#technically the second considering grindelwald

[adekalyn]

Sirius: What are you doing?

Remus: Negotiating peace on your behalf?

Sirius, huffing: But I don’t want peace.

[elysian-drops]

Appetance reminds me of Sidney Sheldon novels in the very best way. The way you write Tom and Harry/Harri is poignant and delicious.

It's not easy to stay true to Harrymort dynamics, do justice to their characters and also acknowledge the changes that would occur were one of their genders changed.

Would you ever do a Time Travel fic? (A staple in our fandom). If yes, which era would you choose? Hogwarts or Borgin & Burkes?

Ahhhhh— thank you so much for the kind words! 🥺💕 While I’m regrettably not familiar with Sidney Sheldon, I’m nevertheless flattered that you think highly of my writing and that you’ve been enjoying my take on the Harrymort dynamic so far. I’ve been having so much fun writing Appetence— especially the gender-bent aspects and exploring the consequences of such— so it always makes my day to know people are equally having fun reading it 💕

As for the Time Travel trope and whether I’d consider it, absolutely! Although not technically outright Time Travel, I’m currently working on two other WIPs that are adjacent to it. One is a reincarnation-esque fic where Harry originally dies in the Forbidden Forest and his soul is ‘implanted’ in the body of Charlus and Dorea’s child. For the most part, it focuses on Voldemort’s rise to power, the lead-up to the First Wizarding War, and the creation of both the Death Eaters + the Order of the Phoenix. 

The second is an obscurial!Harry fic set in Tom Riddle’s timeline, taking place mostly in Riddle’s final year at Hogwarts/ the beginning his Borgin & Burke’s era and at the height of Grindelwald's war. This one isn’t Time Travel either, per se, since Harry is originally born into this timeline—  but if you squint, I suppose it could satisfy that itch 😂

That being said, I’d love to one day write a straight up classic Time Travel fic! Because, as you’ve said, they are staples of the fandom, and I think it would be quite fun. But if I had to choose an era? Well. 

Anyway, thanks again for the lovely message! 💕 It definitely put a smile on my face!

[newtxtinaforever]

Happy Birthday Tina!

Hello there! Today's one shot is sponsored by @neighborhood-newtina-reblogger, a tumblr that I greatly admire. Okay, it's not technically sponsored by the blog, but it did provide the prompt/idea for this one shot, which I will include at the very end in case you want to know what it is. Also, the fanart above belongs to @sydsketch and partially inspires my fanfic as well. Don't want to put the prompt at the beginning and spoil the story, so without further ado, I hope you enjoy this little piece of my Newtina heart. Oh, and happy birthday Tina! ☺️

3rd POV

"Oh, Newt. She's perfect!" Tina exclaimed happily, a smile brightening up her usually tense features. It wasn't that the American witch held a grudge against smiling or having fun; quite the opposite, in fact. She was so used to being responsible that her default look was to come across as a professional who took her job seriously. When she was with Newt, however, she couldn't help but smile. His light-hearted nature simply had a way of making her feel like she could let her guard down and didn't have to worry about what kind of person Newt was. Having fought alongside him in the fight against Grindelwald, Tina knew she could trust Newt. It was a good thing because he had just given her a creature to call her own.

"Really? That's wonderful to hear. I hoped you would like her but I wasn't completely sure if you would be interested in-" Newt was quickly interrupted by Tina's warm words of gratitude. "I love her, Newt. Thank you," she replied. Her eyes sparkled with a light reminiscent of the creature that currently rested in its small glass case. "What's her name?" Tina asked softly as she admired the speckled salamander. Newt blushed before replying, "Well, I thought you might like to name her seeing as she's yours." Both pairs of eyes connected for the briefest of moments.

"Of course!" Tina blurted, although she soon regained her composure. "I'm not quite sure where to start, but I'm sure we can think of something." Newt's tender smile at Tina's inclusion of the word 'we' went unnoticed for the most part, yet the tone of their environment was clearly evident. It was nearly impossible to miss the delicate care each person felt for the other, so alive and tangible was it. The silence that settled in during certain moments of the conversation were not uncomfortable, but peaceful instead. Surprisingly enough, Newt was the next one to speak up.

"Keegan," he uttered cryptically. Tina tilted her head to the right by a dozen degrees. "Who?" she wondered aloud, her sharp eyes fixed on Newt. The famous magizoologist remained quiet for several seconds until Tina cleared her throat. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was simply suggesting Keegan as a name, but I understand if you don't like it. She's yours, so feel free to choose whatever name you feel is best."

Tina lowered her gaze to the ground, then extended her head upward. "The name's fine, Newt. And I want you to be included in the naming process, trust me," she said with reassurance in her voice. Newt smiled. "What about Thea? She's the Greek goddess of light, which is fitting since salamanders feed off of fire, right?" Tina inquired. She waited for a response from Newt, but he appeared not to have heard her. Beginning to wonder if something was wrong with him, Tina repeated the end of her previous sentence. "Right, Newt?"

The man in question displayed signs of life after what seemed like forever. His nose was scrunched as if he had caught a whiff of rotting maggots while his eyes blinked ferociously. What was going on? Tina prompted Newt to explain his behavior, although it took some serious persuading. "The name sounds a bit like... well... like Theseus, my brother." Tina nodded her head in agreement and decided to move on. The last thing she wanted was for her new companion to remind Newt of his older brother.

"Perhaps you might consider Idris. It's Welsh and can mean 'fiery' depending on the language." Newt explained gently. His voice was rich and full of childlike wonder, much to Tina's delight. It was rare to find such a kindred spirit in a world where brute strength and power was often congratulated. Tina tried not to let her emotions become too obvious as she lovingly murmured, "I think Idris is a lovely name. Thank you, Newt." Once again, both pairs of eyes connected and lingered; the result was pure fascination and ultimately love.

With their eyes still fixed on each other, Tina closed the space between them. Her long, thin arms wrapped themselves around the middle of Newt's back. Much like their prolonged glances, this embrace was personal and private, something that was special between them. Tina was keenly aware of Newt's reservations regarding the hug, so she made sure to take baby steps while reassuring Newt at the same time. Her fingers brushed lightly against Newt's back, the warmth from her hands radiating through his pale blue shirt. With a great amount of hesitance and care, Tina tightened her grip on Newt. Hopefully he wouldn't feel uncomfortable; that was the last thing Tina wanted. Nevertheless, she held on to him, refusing to let go just yet.

Nearly a minute had passed before Newt reciprocated the hug. Unbeknownst to Tina, his eyes watered and a huge grin spread across his face. Both sets of arms rested gently on the other's back, a sign of peace and acceptance. It didn't take long for Tina to pull Newt in closer, more confident this time. Any lingering doubt as to whether or not Newt would perceive such intimate physical contact to be desirable was gone. She knew that he would understand just as she had learned to understand the roundabout way he comforted and complimented her.

With an overflowing heart, Newt Scamander enveloped Tina in his arms; pure, sentimental emotion surrounded them. Every part of him wanted nothing more than to freeze that moment and remember it forever. Not only was it rare for Newt to desire physical contact, but it was also rare for him to feel so content as a result of it. In Tina, Newt found appreciation and compassion. Despite miscommunication being a continuous issue between them, the two old souls always managed to make things right. If Newt was honest, Tina completed him — to a certain extent. He hadn't felt that his life was 'less than' without her, but he did notice a change whenever she was around, whether physically or in Newt's thoughts. She was someone who helped him restore his jaded view of humanity, and for that, Newt was grateful.

The embrace continued for several more minutes, Newt mentally recording what it felt like to be so close to Tina.

The scent of her hair, the touch of her hands. Newt was so mesmerized that he even dared to lift Tina off the ground, just a couple inches, and spin her very gently. It was instinct and had occurred before he could stop himself. Never before had he allowed his emotions to come off so strongly in the presence of another human being, and he had to admit: it felt freeing.

As for Tina, she experienced similar sentiments during their embrace. Mind racing, heart soaring... Since when did Newt display such sudden outbursts of affection? While Tina was slightly confused by this, she didn't question it because of her elation. If Newt was comfortable enough to be so physically close with her, she took it as a sign of growth and was proud of him. Each second that passed served as a reward earned by the energy both had spent in order to fight against the evil forces that threatened wizards and muggles alike. After years of fighting, Newt and Tina were given a moment of reprieve. A moment to be still, but more importantly, to be happy.

For Newt, happiness took the form of feeding his creatures. This was nothing new, but having Tina by his side — her eyes full of adoration — made the event much more enjoyable. For Tina, growing closer to Newt served as her main source of happiness, although she also happened to find it in the pursuit of wizardkind's most elite criminals. After all, being an Auror was an important part of Tina's life. The fact that her devotion to justice nearly managed to get her killed was unfortunate, yet Tina had put it in the past where it belonged. She needed her job because it allowed her to protect innocent lives, and that was something Tina would never stop pursuing. Whether it was a sideways smile or a lengthy yet tender hug, both Newt and Tina were fond of the little things in life as well as each other. Nothing, not even Grindelwald, could take those feelings away from them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: Below is the prompt for the above one shot ⬇️⬇️

I want Tina to initiate newtina’s first embrace. And I want it to happen in a happy context. I want her to realize that maybe Newt isn’t bold enough just yet to make that move, so she takes control and latches onto him. It won’t be like when Theseus hugged him, arms and back stiff the whole time. It will be at first, while he takes a few seconds to process what’s happening. In those few seconds, Tina is fully aware he’s processing the situation, so she holds him even tighter to reassure him that yes, she’s here. She wants this. She will wait. And once he finally accepts that, I want Newt to reciprocate her embrace with an enormous grin on his face (bonus points for misty eyes). I want him to wrap his arms around her back and tentatively return her gesture. Tina pulls even tighter to erase that last bit of questioning how far he should go. Then, Newt fully wraps her up in him, encasing her with his arms and body as completely as he can (bonus points for a little pick up and spin or something extra cute like that). And they stay like that for a while, just appreciating each other. Wordlessly processing their emotions. Surrendering to their feelings. Just being together like they want.

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

What I would love to see in the next Fantastic Beasts movies

(as always, sorry for the mistakes and for my poor english, I’m not a native speaker, etc! I will continue to correct it)

If you already read other posts I wrote, you know that I’m into plans and organised texts. So here we go again.

Just to be clear:

it's neither a request, nor what I think we should or need to see, and I won't be mad if we don't have the following scenes it in the next films. (I do have an opinion on what can be interessing to include in the movies, but again, it's my opinion! just ideas, and a lot of questions without answers also, etc) (and well it’s not groundbreaking but who cares)

About Newt and his friends

About Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald

About the Summer of 1899

About the other characters

About the Wizarding Society, Muggle world, etc

Some explanations we would like to have

1. About Newt and his friends

- Newt as a selfless and intrepid hero who loves all of the magic creatures

- To be honest, all the team as dauntless and loveable heroes and heroins facing bad guys (and Jacob - who’s already the kindest and smoothest man - being also incredibly brave)

- Newt and Tina, as a couple, loving each other, fighting together, having each other back, growing stronger and more confident with each other (like they’re fighting and are in symbiosis) (in the last film obviously)

- Queenie Goldstein as a powerful witch while she explains why she joined Grindelwald’s side - because she believes Ministry is going to do nothing for her, because she believes in a brighter future without the Statute

- (At least) some clues about Nagini’s and Riddle’s meeting

- Credence’s true family? And because his past is quite tragic and he’d already gone through awful experiences, maybe his happy end?

- Theseus not knowing how to act after Leta’s death: should he follow blindly the Ministry? Trust Dumbledore, his brother and the rest of the team?

- A character eventually agreeing with some of Grindelwald’s ideas about magic things which shouldn’t be hide and stuff, but fighting against him anyway (well, most likely Queenie)

2. About Albus Dumbledore and (or) Gellert Grindelwald

- Albus Dumbledore as the charismatic, incredibly marvellous and skilled wizard he is, while people around him are impress by his aura: imagine Albus walking in the Ministry, and people who are supposed to protect the whole country are amazed, even scared: he’s stunning, blazing with power (and with cold fury, because the Ministry obviously did something stupid and Dumbledore is mad at them)

(at this point, we finally understand why he is the most powerful, skilled, prodigious, dazzling wizard of his age)¹

- Albus with colourful and amazing clothes

- Albus facing his Boggart (which is supposed to be Ariana’s corpse, but well, who knows)²

- Gellert Grindelwald facing his Boggart (what could it be?) (ok, I’m just curious here)

- The backstory of the Deluminator: why and when Albus developed this magical device? Did he always used it to have fun with light, or was it initially a more personal object? Had Albus created the Deluminator to find Gellert Grindelwald to fight him, at the end?

- A funny and arrogant (and bitter?) Dumbledore’s rejoinder, while he’s conscious of his marvellous mind and skills (like in the books)

- Dumbledore’s reaction when he discovers who is the actual Master of Elder Wand (again, i’m curious)

- Are Grindelwald’s mismatched eyes™ a sign of something important about his past, his abilities? is his hair white - and not anymore blond - because of Dark magic?

- A moment when we see how Dumbledore is able to manipulate surrounding people, including allies and friends

- A heartbreaking and breathtaking dialogue in 1945, while they fight against each other - and I wonder if - how - they are going to talk about their past, shared ambition and dreams, sentiments, guilt, regrets, etc

3. About the Summer of 1899

- To be honest, it’s mostly: Albus and Gellert as remarkable, arrogant, impish, brillant and not wise at all young wizards in a flashback of 1899

passionate discussions about the Hallows, politics, the Statute, or complex magic things

wandless magic, non-verbal spells, forbidden and dangerous rituals³

Albus’ reactions while Gellert has his visions (was he already able to control his Seer’s abilities?)

how they have fun (common sense of humour, a bit bitter and jeering one most likely?)

And thanks those very quick scenes, we understand why Albus and Gellert fell in love with each other - they both were a freedom symbol for the other in a way, all what they always desired and dreamed of - and their common ambition elevated them, made them wanted a bright and glorious future

(ok, too much to show, yes, i know)

- Also, an already dangerous and extreme Gellert and an in-denial Albus (about the Inferi army, etc)

- A glimpse of the relationship between Abelforth and Ariana, between Albus and his family, and between Gellert and Albus’ siblings

(edit: and yeah i forgot, a kiss or something - an act only did by lovers and not best friends, because there are still people believing they are friends - and their relationship is technically still not canon?)

4. About the other characters

- Adult Abelforth, loathing his brother, suffuring

- Tom Riddle at Hogwarts, possibly facing Dumbledore, or as a young charismatic awful future Dark wizard, or acting like he’s jealous of Grindelwald’s influence and like he already wants to surpass him

(it could be great to see him, at least few seconds, to build the bridge between FB and HP and most importantly to have a more detailed vision of Wizarding modern History, you know what i mean?)

- Ministry people who do not like Dumbledore because it’s funny

- A character who’s scared by the war and finally who gives up, and who runs away to try to be as far as possible from the political troubles

(it would show how war is an ordeal - I do not have the impression that the pressure and all were something so exposed in HP books, it could be great to see it?)⁴

- Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, Cornelius Fudge, etc, being young - if they are already born in 1945? It’s not written anywhere so idk

- edit: I forgot Hagrid, it could be awesome to see him as a teen in the last movie during the events of the Chamber of Secrets’ first opening!

5. About the Wizarding Society, Muggle world, ect

- The consequences of Grindelwald’s actions around the wizarding world and in the Muggle world: how things are destroyed, how he influences the governments

- The influence of rich and conservative pure-blood families through the war: how several of the sacred-28 families supported Grindelwald, how they influenced the whole magic society, why their inaction killed people, how the Ministry is corrupted, why it didn’t really change, even after the end of the war⁵

- The same conservative influence but in the very heart of character’s life: how Nagini is marginalized, for example⁶

- Why not political opinions expressed by several characters, to show how politics is a delicate and intricate subject, and why neither Albus Dumbledore nor Gellert Grindelwald are all white / all black, how Grindelwald gain influence, etc

6. Some explanation we would like to have

- Why is Albus Dumbledore DADA teacher? We know he wrote articles in Transfiguration Today before graduating, so why teaching DADA? (guilt, will to help young people to not be tempted by Dark magic and power like he was, or was there simply already a Transfiguration teacher?)(should I mention it’s never said in the HP books?)

- When and why will Albus be the Transfiguration teacher? (edit: we have clues in FBtCoG because Travers says Albus is not going to be allowed to teach DADA anymore so I guess it explains it)

- How can Minerva McGonagall be at Hogwarts, already be a young woman - if I remember well, she’s not even born? Or extremely young?

- How Gellert Grindelwald summoned a phoenix - and more likely, let’s theorize, how might he summon and control Fawkes?

(because Credence can’t be a Dumbledore - or at least, can’t be directly related to Albus, Ariana, Kendra and Percival - or is he the illegitimate and secrete son of Abelforth? a cousin of Albus?

but if we consider Credence is not a Dumbledore, Gridelwald had been able to control a phoenix which is linked to thhe Dumbledores, right? is it thanks the blood pact? of because of Credence’s Obscurus? we don’t know

edit: or there is the theory about Credence being created by the philosopher’s stone I guess, so with Ariana’s Obscurial and most likely Albus’ blood)

- Why nobody knew that Grindelwald and Dumbledore met each other when they were teenagers, when Rita Skeeter published Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore in 1998?

(i’m not so angry, i’m mostly confused)

The Ministry knew Albus met Gellet Grindelwald in 1899, right? How can a that huge information be a secret during decades? Why Rita Skeeter only found it after Dumbledore’s death? Albus said they used to be “closer than brothers”: after that and because Travers doubted of Dumbledore’s true side, Albus had been restricted and watched by the Ministry during FBCoG. It should exist papers, files, archives which confirmed all of this. So why everybody forgot that Gellert and Albus knew each other when they were young?

- Or about Albus’ and Gellert’s former close relationship, didn’t Travers or Theseus understand they were lovers? Or if they understood, they - again - didn’t tell it? (Travers is not fond of Dumbledore, it could have been a scandal, why he didn’t say it?) Can all of that make any sense?

- Why isn’t the Blood Pact ever mentioned in Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore - or most likely, how everybody (Albus; Gellert; Newt and Newt’s friends; the Minstry; Grindelwald’s acolytes, etc) had succeed to hide it from the press and the whole magic society?

That’s already a lot so let’s stop here Half of it is not so deep but I’m a simple girl, I’m always here for characters’ and background’s (lore?) development I will be pleased to hear what are your own wishes also

Notes:

¹ : certainly one of the thing i would the most like to see in the next movies, which is also something very important in the FB and HP universe - i have the feeling his power, skills, etc are more an idea than a reality. (and i indeed used a thesaurus to describe him)

² : Boggarts, Albus’ Boggart, how - in Albus’ situation - it mirrors his Erised reflect and how it might show important elements about him is a subject i really want to broach, i already planned it, it may be great to talk about it i think?

³ : talking about forbidden rituals, i talked here about the Blood Pact and why i think it was illegal, Dark, etc :

Why Albus didn’t tell Ministry employees about the Blood Pact

⁴ : to be fair, there are elements which are reminders of the pressure of the war in the book, especially in OotP and DH, but the Golden Trio did not experienced the war like the common people did, and the story - even very short - of someone who was scared is something i will be pleased to discover

⁵ : well, i talked a bit about pure-blood conservative families, their power and their influence in two posts:

How can everyone find their true-love and still be in love after years in HP? (”magic-soulmates” theory and conservative society)

Why are the Weasleys poor? (eng&fr) (theories about pure-blood families, inheritance, etc)

(it’s theories, but it can explain my point of view - headcanons? - about those families and the Wizarding Society)

⁶ : again, check the two posts if you are interested!

Thanks for reading!

I again apologize for the mistakes - and there might be incorrect informations, even if I hope there are not

[whatsortofschoolisthis]

Rubin ‘Rubi’ Orn

 “A tall, redheaded stern faced woman with an ugly curse scar across her face. Wouldn’t fancy meeting her in a dark alley.”

- Chaotic Neutral

 - Born September 22, 1948 on the Faroe Islands.

 - Asexual.

 - Was the result of a fling of Henry’s before he married his first wife. Her mother, Elsa, is a half-blood.

 - Alumni of Drumstrang. Recommends attending one of the smaller schools or even a school out of the area when asked about her time there. 

- Drumstrang does not have ‘houses’ in the traditional sense but they do have different schools of Magic that students can focus on after their third year. Rubi chose seiðr or Old Norse magic.

- Sees magic as a neutral force, it is only as Light or as Dark as those using it.

- Morally grey.

- sarcastic.

 - Worked as a spy during the First Wizarding War. Later hunted Death Eaters for a time before becoming a professional Duellist.

 - Hates Grindelwald with a burning passion.

 - Blew her cover after Death Eaters targeted her father’s children (Hecate and Jacob.) Brutally killed three of them, two escaped.

 - Owns a Kneazle named Sam and speaks with him at length on various subjects. Values his opinion. Hecate, Bryn, and Sean are concerned.

 - Moved two houses down from Hecate’s house after the incident with the death eaters

 - Her patronus is a wolverine. Has no idea what it is, refers to it as a “Fucked up Badger thing.” Her memory is holding Hecate and Jacob for the first time.

 - Practices an older, more traditional form of wandless magic. Uses plants, crystals, and bones in her spells. Does have a wand for duelling.

- Yew Wand, 11 inches, springy flexibility, and a vial of Swooping Evil venom as a core.

Popular in Ireland and Scotland, the European Yew is a wand wood of death and rebirth. The owner values honor highly, and would often prefer to die rather than submit or surrender in extreme cases. They often have a preoccupation with religion, spirituality, spirits, reincarnation, and the after-life.

These witches and wizards are independent, and may refuse the help of others (this may be overcome later in life, but will be especially prominent in their youth). It takes them much time to develop as people, as well as to develop their magic.

The unusual quality about yew wood itself is how flexible the wood is, despite its great hardness and strength (for being a softwood). The owner is similar in that they have strong convictions but are flexible in the manner in which they accomplish goals or uphold their convictions. They have an inner-resilience which allows them to spring back from metaphorical deaths.

They can be exceptionally protective of those they’ve ‘claimed’ as their own, and make for frightening adversaries

A powerful core, swooping evil venom has an odd reputation as it is capable of the most terrifying mind-altering spells as well as the most potent mind-healing magic. This core chooses creative witches and wizards, with great imaginations. Often, this reveals itself in endeavors like stone carving as well as creating the most ingenious and twisted of hexes and jinxes. Their owner’s head in the clouds appearance belies their talents in offensive magic and manipulation. At their worst, they can be a bit sadistic and play head games on other people for their own amusement. There is talent in magic to do with darkness, memory, the mind, hiding, and concealment. This core also possesses a latent soul-based magic, which is activated by specific wand woods (such as camphor). Otherwise, it gravitates towards woods with a darker nature such as blackthorn or snakewood.  

(Description courtesy of cloverlywands blog)

 Wren Ito (Maiden name: Ames)

 “Their older sister, Wren, was a fine student of my house. Quiet, made almost no trouble for anybody. Clearly that must have come from her mother.”

- Lawful Good.

 - Born January 1st, 1950 in London, England.

 - Pureblood (technically).

 - Ravenclaw, the first in the Ames family

 - Daughter from her father’s first Marriage to Nancy Ames (Maiden name: White). Her mother was the muggleborn daughter of a Mortician and a housewife.

 - Nancy was murdered in 1955, the murder was never solved but was believed to have been committed by an early version of Death Eaters. Wren was with her grandparents at the time of the murder.

 - Wren was a good student during her time at Hogwarts but was generally quiet and unassuming. Her favorite class was Ghoul Studies and her best class was Astronomy. Involved in Astronomy Club and Ghoul Club

 - Became interested in Ghouls due to her mother sticking around for two years after her death and because Muggle Shades often hung around her grandmother, the daughter of a muggle and a Squib, who had a mild version of second sight.

 - Slight build with light brown hair and tiny. Looks nothing like her younger siblings.

 - Met her future husband Osamu at the Triwizard Tournament.

 - Her patronus is a fox, which is her husbands Animagus form. It was previously a field mouse. Her happy memory is her first date with her husband.

 - Really dislikes Rakepick as she went to school with her.

 - Still a quiet person but has developed a very wry sense of humor from her husband. Also loves Puns. This causes great pain to her family.

 - Lives on Mahoutokoro school grounds with her husband and two children Sara and Mirou. Her husband is the Professor of Transfiguration and she writes books on Ghouls and Shades (Muggle ghosts). Is considered the foremost expert on the subject. Uses a typewriter rather than a quill.

- Her wand is Mahogany, 12 inches, swishy flexibility and a mermaid hair core.

Mahogany wand owners are charismatic, energetic, and possess much curiosity. They have above average magical cores, and great endurance. They like to be intellectually stimulated and become bored very quickly. The lion’s share of their energy goes towards what interests them, and they neglect that which does not. There is a regal air to their mannerisms, and a devil may care attitude in their interactions with others. They care little for others’ opinions, but also care too much on the opinions of those they admire or are close to them.

Most subjects and knowledge comes easily to them, and they can come up with innovative solutions incredibly fast.

Though they can be sweet and protective of their loved ones, these witches and wizards are also jealous and vengeful to those they dislike. Many times,their dislike is arbitrary or due to jealousy. They can be extremely possessive and controlling at their worst.

 Merperson hair wands’ reputation varies by the subspecies and by cultural norms. What is shared between people with this core, it that they all are creative and imaginative, and usually have some sort of musical talent. These witches and wizards also have a talent with language, and may learn foreign languages with relative ease. ‘Restless’ describes these people well, and they like to investigate and explore. They are always searching for something, and even they don’t know exactly what it is. They can become irritated by those who try to force a routine on them, or those who try to tell them how to live. Adventurous at heart, they like to try new things or novel approaches. They don’t care for doing something just because it’s “tried and true.” Finding new and better ways is important to them, testing the limits of what is possible and what they can accomplish.

Fiadah O'Faud.

“All O’Faud’s are Blood Traitors. Especially that one.”

- Technically Chaotic Good. Lawful Chaotic would be a better term.

 - Born April 1st 1951, in a home for unwed mothers in County Galway Ireland. Was the result of an affair between her mother Brigid O’Faud and Henry Ames.

 - Pansexual

 - Has a half-Veela partner of seven years named Simon Jones.

 - Pureblood.

 - O’Faud’s had not been allowed at Hogwarts up until about 1914 due to an ancestor killing the grandson of Salazar Slytherin because he (allegedly) married and then murdered Callum O’Faud’s granddaughter, who was a squib. They were not allowed in Slytherin until 1951.

 - Her mother and stepfather immigrated to America when she was 13 years old. They both still currently live in Boston, Massachusetts. She transferred to Ilvermorny and was sorted into Wampus House. Was originally in Slytherin.

 - Visits all her half siblings often, especially Hecate, Bryn, and Danny.

 - Fiadah works as a magical law Prosecutor in America and takes cases that mostly involve violence against Creatures, Muggles, Squibs, Muggleborns, and foreigners.

 - Cunning and extremely bullheaded but surprisingly well spoken. Does not look like she would be well spoken.

 - Dry as dead leaves humor.

 - Covered in magical tattoos that move around her body. Currently has a snake, a thunderbird, two crows, a raven, a hare, a spray of flowers that bloom in the morning and close at night, and a Thestral.

 - Average height with black hair in a pixie cut and black eyes.

 - Animagus form is a crow.

 - Patronus is an Irish Hare. Her happy memory is introducing Hecate, Sean, Bryn, and Jacob to American rock the day she got her law certification.

 - Saw her grandmother die (cancer).

 - Lives in rural Georgia. Does not speak to any of her parents, does not like them.

 - Plays the fiddle. When she tells someone she played them ‘Like a fiddle’ that’s a compliment, Fiddles are hard to play.

- Her wand is a Redwood wand, 13 inches, slight flexibility, and a dragonheartstring core.

Prized in California and Pacific Northwest, redwood is notorious for its owner’s ability to survive the impossible (Pottermore). Which is fortunate because they seem to be danger magnets. Their personality and natural skill set that this wand is attracted to also make for people who thrive under pressure and against the odds.

These witches and wizards have good reflexes as well as good judgement and foresight. Not much surprises them and what does surprise them, they react and adapt to with ridiculous ease. As Ollivander states, they have a talent for turning disaster into opportunity.

Brave and adventurous, not much intimidates the owner of a redwood wand.

As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

(Description courtesy of cloverlywands and pottermore

[aethelar]

In honour of the final, please consider:

The Great British Bake Off - Fantastic Beasts Edition

Queenie is the epitome of calm, an oasis of chill even when the last minute counts down and meringues are flying places meringues really ought not to fly. She wears a different vintage apron every episode and each one is so damn cute and she does the whole thing in four inch heels and her hair so remains perfectly curled throughout it’s possible that she’s not actually human because how

Tina only came to support her sister she doesn’t even know how to bake but now she’s here she’s ridiculously competitive and also slightly terrifying

One week she and Graves both end up making the same flavour dacquoise and in a desperate attempt to make the best one they just keep adding layers and inventing extra elements and the others just watch in mute horror as they somehow turn piping into an act of aggression and warfare

Jacob is a judge and he spends the whole time on cloud nine

He keeps trying to help and Seraphina has to keep reminding him no

Jacob is physically incapable of pointing out flaws, he can’t, Newt poured his heart and his soul into his bavarois how could Jacob say anything bad to that??? 

Seraphina is the other judge and Seraphina can point out flaws. She excels at pointing out flaws.

She also, like, once in the entire series gives a nod of approval and it’s to Newt who is hands down the worst baker but also the most improved and Jacob is so proud of him

By worst baker I don’t mean bad baker I just mean why would you make a lamb curry swiss roll??? Some things have not been tried before for a reason you optimistic little maverick

Grindelwald laughs at Newt’s lychee-and-balsamic doughnuts one time and from there on out he and Graves are sworn enemies because it made Newt sad and Graves Does Not Tolerate This

Graves also walked into the wall of the tent the first time he saw Newt because what and his brain stopped and he may have dislodged one of the supports and delayed the filming of the first episode by ninety minutes while they sent for a replacement thing to hold the roof up but he maintains that it was an entirely reasonable reaction

Queenie spends the whole series trying to convince Graves to man up and admit his feelings for Newt

Graves spends the whole series trying to sabotage Grindelwald by swapping out his sugar for salt

Grindelwald decides that clearly the way to get back at Graves is to flirt outrageously with Newt and leer horribly whenever he catches Graves looking

Newt just wants to make cake, ok, he has plans to put croissants and custard in this one it’ll be fantastic but also Tina do you think Graves would prefer chocolate croissants or almond ones this is important

Tina does not know because Tina has not slept because pastry week is this week and she’s practiced making every kind of pastry listed on wikipedia and that’s a lot of pastry but what if there’s one she’s missed and that’s the one that she has to make for the technical

what then

Jacob just kinda bouncing from bench to bench trying to talk to people about cookies and look chocolate chips, aren’t these nice while everything dissolves into chaos around him

Newt’s gingerbread treehouse lists dangerously to the side in the showstopper and with forty three seconds left to go Graves leaps in with Royal icing to glue it back together for him while Queenie calmly removes breakable things from the vicinity and Newt grimly flings dyed coconut at the branches to look like leaves because the mint chocolate ones he made didn’t set in time and this is his backup plan

Just

baking drama

[siren-of-redriver96]

Nagini and Yusuf (Nayus theory)

Time to open this treasure chest of possibilities 😍 Enjoy :)

By the end of TCOG, we see these two together a few times ... and I feel like there are some connections you could make between their characters :)

But first, on what we saw so far:

1. He saved her life in Paris (maybe after noticing that she doesn’t have a wand or a pocket to hold one - but don’t worry, their romance won’t be an immediate thing) - and he hesitates when she gets between him and Credence - it could also point to him not completing his mission if it should turn out to be ongoing. You could argue that he threatened her, but in this moment, he was seconds away from possibly fullfilling his vow and finally being able to live a normal life without fear for his own all the time

2. In relation to this - she may relate to this feeling, going through life under her curse ... while fear for her life may be a problem, considering that people may try and defend themselves against their snake form, there’s also the chance that they won’t be able to fight or escape quick enough ... and the years in which she’s still able to return to her human form is, as we learned, limited.

3. Next morning, he gave her his coat ... cute gesture, kinda significant... :)

4. It would make sense that she stays in London so Newt can start researching a solution for her curse ... while Yusuf, being fluent in english too, could apply for the post of one of the aurors who fell in Paris - given the investigation skill he‘s shown so far and being bilingual, he should have good chances, at joining the hunt for Grindelwald even (just hope that the group doesn’t mention he captured them all at one point - they know his motive now, I’m sure they won’t).

My headcanon is that he starts at the ministry, while she becomes Newt’s second assistant (as his hospital is the safest place for her to stay, especially while he’s researching her curse, and I’m sure she’ll want to help him and Bunty out in the time between ... maybe she can even help with creatures like the Runespoor, being a parselmouth ... plus, I’m sure she’ll become friends with both of them :)

(in my hc, Bunty often talks to her about her feelings for Newt - while Yusuf befriends the aurors and Newt)

They start dating after a while, maybe not going out directly, but we know that her curse usually only happens on her own command, when she’s scared and at night ... visiting people she knows at home, for a start, should be doable.

5. About her not having a wand ... I don‘t know if they arrange for her to have one or if the ministry forbids this as long as both her curse is present and Credence is out there, but if they don’t, there’s a slight chance Yusuf may be able to help ...

He explained that his family is from Senegal (West Africa) ... we don’t know when they moved to France, or if he has relatives who still live there, but there’s a chance he knows someone personally who studied at Uagadou School of Magic ... until today, this school is known for teaching its‘ students magic via hand (which was used by the first wizards for a long time - the wand was a european invention.)

(Why it was invented at all is a whole other theory XD coming up maybe ;))

We know he has one, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t know how to use magic the other way ... maybe he’s even hiding it to avoid troubles with the french ministry? I don’t know what the laws does about wizards who technically can’t be disarmed (like Dumbledore or Graves), but there must something...

I don’t think his family would deny him this knowledge (/advantage) and that he wouldn’t teach it to Nagini to help her - leave alone the rest of the group facing Grindelwald, but I think it could be a way he bonds with her specifically.

6. Concerning Credence: while them bonding over what they’ve been through and supporting each other is good, for an actual romance, this usually isn’t the best basis ... Yusuf, while having suffered from the loss of his mother, his fathers wanting to avenge her even at the risk of his son‘s life, and the burden of the Unbrekable Vow, seems a lot more stable so far (especially if he believes the vow is past for now ...) he also, see above, may have the advantage of being able to defend himself against her snake form at all times without drawing a wand.

Plus, story wise, it’s a nice idea that sometimes people get together with someone they met along the way, not whom they started with. In my mind, reuniting, Credence and Nagini may talk and decide, even if they still feel about each other a certain way after all this time... with her and Yusuf having developed mutual feelings, they can’t go back to their relationship while at the circus ... maybe Credence will even be about to get very occupied with trying to build a life for himself in the world outside hiding (or a new place to hide?) Meanwhile, I think they indeed will remain close friends :)

7. Of course, she won’t have forever ... we don’t know when Nagini first appeared in Voldemort’s company, but like I said, the time is limited - but their story may end up being about time well spent still being worthwhile - and I believe they both deserve to live it well :) Plus, facing the upcoming war, they may not be alone with trying to save the moment and enjoy life together while they can.

And who knows, I don’t think she’d tell him not to move on - add the message that there’s more than one the One out there :)

Thank you very much for reading :)

[funkzpiel]

Self rec time! Recc one of your fluff fics, one angst, one multichaptered, one AU and send this to your favourite writers 💟💟

This is so cute and so kind ~ thank you for sending my way! Let’s see... holy fuck I legit got to remember what shit I’ve written... Fluff Fic - “Quiet” (AO3) (Tumblr) - Witcher

I’m still really happy with how this turned out. Not wholly fluffy, but about as fluffy as I get haha.

He doesn’t sing again. That prickly part of Geralt that’s been traveling alone for most of his life gruffly thought he’d enjoy that result. After all, he did his level best to have the issue resolved. It wasn’t his fault that the bard got involved. He hadn’t invited him along – he had just wanted to fucking sleep for fucking once in his life, damn it. It had been his wish though, however unintentional, that brought the bard into this new life, this silent existence. A world without Jaskier’s singing.

Angst Fic - “Drift” (AO3) (Tumblr) - Witcher

Probably the closest thing to angst (next to Smother) that I’ve done for the witcher so far, which considering how much angst I write for other fandoms, I’m honestly surprised I haven’t done more... Though “Good Morning Handsome” from my Fantastic Beasts days was a close second.

“Someone spotted your witcher out by the wood. He’s in a right state. No one’s brave enough to go near’em.”

Those had been the words of the messenger who had tracked Jaskier down at the inn, sent by the alderman. Jaskier had been prepared to go out into the rain and find a soggy, grumpy witcher. But “a right state” didn’t even begin to cover it.

Multichaptered - “And The Tag Ready Simply: Pretty” (AO3) - Fantastic Beasts

This is the first extensive multichaptered fic I ever finished, even though the arc itself isn’t done. And that alone means a ton to me, haha.

Words of comfort and affirmation bubbled to his tongue – He’s caught, we have him. Don’t worry. He’s at MACUSA, he’ll never hurt you again. But one look, and Newt realized that the context of Graves’ question was not 'please say he’s not here.' It was 'please say he’s coming home soon.'

“He’s… away,” Newt said lamely, eyes flickering to glance at Graves now that the man felt confident enough to speak with him. Graves was leaning far enough forward now that his shoulders were visible, pale and naked. Newt felt his cheeks begin to burn at the implication, and even more so when he caught sight of the thick leather collar that hung snuggly around Graves’ throat – Grindelwald’s symbol hanging delicately next to a small gold tag that read simply: ‘Pretty’.

AU - “Smother” (AO3) (Tumblr - Pt 1 / Pt 2) - Witcher

idk if it’s technically AU... I guess it is? I think? I dunno, but I poured a lot into this one. A lot more than I had intended to, haha.

The first time it happened, Geralt was alone. Not alone as he once had been. Not alone because he chose to be alone. Alone, because he drove them away. No one would have a man who used ill-gotten wishes and spewed nothing but poisonous barbs from their mouth when you tried to comfort him. Alone, in a tub of water to scald the ache from his muscles, he wondered why it did little to relieve the pain. Why still he ached. Why it coalesced around his lungs like a thorn bush.

And then the coughing started.

Thanks for sending my way! <3 I imagine none of the stuff listed is new for anyone following, but if any of it is, I hope you enjoy it!

[beastlyimagines]

A/N: this takes place before the events of Fantastic Beasts, so technically no spoilers. This will be AU since we don’t know much about Newt and Theseus’ school days, but this idea popped into my head so I’m rolling with it. There will be a lot of flashing back and forth in time, flashbacks will be in italics. Also, Theseus is only 4 years older in this.

“Is that little Y/N I see?” A familiar voice sounded from behind you, causing you to pause in your movements and turn back to face the tall man approaching you. “My, it is you.”

“Theseus.” You responded politely, eyes discretely taking in how much more handsome he had gotten since you saw him last. Not that you’d ever tell him that.

It had been over a year since you’d seen him. He’d been away on Auror missions a lot more lately with Grindelwald beginning to rise in power, but it seemed he was back now since the dark wizards disappearance.

“It seems you get more beautiful every time I see you.” Theseus told you, eyes roaming over your form in an appreciative way. You squirmed slightly under his intense gaze, cheeks flushing in the pale light of the hallway. He smiled, pulling you quickly into a tight hug. You smiled briefly, allowing yourself to enjoy the embrace.

“And it seems you only get more arrogant.” Was your response, pulling away and crossing your arms over your chest. Theseus laughed, the sound loud and echoing down the hall.

“Somethings never change, do they?” He asked after he calmed down, eyes glittering in a reminiscent way.

“No, they don’t.”

“Do you think Professor Green will let us off our homework if we tell him about the hippogriff we found in the forbidden forest?” Your friend Leta asked as the small group of three friends made their way to Defense from Magical Creatures class.

“More like he’d expel us for not turning it in immediately.” Newt grumbled, his dislike for the professor pretty evident.

“I still can’t believe he thinks Bowtruckles should be illegal! I mean they’re harmless!” You exclaimed angrily, agreeing with Newts dislike.

“Oh come on you two, Professor Green’s not that bad.” Leta shrugged, causing Newt and you to stare at her in disbelief.

“Hello Newt, Leta..” A voice interrupted suddenly causing you all to turn to its source. Newt’s older brother was smiling down at the three Third years, his Head Boy badge displayed proudly on his chest, and as usual he had an air of superiority around him. “And little y/n.” His grin widened as his eyes landed on you, causing you to glare at the nickname. “Still hanging out with my little brother? I still say I’d be much better company.”

“And I still say you’re much too arrogant for my taste.” You snapped back, making Newt snort and try to cover it up with a cough. Leta merely laughed out loud.

“Aw, you wound me my dear little y/n.” Theseus exclaimed, clutching his heart with a grin still on his lips. “You’ll come around one day.” He teased, ruffling your hair as he passed the three of you.

“Yeah, when flobberworms fly.” You grumbled, causing your friends to laugh at your annoyance. “I don’t get why he always singles me out.” You complained, continuing towards your lessons.

“Maybe he fancies you.” Leta suggested after she had calmed down. Newt and you paused for a minute to look at her, before the three of you simultaneously burst into laughter.

“Yeah right!”

“Are you coming tonight to see my little brother off?” Theseus’ voice broke into your thoughts, causing you to look at him again. Shrugging, you turned back to your original destination and began to walk once more. He quickly fell into step beside you, eyes locked on the side of your face.

“Of course I am.” Was your response, hardly paying the man any attention as you saw your boss a little ways ahead.

“Then I look forward to seeing you again.” He spoke up once more, startling you to a halt when he grabbed your hand. You spun to face him, eyes widening as he brought your knuckles to his lips. “Until then.”

Your face was bright red as he retreated from you, a smug smirk on his face. You watched him as he turned and walked away, hating that your eyes glanced a little too far down more than once.

“Why does he still have this effect on me?” You muttered under your breath, mind flashing back to the summer before 7th year.

“Newt, y/n! Are you both ready? We only have 10 minutes to get to the station!” Mrs. Scamander shouted up the stairs, causing you and your best friend to race around the room to make sure you both had everything.

“Coming mum!” Newt shouted back, sounding winded. The two of you quickly packed the reminder of your things, before booking it down the stairs. You raced ahead of Newt to the kitchens, nearly colliding with another body. The second person caught you from toppling backward, arms wrapping securely around your waist.

“I knew you missed me y/n, but I had no idea it was this much.” The voice joked, causing your head to snap upward. A blush formed on your cheeks when you realized just how close you were to the older boy, causing him to chuckle slightly.

“Leave her alone Thes.” Newt spoke, pulling you away from his brother. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t mum tell you? I’m escorting the three of you to King’s Cross. They’ve closed down the floo network into the station, so we have to apparate there. It’s easier for me to just come along, I have work to attend to in the city afterwards anyway.”

“Come on you lot, you’re going to miss the train!” Mrs. Scamander exclaimed, rounding the corner to see the three of you. Grabbing your trunk after having let it fall when you nearly collided with Theseus, the three of you followed the witch out the door. Mrs. Scamander immediately grabbed Newt, disapparating away with him on the spot.

“Shall we?” Theseus asked, holding out his arm to you with a smirk on his lips. Rolling your eyes slightly, you grabbed his arm and spun from the ground. Landing abruptly in King’s Cross, you held onto Theseus a few moments longer to catch your bearings. “Still not a fan of apparition?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be.” You responded, trying to shake away the slight sick feeling you got every time. “Don’t think I even want to take the class this year.”

“That’s ok. I’ll always be around to take you where you need to go.” He winked teasingly, causing you to groan as you stepped away from him. He quickly stopped you, grabbing you hand and pulling you back to face him.

“Take care of yourself this year, ok?” He whispered, reaching forward to brush a strand of hair behind your ear. He pulled your hand up to his lips, and softly placed a kiss there. “See you at Christmas.”

With that the man spun away, leaving you rooted to the spot in shock. You vaguely felt Mrs. Scamander give you a hug before she too left the station.

“He’s only like that with you, ya know?” Newt spoke up behind you, causing you to jump.

“Oh shut up.” You grumbled, smacking your friend in the chest.

“I think he fancies you.” He continued to tease, ruffling your hair affectionately like a brother would.

“He does not!” You denied, cheeks heating up once again to Newt’s amusement. “Now stop badgering me and lets go find Leta.” You growled, pushing Newt away.

“Whatever you say y/n.”

Thoughts of Theseus stayed in your mind the rest of the day. He’d been a constant in your life since the moment you met Newt in first year. Even later when you were sorted into Gryffindor and he into Hufflepuff, you still stayed friends. Then Leta joined your group, and the three of you remained best friends until the incident of 7th year that left Newt suspended and you and Leta at odds. You were still polite to Leta when you saw her, but nothing ever past that. Newt and you remained friends, going so far as to consider one another as a sibling.

Theseus always loved to tease you, and it happened quite frequently considering you were in the same house. He was never cruel or mean to you, not that you ever thought he could be, but he did know which buttons to push to drive you mad.

But he cared for you, that you knew for certain. It was him after all that comforted you years ago after your parents had died when you were 19.

A knock on your door late one night startled you out of a restless sleep. You’d gone to bed earlier that night feeling like something was wrong. Being unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong, you’d fallen into a fitful sleep.

Immediately alert, you grabbed your wand and cautiously made your way to the front door.

“Who is it?” You questioned from the other side of the door, wand raised in front of you.

“It’s Theseus Scamander, Auror and brother of your best friend. In Hogwarts I always called you little y/n.” The familiar voice responded, causing you to instantly relax. Opening the door, you immediately frowned at the man.

“What on earth are you doing here this late? It’s-“ You paused, glancing at the clock behind you. “12 o clock at night!”

“Y/n.” Theseus started, his voice sounding tired and full of grief. “I’m sorry for coming by so late, but I wanted you to hear this from someone you knew first, before word spreads. They were going to send Travers, but I thought it might be better coming from me.”

“What is it Theseus?” You asked, worry worming it’s way into your heart hearing how serious he sounded. “You’re scaring me.”

“I’m so sorry.” He murmured, eyes not meeting yours. “We were sent on an Auror mission earlier this evening. It was a trap. An ambush.” He paused, taking a deep breath to collect himself. “Your parents were there y/n.”

“What?!” You exclaimed, body jolting in shock. “Are they ok? Are they hurt?” You demanded, immediately reaching for your coat.

“Y/n.” Theseus spoke softly again, grabbing your arm gently before you could move away. “They-they didn’t make it. They were killed with a couple other Auror’s in an explosion.”

“What?” You repeated, voice now void of emotion as you stared disbelievingly at the man in front of you.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” His voice wavered as he watched you, throat clogged with emotion.

“You’re lying.” You spoke, shaking off his hand and going for your coat again. “They’re just hurt, they can’t- they aren’t-“

“Y/n please, I’m not lying. What are you doing! Where are you going?” Theseus scrambled after you as you marched from your apartment, grabbing your arm once again to stop you.

“Let me go! I have to go find them!” You exclaimed, trying to shake him off again.

“No! You’re not thinking straight. Y/n listen to me! You won’t find them. They’re gone y/n.” He held you tighter as you began to fight back, eyes filling with tears.

“Stop, let me go! They aren’t gone!”

“Y/n please! I know this is hard, but you have to accept it.”

“LIAR!” You screamed, voice aching at the volume used. “THEY AREN’T GONE! THEY CAN’T BE DEA-“ Your voice cracked on the last word, tears streaming down your face relentlessly. “Please tell me you’re lying.”

“I wish I could, but I’m can’t y/n.” Theseus softly replied, his own eyes filling with tears. Sobs suddenly escaped your lips, body nearly collapsing to the ground in grief. Theseus quickly caught you, holding you tightly to his chest.

With you crying hysterically against his chest, he slowly moved you back into your apartment, locking the door behind him before settling you on his lap on the couch.

“I’m so sorry.” He kept murmuring, placing gentle kisses against your hair every now and then while rubbing your back.

What felt like hours later, you finally were able to compose yourself enough to form words.

“What am I going to do? I have nothing left, they were my only family.” You whispered brokenly, heart clenching in pain.

“Of course that’s not true.” Theseus responded, pulling away slightly and cupping your cheeks gently in his hands. “You have Newt, my mum-“ He paused, wiping a stray tear from your cheek. “And you have me. We’ll always be there for you.”

“Promise?” You whispered, sounding like a young child. Theseus merely smiled, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“I promise.”

Theseus kept that promise, being there for you more than you ever thought possible. He became a sort of light in the dark for you. You went to him when the pain got too much, and he was always there with open arms. He still annoyed you constantly, but you still held a deep intimate affection for him. Not that you’d tell him that.

Hours later found you beside your best friend, standing with him as he greeted the many guests who had come to wish him good luck on his upcoming journey. He paused in his greetings to glance at you, his boyish grin on his lips.

“I still can’t believe you’re leaving me for a whole year.” You pouted, latching onto your best friends arm as he laughed.

“Please, you’ll barely even realize I’m gone.” Newt replied, nudging your side playfully.

“You’re leaving me all on my own here Newt. Whose going to protect me from your evil brothers clutches.” You joked, causing Newt to chuckle.

“How ever will you survive?”

“I am proud of you though.” You said in all seriousness, smiling up at your best friend. “You’re finally doing what you love, even though most people have been telling you it wasn’t possible your whole life. But you’re gonna make a difference in the world, you’re going to do so much for the magical creatures. I can’t wait to read all about it.”

“I’ll send you a letter every week.” Newt told you, a pleased smile on his face.

“I know you will.”

“Brother.” Theseus suddenly broke into the conversation, causing your attention to switch to the older sibling. “Might I borrow y/n for a little while?” Newt turned his head to glance at you, asking for your permission. When you did nothing but shrug, he nodded towards his brother.

Holding out his arm, Theseus motioned for you to come with him. You quickly grabbed a hold of his arm, allowing him to lead you into another room. The room was filled with various couples, each dancing along to a soft piano melody.

“I remember that you always liked to dance at school, I thought you might like to join me for one.” He offered, pulling away and holding out a hand for you.

“One dance couldn’t hurt.” You responded calmly, though internally you were freaking out. Theseus let a bright smile break out on his face as you grabbed his hand, before quickly dragging you towards the dancing couples.

His left kept a hold on yours, while his right snaked around your waist. He then led you in a casual waltz, leaving barely an inch between your bodies.

“You’re so beautiful.” Theseus murmured, staring down in awe at you as the two of you continued to dance. “You always have been.”

“I-er-thanks.” You stuttered, cheeks reddening ever so slightly. He was silent for a minute, merely staring down at you with a contemplative look on his face, before he finally seemed to come to a conclusion.

“I’ve grown a lot in the past couple months, and I’ve also had a lot of time to think about what I want in the future.” He spoke, confusing you slightly. However, he simply ignored this and continued. “Do you know what I saw in every foreseeable future I thought of?” He asked, twirling you away from him, only to bring you back even closer to his body.

“What?” You questioned, feeling slightly breathless under his gaze.

“You.” He spoke, causing you to freeze in his arms. “Standing by my side. Being a friend. A confidant. A lover. Everything i want to accomplish in my life, I saw you right there with me. It’s always been you.”

“Theseus... I-“

“I know that I was a right prat growing up, that I still am sometimes. But I’d like to think that I’ve been growing more and more into a man that you could be proud of. A man that you could depend on, turn to for whatever you need. A man that you could trust, and eventually-one day- a man that you could learn to love.” Seeing that you were speechless, Theseus continued on. “It won’t be easy. I’m not always a great person to be around. I can be prideful, jealous, stubborn. There will be times when you’ll want to slap me and kick me aside. We’ll argue a lot I’m sure, we’ve always been good at that. And I don’t ever think I’ll stop teasing you, your reactions are too fun for me.”

He paused then, an adoring look in his eyes as he gazed down at you for a moment.

“But I can promise that I’ll love you fiercely. I’ll protect you, take care of you, be there for you whenever you need me. I’ll hold you when you need to be held. I’ll listen when you need to talk. And I’ll let you slap me down a few pegs when my big head gets the best of me. I’ll be whatever, or whoever, you want me to be. Just as long as I can love you the way I’ve always wanted to, even when I’ve done a poor job of showing it.”

You were still in a stunned silence for a few more moments, until a warmth started forming in your chest. Snapping out of, you finally spoke up.

“Where the hell has this Theseus been all these years?” You asked softly, a slow smile forming on your lips.

“He’s been hiding behind the ego and arrogance as you call it.” He teased, causing you to smile up at him.

“He suits you.” You whispered, before finally giving in and crashing your lips against his. He seemed stunned for a moment, body frozen against yours, before he responded tenfold. You nearly drowned in all the emotions you felt in his kiss, the only thing keeping you surfaced was his arms around you.

“I told you you’d come around one day.” Theseus whispered as he pulled away, causing you to blush fiercely.

“Shut up Scamander.” You replied, slapping his shoulder gently. He quickly grabbed your hand again, pulling you back into a dance and dipping you towards the floor. “I still say you’re way too arrogant for your own good.” You replied, melting fully into his chest. Before he had the chance to respond, you both heard a familiar voice that made the two of you freeze.

“Theseus! Why in Merlin’s name are your hands all over my best friend?!”

[mushroomhedgehog]

Update on Universal Orlando’s potential third park.

One of the big things I love is theme parks, especially those with heavy themes based on some really great films and TV shows. So it’s no surprise that I’m heavily anticipating the potential third park (fourth if you include the Volcano Bay water park) at Universal Orlando Resort. This has been rumored ever since Universal Parks and Resorts was reported to have acquired some more land near the resort not too long ago. Orlando Park Stop has been providing multiple leaks, which began with this first one last month at the end of January. It’s an image featuring a prominent character and confirms that Super Nintendo World is coming to this third park:

Of course, the image also shows that the third park will be called Universal’s Fantastic Worlds. Based on the name, it sounds like this park will take a similar approach to Islands of Adventure, with a focus of immersing guests within the worlds of various characters and franchises. A second leak was recently revealed earlier today, and claims that the Universal Monsters, specifically those from the 1930s such as Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolfman, and The Mummy, will be featured in their own themed area. The leak supporting this is the image below, which features what appears to be Dracula’s castle:

Having found this report from Orlando Park Stop as well, I looked back at the article of the previous leak, which had a few more images. OPS was even kind enough to combine the photos the best they could to piece together as much information as they could. Here’s what they came up with:

Take note of the copyrights section at the very bottom of this image. A lot of notable franchises are mentioned, including Jurassic World, Scooby-Doo, Beetlejuice, Fantastic Beasts (indicated by a fragment of the word “Grindelwald”), and as the previous leaks have mentioned, Nintendo and the Universal Monsters. It’s very possible that these could be hints of what is planned for Fantastic Worlds. However, it’s also possible they were merely mentioned in the document and had to be credited to their respective owners, and nothing more. However, there’s some factors I’d like to point out in regards to each of them.

First off, Beetlejuice and the main characters of Scooby-Doo are featured at Universal Studios Florida (the resort’s primary park) as meet-and-greet characters. They were featured in previous attractions that have since been closed, but unlike Beetlejuice, Scooby-Doo was not in a starring role in said attraction. I highly doubt those franchises were mentioned merely for the photo opportunities associated with them. Another major argument to consider is that Beetlejuice used to be the star of the Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue stage show, which featured the Universal Monsters. In short, I think it’s possible this show could return at the Universal Monsters area of Fantastic Worlds. As for Scooby-Doo, there’s a lot of possibilities for what could happen with that franchise. Maybe the meet-and-greet will also be moved over to the same area, as Scooby-Doo is heavily involved with monsters and supernatural much like Beetlejuice is, despite both being owned by Warner Bros. rather than Universal. Personally, I would love if Scooby-Doo recieved a new shooting ride similar to Men in Black: Alien Attack at the Fantastic Worlds. Various shooting rides themed to Scooby-Doo previously existed at numerous Six Flags and Paramount Parks, the latter of which are now owned by Cedar Fair. Following Cedar Fair’s acquisition, Scooby-Doo was removed from those rides, while the Six Flags parks later replaced their rides with new ones. If Universal were to make their own version of this ride with better tech due to a larger budget, it would be amazing.

In regards to Jurassic World, elements of those films are already featured at Universal Orlando. In the Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure, Owen Grady’s raptor Blue is featured as the star of the Raptor Encounter attraction, where she meets guests and poses for photos with them. That’s the only attraction with emphasis on the Jurassic World films though. It’s possible that Universal was aware that fans would be upset at Universal Studios Hollywood retheming Jurassic Park: The Ride to a Jurassic World update, and expected similar backlash would occur if the area at Islands of Adventure would receive a similar update. Building a separate area at Fantastic Worlds would not only allow for different kinds of attractions, but also keep the existing Jurassic Park open without a long wait to refurbish it. For instance, I would love a ride based on the geospheres, hopefully with animatronic dinosaurs rather than projected images of them. Furthermore, once this park is complete, perhaps Universal could still allow guests to experience the Jurassic Park franchise at Fantastic Worlds while they perform some maintenance on the Islands of Adventure area. Some of the animatronics could use a technical upgrade, and having a separate area themed to Jurassic World would be a great way to provide guests that happen to visit when the other area is down. Finally, much like the Hogwarts Express connected Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley at the two current parks, perhaps a monorail based on that in the first JW film could be featured to connect the Jurassic World area of Fantastic Worlds to the Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure.

Finally, we have Fantastic Beasts. As of right now, Fantastic Beasts has not been featured much even in the gift shops of either Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. That is, until recently. In addition to the replica wands of Harry, Dumbledore, and other characters, replica wands of Newt, Tina, and Grindelwald have been available for purchase. But other than that, there’s been little presence of the franchise, compared to how much attention to Jurassic World was given in the Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure. This may be due to Jurassic Park being one of Universal’s own properties, as Harry Potter is a franchise licensed from Warner Bros, and the agreement did not include Fantastic Beasts. I would imagine this area would feature at least one thrill ride similar to those at the current areas based on The Wizarding World but with Newt, Tina, and others facing off against Grindelwald. I’d also expect a gentle ride involving a tour through Newt Scamander’s suitcase of creatures, complete with animatronics of various wacky characters.

At the end of the day though, all of this is speculation. Universal hasn’t even officially announced the park, so all we can go off of is speculation and any leaked information if we’re lucky. I would expect this park to open sometime before 2025 at the very least. But based on the fact that it took Universal two and a half years after announcing they would be building Hogsmeade back in 2007, and it opened in 2010, that means this park could take possibly more than twice than that long to build. And with other projects like Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure set to replace the Dragon Challenge later this year at Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure, and another unannounced (but teased on social media) coaster for the Jurassic Park area of the same park, it’s not clear when construction will begin or an announcement will be made on this park. Hopefully one of those two will be soon, as we’ve already had a bit of a wait for Super Nintendo World after that was announced, and the first incarnation of that is scheduled to open next year at Universal Studios Japan. Either way, we’ll probably be waiting a while before we hear more information, especially if said information is confirming anything, rather than being speculation or rumors.

[calleo-bricriu]

A Followup!

(( To this, if you were curious. ))

"Hey!" Calleo somehow managed to wedge himself into the only chair in the room worth sitting in; that awful, rickety wooden thing at the desk hardly counted and the awful, less rickety, definitely almost as old secondhand-secondhand one that only looked like something decent because it was mostly covered by quilts could technically fit two people on it--if nobody wanted to move much, that is--somehow did count.

It also happened to be where Grindelwald had been sitting at the moment, which was probably lucky for the chair at the desk.

Whatever Grindelwald had been doing, Calleo decided could be put on hold or at least have attention split. He also knew better than to give Grindelwald even a second to get away, as he did have a tendency to do that if he got a sense of impending--not doom in the sense of doom but more in the sense of something he might consider undeservedly kind.

That covered a lot of things, so it was always best to just get him stuck before he could get away. Calleo always found it incredibly interesting that he could so easily avoid someone in a room the size of, well, a prison cell.

Between suddenly being wedged into the chair and the book Calleo immediately dropped mostly across Gellert's lap, it was safe to figure he'd at least stay put for a couple of minutes.

The book, at least, might have been curious enough looking to keep him there longer. On the surface, it wasn't anything attention grabbing; just a plain, reddish brown leather thing. Its dimensions were odd, however. Longer than it was tall, and thick. If it had been smaller, perhaps, it would have looked more like a photo album; as it was, it had more of the appearance of something put together by a person who had only sort of overheard part of a conversation in which someone was describing the general idea of what a book looked like.

"It took me awhile to figure out how to do this." Curiously, Calleo kept one hand resting on the cover with enough force to make it clear that it wasn't meant to be opened right then. "During the time it took us to get it put together I figured I'd just leave it on the desk." 

Calleo shrugged lightly, "You know, to give you something to do during the day. Maybe if we'd managed to get it finished in something a little less than two-ish years that would have been appropriate."

"Just when I thought I'd had it all organised, there would be a new one!" He grinned, further emphasising that the exasperation in his voice was false and completely good natured. "So, we had to stop before it got excessive. More--it's maybe a little excessive now but still manageable."

"It did maybe get a bit out of hand," and if that bothered him, there was absolutely no trace of it anywhere in his words, voice, or body language, "but I don't mind. Once it got to the point that I couldn't really start having an erratic schedule again because I'd told you I'd stop doing that and even a bit before that, I really didn't have the time just in general."

"Ended up getting Mum and Dad to pick it up, though, and they had a good deal of fun doing it," finally he moved his hand from the cover to one of the edges, opening it to the first page, "so you can stop whatever objections you might have been brewing there. They both had a great time finding the ones they found and were so pleased to be a part of it after I explained it."

Calleo fell silent for several minutes, drumming his fingers on the cover of the book.

“I know so little about you in comparison to what you know about me, mostly due to the fact that I talk a lot--you talk a lot as well, but it’s rarely about yourself and I haven’t been terribly good about asking, largely because I had no idea where to begin! I still don’t.” He paused again, “But, I do know that when you want to talk about something or ask something and you don’t know how to begin, you leave them laying about, even when you insist that’s not what it is. It is, though, and I don’t always listen as well as I should.”

"Anyway, I decided that I didn't want to just leave it on the table some morning. These were all places that held enough memory for you that you'd occasionally leave a clipping of one or a book page open to one around, and I wanted to listen to you tell me about them in whichever way feels the most comfortable for you."

The first page contained a large print of a black and white landscape sort of photo. Above the photograph, the month and year it was taken had been written; no other text or context, just the photograph and the date.

The page opposite initially appeared to be blank, however, if Gellert played along (even begrudgingly), a colour photo of the same area--though depending on when the original had been taken, the two photos could appear anything from identical, but in colour, to almost unrecognisable--above which a more current year had been written slowly became visible.

The month between the two remained the same. Now and again the handwriting changed for no obvious reason apart from it having been someone else who wrote it there. Still, it would have been recognised handwriting.

Old photos that contained movement was mirrored as much as possible in their coloured counterparts.

Only the dates on the old photographs were in order based on year, that became evident after a couple of pages; those on the opposite page had no pattern to the year but, if close attention was paid, those dates ranged between October 1988 and October 1991.

“We thought you might like to see them all again.”

[habitatforhufflepuffs]

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Opinions

If it isn’t obvious already, spoilers for Crimes of Grindelwald ahead. Also I apologize for how longwinded this is. I just started typing and before I knew it, I had a novel. Bare with me. 

First off, I would just like to say that I absolutely loved the movie, like LOVED. I don’t think it’s possible for me to watch a movie that takes place in the wizarding world and not love it. 

That being said, I had a few issues, minor ones though. I’ve been seeing a lot of reviews floating around where people are complaining about the fact that the entire movie felt like a set up for another sequel, whereas the first one felt like an actual standalone movie, but like, of course it did??? The first one set up the universe this franchise is going to take place in so obviously it’s a full story. The second one is now setting up the overarching plot that’s going to take place over the next four movies so like obviously a lot of it is going to be exposition of characters and isn’t going to conclude the storyline seeing as each movie isn’t taking place one a year like the HP movies did. 

If I had one actual complaint, it would be that there was A LOT going on at once. Which like, I get it because there’s so many characters to introduce that are going to be important moving forward. It was just a lot of new characters introduced in a short period of time that needed backstories and explaining all at once. As well as, what, like four separate plots happening all at once that all merged together by the end of the movie? Which like yeah I get it, it was just a lot to follow. I did go on to read the screenplay of the movie that just came out, and it was a bit easier to follow than the actual movie, so I 10/10 would recommend reading that. Especially the scene where they’re in the Lestrange family mausoleum, and maybe it was just me but I found the screenplay a little easier to follow what was going on than the actual movie which is weird?? Maybe the movie will be easier second watch through. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of the whole Credence is Leta Lestrange’s long lost brother?? Just kidding no he’s not?? But wait who is he then?? scene because like it was a lot to follow all at once trying to understand who the shit was related and how. Especially considering you’ve got 3 siblings from 3 different sets of parents & then you find out there’s a fourth child that was switched with one of them??? Which again, read the screenplay, it’s easier to follow when you can read full names and go at a slower pace and everything. 

As for the plot twist/cliffhanger at the end, I’m very interested to see where that goes moving forward. I’ve seen many people that think Grindelwald was lying to Credence to gain his trust seeing as he was obviously lying in saying Dumbledore wanted him dead. But I don’t really think that’s the case. Solely because I can’t see them doing the whole “Credence is Leta Lestrange’s brother, psych,” thing only to then turn around and then go, “Credence is Albus Dumbledore’s brother, psych,” immediately following. It would just be kind of ridiculous to have Credence’s parentage revealed only for it to be a red herring twice. 

I’ve also seen a lot of people trying to explain how it wasn’t possible for Credence to be Dumbledore’s brother. I will also say now that after a minimal amount of googling, it 100% is possible, if he’s his half brother only. In this movie (as confirmed by the screenplay), Credence was born in 1901 and was being transported to America in this year. We know Dumbledore’s mother died in 1899, and was killed by Ariana, therefore he can’t be her son. But it’s unknown what year his father died in, just that it was after 1890 in Azkaban. Now, obviously it’s kind of a weird thought but it’s 100% possible that somehow Dumbledore’s father Percival sired another child after he was imprisoned in Azkaban via another woman and that that child is Credence. How Grindelwald knows about this, I have no idea. Especially considering that not much time passes between FB1 and FB2, and he was in custody at MACUSA between the two movies. As well as how Credence ended up in America and Leta ended up back in Britain I’m not exactly sure. But it is completely possible. 

That being said, a bunch of people have pointed out that how is it possible that Dumbledore had another brother that has somehow never been mentioned before now, even though HP takes place after FB obviously. If I had to guess, and it breaks my heart to say this, I’m assuming Credence doesn’t survive the FB franchise because if he died, and Aberforth didn’t know of his existence, then it would make sense why he’s never been mentioned. Dumbledore wasn’t exactly open about Ariana, so it would (plausibly) make sense that Credence was never mentioned. Kinda weird, but still plausible. 

One thing I’ve seen EXCESSIVE amounts of complaining about is the McGonagall cameo. Which like, yeah I get it, it breaks canon. But there’s TONS of people that aren’t aware of McGonagall’s backstory seeing as it wasn’t in the HP books, and even if it were, there was a HELL of a lot of information from the books that never made it to the movies (I’m looking at you, Peeves). So like, just let it go and leave it be??? If you’re gonna be nitpicky about canon you could also argue that they made James & Lily way older than they should’ve been in the movies & technically McGonagall would’ve been 46 the night that they died, but in the movies when she’s at the Dursley’s with Dumbledore she looks WAY older than that. So like, just think of the Pottermore information as part of the book universe and the FB movies as part of the movie universe??? 

Also there was a lot of people I saw that were pissed off that they didn’t make it clear enough that Dumbledore was gay, and that were mad that the story didn’t put enough focus on his feelings toward Grindelwald, which I��m sorry I have to call complete bullshit on. This is only the second instalment of a five movie series and Dumbledore & Grindelwald didn’t even share any scenes together. What did you want?? Dumbledore to cover himself in glitter and strip of his shirt to reveal a tattoo that says I love Gellert???? The Mirror of Erised scene alone couldn’t have made it any clearer that Dumbledore is gay and was in love with Grindelwald. The look of pain on his face alone every time he said he couldn’t make a move against Grindelwald made it VERY CLEAR that there were feelings involved. Also, “we were more than brothers.” What the fuck else could that have meant???? They took a goddamn blood oath that they wouldn’t fight each other. There’s still three movies to go in delving further into their relationship, obviously we’re not going to get the whole story in the second movie. So to all of the people saying it wasn’t clear enough, fuck off. 

As far as the movie as a whole, I LOVED IT. Even if it did have too many plot lines happening at once, I still absolutely loved it. The new characters they introduced were fantastic (I’m kind of in love with Theseus). The new creatures they introduced were FANTASTIC. (somebody buy me a kelpie, and also, BABY NIFFLERS!!!!!). Jude Law was an absolutely perfect Dumbledore. Even Johnny Depp as Grindelwald was super unsettling and did a great job. The opening sequence of Grindelwald breaking out of captivity with the Thestral carriage and the final sequence with Grindelwald’s blue magic against everyone else’s fire were phenomenal. And as much as some people didn’t like the ending, I personally love that Credence and Queenie ended up on Grindelwald’s side (and it makes complete sense why to me too) and I’m super excited to see where that goes from here on out. I loved that everyone lost someone in one way or another too. (Newt & Theseus lost Leta, and Jacob & Tina lost Queenie and Nagini lost Credence to Grindelwald) Everyone’s split on different sides and it definitely sets emotional stakes for everybody moving forward. 

I loved how merciless Grindelwald was too & how powerful they made him. Like he’s chained up in prison and being transported by like twelve aurors and still manages to escape??? finds a baby in the house he took over??? who gives a shit, kill the baby??? he’s goddamn fighting off like ten fully trained wizards at once in the final sequence of the movie BY HIMSELF and is winning until the IMMORTAL BEING that’s 500+ years old shows up, and we’re only in the second movie of five. The final battle sequence in HP was a conclusion of 8 movies & Voldemort’s struggling to fight against one seventeen year old wizard that never even finished school??? Grindelwald is badass as hell. (also, a villain that vapes projections of the future, what more could u want??)

Also, the nostalgia that hit me like a fucking truck when they first panned over Hogwarts and Hedwig’s theme kicked in???? Also young Newt??? Also Leta Lestrange is sick as hell, and I’m not convinced she’s dead yet. 

Basically I’m super into Theseus and Dumbledamn, and I need 2020 to come faster, right now. If anyone wants to scream with me, please shoot me an ask, I need someone to rant to. None of my friends share my excessive HP obsession. Also, I kind of want an entire movie of just Newt taking care of his creatures tbh. 

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. 

[ladyoftheshrimp]

okay first, your header is cute. second, percy and phina holding an important meeting after office hours & everyone is thinking that they’re dedicating precious hours to safeguard their small magical community. but the truth is, it’s just percy venting to phina abt his crush on one wildly adorable magizoologist & phina just listens, pours two glasses of wine & comes up with suggestions on how to woo newt.

The threat levels had dropped considerably since Grindelwald had been deported. However nobody dared question the dedication and commitment the President her right hand man, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement exhibited. Like clockwork each Friday afternoon half an hour before the weekend commenced for most Percival could be seen traipsing through the halls of MACUSA on his way to the President’s office. He’d have a bulging thick file on one arm, eyebrows low in a frown that had everyone skittering out of his way. The meeting never lasted half an hour. Gossip had it that on some nights they’d leave on exhausted, unsteady feet late into the night as they shushed each other with frowns so they wouldn’t disturb the peace.

What nobody knew was that once the door shut behind Percival he’d let out a dramatic sigh. A bottle of wine would slip from the file on his arm while Seraphina pulled open a drawer where she’d stashed snacks. Technically they conducted a review of the week but not like most would expect.

“I thought I was going to die on Tuesday.” Percival whined. “He spent 5 whole minutes bent over Fontaine’s desk helping her go over a report. You know Fontaine’s desk away from mine.”

Seraphina eyed her friend with some amusement. Rather that say anything she picked up a pastry and took a very unladylike bite out of it. Percival took that as encouragement to continue.

“If I thought that was bad enough I almost had a heart attack when he straightened up, turned and smiled at me. I swear if I didn’t know better I’d say he had the audacity to wink!”

“Maybe you should just ask him out?” Seraphina dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “This has been going on for how many weeks now? You need to do something about your infatuation.”

“It’s not an infatuation woman!” Percival grumbled as he sat in his chair and picked up a cheese twist. He eyed it with suspicion before biting into it. “It’s not an infatuation. It’s a manly appreciation with an endearing hint of shyness.” Crumbs sprayed everywhere as he spoke with his mouth full. Seraphina raised an eyebrow at him in question.

“Talk me through the week then. I have a feeling even Monday had something mention worthy.”

“Of course it did!” Percival shot back as he leaned forward in his chair, food all but forgotten between his fingers as he began to recount the week, arms going wide with gestures.

It had started off on Monday with Newt drinking hot chocolate. For some reason Queenie had given him a mug with cream on top and naturally Newt looked utterly adorable with a cream moustache and a little dot of it on the tip of his nose to boot. Percival may have wanted to either lick it off or swipe a thumb over his lips to gather up the cream and let Newt suck from him.

“So why didn’t you?” Seraphina asked.

“Because that is crass, absolutely not subtle in any way and far too forward!”

“Ah. I see. And how is subtle working out for you?” her question earned her a scoff.

“I let him get away with a truly sloppy report. I think he might get the hint soon.” Percival sounded so sure and Seraphina couldn’t help but laugh. She let Percival continue, admiring the fact he times exactly how long Newt spent bent over which desk, how pert his ass looked and how his hair fell so endearingly in his face whenever he looked up at Percival. Which was really rather often. It was a wonder that Percival managed to get any work done at all while the other man was around.

Wednesday sounded really rather uneventful with Newt “only” trying to teach the erumpent mating dance in a training session. It almost made sense that he’d paired everyone up to practice seducing their partner but Seraphina questioned why Queenie had to be part of the training when that meant Newt had to partner up with Percival rather than make his rounds helping the trainees.

“What if you had given him an erumpent?” She finally asked.

“And where would I get one from? Aside from it being highly illegal.” Percival retorted with a sniff and took another swig from his glass. Without a word Seraphina filled it up again. It looked like it was going to be another late night of drunkenly shushing each other on the way out again.

“Fine, not an erumpent. But I’m fairly certain we have some eggs in stasis down in the evidence locker that you could court him with.”

“I’m going to pretend you did not just suggest I raid the evidence locker in order to impress and woo someone. I’m the Director of Magical Security! I cannot be seen breaking the law!”

“I could always make it an order for you.” Seraphina suggested boldly. “You can’t not obey your President.”

“Let me tell you about today before you make such a wild suggestion again.”

It was a day from hell for Percival. Everything had gone great. Reports turned in on time, or even early, they were precise,concise and exactly how Percival liked them. His meetings had been brief, no dawdling or needless squabbling. Even the criminals had been fairly quiet which made a nice change. Which didn’t explain why Newt was charging around the department in a tizzy, searching for his wretched niffler. Even for confusing was the fact that the niffler seemed to be perched on Fontaine’s desk, happily playing away with the golden buttons. Either Newt was testing a new niffler catching technique or he was out of his mind because when he spotted the creature he started unbuttoning his shirt (in full view of Percival’s office) and getting everyone to crouch down so as not to disturb the beast. Percival himself was pretty disturbed by what he saw but obviously Newt was more concerned about a different kind of beast. Shirt off Newt crept towards the desk and in an explosive leap he used his shirt like a net to capture the unresistant niffler. Creature firmly wrapped in shirt, Newt turned to the aurors with a grin, gave the beast in his arms a scritch and another shiny thing and announced that’s how nifflers ought to be caught from now on.

“And the worst of it?” Percival’s tirade came to a climax. “If that’s how he catches nifflers from now, I want to be a damn niffler.”

Seraphina couldn’t hold it together anymore. She collapsed onto her desk in a fit of snorting giggles. The wine bottle had run empty a long while back. The pastries and food was mostly untouched but another bottle had been emptied during their meeting and a third one was half way there too.

“I can’t believe we take the last half an hour of the week off to get drunk and try to figure out ways to woo Newt who seems to be wooing you.” she snickered.

“I’m the one wooing him thank you very much.” Percival glowered at her and sloshed some more wine into his glass.

“Then lets look in the evidence locker to see what you can steal his heart with.”

It seemed like a great idea by then. The President and her right hand man stumbled down the stairs with terribly serious faces fulled into stern glares as the tried to tell the other to keep it down. It was late, there weren’t many people around and they in no way were drunkenly heading down to steal anything for Newt.

The evidence locker was more of a giant room with a filing system that few people actually understood. They meandered through the maze of shelves until they arrived at the stasis shelf. There were eggs, shrunken creatures in cages and many other things that probably would have horrified Newt. Seraphina looked at Percival.

“You really want to woo him?”

“Yes! Have I not made that glaringly obvious?”

“Then take them all. Clear the shelf. Here. I’ve got the clearance for this. I’ve got the clearance for everything.” Seraphina giggled as she conjured up a basket and began to put everything in it.

“And what have we here?” a voice from behind them asked, worry mixed with amusement. Percival and Seraphina shushed them at the same time.

“We’re wooing Newt.” They laughed a little as they continued to empty the shelves.

“By robbing the evidence locker?” Another voice asked.

“That sounded like Newt.” Percival whispered loudly to Seraphina who turned.

“It looks like Newt too.” She muttered back.

“And it is Newt.” Newt finished for them. “Percival, you told me I could come down here with my case and free these creatures.”

“Did you?” Seraphina swayed as she looked at her friend. Percival frowned and scratched the back of his head.

“Oh yeah.” Everyone stared at him as he smiled sheepishly. “I can fix this.” He announced cheerfully and grabbed the nearest egg. Newt winced at the handling of it but didn’t say anything as Percival walked up to him.

“Newt,” Percival asked and held out the egg, “will you marry me?” He turned to look at Seraphina. “I think I got it right. I’ve got it in the bag!”

The surprised “whoa” from Newt as he lunged to catch the egg Percival had forgotten he was holding drew Percival’s attention back. Newt cradled the egg close to his chest and looked exasperatedly fond.

“Take me out for a drink first. Then we’ll talk about marriage. 4pm sharp tomorrow afternoon. I might even consider letting you take me to dinner after that drink.” Newt’s smile softened. “But perhaps you ought to get home and sleep a bit before you think about why you and the President wanted to rob the evidence locker.”

“Tomorrow. 4pm.” Percival looked giddy and Seraphina was relieved. She refrained from doing a fist pump but only because the basket was heavy on her arm. As she waltzed past Newt she passed him the basket.

“About bleeding time Scamander.”

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Personal favourite HP (&FB) fanfictions (but unfortunately it’s mostly GGAD)

posted: 08-10-2020 edited: 08-24-2020

(really sorry for the mistakes! fanfics are better i swear)

I read several HP and FB fanfics during the last few months, and in order to sum up my favourite ones, here is this post. It’s entirely and obviously personal, and to be honest, it’s more something which is more supposed to help me than recommanding something to you

But I truly think those fanfictions are great, so if you didn’t already read them, you may enjoy them!

I might update it every now and then, by the way!

(most of them are already quite well-known though, sorry)

Put Your Guns Away, it’s Tea Time (52k) and Put Your Curse in Reverse (276k) (from the It’s Tea Time serie), written by ellizablue :

A very lovely, funny and well-written story which follows Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, Harry and Ginny Potter, the rest of the Potter-Weasley family and all of the surrounding people after the events of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

It’s technically canon-compliant - the author created an amazing story based on HPCC - and did it so well! I admit I was a bit disappointed about HPCC when it had been published, but It’s Tea Time “fixed” all of the things I was confused about.

Albus’ and Scorpius’ relationship is adorable, both of them are interesting characters. Harry and Ginny are amiable and attentive parents, they protect people they love. James Sirius and Lily Luna are also great - and to be honest, all of the characters are refreshing, complex, ect. I could talk about it throughout countless of pages. So many themes are brilliantly treated. I still didn’t read the third opus of the series!

(if I should recommand one only series of HP fanfictions, I would recommand this one)

Several fanfictions written by meanwhiletimely :

Illumine (10k) :

In Prague in 1914, Albus Dumbledore goes to a Gellert Grindelwald’s brillant speech. The political discussion between Albus and Henry Potter, how Gellert is able to enthrall a breathless crowed, Gellert’s and Albus’ very special and intense relationship, the wonderful Christian imagery and parallels, the description of the surrounding world and the ambiance, Gellert’s speech... It is quite marvellous, well-written and perfectly bitter-sweet - more bitter than sweet though. Eventual smut, very good, but imo, it cannot be considered as the very heart of the text, even though the sexual tension is omnipresent. I can't help but read it oftenly, and everytime I'm amazed - it might be my favourite GGAD fanfiction in fact. Brilliant.

Extreme Incantations (10k) :

In order to find clues about the Elder Wand story, Albus and Gellert try a “decadent, degenerate, deranged” ritual. A lot of smut, but again, their relationship and their psychology are absolutely central. I loved how they are portrayed, loved to discover Gellert’s thoughts and point of view. Again, it’s brilliantly bitter-sweet - even quite heartbreaking. Like Illumine, I have so much more to say, but I’ll stop here and just say: if you are interested by Summer of 1899 fanfictions, you could be delighted to discover it.

The Seer in the Tower (2k5) and Collateral (3k) are as great as Illumine and Extreme Incantations. In the first one, Tom Riddle meets Gellert Grindelwald after 1945 ; in the second one, Gellert and Ariana talk thanks the Resurection Stone. Light Bringer (10k), which sums up the Summer of 1899, is also amazing - incredibly painful, hopeless and horrendous, and Gellert Grindelwald is definitely not a good person - but still amazing.

Thirty-Five Owls (11k) by Letterblade :

After 1945, Albus and Gellert sent letters to each other - and I will add nothing more about the plot. A quite famous fanfiction - published in 2008 - and rightfully recognised as a brillant one. Beautifully written, the tag "Everything Hurts" is accurate, constantly breathtaking. I loved more than everything else the end - overwhelming, and yet so simple. Even canon-compliant, what more could we ask? In a nutshell, an unmissable work.

White (2k) (M) by Vandrerska :

“The story Gellert Grindelwald would tell if somebody took the trouble to ask.”, or a magnificiently well-written 1st person POV fic with Gellert talking about Albus and 1899. Here is the same vibe we already have in Thirty-Five Owls, but with the benefit of a heart-to-heart conversation between Gellert and the reader directly. Needless to say that both of the hearts involved in the conversation are broken. I love how it is written (but it is no surprise, well-crafted angsty texts like this one own my heart). 

nobody else but me (5k) by Roflskate :

After meeting Percival Graves and starting a correspondence with the very head of MACUSA's Department of Law Enforcement in 1926, Albus Dumbledore thinks he's finally ready to move on from Gellert Grindelwald. Well, if you saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, you know he's not.

I'm fond of the plot: the way we, as readers, already know how that story is doomed to end, is the very heart of the text - and speaking of the end, I loved it - just like Thirty-Five Owls, simple and heartrending. Again, bitterness is back. Beware of the manipulation and the very questionable consent, it's literally the plot.

(btw, this work inspired this post: GG as Hogwarts teacher/librarian before FBaWtFT: where are the fanfics? (if someone wants to write it please i will be pretty happy))

(In every bloody fanfiction I recommend Albus is suffering, sorry about that) (and it's not going to end with the next fanfic) (suffering is inherent to the character though so)

The Trial of Albus Dumbledore (51k) by Aurora_xx :

In this post-FBCoG AU, Albus Dumbledore is questioned about his relations with Gellert Grindelwald. But before his trial, he unknowingly took Veritaserum. To be honest, I felt it first as a “satisfying” AU: people we don’t like became a bit ridiculous, people we like get through (well, mostly).

Nonetheless, it’s more than that: the trial scene is incredibly tense, the consequences are terrible, and we want to see what's going to happen next. Moreover, the character development is suprisingly remarkably well-done - Vinda Rosier has an amazing backstory, for example; Newt and Newt’s friends are also very likeable, complex, etc. We love to hate Travers, Grindelwald is a character we eventually support (for specific reasons, mostly because he’s powerful, self-confident, rather hilarious and badass, but also a bit more human than we could think). And all we want to do is taking care of Albus.

It’s definitely a really pleasant fanfiction - but not an “easy” one, there are a lot of hard themes and very tense scenes, etc. This story is still considered as a WIP, though the five first chapters are already enough. 

Three fics of mautadite :

A Metaphor for Change (1k) (M) : I will just rewrite the summary here, so: "Five things Albus could not bring himself to say to Gellert. (One of them is a lie.)”. I really liked it, it is angsty - but the sweetest way, the very sad way.

To Be Great (0.3k) (G) : What Albus and the Sorting Hat said when Albus put the Hat on his head for the first time. Really a relevant and sharp character study. Again, I felt a hint of a sweet kind of angst. I wonder if I am the only one, you tell me.

Love Letters (6k) (E) : Scenes of Gellert’s and Albus’ life from 1995 to 1899 - often conversations, so say hello to well-crafted relationships between mc and other characters. Here comes the angst again (I think the author writes Albus and Gellert that way - or maybe, the characters are meant to be suffused by angsty undertones). The fact that we go back in time hurts a lot, because every smile they have are perverted by our knowledge of what happens next - the happiness won’t last, and really, it hurts. Canon compliant.

GGAD works of verivala (bloodtroth on tumblr)

Many short one-shots, from fluff to angst - sometimes droll, sometimes soft, often painful, quite always (a bit or a lot) bitter-sweet. You might at least find few of them interesting.

Grindeldore one-shots (22 works)

Grindeldore requests (5 works)

Grindeldore prompt fills (38 works)

L’Indiscible (190k) by Neaniver279

This one is a French one! Deux ans après la fin de la guerre, Percy Weasley - profondément meurtri par la mort de Fred, de laquelle il s’estime responsable - est renvoyé par une mystérieuse potion au 25 décembre 1975. Plusieurs élèves de Poudlard attirent son attention et son affection, voire un en particulier, Sirius Black.

Un pairing très inhabituel qui fonctionne bien ; un Percy Weasley passionnant - faillible, perdu dans ses doutes et sa culpabilité, mais avec une répartie, une malice et une sensibilité hors du commun ; des Maraudeurs et des jumeaux Weasley attachants, avec une personnalité définie et nuancée ; une idée originale géniale, car si le voyage dans le temps ouvre des portes à une nouvelle palette de réflexions et d’expériences pour Percy, il permet aussi d’intégrer un mystère et de la tension autour de la potion, l’Indiscible.

Pas d’underage, mais une relation prof-élève tout de même - tout du moins, pendant un segment de l’histoire. Intéressante, touchante, très drôle, amère, complexe et pathétique. WIP.

Thanks for reading, I hope it had helped!

Thanks to all of the authors also! You are brave, tenacious and doing an amazing work. Thanks a lot! :)

(And of course, beware of the tags, if you are triggered by specific content - homophobia, blood, hospital, violence, explicit sex scenes, manipulation, death, etc)

08-24-2020 edit: Thirty-Five Owls, nobody else but me and verivala’s works added. 02-18-2021 edit: White and mautadite’s works added.

(08-24-2020: i’m also currently interested by Kierkegarden’s works, an already quite inevitable GGAD author, I might add some of them later)

[aion-rsa]

Fantastic Beasts Missed the Boat on Embracing Gay Representation

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

There’s no fixing the first two Fantastic Beasts movies in the Harry Potter prequel franchise. They’re narratively muddled, lack inspiring central characters, have concerning things to say about the rise of fascism, and notably refuse to make Dumbledore explicitly gay. However, with the third film in the franchise looking to recast Grindelwald, and with Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen rumored to be in talks for the role, the franchise has a chance to right itself when it comes to at least that last issue. But, with noted TERF Rowling reprising her role as both screenwriter and executive producer for the as-of-yet untitled film, a question presents itself: should it? Or, in other words: at this point, is poor representation better than no representation when it comes to a situation like Fantastic Beasts?

It’s hard to debate this sort of thing before the fact. We don’t know what Fantastic Beasts‘ attempts at queer representation might look like because the franchise has never given us any. Despite Rowling’s post-Potter books announcement that she has always considered the character of Albus Dumbledore to be gay and the Fantastic Beasts‘ centering of the generally presumed to be queer relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the Fantastic Beasts franchise has avoided representing Dumbledore’s sexual identity or the specific nature of is relationship with Grindelwald—to the detriment of the story.

Before the release of The Crimes of Grindelwald, director David Yates confirmed that the film would “not explicitly” represent Dumbledore’s sexual identity, adding: “But I think all the fans are aware of that. He had a very intense relationship with Grindelwald when they were young men. They fell in love with each other’s ideas and ideology and each other.” In other words, this isn’t an example of filmmakers maintaining plausible deniability when it comes to a character’s queer-coding or of a fandom’s reading of a character as queer. This is an example of the filmmakers (both Yates and Rowling) actively recognizing the character as queer in interviews and then bending over backwards in the film to avoid depicting it.

This is all years-old discourse, but I bring it up to say that perhaps Yates and Rowling are not the best filmmakers to tell a queer story—especially as Grindelwald specifically could so easily fall into the Hollywood tradition of queer-coded villainy. We might not know what Fantastic Beasts’ queer representation might look like before the fact, but we can certainly guess based on what we have seen before from these creators, which is to say: on both their parts, an apparent aversion to telling stories with queer characters and dynamics and, in Rowling’s case, a harmful history of transphobia.

To be clear: This isn’t to say that the franchise made the right choice in choosing not to make Dumbledore explicitly gay in the films thus far. Warner Bros. had the glorious opportunity to be a pioneer of meaningful queer representation in the big-budget blockbuster. In the books, we learn that Dumbledore once thought similarly to Grindelwald. During their summer together in Godric’s Hollow as young men, they dreamed of ruling over Muggles together using the Deathly Hallows. The accidental death of Albus’ younger sister at the end of the summer changed all of that, putting Dumbledore and Grindelwald on different paths that would eventually lead them to a high-stakes duel for the future of wizardry and the world. The tragic queer love story of Dumbledore and Grindelwald was right there for the taking. Drop or diminish the role of Newt and the Fantastic Beasts, lean into the Charles-and-Erik of it all, and you’ve got yourself a solid blockbuster franchise—albeit one that doesn’t come with an easily marketable set of children’s toys.

There are a lot of possible reasons for why a queer version of the Fantastic Beasts franchise hasn’t happened, though the frustratingly opaque nature of Hollywood executive decision-making makes it hard to pinpoint exactly what they might be: Perhaps writer and executive producer Rowling didn’t want to tell an explicitly queer story. Perhaps the studio, like most studios, didn’t want to risk alienating homophobic audiences, in the U.S., the U.K., and in global markets. Perhaps there was so little diversity in the room that the question was never even raised. Probably, it was a combination of all three. The choice to avoid meaningful representation is rarely an outwardly malicious process. The relative homogeneity of our cultural system perpetuates itself through horrifically mundane methods that are no less damaging for how ordinary and calm they can appear on the surface.

We are in an era of big-budget queer representation that involves a blink-and-you-miss-it kiss in the background of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker or a 30-second, throwaway queer cameo in Avengers: Endgame, and it sucks even while it is technically progress. So, yes, having a big-budget Hollywood movie franchise that centers queer characters and a queer dynamic (even if it is apparently too much to also ask for a depiction of queer community) would be a big deal, especially in a fan universe as prevalent as Harry Potter. But Rowling avoided incorporating explicit queerness into seven Potter books that featured over 700 named characters and over one million words. She’s not the person I want telling a complicated queer love story on the big screen and, in that sense, maybe it was always too late to make Fantastic Beasts gay, given the reality that she was always going to be the person steering this ship.

At this point, even if the Fantastic Beasts franchise were to narratively course correct when it comes to its queer representation, the fact remains that to support anything in the official Harry Potter universe means financially and culturally supporting Rowling, who has shown herself to be anti-trans. Being a supportive member of the queer community and/or being an ally to the queer community means showing up for all of the queer community. It means showing up for trans rights and considering that “cancel culture,” as Aja Romano suggested, “is best treated like a collective decision to minimize the cultural influence a person and their work have moving forward.”

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[aethelar]

Your words are ink: Ch 1

Ch 1 : This is not Graves’ day series tag - read it on AO3

Everyone has a soulmate. Some people have two. In rare cases, people have three, though those aren't usually publicised so much. However, the fact remains that everyone has at least one perfect match, even someone as hard and married to his work as Percival Graves.

Graves himself has never paid much attention to the idea. Soulmates are usually discussed with tittering giggles and longing sighs, or half hidden smiles and soft fondness. It's the classic story, the timeless romance, the one thing that will always go right in someone's life.

Graves has seen too much of the worst of humanity to believe in that. He deals with criminals, murderers, and the scum of society on an almost daily basis. He spends hours in interrogation rooms with poor besotted fools trying to defend their soulmates, as if the fact that someone is loved excuses the atrocities they commit. He's seen people grimly hanging on to a relationship that's destroying them because their soulmarks are shackles they can't escape, and he's seen people pushed beyond the limit just turn around and... break.

There's no other way to describe it, what happens to a person when they kill their soulmate. They break. Souls are not made to withstand that kind of trauma, and the empty shells that Graves and his aurors arrest are no more people than the corpses he finds them kneeling over. The death penalty, he thinks, is a kindness in these cases.

So no. Graves doesn't go in for that fairytale happy ending crap. The ink that winds around his wrist is no more interesting than the pattern of stubble he shaves off his chin each morning. He hasn't memorised the first words his supposedly perfect other half will say to him, nor has he spent hours idly tracing the messy scrawl with his fingers to learn the loops and curves of his soulmate's handwriting. He doesn't cover the words with a cuff like so many people have started to do, nor hide them more subtly under a glamour charm or an enchanted watch. He just ignores them.

And if he ever meets his soulmate, he'll just ignore them as well. In Graves' mind, it's as simple as that.

"Are you people contractually obliged to create paperwork?" Newt complained. He was sitting on the corner of Tina's desk, shoulders hunched as he rested his weight on his hands and feet swinging like an impatient child. With an irritated huff, Tina added a cushioning charm to the wood so that his heels stopped scuffing the polish.

"If you'd registered everything before you arrived I wouldn't have to do it all for you now," she said without sympathy. Her quill hovered over the next part of the form with something like dread. "Have you, or has anyone you've been in close contact with, been exposed to dangerous dark items, creatures or curses in the six months prior to entering New York?" she read aloud.

"No," Newt lied easily. Or maybe it wasn't a lie - he had a definition of 'dangerous' that didn't quite match that found in appendix 3b, subsection iv. "And that doesn't actually make less paperwork, it just spreads it out over a longer time period which might even be worse."

"Yes, but at least I wouldn't be the one dealing with it. When were you in Sudan?"

He paused on that, a flicker of an old hurt flashing across his face, and Tina regretted having to ask. "I'm sorry," she said, gentling her tone. "But Graves - Grindelwald - recorded the obscurial you found, and they'll flag that as a dark magic encounter."

Newt set his jaw mulishly. "They shouldn't," he groused. "It's completely harmless in its bubble. And it's not dark magic anyway, it's just - it's accidental magic. Condensed down and given semi-sentience by repressed feelings. Not dark."

Tina sighed. "I know, Newt. But - the paperwork. I just need something to put down on the paperwork." And, because she did know, and because she also knew that the aurors would be overreacting in the wake of Credence's - in the wake of the incident, she added, "Standard quarantine period for unknowns is thirteen weeks. If the magic has remained stable for that duration, it's assumed safe to be released into competent care."

She kept her gaze focussed squarely on the customs forms. Technically, it was freely known information, and technically sharing freely known information didn't count as aiding a suspect in evading the law. Technically.

Ethically she should turn in her newly instated auror badge and have a long talk with herself about moral choices and recording falsehoods on official documentation, but if she was being the truly law-abiding auror she claimed to be then she'd have to report Queenie for continued fraternisation with a no-maj, Jacob for somehow evading the city-wide obliviate (that would probably come back to Queenie as well, actually), Newt for giving a no-maj a case full of clearly magical occamy egg shells to use as collateral at a no-mag bank are you kidding me, Newt for half the animals in his pocket zoo that he steadfastly wasn't admitting to bringing into New York, Newt for -

She'd have to report Newt for a lot of things which she didn't feel like doing. So. Technicalities were fine.

"Am I competent care?" Newt asked. Tina buried a somewhat hysterical giggle and seriously considered spelling the forms to complete themselves without her. In mermish.

"Yes, Newt, you're competent care."

He was silent for a second, something like pride and something like happiness warring on his face. It would forever remain a mystery how Tina could have thought the goof was a threat to New York, seriously.

"Eight months ago," he finally said with a lopsided, if slightly sad, smile. "I was in Sudan eight months ago. And that's - that's actually when it was."

Eight months. Tina made an addendum note of the date of the obscurial's capture and made the executive decision to answer 'no' to the remaining five questions on the form.

"And that," she said, spelling the form dry with a flourish and sending it off to file itself, "is done. Welcome to New York, Mr Scamander, you're finally officially cleared. Congratulations."

There was a staccato rap at the open door.

"Miss Goldstein," Graves - the real Graves - said. He was haggard and thinner than he should be, his usually tanned skin pale and tinged grey. For all that, he'd lost nothing of his authority, and his gaze was sharp and hard. "If I might borrow Mr Scamander?" It was phrased as a question, but clearly wasn't one.

"Of course," she said, standing up from her chair. She glanced over at Newt, but he was fixedly looking at the door handle and his blank expression gave nothing away.

Graves nodded once in what might, in a gentler man, have been thanks. "Mr Scamander," he said pointedly, stepping aside and gesturing at the doorway.

Newt looked up, transferring his stare from the door handle to the window in the corridor over Graves' shoulder. His shoulders were tense and his feet had stopped swinging, and Tina had a sudden moment to wonder if he knew that Graves had been recovered after Grindelwald's capture.

"Are you going to give me the death sentence again?" Newt asked mildly, proving that he was a) probably aware that this was the real Graves, because who would ask that of an actual Dark Lord, and b) a little shit who would definitely ask that of an actual Dark Lord, who is Tina even trying to convince here.

Graves took a strangely long time to answer, enough that Tina had to suppress the urge to fidget nervously. Newt's question could, she supposed, be taken the wrong way, and Graves - evil doppelganger or not - wasn't a man to cross lightly.

"I assure you," Graves finally said with shaken forced calm, "I would rather your continued survival than your untimely death."

Newt weighed the words. He apparently found them acceptable and hopped down from Tina's desk, giving her one final jaunty wave as he left the room. She didn't wave an answer his goodbye, too distracted by the way that Graves swivelled in place to stare after him. He looked rattled. Off-kilter. Even more off-kilter than he'd looked when they'd received the distress call and found him, limping, half-dead and severely pissed off, out of a back-alley sewer.

It was strangely unnerving to see the unflappable man so... flapped.

"Sir?" she managed when he made no move to leave. His head snapped to her with alarming speed, expression closing down into his usual frown. He nodded, tugged the cuff of his left sleeve down to more firmly cover the tumble of dark ink encircling his wrist, and strode after Newt.

The cuff. Of his left sleeve. Over his wrist.

This was the first time Newt had met Graves, the real Graves, wasn't it?

Tina sat down heavily behind her chair and fervently hoped that she was reading things wrong.