#musings of serenity nebulus

[hpandthegobletofsass]

dear god the hogwarts curriculum is so severely lacking. like a history of magic by bathilda bagshot was published in 1947, it only covers events in wizarding history through the end of the 19th century, and is seemingly the only textbook for history of magic that's been used since it's publishing date. so when the golden trio is at hogwarts, it's 1990-1997 ish, they're using a 50 year old textbook that doesn't cover anything that's occurred in the last 100 years (which means they aren't being taught anything about grindelwald and his beliefs/rise to power or his downfall, as that was going on in the 1920s-1940s) like no wonder it was so easy for voldemort and his ideas to gain traction and power, nobody had any detailed knowledge on the most recent event of this occurring in the past unless they were alive for it, and even then they would've been only seeing the biased news from the prophet, nobody has studied the occurrences or tried to learn from the mistakes made there (well tbh voldemort probably did, but he most likely looked at grindelwald's plans and decided a more subtle approach and slightly less radical ideas was needed, he was probably inspired by grindelwald to put his own plans into action bc almost as soon as grindelwald was defeated, voldemort and his influence began growing) even outside of a textbook though, the class is being taught by a ghost, like how does binns even grade their essays and whatnot if he's not corporeal? if binns was teaching long before he was a ghost and just simply died in a chair and got up the next day to continue teaching and nobody really knows how long he's been there, it stands to reason that at the very least he was already a ghost during the marauders era, and was prolly a ghost when tom riddle was a student, or if not a ghost yet at that point he was definitely a teacher. so you have a teacher who's been there longer than the textbook has been utilized, and bc he's dead he probably is completely ignorant to the significant events occurring in the 20th century of the wizarding world to bring them up in class if he wanted to. plus the fact that everyone talks about how dreadfully boring his classes are and how no one pays attention in them and also how binns doesn't seem to actually correctly know any student names, means that it's likely the entirety of living wixen don't have any real knowledge on the history of the wizarding world and everyone is just living in complete ignorance about it which is insane to me.

[hpandthegobletofsass]

Thinking about the similarities between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Both are houses tossed aside, and harshly judged.

The Hufflepuffs, who are mocked and scorned, simply because they're not labeled as "intelligent" or "brave" or "ambitious" because people assume that they can't be any of those things if they're not in one of those houses. That people see "fair" and "kind" and think it is a weakness, that no one thinks them capable of doing anything Big and Important.

Then there's the Slytherins. They are isolated and cold and cruel, and only one of those things is true. And while there are definitely those among them who fit that description, there are many more who aren't isolated by choice. They are distrusted and avoided, assigned the label of bigot and dark, regardless of their association to and opinions on the Death Eaters.

And both of these houses are the ones without a tower. Their common rooms are underground, hidden away in the dungeons under the lake, and by the kitchens with the house elves. But they've made these spaces their own, made them into something that can be comforting, that they can call home. After all snakes and badgers are creatures that burrow and hide and lie in wait for the moment to strike.

So I like to think that (especially in the years after the war) students from these two houses would become close friends. The house who's always been shunned, and the house everyone despises for the bigotry of it's past inhabitants.

Hufflepuffs are kind and fair, they refuse to punish those who had nothing to do with the Death Eaters outside of being in the same house, they will give the Slytherins a chance to show their opinions rather than immediately shun them on assumption they'll hold the same opinions as their family members.

And the ambitious Slytherins understand the importance of allies. They have looked at and learned from the mistakes and failings of their predecessors and refuse to let the legacy of their house be associated with the Dark Arts and hatred. They strive to do better and to be better, and they know that the Hufflepuffs can help them achieve that.

So these two houses, the ones that are hated, and the ones who are seen as leftovers come together. They build each other up, and friendships and assistance continue even after they've left Hogwarts. Let the rest of the world be confused by our loyalty to one another, because we will show them all that we're capable of intelligence, and bravery, and fairness, and ambition, just like all of them.

[hpandthegobletofsass]

truly nothing more frustrating than trying to figure out a timeline of events for the first war against voldemort, like what the hell happened??? all jkr gives us is that there was lots of disappearances, the first order is formed, crouch has some harsh punishments dealt to those convicted and on trial for being death eaters, and like nothing else......like, it is very clearly established that there *was* a war occurring, and theoretically that means battles, but there are no further details on anything that was actually occurring. which thinking about it, we don't even really get many details on what actually occurs in the second war against voldemort bc everything is told from harry's pov and harry is deliberately kept in the dark for much of the war in ootp, and for hbp and dh he's also mostly kept out of the loop for the actual fights against death eaters. like pls for the love of god, just give me like some major battles that occurred why do we know literally nothing about what happened in like the pivotal plot points of this series

[hpandthegobletofsass]

if ever you hear me say "duh" you might think that i am just saying that in a context it makes sense, however i am actually making a reference to A Very Potter Musical (2009) and my brain is going (lord voldemort voice) "duh! the vents!"

[hpandthegobletofsass]

theo is tasked with spying on harry for the dark lord. instead he finds a friend who turns into so much more. 

nottpott get together ficlet bc i’m obsessed with them currently

fun fact i was writing this fic at either a reasonable time of day while at the gym on the treadmill or between the hours of midnight and 3am across two days lol

[hpandthegobletofsass]

godddddd every time i pick tlat back up again i am reminded of how absolutely insane about that fic i am AND i’m about to start the mfp arc which is one of my fav parts of this whole fic and just the chapters between sixth and seventh year are just so so good and ahhhhh i love this fic that is all

[hpandthegobletofsass]

prisoner of azkaban still stands to be the best of all the harry potter movies, like it’s literally so good, and it’s not even the best movie in terms of like book to movie adaptation so much as in simply being able to perfectly depict the small mundanity of the wizarding world, also just the vibes of casual life at hogwarts and the characterizations is incredible

[hpandthegobletofsass]

have been gripped by the concept of history of magic teacher!regulus the past 12 or so hours, might fuck around and put aside the two other hp fics i've been working on in favor of writing a little one shot of my headcanons related to this

[hpandthegobletofsass]

one of the few scenes i've written for the jegulus fic i've been working on, regulus getting his dark mark. wrote this back in january and haven't looked at it since until today and am deeply unwell about it, so posting this snippet to hopefully get motivation to write more than just the three scenes and fuck ton of notes i have (it's like 550 some words, so putting it under a read more, but you should read it and then ask me questions bc i have so many thoughts for this fic :3)

The next meeting is just after Christmas. There seems to be a slightly different cast of characters at each one, probably why these are so frequent, to keep anyone who couldn’t make the previous meeting up to date.

He isn’t there until the third meeting though. Just before Regulus is due to go back to Hogwarts. The vibes are different immediately, a chill in the air, everyone speaking in more hushed reverent tones with less idle chit chat.

He addresses Regulus specifically towards the end of the meeting. “Black, I’ve heard promising things about you,” he gives a small nod, “How have you been finding our meetings, intriguing I hope?”

This is the moment, the pivotal spot where everything shifts, “Yes, sir, they’ve given me much to think about, and already I have learned so much more than I ever could’ve hoped. I’ve been given access to resources on the dark arts I could never dream of finding at Hogwarts, it has been a great privilege.”

Bella looks like she’s about to start vibrating from excitement, that the Dark Lord is paying specific attention to the Black family is a dream come true to her.

“Hm yes, we can offer much that Hogwarts cannot. However, Hogwarts is where the youth of today exists, and it’s always good to have an insider, to convince those who might be unsure, what the best side to be on is." He pauses for a moment, "So perhaps, we have ourselves a new recruit tonight? Your cousin Bellatrix has already proven herself more than loyal, and I can’t imagine she would bring someone along who wouldn’t already be loyal to us as well.”

Regulus panics, Fuck does he know? he can’t know. It’s probably just because I’m 16 and he can’t have full control over me at Hogwarts. Verbally he says, “I’d be honored, My Lord,” with a small reverent bow.

He seemed pleased with this, “Brothers, tonight we celebrate adding another to our ranks! Welcome, young Regulus Black.”

Bella screeches beside me, clinging to my arm, Regulus offers a smile to the rest of the room, hoping he seems excited and not on the verge of tears. The meeting has now extended to include his induction.

Regulus has no clue what to expect, he knows Bella has the Dark Mark tattoo, and can only assume he's in for the same.

Regulus can tell there’s some sort of strong magic woven into the ink being painted on his forearm. It’s cold and feels almost alive, sort of snake like. Then came the pain. After Nott finished painting the design, he grabbed Regulus' wrist, barely touching his wand to the skin, and the mark sunk in. Regulus felt it eating away at his flesh, more like a brand than a tattoo, it was the most excruciating pain he had ever experienced. But he knew this was part of it, they were testing him, to see if he was weak, how he reacted to this pain was another part of whether or not they’d let him live.

Regulus allowed himself a grimace and nothing more, he refused to make any sort of sound as the ink burned through him like poison. Then it was done. The others congratulated him, told him he did well, that they were excited to have him on board, promised to send him books and such.

[hpandthegobletofsass]

thinking about how much is determined by hogwarts houses. like you get sorted into a category when you’re 11, and everyone you’ll ever know has been sorted into one of these four houses, and there’s stereotypes of who you are and how you act based on the founders vision for their house and also just perceptions built up over time by the people who’ve been in those houses over the years. because there’s no way that those assumptions don’t carry out into the real world after people leave hogwarts. do you have to list your hogwarts house on a job application? will you get discriminated against for being a slytherin or a hufflepuff? will you unwillingly get shunted into taking on more work if you’re a ravenclaw? or into a position of leadership as a gryffindor? does anybody take the time to actually get to know you and your specific skill set and what you actually want to do, or do they just work off the assumptions they’ve made based on your house? even if you’re years out of hogwarts. and i’m sure after the war it was worse for slytherins. the distrust the whole wizarding world places on you, and the assumption that you’re a death eater or if you weren’t that you’re lying about that. the fear that any slytherin will betray you or lie to you or blackmail and manipulate you. the belief that you’re inherently evil just because you got placed somewhere when you were a child. idk where i’m going with any of this but it’s just interesting to think about how peoples hogwarts houses effect them after they’ve left hogwarts and are trying to have a normal life and get a job and live outside of school.

[hpandthegobletofsass]

god i miss old pottermore so much, like it was such a great experience. i miss making potions! and dueling! and getting to talk to people in my common room! plus just the little like scavenger hunt scenes from the books were so fun, especially as format for getting extra little tidbits of info on characters and locations, the little pieces of the textbooks you got to read for learning spells and brewing potions, it was just so good. like this is why i loved the fantastic beast cases games bc you got to do the same little scavenger hunt type thing and uncover items to progress the storyline and i’m also very sad that that game is now non existent

[hpandthegobletofsass]

“You fold your socks, Remus. Forgive me if I’m not trembling at the sight of you.” will forever and always be THE most perfect line for james sirius and peter confronting remus about knowing he’s a werewolf, nobody else is doing it like the life and times, a classic, literally incredible, nothing can beat it it’s perfect

[hpandthegobletofsass]

DETERMINED to finish this stupid teacher!regulus fic today, i have had this concept since like october and been working on actually writing it since february, i love it dearly but i am so tired of having to work on it and am ready for it to be done and finished and out in the world

[hpandthegobletofsass]

the thing about harry is that he is at his core unfailingly kind like this kid has been through so much, he’s spent his life shunned and abused, yet still when he gets onto the hogwarts express he wants to share what he has with this kid he just met, for the first time in his life he’s discovered he has money and he can purchase anything he wants to with it and he’s 11 and doesn’t think twice about sharing it with his new friend

he has so much thrown at him and suffers so much throughout the series, he’s raised to be a weapon, a pig for slaughter, and he is angry about it (rightfully so) and he’s allowed to be angry about it, and to kick and scream and rage, but he does so in the name of fairness

he sees the bigotry and hatred and injustices in the wizarding world, things he never thought to consider bc he wasn’t raised on these prejudices, and his first thought is that it isn’t fair and he tries to fix them

and this is my case for hufflepuff!harry, he is so kind, and when he isn’t being kind it’s bc there is something unfair about a situation, and fairness is relative, and he’s not perfect and sometimes what he sees as fair really isn’t in the grand scheme of things, but still, at his core that is who he is, those are the tenants that spur him to bravery and intelligence and ambition

after all the hat did say he had qualities of each house, it said he could achieve greatness in slytherin and when harry said no the hat chose gryffindor

but what if instead of seeing an abused boy who has already had to be brave in the face of everything he’s experienced and that he would only have more to come in the future and decided that was the place he should belong, what if instead it saw an abused boy who’s had to spend all 11 years he’s been alive being brave and decided that what he deserved was kindness and safety and love and warmth, that he needed a place and a people who could give him what the world would not, in the hopes that next time he’s called upon to be brave it’s a little easier knowing he has support and rest waiting for him afterwards

and so harry dons robes of yellow instead of red, and goes downstairs to his common room instead of up, and while he won’t lose the friendship of ron (and eventually hermione and neville), he gains the friendship of hannah and justin and susan

and while he will never love herbology (it reminds him of miserable summers pruning aunt petunia’s hydrangeas) he does come to appreciate the art of caring for something and watching it grow

he has a space filled with warmth and light and growth, of upperclassmen who always have an ear to listen and advice to give, of a warm cup of hot chocolate smuggled from the kitchen pushed into shaking hands, of support and affection given without the request for an explanation

[hpandthegobletofsass]

reading my notes for my jegulus fic and the outline i have for the scene in which james and regulus kiss for the first time i have written "and then i throw myself off the astronomy tower bc i love them" which is incredibly accurate to the feelings i was experiencing rereading those notes

[hpandthegobletofsass]

avpm quirrelmort: a better love story than twilight