#Gellert Grindelwald's Gang

[apicelladonna]

Gellert: You're right. Vinda, blinks slowly: That's... an unusual phrase for you. Did you just learn it?

[slitheringghost]

A narrative thread I find interesting is Family As Teachers and how characters influence and mirror each others’ abilities in familial dynamics - particularly in sibling/"twin" dynamics - which is fitting in a society where children’s magical education seems entirely controlled by their families until age 11 when they start Hogwarts and intermittently afterward. This theme is reflected in Ollivander’s words in DH while discussing the mystery of the twin cores and general wandlore with Harry:

"The best results [...] always come where there is the strongest affinity between wizard and wand. These connections are complex. An initial attraction, and then a mutual quest for experience, the wand learning from the wizard, the wizard from the wand"

You even have the three Peverell brothers inventing the three Hallows together to conquer death

Fred and George - as the actual siblings/twins, the most in tune - drop out and invent Weasley's Wheezes together, shared sense of humor via a literal Joke Shop. They find the Marauders' Map ("This little beauty’s taught us more than all the teachers in this school"). This twin duo sometimes turns into a trio - see post about Hermione’s contributions to their inventions in my meta Hermione As Teacher and Connections to Lily (who eventually joins the Weasley family, so like a sister to them); and additionally the twins’ best friend Lee Jordan helping them:

Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko’s merchandise Fred and George appeared finally to have perfected one type of Skiving Snackbox, which they were taking turns to demonstrate to a cheering and whooping crowd […] Lee Jordan, who was assisting the demonstration, was lazily vanishing the vomit at regular intervals with the same Vanishing Spell Snape kept using on Harry’s potions. (OoTP)

George then mentions utilizing Vanishing into their fireworks: (“Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next…They multiply by ten every time you try”). Snape’s skill at Vanishing ties to dynamic with Mcgonagall as she’s shown teaching 5th years Vanishing Spells in OoTP, and later in the book LV’s emphasized as weaker in Conjuration with his conjured shield, unsurprising given Dumbledore was his Transfiguration teacher.

THE MARAUDERS - James and Sirius collaborate on the Marauders' Map (with Remus; shared sense of humor built into it via insulting Snape), two-way mirrors called "twin" mirrors in DH; James's wand is "excellent for Transfiguration", he's a confirmed prodigy and Sirius is equal to him - both Animagi, McGonagall's favorites ("Both very bright, of course—exceptionally bright"), Sirius goes "I don’t need to look at that rubbish, I know it all" re: Transfiguration textbook; looking to create a new identity from his family's Dark magic, Sirius's interest in Transfiguration likely stemmed from James. Equal in DADA (finish the OWL early, "I’ll be surprised if I don’t get Outstanding on it at least" "Me too"), hex people together.

Remus - Dark Creatures interest from his father (Lyall was "a world-renowned authority on Non-Human Spiritous Apparitions" such as "poltergeists, Boggarts and other strange creatures") shown in Remus with Peeves and the Boggart lesson. A possible hint of Remus and Tonks friendship affecting her interests - Tonks helping with a "murderous old ghoul lurking in a toilet" in 12GP.

THE BLACK FAMILY - the Blacks are all brilliant. Sirius and Bellatrix are mirrored in battle implying Bella taught him and/or they dueled together - a connection transferred to Sirius mirroring James and Remus in combat ("Then, with identical fluid movements, they reached into their back pockets" in the prequel; "Then, with one movement, they lowered their wands" in PoA). Same weapons: Knives - Sirius slashes the Fat Lady and tries to stab rat!Peter, gifts a penknife that opens any lock to Harry; Bellatrix tortures Hermione and murders Dobby with a knife (potentially they keep them handy for blood magic - "rusty daggers" in 12GP nearby the crystal bottle of blood).

Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Regulus can all occlude LV and Bella trains Draco. Sirius knows a lot about Dark Arts and Harry's curse scar from the horcrux, Regulus identifies LV's horcrux, Bella is LV's Dark Arts student and given a horcrux.

Sirius and Orion - Orion warded Grimmauld Place, adding "every security measure known to Wizardkind", made it "Unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call"; Sirius maybe used his family's magic on the Map (a tool in part to make Hogwarts safe from teen DEs, and I HC Sirius worked on it most, as Hogwarts was also a home and escape from 12GP to him), role as Secret Keeper, offers GP as safehouse to the Order, undoes its enchantments to let halfblood Harry inherit. Sirius and Walburga both use the Permanent Sticking Charm - Walburga to terrorize and scream bigotry, Sirius to flaunt his differing politics with Muggle stuff.

I HC Bellatrix invented some Dark artifacts in 12GP - the "unpleasant-looking silver instrument, like a many-legged pair of tweezers, which scuttled up Harry’s arm like a spider when he picked it up and attempted to puncture his skin" which Sirius smashes with Nature’s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy (fits Harry and Sirius's interaction with Bella later in OoTP) and the "musical box that emitted a faintly sinister, tinkling tune when wound”, making them all "curiously weak and sleepy" until Ginny shuts the lid - placed right next to Merope's locket (esp. as Sirius’s words after this passage parallel Bellatrix in DH). Raised as the heir, Bellatrix likely had similar training and skill in wards as Sirius.

Bellatrix and Voldemort - paralleled in combat ("Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once"), both Legilimens. Her speech about the Dark Arts and learning "spells of such power" while teaching him the Unforgivable curses - she's likely as skilled as LV in inventing curses.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald - "just as precociously brilliant", "even after they’d spent all day in discussion — both such brilliant young boys, they got on like a cauldron on fire", "at last, my brother had an equal to talk to, someone just as bright and talented as he was". Twin imagery with Grindelwald as hilariously described like Fawkes.

Next-door neighbors, knew each other only for a few months, yet Grindelwald’s ideas "caught and inflamed him", Dumbledore’s "ideas helped Grindelwald rise to power". Collaborate on the fascism and Deathly Hallows quest, but not Dark Arts (vs. Snape and Lily share the Dark Arts experimentation but not the fascism). Both on the same level in dueling, can conceal themselves without a Cloak.

Bathilda Bagshot - Dumbledore's Mother Figure/teacher, "impressed by his paper on trans-species transformation in Transfiguration Today" which Dumbledore's shown reading, so she presumably mentored him in Transfiguration, clearly a favorite field (While Dumbledore had few close friends, McGonagall's maybe the closest equivalent to a female friend; echoes Snape with Eileen and Lily).

Elphias Doge - met at 11 on their first day at Hogwarts, "Our mutual attraction was undoubtedly due to the fact that we both felt ourselves to be outsiders". They "intended to take the then-traditional tour of the world together, visiting and observing foreign wizards, before pursuing our separate careers".

While the pair are said to not be intellectually on par, Dumbledore's interests clearly influenced Doge, also implied in Doge writing “his friends benefited from his example, not to mention his help and encouragement, with which he was always generous. He confessed to me in later life that he knew even then that his greatest pleasure lay in teaching.”

Doge on his travels mentions "experiments of Egyptian alchemists" and "escapes from chimaeras in Greece" (fire-breathing lion, goat, serpent hybrid) - echoing Dumbledore as a "Gold Medal-Winner for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo" and interest in certain magical creatures and associations with fire (Fawkes, dragon's blood uses, "trans-species transformation" research, bewitches a branch of Gubraithian "everlasting" fire which is Charms related, the Deluminator as a cigarette lighter).

Nicolas Flamel - Dumbledore's Chocolate Card notes his "work on alchemy with his partner Flamel" inventor of the Philosophers' Stone (colored “blood-red”) who taught teen Dumbledore; Dumbledore later enchants the Stone and links it to the Mirror of Erised (only one who wanted to find but not use it could get it, or they’d be shown making gold or drinking Elixir of Life). Albus also means "white", after an alchemy principle.

Marchbanks who examined him in Transfiguration and Charms N.E.W.T.s says he "did things with a wand I’d never seen before", won the "Exceptional Spell-Casting award"; published papers in Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions journals - linked more with wand magic fields.

Snape and Voldemort - From his words in HBP (disdain at Mundungus for not being a real Inferius), Snape likely learned necromancy with LV and enchanted Inferi during the First War (fitting to his vampire vibes).

Potions - LV uses "old piece of Dark Magic" rebirth potion; creates the Rudimentary Body Potion of snake venom, unicorn blood, spells of his own invention. Snape's Potions speech in PS - "the power of liquids that creep through human veins" (reference to potions with human blood?).

LV invents the Drink of Despair, Snape modifies the Elixir to Induce Euphoria (and assigns a dementor essay). Snape’s knowledge of poisons (logic puzzle, undetectable poisons essay, etc) and the bezoar trick as antidote, Tom poisons Hepzibah with a "lethal and little known" poison that passes for sugar to frame a house-elf who can’t carry a wand. Riddle petrifies students with the basilisk, Snape brews Mandrake Restorative Draught for basilisk victims (mandrakes heal transfigured or cursed victims, "an essential part of most antidotes").

LV curses the Gaunt ring, Snape heals that curse (golden potion and countercurse, collaborating with Dumbledore). LV turns the locket into a horcrux, Snape heals Katie Bell from the cursed necklace. LV curses the DADA job and the curse on his name, Snape invents Sectumsempra. LV the most accomplished Legilimens; Snape the most skilled Occlumens (and a skilled Legilimens). LV adds a concealed entrance on the Locket Cave/symbolic Gaunt shack, Snape renovates Spinner's End with two hidden doors (both in locations related to their Muggle childhoods).

Snape and Lily - to a large extent it makes sense that their magical abilities and interests align even more closely than any other duo save the Weasley twins, because they played the role of "family training" for each other for 2+ years. Both outsiders and ambitious with magic as their way out, Lily's joy at magic and Snape views it as an escape from home, closest to siblings living in the same town. Snape's keen on sharing everything (esp. if raised with an idea of how training works in magical families), Lily on knowing everything (and seems to be following Snape's lead on the magical world in a lot of ways).

Eileen clearly taught Snape a lot about wizarding society and I assume some magic, has all her school textbooks and likely some Prince family books/knowledge, with Dark Arts and Potions specialties, which Snape passed onto Lily. But Eileen either wasn't as gifted or intellectual as her son (we only know she's Captain of Gobstones) and/or just too neglectful for the connection to go far.

Snape tells Lily "you’d better be in Slytherin" in the scene he tells James "if you’d rather be brawny than brainy" re: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, so he thinks Lily falls under "brainy".

Magical power - unsupported flight, Snape's a Legilimens and there's circumstantial evidence of Lily as one in the early memories.

As with J/S, Lily's wand predicts her mutual interest with her best friend/like-a-sibling (of course their main field as Potions which doesn't require much wandwork) - "Swishy, nice wand for charm work", the Prince invents Charms. They "swish and flick" in Charms (levitating feathers), associated with flight. If taking extracanon, willow's an uncommon wand wood with healing power, enables advanced nonverbal magic (Snape heals Dark magic/etc, invents nonverbal spells).

James and Sirius are wary of Lily's wand means she's a skilled duelist and has gotten into fights; Snape invents hexes. Given the theme of duel between brothers, dueling's traditional in magical families, so Snape and Lily likely practice dueled together too with similar methods (Legilimency in combat); though in application, unlike the Marauders at Hogwarts, they'd be fighting on opposite sides.

Slughorn describing the Prince's work as exactly like Lily's at every turn indicates it as collaborative as the above examples of duo inventions - "You’ve got nerve, boy", "That’s the individual spirit a real potion-maker needs", "Unorthodox, but what a stroke of inspiration", "I really don’t know where you get these brain waves", "intuitive", "instinctive" "a natural" - aka she's creative, inventive, unafraid to take risks with and push the boundaries of magic.

The Prince's disdainful "just shove a bezoar down their throats"; Slughorn laughs at the bezoar, says it's exactly like Lily, gives house points "for sheer cheek" - implies Snape and Lily shared sense of humor often consisted of making fun of how purebloods view magic and incorporating their Muggle background into their methods (matches "as there is little foolish wand-waving here, you will hardly believe this is magic"). Snape's interest in poisons led to the bezoar trick which is Dark Arts related, so Lily knowing the same also implies her Dark Arts interest (of course Potions masters, Aurors, Healers, etc all study poisons, but I assume going deeper into it leads to more effective healing, as with Dark curses and cursebreaking skill on the Gaunt ring/etc).

Like Fred and George, Snape and Lily experiment and invent together constantly over summers - Petunia says Lily "came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats" (Potions, Transfiguration) and the Dursleys don't know Harry can't do magic over summers in CoS, an easy lie for Lily to keep up when doing magic often at Snape's house.

Snape evidently came prepared to impress Slytherins - per Sirius, he was always fascinated by Dark Arts, famous for it, knew more curses when he arrived than half the 7th years (likely showing off his knowledge vs. immediately cursing others). Snape's very aware of Muggleborn prejudice (hesitates before saying it makes no difference), yet was set on Lily being in Slytherin for 2.5 years pre-Hogwarts and groans when she's Sorted elsewhere, so sharing his Dark Arts interest with her fits that, expecting she'd need to "get in with the purebloods" along with him, which means making sure she knows as much as he does (see this post).

Snape at nine thinks Lily's the odd one for being fascinated by dementors:

"Tell me about the dementors again." "What d’you want to know about them for?" "If I use magic outside school —" "They wouldn’t give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban." (DH)

Cue Snape's monologue about the Dark Arts years later:

“The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal [...]" Harry stared at Snape. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress in his voice? “Your defenses must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures [...] give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse” — he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony — “feel the Dementor’s Kiss” — a wizard lying huddled and blank-eyed, slumped against a wall — “or provoke the aggression of the Inferius” — a bloody mass upon the ground. (HBP)

They absolutely mutually encouraged each other's interests in forbidden and Dark magic. Snape and Lily learn magic together, their magic individually and together parallels LV's the most, and they directly undo LV's own magic, Snape's instances even utilizing Potions.

Dumbledore expects Snape to immediately know Lily's work vanquished LV ("You know how and why she died. Make sure it was not in vain. Help me protect Lily’s son"), implying he knows Snape and Lily learned similar magic together and expects Snape to ~recognize Lily's style~. Converse to how he speaks to McGonagall the same (?) day:

"After all he’s done... all the people he’s killed... he couldn’t kill a little boy? It’s just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?" "We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know." (PS)

Lily and Sirius - Sirius is also knowledgeable about curses - knows the countercurse for the biting snuffbox (Wartcap Powder) and examines his hand "with interest"; suggests the Conjunctivitis Curse "as a dragon’s eyes are its weakest point" which Krum who was taught Dark Arts; often the one consulted regarding Harry's curse scar, recognizes Priori Incantatem, Harry writing to Sirius when he wants someone like a parent "who had experience with Dark Magic".

Sirius breaks Black family tradition in undoing wards/protections on 12GP (maybe manipulating a form of blood magic?) to let his halfblood not blood-related godson inherit and block DE Bellatrix out; and Lily creates blood wards that'd traditionally protect a pureblood family house to protect her Muggle family and eventually protects Harry. Mirroring Snape and Lily weaving their Muggle background in their magic, Sirius enchants Muggle objects like the motorbike (and creates an alternate method of flight).

When Harry says "You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me... and you did that... you did it" Sirius goes quiet, which may hint at specific knowledge that Lily vanquished LV (also a possible reason for Sirius rereading Lily’s letter in OoTP, when the Order’s trying to figure out what’s up with the prophecy and the Harry-Voldemort connection).

Harry and Ron - "In the end, he chose the same new subjects as Ron, feeling that if he was lousy at them, at least he’d have someone friendly to help him", write up absurd stories for Divination and make fun of Trelawney together. Harry and Hermione elaborated here.

Parvati and Lavender - Divination, both close with Trelawney (vs. Padma in a different house than her twin)

Moody and Tonks (who was "close to Mad-Eye" "his favorite and his protégée at the Ministry"), Bellatrix and Barty (if you accept he was her apprentice), Snape and Draco (“Draco’s favorite teacher”), Xenophilius and Luna - her family training consisting of... conspiracy theories, Luna first shown reading The Quibbler (Most likely Pandora Lovegood was a conspiracy theorist like her husband - "intellectual equals" - and died due to something like believing an explosive Erumpent horn was a Crumple-Horned Snorkack horn)

[forestdeath1]

Canon Sirius through quotes

Part 1. Appearance

In the canon, he's described as handsome 3 times from Harry's point of view - but never pretty. By the way, Harry has only described four people as handsome (+ Tom Riddle, Cedric Diggory and Gellert Grindelwald).

"Sirius was tall and handsome. He loped with an easy grace, his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face."

"Beside him was Sirius, carelessly handsome, his slightly arrogant face so much younger and happier than Harry had ever seen it alive."

"Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so."

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

"He's still handsome, isn't he, even after Azkaban?" (Tonks about Sirius, Pottermore)

So, Sirius was handsome, but definitely not pretty. The word handsome can be used for all genders, highlighting attributes like strength, elegance, or a more classic form of beauty.

His height is described as tall several times. James is described as the same height as Harry in the Deathly Hallows, meaning at the time of his death James was as tall as Harry in the 7th book: “James was exactly the same height as Harry”. He was described as tall in later books but not as tall as other characters like Dumbledore, Ron, Sirius, Draco, Tom Riddle, Bill.

In England, as in most Western countries, a man is usually considered tall if he is over 6 feet. Typically, very tall is considered to be 6 feet 3 inches and above. So, James could be somewhere from 6 to 6'3", and Sirius taller, say 6'3"-6'4", Remus possibly under 6', but not short, since Harry doesn't note his height at all.

"To Sirius’s right stood Pettigrew, more than a head shorter, plump and watery-eyed, flushed with pleasure at his inclusion in this coolest of gangs, with the much admired rebels that James and Sirius had been."

The average head length of an adult, regardless of gender and age, usually about 8.7 to 9.8 inches. So, Peter was noticeably shorter.

6'3"-6'4" is indeed very tall. (When fanon gives Remus a height of 6.7, I wonder, have you often seen such giants in real life? My granddad is 6'8" – and he's huge to me, frighteningly so.)

After Azkaban and in the fifth book, he has long hair, but in the fourth book, when Sirius is doing well and is relaxing somewhere in the south, he has short hair.

"Sirius looked different – the hair was short and clean now, Sirius’ face was fuller, and he looked younger, much more like the only photograph Harry had of him, which had been taken at the Potters’ wedding."

"Sirius, when he still had short hair" (Moody about Sirius in the Order of the Phoenix photo)

Though in the story about Sirius and James for the auction, Sirius had long hair in 1977:

"The one who had been driving had long black hair; his insolent good looks reminded Fisher unpleasantly of his daughter’s guitar-playing, layabout boyfriend."

I prefer him with long hair, so that's usually what I go with.

Build isn't described. We know Regulus was definitely smaller than Sirius, but nothing specific about Sirius himself.

"Regulus was instantly recognisable as the boy sitting in the middle of the front row: he had the same dark hair and slightly haughty look of his brother, though he was smaller, slighter and rather less handsome than Sirius had been."

His animagus form is a bear-like dog of huge size, but that’s a weak argument.

"The enormous, bear-like dog bounded forwards."

Perhaps canonically Sirius was naturally inclined to muscle (i.e., tall and muscular rather than lanky, because lankiness usually suggests skinniness. Regulus, likely, was lanky), but since he probably didn't engage in activities like workouts, he wasn't exactly buff. Muscles don't just appear out of thin air, but some people are naturally more muscular. Basically, a normal build that doesn't need any special description (not bulky, not skinny, just normal, but tall).

He definitely doesn’t have any tattoos described, but it's unlikely Harry would have inspected every part of his body for tattoos... So, I don’t quite get it when someone says "Sirius didn’t have tattoos". It's a blank slate.

[pascaloverx]

To Begin Again

PART ONE — FINAL CHAPTER

Summary: You're a new teacher at a large and influential school. It's a risky step for you, as you've been running from your ex for almost two years. But when Dumbledore asks you to take on a class at the renowned Hogwarts, you can't refuse. However, your life as a newly arrived teacher won't be easy. Especially when the other teachers don't seem eager to make friends. Or rather, two teachers in particular: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

Author's Note: Welcome, dear readers. Please leave your comments if you enjoy fanfiction. This fanfic takes place almost in the real world (with the addition of werewolves) and is not a wizarding fanfic. There will be some differences and changes in things from the Harry Potter story or other fanfics in the HP universe, but I promise to do my best writing this fanfic. So dear readers, I’ll be splitting this fanfic into two parts; the first part will end in this chapter, and then there will be a time jump before the second part begins. I hope you’ll continue following the story!

SEVENTEEN

Slowly, you made your way to meet your father. He had been arrested shortly after it was proven that he was the mastermind behind the crimes committed at Hogwarts in the past month. Honestly, you wanted nothing more than to kill him with your bare hands. But there would be no justice for his victims if you did. On the same day you went to visit your father in prison, his victims were being buried. That fact made you even angrier with him. Harry cried for a long time, watching his parents and sister be laid to rest. The boy’s grief couldn’t be fully eased, as the bodies of his family were too burned for a proper funeral. Sirius and Lupin made sure Harry felt loved by those around him. Hermione and Ron did their best to comfort him. Draco, however, refused to attend his mother's funeral. He said he wanted to remember her as beautiful and smiling. You understood that this was his choice, but you advised him to say goodbye. He assured you that he would visit her grave when he was ready.

“What do I owe the displeasure of your visit, ungrateful daughter? If you've come here to tell your old father that you hate him deeply, keep your words; I have no remorse for the things I've done.” Grindelwald says as you arrive in front of his cell. A filthy, cold, and dark cell. The kind of place he must be hating to be in. You smile with satisfaction at seeing him looking so miserable.

"I didn’t come here to please you in any way, murderous father. In fact, I came to tell you firsthand that your plans, all of them, have fallen apart. The great Gellert Grindelwald, failed even in the smallest details of his filthy scheme to take Hogwarts for himself. And I feel it’s my duty as your daughter to inform you of that." You say, slowly approaching the bars of your father’s cell. A wicked smile spreads across your face as you watch him grow uncomfortable. He always hated failure, and now...

"I'll start by telling you that all of your accomplices are in prison. Except, of course, for Snape, who had the decency to hand over all the evidence of the crimes you and your gang committed. His end was death, but the rest of the idiots who followed you are locked up. Lucius was in London, so he's imprisoned elsewhere. Bellatrix and Pettigrew tried to flee the country, and they're being held in a different place as well. But soon, the four of you will reunite in Azkaban—a reunion that will apparently last quite a long time, perhaps for the rest of your life. Which is nowhere near the price you owe for what you did to my students, their families, and the only man who ever loved you, even though you were an arrogant fool." In this last part, your hands shake the bars of the cell as your voice rises. Your gaze turns almost animalistic, as if the rage and resentment for your father's actions are consuming you, which only makes him laugh. The bastard thinks he can still laugh after everything he's done.

“He loved the fantasy of me. The poor fool was bound to a Grindewald who is no longer what I am. I had to give up everything precious to me years ago because of you, you little wretch. I should have been the headmaster of Hogwarts, the most influential person in London. I would have turned Hogwarts into a damned empire. But twenty-five years ago, Dumbledore decided to take a break from our relationship because he thought it was wrong, which led me to have vengeful sex with your mother. I was inexperienced at the time, so I got her pregnant. Just one time with that insufferable woman was enough to destroy everything I wanted to build. I had to take responsibility for you, which distracted me from becoming the man with enough influence to one day be the headmaster of that school. And when I finally find my way back to reclaim what I lost, you—your little whore—destroy everything once again.” Your father is unrecognizable, finally revealing his true nature. The depth of his contempt for you is overwhelming, and though it leaves you uncomfortable, it shouldn't be a surprise. After all, he allowed harm to come to you in the name of this chaotic plan he called his path to power. His words, dripping with hatred, only confirm what you had always feared—that to him, you were nothing more than a pawn, another obstacle in his twisted ambitions.Now, standing before him, the weight of his betrayal and cruelty sinks in even deeper.

"You want to blame everyone around you for your mistakes, except yourself. What a great man you are, my beloved father. But I don't care about your hateful words. I just came to let you know that everything you've done has failed." Your voice echoes off the walls of the cell, firm and laced with controlled bitterness.

"The boys, the children you orphaned, will be well taken care of. Narcissa left the custody of her son to me, which is surprising, but I will fix the mess you've made." You see a flicker of irritation cross his face, but you don't give him a chance to interrupt. "As for Harry, he's in the care of Lupin and Sirius. Sirius has been legally appointed as his guardian, something the Potters had settled in their will before they died. He has the family you tried to destroy." When you mention Dumbledore, your father takes a deep breath, as if bracing for the pain in your words.

"And as for Dumbledore," you pause, looking at him with a mixture of disgust and triumph, "he intends to keep his position at Hogwarts. He didn’t want to visit you. He sent a message saying you are his greatest regret." The words seem to cut deeper than you expected. For the first time, your father remains silent, his face twisted in a blend of anger and humiliation.

"If you're done trying to gloat, you can leave and live your little fairy tale ending," your father sneers, his tone dripping with disdain. "But I should inform you, Regulus Black hasn’t been mentioned among those facing the consequences that we 'criminals' are to endure. And with him untouched, you can rest assured that my plans will continue to echo." His voice takes on a menacing tone that sends a chill down your spine. You notice his eyes gleaming with a twisted satisfaction, and a chilling, almost predatory smile spreads across his face. Slowly, he retreats into the shadows of his cell, his figure blending into the darkness. His final words hang in the cold air like a lingering curse, leaving you shaken as the confrontation comes to a haunting end.

As you step out of the prison, the weight of your father’s final threat clings to you, a dark cloud following your every thought. If Regulus truly is involved in your father's twisted plans, there’s no guarantee of safety—for you or for the boys. This realization only solidifies your decision to leave, knowing it’s the best course of action to protect them and yourself.

You take a taxi straight to Hogwarts, your mind heavy with thoughts of the goodbyes you must say and the uncertain road ahead. There’s an odd mix of sadness and relief as you approach the school for what you know will be the last time. Draco, who has surprisingly embraced the idea of leaving with you, should be just about done packing by now. His sudden enthusiasm for the departure makes sense, given everything he’s endured: his father’s imprisonment, his mother’s tragic death. He’s ready for a change, for a fresh start—just like you. As you arrive, you can’t help but feel the finality of it all. Soon, you’ll leave this place behind.

"Don’t you plan to say goodbye?" Lupin asks as he approaches you, almost running. He has a faint smile on his face, trying to stay strong after everything that has happened. His body bears numerous injuries, slowly recovering from the motorcycle accident he endured the night everything changed—the night Harry's parents died and the rest of you were kidnapped.

"I didn’t know you were here. I figured you’d be resting after the funeral. I know this must be a tiring time for you," you say as you walk toward your future former room. Lupin follows, trying to keep up with your hurried steps. The truth is, you’re trying to avoid confronting Remus, fearing he might blame you as Sirius did.

"You’ve been avoiding me for a while, but I hope you don’t think you can leave without saying goodbye. We have a connection, for God’s sake, I can feel you’re suffering. I don’t understand why you won’t come to me to talk. I can help you…” Lupin stops in front of you, making you halt. Looking into his eyes, which are welling up with tears, you can sense his hurt. This werewolf bond is a curse.

"No one can help me, dear. I’m the daughter of a cruel monster who brought disaster into many lives, including yours. I don’t want you to force yourself not to hate me because you’re a good person. You can and should feel anger towards me, towards my father, even towards my future generations if you want." You say, trying to numb your emotions so Lupin doesn’t feel the need to pity you.

"Your relatives are not you; their actions shouldn’t fall on you. What Sirius did or said wasn’t right. He was under pressure, acted impulsively. I’m not making excuses for him. You should be angry for being insulted for being someone’s child. And I’m sorry about Draco. Sirius has been different since Lily and James died. I think what keeps him sane is Harry." Lupin says, moving closer to you, holding your hands and looking into your eyes.

"I'm leaving, Lupin. There’s nothing I can say or do that will erase the pain caused by my father. I can’t look at half the faces I see here, or hear what they say about me and the murders," you confess. After a brief pause, you start to cry, recalling the memories of those who have passed.

"I see their faces every night. Lily and James burning in front of me. I see the face of their daughter, a beautiful baby. I remember Narcissa, asking me to take care of her son. All of this surrounds me. As long as I stay here, in this same place, what happened to all of us will haunt me." You're crying, your voice choked with pain and suffering. You didn't want to reveal your emotions so openly, but you couldn't control yourself. Lupin hugs you, providing a comforting sensation that fills your heart. You cry on Lupin's shoulders as he holds you tightly.

"I don’t care about that, I hope you know," Lupin says softly. "You hold a very special place in my heart, Y/N. I never thought I could feel the way you make me feel. I know I love Sirius and Harry deeply, just as I loved Lily and James. But you… ever since I made you like me, I feel as though you're a part of me." His voice breaks slightly, revealing the depth of his emotions. "Knowing you're hurting, that you're carrying this burden, it destroys me." As his arms release you, Lupin gently cups your face in his hands, and you know exactly what he means. This connection between the two of you, however painful, has entwined your hearts in a way that feels as if they beat as one—however cliché that might sound. Before you realize it, your lips meet his. It's the last kiss between two unfortunate werewolves, whose lives have been filled with more tragedy than joy. The kiss is tender, careful, and full of unspoken affection. The sweetness of Lupin's lips lingers, and for a fleeting moment, you find solace. As your lips part, your foreheads touch, and for this one final time, a fragile peace settles in your heart.

"I’ll miss you. So please, take care of yourself. Take care of Harry and Black too. You all deserve a fresh start," you say softly, pressing a kiss to Lupin’s cheek. This is your farewell. Without giving him the chance to respond, you step away, distancing yourself from the weight of his gaze. With hurried steps, you head toward your room, knowing that there’s little time left before you and Draco must leave. You still need to gather your things and check if he’s ready. Your flight leaves in a few hours, and you both need to move quickly. Your mother has already agreed to host you both until you find a place to settle down in the United States. Officially, Draco is now a part of your family.

"Your arrival was sudden, and your departure will be just as stealthy. It suits you well..." Sirius mutters from behind you as you finish gathering your bags. When you turn to face him, he’s leaning against the doorframe of your room, his arms crossed and eyes dark with an emotion you can’t quite place. Your gaze hardens, nearly lethal, but you take a deep breath, closing your eyes momentarily to avoid doing something reckless. The last things he said to you and Draco were nothing short of horrendous, and the weight of those words still lingers heavily in the air.

"Even so, I am not fortunate enough to come and go without the displeasure of your company," you say, your voice sharp as you lift the last of your bags. "Do not mistake the open door as an invitation to step in here with your dark thoughts and twisted feelings. From you, Mr. Black, I want the greatest distance possible. Since the very beginning, you've treated me as if I meant nothing. And if you're here to hurl more insults, go to hell. I have no time to be the person you throw all your frustrations at." You push the last of your belongings outside your room, joining the rest of your things in preparation for your departure. Sirius remains standing in the doorway, though he refrains from physically blocking your way. There's a strange tension in the air, his presence thick with unspoken words, but you’ve already made up your mind—there’s no space for him in the life you’re about to embark on.

"I heard that Narcissa left you a small fortune in exchange for taking care of her son. I just wanted to confirm that you are the kind of person so easily manipulated and dazzled. I wonder if you also sold yourself to your father. Perhaps you took part in his plans, which would justify Narcissa leaving her cub with you. So tell me, how much were you paid to let my friends burn alive, or to pretend to be a victim while torturing me and my godson?" As soon as Sirius finishes speaking, your hand lands on his face. A slap he had been deserving since the last time he spoke harshly to you.

"I won't ask how you dare to accuse me of something so vile, because it's obvious what's happening here. You're looking for people to blame for the mistakes made by a small group of evil individuals. You want to blame me because that's what you've been doing since the beginning of all this. If you want to believe I'm involved, then believe whatever you want. But when you realize you're wasting your time and sanity pointing fingers at everyone around you, remember that your godson needs you. Harry needs a sane man looking after him, so get yourself together. And be glad I'm leaving, because one more moment in your presence and I'd be joining my father in prison." You speak, too irritated but trying not to lower yourself. Your eyes meet Sirius' gaze, and he looks worn out. Up close, you notice his dark circles, a slight scent of alcohol, and his unshaven face. He's neglecting himself.

"I'm very glad you're leaving. Very glad, indeed. Our lives will be much better without you and that little blonde villain around here. And don't worry about Harry; he's far from being any of your concern," Sirius says, stepping closer until he's right in front of you. The smell of alcohol becomes stronger as the distance between you narrows. For a moment, you both just stare at each other in silence. Then, suddenly, Sirius kisses you. The kiss is rough, almost aggressive. It's impatient too. In reality, the kiss between you is an absolute mess.

"We shouldn't be doing this. You hate me now, remember?" you say, pulling your lips away from his. You know you shouldn't have kissed him, but it's as if Black is intoxicating. Fortunately for both of you, being in different countries will help you detox from him.

"I hate you immensely. Be sure of that while you’re running away, trying to erase us from your memory," Sirius says with a hint of disdain, stepping back from you. Before you can say anything, he’s already gone, retreating into his room and locking the door behind him. A coward.

As you carry your two suitcases through nearly all of Hogwarts to the taxi's trunk, you mentally say goodbye to the corridors of the place that has been like home for a while. When you're done, you head to the students' dormitories to find Draco. It's time to leave, finally.

"Well, I don't know about your financial conditions, Weasley, but I think you should accept this small act of solidarity. It's not every day someone gives a limited edition Gucci shoe to their tormentor, so accept it with gratitude. Unfortunately for you, Hermione, I'll only leave you a Prada that I received from my father when my first tooth fell out. I think it will serve you well, but if it doesn’t, sell it. It will give you a nice little nest egg. As for you, Potter, I'll leave you this cash. It's not much, but if you ever find yourself in need and decide to visit Miss Y/L/N in the United States, I know you'll need money for the tickets. If possible, take Lupin with you; I couldn't stand hearing my cousin complain for even another second." Malfoy distributes farewell gifts like an early Santa Claus. He has a smug smile on his face while the other kids look somewhat offended. It seems Draco has also gifted his friends—Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy—with sophisticated clothes matching the ones he's wearing now.

"Shouldn't it be us giving you a farewell gift?" Harry asks, looking confused.

"We're not giving any presents to Malfoy, so you can forget about it," Weasley says loudly, already getting exasperated, while Hermione tries to calm him by placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a disapproving look.

"I think we should show gratitude for Malfoy's kindness, even if it's unnecessary and lacks any apparent explanation," Hermione says, looking at Malfoy with an understanding expression but with a forced smile.

"You're so annoying, I won't miss this kind of conversation in the future. But you don’t need to worry about being grateful. These gifts are actually me getting rid of some things that didn’t fit in my luggage. Except for Harry’s, of course. But that's because when we were imprisoned, he told me he was afraid his life would change completely. Since I noticed Black is losing his mind, I thought if he ever wanted to be close to Miss Y/L/N to take a break from you, he’d need some money," Draco explains, somewhat irritated by the interrogation from the children. Before you can go to the dormitory to get Draco, you see Harry approach Malfoy and hug him. Not a false or distant hug, but a real, tight one.

"Thank you, Malfoy. The gifts were thoughtful, and we’ve been rude. But I want to make it clear that I do have money," Harry says while hugging Draco, who soon pulls away, looking seriously at Potter.

"Malfoy, we need to go. Say your goodbyes," you say, surprising all the children. Draco grabs his bags and hands them to you. You then murmur that he should put the bags in the taxi at the entrance of Hogwarts. Draco turns to his former enemies and says a brief farewell. Draco then insists that his friends help with the luggage, and they immediately assist him. In the dormitory, only you, Harry, Hermione, and Ron remain. Hermione and Ron seem uncomfortable with your presence, likely blaming you as well. But Harry smiles at you, genuinely. He comes over and hugs you.

"Professor, I don't want to blame you. But I'm grateful that you saved me from that place where we were trapped. I'll keep your secret, too," Harry murmurs, still hugging you.

"I'm sorry, Harry; for everything. You deserved more than this." You say, gently stroking Harry's head with your fingers.

"You deserved it too, professor." The sadness in Harry's voice touches you deeply. You hope that he can have a good life despite all the trauma he's experienced. There's nothing more you can say at the moment to comfort him. So, as you and Harry part ways from the embrace, you set off toward a new life and a fresh opportunity.

END OF THE FIRST PART

Preview of the Second Part of the Fanfic

Four years later, you are arriving home with groceries, preparing to make Draco's favorite lasagna; he should be coming home soon. He just got his driver's license. As you approach your house, you spot a brown-haired boy with glasses, not believing that it could be who you think it is.

"Harry Potter, what the hell are you doing here?" you exclaim. Despite what you say, you're not angry, but rather pleasantly surprised. You quickly go over to hug Harry. He immediately embraces you, trying to help you keep from dropping the grocery bags.

"Extreme times call for extreme measures. That and bringing you personally the invitation to your wedding," Harry says, his voice sounding deeper. He's grown up so quickly. But you're concerned about the tone of his voice.

"Why are we in extreme times, and who is getting married? I hope it’s not you. If you want, you can stay with us. You don't have to get married; in fact, I encourage you to run away from any marriage," you say, reassuring him that he can find a home and refuge if needed. For heaven's sake, what have Lupin and Black been letting this boy do? Now that he's so close to you, you notice that he seems tired and thinner.

"Sirius was arrested, and I didn't want to disturb Lupin. In fact, Lupin is the one getting married. And it won’t be to Sirius; he's marrying his new girlfriend, Nymphadora Tonks. Lupin asked me to mail the invitation, but since my godfather got into trouble, I thought I’d come in person. It was quite a trip, and I’ll tell you all about it on the way back to Hogwarts. What do you think?" Harry looks at you with a pleading expression, as if he’s feeling lost without you. You’re left confused by the many pieces of information.

"Step-mom, you won’t believe what happened. Professor Lewis dared to give me a bad grade on that video we made dancing to 'Wannabe.' He said it wasn’t artistic enough," Draco says, still not noticing Harry. "What the hell are you doing here, Potter?" Malfoy exclaims, surprised to see Harry for the first time in four years. Harry looks a bit uneasy, while Draco appears angry.

"Hey, Malfoy. I know you're angry with me. Your last message made that pretty clear, but this is bigger than both of us. I need you and Miss Y/L/N to go back to Hogwarts," Harry says, almost sounding guilty about something, which makes you wonder if he and Draco have some unresolved emotional issues going on.

"I don't know what you think you're doing here, but leave. We're not going with you, not even to the corner. Stepmother, I'll wait for you inside," Draco says, all pompous, as if he's too proud to show how glad he is to see Potter. Malfoy goes into the house, and you look at Potter with a lot of compassion.

"Dear, let's go inside. I'll make lasagna. Fortunately, Draco and I will be on vacation for the next few weeks. I'll help you with Sirius and try to give you a chance to improve your situation with Malfoy. Now, let's go in," you say, seeing Harry beam with happiness at your words. It seems that after four years, it's time to return to Hogwarts.

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

Lowly Desires Remake Drabble pt 2

Helmut was doing his security rounds to make sure unwanted guests or aurors were not interrupting the party. He made the brother of that Newt go to prison for his attempt to arrest his lover, Rosier.

Speaking of Rosier. She was sitting next to her boss, the Dark Wizard was acting strange. Rosier doesn't know Grindelwald personally. They never loved each other. Like how the boss was in love with you obviously. 

Rosier was surprised that a much younger and beautiful girl who was raped by Grindelwald was not married to him yet. She would have been the perfect trophy wife. What was stopping her evil boss from putting the ring on her finger?

Grindelwald was off in his own world as he waited for his chauffeur to park in the back. Everything was going to plan. The Qilin he killed and bewitched told him how Dumbledore and his gang will try to stop him at this party. Which was why he sent Credence to kill his best friend. Grindelwald loved his best friend. But, he was getting in his way. He didn't want Dumbledore to die. He was the reason why he saw you in Thailand. Grindelwald was forever grateful to Albus. He wanted Albus to be his first child's Godfather. 

Then, Grindelwald's thoughts went back to you. Sweet and lovely Name. He daydreamed of you swelling with his baby soon. 

Grindelwald wished he was young. He knew you were almost 19 and too young to be a mother but Grindelwald was a silver fox and wanted to see his kids at least be 18 by the time he died. 

If Gellert was the same age as you, he would have vacationed with you and traveled and gave you a long honeymoon. Maybe five or ten years maximum. 

Speaking of being young. Gellert clenched his teeth as he saw the way the young and sickly boy was ogling at you when Gellert ordered him to give you food and medicine in your cell. 

After he caught those looks, Credence was banned from you. But, Grindelwald saw Credence staring at the photo frame of you on his desk. 

Like he wanted to steal your headshot. 

That won't do.

Being the most beautiful lady, Gellert knew you were well wanted by men. Helmut stared at you as usual, but Credence looked as if he really loved you and wanted to marry you. The other henchmen obviously wanted to rape you. That was all. 

Soon. He will surprise the world with his announcement. The dress he picked for you. He was anxious to see you in it. He knew you would look terrific as usual.

 

Teal was his favorite color. 

Merlin

When will you meet him at the party? 

His eyes hazed as people outside were banging on the window of his car to support and cheer him in the election.

He was out of Azkaban. Rich again. The most wealthiest man in the UK. And better and stronger than ever. 

The cards are laying out for him. 

Soon, he will rule the world with you by his side as his Queen.

[rosie-love98]

A Version Of Eileen's Life:

It must all begin from the beginning; 1931 to be precise. For four years, Aurelius Dumbledore (a.k.a “Credence Barebone”), had been working for the supreme Dark Wizard, Gellert Grindelwald. As an Obscurial who managed to live to adulthood, Aurelius was an extreme rarity in the Wizarding World. Unfortunately, because of the parasitic Obscurus, Aurelius’s life still waned. Naturally, Grindelwald knew this sad fact and needed a plan, an “heir” to his weapon. 

While Grindelwald sent his numerous minions to find more Obscurials, the searches had proven to be futile for one reason or another. Eventually, Grindelwald began to come up with another idea; Obscurial or not, Aurelius was still the son of Aberforth. Thus, Aurelius was not just the last of the Dumbledore clan, but he was the nephew of Aberforth’s brother, Albus Dumbledore-Grindelwald’s main foe. Nothing could hurt Albus more than his own relative-present or future-joining Grindelwald. So it was decided, a new Dumbledore must come forth.

After much consideration, Grindelwald settled on the once-prestigious Prince family. It was said that Sacar Prince was a famous potioneer about two centuries ago. But, upon numerous competitors, betrayals and bad deals, Silvanus’s descendents struggled greatly. The latest of the lineage, Silvanus Prince and his wife, Melinoe Suspirio, was no different. Because of this, Grindelwald thought it easy to persuade the Princes’ to let their daughter, Eleousa, work for him.

In time, Aurelius and Eleousa would meet. Slowly, the two would become acquainted with each other. This was mainly due to their skills; Eleousa was impressed with Aurelius’s Obscurus, along with his romantic side. For Aurelius, he was impressed with Eleousa’s intellect, and her fascination with resurrecting the dead. Long story short, the two young wizards shared a passionate love for eachother. As a result, a baby was on the way.

Unfortunately, Aurelius would be completely unaware of his upcoming child. Shortly after a failed mission in Bhutan, Aurelius would reconcile with his father, Aberforth, and succumb to the Obscurus only a few days later.

 Sometime later, little Eileen came into the world. Unfortunately, Eleousa would die not long after her daughter was born. As a result, Eileen would be raised by Silvanus and Melinoe as if she was their daughter. Even going by “Prince” rather than “Barebone” or “Dumbledore”.

As Eileen grew up, the Prince family would see her as a disappointment. Especially as Grindelwald would reach his final downfall. In spite of her cold environment, Eileen tried making the best of things. For instance, she was loyal to her Slytherin House, was skillful in gobstones, potion-making along with spell-casting. She would often try to form a connection with her late mother by researching spells for reviving the dead. However, by the time she turned 21, she felt something absent in her life. Then, when in the Muggle World, she met Tobias Snape…

As a rough-and-tumble Teddy Boy, Tobias Snape was part of a group known as “The Web-Spinners”. Another member was Tobias’s best friend “Severe Seymour”, along with Seymor’s girlfriend, Lydia. However, The Web-Spinners weren’t the only gangs in Cokeworth as they were fiercely rivaled by the “Sweet Deaths”. During one altercation, a naive Eileen was in the gauntlet and would’ve been killed had Tobias and Seymor not stepped in. Eventually, Tobias and Eileen hit it off. 

Yet, while Eileen saw Tobias as a potential husband, Tobias saw Eileen as more of a “fling”. Disgusted, Seymour and Lydia often confronted Tobias about such a mindset. Urging him to either marry Eileen or break things off better the relationship gets even more serious. Events later took a turn when Tobias, Seymour and Lydia were at a pub-the same pub the Sweet Deaths were visiting. Thanks to his drunken boasting, Tobias had started a fight that escalated into a major catastrophe. In the end, Seymour and Lydia would be killed by the Sweet Deaths.

Remorseful and horrified, Tobias was at a loss on what to do next until he’d learn that Eileen was an witch. He begged her to bring back his lost friends but Eileen told him that resurrection isn’t what the Wizarding World does. So, Tobias made up his mind; he’ll marry her and, in turn, she’ll find a way to bring back the dead. Eileen knew not to make promises she couldn’t keep, but she could never say “No” to such a magical potential as reviving the deceased. So, in 1953, Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince would marry to the horror of the latter’s family. Silvanus and Melinoe would loathe their granddaughter for choosing a Muggle over her enchanted pure-blood; ultimately cutting her off altogether. 

In time, Tobias would quit being a Teddy Boy, move himself and Eileen to the last house at Spinner’s End along with becoming the reluctant father to a raven-haired boy, Severus. Yet, alcoholism and fruitless job-hunting would take a toll over the years. With these factors and Eileen’s failed experiments, Tobias grew more aggressive than ever before. At the expense of her own son, Eileen kept hanging on until Tobias and Eileen would eventually face Death themselves. Leaving Severus in the cold.

Well...what do you think for a theory/headcanon?

[s1lentlamb]

if you want a starter from muses listed below , like this . and specify . 💕

gojo satoru .

megumi fushiguro .

do gang-jae .

kim shin .

gellert grindelwald .

cobb vanth .

vegas theerapanyakul .

kinn theerapanyakul .

bihan .

kuai liang .

kazuyuki asakawa .

niragi suguru .

[dumbledore-and-grindelwald]

The Secrets of Dumbledore  had some great moments during which Dumbledore’s subtle arrogance, his tendency to focus on the greater good first and to manipulate in its service, and overall the fact that he is chaotic good, shined through.

-When Grindelwald asks Dumbledore how the blood troth feels around his neck, Albus leans in, softens his expression and tells him “we can free each other” with a casual smile on his face. Gellert looks like he’s been slapped.

-When he meets Theseus and Newt: Albus: Has Newt told you why you’re here. Theseus: Was he meant to? Albus: *sassily laughing his ass off* No. As a matter of fact.

-The way he uses his gloves and the cheeky manner in which he takes out the documents Newt needs to get to Theseus.

-Albus: *calls the Erkstag the German ministry’s little bed and breakfast* The prisoners are left to spend their nights and to be eaten.

-Albus: Professor Hicks… assuming you’re not otherwise engaged… *sassily* frankly, even if you are…

-When Newt asks about the case, one of the most important things in his life, Albus casually tells him that it’s in good hands and leaves without any other explanation, while Newt has a lost expression and his hand is still clenched as if he’s holding the case.

-When the gang is at Hogwarts Albus starts by congratulating them and when Theseus is surprised he mentions Newt, Jacob and Lally’s contribution. Then: Albus: And you are alive… and you ‘re well. […] Theseus:  Albus, forgive me, but aren’t we right back where we started? Albus: Actually I would argue that things are…*seemingly thinks of a way to argue in favor of the plan* a great deal worse.

-*Newt says something correct* Albus: Three points to Hufflepuff.

-Albus: Aberforth here will prepare you a delicious dinner; his own recipe. Aberforth: *internally screaming*

-When Newt cannot recognize his case on sight: Albus: Good, I’d be worried if you could *chuckles*.

-Albus: If by teatime the Qilin, not to mention all of us are still alive, we should consider our efforts a success.  Jacob: For the record, no one ever died playing Three-Card Monte.  Albus: An important distinction.

-When the gang is in the room of requirement, Bunty was there before the others entered and the real case was the closest one to her. When Jacob picks a case, he chooses the one in front of Newt but Dumbledore directs him to choose another. Newt notices and is fixed on THAT case thinking that it’s his own. This was such a classic case of Dumbledore’s casual manipulation.

-Albus cares about Credence, but he accepts fast that he cannot save him and he also can’t help seeing that he may be useful in helping against Grindelwald. While he is fast to instinctively use a counterspell when Grindelwald attacks, when Aberforth tried to approach earlier Albus held him back because Grindelwald being publically confronted by someone who was close to him is their best chance. This is a noticeable instance of Albus’ first instinct being to look at the bigger picture and make a choise that is risky but seems to be the one with the best possible outcome.

[notanorigami]

fic recommendations for grindeldore!

i, (un)fortunately have been captured by this ship. i also started rereading a bunch of fics that i bookmarked, so i thought: might as well make a fic recommendation post. please enjoy! :)

I'd Wait For Life by Dreamer1701

starting off with a rather angsty one. albus just gives himself up to gellert because he can't handle the pain and it's just so heartbreaking :(

anyways, it's also part of a series called All This Time, and i encourage you to read the two sequels to the fic. i think they're pretty good, at least in my opinion :)

Aberforth didn't want to see that by FantastyFreak_2

i just think this one's really funny, although the very last part is kinda sad :(

the great work by Laeveteinn

tbh, i've never watched hannibal before. but anyways, i thought this fic was pretty interesting :)

how did you get here, my dear? by captnhowzer

gellert doesn't tell voldemort where the elder wand is and dies thinking that he's saved albus. unfortunately, he finds out that albus was already dead

An Erumpent Encounter by AlbusGellertAlways

albus and gellert go to a zoo to look at erumpents and gellet confesses to albus :)

I Shall Love You Better After Death by CompassToTheEndlessSea

after albus talks to harry in limbo, gellert arrives

kugelmensch by NiciLupin

gellert wishes to be buried with albus. plus, a bunch of sweet moments from albus' life :)

Yours, Albus by Gellerts Lavender Tie (aScandalinCamelot)

gellert reads albus' last letter and is heartbroken

Youth by Asian_Rice

albus dies and then wakes up at the beginning of the summer of 1899. he vows to make up for mistakes by actually caring for his siblings this time around and to avoid becoming friends with gellert. unfortunately(?), he only succeeds in the former.

Whispers of the Past by AlbusGellertAlways

lily goes to bathila bagshot's house and accidentally finds out that dumbledore used to date grindelwald. (honestly speaking, i could see this being canon)

I have never known colour, like this morning reveals to me by Lunarseclipse

ariana is given the role of death and she helps people out + a lot of fluffy grindeldore :)

Reckless Paradise by NightWithoutStars

basically, what if albus chose to replace trelawney with gellert instead?

Dumbledore's Meeting by AlbusGellertAlways

hermione drops divination and albus tells her a little about gellert. (on a different note, i apparently did not know how to spell hermione and had to learn when i was bookmarking the fic :P )

silver memories by Space_Samurai

newt and theseus look at gellert's memories and accidentally find out about his relationship with albus. also, newt is best bro in this, just not to theseus

The end of the World by navvy

basically, earthquakes or something happen and hogwarts is one of the only havens. because of this, gellert and the gang go to hogwarts and gellert makes up with albus. not totally unrelated, fuck travers

Between what is right and what is easy by navvy

this is actually the first of an omegaverse series called The choices we make. albus is an omega and the ministry finds out, so they force albus to marry an alpha. unfortunately for them, gellert snuck into the meeting and marries albus. tbh, i really like this series :)

also, fuck travers again

Excessive Curiosity And Where It Leads You by Bubble_Pomme

rita skeeter is a bitch and visits gellert in prison. unfortunately, things don't quite go as she planned.

I just think this one's really funny :)

The Final Request by SparksAdrift

harry investigates why grindelwald would want to be buried with dumbledore by looking through dumbledore's memories.

Socken by noctis_ibis

aunt bathilda finds about them because of socks

this one's just really sweet :)

That time a boggart wrecked DADA by BellaShouldBeStudying

albus is teaching DADA when his boggart turns into gellert and his class realizes what their relationship is. albus is fired and gellert tries to bring albus to him.

all i want for christmas by yumbledore

albus tries to drown himself, but is saved by gellert

this one is sad and angsty :(

The Mirror of Erised by Jotun_Half_Breed

albus actually tells harry what he sees in the mirror and harry realizes who albus was talking about six years later

The Shard of the Erised by Royal_ColourPencils

harry looks into a shard of the mirror and finds out about that he can see what other people saw. featuring: wolfstar + grindeldore

welp, that's it for now folks! see ya.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

For the sake of creativity—you’ve been kidnapped tied to a chair with a laptop and are told to make Tom/Dumbledore work. What do you do? (Barista at coffee shop doesn’t count) :P

"Write the Tom/Dumbledore or it gets the hose again" is what I'm picturing, anon, I hope you know that.

And for the record I think my captor would accept a Barista Coffee Shop AU. The rest of the internet does and my captor clearly has no taste. Albus is the barista, by the way.

But fine, alright...

Well, no, not alright, because this actually as come up what and is under the category of "Stories The Carnivorous Muffin Isn't Writing Because They Open the Gates to Hell". A story in that category that did get written is Violent Delights Have Violent Ends. So, consider that before reading this post further.

An Origin Story

@therealvinelle, after I had successfully written a Death/Wizard Lenin fic "Wanting Things", said "Now, I bet you can't come up with Wizard Lenin/Dumbledore" because we both considered that a pairing even more ludicrous than Wizard Lenin/Death (which was already ludicrous).

Well, unfortunately, I came up with something.

The Idea

The idea is that, somehow, Lily and Wizard Lenin end up in the past, specifically during Albus Dumbledore's teenage years in the summer when Grindelwald comes to town. They don't know how they got there or what's happening but one night find themselves in a pub in London discussing their situation.

In this same pub are Gellert and Albus, high in spirits and utterly sloshed, having the time of their lives. They're definitely looking at Wizard Lenin but he pays them little mind, vaguely recognizing a young Albus Dumbledore who appears to be very very gay.

Wizard Lenin's more focused on his argument with Lily about... something. Probably time travel.

The argument culminates in Wizard Lenin leaving in a huff and Lily ordering herself another round of butterbeer, thank you very much.

Well, as Wizard Lenin leaves, he's followed out by Gellert and Albus. Gellert immediately starts hitting on him, Wizard Lenin is not amused and tells them to leave them alone. They don't.

... To make a long story short and save much of the details, Gellert goads a drunk Albus into gang raping Wizard Lenin with him in a back alley.

It's awful.

Lily then comes across the aftermath, is plagued by guilt while Wizard Lenin is paralyzed by the psychological damage, and swears unholy vengeance upon Gellert and Albus. She hunts them both down, making their last days filled with pain and terror, and after the deed is done is left in the aftermath knowing her vengeance solved nothing.

...

Aren't you glad you didn't get that fic, readers?

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

Yeah, so I read your HP headcanons/analysis and I found it really well put. I was wondering about your thoughts on Dumbledore and who he really was as a person. (It’s okay if you don’t really want to reply :> )

We’re just getting all up into The Carnivorous Muffin headcanon land, aren’t we?

Well, this one’s probably obvious to anyone who reads my work.

I fall on the manipulative Dumbledore side of things and then some. Dumbledore is not only a bastard man but is a raging misogynist and extremely classist (which is funny because I don’t see too many people calling him out for those last two when to me canon all but shouts it at you). 

Basically, what it comes down to, is even taken in very good faith I simply cannot read Dumbledore’s actions as benign in pretty much every single goddamn decision he makes ever.

God, where do I even start here? I guess we can go chronologically.

Well, there was Dumbledore’s Wizard Nazi youth with an oddly Dorian Gray flare to it with Gellert. I think it’s fairly obvious why Dumbledore’s not exactly... good there so I’m going to skip past it. Suffice to say, it took his sister’s death (and maybe murdering his own invalid sister) for Dumbledore to stop planning world domination. Even then it wasn’t so much that world domination was wrong, but because his sister died and he was an asshole.

I’m going to go ahead and include CoG and Fantastic Beasts because I can (CoG, while a terrible movie, actually does entertain me in many ways). Anyways, before the films came out I always considered the younger Dumbledore far more stoic and brooding. He doesn’t get his eccentric persona until after the defeat of Grindelwald and was before then angsty mcangsts and an academic at heart. 

Well, per CoG, apparently he was a budding spy master long before defeating Gellert/Voldemort popped up. We see him manipulating Newt, sending him to Paris as his own agent, WHEN NEWT DOESN’T WANT TO GO AND HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT DUMBLEDORE USED HIM INTHE LAST FILM. Dumbledore writes off having used Newt for his own agenda with a charming smile but none the less it paints a pretty grim picture that Albus has always been... Albus. There has always been a greater good out there somewhere and the man is always using someone as a pawn.

Cut to canon and his treatment of Tom Riddle. Frankly, Dumbledore’s treatment of the young Tom Riddle, and even Tom Riddle just before he came Voldemort, is insane. The thought experiment I like to run is “replace Tom in those scenes with Harry Potter”.

Harry was a poor orphan, whose guardians would more than match what Mrs. Cole said about Tom Riddle, who had spurts of accidental magic now and then and enjoyed when his bully cousin was discomfitted. Now, imagine Dumbledore giving Harry his letter, and then pretending to light all of Harry’s possessions on fire to “teach him a lesson”. What the fuck?

Now, am I saying Tom Riddle wasn’t creepy here and that killing a rabbit was terrible. No. But I am saying Dumbledore had a horrible reaction to it and is proud of it years later. (Also, the fact that he uses this memory to convince Harry of how evil Tom is, is hilarious to me. Dumbledore, you were the shit that lit people’s wardrobes on fire. If I was Tom, I’d be upset too). 

Dumbledore is always like this with Tom Riddle. He thinks the worst of Tom even in points where Tom hasn’t done anything. I’m not talking about later when, yes, Tom did live up to Dumbledore’s fears but when Dumbledore treats him like garbage and actively sabotaged Tom’s career.

Anyways, cut to later when the Marauders are in school. One of the big things is that Dumbledore puts up a guerilla resistance gang OF SCHOOL CHILDREN. While most members are older, James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are all only just out of Hogwarts. “Well,” you say, “It’s their choice and they did graduate. Surely Dumbledore wasn’t actually recruiting school children.” I point you towards canon, where Dumbledore convinces three actual school children that the fate of the nation rests on their shoulders and to go fight the good fight. So yes, Dumbledore canonically uses child soldiers and has no regret for doing so.

The other is letting James and Sirius off the hook for the Lupin incident. While Dumbledore talks the talk this showed that he was not willing to walk the walk. True, while getting them into major trouble would have involved outing Lupin (who was innocent in all of this) at the same time they were nearly responsible for the murder of another student. It’s very convenient that Dumbledore lets off the rich son of a lord, two individuals who later end up in the resistance movement (Potter likely funding part of it), and tells the impoverished half blood to sit down and shut up.

And in canon, yes, I believe that Dumbledore absolutely knew what Harry’s home condition was like. While the blood wards are an excuse they aren’t a particularly good one as for most of Harry’s childhood the Death Eaters were all accounted for. Harry was in no extreme danger from them. To not have had an inkling of Harry’s home life (when Harry even hints at it when wanting to stay over the summer, Harry runs away from home in third year, Fred and George see the bars on the window, and he even visits Harry’s home in sixth year) would be such laughable incompetence and stupidity it’s right out.

With that, I absolutely do believe what Snape showed us in the memory, the Dumbledore behind the scenes as it were. That Dumbledore knew fairly early that Harry Potter was a horcrux and began grooming Harry for suicide. Specifically, that’s what sixth year really is. All those memories of Tom Riddle, the pretext to get some memory from Slughorn, it’s an excuse for a smear campaign designed to convince Harry that Tom Riddle is inherently evil and must die at all costs, even Harry’s own life. 

Dumbledore didn’t need that Slughorn memory. Sure, it was useful to know Tom intended to make seven but think about it. How did Dumbledore know there’d be anything remotely useful in there? He doesn’t know that Tom actually drops a number on Slughorn. Even then, he doesn’t know whether Tom actually goes and does it. All of it felt like, “Harry, I have a super secret important mission that only YOU can do. Can you handle it, Harry? Because without this the country is surely doomed” And in that I mean it was an effort to win back Harry’s favor after the previous year meltdown, keep him busy, and start in on the excuse to show Harry some pretty damn innocuous memories of Tom Riddle and go, “See, HE IS EVIL!”

Due to this, I frankly think that the train scene was a hallucination on Harry’s part. Wishful thinking for some gentle explanation of how Dumbledore had not cruelly used him for years and intended his death. 

Well, that and it never made much sense that Dumbledore could predict Harry’s a) becoming the master of death b) miraculous second resurrection.

In the first case, Harry becomes master of death because of wand lore bullshit and happenstance where Harry happens to save Draco’s life. Dumbledore had no idea such a thing would happen. Dumbledore’s plan was for there to be no master of death, as the wand would default to having no owner when Snape defeated Dumbledore on Dumbledore’s orders. That Draco got the wand is a sort of Deus ex Machina. Sorry guys, Dumbledore intended Harry to die.

More, even then, while Dumbledore was very into the occult of these things we leave canon without any idea if these things are even responsible for his resurrection. They’re just relatively nifty objects with a legend behind them. There was nothing concrete to suggest that, should Harry happen to get all of them, he would be able to rise from the dead.

Otherwise onto the misogyny and classism parts.

In terms of misogyny this is from every time Dumbledore talks about Lily Evans or Merope Gaunt. In the case of Lily, she’s this weird Madonna figure whose love for Harry was so powerful it saved his life. That she also happened to make these blood wards Dumbledore cannot reproduce and extended her protection to Harry wherever he went is irrelevant. It’s her love that counts. That feminine, maternal, love purer than all others.

Basically, Dumbledore seems to be of the belief that women are flowers. The best of women are these demure, selfless, brave women who sacrifice themselves for their children. Yikes, Dumbledore.

Merope’s the really bad one though. Merope’s tale is how she drugged and raped a defenseless muggle for months and then he escaped. Dumbledore spins it into this Victorian tale of woe where Tom Riddle Sr. THE KIDNAPPED RAPE VICTIM is the asshole here who abandoned Merope to the merciless cold world. How dare he. 

It’s very clear that Dumbledore doesn’t see Merope, or women in general, as people. Instead these weird Victorian ideals who can be tragic victims of circumstance.

As for the classism.

While Dumbledore’s very against the pureblood culture we see in the Malfoys a lot of his treatment of Tom Riddle feels very... classist. The big one, which is a little tangential but I say it counts, is Dumbledore’s theory that children of rape are incapable of love. Granted, he’s saying this while convincing Harry to kill himself for the good of the cause and there is a real world parallel in that alcohol/drugs while pregnant is a very bad idea that can lead to extreme mental and physical health disorders. That said, we’re talking love potions at conception, and it always read more as “rape babies” vs. specific drugs. And that is... just yikes on so many levels.

Now, do I agree with manipulative Dumbledore we see in many fics? No, because Dumbledore’s not that stupid.

He doesn’t need to borrow money from Harry’s vault, he doesn’t need to pay off Hermione and Ron to be Harry’s friends, he doesn’t need to choose Harry’s friends for him, he doesn’t need to manipulate Harry’s memories directly. He doesn’t need to do any of this because he got what he wanted just fine in canon.

Dumbledore is one of the smartest characters in canon, far smarter than Harry, and he doesn’t have to stoop to such outrageous schemes to get what he wants. Poorly concealed smear campaigns convincing Harry to commit suicide are more than enough.

[dalekofchaos]

Giving Draco Malfoy a redemption arc in Deathly Hallows

Long and detailed post that you may be tempted to scroll past, but hear me out: Draco Malfoy would have become an amazing character if he joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione and gotten a full redemption arc throughout the span of Deathly Hallows. Near the end of Half Blood Prince just before his death, Dumbledore tells Malfoy that he knows Malfoy had been planning his assassination all year long and offers him and his family protection from Voldemort. Now what if at that moment, Malfoy had actually lowered his wand and agreed, asking Dumbledore to help him? Dumbledore could assure him that he doesn't have to follow his father's path and that he is his own man who has the freedom to choose who he becomes. The rest of the scene can play out as it does--the Death Eaters barge in, Snape kills Dumbledore, etc, but we get verbal confirmation that Malfoy does not want to be a Death Eater anymore. At the very end of the book, he can go directly to the trio after Dumbledore's funeral, having hidden away from the other Death Eaters during the battle, and ask to join them.

Of course, all three undoubtedly would reject any proposal for help that Malfoy has to offer, but Malfoy could insist that he truly means well. After all, Voldemort now knows that he had failed to kill Dumbledore, so Malfoy knows he would likely be killed if he returned. Now that he's gone, he'd be branded a traitor and would immediately be executed if he was found. He also insists that he can be very useful to them since he has insider knowledge on the Death Eaters that could be precious info for them. As proof of where his true loyalties lie, he and Harry perform an Unbreakable Vow in which Malfoy swears his loyalty to Harry for as long as his family is safe and away from Voldemort and that he and his family will never again turn to Voldemort's side. It would be a really cool image: two bitter rivals--a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, one branded with a scar and the other with a Dark Mark--coming together after six years to put an end to the one who threatens their families (which will play a very key role at the end of the book).

Now here are all the great moments we could get if Malfoy had become a main character for the final book:

Malfoy--like Harry--would have to be disguised as a Weasley cousin and, much to his disgust, would be forced to interact with and be among the family he's mocked all his life. And while the Weasley children would certainly be quite mean to him, I'd imagine Arthur and Molly would share some sympathy for him and treat him quite warmly, and this could be a big moment for Malfoy as he sees the Weasleys show each other such love and compassion that he's never really seen in his own family before.

Malfoy could be the one who gives information on Dolores Umbridge owning Slytherin's locket, which he knows from being with the Death Eaters, and gives the backstory of Gellert Grindelwald, whom he would know presumably from being a Slytherin and the son of Death Eaters.

Malfoy's presence would add more incentive in Ron leaving, perceiving Harry as even trusting Malfoy over himself. During Ron's absence, this could be a great time for Malfoy to start bonding more with Harry and Hermione in his place. We could learn more about his childhood and about his inner psyche, undoubtedly earning him sympathy points from the audience, and during this time he could formally apologize to Hermione for all the years he's been racist towards her.

Malfoy Manor would be the greatest test to his loyalty, with the gang being captured by Snatchers and Malfoy being returned to his parents. While the others are being imprisoned and/or tortured, Malfoy would be offered a chance to start again. If he and his parents bail now and go into hiding, they could leave behind the entire war and stay in safety, and since Malfoy wouldn't be betraying Harry to Voldemort, he still would be safe from the Unbreakable Vow. This would be the biggest milestone in his character arc as he willingly chooses to not flee and instead to help his new friends, playing an integral part in helping the gang escaping the manor. Malfoy learns for the first time in his life to prioritize the needs of others over his own as Draco Malfoy escapes from Malfoy Manor. Oh, the ~symbolism~.

For the entire second half of the book (and all of the Part 2 movie), Malfoy would be a changed person. For the first time, he calls the others by their first names and insists they call him Draco, as he no longer wishes to be associated with the name Malfoy. He's much nicer to others and they, in turn, respect him as well. He helps in Dobby's funeral and is repentant that he mistreated him so poorly before. He's no longer motivated by the desire to be just like his father like he was all his life nor is he motivated by a desire for self-preservation, but now by a new desire to forge his own path and to do the right thing.

Draco helps aid in breaking into Bellatrix's vault (using his Death Eater knowledge). Instead of Harry, Draco would be the one who performs the Imperius curse on the goblin (it makes way more sense for Draco to be able to perform this curse successfully rather than Harry, who's never done it in his life before).

Later during the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco could actively speak to all the Slytherins about his experience as a Death Eater and rally a group of Slytherins to fight to protect Harry, which would be a great chance to emphasize to the audience that not all Slytherins are evil Nazi children.

In the Room of Requirement, Draco is confronted by Crabbe and Goyle and tries to persuade them to join him, but they are too dead-set on their old ways and Draco has to fight his former friends in order to protect his new ones. Unlike the book, which makes it basically an accident that the diadem was destroyed, Draco could be the one who definitively destroys it.

Draco could also be the one who opens the Chamber of Secrets to get the basilisk fang. Sure, it doesn't really make sense that he would know Parseltongue, but it makes a world more sense for a Slytherin to have tried to learn some words of Parseltongue than Ron just happening to know how to open it like it was in the book.

And here's probably my favorite addition to this change: For the final fight between Harry and Voldemort, Draco's redemption arc could better explain the Elder Wand's change in allegiance as well. Instead of the wand switching allegiance from Draco to Harry because Harry yanked it out of his hand in the Malfoy Manor, it could instead be explained that because Draco swore an Unbreakable Vow to fight for Harry, the Elder Wand interpreted this act as Harry becoming Draco's master, and therefore the wand's master as well. After all, the wand values strength and power above all else, and would never choose to stay with a wizard who swears fealty to another. This small change would be a really great thematic moment since the whole series hammers in how Harry and Voldemort are different because Voldemort fails to understand the true power of love and friendship. Harry wins the wand's allegiance not by physically overpowering Draco (like in the book), but by befriending him and accepting his help. Voldemort thinks he's become the Elder Wand's owner through acts of power and violence, but Harry becomes the wand's true owner through an act of loyalty and friendship.

I definitely think the seeds should have been sown far earlier, maybe in the fourth and fifth books. We first need to believe he can change if we are to truly accept him as wanting to change. However, this post was purely limited to the span of the final book.

I also do think that there is a lot of merit to the idea that it's more realistic for someone who grew up privileged and misguided as Draco did to have a harder time going against these beliefs, but to that I say that's basically what we got with Snape. He was a Death Eater through and through, and even when he starts helping Dumbledore it's for purely selfish reasons. It's not until much later in his life that he finally starts to appear to do the good thing for the sake of the greater good and not for his own selfish desires. I think having Malfoy go through a redemption arc as a 17 year old would be a great way of showing how he's managed to avoid becoming Snape. He's been proven wrong about his ideology now as a teenager so that he can learn and grow from it, whereas Snape didn't realize the error of his ways until he was an adult and therefore took much longer to become someone willing to do the right thing.

Source 

[carewyncromwell]

[HPHL] Dark!Jackson Knightly AU Moodboard

--Inspired by @cursebreakerfarrier’s Dark!Teddy Ellison AU--

“I've been broken by the Devil...

Justice is a waste of time!

I won't get to heaven...

Why not raise a little Hell?”

~“Raise a Little Hell,” from Bonnie and Clyde the musical

x~x~x~x

In an ideal world, the son of seedy Muggle conman John Eglinton and naive witch Cassandra Knightly was able to escape the control of his father with the support of his first friend, Adelia Selwyn @that-ravenpuff-witch, and return to his mother in Britain, where he could then attend Hogwarts, make more wonderful friends like Orla Atkinson @hphm-brooke and Hirtia Caldwell @cursed-ice-spirits, fall head over heels in love, and over time grow into a man both charismatic enough for and worthy of the title of British Minister for Magic.

But in a world far less just, John Eglinton took the extra step to poison his wife in her sleep before taking Jackson away. The vicious murder made Jackson all the more hostile toward his father, which in turn prompted John Eglinton to keep his son on an even tighter leash. Without Adelia there to help rescue him as a boy, Jackson stayed under his father’s thumb for the whole of his childhood, until the 18-year-old wizard eventually mastered his magic enough on his own that he was able to magically tear a chandelier off the ceiling right down onto his father, skewering him with a thousand shards of piercing sharp glass.

With his father dead, Jackson -- now calling himself “Jack Knightly,” so as to distance himself from his father completely, tried to make his way in the world. The Wizarding World in America, however, is even more “underground” than in Great Britain, and Jack, since he never got a proper education in magic, soon ended up getting in trouble with the MACUSA for his often violent magical outbursts. Jack was sent to prison multiple times over the years, which only hardened him further. Eventually it got to the point that the now fully adult Jack made a vow to himself that he would never be locked up again -- and so he rose to the top of the magical bootlegging business in New York City, wining and dining the most powerful MACUSA officials he could to keep his establishment open and himself out of prison.

It was not long after then, in the early 1920′s, that some supporters of Gellert Grindelwald, fresh off the boat from Bulgaria, popped up in New York with the goal of creating an organization in America that could help their leader spread his influence across the Atlantic. They called that organization “the Hallowed Society,” after the Deathly Hallows symbol Grindelwald had usurped as his own. When the organization’s founders tried to recruit Jack, however, the devilishly handsome wizard laughed in their faces.

“Did you hear that, Ike, my slippery friend? They wish to recruit me.”

All of the wizards and witches at the bar -- all “business associates” of Jack’s -- started to snigger and share smirks among themselves too.

“I must say...you’re quite the comedian, Mr. Burke. You request an audience with the most powerful man in New York City, and you think to tempt me with a lackey position in your little boy’s club? You think that you’re someone who can lord over me? You, a wizard who’s still resigned to playing around with your cute little stick?”

His eyes flashing a dangerous electric blue, Jack Knightly broke Mr. Burke’s wand with an unpleasant snap with a mere flick of his head.

“Let me make one thing very clear, Mr. Burke -- I am closer a match to Gellert Grindelwald than you could ever be, not just in magical prowess but in bringing people into the fold of my enterprise. And when I meet your master with the army I shall ensemble for the cause of taking this world back from the filthy Muggles who force us underground, I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know that he can do better than a pathetic creature like you -- a disgrace to the pure Wizarding blood your name boasts.”

Sure enough, when Jack Knightly arrived in France and met Gellert Grindelwald with his gang from the Cottonmouth Club (named after Jack’s Animagus form, the Cottonmouth, which is the most poisonous snake in North America), the Bulgarian wizard was very pleased. This American could indeed be useful -- quite useful.

[meganswish]

do you know what I find incredibly interesting? that so many of us believe that Snape is redeemed through Lily - or rather, his love for her - when that's clearly not the case.

because for many people, Snape being redeemed because he loves Lily is a truly dissatisfying redemption. the love involved is not as untarnished as Dumbledore's love for Ariana, as selfless as Regulus' for Kreacher, as dramatic as Narcissa's for Draco. all of these love-based redemptions have one thing in common: Evanna Lynch's thesis (for the purposes of this text post, JKR didn't write Harry Potter 🙃) that love, if allowed, can be a transformative force. Andromeda Tonks, for example, turns her back on bigotry because of love. but the if allowed is very important; the Malfoys are all presented from the very beginning as people extraordinarily devoted to and concerned with members of their own family - Narcissa's redemption, however, is pinpointed at the moment where that love compels her to act, and act in the way that is right. everybody loves - except potentially Voldemort, which is what makes him such a perfect villain for the series - but in Harry Potter, your love absolves you of absolutely nothing until it overpowers all the darkness within you.

that translates very well to the readers. we all understand that Regulus' redemption, whilst motivated by his love for Kreacher, was him sacrificing himself and attempting to destroy the horcrux. we all understand that Narcissa's redemption, whilst motivated by her love for Draco, was her lying to the Dark Lord and allowing the Light to triumph. we all understand that Dumbledore's redemption, whilst motivated by his love for Ariana, was him turning back on his relationship with Gellert and devoting himself to the true greater good for the rest of his life. (depending on your opinion of Professor Dumbles that's more of a backstory than a redemption, but we can roll with it for this.) but Snape's redemption is always characterised as loving Lily (or being sexually attracted to Lily, for some reason?) and not the actions that came with it.

I find this very intriguing. Regulus kept newspaper cuttings of Voldemort's crimes in his bedroom to study because he hero-worshipped him so much. he joined willingly, he was marked. Narcissa never took a Dark Mark, but she sat at the Dark Lord's table, and she only began to act against him when Lord Voldemort began to punish their family for Lucius' failure. even then, the Unbreakable Vow did nothing to stop the assassination attempts - it was meant to preserve Draco, not the intended victim. at their darkest, we have very little evidence to believe either of them to be better people than Snape. (Dumbledore did comparatively very little for Grindelwald's regime so I'm leaving him out of this, but I find it fascinating that despite that, I'd say that the fandom dislikes him more than either Narcissa or Regulus.) so why are their redemptions more convincing, more touching, more acceptable, than Snape's?

I think it has a lot to do with Harry as a narrator. Harry's softest emotion towards Draco Malfoy is probably pity, and even that pity is perhaps dosed with a little contempt. he has little understanding and no appreciation for Narcissa's lifestyle. he and Kreacher get on better during Deathly Hallows, but we can't forget how troubled their relationship initially was. and Harry never relates to Kreacher in the way he does to Dobby, simply because of his servitude - because unlike Dobby, Kreacher internalises the bigotry and belief system of his household as well as the abuse, something that Harry never does.

Snape, however. Snape's object of love is Harry's mother. Harry idolises her maybe more than even his father or Sirius (and that is saying something.) not to mention that throughout Snape's memories, we see that Snape harboured a strong dislike for Petunia, and that throughout most of his childhood he was neglected, underfed, and dressed in clothes too big for him. they show him as a target of bullies, as an underprivileged, miserable outcast with no support system. Snape is so like Harry, and Harry strongly emotionally identifies with him. the parallel is mentioned before the Deathly Hallows - when Harry sees Snape's 'worst memory', his first instinct is to put himself in Snape's place and view the Marauders as Dudley's gang, which is part of the reason he's so horrified. in sixth year, Hermione points out that Snape's speech as their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has some remarkable similarities to Harry's own whilst he's addressing Dumbledore's Army. the two characters do have their differences, don't get me wrong, and I'm talking glaring differences - but the connection is certainly there. and I don't think it's coincidental that both of their first friends were a warm-hearted redhead who could relate to them about magic.

Harry responds to Snape on an emotional level. his reaction to finding out that Snape is a Death Eater in Goblet of Fire is almost gobsmackingly underwhelming if you compare it to him finding out that Snape was bullied by his father in Order of the Phoenix. he loses his temper when Snape insults his dad, insults Hermione, insults Neville, but he couldn't care less when he joins the Order ("he's still a git," says Ron, and that's the prevailing attitude going forward). it makes sense, after all. Snape's duty is constantly in conflict with his emotions. he saves Harry's life when Quirrell jinxes his broom, he refuses to provide Umbridge with Veritaserum to use on him, and he sends him Gryffindor's sword, sure - but he'll still try and provoke, belittle and punish Harry at every turn, because he didn't like James Potter and he doesn't like Harry either. Hermione, who is very goal-oriented, bases her opinion on Snape on whether or not he appears to be on their side, but for Harry, that's not good enough, because their interactions are defined by their mutual dislike of one another and not by the fact that for all intents and purposes, they are working towards the same goal.

and so for Harry, a large part of his forgiveness, in turn, is emotional - our narrator is far more concerned with the fact that Snape truly loved his mother and that this motivated him to protect Harry than he is with any of Snape's actual redemption. and therefore, the effectiveness of the chapter is strongly affected by how the reader perceives Snape. are we able to identify with him as Harry does? is our gripe with him mostly formed by his daily, schoolteacher-style malice? or are we more concerned with Snape's political positioning - do we want to be assured that he isn't a Death Eater? if the answer to the latter question is 'yes', it's easy to come away angry, because whilst it's made very clear that Snape is not a Death Eater, that doesn't really feel like it's supposed to be our takeaway because it's not Harry's. when he finally confronts Voldemort, their discussion about Snape revolves around '[his] mother, [his] common, Muggleborn mother', because Harry views Snape's devotion to Lily as all important. more important than even his sacrifices and work as a spy.

this may make little to no sense and there are probably tons of other reasons why we view Snape in this way, but I think this one is the most interesting. Harry is a human narrator, and the way that that impacts the story is fascinating.

[ao3feed-snape]

And Other Words That Start With 'R'

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/3rQ2nrT

by dear_amleo

"By 1899, the age of outlaws and gunslingers was at an end. America was becoming a land of laws… Even the west had mostly been tamed. A few gangs still roamed, but they were being hunted and destroyed..."

The Order of the Phoenix knows their time is up. After a heist gone terribly wrong, the Order is left scrambling to survive and the Marauder's unwavering loyalty is being put to the test as the DE detective agency breathes down their necks. Albus Dumbledore believes he has a plan to save them all. But, what will they risk losing in the process? For James Potter and the other Marauders, the price may just be too high.

Join the Marauders in this retelling of Red Dead Redemption II.

Words: 5655, Chapters: 1/110, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Gideon Prewett (Harry Potter), Fabian Prewett, Benjy Fenwick, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Regulus Black, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Caradoc Dearborn, Kreacher (Harry Potter), Emmeline Vance, Mundungus Fletcher, Mary Macdonald, Marlene McKinnon, Rubeus Hagrid, Minerva McGonagall, Dorcas Meadowes, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Fenrir Greyback, Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley

Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Alice Longbottom/Frank Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Regulus Black/Bill Weasley

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Western, Bandits & Outlaws, Gun Violence, Murder, Robbery, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Marauders, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Romance, Action/Adventure, Blood and Injury, Violence, Character Death, POV Alternating, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Death Eaters, Gangs

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3rQ2nrT