#Hpfic

[teddyniffler]

In the Shadows of Friendship Forever

Ominis and Anne sent Sebastian to Azkaban for his own good. Their friend and brother had changed from the kind boy he once was, and they regretted their decision ever since. They are desperate to have Sebastian back and are willing to do anything, anything. Ominis will even become the monster he vowed he was not. The Fall of the House of Gaunt. How did the ancient House of Gaunt, once among the wealthiest, most powerful, and most dangerous families in the wizarding world, become the desperate souls depicted in The Half-Blood Prince? How did Sebastian's life sentence to Azkaban trigger the downfall of the heirs of Slytherin...

Chapter 31: Heritage and Inheritance

Weeks passed in a daze of homework and exams. Hogwarts settled down with Professor Weasley running things, although it was too late for Quidditch, flying had returned with two games held during the last week of term. Ominis had been dreading the holidays more than anything, locked in that old house with his family for two months. He got onto the train with everybody else and dragged his feet off again, until his father’s voice greeted him home. Since then, time slowed down. Every hour felt like an age, each morning he woke and each night he tried to charm his door closed so nobody, animal or wizard, could get to him while he slept. The summer slowly crept on.

Ominis was dreaming. An invisible snake guided his way, making slight clicking noises as it moved ahead of him, the sound of scales on floor, then on material. He could almost imagine a small head pulling along a small body without arms or legs, ending in a small tip at the tail, with a flicking tongue sniffing the air around them. He felt the cold floor was he walked silently down the hallway, which he knew ending in a door. This was the door to his father’s room, he knew it by the number of rugs on the floor and the feel of the cold wood. Beyond the door ahead lay a room of magnificent beauty, everything ornate. Ominis raised his hands to feel for the approaching door, pausing as his fingertips made contact. His father held some of the family’s riches in here, Ominis knew that silks lay or were hung on every soft surface and at the windows. There was a bed bigger than his own where his father laid down to sleep each night, serpents winding their way up and down the poles, Ominis’ own fingers had traced them as a small boy when he had followed his father into here.

And there, in the corner curled Shiva. He could sense her and knew her exact location. She was watching him carefully, she was curious as to why he was in the room. He paused and tried to speak, to tell the snake he was only dreaming, that he wasn’t really here. Her tongue flickered in his direction, he could hear the sound from across the room, trying to sense his emotions. She would not harm a Gaunt, least he had always been told that, but she also had her orders. Nobody was allowed near her master’s box, the one that held the key to Gringotts. Ominis could sense the box within the room, almost as if it was freedom itself calling to him. All he had to do was open the box and take the key, if he could get to Gringotts and empty his family vault, he would never have to return here, his family would lose all their means to rule. He would run away, never to see his family again. Only how was he meant to hide maybe a billion galleons? Shiva was inching closer to him now, he felt the air move as she stretched closer and closer. He wanted to move back, away from her. It was as if his thoughts of betraying his own family were attracting her ever closer to him. He could feel her moving inches from his face now, her cold breath upon his check. She would strike at him the moment she believed he was going for that box. Nobody touched that except for Master Gaunt or his wife. Shiva knew that.

Then suddenly Ominis was no longer himself. He was looking up at Shiva towering much higher than him, her face pointed down at him as a small forked tongue flickered from his lips. He was Snakey, perhaps always had been, climbing the desk and coming over the top, the box was there in front of him as he tried to lift the lid open with his small snout, but Shiva had been watching. It was too late to call Snakey back, too late for them both as Shiva threw herself at them both.

“Sir, you must wake up” A voice called to him as his breathing quickened in the aftermath of the dream. “Mmh?” Ominis muttered, face in the pillow. “Sir. Young master, Sir. It is morning. I have been sent to wake you and to present you to your father. It is your birthday sir, happy birthday.” “Ohhh” Ominis moaned, moving his head up off his pillow slightly and feeling Snakey leaning up against his face. Just a dream then. “Sir, please sir, please wake up. Master Gaunt is waiting for you, sir.” At this, Ominis opened his eyes. “It’s so early?” He asked thickly. It couldn’t be daybreak yet, and during summer too, it must have been very early. “Why does he want to see me so early?” The House Elf shook its head. Ominis could hear the ears flapping. “I know not, sir” Ominis tried not to groan. His birthday. How could he forget. His entire family had been making such a fuss over it since the holidays started. Marvolo with a series of sniggers and his mother and father often whispering to themselves in the corner of the room. His mind went to the question ‘What did the Gaunts do to their children when they came of age’. Today marked his first day of being a man. “Sir, he is waiting on you sir. Your father, sir.” The house elf said filled with fear. The voice was new, which meant another of the families’ house elves must have meet an early end. Ominis didn’t know how much a servant cost, but his family sure went through them fast. “I’m coming.” He muttered.

Before the strange dream with the snake, he had been dreaming about Sebastian. It was his normal dream, finally managing to write a letter to his best friend, only to have it fly away in the wind, while Sebastian sat in a dark room somewhere far away, waiting for the letter that will never come. Each day it played on his mind that he had not yet made peace with Sebastian, even though it had been months since Sebastian was freed, almost a year. He couldn’t write to him now, it would be too beyond risky and he didn’t know Sebastian’s location. Ominis would say his words to Sebastian, face to face, when they met next, he knew they would meet again.

‘Come Snakey’ He hissed, holding his hand out blindly for his friend to slide into his palm. “Sir. Please sir. I have orders, he is not to come. The snake is not to come sir, your father was very clear.” “What?” Ominis said, shocked. “Why can’t Snakey come?” “Sir. I do not know. They is not telling me. Your father only said you. Not the snake. He said the snake must stay in here. The snake is not welcome.” Ominis took an intake of breath. Not welcome? “This house is full of snakes!” He shouted and he didn’t mean only the animal type. “Why is he not invited? He’s a part of his family just as much as I.” Ominis raged. “Sir. Sir please. Those are my orders. Sir, please- It’s my first day serving the House of Gaunt, please sir.” The elf begged desperately, no doubt the other elves had informed this one of who it’s new masters were. Ominis couldn’t tell if it was male or female by its voice, but it was terrified. “Of course, sorry. Snakey stay here.” Dread. Anxiety. Pure horror filled Ominis as he walked down the halls of his house without his snake. Snakey was his eyes, he could see what was going on. Ominis’ ears strained to hear anything from downstairs, but the house was strangely quiet at this time of morning. “What time is it?” Ominis asked, suddenly curious. “It is 6am, sir.” The Elf replied timidly. "He wants to see you before anyone else wakes.”

He tried to guess what was going on. When Marvolo had come of age, Ominis had been with Sebastian and Anne. He didn’t know what happened in this family when somebody came of age, he took deep breaths. Would it be the killing curse this time? Would he have to become a murderer and take a life just to become seen as an adult in his family’s eyes? Yes, that seemed the most likely thing and his heart raced. Would they kill him when it became clear he was not a killer like them? His family would have captured a muggle, hence the early hour of the day. It would be on Ominis to murder them with the killing curse.

The elf continued to walk him downstairs, unseen to Ominis and the newest elf in the Gaunt house, Marvolo was watching his clueless brother from the smallest gap in his bedroom door. He knew already that Ominis would react badly to what came next and he was living for it. He wished he could be in the room with Ominis and their father, but oddly, each Gaunt had to hear this on their own, father to son, mother to daughter. Never were any siblings allowed into the room with them, which Marvolo found stupid. It wasn’t like the secret was that big, so why all the secrecy? What would his parents do when Ominis broke down and started screaming out about the darkest secret of the Gaunt family. He remembered when he turned seventeen and learned Salazar Slytherin’s biggest gift to the Gaunt family, he had been filled with excitement and an eagerness to see his ancestor’s plans fulfilled. Knowing Ominis, he would have a panic attack.

Master Gaunt was waiting for his son. Time for childhood innocent to leave the boy. No Gaunt passed this day without the terrible burden passed to them. “Come in.” He said as the elf knocked on the door. “Sit him in the chair and leave. If I catch you earsdropping, you won’t last to your second day, clear?” Mr Gaunt told the trembling elf, who bowed low and did as instructed. “Wait!” Gaunt ordered the elf. “Make sure Marvolo is not anywhere near this room. If I get wind that Marvolo has heard anything I tell my son now, you will pay for it, as will every elf in this household.” “Yes sir.” The elf gasped in alarm as it left. Mr Gaunt looked over at Ominis, lingering in on those eyes without any pupils. “Don’t look too afraid Ominis.” He said, slightly irked over the fact his son always looked terrified in the presence of his family. “Today is a special day. Your birthday. Your 17th birthday and that means something. In our family, just like all other wizarding families that matter, the 17th year marks your coming of age. You are no longer a child and therefore, you are now an adult, an equal in my eyes. Everything I tell you, you are forbidden from telling Marvolo, do you understand me? You are not to tell your snake anything of what we say in this room. If I find out you have spoken, I will kill you myself.” Ominis froze. He slowly nodded.

There was a moments pause as Mr Gaunt slide off the ring from his hand, he glanced down at the Peverell mark upon it. “Hold your hand out.” He ordered, moving the ring more into the light so that the Deathly Hallows symbol shone out. Ominis slowly held his hand up, every nerve he had was listening, waiting. Being blind meant he couldn’t see what was right in front of him. Mr Gaunt dropped the ring into Ominis’ hands. To Ominis, it felt slightly heavy and warm. He closed his fingers around it to feel his father’s ring. “Do you recall the bedtime stories I used to read to you when you were a child.” Mr Gaunt asked, a slightly light in his eye, his head slightly titled. “Which ones?” Ominis asked cautiously, now feeling the big stone on the ring. “There were many.” “Beadle the Bard” His father said with distain. “The idiot storyteller. He who had a big mouth he didn’t know when to keep shut.” “I remember.” Ominis said quietly. The memory came to him. His father reading him a set of children’s stories, laughing hysterically at the final one, then throwing the book across the room, before telling a very alarmed younger Ominis that lesser wizards knew nothing about facts.

“You recall the Three Brothers? Ignore everything you think you know about that story. I’m going to tell you real truth. As you can guess, there was no river and there was no Death, just three gifted wizarding brothers named Peverell. Your brother knows only of their name and that they were famous, the reason Slytherin himself wanted to marry our line. He doesn’t know anything else and I would have that stay this way. Do you understand?” Ominis nodded, his father continued.

“Cadmus Peverell was the second brother from the Three Brothers story. It’s not just a story Ominis. Cadmus’ line married into the Gaunt family at the time. We are the descendants of the Peverell brothers. A greater family than Salazar Slytherin ever was. Take a feel of that ring in your hand. Feel it. You can’t see the engraving on the stone, but it’s there. A line, a tringle and a circle. Look with your fingers, feel it.” Ominis did, the stone was really old but he could feel something there. “I can feel them.” He said softly, wondering what this had to do with him. “Place the ring on your finger, Ominis.” His father said suddenly. Ominis took the ring and carefully slid it onto his finger. “Do you recall what the second brother could do with the stone?” His father asked. Ominis nodded. All children knew the story. “He could recall a loved one who had passed.” Ominis said slowly. “Turn the stone on that ring.” His father said calmly. Ominis’ fingers seemed to trembled as he felt for the stone. There was no way this was the same stone from his childhood story book. People always said the Gaunts were insane due to the inbreeding, if his father really believed he could reawaken the dead with an old heirloom, maybe those rumours were true after all. The stone turned when he pushed it, at the same time, he left his hair move slightly as if a little breeze had blown in.

Unseen to Ominis, a woman with dark golden hair and pale silver eyes appeared next to him. His father was averting his eyes from the place he believed his sister would be standing, even though for once he couldn’t see her. How many times had he talked to Noctua Gaunt’s shadow, he had lost count. His sister had been everything to him, even if they didn’t agree on many things. Her constant battles against their family tiring to him, but she was still his blood and her disappearance hurt just as much today as it did all those years ago. She had tried to prove the Gaunts all wrong and had lost her life for it. Mr Gaunt knew she had died the moment she appeared to him after he had turned the ring himself, all those years ago. He had hoped to prove her still among the living. As Gaunt watched, his son’s mouth dropped open and a cry of anguish escaped his lips as his unseeing eyes searched desperately for the woman clearly talking to him. As Gaunt watched, his son carefully reached out to feel the woman there, but of course, he would only feel air.

“My sister speaks to me often. When I call to her to come.” Gaunt said quietly, in a voice Ominis had never heard him use before. “Sometimes, others come with her. My grandparents, my own parents. It’s not always family, old friends come too, those who have been lost over the years. The resurrection stone has been in our family longer than the ability to speak with snakes. The reason you walk around with your wand, able to use magic to help you see, that is down to your unique heritage. It’s not from Slytherin side, but from the Peverell bloodline. We have the bloodline of wizards who did extraordinary things that history only remembers as a story, for such was their magnificence ordinary wizards believe it false.” Gaunt paused. Tapping his fingers on his chin, lost for a second in his own thoughts.

“So, at 17, all Gaunts learn of their heritage and inheritance, but only certain Gaunts are shared the information about this ring and it’s stone. You see, I want you to have this ring when its time. You will pass this ring on to your children and you shall only tell one of them its true purpose. Whichever son holds the values not of Slytherin, but of Cadmus Peverell. If not a son, then a daughter. Never hand this ring to the likes of Marvolo.” Ominis’ mouth fell open, before he closed it again. What was he hearing? His father had seriously chosen him, blind as he was, as imperfect as a Gaunt as he was, over Marvolo? At the same time, he could hear his aunt Noctua in his ears confirming he was better than all of them. ‘”Never stop fighting them”’ She whispered softly into his ear.

Gaunt watched Ominis as his head still turned to listen to whoever spoke to him from where wizards went after death. “But a warning, my son. There are people out there searching for this ring. Lunatics. Fanatics. People who don’t deserve to hold our items in their hands. Bard told the world of our family relics and some wizards want them, badly, they believe they will be equal to our bloodline should they have them. Tears ran from Ominis’ eyes and he took off the ring, unable to bare wearing it a second longer. Hearing Noctua confirming to him that he should run away, her telling him he is perfect and loved. If this ring was really going to be his, he could talk to her again at a later date. He lifted his hands to his eyes to rub the tears away. For once, Master Gaunt allowed his son to have this moment. The first time he had tried on the ring, he had nightmares for weeks and couldn’t so much as look at the ring upon his own father’s hand. “She spoke to me.” He said, his voice shaking as he held out the ring for his father to take back. “More will join her in time, that’s a certain.” His father said, not unkindly.

“This is a Hallow. One of the Deathly Hallows.” His father said, putting it back onto his finger. “There’s three. The Potter family are also descendants of the Peverell family, they have the cloak. This may surprise you, but you are distantly related to them, cousins to be exact, but you are never to marry them, or interact with them. They are not our family They’ve made it very clear they hate us and our ways. Preferring blood traitors and Half Bloods.” Nobody knows where the wand is, it was last seen in the hands of Loxias when he named it ‘The Deathstick’ as would be typical of a lesser wizard. You must protect this ring, because if the ring and the cloak are ever reunited with the wand, it makes the barer the master of death, and you can guarantee whoever owns the wand right now wants the cloak and the ring too. It is your job to protect this stone and to never let it leave our family. Don’t bother the Potter family, blood traitors they may be, they are as equally gifted in the magical arts as we are. For this reason, I always belittle them in the eyes of other wizards more in line with our views, so they can never raise above us, because they can if they wished. Lucky for us, they are more than happy to marry lesser blooded wizarding families. Nothing good will ever come from a Gaunt challenging a Potter, but maybe one day.”

Gaunt took a drink, while looking down at the ring on his hand. “The Potters aren’t going to start talking, they love that cloak too much to risk it. Always passing the grubby little thing around to their children to take to school with them, to them it’s a joke. They do not treat it with respect.” Ominis’ head was spinning. He knew the Potters, there was a Potter at Hogwarts in the year under him, he now wondered if they knew about the Hallows too. “Marvolo doesn’t know any of this?” Ominis asked shaky “Not the ring, or what it is? He doesn’t know any of this?” “He only knows that our family are related to Cadmus Peverell, a gifted and ancient wizarding family. He knows nothing of the ring’s true abilities. He believes it a simple heirloom; he does not know of the Deathly Hallows. I have picked you to get this inheritance.” “The second thing I want to tell you is something Marvolo knows and no doubt when you leave this room, he will taunt you about it. You may speak freely about the next part as if it were all we spoken about today. Understand?” Gaunt asked Ominis, back on business now. Ominis nodded.

“We have talked about heritage, but now it’s time to talk inheritance. Tell me, my son, have you heard a voice at Hogwarts before, from the walls maybe or deep in the castle itself?” Now his father sounded like he was smiling, he sounded like a school boy again, who had been waiting a long time to tell his son this. “A voice nobody else but you can hear?” Ominis’ blood ran cold, goosebumps erupted down his arms. Yes, there had been a voice. Since his first night at Hogwarts, all those years ago, he had heard a voice calling to him as he slept, or moved around the castle. Somebody calling him by his name, only for him to turn his head and not hear footsteps. He had thought he was just hearing things, being away from home and everything he knew, settling into a new environment. In the end he had laid the blame on Peeves, believing the Poltergeist was playing tricks on him. He nodded. “Yes?”

His father was smiling now, for sure. Ominis could hear the enthusiasm in his voice. “Think back to when you were a boy, do you recall me and your mother telling you about a secret chamber at Hogwarts? We told you Slytherin had made one. Do you remember? You were so young, so you may have forgotten.” Master Gaunt took a drink, Ominis could hear him place the glass down. “They say she is beautiful, she could be fifty foot long by now, she has lived many hundreds of years already and she will live just as longer still. It is her who calls to you Ominis, she feels us whenever we are near the castle and she calls out to us. She has lived in the castle since Slytherin left. He placed her there the very night the other founders forced him out. Our payment for speaking Parseltounge, gifted to the Gaunt family who carry the Peverell bloodline, is to ensure her survival and her concealment. She’s a snake Ominis, a Basilisk. Normally the Gaunt family would never be bossed around, but all Slytherin asked of us was to carry on his work, guard the chamber and when it’s time, we are to open it and free her, so she can claim all the Mudbloods finally. You see Ominis, there really is a chamber, deep down in the school, under the lake. You may notice you hear her the most when you are in bed, it’s because you are right above her. She sleeps under you each night at school. Slytherin knew his students alone should be the closest to her. Throughout the generations, the Gaunts, all of us, have protected the chamber. We’ve been waiting for the true heir of Slytherin who will open the chamber and set her free. No Gaunt has ever done this, even though we can any time. Do you know why?”

Ominis shook his head. “No?” He asked, now entirely in shock. Sheer disgust numbed him. His family was even worse than he had ever believed. “We can’t look upon her, she can kill with her gaze. When you were born without working eyes, your mother wanted to search the world, use any magical means necessarily to make you see. Others in this family could see clearer than your mother, who herself was blinded by parental love. You were born unable to see because it is you Ominis, you are Slytherin’s true heir. She can’t harm you. You can be in her presence and not fear her eyes. You will open the chamber of secrets on your final day at Hogwarts and when they all return next year, she will be unleashed upon the Mudbloods at that school. Marvolo likes to think he is the prince of this family, but it’s you Ominis. You are the heir of Slytherin, you are the Gaunt who will change our world. And that, my son, is the reason I wanted you home so badly. You are my son, the one this family has been waiting for. So if one insignificant boy had a jail break from Azkaban using all my favours with my peers, it was a little price to pay to have my little prince back home where he belongs.” He was rooted in his seat. Then he lunched forward and vomited up water. “Ominis, control your emotions.” His father said simply, as Ominis continued to empty his stomach. “You want me to kill students?” Ominis asked in horror at last, gasping for air as his father cleaned up after him with his wand. “Just the Mudbloods. They shouldn’t be at the school anyway. You won’t be killing students, you shall be cleansing the dirt, the pretenders, from our society before they can learn enough to join it.” “Our family, has kept this all this time? For-For generations? And nobody has said a thing?” “I don’t see an issue with that.” Came his father, short and simple.

The true horror of this family, the depravity, was crushing him. His family had always been despicable, but this was a new low even for them. They were all complaisant to murder, they had been planning it for centuries, for millennia and nobody had said anything! “Did Noctua know this?” He asked “She did, it’s what made her leave the family.” His father said in a neutral voice. “However, to answer your question, yes, there have been incidents over the years, when a few Gaunts have spoken of the chamber drunk out of their heads, or our own children have ran to teachers, claiming there is a monster hiding in the walls.” At this, Gaunt laughed.

“But that’s the thing Ominis, we are never believed, even for all our wealth, our prestige. If you were to go shouting about the chamber right now at school, nobody will ever believe you. The school has been searched many times and they never found the chamber, yet its right in front of their eyes. I imagine many students have stood right in front of the entrance each year and they have no idea what it is. It is impossible for them to even enter; they can’t speak our language. I will tell you in time where the chamber is.” Mr Gaunt smiled at his son. “I know this may be overwhelming, but this is what being part of his family is all about. You have great gifts and carry a noble purpose. You may go now. Remember, not a word to Marvolo about the Deathly Hallows. Go, you are dismissed.” Ominis snapped his thoughts together. “Yes.” “And wash your face, it’s your birthday after all, your family all wish to celebrate with you.” “I will.” Ominis said dully, as he approached the door.

“Oh and Ominis? I hear tell from my sources that your dear Sebastian Sallow will be back at Hogwarts this upcoming term, did you know that? It’s my view that he would have been safer staying in St Mungos, if you ask me. Make sure he knows to keep his mouth shut, now and forever, no matter how guilty he feels over what he did to his uncle. If he says anything, if I get wind he is close to cracking, then he will go the same way as that lovely woman who worked for the Prophet. I’ve forgotten her name already, I have had so many silenced since her. Make sure he knows if he ever feels like he’s going to confess to his crimes that I can arrange for him to be united with his uncle and his parents. I have opted for mercy, but you know I don’t like loose ends, so tell him to be very careful and tread lightly around this family. We are always watching and Hogsmeade is not as safe as you’d believe.” Ominis nodded. His imagination of Poppy’s fate appeared in his mind, he could almost see his own picture of Marvolo creeping up behind his classmate, a wand in his hand. He nodded. “I will tell him father.”

Tagging: @queenfinehair @myfavouritelunatic @sekkitsu

[queercxdedvillain]

Feels right that my first post on this new account should be about this fic. This is one that I'm most proud of and it has helped spark my love of writing again.

This fic contains: sentient horcruxes, complex relationships, dubious morality, and more! Please check the tags before reading!

[apckrfan]

Fic: Heart's In A Whirl 1/1 FRT (HP) Hermione/Severus

TITLE: Heart's In A Whirl AUTHOR: Susan / apckrfan E-MAIL DISTRIBUTION: My site, AO3, FFnet, LJ. DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters. They are owned by JK Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brothers, etc. No profit is made from this fic. RATING: FRT SPOILERS: General, but canon divergent: EWE, Snape Lives SUMMARY: To raise some money for things post-war that require repair, a group of witches decides to sell a pin-up calendar starring them. All proceeds to to war reparation and rebuilding. Prior to the calendar going live, a guessing game of who's who takes place with the winner getting to have a photo shoot of their own. Only one man even realizes Hermione is one of the calendar girls, and it becomes painfully obvious - to him and everyone with him - that he recognizes her because he knows her better than the other wizards realize. CHARACTERS/PAIRING: Hermione Granger / Severus Snape, other canon HP wizards DATE STARTED: September 2023 STATUS: Complete WORD COUNT: 6,200 +/- FEEDBACK: Please, I can't write better without it. NOTES: This is a funny little idea that came to me and wouldn't go away. PLAYLIST: there's a 4-hour playlist for this fic over at Spotify. It's titled the same as the fic. ART: Many thanks to Heather (paynesgrey) for doing some art for this. I don't find myself wishing I could do edits or make graphics very often. This fic was one that begged me to show you what our Hermione looks like. Heather took a couple of source options and my very general comments and ran with it. Thank you!! Links in distribution section above

[deepfluffycloudmentality]

should i start giving hp fic recs on my page?

[apaperwhitepage]

Fic hurts

This last chap hurt so much to post istfg

[cescalr]

heyheyheyheyhey

So guess what!!! Coolest thing ever has happened to me. My fic got translated! Specifically, into Vietnamese!! Go check it out <3!

[micheleblack]

WOW! TYSM for the rec! And for Masquerade specifically which is so sweet <3

I've read quite a few on this list and they're really good! Can't wait to check out the rest.

do u have any fic recs? any james sirius angst centred ones? or jeddy or SCORBUS!! or any nextgen fics in general

A good question and I'll do my best to answer with some of my faves! Nothing terribly new since it's been a while since I've been able to sit and read anything, but I have a few in mind that I remember loving! Though I don't have much Scorbus since I'm more interested in Jeddy.

Masquerade by MicheleBlack (cinderella au where teddy is cinderella, it's really cute)

As Long As There's Sun by violetclarity (NSFW scenes and Teddy has a kid! Multichapter, and it gets pretty deep, especially regarding Teddy's past and his kid)

Better Together by GoldenTruth813 (Teddy and James are professors at hogwarts, it's pretty damn cute, includes an nsfw scene)

Lunacy by shiftylinguini (porn with a bit of plot, werewolves, I wish it was longer cuz it's REALLY fascinating, like tell me more plz)

Omega by iamisaac (this one gets dark, LOTS of smut, the age difference is PRETTY prevalent so read with caution)

Everything He Ever Wanted by Nifflers_n_nargles (FLUFF. just fucking adorable)

L'ombre noire by Scarshavestories (established relationship, adoption, I really love this one)

Baby Please Come Home by Andithiel (misunderstandings and wicked cute)

Show Me a World Where the Sky is Still Blue by theprodigypenguin (dark timeline au where voldemort won the war, this one is a WIP that's been on hold for a bit but it's fascinating. includes NSFW and has both Scorbus and Jeddy)

Damages and chariot by theprodigypenguin are also James centered and pretty angsty but a smidgen less dark. That's all I have for now, I really need to read more so if you guys have fic recommendations (preferably Jeddy but I'll take next gen too) then send in an ask or comment here. Thank you for your question, it was fun to look through my Ao3 history to get to these!

[greenerteacups]

ravenclaw harry is probably the house I find hardest to reconcile with the rest of the canon story. would love to hear your thoughts bc I totally agree that he would have made himself fit into any house as a first year. slytherin harry has a lot of fanon exploration which has had interesting results for sure! hufflepuff harry resonates with the sense of belonging and warmth he was likely yearning for….same actions seem likely to me still. but ravenclaw harry and the friends he’d make (or not make! outcast ish harry being friends with luna and the other alternative-esque ravenclaws?) not sure how that would go! intriguing for sure

housing 11 year olds based on personality is strange business (and all the main characters being in one house is just eh) which is why I love works like lionheart switching that up!

First and foremost, if you want an excellent Ravenclaw!Harry, may I recommend this fic by one of my favorite HPfic authors of all time? It's not quite a Sorting AU, but it's still immaculate, and it's my favorite R!Harry of all time.

I think Houses are first and foremost tools of community and socialization — they're a way to get a bunch of terrified eleven year-olds to make friends, and to break down the immense project of getting to know [INSERT MYTHICAL HOGWARTS DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTIC] people in your cohort at once. The point of doing a Sorting on the basis of personality is to find the place that's going to suit you best; for Slytherins, that's the place that represents their community, their heritage, and their own (fucked up) social set. For Hufflepuffs, that's a really friendly place that focuses on personal development. Gryffindors are adventurers, trailblazers, and explorers; Ravenclaws are inquisitive and interested in deep thinking. To that extent, I can understand why you'd set all of your characters in one house early on, but as the story goes on, it becomes apparent how much the failure to socialize between Houses hurts inter-House relations. It creates much stronger "types" than you might if you just let everyone socialize together.

When Harry is Sorted, we don't know a lot about the dude. We know he's pretty resilient, amicable, and overall nice to people (is immediately on-board and makes friends with Giant Dude Who's Basically Kidnapping You, even though in fairness, he's getting rescued from an abusive home, so — not surprising!) but for the most part, it just gives Normal Guy. It takes a while for Harry's specific brand of introverted weirdness to manifest in the story, and even then, because we're in his POV, we don't see how incredibly awkward he actually is — rereading his dates with Cho is a gauntlet of cringing. He locks on to the people close to him and integrates himself with their group, then basically maintains trajectory until something forces him to stop. He's a really passive dude; 9/10 of the series his him going "what fucking NOW" and running off to put out whatever fire is happening that he's inexplicably implicated in. (He's still heroic, ftr; he does make the choice to risk his life for people, and he does the right thing. But you get the feeling that he would be much happier if he could take a break once in a while and let some other Chosen One take on the serious stuff.)

Apart from the one rec'd above, I can't think of many Ravenclaw!Harry fics that actually take the Sorting as a character challenge. Ravenclaw gets flattened to "the smart House that does great in school" in a lot of fanon — which is kind of strange because the two nerdiest characters, Hermione Granger and Ernie Macmillan, are a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff, respectively. The few Ravenclaws we do get to know, Cho and Luna, are much more defined by their passion for their chosen hobbies than by any scholarly aptitude. Of the few Ravenclaw Sorting AUs out there, a lot of them end up being those Redditor-beloved "Harry Potter but the characters make decisions I think are smarter and then reward them by artificially making those solutions 100% effective" fix-its. A.K.A. fics where the real point is for the author to flex about how smart they are for "getting" the "science" behind a magical storybook world. (No, I don't have strong feelings about these at all, why do you ask?)

[sainteda]

thank u for the tag @weirwitch <3

1. How many works do you have on ao3 (or masterlist)? two :3

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? - 168,833k, ignoring an orphaned bellarke fic. yeowch

3. What fandoms do you write for? - mostly harry potter, specifically tom riddle unfortunately. the special interest cannot be stopped. i do have a hotd fic but i have doubts it'll ever be updated again lmao. i'd love to write for bg3 though but that could be the hyperfixation talking

4. Top five fics by kudos - 1. paper confines, 2. scion of the stranger, but my kudos to views ratio is so tragic 😭

5. Do you respond to comments? - YES. sometimes on wp as opposed to ao3 i'm more forgetful because there can be so many per chapter, but. yes. always

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - no endings yet so nothing to say abt that................ but i do know

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - ^

8. Do you get hate on fics? - i don't think so?

9. Do you write smut? - not on this account 😁

10. Craziest crossover? - back in 2018 writing it x stranger things crossover felt like something really revolutionary but it was, in fact, not. still fun though

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? - i've lost count of how many times

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? - i've gotten messages about it but i'm waiting until the fics are complete and edited first!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? - i've joined an apply fic once but co-writing seems too stressful to me 😭

14. All time favorite ship? - asking me to choose between tom and amoret vs nadya and colette is like pointing a gun at my head. but it's nadya and colette

5. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - scion of the stranger :( so many ideas but rhaenicent is all i care about in hotd now. so sorry aemond targaryen maybe s2 will revitalize my love

16. What are your writing strengths? - hmmmmm i always get told it's my dialogue but when i get really into magic systems and descriptive lore that's what excites me the most as a writer

17. What are your writing weaknesses? - NOT WRITING

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? - no thoughts head empty. i always just assume if i need to understand it a translation will be provided eventually

19. First fandom you wrote in? - 5sos and one direction at age 12 😭😭😭 but i do remember my elementary school introducing an english class in grade 4 and i was so hyped not to write in french that i basically rewrote harry potter. so in a way... it's been hpfic from the start. embarrassing

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? - paper confines, my magnum opus my firstborn child... also a very long oneshot on my other tumblr that shall not be named. iykyk

tagging: @skylessnights @recordplayerfics @icarusignite @omenthree

[teddyniffler]

Wizarding World fics

In the Shadows of Friendship Forever.

Ominis and Anne sent Sebastian to Azkaban for his own good. Their friend and brother had changed from the kind boy he once was, and they regretted their decision ever since. They are desperate to have Sebastian back and are willing to do anything, anything. Ominis will even become the monster he vowed he was not.

The Fall of the House of Gaunt.

How did the ancient House of Gaunt, once among the wealthiest, most powerful, and most dangerous families in the wizarding world, become the desperate souls depicted in The Half-Blood Prince? How did Sebastian's life sentence to Azkaban trigger the downfall of the heirs of Slytherin?

Chapters 1 - 10

Chapters 11 - 20

Chapters 21 - 30

Chapters 31 - 40

[the-other-slytherin]

Some days you just need your emotional support HPfic from 2005 to get you through a rough patch.

[apckrfan]

Fic: Treat Me Right 1/10 (FRM) HP (Hermione/Severus)

TITLE: Treat Me Right AUTHOR: Susan / apckrfan E-MAIL DISTRIBUTION: My site, AO3, FF.net, LiveJournal. DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters. They are owned by JK Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brothers, etc. No profit is made from this fic. RATING: FRM SPOILERS: Everything is fair game. Snape lives. Hermione never goes to Hogwarts so one can assume that many happenings from 1991-98 will be different. SUMMARY: Post-war, a badly scarred Severus Snape is secreted away with only a select few knowing that the wizard survived his injuries to do some top secret operations in an effort to capture all escaped death eaters and followers post-war. There he meets a local (magical) barmaid he finds himself intrigued by. She seems to be, too. It turns out there’s a reason why. CHARACTERS/PAIRING: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape DATE STARTED: November 2022 STATUS: Complete WORD COUNT: 40,500 FEEDBACK: Please, I can't write better without it. NOTES: This is a soul mates fic. It is complete in ten chapters. I will post Sunday & Wednesday until it’s finished. (Chapter Two will be Sunday.)

[leviosa-a]

malfoy musings

the one where he falls asleep in the wrong place

Hermione had just finished up her astronomy essay as she packed up her things. Glancing out the window of the Gryffindor common room, she could see the mid-afternoon sun glistening off the waters of the Black Lake.

“Finally,” she muttered to herself, “finished before nightfall.”

Searching around the room, she noticed it was abysmally quiet. She wondered if everyone but herself had taken the day to roam the grounds. Ron, Harry, and Ginny were caught up practicing for the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, leaving Hermione to get ahead on next week’s assignments. Which she did. All of them. Even the extra credit potions essay that she certainly didn’t need to do.

Sighing to herself, she realized how completely unprepared she was to have free time. A familiar rumble in her stomach made her realize she missed lunch. After a moment, she decided to go downstairs to the kitchens in search of a snack. It had been a while since she visited the house elves, anyway.

She allowed herself to wander lazily through the corridors. The fresh spring air had pulled most of the students out into the afternoon sun. Quidditch practice would likely last well into nightfall, leaving Hermione to her own devices for a few hours. Maybe after a snack, she could visit the library to see if the new Gainsworth work she had reserved was ready. She rarely found herself with time to read for pleasure these days.

Hermione reached the doors of the kitchens and pushed them open slowly. She found herself in a long hallway filled with extra tables, tablecloths, and dining china. The walls were stacked high with old chairs and portraits that had long lost their residents. She could hear a faint clamor behind the door at the end of the hall, and knew the house elves were hard at work preparing dinner. The aroma from the kitchen filled the air and reminded Hermione of freshly baked bread from the bakery down the street from her childhood home.

Smiling gently at the memory, Hermione made her way down the hallway before freezing at the noise of a faint rustle. Turning slowly to the side, she could barely see a pair of black loafers sticking out from behind a table. Moving closer to investigate, she noticed the loafers were indeed attached to a body. The body was sprawled out near the far corner of the room, laying on an old white dining linen. Curiosity filled her mind as she peered around the table to find the owner of the loafers. Her eyes examined the figure slowly. A small book was in his lap, apparently forgotten as he dozed away. His robes were disheveled, and his shirt was untucked from his trousers just enough to show the tiniest glimpse of skin on his hipbone. Hermione noticed his blonde hair was tousled just enough to show he had been asleep for a while. One bright blonde lock had fallen across his eyes and tickled his nose-

Bright blonde. Slytherin robes. A small gasp escaped Hermione’s lips as she realized the figure asleep in front of her was none other than Draco Malfoy. He looked so serene, she barely recognized him. Without the malice that typically accompanied an encounter with Malfoy, Hermione realized he looked like an average boy. Okay, maybe he was well above average in the looks department. His smooth skin was almost luminous, and the contour of his jawline suggested he wasn’t the same little boy she knew as a first year. No, this version had matured in all the right ways. A blush tore across her face as she realized the turn her thoughts had taken. She was staring- at Malfoy.

Quickly gathering herself, she turned away and headed the other direction. The last thing she needed was for him to wake up and notice her staring.

‘’Mione?”

Frozen in place, a deep shiver went down Hermione’s spine. The sound was barely audible, she couldn’t even decipher if it was real. Perhaps she was just imagining it. Besides, he had never referred to her as anything except Granger. And Mudblood.

“Granger?”

She slowly turned towards the voice, the heat of embarrassment rising in her cheeks.

“Are you spying on me?” Draco drawled, sitting himself up to lean back on his elbows. Despite the daze in his eye, his gaze was piercing. Hermione had the sudden thought that maybe he could see directly through her, down to her soul. Dragging out the deepest, darkest secrets she had never even muttered aloud. She had the urge to run, but she was paralyzed. Locked under his gaze.

“N- No of course not,” Hermione stammered, breaking away from his gaze and staring at her feet.

Draco stood, arms crossed lazily across his chest as he looked Hermione up and down.

“Then why are you here, Mudblood?” He sneered, the typical Malfoy charm returning.

“I was just on my way to the kitchens. It’s not my fault you chose the most inconvenient space for an afternoon nap. Why are you here, anyway? Don’t they have couches in the Slytherin common room? Or is it just full of stone slabs and snakes?” Hermione felt the heat building in her abdomen. Something about him standing here, acting as if she was in the wrong for simply existing in the same room as him, made her stomach twist in irritation. If there were any other emotions brewing in there, Hermione made a point to Not Pay Attention.

“On your way to the kitchens? What, roleplaying house elf tonight?” As the words left his mouth, Draco was taking slow strides toward Hermione. His gaze was fixed on hers, sparkling with something she couldn’t quite place. Hatred? Curiosity?

“Oh, fuck off Malfoy.” Hermione snarled, hand instinctively grasping at her wand by her side.

Draco’s eyebrows lifted and he let out a chuckle, seemingly surprised at Hermione’s language. At the noise, she suddenly became acutely aware that the space between them had been minimized to about a space. Her breath hitched as she caught a whiff of his scent. It was a mixture of citrus aftershave, pine, and... spearmint toothpaste.

Before she could make any reckless decisions, Draco turned on his heel and gathered his books, marking the end of the interaction. She turned away, forgetting the purpose of her trip and only thinking about getting far, far, away. Before she reached the end of the hall, she heard him clear his throat.

“It’s quiet down here. And warm. I get tired of hearing Crabbe and Goyle fail at attempting to read. Sometimes I just want to be somewhere away from... it all.” Draco’s voice falters on the last sentence.

“Oh, and Granger?” Hermione spins to make eye contact with Draco, noticing a sparkle in his eyes she can’t quite place. It’s subtle, but there.

“If you try interrupting me again, I’ll make you regret it.” A crooked grin sends Hermione bolting through the doors and back to the Gryffindor common room before she even has time to notice the butterflies making their way to the pit of her stomach. She didn’t even have time to wonder if the faint whisper of her given name was real or imagined.

[ellayuki]

12072022 - Harry Potter

~

“Your parents would throw a right fit, if they saw us now,” Hermione giggles, bumping her shoulder into Draco’s. 

It’s their last week ever at Hogwarts, and they sit on the edge of the Astronomy tower, sunset colouring them in golds and pinks, and it’s… truly, honestly peaceful, for the first time in what feels like forever. Hermione of a year ago would have thought anyone crazy for even suggesting she and Draco Malfoy would ever be something resembling friends one day. 

And yet, here they are.

Draco turns up his nose, but a smile is fighting its way onto his face despite his best efforts. “Oh, shut up, as if your two golden boys wouldn’t hex me on the spot.”

And, well, he’s not wrong, knowing Harry and Ron, and their overprotective tendencies. But, “I can be friends with whomever I want, thank you. Neither Harry nor Ron have any say in whom I talk to and whom I befriend. Even more so seeing as I am, in fact, older than both of them.”

Draco snorts. “I don’t know if that’s you standing up for yourself or standing up for me, but either way, Granger, I am quite impressed.”

Hermione pushes some of her hair out of her face, even as the tips of her ears burn, annoyingly. “Piss off, Malfoy,” she says, mock shoving him away to hide her embarrassment. 

He shoves her right back, just because he’s an ass, and it has them both laughing, light-hearted, carefree. “Ah, Granger, Granger. Nevermind my parents or your friends. My twelve years old self would have a complete meltdown were he to see us now.”

[deepfluffycloudmentality]

the stack of books in the corner of my room is daunting and everpresent. i bought them in an exciting blur of "getting myself into books again."

i can't bring myself to take a book from the pile, open and read it. believe me, it's not the reading that daunting. i read all the time.

it is unfamiliar territory when you don't know any of the names at the beginning of the book.

i am too used to seeing my beloved characters: ginny, harry, sirius, draco, remus, and so much more. my background knowledge of the magical universe helps me even more.

there is a layer of familiarity or even comfort knowing the characters so intimately and deeply, already knowing the beauty of the universe.

this is why i read fanfiction.

[romioneficfest]

Double Hazelnut Almond Milk Macchiato

Title: Double Hazlenut Almond Milk Macchiato

Prompt: Day 2/Meet-Cute

Tumblr Name: 

Rating: General

Summary: Muggle AU. Hermione Granger is new in town, and she has a pretty complicated coffee order.

Trigger Warnings: N/A

xxx

It’s seven o’clock on a Monday, and the morning rush is in full swing at The Burrow. Forming a line out the door and around the block are dozens of important, yet fidgety business people with complicated coffee orders, and little patience.

Ron Weasley opens every morning, Monday through Friday, and he handles it well. Most customers are regulars, and he’s already memorized their morning joe specifications.

The majority of the morning crowd has been forgiving of the occasional slip-up. Seven years of working the first shift at the family-owned coffee shop means a history of accidental extra-whipped cream, almond milk instead of soy, and finger-slips on the espresso machine, and the customers always return.

Maybe it’s because they’re too tired to notice their Americanos are actually Flat-Whites. Or maybe it’s the hospitable vibe of The Burrow that makes complaining about bad latte art seem as petty as telling Grandma her muffins are dry.

Every now and then, there’s a new customer, and Ron has to whip out his earnest, people-pleasing attitude to assure that the newbie sticks around. He’ll do what it takes to turn them into a regular, and make them thankful that they chose the local joint over the cookie-cutter corporate shop across the street.

‘Take an interest in their day!’ his Mum would say. ‘Validate their order! Then make sure to ask their name, and use it!’

Monday morning, at seven o’clock, is one of those times.

“Double Hazelnut Almond Milk Macchiato.”

“Size?”

“Medium.”

The customer is about Ron’s age, and probably new in town. She doesn’t yet know that at The Burrow, ‘Double Macchiatos’ are simply called ‘Tall Macchiatos’, and instead of ‘small’, ‘medium’, and ‘large’, The Burrow’s sizes go by their family pets in order of mass: Pig, Errol, and Chudley.

“Great,” he says, grinning, “coming right up.”

“Make sure it’s almond milk,” she reminds him.

“Yup.”

“And hazelnut,” she adds.

“Yup.”

“Double-shot—”

“I heard you,” says Ron impatiently. Have a little trust, lady.

“Okay, just making sure!”

“Can I get a name for the order?”

“Hermione.”

Ron stares at the girl. Her brown eyes are round and drowsy, her hair is unkempt and wild, which contradicts the clean lines of the business suit she’s wearing. She looks so normal. “Can you repeat that?”

“Hermione. H-E-R-M-I-O-N-E.”

He hadn’t asked her to spell it, and the way she emphasizes each syllable reminds Ron of how adults would read to him when he was a kid. It’s condescending.

“Coming right up, Hermione.”

“Great.”

Ron resists rolling his eyes. He can handle a double hazelnut almond milk macchiato, and if he screws it up, she probably wouldn’t even know the difference. Most customers wouldn’t.

As Hermione paces by the counter checking her watch, he whips up a medium, double, hazelnut, almond milk ...cappuccino. Just to test his theory, of course.

“Here you go!”

He hands the drink to Hermione and watches as she takes a sip. Her eyes narrow, and for a moment, he’s convinced she can tell…

Then her face melts back to a polite grin. “Thank you!”

Maybe she can’t. Ron shakes his head as she turns and leaves, turning his attention to the next customer’s order.

Hermione returns on Tuesday morning at 7 am sharp. Her hair is pulled back into a stiff, tight ponytail that just barely lassos her wild mane, and she probably checks her watch fifteen times while in line. Ron suppresses a scoff—she can just make coffee at home if she’s in such a rush.

“Morning, Hermione!” he says with a forced smile. “Same as yesterday?”

She looks taken aback at first, clearly not expecting him to remember her name. “Um, yes, same as yesterday.”

“Coming right up.”

“Medium, Double, Hazelnut—“

“Almond Milk Macchiato,” he says. “I got it.”

“Okay,” shrugs Hermione, eyebrows raised. “Then do it.”

What’s her problem? “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she snaps. “I need coffee, not a counseling session.”

Wow. He wants to retort back, but his mother’s nagging voice in his head stops him.  ‘Always be extra-polite to grumpy customers; remember they haven’t had their coffee fix yet.’

“Of course,” Ron says through gritted teeth, in as polite a tone as he can manage. To satisfy his desire to argue, he whips her up a medium, double, hazelnut soy macchiato, only half-hoping she doesn’t notice.

He doesn’t get a chance to see if she does, because she’s out the door before a single sip.

Her Wednesday return is accompanied by a looming dread in the pit of Ron’s stomach. He hates rude people, especially at 7am. Ron spots her impatiently tapping her foot in line, as usual, and prepares himself for their interaction.

“Hello,” he says politely, stopping himself before the natural ‘how are you?’ escapes his lips. “What can I get for you today?”

“Hi,” she says with a sheepish smile. “The same as yesterday.”

“Which is?”

“Erm,” she stammers, her expression confused, “a medium—“

“I’m kidding,” he laughs, “I know your order.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

She pays, and Ron fixes her a medium double caramel almond milk macchiato.

“Sorry about yesterday,” she says when she picks up her drink. “You were just trying to be nice, and I was rude.”

“Oh,” starts Ron, who isn’t expecting an apology. “That’s okay. Happens a lot during the morning shift.”

She smiles and nods before turning around to leave, taking a sip on her way out the door. Ron watches for her reaction, but doesn’t catch it.

She seems to be in a better mood by Thursday.

“The usual,” is all she says when she arrives at the counter, but this time she’s smiling. She looks different when she smiles—pretty. Something else unidentifiable replaces the dread in his stomach. Ron wonders if it’s the first time he’s seen her smile or if it’s just the first time he’s noticed.

But based on the tired circles under her eyes, she’s exhausted, so Ron prepares her a medium triple hazelnut almond milk macchiato. An extra shot of espresso never hurt anyone, and maybe it’ll help her get through the day. Or maybe, she’ll experience a coffee crash and have to return to The Burrow later.

Both good things.

“Just so you know,” she says as Ron hands over her cup, “it’s been a stressful week. I started a new job, and it’s not going well.”

“I’m—I’m sorry to hear that,” says Ron. He looks into her eyes, and for a moment, they soften. There’s more to her tough and professional exterior.

“These have made the week just a little better,” she adds, holding up her macchiato, before smiling softly and turning to leave.

Of course, Hermione requests her usual on Friday, and Ron is quickly running out of ideas for ways to screw with her order.

In celebration of the weekend, he might be able to pass a large off as a special treat. Other than that, he has to stick to the request—a double hazelnut almond milk macchiato. The first of the week. Better not mess it up.

As soon as he pops the cap onto her cup, it looks empty. He reaches for his marker again and scribbles something else—his phone number.

He’s not sure what compels him to do it. Maybe it’s because the larger size leaves so much white space. It could be because the grumpy brunette has been occupying his thoughts all week — he’s never purposely tried to fuck up someone’s coffee five days in a row.

Or maybe, it’s because when she walked in this morning, he smiled, and he just wants to learn more about the woman who thinks she knows what a double hazelnut almond milk macchiato tastes like.

She’ll probably ignore it anyway.

But later that day, his phone buzzes on the counter, and he scrambles for it faster than he’d run away from a mob of spiders.

The text is from an unknown number, but there’s no mystery. It only took five days, but you finally got my order correct!

Ron scowls at his phone. She knew? She was duping him?

Well, Hermione, why’d you keep coming back?

As soon as the message sends, he’s impatient, tapping his foot, pacing, and jittery. Just like Hermione every morning.

His phone flashes and buzzes, and Ron almost drops it by checking too quickly.

It wasn’t for the coffee…