#|| ariana dumbledore :: headcanons ||

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if Ariana Dumbledore had never been attacked by the Muggle boys?

Interesting question.

The thing is, I really don't know.

Let's Take a Look at This

It's unclear if Ariana's was an underlying condition that was brought to the surface by this trauma. In other words, we don't know if it would have surfaced later or if it was purely because of the attack and the attack alone.

However, were it not for this incident, Dumbledore's father isn't imprisoned for attacking Muggles meaning that Kendra's not a single mother. More, Ariana's not having incidents/issues right at that moment, meaning that she may make it to Hogwarts or certainly won't be locked in the house by Kendra immediately.

In the spirit of the ask, we'll say that Ariana's health complications never flare up and she gets to go to Hogwarts. The Dumbledores remain a relatively stable household that now has a working father/isn't in as dire straits financially.

However, Gellert still moves in.

Dumbledore and Gellert

While the Muggle attack undoubtedly motivated Albus's sympathies when it came to Gellert's ideals I... don't know if they're the sole thing to blame. Albus Dumbledore is a wizard who grows up in the wizarding world, he doesn't have that much exposures to Muggles at that age, and from what it sounds like while his family wasn't Dark (with a capital D per Rowling) they weren't exactly Muggle lovers either (even before the incident).

Albus could still very well be convinced by the hot boy next door that what the Muggles need is to be made into a serf class that their enlightened wizarding facist bretheren will rule over. That is, if he doesn't believe as much himself already at that point.

So, I still see Albus being very into his intellectual hot foreign neighbor and that Abeforth still finds Gellert creepy and weird. However, without Ariana, there's not as much stress between the two and it may not come to a confrontation or a confrontation in the house.

If it doesn't... Albus probably bails on Doge and goes on a graduation trip with Gellert instead. And I imagine without the death of his sister, given his feelings for Gellert, a lack of exposure to Muggles or even really Muggle-borns as he hangs around with Gellert, Albus would do more and more doublethink to convince himself this serf plan is amazing.

Something might happen to make Albus wary or change his mind, but it very easily might not. This means that something else will have to defeat Grindelwald at some point (I imagine he and Albus are poisoned by a rival, as such is the way with the elder wand in possession, there's then a fight for succession). Whether this is before or after they've abolished the statute of secrecy and made Muggles serfs is anyone's guess.

[snowyblondie215]

Fun facts about my Harry potter AU:

× sirius loves hello kitty, his fav characters are keroppi, mimmy, and kuromi.

× Nymphadora can carry Lupin without problems, she can even spin him around in the air without having backaches.

× severus is arromantic and bisexual, but he doesn't like to admit it.

× lucius have a lot of roses shrubberies in their mansion's garden.

× lupin doesn't like brownies and apple pies.

× ariana dumbledore has entomophobia. (fear of bugs)

× mcgonagall and hooch are dating, hooch is sapphic and mcgonagall is lesbian.

If you like my content and wanna support it, follow me, press the heart button and leave a comment below here 👇

[dragoneyes618]

If Ariana had lived to see Credence born she would have loved him.

[trippingontheescalator]

Snape Headcanons

He's bad at geography. Sure, he knows this super rare, obscure potion ingredient can only be found in this one area in Laos, but ask him to find Laos on a map he won't have a clue. There was a time he dreamed about seeing world, but he quickly realized he would never get the opportunity and so doesn't see any purpose in learning geography.

A lot of the Marauders' claims about him, like knowing curses as a first year, are exaggerated, but the one thing they're right about is Snape was very nosy. Part of it was because it was useful; knowledge is power, after all. He could trade gossip with his fellow Slytherins, or use it to keep one step ahead of the Marauders (or taunt them with it). But most of it is just his natural curiosity. He's a people watcher. He doesn't often understand people, is bad at human interaction, so he watches from a distance.

Severus knows half the first years think he's some sort of vampire and he revels in it. He knows exactly the kind of image he creates, dressing up in those long black, swishing robes, the spooky dungeons with the jars full of animal body parts. His taste is 33% Mad-Scientist-Run-Amuck, 33% Sad-Victorian-Boy-Dying-of-Tuberculosis, 33% Tacky-Post-Halloween-Discounted-Decor, and 1% Lucius's-Increasing-Despair-to-Make-Severus-Into-a-Functional-Human-Being.

In addition to potions and reading, Severus also does a lot of writing. He's been working on-and-off on a novel since he was fifteen. At this point, it's almost 500,000 words long. One of the few ways he's able to express his thoughts and feelings is through fiction. The main character was heavily based on Lily, especially in the early stages when they were still friends, but as he grew older he put more of himself into the character and now she's become the version of himself he wishes he could be. The night before he kills Dumbledore he burns the entire thing.

Severus knows the DADA position is cursed. Everyone knows it's cursed. He still asks to teach it every year because he also knows that it's the only way he can escape Hogwarts, and he's willing to risk death to do it.

His feelings for Lily have gone through the entire spectrum. At times, she was a sister to him, especially the years before Hogwarts. He used to be incredibly jealous of Petunia, wished he could be Lily's sibling and live in their house and have their parents. It became romantic as a young teenager, especially since she was the only person he felt safe enough with for his pubescent mind to fixate on and explore his budding sexuality. Later, as he became friends with the other Slytherins in his year, it was strictly platonic but nonetheless a very deep friendship. They were both trying to control the other, and Severus was especially worried that Lily would end up like Eileen if she gave into Potter's charms. After his failed apology, he grew angry and resentful and he tried very much to hate her (but he couldn't, not even after she married Potter). And then, after her death, it circled back around to brotherly. He liked to remember those early years best of all, and his devotion to a better cause after her death parallels that of Dumbledore's after Ariana died.

Look I know there's a lot of confusion about godparents, and HP didn't help by being coy about religion, but a godparent isn't a legally appointed guardian. Like, they definitely can be if the parents want that (as it appears to be the case with Sirius Black), but that's not the default. A godparent sponsors a child's baptism and is in charge of their spiritual upbringing, making sure they know their catechism, etc (hence the god part of godparent, its a Catholic/Anglican thing). And the most widespread religion in HP does seem to be Christianity with Christmas being celebrated and whatnot (though I do headcanon the purebloods have their own Druidic/Christian hybrid religion going on). With that being said-- Severus Snape is Draco's godfather. He's also Merula Snyde's godfather. And Pansy Parkinson's godfather. And, like, the godfather of 10 other kids of former Death Eaters. Severus Snape climbed the Death Eater ladder; he was one of Voldemort's favourites during the First War and these other Death Eaters were like, "Damn. I got to get on his good side. Please sponsor my child's baptism."

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hi! Really enjoyed the Harry is gay post, very well researched! Are there any other characters in the series you would also think are gay? Don't wanna say anyone just yet, just want your unfiltered opinion

Hi!

Thank you so much!

Can't say I have other characters I feel as strongly about their sexual preferences. A large part of it is what Harry chooses to pay attention to. So, I don't have much evidence for anyone else, but I can say who I think is likelier to be gay (or at least not straight) from textual evidence. Some of them go into headcanon territory, but here they are, off the top of my head and in no particular order:

1. Dumbledore and Grindelwald

I'm pretty sure these two are canon, so I don't need to say much. But:

“Yes, even after they’d spent all day in discussion—both such brilliant young boys, they got on like a cauldron on fire—I’d sometimes hear an owl tapping at Gellert’s bedroom window, delivering a letter from Albus! An idea would have struck him, and then he had to let Gellert know immediately!”

(DH, pages 308-309)

Gellert— .... (This was your mistake at Durmstrang! But I do not complain, because if you had not been expelled, we would never have met.) Albus

(DH, pages 309)

“Grindelwald. And at last, my brother had an equal to talk to someone just as bright and talented he was. And looking after Ariana took a backseat then, while they were hatching all their plans for a new Wizarding order and looking for Hallows, and whatever else it was they were so interested in.

(DH, pages 480)

2. Sirius Black

I think Sirius might've been gay, or at least bi. It goes into headcanon territory, but I think Sirius used to be in love with James. He just always gave me that vibe. (I don't think they were ever a thing, I think Sirius took his feelings for James with him to his grave).

Here are some quotes that gave me the feeling Sirius is not interested in anyone but James:

Harry saw Sirius give James the thumbs-up. Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good-looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither James’s nor Harry’s could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didn’t seem to have noticed.

(OOTP, page 642)

“He kept messing up his hair,” said Harry in a pained voice. Sirius and Lupin laughed. “I’d forgotten he used to do that,” said Sirius affectionately.

(OOTP, page 670)

Plus, Sirius' general fixation on James and his constant reminiscence about him. And the two-way mirror they made just for them cause they couldn't handle an hour apart in detention:

This is a two-way mirror. I’ve got the other. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you’ll appear in my mirror and I’ll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions.

(OOTP, page 858)

But we don't really know about any romantic interests Sirius may have had. So, it's more of a headcanon than anything.

3. Dean Thomas

I think Dean Thomas is bi (not gay, I think he did like Ginny). And I have only one qoute evidence for it, but it's a really funny one and I don't think I've seen anyone mention it so I'll put it here:

He certainly wasn’t the only one who was sorry to see Professor Lupin go. The whole of Harry’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class was miserable about his resignation. “Wonder what they’ll give us next year?” said Seamus Finnigan gloomily. “Maybe a vampire,” suggested Dean Thomas hopefully.

(POA, page 429)

Dean Thomas clearly read whatever 1990s version of Twilight that exists in the HP universe and wants a love triangle paranormal romance with a werewolf and a vampire.

4. Draco Malfoy

I think he was a little too obsessed with Harry. Like, I don't actually ship Drarry, but I can definitely confess Draco was way too interested in Harry for it to not appear a little gay.

He rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack and pulled out the miniature figure of Viktor Krum. “Oh wow,” said Neville enviously as Ron tipped Krum onto his pudgy hand. “We saw him right up close, as well,” said Ron. “We were in the Top Box —” “For the first and last time in your life, Weasley.” Draco Malfoy had appeared in the doorway. Behind him stood Crabbe and Goyle, his enormous, thuggish cronies, both of whom appeared to have grown at least a foot during the summer. Evidently they had overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean and Seamus had left ajar. “Don’t remember asking you to join us, Malfoy,” said Harry coolly.

(GOF, page 168)

Draco literally comes to find Harry on the train, uninvited, every year (except 6th). Throughout their time at school, he also makes an active effort to seek out Harry to a level that is kind of ridiculous. It always looked to me like Draco was desperate for any sort of attention from Harry.

Harry looked down at the hawthorn wand that had once belonged to Draco Malfoy. He had been surprised, but pleased to discover that it worked for him at least as well as Hermione’s had done.

(DH, page 444)

Considering how loyal unicorn hair wands like Draco's are, it seems Dravo feels more friendly about Harry than he likes to pretend.

5. Aunt Muriel

It sounds weird, I know, but I have a reason here. So, Muriel is from the same generation as Dumbledore, more or less, from her words in DH. And we know, back then she had expectations to marry and have children as a (seemingly) pure-blood witch. Those expectations would've been prevalent when she was a young woman in the early 20th century, even among the less blood-purist families.

The fact that she didn't seem to have settled down with a husband and children implies she wasn't interested in doing so. This allows a reading of her as either interested in women or not interested in sex or marriage in general.

6. Alphard Black & Cassiopeia Black

For the same reasons as Muriel. Neither Cassiopeia (born 1915) nor Alphard, Sirius' godfather (born circa 1927-ish) married or had children. This is something that would be expected of them, so the reading of them as not straight is very plausible.

So, that's it. These are all the characters that off the top of my head I could give textual evidence for a not straight reading of. I don't have as much evidence, and that's why I consider this more headcanon than theory. Obviously, people can headcanon wherever, these are just the ones that I could recall evidence for.

[aethermint]

The mother, Kendra, had jet black hair pulled into a high bun. Her face had a carved quality about it. Despite the high-necked silk gown she wore, Harry thought of Native Americans as he studied her dark eyes, high cheekbones and straight nose.

He learned them at our mother's knee. Secret and lies that's how we grew up."

This is what we know of Kendra Dumbledore... My headcanon is that she was quite a harsh mother, loved her children and raised them well, but strict and cold all the same. Remember a lot of children that grow up to be the kindest beings also grew up in the coldest darkest households.

We also know that his father killed three muggle boys in an act of vengeance. Cold blooded murder. And Kendra being a muggle born witch makes you wonder a bit. She probably hates her heritage a bit after muggles destroyed her family, her love and her children. She clearly struggled even more so now being a single parent. And then we know that she was killed by Ariana. We see in Fantastic beasts, Obscurials lash out when threatened or dare say triggered. Makes you wonder why she lashed out on Kendra that day. Who knows. Maybe Kendra had enough, and seeing Ariana's worsening condition and suffering, wanted to end it before it got beyond her control. She couldn't help her back then... but maybe she can help her now.

And I believe that Albus agreed with her to some extent, deep down. He tried everything to save her nothing can reverse the damage done by those muggles.

Whereas Aberforth isn't as realistic or pessimistic, doesn't see his sister as anything but his sister, thus being her favourite.

But what would their family dynamic be like if none of this happened? I see that in most fics they are depicted as happy... the parents in love, the siblings are very close and healthy relationships with there parents. But I don't think that would be the case at all.

Firstly, Albus would most definitely have been outcasted/disowned due to his preferences for men.

Everything we know about his parents would strong suggest this, and the evidence lies in Aberforth Dumbledore. His behaviour and response towards Albus and Gellert's 'closeness' that summer speaks volumes. This is learnt behaviour from parent to child. Albus learnt to keep secrets from a very young age, from his mother's knee.

Conclusion is if Albus dumbledore's family had lived without tragedy, tragedy would find him anyway, and the villainous potential this character has will forever be in my mind. Maybe I should write a grindeldore fic about this.

[headcanonandburn]

Headcanons about the Weasley Potters i found on Reddit

That Albus Severus' family were completely accepting of him being in Slytherin, and James would threaten while Lily would hex anyone who said othewise.

-They were also fine with the fact that him and Scorpius Malfoy were best friends, and this was the reason Harry became determined to get on somewhat OK terms with Draco. He succeeded, and the Potter residence is like a second home for Scorpius (not to mention that James is extremely overprotective over him, since he believes him and Albus are meant to be and that he'll get over Rose soon enough).

-Harry cries every year on May 2, and Ginny has to assure him there's nothing he could've done. He couldn't have pulled Fred out of the way, he couldn't have defeated Dolohov so Remus wouldn't have to duel him, he couldn't have kept Tonks at home, he couldn't have caught Lavender when she fell off the balcony or stopped Fenrir from getting to her, he couldn't have made sure Colin had gotten on the train, couldn't have distracted Vodemort and gotten Snape out so he could tell them everything. They both know it's a lie, that he could've done those things, but he didn't know and it breaks both of them.

-For his 11th birthday, James got an owl, and it looked exactly like Hedwig, a bittersweet coincidence. What he didn't know was that it was one of her grandkids, as she had mated with another Snowy Owl in 6th year, seemingly knowing her time was coming. -Albus' ferret is something Harry always reminds Draco of whenever he gets the chance. Albus himself didn't get what was so funny until Scorpius mentioned in passing that his father had been turned into one by Barty Crouch Jr and he nearly spit out his orange juice. -Dean and Seamus adopted a girl when she was two, and she went on to date James. It's somewhat of a tradition to bet which one of them will kiss the Gryffindor seeker, either on a dare or because of their true feelings, and if the other will break a glass afterward. They dated from 4th year up until their marriage, so needless to say, everyone lost.

-Lily's bat-boogey hex is even better then her mother's; some poor boys who were hitting on her found out the hard way, not to mention, to add insult to injury, got a hard lecture from both Potter boy's afterward.

-Harry has seen the Mirror of Erised only once after first year, when it was brought into his Department to get inspected. When he looked into it, he saw himself, his wife, his kids and their friends, as well as his old schoolmates and those who had taken him in he still remembered or kept in touch with. Nothing very unusual. However, it expanded, and he also saw his parent's, and Cedric and Cho happily married, Sirius next to his dad while Remus and Tonks stood with her parent's, including a content Ted behind a smiling Teddy, Mad-Eye with the Weasley's, Fred and George both with their trademark mischievous grins, a blonde girl with a purple headband blowing a kiss, an all-too-familiar camera flash from "the one who should've taken those pictures", a slightly happy? looking Snape with a peaceful Dumbledore next to Ariana and Aberforth, together once again, and above it all, a snowy-white owl, flying high. It was no wonder the other's found him staring into it still, an hour later, a faraway look in his eyes.

[obsidianpen]

Hi Pen!

I am so excited about what you are cooking in Incediary! So many questions about the world-building and about the characters' backstory!

I do wonder if the Dumbledores were always French in this version or if they immigrated to France after Arianna was attacked by the muggle boys/ Percival disgraced himself and was sentenced to Azkaban. Is he in prison in this version? Or did the family flee to France before the authorities got him? Or maybe Arianna is okay and nothing of all of that happened in this happier version of the story?

I'm probably overthinking it, but it's fun!

Anyway, it also got me thinking about my headcanon that James' mother's (Euphemia Potter's) maiden name was Bagshot and was some kind of relation to Bathilda Bagshot, which would help to explain why "old Bathilda" was invited to the Potters for a birthday tea, while they were supposedly hiding under the Fidelius Charm. I mean, it could be explained away by James trusting her due to knowing her from boyhood, but it still work better if she's a relation imho. Coincidentally, this would also create a distant and mostly meaningless link between Harry and Gellert, since in theory they could both Bathilda's great-nephews or something of that kind.

Seriously though, it gets me that we don't have more info about Harry's extended family. I fully understand why JKR didn't want to overcomplicate the story by giving him magical extended family that ignored his existence while he was living with the Dursleys, but the Potters were supposedly pureblood and the wizarding world is very small, so there has got to be _someone_ that was James' next of kin after his parents died. I guess that for this purpose Bathilda works well, since might have already been getting senile for real when Harry was very small, which would have stopped her from vising Harry at the Dursleys'. Though the idea that gives me life is that she invited herself to the Dursley household and tried to throw a two year old Harry out of window to wake his accidental magic (much to Petunia's horror) and conseqently was barred from visiting them ever again after Petunia complained to Dumbledore that she's going to quit taking care of Harry if this batty old witch bothers them again.

it will come up but yes, basically the Dumbledores moved after Ariana had ‘an unfortunate altercation with some muggles’ to southern France when they were young so Albus goes to beauxbatons and speaks French hit also speaks English with a British accent.

and yeah, it was a little overly convenient that Harry didn’t have a single other family member left. :/ but I get it too, for the sake of easier storytelling. I like that headcanon though!

[firendgold]

Ok so bc anything i do in this fandon is specifically to piss that woman off, i gotta ask:

Do you have any ideas for fic scenarios for trans!albus and/or trans!Harry? (time travel harrydore or not, you pick)

so funny story anon, my instinctual answer for this question was "no, I've never thought about it, sorry"—but as I was writing that reply a while back, I actually started getting ideas. It was wild. (That's also why this took so long to get out, sorry!)

trans!Albus is easier for me to imagine for some reason. I had this idea where his entire early life could be rewritten just to do a deep dive into the Dumbledore family dynamics when the firstborn prodigy half-blood son is AFAB instead. How that might change Percival's actions on Ariana's behalf (or not), if he doesn't have any thoughts in the back of his mind about leaving his family in his "eldest son's" hands. How that could change the rivalry between Albus and Aberforth, who might not be super tolerant of an uppity older sister who's also queer. We still don't know much about Kendra somehow, after 1 billion years of Pottermore, but whether or not she's accepting of Albus' gender identity and sexuality could be their own spin-off fanfics, they're that fascinating. Her own Native history could then be touched on as well.

All these things together could be a point of personal conflict for Albus, who's already a living embodiment of a taboo Native/European union and might have to wrestle with what's accepted from him as a Good and Proper Woman of English society re: marriage and carrying on some (other) pureblood's line, along with protecting Ariana's secret and "making up" for his father's crimes.

I don't know if Albus' sexuality changes. If it doesn't, I can see him being briefly confused about What Elphias Is To Him when he gets older, and Elphias is getting his own messages from home about How Much Time He's Spending With That Dumbledore Girl. I imagine there would be a lot of conversations between Albus and Kendra, and Albus and other peers, about who he was going to marry and what his "prospects" were since his father's a known criminal. And Albus, beyond not identifying as a girl at all, would find all this discussion about such trivial sexist matters frustrating as hell.

Unfortunately, I see everyone at Hogwarts misgendering Albus while he's a student, or pretty much everyone. Like, he eventually tells Elphias who accepts right away (and is confused about What That Means for Him in private), and maybe a few other students, but none of his professors are Getting It. His stellar academic record probably keeps him from being bullied as much, but doesn't entirely protect him from rampant transmisogyny and slurs when he outperforms people.

But regardless, assuming the "major beats" of history play out the same way, I can see Albus being a lot more proactive re: marginalized rights than he already was in canon, and perhaps moving the overall British Society Needle way further to the left, because it's one thing to talk shit about the powerful, progressive, weird old man that no one really knows is gay but can kick your arse without breathing hard, but another thing entirely to talk shit about your trans, out and proud, progressive Supreme Mugwump who has already freed all the elves, speaks all the magical creature/Being languages, is raising your kids at school better than you are at home, AND is still gay and can still kick your arse without breathing hard.

This is all, of course, imagining that Albus is AFAB and identifies as male. If it's the other way around and Albus is AMAB and identifies as female... I can't even imagine. I'm not cool enough ig

As for Harry, it's weird but I don't have any trans headcanons for him during his Hogwarts years. It's kind of similar to how I don't read many genderbent!Harry fics unless I adore the author, because even though I'm a girl I can't imagine Harry IDing as one for some reason. (I'm very limited, I know.) BUT. For some reason this changes when you bring in time travel harrydore.

With the ship as the parameter, I can imagine an AFAB Harry who's spent his whole life chafing at the clothes Aunt Petunia gets him—because 'unfortunately' (for her), even pre-puberty, she can't just give Harry Dudley's cast-offs unless she wants The Neighbors to start lifting eyebrows and asking questions—because they're girl clothes and along with just not fitting in to the Pristine Pretentious Family with her messy hair and tight clothes and taped-up glasses, Harry has never felt like a girl. He insisted on having people call him 'Harry' as soon as he could talk and get away with it, and only has to hear his deadname from his teachers and with the Dursleys.

This all of course changes once McGonagall is reading names on the Sorting List in 1991 and just barely doesn't stumble over Harry's preferred name being on the list instead. (She is surprised only because Harry is famous. By the time Harry goes to school, there have been many other out trans students in this headcanon. But probably very few under her eye have been quite this famous.)

I've always personally headcanoned Harry as bisexual, but I don't know if that would be the case in this particular headcanon. I can still see him going after Cho, and perhaps even Ginny. I can see him having the same confusion about What Are Ron and I To Each Other that a trans!Albus had about Elphias a century ago, without ever living his Hogwarts life as a girl to anyone but his enemies (and having a lot of friction with canon!Hermione and/or Lavender as a result). I can see Draco hating Harry even more, because he always kept "her" in the back of his mind as a Dark Lady he could serve under in all ways, only to have this... boy being his rival and Quidditch better and wanting absolutely nothing to do with the Malfoys or purebloods or knowing her place.

A thought that sticks in the back of my mind is that JKR (otherwise known by me as That Woman (derogatory)) specifically wrote Harry as a boy for a lot of reasons, and the main one being that she always planned for him to live and pass on his line in the "traditional" way, and having her titular character be a girlboss would've derailed that status quo. In a universe where Harry is AFAB, I can imagine a lot of related conversations with and around Harry about this. How "she" is "the last Potter" that there will ever be, because naturally she'll marry into one of the families and the name will be lost forever. I can see this being a real bone of contention with Harry and radicalizing him, along with Voldemort and the discrimination against werewolves and house-elves and centaurs and veela (which I doubt even one dedicated Dumbledore would be able to get rid of), making him take his place as the next generation leftist magical powerhouse.

And so how does all that change his relationship with Dumbledore? I... don't really see it changing much. If both characters are trans, that's another point of connection for them that bonds them through all the mess the government and society puts them through. It makes Albus a figure for Harry to admire as a young boy ("look, the most powerful wizard in the world is just like me!") and to still anguish about as a young man ("all the choices he made that I don't agree with, all the secrets he kept from me, how do I know I won't make the same mistakes or make no better progress than he did?"). Their relationship could be all the more painful or distant if one of them is out and one is in the closet, like an Albus who never came out or transitioned and is seeing in Harry the upright boy he could have been, or if Harry is resentful of Albus living his truth because he, a knobbly-kneed adolescent girl, doesn't have the power, freedom, or influence to be who he truly wants to be.

But focus! I'm focusing! Time travel Harrydore. The specific scenario I was imagining was one where AFAB Harry never comes out to the general public. His loved ones who are his peers know, but all the adults in his life (yes, including Remus and Sirius) never get to meet him properly. They die thinking of him as "James' daughter". And after defeating Voldemort, Harry just can't take the idea of spending any more time not being the person he wants to be. He's done being the Girl-Who-Lived so he writes goodbye letters to Ron and Hermione and does some ancient ritual without anyone knowing, and instead of changing him at the molecular level it flings him back to the past.

And so unlike a lot of time travel fics (including mine lol) where Harry is grieving his true time and desperate to get back home, this Harry misses his friends terribly, but it doesn't take long for him to see being an unknown in a different time as a golden opportunity. Sure, it would have been better if he'd been flung into the future instead and maybe had more tolerant people instead of less, but no one knows who he's "supposed" to be here. So he can grow into the man he truly is!

And so while Harry is setting up his new life for himself (maybe as some personal tutor, or a backup Quidditch player, or something that keeps him out of the limelight for once?), he runs into trans!Albus who doesn't have many friends and not much else going on for him (depending on who or where Grindelwald is right then), and Harry's nervous but they hit it off and become close friends, and one thing leads to another, and...

*cackles*

Also also, and sorry for sticking this all the way at the end lol, but MUCH RESPECT for hanging around in HPF just to stick in the craw of That Woman. I think I'm adopting your philosophy for the future. ^^

[pitter-patter-pottah]

A few headcanons! (Wouldn't mind art of any of them! That's optional tho <3)

Will also post these to Fandom maybe!

Cyrene Dumbledore, my Gryffindor girl, was an Obscural for a few years before she came to Hogwarts and it started getting worse after the crucio quest with Sebastian, but eventually she found a way to feel safe and loved, and was no longer an Obscural by the end of the year. <3

Also, I feel like she would see herself, traveling around the world with her pet phoenix and her family (both her parents and her children, grandchildren etc) in the Mirror of Erised, with Ariana Dumbledore not being an Obscural (idk how she would see that tho cus she doesn't have kids until after graduating, maybe she can see the future or something and knows what happens to Ariana with how she becomes an Obscural and wishes it didn't have to happen, that would be cool and perhaps also fitting for a Dumbledore).

Also, when she dies, she stays at Hogwarts as a ghost until Albus Dumbledore dies so she can go to the afterlife with him. <3

Also, her patronus would be a phoenix for sure!

My Slytherin mc's patronus would be a mermaid, my Ravenclaw's might be a graphorn idk, and my Hufflepuffs would definitely be a unicorn. <333333

🤗

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

i love your theories/headcanons about fiore and her relationship with her parents so let me share this one with you : What you said about snape hating fiore for the opposite reasons that he hates harry are quite close to how i imagine snape/rakepick relationship. They give me some grindeldore vibes. Like Dumbledore said or at least implied, Lily was the best part of Snape so it's faire to assume that Patricia would be the WORST of him and that's why he hates himself so much for having an affair and even a child with her. He doesn't accept anything let alone his daughter. Snape has this really unhealthy and complicated relationship with darks arts and bad people. He can't help but being drawn to them. Something indescribable keeps making him coming back to her. As for Patricia i see her as a narcissistic woman who secretly would enjoy to take lily's place because for her it would mean "i am BETTER than her who is supposed to be a paragon of virtue ". She seems to be overconfident but i suspect that she has self-esteem issues so it would fit her to seek for snape's (or someone else) devotion and i don't think she would love healthily either. A touch starved and cruel man who finds comfort in a self-absorbed woman who doesn't judge him for his creepy interest in dark arts and challenges him. That's how is see them : a whole mess doomed to end very badly.

Lily is a metaphore for the light and Patricia is a metaphore for the darkness. (Just like Ariana was Dumbledore's light and remorse and Grindelwald his poison, the difference is that the fling between snape and patricia was too short to develop into something as deep as grindeldore, otherwise Snape would have moved on from Lily and the "always" line wouldn't make any sense).

Lily brings out the best in him (loyalty) and Patricia brings out the worst in him (cruelty, cowardice, bad parenting representation).

(Bad romance from Lady Gaga is playing in the background while i'm writing this lmaooo i'm joking)

Anyway thanks for reading me i was really inspired :D ( i love parallels and metaphores)

First of all, thank you so much for the compliment, and thank you for your interest in Fiore! She’s a sweet little rascal alright, and I love her, for all of the drama she originates from, she’s managed to turn it around!

Oh man, I think you may really be onto something. It is so like Snape to do this. Or at least, given the toxicity that infected his relationship with Lily, I am not surprised. He defines himself based on the women in his life and his relationships (percieved or otherwise) to them. He always wanted to be his best self for Lily. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say he believed he would have been his best self with her, even if that’s not true. With Rakepick, all of his flaws are sharply shoved back in his own face. She wouldn’t hesitate to call him out on them and be real with him, and he’d hate her for that yet he’d also keep coming back.

It’s interesting that you say that about Snape being unhealthily drawn to the darkness in people because that’s one of Luca’s flaws too. Now in rethinking this, if Luca should meet Fiore and learn about her parentage, they might just feel a degree of sympathy for Snape like they understand him better. In general, I love what you said about Rakepick taking satisfaction from replacing Lily. Especially since I headcanon Rakepick as being a muggleborn herself, and she’s a Gryffindor too. I think she would take some kind of sick pleasure from turning Snape’s head and making him fall for her even though his heart is supposed to only be with Lily, and Rakepick is certainly no Lily.

Snape knows Rakepick is bad for him and Lily would have been good for him. By fathering Fiore, he’d feel like he was betraying Lily. Not for the first time either. He’s still torn up about relaying the prophecy to Voldemort. I bet he thinks that eventually, had Lily lived, she would have “come to her senses” and left James. To the end, he never accepted that Lily was with him. Literally tore a photograph of her family in half, and took the last page of a letter with her loving signature. My dude had so many issues and if he’d had a fling with Rakepick they actually make even more sense?

[ashesandhackles]

OO2/ Severus and Remus :3

How I feel about this character: 

Severus: Fascinating character who is great for so many conversations: about cycles of abuse, about who falls prey to radicalisation, about his socio-economic status and how putting in a child like him a in a house full of wealthy kids of bigots is a recipe for disaster. There is so much to do with him, at any point in his life.

Remus: A gentleman monster seems to be the most apt description to capture the duality of him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:  - Severus: Sirius, Narcissa, Voldemort. - Remus: James, Tonks, Sirius (in super angsty and unhealthy way)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: 

Severus: Dumbledore.

Remus: James.

My unpopular opinion about this character: 

Severus: The incel take that goes around in some fandom circles is grossly inaccurate. The reason this happens is that parts of Snape that do correlate with the incel movement is resentment, self-loathing and misanthropy. The misogyny comes in when there is resentment that women for not having sex with him, and we get no indication of that. In fact, most of his in text 'good' relationships are with women - Eileen (whose clothes he wears, whose last name he takes for his nickname), his mother, Lily (for the time, and who serves as his inspiration later on) and Narcissa (who he takes on an Unbreakable Vow for). The most important relationship in his adult life is with a queer man - Dumbledore. He is resolutely drawn to the feminine in text - the doe Patronus, Potions interest (away from 'foolish wandwaving'). His jealousy and resentment of James is long before he "got" Lily, whatever that means. They just didn't like each other from the first moment they met. For Snape, as text points out, James looked "well-cared for, even adored, something Snape conspicuously lacked." He has privilege and power and has social capital, and on top of that, there is a power dynamic between them, in which for most part of their Hogwarts life, it favours James. Lily is another factor that just kind of makes the resentment and hatred more permanent. If he was an incel, he would celebrate Lily's death as a price she paid for "not choosing him" - but his self-loathing is directed at himself ("I wish I were dead"). I also disagree with the "obsessed" take - of course, he can't move on. He had a direct hand in causing the death of the only person who cared about him. "Always" is guilt speaking - it is said in a book about remorse, to a man who is haunted by his own failures with his family (Dumbledore with Ariana, Aberforth). Dumbledore cries not because he is moved by Snape's love or whatever, he cries because as Harry says to Aberforth later on, "He was never free. Never." (which is a parallel to Snape) I have more to say on this subject - but I am going to let @thedreamermusing post say it instead. (I have a chock full of unpopular Snape opinions, but this is a big one that I have to keep encountering. Snape is plenty dark and problematic as a teenager without making him an incel on top of it lol.)

Remus: Not a father figure to Harry, but a mentor figure. Although I can be convinced of father figure if it was deadbeat father figure category XD

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I guess I would like more insight into both of their Order missions. More war and politics, and specifically how politics of working with Ministry employees affect Remus, and see more spy stuff for Snape.

my OTP:

Sirius

Tonks.

my cross over ship:

none coming to mind.

a headcanon fact:

Snape had an affair with Narcissa at some point.

Remus sells stuff to Mundungus to get by during lost years. He is very embarrassed about it.

[danpuff-ao3]

Hey Danni! I think you'd probably have an interesting take on this one.

☾ - Dumbledore

Aha! Hiya, Somn! I'm sure glad you think so, because I feel like I'm about to pull this outta my @$$. But let's see what I can come up with!

☾ - sleep headcanon

So...He doesn't sleep.

Just kidding, he sleeps. He's human, however mysterious or otherworldly he likes to seem. He just doesn't sleep enough. There's too much to do, and he is much too important to not be constantly available.

I imagine he spent years experimenting with potions following Gellert's downfall and imprisonment. He doesn't sleep well naturally, haunted as he is by nightmares and guilt and worries. Endless worries, again, he's important the world needs him. And there are machinations, of course. A mind as great as his never stops, not for anything.

To be human is to be fallible; and Albus could not afford fallibility. So: sleeping potions. Only, he slept too hard and too long on the best ones, and less strong ones weren't good enough. He was drowsy. They were addictive. He had to try supplemental methods on top of the potions. Sleeping charms, meditation, exercise, etcetera. But time passed and he became accustomed to working more with less. Rarely does he get a good, solid night's rest. More often than not he relies on naps throughout the day, stealing minutes here and there to rest. Invigorating potions as a last resort to keep him perky.

Over the years, his nightmares turned to sweet dreams. Where Ariana hugs him and forgives him. When he and Gellert are reunited and in paradise. Dreams of a cottage, and peace, and warmth, and love.

As it happens...the happy dreams were worse than the nightmares. He always wakes, aching with want for a life he can never have. And he carries on, day after day, driven by hope that one day, when he's dead and gone, dreams will come true.

Headcanon meme

see also: Lily & cooking

[the-greater-good-1899]

Headcanon:

I’ve always felt an affinity with the great magical birds. There’s a story in my family that a phoenix will come to any Dumbledore who is in desperate need. They say my great-great-grandfather had one, but that it took flight when he died, never to return.

Unknowingly, that same phoenix came to Albus Dumbledore at a very young age, after the Dumbledore family was once again stricken by tragedy, when Kendra Dumbledore was killed in a tragic accident after Albus graduated from Hogwarts at the young age of eighteen due to an outburst of Ariana's dangerous, explosive magic in the year 1899. Offering companionship and protection after being struck by unrelenting grief. He became Dumbledore's longtime companion and familiar, until he disappeared to be at Credence side until the moment he died. Only after that did he return to his side, aiding Albus many decades until his death in 1997.

[gellertssoul]

Albus: F*ck you Gellert!

Gellert: F*ck me yourself , you coward, I dare you!

Albus: Challenge accepted!

Aberforth: *covers Ariana's ears* GET A ROOM!!!!!

[theladyofshalott1989]

Don't mind me, just reading through all of your headcanons right now when I should be working. For "research." Also, I feel like you would like my Hogwarts: Legacy series because we have a lot of similar thoughts re: Dark Magic and the Wizengamot...also maybe Ariana Dumbledore's curse... but swap out Ariana for Anne Sallow. BUT I DIGRESS. LMAO.

How Magic Works in Harry Potter? And More Specifically What is Dark Magic?

So, Dark Magic in Harry Potter's Wizarding World is really vague. Like, it's loosely defined as:

“The Dark Arts, also known as Dark Magic, or Dark Side was a term that referred to any type of magic that was mainly used to cause harm to, exert control over, or even kill people and creatures.”

(From Harry Potter Wiki)

Yet, Spells like Obliviate, are not considered dark, even though they compromise free will and exert control. Diffendo, incendio, decendo, and the like are not dark, even if they can be used to cause harm. The resurrection potion from Voldemort's resurrection is considered Dark Magic even though it itself only heals.

So, what actually is the definition of Dark Magic and what is it? How does it differ from other spells?

Well, I think I have a possible answer.

I started trying to figure out what dark magic is, by collecting what we know about it from the books:

What We're Told

“The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.”

(Severus Snape, Half-Blood Prince, page 177)

We actually don't have a legal definition for the Dark Arts in the books. Just the words of Dumbledore and Hagrid of how corrupting they are and how Dark Wizards don't feel love. Even though the Malfoys clearly love each other, Snape loved Lily, and Harry is capable of both love and two out of three Unforgivable Curses. So clearly, that isn't the case.

I've seen the fandom try to define the magic by its intention, like in the quote from the wiki above. But, if we look at what spells are defined as dark and those that are not, solely based on their goal and intention — the water gets pretty murky.

As I mentioned before, Diffendo and Incendio can cause harm, and Oblivate always takes away someone's free will. Hurcruxs are considered Dark Magic, but they don't harm anyone in themselves. The creation of them does, but they themselves don't (at least, that's not their intention or main use). Feindfyre, a spell considered Advanced Dark Magic, while can be used to harm beings, is mostly depicted as harming property, hence deviating from the definition as well.

Many jinxes, hexes, and curses are for some reason are not treated as Dark and are treated as legal (reducto, jelly leg jinx, dancing jinx, etc) even though they are only used to cause harm and aren't versatile in their use cases like incendio, for example, that can be used for light or cooking as well.

Most illegal Dark Magic (including the three Unforgivables) are only illegal against unwilling beings, therefore, using Avada Kedavra on a mouse or spider is perfectly legal. Same as using the Imperious Curse on a person who gave you permission to use it. As we see with Moody (Barty) in Goblet of Fire.

So, clearly, the difference between Dark Arts and any other magic isn't in its intended use, since this is far too inconsistent. Besides, casting a Jelly-Leg Jinx is the same as casting an Expelliarmus Spell, you need the same things — wand movement, incantation, and magic.

"Ah, but what about the Unforgivables, you need to mean them, don't you?"

Yes, you do, I'm getting to that:

How Magic Works in Harry Potter's Wizarding World?

So, if it isn't the use of the spells that defines them as dark, maybe it's how they are cast.

After all, it makes more sense to define spells and magic by the how of it and not the what. Especially when new spells keep getting created.

So let's look at the average not dark spell, for our example, we'll take Harry's favored Expelliarmus (even though he casts many other spells and we only see him cast Expelliarmos 12 times in the books).

Like all spells we see, the Disarming Charm requires 3 components to cast:

Intent - What - The intention and will of the caster to disarm their opponent.

Form - How - The way the spell should do it, make the wand fly from the openent's hand.

Energy - Magic - the power to fuel the spell.

Intent is what always exists, it's wishing for your magic to extend your will into the world. This is the main component of childhood accidental magic. It's what makes accidental magic so unpredictable. Like in Prisoner of Azkaban — Harry wished for Aunt Marge to shut up and a glass blew up in her hand (later she blew up too). He didn't consciously choose to do it, since there was no form, just intent and energy:

Outside in the hall, he [Harry] leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. It had been a long time since he’d lost control and made something explode.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 26)

The form is defined by the wand movement and the incantation for the spell but can be accomplished by enough focus without (silent and wandless casting). Hence, why silent/wandless casting is harder, without a wand you need to focus on directing your magic to the right task, and without an incantation you need to rely on your mental focus to tell your magic how to accomplish the task.

And magic is just that — the wizard's magic.

Actually, potions in the wizarding world work like this too, except the incantation and wand movement are replaced with ingredients and the brewing process. (The ingredients for potions take a bit after some theories from irl Alchemy that I might delve into at some point)

Most spells, including jinxes and transfiguration spells, work the same way. They have intention, form, and energy and that is all they need to be cast.

But, as we mentioned before, the Unforgivables are different, they aren't just any spell:

“Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy? You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain — to enjoy it — righteous anger won't hurt me for long — I'll show you how it is done, shall I?”

(Order of the Pheonix, page 810)

Emotion as a Component of Spellcasting

That extra oomph missing from Harry's Crotiatus Curse is emotion. I mentioned how emotion is a component of certain magic and effects certain spells in this post. I'll expand on this here.

Accidental magic is affected by emotions, we saw it with Aunt Marge and with Dudley, Harry noticed it himself:

every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry

(Philosopher's Stone, page 44)

Harry's magic reacts to his emotions. It acts up when he is angry or upset and he noticed it even before he knew about the Wizarding World and magic.

“What does a Patronus look like?” said Harry curiously. “Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it.” “And how do you conjure it?” “With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory.”

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 237)

The Patronus Charm requires happiness as the emotion. The memory is to get the emotion, but when we see Harry casting the charm later, he rarely focuses on a memory. No, he just focuses on feeling happy.

And we see emotion effecting other spells. Remeber Expelliarmos, a spell that doesn't require emotion? Well, the books actually answer on what happens if you cast a spell that doesn't require an emotional component with emotion:

Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, “Expelliarmus!” Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window. “Shouldn’t have let Professor Snape teach us that one,” said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart’s trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him.

(Chamber of Secrets, pages 275-276)

Harry casts Expelliarmos at Lockhart when he's furious, that anger, that's what causes Lockhart to stumble back. A regular Expelliarmos disarms, and an angry one also pushes the opponent back.

Harry made up his mind in a split second. Before Snape could take even one step toward him, he had raised his wand. “Expelliarmus!” he yelled — except that his wasn’t the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 361)

An emotional Expelliarmos can even knock someone out completely. Snape's wand wasn't even disarmed.

And of course, the unforgivables require emotion, they require the true desire to harm — anger:

“I see what Bellatrix meant,” said Harry, the blood thundering through his brain, “you need to really mean it.”

(Deathly Hollows, page 502)

So, we can see very clearly that emotion affects magic. Some spells require it (like the Patronus Cham and the Unforgivable Curses) and even spells that don't require it, change when casting them with emotion.

A Clear Mind as a Component of Spellcasting

But, when I started thinking about emotion as a component of spellcasting, I realized there was another one — A clear mind.

“Only Muggles talk of ‘mind reading.’ The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter . . . or at least, most minds are. . . .” He smirked. “It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection.”

(Order of the Pheonix, pages 530-531)

Occupancy requires the opposite of the Crutiuatus Curse. It requires shutting down your emotions and clearing your mind alongside the three basic components I mentioned above.

“Clear your mind, Potter,” said Snape’s cold voice. “Let go of all emotion. . . .” But Harry’s anger at Snape continued to pound through his veins like venom. Let go of his anger? He could as easily detach his legs. . . . “You’re not doing it, Potter. . . . You will need more discipline than this. . . . Focus, now. . . .”

(Order of the Phoenix, page 535)

It requires focus and letting go of emotion. This is exactly why Harry struggled so much with Occlumancy because he is a very emotional character (mostly angry).

I'd argue magic like Legilemancy and Divination also require a clear and focused mind. Along with Fiendfyre:

“Fiendfyre-cursed fire—it’s one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it’s so dangerous—how did Crabbe know how to—?”

(Deathly Hollows, page 537)

Hermione calls this dark curse incredibly dangerous, and for good reason, it's incredibly hard to control. So fickle and hard to control it killed Crabbe who cast it in that scene. It makes Fiendfyre seem closer to Occlumancy than to the Unforgivables in how it is cast, since it requires a focused mind to control it, and not to become emotional.

So what does all this have to do with the Dark Arts?

Well, simple, clearly magic in the Harry Potter universe can be divided into three categories:

Regular - spells that require only intent, form, and energy, like Expelliarmos, Alohamora and Diffendo. Almost all spells fall into this category.

Emotional - spells that require a strong emotion to power them besides the three components of regular magic. Like the Patronus Charm and the Unforgivable Curses.

Focused - spells that require a clear and focused mind besides the three components of regular magic. Like Occlumancy and Fiednfyre.

Great, so we have some spell categories, but Dark Magic doesn't really fit in any of them, as all three categories include spells considered legally dark. Well, like with anything in Harry Potter, I decided to go into the linguistics of the word "dark" in the English language.

Well, if we go back enough, the word "dark" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "dʰerǵʰ" meaning (among other things): "firm", "strong", or "robust". This can definitely reference the strong emotion required for certain spells.

But what really sold me on this, is the linguistic origin of the word "light", which came from the Proto-Indo-European word "lewk", meaning: bright, to shine, and to see. It was used interchangeably with the word "beh" that is used to mean: "bright" or "to glow" and in literature used as the word "focus" or "clear".

Conclusions

So, my headcanon/theory was that dark magic, once upon a time just referred to the magic that required a strong emotion. Over the years with language evolving and words changing their meaning, and political agenda it became the dark magic we are familiar with from the books. A lot of how dark magic is treated seems to be political though and has very little to do with the actual components of the magic or magical theory.

The fact the Unforgivables were only defined as such and outlawed in 1717 suggests that the views the characters in the books have on dark magic are fairly recent. It means that Dark Magic, at least, by the time the books take place is more of a legal definition than a magical definition. It's basically an umbrella term to define harmful magic the ministry outlaws or regulates.

Honestly though, if I lived in their world I'd be more concerned with love potions than with supposedly dark petty jinxes, but, what can one do.