#Gaunt family

[hisfavegirl]

The Serpent’s Flame - Draco Malfoy x Reader.

Summary : Being in your sixth year at Hogwarts meant you were nearly at the top of the food chain, and with your bloodline—the legacy of Salazar Slytherin on your father’s side and the dark, mysterious Gaunt lineage from your mother—you carried a reputation that both intimidated and intrigued. Students whispered about you in the halls. Some feared you, thinking your bloodline gave you a dark edge. Others envied your beauty—long, silver-blonde waves that cascaded past your waist, your tiny frame accentuated by curves most girls only dreamed of. And your emerald green eyes? Hypnotic. Dangerous. Just like a Slytherin should be.

Warning : Smut, Reader is described of having Silver blonde hair and green eyes, Reader is the last bloodline of salazar slytherin after voldemort, Nudity, Semi Public Sexs (Bathroom), Rough Sexs, Fingering, Edging, P in V sexs, Unprotected Sexs.

Draco Malfoy Masterlist.

Wizarding World Masterlist.

Dividers by @bernardsbendystraws and @arcielee

The soft echo of your heels against the ancient stone floors of Hogwarts followed you as you strolled alongside Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson, the air crisp with that early-winter sharpness that filled the castle in November. Pansy had just delivered a biting remark about a Hufflepuff girl who nearly incinerated the entire left wing of the Potions dungeon, and you let out a low, velvety laugh that lingered in the corridor like perfume.

“Honestly, how do you almost blow up the class with a Calming Draught?” Pansy drawled dramatically.

“Talent,” you mused, your voice as sweet as honey, but threaded with the same venom all Slytherin girls were taught to perfect.

Daphne smirked. “Jealous, Pans? I think you just hate not being the most talked-about disaster in the school.”

You rolled your eyes, lips curved in amusement, fingers grazing your wand tucked discreetly in your thigh holster beneath your skirt. Today, you left your hair down—a rare, silken curtain of long, silver-blonde waves cascading down your back. It shimmered like moonlight with each step. Only Slytherin students ever saw it like this. But today, everyone would.

The towering doors of the Great Hall groaned open under the weight of centuries, and a hush fell over your group as you stepped inside. Your presence pulled heads as if drawn by invisible string—Hufflepuff girls pausing mid-bite, Ravenclaws stealing glances over books, even a few daring Gryffindor boys locking eyes before quickly looking away.

But none of them mattered.

Your gaze found him instantly.

Draco Malfoy.

He sat languidly at the Slytherin table beside Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, his fingers playing idly with the edge of his goblet, but his eyes—those piercing, storm-grey eyes—were already on you. The moment your gaze met his, everything else dulled. Sound, light, movement—it all bled into background.

He was smiling.

Not the cold, calculated smirk he gave to the rest of the world. No, this was different—private, intimate, soft only for you. Like the rare sun behind grey clouds in a storm-wrecked sky. His eyes devoured you slowly, undressing you in a way that made your skin burn beneath your uniform.

You walked toward him, slow and graceful, every sway of your hips deliberate. You were aware of the way his eyes darkened the closer you got. By the time you reached him, the tension crackled like electricity.

Draco stood up before you even reached your seat, pulling out the bench beside him. His hand brushed the small of your back as you slid in, lingering there longer than necessary, thumb tracing slow, subtle circles against your blouse. He leaned in close, his lips grazing the shell of your ear.

“You know what that hair does to me,” he murmured, voice low and sinfully smooth.

You turned to him, your full lips parted just slightly, heart beating like wings in your chest. “That’s why I wore it down today. For you.”

He inhaled, sharp and shallow, his hand now resting fully on your thigh beneath the table, hidden from everyone. The warmth of it spread like fire.

“You’re cruel,” he whispered, voice raw with need, “walking in like that. All sweet and untouched on the outside, but I know better.”

Your eyes glinted with mischief, lashes fluttering as you leaned in, your lips brushing his. Not kissing—almost.

“You like cruel,” you whispered. “You like knowing I’m yours and everyone else just wants.”

He groaned softly under his breath, thumb now pressing into your inner thigh. “I want you now.”

You tilted your head, feigning innocence, voice breathy. “Then come find me after dinner… if you can wait that long.”

His jaw clenched, his desire so tangible you could feel it hum through him. From across the table, Blaise and Theo exchanged knowing looks, smirks playing at their lips.

“I give him ten minutes,” Theo muttered.

“Five, if she keeps playing like that,” Blaise replied. But Draco didn’t even hear them. His entire world was you and he was burning.

The golden light of the enchanted ceiling bathed the Great Hall in a twilight glow, but none of it touched the storm brewing in Draco Malfoy’s eyes.

His hand was still on your thigh, fingers tracing patterns with a possessiveness that was becoming more desperate by the second. You were whispering something soft against his jaw, your voice silk-wrapped seduction, when a voice cut through the magic between you.

The sound of it—Harry Potter’s voice—was a blade through silk.

Your head turned, thick silver-blonde hair catching the light like starlight, cascading over your shoulder as you looked up. Harry stood a few feet away, awkward, tense, holding a folded parchment in his hand. His eyes flicked from your face to Draco’s hand beneath the table.

“Can we talk?” he asked, his voice unusually soft, and that’s when Draco’s body turned rigid beside you.

Like a predator sensing a threat.

You blinked, curiosity creasing your brow as you tilted your head, eyes narrowing slightly. “What is it?”

Before Harry could answer, Draco voice cut him like a thunder.

“That’s enough, Potter,” he said coldly, his voice a low snarl of threat and warning. “You’ve got five seconds to turn around before I forget we’re in the Great Hall.”

Harry’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak. He looked at you once more—something unreadable in his eyes—then turned and walked away, his shoulders tight, fists clenched at his sides.

You exhaled slowly, letting your body relax as you turned back to Draco.

“Was that necessary?” you murmured, more amused than annoyed.

Draco’s eyes stayed fixed on where Harry had walked off, his breath sharp, his jaw locked so tightly you thought it might crack.

“He said your name like he owned it,” he growled.

You shifted closer, the air between you thick, heavy with unspoken emotion and lust that simmered right beneath the surface. One of your hands slid up his thigh under the table, resting on the spot where his hand still gripped you.

“And do you?” you asked softly, tilting your face up to him, lips parted, eyes teasing.

That got his attention.

His gaze snapped to yours, dark and full of fire. “You know I do.”

You smiled, slow and sinful. “Then show me.”

And before he could say another word, you leaned in and kissed him. It wasn’t a shy kiss. It wasn’t sweet or soft.

It was claiming.

Your lips molded to his, full and warm, your mouth opening slightly to invite him deeper. His hand slid up your thigh, squeezing possessively, while his other hand tangled in the back of your hair, pulling you closer, deepening the kiss until the entire world dropped away.

He tasted like mint and heat, the kind that burned into you and left you gasping. Your body pressed into his beneath the table, your chest brushing his as his tongue slid against yours in slow, unhurried strokes that sent a shiver straight down your spine.

You kissed him like he was oxygen.

He kissed you like you were fire.

When you finally pulled back—lips swollen, breath caught—his eyes searched yours with something fierce, something raw.

“Mine,” he said, so quietly only you could hear it. “Don’t let him near you again.”

You smiled, brushing your lips over his jaw, down to his neck, lingering just long enough to make him shiver. “I won’t. He doesn’t get to touch what belongs to you.”

Draco’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment, like he was trying to center himself. When they opened again, they were full of promise—and something darker.

“You’re not going to class after dinner.”

You raised a brow, teasing. “Oh? And where will I be?”

He leaned in, his voice brushing against your lips like a spell. “Bent over the sink in the Prefects’ bathroom with my hands on your hips, making sure you remember who you belong to.”

Your breath caught in your throat, pupils blown wide, heart pounding so loud you were sure the entire table could hear it.

“Then finish your dinner,” you whispered, voice trembling with anticipation, “because I’m not going anywhere.”

The door to the Prefects’ bathroom shut behind you with a resonant click, echoing against the marble and tile like a warning bell. Before the sound even faded, Draco’s wand was in hand, lips curled in a snarl of desire as he cast a nonverbal spell—locking the door and sealing it with silence.

The room was warm with steam, candlelight flickering against the white and gold decor, casting dancing shadows over the water that shimmered in the massive tub like liquid stars.

But Draco didn’t look at any of it.

He was already on you.

His mouth crashed onto yours like a breaking wave—furious, hungry, a man lost in the storm of everything he’d held back all day. You gasped into the kiss, fingers flying into the front of his robes, clutching him as if you were trying to steady yourself on something that was already pulling you under.

“Fuck, I waited all day,” he growled against your lips, his hands gripping your waist with bruising heat.

You whimpered into his mouth as he walked you backward, and you knew exactly where he was taking you. One swift tug and your leg was lifted—his fingers digging into your thigh as he wrapped it around his waist, his hips grinding into yours through layers of fabric, teasing just enough to drive you mad.

“Draco,” you breathed, voice already wrecked, and the sound made him growl low in his throat like an animal barely restrained.

He kissed you harder.

There was no gentleness. No softness. Just raw, desperate need.

His tongue parted your lips again, claiming, deep, overwhelming. The kiss tasted like every ounce of possessiveness and frustration he’d bottled all day—watching Harry say your name, watching you smile at someone who wasn’t him.

He pressed you to the edge of the sink, lifting you up with ease, both hands gripping your thighs as he forced them wider around him. His palms slid to your ass, squeezing firmly, pulling you against him. The moan that left your lips was so helpless, so breathless, it made his jaw clench.

“You drive me fucking insane,” he rasped against your neck, dragging his lips down to taste your skin. “Walking in with your hair down… like you didn’t know exactly what that would do to me.”

You gasped as his teeth grazed your throat, your fingers twisting in his soft platinum hair. “I did,” you whispered, wicked and breathless. “I wanted you desperate.”

He pulled back just enough to look into your eyes, and what you saw in his gaze made your whole body ache.

“Then congratulations,” he said, voice dark and low, “because I am. I’ve never wanted anything like I want you.”

Your breath caught, lips trembling.

“Prove it.”

And just like that, he was on you again—kissing you with reckless intensity. One hand tangled in your hair, pulling your head back just enough to kiss you harder. The other stayed firm on your hip, grounding you as he pressed forward between your thighs, grinding slow, hard, making your whole body tremble with every movement.

You were gasping into his mouth now, dizzy with it, with him, and the way his dominance poured into every kiss, every touch. He was everywhere—hands, mouth, body—owning you completely.

“I hate when anyone else says your name,” he muttered against your lips. “Hate when they look at you.”

“Then claim me,” you whispered, your voice low, ruined with want.

He growled, deep and primal, and for a second he just stared at you—chest heaving, lips swollen, eyes burning with a mix of love, obsession, and something far darker.

“I already have,” he said. “But I’ll do it again. And again. Until there’s no part of you that doesn’t know you belong to me.”

Your whole body pulsed with that promise. You didn’t need candles or silk sheets or whispered poetry. You needed him—here, now, and exactly like this.

And as he leaned in again, dragging your lips back to his with bruising, breathless need, you surrendered to every dark, delicious piece of him.

The mirrors fogged with every breath you took, the scent of heated skin and candle wax curling in the air like a spell. The cool marble sink pressed against the back of your thighs, your skirt bunched up carelessly around your waist. Draco stood between your legs like a storm in human form—his breath uneven, his lips swollen from kissing you senseless, and his gaze… ravenous.

His hand slipped under your skirt again, and this time he stilled.

His breath hitched.

You saw the shift in his eyes immediately—like a fuse had been lit.

“You’re not wearing panties,” he muttered, voice rough, low, and shaking with restraint.

Your lips parted, a whisper of a smirk forming on your kiss-bruised mouth. “Not since breakfast.”

His groan was guttural—frustrated, hungry, and sinful all at once.

“Fuck,” he breathed, like the word had been dragged from the deepest part of him.

You were about to tease him again, when he suddenly gripped your hips hard, and before you could gasp, two long fingers thrust into you—deep, hard, with no warning.

Your moan tore from your throat as your head fell back against the mirror behind you. His fingers didn’t hesitate. They curled inside you just right, pressing against that devastating spot he’d memorized like a spell, and your thighs instinctively squeezed around his wrist.

“That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?” he whispered against your throat, kissing just below your jaw, voice dark and possessive. “Walking around all day like that. Letting the whole damn castle wonder what you’ve got on under that little Slytherin skirt.”

You whimpered, biting your lip, fingers gripping the edge of the sink until your knuckles turned white.

“Do you even know what that does to me?” he growled, thrusting his fingers deeper, harder. “Knowing no one else knows how wet you are for me—but I do. I always do.”

You cried out, your body arching off the sink as he curled his fingers again, hitting that spot inside you that made your vision blur.

“That’s it,” he rasped, his thumb brushing against your clit with maddening slowness. “You wanted this, didn’t you? Wanted me desperate. Wanted me angry.”

His voice dropped lower, turning darker.

“Little tease. You’re so fucking filthy, aren’t you? Sitting in class, legs crossed like a good girl, while you drip onto the seat under you. No panties. No shame.”

“Draco,” you gasped, your voice wrecked, body trembling.

He leaned in, mouth right by your ear. “Say it.”

“Say what?” you moaned, your walls clenching around his fingers, every nerve set ablaze.

“Say you did it for me.”

Your lips parted, a breath catching on your tongue. “I didn’t wear them… because I wanted you to lose control.”

And Merlin, did he.

He cursed under his breath, his fingers thrusting even faster, harder, relentless. His body pressed against you, trapping you in his arms, overwhelming you with the smell of him—cologne, sweat, lust.

You couldn’t hold back the sounds now—not when he was unraveling you with every curl of his fingers, every word dripping filth into your ear.

“You’re mine,” he snarled softly. “Every inch of you. And you’ll never go without them again unless I tell you to. Understood?”

Your body arched, overwhelmed by the wave building inside you.

“Yes—yes, Draco—please—”

“Not yet,” he hissed, pulling his hand away suddenly, leaving you aching, gasping, trembling.

You whimpered from the loss, your body shaking in need.

But Draco’s eyes were molten, burning with possession, and his mouth pressed against yours in a kiss that promised you hadn’t even seen the worst of him yet.

“You want to be my filthy little thing?” he murmured against your lips. “Then beg.”

Your breath came in sharp gasps, skin flushed and damp, as you reached out with desperate fingers and took Draco’s hand—still wet from where it had just been inside you. You guided it back between your legs, aching for the pressure, the rhythm, him.

But before you could get it where you needed, he growled—a deep, territorial sound—and yanked his hand back with a firm grip that made your whole body jolt.

“No,” he said roughly, his voice a low, dangerous murmur. “That’s not how this works.”

Your fingers tightened on the edge of the sink as your thighs trembled, frustration and need burning hot through you.

“Draco, please,” you gasped, but he only raised an eyebrow, watching you with a slow, smug tilt of his head.

“Look at you,” he whispered, dragging the backs of his fingers down the inside of your thigh, never quite where you needed. “So needy… shaking for me already. And you really thought you could take control?”

His hand hovered there—close, so close—but never touching. You reached down with your own fingers this time, slipping between your slick folds and thrusting into yourself with a pace that tried to match what he had done before. Your moan echoed through the bathroom, high and aching.

But it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t him.

Draco watched, gaze darkening, jaw clenched, as you tried to pleasure yourself in front of him—hips rolling, body straining, breath ragged. But there was no satisfaction in it. It only made the emptiness sharper. It made your body ache even more.

Your lip trembled. “It’s not the same,” you whispered.

His chuckle was low and wicked. “Of course it’s not,” he said, stepping closer, gripping your wrist and stopping your hand. “Because these—” he guided your fingers out and held your hand between you, slick and trembling— “aren’t mine.”

You whimpered, your knees threatening to give out.

“Say it,” he said, voice velvet and steel. “Say no one can make you feel the way I do.”

Your chest heaved, green eyes wide and glassy as you looked at him.

“No one,” you whispered. “No one, Draco. Please, I need—”

“You need what?” he murmured, brushing his lips against your cheek, then your jaw. “Say it. Properly.”

“I need you,” you choked out. “I need your fingers. Your mouth. Your cock. All of it. I need you. Please, Draco, I can’t—”

That was all it took.

The sharp edge of his restraint cracked in half. His eyes blazed as he growled into your mouth, crashing his lips to yours in a brutal kiss. His hand slid between your legs again, and this time, there was no teasing. No slow build.

His fingers thrust back inside you with the same devastating rhythm as before, curling just right, dragging helpless sobs from your throat as your nails raked down his shoulders. The pleasure exploded in white-hot flashes, your body melting and tightening all at once under his dominance.

“Mine,” he growled again and again, breath ragged against your neck. “You don’t touch yourself unless I say. You don’t come unless it’s by me.”

Your fingers clutched at his robes, holding on for dear life as he pushed you to the edge, again and again, the tension between you snapping like a whip in the air.

And you would’ve fallen—shattered and ruined in the best possible way—but his lips brushed your ear as he slowed, pulling back just enough to make you cry out again.

“I’m not done teaching you what happens,” he whispered, “when you forget who owns every inch of you.”

Your moan cracked into a sob of pleasure, your body trembling as Draco’s fingers refused mercy. Each thrust was precise, cruel in how perfectly they curled, making your thighs shake and your breath hitch.

“Draco,” you gasped, your head falling back against the mirror. “I—can’t—I’m—”

But he didn’t slow. He didn’t let up.

He was watching you, eyes dark and locked on your face as though trying to burn every sound and expression into his memory. And then—just when you thought you were going to tip into bliss—he groaned low in his throat, the sound thick with want.

You blinked through your haze just in time to see his free hand move. He tugged at his belt with rough fingers, popped the button, and dragged the zipper down. The sound alone sent a fresh wave of need through you.

“Draco?” you whispered, breathless and trembling.

His eyes never left yours.

He withdrew his fingers from you slowly—cruelly slow—and your body cried out at the loss. A high, helpless sound escaped your lips, your hips shifting toward him in pure instinct.

But he only smirked, gripping his now-freed length in his hand, the tip flushed and aching.

“You think I’m going to let you come without me?” he rasped, voice thick with dominance and need. “After the way you teased me all day—after you begged me like that?”

He stepped in closer, the head of his cock brushing your slick folds. You whimpered, your fingers clutching at his arms, nails digging in.

“You’re mine,” he said again, and then—

He thrust into you in one sharp, punishing stroke.

Your cry echoed through the tiled room, body arching hard against the sink, back bowed from the sudden stretch and heat and overwhelming fullness. It was too much—and not enough.

He was buried deep, deeper than his fingers ever reached, and you felt every inch of him. The thick, throbbing pulse of his cock inside you, the way he fit so perfectly, like you’d been made for him.

Draco groaned against your neck, his hands gripping your thighs tightly as he held you in place. “So tight,” he breathed. “So fucking perfect around me.”

You couldn’t even form words—your hands flew up to his shoulders, holding on for dear life as he started to move. His pace was ruthless from the start, every thrust rocking you back into the mirror, each one followed by a hiss of pleasure from his lips.

The tension in the air was unbearable. The scent of sex, the heat of your bodies, the way you both breathed each other in like it was the only thing keeping you alive.

“You wanted this,” Draco snarled softly, kissing your jaw, your throat, your collarbone. “Walking around without your panties… so cocky… so filthy.”

“Draco—” you moaned, your voice wrecked.

“You thought you could drive me insane and not pay for it?” he growled, his thrusts slamming harder, faster. “I’m going to fuck you so deep, you won’t be able to think about anyone but me.”

Tears welled in your eyes—not from pain, but from the overwhelming force of it all. The way he filled you, possessed you, ruined you so thoroughly that nothing existed outside of this moment.

“Tell me you’re mine,” he said between clenched teeth, his rhythm unrelenting.

“I’m yours,” you cried, sobbing against his shoulder. “I’m yours—I’ve always been—”

He kissed you hard, a messy, claiming kiss that was all tongue and teeth and desperation.

He pulled back just far enough to press his forehead against yours, his pace never faltering, his breath hot on your lips.

“You feel that?” he whispered, low and dangerous. “That’s me. Only me.”

You nodded, tears slipping down your cheeks, moaning into his mouth as your body started to break apart beneath his.

The bathroom was filled with the symphony of slick skin, ragged breathing, and your broken cries of his name. The sound of Draco’s hips meeting yours echoed off the stone walls, relentless and sharp, a perfect rhythm that made your entire body tremble with every slam of his hips.

Your fingers clawed at his shoulders, your thighs shaking around his waist, and your head lolled back helplessly as his cock kept hitting that perfect spot inside you—over and over again. Your eyes rolled, jaw slack, breath catching in short sobs of pleasure.

“Right there,” you gasped, voice high and broken. “Draco—oh, my god—there—”

He growled deep in his chest, watching the way your body responded—how your breasts bounced wildly with every brutal thrust, how your legs twitched around him. His eyes darkened with hunger, possession, adoration.

“You’re a fucking vision,” he rasped, one hand sliding to your waist, the other coming up to grope at your breast, squeezing hard enough to make you whimper. “Look at you. You can’t even think, can you?”

You shook your head desperately, but no words would come. Just moans. Just his name tumbling over and over off your lips like it was the only thing left in your mind.

“Completely cockdrunk for me,” he growled with a twisted smirk, slamming into you harder, faster—each thrust stealing the breath from your lungs. “You love this. Love when I take you like this. When I ruin you.”

Your eyes fluttered, your body arching like a bow, caught between the searing edge of too much and not enough. You tried to respond, to say yes, please, always, but all you could manage was a loud, wrecked cry of his name.

“Say it,” Draco demanded, panting hard against your neck. “Tell me who does this to you. Who you belong to.”

“You—Draco!” you sobbed, lost in the haze of it all. “Only you. Always you. Please—don’t stop—”

His hands gripped you harder, fingers sinking into your hips, dragging your body onto him even deeper. He was in complete control—every move calculated to push you further, to watch you fall apart.

“I could watch you fall apart like this every damn day,” he whispered against your ear, voice thick with dark affection. “So perfect. So desperate. So mine.”

Your vision blurred as the knot inside you tightened, twisting hotter and hotter with every brutal thrust, every filthy word from his lips, every stroke of his body against yours.

And he felt it—felt you spiraling, clenching tighter around him, dragging him closer to his own edge.

“Come for me,” he commanded, slowing just enough to grind deep, right against that spot again. “Show me how much you need me.”

When you shattered, it was silent for a second—like the whole world held its breath. And then you sobbed his name so loud it echoed, your entire body shaking as you convulsed around him.

Draco didn’t stop—he rode it out, watching your face, the way your lips trembled, the tears on your cheeks, your blissed-out, cockdrunk expression like it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

You trembled in his arms, your body still quaking from the intensity of your climax, your breath short and gasping—but Draco didn’t stop.

Not even close.

He was still moving inside you with an unforgiving rhythm, his hips snapping against yours, cock dragging through your oversensitive walls like he was determined to leave his mark. The pleasure had tipped over into something almost unbearable, a wildfire dancing along every nerve ending—but still, you took it. Because it was him.

“Draco—” you whimpered, voice broken, hands scrambling for purchase against his back. “I—I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” he growled into your ear, biting lightly at your lobe. “You will. You’re gonna take everything I give you.”

The hand on your waist gripped tighter, and the other slid up, fingers curling beneath your chin until he was forcing your head back, making you look into his eyes. They were wild, half-lidded, pupils blown wide with dark lust and something far deeper.

“You feel that?” he asked, voice low and rough. “The way you’re still clenching around me, sucking me back in like you don’t want to let go?”

You cried out as he angled his hips differently—deeper, harder, making your walls flutter helplessly again, dragging you toward a second peak far too soon.

“You love this,” he whispered. “Love how I don’t let you go. How I fuck you like you’re mine.”

“Draco—please—” your words dissolved into a whimper, your body betraying you, tightening around him again like it was begging for more.

He groaned, head dropping to your shoulder for a moment as your body pulsed around him again. His control was fraying—he could feel it—but it only made him rougher, more desperate.

“Fuck,” he hissed. “You’re gonna make me lose my damn mind.”

And then he pulled back enough to look at you, his hand still firm on your jaw, holding you in place so you couldn’t look away.

“When we get back to our dorm,” he said darkly, his voice like gravel, “I’m going to bend you over our bed and do it all over again.”

You whimpered—loud, involuntary—and your body clenched around him so hard he nearly dropped to his knees.

He smirked. “You want that, don’t you? Want me to ruin you again. Have you screaming into our sheets.”

Your nails raked down his back as you nodded, nearly delirious from the overstimulation, from how deep he was inside you, from the possessive fire in his voice. “Yes—yes—please, Draco…”

“You’re gonna fall asleep with my come still dripping out of you,” he snarled, snapping his hips harder now, the sound of your bodies colliding echoing in the chamber like something sacred, something obscene.

“And when you wake up,” he panted, “I’ll still be inside you.”

Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes—not from pain, but from how intensely you felt him, how much he overwhelmed every part of you. You felt him getting close, his rhythm growing erratic, the edge in his voice raw now, ragged.

“Say it,” he breathed. “Tell me who you belong to.”

“You,” you sobbed. “You, Draco. I’m yours—always.”

And with one final, punishing thrust, he groaned your name like it burned him, burying himself to the hilt, his whole body trembling as he emptied inside you.

He didn’t move for a long moment—just held you against the sink, forehead pressed to yours, breath mingling, bodies still connected, still pulsing together like one. His hand slid down your cheek, his voice quieter now but no less intense.

“You drive me insane,” he whispered. “And I’ll never stop wanting you.”

You leaned into him, eyes fluttering closed as your fingers found his hair, soft now, comforting despite the ache in your limbs.

“I don’t want you to stop,” you whispered back.

He smiled—dark and soft all at once.

“Good,” he said. “Because I’m not done with you yet.”

Draco’s arms were firm around you, his stride purposeful as he carried you through the dimly lit corridors of the Slytherin common room. Your head rested weakly against his chest, breath still shallow, limbs boneless from what he’d done to you in the prefects’ bathroom—twice.

The soft crackle of the fire flickered across emerald stone walls, casting shadows as the room buzzed with low conversation. But it all came to a halt the moment the door swung open and Draco stepped inside, your limp, well-fucked form in his arms.

Pansy’s eyes widened. Daphne covered her mouth. Blaise arched a brow and let out a low whistle.

Theodore groaned, tossing his quill on the table. “Again?”

Draco didn’t even slow. His smirk was slow, arrogant, smug in the way only he could be. “She’s exhausted,” he drawled without glancing at them. “Can’t even walk. Thought I’d carry what’s mine.”

Your face flushed against his chest, but you didn’t protest. You couldn’t. You were still trembling, your thighs sticky, your throat raw from moaning his name into stone and silk. Your fingers curled weakly into the collar of his robes as he carried you past your staring friends.

Blaise gave a low chuckle, muttering something about “needing soundproofing spells.”

Draco’s smirk only deepened as he approached the stairs. “Don’t wait up.”

The door to your shared dorm clicked shut behind you, sealing you away from the world. The moment it did, the air shifted. Still thick with the heat between you, with possession and passion that hadn’t yet burned out.

He set you down on the bed gently, the first sign of softness since he had taken you hours ago. But the glint in his storm-grey eyes told you he wasn’t done—not by a long shot.

You tried to sit up, but your muscles ached. Your body trembled with exhaustion, overstimulated and aching in the most delicious way.

Draco leaned over you, brushing your hair back from your face, his thumb gliding softly across your cheek. “You’re shaking,” he murmured, voice low and rough. “Good.”

“Draco…” your voice was hoarse, breathless, pleading—but even now, even broken open like this, you were still looking at him like he hung the stars.

He kissed you slowly this time. No rush. Just a claiming, a reminder.

“Think anyone else would ever see you like this?” he whispered against your lips. “Laid out. Weak. Trembling just from me?”

You shook your head, and he smiled—sharp, wicked, proud.

“Didn’t think so.”

He trailed kisses down your jaw, your throat, his fingers slowly undoing the rest of your clothes. But this time wasn’t about urgency. It was about ownership. Worship.

“You were made for me,” he breathed, eyes scanning every inch of you like he still couldn’t believe you were real. “And I’ll spend every night reminding you.”

Your hand found his hair, fingers sinking into those soft, pale strands. “You already have,” you whispered.

Draco hovered above you, his forehead pressed against yours, and for a brief moment, his eyes weren’t clouded by lust—but something deeper. Fiercer.

“I’ll never let you go,” he said softly. “Never.”

Your heart stuttered.

“I don’t want you to,” you whispered.

And in that quiet, tangled space, surrounded by soft sheets and flickering candlelight, he kissed you again—not to dominate, not to conquer—but to claim.

The moonlight spilled through the tall windows of your shared dorm, casting pale silver onto your skin like liquid stardust. The fire burned low in the hearth, its soft crackle the only sound besides your breathless moans and the rustle of the sheets as Draco moved over you like a shadow possessed.

His hands framed your waist, fingers possessive, reverent—like he was reminding himself this wasn’t a dream. That you were real. His.

He hovered above you, his eyes hooded with need as they raked over your body. “Look at you,” he murmured, voice hoarse. “Every inch of you is perfect. You don’t even realize what you do to me, do you?”

You opened your mouth to respond, but the words were swallowed by a gasp as his lips wrapped around your nipple, hot and soft and overwhelming. Your back arched off the bed, a breathless moan escaping you as you instinctively threaded your fingers into his hair, tugging tightly.

Draco groaned low against your skin, the vibration sending tingles straight through your chest. He didn’t stop—he sucked harder, his tongue swirling deliberately, almost cruelly, around the sensitive bud. His other hand slid over the curve of your breast, fingers squeezing and massaging to match the rhythm of his mouth.

“Draco,” you whimpered, eyes fluttering shut, overwhelmed by the twin sensations—his mouth, his hand, his heat pressing you down into the mattress.

He chuckled darkly against your skin, pulling off with a soft, wet pop. “You’re so sensitive tonight,” he murmured, lips brushing your skin as he spoke. “You like when I touch you like this, don’t you?”

You nodded, dazed and breathless, your voice barely a whisper. “Yes… always.”

That answer made his eyes flare. He lowered his mouth again, trailing his tongue across your other breast, flicking teasingly before his lips closed around your nipple once more. Your moans turned desperate, thighs shifting beneath him, seeking friction, seeking more.

He grinned against your chest. “So eager,” he breathed. “I haven’t even started yet.”

His voice was like velvet and fire, and you whimpered as he gently bit down—just enough to make you shiver—before sucking again, deeper this time, more possessive.

“Mine,” he whispered, voice low and rough. “Every part of you.”

Your hands trembled in his hair, and when he finally pulled away, your chest rose and fell in ragged breaths. He looked up at you, hair tousled from your grip, lips glistening, and that wicked gleam in his eyes.

He kissed your sternum, slow and lingering, then moved up to hover over you. His hand cupped your face gently, brushing his thumb along your bottom lip.

“You drive me mad, you know that?” he whispered. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

You reached up, caressing his jaw, your voice soft and shaken. “Then show me.”

His smirk returned, full of promise and wicked heat.

“Oh, I intend to.”

Your fingers curled into the sheets, knuckles white, as Draco finally pushed inside you—one hard, deep thrust that stole the breath from your lungs. The stretch was immediate, the fullness intense, and your back arched off the bed with a cry that he swallowed in a kiss.

“Merlin,” he growled into your mouth, voice ragged, “you feel like you were made for me.”

His hips didn’t hesitate. His pace was brutal from the start—rhythmic, punishing, like he had no intention of going slow. The bed creaked under the force of his movements, protesting each thrust as he drove himself deeper into you, again and again, without mercy.

Your hands flew to his shoulders, trying to hold onto something, anything, as the pressure inside you built quickly, dizzyingly. His cock hit that spot inside you with precision, every time, like he knew—and of course he did. He knew your body better than anyone ever could. He studied it like a sacred text and mastered it like a spell.

You cried out his name, over and over, your voice shaking with each slam of his hips, and he loved it—every sound, every tremble, every time you clenched tighter around him like you couldn’t help it.

“Louder,” Draco snarled against your neck, his breath hot and ragged. “Let them all hear how good I fuck you.”

You whimpered, half from his words, half from the way your body was unraveling beneath him. He gripped your hips tighter, pulling you into each thrust with force, his nails digging into your skin, marking you.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

You forced your eyes open, meeting his gaze—stormy grey, dark with hunger, fierce with something deeper. His expression twisted with pleasure as he watched your face, saw you lose yourself completely under him.

“You’re mine,” he said, like a vow. “No one else will ever have you like this. No one can.”

You nodded through the haze, your voice breaking. “Yours… always.”

The words made him snarl with satisfaction. He leaned down and kissed you fiercely, his pace never slowing, never faltering. He poured all of it into you—every ounce of control, of possession, of worship twisted with desire.

You didn’t know how long he kept going—minutes? Hours? Time didn’t exist in that room. There was only the sound of your gasps, his groans, the sharp slap of skin against skin, and the bed that shook beneath you.

When your body finally gave out—shaking, aching, overwhelmed—Draco still didn’t stop. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close as he buried his face in your neck.

“You take me so well,” he whispered. “You always do.”

And in that raw, breathless space between madness and devotion, you clung to him like he was the only thing keeping you grounded.

Because he was.The room was thick with heat, the air heavy with every moan, every gasp, every echo of skin meeting skin. Your body trembled beneath Draco’s, completely spent, completely his—but he didn’t stop.

He hadn’t slowed since your release—if anything, his thrusts had grown more relentless. Your limbs had gone limp, boneless from pleasure, eyes glazed in the haze of overwhelming sensation. Yet Draco, with that unyielding fire in his eyes, wasn’t finished.

A sharp gasp tore from your throat when he suddenly shifted, his strong hands curling under your thighs. He lifted them with ease, placing your legs over his shoulders. The angle shifted everything—deeper, fuller, blinding.

You cried out, head rolling back against the pillow, hands clutching the sheets as his cock slammed into that spot inside you over and over again with ruthless precision.

“Oh god—Draco—” you choked out, voice wrecked from pleasure.

His pace didn’t falter. If anything, your reaction only spurred him on. He looked down at you, chest heaving, golden hair clinging to his temples with sweat. And then he saw it.

A low, guttural moan left his throat as his hand moved to your lower belly, fingers brushing the slight bulge with awe and wicked satisfaction.

“Look at that,” he growled, voice rough with arousal. “You’re so full of me… I can see myself inside you.”

You sobbed from the overwhelming pleasure, your body twitching with each brutal thrust. The pressure, the stretch, the weight of his words—it all tangled together until your senses blurred.

Draco leaned down, your thighs pushed tighter against your chest, his pace never letting up. His lips brushed your ear, voice low and possessive.

“This is how I want you,” he whispered, breath warm. “Laid out, ruined, trembling—so full of me you can’t think straight.”

You whimpered, barely able to nod, and he kissed your jaw with unexpected tenderness despite the roughness of his movements.

“I’ve got you,” he said, his voice gentling for just a moment. “Let go, baby. I’ll hold you together.”

And with those words, your body shattered again, a wave of bliss crashing through you so hard it left you gasping for breath, clinging to him like he was the only thing tethering you to earth.

Draco moaned loudly as you clenched around him, and he drove in deeper, grinding against that spot until your vision blurred. He was wild, wrecked, lost in the feel of you, in the way your body molded to his like it was made for him alone.

When he finally stilled inside you, his breath hot and ragged against your neck, he didn’t pull away. He stayed wrapped around you, as if grounding himself in your warmth, in your surrender.

His lips pressed softly against your cheek, then your collarbone.

“I’m never letting you go,” he murmured.

And in your dazed, blissful silence—you believed him.

Tag List : @danytar @julessworldd @hangmanscoming @yazzzmints @giirlinblack @searatarg @vaelry @callsignwidow @hayleythecannibal @ceoofglytchell @ashblooddragons @laedeviour @venusbyline

[giselsann]

you'll be fine Sebastian, at least you're Slytherin🐍

[wookiecookiesfactory]

Oh child merope, My sheila, my sheila😔

[darlingzelda]

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ

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ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ꜱᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴜᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴢᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏꜰᴛ ꜱᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴜᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰʟᴀɢꜱᴛᴏɴᴇ. ʜᴇ ꜰɪɴᴅꜱ ʜɪᴍꜱᴇʟꜰ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴏᴏᴛꜱᴛᴇᴘꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏꜰᴛᴇɴ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ꜱᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴜᴍᴇ ʟɪɴɢᴇʀꜱ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ, ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴛʜᴜᴍᴘ ᴜɴᴜꜱᴜᴀʟʟʏ Qᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ.

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀꜱ ᴘʀɪᴠᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ ꜱᴇʙᴀꜱᴛɪᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇꜱᴄʀɪʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟ ꜱᴏ ʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʟɪᴋᴇ. ꜱᴇʙᴀꜱᴛɪᴀɴ ɪꜱ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴄᴏɴꜰᴜꜱᴇᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ᴀꜱ ʜᴇ ᴀꜱᴋꜱ.

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄᴏɴꜰᴇꜱꜱ ʜɪꜱ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀꜱꜱᴇʀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛꜱ. ᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʀɪᴄʜ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ (ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ᴀᴡꜰᴜʟ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ), ʜᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ʜɪᴍꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴡᴀɴᴛɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ.

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅꜱ ᴇxᴄᴜꜱᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɴᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴀꜱᴋ ʜɪᴍ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ? ʜɪꜱ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀꜱ ‘ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ’ ʙʀᴜꜱʜ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴜꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴇɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇ ᴜꜱᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ‘ꜱᴏʀʀʏ, ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ꜱᴇᴇ’ ᴇxᴄᴜꜱᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ꜱɪɴɢʟᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ’ꜱ ʟᴏꜱᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴡᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ʏᴏᴜ’ʟʟ ᴏꜰꜰᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ɪᴛ. ɪᴛ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴜᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴏᴅᴅ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇꜱ, ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʟʏ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. ɪᴛ’ꜱ ᴀʟᴍᴏꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ʜɪꜱ ꜰᴏᴜʀ-ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇᴅ.

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇʟʏ ᴀɴɴᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰʟᴜꜱᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ꜱᴇʙᴀꜱᴛɪᴀɴ ᴅʀᴏᴘꜱ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴏʙᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ ʜɪɴᴛꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ᴍᴀʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴏʀᴍᴏᴜꜱ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏɴ, ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ, (ᴛᴏ ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ’ ʀᴇʟɪᴇꜰ) ʙᴜᴛ ꜱᴇʙᴀꜱᴛɪᴀɴ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇᴀꜱᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʜᴇ ɢᴇᴛꜱ.

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ᴠᴇʜᴇᴍᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴅᴇɴɪᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴀʏ, ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴜᴘ ʜɪꜱ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱɪᴄᴋ ᴀꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋꜱ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴀɴɴᴏʏɪɴɢ ᴏʀ ᴅɪᴍᴡɪᴛᴛᴇᴅ. ꜱᴇʙᴀꜱᴛɪᴀɴ ꜱᴇᴇꜱ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ɪᴛ.

ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ!ᴏᴍɪɴɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ɪꜱ ᴛᴇʀʀɪꜰɪᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ’ꜱ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʜᴇ’ꜱ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏɴɢᴇꜱᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʜᴇ’ᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜɪꜱ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ’ꜱ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ɴᴀᴍᴇ. ʜᴇ’ꜱ ꜱᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴜᴅᴅᴇɴʟʏ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʜᴇ’ꜱ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴀʏ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

I'd love to know your thoughts on the Gaunts in Hogwarts Legacy. I loved Ominis as a character, and the story of his family was interesting, but I'd really love an in-universe explanation for how they get to the state they are at when Tom is born in less than what... 40ish years? At most? How exactly do they go from multiple family members functional enough to attend Hogwarts to barely able to speak English (or seemingly use magic) that quickly?

So, the reason I didn't put Ominis and the Gaunts in my big canon contradictions in the HL post, is becouse I can in fact headcanon my way into Ominis' existence making sense (kinda). We only need one big factor that would allow for a very fast decline and we have one — inbreeding.

I mentioned this already here, but Marvolo speaks like he remembers the influence his family once had. Not only that, but he's different from his kids. He acts more like a person who can be somewhat reasoned with than both his barely more than squib children who don't seem capable of much intellectually.

How this might've happened is, say, one Gaunt got obsessed with blood purity and around the 1780s married his cousin.

His children turn out okay since it's just one generation of cousin marriages, but then his son also marries a cousin in the 1810s.

Their children would still seem reasonably fine and marry cousins again. And they have children in the 1840s.

By this point, most of them would be losing prestige and money and many other purebloods would want nothing to do with the Gaunts. This pushes them to keep marrying just a bit too close and shrink down the family to only the main line and maybe another one.

So, these children born in the 1840s would have their own kids with their cousins around the 1870s.

Now, these kids are Marvolo and Ominis, another brother (since Ominis mentions having older brothers), and at least one sister (for the sake of this theory to work). By this point, inbreeding would start to be a problem after 4 generations of first/second-cousin marriages in a row, which would work with Ominis being born blind, for example (which is a possible result of inbreeding).

Now, while both Ominis in the game and Marvolo in the 1920s talk a big game about their family influence, by the 1890s, it's a lie. I think they started falling from grace earlier throughout the century (as I mentioned), losing money and prestige and holding onto their position in the wizarding world by the skin of their teeth. Ominis' posturing about his father knowing the headmaster in HL always came off to me as just that — posturing. His father may have met Phineas Nigellus Black, but they weren't close by any means. Ominis is just threatening you the way he knows and can — which is some of the connections still left for his family since the money ran dry years ago.

The fact we don't see other kids in Slytherin trying to win Ominis' good graces for the sake of his family's influence (blindness or not) again suggests a lot of said influence is posturing more than the real deal. I mean, he's only friends with Sebastian and Anne, two students who are definitely outsiders within Slytherin (even if there's no way they live in Feldcroft, since there's no way that hamlet doesn't exist in the books).

Also, Ominis mentions his brothers and father tortured muggles. There's a non-zero chance that in 1890 most of his family is in Azkaban and he really is just lying and he has nothing he can do against anyone with his connections. Basically, it's a bluff.

I think seeing them like this adds an interesting reason as to why Noctua (Ominis' aunt) would want to look for Slytherin's Scripturium (though I don't think the Scripturium exists in the books, so let's say she looked for the Chamber of Secrets and was eaten by the basilisk since she wasn't the heir it was meant to obey in the 1880s). Becouse she's trying to bring the family back to its place of influence as descendants of Salazar Slytherin in a different way from her brother.

By the 1890s, Noctua is dead, there are no Gaunt cousins, just the main line with Marvolo, Ominis, unnamed brother, and unnamed sister.

Ominis is likely disowned at some point, and it fits his character to decide not to have kids and not pass on Parseltongue, which he sees as dark. I can see his character making that decision. But for this theory to work, he has to die before Tom is born, so he doesn't live a long life unless he left Britain and is living happily in the US or Australia or something.

The unnamed brother might be in Azkaban for crucio-ing a muggle, getting him out of the picture in an in-character way and making sure he has no kids.

Marvolo is where it gets interesting becouse with the state we see with his kids, and the nosedive off a cliff the family took in his time, my theory is that he had his kids with the aforementioned named sister. It would explain why Morfin and Mereope are like that. It would explain why they were completely shunned from wizarding society. How they lost even the measly amount of influence they had so quickly. It would fit with Marvolo's view of blood purity and the Gaunts' blood in particular, being purer than the rest.

So, this is my answer as to how I can headcanon my way into the Gaunt family's fast decline making sense. That being said, do I think Ominis is canon for the books' universe? Probably not, but I can make up shit to make it work, as I illustrated here.

[beware-of-pity]

Cinnamon Girl - III

Masterlist I Ao3 link I Chapter Two - Next

Harry James Potter x Reader

Summary :

In my restless dreams, I see that castle. Hogwarts.

Chapter III: But then she noticed me glance at her (I had no choice but to dance with her)

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Harry was certain it wasn’t good for him to think so much. He was frying whatever last sane thought he had left in his mind, and it wasn’t helping his shaky belief about what he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had witnessed a few days ago in Knockturn Alley. He pondered it repeatedly, twisting and turning it in every possible way, yet he could not shake that he always arrived at the same conclusion: that Draco had become a Death Eater.

His anxious looks — constantly turning his eyes to watch his back in case he and his mother were being followed — twitching demeanour, and a sense of unwillingness in whatever he was lead into could indicate that whatever he and his mummy were seeking out of Mr Bourgins was no average day-to-day incanted necklaces or dragon skulls, that Harry would rather not like to think how Mr Bourgins got his hands on, request of customers willing to pay a petty penny for whatever they were there for.

To add to his annoyance of the matter, it was the fact that neither of the other witnesses of this event seemed as bothered by it as he was. Harry thought that Ron and Hermione, who were more than familiar with Malfoy’s antics, would be the ones raising eyebrows over what they had seen, and yet he barely got a reaction from them — not what he had hoped for. Neither shared an interest in discussing the many possibilities leading to and resulting in Draco and his mother’s actions.

Nor could he hope to turn to Ginny either. As the one often kept out of the trio’s adventures for obvious reasons, mainly her safety, she could not understand the seriousness of Draco’s unusual change of character. The most she knew was that he was a prick, but that was public knowledge to anyone familiar with Draco’s name. If anything, Ron and Hermione had grown more than annoyed by Harry’s insistence on the matter and his constant blubbering over the theories he came up with. It came to a head on afternoon, where after the last of endless dismissals, Harry got the point and decided he would not share his conclusions until he was certain of them. He didn’t feel heard, and he wasn’t sure even the adults would be willing to listen to him.

Sure, he was just a boy, but no boy his age had faced the things he had. He possessed a maturity unbecoming the nature of his boyhood, and yet it was one he could not rid himself of. No, he stunk of it; he carried it within him like heavy baggage weighing down his shoulders. Always at his back, pushing down, as a reminder that he would never be normal and he would never be given the normalcy he craved and deserved.

But for how much he wishes for someone to hear his opinions, even he was uncertain of his thoughts. After all, for whatever reason would a boy of Draco’s age even become a death eater? But for Harry, many, many reasons would ditto so.

For one, Lucius’ imprisonment following the guilty verdict of his trial. Draco had always been one to hold onto his feelings. Harry was sure that injustice was swelling within him as his father was carried out of the room, soon to be thrown into Azkaban. He could not dismiss the fact that Draco and his family had taken it upon themselves to ensure they lay their own perverse sense of justice in the matter. Revenge is a dish best-served cold, or so they say, but Draco’s rage may be surging too intensely through his body for whatever he was planning not to have a greater impact than what his initial impression of the situation suggested.

What happened to Lucius wasn’t an injustice by any means. If anything, Harry had wished he’d faced a much grander show of humiliation. Had Harry had his way, he wasn’t sure if Lucius would have met a more deserving conviction or not. As much as he craved to hurt those who had hurt him far more than they had him, he did not have it in him to hurt others.

The cruciatus curse he had failed to throw at Bellatrix Lestrange was testament enough to that.

He had to mean it; he had to, and yet he did not. The woman had killed his godfather, the man he viewed as a second father, and yet even when given the opportunity, he could not bring himself to hurt. He wished to see her writhe in pain, begging him for mercy, hearing her screams echo through the halls of the ministry as his magic coursed through her body, injecting her with the same pain he was hurled constantly by the man she was devoted to.

And yet she did not. It hit her, but all the red blast of magic coming from the tip of his wand did was startle her in slight shock, if not anger at the audacity he had done so with, and him to a degree. All because he did not mean to. He spoke it, directed it at her — but as they say, if the heart does not mean so, then, even as the mind screams against it, it could not carry itself to complete what his nerves had begun almost automatically. Hurting Bellatrix would not bring Sirius back, that he knew.

Poor Harry. Even when given the opportunity, the opening, into a situation where he could have had every right to act upon his feelings, raging inside of him like a storm, as his heartbeat to a mile, and adrenaline rushes through every crevice of his body he could not but face the true nature of his self.

And despite everything that life threw at him, Harry could not, and would not stray, from who he was. No, he could not allow it. If he loses himself, what else would he allow himself to lose? It all begins with him, and if he ends up ending himself before everything is to come to an end, what will remain when everything is gone and done?

He wants to be tender and merciful because if people like him did not exist, then who would battle the wretchedness of mankind? He was sure it sounded overly valourous.

‘Sounds like penance’ he could almost hear a certain someone resound in his ears. But it wasn’t you, not it could not since you had not appeared in his dreams following the night he came to face you in the dark woods of the burrow.

He spooked you, perhaps? But you had sought him out, led him to meet you there. Angered you? He’d asked if he would see you again, and your absence could not be a clear answer to the question that had been left unanswered. As if he needed more things to trouble himself with, this wasn’t it. 

It... bothered him. How empty his mind was without you swimming along the banks of its river, at the edge between the living and the surreal, the real and the fake. It came to the point where he’d come to imagine the sound of your voice speaking his thoughts to himself.

How pathetic. How low had he stooped? How high had he risen in the first place? This wasn’t normal, but then again, whatever was normal in his life?

You... heard him in ways others did not. Perhaps it was the fact that he could not hide anything from you, or maybe it was the fact that you did not judge him for some of his... darker thoughts. No, no, you never did. You never judged; you just listened, heard, watched, perhaps because there was nothing more you could do.

His thoughts, of all kinds, open and secretive, light and dark — you knew of them.

If he speaks, you listen. If he thinks, you hear. If he asks, he shall receive.

Dreams, altered memories, visions of those lost souls he wished he could mend unsaid and unfinished business with, have one last talk with. He’d never been denied an open ear or shoulder to bear his worries to by you, and that made him feel more welcome to express himself to a practical stranger, like you, rather than his friends and guardians of years.

As so, he dreams. Sometimes, he thinks that’s the right thing to do. Dreams — places where he can envision whatever he wants with no consequences. Where he can ask for anything if he’d so likes, and it will be given to him.

Every night, as he lay in bed, he drew the curtains open to let the light from the outside in. As the candles by the bedside tables are flicked off, he hopes that as he closes his eyes, he’ll see you.

He wishes to see you again. He has so many things he still has to ask, your last and first conversation ending before he could truly say, elaborate, articulate, and speak what he desired to open his mind about. You knew that Draco was up to no good; if there was someone who would listen to his intuition, he knew it would be you.

But without you in his dreams or your magic surging through him, his nightly escapades into his dreamscapes were far less grand and... comfortable for him to enjoy. Boring and unvaried scenarios playing in his head were leaden in the far bigger scheme you and him had ended playing into with your games. He felt that it did not matter who he was when you riddled him with confusing words and unravelling truths, even as he understood that they played along with what you were there for —him.

There was Harry before there was ‘The Chosen One’, but how many will remember him as just Harry if he dies at the hands of his fated enemy before he fulfils the prophecy his mother and father died as a result of? But then again, was there ever just Harry? Or had it always just been Harry Potter?

Harry Potter ‘The Boy Who Lived’; Harry Potter ‘The Boy Who Escaped Death’ when drawn against him when he was just a babe? He was the Harry Potter before he knew who he was in the eyes of many. Had he ever come to know who he was apart from who others told him? Apart from what he had been turned into? A spectacle for all to behold. A freak of nature or the result of a freak accident. No other babe in their cradle could have withstood what he had; that alone made him special, and yet Harry did not feel special. He felt exhausted.

In the end, it would not matter. All that did was that he would finish what with his survival he’d been tasked to end. His feelings never mattered because what if he just disappeared and was given the task of being the chosen one by someone else? Selfish, he was sure to be called upon many things, but at this point, Harry would not mind being selfish, even if he could not bring himself to be. All he had ever known was to save people; how could he run from what came naturally to him?

He grew up knowing he had no choice in the route his life led down. The question was, where would it end?

So young and so doomed. A boy, he was, and yet here he was contemplating his possible, perhaps imminent death. He did not want to die. No, he did not.

Afraid, that’s what he was, when the thought would rise like a wave and wash over him in the most random of moments. It would choke him out of the air he breathed and clog his throat and senses in the worst ways possible, making it so that he could not think of anything other than the images his mind conjured up.

The normalcy you provided him with cleared his mind of such troubling feelings, and when even you left him with nothing to distract himself with, he had Mrs Weasley endlessly fussing over him, Ron, Hermione and Ginny about their upcoming return to Hogwarts. Just a few days before he was set off to the place he called his own home, he got to meet an old acquaintance of his, Fleur, engaged to Bill, Ron’s brother. The same Bill that the whole family had gone to visit in Egypt just as Sirius had first broken out of Azkaban. Lovely as always, Fleur was a delight to reacquaint with; Ginny and Hermione thought otherwise, especially the latter, who could not but roll her eyes every time Ron would lose himself in his brother’s fiancee, juvenile puppy love swirling along his irises.

They were planning a wedding, or so he was told, around his birthday next year. That meant he would likely spend it at the Weasleys, and Harry could not see a better way to spend the day he was celebrated.

On the night of the 31st of August, Mrs Weasley had let everyone know that she would not have the evening go in any other way than to see everyone’s truck well filled and planted at the doorsteps within the hour of their bedtime, well-meaning into getting a good inspection out of them, always worrying if anyone had missed something on their list or if they had just not packed well enough in her opinion, which was often the case for Ron, never good at fixing his own mess.

“It’s going to get messed along the way anyways!” He argued as his mother laid his truck bare open on the living room area’s floor, her hands skimming along his strawn-together robes and books neither in order nor pilled, the lighter ones falling on everything along the surface before them.

Both Harry and Ginny stared in amusement as Hermione only shook her head at what he had chastised Ron to be the outcome of the dismissal of the warning she’d given him as he just threw everything in the trunk. Despite the assail of the evening before, the morning of the 1st had been smother than the other six years past had been. Waking up early had always been a sore, he would always complain about so, but he could very well catch on it on the train the sooner he got on it.

The Ministry cars glided up to the front of the Burrow to find them waiting, trunks packed, their personal belongings and animals delicately picked from the bunch.

But as smooth as their early morning had been, the same could not be said for the latter half of it. No cheerful Hagrid awaited them at King's Cross Station. Instead, two grim-faced Aurors dressed in Muggle suits made quick work of escorting them into the station. Harry was not fond of being manhandled up to the barrier, but so was protocol, and he only gave a sign of his displeasure on the new order of things as he reminded the man in front of him of his rather exceptional ability to be able to walk by himself, on his own two feet, something he’d mastered since he was a baby, thank god.

The scarlet Hogwarts Express stood belching before the crowd of old and new students as it did every year, steaming over them, ready for departure any minute. With one last farewell to Mrs Weasley, he hopped onto the train, followed by the others, his eyes skimming over the overcrowded compartments to find one empty for them, but he realised that such a thing would be futile when Ron and Hermione had prefect duties to fill into and that Ginny had already left to join Dean wherever he was.

People stared shamelessly as he passed, some pressing their faces against the windows of their compartments to get a better look at him. He frowned at the desperation of many, finding no reason whatsoever of why he would be the cause of such reactions — but he could not complain; it was far better than the cold reception he received upon his return last year. He supposed it was to be expected. His face had landed on every possible surface a witch or wizard could land their eyes upon, and the infamous battle he had taken part in was sure to be the cause of the upswing of gaping and gawping he would have to endure as the so-declared "Chosen One" gazettes like the Daily Prophet were spreading around.

His fame had reached an all-time high, but even then, he did not enjoy the sensation of standing in the bright spotlight he was thrown into.

He sat alone in a lonesome section of the train, yet to be filled by the overly enchanted first years wanting to explore it all and the older students in search of their friends. But the loneliness of where he had ended did not keep him company for long.

First, it was Neville, same, good, old Neville. Round-faced, a bit skirmish, and struggling his way through the hall before he stopped at the door of his compartment. They chatted a bit, caught up in each other’s summer before they were joined by, none other than, Luna. A pair of spectrespecs stood high on her head as she clutched to her a few copies of the Quibbler she’d been handing out throughout the train. Harry took one cheerily, always sharing a fodness for the magazine since he’d given them a private interview last year.

Despite her more than serene outlook, as he spoke, Luna’s attention was anywhere but on him. Instead, her eyes skirred all over the packed hall of the train as if in search of someone.

“Waiting on someone?” He asked. She smiled with the same loopiness as always.

“I am. A friend, or so she insists. My roommate. You see, I was looking for her, but it was quite useless. She’s everywhere all at once; I could never hope to find her, so I wait until she comes to me,” she hummed. “She always does, after all. I envy that of her—being always able to find her way back. You know how lost I get at times.”

Harry’s brows furrowed at the vague mention of a friend from Luna. A friend? Luna wasn’t exactly sought after as a friend by others, even if he considers her one of his, very dear and understanding despite her odd nature.

“Did you change roommates?” He asks, trying to hide his curiosity but failing to do so.

“I have. After an accident at the end of last year, I’ve been allowed to share a room with the sixth-year girls. The others kind of stray to let me have space to myself, but she’s been the only one I feel like being something of a friend with.”

Oh? Well, if that is how it is, he could not question it. It made sense that Luna would feel more comfortable with an older girl, one who could understand her quirks and oddities.

Luna is simply Luna, and he appreciates her for that and he trusts her while at it. With her, there’s no need for deeper meanings or hidden intentions buried within her words — unlike a certain someone he can think of. He wondered if you were around here, with someone, in one of the many train compartments occupying your ride.

He bid both Neville and Luna farewell once Luna seemed more than eager to continue her distribution of the Quibbler, Neville proposing his help in the endeavour as they both walked away at the same time as Ron and Hermione joined him in the compartment he had made himself welcomed to.

As he asked how their roundabout of the train went, Ron passively said, “Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. ‘Sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed. Quite the sight he was”

Harry’s eyes followed Ron slumping into the seat cushion, before moving to Hermione’s in front of him.

“Unlike him, don’t you think?” He commented, a hint of sarcasm unbecoming of him laced with his words. “I’ve been telling you. That day, at Bourgins and Bourke, it was a ceremony. An initiation-“ “I know where you’re going with this, you’ve been muttering about it all week.”

Hermione’s exasperated tone overruns him, but that doesn’t stop him.

“It’s happened. He’s one of them”

��One of what?” Asks Ron, confused by the banter.

“Harry is under the impression that Draco Malfoy is now a Death Eater”, sighs Hermione as she straightens the copy of the Daily Prohpets in her hands.

“You’re barking. What would You-Know-Who want with a sod like Malfoy?” Ron is incredulous by the assumption laid before him. Harry can see it; he doesn’t believe in it at all.

“His father’s a Death Eater. It only makes sense. Besides, Hermione saw it. With her own eyes.” Insists Harry.

“I told you. I don’t know what I saw.” It’s almost like Hermione’s voice is about to rise at her last spoken words. She does not want to argue about this any longer than they’ve already had. But she’s cut off by a knock on the screen of the compartment’s door.

A third-year girl stepped forward, a scroll of parchment paper held high in her hand.

“For Harry Potter?” Her voice is uncertain as her eyes travel from Ron to Hermione and finally to him “From Professor Slugghorn”

She rushes out the moment the scroll lands in his hands. The paper is almost heavy with whatever's written on it.

He pulls at the purple ribbon holding the paper together. The silk of the string is unlike the velvety cord he pulled from your hair at the Joke shop, always nestled tight in his pocket. He seldom parted from the possession —sometimes, when in the solitariness of his own self, he would twist and turn the line of thread over and over in between his fingers. When without a pocket in hand, he would secure it around whichever wrist was free of confines, the many turns of the fabric adorning his skin like a bracelet, such as now.

The words written on paper read :

‘Dear Harry,

I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C.

Sincerely, Horace.’

“Well?” He heard Ron ask as he stared at the sea of letters.

“An invitation for lunch” he tucks the letters in the back pocket of his pants as he stands from his seat, “I’ll be back in a short while. I don’t expect this to last long”

Lying was something he would not easily do unless the occasion required it of him. This was one of them. A simple, white lie meant in good riddance — and anyway, if he were to say he later got caught up in something to cover up for his abnormal absence, he would not have been lying earlier, would he?

"Good luck?" Ron says with a chuckle.

Hermione does not seem as amused as her friend is. "Be careful, will you?" she tells him, her expression worried.

Harry gives them a small nod before making his way out of the compartment and into the hall.

That’s why he had slipped the invisibility cloak right from beneath Ron and Hermione’s eyes as he walked out of the compartment, stowing it messily under his shirt, to be careful, no?

The corridors were overflowing with people on the lookout for the lunch trolley. He pushed past them despite his inability to avoid all the staring from passersby and lingering students.

He continued until the door to Compartment C stood in front of him. He took a deep breath to prepare himself for what lay beyond him, then pushed the door to the side and entered the railcar.

"Harry, m’boy!" His reception was most welcome, especially from Professor Slughorn, who made a grand show of greeting him. He stepped forward to take Harry's hand, shaking it as if they were long-lost friends reconnecting after a long time.

Stepping beside him with the old man’s hand patting his back, he was presented to the professor’s fellow guests. A lovely assembly, for sure — he was surprised to see both Ginny and Neville among the callers of this soiree.

Neville squirmed in place while Ginny looked like she didn’t know how she’d ended there, sitting at the table right beside Neville, with only an empty seat dividing the two. Beside Neville, McLaggen, of all people, sat there; the wiry-haired youth raised a hand to Harry, who nodded in turn. Marcus Belby sat in between McLaggen and Slytherin twins sisters Flora and Hestia Carrow, the youngest of the bunch, a quiet duo, not much for words. It seemed as if the girls were making Marcus as green-sick as if he were on a ship.

And then…

Slightly off the others, just beside Zabini, who sat at the other end of where Ginny did, sat you, clad in a smooth, fancy, vest dress in a dark blue with a rich, white dress shirt underneath. Peaking through the collar of your shirt was a string of pearls, the same as the ones adorning your ears.

Your eyes pierced through his with the same old intensity he had come to know them by.

He gulped down a knot castrating his airway, letting out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding that had caught in his troath when he first landed his eyes on you.

“And here he is," Professor Slughorn boomed, clapping Harry on the back. "Our very own Harry Potter! Now, now, let me introduce you to everyone.”

But Harry heard none of it; he was far too entranced by you to be able to focus on anything else.

You smiled, but it lacked the warmth smiles usually held. It is subtle, never apparent. It is not cold but as still and firm as a painting, like brushstrokes, firm and steady, perfectly detailed the upturn of the soft, plump, rosy skin of your lips. Your eyes, as sticking and downturned as always, are endless pits he could not but lose himself in. Mirrors for his reflection to stare back at him. A gentle sort of horror, the one that haunts and remembers, that sends trill down his spine and back to the nape of his neck and makes every nerve in his body shiver.

So pleasant to those who look upon you, you appear, and through your eyes, a sweetness touches the heart that cannot be understood by those who do not feel it, except for him, because he knows, deep down, that it’s reserved only for him. A beauty that appeals only to the withered eastern lilies and white bellflowers, dry and gone but begrudging in their demise. One that resembles the edge of a sharp knife, myrrh on wrists and wood — beams of moonlight protruding through the trees of a forest, which he gazes up at as he lies in the vastness of the wastelands that is the ground. Damned, knowing he is damned, but living still, prevailing through the doom. Magdalenian, divine and... sad.

There was a sadness in your expression, a profound melancholy that spoke of a heartache too severe to be named. It was as if you had seen too much, known too much, and carried the weight of the world on your shoulders. It mesmerised him, like an inexplicable pull that he couldn't resist. He was drawn to the rawness of your pain.

Prophet girl,

Chosen by the moon,

Did you cry when the gods whispered words of solemn stardust in your ears?

It was a feeling he was all too familiar with, but it still had the power to make his skin tingle and his heart beat just a little faster.

He tried to maintain his composure, to act as if nothing was amiss, but his palms were becoming clammy and his heart was thundering in his ears, but it was futile. Once you’d caught his gaze, you held it until it hurt.

“And, of course, here we have, Miss Y/N Gaunt!” introduced Slugghorn once he arrived where you sat. “A fine addition to this gathering, if I do say so myself.”

So, that was your name, the thing he’d been chasing for a month on end. He had never heard of anyone with the name “Gaunt”. He tried to school his features, hoping to hide his confusion, as he watched Professor Slughorn gesture towards you. Despite this, It seemed to ring a bell, but he couldn't quite place it. He had a face, a name, and a person to which to look in time and space, and yet he could never place you anywhere. He tried to recall if he had ever read the name before, but nothing stood out in his mind.

“Such a pity your brother could not join us, Miss Gaunt,”, said Slugghorn “but so generous of him to send us Mr Zabini in his steed. Ah, but alas, I understand, prefect duties, we all must do our part for this school, no?”

Harry couldn't help but notice the change in your expression as Professor Slughorn mentioned your brother. There was a subtle shift in your gaze, a hardening of your features. It was brief, but it was enough for him to pick up on it.

"Of course, professor" Your voice was light, unconfrontational and agreeable as you spoke, but void and empty as if you were agreeing for the sake of agreeing, not really because you agreed with Slugghorn. But despite how captivating it was, there was something a bit unnerving about it as well. It was almost too polite, too agreeable. It lacked any sort of emotion or enthusiasm, and it felt like you were just going through the motions.

“We all have our part to play,” you added, and the word struck him to his very core. And in a moment, he was transported back to that moment in the forest. The memory as vivid as the rays of sunlight coming in the window beside you — he felt it — the cool night air against his skin and the dampness of the forest ground filling his nose. It was as if you had just spoken those words to him once more.

He found himself unable to respond, his mouth suddenly dry and his mind racing. He could only stare at you, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Indeed", agreed Harry, voice choked on the edge. Slugghorn looked between you two, trying to decipher the edge that laced the shared moment. A beat, then -

"Well now, this is most pleasant," said Slughorn cosily. "A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on liquorice wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things... Pheasant, Belby?”

The boy looked pale, Harry now realised, as Marcus took what looked like half a pheasant. He was eagerly moved to sit between Neville and Ginny, the latter sending him a furrowed look, which he dismissed.

Slugghorn set on about talking of each most prominent trait or fact he could find about his guests. Marcus’ uncle, Cormac’s uncle, Zabini’s mother, the twin’s family prestige and so on and on and on he went.

It was as Dumbledore had said and as he had come to understand on their first meeting. Everyone here seemed to have been invited because they were connected to somebody well-known or influential. Neville didn’t fare too well under Slugghorn’s interrogation, and by the end of it, Harry had the impression that Slughorn was reserving judgment on Neville, yet to see whether he had any of his parents' flair and place in the world.

He noticed that you didn't seem to be offering much in terms of conversation, but you were following and listening intently to what the others were saying, unlike him who had grown restless and rather annoyed by the professor’s interest in slithering his way into the secret of each of them.

“Of course, I don’t have to spare introductions between you and me, Miss Gaunt” teased Slugghorn, all too excitedly. "Of course not," Professor Slughorn continued, "Miss Gaunt is sure to become one of my brightest.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at Professor Slughorn's enthusiasm. He knew that the professor was known for his preference for ambitious students, but this seemed just a little excessive and he couldn’t help but frown at the familiar nature the professor seemed to share with you and your family.

“my father would be pleased to hear you say so, professor," you said, with the same monotony as always, but it was neither passive nor annoyed. It is a calm and rather natural kind, one you seem to wear like a second sleeve — a stark contrast to the warmth and enthusiasm that Slughorn was displaying.

"your father, of course! Dear Abelar, I always knew he was destined for great things. I expected nothing more than for his children to follow in his footsteps," exclaims Slugghorn, bumping his leg up the table ever so slightly it made everything on the surface tremble. Ginny and he readied to stabilise their cups filled with pumpkin juice.

He bristled at Slughorn's words. It was one thing to be placed on a pedestal for a legacy one shared with someone; expecting you to live up to your father's legacy was another. He had seen firsthand how such expectations could weigh heavily on someone's shoulders. He wondered if the professor was being sincere or merely pandering to you. Nevertheless, the sympathy coursing through him for you was very much real. The way he spoke of your father was certainly over the top. He stole a glance, just with the tail of his eye, but then again, he didn't expect to see anything but the same impassiveness as ever. Of course, you would be, it was your father they were talking about, he was you knew best what Slugghorn was talking about. What he was most curious about was the fact that now, he could place another piece to the puzzle he’d been building in his head. Perhaps it had been his fault that he’d not asked more of the man he’d seen conversing with Narcissa just before the whole fiasco with Draco blew in their faces. But you were the daughter of the man who had deserted the order in exchange for a life far away from the reach of the dark lord.

You were Sirius’ cousin. He realized. Or something like that…

That explains the resemblance, he mused inwardly. But your demeanour was the complete opposite of Sirius’s. He was loud, impulsive, rash, and quick to emotion, especially anger, while you were calm, aloof, and composed, almost cold, your face betraying nothing. It was like night and day.

"Ah, so you see, I had the pleasure of teaching Y/N's father" said Slughorn as he chews on a roll "I might say, perhaps the best of the best I've had the pleasure of teaching. Sad to say, he seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth! I was hoping to catch his eye this morning but it seems he didn't accompany you and your brother?”

“My father is a busy man” you explained, as simply as that “but he’s aware just how hard you've been trying to contact him, professor, so he's asked me to send you his regards”

"Oh, of course, of course, how kind of him" Looking rather pleased with himself, Slughorn continues "Tell me, my dear, what is he up to these days? Last I heard, he was in Albania.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on your face, Harry noticed with curiosity. “still there. He’s gotten rather invested in the magical creatures found within the Albanian forest, doing some research as always.” You took what seemed like a dainty bite from your roll, chewing slowly and in silence for some moments before adding, "he’s doing fine, though”

Slughorn nodded, slightly confused and…nervous, almost guarded, as if he knew something about your father that he wasn't sharing "Well, who would have thought that of him”

“he’s always been a curious soul, my father, as I’m sure you know,” you took the cup in front of you “Always been an enthusiast of the less common creatures," you said, with a hint of a smile in your voice, as you took a sip from your juice, looking across the table as if you were searching something - or someone. Your gaze met his, and he looked away quickly. "I’m sure he’s discovered all sorts of things about the forest; it is a very untamed place.”

There was a fondness in your voice that betrayed your otherwise indifferent tone. He wondered what Abelar Gaunt was like as a father. Had he helped build that strong exterior you so easily hid behind, or had it been the result of a childhood lived in solitude? And if you loved him, then what about your brother? Harry shook himself, trying to focus on the conversation at hand rather than the questions swirling in his head.

“Oh, yes, untamed, alright’” Slughorn nodded along his word, but anyone could see he was eager to change the topic of the discussion. He meandered off into a long-winded reminiscence of his prime as a professor and how eager he was to teach once more so many prominent and able students like them.

He was growing tired, if he may say so himself, all this talking and waste of time was truly getting to him, and he could see from the others that he was not alone in his sentiment. Except for you, who continued to indulge blissfully and unawarely in the food in front of you, ever so slowly raising a bit of your choosing to your lips.

The afternoon wore on with more anecdotes about illustrious wizards Slughorn had taught, all of whom had been delighted to join what he called the "Slug Club" at Hogwarts. Harry could not wait to leave, but couldn't see how to do so politely. Finally, the train emerged from yet another long misty stretch into a red sunset, and Slughorn looked around, blinking in the twilight.

"Good gracious, it's getting dark already! I didn't notice that they'd lit the lamps! You'd better go and change into your robes, all of you. McLaggen, you must drop by and borrow that book on dog tails. Harry, Blaise ... any time you're passing. Same goes for you, miss," he twinkled at Ginny. “And Miss Gaunt, do tell your brother I want him there for our next meeting. No compromises! Well, off you go, off you go!"

Harry was one of the first to rise and almost ran to the compartment door - and then remembered that he was supposed to wait for everyone to leave so that he could, well, sneak off without being noticed. He cursed himself and tried to make the best of waiting for everyone to go first as he stood by the side of the door outside, as everyone passed him, his muscles itching to move.

But then, he heard a pair of soft footsteps behind him. He didn’t have to turn to know it was you. You closed the door behind you with one last goodbye to Professor Slughorn before you turned to him, the quiet and silence of the hall making this all the more….intimate.

Your expression was unchanged, but there was something in the way you looked at him - no, through him - that made his skin tingle momentarily.

“Be careful” you say, as soft as a whisper “he’s scared and watching all the time”

"how do you know?" he muttered back, his fingers clenching and unclenching involuntarily.

You smiled the same as you had before, your eyes wandering all over his face until they landed on the ceiling as if you could see beyond it. "How would I not know?"

He swallowed dry, racking his brain for a response, but his mind came up blank, as white and empty as paper. Instead, he stared back, as if trying to decipher the riddle behind your words.

"Right," he responded weakly. "Stupid question."

you hummed "I'd think not”

He felt the edge of his lips turn ever so slightly upward. He might have found comfort in your words if he weren't so unsettled by your gaze or…wording.

"You seem to know a lot," he said, his voice quiet. "Too much, if you ask me." he breathed in "I'm...glad to see you....somewhere that's not my head”

The words had slipped out before he could stop himself. He felt the blood rush to his face, his checks coming alight, and he closed his mouth as If that could take his words back but it was far too late. He braced himself for your reaction, hoping you hadn't heard the double meaning he had only just realized himself.

“As am I” you breathed gently, and for a moment, it was like he was dreaming again. Your breath fanned his face, and his nose whiffed with the scent of vanilla and candescence coming from your hair.

You sounded sincere, and a part of Harry hoped you were. He wanted it to be, needed it.

"You...you are?" he found himself asking, his voice low and hesitant.

You hummed once more and nodded along. Your simple gesture of acknowledgement was like a small flame of hope that flickered within him. He wanted to say more, to ask you more questions, but he felt strangely tongue-tied.

"Is it...?" he started "Why-" he found himself pausing, feeling a lump in his throat “Never mind.”

He cursed himself inwardly, feeling foolish. This wasn't how he wanted to present himself in front of you. He should be confident and suave, not stuttering like an idiot. But you disarmed him, made his walls come down, leaving him vulnerable.

Maybe that’s how you liked him…

He took a deep breath, trying to regain some composure. "how do you know where I'm going?

“I saw it” you only said "You'll get hurt, be careful. But..don’t worry I'll come back to get you"

He certainly did hope that you would come back to get him since he couldn’t move a muscle, and the train would soon leave to return to London. He’ll be damned if he didn’t get his comeback for this. The Invisibility Cloak he laid under hid him from the bare eye, and perhaps, maybe, it was for the better with the way his face must have looked now. The blood seeping from his nose flowed, hot and wet, down his nose and over his lips, throbbing and pulsing heavily with each breath.

He didn’t know for how long he’d been lying there, but gosh, did he hope someone would just notice how long he’d been gone.  Ron and Hermione would think that he had left the train without them. Once they arrived at Hogwarts and took their places in the Great Hall, looked up and down the Gryffindor table a few times, and finally realized that he was not there, he, no doubt, would be halfway back to London.

He just wanted to prove his suspicions right, was it so wrong of him? He always chanted in his head that the end would justify the means — he didn’t know if to regret it now.

His head was pounding from the adrenaline, but most of all, from the kick that little blonde git had thrown at him.

He’d never hated Malfoy more than as he lay there, like an absurd turtle on its back, blood dripping sickeningly into his open mouth. What a stupid situation to have landed himself in... and now the last few footsteps were dying away; everyone was shuffling along the dark platform outside he thought himself doomed.

Until he wasn’t. The cloak had been pulled from him, and there again, true to your words, stood you. And for a moment, he could move once more. Like a fish out of water, he breathed hard, trying to open his lungs to the not-so-fresh air of the compartment. He tried to stand, but you placed a hand on his chest as you knelt before him, pushing him back down.

“I told you to be careful, didn’t I?”

He wanted to snap at you, to tell you that it was no fault of his that he'd ended up in this position.

But you had warned him. You'd warned him, and he had been too stubborn to listen. That, and maybe a bit too intrigued by you.

He tried to speak, but his voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

"Yeah," he groaned, wincing as pain shot through his head. "You did.”

"where else are you hurt?" your eyes scanned over his blood-soaked face, trying to see if he'd been inflicted any more damage.

"Just my face," he muttered. "I think my nose is broken."

He reached up to touch his face, but you batted his hand away, surprising him. You gently placed your own hand on his cheek, and he couldn't help but shiver at the contact of your warm skin on his cold one.

“You blasted fool” you whispered “he didn’t know you were only bluffing”

"Yeah, well, I couldn't just do nothing", he grumbled, looking away from your intense gaze. He knew he’d been foolish, but his anger and frustration at Malfoy had gotten the best of him. He didn't want to admit it, but he too was disappointed in himself for his recklessness.

"I was sure he was up to something" he muttered. "I just had to find out what.”

You raised an eyebrow at his words, a small disapproving look in your eyes.

"But at what cost, Harry?" you asked quietly. "Look at you now."

His cheeks burned with embarrassment, but not at the fact that you were right, but rather, at the way you’d said his name. So different coming from you, it rolled in a way that was so pleasant to the ear it could send waves of pleasure through him., his chest twisting in just the right way.

"Come," you said "we must get off before the train leaves”

He nodded, feeling a twinge of pain coursing through him as he tried to sit up. His head was spinning, but he gritted his teeth, pushed on, and did as you said. With your help, he managed to get to his feet, if unsteady and wobbly.

"I can walk" he protested weakly, as you put a hand under his arm to support him.

“Just let me help you”

Help. Harry never often asked for help. Most times, it was people asking Harry for help, not the other way around. And yet, he didn't protest as you took his arm in yours, clutching it in between your hands. Instead, he almost melted into your touch.

You held him tightly, keeping him upright.

"Easy," you murmured.

He let out a shaky breath, grateful for your steadying presence.

“It’s rotten work”

“Not to me” you argued, “Not if it’s you”

The castle glitters as you two finally arrive at the front steps, where the gates limit the access to the school grounds. Harry, face blood-spattered, nose slightly off-centre, has now steadied himself on his feet but hasn’t said a word about the feel returning to his legs, as he embraces his arm with yours, fingers silently intertwined with the others.

“I’m sorry I made you miss the carriage” he murmurs as he daps at his nose with the handkerchief you’d given him with his free hand.

“It’s alright”, you smile faintly “I’m very fond of walking. Especially when in good company"

He smiled in turn, feeling a strange flutter of warmth in his chest. He had never been in this position before - walking arm-in-arm with a girl, and he found himself strangely comfortable with the situation.

"I'm glad..." he muttered, still dabbing at his bloody nose. "That you like walking, I mean.”

“Sure,” you said “Perhaps you could join me for some time,” you said, passively, as if you'd not given your words a second thought, as you always did, it seems.

Harry's heart skipped a beat at your words. The thought of walking with you - just the two of you - filled him with anticipation and nervousness. Although, he couldn't help but feel a small bubble of excitement at the prospect.

"I'd...I'd like that" he replied, trying to sound casual, although he was sure his voice had betrayed him.

"We have much to talk about, you and I, don't you think?" you tilted your head as you turned to look at him.

"Yes," he replied quietly. "I think we do.”

Just then Professor Flitwick rushes forth clutching a long roll of parchment bearing all students’ names, finger pointed and tone inquisitive.

“About time! I’ve been looking all over for you two. Names.”

Harry turns to look at you for a moment before saying “Professor, you’ve known me for five years”

“No exceptions, Potter!” He then turns to you “And you, Gaunt, you were lucky we didn’t have to perform tonight. The disaster it would have been without you in the choir. Can you imagine?!”

Harry stifled a chuckle as Professor Flitwick chastised you. He was surprised to hear that you were part of the choir, but it made sense given your penchant for singing.

"I can only imagine," he said dryly, suppressing a grin, which garnered him a look from you as if you were asking him not to encourage the man.

"Forgive me, professor. It will not happen again" You sounded apologetic, if not, that your face said otherwise, or rather, nothing at all. You looked past the little man, or just...looked ahead "Who are those people?”

Harry turns and sees you staring into the darkness, where shadows drift eerily like ghosts.

“Aurors. For security.” Responds Flitwick in chill distaste.

A voice not far ahead catches the attention of the three of you. Draco, standing amidst a mountain of trunks, owl cages and other animals alike, eyes Filch intently as he passes a long security detector over a…stick.

“It’s not a cane, you cretin. It’s a walking stick!” Just as things seem to tense between student and caretaker, out of the shadows emerges Snape, coming to Draco’s defence.

Snape watches Malfoy carefully wrap the stick in felt and lay it back inside his trunk.

“I’ll vouch for Mr Malfoy” simple words from a simple man, but Harry knows the implications of those words are not simple at all. If he’s vouching for a walking stick, he cannot imagine what he’ll have to vouch for in the coming school year.

Draco eyes Snape warily again, then begins to slouch off, catching you two staring at him.

“Nice face, Potter” he comments smugly before he turns to you, eyeing you wearily “Cousin” he sneers, a mix of emotions underlying the title he used to address you before he turns his back to walk away.

His blood boiled at Malfoy's words. He’d opened his mouth, about to say something in rebuttal, when he felt a hand on his arm restraining him. He looked over to see you shaking your head slightly, silently telling him to let it go.

He wanted to argue, but the pleading look in your eyes made him hold his tongue.

“Cousin, huh?” He asked dry sarcasm in his tone.

“It’s a long story”

Harry felt like there was always a long story with you. He wanted to know more, but before he could ask, Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

"Alright, everyone to the castle, chop-chop.” He said “And, Miss Gaunt? Your friend Lovegood is waiting for you on the way. She’s got your bag.”

You nodded and gave him a soft "thank you”

Luna, good old Luna, was indeed not waiting far from the gate, with your bag in hand. She smiled and greeted him as if they had not talked last on the train before it journeyed to Hogwarts.

“Whatever happened to your nose? Nasty thing, if you ask me”

Harry chuckled despite himself. Luna's blunt honesty was always a breath of fresh air. "Yeah, it is a nasty thing" he agreed, gingerly touching his nose. "Got a friendly greeting from Malfoy.”

"Fix it for him, will you, Luna?" you asked as you dabbed with the handkerchief his nose, even as he gently prodded you off.

Harry felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, as Luna took out her wand.

“I’ve learned a few spells, you know” she mentioned off-handedly, flicking her wand at his face “Episkey.”

Harry felt the bones of his nose realigning, but the pain still lingered. He groaned out before releasing a little breath “Thanks, Luna,” he muttered, giving her a grateful smile.

Reluctantly, he turned to you and asked "How...do I look?”

You took a few steps closer to him, tilting your head slightly to examine your and Luna's work. “perfect,” you said decisively.

Harry felt his heart skip a beat at your words. "perfect" he repeated softly, his cheeks feeling warm.

He couldn't help but feel like the adjective wasn't just referring to his nose.

[capriddle]

I have this headcanon where Voldemort was convinced he got his beauty from his mother's family. Then he sees Morfin.

[hypothermiatapes]

When Tom Riddle learned who his father was he could only feel anger. His father lived atop a hill in a manor, a fortune in his grasp as he lived in luxury. Tom hated his father, hated how he could live an easy life as Tom had to fight to survive muggle London during both the Great Recession and WWII. He believed he was entitled to this life his father had stripped from him.

There was no reason for Tom to give his father any time to explain his side of the story. Tom’s father was merely a rich man who had left his mother to die and son to suffer when he had the means to change it all. It was a fact, and nothing could change it, his father had abandoned his mother and him. So, when he met the Riddles they were already seen as vermin and worthless muggles.

However, Tom Riddle Sr. didn’t know he had a son, had failed to believe Merope when she was crying at his feet begging him not to leave for the sake of their unborn son. He had suffered, hadn’t been in control of his own mind for so long he had forgotten when last he had any power. Merope had stripped him of his free will and used him like a puppet, raped him without him being able to do so much as beg her to stop.

Then, when he was finally in control of his body and mind she told him he had a son. The thought was unbelievable, a son? How could he ever have a child with a woman like her let alone at such a young age? He couldn’t think straight and his mind couldn’t make any sense of it so he ran, ran from the harbinger of his suffering.

He tried to forget her words, tried to believe with all his heart she had lied to him. However, sometimes as he lay awake in the night the fear that he was wrong would creep in and constrict him. No, he wasn’t a good man, he knew he wasn’t, but he couldn’t live with the thought he had abandoned his son.

So, he tried to forget, forced himself to believe it was all a trick to convince him to stay. He moved on, but something was broken within him, something he couldn’t seem to mend. He was now afraid to leave the house, refused any marriage proposals his parents provided. How could he ever fall in love? How could he ever be the man he once was?

Before he had been ensnared by a woman desperate to escape her family he had been an arrogant man. He had believed the world revolved around him and only he mattered. He was rich which meant he would never suffer, he was loud and he did whatever he pleased. But upon his return he was a shell of the man he was before, now he was quiet, a recluse.

Then came a boy who looked almost identical to him except for the brown eyes and wavy hair that had never belonged to him. He had been wrong, had abandoned his son and now he was here. Tom Riddle had frozen, watched as his son snarled at him about leaving him to suffer. Not only had he left his son, he had left him to grow up alone in London during the recession and war.

So, when the boy raised what looked to be a stick at him he didn’t move, didn’t try to utter a word. No, he didn’t hate his son, he never even resented him or compared him to his mother. Before him was a child who had suffered like him, and all he could feel was sorrow for not only his son but himself. Some part of him wanted to pull the boy into a hug, to cry, but his instincts made him freeze.

Then two simple words were whispered accompanied by a flash of green and he was dead. And even in death he found he couldn’t be angry with the boy, found he couldn’t so much as blame him. Tom Riddle Sr. believed he deserved what he got, and he only hoped his son would no longer have to suffer.

However, that son soon grew to destroy so many lives, following a path that began with the murder of a girl and his father.

[gutvodka]

tom riddle headcannons

he definitely has aspd, it just makes sense.

would read muggle classic literature to get a better understanding of them, if he enjoys a work he would separate it completely. “separate the art from the artist.”

the mischaracterisation that he would lash out on people or show is anger is a bit off, i personally think he’d show calmness in those situations, as he knows it would only drive the other person mad. he wouldn’t be cold or harsh as he wouldn’t want to make himself look bad, perhaps only when ending someone’s life.

he was definitely aro ace, and if he wasn’t aromantic and grew fond of someone, he would still be asexual. the human body disgusts him, that’s why he turned into voldemort, he liked it and it wasn’t completely on accident. his final form was what he intended all along.

he was a clean freak maniac, if something wasn’t in the right spot or if someone rearranged his room he’d lose his mind. he would go so far to offer and fix your room with a few spells if you weren’t exactly an organised person. and not just your room, your desk with your splattered supplies, your uniform which looks like you just threw everything on you, and every little thing that bothered him, that he judged.

he would be a picky eater, if the taste was too much, or if the texture didn’t seem right on his teeth. his eating habits were awful at his time in the orphanage, but at hogwarts he ate only when needed. surprisingly it didn’t make him lanky, he wasn’t exactly a body builder but a normal teenage guy.

he preferred tea over coffee.

i disagree with the headcannon that he would smoke to seem more normal with the purebloods, i don’t even think he would try. smoking damages the body, and he wouldn’t want any of the effects even so little as being dizzy.

but when it comes to drinking, he would only at an occasion out of respect, but he would prefer wine only. he wouldn’t ever finish it all, just tiny sips so that it won’t end up affecting him.

he hates quidditch, and he isn’t the athletic type at all. after all he was just a nerdy guy with a god complex, who happened to be conventionally attractive.

[radical-ghostface]

Smiley Omi 🩶🥹

This one ended up looking a little.. weird 😏😂

[spotted-mooncalf]

Ominis in the Undercroft🐍✨

[lumaconstante]

I bring good news to my fans!

Starting this Friday, there will be a long holiday here in Brazil, so I will have time to update the fanfics that I owe you!

I would also like to announce that I will be releasing my first original book in September 2025. I am immensely happy, I worked hard for this book to be released, it will be the first of many!

I'm sorry I've neglected you guys who follow me, but I needed this time to get organized. Don't worry, soon you'll have more adventures involving Alice and the Batfamily and Ominis Gaunt with Marie.

I wish you all a great start to the week!

[giselsann]

Gaunt family 🐍

[harbinger-0f-spring]

Finneas Cadmus Gaunt was born in 1872, being only a year older than his brother Marvolo. Although the members of the Gaunt family had been inbreeding with their own kin for generations, the second eldest Gaunt sibling still somehow managed to retain pleasant-looking facial features that would’ve made him quite handsome had his face not been covered in dirt and grime from years of living in squalor.

In despite of his good looks, Gaunt’s mind was sick and twisted by the toxic environment in which he was raised. The boy’s head was polluted with thoughts of purist supremacy and a disdain for anyone he deemed “inferior” which included not only muggles, but those of mixed blood. Like many of his other relatives, Finneas obsessed over the idea of keeping the Gaunt bloodline pure and often fancied thoughts of breeding his younger sister Cäcilia.

Unlike his brothers, Finneas did not regularly take part in the merciless torture of their sister. Instead, he was quite gentle with her when it suited him, but that’s not to say Finneas didn’t enjoy casting a forbidden curse or two at Cäcilia when he wanted to. The affection the Gaunt siblings received from their parents was limited and they weren’t exactly familiar with the feeling of love or familial warmth. With Cäcilia having been deprived of love, Gaunt took advantage of that and treated her like his sweetheart, occasionally showering her in gentle touches and soft whisperings of parseltongue in her ear.

The man had his sister wrapped around his finger with the help of his cunning disposition and lack of attentiveness from their parents towards Cäcilia that left her desperate for love and reassurance. Finneas was smart enough to use her deepest desire against his little sister, knowing that she’d let him do whatever he wanted to her as long as she thought that he loved her. It was by the time Cäcilia was twelve and Finneas was eighteen that they started having an incestuous relationship with one another.

Intimate moments with Finneas were something that Cäcilia hesitantly, but willingly, agreed to if only to feel loved by someone for once in her life. But her brother took enjoyment out of their sexual interactions merely because he was obsessed with his blood, his pure blood, that ran within him and Cäcilia; he was obsessed with his flesh and her flesh, the both of them coded with the purest genetic makeup that generations of pure breeding had interwoven inside of their very essence overtime, their bodies standing as a physical testament to their undefiled lineage.

Only a few years after the passing of Cäcilia, Finneas Cadmus Gaunt dies in 1900 at the age of twenty-eight, just shortly before the birth of his niece Merope Gaunt.

[changetheprophecy81]

The saddest detail in the series that no one talks about is how merope still named her son after her abusive father like 😭😭

[hollowed-theory-hall]

I just finished going through Tales of Beedle the Bard and I have a few notes

First: There's a weird timeline discrepancy with the Tale of the Three Brothers as a whole and it bothers me

In Dumbledore's notes, he traces the first historical reference of the Elder Wand to Emeric the Evil:

The first well-documented mention of a wand made of elder that had particularly strong and dangerous powers was owned by Emeric, commonly called “the Evil”, a short-lived but exceptionally aggressive wizard who terrorised the South of England in the early Middle Ages

(Tales of Beedle the Bard, Dumbledore's notes on the Tale of the Three Brothers)

Now the period referred to as the "early Middle Ages" is between the 5th and 10th centuries. Way before Beedle wrote down the story (15th century).

We also know (thanks to irl history) that the name Peverell is one that arrived with the Normans to England, meaning the story of the three brothers could only have taken place after the Norman conquest in 1066, which usually isn't referred to as "early Middle Ages" and it's kind of odd to do so. So, someone has to be wrong here because Emeric couldn't have had the Elder Wand before it was made.

It's possible Dumbledore is referring to the 11th century as "early Middle Ages", which would make the timeline make more sense if we assume Emeric is the wizard mentioned to slit the oldest brother's throat to steal his wand in the story (possible, but doesn't sound like Dumbledore, so I consider this unlikely). It's also possible Emeric didn't have the Elder Wand at all, but a different powerful wand (also unlikely). Or that the Peverell brothers weren't the brothers in the story (even less likely). Or that the Peverell brothers arrived in South England before the conquest (possible, maybe, not super likely either).

I don't really have an answer for this discrepancy so I'd be happy if someone has an idea how this could make sense... (looking for a Watsonian explanation, not a Doylist one)

Second: Why are we all saying the Gaunts are descendants of Cadmus Peverell?

I mean, Marvolo says this:

but then realized that he was showing Ogden the ugly, black-stoned ring he was wearing on his middle finger, waving it before Ogden’s eyes. “See this? See this? Know what it is? Know where it came from? Centuries it’s been in our family, that’s how far back we go, and pure-blood all the way! Know how much I’ve been offered for this, with the Peverell coat of arms engraved on the stone?”

(HBP, Ch10)

From this we know two things:

The Deathly Hallows symbol was known as the Peverell Coat of Arms at one point in time, at least among UK purebloods. Which, makes sense with the same symbol being carved on Ignotus' grave.

The ring was in the Gaunt family for centuries, but that's hardly a clear timeline, neither does it indicate dependency, even though, it's what Marvolo is implying.

Now, why do I doubt the Gaunts are actually related to the Peverells? Well, I'm not. They might be distantly related since all purebloods are, but I think they might not be the descendants of the second brother. Why is that?

Simple, it's implied he died without children.

The tale of the three brothers literally says he asked for the stone to summon the girl he wished to marry who died before they married:

To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared at once before him.

(Tales of Beedle the Bard, the Tale of the Three Brothers)

Unless he fathered some child outside of marriage before (which I don't think is the case), then Cadmus died before he had any kids.

Now, the tale as we see it has some inaccuracies (such as Death being a character) for the sake of embellishment or due to time. After all, Beedle wrote the tale down in the 15th century and the story of the Peverells happened in the 1070s-ish or earlier. By the time Beedle wrote down the story it's been long enough that the story could've gotten corrupted. Also, Beedle seems to take some creative liberties in his stories even if there is likely some truth to all of them (like in Babbity Rabbity). But I feel like the creative liberties had more to do with Death giving them the items and less to do with the fate of each brother, considering he was correct about the cloak and how it passed from father to son and the violent transfer of the Elder Wand. Like, why would he be wrong just about the second brother?

I mean, all we know is that the Gaunts had the stone for a few centuries and were clearly unaware of its actual power and purpose and we have the implication from the tale that Cadmus had no children. So, why are we assuming Marvolo is correct about being a descendant of the Peverells from a millennia ago?

It's possible a Gaunt received the ring from Cadmus, or that they are descendants of an unnamed Peverell sister, but I don't think they really do descend from Cadmus himself. Like, the tale mentions him killing himself to be with the girl he wanted to marry, idk, to me, this implies he didn't have kids, so I feel this assumption (which was confirmed by JKR) is kinda weird.

Anyone else was bothered by this or is it just me overthinking things?