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thevindicativevordan · 4 years ago

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On Supergirl

Figured I should put up my thoughts about Kara in the wake of her first film appearance being announced, and the final season of her TV show fast approaching. Short version is: Kara is very cool and DC needs to stop messing with her.

My Introduction to Kara

I was introduced to Kara the way most millennials/Gen Zers were I imagine, via the Loeb Superman/Batman arc which brought the traditional Kara Zor-El Supergirl take into Post-Crisis continuity, after years of DC attempting to have a “Supergirl” without violating the editorial mandate that Kal needed to be the literal “Last Son of Krypton” (an example of one of the dumb ways DC fucked Kara over). Story goes that one day Dan Didio was in line at the Superman ride at Six Flags (I love that ride even though it’s stolen my glasses every time I’ve ridden it, even when I left them in a locker!). The ride had signs that talked about various Superman characters. Didio was reading the entry for Supergirl where it talked about her not being Clark’s cousin but instead some weird merge of alien shapeshifter, angel, and human girl, and he realized how fucking stupid that was, and he went back to the office and told Loeb to bring Kara back.

Years later I would also be standing in line at the Six Flags Superman ride (probably at a different park location but who knows?) as a youngster and would read the new Supergirl sign that trumpeted that Superman had a cousin who shared all his powers, an update reflecting the new Loeb origin. I thought she sounded pretty cool, made a note to see if my library had any Supergirl stories next time I visited, then got on the Superman ride and promptly lost my glasses like an idiot because I wanted to take them off while I was riding and pretend I was changing from my “disguise” into Superman mid flight. My dad grounded me for this afterwards, but it gave me a funny story to tell at family get togethers and isn’t that what Six Flags is all about?

A month later (and with spiffy new glasses), my mom dropped me off at a new library next to where she worked, and they had one of the best Superman collections I’ve ever seen to this day. I was in heaven and while reading every Superman book I could find (I couldn’t check them out because I didn’t have a card, my mom’s card didn’t cover the area the library was in, and my mom wouldn’t have checked them out anyway since comics were “too violent”), I found the trade collecting Kara’s new origin. I read it and I thought both she and Superman were really cool, and Batman was a punk who had to beat Darkseid by cheating, the loser. Turner’s art to my young eyes was the best I had ever seen, and the panels got engraved into my brain.

I still get downright nostalgic whenever I see Turner Superman or Supergirl stuff. I also got my parents to rent the animated movie adaption of the Superman/Batman arc from Blockbuster (remember those?), and that sealed the deal. Seeing Kara hold her own against Darkseid convinced me she was as cool as her cousin. Next time my mom dropped me off at the library next to her workplace, I went looking for Supergirl stuff to read. I found the first volume of her new volume by Joe Kelly taking place after the Loeb arc and dove in.

It was... weird. 5 years later I might have enjoyed it but at the time I was majorly put off. Kara took a secret identity for a day and then ditched it because it was “stupid” and the kids bullied her. She was always getting into fights with Kal, and there was this weird plot that I couldn’t follow about how her dad had sent her to kill Kal, maybe or maybe not? Also she could grow crystals which I thought was dumb, and said she was stronger than her cousin which I couldn’t buy for a second given he looked like he was carved out of marble, and she looked like she relied on sunlight instead of food. I put the volume back on the shelf and kinda gave up on reading the character after that for a while.

I followed her via the DC wiki updates just like I did Superman, and everything I read seemed dumb and convoluted. She was split in two, moped around a lot, made out with an alternate version of her cousin, and basically just flopped about the same way the rest of the Superfamily did during the 00s. Nothing made me think I had made a mistake dropping Kara until I read the latest update to her wiki page.

I was super into what I was reading about the Busiek/Johns era of Superman online. Lex was back and making a big revenge scheme that involved all the other Rogues! Old Superman Rogues were getting revamped and made cool again! Johns reintroduced Brainiac and made him a big threat, with Kal and Kara teaming up to fight him! Busiek was revamping Prankster and telling big ambitious Superman stories! For the first time in a long while, the consensus on the Internet was that Superman was good again. My “home” library had zero Marvel books and no Superman or Batman books, all their DC stuff was Flash or Green Lantern, mainly written by Johns. Insane to think back on now. My hopes that because Johns was involved with Superman, Superman books would show up at my library were fulfilled. They started bringing in Busiek and Johns collections, and someone there also ordered Sterling Gates’ first volume of Supergirl, and I checked everything out since I was old enough to have my own library card, and my parents were worried more about the violent video games I was playing rather than comics.

I read everything and loved it. I also really liked Gates’ take on Kara. She was still an imperfect teenager but she wasn’t insufferably angsty or constantly fighting with Kal. She was going to give the secret identity another try and Lana had “adopted” her. It’s funny remembering how I enjoyed all that given my current thoughts on how Kara should work, but it was great at the time. I liked Gates introducing new foes for Kara, some classic Superman Rogues adapted for her like Bizzarogirl, others crafted specifically for her like Reactron. Gates’ basically rekindled my enjoyment of Kara the same way Busiek & Johns rekindled my enjoyment of Superman.

Of course it ended terribly like everything Superman-related seems to.

I’ve got a whole post I want to do about New Krypton and what came after. In short that is the most blatant example of “hitting the reset button” that I’ve ever seen. All the potential got wasted, and afterwards everything except Lex’s Action Comics stuff just didn’t appeal to me. Gates got booted off Kara for Nick Spencer who ended up leaving himself later, a promising Teen Titans line-up with Kara on it didn’t happen, and the last proper Pre-Flashpoint Superfamily story was a crappy team-up with Doomsday against Bigger Doomsday (thank God for Cornell’s final Luthor/Superman confrontation at least). When news of the reboot arrived, I was honestly happy. The Superline needed an enema.

Controversial opinion time: I liked New 52 Supergirl. It’s weird because a lot of the stuff I hated about Kelly’s run was here, and a lot of the stuff I loved about the Gates’ run was not. This was angry, moody, emotional Kara again, fighting with Kal and not fond of Earth. But I was in my teens at this point, and I didn’t want happy go-lucky Superman or Supergirl. I wanted my heroes angry, scared of the future, ready to go out there and smash some cars. Morrison’s Action Comics was 100% my jam (still is once I really understood the deeper meaning beneath the work) and this Kara felt like a natural fit for this universe. Plus we got Asrar on art and that guy made it damn pretty to look at, lots of cool science fiction stuff going on, even with the dumb H’el storyline.

I loved all the new Rogues Kara got. I loved her new Fortress under the ocean. I loved how traumatized she was by the loss of Krypton, that she wanted more than anything to go home, that her cousin was like a stranger to her since they had been apart for so long. I found all of that incredibly relatable. A lot of the New 52 Supergirl stories might have been schlock but it was my type of schlock damnit, and I enjoyed it!

I kept with her New 52 series all the way through the Red Daughter Saga (which I loved). As someone who grew up on Johns GL (since that was the only comics my home library had), seeing a Supercharacter join a Lantern Corp was the hypest thing ever. I loved the finale about Kara finally letting go of her anger and losing the ring while smashing her foe into the sun, it was incredibly cathartic for me as an angry teen myself. I finally stopped following her series sometime after since I was no longer enjoying the Superline or really DC as a whole. It wasn’t until I heard that New 52 Superman died and the “old” Superman was back, that I checked back into DC.

DC Rebirth & How I Think Kara Should Work

I did not enjoy Supergirl Rebirth, and I think I’ll talk about my problems with it alongside how I think Kara as a character should work since the two are related. A pet peeve of mine that has formed over the years is this: I don’t like it when Superfamily members get turned into Clark clones. Kon wearing glasses and going to Smallville High. Kara going to high school and being involved in journalism. Jon more or less being written as a copy of his dad personality-wise. I hate that kind of stuff because it’s boring. What’s the point of a Superfamily if everyone is just copying Clark? It also doesn’t fit the characters especially in Kara’s case. Why the hell does she want to be a journalist? Were there journalists on Krypton? I don’t remember ever seeing one! Shouldn’t she want to be, I dunno, a scientist? That seems to have been the El family tradition, wouldn’t she have been groomed for that?

This one-off by Shea is honestly the only acceptable outcome for Kara going into journalism for me. She realizes she’s just copying her cousin and switches to something she wants to do. So Orlando copying the show, which already basically turned Kara into an expy of her cousin, just did not appeal to me at all. What had worked for me under Gates way back when was not clicking for me this time. I wanted to see Kara embody the principles of the S-shield in a different way than her cousin did. So I really enjoyed when Rebirth ended and we moved into the Bendis era with Andrekyo relaunching the title as Kara in space.

Kara in space has always felt like a good fit for me. Unlike Kal I’ve come to believe that Kara really shouldn’t be all that fond of Earth. For him it’s home, but for her it’s just where she ended up after her real home got destroyed. I think Kara works well as a sort of nomad, occasionally making stops back home to Earth to check on her cousin, but otherwise? She’s more comfortable out in space than she could ever be on Earth. Out in space she can be Kryptonian (which is what she should think of herself as in contrast to Clark being torn between his Kryptonian biology and human upbringing, and Jon/Kon identifying as human), be her true self, not have to pretend to be human to fit in. Kara founding a moon refuge was one of the best ideas for her that I’ve seen, I would love if DC made her Future State refugee center on the moon canon. I’m excited for more Kara adventures in space with the upcoming Tom King story.

Also love that her and Krypto are getting tied together, if they don’t want to use Krypto in Superman’s stuff, let her have him! Bring on cosmic adventurer Supergirl!

Personality & Other Traits

Kara to me should be more hot-tempered than her cousin. All the Superfamily members should have a temper in my opinion, I see that as the “Deadly Sin” of Superman and his family. But while Kal is like a simmering pot that will explode if it’s left cooking for too long, Kara is like dynamite. Light her fuse at your own peril because she will go off on you.

I also like the idea of Kara being rash. Kal’s got a maturity that came from over a decade of having to live with Lex Luthor constantly getting away with all his evil schemes. He’s patient because he’s been forced to be. Kara? If you ask for her help she’ll give it, but beware because she doesn’t really care about the long term impacts of her decisions. She’s an invulnerable teenager after all.

Really liked that Venditti Annual where Kara got tutored in history by a reincarnation of Hawkman. Kara having a passion for history is a neat trait, would be nice to see her teach Kal or Jon some Kryptonian lore, or have her lead a Kryptonian holiday celebration for the Superfamily because she’s the only one who remembers how to do it.

Sexuality wise I know a lot of people ship Kara and Lena on account of the chemistry between the two in the show. I haven’t watched the show myself but I’m fine with making Kara bisexual, the Superfamily could use some LGBT+ rep, and Lena hasn’t done anything of worth as a villain, so undo that and throw the two together. If we’re letting Harley and Ivy get away with murder I think we can let Lena off the hook too, undo the Ultrawoman weirdness and put the two together. Could be fun seeing the two building that moon refuge together.

All in all I think Kara is a great character who is a stronger embodiment of the immigrant experience than even her cousin in some ways. I hope King does a good job with her, she’s treated better than her cousin on the film side, and that overall the 20s are a better decade for Supergirl than the 10s were.

#supergirl #superman #lena luthor #krypto #dc comics

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ourloveisforthelovely · 4 years ago

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Second Chance 4

Harry Potter AU

Parings: Sirius Black x Reader

Link to Chapter 3

Rating: M- mature themes

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The next morning you stood getting ready to go on a mission with Tonks. She jabbered on and on about how she was going to get Remus to fall in love with her. As you brushed your hair, you found yourself wondering if this is how Remus felt when Sirius and yourself were all over each other? If so you most definitely owed your older brother an apology.

“Where are you going??”

You were relieved to hear Sirius’ voice. He had walked in with Matilda on his tail. You couldn’t help but feel thrilled at watching the two of them together. Matilda finally had the father that she wanted (minus the fact that he wasn't exactly the man that he used to be).

“I have a case to work on.”

You replied, knowing that Sirius did not like the fact that you were an auror. Sirius had made snide remarks about your career choice since he had been back. You knew it was the protective side of your lover coming back, however, it was still annoying. He didn’t seem to understand the fact that you did the job because you enjoyed it plus it helped with information for the order.

Sirius, meanwhile, sat down with an eye roll. Normally, he wouldn’t say anything in front of Matilda but at the moment he didn’t care.

“Who is it this time?”

He asked. You didn’t respond right away as you avoided Tonks’ nervous gaze.

“Just some dark wizard. We are going to watch him for a bit.”

Sirius leaned back with a groan. He ignored Remus who was standing behind Matilda and Harry waving his arms saying “no” silently.

“Who is it, Y/n?”

You finally turned.

“Fenrir Greyback.”

Both Remus and Sirius’ mouths dropped. It had been no secret to either man that Greyback had always been person number one on your list to catch. After what he did to your brother, he signed his own death warrant.

Sirius quickly stood up.

“Absolutely not! How many times do we have to have this damn conversation? I don’t want you going anywhere near that man!”

“It's my job, Sirius.”

Sirius was trying to keep calm. The two of you had discussed staying away from this man at least 30 times in your past. What were you thinking? Was having a boyfriend and daughter at home not enough to make you want a safe job?

“Find a new job. I never wanted you to be an auror anyway.”

You crossed your arms over your chest before focusing on your daughter who was looking between the two of you nervously.

“We’ll have this conversation later.”

Sirius shook his head.

“No, we are having this right now. You are going to stalk some crazed lunatic who turned your older brother into a werewolf and I am supposed to sit back and be cool with this? What about Matilda and I?”

“The last time I checked you are starting to do jobs again too. You could easily get caught. So, I am sending your question right back to you. What about Matilda and I, if you get hauled back to prison?”

Harry stood up and was gently trying to tug Matilda out of the room. He knew that this was a conversation that neither of them needed to be seeing. Matilda, however, wasn’t moving. She was almost ready to panic. The last thing that Matilda wanted was for either of her parents to get hurt or sent back to prison.

“That isn’t going to happen. Memory charms are about to be my best friend.”

“So it's okay for you to go out and do missions but it's not okay for me?”

At this point, Remus had enough. He had been watching his niece’s horrified expression as she truly realized what her parents were going to be doing. Remus put a hand on Matilda’s shoulder.

“Go with Harry, dear.”

Matilda didn’t argue with Remus. She quickly stood and followed her best friend out of the room as Remus turned to face Sirius and yourself.

“I want both of you to stop right now. Did either of you happen to notice the expression on your daughter’s face? She is scared and both of you were so wrapped up in each other to even realize. Sirius, I don’t like the idea of Y/n and Tonks going after Greyback any more than you do but Y/n is right. This is her job. It's just watching him. Y/n, you are going to have to accept the fact that Sirius isn’t a sit back and watch type. Now go in opposite directions until the two of you can talk like sane adults.”

Both Sirius and yourself refused to look at each other. Neither of you wanted to admit that Remus was right. You felt immediately guilty about having that argument in front of your child. This would make for one awkward conversation later.

“I’ll see you all later.”

You said before turning and following Tonks from the room.

Sirius didn’t move for a moment. He stood looking at the place that you had just vacated with pain-filled eyes. If something happened to you, he honestly had no idea what he would do. He had just gotten you back and now you were out risking your life.

He turned and walked into the other room changing into another shirt while muttering under his breath. Sirius’ attention fell on Matilda who was sitting on the couch. He felt immediately guilty. The poor girl looked too much like himself as a teen when he was trapped in this godforsaken house.

Sirius hated listening to his parents fight as a kid and now here he was doing the same thing to the little girl that he loved more than anything in the world.

“Tilley, everything is going to be just fine.”

Sirius said calmly as her grey eyes rolled to him.

“I don’t know about that.”

Sirius quickly knew down in front of her and took one of her hands in his. He looked between his daughter and Harry, who was looking as worried as Matilda.

“I don't want the two of you worrying about adult business. The only thing that I want the two of you worrying about is being teenagers.”

Matilda looked up. She wanted to make a comment about the conversation that she had heard between her parents the night before but didn’t. Sirius wanting Peter Pettigrew’s head on a silver platter wasn’t a normal request.

“It's a little hard not to. Mum is going after Greyback and you’re going out to do whatever you’re going to do. How do you honestly expect me not to worry?”

Sirius sighed. The expression on the girl’s face eerily reminded him of you. Granted, every time he saw that expression you were usually yelling at him or upset about something.

“You’re so grown up for your age, sweetheart. I suppose asking you not to worry is a bit selfish. Matilda, nothing is going to happen to your mum or me. Okay?”

Matilda finally nodded. Sirius patted her cheek before standing up.

“I need the two of you to stay here and be safe.”

When Sirius walked out of the room, Harry turned to Matilda.

“Shall I get my invisibility cloak?”

Matilda nodded without even thinking about it. Sure, her father told her to stay home and be good but when it came to her family being torn apart again...it wasn’t happening. Matilda had finally got her family back together and she was not about to lose it again.

Harry and Matilda slipped into the back seat of the car that Remus had bought a few days before. They knew if they were caught, things probably wouldn’t end well.

Sirius and Remus got into the front seat a few moments later completely unaware of the extra company in the back seat.

“Level with me, Remus, was I wrong earlier?”

Sirius asked, lighting a cigarette. Remus started the car without replying for a moment. He really didn’t want to get in the middle of this argument but it seemed like he didn’t have much of a choice.

“No, not really.”

He finally replied. Sirius frowned.

“So you agree that Y/n is wrong and that she shouldn’t be auror? I’m not saying that she has to be some ordinary housewife or whatever but just not an auror.”

Remus sighed, putting the car in drive.

“I never said that.”

“Then just what are you saying? Is there a gas leak or something in that house?”

Sirius snapped, feeling on edge again. The last thing that he wanted was to have it out with Remus but he would if he had to. He couldn’t help being livid over your career choice.

Remus chuckled.

“Sirius, I get that you are worried about Y/n...the two of you have been together for a very long time…”

Sirius held a hand up.

“Not talking about that! I am talking about the woman that I love running around with my cousin’s kid playing the Hardy Boys meet a werewolf.”

Remus sighed.

“Y/n knows what she is doing. She was trained by Alastor Moody himself. I’m more worried about Tonks than I am Y/n. Figure that one out.”

“So what’s going on with Tonks? Don’t you dare say nothing because I am seeing stuff?”

Remus’ instantly went scarlet. His green eyes focused on the road and didn’t dare to glance at his friend. Sirius smirked.

“Uh-huh. How long has this been going on?”

“3 months. I would like to thank you by the way. I tried some of those tricks that you use on Y/n. Tonks thinks I’m god in the bedroom now. I can honestly say that has never happened before.”

Meanwhile, Matilda and Harry were blushing so hard that they couldn’t even look at each other. This particular conversation was the last thing that they had expected to overhear. Matilda wanted to die. She didn’t even want to think about her parents having sex. What kid honestly did? If it wouldn’t have blown their cover she would have kindly asked Remus and Sirius to talk about something else.

Sirius laughed.

“I told you.”

Remus had this unfamiliar arrogant expression on his face. It quickly faded and went back to normal serious Remus Lupin.

“Do you realize that Y/n and yourself have been sleeping with each other since Y/n was around Matilda’s age?”

Sirius winced.

“First off, Y/n was in fourth year. Matilda isn’t there yet...not until fall. Second, things were different when we were teenagers. Third, if I find out that Matilda is doing that...some teenage boy is going to die under mysterious circumstances. Matilda isn’t like us so I don’t have to worry about it for a while.”

Remus had to agree there. Matilda was a lot different from her parents. She didn’t have time for boys and their crap at the moment. Remus was thankful for this...beyond thankful.

“Matilda is different. She’s smarter.”

Sirius nodded.

“Y/n and I were having sex because we both wanted to feel close to someone. I was trying to feel close to people a long time before Y/n agreed to be with me.”

A truer statement had never been made in Remus’ opinion. At that point in both of your lives, the two of you were desperate for someone to feel close to. Sirius was on his last stand with his family. In his 15 years on the planet, he had never once felt actual love. You were wanting someone to love you for you not just being Remus Lupin’s sister.

For Sirius, you were the first girl that wanted him for more than just his family’s good looks and money. You actually cared about him.

“So who are we going after?”

Sirius asked, having enough of the subject of his past. He didn’t want to think about the number of girls that he slept with before getting with you and the first couple of weeks after “starting” the relationship. Sirius wanted to admit that you changed him immediately but that wasn’t the case. It took you almost leaving him over his contestant flirting with other girls to get his head screwed on right.

Remus looked down at the paper on his lap.

“Lucius Malfoy. He isn’t here but someone who has some dirt on him and Peter offered to give up what she had. The only catch is she is a stripper.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he looked at the building.

“So, that is why we are at a strip club.”

Remus nodded.

“The girl is Sarah Meadowes.”

Sirius frowned.

“Dorcas’ sister?”

Remus looked down sadly. He didn’t want to think about how Dorcas would feel if she knew that her sister was working in some strip club.

“Yeah. I didn’t really want to go in but we need the information.”

Sirius sighed.

“I have no shame. I’ll go in. Not a word of this to Y/n.”

He didn’t wait for Remus to reply before getting out of the car and walking inside. This was the last thing that Sirius planned on telling you about. That would be suicide.

The music in the building was blaring as Sirius walked to the bar and flagged down the bartender for a drink.

God, I used to enjoy this shit.

Sirius thought as he looked around the room for Sarah’s face. He didn’t know her very well. She was a few years behind Sirius in school. He didn’t have the time or patience for the little girls that would blush like tomatoes when he walked by. She would hang out with her sister from time to time but in no way was she part of Sirius’ group.

When Sirius finally spotted Sarah, he put down what was left of the fire whiskey and walked in the girl’s direction. He mentally apologized to Dorcas for what he was about to do.

“How about a dance, sweetheart?”

Sirius whispered in Sarah’s ear. Sarah didn’t turn around as she finished putting some money in her bra.

“Sure, my name’s Tiffany.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. This was going to take more effort than he thought.

“Isn’t that cute, Sarah?”

The girl quickly turned around. She was completely shocked to see her school crush standing right in front of her.

“Sirius hi. I heard that you got out of…”

Sirius nodded.

“Yeah. now about that dance?”

Sarah followed him to a private room and closed the door behind her. She knew exactly what he was here for. Members of the order had been paying her visits off and on over the years. Sirius’ visit wasn’t going to be any different.

She slowly climbed on Sirius’ lap and gently rocked her hips against his. Sirius took a sip of the whiskey that Sarah had put in his hand.

“I know what you’re here for.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess that saves me from asking.”

Sirius replied. He kept his face cold and shut off. The last thing that he wanted to admit was the fact that Sarah was actually decent at a lapdance. Sarah stroked her hand down his chest before leaning forward to press a series of kisses down Sirius’ cheek.

“Peter Pettigrew stays at Malfoy Manor. The little tool thinks that he won’t be caught there. If you want to get your hands on him the best day will be a Thursday. Lucius and his band of merry misfits meet with the dark lord that day.”

Sirius took another sip of his drink.

“Just how do you know this?”

Sarah smirked.

“I used to have bad friends. So what about you?”

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Me?”

Sarah nodded. She quickly turned, pressing her back against his chest. Normally she wouldn’t let some man touch her but this was different. This was the one man that she wanted to get her hands on since she was a child. She took his left hand and placed it on her breast. Sirius didn’t move to grope her like most men would. Instead, he sat dead still.

The moment Sarah’s eyes landed on the golden band on his ring finger; she froze.

“Do you have a family now, Sirius?”

“Yeah, I’m with Y/n Lupin. We have a 13-year-old daughter.”

Sarah wanted to stomp off but decided to enjoy the moment while she could.

“I figured the two of you would end up together. I didn’t expect kids though. It looks like Sirius Black has grown up.”

Sirius took another sip of his drink.

“Yeah….I guess.”

Sarah turned back to face him.

“How would your fiance react knowing some other woman was rubbing all over you? Better yet, would your little girl like someone who isn’t her mummy touching you?

Sirius’ expression turned colder. The taunt about Matilda and yourself was below the belt.

“Let’s not talk about my family, huh? I was here for an answer to my question. I got that now.”

Sirius took his wand out and muttered obliviate. He carefully slipped out from underneath Sarah and slipped out before she came back around.

Remus looked up when the car door opened. The expression on Sirius’ face was one that Remus knew well. There was something bothering him and Remus had a feeling that he wasn’t going to find out.

“Well?”

“Malfoy Manor on Thursdays. You’re welcome.”

Remus only nodded. He decided not to question his friend about what happened with Sarah Meadowes. If Sirius wanted to tell him what happened he would.

“Great. I heard from Y/n. They found Greyback. I was thinking about going to join them.”

Sirius put his head back against the headrest.

“Cool.”

30 minutes later….

You sat beside Tonks as she watched the door to the bar that Greyback had walked into. She had suggested going inside and changing her appearance but you said no.

“I don’t like it. I could go in there and stay hidden.”

“No, Tonks you know that you aren’t supposed to go near that man alone. You heard what Kingsley said. This guy isn’t like anyone we have ever faced. He has been haunting my family for years and I can tell you he won’t just die.”

A knock on the window made both Tonks and yourself jump. You felt relieved the moment that you saw Remus on the other side.

“I’m killing your boyfriend.”

You muttered to Tonks before getting out. Remus gave you a small smile before going to his girlfriend. Muttering “jerk” under your breath, you turned to Sirius. You knew that he was still mad about the argument earlier.

“Come here.”

He said, pulling you from your thoughts. You didn’t need any more of an invitation to close the gap between you. Sirius pulled you into a long kiss. His hands closed on your face, stopping you from pulling away. You could taste the whiskey on him but at the moment you didn’t care. All that you could think about was the commanding kiss that he was giving you.

You were the first to break the kiss in order to breathe. Sirius was clearly waiting for you to come back for round two. You reached up stroking your hand over his cheek enjoying the feeling of his five o’clock shadow on your hand.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I was an ass.”

He said, softly.

“I was too.”

(meanwhile)

Matilda and Harry finally came out from under the invisibility cloak.

“Tilley, we need to get back under there.”

Harry said, looking around for his godfather. He knew that things wouldn’t be good if they were discovered in the back seat.

“Greyback is in there, Harry. I want to go have a look at him.”

Matilda replied. Harry shook his head.

“Are you crazy? We can’t even use our magic against him.”

Matilda rolled her eyes. She didn’t care at the moment. Fenrir Greyback caused enough issues with her family. He deserved a fist full of “don’t fuck with my family.” What Matilda seemed to forget was the fact that Fenrir Greyback was a full-grown man and she was a petite 13-year-old witch.

“I’m going, Harry. You can come with me or not.”

Matilda cracked the car door open and slipped down the alleyway so her parents wouldn't see her. It took Harry all of ten seconds to join her.

“I knew that you would come.”

She said with a smile. Harry nodded, swallowing.

“You’re my best friend. I’m not letting you go in there alone.”

The two exchanged a very Sirius Black/James Potter smile before slipping into the doorway. What the two didn’t see was Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback totally saw them come inside. The two death eaters gave each other confused looks before grinning evilly. Bellatrix was the first to stand up.

“Well, well look who it is.”

Both Matilda and Harry spun around automatically muttering “crap.” This was definitely going to make it into their all-time world’s worst decisions list. Matilda pushed in front of Harry glaring at Bellatrix. The older witch smirked.

“Matilda Jane Black. I wondered when I would meet you. I’m sure mummy and daddy would panic seeing you here.”

Matilda scowled at her before looking at Greyback who had stood up.

“Smells like her uncle. Bet she will taste as good too.”

“Quiet, you trash!”

Matilda snapped. Bellatrix giggled.

“She has Sirius’ temper. It will be lovely watching him suffer when we kill you little one.”

“Yeah, that isn’t going to happen.”

Matilda spun around to see her very angry father behind her as Remus and Tonks crashed through the front door. She felt even worse the moment that you walked in and all of the colors drained from your face.

Bellatrix looked around with her crazed expression.

“Look at this, wolfie, family reunion, know?”

Greyback scowled at the nickname Bellatrix had given them. He wasn’t about to get in a fight with two aurors and two other wizards that could easily handle him. This was no fair fight.

“Let’s go Bellatrix.”

He snapped as he gave Remus a little wave before disappearing. Bellatrix, meanwhile, didn’t want to back down but Greyback was right. This was not a fair fight. She quickly disappeared from the room leaving Matilda and Harry to deal with some very angry looking parents.

Matilda squeaked the moment that Sirius’ arms were around her.

“What the actual hell were you two thinking?”

He snapped as you crashed into Harry and began checking him for any signs of injury. Matilda didn’t speak as Sirius and yourself switched kids.

“I know that I’m not talking to myself.”

Sirius said, keeping his eyes on his daughter’s face. Matilda chewed on her lip as you finally let her go.

“Matilda Jane Black, your father asked you a question.”

Matilda knew that you weren’t playing. When you pulled the full name card, she knew that she was in for it.

“We wanted to have a look at him.”

Sirius rubbed a hand over his face. This was the closest that he had ever come to straight passing out. Walking into that bar to see Matilda and Harry within feet of death eaters was enough to cause a near panic attack.

“Well, there you go. Enjoy your little look at some death eaters? Remus, get them home.”

Neither Sirius or yourself were able to move as Remus ushered the children away. You were trying to get control back of your pounding heart as you heard your brother going into “professor mode.”

“Harry as I have told you before your parents died for them. You are poorly repaying them and Matilda your parents are going through enough hell as it is. We don’t need your help to add more.”

You didn’t hear any more as the door closed behind them leaving only Sirius and yourself alone in the bar…

____

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#Harry Potter #Harry Potter AU #Sirius Black #Sirius Black x Reader #Remus Lupin #nymphadora tonks #Remus x Tonks #Ben Barnes as Sirius Black #timothée chamalet #Andrew Garfield as Remus Lupin #Harry Potter fics #Sirius Black x reader fic #bellatrix lestrange #fenrir greyback #dorcas meadowes #Walburga Black #orion black #Second Chance #Second Chance update

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ohscorbus · 6 years ago

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Saturday 2rd March, 2019

So I haven’t been able to see the show since October but what a show to come back to! This was such a solid performance from start to end. Joe, as always, was a particular highlight for me. I can’t sing his praises enough. There’s just so much going on in that head of his. It makes him such a fascinating Albus to watch. But not only that, even days later and I’m still sat here thoroughly enjoying analysing the things he does. That boy makes excellent choices. But I promise this won’t all be just me gushing about Joe. Tom Peters was on as Harry and as much as Jamie B is my favourite Harry, Tom is a ridiculously close second so I’m glad I got to see him again! But anyway, back to Joe…

Act One, Scene Four

Albus cheered and did a sort of little air fist pump thing when Rose was sorted into Gryffindor. He’s happy and proud of his cousin. It was really sweet! Especially since at this point they still have some sort of friendship. It makes sense for him to do exactly this. But I also loved it because it made the contrast between Albus now and Albus in just one years time even more pronounced. He goes from supportive cousin to being annoyed at Scorpius for congratulating her when it’s announced she’s made the Quidditch team. That complete switch is heartbreaking.

Albus put both his fists up as if ready to fight James as he came over to them on the platform at the beginning of his second year. But James, the epitome of the eldest sibling, barely paused before punching him lower in his stomach. Oh Albus… His childhood really must have been a ‘constant struggle’ with a brother like that if at his age he still hasn’t learnt how to properly defend himself.

Act One, Scene Seven

Albus was lying on his side on his bed for the beginning part of this scene. He was looking towards the audience with his back facing the door. His body language here spoke volumes and it was brilliant. This is what Joe excels at. If you pay attention and really watch him then you’ll see just how much care and thought and effort goes into every action he does or does not make. The simple act of lying down and facing away said everything you needed to know about how Albus was feeling. He wasn’t just being a moody teenager, he’s telling you how distant he feels in that moment. He uses his body in such a way that it literally becomes the wall between him and his family. A wall he’s creating, but Albus can’t see. Yet he doesn’t block them out entirely. He could have, easily. But each time Ginny, James, or Lily appeared in his doorway, Albus always looked back over over his shoulder at them in acknowledgement. Even if it was only to roll his eyes or mutter something under his breath. It showed us all was not lost. Which is exactly where Albus is right now. This is a turning point for him.

I also want to point out the fact that he remains lying down as his siblings freely walk in and out of his bedroom. Why? Because it says how comfortable he is around them. He may feel different and out of place, but at least he’s still somewhat relaxed and being himself in front of them. Yet when Harry walks in this all changes. He sluggishly but immediately (and that’s the important bit, not his nonchalant attitude he uses as a delaying tactic) sits up and then props his pillow up against the bed frame. He doesn’t sit against it, he stays sitting sideways so he’s still turned away slightly from Harry for another moment. But the fact that he starts fiddling with things in his room screamed at how much he was uncomfortable here. Either with Harry himself or him being in his space or with the impending conversation they were bound to have. He knows his dad, and he’s probably expecting (and equally dreading and secretly excited about) his gift since he knows it’ll be coming if his brother and sister got things already. It makes you wonder if Albus dreads this moment every year. Another year, another gift that’s not quite right. It must hurt to see his siblings get something that’s so perfect for them, and for him to receive a gift that’s nothing but a reminder of how little his dad understands him. Or cares. Which is obviously not the case but I can see how Albus would eventually get to that point of believing it.

Act Three, Scene Nine

“My dad…. hi dad!” - Scorpius whispered the hi dad bit and Draco imitated him by leaning down and tilting his upper body so he was at eye level with a hunched over Scorpius. He then whispered ‘hello Scorpius’ back in the exact same voice. It was the greatest thing. I’ve always imagined Draco doing this sort of thing with Scorpius. Playfully mocking him, you know? So to see it actually happen on stage was a dream come true. Bless you, James Howard. But on a serious note, while it was playful and the audience did laugh, the look in Draco’s eye told Scorpius how not amused Draco was right now with him or the situation they were in. It got across how serious this was without him being Lucius levels of terrifying. Dad skills. He’s got them.

Act Three, Scene Fourteen

Fun fact! (Which @torestoreamends cheerfully told Jonathan, much to my embarrassment and her amusement.) I’ve been waiting since 2016 for the boys to sit on each other’s bed in the dorm room scene and today I FINALLY saw it happen! It’s super important to note here that it’s not for ship reasons. Yet those involved seem so adamant that these actors not do it. Probably because it would fuel the fires of them being in love or whatever. But like, no??? Best friends do hang out on each other’s beds. It’s completely normal! Especially since they are talking about something they don’t want others to overhear. We presume there’s no one else currently in their dorm but still, it’s not a subject you want to talk about across an empty space like that. Scorpius getting up and sitting on Albus’s bed by his pillow felt natural. The physical closeness here only made their emotional connection stronger and made their conversation more heartfelt. It became the most intimate version of this scene that I’ve ever seen. Again, I don’t mean this in a romantic way. These two have been best friends who’ve lived together for four years at this point and they’ve just gone through something really traumatic together. This simple action makes sense. So yes. Basically I’m this close to buying Jonathan a gift basket in thanks. Dorms are busy and as far away from private as you can get. The both of them sitting on one bed to talk or do homework or whatever is just what would happen!!! I’m so glad he agrees.

Albus’s reaction to Scorpius when he reveals the Time-Turner he’d kept hidden under his pillow was 10/10 and kind of Scorpius-like, which I could write essays about. But anyway. Albus took one look at the Time-Turner and then immediately turned away. Out of sight, out of mind. He took a few deep breaths (these boys are their breathing exercises, honestly) before walking around to the other side of his bed, putting it between the two of them. Like he was trying to put distance between himself and this absurdity. (The absurdity being both the Time-Turner and his friend.) But of course he soon walked back round to deal with Scorpius, and the bloody Time-Turner. They are in this together after all. But yeah, that reaction! It was dramatic and comical and so Albus. The real Albus. The one who is more himself when it’s just him and Scorpius alone.

Act Three, Scene Sixteen

The last time I saw this, Albus held the Time-Turner over the side of the Owlery as if contemplating whether or not to just drop it and let it smash. But today he held it up high above his head with both hands and made out as if he was going to throw it with force downwards off the ledge. Thankfully Scorpius immediately reached out and stopped him! Honestly, I still fear that one day Joe is going to drop it accidentally. You don’t want to know how often I think of different ways they could possibly continue this scene without it. It’s a genuine reoccurring fear of mine that should not plague me the way it does. But here we are. Thanks Joe.

Act Three, Scene Twenty

Albus was pulling at his bound wrists which I internally squealed at because of course he would! Scorpius is going to talk and think his way out of this but Albus? Albus is going to approach it hands on. It’s fascinating because it ties in with his dislike/distrust of magic. It also reminds me of how Harry often pulls the door handles in St. Jerome’s even though he knows they’ve been locked with magic. It’s not going to work but he’s going to try anyway. It’s the sort of immediate physical reaction that these two are famous for. The connection made me smile.

Act Four, Scene Five

While the boys were trying to come up with a plan in Godric’s Hollow, Albus kept walking around and around in a big circle as he was thinking. I really liked this! I love the idea that walking helps him think. Again, it’s that concept of Albus physically needing to do something.

I’ve gone into detail before about how Jonathan interacts with imaginary baby Harry. You know the bit where he’s explaining (by which I mean demonstrating) his plan to shout ‘help!’ at him? Well one, it still melts my heart. His little ‘hello’ and wave down at the ‘baby’ is too cute. Also, two. While he was shouting help repeatedly today, he was also shaking his arms as if he was shaking the baby??? I was horrified and yet laughing manically at this disaster of a human being. Albus’s face as he watched him made me think we were on the same wavelength about it.

Act Four, Scene Fourteen

Okay so, the last Albus and Scorpius hug today was one of my all time favourites. Scorpius quickly went up the last remaining steps between them and then hugged the hell out of Albus. He tucked his head into his chest and stayed there with no shame. Albus not only accepted the hug but he also hugged him back. The best part though? Albus then put his head down on top of Scorpius’s head and for a second they were simply enjoying their hug. It was everything. But then Albus visibly flinched as if remembering they weren’t suppose to be hugging (let alone enjoying it) and he pulled himself out of Scorpius’s arms. So not only was the beginning absolutely heartwarming, the second half made the whole ‘I thought we decided not to’ part really interesting since clearly neither of them actually want to stop with the hugs. So why did they decide that? What prompted the discussion???

Act Four, Scene Fifteen

I could write a whole post on how incredible Tom Peters is as Harry. Out of every single person I’ve seen on stage for this show over the past three years, he’s the person I’ve accepted their version of the character the quickest. The first scene hadn’t even ended yet and I could already see and accept him as Harry. There’s just something about him. I didn’t need two or three scenes or shows to understand his take on the character, or to get use to his acting style. To me, he just is Harry Potter when he walks out onto that stage. He works so incredibly well with this cast too, and with Joe in particular he is exceptional. How they are able to effortlessly mirror each other and interact so naturally makes you think they’ve been doing this together all year. It’s in the little things, like the way they sit and stand and lean in to talk to each other. It’s beautifully frustrating that this version of Albus and Harry are the most alike in terms of the characterisation and temperament. You can see just how much both Harry and Albus are trying with each other every step of the way. It makes their misunderstandings that much more heartbreaking because of it. They’re so close! (Which reminds me, at the end of Act Three Scene Eleven, both Albus and Harry were completely still at the end of the scene for a few seconds until they both suddenly walked off at exactly the same time. The synchronisation was insane. They were facing away from each other too which made their exits so visibly exciting. The same action, the same time, opposite directions. Seriously, these two. I want more.)

One thing I love in particular about these two is how frequently they both have their hands in their trouser pockets. You see it all the way through but it’s in this very last scene that it truly broke me. At one point they were both stood there, slightly facing away from each other but still somehow identical. Everything from their posture, the looks on their face, to their hands in their pockets. It was right before Albus said his ‘so are you saying I’m more like you?’ line and it was absolute perfection because Albus seemed slightly puzzled and intrigued by the mere thought, yet for us as an audience their similarities couldn’t be more blindingly obvious at this point. It was stunning. But it also made the fact they were struggling feel even worse. They don’t clash because they hate each other, they clash because they’re too alike. Well. In some ways. He is very like his mother too. But Harry never goes into the ways they’re also alike. The only in depth (and I use that term very loosely) comparisons we hear on stage are from Delphi (”I realised your weakness was the same as your father’s: friendship”), which she throws at him like an insult. As if it’s something bad. I can’t wait for Albus to learn being like his dad doesn’t have to be something to fight against, but to be proud of.

There’s a couple of others things which I really want to write about in more detail from this show. There’s an Albus line that made me cry today, a discussion I had with James Howard about Draco accepting help after Astoria, and the importance of the unscripted hug between Albus and Scorpius in the church. But they each deserve a separate post they’re up next on my to do list!

#harry potter and the cursed child #TCCleanne #text post #mypost #long post #(I proofread this after a very large glass of wine so this could be interesting)

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