#has he already met another horcrux?

[awyeahitssam]

I can ask Dumbledore if you like, he penned, the smirk tilting his lips at odds with the seemingly innocent words. He knows loads of magic.

Riddle’s response appeared quickly, slightly crooked in its haste.

No, he wrote. There’s no need to disturb a professor with this. I’m certain your assistance will be more than enough.

Harry chuckled lightly, pushing a hand to his lips in surprise at the sound. He knew he shouldn’t be playing with Riddle like this, but the opportunity was simply too good to resist. Besides, winding him up when he was in such a helpless state appealed to something in Harry, something made helpless and powerless by the man this boy would one day become.

The diary couldn't possess him, he reasoned. What was the worst that could happen?

The worst that could happen, Harry discovered, was becoming attached. Tom was clever and rude and charming all at once. And while his snide remarks were hardly noticable if you weren’t paying very close attention, Harry had practice telling when he was being mocked. He had grown up with the Dursley’s, after all.

[sideprince]

Hey! Dunno if you do the asks game but I'd like to know your opinions on Severus based on 1, 2, 8, 12, 15 (if it's too much you can skip it or only do the questions that you find interesting

(btw, your blog is gold, I passed way too much time scrolling on your blog to find EVERY meta I could get my hands on)

Most of my meta posts are just me lurking on @raptured-night 's old meta posts and reblogging them, but I'm glad you had fun! You should check out their blog I think you'd love it...

1. Canon I outright reject

This is only technically HP canon because it's from Cursed Child and not the books: I refuse to believe Voldemort and Bellatrix slept together. I don't think it's in Voldemort's character to sleep with anyone, period. His core characteristic is his aversion to vulnerability; he operates in secrecy and alone and has no friends, nor as he ever had one. There isn't a single one of his Death Eaters he truly trusts. He has no understanding of love (which isn't necessary for sex) or of the value of or need to connect with another person. This is not a person who would expose any part of himself to another person, let alone a vulnerable and private one, and want to engage in something that, even if loveless, is ultimately still an intimate and vulnerable interaction. And you can't even say that it's because he wanted to secure Bellatrix's loyalty because he already had it. She was an absolute fanatic and fully devoted to him and would have continued to be so whether or not he slept with her, let alone had a child with her. And I don't buy the idea that he wanted a child either, because I don't think that would have made a difference to him in terms of trusting someone with his legacy. Not to mention that the guy whose main goal was immortality and who believed he had achieved it through his Horcruxes would not have made a backup plan in case he does die, let alone trust his child with anything purely because she's his offspring. He killed his own father, framed his uncle for it, and looked down on his mother – the idea of family being any kind reliable or worthwhile connection is not part of his world view. The whole thing makes no sense to me in the context of who Voldemort was set up to be as a character in the books but I'm also not a big fan of Cursed Child and don't personally consider it canon, so.

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

Snape comes from poverty in a slum of a Northern town in a very classist Britain and that informs a lot of who he is as a character. He may have the speech style and stiff demeanor to pass, but it's a form of masking and people like the Malfoys wouldn't have anything to do with him if it wasn't in their personal interest. He's not the refined, romanticized nobleman (or harlequin romance hero) some fans seem to want him to be and I don't like that interpretation because there's nothing wrong with his background or his lack of "breeding." I love that he's a genius kid who grows into a brilliant man and can hold his own against the best and worst of his society, exactly because of where he comes from. I sort of wish for him that he lived in a culture where he didn't have to suppress so much of himself.

8. Unpopular opinion about them

I think he both is and isn't ugly. What I mean is, he's not attractive by widely accepted beauty standards (with the caveat that he's described through Harry's perspective, which is biased). That being said, I don't believe in the idea of being ugly, at least not aesthetically. I don't really understand how you can separate someone's personality from their face. I've met people who I thought were ugly because they were unlikeable people (to me) but I've never met anyone who I thought was objectively unattractive. Facial expressions, personality, interests, judgments, etc., these are the things that show up on someone's face and make them attractive or unattractive. I may not be personally attracted to someone but that doesn't make them objectively unattractive. I've known people who have symmetrical faces with aesthetically pleasing features whose smiles were insincere or their eyes dead or they always looked annoyed or bored and nothing about them moved me. And then, where's that post about Miriam Margoyles talking about how she thinks of herself as beautiful? That. That's what I mean.

So I think that Snape is attractive on the page to people who find him intriguing, who see past the way his physical features are described because his personality and who he is are compelling. And at the same time, he has features a lot of people do find attractive: a prominent nose, the whole Trent Reznor long black hair/black goth clothes vibe etc. One person's "meh" is another person's "oooooh." And he's also described as greasy and pallid is a closed off, surly, antisocial guy. So it's a mixed bag in any case. But the same way I don't like the idea of him being represented as some kind of harlequin romance hero or refined nobleman, I reject the idea that to represent him in fan art as attractive he has to be chiseled with sharp cheeks and clean edges. He's messy. And he has a hooked nose. If I never see fan art of him with a straight, sharp nose I'll be happy (and people can draw what they want, I don't go around commenting on people's artwork or anything, I'm just answering an ask here).

12. Crack headcanon

Lily found out that it was Snape who told Dumbledore to hide her and her family and that he'd turned spy but didn't get a chance to thank him or rekindle their friendship before Voldemort killed her. Snape died thinking she never knew and still hated him. On a related note, I hate myself, apparently.

(Also I think it was Snape who made the potion Voldemort put in the basin in the cave to protect the locket Horcrux.)

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done

Not look for a way out of being a Death Eater after the first time he participated in something that involved violence. And even then I have empathy for him because it would be traumatizing enough, let alone for someone young and raised in their own trauma. I do think, though, that trying to save Lily wasn't his sole motivation for defecting, it was his breaking point. Snape, like many others, was drawn to Voldemort for the reasons described in canon: his rhetoric about power and freedom. He didn't realize the violence and cruelty it would involve until it was too late to get out safely and there was a cowardice in his staying. Nevertheless, I can empathize with that kind of fear. That's not the same as condoning or supporting it, mind you, but in terms of the worst thing he's ever done I think it's everything he continued to be complicit or participatory in after the point where he realized what being a DE really meant.

[tomionefinds]

Hi! i recently rediscovered my tomione addiction. Do you have any recs for fics where they meet in a different time than usual (not generation potter or riddle but like maybe the 50's or around the marauder timeline)? I also love the stories were Hermione ends up taking over someone elses Life, for example Lady Selwyn or Journey of the soul

Hey Anon,

There's actually quite a lot of these. Check out our tag for Met: As Adults for several scenarios where both were already older, and we have an unofficial Tom: Shopboy tag with a few more from the era after Hogwarts when he works at Borgin & Burkes. I'll add a few more I can think of that I didn't see pull up or where she assumes another another body/persona. -JD

stardust by orangepekoelatte M | Complete | 131k Carina Black is two, and the first coherent thought that enters her mind is Harry.

She sees her twin brother, tugs at his silver locks, and thinks, Harry Potter.

Here I Dreamt I Was A Rosier by Nautical Paramour M | Complete | 41k Opening her eyes, Hermione became acutely aware that she was not in her bed, or even in Gryffindor tower. She has woken up in 1944 and must learn to exist with her "family" and their friends…TR/HG

Fountain of Knowledge by Ciule E/Ma | Complete | 66k The myriad of glittering magical shards sank slowly down, settling like a mantle on the shoulders of two people: A very tall wizard standing across the unlit bonfire and ... herself.

Behind the deep cowl, the wizard cocked his head, indicating that they should move. Slowly, she walked towards the bonfire, and he sauntered confidently to her side, meeting her halfway.

The Itch by seollem E/Ma | Complete | 76k Tom looked intrigued. “Soul Glass? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Oh, yes, it’s a very rare material, indeed! If you look carefully, you can see the other half of your soul on the other side. Perhaps that of a lucky lady?” Mr. Burke winked conspiratorially.

“How fascinating.” A slow, predatory smile overtook the handsome features of Tom’s face, something flashing in his eyes as they locked on the shadow beside his reflection. “A piece of my soul, you say?”

Inimica, Amator by QueenOfTheDreamers (QueenOfDreamers) NR | Complete | 73k Hermione falls asleep in January 2000. She awakens in a Knockturn Alley flat in 1947. Confronted by the reality that she's been hurtled through time and space to the world of Tom Riddle himself, Hermione works to get back home. In the meantime, desperate for money, she takes a job at the only place willing to hire her - Borgin and Burkes, with the disarmingly charming Tom Riddle.

Altered State by Ginnyruin E/Ma | WIP | 186k Six years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Auror Hermione Granger activated a mysterious dark object, which unexpectedly sent her decades into the past.

Miðgarðsormr by xXAonoNYmouSPXx M | WIP | 92k Tom watched as the mother and son stop at a spot by the fountain. The witch whom he's never met before in his life, with bushy brown hair atop a heart-shaped face, and the boy who looked exactly like him when he was at that age.

Peremo by virennia NR | WIP | 50k When Hermione gets stuck in the 1950's, she has no choice but to live her life.

And then, she meets Tom.

Who Are We? by BareWithMeHoney E/Ma | WIP | 15k The year is 2004. Voldemort has hidden his Horcruxes in the past and the Order is fighting against impossible odds to find and destroy them.

But when Time itself begins to unravel, a new kind of sacrifice must be made before the world comes to an end.

Bitter Almonds by Skylarparks E/Ma | WIP | 61k What would happen if the Mauraders, the Golden Trio and the Knights of Walpurgis all went to school together? Also, what if Tom Riddle developed a strange obsession with Hermione Granger?

The Pendulum of the Mind by AvaJune M | WIP | 118k Tom's fingers slid across her skin as he pulled up her sleeve, feeling irregular bumps and scarring as he watched in fascination as instead of a dark mark, he steadily revealed rune carvings. His eyes flicked back to hers, watching her reaction to his touch.

"I will give you this, witch. You are unbearably intriguing," he murmured.

Madness flies in the face of logic, and if there is one thing Hermione Granger cannot abide, it's things that defy logic. There is always something against her, this time the very laws of time and space. There is, however, a truth she now knows about herself; she isn't quite the rule girl she once thought she was. *Hermione - Tom Riddle. AU, Post Battle of Hogwarts*

A Twist of Fate by ASongofIceandHope NR | One Shot | 4k Hermione wakes up in a stranger's bed, and finds herself to be an important part of his life. Funny the things a simple ring can do.

Right Place, Wrong Time? by Shan84 M | WIP | 129k It was just another boring day at Borgin and Burkes for Tom Riddle… That is, until a certain bossy, crazy-haired witch stepped through the entrance. Is this your usual time travel story - or is something else at play? HG/TMR

And Not to Yield by ASongofIceandHope (orphan_account) NR | WIP | 10k It's common knowledge that you shouldn't touch things in Borgin and Burke's. But when Hermione, Harry, and Draco all reach for a cursed object at the same time, they find themselves thrown through time to 1948 when a certain Dark Lord has youth, vigor, power, and at least two horcruxes. Post-Battle of Hogwarts. Partially DH compliant; disregards Epilogue.

[princeblack]

he looks at her with a smile, thinking about how hard she seemed to be trying not to look between his legs. “mm, yeah, unfortunate. then your eyes would’ve been spared.” he’s just teasing her; he knows he isn’t hard to look at, so even if she isn’t into it, it’s doubtful she hated the sight of him. “the spell only worked because i drank the potion tied to the object. when the object was destroyed, it brought my body back… just not everything else.” she didn’t ask or anything, but he explains it anyway. she probably doesn’t even know what a horcrux is– why would she need to know? at hogwarts you would have to dig for the information in the restricted section, which most students weren’t allowed in long enough to do.

“james’s son, harry?” he asks skeptically, but he appreciates that she’s trying to reassure him. he’s sure that only james would have a son he would give to sirius, because the only other option was remus and he already had bee, apparently. “if you knew james, you would know how crazy that sounds… it seems like i have a lot to catch up on.” why harry, anyway? his chest clenches in fear, wondering if voldemort retaliated on the marauders because of him somehow. would he even do that? did he even care regulus was gone to begin with, or ever retrieve his note?

she tells him she’ll help by contacting harry and his heart sinks from the pain of it all, imagining what sirius’s reaction will be to know he’s miraculously alive again. will he be scared or angry that regulus used dark magic to do it? would he be ashamed to be his family, again? would he even listen to what he has to say and let him explain it all?

at the same time he can’t help but be entranced by the girl in front of him, so earnestly telling him she’ll help. it feels intimate and serious somehow; as if she’s not helping him just because he’s a stranger that needs help, but because she truly wants to and cares about his well being right now. it touches him deeply, making him realize he’s never met someone like this before. most people loved to take from you, or put you in a box, but bee found him here and didn’t have any judgements or plans for him besides helping him when she didn’t even know him yet. he’s startled by her warmth, listening to her intently as she continues speaking, explaining that sirius doesn’t have family besides kreacher. he wonders if that means their parents really are dead, or if it just means sirius never re-connected with them, which doesn’t surprise him. either way, hearing that kreacher is alive makes his heart swell, another tear rolling down his cheek but this time from joy and relief. “y-yes, his name is kreacher. i can’t believe he survived, but you don’t know how glad i am he did…” even his voice sounds a little watery now, but he can’t bring himself to feel bad for showing vulnerability to this girl. she’s beautiful and kind and he would curl up in her arms to surround himself in it if he could. her laugh was beautiful, sticking with him even now. “kreacher and sirius never got along,” he says fondly, even if his brother had pissed him off a few times over it. “kreacher repeated a lot of the things my mother would say… said his mistress was the best there was and the wizarding world should create itself in her image. sirius disagreed.” regulus never really agreed either, but he kept the house elf company anyway, practically being half raised by him. sirius didn’t understand him like regulus did; he was kind, far underneath the grumpy and opinionated bravado he was taught to wear. and he was incredibly nice around regulus.

it makes him happy that she says he has her too– as if she’s planning on sticking around and helping him learn this new world. “how did i get so lucky?” he asks softly, gazing at her.

bee asks if he dated her mom and he laughs, shaking his head. “no… she was far more interested in sirius’s best friend.” he pauses, and then adds (because he remembers), “your father, i mean. we all thought they would stay together…” they seemed so in love, so it surprises him amos could’ve come between that somehow. “sorry if this is weird.” it’s a little odd, telling this girl he finds attractive about the love life of her parents when they were his age.

it makes regulus smile to himself, knowing that sirius loves bee, too. one of his favorite traits about his big brother was how loyal he was to his friends, even if his friends could be awful people sometimes. he knows it’s genuine, what he sees in bee and how much he loves remus. he has no doubt that he would do anything for the two of them. regulus just hopes it can be like that between them; that they can fix everything that went wrong and be brothers for once in their lives, even if it’s late. “you do,” regulus says softly, looking at her with warm green eyes. “remus was my favorite, out of my brother’s friends. and you… you’re perfect. i can see why.” with parents as beautiful and kind as hers, it makes sense. he can’t help but want her, even just after meeting her. he knows it’s probably wrong, because of their situation.

“okay,” he agrees, because he does want to go home with her. she asks him to tell her again later, how beautiful she is. he flushes a little, surprised at the reciprocation in that way. “i’ll tell you whenver you’d like.” he would remind her every day, if that’s what she wanted. he admires her, watching her almost lovingly as she compliments him back. why does he feel so strongly for a girl he just met, and woke up to? he feels his body flush a little, unable to stop the wave of warmth that’s overwhelming him, almost giddy that she complimented him too.

she helps him get up and he feels electricity where she touches him, even just supporting him as they walk towards her home. she tells him about her family and he hums, trying to imagine how shocking this will be for either of them. it feels like just yesterday for him that he and amos were competing for the quidditch cup, both seekers. he laughs at what she says, almost hating that he likes her sense of humor too. what if it’s impossible not to fall for her? which seems especially bad, knowing her parents (his classmates) are taking him into their home so graciously. or at least, he hopes they will. “i’m not sure they’ll have the best opinion of me,” he says, knowing that most of their class heard the ‘rumors’ about him being in with the dark lord. “though you seem like someone who’s difficult to say no to.”

their home is lovely, attached to the giant trunk of a tree, so warm and cozy even as they walk inside. he’s astounded by the number of plants, looking around at all of the photographs of their family, some with a handsome older boy. he frowns, noticing that bee hasn’t mentioned him yet.

before he can bring it up, she lets go of him and he tightens the blanket around his shoulders. “maybe it’s best if i have clothes on when she sees me,” he says a little timidly. he knows this situation is going to be weird for everyone, maybe the least weird for bee.

but when she leaves he turns to the table anyway, unable to resist the pull of food. he feels like he hasn’t eaten in seventeen years, even if that’s not the case because technically his body isn’t that old. he should feel strange about helping himself to food in emma ainsworth’s home (especially when she doesn’t know he’s here, he was just dead, and he’s naked) but it’s difficult to resist the pancakes, so he goes to sit, waiting on bee a little cautiously.

he made them just before she was born and now he's laying here, still the same age as she is today. even for a witch the concept seems strange, it's very rare that people can come back from the dead because if they did...she would've figured out a way to have cedric back a long time ago. "no one ever believed me when I thought those rocks were important...there's no common spell for such a thing." she's even more curious about him smiling softly. "unfortunate it didn't bring your clothes with it huh? ottery is freezing this time of morning." not that she's complaining about seeing him like this even though she shouldn't even look.

he must be scared and in distress, the world was much different from what it used to be. his peers would be the age of her mom and dad's, his family had grown older too... not even the school robes looked the same from pictures she saw of her mother when she was her age. his whole world flipped upside down and she can't help but feel bad, wishing she could hug him tight and tell him everything was okay even if it isn't. "someone is finishing what you started regulus...it's harry and he's a great wizard you don't have to worry about anything other than getting better right now, okay?"

she'll tell him if voldemort and everything soon, but she needs the right words to figure out how to tell him without making him think his death was pointless. he didn't deserve to live with that guilt. how sirius had been accused, how voldemort killed her brother by peter's hand and was responsible for so much bad long after regulus died. she wants him to know the good stuff first, cushion the blow because there was still good in the world and if regulus truly did due to stop voldemort than he was the greatest key of them all in helping harry and his friends. "I'll send an owl to harry as soon as we get home, he'll be happy to help and I'm sure your brother would be so happy to see you." who wouldn't be glad to see such a pretty face? especially after thinking he would never see regulus again. "I'm sure sirius could use the good news, harry told me the only family he has is his family house elf..who seems to have a bit of a temper." she giggles because it's kind of cute thinking of a cranky little house elf driving sirius black mad. "he must've been yours right? I guess you'll be happy to know he's still here too. see? you have family still...and now you also have me."

her mom was very loved in ottery mostly because a lot of her medicines and herbs helped them, even if you had a slight sneeze emma diggory was the door to go to. bee wants to help the way her mom does one day but with the wizards taken care of she will take care of the creatures that are misunderstood and in danger. just like newt himself.

regulus seems surprised when she says her mom's name, proceeding to also point out her maiden name. "oh god you didn't date my mom did you? I forget she was like this beautiful it girl...." that would put a huge damper on the whole crush thing (though maybe the fact he went to school with her parents should've been the nail on the coffin to begin with.) he asks about her dad too which makes her frown a bit. "well...I." she loved her dad regardless of the bullshit, he was far from perfect but he could've easily been lucius malfoy status of horrible but their relationship was probably beyond repair after she found out the truth, her mother's affair with an ex boyfriend who amos was always threatened by...remus was her father and it should surprise her that regulus catches on so quickly but he was around for the teen romance wasn't he?

"yeah...yeah he is....you know your brother gave me that same look when he found out? said I had remus's smile." she laughs a bit because of how silly it is. her life was a bad drama, one she couldn't escape from or take a break. "its weird because you still look my age but you're talking as if you were friends with all of these people, I can't wrap my head around it." the cutest boy in the world and he just had to be complicated didn't he? maybe she's attracted to it cause it doesn't even turn her off that he is supposed to be her parents age now, he speaks and looks like a teenager and if he died at this age it means he froze at this age right?

"you don't have to thank me, let's just get you somewhere warm and figure out what to do next? you're probably hungry took." her mom told her she would have breakfast ready upon bee's return. fresh berry pancakes with home made surp. her own tummy growls just at the thought as she places alfie back into his basket. she makes sure the blanket is snug on regulus as blue eyes flicker up to meet his green ones it's when he calls her beautiful that she ant resist a smile, eyes falling a bit cause it makes her shy as she presses her lips together. "try telling me again when you're less dehydrated.." she says softly because she doesn't know if he even knows what he's saying.

was he really hitting on her? it makes her feel butterflies where they shouldn't be. this has to be a dream because it shouldn't be possible for someone as perfect as he to look at her and actually make her feel like this right? "but thank you....I like your eyes." she says shyly.

he tries to get up and so she helps him, tucking her arm under his and using her shoulder to prop him up. she images it's going to be a bit hard getting around until he's at least properly fed and taken care of, though he already towers over her she tries to guide him towards the home. "my dad is at work so it's just me and my mom..." she trials off because she remembers how empty home is without cedric. "I guess we have to explain to her why I'm bringing a naked guy home who just happened to look exactly like one of her classmates in 1979 but she'll help us." she says gently as she walks with him.

it doesn't take long to reach her home, just as she said it's right outside of the forest, almost part of it as it's grown into a tree. she can already smell emma's pancakes as hey approach the door, pushing it open as they step inside. it wasn't very big but it was homey, lit up by the morning son as the pair walk in. she lets go of regulus, seeing no sign of her mom yet who must be out in the garden but she does spot the pancakes. "here, go sit....i should go grab you some clothes and figure out how we're going to tell this all to my mom." she says gently pointing towards her chair where her mother had left the breakfast before she makes her way to cedric's old room.

[goldenzingy46butwriteblr]

I'm going on a long plane ride soon, and I really need long Tomarry fics (that are completed preferably.) I like time travel stories, serial killers, basically anything that I can totally escape into please please please please :D

Fuck yeah, I’ve got you.

Sky Full Of Glass by SofiaBane

The Horcruxes have become unstuck in time, and it’s the responsibility of the Master of Death to figure out why. And since Voldemort needs to be punished for transgressing into the realm of Death anyway, he might as well come along.

A quite delightful take on the Master of Death Harry, who has complete dominion over space and time, too. 20k.

Nose to the Wind by Batsutousai

While Harry had been content with his second chance, that didn't keep him from thinking what he could have done different, how many people could have survived if he hadn't been set on the very specific path he'd walked. Third time is the charm, though, right?

Now, I have no doubt that you already know this one, but how could I leave it off a rec list? The prequel is also fantastic. 211k.

The Ouroboros by WyrmLivvy

Once upon a time, a woman wished to have a child with the man she loved, that would have his porcelain skin as white as snow, his rosy cheeks red as blood, and his dark hair black as ebony. …

The child was not born with red cheeks but red eyes.

(Tomarry vampire/fairy tale/Snow White AU)

Now, this is not quite time travel or serial killers, but it’s absolutely fantastic all the same, and absolutely worth the read. Fantasy, dark-ish, and a happy ending. 20k.

The Eyes in the Bramblebush by relic_crown

For a long time, Tom was just another violinist, perfect and beautiful and boring. Then Harry truly saw him, and knew he was anything but boring - he was the edge of a pocketknife, the red of nightshade berries, a lie in a crisp black coat.

Harry had never fallen in love so quickly.

Once again, technically neither time travel nor serial killers, but it is most certainly something to sink your teeth into. 12k.

Darling, do you remember what you did? by Baryshnikov

Tom had been waiting to do this.

Waiting for a very, very long time.

Oh, this is gloriously dark, with knifeplay and power games galore. 13k, technically a WIP, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t read it.

Mania by Angel_Of_Mysteries

Harry and Tom have been together for two years, and Harry’s finally ready to take their relationship to the next level. Little does he know, so is Tom.

I can’t say much on this without spoiling it, but it’s wonderfully painful. 9k.

No Body, No Crime by duplicity

Harry works as a car mechanic in a small town. He and Ginny are best friends, their close bond the product of a traumatic event that scarred them both as children.

Now that they are adults with separate lives, it seems inevitable that they will drift apart. That is, until Ginny confides in Harry that she thinks her husband—the charming, enigmatic Tom Riddle—is cheating on her.

A day later, Ginny goes missing. Harry is convinced that Tom is behind her disappearance, and becomes determined to exact justice by any means necessary.

This one was so goddamn painful, but so brilliant. 20k.

God of Nothing by machiavelli

The other orphans avoid Tom Riddle like the plague. He lounges on his broken throne, watches the whispers fade around him with sharp, dark eyes. Nobody can quite work out why he seems so fascinated with the new boy, who walks in smelling of smoke and hasn't said a word in three days.

I remember following this one as each of the chapters came out, and by the gods it was glorious. In a much darker universe, half tinged with madness, Harry and Tom meet, and it’s perfect. 83k.

dust in your pocket by relic_crown

Two hundred years ago, the world died.

All that remains is a technicolor wasteland, swirling with ash and populated by radiation-warped humans. Tom, immortal and bloodthirsty, crowns herself queen of this ruined world and wanders it namelessly, building and burning empires at will.

Then there's Harry: eyes like chips of sea glass, hopeful in the face of the apocalypse -- and by far the most dangerous person Tom's ever met.

Holy shit. An almost steampunk AU, femslash, and completely incredible in every single way. 24k.

Dreams and Darkness Collide by Epic Solemnity (Dark_Cyan_Star)

Though he was raised without the expectation of saving the world, Harry still possesses a savior complex. Only, it's so dark and twistedly immoral, he created an alter ego to practice vigilantism. His second identity makes a name for himself and immediately ensnares Minister Riddle's complete and obsessive attention. A game of cat and mouse begins and morals are questioned.

One of my favourites, although I’m pretty sure it’s been abandoned. Vigilante!Serial killer!Harry and Minister!Riddle, who still runs the Death Eaters, and makes for one dangerous, tantalising romance. 209k.

Footsteps On Empty Floorboards by AgonisedDaily

After a recent screw-up on the job whilst hunting a serial killer, Harry needs a break from being an Auror. His new Victorian house promises just that, but living with the restless spirit of a former Dark Lord isn't quite part of the peace and quiet he was hoping for.

Okay, okay, okay, I know you said completed works only, but I’m incapable of leaving this beauty off my rec list. Maybe I’m just a sucker for darker things, but I think this is beautiful. 125k.

Break and Burn and End by duplicity

Harry Potter has died over and over again: in a cradle, in a graveyard, in a courtyard. If Harry Potter has ever lived, if he was the accumulation of years filled with burdens and grief, he has long since warped into someone else.

So let Harry Potter die, let his legacy run like ink through the pages of history until it dries for evermore. The world is better off without Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort both, so Harry will kill the one of them that he can and hope it will be enough.

OR: Past and present, Harry and Voldemort are connected. A tale of two immortals and the question of what it means to have an adversary when forever is in the cards.

Immortals AU of letting go and healing. I love it. 17k.

I hope this is enough, and, as always, I had fun making it! I will do the customary my fics are great please read them at the end, but considering most of them are WIPs or oneshots, I won’t include them as serious fic recs. You’ve been spared.

[jimblejamblewritings]

princesse de mort | part 15.

Summary: Y/N Riddle. Not much more has to be said. Life at Hogwarts when your dad is Lord Voldemort is an interesting experience. And four particular people at school make it even more interesting.

Warnings for the Series: This whole story is angsty, hurt/comfort, smut, will end in fluff but goes through all the other stuff first. this is like a mild dark fic? just shy of being dark?

Pairing: Marauders x black!reader, eventual Remus Lupin x black!reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

You met with Dumbledore before the Christmas Break ended after agreeing to be a spy once again. Most of the horcruxes were destroyed. There was only the snake left… and your godson. Dumbledore told you his theory. It wasn’t hard to believe the more that you thought about it. There was no reason Harry could hear the basilisk. Your father’s memory from the diary might have been strong enough to control the giant creature but on some level Harry was connected to it. You knew James and Lily. Neither of them were related to Salazar Slytherin at all, not even on a miniscule level. But you weren’t about to let the old man sacrifice Harry, telling him such. There had to be another way. That was your mission. Trying to find out Voldemort’s plans so you could tell the Order and figuring out how to uncreate a horcrux.

The cottage felt weird without your husband or godson. Harry had nearly lost his mind when he found out over Christmas that the Ministry approved for him to live with the two of you. However being a spy was different this time around. You had to be available to meet with your father whenever. Other Death Eaters had to be allowed to visit you, become your friend.

So the cottage wasn’t allowed to have any signs of Remus and Harry. You could close off your Floo Network occasionally— the excuse of needing alone time while pregnant would be good enough— but not all the time. The few moments alone, you would try to see Remus because at least Harry would be at school.

One thing that you were unprepared for when your father showed up was for him to look the way that he looked. And to see Bellatrix and her husband. You saw Bellatrix once when you were being escorted out of Azkaban but her back was turned because she had been asleep. There was no need to tell the Order. It would be all over the Daily Prophet in the morning that the two had broken out. Voldemort immediately pulled you into a hug before looking at your stomach.

His daughter was back and she was going to give an heir to continue his legacy. He was a little disappointed that your American husband had to wrap up affairs because he wanted to meet him but was satisfied with waiting until summer. You hoped to have destroyed him by then otherwise you were going to have to kill your fake husband and that was going to be work.

“That’s a man’s ring,” Bellatrix pointed out. “Shouldn’t you have one with diamonds or something?”

“We… actually we were engaged before I was taken. They lost my ring that night and I just haven’t had the heart to replace it yet.”

Your father smiled wide. “So he gave you his. Good. The man wants his wife to feel like he is always with her, I like him already.”

Nagini tentatively slithered around you. It was good to know that the thing still trusted you. Now, she was simply concerned that she would break you if she tried to slither up your shoulder like she used to. Like Remus, Voldemort’s only concern with your pregnancy was how pregnant you looked because it didn’t match how far along you actually were. You assured him that you were fine.

Voldemort looked around the cottage before putting a hand on your shoulder. You weren’t a little girl anymore. He had wanted to keep you away but you had been taken to Azkaban anyway. He saw no reason to not include you completely now. Obviously, you weren’t going anywhere while pregnant but he felt that you had a right to know everything.

You breathed out a sigh of relief when they left. If it wasn’t for the fact that Azkaban left you shivering, you were sure that your shakes would’ve looked suspicious. Maybe you couldn’t do it. Stoicism wasn’t exactly your strong suit anymore. You wrote everything in a letter and called Kreacher. You trusted your father but not Bellatrix or Rodolphus. They would charm your house to see where owls were going as long as Voldemort didn’t know— you were sure of it. Because you had no good way of explaining why you were at Godric’s Hollow or anywhere near Peter Pettigrew that night. Wormtail clearly didn’t tell on you— knowing he would die for real if he did. But you were still going on with the notion that you were a clueless little girl, having just reached your twenties, and wanted to see the frontlines for yourself. That wouldn’t work now. You had to be way more careful with everything now.

You smiled as you went to bed. Kreacher had returned briefly with a letter from Remus and a warm butterbeer. It felt weird to be away from him for a true length of time when you were pregnant. You jumped when an owl pecked on your window. Opening it, you took the package. It automatically expanded once set down and untied. Your father had already started caring about his grandchild. The package was a blanket for you and a smaller matching one for a baby. You were conflicted. Part of you wanted to be thankful for the gift and the other part wanted to burn it immediately.

As the months went on, a small closet in the cottage accumulated the gifts left by Voldemort. One present proved useful. You didn’t have to search anymore for how to uncreate a horcrux. Your father finally gifted you the book he had used to learn how to create them in the first place. You read the book from front cover to back to make sure there were no mistakes.

It was possible to uncreate a horcux but you had to get it just right. Separating the soul from whatever it was attached to was a delicate process. The pot on the back panel of your stove that everyone thought was chicken stock was the slow brewing of the potion to separate and kill a horcrux. It would separate Voldemort’s soul fragment from Harry and the piece would die since there was no other host. You checked on it every day until it turned perfectly clear, almost like water.  

You turned with happiness at hearing the fireplace. Sirius, Remus, and Harry were there. It had been so long since you had seen any of them. Sirius laughed as you waddled over to them. You hugged your eldest friend before going to Harry.

“I saw the paper. Are you trying to provoke him, Harry? He came by yesterday with nothing but smiles.”

Harry readjusted his glasses that you had messed up as you squished his face. “No one believed me. No one thought I was telling the truth.”

“Oh, well that’s alright. I just want you safe,” you said quickly. “Go, eat, there’s food in the kitchen.”

Harry and Sirius left, leaving you with Remus. His eyes crinkled up in the way that you had come to love as he approached. Remus kissed your stomach before kissing your lips.

“I missed you,” he said. “I should be with you and the baby.”

“I missed you too but—”

“I know. I know but still. I don’t like it, you being near him, or leaving you alone when you’re six months pregnant. How was your appointment?”

Remus didn’t like the fact that you sighed. You gave him another peck.

“They said I might have to be taken in for induced labor. The healers don’t like the idea of going full term, not with me still looking like this.”

“How early?”

“As early as viable for the baby.”

His brow furrowed. “That could be in a month.”

You nodded. Remus didn’t want to think about it any longer. The two of you moved to the kitchen where Harry and Sirius were. They had already moved the food to the small dining room table.

“Umbridge banned me from Hogsmeade.”

You frowned. “That woman’s lucky my custody is a secret… Remus, you should go down there and say something.”

“Say what, Sunshine?”

“I don’t know but that woman needs to know she can’t mess with children and think their parents aren’t going to say anything. How dare she ban Harry for simply telling his truth. I should march down there—”

“Waddle. You should waddle down there,” Sirius interjected. “Just saying, Sunspot, you stopped marching a while ago. It’s very much a waddle.”

His comment broke all tension as you laughed. He wasn’t wrong. You had caught yourself walking past the mirror and started laughing at how you looked. Dinner finished with more laughs and stories before you watched Sirius and Remus go back to Grimmauld. Since Harry was going back to Hogwarts, he said that they could leave without him as he went to the bathroom. You took the opportunity to grab him before he got to the fireplace.

“I think I learned how to do the bubbling charm again, will you try this for me?”

You handed Harry the potion. He had no hesitation about trying things for you, knowing that you were too embarrassed to bring it up around Sirius and Remus about how you struggled with magic. It was easy to trick him into drinking the potion, you could act like your pregnancy cravings prevented you from tasting correctly. You felt wrong lying to Harry but he didn’t ever need to know that he was a horcrux. Why put him through the torture of knowing such a thing. The boy choked after trying not to scrunch up his face.

“It’s not quite appealing.”

You chuckled. “You can say it’s disgusting, Harry.”

“It’s quite disgusting.”

With another laugh, you ushered back into the fireplace. You watched him disappear. One horcrux was gone. Now only one was left.  

Remus paced back and forth and couldn’t be consoled by Sirius or Tonks or anyone really. Molly tried to get him to eat, thinking that it would help but he just took the food and continued to walk back and forth. Like the healers said, they were inducing your labor early. It happened when you sat down on the couch with your father at Malfoy Manor for tea and found that you couldn’t get back up no matter how hard you tried.

“I should be with her,” Remus said.

“And get yourself caught by You-Know-Who?” Moody spoke up.

That didn’t make Remus stop his pacing. He had thought of every trick in the book but no magic would last through the length of labor and he wouldn’t be able to take more potion in the middle of the birth. He kept bouncing back and forth between worry and anger about not being there for you.

“Dad!” Harry called out, not able to take the nervous energy anymore.

That made Remus stop— like the boy hoped that it would. It wasn’t like Harry wasn’t stating the truth. He had always seen Remus as a second father and you were a second mother. He was just never sure how to approach asking if he could say that and Sirius and Remus first introduced themselves when he was just a toddler as Uncle. Harry watched his godfather— his father— stop pacing and instead bounce in the same spot. It wasn’t exactly better but it was an improvement.

Remus only sat down when an owl showed up. One of the members from the First Order had become a healer when the whole Voldemort ordeal ended with James and Lily. They were in charge of your delivery and were able to sneak off a picture and letter to Remus without alerting anyone. His leg bounced as he tore through the envelope. Everyone watched him rub his eyes.

“It’s a girl,” he stuttered out. “Olivia. We named her Olivia.”

They all gave him congratulations as the man just continued to stare at the picture of you holding a newborn baby. Everything after his initial happiness was pure torture for Remus. It was impossible to visit you. Voldemort insisted on always having one of his followers at the cottage if he couldn’t be there himself. Your father believed that when you recovered enough and Olivia was old enough that you two could head to America— or your fake husband could always attempt to speed up the affairs and come early.

Your real husband had absolutely no way of getting to you with those conditions. He began keeping the picture in the pocket of his pants or his cardigan. Whenever he got the chance, Remus would just stare at it. He only found solace in knowing that they were ending everything soon.

You woke up from your nap after hearing the shuffle of feet. It was the early evening but the healers taught you an important lesson— you sleep when the baby sleeps or you might not sleep at all. You hadn’t listened to the first two days back home and ever since then, you took that advice to heart. You lifted your head to see your father with a large grin on his face. He wasn’t even phased by your delirious and confused look. You picked up on bits and pieces as you tried to collect your bearings.

“The Potter boy…”

That got your attention. You tried not to jump up but continued to sit up slowly as your father told you more information. Every word had you on edge. There was no way to get a letter to the Order but they were in trouble. And you knew Harry, he was headed for the Department of Mysteries. You had no way of telling him that it was a trick.

“Nagini, watch her, make sure nothing bad happens.”

With that, your father left. You blinked at the snake and you were sure Nagini was thinking the same thing. How was a giant snake supposed to help you and the baby? The most she could do was slither around and bite anyone that tried to enter the house but maybe that was her only job. Nagini followed you wherever you walked. She moved up Olivia’s crib and looked at the baby as you checked that she was alright. There was a pit in your stomach the more you thought about the Department of Mysteries. You couldn’t take not doing anything about it.

“Watch the baby,” you told Nagini before going to the bathroom.

Quietly, you called for Kreacher. The little elf appeared and you gave him your instructions at a level barely above whispering. You didn’t want to risk Nagini hearing anything. Shaking, you sat in your bathroom watching through Padfoot’s little hand mirror at the scene happening in the Department of Mysteries. Remus was holding the other mirror, a little shocked when the house-elf first appeared to give it to him. You watched the Order burst in to help the kids who had been holding their own against Death Eaters. You could kill Bellatrix right then for even attempting to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Harry or any of his little friends. Your heart caught in your chest as Sirius barely missed the Killing Curse that she had aimed his way. Your eyes finally caught a glimpse of the pale, bald head that you were looking for.

You threw the mirror against the wall and screamed. Moments later, you heard the slithering of Nagini. The giant snake burst through the door. If it was possible to look panicked, the creature did. She slithered through the salamander’s blood that creature had poured on the floor and carefully avoided the broken glass. Nagini moved to look at you, piling her body on top of yours. You tried to reassure the snake that you were fine as you reached for the butcher’s knife hidden by your skirt.

Of course, the snake didn’t believe you. A woman that recently gave birth screams and now there’s blood on the floor— there was nothing to not worry about. You took in a deep breath before driving the knife right through Nagini, crying as you did so. The snake barely had time to react. You were the last person she would ever expect to betray Voldemort— there was never a need to be on guard around you. You just sat there, breathing heavily, as you stared at the dead snake body on top of you.

Remus didn’t care about the cameras. He wasn’t staying around so the Ministry could take pictures of them and a dead Voldemort that they didn’t even believe existed until moments ago. He had a separate mission. After making sure all of his former students weren’t injured and that Harry was alright, he left without a second thought.

“Sunshine!” Remus called into the house.

“In here.”

He heard your faint whisper. Remus raced to the open bathroom door, frozen for a moment when he saw the blood and Nagini and the glass shards. Carefully, he took the knife from your hand and helped you stand up. You gasped when Nagini fell off of you. Remus held you close.

“It’s alright, it’s over. All of it. We’re done.”

(end)

[romione-trope-fest]

No, not you

Finishing up today's posts with another Sixth Year AU!! Follow @reallybeth9 for updates!

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Fic Title- No, not you Author Name- reallybeth Selected Trope- 6th year AU Brief Summary- It's 6th year, and Hermione and Ron are finally on the same page after Ron and Lavender go their separate ways. However, when Hermione finds the courage to tell Ron how she feels, his response is not what she expects. Miscommunication drives them apart until years later, but is it already too late? Magical AU Word Count- 3,389 Rating- mature

Hi! Welcome to my new angsty romione fic!!! (really, if you were expecting anything other than angst from me, idk what to say)

  I have been working on this for a while, and I’m so excited to finally start posting! No promises on updates because even though I have about half of it already written, it’s not really in order and is a MESS. 

  Anyway, this starts off as a 6th year AU, but the majority of it will take place when Ron and Hermione are a few years older. In the beginning it is mostly canon, but there are still a few significant differences that you’ll find as you read that drastically stray from canon.

  POV is going to be jumping around from Ron and Hermione, and a lot of scenes are going to be told from both of their perspectives in order to better understand what they are thinking. Hopefully, this doesn't get too confusing!

  A huge shoutout to CHEESY who is a freaking beta-queen as well as a stupendous writer!

  oOo

  "Okay." 

  Hermione contemplated the information she had just been given. It was Thursday night, and she, Harry, and Ron were sitting at the very back table in the deserted library as Harry relayed to them everything he’d learnt that night. She held up her fingers and started to list the number of objects, wanting to make sure she had all the information correct. 

  "There's the diary, which you destroyed at the end of second year, and the ring, which Dumbledore has already destroyed." Harry nodded his affirmation as she went on. "Then there's Helga Hufflepuff's cup, the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin's locket- all of which Dumbledore has already collected, but hasn't yet destroyed." 

  Harry nodded again, a grave look on his face. "So once those pieces of him are taken care of, all there is left to do is kill Voldemort's snake, and then... him ?"

  “Yes. That’s all,” Harry confirmed.

  Although he said nothing else, Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that there was something important that Harry still wasn't telling them. Part of her wanted to press him further and ask more questions, but knew that wasn't a smart idea at the moment. Harry had been under a lot of pressure lately, and spent most of his free time with Dumbledore as the two concocted plans to take down Voldemort. Harry wholly believed that the entire wizarding world was on his shoulders, and no reassurance from his two closest friends could persuade him otherwise. Wanting to be a means of comfort, Hermione reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, but Harry didn't even seem to notice the gesture, his body stiff and his jaw clenched.

  Worried, she looked across the table at Ron, who had been silent throughout the entirety of the conversation, without a doubt deep in thought as Harry had explained the Horcruxes to them in detail. Up until that night, she and Ron hadn’t even known what a Horcrux was, nor had they known that Dumbledore had been secretly collecting them since their third year. 

  As if sensing her eyes on him, Ron looked up and met her gaze, causing Hermione’s stomach to do a small flip. Although appearing deeply troubled, the corner of his mouth lifted, and Hermione returned the gesture as she pushed a tendril of her hair behind her ear, hoping he hadn't noticed how much the smile had affected her. Ever since his poisoning and subsequent breakup with Lavender Brown, she and Ron had only grown closer, and Ron seemed genuinely as happy as Hermione was to have their friendship restored. 

  As Hermione tried to focus on something other than the butterflies in her chest, Ron turned his blue eyes to Harry, his smile dropping as he spoke for the first time in what seemed like hours. “And Dumbledore wants you to come with him? When he goes for Voldemort, I mean?” 

  “Yes. I have to be there,” Harry said resolutely, as if there was no room for argument about this particular step in the plan. “I don't know when Dumbledore wants to face him, but I know it’ll be soon. Real soon.”

  “Harry, you're sixteen!” Hermione admonished. “Dumbledore can't possibly think that bringing you along is-”

  “I already told you, Hermione,” Harry interrupted in a sharp tone. “I’m the bait. Dumbledore’s plan won't work unless I’m there.” 

  Hermione resisted the urge to let out a frustrated sigh. It was taking effort on her part not to snap right back at him and tell him how ridiculous he was being, but she managed to refrain. “But he-”

  “Not only that,” Harry continued. “But Dumbledore hasn't been feeling his best, and I need to be ready to step in if I’m needed.” 

  The determined look in her black-haired best friend’s eyes scared Hermione, and she shot another look at Ron, who appeared to be just as disturbed as she felt.

  “I’ll come too, mate,” he cut in, his expression also taking on a look of determination.

  Hermione rapidly shook her head. “Ron- no. ” 

  Ron, who Hermione was positive had heard her plea, continued speaking without missing a beat. “I reckon Dumbledore should have all the help he can get, and if I-”

  Harry’s hand came down hard as he smacked the table, the loud sound causing Hermione to let out a small squeal of surprise. “No!” Harry bellowed, now unable to reign in his frustration. “I told you before, Ron. It has to be me and Dumbledore! Dumbledore knows what he’s doing, and I trust him. End of the goddamn story.” 

  Hermione could tell by the heated look on Ron’s face that he was more than ready to argue this point. She knew she needed to intervene- and fast. Without thinking, she slipped her shoe off and stuck her leg out underneath the table, running her foot up Ron’s leg from his ankle to his knee in a way that she hoped would be calming. The effect, though, was seemingly anything but, as Ron jumped about a foot in his seat, his eyes snapping to Hermione in bewilderment as his face and ears reddened. It only then occurred to Hermione that Ron must have taken the touch as a sensual thing, and she felt her own face flush as she realized what she’d done. She immediately pulled her leg back and avoided his gaze, internally chastising herself for the move. Although not in the way she’d originally planned, at least she had seemed to stop a row from happening, as Ron was once again silent.

  Luckily, it appeared Harry was too deep in thought to notice any of this, his green eyes glazed over as he stared hard at the table. “Gonna go to bed,” he mumbled after a few long seconds of silence. “I’ll talk to you both tomorrow.” 

  Without waiting for a response, he stood up and left, leaving Ron and Hermione to watch after his retreating form. 

  Ron broke the silence with a sigh, and when Hermione looked at him, he was running both of his large hands down his face. “It always comes down to this, doesn't it?” he asked, sounding exhausted. “Bloody Harry telling us he doesn't need our help.”

  Hermione nodded. “Yes. But as much as I hate it, Ron, you know neither of us are going to be able to talk him out of it this time. Especially if Dumbledore wants it that way.”

  “Yeah. I know,” he replied in a dejected voice, his eyes on the open book in front of him even though it was apparent he wasn't reading it. 

  Hermione couldn't help but take a moment to stare at him. She’d missed him so much the whole time they hadn't been speaking. Since making up, they hadn't rowed once, and Ron had been so incredibly kind and caring towards her, it almost took her breath away. No longer did he complain about schoolwork- and instead was eager to join her in the library every day to study, oftentimes without Harry. He paid her compliments when he hadn't before, and he was always quick to offer to carry her books or ask her if she needed anything. Even if Ron had yet to say anything definitive, she was almost certain that they were on the cusp of something more . 

  “What?” Ron asked, and Hermione realized she had been so deep in thought that he had caught her staring at him. When her eyes met his, he had a small smile on his face, although his ears were once again red.

  “I- oh, nothing,” she stammered.

  “Is it about earlier?” he pressed. “Under the table, I mean. What was that about, by the way?” Hermione could tell that he was trying to sound indifferent, but by the shade of his face and the way he was avoiding direct eye contact with her, she knew he was anything but.

  Embarrassed, she shook her head, letting out a small, nervous laugh. “It was silly, really. I just sensed that you were going to try and argue with Harry so I thought I could, I don't know, calm you down or something.” 

  “And you thought that caressing my leg with your foot would do that?” He chuckled, lifting his head and arching an eyebrow at her.

  “Oh, honestly!” Hermione rolled her eyes. “It wasn't a caress , it was a…rub.”

  Ron chuckled again. “Yeah, you're right. Rub sounds much better, Hermione.”

  Hermione tried to glare at him but couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she took in the amused expression on his face. “Okay, fine!” she admitted. “Not my most clever idea, alright?”

  Ron shrugged. “It’s not that I didn't like it,” he clarified, his ears growing even more red. “Just wasn't expecting it is all.”

  Hermione again felt the butterflies erupting in her stomach. She added the words to the myriad he’d said to her lately, knowing she would think of them as she lay in her bed, picking them apart and trying to figure out the extent of his feelings for her.

  “Let’s go as well, yeah?” Ron suggested, closing his book and standing up. “It is pretty late.”

  Reluctantly, Hermione agreed, and Ron silently helped her put all of her books back into her bag. Finished, they walked side by side as they made their way to the library doors. Lately, they had been walking closer to each other than they'd ever done before, and anytime they walked together, be it prefect duty or just going to and from the library or the great hall for meals, the back of her hand would brush against Ron’s, causing her skin to tingle. As innocent as this was, Hermione looked forward to it every day and hoped that soon it would lead to them actually holding hands. She was certain that the hand brushing was intentional on both their parts, but neither of them had yet to acknowledge out loud that it was happening.

  They leisurely headed towards the Gryffindor common room, and Hermione could only hope that Ron was walking slow for the same reason that she was- to delay their eventual parting from each other.

  “How’s, uh, things with your parents going?” Ron asked in a hesitant voice. “Are they still trying to make you leave Hogwarts?”

  Hermione nodded. “They are.” She took in the worried expression on his face and hurried to reassure him. “But it doesn't matter, Ron, because no matter what they say, I am not leaving. Hogwarts is my home.”

  Ron gave her a small, relieved smile. “Good. It would be miserable here without you. I don’t know what I’d do if you left. Nothing would be the same.”

  Hermione bit her lip, his words making her giddy. “I won't. I promise.”

  “Promise, huh?” he asked, shooting her a sideways grin.

  “Yes, Ron. I promise .”

  “I’ll hold you to it, then.” He paused. “Hey, uh- Hermione?” Ron was now staring straight ahead, and Hermione could sense he was nervous.

  “Hm?” she hummed, gently encouraging him to go on.

  “Hogsmeade is this weekend.”

  “Yes, it is,” Hermione said in a slow voice, her heart now racing. If she was reading things correctly, Ron was finally making a move and asking her out on a proper date. Her palms grew sweaty as she waited on bated breath for his next words.

  He cleared his throat. “Want to go? Just the two of us, I mean?”

  Hermione nodded. “Absolutely. I’d love to, Ron.”

  Ron let out a breath. “Well, great! Since Harry will be spending the day with Dumbledore, I figured we could have some decent fun without Broody McBrooderson around.”

  Laughing, Hermione nudged his shoulder with hers, Ron grinning widely at the gesture. “Sure. I’d love to,” she repeated, trying not to sound too excited. “But then we go right back to worrying about Harry,” she added.

  He grinned. “Of course. We can't take too much time off worrying about the git. Someone has to do the job.”

  “You're awful, Ronald Weasley,” Hermione scolded. “Harry’s not that bad!” 

  When Ron gave her a pointed look, she laughed again. “Okay, he is that bad. But we care for him, Ron. And when you care about someone...”

  Ron nodded, his expression now serious. “Yeah. I know. I really am worried about him. I know he trusts Dumbledore, but I don't think this plan is a good one. What’s the old man thinking? Making Harry be right there in the thick of it all?” 

  Hermione bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. “Harry’s been through so much already.”

  Ron turned to look at her, coming to a halt when he saw how visibly upset she was. “Hey,” he said in a soft voice. “It’s going to be alright, Hermione.” He hesitated only a moment before stepping up in front of her and pulling her body to his in a tight hug. Hermione let out a shaky sigh as she relaxed against him, allowing herself to take comfort in the feeling of his arms around her. 

  “I hope you're right,” she whispered. “But you can't know that for sure.”

  “I know,” Ron soothed as he lifted his hand and stroked her hair. “But he’s Harry Potter, isn't he? He’s managed not to get killed by Voldemort a few times already, so I’m sure he can do it again.”

  Hermione sniffed against his chest. “That’s not funny, Ron!”

  Ron sighed. “No. It really isn't. I just don't know what else to say to make everything better, Hermione. You saw how he was tonight- there's not going to be any changing his mind. Whenever it comes time to, you know, take Voldemort down, Harry’s going to be there. As reckless as they come, he is.”

  Knowing she had to be brave and trust in the fact that everything would turn out okay despite how scared she was, Hermione reluctantly stepped back from Ron, wiping her nose and eyes on her sleeve. “You're right,” she agreed. “And since there's no stopping him, we need to be strong. As his friends, we need to support him, no matter how much we disagree.”

  Ron, who looked as if he were resisting the urge to pull her back to him, nodded. “Yeah.”

  Hermione took a step forward, but Ron didn't move to follow. When she turned back to him, she realized he was eyeing her with concern, as if making sure she really was okay. 

  “I’m okay, Ron,” she assured him. “Come on.”

  Ron seemed to believe her, and again they fell into step together. Neither of them said much the rest of the walk back to the common room, both of them deep in thought, and both worried about Harry. When they approached the portrait of The Fat Lady, Ron muttered the password and stepped back, allowing Hermione to enter first as the painting swung open. The common room was empty, the fire still crackling in the fireplace. Hermione thought about asking Ron to sit down with her, but then decided against it due to the late hour. 

  “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ron asked when they made it to the bottom of the stairs where they would be going their separate ways.

  “Yeah. First thing.”

  They stood there, smiling stupidly at each other, before Ron broke the silence by clearing his throat. “Right. See you tomorrow, then,” he said before reaching out and gently squeezing her shoulder. Even through her layers of clothing, Ron’s hand was warm, and his touch caused a pleasant shiver to run down Hermione’s spine.

  “Goodnight, Ron,” she said, giving him a warm smile.

  “G’night, Hermione.” he replied before giving her one last lopsided grin and turning to practically run up the steps.

  Still smiling, Hermione turned and headed up to her dorm room. She hoped that the other girls would already be asleep, but when she opened the door and stepped into the room, she was not in luck. Parvati and Lavender were sitting on Lavender’s bed, both girls going silent and turning their heads to give Hermione a cool stare. Ignoring them, Hermione made her way over to her bed where she grabbed her toiletries and pyjamas. Without saying a word, she headed into the bathroom, trying to ignore the whispers that she now heard coming from her roommates.

  oOo

  Ron ran up the steps to his dorm room, unable to stop smiling like a fool.

  He’d done it.

  He’d finally fucking done it.

  Not only had he worked up the courage to ask Hermione out on a date, she’d actually told him yes. He felt as if he were floating on air, his mind spinning with all the possibilities that Saturday could offer. A feeling like he’d been knocked over the head by a bludger fell over him when he realized that in only a few days’ time, Hermione could very well be his girlfriend . When he opened the door, Dean, Seamus, and Harry were already asleep in their beds, but Neville was still up tending to his several plants that sat on the windowsill.

  “Hello, Ron,” the soft-spoken boy greeted as Ron shut the door behind him. 

  “Hey, Nev,” he responded, still feeling dazed.

  Neville must've noticed that Ron was acting abnormal, because he paused, a puzzled expression on his face as he studied his friend. “You okay?” he asked.

  Ron snorted. “Okay? I’m bloody amazing.”

  Neville smiled. “So you and Hermione finally had a pleasant talk, then?”

  Ron’s eyes widened, surprised at how easily Neville had figured him out. “Uh, yeah, we did.”

  Neville beamed. “I’m happy the two of you are working it out. I always knew you would.”

  Feeling pleased, but a bit embarrassed, Ron rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Thanks, Nev.”

  “It was awful when you two weren’t speaking,” Neville continued. “Made it hard to be around either of you when you were both so miserable.”

  “Yeah,” Ron admitted. “It was rough.” He paused. “Hey, Nev?”

  Neville stopped in the middle of turning a potted plant and lifted his head to look at him. “Yeah?”

  “You really think I have a chance? With Hermione?”

  The other boy smiled again. “Definitely. No question in my mind.” Ron let out a breath, a grin stretching across his face. “It really surprised all of us when you got with Lavender instead of Hermione,” Neville continued. “But we knew that it wasn't going to last.”

  Ron nodded. “That was definitely a mistake I wholeheartedly regret. No offense to Lav or anything- she’s just not for me.”

  “I know. Hermione is, though.”

  Ron resisted the urge to jump with delight at the mention of her name, delighted by Neville’s encouragement. “To be honest, I never thought we would get to this point, but now I know we will. I can feel it.”

  Neville yawned. “Took you long enough,” he teased.

  Ron chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Don't rub it in.” He stripped down to his pants before crawling into his four poster and closing the curtains with a flick of his wand. “Night.”

  “Goodnight,” Neville replied, Ron hearing as the other boy climbed into his own bed.

  The smile still on his face, Ron closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep as images of Hermione’s beautiful face swam through his mind.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Could you talk about the Statute of Secrecy? Or the Ministry’s corruption in General :)

Well, those are two different things. Given that I believe I have an ask floating somewhere in my inbox on the Statute, I suppose we’ll talk about the Ministry of Magic today.

I feel like this is such a broad topic though that I’m not quite sure where to start. I guess I’ll just throw spaghetti at the internet wall and see what sticks.

The Ministry is a Reflection of Society Who Never Admitted They Were the Death Eaters

In the ministry of Harry Potter’s era the Ministry is hopelessly corrupt and filled to the brim with spies (more on this in a later section). Lucius Malfoy, very high up in an unofficial capacity in the Ministry and owner of the Ministry’s mouth piece: The Daily Prophet, was a known Death Eater with a very flimsy excuse.

How is he even able to wield so much influence, you ask? Well, I think it’s not just because of Fudge picking the wrong friends.

I think most the population probably does believe Lucius Malfoy is innocent the way Fudge does. I think it’s a very small subsection, i.e. Dumbledore’s lackies, who go “Nah, ain’t buying it.” I think that, in 1981, when it came time to reveal just how many were Death Eaters and how far this went many people just couldn’t handle it.

Because it was to the point where the nation wasn’t battling Death Eaters, Death Eaters were the nation. Look at the members, these are and were the most influential and prominent families in the country, who combined hold a non-small minority of seats in the Wizengamot. More, these were only the participants, combine those who given anti-muggle and muggleborn sentiment (which I believe are pervasive even among those who claim they fight for the rights of muggles and muggleborns) and you get a nation that is suddenly facing a huge cultural issue that was never previously acknowledged.

We’re talking an entire purge of the Wizengamot, of the Ministry, of the major families and cornerstones of this society. The Black family is completely and utterly destroyed.

People were and remain throughout the 1990′s, desperate to believe it was not as bad as it was or isn’t as bad as it is. If Lucius Malfoy says he was never really a Death Eater then he was never really a Death Eater.

The Ministry is Lousy With Corruption and Spies

What’s hilarious to me is not only is the Ministry incompetent. It is positively flooded with spies. Given the ministry’s overbloated, it’s not even a sizeable minority of employees, but nonetheless every major department has at least one person (if not more) who works for somebody else.

Most work for Tom Riddle. He seems to have intelligence in every department. Through Lucius, who is working pretty much as an unofficial aide to Fudge, he has access to Fudge, complete control of the Daily Prophet, and a voice on the Hogwarts’ board of governors.

Through Rockwood, Tom has direct access to the Department of Mysteries which Lucius is then able to take full advantage of.

Lucius is able to set up an ambush in the Department of Mysteries, getting escaped convicts into the building with the none the wiser, and, had his sole purpose not been a prophecy that only Harry Potter and the Dark Lord can touch, he would have been able to take what he liked. (Though it was always odd to me that the plan was to get Harry Potter to do it, when the better solution would have been to polyjuice Tom Riddle into someone else, set up a tour with the department, and then Tom wanders off conveniently to pick up the prophecy. My theory, I suppose, is that chasing after the prophecy was mostly an exercise in punishing Lucius. And then Lucius fucked up.)

And of course, in book seven, Tom Riddle makes a puppet minister. Point being, to me, it always said a lot that in Book Seven Tom just sort of walks into the building and says, “I’m in charge now” and everyone says “okay”. There was no second Wizarding War, it was a bloodless coup that met zero resistance from anyone but angry school children. 

But that’s Tom’s spies, we also have other spies. Who am I talking about, Dumbledore’s folks of course.

Shacklebolt, Moody, Tonks, and Arthur Weasley are all spies, they just don’t have the introspection to even realize it (which really tells you something about the state of corruption in the ministry). They all work for the ministry, yes, but they in fact pass on information to and serve another master, whose goals do not always align with the government and was a hop skip and a jump away from overthrowing the government at any given moment.

And they don’t even really realize they’re doing this! There doesn’t even seem to be a thought of “I’m doing this for the greater good”, they don’t seem to acknowledge that what they’re doing is very very very bad. Arthur, in fact, is appalled when Percy refuses to do this (well, he’s upset for a lot of reasons, such as that he thinks Percy is spying on Arthur for the minister, but in there is also that Percy refuses to help out with the Order or follow Dumbledore without question). 

Harry paints the Dumbledore’s Army threat that Umbridge saw as something utterly ridiculous, but honestly if I was the ministry I would be worried about this. Dumbledore’s people have infiltrated the ministry just as deeply and badly as the Death Eaters, Dumbledore’s known for recruiting children into his vigilante organization, I don’t know what he’s doing with an army of schoolchildren but I can smell a coup coming.

Anyway, I’m getting off track, point being though that corruption is not only expected and accepted by the ministry, they cannot recognize what it even is. They’re at the point where paying bribes is allocated in their budget.

I Don’t Blame the Ministry For Not Thinking Tom Riddle Was Anti-Jesus

Fudge is designed to get a lot of flack for his outright denial that Voldemort had returned from the dead. He, and other denier characters, are meant to be fools with their heads in the sand who can’t see the obvious.

I ask what about it was obvious?

The only witness to Tom Riddle’s resurrection, Harry Potter, has a known history of erratic behavior.

The previous year, he’d performed illegal magic on his muggle aunt and run away from home. During the previous school year, Harry was revealed to be a parselmouth in a time when the Chamber of Secrets was presumably opened and the mystery was never fully solved (remember, that it was a possessed Ginny never comes to light for more than a few people.) Beyond that, since his first day of school, Harry is routinely in and out of detention, constantly out after curfew, and only seems to not be in serious trouble because he’s openly favored by Dumbledore (who gives him hundreds of points for breaking one of his school rules, during the Philosopher’s Stone fiasco in first year). In 1994, Harry is entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament under very suspicious circumstances.

We know why all this happens to Harry but from the outside he looks like a delinquent. In fact, he kind of is a delinquent. 

Point being, the only witness is not only Harry Potter (who is already sketch) but it’s Harry Potter holding a dead body of a rival in the tournament.

And he’s claiming that a man who has been nearly fifteen years dead, a man who held the nation in terror and Harry Potter is beloved for destroying, has returned from the grave and conveniently murdered Cedric.

Why is Cedric dead? Well, you see, he and Harry both touched the goblet at the same time because they were going to share the reward. The goblet, a national treasure, was turned into a portkey so that Voldemort could kidnap him.

Why didn’t Voldemort just kidnap him at any other point during the year where he’s guaranteed not to get tag a longs or the wrong kid? Uh... VOLDEMORT IS BACK (for the record, I think it’s because Barty got hung up on the goblet scheme and was determined to ruin his father’s day.)

Where is Voldemort at this very moment? Being evil, somewhere, that is not right here. No, Harry has zero evidence this happened.

Frankly, I wouldn’t believe Harry either.

And when Dumbledore goes about promoting this as sound evidence that Tom Riddle has in fact returned, it starts to get even sketchier. Rather than sounding the alarm, Dumbledore is using this boy’s madness to stir the public into a panic that he, perhaps, plans to take advantage of.

After Dumbledore does that, I would suspect that, even if Harry does give me a memory of the graveyard scene that his head had been tampered with by Dumbledore.

And it’s so convenient that, of all the names Harry picked, it’s Voldemort who killed Cedric. It seems like a ploy to not only deflect the fact that he murdered Cedric but 

Harry’s very upset when some don’t take him at his word but Harry’s also a dumbass and a psychopath. He hates everyone who doesn’t agree with him.

More importantly, necromancy isn’t a thing in the Harry Potter universe. People don’t rise from the dead. Horcruxes exist, but they’re extremely rare, and it seems like no one ever really makes use of them.

So, yeah, not unreasonable that Fudge didn’t immediately go, “My god, Voldemort has risen from the dead! LIGHT THE BEACONS AND SUMMON ROHAN!”

So yeah, it’d take me seeing Voldemort waltzing through the Department Mysteries to go “... Goddammit, this man is more unkillable than Sheev Palpatine.”

After the Epilogue, I am Certain It’s Still the Same Damn Ministry

People hate the epilogue, but in a way, I love it, because it confirms many of my headcanons: these people don’t learn a goddamn thing.

Nothing in their society seems to have changed. Instead of one set of families holding all the power it’s now a new set of families and friends holding all the power. The difference being that they are now all in some way connected to Harry Potter.

Nepotism’s still the name of the game, we still see only human children boarding the Hogwarts Express so you know shit hasn’t changed for the goblins, Draco Malfoy’s alive and well and holds a position in the Ministry that Kingsly graciously allows him to have, it’s just now you have Hermione writing all your laws for you.

The Wizarding World is still the Wizarding World in every single capacity. The only difference is that Voldemort is dead again. Hooray.

Harry and friends simply don’t have the introspection to even realize it.

[wondernimbus]

no time to die — tom riddle

pairing: tom riddle x female!reader

prompt: "i'd fallen for a lie, you were never on my side."

a/n: this was inspired by the song no time to die by billie eilish so i highly highly recommend listening to that while reading! the prompt/lyric itself isn’t in the actual text but it was based off of it eeee anyways enjoy

It should never have come to this.

She’d warned him, time and time again, that if he didn't stop, she would have to interfere. Whether he liked it or not.

He never listened, of course. He’d said the same thing he always did: that everything he was doing was leading to something much, much bigger than she would ever be able to imagine. Never quite specifying what it was, exactly, but [Y/N] wasn't dumb—she knew Tom wasn't up to any good.

It was during his fifth year that she first tried to confront him about it, only to no avail. Tom had told her not to worry, putting on that same facade of complete composure that he'd used to fool so many others into believing that he was nothing but the picture-perfect student he made himself out to be. [Y/N] saw right through it, as she'd done so many times before.

They’d first met when they were eleven and grew closer ever since. Tom, she supposed, knew right off the bat that he wasn't fooling her; it was clear in the way she looked at him, so full of doubt and suspicion, that she wasn't easily fooled, young as she was. It should have made him want to avoid her, but instead he only grew curious, and before he knew it they'd become something akin to friends, growing more and more intimate with the passing of time even though neither of them ever quite addressed it.

The two of them cared for each other, that much was certain. She wasn't sure how deeply Tom cared for her, but she knew that she would do anything for Tom. Or at least whatever she thought was best for him.

And maybe it was for that reason that [Y/N] found herself outside of Dumbledore’s study, hand hovering in mid-air mere centimetres from the wooden door as she took in a shaky breath, wondering if this was the right thing to do.

She knew Tom better than she knew anyone else, and she knew that he was getting worse, growing more distant with each passing day. She was losing him to.. whatever his plans were. He was beginning to spend more time with his so-called group of admirers (although [Y/N] knew that the term "followers" was more appropriate). What little glimmer of sanity in his eyes that always used to show only whenever he was around her was slowly starting to dim.

She wasn't just losing him; he was losing himself, too, bit by bit. And she knew she had to do something about it.

So she knocked on the door.

"Come in!" came Dumbledore’s voice.

[Y/N] took in another deep breath, furled and unfurled her fingers, swallowed, and then she twisted the knob and pushed open the door.

She’d only been to Dumbledore’s study once before, to ask him a question about homework. Such drastically different circumstances she found herself in now.

"Good evening, professor,” she said, meeting the old man's gaze from where he sat behind his desk. There was an open book in front of him—when was there not?—and what looked like a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans clutched in his hands.

"Ah, Miss [Y/L/N]," beamed Dumbledore as he held out his box of treats. "Would you like to have some?"

Rather used to Dumbledore’s peculiar friendliness, she forced a smile and shook her head. "No, thank you."

"I imagine you don't make it a habit to visit your professors as a means of enjoyment," said Dumbledore, wizened old eyes twinkling as he set down the box on his desk in favor of clasping his hands together and setting them over his book. "So what, might I ask, brings you here? Oh, and please—sit." He gestured to the plush chair across from him.

[Y/N]'s movements were hesitant as she made her way to the chair and took a seat; something that didn't go unnoticed by Dumbledore, judging from the sudden somberness that crossed his face. It was clear that she wasn't here to ask about homework, much less share a box of jellybeans.

"Is everything alright?" Dumbledore frowned.

[Y/N] looked down at her lap. She couldn't stop fidgeting.

Tom was going to suffer for this. She didn't know how, but she knew he would. But she had warned him, hadn't she? She’d told him that if he didn't stop whatever it was that he was up to, she would put a stop to it—and this was better for him, wasn't it?

She knew what Tom was capable of. To anyone else he may have looked like nothing but the perfect model student, but [Y/N] knew him. He had a certain kind of coldness about him. The dangerous kind; the one that suggested he was capable of doing terrible, terrible things.

That, coupled with the nights he spent somehow sneaking out of the castle, only to come back in the early morning with a disturbingly triumphant gleam in his eyes.. the countless reports of dead Muggles in the surrounding villages.. the young followers he'd already amassed, some greedy for glory, others hungry for cruelty, some weak and seeking protection.. his seemingly harmless talks of immortality..

And the constant talk of a plan that would bring about some sort of change in the wizarding world. Somehow [Y/N] knew that whatever this change was, it wasn't going to be a happy one.

"Tom," she breathed out, deciding to cut straight to the point as she looked up to meet Dumbledore’s gaze. "Tom Riddle. I’m sure you know him."

A brief look of realization flashed in the old man’s eyes. Shifting in his seat, he looked down at his book momentarily as though pondering over something, and then back up at [Y/N], gaze now completely serious. “Yes,” said Dumbledore. “Of course.”

”And I know that you have your doubts about him.”

A beat of silence. And then he nodded. “I do, Miss [Y/L/N].”

”He’s planning something,” she said, oddly breathless. “I don’t know what, but he’s.. he’s up to something.”

A ghost of a slight smile appeared on Dumbledore’s face. “That much I have figured out as well.”

[Y/N] swallowed. “I think he’s trying to make a Horcrux.”

A tense silence followed her words.

The weight of what she said hung heavy in the air as though a dark cloud had settled over the room. For a few seconds all Dumbledore did was peer at her through his half-moon spectacles, brows creased just the slightest bit, and then, after what seemed like an awfully long time, he let out a long, low breath and nodded.

"I wish I could be more surprised," sighed Dumbledore. "But I'm afraid I've long since had my suspicions about Mr. Riddle, and I don't doubt your words, even though part of me wishes they were untrue."

"He mentioned the word Horcrux to me once, in passing," began [Y/N], relieved at how easily he trusted her. She'd always known Dumbledore was wiser; while the other professors had fallen for Tom's spell, he had not. "Something about having found an answer to his problems—the answer being Horcruxes. something about a soul in exchange." [Y/N] paused, fists clenching in her lap. "I decided to look into it. It took me a while—none of the books in the library here hold too much information about it, but I looked through my family's library when I came home during the winter break. I found out what the word meant.. how to make it."

"And you believe Tom might be interested in—"

"In making a Horcrux, yes." Her tone of voice held a sense of urgency; she'd leaned forward unconsciously in her seat. "I know it sounds mad, but professor, I know Tom. I know what he's capable of. And I—" she inhaled, as though bracing herself for her next words, "I believe he'd be willing to kill for the sake of immortality. Saying it out loud sounds ridiculous, but Tom is hungry for power. I don't know what kind exactly, but I've known him for a long time and I'm sure I'm not just imagining it. He even has followers of his own—he calls them friends, of course, for the sake of normalcy, but they're more his subjects than anything else. He's up to something."

She was betraying Tom, she knew. She was the only person he truly trusted; it was clear just by the way he looked at her, the way he treated her like she was royalty. And [Y/N] felt just as deeply for him as he did for her.

[Y/N] loved Tom; it was why she was doing this. And if he loved her, he would understand.

There was a beat of silence as she recalled what Tom had told her, not so long ago. "Something big," she echoed, holding Dumbledore’s gaze. "Something much bigger than neither I nor you would ever be able to imagine."

—

The world seemed to be ridiculing her.

Two days after her conversation with Dumbledore, Tom took her to the Astronomy tower and confessed that he did, indeed, care for her. And not like a friend would care for another, nor the way a brother would care for his sister—no, he loved her like a man would love another woman.

Tom loved her.

But that wasn’t all he confessed. Finally, he told her of his plans to seek immortality, and along with it, power; how, in the future, he planned to purge the world of non-magical blood. He told her that his plan was already in motion.

This boy standing in front of her, only sixteen—had he murdered someone already?

The mysterious deaths in the Muggle villages surrounding the castle.. [Y/N] had her suspicions, but she’d hoped that it wasn’t him.

”We will rule the wizarding world together,” Tom told her, hands holding the sides of her face, pulling her close. “Bit by bit, we will gain power together. You will be at my side as I become the most powerful wizard of all time—and I will protect you with that power. I will make sure that no man will ever be able to touch you—“

”Tom.”

”I have never known love like the one you’ve taught me to feel,” he exhaled. “And I intend to keep it. To keep you.”

She closed her eyes, ignoring the tears burning behind them as she reached up, gently prying his hands away from her neck. “Tom, listen to me.”

He tried to hold her gaze even as she looked away; her hands gripped his own weakly. “What you’re talking about,” she began softly, “It’s.. I’m sorry, Tom, but it’s madness.”

He stared at her. “Madness.”

This time her grip on his hands did falter. Her arms dropped down to her sides as she turned to instead hold onto the railing, needing something to hang onto. “Tearing your soul apart? For immortality?” she shook her head, pained. “You can’t possibly expect me to stand by your side while you do.. Merlin knows what.”

Tom was silent, but the loving look in his eyes had died out. They were cold again. A little stunned.

“I love you,” she whispered, looking down at her hands, which clutched the metal railing as though it were a lifeline. “Just as much as you love me, Tom, I can assure you of that. But I can’t be with someone who—“

”Someone evil,” Tom cut her off. His tone was bitter. “Is that what you think I am?”

Isn’t that what you are? she wanted to say. Asking me to help you tear your own soul apart and stand by as you murder innocent people?

She swallowed, hung her head, eyes squeezed shut. “Please leave,” she said quietly. “I need some time to think.”

A few seconds passed by in complete silence. She could still feel his presence behind her—could feel the frustration radiating off of him.

“Please leave, Tom,” she repeated, ignoring the shakiness in her own voice. And then, louder: “Leave.”

She listened to his footsteps as he left the tower. And once they faded away, it was only then that she sank to her knees and started crying.

—

[Y/N] loved Tom, and it was for that reason that she found herself inside Dumbledore’s office that very same night, retelling each and every detail of Tom’s plans to the wizened old man, her voice oddly numb and devoid of any emotion.

No fear. No anxiety. Not even pain, as she stood before Dumbledore, betraying the boy she loved and yet could never have. Not with what he wanted to do.

”Thank you,” Dumbledore said once she was finished. Her jaw was clenched as she nodded, swallowed, and then—

What now?

She would go back to the Slytherin common room and face Tom again. What would she do? Take him into her arms and pretend as though all he’d confessed to her hours earlier was that he loved her, and not his horrible plans? Or would she ignore the ache in her chest and pretend as though all their six years of friendship were nonexistent?

Could she? Was her heart capable of that?

As though Dumbledore had read her mind, he said, “Miss [Y/L/N], I’m going to have to ask you to look for another sliver of bravery within you. You must continue to gain information from Tom.”

At this, [Y/N] looked up, the first few traces of real emotion flickering in her eyes for the first time since she arrived.

“Learn his secrets. His plans. Find out what horrid things he has already done and what he will do.”

[Y/N] opened her mouth. No words came out.

“I understand that it would be difficult,” said Dumbledore, tone gentle and yet at the same time authoritative; it wasn’t a request. “But as far as I am aware, you are the closest thing Tom has to a friend. It seems he trusts you.”

”And you want me to keep betraying him.”

There was an almost amused lilt to Dumbledore’s tone. “Were you planning on stopping after this, Miss [Y/L/N]?” he asked, brows furrowed in curiosity. “Did you honestly plan on walking out of this room and turning a blind eye to your friend’s dangerous schemes? I believe you and I reached an understanding the moment you asked for my help a mere few days ago: we will stop Tom Riddle, no matter what the cost. No matter if it risks your friendship with him.”

It risked everything she ever had with him. Everything she would ever have.

And yet.

And yet she loved him, and it was for that reason that she nodded and muttered, “I'll.. I’ll do what’s necessary.”

Meaning, she would betray him.

The first time she’d gone into Dumbledore’s office, she was determined. Nervous, yes, but she’d known what she had to do. But now, knowing that Tom loved her, that he trusted her enough to tell her of every single one of his plans—it changed a lot of things. Made her feel ten times more guilty than she already did.

But she had no choice. She had to stop him. She knew he wouldn’t even if she asked him to—the mere idea of it was unrealistic—so she had to find another way.

She had to trick him. To betray him.

If Tom truly loved her, he would understand.

[Y/N] hoped he would.

—

It took days before they spoke again.

[Y/N] had wanted to put off her task for as long as she could, but before she knew it, Tom was approaching her again.

It seemed he couldn’t last very long without her.

It was nighttime. She was alone—the rest of the students were at the Great Hall, eating dinner—so she had the Hogwarts courtyard all to herself.

Until someone yanked her by the shoulder, pulled her into them, and kissed her.

There was a brief moment of surprise in which she tried to push him away roughly, but then, wide-eyed and bewildered, she got a good look at him.

“Tom,” she gasped, but he kept his lips on hers, one hand on her waist and the other clutching the side of her face. The way he kissed her was almost feverish—desperate—as though he'd been longing to have this for a long time and wanted as much of it as possible now that he had it.

She thought of protesting, of pushing him away roughly and storming away, but instead she found herself relaxing into him; there was a part of her, she realized, that wanted—no, needed this as much as Tom did. So she kissed back, fingers pressing into his upper arm as she kissed him with just as much passion as he was offering her.

Warning signs flashed inside her head. Could she really do this? Pretend like nothing was wrong?

And then a thought came to her. A disturbing one, really—one that had what felt like guilt pricking at her chest as she molded her lips against Tom's own: this could work.

This was exactly what she needed to do. Pretend as though nothing was wrong, stay at Tom's side like this, grow closer to him, find out his secrets and his plans, like Dumbledore said—and then.

And then she would bring him down, in the end.

So she kissed him. Kissed him until she lost track of time; until the passion in her died out and was only replaced by a feeling of numbness, knowing fully well that the reason she was kissing him was no longer because of how much she wanted to, but because she had to gain his trust. When Tom pulled away, finally, lips swollen and eyes like dark pools of water, he leaned his forehead on hers and whispered, "I love you."

A chill ran down her spine. She swallowed and closed her eyes. It was easier not to look at him.

[Y/N] tightened her hold on Tom's arm and choked out four words that she meant fully well, and yet felt so horribly guilty for saying.

"I love you too," she told him, and hoped that he didn’t hear the trembling in her voice.

[helnjk]

If I Could Tell Her - H.P.

Harry Potter x reader

this is my next installment of my showtunes fic list. this is based on the song If I Could Tell Her from the musical Dear Evan Hansen. this is also the first fic i’ve posted for harry on here ! 

Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: nearly a year after the final battle, harry is still struggling to gain his bearings in the world. luckily she’s there to hold his hand along the way.

Warnings: mentions of food, & just a whole lot of mutual pining

lyrics are bolded & italicized

–

He just seemed so far away

Y/N took a deep breath.

With one foot in front of the other, she took a step and twisted to the right, feeling the familiar tightness that came with apparition. In the blink of an eye she found herself in front of the home that she and her friends had spent their summer before 5th year in. 

She chose to skip the knock on the door, opting instead to just let herself in. Many changes had been made to the house since it was the Order headquarters. The biggest and most obvious one being Harry taking up permanent residence in it. 

“Harry, love?” She called out, despite knowing that he would be where he always was. 

“In here!” A disembodied voice replied, coming from towards the end of the house. 

Like so many times before, Y/N found the dark haired boy in the kitchen. He was sat at the dining table, a few parchments spread messily in front of him and detailing the plans he had yet to accomplish for the renovations. 

The war had taken a toll on Harry, it had taken a toll on everyone really, but no one could blame him for wanting some time by himself for a while. They all knew how much he deserved to rest and recover.

But now, nearly a year after the final battle, Harry found himself less and less willing to venture out into the world again. It was as if everyone had started moving on and making progress with their lives without him. And in some ways, they were, but he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he was able to live a life without the looming threat of war on his shoulders. 

Instead, he focused his attention on the house left to him by his late godfather, and vowed to make a home in it. 

While most people left him to his own devices, Y/N knew that he craved companionship most days. Having been friends with him from the moment she stepped into the train compartment nearly eight years ago, she understood him more than most. So began the habit of popping by every so often to have a cup of tea and a chat. 

“Been hard at work, have you?” She smiled, taking a seat across from him. 

“Just trying to figure out what to do with the drawing room on the second floor,” He said and she noticed how his brows furrowed ever so slightly at the puzzle in front of him. 

“You mean the problem you’ve been ‘figuring out’” She used her fingers to make quotation marks, “For the last three weeks?” 

Harry didn’t answer, but she noticed him roll his eyes playfully. Y/N knew that this meant he was in a relatively good mood today, and he could take the barrage of news from the outside world that she had brought with her. 

So, she took a seat across from him and began her recount of the stories she heard throughout the week.

“So Bill and Fleur announced that they’re having a baby,” She began. 

–

The pair of them continued on with their regular routine, Harry would busy himself with his plans for Grimmauld Place while Y/N brought him up to date with the events of the outside world. Every so often, he would risk a glance up at her and the edges of her lips would curl up in a smile.

It was during these moments that Y/N always had to pause. It only took one look from Harry for her to become a puddle of unexplainable emotions. During the war, when they had gone on their horcrux hunt, there wasn’t any time to dwell on these things. Survival was always the top priority. But now, now she had months and months of these little interactions and her heart was finding it hard to ignore. 

She often found herself shaking her head and trying to clear her daydreams of the two of them. Too often she would fall asleep to images of her and Harry going on dates and pressing soft kisses on each other’s lips. But she knew in her heart that that was all they were, daydreams and fantasies. 

Harry needed her as a friend, and she could give him that. 

As the afternoon wore on, she remembered the main reason for her visit that day. 

Harry was in the process of clearing up the cluttered table and she took the opportunity to bring it up, “So there’s going to be lunch at the Burrow this Sunday.” 

His movements paused. She continued, “And I was hoping that you would come with me. Molly always has loads of food and I’m sure you’d enjoy it more if it were fresh and not leftovers like I usually bring over.” 

There was another lull in the air. 

Y/N opened her mouth to try and convince him further but he cut her off, “Sure.” 

“What?” 

His eyes met hers and he gave her a small smile, “I reckon it’s been too long since I’ve last had Molly’s amazing cooking.” 

A slow smile stretched across Y/N’s face. This was the most he had agreed to in nearly a year and she was hopeful about slowly reintroducing his loved ones back into his life. 

“Perfect.” 

There's nothing like your smile

Sort of subtle and perfect and real

The Burrow hadn’t changed much since Harry last saw it. 

The peculiar house still stood tall and proud in the Devon landscape, held together undoubtedly by magic. The smoke billowing from its chimney reminded him of cozy Christmases spent together with everyone he held close to his heart, and the lively chatter filtering through the open windows made his heart stutter in anticipation. 

Y/N took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Her smile was gentle, letting him know that she was there if he needed it. He could tell that she was nervous too, not for herself, but for how he would react to being surrounded by so many people again after so long. 

He couldn’t tell how he knew, he just saw it in the way she smiled. But he was grateful for it, because without her steady grasp on his hand, he probably would have disapparated before he even got through the threshold of the place he used to call a second home. 

“Come on then,” She urged, beginning to take steps towards the entrance, “Let’s see who’s already here!” 

“Oh Y/N, you made it!” Molly’s voice exclaimed as they entered the home, “I was wondering when you’d get here–”

The Weasley family matriarch paused at the door between the kitchen and the living room, her eyes set upon the boy she considered her son.

“I can’t say no to a gorgeous meal of yours can I, Molly?” She joked, slightly tugging on Harry’s hand to bring him into the room, “And I brought a guest with me today.” 

Molly seemed to gain her bearings once again as a radiant smile crossed her face, she knew not to make too much of a fuss about Harry being over after months of hiding away. Instead, she simply patted his cheek, “Lovely to see you again, Harry dear. Now come on, there’s enough food to go around!” 

The kitchen of the Burrow was alive with conversation. Most of the Weasleys and their significant others were gathered around the magically enlarged table, chatting over steaming dishes of wonderful smelling food. 

Their entrance garnered many beaming smiles, but everyone knew not to pay them too much attention. Harry chose to take a seat next to Ron, who nudged him with a small smile on his face. He returned the gesture, already feeling more at ease. Since his hand was still connected with hers, Y/N chose to take the seat right next to him. 

Throughout the meal, Harry hadn’t spoken much, only nodding to whatever the person he was in conversation with said or sometimes adding a little quip here and there. He took comfort in Y/N’s steady presence beside him, once in a while squeezing his thigh or patting his arm. 

“–and he wouldn’t tell me how to turn it back to normal!” 

Ron’s particular way of storytelling brought him out of his stupor. He was in the middle of an exciting story on the twins’ latest prank on him, and Y/N had let out a snort of laughter. 

Harry’s heart seemed to stop as he watched her and he couldn’t take his eyes off her as he noticed the smile on her face. Of course he knew that she was beautiful, it was something so obvious to him as they grew up together. But there was something in the way her smile lit up her face at that moment.

It was like a breath of fresh air after being underwater for too long. To him, her smile was refreshing, invigorating, and all-consuming. Harry looked at Y/N and felt as if he could never get enough of her. A spark ignited in him and suddenly he was determined to keep her in his life as long as possible. 

Y/N caught onto his stare as her laughter tapered off and she raised an eyebrow, “Everything alright?” 

As quickly as it had come, the spell she had on him vanished as he nodded, “Yep. Brilliant.” 

The conversation flowed around them, merry laughter filling the air once again from different areas of the room, but Harry only had eyes for Y/N. 

But he kept it all inside his head 

What he thought he left unsaid

“Y/N-” He cut her off. 

Her eyes darted to him confused. He could feel his pulse in his neck and blood rushed to his ears. Suddenly he couldn’t help but wring his hands together nervously, unable to explain his actions. 

“Yeah, Harry?” She asked, fully turning her body to face him, “You okay?” 

“I’m brilliant,” He mumbled, heart pounding in his chest, “I just have something I want to tell you.” 

Anxiety bubbled in his chest and up his throat as the words came out of his mouth. He hadn’t even planned on telling her anything as she arrived that day, yet here he was. She just looked so beautiful, the soft candlelight almost glowing on her skin and highlighting her features. Harry was sure he had never felt more in love with her than he was in that moment, and she hadn't even been doing anything. 

Her eyes shined with concern and her attention was fully on him now. He hadn’t been known to interrupt her when she went on her long spiels of updates. Sensing his nervousness, Y/N placed a reassuring hand on his arm. 

Unbeknownst to him, her own heart pounded in her chest. Against better judgement, she had imagined a scenario exactly like this wherein Harry would spontaneously profess his undying love for her too many times. And secretly, she hoped that this would be the moment her daydreams would come true, nearly holding her breath in anticipation. 

It wasn’t. 

“I’m thinking about asking McGonagall about how I can become a professor.” 

It took Y/N a few seconds of blinking at him to completely process what he had just said. Despite the slight twinge of disappointment in her chest, she knew that this was such a big step for him that she couldn’t feel bad about it. 

“Oh love that’s wonderful!” She nearly yelled, throwing her hands up and wrapping them around him, “You were such a good teacher in fifth year, I know you’ll do great!” 

A soft blush formed on his cheeks at her praise, but he happily accepted the hug, “Thank you. I figured it’s about time I started focusing on myself and what I want to do, instead of just this damn house. Being a teacher just feels right.” 

Despite all appearances, Harry berated himself silently. He had completely chickened out. Of course, he really had been thinking about sending an owl to his old head of house, but that was not what he planned on saying at all. 

He didn’t know what happened. His mouth just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, but he couldn’t take it back now. The moment was ruined. 

If I could tell her

Tell her everything I see

If I could tell her 

How she’s everything to me 

Y/N could tell Harry was nervous. 

He was hosting a dinner at Grimmauld Place with the Weasleys and a few of his friends from school to announce his plans to get accredited to be a professor. He also wanted to show them how the renovations of the house had been going. She had arrived at his place early, as she always had, to help him prepare but he was a bundle of nerves and couldn’t sit still. 

So, she did what she always does whenever he got into a little bit of a panic. As plates and cutlery floated to their designated places and the table set itself, Y/N kept the conversation flowing. Although, it might have been more of a  monologue with the way he was only responding to her in hums or soft grunts. 

She was unaware of the inner turmoil raging in Harry. He had decided that he would finally tell her exactly what he felt about her. To hell if she didn’t feel the same, he thought recklessly, as long as he got to finally tell her what he had been feeling for nearly a year. 

During a lull, he finally plucked up enough courage to speak. 

“Listen Y/N–” 

“Harry–” 

The pair stared at each other, amused. This had always happened to them when they were still in school, as if their wavelengths were always on the same page. 

“You go ahead, Haz.” She smiled at him. 

He took a deep breath, “Alright.” 

Plucking up whatever was left of his Gryffindor courage, he turned to face her, a fierce sort of determination in his eyes. 

“I love you, Y/N.” He spoke clearly despite the ball of uncertainty in his chest.

Y/N opened her mouth to speak, her eyes shining with something he couldn’t place. He stopped her, though, placing a hand on her arm, “Just let me get this off my chest, alright? Then you can say what you want to say.” 

She nodded. 

“Looking back at what my life’s been like this past year, and honestly the years we spent at Hogwarts too, you were the only constant thing I had. And I’m sorry that it’s taken so long for me to figure out what I was feeling, especially when you were being so patient with me. But, yeah, I-I’m in love with you, Y/N.” 

For once in her life, she was left speechless. In all of her daydreams, Y/N always had a witty quip up her sleeve after Harry confessed his feelings, but now they seemed to just escape her. 

“I love you too,” Was all she could choke out, a small laugh tumbling out of her lips. 

The two shared a dopey smile as their bodies gravitated towards each other. Their lips met in a soft kiss, with a certain slowness attached to the relief and exhalation that came from their confession. Y/N couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, arms slowly snaking around his neck, as Harry pecked her lips over and over. 

A soft ‘oh’ echoed through the silent room and the pair of them broke apart. Molly Weasley was stood at the door, holding a roast in her hands and blinking furiously at what she had just witnessed. Behind her, most of the Weasley clan stood eyes slightly widened and small smirks on their lips. 

Ron was the first to speak up, “It’s about bloody time.” 

As he spoke, the silent spell cast over the lot of them was broken. Hermione rolled her eyes at the lack of tact her boyfriend had, but she was secretly thrilled. 

“Well, now that that’s finally settled, I think it’s time for dinner!” Molly bustled in, looking for a place to put her food down and the rest of them clambered through the door.

Harry spared an embarrassed glance at Y/N, but she was grinning from ear to ear. He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze before going to help set up. 

[therealvinelle]

I’ve seen a few asks to you know that reference new books by Meyer. Now i have no idea where this information comes from (nor whether it’s true) but assuming she does write new stuff how do you think this will affect your view of canon? Like if she writes a book that contradicts half your metas will you adjust how you think about canon or would you consider any new additions ‘post canon’ or something?

Screenrant covering the known sequel facts.

Eh, happens to us all the time actually. JKR releases Cursed Child and the Fantastic Beasts in which nothing makes sense, Disney produces three sequels to Star Wars in which nothing makes sense, and on it goes. It's a fan's natural life cycle that TPTB will sooner or later publish something that goes against your understanding of canon.

We were prepared for Midnight Sun to be what you describe, but because Meyer is an anomaly it wasn't.

Now, the thing is, Stephenie Meyer writes her characters consistently. Will all the Cullens still be happily together, oh yes, and will Renesmée and Jacob be endgame? You betcha. However, Midnight Sun proved nothing if not that this woman stays true to her characterizations. So, it will recognizably be the characters I know and love.

As it is, @thecarnivorousmuffinmeta

and I are pretty laissez-faire with this sort of thing. We'll criticize the thing that doesn't make sense to pieces, but ultimately be fine with it.

Nagini's tragic fate per Fantastic Beasts, for instance, not only makes her friendship with Tom a surprisingly touching one, it also makes Dumbledore even more chilling. He'd met her, he knew she was a woman forced into snake form, yet he tells Harry that Nagini has to be a horcrux because a. she seems more like a friend than a pet to Voldemort, and b. she's very humanlike. He really goes out to make Harry (or, as it turns out, Neville) unknowingly kill this woman who in every likelihood isn't a horcrux, just so that Harry will know horcruxes can be organisms - so that Harry in turn can kill himself!

Fantastic Beasts made Dumbledore so openly sinister, and I love it. Do the films make sense, no, but damned if I'm not enjoying myself.

Similarly, the Disney sequels are bad movies with poorly written characters, yet there's delight to be derived from them as well.

In every likelihood, even if it's a trainwreck there will be similar things in Meyer's upcoming sequel that we enjoy, or can make sense of.

But either way it won't change what she already wrote, and if it is inconsistent or unbearably bleak (as is very likely - COUGH Renesmée marrying her babysitter while the Volturi are overthrown) then that's what fanfiction where the events of her sequel never comes about is for.

Of course, if the book is completely nonsensical then I will just choose to believe that the book was written by a sobbing Bella whose life fell to pieces one way or another. "And then we defeated the Volturi and Nessie married Jacob and Edward and I were still together and everything was perfect! Perfect, I tell you!"

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Only For You

A/N: My first full Ron fic and my 93rd fic for Harry Potter! I’ve written a drabble before this but I really wanted to write something for Ron! So here it is! It is a load of fluff and cuteness and I hope you all like it!

Summary: introductions and discussions.

Pairing: Ron Weasley x Fem!Reader

Warnings: some swearing but it’s so fluffy!!

Word count: 1.8k

“Love, I’ve met your family before.”

“You have, but you mean something more to me now.”

“Ronald, you are a sap.”

“Only for you.”

“Come on,” You chuckle, elbowing his side gently, “Let’s go meet your family.”

“Let’s go meet my family,” He sighs, ready as he’ll ever be.

Ron takes your hand in his, tangling your fingers together. A shock runs through you; thrilling you. You look down at your joined hands in awe; it feels silly, but you never thought your feelings for the red-haired man would ever be reciprocated.

For months, you pined from a distance – memorising the way he brushed his hair out of his eyes when he was reading a case file intently; heart racing whenever he gave you that lopsided smile or how it thudded wildly against your ribs when he gathered you into his arms after making a particularly strong break in a case that was threatening to go cold.

All the while he was affecting you this way; you had no idea that he was harbouring the same feelings.

The friendship that had formed in your time at the Auror office had turned into something more. You started going out for drinks more after work; destressing was your excuse but really, you wanted to spend as much time as you could with the Weasley before he departed for home.

It changed one night when instead of apparating home to the Burrow, he asked if it was okay if he stay on your couch.

The air between you changed after his question; becoming charged with the feelings you so helplessly felt for the man in front of you.

Ron never slept on the couch that night. He had kissed you outside the door of your flat and from the moment you unlocked the door, clothes were being pulled off and thrown over furniture. Ron ends the night sleeping in your bed with your head on his chest.

Six months later, Ron wants to introduce you to his family as his partner.

The Burrow has always had a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The moment Molly Weasley chose the Burrow to be her family home, her only aim was to make her home a place where anyone could feel welcome and safe.

Seven children later; this was still her main aim.

Molly beams as her youngest son walks through the door. She didn’t say it often enough, but she was so incredibly proud of him and what he has achieved at such a young age. She never expected any of her children to experience the terror and anxiety that she had experienced with the first wizarding war, but all of her children had played a part in the second war. Ron even destroying Horcruxes himself.

It made her overly emotional to think about it.

“Darling,” She gushes, embracing her youngest son, “How are you?”

Love for his mother shines in his eyes as he replies, “I’m good, mum. I’m really good.”

Molly turns his face side to side, “I think you are.”

Molly smiles at Ron one more time before bundling you into a hug. Your arms wrap around her and she squeezes you tightly. “Thank you for coming,” she whispers.

“Thank you for having me,” You reply in earnest.

Molly steps away; adjusting her pinny so it sits straight once more. She fans out her hair, “Go on – everyone is in the living room though I’m sure you’ve guessed that from the volume.”

Ron laughs as he grabs your hand leading you to the living room where the rest of his family are sat talking.

Ginny rushes to meet you when you enter; kissing your cheek, “It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!”

You nod, casting a side glance at Ron, “I know, but I plan on being around more.”

Ginny grins, glancing between the two of you, “Did he get his act together then?”

You laugh, nodding. Ginny joins you, “I’m glad he did,” She hugs you again before wandering off to find Harry.

A familiar voice whispers in your ear, “What did my sister want?”

You smirk, turning to face Ron, “She’s happy you got your act together.”

“Of course she is,” he says with an eyeroll.

“What are you two whispering about?” Fred shouts from his place on the arm of the couch.

You open your mouth to answer but Ginny beats the both of you too it, “Ron finally got his shit together; they’re here to say they’re in a relationship.”

The twins holler at Ron, smirking through their words. Ron flushes a deep red; you grab his hand, squeezing tightly.

“He got his shit together six months ago if we’re going to be accurate about it,” You state; fingers now entwined with Ron’s.

“Six months? And you didn’t tell us?” George shouts dramatically; a hand on his heart.

You snort, “We were enjoying the time to ourselves, George.”

“I bet you were,” Fred joins with a laugh.

If possible, Ron becomes even redder.

“Heard from Charlie lately?” Ron asks to divert the attention from you.

Bill rolls his eyes at the poor attempt but answers, “He’s still in Romania if that’s what you’re asking, but they’re expanding the enclosure to fit more dragons. Charlie’s thrilled about it.”

Ron chuckles, thinking of his second eldest brother, “That sounds like Charlie.”

Bill nods, “He’d have been here if he could. He’s excited to meet you, (Y/N).”

“I’m looking forward to meeting him too.”

Ron is pulled away by the twins to discuss the legality of a prank they’re thinking of enacting on a neighbouring shop. Ron’s face pales as he listens to their plan and you wonder what the scale of the prank could be. You shake your head; leaving it to Ron to best corral his brother’s adventures and schemes.

You sit down in the only spare seat, next to Bill. He smiles at you politely. “How are you finding married life?” You ask with a smile.

Bill grins, sighing like a loved-up schoolboy, “It’s great. Fleur is incredible.”

“You both looked wonderful at the wedding,” You compliment.

Bill ducks his head, “Thank you.”

You both fall quiet then; eyes darting around the room, taking in the entire Weasley family. Ginny remains sat with Harry; heads close together as they speak about something only those two are aware of. Percy and Arthur continue their debate about a new decree being brought in by the Ministry; it makes you smile as you realise how similar yet how different father and son are.

Bill leans in close, “Ron won’t take his eyes off you.”

You sit up straighter; eyes finding Ron’s from across the room to find that Bill was right. Ron was staring straight at you with an awed look on his face. He knew how well you got on with his family; had met them when you became friends through the Auror Office but now seeing you interact with his siblings as his partner, it made it all the more extraordinary.

You smile shyly at the red-haired man who had stolen your heart within the few first weeks of meeting. Your heart stutters as Ron sends a wink your way and you have to resist the urge to giggle.

Bill snorts under his breath, “School children, I tell you.”

You glare playfully at the eldest Weasley sibling, “I’m sorry who was it that was just gushing about his wife.”

Bill opens his mouth to retort but wisely closes it again. “I thought so,” You quip with a smirk.

Ron makes his way back to you; perching on the couch arm, “Bill not annoying you, is he?”

You chuckle, “Never.”

Ron goes to reply but is interrupted by Molly entering the living room announcing that food is on the table should anyone want any. You rise from the couch, pecking Ron’s lips before leaving for food.

-----------

You apparate back to your flat late in the evening; your hand still tangled with Ron’s. He lets you go when you land back into your living room. His hands come up to frame your face, kissing you soundly for what feels like hours but is only minutes. You smile into the kiss; happy for it to be just the two of you again. You loved his family – adored them even, but you liked to end the night with Ron alone.

Ron parts with another quick kiss to your lips that has you chasing him for another. No-one affected you quite like he did, and he revelled in that fact.

Ron discards his jacket, toes off his shoes, and walks the few steps to your bedroom and throws himself on the bed with a sigh.

You laugh as you lay down next to him, commenting, “I don’t think that went badly.”

Ron shakes his head, “I don’t think it did either.”

“So what’s with the sigh, Weasley?”

“I think mum is going to be buying more bridal magazines.”

“What?” You ask, mouth dry.

Ron sits up, “Not like that! We aren’t ready for that yet! Mum thinks she can see into the future, and she really did adore you tonight. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was already searching for the gazebo to put in the back garden.”

“Yet?”

“What?”

“You said, ‘we aren’t ready for that yet’. Are you going to make me honest, Weasley?” You ask, a teasing note to your voice.

“It’s only been six months,” He laughs awkwardly.

“Don’t worry, Ronald. I’m not asking for a ring; I’m just taking the mick.”

Ron relaxes slightly, “I just didn’t want you to think I was planning for something when we’ve only been together six months. We don’t even live together.”

You bend down, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, “Calm yourself. I don’t expect anything right now.”

“But you do eventually?”

You shrug, “I’m not sure. I’m just happy to be with you right now.”

He tucks his hands behind his head, “I’m happy to be with you too.”

“My parents were together for shorter than that before they got engaged,” You comment in a matter of fact tone.

Ron raises an eyebrow, “I never knew that.”

You shrug, “It’s why I’m a hopeless romantic, I think, Ronald. I’ve seen their love grow and wouldn’t mind some of my own.”

Ron lays down on his stomach, resting his head on his arms, “You wouldn’t?”

You shake your head, “I saw your mum and dad interacting tonight too, Ron. If we’re as happy as them and my parents in the years to come then I think we’ve done something right.”

“In the years to come, aye?”

You roll onto your side, “What? You can talk about our future, but I can’t?”

Ron shifts so he faces you, “No, talk about it all you want but don’t be put off by my smile.”

You groan, “You’re an absolute sap, Ronald Weasley.”

Ron’s arm circles around your waist, pulling you closer to him, “Only for you.”

*******

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @obsessedwithrandomthings @harrypotter289 @dreamer821 @kalimagik @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @the-hufflefluffwriter @figlia--della--luna @bforbroadway @idont-knowrn @summer-writes @big-galaxy-chaos​ @black-lake-confessions​ @annasofiaearlobe​ @imboredandneedalife​ @levylovegood​ @mytreec​ @haphazardhufflepuff​ @teheharrypotter​ @chaoticgirl04​ @accio-rogers​ @msmimimerton​

[decennia]

i give u free reign to infodump ab all of the knights and the og army bc i am vv intrigued agjgssgsh

THERE IS SO MUCH HERE OMFG MORAL OF THIS STORY NEVER ASK ME TO INFO DUMP BECAUSE I WILL TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT—

I've separated it into sections:

The Knights of Walpurgis, and the motivations for their assigned sins.

Dumbledore's First Resistance, and the motivations for their assigned virtues.

The dynamics between the opposing contenders.

Given the sheer volume of information, I've included a cut. Please enjoy this manip that I am still very proud of.

THE KNIGHTS OF WALPURGIS (later known as Death Eaters) Tom Riddle (Pride)

Pride and arrogance were very large contributing factors to Tom Riddle's downfall in the end, and honestly, the whole idea for the gifset came from Florence + The Machines' Seven Devils playing while casually thinking of Dagrim and Tom, and then about how perfectly Tom would fit as Lucifer.

Dagrim Patil (Avarice)

When questioned about what she wants, and what Riddle promised her in exchange for her unwavering loyalty, her response is, quite simply: everything. Dagrim grew up starved not for affection, but recognition. And what she was denied in childhood, she would take in adulthood by force. Her philosophy is that if something is worth wanting, it is worth taking.

Cantankerous Nott IV (Lust)

We know so little about Theodore Nott's father from the source material, other than he was elderly, and he raised Theo himself. And that he was a Death Eater, of course. His name is an ode to his ancestor, the Cantankerous Nott who created the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood directory. I assigned him "lust" purely for the events leading to the conception of his son (sis, it gets messy).

Abraxas Malfoy (Envy)

Abraxas Malfoy envied Tom Riddle to the point of a half attempted mutiny. He was quickly put in his place, his co-conspirators made examples of, and spared only for his close friendship with Dagrim, who pleaded for his life. Riddle, who trusted Dagrim to a fault for all she'd done to earn it, conceded. Abraxas would later prove himself to Riddle again, regaining his seat among Riddle's favoured generals. He was the one who taught Lucius to never disobey the Dark Lord, and he was not a kind teacher.

Ulysses Mulciber (Gluttony)

Indulgence and excess, spoiled rotten and filthy rich. The Mulcibers were the richest of the Sacred at one point in their lives, rivalled only by the Malfoys. Ulysses never knew the meaning of "enough," and was a glutton not only in all manners of vice, but also for cruelty, dealing it out carelessly with little to no regard for the repercussions he was well protected from by his noble standing and wealth. He was one of Riddle's greatest allies and sponsors, and instrumental in his rise to power.

Carmilla Avery (Wrath)

Carmilla was in the year above Riddle, and was quick to anger and slow to calm. Her temper was legendary, and even her younger brothers – also admitted into the Death Eater ranks – feared her. She had an untempered fury, a rage at the world for no reason at all. She developed an unhealthy codependency with Abraxas Malfoy, who served to have a soothing presence over her. People seldom survive crossing her, as her reputation dictates.

Serafine Lestrange (Sloth)

Serafine is not lazy (as the sin "sloth" would suggest), she just lacks the motivations to pursue the goals that are expected of her. A particularly bright witch, and a wealthy one too, she never applied herself at school for she didn't see the need. Instead, she fell into a fascination of the Dark Arts, where she met Riddle, perusing the Restricted Section. She is rather discontented with life, disillusioned from already such a young age. She initially joins Riddle's gang for the excitement of it all.

DUMBLEDORE'S FIRST RESISTANCE (later known as the Order of the Phoenix in its official conception in 1970)

Albus Dumbledore (Patience)

Name a man more patient than Dumbledore, I'll wait. Better yet, he'll wait, because he's patient as hell. So patient, in fact, he waited until after Harry's supposed death to come to him as a hallucination and tell him about how he was a Horcrux.

Rathin Patil (Temperance)

Temperance is abstinence, and I wanted to explore the kind of toll having his sister so far gone into the dark would have on any man, let alone one who really cared for her and wanted to do right by her. Rathin is not a perfect man, he is still fallible, and unfortunately, he develops a dependent comfort in inebriation when Dagrim disappears with Riddle. He pulls himself back together, especially when he becomes Isaiah Moody's partner at the Ministry, and he begins to pursue Miraya.

Miraya Varma (Diligence)

Methodical and persistent, Miraya Varma earned herself a position at the Ministry immediately out of Hogwarts where she would later go on to form her own task force within the Ministry specifically designed for the interrogation and recommended sentencing of dark wizards and witches. She has been known to put her duty first, up until the birth of her son, Divyansh Patil, father to Padma and Parvati.

Isaiah Moody (Humility)

For a very long time, people seldom knew the Moody name, and that was the way Isaiah liked it. He believed that his line of work would endanger his loved ones (in spite of his wife being in the same profession) and so he never took credit for the numerous arrests he made. It was Isaiah who suspected something was strange about Morfin Gaunt's arrest while investigating the Riddle Massacre, and consulted Dumbledore about it. Once his identity was discovered and he was viewed as a threat by Riddle, an attack was made on his heavily pregnant wife, jeopardizing her and his unborn boy's (Alastor) life.

Minerva McGonagall (Chastity)

Mini Minnie is seventeen, my dudes. But not only that, Minerva grew up with a religious father (he was canonically a reverend), who probably taught her his values. Also given the fact that Minerva was the first of the younger generation to participate and involve herself in the war (she sought out Dumbledore and enlisted herself into his Resistance, fearing her family would be made into another statistic if she didn't at least do something to intervene), she really didn't have much time to think about something as arbitrary as the concept of virginity. Also, it's the 1950s.

Corinne Scamander (Kindness)

Corrine is honestly the greatest. She has all of the tenacity of Tina, and the best qualities of Newt. It was Dumbledore's previous bond with Newt that encouraged him to recruit her, and she willingly accepted, because of course she would. She'd always been the soft spoken girl with a tender touch and a love for life, and she was often the advocate for hope in the resistance. She was adept in a few healing charms she'd learned from her father, and was something of a specialist in magical beings, proving herself to be highly valuable while Riddle was expanding his ranks with all manner of dark creatures.

Declan Diggory (Charity)

Sacrifice is in the Diggory blood, and Cedric's grandfather, Declan, was not the first to prove it. He also, unfortunately, wasn't the last, but he sure was one of the best. Selfless to a fault, Declan would willingly get hypothermia if it meant someone else would have warmth. Diggory's contributions to the war effort consisted of offering sanctuary and shelter to muggleborns who received death threats, and orchestrating the evacuations of targeted muggle residences. He was the leader of a small faction of the resistance, including, but not limited to: Fleamont Potter, Enoch Longbottom, Wilhelm Shacklebolt, and Ramona McKinnon.

DYNAMICS (just the contenders for now because this is hella long)

Albus Dumbledore vs. Tom Riddle

Adversaries, a fair deal of mistrust and guilt from Dumbledore's side (upon reflection, he'd been the one to introduce Tom to the wizarding world; even though he knows that if Riddle had been left unchecked, the risk of him becoming an Obscurus would've resulted in catastrophe all the same). Riddle sees Dumbledore as nothing more than a foolish old man, a pest, and an obstacle to overcome at first, but learns to begrudgingly respect Dumbledore's strength and mastery of magic (after all, Riddle only knew him as the Transfiguration teacher before, and thought the accounts of Dumbledore's victory over Grindelwald had been exaggerated to great effect). Riddle's hubris was believing he could defeat Dumbledore on his own, thinking himself already stronger than Grindelwald ever hoped to be.

Rathin Patil vs. Dagrim Patil

Rathin had always been very protective of Dagrim, and loved her dearly, although his acts of affection were often misinterpreted as pity and condescension. This only served to push them further apart. When Dagrim turned to the Dark Arts and found solace in Riddle, it revolted Rathin, as he was hugely against the corruption the Dark Arts has on the performing witch or wizard, and wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. He still very much loves her, and it hurts him to fight her. Dagrim, on the other hand, finds catharsis in duelling her brother, believing it to be justice for the way her parents treated her and the little he did to dissuade them.

Miraya Varma vs. Cantankerous Nott

A mutual respect and an academic rivalry, Cantankerous and Miraya were not friends by any means, but not enemies, either. Cantankerous even went as far as to warn Miraya of an impending attack, allowing her to evacuate the building. But although he knows she's clever, he also knows that she's incredibly stubborn, and displayed little surprise to find her awaiting him in the now vacant building. They are equally matched, and their unique relationship spans several decades, even into Cantankerous' failed run at Minister for Magic, and Theodore and the Patil twins' time at Hogwarts. She was present at his trial following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and watched as he was sentenced to life in Azkaban for his crimes as a Death Eater.

Isaiah Moody vs. Abraxas Malfoy

Given his profession, Isaiah has a lot of enemies on the Sacred Twenty-Eight who are loyal to the Dark Lord. One such enemy is Abraxas Malfoy. When Tom gets word of Moody's involvement in solving the Riddle Massacre, he sends Malfoy and a newer Death Eater, Evangeline Rosier, to hinder the investigation. Abraxas and Evangeline were responsible for the attack on Isaiah's heavily pregnant wife, who, if she hadn't been an Auror herself, would've never survived. Alastor Moody was prematurely born at St. Mungo's following the attack, and all of Isaiah's efforts were turned on exacting vengeance on those responsible. Malfoy went into hiding, but Isaiah, ruthless, managed to hunt down Rosier. She died under questioning, setting in motion a vicious cycle of vengeance between the Moodys and Rosiers. Once Isaiah had been killed by Evangeline's brother (Evan [who was named after her] Rosier's father), Abraxas deemed it safe to rejoin society.

Minerva McGonagall vs. Ulysses Mulciber

On the list of things Ulysses loathes, he would put half-bloods above muggleborns (although he turns a blind eye to his Dark Lord's blood status when it conveniences him). Half-bloods only serve as a reminder of the lowest and weakest of his kind; the unworthy muggleborns, the lecherous blood traitors, the vermin muggles. Mulciber prides himself as something of a "purifier," and finds great enjoyment in pruning family trees that have been poisoned by muggle blood into purity once more. He takes a great interest in Minerva McGonagall, given that she is an incredibly powerful witch at such a young age, and he wonders how glorious she would've been had she been a pureblood (a twisted and untrue belief among the Sacred Twenty-Eight during that time). Minerva, the threat of Mulciber weighing heavily on her, places her family under Dumbledore's protection. She vows to stop Mulciber and his perverse idea of justice.

Corinne Scamander vs. Carmilla Avery

It didn't take much to enrage Carmilla Avery, and Corinne had been caught in the tempest Carmilla's fury since the day they'd met. Carmilla, who took great pleasure in picking on people she deemed lesser, made a target out of Corinne, perceiving her kindness for weakness. During their time at Hogwarts, Corinne had gained the attention of Avery for being a blood traitor and a muggle sympathizer, which only strengthened Carmilla's vindication. Corinne, who had been friends with Rubeus Hagrid prior to his expulsion, and who had almost fallen prey to the basilisk when she had heard Myrtle Warren's cries from the bathroom, never lowered herself to Carmilla's level nor did she rise to any of the challenges. This hurt Avery's ego, as she thought this was Corinne's way of claiming herself better than her. It wasn't until after Hogwarts that Carmilla's growing resentment came to a head, and, without the protection the school offered Corinne, Carmilla was looking to finally put an end to the blood traitor line of Scamander.

Declan Diggory vs. Serafine Lestrange

Declan and Serafine were childhood friends who drifted apart during their time at Hogwarts, particularly when she fell in with Riddle's crowd. She is viewed by Dumbledore as having the power to sway the entire outcome of the war, for if Serafine could be persuaded into leaving Riddle, her cousins (one of whom is the father of Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange) would surely comply, and the families who held the Lestranges in high regard would be inclined to follow. This makes Declan and Serafine key pieces in Dumbledore's game of strategy. However, Serafine was disowned long before she defected from the Death Eaters, leaving the Lestranges firmly in Riddle's grasp. Although Serafine claimed to feel nothing for Diggory, she still refused to deal any real harm to him when they duel, in spite of having ample opportunity to do so; something which Riddle picked up on. She was later forced to torture Declan in front of him to prove her loyalty to the Dark Lord, something which Declan permitted her to do, knowing she had very little choice in the matter. He was left for dead, but Serafine would later secretly return with Corinne to get him medical attention. She gives her son, Francis, "Declan" as a middle name.

[crankynewt]

Chapter One - Losing Game

Another Love Series Masterlist

Pairing: Regulus Black x Fem!Reader, Young!Remus Lupin x Fem!Reader

Song: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

Warnings: Tons of Angst, Major Character Deaths, Pregnancy(?), and I definitely altered the timeline!

Word Count: 1.76k

Masterlist

Author’s Note: This is pretty angsty and was based on this song (which has always given me massive Reggie vibes), and I HIGHLY recommend listening to it when reading this!

Perhaps your love was doomed from the start. Maybe you were just another Shakesperian tale of forbidden romance destined to conclude in nothing but suffering. He was your light despite the darkness that had encompassed him his entire life and although the war was over, the pain still remained. 

You had begged Regulus not to leave that night, tears blurring your vision as he explained that he had to be the one to destroy the horcrux. “There is no other way,” he had said, his voice shaky with the knowledge that this would likely be his end. You were young, too young, to be fighting this war. A battle that neither of you had any business being involved in the first place. Yet there you were, children who had grown up too quickly.

When he hadn’t returned the next morning, it hadn’t come as any surprise. You mourned the loss of your husband the minute he’d walked out that door. You weren’t vapid and neither was he, you were both well aware of what would happen in that cave. Whether or not Regulus succeeded, however, still remained to be seen. 

The isolation following the death of Regulus Black was something you brought upon yourself. You couldn’t stand seeing muggles continuing to lead their lives as if nothing had happened. Your world crumbled out from beneath you as the universe became a much darker place, so why haven’t they stopped? A person - your person - had died, how could people continue to lead their normal lives?  We were still at war, how could they not sense that something was horribly wrong?

The loneliness made you ill after a month, so sick that you were constantly emptying the contents of your stomach into your toilet as you lay on the cool tile. What prompted you to eventually seek out another were the two little lines on the plastic test. Before long you had apparated to Godric’s hollow, the crisp snow of December crunching under your feet as you made your way up the steps of a quaint looking house. It felt much more homey than the Grimmauld flat you’d been residing in, a slight comfort that what laid behind the door you knocked on may be just as welcoming.

The face that answered the door was kind, warm eyes and a welcoming smile framed by ginger locks. You never spoke to her during your years at Hogwarts due to the two years she had on you, but you knew the girl to be Lily Evans. Judging by the slight furrowing of her brows she had recognized you as well, probably unsure as to why Regulus Black’s wife had shown up on her doorstep seemingly out of nowhere.

“Uhm, is Sirius Black here by any chance?” You asked quietly, your gloved hands rubbing your arms as you fought off the evening’s chill. She need not answer as a pair of brown orbs peered at you from behind her.

“What are you doing here, (Y/N)?” Sirius questioned, bitterness lacing his words as he took in your frail appearance. The elder Black did not think highly of his little brother - the Death Eater, or so he thought. Yet Regulus had relayed numerous stories from their childhood that revealed that in earlier years of their lives, the duo had been inseparable. You were just hoping that some of that affection still remained.

“Can we please talk? It’s about your brother.” You said, voice wavering as you shivered in the cold. Lily seemingly took notice of this and ushered you into the warmth of their home, closing the door behind you and leaving the in-laws to speak in the front entryway.

“If Regulus has something to say to me than the little shit can come tell me himself-”

“Sirius, what are you talking about?” You asked incredulously. “Regulus died two months ago.”

Sirius had not been speechless many times in his life, yet there he stood with his head reeling, heart broken, and tears slowly welling in his eyes. At the end of the day, Regulus would always be his baby brother. And in that silence he sat and listened, taking in all of what had happened the past year. From Regulus deciding to turn on Voldemort to the fateful night destroying his horcrux, Sirius felt both pride and guilt building underneath the grief. Regulus had been a good person who gave his life doing the right thing, all in belief of the same values that had gotten himself disowned.

When you mentioned the pregnancy, Sirius once again found himself dumbstruck. But that shock was quickly replaced with a sense of duty, it was as if he had the opportunity to make up for his brother’s broken relationship. He would help you raise this baby, and he would make damn sure that they did not have the same broken childhood he had suffered.

Within the week, Sirius had moved back into 12 Grimmauld Place with you. The baby he was dedicating himself to had quickly become babies after finding out that not one, but two baby Blacks were on the way. He was at your side through every step of the pregnancy, and slowly but surely his friends made their way into your life as well. James was always there to put a smile on your face and Lily gave great advice as to dealing with the pregnancy as she had delivered Harry only weeks before you showed up. Remus was always there to offer chocolate and a good book while Peter always had a hot cup of tea ready for you.

Before long, Arcturus and Cassiopeia Black were welcomed into the world and the light in your life had been restored. They were both the spitting image of their father, seeming to have barely inherited any (Y/L/N) genes and only reminded you of their father with every coming day. Little Harry was thrilled to have playmates, and you had finally found your family. Although far from perfect, it was everything to you. But all good things must come to an end, and this state of grace was no different.

Halloween came and went. James, Lily, and Peter were gone, no, murdered. Sirius could not have done it, not to his family! The man you read about in the papers was not the same gentle soul who would sing the twins to sleep almost every evening. But regardless of what you thought of the man he was guilty in the eyes of the Ministry, and thus he was sent to Azkaban to suffer a fate worse than death. This loss rocked you once more, but this time you had the twins to look after, and you weren’t alone.

Remus had stepped right up to fill the shoes that Sirius had been filling for Regulus without hesitation. He was grieving the same losses as you and found solace in caring for little Archie and Cassie. You mourned together and healed together, and before long Remus became your other half. 

That friendship didn’t last long, however, as it eventually blossomed into something bigger, a love that you fought tooth and nail. Guilt consumed you as you felt yourself falling for the werewolf, not being able to shake the feeling that you were betraying Regulus as you fell deeper and deeper in love. 

Right around the second anniversary of his death was when you heard the first words pass through either of the twins’ lips. Archie squealed a high-pitched “dada” to Remus who had been helping you prepare breakfast, and your eyes met his equally glassy. While the man stuttered out a mix of apologies in fear of overstepping, you just embraced him and allowed him to hold you in the way nobody had for a long time. The toddlers had accepted him as their father, and you had denied the desire to love him for too long.

Six months later the two of you had married in a small ceremony of only Order members gathering to celebrate your love. You did, however, keep the last name ‘Black’ as an homage both to Regulus and Sirius’ roles in both of your lives. At that same celebration you also announced that a baby Lupin would be making their way into the world six months later. And alas, Theodore Lupin was born shortly after, and your little family was complete.

When it was finally time for Archie and Cassie to begin their future at Hogwarts, you couldn’t help but weep as they waved out the window of the Hogwarts Express, the siblings excited to start the next stage in their lives. Your husband wrapped an arm around you as he fought tears himself, meanwhile Teddy tugged onto your hand and questioned when he would get the chance to attend the school as well, already missing his big brother and sister. 

Remus and you had debated what house the twins would be sorted into, him adamant that they showed Gryffindor courage while you were certain that they would follow in your footsteps and be sorted into (Y/H). Your questions were answered the next morning as you received letters from two very excited Slytherins, taking after their father just as they had done in appearance and personality. You and Remus were proud nonetheless, but your husband was always saddened that they had never grown close to Harry. The divide between houses had seemingly grown even stronger since you two had attended and a friendship between the former friends hadn’t formed.

Two years later, the twins were approaching their third year as Teddy prepared to begin his magical schooling, and you began to ponder what your life would look like following their departure. You and your husband didn’t have the finances to travel and feared a life without the light of your children, and your questions were answered following a letter from Dumbledore himself. He offered the two of you teaching positions at Hogwarts, Defence Against the Dark Arts for Remus and Astronomy for yourself.

The two of you were ecstatic to spend the year with your children teaching, and walking side by side with the castle in view made you feel like a young girl again. A broken heart was all that was left, but Remus had been there to pick up your broken pieces and carry you home. But the wreckage of your life would not stay in ruins forever, as old friends and old loves remained closer than you had ever known and were about to rejoin your losing game.

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[moonybeam3]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨💗

I know I already answered this from another blog but I can’t resist a sweet ask (esp not one from melonpopps) 🥰 So! I’m going to answer this with 5 songs I am listening to that remind me/make me think of the Marauders and which Marauder/ship it is

1.) Close to You, Dayglow

This song makes me think about Remus pining for Sirius during their friends with benefits, “it’s not gay if it’s over the covers” phase. Sirius may be in total denial but Remus is falling and falling hard.

2.) right where you left me, Taylor Swift

This is Remus post 1981. 🥲 no further explanation needed.

3.) my tears ricochet, Taylor Swift

This is Regulus to Sirius as he is going to/after he steals the horcrux and dies. He is so sad and angry and his brother is out there fighting for the right side in glory while he dies in secret. Why did Sirius leave and not take him with? What right does Sirius have to mourn a brother he forgot?

4.) girls, girl in red

This is Marlene when she has just met Mary and Lily, then for the next few years as she meets Dorcas and other girls she falls for. She is coming to terms with the fact that she doesn’t have a crush on Sirius like the rest of Gryffindor girls but instead on the girls themselves.

5.) Long Live, Taylor Swift

This is James Potter at his best. He’s the leader of the Marauders, Captain of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team, Head Boy, and he can do nothing but look back at seven years of pranks and joy and reminisce. They are about to enter a war, so of course he’s a bit melancholy and asking to be remembered, but he’s also triumphant and brave and ready to face anything

Okay this was super fun because my favorite thing is to assign fictional characters to music!!!

[prongsies]

Come Home to You • Harry Potter

PAIRING: Harry Potter x Reader REQUEST:  Hi there! I was wondering if you would write a Harry x reader where Harry and Y/N slept together for the first time (you don't have to write the steamy part) before he went to the horcruxes hunt with Ron and Hermione and when he comes back he finds out that Y/N is pregnant with his baby? Can it have a happy ending please? This idea just popped up in my mind and won't leave me alone :(❤️ - ANON WARNINGS: a bit steamy in the beginning, mentions of the war and vomiting, mild language A/N: It took me sooo long to complete this request because of everything going on in school (I’m so sorry anon) I hope you enjoy it tho!

The small room you had rented out for the week was quiet, bringing a smile onto your face as you snuggled deeper into Harry’s chest, his arms wrapping around your waist tighter. It was a rare occurrence, the two of you finding peace and quiet among your busy schedules. With Bill and Fleur’s wedding drawing closer each day, Mrs, Weasley had everyone working twice as hard to ensure everything falls perfectly into place.

The Burrow was packed with people since the entire Weasley family had returned home, so you and Harry decided to rent out a small room in the village inn nearby, where, for once in your relationship, you were allowed to do anything you wish. So after a hearty dinner with the Weasley family - and endless teasing from Fred and George - you had treated back to your room, falling back into each other’s arms.

“I love you, you know?” Harry whispered as his hand moved to trace patterns onto your bare arm with his finger. The weather was quite warm tonight, so you had decided to pull on a tank top.

“I love you too, Harry” you breathed out, smiling when you felt him chuckle at the goosebumps that had appeared onto your skin,

You basked in the silence of the room, enjoying each other’s company before you submerge yourself in the chaos to come tomorrow, especially with the Delacour family arriving. Most importantly though, you took advantage of the few moments you have with one another, before another day introduces another round of worry for you.

See, Dumbledore had given Harry a very dangerous task, something you didn’t really approve of, but had no choice but to accept. Dumbledore had asked Harry to look for horcruxes - little items that kept a part of You-Know-Who’s soul, which had kept him alive for all these years.

“What are you thinking about, love?” Harry whispered in you ear, feeling you tense under his hold. Reaching up briefly, he moved your hair to the side, revealing your bare shoulders so he could plant sweet little kisses onto it, effectively calming you, even just a little,

“Nothing,” you replied breathlessly as you craned your neck further, allowing his lips access to the spots you both know will make you weak at the knees.

“You know you don’t need to hide anything from me, darling” Harry whispered once again, gripping your waist so he can turn you to face him, you eyes meeting his green ones. He smiled at you for a moment, pecking your lips, before returning his journey down your collarbone, nipping and licking any exposed skin he could reach, “Please tell me,”

“It’s just” you gasped as his teeth suddenly enclosed around a patch of skin, “I don’t understand why I can’t go with you on this mission”

“We’ve talked about this,” He replied, voice soft as he pulled you closer towards him, pressing his body firmly against yours under the soft covers, “I don’t want anything happening to you”

“We’ve been together for two years” You continued to reason out, trying to keep your head clear as Harry’s lips started making its way lower, teasing you just above your breasts, “I think I can handle it- oh, Harry”

“Yeah?” Harry ceased his movements, looking up to give you a teasing smirk as his left an open-mouthed kiss over the spot he just bit, “you like that, darling?”

“We’re not done talking, Harry” You tried lightly pushing him away, but he only pulled you closer, his shoulder flexing under the palm of your hands as he kept you in place. “Harry”

He pulled away, sincerity in his eyes as he moved up to come face to face with you, noses brushing at the proximity. His breath fanned you face as he spoke, “you are my life, (y/n). I wouldn’t know what I would do if anything happened to you”

“But Harry-“

“I know you want to help, love” Harry interrupted, knowing what you were going to say after weeks of arguing with him about him not allowing you to join him on his journey. “And I know it will still be dangerous even if you stay behind with Molly” his thumb reached up to trace your bottom lip, now pouting, “but it’s much worse out there, especially when there are people who know how much you mean to me. You remember what happened when you joined them in flying me back to the burrow, right?”

Of course, you remember. It had happened only weeks ago before everyone else had moved in the cozy Weasley home. You had volunteered to fetch Harry in Number 4 Privet Drive, being among the few who didn’t get to take the Polyjuice Potion and change into Harry. A Death Eater had recognized you as someone dear to Harry, and had targeted you the entire journey home.

If you weren’t quick enough to defend yourself, you would’ve never made it back in one piece.

Harry took your silence as a yes, his lips dropping into a frown as he pulled you against him again, burying his face into your neck as he continued kissing, “don’t worry, my love” he bit another patch of skin, releasing a soft moan from your lips, “After all of this is over, I’ll come home straight to you”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

—

You lips were pulled up into a smile as you recalled the events of last night - the intimacy you shared with Harry as you moaned each other’s names in profession of your love for one another. Sure, you had done it a couple of times already, but it had always been in secret, with the constant fear of getting caught lingering over you shoulders.

Last night was different. Last night, you didn’t have to hold back as you screamed his name for everyone to hear - which you were sure they didn’t due to the strong muffling charms you had to do.

Merlin, you swear you could still feel Harry’s lips burning through your body, hear his groans in your ear as he praised you for how amazing you felt around him, how good you were taking him.

You could tell he was thinking the exact same thing as your eyes met across the room. His smirk had grown deeper on his lips as his eyes raked over your dress-clad body, and judging solely by the way he was looking at you, you were in it for another couple of rounds tonight.

Of course, everything was cut short when the first few members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived, and Arthur had asked Harry to see Molly so they could disguise him to look like one of their own - ginger hair with freckles dotting his face, an uncanny Weasley.

You were separated for the rest of the day, Harry joining Ron in welcoming the rest of the Weasley family, while you were with Hermione and Ginny making sure everything’s in proper order.

However, everything started falling apart when evening struck. It was in the middle of the reception when a wisp of light appeared in the middle of the room. Harry, who was across the room from you speaking to some guests, had taken the liberty to make cautious steps towards you, ready to protect you at any given moment.

That’s when Kingsley’s voice spoke, “The Ministry has fallen. The Minister of Magic is dead. They are coming”

All hell broke loose as dark figures suddenly appeared in wisps of black smoke, corning everyone in the tent as they attempted to disapparate. Harry was quick to your side, his features morphing back into the raven-haired boy you love as he pulled you into a kiss.

This was it, you thought as your lips moved against him briefly, a gut-wrenching feeling in you stomach as you pulled away, eyes meeting your once more as he whispered a rushed. “Be safe. I’ll come home to you. I love you”

He pushed you towards George who was quick to protect you, you snapping back to reality as you fired spells towards the Death Eaters surrounding you and the family you had come to love. Casting one last glance towards where Harry had left to, you could see him joining Ron and Hermione in the middle of the room, grabbing each other’s arms as they disapparated away.

—

The Shell Cottage was quiet, peaceful as the waves from the nearby sea crashed along the shore. Bill and Fleur Weasley had been kind enough to let you stay under their roof as your belly grew larger each month, the human forming inside of you growing more and more real by the day.

It’s been six months, six months since you’ve last seen Harry. You knew, not because you’ve counted, but because you were six months along the way. When you’ve awoken everyone in the Burrow with your hurling a few weeks since Harry had left, Molly instantly knew what was happening.

She was quick to provide you with everything you need - the support, the help, and the protection. As the months progressed and more Death Eaters were spotted around their household, Bill had graciously took you in, being the Secret Keeper to their new home called Shell Cottage.

From then, it was Fleur who had cared for you.

That’s also when Ron arrived. You were thankful your baby bump hadn’t shown then so he hadn’t noticed even a bit, and it was a relief for him to tell you Harry and Hermione were both okay despite him leaving them a bit earlier.

“(Y/n)” Fleur’s soft voice called out to you as you stood in the kitchen, peering out the window towards the sea. You turned to look at the beautiful woman, a kind smile adorning her face, “Bill and I are heading to Diagon Alley to fetch some things. Do you need anything?”

“I’m alright, Fleur. Thank you” You replied softly, still nursing the glass of juice you’ve prepared for yourself a little while ago. Fleur hummed a response as she disappeared out the front door with Bill, a soft pop following soon after as they disapparated away.

Turning back towards the window, you were surprised to see figures standing by the shoreline. At the sight alone, your heart started besting faster. How did they find you? And how timely is it that they arrive just when you’re alone.

You prepared your wand beside you as you squinted towards the approaching figures, trying to make out which Death Eater it actually was that had located this supposed concealed home, when you recognized one of them immediately.

“Harry?” You whispered upon the realization, your feet immediately taking you outside, onto the soft sand.

“Harry!” You called out as you neared them, not believing your eyes when you saw him alive and well. However, the grin disappeared from your face upon seeing he was carrying a little creature in his arms - Dobby.

The funeral you held for Dobby was small, honoring the death of the beloved former house elf- now eternally free. After that, you led everyone back inside the house, starting the kettle to prepare them tea.

Harry still hadn’t spoken to you - even looked at you - since they had arrived, even after Bill and Fleur had returned almost an hour later. But you understood. He must have been through a lot. These few days of peace was what he needed.

Hermione, however, was quick to pull you into her roo, a grin on her face as her eyes looked at your growing belly, “(y/n) are you...?”

She didn’t need to ask, she knows that. But the thrill of announcing it never ceases to feel exhilarating. A squeal left her lips as you nodded you head, grinning as she pulled you into a congratulatory hug. “Why haven’t you told Harry?”

“He’s been through a lot” Your shoulders sagged in disappointment. Of course, you wanted Harry to be the first to know. But with everything happening around him, everything going on in his mind, you knew this could wait even just for an hour.

“He’s going to be ecstatic. Promise me you’ll tell him”

“I mean, my growing baby bump can’t really hide the fact,” you joked, earning a giggle from the girl, “anyway, how are you?”

She proceeded to tell you everything, from the day they landed into London where they were located by Death Eaters in a small muggle cafe, to how they escaped the Malfoy Mansion. Tears had ran down your face by then as Hermione showed you the cut Bellatrix Lestrange has done on her arm, which was now healing after Bill helped her tend to it a little while ago

The conversation was cut short, however, when the door swung open, “Hermione, I think- oh, (y/n)”

“It’s great to know you still remember me” You attempted to tease, yet Harry didn’t exactly respond the way you wanted to.

Seeing your need to talk, Hermione stood from her seat to leave the room, making sure to nudge Harry further inside as she left. It was awkward when the door finally shut behind Harry, him standing by the door, not knowing what to say.

Since when was it this hard?

“Hi” Harry finally spoke.

“Hi, Harry”

“I just wanted to-“

“Speak to Hermione, yes” you interrupted, now growing annoyed. “It’s alright, I was about to start dinner anyway”

You made a sudden move to stand up, which you regretted immediately due to the pain you felt in your belly. Your arms wrapped around your bump as soon as it happened, supporting the weight of the baby as you hissed in pain, “fuckin hell, James Potter, you’re not yet even born and you’re already causing trouble”

“What did you say?” Harry asked, surprised the name of his father left your lips. When his eyes darted towards your belly, he need not ask anymore, “is that mine?”

“Bloody hell, Harry James Potter, of course it’s yours!”

With a chuckle, he took long strides to where you stood, wrapping his arms around you in the way you had missed terribly. It didn’t take long for the two of you to start tearing up as Harry placed a palm over his future baby, his eyes holding astonishment that he was going to be a father - much earlier than anticipated, yes, but he was happy nonetheless.

“Why didn’t you tell me, darling?”

“I couldn’t write to you” you whispered, “i wanted to, but it’s too dangerous”

“So you’ve dealt with all of this on your own?”

“Nonsense,” you grinned as his lips planted a lingering kiss on your forehead, ”Mrs. Weasley and Fleur took care of me”

The moment was broken abruptly when footsteps ascended the stairs in a rush, and Ron appeared into the room panting, before exclaiming, “I CAN’T BELIEVE I DIDN’T NOTICE YOU WERE PREGNANT”

—

James Sirius Potter was born weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts, and was dubbed by your friends as the “son of the brave” after everything that had happened. See, everyone had seen how hard you’ve fought in the war, even with the baby weighing you down.

A smile was brought to their faces upon seeing you wobble through the halls of Hogwarts, throwing Death Eaters against the wall with the strongest magic anyone has ever seen. You were practically harmless when the war concluded, and they reckon it was because of the magic your baby possessed - sort of a shield surrounding his mother.

James’ birth was the happiest you felt in your life, especially upon seeing Harry’s teary eyes as he held his son for the first time.

“You alright there, Harry?” You asked, still watching him gaze down at his son with so much love it made your heart clench.

“I’ve never been better,”