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hollowed-theory-hall · 2 months

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The Riddle of Tom Riddle: Part 4/7

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, part 5, part 6, Part 7)

Home Sweet Hogwarts

Continuing with Tom's life at Hogwarts. He learns magic, makes Horcruxes, and is still as lonely as in the orphanage but probably isn't yet as evil as Dumbledore likes to make him out to be.

This is the post where I finally explain why Tom would ask Slughorn how to make a Horcrux after he already made 2 of them.

This turned out a little longer than I was expecting, but... 🤷‍♀️

Slytherin's Legacy and the Chamber of Secrets

We know Tom opened the Chamber of Secrets and we know Myrtle Warren died. But I want to ask why he opened the chamber? I mean, if he really wanted to kill muggleborns, I'd expect someone competent and intelligent like him to kill more than one.

“To ask you how you died,” said Harry. Myrtle’s whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question. “Ooooh, it was dreadful,” she said with relish. “It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I’d hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then —” Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. “I died.” “How?” said Harry. “No idea,” said Myrtle in hushed tones. “I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away. . . .��

(Chamber of Secrets, pages 276-277)

Myrtle graciously describes her death for us. And all in all, this doesn't sound planned. Far from it. She was crying in a locked stall and went out becouse she heard a boy and wanted to tell him to leave. She saw the eyes of the basilisk the moment she left the stall.

I'd hardly call this well planned or intended. And the fact Tom doesn't kill anyone else supports this even more.

“Sit down,” said Dippet. “I’ve just been reading the letter you sent me.” “Oh,” said Riddle. He sat down, gripping his hands together very tightly. “My dear boy,” said Dippet kindly, “I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?” “No,” said Riddle at once. “I’d much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that — to that —” “You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?” said Dippet curiously. “Yes, sir,” said Riddle, reddening slightly. “You are Muggle-born?” “Half-blood, sir,” said Riddle. “Muggle father, witch mother.” “And are both your parents — ?” “My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me — Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather.” Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically. “The thing is, Tom,” he sighed, “special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances. . . .” “You mean all these attacks, sir?” said Riddle, and Harry’s heart leapt, and he moved closer, scared of missing anything. “Precisely,” said the headmaster. “My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy . . . the death of that poor little girl. . . . You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the — er — source of all this unpleasantness. . . .”

(Chamber of Secrets, page 227)

This isn't exactly regarding Slytherin's legacy, but I found it important nonetheless for Tom's character. Tom really hates the orphanage. And for good reason, not just what I mentioned in the previous post, but WW2 started by this point.

For context, Tom opened the chamber in his fifth year, which was in 1942. 1942 was at the height of World War II. In the past two summers (1940 and 1941) Tom was in London during the Blitz. He was there in the rubble and the bomb shelters and he is quite rightfully pissed that Dippet calls that being "safe".

It's not exactly related but Dippet even asked if he was muggleborn, to tell if the monster of the chamber would go after him. Which I find curious. It is relevant for something I mention later in this post, but it generally means most of everyone assumed him to be muggleborn during his school years and treated him as such.

The point is, Tom is unsafe in the orphanage, we're now it not only ridicule and loneliness that awaited him, but starvation, death, and air raids. This helplessness against death he faced in the two years leading up to his first Horcrux was probably the final push for him to try and search for a way to be immortal.

Becouse all his magic does no good against the bombs.

“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student . . . on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls . . . but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn’t possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance . . . as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power! “Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed. . . . Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did. . . .”

(Chamber of Secrets, page 288)

Here I mostly want to note 2 main things.

The first, Tom mentions how the teachers saw him. Remember the act of politeness I mentioned in my previous post, this is it. Tom became so comfortable in his mask thanks to Dumbledore's lack of empathy. Brilliant, perfect, and polite.

The second is that he mentioned he searched for the Chamber for five years. As this is his fifth year, it means he searched for it during all his Hogwarts years. It means that eleven-year-old, young Tom Riddle discovered his parseltongue is related to Salazar Slytherin and he became obsessed with finding more of its legacy.

And, it's easy to see why. He knew nothing about his family besides his own name, he, like any orphan, was curious. And when he realizes how important his family, and by extension he, is he becomes obsessed with learning more.

He searched for the Chamber of Secrets not just to gain power or to kill muggleborns, he just wanted to know about his family. To feel part of a legacy. He also wanted power, he likes being powerful and being able to defend himself from those who scorn him. But even when he had the power — he didn't use it to kill anyone. Only by accident. And once the accident happened, he made use of it.

We'll keep seeing this crop up in Tom's life. He wants to be special and important. He wants to be treated like he's better, becouse that's what he always told himself. Him being special validates all the hate he got growing up and his beliefs that jealousy motivated it.

The other thing we're seeing crop up here and later is Tom's sentimentality. Dumbledore may say Tom lacks the capacity for love, but I think Dumbledore is bullshit. Tom is an incredibly sentimental person (he even calls himself out on it in GOF). There's a reason he chose the Founders Artifacts as his Horcruxrs, there's a reason he hid them all in Britain even when they could have been safer abroad — he's incredibly sentimental.

He loves Hogwarts. He loved that first place that ever felt like a home to him so much that he placed pieces of his soul in artifacts related to it, even if simpler items like a coin would've been safer and easier to hide.

Now, to further proof, it's never been about muggleborns for Tom:

“Haven’t I already told you,” said Riddle quietly, “that killing Mudbloods doesn’t matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been — you.” Harry stared at him

(Chamber of Secrets, page 289)

The final note from this section is about the diary Horcrux less than about Tom. But this is important because we see Tom follow that same behavior pattern later in during the second Wizarding War.

Harry tells Tom he failed to kill any muggleborns and Tom agrees with him. During the second book, the diary didn't care about muggleborns, the same as the real Voldemort, he only cared about killing Harry.

Throughout the series Voldemort is obsessed with killing Harry Potter. Less becouse of who he is and more what he represents.

Becouse young Tom searched for validation and found it in academics at Hogwarts. The teachers loved brilliant prefect Tom Riddle, so he put all his effort into that. Into being the perfect model student.

This perfectionism is seen in his obsession with Harry, too. Diary Tom is interested in Harry because he failed to kill him. Harry is his one failure on his perfect record — and that is why he must die. To rectify his failing.

I'll expand on this more in the future, but the fact this obsession with correcting his failiur named Harry Potter is true for both Voldemort and Diary Tom just strengthens this point.

Horcruxes and Immortality

Moving ahead in Tom's life, I want to talk about Horcruxes again. Honestly, I'll probably keep coming back to this becouse it's a big part of Tom's character. Specifically, I want to talk about Slughorn's conversation with Tom about them.

Half a dozen boys were sitting around Slughorn, all on harder or lower seats than his, and all in their mid-teens. Harry recognized Voldemort at once. His was the most handsome face and he looked the most relaxed of all the boys. His right hand lay negligently upon the arm of his chair; with a jolt, Harry saw that he was wearing Marvolo’s goldand-black ring; he had already killed his father. “Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?” he asked. “Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn’t tell you,” said Slughorn, wagging a reproving, sugar-covered finger at Riddle, though ruining the effect slightly by winking. “I must say, I’d like to know where you get your information, boy, more knowledgeable than half the staff, you are.” Riddle smiled; the other boys laughed and cast him admiring looks.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 369)

You know what's weird about this conversation? That a lot of fans speak of it as if that's when Tom learned how to make Horcruxes when in fact, Harry notices the Gaunt family ring and comes to the currect conclusion — Tom already killed his father.

It means this talk with Slughorn happened after Tom already made 2 Horcruxes. It means he knows how to make one and knows it's possible to make more than one. So why ask?

Why potentially implement himself in dangerous illegal magic? Why hint he might be a murderer? Why risk it all for something he already knows?

Well, let's look at that conversation:

“Sir, I wondered what you know about . . . about Horcruxes?” Slughorn stared at him, his thick fingers absentmindedly caressing the stem of his wine glass. “Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts, is it?” But Harry could tell that Slughorn knew perfectly well that this was not schoolwork. “Not exactly, sir,” said Riddle. “I came across the term while reading and I didn’t fully understand it.” “No . . . well . . . you’d be hard-pushed to find a book at Hogwarts that’ll give you details on Horcruxes, Tom, that’s very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed,” said Slughorn. “But you obviously know all about them, sir? I mean, a wizard like you — sorry, I mean, if you can’t tell me, obviously — I just knew if anyone could tell me, you could — so I just thought I’d ask —” It was very well done, thought Harry, the hesitancy, the casual tone, the careful flattery, none of it overdone. He, Harry, had had too much experience of trying to wheedle information out of reluctant people not to recognize a master at work. He could tell that Riddle wanted the information very, very much; perhaps had been working toward this moment for weeks. “Well,” said Slughorn, not looking at Riddle, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystalized pineapple, “well, it can’t hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.” “I don’t quite understand how that works, though, sir,” said Riddle. His voice was carefully controlled, but Harry could sense his excitement.

...

“. . . few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable.” But Riddle’s hunger was now apparent; his expression was greedy, he could no longer hide his longing. “How do you split your soul?” “Well,” said Slughorn uncomfortably, “you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature.” “But how do you do it?” “By an act of evil — the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: He would encase the torn portion —” “Encase? But how — ?” “There is a spell, do not ask me, I don’t know!” said Slughorn, shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by mosquitoes. “Do I look as though I have tried it — do I look like a killer?” “No, sir, of course not,” said Riddle quickly. “I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean to offend . . .”

...

“Yes, sir,” said Riddle. “What I don’t understand, though — just out of curiosity — I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn’t it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn’t seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn’t seven — ?” “Merlin’s beard, Tom!” yelped Slughorn. “Seven! Isn’t it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case . . . bad enough to divide the soul . . . but to rip it into seven pieces . . .” Slughorn looked deeply troubled now: He was gazing at Riddle as though he had never seen him plainly before, and Harry could tell that he was regretting entering into the conversation at all. “Of course,” he muttered, “this is all hypothetical, what we’re discussing, isn’t it? All academic . . .” “Yes, sir, of course,” said Riddle quickly.

(Half-Blood Prince, pages 496-499)

So, let's recap this conversation:

Tom asks about Horcruxes and gets excited when Slughorn seems to know about them, the moment Slughorn starts speaking of how vile and evil Horcruxes are though, Tom changes his demeanor, more apologetic, hesitant, and polite. The mask is back. Tom continued and prodded a bit further, but not with the same hunger and excitement as before.

So, what does that tell us? Why is Tom having this conversation? What does he stand to gain? Not new information obviously...

In my former post, I mentioned Tom is looking for connections as he never really had any.

He's excited at the possibility of talking about magic he is interested in with someone, specifically — a teacher. Tom, who was scorned all his life in the Orphanage gets to Hogwarts and the teachers love him because he's polite and brilliant. And he loves all that positive attention. He boasts about it to Harry in the Chamber in an earlier quote I mentioned.

This is him seeking that attention and validation again, from Slughin, a person who praised his magical academic accomplishments often before. Tom is trying to open up and connect with Slughorn over another magical accomplishment.

But Slughorn shuts him down, and so he retreats from the conversation. Making it seem like he doesn't know how Horcruxes are made so as to not raise suspicions after he saw Slughorn didn't really know much about Horcruxes.

This scene isn't a future Dark Lord trying to learn how to become immortal — this is a sixteen-year-old boy, who was only ever recognized for academic magical accomplishment trying to gain praise for figuring out the impossible — how to become immortal. That's what he built up to, he mentioned the number so he could tell Slughorn how he figured out you could make more, how he went farther in magic than anyone else.

On the same note...

Tom doesn't really mention friends often, and I want to talk about that a bit about why he is so desperate for connection.

Think about it, he came poor, an orphan, and seemingly a muggleborn into Slytherin, the house of blood purism, during the height of Grindelwald's blood purity war against muggles. I can imagine the first few years until he proved he was the heir of Slytherin and incredibly magically powerful were not pleasant to him, and that's an understatement.

So afterward, when he does interact positively with his housemates, yes, he calls them friends, but it isn't friendship.

It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course

(Chamber of Secrets, page 290)

“Listen to me, reliving family history . . .” he said quietly, “why, I am growing quite sentimental. . . . But look, Harry! My true family returns. . . .”

(Goblet of Fire, page 646)

“My friends,” he said, after a moment’s pause, “will carry on without me, I am sure.” “I am glad to hear that you consider them friends,” said Dumbledore. “I was under the impression that they are more in the order of servants.”

(Half-Blood Prince, page 444)

He refers to his followers as friends and family repeatedly, even after graduating from Hogwarts. Now, I don't think Tom actually considers them real friends or family, but he never really had either, not in any deep sense.

I'll delve more in a later post about how he does feel affection and does have some bounds he cares more for (like Bellatrix, whom he does care for), but none of them is an example of a healthy meaningful relationship. So no wonder a sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle is so desperate for connection that he almost implicates himself in murder — because he never had any real meaningful connection.

#harry potter #harry potter thoughts #harry potter theory #hollowedtheory #hp theory #wizarding world #overthinking #lord voldemort #voldemort #tom riddle #tom marvolo riddle #voldemort analysis #hogwarts #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #albus dumbledore #hp #hp thoughts #horace slughorn #slytherin

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lovebeinaprincessworld · 2 years

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Challenging fate (Tom Riddle x reader)

soulmate!au

Chapter 3

Masterlist

Parts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Epilogue

Description: There were a lot of unexpected things happening the day of the Battle of Hogwarts. Being send back into the past to change the course of history was definitely one of them.

2590 words

You had to get used to going-out with Tom, and to being topic number one amongst the students. But you felt like Tom didn’t care, the morning after your library revelation he waited next to the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room to escort you to breakfast (his words not yours). And if no one had seen you two the evening before, they’d definitely seen you then. By noon everyone in the castle knew about him courting you - as they called it.

You got nasty stares from most of the girls, when Tom wasn’t with you they even called you names sometimes. That one Slytherin girl Olive Hornby was the nastiest of them all, it seemed like she was sure she was going to get with Tom before you showed up, but atleast your friends from Hufflepuff were honestly excited for you.

When you entered the common room on the evening the whole castle found out (Tom had accompanied you again) they were immediately dragging you into your dorm and started questioning you, going on about how you were so lucky to have secured such a great match.

When you told them he was your soulmate they weren’t able to calm down until late into the night. And it was fun talking to them about it, but when you finally layed down that night you were thinking about Hermione and Ginny and Luna and how you wished you could talk to someone about what was really going through your mind. How you were anxious about the possibility of failing and not being able to save them all.

The other thing worrying you was how incredibly fast you were falling for the boy. All the things he did that were so old-fashioned and probably normal here, were making your heart and knees weak and made you forget about your mission sometimes. But was it really a „mission“ if it changed the course of your life too? Like you couldn’t just go back to your life in the future like it was before - if you changed his mind, he’d come with you.

But before you could get sucked more into your thoughts than you already were, Professor Binns ended his lesson with the same monotone voice that you knew from the future. „Come on (Y/N), the weekend is finally here, I don’t want to spend anymore time than necessary in this room!“, Edith rushed you with her bag already packed. Giggling you pushed your stuff into yours too, and you two hurried out of there as quick as possible.

„Helga, I feel like with every word he speaks he’s getting slower“, she groaned when you were making your way to the Hufflepuff commonroom to discard your books and meet the others. „I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed, I thought I was going crazy for a moment“, you laughed and walked down the stairs.

„Did Tom ask you to go to Hogsmead with him tomorrow yet?“, Edith asked for what felt like the millionth time that week. The girls were all bothering you about it and you were starting to get nervous too, why hadn’t he asked you yet? „No he hasn’t“, was your only response and you knocked on the barrel before stepping into your commonroom.

You were meeting Tom in the library later this afternoon but you promised the girls that you would spend some time with them today, so when you stepped into your dorm Ruth, Grace and Elsie were already there, chatting about their lessons. „Ah there you are! Are you ready to go to the lake?“, Elsie asked jumping up from her bed. „Calm down Elsie“, Edith laughed and you were putting your bags away before all five of you gathered at the door. „I got everything we need for the Picknick from the houseleves, so let’s go!“, said Grace, carrying a large basket.

————————

You were sitting next to Tom in a quiet corner in the library, not really being able to focus on your essay. The picnic this afternoon was so fun, but also really exhausting and it was already eight in the evening. Writing down another seemingly random word, you finally put your quill aside, accepting that you’re not going to do anything productive this evening.

„I think I have to go to bed Tom, I’m so tired“, you yawned, leaning your head against his shoulder, your hand gripping his biceps. You heard him chuckle and his shoulder moved under you: „Was the picnic with your friends so exhausting?“ Hearing the taunt in his voice you straightened up again, looking at him offended.

„Are you making fun of me?“, you pouted and he turned to look at you, a grin on his face. „I would never“, he continues teasing you. „If that is how it is, I think I’m going to go“, you were starting to pack your bag, but you and him both knew you were kidding.

He gripped your chin and turned you to look at him, your heart missing a beat at the gesture. „Don’t be mad Darling“, he said with a charming smile, „come on, you are right, it is getting late.“ He also started packing his bag and you were secretly thankful, because you were sure that as soon as your head hit the pillow you’d be out like a light.

Leaving the library hand in hand, you were thinking about how different dating was here compared to the future. On the day Ginny and Harry found out they were soulmates, they were already making out in an empty classroom by eight in the evening. And here you were, the most action you got was handholding and handkissing after two weeks of this…friendly behavior with tremendous romantic tension. Or whatever you’d like to call it.

But of course for this time this was totally normal, eventhough you guessed that you could be expecting at least a kiss soon, because the girls were questioning you if he kissed you already earlier today.

Arriving at the entrance to your common room way too quick for your liking, you let go of Toms hand reluctantly. „Good night Tom“, you smiled and were about to knock, but his voice stopped you. „Would you…go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?“, he sounded slightly unsure and it always astonished you how he could be so sure of himself all the time but crack at these things.

„Of course!“, you accepted with a smile on your face, relieved that he did ask you and you didn’t have to worry about it anymore. „Great“, a genuine smile was forming on his face as he stepped close to you, taking your hands in his, „listen, I apologize for not asking you earlier I honestly just forgot that there even was a trip before Abraxas asked me if I am going with you.“

„It’s fine Tom don’t worry about it, I’m glad you asked me though“, you said and he softly kissed your hands and released them. Knocking on the barrel and opening the entrance you turned around one last time. Before you could think about it too much you stepped closer again, kissing his cheek softly.

„I can’t wait for tomorrow“, you said with a soft voice and finally stepped into the common room. Looking back, you saw him standing there unmoving with his mouth slightly open and his hand on his cheek where you left the kiss. And you swear you saw his neck and ears get a little red.

———————

You and Tom were on your way back to Hogwarts after spending the day together in Hogsmead, walking hand in hand and enjoying the silence. You would have stayed longer, but you had to be back at the castle. Honestly it was such a great date, it was the first time you two really had long and in-depth conversation about school and your friends and just about everything. Who would have thought Tom Riddle would be so pleasant to be around? Certainly not you, eventhough you were seeing him almost everday for the last two weeks, you always felt like you were walking on eggshells. Of course you still needed to watch what you said as not to reveal you’re from the future, because you were sure that with even the littlest of slip-ups, a smart wizard like Tom would immediately be suspicious.

Walking into the entrance hall you two came to a halt and you looked up at Tom expectantly, the few other students coming back parting ways too. „Our ways will have to split here, I planned to meet my friends this evening“, he explained and you noticed how he very slightly faltered at the word friends. Your face fell slightly. There it was. You knew this day was too good to be true. Of course he’d have to meet with his followers again.

„Have fun“, you tried to force a smile and let go of his hand. „Now now, don’t be upset darling“, he smirked taking back your hand and kissing it, „I’ll find you tomorrow after breakfast and we can take a walk around the lake before going to the library?“ Your cheeks blushed like they did everytime he called you a petname. „That sounds great“, you told him trying to push back the thoughts about what they would talk about this evening.

He nodded and squeezed your hand before letting you go and you turned around making your way to the commonroom. You could sense him staring at your back and knew he’d only leave too if he couldn’t see you anymore. But before you were out of sight someone called your name from behind you.

„Granger!“, you heard the all to familiar voice of Diggory and eventhough you debated to just ignore him you eventually stopped with a sigh. Since you had to work with him in potions last week he was bothering you about tutoring him. Of course you knew that wasn’t what he was interested in at all, because you sucked at potions. He was smart enough not to chat you up infront of Tom though, he always waited until he was in the safety of your commonroom. Until now atleast.

Skidding to a halt infront of you he grinned down at you a little out of breath. „Yes, what can I help you with Diggory?“, you said with forced politeness knowing Tom was watching you two. „How about I tell you while we walk back to the commonroom, hm?“, he said with a slightly dumbed down voice and you already wanted to run in the opposite direction. But before you could think of an excuse he had already grabbed your elbow and pulled you along.

„Excuse me Diggory, I would appreciate it if you could take your hands of my girlfriend“, a cold voice said from directly behind you two and you were kind of relieved. But did he just call you his girlfriend? Diggory however froze up knowing exactly who the voice belonged to. Dropping his hand like he was burned, you two turned around and Tom gripped your waist before pulling you firmly into his side. Your heartbeat skyrocketed, partly because of the close proximity and the feeling of Toms body pressed against yours, and partly because you were scared what would happen now.

„I would try to keep my hands to myself“, he added with scrunched eyebrows and a dangerously calm voice. Diggory just nodded, obviously intimidated by the tall boy towering over him. Tom gave him one last deathly look before leading me into a bordering corridor and away.

After a few moments of silence Tom finally spoke up. „Was that the first time Diggory…approached you?“, he asked, his grip on my waist not loosening and his eyes sternly pointed infront of us. „Ehm…“, you were unsure if it was smart to tell him the truth, you didn’t particularly like Diggory but you didn’t want him to get hurt either. Tom apruptly stopped and pulled you into a classroom to your left.

Letting go of your waist he leans against the teachers desk looking at you expectantly. „No?“, you told him making it sound more like a question. He only scoffed and rolled his eyes while crossing his arms. „Please, you really are a Hufflepuff with how bad you’re lying“, he let out humorless laugh. Oh love if only you knew, you thought. „Tell me the truth, please“, he asked again, a little softer this time. Your resolve was crumbling rapidly, because who could resist a protective boyfriend, even if he was Tom Riddle.

„Yes he did. We had to work in potions together last week and he has been bugging me about tutoring him“, you sighed, „which is totally unbelievable to begin with because I suck at potions.“ Tom let out a real laugh this time and got up to pull you into his arms. „Thanks for being honest darling“, he said but you doubted this was over for him, „I don’t get how he could be so stupid as to talk to you like that, eventhough he knew you are mine.“ His eyes got that dark and stern look again and he pulled you even closer, so that you were pressed chest to chest.

You just nodded not knowing what to say and looked up into his dark eyes that made your knees weak. His stern look slowly faded and one hand let go of your waist and instead pushed some loose hair behind your ear. The tension between you two was palpable and his hand settled against your cheek. Your hands were laying on his chest and his face was slowly moving closer to you. Slipping down to your lips, his eyes quickly averted back to yours, but you couldn’t stop yours from doing the same when you felt his breath softly skim across your cheek. Oh Merlin, he was going to kiss you, you thought.

But before you could even begin to form any thoughts his voice interrupted the silence. „May I kiss you, love?“, he asked, always the polite gentleman. „Please“, was the only thing you could say and he finally lowered his head - not before giving you a small smirk though.

When his lips finally met yours, your eyes slid shut and the hands on Toms chest gripped his sweater, pulling him closer. Your heart was beating out of your chest and here in his arms it felt like you were in the place that was made for you. He pulled away after a few seconds and you were about to protest when he asked: „Is this alright?“ You opened your eyes looking up into his face, which was a little blushed but also looked concerned, and you thought it was incredibly sweet that he was making sure you were okay with this. You wouldn’t have expected Tom to be that kind of person.

„Yes yes of course it is Tom, just please…“, your voice going silent at the end not quiet brave enough to ask him. „Please what?“, the smirk was back and you knew that he knew what you wanted. You sighed and averted your eyes shyly. „Kiss me again?“, you whispered, and you thought for a second he was going to make you repeat yourself, but then he lifted your chin and softly met your lips with his.

It turned out you were right about Diggory though, because he came into the commonroom a few days later with a black eye and a limp.

—————————

Wohoo new chapter! Btw I’m sorry if there are any mistakes, English is only my second language :) If you wanna be on the tag list lmk! <3

@darkenwolfie

#tom riddle x reader #tom riddle #x reader #harrypotter #hogwarts #hogsmeade #granger!reader #hufflepuff reader #soulmate!au #soulmates #time travel

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jimblejamblewritings · 2 years

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yes, i’m a squib | part 13.

Summary: Y/N Black has always been a squib, to the dismay of her pureblood family. Cast out to the orphanage at a young age, she thought that was her life. Until her relative Sirius Black breaks out of Azkaban. Suddenly a letter to Hogwarts in thrusted into her hand and Y/N becomes a true part of the magical Wizarding World.

Warnings for the Series: violence, death, light smut, angst, fluff

Pairing: harry potter x black!reader, cedric diggory x black!reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

To no one’s surprise, certainly not Cedric’s, Harry was outside the Hufflepuff common room in the morning. You scratched at the back of your head and looked at Cedric. The older boy was confused when you didn’t start immediately walking in between him and Harry.

“Will you, um, will you tell Professor Snape that I’m sick? I’ll get a note from Madame Pomfrey later.”

“Sure?” Cedric said with a raised brow.

Even Harry looked at you confused. You didn’t miss class and you would never miss Potions. Without any prompting, Harry took your hand and led you away. You followed him outside the castle and to the quidditch field that wasn’t seeing much use— most of the teams felt too discouraged to even practice. Harry grabbed the new Firebolt that Sirius bought him last year. He sat you on it.

“This always helps me clear my head. Don’t talk, not till you’re ready,” Harry said. “Just fly.”

He held your hand and walked you around the quidditch field. Flying never got old to you but you couldn’t enjoy it as much this time. Harry was being patient. He didn’t speak even after starting the third walk around the field. You finally sighed and he took that as a cue to stop and lead you to the bleachers. You sighed and put your head on his shoulder.

“Do you ever regret asking questions, Harry?”

“All the time. Why?”

“I had been pestering my dad since summer to tell me about my mum, been begging Uncle Remus too. They both finally gave in and wrote one really long letter, practically a novel.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

You shook your head. You pulled the very thick letters out of your cloak. Harry looked at them in your hands. He didn’t actually read the words but paid attention to the wet marks and could easily assume they were tear stains.

“Uncle Remus lied to me. My mom did go to Hogwarts, that’s where my dad met her, not when she was visiting Diagon Alley.”

“But why would he lie?”

“Because she left when people found out her father was Oliver Hornby… the boy who teased Myrtle until she ran into a bathroom and died. They fled to France in her fifth year and she told dad not to look for her, that his life was better without her.”

Harry scoffed. “Because her father was a bully once? That’s a—”

“Because they said he was a disgrace to wizards. We’re banshees, Harry! Like Seamus’ boggart last year. We’re cursed.”

“(Y/N)…”

“My grandfather yelled at Myrtle, he said he felt weird afterwards and accidentally spilled his cup of water at lunch. Four hours later, she’s dead in a bathroom. His mother was mute for years to avoid it. She passed by Hepzibah Smith and said she felt devastated when she passed by a mirror and realized she lost her pearl necklace. Three days later, Lord Voldemort killed Hepzibah Smith and Salazar Slytherin’s locket goes missing from her shop.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“My mother yelled at Professor Snape when he said something about her parents when everyone found out who her dad was. That night, he almost died because of my dad’s stupid prank with the Weeping Willow… She yelled at your dad for being late to my birthday party. She wasn’t even angry, it was a joke and they all thought it was funny. She had to step outside for a bit because her head hurt and then the next month your parents died… I’m so sorry, Harry.”

Harry pushed your head off of his shoulder, grabbing both of your hands in his. “Look at me. You’re not cursed.”

“My mistake, we curse everyone around us. Banshees are dark omens, Harry.”

“You’re not cursed and you don’t curse people. You, your family, are not evil. What about those banshees on tour with that one singer? Their audiences go home very much alive. Bad things happen to people sometimes.”

“What if I g—”

“No. (Y/N), you won’t do anything. You’re not bad so you can’t do anything bad.” Harry kissed your hands with a smile. “I’ve never seen these hands condemn a single person, even if they deserved it. Okay? You’re brilliant and nice and just amazing.”

“I’m scared.”

“It’s alright to be scared but nothing will happen.”

You shook your head. “Harry, I want to be— I do believe you about being good but… the only reason dad gave in is because I needed to know I’m a banshee. I needed to know because some dark wizards know, if Voldemort comes back then he for certain knows because Wormtail told him. And if they know—”

“They’ll try to kill you.” Harry realized.

“A dead banshee enhances a dark wizard’s power more than an alive one, even an alive and evil one.”

“Even if you aren’t full banshee?” He asked.

“Doesn’t matter. A half is good enough.”

“Well, we won’t let anyone get to you.”

“You know what haunts my dad? He feels he’s responsible for killing everyone. He told Wormtail to be the secret keeper instead of him. My parents were over at your house when Voldemort attacked. The thing that haunts my dad the most is my mum saying she heard hissing and slithering noises. She was convinced Voldemort was coming and none of them believed her. My mum held his wand to her head and said the killing curse.

“He said he was in such shock that he had to step out for a moment and the walk he took to clear his head was when Voldemort killed your parents. He thinks if he had been there and if they had believed her, it wouldn’t have happened. They said she was just doing her banshee thing again— paranoia, all banshees kind of have it. She killed herself with dad’s wand so Voldemort couldn’t use her, because technically Sirius was the one responsible for the death.”

“Your dad didn’t do anything. Your mum didn’t do anything. Only Lord Voldemort is responsible. And if he is back, I won’t let anything happen to you… should we just skip school completely today? Try again tomorrow? McGonagall accepted Sirius signing my Hogsmeade slip.”

“Harry that is still breaking at least twenty school rules,” you laughed. “Let’s do it.”

The two of you didn’t even disguise what you were doing. Some of the ghosts watched you stroll right out of the courtyard and to the little village. Hogsmeade was even nicer when it wasn’t under a layer of snow— which said a lot because you thought the snow made it look so pretty. If you two weren’t shopping, you were roaming the street hand in hand. Harry really had a way of making things feel better to you.

The only thing that was less than picturesque was the fact that you two argued in every store about who would pay. Harry insisted and you said that he needed his savings, your dad was still alive to work if you somehow spent the entire inheritance. Most of the time, Harry ignored you and paid anyway. You had forgotten all about the letter in your cloak. It still felt heavy but it wasn’t the same burden from when you first read it that morning.

Harry stopped walking when he realized you let go of his hand. He turned around to see you were far behind him just staring at something. Jogging over, he found you looking in an empty store. Harry simply stared at his reflection in the window— the part he could see that wasn’t being blocked by the for sale sign plastered on the window.

“What are we looking at?” he asked.

You finished sipping your butterbeer. “After the professors moved me up into seventh year classes, I began thinking even more about what to do after we leave Hogwarts— not many choices for a squib… what do you want to do, Harry?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it much. Perhaps, an Auror? You?”

“Tilden Toots.”

“The radio man?”

You chuckled. No one actually listened to Tilden but you and Neville. Professor Sprout was always playing him on the radio in the greenhouse. Occasionally, Snape would put him on in the Potions classroom as well. Tilden was arguably the most famous herbologist of the wizard world. He was also a brilliant potioneer.

“Well, I don’t want to be on the radio. I don’t think. But I like potions and alchemy. I want to be around plants forever. I’m good at it.”

“You’re brilliant at it.”

“Thank you. I thought I wanted to run a plant shop in Diagon Alley but— never mind.”

“Do you want this store?”

“Never mind. I still have years before we graduate, someone will have bought it.”

“Not if you buy it now… What? Buy it now and it’ll be yours when you’re ready.”

You nodded and stepped into the store, Harry following. A wizard appeared and eyed you both. You began to think that maybe purchasing a store front while still in Hogwarts’ uniforms was not the best idea. You also weren’t sure if you were allowed to sign the contract. That thought was confirmed when the man threatened to message Dumbledore that he had students off campus. Harry stopped him and convinced him to contact Sirius instead. Because the store had a fireplace and your fireplace in Grimmauld was connected to the Floo network, the wizard was able to get a message through to Sirius.

“Poppet,” your father started.

“Don’t tell me you never skipped classes, Dad.”

Sirius paused because you were right. “Well, never to buy a store.”

You explained the same thing to your dad that you explained to Harry outside. Sirius snorted at Tilden Toots— he spent most of the summer hearing that stupid morning program play at the breakfast table. Your father told you that the store was the only Christmas present you were getting and gave permission for the wizard to sign a contract with a minor. You grabbed the copy of the contract and you and Harry burst out of the store— now your store— with glee.

You guys began to head back to the castle. Surprisingly, no one confronted you. Madame Pomfrey gave you a note because you claimed that you woke up with a fever and only woke up a couple hours ago. You and Harry began to walk to the owlery to see if there were any letters.

“So what are you going to do now? Just let the store sit until we leave Hogwarts or…”

“I might as well start working on it bit by bit, right? Four, almost five years of work and there’s no way it wouldn’t be the perfect store.”

“If you want help, I’ll be g—”

“There you two are!” Hermione ran up to you. “We’ve been looking all over. The pamphlets and S.P.E.W. buttons arrived! I was worried we wouldn’t be able to hand them out tomorrow.”

Before the Halloween feast, Hermione made you all hand out S.P.E.W. buttons. She was getting a surprisingly good response. Any time a student started arguing or had questions, everyone would direct them towards Kreacher and your family. You had been back and forth between the four tables in the Great Hall more times than you could count. Kreacher had been doing his part in the kitchens of convincing the house-elves that Hermione wasn’t trying to get them fired. They took to his presenting of the ideas way better than they took to Hermione or Dobby. A few took to the idea that maybe some clothes would be nice with season changes. They even admired the new sweater Kreacher was wearing.

Sirius had dropped it off in the last package that your owl had delivered. Because it was Halloween and students were allowed to be out of uniform, Sirius got your family matching sweaters. You, Kreacher, Sirius, Remus, and Padfoot had soft black sweaters with a giant smiling pumpkin on them. He even bought one for Draco who surprised you by actually showing up in it. You finished handing out the last S.P.E.W. button at the Slytherin table— Blaise took the last one because Draco convinced him to— when you heard some of the Durmstrang boys laughing.

You looked over to see that they were laughing at your house-elf who was setting down the food at the Slytherin table like the other elves were doing at other tables. You didn’t speak German— the required official language of their school— but you knew that the word sweater sounded the same in a lot of languages. You took the bowl that Kreacher was holding from him.

“Kreacher, go see if Winky needs help at Hufflepuff table or maybe Dobby since he is here today.”

“Yes, Mistress (Y/N).”

The Durmstrang boy right in front of you raised an eyebrow. “Your house-elf calls you by your first name?”

“Do you have a problem with that?” you asked, shifting the large bowl of whip cream to rest on your hip.

“You give him matching sweater and he thinks he is human. He thinks he deserves to walk around like us, like purebloods.”

You scoffed. “I was hoping the stereotype about Durmstrang boys and blood purity was untrue.”

“It’s just strange, he wears sweaters like he is a free wizard. The clothes they had before are fine.”

“The clothes they have are rags and dirty pillowcases.”

“Yes and what’s wrong with that? I wonder how he knows his place.”

“His place being?”

“A house-elf. He is not one of us.”

“No, but he deserves respect. Kreacher is a free working elf. He wears sweaters because he deserves proper clothing. Like any of us do.”

The boys laughed.

“Is something funny?” You asked.

“You make little club for elves next thing you know you say squibs should be allowed at our schools.”

You slammed the bowl down on the table, making everyone pay attention to what was happening at the Slytherin table. The faculty were watching, slightly frantic at the fact that both Dumbledore and Karakoff held up their hands to stop them from intervening with their students.

“Is there a problem with squibs?” You asked as your fingers gripped the bowl tighter.

“They’re no better than a muggle… what are you doing?”

You began to clear the trays in front of the boys, handing them to other students at the Slytherin table or even passing them to the Ravenclaw table right behind you. You gave the boys a sickly sweet smile.

“I just figured you wouldn’t want to eat food prepared by house-elves since you seem to think so little of them. And my squib eyes did glaze over everything so you probably wouldn’t want to eat after me knowing that I so much as looked at it.”

The boys’ upturned lips at taunting and messing with you turned into tight lines. It was only funny when they thought you were one of them. They were only entertained because you were a pureblood who wanted to play games and give out charity to every wizard and creature she saw. The smiles became sneers. The first boy suddenly looked at you almost passively.

“Then you are no better than a house-elf. Actually worse, they have magic, you are a waste of it.”

You rolled your eyes and turned to leave when another boy spoke.

“Disgrace to the wizard world,” he muttered but you could all hear.

The Great Hall had gone silent since you slammed the bowl and never picked up conversation. Your face heated up in anger and embarrassment knowing that every single person in the room had heard what he said. Karakoff watched his student with some sort of twisted glee. The Hogwarts and Beauxbaton faculty seemed to be appalled.

“Say that to my face!” you yelled as you turned around. The bowl of whip cream left your hand and landed straight on the boy’s robes. “Say that to my face again, I dare you!”

The boy stood up angrily. He whipped his wand out from his robe and that sprung your friends into action. Kreacher immediately apparated to where you were. Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped up as well as Cedric. But before either of them could move from their table, Draco had his wand pointed at the boy’s neck.

“Mutter so much as the beginning of a spell and I’ll hex you, I don’t care if it gets me expelled.”

The boy didn’t lower his wand, only gripped it tighter. Viktor Krum put his hand on the other boy’s arm but even that didn’t do much other than make his eye contact waver. Dumbledore finally stood up when it became clear the situation was not diffusing entirely on its own. He announced that it was time to finish eating because they would be announcing the names soon. Kreacher walked you back to the Hufflepuff table, not trusting that the boy wouldn’t try anything while your back was turned. Cedric checked on you when you sat down. Even the visiting students that you didn’t know— mainly the ones from Beauxbatons— extended some sympathy.

The feast was cleared away and everyone turned their attention to Dumbledore. The goblet roared for a bit before the blue flames turned a brilliant red and a piece of paper was spit out. As it fluttered to the ground, Dumbledore caught it.

“And the Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum.”

The hall rang out with applause. Because he attempted to defend you, you also clapped for Viktor even if you hated most of Durmstrang at the moment. Viktor stood up and reveled in the moment a bit before moving to the front of the Hall on his own accord so Dumbledore could continue. Just like before, the goblet turned red and spit up another paper scrap.

“From Beauxbatons, your champion is Fleur Delacour.”

Fleur, who had been sitting at the Ravenclaw table, stood up as well to accept the warm applause. She seemed nice to you. Not that the competition champions had to be nice people but you just felt like she was a deserving champion. The anticipation grew to a palpable feeling when it was time for Hogwarts. All the Houses had been guessing but no one could agree on who they thought the goblet would pick. It was like the goblet knew that you were waiting because you swore it was taking longer to pick a champion. Dumbledore caught the paper. You all watched as he read it before looking up.

“(Y/N) Black.”

You shook your head. That wasn’t possible. All eyes were on you as you were forced to get up from the table and go to the front of the room. This time there was no applause, just silent confusion. For once, you agreed with Barty Crouch as he tried to say that you couldn’t compete. You shook your head when Dumbledore asked you if you entered.

“No, Professor. I don’t even like the tournament. Everyone’s heard me complain!”

At that, most of the students nodded. They all had heard you go on about the competition. Most of the time they laughed because you seemed to be the only student who didn’t like it.

“She’s too young to compete, Albus,” McGonagall started.

“The magic is binding, our Hogwarts champion i—”

“Then I’m not a champion!” you said excitedly. “I crossed the age line— on a dare— because I thought it wouldn’t work since I’m a squib. I don’t have enough magic for the goblet to detect.”

Barty Crouch nodded. “That is a possibility. But we will need a new champion and the goblet won’t give us another.”

“Let her pick!” a voice shouted from Gryffindor.

Students’ voices rang out in agreement that if Hogwarts needed a new champion you should pick it. The goblet was going to give them a name, even if it had to be picked manually. Some were yelling that you didn’t want to so they shouldn’t make you compete. Others were saying how you were too young. But most were arguing that a squib couldn’t be their champion, Hogwarts wouldn’t stand a chance. Dumbledore extended a hand and you stepped up to the goblet to manually fish out a piece of paper. You pulled up the first name and the room grew silent.

“Blank, someone didn’t write their name but sorry to the Gryffindor who just lost because they only wrote their house, let me try again.”

You swirled your hand around, surprised that the fire didn’t burn this time. Your fingers grazed the stone inside of the goblet and you gasped. It felt cold and dewy somehow. Your head lifted up from the goblet, certain that you had heard something. Suddenly, the fire turned red and roared to life. You quickly pulled your hand from it and caught the two pieces of paper that were spat out. You opened the first one.

“Cedric Diggory!”

Hogwarts erupted into cheers. Cedric might not have been the most popular boy but he was nice, well-liked, and smart. He was an all-arounder and the students loved it. After Cedric stepped up, everyone looked at you. You held up the second piece of paper.

“What do I do? There are two of them.”

Barty Crouch cleared his throat. “Are you the only squib that attends Hogwarts?”

“Yes.”

“Then the magic binds every other wizard. In a surprise twist, we will have four champions this year instead of three.”

Dean Tomas shouted so everyone could hear. “What school are they from?”

You looked at the paper. “Doesn’t say on the back.”

That made everyone excited. Whichever school got the second champion had a better chance of winning. Understanding that the magic was binding and no one controlled the goblet, the students accepted the advantage that one school would get. They were more excited to just watch a more interesting tournament. You opened the slip of paper. Everyone watched it drop from your fingers as you didn’t say a word.

“Well? Who is it?” Dean shouted, making everyone chuckle.

You looked up and swallowed the lump in your throat. “Harry Potter.”

(Part 14)...

#cedric diggory x reader #cedric diggory x black!reader #harry potter x black!reader #harry potter x reader #golden trio x reader

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charlesdesvoeux · 2 months

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terror rewatch time!!! i'll be using this post to comment on ep. 5 "first shot a winner lads" block the tag terrorwatch2 if you'd like :-)

waaaait I didn't know dundy lost his toes also ❗️ STANVOEUX ALERT ❗️

goddd crozier being like "Hi ned!!!" and then ned has to say "a guy died :-/" this show is a comedy

poor ned is just so. exhausted. and the way he looks at jopson after crozier requests he collect Mr. Hornby's things!!!! the way he clearly prefers jopson to him!!!! "why can't I be the favorite son???"

the way!!!! hickey tries to pull goodsir but harry clocks him immediately!!!!!

that hickeygibson scene... the way there is obviously this transactional element to their relationship. but is absolutely not just transactional. billy's smile after hickey gives him the ring is frankly very earnest, very sweet- it's the closest thing they'll ever get to a marriage and he knows it. it's very serious!!! and then hickey says "unbutton your ears" and billy's smile falters bc its a reminder of. you know. it being transactional.

I think jirv's reaction to manson's fear is bc well. you know. the thing that irving clings to for sanity and emotional safety and structure and order is christianity and the idea of ghosts just goes contrary to all doctrine. and what if manson's right- what if he really heard them, does that mean ghosts are real??? if the church is wrong about ghosts what else is the church wrong about??? gay sex and then his castle crumbles just like that. he can't have that he just can't. and so he reacted with frankly a surprising amount of emotional violence but thats because the idea of a church tenet being wrong is emotionally violent TO HIM. and I mean also of course the discipline thing. bc I think jirv feels guilt in a sense of "well if I had ratted out hickey he would have been punished earlier and maybe the seeds of rebellion wouldn't have been planted and hartnell and manson wouldn't have gone with him and everything wouldn't be fucked so I NEED to be strict now" even if frankly I think he looks uncomfortable showing that aggression.

and then of course hickey slithers in and positions himself as a hero to manson. the officers are all so distant, they're authority figures, the ones who met out punishment- but that's not hickey, no, hickey is nice and funny and high spirited and he helped me i like hickey :-)

sol taking care of heather :-((( he takes his role as the leader of the marines very seriously- and if that entails cutting heather's nails and chatting to a practically dead man then so be it. also interesting in light of Dave K's q&a where he mentioned how they tried to keep an eye on physical touch on the show considering he holds poor heather's hand very tenderly. another sign of the pretenses of "proper" victorian masculinity fading away given the circumstances.

didn't remember ned being present on silna's "interrogation"; he makes a good suggestion- "maybe it's gone off, somehow" he's privy to a lot more information than I remembered actually!!! and the way he shakes his head when francis orders silna out, he know this is cruel and wrong. wonder if blanky hadn't stood up to francis if little would have (probably not I guess :-( he just would have done it anyway but pissed off, which is the story of his life)

goddddd the way blanky manages to somehow joke around even as he's about to get his leg cut off. that's my man <3

"jopson, I'd like you to join us"

ned seething with rage in the background at first as crozier announces he's drying out.....

it's just incredibly touching how he allows himself to be seen in this moment of great vulnerability. that's when his relationship with fitzjames starts to turn which of course would become incredibly important as the series unfolds.

#terrorwatch2

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aphrogeneias · 11 months

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19, 134 & 135 + bonus question tell me what’s on your tbr!!

19 — a book that put you in a reading slump

the idiot by elif batuman put me in a huge slump last year and because of that i ended up never finishing it. it's not a bad book at all, it had some great reflections on the mundane parts of academic life, and literature, but the pacing was off and a lot of the chapters were unnecessarily long (i also got sick around the time i was reading it and it derailed all my reading plans as well lmao)

134 — unreccomend any book you like!

i'd like to unrecommend high fidelity by nick hornby, another book i've dnf'd, it's very much a book written by a man and you can tell, the protagonist sucks and not even in a way that is fun or interesting to follow. the movie is infinitely better and because john cusack had the charisma to pull this character off (and jack black was in it, which make it gain a lot of points with me)

135 — recommend any book you like!

if we were villains by m. l. rio was the best book i read this year and i can't recommend it enough, especially if you like dark academia or if you just enjoy seeing pretentious people getting in trouble, or if you just like shakespeare, either way you're gonna love it. there's also some sprinkle of messy queer romance, which we always love, and a fucked up found family <3

✨ bonus: what's in my tbr?

— utopia avenue, by david mitchell (i've already started it but it intimidated me a little, it's very very british and it has a lot of 60s slang, i need to continue with it because i know it's gonna be great)

— the silence of the girls, by pat barker

— love is a mixtape: life and loss, one song at a time, by rob sheffield

— the summer of broken rules, by k. l. walther

— howl's moving castle, by diana wynne jones

— the next two books in the daevabad trilogy

book recs ask game

#that tbr is only growing it's out of control #ariel 🌿#inbox #ask game

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askyoungiron · 2 years

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If, hypothetically, a rubber duck is sent to the engines with Mallard's name written on it, and it has little red horns and comically angry eyebrows... How would everyone react?

Green Arrow: I would incinerate it! That FAT BLUE IDIOT thinks he's clever by trying to scare or silence me!

Flying Scotsman: A rubber duck? Really? Are you running out of ideas you stupid twat?

Tornado: lol ok boomer, might wanna settle down with the edgy killer vibes there. Worst ARG ever.

City of Truro: You know, I do wonder why the LNER was ever successful as a railway sometimes.

Olivia Gresley: Do I need to pull an engine off display or is this someone playing games with me? If so, it will not hesitate to hunt you down myself.

Bittern: wow 🙄

Great Northern: This is not the Hornby 00 gauge Flying Scotsman I ordered A MONTH AGO! I will be registering a complaint!

Pendennis Castle: OH COOL A DUCKY!

#everyone answers #ttte young iron #ttte young iron au

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agrippinaes · 4 months

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books I read in 2023

I read 240 books in 2023, which is lower than my total books read than the past few years. But it'd be ridiculous to be bothered by it because, hey, I still read 240 books!

I set myself a goal of trying to read more out of my comfort zone this year. I wanted to read 30 non-romance books, 25 physical books, and 10 non-fiction books. By the end of the year, I'd read a total of 54 non-romance books, 62 physical books, and 27 non-fiction books. I'm hoping to continue in this vein in 2024.

Other stats - for fun -

My most-read author was Cassie Mint

I gave out 32 5* ratings

My most-read genre was (of course) romance, 120 of which were contemporary

I owned most of the books I read

I read the most books in June, with 34 books read, followed by August, with 25 books read

My most read trope was forced proximity, followed by hate-to-love

So, below is a list of the books I read this year. Rereads are italicised, favourite reads are in bold.

Recollection by Noelle Adams

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

Spring Breeze by Lily Alexander

Fornever Yours by Natasha Anders

Don't Pretend I'm Yours by Natasha Anders

In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes by Stephanie Archer

The Long Game by Elena Armas

The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater

Finding Love in Apartment 2C by Samantha Baca

Asking for Trouble by Tessa Bailey

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey

Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey

Kept by Maya Banks

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Chick Magnet by Emma Barry

The (Ex) Spy Who (Maybe) Loved Me by Christi Barth

Wet and Reckless by Samanthe Beck

Witches Copse by Math Bird

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Every Wish Way by Shannon Bright

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

Desire or Defense by Leah Brunner

Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot

Ms Perfectly Fine by Kate Callaghan

Shucked by Kate Canterbary

1 Last Shot by Nikki Castle

Eyes on Me by Sarah Cate

Highest Bidder by Sarah Cate

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie

Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare

Beauty and the Billionaire by Jessica Clare

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

Pining for My Friend's Dad by Daniella Cole

Unsteady by Peyton Corinne

Her Greatest Mistake by Hannah Cowan

Shadows of You by Catherine Cowles

Night Shift by Annie Crown

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Bending the Rules by Mariah Dietz

Moist Actually by Ash Dylan

Everything's Better with Lisa by Lucy Eden

The Fall of Bradley Reed by Morgan Elizabeth

The Protector by Morgan Elizabeth

A Matter of Scandal by Suzanne Enoch

Reforming a Rake by Suzanne Enoch

Pretty Little Thing by L.K. Farlow

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

The Nanny by Lana Ferguson

Mafia Madman by Mila Finelli

Mafia Virgin by Mila Finelli

No Limits by Lori Foster

Holding Strong by Lori Foster

Tough Love by Lori Foster

Fighting Dirty by Lori Foster

True Spies by Shana Galen

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore

A Cup of Zodiac by Alexis Gorgun

Wildfire by Hannah Grace

Trust Me by Rachel Grant

Control Freak by Brianna Hale

Dom Fitness by Brianna Hale

Gym Bunny by Brianna Hale

Princess Brat by Brianna Hale

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

Runaway Love by Melanie Harlow

Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper

Rent to Be by Sonia Hartl

Temptation by Jenna Hartley

An Optimist's Guide to Heartbreak by Jennifer Hartmann

A Pessimist's Guide to Love by Jennifer Hartmann

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

Billion Dollar Enemy by Olivia Hayle

When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath

One Touch by Lena Hendrix

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

King of Greed by Ana Huang

Babymoon or Bust by Ava Hunter

Pucked by Helena Hunting

Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Not That Duke by Eloisa James

Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James

String Me Along by Lilian T. James

The Intern by Sophia Karlson

Offside by Avery Keelan

Shutout by Avery Keelan

Against the Clock by Brittany Kelley

Against the Odds by Brittany Kelley

Willow and the Wolf by Elizabeth Kelly

Ava and the Bear by Elizabeth Kelly

Hold by Claire Kent

Nameless by Claire Kent

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Hot Single Dad by Claire Kingsley

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

Jingle Bell Beard by Julie Kriss

Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston

Grimstone by Sophie Lark

The Billionaire's Bride of Convenience by Miranda Lee

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden

Good Girl Fail by Roni Loren

Hate You by Tracy Lorraine

Fighting Mr. Knight by Rosa Lucas

Fifth Avenue Fling by Rosa Lucas

Crash by Tamara Lush

Drive by Tamara Lush

Consider Me by Becka Mack

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

Wife Project by Chloe Maine

To Hate Adam Connor by Ella Maise

Recipe for Love by Anne Malcom

Method for Matrimony by Anne Malcom

New Hope, Old Grudges by Anne Malcom

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry

Dahlia Made a List by Jenna McCall

Breathless by Amy McCulloch

This Charming Man by C.K. McDonnell

Love Will Tear Us Apart by C.K. McDonnell

Sticks and Stone by Grace McGinty

Trail of Deception by Amanda McKinney

A Missing Connection by Dani McLean

Four Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

Crash by Ruby McNally

An Extravagant Duplicity by Lynn Messina

Thief by Cassie Mint

Hacker by Cassie Mint

Honey Trap by Cassie Mint

Beauty and the Kingpin by Cassie Mint

Ocean Jewel by Cassie Mint

Big Boss by Cassie Mint

Grump Gone Wild by Cassie Mint

Ride or Die by Cassie Mint

Thin Ice by Cassie Mint

Husband Skills by Cassie Mint

The Stranger by Cassie Mint

She Was Made for Me by Jen Morris

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

Playing by the Rules by Monica Murphy

The Brazen by Willa Nash

How to Lose at Love by Sarah Ney

Pleasing Mr. Parker by Elle Nicoll

Convergence of Desire by Felicity Niven

Duke the Halls by Felicity Niven

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth O'Roark

The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O'Roark

The Devil Gets His Due by Elizabeth O'Roark

The Summer I Saved You by Elizabeth O'Roark

All Downhill With You by Julie Olivia

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

A Deal With the Bossy Devil by Kyra Parsi

The Barista's Guide to Perfect Steam by Valerie Pepper

Timid by Devney Perry

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Lady Len and the Mysterious Mac by Rose Prendeville

The River Knows by Amanda Quick

Dangerous by Amanda Quick

Reckless by Amanda Quick

Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

The Fantasy League by Meg Reading

Accidentally Compromising the Duke by Stacy Reid

An Earl to Remember by Stacy Reid

First Down by Grace Reilly

Breakaway by Grace Reilly

Alive at Night by Amelie Rhys

Playing the Part by Macy T. Riosa

Contractual Obligations by Elle Rivers

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

Rough by Renee Rose and Vanessa Vale

Wild by Renee Rose and Vanessa Vale

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

Hunting for a Highlander by Lynsay Sands

Things We Hide From the Light by Lucy Score

Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score

The Gangster's Prize by Joanna Shupe

Flawless by Elsie Silver

Heartless by Elsie Silver

Sinners Condemned by Somme Sketcher

Sinners Consumed by Somme Sketcher

Take My Daddy, I'll Take Yours by Jenika Snow

First Meet Foul by Jaqueline Snowe

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Cottage by Lisa Stone

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

Mile High by Liz Tomforde

Man Candy by Vanessa Vale

Man Cave by Vanessa Vale

Man Splain by Vanessa Vale

Man Handle by Vanessa Vale

South by Vanessa Vale

Wall St. Jerk by Megan Wade

The Pawn by Skye Warren

The Knight by Skye Warren

His Curvy Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells

Secret Santa by Kati Wilde

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

Dear Grumpy Boss by Julia Wolf

Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife by Julia Wolf

Shiver by Suzanne Wright

Tempt Me by Tara Wyatt

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

A Little Too Close by Rebecca Yarros

#2023 books #mine #about me

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