#The most powerful wizard must be the WIzard Source

[lookin-reproachfully]

To all the Fans of WBN

If you are Pro-Citadel, You are Pro-Plagiarism <3

Turns out the S-Names stand for Somerton,

Like, for real, they all clapped when they discovered how to copy wholesale from witchcraft

Every Language and every meaning and every translation of "Steal" and they ended up having their super Anti-Witch Spy device be something that copies from both Primary (Stars) and Secondary (Indri) Sources?

No wonder the Antivali went independent, they knew there was no Intellectual Integrity there...

Also also, The Reflexive Indicative could even be another tracker-copier technique... And that's not even getting to their BS Axiom of Proliferation... they knew spreading around the spells would let people know that their writings are stolen

AND THEY HAVE THE AUDACITY TO GET MAD AT HEDGEMAGES FOR "COPYING" AND "STEALING"

[drchucktingle]

trans wizard harriet porber is not a work of spite. not even close

there is common refrain from well meaning buckaroos that i wrote TRANS WIZARD HARRIET PORBER out of spite and this is absolutely not true. i have never written anything out of spite and never will.

this may seem like pedantic way but I think it is important to talk on. i create from the fuel of love and my biggest advice for artist buckaroos when they ask for it is also to create from a place of love. 

this does not mean everything you make must be light and fun. in fact, love shines BRIGHTEST in darkness so theres plenty of reason to bring this fuel to your most frightening or heart wrenching ideas. in art, the fuel of love is o negative blood type. it is a universal source

not only is it universal, it is perpetual. love is the most powerful resource on this timeline, and while its shape can change it does not go away. hate and spite will falter. they are tiring to create with, and they are tiring to witness as a viewer or reader or listener

so no. i will say it loudly this time and likely again in the future: TRANS WIZARD HARRIET PORBER is not a creation of spite, it is a creation of love for trans buckaroos and autistic buckaroos and disappointed buckaroos. it is a creation of joy as protest

[prokopetz]

On the one hand, it's true that the way Dungeons & Dragons defines terms like "sorcerer" and "warlock" and "wizard" is really only relevant to Dungeons & Dragons and its associated media – indeed, how these terms are used isn't even consistent between editions of D&D! – and trying to apply them in other contexts is rarely productive.

On the other hand, it's not true that these sorts of fine-grained taxonomies of types of magic are strictly a D&D-ism and never occur elsewhere. That folks make this argument is typically a symptom of being unfamiliar with Dungeons & Dragons' source material. D&D's main inspirations are American literary sword and sorcery fantasy spanning roughly the 1930s through the early 1980s, and fine-grained taxonomies of magic users absolutely do appear in these sources; they just aren't anything like as consistent as the folks who try to cram everything into the sorcerer/warlock/wizard model would prefer.

For example, in Lyndon Hardy's "Five Magics" series, the five types of magical practitioners are:

Alchemists: Drawing forth the hidden virtues of common materials to craft magic potions; limited by the fact that the outcomes of their formulas are partially random.

Magicians: Crafting enchanted items through complex manufacturing procedures; limited by the fact that each step in the procedure must be performed perfectly with no margin for error.

Sorcerers: Speaking verbal formulas to basically hack other people's minds, permitting illusion-craft and mind control; limited by the fact that the exercise of their art eventually kills them.

Thaumaturges: Shaping matter by manipulating miniature models; limited by the need to draw on outside sources like fires or flywheels to make up the resulting kinetic energy deficit.

Wizards: Summoning and binding demons from other dimensions; limited by the fact that the binding ritual exposes them to mental domination by the summoned demon if their will is weak.

"Warlock", meanwhile, isn't a type of practitioner, but does appear as pejorative term for a wizard who's lost a contest of wills with one of their own summoned demons.

Conversely, Lawrence Watt-Evans' "Legends of Ethshar" series includes such types of magic-users as:

Sorcerers: Channelling power through metal talismans to produce fixed effects; in the time of the novels, talisman-craft is largely a lost art, and most sorcerers use found or inherited talismans.

Theurges: Summoning gods; the setting's gods have no interest in human worship, but are bound not to interfere in the mortal world unless summoned, and are thus amenable to cutting deals.

Warlocks: Wielding X-Men style psychokinesis by virtue of their attunement to the telepathic whispers emanating from the wreckage of a crashed alien starship. (They're the edgy ones!)

Witches: Producing improvisational effects mostly related to healing, telepathy, precognition, and minor telekinesis by drawing on their own internal energy.

Wizards: Drawing down the infinite power of Chaos and shaping it with complex rituals. Basically D&D wizards, albeit with a much greater propensity for exploding.

You'll note that both taxonomies include something called a "sorcerer", something called a "warlock", and something called a "wizard", but what those terms mean in their respective contexts agrees neither with the Dungeons & Dragons definitions, nor with each other.

(Admittedly, these examples are from the 1980s, and are thus not free of D&D's influence; I picked them because they both happened to use all three of the terms in question in ways that are at odds with how D&D uses them. You can find similar taxonomies of magic use in earlier works, but I would have had to use many more examples to offer multiple competing definitions of each of "sorcerer", "warlock" and "wizard", and this post is already long enough!)

So basically what I'm saying is giving people a hard time about using these terms "wrong" – particularly if your objection is that they're not using them in a way that's congruent with however D&D's flavour of the week uses them – makes you a dick, but simply having this sort of taxonomy has a rich history within the genre. Wizard phylogeny is a time-honoured tradition!

[chocodile]

Amaranthine Magic System PART III: Spellcraft for… Everyone Else (Including Unicorns)

This is Part III of a three-part worldbuilding set.

Part I - Part II - Part III (you are here)

So, we’ve now established how magic works and how it can be manipulated by a wizard. But wizards aren’t the only ones capable of using magic... as mentioned in Part I, even a tree can do it. How does THAT work? Surely it must be pretty rare, right?

Well, actually, a number of plants and animals have evolved to harness magic. Something about them—either a physical organ, body part, or some sort of instinctual behavior—is able to warp magic in a way that happens to be beneficial. Some examples:

A predatory cat that can use magic to bend light around itself and appear “invisible” thanks to the molecular structure of its fur

A mole that can vibrate its claws in such a way that they increase the charge of magic in the earth around it, causing solid stone to temporarily liquefy

A flower whose roots absorb magic from the earth and use it to resist freezing, allowing it to bloom all winter long

A bird who sings at a strange, disorienting, warbling song, the vibrations of which interfere with the magical frequencies used by its most common predator

A carnivorous plant that paralyzes its victims not with venom, but with numbing bolts of magic produced by a specially evolved structure whenever it detects nearby movement

You may notice that, with the exception of the carnivorous plant, all the other examples are simply using magical energy already in their environment rather than producing it themselves. Which brings me to the next detail… magic can be “cast” from two types of sources:

“Enchantments”/Ambient casting/passive casting: Happens by gently shaping the background radiation of magic already in the environment, like most of the examples above. It is typically done by passing the magical energy through some sort of physical structure in order to alter its frequency. Most enchanted jewelry functions on this principle. Studying animals that perform passive casting can be useful for wizards to learn new casting and enchanting techniques themselves, and many methods of spellcraft are based on patterns of magic wave manipulation first observed in nature. 99% of animals and plants that use magic fall into this category. Also, this sort of magic waxes or wanes in power depending on the ambient background magic radiation levels of the area… your magic locket may fail you at the worst possible moment if you take it someplace with very low magical background radiation levels.

Active casting/”Casting spells”: Magic where the power source comes from within the creature itself and can be actively turned off or on, such as the carnivorous plant example above. Animals and plants that are capable of active casting are typically quite dangerous indeed, though their bodies tend to make for incredibly valuable spell ingredients and materials for crafting magical devices. Luckily, this ability is extremely rare in nature… the ability to truly “cast a spell” is found almost exclusively in wizards.

As a half-celestial, Ambroys sits at sort of a weird position. He technically is an active caster, as he has his own magical field and he can summon his abilities up at will (or, more often in his youth, accidentally) using his mind/will as the primary trigger. However, half-celestials and half-infernals have the shape of their magical “filter” predefined by their heritage and physical anatomy—it is not consciously shaped the way a wizard’s is. They may be able to choose which of these predefined forms their magic takes, and may even discover new variations on their powers throughout their life, but they can never consciously teach themselves brand new spells from scratch, and will never be able to switch fluidly through several different types of similar magic without interruption the way a wizard could.

To Hyden, this makes Ambroys closer to a beast than a person, magically speaking (no offense, of course). He can’t talk spellcraft with him because he’s not doing anything on purpose… he’s just brainlessly clicking his silly little claws together to dig through rock like the mole mentioned earlier. He will never truly understand all the complex mental hoops Hyden jumps through every time he conjures up a flame to light his opium pipe, even if Ambroys can do the same exact thing by just thinking “ok, fire time now”. It’s just not the same, you know?

Aaand that wraps up the Amaranthine magic guide! This should hopefully provide a clearer view of how everything works in this setting. :)

[jadeshifting]

— GALAS AT MALFOY MANOR

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

a MALFOY GALA is less about having fun and more about proving you belong—if you can keep your wits about you and avoid spilling wine on your robes, you might just make it out unscathed

— the INVITATIONS are delivered by sleek black owls with embossed emerald parchment, each one radiating a subtle but unmistakable don’t even think about declining energy. declining is possible, but only if you want to be talked about for months

— FIRST IMPRESSIONS, arriving guests are greeted by enchanted lanterns that light the winding driveway, their flames flickering in perfect synchrony. a house-elf in pristine livery opens the grand doors, and Narcissa herself offers the faintest of smiles as you step into the marble-floored foyer

— the ATMOSPHERE practically drips with opulence, from the enchanted chandeliers glittering like constellations to the string quartets playing hauntingly beautiful tunes. it’s all about showing off—not just wealth, but power

— the MANOR is decked out to perfection, with enchanted roses blooming in every room and marble floors that reflect the candlelight. guests can wander the gardens, but you do not open random doors—who knows what cursed artifacts are lurking

— the GUESTS are a who’s-who of the wizarding elite, with sharp smiles and sharper tongues. everyone’s dressed to kill, literally dripping in jewels and designer robes, and no one’s above a bit of genteel gossiping in the corners

— DRESS CODE is strictly black-tie, wizarding style. robes must be tailored to perfection, and any magical embellishments—like self-adjusting hems or floating crystals—must be tasteful. Narcissa will notice, and Draco will most definitely make a subtle dig at you if your outfit doesn’t meet the mark

— THE MALFOYS; Lucius and Narcissa glide around like royalty, greeting everyone with icy politeness. Draco’s usually lurking near the drinks table, equal parts brooding and charming depending on who’s watching

— the banquet tables of FOOD are insane—tiered platters of exotic delicacies that practically float into your hands. expect flaming desserts and cocktails that shimmer like liquid starlight

— DRINKS, the bar is stocked with rare vintages, including Malfoy estate wines and liquors that glow faintly in the dark. The signature cocktail of the night features some absurdly rare ingredient like powdered unicorn horn (ethically sourced, allegedly, but you know no one truly believes that)

— the SEATING ARRANGEMENTS are very strategically assigned by Narcissa herself. expect rival families seated just far enough apart to avoid an outright duel but close enough to exchange cutting remarks. if you’re at the main table, congratulations—you’ve made the inner circle for the evening

— the POLITICS make every conversation a chess game. compliments are laced with subtext, and alliances are solidified or shattered over a glass of wine. it’s not unheard of for a marriage to be proposed or a business deal to be sealed between bites of pheasant

— GARDEN STROLLS, between courses, guests often wander the enchanted gardens. hedges shaped like serpents and peacocks loom large, and fountains spout shimmering streams of water that occasionally form words like Prestige or Legacy. don’t get lost—the statues might move if you’re somewhere you shouldn’t be

— the ENTERTAINMENT is always top-tier—enchanted ballet performances, fire-breathing dragons (contained, of course), or dueling demonstrations in the courtyard. if you’re lucky, the family’s private orchestra might play a piece commissioned just for the evening

— occasionally, a guest might be granted a private tour of the MALFOY LIBRARY, which is more like a cathedral of books. if you’re invited in, it’s a signal that Lucius or Narcissa considers you very important—or that they’re about to offer you a deal you can’t refuse

— the DANCE FLOOR of the ballroom opens up after dinner, and it’s the place to be seen. couples glide across the floor to live orchestral music, their robes trailing behind them like spilled ink. if you don’t know how to waltz, you’d better fake it or stay far away

— someone always makes a DRAMATIC EXIT and leaves in a huff. whether it’s over an offhand comment or a subtle power play gone wrong, there’s almost always a flurry of robes and the slam of the front door as a disgruntled guest Apparates home

— the GOSSIP is unbelievable, and by the time the gala is over, the rumor mill is in full swing. who danced with whom, who got too drunk on enchanted champagne, and who dared to challenge Lucius in a political debate? everyone talks about it for weeks

as the evening winds down, you’ll find Narcissa giving parting gifts wrapped in silver and green, while the house-elves discreetly clean up without a sound. no one leaves feeling quite the same, not that they’ll admit it

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

[defectivevillain]

attempts at amnesty, ch2

pairing: Harry & Reader (platonic)

The reader is gender-neutral—their gender and race are ambiguous; no pronouns or physical descriptors are used.

summary: “You should get some sleep, Harry,” you suggest, changing the subject. “We have a long day ahead of us.” Harry’s face is pinched and he stares at you for a moment, before shaking his head. He won’t let his guard down, and you can’t really blame him. You take a deep breath, before trying to think of a way to assure Harry that he can trust you. “Here.” Harry stands at the object you hand him with thinly-veiled confusion and apprehension. “It’s my wand,” you explain, “A wand is a wizard’s most powerful accessory, weapon, and aid. I’m giving my wand to you to show that I mean you no harm.” “You trust me with your wand?” Harry whispers. “Yes,” you respond instinctually. You decide that more people need to show their trust and faith in the boy.

Canonically, Harry’s first introduction to the Wizarding World was wonderful and magnificent, but it was also jaded. He was left to make his own assumptions about magic from the behaviors of those around him. But what if Harry Potter had a trustworthy adult to teach him about the Wizarding World—one who always had faith in him, stood up for him, and protected him?

This is the second chapter of attempts at amnesty.

word count: 11.8k | chapters: 2/? | ao3 version

author's notes: in light of jkr’s many recent fumbles and failures… i want to reiterate that i do not support her or her ideals. she’s a piece of shit fr. an absolute flop of a human being. and, honestly? flop of an author too. just a flop all-around. 🖕

This is paced much quicker than I’d like it to be, but oh well. I have to get this done so I can work on the upcoming stuff!!!! Which is more exciting to me. Heehee.

As a reminder, this fic is canon-divergent and non-compliant. There will be canonical events I forget to include and discrepancies that may not match with the book series. This is fanfiction; let me have fun!

warnings for this chapter: canonical child abuse, grief

The castle is bustling with energy and activity. The students aren’t set to arrive until tomorrow, but there’s a lot of preparation that needs to be done. Each of the professors has to finalize their coursework, organize their classrooms, and make sure there are enough supplies for their students. Thankfully, since you teach Ancient Runes, you don’t have to source many supplies. You have no idea how Severus—the Potions professor—or Minerva—the Transfiguration professor—keep track of all of their supplemental materials. You’re sure you’d be a disorganized mess if you were in either of their positions. Thankfully, you’re not, though; now, you’re free to review your course plans and make sure the classroom’s physical space is in order. 

With the arrival of the students comes the Sorting of the first-years. It’s always amusing to see their bright-eyed awe when seeing the castle for the first time. You miss that feeling. Hogwarts is a nostalgic place for you, but you’ve grown out of that childlike wonder. 

The Sorting Hat’s song breaks through your thoughts. It sings of the four Houses before Professor McGonagall is quickly summoning the first student to be Sorted. From there, it’s standard procedure—at least, until Harry’s name is called. The entire hall almost seems to erupt in noise, as whispers and shouts echo around the space. You watch as Harry nervously approaches the stool; upon catching his eye, you send him a wink. 

Harry proves to be what you affectionately refer to as a hatstall, or someone the Sorting Hat struggles to place into a House. This typically means the student exhibits enough traits to be considered for more than one House, which leads to some deliberation regarding their placement. The same thing must apply for Harry. 

Just as the other students begin to grow impatient, Harry is sorted into Gryffindor—just like his parents were when they arrived at Hogwarts. You clap for him, as you do for every student. He seems relieved that he made it into Gryffindor, as he moves to sit next to Percy Weasley. Another Weasley is getting sorted today, to your surprise. The hat barely touches his head before it shouts, “Gryffindor!” The younger Weasley slumps in relief and makes his way over to the table to sit next to Harry. 

After the remaining students are Sorted, Albus gives a brief speech and ushers in the beginning of the meal. The food is excellent, as always—and you enjoy catching up with your fellow professors. The evening passes rather quickly, and, before long, you’re reclining in your bed and thinking about the first day of classes. 

Fortunately, since you teach Ancient Runes, you won’t have to deal with the first-year students. That age can always be a bit interesting. By the time students reach your classes—which begin in their third-year—they’ve usually matured ever so slightly. Furthermore, since Ancient Runes is an elective course, your students are often ones who choose the subject because they’re genuinely interested in it. 

The beginning of the school year always passes in a whirlwind, and this year is no different. You don’t even get the chance to talk with Harry until a few weeks into the semester. Secretly, you’re glad he took the time to visit—while you offered him the opportunity, you weren’t sure if he would take it. 

“And then she took me to see Wood and he taught me about the game,” Harry explains, recounting the rather entertaining tale of his first Quidditch lesson. “Professor McGonagall told me that she’d make sure I have a broom, too. Apparently, I’ll be the youngest Seeker in a century!” he exclaims, clearly very excited. Whispers of the encounter between Harry and Malfoy spread throughout the castle, but it’s good to hear it from Harry himself. Besides, it sounds like he wasn’t quite punished anyways. Malfoy was antagonizing him, after all. Honestly, it’s just a miracle that he didn’t get hurt. 

“That’s incredible, Harry,” you remember to respond. Normally, you’d address a student with only their last name. However, Harry seemed adamant on avoiding that and you agreed to refer to him with his first name in private conversations. “I’m very happy for you. You know, your father was quite talented at Quidditch himself.” That must explain why he was able to perform such a feat. 

Harry smiles silently. The look on his face is somewhat strained and you try to discern why. 

“Your mother didn’t play Quidditch,” you continue. Harry looks up at that, and you begin to understand. Harry is surrounded by people that mostly speak of his father, but no one ever talks about his mother. Lily was a Muggleborn, so she wasn’t as well-known as James was. “She was brilliant at Charms, from what I’ve heard. She was Head Girl and one of Professor Slughorn’s favorite students, despite being a Muggleborn. I think her tutoring was one of the only reasons that I passed Potions and earned an Exceeds Expectations. Potions… isn’t exactly my forte,” you decide to admit.

“It isn’t mine, either,” Harry sighs. 

“I’m sure being berated and antagonized by your professor isn’t conducive to the brewing process,” you remark wryly. Harry’s eyes widen and he lets out a startled chuckle. Speaking of which, you’ve been meaning to talk to Professor Snape about his rather cruel treatment of Harry and some of the other students. You give yourself a mental note to discuss that with Severus later. 

Harry and you keep talking for a bit, and he explains his Quidditch schedule to you. He seems very excited, which you’re happy to see. You haven’t seen such pure joy on his face before and you immediately want to make sure you see it more often. You want Harry to be happy. And, wow, isn’t that a dangerous thought? The boy is quickly growing on you. To think, a mere month ago, you were dreading having to guide him around Diagon Alley. And now, here you are, inviting him to your office to have casual conversations. Safe to say, Harry’s quickly growing on you. 

As time passes, you’re almost deluded into thinking this school year will be uneventful for Harry. Of course, just when you begin to think so, you’re swiftly proven wrong. 

“Malfoy challenged me to a duel,” Harry announces one morning as he strolls into your office, taking a seat with an exaggerated sigh. He looks a bit tired—probably from all of the Quidditch practice. It’s a tough adjustment: to be attending wizard school and playing a magical sport at the same time. You can only hope he’s taking care of himself. 

“Did he really?” you muse, realizing Harry’s still waiting for your response to the whole duel idea. You’re immediately suspicious of Malfoy’s intentions. Harry and he quickly became rivals, after Harry refused to be friends with the boy on account of his rudeness to Weasley. Ever since that interaction just before the Sorting Ceremony, Malfoy and Harry have been enemies. 

“Yeah,” Harry sighs, clearly annoyed at the prospect. “He said to meet at midnight.”

“Midnight?” you repeat. That only makes you more suspicious. “That’s… way past curfew.” The Prefects will be out and about at that time—and Filch will be roaming the halls too. Overall, this duel sounds like a spectacularly bad idea. Not to mention, the boys are only first-years. They shouldn’t be dueling to begin with. 

“I know,” Harry says, sounding withdrawn. 

“Malfoy’s trying to bait you into going,” you assert, “but he probably won’t even be there.”

“Really?” Harry blinks. 

“He could easily ditch and then tell Filch or one of the professors that you were out past curfew,” you reason. “Then you’d lose points and probably be given detention.” 

“Oh,” Harry says. 

“I wouldn’t go,” you advise him. “I’m saying that as both a professor and someone who used to be a student here. It’s just a trap.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Harry admits. He fiddles with his hands in his lap. “I didn’t really want to duel him anyways. I don’t even know what a duel is.” 

“They’re usually a waste of time, to be honest,” you remark. “And while there are rules involved, there’s no telling that Malfoy would even follow them. He could cast a Dark spell and cause you serious harm.” 

Harry’s eyes widen at that. You feel a sympathetic smile rising on your lips. “I could teach you about dueling some time, if you really wanted,” you offer before you can think any better of it. “It wouldn’t hurt to know the basics, if you ever find yourself in one.” Considering Harry’s reputation as the Boy-Who-Lived, there’s always the chance that someone could approach him and challenge him to a duel. 

“That would be good,” Harry nods. “Maybe next year?”

“Sure,” you agree easily. “That works out, actually. The 2nd year Defense curriculum will accompany dueling lessons quite nicely.” Harry smiles and the two of you continue talking, until the hour grows late and Harry has to head back to the Common Room. He seems almost reluctant to do so, but he eventually withdraws—but not before telling you about his upcoming Quidditch match. You make a note of the date as soon as he leaves. It’s not for a few months, so he still has time to train and practice some more. 

Halloween at Hogwarts is charming. Many professors would use a host of other adjectives to describe it: tedious, noisy, tacky. But it’s heartwarming to see the students so excited about things as simple as floating pumpkins and colorful candy. Of course, Hagrid’s giant pumpkins and live bats certainly made things a bit more… lifelike, to say the least. 

The Halloween feast is always a sight to behold—and this year’s is no exception. The food magically appears on the same golden plates from the Sorting Ceremony, with virtually endless options for main and side dishes, drinks, and desserts. 

The feast in the Great Hall kicks off without a hitch. You’ve made it a point to check on Harry frequently throughout the day, considering it’s technically the anniversary of his parents’ deaths. He seemed pretty busy today, which you’re happy about. It wouldn’t do him any good to have time to dwell on their murders. 

Everything is proceeding smoothly, with one slight snag: Professor Quirrell’s chair is empty. You’re not exactly friends with the guy—you’ve barely even spoken to him—but all professors are required to attend the feast. It’s strange that he isn’t here. 

His unexplained absence soon resolves itself, however.  He scares the life out of most of the students when he races into the Great Hall screaming, “Troll in the dungeon!” before promptly passing out. The professors and Prefects calmly direct their students back to their common rooms, but the younger students’ panic starts to make things a bit disorderly. 

You soon recognize the occurrence for what it is: a diversion. You’re about to head off towards the third-floor corridor, but it seems like Severus has the same thoughts as you. When you turn to look at his seat, you find that he’s already left. Hopefully, he can get there in time. Since that’s handled, you decide to turn your attention back to the students. Your gaze falls to Harry at the edge of the Gryffindor table. Weasley and he are exchanging worried glances and you frown. They look like they’re up to something. You tell yourself to keep an eye on them, but the next opportunity you have to glance over at them, the two boys are gone. You curse under your breath and make your way through the Great Hall, trying to figure out where Harry and his friend could’ve gone. 

It takes you a few minutes to find Harry and his friend standing in one of the wrecked restrooms with Granger, another first-year Gryffindor. It isn’t the leaking toilet or shattered sink that immediately captures your attention; rather, it’s the incapacitated troll on the ground. An unpleasant feeling runs through you at the thought of Harry battling it entirely unprepared. You think you’re going to be sick. 

“Merlin—” Minerva remarks, placing a hand to her chest as she enters the room. Severus is quick on her heels, looking positively murderous. You’re not quite sure what expression is on your face, but it must be betraying your distress, because Harry is quick to reassure you.

“I’m fine,” Harry assures you. He’s covered in troll snot, but he appears to be unharmed. “We’re fine.” The Granger girl’s cheeks are tearstained and she looks a little frazzled; Weasley has some bits from the ceiling stuck to his robe. They’re all breathing hard. 

You’re speechless. Minerva seems to notice that you’re struck silent, because she responds for you. “I sure hope you are, Mister Potter!” she exclaims. “That was incredibly dangerous and irresponsible of you three.”

“What exactly… happened?” you manage to choke out, once you no longer feel as if your heart is in your throat. Harry and the Weasley boy exchange a look, before starting to speak. They hardly get a word out before Granger interrupts, admitting that she thought she could take on the troll alone. You suspect she’s lying, but you don’t see the need to mention that aloud. The trio will be punished regardless of the explanation. Indeed, moments later, Minerva is sending them off with less points and dates for detentions. Severus doesn’t seem too satisfied with the punishment, but, then again, he’s almost never satisfied with anything. Minerva leads the trio back to the Gryffindor dormitory, leaving the Potions master and you standing in the flooded bathroom. 

“The Stone?” you ask. Severus stares at you with a scrutinizing gaze, clearly not expecting the question. The Sorcerer’s Stone lies at the end of the third-floor corridor, after the several obstacles devised by Albus and some of the other professors. If someone wanted to get to it, a distraction like the troll would allow them time to get through the different obstacles. 

Snape studies you for a moment. “Secured,” he eventually confirms. 

“Good,” you nod. “I can clean this up.” You look up, only to find that the Potions professor is already gone. You huff a laugh and begin to cast a few cleaning spells. Your stomach turns as you see the blood on the floor, but you quickly spell it away and pretend not to notice it. 

After the troll incident, activity around the castle seems to be a bit more subdued. It’s understandable that many of the students are shaken up by what happened, and rumors surrounding Harry and his friends’ interaction with the being are spreading like wildfire. 

Fortunately, with the steady approach of the Quidditch season and the threat of final exams looming in the distance, the corridor on the third floor becomes a distant memory for many students.  And before you know it, it’s the morning of Harry’s first Quidditch match. He seems pretty nervous and frazzled at breakfast in the Great Hall. You want to head over and give him some reassurance, but he looks pretty anxious already—and Weasley and Granger seem to be trying to do that anyway. You do manage to catch his eye and send him a wink. Harry does seem to relax a bit after that, giving you a weak smile in response. 

You try to attend a few Quidditch matches throughout the year, but you don’t usually attend the first game of the season. It’s a bit fun to see the energy vibrating through the air, as the students cheer and jeer at the teams. You find a seat next to Severus in the stands with the other professors and occupy a tense, somewhat uncomfortable silence. Even as the game begins, Severus is a silent presence at your side. When Slytherin scores, a smirk will dance across his lips. Otherwise, he is eerily quiet. 

The game is proving to be pretty close. You’re torn between watching the Quaffle and keeping an eye out for Harry. He seems to be doing pretty well, surveying the field as he flies above the Chasers and Beaters. Gryffindor scores a few more times before a blur of motion draws your attention. Harry’s jerking around unnaturally, as if his broom is trying to throw him off. 

You watch for a few more seconds, concerned by how violent the movements seem to be. It soon becomes clear that there’s something wrong with Harry’s broom. You’re standing up before you can stop yourself, quickly casting a spell to right his balance and quell the object’s apparent sentience—

“What are you doing?” Severus hisses, successfully disrupting your concentration. He sounds moments away from grabbing your forearm and yanking you back down to sit.  

You let out a frustrated sound. “Something’s wrong with Harry’s broom,” you manage to say, taking a deep breath and casting the spell unimpeded before taking your seat once more. You watch with bated breath as Harry regains control of his broom, swinging a leg over it and returning to his regular position. You breathe a sigh of relief. “Merlin.”

“You suspect someone tampered with it,” Severus states. Despite his flat affect, you recognize the remake as a question and you nod gravely. A stormy expression rises on the other professor’s face. He soon strides off, likely to check on the third-floor corridor. You stay to see Harry win by nearly swallowing the Snitch—and you manage to congratulate him before he’s swarmed by his Gryffindor housemates. You suspect the Gryffindor common room will be rather hectic tonight. 

“Ron and Hermione were happy,” Harry recounts the next night, a bright grin on his face as he remembers the match. “They were going to set Professor Snape’s robes on fire.”

“What?” you sputter. 

Harry just laughs, like the troublemaker he is. You keep your concerns about foul play to yourself, promising yourself to investigate later. For now, you let Harry rant about different Quidditch plays with an endearing sparkle in his eyes. His infectious energy leaves you fighting off a smile, even as he heads back to the dorms. 

Your gut is telling you something’s wrong. You have no idea what it is. Today has been a pretty uneventful spring day. The snow on the ground from the frigid winter is finally starting to melt, leaving the castle surrounded by muddy and damp grounds. It’s getting a bit warmer outside and students are starting to occupy the courtyards once more. 

By all means, it’s an entirely ordinary day. As the day drags on, nothing goes horribly awry. You almost start to think your fears are unfounded, when you realize you haven’t seen Harry all day. Even if he doesn’t stop by your office, you’ll usually see him at meals in the Great Hall. It’s strange, you think, that you haven’t seen him. 

As the evening bleeds into night, you find that you can’t quite get yourself to calm down. You settle for taking a late night walk around the castle, hoping to get some clarity. You head through the corridors with only the light of your wand, ignoring the annoyed grumbles and groans of the sleepy portraits. You’re so lost in your thoughts that you almost miss the sight of a student ducking into a corridor.

Frowning, you decide to follow them. It’s well past curfew and they could easily get in trouble. Not to mention, since that outright foolish announcement Albus made about the third-floor corridor, it’s even more dangerous for students to wander. A few troublemakers have tried getting into that corridor as night falls, necessitating even more security around the area. 

You follow the student around the corner and into an alcove, watching as they crouch down and sit on the floor. The castle’s floors are cold and unforgiving at night, but this student doesn’t seem bothered by it. You squint at them, trying to figure out just what they’re doing here.

You take another cautious step forward, unintentionally drawing their attention. They turn around and you squint, holding your wand up to them. 

Harry Potter is just about the last person you expect to see. “Hi, Professor,” Harry says, blinking quickly at the light of your wand. You manage to dim the light and take a step closer, studying him for several moments. 

“Hi, Harry,” you respond. “What are you doing?” 

“Just… looking,” Harry responds, looking pointedly at the gilded mirror in front of him. You aren’t sure why you just now noticed it—it’s rather tall, and the only object in the space. You frown and try to study it, wondering why it’s brought Harry out of his dorm so late at night. 

“That doesn’t look like a normal mirror,” you murmur, hesitantly taking a step closer. Harry just tugs his knees up to his chest, as if shielding himself from your scrutiny. 

“It isn’t,” he admits with a wayward glance. “I can see my parents.” 

“Your parents?” you repeat with disbelief, taking a step forward and stepping closer to the mirror. You study the object for a moment, taking in the gilded frame and the elegant writing etched into it: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. It doesn’t take you long to transcribe the message: I show not your face, but your heart’s desire. Not a very creative inscription for a magical object. You can’t help but be suspicious about this mirror: the majority of magical artifacts in Hogwarts live in the library or the Room of Requirement. 

Wait. Erised. Desire. The Mirror of Erised: The Mirror of Desire. It shows you what you desire most. It draws the user in, compels them to spend time wasting away in front of it. People have lost their minds looking at it. 

“Harry, get away from that,” you say quickly, your voice filled with urgency. 

“Why?” Harry asks worriedly. Despite his skepticism, he obeys your request and scrambles up to his feet, moving to step behind you. 

“It can’t be trusted,” you say.

“But—” Harry tries to argue. 

“Magical artifacts like this are often drowning in Dark magic,” you say with a frown, casting a quick detection spell. As you suspected, black amorphous shadows drip from the frame of the mirror in response, showing the Dark magic running through the object’s very core. “See?”

“Oh,” Harry says quietly. 

“I’m sorry, Harry,” you sigh. “I’ll have to confiscate this.” And bring it up with Albus. Did he know it was here? It’s something he should definitely know about… 

“...Okay,” Harry relents, bringing you back to the matter at hand.  

You send the mirror to your office before turning back to Harry. “Are you alright?” you ask. It’s kind of a stupid question: the tortured expression on his face speaks for itself. Not to mention the fact that he’s awake so late on a school night, sneaking through the halls. 

“Yeah,” Harry says with a slight nod. 

“Are you sure?” you press. 

“...Yeah,” he maintains. “I’m fine.”

Well. It doesn’t seem like this strategy is working. You’ll have to try something else. “Were you visiting here frequently?” you decide to ask. 

“......No,” Harry says unconvincingly. It’s clear he’s lying. 

“It’s okay if you were,” you reassure him. “It’s not a crime to want to see your parents.” 

Harry looks around the space. He doesn’t want to meet your eyes. “I don’t even remember them,” he admits, his fist clenching at his side. His eyes are glimmering with unshed tears. “I’ve never even heard my mother’s voice. I’ve only heard her scream.” 

Merlin. That’s the darkest, most depressing thing you’ve heard in quite some time. 

“I—” you stumble over your words, “I’m so sorry, Harry.” You have no idea what to say. There are no words that could even begin to heal the pain he’s experiencing. He practically never met his parents. He grew up without them. Harry only knows what he’s been told—and from what you can tell, he’s been told frighteningly little. 

“It’s fine,” Harry says, with the practiced ease of someone who has heard those same words far too many times before. 

It’s not fine. It’s the furthest thing from fine. But you’re struggling to think of a way to help him. You weren’t super close with Lily and James, but you were aware of them, at the very least. Plus, Lily tutored you in Potions—and James was in your Charms class. You have memories of them, even if they aren’t super fleshed-out or significant. 

That gives you an idea. “You know,” you start, “I think I have some memories of your parents. I could put them in my Pensieve and show you.”

Harry just blinks in confusion. “What’s a Pensieve?”

“Oh, right,” you say. Of course he won’t know what a Pensieve is: he was raised in the Muggle world. It’s easy to forget that sometimes. “It allows you to extract memories from your mind and preserve them. You can show other people your memories in a Pensieve, or you can revisit them yourself.” 

“Oh,” Harry remarks, seeming to brighten up just a little bit. He still looks melancholic and borderline despondent, but you can tell he’s warming up to the idea you’ve presented. “That would be nice,” he agrees quietly.  

“Next time you visit my office, I’ll have some memories ready,” you promise him. 

“Thanks, Professor,” he says.

“No problem,” you respond. “Let me walk you back to the Common Room.” 

Harry reluctantly follows after you, and the two of you walk back in silence. 

“Harry,” you say. “You know I’m here if you ever want to talk.”

“I know,” Harry responds. You’re not quite satisfied with that answer, but it’s too late for any further discussion—Harry’s already slipping behind the Fat Lady’s portrait and returning to his dorm. You stay there for a few moments, concerned about him. 

“Are you just going to stand there and gawk all night?” the Fat Lady demands impatiently. “I need my beauty sleep.” 

“Sorry,” you respond, shoving your hands in your pockets and heading back to your office. The Fat Lady huffs and evidently returns to sleep. You attempt to do the same when you return to your quarters, but it’s a bit difficult. Even when you finally drift off, the look on Harry’s face haunts you in the days that follow. 

After that night, you try your best to keep a closer eye on Harry. But you can only do so much: he’s a first-year, so you can’t see him in classes. You usually only see him at meal times. He’ll occasionally visit your office, but as his schedule grows busier, these visits become more sporadic. You’ve talked to Minerva and she’s promised to keep an eye on him, but that doesn’t do anything to dispel the worry you’re feeling. 

You’re grading papers one night when you hear a sudden commotion outside the hall. You look up to find Harry and Ron Weasley breathing hard, hands on their knees as if they just ran over to your office. They look visibly frazzled and stressed. 

“Hi, you two,” you greet the two of them, surprised by their sudden entrance. “What’s the matter?” 

After catching his breath, Harry looks up at you with panic in his eyes. “Professor, there’s—” Harry chokes out. 

“The Sorcerer’s Stone and—” Weasley interjects, evidently just as worried. 

“Someone’s trying to steal it—” Harry says breathlessly. “We tried to tell her—”

“Slow down, slow down,” you remind them gently. The boys grimace in embarrassment and take another few moments to collect their breath. “I’m going to need you to say that again,” you try to say patiently. 

“Snape’s trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Harry chokes out. You blink at the sudden change in demeanor. He’s usually quiet and withdrawn, but right now, he seems outspoken and restless. “Ron and I tried to tell McGonagall—”

“Professor McGonagall, Harry,” you say, unable to stop yourself from speaking. 

“Professor McGonagall,” Harry corrects himself, “but she told us that Dumbeledore is away and he won’t be back for a while. She didn’t believe us when we said the Stone was going to be stolen.” 

You frown. There are several different things wrong with that statement, but the part that troubles you the most is how easily Minerva dismissed the two boys. You know the third-floor corridor was fitted with several different security measures, created by Severus, Quirinus, and Albus. However, those security measures are far from infallible. In fact, they were almost designed to encourage a student to best them. The thought troubles you greatly—so much so that you have to push it away. 

“I see,” you frown at the boys. You know Severus wouldn’t steal the Stone, so it’s very likely that he entered the Chamber in order to stop someone else from stealing it. You take a slow breath. “Well, I would scold you for sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong—no offense meant, you two—but it seems I have bigger issues to deal with.”

“Professor?” Harry and Ron both echo, looking at you in confusion. 

“Excuse me, Mister Weasley,” you say, staring at the redhead boy who is standing in front of the door to your office. The boy steps aside and you place a hand on the door, pushing it only a few centimeters before you hear a voice behind you. 

“Professor—” Harry breaks off. You chance a glance back at the two boys, only to find that they still look unconvinced. You take a deep breath. You suppose you owe them an explanation. They did trust you enough to speak with you, after all. 

“None of this is your responsibility,” you say. “You two are far too young to go running into a situation like this unprepared. I know you’re concerned about the Stone and Nicolas Flamel, which I admire. But that area is forbidden for a reason—it’s very dangerous. And besides, Harry, you have the Quidditch finals coming up, too.” 

Harry exchanges a look with his friend and sighs. “I know it sounds difficult, but I’m going to need you to trust me with this. Contact Professor Dumbledore if you want—rest assured that I will also be contacting him—but do not, under any circumstances, follow me,” you say tersely. 

You level the boys with a fierce look—or, at least, as fierce as you can manage. “Do you promise to remain in the Common Room?” you demand a few moments later, when their silence remains unbroken. You look at them expectantly. 

“Yes, Professor,” the two boys then echo in unison. You nod and dismiss them. You take a deep breath and pinch the bridge of your nose, feeling winded all of a sudden. You take a few moments to plan your next move. First, you need to contact Albus. You conjure a Patronus and relay the information, before sending it off to Albus. Next, you need to tackle the corridor. The obstacles should be easy enough. The only problem is what—or, more accurately, who—awaits you at the end. 

Indeed, the obstacles aren’t much of a problem. It appears that someone beat you to the punch, because the troll meant to guard the path is already unconscious. You get through the fluttering keys, win the giant chess game, and choose the correct potion. Once you finally reach the inner Chamber, you find yourself staring at Professor Quirrell. The two of you hadn’t talked much throughout the school year—you were never very fond of him. Now, you’re starting to understand why. Quirrell is indeed standing next to the Mirror of Erised in the middle of the hollow chamber. His gaze finds you upon your entrance and he laughs. He no longer looks like the meek, timid professor from before—his eyes are narrowed and there’s a cruel sneer on his face. 

“Ah, Professor!” Quirrell remarks. “I didn’t expect you to be here.” 

“I’m sure you didn’t,” you mutter wryly. You’re starting to realize… If everything had gone as intended, Harry would’ve been the one down here. The mere thought of Albus so callously throwing Harry into danger is enough to make your stomach turn. 

Let… me… see… 

What was that? It sounded like a voice—and not Quirrell’s. You watch with mounting horror as Quirrell turns, removing his turban to reveal a face at the back of his head. It’s Lord Voldemort, you realize with revulsion. Voldemort has possessed Quirrell’s body. You feel sick to your stomach. 

Suddenly, you’re dueling. You can’t imagine Harry, a first-year, dueling with this professor—it would’ve been a very one-sided fight. Thankfully, you’re a Hogwarts professor with years of experience under your belt. Therefore, the duel doesn’t last very long. You manage to disarm Quirrell and bind him tightly enough to keep him contained. Amazingly, hardly a few moments pass before Albus is standing in the Chamber with you. You explain the recent occurrences to him and he nods silently, before moving to take Quirrell to the Ministry. 

Unfortunately, you don’t realize that Quirrell landed a few hexes and curses on you until it’s nearly too late. You’re heading down the hallway on the third floor when an intense pain sends you nearly falling to the ground. You hold a hand to your side, only mildly surprised when your hand comes back bloody. You manage to stumble your way to the infirmary—albeit clumsily—and Poppy is quick to push you into a bed. Your eyes slip shut within a few moments. 

You wake to a headache running through your temple and down your cheekbones. Your body feels weirdly stiff — and you soon learn that it’s nighttime after a quick glance at the nearby window. From what you remember, you had entered the infirmary the previous night. Were you unconscious for a whole day?!

Supposedly you were. You must’ve needed the rest—or so Poppy says. She’s quick to reprimand you for your reckless actions. You maintain that you summoned Dumbledore, but he was ultimately away on a visit to London. She relaxes a bit at that, but still appears mildly disappointed in you. You’ll take it, you suppose. 

You don’t think you’re awake for more than fifteen minutes before you find yourself faced with a visitor. Albus Dumbledore stands at your bedside, before eventually moving to take a seat in the armchair he summons out of thin air. The casual display of wordless magic makes you smile in exasperation. 

The headmaster seems a bit peeved at the thought that you went to the third-floor corridor, rather than Harry. You’re quick to break through his rose-tinted vision and remind him that Harry is just a boy. And, more importantly, he doesn’t exist for the headmaster’s amusement and manipulation. Harry isn’t a mouse in a labyrinth of Albus’s creation. Your words are laced with a frustrated and bitter exhaustion that you’re unable to hide.

“I’m only preparing him for what comes,” Albus responds diplomatically, after taking a moment to contemplate. His cool disregard for Harry’s safety is enough to get you fired up again.  

“For what?” you question, unable to hide your irritation any longer. “The war he didn’t sign up for? No part of this battle is his, Albus. Harry’s parents started this war, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean he has to finish it.”

Albus remains silent, as if he knows that none of his words will dissuade you. However, he doesn’t look to be at all convinced by your prior statements. For a few moments, there’s nothing but awkward tension. “I’m glad you’re alright,” the headmaster then says out of nowhere. 

“I’m sure,” you huff. The bewildered look on the wizard’s face is enough to make you laugh. You push yourself up to a better sitting position and recline against the pillows at your back. “Would be one hell of a story otherwise.” The Daily Prophet would certainly put it on the front page, with a title like: ‘Hogwarts Professor Killed by Three-Headed Dog!’

“I suppose,” Albus acquiesces valiantly, apparently sensing your thoughts. You resist the urge to sigh at how begrudging his agreement is. “I see you have some gifts.” At that statement, you frown and look over at your bedside table, only to find it piled high with candy and cards. You blink at it and Albus, sensing your confusion, laughs. “From your students. News spreads fast around the castle, it seems,” he clarifies.

“They did not have to get me gifts—” you sputter. 

“I believe this one is from Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, and Miss Granger,” Albus interrupts, his gaze caught on the box sitting precariously on the top of the pile. “Would you mind terribly if I have some? I haven’t had Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans for a long time…”

“Go ahead,” you shrug, watching with amusement as Albus rifles through the box of candy. For a moment, you’re content to watch him pick through the box of jelly beans. Then, you’re suddenly struck with a realization: you rarely get the opportunity to speak with Albus one-on-one like this. He’s always rather busy. There’s been something weighing on your mind throughout the school year—namely, who Harry will stay with over the summer. From what you’ve gathered of his home life so far… you’re apprehensive about allowing him to return to his Muggle family over the summer. You’ve seen how Harry flinches when someone touches him without warning, how he’s always positioned to face the exit in a room, and how he goes uncharacteristically quiet in the presence of authority figures. That behavior isn’t often present in children with caring guardians. 

“Actually, Albus, before you leave…” you break off, drawing Albus’s attention away from the candy, “I’d like to speak with you about Harry’s summer residence.” For the briefest of moments, you swear you see Albus twitch. You convince yourself that it’s a figment of your imagination, because when you look at him again, you find that he’s simply staring at you with a blank expression.  

“The boy will be staying with the Dursleys,” Albus says diplomatically.

Your fingers twitch on top of the scratchy infirmary bedsheets. “Actually, I think Harry will be staying with me this summer,” you blurt out. The headmaster blinks at you, evidently not having expected any argument. You can’t help but wonder if anyone ever opposes Dumbledore. It certainly doesn’t seem like it happens often, judging from the fleeting expression of utter confusion and shock on the wizard’s face. 

“Oh, I’m afraid that isn’t possible,” Albus then asserts. 

“Well, I’m afraid it is,” you snap with renewed energy. You’ll be damned if Harry goes to those awful people for another summer. “I’ve researched the Blood Wards that protect him from Voldemort, and I can replicate them in my own home.” You raise your eyebrows at him. Your move, Albus. 

“That’s not possible,” the headmaster insists, his eyes wide. 

“It certainly is possible,” you frown at him, resisting the urge to laugh. Just because something is beyond his capabilities doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Truthfully, you’ve spent a lot of your free time throughout the year researching the blood wards Albus is so fond of. You hadn’t told anyone, in case your research proved fruitless. But it was just the opposite: you now have a rune diagram that will provide Harry with that same protection, without keeping him in an abusive household. “I did some research and found runes that mimic the exact same effects of the wards you’re so fond of.”

“The Dursleys are the boy’s only remaining family,” Albus reminds you after a few seconds. He’s quick to take another angle—likely because he knows you’re fully capable of replicating the wards. “You seek to take him from them?”

“You know as well as I do that the Dursleys don’t care for Harry in any way whatsoever. They view him as nothing more than a burden,” you remind him.

At Albus’s silence, you continue. “Harry will be living with me this summer and all future summers, if he so chooses,” you assert with somewhat unfounded confidence. Your heart is racing away in your chest, despite your conviction that this is the right decision. Someone needs to advocate for Harry and his well-being — he’s too young and has been hurt too many times to do it himself. 

“Very well; I see you’re convinced,” Albus responds, his lips pulled tightly in a flat line. You resist the compelling urge to roll your eyes and instead remain silent. You watch as Albus regards you for a moment, before turning his attention back to the Bertie’s Bott’s in his hand. He reaches in the box and takes out an unappealing brown jelly bean, popping it into his mouth without a second thought. You grimace instinctively. The headmaster’s face is blank for a moment, before his expression sours. He turns to you and smiles. “Dirt.”

“Never change, Albus,” you remark with fond irritation. The headmaster raises an eyebrow and smiles again, before getting to his feet and finally leaving you alone. 

Somehow, Albus isn’t your only visitor for the day. A few hours pass and, suddenly, there are three first-years standing at the foot of your bed. You push yourself up to a proper sitting position and level them with a curious look. “Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, Harry; how are you all doing?”

“Professor, who cares about us—?” Hermione blurts out, then slapping a hand over her mouth as if she hadn’t meant to speak. You let your gaze wander across the trio—they all have varying looks of concern on their faces. You begin to realize that they’re worried for you. 

“Oh, I’m perfectly fine,” you say, waving them off. None of them seem particularly convinced. “And thank you for the gift. It was entirely unnecessary, of course, but I appreciate the gesture.”

The three students all nod. They’re being uncharacteristically silent. An awkward tension settles in the air for a few moments. You take a deep breath and contemplate your next words. 

“Before I forget… I want to say that I appreciate you all coming to me and expressing your concerns,” you remark. “I’m sure it was frustrating to see Professor McGonagall not take you seriously and, rest assured, I’ll be having a conversation with her soon.” Your reassurance seems to work, as they all nod. 

“In the meantime, I believe there are some points to be awarded.” Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchange confused glances. It seems as if they understand what you’re alluding to, but they don’t want to get their hopes up. You can’t quite hide the fond smile growing on your face. 

“To you, Mister Weasley… Fifty points to Gryffindor.” Ron turns bright red at that. Harry and Hermione’s eyes are comically wide. “Same for you, Miss Granger.” She didn’t show up at your door, but you suspect she was involved too. She was likely the one to suggest speaking to Minerva. “And Harry, one hundred points.” 

“But, Professor—!” Hermione exclaims, only for Ron and Harry to both loudly shush her. You smile in amusement. 

“I’m very proud of you three,” you say sincerely. “It takes courage to rush into a battle recklessly. However, it takes even more bravery to stand aside and place your trust in others. You should all be very proud of yourselves.”

“Thank you,” they all say in unison. 

“Now…” you say, after casting a quick Tempus charm. You ignore the furious glare that Madam Pomfrey levels at you—you weren’t supposed to use magic so soon in your recovery—and smile. “I believe the three of you have a feast to attend. I get the feeling your peers will be very surprised by Gryffindor’s sudden tie with Slytherin.” The three students all grin in unison at that and thank you once more, before leaving for the Great Hall. At least, you think the three of them leave for the feast. For some reason, Harry comes back a moment later.

“Harry?” you ask. 

“I just wanted to say goodbye, Professor,” Harry says, averting his eyes. “I’ll be staying with the Dursleys this summer, so you probably won’t see me until the fall.” You frown at him for a moment, before realizing that he evidently was never told about the change of plans. 

“Actually, you’ll be staying with me over the summer,” you assert. The truth of the matter is, beyond your concern for Harry’s safety, you’re actually growing fond of him. You enjoy caring for him and providing him with the resources he needs to succeed. You’re not so delusional to think you’re a replacement for his parents, but you hope Harry at least considers you to be a trustworthy adult in his life. Merlin knows he needs more of them.

“Really?” Harry’s expression is guarded and wary. He doesn’t look like he believes you at all, and you get the horrible feeling that he won’t believe you until he’s standing in your home. You curse all the authority figures that mistreated Harry in such a manner—the Dursleys especially. You promise yourself that you’ll never let the boy down, not in the same way so many adults already have. 

“Yes,” you decide to respond. There’s nothing you can say that will convince Harry to let his guard down—not when he’s been harmed by hope so many times in the past. You decide to speak a little more, even if you know it won’t necessarily diminish his doubts. “You’ll see, Harry. For now, though, go enjoy the feast! I’m sure there’s some treacle tart waiting for you.”

A hesitant smile falls onto Harry’s face and he nods, before running out of the infirmary—immune to Madam Pomfrey’s aghast exclamations that he should refrain from running. You recline back against the pillow behind you and take a deep breath. You’ve finished another year at Hogwarts. 

As you rest, you let one thought dominate your mind: you will make good on your promise to Harry.

endnotes: Notice I made the restroom Hermione went into gender-neutral. poor jkr is probably so scared rn 🥺🥺 harry potter and the sorcerer’s all-gender restroom 🥺🥺🥺 harry potter and the chamber of genders 🥺🥺💀

After this, each chapter will be another book, I think. So Chapter 3 = Book 2, and so forth. So see you in book 2…! Prisoner of Azkaban is what I’m really looking forward to, and I’m sure you can guess why. Heeheehee….

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[dragonagitator]

Timeline of major events during Gale Dekarios's lifetime

Here is my attempt to compile a timeline of major events that took place during Gale's lifetime, including his personal history, happenings in his hometown of Waterdeep, and major world events that would have affected him personally or affected everyone in Faerun. I hope this is useful in writing your Gale-centric fanfics!

The time period covered assumes that Gale is 40 years old during the events of BG3 and thus was born in the year 1452 DR. AFAIK there's no canon age given for Gale, but most fanons seem to peg him as being between 35 and 45, so I went with the middle of that range. Please feel free to adjust his estimated age for each event up or down depending on how old you think he is in BG3, e.g., if you think he's 38 then subtract 2 years, if you think he's 42 then add 2 years, etc.

Some of the more interesting implications of this timeline revolve around how much Mystra's powers and presence in the world significantly changed during Gale's lifetime. When Gale was a child or teen and first attracted the attention of Mystra, she was weak, not in contact with her Chosen, and assumed to be dead by most of the world. Gale was ~27 years old and already her lover by the time a "much diminished" Mystra called to Elminster for help, and Gale was ~35 years old when Mystra fully regained her powers as the Goddess of Magic. She seems to have dumped him shortly thereafter.

Detailed timeline and sources under the cut. It's long.

Most of the text that isn't specifically about Gale is copypasted from the Forgotten Realms wiki. See bottom for links. I haven't read all the novels and modules referenced by the wiki for these events yet and thus will likely need to revise this timeline as I work my way through those.

Birth to age ~27: until 1479 DR worldwide: Mystra was generally considered to be "dead"/missing during Gale's childhood and early adulthood because Mystra/Midnight was "murdered" by Cyric in 1385 DR (67 years before Gale was born).

However, Forgotten Realms canon of Mystra's timeline clashes with what Gale tells us about the timeline of his relationship with her:

Gale: "Once upon a time, not quite that long ago, there lived a wizard in a tower. The wizard was what one might call a prodigy, who from an early age could not only control the Weave, but compose it, much like a musician or a poet. Such was my skill that it earned me the attention of the mother of magic herself. The Lady of Mysteries. The goddess Mystra. She revealed herself to me and she became my teacher. In time, she became my muse, and later, even my lover." PC: "What did Mystra's attention feel like?" Gale: "Love. Perhaps it was not quite love, but you see, the wizard was but a very young man. It was most certainly love to him."

Speaking as a middle-aged person myself, while most 40-year-olds would consider 27 to be "young," the modifier of "very" suggests he that was much younger than 27 when he first became Mystra's lover. I'm older than the oldest estimates for Gale's age and I still wouldn't characterize myself at age 27 as being "but a very young woman." That description seems more fitting for someone in their late teens / early 20s.

Also, if he was "but a very young man" when they became lovers, then that means he was even younger (a child or teenager) when she first revealed herself to him and started teaching him magic.

So Gale's relationship with Mystra must have started during the period that the rest of the world believed she was dead or missing. Mystra did still have some sort of disembodied "presence" during this period, so maybe she was simply not able or interested in speaking to Elminster or her other previously established Chosen. Or perhaps she was fragmented, and Gale's relationship began with one of those fragments? Part of her "presence" ended up possessing a bear, but I'm assuming not the part that Gale was fucking.

Birth to age ~30: until 1482 DR worldwide: Gale was born and grew up during the "Era of Upheaval," which was known for widespread wild magic and dead magic zones, a lot of changes in the pantheon of deities, and a lot of wars and political conflicts amongst mortals.

Age ~16: c. 1468 DR in Waterdeep: "Dagult Neverember, the richest man in the city, became Open Lord."

Age ~27: 1479 DR in Waterdeep: "By this year, the Field Ward had been established, and Skullport was no longer inhabited."

Age ~27: 1479 DR in Waterdeep: "The 8th walking statue, the Griffon, appeared in Waterdeep and to defend Ahghairon's Tower. It eventually settled down near the Peaktop Aerie on Mount Waterdeep and eventually became a landmark of the city."

Age ~27: 1479 DR in western Cormyr [roughly 1050 miles / 1690 km southeast of Waterdeep]: "While recuperating in a cabin in the King's Forest, Elminster felt Mystra's presence calling to him. He found her much diminished, possessing the body of a bear that had guarded a cache of items Mystra's still-mortal form had collected. She asked her most trusted servant to find new candidates to become Chosen and to recruit Cormyr's War Wizards. Only a few weeks later, having been restored to his full powers as a Chosen by absorbing the silver fire of the dying Symrustar Auglamyr and then that of the Simbul and Manshoon, Elminster returned to Mystra (in agony from absorbing too much of it) and returned much of it to the Lady of Mysteries, restoring much of her power and divinity. This event became known as Mystra's Return."

I'm assuming that Elminster's acquaintance with Gale must have begun sometime after this because otherwise you'd think Gale would have mentioned "oh yeah she's not actually dead, we've been banging for a while now."

Mystra reestablishing contact Elminster, regaining some of her power, and the rest of the world learning that she was alive is pretty huge and therefore must have been a significant turning point in her relationship with Gale as well.

I'm also assuming that Gale did not become one of Mystra's official Chosen until after this, since it seems like Mystra's Chosen weren't active while she was laying low and letting the world think she was dead?

Ages ~30 to ~35: 1482 DR to 1487 DR worldwide: "The Second Sundering, also known as the Sundering of Toril and Abeir, was a great catastrophic event in the history of the worlds of Abeir and Toril."

Age ~32: 1484 DR worldwide: "Most of the gods created many Chosen among mortals, trying to gather as much power as possible to be as high in divine ranking as they could before Ao completed the new Tablets of Fate, sealing their status and portfolio. People started to claim they had been 'chosen' by the gods and granted special powers, some apparently for 'divine purposes' while others had no idea why."

It's possible that Gale was recruited to be a Chosen of Mystra by Elminster per Mystra's instructions to Elminster to find candidates, but given that the gods were also choosing people directly during this period and that Mystra had a preexisting relationship with Gale, she may have also Chosen him directly herself. Poor Elminster out there trying to find the best candidates and then Mystra surprises him by adding her boyfriend to the roster. Gale being a nepotism hire despite having otherwise been qualified would be pretty funny.

Age ~34: 1486 DR in Waterdeep: "Neverwinter and Waterdeep began to clear the rubble in their cities that had built up over a century of neglect."

Hey, remember when Gale said that he used to be able to levitate an entire tower back when he was an archmage? Maybe this is when he was doing stuff like that.

Age ~35: 1487 DR worldwide: "Stars reportedly fell from the sky, gods long thought dead walked the land and armies led by Chosen clashed everywhere. Major geological instability resulted in numerous earthquakes and volcanoes, as the worlds of Abeir and Toril were separated once again, and areas once consumed by large chasms were restored to their pre-Spellplague status. Ships arrived on the mainland continent from Evermeet, Halruaa, Lantan, and Nimbral—all realms previously thought lost to Toril."

Age ~35: 1487 DR in Candledeep [roughly 650 miles / 1050 km south of Waterdeep] : "In an attempt to fully restore the goddess Mystra and the Weave, Elminster Aumar began his search for Khelben Arunsun's writings on the Weave, heading towards Candlekeep. Laeral and Alustriel Silverhand had also been hiding within the library: the two sisters' duty was to prepare their own destruction, so that no one could use their power to gain control over the Weave." ... "The energies of the destroyed Wards were absorbed by the Shadow King, who then left for Myth Drannor, followed by the three Chosen of Mystra."

Although Gale was likely a Chosen of Mystra by this point, he wasn't one of the three mentioned here.

Age ~35: 1487 DR in Myth Drannor [roughly 1350 miles / 2170 km east of Waterdeep]: "Meanwhile in Myth Drannor, Larloch, the Netherese, and the Chosen of Mystra (allied with the elves) clashed in a catastrophic battle." ... "As Elminster defeated Tanthul in a mage duel, the Netherese enclave crashed atop Myth Drannor. Elminster himself was saved by Mystra, who gained full control over the Weave once more, stopping Shar from turning it into a new Shadow Weave."

Age ~35: 1487 DR worldwide: "As 1487 DR came to a close, the Second Sundering ended with the full return of Mystra and the Weave, the separation of the worlds Abeir and Toril."

Gale was not a character in the novel about these events so any personal involvement would have been minor, but I'm including them in his timeline because he would have been impacted by the "full return" of Mystra to the world. I imagine he would have experienced many of the same issues that spouses of someone just elected to a high-level office go through.

Gale's lack of personal involvement in Mystra's restoration despite being her Chosen AND her lover is kinda weird, which makes me wonder if things were already starting to sour between them? I really wish that I could lock Ed Greenwood and Jan Van Dosselaer in a room together until they came up with a coherent explanation for what the fuck Gale was up to while all this was going down.

Age ~35 to ~39: 1487 DR to 1491 DR: Sometime during this period must have been when Mystra dumped Gale and he went looking for a lost bit of Weave to win her back but got a Netherese orb lodged in his chest instead.

Mystra was newly back to her full power as the Goddess of Magic and laying down the law, and Gale didn't take that very well:

Gale: "We enjoyed each other's company - body, mind and soul. But even so, I desired more. You see, no matter how powerful a wizard we mortals can become, we never scratch more than the surface of the Weave. Mystra keeps us in check. There are boundaries she doesn't let us cross. Yet every time I was with her, I stood on the precipice, gazing into the wonders that lay beyond. I sought to cross her boundaries." PC: "How exactly did you try to cross those boundaries?" Gale: "I tried to convince her. I pouted, I pleaded, I swore my ambition was only to serve her better. But she only smiled and told me to be contented. As inconceivable as it seems to me now, I shared a bed with a goddess and yet I wasn't satisfied. So I sought to prove myself worthy to her instead."

Gale's description of what happened after she dumped him sounds like it took place over a multi-year period, since I'm assuming that he had to spend some time searching for the "tome of gateways":

Gale: "The goddess spurned the mortal. The veils were drawn once more, and the wizard was left behind heartbroken." ... "Poor wizard. Silly wizard too, for he wouldn't take no for an answer. Like so many of the heartbroken, he did something infinitely foolish. One has to think big if one seeks to win back a goddess. So the wizard thought big." PC: "Define big." Gale: "Here goes: Once upon a time, very long ago, a mighty lord lived in a tower. A flying tower to be precise. I'll save his story for another time, but the gist of it is that he sought to usurp the goddess of magic so that he could become a god himself. He almost managed, but not quite, and his entire empire - Netheril - came crashing down around him as he turned to stone. The magic unleashed that day was phenomenal, roiling like the prime chaos that outdates creation. A fragment of it was caught and sealed away in a book. No ordinary book, mind you: a tome of gateways that contained within it a bubble of Astral Plane. It was a fragment of primal Weave locked out of time - locked away from Mystra herself. 'What if', the silly wizard thought, 'What if after all this time, I could return this lost part of herself to the goddess?'" PC: "What was the answer to his question?" Gale: "The answer was to try, and the outcome was to fail."

Not sure how much Gale was around for the next few events, since he might have been gallivanting around the Astral Plane looking for the tome instead of spending time in Waterdeep. But one assumes he'd notice the physical changes to the city whenever he returned, and that he'd hear about local news from his mother and Tara, so he would certainly be aware that these things happened.

Age ~37: 1489 DR in Waterdeep: "In response to increasing dragon and cultist activity, the Council of Waterdeep was formed, bringing together representatives of realms from all across the Sword Coast. The threat of the Cult of the Dragon was driven home when Masked Lord Arthagast Ulbrinter was assassinated, though it inspired more resolve than fear. In the midst of these events, Open Lord Dagult Neverember was ousted by a vote of the Lords of Waterdeep, replaced by Laeral Silverhand. Although Waterdeep was largely spared due to the dragonward, the Field Ward was still burned to ashes by dragon attacks, displacing huge numbers of people."

Age ~38: 1490 DR in Waterdeep: "The cloud giant castle of Count Nimbolo and Countess Mulara appeared out of clouds and hovered over Waterdeep for a while, triggering mass panic. Heralds sent out by Lady Laeral Silverhand tried to calm citizens and promise that there was no danger. In fact, the giants wanted to research Waterdeep's history and meet its leaders, as they search for traces of the ancient giant realm of Ostoria."

Age ~39: 1491 DR in the Astral Plane (I think?): Gale finds the "tome of gateways" and becomes afflicted with the Netherese orb:

Narrator: "You see through Gale's eyes, staring down the corridors of a dread memory. A book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. It's teeth, it's claws, it's unstoppable as it digs through you and becomes part of you. And gods, is it ever-hungry…"

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: Gale begins a year-long isolation in his tower in Waterdeep and eventually stops communicating with anyone except Tara. Not sure exactly when his isolation began relative to the other events of this year, so he may or may not have been personally affected by or even aware of some of the Waterdeep events below.

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "The returned Eilistraee appeared under the walls of Waterdeep causing an influx in the amount of her followers in the city. They eventually sought out Remallia Haventree and asked her for a holy forest-glade in the ruins of the Field Ward. By Mirtul, the housing crisis in Waterdeep had worsened as a mysterious sickness killed or drove out all of the inhabitants of Downshadow, the Field Ward remained desolated by dragonfire, and Mistshore was burned down by agents of Masked Lord Braethan Cazondur, rendering all three unofficial wards uninhabitable."

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "Fear threatened to overtake Waterdeep once again as the cloud giant castle of Burruld hovered over the ocean near the city. After the Blackstaff Vajra Safahr panicked and threatened the giants, Open Lord Laeral Silverhand calmed the situation, negotiated with Burruld, and learned that their purpose was to search for the lost daughter of King Skyvald, Princess Irie."

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "In mid-Mirtul, numerous Masked Lords and other people were gruesomely assassinated as part of Cazondur's conspiracy to seize control of the city. Open Lord Laeral Silverhand, assisted by Elminster and Mirt, worked to maintain order in the city while investigating the murders. While attempting to apprehend Cazondur, Laeral herself was killed and disintegrated by a surprisingly simple trap involving falling rocks, but recovered with Elminster's assistance. An exceedingly dramatic showdown at the Palace of Waterdeep between Laeral and Cazondur in front of assembled servants, nobles and guildmasters resulted in Cazondur's death at the hands of an unexpected third party, Xanathar agents Belvarra Bowmantle and Suthool. Including Cazondur, a total of thirteen Masked Lords and scores of others were slain, and several more Lords publicly unmasked."

Please note that our best guess for the location of Gale's tower puts it couple blocks away from Mirt's Mansion and Gale has mentioned being a patron of the Yawning Portal Tavern, so it seems likely that Gale and Mirt would have been acquainted. If Gale was already in isolation by the time all this went down, perhaps Elminster and Mirt tried dropping by Gale's tower at some point but were repelled by the wards that Gale had set up to keep everyone away? Gale seemed very certain that no one cared about him enough to check on him but I wonder how much of that was the depression talking.

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "A delegation from the city of Mirabar disappeared while en route to the city, having been waylaid by cultists of the Elder Elemental Eye."

Age ~40: 1492 DR in Waterdeep: Gale abruptly departs his tower and doesn't tell anyone where he's going per Tara's line in his origin, "You left the tower in such a hurry, and you didn't leave an address."

Age ~40: 1492 DR in Yartar [roughly 310 miles / 500 km north of Waterdeep as the crow flies]: Gale is kidnapped by the nautiloid. As explained in a previous post, I believe that he was headed north to find an unpopulated area to die and explode in.

Sources:

FR wiki: Gale Dekarios

FR wiki: Era of Upheaval

FR wiki: Second Sundering

FR wiki: Mystra

FR wiki: Mystra (Midnight)

FR wiki: History of Waterdeep

FR wiki: Yartar

BG3 datamined dialogue transcripts

Map of Faerun

Sad headcanons posted to Tumblr by various people over the past few months that I unfortunately didn't save links to. If you saw something in here that you've posted about then I probably got the idea from you. Please feel free to drop links in the comments so people can read the original post(s) about it, thanks!

[iamnmbr3]

I honestly hate that it's framed as The Wizards Are Hiding From The Muggles For Fear Of Persecution like. No.

'They're scared of magic' the magic you're using to kill and torture? The magic you're using for dominance of other sentient species?

Also. The Muggles don't know they're there. The wizards make sure of that.

Yeah.... Honestly the whole Statue of Secrecy is just weird because wizards are so much more powerful than muggles. The explanation that Hagrid gives to Harry about why wizards are in hiding sounds like JKR didn't think her world building through very well propaganda made up to conceal the truth.

Wizard supremacist ideas are pretty common, even among people who aren't as extreme as Lucius Malfoy. And remember, that until the end of book 5 even Lucius was an extremely influential and well respected member of wizarding society. Yes, he kept some of his most violent ideas to himself, but very obviously he was able to openly voice a lot of what he believed and influence policy without significant backlash. Instead, it's people like Arthur Weasley who are looked down for being weird because they like muggles too much (and even Arthur doesn't truly see muggles as equals).

So given all of that it strains credulity that someone like Lucius wouldn't have been all 'you know what? let's just enslave the muggles.' This leads me to suspect that some muggles must have developed ways to fight wizards. Maybe they allied with other magical creatures or developed tech or got ahold of magical artifacts like the cursed necklace from book 6 that you can use to kill a magic user even if you don't have magic yourself. Perhaps muggleborns who sided with their muggle heritage were even the source of some of these means of fighting wizards, hence the fear and distrust of muggleborns among pureblood supremacists. I mean, using the same principals as the opal necklace, Hermione could probably make a gun with cursed bullets that a muggle could use to kill a wizard, if she wanted to.

This, combined with the fact that there are a LOT of muggles, could be the real reason that wizards exist in hiding and covertly influence the muggle world and make sure to wipe everyone's memories. I mean, they clearly have contact with muggle governments. I doubt Fudge is reporting the British Prime Minister out of the goodness of his heart because he cares about Muggles so much. There could well be a treaty of some sort. Yeah the Prime Minister doesn't know anything about it when Fudge shows up, but that's probably because his staff figured he'd be more receptive to the 'so magic is real actually' intelligence briefing AFTER meeting fudge.

The fact that wizards go to such lengths to conceal their presence and wipe people's memories suggest they are worried about what will happen if they get caught. Wizards are able to use their powers to maintain dominance by hiding their presence and influence and making sure that most people remain ignorant of their activities, since if they openly tried to just enslave everyone or openly went around treating muggles like animals, everyone would be able to band together and stop them...kind of like a less evil version of Russia now I think of it.

So yeah. They're in hiding not because muggles persecute them but because they want to get away with persecuting muggles.

[koifishstick]

THE MIDNIGHT READERS SOCIETY

a hogwarts university club. master list

deep within the hidden corners of hogwarts university, tucked away from prying eyes, a secret book club exists—the midnight readers’ society. this clandestine group of book lovers operates under the cover of night, bound by their shared love of forbidden knowledge and an insatiable curiosity that drives them to explore the most dangerous corners of the magical world—the restricted section of the library. the club’s founding members were a group of ambitious, slightly rebellious students who found themselves fascinated by the books that were deemed too dangerous or too powerful for ordinary students. they believed that knowledge should be free, that no spell should remain locked away in dusty old tomes, simply because it might be "too dark" or "too advanced." and so, the midnight readers’ society was born—a club of adventurers in the truest sense of the word, a fellowship of students who were willing to take risks for the thrill of discovery.

SECRET MEETINGS. the midnight readers meet in a shadowy alcove near the edge of the castle grounds, a place few students ever venture. it's a cozy, dimly lit space, furnished with piles of cushions and thick, worn blankets that smell faintly of old parchment and dust. the members gather late in the evening, well after curfew, when the halls of hogwarts are silent and the castle’s magical wards are at their weakest. the group sits in a circle, sipping tea from mismatched cups and whispering excitedly about their most recent acquisitions.

but the most thrilling part of their meetings is the exchange of knowledge. each week, a different member takes on the perilous task of sneaking into the restricted section of the library—a place heavily guarded by enchanted barriers, magical creatures, and an ever-watchful librarian, madam pincers, who is known for her sharp eyes and quicker reflexes. this daring member must manage to slip past all these defenses, find a book from the restricted section, and return to the group with their prize.

once the book is secured, the true magic begins. using a carefully learned duplication charm, the group creates perfect copies of the stolen book. the charm is precise, turning each page into a flawless replica. these copies are distributed among the members, allowing them to read what the restricted section has to offer without ever setting foot inside.

but there’s a catch—whoever takes the book must also ensure that the prior book is returned safely. once a new book is brought into the fold, the member is responsible for placing the old book back in its rightful spot. it’s a delicate balance of trust, secrecy, and skill, and the members of the society are always careful not to get caught. the thrill of a good heist is one of the many reasons the club’s meetings are so eagerly anticipated each week.

BOOKS. the books they steal are not your average school textbooks. they are tomes filled with powerful and often dangerous knowledge—books on advanced potions, rare spells, and historical records that were never meant to be widely circulated. some of these books have been locked away for centuries, thought to be too dangerous for young wizards and witches to handle. but the midnight readers know that knowledge isn’t inherently evil; it’s how you use it that matters.

one of the most prized volumes in their collection is the grimoire of ancient enchantments, a book said to contain spells older than the school itself. another is the dark wizard’s compendium, which details the techniques and curses used by dark wizards throughout history. then there’s the philosopher’s almanac, which covers everything from time travel to soul magic—a book so powerful it’s said that no wizard or witch has ever read it without experiencing strange, otherworldly dreams afterward.

each book stolen becomes a source of intense fascination. the members spend weeks poring over the copies, practicing the spells, analyzing the texts, and debating the meanings behind cryptic passages. the club’s meetings often spiral into heated discussions about the ethical implications of certain magical practices, the history of dark arts, and the potential for magical knowledge to shape the future.

RISKS. of course, there are dangers involved. the restricted section of the library is filled with enchantments designed to thwart any would-be intruders. books are often protected by cursed wards, traps that trigger upon touch, and creatures that lurk in the dark corners, guarding their secrets. one of the most infamous creatures is the book-basilisk, a serpent that only appears when someone tries to tamper with a forbidden book. it can petrify anyone who looks into its eyes, rendering them paralyzed for hours.

madam pincers, the librarian, has also developed a sixth sense when it comes to missing books. while she may seem absent-minded and somewhat harmless, she is always one step ahead of the students who try to steal from her. it’s rumored that she has a magical ability to sense when someone is in the library after hours, and she’s been known to leave enchanted notes in the restricted section, taunting the students who think they’ve gotten away with it.

yet, despite these risks, the midnight readers continue their quests, united by the thrill of the chase and the allure of forbidden knowledge.

PHILOSOPHY. at the heart of the midnight readers’ society is a belief that knowledge should never be stifled or restricted—only understood. the club members believe that by expanding their magical knowledge, they can make a difference in the world, whether it’s through understanding history more clearly, developing more advanced magical practices, or simply satisfying their own insatiable curiosity.

each new book uncovered is a small rebellion against the idea that some things are too dangerous to be known. to them, the real danger lies not in knowledge, but in ignorance. and though their methods are far from conventional, the midnight readers firmly believe they’re doing a service to their fellow students—giving them access to the wisdom that might otherwise be denied.

[drarryspecificrecs]

Draco Tops Harry Fest 2023 : (fics only)

@dracotops-harry || official masterpost || AO3 || ∑ = 16 works The Mod(s) : @digthewriter  Banner © : @digthewriter (official banner) + @fantalfart’s All I See is You (x)

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1. (Never) Let Me Go by @maraudersaffair [E, 17k]

Harry and Ginny are married, but she abandoned him for her Quidditch career overseas. He is lonely and desperate for love and very interested in sleeping with a man. Then, one night at a party, Draco Malfoy whispers in his ear: Do you want to leave with me? [...]

2. all I see is you by @makeitp1nk [M, 12k] --- ART by @fantalfart

The war is over, and all Harry Potter wants is to not feel like he's about to crawl out of his skin. Draco Malfoy is stuck with Voldemort's parting gift. One yearns for a soulmate while the other has no idea that they even exist. In a world where soulmates can only see each others' true selves, the past becomes the past and the two embrace their future over cups of milky coffee.

3. Brandishing The Wand by @ladderofyears [M, 2k]

When four Eighth Year boys overhear Draco and Harry having sex in the dormitory bathroom, each jumps to a very erroneous conclusion.

4. The First Source of Happiness by Lomonaaere [E, 13k]

Harry Potter is literally the most powerful wizard in the world- so powerful that the Unspeakables keep trying to devise challenges he can't meet. But Harry is also interested in having a lover who can take charge of him and won't be frightened off by his magic. In Unspeakable Draco Malfoy, Harry has perhaps found someone who can satisfy all his desires, and whose desires he can do the same with.

5. The First Time He Held Me by @shewhomustnotbenamed [E, 11k]

Draco works for a Muggle escort service, and uses a Polyjuice potion to disguise himself when meeting clients. [...] One night, he’s called to the room of the one man who he has always wanted, but could never have. Now, he needs to decide whether or not to reveal his true identity, or to remain in this polyjuiced body so that he can keep the attention of the Boy Who Lived.

6. Hair of the Cat by Enchanted_Jae [T, 2k]

Draco must scramble for an antidote after Potter tests one of his potions and turns into a cat.

7. Mirror Mirror by epiphany_dex [E, 33k]

Harry’s new year starts with a bang when he encounters Draco Malfoy at the Ministry Ball.

8. Now I Know In Part by @dodgerkedavra [E, 39k]

Harry Potter is the savior of the wizarding world. Draco Malfoy is a reformed Death Eater turned Ministry Curse-Breaker. Five years after the war, they're brought together by another mysterious curse.

9. only you, only us by @viridianvalor [E, 3k]

Years into their marriage, Draco and Harry share a fantasy: Draco watching as Harry gets fucked by another man. Now they’ve come up with a plan to make it happen, but with a twist - and they’ll need magic to pull it off.

10. Rekindled by @coffeedrgn87 [M, 5k]

Sometimes all it takes is a meet-cute in Greece.

11. The Way You Say My Name by InnerLilith [E, 5k]

In which Malfoy calls Harry pet names to get him flustered and riled up, and Harry gets flustered and riled up because he secretly likes it. The problem is that Malfoy is only teasing…or is he?

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[darklordazalin]

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Lyron Evensong

Domain: Liffe Domain Formation: 750 BC Power Level: 💀 ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Sources: Domain of Dread (2e), Book of Crypts (2e), Ravenloft 3.0

Baron Lyron Evensong is the Darklord of Liffe, a large island within the Nocturnal Sea. Liffe contains three decently sized settlements and enough farmlands so its people are self sufficient. That is, if they did not have a insatiable greed for the finery of other lands.

Lyron originated from Krynn where he performed as a bard on his beloved harpsichord. He often referred to himself as a ‘musical genius’ and his utter self-absorption could put even Narcissus to shame. His self-love accompanied by his disdain for all others developed into delusions of righteousness he felt compelled to force upon others.

Having no true means to enforce his will upon another and his songs and poems failing to inspire anything beyond polite applause, Lyron hired a wizard to enchant his harpsichord. Either he did not pay this wizard well or the wizard in question was inept and as such a spell that was meant to enthrall his listeners resulted in drawing Lyron’s essence into the instrument.

Still able to interact with the world as long as he was within reach of his instrument, Lyron attempted to sway audiences into what he believed was a morally decent life. When his poetry and music still did nothing, he turned to violence. Any act Evensong viewed as amoral, from divorcées to crying babies, resulted in Lyron’s swift correction with dagger and club.

After countless murders, Lyron and his harpsichord were pulled into the Mists and he was made the Baron of Claviera on the island of Liffe. Here he is contained to his mansion and for every day he spends in Claviera, he must spent a century in the dark confines of his study.

He now spends what time he can luring travelers to his study so he does not have to spend those 100 years alone. Of course, his guests age while he does not and most rarely last a few years before Lyron deems them unworthy and disposes of them. I recommend offending him as quickly as you can, otherwise you will be doomed for countless years of listening to his ‘art’.

[nobredoesart]

Magic in The Dragon Prince

The Arcanums are something that has always fascinated me, but I feel like they are only explored on the surface level. Such a deep, conceptual part of the world building should be expanded on, and payed far more attention than it is, because it simple deserves it, ya know? So, with the elf redesigns semi-established, let's establish some basics. I originally was going to also post about the individual Arcanums in this post, but it was getting overly long, so, we'll get to it eventually.

The Primal Sources are the sun, moon, earth, sky, ocean and stars. They all play a role within the world, and have their equal and opposite in one another, sources of power and encompassing most of living existence, with their apex (besides what represents them) being found within the dragons.

Each of the sources have an Arcanum, which is effectively their philosophical meaning, the meaning behind them, the identity forged within the soul of each being that is tied to them. Arcanums can't just be studied, they must be groked to achieve connection, and each individual one can take a lifetime to understand if one doesn't have the aid of a teacher or tool, though most elves and magical creatures are born with an inherent Arcanum that they know already. Learning an Arcanum shifts how you view the world, and for creatures that already have an Arcanum, it's a horrible, cognitively dissonant experience, akin to heavy dysphoria.

The Primal Sources do also have associated types of magic, though most do overlap a decent amount. They can bend the rules to create something that would usually be considered part of the other source's prerogative. Due to this divide, different mages often rely on creative solutions to similar problems, or lean hard into the support of differing primal mages, due to the simple reality that is helpful for them to do so. Mage groups are somewhat frequent in travelers, as is the sharing of knowledge and spellbooks throughout the Academic Circles in Xadia, though it is a minuscule number when compared to the Human Kingdoms, which have whole libraries of spellbooks publicly accessible. There are exceptions, because some mages, be they wizards, witches, shamans, artificers or sorcerers of any kind, can develop a great deal of secrecy regarding their magic. Dragons especially, because OF COURSE DRAGONS ARE MAGES IT'S SILLY THAT THEY DON'T USE MORE MAGIC. They are the apex of their primals, and most mages have learned magic from dragons, hence why most primal magic stems from Draconic Runes (which are just, the written version of Draconic Speech).

Establishing something important: Humans do not understand Arcanums, nor are they even super familiar with the concept. To them, the Primals are just different flavors of magic and symbols that the elves use. They are not some grandiose deep understanding of the world, but simple sources of power. Which every human mage in the series would eventually be confronted with eventually. Personally, I believe that Callum would still primarily connect with the Sky, and given the opporunity, Viren would connect with the Stars and Claudia would connect with the Ocean, which I think will become clearer once I explain the Primals properly.

Dark Magic is different. Dark Magic, much like the show, is the practice of tearing out the magic from a creature that possesses it, and using it for your spells. But even this will have some slight alterations:

1. The mage in question isn't just tearing out the magic. They are effectively imbuing themselves with a fleeting understanding of an Arcanum, and using that understanding to create a magical connection within themselves. The knowledge of the Arcanum fades immediately after the spell. It corrupts the Soul, forcing the mage's mind to process a complex philosophical identity that is not their own, which damages the body as well. 2. This damage is, in part, irreversible. Callum, for example, upon using Dark Magic has categorically corrupted part of his mind, which affects how he will process the Arcanum he used in those spells, due to the simple nature that whatever part of him that would've naturally accessed the Arcanum is now strained. Physical changes, like the ones seen in Viren and Claudia are a sign that the body is starting to break down under the stress. 3. Incantations aren't just reversed fancy speech, though that is a cool idea that I want to keep! They are, effectively, the translation of what piece of the Arcanum the Dark Mage in question is drawing on.

That is all for now, more to come!

[soylent-crocodile]

Vizzerdrix (Monster)

(Vizzerdrix by Dave Dorman)

(Behold, a late Easter AND an April Fool's Day special, all wrapped up in one not-so-fluffy bunny! I wanted to capture the idea of a puzzlingly high-value creature with no special effects and not as much combat capability as its peers, so I went with a mad genius. There's also just a couple of tropes here that I tend to avoid- or lean on- if you can spot them. Enjoy!)

CR16 CE Large Aberration HD25

Vizzerdrix are savage beings created by a mad wizard, ravenous beasts who tear apart any who meet their path. It is generally accepted that the vizzerdrix were the last creation of said wizard before being torn apart by vizzerdrix. Unfortunately for the world, her creations bred true, and now vizzerdrix can be found leaving swathes of blood and death in their path. 

A vizzerdrix is a hybrid between a rabbit, a giant, and a piranha, creating a being with incredible intelligence, sharp claws, a craving for destruction and flesh, and big floppy rabbit ears. Vizzerdrix are among the most brilliant beings to exist, and use this to their advantage- they’re expert at evaluating threats, manipulating others, and devising cunning traps. Fortunately for a vizzerdrix’s enemies, they lack any particular abilities to put this brilliance to use, and without external help or tools, must fall back on ripping and tearing. This isn’t to say that a vizzerdrix has distaste for such combat- indeed, tearing other beings apart with their claws and incisors is the deepest pleasure a vizzerdrix can experience, and all their goals and conniving generally works to the end of getting a vizzerdrix a never-ending source of innocent victims to destroy. 

Vizzerdrix are obligate carnivores, only able to digest animal flesh. Despite this, they have a deep craving for root vegetables, which give them incredible indigestion and, occasionally, food poisoning and intense gastric distress. It is suspected that this was a failsafe created by their master and the reason to include rabbit parts, as vizzerdrix will do anything for proper digestive aids that allow them to comfortably eat their favorite food. 

This hulking, clawed beast has powerful human musculature, furless skin, and the head of an angry rabbit. Misc- CR16 CE Large Aberration HD25 Init:+8 Senses: Perception +27 Darkvision 60ft Stats- Str:28(+9) Dex:18(+4) Con:18(+4) Int:32(+11) Wis:9(-1) Cha:20(+5) BAB:+18/+13/+8/+3 Space:10ft Reach:10ft Defense- HP: AC:30(+4 Dexterity, +17 Deflection, -1 Size) Fort:+14 Ref:+12 Will:+17 CMD:39 Resist: Acid 20, Cold 20, Electricity 20, Fire 20 Immunity: Fear Special Defenses: DR5/Adamantine Offense- Bite +24(2d6+9), 2 Claw +25(1d8+9) CMB:+25 Speed:40ft Special Attacks: Rend (2 Claw, 2d8+14) Feats- Improved Initiative, Power Attack (-5/+10), Weapon Focus (Claw), Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Vital Strike, Combat Expertise, Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Greater Dirty Trick, Critical Focus Skills- Acrobatics +27, Climb +17, Escape Artist +32, Knowledge (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Engineering, Geography, Nature, Planes, Religion) +26, Knowledge (Local)* +29, Perception +27, Sense Motive +24, Spellcraft +39, Stealth +32, Survival +27, Swim +17, Use Magic Device +30 Spell-like Abilities- (Caster Level 20, Concentration +25) Dispel Magic /at-will Special Qualities- Ferocity Ecology- Environment- Forests, Swamps (Any) Languages- Common, Aklo, Abyssal, Draconic, Giant Organization- Solitary Treasure- None

[theshiftingwitch]

https://www.tumblr.com/creature-wizard/761018683964424192/the-law-of-assumption-isnt-a-cult-mmm-are-you?source=share

That's a very interesting read, thank you for sharing it!

(The Law of assumption is a cult)

Allow me to explain my side:

1- I don't believe in everything the "founder" teaches. Some rules work for me, others don't. I use critical thinking and past experiences to take whatever works and isolate it. Remember, his teachings came out in the 40s + he is not omniscient. Humans are bound to make mistakes.

2- I never guilt, shame, or turn away anyone who asks questions. If you scroll through my page, you'll see I'm trying to answer all questions and help everyone to the best of my ability. And all I ever insist on is having fun.

3- Everyone is you pushed out doesn't take away people's agency. It is a spiritual rule that suggests since we are all part of the great consciousness, we are all Spirit, the universe having a human experience. We are all One, and with that knowledge, we must face our shadows when people trigger us because they are merely holding a mirror to us and exposing parts of us we refuse to see or deal with. I know that when most people in loa community use EIYPO they mean no one else has free will in the world and you are the main character and you get to do what you want (that only applies in your reality, everyone's else reality doesn't have to conform to your beliefs) but I personally always say do not do onto others what you wouldn't do to yourself.

4- if loa is a cult, then by that definition so is the law of attraction, so is every religion and every spiritual practice that gives sole power to its founder/creator/god. If you're not allowed to question it then you're dealing with the wrong people and you should seek knowledge/advice somewhere else.

5- Try it out for yourself. Forget about Neville Goddard, forget about the community, let everything go, and try changing your assumptions about one single thing. Stick with it for as long as you can, and then we'll question the validity of the law. Too many people with great success stories started out as doubters too. (If it's not your thing, I totally understand, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do.)

TLDR: Law off assumption is as much of a cult as anything else that has a great following. If it works, then amazing. If it doesn't, feel free to try something else. And as usual, you're more than welcome to ask any questions 😊

Happy manifesting?

[mask131]

Exploring the Ice King (4)

Here's at last the final part of this series! I wanted to release this post for the Day of the Kings, but I was too busy IRL... So it's today instead. After going 'round and 'round the elephant in the room, we finally get to touch the heart and core of Ice King: the inspirations of the monarch of ice and snow, and the ancestors of a winter sorcerer!

The most common and widespread trivia you will find around the Internet is that the Ice King seems to have been mainly influenced by the character of the "Winter Warlock" from the Rankin/Bass "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town". Indeed, we find the same lushious beard, pointy features, weird crown, penguin companion, ice-magic and antagonistic role

A similar evil ice sorcerer appeared in "Ruldoph and Frosty's Christmas in July", the wizard Winterbolt - whose name reminds of Ice King's "ice lightning"

The world of Rankin/Bass animations seems to have had a certain influence over Adventure Time. The duo formed by the Heat Miser and Snow Miser can have a vague echo in the duality of the Ice King and Flame King....

... While the huge Snow realm ruled by Father Winter in Rankin/Bass' "Jack Frost" reminds one of the various ice and snow creatures of Ice King's empty domain:

However there is a MUCH more direct inspiration to be listed... An animated movie that clearly was one of the roots of Adventure Time. 1971's The Point, about a boy with a strange hat and his dog going on an adventure... And where the king of the land looks like this:

I don't think I need to make anymore explanations - outside of mentionning that 1971's The Point was actually the animated adaptation of a musical album, and that the starting point of the writing of the story was someone's acid trip... Literaly. Both elements which also echo a LOT with Adventure Time's own style and uniqueness. Though the king in this version was a shy, timid, benevolent and magic-less ruler - a far cry from AT more dangerous and unstable ice-wizard.

Speaking of direct inspirations for Adventure Time, it has never been a secret that 1977's "Wizards" had been one of the main sources of Adventure Time's world. An earth returned to a world of fantasy, magic and fairies after a nuclear war, with a half-skeletal evil wizard leading armies of mutants and robots against the excentric, quirky and weird forces of "good"... The homage is neat and clear.

Why am I speaking of this however? No Ice King ancestor seems to be hiding there... Well, I suggest you take a look at another one of Ralph Bakshi's animated fantasy movies... No, not the animated "Lord of the Rings" movie. But 1983's "Fire and Ice". An animated collaboration with Frank Frazetta himself, about bluish-skinned, white-haired ice-rulers using snow magic to invade a fantasy land and capture a princess, only for a brave, sword-wielding blond hero to have to rescue her... While he is much more youthful, sexy and sane than Ice King, prince Nekron IS definitively one of the characters' ancestors.

The presence of an ice queen ruling alongside Nekron makes me think back on a specific topic... In fantasy, the role of sorcerous evil lords with powers and affinity for ice, snow and the cold is traditionally taken by a woman. Probably as a remnant of the popularity of Andersen's Snow Queen fairytale:

To mention a few famous examples, you have the White Witch of Narnia (which was C.S. Lewis taking Andersen's Snow Queen and fusing her with Lilith and She-who-must-be-obeyed):

Or Tad Williams' Utuk'ku, Queen of the Norns (the literary ancestors of Game of Thrones' White Walkers, Martin literaly ripped them off):

And Warhammer's Tzarina Katarin, first of the ice-witches of Kislev

Adventure Time did have some female characters wielding the powers of the ice - from the Ice Queen to Patience St. Prim, but it stayed mainly focused on the snow magic being male-owned (Ice King, Ice Finn, Evergreen, and all the recent alternates like the Winter King)...

... And by stayed quite "male-focused", Adventure Time echoes once more an ancient mythical archetype, a legendary character whose many incarnations go from Old Father Winter of England to Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) of Russia, passing by Jack Frost and Boreas...

I could have talked about the large presence of ice spirits, spells and entities within the world of "Dungeons and Dragons" but this post is getting way too long, so, to conclude, I will also point out something many have noticed before - how a blue-skinned man-freak freezing everything over a tragic love story is strongly reminiscent of Batman's Mr. Freeze

[anneofteenfables]

The Maze of Bones

Title: The Maze of Bones

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Mystery

Length: 5 hours

Summary: 

Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her descendants an impossible decision: “You have a choice – one million dollars or a clue.” 

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world’s most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family’s secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what’s important: hunting clues or uncovering what really happened to their parents.

Review:

My first book of the year, The Maze of Bones, is a book I chose as part of my library’s reading challenge. I’m really excited to be able to start my library’s yearly reading challenge at the beginning of the year instead of halfway through, and I already have a couple books started for various categories. The Maze of Bones fulfills the “First Book in a Series” category. I read this book in middle school. (I realize a lot of the books on this blog are ones I’ve read before.) I didn’t really have high hopes as I reread it, I remembered it being good but also knew there was a possibility that it hadn’t aged well. While some parts of the book have indeed not aged well (Jonah Wizard’s whole ‘gangster’ thing, a lot of the descriptions of the Kabras), a vast majority are still really good and even better than I remember it.

The Maze of Bones is an interesting mix of mystery, adventure, and emotion. It’s what I would call a history-mystery where the clues are all related to a historical figure or event, in the same vein as National Treasure. I am a history nerd and therefore love it and think it’s a really cool technique to teach kids about history and also science and math at times. I’m a bit older than the intended middle grade audience but the clues/plot doesn’t seem silly or overly obvious. I think the mystery element is really good, within each book the mystery plot is seemingly well thought out. I know within the series this gets more complicated and disjointed since the whole series has different authors. At least, in the first book the mystery is both easy to follow but also not too obvious or easy to guess. I think the adventure element is also really good. Dan and Amy have to escape a burning mansion and a museum explosion, along with various other dangers. They also do all this while travelling the world and the United States. I also appreciate the realism of the adventure element. Finances are a real issue for Amy, Dan, and Nellie, they are constantly worried about money and it’s nice to read that especially when most books would brush over those details or have one character be really rich or inherit money just so that it isn’t an issue. There are also real consequences to the situations they get in, Amy and Dan don’t walk out of fires or explosions or the catacombs unscathed, physically or emotionally. They experience temporary hearing loss and asthma attacks and they also feel bad/sad/guilty about the other people involved. This also has to do with the surprisingly emotional aspect and real consequences of this book. The book starts with Amy and Dan’s real grief over their grandmother, and then real grief and trauma reactions to the mansion fire. They also struggle greatly with thinking their competitors are dead after the museum explosion. Even when Amy and Dan learn that they aren’t dead, they still feel very bad. There’s also the emotion and grief that comes along with their parents death and the consequences of that. I think they especially struggle with it because they are so young and they were so young when their parents died. I was enjoyably surprised with how real their emotions feel and how understandable their decisions are for their characters. Obviously, they make silly and often rash decisions but it makes sense how they made those decisions.

While most of this book seems well thought out, there are still some things that don’t make sense. While it is clear that this series would have to start with the first clue, it doesn’t make much sense to me that no one else in the Cahill family would’ve known about the clues. Grace and Amy and Dan’s parents know about the clues and obviously have figured out various clues. However, it seems no one else in the family or at least the people at Grace’s funeral even knew that there were clues. While I read the entire series at one point, I don’t remember much but I also feel like if these clues have been around for centuries someone else would’ve solved them by now. It just seems unrealistic to me that no one else in the Cahill family knew of or was looking for these clues at the time of Grace’s death.  Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, I think a lot of the portrayals are very realistic. All of the siblings act like siblings, and every team has pretty clear motivations about why they chose the clue. I think the writing is very good, the plot is well thought out, though it makes sense because this is a Rick Riordan book. I most definitely will continue to read this series because I plan to use the second book, One False Note, for another category. All in all, this was a quick and easy read that I highly recommend.

Divider: @/cafekitsune

Header Paintings: Head of Skeleton with Burning Cigarette by Vincent van Gogh + Paris by Daniel J Keys