#cup horcrux

[aethon-recs]

Themed Rec List | Tomarrymort Recs by Horcrux ⚡👑🏆🔒💍

I wanted to put together a rec list of Harry/Tom fics with a core focus on horcruxes outside of Diary Tom (the most popular horcrux) and Voldemort himself. Please enjoy these 22 fics that feature one of Tom's horcruxes and their special relationship with Harry.

There’s a ton of interesting variation that can be explored within a Harry and horcrux Tom ship — from where the horcruxes are located and when Harry can conceivably meet them in canon (for example, the Cup horcrux is harder to access than the others); to what age they were made by Voldemort and how that would shape their personalities and interactions with Harry; to the different magical properties that they might embody, depending on the vessel that was chosen.

Finally, it looks like Scarcrux and Locket are the most popular choices (after Diary Tom), and we absolutely need more Cup horcrux fics!

*

⚡ Scarcrux

Amensalism by @cindle-writes (E, 6k, complete)

Scarcrux becomes sentient after the encounter in the Ministry in Harry's 5th year and takes Harry for an adventure.

Bolide by @vdoshu (T, 3k, complete)

On October 31, 1981, a tiny piece of soul attaches himself to Harry Potter in order to survive. This is his story.

Creatures of the Dark we are by @hikarimeroperiddle (M, 28k, complete)

Banished to his cupboard at age 4, Harry learns to listen only to the Voice in his head. Its teachings warp all Harry could have become until no more than dark magic and devotion remains. Visions of a wraith with red eyes complicate matters, especially when Harry and the Voice follow it to Hogwarts so Master can get his hands on the Philosopher’s stone.

Eulogy by @meles-merrivale (E, 6k, complete)

You run through the things you have to do for the day. It is, admittedly, a very short list. Wake up. Be clean. Be ready. An empty life, some might call it. You don’t. It is the life He has given you, and so it is what you deserve.

last rites by @cindle-writes (E, 5k, complete)

Harry has an hour before he walks to his death in the Forbidden Forest. The horcrux in Harry’s scar decides to take matters into its own hands.

Look at me. by @crowcrowcrowthing (M, 1k, complete)

A dark night of the soul.

Pitch Black by @kagariasuha (E, 2k, complete)

The proximity of Horcruxes can influence anyone - especially Harry.

sandpaper kisses, paper cut bliss by @xodahafez (E, 27k, WIP)

Harry Potter survives the Killing Curse, but so does the horcrux within him. And this horcrux has been dangerously infatuated with Harry for seventeen years.

saw you in a dream by @duplicitywrites (E, 2k, complete)

Harry has had this dream before.

*

👑 Diadem

A peculiar way of fitting together by @being-luminous (T, 2k, complete)

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m wearing a diadem?”

Dance Me On and On by @duplicitywrites (E, 19k, complete)

In his first year at Hogwarts, Harry overhears Quirrell interrogating Binns about an artifact from over a thousand years ago. Five years later, Harry uncovers Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Room of Requirement and finds himself pulled into a kingdom in the throes of a mysterious masquerade ball.

In Just a Moment, You’ll Be Mine by @dividawrites (E, 34k, WIP)

Tom has been stuck inside the Ravenclaw's Diadem for decades, alone, with nothing but his slowly fading memories. One day he feels a pull towards someone and gets interested. And then he gets obsessed.

Death is not an Escape by @whitepinkdandelions (T, 2k, complete)

The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw is full of endless wisdom, so it only makes sense that it gets its hooks into Harry much faster than the rest of them.

*

🏆 Cup

Thirst by @obsidianpen (E, 27k, complete)

Things go awry when the trio beaks into Gringotts. Harry finds himself trapped, locked in the Lestrange vault, wandless and alone... With a horcrux.

*

🔒 Locket

Arson by @rudehellion (M, 8k, complete)

The hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes is going poorly. In need of some space to think, Harry offers to take the first watch over camp and slips out into the snowy night. Unable to shake his dark thoughts, Harry finds himself drifting and he begins to dream. What he sees changes everything.

knock it off (part 1) / crave gets slaked (part 2) by @theonceandfuturequeenoftarts (E, 6k, complete)

At some point during Harry's time with the Dursleys, pain got crossed with affection. A kick from Dudley or having his arm yanked by Uncle Vernon at least means they’re acknowledging his existence. It’s not love, but it’s something. Too bad for Harry he carries that through to his less dysfunctional relationships.

The Cost by Blood_Stained_Fingers (M, 8k, complete)

The cost of making a horcrux was steep and when Voldemort manages to kill Harry, destroying the horcrux within, Harry finds out the exact price of losing a piece of your soul. It made a cruel joke that if Voldemort loved his horcruxes, Harry should love them too.

The Dead of Night by @cybrid (E, 6k, complete)

An empty house. A glint of gold. A dream. Or: running away from Privet Drive goes terribly for Harry.

The Ties That Bind by @mosiva (E, 8k, complete)

Harry finds the locket at Grimmauld Place, but it has a curse laid on it. When Harry triggers it, he finds himself trapped with the locket version of Tom Riddle, both of them stuck within the enchantment until they can find the way out. Or so Harry thinks.

Whole by Emriel (E, 20k, complete)

The horcrux hunt goes wrong and Harry fails to destroy the locket horcrux. Tom Riddle hands him over to the Dark Lord as a present for they know he holds part of their soul. In their care, Harry learns that feelings, no matter how toxic, are hard to get rid off.

*

💍 Ring

Personal Assistant by @phantomato (E, 10k, complete)

“And that’s it? I call ‘Tom’ and you show up?” “Yes,” Tom answers.

shelter from the storm by @cindle-writes, @duplicitywrites (E, 7k, complete)

After being left behind by the Dursleys, Harry stumbles upon an empty shack in the middle of nowhere, where he finds a mysterious ring underneath the loose floorboards.

*

[seaskate]

Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup

[lulublack90]

Prompt 28 - Skinny Dip

@jegulus-microfic March 28 Word count 1058

Previous part First part

Regulus woke with his legs tangled with James’s. He’d left a note for his parents telling them they’d had a lead in the assignment Voldemort had given them. In fact, he was certain that Remus was extremely close to their quarry. 

James stirred. He pulled Regulus closer to his body and buried his face in his chest. 

“Mmmmm, I could get used to this.” He peppered kisses all over Regulus’s chest. Regulus didn’t put up any fight, enjoying the moment far too much. 

“Come on. We’d better get up. We have a lot to do today.” He pulled away from James and stretched his whole body, which just brought James right back to him. “James, get off. We have to go.” He giggled as James snuffled into his hair. 

“No, don’t want to. I’m just gonna keep you here in this bed with me.” 

A loud banging at the door soon stopped them.

“Come on, love birds. We’ve got priceless heirlooms to destroy.” Evan called as he banged on Sirius and Remus’s door and his sisters. 

It took a while for all of the Thestrals to gather that morning. But eventually, they were apparating into the caves outside of Hogsmeade. 

They followed the Gryffindors into the forest as they knew where they were going. It had made more sense to go together this way than to walk up to Hagrid’s cabin, seeing as how they’d all ended up at Evan’s last night. 

Regulus held the small chest tightly in his arms. He wasn’t about to lose them now, not after everything they’d been through to get them.

It took less than an hour to get to the part of the forest the Marauders wanted to use. They stopped in an almost perfectly round clearing. You could feel the magic thrumming through the area. It was ancient and swirled around them. Regulus placed the chest in the centre of the grassy circle and unlocked it. The ancient magic reacted to the dark magic within. It became hostile. The forest around them darkened, blocking out what little light there was.

Remus stepped forward, pressing his hands against one of the trees that lined the clearing. Regulus stared in awe as the magic slowly backed off and formed a protective barrier between them and the rest of the forest. 

Remus smiled as he took his hands away from the tree. 

“Thank you.” He whispered. 

“What was that?” Lily asked the question the others must have been thinking. Well, Regulus, Barty and Evan. Everyone else didn’t seem so shocked. 

“Werewolf,” Remus shrugged. “I’m more in tune with the natural magics than most. The forest knows what we have, and it isn’t happy. I told it we have come to destroy them, so the forest is going to keep us contained in here until the Horcruxes are all gone. So please don’t try and pass the border, or you’ll be sorry.” He looked pointedly at Barty when he said the last part. 

Regulus tuned out whatever Barty had replied. He took the Gaunt ring out of the box and laid it on the grass. 

“Are you ready then?” He asked. They immediately formed a circle around him and watched as Regulus poured Basilisk venom from one of the vials onto it. 

A thick black liquid oozed out of it, and a blood-curdling scream. They all ducked for cover, pressing their hands to their ears. But nothing happened. When they looked back, all that was left of the ring was a twisted mass of blackened metal and the stone. Regulus cast a few spells over it. 

“The Horcrux is gone, but I don’t understand why the venom didn’t destroy the stone.” He handed it to James to take care of while he set up the next Horcrux. They could deal with that later. 

Next up was the diary. It reacted much the same as the ring had. There was, however, a lot more of the inky liquid seeping out, as though the notebook had been filled with writing that they just hadn’t been able to see. 

Regulus was glad they’d managed to gather as much Basilisk venom as they had, as it looked like they’d be using most, if not all, of it. 

Hufflepuffs cup twisted and melted into an unrecognisable blob, the fragment of soul shattering and dissolving into nothing. 

He held the diadem in his hands. It was truly beautiful he didn’t want to destroy it. But for the sake of the wizarding world, he had to. 

More Basilisk venom dropped onto the delicate tiara, and it spilt and cracked into three pieces before it melted as the wailing scream pierced their ears again.

Regulus reached into the chest and took out the last Horcrux. The Locket. He placed it on the ground and looked at his friends, who stood around him in a loose circle, pointing their wands at the Horcrux. 

“Last one. Are we ready?” They nodded, and he raised the final vial of venom. But before he could let a single drop fall, the locket opened, and his mother appeared before him. He stumbled backwards, somehow managing not to spill the venom. 

Walburga sneered at him. Her mouth opened, and Regulus knew whatever she was about to say would devastate him. 

Sirius blocked his view, grabbing the vial and pouring the entire thing into the open locket.

“Piss off you evil bitch!” He snarled. Walburga screamed in a vortex of black smoke before vanishing into nothing. The locket was gone. Obliterated by the amount of venom poured on it. 

They’d done it. All the Horcruxes were gone. Shakily, he got to his feet and was barrelled over by his friends as they all whooped and cheered in triumph. 

The forest’s magic let them pass, now happier. It pressed close, almost like a hug, before releasing them. 

They came upon a stream that fed a large pool of water as they walked back to the edge of the forest.

“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m going to skinny dip in that pool!” Barty cried as he vanished his clothes and dove into the clear water. “Come on, it’s refreshing, especially after that madness.” He jabbed his thumb back towards the clearing. The others looked at each other and, after a collective shrug, joined Barty in the pool.   

Next part

[capriddle]

In my opinion, Bellatrix understood perfectly well that Voldemort had created horcruxes, which is why he was so alarmed at the idea that they might take the cup.

[depressedstressedlemonzest]

Now let's toss out whatever the holy grain chalice whatever the fuck this cup is.

And put a really important one here.

Is it a horcrux?

Now that he's alone he can mourn and cry as much as he wants.

The caption reading "sobbing" is killing me.

[naviria]

Idk, I feel like the Hufflepuff's cup Tom gets no love

[aesthetic--mood]

Helga Hufflepuff Aesthetic

[braveclementine]

Chapter 8

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (Please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

"You promise that you're going to be fine?" Severus stressed, watching me get dressed to go out. I had wrapped a red scarf around my neck and was wearing my winter clothes. Remus was snuggled up in Severus' arms as my husband held him. 

"Severus, everything is planned perfectly." I said warmly, making sure to grab my journal and stuck it in my coat pocket. "And besides, even if something were to go wrong, I have my time-turner. I will turn back time if necessary and stop myself. But, it's a last resort and not needed." 

Severus paced as I counted down the minutes. 

"You'll watch Remus while I'm gone?" I asked. I didn't know if he had any Headmaster duties. Not that it mattered, there was no one else to watch him anyways. 

"Of course." Severus muttered. "In any case of emergency I'll call for Dobby." 

"Brilliant idea." I breathed, though there was a stab of pain in my heart for Dobby. I needed to figure out how to save him. I just had to. 

"Alright," I said in an upbeat tone, pushing away any thoughts of death. "I'm ready. It's time. I'll see you later." 

"Mm, see you later." Severus hummed, leaning down and kissing me on the lips. I smiled, and quickly left the headmaster's bedroom. I turned into a cat to leave the office and then padded down and out across the grounds. 

Trang was lurking near the Forbidden Forest and then we slipped out down the path towards Hogsmeade. From there, we would hike up towards the mountain that Sirius had apparated in once, and we would apparate out from there. 

I didn't think we'd stay long. I didn't want to interfere with this future that much, especially since I told them I wouldn't be coming along on the mission. Plus, I still wasn't sure if bringing the food parcel was a good idea; Ron being hungry and cranky seemed rather imperative to the future. Regardless, it was only the one time and there was only a few days worth anyways. 

Trang headed through the village, which was unusually empty. Even Rosmerta's pub was tightly shut and the lights were dim in the lanterns. Passing the Hogsheads, I couldn't help but leap up onto the windowsill, walking along it, but there was no sign of Aberforth. 

Eventually we reached the mountain and we walked under the cover of the shadows. I turned human once more, took Trang's hand, and apparated. 

Hermione, Ron, and Harry were already there in the forest. Harry was hurrying to Hermione and Ron's side, holding a small bottle in his hands. 

"He's fainted." I heard Hermione say and Trang and I hurried over to their sides. Hermione jumped when she saw us and I knelt, putting the food package down next to Harry. "Unstopper it for me, Harry, my hands are shaking." 

Harry did so and Hermione administered the potion to Ron's wounds. I coughed a little as the greenish smoke wafted upwards, bringing a burning smell with it. 

"Wow." Harry said. 

"It's all I feel safe doing." Hermione said. "There are spells that would put him completely right, but I daren't try in case I do them wrong and cause them damage. . . He's lost so much blood already. . ." 

"He'll be okay." I reassured her, not offering to do anything for him. I would leave this be. 

"How did he get hurt? I mean, why are we here? I thought we were going back to Grimmauld Place?" Harry asked, trying to make sense of what was happening. I got up and walked away to Hermione's bag, summoning the tent. With another flourish of my wand, the tent was erect and set up. 

I brought Hermione's bag inside, putting it down on the table and then went back out to get the basket of food. 

"-Charm's protection. Since Dumbledore died, we're Secret-Keppers, so I've given him the secret, haven't I?" Hermione was asking Harry. 

I knelt, picking up the basket, and bringing it into the tent. Trang never strayed far from my side either. 

I worked without a word, making a small lunch. Neither Trang or I would eat their food, but I liked the idea of preparing it for them. It made me want to run with them, but I knew I couldn't. My journey had separated from them. I had a different path that I needed to go down. 

The meal was very simple. Fruit and bread and cheese, but I wanted to make sure that it was a meal that would fill them up easily and keep them full for a while. Plus, they were the perishable items. The others were a few canned items (can opener included just in case). 

As I came back out of the tent to tell the others, I saw Hermione up on her feet, pointing her wand at the sky, murmuring charms out. 

"I made lunch." I said softly, bending down to touch Harry's shoulder. 

"Thanks Liz." Harry said, getting to his feet. We looked over Ron and helped him to his feet, before he walked into the tent. We followed and Hermione came in after us. 

Trang and I settled on the same sofa while the others settled around us.  They ate and I explained what had happened to me after the Death Eaters had come. 

"Why didn't Kreacher tell us?" Harry demanded. 

"I had ordered him not to." I admitted. "In case he had fallen into Death Eaters' hands. I didn't even think about him possibly telling you guys. Guess I should have made a clause." 

"And you're back at Hogwarts now?" Hermione asked, looking at me. I knew what she was thinking, but I didn't answer on that point. 

"I have to get my hands on potion ingredients. Something I saw in the future that-" 

"- you can't tell us about. Like always." Ron said snappishly. 

"Ron." Hermione admonished. 

"It's fine." I shrugged, "And exactly. I can't tell you. I can't even tell you why I can't tell you. You three are instrumental to the future. Telling you the simplest things could alter it completely. 

After a moment of silence, they started to talk about the Ministry. "What d'you reckon happened to the Cattermoles?" 

Trang and I both already knew the fiasco that happened in the Ministry- I had filled her in previously- and so we both had a gist of who the Cattermoles were. 

"With any luck, they'll have got away." Hermione said, "As long as Mr. Cattermole had his wits about him, he'll have transported Mrs. Cattermole by Side-Alone apparition and they'll be fleeing the country right now with their children. That's what Harry told her to do." 

"Blimey, I hope they secaped." Ron said. "I didn't get the feeling Reg Cattermole was all that quick-witted, though, the way everyone was talking to me when I was him. God, I hope they made it. . . If they both end up in Azkaban because of us. . ." 

Well, I thought positively, if they did it would only be for roughly nine months. Hopefully they could last that month if that were the case. I closed my eyes, attempting to look into the future. Finally, I found what seemed to be a letter of sorts: 

I received a letter from Mrs. Cattermole long after the Battle of Hogwarts was over, detailing her intense gratitude for having saved her family's life. She also had a few choice words about my good friend Ron which I will not repeat for fear of indecency. I have, over the years, received various letters from some of the other political prisoners who escaped alongside us that day, most of whom were thankful for my intervention, although I had a few angry howlers from those who insisted I only exacerbated their already perilous situations. My understanding is that many of them were able to blend into the crowd during the chaos of that day until the Floo exits were once again opened, but many were recaptured before they could escape. Mafalda continues to enjoy her employment here at the Ministry (interestingly enough, she mentored Hermione in the laws surrounding the improper use of magic). From what Mafalda has told me, she was clever enough to evacuate the country for a time after she realized that something had gone wrong the day we hexed her. Runcorn, on the other hand, was not quite as shrewd. Once he awoke, he waltzed into the Ministry (still missing most of his clothes, mind you), apparently under the assumption that he was the victim of a burglar, and was almost immediately thrown in Azkaban by his peers for what they deemed "pure incompetence." Under Minister Kingsley's management, no one saw fit to revoke that sentence.

Sincerely, Harry. 

I wasn't sure who Harry had written to, but it made me feel better. Regardless of what happened and who I saved, Hermione and Harry seemed to have made it and both ended up in the Ministry. 

I looked away from the others so that I could clear my mind for a moment. 

"You got it!" Ron's shouting voice made me jolt. "No one tells me anything! Blimey you could have mentioned it!" 

"Well, we were running for our lives from the Death Eaters, weren't we?" Hermione asked defensively. "Here." She pulled the locket out of the pocket of her robes and handed it to Ron. I could picture it in my mind easily. Oval shaped and bronze, wrought with iron. Decorated with green jewels to form the letter 'S'. 

Ron turned it over in his hand and asked eagerly, "There isn't any chance someone's destroyed it since Kreacher had it? I mean, are we sure it's still a Horcrux?" 

"No." I said while Hermione took it back, closing her mouth as she had been going to answer. "If you think back to how destroyed Tom Riddles' Diary was when it was destroyed, well this doesn't look like it's taken an ounce of damage, does it?" 

"I agree." Hermione nodded, turning the locket over in her hand, "There'd be some sign of damage if it had been magically destroyed." Then she passed it over to Harry, who started to look it over the same way the rest of us had. 

"I reckon Kreacher's right." Harry said, which startled me. They had talked to Kreacher about the. . .  ah yes, okay I saw now. "We're going to have to work out how to open this thing before we can destroy it." 

The three of them, and even Trang, glanced over at me, but I pretended not to notice, looking at the table in the tent. It was not time yet. I saw that much. 

As the three of them started to work on opening the locket, Trang and I carefully started to fill them in on some things at Hogwarts. Trang admitted she was going back to classes while I had hidden away. I vaguely made it sound like I wasn't staying in the castle, so I hoped that they made the assumption that I was staying in the Forbidden Forest. 

Ron was relieved- and Harry as well though he hid it better- that Ginny was all right. I also told them that Neville, Luna, and any of the other Gryffindors that I thought they'd want to hear about were okay. I omitted Dean though, knowing they would eventually come across him and I wanted their reactions to stay the same. 

Trang and I got up as it was getting close to dark. Plus, Trang had to turn time back so that she could do her classes and they wouldn't notice that she was missing. Since the time turner could only go back so far, we needed to leave soon. 

We hugged all around and then Trang and I disapparated back to Hogsmeade. 

The trip back up to the castle was fairly easy- we skirted around so that no one saw us. Behind Hagrid's cabin, Trang and I put the chain of the time- turner over our heads and then sent the time backwards  to the exact moment we left the castle. 

After watching Trangs' back leave through the gate, I turned into a cat and we walked up to the castle once more. She darted off to wherever she was supposed to be at the moment and I made my way up to my new home. 

Severus was sitting at the desk, Remus in his lap. I was surprised, but he didn't see surprised to see me. 

"Back so soon?" He questioned. 

"Why would you have Remus out here?" I demanded, appalled and horrified that he would take such a risk. 

Severus pointed to a small device on his desk, which was like a mirror of sorts. It showed him the entrance to the Headmasters office. He would see anyone who was coming in time. 

"And it gives off a small chime." Severus said, standing, cradling Remus in his arms. "He was safe." 

I sighed in relief. "I'm sorry. I just-" 

"No." Severus shook his head, gently maneuvering Remus in his arms so that he could hand him back to me. "I should've asked if you were okay with it." 

I hesitated for a second and then said, "Remus is your son too. If you want him to be out here with you. . . then that's okay." 

"So why are you back?" Severus asked, cheeks pink. I rocked Remus in my arms now. 

"Oh, everything already happened, I just turned back the time so that Trang can redo her classes. She's kind've my spy and contact here, so she can't really disappear." 

"So everything I've already done, I have to do again?" Severus muttered under his breath. 

"Mm, a few differences. I'm here now." I teased, kissing his cheek. "I'll be in the bedroom." 

"I'll see you soon." Severus whispered, kissing me on the lips, and then we parted ways. 

I left Remus on his lap. 

⬅️���️

[ihsnamih]

[birlwrites]

overthinking the order in which the horcruxes were made and hidden

[scripturienting]

teenage tom riddle, the future quasi-immortal dark lord: thank you for your patronage

customer: just put the goods in the bag bro

Tom working at borgin and burkes will never not be funny to me like tjskdkskdksk I've worked customer service jobs since I was 18 and they made me, an otherwise (somewhat) fully functional adult, want to commit acts that violate the geneva convention can you IMAGINE what tom was coming up with for customers he hated? He's already split his soul at that point potentially twice like... there's definitely some bodies buried in the back is all I'm saying

[lightningant]

my beautiful running reference of how i envision tom at each point in his life, under the assumption that each time he split his soul it caused lasting damage to him and/or his magic and he needed to wait a lil bit to do it again

Performed it as soon as possible to confirm to himself he could

Performed the day of his graduation at the height of his byronic angst

Performed as soon as possible because he was about to dodge a murder charge and leave the country. Picked the cup because he didn't want to impulse-horcrux his locket. its special

Performed extremely carefully with the appropriate level of fanfare while agonizingly homesick

Performed while high off dark magic experimentation. got so fucked up he decided he'd save the last one for once he Won

oops

making your snake nursemaid yourself and your baby is the most sane thing for a person to do

[voidhorcrux]

Voldemort: Horcruxes, this is Harry. Treat him well. Diary: Do we have to? He looks fun to mess with. Ring: What's so special about him? Locket: Can I hurt him? Cup: Why do we have to associate with the likes of him? Diadem: Why couldn't you bring someone useful to us? Harry: [slowly getting behind Voldemort] Voldemort: Oh, did I forget to mention? He's also a horcrux. [all of them deviously smile, then suddenly grab and pull Harry towards them] Harry: AHHHHHHHHH!

[tedwardremus]

Ron Weasley had always been Harry Potter’s best friend. From the moment they shared that fateful compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Ron had been Harry’s first confidant, his roommate. They had survived everything together—Voldemort’s terror, a war that had nearly broken them. For years, Ron had been by Harry’s side.

But this morning, as Ron rubbed the sleep from his eyes and trudged down the familiar, creaky stairs of The Burrow, something settled in his chest—a quiet realization that had been creeping up on him for months.

He wasn’t the Weasley who was closest to Harry anymore.

He could hear quiet murmurs from the kitchen. Ginny’s voice, soft and teasing, floated through the air, mingled with Harry’s low chuckle. The sound of it made Ron stop halfway down the stairs, his hand on the banister as he listened, unseen.

They had always been close—Harry and Ginny—but back when Ron had been there, they were something else. Harry had been his best mate first. Ginny was just… well, Ginny. Ron had known about Harry’s most dangerous secrets—about the Horcruxes, the prophecy, everything.

But things were different now. Harry and Ginny had found their way back to each other after the war, a reunion that Ron had barely been around for. He had gone to Australia to retrieve Hermione's parents, then become an Auror alongside Harry. Sure, they were still partners at work, but outside of it…

He hadn’t been privy to the dozens of letters they’d written each other when Ginny returned to Hogwarts for her final year. He hadn’t been around for their late-night talks or for the dates they snuck during Hogsmeade weekend. Ron had been too busy with Hermione, too wrapped up in his own new chapter.

Ginny was making tea. He watched her pour an absurd amount of sugar into the cup — too much for any reasonable personr. She walked over to the overstuffed chair by the fire, where Harry was sitting, and handed him the mug with a smile that could’ve lit up the entire room.

Ron stared, frozen on the stairs, as the realization hit him like a Bludger to the chest: that disgusting cup of tea was for Harry, and he obviously loved it.

He finished walking down the stairs, the creak of his footstep breaking the quiet moment between them. Ginny glanced up, her eyes sparkling as she waved him over. “Morning, Ron! Want some tea?”

Harry smiled at him, that same warm grin that had always been there, but there was something softer in it now, something reserved for when Ginny was around.

“Morning,” Ron mumbled, forcing a smile as he shuffled into the room. He sat down across from them, watching as Harry leaned into Ginny, their shoulders brushing as they exchanged quiet words.

Ron leaned back in his chair, feeling the warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth, and watched as Ginny playfully nudged Harry with her elbow. They laughed together, Harry’s arm slipping around her shoulders with ease.

Things had changed, but maybe that was how it was supposed to be. Harry had found his family, and Ginny had found her place at the center of it.

Ron still had Hermione, and he still had Harry in his life, even if it wasn’t the same. And somehow, in this moment, with the fire crackling and Ginny’s laughter filling the room, Ron realized that it didn’t need to be.

Harry wasn’t just his best mate anymore. He was family.

And Ron could live with that.

[bridenore]

HD eight year fic recs : 20k to 30k words

Here are a few drarry eight year fic recs that are between 20k and 30k words. Posted in alphabetical order, as always.

You can access my rec lists for eight year fics that have less than 10k words here and between 10k and 20k here.

12 Days of What The Fuck by @bixgirl1 [26k]

When Potter starts paying unusual amounts of attention to Draco as the holidays draw nearer, Draco can’t figure out where it’s coming from—possibly because he’s gone stupid from all the fantastic sex. But what happens when he finds out that there may be another motive behind Potter’s sudden interest? Or: A fic in which Potter is hotter than Draco ever let himself admit, Draco didn’t fill out that fucking form, and Pansy may or may not lose all of her hair.

1,000 Points From Gryffindor by @blithelybonny [25k]

The story of how Harry Potter single-handedly lost Gryffindor the House Cup while attempting to have a “normal” year at Hogwarts. Featuring Harry’s suspicious nature turned up to eleven again, a new DADA teacher who is so not here for Harry’s fame, multiple detentions, Slytherins being sneaky, Hufflepuffs being sneakier, and the mystery of Draco Malfoy’s hoodie because seriously Hermione who gave that to him and is he wearing it just to torment me? This is ridiculous!

Dear Diary by AWickedMemory [20k]

 // This can’t possibly go worse than the last time I kept a diary. // After the war, Harry picks up a journal to write in… and it writes back. Luckily, it’s not a Horcrux on the other end this time.

Don’t mind if I keep your tie (And your heart, babe) by Ingi [21k]

The Eighth year common room has a parrot in it, courtesy of McGonagall and her mad search for interhouse bonding. Most of the time, it’s just there, until one day it repeats “Potter has a damn fine arse.” And the Slytherins know exactly who the parrot’s mimicking… Draco is not amused.

Heartache by @bixgirl1 [25k]

 “Harry doesn’t think about Malfoy anymore.  Not really.  Not intentionally. What if the one person you least expect is the only one who really understands what you’ve gone through?

Hungry by birdsofshore [24k]

The first thing Harry knew about it was when he woke up lying on a bed in the hospital wing, with his arm firmly stuck to the scrawny, milk-white arm of Draco bloody Malfoy. 

Into You by @andithiel [28k]

There were many things that Harry had anticipated when arriving back at Hogwarts for his eighth year. Having his body switched with Draco Malfoy’s was not one of them.

An Issue of Consequence by @faith2wood [20k]

Draco has woken up in an alternate universe. Or he has woken up utterly insane. Nothing else can possibly explain why Harry Potter suddenly seems to think he’s Draco’s boyfriend.

It Takes a Village by Saras_Girl [25k]

Eighth year isn’t exactly going to plan. Harry is definitely not running away, Draco is definitely not impressed, and it’s almost definitely not going to stop raining.

Life is a Twice Written Scroll by lauren3210 [22k]

The new world order hasn’t been kind to Draco and his family, and he wishes it could all be different. So does Harry, although not for the same reasons. But as Draco works to fix the mistakes he made in the past, he finds his reasons for doing so changing in a way he never expected.

The Lip-Lock Jinx  by cassisluna [20k]

It’s a jinx that renders the victim mute, unless he/she serves the purpose of the jinx and kisses the person that they desire. It’s just Harry’s luck that he’s in love with Draco.

Love, Harry by Zzzara [26k]

Harry Potter keeps a huge secret: that scary thing he can’t tell anyone about. Until a mysterious penfriend changes his life, because he keeps a secret, too.

No Greater Victory by @dictacontrion​ [26k]

Back at Hogwarts after the war, a defeated Draco Malfoy is prepared to settle for life’s simpler pleasures: snark, sex, and Slytherin scheming. That is until Pansy, newly in possession of Malfoy Manor, offers to return his ancestral home. Just one condition: he has to win, and break, Harry Potter’s heart to get it. That’s no problem. Draco’s got this situation completely under control. Completely. At least until he doesn’t.

Pensieve For Your Thoughts by @fencer-x  [22k]

Ostracised from the more discerning social circles after the war, Draco decides to spend his final few months at Hogwarts attempting to ingratiate himself with the Boy Wonder in the hopes he might be able to salvage his reputation in the doing. But when has anything involving Draco trying to be Potter’s friend gone right, really?

Project (or Curse?) by venis_envy [21k]

In order to build trust and inter-house unity, the Ministry School Board has designed an obligatory N.E.W.T. project for the eighth year students. Paired off, each team will be assigned a Charmed puffskein and required to share a room with their “families” throughout the term. If they all survive that long.

Recalibrate by Saras_Girl [20k]

Sometimes, you need to step back and think about things from a new perspective. Other times, you’ve just got to open your eyes to what you needed all along. HPDM 8th-year FILTH

Sparks by @annanother-thing [20k]

“I’m sorry,” Draco turned to him, “are we boring you?” Greg looked up. “No, I’m just hungry, and you’re taking far too long to just tell them that you and Potter are soulmates. Do you have to be this dramatic?” There was a moment of silence, before all hell broke loose. Harry didn’t know soulmates existed until he was fourteen. He wasn’t sure what he imagined it would be like, but he knew it wasn’t this. But that’s not to say he didn’t like it.

Strange Bathfellows by @bixgirl1  [27k]

It started with a bath.  Or a potions accident.  Or maybe it started before that, but who can tell anymore.   Featuring: Uncomfortable wanking, more comfortable wanking, mutual wanking, bath sharing, inappropriate betting, secret shagging, those secrets at Hogwarts that everyone knows, and oblivious Harry who knows one thing: he’s falling in love.

Symbiosis by fireflavored [20k]

sym·bi·o·sis (sĩm'b��-ō'sĩs) n. Biology A close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member.

Then Comes a Mist and a Weeping Rain by @faith2wood [21k]

It always rains for Draco Malfoy. Metaphorically. And literally. Ever since he had accidentally Conjured a cloud. A cloud that’s ever so cross.

The Ties That Bind Us by @faith2wood [27k]

An accident leaves Draco and Harry bound tightly together. Literally.

Two Wands Make a Right by dannyfranx [21k]

Harry’s wand is playing up and Hermione thinks she knows the answer, but why does she have to be right all the time, why does Draco Malfoy have to be so god damn difficult and why is he wearing his tie backwards?

Your Destiny, My Destination by valinorean [20k]

Life is a series of events that shape your past and determine your future. Ten years after the war, Head Auror Harry Potter accidentally travelled back in time where he met 18-year-old Draco Malfoy.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Secrets of the Darkest Art: How to Make a Horcrux

So I saw many theories regarding how to make a Horcrux, but none of them really made perfect sense to me, so I decided to give it a crack myself as part of my mission to understand Lord Voldemort/Tom Marvolo Riddle (Which I think I did, big post coming about that at some point, this is but another piece of that puzzle of a man)

So this is my reverse engineering of a ritual to create Horcruxes based on book evidence, my knowledge of real-world alchemy, real-world ancient Greek cults and rituals and linguistic analysis.

How to reverse engineering a dark magical ritual:

The first thing is to define what we know for certain:

The name: "Horcrux"

The creator is an Ancient Greek wizard named Harpo the Foul.

A death is required in the making.

A Horcrux holds a piece of the caster's soul that anchors them to life so they won't die.

I'll actually start with the third point.

How to split a soul?

Both Dumbledore and Slughorn mention murder being required to tear your soul to make a Horcrux, and that never really sat right with me. It magically doesn't make sense and even the canon examples we have for Horcrux murders make this statement iffy.

We have seven examples of murders used to create Horcruxs (thanks to one Tom Riddle being dramatic):

The Diary - Myrtle Warren - killed by a basilisk. Sure, Tom freed the Basilisk, but it hardly seemed targeted at Myrtle specifically and you can argue he didn't actually kill her (more a manslaughter by negligence). He didn't cast the spell, so how come this tore his soul? (I also think Myrtle was an accident and wasn't meant to be killed, but I digress)

The Ring - his father (Tom Riddle Sr) - Avada Kadevra.

The Cup - Hepzibah Smith - she was poisoned by her house elf. Sure, the elf was under the imperious, but it wasn't a first-degree murder, and like with the Basilisk I find it hard to consider this the same as casting a killing curse. Magically those are very different things.

The Locket - Muggle Tramp - Avada Kadevra

The Diadem - Albanian Peasant - Avada Kadevra

Harry Potter - himself - backfired Avada Kadevra

Nagini - Bertha Jorkins - Avada Kadevra

Now, I used the term "magically different" or "magically make sense" what do I mean by that?

Well, besides the fact I'm going to make a full post about how I see magical theory in the Harry Potter Wizarding World, I'll say it takes a lot after occult philosophies from Alchemy that are very old, Slughorn mentions as much in book 6 and there are a few other references to it. I'm just gonna cover the basics required for this theory.

In Alchemy, everything (people, animals, plants, and rocks) is built of three base components:

The Salt - the body - the physical form.

The Sulfur - the soul - the self that holds the divine flame.

The Mercury - the spirit - the life essence that binds the salt and sulfur together.

Now, in Alchemy, the main study is in purifying and combining these different aspects of material. Let's look at a herb, for an example:

If we want to retrieve its salt, we'll dry the herb completely using fire to leave behind a fine light grey ash that represents only the physical form.

If we wanted its mercury we'd distill all liquids from it until we get a purified, clear liquid which in the case of plants would be alcohol (it's why alcohol is referred to as "spirit").

And if we wanted its soul, we would take the remains from the distillation and drying process which would be a kind of oil.

(it can get more complicated with different materials, but this isn't a post about Alchemy)

Now, back to Horcruxs.

So, if we would want to split a soul, Alchemecly, how do we go about it?

Well, we don't. Not really. See a soul can't really be split, as every part of it, every bit of that oil from our random herb represents the entire soul. It's why something like a Horcrux could theoretically work in giving a full life to the diary the way we see in Chamber of Secrets.

Additionally, to work with any material in Alchemy, you are required to purify it first. It means that to get a piece of soul to bind to a diary, you need a pure soul.

Killing someone else won't sever your own soul from the spirit and the body, it's not how this works. Killing someone severs their spirit and therefore splits their body, spirit, and soul. Besides, an Ancient Greek man, like Herpo was, would hardly consider murder as vile as we do today. It wouldn't even cross his mind that any murder (even an indirect one) could harm one's own soul.

No, the only way to "split" a soul is to first sever it from life, disconnecting the bond between soul and body. Essentially, the only way to promise you immortality is to kill yourself.

I know it sounds a little confusing, but, essentially, once the soul is severed from the spirit and body you can split it. Think of the herbal oil, once you have the oil, separate from the rest of the plant parts, you can combine it with new ingredients. You can only work on a specific aspect once you severed it from the other two and as what binds all three together is spirit — life — the only way to do it for a human soul — is death.

But really, how?

Well, here comes the second thing we know about making Horcruxs — that dear Herpo was from Ancient Greece.

In Ancient Greece they had multiple different religious cults, some of which were Chthonic cults. These cults dedicated themselves to death or ditties and heroes associated with death and more importantly — rebirth.

Many of these cults were dedicated to figures like Orpheus, Dionysus, and Persephone, characters in mythology who are known for going through the underworld — through death — and coming back out. These cults were very secretive and not much is known about their practices, but some are.

What is known is that they had rituals where they reenacted a death and then rebirth (usually drinking wine — water of life, was the representation of rebirth).

This created a very clear idea in my head — to split a soul, you'll have to ritualistically, magically kill yourself, severe a piece of your soul, and then revive yourself with a water of life — a potion.

This potion is never mentioned, but I believe it exists due to these Chthonic cult rituals and how they were structured. Not only that, but the Greek underworld did have a river known for being incredibly painful to drink, literally made of fire, but being able to bring the dead back - The Phlegethon River.

Note: Lethe River Water (the river in the Greek Underworld that makes the drinker forget) is a canon ingredient in a Forgetfulness Potion.

So what is the dead body for?

Well, congratulations, you killed yourself to retrieve a sliver of your soul and revived yourself so you won't stay dead. You found an item you can keep secure to tie that sliver of soul, too. Now, how would you bind then? After all, the only thing meant to bind a human soul to a body is a human spirit - a human life... you get where I'm going with this.

This is why Tom didn't have to be the one to do the deed. As long as he had a recently deceased corpse to harvest the life from to use to bind his newly split soul and the item of his choice.

It explains why nothing was missing from the bodies. Myrtle and the Riddles were investigated by the Ministry of Magic. One would assume the Aurors would've noticed if any corpse was missing a hand due to the killer eating it (as other Horcrux theories suggest).

Not only was nothing missing from the body, the soul was intact. Myrtle became a ghost after death, a ghost is quite literally, just the soul, no body, no spirit.

So the only thing that was taken from Tom's victims was their life, quite literally at that.

Is that all? Can we make a Horcrux now?

Not really. See, when analyzing spells in Harry Potter, one thing super important to note is their name.

Avada Kadevra - is a reference to an Aramaic healing spell "Abracadabra" pronounced in Aramaic as: "Avra Kadebra" and meaning "I will create as commanded". Merged with the Latin word "cadaver" meaning "corpse" to create -> "I will create dead bodies as commanded"

Or Wingardium Laviosa - is a cross of the English word "wing", the Latin word "arduus" (meaning "high, tall, lofty, steep, proudly elevated"), or "arduum" (meaning "steep place, the steep" and the Latin word "levo" (meaning to "raise, lift up"). So together the spell means -> "lift high up".

So, it's pretty clear spells, their names, and incantations are very self-explanatory. So a Horcrux should be no different.

I've seen some attempts at translating the name Horcrux. Unfortunately, these attempts treated the name as Latin, modern Greek, or Old English. Herpo, was Ancient Greek, though, so I went and translated a few possible meanings from Ancient Greek (Classical Greek and Homeric Greek are what I looked at):

ὅρκος (orkus, pronounced "hor-kus") - an oath, the object by which one swears, bound by oath (still used in modern Greek).

κρόκες (crukes, pronounced "cru-kes") - saffron-colored (blood red in Greek), crocus flower. The crocus flower symbolizes both death (the saffron that is the spice) and rebirth (the golden crocus which brings renewal and joy) because Demeter wears them when Persephone returns from the underworld in myth.

So what we have is a spell called "binding oath of death and rebirth" which all around sounds fitting.

There might also be a "made in blood" tucked at the end due to the association of κρόκες with the color of blood.

But why does it matter?

Well, now with this name, I expect the binding between the spirit from the victim, the split soul, and the item would be done in a sort of oath - an orkus.

The association with blood gives us another hint. Blood is the part of the human body most representative of life. Therefore, in Alchemy, your blood is your spirit. So it'll make sense that your own blood would be used in the binding process or more correctly in the process of turning another person's spirit into your own. Making the thread to bind the body (item) and the soul piece your own. As it also refers to just a red firey color, it can indicate the Phlagatton potion I hypothesize should be part of the ritual due to how Chthonic rituals usually went, as the Phlagaton river is made of fire.

So we have a general idea of how to make a Horcrux. You need an item of your choice to bind your soul to. You need a life (spirit) harvested from a human that you transformed into being your own using your blood. And you need a piece of your own soul, which you get by killing yourself and then reviving yourself. And you finish it off by binding it all together with an oath.

But how could you make one accidentally?

So, everyone knows Voldemort succeeded in somehow making a Horcrux accidentally, something a lot of theories I saw don't account for. Becouse whatever process you need to go to to make a Horcrux, Voldemort went through all of it the night he died the first time and marked Harry.

All the steps for my method of making a Horcrux were met that night.

The item in qustion is baby Harry, nothing interesting there.

The soul sliver was split the way it always is — through death. Voldemort died, killed by his own killing curse and that is what splits his soul.

The life or spirit that then binds his soul to Harry isn't Lily's spirit or James'; it's his own spirit that acts as a binder between Harry and Voldemort’s split soul. Because the spirit was already his, there was no need to transform it by blood so the additional ritual wasn't necessary.

Step-by-step guide to making Horcruxes:

I'm not going to actually give the full step-by-step least a budging dark lord is looking for this information. I do have notes about exact incantations and even the full recipe and instructions for the Phlagaton potion I'm going to mention. These instructions won't be here since they are more in the realm of speculation and headcanon. This is just the overview of the ritual based on canon information and the occult philosophy I mentioned above. (edit: the full step-by-step headcanon with my potion recipe and everything does appear in the reblogs)

Step 1 - Life and Blood

Get access to a recently deceased human and extract their Mercury (Spirit or Life Essence).

Submerge the retrieved life essence with your own blood on a new moon (life and vitality). (7 drops of blood will probably do)

Step 2 - Water of Fire

To complete the cycle of death and rebirth you’ll need the Phlegeton Water potion to return you to life at the end of the cycle.

As you brew the potion, it must be brewed in a dark room, preferably underground to remind as much of the underworld as possible.

While brewing the potion one must be in the mindset of the Phlegeton, must be willing to go through agony to achieve eternal life and imbue these thoughts in their potion. (In alchemy, when working, it is believed you imbue your work with your thoughts during the Alchemical process. As an Alchemical process affects both the material being worked and the Alchemist themselves)

Likley Ingrediants:

Saffron spice

Golden crocus flower juice

Pomegranate juice

Step 3 - The Ritual Preparation

Set up your space so none of the components may escape the ritual space and so the ritual will not be interfered with.

Make sure the spirit you retrieved is within reach.

Make sure the item you desire will hold the Horcrux will be within reach as well.

Coax the spirit into the item and prepare it to tie your soul to the next step.

Step 4 - Death and Rebirth

To create a thread of your soul to tie to the ritual, you must die figuratively. Go through death to return stronger from the underworld.

Once you feel like death has reached you and your soul is separated you should heal your soul and finish the cycle, bringing you out of death and back to life by drinking the Phlegeton potion.

After the pain subsides you will feel healthier than before, stronger than before, and you’ll have an additional thread of sulfur (soul) in your chest to be pulled out and placed into the Horcrux.

The split-off soul should, on its own, try to search for life and a body to be bound to. If it doesn't, coax it out yourself and bind it to the Horcrux with the spirit you made in step 1.

Step 5 - Oath of Life

The connection between the body (the item), soul, and spirit is still unstable, if most likely strong enough to hold.

Swear the oath of life to finalize the bond between you, the Horcrux, and the soul thread together to ward off death.

I'll end with this note I made regarding Horcruxes when I started working on this theory:

I don't know what all goes into the process of making a Horcrux but I don't believe a person who truly likes themselves and doesn't want to inflict pain on themselves could make a Horcrux. Tearing up your soul is an act of arrogance above nature, sure, thinking you deserve to change the laws of the world and be the exception is part of it, but it's also an act of self-hatred. You need to hate yourself enough to be willing to kill yourself, hurt yourself, and tear yourself up in the most unnatural ways — hence why so few can do so, let alone more than once.

And Tom Riddle does seem to have that exact mix of arrogance, spite, and low self-esteem that would allow it.