#dumbeldore speech

[uefb]

Hey, so I just watched the third Fantastic Beasts movie and I was wondering if you noticed any autistic traits of Newt's in that one? I remember spotting so many in the first two, so I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to find anything new this time. (Honestly, it felt like there wasn't much character exploration at all with Newt, except maybe at the very end?)

Hi, beanwood! Thanks for the ask. It’s interesting you noticed this! Because I will admit that I noticed less of Newt’s autistic qualities in the 3rd film myself (though I did notice some!). I think there are a number of reasons for this decrease — in fact, it is something @afrenchaugurey and I have discussed quite a few times actually! I’ll go into that later. First I’ll share what I did notice (from memory), when viewing Newt through an autistic lens as an autistic & neurodivergent person watching Secrets of Dumbledore (SOD/FB3).

(I’d like to apologise in advance for some language that might not be fully autistic-affirming moving forward. While I am autistic myself, I am also a researcher in fields that have traditionally pathologised autistic traits, and my language unintentionally reflects my training on occasion. Unfortunately, I currently do not have the spoons to go through and ensure that everything sounds appropriate. I therefore appreciate your understanding and patience.)

Anyway, while I agree with you that there are less autistic traits than in previous films, below are some arguably autistic traits or co-occurring indicators (based on my own experience and knowledge of clinical & empirical research) that I noticed! (Though these are not exactly new, which is what you may have been hoping for.)

Newt does stim quite a bit in the SOD/FB3, though it is subtle, mostly relegated to his coat pockets and consistent but very slight rocking/fidgeting/re-adjusting. You can see a rather crappy TikTok video (as I wasn’t doing edits on my computer yet) I made a few years ago (on an acct that is no longer active) highlighting Newt’s exceptionally subtle stimming in the first hour of FB3 here.

Newt continues to avoid eye contact during both one-on-one interactions and when addressing groups.

Newt does not always seem to notice subtle emotional nuances or jokes in group settings.

Newt seems, reasonably, attached to his case when Bunty takes it from him, even wordlessly asking Dumbeldore about it with a hand motion at one point. This could be interpreted as his case being a fixture of routine or comfort, common in autistic folks.

Newt’s flat affect, in this film, seems to be somewhat of a a boon to interacting with high-profile officials, as he seems somewhat unbothered by the high stakes of the situations and the potential social & political risks of simply walking up to — say — Herr Vogel, for example.

Additionally — regarding special interest — his hyperfocus on his creatures while talking with Theseus’ jailer in the Erkstag seems out-of-step with what one might expect from someone about to walk into a pseudo-authoritarian prison setting.

When Newt finds Theseus in the Erkstag, he answers Theseus’ questions about the creature situation by somewhat info-dumping about a laboratory experiment he’d conducted on creature behaviour to explain his reasoning. He seems not to entirely notice that that response probably wasn’t that reassuring to Theseus at all.

Newt does not reciprocate social interactions on several occasions — he misses his brother Theseus’ social cues in the first big group scene; he does not verbally reply to several characters in the films (such as Herr Vogel’s assistant), even when such reciprocal communication (or even basic serve & return) might be expected.

Newt does seem to lose some access to speech under extreme pressure during his back-and-forth with grindelwald about the Qilin twins. (This is reflected more in Redmayne’s performance than the script, IIRC.) While this is typical for many people, it harkens to newt’s earlier characterisations.

Newt utterly misses the loaded communication from Bunty while he has his case open toward the end of the film in Bhutan (when Tina’s picture is visible). Then, Bunty says something in response to Newt saying you don’t know what you have until it’s gone (referring to his case), which was apparently in reference to her own crush on Newt (now that Newt is pretty obviously with Tina). Newt did not seem to clock this comment as anything at all. (…..and, frankly, neither did I. I had to ask my wife to explicitly explain the scene to me after my 4th or so rewatch. I remain clueless and it is lucky I am married, given my utter inability to read romantic nuance.)

So yeah, I agree with you that the last film demonstrates fewer autistic traits consistent with Newt’s behaviour in the first 2 films, apart from those marked final scenes (Tina/newt, newt & dumbledore.) One could argue that the noticeable behaviour in the scene between Tina & Newt outside the bakery is due to either (a) the removal of Newt from a high-stress, goal-focused heist situation into a more intimate personal situation combined with (b) social anxiety manifesting around people he cares deeply about (particularly given his history of miscommunication with Tina), or social anxiety around romantic situations in general. It’s also possible that (c) a heightened sensitivity to physiological cues associated with anxiety or ‘butterflies,’ due to sensory sensitivity affects his behaviour in the Newtina scene — physiological stress (in my anecdotal, personal experience) can make one flustered or struggle with speech, as attention is repeatedly and emphatically and uncomfortably drawn elsewhere in the body. (Or it could be something ENTIRELY different, like a script rewrite or massive editing that jettisoned consistent character development.) But, whatever the case — yes, I agree Newt seems most…. Well… Newt! in his interactions with Tina and Dumbledore at the end of the film.

(Though if you haven’t seen the missing scene of Theseus & Newt between Newt leaving China and Theseus & Newt going to Hogsmeade… That’s rather a treasure trove of autistic-coded Newt, imho!! You can watch it here.)

As for the reasons why this change may have happened… I believe there are a few possibilities…

Personally, I think the fact that Secrets of Dumbledore (SoD/FB3) is structured more like a “heist” film than the earlier FB films plays a big role in that — character development was secondary to plot (which was, admittedly, a bit convoluted).

From an out-of-world (e.g., non-character, non-plot, non-worldbuilding perspective), I think it’s quite possible that Warner Brothers & co. were trying to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. I say this for a few reasons… (a) reactions to Newt as a character back in 2016 and 2018 were as polarised as you would expect for an autistic-coded main character in a mainstream action/adventure series. This might have inspired a shift in characterisation in FB3. Additionally, (b) by 2022, FB3—according to Warner Bro.—needed to be a box office hit. It was affected by Covid filming issues, JKR’s continued inane & controversial comments, actor drama & controversy, and generally non-HP level earnings at the box office for Crimes of Grindelwald/FB2…. Messy! Producers might have thought a less socially awkward/autistic Newt would make it more palatable. I haven’t seen any evidence of producers’ defending newt’s characterisation since the FB2 era. But who knows. This is all guesswork.

However, from an in-universe perspective, some time has passed since CoG/FB2. Based on Lally’s comments in Jacob’s bakery at the beginning of the film, approximately 1 year has passed (1927/8ish?). According to the screenplay, 5 years have passed (1932). (I tend to align myself with the 1932 timeline, due to subtle historical indicators; my own beliefs about Tina & Newt’s different characterisations in FB3; and the lack of lasting impact Leta’s death seems to have on Theseus & Newt by the time FB3 rolls around.) Anyway. I mention the time skip because I think it’s possible that a time skip allows for Newt’s character to minorly shift in a few ways…. (a) It allows Newt to settle into his confidence as a respected magizoologist, as well as gain distance from (i) World War 1 and (ii) young adulthood insecurities — trauma, anxiety, and diminished sense of self and belonging can exacerbate traits of neurodivergence. (b) A time skip additionally — (theoretically) — allows for Newt to become more comfortable with people like Jacob, Theseus, Dumbledore etc. (and for them to become more used to him!), potentially further diminishing Newt’s anxiety or certain autistic traits. Because autistic traits like stimming, for example, often correlate with higher levels of social stress or attempts to manage uncontrollable situations in controllable ways, Newt may rely less on these self-soothing methods because there is frankly less of a need. Conversely…

Newt might also be more self-aware by FB3. He’s in his 30s by now. It’s possible that he’s masking his autistic traits during the middle of the film due to the political environment and high stakes situation in which he is functioning.

Anyway! Long story short, those are my thoughts!!!!! (Hope you actually wanted them, because you tapped into UEFB special interest, infodump mode.) I’m sure there’s more to be said, but that’s all my old brain can do for now. Thanks for the ask, beanwood, and I hope you are well!

Finally, I’m curious: What inspired you to ask me this in particular? Was it my utter flooding of the #autisticNewtScamander tag over the past few years? A particular post? My fics? Byyye.

[remmyswritings]

I couldn’t stop myself from writing this next part yesterday. I’ll be honest I’m not sure how long this series is gonna be but let’s be honest it looks like it’s gonna be a series haha. And I should come up with a title for it now, but I guess that will come to me eventually.

Anyway, thank you again to my bestie for reading this, this morning, I will most likely be writing the next part later today

this is part 2 of my Blaise Zabini x f!reader fic that I posted yesterday! ENJOY :)

part 1 for those of you that are curious

tagging some of my moots @booksmusicteaandanimals @witch-and-a-half @cregan-starks

The feeling had sat in you all summer long, the feeling that darkness was soon going to be invading your life. And yet you hoped, prayed even, that the darkness wouldn’t reach your life at Hogwarts, wouldn’t trespass onto the castle grounds. But as you settled at the Hufflepuff table, your eyes automatically searching for another’s at the Slytherin table, you found yourself staring at the bright pink ensemble standing out at the staff table.

The darkness, you came to realize, did not exist within shades of black or grey or green. No it was represented by a shade of pink that you could only consider horrendous. You tried so hard to move your eyes away, search for the pair that you’d originally hoped to catch, wondering if you would still find the same love staring back at you as they did at the end of the previous year. Dumbeldore started his speech, bringing you out of your stupor, only for that pit of darkness to grow once again as the pink mass began to tut tut her way to Dumbeldore’s stand.

Something about her voice made your face contort into something akin to a mix of pain and annoyance, your eyes finally landing on the one person you thought could make you feel better. Cold, blank eyes stared not only at you, but somehow past you.

You had truly and utterly fucked everything up.

•••

There was no going back now, no pretending that things were ever going to go back to how they were. You couldn’t, because after having revealed your secret to the girls, it seems that your eyes were not the only ones that would search for Zabini’s eyes.

“His eyes were definitely harsh,” Hermione passed you the chocolates that were too far from your grasp, “but there was a second when you were speaking to one of your housemates and I guess you’d laughed at something they said, that I could have sworn he was genuinely sad.”

You shrugged your shoulders, wrapping the thick red blanket further around your body as you contemplated the consequences of eating the next batch of chocolates in front of you. “Maybe he looked sad ‘Mione, at least for a moment, but I know him and Blaise is past the point of sad with me.”

“How can you be so sure?” Ginny hopped onto the bed, the box of chocolates moving farther away from you in the process. “Have you even spoken to him?”

Your fingers stop inches away from the next bonbon you’d claimed as your victim. You look up at your friends for the first time in what seemed like ages since you’d snuck into the 5th year girls dorm. They don’t need you to respond, the answer is clear as day, no.

A sigh fills the space between the three of you, but it’s hard to tell who it’s from. “I know,” you start slowly, “I know I have to talk to him, but- I mean what do I even say… Sorry for disappearing on you this summer which by the way I can’t provide an explanation for cause I was busy hiding away in an Order stronghold.”

Ginny chuckles slightly at your frustration, she can’t help it, “Maybe not like that.”

“Definitely don’t mention that last bit,” Hermione adds.

You nod. Your lip starts to tremble as a thought pops into your head, “What if this is it? Between Blaise and I, I mean? What if this is just the end?”

The girls shake their heads, “No, no it’s not.”

“It doesn’t end until you say it ends!” Ginny exclaims, her words for some reason making you giggle. The other two smiling at that gentle sound of laughter that’s finally come out of you since you walked into the room.

You nod, a small smile sitting on your lips, “Ok. I’ll have to talk with him then,” you pause, “Tomorrow.”

The girls echo your statement, settling the matter- at least for the rest of the night.

•••

The first week of summer had passed and Blaise finds his happiness dipping more and more as he waits for your letter. You always wrote first, that was just the way your relationship had been- since the beginning, you always made first contact. But Blaise waits patiently, because he’s okay with waiting when it comes to you.

Only a week turns into two, and he considers breaking your unspoken rule, and not just once but multiple times. Yes, his mother and her new fiancée keep him distracted with future wedding plans, and Theo’s and Draco’s letters remind him of coming trips. But at the end of the day and the beginning of the following, his fingers itch to write you a letter, to prompt you to write him a response. But then he remembers why it is that you always wrote first, because summer always meant a new home and therefore a new address.

The weeks turn into a month and the sadness of not hearing from you has settled deep into his gut, ever so slowly hardening itself until it turns into an anger. Anger at you but also not at you, Blaise can never be fully angry with you, he loves you too much, cares too much to be filled only by anger.

Still, it continues to hurt when he doesn’t receive any letter from you. His mind wanders and imagines what scenario you could be in, whether you’re hurt or in danger. And then he stops, because you aren’t like that- you wouldn’t do that, at least not knowingly and you would have to told him. You would have told him everything.

The middle of summer however finally drifts to the end. Hogwarts letters are once again sent out, lists of new books and materials composed and for once he lets himself dream. Because if he got his letter, that means you got yours too, so maybe just maybe you’ll be at Diagon Alley and maybe just maybe you’ll see him and smile that smile you always seem to reserve for him. It won’t fix the cracks that have developed in his heart, but it will coat them, make them not as deep as they were.

If only, if only, if only he knew that none of the young inhabitants of 12 Grimmauld Place made their way to Diagon Alley this year. If only.

But he doesn’t know. And by the time Blaise Zabini makes it onto the train, contemplating stalking the rows and rows of cabins until he finds you, he decides he is done with searching for you.

Blaise might be patient when it comes to you, he isn’t that patient.

•••

First you consider sending him a letter, maybe that will be best, but then the summer memories reappear in your mind and no, no a letter won’t do.

Then a shared class is your next best bet. The possibility of being table mates will make things easier, you suppose. Only it seems every green robe you find fluttering past every doorway isn’t him, and your smile starts to slip.

The days turn to weeks as you contemplate your approach. The girls continue watching you, unasked questions settling into their minds as you merely shake your head at their presence.

You decide by the time the end of the first month approaches that the pink darkness is not helping you at all. Her rules and regulations make you want to scream, but even with the anger you’ve developed towards her, nothing can compete with the emptiness.

Ginny and Hermione continue to care, deciding that even with everything they are doing, they will watch over you. They can’t help it, trying to help you fix whatever it is you have with Blaise, even though you don’t explicitly ask for your help. After all, it’s not their mistake to fix, it’s yours.

By mid-October, however, Ginny is done watching from the sidelines- to be far she’d been done watching from the sidelines since the school year started. But she promised Hermione she’d wait, and wait she did. Weasley’s are stubborn however, and she ever so stubbornly wants you to no longer be empty. So when she finds the perfect time to drag Blaise into an empty classroom with the speed and precision she’s known for, she does so with total success.

Blaise stares at her and then back to the door that has already been locked, his eyes almost showing the shock he feels if it weren’t for the mask he has around basically everyone.

“Look I don’t like you,” she starts, her words echoing sharply within the rooms confines, “but you and I have a mutual friend. A friend who I know is more than a friend to you. A friend who really wants to talk to you but doesn’t know how to talk to you current-”

Blaise cuts in, “What could you possibly know?”

“I know that you love one another,” her voice softens, “and that she’s hurt you- somewhat unintentionally- but still she hurt you and she knows she’s had. And right now she is destroying herself knowing that she’s hurt you.” There’s a pause in her words, “Look I’m not saying you have to forgive her, and we both know she wouldn’t want that either, but can you send her a message or something, because she doesn’t know what to do with herself and as her friend I can’t stand it.”

With a curt nod, Ginny walks to the door, quick to leave until she hears it, “Weasley,” she turns, “I’ll write to her.”

“Good.” Even with her strength she closes the door softly, not letting anyone in the hallway turn their eyes or ears to the sound of an empty classroom being in use.

•••

Having your last class of the day with the pink monster is decidedly the worst thing about your Fridays. You’re too tired to leave your bed to get dinner, let alone change out of your uniform, and yet when the familiar owl swoops in and settles in its spot on your desk, you find yourself contorting your body to grab the letter in its beak. The owl digs through the treat bowl you keep, not even waiting for your approval to grab a snack, before leaving once again. The only proof that it had even appeared being the letter in your hands.

Your fingers shake as you tear it open, not even bothering to treat the Zabini seal with the respect you typically do, only to find a small slip of paper inside. The disappointment of it not being a proper letter starts to bloom until your brain finally processes the three sentences written down.

Room of Requirement. Tomorrow, 9 am. Please.

[fluffywing-e-tarot]

Hybrid Traits (2)

Part 2

School felt incomplete when Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo walked to the carriages that were pulled by the black skeleton horses. at least their group felt incomplete. The four of them had been going to school since Tommy first showed up on the train all those years ago.

"Where is Purp?" Draco asked climbing into the carriage with them. They had sat apart on the Train. Draco with his Slytherin friends, and the Notorious Gremlins in their own cabin.

"Home." Tubbo said, yawning " got a last-minute thing that needed to be treated."

"Really what happened," Ranboo asked. Tommy wanted to scream. Ranboo's memories should not be a part of the Hybrid trait development.

"RAnboob. don't tell me you're having memory problems," Tommy said in disbelief. facepalming. They had discovered that RAnboo's memory problems were connected to his other half giving Ranboo the selective Memorie problems.

"Ranboo our traits are coming back, "Tubbo said to his husband. Intertwining their fingers. a smile on his face " You were enderwalking again."

RAnboo eyebrow's creased in concentration. He noticed Tommy winces as his back jolted into the carriage. Tommy's back was in agony. again. He groaned for what felt like the Hudrenth time.

"You okay?" Draco asked.

"I'm fine it's just my wings are growing. It hurts like a bitch." Tommy said pinching his shoulder stretching his neck he has started to feel the limbs growing.

The Carriage Ride Draco was acting Irritated by the lack of Purple. But he looked confused when Tubbo started mentioning his craving to eat some cans. Ranboo and Tommy were laughing at the confusion of Draco.

The three of them separated to their selective houses. They were respectful of the House seating arrangement on Important Occasions.

Dumbledore began his usual speech of greeting students to the new year of Hogwarts. Tommy rolled his eyes at Iron as he began to shove food in his mouth the moment the food was in front of them. he piled his plate with all of the delicious variety of food for the meal. Dumbledore got up again to greet the new professor.

hem hem.

Tommy looked around for the Bitch that dare interrupt Dumbledor. Shore the Gremlins didn't trust the Headmaster Authority figure. but the man did gain their trust as they recovered that the Ministry was twenty times worse for denying the claim of Harry and Tommy that Bad V was back. and the one that stood against the denial was Dumbeldore.

Tommy followed Harry's gaze to the Pink Frog at the professor's table.

"She was at My hearing."

Tommy raised a "And your not Dead, exiled or expelled?"

the Gryffindor had gotten used to Tommy's traumatized past. Shrugging of the mention of the Exile.

"It was determined that my Patronus was cast in self-defense. And everyone there agreed with the evidence given." Harry said

"Pog," Tommy said

\○/

Purple arrived at Hogwart a week into the term. His horns curled above his head. Wings tucked awkwardly behind his back. He was in his uniform robe with his purple Hoodie underneath.

"Hay Purple" Tommy

"If you don't have a decent reason to talk to me. Don't" Purple said his violet eyes now slit like a Reptile. Tommy could feel the Ex mercenary's threat of stabbing Tommy.

"Ok, ok bitch dragon Hybrid coming through," Tommy said he knew how growing traits felt like. It was painful and sore after growing them even after the traits came in. Purpeleds senses must be in overdrive as all of Purple's traits came in at once.

Purple walked over to the Slytherin table. All eyes were on Purple and the newly developed Draconic features. Tommy followed behind.

"Wow," Draco said. His eyes focusing on purples Draconic traits in wonder.

"Just a heads up Purp is feeling cranky here so minimal conversation with him is the best."

"I will stab you, "Purple said.

The Slytherin looked between each other. A silent conversation went between them. Draco gave irritated expressions. Rupert and Gregory were sympathetic, Pansy shrugged and giggles grabbing her bag, and left. Tommy watched as the developing Boss Woman left she pulled a wooden sword from her bag.

"I'm not going crazy that Pansy is becoming more of a PvP boss right." Tommy question

"She is," Rupert confirmed.

"Good cause she looks like a Wife Hunter now," Tommy said. Whistling after the Boss woman.

"Tommy if you don't leave now I will use your body heat the entire day," Purple said. Tommy clicked his tongue not sure if he could overpower the dragon Hybrid.

"Fine enjoy being your cold-blooded, Reptile." Tommy mocked.

"EnderDragon Hybrid are a warmblooded idiot." Purpled flipped Tommy a bird.

Tommy rolled his eyes. To return to Tubbo and Ranboo. He was greeted by Tubbo with a headbutt directly to Tommy's head. It knocked Tommy off his feet and onto the ground.

"What the nether man." Tommy looked up

"I am Goat! " Tubbo exclaimed and started running back to his husband.

"Tubbo don't make me get the sponges," Tommy shouted running after him. Tubbo decided to lept into Ranboos arms. Ranboo had been growing taller his trouser legs were showing a large portion of the socks. It was a playful chase from the great hall to their class.

A Father once more

Star Gazing

Hybrid Trait : part 1

[momo-de-avis]

Wait, hold on. There's an entire speech written on a bathroom wall at FCUL signed Dumbledore's Army and I'm just now finding out they're an Actual Known Thing. I thought it was some FCUL harry potter kids trying to sound mature or woke. Wtf

NOPE Dumbeldore's Army is an actual social justice group that puts together rallies and protests and foghts for the rights of women and minorities, as well as free university and healthcare.

And yet, they somehow manage to see all of this through the lens of Harry Potter, and get sincerely upset when people don't take them seriously

I knew someone who belonged to it, back in the day. She was exactly what you expect of someone who would belong to something called Dumbeldore's Army. And yet, too fucking weird to explain

[lawnierose]

“Potter, Harry”

Whispers broke out throughout the Great Hall. All eyes seemed to follow the raven haired boy that walked to the stool. Some staff had waited years for this moment. Students, some of whom grew up hearing about the Boy-Who-Lived, couldn’t believe that they were seeing their hero. Some students had no clue what was going on but were caught up in the moment and begging those around them for an explanation. A few commented that the boy looked fairly small for his age. Minerva Mcgonagall pursed her lips at seeing the child again after ten years apart. She had to hold her typical stoicism, instead of wrapping up the boy she had adopted as her grandchild in her arms. She hated everyday that she had let Albus talk her into leaving him with those muggles. She knew Albus had caused her to forget their address mere moments after they had left the baby behind. Meanwhile, Severus Snape was sneering from where he sat at the head table. All he saw was a child who looked nearly identical to one of his greatest tormentors. A bully who had somehow stolen his first and best friend. He watched curiously as the hat was placed upon the small child.

One minute…

Two minutes…

Five minutes...The boy was a hatstall.

Ten minutes… Murmurs could be heard rumbling all around the Hall.

Twelve minutes… The brim of the hat parted and a collective breath was held.

“Headmaster, Heads of Houses, I need you to bring the child to the antechamber. I will sort the rest then the Deputy Headmistress will bring me to join you.”

There was a cacophony of noise as students had never heard of something like this happening. Minerva silenced the room with a bang from her wand. Pomona Sprout collected the child and escorted them from the Hall. Albus, Severus, and Filius Flitwick followed the pair. Severus turned to Albus with an incredulous look and spoke in hushed tones.

“What is going on, Headmaster? How is the Potter brat already causing problems?”

“Severus, my boy, I can tell you I haven't a clue what is going on. Are you planning to place your old grudge on the boy already?”

Meanwhile, the child was looking around in bewilderment, confusion, but also a begrudging acceptance. The adults in the room paying attention, noticed that Harry’s eyes seemed far older than the eleven years the boy actually was. All four tried to ask him questions but he remained stubbornly silent. Fifteen minutes went by, as they could hear the sorting continue in the other room. They heard Minerva start the feast before she joined them with the Sorting Hat in hand. She set the hat on a table in the room and conjured a comfortable chair. The other professors did the same, but she noticed Harry was still standing so she conjured a second chair by her side and motioned for him to sit. After he did, she turned back to the Hat.

“What is going on?”

“Why were you unable to sort the boy?”

“What in Merlin’s name is the problem?”

All of the adults tried asking their questions at the same time. They promptly shut up as they realized they were nearly shouting over each other. The Hat let out a put upon sigh, and if an inanimate object could glare they could all feel it.

“If you will all be quiet, I will tell you what the devil is going on. The child has multiple individuals in their head. Unlike the last time this happened, exactly twenty years ago, these multiples will not be sorted into one singular house. I regret to inform you that I sensed six individuals. Young Potter must simply be a child of Hogwarts, something that has not happened in two hundred years.”

The five adults sat back in stunned silence. Magical Multiple Disorder was incredibly rare. The person who was referenced from twenty years ago was sitting in the room as one of the heads of houses and knew intimately what caused that particular disorder to arise. Severus and Minerva looked at each other in horror as what the Hat said fully materialized in their minds. Six multiples, that meant Potter had gone through some of the worst abuse one could receive and all before age eleven. As one, they glared at the Headmaster. Minerva was the first to speak, and Albus had gone pale at the sheer loathing he could see in her eyes.

“Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbeldore, give me one good reason I shouldn’t hex you into oblivion right this instant. Explain yourself or I will permanently transfigure you into a cat scratch post.”

“Now dear…”

His response was cut off as a nasty stinging hex hit him in the forehead.

“Don’t you ‘now dear’ me you meddling old goat. You know what, sit there in silence. I am sure young Potter can tell us what we need to know.”

With that the headmaster was hit with four silencing spells of such power he couldn’t break through them. Although, if Albus was being honest with himself he most definitely deserved this. He had obviously failed Harry Potter for the child to arrive with six multiple forms. His eyes widened as he remembered what that truly meant. It was with great effort that he did not vomit as a wave of guilt swept over him. He focused back on everyone else in the room as Minerva asked her first question.

“Harry, do you know what the Hat is talking about? I am so sorry that we weren’t there for you but I promise we will do everything we can to help you. I couldn’t check on you, because this meddlesome man took my memory of where we left you. I wanted so badly to look in on you. Please, will you let us help.”

Harry took a moment to study the faces around him. He saw guilt, concern, anger, and despair, but he was happy that there was no pity. He took a deep breath and as he let it out, he also shifted. The adults gasped as suddenly a near identical twin to the child’s mother stood in front of them now. Severus went pale as a ghost and had to slam his Occlumency shields into place just to stay cognizant.

“Hello, I am Azalea, and I am our Nurturer. Harry is our Face, but he needs a moment. Yes, we know what is going on. After Hagrid took us to Gringotts, we pickpocketed our key and went back in. We met with our account manager and got recommendations for books to help us learn about what we are and the wizarding world in general. Headmaster, you are lucky that you never took money from us or had anything to do with those ridiculous books written about Harry Potter. My relatives are about to be bankrupt, by paying back what you set up to send them for my care. The writers and publishers of those books are also about to meet a lawsuit like they have never seen before.

Obviously, you all seem to know what causes this Disorder. My relatives were the absolute worst sort of Muggles…”

Apparently, Albus hadn’t fully learned his lesson as he finally broke the silencing charms around him. He proved just how senile he was going by daring to interupt Azalea.

“My dear girl, they are your family. You had to stay with them for your own safety.”

He flinched back as a dagger whipped past his nose and buried itself in the wood behind him. He stared wide eyed at the new form in front of him. Where just a moment ago had been a thirteen year old miniature of Lily, now sat a fifteen year old female version of Sirius. She was scarily similar to Andromeda or Bellatrix Black, if either woman had ever delved into muggle goth-punk fashion that is. Black curls ending in blue tips were pulled up into a messy mohawk. The girl was twirling another dagger between her fingers and glaring at Dumbledore.

“Feck off ya ol’ cunt. Safe, ya think ay ‘as safe with dem bloody rat bastards. I was created at four years old. FOUR ya fecking prick! I’s Zoey by the by, the Protector. If youse the bastard lef’ me ‘er, youse jus’ as much at fault. Argh! Fine. Harry wants to speak again.”

“Sorry about that. Zoey is quite aggressive and vulgar, and we would be here all night if I let her continue. As Zoey said, she appeared at the age of four, as did Freak and Jamie, who you will meet momentarily. Jamie is our Child, Freak is the Masochist. There is also Holly, the Slut. She appeared at age nine. Our Uncle decided beatings and starvation weren’t punishment enough. She and Freak are unique in that they would black certain things out for the rest of us. Those memories remain muted to the rest of us. Despite our collective mind, if you want details you will have to request those come forward. Be warned if you do that, we will probably slip into our Child form and need care for the rest of the night.”

The adults decided they did need to know more. First, they asked Freak to the forefront. Professor Sprout had to conjure a bucket which she immediately filled with the contents of her stomach. Freak was approximately sixteen and a mass of corded muscle. Over that muscle and covering his skin was crisscrossed dozens of scars. You could see them because all Freak wore was a pair of ripped sweatpants that ended at the knee. Roped scars covered his chest, back, and arms. The adults could see words; freak, monster, and whore, carved into his flesh at various points. It seems Freak had taken every wound and what it left behind onto his form. His size came from the sheer level of strength needed to survive all that had been done. While listening to Freak present his memories, Pomona and Minerva were brought to tears. Severus ended up summoning calming droughts for every adult present. Then they met Holly, who is around fourteen years old. She gave all of them appraising looks before informing them that her stories would have to come another time. The collective group was drained, hungry, and getting tired. The adults realized how late it had gotten. They decided Albus would make an announcement in the morning, and he went to give the closing speech and dismiss the students. As soon as he was gone, Holly told them Jamie was coming. The shift revealed a four year old boy, who was too skinny for that age. He had a stuffed black dog and a blanket that Minerva recognized as the one he had been left with that fateful night. Her heart nearly broke as he reached out to her.

“Nana Minnie, up?”

[thorne93]

The Softest Fire (Part 24)

Prompt: Rosaline Vaughan had it all: fame, money, power, glory, a high status job. Until, one day, she woke up, and realized something was missing from her life.

Word Count: 4262

Warnings: sorrow/fear

Notes: First Fantastic Beast fic! I could NOT have done this at all without @arrow-guy​​​​. They have created a counterpart to this fic, writing it from Nora Vaughan’s perspective (Rosaline’s cousin/adopted sister). Fic aesthetic done by @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​​​.

“Pick up the wand, Rosaline,” he softly commanded.

“I… I can’t,” I said uneasily. 

“Why not?” he wondered.

“I’m worried I’ll hurt someone.”

“I’m sure I can recover it. Why are you really scared?” he pressed as he stood across the table from me.

“I… I’m afraid that if I pick up my wand, and cast magic, that Grindelwald will find me. That it will send up some sort of beacon,” I confessed. I hadn’t even really confided that in Newt or Nora. 

“Even if it does, Grindelwald won’t come anywhere near here. If he does, this place is heavily armored.” 

“Like it was when I was here last time?” I slightly challenged, worry in my tone more than anything else. “Professor, I appreciate you trying but there has to be some other way--”

“There isn’t. Rosaline, if you’re going to teach my students, and help me demonstrate the dark arts, I need you to actually do that. If you can’t cast magic or teach magic, then I’m afraid you can’t be my assistant here.” 

“I want to be,” I stated, unsure of myself, something I wasn’t used to.

“Then pick up your wand. You can’t face Grindelwald if you never arm yourself.”

“But my magic was the only reason he wanted me in the first place. If I swear off of it, he’ll see I’m useless to him.” 

Dumbledore took a deep breath, slightly nodding. “Grindelwald… is not a man to chase down a dead end. You served your purpose to him, and he knows that if he gets you back, that you won’t willingly comply. Then he’ll be left with two options: kill you, or enslave your mind… again.” 

I chewed my lip, wondering where he was going with this. 

“If he wants you to use your powers, he will force you to do so, whether or not you willingly swear off of them. You might as well get yourself as best prepared as you can, in case he does decide to come back. If I know you like I think I do, then I know you’d rather be your own defender, am I right?”

I nodded, my eyes cast down at the table. “Yes.”

“Then you know what you must do.” 

I took a deep breath, my head bobbing as I steeled my nerves. I relaxed my muscles, sharpened my mind, trying to wrap my thoughts around what I was about to do. I had wholeheartedly given up the world of magic, in lieu of anything else. Now, I was forgoing that vow to return to the life I’d turned my back on.

But Dumbledore was right. Grindelwald wanted a war, he wanted a fight, and maybe he would come back for me, maybe not, but handing it over to him without resistance from myself was something I’d never live with. Especially if he tried to take me again. He would never succeed again, not if I could help it. 

I reached my hand forward, and my hand curled around the wood, fitting in my palm perfectly. Like a pen to a writer, a microphone to a singer, a bow to a violinist, a paintbrush to an artist -- my wand belonged there. 

“Splendid. Let’s begin,” he said with a smile. 

------------------------------

Two weeks of vigorous nonstop training and I was nearly back to top performance. I casted spells easily and almost reflexively. I deflected as well as I cast. I was finally beginning like myself again, fully in control, fully in power. I didn’t feel nervous or slow, I didn’t feel as if he could catch me off guard with anything. 

Once we got the dueling under control, Dumbledore sat with me for two more days before the start of classes to go over the curriculum. He gave a rather quick overview stating that nearly all days, at some point he would use me as an example, whether it was dueling or a boggart or explaining how some of the curses worked. Very rarely would I find myself sitting in a corner, but in the cases that did happen, I was welcome to answer any questions the students had. 

The night before classes, Dumbledore had finished going over the curriculum with me. He let out a breath of air and rubbing his eyes. 

“Well it all begins tomorrow, how are you feeling?” he asked, concern on his features. 

“I’m… a bit nervous,” I admitted. “I’m also excited, but teaching, I’ve never done that before so.”

“Well the good news is it’s things you aced as a student here, practiced at the Ministry, and just freshened up on.” 

“That’s true,” I agreed, nodding gently as I eyed my hands. I had noticed that my confidence since Grindelwald had been chipped at. It was reflected in my posture, voice, and actions. 

I hated it. 

“Rosaline…” Albus suddenly said, his tone attention catching. He leaned forward, his elbows on the table as he brought his hands to his face. His hands made a ball as they rested against his chin. He was watching me, assessing me.

For the first time, though, I didn’t feel scrutiny or the desire to shift uncomfortably in my chair. 

“Do you know why I not only respect you but greatly admire you?” he wondered.

Different thoughts ran through my head quickly, but ultimately I came up blank. “I can’t say that I do, sir, no.” 

“It’s because no matter what, despite all the odds, you do what’s right. I have told Next that I admire him because unlike every man I know, he doesn’t seek power.” 

A soft smile touched my face as I looked down. “That is both very true of him, and very much not true of me,” I stated with a bit of a laugh. 

He nodded his head to one side, his eyebrows raising in agreement. “Well, I won’t say you don’t seek power, but I also do not see you doing whatever it takes to get there. Twice now, you’ve been on the precipice of commanding the wizarding world and you’ve stepped away.” 

I didn’t say anything but bobbed my head ever so slightly in agreement. 

“Which is why you do what is right no matter the cost. It could’ve ended your career that I know you’ve worked very hard to get, but you didn’t feel you’d be a good leader, a good fit, so you gave it up. You knew deep down Grindelwald and his policies were flawed and you helped us untangle the curses he put on you. You fought the curses from inside yourself. It is that courage and desire to be good that I admire. So tomorrow, if you’re worried, just remember to do what comes naturally. Whenever you find yourself unsure, rest assured that I know you will always make the right choice.”

I smiled up at him, beaming. “Thank you, Dumbledore, that means a lot coming from you.” 

“I’m glad,” he responded with an equally kind grin. “Well, we should get to bed, got a big day tomorrow. Early morning and all that.” 

“Quite,” I agreed. The two of us stood, left his office, and went to our living quarters, bidding each other good night along the way. 

--------------------------

The morning sun woke me the morning I was to start teaching. To say I was nervous would be a bit of an understatement. I’d had people under me at my time at the Ministry, I’d been in charge of students here before as prefect and Head girl, but this was different. I was an employee here now, I was in charge of shaping these young students' minds. I was going to have to be open about my time and experience with the dark arts. Not to mention, some of these kids might ask some nerve wracking questions, questions I wasn’t ready to deal with just yet. It was a lot to think about and worry about on the first day. 

I got ready though, trying to repeat the mantra of, “It’s just a first day of class, nothing unusual, nothing to be afraid of,” to myself in the mirror. I wore a cranberry satin blouse with a gray blazer and matching skirt. I curled my light blonde hair and let it fall over my shoulders and down my back. 

Just as I was putting on the finishing touches and about to grab my wand, Newt’s owl flew in, dropping an envelope for me. I smiled at him, taking the envelope and petting him as I read the letter. 

“Dear Rosaline, 

I wish you much good luck on your first day as assistant teacher. I know you’ll do just fine. Much love from all the creatures and myself. 

~ Newt” 

I smiled widely, filling with warmth as I held the envelope to my chest. I nodded to the owl to let him know he could return to his owner. Newt’s words were all I needed to face the day. I took a deep breath, grabbed my wand, and strutted out of my living quarters at the school towards the classroom. The children were still in the Great Hall as the headmaster gave a quick speech and the heads of the houses handed out the schedules. On my way to the classroom, I ran into Dumbeldore. 

“You’re looking particularly chipper,” he remarked with a grin. 

“I am chipper. I received a message from Newt today and I think it will be a good start for me, or at least, I hope so. I hope the children don’t… well… fear me,” I admitted with a bit of embarrassment. 

“They’ll be delighted to see you, Rosaline. You’re a bit of a legend. I’m sure they’ll see you for more than your involvement with Grindelwald. Look at me. I knew him and the kids barely ever mention it.”

“Yes, but you didn’t run off with him in the midst of an uprising,” I reminded as we ascended the stairs to the classroom.

“Well, we’ll just have to set the record straight, hmm?” 

I nodded and we stepped inside the classroom. We got things adjusted, got the desks cleared off, got the extra textbooks stacked, got the syllabi ready to pass out, and just as we finished up, the door opened and the first class of students came in. They were third years, so mostly thirteen year olds.

The students seemed to be busy talking amongst themselves, not noticing me or Dumbledore until nearly all of them were in their seats. Finally, they noticed their professor, and assistant professor. 

They suddenly became quiet as their eyes danced between us. I felt like I was suddenly under scrutiny, it made my shoulders come up insecurely before I gently shook my head and squared my shoulders. 

“That’s Rosaline Vaughan,” I heard one of them whisper from the second row to their seatmate. 

“I heard she worked with Newt Scamander for a while,” another child whispered. 

“I hear that she’s the first person to disarm Dumbledore in a duel,” another one said. 

Slowly, I realized the students weren't afraid. They were happy to see me. A grin spread on my face. 

“Hello, everyone. I’m your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore.” A piece of chalk wrote on the board that stood a bit behind the two of us. “This is my assistant, Rosaline Vaughan. You may refer to her as Ms. Vaughan. This is your syllabi--” the papers floated to each child’s desk “--and please let me know if you need a textbook and we can provide a spare one. As you can see, it’s a fairly straightforward outline. We will begin each week with discussing a subject, such as a boggart, what they are, where they come from, then each Friday, we will practice defeating them. It’s good to understand where dark arts come from, that’s why we will understand the material first, then end with the practice of actually defending ones self from it. After the holiday break, we will focus more on dueling and disarming. With the current wizarding world climate, it’s never too early to learn how to fight off an enemy. But you must remember, what we teach in here is not to be used against other students or staff or faculty. The tools you will learn here are strictly if your life is in imminent danger. Is that understood?” 

Everyone nodded firmly as you watched Dumbledore walk and explain. 

A child raised his hand.

“Yes, Richard?” Dumbledore asked, pointing to him. 

“What’s Ms. Vaughan going to be teaching us, sir? Why are there two of you?” he asked with a thick Liverpool accent. 

“I’m glad you asked,” Dumbledore said with a pleased grin. He turned around and looked at me. 

After a quick moment, I realized he wanted me to answer the question. I stirred slightly before taking my place in the center of the front while Dumbledore walked back to his desk in the right corner and leaned against it. 

“I’m here because some of the spells and hexes and curses we will be teaching you can be extremely intimidating, not to mention difficult for students attempting them for the first time. We felt that it might be best to see a duel, watch as we both do it, explain what we are doing, before subjecting you all to it.” I nodded and smiled before quickly adding, “Now this isn’t to say you won’t get the chance. Not at all. We are simply here as a demonstration, a tutorial, a chance for you to watch before possibly getting hurt. Professor Dumbledore and I will run through duels, challenges, practices, and the like, letting you see how they’re done, and then you can pit yourselves against us. And some days, I may even be the one giving the oral lesson as well.” 

I put on a bright smile, trying to hide how nervous I was, hoping that would assuage them. 

“Does that answer your question?” 

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” He grinned quickly at me and I felt better.

“Now, if that’s all the questions. We will begin our studies. This week’s topic is curses, what are they and how are they different from hexes?” Dumbledore began and he went on with his usual teaching method. 

The rest of the day was a breeze. It was relatively the same spiel over and over. Dumbledore introduced the class, myself, and how the class would be structured. Sometimes we got questions on what I was to do, other times the children seemed indifferent. 

After the last class, Dumbeldore packed up his things and began speaking to me. 

“You did marvelously on your first day. I’m proud of you, Rosaline. The worst part is out of the way.” 

“Thank you. I hope you’re right.”

“I know I am. I’ll see you in the dining hall in a bit, hmm?”

“Very well.”

He nodded and smiled at me before leaving. 

The rest of the week followed much the same. On Friday you and Dumbledore demonstrated what a handful of hexes do, then I demonstrated how to block them. The students all seemed to accept and like me. None of them mentioned Grindelwald and I wasn’t sure if that was because they had been cautioned against it, didn’t care, or were too afraid to ask. Whatever the reasoning was, I was grateful. 

Today was Saturday and I was beyond excited to see Newt. We had arranged to meet at a little restaurant in Hogsmeade. 

When lunch time started to approach I left the castle and made my way down to the little village. I went inside the restaurant and spotted Newt sitting alone at a table. My heart swelled as my smile spread quickly. 

I dashed over to the table and halfway there, Newt saw me. He stood from his seat and held my chair out for me. I hugged him tightly before sitting down and he joined. A waitress came over and offered us menus before giving us some time to look them over.

I forgot the menu altogether and looked to Newt.

“I’ve missed you,” I breathed, eyeing him as if he were the most valuable treasure on earth. 

“And I you. How is it? Tell me everything,” he encouraged with a tiny smile. 

“It’s good, really good,” I assured with a soft smile.

“How are the kids? I imagine you were a bit nervous they’d bring up… you know…”

I laughed nervously, adjusting. “Yes, I was a bit worried about that, but thankfully none of them asked. If anything, it’s like that time didn’t exist to them. They mainly asked about the Ministry, a little about my work with you, but mostly they asked things about dueling and such. I just keep telling them they have to wait for their proper lessons in class.” A chuckle came out of me. 

“That’s good. I’m so glad. And working with Dumbledore, is it…?” He left the question hanging in the air. He wasn’t sure how to phrase it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask, “Is it everything you dreamed of?” “Is everything you expected?” “Is it to your liking?” “Is it what you wanted?” He was ultimately just trying to root round to see if it’s what you wanted, if it’s what made you happy. 

“Dumbledore is great. He worked with me extensively every day on picking my wand back up. He went over the entire coursework with me.”

“That’s good news too. And you’re liking what you’re doing?” 

“Yes, it’s... it’s almost like the O.W.L.s but on a different level. Every second I must be on my toes for questions from the students or demonstrations with Dumbledore. It’s fascinating how different each year is at Hogwarts. I forgot how long it took the class to learn blocking spells.”

“The class, but not you. I seem to remember you knowing how to block spells in your second year.”

“Yes, well that was because I read Nora’s books and practically forced her to teach me,” I reminded with a coy grin. “It’s been as educational as it has been rewarding. This first week went by so fast, but I think I’m really going to like it.” 

He nodded. “That’s wonderful, Rosaline.”

He had a smile on his face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was a spark missing there and I noticed with some worry. 

“Newt? What's the matter?” I asked, craning my head down slightly to see him. He was hanging his head, as he often did, trying to hide his insecure expression. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. Well, it’s something but it’s rather silly.” 

“Nothing is silly, Newt. Please tell me. You can tell me anything, remember?” I coaxed sweetly. 

He seemed to think it over a bit before finally deciding to tell me. “I was only hoping that… Well of course I’m glad that you’re happy, that’s all I ever want, but a small part of me was hoping that maybe… you’d be unhappy or it wouldn’t be all you dreamed and that perhaps… You’d want to come back and work with me.” He chanced a glance up at me and I smiled, but before I could respond in any way, he was talking again. “I’m sorry, that’s selfish of me and I’m glad you’re happy here. I just--”

I reached over and grabbed his hand. “Newt Scamander, don’t ever apologize for wanting to spend time with me,” I asserted. “I think it’s sweet, and I love you for it.” I sighed. “The truth of the matter though is as much as I love working with you, I do love this new job. It’s a fantastic and new experience that challenges me in new ways. I hope you can understand that.”

“I do. I just miss you. I feel as though we have time we should make up for is all.”

“That we do, but I’m hoping these weekend meetings will help with that.” 

-----------------------

A few weeks after classes had started, Dumbledore asked me to meet him in his office after our last class. Once the last student was done asking for help and I sent him on his way, I joined him. 

“You wanted to see me, Albus?” I asked curiously, stepping inside. 

“Yes, I did.” He raised his wand and the door closed. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be so mysterious. I just need to keep this quiet. I know you were cursed while you were with Grindelwald, but do you remember anything of your time with him?” 

“I remember quite a bit. Not all of it, and some is a bit fuzzy that I’m not sure if it’s real or a nightmare, but yes. Why?” 

He took a deep breath, sitting at his desk and putting his fingers to his chin. “Did he ever tell you about our past?” 

I shook my head, sitting across from him. “No, why?”

“Did you ever wonder why I didn’t fight him?”

“No, choosing to rebel against him or fight him is your own choice. I don’t question anyone’s reason. Should I?” 

A sigh escaped him, he seemed to be wrestling with something. “I think… I think it’s time I told you about our past. Gellert and I were rather close as young children. We went to school here and very long story short, we became closer than brothers. We created a blood pact. That night at the Paris mausoleum, one of Newt’s nifflers must’ve stolen it. He returned it to me just a few days after Grindelwald took you. I’ve been trying to find a way to destroy it, but I don’t think it can be destroyed by the parties that created it. But now that you’re here, I feel you may be my best chance at breaking it. I don’t particularly want to fight him, but I also don’t like the fact that I’m defenseless against him.”

“But it’s a mutual pact, correct? Which means he can’t attack you?” I inquired, trying to provide some hope.

He nodded, his eyebrows going up in agreement. “Yes, that’s true. However, I don’t trust that Grindelwald won’t find a way around it. That’s why I am trusting you to do it.” 

“Me? You want me to break the pact? I think I should give it to Nora. She's a better curse breaker--”

“No,” he said firmly, giving me a look that somehow instilled both courage and fear. “No, I need you to do it. I’d rather keep this in house and I think you and I know him better than anyone.”

“I… I was just under a spell, Albus. I don’t know him, at all. I know how he thinks, slightly. I know how he casts spells, but I don’t know his motives or what made him the way he is…” I shook my head, fearing he was trusting me too much. 

“Nor do I. But we’ve both spent a great deal of time with him. Like or not, Rosaline, you were his only partner since I’ve ever known him. His reasons weren’t true, and it wasn’t a real romance, but you lied with him in bed, you woke up together, you ate together, you were his right hand, you held meetings for him, you tried to turn people over to his cause. Whether you know it or not, want to accept it or not, you are close to him. He trusted you because he thought you would never break a spell he had on you. He said and did things around you he wouldn’t do with anyone else. But none of that matters. If this was a pure stranger, I would still give the task to you. You always have been the brightest student to grace these halls. You have dedicated yourself to every line of work you’ve ever had and surpassed everyone. I think you’re a better teacher than I am, and you were damned sure a better auror or hit witch than anyone at that Ministry.” 

“Albus,” I started, looking down and shaking my head, “I may be talented and smart but--”

“But nothing. I can’t think of anyone better for the job. So please, as a favor for me, as the most innovative and intelligent person I know, please take this pact and find a way to destroy it. I need to be able to help stop him, should the opportunity arise.” 

I took the small vial from his hands with trepidation. “I will do my absolute best.” 

“I know you will, you always do.” 

---------------------------------

Life continued this way for quite some time. I worked all through the week with Dumbledore, taught the children both in and out of the classroom, became close to some other old professors of mine -- it was quite surreal to think that some of the same people who once taught me were now my peers and coworkers. 

Then on the weekends Newt normally met me in Hogsmeade for lunch or dinner, and a bit of an outing. Sometimes I visited his flat and his creatures, but my work permitted me to leave less, whereas he could leave the creatures for at least a couple of hours. 

All was going swimmingly. It appeared that Nora and Theseus were making a way for themselves and I couldn’t be happier. From Newt’s report they seemed to be falling in quite nicely together. 

Although I hadn’t made much headway on the blood pact, everything was looking up to be perfect, until one fateful night proved to turn everything on its head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List:

Forever Tag:

@essie1876​

@magpiegirl80​

@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked​

@iamwarrenspeace

@marvel-imagines-yes-please​

@superwholocked527

@missinstantgratification​

@thejemersoninferno​

@rda1989​

@munlis​

@thefridgeismybestie​

@bubblyanarocks3​

@igiveupicantthinkofausername​

@kaliforniacoastalteens​

@feelmyroarrrr​

@kaeling​​

@friendlyneighbourhoodweirdo​

@damalseer​

@heyitscam99​

@yknott81​

@sorryimacrapwriter​

@glitterquadricorn​

@xxqueenofisolationxx

@little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama

@bittersweetunicorm​

@alyssaj23​​​​

@sea040561​​​​

@princess76179​​​​

@thisismysecrethappyplace​

@sarahp879​​​​

@malfoysqueen14​​​​

@ellallheart​​​​

@breezy1415​​​​

@marvelmayo​​​​

@lyniboy​​​​

@paintballkid711​​​​

[kallypsowrites]

The Crimes of Grindelwald and how not to write a mystery (spoilers)

Hey. J.K. We need to talk about this latest movie. I know you’ve been getting a lot of flack about the nagini thing, the trying to introduce too many new characters in one movie thing, the implying that weird ending where you implied Grindelwald wanted to stop the Holocaust. Weird stuff. But really I want to talk about the twist. The Aurelius “Credence” Dumbledore twist. I...I hesitate to even call it a twist because that implies that “who is Credence?” is a question any of us were asking at the end of the first movie. Like...he could have been his own character. But no I guess he...had to have a recognizeable name. Cause if there’s anything your books have taught us: it’s all about the family you come from. That’s what makes you powerful.

Anyway, the real problem is: this was a terribly constructed mystery. Which is really odd because mystery was what you used to do best in the Harry Potter books. Maybe writing for film posed different challenges for you or maybe you just give yourself too many toys to work with, preventing yourself from fully constructing this mystery but...whatever the case, I want to go back to your books.

The thing about the Harry Potter books was the mystery was always high stakes and figuring out the answers determined whether or not Harry would live or die. The mystery was directly connected to the plot, and therefore we cared about solving it. 

So in book 1 we ask the question: what is in the vault? It’s the sorceror’s stone, which can make people immortal or revive them from the brink of death. This is important because it seems Snape is trying to get it for Voldemort to help resurect him and we care because both Snape and Voldemort seemed to have been out to get Harry all year. So when we get into the vault and find out SURPRISE! It’s actually the unsuspecting, stuttering proffessor Quirrel who has Voldemort on the back of his head. This is satisfying because it’s unexpected but also the hints were dropped throughout the books. And it raises the stakes because Voldemort is LITERALLY on the back of Quirrel’s head. The sorceror’s stone itself is more of a plot device, but what makes it significant is that it COULD have brought voldemort back if Harry hadn’t stopped him.

In book 2, we get an even better mystery. Something is petrifying muggleborns and Harry think it might be Malfoy. Yet again, we have a red herring in the mystery. First it was Snape. Then it was Malfoy. The whole book revolves around the creature, it’s master, and the location of the chamber of secrets. Once again, the location of the chamber of secrets is just the plot device. What makes it significant is that finding it enables Harry to find and save Ginny. And, of course, it reveals that it was Voldemort all along, this time trapped in the memory of a diary. More upping of the stakes and the introduction of an element (the horcruxes) that will come back later.

In book 3, we hav ethe mystery of Sirius Black. Why did he betray Harry’s parents? Surprise! He didn’t. It was a red herring. The real culprit was Peter Pettigrew who supposidly died on that same night. Harry has been seeing Peter’s name on the map and we wonder why. it turns out he faked his death! And Sirius was innocent! This ups the stakes because the whole climax revolves around saving an innocent man from a cruel fate.

You’ve noticed so far that every mystery has had a red herring, but hints placed throughout for the true culprit. And it has a plot device that more or less serves to raise the stakes. Nicely enough, the plot device is all in the book title for us.

In book 4, the mystery is: who put Harry’s name in the goblet of fire? Red herring: Karkaroff or Snape again. True answer: Barty Crouch Jr. Does it actually matter who set up the goblet of fire? Not really. It’s really just a way to up the stakes more by having Harry witness Voldemort’s return.

In book 5 the mystery is: way more nebulous. There’s the question of why is Harry seeing through Voldemort’s eyes and what does it mean? Voldemort starts manipulating their connection to get Harry to pick up this prophesy. It’s kind of interesting but the REAL purpose of going to find the prophesy is to rescue Sirius and then raise the stakes when he dies, leaving Harry once again without a treasured loved one. 

In book 6 the mystery is twofold: what are horcruxes and who is the Half blood prince. The answer, you guessed it, ups the stakes. Horcruxes hold pieces of Voldemort’s soul and to kill him, they must be destroyed. And the identity of the half blood prince? Satisfying because it comes after Snape killed Dumbledore.

In book 7, the mystery is finding the horcruxes and also the deathly hallows. Though the deathly hallows are far less significant than the horcruxes. The ressurection stone serves a thematic purpose more than anything. And the point of the Elder wand is that Voldemort was never it’s owner. Harry is supposidly the master of death and so it’s more tied around that theme. The horcruxes are more central to the plot as finding each one enables Harry to ultimately kill Voldemort. This book is like a bunch of mini mysteries, but the mystery, once again, isn’t the point. It’s all leading up to the final confrontation with Voldemort which Harry wins with this really powerful speech and conversation.

So J.K., if we review, we see that your mysteries are well written with excellently placed red herring, sprinkled with plenty of hints to make the twists legitimate. But, at the end of the day: the answer to the mystery isn’t the point of the story. It was a vehicle to raise the personal stakes for the characters (though still tied very closely to the plot).

So...Aurelius Dumbledore. Let’s talk about that, shall we?

First of all, you try to set up the Lestrange family as a red herring. Except...we know nothing about the Lestrange family at all. When you introduce the idea that “he might be a Lestrange” our only thought is...Oh. Cool. What does that mean? How does that have any bearing on the plot? It’s also clumbsily introduced because we’ve only just met Leta Lestrange. And found out she had a brother who died. And that people think it could be Credence. But it’s not like...we’ve spent time with this character and gotten to known her sorrow over her brother’s death. It has to be TOLD to us. The whole backstory has to be described in order to have any weight. Leta’s half brother (who we don’t care about) describes Leta’s history for no reason as if to say “haha, HERE’S the answer”. Only to be like “ACTUALLY JUST KIDDING IT’S NOT THE ANSWER! YOU were FOOLED”.

No we weren’t. We had no context. We had no ability to guess this twist. This is the equivalent of “You’re a vampire Harry” “I’m a what?” “Haha, just kidding. You’re a wizard. Fooled you.”

So, whatever. The red herring is thrown in there for no apparent reason. They try to make this  a mystery when it didn’t need to be. But surely the answer...the reveal...matters? Right?

Haha, guess again. Here’s a question, J.K. What does Credence being a Dumbledore change? Why does it matter? Are you saying that because he’s a Dumbledore, he’s more powerful? Because that sounds like some pureblood bullshit right there. I could have sworn the whole point of Harry Potter was that blood ties didn’t matter and the strength of someone’s magic was like...personal or some shit. That’s why Hermione is powerful, right? You’re surely not saying that coming from a good family is what makes your magic strong right? So Credence being a Dumbledore shouldn’t be what actually gives him the power to face Albus.

Does it raise the emotional stakes? Not really. Dumbledore never knew this brother. This isn’t a Leta Lestrange situation of “I had a brother and he died”. Dumbeldore doesn’t even know Credence exists so he has no reason to care yet. This reveal effects NO ONE, except for Credence himself. It does not advance the plot. It does not raise the stakes. It is little more than a fun fact. Credence could have just been a really powerful wizard because of how he was able to suppress is obscurus for so long. He didn’t need to be special.

It’s as pointless as the Nangini reveal. It’s just...trivia. It’s a twist to be a twist. It doesn’t effect the plot. Lord knows Nangini does FUCK ALL in this movie. At most, it gives Credence an excuse to go with wizard hitler, and that’s just...so weak. He wasn’t concerned about where he came from in the last movie.

I just...he could have just been a powerful wizard. This movie has so many answers to questions I never asked: the history of the Lestrange family, Credence’s identity, Nangini’s backstory. No one needed or wanted these things. And what’s weird is that this involves so much retconning of Harry Potter canon. Weird how this whole “Dumbledore had another secret brother” thing was never mentioned in previous books or histories. Weird how there were NO HINTS in the original books about Nangini being a cursed snake. Weird how APPARENLY LETA IS THE LAST LESTRANGE BUT YOU JUST KILLED HER SO WHERE’D BELLATRIX’S HUSBAND COME FROM?

The mystery could have been removed and not made a difference. And the film treats the reveal like it’s some big deal. It’s not. It does not raise the stakes. Grindelwald himself raises the stakes by actually convincing some good people to join his side. I guess maybe a movie called Crimes of Grindelwald should have been focused on him right? And the other characters? And not bloated with this pointless mystery?

J.K. I know you can write mystery. I’ve seen you do it. A good mystery is made from keeping it simple, building in hints naturally, including well established red herrings and making the actual mystery drive the plot forward.

This...was an after thought. A way to distract from meaningly developing your five million characters and a sorry attempt to try to keep to the formula that you don’t seem to know how to execute anymore.

(Final note: I enjoyed parts of the movie. I thought the ending was over all strong and I actually loved Leta’s character. Also, shockingly, Grindelwald was one of the best things about this movie and I thought I was going to hate Depp’s performance. It’s a shame that so many of the characters had nothing to do because I bet they could be interesting. So, you know, what a mess. There are good parts but they don’t fit together to tell a cohesive story

[oddyssea-a]

@prcphesiied––––STARTER CALL ( accepting ! )

He’s READING. He didn’t really think he SHOULD be but he was doing it anyway. Magic was a strange practice and he had enough to worry about with that fact alone NEVERMIND this overwhelming sense of dread that came each and every time the sound of ‘HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED’ popped into the conversation.

IT WAS something akin to tantalizing yet terrifying–––THE DRAW of darkness enough to scary him STRAIGHT into a more well behaved way of thinking before he stiffens his spine.

HOGSMEADE is where he’d been told would be some sort of meeting, apparently someone was forming an ARMY for Dumbeldore ( childish in his opinion but he’d assist seeing as it seemed to be the right thing to do ), and he was INFORMED also that he needed to be there if he cared about Hogwarts, and now here he was PERCHED quietly in the bitter cold, BOOK in hand as this sort of meeting comes to its close.

“Quite the speech.”

HE hums softly when approached, not looking up from the page but KNOWING who exactly it was that had entered his space now.

“And here I was worried we’d be doomed.”

[evan-rosier]

👶 you saw this coming

au, obviously. And yes, of course I saw this coming. 

Send a 👶 for my muse (or your muse) to confess that they’re 16 and pregnant (For Lily, Evan or the Rosiers)

Marlene had pulled him into an empty classroom after Potions and had been silently pacing back and forth in front of him for almost ten minutes now. She’d ignored his attempts to talk to her, and he was considering taking out his Charms book and starting his homework. 

They weren’t friends exactly, they hadn’t talked to one another sober in quite a while. But drunk, that was a different story. They’d started fooling around last year at a Hufflepuff party, and then whenever they ran into each other at a party since then. It hadn’t been all that frequent until this year. They’d taken to hooking up quite a bit lately, and that had originally been why he thought she’d pulled him in there. But then she didn’t push him up against the door like she usually did after dragging him into a an empty classroom.

“Marlene, are you going to say anything?” He asked, setting his bag down on the table and leaning against it. 

“Shut up for a minutes would you?” She asked, running a hand through her hair as she continued to pace back and forth. 

“That’s the firs thing I’ve said in-” 

“I said shut up,” She glared at him and Evan sighed and looked down at the ground. 

“Right.” He muttered, kicking his toe against the flagstone floor. Marlene looked up at him and let her arms fall limp to her sides and he looked up, raising his brow and waiting for her to speak. 

She scrunched her face up and tilted her head back and forth. “I have to tell you something.” She said quickly. “And it’s very important and you might hate me for it, but I have to tell you because it’s the right thing to do and you’re going to find out anyway so it’s better if you hear it from me, yeah?” She rambled, running another hand through her hair and turning away from him slightly. 

“Sounds good,” He said, not sure what to expect. Though, he never knew what to expect when it came to Marlene. She was a wild card and he’d learned to be patient with her. 

“Shut up,” She snapped again and Evan pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry, I’m just- Urg!” She pulled at her hair. “I’m pregnant, Evan.” 

The room was silent after that. Marlene was looking at him, waiting to see his reaction and Evan was staring at some point on the wall behind her, his eyes wide, his lips still pressed into a thin line. 

Pregnant? She couldn’t be pregnant. She was in her sixth year, he was graduating in a couple months, they weren’t even dating. This couldn’t be happening. He started shaking his head and Marlene made a quite whimpering noise.

“Look, I knew you weren’t going to want anything to do with it, but I had to tell you.” She said quietly and Evan couldn’t find his voice, his eyes just flickered to her as she continued her speech. “I’ll work it all out, it’s fine. I don’t need to finish school anyway, I’ll just go out for a Quidditch team- no that won’t work. I’ll- I’ll talk to Dumbeldore, he can help me work this out. I mean, I’m keeping it obviously and-”

“Okay, just stop for minute, yeah?” He interrupted, reaching up and running his hands over his face. “You’re pregnant? How far along are you?” He asked, narrowing his brow. “When did this happen?” 

“Madam Pomfrey said I was three months along, and I found out yesterday.” She shrugged. “And I would have told you then, but I don’t know how to get into the Slytherin Common room. I mean, I know how to get in, but I didn’t know the password. But don’t worry about it, like I said, I’ll work it all out.” 

He started shaking his head. “No,” He said quietly. “No, of course I’m going to worry about this, we’re having a baby.” He said. “And of course you have to finish Hogwarts-” He cleared his throat. He was going to freak out about this later, he was positive about that, but right now, he was just going to try and make her feel better, because he had knocked her up and they were just kids. “It’s all going to be fine.” He said, not sure that he sounded convincing or not. He could see that she was about to protest so he reached out and pulled her closer. 

“C’mere, love.” He said, wrapping his arm around her. “I didn’t say it was going to be easy, I just said that it would be fine.” He said. “Hard as hell, but we’ll get there.”

“You can’t possibly know that anything will be fine.” She muttered, though she wrapped her arms around him as well.”

“Would you rather I be a pessimist?” He asked, taking a deep breath. “And besides, I can know that. We’re going to have a baby, so we’re going to need to make everything okay for them.” He said definitively. “And we can do that.”

She tilted her head and looked up at him. “Promise?” She said quietly. 

“I promise.” He nodded, offering her a small smile before he leaned down and kissed her lightly. She reached her hands up into her hair and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss and he smiled against her lips, as he had been doing lately.

“Okay then.” She said, pulling away so she could bury her face in his chest again. He nodded his head and started playing with her hair. 

“Okay then.” 

[sherdocwarts]

#noussommesuni

#prayforparis

#tonight we are all french