#neither he nor i care about the ethics of doing magic on muggle

[padfootastic]

Sunday Snippet

(is that a thing? idk but i literally just wrote this for FoD and it wont be posted for a few chapters--so a couple months minimum--but i just. really wanted to share it so. enjoy)

He casually points a finger at the hideous vase behind their heads, levitating it wandlessly and wordlessly. If he was around other wix, they would’ve been amazed and perhaps, slightly awed. That it was Muggles--and this particular set at that--meant they were almost vibrating out of their skin in fear. 

Good. 

“Do you know,” he started with a pleasant smile, bringing the floating vase closer to them, enjoying the way Petunia’s mouth opened in a wordless scream. He didn't even have to Silence them. “they thought I could kill 12 people, just like that, with one word. Not one person, not even my closest friends, believed otherwise.”

Once upon a time that statement would’ve hurt, it had hurt him everytime he was conscious enough to think about it in Azkaban. But he’d made his peace with it now, had accepted that there was a part of him that was inherently repulsive, untrustworthy, broken. 

“There was a reason for why they did that. My brother--you know him, James--was murdered. They thought I lost my mind, and perhaps I did, a little bit.” 

Because James was the last--and only--person who’d never turned away from him. He’d taken all of Sirius’ ugliness, all those rough edges he’d tried so hard to hide, cutting himself and the world in the process, and kept those with himself. Sirius never had to worry about himself around James, because he knew he’d take care of him. Wouldn’t let him break. 

At least, that’s how it should have been. They should’ve grown old together, stuck at the hip until their hearts and their magic gave out. James shouldn’t have been buried in the ground at the age of twenty fucking one while Sirius still had to live without him, god, it was so unfair. 

It was--

He shouldn’t be living without James. He was nothing without James. 

It was that thought that sent a fresh wave of anger through his veins, anger he knew was very plainly visible on his face, reflecting in his eyes, because the moment he looked at the Dursleys, he could hear two distinctive whimpers at once. 

“So,” he said, voice rough like gravel, almost unrecognisable to even him. He knew his eyes would be closer to black than their usual grey, the Madness stirring within him, wanting out. “What do you think I’ll do to people, to vermin like you, who touched my godson?” 

His only response was a slow, trickling sound and a pungent smell filling the living room. 

[procrastinatingfeminist]

Hot take on McGonagall

McGonagall knew where Harry was going to spend the years before Hogwarts. She was there, in Privet Drive, in her cat form when Dumbledore arrived to drop Harry off, which means that she spent some time observing the Dursleys and likely knew of their connection to Harry - because why a random muggle family otherwise? I don't remember what exactly she said in the first book, but it certainly wasn't a ringing endorsement of them.

Furthermore, she had a connection to James and Lily, first as their teacher and the Head of their House, responsible for their protection, and later as a fellow member of the Order of the Phoenix. Teachers do form bonds with their students, though the longer they work as teachers, the more students the deal with, the less defined those become, but there always is one or two who stand out and stick in their memories years after graduating - but there weren't all that many members in their super secret vigilante group, so her relationship to both certainly went beyond the superficiality of former teacher-student relationship. The fact that she cared enough for them to be at the Dursleys for Harry's send-off confirms it.

Knowing all this, it does come off as incredibly strange that she never even once visited Harry in the ten years he spent at the Dursleys, not even check up under polyjuice or other various disguises on his wellbeing in summer. Once a year would have been minimum effort for an experienced witch like her, especially considering her uneasy feelings about the muggle family. Dumbledore didn't either, for that matter, but my opinion on Dumbledore is already formed. I don't know whether Arabella Figg - also a member of OotP - didn't give two fucks about the Potters or was playing up her importance as a spy to hide the fact that she didn't know jackshit about Harry's circumstances or if Dumbledore simply ignored whatever missives she sent - whatever the reason, it doesn't say very good things about them both. But McGonagall didn't have to be constrained by Figg's presence. She still could have spent a day strolling through the neighborhood as a cat and not aroused any suspicions while gaining relevant information.

We also know that Harry's location was as secret as the revelation of the blood wards in later books make it seem, because it was established pretty much in the beginning that Harry had several encounters with funny-dressed people who tearfully tried to thank him for something pre-Hogwarts who he only later had pegged as wizards and witches. He was extremly lucky that none of those people were Death Eaters or shared his location with others like any celebrity sightings nowadays are prone to happen. I have absolutely no idea what those damned blood wards were supposed to ward off, because they neither kept Harry safe from the abuse nor did they keep him hidden from the wizards and witches. They were pretty much useless.

Then, we skip to Harry's eleventh year and the introduction to Hogwarts and the Wizarding World. Harry is firmly ensconced under McGonagall's protection as the Head of his House, just like his parents before. McGonagall had already seen one generation of her peers and her students grow up to be Death Eaters and god only knows how much of the blood rhetoric she had witnessed even before, because the pureblood families didn't become the way they were with Voldemorts ascent to power, it was the other way around - he weaponized their alredy existing beliefs and superiority complex for his own gains; and the Wizarding World already went through the whole song and dance with Grindelwald. Also, at that point she already had been a teacher for at least two decades. I can cut her some slack because Harry didn't confide in her about his familial circumstances, but any teacher worth their salt with this much teaching experience under her belt should have seen the signs of abuse and neglect off him like an open book - his clothes, his small, underfed stature, his behavior, his complete ignorance of anything magical when his family supposedly knows about magic all scream about it. Only willful ignorance would explain her ignoring all these red flags. (Not that Hogwarts really cares about the wellbeing of their students as we have seen with Snape - and the requirements for a teaching position at the school certainly don't make any kind of background check, mental health check or at least a teaching degree with a course in ethical requirements for the job mandatory, so it's not actually surprising).

McGonagall tends to get better part of the deal in fic because she genuinely is one of the few positive characters in the books simply by virtue of being straightforward and not manipulating Harry (much), but that is less an endorsement of her character and more an indictment of the rest of the people around Harry. In my opinion, the way she went out of her way time and time and fucking time again to look the other way when it came to the abuse and neglect and bullying Harry suffered makes her just as culpable as Dumbledore. She might not give off the outright villainous and sinister vibes as Dumbledore does, but only barely. She is not a good person.

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Why are the Weasleys poor? (eng&fr) (theories about pure-blood families, inheritance, etc)

(really sorry for the mistakes, I’m not a native speaker!)

There are two answers, but the first one’s in English, and the second one’s in French (initially, I wrote it in French in the comments of a video). The text is sometimes a bit different but it’s the same idea.

disclaimer: it’s theories, not the truth, I’m obviously not an expert (at all) about things like inheritance, how aristocracy worked during the last centuries) and things like that, I also probably do not have the same eye on it as a French person, and I probably forgot many things, and I’m quite unclear at several occasions, but good luck! (and also, I hope I’m not indelicate or something like that)

                    - e n g l i s h -

Of course, the main reason is: M. Weasley is the only one who works in the family and Molly and him have 7 children (I do not consider that Bill, Charlie, Percy or the twins as “people who work” in the family, even if they probably give a part of their salary to help). But the Weasleys are also pure-blood: and most of the pure-blood families we know are rich, for different reasons – they are at least never poor.

So the real question I will try to answer here is: why, despite the inheritance the Weasleys should have (because they are pure-blood), are they poor?

(Before we continue: I’m aware that the Weasley family is the only poor family in the HP universe (Remus Lupin is the other poor character, but it’s not in the same context). Here, their true wealth is their love, the way they support each other, their braveness and ethics actions and convictions – and all of this is built in opposite of the Malfoy family (even if the fact they care for the others is the most important thing in the Malfoy family, but it’s not the subject here). However, it’s a “narrative” explanation (?) – I mean by that that JKR chose to have a poor Weasley family to carry a message. Here, I wonder why, in the world of HP, in the lore, the Weasleys are poor (so what are the logical and canon-compliant reasons to their poverty).)

(abbreviations: W = (the) Weasleys pbf = pure-blood families)

1. A bit of context: the other pure-blood families

Most of the pbf we meet in the saga have a huge capital inherited from their ancestors (the Malfoys, the Blacks or the Longbottoms for example). The other pbf (Bones, Abbot, Parkinson, etc.) doesn’t seem to be poor. Besides, we know that the Weasleys are related to the Blacks and the Malfoys, due to Molly's Prewett origins AND Arthur’s origins (if I remember correctly?).

We can think that the wealth is kept by the pbf, because they are all related. So how could Molly and Arthur have no money, no inheritance? It's can be quite surprising. It seems to me that there is no clear answer to that in the books, but there are clues and all. It's theories, it's up to you to say what you think!

(To be honest, there are exceptions to the rule “pbf = aristocracy = they have the money”: the Gaunts and the Potters. However, the Gaunts are quite particular – they ostracised themselves, so they do not belong anymore to the society and abandon their status of noble family. On the other hand, the Potters seems to belong to the bourgeoisie and not the nobility, because they are rich since only a few decades at the beginning of HP1 thanks an invention of an Harry’s ancestor. Like the bourgoisie and the bosses during the 19th century, they became rich with industry – they are not noble. (Besides, the Potters are not in the 28 sacred and some of them (Henry Potter, who lived at the beginning of the 20th century) seemed to be against the power of the pbf, if I remember correctly what I read on Pottermore (he was at least against the power and the Ministry sometimes).) My point is: perhaps the pbf are not all that rich, perhaps I’m biased by what we see in HP series with Malfoy and Sirius… Consequently, all the analysis is maybe a bit crappy and useless. But let’s consider the other pbf are rich and noble and the poverty of the W have to be explain.)

2.     Arthur's side

·         Muriel is alive

First, we know that Aunt Muriel has a large house, she owns objects of great value (the diadem of Fleur's wedding), and she is quite old (107 years old). So perhaps she has a lot of money and she owns all of the capital of the W family. Because she’s still alive, the other members of the family – Arthur for example – have no inheritance, she is keeping all of the money. That insufferable old bat is capable of that, fight me.

·         Arthur is disinherited?

It could also be because of a will. Arthur is definitely a non-conformist person: with his passion for Muggles and his unconditional love and tolerance, he could have been able to attract the wrath of few members of his family and to be disinherited. It is however quite unlikely in my opinion, because we know that the W family, at the difference of many pbf, did not in any case wanted to be counted among the "28 sacred families" (those listed by an ancestor of Nott as being the real pbf). In the W family, progressivism does not seem to be Arthur's exclusivity, because (from memory) the book on the 28 families appeared many decades before Arthur's birth, so Arthur’s ancestors were already non-conformist.

3.     Molly's side

·         sexist inheritance rights?

Similarly, why did Molly not inherit money? Again, there are several possibilities: perhaps the inheritance among the pbf is reserved for male descendants, as among the Blacks with Sirius. Bellatrix's chest is Lestrange’s, not Black’s. Maybe there is a tradition of this kind in a conservative part of the 28 pbf: after marrying Arthur, Molly quitted the Prewett family and consequently, abandon her inheritance rights.

·         Molly is (really) disinherited?

Sirius' uncle Alphard did make sure that his nephew had money though, so why would no one give anything to Molly? Perhaps, again, the fact that she is marrying a "blood traitor": she is anti-conformist, etc. However, we know that Molly’s brothers Gideon and Fabian fought in the first Order of the Phoenix, so were really the Prewetts such conservative? It is also possible that the Prewett family is tore apart: most of its members could have joined other families and dispersing the inheritance, so Molly didn’t received a lot of money.

4.     Other reasons

·         more powerful families than others (or… “siphon-families”)?

There is also the assumption that because of alliances and inheritance issues, the money ends up going to the same families. We can see in OotP that the Black family is extremely large: and that it integrated several other families within hers (Crabbe, Rosier, Bulstrode… ). So perhaps some families have arranged, or ended up by chance, to see a large part of the capital of the more pureblood families converge towards them (I hope I’m clear?). However, maybe we think that the Black family is central in the pbf because we only know the genealogy of the Black family (so we are biased, etc).

·         the aristocracy close to power?

In addition, certain pbf could have retained advantages by remaining close of the power or by seeking to obtain prestigious positions (director of Hogwarts (P. Black) or high-official (R. Scrimgeour, L. Malfoy, etc), which the W. family didn’t try (here, it is less a question of W’s poverty than a more or less unjustified wealth of other pbf).

·         they had money, but they spent it before HP1?

It is also possible that Molly and Arthur inherited something, but that they used it for various things: to acquire the land of the Burrow as well as to finance the construction of their house - what the Malfoys or the Blacks didn't need to do, for example. Or I can imagine them, when the Order of the Phoenix was first formed, to give funds. Nevertheless were neither Molly nor Arthur member of the first Order (Remus Lupin said it after the Molly’s Boggart scene of OotP), but Fabian and Gideon were.

·         bad luck

Finally, as with aristocrats, one can imagine that some families have simply lost a lot of money over the centuries, for reasons of laws, circumstances, etc. Well, that theory is not quite interesting, so that’s why I put it at the end, but it’s possible, so…

     Conclusion:

Honestly, I’m not quite sure that the pbf should be considered as aristocracy, even several members of pbf acts like we should. After all, Hannah Abbot, Ernie McMillan of Neville Longbottom don’t act like they are nobles. But there is discrimination in the wizarding world due to the witches’ and wizards’ blood-status (this is a fact); pbf have much more power than other families (that’s another fact); and people with power are generally also the one with wealth (at least in the Muggle world, and probably also in the Magic world, because it’s clearly not the people with special magic abilities who run the Ministry in HP)(that’s a third fact). So the pbf represent maybe a conservative aristocracy after all. Maybe.

(Frankly, I don’t know how to conclude. But all of this were theories, maybe we are going to learn more things with FB, etc. Anyway, thanks for reading!)

                    - f r a n ç a i s -

(bonjour les francophones)

Évidemment, la principale raison est que M. Weasley est le seul de la famille qui a un emploi, et Molly et lui ont 7 enfants (je ne compte pas Bill, Charlie, Percy et les jumeaux comme des membres de la famille qui travaillent, même s’ils le font (tout du moins le long d’une partie des bouquins) et qu’ils donnent probablement une part de leur salaire pour aider le reste de la famille).

Mais ce qui est étonnant dans la pauvreté de la famille Weasley, c'est qu'ils sont une famille de sang-pur – et les sang-purs qu’on rencontre ne sont jamais pauvres.

Avant de continuer: je suis consciente que la famille Weasley est la seule famille pauvre de l’univers d’HP (et Lupin, le seul autre personnage pauvre, l’est pour des raisons et dans un contexte différents). Leur vraie richesse, c’est l’amour et le soutien qu’ils s’apportent mutuellement, leur courage, leurs actions morales et leurs convictions – à l’inverse de la famille Malefoy (même si les liens familiaux restent la chose la plus importante chez les Malefoy, mais on diverge). Néanmoins, c’est une explication « narrative » : je veux dire par là qu’ils sont pauvre car JKR l’a choisi dans le but de transmettre un certain message. Notre objectif à nous, c’est de savoir les raisons de la pauvreté des Weasleys à partir du lore, de l’univers – et donc selon les règles et le canon – d’HP.

(abréviations : W = (les) Weasley fsp = familles de Sang-Pur)

1.     Un peu de contexte : les autres familles de Sang-Pur

La plupart des familles de Sang-Pur que l'on croise dans la saga possède un sacré capital hérité de leurs ancêtres (les Malefoy, les Black ou les Longdubat par exemple), et les autres familles (Bones, Abbot, Parkinson, etc) ne semblent pas du tout être dans le besoin. D'ailleurs, on sait que les Weasleys sont parents avec les Blacks et les Malefoy, du fait des origines Prewett de Molly (si mes souvenirs sont bons ?).

Donc comment ça se fait qu'ils n'aient pas d'argent, pas d'héritage, qu'ils n'obtiennent pas des sommes à minima non-négligeables alors qu'une grande partie des richesses des sorciers reste confinée au sein de ces familles ? C'est assez étonnant pour que ça interpelle. Il me semble qu'on n'a pas de réponse claire à ça, dans les bouquins, mais il y a des schémas, des pistes et des indices. C'est des théories, à vous de dire ce que vous en pensez!

(Pour être honnête, il existe des exceptions à la règle « fsp = aristocratie = ils ont de l'argent »: les Gaunt et les Potter. Cependant, les Gaunt sont assez particuliers - ils se sont ostracisés, donc ils n'appartiennent plus à la société et ont abandonné leur statut de famille noble. D'un autre côté, les Potter semblent appartenir à la bourgeoisie et non à la noblesse, car ils sont riches depuis seulement quelques décennies au début de HP1 (grâce à une invention d'un ancêtre de Harry). Comme la bourgeoisie et les patrons au XIXe siècle, ils se sont enrichis grâce à une industrie, donc ils ne sont pas nobles. (En outre, les Potter ne font pas partie des 28 familles, et certains membres (Henry Potter, qui a vécu début XXe) semblaient être contre le pouvoir des fps, si je me souviens bien de ce que j'ai lu sur Pottermore (ce qui est sûr, c’est qu’il s’est embrouillé avec le Ministère)). Ce que je veux dire, c’est que peut-être que les fsp ne sont pas toutes si riches, peut-être que je suis biaisé par ce qu’on voit dans la série HP avec Malfoy et Sirius… Par conséquent, toute l'analyse est peut-être pas ouf et inutile. Mais considérons que les autres fsp sont riches et nobles et que, de ce fait, la pauvreté des W doit être expliquée.)

2.     Du côté d’Arthur

·         Muriel ne mange toujours pas les pissenlits par la racine

D'abord, on sait que la tante Muriel a une grande maison, des objets de grande valeur (le diadème du mariage de Fleur), et qu'elle est très vieille. Donc peut-être qu'elle n'a pas encore eu l'occasion, en passant l'arme à gauche, de transmettre ces richesses que détient la famille Weasley au sens large – ou n’a pas voulu le faire. Cette vieille chauve-souris en est capable, j’en suis absolument certaine.

·         Arthur déshérité ?

Aussi, on n'est pas à l'abri d'une question de testament. Arthur est définitivement anticonformiste : avec sa passion pour les moldus et son amour et sa tolérance inconditionnels, il a donc pu s'attirer les foudres de certains membres de sa famille et se faire déshériter. C'est quand même peu probable, car on sait que la famille Weasley, à la différence de beaucoup de familles, ne voulaient en aucun cas être comptée parmi les "28 familles", celles recensées à par un ancêtre de Nott comme étant les vraies familles de Sang-Pur. Chez la famille Weasley, le progressisme semble ne pas être l'exclusivité d'Arthur, car de mémoire, le bouquin sur les 28 familles est paru bien des décennies avant la naissance d'Arthur.

3.     Du côté de Molly

·         des droits de successions sexistes ?

De la même manière, pourquoi Molly n'a-t-elle pas hérité d'argent ? Plusieurs solutions là encore : peut-être que l’héritage, chez les Sang-Pur, est réservé aux descendants mâles, comme chez les Blacks avec Sirius. Le coffre de Bellatrix c'est celui des Lestrange, pas des Black, donc celui de son mari. On n’est pas à l'abri qu'il y ait une tradition du genre chez une certaine partie, conservatrice, des 28 familles, qui aurait donc fait que Molly, en se mariant à Arthur, quitte les Prewett et renonce à des droits de succession.

·         personne ne lui aurait légué quelque chose ?

L’oncle de Sirius, Alphard, a pourtant bien fait en sorte que son neveu ait de l'argent - donc pourquoi personne n'aurait légué quoique ce soit à Molly ? Peut-être, encore une fois, du fait qu'elle se marie avec un "traître à son sang" (et qu’elle soit donc anticonformiste, etc). Après, on sait que Gideon et Fabian, les frères de Molly, étaient engagés aux côtés de l’Ordre du Phénix – est-ce que les Prewett peuvent vraiment être une famille conservative, contre les anticonformistes (entendons nous, « anticonformistes » veut dire ici tolérants, humains, etc) et autres joyeusetés ? C’est aussi possible que la famille Prewell était alors déjà éclatée, dans le sens où la plupart de ses membres ont rejoint d'autres familles en dispersant l'héritage – donc Molly est susceptible de ne pas avoir reçu beaucoup d’argent en héritage à cause de ça.

4.     Autres raisons

·         des familles plus puissantes que d’autres (ou les... familles-siphons ?) ?

Il y a aussi l'hypothèse que du fait des alliances et des questions d'héritage, l'argent finisse par se diriger vers les mêmes familles : on voit bien dans OotP que la famille Black est extrêmement étendue, et qu'elle a intégré plusieurs autres familles au sein de la sienne (Crabbe, Rosier, Bulstrode…). Donc peut-être que certaines familles se sont arrangées, ou ont fini un peu par hasard, à voir converger vers elles une vaste partie des capitaux des familles de Sang-Pur plus mineures (j’espère que c’est clair ?). Après, on est peut-être biaisés par le fait qu’on ne connaisse que la généalogie des Blacks, du point de vue des Blacks, et par conséquent, on a l’impression que la famille Black est plus importante que les autres (un peu une famille clef, nœud).

·         l’aristocratie proche du pouvoir ?

De plus, certaines familles ont conservé des avantages en se mettant dans la poche le Ministère ou en restant proches du pouvoir, en cherchant à obtenir des postes prestigieux (directeur de Poudlard ou haut-fonctionnaire), ce que n'a pas fait la famille Weasley (ici, c'est moins une question de pauvreté des Weasleys que de richesse plus ou moins injustifiée chez les autres).

·         ils ont eu de l’argent, mais ils l’ont dépensé avant HP1 ?

C'est aussi possible que Molly et Arthur aient hérité de quelque chose, mais qu'ils s'en soient servi pour diverses choses : faire l'acquisition du terrain du Terrier ainsi que pour financer les travaux de leur maison - ce que les Malefoy ou les Black n'ont pas eu besoin de faire, par exemple. Ou je les imagine bien, lorsque l'Ordre s'est formé la première fois, donner des fonds. Ni Molly ni Arthur n’en étaient alors membres (on le sait car Remus Lupin le dit après la scène de l’Épouvantard de Molly pendant OotP), mais c'était bien le cas de Gideon et Fabian.

·         la faute à pas de chance

Enfin, comme chez les aristocrates, on peut imaginer que certaines familles aient simplement perdu beaucoup d'argent au fil des siècles, pour des raisons de lois, de circonstances, etc. On ne va pas se mentir, c’est pas très intéressant comme théorie, mais c’est techniquement possible, donc bon, voilà.

    Conclusion :

Honnêtement, je ne suis pas sûr que les fsp doivent être considérées comme l'aristocratie magique, même si plusieurs membres de ces mêmes familles agissent comme si nous le devrions (après tout, Hannah Abbot, Ernie McMillan et Neville Longdubat n'agissent pas comme des nobles). Mais il y a une discrimination dans le monde sorcier en raison du statut de sang des sorcières et des sorciers (c'est un fait); les fsp ont beaucoup plus de pouvoir que les autres familles (c'est un autre fait); et les gens avec pouvoir sont généralement aussi ceux qui ont de la richesse (au moins dans le monde moldu, et probablement aussi dans le monde magique, car ce ne sont clairement pas les gens particulièrement doués en magie qui dirigent le ministère dans HP) (c'est un troisième fait). Donc bon, peut-être que les sang-purs sont représentatifs d’une élite noble et conservative quand même, en définitive.

(Franchement, je ne sais pas comment conclure. Mais tout ça c’est des théories, nous allons sûrement apprendre plus de choses avec FB, etc. Bref, merci d'avoir lu !)

[spellnbone]

bio

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Edgar Bones

AGE: 28

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis male. He/Him. Bisexual.

About the latter he might actually be rather open. The knowledge that homosexuality occurs in many animal species was already found in the 70s. I can imagine that Edgar definitely did his research, found out about how his feelings were therefore very natural, and moved on. The same goes for gender. He might himself feel comfortable in presenting himself as cis male but he knows that gender is mostly a construct and nothing to get too hung up about. Though, even though he knows a lot about sexuality and the chemistry behind love, he’d never flaunt it anywhere, where it wouldn’t be safe or where too many people would be watching. He’s also never really been deeply in love. He’s a serial monogamist, because he does enjoy (or rather, crave) the company of other people, and he would never say those relationships were meaningless to him, but the truth is, he firmly believes that his twin is and will forever be his only soulmate. Romantically or not is not the point, but he knows that he’ll never connect more deeply with anyone than Amelia.

BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Ravenclaw

ANY CHANGES: I retract my FC changing request, haha. I realise I don’t care too much about the look of people, let alone fictional roleplay babies, to hassle you into making another graphic. And Lindsey Morgan is perfect as well, so there’s that. If, however, a future applicant for Amelia wishes to change her FC and they find a better fit for Edgar as well, I would be willing to talk about it! :) As long as they are not changed into white FCs.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

When the house you stand in is more brightly illuminated than the outside world, you can’t see anything through the window. You must turn off the light behind you to see the world before you, even if that means that the world can’t see you back anymore.

Edgar is by nature an incredibly curious person. He gobbles up knowledge as though it’s milkless cereals, one after the other, in with it, chewing, chewing, chewing ceaselessly. What he really wants to do with that knowledge comes later.

Often he connects it. Finds two topics that seem oddly unrelated and finds the answer in one that the other had the question to. He likes seeing the small in the big, how every microcosm is reflected by the macrocosm, how there’s no singularity in the university, everyone carries the patterns of galaxies within themselves.

And he likes to philosophise about it, even if it leads to nothing or has no practical use. Getting him to talk is like opening a treasure box, the whole universe seems stores between his brows. At times he writes it out, mostly in epigrams, like the one up there, of which the title is his own name, but he doesn’t consider himself an artist. Art needs an audience to become art, and he doesn’t want one.

That’s why it’s not easy to catch him share his knowledge to its full extent. Only when he truly believes that you want to know more of what he has to say than vise versa, he will share, otherwise you’ll just be left puzzled as to what thought caused him to this sudden outburst of ideas, or this creative plan that seems to have come out of nowhere.

He’s laid-back and quiet, not because he doesn’t have anything to say (and sometimes well-kept thoughts do slip over his lips) but because he knows that it’s easier to observe if people don’t notice him. At times he can be quick-paced and full of energy, and it’s in those moments that you see how all his knowledge comes into play. But even then he doesn’t perform. He just does the thing for himself and lets you be around.

Although curiosity-driven and intelligent, he’s not cold-hearted or arrogant. At all. He’s a calm fellow, always ready to lend you an ear, and if you ask for it, perhaps even advice. He doesn’t care much for the sound of his own voice but he knows to raise it when it’s needed. His sense of justice is very much active, and so is his wish to treat people kindly. This too is caused by his holistic view of the world – to be smart also means to know how other people feel and how to explore your own freedom without endangering theirs. He is empathetic, even if he doesn’t (always) go out of his way to show it or put on a great act to prove it. Sometimes he does, though, when he notices the other person needing it, and those proofs of affection can be as colourful as unconventional as brief.

Most people might not see much in him at first, maybe even doubt how he stayed in the Order for so long, but that’s because unlike ex-Gryffindors and ex-Slytherins, he has no urge to brag about any of his assets. But if they sit down with him, really get to know him, bit by bit, they’ll discover the fabulous world of colours that all Bones store in their hearts.

The bio emphasises that after Hogwarts, he grew into disregarding rules. I think the reason why he didn’t use to do this is because rules serve a purpose, don’t they? They make sense, in at least one way or another. Don’t go to the Forbidden Forest. Why? Because it’s dangerous. But with the rise of discriminating laws, the discrepancy between what was ‘lawful’ and what was ‘right’ grew. And if it’s not right, Edgar won’t follow it. He still studies laws and learns them so well until he knows every possible loophole, but he doesn’t respect them blindly just because they’re laws.

This being said, those lines he always made himself stay in, they still exist. No, they no longer overlap with rules and the ministry’s laws, but his life is still full of them. It’s difficult to rid yourself of old habits, especially those that have served you so well for so many years, that became a part of you, that directed your every move and every thought for so long. Lines such as: No more than three coffees a day. No leisure time until you’ve responded to all your mail. No unprotected sex. But also lines such as: Check oven, lights and plugs at least twice before leaving your apartment. Always bring a pen. If you stay up after three am, it’s too late to go sleep. Those are the rules he doesn’t tell people about, only obeys in silence because they might be founded in logic, and yet feel oddly irrational… Perhaps because they’re not always there, because they fade when he’s got the company of someone he trusts, because they get much, much worse, the longer he goes without seeing Amalia.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

The Bones were a privileged family, wealthy and yet not dishonourable.

The Bones name was carried into the Wizarding world by a Muggle, back when most Wizarding names were still pure and unheard of by Muggles. Seraphina was a young witch, just out of Hogwarts, when she decided to marry Caspian Bones, her oldest childhood friend. She was beautiful, she could’ve had anyone, the richest, most prestigious pureblood families would’ve sent forth their sons, but Seraphina chose Caspian, the Muggle, the farmer’s son, the boy who had held her hand before they knew this was something improper, who had shown her how a simple life could be as happy as one decorated in silver, and taught her to tell her secrets to the bees, who had always helped her escape from her parents’ claws and society’s demands, so they could be free together, just for a while, just for a night. She was his long before he even knew, and she was certain, as she walked down the Muggle-styled wedding aisle, that she would not run, would not hide, but that she would fight to make the Wizarding world a more accepting place.

She fought so that her parents would even look Caspian in the eye, fought for her children to be accepted into Hogwarts (they were allowed in, of course, by the ancient laws of Hogwarts, but that doesn’t mean the school board didn’t frown upon those halfbloods), fought to prove their magic was no less powerful than a pureblood’s, fought, eventually, even in court, demanding for justice. And all the while she fought, she was loyal by Caspian’s side, who might not have understood much of all this, but he certainly supported her and never regretted his decision to marry her. And one important lesson he gave his children, and taught them to give it to their children one day as well: “Remember that the first obligation of those who are free, is to ensure other people’s freedom as well.”

For generations and generations, almost every Bones born was a Hufflepuff. And proudly so, too. To understand one’s highest value to be the protection of those in need, – the fight for justice – not because of the gold and admiration that comes for a fight won, but because it ensures a fair, equal world? How would that be something shameful?

The family therefore received a particular place in the eyes of the Wizarding World. On the one hand they well regarded, appreciated for their values, even if the means to get there always seemed rather strange and unexpected to most people, on the other hand, became a clear outsider to the society of purebloods and those halfbloods who still thought of themselves closer to the pure Wizarding world. The Bones neither cared for money other than spending it on charities, nor caring for their (or others) blood status. Every new Muggle was warmly welcomed as a true relative and carefully introduced to the Wizarding world. And even when Squibs were born, there was none of the ostracism like in pureblood families, or even like in some halfblood families. Their values were clearly defined, but incomprehensible to many, and the family gained a reputation that was more about the wild outbursts of ideals and unorthodox ways of fighting for them, then about the relatively steady values that drove those acts of bravery.

And so it came that those values were taught to every Bones child from a young age on. Manners, ethics, history, the art of conversation; long before they made it to Hogwarts they already spent their days in classrooms, studying how to respect and show respect to others, learning to put others before you, burning the Bones family values onto their hearts. But ‘Seraphina’ means little fire, and it is difficult to tell a firework which colours it has to burst into.

Edgar, Amelia, Dell and Colter were the well-beloved offspring of Laura and Jorge Bones (and indeed, Jorge took, after Laura’s eccentric demand to keep her name for the sake of its importance in the British Wizarding World, her name. He didn’t mind too much, proving himself to be quite the fit for the Bones family. Having travelled the world (though always staying in the magical realms) he was quite the peculiar case in his youth. Now that they’re older, both Laura and Jorge are way more focused on keeping the values of the Bones family alive, caring deeply about the well-being of everyone around them – even if perhaps still showing it in their surprising and unexpected ways).

Born in the old Bones Manor in which even Seraphina had already grown up, all four children were of magical capabilities and all four showed a good heart from a young age on. But like every Bones, they also showed an insatiable need to express themselves. To become their own person, to be more than just their family name. They were constantly driven by their curiosity, and at first it was as though both, Edgar and Amelia, were too driven by the discovery of themselves and the world to be true Hufflepuffs, showing more prominently traits belonging to Ravenclaw. Creativity and freedom of expression, that was what they were all about. But eventually Edgar seemingly took the back seat, letting his sister be the firework while he became the audience of her beauty. What not many people knew, perhaps no one, really, except for Amelia herself, was that while she ran off during lessons, dinners, and curfew, searching for all the possibilities this world held for her, he covered for her. Protecting her. Becoming the one who his parents considered reliable, so that they would charge him with duties and responsibilities so that she could be free.

This doesn’t mean he wasn’t the one to light her fuse at times, or that he disliked her games of fire, but that he loved her too much to see it dowsed. In all honesty, he could’ve watched her for hours, listened to her speak about what she had lived through out there, and never interrupt, never cease asking for more, softly, hoping to prompts paragraphs out of her with a single line of his.

It also doesn’t mean that he was any less creative. But he learned to express this creativity in the shadows, in silence, shielded from the watchful gaze of their parents and society. Books became his escape. While Amelia was out there in the real world, he plunged into the worlds authors had created, and eventually even dabbled in creating such worlds for himself on paper as well. He learnt about the universe from the realms of the library, at first focusing on the stories of the Wizarding World, but eventually, when all books seemed exhausted, moving on to the stories of the Muggle World. His eccentrism was quiet and only for himself, not meant to serve a greater purpose but to still his hunger for knowledge.

One could’ve said that his wish to protect the sister was indeed driven by loyalty, but really, it was admiration and the wish to see just what she was going to do next. And for that, he simply had to be the good son. Please his parents, please his teachers, please those who had so long shaken their heads at the iconoclastic family. And if he was being honest, he never felt half as restricted by it all as most people might’ve assumed. He liked learning about rules and seeing just how far you could go without overstepping them, without drawing attention to your ways. It was a game with no winners and no one to watch him, no one to admire just how well he played it. What did it matter that he was often overlooked, his parents’ eyes and attention always on his siblings, sometimes out of exasperation, sometimes out of pride, if he could be just who he wanted without anyone interfering or giving their two Knuts?

When he was sorted into Ravenclaw, after a long conversation with the Sorting Hat, though not as long as Amelia’s, he silently rejoiced. His family was a little baffled, especially his mother who had always been convinced he would be another one of those Bones who carried the family name with the selfless values on their sleeves, not caring that they wouldn’t shine half as brightly in the history books as their wild, untameable counterparts. You know, the kind of Bones who were good, but didn’t do much to express that goodness in the world, unlike all the others whose personality was like pots of colours splashed into every dusted-in tradition to make sure the world would be changed for the better. But Edgar liked it, he did. Up there, in the tower, he could look down to the world, breathe the cold air of his own, quiet, personal freedom and play with the lines of all those rules without anyone paying attention whatsoever. Up there, he wouldn’t have to mingle with all those people and their lack of answers, and disappear in his books and learn more about the worlds – plural – with no interference. Up there, the stars were close, and his ever-dreamy gaze went up, eventually beginning to even search for the knowledge that no books held ready for him.

OCCUPATION:

Journalist for the Daily Prophet.

No, he doesn’t agree with the opinions served by that paper, no, he doesn’t get paid nearly enough, no, he doesn’t really care. What matters to him are two things: 1) That he can decide on his work hours himself, allowing him free time for the Order without having to take holidays. 2) That he gets free theatre tickets. Besides, whenever he does show up in his office, even by merely writing and editing the arts section, he still hears of the latest news before they’re even printed…

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

I like to think that Edgar is somewhat of an important piece of the Order. He’s been there for a long time, so he doesn’t just know the rules and which of them are especially important to respect, but also the people. The people who are still with him, the people who aren’t. He remembers their victories and the mistakes that made them fall. And he’s not just plainly observant but actually knows what he’s looking out for. Weak links or strong assets hidden beneath inexperience. It worries him that the Order is no longer what it used to be, and he embraces the new recruits, even though wary of their means. Logically, he’s all for taking more aggressive measures now, but the fact that they have never tried to be as reckless and unforgiving as the Death Eaters, means they have no proof is can work. He just wishes they had more time to think it out, make sure there’s not another thing they can do first because going straight to terrorism.

Maybe this undecidedness and his tendency to act on his own behalf based on what he thinks is the best thing to do in that moment, makes some Order members wary of him. He understands that it’s difficult to 100%ly trust a pillar when it could leap away any moment, so he always tries to be as reliable as possible. What he is certain about, though, is the fact that he won’t quit. He firmly believes in the cause, and perhaps even that they might be the last chance to save the Wizarding World.

Also, I like to imagine that while to everyone else, it came quite as a surprise that Edgar joined the order back then, for him it’s doesn’t feel out of character at all. After all, he’s always been a Bones, and he’s always been a Bones in the shadows of everyone else. The Order couldn’t be more in the shadows if it tried, and this way of theirs to change the world without anyone knowing exactly who is doing it, feels quite like him.

And yes, he would like for Amelia and perhaps even his brothers to join the Order too, because he knows their hearts are in the right place, and he knows they are incredible at practical magic, spells, defence, all that. But he’s gone all his life staying in the shade so they could be out there changing the world with their colours. The idea of them actually joining the Order scares him. What if they’re not meant for the shade, what if something happens to them? He’s protected them for years, and now he’s supposed to be the reason for putting them in danger? Or worse: for dowsing their fire?

SURVIVAL:

He’s mostly stayed in the same apartment for the last two years. Before that he lived with his girlfriend, and before that he was yet in another apartment by himself, and before that he lived with yet another girl, and so on. He doesn’t like to be alone, and he hates silence, so he always stayed near the city centre, always close to his friends at the Deli, the Pub, the locksmith, always ready to go out and either find out some information or lose someone who is following him. Though this didn’t happen too often. I like to think that Edgar is so inconspicuous (to people who don’t know him) that he was never on the ministry’s radar. Perhaps once or twice, in all those years, but he’s working for the daily prophet, and his boss bailed him out of trouble every time, confused why someone would suspect this random, mediocre, simple friend of the arts of something as impressive as being part of an underground organisation. On the other hand, I also believe that he is very talented when it comes to duelling. Though not the most powerful wizard ever when it comes to inner-magic-force, and certainly not the best student at Hogwarts, he is incredibly creative when it comes to using spells. That’s what makes him so talented as a wizard. There’s never a situation where he’s been too slow to get the Order out of troubles again, by thinking fast and by surprising his opponent. Unorthodox methods have proven themselves as the most sustainable, and he constantly works on new ways to surprise Death Eaters. Perhaps this is why he is intrigued and terrified of the younger recruits: because he has seen his plans work in the past, but now realises bigger, more up-front measures are needed. Bombs just seem so crude.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Albeit not a Hufflepuff (though he never corrects people when they assume it), Edgar does care about other people, and he is quite loyal. If a friendship breaks, then because there really was no other choice. And considering that most of Edgar’s true friendships are all people from the Order, this means they must’ve either betrayed the Order, or died. Sure, things aren’t easy in the face of war. There’s tension, and conversations slip too easily into heavy territories, but Edgar’s been in it for so long now… He barely remembers it any different.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

Romantically? Nothing planned at all! I do enjoy the idea of exploring Edgar’s need to be around people, to live off their warmth while he sits in the dark, but who those people are entirely depends on the players and the characters’ chemistry.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Edgar is walking right on the line.

The line between receiving prejudice and being with those who are prejudiced. He’s neither white, nor straight, nor pure-wizard, but he can pass as all those things if he absolutely has to. And that’s because at least one half of him is all this.

His mother (Laura Bones) is a white halfblood from upper class Britain, whose family has, despite their appreciation and respect of old Wizarding traditions, always welcomed people of all blood into their midst and was famous for breaking the rules of typical pureblood behaviour, always doing what they think is the right thing to do, no matter the means or noise it would cause. His father (Jorge Bones, né Centello) is from South America, where the Wizarding Community is more closed-in on itself, so even though he is a pureblood and knows fairly little about the Muggle world, he doesn’t carry the arrogance and prestige to his (maiden???)name as British pureblood families do.

Edgar has got enough knowledge from both worlds to let himself fall on either side of the line when he has to. Talk with colleagues at the Daily Prophet about inherent wizarding affairs. Speak in perfect English to receive better credit on his Muggle apartment insurance. Talk about the beautiful curves of a woman’s body with his friend’s brother. Easy.

If he were to converse deeply with someone from either side, though, it would become obvious that he is mostly playing pretend. Of course he has a vast theoretical knowledge on the worlds, and even chose to live in a Muggle apartment close to an entrance to Wizarding London, but the truth is, his practical knowledge lacks terribly. Certainly, he knows how to buy underground tickets, has ridden cabs before, and since recently he even owns a microwave! But the fact that he has always learnt about the worlds from books, from his safe spot in the shade, it did rob him of the practical experiences. So it’s not at all a bias or prejudice he has against Muggles or Muggleborns, but a vivid curiosity the way a zoo-goer would feel about the animals. He has read every book on lions, yes, but if he were faced with one, it wouldn’t be granted that he knew what to do. Pretend, of course, copy what the instructions in the books said, no eye contact, no quick motions, and definitely no running away!, but it forever remains pretend, not intuition.

And this goes for both sides of this line of his. Conversing in English, he always has Spanish sayings coming to mind. Dressing in Wizarding fashion, he always longs for the more comfortable Muggle trousers. He moves in both worlds, easily, with no one paying too much attention whether his ways are intuitive or adopted, but it does make him wonder, sometimes, on which side of the line he really belongs