#anti peter pettigrew/tom riddle

[changetheprophecy81]

Ok, as much as I love the marauders (particularly sirius), i ve realised tht i kinda like the DE gang much better. It's not about their morality (they're not real so who cares), it's just tht they're so much more interesting as they're mostly the ones tht stir up the plot the most

Lucius, Bellatrix, Regulus, Barty Crouch jr, Severus (yes i m including him), and Peter r some of the most interesting side characters in the series. They're also much smarter and more skilled than the ppl in the order

Lucius is politically smart (saving himself from jail twice, the whole thing with the diary- getting rid of muggleborns and framing and discrediting the family of the guy threatening his possessions and image in one move, bribing the minister for magic etc), Bellatrix was fucking unhinged and lethal, Regulus was incredibly intelligent (being the first one in the entire series to figure out voldemort's secret), bcj was extraordinarily clever and cunning(and arguably the best villian in the series- also also he brought down his father's entire career at 18/19 lol), Peter was also cunning and resourceful in his own way (ppl also forget tht he'd been passing info to voldemort for an entire yr), and Severus was a fucking double agent, he was literally all of the above

Lyk u hv to hand it to him, voldemort did a good fucking job of collecting the most intelligent ppl in the entire series. Also this group of 20 or so core DEs effectively destabilized the whole of wizarding Britain not once but twice... while they capitalised on things like spreading fear, pre-existing divisions, the imperious curse, etc etc, this isn't a task u could hv accomplished with incompetent ppl. They would hv won the war both times if it wasn't for ✨mother love✨. Lyk they would hv definitely won if it weren't for all the plot conveniences. Sure, these ppl were pathetic in their own unique ways (it's called character work 🤌), but they were also bloody genius

And this is also y i hate the whole Slytherin skittles thing with a passion, these ppl were unhinged and cunning and intelligent and bigoted, not uwu troubled, wronged emo babies

[xixiao-yankai]

Invisibility Cloaks.

I used to think, wow, it would be so cool if they actually existed!

Kind of doubting that now, though.

For one, they don’t block sound. If the wearer isn’t careful, people can still hear footsteps on the ground. What’s more, wizards using a magical eye device (like Moody’s) would be able to see through them. Even if most humans can’t see through an Invisibility Cloak, animals can see a lot of things that humans can’t. Is there the possibility that certain animals can detect the presence of such a cloak?

Also, is the cloak really just a giant piece of fabric thrown over someone’s head like when people cosplay as ghosts during Halloween? If there’s a charm to hold it in place, okay. If not, how can one not constantly worry that it might slide off by accident? That the wearer may step on the fringe and trip? Having to glance behind every five seconds to make sure no one crashes into apparently thin air? What if a gust of wind blows up the cloak and exposes whoever’s underneath?

TL;DR, wouldn’t a closer-fitting “invisibility onesie” feel somewhat safer?

So no, if I were a witch with such a cloak, I wouldn’t put too much trust in it to save myself during dangerous situations.

And hang on while I blab a little more about the comment I saw around that if Dumbledore hadn’t borrowed James’s Invisibility Cloak, the Potters would have been able to hide from Voldemort… ridiculous.

Would Voldemort really not have saw through the cloak?

Doesn’t block sound. One-year-old Harry would probably cry and kick around. Okay, Silencio and Petrificus Totalus, but I feel like it would be risky to cast spells on a young, fragile infant…

Why rely on the cloak if only to stay invisible? Couldn’t the Potters have cast the Disillusionment Charm upon themselves instead?

In other words, Dumbledore couldn’t possibly be at fault in this situation. That would be like saying Voldemort became evil because Dumbledore didn’t guide and provide Tom Riddle with “enough love” when Tom was a student. If Dumbledore is to blame, why would Peter not be more so? Why wouldn’t be Snape, for relaying information? Or Sirius for suggesting the switch? Or Trelawney for making the prophecy in the first place?

[mitsuki91]

Harry Potter masterlist

This is a mastelist for all my harry potter english stories. I remind you that I am a Severus Snape stan and my favourite ships are Severus Snape/Lily Luna Potter and Severus Snape/Lily Evans. Let's start!

Severus Snape/Lily Luna Potter stories:

The butterfly effect - one chapter

Tomorrow - wip multi chapter new gen era

Until the end of the world - wip multi chapter marauders era

Demons and tales - short one chapter story written for "Ensare the senses" comp

(I think I will start translate more of my old stories)

Severus Snape/Lily Evans stories:

Amor arma ministrat - multi chapters, complete

Mine - short one chapter

Other stories:

Bruises - Tom Riddle/Eileen Prince, one chapter

Everything different - James Potter/Sirius Black, one chapter

Circles of fire - Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, one chapter

The perfect opportunity - Peter Pettigrew pov, James Potter/Sirius Black, short one chapter

Just a game - James Potter/Sirius Black, short one chapter

Scales of gray - Sirius Black/Hermione Granger, short one chapter story, written for "Get a clue" comp based on the tv show Bones

Like every time - Salazar Slytherin/Helena Ravenclaw, short one chapter story written for "A touch of Black" comp, winner of "My eyes! My eyes!" award (most fucked up fic).

For any truth in the word - Tom Riddle/Eileen Prince, short one chapter story writte for "Spook or spice flash comp"

Very dead, very dove story I wrote only to piss off antis:

The hunter - new gen story, Rose/every male in the family basically, heavy angst, all the wrong things, complete multi chapters fic.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I know it's very cursed but what's your opinion on Voldermort/Wormtail? It's unironically my fave pairing just for how circumstances (post PoA and during GoF) drive these two miserable people make each other even more miserable. I've always wonder how helpless infant-bodied Voldermort managed to convince coward self-serving Peter to stay and take care of him, and not like, live his best rat life in Spain or something.

There are things, anon, I don't want to think about.

And I marvel at your choice of OTP. I mean, you do you man, and I ship Tom Riddle/Lily Evans and thus have no room to talk to anyone.

I mean my opinion on it is...

The only way I can see it is rape, honestly.

Pettigrew is in terrible circumstances in which he at once has no power and is on the brink of death and all the power over the diminished Tom Riddle. This drives him to madness, violence, and eventually the rape of the diminished Tom Riddle.

Of course, Voldemort would utterly destroy him later for this and Peter would die in agony and terror, but this is a Peter who has already lost everything.

As for why Peter didn't run after PoA, well, he tried that. That was called the Scabbers plan. Now, was it a stupid plan? Yes, he could have gone abroad (never mind that 'abroad' barely seems to exist in the Harry Potter universe as NO ONE EVER LEAVES THE UNITED KINGDOM) but he was in hiding and it was... alright.

I think he wasn't thinking clearly.

Sirius had escaped, had somehow miraculously found him, and now might very well find him again and will spend the rest of his life hunting Peter down. (Peter doesn't know that Sirius ends up locked in his house not too long after this.)

Going abroad presumably won't help, as Sirius found him before, and the existential dread makes it hard to realistically think of what Sirius is capable of and what he can do.

So, to keep his miserable self alive, Peter stumbles across the one man who terrifies him more than Sirius Black: Voldemort. And, of course, the other man that will kill him and hunt him down should Peter run.

I think once Peter finds Voldemort... He realizes it's over. If he runs, he will be found, he will be murdered, horrifically, to either prove a point to other Death Eaters who think they can run or in Sirius Black's mad quest for vegence.

There is nowhere he can turn, nowhere he can hide, and he hasn't a friend left in the world.

So, he stays and serves Voldemort, hating himself, living in terror that at any moment he will be killed, or tortured, and secretly finding himself deserving of such misery for being a spineless wretch with no higher beliefs.

[applepiewinchesters]

Yours Always, Padfoot

His heart pounded as he raced down the streets of Godric’s Hollow.

Remus could only pray to whatever may be listening that it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. They’d all been there only hours before, laughing and joking, celebrating All Hallow’s Eve. Little Harry had been dressed as a pumpkin, the cutest little pumpkin, as Lily had said.

Lily. With her warm smile and bright green eyes filled with nothing but kindness for the man who considered himself a monster more often than not.

Did she fight back? Did James? Or were they caught by surprise? Slaughtered while putting Harry to bed?

Remus shook away those thoughts from his mind as he’d rounded the corner. His forehead was slick with sweat despite the chilly October evening.

The cottage was in clear view now, and Remus’ stomach dropped as he saw the damage the roof had obtained. It was collapsed in on itself, wood sticking out in all directions.

Another figure was waiting for Remus at the front of the walkway leading up to the Potter’s cottage. A young man with shaggy black hair he could recognize from a mile away. Sirius. He was still alive.

Remus came to a stop beside the other man, out of breath as he looked at the cottage that had been filled with light and warmth when he’d last left it earlier. It was now completely dark, the wind whistling through the empty cottage where the front door hung open.

“Are-are they…” Remus choked out, looking over to Sirius.

“Gone,” Sirius spoke, his voice hollow. “I watched them take away the bodies.”

Too many thoughts swirled in Remus’ mind, but one stood out.

“Please…tell me Harry wasn’t one of them,” Remus managed to get out.

Sirius shook his head once again, “Hagrid took him about an hour ago, he’s going to stay with Lily’s sister, in Little Whinging, Dumbledore thought it would be best.”

“But they’re muggles! He can’t-“ Remus began, but Sirius cut him off.

“It’s the safest way!” Sirius all but shouted. “We can’t lose him too!”.

Sirius was the closest to the small boy, being his godfather and all. He’d even bought him his first broom for him first birthday earlier that year, something Lily said she’d never forgive him for.

“I-I can’t….we couldn’t save them” Remus said, his voice cracking.

James and Lily were supposed to be safe there.

Dumbledore had promised, he’d cast the spells himself.

Sirius didn’t speak, just continued staring at the dilapidated cottage in front of them.

After a beat or so, he spoke again, “They think it was me, Moony.”

Remus turned to the shorter man, the realization of Sirius’ words hitting him like an oncoming train.

“I was the secret keeper, everyone knows that. You know my family’s ties to the Dark Lord. I don’t have a chance,” Sirius choked out.

“Y-You wouldn’t,” Remus spoke when he finally found his voice again, taking a step back.

“Of course not!” Sirius shouted, disbelief in his voice as he saw the one person he had left in the world back away from him in fear.

“Peter,” Remus suddenly remembered, “where’s Peter?”.

Their other friend was supposed to be tucked away in a safe house somewhere. But if the rumors were true and the Dark Lord was gone, why wasn’t Peter here with them?

“He’s dead” Sirius spoke finally, “destroyed.”

Remus took another step back, shaking his head, but Sirius stepped forward, grabbing Remus’ hand.

Before Remus had a chance to react, ten or more Aurors appeared, the distinct crack of apparition echoing around them, wands trained on Sirius.

“Sirius Black you are wanted for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and the betrayal of Lily and James Potter that subsequently led to their deaths!” one of the Aurors shouted. “Stand down!”.

Sirius turned to Remus, still gripping his hand, “Remus please, tell them I didn’t…I wouldn’t hurt them you know that!”.

Remus let the Aurors rip Sirius away from him, Sirius practically almost ripping his arm from his socket, desperately trying to hold onto Remus.

“Moony!” was the last thing Sirius shouted before he was disappirated away.

A hand was placed on Remus’ shoulder, and he looked over to find one of the Aurors there, an older man with salt and pepper hair.

“Are you alright, son?” the older man asked, giving Remus a genuinely concerned look.

Remus could only nod, and the Auror have his shoulder a quick pat before disappirating.

The others did the same, and soon Remus was alone, heart pounding on the dark street, unsure what to do.

When the tears began to fall he couldn’t stop them, falling to his knees on the cobblestones, from which he’d no doubt have bruises from in the morning.

Remus sobbed for his friends, for himself, and most of all over the fact the one person who loved him, who truly loved him for everything he was, was the traitor they had tried so hard to keep out.

***

Remus attended the joint funeral of two of his best friends alone. He watched them get lowered into the ground, the finality of it all almost too much to handle.

The next week he attended Sirius’ trial, alone again. People there treated him as if he were fragile, a bomb that could go off any moment. Maybe he was, maybe he would.

Others avoided him altogether.

He listened to Sirius beg on the stand that it wasn’t him, that he was framed. Remus was surprised that he felt nothing watching Sirius cry, watching him break.

Remus could still recall the times he’d held Sirius while he cried. When his mother kicked him out, when his brother Regulus officially became a Death Eater.

He could also remember when Sirius did the same for him. When the change from man to beast was to much, too painful the day after and all he could do was lay there and cry. When he woke from a nightmare of him hurting his friends in his beastly form.

They were always there for each other, they loved each other for Merlin’s sake. They talked about what they would do, where they would live.

But now Remus watched the man he loved be sentenced to life in Azkaban, and for the first time, he felt absolutely nothing for him.

When Remus left the chambers the moment the verdict was read, no one tried to stop him.

No one checked on him for weeks, not even Dumbledore, who claimed he’d always be there for the young man, even after Hogwarts.

He drank to numb it all, to pretend for just a moment, that it had all been a bad dream. But when he’d fall asleep in a drunken stupor and wake up sober, it would all come crashing down again.

It was just before the holidays when a scrawny brown owl showed up at Remus’ flat, clutching a dirty envelope in it’s beak.

Remus stumbled to the window, grabbing the letter and shooing the bird away. It practically grumbled when it turned away to leave as it realized it was getting neither a pet nor a treat from the young man.

Remus plopped down into an arm chair, ripping open the letter, not even bothering to look at the return address. Maybe it was Dumbledore, finally keeping his word, or McGonagall, she’d always had a soft spot for him, although she’d never admit it of course.

But it wasn’t from either the older witch or wizard, and Remus’ breath caught in his throat when he recognized the handwriting.

Moony,

I’d say I’d written this letter near a hundred times, but that wouldn’t be true, so I hope you’ll forgive any spelling errors. You always were on me about my grammar. This was the last thing I wanted to do before they locked me up for good. I could write one person.

You’re probably thinking I should have written to Dumbledore, begging for my freedom, but I still remain my stubborn, albeit slightly less of a wanker, self. If you never read this, and toss it when you see it’s from me, I’ll understand. But my dear Moony, if you’re reading, please don’t stop. I know you will probably never believe that I didn’t give up James and Lily, and I won’t try to convince you either, but know I still love you. I always will.

I dream of you, the memories I still have of you are all I have left, and soon enough they might be gone as well. I can still remember all the parties, the walks beside the lake, the late nights in the common room eating sweets and spewing whatever bullshit came to mind at the time.

I wish we could go back, but I know there’s no use in hoping, especially where I’m headed. I imagine I’ll die in Azkaban, never knowing if you still feel the same. But goddamn, a man can still dream a little right?

I hope you continue living, continue on without us all. Travel Moony, see the world like we were going to. Meet someone else if you have to, fall in love with someone who deserves you and treats you with nothing but love and kindness. Please don’t settle for less, my love, I know how you see yourself.

Teach the next generation of brats, I’m sure those kids would get a kick out of having a werewolf for a teacher. Pretty badass if you ask me. I don’t know if this letter will even get to you, maybe they’ll just throw it away. But if you do get it, just please know I love you, and I want you to keep going alright? If not for me, for Harry, someone has to tell him about his mum and dad, about all the mischief we got into.

I know there is no use in hoping, so I’ll dream of seeing you again someday, in a world where you can forgive me. Keep fighting, love, the darkness is never truly gone.

           Yours always,                                  Padfoot

Remus was sobbing by the last line, his chest hurt and his shoulders shook.

He dropped the letter as he stood, crying out in anguish and sending a few empty bottles on the table next to him to the ground. They shattered, sending pieces scattering everywhere.

Remus could feel his heart breaking in his chest all over again. All the pain, all the anger, it was back and stronger than ever.

He wanted so desperately to forget Sirius. To lock him up in a cell in his mind and throw away the key, like they’d done to him in Azkaban.

But he couldn’t. He still dreamed of him, of shaggy black hair and grey eyes that lit up at the thought of a truly funny joke, those same eyes filling with tears as he laughed too hard to even get the joke out.

Remus wanted to hold him, kiss him, even forgive him, but he couldn’t, and that’s what hurt the most.

How could he still feel this much for someone who caused the deaths of all his friends? Who brought him so much pain?

It felt like a mockery of their deaths.

Remus dropped to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself, trying to catch his breath, which was proving difficult.

He ended up passing out on the floor nearly three hours later, clutching the letter from Sirius, the last “I love you” in the letter smeared from running his finger across it so many times. Like he was wanting to somehow reach in and grab Sirius’ hand as he was writing it.

Remus would continue that for years, until the writing was illegible, and his thumb finally went through the faded parchment.

A/N: Alright so this is my first Wolfstar fic, so please be kind lol. Also just so everyone knows this is cross posted on my AO3, just so no one excuses me of plagiarism. But thank you for reading and please let me know what you thought! - Sara :)

[thegirlwhowrites642]

My HP analyses

Answers to the following questions:

Why did Ginny fall in love with Harry?

Why don't you like dr*rry?

Who do you think is more dominant, Harry or Ginny? (nsfw)

How would Ginny react to Harry's death?

What are your thoughts on the silver trio?

When Harry and Ginny started dating, do you think Ron started feeling jealous because Harry was spending more time with Ginny?

How much different do you think Harry would be if he was raised by James and Lily?

If Harry wasn't the main character would he be more loved?

Why do you think Neville isn't a well-rounded character?

Do you think Ginny ever feels insecure about the trio's friendship?

Is Hermione a better friend to Harry than Ron?

Can you write parallels between jily and hinny?

What's your favorite hinny scene and why? (a commentary on the break-up scene)

Did Ginny sleep with Dean? Did Harry and Ginny sleep together in HBP?

Could you talk about the character arcs of Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Remus, Tonks, Percy, Fleur, and Lavender? + James, Sirius, Molly

Which couple does marry first, hinny or romione, in your opinion?

Since matching patronuses mean that two people are soulmates, what do you have to say about Ron’s dog and Hermione’s otter? How do they pair up?

What are your thoughts on post-war, in relationship hinny fights? How they deal with it, etc?

Remember when Harry had those dreams about Ginny in his 6th year? Do you believe Ginny had similar dreams about Harry?

Is Harry's behavior in OotP understandable or too much?

What are your thoughts on Lily and Snape's friendship? Do you believe it was toxic?

How close are Ginny and Hermione?

Do you think Ginny should have destroyed a Horcrux?

Opinions on Harry and Ginny having close birthdays and the same zodiac sign?

Both Ginny and Voldemort have a yew wand. What is the significance of this?

What are your thoughts on Ginny's relationship with each of her brothers?

How does Ginny's name hint at Harry and Ginny being soulmates?

Is Krum creepy with younger girls?

Does Hermione mature after the books?

As someone who loves Ginny, don't you think Ginny deserves better than Harry?

Is Harry handsome?

How do you think Dean reacted to Hinny? + note on Ginny's pov

How long do Harry and Ginny date in HBP?

Does Petunia Dursley deserve redemption? + added note

How open would Harry be about the war with his kids?

Do you think Ginny was ever in love with Tom Riddle?

Would Harry train his kids?

What are your thoughts on Peter Pettigrew?

Does Ginny have freckles?

Do you think ginny’s loneliness is what pushed her to trust tom so easily?

What do you think about Harry's idealisation of Ginny as his best source of comfort? Do you think it is insulting towards Ginny?

Other analyses

Does the dance scene in DH 1 make sense?

Ginny and Harry, two main characters

Ginny and creative writing

Let's debunk the most common anti-hinny arguments

Harry's real patronus

Hinny shippers and romione

Harry is still looking at Ginny

Harry and Ginny: three famous love stories before theirs

Harry annoyace towards Ginny's friendship with Neville

Observations

Hermione as Minister of Magic?

Ministers of Magic and Law Enforcement

[bee-a-garbage-shipper]

Honestly I always assumed Sn@pe went on raids because he had Voldemort's respect and as useful as Sn@pe's potions might have been or as good as his spying may have turned out Voldemort has always been a "Might Makes Right" sort of person, even when he was Tom and significantly saner, and potions and spying aren't a show of strength.

So how did Sn@pe get Voldemort's respect? Probably by being on raids and showing himself a capable dueler and fighter.

I've come to the conclusion I don't like Snape, Malfoys, Dumbeldore or the Marauders.

Snape- abused the children under his care. Including threatening to murder a pet right in front of one. Like I legit understand he had a terrible childhood and probably was lead to the dark side, but sorry. I do NOT like him.

Malfoys- Older Malfoys are a bunch of wizarding Nazi's. Draco Malfoy is just a spoiled rich kid. People love to attempt to claim he was unloved or abused but all the proof is in the books. I don't hate Draco and maybe he got better in the future, but honestly I don't like him much.

Dumbledore- I mean... I think we all dislike him heavily for the same reasons.

Marauders- While we are told James Potter grew up, and I'll accept it because who knows? Maybe he did. Being told that 'Snape gave as good as he got' and also being told that Snape hung around people who used bad spells on others, I can see Snape cursing them to. (The idea that Snape never was as nasty to them as they were to him annoys me. With how he treats the children under his care, and being known as a great duel master as a Death Eater... you expect me not to think he could be as bad?) But also just like Sirius and him still seeing sending Snape after Remus funny, Remus obviously just standing by and not interfering, Pettigrew in general... they were all a bunch of dicks. I'd have hated them in school, especially with their pranks.

[carewyncromwell]

5, 13, and 20 for the potter asks?

Pro or anti Marauders?

Pro overall, but let’s break this down by characters --

Remus Lupin is my favorite male character in the entire book series. He not only reminded me of my best teachers growing up, but I felt so, so much for him as a character too. I always felt kind of marginalized and different from my peers growing up, so it’s kind of unsurprising that I’ve had a soft spot for “outcast” characters since I was very little, and Remus is no exception. I completely understood why his friends meant so much to him and therefore felt SO much for him that, in the end, he had to lose all three of them and end up alone. Even his flaws, showcased best in the Snape’s Worst Memory chapter of OOTP and especially in Deathly Hallows, only serve to make him more real and human -- it broke my heart when he considered leaving Tonks and Teddy to help the Trio with their Horcrux hunt, but Remus wanting to “bury himself in his work” (which, honestly, this was -- he was a member of the Order, after all!) rather than face his worst fear of possibly dooming another person (namely, his son) to live a life like his made perfect sense with the characterization established, however horrible and wrong of a choice it was. It made me side with Harry so much in scolding Remus, yet I also felt compassion for the feelings behind Remus’s initial impulse. And of course, I was so proud of him when he overcame that fear and stood by Tonks and got to know his son before he died. I’m still not over the fact that my bb Remus had to die, AUUUUUGH, he and Sirius and Harry should’ve lived together as one happy makeshift family togetherrrrr. DX

Peter Pettigrew...that bloody rat. >> I’m sure just about everyone feels a lot of justified resentment toward Peter for what he did to the Potters, and I definitely agree with that sentiment...but at the same time, there’s still a part of me that finds him very interesting. Mainly because...I’d love to see him at his best, now that we’ve seen him at his worst! He was a Marauder, same as Sirius, Remus, and James, and we should never forget that -- he might have been a bit of a tag-along, but none of the other three, Lily, or anyone else thought that Peter would ever have been the type to turn on his friends. McGonagall disparaged Peter for his magical talent, but she openly grieved for him when she thought Sirius had killed him. Everyone was ready to believe Sirius -- who clearly adored James -- could be the traitor, before suspecting Peter. Sirius even suspected Remus before Peter...and this is when their connection in the books is so strong that HP fans have shipped Wolfstar since POA was first published back in 1999! Even when you read the books, you can see flickers of remorse in Peter at points, if you’re reading carefully. In Goblet of Fire, Peter seems noticeably uncomfortable around the rest of Voldemort’s supporters -- his efforts to bring Voldemort back to his body really seem to be out of obligation rather than any kind of enthusiasm. And of course, as we see in Deathly Hallows, Peter even as a Death Eater still retains enough honor to hesitate when Harry reminds him that he owes him his life. Gryffindor house does preach chivalry as well as courage, and in a twisted way, one could read Peter’s “loyalty” to Voldemort not just being about desperation as his friends now want nothing to do with him, but also because Peter’s standing by the choice he made...not unlike how Percy stood by the Ministry as long as he did, rather than by his family. This doesn’t justify what Peter did at all -- he is a despicable coward who destroyed so many lives and is responsible for bringing back the Dark Wizard whose return resulted in even more deaths -- but it does give his characterization as a villain interesting nuance. There’s a well-established internal logic to how Peter behaves, one I would frankly LOVE to see more of in a future Marauders-centric property.

Sirius is arguably the most polarizing of the Marauders, but honestly? I love him to pieces. He is a very, VERY flawed character -- he’s got a real mean streak, a hot temper, and more aggression than the average person. Him encouraging Snape to “go after Remus” was an indisputably terrible, stupid, callous thing to do, not just because of the endangerment to Snape’s life, but the flagrant betrayal of Remus’s friendship. The way Sirius treated Kreacher was completely uncalled for, regardless of how much the elf reminded him of his terrible home life. Sirius also can be really immature and can get really surly and passive-aggressive when he’s upset. But despite all of this, I love Sirius anyway. In a lot of ways, Sirius reminds me of my father, who I also love a lot despite his many flaws. Sirius lacks empathy for those different from him, but he’s also the only member of his immediate family who rejected the idea of pureblood superiority and fought in the Order of the Phoenix against Voldemort. Sirius was a bully and even as an adult could be incredibly petty and mean-spirited, but he also was the first person in Harry’s life who really felt like family to him -- who he could write to for help when he was sad, afraid, or insecure. Sirius was a hot-tempered, rash person who rarely thought through the consequences of his actions, but he also would’ve done absolutely anything to protect the people he loved. He without question loved James, Lily, and Harry more than his own life. Despite being raised in a cold, hate-filled, prejudiced, unaffectionate, abusive home, Sirius understood unconditional love, and he understood his godson in a way no one else could, not just because he was such close friends with the parents he’d lost at such a young age, but because he’d lived Harry’s experience as a neglected, unloved child himself.

And now we come to the often maligned James Potter. Honestly, this guy gets such a bad rap in the fandom, almost exclusively based on Snape’s memories, and I don’t think it’s really fair. Snape is really the only person who has a sour image of James, and even if we disregard the testimonials of fellow Marauders like Sirius and Remus, people like McGonagall, Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, and even Cornelius Fudge had nothing but nice things to say about James, and those people don’t have reason to speak well of James at Snape’s expense. And of course, even Snape’s perceptions are bound to have their own slant to them. Pensieve memories are just that: memories. A Pensieve is not a pocket dimension that perfectly recreates the past, hence why Slughorn was able to badly modify his memory, Hokey the house elf’s memories were tampered with by Riddle, and even in Snape’s own memory, we follow Snape throughout the memory and we’re only able to hear what the Marauders are saying because he was close by. And if we judge James solely based on his no-doubt worst moment in Snape’s Worst Memory, we’re bound to get an incomplete picture -- just as we did for Hagrid, after seeing Tom Riddle’s memory of him confronting Hagrid for supposedly opening the Chamber of Secrets. Would we judge Harry solely for Malfoy’s recollection of the Sectumsempra incident, or Hermione solely for Marietta’s recollection of the time Hermione hexed her face to read “SNEAK” across it? Of course not. James was a bully and what he did in Snape’s Worst Memory was no doubt horrible -- but this is also a young man who without hesitation gave Sirius a home after he ran away from his terrible family, who supported Remus financially when he couldn’t find work, and who selflessly put himself between Voldemort and his family just to give them a chance to escape, even though he didn’t even have his wand on him. I would frankly love to learn more about James and see more of the arc he must’ve gone through as a character for someone like Lily to have fallen in love with him and for people like Remus and Sirius to feel such strong platonic love for him themselves, if a Marauders-centric property was ever created.

Who was the bravest character in Harry Potter and why?

Oh gosh...hm...that is a real challenge. There are a lot of very brave characters! Harry, Ron, Hermione, Remus, Sirius, McGonagall, Hagrid, Dobby, Cedric...but I think I’m going to nominate Neville. While Hogwarts was taken over by Snape and the Carrows and the students were no doubt being brainwashed a la the Hitler Youth to regurgitate blood-purist talking points rather than learning anything that could defend themselves against the Dark Arts or that was even remotely true about Muggles, Neville decided to face that undeniable hopelessness -- worsened all the more by the students’ lack of independence and freedom while being housed in the castle’s walls without their families and the threat of losing both their families and all hope for a future constantly dangled over their heads -- head-on and reform Dumbledore’s Army with Ginny and Luna to stand against it. Then, even as his group’s members got picked off one by one and were forced to hide in the Room of Requirement, he stuck to his guns and kept resisting because he knew -- as a Pureblood -- he was in a position he could use to fight for others and wasn’t afraid to stand up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves and others. It was only when his grandmother was forced to flee and the Carrows realized that Neville was too much of a threat to keep in check that he went into hiding himself. Then, when everyone thought Harry was dead and many others would’ve despaired, Neville fearlessly and fiercely stuck both by Harry, his parents’ memory, and his own convictions and refused Voldemort’s offer to join him, even keeping his head enough after getting burned by the flaming Sorting Hat to fulfill his promise to Harry and kill Nagini. And this was the kid who people said shouldn’t have been Sorted into Gryffindor at all, in his first year! What a beautiful transformation.

Favourite Death Eater?

*cringes* Mmm...well, character-wise, I’d say I’ve always found Lucius a very compelling character, in the books. The Malfoy family in general struck me as interesting anti-villains, since they are indisputably unpleasant, prejudiced, awful people, but their one silver lining to me is how deeply and sincerely they love each other. That aspect is really lost in movie!Lucius, since the films try to portray him much more two-dimensionally bad and that interpretation has since colored the fandom’s view of Lucius as an abusive father when there is NO textual evidence of that in the books. And I kind of find it a shame, because as much as I adore Jason Isaacs in his role, it did serve to make Lucius a bit less complex and interesting in the films than he was in the books. Admittedly as well I have a bit more of a soft spot for Lucius after taking on the challenge of writing the guy and his family a redemption arc in my way-too-long AU fic Harry Potter and the Lack of Lamb Sauce. XD

HP Ask!

[evadwrites]

Modern Politics Cissamione AU

US Presidential Election of 2020 is expected to be the most ruthless fight for the Oval within the last 20 years. 

The chosen Republican candidate is a Vice-President Bellatrix Black, the eldest daughter of the most famous political dynasty in the United States. She had been groomed by the current two-term President. Tom Marvolo Riddle, known as 'The Dark Lord' for his anti-immigration, racist, pro-life and anti-LGBTQ+ policies, refuses to give up the Oval and his power. Everyone understands that Bellatrix’s agenda will be similar, if not identical to Riddle’s. 

The chosen Democratic candidate is a senior US Senator from Washington, Andromeda Tonks, Bellatrix’s younger sister, who was disowned by her family more than 20 years ago. Her campaign is radically different from her sister’s, and her ideas are exactly what people of the United States need. 

Narcissa Black, the youngest of the Black sisters, is quite successfully running Bellatrix’s campaign. So far, her team got enough dirt on Andromeda’s staff to poach their communications director, Peter Pettigrew, and with his help discredit their campaign manager, Remus Lupin. The hit to his reputation was so massive he had to resign as soon as the article written by Rita Skeeter was published in The Washington Prophet. 

Hermione Granger, a double major in PR and Political Science, a fresh-out-of Stanford graduate, is appointed as a new Communications Director for the Tonks campaign. She is quite literally running it all while the search for the new campaign manager is ongoing. 

As soon as the news of Hermione taking over where Pettigrew left off hit the blogs and the papers, Narcissa immediately tries to get rid of the girl not-so-subtly. This turns out to be literally impossible, because Hermione seems to have no flaws at all. But after years of being a Black and years of being a Malfoy, the second largest political dynasty in the States, Narcissa knows there’s more to a person than meets the eye. 

She starts digging, and Hermione starts digging in response. 

They clash every time they meet, biting words and hateful glares exchanged whenever they are within one another’s proximity. It reaches a whole new level when there are two new additions to the Tonks campaign. The first one is a political fixer Marlene McKinnon. And as if that wasn't enough, the second one is Narcissa’s cousin Sirius Black, whose position remains unknown to the general public—for all Narcissa knows, he might be their hitman. 

Every time Narcissa tries to make Bellatrix look better by tanking the Tonks campaign, an absolutely infuriating, annoying, self-righteous, and overall utterly awful Ms. Granger finds a way to spin this into Andromeda’s favor just by speeches and words and a couple of smiles. And just how many connections in different publications this girl fucking has? Probably all of them, Narcissa muses, judging by the way she seems to know Black campaign’s every move even before they think about making it. Narcissa hates her for this so much that there are not words enough in all of the languages to describe it. 

In the end, Hermione’s irritating habit of just knowing things is what saves the most important person in Narcissa’s life. 

Congressman Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa’s ex-husband, was put on the ticket as Bellatrix’s future Vice-President by Tom Riddle himself in the beginning of their campaign. Halfway through it, he decides that being Vice-President is not enough for him. He leaves the Black campaign and announces his intentions to run for the Office as an Independent candidate. 

A lot of people who stood behind Bellatrix were there just because of Lucius’s name on the ticket, so when he leaves, they make it known they are going to throw their money and support at him, not at Bellatrix. Furious with their decision, a ruthless Bellatrix Black looks for a way to destroy him. 

She goes behind Narcissa’s back and aims for one person who is tied to her ex-brother-in-law more than anyone else. She targets her own nephew, Draco Malfoy, and spills two of Draco’s most guarded secrets to Rita Skeeter, disguised as an “anonymous source close to the Malfoy family”. She doesn’t forget to mention that Lucius was the one who hid all of the facts and made allegations go away. 

Fifteen hours before the article is due to be published, Hermione gets a heads-up call from one of her contacts at The Washington Prophet. The story she hears leaves her gasping and questioning most of the things she had known about both Black and Malfoy families. 

Against her better judgement, Hermione arranges a meeting with Narcissa. 

What will be the result of this meeting? What exactly were Narcissa, Lucius and Draco hiding? Will Narcissa stand behind her sister after Bellatrix endangered her son? How will she react to Hermione's altruistic help?

Read on AO3 if someone picks this up and writes this OR if I totally lose it and start writing this myself. 

Also featuring:

Lily Evans Potter, a press-secretary for the Tonks campaign

Ginny Weasley, Hermione’s best friend and a junior reporter for The Washington Prophet

Nymphadora Tonks

Rodolphus Lestrange, Narcissa’s best friend and Bellatrix’s ex-husband, communications director for the Black campaign

Rabastan Lestrange, a political fixer for the Black campaign 

More minor, but nonetheless important characters that will be featured: Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and many more + a secret character @malfoy will be absolutely delighted to read about 

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

So it's like 30 degrees celsius here and it is too bloody warm ! So please distract me with fun headcanons you have for harry potter, if you wouldn't mind!

-Fahrenheit confusion-

Gladly! Going through the books chronologically, one thing I’ve seen that I really like is that part of the Dursleys hating Harry for being different as well as hating his hair and cutting it without his okay, is all coding (on purpose or not) that Harry is a person of color, and therefore doesn’t have “normal” hair, in the eyes of someone like Vernon. 

Hagrid! Was! A Slytherin! Having him as Gryffindor is far too easy, especially when all the clues point to him having been in Slytherin. Why was he found by Tom Riddle in the dungeons? Why did Tom call him “Rubeus?” instead of his surname? Would only make sense if Hagrid was one of his house-mates, and was his Prefect. It also totally adds up that Hagrid would be Anti-Slytherin following his expulsion. He was blamed for being responsible for the attacks that Slytherin’s Heir was causing, and in general, his House turned their back on him. 

One head-canon I’ve seen that I really like is that the Marauders put a fail-safe into the Marauder’s Map so that Animagi cannot be seen in their animal forms unless the Map-Holder is aware that the Animagus in question has that power. Would explain the infamous joke of why Fred and George never noticed Peter Pettigrew sleeping in Ron’s bed, while still working with Remus having seen Sirius and Peter by the Whimping Willow. Doesn’t work with the films, but oh well. 

Ginny Weasley and Amelia Bones are both Trans women! In general, I always wished that Amelia could have become Minister of Magic after Fudge, or even post-war. Not even gonna lie, I think the only reason she was killed off was because the story needed Scrimgeour to take over, and needed a reason for why Amelia, clearly the best candidate, couldn’t do it. 

Dumbledore could have vetoed Harry entering the Triwizard Tournament at any time, but chose not to do so. This one is tricky, because the book insists that it’s a “binding magical contract” and that there can be “no ducking out at this stage.” But they frustratingly refuse to elaborate on what means or how it works. Seriously, why can’t Harry just refuse? What will happen to him if he does? No, I’m convinced that Dumbledore let this happen because he wanted to see how it would play out. Curiously, this is pretty much canon in the film. 

Adding onto that, whatever happened to the Potter’s will? I believe Dumbledore buried it, because they’re never mentioned to have one, but they were living in a time of war with a target on their backs and they had a son, so no way they didn’t have a Will. But Wizarding Will and Testaments get examined by the Ministry. Dumbledore was the Chief Wizengamot. I think he made that Will go away, because Lily and James would have had very different ideas about who was to raise Harry if anything happened to them.

Luna is panromantic, asexual, and autistic. Not that anyone in the Wizarding World would know, because of course, they suck at Mental Health, but she is. Hermione, coming from the muggle world, would be the one to pick up on the signs, just like she figured out that Ron is dyslexic. Oh, by the way, Ron is dyslexic. 

Hey, remember how Harry reluctantly brought Dean Thomas on as a Chaser when Katie Bell was out of commission, because Dean and Ginny were dating and he was jealous, but also because he knew Seamus wouldn’t like it? Sure enough, Seamus was mad...Harry assumes it’s because he wanted to be on the team but let’s be real...it’s because he was jealous too! Seriously, it’s like J.K. Rowling wrote in coding for Deamus without even realizing it! 

One head-canon I’ve seen that I really, really like is that post-war, Harry and Neville turn Grimmauld Place into an orphanage and/or shelter for children who don’t have homes to go to or for those kids that have homes they would rather not return to. Alternatively, I don’t dislike the idea of Harry raising his kids in the home that Sirius gave him. Either way, they make something good out of something bad. 

Draco’s Patronus is a Fox. A wily animal that is predator to some, but prey to others. A handsome critter that one might want to pet, but it’s still a wild animal, after all. Likewise, Hagrid’s Patronus is a Hippogriff. It just is. See, when asked, J.K. Rowling’s answer to both of these was “They never learned how to make one.” and that’s all well and good, but we’re asking what it WOULD be if they HAD and you damn well should know it ughhh. 

The eighth year AU happened. I don’t make the rules. Seriously, how are you going to tell me that Harry “Hogwarts is my home” Potter wouldn’t return to finish his time at school? It’s not like he’d be alone - Ginny and Luna would still be there, as would Dennis Creevey, who I like to think Harry would reach out to. Plus, Hermione was said to have come back and if Harry did, Ron would as well. 

Adding onto that, Harry became the permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I will never understand why this wasn’t canon, because intentionally or not, it was so well foreshadowed. Harry has parallels to Snape and Voldemort, who both coveted the position. It’s his best subject, he literally defeated the curse on the job, and OOTP proved beyond a shadow of a doubt how good Harry is at teaching and how much he genuinely loves doing it. Plus, he was pretty Anti-Ministry when all was said and done. So why would he still want to be a Wizard Cop? 

[ao3feed-jily]

The Marauders: Book One

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/33v7HGJ

by ironshields

Join James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter as they begin their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Words: 1297, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Regulus Black, Walburga Black, Orion Black, Fleamont Potter, Charlus Potter, Lyall Lupin, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Andromeda Black Tonks, Druella Rosier Black, Gideon Prewett (Harry Potter), Fabian Prewett, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Bilius (Harry Potter), Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Voldemort (Harry Potter), Tom Riddle

Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter, Minerva McGonagall & James Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy

Additional Tags: book-length fic, previews on here, wolfstar, jily, Anti-Snape, can have hints of sexual abuse later on, first year, Hogwarts, Harry Potter - Freeform, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Comedy, prequel to harry potter, ships, Fun, School, Kisses, Angst, baby Marauders

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/33v7HGJ

[ao3feed-tomarrymort]

by Artistic_Author

Again, really?

Harry has to do this shit all over again.

Fuck.

Or,

As Master of Death, one cannot simply die in peace; Harry learns this after he is sentenced to be kissed and instead of fluffy angels and cotton candy clouds and long-lost loved ones, he's thrown into a spinning whirlpool of time until he comes to a halt, in the arms of his supposed to be dead mother.

Harry was fucked.

Words: , Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Tales Of The Riddle-Gaunt Family

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Harry Potter, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, Rubeus Hagrid, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Vernon Dursley, Petunia Evans Dursley, Dudley Dursley

Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Sirius Black/Severus Snape, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy & Harry Potter, Narcissa Black Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Bellatrix Black Lestrange & Harry Potter, Minor Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger, Minor Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger

Additional Tags: Time Travel, Master of Death Harry Potter, Dark Harry, Muggle-Hater Harry Potter, Insane Harry, Dark Sirius Black, Anti-Muggle Content, Somewhat Good Voldemort (Harry Potter), Good Slytherins, Good Severus Snape, Good Death Eaters, Hufflepuff Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Molly Weasley Bashing, Hermione Granger Bashing, Ron Weasley Bashing, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Bonding, Courting Rituals, Implied Mpreg, Mpreg, Top Voldemort (Harry Potter), Bottom Harry Potter, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Rimming, Blow Jobs, Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins

[ao3feed-snape]

What the World Owes Us

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/2UMRWbY

by ivyhume

As James lay down on the 7th night of school, he said as he did every night: “Kings of Hogwarts, lads. We’ll be kings of Hogwarts.” And as he did every night: Remus scoffed, and then rolled over. A world in which Tom Riddle was expelled in his 7th year, and the Marauders get to live their own story.

  Updates Weekly

Words: 9152, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Characters: Lily Evans Potter, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Regulus Black, Dorcas Meadowes, Severus Snape, Marlene McKinnon, most marauders-era characters, I'm not listing all of them - Character

Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter

Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Hogwarts Era, Fluff and Angst, Requited Love, Everybody Lives, Fix-It, Friends to Lovers, Good Peter Pettigrew, Desi James Potter, Jewish Remus Lupin, Welsh Remus Lupin, 1970s, Period Typical Bigotry, Happy Ending, Gay Sirius Black, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Bisexual Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter Friendship, the wizarding world is actually not homophobic, anti jkr, I did WAY to much research into the music and culture of the 1970s for this, Marauders Era (Harry Potter)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2UMRWbY

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Hey! I love your meta’s, a little while ago you talked about The Order of the Phoenix as an organization could you talk about the Death Eaters?

The post anon is referencing.

TL;DR the Order is incompetently hilarious and Dumbledore is a man who trusts no one.

Oh, the Death Eaters, what to say about the Death Eaters...

In a World Without Voldemort, They'd Probably Be Arsonists

One of the things JKR implies in the series, and something fandom seems to take for granted, is that Tom Riddle is the ultimate corrupting influence.

Were it not for him, the Wizarding World would be a much better place, and people like Bellatrix LeStrange would be productive members of society.

As soon as he is killed, even, by Harry, the good guys win, their problems all presumably solved, and Harry tells his son Albus Severus that it's totally fine if he's put into Slytherin.

I don't believe that though.

To me, it's not so much that Tom Riddle corrupted these people, but that he gave them an organized cause. The people themselves, oh, they were itching for a fight.

In a world without Tom I think they'd be a loosely, poorly organized, group (probably with Bellatrix as the ring leader) where they commit acts of domestic terrorism probably involving burning offensive shops to the ground or attacking muggleborns, halfbloods, and blood traitors.

Voldemort, to me, is designed to pander to them (and not the other way around).

The Death Eaters' Beginnings

So, first off, I think Tom's goals are not what he says they are. What he represents to his followers is exactly what they want to hear, wrapped in a grandiose theatric bow that they just love.

But how did this all start?

First, I don't believe in the Knights of Walpurgis. Instead I think Tom came relatively out of nowhere in the 70's uses parseltongue to prove his heritage as the Heir of Slytherin and thus of purer blood than any of them.

He throws these exciting rallies/parties that the rebellious, angsty, teenage heirs all go to. There he says everything they wanted to hear in the most eloquent manner they've ever heard, promises them the action that their fathers have never delivered, promises them a role in the glorious revolution and a place in history, and probably offers them mounds of cocaine.

All the Death Eaters we see, or the core of them, appear to be in this age range where they'd be in Hogwarts or just out of it when Voldemort came knocking. I can imagine they're all whipped up with excitement, YEAH LET'S BLOW UP THE MUDBLOODS and for some that's great, for others... things don't go the way they expected.

October 31, 1981: It All Falls Apart

Regulus famously steals Tom's horcrux. I imagine it wasn't so much that he learned the error of his ways but that he saw what Tom Riddle was really after: the destruction of his very society.

Lucius is riding high until October 31, 1981 and he sees the complete destruction of the entire Black family. Lucius' priorities greatly shift and as he grows older he prays Voldemort never returns. Unfortunately, Tom does, and he charges interest.

Bellatrix absolutely loses her mind, refuses to accept reality, and tries to torture the Longbottoms for information they do not possess. She is imprisoned in Azkaban and never truly recovers from this.

Snape ends up the cause of death for Lily Evans and must forever live with the guilt and be tied to her prophesied son. He also becomes Dumbledore's lackey forever, which ultimately gets him killed.

Point being, no one's having a good time. Some because they figure out being a Death Eater wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and others because they had the Voldemort rug pulled out from under their feet when Tom Riddle disappears.

Pettigrew flees and lives as the Weasley rat for nearly fifteen years.

They're left making a mad scramble as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Canon Catches Up

More than ten years go by and then suddenly, in a muggle graveyard, the surviving Death Eaters discover that they are bound to Voldemort for the rest of their lives.

Death cannot stop this man and he has branded them: there's no escape.

Some are still enthusiastic supporters of the cause: Bellatrix is vindicated that her lord has returned, he rescues her from hell on earth, and everything's finally coming up Bella. Barty is similar in actively working for Voldemort's resurrection.

Lucius, meanwhile, lives in constant terror. Karkaroff desperately flees the country and hopes Tom will not find him. Snape, is in fact, Dumbledore's agent. Pettigrew only returned in utter desperation and has now cut off his own hand.

They're not the young men they were, some of them have families, to some of the past ten years have been utterly miserable. They have to watch as their children make the same damn mistakes they did, be sucked into this same hell hole, and there's nothing they can do about it.

There is a notable reluctance for the cause, and yet, they have to try with the same vigor or this madman will kill them all.

And it's all worthless anyway: come 1998, Voldemort dies again (perhaps for real this time, who knows, Harry Potter seems to think so for whatever reason) and then they are imprisoned for their acts as Death Eaters.

And they just laugh, because how badly Lucius wishes he could go back in time and tell his eighteen-year-old self, "YOU DUMB FUCK, LEAVE NOW!"

But Do They Learn Anything?

No.

Just because we see some of them regret being Death Eaters doesn't mean they regret their beliefs. Their beliefs were fine, even blowing up people here and there, a bit gauche but fine.

But maybe following Voldemort blindly was a bad idea.

Are They More Competent Than the Order?

No.

Tom Riddle is terrifyingly competent in that he infiltrates the government with ease, has spies everywhere, and all but proclaims himself minister one day and nobody blinks.

He gains the full support of most of the wizarding world's wealthiest and prestigious families.

But he doesn't actually give these people anything to do. Because there's nothing for them to do, with them, Tom's won. He owns the Wizengamot, the Ministry, everything.

There's no need to fight. It's over, there never was a war. Society is primed to accept Tom Riddle as their ruler.

However, the likes of Bellatrix LeStrange thinks there's a glorious war on, so "uh, go out and blow up a few muggles, have fun." And the young Death Eaters (and the older ones), think they've committed this great, daring, brave, and very important act.

Tom only seems to hand out real assignments when in desperate straits or else when being particularly vindictive.

Lucius, after messing up with the diary, is told to retrieve a prophecy he is not allowed to touch in a department of the ministry he should have no access to. If he fails: Tom kills his entire family. When Lucius does fail, Tom assigns his son to assassinate an already dying Dumbledore. These aren't real tasks, though they do have the appearance of one, and consequences for failure.

Barty, Tom is forced to rely on, as he is trapped in this dying infant's body. And better Barty, someone who is truly loyal and seems fairly clever, than Peter Pettigrew who is a miserable scum bag who'd sell his grandmother for a bar of soap.

Barty, of course, fucks this up. Rather than just kidnap Harry Potter at any of the many easy points this could be done (Hogsmeade trip, lure Harry out to Hogsmeade with super secret serial information about Voldemort/Snape being a Death Eater, etc.), Barty is determined to make use of the Triwizard Tournament to destroy his father's legacy.

This means rather than a few weeks, it takes months to kidnap Harry, and even then they bring along an extra boy who then gets killed and provides some evidence that Tom Riddle has in fact returned. (Somebody murdered Cedric). It takes months and Barty actively ensuring Harry makes it through the tournament and does well, leaving open the possibility that he might get caught helping Harry cheat at any moment. And of course, Barty has to pretend to be Madeye Moody for months, keeping his man locked and drugged in his trunk.

Thankfully, Moody's such a paranoid wreck, no one even notices.

Quirrell, Tom is forced to rely on. Quirrell fucks up, though admittedly not as badly as Barty. Quirrell fails to steal the stone when it's in transit/in Gringotts. He fails to murder Harry Potter, an eleven year old boy in the world's most dangerous school. He rouses Snape's suspicion almost immediately. Then of course he doesn't get the stone. He at least gets to the room with the stone and nearly overpowers Harry and gets it had he not been mysteriously lit on fire by the power of love/Lily Evans.

The only one Tom ever really relies on by choice is Snape. Snape is charged with spying on Dumbledore and later running Hogwarts (which he fucks up).

There is only one competent man in Britain: Severus Snape. Which is, of course, why he's a double agent that Dumbledore and Tom both extensively rely on despite his being a double agent.

There's no one else.

Tom Riddle doesn't make use of the Death Eaters but given they prove themselves enthusiastically incompetent at every turn I don't blame him. Just pretend to give them something to do and hope it makes them feel important.

That's all I've got in general, you want anything else you'll have to ask for something more specific.

[gryffindyl]

The Rise and Triumph of Harry Potter

One of the most well-known wizards in modern history, Harry James Potter was born on July 31, 1980. Known for his famous defeat of the dark wizard, Tom Riddle (known famously as Lord Voldemort), at the battle of Hogwarts in 1998 – his history of helping the wizarding world dates back to when he was just a year old.

Born to muggleborn Lily Evans and pureblood James Potter (both members of the original Order of the Phoenix) Harry Potter was a half-blood wizard born in the well-known wizarding village of Godric’s Hollow. In his infancy, his parents were forced into hiding due to threat from Riddle. There has been much speculation as to the reason why the family was threatened, but it is thought to be due to a prophecy regarding Harry and Riddle (the supposed prophecy has never been confirmed by Potter).

The Potter family stayed in hiding until October 31, 1981 when Riddle located the family at their safe house. The Potter family had been protected by the Fidelius charm, and it was long believed that the Potter’s best friend (notorious accused mass murderer and later cleared) Sirius Black had been the one to give up the Potter’s location to Riddle. It was later discovered, however, that the believed-to-be-dead Peter Pettigrew had actually been the one to sacrifice his friends to Riddle.

Upon locating them, Riddle famously murdered both Lily and James Potter, and proceeded to attempt the killing curse on infant Harry Potter. This would be the first occasion that young Harry Potter helped the wizarding world, as a whole. The killing curse rebounded and hit Riddle, leaving nothing but the well-known lightning bolt scar upon Potter’s forehead. It was later learned that when Lily Potter died defending her son, an ancient magic was invoked protecting the young Potter from Riddle and thus causing the curse to rebound.

After the death of his parents, Potter was taken to muggle family on his mother’s side in Little Whinging. He grew up there, away from the wizarding world, for the next 11 years. Not much is known about his life with the muggles, but it is known that this family was incredibly anti-wizard and did not agree with his involvement in the wizarding world from 11 years old and on. On July 31st, 1991 Rubeus Hagrid (Keeper of Keys and Grounds and Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts), located Harry Potter and advised him for the first time that he was a wizard. Potter started his first year at Hogwarts in September of this same year and there met his famous cohorts Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. He was also sorted into Gryffindor house at this time. It was during this year that Potter first joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team as seeker, found by Professor Minerva McGonagall, officially making him the youngest quidditch player in a century. Many compared Potter to his father, another Gryffindor player known for his quidditch prowess. James Potter, however, was a chaser unlike his son. On October 31st of this year, Potter, Weasley, and Granger took down a fully grown mountain troll which had gotten into the castle. This sort of victory was unheard of for children of this age.

In June of 1992, Potter once again took on Riddle, then possessing Hogwarts professor Quirinus Quirrell, and once again came out triumphant. He also prevented the rare Philosopher’s Stone from falling into the hands of one of the most evil wizards of all time.

In September of 1992, Potter began his second year at Hogwarts. It was this year in which Potter first showed his ability to speak parseltongue, an ability widely known to be a trait unique to ancestors of Salazar Slytherin himself. On May 29, 1993 Potter discovered the rumored Chamber of Secrets within Hogwarts castle and slayed the basilisk lurking within. He saved Ginevra Weasley from the beast at this time.

In September of 1993, Potter began his third year at Hogwarts. In June of this year , he came out with a tale many would later learn to be true – that his Godfather, Sirius Black, was innocent and a wizard long believed to be dead, Peter Pettigrew, was alive and attempting to assist the dark lord. The minister at this time, Cornelius Fudge, did not believe Potter and instead ordered the Azkaban dementors patrolling Hogwarts to give Sirius Black “the kiss”. Black escaped, and many believe that 13-year-old Potter had something to do with it.

In August of 1994, Potter attended the Quidditch world cup with wizarding family the Weasleys (with whom he has been known to be incredibly close). Many remember the mayhem that broke out at this cup, with supporters of Riddle torturing muggles and ending the celebrations prematurely. In September of this year, Potter began his fourth year at Hogwarts. In October 1994, Potter was chosen as a fourth champion for the Triwizard Tournament, which had never happened previously. It was later discovered that a follower of Riddle had tricked the Goblet of Fire into accepting Potter under a fourth, fake, school. Potter took part in all three tasks of the tournament. The first task had been to recover a golden egg from a live dragon. Potter used his flying prowess and charm work to retrieve the egg from a Hungarian Horntail. The second task took place in the lake at Hogwarts, where Potter notoriously waited until all of the champions’ loved ones were saved, at risk to his own score, before completing the challenge. The final task (taking place June 24, 1995) is most well-known of all Triwizard Tasks in history. This took place in a maze created by the ministry, and Potter came out triumphant, however what makes this most well known is the death of student and champion Cedric Diggory. Potter claimed that his death had been caused by Peter Pettigrew during a ritual to bring back the dark wizard Riddle to full strength, in a graveyard in Little Hangleton. Potter claimed to have once again faced and triumphed over Riddle. At the time, many did not believe him, and the ministry condemned this story, however it was later found to be true. It was also during this year that Daily Prophet writer Rita Skeeter had taken an interest in him for the first time.

During the summer of 1995, the Ministry of Magic began a smear campaign against Potter and Hogwarts Headmaster of the time, Albus Dumbledore. They advised the wizarding community that Potter and Dumbledore were not being truthful regarding the return of Riddle. In August of 1995, two dementors attacked Potter and his muggle cousin, causing Potter to cast a Patronus charm and subsequently earning him a hearing at the Ministry. This is notable, as dementors typically did not leave Azkaban except on Ministry orders and did not venture into muggle territory. It was also unheard of for an underage wizard to receive a full criminal trial before the Wizengamot for use of underage magic. At the hearing on August 12, it was discovered that Potter was able to cast a corporeal patronus  in the shape of a stag, and had been able to since his third year at Hogwarts, due to the tutelage of Remus Lupin. Potter was found innocent and cleared of all charges at this hearing.

In September of that year, Potter began his fifth year at Hogwarts, famously clashing with Ministry official Dolores Umbridge, the newly appointed High Inquisitor of Hogwarts (a new position). Potter was reportedly in trouble a majority of the school year. During this year, Potter also gave his famous one on one interview with Rita Skeeter for magazine The Quibbler, detailing his tale of the events that had taken place in the Little Hangleton graveyard the previous year. In June of 1996 he traveled to the ministry with fellow Gryffindor fifth years Neville Longbottom (son of well-known aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom ), Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger; and fourth years Ginny Weasley (Gryffindor) and Luna Lovegood (Ravenclaw). There is still much that is unconfirmed about the 1996 Battle at the Ministry of Magic, however it is believed that Potter and friends traveled to the famed Hall of Prophecies, destroying the entirety of its contents. They battled many confirmed Death Eaters, such as Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, and ultimately ended up in the main hall of the Ministry. At this time, Albus Dumbledore arrived and assisted Potter in once again taking down Riddle, now confirmed to be back as he was witnessed by multiple ministry employees, including the Minister of Magic himself. During this battle, Sirius Black was notoriously murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange.

In September of 1996, Potter began his sixth year at Hogwarts. He had achieved enough OWLs to pursue classes pertaining to his dream of becoming an auror for the ministry and began taking the classes he would need to reach this lofty goal. His romance with future wife, Ginevra Weasley, also began in this year. On June 30, 1997, the Battle of the Astronomy Tower took place. Potter and Dumbledore had been off campus and arrived back to the school after Death Eaters had already infiltrated it. Dumbledore was famously killed at this point, in the astronomy tower by Professor Severus Snape. Potter was there, hidden underneath his famous invisibility cloak and trapped by a body bind curse. He had been the one who confirmed Dumbledore’s murderer to be Snape. This battle yielded no other professor or student deaths; however, it was a huge blow to security and trust in the school. This also marked the beginning of the rise of the Death Eaters within the Ministry and Hogwarts. Potter attended Dumbledore’s funeral, before returning to his muggle family one last time.

During the summer of 1997, Potter left his family’s home in Little Whinging and on July 27, the Battle of Little Whinging took place in the skies above his childhood home. Well known auror Mad-Eye Moody was murdered during this battle. Potter returned to a safe location and remained hidden for quite some time. It was later confirmed that he attended the wedding of Bill and Fleur Weasley on August 1, under a disguise. It was also on this day that the Ministry of Magic fell, and Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger went on the run. It is unknown exactly what trio were doing for a majority of the time they were underground, but they were rumored to be seen at Malfoy Manor around Easter 1998, and were confirmed to be at Gringotts Bank on May 1, 1998. The “Golden Trio” broke into a vault and escaped upon the back of a dragon, next being seen at the Battle of Hogwarts. The Battle of Hogwarts took place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on May 2, 1988. This battle was one of the most devastating battles of modern wizarding history, most notable not only because of its death count, but because of how many young witches and wizards were lost on this day. Notable among them were Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Fred Weasley, all of whom were considered family by Potter. Potter once again faced death at the hands of Riddle, and once again survived the killing curse, making him the only wizard alive to survive the killing curse, not just once, but twice. Ultimately, Potter faced Riddle in a duel, admitting to the crowd that he had been hunting horcruxes (incredibly dark magic, we highly discourage readers from reading about these items), that Riddle has presumably made. He also stated that he was the owner of the much-coveted elder wand, a wand rumored to be one of the three “deathly hallows” referred to in the children’s tale “The Three Brothers” by Beedle the Bard. As the sun rose that morning, Potter cast his most famous spell, Expelliarmus, and defeated Tom Riddle once and for all.

He has since become an accomplished auror, married Ginevra Weasley, and had three children – James, Albus, and Lily Potter.

Information obtained from:

www.wizardingworld.com

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/

Harry Potter Books 1-7

Portrait from:

https://xla-hainex.tumblr.com/

[fandom-oracle]

It's funny you brought in examples from Harry Potter because it's actually one of the best examples of this balance between redeemability/relatability/utter evil villains in the media I consume.

Most of the antagonists in Harry Potter are written in a way that you can understand where they come from, why are they doing what they're doing. By that, I mean people like Cornelius Fudge, Barty Crouch Sr, Percy Weasley sometimes, and Peter Pettigrew, and even Gilderoy Lockhart. They're figures whose "villain" status is even debatable ina few circumstances. Their sins are pride, incompetence, cowardice and selfishness, but nothing that they do is incredibly outlandish. You can easily think of yourself in their situations. They're people who became villains because of the circumstances they were in and their lack of moral fiber to stand against these circumstances. They're your neighbor, your dad, your friend from school. They're real people in unreal situations.

Then you have the second shade of Harry Potter villain which became really popular in the latter books, which focus on how backstories and social circumstances shape a person. In this category you have Snape, Draco Malfoy and others. They're villains whose motivations are based on their childhood and how it shaped them. In Snape's case it's a childhood filled with abuse and in Draco's case it's a childhood filled with unrealistic social expectations and bigotry. They're very... bland nowadays. Not much to talk about. They're meant to be relatable without being //uncomfortable// because while you can relate to their pain, most of the audience hasn't been exposed to that type of situation so we're not forced to think about it too hard, and as a consequence they're generally more likeable than the first type of antagonist. (I'm very much anti-Snape so this is based on Rowling's interpretation of the character, not mine)

Then you have the Death Eaters, the stereotypical black-clad villain cult filled with blood supremacists and bigots from all walks of life. They're not meant to be relatable, but they were amazing antagonists. You love to hate them, to see them being graciously defeated by the heroes. Seeing them onscreen , their villainy can be enjoyable or entertaining.

Tom Riddle is somewhere between these last two categories. He's not evil as a consequence of his backstory, but you can't help but understand how the specific forms of evil he perpetuates were shaped by his childhood.

Then you have this bitch.

She's not meant to be relatable or likeable. She's not the villain you love to hate. She's just. Ugh. You don't wanna see her onscreen. She's the "measuring tape" that allows you to know what's evil and what's not, and it's in comparison to her that the redeemability and relatability of other villains needs to be measured against. She's what makes all the other villains look more bearable and likeable, and all stories need a figure like that. The best ones always have their own Umbridge.

This idea that people should never relate to villains is so bizarre to me? Like? A villain that’s 0% relatable is a failed villain because part of the horror of villains is the way you see the steps that led them to where they are. 

A good villain should leave you wondering what, exactly, separates you and the protagonist from them. A good villain should make you feel empathy, should make you understand how they got to be where they are, should be a little bit uncomfortably close-to-home. That’s what makes villains interesting