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hairypotterhogwartsmystery · 5 months ago

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Merula Is Not Actually That Evil

I recently finished Year 1 of HPHM and found many of Merula's actions to be rather unbelievable.

Kids can be awful, but I still don't think eleven-year-olds are capable of cold-blooded murder (such as the Devil's Snare Incident). The strangest thing about Merula's character, though, is that despite her track record, Jam City keeps trying to force Merula on us as a friend in the sidequests.

I didn't want to chalk it up to JC's dubious writing, and I was also inspired by the deep dives from @missnight0wl, so instead, I've spawned the theory that Merula Is Not Actually That Evil.

By the end of the first year, Merula has two "ambitions:"

1) To bully MC relentlessly.

2) To find the Cursed Vaults before MC.

Let's start with 1).

Merula is a bully---an awful, rude, reckless bully---but she's not pure evil. Most of her actions are not so much to instill fear and establish dominance (or, as I call it, MPWAH Syndrome) as they are an act of pushing people away. Merula does not find herself deserving of friendship, likely because she had a traumatic childhood that fractured her trust in people. This does not excuse for her behavior. However, I believe Merula's intentions for bullying MC + The Gang are different than what MC believes.

In their first Potions class, Merula coats MC's cauldron with Bulbadox Powder, which causes it to explode and makes Snape mad, yada yada. There are two strange things about this interaction:

1) Merula only learned of MC's identity five minutes before class, when MC stood up to her for tormenting Rowan. She kind of jumped on the "you're a disgrace" bandwagon, but didn't really say anything of note. See, Merula's original target was never MC---it was Ben Copper. This means that Merula's hatred for MC didn't appear out of nowhere---it was provoked by MC themself.

2) Bulbadox Powder isn't a potion ingredient. It's a joke product.

So Merula, who met MC five minutes ago and has only a generic hatred/jealousy of them, is also coincidentally carrying around a joke product in her pocket and manages to coat MC's cauldron in it without them noticing? Yeah, right. Merula didn't do it. Merula did not actually sabotage MC's potion. Chances are the cauldron was tampered with by some other mischievous student.

However, MC, assuming the worst about their newfound enemy, pins the blame on Merula, who, of course, denies it.

Then we have the Devil's Snare Incident, which most people cling to as a justifiable reason for hating Merula. Honestly, I did too, until I thought about it a bit harder.

I do believe that Merula sent the fake letter and locked MC in the closet full of Devil's Snare, because, well, Merula admits to it herself. However, I think she did this because MC framed her for blowing up their cauldron. Merula only says that she blew up MC's potion when MC is in the closet in order to seem more powerful and make MC afraid and distrustful of her. (See: MPWAH Syndrome.)

She also never intended for MC to die. Why?

a) She knows that MC is very good at Lumos.

b) I believe it was Merula who, in a fit of regret, alerted Hagrid that MC was trapped, and told Hagrid to go save MC. This is why Hagrid acted so shocked when MC told him it was Merula who locked them in the cupboard.

Now you might be wondering, "why didn't Hagrid just tell MC that Merula actually wanted to help them escape?"

Firstly, Hagrid is an adult, and in a position of power on campus compared to students. He understands that true disciplinary action can't happen without concrete proof (which MC doesn't have) and likely doesn't want to be the source of any gossip or rumors. Thus, he tried to de-escalate the issue instead of confusing MC with conflicting information, or encouraging MC to tattle/seek retribution.

Okay. That was a lot. In summary:

Merula's original target for bullying was never MC.

Merula bullies MC because she thinks MC wronged her.

Merula bullies MC + The Gang as a subconscious act of alienation, though she believes it to be a method of asserting her dominance.

This segues us into 2).

Why does Merula want to find the Cursed Vaults?

According to Merula, it's because of her MPWAH Syndrome.

I think this is partially the reason she seeks the Vaults. Though Merula herself may believe this is the true reason, her subconscious behavior says otherwise.

Merula's Cursed Vaults mission is very hush-hush---she doesn't want other teachers or students (such as Rowan) to find out. Obviously, this is for self-preservation---she doesn't want to get punished and expelled like Jacob---but I think Merula's secrecy ultimately proves that she isn't simply seeking the Vaults for attention and prestige. She's seeking them in order to validate her own loneliness.

Merula wants the glory of the Vaults for herself. She needs to reach the Vaults before MC, even though MC's not even in the race---MC's sole motivation for seeking the Vaults is to track down Jacob. By finding the Vaults all by herself, Merula validates the instinct within her that pushes people away. By finding the Vaults all by herself, Merula can prove that she doesn't need other people to succeed.

So why the Vaults? Why not prove herself by doing something innocuous like doing well in school? Well,

a) doing well in school is impressive, but not atypical or risky

b) doing well in school is a solitary act anyway; Merula needs to do something that would typically be collaborative on her own in order to prove herself.

c) I think Merula has a bit of a self-destructive streak. I don't have super solid evidence for this, though, aside from her pursuit of the Vaults themselves and her love of dueling.

So in summary:

Merula says she's searching for the Vaults because of MPWAH Syndrome.

In actuality, Merula is searching for the Vaults in order to justify her lone wolf/aloof personality.

Whew. I never thought I would psychoanalyze a fictional eleven-year-old from a mobile game this hard, but honestly, it's a fun exercise. Perhaps this skill will come in handy for future English essays.

Keep in mind this analysis was made only with information from Year 1. In a previous lifetime, I played up to Year 4, but I recently started anew. Feel free to spoil things in your responses---I know pretty much all the main plot points up until MC graduates.

Thank you for reading this far.

#merula snyde #hphm #honestly this was a huge waste of time #but i don't regret it cause it was a lot of fun #hogwarts mystery #merula fans this is for you #even though i personally dislike merula #but i think fleshing out her character has allowed me to empathise with her much more #deep dives hphm edition

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 7 months ago

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Archives of The Cabal - The Secret Origin of "R"

@ladyofsappho You asked me for this months ago, and you're finally getting an answer. @missnight0wl if you're interested I would also be honored to hear your thoughts. @dat-silvers-girl I just tag you in everything I write by now.

I am not caught up on Beyond, and this will deviate from canon in general, but I have tried to combine my original ideas and head-canons with the established lore about The Cabal. Either way, this is my version of R's story, and it's gonna be a long one, my friend. Buckle up.

The story you're about to hear is heavily redacted. People have fought and died and lost themselves and done unspeakable things to contain the secrets written here. Records are, to put it lightly, hard to find. For that is the nature of R.

To properly explain who they are, what they want, and where they come from…one must take a walk through history. Because R is old. Very old. Centuries old. It was primarily the brainchild of two men, but what truly birthed The Cabal was the social and political situation of the magical world at the time the group was formed. Because it is and has always been intrinsically linked to the passing of the Statute of Secrecy. Without that bit of legislation, there simply is no Cabal. Furthermore, The Cabal has always had a vested interest in the Wizarding schools. So we’ll need to talk about the days before The Statute. Before witches and wizards went underground. Back when the magical schools were still in grave danger.

It started...with the school of magic known as Ruqyah.

Before the persecution from the muggles became a larger problem, the wizarding world experienced a period of prosperity that it would never see again. An era that magical historians would later describe as the “Golden Years” that are estimated to have begun at around the point Hogwarts was constructed at the turn of the millennium. During this time, magical education peaked. The wizarding schools in the world numbered thirty-two, with many advanced institutions rising. Their knowledge and power only grew as they reached out to one another and did collaborations, maintaining strong relationships across the globe. Traditions like the Triwizard Tournament sprung up during this time. At the height of enlightenment was the school known as Ruqyah in Egypt. Built into one of the Pyramids, Ruqyah was a haven of higher learning, famous across the world for producing the best Healers, Beastkeepers, and Magical Researchers.

Though the school no longer exists in the present day, there was a time when every young Mage knew Ruqyah, and its unmistakable sigil - the Eye of Horus. Students from all over the world were permitted, even encouraged, to visit the school and participate in the education it offered. Whether it was for a week, a year, or even if they decided to enroll full time. Ruqyah pursued all sorts of goals, seeking knowledge and power. Theirs was the path to enlightenment and immortality - or so it was claimed. But only the truly bold, only those who had lived in the Pyramid for years ever dared to explore the Tombs of Ruqyah, which were said to be cursed. Supposedly inhabited by a malevolent spirit, who was only to be cowed by the presence of students and staff. It was said that they kept this being at bay by perpetuating the study of such pure magic. To many, these were just rumors, though Ruqyah Alums treated these stories with respect and many believed them in earnest. This was yet another reason such pride was taken in the education of the students. In the days of the Golden Years, Ruqyah was truly considered top class.

But The Golden Years were never to last.

Though tension between the mages and the non-magical community had always been an issue, the problem only grew worse during the fifteenth century. The muggles were still licking their wounds after the terrible phenomenon known as The Black Death, which had suspiciously killed very few wizards, the overwhelming majority of its victims being non-magical. A story began to spread, the idea that wizardkind had created the Plague themselves and purposefully unleashed it onto the world. Whether or not there is any truth to this...difficult to say. The Black Death occurred centuries ago and any record of magical involvement, if indeed there was any, has long since been erased. During this time, Witch Hunting was becoming a very popular profession for a variety of reasons, (many of them religiously motivated) and Muggles soon began rallying together to form organized strikes at wizardkind. The conflict escalated beyond the Ministries’ control as witches and wizards who bore prejudice of their own took the opportunity to fight back.

The conflict raged across the world like wildfire, with no end in sight for three hundred years. A period that became known as The Witch Hunter Wars. Ministries passed new laws, and magical schools shifted the focus of their curriculum's. Some began to prioritize subterfuge…others favored combat. Regrettably, wizarding culture became steeped in hatred and mistrust of the muggles. Even Ruqyah, beloved among wizardkind for the scholars it had produced…it too changed direction and began to train a generation of Dark Wizards who specialized in Curse-Breaking. Who learned the most unseemly of secrets, venturing further into the Tombs of Ruqyah than anyone had ever dared go. Some were even said to have met the demon at the heart of the Pyramid.

But it was not enough. The magical community had always been dwarfed by their muggle counterparts. Through sheer numbers alone, the muggles always maintained the upper-hand, doing more and more damage as time went on. The war had destroyed any goodwill the magicals might have felt toward the muggles, and any witch or wizard associating with them was distrusted on principle. Common ground was no longer possible. Coexistence was no longer possible. By the end of the seventeenth century, several Wizarding Ministries had fallen, and over half of the known Wizarding Schools had been eradicated. Eventually, Ruqyah would join them. In 1679, the ancient and beloved school was stormed and destroyed by Witch Hunters. The following ten years, which later became known as “The Decade Without Hope” preempted a “Final Summit�� of the International Confederation of Wizards, who had decided at last that enough was enough.

The Decade Without Hope

The Decade without Hope was…a dark time. The vast majority of the magical community believed that extinction loomed on the horizon. That the muggles would not stop until they were gone. Anguish and frustration gave over to hatred. Many young mages committed suicide. Others entered heavily populated muggle villages and sacrificed themselves by casting explosive curses. The future, if there was to be one at all, seemed bleak. The remaining witches and wizards turned on one another, looting and killing became common. Dark Wizards went unpunished, because who was left to punish them? What remained of the wizarding government had their hands full with the Witch Hunter Wars, with preparing the plans for the Final Summit. But these plans were to be interrupted by two dark wizards. Their names were Henri Jean Alerie…and Dai Ryusaki.

During the days before most of the Wizarding Schools were lost, it was relatively common for a student to spend more years in school, to attend more than one academy and graduate with honors from all of them. Ryusaki was a Mahoutokoro Alum, and Alerie had attended Beauxbatons, but both had also been educated together at Ruqyah. They were two of the last students to graduate before the school was destroyed. Alerie and Ryusaki, who had become close friends, traveled the world together after their graduation to seek their fortune. The teachings of Ruqyah were long since corrupted, and these two old friends worked together as partners in crime. In doing so, they frequently communicated by letter, but to avoid detection should their letters fall into the wrong hands, they never added signatures. It had been a longstanding tradition at Ruqyah for the Headmaster, often known as “The Ruqyah” to sign his letters with the Eye of Horus symbol, which closely resembled the letter “R.” A technique that Alerie and Ryusaki appropriated for themselves as a code known only to them.

Ryusaki's Gambit

After The Witch Hunter Wars, and the fall of several Ministries, there were many precious, dangerous magical artifacts in need of relocation. Due to the adaptive nature of magic, which is itself a living force, Dai Ryusaki and Henri Jean Alerie both knew that the remaining schools of magic would be safer than any Ministry. They were as of yet undiscovered by the muggles and seemingly small enough to fly under the radar. The only remaining school the Witch Hunters were aware of was Hogwarts, yet they seemed reluctant to strike the British school, possibly due to rumors that it was guarded by a terrible monster left behind by one of the Founders.

Unspeakables from the Department of Mysteries, as well as their contemporaries in other nations, had already concluded that any dwelling inhabited by multiple witches and wizards for several generations would eventually develop its own independent magical energy, and, in a sense, become a living thing. In the case of wizarding schools, the youthful magic of the students was even stronger, and more changeable. It was the very best chance. Ryusaki knew what needed to be done. He called upon the services of several people whom he trusted. They had graduated from the various remaining schools of magic and eventually rose to lead them, but before that, they had been part of the final classes to study at Ruqyah and were originally Curse-Breakers by trade. Over the years, Ryusaki had maintained correspondence with all of them.

He reached out to Inacio Campos, of Castelobruxo, Zuri Adesina of Ugadou, Sigrid Jorgensen of Durmstrang, Tatiana Morozov of Koldovstoretz, and Hamish Fawley of Hogwarts. There was some reluctance once his colleagues discovered his past misdeeds, but Ryusaki convinced them that his plan was in the best interests of wizardkind, that he was merely trying to repent. Henri Jean Alerie was only too happy to represent Beauxbatons in this endeavor, as Ryusaki represented Mahoutokoro. In time, the two men secured themselves as Headmasters of their respective schools. The only representatives who were not in attendance were Morozov and Fawley. Morozov was disgusted by Ryusaki’s crimes and refused to join the alliance, and with her, the Russian school withdrew from the plan. Fawley expressed agreement with the plan, but was unwilling to play any part in it. Hamish Fawley was gravely ill, afflicted with a mysterious curse from the time he was born. As a result, not only did he have limited time and energy, but he wanted nothing to do with Cursed Artifacts or Curses as a whole. Privately, Alerie maintained correspondence with Fawley, offering his sympathies.

The other representatives went along with this plan, deciding to trust Ryusaki, as he seemed honest…though many of them did not fully trust Alerie. Which was ironic, as he played a crucial part of the plan. It was he who staged the near destruction of the Lebanese Ministry of Magic, where the International Confederation of Wizards had sent them for safekeeping. Using the Imperius Curse to gain access to the heart of the Lebanese Ministry, so the new alliance could steal the Artifacts. Thereafter, Ryusaki waited until the building was empty to cast a terrible fire, a Dark Spell, to make it seem as though the Witch Hunters had struck again, and the artifacts destroyed in the fire. In truth, each of them took possession of one and pledged to guard it indefinitely. To do so, they used their schools. Infused with emergent magical energy that was fueled by generations of children, this alliance truly believed there was nowhere safer. They had all studied at Ruqyah at one point or another. They all knew of the Tombs, those that guarded unspeakable Dark Arts and a nameless Demon.

Within the schools of the Alliance, secret chambers were constructed to house the artifacts, similar to the Tombs. The enchantments and curses placed on these ”Vaults” did not remain stagnant. Left alone, they grew like ivy, evolving and growing in strength over the years. Until, or so they hoped and planned, these secret Cursed Vaults and the treasures they guarded would be forgotten and lost to time. Plotting a strike on a Wizarding Ministry and the theft of the most dangerous artifacts in the world is no small feat. It took the better part of two years to plan, and during this time, the Alliance would communicate with each other using the secrecy they had learned from Ryusaki and Alerie. Signing all of their letters with nothing but the Eye of Horus, represented on the parchment as the letter “R” In time, this group came to refer to itself as Ruqyah, or simply “R” as a coded version - taking the name of the fallen school in an effort to honor the ideals and traditions that were lost. They began wearing red cloaks for subterfuge, echoing the school uniform of the ancient pyramid. Ryusaki could not partake, for he had "turned white" as they say in Mahoutokoro, long ago. His robes would always reflect his sin.

After the Artifacts were hidden, the members of this new faction did not see each other for many years, only communicating through further messages likewise written in code. They had pledged to protect the world from the most powerful and unstable kinds of magic. They knew what kind of danger the Artifacts might have posed if they had fallen into the wrong hands - magical or mundane. Yet during this time, Ryusaki had begun to see the world anew, as he poured himself deeper into magical philosophy. The Mahoutokoro Headmaster had never been wholly evil, and through his efforts with R, he had undergone a change of heart. Feeling remorse for his crimes and resolving to change his ways. Ryusaki dedicated his life to reforming, going so far as to reinvent the dark spells he had learned in Egypt to make them better. He even reinvented the dark spell he had used to destroy the Lebanese Ministry, turning it into the defensive curse known as Protego Diabolica. To the point of willingly turning himself over to the authorities for his various criminal acts - though he did not breathe a word of the artifacts, their locations, or the existence of R.

Alerie, however, went in a different direction.

With access to one of the deadly artifacts, he was free to study it during his spare time running Beauxbatons. During the Decade Without Hope, he continued studies into the most obscure and forbidden branches of magic. Crafting spells, objects, and potions of immense and terrible power. Drowning himself in the rarest and most dangerous enchantments. He went as far as to return to the ruins of Ruqyah and attempt to seek out the malevolent spirit hidden within the pyramid’s depths, thinking he could use its power for himself. But with the school long since abandoned, there was nothing and no one left to guard the entity, who had flourished in the time since Ruqyah’s fall. No one is quite certain what happened to Alerie in the heart of the pyramid. But he was never the same afterward. Some say he went mad, and perhaps he did. But the encounter changed him on a fundamental level. He returned to Beauxbatons wearing a strange amulet and and boasting of how his “third eye” had been opened.

The Crown of Mneme

The International Confederation of Wizards were not blind, they could see that Ryusaki was no longer a danger to the magical world and knew they could make good use of his brilliance - so they made him an offer - to be pardoned for all his past crimes and receive lifelong immunity for any future crimes. In return, they commissioned him to craft a powerful spell that would allow the caster to reshape the minds of others on a massive scale. They invited him to the Final Summit, which was to be held in the Kingdom of Bhutan, to use this magic in a special ceremony. Ryusaki flatly refused such a prospect, until The Confederation fully explained their reasoning.

During this time period, The Confederation was certainly not loved. Much of wizardkind believed that the horrid state of affairs was in no small part due to their inaction and poor decision making. Most did not believe that the Confederation would be able to save the wizarding community. But there were others. Clever mages of higher learning who understood the politics, who were near enough to the inner circle for the whispers and rumors to have leaked down to them. Long before the Statute of Secrecy was signed, many saw it coming. For it was becoming common practice more and more to live a double life, to hide one’s magic from any nearby muggles. Nevertheless, secrecy was paramount. The Witch Hunters could not be allowed to catch wind of this plan. The Final Summit was risky in general. To put all the most important members of the Confederation together, all in one room, was dangerous. Should the Witch Hunters discover that this meeting was to take place, should they strike during the Summit, they would wipe out the Confederation and with it, the last hope for wizardkind. Yet they took a chance and trusted Dai Ryusaki with knowledge of this plan.

After some consideration, he agreed to the Confederation’s offer. He set to work, using all of his magical knowledge and skill in the effort to make the Statute of Secrecy possible. Aided by his old friend Alerie, not realizing that Alerie had plans of his own. Yet as he worked, Ryusaki lamented the fate of wizardkind, doomed to hide away forever…until he had an epiphany. The answer came to him in a stroke of genius. A way to unite both worlds without conflict or bloodshed. Thoughtlessly, he shared his brainchild with Alerie via one of their many coded letters, who then joined him in celebration. In time, Ryusaki crafted the artifact known as The Crown of Mneme. With it, he and Alerie brewed a special potion designed to amplify the Crown’s power when the two were combined. The ingredients for this potion were a closely guarded secret, and the two old friends only ever wrote them down once, on an ancient scroll. These efforts bore fruit, and Ryusaki tested the Crown’s power by treating the trauma of his students at Mahoutokoro. However, attempting to heal the pains and trials of his friend Alerie revealed the horror within his soul, and Ryusaki recoiled. He attempted to excise this evil from his friend, but Alerie escaped.

Regrettably, this discovery sealed Ryusaki’s fate. Alerie could not allow any to learn the truth of what he had seen, of his heritage. The Demon who had hidden in the Tombs of Rugyah for so many years, who now ruled the pyramid in silence…was in truth, a magical creature known as an Ifrit. Precious little is known about them and in the seventeenth century wizards knew little and less. But such an entity is classified as a “non-being” similar to boggarts or dementors, and the Ifrit is highly dangerous. Rarely seen in the West, an Ifrit can live for millennia, and use that time to gradually corrupt the souls of mages around them, yet having no effect on muggles. Long ago, the founders of Ruqyah crossed swords with an Ifrit, bravely fighting the creature and trapping it in an ancient tomb. Building a pyramid around the demon to keep it sealed away, and the prison evolved through the years, becoming one of the most famous wizarding schools of all time. It was always the job of the Headmaster, “The Ruqyah,” to contain the Ifrit.

Alerie had met The Ifrit. The enchantments on the Pyramid prevented it from escaping altogether, but once the last Ruqyah had died, the Ifrit’s magic grew stronger. Before, Headmasters had wielded The Eye of Horus to “block” out the Ifrit’s third eye, which has sometimes been referred to as the “evil eye.” For the Ifrit’s third eye grants them powers such as legilimency, and worse. They can attack and devastate the minds of mortals. Alerie had an encounter with this non-being while it was near full power, and the course of his life became set in stone. For the Ifrit had revealed a shattering truth - many times in the past, it had taken human witches as lovers, one of whom was Alerie’s own mother. Henri Jean Alerie was only half human. The Amulet he wore had been created by the Ifrit some time ago, and it had been given to Alerie as inheritance. In years to come, his seemingly endless longevity and his fearsome talent with the Dark Arts could both be attributed to his heritage. Alerie had left the pyramid a different man, and when Ryusaki discovered the horrors hidden in his soul, he vowed to save his old friend. But Alerie had already decided that Ryusaki could not be allowed to live.

The Final Summit

Ten years after the Fall of Ruqyah, the Confederation met in secret for the Final Summit, in the Kingdom of Bhutan. To discuss their plans, and most importantly, to gauge how successful Ryusaki had been at the task they had given him. The group of mages met and conversed for many days to determine the future of their kind. During this time, when Ryusaki was called upon to present his invention, he instead proposed an alternative solution. He painted a picture for his fellow wizards, describing the utopia in his mind. A world where there was no difference between the magical and mundane. A peaceful, enlightened world where every child born would be blessed with magic. If the Crown could be used for this purpose, there would be no need for secrecy. No need for conflict - no real possibility of another war. The Confederation nervously laughed off such wild delusions and dismissed Ryusaki as a radical before demanding that he relinquish the Crown. When Ryusaki refused, things quickly devolved into chaos.

Ryusaki knew that he could not surrender the Crown, not until he had used it to save the world. The magical community would not hide themselves. They would join hands with their muggle brethren, and together they would expel the forces of evil - creatures like the Ifrit hiding in Ruqyah. The world needed to know about this danger, and that his old friend had already been corrupted by it. Determined to uphold the legacy of what Ruqyah had once been, Ryusaki, who was now on the run, called upon the services of R. A loyal man, Ryusaki expected the Headmasters of the remaining magical schools, the Guardians of the Artifacts, would come to his aid, as he would have done for them. But by then, it was too late.

Alerie had gotten to them first.

As a member of R, he had contacted the others and met with them to discuss the situation. Painting a very different version of events. Alerie claimed Ryusaki’s atonement was a lie. That he had been deceiving the others, and that his sanity slipped further and further toward madness with each passing day. That he had created another deadly Artifact, like the ones R had hidden, and the Confederation was now hunting him. Though the others doubted his tale at first, rumors of Ryusaki’s exploits were spreading, as Alerie’s next visit had been to see the Confederation. With Ryusaki on the run, Alerie had approached them. He offered to do the job that Ryusaki would not, in exchange for the same reward - lifetime immunity from prosecution. The Confederation, who had no other cards left to play, agreed to his terms - none of them having any idea just how long Alerie would live.

Ryusaki’s reputation was soon smeared by the remaining Ministries, in an attempt to discredit him and prevent him from garnering sympathy. His past misdeeds as a Dark Wizard were regularly brought up by his enemies and those who wished to apprehend him and the Crown. The remaining members of R came to believe Alerie’s stories were true, particularly as his newest ally corroborated them. Hamish Fawley, who had previously refused to join R, now accepted full membership and pledged to help stop Ryusaki and hide the Crown of Mneme at Hogwarts, just as the other Headmasters had done in their own schools. Alerie had approached Fawley separately and cut a deal with him on the side. Proposing that the Crown could be used to heal Fawley’s illness and break the Curse on him. Blind with hope, Fawley would have said or done anything that Alerie bid.

Ryusaki had only one friend left he could turn to - or so he thought. The International Confederation could not be trusted. Ruqyah’s members had all abandoned him. But despite the evil in Alerie’s soul, Ryusaki believed he was still a good man beneath it all, and this faith was seemingly rewarded when Alerie appeared like a miracle and helped Ryusaki escape a team of Aurors. The two friends reconciled, and it was at this time that Alerie gave Ryusaki the amulet that he wore, seemingly as a sentimental gift. Ryusaki went on to explain his plan to Alerie. From the shadows, he had worked tirelessly, trying to discover a way to graph magic from a witch or wizard onto a muggle. As he refused to use live subjects or do anything that risked harm to the innocent, his methods were slow and inefficient. There was only one thing left to try - The Crown. Using its power to project magic onto every human in the world by using the wearer as a template. It would never have worked, and Alerie knew this. But Ryusaki was blind with hope, and insisted on acting as the Template himself, just as Alerie planned.

Together, the two men brewed the special mind-enhancing potion necessary to use the Crown on a global scale. Alerie placed the Crown on Ryusaki’s head. Yet as the power began to overwhelm him, Ryusaki was suddenly struck in the back by his oldest friend. The two began to duel. It was during this time that, in the struggle, the Scroll containing the ingredients for Ryusaki’s special mind enhancing potion was torn in half, with each of the men taking one piece. Ryusaki had no strength, the Crown had drained him like a battery, and he had no choice but to take it off, to leave it behind. Yet using the last of his energy, Ryusaki fled, and hid his half of the Scroll. Rather than pursue him, Alerie claimed The Crown, before sending the same team of Aurors - who had been on his payroll the whole time - to apprehend the wounded Ryusaki.

Alerie brought the Crown back to the Magisterial Chamber of Ancient Wizardry, as promised. It was here that the members of the Confederation cast a vote, and soon emerged from their talks with a signed document known as the International Statute of Secrecy, marking the official end of The Witch Hunter Wars. Alerie wielded the power of The Crown of Mneme. With it, he caused all the muggles to forget magic was ever real. The two worlds became permanently divided, and Ryusaki's hopes of a utopia of enlightenment and immortality, a world where everyone had magic - went up in smoke. His dreams died with him, as he was executed for a Dark Wizard shortly thereafter, still wearing the amulet Alerie had given him as a last gift. It is said that the amulet was cursed, and that before his death, Ryusaki's jailers tortured him. By the time he died, Ryusaki's resentment of the Confederation had intensified, their betrayal, to say nothing of Alerie's betrayal, burned him to his last cinder. With Ryusaki's death, Alerie moved to seize control of R. He proposed that the group be managed by an elected leader, like the Ruqyahs of old. His influence grew further as he was unanimously voted to become the new "R."

With no means to fulfill his promise to Fawley, Alerie blamed Ryusaki for stealing half of the Dark Scroll. But there could be no hope of brewing the Mind Enhancing Potion again without it, and without the Potion, the Crown was too unstable to use. Therefore, Alerie reluctantly handed it over to Fawley to keep the peace, and it was hidden in a secret Vault at the bottom of the Hogwarts' Black Lake. Guarded by a dark spell that Alerie himself had always favored. The new "R" continued to revolutionize, with Alerie and the others gathering more and more recruits, as well as beginning to infiltrate the rising Ministries in addition to the magical schools. Meanwhile, Hamish Fawley made a groundbreaking discovery. The magic in his soul, that which came from the Curse afflicting him, contained the raw, un-concentrated power of unstable magic, but this magic could be harvested. If Fawley could be born with such a Curse, so could anyone else...including muggles, and this Curse might just endow them with enough magic to no longer be considered muggles. Ryusaki's dream was not dead after all.

Fawley and Alerie clashed for years to come, with Fawley questioning Alerie's leadership at every turn, and how much it differed from Ryusaki's vision. Until Alerie's mask slipped and he showed his true colors. Fawley and Alerie got into a fight and Alerie lost his temper, exposing his inhuman power in front of multiple "R" members. With no other choice, Alerie was forced to flee, to disappear, leaving Hamish Fawley to be elected the new leader of Ruqyah. He burned away the rest of his life trying in vain to solve Ryusaki's equation - to turn a muggle into a wizard. He died without success, however, his bloodline remained in R, and served as Leaders more often than they did not. Eventually, Fawley's descendant - a boy called Jacob, discovered the existence of R.

As for Alerie, he resurfaced many times under many pseudonyms over the years, influencing events. Working to free his father, to influence The Cabal from afar. The Amulet served him well in this endeavor. Eventually, he would reestablish direct contact with Fawley's descendants, and Jacob's Sibling would come to known him personally. But by then, he was using yet another name...

Under the moniker of Elton Elderberry, Ministry Archivist, Henri Jean Alerie continues to influence events.

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indigobackfire · 8 months ago

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@missnight0wl I was listening to that part and got reminded of this precious scene

#that song is ismelda coded. i know i see her in everything but this i'm serious #ismelda murk #indigo silverwood #hphm #too sweet

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rosie-love98 · 1 year ago

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The Revivors Of Severus Snape:

WARNING: May contain spoilers for “Hogwarts Mystery”.

Basically, I’ve been triyng to work on a fic where (movie) Severus Snape is revived shortly after “Deathly Hallows”. This would be through a formula created by the late Eileen Prince-Snape that composes of the following ingredients:

-A cauldron of water heated by a dragon.

-Pheonix tears.

-Stinging Nettle.

-Yarrow.

-Fairy Wings.

-The Resurrection Stone.

-And the horn of a unicorn to stir the contents.

From this odd potion, Severus Snape would not only be revived but would gain the powers of the Resurrection Stone. After a long while of recovery, Snape would eventually escape his captived to live in seclusion for years under the name “Sephtis Surgo”.

While Snape would reunite with his ex-wife (he had secrelty married Constance Hardbroom of the 1998 “Worst Witch” and had a son who would be Nicholas Hobbes of the “Worst Witch” spin-off, “Weirdsister College”) and later welcome a daughter who would inherit (half of) the Resurrection powers, there is a matter that I’m trying to look more into. Who would be Snape’s revivors/captors?

I know I want them to be a member of “R”/The Cabal from the “Hogwarts Mystery” games. But, as I haven’t played much of the game (and too cheap to pay for the upgrades that’ll help me move on to the levels), I’m a bit stuck on the fates of the members. As Peregrine is (allegedly) dead, I’m more incline to go with Verucca Snyde, Eustace Burke, Kazuhiro Shiratori and (maybe) Patricia Rakepick. If the likes of Barty Crouch Jr., Bellatrix and other Death-Eaters had managed to escape, then perhaps the “R” members found a way. But should I go with them or come up with an OC member?

Another question is how would they have gotten ahole of Eileen’s formula? Could Eileen have been a member due to The Cabal’s goal for power? With her destructive marriage to Tobias, it would’ve been natural for the powerless Eileen to want some kind of change?

Then there’s how they managed to get Snape out of the boathouse...I had the Cabal use the red cap creatures to track a corpse down but how did they get onto Hogwarts grounds and why? Was it to help fight the Death-Eaters or did they have an incling a war was approaching the school so they were hoping to find an unclaimed corpse somewhere?

So, for those who played the game, would including Verucca, Kazuhiro, Patricia and Eustace be a good idea for this story’s villians?

@missnight0wl @hellodanny-hphm @redhairedgryffindor @hogwartshousefriends

#harry potter #harry potter films #pottermore #hogwarts mystery #r hogwarts mystery #the cabal hogwarts mystery #r the cabal #verucca buckthorn #kazuhiro shiratori #eustace burke #patricia rakepick #severus snape #snape #snape being alive #snape alive #snape brought back to life #writing advice #brainstorming

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fantasywriter19 · 2 years ago

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Because I can't ignore a tag from the illustrious @the-al-chemist , I do appreciate this. Here we go 😄

Four Ships:

Kate and Luc - French Kiss

Westley and Buttercup - The Princess Bride

James and Georgina - The Mallory-Anderson family romance series by Johanna Lindsey

Simon and Bram - Love, Simon

Last Song: Midnight Sky by Miley Cyrus

Currently Reading: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy: The Magic and Mystery of the Ancient Craft Revealed for Today by Dennis William Hauck

Tags: @missnight0wl @domaslut @hphmmatthewluther

#time to make my own tag #for things like this #LJ Writes #I've garnered an interest for #alchemy #meg ryan is the best

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indigobackfire · 22 days ago

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@missnight0wl thought of you xD

the key to not fanonizing your faves is to simply become academia-brained about it. never make a statement about a character you can’t back up with at least three references to the source material

#you bring 50 receipts plus the specialists to the tables

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bluerosesburnblue · 8 months ago

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Apparently, I was too late to boop you back, so…

*BOOP!*

Haha, yeah, I think I must have just gotten in at the last minute. Thank you!

#liz answers #missnight0wl

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indigobackfire · 9 months ago

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@missnight0wl kindly let me know Victor did get an adult model and since I haven't seen posted here on tumblr

Apparently, HP vampires are in fact mortal...

#it's my duty to bring hphm emos goths and maybe even punks into the tumblrsphere #adult npcs loooove an overcoat don't they #i mean it's england but #where are the glam and the fur coats and gradma's cardigan #victor ketsueki #hphm #hogwarts mystery #after hogwarts

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heleneplays · 3 years ago

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What do you mean you don't know what the end scene of The Sixth Sense is? :O

well, there's this one action called "I've NEVER watched it"

#i dont even know it #replies #answered asks #mod lee answers #@missnight0wl

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indigobackfire · 7 months ago

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@missnight0wl your jam

romance is lame and overrated i love mentor/mentee relationships in fiction and especially when theyre sort of fucked up

#fanfic stuff

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indigobackfire · 3 years ago

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The fashion question back to you! But I want to ask about Indigo and Phoenix. What’s their style? You can include Jacob as well, of course, but if it’d be too much or you don’t have a clear idea for him yet, that’s fine too :)

Also, please, take this question however you wish. You don’t have to make collages or anything – unless you want! Then go for it!

Thank you so much for sending the question back 💖

I didn't have to but, I don't if you ever used it, I spent my early teens on Polyvore day and night making collages and I forgot how fun (and tiring) they are so I made it for each! Polyvore closed years ago, so b4 anyone asks, I did them on Medibang with PNGs from Tumblr.

I focused more on them during Hogwarts years, but I hope to make a post for their fashion as adults.

Indigo's Style

So this isn't half as much as I really wanted represented here xD due to the confinement of the space and png availability. I made one for her more academia side and one for her colorful self.

As general style rule Indigo will avoid anything tight or that shows too much skin, she wants freedom of movement. I'm sure I didn't convey her witchy vibes enough, nor her 70s influence, but soon I'll make another set.

She also doesn't vibe with blue, pink, nor with black. Yeah, no matter how gloomy she's feeling. But her favourites are red, green and orange brown.

Phoenix's Style

Here, I suffered with the lack of good male clothing pngs and my laziness xD.

Though I focused on his more yellow and neutral side, Phoenix has a passion for the colorful as well, with inspiration from the preppy fifties, with some boldness from the 60s/70s especially with clothes handed down from his late (biological) father.

Anyway, I think I did convey his very cozy good boy vibes, he's milk and honey, breeze on a hot day type of person.

I had been so long staring at screen doing his, my head began hurting, I had to lay down before moving on to Jacob, reason why his has less stuff than the others. Also I don't think I planned the space right 🙈

Jacob's Style

His collage is the most chaotic but that's pretty resonant with his character, not as much red as I'd like for him nor as punk as his style really is.

You right, I still have very little on my Jacob, but searching trinkets and clothes I actually got inspired x). Anyway, I like to think there's a before and after the vault Jacob in matter of style, I'll say more below, but can get experimental with his style, despite his laziness to put any effort into it.

And I'll talk under the cut just to avoid being huge x)

I don't think I can't explain Indigo's style as whole all at once so I'll divide by her Hogwarts years.

1st

Indigo is trying to drive her image away from Jacob, better yet, her mother is doing it for her, the colors are toned down and very basic, but it's inevitable the resemblance. She spends most of her time in complete or half uniform.

2nd

Now determined to explore the vaults, she invites the 'Jacobness' in, she's purposefully looking for him not just literally but figuratively. She's wearing jackets and shirts he left behind even if they definitely don't fit her right yet. She's got a classic colorful 80s girl style out of class and isn't afraid to call attention to herself. A time to be experimental with her hairdos.

3rd

Starting to develop her own style while being influenced by Rowan, trying to mix her new nerdy side with remnants of her brother.

The year she slowly starts growing, she has her first period, she gains weight, she's well, confused in herself. The colors are a tad toned down in comparison to the previous year. Tho, as the year progresses, since the current curse has to do with fear, she subconsciously seeks in her fashion saturated, happier and bolder colors.

But when she joins the gryffindor quidditch team, it enforces that red, burgundy color palette.

4th

Despite the exercising and duelling training, she continues to gain weight due to stress eating. Lucky for her, she continues getting taller which helps hide some of the weight gain, but her ever changing body does influence in the types of clothes she picks.

Since Rakepick is around now, she wants to be defiant - strong colors, oversized shapes, leather details and footwear, bringing back those Jacob clothes she had.

Also with the start of her friendship with Barnaby and with more of Aspen's influence, she begins wearing more and more plaid patterns to represent her Scottishness.

Another year of fun hairdos, especially considering her approximation to Tonks.

5th

As Rakepick's apprentice she's more and more inclined to dress with confidence.

She's dating Barney and he influences her fashion / As well as spending more time with Rakepick - she adopts the habit of wearing jewelry, a belt for her utilities, a lot more red and green, she begins putting her hair in place.

In the matter of hair, here is where it becomes like I usually draw (or try to), with hormones flourishing as well as her Legilimency, her hair has a growth spurt and becomes very thick and voluminous.

On opposite route to the previous year, she's stress starving, due to pressure because of the Curse and working in kitchens makes her lose her appetite. Therefore she's colder than usual, fluffy coats and a brown leather jacket and a tartan wrap Barnaby gifted her become ever so present in her daily wardrobe.

She's wearing saturated colors but also lots of brown, she associates the color to maturity and is how she wants to appear to her friends and, especially, to Rakepick. Red also becomes prevalent with the feelings of love.

For the first time she's putting actual effort into looking pretty for a boy.

6th

In here Barns has broken up with her for seemingly no reason and this takes a tool on her fashion for most of the year. She's not putting effort at all, dark colors patternless mourning the loss of her relationship as well as the departure of both Rakepick who she was beginning to grown fond of, as well as Jacob.

But with Jacob back around after a while, it's his style she's back at mirroring, tho most clothes she and Phoenix had borrowed had to be returned, she still keeps many he doesn't want anymore or that don't fit his new weight.

Then later, Achilles, whose fashion is similar to Jacob's but closer to what the 90s will bring with a renewed side of punk. She's also trying to make Barnaby jealous with Achilles so a bit more revealing clothes, blacks and strong greens - which doesn't last long since Achilles himself tells her how this isn't her.

Even then, she's not certain who she is.

7th

I'm not sure what will happen this year cause I don't feel like following canon and I've got so many ideas.

But it's a confusing year to her, while things have an air of settling down, the future feels unsettling. While she takes hold of her Legilimency, her self confidence doesn't follow. She's not sure of herself or her purpose and it reflects in her fashion.

Except, this is the year of true reconciliation with Rowan which brings her back those times of their third year, resurfacing with her nerdy academia side, this time with accents of leather and darker colors.

7.1

Yes, she stays another year cause she fails her NEWTS spectacularly.

The year of nostalgia with the golden trio coming along, therefore vintage, 'childish' patterns and styles, also trying to blend into the background because she really doesn't want to be there.

Preference for brown and burgundy, mostly trousers instead of skirts, hats and beanies more often used. And plaid, lots of it.

Phoenix

Phoenix never worried about fashion, he wears what mom buys and that's good. He also grew up with Jacob's hand-me-downs as part of his wardrobe ever since he was a baby, consequently paralleling his brother's style, not to mention always being a few years outdated in relation to the other kids.

But even after Hogwarts, his best friend is Rowen, not popularly known for being a fashion king himself.

Even with growing older, Phoenix is a Veela, naturally beautiful and charming so he often relies on that more than style - even though, sometimes, not even his pretty face can help his dweeb fashion.

What I wasn't able to add to the collage was Ismelda's influence on his style. Not only he has the boldness of dying a strand of his hair turquoise, he begins wearing black!!! Mostly stuff that used to belong to Jacob, but it does start seeping into his fashion slowly the longer he stays with her, though without ever losing his soft essence.

Jacob

Considering Jacob was a teen during the late 70s, he got caught in the beginning of the punk movement, taking inspiration from Vivienne Westwood, Sex Pistols, Blondie, Bowie, and well whatever media he could access at the time.

But also the classics, bell bottoms, weird patterns, bright colors along with plaids, and very funky hair.

After the vault, he loses the body he had along with his confidence, he used to be stocky and reasonably tall, but now he's skinny, cold, and feeling very unsexy. He's opting for dark colors, uninspired combinations, beanies and gloves. Though he doesn't realize straight away, he does use a wrap around his shoulders much like Rakepick does.

Also, even though he's not very sporty, he like sportswear, jerseys, baseball caps, and cool basketball sneakers.

#indigo silverwood #phoenix nobleworth #jacob silverwood #hphm #headcanon #sorry for taking so long #i wasted so much time just scrolling pinterest for inspo #and in the end didn't use anything since I had a huge file of pngs saved specifically for something like this #hopefully not the last thing I post on fashion cause I really enjoyed it #beezcreatez #fashion #missnight0wl #ask

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