#not to out myself as having encountered harry potter but

[idk-bruh-20]

Irondad fic ideas #24

Irondad lab days but Peter comes straight from school, and on the days Happy doesn't drive Peter to and from school, he finds weirder and weirder shit to carry with him to the lab. One day he comes in with a cat he's watching for Ned, another day it's an enter sign he found on the floor at school (or any sign, really), it's rusty keys he found it the gutter on someone's roof, a really cool stone he finds when passing the Sanctum (It's probably not gonna kill us, Mr. Stark! Look how it glows! Isn't that cool?) And every time he brings something by Tony's just like "HOW DO YOU KEEP FINDING STUFF LIKE THIS??"

Peter walking into Tony's lab like "Hey Mr. Stark!" And carrying, like, a bench

This idea was submitted by @derpmallow !

Edit to add!!! Bonus:

Peter doesn't start it intentionally: he doesn't have the whole sticky-thing under control yet, so it just kinda happens. But after he finds Tony's reactions amusing he's just like, "I'm gonna go find the weirdest shit to bring over here"

[sunnami]

❝i am half-agony, half-hope. . . i have loved none but you.❞

summary: how the marauders loved you in their time. featuring harry potter the time-traveller and sixth-wheel.

pairing/s: poly!marauders x reader. (james potter x reader, lily evans x reader, remus lupin x reader, and sirius black x reader.)

tags: reader is referred to as she/her and a mother throughout the whole fic[!], reader is a violent gremlin who craves blood but the marauders love you for that, implied child abuse[!], mentions of blood and violence[!], disgustingly sappy poetic fluff, no angst, happy ending, not proofread we die like finnick odair, edited: very minor detail.

note: there is little plot, it’s just the marauders and their adoration for you. thank you all so much for your kind responses to my first marauders fic :(( ilysm! i hope you enjoy this one as well! because there are parts when i was writing that i ended up kicking my feet in the air and smiling to myself.

“MY NAME IS HARRY POTTER. I come from twenty-years in the future, you’re my mum — one of my ‘em, actually. It’s complicated. And you’re married to James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black.” 

You blink. 

“Get the fuck out of my room!” 

Harry James Potter has dodged many things in his life. Killing curses, jinxes, girls, Draco Malfoy, and Dudley’s sloppy punches, but he’s never had to dodge his sixteen-year-old mother’s fuzzy slipper before. (Godric, that sounds weird, even in his head.) He doesn’t know precisely how he arrived here. In the Slytherin common room, to be exact, in your dorm. Harry remembers duelling with Death Eaters, Hermione calling his name, and a flash of light hitting him square in the chest, then he remembers waking up in the cold tiles of the snake dungeon. He nearly throws himself off the window when he meets your eyes, bleary from interrupted sleep — it’s not often he gets to meet [read: one of] his dead parents, after all, three had been brutally murdered by Voldemort, and one killed by his own loony cousin. He misses Sirius, though. A lot. And right about now, he could do with some of Hermione’s nagging and brilliant plan-making. 

At present — or past, Harry guesses — he watches you scramble out from your duvet, hand clumsily reaching for your wand as you snarl at him. He wonders if his mother knows that he’s encountered other creatures far more threatening than her. Oh shit, he realizes with all the forces of an angry Hermione Granger, isn’t this the last thing he’s supposed to do? But, well, Harry has given, and given, so much of himself all for the greater good — just this once, he’d like to see his parents alive and well. Even if they were currently trying to blast him into the walls. 

“If you’d just let me explain, mum—!” Harry pleads, nearly dropping his glasses after dodging one of your stinging hexes. Godric, you’re crazy. “Please!” 

“Stop calling me that!” You screech, eyes set ablaze.  Harry finds that you’re quite dynamic with your attacks. A hairbrush, followed by a stinging jinx, then a thick History of Magic textbook — which rudely hits him in the face, but he doesn’t dare complain because you’re his mother, and he’s respectful like that — and after you’ve exhausted your breath, running him into a corner, and your nostrils flare with the stubbornness of a lion, you point the tip of your wand at him. “If this is another one of the Prewett’s shitty pranks, I want you to leave! You are in the girls’ dormitory beyond midnight, and so help me, if you aren’t walking out that door in the next five seconds, I will kill you and string you up by your bottoms for everyone in school to see! Maybe all your stupid rumours of me being a Death-Eater might come true after all!” 

“You’re a Death-Eater?” Harry asks dumbly. 

You growl furiously, and Harry figures that was not the right thing to say. “I wonder what McGonagall would say if I delivered your head to her on a silver platter.” 

“Professor,” Harry corrects with a toothy grin. “Professor McGonagall.” 

You slam his head against the wall.

Definitely the wrong thing to say. 

Harry groans, little Dobby heads floating around his vision. Why was this so much harder than actually facing Voldemort? Quick, he needed to think of something, otherwise he’d end up eviscerated to ashes on your cold, stone floors. Harry is pretty sure you’d use his remains as decoration to send off a message to your enemies. 

“You hate your father,” Harry slurs through the pain, remembering Remus’s stories of how you were the gentlest magical being he’s ever had the privilege to love — now that Harry thinks about it, Remus was being extremely biased, nothing about you is gentle at all. “He’s forcing you to marry someone old enough to be your grandfather. You love to read Muggle literature but had to stop when your father burnt your whole collection of books. Your favorite novel is Persuasion by Jane Austen. It’s the one book you carry with you everywhere, you could never get tired of it.”  

Your grip on his shoulders falters, but the fury in your eyes crackles. “This isn’t funny.” 

“It’s not meant to be funny, mum,” Harry croaks, voice cracking pathetically — strange how this is the most he’s ever uttered the word, mum; it’s a peculiar string of letters, foreign on his tongue. “You have tremors in your left leg from when your father cast the Cruciatus curse on you. One of your dearest friends is a Hogwarts house-elf named Pipley. You cheated on your Transfiguration essay once, and—” 

“That’s enough!” You bark, eyes narrowed in dangerous slits. “I don’t know where you heard those from, you creepy, little stalker, but if you want to keep breathing, then I suggest you shut up.” 

Harry scoffs — you don’t understand. Everything he’s learned about you is from Sirius and Remus. They talk about you with whispered devotion, your name like a prayer on their lips, their eyes glazed with wistfulness as though they could see you reaching out for them — but you were dead in Harry’s time. Yet, you might as well have been alive with their tales of you. 

(“She’s a different kind of beautiful,” Sirius had said, a year after breaking out from Azkaban, sitting by the fire in Grimmauld Place, taking a swig of decade-old firewhiskey, “The kind of beautiful you don’t want to take your eyes off from because you’re afraid she’ll disappear from your eyes. But you won’t forget her, oh no, you’ll memorize the freckles and moles on her skin, the scars from her years, the light in her eyes, and the way she holds her head up high. You should have seen her, James, she. . . she was — is glorious.”) 

“I told you,” says Harry firmly — although he loves his mother very much, she’s beginning to wear him out, “My name is Harry James Potter, I come from twenty-years in the future. You are one of my parents.” A lightbulb flashes in his head. He squirms in your hold, reaching for his robe pocket until he finds the thing he’s looking for. Harry dangles the ring in front of you, grinning in success when your eyes flash in recognition. “It’s—” 

“A family heirloom,” You say breathlessly. The alexandrite winks under the light, a familiar gold band with the Latin inscription of your House words. “Where did you steal this from?” 

Harry rolls his eyes. “You left it for me in my Gringotts vault. It’s my heirloom now. You have to believe me, there’s no way you can deny this.” 

You take a step backwards, nibbling on your lower lip, as you stagger to your bed — Harry nearly stumbling to catch you in case you fell; adjusting to the living proof of time travel was quite difficult, he, of all people, should know. He exhales, dragging a hand down his face. “Magic, amirite?” 

You throw a pillow at him, which he catches gracefully thanks to his Seeker reflexes, as you plop down in the comforts of your quilts. “Sleep. The other girls won’t be back until the end of the holiday. We can deal with whatever this is in the morning. It’s way too early for me to process the idea of a future Potter spawn following me around.” 

Harry smiles. “Yes, mum.” 

ONE THING THAT his fathers failed to tell him about you, and that Harry had to learn himself, was that you took ages to get ready. You sat on the chair in front of your vanity mirror, the birch wood legs whittled with snakes, and it was as though you had a Sticking Charm on the cushion. Harry didn’t know there could be so many creams, oils, and serums, and powders one put on their face. He blanches when you turn to offer him a cream for his under eyes. (“Suit yourself.” You shrug, turning to brush your cheek with dusts of pink. “Just saying, those dark circles aren’t doing you any favors.”)

“What am I like in the future?” You ask, a kind lilt to your voice, much like a warm hug, much like home. 

Harry stiffens, shoving his hands in pockets of the robes that were twice his size — you had given him the garments of Lucius Malfoy to change in, which you apparently had stolen from his room. It’s come full circle, really, the Sorting Hat had once told him he would be great in Slytherin, and now here he was, looking fabulous in green — because he was about to hurl at the feel of the velvet on his skin, knowing slimy Lucius Malfoy had worn it. (“No son—” You pause with a tight purse in your lips, as if you still can’t accept the fact. Harry doesn’t blame you. “—no son of mine will be parading around in red of all colors, future or not.” And Harry finds that he really doesn’t care, so long as you call him your son.)  

“Loved,” replies Harry gruffly, avoiding your eyes in the reflection of your mirror — they were piercing. One look and Harry wanted to spill all of his deepest, darkest secrets. He remembers the photographs in his album, the one he’s stared at so many times as a child. It’s a moving photograph of the five of you, fresh out of Hogwarts, each wearing a smile that stretched from ear-to-ear. Before Sirius and Remus, it was the only semblance of proof that Harry had — that you had once been alive. Remus is holding you by the waist in the picture, twirling you around as autumn leaves fell. You were — are — loved, and Harry thinks there’s no better description than that. 

(“I bloody hated her cat,” says Remus with a roguish quirk to his lips, regalling Harry with more talks of his parents. “Sirius, too. We just never got along with the little creature. But your mother loved it, and we would have done anything to make her happy. She deserved it, you see. She deserved more than what I had to offer her, but still she chose me anyway. And I am a selfish man, Harry, I crave glimpses of her and the whispers of her voice. She has made me a mad man whose only reprieve is her touch.”) 

You hum knowingly. “Stupid question, I guess. Since you aren’t allowed to reveal anything more about the future.” You sigh, gracefully threading your arms in the sleeves of your shirt, a green tie in the center of your collar. “Except, of course, when you gave me a heart attack in the middle of the night by telling me the last thing I want to become — no offense, I just don’t see how a relationship with those rowdy bunch would work. They get on my nerves far too much for me to ever feel anything other than disgust.” 

Harry doesn’t need a mirror to see that his expression has contorted in confusion; brows knitted and upper lip crinkled. By their memories of you, you all were madly in love in Hogwarts. Damn. This just made his trip to the past a lot harder. No maze seems to be ever just a maze. 

Luckily, you don’t notice him brewing a grand master plan to bring his parents together. Instead, you say, “But you don’t seem to be phased by any of this. If I had been thrown twenty years into the past, I would have puked my guts out twice at some point.” 

“Thanks for the image,” says Harry with a scowl. Truthfully, it had either been a present with a noseless Dark Lord to face, trauma to unpack but really never have the chance to, or a past where all of his parents were alive, and a chance to talk with them for however long he has. He knows where he’ll be staying, thank you very much. 

“Anytime,” You reply with an impish smile. 

Your heels pad across the floor as you walk over to him, mouth clicking as you pat the top of his head, full of wild, untameable Potter hair. “You need a trim soon,” You mutter, frowning, as you brush the thick strands away from his eyes, then you gasp — and Harry knows exactly what’s coming next. “Oh, you’ve got Evans’s eyes. That’s freaky.” 

“I know.” Harry grins. 

“Here’s the plan,” You say as you lead him out of your room, making sure no one saw him walking out of your door and getting the wrong impression — because that would be so wrong on many levels, but also, explaining to someone else that the person beside you was a time-traveller was just complicated in general. The Slytherin dungeon is unfamiliarly familiar, eerily quiet, as the two of you made your way out. “Just say you’re Potter’s distant relative, twice or thrice removed, and you’ve always been here. If you lie to their faces enough, they’ll believe it eventually.” 

“Will that work?” Harry doesn’t really mind — he needs a connection to James, his father, if he’s going to work out a connection between you and the others, because at the moment, it doesn’t seem like you’re too fond of them. There’s a tick on your jaw every time you mumble the word, Potter. Nevertheless, Harry decides he’s going to spend the duration of the holiday break trying to set you up with them — on the list of most insane things he’s ever done, living out the Parent Trap was high up the tally. 

You shrug. “They’ve fallen for less.” 

(“She’s got this adorable habit when she lies,” Sirius tells Harry, whipping up a stack of pancakes for their breakfast — Remus browsing through the morning paper. It’s the closest he’s ever been to a normal family. “It’s not obvious to her, of course, but I know her more than I know my own name. So we play along with it.” For a moment, he stops drizzling the maple syrup on the well-cooked batter, gazing at Remus fondly. “D’you remember that, Moony? She led us straight to one of her pranks, and we ended up covered in slug slime. She was so obvious — with her adorable fucking giggles. I need help with Charms, she said, and we knew right away it was a set-up. But it didn’t matter. I’d happily let her lead me to my ruin.”)  

The Great Hall is the same as Harry remembers. Now that most have returned home for the holidays, those who stay back mingle with students from other Houses, sharing meals under the bewitched ceiling, their low murmurs and hushed Christmas greetings bouncing off the walls. Harry scours the four tables to find a hint of blazing red hair, or the scent of impending trouble. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to search very far. As fate would have it, James Potter finds you — and where he is, Sirius Black is sure to follow. 

You’re barely seated when James comes bounding over to your table — more precisely, he struts, and Harry is horrified to ever be proven wrong by Snape, of all people. He ignores the roll of your eyes as he drags a leg over the bench, sitting to face you as Sirius occupies the space to your left before Harry can even sit down. He can’t even fathom how weird it is to see his parents as rambunctious teenagers. Lovesick, rambunctious teenagers. 

“Morning, dove.” James preens under your glare, stealing a grape from your bowl with a boyish smirk. His hair looks as though he’s ran his hand through it many times. “You look ravishing today.” 

“As always,” Sirius pipes in. “But that eyeshadow really isn’t complementing your skin tone, my darling.” 

You smile at him, right before your lips twist into a cutthroat sneer. “Piss off, Black.”

James stifles a laugh as he shovels a mass of potatoes on your plate, then pumpkin pasties, and slides a steaming cup of Dragon Well tea in front of you. 

“What the hell are you doing, Potter?” You reach over to smack his arm when he sprinkles apple slices and bacon on your breakfast. 

“What does it look like?” James smiles lopsidedly. “You need to eat more, honey.”

(In the future, Sirius will tell Harry, “It started off as a joke, a way to get on her nerves — but then, it just became this thing about taking care of her, making sure she got enough sleep before her tests, wondering if she had breakfast or dinner, staying with her in the library, walking her to the Slytherin common room, and sending her stupid notes just to make her laugh. You don’t get it, Harry. I’d give my every breath to ensure her life. We all would.” Harry doesn’t see Sirius any more during that evening, but he hears a bottle crashing against a wall, cracking into a million pieces, and the masked sound of Sirius sobbing, and Harry decides to leave him alone for the night.) 

Then, you tear your eyes away from James — he huffs, pushing your plate to you, mildly annoyed that you’ve deprived him of your eyes; they were his favorite part of you, you see, so expressive and full of life; James thinks you put the stars to shame — and thankfully, you remember that Harry still exists. You lightly smack Sirius’s leg until he gives Harry some room to sit. “Potter, meet other Potter. It’s the holidays, shouldn’t it be the perfect time to let go of House prejudices and spend time with family?” 

James looks at Harry up and down. “You must be from dad’s side of the family with all that hair.” 

Harry lets out a breath of relief. That was easy — way too easy. When he takes the vacant space in between you and Sirius, you dump all the available food on his plate, just as James had done for you. 

“Eat,” You say with a tone of finality. “You look like the wind could snap you in half.” 

“Yes, m—” Harry stops himself before he could finish his sentence, avoiding Sirius’s curious gaze. 

“Wow.” Sirius pokes Harry in the shoulder and in the cheek. “You really look like a mini-James, you’ve even got his terrible eyesight.” 

“Oi!” 

Your fork clatters against the silverware as you turn to Sirius with a shrill. “Not that I do enjoy your company — because, trust me, I do not want you here at all and would very much prefer if you got out of my sight — but why are you here? The Gryffindor table is over there. Unless your housemates finally got sick of you, Potter, which I can definitely see happening.” 

James chuckles, tossing another grape in his mouth without taking his eyes off you. “It’s as you said, isn’t it? It’s the time for putting aside House prejudices. And I think it’s a lovely day to enjoy a meal with my favorite snake.” 

“Drop dead,” You retort, digging into your chicken with a little more force than necessary. 

“Oh, dove.” James shakes his head, a teasing grin pulling at his lips. “It’s cute that you think death will keep me from you.” 

(Harry’s been told before, probably by Sirius, that this line had been wedged into his wedding vows for you. “A dramatic one, James was,” Sirius chuckles to himself one morning, Harry and Hermione listening intently, “He always said he’d rather die than ever hurt her. There was this time in seventh year, they had a fight — it was ugly — and she had ignored him for a week. James cried in Remus’s arms begging him to cut his heart out, saying that he didn’t deserve to keep on breathing, not after making you cry.”) 

“That is so creepy,” You say in disgust, scrunching your nose. Sirius chortles at your side. “I still wonder why Evans agreed to go out with you.” 

“It’s all part of the charm, dove.” James winks. “It’s all part of the charm.” 

Harry wants to barf, actually.

After breakfast, James then decides to introduce Harry to Lily, Remus, and Peter. (He’s gonna need the patience of a saint to not Avada Kedavra that rat on the spot.) Harry had spent the whole morning watching Sirius peel oranges and give them to you with a smitten look in his eyes — naturally, you gave whatever Sirius offered you to Harry, and each time Padfoot would visibly wilt. If he were in his Animagus form, Harry thinks he would be whining by now, tongue out and all. James and Sirius follow after you like lost puppies when you extricate yourself from the table.

“Where are you going?” James calls, hot on your heels as you leave the Great Hall.

“Away from you, Potter!” 

And James actually sighs when you turn the corner and disappear from their peripheral vision. Seconds later, he turns to Harry with a blinding smile, “She’s definitely charmed.”

Harry chortles.

“Well, come on then!” James guffaws as he wraps an arm around Harry’s neck — this is so, so strange. They begin walking in the opposite direction of where you went. “I still can’t believe we’ve got another Potter here and in Slytherin. I think I would have remembered Minnie calling your name during the Sorting Ceremony. What year are you in?” 

He’s supposed to start his sixth-year in a few weeks. “Fifth.” Technically. 

“We should ask Lily,” says Sirius, hands in his pockets and ebony ringlets tickling his nape. “She’s got the best memory out of all of us.”

It’s odd, Harry thinks, meeting the person who’s got his eyes — or the other way around, as people have told him. It’s like someone carved out the emeralds of Lily Evans’s eyes and bestowed it upon Harry for safekeeping. She sits beside Remus Lupin, head resting on his shoulder, hands clasped together, as they enjoy the shade. Nex to them, oblivious to their intimate conversation, is Peter Pettigrew — with his rosy, cherub cheeks and innocent blue eyes; not at all the image of a pathological, cowardly liar. Their heads snap in attention as James boisterously cries for their name. 

“Marauders — and Lily-pad — meet ickle Potter.” James lightheartedly whacks Harry on the back, to which Harry feels his lungs spill out from his mouth, he’s sure there’s an imprint of his father’s hand on his back now. 

“There’s two Potters in Hogwarts?” Sea-green eyes look at him in scrutiny as Lily knits her brows. “How even is the castle still standing?” 

James cackles like it’s the best joke he’s ever heard in his entire life, slapping his knee for dramatic effect. Oh, well, at least they’re buying Harry’s half-baked lie. At this point, it’s not even baked, it’s just wet, soggy, and poorly done. “Good one, Lily-pad!”

Sirius ruffles Remus’s shaggy blonde hair, canines bared in a wide grin. “This one here’s Moony, uptight prefect in the morning and absolute beast in the evening.” 

Harry blanches. Surely he was talking about his furry problem, right? Right? 

Remus doesn’t even flinch, just peels off Sirius’s hand from him and extends his hand out to Harry. “Please do not mind him. Remus Lupin, nice to meet you. Although, I can’t believe this is the first time we’ve met. We would have definitely remembered if we had another Potter in our midst.” 

“It’s true, we Potters are just hard to forget,” says James, smiling cheekily. 

Harry pokes the inside of his cheek with his tongue. “Mum didn’t take the Potter name. I’m part Dursley. Muggle.” 

Lily hums, toying at the ends of her bright hair. “Dursley, huh? What a familiar name.” 

“It’s a common one,” Harry assures her — not at all the names of the people who would take him in after they died. And make his life miserable. 

“I suppose you’re right,” says Lily, unconvinced. 

“And this is Peter.” James introduces the boy eagerly, pride in his voice — as though this isn’t the person who literally allies himself with Voldemort. As if Peter won’t betray his friends all because of fear. 

“N–Nice to meet you,” Peter stammers with a nervous fidget, “Any family of James is a friend of ours.” 

Harry’s eye twitches. 

IT IS ALMOST COMICAL — the way their eyes land on your figure, bursting through the courtyard from the corridors, winter cloak swishing with every step, tendrils of hair swaying in the crisp wind, and head held up high, thick books under your arms. You pause in front of the Marauders, face blank, then you turn to Peter, greeting him with a: “Hello, only Gryffindor I can tolerate.” 

Peter’s cheeks burn a saccharine hue of pink. Oh, no, no, no — absolutely not — Harry will not stand for a little crush Peter Pettigrew has on his mother. He needs James to act now. “Hi,” Peter replies shyly. 

Lily quirks her lips. “Hello, princess, see your score for the Astronomy test yet?”

You scowl. “Zip it, Evans.” 

The sound of Lily’s laughter fills the atmosphere — it’s the sort of melody that makes flowers bloom in deserts. “Had a bit of difficulty with the star charts?” 

Sirius pinches your cheek — Harry thinks you’re going to murder him on the spot. “Difficulty? I think this one just slept through the whole thing.” 

James snickers. “Must have been one hell of a nap, princess. You were drooling on my jumper.” 

“I most certainly do not drool!” You gasp, appalled, eyes wide as you step away from Sirius.

Sirius rolls his eyes. “What? Is drooling too barbaric for the pretty, little pure-blooded princess now? Newsflash, pet, you’re just as human as we are.” 

“Oh, you horrible, loathsome, infuriating—” You whip around to beat his chest with the course book in your grasp — it’s the kind of book Hermione would consider for light reading. 

“Irresistibly attractive—?” Sirius supplies for you, grin widening with as he captures your wrist with his hands. 

“In your dreams!” You shrill. 

You exhale slowly, eyes closing, chest rising when you take a sharp inhale. You open your eyes and stare straight at Harry — for a moment he fears that you’ll bite his head off. “Harry, dear, will you accompany me to the library? I think I’ve found something important regarding your situation.” 

Harry nods. “Is it time already?” 

“Yes,” You say firmly. “And time is of the essence. Come on.” 

“Wait!” Lily calls out to you as you turn to head back to the castle, Harry in tow — he tries to avoid the way James is glaring at your linked arms. “Hogsmeade next week?” 

Your jaw falls to the ground — this must have been unrehearsed, if the others’ reactions were anything to go by; Remus had dropped his book in shock, Sirius looked like he couldn’t decide between applauding Lily’s bravery or shaking her, and James was somehow frozen in time. “Excuse me?” 

“You’re excused, princess,” says Lily, dimples poking out of her cheek as she takes another step towards you. “You, me, Hogsmeade. A date. I’m sure you’ve gone on one of those before.” 

Harry elbows your stomach as you stare at Lily in shock. It takes a few moments to break you out of your stupor. “A–And what makes you think I’ll just go with you?” 

Lily shrugs. “I’m fit. Aren’t I, Remus?” 

“The fittest,” says Remus without missing a beat. 

You laugh incredulously. “Do you just expect me to go along with this? You’re mad, Evans.” 

Harry glares at you. You need to go along with this. 

“Are you scared, princess?” Lily’s face is inches away from yours, noses almost touching — Harry doesn’t know if he should keep watching this painful way of flirting — as she grins at you, happiness barely contained within her eyes. 

To your credit, you don’t back down. (Harry has to say this for the masses: he saw your gaze flitter down to Lily’s lips for a split second.) “Stop calling me that, Evans.” 

“One date, then.” 

You growl in exasperation, eyes flickering to the boys behind her back — pretending not to hear their conversation. “I suppose I’ll have to deal with them as well?” 

Lily beams and Harry swears sunflowers could grow in her direction. “We’re a package deal.” 

“Unfortunately,” You utter — but Harry notices it, the lack of venom in your voice. You straighten your posture, nose lifted haughtily, “I choose where we’re going.” 

“Done.” The sun peeks out from the cloud just as Lily smiles at you. 

“And I want to—” 

“Done,” Remus interjects raspily, peering up at you from underneath his lashes. “Anything you want, it’s yours.” 

You fight a growing smile, but continue, “If we’re going out in public, you’re going to have to wear—” 

“Done,” says James giddily, he looks as though he could kiss you in front of everyone without a care in the world.  

“You can’t just agree to anything I say!” You flap your arms in frustration. 

“Yes, dear,” Sirius teases. 

“Do you know how much you piss me off, Black?” You squawk. “Because you are this close to—”

“You are so fucking beautiful,” Sirius confesses, every pretense shed raw from his skin, sincerity pouring from his words. 

“I—” You falter, heat rushing to your cheeks. “You’ve gone mad.” 

“It’s your fault, dove,” says James, eyes twinkling like crescent moons as he smiles. “You best take accountability for this.” 

“You’re incorrigible — all of you,” You say as you avoid their gazes.

(But they were yours. Past, present, and future. They loved you so much that their soul was no longer their own — it was yours; yours to keep, yours to break, and yours to love. It would be unjust to ask them why they loved you. Do we ask why the sun rises each day without rest? Do we ask a daisy to stop blooming, or a tree to stop growing after it has endured storms and floods? After all, we do not ask why humans follow the light in a tunnel shrouded in darkness.) 

“Come on, Harry, let’s go.” You reach for his hand, he notices immediately that the tips of your ears are pink, and your palms are warm with sweat. He barely sees Peter wave goodbye before you tug him in the direction of the castle entrance. 

“Wait up!” Remus catches up to you two in quick strides, offering to carry your books for you — not that you agree, stubborn Slytherin that you are. “I’ll walk you to the library.” 

“There’s no need for that, Lupin, thank you.” You dodge his eyes, lips tightly pressed together, nails slightly digging into Harry’s arm. 

“Remus,” He says with a twinkle. “Call me Remus.” 

“Alright.” You pause. “Remus.” 

(In that moment, Remus wonders if you remember decking Lucius Malfoy in the face to defend him in your fourth year. He didn’t think he deserved to even breathe in the same air as you — the pure-blooded princess, dressed in clothing worth more than his life, adorned in jewelry he could only dream to afford, raised to believe she was better than everyone else. Then, you beat up Evan Rosier the next month in the courtyard, eyes ablaze, extravagant silk marred with grass stains and mud, and knuckles split open. You spit blood on the ground, looking at Lily then back at Rosier. “Red,” You say, kicking him one last time in the stomach, unafraid of McGonagall’s wrath growing louder and louder. “Just like everyone else. Like those Muggleborns you fear. We’ve all got dirty blood, Rosier. Suck it up.” 

“I’ll tell your father about this!” Rosier bellows through bloody teeth. 

“Tell him!” You grab his neck and slam your forehead against his. “Tell him that I decide my own future now!”

Remus doesn’t even have to think about it. 

He falls in love.) 

FUNNILY ENOUGH, IT’S LILY who gives you her heart first, before anyone else does. It’s the last month of her first year at Hogwarts — it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet that she was a witch. Her, not Petunia, but her — Lily Evans, the witch. Apparently, some people can’t believe it either. A girl from Ravenclaw calls her this foul word, she’s heard it a few times now but it always hurts the same. James and Sirius get into a fight for her honor, now faced with detention later this evening. But she can’t help but wonder, what if they were right? What if she really didn’t belong in this world? It was too good to be true, anyway. Perhaps she’ll just run a flower boutique with Petunia.

“Oi.” 

The sound of your voice startles her, and she nearly topples over in the Great Lake. Lily catches sight of your Slytherin colors and resigns herself to another round of name-calling. “What do you want?” 

“They’re wrong, you know,” You tell her, ignoring Lily’s question. You look down on her with your nose raised arrogantly — she wishes she could be like you. Born to be magic. “You’ve got a terrifying brain locked up in your head there, Evans. And they know it, too. They’re scared.” 

Lily scoffs. “I’m just a Mudblood to them. There’s nothing to be intimidated by.” 

You sneer. “Don’t say that word. You’re more than that. More than them. They’ve got long ways to go to prove they have a place in this world. But you — you’ve defied the odds and you were destined to become magic. You don’t have to prove anything. You have the right to be in the wizarding world and no one can take that away from you.” 

Then, you pivot on your heels, not bothering to hear her reply. “You’re my rival now, Evans. Do keep up. We’ve got an Astronomy test tomorrow. I look forward to seeing how you do then.” 

Lily just gapes. She’s certain there’s butterflies in her stomach. Her heart thumps wildly against her ribcage. Lily raises her hands to feel her blushing cheeks. There’s a light unfamiliar sensation in her stomach — like the urge to kick her legs and scream into a pillow, or more precisely, chase after you and hold your hand.

She stiffens.

Oh.

part two

[drarryspecificrecs]

2023.05 ~ Top 7 longest fics posted on AO3

1. Demons Run (When A Good Man Goes To War) by @shewhomustnotbenamed [E, 124k]

►I need your help. Ordinarily, I wouldn't inveigle anyone into deciphering life from my contorted perspective, but I desperately need you to understand the entirety of the situation that I've found myself in. It's vital that you comprehend and embrace the events that have led me here- to have the clarity of mind that I lack because I am more lost than I have ever been, and I need saving. I need you to see. I need perspicuity. Help me, because I don't know how I got here, and I need to repair the damage I've done.

2. Symptom of Your Touch by @ghostofnoir [E, 115k]

►St. Mungo's Healer Draco Malfoy is used to being pushed to his limits when providing aide to the ailing, but when an unexpected encounter with an out of character Harry Potter throws his life out of balance one night, he is forced to ask himself how far he's willing to push his own levels of discomfort to be of aid to a man in need of help that only he can provide. And once that need for aid is over, how will he find balance in his life again?

3. Love lies somewhere deeper by DarkWizard [M, 96k]

►Harry cheated on his wife with Draco sodding Malfoy. And then, he didn't remember it.

4. we should just kiss (like real people do) by whenstheweddingcake [T, 75k, series]

►Harry's summer is better than ever before, and he returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year with more power, changing relationships, an army at his back, and another DADA teacher that seems to have it out for him.

5. the world is a garden (and you're my flower) by Rosie321go [T, 52k]

►Draco’s mother always said there was a fine line between love and hate. Apparently, his flowers think so too. /// [...] in which Draco doesn’t know how to deal with feelings, Granger doesn’t know how to help him, and Potter’s just trying to figure out what’s going on.

6. Icarus by @soupy-george [M, 50k]

►[...] 2013 (The Unpleasant Present) - Sent undercover as a Professor at Hogwarts. Note: minding my own business, life ruined by dreadful turn of events. Note: Potter is DADA professor, a job he took out of the blue after I graduated from Auror training. His departure happened to coincide with a momentary lapse in judgement when we may have kissed, drunkenly … (and heatedly) against a wall. One time. Awkward? Yes. Reason to abandon whole career? Apparently.

7. Imperius by Jelliebabie [E, 46k]

►What if there was an eighth horcrux? What if Voldemort just wouldn't die? Draco Malfoy doesn't remember what came before his current existence, where he lives to serve the Death Eaters who control his every move, and through him, his magical inheritance. But when a memory from his past appears in his present, breaking the curse that imprisons him, he finds that he may be the one who holds the key to salvation. If only he isn't too broken to use it.

—

※ Word count: 1k ~ 10k

※ Word count: 10k ~ 40k

the first in line by @oflights [E, 29k]

Harry and Draco's Hogwarts Reunion by DarkPhoenixAscending [E, 13k]

Harry Potter and the Yuletide Potion by Grace_28 [G, 13k]

Just A Couple Of Strays by flowerpotboy [M, 20k]

love-stained hate by a_blur_on_the_highway [T, 18k]

Shades of Passion by CosmicallyFamous [E, 12k]

A Strange Twist of Fate by @shinigami714 [E, 18k]

Turn Back the Clock by @steampunkserpent27 [T, 14k]

—

Ongoing Fest/Exchange

※ Fics would be listed elsewhere.

Basilisks & Staircases - A Game of Drarry Fest | @gameofdrarry

HD Mpreg 2023 | @harrydracompreg

Lights Camera Drarry 2023 | @lcdrarry

[thedrarrylibrarian]

Have you ever had a day that just went completely to shit? That was the entire month of November for me. I had planned to have this Happy Hour ready then, but between work and home life and hosting for the holiday and everything else...a ball had to drop. I was so disappointed, because I love doing Happy Hour and I love speaking with the creators who help with the guest fic recs.

@ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm could not have been more gracious and understanding about postponing his rec. I always thought his artworkand fics were lovely, but being on the receiving end of the his kindness makes the works even lovelier to me. I love that even in moments of violence, he portrays characters as vulnerable and soft, the gentleness of moments of solitude, and the joyfulness of the mundane. If you haven't checked out Joy's art before, I cannot recommend it enough.

So after waiting for several months, I am finally so excited to share his incredible fic rec. Our first Happy Hour guest rec of the year is by the lovely and gracious @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm.

Outside of things that become fanon, we all travel the worlds of transformative works building up our own personal sense of canon. A lot of that process is wish fulfillment and self indulgence on little pleasures and minor vanities, which is what carves out this perfectly molded comfort that we all shelter ourselves in, what comes together to broadcast our unique wavelengths of bliss. But there is also another part of the process, one that I find myself unconsciously engaging in at times, which is an attempt to rewrite, rewire, recolor the places in which the source material has dulled, or to find cracks and fissures for interpretations that will allow me to engage with the source more meaningfully in the long run while honoring the directions in which I’ve grown and changed. There’s been a lot of work in the Harry Potter fandom that took on the form of a kind of hermeneutics, or that used the setting and characters as a kind of convenient vehicle to make a point about The Real World, in a way that sometimes makes it feel like we, the naive and spirited readers of the source material are somehow distant from the world and must be gently pulled back into it in the language of our distraction. Harry Potter and Welcome to the World of Grey was the first AU retelling of a larger segment of the HP canon where I felt like I was encountering something completely new, something that had the distant shape of these previous approaches at first glance but that, right from the first page, has that almost physical pull of the complete and precious new. 

Harry Potter and Welcome to the World of Grey by @sobsicles (456,640 words, rated E)

When Harry fails to keep his anger at bay and Voldemort possesses his mind, the events that follow lead him down a long road to realizing the world isn't as black and white as it seems.

Chaos, hilarity, and tragedy ensue with a Dark Lord being honest all the time, a rival becoming something else, and a world demanding to be saved. Featuring frightened Death Eaters, deep conversations with a monster, Pureblood traditions being ridiculous, and the fight to do the right thing with no true options.

Harry's life just gets more and more bizarre with each passing moment.

Or, the one where Harry's life gets split in half, and he has to figure out how to bring it back together.

The summary is immediately gripping, and I’ll leave the reader to discover the shapes of the AU on their own, but the basic premise of the story is that Harry, at the end of 5th year, does something he would never do in the book, and that as a consequence of (?), or despite (?) or alongside (?) this, him and Voldemort begin to, on a relational and intellectual level, engage in a way that would otherwise be impossible. This story works on so many levels, all of them incredibly crafted and so masterfully sustained over the behemoth length of the first installment. The Harry in this story is funny and young and troubled in the most delicious ways all the while wading in and out of the crushing solitude of predetermination (and also maybe just humanity). I generally read exclusively fics in which they’re adults, or at least on the brink of adulthood in 8th year, but the author has crafted such incredibly convincing teenage characters in both Harry and Draco here that by the end not only do they both end up under your skin but they also become these people that sit alongside you, whose adolescence you’ve literally gone through as both a sympathetic spectator and as a mirror of them, drawn into the irresistible sweet delights of their love, the painful bonding of people captive in their lives, the hope of the future born out of surviving something together. 

There is also a tendency in fics to paint the adults of the HP world as traitors, because that’s what the majority of them are, and this is something I also usually engage with. In this fic, while we maintain that the state of the world and the fates that befell all our favourite characters are largely the result of a kind of treason of goodness and responsibility, we also get to have these incredible deep insights into why each adult character is the way they are, through relations made possible only by this unlikely scenario that the author proposes. We also get to have the warm joy of seeing a child empathize with (and pity, and comfort, and teach) people who they owe nothing to, and this is an absolute treasure that shines brighter as we move through the story.

Finally, as this is Happy Hour, apart from all the things I’ve briefly mentioned up there that make this fic a delightful and comforting experience that I constantly go back to, I wanted to talk about a strange way that made this story become my source of comfort. This story made me like Voldemort. Not the terrifying and irredeemable one from the books or the movies. There’s this feeling that I have about fics and fandom, and I think it’s shared by a lot of people who’ve been around for a while, and it’s that these characters and settings and storylines are almost… nebulous things that always existed in us and around us and that we had maybe some slight hope for, but that were first snatched out of non-being and formed by the source material authors. This is also just how art and creativity is, in general - an antenna that beams signals and sometimes someone gets the whole message first. And you grow up and sometimes things are shaped by the source material to make you think oh I’ll feel this way forever and then of course you change your mind, but this was more like an intense, emotional journey in which I realized there was all this personal negativity that I’d always shove into this concept and this being - and that when I encountered the newly formed shape that this author’s Voldemort takes on, my resentments and my fixed darknesses, once unmovable and heavy at the bottom of this big thing in my life, were suddenly things I could walk up to. That the previously unapproachable veil of evil - which is simple, and undebatable - had lifted, and suddenly I could decide to do something else with them, to pick them up and carry them or throw them away, or live alongside them as awkward housemates until suddenly the shame and fear they represented wasn’t something I had to run from. So for happy hour, I picked a story that made me, and continues to make me, engage with not only happiness but a kind of lasting adult joy that comes from letting something come in and help you redraw the city lines of your own story. It’s very precious to me. I read the entirety of this fic in two days next to the crisp Adriatic sea, but I’ve reread it in many settings since then, and it’s always made me both hungry and full in the way that good home cooking does. I hope it does the same for you too.

[thatdammchickennugget]

Congrats on 1.5k! Could I get a romantic pairing w/ Theodore Nott from Harry Potter? For the description of myself, I’m 5’3 cis girl and I have brown eyes and brown hair with some blonde highlights. I’m white, pretty pale and a little curvy. I enjoy playing video games, hanging w friends, watching youtube aka Smii7y, Cody Ko, creating art, and listening to all types of music. My hogwarts house is Gryffindor. I think personality wise I’m pretty empathetic, loyal, stubborn, and funny I mean I’m a Sagittarius. I can’t wait to see what you come up with, thanks!

Thank you, love!! Hope you like it! 💕💕

warnings - a little bit smutty (was requested for this one)

Romantic Match-Up: Theodore Nott

theo’s attention was initially caught by the way you moved through the halls of hogwarts, your presence exuding confidence and a hint of mystery. though he tried to keep his distance, there was an undeniable pull between you, a magnetic tension that crackled in the air whenever your paths crossed.

despite his reserved nature, theo found himself drawn to the depth in your brown eyes and the subtle curve of your lips, each glance sending a jolt of electricity through him. he couldn't help but wonder what lay beneath the surface of your gryffindor bravado, a curiosity that stirred something primal within him.

your beautiful hair framed your face in a way that theo couldn't ignore, a constant reminder of the desire that simmered beneath his cool exterior. though he tried to focus on his studies, he couldn't shake the image of you from his mind, the memory of your laughter echoing in his ears like a siren's call.

as he watched you interact with your friends, he felt a surge of jealousy grip him, his possessive instincts flaring to life in the depths of his chest. even though he tried to push aside his feelings, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy whenever he saw you laughing and joking with others, your smile like a dagger to his heart.

theo found himself drawn to your stubborn determination and quick wit, each encounter fueling the fire of his desire. he longed to bridge the gap between you, to explore the depths of your connection in the most intimate of ways.

he finally took the chance to talk to you when you got assigned to work on a project for potions together, quickly realizing that he had no idea how to actually interact with you. you seemed to misinterpret his teasing comments and playful jabs, turning them right back around at him and causing your sessions to turn into a fierce competition to see who could rile the other more up.

it was during a heated argument when you found yourselves alone in the potions classroom, your words laced with tension and unspoken desire, that theo finally found himself unable to resist any longer. with a hungry gaze and a fierce determination, he closed the distance between you, his lips crashing against yours in a passionate embrace that left you both breathless and wanting more.

from that moment on, you found yourselves consumed by the heat of your desire, your relationship teetering on the edge of something raw and primal. it became normal for him to pull you into hidden corners around the castle, teasing and kissing at your neck until he had you panting beneath him, waiting until he heard your sweet pleas until he finally sunk to his knees and pushed up your skirt.

it quickly became his mission to have you laid out before him, moaning his name and begging for more in as many places around the castle as possible, fueled by the want to have you thinking of him and what he made you feel wherever you went

but when it was just the two of you in the solace of one of your dorms, he liked to take his time, undressing you slowly as he whispered praises into your ear, gently making his way down your entire body, leaving marks and wet kisses across your skin as he went.

Song: Right Here by Chase Atlantic (I can't explain why it just feels right to me)

[sitp-recs]

Hi liv! I hope you’re having a great Friday! Do you have any recs for a “rainy romance” like something that may feature a lot of rain but is just cozy in essence. Think Little Compton Street maybe? Something that maybe one could read while listening to piano and rain sounds? Thanks for allllll that you do!!!!!

Hi anon, happy weekend! Oh I love this ask, as you know LCS is one of my all-time favorite fics and I really love the idea of a rainy, cozy love story to lose myself in. This got long enough so I’m also linking HP Drizzle Fest for more recs. I hope you enjoy, some fics are a bit melancholy but I still think they’re a great fit:

The Reason to Start Again by @phdmama (T, 2k)

The rain that’s been pouring down all day has finally tapered off, leaving the streets wet and a heavy mist hanging in the air. It’s warm and cosy inside the pub, and it’s been 362 days since Draco packed his bags and walked away.

Sky Full of Song by @writcraft (T, 2k)

Draco turns up at Harry's birthday party unexpectedly and Harry takes a leap of faith.

Petrichor by @tsauergrass (G, 2k)

After the war, Draco found himself uncontrollably drawn to the rain.

waltzing lights by @piarelei (T, 4k)

The rain is cold, the boat shaky and all that Draco can find comfort in is the warmth of Potter's presence. Or, Draco is a miserable sod and decides to take action.

Rainfall by Saras_Girl (T, 4k)

So what if Draco has a rain kink? Everyone likes something weird.

Twenty Minutes Till Free Fall by BelladonnaLee (T, 5k)

A night of rain. A bare-boned safe house. A clandestine meeting between a spy and his case officer. Being with Harry is like falling through the air—and Draco isn't sure he wants to stop.

Rain by Omi_Ohmy (NR, 5k)

Luna is getting married, and old friends meet up. It's too hot, and everything's changing for everyone except for Harry, who is still mooning after Draco.

A Little Understanding by disapparater (G, 6k)

Everybody needs good neighbours. During a storm, Harry turns to his newest neighbour for help.

Harmony (Left-Handed Melody Remix) by mindabbles (M, 6k)

He is the last person Draco was expecting, but then again, this is not a place Draco ever expected to be.

Howl by @tackytigerfic (M, 9k)

After an encounter with a vicious werewolf, Draco Malfoy wakes in a field hospital with a mangled shoulder, a furry little problem, and an inconvenient crush on Harry Potter. Potter, meanwhile, is still trying to save the world, only this time he wants Draco right there with him while he does it.

Impervius by ravenclawsquill (E, 11k)

Harry and Draco are working together on a case in the beautiful English Lake District. Or, it would be beautiful if only it would stop raining. Fortunately, Harry has an umbrella. Unfortunately, it's pink and frilly, and Draco would rather die than share it with him.

Voices From The Fog by @noeeon (E, 13k)

After years of running away, Harry crosses paths with an all-too familiar face and follows him to Amsterdam.

Exiled by A_factorygirl_69 (E, 16k)

Draco is declared persona non grata by the Ministry after the War. Harry has been tasked with keeping an eye on him, ensuring he stays out of England.

Bound To You by agentmoppet (E, 21k)

Hag magic is capricious and unruly, and Harry and Draco are bound to stay by each other’s side until they can solve the riddle. In between long car trips, misty rain, and midnight star charts, they begin to understand each other.

Thunder by keyflight790 (E, 21k)

The storm will disappear; the rain will subside; but what's left in its wake will last forever. A story of love and loss, redemption and thunder.

The Isle of Discussion by @shealwaysreads (E, 22k)

Harry and Draco arrive at the shores of Loch Leven to record the magical history of the land. They’re friends now, but up there in the Highlands, amidst the trees and sky and that wild expanse of water their own past is more present than ever; a gap they still can’t bridge. Magic illuminates the truth, but it is Harry and Draco who have to speak it. Happily, it turns out that honesty is, in fact, the best policy.

Better To Burn Than To Fade Away by Ren (E, 23k)

Harry Potter is a legend in the world of broomstick racing. He's won almost every cup, trophy, and bowl – except for the historical London-Nome which has been on hiatus for the past several years. Now the London-Nome is starting again, and Harry will do anything to pull off one last big win.

War Wounds by SilentAuror (E, 30k)

Some wounds take longer to recover from than others.

To Vanish Into Something Better by @m0srael (E, 35k)

Harry Potter thought he could outrun the burden of infamy by isolating himself in the Muggle world. Draco Malfoy hasn’t been seen or heard from since his trial. Will a top-secret Ministry project, a beautiful garden, and a little heat carry them both home?

The July Tree by @oknowkiss (E, 51k)

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail… nor well-meaning friends, nor questionable communication skills, nor seven years of hating each other’s guts can keep Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy from falling in love.

Nightcall by Femme and noeon (E, 116k)

A hideously mauled corpse is found sprawled across the paving stones of Brick Lane in the East End of London. Inspector Harry Potter--widely believed to be the lead candidate for next Deputy Head Auror--is called in to investigate a possible magical crime. To make matters worse, his occasional lover and former school-nemesis, Viscount Draco Malfoy, now billing himself as a consulting criminologist, shows up at the crime scene to aid in the investigation of the suspicious death.

Taking Chances by @gracerene (E, 135k)

After the war, Draco disappeared and started over in America, vowing never to return to Great Britain and the fraught past he left behind. Unfortunately, when his mates convince him to sign up for an exchange programme for the last year of their Auror Training, Draco learns that he doesn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Artwork:

in my solitude comes our rain by @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm

Rain by @istehlurvz

Rain of Fate by @lilbeanz

[pranksterdelatino]

For all the writers out there, here are some ideas for you

Yeah so let’s talk about little nightmares x Twisted wonderland

spoilers for chapter 7! You have been warned!

Ah don’t worry, I’m not here to talk hours over hours why these ideas are awesome, just leaving a few ideas here ppl can try or I’ll write them myself.

Yuu is the main character, And meets the dorm leaders in their kid version per chapter and when you roam around twisted wonderland (whoever’s dorm leaders home country you are at) you encounter all kinds of monsters, for example: Riddle: (Mini boss) Flying books with teeth (Or Harry Potter book, you know those who try to bite you?) Rose bushes that try to stop your way, headless ppl, (Big boss His mom or his overblot) and so on.

You roam around as Yuu in Malleus dream world, where you see sometimes doors that you have to find a key for. After opening said doors and going in the sky and the grass (or whatever you are standing on, is gradually changing, and the father you go, the more dark it looks. (Big boss is, you guessed it MALLEUS! And the other bosses are the dorm leaders overblots

Or last idea, Yuu goes together with Grim throughout the events (in a nightmare version) and then at the end Grim is our big boss to stop us from leaving the dream realm

Ok that’s it bye

[duplicitywrites]

Hi Duplicity! I’m asking you this with no intention to cause offence, and because you’re a creator in this fandom I like a lot, but how do you balance your content with JKR Rowling’s views ? I keep seeing people say that we should all stop consuming and producing Harry Potter content, because despite the intention, or Hc-ing it to suit our views, any engagement with the source material is bringing it to attention, and thus bring her and her hateful views against Trans people to attention, furthering her platform by ensuring her works remain in the collective mind of many people instead of letting it die out and somehow contributing to her legacy. I know you’re very very supportive of LGBTQ+ folks and seem like a very kind person, and I’m not insinuating at all you support JKR herself, but how do you deal with that implication and the unintentional effects your fanfics may have ? Just because it is somewhat true that fandom fuels popularity that fuels profit and yada yada. Please don’t take this the wrong way! Thank you and bless you for your writing ❤️

no offense taken! i hope you'll take my response the same way 💗

to be blunt, i think people who say that we should cease any engagement with the source material are wrong. the equation of content consumption with someone's personal morals is reductive and ultimately harmful.

this (often literal) armchair activism disrespects and disregards the very real efforts people make on a day to day basis -- whether that be through volunteer work, charitable donations, or simply serving as support to friends/family who are a part of those very minority groups that those naysayers claim to advocate for.

jkr is extremely vocal about her garbage opinions -- why are people not directing their ire at her instead of the random strangers they encounter on the internet? well, strangers on the internet are easier targets. it's easier to get a response. it's easier to ostracize and bully someone who doesn't have the security and following that a public figure like jkr has.

it's concerning to me how the concept of "doing the right thing" has shifted more and more towards "attacking the 'wrong' people". who is the target in these situations? is it actually a transphobic person who is being criticized, or is it someone who just likes harry potter? because in most situations i've seen, it's the latter. moral policing in fandom spaces has only gotten worse as the internet slowly morphs into one homogeneous corporate blob, and this is just another example of it taken too far.

harassing someone for liking harry potter doesn't miraculously make them a good person -- it doesn't make them morally superior. it just makes them someone who likes to attack others to feel better about themselves, someone who often looks for 'acceptable' excuses to do so. i'm secure enough in myself that i don't let this bother me, and i certainly don't accept anyone who thinks this way as a 'better' person than me.

i know i am not responsible for the opinions and actions of my readers. it is insanity to claim my writing harry potter fanfiction is making transphobes be transphobic, just as it is equally ridiculous to claim that writing about murder will turn people into murderers.

personally, i believe the best step is to not financially support harry potter as a franchise. this means not paying for official merch/content. but that's my own business -- i won't judge, insult, or attack the people who do, and that's because it would be hypocritical to hold anyone to this standard.

what about disney? what about walmart, or amazon, or any other company that profits off of the misery of minorities and the disadvantaged? people will say there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but that is just another black-and-white approach to an incredibly nuanced topic.

the world we live in is flawed, with "problematic" humans involved at every level of society. there is no clear answer for every situation, so at the end of the day, i can't and won't tell you what to do or what to think, other than encourage you to make these decisions for yourself.

as individuals, the best thing we can do is take responsibility for ourselves. think critically about the actions we take and the impact these actions have on others. live the best life we can under the circumstances we've been given.

(much better than dunking on someone for putting their hogwarts house in their social media bio.)

[ashdreams2023]

Draco Malfoy x best friend reader (oneshot please)but then he catches feelings?(reader is in slytherinn and a pureblood ) and they both know they like the other but haven't made it official, and around the time umbridge comes reader doesn't agree with umbridge and helps Dumbledores army. Draco finds out only when umbridge and her little crew catches Dumbledores army. Draco gets mad at reader and then fluffy goodness! Thank you so much! Eat and stay hydrated! :) Ps. GO OUTSIDE ITS NICE OUT!!!! :>

Pressure

Summary: you and Draco don’t meet head to head on umbridge’s ruling of the school

Draco malfoy x reader

"You know being mean to every muggle born we encounter isn’t gonna get you anywhere Draco" you said, it was one of those days where you had some free time during the mornings and you liked to spend that time catching up on potion’s homework because professor snape just liked handing assignments like no tomorrow.

"You know how I feel about them, they are just a waste of space" Draco said, throwing a little ball in the air then catching it again.

"What happened to the little boy who liked to play hide and seek when we were younger" you sarcastically remarked, to which he snorted throwing the ball your way.

The ball turned into glitter dust when it touched your head "Draco! This is for snape he’s going to kill me" you took the paper and the glitter on it, dusted on his nice robes.

"Hey hey!" He screamed.

"You deserve it!" You laughed.

"Ugh, you’re so-"before he could finish you stood nose to nose with him, lips inches from touching, his cheeks flushed pink and his breath hitched at the closeness.

"I’m what?"

"….you know what" he mumbled and you laughed again, pulling away and leaving him flustered.

That was your relationship with Draco, it was obvious to everyone how close you two are, and you hope soon enough things would be official.

But unfortunately things don’t always stay as calm as you hope them to be, the second umbridge walked into the school everything just went down hill.

"Don’t you see how ridiculous this is!?"

"No! You’re the ridiculous one here, it’s rules and we have to follow them"

"I…Draco I can’t do this I’m sorry."

You and him stopped talking all together and you joined Harry along with the others to train behind umbridge’s back, it was both unfair and your only choice.

And when umbridge found you it was like like roller coaster of emotions.

"You were with POTTER!?"

"I was doing what was right Draco…"

"You could be expelled, following such foolish groups and wasting your time with mudbloods!"

"Draco stop! If you care for me, really care for me just stop it! just because I’m a pureblood does not mean I want to treat people lesser than me or think higher of myself, even you Draco I know you’re not that terrible, you’re just following orders and…still please" you were teary eye and tired, everyone expects the same things of you, other purebloods and your own house, everyone expected to act a certain way.

Draco sighed, he felt heavy in the chest, you two didn’t meet head to head to a lot of things but he you still valued a lot to him, you’re his best friend and more, so much more, he loved you.

"Listen, I know it’s too much pressure on both of us but at least I…want you to know that whatever happens, I still…think there’s a chance for us" he sat next to you and warped his arm around your shoulders pulling you close. You rested your head on him and felt his lips kissing your temple.

"I too…still see hope for us" you said.

At that moment, both of you wanted to forget everything and everyone, just you two and the bittersweet silence of the empty slytherinn common room.

"Good" he lifted your hand and kissed you knuckles.

[hearts4robs]

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡-𝐔𝐩 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭!!

I don’t have a reason, I just find it so fun to make up small stories for ppl <3!

Heavily inspired (maybe even stolen) by @idyllcy !! Her match-up even had me giggling!!

Fandoms available:

• DC (Batman only, sorry sugar </3)

• Harry Potter (Golden Trio era + Marauders, please specify)

• Criminal Minds

• Peaky Blinders

How to request a match-up!

Please send me an ask with…

your personality

your age

your ideal date

your ideal type

your favourite trope

Optionally, please provide me with…

any specific physical features (example; glasses, prosthetics, height, eye-colour, hair-type, skin-colour)

your nationality (not that anyone would love you any less, it’s just for funsies)

your sexuality/gender

And please give a fandom!🙏otherwise, I’ll match you up with myself and give you a smooch (this is a threat.)

—

What you would expect to get if you send in an ask (with a fandom):

three pictures describing your aesthetic/relationship

a short blurb about a date or a random day/encounter you have

random headcanons about your relationship!

Example (this is for myself because, yes):

𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧: 𝐏𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟

“Piss off, Dick, I’m cooking.”

“Okay, and? I’m assisting.” Dick defends quickly, a huff of annoyance in his voice.

“No you’re not, you’re hugging me and leaving hickeys like I’m your colouring book. Off.”

Dick groans annoyance as he’s shrugged off, letting go of your waist as you return to your task. A silence fills the kitchen, only broken by the occasional sizzle or pop from the oil on the pan.

“Can I get a kiss?”

“Richard Grayson-“

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! I’ll take Haley for a walk and be back, love you!” Dick immediately flies out the door, Haley happily and unknowingly jumping after him.

Headcanons:

Dick cannot cook so whenever you’re not there took with for him, he orders take-out

He has multiple high-lights dedicated to you on Instagram. The first one got filled after 5 months of dating so he had to make a new one.

He bought you, Haley and himself matching pyjama sets

Arguments are sadly common and he very rarely apologise first unless he actually realises he kinda fucked up (or it’s the 5th time he orders take-out)

He learned to cook your favourite meal to surprise you on your birthday (it was bland and didn’t taste good but it’s the thought that counts!!)

HAVE LOTS OF FUN W/ THIS MY LOVES <3!!

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Salomé Sibonex

Published: Jan 29, 2024

I’ve been seeking a reprieve from the ugly sides of our world lately and I found it in Hogwarts Wizarding School of Magic.

Even though Harry Potter’s world isn’t utopian, the whimsy of magic and the drama of a battle between good and evil helped wash away the ugly banality of the real world’s problems. There was one problem I couldn’t find a reprieve from, though. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry encounters a problem I’m all too familiar with and that lives at the core of many societal issues. At this point in the series, Harry’s known for his infamous past as a child who survived a direct attack from the embodiment of evil, Voldemort, and his battles against evil and chaos conquering Hogwarts. And yet, even Harry Potter in a world of elves and flying brooms can’t escape the ever-present human problem of conformity.

Watching Harry Potter struggle to overcome other people’s desire for conformity and disdain for anyone who threatens it made me realize: many people cheering this fictional protagonist on would fight against him in real life.

Despite having proven his loyalty, courage, and inclination to fight against evil, Harry Potter’s warning that Voldemort has returned is met with annoyance and disbelief from everyone but his close friends and the embodiment of wisdom, Dumbledore. This problem introduces a crucial element of what causes a lot of today’s destructive conformity: motivated reasoning. Similar to confirmation bias, motivated reasoning happens when someone is motivated to either agree or disagree with new information based on their current beliefs, thus letting that motivation shape their response more than whether the information is true.

You often hear people lament how, despite having access to all the information in the world, it seems like people are getting dumber. A big part of why access to information alone doesn’t reduce ignorance is because of motivated reasoning. People today are inclined to fight against information that challenges their worldview, often because it’s just easier than updating it.

It would be easier for his peers and the authorities if Harry Potter was wrong about danger on the horizon, so they decide to believe he’s wrong, regardless of whether he’s wrong. They deride and dismiss him with accusations I’ve faced myself when sharing inconvenient truths; his classmates scoff “he just wants to be famous!”, which our culture has shortened to “grifter!” Harry Potter—the infamous beacon of hope and repeated warrior for good over evil—is accused of grifting by his own classmates simply because it’d be easier if that were true. Unfortunately for them, it’s not. 

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is a masterpiece for many reasons, but one reason is that her characters and the stories they live out are so real despite happening in such a surreal world. Watching the scene where Harry Potter tries to warn people about a problem he’s proven himself trustworthy and competent to assess—only to be shouted down by people who want the easy route today at the risk of hardship tomorrow—felt uncomfortably real.

I criticized the manipulative pressure activists used to make people pledge allegiance to BLM without researching the organization (which turned out to be corrupt) or the movement itself (which turned out to be a guise for spreading destructive ideas in the name of “anti-racism”). When I speak about that today, I’m praised. But then the Israel attack on October 7th happened and suddenly the same message against letting social pressure rush you to pledge allegiance to positions you don’t understand now got me derided for not “using my platform” properly. The pattern repeats.

You can be the same person with the same message, but other people will respond to you differently based on where the winds of culture have blown them this week.

Unprincipled people are constantly shifting their targets because their worldviews aren’t tethered to anything deeper than seeking social approval and avoiding cognitive dissonance. They will wish death on you for not posting a flag emoji while claiming to hold the moral high ground.

Unprincipled people believe their frantic rushing from Current Thing to Current Thing is proof of their moral character, but it’s actually proof of how unreliable the opinions of anyone but your close friends and personal Dumbledores can be. Just look at J.K. Rowling’s experience. 

While the fact that people with Harry Potter tattoos were the quickest to turn on the creator of their favorite story simply because her opinions didn’t sway with the ever-changing winds of culture (she maintains the once-uncontested reality that trans-women are trans-women and biological women are biological women), that’s only one example of a conformist culture that hates heroes. Harry Potter himself is the perfect litmus test for whether we have a culture that praises heroes or villains.

Forget about Harry’s magic abilities. What truly makes Harry Potter a magical character isn’t his ability to wield magic, which most of the magic world can do—it’s his character that makes him stand apart from all others. If Harry Potter were a real, non-magical person in our society today, his unusually strong character would make him a pariah. Unlike most of the magical world’s people, Harry Potter is pursuing a goal far bigger than himself; this makes him the target of both disgruntled plebs and power-hungry tyrants. People who don’t have a strong and honorable mission in life hate seeing people who do—it either reminds them they’re wasting their lives or threatens their ability to fulfill their evil mission. A lot of arm-chair internet activists and government officials would hate Harry Potter. 

It’s not just that Harry has a unique destiny that makes his character compelling—it’s the fact that he has the courage and determination to pursue that destiny and develop the necessary skills to do so that makes his character admirable. Every person—especially in an individualistic culture that valorizes people who make their own way in life—wants to feel like they have a unique life path that leads to greatness. Luckily for those living in a free society, they do. Unlike in centrally-planned economies like Cuba and China, where your destiny is mostly determined by what your government allows, people in free countries can determine the course of their lives.

The government doesn’t dictate what you can study, what businesses you can open, how many kids you can have, or how much money you’re allowed to make. We’re free to imagine a future for ourselves and set out to develop the skills needed to achieve it. Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone will.

Businesses fail, personal tragedies happen, and obstacles appear. The people who give up on their journey or never get going but believe they could’ve done otherwise harbor regrets, and those regrets easily turn to resentment. These are the bitter people who see the hope and success of others as a stinging reminder of their failures. People who’ve given up or never tried to forge the future they wanted would hate some as determined and ambitious as Harry Potter.

Despite being an orphan, a victim of neglect by his step-family, stalked by a violent gang of death-eaters working for Voldemort, and a childhood victim of assault, Harry Potter doesn’t wear the label of victim.

In a culture like ours that sees victimhood as a hierarchy that dictates your treatment, an individual who refuses to identify as a victim is inherently subversive.

Instead of demanding special treatment because of his hardships, Harry Potter strives not just to overcome them, but uses his hardships as fuel to make him stronger than he would be without them. One might argue it would’ve been better if Harry Potter’s parents were never killed by Voldemort and thus he would’ve never been fated to fight him—and if your idea of a good life is ease and subsistence, that would be true—but your life would make a terrible story. Harry Potter’s victimization by Voldemort’s evil is what imbued him with the ability to become a hero. With darkness comes light, but in a culture that doesn’t believe in light, many people linger in the dark and resent anyone who reminds them their darkness is a choice.

Harry Potter is the archetypical hero. He pursues a mission that starts with his personal journey of understanding himself and helping those close to him, which leads him to help the world. He goes above and beyond what others do to become worthy of the future he wants. He never identifies with the many ways he’s been victimized, but instead transmutes his hardships into victories. And for all these heroic qualities, Harry Potter would be maligned by our culture as privileged, “alt-right,” and much like his creator has experienced, his efforts to do good would be met with hostility and accusations of grifting from people who care more about the ease of clinging to their worldview than discovering the truth. 

Entire countries end up on the wrong side of history when they stop cheering for heroes.

[m0srael]

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. -Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day, William Shakespeare

The Pleasure of a Fleeting Year [23.2k | E]

Or, a Drarry story told over the course of a year in (mostly) micro installments, inspired by each of @drarrymicrofic's 2022 prompts. 🌓 Summary: It's been 18 long years since Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have seen one another, but a chance encounter on platform 9 3/4 sends them spiraling back into each other's orbits. Or: an exploration into just how much change a single year can bring for one little family. 🌕 Notes: The title of this story is taken from Sonnet 97: How like a winter hath my absence been by William Shakespeare. The story unfolded (mostly) in real-time over the course of 2022 (aka, the same amount of time passed in the story between installments as passed for us, irl). 🌗 *A note on craft*: most installments were exactly 50 words, but to allow myself a little wiggle room I wrote two 250 word installments and two 100 word installments per month. Except for December, when the whole strict word count thing went out the window in favor of letting this little family have the happy ending it deserves.

⭐ If you want to read each installment on tumblr, start here and follow the links, or you can read it on A03! ⭐

On a personal note, I'm very proud of myself for finishing this story during one of the most unsettled and unsettling years of my life. I was determined when I set out on this journey to not only finish this WIP, but finish it within the timeframe I set for myself. Even if it was disjointed and scattered at times, I achieved my goal! I wasn't entirely happy with each installment that I wrote, but I'm happy that I wrote them, each and every one. All told, I wrote 149 individual micro/ficlets for the 104 prompts! Thank you to @nv-md, who helped me brainstorm the first threads of this story, to @softlystarstruck who stuck with me and helped me through the hardest bits, and @short666bread who has been such a steady supporter and created exquisite art for this story. I'm also so grateful to the handful of people who have taken the time to not only read each and every part, but to leave me such lovely and encouraging comments. At more than one point I was writing this story just for you--thank you!

[sailorstarr-chan4]

For the first time since 2020, I am feeling the urge to read InuKag fics again???

This all started in June when I FINALLY read the iconic "Freak Attraction" by our esteemed @artistefish (which is PHENOMENAL AND AMAZING BTW PLEASE GO READ IT), but then, just now, I saw that the Smut Queen herself, @keichanz had posted new smut...... 👀👀👀

Aaaaaand suddenly I went hunting for other smutty oneshots to add to my "Marked for Later" fics. For the first time in AGES. Like. Um. Holy shit????

[Ramblings about my "Inuyasha history post-2020" below cut. Tl;dr: I'm lowkey Shook that my love for Inuyasha and InuKag fics is finally, slowly coming back 🥹💕]

Here's the rundown: 2020 happened. I went into quarantine with my parents. I was determined to finally devour a BUNCH of Inuyasha fics I kept meaning to read, and at first I did with great gusto..... but..... as April 2020 crept along, my interest began to wane and depression seized a hold of me.

Then Yashahime was announced. The fandom imploded. I felt nothing. No interest, no worries, no intrigue. NOTHING. It would've scared me if I was capable of feeling it.

Oh eventually, I felt a mild amusement at all of the squabbling and ship wars and all that nonsense (and spawned a whole fucking series of memes as a result lmaooooo). But my love for the fandom/fics had more or less snuffed out. Which sucked for a number of reasons, not least of which were "shit, most of my WIPs are for this fandom fuckfuckfuckfuck" LMAO 🙃

Depressing shit aside, I dove back HARD into the Disney fanfic side of things, on top of other anime titles and old fandoms like Harry Potter. I moved on to other fandoms, partially due to feeling embittered at the Inuyasha fandom for already making my depression over my lack of interest EVEN WORSE with all the in-fighting over Yashahime (which btw, for the record, is NOT a particularly bad show. It's not a GOOD show, per se, I don't have any strong feelings for it either way, but it's NOT the Antichrist™ like fans were making it out to be, sheesh >.> It's just another mediocre sequel for a classic-but-not-particularly-amazing-original-series. Shocking, I know. Moving on)

The only thing keeping me sane about Inuyasha was watching it with my fiancé, from Nov. 2020-Sept. 2021. His delightful commentary breathed life into the series like you wouldn't BELIEVE lmao 🤣

Eventually.... I felt the desire to write again. But it was HARD. 😭

After Shameless was completed in April of 2020, I felt.... empty of Inuyasha fic writing. By a miracle, I managed to update my Big Three WIPs (An Unexpected Encounter -> June 2020; Inuyasha: Prince of Thieves -> July 2020 & Sept. 2022; and Shards of the Sea -> June 2021 & Sept. 2022), but the gaps between updates kept widening, and I only worked on them because they were already partially written/published. I even ended up archiving older ficlets into Tied Together and Bonds Across Time, but had to resist the urge to delete everything and start afresh SEVERAL times since 2021 (which, coincidentally, was around the time the fandom was tearing itself apart over Yashahime bullshit and by bullshit I mean innocuous junk people were losing their goddamn minds over ugh.... 😒)

The handful of other fics I punched out for other fandoms were small, and only posted briefly in the summers of 2020 and 2022.

The latter summer was thanks to my first InuKag written smut in 2 years: Sinful Symphonies.

So, yay! Finally getting a feel for writing again, both for Inuyasha and in general! But I still felt utterly detached from other Inuyasha fics, not because of the writers (are you KIDDING me, half of the reason it was hard to distance myself from the fandom was because of the AMAZING TALENT in this fandom ugggghhh 😭), but because of my personal, complicated feelings with the fandom and series as a whole.

But then I binge-watched the series by myself this May. And finally, decided to buckle down and read Freak Attraction, which I have been meaning to read LONG before 2020, and thus, it became my first Inuyasha bookmarked fic on AO3 in almost 3 years, and first "new" Inuyasha fave as whole since August 2021.

My last Inuyasha bookmarked fic on AO3 was on Nov. 1, 2020 (on ff.net, I read two small MirSan smut fics in August 2021, but these are outliers; I really could not bring myself to read more than those -.-).

My last InuKag bookmarked smut on AO3 was April 7, 2020.

My last REVIEWS I left for an Inuyasha fic (besides the aforementioned fics) were from June-August 2021 for a couple of updated faves (namely Keichanz's Iconic You Rescued Me, which was a ROLLERCOASTER OF FEELS, LEMME TELL YOU).

And now. NOW. AT LAST. THREE WHOLE YEARS after 2020 sucked the joy of Inuyasha fandom/fic from me.... I want to try again. I want to read more again.

Even if it's only a little bit, I would like to find joy here again. 🥺💕

[thedrarrylibrarian]

Several people have been kind enough to let me publish their thoughts on fandom, community, and queerness to celebrate Pride in the Library. Today's piece comes from @writcraft.

The Local Government Act 1988 was enacted in Britain nearly a decade before the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the book that would eventually lead me to fandom. This odd piece of legislation covered a variety of things from pet licences to housing arrangements. It also contained the infamous Section 28, which had an enormous impact on LGBT Britain during the late 1980s and 1990s. 

Driven by a moral panic over the inclusion of a book called Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin in school libraries and the stigmatised nature of desire between men at the peak of the HIV/AIDS crisis, Section 28 was the product of a Tory government determined to eradicate any kind of perceived radicalism from education. One of the more famous clips from Thatcher’s 1987 speech on the matter is here if you have the stomach for it, primarily shared due to its eerie similarities with the agendas espoused by conservative politicians around the globe today.

My teen years were shaped by Section 28 and the HIV/AIDS crisis, a time of tabloid press sensationalism on the one hand and silence on the other. Media visibility was complicated by a single shared television in the family home and in those fleeting moments I encountered queer narratives, they often leaned into coded stereotypes, death tropes, loneliness and isolation. Intimacy between women was susceptible to the male gaze, whilst trans folks and bisexuals were largely invisible or negatively portrayed. Nobody in my school year or university class came out during their time in education. We were there, but many of us explored our desires only in the shadows. This climate complicated my same-sex experiences and gender ambivalence, making it all too easy to dismiss them as something other than queer.

My introduction to fandom was through academic research and archives like The Hex Files and The Silver Snitch. When I first met the people behind the stories it was, unusually, not in an online forum, but face to face at a fan convention, where I delivered a paper on the queer pleasures of slash. At the time I was ricocheting in and out of the closet in my day-to-day life and I had no connections with any queer community, just a disparate handful of people I was inexplicably drawn to who tentatively shared their secrets with me and I, in turn, shared mine with them. 

During the fan convention I set up my LiveJournal, made early connections that would blossom into decade long friendships and found myself immersed in a space filled with creative, queer, kink-positive people. The friendships I made, and the ones that came after, gave me the confidence to live a more public queer life, to show up in my local community as an activist, writer and researcher. I have travelled around the world and raised a glass with fandom friends in numerous queer spaces from The Stonewall Inn to Manchester’s Canal Street.

Creatively, fandom gave me the space to revisit, reflect and reclaim. Because canon is so devoid of explicit queerness, it leaves open the question of political and social attitudes towards gender and sexuality. Stories like Little Compton Street, The Beauty of Thestrals and Other Unseen Things, Pride, Harry Potter and the Bisexual Awakening, Born Sick and Secret Love Song allowed me to imagine how Harry and Draco might navigate a world that reinforces binaries and closets, exacerbates internalised homophobia, renders bisexuality invisible and complicates queer awakenings. It has been cathartic to pour queer hope and defiance into those socio-political climates and equally cathartic to explore queer pain, grief and longing.

I do not have a rose-tinted notion of fandom as a queer utopian space. I am well aware of the pervasive issues that marginalise fans of colour (see Squee From the Margins: Fandom and Race by Rukmini Pande). In this particular fandom with an author whose views I find abhorrent, I no longer hold any nostalgia for a franchise I have not invested in for years. What keeps me here is friendship, creative possibility, the understanding that my stories are not for everyone but the hope that some readers might find comfort in the exploration of themes I continually return to. If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Huge thanks to @thedrarrylibrarian for giving me the opportunity to share a little about my topsy-turvy queer journey during Pride month. If you have any questions about anything I have shared, my asks and DMs are always open.

Thank you, Writ, for joining me in the Library and sharing so much insight about earlier days in fandom. I appreciate that you took the time to discuss complicated topics and provided the opportunity for everyone to broaden their horizons and better informed participants in fandom. Most of all, thank you for taking the time to celebrate Pride in the Library with me.

If you want more @writcraft, be sure to check out their work on AO3! Writ has an unbelievable talent for combining history and the impact of real legislation into fic. She recommended some of her fics earlier, but I want to spotlight their fic, The Beauty of Thestrals and Other Unseen Things. I loved the way that they were inspired by Queer history in the UK, and I loved the gentle way that she explored that real heartache and bravery through Harry and Draco. This fic, like so many of Writ's fics, reminds me that there have been countless Queer people throughout history and I'm not alone.

🏳️‍🌈 Lots of Love and Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

[romnianistan]

going on a whim about something minor here but the sort of Bohemian theme that's been going on in the Cormoran Strike novels intrigues me a little bit. Firstly what I find interesting is that mentions of Romani people or of Bohemianism never showed up in Harry Potter when Jo would have had plenty of opportunities to do so while describing Trelawney's classroom or character, for example. I think it's interesting that she didn't do that then (maybe she thought it was overdone? or maybe she knows that associations between Romani people and the occult are mostly based on fantasies than in reality). So what's interesting is that it does show up in the Strike novels where fantasy is much more toned down (duh).

The first time we get a mention of Romani people is in the Silkworm where we learn one of Strike's nickname is diddicoy. We are told "diddicoy" is a Welsh word meaning "Gypsy". That's actually not true; diddicoy is a British Romani word used to talk (often pejoratively) about people who are half-Romani and half-white (and I'm not setting myself to blame JKR here as accurate information about Romani people are pretty hard to come by).

In the entire series, most of the time you encounter the words "Gypsy", "bohemian", it's to talk about Strike's past and in particular, to qualify Leda. But instead of the Romantic take on Bohemianism, which was about portraying Romani people as free-spirited magical nature spirits, the portrayal of Strike's childhood is much more grim, associated with poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, unstability, that clashes with the way other people (characters who get interviewed, mostly) fantasize about Strike's past and about his groupie mother. So Jo twists one of the most widespread Romantic tropes and renders it more ambivalent as there is a big contrast between representation and reality. To some extent I think there's something similar going on with Theo's character in Troubled Blood: you got that stereotypical representation of a mysterious Gypsy girl who wears golden jewellery and is (gasp) maybe a criminal. But then she turns out to be just a regular teenager (who happened to be Romani) and scared about being pregnant in a conservative community.

What's also interesting is that Bohemianism is also a theme in Gothic novels (think of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, or about any horror story about Gypsy curses for example), so all in all I think this is part of what Jo has been doing in the CS series so far, which is, transcribing a Gothic aesthetic into reality and deconstructing its tropes a little bit (like all the UHC magic tricks turned out to be fake in TRG, for example)

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 8

Today’s prompt for @hprecfest was also a bit of a challenge on the Drarry side. I guess canon rewrites are the most popular type of “canon divergence”, as in Hogwarts fics retelling the books with the boys being sorted into different Houses or becoming friends early on. I don’t read those often so I thought why not go for a Voldemort Wins AU instead? I’m very much intrigued by this trope and would love to read more of it. I was tempted to scream once again about Frayach’s brilliant The Good Guys but I’ve already recced it in the past so here are two hidden gems that could use more love!

Day 8) A canon-divergence fic:

Drarry

We Are Legend by @vaysh11 (E, 38k)

Eighty years into the future, Voldemort won. Harry Potter is a renegade wizard, Portkeying Muggles out of London to Hogwarts, last sanctuary in a Britain ruled by the Dark Lord. On a mission he encounters a powerful phoenix Animagus fighting on the Death Eaters' side. He recognises Draco Malfoy whom he thought long dead. But the differences between them are perhaps even greater than before.

I found this gem thanks to @romaine2424 who insisted I should take a look and she was so so right because this fic is unlike anything I’ve read before. I’m beyond impressed by the vivid, grim dystopian world building combining moments of tension and loneliness. Draco’s character and fate are devastating but despite all the grief and heartbreak this fic is still tender and moving, so full of yearning and hope. This is one of those stories that catch you off guard as you go on but feels fresh and creative every time you revisit, something about pre-2010 works just hits differently!

Rare pair

Pigment by @wynnefic (Harry/Sirius, T, 5.7k)

Sirius makes a promise to Harry during the war. Three years later, he keeps his word.

As soon as I saw the prompt I knew I’d go for this fic. Whether in a romantic or platonic relationship, Harry & Sirius hit a particularly bittersweet spot for me because I so wanted them to have had more time with each other. I love to bury myself in canon divergence but while most of them are angsty and tense or just downright smutty, this shortfic became one of my fave comfort reads. Their dynamic is soft and healing, full of tender intimacy and sweet domestic bliss. Like the Drarry fic I mentioned above, this has a very sensitive combination of grief and hope and patient longing that makes their reunion so emotionally satisfying.