#and snape took getting rejected out on harry

[erasurecloud]

I have never read Harry Potter nor have I seen a single movie but I just know I’d simp for James.

[joka13]

Hiya feel free to ignore this if you’re not doing requests but i was wandering if you could do a george weasley x reader where they’re in a secret relationship and maybe one of George’s siblings outs that the reader has a crush on George in front of them both then george kind of teases the reader for it afterwards ?

Thank you :)

Hello, I do take requests! And thank you for requesting; this was so fun to write! I hope you won't mind that I added just a few more background details to what you specified😁 Enjoy!❤️❤️❤️

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Dear Reader,

As you may or may not know, I post extensive, multiple part fanfiction stories. I must remind you or clarify that I do not consider any requests I write as parts of those stories. Thank you for reading❤️

FANFICTION (REQUEST): George Weasley x y/n Malfoy

WARNINGS: passionate kissing

It had been a long while since you began your concealed, romantic relationship with George Weasley. It was a rather difficult situation to maintain, but it definitely had its advantages. You're a member of the Malfoy family and wouldn't be caught dead associating yourself with a Weasley, for if you were indeed caught associating yourself with a Weasley, it'd be the end of you. Your father, the infamous Lucius Malfoy, viewed every one of them as nothing but muggle-loving blood traitors. You once considered briefly the possibility of your father accepting George as your boyfriend because George was, still, technically a pureblood. But, in the end, you decided to play it safe, to stay quiet about the whole thing. Your father wasn't the only person you worried wouldn't take it well. You greatly admired your older brother, Draco, and feared you would lose his respect forever if he ever learned of your feelings for George. And so, when George Weasley expressed his similar feelings for you and you couldn't bring yourself to reject him, you promised to be George's girl as long as he did his best to keep it a secret.

George was entirely willing to pay the price. He'd been aching to have you for so long; there was nothing he wouldn't do for you. You enjoyed it immensely as well. Butterflies came to life in your stomach every time he took your hand and led you away to some new corner of the Hogwarts castle when no one else was watching. You'd kept secrets before, but this one was different. It was shared, special, personal, and intimate. But there are just some people you can't keep secrets from forever.

You and George played a silly game you called "Straight Face" while lounging on the couch in the Gryffindor common room (this would have been self-sabotage if it weren't for George "borrowing" Harry's invisibility cloak, under which you both sat; it was also late at night when everyone, including the two of you, should've been in bed, so there wasn't much risk of getting accidentally sat on). The goal of the game was to simply get the other person to smile and keep yourself from smiling when it was their turn to try and get you to smile. George almost won every time you played against him, though it didn't really matter to you. The end always resulted in at least one person smiling while the other won the game. It was, almost literally, a win-win situation.

It was your turn, so you pulled a funny facial expression. The corner of George's mouth twitched slightly, but he did not smile. For his turn, George performed for you a rather accurate voice impression of Professor Snape that easily broke you.

"Oh, bugger!" you laughed as George grinned smugly. "You're too good at this game!"

"Alright, alright, it's your turn. Show me what you've got," George chuckled.

George returned to his blank stare while you thought of something to do to make him smile. You then shook your head with a knowing smirk as an idea formed in your mind.

"You've left me no other choice," you sighed, looking up at him through your lashes. George raised a red eyebrow curiously, but otherwise didn't budge. You glanced down at his lips.

You, very slowly, leaned forward towards George as if you planned to kiss him. Then, just before your lips could touch his, you froze in place. When you observed no reaction from him, you looked up to find George staring coolly down at you.

"Come on. Where's that handsome smile of yours?" you encouraged quietly, giving him your own best smile. You slid your hands gradually up his arms, feeling his muscles flex in anticipation. Touching was actually against the rules of the game, but George wasn't complaining, so you proceeded to wrap your arms around his neck.

"He's a little shy," George replied. His face might have been blank, but you could tell he was enjoying himself.

You chuckled. "Well, then what's it going to take to have him show?"

You pretended not to realize how fast your heart was beating when you moved to sit on George's lap, still holding your face so very close to his. As you settled in, George exhaled heavily before placing his hands around your waist. He didn't verbally reply to your question, but looked at you in a way that said, "You know what."

And so you kissed him. You kissed George and was taken to cloud nine when you felt his lips smile against yours. He chuckled, then began to kiss you back earnestly.

George's hands cradled your body, laying you down on the couch cushions behind as he smoothly advanced toward and onto you. You giggled helplessly when he moved his face away from yours to nuzzle his nose affectionately against your neck.

"I love you, y/n," George breathed, and his words meant the world to you.

Suddenly, something sort of like a gasp sounded from the stairs to the Gryffindor girls' dormitories, causing your stomach to drop with dread. You couldn't see what was happening from your position, so you watched George's face as he slowly propped himself up higher above you to get a look at the intruder.

His eyes widened, and George glanced down at you. "It's Ginny," he mouthed silently, then looked back up. You and him both remained quiet and unmoving, hoping Ginny would eventually go away.

You heard some shuffling footsteps, and then Ginny spoke. "George? Fred? Who's there?" her voice sounded closer now, much too close for comfort. You gripped the fabric of George's sleeves absentmindedly in fearful suspense.

"Aha!" Ginny exclaimed, and you knew you'd been caught. "You're using Harry's invisibility cloak! And you've left your foot uncovered." You saw a small hand reach over the couch's arm rest, over your face and grasp a fistful of Harry's cloak. George's expression was more annoyed than fearful as Ginny yanked the cloak off of the two of you and gasped in alarm once more.

"Malfoy?!"

George moved off as you quickly sat up. "Er, hello, Ginny," you chuckled gingerly.

Ginny looked back and forth between you and George in shock. You thought for sure she was going to faint or scream, but an ecstatic grin quickly filled her freckled face.

"My brother and y/n Malfoy!" Ginny squealed, clapping her hands together cheerfully.

George shushed her. "Pipe down!"

Ginny lowered her voice. "Sorry, sorry. Merlin's beard, I can hardly believe my eyes! Well, now I can." She giggled and waved the invisibility cloak about. "I was beginning to think you'd die alone, Georgie! How long has this been going on?" You and George looked at each other uncertainly, but before either of you could answer, Ginny continued to spout.

"I'm guessing it all began three months ago. That's about the time I started noticing Fred standing all by his lonesome. It must not have been much of a bother to him, though. He's had his fair share of slinking off with that Johnson girl. Am I right? It doesn't matter. I'm just so happy that you found someone... even if she is a Slytherin, let alone a Malfoy..."

"Ginny!" George scolded. You merely shrugged. You had expected a much worse reaction.

"I'm only joking," Ginny laughed. She sat down on a nearby ottoman. "Honestly, I think it's the perfect match!" Ginny turned to you. "I've always thought that if Fred and George weren't sorted into Gryffindor, they would have been put in Slytherin," she chortled.

You laughed, "I've said the same thing!"

Ginny laughed with you while George rolled his eyes, smiling.

"I know I probably don't need to say it," George said. "But if you wouldn't mind keeping quiet about y/n and I..."

"Of course!" Ginny scoffed. "Anything for you, George." She stared at you and George contently.

After a moment, George cleared his throat. "It's 'bout time you got back to bed, Ginny."

"Oh, if you say so," Ginny sighed, standing up reluctantly. "I know that you two will just go on snogging again."

George snorted.

"What'd you come down here for anyway?" you asked quickly to change the subject.

"Oh, yeah! Thanks for reminding me." Ginny went over to the side table, opened its single drawer, and pulled out a tattered, black book. She tucked it under her arm. "Goodnight, you lovebirds!" Ginny said, then headed back up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

You and George sat in silence for a short moment before he began to chuckle.

You blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I just can't believe how scared you were," he snickered. You shoved George playfully, causing him to laugh harder. "Terrifying, little Ginny!"

"I didn't want to be discovered, same as you!" you giggled, slightly embarrassed. Your smile drifted away as concern filled your mind once again. George stopped laughing when he noticed your mood faltering. "You really... you really don't think she'll tell anyone?" you asked timidly. You had a suspicion that Ginny might be one to gossip.

George smiled caringly, lovingly, and pulled you closer into a warm embrace. "Yeah. I trust her. And..." He stroked your hair as he carefully chose his words. "I've been meaning to... this was good timing. I think it's about time you met my family anyway."

You pulled away slightly so you could look George in the eye. "Do you really mean it? Even if you don't meet mine... just yet?"

"I do," George replied, then sweetly kissed the top of your head.

[wafflinglumos]

Lily and Petunia have such an interesting and complex relationship and there aren’t enough fics that delve into that.

From what we know from canon, the two were relatively close before Lily’s magic was discovered. We can assume that Petunia’s resentment ramped up when Snape and Lily started to become friends, which was partially because she just didn’t like him and thought he was a weird but if you look at it from a child’s perspective it paints it in a different light, children are easily possessive of things and people, siblings especially, sisters especially.

Her resentment was furthered with their parents treatment of the two. Petunia was the eldest sister, between the two she was the less remarkable, from what we know and can assume from canon, Lily was the golden child, when she received her Hogwarts letter and their parents reacted positively and from what we’re told in the books, ecstatically even, which furthered her resentment even more when she even wrote to Dumbledore asking if she could go to Hogwarts too, but he had told her, though kindly, that because she was a muggle she could not.

Petunia lashed out the only way she knew how to, with resentment and envy, which makes sense really.

If Petunia was already envious of her sister, and their parents put Lily on an even higher pedestal after they found out she was a witch, adding Dumbledore’s words about Petunia not be able to go because she was a “muggle”, then it’d make sense that Petunia would resent Lily, to make her a “freak” in her eyes.

Petunia’s jealousy and resentment came from many things with Lily’s odd abilities, with Lily spending time with Snape, with Lily discovering she was a witch and their parents praising her for that, with Lily’s acceptance into Hogwarts and Petunia’s rejection from it, with pureblood James Potter.

That’s not to say that Lily is at fault or that she didn’t care, we KNOW Lily loved her sister. We can safely assume that she wrote to Petunia throughout Hogwarts, her letters probably getting more scarce as they grew and Petunia had stopped responding, but Lily still sent Petunia a letter when she gave birth to Harry, she still felt that her sister was important enough to her to send a letter announcing Harry’s arrival.

Petunia’s resentment even caused her to marry Vernon because he was everything that Lily was not. He was a boring regular man with a boring regular life. (Which we learn from this part in the books below)

“Mrs Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.”

However, even with all that envy and resentment, Lily was still her sister, we see this when Vernon and Marge are laughing about Lily being a bitch and Petunia isn’t, we see this when Petunia tells Harry that he didn’t just lose a mother that night but she lost a sister(it’s in the movies explicitly so not book canon but it’s still a thing to note)

Petunia treated Harry the way she did because he was attached to the wizarding world and her sister, yeah Harry was a wizard but he was also the spitting image of James, Petunia must have resented him that much more because Harry was the embodiment of the two things that took away her sister, magic and James Potter. More over, Voldemort killed Lily to get to Harry, Lily died for Harry, it’s not an insane thing to think that that added even more to Petunia’s disdain.

Harry was the embodiment of everything that took Lily away from Petunia, magic, James Potter and the very reason her sister was dead. In Petunia’s mind at least.

To add Petunia treated Harry horrifically and no this isn’t an excuse for her inexcusable gross actions, but an unnecessary long look into the reasoning for it.

[fan-goddess]

What if a Slytherin was picked as Hogwarts champion instead of Cedric Diggory?

Here is the original Pinterest post I got the idea from: https://pin.it/46UnRD6

Here is my masterlist with my other content: here

———

Harry Potter had never met nor heard of Barnaby Thorn before he was chosen as the original hogwarts champion. He was a fifth yeah, the same as Cedric. Yet all seemed to groan when a Slytherin was chosen to represent hogwarts.

The Slytherins all cheered though when one of their own was called. Snape even let a smirk befall on his face before letting it go back to its neutral expression.

———

When the first task was going on Harry had decided to let Barnaby know about the dragons. When he approached him the Slytherins all looked at him distastefully. Yet Barnaby only looked curious. “Hey um, Barnaby can I speak to you? In private…” Harry was surprised he had agreed as quickly as he did. After he told him about the dragons Barnaby looked almost genuinely frightened. “Are, are you sure?”

“Yes I am. I’ve seen them and I know that Fleur has been told. Meaning there’s also a high chance Krum knows too. I didn’t want to leave you to be the only one…”

Barnaby shocked Harry by smiling at him thankfully before placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Well thanks Potter. For not being prejudiced and stuff. Also I’m sorry for the badges. I tried to get my mates to stop wearing g them. I’ll make it up for you when I can though yeah?” He soon left after that in the direction of the library while his friends followed quickly behind to ask why Harry was talking to him.

———

In the second task, Barnaby realised quite quickly what the meaning of the egg was and quickly returned the favour to Harry. He told Harry what exactly he needed to do with the egg with a small note.

Potter, open it underwater. Told you I’d make it up for you when I could yeah?

When Harry looked up he already found Barnaby looking at him expectedly nodding silently before returning to a conversation.

Barnabys person in the lake was one of his best friends Juno James. He had used a bubble head charm and offered to go back into the water to help Harry but his other friends wouldn’t allow him nor would the teachers. Though when Ron and Fleurs sister came out of the water Barnaby was their to pull them out and give them his blanket. That was the act that earned Hermiones respect and gratitude, as well as a little bit of Rons.

———

When the Yule ball was happening, lots of girls asked Barnaby to be their date, yet he rejected them all. There was only one girl he wanted to ask to the ball. His long time crush. Helaena Jones. A fifth year Ravenclaw who just so happened to be a muggleborn. Still, Barnaby didn’t really care much about his reputation. He asked her with some lily of the valleys one afternoon and she said yes. He even based his suit of her dress (it was navy blue). They danced all night and even talked a little with the other champions. Though by the end of the night, Barnaby was sitting with Helaena their feet aching like anything. Barnaby took his chance though as he tucked her loose hair behind her ear and kissed her. It was easily Barnabys favourite nights of his life. He could not stop smiling as the girl he fancied for ages kissed him back.

———

During the third task Barnaby practised as many spells as he could with both his mates and his new girlfriend Helaena, who’d agreed to go out with him a little after the ball.

He even managed to conjur a patronus by thinking of when he kissed Helaena and got the opportunity to tell her how he felt. His patronus is penguin. Barnaby got really confused why Helaena was laughing about it so much.

When Barnaby was going through the maze he didn’t want it to be a tie, but he didn’t want to leave Harry behind and just so happened to touch the cup at the same time anyways.

———

In the cemetery, Barnaby is prepared with his wand at the ready and back to back to Harry. He thinks it is just another part of the maze designed to test their reaction on their feet. Voldemort kills Barnaby Thorn with zero remorse as no matter what blood-status they are, no matter what house he was, all that mattered was that he was the spare and wasn’t supposed to be there.

Harry brings back Barnabys body in tears and Helaena is the one who screams at her lovers corpse. She is the one who runs to him with zero hesitation and cries for him as she hold onto her lover for dear life. The slytherins are silent as they mourn for one of their own. They realise even if they are pure-blood slytherins, they are not safe in this war.

———

In Harry’s fifth year he takes notice how the Slytherins are acting more defiant that year. More and more Slytherins are wanting to join Dumblsdores Army and even Goyle, a once loyal son of a death eater, is bringing Harry to the side after a lesson asking how he can help. Even offering to be a mole in Umbridges inquisitorial squad.

Umbridge loses all notiriarity within the slytherins when she says Barnabys death was an accident. They all gain respect for Harry when he sticks up for Barnaby saying how he was murdered. They all liked him as even if he wasn’t a traditional slytherin he helped make people believe not all slytherins were bad.

———

Barnabys death was the first official casualty in the war and the Slytherins do well to not let others forget it. When the war is happening, many slytherins are helping muggleborns by forging them into their family trees. Juno James, who in their first year stated firmly that they hated ‘mudbloods’, is claiming Helaena Jones to be their second cousin.

Slytherins are teaching first years on how to pretend to be under the cruciatus curse so no one needs to torture eleven year olds. They teach other students how to make the wrong gesture subtly enough so the carrows don’t notice the wrong movements. They lie to the carrows with silver tongues and hearts made of solid steel.

When the war came to hogwarts McGonnigal ordered Filch to send the slythsrins to the dungeons, yet the other houses all protested. Staring with Helaena Jones and the first years who owe their lives to the slytherins.

The younger Slytherins were taken to the evacuation tunnel. Though many stay to defend the castle with their friends. Slytherin or not.

Many slytherin children fought their parents in the battle. Juno James was forced to battle his mother who disowned him on the battlefield. Helaena Jones though went against Barnabys Father. She cried as the saw the resemblance of him and his son and knocked him out. When Voldemort stood opposite them encouraging for the slytherins to come forward as he shall show mercy to his fellow Slytherins, they all stay with their fellow pupils. As where was this supposed sympathy for Barnaby Thorn? Who was a slytherin and a pure blood.

The slytherins may have been the most untrustworthy house in Harry’s third year. Yet by the war they all faught tooth and nail because Hogwarts was their home too.

[startanewdream]

I need to rant because well this needs to be said:

I’m going to go as far as saying I don’t trust people who like Snape and hate James. Yes, he was arrogant and bullyish towards Snape, but let’s not forget James main target was the blood supremacists, and guess who was one? Snape. His best mate was a neglected boy who didn’t feel like he fit in with his own family and their views. What did he do? He opened his home as a safe space for him. His other best mate was a werewolf, and instead of being afraid of him or degrading him, he became an animugus so he wouldn’t be alone on the worst days of the month. His other friend was a reject and probably wouldn’t have been popular in any other house (including Slytherin), but James took him under his wing and looked out for him. Everyone does stupid shit when they’re young, but they learn from it and MOVE ON. You know who didn’t move on? Snape! He was bitter because the woman he loved chose the man he loathed, then he joined a group that targets/tortures/kills people like the woman he loves, then, trying to be the ultimate kiss arse to his dark lord, tells him about a prophecy of a child who will be his downfall, then begs the dark lord to spare the woman he loves when he find out the prophecy is for her child, not giving a crap about her son or husband, then, when she dies, he’s like, okay I’ll become a professor and bully little children because it’s all in the name of "love", then when the son of the woman he loves has his first lesson with him, what does he do? Bully him, then he bullies a child that had his parents tortured by his stupid friends and that child his so afraid of him that his boggart takes shape of Snape, then he promotes spoilt blood purist narcissist ferret when he bullies the child of the women he loves, then he throws a temper tantrum when a dementors kiss isn’t given to the of the men he thinks is responsible for the death of the women he loves but it was actually all Snape’s fault because he wanted to kiss his dark lords arse and become his favourite by telling him about the bloody prophecy, then he "accidentally" lets it slip that Remus is a werewolf isolating the child of the women he loves from anyone who cares for him, then he continues to bully of the child of the women he loves even though he realizes he’s different, AND then the audacity of the man to rip a photo of a happy family and take part of a letter just so he can get himself off with his right hand in secluded broom cupboard… That photo belonged to Harry and Harry only. How the fuck is that poor cabbage (in @seriouslysam8 word) supposed to touch or look at that picture again knowing what his ex professor/man obsessed with his mom did to that picture. He didn’t come to the good side or join the death eaters again because he cared for Harry. He was looking for redemption, hoping that the guilt he felt for get it the women he loved killed would lessen. Again, for purely selfish reasons. If he cared for Harry, he would have checked in knowing what Petunia was like, Snape was abused as a child, so he should have noticed the signs of an abused child when he saw Harry, he shouldn't have bullied innocent children that lost loved ones because of his and his friends' actions. We saw one memory of James bullying Snape, how many times did Snape and his friends bully the Marauders? How many times did they bully Muggle borns? What did Snape do as a death eater to innocent people before the Potters died? How many people did he torture, hurt, and kill? You can't say none, because he would have had to prove himself to be just as evil as the rest of the DE, and I'm sure there was some type of initiation to become a death eater. The main question is: if it wasn't the Potters and it was the Longbottoms who were targeted instead, would he have confessed to Dumbledore? The answer is no. which is why Snape isn't a good person.

Okay I think I’m done for now, sorry just needed to vent! 😅

#tell me you hate Snape without telling me you hate him

If you ever wanted to accuse me of sending an anon ask to myself, this was the most probable of them all.

100% agree with you, anon.

[vicvaal]

I need to say this out loud: When the Marauders era fans are talking about these characters, we're not talking about the same characters that Joanne wrote and play a part in the canon books. They have the same names, the same background, and most likely the same world-building laws, but they. are. not. the. same.

Harry's dad, James Potter was a true Gryffindor, in the sense that he was an impulsive and reckless mf that joined the war as soon as was 17 and fought against those who he considered evil without hesitation until the day he died. He was especially wicked towards Snape because he and Sirius had too much of a fragile masculinity to resolve conflicts the civilized way and it took a life-or-death situation for him to realize "Ah this might be a little fucked up, I should stop this" And his and Lily's relationship is written in a way that is so old-fashioned considering that she decided to date him after years of rejection which is a toxic portrayal for what flirting should be. He was also reckless as a father, not only because he put the baby on a flying broom before he learnt how to walk, but because in the first place, he and Lily decided to have a child in the middle of a war and then keep fighting on it knowing their child might be endangered.

Now, James Fleamont Potter, the character I read in fanfiction? Sure he is still faulty; he's still impulsive most of the time, but he's a good judge of character and he regrets it when he does messes up. He put everyone before himself, he only fights back when cornered, and he is a feminist that respects when a girl draws the line and doesn't stop trying to get what he wants because when he loves he does so wholeheartedly, but he takes new approaches, he listens, he comforts, he charms (pun not intended) He an ally, and a good friend that gives out everything he has in order to make others feel safe. He lives by the line "We've all got both light and dark inside us" and isn't afraid to look past different natures or ideologies to find that light in people. He struts, not because he thinks himself better than everyone, but because he always walks like no one's watching. James Fleamont Potter is the sun. We don't say that lightly.

And I could go on and on about every single character going from this to the babygirlfication of Barty Crouch Jr, but I don't think that's necessary to prove my point. We took these characters and made them our own because we are tired of listening to the author dismiss them as flat, unimportant background data and disposable plot devices on the bigger most important story. We stole the idea and threw it into the public domain and wrote amazing stories with it. But those stories don't fit into the same universe as the original books, they're adaptations, some pretty distant adaptations if you will.

Enjoy whatever it's out there, but don't get confused, these stories are not an extension to the ones on paper, but sequels to the ones in our hearts.

[miss-grimwood]

Harry Potter

Complete

Another Witch: Newly married Bellatrix and Rodolphus return from a night out drinking and argue. Narcissa deals with them. (Bellatrix/Rodolphus, rated T)

what was expected of her: Bellatrix does what's expected of her (Bellatrix/Rodolphus, rated M)

Impure Breeding: Bellatrix Black was always taught that purity was vital. Then she met Hermione Granger, a muggleborn metamorphmagus. Together, they could destroy everything the Black family had prided themselves on for generations. (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated E)

For Bellatrix, on her Birthday: Bellatrix usually hates celebrating her birthday. This year, Hermione makes it extra special (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated E)

How to Be a Family (We Made the Moon): Bellatrix rejects the life her family expects, running away with Pandora to start their own family, on their own terms. (Bellatrix/Pandora, rated T)

Is it Hot in Here?: Hermione is invited to visit Miss Bella Black's greenhouse, and in all her layers, she can't quite handle the heat. (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated T)

Mummy's Girl: With their husbands away, Narcissa and Hermione explore their relationship. And their breeding kink. (Hermione/Narcissa, rated E)

Advent Calendar: Hermione introduces Bellatrix to the muggle tradition of advent calendars (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated G)

Pillow Talk: In the midst of the first wizarding war, Bellatrix and Severus take a moment of peace together. (Bellatrix/Snape, rated T)

Making Headlines: Bellatrix and Hermione's pregnancy announcement brings back memories of their relationship. (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated M)

it's worth it, it's divine: Bellatrix has always liked to embarrass Rodolphus in public. This time, she pushes too far. (Bellatrix/Rodolphus, rated E)

Aunt Bella: Bellatrix doesn't want children of her own, but that doesn't mean she doesn't ADORE Draco and Nymphadora. Moments from their childhoods. (No ship, rated G)

All That We Wish To Stay: Narcissa has always loved flowers, and the language woven with plants. The floral arrangements she sends to Bellatrix throughout her young adulthood. For the HP Flowers Spring 2023 round. (Bellatrix&Narcissa, Bellatrix/Rodolphus, rated M)

Til Marriage Do Us Part: The last month of Bellatrix Black and Pandora Ollivander’s relationship before Bellatrix’s marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange. For Microfic May 2023 (Belladora, rated M)

What If?: The Weasleys have been pestering Hermione to introduce them to the new man in her life for months. The problem is, she doesn't know how to tell them her 'new man' is Bellatrix Black, the long-reformed death eater. (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated T)

A Nocturnal Kind of Courtship: Bellatrix has been acting strange. Sneaking out and coming home in the early hours of the morning, refusing to tell her family where she's been. Narcissa suspects she's courting, but she does not expect Hermione Granger to be the one making her sister so happy. (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated M)

How Modest; How Gracious: After her husband died, Narcissa became somewhat of a recluse. Draco insisted she needed to get out more, make some friends, so she found herself sponsoring the Holyhead Harpies. On a team holiday she'd reluctantly agreed to attend, she found herself sharing a tent with Ginny Weasley, and both of them found the other insufferable. Naturally. (Narcissa/Ginny, rated M)

Whip and Snap: Aurora Snape gets her first wand, and her parents give her a charms lesson (Bellatrix/Snape, rated G)

Mutt: Sirius' 21st birthday party wasn't Remus' idea of fun. Until Bellatrix took a liking to him. (Bellatrix/Remus, rated E)

Beyond The Veil: Bellatrix never meant for them to hurt Lily, she just wanted her all for herself. (Bellatrix/Lily, rated T)

London, 1997: Bellatrix and Hermione go on their first official date, but British weather isn't on their side (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated G)

gone: The last thing Narcissa expects to see in the morning is the death of her lover (Narcissa/Lily, rated T)

Granger Family Values: The Granger family are a peculiar bunch (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated G)

Mirror, Mirror: Cygnus enchanted a mirror to entertain his young daughters, and Bellatrix in particular loved it. After his death, it was passed down to his eldest daughter. As the last connection to her father, it becomes Bellatrix's most prized possession. (Bellatrix & Cygnus, rated T)

(she is the best thing that's ever been) mine: Bellatrix didn't expect to find herself pregnant at 45, but her daughter turned out to be the best part of her life (Bellatrix&Delphi, Bellatrix/Rodolphus, rated G)

should've just laughed: A positive pregnancy test, and a conversation between sisters. Bellatrix is pregnant, Rodolphus is the father, and Andy and Cissy can't believe what she's done. (Bellatrix&Narcissa&Andromeda, rated T)

Here Comes The Sun: Narcissa Black was a ray of sunshine. Then she grew up, and became cold and withdrawn. She never expected Lucius Malfoy to melt the ice. For the HP Drizzle Fest (Lucius/Narcissa, rated G)

Eager: PWP. Bellatrix is feeling needy, but Hermione rewards patience. (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated E)

lost: She didn’t know why she was crying. It’s not like she wanted the little parasite anyway. But as she lay at the gates of Potter cottage, she couldn’t help but weep for the thing. Her thing. Bellatrix has lost her baby, and the first person she thinks to see is Lily, although the last time they spoke, she said she never wanted to see the Potters again (Bellatrix/Lily, rated M)

my heart is thrilled by the still of your hand: On Halloween night, the gang decide to split up and see who can complete the corn maze the fastest. Bella and Rodolphus have other plans. (Bellatrix/Rodolphus, rated E)

Ongoing

with your touch my life began: The Ministry of Magic assigned their two brightest and most capable witches on a mission to Mount Olympus to retrieve Eros’ Compass. No one expected the bickering coworkers to turn out to be soulmates, and they definitely didn’t expect the consequences of their mission. (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated M)

HP Liquid Luck 2023 Series: My short fics (500 words and under) for the HP Liquid Luck Drabbles and Art Challenge (Bellatrix centric, various ratings)

Strictly Business: Recently divorced, Bellatrix Black Lestrange accepts an offer to take part in Strictly Come Dancing, and gets more than she bargained for with the pretty young professional she's paired with (Bellatrix/Hermione, rated E)

[darkness-holds-eternal-light]

So as life feels too hard to handle at the moment, I am once again back with the waist-deep Snape discourse! 😌😁

(By the way, whenever things seem so hard and you are trying to accomplish something important and you feel discouraged, I always remember that it took J.K. Rowling about 12 attempts at getting her book published and everyone rejected it until finally she found a publisher that would take her book and things went well and I'm eternally grateful for that. ❤)

So the Snape discourse is basically the situation in the fan community at the moment that got me thinking. 🤔 We don't have to go into the extremely deep, scary parts but I'd like to address some of the shit that the haters are constantly throwing at us. (I'm saying "us" as in Snape-fans, specifically the actual Snape from the books. I'm aware that I'm blocked by quite a few Snape fans here on Tumblr because of some of my opinions I suppose. Which I recently found is not necessarily a bad thing because it gives me a bit more freedom not having to avoid certain subjects in fear of bullying and stuff.)

I think it's quite wonderful to have such a complex character as our favourite because it leaves so much room for exploring and expanding. For example I had recently thought about what it would've felt like to actually be in Snape's position when he yelled the terrible "Mudblood!" thing. I'm a huge fan of acting/ trying on roles and I'm even curious how other people would experience that if they put themselves in the role! I haven't gotten further there yet but I think that the antis are throwing these hateful things at us because they believe that it would scare us to actually look at them. I'm in Slytherin for a reason, well for many reasons, but I'm interested to look at this. So thankfully this is all fiction and we can look at it from a bit of a distance and learn through imagination. I love that.

So I've been thinking, what would it be like to actually be in Hogwarts? And to actually sit in Potions Class? I've been re-reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" so far very attentively especially in terms of how Snape is truly written.

How would it be to sit in Potions Class and wanting Professor Snape to like me? I'm an adult now, so this is an entirely different scenario. Cue the fanfictions. ;) But as a student, obviously in my head he would like me and we'd have a great connection. But I'm somewhat willing to look into the possibilities here, akin to the book. I've met men like him in my life. What do you do if he stands in front of your desk and tells you that you're doing a miserable job and your potion is rubbish and you look silly and he threatens to give that potion to your beloved cat? Like, this is hard, I'm willing to think about this mean question that the haters are often throwing. I know I would love him no less. But my cat comes first, always. If we leave out the question of a third party, an animal or a human, if it is just him being mean at you, what do you do? I've had to solve this situation a couple of times in my life and I can't say that I have found a satisfying solution thus far. Which is part of why I can understand Lily's choice to a certain degree and I don't blame her. I assume that Snape would like me and I think that is fair but we know that that doesn't necessarily protect you from his cruelty. This is scary but maybe, with the safety of imaginary play, it would be worth playing that role for a moment to find out where we would go with this? I'm definitely curious and as extremely creative as fanfiction writers and fanart creators are, I'm sure that there can be a healing solution to this eventually. Fiction has more possibilities. 😊 I'm creative too, so maybe I'll try for myself.

Still, I like that Snape is a fictional character and we can watch him from a bit of a distance and even if we go closer, he'd obviously like us. :) And this world is entirely our own, and this place is loving. 💚 Maybe that is also the message to ourselves, that it doesn't have to be argued free from "real life's" constrictions to be true and beautiful and lovely.

[dreadlord-mr-son]

I was in the shower just now (because a bug rubbed itself all over me) and my mind wandered, as minds do. And it landed on Harry Potter.

And I had a realization that's been a long time coming.

I maybe would have thought of it sooner, if I hadn't been resisting the "if you so much as mention a Hogwarts House you're dead to me" crowd so much.

I've been stubbornly clinging to the IDEA of Harry Potter fandom. Why should I cede ground to the bigots? To the transphobes and the antisemites? Stop giving her money, yes. But the idea that just being into the fic and fandom was giving her attention? Was supporting her? Why should I accept her framing? What happened to stubbornly enjoying things our own way out of spite?

But this was holding me back from the self-reflection I needed to realize...

The franchise really doesn't have anything left for me any longer?

It's not that I think it's BAD. Not like the folks who are sour graping "well it was always terrible writing anyway". But when I think about it. About making fanart, or fanfic, or headcanons, or anything? Meh. No interest. No desire. Nothing to hook me. Nothing to stir strong emotions. Only scraps and pieces left to make me look twice at all.

And most of what I still like about it isn't unique. Boggarts? Fear beings? Plenty of other fantasy has those. House elves are basically brownies reinterpreted to be worse. I can find so much stuff in other fantasy worlds.

This especially stands out as I get into other old stories from my childhood. Ones that I sometimes look back on with longing and curiosity. "I should reread/rewatch that!" I think. But not with Harry Potter. I don't... feel the urge to revisit it. It's not repellent but neither is it attractive. It's just there. Part of my past. Existing.

So I think it's time to do what I did with the Yogscast and take what few parts I still want and walk out with them.

Tuck Draco under my arm and throw Snape over my shoulder and carry them away like war spoils.

I suppose it's no surprise, for me at least, that what I still want are the ambiguously villainous characters. The rich boy too scared to either commit to or reject evil, and the bitter misanthrope who betrayed evil for petty personal reasons.

Characters who aren't good, but who could be given a path to be better, if they were led down it by the nose. I could find places to put them. I'd have to translate them, for most. Fit them into new settings and new worlds. Reskin them to belong somewhere else. But I've done that before. I have practice. It pretty much counts as one of my hobbies, at this point.

And if I took ones riddled with fanon and headcanons? Well, that's no mistake. I took the ones I wanted best, after all.

So I guess... that's where I am now. After finally waving the smoke from my eyes and getting a good look at where I am. Picking through the burning rubble for the last treasures left and heading out with them.

You win, JKR. Even my spite isn't strong enough any more to keep clinging to your world. I leave it in your hands.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some psychic white horses to reintroduce myself to...

[onlyfridaynights]

i saw a post about snaters hating on snape because the people in the fandom who love him just want to change him and think of him as an absolutely good person. and they told the snaters that no, snape is fundamentally broken and genuinely a huge mess. and i know this is exactly how i percieve draco

i don‘t love draco‘s character just because he has a redemption arc or because of tom felton excellent work. i love draco because he‘s a little broken and unhinged and basically a stubborn selfish prat. i love how he embrace his upbring values and vision of the world until the very last, even when he already knows that it’s not the best way to think. and in fact he changes his opinion at the beginning simply to get out of trouble, but on the way he realises why the side that his family took on the war is not going to win.

his instinct for survival and self-preservation is so great, that he‘s afraid of his principles but never hesitates to do what he’s told. all because he loves his parents, who knows that they‘re "wrong" in the sense of supporting the dark lord. and sixth year? all the mental tumult he goes through is for nothing? the fact that he partially told his problems to myrtle because he didn’t trust anyone else? he receives the dark mark to save narcissa, repairs the cabinet and lets the death eaters into hogwarts and joins umbridge simply to save himself and his family.

the raw desseperation, the anguish, the wrath, the cowardy, his unhappiness, the unhinged efforts, all the uncertainty and being proved wrong by no one but saint potter, who rejected his offer of friendship and provoked years of rivalry with a solid base of jealousy and resentment. at this point i consider his character extremely complex, which obviously makes him interesting to a certain extent. yes, the main villain of the saga if we count that harry never saw old voldy as his true rival. but being a little broken, not looking like a disaster (and failing) while trying to plan a murder and the desire to be someone relevant, no matter how he achieve it is precisely what makes him draco malfoy.

so why would i want to change the way he is simply so that i can like his character? nonsensical.

[artemisia-black]

Padfoot and Prongs: peas in a pod

Within Fandom, there is often discourse around Sirius’s ‘obsession’ with James and how he was James’s sidekick.

I would like to argue that they had a mutually, deep friendship and post-Azkaban Sirius dealt with complex grief with regards to James’s death.

1.0 Sirius and James had a mutual friendship (albeit one that was quite intense).

Sirius was not James’s sidekick, but instead they were both seen as equals and brothers.

From the moment, we learn that Sirius and James were friends we are told that,

“……said Professor McGonagall. “Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang.” PoA

And a few lines later:

“You’d have thought Black and Potter were brothers!” chimed in Professor Flitwick. “Inseparable!”

Both Flitwick and McGonagall, use words like ‘brothers’ and ‘ringleaders’ this suggests to outside observers that James and Sirius’s friendship was one of equals.

This idea is furthered in Snape’s Worst Memory (SWM) where readers are given a more-detailed look at their dynamic.

When James is playing with the Snitch, Sirius says:

“Put that away, will you?” said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer. “Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement.” OoTP

In this scene, James is being obnoxious, yet he immediately stops when Sirius tells him to.

“If it bothers you,” he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket. Harry had the distinct impression that Sirius was the only one for whom James would have stopped showing off.”OoTP

This willingness to listen to Sirius’s instructions indicates a sense of respect and the harshness with which Sirius delivers his instructions lacks the deference we would expect from a side-kick.

Later in the chapter, James beings bullying Snape because Sirius says he’s bored:

“This’ll liven you up, Padfoot,” said James quietly. “Look who it is...”OoTP.

This once again indicates that James is willing to cater to Sirius, although he has other reasons to want to attack Snape, he still attempts to frame it as soothing Sirius’s boredom.

Interestingly, he doesn’t listen to Lily’s instructions in the immediate way he listens to Sirius:

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.

“Ah, Evans, don’t make me hex you,” said James earnestly. “ OoTP

And when Lily rejects him, James turns to Sirius (not Remus or Peter) for an explanation and Sirius delivers this line:

“Reading between the lines, I’d say she thinks you’re a bit conceited, mate,” said Sirius.”

This dry, unapologetically blunt response is once again not full of the deference expected from a side-kick.

And in the Elvendork scene, we get to see how their sense of humour naturally plays off each other:

"Names?" repeated the long-haired driver. "Er – well, let's see. There's Wilberforce... Bathsheba... Elvendork..."

"And what's nice about that one is, you can use it for a boy or a girl," said the boy in glasses."

Furthermore, James takes several actions that further cement the view that their love for each other was mutual:

· He makes Sirius best-man at his wedding

· He makes Sirius Godfather to his only child when they are facing a very real threat to their lives. Therefore, naming a Godparent, is extra important as they face the real likelihood that the role won’t just be symbolic

· When in hiding, Lily writes to Sirius:

“ We were so sorry you couldn’t come, but the Order’s got to come first………….. James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it………If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. “

The letter indicates that James misses Sirius and that Sirius’s life doesn’t revolve around James (another popular fandom take)

· He trusts Sirius’s secret-keeper plan- this essentially means that he trusted Sirius with the lives of his wife and child:

“Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it,” Black hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. “I thought it was the perfect plan ... a bluff. ...” PoA

This quote is a perfect transition into the second part of this meta.

2.0 Sirius’s complex grief

Post-Azkaban Sirius, is often referred to as being ‘obsessed’ with James but I would argue that it’s far more complicated and nuanced.

2.1 Sirius blames himself for James’s death

In the Shrieking Shack scene, it becomes clear that Sirius blames himself for Lily and James’s death:

“Harry ... I as good as killed them,” he croaked. “I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret- Keeper instead of me. ... I’m to blame, I know it. ... ……………………….I was scared. I set out for your parents’ house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies ... I realized what Peter must’ve done ... what I’d done. ...”

His voice broke. He turned away. “ PoA

In this quote, we can feel the raw grief and how deeply traumatised Sirius is by their deaths.

Complex grief is grief that involves trauma, so it can be fair to say (although one can’t diagnose a fictional character) that Sirius’s grief is complex.

2.2 Sirius during the canon timeline

Sirius’s pre-Azkaban life didn’t revolve around James. Nobody is about one-person. Yes they may have had an intense friendship, but even Lily notes that Sirius’s absence from Harry’s Birthday is because,

‘The Order’s got to come first.’

By the time Harry meets Sirius, he’s been imprisoned for most of his adult life, he’s been traumatised and been forced to relive that trauma by the dementors. Additionally, almost everyone he grew up with is dead.

He is also a fugitive on the run and unable to rebuild himself.

And this nuance has been placed under the umbrella term of an ‘obsession’ with James.

Note: he is an excellent Godfather to Harry and doesn’t see him as James 2.0

To add to this (although some of this is conjecture)

1. Half the Order died during the war, and we get no glimpse into Sirius’s relationships with any of them and how their deaths affected him

2. We don’t know the other horrors he witnessed during the war

3. We don’t know the extent of his grief for his family. Although we can hypothesise.

In conclusion, Sirius and James had a mutually respectful friendship and Sirius deals with complex grief from James’s death.

[maevesheart]

i love you, baby

FRED WEASLEY X FEM!READER

(reader is a 6th year, house is neutral)

Inspired by this scene from 10 Things I Hate About You

Listen to “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons while reading ;)

Summary: After rejecting Fred multiple times, you find him hard to resist after a particularly charming gesture.

WC: 1.4k

TW: none

-

“Y/N! Wait up!” Fred yelled from behind you. You shook your head and kept it down, moving a little quicker.

Cho laughed as she hurried up to get back to your side. “He’s trying again!” She nudged your side, giggling as you rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, he won’t stop. I’ve said no like 7 times now!” You huffed, turning the corner, and running smack into a tall man’s chest.

“Oi! Y/L/N, Freddie’s looking for you!”

George Weasley smiled as you groaned and continued down the hall. “Tell him I’m dead!” You yelled behind you, getting a loud laugh from George.

You finally reached your dormitory, slamming the door behind you. You placed your bag onto your bed and went to get a towel so you could shower.

A loud knock made you stop and turn to the door.

Since you had finished the Potions Essay, Snape had let you go back early. Cho had finished as well, but went to speak with Harry.

Much to your dismay, none of your fellow housemates had finished, and you were stuck getting followed around by Fred.

You dragged your feet to the dormitory door and swung it open, revealing a blue-eyed, red headed girl.

You quirked a brow, obviously knowing this had to do with Fred. You went to close the door, but before you could do so, the girl held out her hand and kept it open.

“Be on time for dinner.” Was all she said. She turned around after and walked back down the stairs.

Why were so intimidated by a third year?

—

On the way down to the Great Hall, you informed Cho about all the girl and her strange instruction.

Cho just assumed that Fred and George planned another prank that Fred particularly wanted you to see, so you eased your thoughts and convinced yourself that that’s what is was.

The Great Hall was decorated in candles, and a soft pink glow came in from the windows. The sun was setting; it was magnificently beautiful.

Everyone was seated, so you took your place at your respected house table. You and your friends shared a few words and a few bites of food before you were interrupted by the voice of McGonagall.

“Students, Mr. Fred Weasley has an announcement to make.” She says back down, and small murmurs of confusion sprinkled around the room.

He clears his throat into the mic, gaining the attention of everyone in the hall.

Silence overwhelms you, and you start to become nervous.

Is this a prank? Or is he being serious for once? Could this have anything to do with you?

A songs starts to stream through the Great Hall, and Fred steps onto the Gryffindor table before the chorus begins.

“You’re just too good to be true,” he starts, his voice clear and smooth, almost making you melt.

His eyes scan the room, searching for something — or, someone.

“Can’t take my eyes off of you,” he smiles as his eyes meet yours, and he slowly walks down the table.

“You’d be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much,” he smiles and continues down, his eyes never leaving yours.

“At long last love has arrived, and I thank God I’m alive, you’re just too good to be true,” everyone follows his gaze to you, and George lets out a huge cheer, followed by Seamus chanting his name.

“Can’t take my eyes off of you,” he steps down from the Gryffindor table, and slowly makes his way across the hall.

“Pardon the way that I stare, there’s nothing else to compare, the sight of you leaves me weak,” Fred fakes losing his balance and falls to the floor, and then turns around and lays on his back.

“There are no words left to speak,” he smiles, his eyes meeting yours.

A hint of sadness reaches his heart as he sees you not smiling, he finally thought this would be what made you crack.

“But if you feel like I feel, please let me know that is real, you’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you,”

He climbed back onto his feet, and dragged a hand lazily through his short hair as he slowly walked towards your seat.

He danced along to the music, and students clapped and cheered as he moved his long limbs wildly.

Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and George all got up and danced along, and continued to yell his name and cheer for him.

Cho shot you a worried look, knowing how much you hate attention.

“I love you, baby! And if it’s quite alright, I need you baby, to warm a lonely night!” He smiled and continued to sing, until he was right in front of you.

You stared up into his brown eyes, and he peered down into yours.

“I love you, baby, trust in me when I say,”

He quietly sang the last part, kneeling down so your heads were at the same level.

“Y/N L/N, will you go out with me?”

Loud cheers of approval rang out, and a few people started chanting, “Say Yes! Say Yes!”

You took in a shaky breath before standing up and pushing past a confused, upset, and heart-broken Fred.

Cho got up to follow you, but Harry and Hermione pushed her back down.

Fred looked around, people started to awkwardly sit back down and a hush fell over the room.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” he said, setting the microphone down next to your abandoned plate and rushing out after you.

—

You found an empty hallway and sat against the cool marble wall. It felt soothing against your back.

You tried to wipe the embarrassment from your eyes, but it didn’t seem to be working.

Why would he do that? If he knew you at all then he would know that you hate attention.

That was like basically living your worst nightmare.

Your five minutes of peace was interrupted when you heard shoes hitting the ground coming towards you.

You sighed, wishing he would just leave you alone.

“Y/N,” he started, before you cut him off.

“No, Fred. I’ve already said no, I just don’t understand why you won’t stop! It’s-it’s so, so, frustrating! You’re frustrating!”

His shoulders slumped and he didn’t say anything.

You looked down into your lap, ashamed with your words.

He wasn’t trying to embarrass you, you knew that. He just didn’t think before he acted.

And he embarrassed you.

But you didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Sure, he was cute. And funny. And sometimes very charming. A lot of the girls had crushes on him.

But you, you didn’t see him like that. You thought he was annoying, and he always loved to pester you. Whether it was asking so many questions at once, or trying to distract you, or simply just “accidentally” getting you into trouble with Snape, he could just never leave you alone.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I-I didn’t realize-“

“Of course you didn’t!” You cut him off, and stood up at the same time.

“Unlike you, Fred, some people don’t want attention. Some people would prefer to go under the radar. I’m not like you, Fred.” You shook your head and watched as he bowed his.

“I know.”

“Then why? Why embarrass me like that in front of literally everyone?”

“I never wanted to embarrass you…” he looked up, shaking his head.

“But you did. That’s the problem, you don’t think.” You knew your words were hurting him. You didn’t want to hurt him. But once they started to flow out, it was hard to get them to stop.

Though he was much taller than you, he felt small in the moment.

He couldn’t believe himself. How could he have been so stupid? He should’ve known that you wouldn’t like it. He should’ve never listened to Lee.

You turned away from him to collect yourself. You knew you shouldn’t be getting so worked up, but he was just so oblivious. It made you so angry. How was he so unaware?

“I can’t say anything except for sorry. I really didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I know, Fred.” You turned back around, and felt your heart tighten. He looked so upset. You had never seen Fred Weasley so sad-looking.

“It’s alright.” You gave him a small smile.

He gave a half-hearted smile back, but your heart still felt tight.

You wished you never said what you did.

“The question still stands, though.” He lightly laughed. “I understand if you don’t want to…” he trails off, rubbing the back of his neck.

“If you buy me a butterbeer, all’s forgiven.” You grin, earning a chuckle from him.

“Deal.”

—

[ashesandhackles]

if you're still doing the character ask meme, then regulus and lucius malfoy? i really liked your answers so far btw, even the crack/silly ones!

I am glad you are enjoying the crack/ silly ones xD

• favourite thing about them

Regulus: the grandiose "fuck you" letter to Voldemort.

Lucius: That he is our antagonist for both Chamber of Secrets & Prisoner of Azkaban and he is comically defeated in both? He is the Embodiment of Evil Rich People who exploit the system, positioned as against well meaning commoner Arthur in CoS + Hagrid in POA. Both Ginny and Buckbeak escape his machinations, thanks to our pesky kid protagonists.

• least favourite thing about them

Regulus: This is less about Regulus but more about the reading "Regulus was kind to Kreacher therefore Kreacher is loyal"? If you grow up in a household that likes to cut off their slaves' heads and put it up as decoration, you are going to absorb fucked up, dehumanising attitude towards house elves. It makes more sense to read both Regulus and Sirius's responses to Kreacher as a manifestation of their relationship with the Black family, where both of these privileged teenagers cannot fully grasp the power dynamic between themselves and the family servant. Regulus's issue with Voldemort is less about Voldemort leaving Kreacher the house elf to die, and more about Voldemort exploiting and throwing away a sentient being that represents the "Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Black". Voldemort disrespected the Black family by doing that, and that is what Regulus cannot abide by. Kreacher is loyal to Regulus because Regulus displayed values Walburga cherishes, "proper wizarding pride" and Regulus was good to him as an extension of the family. Harry in turn gains confidence and trust of Kreacher by validating and respecting Kreacher's core value of feelings of loyalty to Black family, and not out of "kindness" (which Hermione repeatedly displays and gets rejected for).

Lucius: I mean, there is so much to dislike, one doesn't know where to begin lol ... I guess that he escapes jail time post canon?

• favourite line

Regulus: "It was I who discovered your secret" - look at the amount of pride in this sentence. He was most probably an arrogant little shit like his brother.

Lucius: i can't think of anything from the books, so I am going to go with Jason Isaac's delivery of "I don't know" when Ralph Fiennes' Voldemort asks him, "how do you live with yourself Lucius?"

• broTP

Regulus: Sirius. Sirius clearly displays some complicated feelings about him. Given that his brother was a Death Eater and his parents were not, the difference in feelings and criticism of his brother vs his parents is very telling - "stupid idiot". Something he calls James in the same book. Regulus's room is also left untouched while Sirius spends an entire summer throwing out everything related to the Black family, again a very telling sign.

BroTP: Snape, I guess? Sirius calls him Lucius' lapdog, which can be read multiple ways but it is clearly suggesting that, in Sirius' eyes, young Snape was a bit of a try hard with Lucius. Snape has pretty complicated feelings about Malfoys, as the sorting memory implies that Lucius sort of took him under his wing and in adulthood takes on the task of protecting Draco.

• OTP

Regulus: we get nothing in canon, so I don't know. I know Jegulus is a popular ship, but it always felt like Prongsfoot-lite to me.

Lucius: Narcissa.

• nOTP

Regulus: Kreacher. Yes this cursed content exists.

Lucius: haven't thought about this much. Anyone other than Narcissa perhaps is a nOTP? The dude is not great.

• random headcanon

Regulus: adopting @mrs-stubby-boardman hc of him being a good painter.

Lucius: Ginny got to punch him once at a Ministry party for slipping Tom Riddle's diary. She punched him for a completely unrelated remark/shenanigans, but they both know what it is really for.

• unpopular opinion

Regulus: probably died a blood supremacist still. His disillusionment with Voldemort was personal.

Lucius: I mean this should be obvious to anyone reading the books but it keeps showing up in fanon often enough that this is a unpopular opinion - he didn't abuse Draco. He spoiled him.

• songs I associate with them

Regulus: my gift of Silence - Blackfield

Lucius: for the minor antagonist/villainy vibes

• favourite picture of them

Regulus: This one. Stunning.

Lucius: This OT3 vibe with Narcissa and Snape.

[kerie-prince]

clumsy

Hermione Granger x fem Slytherin!reader (fluff)

requested: (@chokemepansy) im terrible at requesting because i blank on ideas BUT anything for hermione please <3 take your time ily 💓

warnings: a single curse word, but mainly just soft hours

summary: Hermione has her very first date with you at Hogsmeade (song inspo from Fergie's Clumsy) (pardon my lame ass summary)

a/n: ty for requesting, luv 🥺 hope you like it! i made the reader slytherin just bc of you <3 and yes, i put in an outfit inspo but it's not like the cringy ones from wattpad

(gif not mine, cred to owner)

You came to love the smell of parchment and books. The sound of pages being turned, the feeling of a new book in your hands. You loved them because it made you think of Hermione.

Merlin, you were infatuated with everything about her. The excitement in her voice when she talked about her favorite books, the small paper cuts on her fingers from turning the pages – she didn't mind them as it was normal for her – and the look on her face when she received praise from professors.

She was all you thought about and you wanted to go to the top of the Astronomy Tower and yell out "I LOVE HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER" for the whole school to hear. And you were positive she felt the same. Hermione would refuse to let go of your hands when you walked together from class and on some occasions, you'd catch her staring at you during study sessions. Just like she was doing now.

"Miss Granger, for the last time, I am asking you what are the contents of polyjuice potion?" Snape was hovered over her desk. Hermione jumped in her seat and turned to face the brooding professor. Your Slytherin housemates who sat at the back of class laughed at her startled state as she named the contents. You looked back and glared at them all. When Snape left your table and continued his lecture, you leaned closer to Hermione and whispered as low as you could, “Are you okay? You seem kind of distracted,” you noticed.

“Y-yes, I'm fine,” Hermione stuttered. Snape excused the class and Hermione waited for you to be done packing your things just so she could hold your hand to the Great Hall. “Are we still going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?” you asked.

“Harry’s got detention with McGonagall for ‘ accidentally’ turning Crabbe into a water goblet in class,” Hermione used her free hand to make air quotations, “and Ron’s busy with Lavender that day.” She had a sad look on her face, thinking that they wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade after all. You picked up on it and had an idea. “So, just the two of us then?”

Hermione’s chest became warm, “Okay. It's a date.” Your eyes slightly bulged out and to Hermione, you had an indistinguishable smile, “I mean, not like a date date, but a girls date.” You weren't sure if she meant it like that, but you laughed at her stumbling her words. The always composed girl becoming a cute, blubbering mess for you. Not that you knew for sure it was because for you but you’d given it a lot of thought.

She never held Harry’s hand like she did yours unless he was upset about something and she was comforting him. And she certainly never held Ron’s hand. Nor does she ever hug him knowing Lavender would go ballistic. Not that she’d ever want to. He was her best friend, yeah but she had never gotten used to it. They both had an unspoken thing to not hug.

“Sounds fun,” you chirped, “can’t wait for it.” You gave her a lingering hug before going to your table. You sat in between your best friends Pansy and Daphne. Pansy had a smirk on her lips once you were in her line of sight, “Did you finally tell Granger?” You knew what she was talking about and nudged her arm with your elbow, “Shut it.” The two girls chuckled and gave each other knowing looks. “I might tell her on Saturday,” you disclosed.

They had matching shocked faces; for nearly a year, they’ve watched you pace around their shared dorm debate with yourself whether or not to tell her about how you feel. You’d have a sparkle in your eyes every time you talked about her and nearly spent every day with her. They weren't upset about it. In fact, they couldn't wait to see you two together. But you were unexpectedly insecure by thinking of the worst case scenario in which she’d reject you.

“That’s great, Y/N/N. I’m so happy for you. I know everything will turn out well,” Daphne supported. Pansy nodded and pointed to Daphne as to say ‘Me too’. You grabbed the hands of both girls and held them tightly, “Thanks, girls. I love you guys.” You wrapped an arm around both of them and brought them in for a hug. Daphne returned it while Pansy made a fake coughing sound. “I can’t b-breathe,” she exaggerates. You held on for a couple seconds more before letting go and started eating. “Okay, so how is this happening?” Pansy asked.

“We’re going to Hogsmeade together on Saturday,” you inquired. “So the whole lot is going as well?” Pansy was talking about Harry and Ron of course.

“No, just the two of us alone,” you replied, taking a bite of the chicken on your plate.

“You mean, this is a date?” Daphne exclaimed. “We’re going to help pick an outfit, no questions asked.” She had a stern look that dared you to talk back. As sweet as Daphne is, once her mind is set to something, she doesn't budge. You accepted it and was met with her usual warm smile. Inside, you were ecstatic and couldn't wait for Saturday. Your crush has gone on for too long, and you were tired of waiting.

:｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

Your dorm mates got you up at the crack of dawn. And by crack of dawn, it was actually 10 am at most. They made you change into every outfit they picked out which totaled in 8. You appreciated everything they were doing, but some of the outfits were too much for a day in Hogsmeade. Daphne picked out tennis skirts with cropped argyle sweaters. Pansy picked short dresses that stopped at your mid-thigh and black wool turtlenecks to go over them. They had completely different aesthetics which is what probably made them perfect friends.

You settled on something casual; a thick striped long sleeve polo with light blue jeans and white trainers. It was going to be a nice spring day and you didn't want to wear something that would be too short and you get cold later. Daphne did your hair in two French plaits and Pansy did your makeup modestly. Once you were done, it was noon and you rushed to meet Hermione for your ‘girl date’.

She took the air straight from your lungs. She looked more breathtaking than the night of the Yule Ball. You distinctly remember being incredibly jealous of Viktor Krum and beat yourself up for not asking her before he did. But now, if he was here, you were sure that the famous Quidditch athlete would be jealous of you.

Hermione’s usually wild hair was tamed into smooth wavy curls that framed her delicate face. She wore a floral print button up that was definitely new as you’ve never seen it before. Or did she save it just for you? Her navy jeans hugged her ankles and she donned light pink flats. And probably for the first time since the Yule Ball, she had mascara and lipgloss on. Casual, but perfect.

Your face was flushed, and you weren't sure if she was also blushing or if maybe she was just wearing blush. “Shall we?” You reached out to grab her hands – her soft hands – and waited for her response. She didn't say anything when she laced her fingers with yours and started walking on the path to Hogsmeade. Hermione was about to say that you looked pretty when she tripped over a small rock on the pathway. “Are you okay?” you expressed concern. She was still holding onto your hand as she steadied herself up, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

:｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

You snorted and had to hold the butterbeer in your mouth, “Ron did what?” Hermione laughed as she told you how Lavender exploded on Ron for forgetting their anniversary and when he tried to make it up by giving her chocolates that he got from his older brothers, Lavender instantly grew a huge chin that drooped over her neck. Ron had gotten so mad at them and in unison, they told him ‘Why’d you think we’d ever give you real ones?’

“So that’s why no one has seen her for a couple days!” you noted. She was nodding as she laughed. You could only imagine what it was like to see it in person. Poor Lav. You went back and forth talking about whatever went on since the last time you were together.

Hermione went on talking about a new book she read about over the winter holiday. The way she expressed her emotions and passion for it made you fall for the Gryffindor girl more. When you hadn't said anything, she stopped and lowered her head, “I’m boring you, aren't I?”

You sat straight in your chair and fumbled your words before reaching out to grab her hand from across the table, “No, no, no, of course not. I could never be bored of you, I love you.” Your eyes widened. You didn't exactly expect to let it slip out like that, but you studied her reaction to see if you could leave it at that or otherwise. She sat still with a poker face. “Y-you’re my best friend, Mione–”

“I love you, too,” she confessed. “Huh?” Please, please, please tell me I heard her right. You didn't get to fully process what she said because after a few seconds, she gathered all her courage and reached over the table to give you a quick peck on your lips. It would've been a sweet moment hadn't she accidentally knocked her glass over in the process. Everyone in the Three Broomsticks had their eyes on you, Hermione’s face beet red and lowered out of embarrassment. You tried cleaning the mess and out of nowhere, Hermione ran out. Fuck this you thought as you ran after her.

“Mione, wait!” She hadn't gone far and luckily for you, she listened. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes averted from yours. “Where are you going? Aren’t we on a date?” Confidence had finally kicked in when you asked her. Hermione’s breath hitched. She couldn't see anything in your face that showed you were joking. Because you weren't. “Yes,” she grabbed your hands and started walking towards the other shops in the small village. Until once again, she nearly fell back when she nearly slipped over another rock on the ground. You supported her back up and giggled, “You’re so clumsy.”

—

requests open!

[yumnasfunblog]

Why I like Snape

Snape is a fascinating character for me because he's a representation of an alternate path so many characters could go on. And I mean a lot (most of which are female, for the record.)

Like there's a lot of characters who get mistreated constantly by the good guys (Like Ariel-her dad did blow up her grotto).

And there's a lot of characters who are abandoned the moment they make a really bad mistake (Example: Twilight Sparkle-her friends and family and mentor all abandoned her after she accused her brother's fiance of being evil).

And there's a lot of characters who are groomed into being the bad guy (Ariel and Twilight Sparkle, Korra, etc).

But they never turn evil, they don't show signs of trauma because of their mistreatment, they forgive easily, and they rarely make REALLY bad decisions because of their mistreatment.

But the possibility is there, you know? Korra could actually choose to side with the bad guys because she agrees with them and feels they give her more respect (she came pretty close with Unalaq).

Ariel could technically just bail on Triton and the mermaid world and just never come back. She's human now, she doesn't have to involve them in her life (also, there are ways to be human that are more powerful that Triton's trident. Now that Ariel knows it's possible...).

Twilight Sparkle could actually show signs that it actually bothered her when her friends abandoned her. Because having everyone you love abandon you is very traumatic (I can barely WATCH that scene. I can't imagine how Twilight felt).

But they don't. But they could. And it'd be completely realistic for them to just finally give up and try to be what everyone else thinks they are. They'd have reason. They'd be able to justify it.

Because you know that moment where everything is lost? Where everyone abandons the protagonist? That's their life! That's their constant issue. And unlike other protagonists, they don't actually have anyone in their corner. Anyone to reassure them or help them. Because doing the right thing doesn't come easily to them, and they are shunned for it.

But I'm getting off topic. So Snape represents an alternate path characters could take. He's that person who was abused by the good guys, he's the one who was groomed into being the way he is, he's the one who made a big mistake and was abandoned for it, he's the acceptable target, he's the one who was supposedly treated with more respect by the bad guys, etc. He's like all the worst "everything is lost" moments in a nutshell. And it never ended. So Snape had the "join me, the villain, because everyone-especially the good guys-has abandoned you and hurt you, but I will never do that" speech offered to him. And he accepted.

And that there is just fascinating to me. Because Snape did it. He took the path that a lot of characters could take.

But that's not all. Snape was still motivated by love, and when Lilly was targeted, he tried to go to the good guys, the people who'd hurt him, just so he could protect Lily (protecting the literal one person you love is a beautiful trope, at least to me). And he became part of them. Literally, this time. He wasn't an outsider trying to get in. He was part of the good guys now. And he's got respect and power...and he's also working with the people who bullied and abused him.

But Snape also retained a lot of the traits that had gotten him rejected from the good guys. But now he used them for good. He used his knowledge of forbidden knowledge, his ruthlessness, etc, in the side of good, to take the bad guys down. And he started caring for the good guys.

And maybe it's just me, but I'm not 100% a fan of complete corruption arcs. So the fact that Snape was able to get out, and have friends, and be respected, and have complicated relationships with the good guys, and influence some of them (mainly Harry) to not repeat the same circumstances that brought him to villainy...that's beautiful.

Snape's is the story of the person who was rejected by the good guys and seemingly accepted by the bad guys so he became a bad guy and then he earned his acceptance into the rank of the good guys and fought for them to bring down his former evil allies and managed to change the circumstances that brought him to villainy in the first place.

But more than that, and I know I'm saying this a lot, he's an example of a path so many characters can take.

I think we need more arcs like Snape's. I really do.

[plant-flwrs]

hi love, it's me again! i just can't get enough of your writing... i'm sorry to be asking for another fic, i guess i just can't help myself. lately i've been obsessed with the fake dating thing, so i was wondering if you could write a fred x reader (basically same reader as my last request, gryffindor, same year as ron) with that? like, maybe george knows they fancy each other and makes a bet with him so they start fake datig but realise they're in love with each other? aaa thank you so much, ly

bets off // fred weasley 

masterlist!

a/n: i used the same pronouns from the last request, hope you don’t mind!! i apreciate u sm ur always so active w my fics ily <3333 this is the first thing i’ve written in a while that i’m actually proud of so i hope u guys like it :D

summary: Fred makes a bet with George that entails fake dating you for at least a month. He never expected to fall in love with you. 

(5k)

-----------

Competition was healthy. At least, that’s what Fred told himself as he looked at George’s outstretched hand, a cocky smile etching the boy’s lips. 

“Two weeks?” Fred asked, looking suspiciously at George.

“Two. Weeks.” George answered definitively, smirking at his brother. 

Fred considered this in his head. Two weeks to get you, someone who had never previously shown any romantic interest in him, to date him for at least a month. He doubted it would be hard, for he had never had any trouble getting girls to swoon for him in the past. A few winks and charming sentiments and you would be putty in his hand. With this air of confidence, he shook George’s hand.

“You idiot!” Lee, who had previously been silently watching the exchange, called from across the table, a baffled smile on his face.

George laughed, leaning back in his chair and looking at Fred like he agreed with Lee.

“What?” Fred asked, the overly confident look still littering his features.

“You can’t win with this one,” Lee explained, shaking his head, “you either piss off Ron when this goes right, you piss of Ron when this goes wrong, you come out the git for breaking a girls heart, or you come out the embarrassed git who was rejected by your kid brother’s best friend.”

“Hey,” Fred said, faking offence, “I never agreed to ask out Harry.”

George and Lee rolled their eyes, hiding smiles as they continued their homework.

Fred was not deterred by Lee’s warnings, for he had a plan to avoid all of that. He was simply going to tell you the truth.

He found you on your way to the green house, pulling you away from a Slytherin girl you were walking with.

“He just stared at her? Like he didn’t eve-” you felt an unexpected tugging, “Ah!”

You squealed, feeling your feet stumble under you for a moment as you gathered your wits again. You looked down at the hand pulling you, following it up to the face. It was Fred, which was odd, because you two were not known for pulling at each other in hallways.

“You’re going to miss Herbology!” your friend called out to you, a worried expression on her face.

“I’ll meet you there, save me a seat!” you called back to her, turning away and following Fred as he still dragged you.

“Fred? What are you doing?” you asked him, making no effort to move from his strong grip.

“Got to talk to you,” he said airily, barely looking back at you as he pulled you down an empty corridor. 

He let go of your arm, smiling down at you as you waited for him to speak. He didn’t take the hint, just looking at you.

“What did you want?” you glanced at your watch, seeing you only had a few minutes before Professor Sprout would start class.

“I have a proposition for you,” Fred drawled, a mischievous glint in his eyes as per usual, “what do ya say?”

You squinted your eyes at him, frowning, “I have to hear the proposition first.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, thats how propositions work.”

“I hadn’t realized,” he replied sarcastically, dropping his cool demeanor and letting some desperation seep into his voice.

“What do you want?” you repeated, slightly more annoyed.

“I may have made a bet that heavily relies on your willingness to do me a huge favor,” he said, a hopeful smile coming to his face.

“Oh god, Fred, what did you do?”

“George may have implied that I was in a dry spell when it came to girls,” he said, smirking, “and obviously that’s just not true. So, he suggested a bet to see if I still had my skills-”

“Your skills?”

“-yes my skills, would you listen?”

Fred leaned closer to you, his eyebrows raising as you rolled your eyes.

“Back to what I was saying,” he drew in a breath, dragging out this entire conversation, “George suggested a bet to see if I could still charm the ladies,” he wiggled his eyebrows and you quirked one of yours.

“Long story short-”

You interrupted again, “That was the short version of that story? Fred can’t we do this later, I’ve got class in,” you glanced at your watch. “two minutes.”

“No! Give me a second,” he ran a hand through his hair, putting his strong hands on your shoulders to keep you in place, “I made a bet with George that I could get you to fall in love with me in two weeks and date you for a month!”

You looked up at the boy, thinking he had gone off the end. He had to, either that or he was messing with you. Or maybe he had been slipped a potion of some sort.

“Fred,” you started, your kind tone giving Fred the impression you would agree to the plan, “you just waisted the very limited break I have between classes, successfully pulling me away from a very entertaining story about Snape, and probably making me late for Herbology.”

Fred groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance.

“I’m serious!” 

You pulled against Fred’s grip, but he kept you in place. His face lit up, obviously coming up with what he thought would be a great plan. He released you briefly, digging his hands in his bag and moving crumpled papers around. He pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, brandishing it like it was a diamond. 

“This, my love, is going to get you out of Herbology this class period,” he said, unfolding the paper.

He revealed a blank piece of paper with tiny sparkles floating on the page. As he held it for a second longer, words began to form on the paper, writing something.

‘Professor Sprout,

Please excuse Y/n from Herbology this period, she came to me with a pain in her stomach and I gave her a potion to fix it. She stayed in the infirmary during the period.

-Poppy’

You had heard about these before, enchanted notes that were written in authentic handwriting and enchanted the reader to believe it, no matter what they said. Perfect for forging notes from teachers. 

You stared at the paper in awe, grabbing it from Fred’s loose grasp.

“Yeah, you’re welcome. That’s the last one I have,” he said, feeling a bit remorseful having to give it up. He had been planning to use it to get out of Ancient Runes tomorrow. 

You folded the paper again, putting it neatly in your bag and looking back at Fred.

“Alright, let’s go,” you sighed, allowing him to lead you to the great hall, through the courtyard, and out to the Quidditch Pitch where no teachers would be. 

You sat in the stands, overlooking the empty and wet field,

“You want me to date you for two weeks?” you asked, sounding reluctant.

“No,” Fred said, sounding annoyed, “I want to fake date you for a month, but we won’t start until two weeks from now.”

You squinted, looking out at the stands on the other side of the field. You were thinking about this, finding the cons to outweigh the pros.

“What’s in it for me?” you paused, hearing Fred’s groan from beside you, “I mean, this could ruin my friendship with Ron, I get the embarrassing reputation when you fake dump me in a month, I don’t see how this is benefiting me.”

“Ron won’t care, I promise you,” Fred said acting as if this was obvious, “he lets Harry ogle Ginny all the time. And as for our fake dumping, that can be totally on your terms. I just need to win the bet with George.”

“What do you get if you win?”

Fred had hoped you weren’t going to ask that, but he was realizing you were smarter than he thought.

“Three Galleons,” he lied, looking at your skeptical face in the corner of his eye, “fine, six Galleons.”

You looked expectantly at him, waiting for his offer.

“I’ll split it with you,” he finally gave in.

He was a little upset at having to share his future winnings, but once you agreed to the bet and squealed excitedly at the possibility of some Galleons, a smile spread on his face.

Fred began laying the groundwork the next day. He made sure to send you flirtatious smiles when George was looking, waving to you in the halls, and talking to you in the common room.

You, Hermione, and Ron sat at a table in the corner, the three of you poured over a chess match. Ron was successfully beating Hermione, watching her as she tried to remember the rules he had taught her over and over. 

“You can’t do that,” he said impatiently as Hermione tried to move a pawn backwards. His hand reached out and returned the piece back to where it was, and Hermione groaned.

You leaned back in your chair, closing your eyes and turning your head up towards the ceiling. 

“Hello,” Fred purred from above you, looking down at you.

You snapped your eyes open, not entirely used to Fred’s flirting yet. It took you by surprise most days, and he always managed to get you when you weren’t expecting it. You looked to Ron, gauging his reaction. His eyes stayed locked on Hermione’s frustrated face, arms crossed as he waited for her move.

“Hello,” you replied, turning your head to face Fred as he move to your side. 

He leaned against your chair, his hand supporting his weight as he wrapped it around the back of your chair. The top of his hip bumped into your shoulder, and you resisted the urge to lean away from him. It’s not that Fred Weasley was disgusting or anything, he certainly wasn’t, but he had a reputation. Fred wasn’t known to be faithful or respectful of the usual rules regarding relationships. He wasn’t tied down, and half the student body has seen him naked (or wanted to). You had gone through your phase of liking Fred, and that phase lasted longer than you’d like to admit. You refused to boost his ego, though, and felt determined to not let this fake dating get to your head. 

Ron was still busy with his chess match, now watching Hermione’s focused gaze turn into a nervous one as she became aware of Ron’s eyes on her. She bit her lip, tapping her fingers on the table.

Fred glanced down at you, quirking an eyebrow and nodding his head towards Ron. He was showing you that Ron wouldn’t care if you two dated, testing Ron’s limits.

Fred’s hand moved slowly from the back of your chair to your shoulder. His slender fingers pressed gently on your clothed arm, moving to brush a piece of hair from your neck. He twirled a piece of your hair in his fingers, raising an amused eyebrow at Ron’s lack of reaction.

“Merlin, Hermione! I’ve taught you 100 times!”

Hermione scoffed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

“Ron!” she exclaimed back, offended.

“Look,” he moved his hand to one of her pieces. He whisked it across the board, then one of his pieces, and then one of Hermione’s, and then one of his own, “Check.”

“Maybe if you had patience and didn’t stare me down every time it was my turn-” Hermione started, glancing to you for support.

Her eyes widened when she saw the somewhat intimate position you were in with Fred, her sentence dropping. 

“If you didn’t take so long, I wouldn’t stare you down!” Ron huffed and pushed his chair back, standing suddenly.

He hadn’t even glanced at you and Fred, missing Hermione’s shocked expression.

“What are you doing?” she questioned Fred, sounding even more offended than when Ron was yelling at her a moment ago.

“What?” Fred replied nonchalantly, pushing his body away from yours and taking Ron’s seat.

He moved the chair closer to the table, purposefully brushing his knee against yours. You knew he was watching your face, so you kept a neutral expression.

“He was all over you,” Hermione whispered to you, as if Fred wasn’t right in front of her,

“So?” you asked, acting as if it wasn’t abnormal for Fred to ‘be all over you’.

You were internally cringing at the whole thing, at Fred’s forwardness, lying to Hermione, the whole situation.

“Something must be in the air today,” Hermione said to no one in particular as she stood from the table, “everyone’s lost their minds.”

She left you and Fred, leaving him with a smirk on his face.

“I think that went well,” Fred said, moving the pieces on the chess board around swiftly as he set it up for a new game.

You moved to Hermione’s seat so you were across from him, rolling your eyes. 

“This is ridiculous, Fred,” you said, and at the sound of your genuine annoyance his eyes were on your face.

The board in front of you was set anew, white closest to you. You let yourself sit in your frustration for a moment, looking down at the board and moving a pawn. Fred made no move to his own pieces, just staring at you from his side of the table.

“What d’you mean?” he said, watching your hand retreat from the board. 

“These public displays of affection- isn’t it a little ridiculous?” you said, locking your eyes on the game in front of you.

A look of hurt flashed across Fred’s face, not that you would have seen it, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. His hand lazily moved one of his pawns.

“I don’t think so, no,” he said, leaning back in his chair and still studying your face, “I think they’re quite effective.”

“They’re only effective because I’m playing along,” you moved another pawn, hoping Fred would take the bait so you could steal his pawn.

“Which I appreciate fully,” he said, leaning forward and moving his pawn exactly where you wanted him to.

You stole his piece, advancing on the board. He hadn’t even registered the game, frankly, only looking at you.

“I feel like-” you didn’t know what you felt. You hadn’t put it into words, but you knew you didn’t like it.

Fred, and older, charming, handsome boy, was showing you a new amount of attention. Fred, a boy you had a crush on almost the entire time you’ve known him, was sending you flirtatious winks in the hallways and being very affectionate. Fred, your best friend’s older brother, was trying to date you to win a bet.

“-nevermind,” you finished, realizing you could not say any of this aloud. 

Fred had a quizzical look on his face, watching you as you silently sat across from him. You met his eyes for the first time since he sat down, swallowing hard. You stared at each other for at least a minute, neither of you moving or breaking the contact. His eyes had an intensity in them that you had never seen before, but they were also gentle and kind. He looked soft, his face illuminated by the faint candle light and fireplace, casting a yellow hue over his skin. His hair was grown out and pushed off his forehead, falling easily on the sides of his face. He had taken his tie off, though still in his school uniform, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His mouth, usually in a resting smirk, was thin and straight, making him look rarely serious. 

You felt like it took ages, but you finally broke his stare and cast your eyes downward at the board. You looked back up at him, seeing his eyes unmoving from your face.

“Your move,” you said, raising an eyebrow. 

Fred’s eyes shot to the board, and he moved the first piece he saw. His mind was racing as he tried to collect his thoughts, all of which were about you. 

He had no idea what happened, but his heart was beating incredibly fast and his hands were sweating. Fred, a man who had never once done anything serious, was feeling very serious. He didn’t know what was going on inside his head, but all he knew was that he thought you were remarkably beautiful. You were perfect, really, and he could not wait for this game of chess to end so he could get the hell away from you. 

Fred had never been in any sort of serious relationship. He had never dated a girl for longer than a few weeks, usually doing something that offended them (that was often mentioning how hot another girl was, or, in the worst case, snogging said other girl). He didn’t care for anything long-term, anything serious, because he couldn’t be bothered to find anyone that interesting. You, however, made his hands sweat. No one had ever made Fred’s hands sweat. No one had ever made Fred’s mind run blank.

He blinked at the board, realizing it was his turn again, and felt like giggling like a school girl. He shot his head up, looking around the common room and pretending to be in a hurry.

“Have you got the time?” he asked, watching as you looked down at your wrist- eyes flickering to your hand, which he realized he wanted nothing more than to hold in that moment- checking the time on your watch and telling him. He sprang from his chair, “I told George I’d meet him in a few, can we continue this later?”

He hadn’t even waited for an answer before he was running through the portrait hole, nearly knocking a few first years off their feet when he bumped into them.

Fred disappeared from the common room, leaving you with the chess board.

For the next few days, Fred’s flirting was non-existent. He wasn’t ignoring you, but the entire dynamic between you had shifted; something changed. He wasn’t painfully arrogant, seeming to take more effort in the way he treated you. There was no inappropriate flirting, no lustful winks. You wondered if the bet was still on.

You found out soon that it was. 

You and Hermione left the library fairly late into the afternoon, but neither of you minded the time that got away from you. You spent the day doing very little actual studying, talking and laughing instead. There was a very few amount of people who could tear Hermione away from her studies, and she didn’t often like to admit that you were one of them. 

“Are you going to tell me why Fred was so-” she broke off, shuddering in some sort of disgusted way that made you laugh “-touchy with you the other day?”

Hermione had been pressing a little bit every time she saw you about Fred, and you had been avoiding it every time. 

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about. That was just Fred being Fred,” you insisted, rolling your eyes playfully. 

The guilt of lying to your friends left you a few days ago, instead you only felt overwhelming uneasiness as your schoolgirl crush for Fred resurfaced. You couldn’t help it; the hot older boy you had liked since your first year was suddenly putting himself in compromising situations with you. So, you couldn’t tell Hermione about Fred’ bet, because then you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself telling her about your genuine crush. 

“Really?” Hermione teased, bumping her shoulder into yours.

“Yes, really,” you insisted, turning the corner to the main staircase that was crowded with students wandering the castle on the weekend afternoon, “ I don’t get why your fixating on this, ‘Mione.”

Your words, however, fell on deaf ears. Her gaze was locked on something on the stairs beneath you both. You followed it, seeing the heavy stream of students starting to part. From your position, you couldn’t see much through the crowd, but soon the crowd thinned around you and you got closer.

Fred stood on the landing, a huge bouquet of flowers in his hands. You bit your lip, trying to hide the laugh bubbling in your chest. Such a grand gesture for a fake one-month relationship, this boy was determined to beat George and win those three Galleons. You felt Hermione clutching loosely to your arm, a dazed sort of look overcoming her features. You couldn’t help but laugh at this, prying yourself free from her grip and walking down the stairs to meet Fred.

He also looked sort of dazed, and with a quizzical expression you felt your face heat up under the stares of everyone in the stairwell. You came to the landing, looking up at Fred. His hand shook a little as he held the flowers, and he bit his lip harshly. 

“Want to go out with me?” he asked, a surprisingly earnest voice replacing his usual smug one. 

You glanced at your watch, moving to stand on your toes to reach him. You moved your mouth to his ear, speaking so only he could hear you, “You’re about a week early with this gesture, Freddie.”

He chuckled, and from being so close to him his chest bumped yours slightly. You fell to stand flat on your feet, still close to him. He looked down at you, holding the flowers between your chests. 

“I don’t like following schedules,” he said, grinning down at you.

You resisted the urge to wrap your arms around his shoulders and never let go, settling instead on a bashful smile. He handed you the flowers, the brown paper they were wrapped in feeling a little damp from how profusely his hands were nervously sweating.

When he made this bet with George, he had just planned on kissing you in some busy hallway to announce the start of your relationship, as he did with most of his relationships. Somehow, though, you felt more special. His stomach sank every time he thought about the limited and fake month he’d have to with you, but he forced his way through it. 

So he went to the field by Hagrid’s hut and picked the best flowers he could find, wrapping them in a brown paper and organizing them so they were perfect, because you were perfect. 

He looked down at you, watching you as you held the flowers up to your face and smelled them. Your eyes were light and filled with innocent excitement, giving him an enchanting smile that showed all your teeth; you looked incredibly and undeniably happy, and that made Fred happy. 

You had both nearly forgotten about the entire student body surrounding you both, watching the exchange. Fred, feeling unnerved by the vulnerability he had exhibited in such a large crowd, looked up and smiled smugly, wiggling his eyebrows. The entire staircase erupted in a somewhat jumbled mix of cheers and laughter, sending a deep red blush to your cheeks. Fred looked down at you, and in a moment of unfiltered happiness, brought his hands to your cheeks. He lifted your head from where you had ducked it to hide the blush, forcing you to look up at him with the embarrassed grin on your lips. Before he could think about what he was doing, his face was leaning closer to yours and his hands on your cheeks were pulling you closer to him. You barely had the time to register what was happening, only hearing the laughter and cheers around you get louder as Fred’s face was pressed against yours.

He was fast at first, passionate and quick as if he thought he only had a second before you pulled away. You couldn’t though, even though every bone in your body was telling you to. Your lasting feelings for Fred were telling you that this kiss was okay, that your friendship with Ron would take the backseat for a while as you let Fred press himself against you. Your thoughts were fading, being replaced with the hyper awareness of everywhere Fred was touching you. His lips slowed and his breathing became slower too. He let out a sigh through his nose, the air hitting your face and sending a brand new flush to your cheeks. His hands on your cheeks stopped pulling you towards him, now being a gentle and soft presence on your skin. His left hand was grazing your jaw, his calloused fingertips tickling the skin lightly. His right hand cupped your cheek firmly still, but his thumb rubbed against your cheekbone. You held the flowers in one hand, and it wasn’t until a few seconds into the kiss that you had even remembered you had hands. You rested your hand holding the flowers against his chest, tilting the bouquet so it didn’t hit Fred in the face. Your other hand snaked up his arm, clutching loosely at his strong forearm as it hung between your bodies. 

You were both at each other’s wills, you would do anything Fred and Fred vowed to himself that he would follow you to the ends of the Earth, if you asked him to. 

The spark moving through Fred’s body was nothing he had ever felt before. He didn’t feel it when he kissed Angelina Johnson, his first kiss, after winning a Quidditch match. He didn’t feel it when he drunkenly kissed Alicia Spinnet at a party. He didn’t feel anything close to this when he kissed Katie Bell in a game of truth or dare last year. You were completely new to Fred, and part of him already knew he wanted to spend every second with you from then on out.

You pulled away first, entirely and completely breathless. You looked up at Fred, mouth opening and closing like an out of water fish as you tried to find words to say in this moment. Fred just chuckled, bringing his hand on your cheek to graze his knuckles against your swollen lips. You closed your mouth, feeling okay with having nothing to say, and figuring it was better to not say anything anyways. 

The crowd registered in your brain, making you feel extremely embarrassed again. You shoved your face into Fred’s chest, hiding the flush all over your face.

“Alright! Shows over, you perverts,” Fred called out, smiling widely at the group.

You heard the shuffling of feet begin around you, the traffic beginning once again. A few wolf whistles reached your ears, and you didn’t remove yourself from Fred’s chest until you were sure everyone had moved on. 

Fred’s large hand rested on the back of your head, soothing down your hair. You found it oddly intimate, and you knew letting all of this happen was only setting yourself up for hurt when this bet was inevitably over, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

Pulling away finally, your flowers clutched at your side, you took a deep breath. You were bringing your gaze to look up at Fred, but a group of redheads standing behind him caught your eyes and made them widen.

“I am so telling mum you have a girlfriend!” Ginny squealed, her voice easily heard in the now empty stairwell.

Fred turned to face his family, seeing Ginny, Ron, George, Hermione, and Harry looking at him as if he’s sprouted five new limbs.

Ron elbowed Ginny, sending her a wide-eyed look, “my bestfriend is not his girlfriend!” Ron said confidently, then turning to Fred with a threatening look, “My bestfriend is not your girlfriend.”

Fred smiled nervously, “I’m not dating Harry, Ron,” he attempted to joke, only earning a laugh from George and an embarrassed look from Harry. 

You peaked from behind Fred, meeting the group. You smiled at them sheepishly, meeting Hermione’s baffled eyes.

“I knew it!” she called, causing the entire group to turn their heads to look at her, “I knew you fancied her.”

Hermione looked quite proud of herself, but Ron looked fuming. Harry had sort of a ‘I-saw-this-coming’ look on his face.

“Guys,” you said, stepping towards them, “Ron.”

You gave Ron a pleading look, prepared to embarrass yourself and set the whole thing straight, even prepared to lose 3 Galleons. Suddenly, Hermione stepped between you and Ron.

“Ronald,” she said sternly, snapping Ron out from his angry mood briefly, “I hope you are not about to prevent a lovely relationship just because you have no emotional intelligence or maturity regarding these subjects.”

Your eyes widened from behind Hermione, casting a shocked glance to Fred. George and Ginny stifled their laughter, saving an embarrassed Ron some of his pride after being scolded by Hermione. 

“But he’s my brother!” he whined, his anger leaving him and instead being replaced by some sort of tame disgust.

You couldn’t take it, every part of you wanted to tell them it was a bet, the galleons be damned. You looked to Fred with a warning look, only to see him digging in his pockets.

“George,” he called out, removing his hand from his pocket and clutching something, “catch.”

Fred tossed six coins at George, and George caught them with surprise.

“Bets off,” Fred said, looking painfully serious. 

You felt your breath hitch in your throat, an immense feeling of guilt wash over you. You had cost Fred six galleons, even after the work he had put in. He had kissed you for the sake of it, and you couldn’t go one month. 

“Fred,” you stuttered, looking at him with guilt

His mouth broke into a grin, however, and he took a few steps towards you. George watched Fred’s movements, and began pulling away the group. Ron, still standing there with a confused look on his face, was tugged away by the back of his collar.

“I don’t want to fake date you,” he whispered to you once he was close enough, tucking his hands in his pockets.

“Well, that seems like a lot of work for nothing, then-” you started, only for his lips to fall onto yours and silence you.

You couldn’t help it, again, as you let yourself melt into him. He pulled away all too soon however, resting his forehead on yours as he looked into your eyes. 

“I want to date you for real,” he said, biting his lip nervously, “not as a bet.”

Your eyes widened, and once again you could not think of anything to say. You opened and closed your mouth, searching for the words, but gave up. You gave a relieved sigh, hearing the words you had dreamed of hearing since you were 12, and kissed Fred Weasley.