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maraudereestauderelb · 5 months ago

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What if you're the defendant in one of the trials after the first War against Voldemort?

Hello everyone,

but a special "Hello" to those who love morally grey characters and who imagine themselves a little more "layered" when it comes to the World of Harry Potter and the Marauders.

We can't all be noble Gryffindores who never make any mistakes or wrong choices, can we?

Don't tell me, you've never imagined yourself using a little...dark magic...

Join me and be part of your very own trial! Sounds like fun, right?!

Are you guilty? What have you done? Who are you on the inside? - Let's find out together!

Oh and if you want a little music to set the tone, I've got a little recommendation.

It was a dark room. The tall walls and floor were covered in black marble tiles with the result that every step taken by one of the wizards and witches and every word said inside the biggest courtroom of the magical ministry was echoing, making the volume almost unbearable.

The wooden stands at the end of the room were filled with about fifty rather old witches and wizards dressed in plum-covered robes with elaborate silver initials on them, the members of the Wizengamot. Next to them sat one wizard dressed in black at a tribune. His name Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the prosecutor.

The rows around the circular room overcrowded with spectators waiting for the trial to begin, amongst them a lot of journalist. In the center of it all was one single chair on which a young woman was sitting, magically bound to it. Behind the chair in the center was another bench filled with five witches and wizards, the witnesses. On the left to the bench was a tiny desk with a chair on which another woman was sitting, her lawyer.

The young woman in the center was nervous, her body slightly shaking, but nobody seemed to notice. On the outside she looked strong and unfazed. But she was worried. Worried she would lose the trial, worried about the two dementors guarding the door, worried she had to go back to the prison which had been her home for the past month, Askaban.

She had been in the room on the tenth floor of the Ministry of Magic before, but as one of the visitors. The trial back then had been extremely private, the ministry trying to keep everything as secret as possible without getting much attention, but her very own trial was different. The room filled with those who wanted to see another Death Eater and murderer locked away for life.

Her heartbeat was going crazy and she was on the verge of tears already. She didn’t dare to look back to the witnesses behind her. The people who had her fate right in their hands. The odds weren’t good and she knew it.

The past month in Askaban had her losing her mind.

The young witch cringed when suddenly the prosecutor cleared his throat and with magically enhanced voice said: “Case 5895026. The magical ministry against Miss Y/N Y/S/N Y/F/N.” Within the blink of an eye, everybody had gone quiet and Y/N’s heart had stopped beating for a second.

“Miss Y/F/N”, he continued looking at her with disgust, just like everybody else: “You have been brought here to the Council of Magical Law so that we may pass judgement on you, for a crime about betrayal, plotting and murder. You are being charged with the murder of seven witches and wizards including two children of the ages four and three. What do you plead?”

“Not guilty”, her lawyer suddenly got up from her chair. “The defender Hailey Cornelia Carter”, Crouch said: “And todays witnesses are Professor Filius Flitwick, former teacher of the accused, Y/M/N, mother of the accused, Arabella McKinnon, family member of the victims, Alastor Moody, Auror, and Rabastan Lestrange.”

The witnesses nodded one after another before Crouch went on: “You’re advised to leave the court room until you’re called.”

Until each and every one of them had left the room, Y/N hadn’t dared to turn around. She couldn’t look at them. Couldn’t look at her mother. She had no idea whether her mother believed the accusations or not. Y/N hadn’t talked to her for months. What if she believed her very own daughter was guilty?

“Today we are talking about the events during the night of the 26th of July in the year 1970, where three Death Eaters attacked the McKinnons with Fiendfyre and burned down their house, killing seven witches and wizards. Paul McKinnon, Elisabeth McKinnon, their daughters Marlene McKinnon and Juliana Miller, Juliana’s husband Alfred Miller and their daughter, Pauline, and son, William. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are talking about a crime involving very dark and mighty magic. A forbidden curse. A curse which was purposely used to kill not only adults but two little children as well. On the night of the 26th of July in the year 1970 seven people had to die a horrible and extremely cruel death. It had been a quiet night like every other until their house went up in smoke and fire, because a coward had attacked them from a distance without a warning. And Miss Y/F/N here is accused of being said witch.”

During Crouch’s speech the young witch in the middle of the room hadn’t raised her head a single time. Her brown eyes were glued to her hands. Never had she ever imagined she could end up in this position. She had been a good kid, a hardworking student, a loyal friend. And yet she was right where she was. In the middle of a courtroom, magically bound to a chair, in front of her the Wizengamot. She didn’t belong there and yet she felt guilt heavy on her shoulders.

James’, Lily’s and Peter’s deaths, Sirius’s and then her arrest felt like they happened years ago, in another life, but she knew they had only happened a months. Her friends…they were all dead, or worse.

“And I know what everybody in this room is thinking right now: Why? Why would a young witch do something as horrible as this. And the answer…the answer is simple, ladies and gentlemen, out of love.”

Sirius. They were trying to blame this on him as well?

“Miss Carter”, Crouch looked at Hailey: “You have the word.”

“Thank you, Mister Crouch”, Hailey nodded in his direction and got up with an almost unrecognizable sigh. Y/N knew how nervous she was. This was only her second trial, but she had fought so hard to even get her a trial, although everybody already seemed sure about the outcome. It was hopeless.

“First of all”, Hailey shrugged and casually leaned against the chair Y/N was sitting on: “Mister Crouch, you were wrong. Not everybody in this room was thinking what you pointed out mere seconds ago, because the question I have been asking myself ever since my client got arrested is: Why now? My client got arrested on the third of November 1971, a month ago, but the crime she is being accused of happened more than a year before that. So, I’ve been wondering…why not earlier? ...And then I knew the answer to it, because you never had the slightest evidence, you never had and you still don’t. My client, a young witch who never did anybody any harm, is suddenly accused of killing not only one person, but seven with a curse so dark, I bet, not even you as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would know how to successfully perform it. How should a twenty year old witch do it then? This entire trial is ridiculous! There is no proof and my client is innocent!”

“So what you are saying Miss Carter is that your client, Miss Y/F/N, never would have been able to evoke a Fiendfyre? That she is lacking the skill to do so? Miss Y/FN, are you supporting this statement?” But before she was able to answer Hailey said: “Of course she does!”

“Why don’t we ask someone who could give us a more competent opinion on this. I call Professor Filius Flitwick to the witness stand.”

Hailey stepped aside as the small figure of Professor Filius Flitwick entered the courtroom. His hesitant steps echoed off the black marble walls, each one punctuating the rising tension in the room. Y/N kept her gaze locked on her trembling hands, unable to meet the professor’s eyes. She had always admired him, had always seen him as more than a teacher—a guide, someone who had encouraged her love for magic before that love became an obsession.

Flitwick climbed into the witness stand, his expression betraying his reluctance. “Professor Flitwick,” Barty Crouch began, his voice sharp and cutting. “You were Miss Y/F/N’s teacher during her time at Hogwarts, correct?”

“Yes,” Flitwick replied, his voice soft but steady. “I taught her Charms throughout her seven years at the school.”

“And how would you describe her abilities?” Crouch leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing.

Flitwick sighed, wringing his hands. “Y/N was… exceptional. She was one of the brightest students I’ve ever had the privilege of teaching. Talented, driven, and deeply curious. In her final years, she was the top of her class in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms.”

A murmur rippled through the audience. Y/N’s heart clenched as she felt every word like a dagger in her chest. Her gaze flicked up for a brief moment, catching the face of someone she desperately wanted to avoid, seated in the audience. Her former friend’s face was a mask of cold contempt, and Y/N quickly looked away.

Crouch’s lips curled into a slight smile. “A prodigy, then. Surely, someone with such talent would have the knowledge and skill to perform a curse as advanced as Fiendfyre?”

Hailey interjected, her voice calm but firm. “Professor Flitwick, in your opinion, would my client ever have been interested in such magic?”

Flitwick hesitated, his small hands gripping the edge of the stand. “Not at first,” he admitted, his voice laced with sadness. “Y/N had always been eager to learn, but in her last year, I noticed… a change.”

“What kind of change?” Crouch prompted.

“She became distant, withdrawn. One day, I discovered a forbidden book in her possession. A text on the Dark Arts. I confiscated it, of course, but… she was different after that. She looked tired, as if something was draining her. She seemed... lost.”

Y/N closed her eyes, memories flooding her mind. The long nights pouring over that book in the Room of Requirement. The allure of knowledge so forbidden it felt intoxicating. How she had used the Marauder’s Map and Sirius’s Invisibility Cloak to sneak into the restricted section. Her thirst for understanding had felt insatiable, but it was never meant to harm anyone. It was for knowledge, for power over her own destiny, not for destruction.

“Professor,” Crouch’s voice broke through her thoughts, “do you believe Miss Y/F/N was capable of summoning Fiendfyre?”

Flitwick’s face crumpled, and he looked directly at Y/N for the first time. She finally met his eyes, pleading silently. But she knew the answer before he spoke.

“I do,” he said softly, the words falling like a death knell. The room erupted in gasps and whispers, but all Y/N could hear was the pounding of her own heart. Flitwick turned to her, his face etched with regret. “I’m sorry,” he said.

The words felt heavier than the chains binding her to the chair. For the first time, Y/N felt tears prick her eyes, but she forced them back. Her voice—her defense—felt smaller than ever.

Hailey stepped forward again, her tone sharp. “Professor Flitwick, isn’t it also true that Y/N excelled in all forms of magic, not just the Dark Arts? That she showed immense skill in protective spells and healing charms? Skills that contradict the accusation that she would ever commit such heinous acts?”

Flitwick nodded, but his earlier words hung in the air like a specter. The damage had been done.

As Professor Flitwick stepped down from the witness stand, the tension in the room seemed to coil tighter around Y/N’s chest. Her breath hitched, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She knew who was next.

Her mother.

They hadn’t spoken in months—since her arrest, since everything fell apart. But even before that, the rift between them had widened, starting the day her sister was killed. The guilt was unbearable. Her younger sister, bright and determined, had followed Y/N’s footsteps into the Order of the Phoenix. It was unusual for purebloods, but their family had stood firmly on the right side of this war. Her parents had been proud.

Then came the mission with Marlene McKinnon.

The night she didn’t return.

The news had shattered their family. Y/N had stopped going home after that, unable to face her parents. She had joined the Order first, after all, and without her, maybe her sister wouldn’t have followed. Maybe she’d still be alive.

A rustle of movement brought her back to the present. Her mother stepped into the witness stand, her robes slightly askew, her face pale and drawn. Y/N didn’t dare lift her eyes to meet her mother’s. She couldn’t bear to see the grief, or worse, the doubt.

“Please state your name,” Barty Crouch instructed, his tone professional but with an edge of impatience.

“Y/M/N Y/L/N,” her mother said, her voice trembling slightly.

Crouch nodded. “Mrs. Y/L/N, you are the mother of the accused. Can you tell us what you know about your daughter’s allegiances?”

Her mother took a deep breath, glancing briefly at Y/N before looking out over the courtroom. “For what I knew… my daughter joined the Order of the Phoenix with good intentions. She wanted to fight against You-Know-Who and protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. When her friends had asked her to join them in the order, she had been excited!”

A murmur rippled through the audience, but it was quickly silenced by a sharp look from Crouch. He stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back. “Which friends are we talking about?”

“James Potter, Sirius Black-” Gasps echoed through the room.

“Good intentions, you say. But do you have any evidence to support this claim?”

Her mother hesitated, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came. Finally, her shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. “No. I don’t.”

Tears welled in her mother’s eyes, and her voice cracked as she continued. “But I know my daughter. I know she couldn’t—she wouldn’t—do something so… so monstrous. I don’t believe it. I can’t believe it.”

Crouch pounced. “When was the last time you spoke with your daughter, Mrs. Y/L/N?”

“Months ago,” her mother admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “After her sister’s death… it became too painful to—”

“And did you notice changes in her behavior?” Crouch interrupted, his tone cutting. “Did she seem… different?”

“Yes,” her mother said reluctantly. “But the war has changed all of us. It’s taken so much from us. Her sister’s death…” Her voice broke. “It broke her.”

“And what about her relationship with Sirius Black?” Crouch pressed. “How would you describe it?”

Her mother seemed taken aback by the question but answered after a pause. “Strong. Impulsive. She loved him deeply, perhaps obsessively, as young people often do at that age.”

“Could he have influenced her?” Crouch asked sharply.

“No!” Her mother’s response was immediate, almost panicked. “I don’t believe he would ever…”

But Crouch wasn’t finished. “Didn’t you just say that your daughter wouldn’t have joined the Order of the Phoenix if not for Sirius Black?”

Her mother’s eyes widened, realizing her mistake too late. “I—yes, but—”

“Thank you, Mrs. Y/L/N,” Crouch cut her off, his tone triumphant. “You’ve made your position clear. If Sirius Black could influence her to join the Order, who’s to say he couldn’t influence her to commit darker acts? Perhaps their loyalty to You-Know-Who was simply well-concealed, a strategy to infiltrate and betray.”

“That’s not true!” her mother cried, tears streaming down her face. “She’s innocent! She would never—she couldn’t—” Her voice broke completely, and she looked at Y/N, desperation in her eyes. “I’ll get you out of this,” she promised, her voice trembling. “I know you’re innocent, sweetheart. I know.”

Y/N couldn’t look at her. Her mother’s words cut deeper than any accusation. Innocent. The word felt like a stone in her chest, because she wasn’t sure it was true. She had never intended to hurt anyone, never wanted to stray so close to the darkness. But her thirst for knowledge, her reckless love for Sirius—they had all led her here, to this chair, with her prisoner number inked into her skin like a brand.

And for the first time, she wondered if maybe she did belong here.

Arabella McKinnon walked into the witness stand with a presence that silenced the room. Her grief was palpable, etched into her features like a permanent scar. She knew Arabella’s job today wasn’t to present facts—it was to stir emotions, to make sure no one left this courtroom doubting who the villain was.

Arabella spoke with a quiet dignity at first, her voice steady but heavy with sorrow. She described the McKinnons—their warmth, their bravery, the way Marlene had laughed so easily, even in the darkest of times. She described the children, their lives snuffed out before they had even truly begun. Her words painted vivid, haunting images, and the room hung on every syllable.

“They were everything to me,” Arabella said, her voice breaking. “And they died screaming. My family burned alive because someone—because she”—her trembling hand pointed directly at Y/N—“decided they didn’t deserve to live.”

A sob erupted somewhere in the audience, and Y/N felt like the floor beneath her chair was crumbling. She wanted to scream, to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come. Her throat felt like it was closing, the air in the room thick and suffocating.

“And for what?” Arabella continued, her voice rising. “For power? For loyalty to that… that monster? You knew them, Y/N! You knew them, and you did it anyway!”

“I didn’t—” Y/N began to whisper, but Arabella cut her off, her grief giving way to fury.

“Don’t you dare speak!” Arabella’s voice cracked like a whip. “You don’t get to sit there and pretend you’re innocent. You deserve Azkaban. You deserve to rot there for the rest of your miserable life, with nothing but the screams of my family to keep you company!”

The courtroom erupted into chaos. Shouts and murmurs filled the air, but all Y/N could hear were Arabella’s words, echoing like a curse in her mind. Her stomach twisted painfully, nausea clawing its way up her throat. She tried to suppress it, to hold herself together, but the pressure was unbearable. As Arabella was escorted out of the courtroom, still sobbing and shouting curses at her, Y/N doubled over.

She barely managed to turn her head before she vomited onto the cold marble floor next to her chair. The bile burned her throat, but it was nothing compared to the searing pain in her chest. She stayed hunched over, her hair falling in a curtain around her face, trying to catch her breath as tears streamed down her cheeks. The courtroom was silent now, save for the faint echoes of her retching.

Her gaze, blurry and unfocused, drifted upward, searching the crowded bleachers. She was looking for one face. One pair of eyes. She found them, but the expression she saw was ice cold. No sympathy, no compassion.

Her former friend stared down at her, and Y/N’s heart shattered all over again. The words they had once exchanged, years ago, came rushing back with painful clarity.

“We may fight for different sides, but I’ll never betray you, Y/N. You’ll never find a dagger in your back held by me.”

The promise had been made in the shadow of their diverging choices, shaped as much by the war as by the men they loved—Sirius and Rabastan. But now, it felt hollow, broken. Y/N dropped her gaze to the chains on her wrists, unable to bear the emptiness in her friend’s eyes.

She wasn’t sure what hurt more: Arabella’s fury or the silence of someone she had once called a sister.

As Hailey stood to cross-examine Arabella’s devastating testimony, Y/N could feel the weight of hopelessness settling deeper into her chest. Her defender was determined, her voice steady as she tried to redirect the courtroom’s focus. But it was no use. The emotions stirred by Arabella’s words hung in the air like smoke, suffocating any attempt to shift the narrative. The damage was done.

Hailey returned to her seat, her hands clenched tightly, and for the first time, Y/N saw doubt flicker in her eyes. There was no saving this. The audience murmured restlessly as Barty Crouch called the next witness.

“Alastor Moody.”

The sound of Moody’s wooden leg hitting the marble floor was loud, deliberate, as he approached the stand. Each step sent another dagger of dread into Y/N’s gut. She knew Moody would bury her. He’d never trusted her, not from the moment she joined the Order. A pureblood with ties to the Black family, the Lestranges? To him, she was a walking liability. What would he say now that Sirius and her had both been arrested? The thought that Sirius was being dragged through the mud, even in her trial, made her feel sick all over again. She clung to the belief that Sirius’s trial, whenever it came, would vindicate him. She knew him better than anyone—it simply didn’t make sense that he’d betray James and Lily.

“State your name and occupation,” Crouch said as Moody settled into the stand.

“Alastor Moody. Auror,” he replied, his magical eye spinning wildly, taking in every corner of the room. When it passed over Y/N, she felt as though her soul was being laid bare.

“Mr. Moody,” Crouch began, “you’ve known the accused for some time, haven’t you?”

“I have,” Moody said gruffly. “Worked with her in the Order of the Phoenix.”

“And what was your impression of her?”

Moody’s lips curled into something between a grimace and a smirk. “I never fully trusted her,” he said bluntly. “She’s got the bloodline, the connections, and that… feeling about her. You’ve been an Auror as long as I have, you start to recognize it. The way the Dark Arts cling to someone.”

Y/N’s heart sank. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she avoided looking at the audience. She didn’t need to see their faces to know what they were thinking.

“Interesting,” Crouch said, leaning forward slightly. “And what do you mean by this… ‘feeling’?”

Moody gave a sharp laugh. “Dark magic leaves traces. Most people can’t sense it, but after years of chasing dark wizards, you learn to pick up on it. And with Y/N, it’s always been there. A subtle hum, like static in the air.”

Crouch raised an eyebrow. “Fascinating. And yet, you worked alongside her?”

Moody shrugged. “I liked her sister well enough. She had a good heart, didn’t deserve what happened to her. But Y/N… I kept my guard up.”

Y/N stared at the floor, her mind racing. Where is Dumbledore? she thought bitterly. He had promised to protect her, to protect all of them when they joined the Order. But now, with everything falling apart, he was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t been there for Sirius either, leaving him to rot in Azkaban. What had been the point of their loyalty if it was only met with abandonment?

Crouch continued. “Mr. Moody, have you ever witnessed the accused using dark magic?”

Moody hesitated, just for a moment, before nodding. “I have. In battle. It was during a skirmish with Death Eaters. She used spells that were… questionable.”

Y/N closed her eyes, her chest tightening. I only ever used it to protect my friends. The memory flashed before her eyes: spells cast in desperation, the heat of battle, the need to keep her friends alive. She thanked whatever shred of luck she had left that Moody hadn’t been there the one time she had crossed the line entirely.

The Imperius Curse.

She could still remember the way it had felt—the surge of power, the absolute control. She had forced three Death Eaters to their knees, stopping them from killing Lily. The effort had drained her so completely she had nearly passed out, but for a brief moment, she had felt pride. That single act, if anyone had seen it, would have been enough to condemn her to Azkaban without trial.

“And what do you make of her capabilities, Mr. Moody?” Crouch asked, his voice sharp. “Do you believe she is capable of casting Fiendfyre?”

Moody didn’t answer immediately. His magical eye swiveled to Y/N again, and she felt like it was peeling back every layer of her being. “Aye,” he said finally. “She’s capable. Doesn’t mean she did it, but the skill’s there.”

It was the final nail in the coffin, and Y/N knew it. She didn’t even flinch as he stepped down from the stand. Her thoughts were elsewhere, drowning in regret and anger.

I did what I had to do, she told herself, but the weight of her choices felt heavier with each passing second. And still, she couldn’t shake the question echoing in her mind: Where is Dumbledore?

As Rabastan Lestrange strode to the witness stand, his smirk alone was enough to send a chill down Y/N’s spine. He looked far too composed for someone who had been convicted of his own heinous crimes. Y/N couldn’t understand why they had brought him here. What could he possibly add?

She gripped the arms of her chair tightly, her fingers digging into the wood. Her gaze darted briefly to the audience, scanning for her former friend, Rabastan’s wife, and found her sitting stiffly among the crowd. Their eyes didn’t meet.

The courtroom fell silent as Crouch began the questioning. “State your name and affiliation.”

“Rabastan Lestrange,” he said smoothly, leaning back in the witness chair. “A convicted servant of the Dark Lord.”

There were murmurs from the audience, but Rabastan seemed to bask in the attention. His dark eyes flicked to Y/N, glinting with malice.

“You’ve claimed to have knowledge of the accused’s activities. Please, enlighten us,” Crouch said, his tone cold.

Rabastan chuckled. “Oh, I know more than a little about Y/N Y/L/N. She and her beloved Sirius Black were always slippery, but I’ve seen through their charade from the start. Working for the Order of the Phoenix? No, no, they were playing both sides, working for the Dark Lord all along.”

Y/N’s head shot up, her chest tightening. “He’s lying!” she shouted, her voice cracking, but Rabastan barely flinched.

Crouch raised a hand to silence her. “The accused will remain quiet unless addressed.”

Rabastan leaned forward, speaking directly to the Wizengamot. “I’ve seen her wield the Dark Arts like a master. I was there the night the McKinnons died. She was wild with rage, casting Fiendfyre like it was second nature. Enjoyed every moment of it, too.”

Y/N’s vision blurred as her pulse thundered in her ears. “That’s not true!” she cried, her voice breaking.

Rabastan ignored her, smiling cruelly. “I even offered her that place among us. Told her the Dark Lord would appreciate her talents. She was delighted?”

Y/N felt bile rising in her throat. The sheer audacity of his lies was almost unbearable. It was true, he had offered her said place, but she had declined. She had hated him from the start—hated everything he and his kind stood for. But she had stayed silent about his crimes, out of a twisted sense of loyalty to his wife. A loyalty that now felt painfully one-sided.

Her eyes flicked to her former friend. She sat motionless, her face unreadable. Y/N wanted to scream at her, to demand how she could just sit there and let this happen. Her for him. Every time.

When Rabastan spoke again, his voice was almost gleeful. “I saw her kill them all.”

Y/N froze. Her heart dropped into her stomach. It was a lie, twisted and reframed, but it wasn’t entirely baseless. There had been a moment—a stupid, reckless moment during one of her secret meetings with her friend—when she had spoken too much, blinded by grief.

Rabastan’s grin widened. “She’s been playing everyone from the start.”

“I’m not a murderer!” Y/N screamed, tears streaming down her face now. “You’re lying! You’re all lying!”

Hailey stood abruptly, her voice trembling with barely contained anger. “This is ridiculous! These are baseless accusations from a convicted Death Eater. If he’s so certain, let’s prove it.”

There was a beat of silence before Hailey said the words Y/N had been dreading.

“We request the use of Veritaserum.”

Gasps echoed through the courtroom. Even Rabastan’s smirk faltered slightly.

Crouch raised an eyebrow. “A bold request. The accused will need to consent.”

Y/N’s hands trembled as she clutched the arms of her chair. She knew the truth wouldn’t completely exonerate her. The things she had done—the spells she had cast—would seal her fate, even if she hadn’t killed the McKinnons.

But what choice did she have?

Her voice was barely a whisper as she said, “I consent.”

The room fell silent. It was over. One way or another, it was over.

The vial of Veritaserum sat glinting on the prosecutor's desk, the liquid inside swirling like molten silver. Y/N stared at it for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew what it would do. It would lay her soul bare, tear away every veil of secrecy she had ever crafted. And there were things—truths—that could never see the light of day.

With trembling hands, she lifted the vial to her lips. It tasted bitter and metallic as it slid down her throat. Almost instantly, she felt its effects—a strange, floating sensation, as though her mind had been disconnected from her body. She fought the pull, digging deep into her resolve. You can’t lie. But maybe, just maybe, you can choose how much you reveal.

“Miss Y/L/N,” Crouch began, his voice sharp and eager, “did you kill Marlene McKinnon and her family?”

The words struck like a physical blow, but she didn’t flinch. Her gaze darted to her former friend in the bleachers. There was no sympathy in her eyes, no shared history, no bond of trust. Nothing but cold detachment.

Y/N’s mind reeled back to that moment—the fateful conversation with her friend. She had been blinded by grief, suffocated by rage. Marlene McKinnon, her sister’s partner on that doomed mission, had survived. Her sister had not. That bitterness, the unjust cruelty of it all, had spilled out.

“Do you think Marlene deserves to die too?” her friend had asked softly. A simple question, laden with dark implications.

And Y/N, angry and lost, had nodded. Just a single, damning gesture.

She didn’t have to say it aloud to know what would happen next. Her friend had treated it like a gift—an act of warped kindness, an answer to Y/N’s unspoken grief.

But did that make her the killer?

“I didn’t cast the fire,” Y/N said at last, her voice steady but hollow. It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the whole truth either.

The courtroom held its collective breath. Crouch’s lips curled into a predatory smile. “Then who did?”

Y/N hesitated, the weight of the serum pressing on her, demanding an answer. She looked directly at her former friend, whose face betrayed no emotion.

“I believe it was Rabastan Lestrange who killed Marlene,” Y/N said. Her voice rang out clearly, each word deliberate.

Murmurs rippled through the audience, but Y/N didn’t care. She couldn’t look away from her friend. The betrayal cut deeper than any spell, deeper than the scars she carried.

“Have you ever cast Fiendfyre?” Crouch pressed, his voice rising with impatience.

“I’ve never cast it,” Y/N replied, and it was the truth.

Crouch’s frustration was palpable now. He paced before her, searching for a crack in her armor. “Have you done anything that could send you to Azkaban?”

Y/N’s heart thundered. She thought of the curses she’d used, the lines she had crossed to save her friends, her loyalty that had tied her hands and sealed her fate time and again. She could feel the truth clawing its way to the surface. But with the last vestiges of her will, she clung to one thought: He has to accuse me first. Don’t give him the power to condemn you.

Her voice was quiet but firm as she replied, “You will have to accuse me of a crime first if you want to convict me.”

For a long moment, silence hung heavy in the air. Crouch’s face twisted with anger and frustration. He knew he had lost.

Finally, he turned to the Wizengamot. “There is insufficient evidence to convict the accused of this crime. I am forced to call a verdict of not guilty.”

The words echoed in the chamber, and for a fleeting moment, Y/N felt a wave of relief. The chains binding her to the chair vanished, clattering to the ground.

But as she rose shakily to her feet, that relief turned to bitterness. The cheers from her lawyer, the gasps from the crowd, none of it mattered. James and Lily were gone. Peter was gone. Remus thought her a traitor, just like Sirius. And Sirius...

Sirius was in Azkaban. Alone, broken, abandoned, just as she had been.

She turned to leave the courtroom, her gaze falling once more on her friend in the bleachers. No words passed between them, but the message was clear. They were strangers now. Whatever bond they had shared was gone.

The freedom she had just won felt hollow. What was the point of any of it if she couldn’t save the people who mattered? If she couldn’t get Sirius out of that hellhole, what did this verdict even mean?

As she stepped into the cold air outside the Ministry, her prisoner number still etched on her arm, Y/N made a silent vow. If the world had given up on Sirius, then she would be the one to bring him back.

MASTERLIST

#the marauders #marauders #sirius black #sirius black x reader #angst #harry potter universe #your trial #imagine #james potter #lily evans #reader insert #death eaters #order of the phoenix #mad eye moody #bad or good?#morally grey characters #morally grey reader #powerful reader

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simptasia · 1 year ago

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LOST reading list

a list of books read by characters in lost for you to enjoy (or not). this isn't every book referenced in lost. for all that and more, see the "literary works" page on lostpedia, where im getting my info

no, my criteria for this list is that it's been read by a lost character. i'll tell you who (you'll see sawyers name a lot), and i'll add if it's somebody's fave book. this list will not include things like the bible or the qur'an or historical texts, as that while that can technically be recreational reading (it seems to be for ben), i'd rather not

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (read by Jack)

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume (read by Sawyer)

A Brief History of Time by Stephan Hawking (read by Ben)

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (read by Ben)

Caravan of Dreams by Idries Shah (read by Ben)

Carrie by Stephen King (Read by Juliet, Ben and various other Others. This is Juliet's favourite book)

The Chosen by Chaim Potok (read by Sawyer)

Dark Horse by Tami Hoag (read by Jack)

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (read by Ben)

Dirty Work by Stuart Woods (read by Jack)

Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor (read by Jacob)

Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie (read by Sawyer)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (read by Ben)

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (read by Ben)

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (read by Sawyer)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (read by Jack)

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie (read by Desmond)

Hotel by Arthur Hailey (read by Ben)

The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares (read by Sawyer)

Lancelot by Walker Percy (read by Sawyer)

Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov (read by Hurley)

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (read by Ilana)

The Oath by John Lescroart (read by Ben)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (read by Sawyer. This is Sawyer's favourite book and author)

Roots by Alex Haley (read by Ben)

A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda (read by Ben)

The Sheltering Shy by Paul Bowles (read by Ben)

Ulysses by James Joyce (read by Ben)

Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler (read by Ben and Jack)

VALIS by Philip K. Dick (read by Ben)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (read by Boone and Sawyer)

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle (read by Sawyer)

Every work by Charles Dickens other than Our Mutual Friend (read by Desmond. This is his favourite author)

I encourage you to speculate on the character implications put forth by these reading choices. This can raise such questions as: Jack is a Harry Potter fan? What is Desmond's favourite book by Charles Dickens? Boone can read??

Thank you for your time

#wow this really isn't light reading. here have some complex serious shit #sawyer and ben and jack are dominating the list. nerds #anyways im not exactly recommending these books #especially since it includes books by ayn rand and jk rowling [gags]#and also i don't even know what most of these are #but it's neat to have it listed as trivia at least. and might be useful for character analysis #note that sawyer didnt choose most of his books #but everybody else chose their books #also at a certain point while making this list i was begging ben to stop reading

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arwainian · 5 days ago

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Reading This Week 2025 #16-18

helloooooo. this reading log comes to you late because i was extremely busy the weekend of the the 20th with various commitments, and even busier at LARP last weekend. decided to just make a bit three week one with everything in one place rather than spam a bunch of catching up posts

Finished:

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, narrated by Christine Marshall my library hold on the audiobook came in and so i have finally read the kickoff book for another fantasy series the lesbians on my tumblr dash are obsessed with! wasn't blown away but then the twist really got me! i'll check out the rest of the series eventually

The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé, narrated by Cora Kirk non-romance historical fiction, which is unusual for me bc i usually like to go for genre histrom, of if not that then a very genre murder mystery in a historical setting. the "mystery" that this is presented as didn't really carry then book but that's okay because i think the mre important part is Florence growing into herself, her budding friendships, and her struggles to define herself as a mixed race black woman with a future that she determines. also has lovely trans rep in the supporting character Annie

Point of Dreams by Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett on my hands and knees begging more people to read Astreiant. I love the subtly to Rathe and Eslingen's romance. it is emotionally mature, with some conflict that comes between them but doesn't seesaw to too quick of a resolution (the emotional quandry for them being "are we coming together the way that we want to? circumstances are making us move rather quickly" is very interesting). the plot surrounding them is tense and fraught enough that their remarkable stability with each other feels like the calm in a storm. the world continues to be very well realized

The Low, Low Woods written by Carmen Maria Machado, art by Dani, color by Tamra Bonvillain horror comic series about some girls in a small Pennsylvania coal mining town investigatng their missing memories (and those of every other woman in town)

Blue Box, Vol. 9 by Kouji Miura, translated by Christine Dashiell genuinely really proud of Taiki's integrity in pulling himself together and turning Hina down. that takes real guts when she's such a good friend to him, and as bad as I feel for Hina's heartbreak, and her attempts to delay rejection by telling him not to answer her confession, it's better this way that everything is out in the open. I am shooting Hina and Ayame with a yuri beam

Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey, narrated by Sally Darling love an older sff work. the gender stuff in this book is fairly well handled. the bullying! from peers and from disapproving adults all of it made my blood boil, but it never felt contrived or cliche. just felt very real to adolescent struggles

What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 16-17 by Fumi Yoshinaga, translates by Jocelyne Allen <3 Shiro meeting Kenji's family and it going well warmed my heart, and in vol 16 we also see Kenji get to meet Shiro's housewife friend. i wonder if this is reflecting changes to social discrimination against gay men in Japan at the time it was coming out because Kenji and Shiro are getting more opportunities to move socially as a Couple in a the wider world

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, narrated by Ell Potter and Michael Dodds oh no. i was neutral on the book until I met Dr. Wendell Bambleby and he was so hilariously on-pitch for the flamboyant charmer archetype that i love it redeemed the rest of the book. i have some nitpicks about the framing device of the field notes journal, but that can wait for book club

All The Hearts You Eats by Hailey Piper, narrated by Em Grosland, Alexis Vandom, Sena Bryer, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, and L. Morgan Lee this was good but i am starting to wonder if horror is not my genre/if i have not read enough horror to be trained to react positively to how horror novels are structured.

Graphic Women: Life Narrative and Contemporary Comics by Hillary L. Chute academic work analyzing several women cartoonists doing autobiographical work

Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads by Ellen Forney collection of illustration Forney did for a sexual personal ads section of an online publication in like the 2000s as well as interviews with some of the people who put in the ads. all of the art was great but i was struck by some of the attitudes that were revealed in the "seeking" sections. there was a lot of "seeking F and FTM" conflation of women and trans men which I found transphobic/transmisogynistic. it certainly more reflective of the people requesting the ads than Forney herself but it was uncomfortable to see! that said there were also a lot of ads seeking "F and MTF" and a wonderful interview with a man about how his ad led to him meeting his trans girlfriend so its a mixed bag

Crowded, Vol. 1: Soft Apocalypse written by Christopher Sebela, art by Ro Stein & Ted Brandt gig economy gone even more dystopian. i'm meh on it

Spring with the Unicorns by Taylor Titmouse trans-norm short erotic fantasy story about two male unicorns erotically wrestling over who deserves to mate with a female unicorn. and i mean like significantly trans norm- the male unicorn's vulvas are called their "manhoods" and one of them is mocked for being effeminate because he's tall

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch, narrated by Michael Page the last book in the series! or at least it looks to be for a while. I think overall the first book is the best but the rest were still fun. Sabetha's issues around her hair and accepting that she can be loved and desired for who she is is very real but can also be very tedious and annoying. i do think her "Locke, the other gentleman bastards like and respect you more and listen to you faster than me because you're a boy" was a really good recontextualization of their relationship as well as Locke's natural leadership

Dragondrums by Anne McCaffrey, narrated by Sally Darling piemar suddenly being the protagonist feels weird! once again the bullying in this was really difficult to read, but also like written well

Errant, Vol. 1 by L.K. Fleet glad this exists but it's prose was a little flat/mediocre for me. too straightforward fanfic hurt/comfort to the romance vibes. sorry for being a snob

Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin, read by Stefan Rudnicki i love the prologue to this. a fairytale of a woman losing 16 years in a single night when she goes on a quest to recover a family artifact (but its bc of relativity and she has to space travel, but she doesn't understand that that's whats happening and neither does anyone else). very cool blend of fantasy vibes and science fiction thought

Started/Ongoing:

Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents edited by Thomas K. Hubbard big collection of translated documents from poetry to philosophy. anything that is even mildly gay from ancient greece and rome. having a fun time with it

The Charioteer by Mary Renault, narrated by Joe Jameson been meaning to read this since Cat Sebastian went down the charioteer rabbit hole. enjoying it. love reading older queer literature

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, narrated by Rosamund Pike finally reading this after having been in a stage production of it as a teenager, having a good time

#cal reading log #arwainian princessoid decrees

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winterspiderlover2704 · 10 months ago

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Immortal Dilemmas

Chapter 22

It was as if the warm atmosphere that was created by the immortal couple had become as cold as ice when Damon had stalked his way in. Stefan had to motion the hybrids to stand down, it wouldn't do much good to make a scene. They would have been completely fine ignoring Damon and going along in their evening; as long as Damon didn't try anything, there wasn't much use in getting worked up over his presence. That thought made Stefan lose up a bit, but he ended up tensing immediately after inwardly, he had to hold back a snarl. What made the Ripper in Stefan snarl was that once Damon was aware of their presence, he had an unwavering glare on Hailey. Stefan wanted to lash out and ask Damon what the hell his problem was, but he bit it back after seeing Damon's eyes flicker to him and ultimately turned his gaze to the bar. Good, at least Damon had enough sense while unhinged not to start something right now. He felt his hand squeezed and turned his gaze to his wife. Finally, his hard glare softened when he saw her look of concern for him. He didn't want to push himself today; it was supposed to be a day to relax, not another day to worry about his demented brother. He squeezed back in assurance, raised his eyebrow, and nodded to the door; she nodded, agreeing it was better to go than to stay and potentially clash with Damon. She knew that both of them were already in a very unstable emotional state; how they interacted before would be like a puppy and kitten tugging at the same toy compared to whatever brawl or argument could happen right now. They left money on the table including a generous tip, ignored the scoff they heard from Damon, and headed out with the hybrids in tow. They knew the only reason they couldn't feel a heated glare on their backs was that the hybrids acted as a buffer.

Damon could only fume as he heard the door slam shut behind his brother and his puppy possie. The more he thought about recent events, the more he wanted to lash out and paint the town red with whoever was misfortunate enough to cross his path in his rampage. He had spent over a hundred years trying to get Katherine back with the sole ideology that once she had seen how useful he was and how loyal he was to stay to her, she would finally choose him over Stefan, proving to him that his brother wasn't his superior. But all that time and effort was wasted and spat back in his face when she wasn't even in the crypt, he had nearly done Elena in just because she had the same face as the woman who would never return his feelings. Unfortunately, he realized afterward that Katherine had never loved him or his brother. She had just wanted to own them. Like some loyal dogs that would be at her beck and call and with whom she could play whenever the need arose. But his vampire couldn't accept it, the whole reason for him becoming a vampire and what drove him to stay alive as one was Katherine, his obsession and only she could be the one to give value to his being. Now she's gone, what was he supposed to do now? Elena could never be Katherine; she would just be some poor imitation no matter how much he would mold her. He can't get revenge on the freaky little witch that Stefan is so keen on playing house with, if she could make Katherine like that there would be no telling what nightmare she would have in store for him. He couldn't act without a plan, and it was driving him up a wall, he was always the impulsive one, but he could only be so rash, the odds of him surviving any interaction after he tried to get revenge were so slim that they were practically transparent. He hadn't noticed two blondes sitting at a booth diagonal towards him. If he had he would have noticed the male pointing one of those freaky sticks that the Potters frequently had on their persons straight at him. He felt something faintly brush against his back before finally noticing them. He didn't know what was happening anymore, but suddenly, he was walking towards them at a sedated pace. Everything feels like he's in a big fog, lost with no way of knowing where he is going and no idea what he could be doing. He could faintly hear what was being ordered of him.

Lucious didn't even bother to turn toward the vampire he had just cast the imperious curse on. "Listen well, vampire. You are to follow your brother and that witch; I can see the anger in your eyes towards them. You cared for that female vampire, didn't you? Well, now, isn't it just unfair that your brother walks happily with that girl while yours is barely a living husk? Don't you want to let your anger out, don't you want them to know pain? Go to them, but do make sure that the witch at least lives, she still has a purpose of being useful to me.", once the order was given, he and Esther got up from the booth to leave Damon on his own. When Damon had snapped out of his daze, he looked around him, trying to remember what he was doing, until an image of Katherine popped into his mind, and then, like a tidal wave, anger slammed into him. His vampire face came out full force he turned towards the door and quickly picked up the scent of his brother. It was time to get even.

He and Hailey were both a little tense, and both decided it was time to go home, their date had gone great but with Damon near it just made the both of them nervous. Damon was impulsive but most of the time he wasn't stupid, but he wasn't going to chance it, when it came to Damon's anger no one knew it better than Stefan. Just as they reached the parking lot, Stefan's ears picked up the sound of someone speeding towards them. By the tensing he noticed in the hybrids, he concluded they picked it up, too. Just as he turned towards the sound, he suddenly flew back and crashed into his car door. He heard Hailey shout his name before he heard a sickening crack, he quickly reoriented himself to see the hybrids in front of Hailey trying to fend Damon off, the crack he heard had come from Damon breaking one of their necks as he noticed one of them downed on the rough granite of the parking lot. In all the chaos, they couldn't tell with Damon's vampire face on that his usual eyes were clouded over. Stefan tried to will his healing to speed up to fix his fractured spine as Damon was quickly snapping the remaining hybrids' necks. Odd Damon was usually one to finish an enemy off with no chance of recovering, but he couldn't focus on that right now! His brother was snarling over Hailey, panting like some rabid animal. He had nearly finished healing when he finally heard his brother speak.

He sneered at her and finally exploded, “What makes you so great?! What makes you so special that my dimwitted little brother is willing to throw everything away for you?! Katherine wasn’t perfect but she was beautiful, smart, and strong!”, he stopped pacing. He looked at her with a murderous smile. “And what do you have? Your freaky witchy powers?! The only thing you’re good for is being a bed warmer...and maybe to be a decent meal. And now that I think about it, I’m hungry.” he sped towards her, uncaring about what consequences may come, and sunk his fangs into her shoulder…to only then be blown back into the wall…hard. His spine was definitely broken, he used his forearms to pick his upper body up and looked to see his brother staring down at him with an emotionless face.

As if possessed, Stefan had stalked towards his brother, lifted him up by his shoulder, and planted his hand into Damon's chest. Damon let out a painful wheeze, feeling his brother's hand around his heart and his nails digging into the organ. Hailey had finally recovered enough to sit up and witness her husband have his hand in Damon's chest. Normally, she would have felt satisfaction at seeing Damon helpless at the hands of her beloved but something was off, her magic was shifting as if trying to send her some signal, seeing as how her husband had the situation handled she allowed her magic to venture and it led her to see a disturbance around Damon, it made her investigate his appearance, his vampire face was gone, and as she landed on his eyes she was pulled into a flashback of the Triwizard Tournament when Viktor had the same eyes as him when he was under the Imperious Curse. She groaned inwardly but was also slightly panicked; someone had put Damon under the Imperious Curse, Mystic Falls was compromised, and an enemy had found her home. She hated to admit it, but she needed to stop Stefan; she would need Damon alive to get information.

"Love, please come back to me, I need you more than I need to see your brother in pain.", she whispered to him but knew he could hear her all the same. He growled and slowly pulled out his hand from his brother's chest cavity, but to ensure that he wouldn't move to attack his wife again, he broke both of Damon's legs, his right leg sluggishly bleeding as a bone had pierced out. He waited for his wife to approach him and felt some of the tension in his body bleed out when she put her hand on his nape, skin contact with his wife had become a quick way to ground him. He tensed again when his wife moved away from him and walked towards Damon, who looked and sounded like a wounded animal. When Damon tried to lunge at her, she was quick enough to throw a red spell from her hand at his face, leaving Damon knocked out cold. This was ideal, while she was never up to Snape's standards in Occlumency, she had refined herself well enough to probe through minds without leaving the person a jumbled mess, she ignored the hiss that came out of Stefan when she had to put her hands on Damon's head to open his eyes, she starred into them and dived into his memories. She started easy and came to his most recent memory in the Mystic Grill just minutes ago. She looked around and stopped cold at what she saw but wasn't too surprised. It, however, did not quell her bubbling rage. Lucious Malfoy seemed to have made a friend, but she'd need to show this memory to others to see if anyone knew her. Why couldn't this man leave her alone and find some other way to save his reputation and failing household, she swears that Tom's obsession with her must have transferred to his death munchers after his death. She pulled away and came back to reality, the hybrids were groaning and cracking their necks into place while Stefan was silently whimpering at her because her wound had yet to heal. It stung, but after surviving Crucios and basilisk venom, almost nothing phased her anymore. She asked two of the hybrids if they could take Damon back to the mansion and inform everyone that the town had been compromised and that there would need to be a meeting as soon as they all got home. She had to make the hybrids promise not to let anyone kill Damon once they explained the situation of why Stefan had nearly killed him. There was grumbling but they promised. She turned to Stefan and nearly shrieked when he bit his wrist, but her worrying was halted when it was offered to her, she tends to forget that vampires can heal others with their blood.

She cringed a bit at the taste, blood no longer was appetizing to her since the twins had been born. She could feel her body healing the wound and saw that there was now a faint scar where the bite marks had once been. She allowed him to carry her bridal style back to the mansion, with the hybrids tailing them. As soon as they had reached the front lawn, the door slammed open, and the immortal couple was smothered in fretting family members and could barely answer any of the questions thrown at them. It soon became overwhelming, and Stefan bared his fangs at his siblings silently to tell them to back off and wait a bit. Hailey glared at them so that everyone could eventually calm down. She saw from the corner of her eye that the hybrids had put Damon in the dungeons, Remus scrunched his nose a bit at that, as the dungeon had been his to transform every month. He mumbled about it needing a deep cleaning after Damon was gone to remove his scent. His wolf had grown accustomed to the others but Moony tended to howl and growl all night if he picked up the scent of an enemy nearby.

The magicals were very tense once the hybrids showed up with a bloody Damon and told them that Mystic Falls was compromised. They asked hurriedly where Hailey and Stefan were and calmed a bit at hearing that they were already on the way home. A huge sigh of relief when not ten seconds later the couple had arrived. They wanted to know everything immediately, but once Stefan had bared his fangs, the Mickaelsons knew that their brother was on the edge of going feral again. They stepped off with the magicals following soon after, they smelled blood and Moony looked close to coming out when he recognized that it was Hailey's blood. "Everyone shut it and please listen." from how tense Hailey was, everyone was quick to fall in line. "We've been compromised. I don't know how, but a very unsavory bloke from back home seems to have followed us to Mystic Falls. I don't know how much he knows, but he likely knows about Stefan being my mate and about the boys since we hadn't felt the need to hide it. To make matters worse, he seems to be using Unforgivables on the muggles in town, or at least he's been using the supernatural as some pawns. Today, while we were out, we had a run-in with Damon, but he seemed content to sulk at the bar and glare at us; once we left the building, he must have followed us as soon as we were in the parking lot. Damon had started snapping necks. He bit me, and of course, Stefan retaliated. But my magic had been stirring, so I let it feel around, and it led me to look at Damon, he had been put under Imperio, the spell that takes away your free will and forces you to be a mere puppet to the caster, I had to check his memories to be sure, but it seemed Lucious Malfoy was planning to get rid of Stefan somehow and get me under his boot. But that's not all. It seems dear Lucy has made friends, he was with a blonde woman I did not recognize. I'd thought to share the memory with the rest of you to see if anyone could identify her."

She tapped her temple with her hand and used her left hand to conjure a vial with wandless magic to place the silver wisp into it. She asked Ron to go and fetch the pensieve. Everyone who didn't have magic was confused about what was a pensieve and how it would help see a memory. Ron came back levitating a very large basin on a pedestal that was silver decorated with gold etchings, he placed it in the middle of the drawing room. Hailey came up to it and poured the vial into the basin. She beckoned everyone forward, and soon, they were all enveloped and dragged into the basin. It seemed as if they were there in person at the Grill just a few hours ago, they appeared behind Damon, who was nursing a bottle of bourbon and was scowling at the door as Stefan and Hailey had walked out with their guards. They expected him to rush after them in anger, but he just sat and continued to drink then they heard the door opening. It seemed Damon noticed as well but didn't acknowledge the new people. But the others turned to see who they were, and the Mickealsons froze. It wasn't possible; Nik had killed her over a thousand years ago, and Finn turned over a new leaf and decided not to be their mother's pawn and not resurrect her. How was she walking around Mystic Falls? After noticing that they had recognized the woman, Hailey soon pulled them all out of the memory.

She looked at the Originals with a questioning look as they gathered themselves again. She looked to Stefan, but he seemed as befuddled as the rest of them about who that lady was. However, when he noticed her gaze on him, he stepped closer to her and held her hand, needing some skin-to-skin contact to help relax a bit. They smiled tentatively at each other a silent 'sorry' for the night ending on such a sour note.

They were startled out of their little world when Elijah cleared his throat to bring attention to himself. " It seems that the threat has just become larger by multiple times, that woman was our mother, the Original Witch, the same witch that created the vampire race.", he spoke in a very grim tone. Finn spoke up next. He knew what his mother's endgame was, it would be disastrous if she were able to accomplish it.

''From what she used to rave and preach in the afterlife was how we were abominations, her creations that deserved to die as recompense to once again stabilize nature. However, she had found out how to give waste to our entire species. She found that once an Original was slain, every vampire from our sire line would also die, killing an infection at the root, as she used to call it." the silence that followed his statement was deafening, and thousands would be lost. They wouldn't allow it, a fire was rekindled in the hearts of the wand users, which had dwindled down at the war's end. They refuse just to lay down and play dead, they took down one genocidal maniac before what was one more?

"Well, I don't know about you lot, but I think we should put your mom back into her dirt nap. Leave it to some bitter witch to believe nature requires mortals to help balance itself, listen, I refuse to allow some delusional Bint to be the end to our new family. Get packing people, we need to relocate. We are officially no longer safe to continue residing here. Tonks, go to MACUSA and see if they can provide emergency lodging, Remus go with her and report Lucius, if he's here who knows who followed him to get to me, Hermione, Ron, I need you guys to start packing everything up and remove our presence from the house. Klaus, I need you and everyone else to pack up everything important to them and come back here as soon as possible. Stefan, get the boys and prepare a bag for them. There should be a big brown leather duffel bag under our bed. Grab it and put whatever you think we need from our room. It has an extension charm, so it'll fit a lot. I'll get the thestral herd and get them packed and ready.", by that she meant she would get a large briefcase and charm it to be massively extended on the inside, and probably would have to transfigure the dresser and bedpost into a platform to set up a stable and barn in it, as well as move the very large freezer into it and charm it to self-distribute to feed the herd on time, thestrals need their raw meat. Everyone moved, quickly apparating and speeding away. She could feel in the wards that Ron and Hermione were in the library, and she couldn't hold back a snort at that.

She and Stefan made their way upstairs where the hybrids in charge of them for an hour handed the boys to their parents. She quickly got to work on dismantling their bed and transfiguring it, as well as finding the briefcase that she had stashed away in the closet. She never noticed Stefan, while doing his task, seemed very distracted and his eyes were constantly shifting between her and the boys. When she was about to step out of their room, Stefan had latched onto her waist. It startled her but then she realized that Stefan had not said anything the entire time they were packing up. “Stefan?” she asked with trepidation. He had been very quiet on the way back home, and she was beginning to worry. “Are you okay, love?”, she relaxed into him and put her arms around his waist, mindful of the fact that the twins were sleeping. He tried to relax into her as well but at the last moment, he remained stiff. He looked over her, especially over the shoulder his brother had harmed. He healed her, and there wasn’t a scar left to the naked eye, but to a vampire's vision, there was a faint marking of fangs…it made his blood boil. Stefan was still running on instincts when he answered her.

“No…I’m the only one allowed to bite you…to leave my mark. Please just…let me fix what my brother tainted.”, it was driving him crazy. Blood was sacred to vampires it was their life source. For Damon to drink from his mate is beyond sacrilege. He had wanted to wait a bit before taking the next step in their relationship but with Damon having Hailey's blood in his system it just made his vampire extremely uneasy. They had drunk each other's blood before but never in the proper way of creating the bond. For mates 'blood sharing' was intense, it is said to be the final ritual to have between mates and causes them to be bound forever to each other, it was a ritual of pure love to deepen their understanding of each other's feelings. It symbolizes trust and care between individuals. He had heard from Nik that there was once a pair that had completed the bond and could have known what the other was thinking or going to say without even looking at each other. But with something always coming up and trying to be there for every single moment of the boys' lives, it always seemed like a bad time to bring it up. He tried to explain to his wife what he meant by 'fixing' and hoped she could understand.

In all honesty since Damon had bit her, she felt off. It was like she was in dire need of a deep cleansing charm on herself, and she had no clue why. But with Stefan’s answer, it started to make sense, she felt tainted, and the only way to get ‘cleansed’ was to have Stefan fix it. She nodded to him and let him lead her to their mattress on the floor. She sat down on it and waited as Stefan had nuzzled the boys and put them to sleep in their crib. She got the gist of what they had to do for the ritual. She felt her heartbeat so loudly in her ears and she knew Stefan could hear it just as well, especially if the smirk he was wearing said anything. He pulled her into a hug in which she finally felt him relax. He pulled them up against the wall, with his back on the wall and hers on his chest. They sat there sedated by each other's presence when she started to feel Stefan move her hair away from her neck and kiss her pulse point. She shivered from the contact but did not move away, she felt him pull something out of his pocket and into her hand. It was her dagger that she used for rituals. He looked into her eyes and wordlessly offered up his wrist. She unsheathed the blade and cut his arm, he never once winced or looked away from her. As she grabbed his wrist and brought it towards her, he did the same with hers. She barely winced once he sunk his teeth in and then proceeded to drink from her husband. In a near instant, she felt everything he felt and thought everything he was thinking. The desperate need to protect his family, his never-ending love for their sons, his love for her, the fragile hope in his brother, and the hidden need to make amends with Damon. And in return, he felt all of her. Her love for him, for their family, the strong protective feelings she has for everyone special to her, and her fear of losing everything she fought so hard to protect. After finishing they just sat silently with each other until the boys started crying and Hailey went to grab them. When she came back and sat with Stefan, they simply looked at each other no longer needing words to express anything just each other. They must have been staring at each other longer than they thought because they started to receive texts from everyone saying they were ready to go. They scrambled up as fast as they could with the boys suspiciously giggling at them the entire time. Stefan had started speeding around the room and Hailey had taken the boys with her while levitating the suitcase behind her downstairs.

She stopped at the bottom as everyone was there and looked shocked that she wasn't ready. She was getting some knowing looks from her in-laws but she ignored them in favor of giving them the boys and running off to herd the thestrals into her suitcase. Thankfully she had already put everything else in and she just needed her herd. They seemed to pick up that they were leaving and met her at the opening and waited for her to put the suitcase down. "Alright everyone, single file please, and no pushing we gotta go!" she watched them impatiently, but they were making good progress all things considered. Once the last thestral was in she closed up and was about to head inside when she heard a distinct bird screech. She looked up and saw an eagle landing on a wooden post near the door and putting its leg out to her. She took it and looked it over; it was from Remus, and he was using a MACUSA owl to let her know that they all needed to head towards the official building as it seemed the Ministry of Magic had pulled out an ancient law that she must abide by. No doubt a last-ditch effort to buy time to find something to refute the abolishment of the laws her family had been able to do and is almost done with. In order to finally get rid of the law that prohibits the existence of her children she would need to be there in person as the Lady of her houses. She scowled but she had a determined look in her eye as she marched back into the house to tell everyone the news.

While Hailey and Stefan were busy trying to scamper everything together a certain Original had gone down in the dungeon to check on Damon. Damon was barely waking up when he saw a pair of legs walk up to him. "I believe its time we've had a chat Mr. Salvatore"

#harry potter #fem!harry potter #harry potter x stefan salvatore #master of death #stefan salvatore

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