#Draco Malfoy is one of the most fleshed out characters and he’s still a piece of cardboard it just has shitty crayon scribbles of colour | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tinyhistory · 4 years ago

Note

Hey! Love your stories so much I just had to ask! Do you have any favorite drarry authors/stories? I sometimes compare the quality of other stories to ROA (oops!) because ROA is just that good. My personal favorites are ROA (of course!), the Foundations Series (saras_girl), the ordeal of being known (louisfake), denouement (the_never_was), Good to Me (And I'd Be So Good to You) (AWickedMemory), and To Hurt and Heal (cassisluna). Have you read these? Have a wonderful day! :)

Thank you, so glad you’ve enjoyed my stories! And thank you for so patiently waiting for a reply. I haven’t been online much in the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately I haven’t read any of your recs, but I’m always happy to add another fic to my to-read list.

I did a rec post a few months ago, but I’ll post an updated version now. The Skyhawke Archives appear to be down, which is crushing news. I’ve had to update a lot of the links.

So here are my favourite Drarry fanfics:

And We Are At Our Apogee (PG-13) by angelgazing

Summary: Draco wanted revenge, but it didn't work out that way.

My notes: Californian beaches, supermarkets, road trips, and a bittersweet ending.

A Reckless State of Mind (T) by Lomonaaeren

Summary: Draco is a Psyche-Diver, and his newest patient is Auror Potter, who’s been a pathological liar for over a year—and has just tried to violently end his own life.

Notes: The plot alone guarantees inclusion on this list. Probably the most creative fic I’ve ever read, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing.

Berlin, In the Year of Our Lord (PG) by Are

Summary: Harry is a green-tea addict. Draco stalks him.

Notes: Probably my all-time favourite fic, along with Blue Vase. It’s sparse and minimal and I love that writing style.

Blue Vase (M) by ivyblossom

Summary: Let’s pretend.

Notes: Draco finds an amnesiac Harry and befriends him, pretending they were once lovers. It’s pensive, short, and bittersweet.

The Boy Who Only Lived Twice (E) by lettered

Summary: Harry Potter is an Unspeakable. Draco Malfoy is the wizard who shagged him. Adventure! Intrigue! Secret identities, celebrities, spies! It's all right here, folks.

Notes: Action-heavy fics are damn hard to write, but lettered nails it. The action scenes are breakneck speed, the conversations are threaded with double meaning, and even the silences are tense.

Draco in Darkness (T) by Plumeria47.

Summary: Following an accident in his seventh year, Draco loses his eyesight.

Notes: This is one of the first fics I ever read (when it was over on FF in 2003) so it’s probably here just for nostalgia points alone. I read it when I was a kid and just thought it was a lovely golden fairytale, the best romance I’d ever read in my (very short, thus far) life. I love reading it again, even years later as an adult when I can see the tarnish on it; the things my childhood eyes didn’t notice. I don’t care. It’s my soft and fuzzy comfort fic.

The Flesh is Frail (NC-17) by wildestranger

Summary: None

Notes: Draco has injuries from curses and spells, and Harry keeps him company. Draco is angry; Harry is stubborn. They argue their way into a grudging relationship. It’s a short read and well worth your ten minutes.

Good-bye to Yesterday (NC-17) by furiosity

Summary: Draco felt ready to face even a million years in Azkaban as long as it meant that at the end of it all, he would make Potter pay.

Notes: It’s not a dark fic, but it certainly dips in and out of the shadows. If you like your romance to be sharp as a razor and bitter as black coffee, give it a read.

Hymn to Color (PG) by Lomonaaeren

Summary: Months after Draco cast a curse that took Harry’s eyesight, Harry is still trying to come to terms with it. Draco still wanted forgiveness, which was probably the problem.

Notes: Probably my very inadequate idea of “fluff”. It’s a quiet, introspective fic. Draco and Harry are well-written.

Kings among runaways (PG) by enderxenocide.

Summary: Later, the toast will be slightly overcooked, Draco will burn the eggs, and there will be another fist fight in-between the living room and the front door, but they’ll eat breakfast with second-hand plates and Draco’s great-grandmother’s silverware.

Notes: Dreamy descriptions, abstract scenes, and the characters are lovingly delineated. Beautiful writing.

On Broken Glass (PG-13) by coffeejunkii

Summary: After the final battle, Draco is holding the shards that are left of his and Harry’s life.

Notes: Established relationship. Harry’s forgetful and seems to suffer both short-term and long-term memory loss; Draco stays by his side through six years of post-war amnesia. Very short, just a tiny ficlet. There’s sequels (in bite-size pieces) but I prefer to read the first ficlet and leave it there.

Paper Dolls (M) by cupiscent

Summary: In the final year of the War, Draco gets a letter, makes a choice and pays the price.

Notes: Short, succinct, and packs a punch. No character deaths, in case the summary has you feeling nervous.

Portrait (PG-13) by Silent Blast

Summary: None.

Notes: Dorian Grey, but Drarry. Of course it’s going to be good.

Shattered (NC-17) by femmequixotic

Summary: One damned accident involving one too-lucky curse, and suddenly you'd think he was five again, with their Harry, be carefuls and their quick Levitating charms ready the instant the potion gives way and his rebelling hands lose hold of whatever's in their grasp.

Notes: Draco’s an artist. Harry’s intrigued by his sculptures and paintings.

Snatch (PG-13) by didntyoupotter

Summary: Harry is comatose, Hermione and Ron aren’t much help, and Draco isn’t sure about anything anymore.

Notes: The opening scene fools you into thinking this will be a light read with a streak of good humour. Don’t fall for it. By the third act, you’ll be hanging onto every word and feeling a lot of emotions. Also, back in the day, this was one of the Draco/Harry fics. Everyone knew of it. Pay your respects to your fandom history and read this beloved classic.

The Stages of Acceptance (T) by Lomonaaeren.

Summary: Harry, already happily married to Ginny, receives the news that he's Draco's mate. Law and custom don't give him the option of ignoring the news. The stages of his reaction, one by one.

Notes: This is not a romance, and I love that the author just casually chucks all the Veela tropes in the bin and says “nope”. In Lomonaaeren’s own words, this fic is more practical than romantic. Harry is unfamiliar with the Veela concepts and hates the very idea of being “shackled” to someone; he rejects Draco at once. Draco is miserable and lonely. They do eventually come to understand each other better, but it’s a huge struggle with lots of setbacks. The general air of pessimism and misery does make the small glimpses of compassion and empathy feel so well-earned. I love a fic that rations out its happiness.

The Stately Homes of Wiltshire (E) by waspabi

Summary: Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case.

Notes: This one needs no introduction. The writing is polished, the characterisation perfect, and the dialogue is fun. I love the humour woven throughout it.

Then Comes a Mist and a Weeping Rain (E) by faithwood.

Summary: It always rains for Draco Malfoy. Metaphorically. And literally. Ever since he had accidentally Conjured a cloud. A cloud that's ever so cross.

Notes: Another one that most of us know. It’s a lighthearted and fun read.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (M) by novembersnow

Summary: In the war-torn years after Hogwarts, one man has no knowledge of his yesterdays.

Notes: Another classic back in the feverish heyday of the Harry Potter fandom, when books were still being released and everyone had worked themselves up into a shipping frenzy. And no wonder this fic was an instant hit. Draco has lost all his memories and Harry’s investigating as an Auror, but the longer you read, the more you start questioning everything. Good twists and turns that lead to a tender ending.

Turn by Saras_Girl

Summary: One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Notes: An inevitable inclusion on any favourites list. I think my favourite thing about it is the characterisation. Everyone is so well-rounded; the characters are brought to life and feel like old friends. All their habits, styles, mannerisms, even the way they walk or talk. While I love everyone in this fic, I have to admit that Blaise is just amazing. Of all the thousands of Blaises imagined by fanfic writers, I love this one the best. “Old bean” indeed.

Under the Ivy (PG-13) by coffeejunkii

Summary: It is impressive how much you can learn about someone by simply sharing a few rooms. They don’t spend time together, not really, but Harry still knows that Malfoy prefers raspberry jam over strawberry, that he hums along to the Wireless when he thinks no one is around, and that his leg is bothering him more than usual when the temperatures drop below freezing.

Notes: Another old, old favourite of mine. It’s like snuggling into a soft blanket. Remus owns a cottage and Harry moves in after the war. Later, Remus lets a room to Draco, who is an outcast after the war and has limited housing options. Harry isn’t happy at first with the new lodger, but he eventually warms up to Draco. A slow and gentle romance.

Vale Sanare (M) by rurounihime

Summary: Draco’s world gains a new component, just when he thought he’d sorted everything out.

Notes: London nightclubs, one-night-stands, loud music and lonely nights. Draco has seizures due to a curse from the war, and the seizures have led to a fear of intimacy. Short and sweet.

The Way Down (T) by lettered

Summary: Malfoy’s all, “Come out of there,” the way you say to a cat who is badly behaved. And Harry’s all like, “No, what, I’m a hermit! And I have a chest-monster! And I am crazy magically powerful!” and Malfoy’s all, “We all have problems, bub.” (thoughtfully) “You are crazy though. I’ll give you that.”

Notes: I just adore this fic. The fic starts well-grounded, giving you a solid backstory and matter-of-fact context, but as it goes on, it slowly unravels into dreamy scenes, lush settings, and repeated motifs. It’s just such a beautiful story.

When Love beckons to you, follow him (PG-13) by megyal

Summary: Draco wakes up, lost, somewhere in a forest. He has no idea where he is or how he got there. As he is blundering around trying to find his way home, he hears Harry's voice in his head, telling him what to do.

Notes: I generally like my fics to be bittersweet or with a bit of heartache — but this fic is just a little cloud of softness. If you need something light and lovely without being syrupy-sweet, this is a good choice!

The World of the Living (M) by fourth_rose

Summary: A traumatised war hero and a convicted criminal under the roof of an eccentric journalist make for a rather odd ensemble, but Luna has never had a problem with oddities as long as they make sense.

Notes: The story is told from Luna’s perspective, which gives everything a lovely dreamy quality. She takes in a couple of strays after the war — first Harry, who is avoiding his other friends and has quit his Auror job — and then she offers a room to Draco right after his trial. Draco is rude, angry, and ungrateful; Harry is churlish, withdrawn, and moody. Luna doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest, and over the course of the next few months, her house guests slowly warm up to each other.

Voices From the Fog (E) by noeon

Summary: After years of running away, Harry crosses paths with an all-too familiar face and follows him to Amsterdam.

Notes: Harry drifts across Europe, trying to forget the war. He ends up in a woodworking shop in Amsterdam, alongside a moody Draco. Atmospheric settings and solid characterisation.

#draco/harry fanfic #drarry #drarry fic recs #drarry fic #answered asks

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thegryffindorprincess · 4 years ago

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Worthy//Draco Malfoy x Reader

A/N: Okay first, holy shit like two of my fics have like four hundred notes also there’s nearly two hundred of you here??? Cool. This is a super sad piece about Draco after the war struggling with his identity. It’s heart breaking really, but it needs to be written that this is how I see Draco’s character 80% of the time x

Set: Golden Trio Era & Post War

Word Count: 3,050

Warnings: loads- swearing, abuse, death, injuries, violence, self harm

Y/N walked down the halls of Hogwarts, brushing her bleeding fingers along the stone walls, tears bubbling in her eyes. The war was won. She knew really inside she should be feeling elated, happy- celebrating that her life would no longer be controlled by fear or hate. But images of her friends lifeless faces where already beginning to fill her head when she closed her eyes, she’d lost everything- her parents dying at the Dark Lord’s hands before the battle had even commenced, her heart was oh so heavy. Her feet dragged up the stairs of the astronomy tower as she used the back of her hand to wipe the torrents of tears that where beginning to spill from her eyes, running down her face, painting it with sadness. Y/N sobbed as she grabbed her bruised side that had been injured when she attempted to jump in front of the spell that had been aimed at Lavender Brown, before Greyback had brutally murdered her. She climbed the stairs as below her, hundreds of Hogwarts students mourned and celebrated together in bittersweet happiness. When she emerged onto the tower, she sprinted to the edge, hanging her head over the side, letting the screams that had been threatening to come out before, erupt. She yelled out into the darkness in despair, gripping onto the railings until her knuckles began to pale. When there was nothing else left to come out, bent over into herself, breathing heavily, letting her body feel what it needed to. Her sudden silence was broken by the sound of sobbing from the other side of the tower- somebody else was here. Y/N awkwardly walked towards the source of the noise, hobbling slightly because of the shooting pain coming from her ribs. There was a curtain hanging towards the right of the room, that usually hid the equipment that students used in astronomy. Y/N quietly moved the curtain to the side, shedding light into the enclosed space. Huddled in a ball, shaking violently and uttering heart-shattering sobs was Draco Malfoy. He looked up at her as she disrupted him, his eyes flittering over where she stood. His eyes where usually a piercing blue, but they had faded to grey, black rings circling them. His face was essentially white, he was usually pale, but in his current state it was if the boy had never seen the sun. And most importantly, he looked terrified to have been found. Y/N entered the small cupboard space, letting the curtain fall back behind her and she slid down onto the floor so that they were face to face, bringing her knees to her chin. They didn’t speak, Y/N simply sat near to him as he continued to sob into his jacket. When his cries began to come out weaker and more fragile, she leant into him, attempting to give him a side hug. She felt him tense beneath her touch.

“Don’t touch me.” The boy sobbed, barely meeting her eyes. Y/N pulled away immediately, shuffling away from him too.

“I’m sorry.” Y/N whispered weakly, looking down at the floor. Draco simply huffed at her, playing nervously with his sleeves, ignoring her attempts to catch his eye. They sat together for a while, feeling the time pass, but neither spoke, the silence surprisingly comfortable. They’d never really spoken before, they were from very different families and walks of life. They shared their broken hearts however and Y/N could feel his breaking in front of her, just as hers had moments before. Struggling to think of anything to say, Y/N rummaged in her cardigan pocket for a moment before producing a small piece of scrap parchment. She removed her wand from her other pocket too, noting how Draco flinched when she moved for it. Then muttering a spell underneath her breath she wrote on the parchment, Draco watching her silently, unable to see what she was doing. When Y/N was satisfied with her work, she folded the parchment carefully before passing it to him. He took it apprehensively, watching her closely as she stood up to leave.

“Read it. I mean it.” She whispered, before walking away, letting the curtain close the gap between them as he heard her descend the stairs. Draco looked down at the scruffy piece of parchment and almost, almost tossed it to the side. Instead he unfolded it carefully, revealing her neat handwriting. He read:

This is my address. If you need to talk, send me an owl. You are not alone, Draco and there is nothing you can ever tell me that is too much. People care, don’t shut them out. YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE.

Y/N x

And as he read and re read her words, more tears began to fall. But this time, they were not of despair but of hope.

XXX

Draco paced his room in Malfoy Manor, breathing shallowly, tears slipping down his face. He wanted to howl in despair as he made a bolt to the bathroom. Once inside, he locked the door with his wand, making sure nobody could interrupt him. He took his shirt off in a hurry, fumbling over the buttons as he threw it to the floor. Draco looked down at his forearm, wanting to scream at the sight of the mark that was etched into his skin. He took his wand in his hand, breathing deeply, attempting to steady himself. He’d left the house today, for the first time since the trials against him and his family, going to Diagon Alley just for a change of scenery, a chance to reminisce on his innocence- not that he’d gotten a chance. Draco had been jumped by a band of particularly angry wizards, muggleborn’s whose families had been murdered by his aunt. He didn’t blame them for their insults or their attempts to tempt into a duel, no, he blamed himself. His wand hand began to shake vigorously as it lay against the mark, his dull eyes watching how it writhed underneath his skin. Draco took another deep breath before pressing the wand closer to the mark, letting it dig into his skin, making his eyes water.

“Sectumsempra.” He whispered quietly, letting the spell shoot from the tip of his wand, burning the skin on his arm. Blood began to appear as his flesh began to tear right in front of his eyes. He let it.

“Deserved.” Draco said to himself as he whispered the spell again, this time harsher leading to the skin physically bubbling. His head began to spin as it hit him how much blood was beginning to come from the wound. Shit. He attempted to fix it with his towel that was folded on top of the sink basin, but the blood soon seeped through and onto his other hand. Draco racked his brains trying to think of a spell that would make it all go back to normal, but he couldn’t, it was all too much. He held onto the edge of the bath as he staggered back, the pain over whelming, each and every one of his senses becoming blurred. As the world began to fade, he heard a screaming Narcissa blow the door apart with her wand before rushing to his side, holding onto his arm, kissing his forehead. And as Draco felt the two of them apperating away into the darkness, he suddenly heard a voice: “you are worthy of love.”

He awoke in a bed that certainly wasn’t his own. Draco stretched out his limbs and scanned the room. noticing it almost immeditely as Saint Mungo’s. His eyes shot straight away to his forearm, noticing it was still tightly wrapped in bandages.

“They couldn’t get rid of it.” Draco’s eyes shot up to meet his mothers. She was standing, pale faced and nervous at the foot of his bed, clutching her right arm with her left hand. “I’m so sorry Dray, it’s the dark magic... I-it can only fade naturally overtime.” She walked towards him resting her hand on top of his, his fingers flinching at her touch. She withdrew them straight away.

“Please, let me be.” Draco croaked, watching his mother frown at his words but comply, sending him a sympathetic smile and apparating away. Draco watched her go and pushed himself up out of his bed slowly, walking to the door of his room. He checked that the reception of his ward was empty, pulling the door closed towards him as he recoiled back into the room. Standing in the middle of the room, he closed his eyes, thinking of the address that Y/N had scribbled on the piece of parchment months before, memorizing it. He felt the room slip away and when he opened his eyes, he was in Hogsmeade, standing in front of a small bungalow. Just as Draco began to realise how truly rash his actions had been, the green door opened to reveal Y/N in her pyjama’s, slightly open mouthed. She sent Draco a weak smile, beckoning him in, moving aside so he could enter her home without their bodies touching. He felt like a fool as he wandered into her home, collapsing into one of the well-loved sofa’s in her living room, right infront of a roaring fireplace. She observed his appearance quietly, taking in his messy hair, the bags beneath his eyes that only seemed to deepen, the hospital gown that hung from his skinny frame and the bloody bandage that was wrapped around his forearm. Y/N didn’t say anything, instead got up and bustled over to the kitchen that was open to the small living room.

“Tea?” She asked gently, motioning to a kettle that sat upon the counter top. Draco nodded and Y/N placed her wand to the kettle, it instantly spouting steam and whistling slightly. He watched as she carefully placed two large, yet chipped mugs onto a small tray, followed by a pot of sugar and a jug of milk. She popped a tea bag into each of the mugs, before pouring water into them, making sure not to spill any as she did so. Then, she picked up the tray and placed it onto the coffee table that sat in the middle of the two sofa’s. Y/N sat down onto the other one, motioning at the tray. “I like to let people do their own milk and sugar, it’s always easier that way.” Draco nodded again, leaning forward to add milk and a sugar into his mug. The two sat in comfortable silence, similar to the first time they spoke on the tower in May. They drank their tea. Once finished, Y/N gave a satisfied sigh and placed her mug back onto the table. Draco followed suit a few moments later, too before pulling himself from the comfort of the sofa.

“Th-thankyou.” He whispered to her as she walked him to her door, opening it for him. He flashed what looked almost like a proper smile for a few seconds, letting her return one.

“Anytime.” Y/N said frankly. “Really.” And with that she stood back, watching Draco leave her house in a flash.

XXX

Draco began to turn up at Y/N’s at least three times a week since the first time he’d arrived- not that she complained, the company was always welcomed. It had been six months since they’d first met on the tower and she could tell that Draco was starting to understand that she wanted to help, slowly trusting her piece by piece. They were sat in her living room as always, two mugs of tea set out on the table in front of them, a splash of milk and a spoon of sugar for Draco- something she’d learnt very quickly. They’d both just set their mugs down with a satisfied sigh when Y/N turned to face him, their eyes meeting suddenly.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?” She asked softly. Draco watched how her eyes burnt with care, glancing at his arm that was still wrapped with the same bandage. He hesitated for a minute and then all at once, pulled the bandage from his forearm, revealing his now very bruised and contorted dark mark. He looked up to her eyes, tensing at the idea of them filling with shame and hatred, but to his surprise found them to be full of sympathy. And then everything began to spill out of Draco’s mouth. He told her everything. He told her all about his painfully innocent childhood, how his fathers abuse had gone from verbal to physical, the circumstances in which he was forced to take the mark that now cursed his skin, about his parents plans for him filled with arranged marriage and forced birth had Voldermort won, but as he spoke Y/N didn’t interrupt or judge or scorn, she listened. And that’s all Draco wanted. When he finished, Y/N shuffled closer to him, ensuring they didn’t touch, but so she was close enough that he could feel her presence.

“You are so brave.” She whispered. Draco shook his head furiously. “No you are. You are brave and good and kind and caring and strong and,” she paused leaning into him, “twice the man your father is.” At the last part of her sentence, Draco collapsed into her arms, something that neither of them were expecting, but a pleasant surprise none the less. Y/N pulled him into her as he clung to her neck, tears wetting her shoulder. She rubbed his shoulders gently as he heaved and sobbed. When he finished, he pulled back, shocked at his own vunerability. But he was met with her smile and that was enough. Draco left that night with a slight smile on his face and a heart that wasn’t as heavy as it once had been.

XXX

Narcissa noticed the positive changes to her son since he’d been going to see his new friend and she was determined to hide it from her husband. You see, the war changed many people positively, but not Lucius. He came home one night furious. He snapped at his wife about needing to speak to Draco before ascending the stairs and storming into his bedroom, robes billowing behind him. He pulled Draco up by his collar, pinning him roughly against the wall, his face just inches apart from his son’s, mouth twisted into a nastly snarl.

“When were you going to tell me about your relationship with that nasty little mudblood girl?” Lucius snapped, forcing Draco to look into his eyes. Draco didn’t reply, he’d learnt no to. He just tried to keep breathing as his dads grip moved to his neck, tightening. Lucius dropped him suddenly, causing him to hit his back hard on the wall, before falling to the ground. “Pathetic.” Lucius spat, using a large, booted foot to kick Draco in the stomach, before striding out of the room. Waiting for him to leave, Draco wasted no time in apparating back to Y/N’s house, this time arriving in her living room, grabbing at his stomach.

“Draco!” Y/N exclaimed, jumping at the wizards arrival but soon noticing his injury. Tears were streaming down his face, and he immediately fell into her open arms, letting her wrap him up in her scent and her warmth. “We need to get to the bathroom okay love?” She asked softly, running a hand through his hair carefully. He nodded. Y/N helped him hobble to the bathroom, sitting him down on the closed toilet seat. Draco wailed slightly as her cold hands began to remove his shirt. “Are you sure I can touch you?” She asked, hovering over the last button. Draco nodded again, but this time desperately. Y/N understood, removing his top. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the new bruise forming on his stomach and she opened the cabinet above his head, returning with an ointment. She rested on her knees as she began to smooth it over his stomach, she noticed that he hadn’t flinched this time. The bruise began to sink back into Draco’s skin, disappearing. It was then that Y/N began to notice the rest of his body. Their were deep scars from cuts all over his chest that she began to fix too, as well as deep cane marks in his back that angrily poked out slightly. She continued until his chest and back were clear. Their eyes met once more.

“Y/N...” Draco whispered, holding her arm in his hand carefully.

“I know.” She responded gently, “Don’t say it yet. You have to be sure.” Y/N packed the ointment up putting it back into the cupboard. He nodded at her words, understanding what she meant. Draco let her take him through to her room slowly. “You’re staying here tonight, I won’t let you go back there... I won’t.” She watched him clamber into bed, resting his head softly onto the pillow. Y/N turned to leave once he was comfortable, but was stopped.

“Stay with me.” Draco choked out, his face illuminated by the bedside table lamp. Y/N hesitated, not wanting to over step the mark. “Prove to me what you told me all those months ago.” She cocked her head then.

“What do you mean?” She questioned. Draco pulled the empty half of the beds duvet over towards him.

“That I’m worthy of love.” Y/N smiled then, catching his eye, before gently undressing, squishing into bed with him. “Can I say it now?” He asked, resting his chin on top of her head and their bodies tangled together. She nodded.

“I love you.” Draco said sighing. “I love you. And before you say it, I mean it, I promise. I didn’t think it was an emotion I would ever feel, but you, you taught me love, Y/N” He pulled her closer to him then, placing a kiss to her forehead. “And I don’t know what this means for our future, but I know what it means for right now.”

“What does it mean?” Draco laughed, for the first time ever since the war, and leant down so that his and Y/N’s lips were ghosting over each other.

“This.” He said gently, before their lips met, joining in a careful yet powerful kiss.

“I love you too.” Whispered Y/N, letting Draco cling to her once more. “So, so much.”

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incorrectlumityquotes · 4 years ago

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FULL REVIEWS: “I Was A Teenage Abomination”

So if you read my previous review you know that I didn’t like the last episode. That scene of Eda and King mocking Luz almost made me drop the whole show, but the lesson at the end convinced me to to give the show another chance especially since the season just started. Good thing I did because wow did the show deliver.

I’m not the biggest fan of the magic school trope, but I can see why people use it. The most common settings for fiction are schools, homes and work places because they all force people to come together and interact. And while I do think all magic schools look alike (almost all of them) because they’re just castles, I don’t know if Luz, Eda and King can carry an entire show by themselves. A school would force new and different characters in. Variety is the spice of life as they say. What Luz needs is more people her age to bounce off of and we got them.

The episode starts hilariously with The Owl House fam at the beach collecting crap from a dead giant ass slug. It’s when Luz suggests that she might some actual witch apprenticeship in her...witch apprenticeship that Eda accidently lets it slip that magic schools are a thing that exists in The Boiling Isles. BTW, if everyone could do magic on The Boiling Isles, wouldn’t magic school just be called school or is there a separate school system where magic is just an elective you can opt out of? I’m thinking too hard.

Luz decides that being knees and elbows deep in garbage isn’t for her and walks off to find our first new friend, Willow.

Willow is just a little sweetheart. Friend to all plants, kind of a pushover, but kinda really not. She lets Amity walk all over her but that could be just because of their past history together. But as soon as Amity is out of sight, Willow lets the anger flow through her like the Emperor’s dialogue in a Star Wars movie. Also looking back on this episode, it’s so weird to see Willow wearing the abomination purple uniform. I guess because she wears plant track green for the rest of the season that seeing her in her old uniform is unnatural or something.

And here comes the spice of life, baby. When I first heard about Amity I didn’t think twice about it until I heard that she was going to be voiced by Mae Whitman. Freaking Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Yuffie from Kingdom Hearts 2, April O’Neil from TMNT 2012, Rose/Huntsgirl from American Dragon Jake Long, Tinker Bell in...Tinker Bell and Roxy from the live-action Scott Pilgrim movie. I had to see it. And wow. She’s so good at being such a bitch. It’s delightfully mean-spirited. But I think if you compare her performance here to later episodes (especially her first lines) you can sort of hear how Mae Whitman finds her groove to become Amity. Kinda like when you hear Marco Diaz in Star vs the Forces of Evil in the first episode and then in the last episode. But that’s nothing new.

My first impressions of the character were that she was going to be a Draco Malfoy clone, especially after how she put down Willow. Also this filled out enough Harry Potter tropes to make me think that they were going to go down a checklist or something. That’s just the way the world is now. Someone says magic school, first thing you think of is Harry Potter.

Luz has seen enough hentai to know where this is going!

But seriously back to the episode. Willow is surprised to see a human on The Boiling Isles and we see Luz pull her first scheme to help Willow: dress her up in as her abomination and sneak Luz into the school. Willow gets a good grade and Luz gets to see the school. Easy peasy, one two three-sy.

Another thought that I remember having when I first watched this episode was what the H is an abomination? I’ve known people to use the word when they don’t really like something but other than that I have no clue. It’s not the Marvel villain, and it’s not something that causes a feeling of disgust. It’s not even a biblical reference. I checked. It’s more like a golem, but whatever. It’s Dana’s fantasy world. So it’s not really a reference to anything.

And then we have our other friend, Augustus. A supposed human expert who thinks Luz should’ve had gills. Luckily Luz knew an Augustus in the human world that everyone just called Gus, so new nickname. He’s...smaller than the others but we find out in a different episode that he’s actually younger than everyone else and skipped a grade. He’s smart but still a kid.

“Boy, let me tell you what!”

Luz helps Willow get a good grade and this pisses off Amity something fierce because she’s (in this episode) the kind of person who needs someone who she knows she’s better than to feel good about herself. But we find out in a later episode it’s because she’s a stickler for the rules and abhors cheaters. (That’s a good word, abhor.)

Amity’s freakout at the cafeteria gives her an opportunity to call Principal Bump into the situation, but I’m still stuck on Luz being excited over a PB&J. LIke seriously? What has Eda been feeding her? Or not feeding her? She knows her has to feed Luz right? Humans gotta eat too. I have concerns.

Yeah no, your ass would be fired.

Bump tries to bump (lol I’m funny) Luz and it’s out that she’s not an abomination; she’s an intruder. The climax happens which is fine, but Luz punching out abominations reminds me of my argument on why zombies aren’t scary. I mean, if they are decaying flesh how would they have super strength or any strength? It makes no sense. If abominations are just walking piles of goo how would they have super strength? Magic? Is that gonna be your answer to everything?

“Curse you Boiling Isles public school system!!!”

I forgot to mention the B-plot with King and Eda and I really like it. I love the comedy in this show and the B-plot has all of my favorite jokes in this episode. I just get upset talking about it because I know some asshole is going to call it filler. I remember a time where “filler” was used to refer to anime only episodes or story arcs that were produced to let the manga catch up with some more chapters. Now everyone uses it to refer to stories they don’t like. Not stories that don’t further the main plot, but stories they don’t like.

Animation is difficult and takes a lot of time and money. If they do something, they do it for a reason. If it doesn’t further the plot then it develops the characters. It’s okay for a comedy to just have an episode that tells jokes. That’s the point of a comedy, to be funny. It’s okay if an action show just wants to do a fight scene or a set piece. That’s what action does. But I know some dipshit is gonna reblog or reply and argue with me about what filler means or what it really means and yada yada yada. Free tip, do that and I’ll block you because this is my blog and I can do that. Also, fuck you.

“I have no son!” My favorite line of the episode.

The episode ends a little too neatly with Willow telling Luz that everything was resolved offscreen. Willow is now in the plant magic track. Amity is begging Bump for a good grade, and Luz is banned from Hexside. For now...

FINAL SCORE: 5 - Loved it!

This episode was a bunch of fun. It was super funny, introduced some great characters and saved my interest in the show. I knew I made the right choice to give this show another chance and it paid off. I wondered why they would introduce the school only to have Luz be banned but I just figured we would have more sneaking in scenarios. Egg on my face, huh?

Still this episode was a great time and I couldn’t wait for the next one.

#the owl house #my works #full review #full reviews

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wlntrsldler · 4 years ago

Text

unrequited (draco malfoy/ cedric diggory series)

PROMPT: You and Cedric grew up together. After the tragedy of the Triwizard Tournament, you’re left feeling empty without your best friend. Draco Malfoy steps into the picture. Will the feelings be reciprocated? Or will it be unrequited?

WARNINGS: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, angst, fluff, sadness???

PAIRING: draco malfoy x reader and cedric diggory x reader; hufflepuff reader

WC: 2.5K+

UNREQUITED MASTERLIST

UNREQUITED PLAYLISTS (SEND ME SONGS!)

PART 13

You haven’t seen Draco the entire day. The last you’ve seen of him was from last night, before Snape sent him away. His seat in Potions remained empty, making your stomach churn at his absence. The entire time, Snape’s knowing eyes remained on you. He stared at you with determination, as if he knew something about you that you didn’t invite him to know. There was something different in the air but you couldn’t quite place your finger on it.

You only saw Draco once. He was scurrying out of the school as you sat in the Great Hall for dinner. You quickly got up, disrupting the conversations around the table, and sprinted towards him before he was too far gone. The halls were deserted as most students were in the Great Hall. Your footsteps echoed throughout as you followed the sounds of his own.

Draco stopped in front of the main doors, silhouette looking as small as ever as he stood in the middle of the castle. He wore an all black suit. He was leaning against a pillar, head in his hands. When you approached him, he lifted his head to reveal his worried expression.

Without another word, you wrapped your arms around him, feeling him shake under your touch. “What’s wrong? Where have you been?”

“I’m leaving,” he pulled away to break the news to you. He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, trying to soothe your confused expression. “I have to get back to Malfoy Manor tonight.”

“What?”

“I-I need to talk to my father,” he whispered, gulping down the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “Please don’t be angry.”

“I’m not angry,” you responded, taking his hand in yours. “I’m just worried about you, Draco.”

“What did Snape want from you last night?”

“Nothing, he just told me not to go out there again.” You furrowed your eyebrows, confused as to what Snape had to do with this conversation.

“For thirty minutes?” he asked, unconvinced.

“What are you talking about?”

“You were gone with Snape for thirty minutes, Y/N.”

You shook your head, looking at him like he was crazy. “No, I was gone for five minutes at most. He just told me not to go out there again and that he’ll be closing off the passageway now that he knows about it.”

“No you weren’t.” He pointed out, stepping away from you. “I waited for you by the stairs that lead to the Hufflepuff dormitories. I waited there for thirty minutes before Sprout caught me and told me to bugger off. I don’t think you’re telling me the whole truth, Y/N.”

You narrowed your eyes, “What are you on?”

“I just don’t think you’re telling me the whole truth.”

You felt the blood boil in your veins. You scoffed, creating more distance between the two of you. He sensed the change in your tone, stepping closer to lessen the space. You held up an arm to stop him from getting closer. You narrowed your eyes, “Do you not trust me, Malfoy?”

Panic flashed across his features as he quickly shook his head. He stuttered as he spoke, “N-no, of course I trust you but I ju-”

“No buts, Malfoy.” You began to walk away, ignoring his desperate pleas for you. “You don’t trust me and that’s appalling. Snape and I didn't talk about anything. I’m pretty sure I would remember if something happened last night.”

He grabbed your arm before you could walk too far from him, turning you to face him. Draco studied your face, trying to see any signs of dishonesty. “Y/N, I’m just worried, okay? That’s why I have to leave tonight. I have to protect you.”

“What are you talking about?” You looked at where he was holding you, a slight sting on your flesh as he dug his fingertips in your skin. You shook off his hand, still not quite understanding why he was being so odd. You thought back to last night and his sudden change in attitude. He went from the Draco you were growing fond of to the distant Draco that you first met. He was beginning to shut you out again.

It took so much out of you not to kiss him and forgive him when you saw his sad eyes staring back at you when you pulled away. You never pulled out of his touch before. He stared down at his hand as if it was destructive, like it burned you. Hurting you was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He bit his lip, looking down at his polished shoes. Before he could respond to your question, the doors opened.

“Draco,” a stern voice called from the steps. You both turned to look and you felt him stiffen beside you. His father. Lucius glared at you as he approached Draco, who took two steps away from you. “Time to go.”

Draco gulped, shooting you one last look, “Yes, father.”

You watched, dumbfounded, as the two figures started to walk out of the doors of the castle. Lucius kept a hand on Draco’s shoulder, preventing him from turning to look back in your direction. You let out a broken breath as you frantically searched for a bright yellow light to shoot out of the ring on his finger. Nothing.

Curious, you hid behind a pillar, closer to the two of them, until you were close enough to see Draco’s hand. When he dropped his hand to his side, your heart shattered when you saw his finger was bare.

“Father, please,” Draco begged. He sat across from his mother, staring intently at his father who sat on the end of the dinner table. The house was quiet, not even the bustling of the house elves were heard. He dropped his utensils on the side of his plate, losing his appetite. “Don’t drag her into this.”

Lucius didn’t bother to look in Draco’s direction as he spoke, “Severus already spoke to me. My mind is made, Draco.”

“Father.” He let out a shaky breath, unable to stay calm. He subconsciously gripped the ring attached to the chain he hid inside his shirt, the thought of you already beginning to calm him down. Draco looked across the table to his mother, who was looking down sadly at her plate of food. Her fork scraped the plate, a screeching noise filling the uncomfortable silence. “Mother?”

Narcissa looked up from her plate for a brief second, staring at Draco with an apologetic look in her eye. Before she could speak, Lucius cleared his throat, making her stop. She gulped and stabbed a piece of meat with her fork, “Dinner’s quite lovely tonight.”

Draco’s shoulder dropped in defeat, picking up his fork again. He stirred the contents of his plate around, unable to take another bite. Snape had told his father about you and his father was not pleased to hear that Draco was becoming distracted. This was what he was fearful of. He didn’t want you getting caught up in all of this, especially not because of him. But now, it was too late. They knew about you now, and if he was unable to complete what he was asked by the Dark Lord, they would come after you, as they did with your parents.

Fear struck his core. He knew it would only be a matter of time before they found out about your parents and once they did, who knew what they would do to you. Your parents were seen as traitors to the Dark Lord, they would not go easy on you with their torture. He looked down, letting a lone tear slip from his eyes. He wanted to protect you. You were the only good thing left. The only light in his life.

As if on cue, a faint yellow light was seen from inside his shirt. He caught the sight before it disappeared as quickly as it came. He looked up, making sure that nobody else saw it. He sighed in relief when he saw his parents engaged in another conversation.

Suddenly Draco spoke up, “What if I killed him?”

Lucius snapped his head to his son, confused by his sudden outburst. “What?”

“Dumbledore.” Draco stated, trying to muster up the courage to finish his thought. “What if I killed Dumbledore? Would you leave Y/N alone? I know I said I couldn’t do it but if it means that you won’t touch her… What if I did it?”

“Draco-”

Narcissa was cut off with a look from Lucius. She sunk in her seat, afraid of her husband’s stare, but her eyes remained on Draco. Lucius took a sip from his glass, clearing his throat, “Very well. I’ll speak to Severus.”

Draco nodded, apprehensively, and excused himself from the table. As he walked up the steps to his room, his heart began to beat faster. What did he just sign up for? He collapsed on his lonely bed, a small amount of dust puffing out of his unused covers. He coughed slightly, waving off dust particles that clouded his vision. He took out the ring from under his shirt, already missing the way it felt on his finger.

He missed you. There was no denying that. He hated the way he left you there, by yourself, in the middle of the castle, but he knew he had to. His father already knew too much and he wasn’t going to risk your safety. He would never risk losing you. Draco knew Snape did something last night because he received a message from his father early in the morning telling him that he needed to return to Malfoy Manor at once. He was hoping he didn’t have to see you before he left because he didn’t know where to start in his explanation. It was too dangerous to be caught right now, he knew that.

Draco sat in silence for a while, thinking and dreaming of you. If he was still at Hogwarts, you would be laying on his chest, giggling as he tickled your sides. You would curl up beside him, not caring that he was as cold as ice, and pepper kisses from his face down to his neck. He would hold you close and enjoy the moment, not even caring if you don’t love him back and you were still in love with Cedric, because he knows that he’ll love you so much that it’ll be enough for the two of you.

“Draco?” A knock at his door startled him. His mother opened the door, her steps quiet to make sure Lucius wouldn’t know where she was heading. “May I come in?”

Draco sat up, dusting off his covers to make her more comfortable. ��Of course.”

Narcissa walked in, taking a seat beside her son. “Can we talk?”

“About?” he asked, but he knew what she wanted to talk about.

She sighed, running her fingers through his hair, like how she used to when he was younger. “You know what.”

Narcissa thought about the first summer after Hogwarts. At dinner, Draco gushed all about his time at Hogwarts, beaming brightly at his parents as he told story after story. But something about it made Narcissa feel uneasy. She smiled along at his words but once it was time for bed, she snuck up to see Draco.

He was curled up on his bed, holding onto a bear she gave him when he was younger. The young boy laid there in silence, sniffling quietly. He sat up, wiping his eyes when he heard her walk into the room, “Mother, what are you doing here?”

She smiled at him, sitting next to him on the bed. She caressed his hair, letting him lean on her for warmth. She cooed, “My sweet boy, tell me what’s wrong.”

At those words, Draco broke down in tears. He hugged her tightly, discarding the bear that was once in her place. “I have no friends, mother,” he began, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m supposed to have friends, right? I don’t have anyone. I don’t think anyone likes me enough to be my friend.”

Narcissa kissed the top of his head, “It’s only your first year, love. You have plenty more to go.”

“I guess,” he sniffled, pulling away from her. “And I miss you, mother. You’re not around.”

She tucked him in his bed, smiling sadly down at her son. “I’m always going to be with you, Draco. Don’t you ever forget that.”

As she got up to leave his room, his small hand took a hold of her wrist, making her turn around. She looked at him, confused. In a whisper, Draco asked, “Will you sing to me?”

She climbed into bed beside him, holding his small body close to her chest. She wrapped an arm around him, rubbing her palm on his upper arm, trying to give him some warmth. Draco shivered at the cold, the blanket on top of his body not doing much. Before she sang, she placed a kiss on his temple, “Always.”

Narcissa couldn’t help but smile at the memory, staring fondly at her son who grew up way too quickly for her liking. Draco sat beside her, looking down at his shoes, afraid of what his mother might say. Finally, he spoke, “I need to do it.”

“No you don’t,” she replied.

“They’ll hurt her, mother.” Draco said, simply. It was like it wasn’t a decision to him, and to an extent, it wasn’t. There wasn’t a decision that needs to be made when it comes to you. He will do what needs to be done as long as it means you’ll be okay. “I love her.”

“My sweet boy,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around him. Draco followed her actions, not realizing just how much he missed his mother. She was the only one who ever showed him love. “You know, I’m so proud of you.”

Draco mumbled, “Yeah, I’ll be carrying out the plan of the Dark Lord, just as I’m meant to.”

Narcissa pulled away, gripping his shoulders tightly. She shook her head, “No, not for that. I’m so proud of you for protecting those who you love. I couldn’t care less for this plan. All I care about is you, Draco. You’re my son. You’re my heart and my soul. All I want is for you to be happy.”

He let a smile appear on his lips as he began to think of you, “She makes me happy.”

She stared at him in awe for a few moments, treasuring the way his eyes twinkled. She kissed his forehead, holding him close to her heart. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you smile. I’ve missed it.”

“When this is all over, I want you to meet her.” Draco said with a heavy weight on his chest. A part of him knew that those chances were slim. Anything can happen in this war. He didn’t know if you would make it or if he would, but he prayed to the stars that it would be him to go first. He couldn’t imagine a life without you and you deserve a chance to live more than he did. He smiled, the ring you gave him twirling between his thumb and his index finger. “I think you’d like her.”

Narcissa placed a hand over Draco’s, “I can’t wait.”

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vivithefolle · 4 years ago

Note

Love isn’t a Deus Ex Machina thing, it’s literally the core theme of the series, hence why Love Magic exists

Love Magic is never a concept at any time in the series. It’s only about “Lily Potter’s spell”. But what’s so special about Lily Potter? What’s so great about her? She did the thing any halfway decent mother would do for their child: she gave her life for them. Molly would’ve done it for any of her sons. Narcissa would have done it for Draco. Mrs Granger the nonentity would have done it for her daughter had she not been lobotomized instead. Lily Potter’s sacrifice isn’t anything special. It’s only special because Rowling decided so, because the Plot needed it to be.

Love isn’t a Deus Ex Machina thing? Then how come Quirrel conveniently burned to death at Harry’s hands? How come Harry had to live at Privet Drive because reasons so he could be abused so naive readers like you could feel very sorry for the poor widdle orphan and pat themselves on the back because wow, aren’t you special for feeling sorry for the poor widdle orphan?

And I didn’t misunderstand Harry. I literally explained him to you

If you don’t like him, I don’t care. Just stop giving his uniqueness to other characters

And you literally showed me exactly why you don’t understand him.

Harry’s superpower isn’t teh special uniqueness of his luuuurve, or the absolute pure pureness of his heart, it’s that he has FRIENDS. Friends who’d die for him, friends who’d sacrifice themselves for him, friends who’d do anything for him. THAT’S the power of love, not some bullshit ~special pure pureness of the heart of Harry Christ our lord and savior~. Harry isn’’t unfailingly kind or uniquely loving or whatever the shit. Harry is a run-of-the-mill teenager who has such obscene luck I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he was conceived under the influence of Lucky Potion.

You just showed me you’re a member of the Church of Harry Christ and I’m not interested in joining. Dear God I thought I was too attached to fictional characters but wow am I glad I’m not at your level.

Also one more thing: “tortured” someone?

Sure. A painful stunner is DEF torture (that’s legit all his Crucio did; it acted as a painful stunner. It threw Carrow backwards and hurt him while it did. Crucio isn’t even close to that when performed properly)

............ you... you fucking little hypocrite.

You filthy, lying, little bitch cunt of a fucking hypocrite.

Remember when I said the next person who’d try to lie to me to pity poor wee widdle Hawwy would be sorry? You pathetic little piece of shit. If you’re so in luuurve with your precious cuntfuck of a camera archetype you’d accept EVERYTHING about him, wouldn’t you? Haha, but noooo. “Oh wee poor Hawwy only used a painful stunner :)))))))” you fucking little bitch. Oh you accuse ME of trying to “make Hawwy not special :(((” but you... YOU... Hahahaha sorry everyone. I have a slight aversion to people blatantly trying to gaslight me. You may find me getting a little bit angry if you happen to trod on this trigger of mine.

Let’s see that again shall we? Open your eyes and your chakras, bitch, we’re going for a ride.

“It’s not a case of what you’ll permit, Minerva McGonagall. You time’s over. It’s us what’s in charge here now, and you’ll back me up or you’ll pay the price.” And he spat in her face. Harry pulled the Cloak off himself, raised his wand, and said, “You shouldn’t have done that.” As Amycus spun around, Harry shouted, “Crucio!” The Death Eater was lifted off his feet. He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain, and then, with a crunch and a shattering of glass, he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor. “I see what Bellatrix meant,” said Harry, the blood thundering through his brain, “you need to really mean it.” - Deathly Hallows

If I could reach through my screen to force you to look at the relevant bits, I would. And I’d also slap you in passing. Yknow, just so you think twice before being a stinking fucking hypocrite again in the future.

Now, let’s do some actual literary analysis that isn’t your ~wah hawwy puwe of heawt luuurrrve~ diarrhea you’re still trying to paint my poor innocent blog with.

Now let’s see that PaInFuL sTuNnEr in detail:

He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain

In bold so you can see it very well. Admire the curve of each letter, the angles and the lines. And most of all, interpret the meaning of each and every word. Watch how he’s compared to “a drowning man”, do you know how excruciatingly painful and distressing it is to drown? How the air fills your lungs as you claw desperately for the surface, trying to find something to cling to, anything, the feeling of your lungs filling with this foreign substance you cannot spit back out? The feeling of fading away as all your oxygen is consumed by the futility of your hopeless flailing, your muscles losing their strength, your panic dulling as you slip into unconsciousness and water claims yet another victim...

Of course, drowning people don’t thrash and howl in pain. Because all they’re focused on is trying to BREATHE. But Amycus’ focus isn’t on trying to breathe. Amycus is only focus on Harry’s Crucio and the pain it’s bringing him.

But sure Anon. A pAiNfUl StUnNeR. Fuck you.

and then, with a crunch and a shattering of glass

Now I’m aware Dummywood has made you believe that glass can be traversed easy without any consequences but real glass doesn’t work like that. Real glass takes some force to shatter. Real glass shatters into hundreds of tiny pieces that embed themselves into your flesh and skin, kinda like... oh! Kinda like that glass chandelier that fell on Hermione, once. After she herself was Crucio’d if I remember well. Hmm, by whom exactly, I have it on the tip of my tongue...

“I see what Bellatrix meant,”

Ah yes. By the woman who tortured to insanity Neville’s parents and whom Harry is literally acknowledging as having taught him this particular lesson.

Harry himself is TELLING US HE LISTENED TO BELLATRIX’S ADVICE. ON FUCKING TORTURING PEOPLE. But “a PaInFuL sTuNnEr He’S aN oRpHaN :’‘‘(((((”. Fuck off. Fuck off, Anon. Fuck off and learn to fucking read.

Ah but I got ahead of myself! We’re not even CLOSE to the point!

he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor

So Amycus gets tortured - or, as Anon astutely put it, pAiNfUl StUnNeR - smashes through a sheet of glass, and gets knocked out.

Hmm. Now if Harry just took out a knife and brought it to Carrow’s neck, he’d be worthy of being called Bellatrix’s faithful apprentice.

And now I’m gonna quote one of my Quora answers again because my followers deserve better than to see me completely lose my mind at some anonymous cowardly cunt trying to lie to my fucking face.

On the topic of Harry’s Crucios:

This could mean that Harry is scarily proficient at casting Crucio, that Amycus has low pain tolerance or that he was knocked out when he fell, but regardless of the meaning, IT’S NOT GOOD. EVEN IF IT’S A DEATH EATER, EVEN IF HE PROBABLY DESERVES COMEUPPANCE - IT’S NOT HARRY’S JOB TO GIVE OUT SAID COMEUPPANCE.

(Like, can I please remind everyone that Harry is supposed to be the Jesus Christ of his story? In the Bible we never have Jesus Christ torturing the pharisees or any of those who didn’t believe in him. Just… you’re telling me Jesus “Peace and Love” Christ would torture people… what the hell, Joanne?)

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

…………………….. Um. Harry, what the fuck are you doing???! He’s taken Bellatrix’s advice! He actually relates to the insane sadistic terrorist! He is capable of using a curse that literally requires sadism to work!

(Again, when someone tells me “Jesus Christ”, “sadism” isn’t the first word that would come to my mind.)

At least there’s some sort of reaction. “the blood thundering through his brain”. But that’s a very… nondescriptive reaction. Is it the “adrenaline pumping in my veins” blood? Is it the “holy shit what have I done” blood? Is it the “I could get used to this” blood?

We don’t know. We’ll never know.

Alright, skipping to the part that interests us -

She struggled to pull herself together. “Potter, that was foolish!”

Eh, I’d have said “tactically unsound” (what if Amycus wasn’t knocked out), “monstrous” (that’s Bellatrix’s favourite curse you’re using, Harry), “insane” (re: Bellatrix), but yeah, I guess “foolish” would also cover it.

“He spat at you,” said Harry.

Ever heard of Disproportionate Retribution, Harry? A few fascists regimes all over the world were especially fond of it.

Then I’m skipping over the one thing that causes the most outrage because I’ll go back to it soon, just let me finish with this:

“[…] but don’t you realize — ?” “Yeah, I do,” Harry assured her. Somehow her panic steadied him.

I guess we can imagine that McGee is saying “don’t you realize what you’ve just done?”

Harry “assures” her he realizes. Harry knows. Harry has just used the literal goddamn Torture Curse and he’s totally cool with it. Or, if he was uncool with it, now he’s cool with it. Because “her panic steadied him”. So seeing McGonagall panic makes Harry think “yeah, using Crucio was the right thing to do”.

Well then! Onwards then, Dark Lord Potter! First it’s just one Crucio, then it’s just three, then it’s just one little murder of one lowly little naysayer, then it’s only a little more murder…

And now we’ll go back a smidge, because how are we supposed to react?

How are we supposed to reconcile the idea of Harry, who’s supposed to save us all through his Power of Love, with the Harry that has just tortured a man into inconsciousness?

Even if that man was a Death Eater, Harry is supposed to be the Christ-like figure. He’s supposed to be love and forgiveness incarnate. Heck, not a hundred pages later he’ll offer forgiveness to freaking Voldemort! He forgives Draco Malfoy, he forgives Albus Dumbledore, he forgives Severus Snape!

So how do we reconcile Harry Potter The Forgiver with Harry Potter The Torturer? Tell us, O Author! Tell us how to navigate the murky, twisted depths of human morality!!

“Potter, I — that was very — very gallant of you — […]”

…

…………………

………………………………………………

That was… gallant?

Gallant?

Wait, doesn’t gallantry imply some form of honor?

As in, not taking your opponent by surprise -

Harry pulled the Cloak off himself, raised his wand…

As in, facing your opponent head-on instead of hitting them in the back -

As Amycus spun around, Harry shouted…

As in, not torturing your opponent???

He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain

That’s… unless the definition has changed, nothing about this is gallant…

Let me just -

(of a man) polite and kind towards women, especially when in public

showing no fear of dangerous or difficult things

Alright, so, Amycus isn’t a woman, so Harry can’t, by definition, be “gallant” to him.

Still, being “polite and kind” to a woman didn’t involve “torturing someone who disrespected her”, last time I checked. Punching an asshole harrassing her, definitely *pats Ron*, but torturing that asshole… no, just no.

And well, I guess casting Cruciatus is a difficult thing to do… and Harry didn’t seem very afraid to do it… that’s not supposed to be a good thing, but apparently, now it is…?

What made that

As Amycus spun around, Harry shouted, “Crucio!”

more gallant than

“What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!”

After all, they’re the exact same thing. Torture. Inflicting tremendous pain upon someone for the heck of it.

Why do people lose their heads over Harry using Crucio, when they seem to neglect the fact that Draco Malfoy cast it?

Well, easy enough - Draco Malfoy is an evil little cockroach. The guy wished death upon people, he bragged about the fact that his Daddy dearest was a terrorist who killed people. It’s not too surprising that an evil little cockroach like him would find it acceptable to torture someone he considers “not human”, isn’t it?

What’s more surprising however, is that the hero, Harry Potter, who has been subjected to the Torture Curse, whose only use of the Torture Curse previously was when he felt distress and pain unlike any other, that Harry Potter whom is supposed to be a hero and some sort of role model, would actually manage to use said Torture Curse even though it requires real sadism to actually work.

And what’s even worse is that Harry Potter casts that curse, that literal Torture Curse, and instead of being rightly horrified, instead of being terrified by the boy’s use of such a heinous spell, instead of saying “alright Harry, you’re not doing this again, ever, right?”, instead…

Instead McGonagall calls Harry “gallant”, instead of telling him off for using such a curse. She briefly calls him “foolish”, but it doesn’t register, really, since she ends up calling him “gallant”.

That’s what angers people. That the Torture Curse is the most horrible, awful thing you can do to people… unless you’re Harry Potter, in which case it is a little “foolish”, but mostly “gallant”.

......................

But of course, little Anon over here isn’t angered. Because little Anon is a faithful devoted member of the Church of Harry Christ Our Lord And Saviour. Little Anon can say enormities like A pAiNfUl StUnNeR and believe it with the whole force of their little Anon heart, because uwu Hawwy speshul orphan pure lurve uwu.

Little Anon, please get the fuck out of my blog and never, ever come back. I’m sure this arrangement will be beneficial for everyone involved.

#vivi answers #ask #harry potter #harry potter series #crucio #cruciatus #cruciatus curse #bellatrix lestrange #hp meta #lily evans #lily potter #tw: drowning #harry potter critical

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noncanonlove · 5 years ago

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Happy Birthday, Draco Malfoy

The cake had been cut, the presents opened, and now Draco was alone again.

In theory it'd been the perfect 40th birthday.

The house elves had outdone themselves this year with the cake and he'd been surrounded by all of his friends and chosen family for an amazing meal. The gifts had all been lovely and thoughtful. They'd even all evaporated by his preferred hour of nine o'clock.

There had only been one thing missing.

Well, actually, one person.

He hadn’t seen her since he’d asked her to marry him three weeks prior. She asked for time to think about it and while that’d stung, he’d tried to be understanding and had given her space. He knew she wouldn’t leave him waiting forever. Had faith that whatever she was doing, it was of the utmost importance. It wasn’t within her character for it to be otherwise.

The stars twinkled overhead as he sat,enjoying the splendor of the evening with a glass of aged Firewhiskey.

The tumbler was half empty when he felt a presence behind him. He didn’t even have to turn to know who it was. Hermione settled in the seat next to him and before he could utter a single syllable, she’d plonked a small box neatly wrapped in light gray paper and tied together with a dark gray bow.

His eyes moved from her to the box and back. He took a moment to study her. She was wearing his favorite green off the shoulder gown, the pearl earrings and necklace set he’d given her, and a pair of tall black high heels that brought to mind many nights of passion. She was sat straight up with a regal posture that would have made his late mother proud. The only thing that gave her away were the fingers that were pleating her skirting despite how she tried to hide it with her other hand.

A mix of emotions battled for dominance. He wanted to demand to know where she’d been, what she’d been doing, and did she know how destroyed he’d felt the past three weeks? Again, his knowledge of her overcame that aspect by the skin of its teeth. So instead of saying anything, he pulled apart the ribbon as well as the lid.

Inside, on a bed of velvet was a Golden Snitch. His eyebrows furrowed. He had dozens of snitches, even now that he rarely played anymore. He had every single Snitch from every match he’d won except for one. The only Snitch he did not have was the one he’d given to her. She’d lost a wager with him over the outcome and it’d resulted in their first date. When he’d dropped her off on her doorstep with a kiss to the hand, he’s slipped it into her palm “for safekeeping.”

He opened his mouth to ask when a thought interrupted him. Snitches have flesh memory. His teeth clicked when he shut his mouth and he delicately plucked it from the box with his left hand and cradled it in his palm.

In the span of a breath it floated off of his palm opened up to reveal a neatly folded piece of parchment. With trembling fingers and a shaky breath he pulled it free and unfolded it.

I love you. Yes. Was written in her neatest script. He looked over to meet her gaze and found her biting at the corner of her bottom lip. His fingers itched to pluck it free.

“You mean it?”

“Only if the offer still stands.”

“Come here.”

She shot to her feet, only to stumble in the tall footwear. He managed, just barely, to maneuver her into his lap before she hit the ground.

She brushed her hair back from her flushed face. “Happy birthday.”

He couldn’t stop his chortle. “Thank you. Despite it being my birthday, I think I have something to give to you.”

He reached inside the tiny pocket of his waistcoat and produced the platinum and ruby engagement ring he’d used when he’d proposed. It was an heirloom, of course, and one of the singular red pieces in the entire collection.

She placed her hand in his and he slid the ring home before squashing her against his chest, burying a hand in her ridiculous curls, and pulling her down for a fierce kiss.

When they finally parted and he’d sucked in a lungful of fresh air, he met her eyes again. “Where did you go?” he whispered.

Now that he had the most life-altering question in his life answered, he had to know what was so important that she would leave him hanging for three bloody weeks.

“Australia,” she replied, just as quietly.

He froze. That meant... “You saw your parents?”

She hadn’t spoken nor seen her parents in twenty years. They’d had many a conversation over it around the anniversary of the falling out. He’d watched her drink herself silly on more than one occasion over it.

“Yes.” The wind ruffled their hair as she assembled her thoughts and clutched his waistcoat with both hands. “I showed up on their doorstep and said that it was high time that we sorted everything out between us. As you know, they wouldn’t even speak to me after they’d gotten their memories back. Had me removed from their property.”

The fingers he’d curled in her hair slid down to run up and down the length of her spine over and over. He’d sit here all night with her if he had to.

She let out a quiet breath before she picked her tale back up. “At first they shut the door on me, but I remained there for two days without moving. Then on the third my mother came out in tears and demanded to know why I’d done what I had. Then for the rest of the time I was there I explained why I’d done it and spared no detail.” Hermione tucked her head against his neck and breathed until the shakiness had steadied out.

“How’d they take it?”

“Poorly. It took them a long times to come to term with the fact that I fought in a war that they’d never have been able to protect me from. It was the first time in my life I’d seen my father cry. It’s something they’re still struggling with but they’re slowly working on it. When I left, they made me promise to call them every week. They’re thinking about coming back to London now.”

“Why did you decide now to go?”

“Because, like I told them, I could not begin my life afresh with the clutter and the shadow of the past hanging over me. My house had to be in order before I joined it with yours.”

He froze. “What did they say?”

He sat back up and looked him in the eye again. “They were angry at first but once that wore off it opened up an entirely new set of questions and conversations. They want to meet you.”

He was forty years old today, he refused to be afraid of a pair of Muggles. “They don’t own one of those rifle things do they?”

“Of course not! I could never imagine my father with a gun even if you implanted the image straight into my brain.” She snorted and then again, but the second time with laughter.

She’d went there to resolve her past. She’d did it for herself, but she’d also done it to start fresh with him. He couldn’t imagine the anguish she’d suffered with the act. The reason of why she’d done it quenched the secret anger and agony that had built up while she’d been away.

He pulled her into another kiss. Everything was going to be fine. She’d conquered her boggart and now she could move forward in life with him. She stroked a line down the buttons of his shirt and he felt the cool brush of her magic as it undid each one.

“Let’s go inside,” she muttered against his mouth.

They made it to the living room before she divested him of both the shirt and the waistcoat before pushing him onto the sofa.

She climbed back in his lap and trailed open mouthed kisses down his throat. Her lips crossed his clavicle and trailed down his chest, pausing to flick her tongue each nipple and eliciting a hiss from him. She explored his abdomen and belly button with that wicked tongue while her fingers unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers.

His mumbles of how she didn’t have to went ignored as she pulled them off of him entirely, along with his socks. He almost never wore underwear, so that was one layer skipped.

She stared at him from her position between his knees as she lubricated her palm and fingers with her tongue. He hissed when she wrapped it around his stiff cock and began slowly to pump up and down. He swallowed hard when she licked her lips and sucked the head into her mouth.

She was warm and wet and perfect as ever as she bobbed her head up and down, suckling him as her hand worked what wouldn’t fit in her mouth. The ends of her curls tickled his thighs as the fingertips of her other hand caressed his bollocks. He threaded his fingers through her hair as she worked him, entranced at the sight.

He’d wanked so much in the past three weeks but now after having his cock in her mouth for less than five minutes he was already on the brink. He tightened his fingers in her hair and gently pulled her off of him before he could embarrass himself. He wasn’t ready to be finished yet.

He leaned forward, reaching behind her and unzipped her dress the entire way before pulling her to her feet. He froze for a moment and drank her in. The dress and heels were all she’d been wearing and now only the heels remained.

He pulled her down onto the couch and maneuvered between her legs. Two fingers slid between her folds and he delighted in finding ample slickness. He began to rub tight circles on her clit as his mouth enjoyed the bounty of her breasts. Her thighs tightened against his as she squirmed and whimpered.

“Please.”

That was all she ever had to say. He lined himself up and slid the tip along her slit before slowly sliding home with one smooth thrust. He grasped one of her hands, pulling it above her head as their fingers laced together. Her other arm pulled him down flush against her as he set his pace. The scent of her was strong in the curve of her neck and shoulder where he worshiped with his mouth.

“Touch yourself,” he begged.

When her hand snaked between them to work her clit, his hips picked up the pace, snapping against her with each thrust. His heart slammed against his ribs.

Bum-bump bum-bump bum-bump, love-you love-you love-you.

It wasn’t he heard her breathy cries that she loved him too did he realize that he was mumbling it against her skin over and over and over.

Her walls fluttered around him before she came apart with a shriek, squeezing his fingers and leaving indents of her nails in the back of his hand as she trembled beneath him. Moments later he followed her with a hoarse cry against her skin as he came undone.

Afterwards, when cohesive thought was a thing again, he maneuvered them to where she was tucked between him and the back of the couch, wrapped up in him.

She watched him with hazy brown eyes. “Did you have a good birthday?”

He kissed her fingertips, then her ring finger, then stole one straight from her lips. “It was the best.”

“Love you.” “And I love you. Always.”

#Dramione #Draco #Hermione #Happy Birthday Draco Malfoy #Smut #Bit of angst

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dramioneficrecommendations · 5 years ago

Note

Hiii I accidentally jumped in dramione fandom, and I'm looking for good stuff for this weekend. Could pls tell me your 5 (or more)favorite dramione fics ever? Thanks!

I hope you like it here and stay with us… forever. LOL (Honestly, we have the best fics and authors in the entire HP fandom.)

Here are some of my all-time favourite Dramione fics (you can also check out my fic rec tag):

Revert by SUPRNTRAL LVR: Six months post-war, Malfoy is in serious trouble. He’s on the run from the Ministry, Death Eaters, and a deadly curse which is eating him alive. When he hits rock bottom, a change in fortune lands him in 12 Grimmauld Place under the Ministry’s custody - and forces Hermione to remember the secrets they’ve both kept for years. Dramione, Sick!Draco, flashbacks to Hogwarts, hurt. Rated: M - Chapters: 24 - Words: 260,266

Manacled by SenLinYu: Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret locked away in her mind. She is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve, to be bred and monitored until it can be accessed. COMPLETE. Rated: M - Chapters: 77 - Words: 384,000

Isolation by Bex-chan: He can’t leave the room. Her room. And it’s all the Order’s fault. Confined to a small space with only the Mudblood for company, something’s going to give. Maybe his sanity. Maybe not. “There,” she spat. “Now your Blood’s filthy too!” DM/HG. PostHBP. Now complete with epilogue. Rated: M - Chapters: 49 - Words: 284,050

Five Days by RavieSnake: No one knows that they are missing. No one knows where they are. No one knows that they are trapped. No one knows that they are dying. Dramione. WINNER for Best Drama/Angst and Best Tragedy in the Winter 2017 Dramione Fanfiction Awards! Rated: M - Chapters: 14 - Words: 32,001

Aurelian by BittyBlueEyes: Two years after the war, a young stranger pays a visit to the burrow. His arrival alone is baffling, but the news he brings of an upcoming war turns the world upside down. Hermione’s quiet, post-war life will never be the same. Rated: T - Chapters: 43 - Words: 270,571

The Politician’s Wife by pir8fancier: Hermione hates Draco in the springtime, Hermione hates Draco in the fall, Hermione hates Draco 247. Rated: M - Chapters: 14 - Words: 68,629

The Revenant by atalanta84: Sometimes fate brings us far from home, and sometimes it brings us back again. When a friend’s mysterious death causes Draco Malfoy to return to Britain, he is finally forced to face his past, and the love he left behind. A story about second chances. Rated: M - Chapters: 10 - Words: 67,866

The Fool, the Emperor, and the Hanged Man by ianthewaiting: Ten years after the fall of the Dark Lord, Hermione Granger leads of life of self-imposed obscurity, that is, until the day Headmistress Minerva McGonagall is murdered and a certain ‘hero’ is responsible. DM/HG, written originally in 2007-2008, and finally making its debut here! AU, DH-EWE, non-canon elements, time travel, character death, etc. Rated: M - Chapters: 28 - Words: 229,334

The Dragon’s Bride by Rizzle: 7th year. Draco & Hermione awaken in a Muggle hotel room, naked, hung-over and tattooed. They also happen to be married. Thus begin a desperate search for a solution to their sticky situation. Rated: M - Chapters: 61 - Words: 225,164

The Eagle’s Nest by HeartOfAspen: COMPLETE: Hermione’s eighth year at Hogwarts is already going to be difficult in the aftermath of the war, but it is further thrown into upheaval when Headmistress McGonagall orders a re-sorting of all students to promote inter-house unity. But when the Sorting Hat sends Hermione to Ravenclaw with Draco - and without Harry or Ron, how will she cope? [AU/Dramione] Prevalent alchemy. Rated: M - Chapters: 70 - Words: 306,322

Thirteenth Night by Nelpher: When Hermione is assigned to keep tabs on a memory-charmed Draco, she is faced with a decision that could change her life forever. Rated: M - Words: 77,997 Chapters: 23

Ordinary People by inadaze22: “Let me be clear about something tonight, Granger. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted. It’s always been you.” Draco steps in the fireplace, drops the Floo powder, and disappears in a burst of green flames. Rated: M - Chapters: 18 - Words: 133,759

This, Too, Is Sacred by HeartOfAspen: COMPLETE: An ancient power has required generations of purebloods to pledge their lives to the blood pact. Draco has long known he was born to uphold this tradition… but Hermione’s parents have secrets, hidden details about her heritage, and soon it will be her turn to cast in with fate. [Dramione AU] Fantastic cover art by Witches-Britches. Rated: M - Chapters: 23 - Words: 90,994

Gravity by luckei1: It’s about arranging stacks of books, wall colours, and jumping off a cliff. Draco/Hermione Rated: T - Chapters: 10 - Words: 87,155

Dystopia (new version) by Rizzle: Kidnapped and expecting to be abandoned to his fate, Draco Malfoy writes a personal account of recent life, love and loss after the end of the Second Wizarding War. His story encompasses two unforgivable acts, a wedding, a divorce, a kidnapping and maybe, just maybe…a rescue. Rated: M - Chapters: 15 - Words: 19,885

A Slow Cruel Descent by SenLinYu: The war grinds on and Hermione Granger is captured. Unable to crack her through interrogation without risking her mind, Voldemort conceives a cruel method of breaking her that involves Draco Malfoy. “He stared at her in disgust. She looked— broken. The fire she’d still had when she was dragged in was now extinguished. Her eyes were locked on his face like she were memorizing him.” Rated: M - Chapters: 2 - Words: 8,687 (Sequel: A Fragile Ascent)

Heavy Lies the Crown by luckei1: For seven years, Draco has carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and just when he thinks he’ll be released, something happens that will make him seek help from the last person he could have imagined. Rated: M - Chapters: 36 - Words: 289,967

To Wear a Dragon’s Skin by creativelymundane: When Bellatrix Lestrange takes control of the wizarding world after the demise of Voldemort, the remnants of the Order keep fighting. Seven years later, Draco brings Hermione a piece of magic that might be the key to finally ending the war. Together they will destroy Bellatrix Lestrange or die trying. Violence, Implicit Rape, Sexual Situations. Rated: M - Chapters: 26 - Words: 137,484

A Pound of Flesh by PennilynNovus: One night at a strip club, Hermione is faced with someone from her past, and an opportunity too good to pass up. What starts as revenge quickly grows into something else, and she may find it to be more than she can handle. Limes, Lemons, M. Rated: NC-17 - Chapters: 33

A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy by Countess of Abe: Draco loves his son more than anything in the world. So, when his ex-wife plans to take his son away, Draco asks the most unlikely person for help. Hermione must decide whether changing her entire life is worth helping the man she hates unconditionally. Rated: M - Chapters: 25 - Words: 136,998

Apple Pies and Other Amends by ToEatAPeach: “It’s a veritable PTSD tour. With pastries. And hand-skimmed clotted cream. And Hermione has no idea why she’s doing it, but it’s becoming very apparent that she is.” Sometimes you’re sad. Sometimes you need dessert. And sometimes, it’s a little of both. [COMPLETE, DRAMIONE] Rated: M - Chapters: 30 - Words: 80,226

Fairy Stone by Colubrina: Draco is sentenced to one year in Azkaban, release contingent upon someone willing to vouch for his good behavior. Hermione does. “Oh, I want you,” he said. “You, just you, always you. You forever and you for always and you until the bloody sun explodes.” Dramione. COMPLETE. Rated: M - Chapters: 4 - Words: 13,827

The Mountain and The Sea by Alexis.Danaan: Hermione Granger was perfectly happy with her life, her job as a Healer Trainee, her ugly cat and her cute little house in the countryside. And then Draco Malfoy had to go and mess that all up, typical git. Post-Hogwarts, EWE, OOC, creature!fic. 18 Rated: M - Chapters: 12 - Words: 43,464

Celestial Navigation by phlox: Lost, without direction, unable to find your way home? Coming soon, a new Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes Ekeltronic to guide you on your journey! *Your mileage may vary.*Rated: T - Chapters: 3 - Words: 13,640

Waiting Room by Nelpher: A series of encounters with Draco Malfoy in the waiting room at St. Mungo’s teaches Hermione about love, friendship, and the intersection thereof. Rated: T - English Words: 61,418 Chapters: 14

Voices by Kyonomiko: Hermione has long accepted she might not make it through the war alive, but after years on the battlefield, she never expected to be at the mercy of Draco Malfoy. Not untouched by his own experiences, his manic behavior leaves her living in constant fear of the unknown, suffering both affections and afflictions at his hands. Rated: M - Chapters: 3 - Words: 19,724

Friend Number Three by riptey: COMPLETE - How do you deal with the Pureblood aristocracy, Ministry corruption, Muggle culture invasions, and constant questions about your love life while juggling more than two friends and not being a total jerk? Don’t ask Draco: he doesn’t know. D/Hr Rated: T - Chapters: 26 - Words: 138,388

Seven Days In April by inadaze22: They were still the same people with the same problems on either side of a bathroom door. Rated: T - Chapters: 7 - Words: 40,097

Everything Changes by inadaze22: “Thank you for cheating on me, Ron. It’s the best thing you could’ve done. Thank you for stopping me from making the worst mistake of my life.” My first Dramione story. Rated M for strong language and sexual content. Rated: M - Chapters: 17 - Words: 76,191

Out of the Silent Planet by ianthe_waiting: Post-Hogwarts - Hermione Granger fulfills Severus Snape’s final wish, to journey to Japan to ‘retrieve’ something of importance. Set eleven years after HBP. Rated: NC-17 - Chapters: 39 - Words: 229,710

Ardent Bonds by Musyc: Maybe it was wrong to think about this, maybe it was horrible to even consider, but if Draco Malfoy liked to dominate, she couldn’t stop herself from picturing it. Picturing him. Rated: E - Words: 16,741 - Chapters: 1

Seven Times by kerriclifford240879: Seven times can mean a lifetime of change. Rated: M - Chapters: 7 - Words: 16,526

#dramione #draco x hermione #hermione x draco #Draco Malfoy #Hermione Granger #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #dramioneficrecommendations #ask

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writcraft · 5 years ago

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GRACERENE FIC RECS

I’m afraid with upcoming fest deadlines I haven’t been able to write my dear friend @gracerene09 a fic for her birthday, as I had hoped. Instead I decided to do a rec post featuring ten of my favourite fics by Grace. I was spoiled for choice as Grace has a huge catalogue of works with many different themes and pairings, so I decided to pick ten stories with different pairings so there’s a little something for everyone, whatever your tastes.

Dearest Grace, THANK YOU for being such a wonderful friend and for all you do for fandom as a beta reader, as a mod, a regular reader and reccer and for all the beautiful stories you have produced over the years. I hope you enjoy this small token of my appreciation and I promise I’ll finish your gift fic sometime soon!!! You’re a marvel.

Recs beneath the cut.

Palace of Eternity (Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy) | 27,909 Words

It had been twelve years, five months, and six days since the last time Harry had laid eyes upon Draco.

REC: I have said this to Grace before but she has been smashing it out of the park recently with Drarry fics. So many engaging stories handling incredibly different topics and plots. It was a very tough job to pick just one favourite, but this story has stuck with me since I first Brit Picked it and I’m going to select this with a strong recommendation to check out Grace’s other Drarry works. I love how Grace approaches the creature fic trope, dealing with the things people lose when they become immortal as well as the sexy (and oh BOY is this sexy af) side of vampire romance. A struggling but determined Harry, a hot as hell Draco and a gorgeous story of two men who have lived longer than most finding one another through the years. Love it.

Side-Effect (Harry Potter/Firenze) | 3,716 Words

Harry's all mixed up over his feelings for Draco, so Firenze offers him some mystical Centaur herbs to help grant him some clarity. Turns out these herbs have some… unexpected effects on humans.

REC: This is the power of Grace. To take a very rare pairing I never expected to enjoy and to write something brilliant that made me want to read more. I love that Grace always challenges herself to write different pairings for the monthly Daily Deviant prompts and like all of her others, this one brings depth and layers to an unexpected pairing and is hot enough to burn. Brilliant.

bluelight (Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley) | 1,553 Words

Ginny knew this camping trip would be special.

REC: I think it’s pretty clear to anyone that reads Grace’s work that she’s a deft hand with scenes with explicit content. I’m recommending this story because I think it’s a really wonderful example of how well Grace does with other things, like offering gorgeous character details and tackling difficult emotions without being overwrought that make the short story so incredibly satisfying to read. I love this quiet, gorgeous femslash offering so much and highly recommend it.

to taste your beating heart (James Sirius Potter/Teddy Lupin)| 2,184 Words

All James had ever wanted was Teddy's heart.

REC: This story blew me away. It’s super dark (heed the warnings) but that never puts me off a story. I love the twists and turns, the obsession and blood lust that this fic is saturated with. It has elements of ambiguity that leave the reader guessing without feeling unfinished or unsatisfying and I just loved seeing the darker side of Grace’s writing! Terrific.

Find This Feeling (Alicia Spinnet/Ginny Weasley) | 27,444 Words

Ginny has everything she ever wanted: a lovely (if small) flat in the City, a wonderful boyfriend to share it with, and most importantly, her dream job as a reserve Chaser with the Holyhead Harpies. She thinks she's got life all figured out, until a new friendship forces her to reevaluate everything she thought she knew about herself.

REC: I love this beautiful story. A long femslash from Grace was such a treat and I couldn’t wait to read this when I found out she was working on a piece exploring Ginny’s queer awakening and coming out. This feels so true to life, so warm and satisfying to read. A beautiful story of growing up and finding love in the most unexpected of places. The characters are so well fleshed out and the scenes Grace creates are vibrant and full of energy. I just adored reading about Ginny gradually finding herself and found this whole story terrific and moving from start to finish.

Show You The Ropes (Bill Weasley/Sirius Black) | 3,884 Words

Bill's got a problem, and Sirius is more than willing to talk fuck him through it.

REC: Another example of Grace catching me unawares with a pairing I never knew I needed. This is so HOT I love the whole premise of the story, the way Bill and Sirius experiment together and how Sirius helps Bill out. The dynamics are brilliant and it was a real treat to see this unexpected pairing brought together in such a delicious way.

Won’t You Give Me What I Want? (Harry Potter/Remus Lupin) | 7,417 Words

Harry knows what he wants, who he wants. What Harry doesn't know is how to ask him for it.

REC: HELLO CROSS-GEN FIRST TIMES I LOVE YOU. This is a pairing I love, and the dynamics in this are exactly how I like my Remus/Harry. A persistent, bold Harry who knows exactly what he wants and a resisting (but not really wanting to) Remus. The ‘we shouldn’t because it’s wrong’ dynamic is handled brilliantly here, with gorgeous tension and build up to an incredible smut scene. Awesome work as always.

Corridor Quickie (Harry Potter/Charlie Weasley) | 1,065

Written for the prompt: There's nothing quite like making Harry come in his pants.

REC: Yes, this was my prompt so maybe I’m biased but I’m still not over how damn hot Grace made this story. This is such a good example of how good Grace is at creating an incredibly hot story within a small word count. The relationship between Harry and Charlie is so well fleshed out and the scene itself is ridiculously sexy. I love everything about this.

Through The Dark (Draco Malfoy/James Sirius Potter) | 3,543 Words

Being kept in the dark should terrify him, but this time it doesn't. In his company James felt safe.

REC: I’m very picky about Draco with any one of Harry’s sons, but I do dabble in Draco/James Sirius from time to time and this is a terrific example of a Draco and James that hits the right spots for me. I adored how this story explores kink in a way that really gets into the emotions of it, and the hotness of the way James sees Draco and fantasises about him. This is just such a delicious, feelsy story and the growing relationship between them brings about a very satisfying, hopeful ending. I love it.

The Hidden Side (James Potter/Teddy Lupin) | 38,353 Words

Twenty years ago today, James Sirius Potter was born into this world. Four years, two months, and six days later, somebody took him.

REC: I know I said I was going to choose ten different pairings but going through Grace’s works I couldn’t let my only Jeddy rec be a very short fic, because Grace, GryffindorJ and Shiftylinguini got me into writing Jeddy in the first place, way back in the day and this story absolutely deserves a mention. Let the killer opening line to this story pull you in and then remain captivated throughout. The story is so immersive from start to finish and even as some aspects might become clear early on, it continuously keeps you gripped throughout. The unfolding relationships are such a joy to read, the pacing is sublime and it’s an incredibly enjoyable piece to read. I don’t want to say too much about this one because spoilers, but I encourage Jeddy fans to go and check this out for yourselves.

THANK YOU Grace for all the wonderful, hot, fun and sexy work you put out there into the world. Have a brilliant day.

#gracerene #happy birthday grace!#fic recs #recs #hp fic recs #hp fic #jeddy #drarry #linny #drames

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preserving-ferretbrain · 6 years ago

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Chapter 24 - Epilogue

by Dan H

Wednesday, 01 August 2007Dan concludes his review, having abandoned any semblance of impartiality, bless his bitter little heart.~

Previously: Harry does nothing of any interest for 23 chapters. We finally destroy one single solitary Horcrux.

Chapter Twenty Four: The Wandmaker

In which we learn a bunch of shit about wands that will be contradicted by the end of the book.

This chapter opens with a genuinely touching scene in which Harry buries Dobby by hand (as opposed to using magic). It's really sweet, although perhaps I would have found it more affecting if Dobby hadn't died out of sheer authorial malice.

So Harry dithers over whether to go for the Hallows or the Horcruxes, and thinks about all the shit that's happened and what it could all mean. He spends a really, really long time thinking about Dumbledore, and what his plans for the whole thing were.

So then Harry goes and talks to the Goblin they rescued from the Malfoys (did I mention the goblin? There was a goblin). The Goblin is all "you totally rock Harry Potter, because you sometimes treat other races with the barest minimum possible level of decency when you remember to." You see, it's because Harry understands love.

So Harry goes and talks to Ollivander about his broken wand. I mean seriously, it's not even worth doing jokes about, is it.

Having got his penis-metaphor out of the way, Harry then talks some more about Wand-Lore with Ollivander. Here we learn that it is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the other way around, and that if you take somebody's wand by force, that wand will work better for you than one you just picked up somewhere.

In particular, the discussion goes like this:

"I took this wand from Draco Malfoy by force," said Harry. "Can I use it safely?" "I think so, subtle laws govern wand ownership, but the conquered wand will usually bend its will to its new master."

This all leads into a big discussion of the Elder Wand and how to take control of it you have to kill its previous owner or some such shit like that.

All of which turns out to be nonsense. In fact the rules for wand ownership seem to be roughly these:

Every wand has a True Owner.

When a wizard takes a wand from another wizard, he becomes the True Owner of every wand of which that wizard was previously True Owner.

"The Wand Chooses The Wizard" is crap, the thing about the Elder Wand changing hands through murder is crap. Like all the rest of the magic in Harry Potter, wands aren't mysterious or mystical, they follow simple rules which can be written down and followed very, very easily.

This will all become apparent later on, when it is revealed that Harry's act of yanking some wands out of Draco's hands made him the True And Destined Owner Of the Most Powerful And Destructive Wand In History.

Lame.

This chapter ends with another flash of Voldy-vision, as we see the Dark Lord claiming the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb. But it's okay, because he's not the True Owner of it, because of rules one and two above.

Chapter Twenty Five: Shell Cottage

In which Harry spends so much time sitting on his arse doing nothing that it's not even funny.

This chapter is short, at a mere thirteen pages, but that is precisely thirteen pages longer than it needs to be.

Harry gets all weird about how Dumbledore is totally alive, and totally talking to him by weird magical means. It's like that Buffy episode where Giles thinks that a poltergeist is Jenny, but it isn't. Only with more sucking.

Bill and Fleur carry on being shit. Fleur carries on 'aving zee most stupeed accent ever written, and doing that really fucking annoying thing that French characters in books always do, where they put one French word into every sentence so that they wind up sounding like they're failing their GCSE oral.

During the big slew of inactivity, Lupin shows up to tell everybody that Tonks has had their baby. His opening line of dialogue is truly, truly, truly stupid:

"It is I, Remus John Lupin ... I am a werewolf married to Nymphadora Tokns, and you, the Secret Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me come in case of emergency!"

Okay, I get that he's trying to convince them that he isn't a Death Eater using Polyjuice (it's nice that somebody in the Potterverse has worked out how trivial it is to use), but none of the information he gives is secret, except for the stuff about Bill being the Secret Keeper, and since the Fidelius charm already prevents people from getting into the cottage, it's a bit of a waste of breath.

Remus asks Harry to be godfather to his child, then leaves.

Harry decides to break into Gringotts with the help of a Goblin. He bargains the Sword of Gryffindor for this, because apparently it belongs to the Goblins anyway. In one of the few moments of (a) this book being remotely interesting and (b) my finding a piece of Fantasy Worldbuilding worth listening to, we learn that Goblins believe that anything they make remains the property of its original creator, and that if they make something for somebody else, that something should go back to the goblins once said somebody dies.

So they're off to Gringotts. Four hundred and fifteen pages in and we're onto Horcrux number two!

Chapter Twenty Six: Gringotts

In which they finally run out of fucking Polyjuice.

They Polyjuice Hermione into Bellatrix, give her Bella's original wand (which Ollivander conveniently identified for them), and head for Gringotts.

And they use the Invisibility Cloak, of course they use the invisibility cloak.

Anyway, Hermione has trouble working with Bellatrix's wand (because she "had not won its allegiance by taking it personally from Bellatrix" - although as we will learn by the end of the book, casting Expelliarmus on whoever did take it personally from Bellatrix, or on anybody who had ever cast Expelliarmus on Bellatrix at any point in the past, should also have worked). Blah blah some crap, blah blah diagon alley.

They head to Gringotts, where they are interrupted by another Death Eater, who asks Hermione-as-Bellatrix how she managed to get hold of a new wand, since the only Wandmaker in England is currently AWOL and hers was known to have been stolen by Harry Potter. Tragically, Hermione does not respond by saying "I don't know, the same place the new intake of Hogwarts students got theirs I suppose."

By the time they get to the main desk of Gringotts, the jig is totally up. All the crap with the Polyjuice and the Goblin and all the rest has been for nothing. From the security of his invisibility cloak, Harry uses the Imperius curse to get past the goblin on the desk. I'd like to think that this marked a genuine change in Harry's character, but it totally doesn't. He was in a difficult situation, he took the easy way out. I'd also point out that, compared to turning your target irreversibly into a drooling lunatic (like Hermione did to Xenophilius Lovegood) the Imperius Curse doesn't seem half bad. It gets your target to do what you want and go where you want, but so does a Confundus charm.

Just so we get the message that we're now in the company of dark, edgy Harry Potter, he uses the Imperius curse a couple more times, and each time it seems not so much like an unforgivable violation of somebody's free will, but a comparatively harmless way to get somebody to look the other way for five minutes. It's rather like the Jedi Mind Trick, in fact.

So they get deeper into Gringotts, and it's revealed that yet, they do have a couple of defences, in the shape of some water that washes away magical concealment (wouldn't it be better to have that before you get into the building - and shouldn't the Ministry invest in some of it as well?) and a blind dragon which is scared of loud noises.

Impregnable, huh?

So they head to the Lestrange vault, and realise that they find that every time they touch something, it multiplies itself and becomes burning hot. How the hell do the Lestranges expect to get anything out of there, I ask you? Or does it only work if you aren't the rightful owner of the vault? In that case, why not just rig the door to only open for the right person? They could use that "flesh memory" shit which snitches are apparently built with.

Seriously, though, this is what I hate (okay, one of the many things I hate) about Rowling's universe. It's all so arbitrary. Everything works according to these stupid rules which operate on the basis of pure plot-convenience. Like the poison in Book Six which "has to be drunk" in order to get at the Horcrux. All throughout this book, the "magic" is arranged so that the "only thing to do" is whatever the hell JK Rowling wants to have happen next. It's fucking lazy.

So they grab the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, but they lose the Sword of Gryffindor. Don't worry, though, they can still pull it out the Sorting Hat.

Actually, thinking about it, wouldn't that have been a better, faster way to get the Horcruxes together: just get a True Ravenclaw, a True Hufflepuff and a True Slytherin to yank the damned things out of the Sorting Hat. Except, of course, that wouldn't be the way it Had To Be Done.

Chapter Twenty Seven: The Final Hiding Place

It's Hogwarts.

Chapter Twenty Eight: The Missing Mirror

In which we get yet another dose of Dumbledore backplot.

So Harry is off to Hogwarts, because he saw in Voldemort's mind that the last Horcrux was there. He also saw that Voldemort had only just realised that his Horcruxes were in danger at all.

I mean, seriously, I get that he's arrogant, but you'd think that however overconfident you were, spending eleven years as less than a ghost would teach you some level of caution. I mean, I don't like leaving my keys where I can't see them, let alone fragments of my actual goddamned soul. But Voldemort, intent as he was on finding the Elder Wand, has just decided to take it on trust that his immortal soul is nice and safe and not hacked into bits with the Sword of Gryffindor.

Seriously, this guy totally deserves to get killed by his own rebounding curse.

Harry and co Apparate into Hogsmeade, where they immediately set off the alarm system and get set upon by death eaters, but the bartender at the inn takes the rap for them, and pulls them out of the shit.

I mean seriously, how many times can somebody get rescued from their own fuckups by smarter more capable people and still be considered a hero?

The bartender turns out to be none other than Aberforth Dumbledore. Woohoo, we're in for some more exciting Dumbledore backstory.

Aberforth tells us the exact same story we have heard six times already: Dumbledore hung out with Grindelwald for three months in the eighteen fifties, there was a fight and their sister got killed in the fallout. Aberforth thought it was Dumbledore's fault, Dumbledore thought it was Dumbledore's fault, Grindelwald ran off to be a Nazi somewhere.

Harry gets into Hogwarts through a secret passage which Neville created using the Room of Requirement. Because Neville rocks.

Chapter Twenty Nine: The Lost Diadem

In which Harry is systematically upstaged by every single character in the book.

Neville takes Harry into his secret military base in the Room of Requirement. Neville, incidentally, also has honest to god scars from standing up to the Death Eaters in charge of Hogwarts. Notice that's "standing up to" not "throwing a tantrum at" which was the best that our hero ever really managed.

Neville fucking rocks. No wonder Voldemort didn't mark Neville as an equal, he knew when he was outclassed.

It turns out that Dumbledore's Army, freed from having to put up with Harry's complete inability to get over himself for eight seconds, has gone on to actually be useful and effective. They offer to help Harry, and Harry has an attack of stupid.

"You don't understand." Harry seemed to have said that a lot in the last few hours. "We - we can't tell you. We've got to do it - alone." "Why?" asked Neville.

Harry Potter everybody: whiny shit with a messiah complex, completely incapable of independent thought. Eventually they do in fact manage to convince him that he's being totally totally stupid. But wouldn't it have been nice if he'd just not been stupid in the first place?

So the DA go off to fight Death Eaters while Harry looks for the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, which somebody else told him might be the best place to start. Seriously, Harry does nothing for himself in this book. Or in any of the previous books come to think of it. But it's okay because he's "brave".

Harry and Luna try to sneak into the Ravenclaw common room to catch a look at the statue of their founder. In a rare moment of actually being kinda cool, we find that the Ravenclaw common room is not protected by a password but by a riddle (more of a koan, really: the question asked of Harry and Luna is "what came first, the phoenix or the flame?"). Needless to say, Luna answers the riddle, not Harry.

Worst. Hero. Ever.

They get to the common room, and are immediately ambushed by an interchangeable Death Eater.

Chapter Thirty: The Sacking of Severus Snape

In which Snape appears for ten seconds and utterly steals the show.

Oh look, they've summoned Lord Voldemort again. Pity they couldn't summon somebody actually scary instead.

So the Dark Lord is on his way, and all the people that are actually cool rush to the defence of Hogwarts. Harry, on the other hand, runs around looking for somebody to tell him what to do next. He eventually decides to start taking orders from the ghosts.

Everybody mills around in the corridors, and all the parents seem to have shown up. Molly Weasley continues to be completely fucking shit, insisting that Ginny can't fight because she's only sixteen.

Everybody gets ready for battle.

Oh, and Snape leaves so that he can get killed.

Chapter Thirty One: The Battle of Hogwarts

In which a battle presents no impediment to the interminable exposition.

While the rest of the student body are actually getting stuff done, and preparing to lay down their lives in battle against the Dark Lord, Harry goes off looking for a plot dump.

He finds it in the shape of the Grey Lady, ghost of Ravenclaw tower, who reveals that she is actually Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw. Wow. Words cannot explain how little I care about that. She also reveals that she stole her mother's diadem, and that she hid it in a tree in Albania (the very Albania where Voldemort once went! Amazing isn't it). Harry suddenly remembers that he saw a diadem in the Room of Lost Things in the previous book (funny how he can remember that, but not - say - things that happened two chapters ago). He goes to get it.

While Harry is doing this, Ron and Hermione dash of to have sex in the Chamber of Secrets, which Ron manages to open by imitating Harry's use of Parseltongue. That's right folks, the magical language Harry carries in his soul as a result of his connection with the Dark Lord can be picked up by any schlub who pays attention for five minutes.

Hermione destroys the cup offstage, so we miss the big plot point, and get the ghost story. Oh JK, you master storyteller you.

Then the Troika go to the Room of Requirement and start ransacking it for Horcruxes. It's a good thing Harry happened to see it in the previous book really, or they'd be totally fucked.

In the Room of Requirement they meet Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. Crabbe and Goyle have been presented previously as a bit thick, but basically just your average bully types. In this scene, though, they're positively retarded. In, like, an actual way, rather than the way in which the whole book is retarded.

"We was hiding in the corridor outside," grunted Goyle. "We can do Diss-lusion charms now! And then," his face split into a gormless grin, "you turned up right in front of us and said you was looking for a die-dum! What's a die-dum?"

I've typed a lot of quotes into this article (I intended to do one a chapter, but I couldn't quite bring myself to), and fuck me JKR uses a lot of exclamation marks. Also: for fuck's sake, if you can cast a Dissillusionment charm, you should damned well be able to say "Dissillusionment charm".

Anyway, it turns out that Draco, Crabbe and Goyle have shown up to kill Harry, or bring him to the Dark Lord or something. I would like to believe that Draco is only doing this because he fears for the safety of his family, but since every single Slytherin turned against Hogwarts in the crunch, I think he's probably just being Evil.

So Crabbe or possibly Goyle summons Fiendfire, which is wild and uncontrollable and, conveniently, one of the few things that can destroy a Horcrux. This kills Crabbe, and allows Harry do demonstrate his heroism by rescuing Draco.

They get outside to see the penultimate (they think) Horcrux bleeding itself to death, and meet up with Fred, Percy and some nameless others. Percy gets quite a nice moment of redemption, where he apologises for trying to have a career when he should have just settled into virtuous poverty like the rest of his family. Then Fred gets killed in a horrible explosion.

Poor Fred. Ah well, it's not like he and George had distinct personalities anyway.

Chapter Thirty Two: The Elder Wand

In which Snape gets it for spurious reasons.

This chapter begins with Harry being Really Really Upset that Fred is dead.

The world had ended, so why had the battle not ceased, the castle fallen silent in horror, and every combatant lain down their arms?

Oh just shut up! Just shut the fuck up JK Rowling. If you want us to mourn the death of a minor character, spend some fucking time developing them instead of telling us how we should all be really sad and shocked that they died.

So the battle rages on. Harry decides he's got to go find Voldemort, because he has to kill Nagini and end the plot once and for all. Also: he has to overhear Snape's final confrontation with Voldemort.

So Harry sneaks into the Shrieking Shack with his posse in tow, and we see Voldemort killing Snape in order to become True Master of the Elder Wand. Snape coughs his memories into a jar, and Voldemort calls an intermission in the battle, instead of just killing Harry where he stands.

I fucking hate this book.

Chapter Thirty Three: The Prince's Tale

In which all the fanfic turns out to have been right.

Snape was in love with Lily.

Harry is a Horcrux.

Dumbledore is an asshole.

Chapter Thirty Four: The Forest Again

In which the forest still fails to be remotely threatening.

This chapter makes me genuinely uncomfortable. Not in a "it's so dark and edgy and outside my comfort zone way". In a "I seriously am beginning to find JK Rowling morally despicable" kind of way.

Harry discovered, through Snape's memories, that he (Harry) is a Horcrux, and that the only way Voldemort can be defeated is if he (Voldemort) first kills Harry, thereby destroying the fragment of his (Voldemort's) soul which is inside him (Harry).

Harry, being the braindead personality-free fucktard he is, accepts this at face value, and marches off to die, pausing briefly to tell Neville to kill Nagini if he gets the chance. I'll say this for Harry, he knows how to leave things in the hands of better men.

He realises that "I open at the close" (the cryptic message inscribed on the snitch that Dumbledore gave him) means "I open when you're marching off to sacrifice yourself pointlessly". So the snitch opens, and he gets the (new, not-cursed) Resurrection Stone out of it. He puts on the ring and turns it, and all the dead people in the book (well, James, Lily, Lupin and Sirius at least) show up in spectral form to tell him how proud they are that he's off to commit suicide by means of Dark Wizard.

I mean, seriously, this is all kinds of fucked up.

Lily's smile was widest of all. She pushed her long hair back as she drew close to him, and her green eyes, so like his, searched his face hungrily as though she would never be able to look at him enough. "You've been so brave." He could not speak. His eyes feasted on her, and he thought that he would like to stand and look at her forever, and that would be enough. "You are nearly there," said James. "Very close. We are ... so proud of you." "Does it hurt?" The childish question had fallen from Harry's lips before he could stop it. "Dying? Not at all," said Sirius. "Quicker and easier than falling asleep."

I'm sorry, but that's just wrong on so many levels.

Now I admit, all through this book, I've been annoyed by the overprotective coddling of Molly Weasley, who won't let anybody under the age of thirty do anything that might be considered dangerous, but I'd even take that interfering old biddy over this creepy band of suicide groupies.

I mean seriously: the Potters both sacrificed their lives to save Harry, but now they're all in favour of him rushing headlong into his inevitable destruction? And what's with Sirius' "being dead is totally cool" speech? I mean seriously, this is exactly the kind of shit that Christian Fundamentalists have fits over, and with good reason.

Harry confronts Voldemort. Voldemort kills him.

I really, really wish this article could end here.

Chapter Thirty Five: King's Cross

In which JK Rowling, through Dumbledore, tells us how to feel about Harry.

I almost cannot bring myself to write about this chapter, in which Harry has a vision of Dumbledore in King's Cross station, and Dumbledore explains the plot to him again for old times' sake.

So it turns out that Harry isn't dead after all, because of the Very Special Bond between Harry and Voldemort, but Voldemort did ironically manage to destroy the fragment of his soul which was inside Harry all this time.

Wow. Convenient.

Then Dumbledore gives us a big speech about how fucking wonderful Harry is. You see Dumbledore sought the Deathly Hallows himself, but he sought them for bad reasons. Which in this case means "any reason at all." Harry, on the other hand, is Good and Pure, because he went through his entire life without having a fucking clue what he was doing. Because Harry was a passive little pussy who never did anything, never achieved anything, never had any ambition or even motivation.

"You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death. He accepts that he must die, and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying."

So Harry, by blindly and unquestioningly allowing Voldemort to kill him, has shown himself to be a better man than any other.

I'm sorry, but I find that genuinely offensive.

I'm going to go into more detail about this in my post-book wrap up, because I think it bears some close analysis, but for now I'll make a couple of simple points.

Every single man, woman, and child in Hogwarts is risking their life to defeat Voldemort. Every single one of them is confronting death (or, if you prefer, "Death") and every single one of them has accepted that there are far worse things than dying. But their sacrifice doesn't count, because they're actually fighting, which is to say, they are trying to survive. In the new morality Rowling wants us to accept, the only true way to show courage is to lie down and just accept death.

Furthermore, Harry's stoic acceptance of his mortality is grossly undermined by the fact that he actually doesn't die. His great sacrifice is actually just another instance of him doing nothing by himself, and relying on other people to make things turn out alright.

Consider: if Harry actually had died, his mastery of the Elder Wand would have died with him, and Voldemort would have been able to carry on slaughtering to his heart's content. He would have still had one Horcrux left, and Hogwarts would have been destroyed.

This is the emotional and moral crux of the book, and it sucks beyond the telling of it.

Chapter Thirty Six: The Flaw in the Plan

In which all that seemed wrong was now right and those who deserve to are certain to live a long and happy life, ever after.

Voldemort seems to have collapsed, as well you might after nuking your own soul. He sends Narcissa to check whether Harry is alive, but when she realises that he is, she asks him (in a whisper) whether Draco is still alive.

Seriously, I love the Malfoys. I mean compare Narcissa - whose first and only concern is for her child, so much so that she risks defying the Dark Lord who, let's face it, isn't exactly known for his forgiving nature, just to know if he's alive or dead - compare her with Lily Potter, who just moments ago was cheerfully watching her son go to his certain death.

So Voldemort carries Harry's "dead" body to the front lines and does his big "ha ha, I've won you bunch losers" speech.

Everybody acts really sad that Harry is dead. Then Neville rushes the Dark Lord. Because Neville fucking rocks.

The Dark Lord disarms him, binds him, and then puts the Sorting Hat on his head and sets it on fire. Dude, you know she's reaching when she kills the goddamned Sorting Hat.

Neville breaks free of Voldemort's curse (which I like to think is Neville being a badass, but it is later revealed to be the Power of Harry's Big Love Death Sacrifice), pulls the Sword of Gryffindor out of the sorting hat, and totally decapitates Nagini. Because he has had it with this motherfucking snake, oh yes.

So then the shit hits the fan, and Harry jumps under his invisibility cloak again. There's a bunch of really badly written action. Molly Weasley takes out Bellatrix Lestrange in what our esteemed editor would identify as the Battle Between The Virtuous Woman And the Sinful Woman. Harry finally reveals himself, and reveals too that he has learned from Dumbledore the capacity to make long stupid speeches.

I'm going to reproduce this in full, and I'll say beforehand that Voldemort is totally right about everything:

"I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me." Voldemort hissed. "Potter doesn't mean that," he said, his red eyes wide. "That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today Potter?" "Nobody," Harry said simply. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good ..." "One of us?" jeered Voldemort, and his whole body was taut and his red eyes stared, a snake that was about to strike. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?" "Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?" asked Harry. They were still moving sideways, both of them, in that perfect circle, maintaining the same distance from each other, and for Harry no face existed but Voldemort's. "Accident when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

Umm ... yes. Yes to every single one of them. At no point was it suggested that Lily Potter deliberately invoked ancient magic when she put herself in front of her son. Harry certainly didn't go to the graveyard by choice, and he had no idea that his wand would magically prevent Voldemort from hurting him. So yes, it was in fact all accidental. Harry Potter: the boy who was too dumb to die.

There's one more bit I want to draw attention to in this speech, because I find it so abominably offensive.

"I was ready to die to stop you hurting these people ... I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding?"

This comes back to my point from further up (and I'll come back to it again, because it genuinely sickens me). Why the fuck is Harry's sacrifice more significant than anybody else's? Why did Harry's "willingness to die" create a special magic forcefield around Hogwarts, but not the willingness to die of every single other person in the damned school?

Essentially, Harry is setting himself up here as a literal Christ figure. The perfect innocent, going meekly and willingly to his death in order to take the place of the whole world. The thing is, though, Jesus was supposed to actually be God. His sacrifice (according to Christian tradition) was greater than the sacrifices of normal men because he was not a normal man. He was God, suffering as a man for the sins of man. Harry Potter is just a miserable self-involved kid with a martyr complex.

Harry carries on talking for another three pages. Then Voldemort tries to curse him, but his curse rebounds because of that bullshit with the Elder Wand really belonging to Harry because he "conquered" Draco.

Of course with the Dark Lord fallen, his entire army disperses without a word.

They collect their dead, and we find that Mr and Mrs Remus Lupin are among the fallen. Harry is momentarily sad.

The final page of the book shows Harry with the Elder Wand, which is now most definitely His. In a scene which I think sums up the vacuous nature of the entire series, he uses the Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick, to magically repair his old wand.

Because lord knows, we wouldn't want the events of the last six hundred pages to have any consequences now, would we.

Epilogue: Nineteen Years Later

In which we learn that nothing that happened in the entire series meant shit.

Harry is married to Ginny. Ron is married to Hermione.

Back when I read The Order of the Phoenix, one of the few things I liked about it was the fact that Ginny seemed to have got over her crush on Harry. I thought that it was a refreshingly subtle, and subtly mature message to put into a children's book: sometimes you just get over people.

It saddens me greatly that JK Rowling, divorcee and single parent that she is, would feel the need to present such a naive view of romance. It seems like she spent so long talking about Death, she couldn't find anything to say about Life beyond "you grow up, get married, and have children."

Harry and Ginny's children are called James, Lily, and (as I am sure you already know) Albus Severus.

I think this, more than anything else, shows how deeply immature the series is. Harry goes through seven years of constant danger, he suffers torment, loss and even death. He touched the soul of the greatest Dark Wizard who ever lived, and practised the blackest of magic when he was forced to. But has he grown as a person? Has he changed? Not at all. His life still revolves around James and Lily, Dumbledore and Snape.

I also find it more than a bit offensive that Ginny (who we learn in

this interview

goes on to be an international sports superstar) doesn't seem to get any say in naming her own kids. I know it's an epilogue, I know it's sweet and everything, but her brother died at Hogwarts as well. The epilogue essentially says "And Harry Finally Got The Happy Family He'd Always Longed For". Never once does it consider the fact that after seven years he might want something else.

Coming Soon: My thoughts on the book as a whole, and the series in general.

Wardog at 15:46 on 2007-08-10I'm sorry I keep quoting David and Hannah at you but they're one of the few people to whose arguments I would naturally grant credence and they both very much enjoyed DH. David pointed out that there's something very different in fighting in a war in which there's a chance you might get killed and knowing walking to your death - thus Harry's sacrifice has more nobility and courage attached to it than you're giving him credit for. I guess it's the difference between rushing the Bastille and going to the guillotine..permalink - go to top

Dan H at 16:00 on 2007-08-10There is indeed a difference between fighting in a war in which there's a chance you might get killed and knowingly walking to your death. Knowingly walking to your death is easier. Harry doesn't really have a choice. He's "the chosen one". Colin Creevey, however, could have just walked away from Hogwarts and nobody would have thought the less of him for it. I'd also point out that Harry didn't sacrifice himself to *save* anybody. He sacrificed himself to *kill* somebody.permalink - go to topArthur B at 17:10 on 2007-08-10I have to say that I'm also deeply uncomfortable with any situation where deliberate suicide is actually a good idea. Walking bravely to the guillotine, I don't count as suicide, because you don't normally have much choice as to whether or not you get your head hacked off: the only choice is whether you cry and whine and piss your pants, or whether you walk with your head held high and, possibly, impress the crowd with your stoic acceptance of your fate. Walking to a duel which you are going to deliberately lose, because you think a loophole in the metaphysics in the universe will allow you to become Master of Death and give you the power to be the Messiah, isn't the act of a brave or noble individual. It's the act of a paranoid schizophrenic.permalink - go to topDan H at 17:15 on 2007-08-10He's not even doing it because he knows about the loophole, though. He's doing it for the same reason he does everything (see next article): Because He Thinks Dumbledore Wanted Him To.permalink - go to topArthur B at 17:31 on 2007-08-10So it is, in fact, literally true that if Dumbledore asked Harry to jump off a cliff, Harry would do it. (Which is kind of odd, in a series of books where mistrusting authority is supposedly a recurring theme.)permalink - go to topWardog at 21:51 on 2007-08-11I can't believe I'm trying to defend JK. I really have no investment in this, which is why I'm doing such an appalling job of it. But surely Harry has just as much right to walk way than Colin Creevy? He could go and live with Hermione's parents in Australia. I mean, through Snape's memories Harry sees what Dumbledore always intended for him (that he should nobly sacrifice his life) and *chooses* to do it anyway. An alternative reading might be that Harry realises that, rather than run around desperately trying to find alternative solutions to the Voldemort Problem, the adults around him have essentially groomed him into a passive matyr figure who will Do The Right Thing, even though it means his own death. And by the time he realises how thoroughly screwed he is, it's in the middle of the final battle and there's nothing much he can do short of pegging it. To *choose* what other people want you to do is still a choice, and after all that's happened to him, that Harry still has enough love in his heart to lay down his life is, y'know, pretty damn noble. For the record, I don't actually buy this. I don't actually buy that it's harder to walk knowingly into death than take a chance on it in a battle. Given a choice, I'd go for the battle and hope to find somewhere to hide.permalink - go to topWendy B at 23:29 on 2007-08-13Daniel --- I just wanted to say that you are not alone in your suffering. I've been working on a review of DH from my Livejournal site, but the 7th book seems to have killed my will to write. I am reading the book one more time to possibly find redeeming value, besides inducing millions of otherwise illiterate youngsters to get interested in reading. Beyond the insufferable plot details/holes you chronicle above, the series up through B6 appeared to be a gigantic and elegant mystery puzzle to be unveiled. And then on 7/21 we discover that it was an UNSOLVABLE mystery --- in B7 she introduced new characters and clunky plot devices. at the 11th hour (it burns! it burns!), to contort and bring the damn story to a close. All her prior book "clues" that fandom crawled over with a tweezer --- they weren't clever clues at all. Bah...but I loved this essay and laughed through the entire series. I might not write a thing but just refer folks here. Wendypermalink - go to topDan H at 15:13 on 2007-08-16the series up through B6 appeared to be a gigantic and elegant mystery puzzle to be unveiled. And then on 7/21 we discover that it was an UNSOLVABLE mystery I think that's part of why I found the last book so unsatisfying. While I wasn't ever massively into the "puzzle box" aspect of the books, I can understand other people being into it. But the last books lost sight of even that giving us, as you say, a bunch of new characters and clunky plot devices which came out of nowhere (or at the very least, out of previously untouched areas of her notes). If you do manage to get your review finished, I'll be very interested in seeing it. permalink - go to topWendy B at 16:18 on 2007-09-16Daniel...you might get some traffic to these articles as I posted the links within an essay I just posted to LiveJournal's hp_essays: http://community.livejournal.com/hp_essays/239017.html Wendy Bpermalink - go to topDan H at 12:24 on 2008-03-25On the Dumbledore side of things, I just don't understand how she can have a character that she spends half the book going off on a tangent about their unnecessary backstory (although it is a tangent away from that fucking tent so maybe I shouldn't complain) - the point of which is supposed to reveal that he turned away from power and ideas of sacrificing people for the 'greater good' - only to have him control and use every single character to the point where the entire book is just enacting his great Masterplan! Surely that contradicts a bit?!! JK is chronic for this: her Good characters behave exactly the same way as her Evil characters, except that everything that is a sign of an evil character's Evilness is a sign of a Good character's Goodness. Cases in point: Draco is evil because he "bullies" Harry. James is good because he "sticks up" for people against Snape (Harry similarly does a lot of "sticking up" for people that involves dogpiling defenseless Syltherins). Umbridge is a "racist" because she thinks Hagrid being a half-giant makes him a bad teacher. Harry, Ron and Hermione treat the full giants with patronizing contempt, and this is a sign that they're great humanitarians. Voldemort hates Muggles because he's evil. All the other Wizard treat Muggles like vermin but it's okay because they're endearingly careless about it. Then of course there's the fact that Harry's furious desire for vengeance is apparently a sign of his great capacity for "love". p.s ooh look, my first post. How exciting :) Welcome aboard.permalink - go to tophttps://me.yahoo.com/a/tjLTVHEducFb4rKDHU5DukBHtQcCbTVMEEq55v0CxV4-#5e156 at 20:29 on 2009-07-29Dan doesn't realise just how absolutely spot on he is. I remember the Magnet series in 1930 where the Remove overthrow a demonic temporary headmaster from Greyfriars. Did anyone else read the Magnet when it was still being published? DH should have followed the Hogwarts front with Neville and Luna leading the rebellion against the Carrows. Or better yet, Voldemort should have made himself headmaster and Neville should have barred him out, that would have made for an infinitely better story. Voldemort really was no more capable than the wicked headmasters who sometimes got foisted on Greyfriars were. But instead... JKR wrote so much about nothing happening that she seemed as nihilistic as Samuel Beckett.permalink - go to topGamer_2k4 at 21:20 on 2011-06-02I know I've been guilty of some serious comment thread necromancy as of late, but I've got a question. "I think so, subtle laws govern wand ownership, but the conquered wand will usually bend its will to its new master." Is this an inaccurate transcription, or does the book really have run-on sentences like that? I've seen a few other quotes from the book with similar use of commas, and it's almost painful to think that writing that bad can make it past an editor and into the final version of a book.permalink - go to topDan H at 21:36 on 2011-06-02I'm honestly not sure if I transcribed that right or not, although to be honest I'm not overly fussed by slightly long sentences and I think Orwell would have supported the choice of a comma over the semicolon (although I think the line would sound better split into two sentences: "I think so. Subtle laws govern...").permalink - go to tophttp://sunnyskywalker.livejournal.com/ at 02:52 on 2011-06-03I don't remember about that particular quote, but I do remember noticing several instances of comma splices while reading the book and wondering why the editor didn't, as Dan suggests, split the sentence in two or something, because there didn't seem to be any good reason to have them. (I accept that sometimes there is a good reason. JKR didn't have it.)permalink - go to tophttp://vonnemattheus.livejournal.com/ at 00:21 on 2012-05-04The Horcrux hunt should have been a dangerous and exciting adventure, instead of the Camping Trip from Hell plot you get in sitcoms like Bottom. It was like watching someone else play Zelda really, really badly. Also, I thought there was an expiry date on the Mother's Love charm that keeps Harry's arse above ground? The best part of the book is when Harry is at his parents grave were, for some reason, he starts thinking of them rotting underground. JK even uses the word "Mouldering".permalink - go to tophttp://fishinginthemud.livejournal.com/ at 03:01 on 2012-05-04Inspired by that scene, I buried my old HP books in the backyard after Deathly Hallows, but when I dug them up recently, they weren't nearly as decomposed as I had hoped. I don't think the maggots or the bacteria liked them very much either.permalink - go to topFurare at 13:28 on 2012-05-04Since this article was bumped onto the front page again, I noticed the comment about JKR's abuse of commas. I was reminded of reading the climax of Half Blood Prince; it's supposed to be really exciting and everything, and all I remember thinking is "Wow, are there four separate clauses separated by commas in that sentence?" I thought that several times. It's really quite shockingly badly-written in places.permalink - go to top

#Ferretbrain #Harry Potter #Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows #J.K. Rowling #Dan H

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newx-menfan · 6 years ago

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Civilian Wear: Julian goes through some pretty drastic fashion changes over time.

1. As you probably know, I really dislike Julian’s weird phase of wearing clothing three times too big for his body-especially sweaters, in New Mutants Vol.2 and have repeatedly joked about this. While everyone has questionable fashion choices when they’re fourteen/fifteen years old, this one still makes me laugh every time I see it. I always kind of wonder if Julian WAS subconsciously insecure about his muscle mass or if he really just had this bad a taste in clothes…because it’s bad. As bad as this series is in general for fashion; Julian’s kind of at the top of the list in this book, next to Santos weird hip hop look (I will get to that eventually) and Josh’s horrible flesh colored goatee….

2. Julian’s clothing tends to be very preppy in New X-Men Academy X. His style was obviously based off of ‘American Eagle’, ‘Pac Sun’, and ‘Hollister’- really popular brands at that time. He especially tends to prefer lighter colors and fitted tee-shirts and pants. I’m going to be honest, I kind of wish they had taken the preppy look to 100 with Julian; if you’re going to make Julian the stereotypical ‘rich kid semi-bully’, why not go full out with his outfits. I would have loved to see Julian in more pastels, button downs, Oxford coats, loafers, trousers, sweaters, ect. (Examples I’d use are Toru Oikawa from Haikyuu!, James Spader’s character in ‘Pretty in Pink’, Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter, Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, ect…) Julian at this time period is A) very vain and B) very money and appearance orientated. While it DOES make sense that he’d buy into the ‘brand’ trend of ‘Hollister’and other stores; more than likely I see him being more about top tier brands such as ‘Ferragamo’ or ‘Tom Ford’. Maybe this is the difference between New York and California wealth, but I feel like Julian would be more about the luxury and see ’American Eagle’ as too common. Julian’s preppy look while not as used, still pops up now and again-an example of this is the swim trunks Clay Mann drew him in in X-Men.

3. Julian’s look slowly changes in Kyle and Yost’s New X-Men; while initially continuing his preppy look it slowly starts to change. While described by Iceman/Bobby Drake as ‘mall goth’ in Phoenix Resurrection, I’d argue Julian’s look is more grunge based. He slowly tends to wear darker colors, mainly black tee shirts and jeans, hoodies, or a leather coat. This change works; as more trauma happens it does make sense that Julian would shed a lighter and brighter fashion to something darker and a reflection of the state his life is currently in. Also grunge really started at thrift stores by teenagers and adults with limited funds; this again makes sense for Julian who has been at this time period cut off from his parents and will eventually be completely abandoned by them. It also makes sense why Julian grows his hair out, because he may not be able to afford regular haircuts. It also makes sense because he slowly starts hanging out with Laura, whose fashion sense may be rubbing off on him a bit as well. This also does play into Julian later losing his hands and possibly representing some insecurities about his own desirability. It’s a lot easier to say ‘I don’t care what people think’, than admit that you’re using a style to hide certain fears about your own body. I do think it’s telling HOW MUCH his style changes from very form fitting to going back to baggy (much like he had in New Mutants Vol.2) especially after losing his hands. It also opens the question to how much of Julian’s ego could be a coping mechanism to hide insecurities… I know a lot of fans HATE Julian with long hair; I’m personally okay with it depending on the artist. I think it does showcase how much Julian had changed as a character and plays into Julian’s ‘bad boy/Rebel’ image. While I do sometimes debate whether Julian would truly be capable of being this level of grunge because of his vanity; I do actually think the character he grew into for the most part does make sense with this look.

BEST LOOK: My all time favorite Julian look is hands down the James Dean-esque jeans, white tee-shirt, and leather jacket drawn by Sana Takeda in the X-23 solo. While simple, it’s nicely fitted and incorporates the grunge style Julian has had in other books but in a more subtle way. Sometimes you just can’t go wrong with jeans and a tee-shirt paired with a really nice leather jacket!

WORST LOOK: the Quentin Quire sweater. While I can envision Julian being attracted to Mutant Propaganda and utilizing it; I have trouble imagining him taking fashion cues from Quire. Quentin and Julian have two VERY different belief systems; Marvel using them interchangeably is very wrong in my opinion.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE: There’s plenty of fashion routes future artists could take with Julian’s look. I do think artists could keep the grunge look Julian currently has; maybe even incorporate elements of punk, fetish, or goth into his look. I would like to see Julian in plaid, leather, denim jackets, band Tee shirts, tank tops, combat boots, tennis shoes, ect… I especially think artists could do some fun things with his hellish codename by incorporating crosses, cuffs, padlocks, and other jewelry. I actually really liked how Julian had some scruff in the animated show ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’, and kind of want to see him either be drawn with a five o'clock shadow or grow a small beard in the comics. I especially think it would be an interesting look with his chin to shoulder length hair, slightly curled. I think Julian with a shaved head could also be an interesting starker, more masculine look or going with a undercut style. I think Julian having tattoos could be interesting depending on what they were. I think artists could also go with a gym rat look for him by putting him more in sweat pants, hoodies, basketball shorts, base ball caps, ect… We’ve also seen Julian wearing sports apparel before and playing different sports. I would enjoy seeing Julian in a more Dandy type style, especially as he gets older. I have always pictured Julian becoming more like Emma as he grew up; a commentary on how we all turn into our parents a bit into adulthood. I also think Julian fully embracing his vanity and more materialistic side could be interesting to see. Using different fabrics like fur, leather, linen, silk, seersucker, ect; with classic pieces such as three piece suits, sweaters, coats, scarfs, oxfords, button downs, riding boots, pocket squares ect… to create a very vibrant yet classy wardrobe. I was always disappointed by how safe artists went with his preppier look Academy X, plus I really enjoy the stark contrast it would have with Laura’s darker goth look; if they ever got back together.

For a new uniform for Julian- I would love a design similar to his DnD ‘Bromo Superior’ design. I also often times see redesigns with Julian showing his bare chest with oversleeves; instead I’d really love to see an artist use lace actually in a design for Julian. I think it would be really unique and a stark difference from other X-Men uniforms. I think it would add regalness and elegance, especially with a cape; while also having a subtle revealingness to it. Another design prospect would be having Julian in a simple black bodysuit with a front zipper accessorized with jewelry and small details to it. OR I’d like to see artists do another design again incorporating a brown, red, or black leather jacket, and simple bodysuit (similar to his original in Academy X).

I think artists can definitely take Julian’s future look in a softer or harder way, depending on character development and motivation.

Next week we’ll be looking at the BEST and WORST Looks of Mercury-Cessily Kincaid!

#Best Look #Worst Look #fashion #style #Hellion #Julian Keller #new xmen #new x men #Marvel #academy x #new x men academy x #bring back the new x men

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crvdence · 7 years ago

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something wrong? only everything ; cassius warrington character study

i. “you know? that big bloke who looks like a sloth”

cassius warrington is not deaf, and people are not exactly discreet. also, you could hear being called names a certain amount of time until it starts to get into you, until you start feeling how they become a part of you, creeping into your flesh and accommodating into your bones until you look into the mirror and see more sloth than bloke.

he was aware of the unjustified hate he was going to receive just because of being sorted at the slytherin house, it's just, some days are better than others, even if every time he feels his spirits wavering, or his anger bubbling in his chest wanting to hex the entire gryffindor student body into tears, there's always graham montague's hand squeezing his shoulder.

ii. “eternal glory! that's what awaits the student who wins the triwizard tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks. three extremely dangerous tasks."

there's this buzzing feeling inside of his chest, and looking around, he wonders if he's the only one who's feeling it. most of the people around him, seem more annoyed or bored than thrilled at the perspective of the triwizard tournament. flint is pissed, because it means no quidditch for the entire school year, montague looks uninterested and a few rows from where he is, he can see blaise zabini eyeing the beauxbaton's girls with fiery interest.

but he can't stop thinking about it, eternal glory, it sounds inviting, it sounds big, bigger than cassius warrington ever intended to be. and he fantasizes with the idea of showing all the gryffindor gits. he laughs thinking about all those stupid blokes calling him names, and looking over their shoulders, he fantasizes with the idea of having people admiring him, of people submitting to the hogwart's champion being a member of the most hated house.

cassius fantasizes and smiles to himself as if he's standing in front of the mirror of erised holding the triwizard cup, unaware of montague's eyes on him.

iii. "the champions will be chosen by an impartial selector... the goblet of fire.”

he doesn't tell anyone, as he wakes up before the dawn breaks to put his name in the goblet of fire, his fingertips are trembling when he's writing cassius warrington in a piece of parchment, and so is the rest of his body when he throws it into the goblet of fire. he still feels that flaming impulse inside of him, of wanting to be chosen, of winning, and cassius thinks this is the first time he feels anything close to pride.

he's surprised when he comes back to the dorm, and montague is sitting on his bed. his hair is sticking in every direction, his square jaw relaxed, and he's smiling at him with sleepy eyes in an almond shape, that makes him look softer than he actually is, and cassius grins back. “what will you do if you get chosen?” he says, assuming what he has done, not needing to ask any questions, and cassius just shrugs.

“showing them, i guess.” and with a proud grin, montague squeezes his shoulder again.

(by the end of the day, the rumour has spread and everyone is talking about him trying to become a hogwarts champion. gryffindors look at him with the same despective air, calling him names, but something has shifted inside the slytherin walls. flint has given him a motivational speech, as if he's ready to throw him to the tournament as if it's a quidditch match, parkinson and her gang a sly grin, crabbe and goyle a stupid thumbs up, and cassius swears that even nott, that silent and detached lad, has smiled at him)

iv. “now, let me be clear. if chosen, you stand alone."

he's nervous during the announcement of the champions, all the slytherins roar when viktor krum is chosen, and clap and whistle when fleur delacour follows him, and by then, cassius heart is beating heavily against his ribcage, so fast and so hard, he's sure that montague and bole, who are standing next to him, can listen to it clearly.

the next champion is going to be the champion of hogwarts and he feels like destiny is about to unfold in front of his eyes. there's still that burning desire inside of his chest of wanting to be chosen, so everyone has to defer to the idea of a slytherin champion, but at the same time, there's something much darker, lurking in the shadows and making his chest heavy.

cedric diggory is announced, and the disappointment falls on him like an overweight hippogriff. montague is squeezing his shoulder again, but at the same time, the goblet of fire starts bubbling up, and his eyes widened so much it's like they are going to fall from his face.

fate develops and shows itself in marvellous ways, cassius realises, and when dumbledore takes the piece of parchment out of the globet of fire, reading the name harry potter, the echo and the silence makes everyone speechless, and cassius can physically feel the rage, coming into waves from everyone's magic.

“bloody potter.” cassius can hear malfoy complain somewhere behind him, the loathe spilling like venom from the tip of his tongue.

and he still feels that heavy, dark and uncomfortable weight on his chest.

v. “that's my boy!”

in all honesty, cassius and the ninety seven percent of the slytherin students doesn't care who wins the tournament as soon as it's not harry potter, the main debate is between cedric and viktor, even if the bulgarian bonbon, has a few adepts and fans in the snake house.

cassius is a little bitter, however, during all the tournament, he feels like he could have done well in the tasks, with the dragon and then the lake. (and secretly, as he fantasized about the idea of hogwarts submitting to him as a winner, he also fantasized about saving montague from the depths of the lake).

but again, fate develops in ways cassius never imagined.

harry potter is holding a lifeless cedric diggory between his arms, and the air has changed. all the atmosphere is surreal, brutal, like time has stopped. everyone seems to be unable to move, and the only thing that pierces the heavy silence it's cedric diggory's father broken and desperate sobs.

cassius feels like his entire body is underwater, like someone has casted an imperius spell on him without noticing, and all his body is stone and grain, he feels a hand taking his, and he has the feeling he spends hours turning around, until he sees the face of graham montague, distorted in confusion, his eyes screaming: it could have been you.

and cassius nods, as if he's listening to him speak, clearly, inside of his head; through the ruckus and the turmoil and the screams, before everyone is finally moving, and snape is trying to get all the slytherin students back to the dungeons.

his hand is still clinging to montague's, or maybe it's montague's the one who is clinging to him, until they both collapse in their dorms.

it could have been me.

(because if anyone thinks that being a slytherin means that you could be saved from the rage and the mission of the dark lord, cassius kindly invites them to the slytherin common room, to feel the tension and the silence, of draco and theo gravitating towards each other in controlled fear, knowing more than they dare to say, knowing it could be any of them soon, sooner than any of them wants to.)

vi. "cedric diggory was murdered by lord voldemort... the ministry of magic does not wish me to tell you this..."

secrets become more powerful when they start to be screamed aloud, even if people try to hush them and deny them, but it's not use when the truth it's there, exposed for everyone who is willing to see, so everything changes after cedric diggory's death. and cassius warrington can still feel the weight of graham montague's hand against his own.

hogwarts is mourning, but everything has tilted inside of the slytherin house, a turn so drastic and sudden that reality is distorted, no one seems to know what to do, where they are, where they stand and where they are supposed to be doing.

there's suspicion, and there's fear. the groups tighten and the silence intensifies, the owls come and go all the time, and people breathe out in relief when they don't stop in front of them during breakfast.

(it stops in front of theodore nott once, a letter from his father, everyone knows, and his hands are shaking so hard, it's pansy parkinson the one who has to help him to open it, before he leaves to the dorm with glistening eyes and a sick expression on his face.)

and cassius feels like he's dreaming, or having a nightmare, he's not sure. it's like his body is not quite his own, and reality passes in front of him like he's a mere spectator, he nods when people acknowledge him, he gives out curtly replies of monosyllables, but he feels the only connection which is real, tangible and important, is the warmth emanating of montague's palm when it presses against his shoulder.

vii. “remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of lord voldemort. remember cedric diggory.”

“it could have been me.” he has whispered one night. “i could have be chosen, and i could have died.” back pressed against the wall and his thigh brushing against montague's, in one of those nights they are supposed to be asleep, but that no one is. “and my father would have not mourned me...” he says, with a chuckle, bitterly, and bloody angry. his father could have been there, probably, when cedric was killed, along with flint's father, and malfoy's, and nott's. “and no one would have.”

cedric became a martyr of the dark lord's mission, and while hogwarts is mourning for him, and rightfully so; cassius couldn't help to have the feeling that he would have been a true spare. no one is going to mourn a loss of something, or someone, they truly don't feel sorry about losing. no one is going to miss it.

and next to him, montague's body shivers, maybe from fear or disgust or both, and when cassius turn around to check on him, he looks so pale he thinks he's about to get sick. and this time, it's his hand the one which falls on his shoulder, squeezing it lovingly, and the tears start to pool against montague's lashes.

and time stays still again. tears are something uncommon between them, something that's private and kept in the shadows, but as a transparent trail goes from montague's eyes to his cupid's bow, cassius feel there's something sacred about them, about seeing him cry, about sharing this moment with him, and his words get stuck in his throat, unable to say anything.

“i would have.” it's what it comes out from montague's mouth, his voice heavy and hoarse for his crying, and there's a sting of guilt and shame crossing all over cassius' body.

montague's hands have always been there, the only true memory, the only thing that anchored him to reality, from the very beginning, until now.

for @snakepitnet event: obscure slytherins you can read this in ao3

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brugioshi · 7 years ago

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jumbled thoughts on why I’m drawn to the character of Draco Malfoy

Within-universe he was the bully, sure, but from the readers’ perspective (ie the universe I live in) he was the hated one. That’s the position I felt I had in the world reading the books as a kid.

And if we’re being real, maybe he wouldn’t have been so wretched if there were small changes in the ways others treated him. For all I know, I’ve come off as a jerk to people who snubbed me.

Both survivors of trauma

The supreme conflict of emotion that results when one’s family has been a major source of both cruelty and love

Carrying physical scars that many might say we can’t be faulted for, but which we were nonetheless complicit in receiving

No doubt the most fleshed-out character in Slytherin. When Pottermore came around and Rowling elucidated what each house truly stood for, there was no better icon for us cunning folks.

The protagonist’s most… intense feelings towards someone of the same sex were towards Draco. Maybe that’s why, as a young bi kid, I felt something about them.

When more books came out, and he did have non-friend non-family feelings, his relationships felt so dispassionate to me. Kisses and crushes were exactly the kind of thing I’d been hoping for as I grew up with Harry, but the depictions never resonated with me. Maybe it’s just that books marketed towards kids are going to keep it bland in the crush department, and not gloss over schoolmate rivalries. It’s not like I read anything else as a preteen/young teen that I related to on a romantic level.

By that I mean there were no books that spoke to me in that way; my first experiences with fanfiction revolved around Harry/Draco slash. It was all very tame stuff, rolling around kissing on Quidditch fields, but I guess those formative experiences stick with you. In my case there was a very direct connection between growing up and (what was later called) drarry. “H/D slash” was the first thing I really bonded over with the girl who would soon become my first significant other.

It isn’t just those who make “the wrong choices” who end up “exceptionally lonely,” who will “never escape the past.” So much of Draco is identifiable in me as a trauma victim.

Now that I’m a Certified Grown-up and read Certified Grown-up Fanfic, drarry stuff is at once an escape and a challenge. “Escape” might not be the right word here, since reading fluffy feel-good stuff has been a big catalyst for me trusting people again and not withdrawing socially as much anymore. My point is, both a.) dealing with trauma and b.) ensuring consent has been freely given (even moreso than one normally would, bc y’know, ~enemies to lovers~) are big themes. I’m not feeling up to mentioning specifics, but you can imagine this presents opportunities for me to see myself on the page sans too-close-for-comfort stuff I’d come across in stories set in our world.

Tom Felton is a wonderfully expressionate actor. Draco’s not a character I ever anticipated myself trying to emulate, but I think of him all the time now. Shit goes down, sometimes I cry, but I can’t put my life on hold while I wait for the puffiness to go down. Sometimes I have to head out still red-eyed and sniffling a little. My only rule is that I hold my chin level.

Pretentiousness as self-preservation

Mean flirt

If your hair’s just the way you like it, life’s a little bit better

We probably accomplish a little more when we’re acting entitled (Quidditch, Potions) than when we’re not (uhh)

Probably other reasons— I was genuinely wondering, so I sat down to write this preliminary analysis. I just started rereading the series from the beginning; I hope to discover more connections that I long ago lost the ability to explain. For now, it’s reminded me of a piece of Dumbledorian advice. Maybe it will inspire hope in me and the other little Dracos out there: “Scars can come in handy.”

#draco deserved better #harry potter #draco #draco malfoy #drarry #slytherin #rachel oc

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sorrowsflower · 7 years ago

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Thoughts on the Slytherins...

I love J.K. Rowling, and Harry Potter, but honestly, I think she wrote the Slytherins rather unfairly.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but except for Draco, I don’t think she ever wrote a Slytherin who was truly multi-faceted and fleshed out (even Snape is debatable). And even Malfoy's character wasn’t developed until late in the series; up to that point, he was quite one-sided and a superficial side character.

All of the other Slytherins seem to fall into some villianous stereotype: the main baddie (Voldemort); the dark evil witch (Bellatrix); the selfish, shallow mean girl (Pansy Parkinson); the bullish, idiotic cronies and lumbering bullies (Crabbe and Goyle, and their female version Millicent Bulstrode); the enthusiastic followers who seek power (the Death Eaters). If not villainous, then they are, in some way, cowardly or reluctant to defend their honor, or even overtly causing harm by taking the easy way out (Slughorn, with the Horcruxes; refusing to come back to Hogwarts; being reluctant to join the Battle of Hogwarts). Except for Draco (and the questionable good performed by Snape), none of them are sympathetic in any way.

I can understand the association between the Slytherin House and villainy. There is a certain darkness associated with that House because all of the “evil” witches and wizards come from Slytherin, and that was Rowling’s main purpose for that House: to have something that contrasts sharply with Gryffindor, and to have a ready pool of characters from which to select when looking for a villain. But I think she did her own creation an injustice when she limited the characters in it to one-dimensional, almost non-beings to be referenced only when one needs a baddie.

Slytherins are never mentioned as friends. From the beginning they are established as rivals with Gyffindors. There is such a prevailing idea of “us vs. them”, Slytherins = bad, Gryffindors = good -- and it’s a very restricted way of viewing things. I think Rowling understood this, so she made Snape work for the “good” side (questionable though his methods and agenda may be), but the problem is, she didn’t apply it to other Slytherin characters, and so Snape appears to be an outlier.

And I think one major piece of evidence for this was during the Battle of Hogwarts, when, upon being called to fight for the school, the Slytherin table was completely empty. I mean, I get that Slytherins are “cunning folk”, but I didn’t think that would mean a set of people who are more willing to save their skins than fight for a good cause.

Sure, they’re not renowned for their courage, but I don’t think just because a person is cunning means they are selfish. After all, like Dumbledore pointed out when Malfoy brought the Death-Eaters into the castle, this where his friends live. These students have lived here for many years, they have formed relationships, friendships -- and probably not just with the Slytherins, but also other people in other Houses. Are you telling me that not a single person in the whole House cared enough about the others, about the school, to stay and fight with/for them?

The other bad thing about it is that it separates Slytherin from other Houses. By making them the only House not to volunteer anyone to fight for the school, she effectively isolates Slytherin from the other Houses, from the entire school. There are no Slytherins to celebrate when the Battle is won, because there were no Slytherins there to fight. The only other living Slytherins mentioned in the aftermath of the battle are the Malfoys, and since Rowling placed them on a kind of neutral evil level, they’re unsure of their place in the school. And I think this is the way most Slytherins would feel upon returning to Hogwarts. Uncomfortable, out of place, unsure of whether they still belong to the school, because the others stayed and fought, and they did not.

This is why in my many, many Harry Potter AUs (which have numbered in the mid to high double digits over the years, I’ve lost accurate count), I always include a main Slytherin character (characterization varies with each AU) in a positive relationship within the primary plotline. I mean, it might be just me, but I’d like a fleshed out, nuanced character from Slytherin there.

#slytherin #harry potter #jk rowling #character development #voldemort #bellatrix lestrange #just me rambling

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jcmorrigan · 7 years ago

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Harry Potter

Doing books only. No Fantastic Beasts, no Cursed Child. Just to tighten it up.

· the first character i ever fell in love with: You know what? I never realized how much Draco Malfoy fascinated me until recently looking back. I knew as a kid that he was supposed to be a “bad guy,” so I figured my fixation on him was just hate. But now looking back, I realize that I have always loved Draco Malfoy, not in spite of his evil deeds but BECAUSE of them, and I just never wanted to admit it to myself.

· a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: When I first started the series, I was in this childlike state of “All the heroes are great!” But as time goes on, I really don’t see the appeal to Ron. I don’t hate Ron. Not by a long shot. I don’t even really dislike him. I just…don’t actively like him. I guess I’m still kinda mad at him for the drama that happened in the first act of Deathly Hallows.

· a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: I’ve also been getting distant from Ron/Hermione.

· my ultimate favorite character™: I WILL BE A GROWN-UP AND ADMIT IT: IT’S DRACO MALFOY

· prettiest character: Draco, as of year 7

· my most hated character: HORACE SLUGHORN. DON’T START ME

· my OTP: Voldemort/Quirrell

· my NOTP: Voldemort/Bellatrix

· favorite episode: We’ll call this “chapter.” And I’ll say the finale of Chamber of Secrets always gets me in just the right way.

· saddest death: ALL OF THEM Dumbledore’s was the only one that had me actually TALKING TO my book out of grief.

· favorite season: Goblet of Fire. Just because it had the most going on. You have the epic Triwizard Tournament and its creative challenges, you have worldbuilding with the other wizarding schools and grown-up dragons, you have tons of interesting side characters from said wizarding schools, and while the ending is one of the biggest downers and cliffhangers in the series, it marks the turning point because VOLDEMORT HAS FINALLY RETURNED TO THE FLESH AND HAS UPPED THE STAKES BY ABOUT 7000.

· least favorite season: Deathly Hallows. Could we PLEASE have skipped the entire first act when the trio is on the run? No more drawn-out friend drama. Faster pacing. PLEASE.

· character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: It’s not “hate” but people like Ron waaaaaay more than I do.

· my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: DRACO MALFOY

· my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’fave: Luna Lovegood

· my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleansemy soul, but i still love it’ ship: Don’t really have one

· my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m nottoo invested’ ship: Harry/Ginny (it’s sad that the main couple in the entire series is at this status but that’s kinda how I roll)

#harry potter #draco malfoy #anti ron weasley

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b0okish-world · 7 years ago

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling

Synopsis: The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

My thoughts: GINNY: “Harry, there is never a perfect answer in this messy, emotional world. Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic. In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your pain. To suffer is as human as to breathe.”

On July 21, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play based on a story by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany premiered at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End. The play, along with the book publication of its script, is the first significant addition to the Potter universe since the credits rolled on the second Deathly Hallows movie in 2011. Harry Potter stands peerless in the realm of literary hits, so Cursed Child was an assured commercial success even before it debuted. Written as a transcript, Cursed Child follows the next generation of wizards and witches.

I found the latest instalment of the Harry Potter series to be an enjoyable read in the sense that it allowed me to revisit old friends made many years ago (even if only for an afternoon). Harry Potter and the Cursed Child reignited that childlike imaginative spark in me, which is the reason I fell in love with the world of Hogwarts in the first place. Without going into too much detail, the play focussed on the difficulty Harry and Ginny’s son, Albus Severus, has with being the underperforming child of “the boy who lived”. Albus struggles with living u pro the reputation of the Potter name, and subsequently becomes a bit of a loner who does not hold the same esteem for Hogwarts as his parents would have hoped. The piece also speaks to the difficulty Harry is parenting a somewhat rebellious Albus, who is often viewed by others to be “different”. When Albus befriends the child of a certain former Slytherin house member with whom Harry shared several altercations with during his time at Hogwarts, Harry is tasked with determining whether he should intervene to keep Albus out of trouble, or rather to put his preconceived notions of Malfoy’s only son aside and allow Albus to continue to spend time with his one true friend. In addition, Harry must also make Albus understand the difference between seeking out trouble versus confronting it when it presents itself to you - a lesson Albus eventually learns through the course of the play.

SCORPIUS: No, it's time that time-turning became a thing of the past. ALBUS: You’re quite proud of that phrase, aren’t you? SCORPIUS: Been working on it all day.

While many readers have voiced their concerns over the writing style and how it pales in comparison to the original series, I would offer the following point. This work is written in such a style to facilitate live performances. As such, it seems unfair to compare the extent to which characters are developed and the over plot complexity to J.K. Rowling’s original series. The original seven were not bound by the added task of producing a narrative which can easily be digested in a spoken format (in addition to proving itself worthy of the original series as a standalone literary text). As I have always preferred dialogue over description, this writing form has been proven itself worthy due to its easy and fast nature to read.

I truly don’t understand what’s become of J.K. Rowling in recent years. She transformed the literal and cinematic realms with her Potter books, pioneering fantasy trends that continue to this day. I suppose she’s trying to make stage plays more popular now? Not sure if that will take off, and it’s kind of unfair for the many fans who can’t afford to go see the play themselves. Those people are stuck reading the script, which requires a lot more imagination to really enjoy. There’s very little of Rowling’s great descriptive prose on display, mostly just dialogue - and it’s unclear how much of that was actually written word for word by her personally. It sounds like her style; I’ll say that. But reading it definitely pales in comparison to reading an actual book. Frankly, I’m disappointed that Rowling hasn’t taken the time to flesh this out into a novel. The same goes for the other Potter related fiction she’s written lately - the pre-Fantastic Beasts pieces on Pottermore, to be precise. Its like reading pitches she hasn’t bothered to turn into real books. Obviously, when you’re as famous as Rowling, you can get away with posting your world building notes online or having somebody else turn a story idea into a script and still have millions reading the stuff… but it smacks of laziness on her part, in my opinion.

DUMBLEDORE: Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic.

If you came to this book hoping for a new era of Harry Potter, you’re going to be disappointed. This book is an epilogue to the original series, not the start of a new one. There’s nothing ground breaking. The mythology is not expanded, and the new characters spend most of their time dealing with the legacies of the original cast. I’m gratified that the wizarding world will be built up by the Fantastic Beasts film(s), but there's a lot of untapped potential in the modern Potterverse that isn’t even touched in “Cursed Child”. There wasn’t enough of Hogwarts, unfortunately, and only focused on the magic outside the castle. I would have liked to see more of the home Harry Potter grew up in.

What makes “Cursed Child” work despite all the strikes against it is what it does with the aftermath of the original stories. If “Deathly Hallows” had to have a follow up in the first place, then this is a surprisingly good one. It’s certainly an improvement on the frequently criticised, rushed epilogue to “Hallows”. This is basically an expansion on that last chapter, exploring what it’s like for Albus Potter to grow up dealing with his famous dad’s legacy, and it’s very believable in that respect. True, Albus doesn’t come across as likeable until near the end of the book, and even Harry shows some striking flaws as a father, but given where both these characters are coming from, these problems make sense. It’s not the forced “happily ever after” of the Hallows epilogue; it’s complex and realistic. Additionally, there’s a very sympathetic, funny character in play in the form of Scorpius Malfoy, Draco's son. He ends up stealing the show, and is arguably the hero of the story in his own right. His lines made me laugh out loud more than once, and convinced me that to whatever degree Rowling was involved in writing this story, she’s clearly still “got it”

.ALBUS: “So what would you like me to do? Magic myself popular? Conjure myself into a new house? Transfigure myself into a better student? Just cast a spell, Dad, and change me into what you want me to be, okay? It’ll work out better for both of us.”

Scorpius was a great addition into the story. His friendship/relationship with Albus was pure, and I appreciate the attention provided towards the importance of friendship. I definitely understand why people would like to see them together as the dialogue and quick descriptions indicate a relationship, which ultimately seems to be more than friendship. Draco and Harry talking, and viewing each other as friends made me feel emotional; it took them more than twenty years, but it was worth it. I still don’t understand the story surrounding Draco and his wife, Astoria. It doesn’t make sense, and seems like bullshit the writers created to expand the plot/story.

Parts of the story itself felt a little overdone and rushed, but you must keep in mind that this addition is originally intended to be watched, not read, with delivery fitting under a specific window of time. For this, I know I did not experience the full breath and absorption of Cursed Child during my read through, and I am sure live performance characteristics such as dialectic nuances and set transformations would definitely expand this work even more, but just reading the play itself took me back into this world of magic, mishap, and mischievousness that Potterheads are long time familiar with. I am curious how the experience of watching it live differs, and cannot wait to see it when I have the chance.

DUMBLEDORE: “Harry, there is never a perfect answer in this messy, emotional world. Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic. In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your pain. To suffer is as human as to breathe.”

The Trolley Witch part made me feel uneasy. It was irrelevant towards the plot, and made me cringe while reading it. I’ve come to a conclusion, in which I cannot consider these events as cannon. As much as I enjoy certain twists and additions into the story, much of it doesn’t fit with the original Harry Potter books or does not seem to work. It felt as if the plot read like fan fiction, with its revisiting of the original novels’ plot points, its cameos of beloved characters, and its too satisfying outcomes; Hermione, for instance, is Minister for Magic and Ginny is sports editor for the Daily Prophet. Ron seems completely out of character, and revealed he was drunk at his wedding; there was a desperate attempt of humour with his character, which didn’t seem like the original Ron.

Voldemort having a child completely turned me off. He has been hinted to have a relationship with Bellatrix throughout the books, but them having an actual affair and child doesn’t seem to fit. How could Bellatrix be pregnant during the Wizarding War? There was no explanation for this, only the child was born during this time. Of course, their child would want to avenge them, and bring Voldemort back. Another villain would have improved Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as Voldemort’s daughter didn’t do the book any justice. I will not accept that Voldemort had a child with Bellatrix. I can’t, and I won’t.

HARRY: “I shouldn’t have survived - it was my destiny to die - even Dumbledore thought so - and yet I lived. I beat Voldemort. All these people - all these people - my parents, Fred, the Fallen Fifty - and it’s me that gets to live? All this damage - and it’s my fault.”

It’s a shame because there’s a lot of possibility here. There are interesting storylines taking place here, they just aren’t executed on the level we’ve come to expect from a Rowling product. I enjoy reading time travelling stories, as well as revisiting beloved characters much later in life, but this isn’t how these characters act. Albus should never have been this whiny. I liked him in the seventh book. I liked Harry in the original 7. But, here, the characters have become annoying or flat. Additionally, I wasn’t a fan of hoe entwined in the story Harry was. I’ve already witnessed him and everything he is capable of in the original seven books. Now, he's a blubbering fool. You can’t sit there and tell me that Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is going to run to Ginny every time he has a minor problem, and he is not allowed to eat sugar.

Having said that, as a reader, you have time to appreciate on the page how nimbly Thorne’s writing navigates the adventure’s death defying twists and turns, and his stage directions have poetry of their own, a style that in its lyricism and sense of the abstract is distinct from Rowling’s more direct, story driven prose. For example, when Albus arrives at Hogwarts and is sorted into his school house, we are told: “There’s a silence. A perfect, profound silence. One that sits low, twists a bit and has damage within it.” When the children travel in time, Thorne’s stage direction notes how: “time stops. And then it turns over, thinks a bit, and begins spooling backwards…”

DRACO: “…And being alone - that’s so hard. I was alone. And it sent me to a truly dark place. For a long time. Tom Riddle was also a lonely child. You may not understand that, Harry, but I do…”

As a story containing many possible alternate realities, with a text created to varying degrees by three collaborators, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a complement to Rowling’s original series rather than a straightforward continuation. It won’t satisfy all fans: some have already taken issue with the story’s extensive reliance on time travel, the use of which seems to disagree with the magical precedent set int he books. Others have quibbled with the portrayal of Harry’s character: he comes across as pricklier and even more troubles than he was in Rowling's books. And though the release is eagerly anticipated by adult fans who grew up with the books, it remains to be seen whether children will connect with reading a complex story in a less familiar script form.

The emotional climax is devastating even on paper. Once again, the fantasy world that Rowling created nearly 20 years ago is at its most powerful when it sets aside magic and reveals the basic, brutal and human mechanics of love and grief. The characters are, mostly, exactly as you remember them, and it’s difficult to overstate how exciting it is to read a new story set in this widely loved fantasy universe. The thrill of a new Harry Potter book, even in script form, is its own kind of magic spell.

HARRY: “You know what? I’m done being made responsible for your unhappiness. At least you’ve got a dad. Because I didn’t, okay?”

Nonetheless, there is still plenty in this new release to tempt fans, for familiarities abound and the magic is intact, if fleeting. Details are minimal for settings, as can be expected given the format, but it works, as there was an assumption that anyone reading the book knows the world inside and out and can paint the pictures in the mind. In fact, fans will find much that is recognisable in the new story, in spite of the altered vessel of delivery. It is worth nothing that there is no effort made by either Rowling or Thorne to acquaint a Harry Potter newcomer to the world, so it is advised for those not familiar with the original series to read the books in sequence. From the opening lines - once the reader adjusts to the pace and syntax of the script format - a comforting feeling descends, for the world seems just as it was left when the last pages of Book 7 were reluctantly closed.

Rowling never misses a chance to raise a moral conundrum, and characters are always deeper than two dimensional, even in script form. Albus Potter, bearing the unwelcome burden of being the son of the most famous wizard to live, is faced with having to navigate Hogwarts with the same lack of anonymity as his father did. The first person young Albus encounters on the train is Scorpuis Malfoy, the son of Harry’s nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Young Rose Weasley, daughter of Hermione and Ron, heads off to make other friends, but Albus stays, in typical Rowling fashion, he befriends the last person his father would expect him to. These sorts of moral twists are some of the reasons Rowling’s books resonate so deeply, as they appeal to our better natures.

HARRY [quoting Dumbledore]: “The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”

The twists and turns continue, and preconceptions and expectations are turned on their heads, as though Rowling is reminding the reader that change is good and an open mind should always be the goal. Not only are the characters’ prejudices challenged, but so, too, are those of the reader, and once again Rowling takes a fantasy and elevates it with characters that are distinct, flawed and endearing. There will be plenty who denounce Rowling for reopening Harry Potter’s world, but for those for whom the loves run deep, treasures await.

If it all sounds confusing, it is, as there were several hands involved in the creation of the first two instalments that are set 19 years after Harry Potter left Hogwarts and defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort. Rowling hinted at this glimpse of Harry’s future in the epilogue of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” and some of that much analysed final chapter is overlapped nearly verbatim in the play’s script; indeed, it serves as a jumping off point for a new and wondrous adventure for Harry, his cohorts and the next generation of wizarding offspring. For true Potter fans, this might be enough to be pulled back into the story. That said, the very nature of the play format of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” allows for very little detail, which is where Rowling’s real storytelling gifts reside. Her ability to build fully developed characters is unsurpassed and is what comprises the centre of the allure of the Harry Potter series.

DRACO: Hermione Granger, I’m being bossed around by Hermione Granger. And I’m mildly enjoying it.

Lastly, Draco and Hermione have been shipped together since the books first came out, and there is a moment dedicated to them. I’ve never understood the obsessiveness of their relationship, and it disgusts me; it's like shipping a white man who is racist with a black woman. It doesn’t make sense. He might have changed his attitude towards muggle born people, his prejudice will never completely disappear. This tine, I must admit, made me smile a bit as I realised it will make the majority of Draco and Hermione shippers happy. Yes, I felt happy for them, as pathetic as it makes me sound.

The story, once you get past the awkward format, is gripping. I devoured it in one afternoon. There are quite a few surprises in store for hardcore fans. On the whole, the tone is very appropriate for those who have “grown up” along with Harry. Fans who are now adults can relate with the themes explored here, even when characters mess up pretty badly. Harry certainly made plenty of his own mistakes over the years, and occasionally acted like a jerk. I’d argue that it’s worth giving Harry’s progeny a chance, even if you don't take to him at first. At the very least, read it for Scorpius. I’m not saying you definitely won’t be disappointed, but there are far worse ways for a Potter fan to bide the time until Fantastic Beasts gives us a weightier addition to the potter universe.

DRACO: Keep up, old man. HARRY: We’re the same age, Draco. DRACO: I wear it better.

Date finished: 27th March, 2017 Pages: 309 Rating/5: ★★★

#review

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