praline-elegy

[praline-elegy]

On Sectumsempra & Levicorpus

So I was just searching up "Prince" on potter search as part of another ramble I was doing, and encountered these two quotes together:

“The Prince only copied [Sectumsempra] out! It’s not like he was advising anyone to use it! For all we know, he was making a note of something that had been used against him!”

and:

“Sectum — !” Snape flicked his wand and the curse was repelled yet again; but Harry was mere feet away now and he could see Snape’s face clearly at last: He was no longer sneering or jeering; the blazing flames showed a face full of rage. Mustering all his powers of concentration, Harry thought, Levi — “No, Potter!” screamed Snape. There was a loud BANG and Harry was soaring backward, hitting the ground hard again, and this time his wand flew out of his hand ...Snape’s pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore. “You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them — I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you’d turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don’t think so … no!”

By no means do I expect this is a fresh take, but these quotes together got me to thinking about the possibilities of Snape's use - and creation - of Sectumsempra. I consider whether he did create it, whether he stole it, The Prank, SWM, Battle of Seven Potters, and whether James used it on Snape. It starts off pretty sensible and then descends into madness, and I've spent too much time on it, so that I don't want to look at it again :P [way longer than anticipated so view below the cut]:

Ahead of time: I'm assuming that Sectumsempra was the exact same cutting spell Snape used in SWM. The lack of workings-out for this spell in Snape's book suggests the SWM cutting spell wasn't an earlier version he had to tinker with extensively (why would he do all of his workings-out in his book except for that one spell?). And, from a narrative perspective, Sectumsempra was described as Snape's 'specialty', it was a reasonably large plot point with Harry vs Draco and Snape coming in, to me making it unlikely to have meant to have been another spell entirely.

So... did Snape create Sectumsempra?

Option 1: Snape did create Sectumsempra.

It was in Snape's HBP book

Perhaps he got Sectumsempra right on the first try, unlike his other spells, which is why its only note is "for enemies" and not workings-out. Things like the bezoar advice also didn't have workings-out, and Snape did not write notes on things he readily understood ("but not a single illuminating note in the Prince’s hand to explain what [Golpalott’s Third Law] meant. Apparently the Prince, like Hermione, had had no difficulty understanding it"). Perhaps by this point, he's rather good at spell creation; he didn't need to make notes or amendments, he just had an intuitive grasp of Latin and spellcraft and whipped out a new spell like that

It is possible that he did his workings-out elsewhere for a change, or worked it out with someone else (Mulciber, Avery?)

Snape says spells, inventions, plural, in the quote above, indicating that Sectumsempra was one of his own creations

Harry has switched to using "[Snape's] spells" against Snape; this is the reason Snape switches from lazily deflecting to looking enraged, and finally loses his composure at Levicorpus

Possibly, Snape alone knew the proper or only counter-spell to Sectumsempra (which I'm just calling the song-spell), where others did not (this is widely discussed in anti-Snape circles, but I'll come back to that)

Remus says "Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s" - Snape perhaps developed it in preparation or retaliation for going to the Shrieking Shack, and Remus remembers

Option 2: Snape did not create Sectumsempra.

It has no workings out; it looks as though it's been copied from somewhere, "for enemies" and no other notes - implying that he's not workshopped it, but has instead gone and looked up curses in the Restricted Section or one of his Slytherin friends' Dark Arts books and decided that this was the one he'd like to use. It seems unlikely that every other new spell (Levi/Liberacorpus, Muffliato, etc) had workings-out, but this one does not. This was Harry's interpretation: "The Prince only copied [Sectumsempra] out! It’s not like he was advising anyone to use it! For all we know, he was making a note of something"

Snape "knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year" - he may have already known it and later jotted it down

Snape may not be angry in the above passage that Harry used 'his spell', but angry that Harry went on to use the spell that had almost killed Draco, again, having not learnt his lesson

We see Snape cast Sectumsempra in SWM - nonverbally, which means that Remus had to learn the incantation somewhere - and that somewhere might not have been from Snape, but via a book, or a DADA lesson (or, as I said for Option 1, Snape used it during the Shrieking Shack incident. Either could work?)

"My spells/inventions", plural, may have been a slip of the tongue or sounded better or was just easier to say; maybe one was Snape's by design (Levicorpus) and the other (Sectumsempra) by association, but Snape hardly had time to distinguish; he was on the run. Maybe Snape's other spells got out as well because rumours spread like nobody's business at Hogwarts, and Snape just did not have the time or inclination during this conversation for nuance

"Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s". It might have been 'his' spell in that he found or heard it elsewhere, and used it a lot, similar to how Harry's "signature move" is Expelliarmus. A specialty doesn't necessarily mean they've made something, just that they've specialised in it, are experts at it, or used it a lot - and, as we see in Harry's sword to Sev's scalpel, Snape did specialise in it and showed a lot more control:

[Harry's use] "SECTUMSEMPRA!” bellowed Harry from the floor, waving his wand wildly. Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backward and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand... Malfoy, who was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood. Moaning Myrtle let out a deafening scream: “MURDER!"

[Snape's use] Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James’s face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air...Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter.

Sectumsempra A brief departure to look at the spell and spellcasting more closely.

Casting Notably Snape casts it nonverbally, and there's no 'wild' gestures accompanying it; he simply directed his wand straight at James's face. Interestingly, the purple flame curse used on Hermione by Antonin Dolohov was also performed nonverbally, and was noted to be less severe than if spoken aloud:

The curse Dolohov had used on [Hermione], though less effective than it would have been had he been able to say the incantation aloud, had nevertheless caused, in Madam Pomfrey’s words, 'quite enough damage to be going on with'.

I wonder if Sectumsempra has the same 'powered down' effect when cast nonverbally? And if so, was Snape aware of that when he cast it at James? Was the intent to hide the incantation after his other creation, Levicorpus, got out - or to weaken the spell? In any case he failed in the first objective, because Remus identified Sectumsempra immediately as an adult.

[Side note: Snape was using and modifying a 6th year textbook, using nonverbal spells and creating spells that were already widespread - all in his 5th year, at age 15/16, when Hermione masters NV spells in 6th. What a nerd].

Effects Given the obvious ramifications of murder in broad daylight in front of a crowd of eyewitnesses and the fact that nobody, including the Marauders, paused at the spell's effects (I'll come back to their reactions later), I expect Snape's used it before and knew it wouldn't be too dangerous. It's risky aiming a cutting spell at a face, given the proximity to James's other facial features like his eyes, but not insurmountable. Also, Snape thinks James & Co. tried to kill him only weeks/months ago, so like... I can also believe that teen Snape had murder and maiming on the mind but lacked the hand-eye coordination to back it up.

But would it be murder? To ask someone who hates Snape, absolutely. But I disagree. Contrary to anti-Snape belief that it's a spell designed for brutally ripping someone in half and can't be healed by anyone other than Snape with his secret song-spell, thus making it a death sentence from blood loss alone, as far as magic swords go... it's kind of blunt. Even at full force:

Still slashing at the air with his wand, Harry yelled, “Sectumsempral SECTUMSEMPRA!” But though gashes appeared in their sodden rags and their icy skin, they had no blood to spill...

We see it cuts flesh. We see with George that it cuts cartilage. But it's not slicing the Inferi in half; it's not cutting bone - and Harry's fighting for his life. So it's not a literal sword, which can do both; that descriptor was just for imagery's sake. (Or perhaps Harry should've waved his wand more wildly?)

And it can be healed. Before the cave scene, back in Myrtle's bathroom, we also see Snape use a healing spell. But probably not Snape's own secret spell; Harry idles Sectumsempra for weeks ("he saw the Sectumsempra spell, captioned “For Enemies,” that he had marked a few weeks previously. He had still not found out what it did, mainly because he did not want to test it around Hermione, but he was considering trying it out on McLaggen next time he came up behind him unawares"). Harry/the narrative makes no mention of a healing spell or counter-curse nearby, and if it was like Levicorpus it would also reasonably be "one cramped word underneath the spell".

So, Snape perhaps knew a healing spell because of his knowledge of the Dark Arts, or knowledge in general. But it wasn't necessarily Snape's own secret healing spell, and nor is it likely the only spell that heals cuts like this. Dumbledore uses something similar at the cave, so it might just have been obscure or powerful healing magic ("said Dumbledore, now passing the tip of his wand over the deep cut he had made in his own arm, so that it healed instantly, just as Snape had healed Malfoy’s wounds") - or it was just a generic healing spell that Hermione or Madam Pomfrey probably would've known, but Harry didn't. This type of healing does not work on werewolf wounds - which presumably are special in some way - but even Dumbledore's cursed hand and Hermione's injuries after the purple flame spell at the Ministry battle are curable with enough effort: "Hermione was having to take ten different types of potion every day".

But, once again (and in contrast to Hermione's recovery) Sectumsempra wounds can be staunched and cleaned by Molly in the span of about 10-20 minutes, if that - it took less than the time for Harry to help load George onto the table until he finished a conversation with Lupin. Harry returned to find "a clean, gaping hole where George’s ear had been". George immediately wakes up and cracks a joke; the danger has passed).

Either Molly's got some mad healing skills to fix an original, unique curse created by a vicious budding death eater obsessed with dark magic without knowing the only counter-curse in existence - or the spell isn't only able to be healed with Snape's song-spell, just a regular healing spell, and Snape just likes to sing. Molly might have used such a spell when Harry was in the next room arguing with Remus. Molly is undoubtedly proficient, but obviously general healing knowledge is enough to heal Sectumsempra. Molly (I think) says the ear can't be re-attached because of nebulous Dark Magic reasons we never really hear more about from anyone despite 6 years of DADA, but it probably also can't be re-attached, in part, because the ear fell off somewhere in the countryside and Remus was too busy having to keep George on the broom to do a quick "Accio ear".

Given that Snape likely used Sectumsempra in SWM and there's no mention of James having had a scar, that Remus describes it as a specialty of Snape's but also has no visible scars in the books (when other aspects of his appearance are readily described), that Snape says Dittany can prevent scarring on Draco ("There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that") and that Draco then appears to have successfully avoided scarring ("Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest" - does Harry ever mention facial scarring on Draco again? I'm not well-versed in Drarry, but I know that Harry's constant physical descriptions of Draco are a common topic), it seems reasonable that if Snape did use it a lot in school, it was not overwhelmingly challenging to fix the cuts.

Add to that the fact that the Marauders were not in the least bit surprised or concerned about this spell - not about scarring, about the blood, or about the cut itself. Without hesitation James puts Snape in the air and, bar a brief authorial description of Snape's pallid legs, they're immediately laughing - even James, who's got a bleeding gash on his cheek (ouch), which is not mentioned again. Of course this could be for several reasons, chief among them that Snape has used the spell before so it's not a surprise, they're hyped up on adrenaline and pack mentality, and the Marauders are used to thinking of danger as fun ("And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards"). Even Lily doesn't have anything to say about dark magic, but I suppose she's still looking out for Snape here.

The Marauders are brave and talented young wizards, and presumably they know, from experience if Snape has used it frequently, that they can heal Sectumsempra just fine. James is cut on the cheek in SWM and is never described as having a scar, and you'd think that would be something Harry might notice, especially given his own facial scar.

Using Sectumsempra

So we've established that Sectumsempra is harsh and maybe cruel, but not devilishly so. It is temporary and fixable, both to the Marauders (who don't care) and to others (who are more upset by the ear loss and the sight of blood than the cut itself), and especially for Snape.

And yet... It seems unlikely that Snape was casting it on people (enemies) and then rushing over to help heal them. I think he knows how to heal it as an adult so efficiently, and how to avoid scarring because of the following options: 1. Snape (as an adult) has good knowledge of healing the dark arts (as we see with Dumbledore and to a lesser extent Katie Bell; could many people prevent Voldemort's own curse from spreading at all, let alone for so long?) 2. Snape (as a teen) was using it on himself (plausible both within the realms of testing his creation, or for more depressing reasons) 4. Teen/Young Adult Snape was using it on others (who he'd then heal? Some interesting avenues for Snape the torturer DE in fanfics), or perhaps... 3. Snape's been at the receiving end of it, which leads me once more to:

You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? ... And you’d turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you?

Snape's specific grievance is related to his spells being turned against him.

We all know James used Levicorpus, we see it in SWM, and apparently plenty of people knew it; "Oh, that one [Levicorpus] had a great vogue during my time at Hogwarts". So that's one of the spells, plural.

I think you can see where I'm going with this, if you've made it this far.

I think James Potter also used Sectumsempra on Snape, and here's why:

"spells", plural. These are the two (Levicorpus and Sectumsempra) that are used in this scene (and not the toenail jinx or Muffliato, for example)

After Harry tries to cast Sectumsempra on Snape, "[Snape] was no longer sneering or jeering; the blazing flames showed a face full of rage", marking the beginning of his turn in attitude because of the specific injustice of his spells being used against him. He deflects them all anyway with absurd ease; why else would he care? Harry's not a threat to him, but his memories of James using his spells are unpleasant and likely traumatic (give me one example of a person who can be choked, gagged, immobilised, and then suspended upside down in front of a crowd laughing at your expense as the person doing it threatens to - and probably does - remove your underwear)

We see Snape cast Sectumsempra nonverbally in SWM... but Remus had to learn the incantation somewhere. And what does Remus do regularly when it comes to protecting his image and that of his friends? Lie or bend the truth. I don't think, after the brutality of SWM or The Prank, that the Marauders had any particular aversion to drawing blood, for example, over threatening to strip Snape above a laughing crowd.

Tenuous: "Sectumsempra was a specialty of Snape’s" vs "“Well,” said Lupin slowly, “Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn’t really expect James to take that lying down, could you?""

[special mention for the fact that Snape was the one literally lying down (following James/Sirius' Impedimentia, Petrificus Totalus) in SWM and James was the one not to lose an opportunity here, but that's just me running away with myself. More likely Remus' words here mean "we always hexed first, Snape just always fought back"].

It would be an odd interpretation, but "a specialty of Snape's" could be a backwards way of saying it was their specialty for him. (Unlikely, but you can't stop me now, I'm running away with myself).

But consider...

"Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape's", part 2.

Now I'm just veering wildly into headcanon territory because this is flimsy, but consider Lupin's quotes:

Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!

[Snape] lost his hood during the chase. Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s.

Incidentally, those two quotes/ideas - of signature spells and specialties - are barely a page apart. Lupin is grilling Harry for inadvertently giving himself away at the Battle of Seven Potters.

As we all know, Harry is identified by Death Eaters for using Expelliarmus - at about the same time that Snape is identified by the Order/Remus for using Sectumsempra (and the slip of his hood, but if Remus knows the incantation, the hood slip only acted as confirmation as Sectumsempra is not widely used in canon - the only people we actually see use it, after several battles with DEs, are Snape and Harry).

Under the assumption that Lupin rarely saw Snape after they left Hogwarts, that Snape wasn't regularly using Sectumsempra in Order meetings, and that Remus uses the past tense ("was always")... Doesn't SWM seems rather early on in their lives to have developed a "specialty" if Snape only invented it that year?

(It is later on through Harry's/Snape's book, perhaps May when they started in September. Slughorn has likely not changed tac since he previously taught Snape, as Harry is just following the book/the Prince along all year. This is potentially complicated by the fact that Snape was working ahead; I don't generally have the brain for dates so idk how).

Anyway, Harry's been using Expelliarmus since CoS by the time we reach this quote in DH describing Expelliarmus as Harry's signature, and in the same metaphorical breath describing Sectumsempra as Snape's specialty. By this point in his life, Harry's used Expelliarmus to disarm/challenge the likes of Draco, Lockhart, Snape, and Voldemort, and has taught it at DA meetings, used it in the Ministry, etc etc. It might have been that Snape found or heard Sectumsempra elsewhere and came to use it a lot and gained a lot of control over it, sort of similar to how Harry's "signature move" is Expelliarmus. Depending on to what extent Remus means by "always a specialty", there's scope for Snape to have learnt Sectumsempra early on (he "knew more curses as a first-year") and used it since then - which would also explain why the Marauders were so relaxed about it. It sounds as though Snape had used it for some time.

But consider...

Snape did not invent Sectumsempra, James/Sirius did

Drawing parallels here where they probably don't exist and I'm losing my mind so I've definitely contradicted myself - both Snape and Harry are 'in disguise' during this battle, dressed identically to the team they're visually fighting for - and both are identified by having highly identifiable spells.

But Harry was taught his signature, Expelliarmus, by observing someone else doing it - interestingly, that someone else was Snape. Snape, who is repeatedly viewed as an 'enemy' who Harry mistakenly believed tried to kill him, but was actually saving his life. I just found it an interesting parallel to Snape and The Prank and James in this context, because Snape mistakenly believed that James wanted to kill him by being in on the prank, but James was actually trying to save Snape and Remus during The Prank, just like Snape was actually trying to save Remus and Harry during The Battle (of Seven Potters).

[Side note; "[Snape] lost his hood" aka "[Snape's] mask slipped" aka Snape almost revealed himself as Dumbledore's man by trying to protect Remus, who was being protected in both the prank and the battle. Sev has replaced James here. Poetic]

Food for thought/headcanon: even more contradictory and speculative, but what if Snape didn't make Sectumsempra, and learnt the incantation from James? ("for enemies" being the only note, no workings-out).

"The Prince only copied [Sectumsempra] out! It’s not like he was advising anyone to use it! For all we know, he was making a note of something that had been used against him"

Making a note of something that had been used (done?) against him? Maybe. James and Sirius were still using verbal spellcasting (with the exception of Levicorpus, which as we know, even Harry could do when still struggling with nonverbal spells), which is where Snape could've learnt it. And it would lend a sort of revenge and showing off aspect to Snape's use of it, if he'd taken it from them.

But isn't it curious that, when given the opportunity, Snape didn't disarm or knock James/Sirius back, or use any of the spells they'd used on him thus far to disarm/incapacitate/humiliate him (Expelliarmus, Impedimentia, Petrificus Totalus)? Nor did he use his other original spells to somehow incapacitate them (Levicorpus, Langlock) - but instead Snape chose to give James a wound that didn't even slow him down? A wound delivered with restraint? A wound that didn't even stop James from laughing despite being on his cheek?

One interpretation might be that this was Sectumsempra's first outing, but the total lack of acknowledgement, I feel, makes it unlikely. Literally nobody stopped long enough to remark on the fact it was unexpected or worryingly bloody, that it was dark magic, nothing.

But the Marauders laugh when Snape uses Sectumsempra. Not all of them, though:

Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter.

There's one Marauder missing from this sentence.

Remus disapproves.

So what if... James first knew of, and used, Sectumsempra to slow/deter/distract Remus whilst saving Snape? What if Snape had used or prepared it solely for his venture to the Shack, and it was used on Remus? What if Snape uses it during SWM (and likely other times, as a specialty) as an attempt to remind them that he could tell everyone Remus' secret?

(It didn't work, obviously).

There are several reasons Moony might not be laughing. Remus is possibly the most morally sound of the Marauders in that he disapproves of such behaviour - and he's also worried his secret will out. But I throw the above theory into the ring as another explanation. Remus remembers the incantation for Sectumsempra because it was used against him. Snape remembers because it was the night of The Prank. Snape either made it or adopted it, and started to work it into every encounter with the Marauders (as a reminder, as payback, a pound of flesh/blood for blood/eye for an eye). In any case, I'm confident James also uses it against Snape. Snape writes it in his book, so he doesn't forget.

Sectumsempra - for enemies.

[praline-elegy]

If I ever get a drawing tablet, one day I’d like to go crazy and stipple with hearts… I’d be that girl :p

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Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Fudge Cake

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i feel like the youth should be reminded that the point of shipping is not for a ship to become canon. the point of shipping is to collect all the canon crumbs like starved mice, run away cackling and make some fun little scenarios with them just for the hell of it.

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I need to give myself some self-imposed deadlines or I’ll never post any of my wips 😵‍💫📝

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I am but a fool because I FORGOT TO WRITE IT DOWN 😩😩😩💔💔💔

WHAT WAS THE LESS CRINGEY IDEA PRALINE !!!!!!!! WHAT WAS IT ???????

I remember it fitting so well…

While I’m still miffed at myself for not finishing that Scott/Thomas Valentine’s day fic I had planned last year, I’m sort of glad I never completed it because I figured out a much less cringey scene that works better for two acquaintances that have only met a handful of times. I do suppose I should lock in and finally write the dang thing tho 😅

Writing further down the timeline is so much fun tho!! But alas, posting sort of has to happen chronologically in this story 😅😅

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To my readers:

If your comment is long and rambling and full of quotes you enjoyed, I will love it.

If your comment is full of story related questions, I will love it.

If your comment is a single sentence, I will love it.

If your comment is a single emoji, or a string of them, I will love it.

If you comment, I will love it. It's that simple.

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BURY ME IN FLUFFY POKEMON

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stupid potter;

a poem, by d. malfoy

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Hrmmmmmmmmm

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Thinkin' about Thorn. Hmmm, yep. Still love her.

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Happy lunar new year Praline!!! 🎆🐍

Happy lunar new year to you too, kwoc! 🧧💫

This is a year old, but I do have a Fence wip about the LNY, I’ll share it below 🤭✨

↓ ✨🐍✨ ↓

“So what’d your mom talk about this time?”

“Ah,” Seiji punctuated with a [word]. He leaned back in his chair, his white tee stretching around his bicep.

“The Lunar New Year is this weekend. She wanted to know if I planned on coming home tomorrow.”

“Oh, have fun then.” Nicholas replied, holding up his pencil again to translate the next sentence on his worksheet. He was a little disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to hang out, but maybe the change of pace would be good for Nicholas. He could try to reel in his crush on Seiji a couple notches while he was gone.

“Actually…” Seiji tested slowly. “I wanted to ask if you would like to come with me.”

Nicholas paused, Latin half-scratched onto an empty line. He looked up at Seiji.

“Really?”

Seiji nodded. “Yes. I’m the only one our age in my family, and while I appreciate my relatives, I find them a bit… overbearing at times. If you were there with me, I would find it a lot easier to manage.” The fingers that were tapping along his knee were now squeezing his leg.

Is he nervous?

“I would like it, if you came with me.” Seiji [word].

It was an innocent request, yet almost raw and vulnerable all the same. This was Seiji they were talking about. The boy that Nicholas was struggling to catch up to on the piste. Mister Second Nationally Ranked Junior Fencer asking Nicholas to keep him company at a family—what, family reunion? A party?

In this context, Seiji was just another boy, an introverted teen skirting the gruels of socializing, and yet, the stakes felt that much higher. Like Nicholas was being introduced to the in-laws. Voluntarily walking into a den of Katayamas who would judge whether he was worthy enough to be called one of their own. Not that he and Seiji were dating or anything like that but…

But Seiji asked, and Nicholas couldn’t find a reason to say no. How could Nicholas ever say no when Seiji looked at him like that? With such intense conviction and desperate appeal. A sincerity that lacked an ounce of anything but genuine [honesty/faith/trust/assurance].

And the honest truth was that Seiji was uncomfortable around his relatives, and Seiji was comfortable around Nicholas.

The revelation was so simple, and yet so profound to his heart.

Seiji is comfortable around me. Seiji wants me there.

Nicholas swallowed, wetting his dry chapped lips.

“I’d like to come with you.” He said a bit breathlessly. Mirroring Seiji’s expression, eyes a bit wide, brows slightly raised, every limb frozen in the wake of something he couldn’t name. Or maybe he could, and he was just too afraid to say it.

Enjoy! 🤗✨

This is literally half of what I have written atm lol

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Change

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I found a brand new sketchbook that I haven’t used before and idk what to draw first. The first page… the pristine blankness. The intimidation of taking the first slice of cake… 😵‍💫

I mean, I have another incomplete sketchbook but still, breaking one in is still a huge mental challenge against myself lol

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Homemade Crunchy Hobnob Biscuits

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Slay the...Miku?

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Ooh I share some of these headcanons too!

Sirius

I definitely believe that Sirius would’ve gotten spat out of the Veil either during the Battle of Hogwarts or sometime after it. I have another post in my drafts talking about it too—I fancy the idea of him saving Fred and/or Snape from dying after coming back into the world. I also enjoy the idea of him popping up at an inopportune time, potentially even cockblocking drarry or snupin!

Imagining drarry sharing soft gentle kisses on the loveseat in Grimmauld Place before getting interrupted by Sirius screaming or falling into a heap on the floor never fails to make me smile.

Harry going after Sirius as Master of Death is such a brilliant idea! Master of Death Harry is a concept I haven’t played around with much, I’d love to hear more of your thoughts about it!

I also agree on the one-sided prongsfoot front! I think Sirius either realized early on and made amends with it, or never quite understood what his feelings really meant to him until much later, potentially in Azkaban or past that.

Ron

Ron as a quidditch strategist is such a good career path for him. I can clearly see his chess skills and forethought coming into play as an auror on the field in many casefics I’ve come across, but that very same skillset could easily be transferred to quidditch—and Ron’s already a quidditch fanatic! I’m not sure why I never even considered the thought, it’s so fitting and so him. Ron becoming the quidditch strategist or coach for the Chudley Canons… what an absolute dream that would be for him.

Snape

Just imagine all the Lupin and Snape scenes Harry didn’t witness. That’s also why Snape stops short at the sight of Harry in Lupin’s office when he came to deliver the potion — he was expecting Lupin to be alone, and for them to have one of their fraught, charged conversations. But no, Potter is there, ruining it with his presence. Haha

My snupin heart is quivering intensely. Yoinking this headcanon for myself, thank you 🥰🙏 I’ve been meaning to write some professors snupin content at some point… this might just be the crumb I’ve been looking for 👀✨

I also like your other headcanons for Snape too! They could easily meld together with what we know in canon. Remus being kind to Severus and Severus in turn being intrigued by Remus? Severus paying attention to Remus’ absences? And later Sirius choosing to withhold the secretkeeper switch-a-roo? It all fits… 😳

You 🤝 Me

Shipping snupin ♥️

Who’s your favorite character outside of Harry or Draco? Do you have any headcanons for them?

Oooh thank you so much for your asks @praline-elegy! Hi!!! 💕 (p.s. I’ll try to respond to your other asks over the next few days or so!)

This is such a good — and difficult — question. Here are some of my favourites + some headcanons:

Sirius

My #1 headcanon for Sirius is that he comes back through the Veil after the war. I think Harry (as Master of Death) would end up going through the Veil to get him. Or maybe Sirius would be spat out of it unexpectedly — perhaps time works differently in that realm, which is why it didn’t happen immediately.

I also headcanon that Sirius had a thing for James. Aside from that, I don’t ship him with anyone, and I don’t think he would be romantically involved with anyone else — but I also think he’s not that bothered by it. He’s just happy to be in Harry’s life, and to live out his life in peace after the horror of Azkaban and the Veil. (He’d probably have some fun casual sex, but I don’t think he ever falls in love again. James was it.)

Ron and Hermione

I’m including these two together as I see them + Harry as a unit; I love the trio’s friendship.

For Hermione, I imagine her going into an extensive academic career. She’d pursue multiple degrees and research projects. I think she’d potentially start off working in the government, but become frustrated by the slowness and red tape of bureaucracy, and she’d instead invest her time and energy in something more practical/immediate to help people and creatures — like the magical equivalent of the not-for-profit sector. I also think she’d write several books, and volunteer on multiple boards. I could also see her getting involved in education, later in life — overhauling the magical education system, establishing mixed primary age schools for muggleborns, pure bloods and squib children which include both muggle and magic subjects.

As for Ron, I definitely don’t headcanon him joining George in the shop — which is apparently what happens in Cursed Child, not that I count that as canon, lmao. (I do think Percy would join George in the shop though). As much as he loves his family, Ron is someone whose deep desire since childhood has been to stand on his own two feet and be respected due to his own merit, instead of being overlooked as just another Weasley kid. I think he could end up being a quidditch strategist — it’s something fun that he’s passionate about, and a career that is also cool and impressive, and he’d be naturally talented at it (given his aptitude for strategy + his quidditch knowledge).

Ginny

I love Ginny’s raw potential as a character, but I do think the books failed her a bit towards the end (and the movies were even worse, lmao).

One headcanon for Ginny is that I think her and Draco would get on like a house on fire, once they got over their mutual hatred and distrust lmao. I think they’re so similar in a lot of ways — both dramatic and demonstrative. And they both love a good prank.

Snape

Snape is one of my favourites because I find him so compelling — he’s not a good man, obviously, but he is a dramatic and striking character. He is such a bastard, and that makes him so much more interesting narratively.

In terms of headcanons… hmm, I’m not sure. I have a bit of a crack-ship headcanon that he could have been involved with Lupin in some way. It’s not totally serious lmao, but it is fun to imagine. Like, perhaps there was something… there, while they were at Hogwarts; perhaps they were paired up for a class, and an odd, fragile, almost-friendship started to develop. They’re not friends exactly, but Snape doesn’t feel the same hatred towards Lupin as he does about James and Sirius. He wants to hate him; but he just doesn’t, even though he hates that he doesn’t, lmao. Meanwhile, Lupin is a closeted werewolf, a would-be social outcast who knows he will be rejected by wizard society once they knew what he is; I can absolutely see him being kind towards Snape, an unpopular and disadvantaged young man who’s fallen in with the wrong people. I also think Lupin’s gentle, quiet nature could draw Snape in, against his will. And as Snape grows more curious about Lupin, he fixates on him and the fact he disappears every month — he wants to know what’s going on with Lupin; he hates that James and Sirius are in the know and he isn’t.

Also, their closeness is why Sirius didn’t trust Lupin with knowing about him switching secretkeeper duties with Peter, and why he thought Lupin could be the spy in their midst, because he knew Lupin was getting close to Snape.

Then, when Lupin comes to Hogwarts to teach, that’s why Snape is so bitter towards him. He still feels the betrayal, believing Lupin was in on the prank James tried to play on him all those years ago. But Snape still makes the potion for him every month. Because he can’t help the way he feels…….. lmao. 😏 (Just imagine all the Lupin and Snape scenes Harry didn’t witness. That’s also why Snape stops short at the sight of Harry in Lupin’s office when he came to deliver the potion — he was expecting Lupin to be alone, and for them to have one of their fraught, charged conversations. But no, Potter is there, ruining it with his presence. Haha)

Luna

I’m not sure I have any headcanons for Luna. I could see her having a really eccentric slot on Lee Jordan’s radio show (which I headcanon him setting up after the war). Harry listens to it every time without fail.