asked Sam for anything. And if he did he was asking both Sam and Steve together. But, here he was, in a place he specifically knew he wouldn’t find Steve. It was curious to say the least.

“Ok, I’ll bite. What do you need?” Sam finally said after an eternity of silence.

“I need help with my Muggle Studies class.” Bucky grimaced, as if he just asked Sam for a kidney rather than help studying.

“You do?” Sam asked, though he figured it made sense. Bucky’s blood was as pure as it came. He hadn’t been exposed to muggle culture at all before coming here, and as good as it was to have a class dedicated to it, the class itself wasn’t all that detailed. Sam knew, he was taking it, too. The only reason he was passing with flying colors despite the minimal studying material was because he was born and raised into a muggle family.

“Look, Steve is no help with this at all.” Bucky told him. He and Steve were usually study buddies, mainly because Sam didn’t want to join the pair of them. It was one less thing he had to do with Bucky. And yet, the boy was here asking him for that exact thing. “It’s like… He knows just enough to pass and doesn’t really care about anything else. You know?”

And, oh. No. Sam didn’t know. He and Steve rarely ever talked about anything muggle. But, Bucky was here, asking about his culture, his life. It was unexpected to say the least. He didn’t really figure Bucky for the type. But, then again, Bucky liked to know everything about everything.

“What’s in it for me?” Sam asked, feeling slightly guilty. This was the kind of information he should be freely sharing. Especially since Bucky came to him of all people to ask. Thankfully Bucky didn’t seem offended. He just crossed his arms like he’d been expecting the question.

“Name your price.”

“I want some of those candies you brought back from England.” Sam said. Bucky had shared a few dozen different varieties with him months ago and its all Sam could think about since. They didn’t have them at Ilvermorny. Nor were they sold at any of the small shops in the area either.

“The fairy dust?” Bucky quirked an eyebrow.

“And the dragon claws.” Sam told him. Two of his favorites, by far. Bucky smiled.

“Deal.”

Sam nodded in return before turning back to Redwing. He hoped beyond hope that he wouldn’t come to regret this.