#it was kind of like Harry Potter where he was in the attic???

[bridenore]

HD Being on the run fic recs

Here are a few Harry/Draco recs where Harry and Draco are on the run. Listed in alphabetical order, as always.

9 ½ Days by @magpiefngrl [69k]

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic. Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Crown Witness by @slytherco [70k]

After the war, wizarding society is oppressed by a new kind of plague—an organised crime group calling itself the Family. When Harry Potter goes to interrogate a potential witness, he doesn’t expect to end up on the run again, trying to keep Draco Malfoy alive, while a manhunt follows in their footsteps, adamant on eliminating the one witness that could ruin everything. In which Harry and Draco learn that the way to each other might just have to go through the dingiest hotels in Britain.

Eclipse by Mijan [287k]

"You're dead, Potter... I'm going to make you pay..." Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

Hermione Granger's Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by @waspabi [93k]

'You're a wizard, Harry' is easier to hear from a half-giant when you're eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you're seventeen and late for work.

Oh, Sinnerman by @lou-isfake and @babooshkart [40k]

“I’m serious, Potter,” Malfoy said quietly. “That was some real bad luck you had, being there last night. They will come after you, and they will kill you—after torturing you for information on my whereabouts.” He pocketed Harry’s wand, but held on to his knife, twirling it between his fingers. Harry was distracted by its movement, the reflections of the bright, dawning sun on polished silver. “I’m not happy about it, either, but you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”   He watched Malfoy’s face for a long time, in a staring contest he wasn’t sure he’d signed up for. Stuck with Malfoy, for the foreseeable future, on the run from a massive crime syndicate that had infiltrated the Ministry and was out for their blood. It was all very familiar, except for the Malfoy part.

REVOLVEVLOVER by @firethesound and @lol-zeitgeistic [88k]

The work Harry does is justifiable. It’s justice. He works for his country, and his country is a republic—the magical side, anyway. It’s not laudable work, it’s not work he’s proud of, but it’s necessary work. Harry has always taken the necessary jobs that no one else has the stomach for. It’s just that he’s never deciphered a kill sheet and seen Draco Malfoy’s name on it.

A Sword Laid Aside by @korlaena [128k]

When Draco’s cover is blown during a deep undercover operation and the Ministry is compromised, Ron takes Draco to the only safe place he can think of—Harry. Hiding out with Harry Potter, who has been missing from the Wizarding World for almost two decades after a shocking fall from grace, is nothing like Draco thought it would be.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[sitp-recs]

Hi Liv!

Do you know of any fics where draco is really heroic during the war? Like fics where he fights for the light side, kills voldemort, fights in thr battle of hogwarts, etc

I think its a really interesting trope

Thanks!!!

Hi anon! That’s a great ask, personally I love these. Most are spy!Draco fics so he’s usually helping behind the scenes:

Paper Dolls by cupiscent (M, 5k)

In the final year of the War, Draco gets a letter, makes a choice and pays the price.

Speak (and may the world come undone) by @shealwaysreads (E, 26k)

The war is on in earnest, and the hunt for the Horcruxes has begun. Harry receives help from the least expected person, and must decide whether he can trust the enemy he knows best.

In The Hand by aideomai (T, 28k)

Two months after Harry went missing, when Hermione was frantic with fear and panic and sleep deprivation, Draco Malfoy cornered them outside the Great Hall before breakfast.

9 ½ Days by magpie_fngrl (E, 69k)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic. Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Walking the Line by SilentAuror (E, 179k)

Sixth year is over and Draco Malfoy is on the run. The war is on and an unwanted assignment is forced upon him by the only people he trusts - and a one-time arch-enemy just may be out to kill him.

Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n (E, 180k)

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (T, 302k)

Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness.

[emsuemsu]

If there's something I really love in life it's the elderly. I love old people and old people love me and that is a fact. I am a peepaw whisperer, I speak fluent grandma. So naturally I've been on a mission for some senior citizen Drarry to quench my never ending thirst.

Some of these fics do contain neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Some of these fics do contain MCD in a form of dying of old age. They're all tagged accordingly, if in doubt check the tags.

These are all well under 10k, and hit me up with some more geriatric Drarry recs if you have some!

About Damn Time by @lumosatnight 👴 4,045 words

All Draco wants to do is eat his custard cup and nap in peace. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so, when the Flamel House for Experienced Wixen is overrun with Harry Potter and his idiot friends.

The Afterlife, According to Draco Malfoy by @stripedsilverfeline 👴 1,861 words

Tea is not a proper substitute for astral brooms': The Afterlife, according to Draco Malfoy

Age is just a number by @gnarf 👴 1,555 words

Married for decades, their life is perfect. Until Harry gets a call and hears the following words: "Mr Potter, we caught your husband stealing ten large packs of King Sized condoms."

Attic Past by @piarelei 👴 500 words

Here are his knees. Noticeable and ugly. Harry sighs, doesn’t dare look at more of himself; the skin loose around his thighs and the wrinkles crowning his eyes. “I have ugly knees,” he tells the room. Draco, predictably, is already downstairs and doesn’t answer.

Brave by @mars-bar81 👴 8,403 words

Draco had never been the brave one- that had always been Harry's job.

Easier Than Falling Asleep by @gnarf 👴 1,029 words

After a long and happy life Harry is ready to return to Kings Cross. This time it's not Dumbledore, but his husband waiting for him there and they finally get to ride the Hogwarts Express together.

Dear Life by @drarryangels 👴 5,208 words

"Draco ran his fingers over the headstone at his feet and let his creaky knees fold underneath him to sit on the grass. When he was younger, he thought he’d never get old like this. With bad joints, white hair, and off trend clothes. Harry would’ve laughed at him if he could see Draco sitting in the dirt sniffling over his lost touch in the fashion industry." Or the story where Draco and Harry get to grow old together and be happy.

I Wouldn't Change a Thing by @rei382 👴 1,380 words

Harry and Draco, an old married couple, need to pack to go to their retirement home. But Harry stumbles upon an old photo album, and all kinds of memories start to flood back.

lucidity comes before the sun sets by @squintclover 👴 707 words

Life and memories are cruel sometimes... Stealing Harry from Draco before his time.

Meeting Too Late by WSbrat 👴 1,528 words

What if Draco and Harry fell in love when it was too late? What if they fell in love anyway?

Old School by Bardo 👴 5,053 words

When he was younger, Draco Malfoy used to say sex was dead after 65. Of course, at the time, he wasn't talking about himself.

Stay with me forever, we'll ride this out together by @triggerlil 👴 420 words

In old age, Harry cares for Draco.

Two Old Coots by @sofyachy 👴 1,898 words

On their 50th anniversary, Harry and Draco are a couple of old coots who no longer care what they tell other people about their relationship, to their kids’ mortification. Gather round, children; it’s inappropriate story time.

Wiser With Age, Still Stupid in Love by @sethsevolution 👴 3,483 words

There came a point in their lives where they felt like they were only ones left and that was what finally drew them together.

Won't You Stay By My Side by @gracerene 👴 1,936 words

Harry needs to convince Draco that he is too old to continue his dangerous job as an Investigative Journalist.

[mxlfoydraco]

Hii! I've had this idea for so long of what would've happened if Draco accepted Dumbledore's help in HP6 and the Death Eaters hadn't come? I need to read something that explores it and I've no idea how to look for it, so do you perhaps have any fic recs where this happens?? Could also be something similar of like Draco leaving the Dark side earlier in the story while they're still in school

Thank you in advance! 😊

Hi! I have lists for Spy Draco and War Fics, there are a lot of good fics that fit the theme in those (maybe some from the Pre War too?). I can add on some "switching sides" here,

9 ½ Days by @magpiefngrl (69k)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic.

Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Changing Tides by @carpemermaidtales (109k)

Draco has spent half of his life spouting the things his father has taught him without much thought about how he feels about what he says. When he unexpectedly comes face to face with the Dark Lord, he grapples with the harsh realities of the world and struggles with his changing views on life. Instead of doing what’s expected of him fifth year, he joins Dumbledore’s Army and learns how to defend himself, how to make his own choices, and how he can be something greater than his father’s example as he grows into his own man rather than his father’s shadow. The choices he makes change both his and Harry’s fates, intertwining their paths until they converge.

Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (302k)

Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness. Pairings: HP/DM (Slash) Timeframe: 1994-2002 Goblet to 4 yrs post-DH EWE Rating T for language, high angst, content.

Love Found by @peachpety (7k)

During Harry’s sixth year, Draco Malfoy joins the Order as a double-agent and continues with his task to get the Death Eaters into the castle as assigned by Voldemort.Draco succeeds with his mission the evening Harry returns from the caves with Dumbledore. The boys reunite on the Astronomy Tower and, with the Death Eater’s arrival, are forced to engage in a fight, driving Harry to come to terms with his feelings about true friendship and romantic love.

Eclipse by Mijan (287k)

“You’re dead, Potter… I’m going to make you pay…” Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius’s imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It’s the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco’s world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

Speak (and may the world come undone) by @shealwaysreads (26k)

The war is on in earnest, and the hunt for the Horcruxes has begun. Harry receives help from the least expected person, and must decide whether he can trust the enemy he knows best. A story of grey-tinged loyalty, the silver of trust in the darkness, the agony of courage, the unexpected richness of secrets, and the vast unknown of survival.

Abraxan Wings by khalulu (14k)

AU following the confrontation in the bathroom, which in this fic takes place around the middle of year 6. When the Sectumsempra curse severs a nerve at the base of Draco’s spine, he loses some abilities he may never recover. It isn’t the end of the road, though – just the beginning of a major change of course. A mostly serious but not gloomy coming of age /romance /adventure story, featuring the Room of Parole, Mme Maxime, Rosemonde the flying horse, and Harry Potter on sax.

For Every Action orphaned (8k)

When Harry wins a second bottle of Felix Felicis from Dean Thomas, he is instructed to take it the very next morning. What happens then, and how it basically all comes down to Draco Malfoy, is up to the laws of the universe.

The Light More Beautiful by @firethesound (81k)

Thirteen years after Draco accepts Potter's help escaping the horror of his sixth year, he returns to England where he makes the unfortunate discovery that Potter is still as obnoxious as ever. And worse, more than a decade overseas hasn't been enough to dim Draco's obsession with him.

Starts with a Spin by Maxine (120k)

It started with the spin of a bottle, and now Harry and Draco have gotten themselves so far into their own game there’s almost no way out again. Except to keep playing.

Vulnera Sanentur by dreaminginfiction (164k)

Vulnera Sanentur: The counter curse to Sectumsempra. What if on that fateful day in the bathroom, Harry hesitates before casting the curse? Maybe Draco Malfoy isn't the person Harry had always thought he was and maybe Harry sometimes hates being Harry Potter and all the crap that comes with it. This is a story of Harry and Draco learning to understand each other and change their stories.

Erosmancy by astolat (11k)

Blaise was immune to whatever it was people usually felt around his mother, for which he was profoundly grateful, since no one needed an Oedipal complex on quite that spectacular a scale, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a thorough respect for her gift.

Circumpolar by @lower-east-side (8k)

After their duel in the bathroom, Draco's wounds are much worse than Harry anticipated, which prompts a turning point for both of them.

Reflection by @owlswithfins (84k)

Harry wakes up in Draco's body moments before he's supposed to take the Dark Mark. When they switch back, he assumes things will return to the way they were before. It turns out it's a lot harder to hate someone after taking a walk in their shoes.

The White Pawn by Soupy_George (80k)

When eighteen-year-old Draco Malfoy finds himself back at Hogwarts on the eve of Voldemort's infamous return, he is confronted with the most difficult decision he's ever had to make: Relive the 6th year at school he's tried so hard to forget, or do the unthinkable and ally himself with Potter's lot...

Even From Opposite Ends of the Universe by @kbrick (173k, WIP)

In sixth year, Harry begins obsessively tracking Draco Malfoy's every move, telling himself it's the only way to prevent Malfoy from carrying out his dark plans. But as the year progresses, fist fights and mutual animosity gradually give way to a swirling, complicated intimacy that neither boy expects or understands, even as they desperately try to shield it from the outside world.

The Bound Prince series by slashpervert (991k)

In HBP, there is a pivotal moment where things could have gone very differently for Harry and Draco. In the bathroom sixth year, Draco is upset that Harry has caught him crying and throws a hex. It escalates and ends in blood, with Harry nearly killing Draco by accident. But in this timeline, things go differently.

In this story, instead, unvoiced attraction to Harry motivates Draco to take a chance and kiss him. Once sparked, their mutual desire and exploration becomes the driving force in the alternative ending to the series. Over seven books, we follow them as they fight, fuck, and love, taking on the Wizarding War with the help of friends and family.

[dufferpuffer]

On the topic of boggarts: do you think it was irresponsible for lupin to use them in the first lesson in class? I’ve seen people talk about this before and I think there’s an interesting critique to be made. 1. Having students expose their fears in front of their classmates might leave them vulnerable to targeted bullying. 2. Students could have trauma exposed through the boggart. (Most of the kids had childish fears yes, and he only jumped in front of Harry because he assumed it would have been more serious than the others but he doesn’t know the other kids and one of his 13 year olds could very much have suffered some kind of abuse or something of the sort and have that manifest in a boggart. Seems like an oversight.) what’s your take?

Yes, I do - but not wrong to deal with Boggart's early. Honestly they should probably be a first or second year class. And maybe they are - Snape does say they are far behind in the curriculum, though how hyperbolic he was being is hard to tell.

Boggarts are more dangerous the more trauma you have experienced. Molly, who had lost both her brothers in the first war and now had a whole family of loved ones, couldn't deal with it. I fear, while Dumbledore could deal with one, it would destabilize him far more to see the corpse of Ariana than it would Ron to see a spider. After Ron had experienced Hermione being tortured... im sure his Boggart changed to something more like that. Crippling.

So dealing with Boggarts early is almost critical - when most children do not have experiences that would make them a problem yet. ...But some will. It is irresponsible to thrust children into that without propperly getting to know them.

Even with how low the bar is for magical school safety and logic - Harry was in that class. The way Remus structured it was to have the Boggart bounce between students as it saw fit, confused. He had to run and protect Harry. He hadn't even pulled him aside - a reasonable thing to do, considering what he has famously gone through, not just as a baby but in the previous two years.

So yes, I think it was highly irresponsible as a first class. Why would he do such a thing...? Because he was scared. He was scared of being unimpressive, of not being good enough to teach, of the children fearing him as a monster (irrational - but that's what he fears most.)

So what does he do...? He falls back on what he knows best, his fathers specialty: Boggarts. Something he knows in-and-out. He picks a BIGGER monster than him to be in the room, so he will look good no matter what. He teaches the children he will stand up with them against their greatest fears. I doubt he planned it, but how cool he would have felt to jump infront of Harry Potter in order to prevent Voldemort from appearing. Heroic.

I'm sure he justified it as Boggarts being essential to learn about early... it being a good topic to start on given there are dementors in the school this year... very familiar to him, so its a safe thing to start with.... but really he didn't do it for the kids. He did it for himself. Comforting himself is usually his no. 1 priority.

If I were to take the class:

First year, second half of it. Half a year to get to know the students and see their capabilities with their wands - and the students will be at the school for awhile after, not home - where abuse might be. Have a week learning about Non-Beings, focusing on Boggarts.

The kids are 11 - so have them answer questions like "Have you ever had a Boggart in your house?" and "What sort of places do you think a Boggart would like to be?" (closets, attics, basements, under beds) Give them time to think about what their Boggart might become - and give some students the chance to perhaps share what their Boggart DID become if they've seen one before.

Teacher shares what THEIR boggart is. Be a little vulnerable. If it is 'light', like a spider, they can connect with students. If it is heavy - they can tell how fearsome Boggarts really can be. That, when they face a Boggart, they will need a different teacher to handle the class with them.

Build up the practical as a game. It is best to deal with Boggarts in groups, so the class will 'play' with one, all together - it'll bounce between them quite harmlessly. However - if you do not wish to take part, because your boggart might be particularly fearsome - you stand at the back with the teacher and watch how it is done. Then, individually, after class, you have your go - with the teacher right at your back, with you.

It is VERY important to learn how to push through. But if it is truly horrifying and the student cannot manage - the teacher is right there to step forward and deal with it themselves.

[bikelock28]

Hi, Do you have any headcanons about Teddy’s relationship with Andromeda? I see lots of headcanons about Teddy’s bond with other people but not a lot about his relationship with his own Grandmother.

Thanks for the ask. The first thing I’ll say is that it’s easy to see Andromeda as “Granny” and overlook the fact that she is not that old! She’s mid-40s when Teddy is born, so not like the Little Old Lady you might think of when you hear Grandma.

as I alluded to in this chapter, I think Andromeda would be extremely affected by what happened to her and her family in the war. How could she not be? So I believe that until Teddy is 3 or 4 she would be going through the motions of raising a child and not really enjoying it.

I think Teddy would live with her full-time, not have a shared custody arrangement with the Potter-Weasleys as some people headcanon. 

Though I think some combination of Weasleys would be visiting or taking Teddy out for the day very often. I think they’d all be a bit scared of Andromeda (which she’d be aware of and enjoy) so it would take a few years before anyone was particularly friendly. Thoughh she would be extremely grateful for the break and for the love and Big Family-ness they would give teddy because. Partly because of aforementioned trauma and partly because many single-parents to only children feel this way, she would feel guilty about the smallness of teddy’s immediate family and the love she feels unable to fully give him. Therefore even when  she’s had a day off childcare and teddy comes home sleepy and happy from a lovely day out with his godparents, that might make Andromeda feel guilty and sad.

I think after a few years this would get easier for her, especially once Teddy is talking and a bit more of A Person. I think they would then develop into a tight unit.

….having said that, she would I still independence in him, making him the kind of person happy in his own company or having solo adventures.

She teaches him French.

Teddy is held in awe by his Weasley cousins because: 1. He is a little bit removed from them, not being a blood relative and being an only child who lives in a different house, 2. He’s the oldest, 3. They don’t see his Grandma all the time and are all scared of her, so they think Teddy is very brave.

Andromeda does NOT let Teddy play the orphan card or feel sorry for himself a lot. 

…however, she is less strict and more warm than people (i.e the Weasleys) think.

as a Black, Andy gives Teddy a bit of a taste for the finer things in life. Nice wine, thick duvets, rich chocolates. It comes in handy when he’s dating Victorie!

Teddy becomes increasingly like his dad in looks and personality. Andromeda is relieved by this because because it means he’s pretty different to Tonks who A. Andromeda was always clashing with because she understood her both too little and too much, B. Is, you know, dead, so it’s easier that Teddy is less of a reminder of her and the experience of raising him is different- history repeats itself less so she is spared a painful deja vu.

However, the above is also a bit puzzling for Andy, because she didn’t know lupin for very long and their relationship was never 100% at ease. So it’s a bit odd for her to talk to Teddy about the father he increasingly resembles, but who she doesn’t know loads about. Again, this is where Harry and the Weasleys come in!

She does, however, talk about his parents all the time. I don’t think there’s pictures up everywhere, but there are some, and plenty more in albums, and crap in the attic. Not a Harry-Dursley situation at all.

In fact, sometimes andromeda finds it easier to say, “your parents loved you/ would be proud of you/etc” rather than “I do/am”. I think Teddy would eventually pick up on this and start questioning her on it!

Like all happy families, Teddy and Adromeda have a plethora of in-jokes and specific family terms, and feel a little relief when they’re just the two of them together.

Holidays in France…the nice bits! See above point about the finer things in life- no staying in random villages on the Calais coast or trips to Paris where they satay so far out they have to commute into the city every day for tourism (cc. Bikelock’s family holidays). And never, EVER any camping.

finally I’ll recommend this fanfic. It isn’t entirely my headcanon but the parts I disagree on are food for thought, and it’s beautifully-written: The Last Casualty

[ajoytobeheld]

Harry Potter and the Half Decent Film

July 28th, 2009

So this is quite a pointless review as Harry Potter came out a bit ago so some of you will have already seen advance/normie screenings of it, and my faltering memory from the screening I saw is filled with crevices and cracks where a solid opinion use to be, however we shall endeavor…

I went to the first screening of the film anywhere ever in the world (apart from when it was initially finished and the director and actors might have sat down for some tea/ biscuits and a quick peak.)

My friend got these golden tickets in case he felt the urge to review it for his work and I tagged along, however this did not diminish from my own sense of self importance as I handed in all my electrical goods, received my tattoo transfers and took my squished seat in the packed and slightly smelly cinema. As we waited for an hour and half for everyone to hand in their possessions I invented a magazine in my head to review it for, it was called ” Stuff+Things” and came out four times a day. It’s appeal was the free wham bar or hair scrunchie attached to the front, much like in the innocent days of Bunty and Beano.

Before the film started a nervous and large busted woman came out to introduce the feature, she asked for reviews not to be posted before the red carpet shin dig and informed us we were so bloody special that we were getting an exclusive preview of the “Sherlock Holmes” and “Where the Wild Things Are” trailers as well! (One already available on the internet, the other directed by Guy Ritchie)

Firstly LOL

Secondly: This classic Arthur Conan Doyle character has been transformed into a winking cheeky protagonist with witty one liners who shags around, is a bit naughty, but we love him for it… oh wait it’s Robert Downey Junior in nearly every role ever. I love the man, I do, but is he is as funny as I want to think he is? Also it’s a Guy Ritchie film so it seems to have been filmed in “cockney gangster” vision, with some poetic license. I am assuming he is going to do a Jane Eyre film in which she is dressed in leather with numchucks with the tag line ” They underestimated her, now she is back. For Blood” Then she goes and kills all the nuns at her school before having a epic ten minute battle sequence with the mad wife in the attic.

Where The Wild Things Are looks great, everyone knows this.

Harry Potter. Well… I kind of forgot what happened in this particular book until about ten minutes in, and then I realised it was the stop gap snogging and untimely death book. This was the film in which not a huge amount happened in the book up until the very end where, you know, old beardy goes to the great wizard palace in the sky… with that in mind I found it ultimately a bit (dull).

Don’t get me wrong, the cinematography and effects were swarth, with Yates being one of the better Potter directors in terms of vision, but with no Voldemort and a slow build up to what we all knew was coming it just wasnt that fascinating. Plus it was the book in which the teenagers get it on with each other, which I found a little bit uncomfortable and stilted, it seemed they were trying to make it a bit sexual (with some mince pie feeding) but it was just really cringeworthy, with the actors themselves seeming like they were too firm friends to even pretend they suddenly developed feelings for each other.

Also there were some phallic bits with wands between legs and a guy trying to seduce Hermione by licking chocolate off his fingers… it seemed all the teenage angsty drama (i.e Hermione jealous of Ron) was a odd juxtaposition to the peril danger and peoples houses burning down (which was a bit random in itself), and so it never seemed to quite fit or be anything but a weird distraction. Maybe it’s just really hard to think of the three heroes as having libido’s I don’t know…. or maybe it was because the elements of darkness worked so well, that the light fluffy stuff felt forced. The positive parts of the film are Yate’s willingness to divulge in these darker parts of the book, such as Harry and Draco (who is brilliant) having a particularly gruesome fight, and the quite traumatic Horcrux search BUT there needed to be much much much more of it. Overall it is ok, there is not as much concentration on the Half Blood Prince part as the title would suggest and I can’t remember why it is important when you find out who it is anyway, but there is more of a focus on matters outside of Potter which help develop the plot faster i.e set pieces which hint at Draco’s mission throughout.

The end scene didn’t move me at all as Radcliffe can not really cry/act comfortably with Grint being the only seemingly natural actor out of the three, and once again vital changes from the book to film leave the finale puzzling…. but then again other people may love it, so this is just my limited opinion as someone who thought they took the most boring elements of the book, brought it to screen, missed out the more essential plot strands and made me a bit sleepy. Kemode liked it. I feel us drifting apart.

ellen x

[laughableillusions]

Holy shit I had a dream abt Brahms…

[cl0udcupidsvz]

dear parents

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairings: Sirius Black x daughter!reader, Fred Weasley x reader

Warnings: toxic relationships, divorce, parents fighting

Summary: You open up to your dad about why you are afraid to be with Fred

A/N: this is inspired by the song dear parents by sundial because i’ve been obsessed with it for a few days

You loved your parents. Really. They had raised you well, loving you and making sure you had a good life. It was thanks to them that you were the person you were; confident, smart, kind (and a little cocky, let’s face it. Sirius Black was your father).

You loved them and they loved you.

And you knew that they loved each other. You had seen that love growing up. They was your dad lit up at the sight of your mum and how she would make sure to take care of him whenever he was stressed due to work.

They loved each other, even after they had split up.

But, that was the problem.

“Hey, love.” A pair of arms wrapped around you from behind, a body pressed against your back. A familiar head of ginger hair appeared in the corner of your eye as Fred rested his chin on your shoulder.

Your dad had told you that you would be staying at the Weasley house for a few days since he heard that Harry and his parents were here. He told you it was so you could hang around with your friends instead of your ‘old but cool dad’. You knew that he just wanted to see James.

“Good morning, Freddie.” You greeted back, fighting the blush that threatened to appear. You tried to focus on making your tea, though the heat from the redhead seeped into your back and was very distracting.

“Always a good morning when I get to see your beautiful face.” He mumbled against your neck. You rolled you eyes playfully at the line, though you couldn’t ignore the wild fluttering of your stomach.

You turned around in his hold, since he refused to take his hands off of you for even a second.

“I’m not wearing makeup, my hair is tangled and I’m still wearing my pyjamas.” You said. “Still think I’m beautiful?”

“You’re always beautiful to me.” He replied seriously, his eyes burning into your face. “Especially when you’re all natural.”

It was impossible to smother the smile that pulled at your lips. Fred noticed and grinned back, kissing your cheek as your dad and uncle entered the kitchen.

“I’ll see you later.” The redhead shot you a wink as he left the kitchen, practically skipping out.

“Not one word.” You warned the older males once seeing your dad open his mouth.

“I was going to say that you should ask him on a date.” You dad insisted, surprising both you and James.

“You were what?” James asked.

“He’s a good kid and I can tell that he cares about you.” Sirius shrugged. “You deserve someone like that.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” You said.

“Why not?” Your dad frowned, walking over to you. “Do you not like him?”

“Of course I do.” You admit. “I just- I don’t think it would work.” You left the room before either male could say anything else.

Sirius and James shared a look.

“You should talk to her.” James said.

“I will.” Sirius promised. “But she would want it to be just us. If I ask her about it in format of people she’d just joke about it.”

“Sounds like another Black I know.” James snickered as the two left the kitchen.

“Yeah, Reggie really needs to work on that.” Sirius said. James rolled his eyes.

“And then the firework went off. It flew around the room and set George’s bed on fire. Mum was furious but couldn’t tell at us because our ears were bleeding. You should have seen her explaining what happened to the nurse at St Mungos.” Fred laughed at the end of his story.

“Merlin,” You sighed. “How are you two still alive?”

“To be honest, I’m just as surprised as you are.” He grinned up from where his head rested in your lap. You smiled back down, running fingers through his hair.

You two were in the attic, which had been decorated to be more comfortable. You sat on the sofa facing the big window, a blanket thrown over Fred and hot chocolates in your hands.

You turned your attention to the rain hitting the window. You loved rain. When you were younger, your parents and you used to sit at the window seat in your room, your mum reading a book to you as you cuddled into your dad.

It was just one thing from a list of things that had ended when your parents split.

“Are you okay?” You realised that Fred was now sat beside you, watching with furrowed brows, concern shining in his eyes.

“Yeah.” You nodded, forcing a small smile. “I just…I used to do this with my parents.”

“I’m really glad that you decided you could do it with me.” He said. You were grateful he didn’t continue the talk of your parents. “It’s really relaxing.”

“Well, with your life you need to relax a little.” You teased.

“I relax plenty.” He said, faking offence. You raised a sceptical brow and he pouted. “I relax!” He insisted, moving forwards to tickle your sides. “Admit it.”

You squealed, trying to move away from him, only succeeding in making you both fall on the floor. He straddled you as he continued tickling you.

“My dad taught me not to lie.” You managed in between giggles.

Fred paused, letting you catch your breath. He smiled down, admiring your flushed features and shining eyes.

“You really are beautiful.”

You blushed a little as he got off you, helping you up. The two of you were stood barely a centimetre apart, him staring down at you with adoration in his eyes.

Slowly, he slid a hand to rest on your waist and another to the back of your head. You felt your breath catch in your throat as he leaned a little closer.

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered. “I really want to kiss you.”

Your head screamed that it was a bad idea.

“Please.” You heard yourself answer. Fred wasted no time at all before his lips were on yours.

You had heard people say they felt fireworks when they kissed someone. But you felt none of that. It just felt right. Natural.

Fred deepened the kiss for a few seconds and your hand fisted his shirt, returning all the passion. You pulled apart after a few seconds but kept your eyes closed for a while before finally opening them. Fred was staring at you, looking happier than ever.

The full impact of what had just happened hit you.

“I-I-“ You stuttered. You had to get away. “Excuse me.” You practically ran out of the room, hearing Fred call after you and footsteps follow.

As soon as you reached you room, you closed and locked the door, breathing heavily.

“Do I want to know?” You jumped, spinning around at the voice. Your dad was perched on your bed, staring at you curiously.

“Uh, I don’t- you- he-“

“Y/N?” Fred’s voice called from the other side of your door. “Y/N, please open the door. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to pressure you or-“

“You didn’t.” You replied. “I just- can you give me some space?” Your tone was a little harsher than you intended.

“Sure.” Fred said and you hated the sad tone of his voice. You could hear him walk away from your door.

“Ignore my earlier question,” Your dad said. “I want to know.” He made room for you on your bed. You sighed a little as you sat and were grateful he gave you some time to sort your thoughts.

“Fred kissed me.” You said finally.

“And you didn’t want him to?”

“No. I mean, yes. I wanted him to. I really wanted him to.”

“Okay.” You could hear the confusion in your dad’s voice.

“I want to kiss him and go on dates and just be with him.”

“But?”

“But I’m scared.” You admitted. “I really like him, dad. He’s so amazing and special.”

“So are you, sweetheart.” He said softly.

“I know. That’s not why I’m scared.”

“So, why?” He frowned. You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for what you were about to admit.

“Because of you and mum. The only love I’ve ever really witnessed was between you two. You were so great together at first. You were so in love. But then you started to argue more. I remember you once fought during a Christmas dinner over your job. And that trip we took for my birthday, you barely spoke. What if that’s what happens to me and Fred? I don’t want to lose him.” You looked at him, your cheeks wet. “I don’t want to have a love like you and mum.”

He smiled softly at you, wiping your tears.

“Sweetheart,” He pulled you into his side. “I loved your mum. I loved her so much. But the thing was, I wasn’t in love with her. We only really decided to marry because she got pregnant with you. We tried to make things work but you can’t fake being in love. You and Fred have that. You don’t need to pretend.” He hugged you. “You won’t end up like me and your mum.”

“I’m afraid.” You said quietly.

“That’s a good thing. If your scared, it means you really are in love. James was scared with Lily, and they’ve been together for almost fifteen years now.”

“Were you scared with Remus?”

“Absolutely terrified.” He grinned. “But I had you to support me. Now you have my support.” He kissed the top of your head. “Now go get your man.”

“Never say that again, please.” You laughed a little as you stood, kissing his cheek. “Thanks dad.”

Sirius watched you go with a proud smile. Yeah. He had a great child.

[artemisia-black]

Walburga Black- the madwoman in the attic

I recently completed a series examining the intersection between masculinity and mental health, and how this converges through Sirius.

In these posts, I am going to examine how mental illness intersects with feminist theory by examining the women of the Black family.

As readers, we know very little about Walburga Black. And what we do know comes from two very biased sources:

· Sirius- who through his own abandonment trauma, grief, guilt, and rage, portrays her as wholly negative.

· Kreacher – who through his own grief and trauma at watching Regulus die, has canonised her.

And while I don’t think she’s a saint (Sirius clearly shows signs of attachment trauma), people are incredibly complex and nuanced and few are completely good or irredeemably evil.

However, this post is not going to be a deep analysis of her character, but rather an analysis of the harmful tropes that are reinforced by her portrait.

Our first glimpse of Walburga is through Harry’s eyes;

‘ …..The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed.’ (OoTP, p74 Chapter 4)

From this description, the reader is meant to feel physically repulsed by this woman. And this draws inspiration from the ‘Portrait of Dorian Grey,’ where a physically repulsive portrait reflects the subject’s morality.

On a quick sidenote: The idea of moral-beauty (that morality and beauty and immorality and ugliness are intrinsically linked) is a key theme in Harry Potter. Examples include, Tom Riddle losing his good looks as he loses his soul, characters with larger bodies often being immoral and almost every villain being described as unattractive.

However, when her ‘madness’ is added and framed within a feminist analysis, this becomes problematic.

When placed in context, the portrait is painted after Walburga has lost both her son at the tender age of 18 (with no body to bury – he has vanished off the face of the earth) and her husband. In addition to having disowned her eldest son.

She is from a family who takes great pride in their linage and has seen it all crumble around her. And for all her shortcomings as a mother, I do believe she grieved Sirius’s loss (and this left its mark on Kreacher). In summary, she is a woman deeply in the midst of grief when the portrait is commissioned and I believe that similar to her son, she masks her grief using anger.

Furthermore, the idea that she is mentally unwell is not left to reader interpretation. She is explicitly referred to as, ‘mad’. With Sirius describing Kreacher as taking,

‘…Mad orders from my mother’s portrait…’ (OoTP, P103 Chapter6)

And here is where I draw parallels between Walburga Black and Bertha Mason (from Jane Eyre). When Jane Eyre, was published the Victorian readers would immediately be able to recognise the character as an example of ‘the raving madwoman.’

‘Raving madness’ as a trope was first depicted by Cauis Gabriel Cibber's well-known sculpted female figure over the gates of Bethlem "Bedlam" Hospital, an infamous Victorian asylum in London (I’ve actually worked there – it’s a top-rated mental health hospital now).

And while Walburga’s depiction doesn’t have the same layering of race and class as Bertha’s does. It still leans on patriarchal tropes of mentally unwell or hysterical women. Walburga is depicted as raving and shrieking with her hand being described as,

‘…Claw-like.’ ( OoTP, p74 Chapter 4)

Thus, reducing her to a ridiculous, animal-like woman whose perspective is rendered null and void by her classification as ‘mad’.

This reduction of mental distress and mental illness has real-world consequences. We’ve all seen powerful women, being accused of being irrational, often even having this supposed hysteria attached to mental illness. Genuine mental health issues are trivialised by making them the same kind of social taboo as an indignant woman’s voice.

And there are so many more tropes that mistreat victims of mental health problems. For example, villain characters, whose sole motivation behind their deeds is often simply ‘insanity’ – ‘insanity’ which remains perpetually untreated, as well as somehow the fault of the character (this will be explored in my next post about Bellatrix).

My conclusion to this post, is similar to my conclusion about Sirius, that depicting mental illness should never be done gratuitously. The depiction of Walburga lacks any nuance and instead relies heavily on misogynistic tropes that reinforce mental health stigma. And while personally, I find her relationship with Sirius to be fascinating, this could have been portrayed in a much more subtle manner. Particularly as fictional representations of madness have a way of influencing clinical discourses of mental illness and vice versa.

[sitp-recs]

Hello again, how are you? I hope you do well ! I'd like to see if you can recommend me any survival Darry fic. I'd like some fic where Draco and Harry get lost and have to survive together, just the two of them, and they end up forming a very strong bond

Hi there! I’ve had better days tbh but thank you for asking, I hope you’ve been well 💜 here are some fics that came to mind:

World's Edge by RurouniHime (E, 15k)

In the harshest environment on earth, Harry finds that escaping is harder than simply running.

All the Ashes Like Leaves by firethesound (M, 21k)

Nothing about being the Chosen One had prepared Harry for this. With most of the population blinded and man-eating plants running amok, he can only stay close to his friends as they make their way to safety. Not that he’d call Malfoy a friend, but the end of the world does rather make their ongoing feud seem trivial. And it just figures that it took nothing short of an apocalypse to make Malfoy seem like less of a git.

Draco Malfoy, It's Your Lucky Day by Faith Wood (E, 37k)

Even though he's unarmed, injured, lost in the Forbidden Forest, and facing a possible murder charge, Draco Malfoy gets lucky.

Annus Mirabilis by Ren (E, 39k)

Harry and Malfoy are trapped at Hogwarts around the time the school was founded. Stuck with a different way of doing magic, with no chocolate, and with each other, they have to find a way to work together if they want a chance to go home.

Survival of the Species by @romaine2424 (E, 46k)

Draco approaches Harry on the 9 ¾ platform, after their sons have boarded the Hogwarts Express, and invites him over for tea. The discussion they have leads them on an adventure that neither could have expected. There be dragons! HPDH compliant but before any other canon info had been released.

9 ½ Days by @magpiefngrl (E, 69k)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic. Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Consequences of Redemption by bobbirose (M, 120k)

When Draco makes an impromptu decision to rescue Harry Potter from Malfoy Manor, the two find themselves completely alone and facing the looming climax of the war against Voldemort. Harry must start from the beginning with Draco--and starting over has more consequences than either of them anticipated.

Walking the Line by SilentAuror (E, 179k)

Sixth year is over and Draco Malfoy is on the run. The war is on and an unwanted assignment is forced upon him by the only people he trusts - and a one-time arch-enemy just may be out to kill him.

Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n (E, 180k)

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

In The Dark by @bixgirl1 (E, WIP)

In the aftermath of an apocalypse, Harry receives an order to find and bring Draco Malfoy nearly a thousand miles, to the tenuous safety of Hogwarts. But more than distance separates them from their goal. The world has fallen, and death is hungry.

[these-conquered-woodlands]

Severus snape AU (sad-ish)

bit of swearing below.

so, this is derived from an old headcanon i had some years back where severus survived the war and ran off. very common headcanon.

so, firstly, and simply, fawkes shows up, cries, and severus wakes up several hours later, after the last battle.

except here, severus doesn't head off and live a peaceful life in jamaica to get a tan. now that his job is over, there's nothing more for him to do. he's never considered what to do after the war, what he could do with his life after his wretched teaching job, dragging on day after day, teaching brats, the only real excitement coming from his death eater missions. he's always thought he longed for peace, but now they've achieved it, he doesn't know what to do with it.

he leaves, after he hears the celebrations in the castle. he doesn't want to go through all their shock and disbelief and awkward gratitude, and worst of all, their pity.

he heads home to spinner's end. it's the only place left for him. he takes fawkes with him, because he's scared of being alone, and fawkes' singing and companionship is the only thing helping him get through the post-war depression and monotony. he casts a few spells, and the house at the end of the lane at spinner's end is forgotten.

six years later, he receives the paper. harry potter has a new brat. named after two of the worst people he'd ever known, and it takes a while for him to get the anger under control. does he not know who they were, what they did to him? he saw the memory of that dreaded incident- and still?

in the end, all he hopes is that the child ends up nothing like his namesakes.

two more years, the paper again. Albus Severus Potter. fucking hell.

the utter hypocrisy of the man- name a child after his two second worst enemies, then name a child after a man who manipulated and mistreated him most of his life, and himself. as though that was some kind of gratitude. god.

while he's stewed up in anger and confusion, fawkes flies off to get albus's portrait to visit spinner's end through an old watercolor quay painting that severus had fished up from the attic. albus sputters, he's shocked, and quite thankful that severus survived, but severus is merely infuriated. severus shrieks at him, not just about the name, but also about the murder, about his time as headmaster, about the whole elder wand ploy. albus only sobs.

two months later, severus apologizes, and begs him to visit often to keep him from going insane, but not tell anyone, not even minerva. of course albus does. and once again, all severus has is albus. they talk about the new child.

in the end, all severus hopes is that this child is also nothing like his namesakes. that's the only thing he wishes for during the rest of his life. many years after, he decides it was quite kind of potter. very thoughtful. yes. very nice.

the third child. he thinks. years of introspection and reflection has him hoping that she's more like the lovely lovegood girl than lily. lily was brave, and good, but she maybe wasn't quite the person to aspire to. a little judgemental, at times.

then he's alone again, for many years. fawkes and albus are good, but he's depressed again.

now, it's 2021. he's old, his back starts to hurt, his hair has changed color entirely, somehow it's now brown, but with streaks of white.

he's out for the day, trying to get some sunshine in, visiting the muggle farmer markets nearby. and he thought he was careful, he always made sure to switch up his appearance a little, but on the worst of days, he forgets. the carrows see him. they know what he did, and their good old days are impossible to achieve now, and it's all because of him.

the market is a mess, several hours later. severus escapes, but he can't go home, he's too far to disapparate now, and he knows they'll be waiting around the place to see if he returns.

he decides to head off on a vacation anyway. he takes a train to london, he hasn't been there in years. he takes a look around, and then he decides to visit grimmauld place, to see how it's doing. it's no longer under protection, and there are muggles living inside.

he decides he'll try to see someone. tell them about what's happened. all he can think of is lupin, in the end, to his chagrin. he remembers his old address in soho, where he used to stay sometimes. also occupied by muggles.

he decides to go to lupin's old house then. yorkshire? yes, yorkshire. he heads down to the underground.

but again, carelessness, and a bad day.

but it's not the carrows, it's two nervous-looking teens in hogwarts robes who keep tripping over their feet. they look panicked, and severus is also worried too now. he looks around, keeps a hand on his wand. he sees that the boys also seem to have their hands on their wands too. he puts his hands in his pockets and moves closer to them, while trying to look nonchalant. he scans around again for suspicious activity- the lestranges. the fucking lestranges. those fucking fuck-hats. why. merlin. why.

he looks back at the kids, and he ends up looking at them right in the eyes.

shit, that was a malfoy. a malfoy if he ever saw one.

and a fucking potter.

the green-eyed one.

the smaller versions.

he makes the mistake of looking at them in horror, and they move back and whip out their wands and point them at him in fear. they think he's with them. they don't know who he is. now everyone in the train is looking at them. he holds his hands up, like the order used to do for imposter checks. he beckons them to take his wand if they want to. malfoy takes it out of his pocket. the lestranges stand, but they're deliberately not looking at them.

he beckons the kids to sit next to him. he means them no harm. he scowls at the whole compartment, and they look away in confusion. he asks them why they're here. the malfoy boy pipes up, says they'd snuck out of 'my friend albus's place, just for a walk, mister. they just started chasing us and firing hexes. we just ran here, we thought we'd shake them off like that.'

the train comes to a stop. they had to duck down, talk to no one, and keep moving, no matter what. the main goal was to shake them off, get them home safely. before they get off, severus has a moment of wondering why he's doing this, no one's asked him to, they're big enough to look after themselves- but as soon as the doors open, he grabs their hands and walks with them quickly. cruising through a crowd of muggles, they speed off towards the exits.

they don't stop, they make it to the main highway. it's night, there are no cars, they're not sure where they are. much has changed in london, since severus' last visit. the potter boy tries to lead them to a bridge.

the lestranges accost them there. severus takes his wand back from malfoy, fires two hexes in one go, but they're faster somehow. years of anguish and fury at the demise of their cause and severus' role in it has them rabid with revenge-ridden rage.

the kids, those wonderful, scared, brave kids help him. the potter boy does an especially good expelliarmus, and one carrow is down. rodolphus. knocked out. rabastan will be much harder, he knows.

they work together, she stumbles, and he grabs them and runs again- he forces them away, rabastan runs after them. he gives them his wallet, the last bits of money he has, tells them to find another station, go home from there.

the boys tell him something very kind. through the panic in his head, he feels a little touched. but he knows they wouldn't say such a thing if they knew who he was. if he knew what he'd done to their grandparents.

the kids run ahead. he runs back.

the kids don't look back, and albus buys their tickets back to soho. by the time the train leaves, they start to wish they'd not left him.

fawkes arrives, like last time, but he's too late this time.

they return home, and it's full of people. aurors, friends, families. they've been missing for only 7 hours. it felt like so much longer to them. the potters and weasleys were overcome with stress and fear, worried their child would have been subject to the same pain they'd worked so hard to get over so many years ago. the malfoys, for the first time in twenty years, were overcome with panic, and utter relief and gratitude that they've just avoided losing one of their own.

two years later, albus severus and scorpius hyperion were about to go into their last year at hogwarts. they return to the tunnel where it happened. they needed some form of closure. nobody there, no sign of what happened after they'd run away. but they knew who the man was now. their fathers knew immediately. severus snape's body was never recovered, the description was too similar, and the legilimens healer had checked.

a song in the distance. mournful and gloomy, but it alleviated the boys' sadness, somewhat. they came across a young girl nearby, smoking. she spoke of how the police found a dead man and woman in the tunnel, couple years back, and that they'd ought to stay away from it. might be haunted now. a bizarre bird had been seen lying next them, looking sad somehow. she said, that sometimes the bird was heard singing.

the boys stayed there for hours. it was quite peaceful, and they began to feel more at ease with the memories of the night. they returned home quite late, but safe.

they weren't recovered from the events, not yet. but for now, they were more at peace from the weight of severus's last sacrifice.

[theclockworkmonk]

Out of the Mouths of Babes — Chapter 4

Read on AO3

Read on FFNet

Chapter 1 on Tumblr

Chapter 2 on Tumblr

Chapter 3 on Tumblr

Written for Hinny Ficfest 2021

Prompt: “Uncle Ron said something about Harry knocking Ginny up, but I don’t know what he means,” Teddy said.

*******

Ginny had disappeared, dragged through the kitchen door, before Harry could come up with an excuse to keep her by his side. He sighed and took a long gulp from his glass of firewhiskey, welcoming the burning sensation down his throat. Whatever his family was so wound up about, Harry knew he wasn't in danger here, so he hoped the drink would dull his overactive auror instincts so he could enjoy the evening.

"So...how's the shop?" asked Harry, choosing to focus on George, "any accidental new body parts I can't see?"

"Harry, I'll have you know that we ascribe to only the highest of safety standards at Weasley Wizard Wheezes," said George with his nose in the air, "We strictly adhere to a dual-fault system to make sure a trained wizard is on-site to intervene in case of emergency."

"By that he means that he doesn't try any weird shit on himself without me there to rush him to St. Mungo's," said Ron with his mouth full, wincing as his mother smacked him in the back of the head with a wooden spoon for his language.

Harry's eyes narrowed at his best friend. "So you two are already partners now? Really wasting no time on bailing on me, aren't you?"

"Don't be a prat!" grumbled Ron. "No, like I said, it was just a thought that I had. You know, the kind of thought you would hope you could share with your best mate without him jumping down your throat?"

"Well I think it's a marvelous idea," Mrs. Weasley announced loudly from her place at the stove."

George's eyebrows shot up. "Who are you and what have you done with my mother? You're glad that another one of your sons is considering wasting his life at this silly business, instead of a respectable job at the Ministry?"

"Well, if said Ministry job involves chasing after Death Eaters every day," huffed Mrs. Weasley, "Then I suppose my nerves will take any alternative."

She sent a stern look towards Harry and pointed a threatening spoon at him, making him jump back. "You could do well to learn from Ron in that regard, Harry."

Ron was grinning ear to ear, bouncing in his seat from being the favorite child of the moment.

"There's nothing wrong with Ron doing the responsible thing." she lowered her voice to a grumble so Harry barely heard, "at least someone is."

Harry surveyed the tense atmosphere in the room again.

"Okay, what's got everyone in such a mood?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"No one's in a mood!" said Mrs. Weasley quickly.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley spoke up for the first time, and his voice too was less assuring than Harry usually found it. "I'm having trouble with a fascinating new muggle device I've discovered, would you mind giving me a hand out in the shed?"

"Oh. Sure," said Harry easily. Mr. Weasley got up from the table and led Harry outside. They entered the man's infamous tool shed, and Harry noticed new mechanical and electronic devices in various states of disassembly. Mr. Weasley gestured to his work table, where a VCR sat.

"I've heard that muggles use this to see recorded images, like a pensieve, but I've put in those black blocks, and nothing happens."

"Oh, well," said Harry, trying not to laugh, "You need to attach it to a television. It can't just work on its—"

He was interrupted by the door opening again, and Harry was surprised to see Mrs. Weasley entering the shed which he always knew her to avoid, wanting nothing to do with her husband's "nonsense" tinkering.

"Molly, what are you doing here?" Mr. Weasley asked crossly, "We agreed we wouldn't. The boys—"

"I told them I was getting apples from the orchard," his wife said dismissively. She crossed the shed and looked beseechingly at a very surprised Harry.

"Harry, dear, you know how we think of you as a part of this family. We've been wanting to say….we hope that you don't think that has changed because of you and Ginny's relationship. We know young men have trepidation about 'the girlfriend's parents,' but you're not just our daughter's boyfriend to us, you're one of our own."

Harry was as touched as he was confused. "Th-Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," he said softly. "I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"And one reason we had no objection to you and Ginny dating," Mr. Weasley continued, "is that we trust you to always do right by Ginny. To always do what's best for her."

Harry looked back and forth between them, their expressions pointed and expecting.

"Well — ehem — I'll remember that. I promise to never do anything to hurt her." He meant it.

There was another moment of silence before Mrs. Weasley spoke up again.

"Sooooo…." she prompted. "We just want you to be aware that….should you decide to propose…you wouldn't have to worry—"

"What!?" Harry's heart leapt into his throat and he knew his face had turned scarlet. "Oh, no no," he said, putting his hands up. "I'm glad to have your blessing, but we're not ready to think about that yet."

Harry rubbed his neck nervously. It was only a half-lie. In truth, Harry was ready to think about that. He thought about proposing to Ginny damn near every day, in fact. But he was fairly certain that Ginny was still years away from being ready. She was fiercely proud of her independence and she was still dealing with the papers referring to her as "Harry Potter's girlfriend" before "star Harpies Chaser," even without marriage.

Mr. Weasley sighed in what seemed like disappointment and Mrs. Weasley's mouth thinned and her expression turned sour.

"Well...the roast should be done, we should all head back inside."

The Weasleys led the way out of the shed and Harry cautiously followed them. When they arrived back in the kitchen, Harry saw Bill shoot his father a stern, questioning look, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr. Weasley shake his head grimly, and Bill and Charlie gave Harry a glare that would make Mad-Eye Moody quake in his boots.

Harry froze and all the breath left his body. It suddenly all made sense. He was the thing that the Weasleys were so on edge about. Ginny's parents inquiring about him marrying her.

They had somehow found out that he and Ginny were living together.

Harry suddenly felt like a sheep in a cage with several wolves.

"Hey mum," said Charlie, "while you were outside, Aunt Muriel floo-called and said that the gnomes are in her attic again. Apparently she's upset at the way dad tried to take care of it last time."

"Is she sure it's actually the gnomes, or is it the doxies nesting in her hair?" Mr. Weasley grumbled as his wife shooed him into their sitting room and through their fireplace. Harry's heart was thudding in his chest as the few Weasleys he could count on to not murder him due to this secret getting out abandoned him with the curse breaker, dragon tamer, master prankster, and Ministry power-broker.

Several murderous eyes turned towards Harry.

"Look...er…" Harry stammered. "I really thought that, after everything, we had all moved past the whole 'overprotective big brothers' routine."

"Yeah, we thought we had too," said Charlie darkly, "but mum and dad's diplomatic approach clearly didn't work, so the gloves are off. I guess we never figured that the savior of the bloody wizarding world would do this to our sister."

George snorted, still finding this whole thing quite amusing. "Sorry, do this to her? Harry's the real victim here. Ginny's a nightmare already, can you imagine what living with her will be like now?"

"What the hell are you lot talking about?" Ron cut in, looking around the room in confusion.

"I think your brothers have become aware of me and Ginny's...status change," said Harry.

"Oh, that is just so typical!" huffed Hermione, crossing her arms and adopting her lecturing pose. "Ginny is perfectly capable of handling her own life and she doesn't need a bunch of chest-beating men to defend an outdated notion of her 'honour!' I still can't believe how sexist magical society can be sometimes."

"Yes, Hermione, our world is sexist, whether we like it or not" said Bill, not backing down. "You can pontificate all you want about how it's not right, or a double standard, but once the public finds out about this — and sooner or later, they will," he shot another glare at Harry, as if he wrote to the papers about it himself, "then it will change how people see her. And since she's a Quidditch star, the way people see her matters."

"Yup, can see the headlines now," George sighed dramatically, "the ambitious social climber Ginevra Weasley, raised in a pauper's home, so she used her feminine wiles to land herself this sweet gig."

"Look, ultimately, it's none of our business — no, I'm serious!" Ron finished in response to his brothers' looks of betrayal. "Look, Bill, Charlie, you two were only around when Ginny was a little girl. You didn't go to school with her. You never saw first-hand what happens when you try to meddle in her life to defend her virtue, trust me." He shivered a bit, as he remembered the traumatic memory.

"I don't even understand why we have to meddle," said Percy, "I just don't understand your logic, Harry. There's no question you would be willing to throw yourself into mortal danger all over again to protect Ginny. What you're hesitating to do is comparatively easy."

"His reasons don't matter, he should have thought of that earlier," said Charlie, pointing a threatening finger at Harry. "I don't care if this makes me a hypocrite, but you're going to do the right thing and—"

Ginny suddenly burst into the room, causing every word to fall silent. Harry knew that Ginny always hated it when people were obviously talking about her, but as he started towards her, he was surprised when he saw that her eyes were watery with tears. Ignoring all of the eyes on her, she ran straight towards Hermione, throwing her arms around her friend.

"Erm, is something wrong?" asked Hermione. She threw a questioning look to Fleur as she followed Ginny into the kitchen, but the young mother looked just as confused as anyone as she took Victoire back from Bill.

Instead of answering Hermione's question, Ginny withdrew from the hug and smacked Ron upside the head.

"Ah! What the shit!" Ron cried, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ronald, language!" scolded Mrs. Weasley, re-entering the kitchen along with her husband, making the room quite crowded.

"That's your main concern?" asked Ron, "Not the unwarranted physical assault?"

"It's not unwarranted, it's for being a stupid, forgetful git!" barked Ginny

She walked up to Harry and took his glass of firewhiskey, still mostly intact.

"I need this more than you," she informed him, and began to raise the glass to her lips.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!"

Mrs. Weasley's ear-piercing shriek caused everyone in the room to wince, and Ginny momentarily jumped behind Harry for protection. "Merlin's balls, WHAT!?"

"Molly…" Mr. Weasley cautioned.

"DO NOT 'MOLLY' ME, ARTHUR!" his wife shouted back. She had a crazed look in her eye and she was pulling at her hair. She rounded on Harry and Ginny.

"We have tried to be respectful, but you two are clearly not ready for this kind of responsibility! I am so disappointed in you both for not taking this more seriously! You haven't even given a thought to how this will affect your careers!"

"Our careers?" asked Harry, confused. "How would that possibly—"

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. He had gotten it completely wrong about what the Weasleys were talking about. The talk about responsibility, their careers, affects to Ginny's public image.

Somehow, the family had gotten word about the "honour" bestowed upon Harry by the Wizengamot, and all the implications that had for his and Ginny's future together. He supposed it wasn't too surprising that Arthur or Percy had heard about it through their Ministry connections.

He looked sideways at Ginny, and from one look he knew that she had come to the same realization. Both their faces split into wide grins as relief flooded through them that all of this drama was over something so silly. Apparently, the family somehow had the absurd idea that Harry would keep the title and actually take the status, power, and responsibilities being offered to him.

Harry and Ginny cracked up into delirious laughter, leaning on each other for support, which did nothing to help the livid look on Mrs. Weasley's face.

"Oh Merlin's beard, is that what has you all concerned? Don't worry about that," laughed Harry, waving one hand dismissively and wrapping the other around Ginny's shoulder.

"I mean, come on, we're obviously not keeping it!"

There was a moment of silence, then the entire kitchen exploded.

[ssephicuss]

Date ideas with the obey my boys

I'm feeling kinda sad right now so I'm gonna post these date ideas I've had in my notes for forever ^^

Lucifer

Wine tasting

Well he gives off big mum energy so yeah

It's classy, it's elegant and I think it suits him well

Tipsy lucifer is affectionate lucifer

Origami/crafts

I feel like that he really enjoys making those little paper cranes, it's theraputic and they look nice

He's really good it at, teaching MC how to do origami would boost his ego a tonne, especially if MC has no idea how to do paper crafts

He would do the thing where he puts his hand on top of MC's and shows them how to fold the paper

Really it's just an excuse to try to fluster MC

Mammon

Drive in movie

Mammon for sure gives off drive in movie vibes, the kind where it's an old black and white horror flick

Tries to wrap his arm around MC, acting all suave

MC notices and leans into him, gets him all flustered

Mammon is notoriously bad with horror flicks, he tries to be all brave but hides behind MC for a good portion of the movie

Plus drive in movies aren't the most expensive dates either

Photoshoot

Now unlike the horror movie, he is in his element

He teaches MC how to pose for photos

They take plenty of matching outfit pictures together

No one knows, but he keeps a small passport sized photo of MC from their modeling session in his wallet

Whenever he's sad, he takes it out and gives it a quick kiss, always brightens up his day

Leviathan

Arcade games

He would love to take out his henry to the arcade

He's a seasoned cranesanity user, so he's in his element

If MC wants a specific prize from an arcade machine, you best believe he is going to get it

Will not stop until he gets it

May end up spending all his grimm on that machine

Actually loves those dancing arcade games, if you pick an anime op, he's already won

Go karting

Okay but this is totally his vibe

He would LOVE THIS

He's really tall so his knees would be really high up but he's having a great time

Gets super competitive with this, gets pouty if he loses, but after a quick kiss, he's fine

He'd want the pink go kart, it reminds him of ruri-chan

Satan

Botanical gardens

He would love this so much

It's nice and warm, the flowers are in bloom

He would take MC to a bench that's surrounded by rose bushes and such

It's a great place for him to talk to MC

He holds MC's hand and brushes his thumb over their knuckles, eagerly listening to whatever MC he's to say

He loves the scenery, but he loves being with MC even more

He would have prepared a picnic, with cute small sandwiches and fruit (cat shaped cus cute)

Art museum

He is a connesure of the arts

He loves looking into art history, any knowledge behind the painting and he's interested

He's an absolute art nerd and I love him for it

If he comes across a painting that he knows a lot about, he will go on a tangent about it

He'll apologise for talking so much (didn't want to be a bother), but MC assures him that they enjoyed hearing him speak

MC let's him nerd out as much as he wants for the rest of the date

Asmodeus

Thrifting

Asmo loves a good thirft shop

Sure he loves to splash out on his clothes and appearance in general

But he loves the joy of finding that perfect item of clothing, the one that you just can't find anywhere else

He'd find a bunch of items, and he'd do a little diy project with MC, tailoring their thrifted finds

He loves a good vintage moment

Mini golf

Okay hear me out here

I really think that asmo would like mini golf

One of the very aesthetic mini golf courses

He would stop at every course to take photos for his devilgram page

He would find you two the cutest golfing outfits possible

He loves how cute and dainty everything is

After the golfing, he and MC would stop at a cute little cafe for smoothies and gossiping chatting

Beelzebub

Now I'm a big beel stan and I don't like how his whole personality is just food

So

Hiking

He would love to take MC out hiking

He loves swing the sights, atop hike trails where the scenery is beautiful

He would help carry MC if they couldn't keep up

Just loves being with MC, loves every minute he spends with them

They talk, talk about silly things, stories from the human world, stories of the brothers and their mischief

MC gets tired after, so Beel carries them down on his back

Paining date

I feel like a relaxing watercolor painting date would be nice

He doesn't seem like the type to paint, but I love the idea of this big hulking guy, painting a cute dainty river

He really is a sweet guy, he decides that he wants to paint a landscape of MC's favourite season

He isn't the best at it, but MC can tell he put his heart and soul into that painting

Belphegor

Movie marathon

He would have a movie marathon up in the attic with MC

Pillows and blankets strewn everywhere, to make it as comfortable as possible

Would probably watch a series of sorts

Maybe harry potter, and laugh at how the human world portrayed magic

Would end up falling asleep curled up with MC in their huddle of blankets

Lego building

This one came to me a little randomly

But MC would get one if those big lego sets to do together

He would probably grumble a bit in the beginning

But after they started, he would become more interested and would actually want to finish it

While MC is looking for a certain piece, he would snipe they instructions away from them, and would only give them back after a kiss on the cheek

This happens multiple times

[ailendolin]

Deb beh for the ask game ?

Vex, is that you? 😂

One aspect about them I love:

That she’s an ordinary woman. Most heroes nowadays have some kind of special power but Debbie, apart from her Yonderland heritage, is just a mum in her thirties who also happens to be the Chosen One. Her common sense, her compassion and her willingness to help people in need is what makes her special, not any superpowers. Her story is less like the Avengers or Harry Potter’s and more like Frodo’s – and ordinary person just trying to do the right thing – and I love that.

One aspect I wish more people understood about them:

Is there even Debbie discourse out there? I have no idea. The only thing I can think of is that people might have different opinions about her not telling Pete about Yonderland. On one hand, I really wish she would have told him because we’ve seen Pete’s reaction in the Pipple Fruit episode and know he’s going to be completely on board with all the craziness. On the other, I also get why Debbie didn't. By the end of the show she’s sort of reached that point where she kept it a secret for too long. She missed the right moment to talk about it. It would probably feel really awkward now to bring it up and have to explain why she hasn’t said anything for years.

One (or more) headcanon(s) I have about this character:

Once she finally gathers up the courage to tell Pete about Yonderland, she’s very happy to take him along with her (she can’t wait to show him who Ted Higgins from Number 73 really is). Not the kids, though. Yonderland has people-eating plants, monsters in the woods and very overcrowded streets where children could easily get lost. There’s no way she’s taking the twins there, at least not until the novelty’s worn off for Pete and she can actually rely on him to keep an eye on them.

The day their whole family goes to Yonderland for the first time is both the longest, scariest and most exciting day of her life. She’s never seen her kids so immediately at home anywhere before and it makes her feel a bit bad for having denied them this for so long. Her favourite moment of the day is when they visit the Elders and the twins immediately climb up onto the seats so they can sit on Choop’s lap. Debbie tries to take a picture of the moment but nearly drops her phone when Vex says, “Aw look at them. Almost ready to take their places on the council.”

They add the blurry picture to the family album anyway.

One character I love seeing them interact with:

Elf. I just love their friendship so much. One of my favourite running gags in the show is Debbie going, “Hearts and minds,” and Elf randomly naming other body parts because he doesn’t know the saying. I love how that cultural confusion goes both ways and pops up in their conversations every now and then.

One character I wish they would interact with/interact with more:

I would just repeat myself if I said Ho-Tan and Choop so let's say Negatus. I loved the few little glimpses at a possible alliance / friendship we got to see throughout the show and I’m a bit sad that never really went anywhere. I really want Debbie to find out about Santa Negatus and maybe persuade him to play Santa for her kids next year. That could be a great bonding moment for them and I’m sure Negatus and the demons wouldn't mind.

One (or more) headcanon(s) I have that involve them and one other character:

Debbie let Boo stay in her home after he saved the twins’ birthday party. She made him a bed out of blankets up in the attic and he almost started crying when she led him upstairs because it’s been such a long time since anyone has been kind to him and actually wanted him around. By the time morning arrives she's come up with a plan to help him find his footing again in Yonderland - after all, children everywhere were the same and if hers found him funny, it stood to reason the ones in Yonderland would as well.

She asks Wizard Bradley and his Mojo to take Boo under their wings and show him how to perform in front of a crowd. With their help, Boo quickly learns what works well and what doesn’t. The next time Debbie sees him in the market square, there’s a huge crowd gathered around him, laughing at his calculated mishaps, and Boo is beaming with happiness.

“He’s a good kid,” Wizard Bradley says.

Debbie smiles. “He is.”

Already answered: Nigel, Thomas, Robin, Pat, Kitty, Julian, Vex, Choop and Ho-Tan

Next up: Flowers

Ask game can be found here.

[imreallyloveleee]

promptathon week 2

Betty arrives five minutes after eight, carrying her notebook and what appears to be a sack of oranges.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” She drops the oranges on the desk next to his, and Jughead leans over for a closer look. They’re unusually small. And a weird choice for a study break snack – he can’t imagine her eating more than, like, two of them – but then again there are a lot of things about Betty Cooper that are weird. Weird, he often reminds himself, is not necessarily bad.

“That’s okay.” He nods at the fruit. “You skip dinner or something?”

Flipping through the pages of her notebook, she pauses to give him a reproachful look. “We’re on Chelouche Spirals this week. Didn’t you do the reading?”

He did not, in fact, do the reading. He probably could have found the time, but certainly not the will, in between preparation for their Practical Applications exam (he’d nailed it) and constantly sampling the rum Veronica was making in the attic of the Physical Kids’ cottage as she tweaked the recipe for more of a “luxury” feel (she had not; if anything, each iteration was even less potable than the one preceding it).

Three months in to his tenure at Stonewall University for Magical Pedagogy, the study of magic is far from what Jughead had expected. Admittedly, his imagination had been hemmed in by the pop culture of his youth – Harry Potter, the Eldervair and Elsewhere series – dominated by gnarled wands and flowing robes and funny words that could do anything you wanted if you just believed in them enough.

Real magic was math – theoretical math, metamath, theoretical metamath – and handwork so quick and precise it made your knuckles crack and fingers cramp. It was complex languages on the verge of extinction that might actually result in the death of yourself or someone you love if you fucked up a verb conjugation. Real magic was hard.

And yet when Dean Weatherbee had called him into his office a month ago and offered him a spot in the second-year class for the spring semester, he had not hesitated to say yes. Sure, it meant getting completely caught up on the second-year fall semester while also passing his first-year final exams – but Jughead (mostly) enjoyed the work.

It didn’t hurt that it also meant more alone time with Betty, the only other student in their year to be granted such an exemption.

Not that their study sessions have amounted to much. She’s always late, always harried, always seeming like her mind is half-occupied by some other matter entirely, even as she works methodically through one theorem after another.  

Jughead’s heard the rumors: that she didn’t even take the entrance exam, that she just showed up on campus on the first day of classes, despite the wards around the school that should have prevented her from doing so.  Whether they’re true or not, even he can tell that there is something special about the way she does magic. Watching her cast is the closest he’s come to seeing that childhood ideal made real. Betty makes magic beautiful.

Which just makes it all the more painful that she’s been avoiding him since what happened on Saturday night.

Now she is watching him expectantly, vibrating with impatience as he pages through his textbook for the spell. Chelouche sounds French, but it’s not where it should be between Charbonnier’s Eighth Maxim and the Comtois Convergence –

“It’s Algerian.” Betty leans over from her seat and redirects him to an earlier chapter of the book. “I forgot mine, so we’ll have to share.”

Jughead nods mutely, shifting the book closer to the edge of his desk. “I uh, I didn’t have time to read it.”

Chelouche Spirals, he learns, are the magical equivalent of that thing he always did as a kid where he tried to peel an orange rind in one continuous piece. Honestly, it’s kind of a letdown. And annoying, to realize that the second-year classes Veronica and Cheryl are always acting so secretive and superior about are really just a bunch of grad students sitting around learning how to peel fruit.

Betty seems mildly amused by this take on it. “It’s a lot harder than it sounds,” she says. “Try it.”

She places one of the oranges in front of him. Clementines, he corrects himself silently. That’s what she’d told him they were called when he’d asked if he could eat one.

Jughead clears his throat, reviews the spell one more time, and then recites the words in Arabic while he moves his fingers in a counterclockwise, up-and-down motion over the open palm of his left hand. She’s not entirely wrong – getting the movements right is trickier than he’d thought based on the illustrations – but he thinks he’s got it.

Until the clementine caves in on one side, and ejects a stream of juice straight into his eye.

“Ow, fuck!” Jughead scrambles up out of his chair, clapping one hand over his eye. “Jesus fucking Christ – that fucking baby orange just fucking blinded me –”

“Jughead. Jughead! Hold still.” A firm hand circles his wrist, pulling it away from his face; through his unimpaired eye, he can see that Betty is trying not to laugh, standing up on her tiptoes to get a closer look at him. She murmurs something under her breath, and touches two gentle fingertips to the edge of his eyelid. The pain dissipates.

She takes a step back as he opens his eye slowly. He rubs at it cautiously with one knuckle, but all of the citrus seems to be gone. His eye’s just watery now.

“Thank you.” He can’t quite meet her eyes. Given it took all of twenty seconds to resolve, his reaction to the situation now feels a tad overdramatic.  

“No problem.”

A beat of silence passes, and he allows himself to look at her. Her face is tilted up towards him, uncertain, and he thinks again of the party on Saturday night. They’d been standing just like this, but a little bit closer. And a little bit drunk. Toni was playing DJ in the living room, her long pink braids swaying with the beat, turning the bass so low he could feel it echoing in his chest across the room.

He’d been surprised to even see her there that night. Betty wasn’t normally much for parties. But she was there, and her hair was loose and wavy around her shoulders and she was wearing this dress that was – well, it was a far cry from the collared sweaters she wore every day. And if he hadn’t been able to stop his gaze from dropping to admire her figure all evening, then she hadn’t been able to stop smiling every time she caught him doing it.

“I’m sorry I kissed you.” His voice catches on the last word.

Betty’s mouth moves, wordlessly at first. “Oh.”

“Not that – I don’t regret –” Jughead swallows. “I should have asked, and I didn’t, and you have every right to be angry with me. And I’m sorry.”

The tiniest crease forms between her brows. “I’m not angry with you, Jughead.”

He rubs at his jaw; there’s a wet spot on the side of his chin. Probably more clementine juice. “So there’s some other reason you’ve been completely avoiding me?”

Betty turns away, but not before he can catch the flush blossoming over her cheeks. “Yes, actually.”

For whatever reason – probably that he’s an idiot, who responds to social signals in the exact opposite way of how he’s meant to – her admission propels him forward. “What?”

She stops before the desk with the bag of clementines, her back still to him. “Did you know I had a sister?”

Her words catch him by surprise.  “No.”

“I did. I do.” Betty glances at him over her shoulder. “I don’t know who knows. Aside from the faculty, I assume all of them do. Anyway, she died here, when I was thirteen. Polly.”

Any sympathetic words he’s thought about speaking die on his lips when she turns to face him fully. They’re not what she wants to hear. “What happened?” he manages instead.

“I don’t know. No one ever told me.”

Betty opens her hand and holds it level with her chest. A round, plump clementine sits in the center of her palm. Her other hand starts to circle above it, fingers bent like she’s playing piano keys.

He watches as the rind begins to separate from the flesh, peeling away in a long, thin spiral. A lump settles in his throat. It’s frivolous, yes. But it’s a lovely piece of magic.

When she’s finished Betty loops the orange peel over her pinky finger, setting it gently on an empty desktop. She splits the fruit in two, handing him one half.

“I don’t know what happened to my sister,” she says. “But I’m not here to – to make friends and go to parties and – meet a boy.” She drops her gaze on the last part. “I’m here to learn magic and find out what happened to Polly. That’s it.”

“Then I’ll help.”

Betty shakes her head slowly. “No. You didn’t even know her, you don’t –”

“I know you. And I want to help.”

Jughead wants very badly to touch her – to cup her face in his hands, brush his thumbs over her cheekbones. To kiss her again.

But as surely as he wants it, he’s also sure this is not what she needs from him right now. Instead, he waits. He slips his thumb between two sections of the fruit in his hand, separates them. The clementine bursts sweet and tart on his tongue.

Betty watches him, her eyes darting from his eyes to his mouth and back again. Something in her face shifts. He wants her trust, he realizes. He wants her lush mouth and her clever words and her elegant hands – he wants all of her – but more than anything, he wants her trust.

“Okay,” she tells him. “Okay.”

(written for week 2 of @riverdalepromptathon​! prompts used are orange, magic, & anger. this is an AU set in The Magicians universe.)