#fuck JKR just be clear

[descendantofthesparrow]

The way this stupid mf has invaded my brain is unfair

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Full offense here: can some people stop trying to turn the Neil Gaiman situation into something about JK Rowling??? Seeing posts doing this in the tag has actually pissed me the fuck off beyond reason now oh my god, this situation isn't about the terf queen and the fact that some of you are trying it just to try and say she isn't as bad as Neil is holy shit in a bad way.

[drunktuesdays]

ok but can u plz link the 2 million word fic. for the community

Okay, i'm going to link it, anon, because i'm NOTHING but not community minded, but please understand that when i tell you I've been so bored this winter, I've been reading a 2 million word story (eta: i just did the math and it's THREE million) where Harry Potter is part phoenix, it's not a healthy place for me to be. It's not a proud moment for my spirit. Like, this story straight up belongs on SugarQuill. Sometimes in this story, Draco intones "Harry, I would like to have you," and I wince and have to tab away for a minute. Also it's one of those Slytherfen stories where everyone that's good in the books is actually bad, and everyone who's bad in the books is secretly good.

ALL THAT TO SAY.... it also has some of the very coolest and most fascinating worldbuilding i've ever read, and I genuinely never see some of the twists and turns coming, even though I think I've read the whole series like four times.

Also I think the author basically taught herself how to write as she was going, because the series picks up in quality SHARPLY as she goes on.

if you read it, you HAVE to talk to me about it.

The original isn't on AO3, it's on fanfiction dot net (because of course it is) but someone made a big ole mobi/pdf/epub, which is how i always read it....again, this isn't a straightforward rec!!!!!!

[a-worthy-mystery]

[hyperfixation-fix]

Can someone with a copy of the Prisoner of Azkaban do me a favour and check exactly what Prof Lupin says to Harry when he offers him the chocolate that first time they meet? It's for a fic ✌️

[fandumb-thoughts]

Harry Potter has something overarchingly horrible and bad happen to him every school year, yeah? Some things are caused by cascading plot decisions for the overall series, of course, but other things are less effected.

That is to say, it's awfully lucky that the events of, let's say Prisoner of Azkaban, don't happen at the same time as the events of Chamber of Secrets. All it would have taken is the Weasleys winning that prize money to visit Egypt a year earlier! The Triwizard Tournament could've happened just about any year!

It takes a bit of finagling, but I figured out that it's entirely possible to combine the events of the first five books into one horribly chaotic mess for just one (1) school year. And I wrote a fic about it, titled Harry Potter and the Speedrun From Hell. It only has 25 views right now??? Which is so beyond discouraging and annoying from a fandom so large. Cringey to advertise it, I know, but I really enjoy writing it and I want people to see it, so. Here I am.

[defectivevillain]

dueling determination

pairing: Severus Snape/Reader

The reader’s race & gender are ambiguous; no pronouns or physical descriptors are used. 

summary: “I was going to ask if you’d be able to join me for a demonstration duel,” the professor eventually says, an easy smile on his face. You inhale slowly, trying to manifest the patience you need to finish the conversation. “It’s for the dueling club I’ve started, naturally.”

“Oh, um,” you stammer, relief coursing through you when you realize that he’s just asking for academic purposes. You sigh, not quite able to come up with an excuse on the spot. “Yeah, sure.” You see Severus eyeing you over his goblet out of the corner of your eye. You pretend not to notice.

Read this series from the beginning here for the context behind this third part.

word count: 1.9k | ao3 version

Gilderoy Lockhart just can’t seem to take a hint. The man is, in a word, an asshole. He has the most inflated sense of self-importance that you’ve ever seen in a person. Every conversation, Lockhart will brag and boast about himself, to the point where all your other colleagues are beginning to become annoyed with him too. Unfortunately, he sits next to you, so you’re somewhat unable to avoid him. At least, for a little while.

You soon begin to master the art of hasty exits from the Great Hall after meals. You arrive a few minutes early and eat quickly. The moment you see him enter, you exit. It leaves little time for discussion and even littler time for him to annoy you. Unfortunately, the professor catches on. To your immediate discontent and frustration, he starts arriving to breakfast at the same time as you. His seat is right next to yours—thank Merlin, you think sarcastically—and his desire for conversation is prevalent as always. You feel yourself growing more snappy and annoyed with each remark.  

The next meal, you have a brilliant idea. You pass your seat, ignoring the confused glances leveled at you, and continue walking until you’re behind an empty chair. Relief flooding through you, you sit down and begin eating. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, someone sits down next to you. You’re a moment away from cursing Lockhart out when you realize the professor sitting at your side isn’t Gilderoy Lockhart.

“Severus,” you remark, eyes widening as you realize that the seat you chose is directly next to the Potions professor.

“What are you doing?” Severus asks, his eyes flitting about your face as if searching for an emotion that will give him the answer. You blink at him and he looks across the hall to where you usually sit. Understanding passes across his face. Lockhart sits at his typical seat. His posture is abnormally straight and his eyes flit about the area. Severus turns back to his food. “Seeking refuge, I see.” You nod and take another bite of your food, risking a glance at your old seat. Unsurprisingly, Lockhart isn’t silent.

“Merlin, does he ever shut up?” You bemoan quietly, watching as Lockhart talks to the Muggle Studies professor—who looks rather chagrined at the thought of being trapped in a conversation with him. Unfortunately, you don’t realize you’re staring until he’s returning your gaze. Lockhart grins and gets up from his seat. Dread coils in your chest and you watch in slow-motion as the menace himself walks over to you. You tilt your head down and stare at your plate, but it doesn’t seem to dissuade him in the slightest.

“Professor!” The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor grins, running a hand through his hair in a gesture that is clearly supposed to be attractive. Unfortunately, it only makes you want to punch him in the face. Severus is silent at your side. You have to fight to keep the disgusted snarl from your face. “You’re not leaving me all by my lonesome over there, are you?”

“Lockhart,” you greet him in response, clenching your fists in your lap. Thankfully, the tablecloth hides them from view. You have to take several deep breaths before you can continue speaking to him. “I would never. I was simply… seeking some solitude.”

“Of course, of course,” Lockhart nods. He pushes a strand of hair behind his ear and you resist the compelling urge to stand up and walk away. “I simply can’t stand people who refuse to stop talking.” At that, Severus lets out a pointed cough that sounds rather reminiscent of a snarky laugh. Of course, Lockhart doesn’t notice. He only notices what he wants to notice, it seems. You have to resist a chuckle at the irony of his statement, too.

“Anyway, did you need anything from me?” You interject before he can go into one of his tormentous spiels about his adventures abroad. Lockhart blinks at you for a long moment. You’re rather brutally aware of Severus’s presence at your side. You want to be embarrassed, but you’ve made your disdain of the Defense professor clear to Severus many times now. Lockhart simply doesn’t give up.

“I was going to ask if you’d be able to join me for a demonstration duel,” the professor eventually says, an easy smile on his face. At least, you suspect that he thinks it to be easy. To you, however, the smile looks strained at best. You inhale slowly, trying to manifest the patience you need to finish the conversation. “It’s for the dueling club I’ve started, naturally.”

“Oh, um,” you stammer, relief coursing through you when you realize that he’s just asking for academic purposes. Unfortunately, a practice duel still necessitates the professor’s presence. You sigh, not quite able to come up with an excuse on the spot. “Yeah, sure.” You see Severus eyeing you over his goblet out of the corner of your eye. You pretend not to notice.

“Excellent!” The professor remarks, before proceeding to go into painful detail about where and when the duel is. Once you catch the time and date, you let your attention wander. You’re torn out of your thoughts when Lockhart grips your shoulder briefly. “Your help is greatly appreciated.” He winks and it makes your skin crawl. You bite down all sorts of insults and instead watch silently as he walks away.

Suddenly, you’re not hungry anymore. You push your plate away from you and get to your feet. Inexplicably, Severus gets up too. The two of you share a walk along the halls, until Severus turns a corner to go to his office. You make the way back to your own office, thoughts running a mile a minute. You hadn’t really wanted to volunteer yourself for that duel in the first place, but the entire prospect felt unavoidable.

As the week continues, you begin to dread the coming duel with Lockhart. The wizard is immensely frustrating, talking your ear off at every possible moment. Despite your attempts at avoidance, you constantly cross paths with him—to the point where you begin to believe that he’s orchestrating it. You’re both grateful and miffed that your classes are keeping you busy. You don’t see Gilderoy much throughout the rest of the week, but time passes rather quickly. Before long, you’re standing in the room that Lockhart has designated for the duel.

“Professor!” The DADA professor greets you with a smile. “Glad you could make it. You know I greatly appreciate your assistance.”

“Any time,” you respond with a smile that hurts your cheeks. Thankfully, Lockhart is too busy with his preparations to notice the discord in your voice. You feel rather out of place, but you manage to have a few conversations with some of your students to pass the time. Lockhart seems moments from getting things started when, suddenly, the doors swing open and a commanding presence enters the room. You watch in thinly-concealed shock as Hogwarts’s Potions professor walks towards you.

“Severus?” You blink at him once, twice. He stares at you in response. You’re almost expecting this to be a fever dream, because Severus’s presence is entirely surprising. “What are you doing here?” You’re sure the relief you’re feeling is showing in your voice, but you can’t find it in yourself to care. Surely, this won’t be that bad if Severus is here.

“I’ll be your opponent,” Severus remarks, an unreadable expression on his face. You withhold the urge to grimace. Of course, you’re very grateful that you’re not alone with Lockhart. On the other hand, you had been anticipating the duel to be rather easy. Now that Severus is your opponent, you know that will not be the case. Fortunately, Lockhart gets things started before you can stammer and stutter any longer.

Gilderoy seems bent on making his presence known, as he goes into explanations concerning duels and the proper behavior when dueling someone. Admittedly, the longer he talks, the more you’re getting nervous. Severus is one hell of a duelist. You, on the other hand… Well. Your expectations for yourself are extremely low. You don’t think the duel will last much longer than a minute. Severus will defeat you soundly.

Lockhart finally steps off the stage, to your simultaneous relief and regret. Before long, Severus and you are walking to the center of the stage, before turning on your heels and taking three paces forward. The moment this is completed, you whip around and cast a shield. You think it to be an unnecessary movement, but you end up blocking a curse that would’ve definitely hurt your chances at winning.

You can’t even begin to describe the duel that ensues. Your focus has never been more intense, and your movements have never been quicker. Severus is a serious threat, after all. His spellcasting is unrivaled. Hell, he’s made spells before. Merlin, you’re kind of screwed, aren’t you? Despite your rather low chances at winning, you manage to focus on the duel at hand. Severus’s command of magic is beautiful and you find yourself nearly becoming entranced by it. You’ve never been more thankful for nonverbal spells, because Severus is far too fast and agile for you to cast verbal spells with accuracy.

You have no idea how much time passes. Everything in your surroundings fades to the background. Your breaths are short and winded, but you’re certain you’ve never felt more alive. At one point, you have to wipe the sweat off your forehead from the exertion. Severus takes that opportunity and casts something at you, to which you dodge and laugh. Your voice echoes in the silent chamber and if you had time, you’d feel embarrassed. Severus’s gaze falls on you as you smile, and you take the afforded opportunity for distraction and cast a spell to disarm him. There is nothing but silence for several moments and your heart is racing as you hold Severus’s wand in your non-dominant hand. You breathe heavily, taking on the shocked looks on the students’ faces. For almost an infinite amount of time, no one makes a sound. Thankfully, Lockhart must be entirely immune to the tension, because he claps his hands and makes himself the center of attention once more.

The Hufflepuff students cheer and you roll your eyes. You look to Severus, only to find that he has a rather uncharacteristic expression on his face. He almost looks impressed, awed. His dark eyes are gleaming in the low light of the room. You bite your lip and avert your eyes, passively allowing Lockhart to flit about and talk about the duel. Despite all the attention from all the students and the rather annoying Defense professor, you only really notice Severus’s gaze burning into the side of your face.

“Excellent!” Gilderoy claps, turning to address the students gathered around the space. “Well done, indeed. Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have for this week! Our next meeting will be focused on defensive charms.” With that, the students all file out of the room. You turn to Severus and hold out his wand in your palm. Severus has a complex expression on his face as he takes a step closer and reaches out to take his wand back. The look on his face is a strange mix of wariness and something darker. You’re certain that you would’ve been stuck staring at Severus for hours, if not for Lockhart clapping a hand on your shoulder and breaking the tension. The Defense professor continues to praise you, but you only have eyes for Severus’s retreating figure.

next part

[ebp-brain]

After the war with Voldemort is narrowly averted, Remus and the Marauders are getting along fine: steady jobs, decent flats, occasional evenings together to catch up. Then, their second holiday season after leaving Hogwarts, James and Lily make a proposal--about a big house in Hogsmeade, with a lot of empty bedrooms and plenty of space for a giant Christmas tree.

chapter 1 is up now!

The house is about a ten minutes’ walk from the Three Broomsticks. It’s on one of the quieter streets of Hogsmeade, in the opposite direction from the Shrieking Shack—a distance which Remus appreciates. While most of the houses towards the center of town are thatched cottages, there are some larger, more recently constructed buildings on its outskirts; this street has mostly Victorians. The front gates are decked with boughs of pine or holly, and the eaves and gables of the roofs are strung with twinkling lights. Candles glow in tall, narrow windows.

Many of the houses on the cobbled street are doubles, two doors side by side opening onto perfectly symmetrical rooms, but the one Lily and James lead them to is set slightly apart, with a low wall around a small front garden and a single weathered door. It’s three stories, if you count the attic that must reside under the peaked roof and the single turret. The walls are red brick, the wooden trim around the windows a faded white. The small tower sports big bow windows.

They stop in the cobbled street, just outside the low wrought-iron gate. In the soft glow of the streetlights and the neighbors’ luminous decorations, the house looks—well, magical. Almost like something out of a fairy tale.

[legendoftherisingtide]

me: “yeah i learned a lot of coping skills and techniques in the mental hospital”

the go to coping mechanism: sorting characters into hogwarts houses and pjo cabins and dnd classes

[lichenstone]

This is probably indicative of joanne's sieve-like worldbuilding; but given that irish students also attend the goddamn school, what the fuck would the atmosphere of hogwarts have been like during and around the Irish War of Independence?

Also pretty much the entire series takes place during the end of The Troubles and nothing is ever mentioned other than the Irish stereotype character who's bad at magic and good at blowing stuff up. Which is. Interesting.

[fuckwhoeverpickedallthefunnyurls]

I think if Gilderoy Lockhart ever had children they would all be named after him.

[daysofnights]

not a minor | he/they (él/elle) | follow from this blog

if u want me to start tagging anything just send an ask/dm

reblog+post nsfw

[helpits4am]

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!

MANIFEST

MANIFEST

[saintsenara]

How do u think Vernon and petunia met.

Also random but: the Dursleys are an interesting contrast with the Malfoys… husband, wife, one son, all horrible people who nevertheless do seem to love each other dearly…

Also do u think they fuck.

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

yes. vernon and petunia absolutely fuck - as sorry as i am to say it.

the proof is that the one thing i do respect about vernon - even though he goes about it in a way which is near-impossible to admire - is that he's an absolute ride-or-die for his wife and son. i genuinely think this is meant to be an intentional parallel with james... and is certainly a clear parallel with lucius... and both jily and lucissa clearly fuck...

in terms of how they met, i really like the backstory given for petunia on pottermore - that she leaves cokeworth in her teens to take a secretarial course in london, and meets vernon while at work.

because, while jkr undoubtedly intends it to be a bit of an internalised-misogyny-flavoured dig [only a vapid woman would want to be a secretary, and she'd do it so she could flutter her eyelashes at the executives and immediately stop working when she'd ensnared one], it's evidence of something about petunia that isn't ever really explored in canon - that she's brave.

leaving home - presumably aged sixteen or seventeen - in pursuit of creating your own life takes a lot of courage. not least because petunia doesn't move to manchester, liverpool, birmingham, anywhere we can imagine is vaguely near cokeworth, but to london. it's starry-eyed and ambitious, even if we're not supposed to find petunia's stubborn desire to reinvent herself as somebody who'd never heard of magic impressive in the slightest.

this reinvention is interesting in other ways, too. there are some very compelling imbalances in petunia and vernon's relationship - he seems to be considerably older than her, he's obviously from a different class background and she seems to be extremely worried about embarrassing him by fucking up a class performance which isn't familiar to her from childhood - but it's also clear that she sees him as part of her journey towards being the person she actually longs to be, and that his love for her [including his acceptance of magic's existence, however begrudging] is an integral aspect of her self-conception. this is an aspect of love which the series doesn't care for - because it's not love as suffering and sacrifice - but it is love, and i think it's worth exploring.

and so i think it would be fun to see slightly more about the two of them from the fandom.

indeed, i always find it interesting how many complaints i see about the series' female characters being underwritten, because - while this certainly isn't untrue in general - it's also the case that there are several extremely compellingly-written women in the series... they're just not ones who get lots [or any] of the fandom's attention because they're not mainstream romantic leads.

petunia is one of them. she's an extraordinarily complex character from her first introduction - and while vernon [in keeping with the series' general coolness towards men whose main character trait is "father"] is much more one-note, the two of them together are an absolutely fascinating lens through which many of the series' key themes - love, grief, obfuscation, class, conformity, family, desire, jealousy, sacrifice, truth, rationality, motherhood, and the impact of the magical world upon the muggle one - can be examined.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

what's the one harry potter pairing u like that u mentioned in the tags of your hinny post?

Anonymous: Can I ask who that minor character you ship with Harry is? For some absurd reason my mind jumped to Stan Shunpike lol but it's probably not him.... Or is it?

Okay, so this is kind of a funny story. Like, my pipeline through hp pairings was a weird one. Like, I used to read a lot of Harry pairings, still do on occasion (some make more sense than others). None of them were ones I would point at and say: "that should've happened in the books"

One day, I was innocently writing a fic (canon divergence of GoF), and it was just for me, for funnsies, never posted it anywhere and not planning to. And I planned to pair Harry with someone there (honestly, I don't remember who because I didn't write the plan down) but when writing, Harry ended up with a different character. And it was so strange to me because that never happened.

Like, how do you write a ship accidentally?

But I did. I wrote Harry into a ship by accident. So I went back to the books to try and figure out why the hell would my subconscious decide that's the way to go.

I'll also preface it by all this being my subjective opinion and I do read other Harry ships in fics, this one just quickly became my favorite to write (and the only one I write). Also, I don't actually think this is a pairing that should've happened in the books, it's place is in fic and that's where I like it.

So, the character I accidentally shipped with Harry is... *drumroll*

Stan Shunpike!

Not really, it's:

Theodore Nott

Now, you might look at the name and go: "Who the fuck is that?"

And you'll be correct. Theo has 0 speaking lines in the entire book series. His name appears twice. He, himself, as a person, only appeared on page, like, 3 times in the background. The scene that gives the most information about him is other characters talking about him. He isn't even present.

That being said, I'm very good at extrapolating a lot of information from very little evidence. So allow me, to walk you through who is Theodore Nott and why I ship him with Harry.

Basic Information

So, let's start with the most basic overview before I pull out the quotes and go any deeper.

We know Theo is a Slytherin student in Harry's year. So he likely shares a dorm with Draco, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Theo's father is both at the graveyard at the end of GoF and in the Department of Mysteries at the end of OotP, so we know he is a Death Eater. We also know Thoe's father was one of the first and closest Death Eaters to Voldemort, who waited for him during his interview with Dumbledore in 1967:

“Then if I were to go to the Hog’s Head tonight, I would not find a group of them — Nott, Rosier, Mulciber, Dolohov — awaiting your return? Devoted friends indeed...”

(HBP, page 444)

We also know the Nott family is "as pure-blooded as the Malfoys" according to JKR in an interview. We also know Theo's great-grandfather (maybe? the family relation isn't clear), Cantankerus Nott, is suspected to be the one who wrote the Pure-Blood Dictionary, the book that coined the term "Sacred 28" and made that list (which the Nott family are on).

The name Nott is potentially to be derived from the name Nótt, which is the personification of the night in Norse Mythology. So it has been theorized the Nott family have a Nordic origin. Possible, but it doesn't really matter for this post.

What does, is that he comes from a dark, Death Eater, blood-purist family similar to the Malfoys. Even so, Theo never took the Dark Mark and never joined Voldemort in the books.

Now, that we have the basic information out of the way, let's look at Theodore as a person.

All the details I could gather from the books

Alright, now we get to the fun part. That is, me going through all the relevant scenes that mention Theodore Nott and actually creating a character psychoanalysis out of basically nothing.

So, the quotes aren't organized in a particular order. I'm just going to explain Theo and then explain why all this makes me ship him with Harry.

“Well, I pity Slughorn’s taste. Maybe he’s going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favorite of his. Slughorn probably hasn’t heard I’m on the train, or —” “I wouldn’t bank on an invitation,” said Zabini. “He asked me about Nott’s father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he’d been caught at the Ministry he didn’t look happy, and Nott didn’t get an invitation, did he? I don’t think Slughorn’s interested in Death Eaters.” Malfoy looked angry, but forced out a singularly humorless laugh.

(HBP, page 150)

This is a part of the conversation between Draco, Pansy, and Blaise, Harry overhears when he is hiding in their compartment at the beginning of HBP. I have a few things to note regarding this scene.

Firstly, throughout this conversation, Pansy, Blaise, and Draco all call each other by their first name. This shows closeness, they are all friendly and familiar enough to use their first names with each other. Theo, though, is referred to as "Nott" by all three in the compartment.

He doesn't actually sit in their compartment which is in itself a sign about how he isn't really friendly with Draco's group. Considering the group is most of his year from his house, Theo is likely very lonely, and it will be apparent from other scenes I bring up later.

Secondly, Theo's father is in Azkaban. We know Draco is bothered about his own father's predicament. He mentions it to Harry and bothers him over it, Theo doesn't though. Theo doesn't seem to be bothered by Harry or his father's incarceration.

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the relationship between Theo and his father is not a good one.

(I know some fics like to have Lucius be abusive towards Draco, for some reason. But the books really don't back this up. Lucius loves Draco and Draco adores his father)

Theo, though, Theo seems to be the one with a very strained relationship with his father. Strained enough that he isn't bothered the man is in Azkaban. What I'm saying is that Theo's father likely abuses or mistreats him in some capacity.

If anything more was needed to complete Harry’s happiness, it was Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle’s reactions. He saw them with their heads together later that afternoon in the library, together with a weedy-looking boy Hermione whispered was called Theodore Nott. They looked around at Harry as he browsed the shelves for the book he needed on Partial Vanishment, and Goyle cracked his knuckles threateningly and Malfoy whispered something undoubtedly malevolent to Crabbe. Harry knew perfectly well why they were acting like this: He had named all of their fathers as Death Eaters

(OotP, page 583)

This is a scene at the end of OotP after Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Theo's fathers were caught at the ministry and sent to Azkaban because they are Death Eaters. There are a few important notes about this scene.

The first, Hermione knows Theo, while Harry and Ron don't really. This means she likely knows him from the classes she takes and Harry and Ron don't — Arithmancy and/or Ancient Runes.

The second, he is sitting with other Death Eater children, but I don't think it's by choice. I mentioned in the previous quote how he isn't close to Draco and his crew. He sits with them here mostly because he doesn't have another choice. Theo doesn't seem to really have any friends, so he sits with the closest people he has to friends — kids he has known since he was young because their fathers were in the same circle.

The other note about this is that Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco are all mentioned as being threatening and malicious towards Harry because they don't like that their fathers are in Azkaban. Theo, though, Theo doesn't threaten Harry, he isn't part of their whisperings. As I mentioned above, he's likely happy his father is in Azkaban.

A pair of blank, white, shining eyes were growing larger through the gloom and a moment later the dragonish face, neck, and then skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse emerged from the darkness. It looked around at the class for a few seconds, swishing its long black tail, then bowed its head and began to tear flesh from the dead cow with its pointed fangs. A great wave of relief broke over Harry. Here at last was proof that he had not imagined these creatures, that they were real: Hagrid knew about them too. He looked eagerly at Ron, but Ron was still staring around into the trees and after a few seconds he whispered, “Why doesn’t Hagrid call again?” Most of the rest of the class were wearing expressions as confused and nervously expectant as Ron’s and were still gazing everywhere but at the horse standing feet from them. There were only two other people who seemed to be able to see them: a stringy Slytherin boy standing just behind Goyle was watching the horse eating with an expression of great distaste on his face, and Neville, whose eyes were following the swishing progress of the long black tail.

(OotP, page 445)

“The only people who can see thestrals,” she said, “are people who have seen death.”

(OotP, page 446)

The stringy Slytherin boy mentioned here is Theo. This scene proves that:

He takes Care of Magical Creatures

He saw someone die

Let's explore the second one for a moment. The fact Theo can see Thestrals means he watched someone die and was old enough to comprehend what he was seeing. We also know Theo's mother is dead. So it's likely the person he watched die was his mother.

I also want to draw attention to Theo's distaste towards Thestrals. He could likely see them carrying the carriages every year since 2nd year, it's not his first time seeing them. But it doesn't stop his displeasure with their sight from showing. Which says something about him. It means he likely recalls his mother and her death whenever he looks at the Thestrals. and these are memories Theo rather not experience.

We don't know how his mother died, but I'd hazard a guess it wasn't natural. After all, wizards have long life spans, they are more durable to illness and injury, and don't usually die from accidents unless very extreme or magical. And there was no epidemic of dragonpox (a disease that does tend to kill wizards) in the time since 1980 and the books. So, she was more likely killed at some point between 1985(ish) and 1991.

“No, I don’t think so, sir. I’m Muggle-born, you see.” Harry saw Malfoy lean close to Nott and whisper something; both of them sniggered, but Slughorn showed no dismay; on the contrary, he beamed and looked from Hermione to Harry, who was sitting next to her.

(HBP, pages 185-186)

First, Theo is an O student in potions since he is in the potions NEWT class, and was probably meant to be there even if Snape was the teacher.

Second, again, Theo doesn't really have friends. He sits next to Draco as the only other Slytherin in the class. Also, they share the circumstances of being sons of Death Eaters currently in Azkaban. Although both of them seem to deal with it quite differently.

Third, Theo joins Draco in making fun of Hermione's blood status, but he does not initiate it. Considering the environment he was raised in and is in, it makes sense he would make fun of it. Whether he's a blood-purist or not, he would want to keep his image considering he doesn't have many allies. Hanging out with Draco is survival, not friendship. They aren't even on a first-name basis with each other.

“Amortentia doesn’t really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room — oh yes,” he said, nodding gravely at Malfoy and Nott, both of whom were smirking skeptically. “When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love. . . .

(HBP, page 186)

The final quote I have about Theo is from the same potions class as above. Both he and Draco are portrayed here as underestimating amortentia and its potential damage. It makes sense for their upbringing in the Wizarding World, which has no real laws or regulations regarding love potions that are seen as harmless fun more often than not.

I'll add Theo likely didn't witness a healthy romantic relationship. Considering his father is a Death Eater who is likely abusive and may or may not have killed his mother. With this as his reference to a marriage, it's clear why he'd look down on love and love potions.

Why I think Theo and Harry have potential

Okay, so now that we know who Theodore Nott is, let's talk about why I ship him with Harry.

I think Harry, in general, would get along best with a clever partner with the ability to be ruthless (Slytherins or Ron fall into this category). Because Harry isn't some golden savior; he casts unforgivables, and is very willing to poison Umbridge or Crocio Snape if he could get away with it. He needs a partner that won't be horrified by these thoughts.

Also, Theo literally never speaks on page. Even when spoken to, his reactions are silent. I think this quiet and no need to talk, the ability to be comfortable in silence, is something that would be comfortable for Harry. Harry in the books finds himself annoyed with Ron and Hermione's constant banter on occasion, so I think it fits well.

Theo would also be comfortable around Harry without a need to play a certain part. Because Harry wouldn't care about that. He would honestly rather Theo forgo the pure-blood Slytherin act.

I feel like Harry and Theo, have a good potential to understand each other. Theo lost his mother and likely experiences abuse from his father. It makes them very likely to trauma bond over their crap life and shared experience. Two out of three only ones who could see the Thestrals in the entire class.

The other thing I feel they could connect over is being lonely. Harry spent all his childhood until Hogwarts basically being on his own. Theo stayed on his own. Draco at least has his parents, he has other students he's closer to, not that he shares everything with them, but he has some support network. Theo has none. And this is something Harry knows well.

Theo, I think, wouldn't expect anything specific from Harry. He doesn't even interact with him, not to mock him, and not to idolize him, he doesn't care at all. And we know how much Harry appreciates being thought of as Harry and not as the Boy-Who-Lived. Theo would allow Harry to be himself without some mold he wants him to fit in.

The fact Theo never becomes a Death Eater, even though he was in Draco's year and his father was a Death Eater before Lucius (and in better standing than Lucius with Voldemort) is so interesting. It's somewhat surprising Theo wasn't marked. It means he didn't want to be. It means that Theo Nott didn't want to torture and kill muggleborns or blood traitors, or anyone really. And he didn't want to swear his allegiance to Voldemort. This is just a fascinating fact to me and something I enjoy considering. What life experience made him come to that conclusion? Was it just his dislike of his father that pushed him away? Could he have been another Sirius Black (Gryffindor in a Slytherin family) under slightly different circumstances? I mean, Voldemort likely wouldn't force him to become a Death Eater, but would his father? I don't know what at all went down there, but I like that potential story.

We also know he wasn't part of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, even though some minor Slytherins were mentioned to be part of it. He just seems to be an actually decent guy (I don't care what Cursed Child says about him, I know he's there but I avoided almost anything to do with Cursed Child so I barely know the plot).

Finally, this is a character Harry doesn't have as much drama to get over with. Yes, sometimes I want to read overcoming drama between characters before it becomes a romance, but sometimes I want something chiller than that. And Theo is a really chill, safe, Slytherin option for Harry.

[futurequibblerjournalist]

Obvious hate for Rowling and HBO put entirely aside, what do you think about the casting choices?

You’re never gonna catch me talking about that bullshit show on my blog, but since it’s been asked I will clarify my opinion a final time for good measure.

There is no putting entirely aside hate for Rowling and HBO when her hate is so ingrained in everything she does. HBO has clearly shown where they stand simply by working with her and further sharing her IP in a way that makes her money. JK Rowling never puts aside her hate for me as a person, nor my community and thus I cannot do the same for her. If it was me and her in a dark alley I would be swinging at her and I don’t care if that makes me sound like a cunt. Fuck transphobes unconditionally.

That being said when it comes to the casting of this series I hope it becomes everyone’s worst nightmare. I hope no one looks like their book descriptions, I hope you get none of your fancasts, I hope everyone gets to see the actor they hate the most in there, I hope every actor that take part in this delivers their worst performance to date and I deeply, deeply wish associating with her will ruin their career from here on out. I hope with every part of my being that the entire franchise gets completely ruined for the dumbfucks who decide to give JKR and HBO their money because they deserve nothing but the worst. I hope every idiot who gets baited by the promise of wolfstar or drarry or whatever the fuck gay ship you want in there has the worst time of their life. I hope they actively ruin your favourite things about canon and I hope you can never see your favourite characters the same ever again. I hope you get shunned by the marauders fandom, a fandom that is supposedly built on its hatred for JK Rowling and its love for diversity, because you clearly chose the transphobe. I hope your favourite artist and your favourite writers block you and I hope you lose all the friends you’ve created through this fandom because that is exactly what you will deserve. Because by supporting, engaging with or hell, even just talking about this stupid ass series you prove that your support is conditional and that you are not a safe person.

I will be watching who is cast in this series for one reason only and it is so I can assure that I never engage in any of their shit ever again.

If you intend to watch this show, whether pirated or not, you are not welcome on my blog and I urge you to unfollow me right now. I have been blocking people who engage with this cash grab asswipe of a show and I will continue to do so, so there’s that. When I say fuck JKR in my bio I mean it wholeheartedly and a nicely wrapped carrot held in front of my face won’t change that. If it changes that for you know that I have lost all respect for you as a person.

And with that I hope I’ve made myself clear. This is not directed towards anon, I’m choosing to believe that you had the best intentions with your ask, but now that I’ve made myself clear,,, well, no more of that now < 3