#while slytherin was the scapegoat

[cuffmeinblack]

Hold me like a grudge

Leander Prewett x f!reader

Tags: explicit | smut | Slytherin!reader | blowjobs | fingering | unprotected sex

3.6k words

Summary: As a Slytherin, you can't be seen to be publicly swooning over Leander Prewett, but he's making it really hard not to.

A/n: No the title isn't a Fall Out Boy song SHUTUP. Anyway, I wrote this in an evening after I said I had too many WIPs but I'm an impulsive idiot.

Leander Prewett had rubbed you up the wrong way the moment you met him, the way he’d talked about Sebastian after your first Herbology lesson, making a snide remark about dirty Slytherin tactics. Probably not the best thing to say to a Slytherin. What he lacked in tact, he didn’t appear to make up for anywhere else, quickly becoming someone you disliked and tried to stay away from.

You'd held onto the grudge for a while, though it had subsided with time—perhaps you'd matured, realised that he simply held assumptions that were incorrect and it wasn't necessarily how he felt now, two years later. Or, it was because Leander Prewett was now fucking gorgeous. His jaw had sharpened a little, he'd grown several inches, towering above most of your classmates, but still had that shocking red mane that he shared with his partner in crime, Garreth Weasley.

If there was one red headed, freckled boy you thought you'd be attracted to, you'd have thought it would be Weasley, with his easy smile and twinkling eyes. But no, your eyes were often drawn over and up to Leander, who's full lips looked more and more inviting by the day as you struggled to concentrate and maintain your composure around him. You had a stoic and intimidating Slytherin façade to maintain, and it wouldn't do to be publicly swooning over Prewett.

Easier said than done when you spotted him enter the great hall with Nellie, holding hands and giggling insufferably. Your lip twitched into a snarl, nose wrinkling in disgust at the lovestruck pair, sauntering to their table without a care in the world. When the hell had that happened? You privately chastised yourself for waiting far too long to make any sort of move on him, your stomach twisting into jealous knots. Your reaction wasn't easy to hide, and caught the attention of Sebastian immediately, his head swivelling around to follow your gaze.

"Prewett…and Oggspire? Huh. Disgusting, yes, but why do you care?"

"I wasn't looking at him," you said far too quickly.

"What were you looking at, then?"

"Erm…," you scanned the Gryffindor table looking for a scapegoat. "Weasley."

"Why were you looking at him?"

Sebastian's dark eyes were boring into your skull, making it incredibly hard to come up with a convincing lie. You were usually so good at this, but Leander's entrance with his new girlfriend had you flustered, and Sebastian was taking advantage of it.

"What's going on?" Ominis asked, tearing himself away from his breakfast to join the interrogation.

"Someone's got a crush on a Gryffindor," Sebastian said with a smirk in your direction. "I'm trying to figure out which one it is."

"Oh, Leander," Ominis said matter-of-factly, continuing to sip his tea.

"What?!" 

Your mouth was dangling open at the blond, who obviously couldn't see your flabbergasted reaction, nor hear it over Sebastian's urgent questioning.

"How do you know that? Is that true? Fucking Prewett?"

"Sebastian, please," Ominis said, placing a protective hand over his ear.

"How did you know…?" you asked quietly.

"You mention him far more than anyone outside of our house," Ominis shrugged. "You also frequently call him Leander and try to sit near him in Charms at any given opportunity."

"Oh. Right, well I suppose I'll have to be more careful in future," you replied bitterly, swallowing a lump in your throat. "Excuse me."

Storming out of the hall, you ran into the grounds and gulped down the fresh air, desperate to quell your nerves. So your best friends knew about your ridiculous crush, so what? You knew Ominis would be discreet, and Sebastian…well, he would if he knew what was good for him. No, your problem was Nellie Oggspire, and she needed to be dealt with.

The day passed slowly as you mulled over what you wanted to achieve, and tried to stay as far away from the pair as possible. You didn’t want to hurt Nellie, no, merely scare her off. A little prank never went amiss, and it would allow you to take out your frustration on the object of your envy. 

You were distracted all the way through dinner, keeping a close eye on Leander as you ate. Sebastian merely rolled his eyes, engaging in conversation with Ominis as you stewed and waited. As soon as he stood to leave, passing by Nellie with a tap on the shoulder, your fork clattered to your plate and you jumped up. Your friends called goodbye after you, but you merely grunted and gave a half-arsed wave as you strode out of the room.

You had your wand, a plan, and a whole lot of stupidity, but apparently none of the luck. They went straight to the Gryffindor common room, leaving you fuming outside of the entrance and pulling suspicious glances from students and portraits alike. Perhaps it was for the best, you thought bitterly, marching back towards your own common room in the dungeons. 

You’d made it halfway before realising you didn’t feel like the company tonight, diverting into the grounds. The evening was cool and the sun only just beginning to set as you perched on a grassy mound to watch the spectacle. Listing all of the reasons why you shouldn’t care about Leander having a girlfriend wasted a couple of hours, and the stars were bright and twinkling by the time you left your spot.

It must have been approaching curfew with the castle so quiet as you entered through the double doors, picking up your pace to almost a skip. You’d barrelled down a few corridors, activity getting sparser and silence descending until you heard him. His voice, the one that sent shivers down your spine, the reason you sat so bloody close to him in Charms, was now raised and absolutely furious.

You should have ignored it, carried on walking and put it out of your mind. It was none of your business, but curiosity got the better of you, and you approached with bated breath as the shouting got louder and you noticed a second voice. Nellie and Leander were really going at it, and you barely suppressed a grin as you listened to the exchange, only feeling the tiniest amount of guilt.

The voices dissipated, replaced by heavy footfalls you recognised from a feminine shoe. Ducking around a corner, you waited until the corridor was silent once again, breathing a deep sigh of relief. There had only been one set of footsteps, the other noticeably absent after minutes of waiting.

You knew you couldn't stay in hiding all night—it was already past curfew. You should have left, but the person you'd agonised over all day was just around the corner. Your legs were already moving in that direction, carrying you towards the spiral staircase, when you saw him; the shock of red hair atop a figure hunched over on the stairs.

"Leander?"

His face flew up, expression softening when he saw that you weren't a prefect.

"Oh…hello. Erm, what can I do for you?"

"Me? I was…are you okay?"

"Ah, did you hear that? Yes, I'm fine…"

"Right, well…"

You couldn't seem to finish your sentence, pulled between wanting to comfort him, find out more about what had happened and throwing the stoic mask over your face once more. Being sarcastic wouldn't achieve anything, even though it was your default when faced with awkward, sensitive conversations about emotions. He looked at you questioningly, clearly confused as to why you were still standing in front of him.

"Want some company?"

He blinked, not expecting the offer, but nodded and shuffled over to allow you room to sit down. Being so close to him was unnerving, your eyes instantly drawn to his mouth and feeling an intense blush cross your face. Diverting your gaze to his brown eyes didn't exactly help, and the air seemed to ripple with tension as you fidgeted and he ran a hand through his copper hair.

"What brings you here this time of night, anyway?" he asked.

"Nothing much, just came for a walk to clear my head."

"After curfew?"

"I'm particularly good at being stealthy if I need to be," you said with a small smile.

Leander chuckled, a soft, melodic laugh that made your blush deepen and fidgeting intensify. 

"I suppose I know what you were doing out here," you muttered.

"Mmm, didn't really work out that way, did it? It's fine, though. I wasn't really…"

He shrugged and his sentence trailed off with a sigh, leaning back against the stairs behind him on his elbows. Now it was even harder to take your eyes off of him as he practically lay next to you, a relaxed posture you'd never seen in your classes together. He was always so prim and proper, yet here he was with a crinkled shirt rolled to his elbows, tie loosened and hair dishevelled from a long day. You'd have loved to muss that hair even more, running your fingers through it as you kissed him.

An uncomfortable ache had settled between your legs, your abdomen full of fluttering insects that didn't appear to calm with the passing seconds. Gods, you wanted him. You felt almost crazed, and were sure he felt it too as his eyes drifted lazily over your face, flicking between your eyes and down to your lips.

"You're quite nice, for a Slytherin," he remarked.

"Hm. You're alright for a Gryffindor."

You held each other's gaze for a few agonising seconds, neither able to make a move until your impatience got the better of you. Leaning over his almost prone position, your hand found his cheek and lips met his in a tentative but dizzying kiss. He was kissing you back, long fingers wrapping your waist to pull you on top of him in an awkward and uncomfortable perch on the steps.

The pain in your knees you could do without, but it dulled to the sensation of his soft lips parting for you, his tongue meeting yours in gentle exploration. 

"Is this…just a rebound?" you asked, pulling away all but an inch.

"Does it matter if it is?" he replied, fingers pulling your shirt from your waistband.

"A little…I've liked you for a while. And I don't want to be second choice to fucking Nellie Oggspire," you added, flinching away from talking too openly about your feelings.

"Me too. I mean, I've liked you, ever since I saw you in fifth year. Gods, you're gorgeous. You could never be second best," he replied, voice dripping with lust as his hands roamed over the bare skin beneath your shirt.

Maybe this was just a one-off, but did it matter? He was offering to fulfil your fantasies and you were more than eager to accept. You doubted your body would let you refuse, the way your chest tightened, breath quickened and you ached for his touch.

"Can we go somewhere more comfortable? These stairs are killing my back," he asked with a small smile.

You couldn't help but smirk at his wincing, whilst wondering if you could make it all the way to the Room of Requirement. Willing to give it a try, you clambered off of him, saliva pooling in your mouth as you noticed the bulge in his trousers before pulling him up by his wrist. Leander stuttered, readjusting himself in his trousers as you shushed him, marching quickly and quietly towards your sanctuary. 

It was a way to go, and it was past curfew—you were bound to meet a prefect or a teacher, and then what? You'd be banished back to your common room with detention and full of frustration. The time to act was now, as you passed through the hallway and heard dull, echoing footsteps ahead of you, and Leander seemed to agree.

"Oh, shit," he whispered, swivelling you around with a pull of your hand and into a nearby dusty classroom.

"What the hell…"

"Shhh!"

The lock clicked behind you, leaving you standing in silence, moonlight pouring in through the windows the only source of light. The footsteps outside grew louder as your heart pounded, then receded, and you let out a breath you didn't realise you'd been holding.

"That was close," he sighed.

"This more comfortable for you?" you asked, glancing around at the rows of desks.

"Not exactly as cosy as my dorm…"

"It'll have to do."

Your fingers wrapped around his tie, dragging him through the rows to the large desk which at one point would have seated a professor. The classroom had long been disused—you didn't think they'd mind. As long as the dearly departed didn't decide to visit, you should have Leander all alone now.

"We're really doing this…fuck…," he muttered as you turned, backing against the desk and pulling him against you.

"We really are."

Your fingers got to work undoing the buttons on his waistband as his lips claimed you in a kiss, his hands resuming their place underneath your shirt and slipping up your back. They were soft and warm, his touch delicate but decisive, tracing your ribs around to the soft flesh of your breasts. A gasp left your mouth as his large hands gripped your breasts, pawing hungrily and teasing your nipples into stiff peaks with a flick of his dextrous thumbs.

"Leander…"

He responded with a low groan, his straining erection falling into your hand as you released him from the fabric. Oh fuck, he was proportionate to his height, for sure, and the girth you felt as you wrapped your hand around him made your breath hitch. Those soft lips were teasing you into a frenzy, brushing yours gently before pulling away ever so slightly with a smirk. Oh, he wanted to play.

Without a second thought, you crashed your mouth against his, sucking his lower lip into your mouth, nibbling and sucking, flicking and gliding your tongue to show him what you'd do elsewhere, if he behaved. Your hand worked his cock with gentle strokes, slow and steady, your thumb swiping over the top to spread his slick precum. The thought was making you hungry, the smell of his arousal drawing you down to the floor before he could react to the abandonment of the heated kiss. 

Within a second your lips were wrapped around his cock, tongue swirling around the swollen head and hand gripping firmly at the bottom of his shaft. The moans you let out echoed in the classroom, devoid of anything but the hard wooden furniture, mingling with Leander's gasps and frantic expletives. His hands were in your hair, tugging with every movement of your head as you sucked his cock ferociously, like you'd been fucking starved for years. He tasted so good, warm, wet and a perfect fit for your mouth.

Running your tongue along the thick vein on the underside of his shaft, Leander let out a shaky moan and bucked his hips, his cock hitting the back of your throat. Fuck, yes. More. You begged him with your eyes, using your spare hand to grab his hip and pull him into you. He got the hint, looking down at you with his lips parted and his eyes darkened as he took hold of your head with both hands. 

He rolled his hips, his cock sliding further down your throat, the tip squeezed by your tight muscles as you suppressed your reflex as best you could. Your eyes still watered, his face becoming more of a blur with every thrust, the groans from his throat growing louder and louder. There was something so exhilarating at being used for his pleasure, the obscenity of it only growing your already painful arousal.

He was close; you could tell by the ragged breaths and shaking legs, the urgency of his thrusts as he practically grinded against your face. The tiny moans you managed to eek out were silenced as he pulled back, spilling his load into your mouth. Thick ropes of cum shot onto your waiting tongue and coating your mouth, unable to take it all and dribbling the last down your chin. 

You were both panting by the time his cock had finished pulsing, but you found the energy to scramble to your feet, swallowing the thick, salty liquid and wiping the overspill on your sleeve. Leander looked to be in shock, an almost apologetic look on his heavily flushed face, only intensified as you hopped onto the desk and yanked his shirt to pull him between your legs. It was your turn now.

"Are you okay…?" he asked.

"More than okay, or I will be," you replied, taking his hand and roughly placing it between your legs.

"Oh…fuck…"

His thin fingers glided over the cotton of your underwear, almost making your eyes roll back in your head at the overwhelming sensitivity of your clit. You were throbbing, the bundle of nerves under his fingertips so desperate for attention. It was unbecoming to beg, especially for a Slytherin, but by Gods you were close.

Thankfully, his movements hastened at your glare, pressing firm fingers to your soaked underwear and working your nub with quick and tiny circles. 

Your arms quaked, muscles twitching and hips bucking into his hand with every little movement. His name fell from your lips over and over again until you couldn't speak, his mouth claiming yours with a frenzied hunger. Your kisses were all gasps, moans and tongue. Leander was getting hard again, his length pressing into your inner thigh, but he never wavered from his attention on you. 

He'd pulled down your underwear with tugs of his spare hand and a wiggle of your hips, fingers delving into your soaking entrance to the sound of your wails. Coated in your slick, he returned to your clit, gliding between your folds to resume his steady rhythm.

"You're so wet…"

"You drive me fucking crazy," you growled.

You were so close already, and overly sensitive. Your orgasm was building quicker and quicker, your heart pounding and body shaking as you approached your peak.

"I want you to come for me."

He whispered in your ear, and you were a goner. His silky voice slid into your ear and exploded the tension coiled in your core, your release ripping through you so intensely Leander had to grip your waist to keep you from falling against the desk as your body convulsed. You screamed his name, gasping for breath as he sucked on your neck. His fingers carried you through your orgasm until you squirmed away at the oversensitivity, gripping his back until the waves had ebbed away.

"Fucking hell."

Leander nibbled and licked at the skin on your neck, answering you by plunging his fingers inside you.

"Oh…oh Gods, Leander…"

He pulled away from your neck, looking deep into your eyes. Your stomach flipped and walls clenched around his fingers at his intense stare. He looked animalistic, a predator with its sight fixed on its prey, ready to pounce at any moment. 

"Do you want me?"

"Yes."

His fingers pulled out of you, replaced by his rock hard erection parting your folds and nudging at your entrance. He hooked an arm under your leg, drawing it up to expose you completely under your skirt. His lustful gaze dropped to your waiting cunt, watching as he pushed himself inside you with a soft groan. He was slow, steady, stretching you exquisitely. He felt incredible, everything you'd ever hoped for in those nights spent with your hand between your legs, moaning his name.

"You feel amazing," you gasped as he fully seated himself inside you.

"Gods, so do you. Fuck."

You pulled on his tie to bring his lips to yours, kissing him deeply as he began to roll his hips. Your hands were in his fiery mane as he fucked you; hard, steady and utterly perfect. You seemed to move effortlessly in sync, meeting him at the top of his thrust with a shift of your hips, his hands pulling you to press deeper than you thought possible.

"So beautiful…," he muttered against your lips.

You responded with a whimper, your walls fluttering around his cock. 

"You're going to…make me come again…," you gasped breathlessly.

"Can I finish inside you?"

You looked into his eyes, melting slightly. He didn't slow or stop his thrusts, just pounded into you as he held your gaze.

"Yes, fuck…come inside me, Leander. Fill me up."

His grip on the flesh around your hip tightened to painful levels, the skin tingling beneath his fingernails as his rhythm quickened just a little. He slammed into you harder, bruisingly, with a glint in his eye and sinful moans falling from those soft, kiss-swollen lips. You held him tighter, whispering his name as you felt his cock twitch and body tense before he met his release, pulling you over the edge with him.

He kissed you hungrily as you revelled in the bliss of your orgasms, bodies warm and sweaty but still clinging to each other through it all. Every muscle in your body relaxed as the pleasure ebbed away, leaving you limp, dazed and so content. Your cheeks brushed, sighs and heavy breaths exchanged, and for a while you forgot that you were in a dusty old classroom—being entwined with Leander in the hazy afterglow felt right, almost like home. You kissed his freckled skin until he turned to look at you, eyes searching yours.

“So…want to do that again?” he asked.

“I assume you don’t mean now,” you replied with a smirk.

“Maybe not right this second, but you said you were good at being sneaky…do you think I can get you back to my bed first?”

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Do you think Tom getting Hagrid expelled was probably the best thing to happen to him? Because, assuming the Chamber of Secrets fiasco never happened, Aragog would have got out of Hagrid's trunk and he would have killed someone eventually.

It was probably pretty clear to everyone that Hagrid didn't open the Chamber and Aragog didn't attack anyone, as why would a Acromantula petrify a bunch of students and kill only one without eating any of them? Hell, Acromantula's can't even petrify people, so Aragog's clearly not the culprit. But, they were just the covenient scapegoat to make it seem like they were doing something.

It must have been pretty easy to justify Hagird remaining on school grounds as gamekeeper since he was just the fall guy and to everyone else the real culprit must have either got cold-feet after Myrtle's death or got killed themself by whatever monster they were using since the attacks stopped after that.

But, without the Chamber opening, Aragog would have no doubt escaped sooner or later and would have made lunch out of some poor little first-year. If that happened, Hagrid would have probably ended up in Azkaban.

There's a lot to unpack here.

What I Think is the Going Theory By People

At first, it looked like a prank, a very terrifying and unsettling prank but a prank. Someone rights blood on the walls that The Chamber of Secrets is Open, Enemies of the Heir Beware. And just. What the fuck.

The prank continues to get worse as several students are petrified. However, there's a key thing there, they are petrified and not killed. Petrification is a terrible but very reversable process with no after effects going by what we see in canon. It's just a pain in the fucking ass and you better hope you have enough mandrakes on hand or else it'll take for fucking ever to order them all.

Because of that, while it is terrifying and harmful, it's not quite the same as say when Katie Bell was cursed by the amulet in HBP where she had to go to an intensive ward in the hospital for months.

It still I imagine for most people falls in the realm of 'really stupid, dangerous, awful, what the fuck prank that some pureblood idiot thinks is funny'.

I imagine there's increasing speeches of "please knock this the fuck off whoever is doing this" at dinner in the Great Hall from Dippet and him only getting blank stares in response as the vast majority of students is not the ones doing it.

I'm sure like in canon people outside Slytherin blamed the most Pureblood Slytherin they could find (like how Harry assumed it was Malfoy at first), Dumbledore blamed Tom because he always does/he knows Tom is the Heir of Slytherin in actuality and that there might very well be a Chamber of Secrets or even if there isn't Tom would sure use the mantle if he ever found out about it, and I have my thoughts for what the Slytherin's thought but that's another post for another day.

Then a girl dies and suddenly this isn't a prank. There's a period of panic when the school is considered being shut down by the board, maybe there really is a Chamber of Secrets, and then they find a likely culprit, Rubeus Hagrid who has an Acromantula wandering around the school and has a history of bringing in extremely dangerous creatures into the school.

The thing is, I think most people at the time, and even later (barring those we see in canon who for their own reasons do not believe this) think it was Hagrid and a no brainer.

He has a creature whose bite causes death wandering about the halls and then shock of all shocks a student dies. True, while Acromantulas don't petrify, it's entirely possible that the petrifications/blood on the walls wasn't Hagrid and an unrelated stupid Pureblood prank. Added to this we don't seem to get much of a sense of forensic investigations/autopsies when it comes to wizarding world crimes (note that crime scene investigations is never really mentioned and there's only Aurors who come up whose job is just to catch dangerous Dark Wizards, not figure out what the hell happened at a place). So, I'm not sure that they could conclusively say what Myrtle had or had not died from/if they did an autopsy. For that matter, I don't know if it's common enough knowledge of what death by Acromantula looks like in a body after X hours have passed.

It's also not clear, I'm sure to most people given that Hagrid seems to be a pioneer of studying creatures, how Acromantula's feed and how they behave. Do we know that Acromantulas under threat don't poison their victims then scamper away? Do they always bite to feed? Since we know the spiders are sapient this has an extra layer of spice as well--humans certainly don't always kill to feed.

Which makes the defense of Hagrid of "but Acromantulas don't cause petrification!" or "An Acromantula would definitely eat that person it came across and never kill them in any other circumstance" very thin.

I imagine it depends who you ask but there's probably a few prevalent theories on how this all fits together:

Hagrid's spider killed Myrtle, but the blood and the petrifications were an unrelated stupid prank and no one wants to stick their nose into it after a girl died. After Hagrid's arrested/the death, all of it stops anyway so let's not think about it.

Hagrid's spider killed Myrtle and Hagrid had prepared for this eventuality by writing blood on the walls and petrifying students via some other method left and right so that people would think it was a Pureblood Slytherin. Hagrid has notably had run-ins with Slytherins before (see Tom noting the werewolf cubs under the bed/presumably having clashes with Hagrid) and it's possible he already resented them and that this was a ploy to frame someone else for murder/the spider's activities.

Hagrid was innocent! Someone else unrelated used some other monster that then never struck again and was never seen again and was never found in fifty years since to kill Myrtle and petrify those students! Sure, Hagrid has a bad history of bringing in dangerous creatures, doesn't get along great with other students who keep narking on him, and has been quite isolated and admittedly resentful of Slytherins but he's innocent! Because he's a good person who'd never harm a fly! (Except that there's the possibility this was unwitting manslaughter because Hagrid was letting a spider roam the halls)

I don't think anyone thinks Hagrid's actually the Heir of Slytherin or that the Chamber of Secrets even really exists. There might be some, but they'd be considered very stupid.

He has a creature whose bite causes death wandering about the halls and either the petrifications/blood was an unrelated prank from someone who was very unfunny or else Hagrid did it to cover up for himself/out of gleeful preparation for when his spider finally did kill someone. I imagine it depends who you ask, some will think Hagrid only did the death, some will think he did the whole Chamber of Secrets thing as well.

I imagine several don't even believe the Chamber existed or was opened at all but that Hagrid was definitely 100% guilty.

That is, unless you're Dumbledore, in which case it was that fucker Tom Riddle and you know it, you know it in your bones, you can smell it in the air, you just can't fucking prove it. But one day, Tom. One day.

Was Hagrid a Scapegoat/Was it Clear He Didn't Do it?

Honestly, I don't think he was. I think they honestly and truly believed that he was the one responsible because of what's outlined above. Added to the fact that arresting him caused it all to stop when the spider disappeared... it's not a good look.

A scapegoat is one thing, but very important people's children all go to Hogwarts, and people like the Blacks, the Malfoys, so on and so forth don't want a scapegoat they want this stopped. If it was just Dippet appeasing them then I imagine there'd be a lot more pushback for investigation. I think the Board of Governors believes it was Hagrid as well as does the Wizengamot at large.

So, no, not a scapegoat, they 100% thought he did it.

Similarly, I think pretty much everyone except Dumbledore believed Hagrid was responsible. No, it wasn't obvious that Hagrid didn't do it (for much the reason it wasn't obvious to Harry and Ron after Riddle told them. Harry didn't want to believe Riddle, Hagrid's so nice, but it... tracks...)

The them getting killed themselves by the monster is... well... who is missing aside from Myrtle? And why would that stop the monster from rampaging? The spider's gone and we know it's gone so kind of makes sense that everything stopped when the spider's gone.

Was it Hard to Hire Hagrid?

I imagine it was actually quite difficult for Hagrid to be hired on as assistant groundskeeper. I think what saved him there was Dumbledore really going to bat with him for Dippet using the "this poor orphan boy with no prospects and I personally think he isn't responsible for reasons I can't get into because no one will ever believe me" and Dippet feeling sympathy and telling himself "okay, Hagrid had his wand snapped, he is an orphan with no prospects who will starve if we don't employ him here, and his supervisors can keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't do anything".

I imagine a lot of the students and the Board of Governors were very leery of Hagrid being hired/in proximity of the students but some combination of Dippet and Dumbledore brushed that under the rug.

By the time we get to canon enough time has passed, enough has happened, that people have kind of forgotten about this as shown by it not being discussed until the Aurors arrive for Hagrid because "wow Hagrid, this is exactly like fifty years ago, you're still here, and we have you on record saying things like 'all Slytherins are evil at birth', are we doing this again, Hagrid?"

Would Hagrid Have Ended Up in Azkaban if the Spider Had Killed Someone?

Honestly, I don't think anything would have changed from what happened in canon. Because this is what people thought happened.

If there was no Chamber of Secrets debacle and this just randomly happened I think Dumbledore would still go to bat for Hagrid and get him the groundskeeping job (as it seems Dumbledore must have covered for Hagrid in the past). Dumbledore would probably blame Tom Riddle or else quietly admit it was probably Hagrid but Hagrid's just so sweet and it was clearly an accident.

Given that this is exactly what the Wizengamot/greater Wizarding World thought happened, I think Hagrid would be given the same punishment of expulsion and wand snapping, probably because it's manslaughter and he's a minor.

It was only when we went for round 2, fifty years later when Hagrid's an adult and it's looking very purposeful/not like manslaughter, that Hagrid got his stint in Azkaban.

And at this fucking point--

Well, @therealvinelle and I have an @rankheresy episode planned. I'll just leave it there.

[saintsenara]

Hello! Your thoughtful, funny approach to the unhinged ships has legitimately been a bright spot for me during a difficult few weeks. So thank you! Here are a few more if you feel so inclined:

Hooch/McGonagall

Andromeda/Bill

Justin/Dudley

ahh, anon, thank you so much for this lovely message! i hope things are looking up now, and i wish you strength and honour to keep chugging along if they're not. i will always be delighted to receive these asks, and i hope they keep entertaining you.

rolanda hooch/minerva mcgonagall

zoe wanamaker went so fucking hard when she decided to play hooch as the cuntiest dyke in the castle, and so i will always be committed to imagining hooch in exactly that vein - strutting around with her leather quidditch gloves, her masculine tailoring, and what is clearly an impeccable strap game.

and mcgonagall has stern-older-lesbian-with-a-secret-wild-side vibes as well - she's a little bit of a renegade, she doesn't suffer fools gladly, and she's a great fan of quidditch.

i think we can all picture the romantic midnight swoopings they're going on. and also the massive fights they're having when hooch awards slytherin penalties against gryffindor.

and arguing is foreplay...

andromeda tonks/bill weasley

i have decided, after careful deliberation, to back this.

something i really like thinking about when it comes to andromeda's post-war journey is how her grief over her daughter's death would be tinged by the fact that - as he tells us in deathly hallows - she didn't approve of her relationship with lupin.

i don't think this is entirely to do with his lycanthropy [i think, for example, that ted and andromeda were left alone during the first war as long as they kept their heads down, and that tonks joining the order - which andromeda can choose to blame lupin's influence for - forfeits this], but i think it's also fair to interpret lupin's statement that ted and andromeda are "disgusted" by their marriage as true, rather than an exaggeration formed of his own self-loathing. the casual prejudice against werewolves even by "good" characters is a really striking part of the series - and andromeda sharing it is something i find really interesting to explore when thinking about her relationship with tonks.

[as is the fact that she can't see the irony that this is exactly how bellatrix and narcissa think about ted.]

i think you can do something really interesting in the immediate post-battle haze with andromeda trying to come to terms with the fact that she never fully patched things up with tonks before she died, that she didn't have a chance to get past her prejudices and get to know lupin, and that she's only come to appreciate how brave her son-in-law was when he too was dead.

it's clear that lupin provides bill with some level of support in the immediate aftermath of his run-in with fenrir greyback, and that bill would both remember him fondly and be determined to defend him and werewolves generally from the treatment they would undoubtedly get from the state in the months after the war ends [after all, we are told that the vast, vast majority of werewolves support voldemort - they are bound to be first in line for the public's vengeance, and are an easy scapegoat for the government].

two people trying to uncover truths and falling in love while doing it is my poison, and i would love a fic in which andromeda initially seeks out bill in an effort to understand the things which have died with tonks and lupin which then turns into something more...

dudley dursley/justin finch-fletchley

one of the exceptionally minor mysteries of the series is just how posh a school smeltings is supposed to be. the dursleys are a satire of all that is thoroughly, averagely middle class in the uk, and yet smeltings - with its weird traditions, its odd uniform, and the fact that it's an all-boys full-boarding school - is a pastiche of the most elite public schools [which, in the uk, means fee-paying - what is meant by "public school" in the united states is a "state school" here].

above all, the smeltings uniform bears a very strong resemblance to that worn by boys at harrow... which is the great rival to eton.

just picture it. justin is forced to go watch his younger brother boxing for eton in a match against smeltings. he's bored out of his mind... until an enormous blonde heavyweight who's taken out the entirety of the team from charterhouse catches his eye...

[moonymode]

when people frame regulus as the scapegoat of the black family or as the sole victim of their abuse or even as a victim of sirius's decision to distance himself from his own abuse (as well as from his family's supremacist ideals, something regulus decidedly does not do)...and even go as far as to frame regulus as the primary victim of his OWN BIGOTRY like as if he didn't have an i <3 voldemort collage hanging over his bed...as if he's not a privileged pureblood kid who joined a cult that actively condemned his muggle-born peers to death...like regulus is actually given a lot of sympathy within the narrative from harry (and even, somewhat arguably, sirius), but people still frame regulus as a victim of the story itself too, like he wasn't "allowed" a full redemption, how tragic that his sacrifice wasn't known (something regulus personally ensured, and which was ultimately a detriment to anyone trying to destroy voldemort). and then, because a lot of fans have warped their perception of the text so badly that they're more sympathetic to the death eaters than they are to the actual heroes, you get this surreal effect in fanworks where regulus's heinous beliefs are set up as something that primarily harms regulus and his ability to form relationships with other characters (the beliefs themselves and any action that accompanies them are secondary to this) and if everyone could just look past it all to regulus the person and not regulus the death eater or if only anyone could just understand what "made" regulus this way, well, then obviously all would be forgiven. perhaps so much so that blame would be allotted to anyone who refused to forgive him, or didn't forgive him sooner. all while framing regulus's continued attitude of haughty superiority and unchecked prejudices as, at worst, something regulus should just try his best to overcome (as long as you remember it's not his fault!), something other characters have an obligation to hold his hand through. and at best as something literally played for laughs, endearing arrogance, de-fanged, harmless. this goes for most of the slytherin (read: actively villainous/blood supremacist) characters, actually. because a lot of fans don't understand that "redeemed" characters have to be redeemed. or perhaps more accurately, a lot of fans don't understand what these characters are being redeemed for. though, blaming this trend on some widespread lack of understanding feels incomplete and a little generous. a lot of fans are all too ready to forgive and excuse bigoted characters, even the bigotry itself. which i think is the crux of the problem, as always, this is just a microcosm of a larger issue within this fandom. which is that, ultimately, fans don't think regulus's explicit prejudice needs redemption at all, in fact he barely needs to change, because he genuinely did nothing wrong. and then they dare to make it into a moral issue, like everyone else is the asshole for not getting it. is the britta community meme in the room with us? it's giving "i can excuse racism but—"

[tiffanytoms]

Hey! I just wanted you to know that you are part of the Jily community, your fics are gorgeously written (you wrote the best smut this year, no contest!) and frankly, we don't deserve you, but thanks for sticking around and sharing your talent with us!

Hey Guys,

So I tried to stay positive and hang in there for you guys, but honestly, I just can’t do it anymore. I need a break. This fandom used to be fun, but I think it’s obvious that lately it’s been anything but for a whole lot of people. It’s even worse when the ppl delivering the blows are the same ppl you thought had your back. I started writing during the pandemic bc I wanted to entertain ppl with hot smut — and that’s it — but I never dreamed I’d become engulfed in a political dumpster fire. It’s become apparent that I keep being used as a scapegoat in a purity war trying to paint me as having beliefs that I don’t. Full stop.

Jilyawards and @Missgryffin (the cohost) have decided that all my fics are ineligible to even be nominated this year — even while her Slytherin Lily fic still is. I asked them to put it to a vote and let the community decide, but they declined saying they personally knew what was best for the community. (MG told me a few hours before my last chapter was scheduled to go live at midnight, but after I’d already edited it and had it ready to go while I went out for the night [something I told MG]… hence her weird attempt at calling me out is a double slap in the face.) Both ppl running the awards know that my fics are not bigoted, have said so, but they have chosen to cave to the side that used the most anon hate and death threats (MG cited these as a reason for my exclusion directly to me). This sets a dangerous precedent.

It’s also just really mean to throw me under the bus on a personal level.

Obviously, I think it’s problematic when 2 people are allowed to dictate what is supposed to be a community vote — especially considering they are saying who is even allowed to be nominated in the same categories as them. It is weird when one person is allowed to disqualify 2 other finalists and leave herself in.

The whole thing reeks.

Transparency in voting matters. Allowing ppl to actually vote matters. Not censoring matters. I’m sorry not everyone agrees.

All I wanted was a vote to finally, actually hear the community’s true opinion on the matter instead of it being decided for you, behind closed doors, yet again. Why couldn’t it be voted upon? There’s no closure here and this doesn’t heal anything.

The only silver lining here is that @scriibble-fics is back after she was nearly entirely excluded as well. I hope you will join me in voting for her in every single category.

Sending hate is never the answer. Sending insults is wrong. But you should always be allowed to say when you disagree with how something is being done. Your vote matters.

Or at least, it should if it was allowed to be cast.

Peace out ✌️

[hoarding-niffler]

Do you feel HL overcompensated for the bad reputation Slytherin gets? I keep seeing this take a lot on different videos of the Slytherin HL gals and lads but I kind of don't understand it. People have to bear in mind the Slytherin house in HP was during a different time when the wizarding world was on the brink of another war and the people who caused the last one were from Slytherin...so of course a lot of the upcoming students were going to try to not be sorted in there while the bad eggs who were kids of death eaters would be trying to get in there. Plus there are lots of examples of adults who did not grow up in the wizarding war who were Slytherin and didn't go bad throughout the books and we see this in the Cursed Child (as much as people hate that book) when the Slytherin kids aren't growing up in a war.

I think people see what they want to see. Statistically, I think all four houses are in balance in regard to "good" or "bad" wizards and witches. It absolutely does not matter which House you're sorted into, it might say something about a bigger part of your personality but it doesn't become your identity (although lots of people view it that way, which is concerning). Someone in Hufflepuff can still be cunning, someone in Gryffindor can be a coward, someone in Slytherin can behave in altruistic ways, and someone in Ravenclaw can be lazy. It's like saying your zodiac sign defines you, it's ludicrous.

People love having a scapegoat to point their fingers at and yes, because of Salazar and his blood-purity brainrot, people with similar inclinations tend to favour Slytherin, which creates an echo chamber and it's tough to get out of that. Tough, but not impossible. Lots of Slytherins reject this sort of thinking and "evil" doesn't originate from this house, either. Members of other Houses can absolutely come up with dark thoughts, prejudices and curses on their own. Slytherin should not be labelled as evil. Conversely, the other Houses shouldn't be labelled as pure. There are enough criminal witches/wizards who came out of different Houses, three prominent ones might be Pettigrew, Quirrel and Lockhart, but there are a lot more.

I think in Hogwarts Legacy the devs just tried to balance it out and it's also not like they had enough time to explore multiple characters from different houses to the same extent. That Sebastian just so happens to be a Slytherin speaks more for his ambition than his favourable view of the Dark Arts. And it's not even that he's evil for evil's sake. Good intentions lead him down this road, he doesn't want world domination, he wants to save his sister's life.

[pet-genius]

Lily, Severus and Altruism

Lily had to be a mystery to preserve the plot twist around Snape’s allegiance, but on re-reads, it is such a missed opportunity. I personally find myself craving more, as I’m torn between two interpretations of her character. The intended interpretation, I’m sure, is that Lily was a good friend and a good person in a doomed relationship, but many people point out that a good friend would have acted very differently in the courtyard scene, to say the least.

I think Lily was a good friend and a good person, even if she was wasn’t as “special” as the narrative makes her out to be. She was certainly special to Snape (perhaps this is the point?). Another lingering question is how much of the good she inspired in him is her, and how much is him.

Lily has two defining moments, one because it literally makes the story possible and the other because it inspires Harry when James is knocked off the pedestal, culminating in Harry’s ultimate sacrifice that won the war. Both these moments involve Lily stepping in front of danger for a loved one, a move that both Harry and Snape revered and emulated.

Evolutionary psychologists like to discuss two types of altruism, kin altruism and reciprocal altruism. Lily exhibits both, in her willingness to die for Harry, and in her willingness to step up for a friend in a tough position. She doesn’t do everything in her power for her friend, certainly, as she could have disarmed James herself or summoned a teacher, but she does more than anyone else present, and that takes strength and courage in itself. She also appreciates altruism and kindness and family, even if she doesn’t always practice it: she reminds Petunia that Dumbledore was kind in his letter, she reminds Severus that Petunia is her sister when he doesn’t understand why she’s crying over that cow, she respects James for saving Severus’s life (misguided as she is), she chastises Severus for hanging around cruel people…

Her values are clear, and they’re solid, but she has failings, and in my opinion, those failings are a desire to feel special and “chosen” and the inability to see shades of gray, leading to unintentional bouts of hypocrisy (or at least glaring obliviousness). Everyone she’s associated with is gray: young Severus himself, James, Sirius, Dumbledore, Slughorn, and Peter, but she doesn’t see. Anyone who treats her as something special gets a pass, possibly because her parents started the golden child/scapegoat dynamic that Petunia overcompensated for so wildly with Harry and Dudley. Her blindness to shades of gray in the people she likes - and who like her - lead her to make excuses for Severus for years, then give up on him at just the moment when she could have really made a difference in his life. It also costs her her life, as she trusts James and vicariously, Peter. Typical failings and not a hanging crime, normally, but in a world that features Voldemort, she died for them in a display of kin altruism.

Bringing us to reciprocal altruism. She was friends with Severus, and in return, I suppose he spared her whatever unpleasantness he unleashed upon other Muggle-Borns, and she defended him, until the tit-for-tat expired. Reciprocal altruism makes possible society, a community; a reputation as a good guy enhances reproductive fitness (James knew what he was doing leaking the story of how he saved Snape, but not the whole story, and nothing can convince me otherwise). I like to think, though, that truer friends behave altruistically even when reciprocity is not guaranteed, and even when they’re not bound by blood.

Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends. Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.

Lily had a real friend in Slytherin, though he strayed. Without the possibility of reciprocity, and while foregoing any possibility of kin altruism in the future, Snape used any means to achieve his end – protecting her and her kin, and fighting for her ideals, that became his. He could not bear to have his goodness exposed, and it speaks volumes that the thing that bothered him was that he would be protecting “Potter’s son.” The humiliation of losing Lily to his bully and abuser was one thing, but the idea of dedicating the rest of his life to protecting Potter’s spawn obviously remained abhorrent to him – forgive me – until the very end (ugh). It is very hard to believe James would have done anything to protect Severus's son if the roles had been reversed.

It could not be argued that Snape was looking out for his reputation either, as to reveal his goodness would be his doom. Plato speaks of the Ring of Gyges, something akin to the invisibility cloak. His characters maintain that powers of invisibility would corrupt those who had them, that people behave morally and lawfully mostly because others are watching. The perfectly unjust man would grow more respectable with every sin; the perfectly just man’s reputation would grow darker the better he did, and still he would persist. To call Snape perfectly just is absurd, but he does embody the ideal. He didn’t have a ring or a cloak, he had only himself for a mask, and he used any means to achieve his ends, treating his life and reputation as only a resource in the service of the greater goal.

For her.

But not only for her. She was right, ultimately - why should she be any different? The real Lily and the idea of Lily stood to gain nothing from Snape watching die only those whom he could not save. He internalized the values Lily believed in but sometimes failed to act on better than Lily herself.

The Patronus, he was sure, was Umbridge’s, and it glowed brightly because she was so happy here, in her element, upholding the twisted laws she had helped to write.

Umbridge was not being selfish, a hypocrite, or self-serving: she was experiencing the strength and bliss of serving a cause she truly believed in. It was her own version of altruism, proving that noble sentiments can give people the strength to commit atrocities when they don’t have the right values. But Severus did, and his Patronus showed what they were. The Silver Doe was almost like a real animal, beautiful and almost alive, because that was the strength of his faith and his love. He first discovered his altruism because of Lily, but he surpassed her, and it extended in the end not only to people he disliked (or as they are commonly known, people), but to his bitter enemies. Harry learned from him and he did the same, but thanks to the protection afforded by kin altruism, he survived where Severus did not.

Severus evidently experienced very little altruism in his life, and yet he gave so much of it, and that was his true nature, his true end. This cannot be reduced to kin altruism or to reciprocal altruism, but to a higher order, demanding - even spiritual - altruism. Whatever Lily had to do with Severus’s capacity for such altruism, we must thank her.

[embrassemoi]

Surrounded by The Moon and Stars • 08

Pairings: Sirius Black x [F]Reader, Remus Lupin x [F]Reader Content: Language, possible errors Author’s notes: Had a hard time with this one. 

Masterlist: Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 8: Master Plan

❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉

Surgeons always have a plan, that’s what Y/N picked up from her mother over the years. They knew what scalpel they needed, where to cut or clamp down. But even with their carefully crafted plans, there are unexpected things bound to arise that we don’t originally consider.

“Stop moving.”

Because that was not a part of her plan. So she began to formulate a new one:

a) Surely if she were to scream now, it would alert professor McGonagall. She would come rushing to help and free her.

b) But if she stepped on the person's shoe while screaming, it would distract them just long enough for her to have a head start. The pain would be so sudden that they would drop their arms and she could run. If she focused hard enough too, she could channel magic around her. Besides, if all else fails, McGonagall would still be there.

Option b) sounded like a great plan.

Now that her attacker's hand was drawn back, Y/N opened her mouth until she promptly shut it again. In the dark, she vaguely makes out a tall figure coming into view, a familiar mop of fawn-like hair appearing from behind her.

It was Remus.

With his presence, her body instantly relaxes. Her shoulders slump as tension and fear slowly dissolve. Remus tosses her a glance, shooting a gentle smile before his face darkens as he nods. He brings a finger to his lips, warning them to not interrupt.

To her delight, Y/N feels the person’s grip loosen even more, however, their arms were still caged and secured snuggly. Her heart slowed, becoming calmer as her brain moved from the idea of self-defence to confusion.

McGonagall finally enters the main corridor. From where they stood, her back faced them as she peered around the darkness, gripping the base of her candelabra. It glowed brightly, lighting up the surrounding area.

This was the only time Y/N had seen her professor after official school hours. Her outfit was mismatched; a soft pyjama set, with her school robes and heels on. She swore she had a sleeping mask hanging around her neck. Had pure adrenaline not been coursing through her veins, she would have snorted.

Remus uses this to his advantage as he shuffles his way towards McGonagall. He brushes off the non-existent dust from his suit before he reaches into his pocket, placing a shiny pin on the breast pocket. He then coughs, gaining her attention.

Startled, McGonagall wheeled her head, “Mr. Lupin! What are you doing here?”

He puts his hands in the pocket of his suit cooly. “Good evening professor. I’m doing my rounds. I actually just came from Slughorn's party a while ago.” He says, gesturing to his unusual patrol outfit.

McGonagall remains silent, choosing to take in his appearance. Y/N can almost see the confusion written on her face. She peers sternly over her glasses to look at Remus. If he was nervous, he hid it well because his expression managed to stay unchanged and there was no trace of a lie. Her eyes scan him one last time before speaking, “You’re not supposed to be on rounds tonight.”

“I switched places last minute with another prefect. They weren’t feeling well.” Remus quickly adds on, “— you might know them? Calwald; sixth year Slytherin.”

“Ah, yes… I heard footsteps coming from here. Did you see anyone?”

Remus looks like he’s thinking quickly. “Yeah, just a first year Slytherin. I escorted them to their common room.”

Professor McGonagall’s unnerving gaze even made Y/N shudder. She tuts, her head drops in a small nod. She stands tall, “Very well then, goodnight Remus.”  

“Goodnight, Professor.”

The soft clicks of her heels started up again. McGonagall heads in the opposite direction of the Slytherin common room while Remus pretends to walk away before pressing himself against a wall, camouflaging with the shadows in case their teacher were to look back. The echoing became quieter until only a soft, almost inaudible clicking came from the distance. The glow from her candles was gone and darkness surrounded them again.

Y/N was made acutely aware of the other person’s hold around her waist once it slackens, pulling away from her. The heavy fabric is dragged off her body before she turns over to her attacker.

“Sirius?”

She jerks away as far as she could, angrily. Her fingers twitched momentarily.

“You almost ruined it,” he spits out cold and aggressively. His bluish-grey eyes stormed, ripples of angry waves rolling from them. From the proximity, she swore she could feel the venom dripping from him as she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. "And you bit me!"

She should have bitten harder.

She hisses back, “Shut it! How was I supposed to know that you were sneaking around?”

“Pads!” James growls, yanking at Sirius’ shoulder, “Fucking leave her alone. You’ve done enough today.”

“You gits!” Remus scolds, making his way back to the secret passage. He remained calm, directing his next sentences to the boys. “It was a mistake, okay? Calm the fuck down or you two will get us caught.”

Sirius huffs out, childishly. “Whatever you say Moomy.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“What’s going on?” Y/N askes.

At this, Sirius calms down a bit before he looks at Y/N again, a strange expression settles on his face. James on the other hand is ecstatic, “Right! We’re setting up the last part of the plan right now. The itching spray!”

Oh!"

“Yeah. Wormy is already inside the Slytherin common room making sure the spiders and Dungbombs we put in there are working.”

“Did you say he’s inside their common room?”

At this, his smile grows, “Got their password by waiting outside their door and Polyjuice potion. Our dear Moony brewed it.” Remus’ face is smug, his chest puffed out.

“Holy shit! I didn’t know you took it this seriously. Couldn't you be expelled for this?!”

"Godric, maybe Remus needs to give you his prefect title."

“I’ll gladly give it to you — fuckin’ hate being one.” Remus jokes, “Nah, we’ll be fine as long as we don’t get caught.”

“We’ve got our goody-two-shoes over here. Everyone loves him, won’t suspect a thing.” James says. Her eyes are back on Remus, sweeping from his face then down to his shiny prefect badge.

“I’m their scapegoat.”

Sirius sighs impatiently before cutting in, “Alright, I’m sure you can go now. McGonagall is long gone.”

Everyone shoots him a look.

“Oi! No! Please join us!” James whines, “You’re already here and trust me it’ll be so fun!”

“He’s right, join us,” Remus says, “Besides, you suggested it and it’ll be safer and easier to cover our tracks.”

It sounded exciting and she did need a pick-me-up considering her wavering emotions lately. Although Sirius’ jaw clenched. He was scowling at her.

“I’d love to join you,” she says, looking Sirius in the eyes.

A silent whooping came from James who balled his fist, throwing them into the air in celebration. They huddled together just as Remus led them out of the passage and through the dark.

James, who shared qualities of a golden retriever, walked by her side, a pep in his step. "You get to see the action first-hand, excited?"

“Of course!”

James rambles on before his eyes gloss over. He’s unusually quiet. Simultaneously, he grabs her hand and stops abruptly, dragging her to the back of the group. He lends in to whisper, his eyes flicking momentarily to Sirius, “Why were you with him?”

“Who?” She whispers back.

“Regulus Black.”

“Oh, we were at the Slug Cl —” She cuts herself off as she realizes, her eyes widened before staring at him, “You were following me!?”

“No! No!” He says, bringing his hands up defensively, waving them around. "You were walking in the same direction as him! To the Slytherin common room! It wasn't on purpose!"

“I — how did you — I didn’t even see you!” She thought back to the crinkling noise, “Wait, we heard you!”

He sighs a bit as he pulls out a large fluid-like, shimmery, silvery cloak. Upclose, silver threads were woven onto it, patterns swirling into regal shapes. He handed her the cloak to feel. It was silky smooth and glittered prettily in the light. It looked similar to the reflection of stars in a lake at night.

“You’re not telling me this is a…” she gaped.

The boy was grinning from ear to ear as if it were sewn on his face permanently. In a way, it looked rather demonic. He looked as if his face were going to split into two. “You betcha! An invisibility cloak.”

Her mind finally caught up to her once again before thinking back to what James asked. “Why’d you want to know about Regulus?”

“Huh! E-erm… no reason.”

She punches him softly in the arm. “You lying bastard! You can’t be nosey and not tell me? He’s not… bad? Is he? I quite like him.”

“No he’s not… just —” James cuts himself off, fearing he might have said too much. He did not expect the conversation to turn in this direction. He quickly averts her attention to another topic. “The Slug Club?” He says loud enough so the entire group can hear, “How was it?”

She would make sure to push him on the topic later.

Meanwhile, Remus and Y/N groaned.

“Awful.”

“Dreadful.”

“Nosey git.”

“Happily annoying.”

“He must be an actual slug. He’s slimy and boring.”

“Merlin! It can’t be that bad!”

“Oh trust us,” Remus addresses, “It’s worse. The entire time he went on and on about stupid shit. Like what was it he said?” He looks at Y/N.

“Ugh, what?”

“When he went on about that kid— what was his name… Seán?”

“Ah! Wait,” she straightened up and mocked their professor. She fake coughs for dramatic effect. “Your aunt created the Capmisted potion! Ah yes, brilliant, brilliant! I wish I taught her when she was at Hogwarts. Say, you’re still close, right? Why don’t we invite her to come to one of these parties one day?”

Her painful attempt at a British accent made them laugh.

“What a fucking sleazy bloke,” Remus chokes out.

They continued to make their way down to the Slytherin common room. All four jumped at the sound of footsteps before Y/N felt the invisibility cloak being tossed over her body, along with the rest of the boys too. They waited until it passed before finally stopping at the dungeons.

The entrance to the common room was by a stretch of stone. The area was dimly lit, the ceiling was low and had an eerie look and feel to it. Plus the cold only made Y/N rub her hands up and down her arms, goosebumps left in their trail. A dripping sound encompassed them like a makeshift metronome.

It made her feel uneasy.

Peter, who was crouched and small, hid in the shadows and would’ve gone unseen had he not popped out and scared all of them.

“For fucks sake Wormtail! We thought you were a Slytherin earlier.”

Peter was gleeful. He donned a large smirk and his face was slightly red. The Polyjuice was almost completely worn off, however, Peter had a full head of black, thick hair. “I checked everything, the traps should be set to release at eight o’clock.”

“An hour long?”

“Needs time to travel around the room.”

“Positive?”

“Positive.”

“Now comes the fun part,” James nudges her.

“Oh, hi Y/N,” Peter says slightly confused.

“Hey, Pete, here to watch if you don’t mind.”

Peter takes a moment to look at the rest of the group, “More the merrier!”

“Alright, you geezas! Let's get this party started!” James announces. He digs through the side bag he was carrying, pulling out four pairs of dragonhide gloves and tosses them to the boys. “Sorry, haven’t got any for ya. Would’ve brought an extra if I knew you were comin’.”

“It's alright.”

“Okay,” Remus says before crouching down, a large bag on his side. “I’ll start attaching everything, you know what to do and be careful. Remember, do not touch your eyes.”

He looks up at her, “Y/N if you could, it would be helpful to be on the watch out.”

“Gladly.”

Remus unscrewed bottle after bottle, attaching nozzles on them while James helped him. Peter slid out a ladder that was concealed by magic in a slim nook. As he scaled it, Sirius held on tightly to it before he cast a charm to prevent it from sliding around.

Up high, concealed by darkness and magic, revealed hundreds of identical bottles before Remus sprang up, switching places with Peter as he attached the rest of the bottles onto a huge system.

It looked similar to a new-maj mechanical system. The components consisted of small wires, a timer, tape and string connected to them all, along with a small lever that was attached to the underside of a brick. With the aid of magic, they were all securely set into place and ready to be activated.

“What is that?” She turned to Peter.

“Moonys got the bottles up there programmed to spray every time certain people leave the common room. See, look,” he points to the almost non-existent glow on the wires.

She marvelled at their creation. It was large and must’ve spent hours trying to conduct it. Sirius and James were helping Remus by passing him the bottles and securing them to the top of the roof.

If only Lily was here to see this. She would have an aneurysm.

At one point, Peter had been passing the bottles up to Remus while Sirius and James fiddled around with extra dungbombs they had, scattering them around.

“Jeez, Moons, my arms feel like they’re on fire.”

Peter did look worn out before he panted out. His forehead was starting to glean from sweat.

“Why don’t I do it for now?” She says to him before looking up to Remus.

“Only if you want to.”

The two switched places and Peter handed her his gloves. She slipped them on before enchanting them to fit snugly around her hands. Bending down, she picked up a few bottles. They were unexpectedly very heavy. She understood why Peter had to take a break. Although Remus seemed to be fine. Compared to his slim look, Remus had an unusual amount of strength that surprised her.

They worked in phases. Every ten or so minutes, Peter and Y/N would switch positions. They all worked in silence. From time to time, Peter and her would crack a joke, causing Remus to overhear and chuckle himself.

Everyone was having a good time. Even Sirius perked up, being less hostile to the entire group and even her. She thought she was dreaming for a split second.

The group worked quickly and managed to attach all of the bottles along with Dungbombs with only a few interruptions from incoming students. Luckily, they had the cloak to cover themselves and their things.

By the time they were finished, it was past one in the morning. They all huddled together underneath the cloak. Unfortunately, it was only medium-sized and unable to fully cover everyone from sight. Sirius and Y/N, who were on the edge on opposite sides, their arms and legs would poke out. More than once, it became very uncomfortable and hard to squish everyone inside as they flattened themselves against a wall anytime they heard even the slightest of movements. They kept impossibly silent, aside from James who’d been elated; constantly making small jokes or making sound effects with his mouth. Remus had to flick him a few times to keep quiet.

As soon as they reached the Gryffindor tower, they removed the cloak.

“Gastropod!” Cheered Peter to the fat lady. She swung open for the five of them. The warmth of the fireplace crackled as they threw themselves on the sofas. They all tried to catch their breaths and still their pounding heartbeats.

Pure adrenaline pumped through her veins as she took a moment to take in what just happened.

James was grinning from ear to ear, Peter seemed cheerful, Sirius became somewhat tolerable, while Remus, as always, seemed tired.

Remus, covering his mouth in a half yawn muttered out, “It was fun having you here but I’m knackered. I’ll see you lot at breakfast. Night.”

“Me too,” Peter said. Sirius got up to followed them as they made their way up to the boy’s dorms.

James stayed with Y/N for a bit afterwards. Both were giddy and they even ate a few snacks she still had in her pockets.

“Wasn’t that fun!” he said, “Godric, you need to join more often.”

“I’ll think about it,” Y/N says playfully.

“I’m going to train you — gonna make you into a mini-me. My apprentice.”

“I think the world has enough of your arrogance.”

He laughed unbothered by the remark, “This is only the beginning. Just you wait.”

[asheshq]

STATISTICS.

name: persephone rowle birth date (age): 31 October (30) faceclaim: margot robbie gender identity (pronouns): cis feale ( she / her ) blood status: pureblood occupation: obliviator

AESTHETICS & MOTIVATIONS.

A storm you can see clearly brewing in the distance, the loud crack of thunder somewhere near but just out of your reach, a steady crackle that hints at a fire starting. All of these are things that have been said about you. It isn’t the fact that your first love left you for someone else that makes the rage slowly build within you. Or the fact that your parents expected perfection as you grew into the delicate young woman you are today that makes the fire in your blood boil. It’s everything at once. You’ve been called a tsunami, a wildfire, a storm, ect. Bottom line is that you can be likened to a natural disaster and that is exactly what your life has turned out to be; a disaster.

BIO.

Younger sister of the Rowle family, she was never really seen for who she really was. Or maybe she was. Persephone was always seen as a shadow. Because that was exactly what she did for most of her childhood. She shadowed her older sister and tried to imitate everything she ever did. After all, she was a Rowle and they were supposed to be nothing but. Of course, being a good five years behind her sister and six behind her brother, made things a little harder for her to build her own life. When she entered school she was constantly compared to her siblings. Oldest of the two was Perseus, who excelled in transfiguration and could charm damn near anyone who crossed his path. He was a male adonis and it was a wonder that their parents didn’t name him as such. But it wasn’t him that she was angry at. No, she wasn’t expected to match his particular perfection. It was Hera. Her older sister was the epitome of perfection and excelled at almost anything she ever tried. While her siblings were sorted into more…acceptable houses–such as Gryffindor and Hufflepuff–she was sorted into Slytherin.

Everyone sat on the edge of their seats when Persehpone reached the sorting hat and it was then that her treatment changed just a little bit. But it changed for the worse, not the better. Her parents expected her to persevere and pass that of either of her siblings now. Persephone was the scapegoat and she had humbly accepted her role in the family. As long as it meant that she could sit in the shadows again. Even her teachers and her friends were constantly comparing her to her siblings and that made Persephone even angrier. All she wanted to do was be her own person. She was excellent at potions. So much so that Slughorn kept a careful eye on her. It was Tom that extended an olive branch and became her friend. With an anger as explosive as hers, Seph wasn’t exactly in the position to deny that. Besides, he was kind and charming and was pretty easy on the eyes. On the occasion he would help her with her potions homework and she would return the favor and help him with his divinations. Which something else she was exceptionally brilliant at.

By the time she realized who it was that was leading the upcoming war she was already in too deep. Tom had personally asked her to help him since she was so good with divination. Seph hadn’t understood what he could possibly need her help with but accepted nonetheless. Then she realized what he was doing. She didn’t exactly agree with him or his methods but she didn’t necessarily disagree either. If she were being honest she couldn’t give a rat’s ass either way. But she was already in too deep at this point and was sort of obligated to continue her assistance. After all, it gave her an outlet to let her rage boil over little by little and allowed her to show the world what she was truly capable of without the expectations laid on her to be just like her perfect brother and sister. 

CONNECTIONS.

TBD.

PERSEPHONE ROWLE IS PLAYED BY MIRANDA.

[fredweesleyismyslut]

It was always you- Fred Weasley x male!Ravenclaw reader

A/N: Here’s the requested male Ravenclaw reader x Fred Weasley!!  Random bit of information I managed to scratch my face on my left brow with my glasses as I was taking them off and it didn’t leave a scar but now I have a new wrinkle next to my left eyebrow when I crease them from stress while screaming over summer classes.  Anywho, bye!   I hope you enjoy and I’m not going to ramble as much today because I haven’t had coffee and I don’t have the energy to ramble.

You were sitting in class, staring at nothing as Snape prepared the potion for that day’s lesson.  Looking around you spotted Fred and George your two friends from Gryffindor who liked to include you in their pranks because you were the perfect scapegoat, just a Ravenclaw who was studying nobody ever suspected that you were part of their plans.  They were whispering about something to each other as Snape finished up, “Now can someone tell me what this is?”  Raising your hand you answered, “Amortentia, sir.”  He nodded, approvingly, “Yes, it is indeed, Mr. y/l/n.  Now can you tell me what it does.”  “Well, it’s strong love potion that produces infatuation to the drinker.  Usually, if you smell it, it smells like the person you love.”  You sniffed the air, taking a waft of the potion, “It smells like chocolate, fireworks, and…something else.”  You said cutting yourself off, as the other students also took a sniff of the potion.  “Good job, Mr. y/l/n.” Snape continued as he explained the rest of the properties in detail before saying, “Now, everyone will be assigned a partner to work with and write an essay.”  Everyone in the class groaned as soon as the words essay escaped Snape’s mouth as he continued before assigning partners, “Weasley and Y/l/n.”  Both the twins turned, “Which one, sir?”  they replied in sync.  Professor Snape sighed heavily before saying, “Whichever one, the other one can go work with Johnson.”  

Fred came forward, giving you a silent reply with his eyes, as he sat next to you.  “I can’t stand that smug…”  you cut him off, seeing Snape come in your direction, “Okay, so for the essay we’re gonna need to do some research so we can meet in the library tomorrow morning?”  Fred nodded, before leaning in closer to whisper, as you could smell the scent of his shampoo.  The realization hit as you smelled his hair, it was the smell you couldn’t place in the love potion.  “Oh, shit.” you mumbled, dumbstruck you blanked out for a second before feeling Fred’s hand on your shoulder shaking you, “Hey, mate, you alright?”  His face seemed slightly concerned but he had an amused smile playing across his lips, “Did you hear what I said?”  “Ummmmm…”  He sighed slightly, “I’ll take that as a rightful no.  Well, to recap George and I were planning on doing a surprise for that smug little Slytherin with a stick up his arse, yknow, Malfoy.”  You were confused for a second, “Why…?”  Fred ran his hand through his hair, causing you to follow his hand running through his red tresses, “Well, I don’t know.  He just kinda deserves it and did you hear what he said about Ron?  He may be annoying but no one talks to my little brother like that…”  You watched him continue rambling, he always seemed to get quite protective when it involved his family which you thought was cute, Wait cute?  Did I just think that Fred Weasley was cute?.  You exhaled slowly trying to empty your thoughts, “Yeah, I’ll join.”  Fred smiled enthusiastically.  

As soon as class was over you packed your bag and left the room, practically running, as you heard a soft call, “Hey, y/n!”  Continuing, you were left with your thoughts for the rest of the day, not able to focus on your classes as you kept replaying the smell from the love potion, There’s no way, right?  I mean I like Fred, he’s nice we’ve been friends since first year, but...he’s just a friend...right?  Trying to convince yourself that you must’ve smelled him in the love potion due to platonic love you calmed your thoughts but continued to avoid the twins, not able to meet Fred’s eyes.  You knew in your gut that you didn’t just like Fred platonically, so why was it so hard to accept?  Was it the possible rejection Fred would give?  You knew he never showed interest in you and had even gone to the Yule Ball with Angelina.  

You were mindlessly walking the corridors heading to the Ravenclaw common room, as you heard hushed whispers in the corner.  Curious you walked towards the whispers, peeking around the corner you saw two bright red sets of hair, whisper shouting at each other.  “Are you stupid?  I mean honestly, you carelessly ask out Angelina to the ball but you can’t admit your feelings?”  Your heart sank slightly, Of course he liked her...she was pretty and seemed to get along fine with him…  You were about to turn when you heard your name, “I can’t just ask him out, it’s different.  Angelina is just a friend but him...I don’t know it’s just different.”  You heard a loud huff, “I’ll tell him since you can’t.  I’ll tell him that you smelled the scent of his sweaters in the stupid potion.”  You heard footsteps coming in your direction, looking around for a place to hide, you bumped into George.  Sheepishly looking up you muttered, “Ummm...hey fancy seeing you around here?”  “George!” said, Fred coming around the corner before seeing you, “Hey, y/n.”  A mischievous smile placed itself upon George’s lips as he said, “Well, I’m going to head up to bed, I’m quite tired for some odd reason.”  

Leaving before Fred could even say anything he left, footsteps receding past the corridor.  Fred leaned down, helping you up, “Did you hear anything?”  Looking at the ground, picking your nails, you replied, “If you mean the part where you said you smelled me in the love potion...yeah I did.”  Fred’s face turned as red as his hair as he seemed to lose words, mouth opening, and closing to find the correct reply.  “I-I can explain-” he started before you cut him off stammering, “I...ummm...I smelled you in the potion too.  Well, specifically your hair.”  You looked up meeting his eyes, “It took me a bit to come to terms with it...I thought maybe I loved you as just a friend but seeing you now...I know I don’t love you as just a friend.”  A smile seemed to spread across Fred’s lips as you seemed to be shrinking, mumbling out incoherent sentences, “I’m madly in love with you, y/n.”  He leaned in slowly, the scent of his hair washing over you, “It’s always been you, y/n, since first year.”  His lips brushed yours, stopping your mumbling, as he pressed them gently against yours.  Testing the waters, he started to move his lips against yours, as you could taste the candy he had earlier.  Pulling away he whispered, almost afraid to break the moment, “George is going to freak out when I tell him later.”  Snorting you punched his shoulder softly, “Way to break the moment, Weasley.”  His laughter echoed along the corridors as he placed his hand out.  Taking his hand as he walked up with you to the Ravenclaw common room you said softly, before walking, “I love you too, Fred.”  Placing a chaste kiss on his cheek you quickly squeaked out a “good night” before racing inside.  Fred stood there smiling to himself, “Now, come on you big buffoon, you’ve got a lot to spill.”  said a voice from the corner, George appeared from the staircase, “Stop smiling like an idiot.  We need to hurry to the common room before we get in trouble.”

[chdarling]

18, 35, 36, 38

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

Answered here. :)

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice...what do you Know?

I know some varied things. I know how to brew a cup of tea to the exact specifications of each of my loved ones; I know where to buy the best chocolate chip cookie in my city; I know how to make a lovely Yorkshire pudding; I know how to make damn good grits; I know the name and measurements of every IKEA shelving unit; I know the Latin names for lots of plants; I know where to go to get a same-day double entry Chinese visa in Hong Kong; and where to buy bagels in Guangzhou; and that if you know the right people you can exchange US dollars to Cuban pesos for a better rate on the sly in a cleaning supply closet in the Havana airport; but for legal reasons I know I should say that I totally did not do that; I know what it feels like to be stranded alone in a hotel and so sick you can’t get off the floor; I know that a boar’s tail is called a wreath; and an otter’s tail a rudder; I know what rock bottom feels like, tastes like, smells like; I know how to file FMLA; and fight with insurance; and rebuild an entire life from scratch; I know that grief isn’t linear; and sometimes neither is time; and I know that a blue whale’s heart weighs 400 lbs and that is really frickin’ cool.

38. What is something about your writing process YOU think is Really Weird? If you are comfortable, please share. If you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

Honestly, probably the amount of obsessive detail I put into prep work. Mostly I do it because it’s fun and it’s a way to trick my brain into being creative when I’m tired (brain too foggy to write words? just make lists of names for family trees instead!), but sometimes I get a little 😳😳😳 about it lol

I’m just super earnest and interested in everything!!!

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage

Gotta admit, kinda hate myself for this question. I feel like I have nothing insightful to say tonight, but I’ll try. Putting this after the cut because this is getting long and apparently I’m incapable of choosing a short passage.

This an excerpt from The Howling Nights, Chapter 51: For Enemies, but I’m actually just going to talk about the whole chapter lmao sorry. I think of this specific moment as “Severus’s descent.”

And he strolled away, as quietly as he’d arrived. Severus sat there in the gloom, heart hammering with the implications of what Mulciber had just offered him. He’d heard plenty of talk about Death Eaters in the Slytherin common room over the years, but he had never assumed it was a path open to him, a half-blood with a dirty Muggle father. He’d never considered it was path he’d desire…and yet…

He thought of Sirius Black, who had so casually sent him to certain death…

All right, Detective Snivellus, here’s a clue…

He thought of James Potter, who’d tormented him endlessly, just for sport…

Looking for all your friends, Snivellus? Might take a little while. It’d probably help to make some first…

He thought — unwillingly — of Lily Evans, who had betrayed his secrets to his worst enemy…

Why are you so obsessed with them anyway?

He thought of Professor Dumbledore, smug and condescending as he threatened Severus with expulsion for Black and Potter’s crime…

On the contrary, Mr. Snape. It seems to me that Mr. Potter saved your life.

And he thought of the werewolf, jaws wide, teeth glinting in the moonlight…

RUN!

They all thought him weak, foolish, an easy target, a convenient scapegoat…but he’d show them. He’d show them all. 


Oh yes, he thought, and he nearly smiled at the memory, You’re going to pay for that.

Then he reached for his copy of Advanced Potion-Making, never far from his side, and thumbed through the pages until he found the spot where he’d scrawled Sectumsempra hastily in the margin. The faint brown whorl of a bloody fingerprint stained the corner. He picked up his quill, sucked at the end of it for a moment of deliberation, and then, with great satisfaction, he scratched two words underneath: For enemies.

This was without a doubt one of the hardest chapters to write. I must have redone it ten or fifteen times. It was an absolute monster and I hated the whole experience hahaha. But it’s such an important chapter and I was determined to get it right. I think I got close. 🤞🏼

The goal here was to show that Severus was coping with a genuine trauma response in the aftermath of the prank, and also to give context for his rage, to show how unfair Dumbledore’s response to the prank felt from his POV, and how that sense of injustice led him further astray. Dumbledore in TLE really dropped the ball on how he responded to Severus in this moment — which was intentional on my part because I wanted to show an institution failing to deal appropriately with the radicalization of youth.

Basically, I wanted the whole chapter to feel like you (Severus) were hurtling towards something inevitable and that you couldn’t stop it. The constant flashbacks are supposed to constantly interrupt Severus’s thoughts and stop him from getting any real space or closure from the incident. Instead he’s just obsessing and descending deeper and deeper into his fury and making worse and worse choices because of it. I wanted Severus to feel like becoming Death Eater was the only choice (even though we all know it wasn’t).

I was sad for like three days after I finished writing this LOL.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

You mentioned Tom’s “mental breakdown” during the Chamber of Secrets fiasco 1.0 - can you explain?

So, a relevant post. A different relevant post. And a third relevant post.

Now, with that out of the way, let's begin.

Tom and the Last Name Riddle

Fandom, aside from me, generally accepts that Tom Riddle went into Hogwarts knowing or at least suspecting he was a pureblood and that, more importantly, his Slytherin peers knew he was the Heir of Slytherin.

Dumbledore implies this in that he tells Harry that Tom Riddle was universally admired, had goons among his Slytherin peers, and was clearly the ring leader of these Slytherins who in time would become Death Eaters 1.0.

I don't believe any of this.

Tom Riddle enters Hogwarts with the last name Riddle and no idea of his history beyond being born on the floor of an orphanage: his mother dying in childbirth.

Dumbledore knows that at least one of Tom's parents is a pureblood, related to the Gaunts due to that being the only surviving family with traces back to Slytherin, but he doesn't inform Tom of this.

Tom can, and probably does, try to insist that he might be a halfblood to his Slytherin peers. But he's a dirt poor muggleborn with a poor accent and the last name Riddle. He doesn't look like any of the old wizard families (remember he looks like his father) and even if he was a halfblood he must be a bastard.

Point being, I doubt his peers were very impressed.

I think what happened was a young Tom beat them into submission when they tried to haze him, probably terrifying the shit out of them, and ultimately as Tom calmed down and Hogwarts kept going they tolerated him.

He's useful to have around, but the moment Hogwarts ended, they dropped him like it was hot. And, Tom going through Hogwarts, knows that this is exactly what's going to happen.

Tom thus goes through Hogwarts thinking he's a muggleborn, being muggleborn in every way that matters, and resenting everyone around him because of it.

The Blitz

Adding onto this, WWII is ongoing, London is being bombed extensively while Tom is in school. Muggle children are evacuated from London and as summer approaches Tom is unsure if a) the bombs will stop, b) he has anywhere to go back to.

He begs to be allowed to stay over the summer and is summarily denied.

Whatever faith Tom Riddle has in the Wizarding World shatters, and I don't think he ever recovers it.

The Chamber of Secrets

At some point, Tom through some reference or another, finds out what his talent really means. He realizes that Dumbledore had lied to him, or, at the very least, kept vital information from Tom.

Given the timeline of events, I'm going to imagine this is sometime after third year. And remember, this isn't exactly relevant information that comes up all the time.

Harry only hears about this in his second year because of the Chamber of Secrets fiasco and Voldemort himself being a parseltongue. I imagine it's at best a throaway line in a few books unless you're specifically looking for information on the Founders, and even then that it's a genetic trait is probably passed over much of the time.

It would not surprise me if Tom didn't stumble on this information for quite some time.

Well after he's been boiling in rage for a while.

Tom has a family, he has a lineage, he has blood that in many ways is purer than anyone's in this school. And Dumbledore deigned not to tell him, when he knew exactly what Tom would be entering into.

Tom at first has visions of glory.

This is great, he can tell everyone! He doesn't have to be Tom Riddle anymore, he's a Slytherin, and no one will disrespect him ever again. So many doors will open.

And then he realizes, it changes nothing.

Tom Riddle is still poor, his last name is still Riddle, he still lives in a muggle orphanage. For all Malfoy's talk, it's not blood he respects, it's money.

And if Tom wants to be Voldemort then Tom Riddle cannot be a parseltongue.

Something in Tom breaks.

He desperately starts searching for the Chamber of Secrets, probably happens upon it by happenstance, and has the same realization there.

He has found this great, wonderful thing, he is important and destined for greatness. And yet, he is not, because he is only Tom Riddle and inside these walls will only ever be Tom Riddle.

He snaps.

The Mental Breakdown

I always view the Chamber of Secrets fiasco as, well, a mental breakdown. Not much planning involved, no actual end goal, just a Tom Riddle who's having the world's largest identity crisis, who has been sent back to his possible death multiple times, and who now realizes he'll never escape his origins deciding something must be done.

"Something" is releasing the basilisk, murdering all the roosters, and painting the walls in blood.

He watches the students run around in terror, feeling very important, very much like the Heir of Slytherin. LOOK, TOM IS IMPORTANT TOO!

And then someone dies and reality crashes back down.

They'll close the school, Tom will be sent home to the war, and nothing has changed. He's the same as he ever was, still Tom Riddle, and with the looming possibility of Hogwarts closing... he feels so small.

Tom desperately uses Hagrid as a scapegoat, closes the chamber, and never reopens it.

Then of course, life continues to be terrible as he finds out the truth about his family and exits Hogwarts only able to get a job at Borgin and Burkes.

But such is life for Tom: Despair.

[wizworldanalyses]

Hagrid deserves better.

Okay, can I just talk about how unfair the world was to hagrid? Like first off they treated his dad like shit because he fell in love with a giantess. Then he gets to go to school where they kick him out because some weird ass preppy Slytherin was prettier than him and was a full wizard. Hagrid literally took in a creature that would not have survived if not for him. Aragog was too small to live on his own in the forbidden Forrest at the time and we all have accepted that newt gave Argog to hagrid so he wouldn’t have had the instincts to survive because he had been domesticated pretty much his entire life. So hagrid takes this creature that no one else would want, tries to help it, and gets expelled from school, gets his magic taken away from him cause they snapped his wand, all because they didn’t like that he was half giant. Like they didn’t even really investigate they were just like oh, the half-giant 13 YEAR OLD murdered someone? Cool let’s kick him out of wizarding society. And then he gets to live at hogwarts cause dumbledore decided to feel remorse for one thing in his life but still literally doesn’t help him even after they have FUCKING PROOF of the chamber in Harry’s second year. Like they had a fucking snake carcass in the basement just fucking take some pictures of that shit and be like yo I’m dumbledore I dueled grindelwald and here’s ya proof get my boy his wand back but fucking no. Instead he makes hagrid feel indebted to him and makes hagrid feel like dumbledore is so good for giving him a job and treating him like a normal fucking person that he listens to dumbledores every whim. Plus while hagrid is teaching that class he gets bullied by FUCKING TEENAGERS for NO REASON! Like he tries to make these classes fun for these students and yeah he may not be the best judge of danger because he’s kinda stronger than these kids and he always has been. These creatures aren’t as dangerous to him because he’s half giant so it’s not his fault that he doesn’t understand why the kids are so scared. And he also doesn’t understand people that well because HE WAS LITERALLY KICKED OUT OF SOCIETY BECAUSE A HOMICIDAL MANIAC USED HIM AS A SCAPEGOAT AND THEN A CONTROLLING WANNABE MERLIN FUCKING USED THAT TO MAKE HIM FEEL INDEBTED TO HIM SO THAT HE WOULD HAVE THIS BIG TOUGH GUY WHEN VOLDEMORT CAME BACK. And then when Voldemort did come back, hagrid was chained and used as bait for someone whose parents he knew when they were at hogwarts. Someone who he picked up out of the rubble of his home after his parents were murdered. Sirius literally trusted hagrid so much that he gave him his enchanted motorcycle and LET HIM TAKE HARRY. Because we all know that if it were someone else, Sirius never would have let them leave that house with Harry. But no instead he gives him one of his most prized possessions so that he could take his newly orphaned godson away from him because he trusted hagrid. And then hagrid was the one to find that little boy and bring him back into the world that his parents loved so dear and he gets to watch him grow and struggle and then he has to carry that boy’s dead body out of the forest while he is in chained by the man who used him as a scapegoat and crushed his hopes of becoming a wizard. And after all of that he is still the kindest character in the series. Hagrid deserved better than that. He is the best character because after all of that he never used Harry. He was one of the adults in Harry’s life that only wanted the best for him and didn’t use him. Hagrid deserves more love.

*also I do wizarding world passport analyses if anyone is interested<3*

[avidrawsthings]

is there a chance reina and merula could ever become friends?

In all honesty, not in the slightest.

The two had nothing but mutual hatred for one another the moment they met and the rift between them never went away.

Reina’s relation to Jacob wasn’t public, so therefore she was spared the scrutiny she would’ve faced otherwise. This meant that Merula’s antics stood out far more, so she was on the receiving end of her own infamy more than she was in-game, based on what Penny tells us when we first meet her in Year 1 about how the Slytherin girl was already greatly disliked.

The Potion sabotage, the Devil’s Snare trap and the duel in the courtyard caused Merula further trouble since she didn’t have MC’s infamy to use as a scapegoat, and in the eyes of the other students her actions were seen as her lashing out at the foreign transfer student for no real reason. Plenty used these actions as justification to compare her to her parents even more, which honestly would mess anyone up, especially when they’re only 11.

Merula deeply resented Reina for a number of reasons. She had a great and loving family, gained a large group of friends, a best friend who was more like a sister to her (Rowan), was a good enough student that she was also on Snape’s good side, proved in time to be a good Quidditch player and it got to a point Merula just felt bested at every turn. What definitely didn’t help matters was that over the years Reina gradually paid less and less attention to her, as she focused more and more on her own life. While Reina did brag about how much better she was, this was only when they were First Years and she grew out of that pretty quickly.

The two absolutely hated each other up until the fallout of the Portrait Vault. Being subjected to the Cruciatus Curse by Rakepick, and with Reina herself clinically dying for four minutes thanks to the madwoman, neither of them hated one another anymore, but didn’t exactly care to be friends. 

There’s no telling what Year 7 would bring in-game, but in my AU the two never become friends, but no longer hated each other by that point. They pretty much went their separate ways.

[caustic-curses]

HPHM Profile: Corbyn Reyes

Thanks to @hogwartsmysterystory for this new profile template!

IDENTITY

Name: Corbyn Samil Reyes

Gender: Cisgender Male

Age:  16

Birth Date: 11/15/1972

Species: Valravaan

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Sexuality: Asexual

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Ethnicity: Slavic

Nationality: Serbian

Residence: Bristol, UK

Myer Briggs Personality Type: ISTJ

THE MAGE

1st Wand: Pine | Dragon heartstring core | 12 ¾" in length | Rigid flexibility

The straight-grained pine wand always chooses an independent, individual master who may be perceived as a loner, intriguing and perhaps mysterious. Pine wands enjoy being used creatively, and unlike some others, will adapt without protest to new methods and spells. Many wandmakers insist that pine wands are able to detect and perform best for owners who are destined for long lives, and I can confirm this in as much as I have never personally known the master of a pine wand to die young. The pine wand is one of those that is most sensitive to non-verbal magic.

As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

2nd Wand:  Ebony| Dragon heartstring core.| 11 ¼ “| Unyielding

This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. In my experience, the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.

Animagus: White Cat

Misc Magical Abilities: Parselmouth (currently unaware)

Boggart Form: Being  in a hospital gown gaunt and ignored

Riddikulus Form: Dog in an outfit prancing around

Amortentia: The scent of patchouli, rose and teak wood tease the senses while the note of vanilla adds excitement (spicy, the thrill of late summer, mountain flowers)

Amortentia: the earthy scent of a meadow,  lavender & coral rose, and the faded  scent of butterbeer (Tulip)

Patronus:  Cat

Patronus Memory: Camping late at night with Jakov and creating images from the stars

Mirror of Erised: Seeing his mother there, holding him close with a delighted smile of approval and acceptance.

Specialized/Favourite Spells: Caterwauling charm, Confundo, and Diffindo. His favorite is the disillusionment charm.

APPEARANCE

Faceclaim: Ivan Vuckovic

Game Appearance:

Height: 5’4

Weight: 135

Physique: Average

Eye Colour: dark forest green (D20 on the 1998 eye chart) Left eye is 3s lighter as he is becoming blind in that eye from a spell gone wrong

Hair Colour: deep brown with natural mahogany highlights (noticeable in direct sunlight) styled via French crop with a gradual fade.

Skin Tone: warm ivory

Inventory: He wears a dragon-shaped pendant and a dark brown wooden wrist cuff given to him by Jakov, his wand, and a pair of glasses

ALLEGIANCES 

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Affiliations/Organizations: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Professions: Aurologist and Herbalist 

HOGWARTS INFORMATION

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Charms: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

DADA: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Flying:  ★★★★★★★★★☆

Herbology: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

History of Magic: ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Potions: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Transfiguration: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Electives:

Care Of Magical Creatures: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Divination: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Quidditch: Chaser

Extra-Curricular: Gardening Club

Favorite Professors: 

Professor McGonagall -She takes on the role of a mother figure in Corbyn’s eyes. She is stern but only out of a desire to see him succeed. Her admiration for his accomplishments is thus hard-won and genuine. 

Professor Sprout - Her gentle nature and willingness to encourage his interest in herbology quickly made her one of his favorite teachers. She is patient and kind, he can always count on her class to be his favorite.

Least Favourite Professors:

Professor Snape - No matter what he does, it’s never good enough. No matter how hard he studies he continually feels inferior. He came to school hoping to escape that type of nonsense.

Professor Rakepick- She’s suspicious. Her methods of teaching don’t sit well with him and it seems as if there are more at stake than just a few house points.

RELATIONSHIPS

Brother: Jakov Callum Reyes | (21yo) 11/271967- Sagittarius

Seer although he never told his family (mother had suspicions)

Woodcarver-aspires to be a wand designer

Is aware that Corbyn is his half-brother

Biological Father: Haedon Knezevic | (35 yo)  4/17/1951 -Aries

Full-blooded Valravan -began life as a raven

Magic is gathered from outside sources rather than from within like wizards

He was locked away under the watchful eye of the Legacies which prevented him from being a part of Corbyn’s early childhood.

Father: Ezekial Reyes |  (41yo) 5/9/1947 -Taurus

He married Lilith despite her indiscretions when in his late twenties.

Despite not being his true father, Ezekiel took on the role without question to become the parental figure Corbyn adores. As a role model, he endeavored to teach Corbyn virtues. He can only pray that they stuck with him at Hogwarts.

He was gone often and for long periods of time due to his work. This field of work has caused him to become sick but he keeps this as a secret.

Mother: Lilith Reyes | (38yo)  2/25/1948 - Pisces

Cheated on Ezekiel with Haedon becoming pregnant with Corbyn. He functions as a bitter reminder of everything she lost and of what she could have had.

Lilith is an Ilvermorny Alumni

When Jakov disappeared, Lilith’s smile went with him. A bit of her spirit broke and Corbyn was left with the aftermath of distance and anger.

Love Interest: Tulip Karasu

Best Friends: Barnaby Lee, Tulip Karasu & Chiara Loboscu

Rival: Merula Snyde & Diego Caplan

Enemy: Frith Fuilteach & Seth Drystan

Dormmates: Rowan Khanna & Laurent King

Pets: Midi- Tawny owl

Closest Canon Friends: Penny Haywood, Rowan Khanna, Barnaby Lee, Charlie Weasley

Closest MC Friends: 

Laurent King (@slytherin-puffskein)

Dahlia Goldman (@a-bear-at-hogwarts) 

Samuel Gabehart (@hphm-ravenclaw-writings)

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

While Ezekiel was away on business trips, Jakov often took over the role of parent. As an older sibling, he was expected to make Corbyn mind the rules while also helping his mother. The more often that this occurred, the more that Jakov began to resent his half-brother. The games they played became rougher and bordered on dangerous. Jakov was a teen pushed too early into adulthood and Corbyn was the scapegoat.

Despite this, Corbyn admired Jakov and looked up to him. To him, there were tense times but that did not diminish the genuine fun that they had. He loved Jakov as did their mother. So when news began to circulate about him opening the vaults, their mother was worried something might happen. This was proven correct when they received that fated letter. She was heartbroken. Jakov left and took her maternal love. Corbyn was left with bitterness, resentment, and emotional manipulation. It was here that he realized vulnerability is deadly. 

The Reyes had only recently moved to Bristol, UK when they received the news. Corbyn was 9 years old when he realized his brother would not be coming home. Rumors regarding Jakov joining You-Know-Who or his possible death were hard to hear but he continued to defend his brother to the point of coming home bruised and bloodied.

It was debated but Corbyn was allowed to go to Hogwarts in 1984. It wasn’t because his mother was scared of losing him. It was because she was sure he was a squib because he had only a few magical mishaps. She did not want to be further embarrassed by him.

During the first few years at Hogwarts, he befriended several students who demonstrated that vulnerability can be okay and it is sometimes needed. Not only did he learn some interesting spells but he learned of secrets and rumors that caused him to seek out the truth and eventually befriend Chiara.

PERSONALITY

Loyal: This is to a certain extent. Even if you are friends, he might not be loyal until you’ve proven yourself to be worthy of that loyalty. Sure, it is a bit of a test but once that loyalty is won, it is golden.

Self-sufficient: Due to the nature of how he was raised, Corbyn learned early on that the one person he can rely on is himself. Thus, he has a hard time asking for help in any matter. He prefers to solve the problem himself rather than be indebted to anyone.

Clever: Witty. Sarcastic. Corbyn uses words to cut down others or to trick them for profit. He does this because it's one way to look out for himself. If he can trick you, he will continue to do so for as long as possible.

Vindictive: Being a jealous individual isn’t a good look but he hasn’t been able to change. When someone crosses him or especially someone he has befriended (see loyal), then he’s out to assure that this never happens again. He will find your weaknesses and force you to endure them.

Obstinate: While this can sometimes be seen as negative, he is stubborn in the sense that he knows what he stands for and what he wants out of life. He is headstrong so it makes convincing him otherwise to be a headache.

MISC

Likes: intense spices, herbology, pranking his friends, the idea of courting

Dislikes: bananas, excessively sweet things, The Black Lake, not knowing how to swim

Hobbies: working with magical creatures, cooking/grilling, gambling

[araeph]

Anonymous said:

Since HP is one of your fandoms, I'd like to know your opinion on typical questions: 1) what are your views on Dumbledore and Snape, not only the characters but also the way they are portrayed in the narrative? 2) what are your favorite HP movies and how do you feel about the way they portrayed the characters (in particular the leading trio)? 3) what are your views on how JK deals with minorities? 4) what are your ships, canon and non-canon? A favorite of mine is still Remus/Sirius. Thanks!!

1)    I very much appreciate what Rowling tried to do with Dumbledore: have a wise, benign mentor figure to a child, who then has the scales lifted from his eyes when he grows up. It’s kind of like looking up to your parents as a kid, and then finding out how human they really are as an adult. I am also on board with Dumbledore having a tarnished past. What I felt was missing, though, is that Harry never got a chance to challenge and defy him—really mess up his plans—because at the point where Harry knew the whole truth, he had already followed Dumbledore’s predetermined path for him and the latter was already dead. Harry should have gotten a chance to tangle Dumbledore’s carefully crafted web because his belief system is perhaps evolving away from that of the man he once looked up to.

As for Snape, I wish his character were as dynamic as a lot of people seem to think it is. Is he an interesting character? Yes, but not particularly complex. I have the same problem with his heel-face turn as I do with Mai’s: he turns because the object of his affections has been endangered, not because his value system has undergone a substantial metamorphosis. There is nothing to show us that Snape fundamentally disagrees with Voldemort’s ideology pre- or post-downfall, even though he had 13 years between turning and Voldemort rising again to reform his behavior and beliefs. For someone who is the subject of so much heated discussion, Snape’s character is remarkably stagnant. (Also, those who believe that his abhorrent treatment of his non-Slytherin students can be justified by his being a double agent for Voldemort should read this: )

AlexFS: Parzival, that doesn’t make any sense. Snape was playing double agent. His job was to convince Voldemort that he was on his side and spying for him. Now, if you’re a spy for Voldemort, what do you do? a) walk and talk like a Death Eater, bully the Boy Who Lived, and snark at muggleborns, or b) do you play the part, gain Dumbledore’s and Harry’s trust allowing you to get valuable information to pass on to Voldemort…

Any sane spy would go for b). That’s what Barty Crouch Jr. did. He didn’t waltz into Hogwarts and let everyone know he sympathized with Voldemort. That would’ve been ridiculous. He played nice with Harry, even Neville for god’s sake, gained their trust, helped Harry out, and guess what? His plan worked flawlessly. It’s the same reason Peter was an effective spy for Voldemort: no one, not even Dumbledore, suspected him because he was playing the part.

Voldemort was happy that Snape was so close to Dumbledore after all those years, even if it pissed off DEs like Bellatrix. It was useful for him. He wanted someone on the inside. If Snape could say he was also close to Harry, Voldemort would’ve been over the moon. Voldemort wouldn’t give a shit about how nice Snape had to be to muggleborns if it meant gaining Harry’s trust.

Ursula: Snape was a double-agent.

No, he wasn’t.

Snape was in Voldemort’s camp, firmly and unambigously, until he learned that Lily was a target.

He turned double-agent to try to save Lily. He failed.

Voldemort fell.

After that, Snape was in Dumbledore’s hands. Dumbledore protected Snape, but on the condition that Snape would stay where he could monitor him. Snape agreed, not as a double agent, but as someone who was effectively a solidier on the loosing side of a war, needing the protection of someone powerful on the winning side in order to survive.

This situation continued until the en of book 4, when Voldemort returned. Snape found himself in a trap. Dumbledore knew too much, and could destroy Snape if Snape didn’t continue to toe his line. Dumbldore told Snape to play along with Voldemort, to be a double agent, while retaining the power to destroy Snape, have him sent to Azkeban like the innocent Stan Shuntpank, if Snape didn’t continue to play along.

This is blackmail. Dumbledore tells Snape “Do as I say, and I’ll protect you from the Ministry’s justice system and the horrors of Azkeban. Fail me, and you’re on your own against a wizarding government looking for vengince and scapegoats.”

Once Dumbledore was dead, Snape seemed quite comfortable with the new Death Eater regime, with the exception of a desire for revenge on Voldemort for Lily’s death. It is a personal vendetta, not the actions of a double agent. I can’t rememer anything in-text to suggest that Snape wouldn’t be happy with a Death Eater regime with someone other than Voldemort as a leader, or that he had any second thoughts aside from his pecular obsession with Lily.

Someone playing for the enemy against his preferred side, out of fear and blackmail, is not the same as someone voluntarily choosing to be a double agent bcause they believe the cause is good.

2) I actually like “Chamber of Secrets” the best out of all the movies, even though it’s not as visually artistic as others such as “Prisoner of Azkaban,” because it comes the closest to capturing the spirit of the book it was based upon. Most of the movies were unable to find the right balance between “dark and gritty” and “playful children’s adventure series”—sometimes literally, as the weather was remarkably overcast for the last 3 movies if I recall.

3) She didn’t. It was something she never contended with in a narrative filled with WWII analogs. Rowling’s books are now a generation old, and if her more recent work had taken the time to address these concerns better, she might have fended off some of the (deserved) contemporary criticism. Sadly, I think that ship has sailed.

4) I don’t ship anything in particular with Harry Potter, but Remus and Sirius raising Harry together (whether they’re a romantic couple or not) is one of my favorite alternate plotlines.