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made a sorta 1970's hogwarts school timetable in word. please tell me if you have any clubs or such you think they'd have
#the tutoring is just like. booked rooms in the library for school assigned tutoring. so like tutors will have their tutees at that time.#james' club is literally just him going for runs in the mornings and trying to drag his friends along#disco club was only a club during the 70s and a little into the 80s. mary macdonald started it.#<- it's literally just a school approved way to party. they get the great hall. play disco music and dance.#the dynamis club is one of those weird prestigious clubs (like slug club by run by students)#<- it's basically just a gathering of the rich purebloods. started by the black family a long time ago. sirius was invited but refused#the mods club and rockers club are just mods and rockers. they have the same time to annoy each other#muggle sports club is like. where they do a different muggle sport every week. lily and james are both in it and bond a lot because of it.#marauders era#marauders#hogwarts
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Why It Was Practically Inevitable That Severus Snape Would Join A Cult, an essay by Rose Jam
So, let’s talk about Cults. Disclaimer: This is just information I’ve gathered over the years from my personal fascination with religious cults. I’m in no way an expert or a psychologist or whatever. This is just my personal understanding from the research I’ve done.
A cult is started when a wildly charismatic Leader feels like they have a purpose, a higher calling, or a mission to be fulfilled (or they could also just be an egomaniac). Maybe they really do feel like what makes them special comes directly from a higher power, be that God, or the Heir of Slytherin, but either way, this person has a pathological need to be worshiped, and they need followers in order to do that.
So, how does one obtain Followers easily? By finding the misunderstood misfits of society, and promising them something. The people who feel like no one else understands them, or their ideologies. But this Leader? This Leader GETS IT, MAN! The Leader understands them perfectly, vindicates them, and makes them promises along the way. Like, if they stick with the Leader, then not only will they finally be understood, but they themselves will also be revered. That they will rise above all of the others who have put them down for so long, and will come out on top as a superior being.
Any of this sounding familiar?
Charles Manson preyed on young people in the middle of the hippie movement, mostly women, who were feeling lost, lonely, and in need of guidance, or in terms of the men he recruited, seeking power over others. Not all of these people were poor or helpless; some of them came from middle class, or even rich homes and families. Yes, some of them came from broken homes, but all of them felt “broken” themselves, in some way. So Manson used their desires to have a family to draw them in. He then used LSD and other drugs to keep them under his control, and he created a manipulative environment where the members of his “family” felt they could never leave him, and if they didn’t follow his commands, something horrible would happen to them. I’m not going to go into full detail on the Manson Family Murders, but if you’re personally interested, check out the Podcast “Cults” on Spotify.
So back to basics, this Leader draws in Followers with flowery promises of community, power, family, or whatever. But once the Leader has that following, the terror will begin. Cult Leaders are usually master manipulators, and have completely brainwashed their followers into believing the “us vs them” mentality, that the outside world is evil, that the outside world will only harm them, that the outside world would never understand what they’re doing on the inside. And that the Leader is the only one who knows the truth, so they better stick with him. Or maybe the Leader has gaslit his followers so completely, that they become dependent on him for everything, to the point where they don’t know how they would possibly function without the Leader. Or, the Leader has created an environment that’s so hostile, that Followers are too afraid of what might happen to them if they tried to leave, or didn’t do what the Leader commanded. Typically, it’s a combination of all of the above. Destructive cults will either hurt others outside of their circle (The Manson Family, Sect of Nacozari), harm themselves (Heaven’s Gate, The Ant Hill Kids), or both (The People’s Temple, Aum Sinrikyo).
Now that I’ve laid this foundation, I’m going to tell you why it was practically inevitable that Severus Snape would join a cult.
Snape’s childhood ultimately laid the foundation for the mental state he would be in when he decided to join the Death Eaters. He grew up in an abusive household, where his father, the muggle, had his magical wife so thoroughly whipped, that she couldn’t (or chose not to) use magic to defend herself, or her son (1). Eileen had obviously told Severus about magic, about Hogwarts, about what a wonderful place it was, and what a wonderful gift magic could be. Severus also watched as Tobias beat the magic out of her. (I know it’s debated whether Tobias actually physically abused his family, but he certainly verbally/mentally/emotionally abused them, so the term “beat” could be used figuratively as well). I don’t think it’s unreasonable to believe that Severus developed an extreme hatred of muggles with “burn the witch” mentalities from a very young age because of this.
Enter Lily, perhaps the only other magical person in his life besides his mother up to this point. He sees her using magic out in the open, perhaps recklessly, for fun, and he sees an opportunity to make a friend (and, admittedly, to be smarter than someone about something for a while). He was so eager to tell her all about magic, because getting to learn magic, and go to Hogwarts, has possibly been the only thing keeping him going in his young life. And now he’s made a friend, a real friend who doesn’t think he’s weird because he’s magical. Unlike Petunia, yet another muggle who makes fun of him for being weird (2). And Lily actually seems to like him back. For a kid who probably hasn’t received a lot of affection in his life, this is monumental. This friendship is everything. Why wouldn’t he love her?
So the time finally comes to go to Hogwarts. Severus gets to escape his abusive household, and finally has an opportunity to embrace magic for the first time in his life. But almost immediately, he’s met with a hic-up. Specifically, James Potter and Sirius Black. So Severus is no longer facing abuse exclusively from muggles who think he’s weird, but now he’s also getting it from other magical people who think he’s weird (3). And this started on the fucking TRAIN before he even GOT to Hogwarts. You can’t tell me that wouldn’t sour a kids dream right off the fucking bat. And then, when he finally gets there, he’s separated from his only friend, by being sorted into different houses (4). What a way for a life-long dream to be thoroughly dashed in less than 24 hours.
Let’s look at Snape’s Hogwarts experience. He’s a good student, and he pours himself into learning as much magic as possible, and at being the best he can possibly be, probably motivated by a desire to be better than what his Father thinks possible. During this time, he is regularly bullied and abused by the Marauders. Sometime before his 5th year, the Incident at the Shrieking Shack took place. It definitely sucks to have been so thoroughly fucking duped, and put into a life-threatening situation involving a goddamn werewolf (5). But perhaps even worse than that, the salt in the wound, was that no one fucking did anything about it (6). He saw Sirius and James and Remus get out of that situation without facing any sort of proper punishment (as in, they all still stayed at the school as opposed to being expelled like they DEFINITELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN (At least Sirius should have been)). Dumbledore was looking out for the Marauders, but no one was looking out for Severus. On top of that, Severus isn’t allowed to TELL anyone about it, not even Lily. So, he goes through what was possibly one of the most traumatic experiences of his life, and he can’t even tell anyone that it happened.
So, what sort of support system does Severus have during all this? He has Lily, sure (who literally told him he should be GRATEFUL to James, one of his abusers). But, what he really has, is Slytherin House (7). I’ll say it plainly: Severus was sorted into a house that was already full of existing cult members. McGonagall says in Sorcerer’s Stone that “Your house will be like your family” (she at least says it in the movies, I’m too lazy to get up and reference my books rn lol). So, Severus’ family, his support system, for 10 months out of every year, is a house that is already full to the brim with pureblood elitists with prejudiced ideals, who would absolutely vindicate Severus in his dislike for muggles. As a kid first getting sorted into the house, it’s obviously not unreasonable to become friends with the people you’re literally living with. His dorm mates became his family. So, when his dorm mates started to become Death Eaters… This is headcanon, I fully admit, but like, fuck, Severus didn’t have a lot of friends, and was probably already drifting apart from Lily. Do you really think he was going to tell the people he had to live with every single day, not to mention the only people that had been supporting him for years, to go fuck themselves for using Dark Magic? Especially when he was probably feeling like he was on the verge of thinking that their rhetoric made some sense?
On to Snape’s Worst Memory (8). At this point, he’s spent 5 years in Slytherin House, with fellow students who casually throw around the M word. He gets attacked by James and Sirius, he’s practically defenseless, and then the girl who he’d considered his closest friend for so long… has to force herself not to smile when he’s thrown upside down and exposed to everyone on the grounds. Sure, she was trying to defend him at first, but she also fucking nearly smiled at his humiliation, his pain, his abuse. So he hurls the one word that he knows is going to cut the deepest, that will hopefully hurt her as badly as she has hurt him. And it works.
Severus had been beaten down his entire life. By Muggles and Magic Folk alike. And finally, he’s betrayed by Lily, his last lifeline to the light. He betrayed her as well, of course. But he did try to show remorse. And she doesn’t forgive him (9), which was her prerogative, of course.
So. Who does he have left?
I’ve placed little (numbers) throughout my writing here. Each of those numbers denote the specific events that led Severus to becoming an angry young man, who hates muggles, hates (some) magic folk, and resulted in him feeling weak, helpless, and desperate. For what? For power, for a family, for a community. For a world where he is no longer the weird one. For a world where he’s respected, strong. For the world he thought he was going to be a part of, when he arrived at Hogwarts in his first year.
And it just so happens that this is the exact world that Voldemort is (allegedly) trying to create.
Severus Snape was angry, and vulnerable, and as such, he was practically the poster child for the type of person who would be susceptible to falling for a cult. Maybe he was recruited by his friends in Slytherin House. Maybe he was recruited directly. Either way, charismatic Tom Riddle came along, understood how he felt, where he was coming from, told him he deserved better, and offered him all of the things he never had in his life. And being at rock bottom, being the lowest of the low, to Severus it must have seemed like a miracle of an opportunity, or perhaps, like the only chance he had left.
Now, let me be extremely clear; everything I’ve written is not trying to EXCUSE Severus Snape for his actions. There is always a point where personal responsibility must come into play. Except for children born into cults or victims of kidnapping, nearly every person who has ever joined a cult has made the personal decision to join it. I’m just trying to express how unbelievably easy it is, for a Cult Leader to find people with damaged lives and low self-worth, to suck them in with promises of a fulfilling life and grandeur, and for those people to be easily swept up and brainwashed into believing that what they are doing is right. (Or that what they are doing is required, because the alternative is more horrifying.)
The type of people who joined the Death Eaters are the same type of people who joined Heaven’s Gate, or The People’s Temple, or yes, The Manson Family. Now, I’m just going to say, from my own personal point of view, I do not vilify anyone who’s ever joined a destructive cult. On the contrary, I feel sorry for them. Because most people who join a cult, don’t necessarily do it signing up for the… end result of what happened to them. Some of them totally do, like Heaven’s Gate. Most of them knew that the end result was going to be the “evacuation of their earthly vessel”. But the people who joined the Manson Family, for instance, did not initially join it KNOWING how it was going to end. They were part of the family long before Manson even came up with Helter Skelter, and by the time the Tate-LaBianca Murders took place, they were already too far gone to go against it.
I highly recommend anyone who’s interested in a humanizing view of former cult members, to read the essay “Leslie Van Houten: A Friendship” by John Waters. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/leslie-van-houten-a-frien_b_246953
Or, at the very least, listen to this 7 minute NPR interview with John Waters about the essay https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111585116
It’s the story of how notorious film maker John Waters, became friends with former Manson Girl, Leslie Van Houten, and about how she broke away from the cult after her conviction, how she’s spent the last 51 years of her life recovering from the psychotic influence of a maniac who’d promised her the world, and how even though she was convicted to life WITH a possibility of parole, it’s never been granted to her, despite the fact that she has done literally everything possible to try and atone for her crimes.
Maybe I’m just a bleeding heart. I’m pretty much the only person I know who feels sorry for Leslie Van Houten and other cult members who were brainwashed, abused, and manipulated into doing a lot of the horrible things they’ve done. But there are people in the world, who have committed FAR more heinous crimes than the Manson Family murders, and who are far less repentant than Leslie, but because those crimes weren’t as notorious, they get to walk free.
Addendum: When I first posted this, I had a few people point out to me that they had always associated Voldemort and the Death Eaters with Hitler and Nazi Germany. This is a perfectly fair point, but one that I personally don’t jive with, and the reason is simply the numbers. There were literally millions of people in the Nazi party during WW2. Death Eaters don’t even reach triple digits, as far as I’m aware. As I hinted at in this essay, I consider Voldemort and the Death Eaters to be MUCH closer to Charles Manson and the Manson Family. The Manson Family 100% had Nazi ideology, of course. "Helter Skelter” was Charles Manson’s prediction that there was going to be a massive race war; one that the Whites were going to lose, and that he and his Pure White family would emerge from it in order to rule over the remaining Blacks. Kinda... sounds like a Death Eater thing, huh?
Sorry. Back to Snape. There is a lot we don’t know about Severus’ actual time as a Death Eater. I think it can be reasonably assumed he’s never actually killed anyone before Dumbledore (In Prince’s Tale, Severus questions if his soul would be safe from killing Dumbledore, and Dumbledore implies that his soul would not be damaged by helping an old man avoid pain and humiliation. This leads me to believe that Severus never committed any soul-damaging murders before this). Beyond being a sneaky spy and delivering the prophecy to Voldemort, his time as a Death Eater is all up for conjecture.
Severus does make one important deviation from the typical cult member mold, however. In the end, he manages to break away from the cult. The scales fall from his eyes. In a figurative sense, the LSD has worn off. What made him sober up, was the threat to his last lifeline to the light. The one good fucking thing he’d ever had in his miserable life. He was brought back by genuine love. Ya know, the ENTIRE MESSAGE OF THE HP SERIES. And not only did he leave the cult, but he then spent the rest of his life actively attempting to destroy it, and atone for the mistakes he’s made, in an effort to bring back the world he’d been excited for, as an 11-year-old kid, so full of hope.
#Snape Meta#Severus Snape#Pro Snape#Snapedom#Snape Community#This will be the TRUE test of the tags#Essay Jam#Why It Was Practically Inevitable That Severus Snape Would Join A Cult
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Bio:
For as long as August could remember, he had always been colourful in every sense. His mum, Corliss, a true otherworldly type—had always confirmed his aura was blue. “It means you’re sensitive, my dove.” She would always remind him, hand running through his dark curls fondly. As a child, he had never known how his mother knew such a thing, and would often peer into the bathroom mirror, determined to see a blue glow from his skin. As August had come into his teens and gathered more of an understanding around his mother’s spirituality, he still wondered how she knew he was blue, but understood that not everybody could be blue; some were yellow, others magenta. Once, he thought he’d inherited his mother’s ability to see auras, but found later that it had just been the late afternoon sun streaming through the Great Hall windows one spring evening, flattering his friend in the perfect orange light.
His dad, Oswin, had been more practical in his definition. As a child, maybe around ten or eleven, August developed an interest in his dad’s field of art. He had fond memories of many an evening spent in the shed on the Cobb’s property, where the two of them had dabbled with all types of artistic mediums: from rich oil paints, to chunky charcoals and everything in between. Although they never spoke much during those nights—both intensely caught up in their own work—August and Oswin would regularly leave the shed covered in paint, prompting the pet name ‘August the Colourful’. He cherished the memories, now at twenty-six, even more than he always had: his father’s arrival at a local grocer at the wrong time combined with the swift movement of a death eater. His absence left a gaping hole in their family, one-third torn from place in a single afternoon.
Nearly a year passed before August found himself returning to painting. Muted abstracts with moving parts that depicted images of war and suffering that were so regular in the wizarding world now that there almost seemed to be no other choice but to paint them. There was no joy from these paintings, but it was a necessary outlet for feelings often unsaid. They were a dramatic change from his younger work, full of colour and effervescence; but things were different now. The influence of the war was so overwhelming now, he found it creeping into every facet of his life. It was unwelcome, but it was certainly here to stay.
In his twenty-eighth year, August was tired of war, but still persevering. Colour had started to reappear in his paintings, and he’d even been paid for a few of them. It was exciting, the thought of his career finally taking off, and it pushed him to create more. Of course, the war constantly loomed over the wizarding world, but he was hopeful. Something had to come good soon, surely?
Basics:
Name: August Winthrop Cobb Meaning: August: Latin origin meaning "great, magnificent". Winthrop: English origin meaning “friend’s village” Birthday: 22nd June, 1952—Cancer Age: 28 Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: bisexual Siblings: n/a Parents: Corliss and Oswin Cobb Other Family: n/a Languages: English Current Residence: 2/84 Lorrey Lane, Shoreditch, London Hometown: 5 Nottingham Road, Bristol, United Kingdom
Wizard Fun:
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff Year of Graduation: 1970 Occupation: artist, with a bit of bartending on the side Pet: n/a Blood Status: Pureblood Species: human Patronus: hummingbird Boggart: TBD Amortentia: mint, coriander, and camomile tea Wand type: TBD Affiliation: neutral/Order
Appearance:
Height: 6′ Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Blue Typical Hair Style: Poofy curls Fashion Style: Loose fit, usually with some kind of paint splotch. Sensible shoes, always Distinguishing Features: Big nose, earring in left ear, and a birth mark on the back of his upper right thigh
Personality:
Positive Traits: kindness; ability to form meaningful connections Negative Traits: flighty; forgives easily Quick Facts: TBD Theme song: TBD Headcanons: TBD
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read the prophet recently ? says a certain ISAÍAS BLACK is in town. word says he’s from ilvermorny, 34 years old, and currently works as a vigilante. asked around, and most folks say he’s even-handed and resourceful, so that’s good stuff. get on his bad side, and he can be abrasive and resentful. apparently, if you need to know anything about defence against the dark arts, he’s the person to go to. — played by jon kortajarena.
— BASICS.
full name: isaías leonel black
name meaning: god is salvation, lion
date of birth: december 27th
place of birth: new york city, u.s.a.
age: 34
star sign:
sagittarius
alma mater: ilvermorny
house: house wampus
profession: vigilante
alignment: true neutral
mbti: istp
patronus: hawk
boggart: dementor
languages spoken: english ( native speaker ), spanish ( native speaker ), french ( fluent ), italian ( fluent ), german ( fluent ),
talents: defense against the dark arts, parseltongue
wand: 14½ inch, brittle, yew wood with phoenix feather core
mother’s name: jimena black née sánchez, deceased
father’s name: cornelius black, deceased
siblings, if any: none
blood status: pure-blood
height: 6′2″
hair colour: dark brown
eye colour: brown
— BACKSTORY.
from the bottom of my heart, yikes.
isaias was born in the upper east side of new york city, to a member of the black family of britain, and jimena sánchez, a spanish witch that immigrated to the united states. estates had to be run in the new country, and cornelius black was more than up for the task: the steadily growing nexus of dark wizards in the united states needed a leader. or at least, one among many.
there was nothing especially off with isaias’ childhood. papa would be away for weeks at a time, his mother would be distant and miserable so often, and he was left to explore around his brick manor home, alone, with a plan at the back of his mind to run away if needed. his mother would sometimes let hooded figures into the house to speak in chambers he wasn’t allowed into.
his relationship with his father was a bit — strange. cornelius was by no means cruel or harsh with his son, but treated him more like a pet than anything, something to be fed, clothed and sometimes kept as company in lonely evenings, but not as a human being, someone to know. on top of this, because he was away from home so often, isaias came to think of him as nearly a stranger, just one that sometimes patted his head and kissed his mother.
jimena did as much as she could to fill the gap that her husband left. tried to be there for isaias as much as she could, but there was only so much time she could make for him in between running the household, dealing with the dark wizards that would often frequent their home, and keeping up with her husband. she had never possessed any special liking to the dark arts — and she had thought cornelius was more prudent than he really was.
a lack of prudence inevitably gets you killed. it did cornelius, at least, when isaias was nearing eleven, just old enough to go to ilvermorny. but the death was no small accident or execution for betrayal. it was the result of a thorough investigation by the united states’ magical congress. a confrontation escalated, during which aurors were forced to kill cornelius. but the investigation didn’t end yet. every last thread had to be followed.
first isaias’ uncles and aunts, then his mother, then his mother’s siblings, and finally him. by the time he was allowed to go to ilvermorny, he was already two years older than the prescribed starting date — though it wasn’t too difficult to buy his way into school.
when you’re a black and your father’s the first wizard to have been killed by aurors in a decade, it does your reputation no favours. when he came to ilvermorny, lanky and gruff, whispers followed him from the moment he ascended mount greylock. his sorting ceremony was unusually long, with no house’s mascot stepping forward to welcome him until he scathingly demanded that one do. naturally, he was sorted into wampus, the house that favours the hot-blooded.
school was ... not fun. apart from being more or less ostracised from any of the people with moral compasses, and frequently got roped into the gang of blood purists at ilvermorny, a small though powerful group. this was where he’d find his so-called friends during his time there.
once out of school, it wasn’t easy to get a steady job. his academic understanding of magic wasn’t good enough for professorship, and it seemed that he’d be doing himself in for a lifetime of pain if he worked for the magical congress. while he certainly had the practical skills to make a good auror, he simply didn’t have the patience for the rules and procedures of it.
then his father’s brother ferdinand made him an offer — join the black clan in the united kingdom. there would always be a place for him there.
call it curiosity, stupidity, boredom. it didn’t matter, because one way or another, he was in london within a few months of graduating, and he was doing minor errands for wizards in no time — plenty of kidnappings, the occasional interrogation. none of it was particularly tasteful to him.
but unlike in ilvermorny, where he was very clearly isaias black in a sea of other students — the recognition he received here was not overfull, not menacing. just what he wanted, just what everyone else got. the feeling of being a part of something.
after a couple of years working in europe, he met serafina lestrange, the young and bored heir of a significant pureblood lineage. both of them were guarded, never given a choice or a plan in the world they were born into, and both tumbled into the same road, the same missions, the same bed. what they felt for each other was never love, because neither bothered to unravel the other, unpack scars. if anything, they applied gauze, patched up sores, made each other harder.
at the age of twenty-five, he requested to travel back to the united states — partially because he wanted to relive what he had left behind, give himself some satisfaction in his choice. and partially because he wanted to see his mother.
she was ill — from more than just polio. ill from loneliness, from regret, from feeling that her entire life could’ve been different, had she not settled for marrying a man involved with the dark arts, just because he had money, and stature.
isaias did get to meet her, but it was just a few months later that she passed away.
there was hardly a mercy period before he was reminded of what he was really there to do, besides reminisce. an auror’s life work was threatening to uncover an entire coven of dark wizards in upper new york — there was no easy way to go about it. he had to be eliminated, and his work destroyed. isaias hadn’t really killed anyone before — and it didn’t make much sense to send him in of all people.
until it did. because that auror — was his uncle. his mother’s brother, to be exact. heaven knows what had possessed him to join the police force, but it was no matter. the plan was for isaias to have a happy nephew-uncle reunion with him in his quiet brick manor upstate, spend a day or so exchanging pleasantries — murder him, burn the papers, leave without a trace. isaias had never met the man personally before.
but ricardo was welcoming, despite the news of his sister’s death affecting him silently. isaias felt a nauseating heaviness from the very beginning, knowing that this man was kin, that they were kept apart by forces that should’ve been overcome. in the manor, he saw a different life, one that could’ve been, of fireplaces and warm hearths and people looking after him. had he not been part of a family that prided itself on its disdain for foreigners.
then there was the matter of his family — wife and toddler son, not at all affiliated with magical defence. but if he killed ricardo, he’d have to take everyone else down too. killing an enemy was one thing. killing an innocent ? quite another. not to mention that they were his uncle, aunt and cousin — but orders were orders. and they’d never been a part of his life, so why should they be today ?
he sucked it up and finished the job. it was the most despicable thing he’d ever done, and it fucked him up. in less than a week, he requested to be kept out of the business altogether. mostly he was laughed at.
but because he was adamant to leave, he offered them a deal. he would go, and in return, he would make an unbreakable vow, or rather, three. never to become an auror, never to aid an auror to find a death eater, and never to kill a person with a dark mark.
this seemed to satisfy the london high command well enough. of course, he knew that he would be tracked from then on or the rest of his life anyway.
a while on the run, and he’d figured out a couple of loopholes to the terms of his vow. couldn’t be an auror. fine, the auror’s were steeped in bureaucracy and corruption anyway, it would only be a hindrance to join them. to assist an auror: he knew none, no problem. and as for killing death eaters — he wasn’t about to take anyone’s life again, but he had to take their freedom.
the torturing curse, crucio and the disarming expelliarmus became his closest allies. after debilitating the death eaters he could find, it was only too easy to leave them in places where they would be found by the authorities, given a trial and all the nice stuff — provided they were in a position to speak. this went on for years.
as of 1963, he’s arrived in paris, to join the largest wizarding convention in modern history, with delegates from more than a hundred countries, and of all professionals, rich, poor, ordinary and remarkable. he knew that death eaters had waited ages for something like this, a gathering of fish in one big barrel. it would be easy to shoot at them, all at once.
knowing that it’d happen is certainly an advantage, but such an operation might just be too much for him alone.
#literally END my life#I DESERVE NO RIGHTS#( * sick of these wounds that won’t heal | isaías black. )#( * intros. )
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AMYCUS CARROW is A DEATH EATER in the war, even though HIS official job is as A CURSE BREAKER & HIT MAN the TWENTY SIX year old PUREBLOOD is known to be PATIENT and RESERVED but also VIOLENT and TWO FACED. some might label them as THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE. fc: ryan gosling
ANTHEMS:
feel it still - portugal the man // devil like me - rainbow kitten surprise // dead man’s arms - bishop briggs // fever pitch - rainbow kitten surprise // devil eyes - hippie sabotage // dark side - bishop briggs.
pinterest board (x)
BACKGROUND / FAMILY:
Amycus Abigor Carrow came crashing into the world screaming for his sister. Born the eldest to the Carrow dynasty, he was expected to eventually mount the role as the heir to the family legacy, but Amycus quickly proved himself to be Quite the Disappointment.
As a young child, Amycus was soft spoken, easily intimidated and quiet ( main inspiration for baby Amycus: Radu from And I Darken tbh ). Mostly clung to the family’s staff, always crying, always craving closeness. For a while, he was just as angelic as he looked.
Never saw much of his parents while growing up. His father was a successful businessman who only had kids because he was supposed to ( to carry on the blood line ), and wanted nothing to do with him. Instead, Amycus was left in the care of his grandfather.
His grandfather was FUCKED. An absolutely terrible man. A Death Eater before his time. An actual demon. Can’t say enough bad things about him, ya feel.
Either way, his grandfather was absolutely disgusted by Amycus, who could never fit into the mold that had been created for him. Thought his grandson was a poor excuse for a Carrow and thought he could change that through pain and violence. So, lessons were drilled in using corporal punishment, and the emotional and physical abuse he suffered eventually turned him into something colder and darker. What had once been soft, turned harsh, rough around the edges. A shell of a boy was left behind, not a trace of that sweetness left behind once they were done with him ( but were they ever? ).
Amycus basically became filled with resentment against everyone in his family, with the exception of Alecto. She has always been there, from the day they were born. She was the one to dry his tears, the one to hold his hand, the one to tell him where to hide. The one constant, his safe haven. They come as a matching set, and Amycus would kill ( and definitively has, too lbr ) for her.
Gained a definite rebellious streak pretty early on, which only became more aggressive as he got older. Once he reached his teenage years, he’d do ANYTHING and everything to fuck with his father & grandfather. Kinda stopped caring about the punishment, so used to pain that he stopped fearing it. Almost stopped feeling it.
Definitively grew up in his sister’s shadow, and was always the lesser Carrow.
When he turned fifteen, he moved out and never looked back. Decided to make his own future, and just never spoke to his family (Alecto is always the exception we all know this) again. Because fuck y’all, basically.
SO. His family’s plans had been for him to finish his education at Hogwarts, and then follow in his father’s foot steps and take over the company and the family name. Amycus had different plans though, obviously.
His family were... so angry with him. But they definitively pretend ( because can’t have Amycus ruining their good reputation, am I right ) that they were the ones to encourage Amycus to find his own path in life and become a curse breaker.
Though, Amycus was never denounced as a Carrow ( because they didn’t wanna air their dirty laundry to the world, ya know ). Most pureblood families have noticed though that Amycus isn’t exactly... close with his family. I mean, at pureblood parties, he literally pretends that he can’t see them.
AESTHETIC / VIBES:
old gramophones, blood stained mirrors, broken glasses, bleeding fists, standing in silence for hours, chipped teeth, unwavering loyalty, unhealed scars, getting home at the crack of dawn, red wine, eyes too blue to be trusted, long showers, god complexes, the color of dusk, messy hair, blood soaked suits, always cheating death, a rebel just for kicks, dried crimson on dull blades, half smiles, just beating and beating until the world stops, no conscience, half empty wine bottles, impersonal offices, a face that doesn’t quite match his demeanor.
HOGWARTS YEARS:
Was a hat stall between Hufflepuff and Slytherin.
patience/loyalty/dedication vs self preservation/resourcefulness/dedication mostly.
At Hogwarts, Amycus felt in power for the first time. Ended up becoming the aggressor, finding solace in pain and violence. Found that he was good at inflicting pain, and liked being good at SOMETHING. Had never really felt that before. :/
Eventually got a taste for blood, and started getting into fights with other students, each run in more violent than the next.
STILL, did not end up in detention, because for a while, the teachers couldn’t believe that someone like Amycus ( who was mostly known for being very quiet and looking sweet ) would hurt another student. It would take for him to eventually get caught in the act, until that perception shattered.
Was that kid who used bugs and insects to practice unforgivable curses on. Eventually progressed to torturing students as well.
Excelled in charms, and can do wonders with a wand when he puts his mind to it. Most other grades were pretty shit though.
AFTER HOGWARTS:
Once he graduated from Hogwarts, he was meant to take his place in the Carrow dynasty ( grandfather somehow STILL believing that he would come to his senses ), but fuck that. So he basically left the country as fast as possible, and became a cursebreaker.
Which just made sense, because he has always been good at inflicting curses, and breaking them isn’t that different. He is very good at what he does.
First few years were spent working in ancient tombs abroad, mostly. That kind of work fit him really well, because he could wear whatever he wanted, didn’t have to talk to people too much, could do his own thing. Was also always someone around to beat up.
After a while, he started missing his sister, and returned home, where he found work at the ministry of magic. Today, he works for the removal of curses, jinxes and hexes office, which is a subdivision for the improper use of magic office.
Really likes his job? BUT. Also has a #second job.
On the side, he’s sort of a gun ( wand ) for hire, and will kill anyone who needs to be killed, for a price. Gives zero shit about the money though ( but the client needs to be rich, ya feel ).
Most of his clients are members of the sacred 28, who somehow always seem to want SOMEONE dead.
Honestly, I haven’t 100% figured out how he conducts this business because obviously he wants to remain anonymous. He probably has some sort of dramatic way of getting people to give him names that need to die idk. #to be determined
Joined the Death Eaters mostly because of his sister? But their agenda also really fits him, because violence? Bigotry? Death? Sign him tf up.
He isn’t the most invested in the whole pureblood supremacy thing ( but would he ever admit that? that’s a no ), but overall likes Voldemort and what he stands for.
Though he’s also lowkey intimidated by / afraid of Voldemort and is quite pleased with the fact that he doesn’t have to report directly to him.
For the Death Eaters, Amycus mostly works as an information gatherer, which is basically just a euphemism for him being one of their main torturers, who will torture people until they tell him whatever it is the Death Eaters want to know. He usually works together with his sister and they are disturbingly good at what they do.
AS A PERSON:
Cares very little for most people and is so so so selfish.
Lacks most of the finesse of his sister, tbh.
100% neutral evil. Kind of has a moral compass, it just points in the wrong direction at all times? Mostly just does whatever is best for him and Alecto though, and has zero interest in any righteous bullshit.
Does he think that he’s doing the right thing? Nope. He’s well aware that he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A bad dude. Does he care? Also no.
Might just be the most private person you’ll ever meet? He seldom reveals anything about himself, and when he does, it’s usually not true.
Will also lie about the dumbest and smallest of details.
SO self disciplined. Always in complete control, and it’s very hard to get a genuine reaction / rise out of him. Also so so so patient, and is happy to wait for whatever his current end game is.
Drinks and smokes heavily, but doesn’t personally think that he has a problem.
Mostly just a dumb asshole.
SO COLD.
Thrives off violence and is a total brute tbh.
Never fucking does what anyone tells him to do.
Someone: pls do this Amycus: *does the exact opposite*
Bisexual !
Pretty good at hiding his death eater ties since he’s… paranoid as FUCK. And also keeps to himself. Always wears a mask. But some people probably suspect… stuff anyways, if they’ve like. Spent longer than two hours with him. Listen if Amycus wasn’t such a fucking asshole he probably could get away with it (/scooby doo villain voice). But then again, others will probably think he’s just cold af.
Looks a lot nicer than he is, which works to his advantage most of the time? Like he just looks like a nerdy, good dude. Is a total demon, but looks like an angel.
STYLE / FASHION / APPEARANCE :
Wears glasses (x), but somehow manages to fucking break them ALL THE TIME. The only thing keeping them together is magic.
Wears mostly wizard suits for work ( bc he has to :/ ), but will wear those long black robes in his free time. Think a vampire cape, flying in the wind. Ultimate drama. He really is THAT guy.
Will also wear stupid wizard band t-shirts a lot when working.
Keeps his hair short.
Like 70% of his wealth is probably spent on buying new clothes, because he keeps fucking ruining them by getting blood on them? Or just having them ripped to shreds in a fight, that works too.
Looks like he’s wearing the same exact shoes every day but actually has like... 200 different pairs. They all look the same.
Eyes appear either blue or grey, depending on the lighting.
Has some tattoos, and a half sleeve on his right arm, going from his shoulder to his elbow.
CHARACTER INFLUENCES :
caleb haas ( quantico )- the snark. the assholery. the background. the black sheep.
clay haas ( quantico ) - just the right amount of polished. the style. the general aesthetic. the hair.
angelus ( btvs ) - the disregard for human life. the darkness. the occasional brooding. the quips.
holden ford ( mindhunter ) - the scheming. the hidden ambition. the slyness. the resolution.
lucifer morningstar ( lucifer ) - the smile, the general vibe, the quips, the mannerisms, the darkness.
eric northman ( southern vampire mysteries ) - the confidence. the general dumbness. the stubbornness.
demon dean winchester ( supernatural ) - the occasional charm. the being an actual demon-ness. the blood lust. the bad jokes. the weakness for a pretty face.
wolverine ( x men ) - the violence. the moodiness. the hatred. the occasional gruff demeanor.
takeshi kovac ( altered carbon ) - the violence. the fucked up moral compass. the buried anger. the instinct to fight.
elian ( to kill a kingdom ) - the rebel prince. the angry heir. the sarcasm. the dialogue.
radu ( and i darken ) - amycus as a child. the softness. the sweet face. the loyalty to his sister.
hannibal lecter ( silence of the lambs ) - the calm. the politeness. seems so civilized, so nice. isn’t though.
FAVORITE CHARACTER TROPES :
DISSONANT SERENITY - someone smiling gently in the middle of death and carnage, seeming almost enlightened as they slit throats left and right.
THE BERSERKER - throws himself into battle with such reckless abandon, that it seems like he wants to die. never, ever retreats.
FACE OF AN ANGEL, MIND OF A DEMON - looks nice, is a demon.
DEVIL IN PLAIN SIGHT - obviously up to no good, but few people seem to take notice.
EVEN EVIL HAS LOVED ONES - loves his sister.
BLACK SHEEP - the family screw up, someone who rejects their role in the family.
DARK AND TROUBLED PAST™ - something terrible happened in the past. tragic backstory. yada yada.
EVEN EVIL HAS STANDARDS - or at least his own moral compass.
MAN OF WEALTH AND TASTE - turns out evil has quite a lot of money and excellent fashion taste. most of the time.
PRAGMATIC VILLAINY - only does evil things when it serves him or his purposes tbh.
VIOLENCE IS THE ONLY OPTION - must fight.
OPPORTUNISTIC BASTARD - doesn’t really have a plan, totally winging it.
#maraudrshq:intros#abuse cw#child neglect cw#child abuse cw#murder cw#death cw#blood cw#violence cw#torture cw
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