#Sirius is actually one of my favorite characters

[siriuslyhunter]

James: Without ugly, there would be no beauty in this world. Regulus: Thank you for your sacrifice, Sirius.

Remus: *kisses Sirius while giving Reg a dirty look*

[thedineoutplant]

when characters who used to have personality suddenly become stoic and emotionless after years of their true selves being demonised by a higher power>>>

[sleepiexx]

Something He’d Overheard

James Potter x fem!Reader

Note: I’ve been in the marauders fandom for over 7 years now, I think it’s high time I write a fic for it. Part of my efforts to branch out into writing for more fandoms than COD.

Summary: James finds himself head over heels when he sees you defending a first year student.

Warnings: some curse words here and there, bullying mention, overall rlly soft

Word Count: 1151

After countless fictional characters and random strangers on the street with pretty faces catching his burning ire, anyone who knew James Potter knew good and well that he was a lover. He had long believed in love at first sight, merely seeing someone eye-catching often sparked thoughts of budding romance, fantasies of how they would love and what their relationship would look like amongst other things. Soulmates and fate were a big concept to him too, for example his favorite book character, a headstrong witch who was kind and brilliant, well James had a hunch that in another life they were lovers.

He’d fallen in love just about a million times, and yet something about you was different.

You had caught James’ eye one day as he made the trek to the library to collect his good friend Remus for their group’s usual night’s worth of mischief. Your beautiful eyebrows were pinched together in anger, a sneer on your pretty lips, your voice was loud and firm as you scolded one of the usual culprits (a death eater in the making) for bullying a defenseless first year student.

Your hand clutched your wand intently as you damn near hissed the words, “you wanna try picking on someone who can actually fight back?”

They let out a scoff and left the scene, leaving you, the first year, and unbeknownst to you, James.

The switch between standoffishness and caring came like whiplash. Your tensed frame relaxed as you knelt down in front of the first year (those eleven year olds seemed to be growing shorter and shorter every year). Your dominant hand reached out and gently wiped away the younger child’s tears.

“Everything he said is bullshit,” you began, “he’s angry at the world, looking for someplace to fit in, and unfortunately it’s really easy to fall into the wrong crowd. You haven’t, and he’s jealous of that.”

The kid sniffled, pout still indented firmly on their little lips, “who would be jealous of me?”

You shook your head in disbelief, “plenty of people! You have a gift that a large part of the world’s population doesn’t possess, that’s something to be proud of no matter what other witches and wizards try to tell you. Heck, I’m even jealous of you.”

As you spoke a smile crept its way on the first year’s face, “you are?” They asked.

“Yeah, I am!” You nodded, “you’ve got six and a half more years left at Hogwarts to have fun and run about the castle, I only have another year and a half.”

“This place is pretty cool,” they muttered.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Your face lit up and you stood to your feet, offering the small child your hand so you could walk them back to their common room. You’d never seen the awe-stricken onlooker, but the scene was now burned into James’ mind.

It followed him to the library, where he convinced Remus to follow him to their other friends, a long walk that Remus spent listening to James drone on and on about you. It followed him to his dorm that night, and every other night for weeks leaving the marauders to know every single detail about you. And it most especially followed him to each of the classes you had together where James would stare at you and admire your appearance while daydreaming about you.

It was the third time that week that the scene had followed him to the lunch table when Sirius slammed his palms on the table, “I’m putting an end to this nonsense right now. You either talk to her, Prongs, or I will. And trust me, you won’t like how in depth I will go about those daydreams you’ve been having where-“

Sirius couldn’t even finish his sentence with how fast James jumped in, “alright, alright! I have potions with her next, I’ll talk to her, I swear.”

The statement leaves the marauders satiated in conversation as they finish up their lunch and head to their classes.

In potions, James nearly decides to abandon ship, facing a new anxiety he’d never experienced before when dealing with a girl. He decides that maybe it would be best to keep to himself, too afraid to stumble on his words and make a fool of himself in front of such a pretty girl. All this is until Professor Slughorn proclaims that today’s assignment requires a partner. If there ever was a time to shoot his shot, it’s now.

He takes deep breaths, adjusting his posture and forcing his every step to radiate confidence before he reaches you, “I was wondering if maybe you’d like to be my partner?”

You smile, “I’d love to! Fair warning, though, I’m not the best at potions.”

James bursts out into a giddy grin, “I’m willing to pick up the slack.”

“Unfortunately, I bet I’ll make you eat your words,” nonetheless you collect the ingredients as James collects the supplies.

When everything is together, James reads off the instructions. You follow them with great care, not wanting to make a fool of yourself in front of your new, devilishly handsome potions partner.

You make to slice open one of the ingredients, as the instructions called for, but your knife slips, sending the damned thing hurdling straight towards your face. You close your eyes, bracing yourself for an impact that never comes, reopening them only to be met with the sight of the back of James’ hand.

“Holy shit,” you curse, “did you just catch that?”

James nods, almost surprised at himself.

You shake your head in disbelief, “if you weren’t such a good chaser, I’d suggest you take up seeking.”

Your statement renews James’ confidence, so you’d noticed him too?

“Can I show you how to cut it?” He asks, a smile on his face.

You nod, watching his hands intently, confused when he disappears behind you. You quickly piece together what’s happening when he grabs your hands with his own, handing you the knife and positioning you so that you slice through the ingredient like it’s nothing.

“Great job!” James praises, even though it was him that had done all the work.

You still take the compliment, grinning from ear to ear as he tosses the final ingredient into the potion, creating the rich purple color you were striving for, “we make a really good team, Potter.”

“Oh yeah?” He asks, “well what do you say we see if we make as good of a couple?” You feel blood rush to your cheeks, James further clarifies “Hogsmeade this weekend? Just you and me?”

And you nod eagerly, “I would love that.”

If Sirius thought James asking you out would be the solution to him raving on and on about you all hours of the day, he was sorely mistaken and he was about to figure that out as soon as James stepped into the common room.

[moonstruckme]

have a bonfire - send a character + a trope (one bed, fake dating, etc.) and I’ll write a drabble

hii!! first off i wanna say congrats on 5k you deserve it so much!! can i do remus lupin and fake dating please and ty!

Thanks so much lovely!

cw: alcohol

Remus Lupin x fem!reader ♡ 969 words

“Your favorite color is green,” you say, passing Remus a glass of champagne. 

His brow twitches as he takes it from you, holding it by the stem like an adult. You adjust your grip on yours accordingly. “What?” 

“Your friend Sirius cornered me by the bar. I panicked.” 

“Ah.” Remus tucks a tongue into his cheek, just shy of the corner of his mouth, and takes a sip. “I’ve always told him I didn’t have a favorite.” 

You chew your lip, nodding. “Okay. That’s okay, we can just say you told me because you’re, like, so into me.” 

He chuckles. “So into you I divulged to you the deep, dark secret of my favorite color?” 

“Mhm. Think he’ll buy it?” 

“He might, actually.” He takes another sip of his champagne, and you remember to have a bit of yours. You could probably use it. Remus looks perfectly composed, and surprisingly dapper in his suit, done up to the top button with the collar just barely brushing a thin, pale scar circling a third of his neck. Contrastly, you’re a jumble of nerves. “Sirius likes to think I’m holding out on them, it might fit into his narrative that I’d kept it a secret all these years.” 

“And if he does figure it out, we could probably just tell him, right?” you ask, and somehow your champagne is half gone. Damned duplicitous, narrow glasses. 

Remus’ smile softens as it bubbles down your throat, and you know he can read what you’re thinking on your face. You’re a shit actress, an even worse liar. You’re going to ruin this for him. 

“We could,” he says, “but he’ll only tell James.” 

“Really?” You look at the man still standing by the bar, now chatting with a blonde you don’t know but suspect in a few minutes will have to pretend you’ve heard Remus talk about a million times. Sirius has managed to wear a leather jacket to a wedding, thrown on right after the reception in what Remus has informed you is typical fashion for him. He grins with one half of his mouth as he talks, flashing canines when he really means it. “He doesn’t strike me as a narc.” 

Remus steps closer to you as someone moves past him, lowering his voice. You can smell his cologne, woody and vaguely sweet. “He’s not. He and James tell each other everything, though.” 

“Oh. That’s sweet, actually.” 

James is the one you’re really here for. It’s his wedding, and months ago when he and his fiancee sent out invitations he’d asked if Sirius or Remus would need a plus-one. Sirius said yes immediately, and by some manner you can’t say you understand but Remus assures you is very typical of them, this evidently devolved into a bet on whether Remus could actually find a date that met his standards and that he was willing to ask to come to the wedding with him. 

As it turns out, Remus is more competitive than you would have guessed. 

According to James and Sirius, no one is ever good enough for him. You’re here to disprove that, though you don’t love that your work crush asked you out because he couldn’t find anyone he wanted to actually date. Still, Remus is your friend, and you were never going to say no to helping him. If you’d known you’d get to see him in this suit, you probably would have said yes even faster. 

“Do you want another?” Remus asks, and you look down to find your champagne glass is empty. 

“Oh my gosh, sorry.” You set the glass down on a nearby table, embarrassment a tickle over your skin. “Yeah, probably best not.” 

“Don’t be sorry.” He tilts his head at you, smiling in that gentle, kind way of his. “You’re here not on a job, love, you should have a good time.” 

“I feel like I am, a little bit.” Your laugh bubbles out of you easily, fizzy like the champagne. “I want to at least act like someone your friends believe you could be interested in.” 

“Just be yourself,” Remus reassures you. “They’ll believe it.” 

Something in your gut flitters at what that could mean. You don’t let yourself think on it. “What if I wanted to dance?” 

He smiles. “Then you should do that.” 

“But would you dance with me?” 

“I would hold your things for you.” His grin takes on a sheepish quality. “Find a chair to watch with all the other lame boyfriends.” 

You tsk. “You’re not lame, Remus.” He looks like he wants to contradict you, but he kisses his teeth instead. “I think I’d rather stay with you, if that’s alright. We can go sit in chairs amongst the lame boyfriends if you like.” 

Remus considers you for a moment. The sky has turned a deep blue around you, the string lights hung up around the space casting a warm glow that filters through his hair and makes it appear more golden than brown. “I would go dance with you if you wanted me to,” he admits. 

You blink. “Really?” 

“Well, maybe not dance so much as hold both our drinks and stand near you while you danced, but I want to stay with you, too.” Remus glances away from your eyes for a moment, a shyness you haven’t seen since you first met in his expression. “If you want to dance, I’ll go with you.” 

You take his hand on impulse, the scars and calluses of his skin alternately rough and smooth between your palms. “I don’t want to make you,” you tell him earnestly, “but I really do want to dance.” 

Remus looks to the side, his smile almost begrudging. “You’re not making me,” he says. 

You end up getting another glass of champagne after all.

[deadpeopleinc]

Alright chat, here's a list of fun facts/headcanons for my Marauders era au (out of context)

The concept of songbirds has done irreversible damage to Sirius' mental health

Sirius was painfully aware of the fact he was put in the wrong Hogwarts house, while Regulus was (for once) oblivious to the fact he was put in the wrong one

James is deathly afraid of clowns and anything clown adjacent

It takes Remus about 30 seconds to decide if he likes you

Peter can cry on demand, but the fact he cries pretty easily already makes this skill useless

Sirius loves clowns and anything clown adjacent

While Marlene is 3rd in student rankings, she can't brew a potion correctly if her life depended on it

Despite her calm demeanor, Dorcas is a holiday fiend and will find any reason to go all out

Pandora has managed to trick most of the Hogwarts population into thinking she's a seer. She's not, just really observant

Rosekiller started flirting with Peter as an on the wim joke, and fell in love on an even bigger wim

It takes a 2 minute conversation with Pandora for Lily to fall in love

Peter is scarily into horror movies

Sirius is an intense gingerbread fan

James has a habit of getting weirdly poetic with his speech, but only in short bursts

James is the 'eyes always closed anime character' of Hogwarts. Sirius didn't actually know what his eye color was until 3rd year. He gets this from his father

Sirius gets incredibly defensive of his family, but will deny it like his life depends on it

Partial albinism is a Black family trait, most just choose to hide it. Narcissa and Regulus are the only ones who don't

James was the only marauder with a regular (posh) British accent until like 2nd year. He still somehow managed to understand them perfectly fine

Marlene needs glasses but would actually rather die than wear them

Sirius is left-handed, Snape is too and they both hate it because of that

Lily was a horse girl

Sirius is autistic, Snape is too and they both hate it because of that

Peter bakes and Sirius cooks

Remus manages to burn water and James isn't allowed into kitchens. Not because he's bad at cooking, he's actually really good, he just gets really controlling

James is Indian, Mexican, and Chinese

Sirius would die to be taller, but (simultaneously) finds he and Remus' height difference hot

It takes Remus 4 years to fully realize how much taller he is to everyone else

Peter love gardening

Sirius has really neat handwriting, like every essay he writes is in beautiful cursive and he hates it

Snape's favorite color is pastel pink

Snape and Sirius' friendship starts right after a fistfight in a potions classroom

It takes everyone else 6 months to find out about said friendship

When his concealing charm isn't on, Sirius' partial albinism covers the whole left side of his body. He has the most "coverage" in the entire family

James always cries during the dramatic kiss scenes in romance movies

He's also the 'eyes always closed anime character' of Hogwarts. Sirius doesn't know what his eye color is until 5th year

Remus was under the impression he was bi for the longest time because he only ever had crushes on fem/androgynous guys. It took until 6th year for him to realize that didn't count because they were all still guys none the less

James thought everyone didn't see gender when it came to crushes until around 3rd year

This will almost definitely have a part 2, but this is what's on my brain at the moment.

•edit• PART 2

[dinarosie]

hi i am actually very interested in the fact that you are "anti-marauders" because i have a strong feeling you've never actually had a conversation with a (real, not tik-tokified) marauders fan. i don't particularly "hate" snape, but i do NOT think he's a good person. i have a lot of similar nuanced feeling pertaining to peter, and i will admit that james and sirius are often childish and did bully snape. i've decided to reread half-blood prince, and rewatch the movie, so i can have a real conversation of my opinion on snape, and i will send in another ask later.

also, sectumsemprus (is that it?) is his SIGNATURE spell- for reference, voldemort's signature spell is avada kedavra, and harry's is probably expelliarmus. do you know how many times you have to use a spell for it to become your signature spell?

Hi there! Thanks for reaching out.

First, I want to clarify that I use anti-Marauders tags not because I created this blog solely to spread hate against them or to harass their fans, but because it’s a general Tumblr rule. For nearly any post criticizing a character, you’re expected to use anti tags, as fans of that character might not want to see critical posts about their favorite. This ensures fans who may not want to see criticism of their favorite characters can filter or avoid it if they choose.

Now, you mentioned that I probably haven’t talked to a “real” Marauders fan, which is why I have anti-Marauders posts. But honestly, I don’t think all fans of the Marauders share the same views, nor is it possible to talk to every fan before making a post. I see a lot of anti-Snape content daily—much of it from Marauders fans—and often get an idea for a post that I decide to share. I imagine most bloggers do this; it’s part of engaging with fandoms online. I try to offer thoughtful critiques when possible, but that does take time. Sometimes, seeing particularly harsh, illogical, or double-standard comments pushes me to post a short, sarcastic response—one that mirrors the style of some of the content I encounter.

Overall, I wouldn’t call myself “anti All of Marauder fans.” Yes, I use terms like “Marauders fans” and “anti-Marauders” tags, but my issue is only with fans who unreasonably hate Snape and mock him (even for things like his background) or who attack Snape supporters, labeling them with hurtful terms simply for supporting him. Outside of those specific cases, I have no problem with other fans.

As for your question about Sectumsempra, I understand you’re suggesting it became Snape’s “signature” spell through frequent, harmful use. I looked up the reference you mentioned, and here’s the passage from Deathly Hallows where Lupin speaks of Sectumsempra:

“He lost his hood during the chase. Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s. I wish I could say I’d paid him back in kind, but it was all I could do to keep George on the broom after he was injured, he was losing so much blood.”

It’s worth noting the term Lupin uses here: specialty, not signature. Sectumsempra first appears in Half-Blood Prince as an unknown spell by an unnamed creator. After Harry uses it on Malfoy, it’s still an unfamiliar spell until Snape admits to creating it at the end of the book. But in Deathly Hallows, right after the Battle of the Seven Potters, Sectumsempra becomes widely associated with Snape (via Lupin’s words).

While in Half-Blood Prince the goal is to keep the creator of this spell anonymous, in Deathly Hallows it’s crucial to know exactly who used Sectumsempra during the Battle of the Seven Potters. The inconsistency here seems intentional. The author isn’t referencing Sectumsempra’s notoriety here to highlight Snape’s past; rather, I believe she brings it up as an important clue about the future. This clue gains significance after we view Snape’s memories, especially after reading Dumbledore’s line to him just before the Battle of the Seven Potters:

And Severus, if you are forced to take part in the chase, be sure to act your part convincingly… I am counting upon you to remain in Lord Voldemort’s good books as long as possible, or Hogwarts will be left to the mercy of the Carrows..."

But in THE PRINCE’S TALE, we see that Snape defies Dumbledore’s advice—he steps out of his role as a Death Eater and targets another Death Eater with a spell that’s highly conspicuous, one that could jeopardize his cover. (If successful, and had it hit another Death Eater, they would have immediately recognized the spell as Snape’s own.) So why would Snape make such an irrational choice? Why take such a risk? To save the life of Remus Lupin.

This scene is one of many that show Snape’s growth and commitment to doing the right thing—not out of loyalty to Lily, not for Dumbledore, nor for any personal reward.( And that's exactly why, in the chapter where Snape's true loyalty and the real story behind him are finally revealed, this spell and its backstory are brought up.) As he admitted in his iconic line to Dumbledore, he had grown weary of watching lives be lost when he had the power to save them. Whether it’s an old bully, Lucius and Narcissa’s son, or James and Lily’s, Snape steps in without hesitation to protect a life—even if it endangers his own

Another reason I don’t believe the author’s aim here is to highlight Snape’s crimes as a Death Eater is that there are numerous scenes throughout the series discussing Snape’s actions during that time. Yet, we never see any indication or hint from the author that Snape committed serious harm or atrocities while serving as a Death Eater. In fact, in his argument with Bellatrix, it’s mentioned that Snape actively tried to avoid participating in missions. During his planning conversations with Dumbledore, we’re also told that his soul has never been tainted by murder. And in Karkaroff’s trial, there’s no crime or accusation he can use against Snape.

[siriussunday]

sirius gibson doesnt have rui kamishiro hair. rui kamishiro has sirius gibson hair. GO HOME!

choose violence on

SIRIUS SUNDAY!

[severus-snaps]

Densaugeo and Hermione and Snape

So, once again I find myself reading through Snape reddit threads but I don't really use reddit and they're years old so I'm importing it here. I'm tripping into Snape apologism territory here but also sort of not - yes, a teacher insulting a 14yo girl's appearance would be devastating and inexcusable irl but it's not irl - and it's these potential theories I'm interested in :P

Is it out of character for Snape, who never anywhere else in the books touches on people's appearances, to insult Hermione's appearance?

How likely is it that it's a misunderstanding or deliberate double entendre (aka he appears to be insulting Hermione's appearance but is actually saying to Harry/Ron, you just did the same thing to Goyle)?

And do we think it was part of his cover to be more cruel than usual in front of Draco, either by deliberately choosing a sentence to be interpreted either way, or intending it to sound mean?

I've covered some of my workings below the cut, but I don't reach any conclusions other than he probably was being more cruel for practical reasons, rather than for his own amusement, in this scene. As always, I just like talking to people about these things so if anyone wants to drop a comment then I'm here for it :P

I started with Snape is really at his worst in GOF but touched on a few others, too. Some of the arguments I've seen that interested me were these:

Snape has only once in seven books made a remark about anyone's appearance, which was following the teeth hex with Hermione

Snape was mocked in school for his own appearance - and mocked again in PoA by the Marauders Map for being an ugly, abnormally large-nosed slimeball etc, and mocked at home for being weird-looking (e.g. by Petunia). Harry/Sirius/others fairly regularly comment on Snape's unpleasant appearance, from his hair to his teeth to his skin. In short, he's not really set up to be in a position to be commenting on other people's appearances - and indeed, he generally doesn't

Snape tends to show his enjoyment when he enjoys an insult - he smirks, smiles, etc, when he's insulting Harry sometimes, or James, and even Umbridge for example you get the idea he's having a good time with the ironic bow - but he didn't here. He's described as looking at her 'coldly'. Usually he just ignores her until she speaks out of turn in class

It was potentially a misunderstanding? He's saying "I see no difference" to Ron's insistence that Draco did something wrong, when Goyle's just been sent to the hospital wing looking like something out of a book on poisonous fungi. Neither Slytherin nor Gryffindor get points docked until Ron and Harry start shouting (probably swear words) at him.

This post (or one of the comments in it) also argued that it's out of character; Snape insults Harry's character several times, but usually he's insulting people's abilities, intelligence, or behaviour, not their appearance (since he values those things, but not necessarily his/others' appearance)

Karkaroff says "It’s [the Dark Mark] been getting clearer and clearer for months" at the Yule Ball, and so is Snape's "Karkaroff’s Mark is becoming darker too" [emphasis mine]

Densaugeo-gate happens in mid-November, so Snape knows Voldemort is likely to return by this point, with several months' warning

The teeth incident happens in front of a few children of known DEs, most notably Draco Malfoy, whose father will hear about this - probably several times:

PS: “But this is servant stuff, it’s not for students to do. I thought we’d be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he’d—” CoS: "… everyone thinks he’s so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick — ” “You have told me this at least a dozen times already,” said Mr. Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son. ... “The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger — ” “I would have thought you’d be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam,” snapped Mr. Malfoy. "I expect you’d have Father’s vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job - I’ll tell Father you’re the best teacher here, sir" POA: “God, this place is going to the dogs,” said Malfoy loudly. “That oaf teaching classes, my father’ll have a fit when I tell him —” GoF: Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words “my father” were distinguishable.

Everything - from Hermione's grades to Harry's antics, up to and including the teachers' behaviour, punishments, and classes - is reported back to Lucius Malfoy, especially as it relates to Harry. A scenario in which Draco and Harry duel one another in the corridor and that isn't met by sufficient retaliation from Snape will make it back to Lucius, whether he cares to hear about it a dozen times or not. Lucius already knowing about all of Hermione's exam grades is interesting - how did Draco know? Did Snape tell Lucius directly when asked? I can't see Draco asking Hermione; I can see Hermione bragging talking about it. I'd love to know.

So what does it matter if Lucius hears about this incident? Well, he's widely known by Arthur Weasley and his kids, and therefore probably plenty of other people, as being in Voldemort's 'inner circle' as early as CoS:

“And when You-Know-Who disappeared,” said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, “Lucius Malfoy came back saying he’d never meant any of it. Load of dung — Dad reckons he was right in You-Know- Who’s inner circle.” (Fred, CoS)

Snape obviously knows; Lucius was probably the one who got him involved. Lucius probably had some level of influence or control over Snape even back when Snape was in school, or in his early DE days:

OotP: “Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he’s delighted his lapdog’s working at Hogwarts, isn’t he?” (Sirius)

lapdog: a small pampered pet dog | a person or organization that is influenced or controlled by another

Snape as a pampered pet:

I've seen some metas discussing this in terms of Ancient Roman society and patrons, in terms of 'fagging', and in terms of Lucius shaping Snape from a poor, jerky, twitching teen to a poor, jerky, twitching man who tried to hide it beneath a soft-spoken, well-spoken, cool air - modelling himself after Lucius. Snape was almost literally taken under the wing of Prefect Lucius Malfoy the moment he was Sorted. He probably learnt from his "old friend" to affect membership in the Pureblood/upper class - and did so well enough to shock Bellatrix when she first saw Spinner's End (and she never insults him for being half-blood, which she does to Harry, despite hating Snape).

In any case, Snape probably owed a lot to Lucius. He likely had a level of control over Snape, both through his existing personal relationship with him as a mentor-mentee ("old friend" at best) or abusive ("lapdog" at worst; see 'fagging') relationship. Until the end of CoS, Lucius had a hand in running the school on the Board of Governors, and had enough power/fear with the rest of the Board to remove Dumbledore, never mind mere mortals like Snape if he stuck a toe out of line. And even when Lucius was gone from Hogwarts, he retained strong ties in the Ministry, sharing a Quidditch box with Fudge, and evidently having at least a few conversations with Umbridge:

"I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you!"

So we can infer that Lucius thinks Snape is as dedicated to The Cause as he is. Even Draco remains convinced of this in later books, before Snape has cemented his position by killing Dumbledore, but even after Snape has usurped Lucius' position as Voldemort's right-hand man:

"[Snape's] a double agent, you stupid old man [Dumbledore], he isn’t working for you, you just think he is!"

[Draco likes/trusts Snape] “much less since his father has lost favour. Draco blames me, he thinks I have usurped Lucius’s position.”

Prior to Lucius' demotion/imprisonment era, Lucius clearly outranks Snape. Lucius is one of the most trusted DEs during VW1; only Lucius and Bellatrix are trusted enough to keep his Horcruxes safe (Lucius the diary, and Bellatrix the cup). Lucius was also supposed to be in charge of the battle for the department of mysteries, Voldemort's year-in-the-making plan, but obviously... that didn't go to plan, in the end.

But there's quite a rushed trajectory of Lucius' fall and Snape's ascent. The battle happens in late June 1996, Lucius is imprisoned, and not released for another year - during which time, Snape is rising, until he ultimately kills Dumbledore and is at the top. Still, he's not trusted with too much information; despite being at Hogwarts, he doesn't know the location or existence of the Horcruxes (unlike Lucius and Bellatrix, even if they didn't know what they were), and Voldemort doesn't allow Snape to see him enter Dumbledore's tomb.

Anyway, what with Bellatrix and other DEs not trusting Snape:

"Where were you when the Dark Lord fell? Why did you never make any attempt to find him when he vanished? What have you been doing all these years that you’ve lived in Dumbledore’s pocket? Why did you stop the Dark Lord procuring the Sorcerer’s Stone? Why did you not return at once when the Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you a few weeks ago when we battled to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord? And why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy for five years?" ... "You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord!"

What has Snape been doing all these years that he's lived in Dumbledore’s pocket?

Well, tormenting Gryffindors, for one. Tormenting Harry Potter and to a slightly lesser extent, his friends. Not all of it was tied to his cover - Snape was just a bitch with a bad classroom manner, no love of children, high expectations, and a short fuse. But if it helped, in the early months of his Mark darkening again, to become a bit more cruel to Muggleborns and Harry, then why wouldn't he - especially in front of Draco? He knew that soon - whether it be in a few months, a few days, or even a few hours, he was going to have to walk back into Voldemort's fold and pray to god he wasn't killed on sight for abandoning the cause. With others whispering behind his back - bold of them, since the ones left to whisper are largely people who escaped Azkaban, but it's a crab bucket being a Death Eater - he'd need a benefactor. A trusted servant, like Lucius, to back him up. "No, no, Snape's been tormenting Potter for years - Draco says so. He'll tell anyone on the Board who stands still for long enough how useless Potter is. Oh, he says he's Dumbledore's man, but when the old coot's back is turned, he insults that Mudblood Granger."

It wouldn't be much use to Snape if his Occlumency said one thing (I'm still a loyal Death Eater) but his actions said another (he's perfectly jovial to all students), especially as Snape is just not...a jovial person to begin with. He's got a nasty streak as a teen that Voldemort probably would've encouraged in the Dark Arts. Half of the Order were Gryffindors and half (or more than half) of the Death Eaters were Slytherins.

Also Lorrie Kim's books has some really nice observations about how his behaviour (in terms of his personality, loyalties, how he appears) really starts to contradict his core values in GoF especially.

Anyway, once again I don't have a conclusion, I just had thoughts, based around these again:

Is it out of character for Snape, who never anywhere else in the books touches on people's appearances, to insult Hermione's appearance?

How likely is it that it's a misunderstanding or deliberate double entendre (aka he appears to be insulting Hermione's appearance but is actually saying to Harry/Ron, you just did the same thing to Goyle)?

And do we think it was part of his cover to be more cruel than usual in front of Draco, either by deliberately choosing a sentence to be interpreted either way, or intending it to sound mean?

i feel like i've set anyone who read this far along homework :P one foot of parchment, on my desk by Friday

[regulus-lantsov]

Marauders characters as actual F1 drivers because my two obsessions need to be together + McGonagall and a bit of a cheat for Mary.

1 : Daniel Ricciardo and James Potter. Do I need to explain ? Daniel is a variant of James and I’ll die on top of that hill

2 : Regulus Black and Pierre Gasly. I don’t know. I have this vibe. The ‘I can be a badass with a french accent but at the same time I care for my friends’ vibe. ( Plus my two favorites together )

3 : Remus Lupin and Oscar Piastri. The calm vibe who dates the energetic one. You know you know they just fit so well ( I, now, decide that Oscar is my Remus Lupin fancast. ) 

4 : Sirius Black and Lando Norris. Do I need to explain ?? My two baby girls who are sassy asf.

5 : Peter Pettigrew and Kevin Magnussen. Don’t ask because I don’t know either. I just felt the vibe. 

6 Dorcas Meadowes and Lewis Hamilton. The sass, the clothes, the fashion style, the sarcasm ?? They are variants of each other.

7 : Evan Rosier and Max Verstappen. The care for others and who’s ready to destroy everyone's vibe that match so well.

8 : Barty Crouch Jr and George Russell. They’re both icons who doesn’t give a fuck about the others’s thoughts on them and I live for that.

9 : Lily Evans and Charles Leclerc. Yeah. Them. Why ? Because they have the hard work, loyalty but at the same time : I could enter my villain era if you bother me too much.

10 : Pandora Rosier and Alexander Albon. They’re the same in another universe. Always putting the other before themselves…

11 : Marlène McKinnon and Fernando Alonso. The ‘I don’t give a fuck’ vibe. The jokes about James’ mother that Fernando would make.

12 : Mary McDonald and Nico Rosberg. I had to ! If Lewis was here I needed to add his ‘non-boyfriend’ who matches Mary’s vibe so well.

+13 : Finally ! Finally ! Their saviors ! Minerva McGonagall and obviously Sebastian Vettel ! Do I need to explain ?? Father and mother figures of their franchises.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

this is probably stupid to ask, but do you like snape? or the marauders? there's always fanwars happening between marauders stans and snape stans. tbh i'm just curious where you stand (i like both, and prefer their canon selves rather than the fanon which is btw really stupid. they feminized sirius so much its not even sirius anymore.) what made you like snape? if you do, or are you neutral with him? just for a change of question since i always ask about harry.

Thanks for the ask! I don't think it's stupid.

I prefer their canon counterparts as well, the Marauders fanon has so little to do with canon I can hardly call the characters by the same name. They just aren't the same characters. Anyway, I'm gonna try and summarise my highly subjective opinions about them here.

1. Sirius Black

He's my second most favorite character and my favorite among the characters you mentioned. I wrote about him a lot on this blog, so I don't really feel the need to write more.

But, he's smart, resilient, and goofy on occasion. His love for Harry is one of my favorite aspects of his character because he loves Harry so much. And he has his flaws. He can be cruel, cold, and arrogant and I wouldn't like him as much if he wasn't visibly a member of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black regardless of how much he tried to get away from his legacy. I love how messy his feelings about his family are. He left Regulus' room as it was, even though the rest of the house got cleaned by the Order. He stayed in his mother's bedroom even when all the conversations he had with her portrait were in screams. I love his distrust in Dumbledore after everything he's been through and how he chooses to remain for Harry's sake — he's willing to do anything for Harry's sake.

I just truly love Sirius.

2. Severus Snape

He's the next on this list because I do like Snape, he's not a character I'm passionate about, but I like him. I think he shouldn't be a teacher (I think he hates being a teacher more than his students hate him teaching them) but he's a talented potion maker and wizard. And he is a very entertaining character, even without knowing everything about him.

But what really makes me like Snape is that I find him interesting. I think his psychology is interesting, as is his dynamic with Lily, Dumbledore, and Voldemort. Snape is a fascinating character to study from a lot of angles, and even as a reader, there is quite a bit that's up in the air about him because he's that good at being a spy and not giving us anything.

The other major thing I like about him is his competence as a spy and wizard. If there's one thing I love in my fictional characters — it's competence (and intelligence). I often joke with my irl friends that Snape is the only competent Death Eater and the only competent member of the Order of the Phoenix. We then joke that if we were in his shoes, surrounded by a lot of people who don't actually do anything and we're the only ones affecting this war from both sides, we'd probably be bitter too.

A little note that seems overlooked about Snape often in the fandom, in general, is how we think, "Oh, he's so great at Occlumancy and not being emotional" — that's not strictly true. When it comes to Lily or the Marauders all his well-crafted Occlumancy kinda goes out the window. In books 3 and 5 he throws actual temper tantrums about Sirius Black. Like, I feel Snape, deep down is actually super not well adjusted and is an emotionally unstable mess, but he learned to pretend otherwise. Basically, all the cold facade is just that — a facade. He isn't really that stoic.

3. James Potter

I'm weird about James. Like, he's almost a nonentity and what we do hear about him is either negative or comes from biased sources.

I do tend to give him more of the benefit of the doubt than a lot of other fans who prefer canon James do. He was awful when he was younger, he was a bully and he assaulted Snape and there is no excuse for his actions. That being said, I can believe he changed. War changes you and you'd be hard-pressed to find a 21-year-old who isn't ashamed of a lot of what they did or said when they were 15. And yes, some of what James did is definitely more extreme than that of the average person, but it isn't that extreme compared to the environment he grew up in. Remus tells Harry everyone was casting Levicorpous on each other in the halls. I'm not saying any of the bullying is okay, I'm just saying it probably seemed normal to him and this is important context. Same as I don't think Snape is abusive towards students when put in the context of their culture and environment where, until recently, they caned students (Snape actually seems very averse to corporeal punishment. He also likely treats Harry very different than he does literally any other student, but this is the James section).

I just, like the idea of James changing for the better. I'd like to think he did. That life and war and loss taught him something.

4. Peter Pettigrew

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I like Pettigrew more than Lupin. He's awful, he's pathetic, he's a cowardly rat man and I find his sniveling funny. Whenever I try to think of a what-if scenario in my head, Pettigrew is somehow the key to it. Because he's a character that affects so much of the plot in some incredibly crucial moments — he betrayed James and Lily, he resurrected the Dark Lord, and later, he allows Harry's survival. Idk, I just find his situation and just how pathetic he could get fascinating. It's, like, there is no rock bottom for this guy, he keeps digging. Like, you can't get more pathetic than living as a rat for 12 years when you could've moved to Argentina or something.

And at the same time, he clearly has some residual care for Harry for his father's friendship. He has so many opportunities to kill Harry or kidnap him when he runs away to join Voldemort — but he doesn't. Even after Sirius escapes and he knows his time is up, he still leaves Harry alive. When he is supposed to kill him in book 7, he doesn't, he again lets him go and pays with his own life for it. Like, again, idk, it's just how I feel.

5. Remus Lupin

I know I placed Lupin last, and it's because I don't personally like him that much. Pretty sure this is a little controversial, but I don't really like book Lupin, he does not vibe with me, at all. (Though I'd choose book Lupin over Marauders fandom Lupin every time)

Like, it bothers me that he doesn't actually care about Harry (the only one on the list who willingly physically harmed Harry, in a moment of anger, but still). It was Harry who asked to be taught the Patronus, if it was up to Remus, he wouldn't be involved in Harry's life at all. He tried to run on his wife when she got pregnant because he was scared. Like, Petttigrew is given shit for being a cowardly Gryffindor, but, look, you need some guts to betray your friends, so I'd argue Remus is the most cowardly Marauder (it's easy to be brave when you don't care for your own life).

But, all of this is part of his character and the story wouldn't be what it is if Remus bothered to get his head out of his own ass and check up on Harry. How he behaves makes him my personal least favorite Marauder, but I want Lupin to be a cowardly guy who runs away from attachment and responsibility because he doesn't trust himself with anything (especially not anything good). He's not cool, or suave, and he's desperate for people to like him but without actually knowing him because he thinks that if they do they'd run away screaming like he wants to run from himself. Honestly, I don't get why the Mauraders fandom made James the people-pleaser when Remus Lupin is right there always telling people what they want to hear so they'd like him.

Again, these are all my own personal subjective opinions, but yeah.

[doctorwhoandfairytaillover]

What Makes a Home

Summary: When Sirius Black was still in Hogwarts, there were few places that he could ever feel that he truly belonged. At Hogwarts, with his friends, and a secret place that he held ever so dear. Somewhere he couldn't bring himself to talk about.

Pairing: Sirius x Aunt Reader (PLATONIC)

A/N: I was inspired a lot by the song Find You by Sing Street and listened to it a bunch when writing this story. I think at this point we can all assume that I like making cute stories where characters get to have nice mother like figures.

Growing up for a young Sirius Orion Black was a bit difficult, he was not very fond of the rules of the house of Black, which is why he tended to be on the receiving end of punishment quite often. But there were two places in the whole world that the young Sirius felt that he could freely be himself, Hogwarts and the home of his beloved aunt (Y/N) (L/N) nee Black. A name that was usually said with vitriol if ever spoken at home and avoided when in the company of other wizarding families for formal dinners. 

But despite all that, Sirius loved getting to spend time with his aunt and running over to her place from time to time, even if it was not as often as he would have liked. The boy's rebellious soul felt freedom from the rules of his parents and getting to experience the warmth of being loved by his aunt.

Which is why, with his heavy suitcase in hand, Sirius had made haste to leave Platform 9 ¾ as soon as the train stopped. He said his quick goodbyes to his friends and booked it before his mother and father arrived to take Regulus and himself back home. He knew that they would have heard about his school antics and not been pleased, so with nothing else to lose, he left. 

When he finally arrived at her home was fairly winded and the bouquet that he purchased was a bit worse for wear, but he did not care. With how lovely his aunt was, Sirius knew that she would be pleased at just having the chance to see him. 

Sirius knocked on the door and loudly said. "Auntie! It’s me! Sirius! Please open up!”

The door swung open and there stood the woman of the hour. “My sweet, sweet boy!” she pulled him into a tight hug and pressed numerous kisses onto his ruddy cheeks

Sirius dropped his suitcase and hugged her. He was immediately enveloped by the smell that always made him feel better, a cozy homey scent of chamomile tea, parchment, and ink. 

"I missed you!" He said, hugging her a little tighter and burying his face into her soft sweater.

“Oh! you're getting so tall, stay little for a while longer won't you?” 

Sirius couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face when she stroked his hair. With a grin, he pulled away a little to look at her and said, "Well, it's not something I can stop you know. But for you I’ll try.”

“Come in, come in and give me that suitcase of yours, you must be tired!” She said ushering him through the door.

“Okay.” Sirius obeyed, picking up his suitcase and entering after her. He immediately dropped down on the sofa. “I’m knackered.” He sighed tiredly, tilting his head against the cushions.

“Oh my sweet boy, it's always good to have you here” she said while setting his suitcase off to the side.

“I wish I could stay here forever,” Sirius muttered, closing his eyes. It was cozy here, warm and comforting. He didn't even want to think about returning home.

“Let's not think of that just yet, hopefully I don’t hear from Walburga too soon” she said wiping her hands against her skirt. “I actually have your favorite cookies in the oven right now.”

"Mmm, now you've given me a reason to stay," Sirius hummed in response, opening one eye and looking up at her. "You spoil me too much auntie.”

“I don't spoil you enough!” she said pinching his cheek lovingly.

"Hey!" He protested, wrinkling his nose at her with a laugh. "You really spoil me a lot. I come to you every summer and you feed me non-stop in the time I get to stay with you. I'm afraid I’ll put on weight and won't be able to recognize myself if I keep it up."

“Good! Wards the girls away and I'll keep you to myself” she teased. 

Sirius laughed and rolled his eyes, amused. “You act like a mother more than my real mother! I wouldn’t mind you keeping me all to yourself, you’re my favorite after all.”

She smiled softly, “I would keep you here if I could, if only your mother wasn't such a witch.”

Sirius smiled back, enjoying her caresses and soft voice. However, the mention of his “mother” darkened his mood for a moment. “Don't even mention her... “ He muttered bitterly, turning away and sitting up.

“I know, I know” she said with a sigh. “Just give me a moment and I'll be back with those fresh cookies and a pot of tea”

"Okay." Sirius mumbled. 

When his aunt left, he leaned back against the sofa with a heavy sigh. He really didn't want to think about his mother. Not when here everything was so comfortable, warm and nice. Here he could be himself and not the Black heir.

It took several minutes for his aunt to return. In the meantime, Sirius was staring at the ceiling, tapping his fingers on his leg restlessly.

"Auntie," he spoke up as she walked over to the table, “you’re positive that Father or Mother hasn’t called about me?"

“No, not yet!” She said bringing along her tray of cookies and tea

Surprisingly, this news left a strange feeling in his chest. A little part of him, tucked deep in his heart, always wanted their attention and care. But, on the other hand, he knew he would be better off not seeing them at all. Not while they treated him only as the future Black heir and not as their son.

Sirius looked at her and smiled, "That’s good. I can have all the cookies to myself."

“You'll take some of these to your brother, won't you? I worry when Regulus doesn't come for a visit.”

Sirius rolled his eyes at the mention of his brother and muttered under his breath but still nodded in agreement. He's going to give some of the cookies to Regulus. "But if you worry about him so much, why don't you just tell him personally?"

She sighed and poured him a cup of tea, “He never answers my letters or calls, your mother certainly has her clutches on that boy.”

Sirius grimaced and accepted the cup of tea, wrapping his fingers around it. The warm liquid warmed him, and he took a small sip, “You’re not wrong about that. Mother has her claws in both of us.” He looked at his aunt, his expression slightly bitter. "Why does it seem that she's always hated us more and more over the years?"

“She's always been bitter over the littlest things, she was a real nag growing up” she said. “Try not to take it to heart.”

Sirius chuckled at that description. He could easily imagine his mother being bitter, just like his grandparents, and always finding something to complain about. "Is there a part of her that ever loved us, I wonder? At least Father sometimes acknowledges that we’re children.”

“I wish I knew the answer my sweet boy, but if as her sister, she refuses anything with me, then I wouldn’t know.”

Sirius nodded silently in response, wrapping his fingers tighter around the cup, feeling the warmth and holding it tighter. "Yeah... I hope Regulus is alright. I doubt anything good awaits him at home." He said bitterly and took a large gulp of tea.

“But enough about your mother, how was school this year? Any new friends?”

Sirius visibly brightened up when she changed the topic. He took another sip of tea before enthusiastically answering, "It was pretty cool, honestly. James and Remus are still my favorites, of course. But we found a new friend Peter, he's cool too. It's hard to be with us, though. We always get in trouble," he said with a chuckle, as if being in trouble was something to brag about.

“Not too much trouble I hope,” she teased.

Sirius shrugged, the corners of his lips tugging up in a smile. "Not too much trouble, just a normal amount. James, Remus, and I have gotten detention multiple times this year, and Peter only once. But we've had a lot of fun.” He chuckled again, feeling a pang of mischief in his chest as he mentioned the pranks. He definitely had no plans on telling her about their pranks on Snape.

“That's good, have fun while you're young because you don't want to wind up like your auntie do you?”

Sirius burst out laughing, rolling his eyes a little. He shook his head and said jokingly, “No, no, of course not. I don’t want to grow up to be a lonely old cat lady.”

“Watch yourself boy, it's one cat and two dogs, thank you.”

Sirius grinned like a little kid. He reached out to poke her in the cheek, which he has done since he was younger, and said with a mischievous tone, “Still seems like an old cat lady.”

The skittering of nails against wood caught his attention and in just a moment, his aunt’s corgi ran into the room through the doggy door and jumped up excitedly upon seeing the boy.Sirius laughed, seeing the corgi run up happily to him. He loved animals and dogs were no exception. He leaned down and patted the corgi on the head and scratched his ears, "Hey, buddy!"

The dog barked with excitement, wiggling in joy at seeing Sirius.

Sirius laughed again and scratched the dog's head vigorously, clearly enjoying the pup’s excitement. He looked up at his aunt and joked, “Well, I think the corgi clearly missed me more than you did.”

“Well these old bones of mine aren't going to jump in excitement if that's what you want,” she joked with a sip of tea.

Sirius smirked, he was amused by her comment and the corgi's behavior. "Are you trying to hint that you're an old woman, Auntie?"

“You're the one that called me old, young man” she wagged a finger at him. 

Sirius chuckled and said with a cheeky smile, "It was in a humorous manner, of course. I know you're still full of energy and still a hundred years younger than Dumbledore."

She laughed, “Dumbledore has been hundreds of years old even when I went to Hogwarts.”

Sirius laughed imagining Dumbledore being old already when she was at Hogwarts. He sat up a little, still petting the corgi, and said, "Yeah, he must've been a fossil even then."

The dog barked again, licking Sirius' hand and demanding attention. Sirius smiled and continued to shower the corgi with attention, scratching its head and ears, and even giving it a little rub on the belly. "You know, I'm quite jealous of the corgi," he said with a cheeky tone, looking up at his aunt, "It has all your attention."

A thoughtful look came over her features, “He was actually meant to be yours, you know.”

Sirius looked at her in surprise, the corgi still wiggling in his lap. He thought for a moment before saying in disbelief, “Really? But you’ve had Pudgy for years!”

She smiled sadly, “When you were 5, I hoped your mother would finally set our differences and let me come to your birthday even when I hadn’t received invitations to the previous ones. He was supposed to be your gift, but she said finally responded that time and said I was never allowed to come. Not even over her grave.”

Sirius' expression darkened at her words, the smile disappearing from his face. He could feel the familiar bitterness well up inside him as he listened to her story. The anger at his mother only grew. "I honestly don’t understand her…" he said quietly, his gaze fixed on the corgi. He petted the dog softly, “Why does she hate you so much? You’re her sister, and you’re so much nicer.”

“Married your uncle who was a muggle, remember?” She reminded him gently.

“It’s honestly ridiculous…” Sirius muttered under his breath. He never understood his parents' obsession with blood purity and the importance they placed on it. He looked back up at her with an upset expression, "It doesn’t change the fact that you’re family. She should have let you come on my birthdays or let me visit you more often than I do.”

“She thought I would be a bad influence on you. But I just wish she hadn’t been so bitter. Your uncle would have loved to know you” she said sadly.

"I would have loved to have him in my life too." Sirius muttered quietly, continuing to pet the pup who was still wiggling in his lap. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke up again in a slightly bitter voice, "She didn’t even let us come to his funeral, just because he was a Muggle."

A few tears slipped down her face even as she tried to keep smiling for his sake, “I know he wouldn't have held that against you, he was always so proud that his nephews would be wizards.”

Sirius felt that familiar pang in his chest as he watched her wipe away the falling tears. He had always known she was saddened by his uncle’s death, but he hadn’t realized just how much. He gently put a hand on her knee. "We probably would’ve been his favorite nephews," he said with a half smile, trying to lighten the mood.

She smiles at his comfort, “I actually have something that he asked me to set aside for you and Regulus.”

Sirius' expression was surprised as he listened to her words. He hadn't expected that his uncle would have anything left for him. He was both intrigued and curious, and his gaze became more attentive. "Really?" he asked, his grip on the corgi tightening slightly.

She nodded, “Just give me a moment and I'll go get it”

Sirius nodded and watched as she got up from her seat to go get the things his uncle had left for him and Regulus. He continued to pet the corgi, its soft fur helping to calm his anticipation.

While he waited, Sirius sat in his chair, thoughts swirling in his mind. He wondered what his uncle had left him and what significance it would have. The fact that his uncle had set aside something for him and his brother was unexpected, especially considering his mother’s bitter rejection of his aunt and the family's strict beliefs. Losing the boy’s attention, Pudgy the corgi waddled out of the room. 

“Here... it... is!” she said struggling a little beneath its weight.

Sirius laughed again, standing to help her with the heavy present. He looked down at it, intrigued, "What did Uncle even leave us, anyway?"

“I’m not sure, your uncle was so secretive about this thing. He wanted to be sure you wouldn't open it until you were 14 or mature enough for it.” 

Sirius’ eyebrows raised at her words, his eyes now fixed on the present. It was clear that it was something important. He weighed the box in his hands thoughtfully. "Well, only a few more years until I can finally find out then. What about Regulus? What’s in his?"

“Boy, don't play with me. Your 14th birthday was a few weeks ago and I think you’re mature enough,” she sassed. “And I wouldn’t know about Regulus' gift either, he said they were for the two of you.” 

Sirius' cheeks grew warm and he let out a sheepish chuckle. He wasn’t for much fuss about his birthdays and tended to forget about them. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his head and said with an amused tone, "Oh right, I guess I am a year older. It slipped my mind."

“Well, go on” she said encouragingly. “See what he left for you.” 

Sirius looked down at the present in his hands once again, his curiosity now growing. He took a deep breath, the weight of the present felt heavier than any Christmas gift he’d received before. He slowly began to unwrap the packaging, pulling off the paper and revealing the contents of the box.

The wrapping paper was tossed aside, but Sirius eyes were transfixed on what had appeared once it was removed. He stared at the gift in stunned silence for a moment. He didn’t know exactly what he’d been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been this. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest and his mind whirling. He hadn’t been this speechless in ages.

His jaw dropped as he stared down at the guitar, amp, and leather jacket (his main focus despite the other knick knacks). His mind was in a flurry of thoughts and emotions, but there was one thing he wanted to do more than anything else. He reached into the box, gently pulling out the guitar and running his fingers down its surface. His hands trembled slightly as he held it, his mind already filled with visions of him performing with his friends.

“These were his,” she said softly. 

Sirius looked up at her, his eyes wide and full of wonder. He could never have expected that his uncle would give him something like this. He held the guitar tightly in his hands, his heart filled with gratitude. The knowledge that these gifts had once been a part of his uncle's life made them all the more special to him.

"He loved music so much, didn’t he?" He murmured, still awestruck.

“He loved it,” she said wistfully. “He once came with this guitar to serenade me and my father and sister were furious. How could a muggle come and traipse around the family home?” she laughed fondly.

Sirius chuckled, imagining a much younger version of his uncle playing the guitar and trying to impress his aunt and her family. To most pure-bloods, it would be a major disgrace to bring a muggle anywhere near their family home and yet it sounded like the most romantic, exciting thing in the world to Sirius. "I can only imagine the look on our family's faces.”

“Horrified!” she laughed, “but I loved it and couldn't imagine anyone else but him after that.”

Sirius felt his heart warm slightly as she laughed, the sound filling the room. He could sense the love and adoration she still had for his uncle.

It reminded him once again of the fact that he had lost the opportunity to really know his uncle.

"I wish he'd been around longer." He said quietly, his fingers tracing the strings of the guitar.

“I know, sweet boy” she placed a hand on his in comfort. “But he was sick and in so much pain, he couldn’t keep fighting it.”

Sirius felt her warm hand on his and his heart ached at her words. He knew that his uncle had been ill for a long time before he passed away, but he hadn’t really understood the extent of his pain. He nodded silently, trying to push down the feeling of sadness that was welling up inside him. He swallowed and his voice was hoarse as he quietly replied, “Yeah… I know…"

“But make sure to check the box, I know that he wrote you a letter too” she said confidently about what she remembered.

Sirius looked up at her, his eyes widened slightly. His thoughts were distracted from the sadness for a moment at the mention of his uncle's letter. He reached back into the box and began searching through the items in search of the letter. His fingers finally brushed against a folded piece of paper and he pulled it out, holding it carefully in his hand. He stared down at the letter, his heart beating in his chest. He could see the familiar writing of his uncle's name on the front, but he couldn't bring himself to immediately open and read it.

He looked back up at his aunt, his expression a mixture of trepidation and anticipation. "I'm... I'm not sure I'm ready to open this just yet..." he said quietly, his grip on the letter tightening.

“And that's okay, sweet boy” she said softly. “You can read it whenever you're ready, that letter is for you only.”

Sirius nodded, feeling a weight lifted from his chest. He was grateful for her understanding and the fact that she wasn't pressuring him to open the letter right away. He carefully placed the letter aside and looked back at the guitar and amp. He couldn't resist the urge to hold the guitar again, so he picked it up once more. He strummed a few chords awkwardly, feeling the weight of the instrument in his lap. "I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of time with these..."

“You'll learn eventually and I hope if it isn't too much, would you let me be the first to hear when you can play a full song?” 

Sirius's heart fluttered a little at her request, and he smiled warmly. He was honored that she wanted to be the first one to hear him play. He clutched the guitar in his arms and nodded vigorously. "Of course, Auntie! You'll be the first one to hear me play."

He was determined more than ever to learn how to play the guitar and make his uncle proud, and to express his emotions in music. He could already imagine all the songs he would write, all the pain and love he would pour into them. He looked back at her, his heart full of gratitude. "Thank you… for everything.." He whispered.

“It's my pleasure, sweet boy” she said comfortingly. “I hope you know that.”

Sirius continued to hold the guitar, staring down at it with a mix of wonder and determination. He wanted to become the best guitar player that the world had ever seen, maybe even better than that group his aunt liked, The Beatles.

"I'm going to work hard and learn everything I can," he mumbled, mentally making a plan to practice for hours every day.

“Are you going to want to try on the leather jacket he gave you?” She asked looking into the box again.

Sirius's face lit up at her question. How could he not want to try on a leather jacket? Especially one that had once belonged to his uncle.

He carefully placed the guitar down, then reached over and took up the leather jacket from the box. He held it up, admiring its sleek, cool appearance, and his grin widened.

"This looks awesome... I can't wait to see how it looks on me." he said excitedly, already anticipating how cool he was going to look. He slipped the jacket over his shoulders and zipped it up, taking a step back to look at his reflection in a nearby mirror. 

But it was slightly too big, as his uncle had been a much taller man. Sirius scrutinized his reflection, a hint of disappointment washing over him as the jacket hung a little loose on his frame. He pouted slightly, pulling the edges of the jacket tighter. 

"Yeah... it's a little big," he admitted, looking up at her with slight sheepishness.

She laughed fondly, “Nothing a little spell can't fix, want me to give it a try?” 

Sirius perked up at her words, his disappointment quickly disappearing. He had completely forgotten about the countless spells they could use as wizards. A small, sly smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Yeah, why not.” he chuckled, running his hands over the jacket, feeling the material against his skin.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Her hands came to rest gently on his shoulders and he focused his mind to her next words, as she murmured “Resizamento.” 

He felt a familiar tingly sensation washing over him as the jacket began to shrink and mold to his body, conforming to his form. Sirius eyes fluttered open, and he couldn't help but gasp as he looked at his reflection again in the mirror. The jacket now fit him perfectly, molding to his frame and accentuating his lean body. He spun around, admiring himself from all angles, a feeling of pure elation washing over him. 

"It's perfect..." he breathed, grinning widely.

She hugged him tightly from behind and pressed a kiss to his hair, “He seemed to know it would be.” 

Sirius smiled widely, feeling a burst of affection as his aunt hugged him from behind and kissed his hair. He could practically feel his Uncle's presence in the room, as if he had known that his gifts would fit just right.

He ran his fingers over the material of the jacket once again, a sense of belonging and happiness filling him.

"I'm never going to take it off," he teased, spinning around in her arms to face her.

“You’ll have to at some point, leather is a material that needs to be cared for” she said.

Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically, a small laugh escaping his lips. He knew she was right, of course, but the idea of parting with the jacket for even a moment felt like a small tragedy to him.

"Ugh, I know," he sighed, pretending to pout. "But it's sooo comfortable. I just want to wear it forever."

“Well with a little magic, you probably could” she said nonchalantly.

Sirius's eyes widened with excitement at her words. He hadn't thought about that before. If he cast spells to clean and care for the leather, he probably could wear it indefinitely without wearing it out. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Hm... now that's a thought. I could do that, can’t I?”

“Don't you get any ideas mister,” she said playfully.

Sirius put on a look of mock-innocence, fluttering his eyelashes and holding his hands up in defense. 

“Who, me? Get ideas? Never.” He giggled before continuing, “But can you imagine? I’d become known as the wizard who wore a leather jacket every day. I’d be a living legend.”

“As long as it isn't for the worst smelling, then that's all you. Have at it” she said taking a seat.

Sirius feigned shock, bringing a hand to his chest and looking deeply offended. “Worst-smelling? Me? Aunt, you’re underestimating my grooming skills.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “I’ll charm the jacket to smell like new and fresh leather every single day. You won't be able to tell the difference.”

She laughed heartily, “Now I know all the girls will swoon with you around, the jacket and guitar are a powerful combination.” 

Sirius smirked, a hint of pride in his expression. He couldn't deny that the thought of making girls swoon was appealing. He was a teenage boy after all.

“You think so…?” He asked, running a hand through his hair with a cocky confidence. “I bet they'll be fighting over me with a guitar and a leather jacket.”

“Well it certainly worked on me back then.” 

Sirius raised an eyebrow, a cheeky grin on his face. “Did it, now? I guess these gifts were quite the winning combination.” He smirked, eyeing her up and down, his tone teasing. “So are you saying you have a weakness for leather jacket-wearing, guitar-playing boys?”

She sat back comfortably, “Well I married the "bad boy", didn't I?”

Sirius let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back. He thought that was a very accurate description of his uncle. He had definitely fit the part of a "bad boy." He ran a hand through his hair again, grinning. 

“Ah yes, I guess you did. And I assume that all of this...” he said, gesturing to his new gifts, “…had something to do with it?”

“Some of it, because despite all appearances, your uncle was a gentleman”

Sirius smiled warmly, his heart filled with a sense of pride and affection. He could imagine his uncle acting like a gentle and courteous gentleman around his aunt, even with his bad boy looks. 

He chuckled slightly, his tone teasing. “A gentleman with a bad boy image... he really was the complete package, wasn’t he? I bet all the girls fell head over heels for him,” Sirius continued, his grin widening. “He probably had them all swooning left and right.”

She shrugged, “I suppose so, but your uncle just always made it a point to make sure I knew that I was the only one for him.”

Sirius's heart melted a little at her words. The devotion and commitment his uncle and aunt had for each other was incredibly romantic, and Sirius couldn’t help but feel a pang of longing for a love like that one day. He let out a soft sigh, looking at her with a mixture of admiration and hope. “He really loved you, didn’t he?”

“Til death did us part,” she said softly.

Sirius felt a lump form in his throat at her words, a bittersweet smile on his face. He knew that his uncle had loved her deeply, that their love had been strong and passionate, right up until the very end. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

He looked up at her, his gaze intense. “Auntie…” he started, his voice a little hoarse. “Is it okay if I ask you something? Something a little personal?”

“Of course, sweet boy. You know that I try to be as honest as I can with you?”

Sirius nodded, feeling a sense of appreciation wash over him. He knew that she would always be honest with him, and he felt comfortable asking her personal questions. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before asking, “I... I was wondering... what it was like? You and him, when you first met. What was he like…? How did you know that he was the one…?”

“It was all the little things coming together that let me know he was the one for me,” she said swooning a little at the thought. “But we were young, your age actually when we met by chance.”

Sirius smiled at the dreamy look in her eyes as she recalled their first meeting. He had a feeling he knew what she meant. It wasn’t just one thing, but a combination of things that had drawn her to his uncle. 

“By chance…” he repeated, his voice soft. “Like fate?”

“Don't know what else you could call it, because to think that the bad boy would do all that he could to see a girl he had met only once, it couldn't be anything else but fate“ she said fondly. 

Sirius chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. It sounded like something out of a romance novel. A bad boy seeing a beautiful girl, and then doing everything in his power to get her attention and make her his own.

He smiled warmly. “He really wanted to make sure you were his, didn’t he?”

“Oh yes, I was dressed all prim and proper on our outing as a family and that sneaky scoundrel snuck his name and address into my skirt’s pocket.”

Sirius let out a loud scoff, both amused and surprised at his uncle's sneaky tactics. He could imagine his uncle slipping his details into her pocket when no one was watching, a cheeky smile on his face.

“Sneaky, but effective. I guess he was pretty determined to get your attention,” he said, his tone teasing.

“He certainly had it alright, because I had never met a muggle like him before or ever,” she said honestly.

Sirius chuckled again, imagining his aunt’s confusion and curiosity encountering a muggle for the first time. He could only imagine how different his uncle must have been from the other pure-blood wizards she was familiar with. He leaned back, his tone light hearted, “I bet that must have thrown you off. A muggle boy having that effect on a pure-blood witch.”

“It certainly startled me, because most young wizards wouldn't even talk with me because the family name was intimidating but also because Walburga was meant to be the first choice.”

Sirius's expression softened as she spoke, feeling a pang of sympathy for her. He could understand that family name bringing about some hesitation and intimidation, as the Black family held a lot of status and influence within the wizarding world.

He reached out to take her hand, squeezing it gently. “I bet those wizards were idiots then, not wanting to get to know you because of the family name.”

“For the best really, gave your uncle and edge over the rest” she shrugged. 

He smirked, his tone teasing. “But, I bet that wasn’t the only reason you chose him over the rest. You just couldn’t resist a bad boy in leather, could you?” 

“You think all of the boys with ties and sweater vests could have made me swoon?”

Sirius laughed heartily at the image of stuffy, straight-laced boys in ties and sweater vests trying to make his aunt swoon. It was a comical sight, and he couldn’t imagine her being even remotely interested in them.

He shook his head firmly, a teasing grin on his face. 

“No, definitely not. Those boys would have had no chance against a bad boy in leather. I mean, come on. It’s not even a competition.” He chuckled again, his tone mischievous. “Besides, I think you’ve got a thing for leather-wearing bad boys, don’t you?”

He waggled his eyebrows jokingly, trying to gauge her reaction. He was just teasing, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she actually did have a soft spot for bad boys like his uncle.

“Bad boys tend to be misunderstood young men, and they hold a special place in my heart” she affirmed. 

Sirius felt a warmth spreading through his chest at her words. It was a testament to her kind and understanding nature, that she saw beyond the surface of things and understood people on a deeper level.

He smiled warmly, his tone soft. “Yeah, I guess bad boys are just misunderstood sometimes. They don’t all live up to their reputation, do they? And you can see through that, and still love and care for them despite their flaws.”

“When we learn to look past the appearances, we can have the honor of knowing those worth having in our lives,” she said kindly. 

Sirius nodded, his expression thoughtful. He could sense the wisdom in her words, and he knew that she was speaking from years of experience and insight.

He squeezed her hand again. “You’re right, I guess. It’s important to look past the surface and really get to know someone before making judgments. It helps us understand them and love them for who they truly are, flaws and all.”

She squeezed his hand in return with a smile, “Now, how about you try and play your guitar a bit, while I make us a quick dinner. Okay?”

Sirius felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of trying out his new guitar. He had been itching to play it ever since he unwrapped it and now he had the perfect opportunity. He gave her a quick hug before hopping off the couch and darting into the living room, guitar in hand. As he settled on the couch, guitar in his lap, Sirius began to strum the strings, his fingers plucking at them with a bit of clumsiness. He closed his eyes, a smile on his face as the music filled the space around him. He let the music take him away, his fingers moving over the strings, creating a simple but beautiful melody that echoed throughout the house. He forgot about everything else and lost himself in the moment, feeling free and alive as he played. 

His aunt from the other room hummed along and Sirius smiled to himself as he heard his aunt’s humming to his playing. It was a small moment, but it added to the warm and cozy feeling that filled the house. He continued strumming the guitar, playing with increasing confidence and feeling a sense of accomplishment at the sounds he was creating. Every now and then, he strummed a wrong note, but he didn’t let it bother him, correcting his mistake and carrying on.

Oh yes, moments like these were truly what made it feel like home. 

Which is why he never spoke about it in adulthood, because he lost it.

[remusawoooo]

blaming Dumbledore or even pushing the entire narrative to be a huge play puppeteered by him is such a bad reading (and a very stupid one at that) of a text that is comically obvious about its themes and motives.

NO, Dumbledore didn't manipulate the children into fighting his war.

NO, he didn't manipulate Harry's good memory of his family (jily+wolfstar) giving him strength when he is going to die, to gain an advantage over voldemort.

NO, he didn't groom harry or severus or remus to do his bidding.

NO, he didn't intentionally let sirius go to Azkaban to control Harry's life and he didn't intentionally take james' cloak to leave him without an out.

NO, he didn't turn the slytherins into death eaters. or bully the house by playing favorites.

this in particular is my pet peeve because Dumbledore only "played favorites" in PS, a book targeted to 11 year olds, in a way that ties in the moral of the story quite clearly. do good, get good. are we all going to take the meme this seriously to mean that albus actually isolated a house of children?? that it resulted in them having no choice but wanting to kill people based on blood at worst or want segregation at best?? the mentally ill school white schooter menatlity. bffr.

NO, albus didn't plant molly and the Weasleys to assert his control over Harry in his personal life.

it pains me that every character is without free will in these interpretations, and there is this one big bad whose dark intention is not even to gain power or rule over people. because it is so ridiculous that even in your "groomer/manipulative" Dumbledore readings, his end goal is to destroy a fascist and bring peace. lmao.

[winters-on-the-wing]

i dont exactly hate jegulus and jily in the context of the marauders fandom but here’s what i DO hate: james is treated like a fucking accessory in both of them.

james is my favorite character, and i hate when the bright, happy, innocent, strong characters get turned into one dimensional props.

whenever i see anything about jily in this fandom it’s just james being a stupid simp who only talks about how much he loves his wife.

whenever i see jegulus, it’s just james being regulus’ rescuer, the sun to regulus’ moon, the one who carries regulus around and worships him.

why can’t james just be a person. like- a fully fleshed out human person in ships without him turning into a walking trope that does nothing but serve the other character?

that’s why i like james x sirius and james x remus as much as i do, i think. the ships aren’t as popular so there aren’t a lot of people finding new ways to turn james into a stupid mindless happy-go-lucky perfect boyfriend cardboard cutout. also with james x sirius and james x remus, i feel like both remus and sirius are able to see through james. they know who he really is. all his gritty, nasty flaws. they SEE it. they don’t just view him as a savior. they see him for the person he is and still love him anyway. james doesn’t have to change himself in order to be loved by sirius or remus.

honestly this is way more of a critique on jegulus than it is on jily. i love jily, i just hate what it’s turned into in this fandom. it’s just the “token straight ship” when it could be so much more. i think i actually hate jegulus because i’ve NEVER seen an instance of it in which james wasn’t treated like fodder or a prop to regulus’ angsty sad horrific life.

[rickktish]

Some unsolicited Harry Potter Thoughts and Headcanons

Ron Weasley is one of my favorite characters. Ron Weasley should have died from the poison in Slughorn's office when he was 16 so that y'all would treat him with the respect he deserves instead of shitting on him and replacing him with Draco in Leather Pants.

The entire reason Dumbledore is so fucked up actually has nothing to do with his sordid past; it comes from the (Doylist) fact that he was a plot device in a children's book until the main characters (and thus the audience) got old enough that it needed to become a YA series, and then had to find ways to justify is plot device-ness after being magically transformed into a character. The justification did not succeed.

Harry and Ginny were fine as a ship. Not spectacular, but fine. But if the series had come out 10-20 years later than it did I would be frothing at the mouth that Harry ended up with Ron's sister instead of Ron.

Draco Malfoy was a victim of circumstance in that he was raised by racists to be a racist. Draco Malfoy did not change his mind about his racism by the end of the series, but he did change his mind about the cult leader his parents had raised him to worship, and he deserves credit for that. Do not give him credit for what we do not have evidence of him doing, namely becoming not racist. No one in his family did that. Don't pretend that they did just to make them look shinier.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all bad friends at different points in the series, but as far as I can recall only Harry and Hermione exhibited actively toxic behavior. Ron had his disagreement with Hermione in book 3 and with Harry in book 4, but he had valid points in PoA (owner of a pet is responsible for that pet's actions) and was operating under false assumptions which he clearly communicated in GoF ("I thought you might've told me if it was the Cloak... because it wouldn't covered both of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, did you?") before getting his head out of his ass ("Harry," he said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet -- I -- I reckon they're trying to do you in!") Followed by a sincere apology, interrupted though it was ("Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly found he didn't need to hear it. "It's okay," he said, before Ron could get the words out. "Forget it." |"No," said Ron, "I shouldn't've--"| "Forget it," Harry said. Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back.) Ron also apologized after leaving in DH. If anyone can remember a single instance of either Harry or Hermione apologizing to Ron for something they did that was wrong or for direct harm rather than accidental harm they've done, would you please add it to this post? I'm hoping it's just been too long since I did an in-depth read of the series and I've forgotten something, because I genuinely can't remember a time and I haven't been successful in locating one by my cursory searches through my ebook editions. I would genuinely like to be wrong about this, please and thank you.

I believe with my whole soul that the reason Dumbledore didn't get Sirius out of prison was because he was having Grindelwald flashbacks. Person I trusted with my whole soul turned out to be pro-enslavement/genocide? Person my students trusted with their magically concealed location appears to have turned out to be pro-Voldemort (and everything he uses to justify his pursuit of power)? He literally did not believe any doubts he might have held about Sirius' guilt, because he hasn't trusted his own judgement since he was 18 and his little sister died. also he 1) canonically did not know that Sirius wasn't the secret keeper and 2) probably did not know that Sirius never had a trial, so there's also that.

Harry and Ron 100% should have gone to the Yule Ball together. I would forgive their not ending up together so long as they had gone and had a fantastic time. Unfortunately, GoF was written in 2000, and we missed out for it.

Hermione would be an emotionally (and potentially physically) abusive spouse to Ron, not because I feel any need to put her down or bash her in any way, but because she wasn't willing to tell him that she was into him and instead conjured birds to attack him when she caught him kissing another girl. I think with time, effort, and a decent dose of humility, they could work it out, but at some point their kids are going to be chatting with friends and reveal the most casually fucked up shit about their parents' relationship to someone who's going to look utterly horrified and poor Rose and Hugo will have no idea why because to them it will be completely normal.

Childhood is thinking Dumbledore is the good guy and Snape is the bad guy. Angsty teenhood is thinking Snape is the good guy and Dumbledore "raised Harry like a pig for slaughter." Maturity is realizing that Snape did good things for really fucked up reasons like "I'm obsessed with the woman whose husband and child I would have seen killed so I could have another chance to get in her pants but unfortunately she's dead so I guess I have to keep her child who I hate alive" while also actively causing (directed) severe harm to the children under his care, and that Dumbledore did fucked up things for some good reasons like "I can't let this person who tortured animals as a child and committed murder in his teens destroy the world" and for some bad reasons like "I would literally die right now but unfortunately I have shit to do" (I honestly think everyone somehow missed the fact that Dumbledore was suicidal?? in spite of the fact that he committed assisted suicide?? I'm not quite sure how, but I suspect it has something to do with the woobification of Snape, so. there's that) while also causing (mostly indirect) moderate to severe harm to all who were in his care including, but not limited to, the government officials who asked him for advice, the staff and children at the school he ran, and his own family. The essential difference comes because Snape acted as he did toward others because he hated the world and everything in it, especially children, whereas Dumbledore acted as he did toward others because he couldn't make up his mind whether or not the ends justified the means and his life was entirely defined by the practice of both intentional and unintentional self-sabotage.

This absolutely might be giving Rowling too much credit, but I grew up with fairy tales of goblins who stole and guarded gold and didn't learn that goblins were a racist caricature based in antisemitism until I was in my late teens or early twenties by reading a post about how writing goblins as bankers meant that Rowling is antisemitic. I also genuinely didn't believe it at first, because I grew up in a culture that reveres Judaism and the Jewish people as God's chosen and the source for the foundation of mankind's relationship with God, and I had to seriously work to believe that the slightly goofy, slightly gross fairy tale creature I was familiar with could have such a disgusting connotation. I strongly suspect that Rowling herself had no idea until she started being accused of racism, at which point she pulled her classic schtick and doubled down, radicalizing rather than being open to being told she might be wrong. Sometimes you grow up with something being so normal and part of the regular zeitgeist that it never occurs to you that it could have its origins in racism. (I experienced this myself recently from a post about the origin of the popularity of private pools in the US, which I always thought were just a rich people status symbol. Even though I've known about the issue of pool discrimination since my mom, who attended a formerly black-only middle school in Alabama as a child, read me picture books about it when I was in elementary school, I didn't put it together until I read the post.) The quality of your character is determined then by how you respond to the criticism rather than whether or not you knew before the accusations began. The end result is the same, but I feel like holding her responsible for knowledge we have no way of telling if she knew before she started being accused of having it is bad-faith criticism, and I'd much rather hold her accountable for wrongs I know she's committed rather than ones I can only speculate about.

Dudley Dursley deserved his redemption. He grew up with the rule "Don't be like Harry" and figured out by the end of the series that Harry was a person, which is better than either of his parents managed. I honestly think a good dose of the real world-- maybe university or something-- would give him the foundation he would need to separate himself from his parents' beliefs and become a halfway decent human being. I wish the best for Dudley Dursley.

Neville Longbottom deserved better. In every possible way.

[sorenphelps]

I just found out there’s a Sirius birthday week event hosted by @lilacella! I’m super late to the party but here are some of my HCs!

He loves puns and is annoyingly good at making them.

Despite being a dog himself, he is actually more of a cat person.

He became colorblind in Azkaban, and his colour vision has never fully recovered afterwards.

He got his growth spurt at 14, and had facial hair from the age of 16. Fleamont Potter taught him how to shave.

He is able to resist the Imperius curse.

He lost his virginity to Madam Rosmerta. He has a thing for older women. (Unresolved mommy issues mostly…)

His favourite subject was Ancient Runes. Everyone assumed that he is top tier at Astronomy, and while he was decent at it, he actually couldn’t care less about the subject.

He took a total of 9 N.E.W.T.s (DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, Alchemy, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Poitions, Care for magical creatures and Herbology), and got “Outstanding” on all except Herbology, which he passed with “Exceeding expectations”. He got an “Outstanding” in Poitions due to Slughorn’s blatant favoritism over his prestigious family, which annoys him a lot (one part because Snape is right about this accusation, and one part because he’d have preferred to be graded fairly).

He was never interested in Quidditch, but was up-to-date with it because of James.

His future profession of choice was curse breaker.

He used to bite his nails when stressed, he started to paint his nails to help him lose this bad habit. (He started to smoke instead.) Then kept both for aesthetic reasons.

He knew how to breath out smoke circles since he was a kid, and taught it to Remus in exchange of Remus teaching him how to whistle when they were 13.

He is tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. He is hairy. His eye colour is gray, but the shade can change a bit according to his mood. At first glance, his eyes can be mistaken for blue until compared side by side to Peter’s (who has cerulean).

He has a mole on his left cheek (every member of the Black family has a mole somewhere on their face). He also has one on his penis.

He has a resting bitch face, he either looks bored or annoyed, but his whole face and vibe changes drastically when he smiles. He is overall quite intimidating.

He has slightly East Asian features, with wide cheekbones, almond shaped eyes, a sharp jawline and thick jet black hair.

He can rock any haircut, and doesn’t care much about his hair by default.

His ears are pierced, and he wears a dog collar nonstop that he got from James when they made a blood pact with each other as teens. (It could be taken off him when he was sent to Azkaban, because the magical binding seemingly ceased to exist when the Potters died. Sirius later found the collar in Grimmauld Place, which gave him the idea to use the old blood pact with James to make Harry his own heir.)

He only wears black and shades of gray, as a teen because of aesthetic, as an adult because he can’t see colours. Beside black and gray, his “reference” colour is dark purple. (I have a palette for every character I draw.)

Prongs’ antlers scarred his left eyebrow during one of their first transformations. It could have been healed up perfectly, but Sirius decided to keep it as it is as a memento of their Big Achievement (and also aesthetic).

Also have a quick sketch of him to make up for the missed “prompts” of the event!

[elliemarchetti]

My AU Headcanon: after surviving the attack on their house, James had constant nightmares about seeing Lily & Harry dying & Voldemort, Wormtail and Snape taunting for failing them, despite being the great James Potter. It hurt Lily to see her once happy and mischievous husband be in so much pain.

I'm alive! Risen from the ashes like Fawkes!

Lovely anon, thank you for your patience and for sending this prompt, which allowed me to write James from another perspective and analyze his marriage with Lily with a more mature eye.

As always feedback and other suggestions on how to continue this (or any other) story are welcome but I'm also open to having a chat, exchanging headcanons and making moodboards and playlists for your favorite characters/couples.

Words: 700

After years of uncertainty and terror, with heavy casualties on both sides and entire bloodlines wiped out, the war ended, and the Wizarding World celebrated with displays of fireworks and jubilation. He Who Must Not Be Named was dead, just a corpse made of skin and bones buried beside his father in a forgotten graveyard, his remaining followers were locked up in Azkaban, and peace reigned once again, an outcome Lily failed to truly believe in as she held little Harry to her chest on the darkest nights, in fear it could be their last moment together. They had been lucky to survive Pettigrew's betrayal, something he did not, and Lily was grateful for every quiet day she was allowed to live, but James hadn’t gotten over the tension and the constant fear as well as she did. When there was light outside, from breakfast until he put Harry to bed, everything seemed fine despite the purplish dark circles under his eyes, and at work he was his usual mischievous self, at least according to Sirius, but when he got under the covers, once he had given a kiss to his wife and they both turned off the lamps on their respective bedside tables, he became a mess, clinging to her body as if she was a lifeline. The nightmares hadn’t given him a full night’s sleep for months now, and if sometimes he didn’t feel like talking, if sometimes the only thing that soothed him was sinking into Lily, taking her in desperation, letting her gentle words of encouragement and muffled moan ground him, during others he was more inclined to dialogue.

“He killed you,” he had murmured one night, heavy tears sliding down his sunken cheeks. “You were dead, and he… Harry… I couldn’t do anything but watch.”

It was like this, between stammers and fragmented sentences, that Lily discovered what was plaguing her husband’s sleep, a sense of guilt he shouldn’t have felt, an anxiety he couldn’t leave behind.

“It’s not my fault, Snivellus, it’s not my fault!” he had shouted on another occasion, before sitting up in bed, his forehead drenched in sweat.

“Dad?” Harry had called from the small corridor dividing their rooms, rubbing his eyes with the small fist.

“Dad had a bad dream, love,” Lily had quickly explained, as he guided him back to bed. “Every now and then it happens to adults too.”

“Can you give him this, then?” her son had asked, with the innocence only children possess, handing her one of the stuffed animals he usually slept with. “It will protect him from monsters.”

“He will appreciate it very much,” she replied, taking the fuzzy Welsh Green, his favourite birthday gift from uncle Remus.

“Did I scare him a lot?” James asked, defeated and worried, as soon as she closed the door behind her.

“No, but he wants you to have this, to protect you from monsters,” she answered, passing him the stuffed animal. He stared at it for a while, as if seeing it for the first time, or glimpsing something in his black plastic eyes, and then he hugged it tightly, curling up his knees and bowing his head until his dishevelled hair almost touched his arms. Seeing him like this, it was evident how young he actually was, how the weight of the carefreeness the war took away from them weighted on his hunched shoulders.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered, breaking the heavy silence engulfing the house. “I wish I was stronger, I wish I had been able to do more, but instead I had to hide like a rat, I had to wait for others to defend my family for me.”

“We’re all alive, and that’s enough,” was all Lily could say as she caressed his bare back, where the bones of his spine visibly protruded. When had he gotten so thin? When, among the pile of things he had to care about, had he stopped considering eating a priority? Just two more questions to add to the thousand she would have to find an answer, a solution, to alone, so as not to break the young man who that night slept hugging his son’s stuffed dragon.