#and depending on how you read the prophecy I don’t know that she’s wholly given up on fate yet

[francesderwent]

I’ve seen a lot of talk about how Taylor stops believing in fate on this album, but I think there’s one dot I’ve yet to see anybody connect. in ttpd the stories she was telling herself didn’t end in happily ever after, and the mythology of meant-to-be only led to more heartbreak, so she stopped believing that her life was destined to be one thing or another and that every tragedy was a part of some design. but if we go back just one album, we find Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve, where she says to an old partner “you’re a crisis of my faith”, and confesses that if it weren’t for him “I would’ve stayed on my knees.” so what’s the difference? after that first deep wound, she could and did keep on believing in a blind, impersonal fate. but she couldn’t have faith anymore that there was an all-good all-powerful God who loves her. no more Providence, only the invisible string.

[emergencymanagement]

there are so many plot holes in Peter’s betrayal IT’S INSANE

okay! hello! can I just rant for a minute? I’m writing a fic that spans from the beginning of the marauders’ years at Hogwarts to Remus and Sirius’ last days together and I’m trying to lay down the timeline of the first war right now, and

 nothing! about! jk rowling’s plot! makes! sense!

(apologies in advance for spelling mistakes I’m drunk and tired, but let’s gO)

Problem 1: The Potters

JK has two conflicting timelines of when the Potters go into hiding:

Timeline 1: 

the Potters go into hiding immediately after Lily becomes pregnant

this means they went into hiding around October 1979 and stayed in hiding for two years until they died in October 1981

that’s a long ass time! a loooooong ass time! you’re telling me they were locked in their house for two years?? that means they only served in the Order for a little over a year which makes no sense because...

Problem 1: Somebody took a photo of the Order in July of 1981 and James and Lily were in it. Why would they have left their newborn baby at home (or taken him with them!) to go to Order headquarters and take a photo for an organization they hadn’t been a part of for almost two years?

Problem 2: In Lily’s letter to Sirius, written around August of 1981, a month after the photo was taken, she reports being in hiding and says that James is starting to get antsy not being able to go anywhere which implies they JUST went into hiding and are still getting used to being stuck in the house

Timeline 2: 

Based on all the information above, the Potters must have gone into hiding early to mid-July in 1981, after the Order photo was taken and before Harry’s birthday  on July 31st (Lily mentions in her letter that Harry celebrated his first birthday in hiding). This would make sense because if Peter was already working for Voldemort (which Sirius claims he was in POA) then it wouldn’t take him very long to betray them to Voldy, and so them being in hiding for only three months before they were killed is very reasonable. So this timeline that I’ve just described must be J.K.’s second timeline, right?? that would make sense, right? WRONG. Nothing makes sense in this world, you fool.

timeline two ACTUALLY says that the Potters had to go into hiding “at the time of Harry’s christening”

which like?? what??? his christening? okay. I guess Lily was devoutly religious because Christianity sure didn’t seem to be a big thing among the purebloods (what this reads like to me, though, is another example of JK Rowling trying to weirdly inject Christianity into the Harry Potter books while ignoring all other religions, but that’s for another time) ((fyi I have no issues with Christianity or blending religion and fantasy but her usage of it is odd and noncommittal)) 

christenings usually happen anywhere from a few weeks to six months after the baby’s birth depending on your sect, situation, e.t.c

this would mean that the Potters went into hiding around late summer-early fall of 1980

THIS would mean that the cast the Fidelius charm for a year before their death

this seems more likely than the first scenario, but all of the problems listed above with the picture and the inconsistencies in the letter are still present

On top of that, Sirius claims that Peter was a spy for a year before the Potters’ death. This would mean that Peter secretly joined Voldemort at almost exactly the same time the Potters went under the Fidelius charm. Admittedly, the Potter family being directly threatened and going into hiding seems like a solid catalyst for Peter noping-the-fuck-out of the Order and secretly becoming a spy. He probably partially joined the Order because all of his friends were doing it (James especially) and so seeing James being forced into hiding was probably a huge shock for him. Also, at this point, the Death Eaters were winning, and he was most definitely shitting himself over that. So. Yes. Timeline works there. 

BUT! then why did it take Peter a year to give the Potters up? It seems (although there’s some wiggle room) like they didn’t switch secret keepers, rather made it seem like Sirius was the secret keeper publicly while Peter was secretly the real secret keeper. In this scenario, Peter either would have had to willfully withhold this information from Voldy himself for almost year, which is kind of a dangerous move coming from a coward, or he told Voldemort the minute he was made secret keeper and for some reason Voldemort didn’t do ANYTHING ABOUT IT FOR A YEAR. Does Voldemort have really bad procrastination issues? Did he just forget that there’s a baby that’s threatening his very existence out there somewhere?

This leaves one last plausible option: something happened that made them switch secret-keepers last minute, and Peter did not become secret keeper until shortly before the Potters’ death. This is not what Pottermore or the books imply, but it’s what makes the most sense. We’ll come back to this option in problem 3 which is all about secret keepers, but for now let’s talk about the prophecy that made all of this come to be... 

Problem 2: The Prophecy

Dumbledore says that the prophecy was made in 1980 “shortly before [Harry’s] birth” on a “cold, wet night”. 

I think that anything below 50 Fahrenheit/10 Celsius can be considered cold, so according to this map of temperatures in the Scottish Highlands:

(okay... yes... I see it too... perhaps the climate map of the Scottish Highlands is taking things a bit too far. But I’m trying to make a point, okay!!)

Trelawney could have conceivably given Dumbledore the prophecy anywhere from late March - early June. There’s some wiggle room there, but I’d place my bets on it happening somewhere in the spring based on the weather and timing. This means that Trelawney made the prophecy a year and a half before Voldemort was finally able to kill the Potters. So what took Voldemort so long? Let’s break it down. 

We know that Snape overheard the prophecy and brought it to Voldemort. From there Voldemort decided to kill Harry not Neville because Harry was a half-blood like himself, Snape went back to Dumbledore and offered himself as a double agent in exchange for Lily’s protection, and Voldemort reportedly spent “months searching” for the Potters until he found their whereabouts and discovered they were using a Fidelius charm. Then “WITHIN A WEEK OF BEING NAMED SECRET KEEPER” Peter betrayed them and Voldemort was able to enter the Potters’ home. The implications of this are too ridiculously convoluted to get into, but I’ll hit the stuff that makes me want to scream: 

Option 1: Snape Tells Voldy Immediately After He Hears the Prophecy

In this scenario, we only have a few months accounted for. Voldemort finds out about prophecy, searches for a few months, finds the Potters, kills them. Makes sense, right? Bing, bang, boom. Very efficient. Except no. He knew for a year and a half, so what was he doing with allll of that extra time? Discovering the joys of muggle television? Completing a 5,000 piece crossword puzzle? Teaching Nagini to dance? Get on top of it, man. World domination is on the line. A few months is not a year and a half. 

It’s also possible that the few months thing is wrong, and Voldemort was actually searching for the full year and a half. If Peter gave the Potters up within a week of becoming secret keeper, they should have been dead wayyy earlier! Like over a year earlier! Even if Sirius was the original secret keeper, and they switched mid-October of 1981, Peter would have still known where the Potters where and that they were under the Fidelius charm, information Voldemort didn’t know until shortly before he killed them. So why did Peter, who was already a spy at this point, fail to say anything? If Voldemort had found out Peter had willfully withheld information, he surely would have killed him. That thought alone should have been enough to make Peter come to him immediately considering how terrified Peter has always been of dying.

Option 2: Snape Sort of Drags His Feet with the Whole Thing

okay so maybe Snape didn’t tell the dark lord immediately. Maybe he knew what this would mean for Lily and was terrified. Maybe he debated for a long time whether it would be safer for Lily if he kept the information to himself or if he told the dark lord and begged him to spare her (fuck the baby, am I right?) 

STILL this is a big risk for Snape. No one really wants to piss of Voldemort and saying, “heyyyy big man, I’ve actually known that there’s a super baby that can kill you for like a year, and I didn’t tell you about it because I was scared, but don’t be mad” is not an A+ move. Seems like Voldemort might be kind of mad. Seems like he might even kill you. It seems unlikely to me that Snape would wait that long, but I guesssss it’s possible.

NO MATTER WHAT there are so many conflicts in this timeline. Everything conflicts with everything else, especially the timeline of the secret keeper which is wholly dependent on the other two fucked-up timelines we just discussed, so without further ado...

Problem 3:  The Secret Keeper

so WHY not just make Sirius the secret keeper? That’s the question of the century. If the secret keeper can only break the Fidelius charm voluntarily--meaning torturing or imperius-ing them can’t force it out--and Sirius, in his own words, “would have died rather than betray [James]” then WHY NOT JUST HAVE SIRIUS BE THE SECRET KEEPER AND  BE DONE WITH IT LADS 

Well here’s Pottermore’s (sigh) answer:

“The answer is that Sirius wanted to deflect attention from the real Secret-Keeper. He probably hoped Voldemort would go after him so he could steer attention away from Pettigrew. If all had gone to plan, Voldemort may never have known Sirius was not the Secret-Keeper – but even if he’d discovered the bluff, Voldemort’s pursuit of Sirius would have given the Potters and Pettigrew time to regroup.” 

Okay... so Sirius wanted to deflect attention from the real secret keeper... and have the Death Eaters come after him instead... but this still explains nothing because whether Sirius is or is not the secret keeper, the Death Eaters are coming after him regardless, and if he knows that he would rather die than betray James and Lily, why risk letting anyone else carry the secret? In other words, why did he trust Peter more than himself? 

The only answer I can think of is that something happened that made Sirius stop trusting himself. For some reason, he felt that the Death Eaters had something on him that might make him break. Sirius’ defining quality is his undying, self-sacrificial loyalty to the people he loves, so it’s a massive deal that he doubted his own ability to be loyal to James, Lily, and Harry. This goes entirely against his character, so something must have happened that was not mentioned in the books. Unless we change his entire character, there’s a HUGE missing piece here.

(I am keeping this a mainly wolfstar-free post because it’s just about the plotting of the books, but I think it’s interesting to explore how the Death Eaters could have threatened to torture/kill Remus to try to try to make Sirius break. That’s literally the only scenario I can imagine that would make Sirius doubt his ability to be loyal to the Potters--if he had to choose between killing James and killing Remus. Anyways. That’s really dark. Let’s move on.)

Problem 4: Peter

Okay so now we’re past the actual event of Peter’s betrayal and hopping ahead to after James and Lily died. 

Why did Peter remain a rat for 12 years?

Pros of Remaining a Rat:

the wizarding world can go on thinking you’re dead and thinking your best friend is guilty of 13 murders

the Death Eaters who think you wanted Voldemort to die at Godric’s Hollow also think you’re dead and aren’t going to be up in your business

someone feeds you

life is simple (if you ignore the many lives weighing on your conscience and the ultimate degradation of your soul)

Cons of Remaining a Rat:

you’re a rat

no one likes you

you have to watch out for mouse traps

you live in a house with Fred and George and probably fear for your life every waking moment

no seriously I think these are big cons

Other Options If You’ve Murdered Your Best Friends and Are a Rat:

go live with the muggles. seriously. there must be a muggle village somewhere without wizards (there aren’t that many wizards) where you can BE A HUMAN. Even if you do run into a wizard, they probably won’t immediately recognize you, and if they do, you can turn into a rat, run away, and go live with the millions of rats of the world

go to space?

no, I mostly just wanted to make that first point

It’s also possible he remained a rat because, as Sirius said, he was “keeping an ear out for news [...] Just in case [his] old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him.” This definitely is possible, but if I had to choose between maybe living a life as a human and living as a rat in case a guy who totally seems dead comes back, I’d try to be a human. Plus, Peter could live with muggles and still keep up with wizard news. 

Problem 5?: Sirius’ Escape

Admittedly, this problem isn’t that big. I still find it a bit weird though.

When Sirius recollects his escape to Harry he says:

If all Sirius had to do to escape Azkaban was to slip out the door when the dementors brought him food, why did he wait twelve years?? yes, okay, he was a universally wanted man and people would have immediately started hunting for him, but Sirius is fucking smart. Dude became an animagi (something only seven other people had done that century) when he was fif-fucking-teen and was considered to be a genius by almost everyone who knew him. Surely he could have hacked it on his own for awhile until he made it to Remus or Dumbledore** and was able to convince them that Peter had been the real secret keeper. And yeah! It may not have worked. In fact, even if Sirius did convince Remus it hadn’t been him, they’re still kind of fucked either way. Worst case scenario, though, Sirius just gets sent back to Azkaban. It’s not like they could have extended his already life-long sentence. I feel like you could argue the merits or disadvantages of running away from Azkaban until you’re blue in the face, but the bottom line is Sirius is a reckless, impulsive, chaotic human being who hates to be told what to do and hates to be made useless and has no qualms risking everything if it seems worth it. So why wasn’t even a brief glimmer of freedom worth it? The only reason I can think of is that Sirius was so destroyed by Peter’s betrayal and the Potters’ death that he didn’t really think it was worth living at all. 

ALSO, one last thing, why is it so fuckin’ easy to escape Azkaban? All you have to do is slip out the door and do some swimming? Someone should have done that years ago!

**okay admittedly Dumbledore probably didn’t care about exonerating Sirius and actually found it quite convenient that he was in Azkaban because it meant Harry had no adult looking out for him, but Sirius didn’t know that, and probably still thought Dumbledore cared somewhat for his wellbeing because they worked so closely in the Order (but this is totally conjecture idk)

anyways, point is: 

 HOW CAN YOU FAIL TO PLOT THE CORNERSTONE OF YOUR ENTIRE SERIES SO SPECTACULARLY?? THIS IS YOUR JOB. THIS IS YOUR LIVELIHOOD. 

If you have any thoughts, answers, or if you simply wish to scream in frustration with me, please add them on!

[joy1579]

Retrouvailles (part 3)

Jumin x MC fanfic (1215 words)

Part 1

Part 2

over all summary: MC is the Singer at her Family’s wine bar called “retrouvailles”. Jumin Han corporate heir has fallen for her voice and decided to pursue a relationship with the Jazz and swing singer despite his usual distaste for romance. they face the challenges of press interference and hearsay, as they explore the waters of new romance.

Chapter summary: Jumin and MC enjoy pleasant conversations while enjoying wine and music. before parting ways they make plans to meet again and exchange phone numbers. 

Retrouvallies feature song presentation: lady armstong cover of royals

authors note:so this is just me indulging in their dialogue cuz i really enjoy writing it. honestly the dialogue is one of the main reason i wanted to writ the fic seriously there’s something very appealing about old timey formal jumin han. I have the plot pretty much set out but i have no idea how long it'll take to get there ya know? like i know what i want to happen but sometimes it takes a bit of working to actually get it to happen. anyway i hope y’all enjoy this cute little back and forth between them cuz i really had fun writing it. 

The night’s music seemed impossibly quiet as Jumin felt MC trail her fingers along the ridges of his knuckles.

“have you ever heard of palm reading?” she asked suddenly. he smirked a bit and nodded splaying his hand out before her so she could run her finger along the lines of his palm instead. “to be honest I don’t know much about it really, but I have a friend that can fake it, like a parlor trick you know.” he chuckled at that before curling his fingers around her hand.

“I’ve read a little on the subject of palmistry. I’m sure I could teach you at least a small bit” he didn’t even try to hide his smirk at her surprise.

“do you believe it’s accurate?” she asked dubiously.

“as accurate as any other fortune telling method”

“you know Jumin that isn’t an answer” she chided coyly

“I believe,” he paused for a moment brows creasing in thought as he drew a thumb along a line on her palm “fortune telling, prophecies, fate, it all seems like an excuse. a means for people to accept poor circumstances and lack of motivation.”

“you don’t believe in fortune telling, but you know about palmistry?”

“you must learn about something before you can form an opinion on it” he remarked settling his eye’s on her hand in his. Her hands where warm against his skin and he wondered if her warmth was indicative of some inner light that he lacked.

“well then humor me? what do you read in my palms”

“well the most common belief is that the left hand maps your potential, what God has given you, while the right shows what you do with it, your choices.” MC’s eyes were locked on his as he explained each line and what they were supposed to signify. he ran his index finger over each line as he did and he could have sworn he felt her pulse quicken under the pads of his fingers. as he finished his explanation she glanced down at their connected hands.

“may I be honest with you Jumin?” she asked gently

“I would prefer it” he responded brows furrowing in mild concern.

“when I brought up the palm reading, I may have been looking for an excuse to hold your hand” Jumin didn’t know what to say to that it was a strange thought. that someone would invent a reason to touch him so innocently and yet he couldn’t find it in him to be mad. In the midst of his reverie he registered the final notes of music fading as the nights show ended “I did enjoy the lesson though maybe next time you can tell me about how tarot cards are supposed to work” MC added tilting her head to catch Jumins’ downturned eyes.

“I’m not nearly so familiar with tarot as I am with palmistry” he admitted pulling taking another sip of wine to hide a bit of annoyance at his own lack of knowledge.

“then I suppose we can learn together. Unless, perhaps there’s another subject that you’d prefer?”  

“recently I’ve been reading about vampires” he said ready for the same teasing chides he received from several of his friends when he mentioned his latest choice of reading material.

“spooky.” She commented raising an eyebrow “you know I once heard that the reason they didn’t have a reflection in old mirrors was because silver reflected the soul and since they were undead they had no soul”

“modern mirrors don’t use silver” he mused moving to poor himself a bit more wine. It really was a fantastic vintage.

“exactly!” she chirped. “so doesn’t it stand to reason that a vampire in modern times would have a reflection”

he chuckled, no one had ever humored his more outlandish interests like this. “I can see your logic but I raise you this counter” he said letting a smile creep across his face “your right about past mirrors using silver and about vampires lacking souls, but if a silver mirror only reflected the soul why would chair, walls, and art be reflected? they have no soul.” He enjoyed this banter. A back and forth of ideas and logic even in regards to such fantastical creatures as vampires.

“good point though I’m sure some would argure about art having a bit of soul.  Also in Dracula I believe that Dracula’s clothes were also reflection-less which implies even objects touching the vampire are rendered invisible to the mirror”

“truly a curious mystery that requires more research” Jumin teased. his smile held a lopsided and easy going confidence. MC laughed at that, a joyous lilting sound that had Jumin chuckling before he even realized it. he liked when she laughed at his teasing jokes and made note to tell them more often.

as the night wore on they continued to talk quietly occasionally pouring each other a fresh glass of wine until as mc poured for jumin she found the bottle empty.

“it seems our time for this evening is up jumin” she said holding the empty bottle by its neck and shaking it slightly to listen for any remaining liquid.

“had I known we were limited to one bottle I would have taken my time a bit more. savored the taste and good company.”

“sorry Jumin rules are rules. One bottle of wine for a first date”

“so this was a date then?”

“I suppose that depends on if you’re comfortable with the woman paying for the first date. I’m sure we could work something out next time if you are but I’d like to treat you tonight”

It wasn’t the first time tonight that Jumin had felt a bit taken aback by MC but nevertheless he found himself wholly in foreign territory. he was so used to paying for himself and to others expecting him to pay for them as well. certainly he could afford it after all. money was no object in his life, and yet MC wanted to treat him. He was quite sure that his wealth vastly outweighed her own, making money all the more precious to her still she wanted to spend it on him. he would let her this time of course though he vowed to repay her tenfold at their next meeting if she would allow it. “that sounds perfect shall we meet after your show on Thursday? perhaps I could take you to a late dinner.” He offered.

“I would love that. oh here I should give you this” she said taking a pen from her purse and scribbling a number on a small notepad.

she tore the page out and handed it to Jumin as she stood. “call me if our plans change okay?”

He was about to reply when he felt her lips on his cheek and froze. She had kissed him, just a peck on the cheek but a kiss none the less. For his part Jumin Han did not flush the light crimson that MC did but he did wear a sly smile for the better part of the next two days despite a weekend business trip he had been dreading for the first time in what seemed like a very long time he found himself looking forward to a social excursion.

[frederickwiddowson]

The Acts of the Apostles by Luke the physician - Acts 1: 1-5 comments:

The Acts of the Apostles chronicles the history of the early Christian church. With humble origins and a congregation consisting of the lowest members of society, even slaves and outcasts, the faith would be grown by the actions of the Spirit of God working through humble, and in Paul’s case, humbled men, and women. Sadly, Christianity would eventually adopt even more oppressive measures against other religions than the heathen ever dreamed of as unsaved people creeped into congregations and installed themselves in high positions. Institutional Christianity would become a tool of the state and in some cases, the state would become a tool of Christianity. But, true Christian belief would always exist alongside the errors of the state-church whether those errors were expressed in the empires and kingdoms of Europe or as the de facto state church of the United States of America. Not conforming to the established institutional church governed by the tares of power-mad and self-righteous bishops, popes, patriarchs, pastors, and other high officials the humble church, the true body of Christ, would live and struggle throughout history to serve Christ and to obey in simplicity His commands. This is the story of the beginning of that church, the true church of God without even a building set aside specifically for church services until late in the second century, without a protector among the powerful, and without human power to grow and expand, completely dependent upon the Spirit of God to add such as would be saved to it. You and I will try to understand its foundational doctrines before Greek philosophy and Roman pragmatism coupled with superficial belief created two churches, those of the tares and the wheat.

 Luke’s gospel ends with;

 Luke 24:50 ¶  And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51  And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52  And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53  And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

 The Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke the physician, beings with;

Acts, chapter 1

Acts 1:1 ¶  The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2  Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

 Remember Luke’s introduction to the gospel he wrote to Theophilus?

 Luke 1:1 ¶  Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4  That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

 Who was Luke? He was the physician who accompanied Paul.

 Colossians 4:14  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

 Luke and Lucas are the same person, being two different forms of the same name as Timotheus and Timothy.

 Philemon 1:24  Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

 Luke wrote in an educated style and did the work of an historian. When someone says they have studied, for instance, the American Civil War or the history of the Federal Reserve Board in our time they usually mean they’ve read other people’s opinions and accepted those opinions if they agree with them, rejecting those they don’t. But an historian regards eyewitness accounts, testimonies and writings as paramount to getting at the truth, not just someone else’s opinion.

 He or she collects many testimonies and sorts through them, considering what has been confirmed by other eyewitnesses. We believe that this was all done under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom given to Luke by God, to give us what God wants us to have.

 The twin doctrines of inspiration and preservation are very important to our faith and are usually discounted by those who do not believe.

 2Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17  That the man of God may be perfect [for perfect as complete see 2Chronicles 8:16; Colossians 4:12; & James 1:4], throughly furnished unto all good works.

 Psalm 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.7  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

 First, God gave wisdom and understanding to the men who wrote our Bible and then to the churches that preserved those writings down through the centuries, filtering, eliminating, and consolidating what was written. Preservation means that the action of God was not limited to the original autographs like fundamentalists and evangelicals like to believe. In fact, God did not elevate the original autographs. When the king destroyed the originals of what Jeremiah wrote we have this;

 Jeremiah 36:32  Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

 So, no one knows what those originals said and it’s really not important. What we have is what’s important.

 First, the Bible is given by inspiration and just what is that? It is not word-for-word dictation.

 Job 32:8  But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

 What is understanding? Words linked by and are typically synonyms.

 1Kings 4:29  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

 And so, inspiration is also wisdom.

 2Peter 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

 Often these words were written down by a third party, an amanuensis, as the giver of the words spoke them, moved by the Holy Ghost, the very mind of God.

 2Peter 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

 Now that Luke feels his understanding is perfect or complete (see Colossians 4:12 for a definition of perfect as complete) on the entire matter of what happened he writes to an acquaintance or friend named Theophilus.

 Acts 1:1  The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

 Theophilus is a name that means, “lover of God.” While Luke was writing, perhaps, to a Roman official who was a Christian by the use of the epithet most excellent the Holy Spirit was writing to all believers. This account is for you.

 Verse 2 is a very important theological statement and needs to be considered carefully. The three parts of the trinity that is God; the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Ghost operate together in unity but at the time of the gospels operated physically independently which God can do but we cannot. If our soul, body, and spirit are separated we are no longer biologically alive. It is valuable here to review what has been said before about the three parts of God that are one and yet can act independently although with one will and purpose.

 God is composed of three parts, as man and woman are; a body, a soul, and a spirit.

1Thessalonians 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has a soul, the seat of self-identity and will.

Psalm 11:5  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

This is God the Father, sometimes referred to just as God in the New Testament. He is invisible to us. As John says in John 1:18 and in 1John 4:12 no one has seen God, presumably God the Father, at any time. Every act of God’s will originates with Him.

God has a Spirit, how He moves throughout creation and acts on it and in it.

Genesis 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

This Spirit is called the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

1Corinthians 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you…26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Holy Spirit in its function, the Holy Ghost in His identity, is the mind of God and also God.

For contexts where the Spirit of God or the spirit of man can be synonymous with mind please see the following;

 Romans 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

 1Corinthians 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 Ephesians 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

 Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

 2Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 God not only has a soul and a mind but has a body, His person, whom man can see, and has even touched, as God in the flesh, called the Son of God.

Hebrews 1:1 ¶  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Colossians 1: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:15  Who is the image of the invisible God…

Of course, an image is the likeness of someone, what he looks like.

Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 5:3  And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

Exodus 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

(Refer back to these verses when someone insists that the image of God is man’s ability to discern between good and evil, which is nonsense, as Adam was made in the image of God but did not taste of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil until he fell).

Jesus Christ is also the Word by which all things were created. Read the first 18 verses of the Gospel According to John. God’s mind formed creation and God’s Word spoke it into existence, bringing forth the light, which He is.

Genesis 1:3 ¶  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

One stark difference between man and God is that God’s three parts can act independently of each other and still be one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Mark 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2Corinthians 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

1John 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Christ is then that bridge between God and man, fully God and fully man, without whom the believer in God would be in the same predicament as other religions where their god is so distant from man that there is no connection, no compassion for man’s suffering, no understanding of the human heart, fears, and affections.

God reveals Himself to special select people under the Law and to all believers under Grace.

Amos 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

(To deny this is to say that the so-called ‘Great Commission’ of the end of Matthew does not apply to every believer but only the Apostles).

The Lord Jesus Christ, while walking in biological flesh on the earth, also had a human spirit, a human will, being fully man and fully God. This spirit also manifested itself to us.

 Luke 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 There was a great argument in the Roman Empire’s church regarding whether Christ even had two natures. Some focused on His divinity while others His humanity. The issue was somewhat settled at the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD in Bithynia in Asia Minor, in what is the country of Turkey today. It was understood that Christ was one person with two natures, divine and human, God in the flesh. This does not mean that they just figured that out but that they declared the other ideas as incorrect.

 It is said here that Christ gave commandments to the Apostles through the Holy Ghost, the very mind of God, His Spirit in its action, but the Holy Ghost, referred to as He, in His identity. The Bible seems to suggest, if I have this down correctly, that we have a soul, the “I” or sense of self-awareness, our consciousness. We and many animals exist and we and they know we exist, an absurdity if evolution were true. This self-awareness is limited to humans and creatures that are not merely driven by electro-chemical impulses or are biological machines but creatures that are aware that they are themselves and not another. It is the seat of our will, our will flowing from it.

 For animals that have souls see;

 Numbers 31:28  And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

 Job 12:10  In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

 For the soul as the seat of our self-awareness, our consciousness, and our “I will” see that the soul does things. In Genesis 37:4 a soul is said to bless someone. In Genesis 42:21 a soul can experience anguish. In Leviticus 4:2 a soul can sin. The soul can do evil and experience tribulation and anguish as per Romans 2:9. My soul is basically what I am. It is the “I”. It can experience the death of the flesh and then suffering in Hell. See Psalm 49:15; 86:13; Ezekiel 18:4; Revelation 16:3; & Luke 16:19-31, Acts 2:27.

 Our spirit is our mind, as shown before, but it is more than that as it is our also our heart, emotions, without which no rational mind can function, and our talents and inclinations given to us by God or tarnished by the fall of man.

 Deuteronomy 2:30  But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

 Psalm 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

 The phrase the comes after a colon often helps define what went before it.

 Psalm 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

 As for talent and skills given by God through things like practice, apprenticeship, and learning unless you believe that Bezaleel woke up one day and suddenly knew how to do marvelous works.

 Exodus 31:1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2  See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4  To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5 And in cutting of

stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6  And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in

the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

 If you want to be wise hearted get to work. Wise hearted first, then wisdom from God. God searches man and woman’s mind, heart, inclinations, sin-nature, and all of the things that make up what we are.

 Proverbs 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

 The Holy Ghost gave commands to the Apostles whom Jesus showed Himself to for forty days after His resurrection. The apostles were ordered to assemble together at Jerusalem and to wait for the Holy Ghost to be given to them. What do we say then to this passage in John?

 John 20:22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

 It appears then that, at least for the early believers in Christ, that the Holy Ghost could be given more than once, possibly for different reasons.

 Titus 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 The question I have to ask is if while we are sealed and secure with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does God renew it in us as we are sanctified for Him in life? Could that be what the following mean more fully?

 Ephesians 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

 We are saved once and indwelt with the Spirit as Paul relates the absurdity of being saved and lost again and again in Hebrews 6:1-6. In the following passage Paul shows that if you could lose your salvation you could not get saved again. It appears he is trying to get Christians to move beyond salvation to our sanctification.

 Hebrews 6:1 ¶  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3  And this will we do, if God permit. 4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

 So, the question would be, are we praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to be renewed in the power and mind of God over sin and self? Or are we satisfied and complacent about this unspeakable gift?

 Jesus walked among His disciples after His resurrection. Paul told us;

 1Corinthians 15:6  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

 The disciples were to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Ghost to be given to them.

[7-obsessions]

The Concept of a Mystery

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18305648

The Department of Mysteries was a place few people ever dreamed of working; it took a hardened disposition to feel at home in a place that would never wholly make sense and an even stronger will to never talk about what exists in the bowels of the Ministry. Some details had inevitably slipped out, but the vital secrets stayed safe and sound with a tight knit crew of Unspeakables.

Luckily, work matters could be discussed among the Unspeakables themselves. Unluckily, Hermione had failed to create any friendships with her colleagues. She found them to be a slimy, untrustworthy group of people who seemed to have nonexistent lives outside of Level 9 of the Ministry...or a select few who could find work nowhere else in the Ministry after the War. Hermione was definitely not part of the latter—she had job offers pouring in from every job in the wizarding world that she could imagine—and she like to believe she wasn’t part of the former. Yet, the longer she worked in the Department, the less time she spent with friends or family or doing anything remotely non-work related. Her drive to learn everything about the wizarding world had overrun her whole life after she realized just how little she knew once she began uncovering mysteries.

Hermione, presently, was pondering one of the most mysterious projects that had wandered across her desk. Sometimes things just showed up around the Department, like every time a new prophecy was made it appeared in the Hall of Prophecies ready to be catalogued. Some things that showed up were more complex and completely unexpected, like the shimmering black shroud that was encased in a protective bubble hovering in the middle of her office. The project file lay on her desk, actually it was more of a single sheet that simply said:

Project 05292001A

Discovered: 6:25am, Entrance Chamber

Identity: Unknown

Task: Determine what this object is, how it got here and why. Further instructions dependant on initial findings.

Description: Black, sheer, somewhat glittery fabric. Appears as if it might be a shroud. Diagnostics show signs of unknown magical properties, possibly dark or ancient.

Notes: Recommended to NOT TOUCH until initial findings are complete as status of object is unknown. Partner will be assigned by end of day. Do not complete any research or testing unless with partner.

“Hermione, I see you’ve gotten the project file. Good. The Minister wishes to meet with you regarding the project as soon as you’ve read the file,” the rich, no-nonsense voice of her superior, Gwendolyn Walker, spoke from Hermione’s doorway.

“Considering this took less than a minute to read and I’ve already been in the office for twenty minutes, I’d say I’m already late. So tell me, what’s up with this project? First, I come into the office and discover I’ve been given this project with no brief or warning. Second, I find out that you’re assigning me a partner, which I explicitly said I would not do when I took this job. And now, the Minister wants to talk to me. He never gets involved. What the bloody hell is going on this morning, Gwen?”

“Listen, I don’t know much more than you, I didn’t find the object. Robbards found it, and I wasn’t in yet and you know how much he enjoys subverting my procedures. For some bloody reason, he chose to discuss it with the Minister and Kingsley absolutely demanded you were on the project. Now he wants to see you, so go, make this easier for all of us.”

Hermione made her way to the Minister’s office whilst dreaming of all the ways to make Robbards suffer for this. Hermione doesn’t work with partners and now her one rule of employment was thrown to the wind because of that insipid little man.

“Hermione, good to see you.”

“Minister Shacklebolt,” Hermione said shortly.

“I know you’re irritated, but let me explain. Something is happening within the Department of Mysteries that nobody understands. I’ve gotten weird and honestly concerning reports from almost all personnel down there. I have a hunch that this object relates to it all. I went and saw it and felt the magical signature radiating off of it before it was contained, it’s something I’ve never felt before. I need someone I can trust on this project and that’s you. It’s protocol that you work with a partner on identification cases, sorry but I will not budge on that. It’s a matter of safety. However, I need someone with experience in the Darker Arts on this case, as well.”

“What are you saying, Kingsley? Who are you pairing me with?”

“I hope one day you forgive me for this. The other one I’m assigning to this case is Bellatrix Black.”

“Are you kidding me?! Matter of safety, my arse. I have half a mind to hand in my resignation immediately. Making me work with a partner is already bad enough, but making me work with her...that’s just cruel and unusual punishment and I’ll never forgive you for this.”

“If you must resign, then I’ll wish you well. But this is the most interesting case you’ve gotten in a while. I can see it in your eyes that you won’t walk away from this. Go home for the day and regroup. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kingsley was right. Hermione couldn’t give this up now until she found answers. So, she found her in her office early the next morning awaiting Bellatrix to show up. The first two days passed surprisingly dully. Bellatrix chose not to engage in any way with Hermione, except to explicitly discuss their preliminary findings. Which were none. The object didn’t respond to any of the standard diagnostic spells or even some of the more obscure spells Bellatrix knew. It seemed to absorb the magic, neutralizing it at first contact.

On the third day, Bellatrix started suggesting some decidedly non-protocol ideas.

“We need to take it out of the containment shield and try these tests again.”

“Absolutely not, Black, it could be volatile outside of it.”

“It doesn’t seem to be much of anything. For all we’ve discovered thus far, this could be some Muggle’s funeral shroud and we’re treating it as if it’s going to blow us to bits at first chance.”

Hermione stood her ground for a couple more hours, but finally relented to trying other means to research.

“If this goes south, I’m holding you personally responsible...as I do for most things, Lestrange.”

“The name is Black and I frankly could not care less for what some Mudblood chit holds me responsible for,” Bellatrix spoke with more venom than Hermione had heard in the two years they had worked in the same department.

Bellatrix cancelled the containment shield and began running the diagnostics again. All magic was neutralized just as before.

“See, it really is just some useless piece of fabric. Nothing to be scared of, Muddy,” Bellatrix cackled.

“It’s not just a piece of fabric. A normal piece of fabric would react in some way to the magic cast at it, at least we’d see some scorch marks. Bellatrix you need to take this seriously.”

“Oh, I am taking this very seriously, so serious that I’m gonna find which grave this came from,” Bellatrix countered as she reached out to touch the material.

“Bellatrix! Stop don’t touch it!”

Bellatrix grabbed it. “AAAH,” a guttural scream emerged from ruby red lips.

“BELLATRIX!” Hermione lunged at the woman grabbing her upper arm, too scared to think of the consequences.

The scream turned into a full blown belly laugh. “Didn’t know you cared so much, Muddy. See it’s nothing to worry about, just some seamstress’ scraps.”

“Merlin, Bellatrix that is not funny in any way. You could’ve been hurt, anything could have happened. Do you not have a shred of self-preservation,” Hermione spoke, never removing her hand, closer to the woman than she’d been since she was pinned beneath her getting carved.

“I have more self-preservation than you can imagine. I survived two wars and Azkaban, pet.”

The two women just looked at one another, drinking in the last couple minutes. Hermione felt a blush creeping up her chest and into her cheeks, embarassed by how she dove to save this woman who she should hate. Does hate.

Hermione was just about to concede that maybe it wasn’t as dangerous as everyone thought it to be, when an unexplainable chill crawled up her spine. The hairs on her arms were standing on end. She looked up at Bellatrix and saw an uneasiness in her eyes right as the floor gave way and the women were flung out into the ether.

The women found themselves suspended in an inky void; there was no source of light, but somehow they could see each other. There were no walls or floor, only nothingness. No noises were heard, nothing tactile in this space, there was nothing but each other. And pressure. The pressure was so intense that it hurt to draw in each breath; it felt like they were in the middle of apparating with no end in sight.

“Bellatrix what happened,” Hermione spoke, but her voice sounded faint and muffled as if spoken from a great distance.

“I don’t know. Where are we?”

“How should I know where we are. You were the one who had to act like a bloody toddler and got us thrown here.”

“Okay. Calm down. We’ll just apparate out of here, take my arm.”

Hermione took her arm and waited, “well get us out of here.”

“I can’t. My magic isn’t working. You try.”

Hermione tried to focus on apparating, but the only thing it did was increase the pressure around her chest. “No, no, no, no, no. We can’t get out. What are we going to do.”

“Die of dehydration, I imagine. Maybe asphyxiation if this pressure gets any worse,” Bellatrix said, completely disinterested, looking at her nails as she talked.

“Good god, Bellatrix, don’t you care at all?”

“Not particularly.”

The two sat in silence for a while, as much as one could sit while suspended in a state of no gravity. Finally, Hermione couldn’t take it any longer. “We need to move, to try and find a way out. We can’t just accept this fate.”

“Okay.” No fight was put up from Bellatrix, strange.

The two began to move through the thick and pervasive air, moving in a half walk, half swim. The darkness was everywhere, there was not a single thing around except for them. And the cold, the more they moved, the colder it got. They kept exploring the seemingly unending space for a long time. There was no way to determine how long they had been in this space, with no sun to track the hours and no magic to tell the time.

“Welcome to space!” a loud disembodied voice boomed all around them. Bellatrix and Hermione looked at one another with a glimmer of fear behind chocolate and caramel eyes, respectively.

“For too long, you wizards have tried to control and harness the horrible place you call the Department of Mysteries. I existed before the Ministry. There is no department, it is only me the Mystery. You are in Space. Not outer space as you ignorant humans have decided is the meaning of space within the bowels of your marble halls. No you are in the concept of Space. There is nothing physical here, but you. However, the immaterial can not be detached so easily, so you still have some tools at your disposal. You can be certain that Time is still passing, you still have Thought, and you could still Love if you were so inclined, but be aware that Death still reigns here. As in every other circumstance in life, you have two options: survive or die. As with all others who have wandered into my domain, I would argue you will probably die, nobody has survived yet. Eloise Mintumble got closer than most, but you know of her demise. She didn’t tumble through time, she tumbled into my domain; she found a way out, but not before Death sunk its teeth into her. Enjoy your time here, or don’t. You have one other choice, accept death now or stay and fight. Death now will be easy, painless, a greeting of a long awaited friend. Choosing to fight and failing will lead to a death worse than you can imagine. Chose to fight and win, I will grant you knowledge and power of the Mystery. Will you die nobly or will you die foolishly, Bellatrix Black and Hermione Granger?”

“We’re fighting. We will get out of here. You cannot scare us, I’ve looked death in the eyes and won before, but you won’t even deign to look us in the eyes,” Hermione exclaimed passionately, the fight that hadn’t been present since the War, coming out in full force.

“Hermione, we cannot possibly win,” Bellatrix was staring at her slack-jawed in shock.

“No, perhaps we cannot, but I will not die a coward,” Hermione looked at Bellatrix and for some reason felt like they had a greater chance than the others before them, “I’m fighting and I hope you’ll fight alongside of me.”

“Fine. Let it be known that Bellatrix Black is no coward in the face of fear. We shall fight.”

“Foolish girls, let the fun begin.”