#abusive dursleys

[pickinglilahs]

I'm not done with the Blackeclipse story, but I'm shifting gears to my One True Love... Drarry

Chapter 1 (2k) Slow burn AO3 link, Ch 2 This is a Trans!Harry fic (Gender Fluid/NB/Queer!Harry). Basically, the Dursleys didn't want to raise a girl so they brought Harry up as a boy. It didn't really matter till 8th year when it suddenly did. Most chapters will be T but some will be 18+ Also, there will probs be trigger warnings on some chapters for abuse, PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc. This first chapter is kind of harsh as we do dive into some of Harry's past for backstory so...Take care of yourselves

Harry was having an identity crisis.

At least, that's what Hermione called it.

Supposedly, since he had spent most of the last decade trying to survive, he hadn't had much time to think about his gender.

Or maybe it's just that his gender had never been an issue before. It always just...was.

Granted, when Harry was little, he had tried to understand, but his middle school library didn't have any information on anatomy, let alone 'Sissy Boys.'

That's what he was.

A Sissy Boy.

At least, that's what the Dursleys had called him, and, as he was just a little kid who didn't know any better, Harry believed them.

Sissy Boys were weak and stupid, and they didn't have a penis like Real Boys.

Sissy Boys were freaks.

And Harry had been twice as freakish because of the accidental magic that he didn't understand.

Looking back, Harry could see how their influence shaped his understanding of the world and himself. Their treatment of him was still engrained on his psyche.

The Mind Healer Harry had seen after the war wasn't very helpful when it came to things like that though. Sure, they had helped him understand his panic attacks and how to work through them. They helped with finding coping mechanisms for when everything became too much. They had even started him down this path of self-discovery.

It was actually them who had suggested he attend Hogwarts for the 'eighth year' McGonagall had offered his class. Supposedly, it would be good for him to have the chance to be a normal teenager.

Well, here he was, back at Hogwarts, and he felt anything but normal. Though, Harry had to admit, that was a comfort in its own right. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if all he had going on was classes and gossip.

Maybe that was why he had dove head-first into this particular issue. This was something tangible. Researchable. Understandable.

On the first day of classes, Harry skipped lunch in favor of perusing the library alone. All he could think about during his morning classes was seeing if the Hogwarts library had the information his middle school library hadn't. Surely it must.

As he wandered up and down the aisles, Harry's mind strayed to other distractions. He assumed Hermione was at lunch—seeing as they didn't even have homework yet—and Ron hadn't come back for eighth year. He was in Diagon working with George.

That had led to a lot of yelling and crying, and now Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other.

Again.

And while Harry had stayed far away from that minefield, Ron wasn't talking to him right now either.

He and Hermione were on speaking terms, but they didn't do much speaking, even before the fighting. They mostly sat in each other's company, both terrified of being alone.

After twenty minutes of wandering up and down the aisles, Harry finally gave in and asked Madam Pince for directions.

While he was terrified of the shriveled old shrew, she did direct him to the proper section, scowling suspiciously all the while. He made his way over to the shelves and stared at the books blankly.

He could feel Pince's eyes on him, so he pulled a book down at random, flipping it over and pretending to read the synopsis. After a few moments, he looked back up at the shelf and grabbed two more books from different shelves.

Confident that at least one would be able to answer his questions, Harry took the books back to Pince to check them out. He put them into his bag and there they sat the rest of the day.

He went to his afternoon classes and kept his eyes on the teacher or his notes, but his mind never strayed from the books in his bag and the answers they might hold.

When he finally made it to the eighth-year common room after dinner, Harry went straight to his room. He had his own with a private bathroom—Thank Merlin—; so, he grabbed the library books and flopped onto his bed.

Examining them, he thought he did a pretty good job blindly grabbing. The first was Sex versus Gender. The second, Anatomy for Dummies. And the third was just called Trans.

Harry still wasn't sure what 'trans' meant, but McGonagall and Pomfrey had both used the term when asking about him in first year. So, at the very least, he could finally learn what it meant.

He started with the anatomy book, flipping until he got to the section labeled Male v Female. The cover page just had symbols and things on it, so he turned to the next page.

Here, there was a drawing on each page. Both the male and female were just outlines with their organs showing. A big arrow pointed to the female's gut, pointing out the additional organ labeled 'The Uterus.'

Harry frowned and turned the page again, a sinking feeling in his gut. There were two more drawings, this time zoomed in and slightly from the side.

Harry wasn't stupid. He had looked down there before and he knew it was definitely not what was drawn on the 'male' figure.

He turned the page again and was greeted with 'The Vagina.'

Harry's stomach rioted. He leaped off the bed and sprinted for the bathroom. When all of his dinner had made a reappearance, he sat on the floor. Putting his back against the wall, Harry pulled his knees up, hiding his face.

Female

Male

Sissy Boy

Female

Sissy Boy

Male

Female

"Harry?"

He jumped as he felt Hermione's hand on his ankle. Her face was blurry, but he could see her furrowed brows.

"Harry, are you ill? Do you need to go to Madam Pomfrey?"

Harry just stared at her. His mind was spinning too fast to grasp what she was saying, let alone formulate a response.

Seeing his blank, unfocused look, Hermione sighed. She left to fetch his school robes, which had been tossed carelessly over his desk chair. Walking back to Harry, she pulled the Walkman out of one of the pockets and turned it on.

She held the headset up to one ear to make sure it was playing before slowly reaching out to put it over both of his. Then she picked his glasses up off the floor, cleaned them with a tap of her wand, and put those on him too.

When his hands came up to adjust the way his glasses and the headphones sat on his ears, Hermione sighed in relief. She went back out into his room, putting his robes in the hamper, and grabbed his charms book from his bag to read.

She was about to go back to the bathroom to sit with him when she noticed the books on Harry's bed. Curious, she went over to look and gasped.

"Oh, Harry."

Not wanting to overwhelm him, she left the books and went to sit beside him on the bathroom floor. At least she knew what this was about. Usually, when he had an episode, what set him off was anyone's guess.

This?

This they had been expecting.

This, Hermione was prepared for.

So, she sat across from Harry on the floor of the bathroom, waiting for the storm raging in his mind to slow.

It was a surprisingly short while before Harry paused his music. He even took the headphones off, wrapping them gently around the player. He stood, still a little shaky, and dropped a brief kiss to the top of Hermione's head in thanks before making his way back to his bed.

Hermione followed him and sat at his desk as he pulled pajamas out of his trunk. She was already dressed for bed, having only come seeking him to check in and say good night. Hermione was glad she came.

As the desk and the bathroom door sat along the same wall, Hermione couldn't see into the bathroom from her seat. So, Harry left the door open as he went in to change and brush his teeth. As she had expected, Harry started talking once he was out of sight.

Unexpectedly, he didn't ask if she already knew or why they hadn't told him. No. Instead, he asked, "You know what the worst part is?"

It was rhetorical, but she answered anyway, "That you're only just now getting to figure this out?"

He snorted, "Nah, I've never had great timing."

He had a point.

"No. The worst part is that I knew. Or should have known. Or-" He paused, and she could picture him running his hands over his face, glasses askew. "Part of me had to have known first year with how everyone was asking all those weird questions. And I had to have known third year when Remus was telling me about-"

He trailed off, but Hermione knew. Remus had told Harry about his parents. About how they were expecting a baby girl. About how they would have loved to see who he had become, no matter what.

"I just didn't want it to be true."

Hermione could hear him brushing his teeth. She had no idea what to say to that.

When he came out of the bathroom, Hermione stood, holding her arms out in invitation. Harry didn't always accept hugs, especially not after having an episode, but he did this time.

In another life, he might have been taller than her. As it was, he was painfully small and frail. Even years of Hogwarts' feasts and Molly's cooking couldn't make up for a decade of malnourishment. Especially since he had still spent his summers at Privet Drive.

Another wave crashed through him as Harry realized he wasn't just small for his age; he was small for a boy. Hermione was average height, and he was almost as tall as her.

Which meant he was normal height.

For a girl.

Taking a deep breath, Harry pulled away. "Does this mean I have to wear a skirt now?"

The question startled a laugh out of Hermione before she could suppress it. Harry was smiling too, but the worry in his eyes belittled the effect.

"You don't have to do anything," she promised. "You could go on like you have been and no one would know the difference."

Harry nodded to himself. But... Did he want to go on like he had been?

"Or," she continued, "You can keep reading those books and decide for yourself who it is you want to be. This isn't an all-or-nothing, Harry."

He looked back up at her, confusion etched into his face. She smiled and went over to his bed, picking up Sex versus Gender and Trans.

"These are a great start, and I know a few others that might be helpful too. Don't be afraid to ask, Okay? And-" She choked off and switched directions, "You can write to Charlie too; they're nonbinary. They might be able to help you with more specific questions."

Something 'clicked' for Harry at the mention of Charlie. How the second eldest Weasley wasn't exactly masculine, but also not very feminine.

Both and Neither.

At the same time.

Harry looked down at the books in his hands and nodded again. He went over to sit on the edge of his bed, studying their covers. Hermione kissed his head and left, calling for him to try to sleep at least a bit tonight; even though they both knew he wouldn't.

Sighing, he settled back against the headboard, opened Sex versus Gender, and began to read.

@bradley-95147-blog @shyshadows430

[weird-obsessed-girl]

Harry dealing with abuse trauma/people finding out about Dursley’s treatment

Ok so I didn’t know exactly how to word this particular genre of Harry Potter fanfiction, but I have been reading some fanfics where either the teachers, Sirius or the golden trio find out that Harry has been abused by the Dursley’s and how Harry deals or heals from that trauma. #cupboardreveal

so therefore below is a list of fanfics that deal with this topic, this is pretty obvious but TW for child abuse, some of these I haven’t read yet so i don’t think any of them feature active abuse, more so past abuse.

All of these will be angst but many with a hopeful/happy ending. Organised by word count. If you would like some fic recs that don’t focus on Harrys abuse here’s the link to my master list Harry Potter Fic Rec (mostly Drarry)

How Each Weasley Found Out About The Dursleys - burnthebodiesandbedonewithit

What it says on the tin, Harry/Ginny (very light tho), protective Weasleys | G | 1k

Food For Thought - LoveHP

Snape notices some things throughout the years, have not read yet so IDK | T | 1.2k

Bottle It Up - mallfacee

Disabled Harry, Severitus, hurt/comfort, hiding medical issues, apart of a series | T | 2.1k

Aftermath - CreateImagineWrite

Post-final battle, Harry is dealing with trauma, Ron helps him and finds out, Trigger Warning for food issues and trauma responses | G | 3.1k

Disguised as something else - aloneintherain

Everybody lives, au war ends early, Wolfstar custody of Harry, hurt/comfort, THIS IS SO GOOD #cupboard reveal | T | 3.1k

Muggle Management - LadyWinterlight, NerdyKat

Hermione recognises the signs of abuse, part of a series, Hermione finessing the muggle system | G | 3.4K

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - IamShadow21

Not focused on past abuse but is mentioned, Ron and Harry friendship through the years | T | 3.7K

The Cupboard - GreenEyesGreySkies

Drarry, panic attack, harmless prank that turns out to not be so | T | 4K

Bruised Hearts and Painted Skin - mikimouze16

Lupin, McGonagall and Snape find out, therapy, depression | G | 4.4K

Cascade - taradiane

Drarry, post-Hogwarts, Harry has nightmares, discussion about the Dursleys | PG | 4.7k

Claustrophobic- Annie1025

Summer at Spinner’s End, sevitus, 5th year, hurt/comfort, panic attacks | T | 4.8k

Where the Sunbeams Start - zedpm

Sirius/Severus, Soulmate au which leads to Severus getting Sirius freed, then they adopt Harry! T | 7.1k

Locked Cupboards - Lomonaaeren

Redemption, Draco is assigned to guard Dudley, Dudley talks about their childhood | T | 7.2k

Darker Than You Think - Lomonaaeren

Drarry, Draco is very much a psycho, bent on revenge, dubious consent | M (definitely should be E) | 7.8k

Fac Mihi Viam - MistressKat

Canon divergence, Harry stays at Grimmauld Plac, abuse not necessarily discussed but implied, Wolfstar | T | 7.9k

The Uncle - copprbadge

Wolfstar, gangsters au, Remus saves Harry from Dursley’s | T | 7.9k

Tugging Sleeves - Windschild178

Harry isn’t responding to Rons letters, POV Ron, Ron to the rescue | G | 8.1k

Harry Potter And The Summer At Grimmauld Place - Silver_Queen_DoS

What it says on the tin, Sirius is free, home renovation, book 3 | G | 8.6k

Listen - Marchling

Need to sign into Ao3, Sirius spies on Dursleys, hurt/comfort, misunderstandings, reconciliation | T | 10.9k

Finite Incantatem - skullcandy11

Rogue spell hits Harry and reveals some truths, manipulative Dumbledore, Harry joins the dark side | T | 12.3k currently, ongoing

Scars - pheonixgirl26

Some Gryffindor’s see some of Harry’s scar, and decide to help | M | 12.5k

Timeshare - astolat

Honestly i have not read this yet but it looks promising, Harry is spending summer at the Dursleys and then the Malfoy’s | M | 14.1k

Seven Plus One - ABlackRaven

Sirius adopts Harry, 7 times Sirius is called uncle and 1 time he’s called dad, Peter caught, hurt/comfort | T | 15.4K

What’s Left Unsaid - angel74

Post-Order of the Phoenix, Hermione and Ron look into Harry’s life at the Dursley’s, angst, hurt/comfort | T | 16.1k

A Hero - Celebony

Dudley begins to see his family in a different light | T | 18.1k

The Lioness - Aya_Diefair

Molly becomes suspicious of Harry’s relatives, she visits them, BAMF Molly, Sirius is freed | G | 18.3k

That’s Your Punishment? - slytherclaw7

Molly actually asks Harry questions, this is definitely a fix-it fic, Sirius is freed, Peter is caught, Dumbledore bashing, Tonks family taking Harry in | IDK how fanfiction.net ratings work | 19k

Pinky Promise - etymolodrarry, huffinglepuff

Remus is observant, angst with happy ending, Dumbledore bashing, implied self harm, Wolfstar | T | 19.5k

Listen Now - mrsfizzle

Harry confides in Remus, hurt/comfort, Wolfstar adopts Harry, moving into Grimmauld | G | 21.2k

Conquering the Dark - noeon (noe)

Healer!Harry and neuromagic!Draco, both work together, unearths trauma | E | 23.7k

The Chamber of Secrets and Half the Adults are Idiots - Des98

Apart of a series, Drarry, Harry recognises Lucius’ treatment of Draco, fix-it, inter-house friendships | M | 42.8k

The Article - LeeASherlook

outed by the Daily Prophet (not in the gay sense), 6th year, Drarry friendship | T | 43k ongoing

Burnt - lastcrazyhorn

Disabled Harry, Slytherin!Harry, have not read so refer to tags | T | 104.9k

Memories and Dreams - paganaidd

Series, one part Dudley’s POV | T | 140.3k

Malfoy Family Values - belana, Merry1978

This only really mentions Harry’s mistreatment but i thought it is an interesting fic to possibly explore, Malfoys adopt little Harry | G | 141.7k

Stronger At the Broken Places - enigmaticblue

More so focus’ on Sirius’ trauma, but it’s a whole Wolfstar family affair | T | 174.9k

Digging for the Bones - paganaidd

Hogwarts starts screening students for abuse, Snape conducts Harry’s screening, Snape is Harry’s bio dad, Severitus | M | 212.2k

The secret language of plants - Endrina

Severus/Remus, Sev rescues toddler Harry, this is a series of Severus/Remus being Harry’s parents, pre-Hogwarts to post, future Drarry | rating varies | 373k

Innocent - MarauderLover7

Ok so this does not focus on Harry’s abuse but Sirius gets freed and raises Harry when he’s 8 | M | 487.5k

A Year Like None Other - aspeninthesunlight

Disability, slightly Severitus, 6th year, canon divergence, Snape forces Harry to read letter from Dursleys | T | 789.5k

[pleeborp]

Guys I’m actually crying right now I’m so sad all the time over how Harry’s abuse is never addressed

He was ABUSED guys and NOBODY ever talked about it

And can you just imagine Harry James Potter waking up that first Christmas expecting nothing and then Ron Weasley his FIRST friend telling him he has PRESENTS. The joy the shock that boy must have felt. But can you imagine for a split second he doesn’t believe him. Can you imagine for one second that Harry thought Ron, his first friend, could be playing a cruel trick on him. You think Dudley never pulled that shit on him? You think he was never given false hope that he had presents before?

Or how about the fact that Harry probably woke up every morning for what was probably his first four months at Hogwarts at least, panicked and rushed to get up to make breakfast for the Dursley’s only to realize he didn’t have to. Can you imagine the relief? The weight off his shoulders. Or even worse can you imagine the guilt he felt? He had been raised to cook for them every morning and you think it wasn’t deeply engraved in his mind that in order to feel some sort of acceptance without doing something for others? You think he didn’t try to do things for his friends those first months at Hogwarts, believing it to be the only way he’d be accepted?

Think even harder about how as the years went on and as he did more things for people it seemingly fed into those beliefs? How every time he saved someone, every time he did something for the school, everyone loved him for it? How Hogwarts was his safe haven, but even then they always expected something from him in return. And when they hated him, and he did something else to save them, suddenly they loved him again. You think he didn’t solidify in his poor, hurt mind that in order him for him to be accepted he had to do these things for the people around him?

Or even the betrayal he MUST have felt when he learned all of this was PLANNED. That he was raised and built and forged to be nothing else other than a hero for a society that always expected that from him.

That despite the fact that he escaped the Dursley’s, he would never be without expectations and responsibilities shoved into him from those around him.

Guys I’m so upset I just want to hold him. He deserved a loving, supportive home, where he should have had no expectations other than to be a child and to be loved. This is secretly a PSA that I fucking hate Albus Dumbledore for the pressure and the manipulation he put on Harry.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Also FUCK Jk Rowling

[severussnapemylove]

Moments in Harry Potter that hit right in my heart. In Prisoner of Azkaban, when Severus has his wand against Sirius's neck and says "Do I detect a flicker of fear?"

That moment, when he finally got the upper hand against one of his abusers and said *It's your turn to be afraid*

Can't help but see a parallel to the start of the story when Harry aims his wand at Vernon and says "Try me."

These two moments, facing off against your abuser and taking the upper hand, these two moments here.

[sybill-the-seer]

Young ~3-y/o Harry following Petunia around the house while she does chores. Young Harry holding onto Petunia’s skirt and sucking his thumb while she does the dishes. Young Harry playing quietly in the grass near Petunia while she weeds the garden. Young Harry just wanting to be WITH someone at all times. Young Harry trotting along after Petunia all day being her little shadow until her patience wears thin and she sends him to his cupboard. Young Harry being a clingy child who desperately needs affection but never gets it.

[celestialseawitch-ff]

Under the Moon

Harry tugged on the thick iron cuff around his ankle. 

“Come on. Come on. Come on.”

It was getting darker in the forest now. The moon would be out soon.

Of all the ways to go, massacred by Fenrir Greyback hadn't really been on the list. Dementors had been higher up on the list. Actually, Seamus’ explosive magic during transfiguration class was higher than the famous werewolf.

Fenrir Greyback was a ghost story. He was the boogeyman under Remus Lupin's bed. He wasn’t supposed to be an actual threat to Harry. That honour was still tightly held by Voldemort.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. 

The Death Eaters had come out of nowhere while he was at the park. He spent most of his summer there before being forced to return to the Dursleys. When he was younger, lingering around the house meant he'd get locked up under the stairs or forced to do labour. Now that he was older, loitering tended to get him beat with a belt. He could still feel the lashings healing on his back from his uncle's latest temper tantrum.

The Death Eaters pounced before Harry even knew they were there. One moment he was sitting alone in a park and the next thing he knew, he was wandless and unconscious on the floor of an unknown forest. 

Voldemort stayed only long enough to gloat.

“I want you to suffer,” he told Harry. “The way you have made me suffer for years.”

“Fuck you, Riddle,” Harry spat back.

Voldemort smiled coldly. “Let's see how much fight you have left in you when Greyback is done with you.”

Harry's eyes widened.

Voldemort's smile widened. “Oh yes,” he seethed as he bent down so they were eyelevel. “You've heard the stories, I'm sure. More wolf than man. Our furry cannibal is going to eat you piece by piece. He's special among wolves. He retains his human mentality and control without the Wolfsbane potion. He's assured me he'll make it a long, horrible process. You will live until just before dawn breaks. And then,” he clenched his fingers into a fist and Harry flinched, “he'll eat your heart out.”

“I thought you wanted to kill me.”

“My mind has finally settled since the restoration potion. The prophecy will shatter once you die. That's all that matters. Then the only one who can stop me is Dumbledore and he will be dead by the end of the year.”

“You can't beat the Headmaster.”

“I already have. He fell for a dark curse I cast as a young boy. It's poetic really. He was always so terrified of me as a boy. Now my youth will be his death.”

“Just let me go,” Harry pleaded quietly.

“You're the final piece, Harry. But how about this. If the prophecy is destroyed before you die, I'll let you live.”

“The prophecy was shattered during the battle.”

“Oh? Well, I suppose you'll die then.”

The Dark Lord stood and strode away. Harry closed his eyes and bit his tongue on the desperate pleas that bubbled up inside of him. They would fall on deaf ears. Voldemort had no pity. 

The air cracked with magic as he disapparated and Harry was alone.

He opened his eyes and glared at the metal cuff on his ankle. His skin was raw underneath and starting to bleed. His fingers had begun bleeding from tugging at the rough metal ages ago. Tears stained his cheeks.

He had never felt so hopeless. 

“Please,” he cried. 

His eyes fell shut and he prayed to every god and deity he could think of. The Weasleys worshipped a goddess, he knew. He thought it was a prank at first, but Hermione had looked unsurprised and curious at the revelation. He knew she'd read up on it. He wished he had too. 

“Please,” he begged into the forest as night began to fall. “Please. Please. I don't want to die.”

Not like this, came the unbidden thought. Because of course he was going to die. Probably soon. Probably painfully.

But not like this.

[sk1fanfiction]

on dursley revisionism

Random people with wrong opinions: "Harry wasn't abused by the Dursleys" (bonus points for 'just neglected', which is a type of child abuse btw or 'that's all fanon')

Things that the Dursleys canonically did that are abuse just off the top of my head:

Swung a frying pan at his head (at the age of 12)

Grabbed him by the neck and basically tried to strangle him (even light pressure to the neck can cause internal damage)

Starved him

Verbally abused him

Locked him alone in a small cramped space as punishment (which can cause permanent psychological damage btw, and that's in adults. It is literally a type of torture.)

Made him sleep in that same small cramped unhealthy space when they had an extra bedroom

Encouraged their son to bully him and beat him up

Left him to be possibly attacked by a vicious dog

Bonus: Hid the evidence of his existence to outsiders and didn't speak about him to others (a typical thing for abusers to do)

And more. That boy is unrealistically well-adjusted.

I know the shitty guardian trope is so common in British children's lit (think Roald Dahl) that it became normalized, but it's not. It's abuse. I am worried for the children in your lives tbh.

[seaskate]

Hermione : Where did you grow up?

Harry: A place made for leaving

[heidi891]

Snape didn’t know Harry had been abused

Albus kept everything he knew to himself (and I don’t think he knew much either, because he wasn’t really interested, as long as Harry was alive).

Professor McGonagall could have told others that the Dursleys spoilt their son. While it could mean that he was their golden child, it could also mean that they spoilt children in general.

According to the additional story, it was James who caused the breakup of Lily and Petunia’s relationship. At that point Snape wasn’t Lily’s friend anymore, so he didn’t know about it.

But he knew that when they had been friends, Lily cared about her sister. He also knew that Lily’s parents had been happy that their daughter had been a witch and that Petunia had wanted to be a witch too.

He didn’t know Vernon who was probably the main reason behind Harry’s abuse.

When Harry showed up at Hogwarts, he had a lot of money and could buy whatever he wanted, everything new and of excellent quality. If Snape had used some Legillimency during the first Potions lesson, he could have seen that Harry wanted to buy a golden couldron.

Harry’s traits—like arrogance or love for sweets as a child—were caused by home abuse, but they could have also stemmed from being spoilt.

In the third year the Dursleys didn’t give Harry a permit to visit Hogsmeade. While we know they were mean, the teachers could have understood that they were afraid for Harry’s safety when Sirius Black was on the loose.

Because of all the above, Snape could believe that Harry was simply spoilt, not abused.

It wasn’t until the Occlumency lessons when Snape saw Harry’s memories and realised that Harry had been abused.

Curiously, it was that year when the Order members talked to the Dursleys at the train station. What changed? Harry had always been talking that the Dursleys were horrible… but he had also never added any details, so it could just have meant that they were so "Muggle" and boring unlike the Wizarding World. Dumbledore wasn’t interested in Harry’s situation. The Weasleys ignored Harry’s situation even when Ron and the twins brought him home after the first year. The only thing that changed was Snape having had access to Harry’s memories. He could have told Dumbledore about it, then Dumbledore informed some Order members and told the Dursleys off himself when he was picking Harry up at the beginning of the HBP.

[harryjpotter-shitpost]

I can give Dudley the redemption arch because he was a child following after his parents (very abusive behaviors) but people are really defending Petunia and Vernon???? What the fuck?? Like it pretty much says in the first sentence of the whole series that they’re assholes! And it is canon that both Vernon AND Petunia were physically, emotionally, and mentally abusive to Harry until the last moment he left private drive.

The only reason I can give Dudley any kind of redemption or forgiveness is because we see him change in the books after the Dementor attack. I don’t think he and Harry will ever be close or very friendly, but I can see them having a civil relationship at least for their children. Or even just to make up for their shitty childhood that they shared together, as Dudley was also abused too. But this would definitely be after years of therapy and trying to make amends, it wouldn’t happen until many years after the war was over.

You would be surprised on how many posts I’ve crossed where people almost worship Petunia and say that Vernon is the one who forced her to hate her sister!!!

I believe that Dudley deserves redemption cause as you said he was a young person living in a very toxic environment. However, I’m always rather conflicted on how his relationship with Harry is post-war. I’ve read a few fics that had different perspectives on what their relationship have come to, and they’re all very interesting! But I’m not set out on one opinion. Sometimes I think Harry would try to leave it all behind him, but sometimes I think that maybe they’d reconnect as Dudley was obviously a very huge part of Harry’s life (even though it was horrendous) and the same goes the other direction. But I’m sure of one thing; I don’t think they’ll ever have a “close brotherhood” kind of relationship. Maybe sending presents over the holidays or reconnecting every few years, but never close, yk?

But anyways let me get back to my rant about Petunia. It’ll be under the cut :)

CW: mentions of abuse

Let’s get one thing straight: Vernon did not make her hate Harry nor was he pulling the strings in that house and the abuse regarding his nephew. It was Petunia. She collected ALL the hatred in that house and made sure it was taken out on Harry. Why? Because she’s a petty, small-minded and disgusting woman who abused the power she had over a child. All that to let out some of the childish jealousy she had against her DEAD little sister.

Here are some quotes from the books to use as a starting point:

“Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn’t have a sister,”

“They didn’t want Dudley mixing with a child [Harry] like that.”

“she [Petunia] always got so upset at any mention of her sister.”

"He [Vernon] cleared his throat nervously. ‘Er — Petunia, dear — you haven’t heard from your sister lately, have you?’ As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn’t have a sister. ‘No,’ she said sharply.”

“Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he’d heard the name ‘Potter.’ He decided he didn’t dare.”

“‘Harry’ [Said Petunia]. ‘Nasty, common name, if you ask me.’”

So these quotes are from the first chapter of the first book (Philosopher’s Stone).

As you can see, pretending the Potters don’t exist is a mutual decision from both sides and it seems that Petunia is more bothered by the mention of her sister than Vernon is because when he tries to bring up the Potters his main concern is upsetting Petunia. Never once does he mention his own disgust with them when trying to bring them up. No, it’s Petunia’s reaction he’s worried about. This doesn’t seem like a behavior of someone who is forcing his wife to hate her sister.

If anything it seems to me that Petunia have explained to her husband how much she dislikes the mention of her sister (and her sister’s entire family too) and so Vernon got the memo that the Potters should never be brought up. Which shows that Petunia is the one who fuels the hatred for the Potters in their household.

Now I’m not saying that Vernon is completely innocent, no he’s hates the Potters too. But his is more personal. After the whole double date incident when he felt that James was taking the mickey out of him and undermining his power. A bully like Vernon who likes to show off his money and power being insulted by a teenager made Vernon hate James’ guts.

“…James was amused by Vernon, and made the mistake of showing it. Vernon tried to patronise James, asking what car he drove.”

“Vernon could not tell whether he was being made fun of or not, and grew angry. The evening ended with Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant.” -Pottermore

And I think that Vernon usually likes to pretend that the people he hates don’t exist, he’s way to high to be bothered by a cocky teenager who ‘doesn’t have a future’. He feels way too superior. During his wedding he made sure not to give James any attention, but made sure to return the humiliation he felt during the double date.

“Vernon refused to speak to James at the reception, but described him, within James’ earshot, as ‘some kind of amateur magician’.” -Pottermore

After Vernon obviously felt satisfied with his comeback, he never gives James a glance.

That’s why when mentioning the Potters he doesn’t even mention the double date incident because technically who’s that James next to him?? No, his wife’s reaction is the main concern.

And that’s the difference between the hate Vernon has towards the Potters and Petunia’s hatred. Whereas Vernon hates James specifically for undermining him and his money and power, Petunia hates them all because she ‘knows’ she’s less superior and special. This fuels her jealousy and anger towards them.

Therefore; Vernon’s ultimate superiority and Petunia’s ultimate loathing.

And you can see that Petunia already has it out for Harry even though she hasn’t met him yet; calling his name “Nasty”. Now I know some of you might interpret her sentence as Petunia criticizing her sister’s choice of names, but if that was the case she would’ve claimed the boy’s misfortune of having such a name or the kid’s misfortune on having parents like the Potters. But no, she mainly focused on the child. Which gives the impression that she’s disliked Harry the moment she knew about him.

“she [Petunia] received from Lily and James the announcement of Harry’s birth, and after one contemptuous look, Petunia threw it in the bin.” -Pottermore

These things sets the foundations for her dislike towards Harry. So when the moment comes where she actually meets him, he will be connected to the ‘detestable’ announcement and the ‘nasty’ name.

Then the times comes where she has to handle that child’s responsibilities and raise him.

And she did take him in, no one’s denying that, but this happened:

“She did it grudgingly, and spent the rest of Harry’s childhood punishing him for her own choice.” -Pottermore

She spent the rest of Harry’s childhood punishing him for her own choice.

She took him in. She hated every single moment of having to raise him. So she made sure he was punished for it.

If that is not abuse as some people like to say, then what is exactly???? Punishing an innocent child for taking him in? Are you guys serious?

That’s why her character disgusts me so much. I cannot stand her at all. Because if anything this is a psycho level of behavior. A sane person wouldn’t dream of hurting a small animal let alone a child. Her nephew.

And as for Vernon’s hatred towards Harry it stems out of the humiliation he felt when he met James. The fact that Vernon made sure to return that humiliation during the wedding satisfied Vernon and he didn’t have to think about James anymore. But Harry ( the carbon copy of James) serves as a constant reminder of that feeling, so his hatred towards Harry stems out from his injured masculinity. As Pottermore says:

“Uncle Vernon’s dislike of Harry stems in part, like Severus Snape’s, from Harry’s close resemblance to the father they both so disliked.”

So ya this is my rant about them. Sorry if this is all over the place, English isn’t my first language and this topic pisses me off so much🙂.

And I’d like to conclude that I hate them both, but hate Petunia at tad bit more :)

[beans-core]

At the age of six, Harry first finds himself thinking of God. It’s hard not to when the Dursleys go to worship Him in church around a few different holidays.

Every time they do, Harry stays locked in his cupboard until they get back to the house. He wonders, is God real? What does he teach? What has he done to make so many people love him?

Hopefully God can help Harry be less freakish. It’s only happened once or twice— whatever it actually was, he wasn’t sure, but the Dursleys hated it— and those few times got him the most harsh punishments he’d ever received. It’s easy to say that he has some motivation for what he does next.

He tries to nick Aunt Petunia’s Bible so he can read it that evening and discover more, but she catches him. She slaps him so hard it feels bruised, her manicured nails leaving a few scratches in its wake. She screams and screams at Harry for daring to touch The Holy Book until his ears are ringing and he’s left with a pounding headache alongside the scrapes on his cheek. Despite knowing how to hold back his tears, they brim his eyes anyway because he knows he deserves it this time.

That night, curled up on his tiny cot, Harry thinks maybe he doesn’t want to know much more if people like the Dursleys love God. If God loves the Dursleys back.

At age 8, he’s pretty sure that God is not real. Harry’s heard more about his ideals now, and what he is supposed to stand for.

Why would he stand for this? Harry thinks it as he is locked in his cupboard once again. It is the third day in a row without food. If God was real, would he really let this happen? Harry had done something freakish again, though now he could barely remember what it was. He didn’t even know he’d done anything until it was too late to beg for forgiveness— not that ‘sorry’ was ever enough for his Uncle and Aunt.

Harry didn’t do bad things on purpose. Surely he was still good enough to help— and wasn’t God supposed to help? Save those that need saving?

“I need saving,” Harry whispers to himself in the darkness, clutching his stomach through hunger pangs. He wants to yell it, shout so loud that the Dursleys and the neighbors and the whole entire world hears him, so loud that God hears and he comes to rescue Harry. But supposedly he doesn’t need to scream for God to hear him. God should be able to hear his pleas even as the hoarse whisper it comes out as.

And that settles it, really. God can’t be real, because if he was, surely Harry wouldn’t still be here.

(It angers him, but he can’t stop himself from praying. He copies what he sees Petunia do and does the same, prays desperately for the savior he’s been hearing of his whole life.)

(When Harry is finally, finally saved, prayers answered, he quietly wonders if God is magic too.)

(As he is introduced to this magical world where Harry Potter is the savior to those who believe in his supposed power, Harry feels like this is a chance to provide these people with the savior he was never given. Live up to the expectations, and be the person to save those who need saving.)

When Harry is 11 years old, and it is his first week back at No. 4 Privet Drive from Hogwarts, he is certain he knows the truth now.

God is real, there is little doubt in his mind. All the grace he’s been granted this past year had to have been divine intervention— Harry’s been at Death’s Door more times this year than he’d been his entire life. There was just no fathomable way even magic could render that type of skin-of-the-teeth dumb luck.

But then Harry remembers the feeling of flesh burning and bubbling beneath his hands, the wails of Quirrel-Voldemort writhing under Harry’s grasp. Remembers that unremarkable day in Spring, all those years ago, when Harry had asked Aunt Petunia if he could come to church with them: “You are devil spawn. If God ever looks your way, it would be to smite you.”

God is real, he has learned. God is real, has looked Harry’s way, and decided to curse him.

He’s cursed Harry with everything he’d ever wished for, but with awful twists around every corner. One step forward, two steps back.

Harry finally got his escape, but it wasn’t as much of an escape than it was a swap. He feels like his cupboard just got traded for a cage, and that all these people who are supposed to be like him have shut him in— are poking at him and rattling the bars.

He thinks back to what Petunia called him; devil child. He thinks back to what she said. Now, Harry would probably choose be smited. At least it’d be quicker.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Do you think if the Dursleys had been insanely physically abusive and obvious about it (almost killing him) Dumbledore might have removed Harry? Or potentially Mrs. Figg would’ve reached out for help?

Canonically, Petunia once hits Harry in the head with a frying pan, which very well could have killed him. They also starve him for punishment, which could easily have led to his hospitalization or death.

Later, Dudley's gang beats Harry up during the summers around the neighborhood.

The Dursleys were very physically abusive and not entirely subtle about it.

Dumbledore did not remove Harry, his only intervention is in the sixth book, where he awkwardly shows up at the Dursleys and makes fun of them and says, "I am terribly disappointed in all of you, now come on Harry, let's go bother Horace Slughorn."

Remember, also, that at least as of book 2, Dumbledore is planning Harry's death. If Petunia gets a little too overeager with that frying pan... unfortunate but it was going to happen sooner or later.

[supernightboy08]

My worst/despised mothers of all time:

1. Lois Griffin

2. Mommy

3. Liane Cartman

4. Petunia Dursley

5. Nancy

[grammarrrrrr]

What I think about certain characters:

Snape;

People have many different opinions on Snape- some think he's a stalker, a creep and that he's terrible- and some think that he's the bravest man ever, and that Lily should have married him instead.

Both are right. Because it all depends on how you see it- I mean, Snape did seem pretty obsessed with Lily. He was in love with her. And Snape-haters can deny it all they want- but he was brave. Brave because he was a second agent, he managed to stay loyal to Dumbledore, while still staying on Voldemort's good side. But he was a terrible teacher.

Yep, I've admitted it, finally- Snape was a terrible teacher. Snape-haters say he was, and they're right, because he was. And don't even try to deny it, because he was completely unfair. He was nice to the Slytherins, but terrible to every other house, and especially the Gryffindors.

Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, ‘I see no difference.’ (When Hermione's teeth were hit with the Densaugeo hex, Goblet Of Fire.)

‘I don’t remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger,’ said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. ‘Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly.’ (When Snape was threatening to poison Trevor, Neville's toad, Prisoner of Azkaban)

And I could show more examples, but I'm lazy.

Snape was a terrible teacher, he was unfair and played favorites, and he was often just cruel. Tell me, would you want a teacher like Snape teaching your child?

Being brave doesn't excuse what he did towards his students. He definitely traumatized some of them, because who would forget such a teacher? I wouldn't. And do you remember how Neville's boggart was Snape-? Let that sink in.

A boggart represents (turns into) one's greatest fear. Like how Ron's was an acromantula, and how Harry's was a dementor. But Neville's was Snape- that's his teacher, no they don't have to have a student/mentor relationship people love, but if you're a teacher and one of your student's worst fear is you, then you need to revaluate your teaching abilities.

So in short; I don't really know how I feel about this character.

Petunia;

Now, are we going to deny that Petunia is a good mother? Because she is, not to Harry of course, but she is to Dudley. She's kind of a good example of gentle parenting, the no-discipline kind of parenting. I mean, Dudley has probably never been grounded before. With her hugs and kisses, and cringy but affectionate pet-names in every sentence, it's made clear that she loves Dudley. Even though Dudley is pretty hard to love.

But is she a good aunt? Oh absolutely not. She has never been a good aunt, clearly doesn't know how to do it. She was terrible to Harry, downright terrible. In fact, all the Dursleys were. They were abusive, and I don't want to hear any comments saying the opposite, though I doubt I'll get any.

Let's just get this clear- in the Philosophers' Stone, Harry wasn't just small, he was malnourished. Because growing up, he barely got any food. The Dursleys starved him. That includes Petunia, she overfed Dudley, but barely gave Harry any food. And what's the difference between Dudley and Harry? One is her son, one isn't.

Sure, she loved Lily, but what does that excuse? Does that excuse her abusing Lily's kid? I mean sure, she likely saw that it just came out of nowhere- like ’Oh, your sister's dead, here's her baby.’- but that doesn't excuse anything. She didn't have to treat Harry like that, just because she missed Lily so much.

And what was her whole thing with hating wizards? I mean, it was understandable in the Goblet of Fire, when the Weasleys tried to floo to their house. I'd be pretty mad too, if someone practically blew up my living room. Yeah, after and before that it was just unreasonable. But in the Goblet of Fire, I've got to admit, it's reasonable to react like that.

It was understandable when she was kid, but it stopped being understandable the second she became an adult. When she was a kid, she was jealous and therefore pushed everything that reminded her of it away, and that's understandable because kids do stuff like that. But when you're an adult? It's just childish. And that doesn't mean she should abuse her nephew.

And is it just me, or do Mrs and Mr Evans kind of seem like bad parents? Oh my god, is this anti Mr and Mrs Evans? Well, that's a tag I doubt exists. But seriously, they never noticed the feud between Petunia and Lily? Because they were so proud of having a witch in the family? They could have noticed, I doubt either Petunia and Lily made their feud secret. And clearly them being so proud of Lily, made Petunia feel inferior because she was just a muggle.

And what is it with the theory that the Dursleys were so mean because they were around Harry, who was a Horcrux? That's dumb, if you think about it. Firstly, it excuses the Dursleys terrible treatment of Harry, so just victim-blaming, basically. ’Oh, it's Harry's fault he was abused, because he was a Horcrux and that affected the Dursleys.’ And secondly, Ron and Hermione were around Harry even more than the Dursleys one could argue, and they never got in a bad mood from that, did they? No. So many other people were around Harry more than the Dursleys were, and they were never in a bad mood.

So in short; I hate her character.

Dumbledore;

So I know I might possibly get cancelled for this, but I actually like Dumbledore.

Yes, yes- I know- terrible as most people nowadays are anti Dumbledore, but I'm not. Not really, anyways. Sure, some of his actions were questionable, but he's not a manipulative villain that didn't care about anybody. He genuinely cared about Hagrid, and Grindelwald, and Harry.

Harry and Dumbledore's relationship wasn't really that toxic, as people like to say, it was just kind of cute. Because Harry loved Dumbledore, and Dumbledore loved Harry. People say that in the books Dumbledore ’raised Harry like a pig for slaughter’, but nobody thinks about that Harry was practically made to be a pig for slaughter because of the prophecy.

And Dumbledore didn't want to, he delayed telling Harry about the prophecy because he cared about him. He reckoned 11 was too young, which I'd say it was, and 12 is barely different. Too young. And wouldn't you say it was kind of Dumbledore to keep this from Harry, so it wouldn't weigh on the boy’s mind?

Now the thing I hear Dumbledore being called the most is manipulative. Basically, he knows how to get his way, which is a good thing. And he is a powerful wizard, and important, shouldn't he know how to do that?

’Played everyone like a chess pawn’, well it was war, so who could really blame him? You have to do things you don't want to do sometimes in war. Sometimes you have to do everything to make sure the war ends, which sometimes means people have to be used a little bit. War is not an ideal situation to be in, and it's not a good situation to follow all of your morals.

Something I've always appreciated about Dumbledore is that he's so odd it's funny. He likes candy, so much he decides the passwords to his office after them, and always says such things so calmly. But you can't underestimate him because of that, as he's also very powerful.

He's a great wizard, and Hogwarts was only attacked after Dumbledore died (and conveniently, Dumbledore didn't have his wand on him then.)

Now another thing I hear people both talk bad about AND joke about it; about how much Dumbledore gives points to Gryffindor, how he wants them to win. Which I do disagree with. Because tell me: if your students prevented a powerful terrorist from coming back, would you, or would you not, give them points?

Ron got given points for doing a smart move, and winning a chess match against one of the professors (who I'm pretty sure is canonically really good at chess?) Because chess is a hard game I couldn't understand to save my life, and to be really good at it, you have to be smart. Ron got given points for his intelligence (and excellent chess skills), something they do give points for. ’… for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.’

Hermione basically got given points because she made a smart move, she was smart. Which do they give points for regularly. ‘Second – to Miss Hermione Granger … for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.’ She was in a stressful situation, yet used great logic. She did good, basically, and it's understandable for Dumbledore to give points to that.

Harry was the one who actually prevented the return of the most feared wizard/powerful terrorist, Voldemort, in this case. He also stood tall, in front of said terrorist. At 11. And I don't know about you, but I would give points for that. ‘Third – to Mr Harry Potter …’ said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. ‘… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points.’ For being a true Gryffindor, basically. And that sounds like something the professors would give points for.

‘There are all kinds of courage,’ said Dumbledore, smiling. ‘It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom.’ He was brave, that's why he got points. He proved he was a Gryffindor at heart, and probably somewhat earned the respect of Dumbledore.

Recent events do matter, and should be taken into account, as Dumbledore said.

And in the Chamber of Secrets, I'm pretty sure they won the house cup again, and I've got only one thing to say; are you saying you wouldn't give points to students for saving someone's life?

I won't go into it more, because I know I'll probably get something about in the comments- if I get any, of course- and I'll definitely defend my opinion. Because in short; I like Albus Dumbledore's character.

Ron;

So, stating this will not give me hate like my opinion on Dumbledore will, but; I frickin love Ron Weasley.

Now some who have only watched the movie might say stuff like: ’Why? He was a terrible friend to Harry’ or ’All he did was eat though’. Or they might not, and I just need to stop saying ’say stuff like:’

Maybe people have finally stopped hating on Ron, and I'm just stuck in the past of Anti-Ron, but I'm still going to defend him here. Starting by debunking my first example of what someone might say.

’Why? He was a terrible friend to Harry’ Sorry, are you saying Ron stood-in-front-of-a-believed-murder-on-a-broken-leg-for-his-best-friend Weasley is a bad friend? In the movies it may have been Hermione who did that but I call bullshit. Because this is what happened in the book;

’No, Harry!’ Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black.

‘If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us, too!’ he said fiercely, though the effort of standing up had drained him of still more colour, and he swayed slightly as he spoke. (When the trio were in the Whomping Willow with Sirius, Prisoner of Azkaban.)

And then debunking my second example; ’All he did was eat though’ which is also kind of people saying Ron loved food. WHICH he did not, or at least I don't recall him loving food that much in the books. Specifically him loving chicken, which people think he loved so much there's a ship called ’Chickron’ (Ron x Chicken.)

I can't mention instances in the book because that's just that: there aren't any. Ron ate at breakfast, lunch and dinner and that's just that. Did he eat a lot then? Maybe?? oMg HoW dArE hE eAt A lOt, NoBoDy ElSe DiD (cough cough Harry cough cough) Yeah, Harry ate a lot too but I don't see anybody calling him a ’foodie’ or ’food-lover’ or whatever they call Ron.

And for people to say he doesn't deserve Hermione: he begged to be tortured in her place, and if that isn't love, then nothing is. Was he a douche sometimes? Yeah. Was he also, conveniently, a teenager then? Yeah. People are douches sometimes, when they're teenagers, and can't always treat someone right. They bickered, they disagreed. Which only really proved that Ron listened to her, and then gave his opinion. Nobody else did that, and especially not Harry. He's what Hermione needs; somebody to kind of put her in her place yet support her and comfort her when she's upset. Ron is right for Hermione, and trust me; she thinks so too.

Something else people often bring up was the situation in PoA, or the Crookshanks/Scabbers situation? I don't know what people call it but time to put my opinion out there; I think Ron was in the right. Tell me, if one of your best friends’ pet ate your pet (or at least, allegedly with very believable proof) and then refused to apologize or even acknowledge it, would you get mad? Just because Scabbers turned out being Peter Pettigrew (which I'll probably talk more about another time) does not mean Hermione was in the right. Did Ron act kind of shitty about it? Yeah, but he was 13. Honestly? I act the same way when I'm mad at someone.

Was he in the right in GoF? No. But do I think that's when he realized his feelings for Hermione, didn't know how to deal with it, so took it out on her? Because he was probably thinking; No I can't have feelings for her, she'd never even like me back. Also, he was 14, were you expecting him to be really mature? And also; it wouldn't have been the best night of her life or something, it was just prom. (But maybe don't listen to me about that, I've always been anti-prom.)

And about the ’Hermione, you're a girl’ comment; I kind of think of it a little bit differently. I think it was more, a start of asking her out, like ’Hermione, you're a girl. And I'm a boy. Wanna go to the Yule Ball with me? J-just as friends!’ I think he had wanted to ask her out for a while- and wondering why he wanted to ask her out- and that he had been building up courage, because asking somebody out takes a lot of courage and he's also really insecure. He just didn't know how to do it, and maybe it came out a little wrong.

And something else he gets a lot of hate for; leaving Harry and Hermione in the Horcrux Hunt. But he was under the control of the Locket (a Horcrux made by Voldemort), which affected him most presumably because of his insecurities. (Seriously he should have gotten help for that) and also, it was more that he was stepping out for a breather but just forgot about the charms, whatever they're called. Was it still a mistake? Yeah, but are you telling m you've never made mistakes (especially in bad times)? ALSO, NO MATTER WHAT, HE DID NOT- I REPEAT: HE DID NOT- SAY HARRY HAD NO FAMILY: ‘Oh, you’re sure, are you? Right then, well, I won’t bother myself about them. It’s all right for you two, isn’t it, with your parents safely out of the way –’ ‘My parents are dead!’ Harry bellowed. ‘And mine could be going the same way!’ yelled Ron. ’ To me, both were in the wrong in that situation.

Now is there anything I should adress about Ron? Well, in that case:

Malfoy;

*deep breath*

I FUCKING HATE THIS RACIST, STUPID, DEATH AND RAPE-WISHING TWAT.

Seriously, how does anyone like this guy?

Oh wait- They don't; they only like Tom Felton, who they think is hot. And if Malfoy was played by someone else, someone ’less attractive’, then nobody would be liking him. Trust me.

And as an ex Draco fan- yes, I admit to the part of my past I'm deeply ashamed of- I know how his fan-part of Tiktok looks like; all edits of Tom Felton (more specifically, him playing Malfoy) and no talks about Malfoy's character, or why they like him other than ’He's so hot’ and ’The boy who had no choice’.

Now to addressing the ’The boy who had no choice’ nickname; it's actually quite ironic, because in most of the series, he did have a choice. Chose to bully Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville and probably countless other people. He chose to be the racist bully who wished death and rape upon people (Hermione, to be more specific.) Now I don't really know about how he wished rape upon Hermione, as I've only seen one person talk about it, about how Malfoy wished she would get her panties revealed in the incident at the Quidditch World Cup.

'Granger, they’re after Muggles,' said Malfoy. 'D’you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around . . . they’re moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh.'

No, that's not him 'warning her', that's him wishing sexual assault on her. Having something as private as your panties revealed against your will is sexual assault; and that's what Malfoy wished would happen to her.

Stop seeing him in this distorted, rose-tinted view and start seeing him for what he is: a racist (him calling Hermione a m**blood, which is basically the wizard version of the n-word), stupid (Lucius, his father, said he was getting bad grades) death-wishing (multiple instances where he wished Hermione would die), rape-wishing (or at least sexual assault-wishing) twat.

So yeah, if you have not yet understood; I hate him.

Molly Weasley;

Watch Mikaila's video on her, called 'In defense of Molly Weasley' as she expresses it much better, in my opinion.

BUT I do not like how she has so many children even if they were poor just because she wanted a girl: Once I saw a Tumblr Post, saying that Molly didn't actually want a girl (or at least that there was no proof of it) and that it was just the locket saying that to Ron BUT if she didn't, why did she stop at Ginny? Did she, after seven kids, think 'Okay that's enough kids' NO, presumably, she was satisfied; she had gotten what she wanted. A girl. Also, what the locket said was based on Ron's feelings and he would definitely know if Molly had wanted a girl all along.

Arthur Weasley;

I've seen a couple of people here on Tumblr talking about how he's selfish for not trying to get a promotion when his family is poor just for his 'muggle fascination.' Now I do have to say this; I don't think he wasn't aiming for a promotion, rather that he just wasn't getting one. He got a promotion in the sixth book, if you remember, and why would he be aiming for one then? Exactly. He wasn't getting a promotion all those years, that's it. He was stuck in his position (that presumably didn't pay as much.)

---------

I might make a Part 2, talking about more characters. Just tell me what more characters you'd like to hear my opinion on, and I'll do it.

I'm sorry if the last part of it is a little bit bad, I was just tired when writing that and honestly just wanted to get this posted to move on to other stuff.

[sybill-the-seer]

A Bath or Two

Read on AO3

Summary: Bathtime at Number 4 Privet Drive in 1984 is very different to bathtime at Harry and Ginny's house in 2002. Harry plans to keep it that way.

Note: Thank you so much to @turanga4 for her incredible beta help, and to the TTB discord server for their wonderful wizarding bath toy ideas (all credit goes to @not-steve42 for the Grindylow idea)!

TW: Child abuse

Harry sat, stiff and cold in the tepid bath water, trying to cheer himself with the thought that his ordeal would soon be over. Aunt Petunia scrubbed his arm roughly, then let it splash back down into the now nearly opaque water. As she reached for the shampoo, Harry only just stopped himself groaning in despair.

“Please don’t let it get in my eyes this time!” he whinged, but he knew it was useless. Aunt Petunia never listened to him.

Sure enough, Aunt Petunia merely pursed her lips at his words, scooped up some water with the plastic cup she used for bathtime, and dumped it on his head unceremoniously, wetting the dark unruly strands in preparation for a scrub.

Harry screwed up his eyes as the water poured down his face, bracing himself for what he knew was coming next. Now he felt Aunt Petunia’s bony fingers on his scalp, rubbing the shampoo into his hair none too gently. Harry felt her fingers leave his head, heard the splash of the plastic cup in the water behind him, and reached up to cover his eyes, but it was too late. The soapy water cascaded down through his bangs, straight into his eyes before rushing down the rest of his face and dripping off his chin.

“Ow!” Harry cried, as the stinging began, his fingers flying to his eyes automatically. But rubbing only made it worse, and Harry began to cry as another waterfall of water and shampoo fell over his head.

Harry was crying in earnest now – he was blinded by the soap and the stinging, and Aunt Petunia’s dumping was only making things worse. Now he could taste the foul, bitter soap in his mouth.

“Stop!” Harry wailed, pushing Aunt Petunia’s hand away in an effort to make the water cease. It worked for a moment.

“Stop this nonsense, boy, I have to get the soap out of your hair!” she snapped, scooping up another cupful of water.

Still blinded by water and soap, Harry thrust out his hand again to block the water cup, but missed. At least, he didn’t feel his hand make contact with anything other than the slippery side of the bathtub. And yet he still heard Aunt Petunia screech at the same time as a splash – but the splash didn’t land on his head. He heard the thump of what he thought was a crouched Aunt Petunia losing her balance and hitting the floor before –

“What in heaven’s name do you mean by it, boy?!”

Harry tried to open his eyes to see what had happened, but he was too late. Aunt Petunia’s hand had grabbed his hair roughly, and now he was face down in the water.

He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t come up for air, the hand was holding him down and Harry tried to yell at her to let him go but only bubbles came out…

It was only a moment before his aunt’s grip loosened abruptly, though it felt like an eternity, and Harry sat up, gasping and spluttering, blinking the water out of his eyes in shock. He looked over to see Aunt Petunia staring at her hand with astonishment and horror, water splashed all down the front of her blouse, the plastic bath cup far away from the tub on the floor. He wanted to ask what had happened, but stopped himself, deciding it would be unwise in Aunt Petunia’s current state. Instead, he watched her warily until she seemed to come back to her brisk self, ordering him out of the bath and tossing him a faded towel. He thought he heard her mutter something about “unnaturalness,” and “abnormalities,” before he scurried back to his cupboard to change into his pajamas.

________________________

Almost a lifetime later, Harry sat near his own bathtub looking down at the small boy splashing happily in the water. He held up a rubber duck to show Harry (a gift from Ginny, who found Muggle children’s toys delightful), chattering away about the story he was creating with all his bath toys. As he did so, his hair turned exactly the same shade of yellow as the duck.

“- he’s just crashed into that ship, see, and now the ship’s sinking – uh oh –” Teddy reached for the small ship, snatching it up into his little hand just before it hit the bottom of the bathtub.

“Saved it!” he cried, now holding both the ship and the duck in the air victoriously.

“That’s good,” Harry replied, “because we’re nearly done, and I don’t think we’d want to end bathtime with a shipwreck.”

But Teddy had already turned away, his mind lost to his imaginings once more. Harry filled the bath cup with water, cupped his hand to Teddy’s forehead, and poured the warm water over his bright hair. Teddy hardly noticed, now muttering an imagined conversation between the rubber duck and some sailor figurines who were shaking their little fists furiously.

While once Harry’s unpracticed hands had moved tentatively and unsteadily, unsure of how to angle the cup and his hand to avoid Teddy’s eyes, afraid of somehow slipping up and making him cry, now they were well used to the bathtime routine. In fact, Harry quietly prided himself on the fact that bathtime was never protested whenever Teddy came to stay.

Harry reached for the shampoo now, poured it smoothly into his other hand, and began massaging it gently into Teddy’s vivid hair, which slowly changed from yellow to black as he relaxed at Harry’s touch. Bath toys momentarily forgotten, Teddy tilted his head as far back as it could go and grinned up at Harry, his hazel eyes sparkling.

“That feels good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

And with a little hum of contentment Teddy rolled his head back, Harry’s hands following his movement as he continued to massage in the shampoo. Teddy then reached for his little enchanted grindylow figurine that had been swimming lazily through the bathwater. As his hand approached it, it darted quickly away, and the boy laughed.

“Ok, time for a rinse,” Harry said, reaching again for the bath cup. “And then we’re all done.”

“All done?” Teddy whinged. “But I’m not done yet!”

“I’m sure Ginny will be waiting for us though – she probably has a game for us to play before bedtime. And don’t you want to try the hot chocolate we made?”

“I forgot about hot chocolate!”

“I thought you might have,” Harry chuckled, as Teddy turned away, now waiting impatiently for him to finish rinsing his hair.

Soon, Teddy had been helped out of the bath, into a warm towel, and finally into his pajamas covered with tiny custard puffskeins.

“Ginny!” he cried, rushing into the sitting room where Ginny sat, curled up on the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate. “Where’s my hot chocolate?” he asked, looking intently at her mug.

“Hmm, are you sure I didn’t drink it all myself? You were in the bath a long time…”

She grinned over at Harry, who shrugged helplessly. He had never been good at getting Teddy out of the bath promptly – it always took more than one coaxing to get Teddy out of the tub when Harry was in charge, and Ginny knew it. He didn’t mind though, as long as Teddy was having fun.

“No you didn’t! That cup’s not big enough for it all! I’m going to go check.” Teddy turned to race into the kitchen, Ginny getting up off the sofa to chase after him.

“You’ll have to beat me to it!” she called, and Teddy squealed happily.

Harry grinned and followed after them into the kitchen.

Note: I have a feeling I might get questions about this, so I’m just going to address it now: Petunia was NOT trying to drown Harry! It was an act of both rage and fear after the first instance of accidental magic, and an attempt to startle him out of crying. Still a completely unacceptable thing to do, and blatant child abuse, but no, she was not intending to drown him and I can’t see her ever attempting to go that far.

[this-isajokerjoke]

dudley and his attempt at redemption

just imagine y’all

little dudley trying to play with harry and getting in trouble 

the only time he would get scolded or in trouble was when he hung out with harry and when he was angry he never got in trouble when he took it out on harry (ex yelling or punching him in the arm) as a child

so he kinda just stopped being nice to him

once, he was so angry. he got home from school and he could feel his hands shaking and the rage bubbling up his throat. he's seven. then he walks into the kitchen and he sees harry. and he lets loose. he hits harry again and again and harry is crying and he doesn't care because harry is a freak and when his mother comes in to see what all the noise was all she does is scold harry for being so loud. 

then she asks dudley if he feels better, and he does. all she says is “good im glad you got that out of your system”

so whenever he's angry he takes it out on harry. 

then his aunt comes over and, having heard the stories of harry at school, laughs when dudley shoves harry so hard he slams into his cupboard door. 

after that he hurts harry for fun. soon his friends join in. harry is a freak and he deserves everything after all he put dudley’s family through. this is harry potters punishment. 

this goes on for years

when dudley is fourteen, he starts feeling a little bad listening to harry be beat by his father or seeing him dodge a frying pan for messing up breakfast

he ignores it. his cousin is a freak. he's weird and gets in trouble and isn't liked by anyone. he deserves every bit of pain and hurt because he needs to learn to fit in and be normal. then finally, his house might be peaceful like it is at his friends houses

when he's fifteen, he reads a story in school. it's about a boy who is hurt by his parents and there's a class discussion on the short story. his classmates keep saying that “no one should be hurt by someone who's supposed to take care of them” and his teacher tells the class that if that sort of thing goes on at home, it's classified as abuse and they need to report it

dudley is confused. his situation is different, he thinks. harry is a freak. but after that, he stops hurting harry for fun. it's lost all appeal. 

he lashes out when he's upset. but he can't help but think of that dumb story. 

then, the summer before he turns 16, a new girl moves to surrey. she's pretty, dudley thinks. he meets her. she's kind and makes dudley’s heart skip beats. he goes over to her house one day, to pick her up for a date. she calls her parents by their first names, and dudley questions her. 

“oh,” she says, fidgeting a little. “my birth parents were deemed unfit to have guardianship over me. they're in prison for child abuse. so i'm being fostered.”

that explains her occasional flinches and panic attacks

it's explains why she's underweight. 

so once they began to date, he noticed more and more about her. she had panic attacks a lot, there were certain phrases that sent her into a spiral. she fell asleep on him once, during a movie. she thrashed and screamed and sobbed in her sleep, and when dudley finally woke her up, it took half an hour to coax her into calming down. 

she told him she had nightmares about her childhood. she was diagnosed with ptsd a while back. 

that was when dudley dursley decided to protect this girl with all he had. 

dudley hasnt hung out with his friends in a while. piers asks why at one point, but dudley just shrugs and avoids him more. the group stops talking to him completely when dudley punches one of them in the stomach. he’s not sure why.

so when harry came back for the summer, dudley saw the same things he saw in his girlfriend. he heard his cousin say things in his sleep, for them to stop or to “run cedric, run”

when harry was locked in his room without food or water, dudley snuck some in for him. he gave him ice packs and bandaids and tylenol when he was beat, and he didn't mention harry’s nightmares like he would have years before.

by the time the school year started, dudley knew that his parents hadn't treated harry potter right. there wasn't an excuse for him hurting harry even, and harry had been abused in the dursley home. 

dudley threw up.

when dudley dursley was 17, his cousin returned to his house in a panic. he watched as harry packed everything up and begged the his parents to understand that there was a war, they're in danger, they need to go into hiding please for their own safety

dudley dursley was 17 when he last told his girlfriend he loved her but it was for the best that they broke up. harry wouldn't lie about being in danger, and the last thing dudley wanted was the sweet girl to be hurt again

dudley dursley was 17 when he moved away from surrey. he was 17 when he asked his parents why harry wasn't coming with them and they told him harry was a waste of space. 

dudley dursley was 17 when he realized not even a part of him believed that. 

dudley dursley was 17 when he spoke to his cousin last and told him “i don't think you're a waste of space.”

harry potter is 17 when he says, “thanks big d.”