#'voldemort's life would have been different if he had grown up in a loving environment' should NOT be controversial

[dracomort]

if there's one bit of fanon masquerading as canon that i would like to see die in 2024, it's the idea that voldemort can't love because he was conceived under love potion

that's about as canon as jkr supposedly planning to kill off ron and serve up fred/hermione endgame

Interviewer: How much does the fact that voldemort was conceived under a love potion have to do with his nonability to understand love is it more symbolic? J.K. Rowling: It was a symbolic way of showing that he came from a loveless union – but of course, everything would have changed if Merope had survived and raised him herself and loved him.

Source

[reg-arcturus-black]

As I Lay Dying (Regulus Black x Reader)

1.1k words

Fluff

Requests now open.

Masterlist

TW: Death

And yes, i cried a little

To say that Regulus Black was the light of your life would be an understatement. Truth be told, you hadn't really started talking until Slughorn had paired you together in the second year. He was closed off, talked only when necessary and extremely smart. So much so that it intimidated you. You would mess up and spill everything because your hands couldn't keep up with your brain's speed. He had let out a chuckle when you told him he was 'too smart' and then helped complete the potion. 

Ever since then, there were smiles exchanged in the corridors, laughter in the potions' classroom and notes passed in the classes where you didn't sit together. You cheered a little louder than usual during Quidditch matches and often wore your robes inside out for his luck. 

He was a shy person. Whenever he caught the snitch, he would look at you and smile and then look away instantly, as if it never even happened. You were the exact opposite. You would hug him first, stare at him just to make him blush and talk about your day in the hopes he would, too. But you did it only when you were alone. He liked his matters and relations kept to himself and you respected that. As the 'respectable Black', he had his reputation to uphold. His name to carry. A mask to wear.

But whenever he was with you, the mask didn't exist. Those were the moments he felt at peace, he didn't feel helpless. You had both stayed at Hogwarts during Christmas of fifth year. It was Christmas eve when he had slowly reached for your hand and kissed your knuckles. You had given him a smile and leaned in to kiss him. And he had kissed you back. It felt natural. Like it was meant to be. 

He had the kindest, sweetest heart you had ever seen. His face would light up whenever you gave him something home-made and meaningful. He didn't grow up in a loving environment and didn't know what gifts actually meant. Your gifts always made his heart flutter. All thanks to his family money, he spoiled you with expensive gifts. Once he realized that you didn't care as much about the jewelry, your gifts became the time you spent together. The sneaky Hogsmeade dates, sitting in front of the fire with hot cocoa during winter and watching the rain when classes were cancelled.

Not a lot of people knew about you but everyone wanted you to be together. Including Sirius and his boyfriend and their friends. But since the last few months of the sixth year, he had been acting distant. He hung out with people like Mulciber and Avery. You were worried that he would follow their footsteps. That was risky. You knew he shared his family's ideas of blood supremacy but that is how he was raised. Killing for those ideas was just wrong. 

You had asked him multiple times if something was wrong but he would deny. Every conversation would end in a fight. You had grown tired of it and didn't know what to do. So you would just sit in silence, holding his hand until it was time to go. He would kiss your forehead once and leave with a heavy heart. He was the only family you had and he knew it. 

It was the break before the seventh year when you had received a letter from Sirius. You had barely talked to him except passing smiles once in a while but he had never written to you. Even Regulus hadn't written to you in these 2 months.

Please check his left arm.

-Sirius

That letter was the reason you ended up in Regulus' arm, pain searing through your abdomen, your vision blurring as he cried for you to stay.

You always had your suspicions but Sirius' letter made them feel real. You had instantly written to Regulus, deciding a time and place to meet.

Even then, he refused to say anything. "Reggie, please..." you had asked, reaching for his hand.

He hadn't pulled away but it looked like he wanted to. "I love you so much," he whispered. "But I can't do this anymore."

"This?"

"Us. I can't," he had said, getting up. "I am sorry."

Before you had the chance to say anything, he left. You couldn't bring yourself to lift up his sleeve, afraid of what you might find. Despite that fear, you ran after him and saw him talking to Avery behind a shop. You didn't even know he was there.

"Regulus!" You called and ran to him.

Before he could reply, you grabbed his arm and pulled up his sleeve. And there it was. Voldemort's sign. The Dark Mark. Worse than anything you could ever imagine. Fear flooded your mind as tears welled in your eyes. You gasped and stepped back. 

"How could you?" You cried. "You were supposed to be diff-different."

"I am so sorry, baby.." he said, moving towards you and pulling you into him. Your knees gave out and you sat down, dragging him with you as you cried into his chest. "I didn't have a choice."

"There is always a choice!" You shouted, crying harder. "I could have helped you. We - we could have gone to Dumbledore. Anything but this!"

He was trying to think of words to say when he heard you shriek and lean further into him. Looking up, he saw Avery standing with his wand pointed at your back.

"What did you do?" He said angrily, getting up.

"No, no," you cried, pulling on his sleeve. "Don't leave me."

"She could have told anyone," Avery said casually and disapparated away.

You could see the anger in Regulus' eyes but he forced himself to look at you. "I - I am so sorry... I need to take you to St. Mungo's..." He tried to pull you up but he winced in pain.

"It's fine, Reggie," you forced a smile. "If this is the way I go, in your arms, I am happy."

Blood was now dripping onto his hand after soaking through your shirt. "You are not going anywhere, just stay..." he pleaded. "Help!" He shouted, looking around wildly.

"Look at me, Reggie," you held his chin and made him face you. "I don't blame you."

"But I-"

"Do you hear me? I don't blame you. You always have a choice." You winced in pain again.

He nodded, tears flowing down his cheeks.  

"I love you so much, Regulus Black," you sighed, as more tears rolled down. "It was my greatest honor knowing you and loving you."

"Please don't leave me..." He cried.

"I am always with you," you said, pulling him down for one last kiss. And then it went dark.

It was in that moment that Regulus Black decided that he would be Lord Voldemort's most loyal follower.

And his biggest enemy.

[homenum-revelio-hq]

Welcome (back) to the Order of the Phoenix, Gabe!

You have been accepted for the role of REMUS LUPIN! We loved your thoughts on the darker, more difficult layers of Remus’s friendships and fears and we were fascinated by your ideas about lycanthropy’s effects on his gender transition! We’re so happy you’ve come back to Homenum Revelio, and excited to see you on our dash again!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Gabe

AGE: 22

TIMEZONE: GMT-3

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Honestly pretty active, I’m still quarantined and will stay that way for a good while, probably. Remus is just one of those characters that comes easy to me, so good chances that I’ll be around a lot, hah. I’m most active on the weekdays! Weekends my sister usually tricks me into watching a billion movies or a new show, so I end up being less present.

ANYTHING ELSE: Nope!

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Remus John Lupin

AGE: 21

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: trans male, he/him/his, he’d rather not classify his sexuality as anything other than not-straight.

Remus didn’t start taking the wonderful Attisgalli Corrective Draughts until he joined Hogwarts officially, as his parents wanted to wait for that before they started him on the gender reassignment potions. That’s not to say they didn’t support their son’s identity, which he’d been frankly very vocal about since he could talk, they just wanted to be sure that he would be safe. He already had a lot on his plate. Being a werewolf, they needed to make sure the potions could even be safely used with someone like him, so they waited to talk to Dumbledore and his trusty team of potion-makers about it. Remus was on corrective draughts for all of his puberty and he’s currently on the heavier dose that only needs updating every few years. He has a few annoying side-effects after taking the wrong dosage too early. He doesn’t suppose many people know about this, and he doesn’t particularly care to tell anyone, apart from the people who already know.

As far as his sexuality goes, I don’t think he likes any of the labels he’s stumbled upon, I don’t think he openly – or even privately – calls himself anything when it comes to sexuality. He just doesn’t give it much thought. He likes whoever he likes, and if you were to say “oh, so you’re pansexual, then”, he might simply offer you a tired grunt and an unhappy twist of his face. He doesn’t feel comfortable in any boxes. “Queer” as an umbrella term would be the closest he’d get to labeling himself. All that being said, as the writer, I’d personally put him as a 4 on the kinsey scale, but that’s between you and me.

BLOOD STATUS: Half-blood/Half-breed

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor

ANY CHANGES: Don’t think so! I’m keeping the fc of Charlie Rowe after surfing through many others because I think he does Upset & Angry right. That’s really important for a Remus, he’s working through a lot right now. I also really considered to go for Paul Mescal from the new show “Normal People” because I think he has a great normal face and (from what I can tell, maybe) some pretty scars on his chin and he has some great scenes BUT he currently has no resources. Also considered Louis Hofmann, from netflix’s Dark, but decided he looked too young, even though he’s in his twenties, too. Anyway, just wanted to briefly take you with me on that faceclaim journey, the conclusion is that I love Charlie Rowe and I didn’t know him before so I thank you guys for suggesting him!

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Remus today is very different from who he was in Hogwarts. That’s no surprise, of course – who doesn’t grow out of their weird teenage years? But it feels different with him, and that’s because at seventeen, Remus already had enough baggage to count for an adult. So where does that leave you, at twenty-one?

He is a lot of things. He is tired, he is angry, he is devastated, he is young. If before he was only a boy, crushed under the weight of all the things that happened to him, now he is a man, standing tall but hardened by life’s constant beating. He hasn’t so much overcome his issues as he has simply grown friendly with his demons. His edges have turned sharper, his hands have grown colder, he’s losing contact with his faith.

That’s not to say his core has changed. Remus is kind, before anything else. He hasn’t lost the warmth his mother taught him, because that kind of empathy is not something one easily shrugs off. Even the war couldn’t take this from him. It wears him down these days, being selfless, having a caring vein and needing to look after others. He’s already lost so much, and he doesn’t see this changing anytime soon, as they continue to lose battle after battle, but this is still who he is. He wants a better world, he wants the good side to win.

Remus is also very secretive. He can come across as cold or distant to people he doesn’t know, because he had a lifetime of keeping himself concealed. It’s his defense mechanism and it’s how he’s kept himself alive after all these years.

In fact, he’s not even fully sure how his few friends managed to slip under that armour so easily. Sure, his armour wasn’t so well-built when he was a child, but it was still some work. He was once simply a scared eleven-year-old, eager to learn and be a good student, and suddenly he ended up in a lifelong bond with three other idiots. In a lot of ways, he owes so much of his personality to the Marauders. He bloomed in Hogwarts, he had a safe and healthy environment with people he loved, he could finally grow into a normal boy; he cracked jokes and he made fun of himself and he learned not to take things so seriously. He was not just a werewolf, not just a monster. He’s a great friend, he’s funny on his good days, he’s sarcastic and kind and protective of his friends. He owes this to them.

Remus is a trans man who started taking corrective draughts as soon as he entered Hogwarts. Dumbledore was the one who encouraged his parents to allow this, promising he’d keep an eye out and take care of Remus. There wasn’t exactly any research done on whether or not the potions would affect a werewolf’s body differently, so they’d have to be cautious, but several potion makers insisted nothing should go wrong.

They were right, technically. The potions didn’t react any kind of way with his blood, they did their work normally. It also perhaps helped that most of the side-effects were all things that Remus had been dealing with his whole life, due to the curse: muscle and joint aches, mood swings, headaches. The only catch was that every time he turned, every full moon, when he came back into his human form, the draught had completely worn off.

This made things a little more complicated. It didn’t mean anything to his health, thankfully, all he had to do was take another dose of the potion in the morning and he’d be back on track. It was something about his metabolism overworking, the fact that his body healed itself after each moon. They could never quite fix that little quirk – every morning after the full moon, he’d wake up in a body that didn’t belong to him.

This was when he was on a small dosage of the draught, of course, still going through puberty and taking the so-called “Children’s Corrective Doses” that had to be ingested every week.

Despite the general crippling discomfort of briefly being in the wrong body once a month, it was fine when he was making the turns by himself at first. Then the Marauders joined, and that was weird; it took him a while to agree to their presence and it wasn’t only because they could be in danger. He was scared of being that vulnerable, too.

Because of this monthly hiccup on the process, potioneers instructed that he should be on this smaller dose for as long as possible before he transitioned safely into the “Permanent Corrective Dose”. Five years at least, seven if he could, before he switched to the potion that he’d only have to take every two years or more. This shouldn’t be a problem, he thought innocently, hearing this at age eleven.

By sixteen, the temptation of the Permanent Dose was too grand. It stopped being bearable after a while, the whole “waking up in the wrong body once a month” experience. And the temptation was there because the potioneers said that an adult dosage would likely fix that monthly issue. All he wanted was to stop worrying about this thing – wasn’t the fact that he turned into a murderous beast more than enough? Besides, he was turning seventeen soon, he was most likely done with puberty, he had done the smaller doses for six years already.

So the Marauders made a grand plan. And out of all the illegal, morally questionable things Remus has done, he probably holds this one as the best. They managed to buy him a vial of a Permanent Corrective Dose, and he drank it without thinking twice.

This didn’t come without consequences. Dumbledore was mad. His parents were mad. Every potioneer he knew was pretty annoyed. He frankly couldn’t give a damn, he was overjoyed – it had worked. The moon came, and for the first time when he came back to his senses, he was in the right body, his body. He didn’t care if anyone was pissed at him.

He still doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about the debilitating migraines he still gets as a side-effect. He doesn’t care that his muscles will sometimes cramp, or that his skin sometimes feels raw. He can handle all of that – quite frankly, he’s happy to deal with all of that, if it means keeping his body through the transformations.

It’s important to take from this that Remus Lupin doesn’t shy away from many things. He likes to deal with things head-on, he is a Gryffindor, after all. Once Dumbledore sent him to live with the werewolves shortly after graduating, he made sure to take another permanent dose, a heavier one, to last him however long he stayed out. This time the draught was acquired legally, since he was already of age, but the higher dose in this short amount of time wasn’t exactly what the mediwix ordered. This ended up aggravating his side-effects.

Still – and perhaps that is a testament to his stubbornness –, he’ll tell you this was all worth it.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

Remus grew up in a happy home. Well, as happy as a family could be, while plagued by the curse of lycanthropy. So maybe not so happy at all.

He doesn’t remember much of his early childhood, if you ask him. He remembers the looming sense of despair, he remembers seeing his parents cry through cracks of barely open doors, he remembers quiet dinners and he remembers feeling awful. He can’t remember not being a werewolf, but he thinks they were the happiest before that.

They were okay after it, eventually, too. They all had to learn to navigate it, and once he grew a little older, things were easier, as easy as they would get. He remembers that time a little better – the times just before he went to Hogwarts and his time at the castle, too.

Overall, Remus grew up with a good family, he’d tell you. They didn’t have many distant relatives, so it was always just the three of them, and his parents were supportive – mostly. Hope was the warmth of the house, and if anything, she only grew closer to Remus after he was bitten. She was overprotective, and stern, and she had trouble handling when things didn’t go exactly her way, but those are hardly things kids notice about their parents when they’re still kids. He could tell you this today, but his memories of her are still all sugar-coated, tinted pink, gentle.

She didn’t understand his gender identity at first, his father once told him. Hope still had too many roots in the muggle world, it took her some time to wrap her head around all of these ideas. Lyall was the one who had to sit her down and explain to her about the corrective draught, and how common it actually was, how safe. She was the one who wanted to wait for a talk with the Headmaster before she let him take the potions.

Luckily for Remus, he was so young by the time she was having those first doubts and issues with his identity, he doesn’t have any bad memories of that. To him, she never mistreated him, and he never felt anything but accepted. She protected him with all of her heart, and that included all of him, her son, and a werewolf.

In fact, one of his fondest memories of her is getting a haircut, before his very first day in Hogwarts. He usually wore his hair somewhere a little above shoulder-length, a little choppy; he just liked how it swung when he ran, to be honest, and how it splattered water everywhere if he spun his head really fast in the shower. But he was terrified of having magic classes for the first time, he was scared of being thrown into a castle full of people he didn’t know, far away from his parents, the only safe haven he knew. She was the one who suggested a haircut first. They sat and flipped through silly muggle magazines until he found a cut he liked on some cologne ad, and she did it herself. Looks somewhat similar to what he still has as a haircut, if only with more bowlcut-esque qualities back then.

Lyall was more distant, growing up. Hope had little trouble getting over her bias of gender to accept his identity, but his father couldn’t do the same for his curse. If you asked Remus, he never really accepted his child being a werewolf, he was ashamed of his condition.

If you asked Lyall, the story’s a bit different. He was distant, but only because he couldn’t deal with all of the turmoil within himself. He couldn’t look at his child without thinking that he was the one responsible for Fenrir’s attack. He was responsible for his son being a werewolf, cursed forever – how could he look at Remus and see past that? Of course he was distant. Of course he dedicated his time trying to find a cure. As the turns hurt Remus, they hurt his father just as much. Every moon, he suffered with him.

It was hard for him, looking past that, but not because he was in any way ashamed of the condition. He felt sorry, and he didn’t know where to put all the guilt. He didn’t want to spend all of his time pitying his child, but he did. And it was easier to be distant when he felt undeserving of his son’s love in the first place; there would never be anything he could do to make up for this.

In conclusion, they were good parents, but it would also be unfair to completely ignore that Remus has such an issue with being a werewolf, as an adult, and – given that he was closeted about that his whole life –, this must’ve come from his parents. Their efforts to protect and hide Remus’ lycanthropy have not done him any good on the long run, they have not quite focused on the “but also, love yourself” part of their speech. Not to fully blame them or anything, of course there isn’t a “how to raise a werewolf” manual out there, and they had to deal with so much since he was just a little boy, they did what they had to do to keep their child safe. Remus truly believes they did the very best they could, and that they were perfect parents, given the circumstances.

I don’t think it registers to him that they may be the very root of the crippling self-deprecation he feels, and frankly, I don’t think it ever will register. This is not the kind of thing you unravel within yourself without some serious help.

Nowadays, since Hope’s passing, the two Lupin men have managed to grow closer. The hurt is still there, Remus still thinks his father is too cold and ashamed of him, and Lyall thinks he’s guilty and that Remus must hate him. They’re not big on talking about feelings, but they’re warmer with each other now than they ever were. That’s not saying much, it’s barely anything more than the occasional back pat and smile, but Remus likes to think Hope would be happy.

OCCUPATION:

He currently still works with the Dissendum Task Force, as he feels truly at home taking care of that part of things. He wants a job, he always wanted to be able to take care of himself, of course, I imagine he put up a fight when it came to depending solely on James’ money. He always intended to pay it back, to eventually find something for himself. He grew comfortable, the slightest bit, with James’ money, knowing he had that safety net while he figured things out, and while they all had bigger things to worry about. Now he has lost his friend, and he needs to find something, anything, to keep himself afloat, and all of this on top of the grieving, it might just make him reach a breaking point.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

Remus feels like a paradox within the order. He feels both at the very center of it, as well as standing on the outside, looking in. He believes in them wholeheartedly, even if he’s not so sure he stumbled upon all of this belief himself, or if it’s been drilled into him by one very dedicated James Potter. And now that James is gone – how should he know how to feel?

More and more, he feels like he’s simply floating around in this war, a walking mystery, neither here nor there. He does as he’s told, he helps whoever he can help, and he won’t say a peep but he is starting to question his own faith, at this point. It’s difficult not to. He had a problem going with the werewolves, of course, and that time was generally awful, but he owed Dumbledore too much to say no. How much of what he does really is his choice, or someone else’s? He’s starting to grow tired of it.

He loves his friends more than anything, therefor he loves the Order, but he’s afraid of how long this might last.

SURVIVAL:

Remus is always on the move, but that’s nothing new to him. He’s been on the move since he was a kid, occasionally dragged off from one side of Europe to another, their family led by his father’s blind ambition towards finding a cure. He never felt like he could truly stop, and he grew up to embrace a sense of restlessness. The first place he truly understood the meaning of “home” was the castle, and even then, he knew his time there would have an end. In a way, this has helped him survive. He stays alert, he stays on the move. He’s always ready to pack up and disappear, as long as he knows he has the right people on his side.

His current living situation is, I imagine, complicated at best. He wouldn’t want to get a place on money that’s not his own, and he’s never been able to make his own money, at least not substantially. First, he was out with the other werewolves, he followed them anywhere and slept wherever he could when he needed to.

Then, he stayed at the McKinnon estate, and even though he knows he can stay there, he’s still often looking over his shoulder, waiting for the day they’ll kick him out. It still doesn’t feel right. It never does. He hasn’t felt at home since Hogwarts – or, perhaps, the odd times in between when he couch surfed wherever Sirius, James, or Peter were staying.

Now, he’s with his father momentarily, hiding. He hasn’t told Lyall anything that happened, he just packed up and showed up at his father’s doorstep. The contact isn’t ideal, but Remus needed the full recharge, even if just for a day or two. Lyall welcomed him with a brow heavy with concern, but he put the kettle on for some tea anyway, and he didn’t ask questions he didn’t want the answers to. Remus deemed that good enough.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Oh, boy. Things are a mess. This is the emo part of the app.

I must start this section talking about how much friends mean to Remus. They mean everything. Everything he heard since he was five-years-old was how much he needed to hide himself, how badly he needed to keep this secret, or everything would end terribly. He was a monster. He was capable of horrible, despicable things, and no one could accept him. By eleven, he’d come to term with this. By eleven, he barely even believed he’d get the chance to study. This is the weight this little kid had to carry around.

And then – enter the Marauders, the best, most miraculous thing to happen to him. A boy with a curse, suddenly welcomed into the coolest group of kids he’d ever met. He honestly felt like it was some kind of lie, or an elaborate prank. Those very first months after they met, he’d wait until the others all fell asleep and he’d write letters to his mom, telling her all about them. He’d write fast and he’d write over several sheets of parchment, talking about all the wonderful, terrible things that boys their age did. He was happy.

Eventually, he stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop. They grew close, the others found out his secret, they never once turned away from him. They helped him. They loved each other, the lot of them. And it was so, so much more than a monster could hope for – still, to this day, he’s not sure how they do it, how they can love him. He owes them so much, but it’s not even about that, it’s not about owing. If he did, he’d owe them his entire soul. There’s not enough space in his body, in his heart, for how much he owes them.

They were, and they continue to be, everything.

And then the war happened. They parted ways, and by the time Remus came back, things had shifted. Things felt off. He was certain the love was still there – it has to be, it has to –, but it felt like it was stained, tainted by something else, something ugly. Suddenly, he’s not sure he can trust them anymore, but he doesn’t know if that’s his gut speaking, or if it’s paranoia.

That’s the duality of man, and the duality of monster, he supposes. Everything trails between gut feeling and paranoia. He’s scared of being doubted, so he’ll turn a pointing finger right back. If they think he can be a mole, then they can be a mole.

He’s terrified of losing them. More than anything, Remus really is terrified of losing his loved ones. He knows he can survive it; he’s lost his mum, he now lost James, you would think he’s hardened enough by now to be able to take it, but he’s not. In his eyes, they are his humanity. What is he, if he doesn’t have his friends? What’s a monster if he isn’t loved?

They all knew going into this that it wouldn’t be easy, sure, but sometimes Remus feels a little alone in how much he feels. It seems like the world keeps turning, the war doesn’t stop for grief. And it feels like everyone else picks themselves up and moves right along with it, but he can’t. Every death weighs on him, every loss has just been piling and piling up onto his shoulders and he doesn’t know how much else he can take. He feels like everyone else is so much better equipped for this. They all mourn, sure, but… do they? They can’t be feeling this like he does, because if they were, they’d be feeling this crippling dread. They’d be feeling how hard it is to move, how shaky his hands feel all the time, how his heart seems to be broken into a million pieces and all of his insides have rottened.

He resents that. He wants to be able to grieve openly without feeling like he’s slowing anyone down. He wants to be able to feel things, and give them time, before they’re running into the next death trap that could easily take another one of his loved ones. He really needs the time to stop and feel this, because it’s crushing him, and he doesn’t feel like any of his friends understand how bad it is – which in itself is the most crushing part of it. When did they all become these sort of robots programmed for war? And why didn’t he get that memo?

James Potter – Don’t get me started on the duality of being so hurt by the fact that your best friend outed your biggest, most damning secret to everyone, and then died. I mean. What the fuck, James. In all seriousness, this is a lot to handle, which is why he deserves to be mentioned in this section even if this doesn’t exactly make for new plots. Remus doesn’t know how to feel; normally he’d be upset at that betrayal, accidental or not, but he didn’t even have the time to process that, before grief steamrolled into everything. He wants to be angry. He wants the right to be mad, to maybe yell at James, to hear his apologies and immediately forgive him, because of course he’s not really angry, he’s just scared. And instead, he gets silence.

Sirius Black – Sirius always has a way of filling up every room he walks into. Remus always thought he’d be better off if he was a little more like Sirius, and maybe that’s why they work – how opposing their energies are. Remus is always trying to make himself smaller. In a way, this is also why they don’t work, on the times they don’t. Sirius was probably the person he trusted the most, even if they didn’t always see eye to eye. It hurts him a lot to think that maybe this trust is broken now; that maybe after all of this, they’ll end up too cold and distant to have the friendship they used to have. He hopes, blindly, that’s not the case.

Peter Pettigrew – He feels protective towards Peter. Maybe that stems from their years in the castle, how Peter was seen as the little kid who trailed behind them and not one of the Marauders himself. Remus never liked hearing that. And Peter is different than the others to him, he always seemed a bit smaller, a bit more innocent; Sirius and James have no trouble taking care of themselves, that’s not even a question. Peter, on the other hand. Remus feels like he needs to help him any way he can.

Lily Evans – He loves Lily like a sister. She reminds him of his mother, sometimes, with her warmth and her determination. She’s the strongest person he knows, and he think he’d probably trust her and follow her blindly anywhere – or, at least, he felt like that when they were all in school. He still wishes they were closer nowadays, he wishes they spoke more.

Marlene McKinnon – She’s too cool for him, honestly. Plain and simple, somewhere in the core of his being, he’s still just a really lame teenager who thinks she might be too cool to hang out with him. He’s grateful that he gets to crash at the estate, but he’s also well-aware of her family’s view of the half-breeds. He can’t quite relax while he’s there, he keeps expecting to be discovered and kicked out any passing second. Now that his secret is out, he fears she’ll turn on him.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

I ship Remus/chemistry first, always, of course! I always find that you have to throw characters together in action before you start planning anything, you never know where the chemistry will be. I’ve taken part in many a ships in my time, Sirius/Remus probably being the main one, but in this context, everything’s a little trickier! It’s a very unstable, difficult time, and this is a very sad and angry Remus. He wants something, he wants to have someone, I just don’t think he even knows how, or where to begin with. I think he pushes the idea of romance so far back in his brain, thinking he can never have it, that it’s almost an impossibility in itself because of it. I think he’ll have a very difficult time believing anyone wants him like that, even if it does happen. I really look forward to possibly exploring any ships if chemistry happens! And I don’t think I have any anti-ships, currently. All is fair in the rp land.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

It is safe to say Remus has a bias against werewolves, in the saddest, most twisted way possible. Yes, he is one, and he doesn’t deny that to himself, but there’s a reason why he’s so careful to hide it from everyone else, why he was so reluctant in letting even his closest friends help him out – he agrees with all the stories and tales. He doesn’t feel proud to have this curse, he wouldn’t defend it if someone were to attack it.

They are monsters, once a month, under the moon. It doesn’t matter if his friends for years tried to convince him he’s a good person, he won’t believe it until he lets go of these horrible ideas he has of the curse itself. Even after meeting so many others like him. He may think hating it – hating himself – makes him better, a higher moral ground on the scale, as opposed to the werewolves who flaunt it. He may think some of them, like Fenrir, are worse than him for this, but it doesn’t make things that much better for how he views them.

As far as privileges go, Remus recognizes he has it pretty easy as far as his family life goes. He had loving parents – as far as he can tell –, he had a normal home life; he’s a half-blood, which meant he usually flew under the radar, considering how other wix seemed to view muggleborns, in contrast.

But as far as privileges he doesn’t recognize, I’d say that’s probably more interesting. Remus thinks of himself as a monster. A werewolf, bitten while he was still so young. His bite scar sits on his shoulder, now grown and shifted but the pale scar tissue never gone, an ugly mark. He doesn’t think himself particularly handsome, he doesn’t see many talents that stand out. He thinks he’s pretty much at the very bottom of the food chain.

Which is all kind of untrue, he’s blinded by his self-deprecation. Everyone has privileges, he is no different. He’s a werewolf, and that’s terrible, but other than that he’s not exactly doing too bad. He was always a good student, he liked studying, good grades came easy. His looks had never proven to be a problem, even if he believes it is. He had a good home, dedicated parents, he never ran out of money for books and robes and chocolate bars growing up. If you strip Remus of his lycanthropy – and lord knows he’s dreamed of that –, the truth is, he doesn’t have anything else to feel sorry about. And he’s so stuck feeling sorry for himself all the time, that he has a hard time recognizing his privileges and biases.

To him, he’s a monster, but to anyone else who doesn’t know of his condition, he’s really just another regular guy fighting the war. Of course, now, with everyone’s discovery – things will change.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

Well, I’m not new to this scene, hi, hello! So I already know everyone here is an amazing writer, and I adore you admins (I promise I’m not just sucking up for the sake of the app, it’s true). I love Remus, it’s been a few years since I last played him but he’s the muse that’s always alive in my head – this is the fastest and longest bio I ever wrote, to prove my point, aha. I especially love this Remus, the mid-war, post-Hogwarts, “can’t get a job”, “questioning the loyalty of the people I love the most” Remus. He’s feeling a lot. He’s tired, he’s angry, he’s grown sharp edges from the soft boy he once was. There’s so much to explore, and while it’s definitely a little scary to fill in someone else’s shoes, I’m really looking forward to writing with everyone and exploring all the many plots and relationships possible!

PLOT DROP IDEAS (OPTIONAL):

I’m terrible at these, I’ll admit, but I am open to everything you may want to throw my way! I also think I’ll need to take a second to acclimate into any of Remus’ pre-existing plots before throwing around any specifics of my own.

That being said, though, something that I’m excited to explore is his current unemployment. I want him to search for some kind of proper job to try to pay things for himself. I think he’s too proud to ask anyone else for help at this point, and he might have several emotional breakdowns on this process, but he’s gonna do his best. Also anything to do with his current (quite terrible) side-effects from Attisgalli Corrective Draughts, or exploring his gender identity in general, I’d love that!

ANYTHING ELSE? I was gonna do a pinterest board but I’ll spare you guys the trouble for now, this is already 11 pages long. Oops! Thank you for reading!!

[onceuponadreamever]

Battle Of Hogwarts

Okay, so I re-read the harry potter series recently. And I know a lot of people are annoyed that it said none of the Slytherin’s who were given the option to stay and fight did, but when I stopped to think about it...I really can’t blame them? I think a lot of them would have the best excuse not to? And a lot of people think this was meant to say ‘all slytherin’s are bad,’ blah blah blah but I think it kind of makes them more human.

Picture it from their angle. Most of them are likely pure-bloods or half-bloods and grew up in wizarding families because of Salathar Slytherin’s beliefs. And Slytherin house especially is isolated from the other houses because of prejudices, so its more likely someone from that house wouldn’t see anything else. All of the people around them, the people they grew up with and nearly everything they had been taught was the same pure-blood beliefs. How hard would it be to see any different or to see that what they were doing was wrong when its all you ever know? Especially in a environment where all the people who stand by you are doing the same thing.

Sirius Black is one of the few examples of someone who grew up in a pure-blood house that I can think of who left the family traditions during his time at Hogwarts. (Andromeda Tonks may have but I’m pretty sure she left after she’d graduated Hogwarts). And he was a Gryffindor, which meant he got to see a very, very different perspective than others. Someone who only lived with stereotypical slytherin ideals pushed on him and a pure-blood family may not have realized this.

And regulus black was an example of this. He went his whole school life thinking they were the good guys. It wasn’t until he had already graduated and started to really see the world with his own eyes that he realized what they were doing was wrong.

(This is not to condone people doing bad stuff because they don’t realize it’s bad. This is saying it is extremely difficult for someone to realize it is bad if they don’t see anything else)

But not all Slytherin’s would be like that of course. Just looking at numbers and odds, it’s likely there were a number of Slytherin’s who did realize the pure-blood regime was wrong and that they shouldn’t support Voldemort.

I still think it’s realistic for them not to fight.

Think about it. Most of these students would still be from pure-blood families or at the very least have grown up with a lot of them. And it is likely a lot of Slytherin’s from the past had joined the death eater army. Students that they very well may have known. Stayed up studying transfiguration with. Eaten in the great hall with while laughing over the latest prank someone pulled. Their friends. And for pure-bloods, their families. Both of their parents could have been in the army.

And you expect them to go and fight them, knowing full well they could end up being responsible for their loved ones death?

These guys grew up with death eaters. The army could have been made up with their family, their friends, their lovers, everyone they knew and loved. I think even the bravest Gryffindor would struggle to agree to fight in that situation, knowing they could kill someone they loved. Even if you knew they were wrong, do you know how difficult it would be joining a battle where you may have to watch or even be responsible for your loved ones death? Especially when Bravery is considered to be a trait of their enemy house!

And unlike people like Sirius black or the Weasley family, it’s a good chance many of these students felt alone in their beliefs against the death eaters. How heartbreaking would it be going to fight, knowing you may have no one you love left after the battle?

It’s one thing to know that someone is doing is wrong. It’s another thing completely to expect students who are barely adults to fight and possibly kill their loved ones. I can see students resisting and maybe doing something to support the good side, but I don’t blame someone in that situation to not want to fight. If I were their, I would feel incredibly guilty asking someone in that situation to fight. 

I think given those situations it would be very difficult to fight. Maybe one in a hundred people could do that. And I don’t know how many students there were, but I doubt there were a hundred Slytherin students.

But that’s just how I feel about it. I guess I’m trying to say that the fact that Slytherin students were said to not fight in the hogwarts battle is not something that they should be ashamed of or criticized for. It makes them more human.

[smellofparchment-blog]

The Pariahs: Chapter 2 - The Ghosts of Greengrass Manor

Story Title - The Pariahs (ffn link)

Story Description - "You always hated your parents' purist crap." "Not for the right reasons." - At the end of the war, they are the only ones left to blame; unfortunately, this is not their cross to bear. The Malfoys and Greengrasses are not used to being the outcasts of a society, but in this new Wizarding World, the law concerning former Death Eaters and their families is clear: eat or be eaten.

Story Rating - teen (T)

Story Characters - Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Keegan Shacklebolt (OMC), Fiona Greengrass (OFC), Archibald Greengrass (OMC), Narcissa Black, Lucius Malfoy, Kristopher Shacklebolt I (OMC), Zhara Shacklebolt (OFC), Audrey Weasley, Percy Weasley

Story Pairings - Draco/Astoria, Keegan/Daphne

Chapter - 2) The Ghosts of Greengrass Manor

If there was one thing that Daphne still liked about Greengrass Manor, it was the silence. Some would find it eerie, unsettling, creepy, the list goes on. For the eldest Greengrass girl, though, it was peaceful and productive. She was not a chaotic person - the best working environment for Daphne Greengrass was minimalistic and deathly silent.

On that particular day, Daphne was examining a supposedly magical geode rock that was given to her as a training assignment. When Daphne had first chosen a career as a Curse-Breaker, Draco had looked at her as if she had just grown a third eye. However, it truly was the perfect job for her. While her love for jewels and gems often got dismissed as girly and pretentious, the truth was far more complex. It wasn't just the beauty that Daphne admired - it was the history. Every artefact, no matter how ruined or beautiful, had a story to tell. The magic that concealed that story was even more interesting. Being a Curse-Breaker meant that unravelling that story and that magic was her job.

Daphne gently rotated the rock that she was holding with her tweezers as she ever so slightly adjusted the magnification and focus on her magnifying spectacles. If she could get the perfect focus, perhaps she could see -

"Ah, there you are, Daphne!"

Daphne jumped in her seat, startled at the shrill voice and let out an exasperated sigh as she glanced through her spectacles and noticed they were once again out of focus. Bloody brilliant, Daphne thought to herself as she gently set down the geode and removed her spectacles.

Turning her head to glance up at her mother, she said with a bored tone, "What is it now?"

Fiona Greengrass was a beautiful woman, but her beauty had been worn down by the war. Her honey blonde hair that once shone in the sunlight now seemed dull and graying, and while her skin may have once been described as porcelain, it was no more pallid. The wrinkles of worry on her forehead and around her eyes were more prominent now, especially as she confusedly moved her gaze between the geode and her daughter.

"What on earth is that, Daphne?" Fiona asked, her tone clearly expressing her bewilderment.

"An assignment for training," Daphne replied with a shrug.

"Ah, right, you're still in that silly Curse-Breaker phase," Fiona said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

You cannot hex your mother, a voice in Daphne's head reminded. You can move out, though. Taking a deep breath, she instead asked, "Is that why you came over here?"

"No, no, of course not," Fiona replied in a cheery tone. She sat down across from her daughter as she continued, "I need your help with a little project."

"Project?"

"Er, dinner party."

Daphne rolled her eyes and shook her head at her mother. Of course, the woman wanted to host a dinner party, of all things. "I hate to remind you of this," Daphne started, "but with what money? You don't work, Astoria's in school, and if you think I'm contributing to this nonsense from my meagre trainee salary then you are in for the shock of your life."

Once upon a time, Daphne would have been utterly terrified to speak to either of her parents like that. Now, though, things were different. There was no longer any fear hanging over her head. Her parents had been on the losing side of a war, her father's trial was finally coming to a conclusion, she had done her part and given her names, and now she was steadily on the path to her own career. All Daphne wanted now was as much distance as possible from the traditions that her name stood for.

"Oh, honestly Daphne, you can be so full of yourself," Fiona bit back with a roll of her eyes. "I only want your help in the planning process. You know, a little mother-daughter project."

The skepticism was evident on Daphne's face. "All right, what kind of dinner party is this?" she asked.

"It's to... make amends, of sorts - you know?"

Ah, there it is. Daphne let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "You're really something, you know that?" she muttered.

"Daphne, listen to me: we have nothing," Fiona said sternly. "The Ministry looks at us like scum - us! And because of how close we were with the Malfoys and you and Astoria fighting against the Dark Lord, even our peers hate us. We need to do damage control, love."

This was the sort of thing that Fiona Greengrass considered a national crisis. Everyone hates us - even the mudbloods! It drove Daphne mad. She would be the first to admit that, at first, she had done anything and everything to defy her parents' pureblood ideals simply because of her father's abusive nature. As she got older, though, Daphne truly started to understand how tiring it all was. And for what? A few fake friends that would all rather save their own arses anyways? It was honestly pitiful.

Still, she lived in the Greengrass Manor - for now - and the least she could do for her distraught mother was humour her in some way.

"What did you have in mind?" Daphne asked tiredly.

"Well, I've been thinking that it really would be useful to have a nice mix of families," Fiona started with an innocent shrug. The skeptical look reappeared on Daphne's face, "you know - old friends and new friends. And it just came to me - you have quite a good relationship with a certain well-liked pureblood family."

"Oh, so you just want me to get the Shacklebolts here - not to actually spend time with you," Daphne stated, the bitterness very evident in her tone.

"Oh, come off it, love," Fiona said dismissively, "it would be a huge favour to me."

Just like everything else I do, Daphne thought to herself. Still, if there was one useful thing she learned growing up in a pureblood family, it was to keep your thoughts to yourself.

"Fine - it'll be easier than dealing with your cold shoulder, anyways."

Daphne fidgeted with her hands as she suppressed a shiver - a response to the cold winter wind blowing in her face as she waited just outside the doors of Greengrass Manor. Her mother had put her on door duty for her long-awaited dinner party. Who better than the Greengrass daughter that was both famous and infamous for defying her parents' ways? Truly, let's parade her on the street while shouting 'shame!' at the top of our lungs.

Daphne was, possibly, a tad bitter about the whole arrangement.

Her demeanour softened just slightly as she spotted three very familiar faces approaching the steps of Greengrass Manor: Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa. Lucius and Narcissa weakly returned her smile, while Draco stepped forward and hugged Daphne.

"Fiona's got you playing hostess for this charade, has she?" he asked with a laugh.

"Draco, be polite," Narcissa chided mildly.

"It's quite all right - he's not far off," Daphne said to Narcissa. "I've still gotta wait out here so I'll see you lot inside."

"Don't cause too much trouble," Draco joked as he gave her a nudge and walked past her.

"No promises!" Daphne replied cheekily.

It took a few more minutes of waiting in the cold for the last of the party guests to make their way to the manor. Daphne's features spread into an unbreakable grin as soon as she recognized Keegan, his parents - Kristopher and Zhara - closely following behind him.

The Shacklebolts and Greengrasses had always gotten along decently well - until Voldemort came back, of course. After that, her father had gone and ruined practically every relationship their family had had with anyone remotely normal. Still, when Zhara had planned Keegan a surprise party to celebrate the end of his Obliviator training a couple of years back, the Greengrasses had been added to the guest list. That had been the day that their flirtatious adventure had started.

Unfortunately, a month after that, the Minsitry had fallen to Voldemort. Keegan and his younger sister, Audrey, had joined the Order and Daphne... well, she did what every other Slytherin did: returned to Hogwarts and tried to act like everything was fine. Except for Daphne, it really hadn't been fine.

In any case, at the end of it all, Daphne had been surprised to find Keegan right where she had left him - figuratively speaking, of course. They had tried their best to pick up where they had left off, but still kept things under wraps. With her father still on trial and his Death Eater aunt, Kelsey Rowle, at large, it was best to keep their relationship hidden. Then, one day, Kelsey had been captured and next thing Daphne knew, Keegan was standing on the steps of Greengrass Manor saying she deserved more.

Well, who was she to argue with that logic?

Once they had told their families about their relationship, the reactions were more or less as expected. Fiona had been shocked that her daughter was dating a pureblood, even if he was from a blood traitor family. Kristopher and Zhara had easily taken a liking to her on account of actually being able to hold an intelligent conversation about something other than floral arrangements - which was apparently the most they expected from traditional pureblood women. Regardless of everyone else's reactions, Daphne was certain of one thing: her life was finally looking up.

"You're looking quite lovely," Keegan remarked as he approached Daphne with a smile.

He bent his neck to give her a short kiss just as his parents approached. "Kristopher, Zhara - I'm so glad you could make it," Daphne greeted politely. "Mum will really be delighted to see you."

"Oh, I'm sure she will be," Zhara replied, her smile somewhat contrived. She clearly wasn't a fan of the whole arrangement and, frankly, Daphne agreed.

"We'll see you two inside," Kristopher suggested as he gently ushered his wife inside.

"So, no Audrey?" Daphne asked curiously. She wasn't all too surprised. Audrey Shacklebolt was often regarded as peculiarly headstrong and proud for a Slytherin - until she would dupe you in some clever way and shamelessly remind you why she was sorted into the house of the snakes in the first place. Like their mother, Keegan's younger sister was amazingly talented at exuding authority.

"No, she made it pretty clear that she wasn't coming if Percy wasn't invited," Keegan replied. "In fact, her exact words were 'I don't want any of her shitty discriminatory wine if she can't even stand the thought of a Weasley in her own home.'"

"Well, I tried my best, but you know how Mum is," Daphne said with a shrug. Her mother had been adamant that the purpose of this dinner party was to make amends with old friends, not befriend 'pacifist blood traitors.' Sometimes, Daphne wondered if the whole war had somehow been erased from her mother's memory.

Keegan nodded knowingly, laughing a bit. His eyes suddenly shifted to the side of her neck and he raised his hand to gently touch the scar that stood out on Daphne's pale skin with a light frown on his face. "No Glamour Charms today?" he asked as he met her eyes.

He knew all too well how horrible her father was. Bruises on her arms, scars on her back, face reddened in the shape of a hand... the list of ways that Archibald Greengrass' anger could manifest was endless. The scars Daphne had received from her father over the years were always her biggest insecurity and she hid them as much as she could, but Keegan had always been comforting about them. He would say they were the scars of a survivor, not a victim.

"Mum wants to make amends," Daphne started, "what better way to do that than with honesty. Took a bit of convincing, but Astoria isn't using any either."

"Good," Keegan said with a nod and a reassuring smile on his face, "you have nothing worth hiding, Daphne."

Daphne smiled back at him. "All right, let's head inside before Mum starts sputtering some nonsense about my innocence," she joked as she linked her arm with his.

Keegan laughed and muttered, "A little late for that, isn't it?"

Daphne lightly smacked his arm but couldn't stop the laughter from escaping her or the red creeping up her neck as the made their way through Greengrass Manor. The sound of classical music only got louder, until they finally reached the spacious sitting area where their house elf, Silas, was eagerly scurrying around and serving drinks. Fiona was laughing about something trivial with Wilma Crabbe, while Xavier Nott silently sat in an armchair as he sipped at his wine. Everyone else was dispersed throughout the room making small talk, and as for Draco...

Daphne sighed as she set her eyes on her friend. He was practically frozen his place, unmoving. At first, she thought he was having yet another one of his ridiculous, fatalistic episodes - and of all bloody times to do so - until she realized how steadily fixated his gaze was.

"Do you see what I see?" Daphne quietly asked Keegan.

Keegan shifted his gaze to Draco, watching the younger man carefully, until realization clouded his face. "Oh, that's interesting," he whispered.

"I think I'll go talk to him," Daphne decided.

"Daph, don't meddle," Keegan warned, giving her a knowing look.

"Me, meddle? Never."

Alas, she was quite the meddler.

At first, it had almost irritated Draco how right Daphne had been. He was being fatalistic, and truly a horrible friend. More than that, though, he was being a self-centred prick. It never really mattered to him if other people thought that of him, but Daphne... well, she was supposed to be his one true confidant. If she couldn't trust him, then he must have truly fucked up.

After Daphne's warning to get his life together and stop moping around, Draco had done just that. He had cleaned up and started helping out with the Malfoy Manor's financials - meagre as they were - as well as taking a job at a shop in Knockturn Alley. It was all for the time being, anyways. At the end of the day, Draco was hoping for something a bit more professional.

The major upside, though to getting his life together had been winning back Daphne's friendship. They were finally back to their light joking and good-natured gossip. When Daphne had told him about her mother's ridiculous dinner party idea, they had taken turns imitating her reaction to different party guests. Draco had figured that, once the dinner party actually came around, they would be doing something very similar in a corner with the added bonus of some elderflower wine.

Unfortunately, Draco's vision had dissipated as soon as he had laid eyes on her.

He had been in the poshly decorated sitting area for scarcely a minute when his eyes saw a flash of nearly pitch black hair and his ears perked at the sound of an elegant laugh. Turning his head, mostly out of curiosity, Draco found himself freezing in place as his eyes landed on Astoria Greengrass.

Astoria had always been a bit aggravating to Draco. He vaguely recalled her trying to force herself into the games and secrets that him and Daphne would have when they were kids. Her trademark while at Hogwarts had been frizzy hair pulled back into pigtails with green ribbon and a childlike, wide-eyed stare. She had been two years his junior and a hardly noticeable thorn on his side.

But then, in that very moment, he hardly recognized her.

Her dark hair was sleek and smooth, hanging loose in waves down her back. Her warm brown eyes drew him in as she laughed. Astoria Greengrass was no longer the annoying, childish, little sister of his best friend. No, as far as he could tell, she may as well have been a woman that ruled her own empire.

Draco could fill the inner turmoil of being attracted to his best friend's sister already begin.

A hand clasping onto his shoulder brusquely snapped Draco out of his dreamy staring at Astoria. He turned to see who had startled him and felt himself tense up as his eyes met Daphne's.

"Daydreaming?" she asked. Her tone sounded innocent but he could see the knowing glint in her eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Draco replied cooly.

"Oh, so you won't mind if I just call Astoria over and - "

"Daphne, for the love of Merlin, this stays between us."

A victorious smile on her face, Daphne let out a sigh and removed her hand from Draco's shoulder. "Don't get your hopes up, Draco," she warned.

"Why's that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because she's here with her new boyfriend."

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Draco turned his gaze to Astoria once more and this time found that someone else had joined her. He recognized the boy - Sebastian Daley, a Slytherin in Astoria's year. Draco felt a mix of disappointment and hatred surge in him as he watched Astoria's supposed boyfriend snake an arm around her waist and kiss her cheek.

"Look - I'd be surprised if he's 'the one' or anything like that," Daphne started, "but please promise me you won't push him out of a window or something. This is my sister we're talking about."

Draco turned his head to look at Daphne once again and forced a soft chuckle. "I promise, don't worry," he said. "Guess I should take care of myself first, anyways."

Daphne gently patted him on the pack, a kind smile on her face. If she was being perfectly honest, the Draco she had known before the war would have been absolutely perfect for Astoria. Pureblood idealism aside, he had always been a perfect gentleman and had had quite the knack for the kind of sweet romantic gestures that Astoria lived for. Now, though, things were different, and Daphne had thought Draco had put it quite well - better to take care of himself before involving anyone else.

Their brief moment of comfort was, unfortunately, rudely interrupted in that moment by the sound of a disgusting splat. With frowns on their faces, everyone looked around the room, searching for the source of the sound. Again, splat. This time, everyone saw the gooey substance dripping down one of the windows.

"What in Merlin's name is that?" Draco asked as he nodded toward the window.

Daphne felt a displeased glare forming on her face. "Eggs," she muttered darkly. "Someone's egging my fucking house."

Turning her head, Daphne found her mother's eyes and curtly said, "I'll handle this," before turning on her heel and briskly walking out of the room.

She faintly heard Keegan's voice say, "I'll go after her," before hearing the sound of his footsteps running to catch up with her.

As soon as he had fallen into step with her, Daphne coldly said, "I can take care of this, I don't need a supervisor."

"I know, but if you need me, I'm here," Keegan replied as Daphne pushed open the front doors to the manor.

Daphne came to a stop once they reached the gates and turned to look at Keegan. She could see the worry very clear on his face and smiled at him. "Look, I know what I'm doing - trust me," she said quietly.

Keegan simply nodded, and that was all Daphne needed.

Turning to face the gates, Daphne took out her wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself. Then, she stepped forward and every so slowly pushed open the front gates of the manor. As the gate opened wider, she could see the perpetrators - three young-looking boys - freeze as their wide eyes fixated on the gate. There was newfound fear in their gazes, because from where they were standing, the gate was opening all on its own. They looked to be about second or third years, so it didn't take long for Daphne to formulate the perfect plan.

Daphne walked towards them quietly and went behind them. She leaned forward, her mouth close to one of the boys' ear, as she hoarsely whispered, "You've upset the ghosts of the manor, boy."

All three boys yelped, jumping forward at her voice. "Where are you? Who are you?" he shouted, panic etched on his face.

Daphne mustered a rather comical cackle. "I am the oldest Greengrass ghost, and now that you've defiled my home, I will haunt you for the rest of your days!"

With that, the three boys shrieked loudly and ran off. Daphne watched them round the corner before taking her wand out and removing the Disillusionment Charm. She crossed her arms, a proud smirk on her face as Keegan stepped through the gates and walked towards her. He looked down at her with an amused grin.

"You really are quite crazy, you know that?" he asked jokingly.

"Oh, you know you like it," Daphne replied with a sly smile.

"Well, I guess I can't deny that," Keegan admitted with a shrug, his hands moving to Daphne's waist. "This place is wearing you out, isn't it?" he asked quietly as he met her eyes.

Daphne slowly nodded, the smile on her face transforming into a look of worry. "I'm the only one that works - and I'd hardly call Curse-Breaker training a steady income," she said quietly, "and Mum just drives me mad, but I guess... family legacy is family legacy, even for me."

"What if..." Keegan started slowly as he pulled Daphne closer to him, "I happened to have a spare key to my place with your name on it."

"You want me to move in with you?" Daphne asked, a surprised look dawning on her face.

"Sure - but on the condition that the ghosts stay here," he replied cheekily.

"I... I have to think on it, if that's all right," Daphne replied slowly. Her gaze shifted to the manor as she quietly added, "It may seem silly but the idea of leaving this place for good... it kind of scares me."

"Of course that's all right," Keegan replied softly. He gently grabbed hold of her hand. "Shall we head back inside then, ghost of Greengrass Manor?"

"Her full name is Lucretia Octavia Greengrass, mind you, and she says yes."

[writingfulfillment]

Harry Potter and the Goodness of His Heart

One of the most prominent moral arguments made by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is that you can have a bad family, or be raised under poor circumstances, and still be a good person.

Harry Potter is the son of Lily and James Potter, prominent figures in the original anti-Voldemort movement. His parents died to save him from Voldemort’s wrath and in doing so, they gave him a special power against his new mortal enemy. Because of this new gift of love, Voldemort was subdues for a time and Harry became an orphan. He was given to his mother’s sister, Petunia and her husband, Vernon Dursley. Harry was brought up unwanted and constantly prodded, both physically and emotionally, by his cousin Dudley.

They provide him the barest room and board out of the coldness of their hearts and Harry grows up on table scraps and their material leftovers. Despite this, he still grows into a kind person in this terrible environment. When Harry turned 11 years old on July 31st, he got a very strange visitor in the form of his new friend and gentle giant, Hagrid. Hagrid comes to inform Harry of his true identity as a wizard and to invite him to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the fall. As Harry discovers this new world, he realizes the truth about his family and his past.

At Hogwarts, Harry learns about magic and makes new friends; the best of which are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. In between school and Quidditch practice, they get into lots of mischief because they cannot help but meddle in things that are not necessarily the business of first years. The first instance of which is confronting a troll which trespassed in the girls lavatory. Not long after this, they find fluffy the three headed dog in a forbidden corridor. Harry gets involved in lots of schemes, but he does so to help out his friends and to protect his new beloved school.

The most troublesome of these are when Hagrid illegally hatches a dragon egg in his wooden hutch. Harry and his friends aid him in feeding and caring for it, although they could get into a huge amount of trouble, they do it for their big friend. They get the dragon out of the country with the help of Ron’s brother Charlie. When the dragon is gone, they get caught and sentenced to detention in the Forbidden Forest alongside their tattletale and Harry’s new rival, Draco Malfoy. While serving this detention they discover what they have suspected for some time, something evil is about at Hogwarts. They find a bieng drinking the cursed blood of an innocent Unicorn and their thought turn to Voldemort and his possible rise to power.

As the school year goes on, they perform lots of extra research on one of their leads, and alchemist named Nicholas Flamel. Eventually they discovered that he is the only known creator of a Sorcerer's Stone and that it was being kept safe at the school. Convinced that someone, potentially Voldemort or his allies, are going to try and steal it to assure Voldemort’s rise and give him immortality. They decide to try and get it first and they face many challenges and obstacles protecting the Stone. Ron gets injured and Hermione is forced to go back for help. Brave little Harry goes forward and discovers that his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell, has been hosting Voldemort for a year. Through his courage and intelligence, Harry gets the Stone and defeats Quirrell, preventing Voldemort’s rise.

From the very beginning we see that Harry is a kind individual living in an abusive and neglectful home. Harry is described as having poor and broken things (his glasses and his massive hand me downs) while Dudley is being overtly spoiled by his parents (his numerous toys and technologies.) The book emphasizes the vast difference between these boys in the scene at the zoo.

At the snake enclosure, Harry is kind and can sympathize with the poor creatures trapped situation. Dudley on the other hand treats it like another toy, instead of a living creature. Harry makes small talk with the snake and Dudley bangs on the glass and quickly becomes frustrated when the snake is not entertaining enough for him. This is just one of many instances which show Harry’s goodness despite being raised in the same household as Dudley.

The audience identifies with Harry because he personifies the classic underdog character who is in a rough situation both financially and emotionally. These are things that most people have already experienced in their lives and they can then empathize with Harry’s situation. The book uses this argument throughout the story as Harry serves his friends and ultimately risks his life, purely out of his goodness and desire to help those he loves.

We know that Harry is good because he’s described as little, scruffy and endearing. [pg]We are meant to pity him further because he lives in an abusive/neglectful situation. He’s too skinny,[pg] they don’t feed him properly, his glasses and clothes also show that they can’t be bothered to spend any money on him. Dudley is the clear opposite, the spend a ridiculous amount of money on him and definitely overfeed him.[pg] They give him so much more than is necessary in part to ostracize Harry.

We know that the Dursleys are vile because they are described as physically unpleasant; large, hairy, frowning and always gossiping. These are all things that we attribute to bad people. They clearly dislike Harry and constantly abuse him in a multiplicity of ways. They often treat him as a servant and force him to cook for them and do menial chores. They abuse him emotionally more than anything else. When Harry’s letters start to come, the Dursleys, especially Vernon, will do anything to stop him from reading them. Partially because they don’t want the shame of having a wizard in their house, but mostly because they want to keep Harry oppressed and unhappy.

One of the earliest situations in which Harry exhibits his goodness is when the troll endanger Hermione. At this point in the story, they aren’t really friends and Ron has said some very unkind things about Hermione, which she heard and spends the rest of the day in the bathroom crying. When Professor Quirrell announces that a troll has found it’s way into the castle, Harry immediately thinks of Hermione, ignorant of the present danger. When they are being evacuated to their common rooms, Harry and Ron sneak out to go and warn Hermione. They soon discover that the troll is in the corridor with the Girls’ bathroom.

Harry rushes ahead without thought for his personal safety, even though he is only 11 and he’s only been at hogwarts for two months, to try and help Hermione. To distract the troll so that Hermione can get away from it, he literally jumps up, grabs it’s club and is lifted onto the massive troll’s head. He accidentally shoves his wand up the troll’s nose, and urges Ron to do something. Ron performs the very spell which Hermione had previously given him flack about, Wingardium Leviosa, and successfully knocks out the troll. In doing this, not only did Harry break the rules and willingly face a full grown mountain troll, he lead another, not so brave, student in doing so. All of this he did because, he is in essence, a very good person.

The most prominent show of Harry’s goodness is when he decides that they must try to save the stone because Dumbledore is gone and no one else will believe them. They don’t know very much about magic, and they could get seriously injured, Harry goes because of his goodness and bravery. Ron and Hermione will not let him go alone, they love him and will follow him anywhere. When Ron is injured and Hermione is forced to go back for help, Harry knows that he must go on. He feels that it is his duty because of his relationship with Voldemort. Realistically, he has no responsibility for what would happen because he’s just a boy. But he feels a sense of duty because of his conscience. He goes forward and risks his life because of his sense of loyalty and righteousness.

All of this wonderfully displays Harry’s good nature. Although he is young and doesn’t know very much about magic, from day one, he is willing to try anything to help his friends. Despite being raised in a abusive and neglectful situation, he is still able to trust and reach out to people. Even though kindness is something that he hasn’t experienced for the first part of his life, he still gives it freely to those who need it. My favorite of which is Neville Longbottom. Many of the students at Hogwarts make fun of poor Neville, who hasn’t felt much in the way of kindness either. But Harry is frequently kind to the little round boy, leading his friends to do so as well.

This is the duty and importance of having a gift. You can either become a leader for good for evil. Because of Harry’s fame, he becomes a prominent figure in the lives of these children and to some extent, the adults around them as well. He doesn’t let any of this so called fame go to his head. In his mind, he remains just Harry, an orphan with terrible luck. He has no desire for his fame, but yet he still uses it, perhaps unknowingly, to lead the other students. Hermione and Ron weren’t necessarily the type to meddle, but when following Harry, they get involved in a lot of underground schemes to try and help the school. Harry’s desire is to make sure that the school and his friends are safe, because of his goodness.

I find it quite astounding that Harry is such a selfless person when he was raised by perhaps the most selfish people in all of England. Regardless of their abuse, he does not become cold hearted and fight only for himself. It is only the beginning of his righteousness in the first book, he becomes even more selfless in the rest of the series. But it all starts out with a little 11 year old boy who was willing to be friends with anyone because he too knew what it was like to be friendless and alone. A boy, whose bravery and guile saved these new people that he loved. Above all else, Harry Potter is one of the most loyal character ever written and he will do anything and everything to help his friends.

[stillrecruitingrp]

The D.A. has recruited Taylor to the character of Ginny Weasley with a faceclaim of Luca Hollestelle. Picking a fight there, Ginny? Or are you still fighting yourself after second year?

OOC Details

Name: Taylor

Pronouns: She/Her

Activity Level: Moderate. I have a fulltime job and commitments, but I think I’ll be able to post a few times a week.

Acknowledgement: I acknowledge that the themes of this game may include triggering elements. I also acknowledge that my character may be harmed or even killed during paras/events or may cause harm to or kill others during paras/events through the violence roulette.

General IC Details

Name: Ginevra “Ginny” Molly Weasley

Age: 16

Ships: Ginny is still in love with Harry at this point, but she believes in him and has let him go to do what he has to do. It’s also not her main concern, as right now there are more important things on the table then whether or not she’s in a relationship. But I believe that Ginny’s sexuality is Bisexual, or Heteroflexible as she hasn’t really thought about it a whole lot (besides when she’s looking through Witch Weekly and there’s a picture of Gwenog Jones).

Gender/Pronouns: She/Her

Face Claim: Luca Hollestelle

Desired Changes: Not a whole lot at the moment, just excited to explore her character more in-depth!

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BIO Questions

Biography:

Growing up, Ginny’s life was ordinary. Well as ordinary as it could be for a lower-income wizarding family of nine, in which she was only special because of her gender. It was a novelty, being the only girl in a gaggle of vivid ginger boys, whom all had a booming personality that internally struggled to shine amongst each other. That being said, Ginny’s childhood was happy. Loving parents who had come out of the first war with themselves intact and enough love to go around their large lot. One by one, all of Ginny’s brothers turned of age to attend school, making the months between September and May lonelier, until it was only her and Ron. It was due to this that she had grown a kinship with the boy who was only a year older. Mud puddles and pretend, debating whether the Harpies or the Cannons were the superior team (obviously the Harpies!). That is until Ron turned eleven and everything changed. Harry Potter returned to the wizarding world, and invaded their lives as Ron Weasley’s best mate.

It was safe to say that Ginny was immediately infatuated. The first celebrity she’d ever had the pleasure of meeting with just a simple smile at King’s Cross, followed by a lonely year alone. It was spent mostly using the Bill’s old broom he’d left behind in the shed to practice quidditch and counting down the days until she was at Hogwarts with her brothers, making friends, and chatting with the Boy Who Lived.

Except that wasn’t what happened. Ron had moved on, found a kinship with Harry and Hermione that didn’t have room for her, and instead she was left to figure it out on her own. But she wasn’t alone. No, she had found a friend in a book, only a week before school and he had twisted it’s grip into her heart and fed on all of her insecurities. Isolating her from those that were her age, with every heartfelt secret she gave him, the more pull Tom Riddle had until he was finally controlling her completely. It was truly terrifying. Missing moments, blood on her hands, her peers turning up petrified as a villain whispered in her ear. How was it that someone could tear a person apart while still making them feel like he was the only one that understood or cared? A master manipulator, it took her months before Ginny tried to get rid of the diary. At first she suspected she was going mad, but it had fallen into Harry’s possession and in her first act of Gryffindor bravery, she had to steal it back.

But regaining the diary simply gave Tom her power again, allowing him to use her as a pawn to draw the “Boy Who Supposedly Destroyed Voldemort” into the Chamber. It was her life-force that almost brought Tom Riddle back into his youth, but when she awoke she was free. Free to confess to Harry what had been going on for all those months, and it was with him she returned from the chamber.

After Tom, she was left to pick up the pieces. Over the years she found a friend in Hermione, who urged her to be herself. In Neville, who accompanied her to the Yule Ball just so she could take part, and in Luna, who was intuitive and open-minded. She dated people who saw her as more than just another Weasley and killed it on the quidditch pitch after all those years practicing alone. Dark times arrived, Ginny stepped up, becoming one of the original members of Dumbledore’s Army and even helping to suggest it’s infamous name. Rebellion is in her blood after all, and when Harry, Ron and Hermione planned to flee for the Ministry in order to save Sirius, she fought to follow along.

It was as if she was finally being seen. Not only by her family and peers, but after that by Harry as well. She could feel his gaze when she entered a room, heard it in his laugh that his heart was a little lighter when they smiled about the same stupid thing. She knew that that she didn’t know everything, and that peace wouldn’t last, but when he caught her in his arms that day in the common room and kissed her in front of everyone Ginny felt like she might explode with happiness. Finally she was out of her shell, absolutely vibrant and it had gotten her what she wanted all those years ago.

And yet their relationship was short lived, not because they didn’t want one another, but because duty called. Dumbledore left Harry a nearly impossible mission and the world fully knew the danger that was about to embark. Her eldest brother’s wedding proved that, as chaos reigned on Bill and Fleur’s guests. Another reminder that they were at war, as Ron and his friends left without a word. Ginny left to pick up the pieces once again.

School Year So Far:

The train back to Hogwarts was morose. Luna with her head in the Quibbler, sat tightly next to Ginny who’s feet were up on the bench across from her and pressed against Neville’s leg, whose leg was between both of Luna’s on the floor between them. The three in an ever-sturdy triangle, as if proximity was safety, without even acknowledging it. It wasn’t broken until the Death Eater’s started patrol, and barged into the cabin where they were met with Neville standing quickly, and Ginny’s wand out at the ready. An early introduction to the tenseness that would follow. It was that night that the DA held their first meeting, calling all members whom still had their coins to the Room of Requirement.

With Neville and Luna, Ginny easily fells into the position of muscle. Maybe it was growing up with all those brothers. Curse-breaker Bill, Fearless Charlie, Meticulous Percy, Devious Fred and George, and Fiercely Loyal Ron, have taught her to be a Ruthless Protector. Picking fights in hallways when someone was unjustly treated, planning missions for breaking into the Headmaster’s office to steal back the sword of Gryffindor. Blood, sweat and tears were key ingredients in the first term. Even during winter break, in the soft calm of Grimmauld Place she could still hear the screams of her peers under the cruciatus curse. Part of Ginny feared going home for the holidays, worried that there will be no one to keep the DA in line, or protect them from the Carrows, but Molly would hear none of the complaints and Ginny couldn’t help but ache for her family. Surprisingly, it’s Arthur who suggested Ginny stay home for the second term though, but even her father can’t talk her into staying in the safety of her parent’s arms. No, this is her battle, this is her school. Her fight and she intends to see it through.

The fire in her belly was only fuelled further on the second train-ride back to Hogwarts that school year, when Luna is ripped away from her. A curse catching her off guard, and all she could do was watch as Luna was whisked away against her will. Ginny only let Neville see her cry that night, with the fear that they would never see their friend again.      

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Open Themes (Optional)

I am open to the possibility of applying for one of these later. At the moment, I really want to flesh out how Ginny processes her past in this new and harsh environment.

OOC Questions

Writing Sample

(I hope it’s okay if I have Crabbe/Goyle as NPC’s in this para sample! Though let’s be real I’d die of happiness if someone played them!) ADMIN NOTE: likewise!

There is a pit in her stomach that hasn’t been around since she was younger. And not just any cramp, that might be from nervousness of a big match, or the butterflies that rise with the glimpse of green eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. No, this was a deep seeded darkness, the kind that threatened in the shadows and spread through her bones like ice.

Ginny knows it’s different though.

Repeats it to herself over and over that she wasn’t going to lose control. That the Carrows, while vile and evil in their own twisted way, were not Tom. They weren’t, and he was gone. Sure, You-Know-Who is at large and a threat as real as ever, but he isn’t the same handsome face that had lulled a young girl to do his bidding. There was no one on Earth who could scare her quite like Tom, who had taken her consent, her mind and her will. He had  left permanent scars.

That didn’t change the fact though that the hall of Hogwarts were once again eerie, the redhead on constant alert, her hand almost always inches from her wand. Not that it was required. She couldn’t help the pride that rose whenever she won a draw with her quick reflexes. She had caught the winning snitch after all. It seemed like years, and yet it had only been months since she’d been on that high. Her house cheering her name as they stormed back through the castle (it had felt so much more like home then), when Harry had kissed her and for some reason deep down she had known he was going too.

No, it all feels like a dream now as she wanders the halls on edge. Even though it was between classes, the route to Potions is much less crowded than it had ever been before and turning the corner is when she stops. There stood Crabbe (or was it Goyle? She had never bothered to learn the difference since they were never in her classes) cornering a youngin’ who couldn’t be older than thirteen. Some poor sod who’d stumbled upon the wrong place at the wrong time, back to the wall and wide-eyed. It was safe to say without Malfoy’s orders, the pair of lackeys had somehow grown braver on their own and Ginny couldn’t help walk quicker towards him (though the nagging voice in her head that sounded like her mother kept telling her to stop).

“Oi, Orge-face!” She bellows, looking and sounding more like her brother Ron with every passing day. Her wand is already out when he turns towards her, much larger than herself, but there’s an angry burn inside of her that wants to make someone else just as mad as she is. “I’d say pick on someone your own size, but then we’d have to find a troll.”

Exploration

I want Silver Trio stuff! Neville and Luna are so important to Ginny, as her family and her character development. I absolutely adore how much Ginny loves them and the little canon things that show this, and can’t wait to play it out with them not just being buddies now, but a team. They’re the heart of the DA, and I think they take that so incredibly seriously. Not to mention I want to do the mission where they try to break into Snape’s office!

Anything with the Weasleys. I love the sibling relationship between Ginny and her brothers.

Ginny’s PTSD. She was possessed for an entire school year, that’s not something a person can just get over. Ginny hides it well, even in the same year it happened it’s mentioned that she appears calmer and more content. I think a coping mechanism has been for her to brush it under the rug over the years and focus on other things. I think it was even a reason she trained so hard at Quidditch (working out improves endorphins/gives her something to focus on and exhausts herself so she can sleep). So I think it’s been forgotten by a lot of people, and Ginny tends to promote that with her own behaviour towards it. With the Carrows taking over though, I can see it stirring up everything she’s repressed over the years and really triggers her nightmares and fight-before-flight reactions. She doesn’t react in the same way others do.

Her struggle as a leader, and how the people in her life still see her as the “little sister” or the youngest family member. Even the Golden Trio have always pegged Ginny as a step under them (her having to fight to go to the Ministry in Order of the Phoenix). It will be a power struggle when those people show up and treat her like they always have while she’s been at the head of the DA this year. In canon she’s been fighting this war the entire year, but when the Battle of Hogwarts happen, both her mom and Harry say she’s too young. She’s the second in command of the DA, the muscle, and suddenly there are people telling her she’s not up to the challenge. It’s something that she truly hates and is going to try to establish some dominance for.

[scorpmal]

So lately I’ve been toying with @kikaiz ’s reverse trio au (based in Danny Phantom) and it sort of led me down the path of this concept in the Harry Potter world, specifically with the golden trio, to create what I called the flipped trio au.

Basically what I’ve done is take each character from the golden trio’s archetype and gave it to one of the other two, keeping their personality traits that are there because of their nature over the environment in which they were raised. In this, Harry would take on Ron’s position in the golden trio as the “comic relief” type character, Ron would assume Hermione’s “smart friend” character, and Hermione would take on the “chosen one” character previously connected to Harry. Basically what follows is a ton of various ideas that arise based on this concept.

HARRY:

Harry would definitely end up more like his father than he is in canon: confident in his abilities (bordering quite heavily on arrogance), prone to mischief, and always making jokes

His parents aren’t dead is this au so he would be actually been raised by people who love and respect him

Still very similar to the character we know today but WAY more laid back and relaxed because his life hasn’t been nearly as stressful as it was in canon

I wanted to also attach to him the poverty aspect connected to the Weasley’s but it doesn’t make sense to me (James is from an already wealthy family, Harry is an only child, more than one working parent, and even if James and Lily were as grossly underpaid as Arthur was I still don’t think they’d ever truly be poor)

He and his family (specifically James) would 100% be labeled as blood traitors though. Not only did James marry a muggle-born but it’s pretty obvious which side they’d fall on in this sort of race war

I think Harry might actually have a slightly better (maybe?) relationship with Draco in this? I’m really not sure how that dynamic would change with Hermione at the helm of the trio

Not only would he still be playing quidditch but I think he’d be even better at it since he would’ve been playing for much longer

Might have actually been a bit better with girls after some coaching from James (and then Lily telling him to disregard it all in favor of her advice which lets face it would be much better)

Still manages to be hella clueless which I really think rounds him out nicely as a mini James

Not not only does he looks just like his dad but he acts like him too (definitely less douchey though) which weirds people out to a whole new level

RON:

Ron is no longer the youngest boy of a family of purebloods, but instead the only magical child of a family of muggles

This probably would help a bit with his feelings of being overshadowed by his brothers

However! He still thinks they would have been better suited to the wizarding world and is considerably anxious about proving that fear right

This is what leads us to Ron being the smart friend He doesn’t want to be as lackluster as a wizard as he thinks he is as a muggle so he spends way more time actually studying and actively trying to do well because his grades are one of the few things he can control

Still quite lazy in other respects, and I don’t think he’d every reach Hermione levels of being extremely focused in school because he doesn’t have that same innate drive as she does

Just as cool under pressure as he has been shown to be, but not because he’s grown up around and is extremely familiar/comfortable with magic but because 1) he’s got a huge family and is used to the pressure and 2) he’s the type of person who makes themselves comfortable or at least can adapt to new and unfamiliar situations and 3) if he can be deposited in a world previously unknown to him and not freak out (too badly) he has a pretty good handle on most things

His family would be financially stable similar to Hermione’s family and because Arthur wouldn’t be working for the Ministry and thus couldn’t be grossly underpaid by them

Doesn’t mean that Molly stops knitting her sweaters because they’re awesome

Still hates spiders

HERMIONE:

Grows up an orphan with terrible foster/adopted parents (we know nothing about her family) who treat her similarly to the Dursley’s and Harry throughout the series

The only difference would be she would get out of the situation much more quickly than Harry did

I don’t care what anyone says, Lily and James Potter are not letting their son’s best friend go back to an abusive home especially since James’ parents took in Sirius to shield him from a similarly toxic environment

This could go one of two ways: either Hermione becomes an honorary Potter similarly to how Sirius did as a teenager, or it could open the door to Sirius taking Hermione in himself. Both ideas have merit to them in my opinion

Without trying to sound overly complimentary of Hermione I honestly think she’s the best suited of the three to be the chosen one

She’s got really strong morals still and is able to use her position as the “chosen one” to push for what she wants more forcefully (“I defeated Voldemort as a baby! Join SPEW!”)

Hermione would also still be the one to call Harry and Ron out on their bull and keep them in line, so to speak

OTHERS:

Lily and James never die, which would set off a whole chain of events within their personal lives that I’m trying to keep as close to canon as I can

Peter would still end up on Voldemort’s side (can’t change canon too much) but he’d end up in Askaban and he would be the Prisoner of Askaban from the books who escapes I’m not 100% sure how it would play out but let’s ignore canon and go with it okay shhhh

Remus ends up teaching DADA like normal, but he’d be a better adjusted human

Snape would still out him as a werewolf to the entire wizarding world and I think he’d still end up going into hiding

Snape would also pretty openly hate Harry since Lily is still alive. Instead of him having Lily’s eyes being what protects Harry from Snape it would be a constant reminder that James and Lily got together and had the cute ass kid that is Harry

Harry would definitely mention it to one of his parents and it would culminate in Lily having some GODDAMN AGENCY in this “love triangle” and she could finally put to rest all of the Snily shippers the idea that it was ever a love triangle or that she was a prize to be won. She chose James and if Snape has an issue with that he can take it up with her fist (and he ends up getting punched because I made this au up and I need to see that)

That’s one of the many reasons he’s salty enough to out Remus

Besides maybe taking Hermione in as a surrogate daughter I really don’t think Sirius would work

The man is an eligible bachelor right up until the day he dies (unfortunately under similar circumstances)

Harry and Hermione still spend a lot of time at the Weasley’s house. That’s where Harry meets Ginny and they do their thing

I also like the idea of the Weasley’s sort of ushering in an era wherein muggles who know about magic (and squibs of course) are able to take an active part in the wizarding world. For example, Fred and George could still pretty easily found Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes — it doesn’t take magical ability to do potions and once they have a couple of wizards working for them they can collaborate to make charms and the like. Ron retiring from the Aurors to join at least George (unsure as to whether or not Fred should die) to help out makes a lot of sense in this. I don’t think it takes magical ability to ride a broomstick and play quidditch (lmk if I’m wrong) so for all we know Ginny could become the first muggle quidditch player. You hopefully get my point with this one

This is hella long but feel free to add your own ideas about this on this post or tagged under #flipped trio au

Don’t think too hard about canon and it’s a pretty interesting idea in my opinion