#i don't know if Remus and James are prepared to be in-laws.

[lunapwrites]

TOTALLY unrelated aside, but the reason I never played the Sims before now is because I knew it would get its shiny little hooks into my brain. It hits WAY too many of my dopamine buttons to be healthy.

On the plus side, it's actually been helping me get over some mild writers' block I was running into? So that's nice. Nothing like effectively writing a visual crackfic to warm up the old brain wheel.

[friendly-neighborhood-boricua]

[3] Career Fair

Summary: James holds a parents' career fair, to which Liam's mom is invited.

Notes: Marauders modern elementary school AU, kindergarten teacher!James Potter x nurse!reader, mom!reader x son!OC (Liam), inspired by this post by @ravishinglavishingluvr. Hah, remember last time where I said I was updating semi-regularly? Ok well I actually mean it now, I promise lmao. Not edited but I'll do that tomorrow. Also kinda short, sorry

A/N (1/8/2024): okok I came back here to change the names of some kids bc I forgot that this is a marauders au so I can use the names of like real kids from harry potter smhhhhh please don't get mad at me this is my first time writing an au

Previous Part: Seeing Each Other Around Town Next Part: Liam and James Make You A Birthday Gift Series Masterlist here

James ended up pushing the career fair back a couple weeks because there was a conflict in the schedule

(not because you emailed him back saying you wouldn’t be able to come the day he had originally planned it)

(and definitely not because he asked you to send him your shift schedule so he could make sure you could come, and you were working overtime for two weeks straight)

(James was pretty sure your work schedule violated some labor laws or something, but he was in no place to question you)

Liam is soooo excited for the couple days leading up to the career fair

Because his mom is cool af and he can’t wait to show everybody just how badass you are

(You had Liam pretty young, so you’re totally the parent who all the kids think is the coolest person alive and who all the kids’ older siblings have crushes on and who all the kids’ parents judge because of your age and assume you’re irresponsible, but we don’t have to talk about that)

James is also excited because he hasn’t had a real conversation with you in a couple weeks and he really just wants to talk to you

Poor Sirius and Remus have had to deal with him swooning and fawning and over you and also helping him frantically prepare for this career fair because “guys it HAS to be perfect”

But at long last, the day finally arrives

James scheduled the career fair in the afternoon so he could threaten children with canceling the event if they misbehave, so both he and his kids are bouncing off the walls in excitement all morning

He eats lunch in the library with Remus and Sirius, and they both spend the entire time hyping him up

(It’s mostly Sirius tho)

“You’ve got this, Prongs—be smooth—be nice—you’re a nice bloke, that’s not gonna be a problem for you—”

And eventually, it’s time

The parents that are participating in the fair arrive ten minutes before James has to get the kids from the cafeteria so he can explain to them what’s going to happen (because god knows the majority didn’t read the goddamn email he sent)

You’re a little late (profusely apologizing again, and it reminds James of the first time you met back at parent-teacher conferences) but you read the email the night before (and take another piece of James’ heart hostage while you’re at it) so it’s no worries

James’ summary instructions take a shorter amount of time than expected, so the ten or so parents all get to talking

And ofc James takes this opportunity to talk to you

You’d emailed back and forth about the fair but you hadn’t really talked in person since that night in the grocery store, and James was starting to feel like he’d die if he went another day without talking to you

So he’s plotting his route to you across the classroom when he notices you’ve secluded yourself a few steps away from the majority of the parents’ conversation

James is also horrified to discover you look slightly uncomfortable

Like you’re somewhere you don’t belong

And of course James can’t have that

So he sidles up next to you and asks how your day is going, if your boss gave you a hard time getting off work early, how the chocolate chip cookie dough from a month and a half ago was—anything he can think of, really

By the time James has to go get the kids from the cafeteria, you’re smiling and laughing, and James desperately wants to keep you like that all the time

He shakes himself out of his daydreamy state on the way to the cafeteria because this is your JOB, James, you can’t be distracted by your favorite student’s mom. His sweet, kind, whip-smart, dazzling … mom …

(In the back of his mind, James knows he’s screwed, he just has no idea what to do about it)

(CERTAINLY not act on it, because that would be a complete conflict of interest and totally unprofessional of him)

(But it’s just a crush)

(It’s fine)

(Right?)

ANYWAY

Liam’s on the lookout for you as soon as he steps through the door, and he beams the sweetest little chubby-cheeked smile when he finds you and points you out to his friends

You wink playfully at him, and he and his friends giggle excitedly as they sit in their seats

If James is being completely honest with himself, the career fair was a little disappointing

The majority of the parents’ presentations were kinda lame

And they didn’t make their jobs understandable or appealing for the kids

Dean's mom (she’s regional manager of a popular grocery store chain) complained to the class about her boss pretty much the whole time

Luna’s father, a rather eccentric professor at the local university, just spewed a bunch of nonsense technical jargon about the soul or the meaning of life or something that not even the adults in the room could understand

And Draco's dad (he owns the local insurance company and is just obscenely wealthy, which explains quite a bit of his son's attitude) straight up said he hated his job, so there’s that

But then there was your presentation

James is sure he’s in love by now because you made being a nurse sound so amazing

You talked about how you’re in charge of taking care of people when they’re sick or hurt, how it’s nice to be able to help people, how even when your job gets hard, you feel like you’ve made a positive impact at the end of the day

Once the parents left, James asked the kids who’s presentation they liked the most

And ofc every kid in that room agreed that yours was the best

And a solid 75% said they wanted to be a nurse lmao and he was just so proud

Proud of his kids and also you because your presentation was just so fucking good

As James is taking the kids out to the buses, Liam thanks him for inviting you to the career fair

Ofc James says it was no problem and that you’re really cool, so it was a pleasure to have you there

And Liam kinda gives James this … look … and is like “… yeah, my mom is cool …”

And James gets this horrible feeling that Liam somehow knows

Knows he’s completely smitten for Liam’s mom

Fallen head over heels

Practically in love at this point (though James has a nasty habit of throwing that word around willy-nilly)

(Liam kinda freaks James out a bit sometimes lmao)

Next Part: Liam and James Make You A Birthday Gift

[severus-snaps]

On Sectumsempra & Levicorpus

So I was just searching up "Prince" on potter search as part of another ramble I was doing, and encountered these two quotes together:

“The Prince only copied [Sectumsempra] out! It’s not like he was advising anyone to use it! For all we know, he was making a note of something that had been used against him!”

and:

“Sectum — !” Snape flicked his wand and the curse was repelled yet again; but Harry was mere feet away now and he could see Snape’s face clearly at last: He was no longer sneering or jeering; the blazing flames showed a face full of rage. Mustering all his powers of concentration, Harry thought, Levi — “No, Potter!” screamed Snape. There was a loud BANG and Harry was soaring backward, hitting the ground hard again, and this time his wand flew out of his hand ...Snape’s pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore. “You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them — I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you’d turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don’t think so … no!”

By no means do I expect this is a fresh take, but these quotes together got me to thinking about the possibilities of Snape's use - and creation - of Sectumsempra. I consider whether he did create it, whether he stole it, The Prank, SWM, Battle of Seven Potters, and whether James used it on Snape. It starts off pretty sensible and then descends into madness, and I've spent too much time on it, so that I don't want to look at it again :P [way longer than anticipated so view below the cut]:

Ahead of time: I'm assuming that Sectumsempra was the exact same cutting spell Snape used in SWM. The lack of workings-out for this spell in Snape's book suggests the SWM cutting spell wasn't an earlier version he had to tinker with extensively (why would he do all of his workings-out in his book except for that one spell?). And, from a narrative perspective, Sectumsempra was described as Snape's 'specialty', it was a reasonably large plot point with Harry vs Draco and Snape coming in, to me making it unlikely to have meant to have been another spell entirely.

So... did Snape create Sectumsempra?

Option 1: Snape did create Sectumsempra.

It was in Snape's HBP book

Perhaps he got Sectumsempra right on the first try, unlike his other spells, which is why its only note is "for enemies" and not workings-out. Things like the bezoar advice also didn't have workings-out, and Snape did not write notes on things he readily understood ("but not a single illuminating note in the Prince’s hand to explain what [Golpalott’s Third Law] meant. Apparently the Prince, like Hermione, had had no difficulty understanding it"). Perhaps by this point, he's rather good at spell creation; he didn't need to make notes or amendments, he just had an intuitive grasp of Latin and spellcraft and whipped out a new spell like that

It is possible that he did his workings-out elsewhere for a change, or worked it out with someone else (Mulciber, Avery?)

Snape says spells, inventions, plural, in the quote above, indicating that Sectumsempra was one of his own creations

Harry has switched to using "[Snape's] spells" against Snape; this is the reason Snape switches from lazily deflecting to looking enraged, and finally loses his composure at Levicorpus

Possibly, Snape alone knew the proper or only counter-spell to Sectumsempra (which I'm just calling the song-spell), where others did not (this is widely discussed in anti-Snape circles, but I'll come back to that)

Remus says "Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s" - Snape perhaps developed it in preparation or retaliation for going to the Shrieking Shack, and Remus remembers

Option 2: Snape did not create Sectumsempra.

It has no workings out; it looks as though it's been copied from somewhere, "for enemies" and no other notes - implying that he's not workshopped it, but has instead gone and looked up curses in the Restricted Section or one of his Slytherin friends' Dark Arts books and decided that this was the one he'd like to use. It seems unlikely that every other new spell (Levi/Liberacorpus, Muffliato, etc) had workings-out, but this one does not. This was Harry's interpretation: "The Prince only copied [Sectumsempra] out! It’s not like he was advising anyone to use it! For all we know, he was making a note of something"

Snape "knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year" - he may have already known it and later jotted it down

Snape may not be angry in the above passage that Harry used 'his spell', but angry that Harry went on to use the spell that had almost killed Draco, again, having not learnt his lesson

We see Snape cast Sectumsempra in SWM - nonverbally, which means that Remus had to learn the incantation somewhere - and that somewhere might not have been from Snape, but via a book, or a DADA lesson (or, as I said for Option 1, Snape used it during the Shrieking Shack incident. Either could work?)

"My spells/inventions", plural, may have been a slip of the tongue or sounded better or was just easier to say; maybe one was Snape's by design (Levicorpus) and the other (Sectumsempra) by association, but Snape hardly had time to distinguish; he was on the run. Maybe Snape's other spells got out as well because rumours spread like nobody's business at Hogwarts, and Snape just did not have the time or inclination during this conversation for nuance

"Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s". It might have been 'his' spell in that he found or heard it elsewhere, and used it a lot, similar to how Harry's "signature move" is Expelliarmus. A specialty doesn't necessarily mean they've made something, just that they've specialised in it, are experts at it, or used it a lot - and, as we see in Harry's sword to Sev's scalpel, Snape did specialise in it and showed a lot more control:

[Harry's use] "SECTUMSEMPRA!” bellowed Harry from the floor, waving his wand wildly. Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backward and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand... Malfoy, who was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood. Moaning Myrtle let out a deafening scream: “MURDER!"

[Snape's use] Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James’s face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air...Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter.

Sectumsempra A brief departure to look at the spell and spellcasting more closely.

Casting Notably Snape casts it nonverbally, and there's no 'wild' gestures accompanying it; he simply directed his wand straight at James's face. Interestingly, the purple flame curse used on Hermione by Antonin Dolohov was also performed nonverbally, and was noted to be less severe than if spoken aloud:

The curse Dolohov had used on [Hermione], though less effective than it would have been had he been able to say the incantation aloud, had nevertheless caused, in Madam Pomfrey’s words, 'quite enough damage to be going on with'.

I wonder if Sectumsempra has the same 'powered down' effect when cast nonverbally? And if so, was Snape aware of that when he cast it at James? Was the intent to hide the incantation after his other creation, Levicorpus, got out - or to weaken the spell? In any case he failed in the first objective, because Remus identified Sectumsempra immediately as an adult.

[Side note: Snape was using and modifying a 6th year textbook, using nonverbal spells and creating spells that were already widespread - all in his 5th year, at age 15/16, when Hermione masters NV spells in 6th. What a nerd].

Effects Given the obvious ramifications of murder in broad daylight in front of a crowd of eyewitnesses and the fact that nobody, including the Marauders, paused at the spell's effects (I'll come back to their reactions later), I expect Snape's used it before and knew it wouldn't be too dangerous. It's risky aiming a cutting spell at a face, given the proximity to James's other facial features like his eyes, but not insurmountable. Also, Snape thinks James & Co. tried to kill him only weeks/months ago, so like... I can also believe that teen Snape had murder and maiming on the mind but lacked the hand-eye coordination to back it up.

But would it be murder? To ask someone who hates Snape, absolutely. But I disagree. Contrary to anti-Snape belief that it's a spell designed for brutally ripping someone in half and can't be healed by anyone other than Snape with his secret song-spell, thus making it a death sentence from blood loss alone, as far as magic swords go... it's kind of blunt. Even at full force:

Still slashing at the air with his wand, Harry yelled, “Sectumsempral SECTUMSEMPRA!” But though gashes appeared in their sodden rags and their icy skin, they had no blood to spill...

We see it cuts flesh. We see with George that it cuts cartilage. But it's not slicing the Inferi in half; it's not cutting bone - and Harry's fighting for his life. So it's not a literal sword, which can do both; that descriptor was just for imagery's sake. (Or perhaps Harry should've waved his wand more wildly?)

And it can be healed. Before the cave scene, back in Myrtle's bathroom, we also see Snape use a healing spell. But probably not Snape's own secret spell; Harry idles Sectumsempra for weeks ("he saw the Sectumsempra spell, captioned “For Enemies,” that he had marked a few weeks previously. He had still not found out what it did, mainly because he did not want to test it around Hermione, but he was considering trying it out on McLaggen next time he came up behind him unawares"). Harry/the narrative makes no mention of a healing spell or counter-curse nearby, and if it was like Levicorpus it would also reasonably be "one cramped word underneath the spell".

So, Snape perhaps knew a healing spell because of his knowledge of the Dark Arts, or knowledge in general. But it wasn't necessarily Snape's own secret healing spell, and nor is it likely the only spell that heals cuts like this. Dumbledore uses something similar at the cave, so it might just have been obscure or powerful healing magic ("said Dumbledore, now passing the tip of his wand over the deep cut he had made in his own arm, so that it healed instantly, just as Snape had healed Malfoy’s wounds") - or it was just a generic healing spell that Hermione or Madam Pomfrey probably would've known, but Harry didn't. This type of healing does not work on werewolf wounds - which presumably are special in some way - but even Dumbledore's cursed hand and Hermione's injuries after the purple flame spell at the Ministry battle are curable with enough effort: "Hermione was having to take ten different types of potion every day".

But, once again (and in contrast to Hermione's recovery) Sectumsempra wounds can be staunched and cleaned by Molly in the span of about 10-20 minutes, if that - it took less than the time for Harry to help load George onto the table until he finished a conversation with Lupin. Harry returned to find "a clean, gaping hole where George’s ear had been". George immediately wakes up and cracks a joke; the danger has passed).

Either Molly's got some mad healing skills to fix an original, unique curse created by a vicious budding death eater obsessed with dark magic without knowing the only counter-curse in existence - or the spell isn't only able to be healed with Snape's song-spell, just a regular healing spell, and Snape just likes to sing. Molly might have used such a spell when Harry was in the next room arguing with Remus. Molly is undoubtedly proficient, but obviously general healing knowledge is enough to heal Sectumsempra. Molly (I think) says the ear can't be re-attached because of nebulous Dark Magic reasons we never really hear more about from anyone despite 6 years of DADA, but it probably also can't be re-attached, in part, because the ear fell off somewhere in the countryside and Remus was too busy having to keep George on the broom to do a quick "Accio ear".

Given that Snape likely used Sectumsempra in SWM and there's no mention of James having had a scar, that Remus describes it as a specialty of Snape's but also has no visible scars in the books (when other aspects of his appearance are readily described), that Snape says Dittany can prevent scarring on Draco ("There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that") and that Draco then appears to have successfully avoided scarring ("Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest" - does Harry ever mention facial scarring on Draco again? I'm not well-versed in Drarry, but I know that Harry's constant physical descriptions of Draco are a common topic), it seems reasonable that if Snape did use it a lot in school, it was not overwhelmingly challenging to fix the cuts.

Add to that the fact that the Marauders were not in the least bit surprised or concerned about this spell - not about scarring, about the blood, or about the cut itself. Without hesitation James puts Snape in the air and, bar a brief authorial description of Snape's pallid legs, they're immediately laughing - even James, who's got a bleeding gash on his cheek (ouch), which is not mentioned again. Of course this could be for several reasons, chief among them that Snape has used the spell before so it's not a surprise, they're hyped up on adrenaline and pack mentality, and the Marauders are used to thinking of danger as fun ("And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards"). Even Lily doesn't have anything to say about dark magic, but I suppose she's still looking out for Snape here.

The Marauders are brave and talented young wizards, and presumably they know, from experience if Snape has used it frequently, that they can heal Sectumsempra just fine. James is cut on the cheek in SWM and is never described as having a scar, and you'd think that would be something Harry might notice, especially given his own facial scar.

Using Sectumsempra

So we've established that Sectumsempra is harsh and maybe cruel, but not devilishly so. It is temporary and fixable, both to the Marauders (who don't care) and to others (who are more upset by the ear loss and the sight of blood than the cut itself), and especially for Snape.

And yet... It seems unlikely that Snape was casting it on people (enemies) and then rushing over to help heal them. I think he knows how to heal it as an adult so efficiently, and how to avoid scarring because of the following options: 1. Snape (as an adult) has good knowledge of healing the dark arts (as we see with Dumbledore and to a lesser extent Katie Bell; could many people prevent Voldemort's own curse from spreading at all, let alone for so long?) 2. Snape (as a teen) was using it on himself (plausible both within the realms of testing his creation, or for more depressing reasons) 4. Teen/Young Adult Snape was using it on others (who he'd then heal? Some interesting avenues for Snape the torturer DE in fanfics), or perhaps... 3. Snape's been at the receiving end of it, which leads me once more to:

You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? ... And you’d turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you?

Snape's specific grievance is related to his spells being turned against him.

We all know James used Levicorpus, we see it in SWM, and apparently plenty of people knew it; "Oh, that one [Levicorpus] had a great vogue during my time at Hogwarts". So that's one of the spells, plural.

I think you can see where I'm going with this, if you've made it this far.

I think James Potter also used Sectumsempra on Snape, and here's why:

"spells", plural. These are the two (Levicorpus and Sectumsempra) that are used in this scene (and not the toenail jinx or Muffliato, for example)

After Harry tries to cast Sectumsempra on Snape, "[Snape] was no longer sneering or jeering; the blazing flames showed a face full of rage", marking the beginning of his turn in attitude because of the specific injustice of his spells being used against him. He deflects them all anyway with absurd ease; why else would he care? Harry's not a threat to him, but his memories of James using his spells are unpleasant and likely traumatic (give me one example of a person who can be choked, gagged, immobilised, and then suspended upside down in front of a crowd laughing at your expense as the person doing it threatens to - and probably does - remove your underwear)

We see Snape cast Sectumsempra nonverbally in SWM... but Remus had to learn the incantation somewhere. And what does Remus do regularly when it comes to protecting his image and that of his friends? Lie or bend the truth. I don't think, after the brutality of SWM or The Prank, that the Marauders had any particular aversion to drawing blood, for example, over threatening to strip Snape above a laughing crowd.

Tenuous: "Sectumsempra was a specialty of Snape’s" vs "“Well,” said Lupin slowly, “Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn’t really expect James to take that lying down, could you?""

[special mention for the fact that Snape was the one literally lying down (following James/Sirius' Impedimentia, Petrificus Totalus) in SWM and James was the one not to lose an opportunity here, but that's just me running away with myself. More likely Remus' words here mean "we always hexed first, Snape just always fought back"].

It would be an odd interpretation, but "a specialty of Snape's" could be a backwards way of saying it was their specialty for him. (Unlikely, but you can't stop me now, I'm running away with myself).

But consider...

"Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape's", part 2.

Now I'm just veering wildly into headcanon territory because this is flimsy, but consider Lupin's quotes:

Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!

[Snape] lost his hood during the chase. Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s.

Incidentally, those two quotes/ideas - of signature spells and specialties - are barely a page apart. Lupin is grilling Harry for inadvertently giving himself away at the Battle of Seven Potters.

As we all know, Harry is identified by Death Eaters for using Expelliarmus - at about the same time that Snape is identified by the Order/Remus for using Sectumsempra (and the slip of his hood, but if Remus knows the incantation, the hood slip only acted as confirmation as Sectumsempra is not widely used in canon - the only people we actually see use it, after several battles with DEs, are Snape and Harry).

Under the assumption that Lupin rarely saw Snape after they left Hogwarts, that Snape wasn't regularly using Sectumsempra in Order meetings, and that Remus uses the past tense ("was always")... Doesn't SWM seems rather early on in their lives to have developed a "specialty" if Snape only invented it that year?

(It is later on through Harry's/Snape's book, perhaps May when they started in September. Slughorn has likely not changed tac since he previously taught Snape, as Harry is just following the book/the Prince along all year. This is potentially complicated by the fact that Snape was working ahead; I don't generally have the brain for dates so idk how).

Anyway, Harry's been using Expelliarmus since CoS by the time we reach this quote in DH describing Expelliarmus as Harry's signature, and in the same metaphorical breath describing Sectumsempra as Snape's specialty. By this point in his life, Harry's used Expelliarmus to disarm/challenge the likes of Draco, Lockhart, Snape, and Voldemort, and has taught it at DA meetings, used it in the Ministry, etc etc. It might have been that Snape found or heard Sectumsempra elsewhere and came to use it a lot and gained a lot of control over it, sort of similar to how Harry's "signature move" is Expelliarmus. Depending on to what extent Remus means by "always a specialty", there's scope for Snape to have learnt Sectumsempra early on (he "knew more curses as a first-year") and used it since then - which would also explain why the Marauders were so relaxed about it. It sounds as though Snape had used it for some time.

But consider...

Snape did not invent Sectumsempra, James/Sirius did

Drawing parallels here where they probably don't exist and I'm losing my mind so I've definitely contradicted myself - both Snape and Harry are 'in disguise' during this battle, dressed identically to the team they're visually fighting for - and both are identified by having highly identifiable spells.

But Harry was taught his signature, Expelliarmus, by observing someone else doing it - interestingly, that someone else was Snape. Snape, who is repeatedly viewed as an 'enemy' who Harry mistakenly believed tried to kill him, but was actually saving his life. I just found it an interesting parallel to Snape and The Prank and James in this context, because Snape mistakenly believed that James wanted to kill him by being in on the prank, but James was actually trying to save Snape and Remus during The Prank, just like Snape was actually trying to save Remus and Harry during The Battle (of Seven Potters).

[Side note; "[Snape] lost his hood" aka "[Snape's] mask slipped" aka Snape almost revealed himself as Dumbledore's man by trying to protect Remus, who was being protected in both the prank and the battle. Sev has replaced James here. Poetic]

Food for thought/headcanon: even more contradictory and speculative, but what if Snape didn't make Sectumsempra, and learnt the incantation from James? ("for enemies" being the only note, no workings-out).

"The Prince only copied [Sectumsempra] out! It’s not like he was advising anyone to use it! For all we know, he was making a note of something that had been used against him"

Making a note of something that had been used (done?) against him? Maybe. James and Sirius were still using verbal spellcasting (with the exception of Levicorpus, which as we know, even Harry could do when still struggling with nonverbal spells), which is where Snape could've learnt it. And it would lend a sort of revenge and showing off aspect to Snape's use of it, if he'd taken it from them.

But isn't it curious that, when given the opportunity, Snape didn't disarm or knock James/Sirius back, or use any of the spells they'd used on him thus far to disarm/incapacitate/humiliate him (Expelliarmus, Impedimentia, Petrificus Totalus)? Nor did he use his other original spells to somehow incapacitate them (Levicorpus, Langlock) - but instead Snape chose to give James a wound that didn't even slow him down? A wound delivered with restraint? A wound that didn't even stop James from laughing despite being on his cheek?

One interpretation might be that this was Sectumsempra's first outing, but the total lack of acknowledgement, I feel, makes it unlikely. Literally nobody stopped long enough to remark on the fact it was unexpected or worryingly bloody, that it was dark magic, nothing.

But the Marauders laugh when Snape uses Sectumsempra. Not all of them, though:

Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter.

There's one Marauder missing from this sentence.

Remus disapproves.

So what if... James first knew of, and used, Sectumsempra to slow/deter/distract Remus whilst saving Snape? What if Snape had used or prepared it solely for his venture to the Shack, and it was used on Remus? What if Snape uses it during SWM (and likely other times, as a specialty) as an attempt to remind them that he could tell everyone Remus' secret?

(It didn't work, obviously).

There are several reasons Moony might not be laughing. Remus is possibly the most morally sound of the Marauders in that he disapproves of such behaviour - and he's also worried his secret will out. But I throw the above theory into the ring as another explanation. Remus remembers the incantation for Sectumsempra because it was used against him. Snape remembers because it was the night of The Prank. Snape either made it or adopted it, and started to work it into every encounter with the Marauders (as a reminder, as payback, a pound of flesh/blood for blood/eye for an eye). In any case, I'm confident James also uses it against Snape. Snape writes it in his book, so he doesn't forget.

Sectumsempra - for enemies.

[bibbityboppitybillyharvgrove]

Always There - Chapter Thirteen: S.Snape

Summary: Y/N Potter was left with a baby to care for after her brother and sister-in-law were murdered by Voldemort. One person was there for her, a person she didn’t expect but soon became her comfort person, Severus Snape. During Harry’s third year at Hogwarts and her third year as Herbology professor, a few old friends come around again. Y/N has to handle the feelings of these old friends being around again as well as handle her feelings for a certain potions master all while she tries to hide these things from her godson.

Series Masterlist

My full Masterlist

Pairings: Severus Snape x Female Professor Reader, Potter!Reader x friend!Remus, Sister!Reader x James Potter, Potter!Reader x Friend!Sirius

Chapter Warnings: Female Reader, Potter Reader(No physical description of reader) probably shitty writing, Harry growing up in a loving home, food consumption, Umbridge, not proofread

Series Warnings: Female Reader, Potter Reader (No physical description of reader) probably shitty writing, OOC Snape, Harry grows up in a loving environment, mentions of death and murder, poorly written angst, Remus is a shitty friend, poorly written pining,

Please let me know how I can improve my writing and being more inclusive to POC as I am whiter than white. Please also let me know if I have to add more to the warnings! My messages are open as well as my asks!

I am starting a taglist so leave either a comment or something in my asks if you would like to be tagged in any of my works or just this series!

Author's Note: My favorite character has finally been introduced in this chapter! As a Ravenclaw myself, I find so much joy in Luna's character so I'm very excited to write her into this series!

Please let me know how I can improve or if you find any errors! Correct me, don't be afraid to! I want to improve my writing and become a better writer so any feedback or advise is welcomed!

Word Count: 1573

My asks are open for questions, suggestions and feedback!

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged!

Enjoy!

not my gif

not my gif

After Y/N had a good crying session with Harry by her side, she felt much better and more prepared for the year to start. It had taken her some time to work her way into going back downstairs and apologizing to both Severus and Remus who of course both held no grudge and forgave the woman rather quickly. Severus had made her sit down and gave her a plate of only her favorite foods, chatting with her as she ate. She hadn’t realized how hungry she actually was until she had finished her whole plate and still wanted more, so Severus refilled it and handed it back to her.

“You have a good talk with Harry then?” Severus finally asked her after she finished her second plate of food.

“Yeah, I told him a story about my days back at Hogwarts and how Sirius and I had that bet, do you remember that?” She replied, finally looking her partner in the eye.

“I do, you were going to let that dog take you out on a date before I ever did,” Severus replied in a sour tone.

“You know Pads and I never went on that date. They were all too busy teasing me about my crush on you that Sirius had forgotten. And by the time he remembered he had dropped the straight act and started going out with Remus,” She rambled.

“Back it up a minute. You had a crush on me in your fourth year? And you never thought to tell me?”

“Well no, I thought you had a crush on Lily so I just kinda left you alone with that and kept it to myself until my brother found out and in turn told all of our friends about it.”

Severus took to teasing her stating that he too had a crush on her during their time at Hogwarts together but he thought she had a thing for Remus. The couple shared a laugh over their shared obliviousness before going off to bed, where for the first time in a while, Y/N had slept through the whole night without waking up once. The next morning, the two professors had to leave for Hogwarts, they were both needed at the castle the day before the year began. As they bid their goodbyes, Y/N pulled her best friend aside. 

“Look, I know it’s only one day, but can you please keep a close eye on Harry? Even send Sirius to tell him stories about Jamie or something, just keep him occupied until tomorrow where he can be with me again. Please, Rem?” She asked the werewolf.

“Of course Dove. Don’t even worry about it, I will keep an eye on him and so will Sirius and Molly and Arthur. All of us will keep him safe until he is on the express on his way to you. I promise,” Remus replied.

“Thank you Remmy. You truly are the best. Love you.”

“Love you too, dove. Now go before you guys are late. I’ll send an owl in a few days.” Remus sent her off with a kiss to the head and watched as her and Severus left the Black residence hand in hand.

The pair had gone to the nearest floo network and flooed into the Hogwarts castle. There were a couple new professors starting for this school year and Dumbledore had wanted them to get acquainted with the returning professors before the students arrived. Y/N and Severus walked into the headmaster’s office where a majority of the other professors were waiting. The two stood towards the front with McGonagall. 

“Have a nice summer Miss Potter, Severus?” Dumbledore asked the pair.

“Just fine, how was yours, Albus?” Y/N replied.

“Wonderful, thank you. We are just waiting on one more and then we can proceed.”

And so they waited, all of the professors that were punctual talked amongst themselves, some sitting on the floor, others finding an empty spot to sit. This went on for nearly 2 hours before the last professor showed up, a short woman dressed in all pink. She looked like a toad in Y/N’s opinion. Finally, Albus could start his usual spiel, telling the professors what to expect for the year and introducing them to the new professor for defense against the dark arts.

“This is Professor Umbridge, she will be the new defense against the dark arts teacher. I wish everyone to give her a warm welcome. Good luck this year, it will be a great year,” Albus explained before releasing all of the professors. Y/N and Severus officially shared their quarters this year so both of their belongings were in Severus’ quarters. 

Y/N wished it was her quarters from the year before but because Severus was the head of the Slytherin house, he had to be close to the Slytherin common room. She had been in the dungeons before and had stayed in his quarters but she couldn’t get used to the constant darkness and cold that ran through the air. It would take her some time to get used to but as long as she had Severus she would gladly go anywhere with him.

It took them no time to get unpacked and settled, going to the Minerva’s office when they were done to catch up. They’re first night back at Hogwarts was uneventful, spending most of the day catching up with the professors they liked and considered friends. Y/N even taking time out of her day to chat with Professor Binns who droned on about the history of magic and Hogwarts itself. She had willingly and actively listened to the ghost drone on until she checked her watch. It was nearing midnight.

“Oh my, would you look at the time? It was lovely talking with you professor but I should go to bed. Have a lovely night!” She excused herself before rushing to the dungeons and back to her quarters. Severus was fast asleep on the bed, hugging her pillow tight to his chest. She tiptoed her way to the bathroom where she changed into pajamas consisting of one of Severus’ shirts and a pair of sleep shorts. She made her way back inside the room and to the bed where she had to gently pry her pillow from his grasp and replace the pillow with herself. 

The second her body hit the bed, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her straight to his chest. “Where were you?” He mumbled sleepily in her ear.

“Got carried away with Binns. I forgot how much that man could talk,” She whispered back.

“He’s a ghost, not a man,” He corrected.

“Whatever, goodnight, honey. I love you.”

“G’night, love you too darlin’.”

The couple slept rather soundly that night, both ending up sleeping in later than usual, waking up close to noon the next day. Y/N rushing to get ready so she could see her nephew again even though it had been only a day and Severus taking his sweet time getting ready. “I’ll meet you in the great hall for the sorting. I want to make sure Harry was okay last night,” Y/N told Severus as he was getting dressed and she was putting on her olive green cloak. 

“I’m sure he was fine but go. I’ll meet you there,” Severus replied, walking over to plant a kiss on her cheek before going back to getting himself dressed. She made her way to the great hall to greet the returning and the new students. She was extra excited when she saw her nephew rushing towards her with a smile on his face. 

“Aunt Y/N, they’re amazing! I never thought the carriages were pulled by anything but wow! Can you see them too? The thestrals?” Harry rambled as he hugged his aunt tight.

“I can see them too, they’re pretty cool huh?”

“Hello professor Potter, have a good summer?” An airy voice asked from behind Harry.

“It was okay, Luna. How was yours, dear?” She smiled at the blonde.

“It was magical, I’ll see you later professor.” Y/N giggled a bit at the girl as she skipped into the great hall. She held a deep appreciation for the girl, no matter how much she was picked on or how much she had gone through, she was still such a positive person. Someone she wanted Harry to be around and hoped that the two would become friends at some point. “Okay love, you go in, I’ll see you in a few.” Harry walked into the great hall and took a seat with the rest of his house. Y/N going in once Severus had met her by the door, both going in together and sitting together. 

It was the beginning of another year at Hogwarts. Yet another new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the rest of the professors staying the same except for an interim Care of Mythical Creatures professor filling in for Hagrid until he returned from his mission. She was looking forward to this year, hoping that it would be better than the last few. That Harry would be safe for once this year but she knew deep down that it was another typical year. It was going to be another year of trials and tribulations, another year of hardships, she just hoped that they would be able to power through them.

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@acupnoodle @chxelsxaa @fluffyrat365 @fanficwriter5 @atanukileaf @v3lv3tvampir3 @jspidey5 @mija-novella @leo4242564 @crazyunsexycool @livillain00

[groupielove21]

"Moony prepared a whole weekend to celebrate my birthday at the lake with James, Peter and Regulus. He cooked us a romantic dinner (which I still think my little brother cook, but Remus will probably never admit) and gave me the coolest jacket in the universe, 1979.

[although my favorite gift was waking up next to the man I love.]

Photos taken by James Potter, Regulus Black and Sirius "the birthday queen" Black.

P.S. (by R.A.B): I can confirm that it was me who prepared the dinner. My brother-in-law doesn't know how to cook and I didn't know what to get my idiot brother for his birthday.

P.S. (by Padfoot): I knew it! You can't lie to birthday boy Moony, it's rude.

P.S. (by Remus J. Lupin, the owner of this journal in which people don't stop writing without permission): A boy must keep the mystery so I can lie. Fuck you both.

[I love you too, Sirius.]

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

How is it even possible to HATE Dumbledore ??? He made mistakes but he was far from a bad person...

Oh dear. My good anon, I respect your point of view completely. But I simply disagree.

Albus Dumbledore is a fantastic character who is multi-layered and three dimensional. He's written in such a way that one could view him as the hero who saved the wizarding world, who dedicated his life to engineering Voldemort's downfall. Who truly cared about Harry and did the best he could to prepare him for a destiny that he would have had to face no matter what. You could interpret Dumbledore that way, for sure. He's trying to do the right thing and his personality makes him extremely likeable. Even I, proud champion of the Dumbledore Antis, cannot help but like him when he's played by Jude Law.

On the other hand, you could also interpret him in a completely different fashion, and I do. Seriously, I don't think he's evil in the way that Voldemort is, but I think he's just as much of a villain. While he's not my most hated Harry Potter character, since that would be Greyback, he comes pretty close. The previous paragraph was the best interpretation of Albus Dumbledore and his motivations that I could offer, and it is the nicest thing anyone will ever hear me say about him. It's really not a point of view that I agree with at all. But Dumbledore is like Snape. He's divisive. This is why the fandom lost it's mind over what Harry named his son, though honestly that doesn't bother me.

How can I hate him? Allow me to explain. (This got long.)

When I look at Dumbledore, I see the man who is responsible for Voldemort's rise to power. He knew what Tom Riddle was. He could see all the red flags from the time that Tom was eleven. And yet he did nothing, warned no one. Sure, I get it, he wanted to give him a second chance. Except he admits that he had no reason to assume that Tom would change, and either way? It is still his responsibility as a teacher to inform his colleagues of that particular students' needs. He never does this, and if he had? Tom might have turned out to be a better person, or at least he wouldn't have been able to inflict the damage that he did.

I have no proof of anything, but I suspect some funny business went down when James and Lily died. That Dumbledore pulled some strings to ensure he would be in charge of Harry's living arrangements. He already sent Hagrid to collect Harry before Sirius was even arrested. Hagrid refused to turn Harry over to his rightful guardian because "I had me orders from Dumbledore." Hagrid, that's...that's kidnapping. Hey, you know what we never see? The Potters' Will. They must have had one because they were living in war time with a target on their backs, and they had a son. Sirius had a Will when he died, and he wasn't that much older than them. I do not believe Lily would ever be okay with Petunia and Vernon raising Harry. We also know that Wizarding Wills are examined by the Ministry, and that Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. He had the opportunity and the motive to bury that Will.

And what does Dumbledore do once he's in charge of Harry's upbringing? Why not let Remus take him in? Because he's a Werewolf? I doubt it would be difficult for him to find someone to watch Harry for all of one night a month. But okay, if not Remus, why not the Weasleys. Or Augusta Longbottom. Or any family that would be willing to take him in and love him. Instead, Dumbledore leaves Harry with relatives who will neglect and abuse him for his entire childhood. He continues to force Harry to go back to the Dursleys. Who starved him and made him sleep in a cupboard. When Mrs. Weasley flat out offers to adopt Harry permanently at the end of GOF, Dumbledore says no. (Keep in mind that for whatever reason, this is treated as something that requires his permission, when he has no legal standing over Harry at all. We'll be coming back to that.) Dumbledore claims that this is due to the blood wards, that Harry must live at Privet Drive to protect him from Voldemort. But this is bullshit for many reasons.

First of all, no one knows that Voldemort is going to come back. Dumbledore has this gut feeling, and he happens to be right, sure. But we shouldn't treat that guess as wisdom, when the Blood Wards only shield Harry from Voldemort specifically. They did jack squat to protect him against the Dementors in OOTP. Dumbledore stranded him in the muggle world with people who weren't equipped to protect him and didn't care to anyway. I'm sorry, but DH confirms that protective enchantments can be placed over literally any dwelling, including tents. There is no excuse for forcing a child to live in an abusive situation, ever. But this attempt at an excuse doesn't even begin to hold water. It is also a lie. Dumbledore basically admits the real reason for this plan in the first chapter of the series. He doesn't want Harry to grow up knowing that he's famous. That's what it comes down to. He wants Harry to feel grateful to the Wizarding World for saving him from the Dursleys. He forces to go back because he has to remind Harry that the Wizarding World can be taken away. So that when the time comes, Harry will lay down his life to protect the world he loves. It is the first step in Dumbledore's plan to groom Harry into being the Chosen One. Am I a conspiracist? Perhaps. But just wait, because it gets worse.

In PS, Dumbledore openly steals a House Cup victory from Slytherin. Gryffindor was in fourth place. And rather than punish the Golden Trio for putting themselves in terrible danger by doing what McGonagall strictly forbade them to do...Dumbledore rewards Harry's tendency to charge into dangerous situations to try and save the day. This. Is. Grooming. This is positive reinforcement, and it doesn't hurt that it buys Harry's loyalty to Dumbledore at the same time. The only person who earned those points is Neville. Harry arguably made the situation worse by looking into the Mirror and summoning the Stone. Quirrell wouldn't have been able to get it otherwise. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that Harry passed the first test. And Harry even speculates that Dumbledore wanted to give him the chance to solve the puzzle. At age eleven, he's figured Dumbledore out, but thanks to his abnormal childhood, he doesn't recognize how creepy this is.

And Dumbledore just keeps doing this. It's not unlike what he does to Jacob's Sibling in Hogwarts Mystery. He literally rewards Harry's loyalty to him in COS. He sends Harry and Hermione to rescue Buckbeak and Sirius when he could have easily done it himself. That would have posed less risk. He also forces Harry to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. The film spells this out, even. Dumbledore wants to see what will happen, so he uses Harry as bait. The book doesn't make this explicit, but it also doesn't really give a reason beyond there being a vague "magical contract" that they never explain. I see no reason why Dumbledore couldn't have pulled Harry from the Tournament and that is what a responsible adult would do. In OOTP, he decides to ghost Harry all year. For reasons that, despite having read the book and seen the film many times...I still don't really understand. Ah well, "old man's mistake" right? You know what, we need to talk about that scene.

Dumbledore knew about the Prophecy the whole time. He declined to tell Harry until he was nearly sixteen years old. Right after Sirius died, no less. Even though Voldemort has tried to kill Harry multiple times at this point. Even though Harry point blank asked why Voldemort came after him as a baby and Dumbledore had the nerve to go "Alas, I cannot tell you!" Like, no Dumbledore, this is Harry's life, his safety, and his future. He had no right to keep this from Harry and I don't care if he was "too young." I don't care if Dumbledore is basically admitting that he was wrong to not tell Harry. The thing about Albus Dumbledore is that he will gladly own up to his own wrongdoings, but then carry on as though his apology closes the matter. No one else ever, and I mean ever, gets to actually hold him accountable for anything. Have you noticed that?

But this is a long scene and things only get worse. Dumbledore waxes poetics about his brilliant plan and urges Harry to guess the "flaw" in it. And what is the flaw? That he cares too much about Harry. That he cared more about Harry's happiness than the safety of others, that he put Harry's life above the life of innocent people. First of all, no. This man who is currently planning the death of the teenager in front of him, has the nerve to look him in the eye and pretend to care about him. He suggests to Harry, an anguished, depressed child who already feels like he got his Godfather killed...that innocent people will suffer and die because of him. That Harry being happy will lead to the deaths of others. And it's crystal clear why he's doing it, too. He's nurturing Harry's tendency toward self sacrifice, so that he'll choose to die when the time comes. I've never hated Dumbledore more than in this moment.

And you know what? We're still not done! We haven't even talked about Snape! I don't object to Dumbledore giving Snape a second chance. I don't even mind that he manipulated Snape's guilt for losing Lily. If it gets him to turn on Voldemort, fine. But instilling him as the Potions Master when he does not have the skillset to teach, when he is abusive to his students? Unacceptable. I don't care if Dumbledore thinks that kids can learn a lot from a "bad" teacher. That's a cute theory, but as the Headmaster of this school, he simply has to do better than that. Countless moments in the books indicate that Snape can't handle this job, and even if Dumbledore needs to keep him at Hogwarts, Dumbledore should have sacked him ages ago. And don't even get me started on Snape's dynamic with Harry. Dumbledore never disciplines Snape for anything, certainly not for his bullying Harry. No, you know what he does? He guilts Harry for disliking and mistrusting the man who emotionally abuses him on a regular basis. The man who arguably played a hand in the death of Harry's parents. Just because Dumbledore trusts Snape completely doesn't mean that he can expect everyone else to do the same.

Oh wait, yes he can, because Dumbledore is pretty much the Minister of Magic in everything but name. Remember how Hagrid was so willing to kidnap Harry as a baby because of Dumbledore's orders? Remember how Molly just assumed she would need Dumbledore's permission to rescue Harry from the Dursleys, and shrugged it off when he said no, as "Dumbledore has his reasons." Dumbledore is beloved by the people of this world. They idolize him and put him on this pedestal of wisdom and goodness, they adore him. Everyone wants him to be Minister and he's been offered the job three times. Even though he turned it down, he is still the de facto leader of this society, it's clear as day. Especially with how inept the actual Ministry is, and everyone knows it. Other than the Death Eaters and their associates, literally everyone just blindly trust Dumbledore. Remus, Hagrid, The Weasleys, even McGonagall. The only "good" character who doesn't? Sirius. He is the only one we ever see even slightly question Dumbledore. And let's talk about Sirius for a second.

Albus "second chances" Dumbledore, who is the chief warlock of the Wizengamot and thus has authority over the courts, who was Headmaster during the Marauder's time at Hogwarts and saw how inseparable Sirius and James were, who knew that James turned down Dumbledore's offer himself to be Secret Keeper in favor of choosing Sirius...he didn't think anything was fishy? He didn't even use his influence to make sure Sirius at least got a trial? If only so that he could figure out what was going on? Why didn't he do that? Everyone suspects Snape, but all it took was Dumbledore vouching for him to pretty much grant him immunity. I'll tell you why Dumbledore discarded Sirius. He couldn't use him. Remus, Hagrid, Snape, Newt...Dumbledore has a history of collecting underdogs and taking them in, giving them sanctuary when no one else would. It wins their loyalty, and then he can use them. He literally forced Harry into an abusive home just to turn him into one of these "underdogs." Sirius wasn't an underdog though. He was a rebel, who chose his path. He was disowned because he ran away. So he's useless.

[hpgal-with-httydpals-blog]

Maybe a wolfstar where they want to adopt a child but can't since remus is a werewolf so they decided to go to a muggle one (they don't know they baby is magical which got left in a muggle orphanage) into three years in

Sorry this took so long. I got this while I was sleeping, then I had to go to school, then musical rehearsal, then we went out to dinner...

Sirius and Remus got married when they were twenty.

They couldn’t get legally married, but Sirius had made Remus a proposal that they live together and be content with that. So naturally James and Lily threw the most elaborate wedding of the year.

Sirius had started going by Sirius Lupin, and the two of them moved into the cottage Remus had inherited from his parents. 

They were happy with the life they had made so far up until a certain Harry Potter was born.

Sirius was ecstatic about having a baby around, and held his godson for every waking minute.

Remus, whenever Sirius had relented his control over the little boy, would marvel over his tiny size, and the little noises he made in his sleep, or when he got excited about a toy or a face he made.

After Harry’s first birthday, they both agreed they wanted a child of their own.

The only problem was, Remus was a werewolf.

“What if you adopted the child?” Remus suggested as they stayed up late, curled by the fireplace discussing the matter. “You could adopt, it would live with us, we’d both take care of it, and no one would know the better.”

“But what if something were to happen to me, Rem?” Sirius insisted. “They’d take the kid away from you.”

Remus was silent then. They were still at war, anything could happen to anyone, and the last thing Remus wanted was to leave an orphaned child an orphan once more.

So they waited. In their spare time the scoured books on werewolf law, trying to find any loophole they could.

Then one day -

“Ah-ha!” Sirius shouted in triumph. “Werewolves may not adopt from any wizarding adoption facility.”

Remus was silent from where he sat, before he broke into the most joyful laughter Sirius had ever heard come from the man. 

“How could we have missed that!” He cried. “The answer was right in front of us the whole time.”

Two months later the couple found themselves at a muggle orphanage, sitting at a counter signing documents. Standing not five feet away from them was a woman holding a bundle of cloth that concealed the newborn baby boy who was almost their son.

Then that baby was in Remus’s arms as they carried him home.

They named him Finley, and as he grew older his features display a mop of curly blonde hair and deep brown eyes that reminded Sirius of his husband’s beloved chocolates.

James and Lily adored the little boy, though at first James teased Sirius mercilessly over the fact that he was now a father.

“Remus I had expected, but you -”

“You’re the one that made me godfather to your son.”

They had adopted Finley prepared to raise a muggle boy, who would never get to attend Hogwarts with his cousin Harry, who they would limit the use of magic around, lest they make him jealous, who they would be proud of regardless of the fact that he wouldn’t go through the same milestones they did.

Until one day, while Sirius was playing with their now three year old son, something rather unusual happened.

While the little boy jumped off the back of the couch and into his father’s arms, the curtains behind them caught on fire.

When Sirius began to smell the smoke, he set his son back down and quickly cast Aguamenti and turned to face his son.

Poor Finley was nearly in tears. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he sobbed reaching out for his father.

But Sirius was too excited to even react to the fact that the curatins were singed. 

“Remus! Remus! He’s a wizard!”

I really hope this isn’t trash Let me now if you want to hear more about Finley and his story!