#my first ron icons

[mariocki]

A young Christopher Lee guest stars as dastardly Larry Spence - a rising star in the world of journalism, turned blackmailer and then murderer - in The Vise: The Final Column (1.16, ABC, 1955); the episode wasn't seen in the UK until 1963, as part of ITV drama anthology Tension

[ladies-of-fiction]

Assorted Icons (128-128)

[pooks]

a little continuation on my previous post.

in a little "what if", Ron decided to send a letter, tell Percy what Umbridge did to Harry in detention and sent proof (a photo of Harry's craved hand)

Percy reads it once, sets down the letter slowly and then decided "nope, time to overthrow this fucking circus to ministry and throw that hag in prison"

next thing Arthur hears is that Percy decked Fudge in the face, let the newspapers print out all his sketchy affairs with proof. it's the scandal of the decade, a massive headache for the auror department, the toad got arrested for "physical abuse, torture of a minor and possession of a Dark object" and the public loudly demands that Percy takes over as minister

Arthur fears it's the Black Family Madness™

Molly is so scared that Percy is gonna get thrown into jail or worse

Bill and Charlie has One Fear™, that is Percival Ignatius Weasley

Sirius laughs at everything and finds this utterly hilarious

Fred, George and Ginny try to understand what is going on and wonders if Percy has finally lost it

Hermione is speechless for the first time

Harry is just :o

Ron doesn't know what to do, all he wanted to do was to throw some shit in Percy's face. he didn't expect him to go Big Brother Mode and fix everything again.

Percy: *sips on tea* and that was that Tuesday. wonder what I'll do next week.

Percy Weasley: overthrows sadistic teacher, corrupt politician and the whole ministry in one day.

what an icon.

[tending-the-hearth]

my personal favorite parts of "transformers one"

warning for MAJOR spoilers below!!! a theater near me was doing an early access screening, the movie is officially coming out september 20 in the us!

first off getting the obvious out of the way with Megatron and Optimus' friendship, obviously we know what happens but when a movie with a clear eventual villain that's been iconic for years makes me hope it retcons everything that has ever happened so two characters can remain friends???? their friendship was EVERYTHING to me

also very happy to see that Optimus is still such a nerd i love him

i did love the little subtle hints with Optimus and Megatron's differences from the start

Elita and Optimus' moments together were my FAVORITES

JAZZ!!!!! BELOVED BELOVED DARLING!!!!!! LOML!!!!!

AND RATCHET MENTION!!!!!!! DR. HATCHET MY BELOVED

I like that they didn't try to hide the fact that Sentinel was not a good guy. Like he was just so skeevy from the start, but they built it up in a way that still felt intense when his betrayal was revealed

Bee <3 he's so silly <3 favorite guy <3

Also the AA-Tron joke was 100% a reference to the A-A-Ron skit which had me cackling

The immediately big brother-little brother connection between Optimus and Bee?????? cries

ughhhhhh Megatron's shift from wanting to help Cybertron with Optimus to just wanting revenge

and Megatron's view being "one person controls everyone" and Optimus' being "all are one" IT'S SO GOOD

AND THE OPTIC COLOR SHIFT!!!!! OPTIMUS' ALWAYS BEING BLUE BUT MEGATRON'S STARTING AS YELLOW THEN SHIFTING TO ORANGE AFTER FIGHTING STARSCREAM THEN TURNING COMPLETELY RED WHEN HE LETS OPTIMUS GO I'M GOING TO LOSE MY MIND

Bee's excitement about the knife hands and Optimus being excited for him!!! They are siblings!!!

also a crime that i haven't mentioned Bee saying "Badassatron" multiple times every time it happened i just lost it

but also love love love transformers and their "someone will die" trope i was expecting the Optimus death 100% but it still was SO good

I also loved how Optimus' voice became more and more sterotypically "Optimus" as he went through his journey, like he started off very goofy and silly, then after getting his cog from Alpha Trion we start to hear more of how we're used to hearing Optimus, then after he's brought back by the Primes it's pretty much a very strong younger version of Peter Cullen's Optimus

the VAs were actually really impressive for the most part. I thought Chris Hemsworth did a fantastic job as Optimus, putting in just enough of a similar inflection as Peter Cullen's voice that it still felt like Optimus, just younger

Brian Tyree Henry DESTROYED me as Megatron, his vocal change through the movie???? emotionally devestating

Keegan Michael Key is one of my favorite Bumblebee voices tbh <3 especially considering we've only gotten a few iterations where Bee actually talks, so it worked for him since he could make it his own

absolutely 10/10 movie, i will be going back to see it next weekend when it's officially out because i'm obsessed

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Chaos Creator's Chapter 266

New title - 33. Do You Think It's Possible With Your Own Power?

TL;DR - Cale reveals that he was an otherworlder sent by a god to stop the god-wannabe dragon. Freedom spies on the emperor. Jungwon says that Dragon Lord came to visit him. Cale is troubled because of gamer Alberu.

The Discussion First half of the chapter was a continuation of Cale's "discussion" with Emperor Alt. Cale revealed about his otherworlder status and his mission, giving Alt false hopes of power when Cale added that he would leave this world after his mission was done.

Of course, Cale knew that Alt's ambition would be hard to achieve, especially when King Dennis was present. Dennis had slyly offered to assign "aides" who would do chores for the mages and swordsmen in Cale's group.

With the great upheaval happening 200 years ago, magic and swordsmanship naturally regressed, so Cale understood why Dennis wanted his kingdom's theoretical mages and reserve swordsmen to "become aides" of the mages and knights in Cale's group. So Cale agreed to Dennis's offer, referring him to Ron and Rosalyn.

The Messages It seemed like the area near the ruined temple of the Chaos God was a no-signal place because Sui's group stopped contacting them after teleporting there. And while Cale was thinking of eventually going there too, he received two messages.

One was from Jungwon who said that the Dragon Lord personally visited him. What? How? Did the Central Plains have a World Tree where the Dragon Lord could use to trace the source of the world and talk to Jungwon, like how he did in Aipotu?

But Cale was more alarmed to read the 2nd message which was from Alberu. Yeah, Cale's bad premonition was correct. Alberu had indeed become an obsessed gamer! 🤣🤣🤣

Alberu's message: I heard that the game is getting a large update patch. It's said that from now on, game users can also build a nation. I plan to try it too. Cale: Ha! Alberu's message: FYI, I was selected as a Rising Newbie, a rising powerhouse among newbies. I think I will participate in the best rookie competition as Roan's representative. Cale: Ha! (Alberu Crossman. That person plans to establish a kingdom in a virtual reality game and be the king. And what? Rising Newbie? How immersed were you in the game to get a title like that!) Cale: *video calls Alberu* Alberu: What? I'm busy now, okay? *moving his pen nonstop* Cale: *shocked* Alberu: What's wrong? What happened? Raon: H-Human! The crown prince has puffy eyes! His cheeks are sunken! We have to give the crown prince 10- no, 100 apple pies! Cale: *covers face with both hands* Aren't you tired? Alberu: *stops writing and smiles* You mean doing both work and games? Cale: Yes. Isn't it better to do it in moderation? Alberu: *shrugs* Isn't it worth a try? Raon: T-The crown prince looks like my human now! Cale: This is driving me crazy.

Oh how the tables have turned. Cale and Alberu have switched their iconic lines of "It's worth a try" and "This is driving me crazy" 🤣🤣🤣 And that Rising Newbie title. Yeah, that's pretty much confirmation of Alberu's game addiction. What have you done to him, Cale?

Ending Remarks The last part about gamer Alberu was hilarious. Next chapter would be Cale's meeting with the pope. I guess we're going to find out soon the chaos the three troublemakers had done there. 😂

[unhinged-romione]

what is your favorite romione fics and what are the ones you’ve written you like the most 👀👀👀👀👀 finding fics on archive have been impossible and a girl is desperate 🌞

Oooh chileeee *rolls up sleeves*

Okay, so I'm listing my all-time favorites below (mostly on FFN since it's been YEARS since I've been plugged into this fandom).

As for my stuff *buries head* this ridiculous ass fic that I wrote when I was FOURTEEN is my main claim to fame (it's trash but also still kinda slaps?). BUT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON A TON OF NEW STUFF. I have six fics coming out this month through the @romione-trope-fest (btw the best active Romione writers are participating in that fest, so you should definitely follow it if you haven't been already! Here's the AO3 collection for the fest.).

ALSO I saw that you are a Renaissance fan. I have one that's 50% done called "Virgo's Groove" (EDIT: it's here!) and it takes place in the seventh book when Lupin announces Teddy's birth. I can share a snippet tomorrow if you'd like 🙂

Okay enough self promo lol. On to my recs!

Seven Simple Years by HalfASlug (FFN): Best Romione missing moments series ever. I think HalfASlug has the best Ron voice. Everything she's ever written for Romione is worth reading.

Moments by Armaysha (FFN): Another missing moments (I'm a sucker for those) that I feel kind of mixed about, even though it's still one of my favs. The writer has a different take on Romione than most of the fandom. It generally works IMO, but some of the choices she made I really didn't understand. But what she did well, she did really, really well.

I Must Not Tell Lies by TMBlue (FFN): I think this is the best one-shot of Romione's first fuck. TMBlue is GREAT at writing Ron and she's like the queen of Romione smut.

Six Foot of Ginger Idiot by Pinky Brown (FFN): This classic is HBP from Ron's perspective. Pinky Brown is another iconic Ron writer. You can't go wrong with anything she's written, but Biscuits (her missing moments series starting in Book 1) starts dragging in the last few chapters IMO.

Australia by MsBinns (FFN): Post-war series, arguably the greatest Romione fic of all time. To be totally honest, I didn't finish it because it does kind of drag. But I'm always meaning to get back into it. Just know that it's heavy.

Love Me Forever by Aloemilk (AO3/FFN): I JUST read this and I can't stop thinking about it. It's a post-war series that has a great mix of angst, trauma, and fluff (lighter than Australia). The slow burn from Romione's first kiss to a full-fledged adult relationship is perfect and the smut is SO GOOD. Reminds me of the time I stumbled upon porn that made me ugly cry (in a good way?)

Not single fics but thesecondself and realmer06 (both on FFN, although realmer06's next gen stuff is also on AO3) are my favorite one-shot writers.

[supercalifragipopculturevomit]

THE BEST OF DANIEL BRÜHL

It’s dumb, honestly.

You get this seemingly brilliant idea of turning to foreign films so you’re forced to read subtitles and focus—a problem you’ve been noticing of late—but in doing so, you end up with a more destructive distraction.

“Who’s that guy, again? The one in all those international productions?” That’s how I found myself on my Daniel Brühl marathon-turned-obsession.

It was his role as the cute Nazi in Inglorious Basterds that first put him on my radar. Over the years, I would see him in The Fifth Estate, Burnt, Woman in Gold, The Zookeeper’s Wife, and The King’s Man. Midway through All Quiet on the Western Front, I was like, “All this needs is that German actor…” and I had to chuckle when he later appeared on screen. I also checked out the first season of The Alienist because I was intrigued by what he and Dakota Fanning as leads would do with such a spooky-looking show.

Adorable as he was in his breakout role in Good Bye, Lenin!, it was his performance in the critically-acclaimed Rush that caused me to spiral. Similar to when Benedict Cumberbatch took on the modern version of Sherlock, it was like seeing Brühl with new eyes. His playful take on Helmut Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the final nail in the coffin. I don’t imagine it’s all too different from what Tom Hiddleston did to fans of Marvel as Loki.

I’m actually at the tail-end of this obsession now that I’ve seen everything I can get a hold of—around 39 films, two TV shows, a documentary, a music video, countless interviews, a bunch of ads, and a handful of fan cuts—but he has a lot of works worth recommending so I thought I would share them on here. This will mostly be a subjective list with priority on projects I found most interesting which showcase his range best. Like, I enjoyed The Bourne Ultimatum but he was on screen for a total of 2 minutes so I wouldn’t include that here.

RUSH (2013) This biographical sports film written by Peter Morgan—the man behind The Crown—centers on the rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 70s. Not a fan of F1 or sports in general. I have nothing against either, just zero interest. But this character-driven film, much like Ford vs Ferrari, had me at the edge of my seat the entire ride. And it surprisingly has one of the best meet-cutes—and accidental wingmen—I’ve seen yet.

Brühl delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in this role. For someone who needed a lot of convincing he could do the character justice, he truly went above and beyond. For one, he befriended and studied Lauda, the iconic F1 figure he was portraying. No easy feat considering Lauda being, well… Lauda. In interviews, Brühl recounts the story of the memorable invite he got from Lauda to meet in Vienna. This would be their first meeting and Lauda told Brühl outright that he should only bring hand luggage so he can piss off if they don’t like each other.

He would end up staying a few days and buying additional clothes.

He also spent a month in Vienna to nail the accent, making sure to capture the arrogance and irony innate to it. And although he got driver training for the role, he also considered the tiniest details like which went on first: helmet or gloves? There was also the tricky business of looking graceful entering a tiny F1 car—a bigger challenge for Chris Hemsworth who plays Hunt—but an obstacle all the same.

All the hard work paid off. It was well-received by audiences, critics, and the F1 world. The first time Lauda saw the film he went, “Holy shit, that’s really me”. Lauda’s friends thought he did voiceover work for it. Director Ron Howard was so pleased with Brühl’s performance that he went out of his way to show an unfinished cut of the movie to the producers of The Fifth Estate (2013). This gracious act would land Brühl the co-lead role opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.

GOOD BYE, LENIN! (2003) Can't tell if it's just because the two films have the same composer and were created around the same time, but this tragicomedy set in East Germany reminded me so much of my beloved Amélie. This is definitely more dramatic and political but it has that same mix of whimsy, heart, and charm. With its budget, it was meant to be an indie film, but the story of a son who would recreate a faux-socialist world to keep his mother alive captured the heartstrings of audiences, not just in Germany but also worldwide. Brühl plays the son and his success with this film was a double-edged sword: although it would open doors for him internationally, he would also be typecast as the “nice guy” in his home country.

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009) This has one of the best, most intense opening sequences in all of cinema… and one of the greatest villains. In this wild alternate universe from Quentin Tarantino, he rewrites the ending of World War II. It’s the right balance of dark, hilarious, and entertaining—my favorite from the auteur’s works. Here Brühl plays a cute and charming Nazi, which is very confusing to the senses.

Aside from Brühl, it was also my first introduction to Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, and Melanie Laurent—all fantastic European actors who’ve crossed over to Hollywood after the success of this movie. “Crossing over” seems ubiquitous now but, at that time, giving most of the lead roles to then relatively unknown actors must have been a risk. But for this, it was necessary. Language plays a huge part in this trilingual film and casting native speakers grounded it in authenticity. Tarantino originally had Leonardo di Caprio in mind to play Hans Landa. Whether he meant for him to learn German or to speak English with a German accent, who knows. Either way, it’s safe to say that would have been a different film.

THE EDUKATORS / DIE FETTEN JAHRE SIND VORBEI (2004) This anti-capitalist film, which has become a cult classic, captures the spirit, idealism, recklessness, and angst of young revolutionaries who just want a better world. Where one stands on the measures taken, or even their sentiment, can be considered a litmus test. With or without reference to this quote from the movie—“Under 30 and not liberal, no heart. Over 30 and still liberal, no brain.”—is up to the viewer.

There needs to be a suspension of disbelief for the series of events that takes place but the setting is necessary for the clash of worlds to happen. It’s not a perfect movie but the issues they debate about in length… they’re still discussions we’re having nearly 20 years later.

p.s. this has my favorite behind-the-scenes of all of Brühl’s projects. Though he hasn’t lost his sense of humor, he seems to have become more reserved as he got older. HERE, at this period in his life, he’s a total goofball bordering on loose cannon.

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER (2021) Though I’ve enjoyed quite a few MCU movies, I’m not invested in the universe at all, so watching this wasn’t a priority. In fact, I was ready to settle on YouTube compilations made by devoted fans of all the scenes Brühl was in. Upon seeing clips, however, I got intrigued by his character so I still ended up watching the miniseries and also Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Both were better than I expected. Civil War is more serious, while TFATWS is more playful, but both face relevant issues along with formidable foes. Brühl’s villain in Helmut Zemo is fascinating because he tears the mighty Avengers apart with mere patience, fury, and intelligence… and his motivations are understandable. He lets his character loose in TFATWS—at one point, on the dance floor—and it’s magnificent. His mission is still the same, but this time he does it with a lot of charm, humor, and fabulous Sokovian style. A Turkish delight, personified.

ME AND KAMINSKI / ICH UND KAMINSKI (2015) Brühl’s Sebastian Zöllner is a repulsive and sleazy journalist who has greasy hair and wears too much cologne but I can’t get enough of his chaotic energy. His magnum opus is hitched on a legendary artist dying and his fantasy is to turn the orphaned daughter into a sugar mommy. It’s all kinds of messed up but he plays the hell out of the smarmy dirtbag so it’s a lot of fun. This is Brühl’s second collaboration with Wolfgang Becker, who directed Good Bye, Lenin! Daniel Kehlmann, the writer whose eponymous book this film was based on, would later write Brühl’s directorial debut, Nebenan.

NO REGRETS / NICHTS BEUREUEN (2001) This is reminiscent of the slightly problematic but highly enjoyable teen comedies and coming-of-age films of the 90s. It’s like an edgier Can’t Hardly Wait: boy goes through cringe-worthy measures to get the girl he’s long been pining for, his two closest pals have nothing but dumb advice to offer, yet he still ends up on the path to self-discovery. It’s awkward, chaotic, frustrating, and beautiful—but such is adolescence.

Brühl and his co-star Jessica Schwarz fall in love on the set of this film. And although they would break up years later, the tenderness between their scenes together is palpable and there’s something rather bittersweet about seeing that captured in perpetuity.

For a more straightforward rom-com, he has Lila, Lila (2009). It’s about a guy who passes off a manuscript as his own to impress a girl and the hilarity that follows. It’s on YouTube for those who need a fun and light watch.

THE ALIENIST (2018 – 2020) Based on the novel of the same name, this moody psychological thriller set in late 19th century New York follows a psychiatrist—then called an Alienist—who investigates a series of grisly murders with methods still considered new and controversial at that time, such as psychology and fingerprinting. He gets by with a little help from his friends, John Moore, an illustrator for the New York Times, and Sara Howard, a society woman who works in the NYPD.

In the lead role of Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, Brühl plays the dark, complex, and mysterious Alienist whose study of mental pathologies and deviant behaviors reveals much of himself and his past.

LESSONS OF A DREAM / DER GANZ GROßE TRAUM (2011) This film is loosely based on Konrad Koch, an educator and pioneer who brought football to Germany in the late 19th century. In the movie, the sport is used as a means to pique students’ interest in the English language and culture—both considered barbaric by the Germans at that time. A heartwarming tale of a teacher who overcomes insurmountable odds and inspires students along the way, it’s the German equivalent of Dead Poet’s Society.

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (2022) This story, the third adaptation of the 1929 novel, “Im Westen nichts Neues”, conveys the futility of war like no other. There aren't as many films on World War I as there are on World War II, fewer ones that tell it from a German perspective, so this is doubly unique in that regard. Powerful watch but 10/10 not like to relive it again. Apart from producing it with his company, Amusement Park, Brühl plays Matthias Erzberger, the German State Secretary who pushes for armistice talks with the Allied forces.

An ideal companion watch to this would be Joyeux Noël / Merry Christmas (2005), another WWI movie Brühl stars in, which depicts the unbelievable Christmas truce between French, German, and Scottish soldiers in 1914. His linguistic ability shines here as he shifts between German, French, and English effortlessly. (Half German, half Spanish, Brühl speaks a total of five languages: those three plus Spanish and Catalan.)

The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017) and Alone in Berlin (2016) also recognize the bravery of defiance at the height of tyrannical regimes. Although between the two, I would skip the latter.

JOHN RABE (2009) This biographical film set in China tells the incredible true story of a German businessman who uses his Nazi Party membership to create an International Safety Zone in Nanking. This was in the late 1930s, during the Rape of Nanjing. In this six-week carnage by the Imperial Japanese Army—which includes sexual assault, mutilations, and killing contests—upwards of 200,000 Chinese are brutally murdered. The protective zone manages to save around the same number of civilians.

Brühl doesn’t play the titular Rabe, but his character, Dr. Georg Rosen, is one of few Westerners who decides to remain and protect Nanking even as conflict escalates. Dr. Rosen was a German Diplomat instrumental in the creation of the safety zone.

p.s. with all these heroic roles in his catalog, I’m convinced Brühl would be a frontrunner to play President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, should a movie be made about him and Ukraine’s conflict with Russia. You heard it here first.

NEXT DOOR / NEBENAN (2021) This is Brühl’s directorial debut. Here he plays a darker, fictionalized version of himself. Definitely not for everyone but quite enjoyable if you’re familiar with his major works and public persona, appreciate the ingenuity of one-location movies, and delight in British-style meta humor.

Pre-requisite viewing for maximum enjoyment: Good Bye, Lenin!, Captain America: Civil War, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

[mrsmikaelsxn]

ABBA Marathon

masterlist

pairing: father sirius black x daughter reader

warnings: like one curse word, tooth rotting fluff, sirius being an icon, literally just a very fun read that i hope has you smiling in your bed

summary: you meet sirius, play chess with sirius, and have an abba singing and dance party with sirius (sirius meeting his daughter post azkaban - requested by anon)

a/n: im so obsessed with this idk i wish sirius was my dad, also sorry this has been in my inbox for so long

song: waterloo - abba

Being Sirius Black's daughter was quite tiring. But also thrilling. Especially since it was your third year when he escaped Azkaban.

Your best friends are Harry, Hermione, and Ron. You couldn't have asked for better ones.

With the rumors of Sirius coming after you and Harry, people had been cold towards you because of your father, not that you could control who your father was.

Right now you were outside, taking a walk in some fresh air. Suddenly a dog comes up to you and barks once. "Why, hello there," you coo and bend down. The dog happily wags his tail and jumps onto her. "Aww, you're so cute!" 

You pet the dog, who leans into your hand. "You are very skinny," you frowned. "Follow me, I'm sure Hagrid has some food I can give you." 

As you two head down, you get near the Whomping Willow. As you pass by, the dog suddenly spins and before you could blink the dog was biting your pants, tugging you to the tree. 

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Dog, but these are new pants." You then get very close to the tree, "Er- I don't think this is a good idea," you say nervously as the branches of the tree start to move. 

The dog looks up in alert and quickly tugs you into some type of hole that they slid down into. "Ah!" The dog jumps up and pulls on your pants again. "Where are we going?"

Finally, you come into an empty abandoned room. "What is this place..."

You walk over and pick up a dusted book, blowing on the cover before putting it back down. You turn around and her eyes go wider than they've ever been. "AHH!" you scream.

"AHH!" 

"AHH!"

"SHH!"  

You cover your mouth and stare at the one and only Sirius Black.

Your father.

"What the fuck," you whisper to yourself. "Oh my Merlin, I'm too young to die! I- I haven't gotten to slap Malfoy yet, I haven't been able to prank Snape! I ha-"

"Prank Snape?" Sirius pipes up. 

"I'm going to die. Oh, Godric," you pace while frantically whispering to yourself. "I'm in the same room with Sirius Black, alone."

He frowns at being called by his name instead of Dad, which it should be.

"Relax, love, I'm not going to kill you."

You spin and face the man, "You're not?"

"No."

"Then why am I here? For giggles and a tea party?"

"One, you're about to find out. Two, I don't like tea," Sirius makes a face. 

"Huh, me neither. Now, go on, tell me why I'm in an abandoned room with an escaped convicted murderer," you cross your arms. 

"I'm not a murderer. I'm innocent, I swear."

You narrow her eyes, "How so?"

"Well, it started when I first got to Hogwarts..."

You wipe the tears from under your eyes, "That is the saddest thing I have ever heard."

Sirius waves his hand, "Now that you know what happened, you believe me right?"

"Of course!" You throw her arms around the man, who relaxes into his daughters hold. It's been a long time since he has had human contact.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid you can't tell anyone about me just yet."

"Why?! If I tell them you're inno-"

He smiles sadly, "I'm not so sure they would believe you."

"But-" Sirius shakes his head. You sigh, "Well, are you going to be staying here?"

He nods, "I guess. It's a bit dirty though, if you ask me."

"I can fix that," you grin. He raises his eyebrows in curiosity. You takes out your wand and flick it. The room starts moving and the dust all collects together before flying out the window. The furniture vanishes and new ones appear. Pictures form on the wall and the room cleans up into a brand new, clean room.

"Wow, impressive. Thank you," Sirius says. You nod and flick your wrist again. In the blink of an eye, Sirius is freshly cleaned and looks well taken care of. His eyes almost water at your kindness. "I truly can't thank you enough."

"That's better, isn't it?" You smile proudly at your work. "Oh! You need food," you think for a moment, "I'll just bring you down daily meals."

"I can't ask you to do that, it's too much."

"It's a good thing you don't have to ask. You mentioned your friend... Remus Lupin." Sirius nods and gestures for you to continue, "He's a Professor this year... anyway, is he a..."

"A...?"

"Werewolf," you say hesitantly. 

Sirius' face goes a bit pale, "What makes you think that?"

"His boggart was a moon, and he has lots of light scars."

"Would it change your opinions about him?"

"Not at all! If anything I think it makes him even better." Sirius nods his head. "Yes... he's a werewolf?" 

He nods again, "You're a bright witch."

"Thank you," you beam. You looks at your watch, "I have about twenty minutes before my friends start looking for me. In the meantime.... Wizard's Chess?"

"Yes! Checkmate!" You jump up from your seat in excitement. "I won!"

"That's not fair! You only won because I'm rusty," Sirius crosses his arms and sinks into the couch. 

"Sure, sure. Rematch tomorrow?" you ask. 

"Rematch tomorrow," you two shake hands and you go to the exit. 

"I'll bring you some food in a little while."

"Bye, darling," he waves, watching you leave. 

A few weeks later, you were on your daily trip to see Sirius. You snuck in through the Whomping Willow, you also learned how to avoid the branches. 

"Hello?!" you shout. 

"Over here!"

You follow his voice and see him digging through a closet. "What are you looking for?"

"I- that's... a good question." He stands up and clears his throat, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"It has come to my attention that you recently made an appearance in the castle."

"Mhm."

"And you didn't inform me about it beforehand," you gives him a blank stare.

"I wanted to, but it took a while to plan and I wanted it to be a surprise," he grins with jazz hands.

"You do realize that I could have helped you in, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to risk you getting in trouble," he frowns. 

"I appreciate your concern," you salute him and he does it back with a chuckle.

"What's in the bag?" He nods to the one hanging on your arm. 

"This, my furry father-"

"That was a horrible joke."

"-Is a record player!" You excitedly pull it out of the bag and place it on a table. 

"A what?"

"A record player. It plays music. Want to see?!"

"As if I would say no to music."

You reach into the bag and take out some vinyl records. "I picked ones that I think you would enjoy best. There is a supergroup that I thought you would really like. They're called ABBA. They're one of my favorites." 

You set up the record player and place one of the vinyls in. You grin at the man as you hit the play button.

"YOU CAN DANCE, YOU CAN JIVE! HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE! SEE THAT GIRL, WATCH THAT SCENE! DIGGING THE DANCING QUEEN!"

You and Sirius continue to shout the lyrics into your fake microphones as you hop around the room with the song blasting. When the room was first set up by you, you placed several privacy and silencing spells, so you two didn't have to worry about anyone hearing anything.

"YOU ARE THE DANCING QUEEN! YOUNG AND SWEET, ONLY SEVENTEEN-"

"GIMME, GIMME, GIMME A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT! WON'T SOMEBODY HELP ME CHASE THE SHADOWS AWAY?" you sing while bouncing on the couch. 

"GIMME, GIMME, GIMME A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT! TAKE ME THROUGH THE DARKNESS TO THE BREAK OF THE DAY!" Sirius continues as he walks and dances as if he were on a stage. 

"MAMMA MIA, HERE I GO AGAIN! MY, MY, HOW CAN I RESIST YOU?"

"MAMMA MIA, DOES IT SHOW AGAIN! MY, MY, JUST HOW MUCH I'VE MISSED YOU?" 

Sirius and you hold hands as you jump together and flip your hair with matching goofy grins. 

"YES, I'VE BEEN BROKENHEARTED! BLUE SINCE THE DAY WE PARTED!"

"WHY, WHY DID I EVER LET YOU GO?"

"BUT NOW IT ISN'T TRUE! NOW EVERYTHING IS NEW!" you grab your wand to create two pairs of light up sunglasses, you toss one to Sirius and you both put them on.

"AND ALL I'VE LEARNED HAS OVERTURNED! I BEG OF YOUUU!" Sirius sings. 

"DON'T GO WASTING YOUR EMOTION! LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON MEEEE!" you shout together. 

With a flick of your wrist, you - much to Sirius' surprise - somehow managed to have a disco ball with neon lights come from the ceiling. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sit in the Gryffindor common room. 

"I wonder what she's doing right now," Harry looks thoughtfully.

"She's been leaving a lot recently," comments Hermione, biting nervously on her nail.

"I hope she's okay," says Ron, "Sirius Black could be out there."

"LAST NIGHT I WAS TAKING A WALK ALONG THE RIVER, AND I SAW HIM TOGETHER WITH A YOUNG GIRL!"

"AND THE LOOK THAT HE GAVE HER MADE ME SHIVER! 'CAUSE HE ALWAYS USE TO LOOK AT ME THAT WAY!" Sirius grabs your hand and twirls you, causing you to laugh. 

"AND I THOUGHT, MAYBE I SHOULD WALK RIGHT UP TO HER AND SAY 'AH-HA-HA, IT'S A GAME HE LIKES TO PLAYYY!" you and Sirius shimmy dance to each other. 

You jump and freeze before breaking out in another dance and sing the chorus. "LOOK INTO HIS ANGELEYES, ONE LOOK AND YOU'RE HYPNOTISED! HE'LL TAKE YOUR HEART AND YOU MUST PAY THE PRICE!"

"SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS ALL THE TIME!"

"I TRY TO CAPTURE EVERY MINUTE!"

"THE FEELING IN IT, SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS ALL THE TIME!"

"DO I REALLY SEE WHAT'S IN HER MIND, EACH TIME I'M CLOSE TO KNOWING, SHE KEEPS ON GROWING!"

"SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS ALL THE TIME!"

"SOMETIMES I WISH THAT I COULD FREEZE THE PICTURE!"

"AND SAVE IT FROM THE FUNNY TRICKS OF TIME!"

Sirius and you wrap an arm around each other's waist as they sway to the music. 

"SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERSSSSS!"

Sirius then starts pretending like he's playing the guitar to the music making your giggle. 

You and Sirius fall back, panting, onto the couch. Sirius turns to you and gives you a high five. 

"Oh my Merlin! That was the most fun I had in forever!"

"Me too, kid. Thank you. I don't know the last time I felt like that."

"You're welcome," you bumps his shoulder. "Oh! And you can keep everything, I have my own."

"Really?"

"Mhm, I'll bring you more vinyls I have. We can have more singing and dancing parties like this."

"I'm looking forward to it." He looks at a watch you got him, "I think it may be time for you to head back."

You look in a mirror on the wall, "My hair is messy from flipping it."

"I can help you with it, if you want," he smiles at you. 

"Really?" He nods. "Thanks!"

Sirius gets up and grabs a brush, you turn on the couch so he is behind you as he brushes through your hair. "I'm going to try to do that braid you taught me."

"Here's a hair tie," you take one off your wrist. 

He struggles at first but manages to do a good, tight braid. "Done!" Sirius claps his hands. 

You look in the mirror, "Wow, you have a good teacher."

He shrugs, "Meh, she's alright." You slap the back of his head, "Okay, okay! Not the hair! Okay, I have the best teacher." 

You nod happily and grab your bag, "Bye, Dad."

"See you soon, y/n," he winks.

[cressthebest]

Crimson Rivers thoughts pt. 42

chapter 64:

1. “They literally just laid their guns down, because apparently they've been spread so thin and their working conditions are so shit that they had all agreed to surrender if rebels showed up.” LMAO me as an auror fr

2. LMAOO “As it turns out, a war not hard-won is just…awkward.” NOT FOR LONG

3. SCREAMING OH MY GOD AROMATIC/AROSPEC BARTY!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD

4. amos noooooo!!!!!! i loved him!!! no!!!!

5. “This is what no one says:

It's war. What did you expect?”

what if i started crying, huh? what would you do then? if i started crying???

6. “They never find out why those fifteen people weren't immune when everyone else is. They never will. Sometimes, in life, things will always be a mystery.” those fuckers were dehydrated af

7. NOOOOOOOOO SYBILL!!

8. heavy angry breathing at the “13 to dine, first to rise dies” reference

9. oh my god i’m grinning so hard over their disability aids. the cane and hearing aids and gloves!!!

10. “What James wants, James gets.” 👀 *cough pillow cough cough princess cough*

11. SCREEEEEEEEE NO ONE EVER THINKS TO LOOK UP

12. seeing rudolphus cry over rabastan as sirius and regulus are watching is freaking heartbreaking

13. “it wasn't until Remus soothed him that [Sirius] stopped threatening to choke Dumbledore with his own beard.” dhkajdksjdksksjdkjsjd ME FR

14. “When [Remus] was young, he punched walls and spit in the face of Aurors dragging him to whipping posts. He had blood in his mouth more often than something sweet, and so that became his favorite meal.” holy shit holy shit holy shit this is like an iconic line that people need to quote more often. it’s so badass

15. 😦😦😦 what happened to lily’s house. what happened. what happened to it???!

16. the lupin reunion has me on the brink of tears

17. “"I'm warning you, Tim," Regulus snaps, "if you touch me, you're going to die."

Tim doesn't listen to him”

regulus continuously gives warnings about what he will do if people don’t listen to him. and for some reason, people still fucking test him

“he's starting to think he's some sort of prophet or something.” 😭😭😭

chapter 65:

1. kingsley and lily never being close again breaks me more than i can describe.

2. lily and bingley ☺️☺️

3. stop!!!! stop making plans!!! marlene and dorcas need to stop making “after-war” plans!!! i can’t do this shit!!!! no!!!! it’s gonna break my heart!!

4. marlene with a baby giving dorcas baby fever. i just. i can’t. i can’t do this

5. “someday, people will look back on these battles and describe them in numbers instead of names.” this is a line i’ll remember long into my life. i’ll never forget this line. genuinely

6. “"Hi," Sirius greets warmly when the door opens. His eyes are sparkling. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

Remus nearly melts. "Hi."

"Is that boy of yours at the door?" Lyall calls out, and Remus grins the moment Sirius looks delighted and flustered by this title, his face turning red.”

same vibe

7. remus and lyall fucking with sirius is written genius 😭😭😭

8. sirius is literal just kissing and biting and sucking all over remus’ neck and ears, and remus is literally talking about how people died 😭😭😭 wtf that’s so them fr

9. remus and sirius are the ultimate ship to me, forever and always. to me, they’re more canon than harry and ginny or like ron and hermione. i love them, your honor

10. “the mere thought makes him feel entirely too happy to describe. So, naturally, he treats it with suspicion”

bruh this is like harry resisting the imperious curse 😭😭😭

11. knife kink james is back y’all. reg is like “i’ll never hurt you with a dagger.” and james is like, “oh. 😞” BYE

[moldyfruitsalad]

part 2 of my friends' thoughts about good omens her first time through it (episodes 5 and 6 of season 1):

crowley should have been discorporated in the fire on the m25

hastur killing an entire room of people was wild

ron ormorod had every right to rip brenda to pieces

the kids forgave adam so quickly after he said sorry, like none of that even happened

aziraphale is a good angel

gabriel's lines are iconic

THE BENTLEY NOOOO

adam is a good kid even though she's terrified by him

death killing an entire room of people, while it makes sense, seems like a bit of overkill

pepper is iconic

(episode 5) are aziraphale and crowley gonna fall in love?

crowley's 70's look goes kinda hard

dick turpin is a weird car

newt is asking all the right questions, but also, you don't have time for this shit. armageddon and whatnot

how the fuck did those kids take out 3 of the horsemen?

the satan graphics are so cool

she agrees with adam that every apple is worth the trouble you get in for eating it

the bookshop burned down :(

aziraphale is going to stay at crowley's place???

okay, there is definitely a love story happening here

this all must have been part of god's plan

"it's tickety-boo"???

mass hallucinations is a hilarious cover up when they know it was real

crowley is her favorite

she loved season 1 so much

this is not in any particular order. i don't remember everything because it is more than a day later and we were exhausted at the time of watching. my computer fucked us over and we had to walk to her house to finish the season, which was a nice touch to our day of being trapped miles away from either of our houses for hours without any water in a heat wave. but she LOVED the show, and that made me so happy. i was having a great time listening to her come to the realization that they're in love. we're gonna try to watch season 2 soon, but there are some schedule things getting in the way of that

[dirty-bear-rick-sanchez]

I have some kind of mixed feelings about part 2 but some things I appreciate under the cut (messy and non-linear):

I love that we’re getting more content from the other team leads this season and also that we’re seeing interactions between them that we haven’t seen before? Like Glenn and Myc bonding over looking different in the first episode? Brett and Andre defending Gigi in that episode? Brett and Andre friendship in Rontagion?

This kind of falls into the top one but Reagan and Gigi becoming gal pals and Reagan having her first ever female friend? I love it

Also the Reagan and Brett dynamic is top tier this season. Brett is so supportive of Reagan and I also love that they’re allowed to be so affectionate but still platonic friends (no offence to Breagan shippers, it’s just not my cup of tea and I just love Reagan and Brett and platonic besties).

Myc being a nerd who ran away from the other mushrooms because they were mean to him is a great backstory. Tropey? Sure, but I love it.

I also love that Ron actually says he would’ve liked Reagan to confess to him in the broom closet (like she originally planned) - they really are good for each other

Andre fucking his own clone is great. Honestly he was just an icon this season

I thought it was actually nice to get some actual development of Reagan and Tamiko’s relationship this season. It’s nice that their relationship is considered salvageable (not so keen on how they handled the thing with Rand but I did like that Reagan still put her foot down and sent him to Shadow Prison X)

The dynamic between Rand and JR this whole season is great and I love their college flashback as well.

JR definitely lost the games on purpose every year so he could be humiliated by kissing the ring in front of everyone (you’re telling me this man doesn’t have a humiliation kink?)

Also the dynamic between Rand and the head of the Illuminati was great and the second we had the reveal of Ron also controlling the head of the Illuminati I just knew what was coming but I still loved when it happened anyway (the kiss)

I don’t know if I should admit to this one but I definitely found it hot how Rand was being humiliated in front of everyone at the games

Brett having a secret passion for puppets is adorable and I love it

Also the Hand family ranking their children every year is hilarious and extremely in character. Made me feel so bad for Brett, I love it, 10/10

I like that we’re getting recurring appearances from minor characters like Mothman, Grassy Noel, Kate (and RepliKate, what a great name)

The fact that Myc’s dream timeline was one where he was pregnant is fucking adorable

You’d better believe I cried when Reagan forced Brett to his own dream timeline and when he returned because he made notes on his poster

Also at the reveal that Reagan saw the only way for Ron to be happy was for them to break up and chose his happiness over their relationship. Also I know some people weren’t fans of Ron because they felt like he was unnecessary/rushed but honestly having a gender-swap of the typical ‘female love interest is just used as character progression for the male protagonist’ felt pretty progressive. I also liked how he was shown to be similar to Reagan and actually had his flaws presented similarly to hers (e.g. not getting on well with people) even though female characters are often hated for the same flaws that are excused or even enjoyed in male characters

I have to admit that the end scene with the robes ‘how could she? After all, she’s only human’ was fucking cool

I loved everything about Alpha-Beta this season

And finally, thank fucking Christ that Ron wasn’t revealed to secretly be Reagan’s brother or something because as an RnM fan I can’t take much more incest at this point

Side note to that last one: fun little theory that Ron is actually a clone of Reagan (one of them can be trans, as a treat) and it was revealed and that’s what actually lead to the clone fucking discussion at the start of that one episode but they erased their own minds and everyone else’s and let Andre take the fall (either it was intentional and they set that up as a distraction or it was unintentional and Andre just happened to be fucking his own clone anyway, take your pick)

[saintsenara]

My first two ideas are extremely serious and my last two are extremely deranged:

Hermione/Ginny

Poppy Pomfrey/Minerva McGonagall

Dobby/Sorting Hat (Dumbledore/Sorting Hat?)

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

hermione granger/ginny weasley

i'm going with... success, following a bit of character-wrangling.

i often think that the fandom has a tendency to over-egg the depth of hermione and ginny's friendship within the canon timeline - clearly they get along well, and like and respect each other, but it's also apparent that the dynamic between them is that of a big sister and a little sister, rather than besties who are equals.

it's striking, for example, that the advice hermione gives to ginny about how to deal with her feelings for harry doesn't seem to go both ways - there's never any suggestion in the books that ginny and hermione ever talk about her feelings for ron, and while this isn't to say that ginny doesn't notice them, it's evidence that she and hermione don't talk about harry in a "teen girls yapping about boys" way, but in a "here's my advice as someone who considers myself responsible for you" way.

[they clearly do yap about other boys - hermione's the source of the gossip that ginny's dating michael corner, ginny knows that she kissed krum - but the text is clear that these are things that everyone other than ron and harry could figure out...]

it's also striking that, on the one occasion in canon where we see ginny and hermione snap at each other - when hermione's scolding harry for the sectumsempra incident - the thing which puts ginny's back up is hermione being condescending and assuming that she knows what's best for everyone...

the big character arc that hermione undergoes as the series reaches its conclusion is her learning to accept the fact that one of her defining traits is inflexibility, and to let the positive manifestations of this [her extraordinary loyalty, her resilience, her rationality, etc.] shine while the more negative ones [her tendency to meddle, her being a sore loser, her unwillingness to consider multiple viewpoints, etc.] become things she gains the life-experience and perspective to manage.

ginny doesn't really get a proper character arc, because her main narrative purpose is to be harry's happy-ever-after - she represents the normal life to which he can return once his hero's journey is done, which naturally precludes her being someone who changes as the series draws to an end.

[as she herself says - she fell in love with harry when she was ten and "never gave up on" him...]

but she can - nonetheless - be given one by authors who aren't bound by the genre needs of the later series. and - in particular - be given a character arc which plays with her canonical archetype.

ginny is clearly someone who is very stubborn - which i mean as a compliment. she's steadfast, she's very good at enduring hardship, she's brave, she's self-reliant [her teaching herself how to play quidditch! iconic!], she's prepared to get knocked back and keep going, and so on.

but she's also clearly someone who finds it hard to recognise the point when being tenacious turns into being masochistic - someone who struggles to understand that it's just as bad for you to never give up on things as it is to always give up on them.

and, of course, her learning to deal with this tendency as she gets older doesn't prevent her ending up with harry. but i think that there's a great premise for her and hermione getting together post-war while they go through this process of growing - as ginny learns that she and harry staying together isn't going to be happy-ever-after, and that she's right to walk away, and hermione learns that, when she stops seeing ginny as someone she has to advise and starts seeing her as someone she just has to hang out with... there's something between them that neither expected.

minerva mcgonagall/poppy pomfrey

beautiful. iconic. transcendent.

and outlined in more detail here:

albus dumbledore/dobby/the sorting hat

dumbledore and the hat are a couple, except - since the hat is a poor communicator and that's why its songs are so shit - dumbledore doesn't realise that they're in an open relationship.

[whinlatter]

Hi! I love your writing think it’s phenomenal work. It’s really such a genuine and intimate depiction of Ginny. I also see you have an appreciation of Dean Thomas. I’d love to know why you think Ginny was attracted to him? What do you think their relationship was like and how did it help them for their next partners? I just think that pairing was really interesting and there’s not enough of them being friends.

❗️ Warning... big Dean & Ginny meta incoming ❗️

Firstly - thank you so so much for reading and enjoying my work (phenomenal!!! I’ll dine out on that all week - can't thank you enough).

Secondly - what great questions! This was such a fun thing to think through. Dean’s a quietly lovely character I have so much time for, despite being very underdeveloped in canon (cutting his arc to exclusively favour Neville’s? Side-eye forever). I'm definitely a paid up member of the Dean Thomas Fan Club.

Anyway….. the questions were so good I wrote this too-long meta on Ginny and Dean before going to bed because I apparently… cannot be stopped?

Why was Ginny attracted to Dean?

I think for this question it’s important to think about the timing of when Ginny and Dean became close and when they got together, and especially what Ginny was looking for during and after her relationship with King of Negging, Michael Corner. There are three weeks between the break-up with Michael and Gin getting together with Dean, so we can assume Ginny and Dean had already become close and maybe a little flirty when she was with Michael (Ginny Weasley likes to give herself a nice four-week breather between boyfriends, usually just in time to watch the early summer weather roll in. I for one respect the work rate and the consistency.)

Ginny is with Michael until late in her fourth year, until they break up after the Quidditch final in early June. Dean has his OWLs until late June (just realised Ginny dumps Michael right before his exams - this is how you get revenge on a Ravenclaw).

The events in the Department of Mysteries take place the day exams finish (cue iconic scene where Harry’s rushing up to the dormitory to grab his Cloak and save his godfather’s life and Seamus and Dean are trying to get him on the sesh, absolutely rate it, excellent from the lads). Ginny’s going out with Dean by the time she gets the train home, probably by the end of June.

Given the short turnaround time between relationships, I think it’s likely Ginny and Dean became close during the rest of the school year, where she was able to learn the following things about him (and implicitly compare him with Michael as Michael revealed himself to be, as the great prophet Ronald foresaw, ‘a bit of an idiot’):

Dean Thomas knows right from wrong (and really, really can’t stand Dolores Umbridge). In their first lesson with Umbridge, Dean is by far the person in the class who stands up to Umbridge the most after the trio (he actually comes out swinging a lot more than Ron does). He immediately subs in for Harry when Umbridge refuses to answer any more of Harry’s questions. He defends Lupin and Crouch-as-Moody when Umbridge criticises them (describing Crouch-as-Moody as a maniac but saying ‘we still learned loads’ is extremely funny - Dean's pedagogical expectations are low). Dean is an extremely enthusiastic DA member, he and Ginny often arrive at meetings or take part in dinnertime conversations about the DA together, and I think they likely became mates because they’re passionate about what the DA is trying to do. We know Gin likes a boy with a moral compass, a backbone, and a good sense of outrage in the face of injustice. (I cut this out of a much lengthier first draft of chapter one of Beasts, which had all the DA at the graduation ceremony, but this was their interaction in response to another character acting up: ‘[Ginny] feels an old rush of affection for Dean, a man who always had a good scowl in him when it mattered.’)

Dean’s a sweetheart, even if he’s a bit hopeless. Dean’s a character who is often trying to make people feel better about things and trying to give a bit of comfort – emphasis on trying, because he’s not always good at knowing exactly what to say. I think this is something Ginny would really value – she’s someone who, for all her fire, tries to comfort and support the people around her. I reckon she’s got a soft spot for a man with a heart in the right place and a chronic inability to find the right words to express it. ('“Don’t worry about it, Harry,” Dean muttered, hoisting his schoolbag onto his shoulder. “He’s just . . .” But apparently he was unable to say exactly what Seamus was, and after a slightly awkward pause followed him out of the room.' OotP, 221 - does this not sound like how Harry would try and comfort someone?) 👀

Dean is kind to the underdog. Dean is often seen hanging around with or partnering up with Neville, and in DH, we’ll also see Dean be very kind towards Luna. I think Ginny rates people who are kind to those who are socially awkward and excluded.

Relatedly... Dean loves Remus Lupin. I wrote about this a bit in this short reflection on Remus (and am writing about this at the moment so don’t want to get too spoilery if you’re reading Beasts…), but I have a feeling being Remus Lupin’s biggest fan would be a sure fire way to get a text back from Ginny Weasley.

Dean’s into sports. Like her soulmate, Ginny’s into fellow jocks (I think it's implied that Michael Corner was also on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team – three for three on Quidditch players, Ginevra, if you were on Love Island I’d say you have a type). I think she’d also be amused and endeared by Dean’s die-hard commitment to West Ham - she is Arthur Weasley’s daughter, after all, and she probably enjoys teasing him about how crap football sounds. (That bit in PS/SS where Dean’s yelling ‘send him off, ref!’ – 10/10 excellent Dean content). Also Dean does not seem threatened by Ginny’s Quidditch abilities, but instead just really wants to be on the team with her too, which is a nice change from Michael Corner, the Jack Berger of Hogwarts Quidditch. (Sorry Michael, I know you end up a gold star goodie by DH, but young Mike is a prick to our girl Gin).

Dean is a laugh. Chuckling at Ernie Macmillan in his Apparition classes, mucking about with mice in Transfiguration, getting the giggles because this Lockhart bloke has set a quiz asking students to name his ideal birthday gift: Dean is both fun and funny. That bit in GoF where Dean describes Warrington in Slytherin as a ‘big bloke who looks like a sloth’ – funny.  The bit later in GoF where Dean rinses Harry for rejecting that curly-haired Hufflepuff girl who wants to go to the ball with him – also funny. Ginny Weasley likes a comedian and she also likes an audience. I think that means a big tick in the Dean Thomas column.

Dean's a creative. This is verging on headcanon territory, but I really do love the idea of Ginny finding her way back to writing in the years after Riddle and the diary. I can see her being drawn to someone who also has this gentle, expressive, artistic side to them.

Dean’s not averse to dealing in contraband Firewhiskey. If you’re a fourteen year old popular girl with a rulebreaking streak, the boy who can source you some Firewhiskey for an end of exams party from a cool kid like Harold Dingle is hot property.

Dean… er, really likes Harry. Not Gin's finest criteria for a boyfriend, but I think In GoF, the man draws Harry flying around the Horntail on his Firebolt and draws Cedric, his rival, with his head on fire. It’s not a hugely good look for Ginny, but I reckon Dean really liking Harry probably, in a strange, back-to-front kind of way, is another vote in his favour (Gin, you're messy, and I love you for it).

What was their relationship like?

I loved thinking about this question! It’s easier to write about why Ginny and Dean broke up than it is to write why they stayed together so long, and what good stuff they took from the relationship. Dean's easily bashed in Hinny fic in all sorts of different ways, and I don't think it really tallies with the really positive impression we get of him in canon. Ginny and Dean spend a lot of time together over the year - eating most of their meals together, training together, spending all of their Hogsmeade time with each other. I know it’s a teenage relationship, but this is still so much time to spend with one person. It also actually takes them quite a while to breakup, even if they’re ‘rocky’ for much longer. There's something to their relationship that must, on some level, have worked quite well. After all, it would have been a lot easier for Ginny to have dumped Dean if he was a crap boyfriend. It’s much harder to dump someone who is a good partner, but not the right partner for you.  

I think that's the problem for Ginny: Dean was kind of perfect for her in lots of ways - but for the person she would have been if Riddle hadn't happened to her, and if the war hadn't happened. Their relationship was clearly based on a lot of mutual attraction and chemistry (that kiss Ron and Harry saw was intense, lads - there's a reason Harry was threatened by it, after all). I think Dean was proud as hell of Ginny, especially on the Quidditch pitch (he's so excited to tell her he's going to be on the team with her!). I think he would think she's super cool, and I like fics and headcanons about Dean that show him trying to internalise his feelings about his own dad into doing right by his girlfriend, even if that means overshooting and being overly chivalrous and over-protective with Gin. I think one of the reasons Ginny stayed in the relationship so long is because they genuinely got on, had a laugh with each other, and fancied each other, in a way that she would feel conflicted about when she still feels drawn to Harry.

Really I think it's Dean being so great that is the problem for Ginny. If she's with this really great guy and she's still feeling restless and like something's missing, she knows that means she's still not over Harry, and that means she's in trouble. I think it's why Ginny sabotages the relationship, in very understandable ways, and in the end she finds herself getting the ick over little things, and picks a fight to end it rather than come clean about being in love with someone else. (No judgement: again, messy girl representation is important).

Ultimately, I think Harry is perfect for the Ginny that actually exists, and Dean would be a good match for a hypothetical Ginny where there was no Harry, who doesn't have a family in the resistance, who doesn't have all this trauma from what happened with the diary, and who isn't shaped and forged by a childhood at war. Until DH, Dean doesn't seem to know anything about the Weasleys' involvement in the Order. We have no evidence anyone other than Harry, the Weasleys, Dumbledore and Hermione ever knew Ginny was possessed by Riddle, and I don't know that Ginny would volunteer the information to Dean. (The only reason she brings it up to Harry in OotP and again in HBP isn't because she wants emotional support for it - she only brings it up to try and help him. This is not a subject she talks openly about even with the person who knows most about what went down). This lack of knowledge about crucial parts of Ginny's life would mean huge gaps in understanding between them - not gaps that are Dean's fault, but that Ginny doesn't try to get him to bridge. Dean can't meet Ginny where she's at emotionally at the point in the series where they get together, in many ways because he's much closer to a normal teenager than she has been able to be up to that point. At the end of the day, Ginny's always going to want to be with the strange guy racing to the Department of Mysteries to rescue a loved one and fight Death Eaters on a Friday night than a nice normal guy who is planning on drinking his own weight in Firewhiskey to celebrate him finishing his Wizarding GCSEs.

How did it help them for their next partners?

I think Ginny would always speak highly of Dean, appreciate that he made her feel loved and someone a boyfriend should be proud of, and I think she would feel some guilt about what went down. I think, eventually, Dean would acknowledge that he didn’t fully understand Ginny and what she was going through, and that he couldn't have been able to meet her needs in the same way Harry could. (I do think this would take a while, though - on the way out, Dean would be understandably very bitter, even if bitterness would be quickly surpassed by the much more serious escalation in circumstances in the war for an apparent Muggleborn. Thinking about it, Dean Thomas had a terrible 1996. Man got dumped and then within three months was homeless and on the run from a murderous fascist regime trying to do him in. Like, I know this is very much not funny but… if a man I had shared a bedroom with for six years and called a friend publicly scooped my ex from me from under my nose, dumped her a few weeks later for mysterious reasons, and then I had to look at his face everywhere I looked on wanted posters, I would be a lot more mad at Harry Potter than Dean Thomas ends up being).

Ultimately, though, I think both would look back on the relationship as a sort of sweet teenage thing, with a lot of warmth and humour to it, probably some sweet confidence-boosting intimacy early on, and a bit of a lesson that you can't make someone be the right person for you. I like to think Ginny and Dean end up mates, in the end, and that she's always rooting for him to find someone great.

[vivithefolle]

What are your thoughts on the bad future in Cursed Child where Hermione basically becomes Snape as a teacher just because she didn't get with Ron?

Oh, I'd written a Quora answer about that! Let me get it-

In the alternated universe in Cursed Child, Hermione became a Snape-like professor because she lost Ron. Is it just bad writing because she'd never be like that? Why?

Au contraire, I think it’s the only bit of characterization in this garbage play that makes sense.

And I’m not saying that because I love Ron, I’m saying that because I know Hermione rather well - I’ve been a very Hermioneish person in my life.

I’ve been that girl who wanted to answer every question I knew the answer to, because I liked to show off what I knew, I liked it when the teacher validated me, I liked to be seen as clever by the adults. The adults were the most important people, after all they were the ones who handed out the punishments. Therefore it was important that I endear myself to the adults considering that they were the only people who could protect me from the other kids’ bullying.

I was bullied. A lot. As a result, I hated my schoolmates. I despised them with all my being. I only trusted the adults and a select few fellow kids who didn’t bully me. My philosophy? “The adults are always right. I’m always right, unless the adults say otherwise. My friends are always right, unless the adults or I say otherwise. Everyone else is stupid and useless.”

Notice a pattern?

It’s quite easy really. The more I was bullied, the tighter I shut myself out. Every new act of bullying was only vindicating me. The world is made of idiots, idiots and more idiots. There’s nothing out there but idiots, and they prey on the smart people like me.

When Hermione made friends with Harry and Ron, thankfully, they stopped her from leaping into misanthropy entirely. They grounded her, gave her something to look forward to other than school. They made her realize that people who don’t care for school aren’t necessarily complete dumbasses who’ll never achieve anything with their lives. They brought some humanity to her. Some much-needed emotion and empathy.

They got her away from her feeling of superiority and made her accept that she wasn’t perfect, something that is incredibly important considering that being perfect is impossible.

[…] Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.

(Lookit those two Dads parenting their perfectionnist daughter. Iconic.)

Okay, so, we know how Hermione reacted when Ron dated Lavender Brown, right?

No, I’m not talking about the birds, I’m talking about after that. After she threw her hissy fit, she went on to bully Ron for months on end.

“Hi, Parvati!” said Hermione, ignoring Ron and Lavender completely. “Are you going to Slughorn’s party tonight?” “No invite,” said Parvati gloomily. “I’d love to go, though, it sounds like it’s going to be really good… You’re going, aren’t you?” “Yes, I’m meeting Cormac at eight, and we’re -” There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink and Ron surfaced. Hermione acted as though she had not seen or heard anything. “- we’re going up to the party together.” “Cormac?” said Parvati. “Cormac McLaggen, you mean?” “That’s right,” said Hermione sweetly. “The one who almost” - she put a great deal of emphasis on the word - “became Gryffindor Keeper.” “Are you going out with him, then?” asked Parvati, wide-eyed. “Oh - yes - didn’t you know?” said Hermione, with a most un-Hermione-ish giggle. “No!” said Parvati, looking positively agog at this piece of gossip. “Wow, you like your Quidditch players, don’t you? First Krum, then McLaggen…” “I like really good Quidditch players,” Hermione corrected her, still smiling. “Well, see you… Got to go and get ready for the party…”

And

“How did you do?” asked Ron, hurrying toward Harry. “I think I felt something the last time I tried - a kind of tingling in my feet.” “I expect your trainers are too small, Won-Won,” said a voice behind them, and Hermione stalked past, smirking.

You know how many pages there are between these two happenings? Seventy. 70!! In-universe, it goes from December to freaking March!

And by being away from Ron, Hermione also reduces the time she spends with Harry. Because Harry won’t seek Hermione out, it’s always Hermione who will come see him - and only if she has something to tell him.

So, without Ron, Hermione would consequentially drift away from Harry. Without Ron to bicker with, without Ron to act as a buffer between her controlling tendencies and Harry’s rebellious nature, Hermione would close herself off and ignore other people.

Now, as for why she’s a She-Snape when it comes to students?

Well duh! Have you seen Hermione?

Ron, at the next table, wasn’t having much more luck. “Wingardium Leviosa!” he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. “You’re saying it wrong.” Harry heard Hermione snap. “It’s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.”

She loudly points out Ron’s failure, getting everyone’s attention and making him feel humiliated, because she was so sure she knew better than him. That she happens to perform better than him right afterwards just makes Ron feel even worse.

She wasn’t nice, she wasn’t friendly, she wasn’t helpful. She shot him down by snapping at him and only then did she try to help him, but she was already “the aggressor” in Ron’s mind. Of course he wasn’t going to react nicely to anything she’d have to say afterwards!

“All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors,” said Hermione in a sniffly voice. “And you’ve got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?”

Note that here, this is Harry’s narration. Harry thinks of Hermione’s voice as “sniffly”. It’s about on par with Draco’s “sneering” in terms of positive first impressions.

And look at that! “people outside are behaving very childishly”, that’s an 11 years old speaking! She’s just as much of a kid as her peers yet she already has an overinflated sense of her own maturity. *sighs* Believe me, I know from experience that this can only end in tears.

And it’s what would make her miserable should she become a teacher.

Without Harry and Ron with her to remind her that she’s human and faillible, Hermione would ignore other people’s needs as well as her own.

We already see that she can be somewhat gentle to people like Neville, maybe because Neville is kind of the equivalent of a “special needs” kid in the Wizarding World, but with other students like Harry and Ron, whom she assumes are just dumb or not trying hard enough? She’s harsh. Snappish. She can’t understand how they don’t understand stuff that to her is so easy!

Now take Harry and Ron and multiply them by 10. And put Hermione in charge of them all.

She’s gonna go insane in a couple weeks.

A few years and she’ll have lost any sort of enjoyment she may have gotten from passing on her knowledge.

Hermione is not a good pedagogue, like the books show us multiple times - she has an easy time learning because she can memorize her books, but not all students are like this. When someone doesn’t understand what she understands, she makes a snippy remark, act as though they should know and make them feel dumb and in the process snuff out their interest for what she had to say.

Hermione Granger would be a complete nightmare of a teacher, because she has no patience and has a very “if I can do it, so can you” mentality, and she also tends to assume the worst in others. She’s not suited to a role that requires her to interact with people on a daily basis (also why she would make a terrible Minister for Magic).

[landos-meat-rider]

mastermind, part nine

okay guys omg finally this chapter had me in a slump for literally months im so glad its over like💀🙏

anyways this ones lowkey short and i dont like it at all but its okay guys bc next chapter will be much better dw 😋🤞🤞

also reminder to please send me some requests bc im lowkey losing my mind w these exams and my brain space for original thought is taken up by cold war history material and i dont think anyone wants to read a theodore nott fic w kennedy as a side character💀💀

anyways enjoy this one pookies even though its v short and not v good, lets just be grateful its over and done with😍🙌

no warnings for this one

masterlist

theodore nott masterlist

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚

We entered the blue-lit cafe hesitantly, cautious of our whereabouts. Harry slid into the red booth first on one side, quickly followed by me and Theodore with Hermione and Ron on the other side.

“What about all the people at the wedding?” Harry spoke up, looking around at all of us in worry, “Do you think we should go back?”

“They were after you mate,” Ron said with a shake of his head, “We’d put everyone in danger by going back.”

The moody waitress walks up to our booth, leaning on one leg with headphones in her ears.

“Coffee?” she asks us with a huff, diverting our attention from one another to the menu above the counter.

“A cappuccino please.” Hermione asks politely to which the waitress agrees curtly before asking the rest of us.

“Uhm…what she said,” Ron answers.

“Same,” Harry says.

“Me too.” I nod.

“Yeah, same.” Theo agrees.

She quickly turns around and moves to go back to the kitchen to prepare the five drinks as we quickly return to our plan.

“So, where do we go from here? Leaky Cauldron?” Ron asks as soon as she’s out of sight.

“No, it’s too dangerous.” Hermione shakes her head, “If Voldemort has taken over the ministry then none of the places are safe.”

I look around as everyone debates to try and come up with a game plan and notice the peeling paint on the wall and the dirty coffee machines. But what catches my attention is the two strange burly men who trudge into the cafe. They look around sinisterly and fix their eyes for a moment with us. Theodore seems to catch my gaze, quickly followed by Harry as they both yell “Down!” as the men start shooting spells at us.

“Stupefy!”

“Expulso!”

“Expelliarmus!”

“Petrificus totalus!”

We shoot spells left and right at the two men until finally, they’re unconscious.

The waitress walks out in worry as Hermione yells at her to go, I oblivate her as she walks out the back door in a hurry.

“Lock the door, get the lights,” Harry commands as Hermione and I start to shut down the shop and Ron gathers the lights in his deluminator. Theo walks up beside Harry, both looking down at the man on the floor.

“This one’s name’s Rowle.” Harry speaks up, not taking his eyes off the man, “He was on the astronomy tower the night Snape killed Dumbledore.”

Hermione and I come up behind Theo and Harry as they walk over to join Ron as he says, “This is Dolohov. I recognise him from the wanted posters.”

“What should we do with them?” I ask, looking around at everyone's worried faces.

“They’d kill us if it were the other way round, why don’t we kill them too?” Ron speaks up angrily.

“If we kill them, they’d know we were here,” Theo says, trying to calm Ron down.

Ron shakes his head, turning around to face the rest of us as Hermione warns, “Ron…”

“No, Suppose he did Mad-eye. How’d you feel then?” he snaps.

“It’s better we just wipe their memories,” I say, earning agreeing nods from Theo, Hermione and Harry.

“Fine. Whatever, you’re the boss.” Ron says, thankfully calmer now.

Hermione performs the charms as I open one of the doors so we can leave, and we walk out into the icy breeze of mid-winter London.

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚

We dodge and push our way through the iconic London underground, dimly lit orange lights paving our way and regular chatter and train railings filling our ears.

“How’d they know where we were anyway?” Harry asks, almost bumping into a lady with a pram and quickly apologising afterwards.

“Maybe you still have the trace on you?” Hermione brainstorms as she pulls Ron from bashing into an elderly couple.

“Can't be. Trace breaks at 17, it's wizarding law.” Harry says shortly, attracting mine and Hermione’s attention.

“What?” he says after Hermione and I gasp.

“We didn’t celebrate your birthday Harry,” I say solemnly. “We’d made a cake, we were going to bring it out at the end of the wedding.”

“Look, guys, honestly, I really appreciate the thought but seeing as we were just nearly killed by death eaters in a muggle cafe…” he dodges a group of small boys running around.

“Right,” Hermione says looking ahead, “Priorities.”

I smile, looking at Ron, remembering the thing he’d said in first year about Hermione needing to get her priorities straight before two strong arms pull me towards them. I look up as we keep walking and Theo releases me from his hold, I give him a questioning look as he points behind him to a woman running away in a hurry, whom Theo had avoided me from colliding with.

I give him a tight smile and mutter thanks before linking arms with Hermione and walking faster than the boys, thinking about where we were going to go from here.

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚

“Hermione what’s for dinner?!” Ron yells across the huge tent from his room.

Hermione rolls her eyes and shouts back, “Soup!” as I laugh next to her, making tea and coffee for all of us. The tent is surprisingly comfortable with lots of room to move around and quite a relaxing ambiance which is useful for our constant nerves.

I pass Hermione her tea and carry the other cups to the living room where Harry and Theodore are, sitting on the sofas going over the plans for the next few weeks and trying to work out where the other horcruxes may be. Ron’s in his room trying to put his clothes away which is a first.

I take my cup of coffee from the table as the boys take theirs and sit in the armchair with the book Dumbledore gave her, reading it and re-reading it again and again as the night goes on. Harry and Theo’s conversations drone out as Hermione’s soup brings rest and my eyelids fall heavy.

I stir awake slightly when I feel Theo carry me to my room; I peek an eye at him as he takes my shoes off for me and tucks me in. He goes behind me and undoes my hair, brushing it gently and loosely attempting to braid it before pecking me on the cheek gently and leaving as quietly as he could.

The next morning I walk down to the kitchen to find Theo making breakfast for everyone. We haven’t spoken properly since last night at the wedding and even that conversation was cut short. He looks up at me with his watercolour eyes and flashes a soft smile which I return. I take a seat on one of the counters as he works, flipping pancakes and spreading nutella on others. He has soft music playing on the radio which helps make the silence less awkward. I decide to break it as I joke, “Since when did you learn to make pancakes?”

He looks up at me with a grin and looks back down to his pancake as he responds, “Since the day you told me you liked them.”

His response leaves me stunned and I look down thinking back to one of our morning study sessions in the library when I complained about how much I’d rather be eating a massive stack of pancakes at that moment rather than studying. He’d joked back to me with a sly smirk, ‘Is it so bad to be studying with me?’ to which I had responded by kissing him.

“Here.” His deep voice breaks me from my thoughts as I look down and see him with a plate of pancakes for me with my favourite toppings. The gesture floods me with nothing but bliss and I accept the plate, jumping down from the counter and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. I smirk as his neck reddens and he shoves me away jokingly to eat my food.

“So,” I start as we both sit next to one another on the large sofas, each nursing a plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee.

“So,” He responds, “Do you want some maple syrup?”

“Ew no, maple syrup with nutella? Theo are you mad, I’m not Ron.” I laugh as he joins in.

“What?” I say, noticing him falling quiet after a moment and staring at me.

“You called me Theo.” He says plainly with a slight grin, making me blush profusely.

Even though his leaving was heartbreaking for me, the fact that he came back and is trying to do better means the world to me. I thought I may have liked him before in Hogwarts, but reading all those letters he’d sent me day after day with no reciprocated response and seeing how gentle he had been with me these past few days and seeing him sitting across from me now laughing about another stupid joke I made had made me realise I’m falling for him. Hard.

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚

taglist:

@timmytime17 @cherry-hoe @jetblackpayne @ash-tarte @coolestgirlhere @ama1a2 @kezibear 

[panzershrike-pretz]

are there any hbowar people in the fandom u find iconic? whether it’s for their ideas, fics, gifs, edits, thoughts? jst anything really? u can list multiple btw!

Oh, hi anon! <3

I do have some, actually. To be very clear, I loves everyone of my friends, especially because of the Kinky Ron Server, but I actually do have a very VERY special spot for some people with whom I had the pleasure to become closer! Mainly, the people that made me actually want to stick around and stay a part of this amazing, amazing community in the first place, so here:

- @coco-bean-1218 - she was actually the first ever person with who I ever spoke on tumblr, I think? I wanted to read some Doc Roe fics and this blessing of a gal appeared to hand me some. If I may really be honest? It was her who made me look more into the BoB fandom and decide to start reading works, which leads us to the next person:

- @malarkgirlypop - Oh. My. God. Thanks to Claire, I started reading and ended up finding Kate's amazing MEDIC! Fanfic and if Clai was the reason I decided to read, Kat was the reason I decided to interact. Seriously, I'll never be able to thank them enough! If it wasn't for both of these gals, I'd never be here because I was a scared little shit. Also funniest person? Ever?? Yeah

- @next-autopsy - ok, if I remember correctly, I found out about Nex just some time after I found Kate and I was immediately in love. REALLY! I think Nex was the person I originally most looked up to, along with Lou. And I believe she still is. Seriously, never have I seen a more talented person? Ever?? I won't ever stop saying this but Made of Glass is the best piece of fanfic I've read in a long while and O wish I could print it out as a book!

- @luckynumber4 - along with Nex, Lou was another person I was most definetely a little gremlin fan of. I don't really know why but I was immediately drawn to her? And she was also one of my first mutuals; I remember the day she followed me I went insane talking about it to my friend like!!! THE celebrity of all time is following me!!!!!!!!! ITS HER!!! Anyway, nowadays we talk on Discord and I ADORE it!! Love u, Lou!!

- @xxluckystrike - I love Blu. She is so talented and kind and JSBDNWJA I love simply talking with her, her whole vibe is amazing. Also Francis is my daughter nd I won't be sharing her. She's my baby and I'll kill for her.

- @footprintsinthesxnd - ONE OF THE CREATORS OF THE BEST SERVER ON THIS PLANET???? HAD TO BE INCLUDED???????????? OBVIOUSLY????? I LOVE JESS SO MUCH HER STUFF IS ALWAYS SO AMAZING ITMAKES ME SO HAPPY I LIVE IT!!! I LOVE YOU!!! *ex,plodes tou with mind*

- @land-sh - you. You make me very happy. I love talking with you about our countries culture and having someone to relate with about the latin-american shit >:] and also you are very cool, i love when we talk and vibe kekekekeke

- @whollyjoly - finally, Em. I could NEVER let our cult leader out. Ever. This gremlin of a person here is the fucking reason Me and the Gang (Bottom Text) exists and I could not be more grateful. I LOVE YOU, EM!!! YOUR VIBES ARE INSANE AND YOU KNOW WHAT? GOOD. The Holy One. ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

(To any mutual os friend I didn't include here, I'm very sorry and i love you too! Have a catfish)