#Olivia Green

[weirdcursedvaultkid]

good things come in threes!

[carewyncromwell]

"In my life I feel like a prisoner, in a light...

Are you feeling me?

'Cause the way you make my

Break my, shake my walls around,

I feel like I'm breaking out!

Show me your colors --

Show me your colors --

'Cause without you, I'm blue..."

~"Hurry Up and Save Me" by Tiffany Giardina

x~x~x~x

~Inspired by a concept by @ag907 💜~

In the story of Jacob and Carewyn Cromwell, the two siblings had to face a lot of tragedy in their lives. One of the single largest was the loss of Duncan Ashe, Jacob's first friend and love. But what if Duncan hadn't died prior to Jacob's expulsion? What if Duncan had been with Jacob, Peter Pettigrew, and Patricia Rakepick on that ill-fated jaunt to the Portrait Vault that resulted in Jacob's imprisonment? What if, after Rakepick's supposed "betrayal," he decided he'd force the Gringotts Cursebreaker to help him save Jacob from the Portrait Vault and R, by any means necessary? And what if Lane Cromwell and little nine-year-old Carewyn caught wind that the last person known to have been with Jacob before his disappearance was his now-graduated Slytherin classmate, Duncan Ashe?

x~x~x~x

The end of Duncan's Hogwarts career had been very turbulent. However he'd imagined ending his time at school, it certainly wouldn't have involved him becoming an Apprentice Cursebreaker at Gringotts under the tutelage of a R stooge he was currently blackmailing to keep from fleeing the country. It also hadn't included being alone at his graduation ceremony -- sure, he hadn't expected anything more than detached applause from his father and stepmother...but he'd always imagined Olivia and Jacob on either side of him, when he finally accepted his graduation scroll from Dumbledore. And he'd certainly not expected to exchange such a piercing look with the Headmaster while doing it.

"If I'm to help Jacob, then I need to know everything you know about the organization he joined, Duncan."

"I already told you, Jacob and I know next to nothing about R! Even those people who've joined it don't seem to know much about it, and they've done that on bloody purpose. I don't need your help, Professor -- I just need access to Hogwarts. Once I find the enchanted portrait again and break all the Vaults' curses in the proper order, I can save Jacob. I will save him and Olivia, damn whatever R might do."

"You might feel that way, Duncan...but as Hogwarts' Headmaster, I must care about what R might do. I won't hinder you from visiting Hogwarts, should you reach out to me -- but if you are to have free reign, you will have to convince both me and the Minister of Magic that you will not likewise give the Dark Wizards Jacob has aligned himself with access to my school and the students I protect. And you mustn't forget -- Jacob himself now poses a threat, with his own forced allegiance to R."

"...So you don't want Jacob to be free..if it means R could use him to hurt people?! Jacob would NEVER want to be with R -- he would fight them with everything in him, if he could! Whatever dark magic is in that mark they put on him, he'd be doing it against his will! Jacob would never -- !"

"I know. Truly, I do. But until R is rounded up and brought to justice, it sounds as though Jacob will still be a weapon they can use against others, whether he likes it or not. And Jacob is powerful and talented enough that he would be a very valuable weapon for such people. I don't like the situation, Duncan...but until the people holding Jacob's chains are dealt with...it may be safest for himself and others if he -- at least for the interim -- remains contained.”

His last conversation with the Hogwarts Headmaster played over Duncan's head off and on the last month, flooding the Slytherin alum with resentment and rage. It seemed to crop up most whenever he and Rakepick headed to work -- perhaps because just about every time they collided in the Leaky Cauldron, Rakepick would be shooting furtive looks over her shoulder, monitoring their surroundings.

"Take a chill pill," Duncan remarked once dryly as he walked through the brick wall into Diagon Alley, not even looking at her. "Are you expecting some knobhead in a red cloak to pop up in broad daylight?"

"Don't be a fool," Rakepick hissed back coldly.

The twenty-six-year old witch took another critical glance around as they walked side by side down the street.

"R is always watching, Duncan Ashe. Neither of us know the extent of their numbers -- even I can't assess who is a member and who isn't without touching them."

"Let 'em watch -- I don't care," scoffed Duncan. "They only really have the ability to threaten and coerce, to get their way. R has nothing I want, and what little family I do have they can threaten all they want."

Something darker passed over his face.

"I've already lost the two most important people in my life, thanks to them," he muttered. "They've lost all power they could have over me."

Rakepick's lips knit together grimly. She looked away.

"Don't underestimate just how much the wolves of R can take from you, Duncan Ashe," she said lowly. "They feed on far more than just physical flesh."

Duncan didn't answer. Instead he adjusted the collar of his dark green robes and started up the stairs of Gringotts bank.

"Did you track down the portrait yet?" he asked.

Rakepick scowled. "I checked Pettigrew's old flat, but it hasn't been touched since Black supposedly killed him, so it's not there. I frankly don't know where else he might've hidden it -- it's not like he has any friends left in the world, with him having to play dead. It's frankly a miracle I was able to pressure him to help us with the Vault in the first place..."

"If by 'help,' you mean leave us for dragon chow," Duncan said scornfully.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Mr. Ashe," Rakepick shot back coolly. "We needed at least four people if we were to fight a dragon. And I don't believe you, Jacob, or I were about to ask any of the Hogwarts faculty to help."

Duncan scowled, but otherwise dropped the issue.

"We'll have to keep looking, then. Even if we break the other Vaults' curses again in the proper order, it won't mean a thing, if we can't get back to the Portrait Vault..."

"Pettigrew and his little Hogwarts buddies had plenty of old hiding places back on the Hogwarts grounds," said Rakepick, and her lips actually quirked up with a cool smirk. "But I daresay Dumbledore will want a proper explanation for why my Apprentice Cursebreaker would want such unfettered access to the school and would demand proper oversight. The Minister and our Head Cursebreaker, as well."

Duncan shot her a glare.

"I may have been assigned to study under you, but don't forget my terms, Rakepick. I won't tell Dumbledore or anyone else about what you did to Jacob, but you need to help me set him free. Therefore I'm the one calling the shots -- don't you forget it."

"And don't you forget," Rakepick shot back just as coldly, "that you made those terms out of desperation, since the only other great wizard offering you help is more interested in dealing with R, not the Vaults. Without me, you'll never save Jacob."

Almost as soon as the two entered the bank, they were flagged down by Griphook. Rather than give them an assignment as they expected, however, the goblin looked rather critical as he handed a sealed envelope to Duncan.

"A 'Lane Cromwell' sent this to the bank very early this morning for you," he said irritably. "She did not have your current address, so she followed up here instead."

Both Duncan and Rakepick stiffened sharply at the sound of the name.

"Cromwell..." murmured Rakepick.

"I initially thought to dispose of it -- after all, I am no owl, and if the woman had any friendship with you, I would think she'd already know you've been renting a bed at the Leaky Cauldron for the last two months," Griphook said stiffly as he handed the letter to Duncan and then crossed his arms. "But thinking it could be business-related, I thought best to let you deal with the initial letter, and then only burn any subsequent ones she might try to send through me."

He was tapping his long-nailed fingers beside his forearm, seemingly awaiting an explanation. Duncan looked from the letter to up at Griphook and tried to compose himself.

"Sorry. Yes, I...I'll deal with it at once. Thank you."

Griphook gave a sniff and then trudged back toward his desk.

Duncan looked back down at the envelope warily. Written in very neat, but slightly shaky handwriting in dark blue ink were the words:

Duncan Ashe

Gringotts Bank

Diagon Alley, London

The envelope was not the sturdy, wizarding parchment variety, closed with a wax seal. Instead it was very thin and made of simple white paper: a standard Muggle-produced envelope.

Just like Jacob used to use...

Duncan could feel Rakepick watching him. Stubbornly ignoring her, he ripped the envelope open and read the note inside.

Flat 13, 43 Harrison Way

Liverpool

Dear Mr. Ashe,

We have never met, but I'm Jacob Cromwell's mother. I understand you and my son knew each other at school.

At your earliest convenience, I should dearly like to know about your last interactions with Jacob, prior to his disappearance. If a private in-person meeting could be arranged, I am available on weekends. You will need to use the Knight Bus or careful Apparition, however, as my home is in a Muggle district and my fireplace is not connected to the Floo Network. If you'd prefer to simply give me a written account, I'm willing to accommodate, but please expect follow-up questions by Owl Post, preferably at your home address. Slytherin's new Head of House Severus Snape didn't have anything on file for you aside from your family's address, but he signaled you were unlikely to still be there after your graduation.

Hope this finds you well.

Lane Cromwell

"Well?" said Rakepick.

Duncan read the letter a few more times, considering the words carefully as he swallowed.

He hadn't reached out to Jacob's mother at all after what happened. How could he? He felt guilty enough about what happened, and he didn't know the woman at all -- how could he even begin to explain everything he, Jacob, and Olivia had kept under wraps so long? It had been their secret, their goal -- even now that everything had gone so out-of-control, it was hard to reach out for help with it. Especially when Dumbledore flat-out admitted he thought it'd be too dangerous to set Jacob free as long as R still existed and had power over him...

That, and...Duncan knew how much Jacob loved his mother. Not just her, but his little sister, Carewyn. Jacob's love for his sister overwhelmed just about everything else. It had been Carewyn's life being threatened that had scared Jacob so much. It had been Rakepick saving Carewyn that had coaxed Jacob to trust her, only for Rakepick to end up being part of R too. It was Carewyn, and to a lesser extent his mother, that made Jacob do as R said...made him not just run away and change his name and start a new life in freedom far away from R and their threats, the way Duncan had thought they could...

It was Carewyn -- and Lane -- that Duncan knew Jacob would always choose. Over his own safety, over his own life...over any kind of future with Duncan.

Resentment twinged in his mouth as he bit the inside of his cheek.

Rakepick said Jacob's grandfather has links to R, he thought. Anything I might write could get intercepted...knowing them, they probably have Jacob's flat under surveillance, so they'd know if I visited too...

He reread Lane's letter one more time.

Her "L's" had the exact same swirling flourish that Jacob's did.

His eyes narrowed as he finally lowered the letter.

"We're going to meet her," he said brusquely.

Rakepick was taken aback. "What?"

"Jacob's mother wants to meet me to talk about Jacob. You're coming with me."

Rakepick gave something of an shocked, offended cough.

"Have you lost your senses completely?" she demanded. "R explicitly instructed me not to go anywhere near Jacob's family! If you or I made any contact with them, then R would retaliate against both us and them -- "

"'Beggars can't be choosers,' isn't that what you said?" Duncan recurred very dryly.

He folded up Lane's letter and put it into his robes. Rakepick's eyes flashed.

"R already tried to hurt Carewyn Cromwell once," she hissed at him. "I know -- I was there -- "

"Good," Duncan shot back. "Then you can Apparate me cleanly over to their Muggle neighborhood without us being seen."

"If I hadn't turned against my companions that day, then Jacob's sister would've been crippled or worse!" said Rakepick, and her cold, angry voice betrayed the very slightest strain. "She and her mother have already been emotionally destroyed by his disappearance. Do you truly think that Jacob would want you putting his sister in R's cross-hairs again by doing this? Do you have no moral compunctions, putting the most important people in Jacob’s life -- one of them a nine-year-old child -- on the front lines?"

Duncan met her glare head-on.

"'They've already been destroyed by Jacob's disappearance?'" he repeated accusingly. "Then you've already seen them."

Rakepick flinched. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Only Carewyn," she murmured. "And only from afar."

"Well, I’m not such a coward," said Duncan. His own voice was sharper now, more confrontational. “If you want to talk about moral compunctions, how do you justify refusing to face the family of the bloke you got trapped in a portrait?”

Rakepick’s face was almost forcibly stoic, but she could offer no verbal response. Duncan turned his back on her.

“I need a way back into Hogwarts and into the Cursed Vaults. Maybe some angry mother yanking at his beard will make Dumbledore reconsider his stance.”

[avidrawsthings]

The 70s trio as First Years.

As they started schooling in 1979, the First Wizarding War was still in full swing. Although a rather terrifying time, they stuck together. Ricardo is a Half-Blood raised in the Muggle world, Olivia is Muggleborn and Duncan is Pure-Blood. They started getting involved with the Cursed Vaults in their second year after the Ice Curse began to spread. R only ever communicated with them through letters, and convinced the trio to pursue the vaults in order to stop Voldemort's reign at the time.

Ricardo De Los Santos

Inherited his Metamorphmagus abilities from his late father Daniel, who was an American Auror.

Was raised by his older half-sister Rel after Daniel sacrificed his life to save them both.

Once he began to heal, Ricardo would use his powers to make his hair black and yellow to honor his dad.

Following Rel's death just before he started school, Ricardo was emotionally distant for the next two years. His friends stuck by him, regardless.

Only ever rode the Hogwarts Express once. As he had no home to go back to, Dumbledore arranged a place for him to stay in Hogsmeade during the holidays. He would come to view Madam Rosmerta as an aunt figure.

R had promised him a family to call his own.

Olivia Green

Youngest of 5 children and the only Witch in her family. As her parents highly prioritized appearances, they didn't like anything outside of the norm. They only wanted 4 children, and Olivia was an accident.

Parents and siblings often mistreated her most of her life. They often insulted her looks the most, causing her to have very low self-esteem.

Although she was highly intelligent to the point she was moved several grades ahead, her accomplishments were never acknowledged.

On the other hand, her other relatives absolutely adored her. All of her best memories are associated with them.

It was her grandparents that saw her off at King's Cross.

She found her schoolwork at Hogwarts to be incredibly easy and wanted more of a challenge.

R promised her knowledge beyond what Hogwarts would provide.

Duncan Ashe

Second youngest of 7 children. The Ashe family are part of the Sacred 28 and most of them are Death Eaters.

Duncan knew from a very young age that his family's love was conditional. Those that stepped out of line were never seen again. Despite this, it only inspired him to take more risks.

While he initially befriended Ricardo and Olivia out of spite, he grew to deeply care for them almost immediately. They would tell him about the Muggle world, while he in return told them about the Wizarding World, the current war against Voldemort, and how it ties into blood purists as the root cause.

Duncan's real passions were in Potioneering and reverse engineering whatever he could get his hands on. He expressed interest in being a Curse-Breaker after getting involved with the vaults.

He was aware his family was keeping a close watch on him, but he didn't care.

R promised him the life he's always wanted.

[immagrosscandy]

Olivia Green as the unstoppable annoying nerdy friend

look at me in the eye and tell me she didn't have a classic nerd look when she was younger

YOU TELL ME WITH A STRAIGHT FACE-

i shall stick to the same headcanons i wrote about her last year:

> naturally curious of the world around her, and wants to know it all

> as long as she gets what she wants, the risks are the least thing she's concerned of

> difficulty in making friends due to her lack of respect for privacy and euphoric personality

> smart and a fast learner. great at charms and can sneak over anywhere she wants

> quite hated in her year, but doesn't upsets her

> people used of make fun of her looks, and she'd always pull a prank against them

> doesn't give up easily. if someone's hiding something she'll find out what it is

> wanted to meet jacob's family, but never got the chance

> her whereabouts were unknown until year 7 it seems

> still a nerd deep down even if she doesn't admit it

[missnight0wl]

Hii Marta 👋👋👋

First off, happy (very) belated birthday! I hope you're resting up and you're getting better :)

Then, I just wanted to ask if you're caught up on the latest HPHM chapter... I don't like where they're going with this, and it feels really cheap. The only way they could save this is, in my opinion, by showing how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but I really don't think that's gonna happen. What are your thoughts about it?

Either way, I hope you have a nice rest of your day, and stay well ^-^

Well, first of all, thank you so much! 💖 I really appreciate it! I hope you're doing well, too!

As for HPHM, I’m actually not caught up. I still haven’t started Chapter 9, and to be completely honest, I don’t feel the need to catch up. I don’t want to say I’m quitting the game and I’m actually still opening the app pretty much every day just to collect my energy, but at the same, it’s just... eh. The whole “Beyond Hogwarts” often feels like the battle with R from the end of Y7: the characters seem to believe that whatever they’re doing makes sense, but it really doesn’t. Also, there’s basically nothing left in the game anymore from the things that made me love it all those years ago.

On top of all of that, I’m just not having the best time of my life – as you know. It’s nothing bad in particular, really, it’s just… life, I guess. And the main thing is that I just have a hard time finding motivation, so the quality of HPHM dropping down so much doesn’t help.

(Also, I just want to mention in this place: dear Anon who sent me the ask about Flump, if you see it, I swear I’m not ignoring you. I just have a lot to say about this character, and as I mentioned, I have no willpower to write my thoughts down. It’s gonna be a long rant, though. In short: I fucking hate Flump.)

Now, as for the events from the recent chapter you’re referring to… I assume it’s about Jacob and Olivia? Please, correct me if it’s something else because I didn’t check the whole chapter, but if that’s what we’re talking about: I absolutely hate everything about it. EVERYTHING. It actually might be a deal breaker for me. Like, I still don’t want to say “I quit”, but after I learnt about it, my motivation to come back dropped from low to barely existing. I’m still super bitter about that “too dry chicken”, and it’s beyond me how anyone could think it’s a good way to introduce this plot to the story. You know how it could’ve gone? Olivia could’ve said something like: “I was thinking the whole day about messing up the chicken yesterday, EVEN THOUGH JACOB SAID IT WAS FINE”. But no, the writers for once decided to be consistent about something and portrayed Fugly Slut as an absolute jerk.

I think that the only way to save this is to kill Fugly Slut. Olivia deserves so much better. And of course we’re simply ignoring Olivia’s past feelings for Duncan.

[redhairedgryffindor]

Did Jacob give a reason for running off and not telling me?

Ask him yourself

He's in love with you

[mina1007]

Aaaah accident, I accidentally deleted it! xc I want to add detail that does not tell me to delete it

Narumi knows about Noah's feelings for the girl named Janeth Bennet [by - @yoselin-uyu ], but he never admits it to confess his feelings, due to how proud he is (Slytherin )

And how Narumi takes advantage to bother him and ask what she wants and if she doesn't, she is able to say it

[usernoneexistent]

School's out for Summer (August entry for @hp-12monthsofmagic)

Guess this will be the first in a new one shot series with stories behind photos and polaroids.

Warnings: Some spoilers about the cursed vaults

Hogwarts has recently finished the year, and students have returned home for the Summer. Jacob was frustrated that he had only managed to open one of the cursed vaults when, ideally, he would instead do more, though a thing called OWLs was in the way. He already got an earful from his father about his recent increase in detention and a lecture on what happens when he doesn't focus on his studies.

However, the sleepwalking curse had caused many issues: students in the hospital wing, including one who never woke up. He wasn't sure how he felt about it or if he felt anything at all.

Jacob had welcomed his friends Olivia and Duncan to use his house as their meeting point during the holidays. He had a practical attic bedroom and an excellent storage place for their research during the holidays.

Olivia and Duncan came; the younger Slytherin took the knight bus while Olivia used the train to reach his house. Luckily, his father was away hiding at work, and his mother would be fine with his friend over as she had to look after Juniper anyway.

"Did you add all our research to the box? "Olivia inquired, flopping onto Jacob's soft white duvet.

"Aye, Ma and Pa cannae open it, "Jacob assured.

Duncan crouched down to peer at the locked brown box and lifted it to shake. He tried opening it himself but to no avail. The dark wood was chipped and damaged by dropping onto the ground and by age. His family possessed the box for generations passed on by his grandfather. The attic was perfect for hiding research in plain sight. His mother was too busy with his little sister to notice, and his father couldn't care less to rummage through his room.

"Wow, this is sealed tight. "Duncan tried to flick the lock open. He winced as he accidentally scratched his finger on the metal lock. "So no one can access it? "

"Unless they have legilimency. "Jacob stated.

They heard the creeks of the wooden stairs as Duncan hurriedly shoved the box behind him.

"Jacob dear, sorry to disturb you," his mother reluctantly pulled the privacy curtain. It separated the attic by his bed and the rest of the stuff they stored on the other side. "I just wanted to ken if you and your friends want any snacks? Apple juice? Pumpkin pastry?"

"Yeah, do you guys want anything to eat? Ma makes the best pumpkin pie."Jacob asked Duncan and Olivia.

"The pumpkin is freshly grown in our garden." His mum added eagerly.

"Yes please, Ms Moss. "Duncan cheerily answered. Olivia simply nodded. They waited for her to leave.

"Do you think she heard anything? "Olivia lowered her voice.

"No, besides, Juniper is usually very noisy when she plays especially today, "Jacob assured. Downstairs was the muffled babbling of his six-year-old year sister. She was in a huff when Jacob told her to leave him alone when his friends came over, so she was determined to make herself heard as she read anything she could, though most of the stories were made up.

"You can hear her now," Olivia chuckled.

"Aye, she might be mad at me for not letting her hang out with us," Jacob rubbed his hands together.

"She's going to be a handful when she starts Hogwarts." Duncan mischievously grinned. Jacob feared that Duncan would likely teach her and give her prank ideas.

His mum came back with the promised pumpkin pastry and apple juice. She also came along with a camera. His mum has been obsessed with photographing and making photo album scrapbooks for years. She insisted on taking a photo since there were so few of Jacob with his friends. They politely smiled at the picture before leaving the teenagers alone.

"Nice that she gave us copies." Duncan mused at the Polaroid. The smooth picture fiddled between his fingers. He got up, no longer needing to guard the box and looked around Jacob's shelves.

"And mine will end up in some scrapbook." Jacob dryly commented. He placed it on the desk next to the bed.

"But it's still sweet of her to do it. We hardly have any photos of the three of us as it is." Olivia pointed out. The Polaroid was more carefully held in her hands, truly treasuring it.

Duncan pulled something out of his shelves. Rattles followed Duncan's moves as he held a slightly torn cardboard box. "I didn't know you had snakes and ladders?"

"What if I told you I enchanted it to move," Jacob added. Olivia and Duncan gawked at him.

Snakes and ladders was a muggle board game that he found in a flea market nearby. Jacob loved collecting muggle nick-nacks. His grandpa had shown him how to move paintings and objects, bringing them to life.

"Now we have to play it. Budge up!" Duncan squeezed himself between the older Ravenclaws. He sets out the board and counters on the bouncy bed.

"I fully agree." Olivia chimed in.

"Okay then." Jacob half-heartedly chuckled. The cursed vaults can wait another day. However, none of them didn't know that this Summer would be one of the last peaceful days they would have.

[maleliddell]

🏳️‍🌈?

These three are a gold mine in memes and I plan to take advantage of it 🤙🏻

[tiny-chiro]

I introduce to you Jacob Crowen

[lisin-drw]

24 SEP 198?

.

🎉Happy birthday Jane!🎉

-

Others' OCs:

Janeth Bennet belongs to @yoselin-uyu

Mathias Varford belongs to @leiretta

-

Bonus:

Jacob made the cake, Duncan took the rest of the cream, and this happened.

Sorry a bit late :3

[eternalchaoschocolaterain]

Gross

[carewyncromwell]

Masterpost: HPHM/Haunted Mansion AU (starring Duncan Ashe and Jacob Cromwell)

Summary: In an alternative universe set in upstate New York in the year 2005, New-Orleans-born paranormal investigator Duncan Ashe travels to the sleepy town of Liberty Square to investigate the mysterious "Headless Man" haunting the local graveyards and his murky connection to the abandoned Cromwell Manor. In the process, he's roped into an almost-200-year-old mystery involving murder, possession, and 999 happy haunts, and Duncan must team up with the aforementioned "Headless Man" and a mysterious figure known by Liberty Square as "the Wanderer" to restrain the malevolent presence threatening the Cromwell Manor and its supernatural occupants.

Introducing Our Players

The Family Who Lived (and Died) in the Manor

Barbara Allen

Crossroads

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

The Phantom of the Opera

Bring Me to Life

The Manor's New Master

Epilogue: A Scene Covered in Ghostly White Snow

~Additional Materials ~

Art: My Initial Concept for Ghost-Bride!Carewyn

Art: Ghost-Bride!Carewyn, Take Two

Moodboard: Original Story Concept

Moodboard: Duncan, Jacob, Carewyn, and Orion

Moodboard: Bill, Olivia, Rowan, and the Phantom

Art: Our Main Six Players

Aesthetic: The Bride and the Wanderer

Art/Fanfiction: The Ghost Host's Promise

Art: The Phantom and the Beating-Heart Bride

Art: The Bride Pushes Orion Away

Art/Fanfiction: The Wanderer Comes to Grip with His "After-Life"

Art/Fanfiction: The Bride Sings

Art: The Bride and the Headless Man are Reunited

Art (unfinished): I So Need to Try to Redraw This but MAN

Art: Kiss of Death Redux

Art: The Performer and the Bride (featuring additional art by @ag907!)

Fanfiction: A Hotel Scene with Duncan and Jacob

Fanfiction: Duncan, Jacob, and Olivia Visit Sleepy Hollow

~Other People's Content~

Art: The Performer (Gwen Dunmoore) by @ag907

Moodboard: The Arcane Maiden (Alvina Arcane-Zheng) by @oneirataxia-girl

Moodboard: Kumiho (Ywa Hana) by @oneirataxia-girl

Art: The Child Spirit (Sarahi Silvers) by @dat-silvers-girl

Moodboard: The Will O' the Wisp (Kai Williams) by @nightmaresart

Moodboard: The Witte Wieven (Brooke Atkinson) by @nightmaresart

[the-al-chemist]

Artemis Hexley and the Return to the Riddles

Chapter 4: The Defence of Jacob Hexley

A/N: Jacob Hexley is put on trial. Warnings: intrigue, courtroom drama, references to death and violence, one certain witch in pink robes…

The trial of Jacob Hexley and Patricia Rakepick was to be held in the courtrooms on the very lowest level of the Ministry of Magic. When the morning of the trial arrived, Artemis and Madam Rosmerta, who had closed the Three Broomsticks for the day in order to accompany her, met Kingsley Shacklebolt next to the fountain in the atrium before making their way down to the belly of the Ministry together.

“Level Nine,” the cool voice of the lift announced, after a short descent from the atrium. “Department of Mysteries.”

“The lift doesn’t go any lower,” said Kingsley, as the doors rattled open. “We will have to walk the rest of the way.”

With Rosmerta’s arm still wrapped around her shoulders, Artemis followed Kingsley down the corridor. She had not had any reason to visit the Department of Mysteries during her two weeks of work experience, and she was struck by the difference between the corridor she was now walking down compared to those of the higher levels. This corridor was bare, without any windows or doors, save for a single jet black door at the very end of it. Something about the door made Artemis shudder, though she was not certain why. She stared at it, and as she did, it opened to reveal a young witch with thick-rimmed glasses and curly dark hair pulled back into a bun. 

“After you,” said the woman, closing the door quickly and gesturing to a set of stairs on the left.

Madam Rosmerta’s arm steering Artemis down the stairs prevented her from looking at the black door or the woman who had stepped out of it, but she could hear a fourth set of footsteps behind her as they descended to Level Ten, where the courtrooms were situated. 

The courtroom itself was a large, high-ceilinged room with dark stone walls illuminated by torches. Rows of benches rose up on three sides, highest on the wall opposite the door, with people occupying seats on all sides.

“Spectators to the left, witnesses to the right,” said a squat witch with a toad-like face and pastel pink robes, her high-pitched voice ringing like a shrill bell. “I’m afraid that the seats straight ahead are reserved for members of the Wizengamot and Council of Magical Law.”

She said the word ‘members’ with a slight inflection that made it clear that she believed said members to be far more important than Artemis or either of her friends. Rosmerta pursed her lips before she hugged Artemis tightly and made her way to the benches on the left, leaving Kingsley to lead her across the courtroom to the right, past the rows of benches seating the members of the Wizengamot and Council of Magical Law, who were dressed in plum-coloured robes. 

The witnesses’ seats were mainly empty, aside from the two pale, drawn faces of Artemis’ fellow students Merula Snyde and Ben Copper, sitting side-by-side on the front bench; the grubby features of Mr Borgin, who owned a disreputable shop in Knockturn Alley; and a wizard on the very back row, whose face was cast in such dark shadow that Artemis couldn’t recognise his features save for a flash of his white beard. 

“You okay?” she asked Ben as she sat down beside him. He shook his head silently, his lips pressed tightly together as if he was trying not to be sick. Artemis placed a hand on his forearm and squeezed it gently, before leaning across to Merula.

“Sod off, Hexley,” Merula hissed, before Artemis had the chance to say anything. 

“I just-”

“I said, sod off.”

Artemis rolled her eyes and faced forward, just as the young witch from the Department of Mysteries made her way up the rows of benches to sit a few seats behind them. Artemis watched her, frowning. She didn’t recognise the witch at all. Were more trials taking place than that of her brother and Rakepick? 

She turned back to Kingsley to ask him, but found herself unable to say anything as she noticed yet another woman enter the courtroom and make her way over to the spectators’ benches, dark hair half-covering her face as she walked to the very back row with her head lowered. Artemis’ mouth went dry. Even with her half of her face obscured from view, she was able to recognise her own mother.

The pink-robed witch made her way to the Wizengamot benches and sat on the front row, holding a fluffy pink quill and parchment. A single wooden chair appeared in the centre of the room and the court fell silent, before a woman’s voice - lower-pitched and far more resonant than that of the pink witch - began to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attendance today,” said the voice, which belonged to a grey-haired witch with a square jaw and a monocle in the middle of the front row of the Wizengamot benches. Her upright posture and level, authoritative voice reminded Artemis of Professor McGonagall. “Let us begin the proceedings. Criminal trial of the twenty-fourth of August 1990, pertaining to the offences of Jacob Odysseus Hexley of Camden, London, and Patricia Rakepick of Foulburn-in-Pendle, Lancashire. Interrogater-in-chief shall be myself, Madam Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sitting beside me and acting in the role of court scribe is Madam Dolores Jane Umbridge, Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office.” Beside Madam Bones, the pink-robed witch gave a tight-lipped smile. “Witness for the defence shall be…”

“Myself,” said a familiar voice from behind Artemis, and she turned in her seat to see that the wizard in the back row was also on his feet. Now that he was no longer sitting in the shadows, she was clearly able to recognise the features of her headmaster. “Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I won’t bore all you dear people with my many titles and accolades.”

Dumbledore gave a wry smile, and there were a few quiet chuckles from the benches around the courtroom. Madam Bones inclined her head and used her wand to cast a Patronus, that of a large silver-white owl. Across the courtroom from her, the door opened to reveal two Dementors flanking a handsome young wizard with messy dark hair and hazel eyes, his hands cuffed together at the wrist. 

“You are Jacob Odysseus Hexley?” asked Madam Bones, and Jacob nodded his head. “For the benefit of the court scribe, the accused has indicated that he is indeed Jacob Hexley by the nodding of his head. Jacob Hexley, you are today accused of working for the criminal organisation that goes by the name of ‘R’ for two years between 1979 and 1990, and committing acts of crime in their name, notably multiple offenses under the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Magic, one of which resulted in the death of a wizard. You are also accused of failing to answer summons to provide evidence to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during the winter of 1981. Today we shall hear evidence and pass judgement on you. Do you understand?”

Jacob nodded again.

“For the benefit of the court scribe, the accused has indicated by the nodding of his head that he understands the charges put against him. Professor Dumbledore, if you please.”

Dumbledore walked down the steps to stand beside Jacob, his wand raised above his head and a shield-like Patronus swirling in the air above him. He bowed his head at Madam Bones and rested his free hand on the back of Jacob’s chair. 

“Professor Dumbledore, you are the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are you not?”

Dumbledore inclined his head and smiled serenely. 

“For the benefit of the court scribe, I am indicating my answer to be an affirmative with a nod of my head,” he said, and there was another quiet round of chuckles. Madam Bones’ lips twitched, but beside her, the court scribe’s toad-like face darkened. “Furthermore, I admit to being headmaster of Hogwarts throughout Mr Hexley’s formal education.”

“How would you describe the accused as a student?”

“Intelligent, curious, conscientious, proud, charming, ambitious, bold - dare I say it? - a little too bold at times,” Dumbledore smiled again. “Altogether, rather brilliant. Without wanting to sound immodest, I would say that he was not unlike myself as a student.”

“Rather brilliant,” said Madam Bones, ignoring the titters around her. “And yet, Mr Hexley did not complete his formal education, did he?”

“No, he did not.”

“Why not?”

“Mr Hexley was expelled shortly before his eighteenth birthday following a series of… unfortunate incidents.”

“Would one such incident be the death of Mr Duncan Ashe?”

“It would,” Professor Dumbledore inclined his head. “Mr Ashe and Mr Hexley were close friends during their time at Hogwarts. Mr Ashe was similarly bold and ambitious, and the two of them became embroiled in a quest during their time at Hogwarts.”

“A quest?”

“A quest to discover the infamous Cursed Vaults.”

There was a murmur that echoed around the courtroom. Madam Bones held Dumbledore’s gaze silently as the murmur subsided.

“The Cursed Vaults are said to be a legend,” she said, after the courtroom had fallen  silent.

“One only need read the Daily Prophet’s articles about recent events at the school to know that this is not the case. The Cursed Vaults are real, as Mr Hexley and Mr Ashe discovered. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones to have discovered this over the years,” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. “The organisation that calls themselves ‘R’ has also made this discovery, far less innocently than two schoolboys.”

The court scribe cleared her throat. “Hem hem,” she said, smiling sweetly. “I’m afraid that it is the court who shall be deciding who is innocent today, Professor Dumbledore.”

“Of course, my dear Madam Umbridge. A turn of phrase, nothing more.”

“Professor Dumbledore, please tell us about the events surrounding Mr Ashe’s death,” said Madam Bones.

“Duncan Ashe was sadly killed in a tragic potioneering incident. The two boys were hoping to brew a potion that could be used to attack a creature guarding one of the Cursed Vaults. Evidence found at the scene indicated that powdered Erumpet Horn had been used, causing the potion to explode, with fatal damage to both Mr Ashe and the surrounding area. The story was corroborated by the ghost of Mr Ashe himself following the accident.”

“If this was an accident, as you say,” Madam Umbridge said, very carefully pronouncing the word ‘accident’, “how did Mr Hexley come to be expelled as the result thereof? Surely, his expulsion would indicate some degree of guilt in the matter?”

“Madam Umbridge, I must point out that you are here in the role of court scribe, not interrogator,” Madam Bones told her. “However, the question stands. Why was Mr Hexley expelled?”

“Mr Ashe’s death took place in June 1981,” said Professor Dumbledore. “At that point, Mr Hexley was told under no uncertain terms that he must discontinue his search for the Cursed Vaults. Earlier in the year he had broken his wand in search of the Vaults, and been seen consorting with several unsavoury characters. This was his final warning; were he found to have anything else to do with the Cursed Vaults, he would be expelled.”

“And he did not heed this warning?”

“He did not.”

“So, it was your opinion that Mr Hexley’s obsession with the Cursed Vaults made him a danger to his peers.”

“I have said nothing of the sort. I told Mr Hexley what the consequences would be were he to be found investigating the Vaults, and he was later found to be investigating them. As headmaster, it is my unfortunate duty to be a disciplinarian, and as an honourable individual, it is my moral duty to keep to my word,” Professor Dumbledore removed his hand from the back of Jacob’s chair. “Mr Hexley showed great promise. His interest in the Cursed Vaults was unfortunate, yet understandable. Many very honourable witches and wizards of great intellect have pursued similar quests. It does not make them criminals.”

“Perhaps not,” said Madam Bones. “Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. We shall now be hearing from a Mr Borgin, of Knockturn Alley. Mr Borgin, if you please.”

Professor Dumbledore stepped back as Mr Borgin took to the front of the court.

“Your full name and profession?”

“Tubal Borgin. I am the proprietor of Borgin and Burke’s, a shop in Knockturn Alley. I deal in collectibles and antiques.”

Beside Artemis, Kingsley made a quiet noise that sounded almost like he was clearing his throat. She turned to look at him and, seeing that his eyebrows were raised and lips pursed, had to stop herself from laughing. Borgin and Burke’s sold many things, half of which were likely to be illegal and almost none of which she would class as either collectibles or antiques.

“Mr Borgin, it is my understanding that two known members of  the criminal organisation ‘R’ - namely Madam Patricia Rakepick and Mr Loken Burke - have, on several occasions, frequented your shop.”

“That’s right. Loki’s the nephew of my former business partner, and Madam Rakepick used to come in a fair bit when she wasn’t off somewhere with Gringotts,” said Mr Borgin. He frowned suddenly, and added, “I didn’t know that either of them were criminals at the time, mind you.”

“He’s lying,” whispered Artemis.

“Oh, I know,” Kingsley replied.

“You are not the one on trial today, Mr Borgin. What business did Madam Rakepick and Mr Burke have with you?”

“Sometimes they bought, er, antiques. Mainly, though, they used a cabinet.”

Madam Bartholomew raised her eyebrows. “A cabinet?”

“Yes, a vanishing cabinet. One of pair, its partner can be found somewhere at Hogwarts school. They used it to carry messages between themselves and Jacob Hexley.”

“Jacob Hexley? You are certain?”

“Very certain. I was under instructions not to read the messages, but I made a point of checking that they had sent through. I never deliberately read them, but there were a couple of times that I saw the ink shining through the parchment-”

“Another lie,” Artemis breathed.

“- and I clearly could make out his name. And, what’s more, Jacob Hexley used the vanishing cabinet himself just last year. Late November, maybe early December. Left a message in there.”

“Has anyone tried to use the cabinet since then?”

“Only myself, doing my routine maintenance work. It’s been out of order since February.”

Artemis bit her lip and looked away from Mr Borgin. She knew exactly why his cabinet was out of order; she had damaged its partner terribly earlier in the year. She had done a pretty good job of trying to destroy it, she doubted that anyone would ever use it to send messages again.

“No one has used the cabinet since Jacob Hexley sent a message in November?” said Madam Bartholomew. “Not a single person?”

“Well, there was a response. Madam Rakepick collected it, said she was under orders from Hexley to pick up the message for him.”

There was a round of murmurs through the courtroom, but Artemis barely took note of them. Her blood had run cold; she had been the one to send that letter to Jacob, detailing when and where she would be meeting him the night that she, Ben, and Merula had gone into the forest. The night that Rakepick had intercepted them. The night that she had killed Artemis’ best friend.

“Did you report this at the time?” 

“Er…”

“Never mind,” Madam Bones tutted. “Why do you think Jacob Hexley sent Patricia Rakepick to collect his messages?”

“If I may interrupt,” said Dumbledore, as Borgin opened his mouth to answer Madam Bones’ question. “The only thing suggesting that Jacob Hexley asked Madam Rakepick to collect this message was her word. I would think it far more likely, given the nature of the events that transpired following this interaction” - Artemis shuddered involuntarily - “that Rakepick intercepted this message on her own volition.”

Madam Umbridge piped up: “Unless, of course, Mr Hexley and Madam Rakepick worked together to-”

“There is no evidence that Jacob Hexley had any involvement in the death of Rowan Khanna, and nor is he on trial for such involvement,” Dumbledore said finally. 

“Indeed. We shall not ask further questions on this matter,” Madam Bones cast a sideways glance at the court scribe, who did not look abashed in the slightest. “Mr Borgin, please return to the benches so that we may question our next witness.” She glanced down at the parchment in front of her, and read the name, “Madam Green.”

The young woman who had followed Artemis, Kingsley and Ros down the stairs from level nine rose to her feet and walked silently to the centre of the courtroom.

“What is your name?” asked Madam Bones.

“Olivia Mnemosyne Green.”

“And your profession?”

“I’m an Unspeakable.”

“And what does that role entail?”

“Well, I’m not really allowed to say. That’s why we’re called Unspeakables,” Olivia Green said wryly, and there were a few titters from the witches and wizards watching the trial. Madam Bones’ lips twitched, but she raised her eyebrows pointedly at Olivia Green, who bowed her head before continuing. “I work in the Department of Mysteries as a Oracler.”

Madam Bones’ eyebrows raised even higher. “You’re a Seer?” 

“An Oracler. I don’t make prophecies, I analyse and keep records of them,” explained Madam Green. “I’m afraid I cannot say more than that.”

“I see. Or, I should say, I understand. Madam Green, please could you tell the court about your relationship with Mr Hexley?”

“I went to school with Jacob. We were friends. Both of us were interested in prophecy analysis, you see. We read Tycho Dodonus together in our first year.”

“Very impressive. Was Mr Ashe part of your friendship group as well?”

“He was, but not until our second year. He was in Slytherin and had read about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. He was determined to find it, and asked us to help, so we went looking together. We never found it, but whilst we were looking for that, we found out about the Cursed Vaults. We were having no luck with the Chamber of Secrets, so we thought we’d have a go at finding the Vaults instead,” Madam Green said. She paused and swallowed. “At first, we weren’t getting very far, but it was Jacob’s idea to talk to the ghosts. One of the ghosts mentioned a charms professor named Fortinbras who had tried to find the Vaults in the nineteenth century, along with a group of talented students. We found a few books she had written, and that led us in the right direction. By the end of our third year, we thought we might know where one of the Vaults was.”

“Did you find it?”

“Yes. We found it at the top of a staircase hidden by enchantments on the fifth floor of the castle. It was locked, but we were certain that it was the Cursed Vault. Over the summer, we decided to track down the other Vaults, but when we got back for our second year, Jacob decided that we shouldn’t just try to find the Vaults, we should try and break the Curses, too. I was against it, but Duncan was for it, because he wanted to become a Curse-Breaker. So we did that.”

Madam Bones frowned. “If you were against it, why do it?”

“We took a vote and it was two against one,” Olivia Green said, as if that should have been obvious. “We always voted on these things, and always went with the majority.”

“How diplomatic.”

“Of course. We were a team, so whatever we did, we did together. At least, that’s what I thought,” Madam Green breathed. “I didn’t realise at the time, but Jacob had been doing a lot of research into the Vaults himself. After we broke the first curse, he started trying to work with other people, as well. With the group Professor Fortinbras had set up all those years ago. He found that they were still a group, and that they were still active. He called them-”

“R?” Madam Bones asked, and Olivia Green nodded her head in response.

“Exactly. He said that they would help us to break the curses. I didn’t trust them, but I was outvoted again.”

“Why didn’t you trust them?”

“They were too secretive. They wouldn’t say who they were, or exactly what they were doing, or who was in charge of them. I didn’t want to work with people like that.”

Frowning, Artemis whispered to Kingsley, “But she’s an Unspeakable…”

Kingsley glanced at Artemis with a knowing look in his eyes.

“Ironic, isn’t it?” he murmured back.

“After Jacob’s dad died,” Olivia Green continued, “he became even more secretive, and even more adamant that we should be breaking the curses. It was like he was trying to distract himself from what had happened. He spent more time alone, and more time with just him and Duncan. By the time we were in our sixth year, they had started taking orders directly from R, said they were going to join them in their search. When we found out that there was a dragon in one of the Vaults, I said that it was too much. If R knew so much, let them break their own curses. It was too dangerous. I wasn’t even of age. I wanted to stop, but-”

“You were outvoted?”

“Yes. But this time, I didn’t go along with them. I just left. They never listened to me anyway.”

“And so you managed to avoid Mr Ashe’s fate,” said Madam Bones. “Madam Green, one final question, if you please. Was Patricia Rakepick one of the members of R that Jacob Hexley contacted?”

“No.”

Artemis’ mouth dropped open, and she looked across at Kingsley, who had leaned forward in his seat, a curious look on his face. What was Madam Green talking about? Rakepick was a member of R. She had said so herself.

But Olivia Green wasn’t done.

“Not at first,” she continued. “Jacob found her separately. She was already a fairly well-known Curse-Breaker at that point, you see, so he wanted to get some advice. Probably she joined them after starting to search for the Vaults, like Jacob and Duncan did. I never had much to do with her. It was Jacob who always spoke to her.”

“Thank you, Madam Green. No further questions,” Madam Bones nodded her head at Olivia Green, who returned to the witness stands. The interrogator nodded to the court scribe, who stood up and passed her a pile of parchments. “Along with the testimony of Madam Green and Mr Borgin, I have here the transcripts of several interviews conducted in the later part of 1981. Mr Hexley was, in the summer of 1979, witnessed consorting with several persons of unsavoury reputation, including the Patricia Rakepick. He was further witnessed consorting with Madam Rakepick until the autumn of 1981, shortly before he disappeared.”

“My dear Madam Bones,” said Dumbledore, who had remained quiet throughout the testimonies of the other two witnesses, “Jacob Hexley is not on trial for talking to Patricia Rakepick, nor is talking to Patricia Rakepick a crime. Indeed, if it were, quite a few people in this courtroom might be trialled, myself included.”

“Hem hem,” said Madam Umbridge. “Jacob Hexley may not be accused of talking to Patricia Rakepick, but he is accused of working alongside her to commit criminal offences.” Several members of the court began to whisper, and Artemis’ stomach lurched uncomfortably as Umbridge continued, “According to the testimony of our last witness, he did willingly act under R’s orders, and was planning to join the organisation.”

“Ah,” Dumbledore smiled. “The operative word in that sentence is planning. We have heard no evidence to suggest that Mr Hexley joined the ranks of R, nor that he knew the extent of their criminality at the time he was considering doing so.” He glanced briefly at Jacob before adding, “Perhaps if Madam Bones - who is, after all, the chief interrogator in this case - were to question the defendant himself, he might be able to shed some light on the situation.”

“An excellent idea,” said Madam Bones, and she turned her attention fully towards Jacob. “Mr Hexley, the court has been presented with the evidence against you. Before we vote to reach our verdict, have you any words in your own defence?”

Artemis sat up straight in her seat. This was Jacob’s chance to explain himself, to make everyone see that he had been innocent all along, that he did not deserve to be sent to Azkaban. She craned her neck as she looked at him, willing that he would speak bravely in his own defence.

Still sitting in the wooden chair in the centre of the room, Jacob swallowed hard. He raised his head, looked Madam Bones in the eye, and told her:

“No.”

“No?” Madam Bones looked surprised. She wasn’t the only one; there were hushed murmurs from all corners of the courtroom. “You have nothing to say to defend yourself?”

“I do not,” said Jacob, calmly. “I am guilty of every offence laid at my feet. I willingly acted under the orders of R, wishing to become a member myself, fully aware of the illegality of this. I betrayed my friend Duncan-”

“Jacob, no!” Artemis spoke out loud without realising it.

“- Ashe to further my own ambitions,” Jacob continued on, seeming to ignore Artemis’ shout or the gasps from several onlookers. “His death wasn’t an accident. It was orchestrated by the Cabal, and my involvement proved my loyalty to them and my dedication to their cause.”

The murmurs around the courtroom grew louder still, and Artemis gripped the bench she was sitting on so hard her knuckles turned white. What was Jacob saying? This wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true. She willed Jacob to stop talking, but he did not stop.

“I was obsessed with the Cursed Vaults, and thought that the Cabal was my key to them. I went missing to evade capture, I trespassed on the grounds of Hogwarts School, and I endangered more lives. I see now the error of my ways, and I know that am fully deserving of whatever punishment the Wizengamot and Council of Magical Law see fit to give me.”

As Jacob fell silent, Artemis found herself unable to speak. She stared at him, shaking her head, but he did not look at her. Instead, his eyes drifted in the opposite direction, towards the spectators’ benches, where their mother sat with her eyes closed, stock still among the whispering and fidgeting crowd.

The court took a few moments to settle. As the noise and movement began to subside, Madam Bones cleared her throat. 

“In that case, we shall vote,” she said. “All those who find the defendant innocent?”

Not a single hand went up. Professor Dumbledore gave Jacob a look that Artemis couldn’t read.

“And those who find him guilty?”

Artemis’ heart beat faster and faster as, one by one, the Wizengamot and the Council of Magical Law raised their hands into the air. Madam Bones lowered her own, conjured a small hammer, and knocked it. The noise seemed to echo in Artemis’ ears.

“Jacob Odysseus Hexley, you have been found guilty of all charges,” said Madam Bones, her tone matter-of-fact. “As such, you will be sentenced to a minimum of fourteen years in Azkaban prison. Further to this, your internment will be dependent on assessment of your character and any other evidence that may come forth before this time.”

The doors of the courtroom swung open, and Artemis watched helplessly as the Dementors escorted her brother away out of sight. She blinked, hard, as if doing so might make the scene in front of her not real, but nothing happened. Jacob had been taken away, cuffed and escorted by Dementors, as if he truly were a guilty man. 

[missnight0wl]

Let’s talk about Elton Elderberry – and why he’s a total bitch

First of all, I want to thank @thedoodlecat because a lot of the ideas I’ll discuss were formed during our conversations. So, credit where credit's due!

Secondly, I want to make it clear from the start that it’s not quite a theory, meaning: I personally don’t believe Jam City might take the story in this direction. However, I believe that a lot of it might be a leftover of what’s the story supposed to be. And yes, it can also be explained by the writers having no idea what they’re doing, but on the other hand, it ties in with many interesting details from the past, mostly from Y5. And I still believe that year was super important for the narrative.

Now, without further ado, let’s move on to Elton. Spoilers up to Y7Ch56.

Ok, so the first thing that really bothers me about Elton Elderberry is that he was well aware of the Crown of Mneme, how dangerous it can be, and he had to at least suspect that it might be in the Sunken Vault – and for all those years, he did absolutely fucking nothing.

And it’s quite problematic because there’s no way he just… didn’t know about MC and the Cursed Vaults. At the beginning of Y3, MC told us that pretty much everyone could learn about it from the Daily Prophet. And we know that the Ministry was especially aware of it. Even if we ignore Moody’s involvement starting from Y6, first with Rakepick and then with Peregrine, we also had the Ministry sending Tofty to spy on MC during our O.W.L.s because of the Cursed Vaults. And honestly, I just don’t buy the explanation that Elton somehow… just didn’t hear about it. So, like, what the hell?

Now, I can hear you saying: “Oh, but of course Elton didn’t do anything because he wasn’t a character yet and Jam City probably just created him now!”. And you know what? That’s a totally valid remark and quite probable explanation. Still, I kept thinking about it anyway, and I quickly noticed another problem with Elton: how we actually learnt that he was directly involved in Ryusaki’s death. I mean, look at those scenes:

And then after our visit to the Archives:

(I just have to point out that he’s fucking grinning here…)

… and then:

Do you see the problem here??

Imagine this. You meet Steve. Steve tells you about the mother who died in a car accident with her two children. Sadly, she was the one who caused the accident because she was under the influence. Later you learn on your own that the said mother was a model parent, always there for her children despite having two jobs, actually sober during the accident, rarely drunk at all, and in fact, it was Steve who caused the crash. When confronted, Steve admits to everything and says he feels terrible about it and it haunts him every day. Would you believe Steve that he’s so sorry? BECAUSE I DEFINITELY WOULDN’T. In fact, I’d do everything to stay away from Steve.

Now, again, I’m aware that it might be simply JC’s incompetence in making a connection between the Crown of Mneme and Dai Ryusaki – even though it could’ve been easily done without Elton actively portraying Ryusaki as a bad guy. For example:

Elton: I advise you to avoid the Crown at all costs. MC: I wonder if it has anything to do with the Dark Scroll… Elton: You don’t mean Dai Ryusaki’s Dark Scroll, do you? MC: That dark wizard? Yes, I do. Why? Do you know anything about it too? Elton: *not answering right away and looking very ashamed instead, showing already that he doesn’t want to reveal the truth because of his loyalty to the Ministry, but also showing his guilt*

And yes, I know it wouldn’t be the first time JC didn’t see the simplest solutions in their writing. But as I was thinking about it more, I realised that if we assume that Elton indeed knew about MC and the Cursed Vaults all that time and did nothing on purpose, it’s both surprising and fascinating how many things start to add up. In this scenario, Elton would also want to portray Ryusaki as a bad guy. I know it doesn’t fully work currently because, in the end, it was Elton who let us go to the Archives, but I guess it’s possible that originally, we were supposed to learn the truth about Ryusaki in some different way. And either way, I have to point out that there’s something very off in this part of the story no matter what. I mean, let me ask you one question:

Why exactly Dai Ryusaki was killed?

Because if you think about it, it was never really explained… properly. Like, we keep using words like “miscommunication” or “misunderstanding”.

But… how the fuck can you kill somebody because of misunderstanding? I guess we’re supposed to interpret it as: “The International Confederation of Wizards thought Dai wanted to use his invention to do bad things while he was actually trying to destroy his invention once he realised it’s dangerous”. However, this interpretation doesn’t really make sense. Why? Look at Ryusaki’s notes we found in the Archives.

Ryusaki seems absolutely certain that once he destroys what he was about to destroy, it’s done. He accepted that his work would be no more after that. And that makes me believe that nobody else (or almost nobody) knew about his work. Because otherwise, he’d have to realise that someone might try to replicate his work, right? Or even force him to simply repeat it? Yet he’s not worried about it. And the thing is that Ryusaki was a very intelligent, reasonable, and conscious man. So… how the hell the International Confederation of Wizards knew anything to misinterpret Ryusaki’s intentions?

Well, what if there was someone other than Ryusaki who knew about his work after all? But Dai completely trusted that person, so that’s why he was so sure the whole thing would remain secret? What if that person happened to work at the British Ministry of Magic? What if this person was…

Elton “The Bitch” Elderberry?

Ok, so I know that everything I said so far is a big assumption, but I swear it does make sense, so please, bear with me. And I’ll actually start by summarising what I believe how it all began and then I’ll elaborate on each element because it’s gonna be easier for me that way.

So, I believe that Dai Ryusaki and Elton Elderberry were once good friends. They were both quite talented wizards, and while they had different goals in life, they realised at some point that the treasure from the Cursed Vaults might help them achieve that. Together, they created a group that we know as R. Unfortunately for Elton, Dai realised eventually that both his own invention and the Cursed Vaults themselves are dangerous, so he decided to quit. Elton didn’t like it, and he was afraid that Dai would try to stop him as well, so he decided to be proactive about it. Using his position as a Hit Wizard at the Ministry, he sold Dai out, claiming he’s a dangerous dark wizard. Elton kept R alive ever since, and he was waiting for MC to be born because MC is necessary to open the final Cursed Vault.

Of course, I assume that the original plans for the final Cursed Vault were different than what we saw in Y6. Also, from that point, I’ll keep calling Elton “Brelton” because:

BITCH + R + ELTON = BRELTON

… and I just think this distinction might be useful because, as I said, I don’t think it might still be true, yet it seems that Elton Elderberry will stay in the story anyway. Ok, but let’s talk about some details.

Dai’s and Brelton’s goals

As for Dai’s goal, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s basically said directly in the game: he wanted to help people with traumatic memories. What would be Brelton’s goal then? Well, let me remind you one note from R we found in Y5:

The interesting thing about it is that for the longest time, it was the only case where it was mentioned that R had any interest in immortality. As soon as the Dark Scroll was introduced, we only talked about R wanting knowledge. I even talked with my friend about how weird it is that the writers totally abandoned the immortality aspect (Bee, I’m not tagging you because I don’t want you to feel obliged to read this long-ass post, but if you’re reading it anyway: Hi! I’m talking about you!). In fact, I’m pretty sure that the word “immortality” wasn’t even used in the main story after that note from R – until our conversation with Elton in Y7Ch49:

And you know what? I don’t think it’s just a coincidence. Because it’s not even true! Every time we talked about Ryusaki’s potion, it was about mind-enhancing potion.

So… what if it’s the leftover of the original plans for Elton’s character? What if it’s Brelton who was all about immortality? And now, JC just looked at the notes made by Matt London and his team and simply put the immortality potion in there without thinking if it made sense. I realise it feels like another stretch, but I have to point out that Elton’s old age is a little sus – and they stress all the time how old he is. I mean, wizards do live longer than Muggles, but most of them don’t live over 300 years. (There’s actually the HP wiki page about it.)

And the thing is that from the story point of view, it wasn’t even necessary to make Elton this old. Sure, it adds some flavour with the reveal that he was actually there when Dai was killed, but on the other hand, he mentions every now and then that his memory is not the best anymore etc. So, wouldn’t it be better if MC met Elton's son or grandson, for example? Personally, I think it would, and that’s why I’m gonna assume for the rest of this analysis that R was always about “enlightenment and immortality”, and that Dai Ryusaki represented the first element while Elton Elderberry the second one.

Why they needed the Cursed Vaults?

Ok, so now that we know what they wanted in general, let’s try to figure out why they went after the Cursed Vaults – and as I mentioned already, I assume that the original treasure was actually… well, a thing. I admit that I wasn’t able to figure out what exactly it could’ve been, but I have some ideas about what properties the Treasure could have, based on Dai’s and Brelton’s goals.

This time, let’s start with Brelton because it’s a bit easier. Basically, I believe that Brelton managed to invent something that grants semi-immortality, but it’s not the perfect invention. Sure, he’s still alive and his mind is not in the worst condition, but still. So, I think that he believes that the Treasure could improve his invention by granting actual immortality and/or eternal youth.

It’s a bit more complicated with Dai because we have to consider multiple elements. First of all, we have the mind-enhancing potion. The recipe for it was hidden on the Dark Scroll which was confirmed by the notes found by MC in the Archives. But earlier, MC also mentioned “a device”, and then they read: “I can’t bear to destroy my life’s work, but I know that I must. The scroll has already been hidden”. So… what exactly was he about to destroy? If we want to stick to the legend told by Corey, it might’ve been about the already-prepared potion. He might’ve also been referring to his research in general and his notes or something. But then we have the Crown of Mneme… And that’s quite interesting because we actually know that it’s something he found in Greece – which, by the way, confirms that the Crown was not something placed in the Cursed Vaults originally (I’ll return to it in a moment).

Either way, to simplify it a little bit, I’m gonna assume that Dai’s invention was about the Crown and the potion - and that together was considered his “device”. What about the Treasure then? I see a couple of options.

Perhaps the Treasure would give more control over the Crown or allow to exchange of thoughts both ways. I mean, what we saw in the game looked like the wearer could only send their thoughts, but if Dai wanted to treat patients with traumatic memories, he probably wanted to extract those memories.

Perhaps the Treasure could permanently remove/destroy traumatic memories. Because I don’t think you can actually do it with Obliviate, for example. I might be wrong, but I feel that there is always a small chance that the memory would come back or simply leave some mark behind it.

How the Crown of Mneme ended in the Sunken Vault?

So… If Dai was so certain that his invention was gone and to be forgotten, and on top of that I claim that he didn’t want to have anything to do with the Cursed Vaults, then how the hell the Crown of Mneme ended in the Sunken Vault? Well, I guess I won’t surprise anyone at this point by saying that it was Brelton who was behind it. And the best thing is that we actually know that R was in the Sunken Vault in the past – and that’s thanks to the note found in the Weird Sisters TLSQ:

So, this is what I propose. Brelton got the Crown of Mneme before Dai’s death somehow. I don’t think that Dai would just give it to him because I assume they already fell apart at that point. Or perhaps Brelton lied to Dai and offered that he’d destroy the Crown? Either way, he probably wasn’t planning to destroy it (as it might be useful for him), and he continued his search for the Cursed Vaults. Unfortunately for him, once he got to the Sunken Vault, he realised he couldn’t do anything without the key. And now, the key might be the Gillyweed/Coral Key Rakepick took from us in Y4, or maybe it’s about the siblings – or it’s both (like in my version of the story). Anyway, the Treasure was unachievable, so Brelton used this opportunity to hide the Crown of Mneme and just left.

Ryusaki and the creation of the Cabal

Ok, but why I assume that Dai Ryusaki even knew about the Cursed Vaults, to begin with? I just explained how it was probably Brelton who put the Crown in the Sunken Vault, and we don’t really have anything to prove that Dai needed the Treasure to improve his invention. Well, yeah. But we have something else. Something that I find very exciting. See, during our first trip to Knockturn Alley, we visited also Flourish and Blotts where we found a Black Quill containing this message:

And for the longest time, I was just… absolutely stumped by it. I couldn’t come up with any decent theory as to who left that note. But now, I do strongly believe that it was left by Dai Ryusaki. Brelton was too greedy to get his immortality and too afraid of his own mortality to leave the Cursed Vaults and refused to listen to his friend that it’s too dangerous. The note also talks about “them”, so maybe R had some more members at that point already (but only Dai and Elton knew everything). And you know what makes it even more fascinating? We found this Black Quill in the book by Maerwynn Montfort who’s a totally original author mentioned only in this specific scene in HPHM. Interestingly, Maerwynn is a feminine name that is of Welsh origin that means “joy”. And coincidently, Dai is a Welsh masculine given name (which means “beloved”), a hypocorism of Dafydd or David, as well as a masculine Japanese given name. Like…

Are you kidding me??

I mean, ok, sure. It might be just a coincidence. But you have to admit that it’s a pretty damn odd coincidence. Maybe Maerwynn was someone from Dai’s Welsh part of the family or just a friend whom he met there? Or maybe it’s just a pseudonym or something. But either way, it might be hinting at some (“Welsh”) connection. And that’s why they were exchanging secret information!

Still, that’s not even all I finally realised about the note. Because I also believe that it confirms that the Cabal from Jacob’s notebook is a different group than R – and I think that it was Dai Ryusaki who started that group.

Ok, so I explained the whole idea in this post. It’s one of my shorter analyses so I recommend checking it out. But to put it even shorter, my problem with the note from Y5Ch15 was always that Jacob was confused about why the Cabal wanted to kill him.

But R was very open about threatening Jacob and especially his family, so… it shouldn’t be surprising at all. He might’ve been confused if he was doing everything R told him to do – but then it doesn’t make sense that R would want to kill Jacob and MC. I mean, after Duncan’s death, they clearly told him to continue his search.

So, I always interpreted the Cabal as a separate group who wanted to protect the Cursed Vaults by killing the siblings because the siblings are necessary to get to the Treasure. And if we join it with the note from Flourish and Blotts, it totally adds up. Dai realised that the Cursed Vaults were dangerous and wanted to stop R. Brelton wouldn’t listen, so Dai wanted to destroy the vault portrait which, assumingly, would make it impossible to get to the Portrait Vault. On top of that, he started the group that was supposed to make sure that nobody would ever get hurt by the Vaults by killing the siblings (who can get the Treasure). It was about the creation of the Cabal this whole time!

Brelton as the true leader of R

In general, I have to say that Brelton being the true leader of R just makes more sense. In this scenario, it’d also mean that Peregrine is just… a current face of the organisation. A puppet. And yes, I keep saying that I don’t believe that Perry was always planned to be a part of the story, so why do I even mention him? Well, to be completely honest, I’m willing to accept that Perry was planned along with Dai and Brelton’s story – just not as MC’s father. Because it makes sense that Brelton would want to keep his position at the Ministry, and if so, he’d probably need someone to (occasionally) represent R. And that could be Peregrine. In fact, we saw some moments when the leader of R was treated weirdly ambiguous. The first case is our conversation with Rakepick in Azkaban. And yes, I know that we didn’t know about Peregrine then yet, so it kind of makes sense to leave it more ambiguous, but I want to point out a specific thing Rakepick said.

Honestly, I was always confused by it because “the one behind it all” sounds like someone who also created R, at least in my opinion. On the other hand, we had hints in the past that R is a rather older organisation. Not to mention that Perry claimed that he joined R, meaning that R was R before the current leader joined them. Of course, it is possible that Perry lies. It is also possible that the title of R is simply given to each leader. But… I don’t know. Rakepick’s words sound to me like she is talking about only one person. However, if that one person is actually Brelton, it makes sense that he’s both the current true leader and the one responsible for creating the organisation.

My other issue is with Olivia’s memories. Because Rakepick is very clearly talking to someone from R in those scenes, but for whatever reason we never learn who it was.

So, what if it was actually supposed to be Brelton? And speaking of that, ever since we learnt that Olivia was working at the Ministry, I thought it was pretty suspicious, and I fully expected that R was controlling that. And what a coincidence that Elton became Olivia’s mentor for all those years…

Hell, it’d even make more sense why Verucca is so damn worried about Perry being cursed by Ryusaki’s amulet. Because if Brellton indeed betrayed Dai, then it could mean that it’s Brelton who’s the real target of that whole revenge plan. The curse might be simply generalising it because, well, it’s just a spirit that’s basically the essence of Ryusaki’s anger. But if Verucca knows about everything as a high-ranking member of R, then yeah, she’d try to stop Perry from hurting their dear leader Brelton.

And… that’s it!

Once again, like I said, I do not expect the game to confirm any of the things I discussed above. But that being said, I feel very confident about pretty much everything I said. And even though it took me months to finally write it all down, I have to say that putting it together was really fun and exciting. Who knows, maybe it’s the last time I feel like that about HPHM theory, at least when it comes to relatively new content. But even if so, I’m kind of glad that I got some semi-closure to the things that were bothering me.

[redhairedgryffindor]

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