#andromeda finds out about what happened to the Longbottoms

[here-for-a-good-time-hopefully]

Narcissa (crying): Andromeda you have to believe me

Andromeda: How can I believe you?

Narcissa: Because I’m your sister!

Andromeda: After what you did to Alice?

Narcissa:

[merlinsbudgiesmugglers]

you are cruel for giving Andromeda a new friend in Alice Longbottom, KNOWING FULL WELL WHAT WILL HAPPEN

HAS ANDROMEDA NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH??

(I realize how hypocritical this is, considering what I am doing to her but NEVERTHELESS I shall complain in your inbox)

Oh no @celestemagnoliathewriter...how terrible of me.

It would be even worse if I were to write the moment Andromeda found out about what happens to Alice and Frank...

Or when she finds out WHO did it...

[ilovebellatrixandseverus]

HP longfic rec collection

With reddit closing down, and a lot of rec lists being lost to the public that way, I made a post on here asking for recommendations, and now that there were some in the notes - thank you all! - I thought I'd share them here! Feel free to reblog add to it, more the better! Starting and ending this beginning list with one of my own favs each to give you all some recs back:

Wizards in space by esama on Ao3, almost 50k

The Dumbledore's Army use the Room of the Requirement to get themselves a spaceship.

Harry Potter & Stargate fusion, No Warnings, Gen, Complete Work 27 Feb 2015, HP LJ GW FW HG RW LL GW CC ME, AU - Canon Divergence, Dumbledore's Army IN SPACE!, Science Fiction, Chapters: 10/10 Comments: 456 Kudos: 4807, (Knowledge about Stargate is not necessary to read this story)

Reccing this because I adore it so much it always makes me feel things!

Secrets by Vorabiza on ao3, almost 400k words.

Beginning with Draco's unexpected arrival at the Dursleys, Harry's summer after sixth year becomes filled with activity and many secrets. As his summer progresses, Harry generates several unexpected allies as he finds himself actively becoming the leader of the Light side. H/D post-HBP ~~Complete~~

Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Drama, Romance, Explicit Language, Sexual Content

Recced by @niccolo-machiavelli07 with the note 'contains good Snape and Malfoy's. I do need to warn you that it's Drarry and Draco has a literal kid...'

Harry Crow by Robst on FfNet - 700+k

What will happen when a goblin-raised Harry arrives at Hogwarts. A Harry who has received training, already knows the prophecy and has no scar. With the backing of the goblin nation and Hogwarts herself. Complete.

Harry Potter, T, English, chapters: 106, favs: 31k+, follows: 19k+, updated: Jun 8, 2014 published: Jun 5, 2012, [Harry P., Hermione G.]

Recced by @elizabethgoudge with the note 'Harry Crow is quite hetero, but has a super interesting premise about goblins and is very long. He has another one with interesting elves, as well.' and I have read the fic before and can second the recommendation! It's an amazing longfic.

Delenda Est on FFnet (Reboot & Original) 100+k

Dying, Bellatrix uses her heirloom to send Harry to the past. There, he can try stopping Voldemort while making the acquaintance of a young and impressionable Bellatrix Black, who may opt to serve Lord Black instead of Voldemort. H/B. Rewrite of DE with different plot, some new characters. No need to read original. Backwards compatible with PB.

Harry Potter, T, English, Adventure & Romance, chapters: 12, favs: 1k+, follows: 2k+, updated: May 8 published: May 2, 2022, Harry P., Bellatrix L.

Recced by @str82theheartpls with the note 'my all-time fave is being rebooted and the original is amazing too'. Description of the original version is 'Harry is a prisoner, and Bellatrix has fallen from grace. The accidental activation of Bella's treasured heirloom results in another chance for Harry. It also gives him the opportunity to make the acquaintance of the young and enigmatic Bellatrix Black as they change the course of history.'

Oh God Not Again! By Sarah1281 on Ao3 & ffnet, 150+k

So maybe everything didn't work out perfectly for Harry. Still, most of his friends survived, he'd gotten married, and was about to become a father. If only he'd have stayed away from the Veil, he wouldn't have had to go back and do everything AGAIN.

Gen - Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood & Harry Potter - Old Fic, Humor, Time Travel, like literally, originally posted september13 2008 on ff.net, story completed as of december 2009

Recced by @polyvirnl with the note '"Oh God Not This Again" is very good', and I can second that, I read and rearead the fic many times, it's crazy awesome!

The Andromeda Program on Ao3 120+k

Hermione Granger is one of the select few to join the prestigious Andromeda Program to explore space for all of humanity. She thinks it will be an excellent opportunity to prove her worth and show her mettle, but perhaps living on a spaceship and spending her time with the same group of people is not all it's cracked up to be. Or maybe one person in particular is making it especially difficult.

Hermione Granger/Severus Snape, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Healer Severus, Adult Hermione, Medical Inaccuracies, Minor Injuries, Slow Burn, Swearing, Angst, Power Imbalance, Alcohol

Recced by @echoofawind with the note 'I love The Andromeda Program. It's a Severus x Hermione muggle Sci-fi AU that has Ender's Game vibes'

Pride of Time by Anubis Ankh on Ao3

Hermione quite literally crashes her way back through time by roughly twenty years. There is no going back; the only way is to go forward. And when one unwittingly interferes with time, what one expects may not be what time finds...

Mature, Violence, F/M, HG/SS, Time-Turner, Time Travel,bChapters: 51/51 COMPLETE Jun 2012, Comments: 438 Kudos: 3133 COMPLETE

Reccing this because once you start reading you can't stop! I don't usually read Snamione and I have no idea how I ended up here first, but I've reread it twice since! Hermione as a death eater spy's wife is amazing.

If you have any other fic recs, feel free to reblog and add them to the post!

Note that reblogs are better than replies (or likes) because reblogs help share the post around - so more people get the recs, and more people see the post and might add their own recs as well!

If you rec more than three please use a readmore under the first or so, so not to spam everyone's dash!

[wolfstargazer]

Ooh, what is carrion comfort pleaae?

This is a fic written in response to a prompt set me by a friend to write a fic focused on Teddy Lupin and Neville Longbottom.

It is a story set eleven years after the Battle of Hogwarts. It tells the story of Teddy starting Hogwarts, his initial struggles and the support given to him by Neville who is now Professor of Herbology.

Rating: T

Pairings: None

Genre: Drama/Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Coming of Age. Dealing with Grief. Friendship.

Title: taken from and inspired by Carrion Comfort by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Synopsis: Eleven years have past since the fall of Voldemort and Teddy Lupin starts at Hogwarts. Will his Herbology teach be able to help him to confront the horrors of the past?

Snippet:

"I'm a bit worried about Teddy Lupin. I don't think he's adjusting too well," Neville said. The tall, grey-haired witch with a green hat nodded as she sat down behind the broad desk. Behind her, the portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses looked down reassuringly from their frames and one, showing a man with a grey beard and half-moon spectacles, mused reverentially, "Perhaps it is as we feared, Minerva." McGonagall nodded solemnly. She stirred her tea so the spoon tinkled in its cup, raising it to her lips as she raised her eyes to Neville. "I discussed with Andromeda and Harry beforehand that Teddy may find it difficult coming to Hogwarts. I'm not sure how much the matter was talked about." Placing her cup back down into its saucer, McGonagall continued, "Perhaps it would be best if an owl were sent explaining Teddy's distress." "Oh, I didn't mean for anything like that to happen," Neville ventured, managing to tear his eyes away from the portrait of the sallow-faced, greasy-haired Headmaster that was eyeing him slightly critically from his frame. "He's withdrawn but I think that may disappear in time. I think he just needs someone to talk to him…about the things that happened here. This is more than a school for him...it's a graveyard." "It is a difficult subject to broach but one, I fear, which cannot be avoided," McGonagall said, thoughtfully. "It won't be long before his fellow students realise who he is and quiz him. There are constant reminders of the past all over the castle. This is not something which can be swept under the carpet." Neville nodded. "It's been hard for any of us to forget the past," Neville began. "B…but it's important for those of us who survived to make sure that we remember. It's what people like Teddy deserve." McGonagall smiled affectionately at her Herbology teacher. She knew she had been justified in her appointment of her former pupil. He was sensitive, and cared very deeply for the care of his students. And, as it turned out, was a natural teacher. "What do you think should be done in the meantime?" Neville asked. A drawling voice from a portrait responded, "Perhaps it would be best, in this case, to wait for Lupin to come to you. It is unlikely the boy wishes to speak of things that pain him without feeling its necessity." Neville gave a small nod, avoiding the eye of the former Potions Professor and Headmaster, much to the amusement of McGonagall and the portrait of Dumbledore.

[secretch4mber]

Early july 1996 - the summer holidays just started.

Cordelia cautiously opened the door, her expression wary. She slipped outside, closing it silently without ever turning her back on Draco.

"How are you?"

Draco wanted to slap himself. He needed to get straight to the point; time was running out. It had been nearly ten years since they were separated, and he couldn’t understand this sudden wave of sentimentality that seemed to overtake him. They were no longer children, playing and comforting each other in the family manor. They despised each other now.

"Absolutely fantastic, as you can see, my dear cousin."

Cordelia looked ghostly. Her skin had taken on a worrying pallor, her once sun-kissed complexion completely gone. She seemed to float in the oversized shorts and t-shirt she had probably borrowed from her uncle. Draco hoped in vain that she wasn’t letting herself waste away. The dark circles under her eyes and the trembling of her hands were troubling.

He reassured himself by remembering that Cordelia's uncle was a renowned healer. After all, Ted and Andromeda Tonks loved Cordelia dearly, as everyone knew, and would be there to support her through this ordeal.

He cleared his throat.

"Did Longbottom pass on what I gave him?"

She nodded.

"It was a kind gesture. I was surprised it came from you. Neville and Ernie thought you were trying to poison me."

She stared at the ground, and her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Voices echoed from a nearby window, along with soft music. Cordelia cleared her throat, resuming her suspicious demeanor.

"I don't know why you’re here, but you shouldn’t stay."

Draco looked at her, then slowly nodded. It was strange to find themselves face to face like this, now that the war had become very real. Cordelia was still struggling to grasp it, even though this violence had just ripped away everything she had ever wanted—her father.

Draco and she were just children, but now they stood on opposite sides of a deadly battle. It was no longer just about words and ideologies.

"I just wanted to tell you that Aunt Bellatrix has given up on the idea of you joining us."

Cordelia frowned but felt somewhat relieved. After her escape from Azkaban, Bellatrix had discovered that the little girl was no longer living with the clan but with that filthy blood traitor who had been her sister and her Mudblood husband, who had adopted her. She had made it her mission to bring her back, to tear her away from the Tonks and Sirius, to teach them once again what it meant to betray the Black family.

As if it hadn’t been Narcissa and Lucius themselves who had decided one fine morning to abandon little Cordelia. Bellatrix had just been sent to Azkaban for the torture session she had inflicted on the Longbottoms, and keeping Sirius Black’s child compromised the excuse Lucius gave to the authorities to absolve himself of his role as a Death Eater. Anyway, Walburga had died the previous year, and she had been the one who decided to take in the child after Sirius's imprisonment. No one else in the Black family had wanted her. But that hadn’t stopped her from snatching the baby from the loving arms of Ted and Andromeda Tonks.

But Bellatrix was unhinged, and Cordelia often felt her stomach knot when she wondered if her aunt would eventually find her.

"All it took was killing my father for her to get the message. She catches on quickly."

Her tone was bitter and sarcastic, but Draco noticed how her shoulders relaxed.

"Be careful anyway, Cordelia. Big things are coming."

The young girl couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a piece of advice. Draco also looked pale. And guilty. Cordelia didn’t respond. He muttered that he had to leave now.

But he had barely taken a few steps when he felt his cousin’s hand grab his sleeve.

"Are you going to become one of them too?"

Her tone was far more desperate than she had intended.

"It’s probably bound to happen."

Draco shrugged, but Cordelia clearly saw the flash of terror that crossed his eyes.

Of course, he wouldn’t answer that question clearly. Cordelia was friends with Harry and a member of Dumbledore’s Army. For both of them, any piece of information could cost lives. But she was his cousin. The look of distress she gave him tugged at his heart.

"Draco, please, it’s—"

"Cordelia, stop."

She shook her head, and Draco swore her eyes were glistening with tears.

"You’re only 16."

Cordelia thought of her uncle Regulus, who had joined the Death Eaters at the same age. He had disappeared without a trace before he could even celebrate his 20th birthday. The family had only known because his date of death appeared on the tapestry. His body was never found. Walburga had gone mad with grief.

Cordelia shivered at the thought of history repeating itself. The Blacks and their descendants had a knack for attracting tragedies.

"Why would Aunt Narcissa let you get involved like this?"

Draco let out a bitter laugh.

"Look, I’m not going to get into this, Harry’s your friend."

They were no longer six years old, and not everything could be fixed between them like it used to be. The war was here; it was no longer a distant memory told to children to explain why certain witches and wizards were no longer around. And suddenly, Cordelia wanted to cry again. She cried often since her father’s disappearance. But now her heart tightened painfully, and she had to face the truth—she was losing her cousin once again, and she was terrified for him.

[consistentsquash]

10 HP Rarepair Femslash Recs with Hopeful Themes

8 fics + 2 podfics! A short and sweet list with rarepair femslash!

Pretty depressed about news and what's going on. So this list is 100%   hurt/comfort for me. Fanfic self-medication. What else is new!

Also because we have an amazing fandom, it's RAREPAIR FEMSLASH!

Like always, rec lists are based on my reading and 100% subjective. YMMV.

AO3 collection

[podfic] Accept the Extraordinary by RoozetteR

by fire_juggler

Length - 20 minutes

Pairing - Luna/Tonks

This fic has a ton of bittersweet hope. Brilliant Luna's POV. Really healing. But definitely check out the triggers/warnings. It has some heavy stuff.

Fire_juggler has some of my fav podfics and RoozetteR has some of my fav fics! Combo made in heaven.

 [podfic] Truth Beyond by kellychambliss

by @perverse-idyll

Length - 30 minutes

Pairing - Rita/Minerva

This fic. This fic is by the kelly_chambliss. 100% gold. McGonagall is kind of lost after the Grindelwald war and finds a new hobby. Brilliant, brilliant characterization and totally on point sharp writing. Also like a lot of people I am definitely not a Rita Skeeter fan. But she's written really well here and I kind of fell in love with her.

Ok! So PI can totally ask us to jump off a cliff and we are going to do that. Because her voice is magic! Absolutely filled with love for the fic + the characters + tons of hope!

ALSO HOTNESS. SO MUCH HOTNESS!!!! You can get better after kind of losing your purpose if you follow the advice in the fic. Guaranteed :D But this fic doesn't really objectify/make anything feel sleazy. It's really a great fic which looks at sort of discovering/healing yourself after losing your purpose following some bad stuff like war.

 After the War

by jk_rockin

Length - 700 words

Pairing - Hermione/Millicent

So you are going to tell me, "Squash! If the good stuff happens AFTER the bad stuff, it doesn't make getting through the bad stuff easier!"

I got you!

This fic has Hermione and Millicent in the middle of the war and finding some comfort together when bad stuff is going on. Super sharp writing. Don't walk. Run and read it!

 Untarnished

by USSJellyfish

Length - 1400 words

Pairing - Hooch/Minerva

Madam Hooch and Minerva McGonagall in an established relationship? Gold already! But there's more! They are in the middle of a really bad war and find some hope/happiness because they have got each other. Lots of tragedy going on, but they have got each other. It really makes a big difference for them. Also for the person reading! Really comforting fic.

 It feels like coming home

by @emrldapplejuice

Length - 1500 words

Pairing - Andromeda/Tonks

Hurt/Comfort in the classical postwar fandom sense. But written with a pairing that makes it more poignant/bittersweet. Tonks and Andromeda have lost important people in the war. They have each other.

Don't let the pairing stop you from reading this fic. It packs a punch and is written really well. This is more about grief/healing than about dirtybadhot incest vibes.

Plenitude

by eldritcher

Length - 1600 words

Pairing - Hermione/Amelia

Time traveling Hermione saves Amelia Bones.

This fic is the only fic that made me cry this year. It's like gift wrapped hope in a fic. It came out on Independence Day. I totally needed that hope.

This is from eldritcher, who probably will write fanfiction in the iambic pentameter if they can get away with it. But this fic doesn't have that. It's totally plain and packs a punch. It's probably the plainest prose/simplest fic on this list.

Old Friends

by Miss M

Length - 2000 words

Pairing - Augusta/Minerva

Ok! It's not over until it's over! That's what Augusta and Minerva are finding out in this postwar fic. Bittersweet, but with more sweet compared to bitter. This is about making up for lost time and having a lot of hope for the future. Really love the Augusta Longbottom characterization in this fic.

 will the muses sing our names?

by the_crownless_queen

Length - 2100 words

Pairing - Dorcas/Marlene

This is definitely more on the hurt side of hurt/comfort. Check the triggers on the fic before reading it. Sometimes you got to keep fighting when you lose somebody. But sometimes that also means you learn what they mean to you. This fic writes about that really well. This is Marauders era/First War. Definitely not going to get fluff/happy endings. But I recommend this fic because it is cathartic.

 All Roads Lead To

by pauraque

Length - 2500 words

Pairing - Cho/Luna

Cho had a really difficult life. I think a lot of times we see her as somebody who treated Harry badly. This is because of the canon characterization which doesn't do a good job with her character. But this fic is from her POV during the war and does an amazing job at making the reader root for her. She's dealing with a lot of guilt and complicated baggage. Also Luna. Luna's characterization is perfect in this fic. The hopeful ending is 100% earned. The war is still going on. But the hope is real!

 The 34th Amelia Bones Solstice Party

by Woldy

Length - 2900 words

Pairing - Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank/Pomona Sprout

Beautiful fic about grief and healing. Augusta Longbottom continues the tradition Amelia started for their friends. It's also got some of the best lines I read in a fic.

"Wil seduces all sorts of critters," Pomona says. "You should hear about the fuss she made of Minerva's Animagus form before she realized it wasn't really a cat."

Perfect fic to end the list with! It's going to make you laugh/cry/feel good about friends. Maybe you are even going to start planning a party! Because friends and parties with friends are the best!

[seaweedinthebrain]

more harry and neville (+ teddy) headcanons cause I'm way too soft for them

a plus to this post of mine

at 20 years old, when they tell people they're together, they're met with multiple chorus of "what do you mean you're only dating now? we thought you guys had been together for the past two years"

in everyone's defence, they were 100% the kind of friends that are so close you think they're a couple

like, neville would wear harry's jersey during quidditch matches in 8th year. multiple times, ron woke up in the morning and freaked out because harry's and neville's beds were empty, only to run down the stairs and find them passed out on top of each other in the common room sofa after spending all night talking. they were constantly hugging and cuddling and kissing each other's cheeks and foreheads and hands. also, they moved into a cottage in the middle of nowhere together

so I guess it was pretty easy for their friends and families to Assume

harry gives grimmauld place a drastic reform and turns it into an institution where children with abusive households and werewolves with nowhere to go can live and/or transform safely. apart from being a home, the place also works as a mental health clinic and offers a stock of wolfsbane potion, and the inhabitants have free access to both. a big part of harry's and neville's money goes to maintaining this

neville loves dancing and can play the piano. harry can't move his hips to save his life and can only barely play the guitar. they still manage to sway around lazily to songs and sing cheesy duets though

they both have tattoos, both magical and muggle, but harry has a lot more

they almost never call each other by the name, it's always "haz" and "nev". because of that, teddy starts calling them "hazzy" and "nevvy" once he learns to talk and never loses the habit, even as an adult

the two of them and andy make sure teddy knows as much about remus and tonks as he can, and don't intend to replace them, but everyone knows that when he says "my parents" instead of "mom and dad" he's referring to harry and neville

to teddy, andromeda is "grandma" (because it has "ma" in it and she was one of the people who raised him and he does see her as a parental figure), molly is "granny" (because it ends in "y" like her name) and augusta is "gran" (because that's what neville called her). don't judge the reasons, he was 5 at the time he came up with these and they just stuck

teddy gets too agitated to sleep when it's a full moon, so harry and neville take him on midnight trips on the lands around the cottage. by the time he's a teenager and allowed to go alone, teddy puts on headphones and walks those hills, forest and river like second nature

after neville casually proposes while watching a movie in their living room sofa, he runs to their bedroom and comes back with the longbottom family ring. it was tradition for it to be given as an engagement gift, so neville slips it to harry's right hand just as frank did to alice twenty five years before

when they go to st. mungos to tell neville's parents they were getting married, alice gives harry a gum wrapper

when they tell augusta, she smiles, pets harry's cheek and says "welcome to the family". everyone was shocked at the scene and to this day the woman denies it ever happened

minerva walks harry down the isle

they have their names hyphenated as Potter-Longbottom but use only their own as professors

when harry is having a bad day, he lays his head on neville's chest and asks him to read anything aloud just so he can listen to his voice

when neville is having a bad day, he wears one of harry's shirts and rewatches a comfort movie. harry makes him tea, cuddles close on the sofa and watches it with him every time

neville speaks fluent french. sometimes him and teddy will only speak french with each other all day just to annoy harry

harry gave teddy his first piercing, at 13, while ignoring neville freaking out about it over his shoulder

both neville and teddy have adhd. harry develops little routines and strategies to make things easier from them on the daily

the weasleys absolutely adore neville. for real. he's ginny's best friend, harry's husband, gentle, kind, friendly and will ramble about plants at any given opportunity, of course molly takes him under her wing the second he steps into the burrow.

teddy's room in the cottage has always looked kind of the same since they moved in when he was 1, he never made any big changes over the years. the walls are yellow and the ceiling is enchanted like the Great Hall at hogwarts to look like it's always a starry night sky

when harry has a nightmare and can't fall back asleep, neville sings to him until he does

when it's neville who can't fall asleep, harry gives him a warm bath with those calming bath bombs luna is always sending them

when neither of them can fall asleep, they lay outside and watch the stars until the sun comes up

feel free to add any other hcs cause I'll stop here before this gets too long. believe me, I have way more where these came from and I'll die on the pottbottom hill

[aidanchaser]

Chapter 19: The Fox and the Hare

Table of Contents beta’d by @ageofzero @magic713m @ccboomer @aubsenroute @somebodyswatson

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Everyone Lives AU Chapter 19 The Fox and the Hare

Remus pulled his cloak closed around his throat as he fought the stiff winds that pushed their way through London. His bones ached enough after the full moon without stepping out into a bracing winter, but he ignored the protest in his joints. Not only did he want the details about what had happened to James, he was eager to see Tonks.

He had only seen his wife once since his abrupt departure back in August. The guilt for leaving her in the first place still ached if he reflected on it for too long. He knew that James and Lily were right. Tonks needed him, and he needed to be with her. If he, James, and Lily had not been caught leaving the Longbottoms’ estate, he probably would have gone straight back to Tonks. But James’ capture had changed everything.

They had lost James and Harry in a day, and though they trusted that Harry was safe, it was not the same as knowing that Harry was safe. Lily and Remus had spent most of their days scouring every scrap of newspaper they could get their hands on for any clues or sightings. The phrase, “no news is good news,” was repeated often, and though they believed it when it came to Harry, each day without news of James seemed to wear away a little more of each of them.

It wasn’t until they were finally able to connect with Sirius that Remus had felt comfortable leaving Lily for a few days and risking a return to Tonks’ house to apologise.

He had known he would be lucky if Tonks accepted his apology. Though he was still afraid of all the things he had been afraid of when he had left, he understood now that his fears were something they had to share.

Remus was not used to sharing the weight of his burdens with others. It was something none of his friends were particularly good at, but he and Lily had been forced to practice it these last few months. If they had not shared their anxiety over James and Harry with each other, they might have torn each other apart.

Though Remus did not think he deserved to be forgiven, Tonks had welcomed him back with an astonishing grace. Remus wished he had shown the same grace to Sirius, when he had betrayed him to Snape during their years at Hogwarts, or that they had shown each other the same grace with each other after the truth of Peter’s betrayal had been revealed. There was no knowing what they might have gained in the last fifteen years if only they had learned to forgive themselves and each other with half the ease that Tonks did.

Unfortunately, Remus and Tonks had not had much time together during his visit. Not only were Death Eaters watching her parents’ house vigilantly, the Muggle-born Registration Commission visited frequently to make sure that Ted Tonks was not hiding nearby. Remus may not have been Muggle-born, but blood-purists weren’t any more fond of what he was, and the Ministry was almost as desperate for his head as they were Harry’s.

So he and Tonks had filled their few days with as much as they could. His admission of guilt and his apology were all he really had the emotional fortitude for, but there was so much more for them to take care of beyond their reconciliation.

Once Tonks had assured him that he was forgiven, she had immediately begun planning ways to stay in touch. She was the one who had suggested they use the Times and had given Remus and Sirius their code names.

“We can’t use Moony,” she had said, “since too many people you went to school with are Death Eaters. Sirius can be the Black Sheep. He’ll think it’s funny. I’ll be the White Rabbit, and you can be… the Silver Fox!”

Remus had blushed and become suddenly self-conscious of his greying hair, but he hadn’t argued with her. A fox was better than a wolf. “What about Lily?” he had asked.

She had taken a bit longer to come up with a code name for Lily, but she had eventually suggested Red Hind. So when he had seen a classified ad in the Times from a White Rabbit claiming to have news about a Red Hart, he had known instantly that it meant James. He only hoped no one else had recognised the message and decoded the meeting time and place.

The other crucial thing he and Tonks had discussed the last time they had seen each other was her pregnancy. There was still every possibility that their child could be a werewolf — though Remus prayed to God, Merlin, and whatever else might hear him that it would not be — so they had to make sure Tonks had the right sort of care.

“I talked to my friend Penny,” Tonks had said.

Remus had looked up at her from his seat on the floor beside her bed. “What did you tell her?”

“I didn’t name you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I wouldn’t do that to you.” Tonks had slid off the bed and sat down beside him. “She recommended a Healer to me. I know Mum said I ought to find a midwife, but I thought — you know, just in case — it would be best to have a Healer.”

Though they had not done much but talk for two days, Remus’ well of emotions had been thoroughly drained, and he had not had it in him to do much more than hum in agreement.

Remus was still trying to wrap his head around being a father. On good days, he was a little excited. He had helped raise Harry, after all, and he had the benefit of James and Lily’s experience. But there were still days that his guilt and fear overwhelmed him, and he wondered why he had ever dared to fall in love with someone in the first place.

Today was not one of his dark days. Today, he was excited to see Tonks, to hear how she was doing, and to know what she had learned about James.

A short walk from the rundown brick building, whose worn name labeled it “Purge and Dowse, Ltd.,” rested a copse of trees that guarded a steep drop in the ground before leveling out into someone’s residence. Remus slipped down the frost-hardened embankment until he was no longer in view of the street. He looked around for Tonks but a crack startled him, and he pulled his wand from his cloak.

She was behind him suddenly, and it took all of Remus’ mental fortitude not to curse her immediately as she threw her arms around him and kissed him.

Though Remus did not want to pull away, he remained practical. “Dora — stop — One of these days it won’t be you and I’ll end up dead for hesitating.”

She pouted, as she always did when he pulled away from a kiss too early, and wrinkled her nose until it was almost entirely absorbed by her face, then grew it back out. “Good enough?” she asked.

“And if I’m not me?”

She shrugged.

“You shouldn’t be Apparating, you know.”

“See? That’s something only the real Remus would say.”

“Andromeda would say it too.” Remus held her at arm’s length for a moment and looked her over. It was hard to make out any details about her figure beneath the cloak, but he thought she looked well. She was a bit flushed, but seemed happy, all things considered.

“You are alright?” he asked.

“Of course.” She started up the embankment. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.”

Remus hurried after her. “Late for what? I thought you had news about James.”

“Not here in the open.” Tonks grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the condemned shopping centre across the street.

It took everything Remus had not to dig his heels in and throw a tantrum like a toddler. Not only was he impatient for her news, he had no interest in entering that building unless it was a life or death situation.

“Wait —” he said.

But Tonks wasn’t paying attention to him. She led him around the corner to a window decorated with a set of shabby mannequins, half-dressed and faded by sun. She whispered something into the glass, then finally turned and looked at Remus.

“Oh,” she said. “We’d better do something about your face. May I?”

Remus was worried about being recognised, certainly, but that wasn’t his main source of fear. He didn’t know how to explain the anxiety that crawled up his throat to Tonks, though, so he nodded dumbly.

“I’ll be careful,” she promised. “It’s harder on others, but McGonagall always said I had a knack for it.”

As Tonks pressed her wand against his cheek, Remus felt the sharp, gaunt lines of his face fill in and soften. He could see the edges of his hair darken. He imagined she was getting rid of his most noticeable feature as well: his scars.

Once she was satisfied, she pulled him through the glass window.

Unlike the last time Remus had visited, in the dead of the night after the battle in the Department of Mysteries, the lobby of St Mungo’s was full. People crowded around on all sides and made a cacophony of unfortunate noises — retching, shrieking, singing off-key — but Tonks ignored the chaos and pulled Remus into the line behind the reception desk.

He squeezed her hand and focused his attention on exactly two sensations: steady breathing and her fingers laced through his.

Remus had been to St Mungo’s exactly three times as an adult. Once, when Harry had fallen into a Bearded Bramble and had developed a rash that was beyond his skill to treat, then years later when Arthur Weasley had nearly been killed on duty for the Order, and finally two summers ago, when Voldemort had attacked the Ministry, and James, Lily, and Dora had all nearly died.

Each time, Remus had been here at St Mungo’s because someone he cared about was in danger. It was easier to manage his anxiety about St Mungo’s if there was a larger, more pressing anxiety consuming him first, and if he wasn’t the one submitting himself to a Healer’s care.

He reminded himself that, in all likelihood, they were not here for him. Tonks had even obscured his face. There was no way for anyone they spoke with to know who he was, or worse, what he was.

When they reached the desk of the Welcome Witch, Tonks told her that they had an appointment.

“Name?” the Welcome Witch asked.

“Black.” Tonks said without hesitation.

The witch directed them to wait, and Tonks pulled him into one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs along the wall. Remus wondered if perhaps the conversation with the Welcome Witch had not been about an appointment at all. Perhaps it was another coded message. Had the Welcome Witch been the one to tell Tonks about James?

He took a moment to wet his lips before asking, “Is James here?”

Tonks shook her head. “We’ll talk where no one’s around,” she whispered. “Where could be more protected than a Healer’s office?”

He wanted to ask if they really needed to be here, if he could not just take her to Lily, but before he could find the words, a young man in green robes stepped out of the lift, glanced at the clipboard in his hand, and announced, “Nymphadora Black.”

Though none of those names were ones that Tonks liked for herself, she jumped to her feet and tugged Remus with her. As the young man pushed the button for the first floor, a high-pitched whine began to rise in Remus’ ears. When the lift doors opened only a moment later, Tonks pulled him forward again. But this time, he didn’t follow. Remus’ feet were stuck to the floor as surely as if he’d been hit with one of Sirius’ Permanent Sticking Charms.

“Remus?” she asked.

His mouth was dry. He wanted to remind her that she shouldn’t use his real name, but the words didn’t come. He wanted to tell her he would wait outside, and he would be there for her after this was over, no matter what, but those words didn’t come, either.

With an incredible force of will, he stumbled out of the lift.

The first floor itself had not changed since he had been here with the Weasleys during Arthur’s stay, and it had not changed since he was a boy. The smell of alcohol and antiseptic made him dizzy, and the dark paneling seemed to disappear at the edges of his vision, giving him the strange impression that the walls were disappearing as they passed — along with their exit. It was all he could do to stumble after Tonks and the Healer.

The walk was longer than any Remus had taken down this hall, he was sure of it. They passed ward after ward until, finally, the young man opened a door and led them into a private office. Remus could not focus enough to read the name on the door, but through the high-pitched whine in his ears, he did make out the young man’s words.

“The Healer will be with you in a moment, Ms Black,” he said.

The office was small and sparsely decorated. Most of the space was taken up by the desk at the center and a pair of chairs opposite. The only real personalisation to the room was a photograph of a sunrise hanging next to the window. The sunlight glittered on the surface of a lake as the photograph moved, but the sun remained on the horizon in permanent dawn.

Bookshelves lined the other walls, and Remus was able to recognise a few of the texts from Sirius’ collection, though Sirius would never have kept his books organised so neatly. Even though Remus was not familiar with much of Healing magic, he could tell that the shelves were organised into sections on anatomy, Charms, and, he noted glumly, an entire three shelves devoted to dangerous Creatures. There was more than one text on werewolves.

“Remus, sit,” Tonks said. “You look like you’re about to faint. I’m not giving birth yet.”

Remus fell into one of the chairs and forced himself to look at her.

He had been so excited to see her, and now he wanted nothing more than to run. He struggled to bring his thoughts into line, into any reasonable order so that he might explain himself. He tried to remember why they were here.

She crouched beside his chair and put a hand on his wrist. “Did I accidentally make you look that peaky or is something wrong? Remus?”

His tongue felt like lead, but he remembered, distantly, why they had needed a private office. “What did you learn about James?”

Worry creased her brow, which was an unusual look for Dora. She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb and though she could not know how much it helped, he allowed the gentle touch to ground him.

“He’s definitely alive,” she said. “Cedric Diggory stopped by after one of the M.R.C.’s absurd little raids. Mum’s about ready to put traps in the cupboards, she’s so tired of them tearing up her pantry.”

Usually, Remus was fond of Tonks’ wandering stories. She included details about people that made him laugh or that simply showed that she cared. At this moment, however, he could only process so much information.

“What did Diggory say?” he asked.

“Some Snatchers brought James in two nights ago.”

“Snatchers? Why — how?”

Tonks shrugged. “Still working it out, but we — oh!” She abandoned his hand and pressed her palm against her stomach. Her face turned from worried to silly in an instant.

“The baby started kicking a couple weeks ago. Here,” she grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly.

Remus had been looking for changes in Tonks’ body, but they were far too subtle to observe beneath her robes. Now that he was touching her, he could feel the new curve of her stomach. She wasn’t much bigger, just fuller, but Sirius and Lily had both told him that the obvious growth would probably come soon. Remus just hoped he would be around to see it.

Then, beneath her stomach, something moved, pressing against his hand. Remus pulled away.

Tonks laughed. “It’s alright.” She reached for his hand again.

But it wasn’t alright. Panic thrummed in Remus’ every muscle and bone, and the only thing that kept him from leaping out of his chair and pacing the room was Tonks’ hand around his wrist.

The day had started out so pleasant. He had been so happy to see her, and so excited to finally have a lead on James. Now he was sitting in an office in St Mungo’s on the floor for Creature-Induced Injuries, facing down memories of some of the worst moments of his childhood and every possibility that the same future awaited his own child.

“Remus.” Her joy was gone. Instead, her voice was firm but gentle. It was the same voice she had had at the kitchen table when she had asked him to go on this journey with her. “Hey, look at me, please?”

He did. She bit down on her lower lip, pulling her worried frown into something closer to a pout. Her cheekbones were sharp today, and her eyes grey. She looked more like her mother than her father. She looked more like Sirius. He might have wondered if she did it on purpose, but the last time he had seen her, she had chosen the same round face she’d worn when she met him, the face she’d had when she’d married him. Both of those faces were Tonks, just as both his joy and fear were truly him.

They both flinched as something — the baby — their baby — kicked against his hand.

“Will you tell me what’s wrong?” she asked.

He appreciated the way she had phrased the question. It did not give him room to lie, at least not in the ways he was used to.

“I wouldn’t know where to start,” he said.

The door behind them creaked, and every piece of tranquility that Remus had managed to cling to evaporated as the Healer walked in. At least Tonks did not let go of his hand, even as she stood.

The Healer had short, grey hair, and she wore a lime-green smock. Remus struggled to guess her age. She did not look old, exactly, but she looked worn in a way that suggested her experience outstripped her years. It was a feeling Remus was familiar with. She had a pale but pleasant smile as she looked first at Remus, then at Tonks.

“It is you,” she said. “I wondered how many Nymphadoras there were out there.”

Tonks wrinkled her nose. “Only the one, which I expect is best for everyone.”

“I take it this isn’t a social visit, or you wouldn’t have made an appointment? I don’t get many appointments. Most people don’t plan on any of the injuries they get working with Creatures.”

The Healer removed her smock and used her wand to drape it on a hook by the door. She took a seat at her desk and eyed Remus curiously. “Are you the source of Tonks’ name change?” she asked.

“Oh — er —”

Tonks saved him. “Yes and no.” She sat in the empty chair with a bit more care than usual, and Remus wished he’d had the foresight to help her. “We are married,” she said, “but I thought it’d be best to use my mother’s maiden name.”

Remus thought that was an unusually prescient decision for Tonks to make and wondered if Andromeda had suggested it. He noticed, too, how she had not bothered to introduce him to the Healer. “Tonks” and “Lupin” were equally undesirable names at the moment.

The Healer’s smile was sad, like she sympathised with Tonks’ decision. “It’s certainly… unfortunate times.” She fidgeted with an opalescent pendant at her neck. “You still haven’t said why you’re here.”

“Oh!” Tonks sat up straighter. “Penny said you could help us. We’re having a baby.”

The Healer blinked at them. “I’m not a midwife. I can help you find one, if you like, but I work with injuries from Creatures. I deal with venoms, broken bones, and bites.”

Remus was proud of himself for not flinching when she said “bites,” but he did squeeze Tonks’ hand a bit more tightly.

“I know,” Tonks said, “but we have sort of… a unique situation.” She looked to Remus for help, but he did not know how to help her. He knew what she wanted him to say, but he could not give it. He could not out himself to a Healer.

Tonks bit down on her lower lip. “It’s just something we want to be sure about, and if the baby is, er — cursed — we want to make sure that we have everything we need. Penny said we could trust you.”

Though Tonks was looking at Remus as she said it, the Healer’s hands stopped fidgeting with her necklace. Her pleasant voice turned guarded. “What else did Penny say about me?”

“Only that you’d help us,” Tonks assured her.

Remus could see Tonks struggling to build an argument that convinced this Healer they would need her without telling her what Remus was, and as much as Remus wanted to keep his identity from this woman, he did not see any other way to get what Tonks needed.

But knowing that he needed to tell this woman the truth, for the sake of Tonks and their child, was so far removed from being able to do it. He had spent three decades doing everything he could to hide the truth about himself from others, especially from someone like this woman in front of him, who had every legal authority to confine him. He did not have the courage to tell her the truth.

But, really, what secret was left to keep? His face was printed in every issue of the Daily Prophet with a very clear warning about what he was printed beneath his picture.

Remus sank down into his chair and did his best to make himself appear small and nonthreatening, and though drawing attention to himself was the very last thing he wanted to do, he said, “I —” The words caught in his throat as the Healer looked at him. He swallowed and started over. “I don’t think Tonks introduced us.”

The Healer looked at him warily. “No, she didn’t.”

Instinctively, Remus reviewed in his mind the distance from his chair to the door in her office, and weighed his speed against how fast she could draw her wand. It had not been long since his last transformation and parts of him still ached. He did not like his chances.

Tonks squeezed his hand again.

“I’m her husband — Remus Lupin.”

A new anxiety filled Remus, purely because he had no idea how to interpret the Healer’s response. Her stiff posture visibly relaxed and she even smiled a little. It did not fit with anything he had encountered before. Fear, anger, suspicion — even pity — were responses he was familiar with. This was entirely unprecedented.

“You look different from your picture in the Prophet,” she said.

“That’s my handiwork,” said Tonks.

The Healer tugged on her necklace pendant as she eyed Remus, and Remus searched for a more comfortable sitting position, even though he knew it wasn’t his physical position that was uncomfortable.

Finally, she pursed her lips and said, “I think I understand why Penny suggested that you ask for my help,” the Healer said. “And I understand why you were so afraid to ask. But Penny was right: you can trust me.”

They spent the rest of the meeting discussing Tonks’ health and pregnancy. The Healer, as she had said, was not a midwife, and had to consult a few of her books throughout the meeting. She never reached for her books on werewolves, though they touched on the possibility. The Healer was confident there was no recorded case of birth complications because of lycanthropy, but she admitted she didn’t know if that was because it had never happened or it had just never been written about. More impressive to Remus than her knowledge of lycanthropy was the care she spoke with. Remus had never had a pleasant interaction with a Healer who had known what he was. Until today.

They set dates for Tonks to check in with the Healer, and though Remus might not be able to be present for all of them, simply knowing the plan helped. He knew, too, that if they had simply found a midwife and left lycanthropy out of it, his anxiety would have remained wild and untameable. Having a Healer who understood them allowed Remus to manage his fears in a way he was entirely unprepared for. He had never met Tonks’ friend Penny, but he thought about sending her a very grateful letter, and wondered if he shouldn’t meet more of Tonks’ friends from school. Tonks had integrated into his pack easily enough, and maybe he shouldn’t be so terrified of getting to know hers.

As the meeting came to a close, the Healer stood to escort them out.

“Oh —” Tonks did not stand, even as Remus started to get up. “Could Remus and I have a moment, just us?”

“Of course.” The Healer held out her hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lupin.”

Remus shook her hand, and it wasn’t until she was gone that he realised he had not gotten her name.

“Are you alright?” Tonks asked.

He nodded, and was a bit surprised to find that it was actually true.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I really thought we could get through that without telling her everything, at least not right away. Maybe I should have come alone, but I just wanted you to be with me for as much of this as you can.”

“I understand.” He ran his hand over his mouth and tried, desperately to put the truth in his words. His instinct was to tell her that it was alright, and everything had worked out, so what point was there in talking about what had gone wrong? But Sirius’ admonishments about lying echoed in his memory. He had to be truthful with Tonks, who did not know him the way Sirius did, and never would if he did not let her.

“I just wish you had explained before,” he said. “I don’t… care much for hospitals. It would have helped to be prepared, to know who we were meeting and why.”

An apology rose in her face, but she bit it back. She let his words hang in the space between them, and he could tell she was wrestling with patience as much as he was wrestling with honesty.

“Okay,” she finally said. “I am sorry — I’ll pay more attention. I’ll communicate better and try to at least talk through my impulses before I drag you into them.”

“Thank you.” Remus looked down at his hands and twisted the plain gold wedding band on his finger. He still had not figured out what Charm James had put into it.

“You never finished telling me your news about James,” he said.

“That’s why I asked for some privacy, so I could tell you, but I wanted to make sure you were okay first.”

He nodded. “I am, truly. Tell me what Cedric said. You said Snatchers were involved?”

“Yeah, that’s weird, right? I don’t know how James ended up with Snatchers, but they took him to the Ministry and he’s in Azkaban now.”

“You’re sure?”

“Thelborne got confirmation of James’ arrest and safe transfer to Azkaban. The Ministry hasn’t made James’ arrest public yet, but Cedric thinks they will soon. He said that it’ll be the best way for them to get Harry.”

Remus’ stomach dropped and the temporary peace he had found withered away. “I guess we should pray that Sirius finds Harry first.”

Tonks raised an eyebrow. “You think Sirius won’t also show up and make a scene?”

He tightened his jaw. “I’m going to make sure that he doesn’t. We’ll find a way to get James back, but we won’t do it by walking into a trap.”

She reached out and took his hand. He could tell from the careful way she traced the lines in his palm that she was preparing to say something difficult. He wondered if it was difficult to say, or just difficult to hear. Perhaps it was both.

“I’m going to say some things about Sirius,” she finally said, “and I do have questions I want you to answer, but you don’t have to answer all of them, or any of them, I guess, if you aren’t ready, okay? Is that… enough preparing you before I jump into something?”

Remus felt his throat tighten, but he appreciated her attempt at delicacy. He nodded.

“Did Sirius talk to you before you left back in August?”

Guilt flared. It was tempered by the fact that he was here now, that he had sat through a very difficult meeting for her sake. Knowing that helped him find his words again. “A little. He mostly admonished me for being a coward.”

“That’s not what I told him to say.” She frowned down at Remus’ hand. “You know he still loves you, right?”

“I chose you,” but even as Remus said it, he heard the denial. Sirius had called him a liar, not just because he lied to his friends but because he lied to himself.

“Why?” she asked.

It had been one year ago, almost exactly, that Sirius had pulled a very similar conversation out of Remus. Sirius had forced Remus to talk through his feelings, for both Tonks and Sirius, and had then denied Remus his choice. Sirius had all but insisted that Remus choose Tonks. Remus did not think he had made the wrong choice — though he had certainly doubted himself in those first few weeks after learning about her pregnancy — but he wondered why Tonks was bringing it up now. He did not think saying, “Sirius told me to choose you,” was the assurance that she wanted.

“Because I love you,” he said.

“But you also love Sirius,” she said. And it wasn’t a question.

He swallowed. “I do.”

The wedding band that James had given him grew warm, suddenly. It was not uncomfortable, but he pulled it from his finger anyway, and his heart broke.

Glowing script on the outside of the band read, “Moony & Dora,” and on the inside were the words, “Mischief Managed.”

How unfair, for him to solve James’ silly riddle and discover Sirius’ gift in an admission of love not to his wife, not to the person and bond that this ring symbolised, but to someone else entirely.

Dora’s hands closed around his, hiding the words from view and forcing him to look at her ring finger, decorated in two bands — his mother’s ring and the band that matched his.

“I’m not mad, Remus. I’m not jealous or upset, okay? I love you, and I know, with absolute certainty, that you love me. You’ve shown it in a hundred different ways, some precious and some obnoxious, but I know that you truly love me. And I know it’s been a lot of hard work for you to understand that I love you. I can imagine that it took a lot of hard work to understand Sirius’ love, too. That’s what I really wanted to say, that you’re allowed to have everything, Remus. You really are.”

Remus struggled to put meaning to her words. He understood them, of course, but to truly know what she meant was a hurdle he wasn’t sure he was ready to climb just yet.

“Christmas is just a week away,” she said, “and I think if Mum doesn’t get to see Sirius and Regulus, she’ll lose her mind, so take a week to think it over, to figure out what you want — you know — to prepare yourself, and then we’ll talk it over again.”

Remus was not sure a week would be enough time, but he was glad to have a different conversation topic. “How are we supposed to see you on Christmas? I’m sure the watch on your home will be doubled.”

“We’ll come to you. Mum and I can Apparate to wherever you are. If we’re lucky, we’ll get snowed in and won’t be able to leave you.”

She smiled, but he could not bring himself to match her joy. There might be joy in him somewhere, but it was buried under so much fear, guilt, and anxiety.

“You shouldn’t be Apparating at all,” he finally said, and she kissed his cheek.

Their goodbye was always going to be a bit melancholy — there was never any guarantee they would see each other again — but it was much more subdued than Remus would have liked. He did insist on Apparating Tonks home, to make sure she didn’t Splinch herself or the baby still growing inside of her, before Apparating back to the place he, Sirius, Lily, and Regulus had been hiding out in since the last full moon.

The winds were stronger out in the countryside, and the cold sharper. Remus shivered and hurried through the protective barriers around their hidden camp and into the safety of the Potters’ tent.

Warmth and the smell of freshly brewed tea hit him immediately. He heard Sirius’ voice, and his heart rate doubled with both the joy of knowing Sirius was home safe, and the anxiety left by Tonks’ parting advice.

Then, he heard an unexpected voice, and his anxiety vanished instantly, replaced with all-consuming wonder and joy. Though he was nearly dizzy with happiness, Remus ran from the small entrance to the curtained-off kitchen. He barely had time to take in the dark messy hair and thick glasses before Harry was in his arms.

Remus held him tightly, unsure that this moment was real. He wondered, briefly, if this entire day had been a dream. Had he really met Tonks? Met a Healer who had been kind, knowing what he was? Had his wife really suggested it was alright for him to still love Sirius? Was Harry really, truly here? Was he safe?

He opened his eyes and looked at Sirius and Lily, still seated at the table with patient smiles. Surely they had been just as overwhelmed to see Harry.

“Where?” he mouthed to Sirius.

When he finally could let Harry go without being afraid that Harry would disappear before his eyes, Sirius told him how he and Regulus had finally found Harry at Privet Drive.

Lily handed Remus a cup of tea. “They came back as soon as Sirius found Tonks’ message in the Times today. Which, speaking of, what did you find out?” Her eagerness for news of James was so thinly restrained that Remus hurriedly shared what Tonks had told him about James, how he had been taken to the Ministry by Snatchers.

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Harry said. “Why would Vol —”

“No!” Remus and Sirius shouted at once as Lily also said, “Harry, don’t —”

Harry tensed, startled by their sudden outburst. “What?”

Lily’s voice shook as she explained. “The Ministry has put a Taboo on the name. Anyone who uses it will immediately draw the attention of Snatchers.”

“It’s probably the most intelligent thing they’ve done to track down the Order and other supporters of Dumbledore,” Sirius added. “Those most likely to use You-Know-Who’s name are those most likely to be fighting against the Ministry.”

“It’s how we nearly got caught in Godric’s Hollow,” said Remus. “They nearly got Mad-Eye last month, too.”

Harry frowned, but did not argue. “Okay, fine, but I still don’t understand why Vol — er — You-Know-Who would change his plans for Dad now. Why keep him prisoner and suddenly hand him off to Snatchers after almost four months?”

Remus had been mulling this over, too, in-between thoughts about Tonks and Sirius, and he didn’t like any of the answers he had come up with.

“Maybe,” Sirius suggested, “James escaped, and was recaptured by Snatchers before he could find us.”

“I doubt it,” Remus said quietly.

“You’re the one who said no prison could hold Prongs,” Harry said.

Lily’s green eyes were unusually cold as they evaluated Remus. “You think it’s a trap.”

Tonks and Cedric certainly seemed to think so, and Remus was inclined to agree with them. “If the Ministry announces that they’ve arrested James,” Remus said, “and if they publish a date for a trial, we have to let it happen.”

He was met with shouts of protest from everyone at the table.

“I know that’s not the news we want,” he said over them, “but the most likely explanation for why James has been moved from the Death Eaters to the Ministry is to use him against us.”

“What if we raided Azkaban instead?” Lily suggested.

Sirius shook his head. “That’s ridiculous. You can’t break someone out of Azkaban.”

“Why not?” asked Harry. “Regulus broke out of Azkaban.”

“Regulus is a cat! I know James and I can change our form too, but you think they haven’t added protections against Animagi since that’s how both Barty and Reg escaped? You think you can just waltz right in and find James amongst thousands of cells? Even the Death Eaters that broke out two years ago had the help of the Dementors. We’ll just have to be ready to take James at the trial, even if it is a trap.”

“Where is Regulus?” asked Remus. He wanted assistance from someone else willing to look at the situation practically.

“Said he had to run an errand.” Sirius looked at Harry, like Harry might know more about it, but Harry only shrugged.

“He hasn’t told me any more than he’s told you,” said Harry, but Harry lied the way James did, which was to say he lied incredibly poorly.

Lily drummed her fingers against her mug. “I still think I could do it.”

Remus sighed and shook his head. “As strong as you’ve gotten without the use of your wand, Sirius is right. We can’t take on Azkaban. And I’m right — we can’t get James at the Ministry. You know he’ll be furious if we lose even one person trying to save him.”

“We can’t do nothing,” Harry said.

“You’re not coming no matter what we do,” Lily said. Before Harry could argue, she said, “I’ve only just got you back from Merlin knows where, and I’m not about to let you run off again.”

“I’m not going to run off! I want to help Dad!”

Remus finished his tea while Lily, Sirius, and Harry argued. He was exhausted from the extreme highs and lows of his day, and did not have the patience to carefully talk his impulsive friends down from their half-baked plans. There was no sense in raiding Azkaban or the Ministry. They would lose, and if the Ministry got a hold of Harry, Voldemort would kill him, and that would be the end of everything.

While Sirius tried to outline a plan that involved impersonating Hit Wizards, Remus left the table and washed his cup. He listened half-heartedly as Lily pointed out, rightly, that it would be impossible to know which Hit Wizards to impersonate. Harry suggested that if he could get his hands on a broom, he could fly in and out of Azkaban, and Sirius had to explain why the wards around the prison made that impossible.

Remus abandoned the kitchen in favour of peace and quiet. He retreated to the bunk that he had been using these last few months. There were three bedrooms in the tent, and Remus supposed he would have to share this bunk with Harry from now on. He didn’t mind. He thought that might even make it easier to keep Harry from running off again.

Remus trusted Dumbledore — Dumbledore had saved his life in a multitude of ways — but whatever Dumbledore had left for Harry terrified Remus. Dumbledore so rarely left instructions without explanations. Even the prophecy had been kept secret for a reason. There was no reason, as far as he could fathom, why Dumbledore would ask Harry to keep a task secret from James and Lily.

Remus was usually the first person to suggest that Harry should make his own choices, but the weight of the world was a burden no one person should bear. Harry said that he had his friends, but it was obvious that Ron and Hermione weren’t here. If they were in danger, the conversation at the table would surely have gone differently. But wherever they were, they weren’t with Harry, and that worried Remus. He was not going to let Harry do this alone, anymore than he was going to let Lily storm Azkaban alone or let Sirius walk right into a trap set by the Ministry.

Maybe he was almost ready to be a proper parent after all.

He was just about to drift off when he heard someone walk in. He was familiar with the weight of Sirius’ footsteps and wondered vaguely if, for some reason, Harry had decided to bunk with Regulus, and Sirius had been shunted off to Remus’ bunk.

“Promise me you aren’t about to tell me Lily or Harry have run off to Azkaban,” he murmured without opening his eyes.

The weight of the bedding shifted as Sirius sat down. “No, we’ve at least agreed to wait for more news, whether from the Prophet or Tonks.” Sirius paused, then asked, “How is Tonks? You didn’t say much about her.”

“I thought the information on James was more pressing.”

“Is she okay?”

“If she wasn’t, I would tell you.”

“Are you okay?”

Remus didn’t answer. Not because he wasn’t okay, exactly, but because he was not sure how to tell Sirius about his day with Tonks and assure Sirius he really was alright.

“Remus —”

“We visited a Healer,” Remus said. He did not open his eyes. He did not want to see the worry on Sirius’ face. “It was fine. She was actually… kind. She knew Tonks already and she listened to our concerns. Then we used the privacy of her office to talk about James without being overheard.”

Sirius was quiet long enough that when he finally said, “You really need a Healer other than me?”

Remus opened his eyes and was relieved to see that Sirius was grinning.

“Have you ever helped birth a child?” Remus asked with a matching smile.

“I was present when Harry was born. And I didn’t pass out like James did.”

“I didn’t get the Healer’s name, but I’m sure you’ll meet her soon.”

“I guess if you like her, I’ll trust your judgement.” Sirius stood and stretched.

“Sirius — wait —”

He did, but Remus wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted from Sirius. He thought of all the effort he put into being honest with Tonks today, and wondered if he had enough strength left for this conversation.

“James said you designed the wedding rings,” he finally said, which was as close to what he wanted to talk about as he could manage.

“Everything alright with them?”

“I was just wondering how often someone really says, ‘I do,’ outside of wedding vows.”

“As often as you want to, I suppose.”

What Remus had wanted to say, the other half of that conversation with Tonks, slipped away. He appreciated Tonks’ grace and kindness, but he did not know how he could ask that same grace of Sirius. It seemed unfair.

“Why?” Sirius asked. “Do you want me to change it?”

If Remus really wanted to change it, he could do it himself. He was only stalling, working up the courage to say what he needed to.

“It’s just that… Tonks said something interesting. She said that I’m allowed to have everything I want. It just sounded a lot like something you said to me last year.”

Remus could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Sirius blush. He bit down on his lip to restrain a smile as Sirius’ cheeks turned red.

“I didn’t put the idea in her head, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“I just want to know if you and Tonks are… on the same page about it.”

Sirius looked away. His jaw worked as he gnawed on the inside of his cheek. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.”

Sirius was a better liar than James and Harry, only because he had far more experience. But none of them were as practised as Remus.

If Sirius needed more time to think about it, that was alright with Remus. He had only had the last few hours to even consider the idea, and he wouldn’t mind considering it for a while longer.

The idea that Remus could have everything he wanted was a bit overwhelming. He knew that Tonks had not meant literally everything, but it was nice to imagine the possibilities of everything, of a perfectly healthy child, of James home safe, of Harry trusting them again, of the war ending —

He supposed that was the point, wasn’t it? That everyone else allowed themselves to imagine those things, so why couldn’t Remus? Why couldn’t he let himself want all of that and more?

The answer was easy enough: he was afraid. He was so afraid of disappointment that he avoided wanting altogether. He told himself that he did not want anything, that he did not deserve anything, simply because he was afraid of the moment he would find out he could not have what he wanted.

But he couldn’t lie to himself anymore. Remus wanted everything.

[maleficiumhq]

MORIOR INVICTUS ‘DEATH BEFORE DEFEAT’

Plot drop trigger warnings: death, severe injuries, parental death. Scroll to the bottom for a tl;dr version.

As the castle bursted with energy from the cousin’s outrageously large party, something dark lurked outside the castle walls. The students danced with the freedom their parents fought for them to have, completely unaware as to what was to happen. Unfortunately, even after the war there were still those who still followed he-who-must-not-be-named and those followers sought revenge. Those who sought revenge, called themselves the Regency because they believed that since their king, Tom Riddle,  had fallen and now it was their job to rule.

There were three targets. Each chosen to convey a specific message. Brier Dursley was chosen to demonstrate what should happen to blood traitors. Especially those whose bloodline was already tainted, so much so that she’d had produced a squib. Her death was horrific, but that was mostly because she put up a fight— determined to protect her family. Which she succeeded in doing, even if it meant losing her life. Dudley and Ivy remained safe, but they feared what might happen next. They marked the scene with a “G” as a nod towards the man who started it all, Grindelwald. The attackers left before her family could even assess the situation. For what felt like the first time, Dudley felt like he knew how Harry felt as he cradled his wife in his arms. 

Andromeda Black was nothing more than a blood traitor. She’d tainted her bloodline with the likes of Ted Tonks and he managed to erase any ounce of respect her maiden name gave her. What made it worse was that she raised the first child born during the war, a half-breed. The attackers assumed that the attack would be easy… after all she was older. Though, they must have forgotten who raised her. Mrs. Andromeda Tonks fought until her last breath. The assailants left bruised and battered, but unlike their victim they got to walk away. To top things off they even took her wand as a souvenir. They marked this scene with a “V”, an obvious nod to Voldemort himself.

The last attack didn’t go as well as they planned. Neville Longbottom, born just one day before the boy-who-lived, destroyed one of Voldemort’s final horcruxes. Killing him was mostly a passion project for the group. They’d planned the final attack for months… only for Neville to out smart them. They should have known that he’d be hard to kill, but at least they left a lasting impression. Neville Longbottom, although alive, now suffered from severe burns on his left torso. In the midst of these burns, an “R” mockingly shows through his scars. R for revenge.

The children didn’t find out until the next morning and only after Professor Mcgonagall woefully informed Teddy, Winnie, Hazel and Holly of the attacks. The rest of the students learned from the Daily Profit or from letters from their parents. Suddenly it felt like everything that was fought for started to crumble at their feet. The castle would protect them, yes… but what about their families? 

tl;dr

A death eater inspired group set out three attacks on three separate witches and wizards. Those attacked were Brier Dudley, Andromeda Tonks, and Neville Longbottom. Longbottom was the only survivor. The students found out the morning after the party.

* this is not an event this is a continuation of our plot. <3

[thoushaltnottpass]

War Takes Away Our Humanity

Teaser for Ch1 (basically a trailer.)

Excuse them if they had been a bit surprised at first. One and a half years of quiet had felt too good to be true, but after a few months of being tense and paranoid, people had begun to yearn for tranquility, slowly letting their guard down. Ol' Voldy and his merry band of Death Eaters had all disappeared underground after Harry had challenged their leader to a duel of skill, announcing that Riddle's Horcruxes had been all but demolished, so wizardkind had taken the opportunity to try and regain a semblance of the normality they had had before the war had started.

...

In just a month, Riddle had created utter chaos. His Death Eaters massacred muggleborn families left and right. They burned down the new St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, the Albus Dumbledore Home for War Orphans, and the Severus Snape Trauma Center all in one. They overtook the Ministry of Magic once more. Minister Shacklebolt was ruthlessly murdered, as was every Ministry official who stood with him. They were able to destroy the wards around almost half of Wizarding Britain's homes. Hell, the only wards they couldn't take down were ones equal to the ancient family homes, such as Longbottom Hall, Hogwarts, Malfoy Manor, or Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

...

George had broken. He had fallen to his knees in anguish, his tears and promises of revenge never-ending. A day later he had been discovered in his flat's bathroom, blood oozing out of his slit wrists, a moving photograph of him, Angelina, Fred, and some of their other friends at the Yule Ball of 1994 in his hands.

...

In another seven months, over a third of Britain had been demolished. The words You-Know-Who and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were gone from everyone's vocabulary; everyone knew very well who. As well as The Dark Lord, fearful whispers on the streets referred to Riddle as the 'Cold One'. There were Death Eater revels almost every week, stated either in Diagon Alley, or various Muggle towns and cities.

...

Despite all of it, Voldemort had not appeared, not once. No-one, wizard or Muggle, had seen him in the flesh and lived to tell the tale. His inner circle members handled most of the revels, raids, and general killings, while he relished in the safety of his hideouts, torturing and/or killing wizards and the occasional muggle. What a way to live.

...

"No, Draco, just keep looking. There's at least another half of this library that we haven't seen. It's all Dark, we're bound to find something."

"Hermione, Harry, please. Just hear me-"

"No, Draco. There has to be another way."

...

"They found Ted Tonks. They're moving in on him, but it'll take them a minute to get through his wards. That's all the time you get before they kill him. Approximately seventy of them. He is there. They expect you to fight, bring as many as possible. High Street, Marlborough. Go, quickly." (A.N: That's a real place. I searched it up- it's in England)

...

Andromeda was the first to fall. She had broken when she had seen the house her husband had resided- and died in, apparently, as the house was now just a pile of ashes surrounded by a lovely fence. Her attention -and shield- wavered just for a second, but that was all that her opponents had needed to take her down. A quick flash of green light, and she had crumpled to the ground, an agonised expression forever on her face. After her, it had been Neville. The brave, yet foolish, man had been battling five Death Eaters by himself -and winning, it seemed- when someone had shot an emerald green jet of light to his back. Seeing him fall had been tragic for all around him, especially Augusta, who had sunk to the ground in despair, clutching her daughter-in-law. Those had been a sad few moments- before Augusta and Hannah had, too, sadly met their ends. Molly Weasley had launched herself into a duel with Bellatrix, and she fought like a vicious lioness. Even lionesses died, however, and that was what had happened to Molly. Percy and Bill, who were briefly distracted from their own duels when her body had tumbled to the floor, had all joined her in the afterlife after being hit by some very Dark curses. Percy had killed Dolohov and jumped in for his mother, grieving but level-headed, though he was no match for the serpent that was Bellatrix. Soon, the only remaining Weasley was Ron, not that he had had much time to register it, as he was battling three very dangerous Dark wix.

...

"My dear Death Eaters, would you look at this," Voldemort drawled in his snake's hiss, drawing out the 's' at the end. "The only members of the Light we have not yet defeated."

...

"Ronald Weasley," Ron looked repulsed at hearing the bald snake say his name. "You could have been great, my dear boy. You could have brought the Prewetts and Weasleys back to their former glory, but you chose not to. You are a disgrace to the pureblood name.”

If anything, Ron looked proud at that.

"Draco Malfoy," he announced, his eyes straying to the blond man. "You are a traitor to our cause, Draco. You didn't think I knew about that measly code, that spelled parchment, those private little Charms lessons? Your mother died as soon as I made her send that Patronus, boy. Your father must be rolling in his grave. Filthy blood-traitor," Draco's mask flickered for a second at the news of his mother's death, but he determinedly put it back into place, strengthening his shields.

The Death Eaters gleefully snickered at the mention of the deceased woman. Bellatrix outright cackled madly. A look from her beloved Lord quietened her immediately.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione looked ready to spit in his face and stomp on his non-nose. "You are the brightest witch of your age. A Mudblood, yes, but bright nonetheless. I would gladly excuse your unfortunate heritage. Join me, my dear, and bask in the praise and glory Lord Voldemort will give you. Join me, and be rewarded greatly," he purred. "Hermione."

"Rot in hell, Riddle," Hermione spat, seeming beyond revolted.

"Very well. And Harry Potter," Riddle sneered. "The Chosen One. The Boy-Who-Lived. The Saviour of the World. Where have you been as the world needed you, Mr Potter? You once took everything from me, Harry. And now," Voldemort smiled a sickening smile, and Hermione's shield faltered. "I shall take all from you." He raised his wand, and a jet of green light rushed toward Harry's best and only female friend.

Hermione didn't panic. Her life didn't flash before her eyes. She just felt numb. She dropped her arm and closed her eyes, ready to meet her fate. But apparently, fate had other ideas. Because she didn't see the black abyss she had thought would absorb her, she didn't feel the spell she thought would hit her, and she didn't die. No, instead, she heard a shout of her name, and as she opened her eyes, she saw a mop of bright, orange hair, followed by a thump on the ground in front of her.

"No!" she cried in sorrow.

...

Ron... Ginny... Molly... Andy...

...

“We have no other choice.”

“Draco-”

“No, Hermione, please listen to me,” Draco pleaded. “If we had another option, I would gladly choose it, but there isn’t another option. Please know that I would never ask you to do this unless it was the only way. But, don’t you see? This isn’t Dark magic, because I’m willing.”

...

“O cara mors vetus noster animos habere pudicos, et nostri bonis magicae. Rogamus te ut nos back: reversusque est in tempore. Obsecro mi mors sanguis nostras quaesumus ut nos salvos et mundo. Mortem, et dabo te in sanguinem et vitam draco malfoy, et in reditu ad nos a vobis et nobis bonum passagium praeterita, ita non potest prohibere mala et beatitudo omnibus!”

...

Tears streaming down their cheeks, they both thrust their knives into his gut. Draco cried out at the unimaginable pain. He slumped to the floor, writhing in agony.

They repeated the words once more as he bled out in front of them.

...

Hermione turned to Harry, and saw that his face was also twisted in pain, as though he could feel what Draco was feeling.

“We're monsters.” she said numbly. “We killed someone pure.”

“This is what war does, Mione,” he muttered numbly. “It takes everything from you until the only thing you have left is your humanity. Then it takes that, too.”

Draco gave one last twitch, one last whimper, before he became still, his pain still on his face. At that very moment, Hermione and Harry stumbled feeling a pull in their stomachs not unlike what one felt mid-Apparition. The wind around them spun quickly in a circle, and the two friends let go of each other's hands.

...

That had been her last thought before she had stopped flying and landed on her two feet; the world went dark, and she slumped to the shining floor of the abyss. And for the first time in a long time, Hermione Granger rested, no bad dreams or dark memories plaguing her. Little did she know, she would have quite the same fright when she woke up.

[frustratedpoetwrites]

Sins of the Fathers Update

This is a story set at the same time as Teddy Lupin starts Hogwarts, and the mystery of a muggleborn girl he meets on the train. 

I will be updating this story Monthly.

Chapter One: Hogwarts

Chapter Two: Portraits and Memories

Chapter three: Dear Mr. Potter

Chapter Three. Dear Mr. Potter

Harry sat at the kitchen table of his home surrounded by his family. Lily was sitting in her high chair happily working on some buttered toast, Albus was stirring his porridge in imitation of his father who was doing the same without paying much attention to it. His focus was on a field-report that had been hand-delivered to his home early this morning. James kept taking sideways glances at his mother then looking down sheepishly spooning enormous mouthfuls into himself. Ginny was sitting between her two boys, this morning's daily profit in front of her, a slight thinning of her mouth whenever she glanced at her oldest son, the only indication she was still mad at him. 

If anyone had seen this family only ten minutes earlier it would have been a completely different scene. Sparing a thought for his wife he glanced at the ceiling and spotted a rather stubborn blob of porridge still stuck there. He casually took out his wand from his inside pocket and vanished the offending blob. Ginny pretended not to notice although she had looked at him as he’d taken his wand out. He rolled up the scroll and placed it with the others in the bag at his feet, then tried to enjoy his porridge. He was stopped from eating more than a few mouthfuls by the post bell ringing. 

They had been forced to install a drop-off point for owls due to the volume of mail they received, although they had few neighbours, it was always best to be cautious. It was kind of like a letterbox for owls on their roof, along with a small roost for owls to take a rest if they needed it. He gathered up the stack of letters from the collection point in their shared office and brought them back into the kitchen. He put them on the table and started sorting them into his and hers. “Oh look, daddy,” James exclaimed pointing to one of the letters. “That one has a sticker with a face on it, but it’s not moving.” He looked curiously at his parents. Harry leaned over and picked it up. The letter had a Muggle stamp in the corner and was addressed simply to Mr. Harry Potter in a very neat script. His curiosity peaked, he opened this one first. Ginny tsked at him slightly for opening it without doing any safety checks first, but he knew that any jinxed letter would not get through the charms he had placed upon the owl shoot. When he finished reading it he handed it to her without speaking. 

Dear Mr. Harry Potter 

I hope you and your family are well. My name is Camilla Winters and I met your godson, Teddy on the train to Hogwarts. He was very kind to me and we are friends now, but I’m very worried about him as he keeps searching the castle for a portrait of his mother.

 I feel terrible as it’s my fault this happened, I gave him a message from a portrait of a woman with pink hair that looked like him. She told me she had promised not to distract him from his lessons and that’s why she is hiding now I think. I wish I hadn’t told him the message as he has been so sad and distracted ever since. Please don’t let him know it was me that told you, when I suggested asking a teacher where her portrait was he got a little angry with me and told me to drop it. 

I hope this gets to you. I’ve never used an owl before I added a stamp just in case. A fourth-year assured me all I needed was a name, but I didn’t tell her who I was sending it to. Teddy says you understand him because you lost your parents too. If you could let me know what I should do, I would be very grateful as I am worried the teachers are going to start noticing he’s not concentrating.

Camilla

“I thought it odd we hadn’t heard from him yet.” She mused, “just thought he was too busy having fun. This Camilla sounds like she has her head on right.” She looked at her husband knowing exactly what he was thinking about doing. “You can’t just go march up there and snap him out of it. Even if you could find an excuse to get into the school. You don’t even know what house he’s in love.” He turned to her as if to argue then thought better of it. 

“I wasn’t going to go to the school.” He lied, she gave him a disbelieving snort in response. “Ok maybe I thought about it but you're right it’s not the way to go.” He noticed two out of their three children were no longer interested in breakfast. Albus was sliding a finger through the dollops that had escaped his bowl, and James was screwing his eyes up tight like when Teddy changed his appearance, then looking at his reflection in his spoon. “I’ll speak to Neville, I would have thought he would already have this sorted. I spoke to him before term started thinking this might be a problem.”

“Neville can only do so much, especially if Teddy isn’t in his house. He has to let that teacher sort it out.” She lifted lily out of her high chair and placed her on the floor next to her building blocks. “I’m seeing Andromeda today. I'll ask if Teddy has mentioned this to her.” She cleared the table and cleaned it with a couple of swift flicks of her wand. Albus looked up slightly disappointed that his drawing material had vanished. “Mum’s coming to take the boys for the day, and Lily needs shoes now she’s walking.” She reminded him, he hadn’t forgotten, but she liked reminding him and he nodded and gave both the boys a kiss on the head and a murmur to behave as he walked back into their study, taking the pile of his letters with him. 

The room was spacious for a study, big enough to comfortably fit two desks and a studded leather sofa and still not feel cluttered. Apart from his desk, that always looked cluttered.

“Sirius.” He said to the portrait of his godfather that hung on the wall while placing Ginny’s post on her tidy desk. The image of Sirius used to make the picture had been taken the day of Harry’s parents wedding, before Azkaban had drained him of his vitality, handsome and often smiling with long black hair. He appeared to be at his ease, lounging in an armchair one leg hooked over the side, eyes half closed, but at the sound of his name he sat up straight and alert . “Can you go to Hogwarts and tell Professor Longbottom I would like to speak to him if he is free for lunch. I will most likely be at my work before you return. I will make sure I can speak to you there.” 

“My pleasure to help,” he said and walked to the edge of his frame and disappeared. The couple in the other picture just smiled serenely down at him while he rummaged around in his desk. Ginny walked in with Lily on her hip while he was still searching.

“That’s the boys at mums.” She glanced at the empty frame but said nothing about it. “Are you working from home today?” He shook his head, continuing to search. “If you organised, and took the files you no longer need back to work, you might have a better chance of finding things.” She said it in a very patient tone like she had said it many times before, she turned to their daughter who was trying to stuff her fist in her mouth. “Is daddy a messy boy!” She said in a silly voice smiling and making a face, Lily giggled, brown eyes sparkling. Harry made a noise at his wife but knew she was right, he needed to find time to clear out his desk. 

“If you are out as well today then I won’t be home for lunch. I will do my best to be home for dinner.” Finding what he was looking for he slipped it into his pocket, then came over and blew a few raspberries on his daughters neck and planted a few kisses on her cheek, she giggled even more slapping a hand against his cheek. He turned and gave his wife a kiss wrapping an arm around her briefly whispering “love you” into her neck, before grabbing his bag and walking to the door and apparating to work.

When Harry arrived at the atrium he kept his eyes forward deliberately not paying attention to anyone else who might try to catch his eye. He did it without even thinking about it anymore.

“Morning boss.” The young Auror who had been standing leaning against the memorial fountain looking completely at ease, joined in step with him as he made his way towards the lifts. The brisk pace did nothing to stop his swagger.

“Morning Caldwell.” He acknowledged his companion. Now that he was with company he started scanning the various wizards moving about the atrium. The busy morning rush had now passed and there were only a few stragglers like himself. Owen Caldwell might act like a bit of an arrogant sod but he was a very good guard dog, and a very good Auror, he had taken very well to the lesson that confidence breeds confidence. Harry was much less likely to be intercepted on his way into the office when he was seen talking to someone else. He used to take the time to speak to people when he came into work until he realised it was taking him longer and longer to actually get to his desk. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, the problem was that people would want him to deal with every issue the ministry dealt with, regardless of who they were supposed to report to. He had never asked them to do it but one morning he started being met by someone from headquarters in the atrium, and all of a sudden he got to his desk before noon. “Has anyone at Bodmin made it in for the scheduled update yet?” The easy smile on Owens’s face faulted for a moment as he replied.

“Not yet boss no, and it’s getting pretty close to the deadline. Maybe we should send someone to check?” He meant himself, rumours were he was getting quite close to one of the agents currently out on mission. Harry knew how reckless people could become when they are trying to save those they love. He was a prime example of that, he shook his head.

“The reason why we have 24 hours to check in is because, as you very well know, you can’t always just pop back here and say hi.” There were a few people standing waiting when they got to the lifts so they ended the conversation. He recognised one as his brother in law Percy who looked to be deep in discussions with a witch he didn’t know. They nodded to each other in greeting but Percy didn’t stop to talk to him or slow down his conversation. Harry tried not to listen, knowing Percy it would be about something very important to him, and incredibly dull to anyone else. When they stepped into the lift Harry noticed there were already a handful of memos flying in lazy circles above his head. One of them dropped down and started to gently bump him on the side of the head. Taking the memo he put it in his pocket without reading. He knew who it would be from, no one else’s memos came to him directly.

The Auror office was the usual bustling place, memos zoomed about like they were supercharged a few Aurors stood chatting over the top of their cubicles. Nobody took much notice of him walking in. He would say there were still a lot more of his staff who were older than him, but his youth had never been a problem, there were far fewer now that were more experienced than him. The problem had been filling the spaces left by the devastation after the war, not everyone was suited to being an Auror, even those that thought they wanted it didn’t always after a few harsh reality checks. And Harry refused to let anyone qualify that wasn’t up to standard, even before he was made head of the department, standards had been improved when he was placed in charge of selection and training. Finally the Auror office was back to the strength it had been before Voldermort’s resurrection, still not at full strength in his eyes but the foundations were strong.

“Get everyone who’s working on the Bodmin case in the conference room in fifteen minutes. I have to take care of a few things first. I'll meet you there.” Owen wandered off then with a loud “you got it boss” Harry, his mind already back on Teddy didn’t respond. When Harry entered his office he was pleased nobody was waiting for him, he took the small picture frame he had been searching for in his desk at home and placed it on his desk, along with the memo he had nearly forgotten about. Sighing, he opened it.

Harry

Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you are avoiding me! I really need to speak to you about Kreacher. It's very important and I’m not going to take no or silence for an answer. If I have to I will bring it up out of work but neither of us want that as it’s a delicate matter. It’s nothing to worry about either.

Hermione 

He ran a hand through his hair and decided that although Hermione wasn’t a high priority he couldn’t keep putting her off, he had a rough idea what it was about. He was about to reply to her when Sirius’ face turned up in the frame. 

“Professor Longbottom says he will be at the three broomsticks for lunch today and he is going to bring Professor Mcallister along too.”

“Did he say why he’s bringing him?” Harry didn’t really know the charms Professor, he had only met him the handful of times he and Ginny had gone to the annual memorial service. Then he answered his own question “He is head of Teddy’s house isn’t he?” Harry shook his head and knew he wasn’t going to get anymore from the painting. He looked back down at the memo from Hermione and decided now would be as good a time as any to go see his boss.

Her office wasn’t that far away from his. Magical law enforcement was a big department and they pretty much had this entire floor. He knew the Bodmin meeting would be waiting for him soon, but he also hoped that it would give him an excuse to get away from Hermione if he needed one. 

She was standing outside her office when he arrived talking with her assistant. He was pleased he wouldn’t have to argue about making appointments with the assistant once again. That reminded Harry he needed to do something about finding a temp replacement for his own assistant, who had gone on maternity.

Hermione smiled at him when she saw him approach. “Well I’m glad my last memo finally did the trick, come and take a seat.”

“Will this take long? Only I have a mission briefing starting in about…”

“It’s alright this won't take long your department can manage without you for a moment. She lifted a scroll from a pigeon hole behind her and handed it to him.

“What’s this?” he asked, feeling the weight of it.

“Read it and see”

“I’d rather you gave me the abbreviated highlights,” he complained, opening it and sitting down, the scroll unfurled and rolled along the ground stopping only when it bumped against Hermione’s desk.

“It’s Kreacher’s will.” She explained sitting down herself with another stack of papers.

“He made a will?” Harry was surprised, Kreacher hadn’t had a great deal of possessions; those he did had been mainly forced on him by Harry and the kids giving him presents every christmas. He had received the letter about a month earlier telling him the ancient Elf had finally passed away peacefully. The truth was Harry had no idea how long Elves normally lived, he knew Dobby was still fit and well and living at Hogwarts, Harry made sure to send him socks every year. “Anything he left us can be sent to the house ill make arrangements from there,”

“It’s not as simple as that,” she went on quickly realising that he was about to leave. “Kreacher made some arrangements in his will for his Legacy care to be passed on.”

Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes at her, “Meaning?”

“You are getting a new house elf.”

“What?”

“It will take some time. The elves themselves sort this kind of thing out. Kreacher was part of a quite expansive family line, but all are already with households as far as I’ve been informed.”

“I thought it was one of your missions to stop elf slavery, and them being treated like property.”

Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “It is something I am still working on, and things have improved greatly, but the elves themselves are very proud of their service and you can’t change their minds over centuries of traditions overnight. Elves are in a better position than they were, they have recognised rights to fair treatment, holidays and living conditions, they are allowed to report their family of any wrongdoing within it without punishment. A basic right to me but scandalous to nearly all the elves i have spoken to about this. But anyway I digress. Expect yourself to have an elf living in your home very soon.

“I’m not sure how Ginny is going to take that.”

“Better you tell her quick before one turns up”

“Anything else?” He rolled up the scroll as he stood up to go.

“No, I think that’s everything. I'll see you at dinner on Sunday?”

“Barring a catastrophe, we’ll be there.”

*

Very little had changed in hogsmeade over the years since Harry was at school. It had survived relatively uncathed from the devastation during the battle of Hogwarts. The small village was sunlight when Harry apparated at the small square with it’s equally discreet memorial stone. Harry paused a moment and refreshed the wreath of snow white Lilies that was laid against it.

It was not a long walk over to the three broomsticks but still Harry was greeted by a few people as he made his way along the cobbled street. None of them looked familiar to him so he didn’t stop, just nodded his head politely and moved on.

Harry spotted his old friend immediately as he entered the cosy pub. He was sitting at a table away from the bar with the enormous frame of Professor Mcallister. They both stood to greet him as he approached. Neville and Harry shoulder bumped as they shook hands and slapped each other on the back in a very well practiced way. When Harry offered his hand to the other man it was enveloped by two large and surprisingly powerful hands. “Nice to see you again professor.” Harry greeted.

“Bartemius, please call me Bartemius.” They all sat down and Madame Rosemerta came over to take their food order bringing Harry a butterbeer without having to be told, she squeezed his shoulder as she left. “So I take it you are here to talk about Ted Lupin?” Mcallister began without prompting. “I was hoping this would be sorted without you having to be told.”

“His friend wrote to me. Camilla?” Mcallister smiled as Harry fished the letter from his pocket. 

“Ah yes she’s a bright young witch. So sad about her own past, I had a feeling they would be drawn to each other, especially as they have been sorted into the same house. I do wish she had come to me, but now I see the reason why she hasn’t.” Neville took the letter once Mcallister had finished with it and scanned it quickly. “The portraits of Dora and Remus Lupin are in locations that Teddy doesn’t have access to. We were prepared to move Professor Lupin's portrait if he had been sorted into Gryffindor.” Mcallister added in a tone that said he thought it was highly doubtful. “All the portraits of those who died in the war hold very little of the true selves, although I think some of the students have been teaching them their history. I am surprised to read that the portrait felt strongly enough to send him a message.”

“The photograph used by the artist was the one taken with Teddy in her arms, the maternal bond must have been transferred through.” Harry explained, he had become quite knowledgeable on this subject over the years. Neville leaned back in his chair taking a long dink from his cup.

“The students teach them all sorts of things.” He said with a slight smirk, then continued more seriously “It’s always a disappointment to find out it’s not truly them. Professor Lupin’s picture knows loads about defensive spells and the correct way to deal with various dangerous creatures, but ask him about his wedding, or his friendships in school and the answers dry up.”

“Probably for the best he doesn’t know much about the marauders, from what I’ve heard of them they were quite a handful” Mcallister chuckled then seemed to realise whos company he was in, “No offence Harry.”

“None taken I assure you.” Harry knew all too well that disappointment. He had thought, like so many others did, that all portraits were as true a representation of their living selves as the old headmasters portraits were. It had only been when he had been fighting to get Severus Snape’s portrait hung as a rightful former headmaster, that he had found the truth, that it took years of the former headmasters teaching their hidden image everything they could, as Severus had only been headmaster a year he had not had the time to impart much of his knowledge. The more the artist drawing the picture knew of the model also helped. Harry squashed down his mild irritation at the memory.

“My godson is stubborn, and keeping him from these pictures is not going to make him any less determined.” He thought for a moment. “Could you move them to a place he does have access to, so he can speak with them privately?” He looked at their faces and they nodded. “I doubt it will take more than a couple of hours this weekend for him to realise that it’s not truly them, but if it does take him longer we can tell him he can only visit that room at the weekends, and keep it locked the rest of the time?” 

“That shouldn’t be too difficult to do. Dora's picture is currently in the staff room. Remus’ in the Gryffindor common room. Some students might comment on its removal but pictures wander all the time and we could just put a blank canvas. The last few years have had smaller intakes, this is the smallest group in my time at the school.”

“There will probably be an upswing next year,” Harry added with a smirk taking a swig of the beer he then asked. “So what have the students been teaching the pictures?”

[padfcctblack]

about: sirius orion black

Character name: Sirius Orion Black 

Faceclaim: Michiel Huisman

Age / Birthday: november 3, 1960 -- 42 years old

Gender: genderqueer

Pronouns: he / they

Sexuality: bisexual

Occupation: Metal Charmer… sort of. Sirius has been fascinated with Muggle objects ever since he was a teenager, as proven by him building a motorcycle that could fly with ease after years of hard work and research. He’ll never make the likes of Elvendork again, let alone for the mass public, but that hasn’t stopped him from finding different ways to make Muggle electronics and technology work with magic. When he’s not messing with electronics, he’ll do regular metal charming work as well, such as making golden snitches.

Affiliation: Light

3 Positive Traits: 

Loyal: Sirius Black is loyal to a fault toward anyone whom he believes deserves his loyalty. When he was younger, this was his family despite how awful they were; he believed in needing to stay loyal to his family no matter what they did. Right before Hogwarts, this shifted to loyalty only toward Regulus and Andromeda -- they were his anchors in an otherwise awful way of life. During and after Hogwarts, his loyalties shifted as his world view did to James, Lily, Peter, and Remus. Peter’s supposed death broke him, as did Remus receiving the Dementor’s Kiss. Though they were driven to insanity, Sirius remains fiercely loyal to James and Lily, often taking Harry to visit them so he could at least see his parents while giving him the opportunity to visit with two of his best friends as well.

Intelligent: Sirius proved to be intelligent time and time again. He became an Animagus when he was a teenager, for crying out loud -- his mind ( and his intelligence ) works in mysterious, mischievous ways. He put his brain to the test when helping create the Marauder’s Map, and again when he figured out how to make a Muggle motorcycle work while infused with magic. He’s a tinkerer at heart who likes to take things apart and put them back together in new, interesting ways. That worked well during the First War too, using his mind to make tactically sound decisions when things got dicey on missions. 

Strong-Willed: Nothing Sirius had done in the past or continues to do in the present would be possible without having strong willpower. It was that willpower that let him see past what Walburga and Orion taught him as a child and run away when he was a teenager. That strong willpower let Sirius fight for what he believed in during the First War, just as it helped him move past Lily and James losing their minds and the deaths of Peter and Remus. It let him raise Harry in a way he hoped would make his best friend -- his brother -- proud. It continued to do so even now, as rumors of a Second War spread. If he had any less willpower in the course of his life, Sirius was sure he would have broken long before now. 

3 Negative Traits: 

Asshole: To put it plainly, Sirius Black is a Grade-A asshole. Whether or not he intends to be one depends on the person -- every asshole move he pulled on Snape, for example, was purely intentional, while any asshole move he pulled on his friend group growing up was usually him being an accidental dick. It’s something he can’t and won’t change about himself, even if it puts his relationships in jeopardy; Sirius won’t apologize for who he is unless it’s really bad.

Arrogant: With intelligence came arrogance, and Sirius would own up to that just as much as he would own up to being an asshole. To Sirius, this arrogance is well-deserved; he was smart and would brag about it or talk down to others if he felt the situation called for it. Raising Harry and having to be a good role model dimmed this trait down considerably, because while he knew he was arrogant, he didn’t think James or Lily would want their son to be. That didn’t erase it completely, though.

Selfish: Unless it was for someone he declared his loyalty to, Sirius was undeniably selfish. When he was younger this was plain for anyone to see -- he grew up the heir to a well-known pureblood family, after all, and he would get what he wanted. Befriending James, Remus, and Peter softened this somewhat, but he still wanted things to go his way and considered himself before anyone else; this was especially proven during the Whomping Willow incident when Snape almost died. Not once did he think of how Remus would feel because of that incident, just as he didn’t think anyone would try to stop Snape from getting what was coming to him -- least of all James. Raising Harry, though, softened him even more and made his selfishness more personal. He didn’t care for selfishness in regards to material goods; he just wanted Harry safe. Perhaps even more selfishly, he wished another child had been burdened with what Harry went through so he could have the Potters back. He wished someone else had taught DADA during Harry’s third year so Remus would still be alive. He wished someone else had died rather than Peter. Selfishly, selfishly, he wished those atrocities on others, if only so his family would have remained safe and whole. 

Headcanons: 

- Sirius easily could have ended up just like Bellatrix, had things gone differently. In fact, being like Bellatrix was a very near possibility -- as a child, he idolized her immensely. She was everything that his parents said made up the perfect pureblood wizard, and as the heir to the House of Black, Sirius wanted to be just like her. This led to little Sirius imitating his cousin and following her around whenever possible, learning whatever he could from Bellatrix before going off to Hogwarts. He started having some doubts the older he got, but the need to please his parents far outweighed his doubts when he was ten. Meeting James, Remus, and Peter -- along with the countless others at school -- flipped his worldview on his head, and after his first year at Hogwarts, Sirius went from being Bellatrix’s shadow to avoiding her. This later turned into actively despising her and everything she, along with their family, stood for.

- Sirius spoiled Harry rotten from the moment he was born. He followed whatever rules James and Lily set in place for their child, of course, but to Sirius, Harry deserved the world and would get the world if he had anything to say about it. He never imagined that responsibility for Harry would fall onto his shoulders; he never imagined Harry would have to grow up without his parents at all. The first few years were… somber, to say in the least, and not without mistakes. Sirius could barely take care of himself, let alone a child, but he reached out to people he trusted and got help so he could be the best guardian possible for James and Lily’s kid. 

- The only reason he got a job at all was because of Harry. Sirius grew up spoiled -- he was the heir to a rich pureblood family, taken in by another well-off pureblood family when he ran away, and then inherited money from his disowned, rich pureblood uncle. Money was never something he felt the need to worry about, and once the war was done Sirius planned on taking a few years for himself to have fun. After Harry came to him, he knew that money wouldn’t last forever, and he doubted James and Lily would want him to teach their son that jobs were worthless. He had no idea what he wanted to do -- briefly he considered being an Auror, but that was a default position more than anything -- until he was tinkering with Elvendork. Sirius wouldn’t make motorbikes or magical cars for the rest of the wizarding world, but being a metal charmer would let him mess with Muggle inventions while figuring out how magic works with electricity more. He more or less fell into his dream job right then and there, and Sirius made it his own by expanding the occupation to include electronics as well. 

- Harry’s time at Hogwarts was… stressful, but not nearly as stressful as Augusta Longbottom’s probably was. Even when Harry wasn’t actively involved in the happenings at the magical school (Sirius swore he went grey from his fifth year trip to the Ministry alone), Sirius listened to each event and got more and more stressed: Death Eaters escaping from Azkaban, a Basilisk in the underbelly of Hogwarts, the seemingly ever-increasing push to bring Voldemort back from the dead. All of this read wrong to Sirius, and while Harry was off at school, Sirius began to plan for the worst: the return of Voldemort himself. He was a Black; he knew dark spells like the back of his hand, and he told Harry everything he could about these spells in case the worst came to pass. The wards of Grimmauld Place were strong, but he worked to make them stronger, then focused on making himself more prepared as well. He refused to be caught off-guard, and if his paranoia was just that, there was no harm in making sure their home was safe.

- Sirius immediately offered up Grimmauld Place as a meeting spot when the rumors of Voldemort’s return came in earnest, letting the Order of the Phoenix into his home whenever necessary. He insisted on being actively involved in any plans they made, though he kept in mind that he still had Harry to think about. Unlike the First War, he had family to keep in mind that (he hoped) needed him as much as he needed Harry. Whether he learned to strike the balance between being a member of the Order and being Harry’s parent remained to be seen. 

[theuniverseisokay]

One Could Not Exist Without The Other

A study on the sorting hat

He had been wrong before. Hundreds of years of service, and oh, he had been wrong. He had taken risks. He had questioned himself. He had attempted to calculate the future. Even those who seemed clean-cut had hidden facets of themselves beneath the surface. Sometimes he wondered if they sorted too early, if eleven was too young to decide what truly belongs in one’s heart.

The Sorting Hat’s job is to sort, that much is obvious. To divide the students between the four houses. Those filled with courage and boldness, those filled with loyalty and understanding, those filled with intelligence and creativity, and those filled with resourcefulness and determination. The brave, the honest, the wise, and the ambitious. One cannot survive without the other. Each are invaluable in their own right. 

But there was more to his job, he understood. More than he would prefer, a house defines a person just as much as a person is meant to define a house. The people he places together sometimes matter more than where he places them. While he would never admit it, sometimes he had stretched his qualifications because he believed that someone needed to learn the talents of another house. His gamble sometimes paid off while other times it didn’t, to disastrous consequences. 

Albus Dumbledore had always convinced himself he was a born Gryffindor, bold and true, but the hat knew otherwise. He had been but moments from not being placed there. His drive to succeed and certainty in his skills made him ripe for Slytherin House. But he asked, and the hat never disappointed a child who asked. 

His brother was far easier, he expected the sister would have been as well. Gryffindor through and through, no matter what Aberforth told himself. When the call came he went without question, into the line of fire for a cause he thought might be dead. 

Tom Riddle only wore the sorting hat for seconds before it declared him Slytherin. Those few moments were more than the hat ever wanted to see from his mind. It was the emptiest, darkest pit that the hat had ever seen. No love, no affection, only desire and a blinding ambition for it. He barely fit the mold for Slytherin; he barely fit the mold for human, but there was nowhere else he could venture. 

His dear Newt Scamander was Hufflepuff, and one of the finest he’d seen. True and courageous like a Gryffindor, inquisitive and imaginative like a Ravenclaw, determined and adaptable like a Slytherin. All of those paled in comparison to his heart whose core was filled with loyalty and openness. 

There were times the sorting hat wondered if he had been wrong placing Minerva McGonagall in Gryffindor House. She would have done well in Ravenclaw with her remarkable intellect and talent, but deep down he knew it was undeniable. Even as a child, she had a sparking fire fueling her and courage in spades. The model Gryffindor. 

Rubeus Hagrid was half-giant but all Gryffindor. Sometimes hybrids were difficult to read and Rubeus had been no different. He was no Ravenclaw, despite his surprisingly inherent wisdom, and he did not have the disposition for Slytherin. Rubeus should have been an obvious Hufflepuff with his good-nature and compassion, but the hat could see beneath all of that. In his heart of hearts he was a Gryffindor. 

The Black family had long been firm sponsors of Slytherin House. He did not question when Andromeda and Narcissa had been sent there, filled with charm and brilliant self-preservation skills. Bellatrix disturbed him to his core as much as Tom Riddle had. Her mind was not empty like his was, but chaotic. She had nearly been a hatstall, not because she was difficult to place but because he could barely sort through her mind. She was sent to Slytherin the moment he calmed his senses enough. 

Lucius Malfoy, Roldophus Lestrange, and Walden MacNair joined them, and as years went on so did Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Marcus Flint. Not for the first time, the sorting hat found himself wondering about the character and image Slytherin had begun to adopt. The story that every dark witch or wizard ever had found their start there was abhorrently incorrect, but the hat understood where the rumor came from. Riddle had created a reputation for himself and had brought many of his old schoolmates along for the ride. 

As many characters he cast into Slytherin, he cast into Gryffindor. Kingsley Shacklebolt, pure of heart and intention, was an easy choice. Frank Longbottom, a practicality and honesty only seen within the walls of Gryffindor Tower. Alice Fortescue, kind and stubborn like her son Neville, was undeniably a lioness. Molly Prewett, relentlessly loyal, was sorted beside Arthur Weasley who's curiosity almost earned him a spot in Ravenclaw. Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Molly’s brothers, were filled with identical idealism and amusement. Marlene McKinnon, doomed to face a violent end, faced the world with compassion and heart. She intended to live life one day at the time. 

Others, no less special and powerful, were sent to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Xenophilius Lovegood shocked Hogwarts when he ended up in Ravenclaw and then shocked it again when he more than proved his worth. Ted Tonks’ genuine kindness and spirit earned him a position in Hufflepuff House. Emmeline Vance valued intelligence over tenacity so she went to Ravenclaw over Gryffindor.  Benjy Fenwick had courage in spades but his rare sense of openness placed him squarely in Hufflepuff. 

The year of 1971 was a momentous one, because it was the year the sorting hat took more risks than ever before. 

Sirius Black came first. He was cunning in the same manner that his cousins, parents, and ancestors had been. He was self-reliant and prideful, supposedly the perfect recipe for Slytherin. But Sirius Black has something different about him. Buried beneath the surface was a fiery, explosive defiance that the sorting hat had only seen once before, within the mind of his original owner, Godric Gryffindor. As much as he had valued courage and conviction, Godric was passionate. Oh yes, Sirius Black was ambitious and willing to do anything to achieve his goal. He was also intelligent and loyal. But Sirius was a true lion. He was still sorted into Gryffindor and not just because of his natural traits. He needed someone to cultivate that daring, that nerve beneath the surface. He would need the Gryffindor House to quell his ruthlessness and nurture his principles. 

Lily Evans was next. She was a different kind of difficult. Much like with her son twenty years later, the sorting hat knew she would do well in any house.  

Slytherin, she whispered. 

Why? The hat responded. 

Because that’s where my friend wants to go. She answered. 

So you would follow him blindly? He asked. Maybe she was not as fit for Gryffindor as he had expected. 

No, but he needs me. 

She was honest and loyal. Perhaps Hufflepuff? But her intelligence...Ravenclaw would be a nice fit. She was trying to protect her friend.

Aren’t you going to answer me? Send me to Slytherin.

A bold one, a loyal one, a stubborn one. Was there cunning within her? Certainly, but he could not deny his every instinct. She had the heart of a lion with fire flowing through her veins, just Minerva. 

For the first time in his tenure, he did not listen to the child’s request. 

Trust me, child. He told her. You will be where you are meant to be. 

She thought for a moment. Alright, Mr. Hat. I’m sure wherever you send me will be right. 

He called out Gryffindor with conviction. Lily hopped down. She was the first child to glance back at him and wave. 

Remus Lupin came after her. He had expected to find a Hufflepuff by his demeanor or a Ravenclaw by the way he glanced around the hall with curiosity. Instead he found an undeniable Gryffindor. Undoubtedly a lion’s loyalty, fierce and protective. The drive to fight for his principles, rather than himself. Curiosity but more cleverness and ingenuity. A Gryffindor to the core of his very being. He would do well. Perhaps he would be a guide for young Sirius, a reserved foil to his passion. 

Then came Peter. Oh, Peter Pettigrew. The boy who didn’t seem to fit anywhere. The hat made a gamble on him and it did not succeed. He was not naturally brave but certainly had the potential to be. His cowardice could compromise his loyalty. He was not particularly wise or academically gifted. The only thing he seemed to have an abundance of was self-preservation. But the hat feared for him if he was to be placed in Slytherin. His heart was good, if not filled with courage or conviction. This was one of the few times the sorting hat found himself considering the reputation of the house within his decision. The boy could was already teetering on the edge, one strong push could doom him. Peter Pettigrew would be sorted into Gryffindor in an effort to save him. It would fail. 

James Potter was a hilarious kind of easy. Potters had always been Gryffindor and this one was no different. He could be self-serving and he was remarkably bright, but his motives were more often than not Gryffindorian in nature. At times he embodied everything that could be wrong with a Gryffindor. James was stubborn, reckless, dangerously idealistic, dense, and blunt, but he was also passionate and brave. He was a Gryffindor, through and through. 

Finally it was Severus Snape. Over the years, the sorting hat wondered what would have happened if he sent Severus Snape somewhere else. His attempt to save Pettigrew had failed, but would the same effort have  protected Severus from destruction? But he knew it was no use. If Minerva McGonagall was the model Gryffindor, Severus Snape the was the model Slytherin. He was ambitious, cunning, clever, prepared, and resourceful. Everything he had ever done, the sacrifices, the betrayals, the triumphs, had been in service of himself. He could pretend that he had grown to believe in Dumbledore’s missions but he would be lying. This remarkable self-preservation and ambition is not necessarily a bad thing, in some people. Andromeda Tonks became furiously protective of those she loved. Draco Malfoy ended up using his innate ambition for good in later years. Regulus Black saw the error of ways; nothing could stop him until he achieved his goal. It’s only that Severus Snape never tried to turn his motivation to something bigger than himself. 

No, the sorting hat did not make a mistake when he sent Severus Snape to Slytherin House. Even the boy’s own consciousness had been conflicted. Like Lily had, he begged to stay with his friend but it was much less passionate. He seemed almost angry at her instead of willing to compromise his own wishes for her. 

The next years were not nearly as tumultuous as that time had been. Except, of course, for Regulus Black. The hat deliberated for days and years after about whether he had made the right choice. The younger Black sibling did not have the fire of his brother; he had an honest heart and an indisputable potential for greatness. He sorted Regulus into Slytherin but almost asked Dumbledore to switch him after the fact. Regulus’ path was unclear but the hat could tell he had firm morals that would eventually sway his decisions. It was not a matter of pride or courage, but of morality and loyalty. He considered Hufflepuff far more than one would expect. The boy was uncertain and could use a push in the right direction. But the hat spoke too soon. The surface of his mind was the Black family and his goodness was buried deeper than Sirius’ had been. So the boy stayed in Slytherin because “the hat is never wrong.”

Nymphadora Tonks went to Hufflepuff just like her father. She was not lacking in courage or intelligence, but her profound patience and sense of justice out weighed anything else. Cedric Diggory followed her with eager dependability. Oliver Wood’s somewhat insane passion for Quidditch was tempered by his commitment to morality, earning him a spot in Gryffindor House. Cho Chang was more proactive than her counterparts but no less creative and level-headed. 

One by one the seven Weasley children were all sorted into Gryffindor. The hat hated when people assumed one was automatically placed because of their family or blood status. It was not completely independent (he had sent a number of muggle-born Slytherins to Ravenclaw to protect them from unsavory housemates) but was by no means a deciding factor. Each child of Molly and Arthor made it into Gryffindor on their own merits. 

Bill was bold and uncompromising. His determination could have made him a contender for Slytherin but his selflessness prohibited it. 

Charlie was almost sent to Hufflepuff until the hat saw his will and the spirit fueling his clearly powerful loyalty. 

Percy would have made a fine Ravenclaw and a successful Slytherin. He was the Weasley that the hat questioned the most, but Percy asked. His inquisitive voice first tried to understand the mechanics of the hat and then requested Gryffindor so that he could be with his brothers. Given his boldness for requesting it, the hat complied without further question. 

The twins went together even to the sorting hat and made a big show of trying to fit it over both their heads at once. Once Minerva broke them up it was easier to see the differences. Fred’s defiance was his strength; George’s quiet determination was his. They were both Gryffindors but different people. 

September of 1991 brought surprises, including the final Weasley brother, Ron. Ron was different than his siblings. Not outwardly brave at first, his true worth lies below the surface. He was loyal to fault but impulsive and reckless. Amongst the accolades of Gryffindor laid it dangers. Ron could be cocky, dense, and stubborn but oh was he a Gryffindor! In another life he would have been a wonderful Hufflepuff, his compassion and loyalty was certainly strong enough. Even his wits would earn him a spot in Ravenclaw. A boy that gifted at chess deserves a spot amongst the brightest of the school. Ron Weasley was actually one of the hat’s favorite students ever to sort, because while he could fit the molds of multiple houses, he was so beautifully Gryffindor. His morals ruled his actions, not his own interests, his loved one’s desires, or what was the logical choice. 

Minerva McGonagall was Godric’s love of bluntness and action. Sirius Black was Godric’s fiery passion. Ron Weasley was Godric’s morals, what he believed was the model of a good friend. 

Alongside him came Hermione Granger. She was fearless but had a merciless streak. Her outward confidence and surdity masked insecurity. The hat deliberated for a few moments, longer than he did for Ron. Her intelligence and curiosity almost sent her directly to Ravenclaw but she didn’t have the reverence for knowledge they had. Hermione most certainly had an unquenchable thirst for information but she only wanted it so she could use it. A true Ravenclaw desires knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Hermione Granger did not. She wanted action. She wanted change. She wanted to be great. Her ambition could place her in Slytherin; her compassion could place her in Hufflepuff; the hat decided on Gryffindor. Above all else, Hermione Granger was an idealist and a fighter. She intended to be bold and brave no matter how difficult. Her ambition, her ruthlessness, her cleverness could be her undoing, but, like with Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, the hat chose to place her where her better senses could prevail. 

The story of Harry Potter’s sorting is well known. It was a near hatstall as he went back and forth between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Later in his tenure, the hat wondered if he had been sensing the piece Tom Riddle’s soul beating within Harry when he advocated Slytherin. Harry had certainly been determined and clever throughout his difficult journey, but he had never overtly shown Slytherin characteristics. Though this may just confirm the sorting hat’s theory, the house makes the wizard more than he had ever thought before. Harry was extremely talented and good-hearted, embodying many of the traits his original owner had intended his students value. But what made him a true Gryffindor was what was in his deepest heart. There he was courageous, willing to give up anything for what he believed to be right. Even if the boy hadn’t asked he would have placed him in Gryffindor. 

The hat considered Draco Malfoy’s sorting to be one of his greatest failures. In his arrogance of recognizing Draco’s heritage and natural ambition, he immediately placed him in Slytherin. The hat had barely touched his head when he declared it. Was he what doomed the boy to his fate? He had the qualities of a Slytherin, yes, but he also had the natural brilliance of a Ravenclaw and had the potential to have the defiance of a Gryffindor if cultivated enough. Had he thrown the boy to the dogs just like he had Severus Snape? Far worse, he suspected. Draco had been filled with doubt from the beginning, only indoctrinated into those beliefs because of his familial ties. Severus had not truly believed Tom’s doctrine but had only changed sides when it suited him, even with Dumbledore and the Order’s influence. Draco had none of that. If he had been placed in Ravenclaw perhaps he would have been saved. 

Hannah Abbott, loyal and honest to a fault, went to Hufflepuff. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, already best friends and both filled with boldness and confidence, went to Gryffindor. Terry Boot, eloquently intelligent and creative, went to Ravenclaw. Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini, with cunning and ambition but still lacking cruel hearts, went to Slytherin. He spent time on Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown but determined their passion and nerve to outweigh anything else. Padma Patil had never understood why her sister didn’t love school as much as she did. She was heartbroken when she was sorted into a Ravenclaw without Parvati but quickly realized it was where she belonged. Ernie MacMillian and Susan Bones were natural Hufflepuffs with their genuine dedication and patience. 

Then came Neville Longbottom. He argued, oh, how he argued. Neville wanted Hufflepuff, but the longer he argued the more the hat knew he belonged in Gryffindor. Nearly every student who’d asked for anything had ended up in Gryffindor, except a few extremely well-spoken Ravenclaws. Neville Longbottom was the best of both his parents, even if he couldn’t see that at the time. He was stubborn, his argument proved that, but honest, showing it as he openly expressed his fears. Neville Longbottom, the almost-boy-who-lived, was Gryffindor to the core. Where he lacked in confidence and nerve, he more than made up for it with the spirit of his soul. After all, “Courage is not the absense of fear, but rather the judgement that something is more important than fear.” 

There were many more after the September of 1991, but no class was so difficult or so questionable. 

The final Weasley child, the first girl in seven generations, was possibly the easiest choice of all of her siblings. Ginny Weasley easily found her way into Gryffindor, her nerve and courage greater than the hat had seen in centuries. Even with her mind addled by a poisonous diary, a fact the sorting hat would blame himself for not noticing, she was born to be Gryffindor. He hoped she knew she was meant to be there, possibly even more than her brothers. 

Colin Creevey was an unexpected Gryffindor, but he proved himself many times. He was fearless in walking the castle to find the creature petrifying students in his first year. He joined Dumbledore’s Army without a second thought. He refused to leave when the rest of the school was evacuated, even if he paid for it with his life. 

Luna Lovegood was mocked just like her father had been when she was sorted into Ravenclaw, but both she and the hat knew the truth. Ravenclaw isn’t for bookworms or geniuses, otherwise Hermione Granger would have been destined for it; it is meant for those who understand the value of knowledge. Luna Lovegood’s mind was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. Wisdom and imagination beyond her years, with an almost mystical belief in herself. The hat loved her.

But the hat loved each of his students. 

He remembered each of his students by name. He remembered their house. He remembered their friends. He remembered their enemies. He remembered why he had chosen their house in the first place. He remembered when he had been either proven right or so wrong. 

He was not blind to the world. He understood what a Hogwarts House had begun to mean. When the end of the Second Wizarding War came he decided things needed to change. He started taking more time with each student, so that no one would ever be forsaken like Draco Malfoy had been. He would always consider every house first. He would choose based on more than just their first impression, just as he had with Sirius Black.

When Teddy Lupin had the sorting hat placed on his head, the choice had ended up being between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. So much of him was like his father, but what came from his mother seemed to be more important to him. 

Victoire Weasley became the first Weasley in centuries to not be in Gryffindor when she was placed in Ravenclaw. Her sister, Dominique defied tradition further when she landed in Slytherin with a determined explosion. Fred Weasley followed his namesake and uncle’s footsteps and went to Gryffindor while his sister Roxanne began a notable career in Hufflepuff

James Sirius Potter was as easy as his grandfather had been, both of them actually. He was squarely Gryffindor, but his brother, Albus, took after their father in difficulty. 

What will it be then, young Mr. Potter? Gryffindor like your parents? He asked the boy.

Albus considered for a moment, so like his grandmother. My dad said you listen to suggestions. Is that true?

Only if one is bold enough to give one. He answered coyly. 

Most of my family has been in Gryffindor, except some of my cousins. I suppose it would be nice to keep with family tradition, he analyzed, but I’m not convinced I want to be just like them. Besides, it would be nice to get away from James for a change. What do you think, Mr. Hat?

Oh, Mr. Hat, just like his grandmother. He knew where this one belonged. 

I’d say...RAVENCLAW!

Rose Weasley was as brilliant a Gryffindor as her parents had been, the hat knew. She was filled with parent’s flaws, but, just like them, she made up for it with true boldness and courage. Her motivation was pure. She wanted to do something wonderful for the world, she just hadn’t figured out how; she was unafraid of what was to come. When her best friend in the world was sorted into a different house she raged for hours and tried to break into Ravenclaw common room and someone had to come kick her out, Oh, she was just like her parents. 

Scorpius Malfoy hadn’t been nearly as agreeable, but the hat was determined to not fail him as he had failed his father. He did not belong in Slytherin, that was for sure. He was resourceful and clever, but not ambitious or cunning. He intended to make his way in the world honestly. Scorpius was certainly intelligent and had specks of bravery floating through hims. If forced into the situation, the hat knew Scorpius would make the right choice. After listening to him for a long time, the sorting hat knew his answer. Scorpius Malfoy would be one of the first of his family to be placed in Hufflepuff, for the just and fair. 

A year later, Louis Weasley joined him in Hufflepuff and then Lily Luna Potter the next. She was so much the embodiment of Hufflepuff, that the hat wondered if she was somehow Helga reincarnated. Hugo Weasley was sorted into Ravenclaw along with his cousin, Molly. Lucy joined Dominique in Slytherin. 

The Weasley family, historically one of his favorites, was spread across Hogwarts and he could not be happier. They were living proof that a house wasn’t good or bad, they just were. 

The sorting hat is one of the oldest functioning artifacts in the British Wizarding World. The fact that he was still in service was astounding to experts.

Hundreds of years ago when he was created by the four founders they each imbued him with a part of their magic so that he would never run out. A part of each of them lived on within him, the parts worth remembering. But no one would believe him when he said Salazar didn’t have any hatred towards muggle-borns but only wondered if they should get specialized support because they hadn’t grown up in the magical world. They didn’t believe him when he said Salazar and Godric had actually been good friends and their rivalry had all been in good fun. When he claimed Salazar had been in love with Helga and they dreamed of settling down together before she got sick and passed. When he explained that Rowena had wanted her students to be creative rather than just have the ability to memorize facts. When he said Godric wanted those who fought for a purpose rather than just for the sake of fighting. When he recalled Salazar wanted those willing to do what was necessary, not monsters with no morality. When he exclaimed at Helga was willing to take anyone because she believed those left behind would be the purest of heart. When he remembered that the founders split up the houses so students could learn the way they needed to learn and have the specific support they needed, not to create divisions and rivalries. 

Their magic made him eternal. It made him have a mind of his own. Godric had granted him the power of delivering the Sword to a true heir of Hogwarts, not of just of Gryffindor as the legend states. 

Godric was a knight. Salazar was a politician. Rowena was a strategist. Helga was a humanitarian. 

They needed each other. 

One could not exist without the other.

[altumvidetur]

Harry Potter: Wolfstar Fic Recs

So, I was thinking about the coronavirus pandemic and what I could do to help people out. I’m isolated because I’m at higher risk, so I can’t really offer to go out for my elderly neighbors or my family… but I thought I could try to help keep people entertained.

Because I don’t have an AO3 account right now, I’ve been compiling fic recs for my own amusement for a year or so. And I thought – maybe that’s the time to share these with everyone? So everyone will have plenty of things to read while they have to stay at home, or even to escape anxiety a little bit if you’re forced to go out.

Of course, these cater to my own tastes, so you may find stuff you don’t like around here. I never include works in progress. The Mature and Explicit works will be in italic. I ask you to READ THE WORK’S TAGS before continuing, so you won’t find anything that makes you uncomfortable.

These are mostly old fics, because the Wolfstar tag is enormous and I’m not even close to finishing it. I hope you guys like the recommendations regardless!

(To my fellow relics of the fandom, do you guys remember when we didn’t know that Sirius and Remus were going to die? Those were the days~)

In the Morning, by kestrelsan

Werewolves and moonlight.

A Sword, a Horse, a Shield, by kestrelsan

Some things are better off forgotten.

Waiting for Doirbou, by unoriginal_liz

It wasn’t Sirius' fault Evans and her troop had introduced Truth or Dare to Hogwarts, it wasn’t his fault it had caught on, it wasn’t his fault James had decided to refine the game by using a truth charm. It wasn’t his fault Remus had chosen truth over dare, and it wasn’t his fault Mundungus had chosen to ask who was the first person Remus had ever fantasised about...

House, by kestrelsan

Sirius, Remus, a house.

what everybody gets, by victoria_p

Summary by me: [Crossover with Sandman] the dealings of Sirius Black with Death, Despair and Delirium.

Better Than This, by victoria_p

They deserve better. Then and now.

Something, by kaydeefalls

Wherein Harry isn't his father, Sirius paces, and Lupin shouldn't be surprised. 

Flannel, by victoria_p

The knowledge that only two thin layers of flannel separates them is driving Sirius crazy.

How Bitter a Thing, by victoria_p

"They fuck like other people make war."

When It Alteration Finds: Four Things That Never Happened to Remus Lupin, by victoria_p

Four houses, one student.

No Longer Bound, by switchknife

A strange alternate history, in which Remus was arrested that night he attacked Snape at the Shrieking Shack. What if Remus were the one imprisoned, and Sirius the one on the outside?

Sense and Lunacy, by cruisedirector

In some ways it's easier being a dog.

Assigning Blame, by V

A Potions accident makes Remus and Sirius temporarily allergic to each other. Wackiness ensues.

Under Me, You, by victoria_p

"I like my body when it's with your body."

All the Sinners, Saints, by victoria_p

Every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners, saints.

Three Days, by kestrelsan

Three days at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Speaking in Tongues, by victoria_p

We worship wine and pour our vows, and it is / Against my law to be without your face.

The More Things Change, by victoria_p

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Younger Than That Now, by victoria_p

I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now.

Off the Wrist, by victoria_p

Remus wondered how two people who used to be able to finish each other's sentences couldn't even look each other in the eye anymore.

Home for the Holidays, by Jain

Sirius knows what he wants for Christmas.

The Razor’s Edge, by victoria_p

Summary by me: the two of them and a razorblade with sentimental value.

Raison D’Etre, jeeps

Summary by me: Sirius trips over words.

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, by victoria_p

"Who died and made you Elvis?"

Break, by mistykasumi

Remus knows that Sirius lied, even if Sirius doesn't know himself.

One-Night Stand, With Potential, by victoria_p

Summary by me: The morning after.

Time Enough for Loving, by victoria_p

There will be time enough for loving.

Jealous of Your Cigarette, by victoria_p

"Sirius tastes of cigarettes and firewhisky when Remus kisses him."

Unconditional, by victoria_p

"I thought you said you'd wait for me." "And I will. I said nothing about waiting *patiently*."

Stealing Harryverse, by copperbadge

On a dark night long ago, Sirius Black took a wrong turn and never found Peter Pettigrew. Instead of Azkaban, Sirius settled down in Little Whinging to keep an eye on his godson, and hired Remus Lupin to run his bookshop for him. Then one day when Harry was eight, Sirius found out how the Dursleys treated him, and stole him away.

Stealing Harry is an alternate universe version of Harry Potter's life before his time at Hogwarts. It is the story of Harry's family: Sirius and Remus, Ted and Andromeda, Nymphadora, Neville Longbottom, and even Severus Snape, all banded together against a newly powerful Peter Pettigrew who is still searching for a way to resurrect Voldemort.

Laocoon's Children follows Harry through his time at Hogwarts as he develops a very different group of friends: Hufflepuff Draco Malfoy, Ravenclaw Padma Patil, and Gryffindor Neville Longbottom, strange companions for a Harry who was sorted into Slytherin -- the house of his beloved Professor Snape.

Balance of Power, by Tammaiya

In which James is a git, Remus thinks Sirius needs a psychiatrist and Sirius isn't always slow on the uptake.

Three Days (The Rebuilding the Temple Mix), by victoria_p

It seems they have both learned to hope.

spoilsport, by unoriginal_liz

It's final year.

A Late Frost, by kestrelsan

Remus and Sirius in the first war.

Adunatio, by Vixenette

A potion accident has unexpected consequences

Meaningless, by MapleTide

"It was all so meaningless, but everything could be considered meaningless now."

Lipstick Kissed, by MapleTide

Two boys, glitter, kohl, and a song playing in the background. Oh, yeah, and snogging.

Hauntings, by MapleTide

It's been fourteen years, and nothing changed. He still thought he could see him out of the corner of his eye, and yet when he turned, he found him missing. He discovered him still gone.

Getting It, by sabinelagrande

Sirius and Remus go for a late night ride on Sirius's bike.

Marrow, by Nausicaa

Remus Lupin towards the end of his twelve years in Azkaban.

Lifetime, by Nausicaa

Where you live.

The Gramophone, by Nirohmy

To cheer Remus up, Sirius takes him junk shopping, where he finds the love of his life -- an antique gramophone.

Straight on Till Morning, by victoria_p

Remus believes.

The Never-Ending Diary Of Remus Lupin, Aged 34 1/2, by Alshain

Remus Lupin's diary during his teaching time at Hogwarts

Ink Stains, by blackbird

Some love stories, like scars, are permanent.

73 Aberdeen, by Mici

There are some things ungoverned by fate. If Sirius Black had gone the path of every Black before him, if he had been in Slytherin, he would have been a very different boy. It would have been a very different war.

[homenum-revelio-hq]

THE MISSION IS OVER.

As the mission comes to a close and a majority of those in the Order get home safely, the news that Ainsley Abbott has betrayed the organization with the murder of James Potter becomes the main topic of discussion with the members. Mary Macdonald was able to retrieve James’ body and brought it back to Lily Evans at the Potter Estate, while Emmeline Vance and Severus Snape helped continue to monitor the map and treat the injured. 

Those who were focused on retrieving the orb had varying levels of success: Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn found what they assume to be the real orb in the cellar. They still need to submit the object to Gideon (without Ainsley’s help, this time) for testing, but are largely confident in their success. Meanwhile, Amos Diggory, Artem Tremblay, and Maurice Creevey discover a map with locations and a list of dates that they believe to be telling of future Death Eater plans. The last group in search of the orb, Isla Sewlyn-Macmillian and Archie Macmillian, were captured by Death Eaters in the chaos after the murder, despite the original assumption by the Order that they would be the safest to blend in.

Sirius Black and Mundungus Fletcher were caught in their attempts to locate Death Eater information by Cordelia Greengrass, thus resulting in her convincing Dorcas Meadowes to let her into headquarters once the chaos began. At the time, Dorcas was alone due to Ndulue Travers abandoning their mission at the first sight of trouble. Lydia Avery was also brought into the Order’s safe house on McKinnon Farm by Daisy Hookum. Despite having not been aware of the Order’s mission, Amelia Bones was also caught in the crossfire and was brought to headquarters later, where she tended her splinched brother.

As not many in the Order knew that Andromeda Tonks was under polyjuice as her sister, Bellatrix Black, she was mistaken to be the real Death Eater by multiple people, including an awkward encounter with Frank Longbottom where he tried to battle her. Despite this, she and Ryland Greengrass were both able to make it safely back to headquarters, where Emma Vanity was reuniting with Dorcas. As Andromeda did not want to blow her cover, she immediately went home. 

Before Alice Longbottom Disapparated, she was able to track down and capture the Death Eater Lachlan Greengrass. She will have to make a statement to the Ministry of Magic about what happened at the engagement party. Lachlan has been placed under the custody of the Auror department and will stay in Ministry cells, pending trial.

On the grounds of the manor, Branwen Yaxley and Fabian Prewett discovered a sinister sighting of sixteen dead bodies. They don’t know what these bodies will be used for, but have taken a picture with a Muggle camera to show the Inner Circle. As it happened so quickly, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were not able to support the Order before the chaos began, but learned of James’ death by a patronus from Emmeline. Despite being able to get the wards down in time for the emergency Disapparition, Marlene McKinnon was still injured by Death Eaters and taken to headquarter by Gideon Prewett, who then went back to the party to help get James’ friends out without more harm. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER.

Now that James has died, there is much that the members of the Order will need to discuss, particularly because his death was due to one of their own’s betrayal. 

James is Secret Keeper and owner of the Order’s headquarters, along with the main funder for the organization. Do they have someone like Sirius ask James’ mother for money? How do they keep the location a secret? Do they find a new location for headquarters instead?

Now that everyone is Secret Keeper due to the original’s death, this also includes Ainsley, who has betrayed them. Not only that, but Peter could potentially give up their location as well, given he is the unknown spy.

Prior to this mission, James implied to the Order the Remus is a werewolf. What do they do about this now? They’re unable to ask James any follow-up questions. 

James was working on a plan to leak fake information to the Ministry in order to figure out who is a Voldemort supporter and who isn’t. What happens to this plan? It can be found on a desk in one of the studies, where James was working on it. 

Ainsley knows who they are, knows their names, and works for the Daily Prophet. What now? What will she do? What do they do about her? 

How do they stop James’ friends, particularly Sirius, from tearing-off in distress to kill Ainsley and other Death Eaters, which would likely result in him getting himself - and anyone else he drags along - killed too?

Those who attended as themselves with polyjuiced partners have some explaining to do. How do they make their excuses to avoid suspicion? Do they pretend to have also been polyjuiced, or do they admit to having been at the party but having had no idea their “partner” wasn’t who they seemed? Do they pretend they thought it was a prank, or make some other excuse?

DETAILS.

Karli will be taking up the role of Regulus Black, who will come in via plot drops throughout the next few weeks. His application can be found here. He will not be set for activity requirements until the plot drops have occurred and he is officially in play. 

Ainsley Abbott will be moved to a secondary role, allowing for periodic interactions without the activity requirements, given that she is no longer part of the Order. 

The Death Eater list will be updated to include the changes reflected from Alice’s capture of Lachlan Greengrass.

You may now begin paras set after February 14th. Threads set during the event or prior to February 14th can still be continued, with new threads being kept to a minimum.

[seaweedinthebrain]

my headcanons for harry and neville, a rarepair i just found out about but already think is the softest

this got Long but bear with me here, they're two of my golden era favourites and I'm a sucker for some peaceful and cute fluffy love

they become really close friends once both go back to hogwarts for eighth year. in the nights harry wakes up sweating from nightmares and neville just can't sleep, they sit in the common room together

sometimes they talk about the deep stuff neither ever had a chance to, knowing the other can relate to at least some of it. (it also helps that hermione has put everyone she knows in contact with some wizarding mental health clinics cause we all know she would). sometimes neville will ramble about random facts or interesting books about herbology and harry just sits there and watches the way his eyes shine when he's allowed to be passionate. sometimes harry will ramble about quidditch or DADA and neville will sit there and listen to the excitement in his voice. and sometimes they just sit in silence and enjoy the company

harry gives up on the ideia of becoming an auror (that boy has had enough action and danger in his life, let him have some peace and quiet), so minnie mcg and the current DADA professor write him a recommendation letter for the DADA course in the Advanced Studies Academy (I don't really care if that really exists in the wizarding world, to me it does and it's kinda like uni) and he's accepted. neville is recommended by professor sprout and minnie for the herbology course in the same Academy

instead of looking for flats separately in the same city, they talk and decide it would be simpler if they just shared. the summer after graduation is spent looking for flats. except they don't find any that actually feels like them and the city is so big and there's so much noise and crowds

so one afternoon, harry shows up at madam longbottom's doorstep and takes neville to see a place, all the way saying "look, it's not exactly a flat and it's not in the neighbourhood we were aiming for BUT trust me, you'll understand when you see it"

and that's how two 19-year-old boys end up moving to an old but charming cottage on the outskirts of a forest near a small lake. the main reasons they discarted all other options upon seeing it include but are not limited to: a big bright kitchen for harry to have fun in, a small greenhouse that needs some loving, lots of space for teddy to play in when he grows a bit and the half an hour distance to the city, which does wonders to both their introverted and anxious natures

they stock the house with plants, books and old vinils. the walls are filled with photos of their friends, families and professors. by the front door, there's the moving photo minnie gave them, the graduation photo of the class of 1978, with both their sets of parents, surrounded by friends, smiling. hanging in the living room there's a gryffindor-themed banner that dean painted as a housewarming gift. jumpers and flannel shirts are tossed over chairs to be picked up later. there's a warm blanket permanently kept on the couch for movie nights on the muggle telly. neville starts growing vegetables and spices so harry can cook without driving all the way to town every week. there's a weird pendant hanging over the back door that they don't even what is the purpose of but leave there anyway cause it's colorful and was a gift from luna

neither of them had good childhoods and neither were offered much affection and support growing up, so they manage to find that in each other. be it through physical affection, bringing home little things they think the other will like or simply saying nice stuff

they genuinely make each other better. they talk about the bad stuff and laugh about the good. neville is the soft voice and the hand on harry's arm that calm his temper, while harry is the hug and warm presence that ease neville's constant worry

their first kiss happens on the exact 0:00 minute between their birthdays while they're stargazing on the grass behind the cottage. teddy, who is staying with them for a few days, is peacefully sleeping in his brightly-painted room. the summer air is fresh around them. fireflies are loose. the kiss is soft and sweet. there's nothing of the fear of ruining their friendship, it just feels like a natural turn that doesn't really change much of their dynamic except for the fact that they can now openly stare at each others eyes and say sappy things

neville is panromantic and asexual and harry just knows he's bi but doesn't really care about all the sex stuff, so their relationship (which is official now) never really gets past kisses and caressing touches, but that's exactly how they want it

now let's please take a moment for the domestic scene: 185cm tall harry potter, saviour of the wizarding world and defense against the dark arts academic, drying cloth hanging from his shoulder, dancing around in their kitchen with 170cm tall neville longbottom, hero of the wizarding world and herbology academic, who has a spot of dirt on the tip of his nose and freckles from the spring sun lighting up the front garden. you're welcome.

a random afternoon right after they graduate (with honours) from the Advanced Studies Academy, minnie shows up for tea and casually drops the information that the DADA and herbology positions at hogwarts are now vacant

welcome to the hogwarts staff, professor potter and professor longbottom, it's not as if the other professors had been planning on this all along, of course, nothing of the sort

they still go back to the cottage for the weekends, summer and winter holidays, and take time to travel around the world, sometimes for research on their areas of expertise, sometimes just for fun. during the school year, they drop by the three broomsticks to catch up with hannah or do pub nights with their friends

one summer night, they're watching a muggle movie cuddled on the couch and neville blurts out "haz, do you ever think about getting married?". that's how they got engaged. the ceremony and party are small and both held on their own backyard. teddy carries the rings and luna is the flower girl. they don't choose best-men and instead just divide their friends in two groups and call all of them the "grooms-maids"

they never get any pets, since they're basically only home like three months of the year. harry splits teddy's custody with andromeda cause she's old and definitely can use some help. ginny marries luna, dean marries seamus, lavender (who is alive and proud of her scar and eventual wolfish inclination) marries parvati, ron marries hermione. they're all happy, healthy and constantly meeting up

they have teddy every weekend and holidays

they go for family lunch at the burrow every sunday

they manage to be vastly different and absurdly alike at the same time, as seamus once put out

they're soft and happy and comfortable and ridiculously in love

the fan base for this pair is so small and I don't even know their shipp name (I've read "pottbottom" somewhere but I don'tthink there's one single name for them ) however I am totally converted, give me all the harry x neville soft content

also, I obviously made a playlist cause nothing in my head functions without a soundtrack so here