#pureblood world building

[ellorypurebloodculture]

In your pureblood-culture verse, close to canon, what would lead to Bellatrix and the Lestrange Brothers to outright torturing the longbottom’s into insanity?

I’m certain that in canon, it’s out of desperation - since both the Potter and longbottoms were Voldemort’s targets, so they had to know something they didn’t - so, that would likely carry over, but as to their mental state -> in part, could the viciousness of the attack be put up to Bellatrix, in some manner, succumbing to the Black Madness…?

Because interrogating someone for information is going to hold no fruit if your torture them into madness first, and I figure that if Bellatrix was Voldemort’s right hand woman (and this is before Azkaban and literal hell it wreaks on the mind), she would have known and been cautious about it, impairing any sort of information that could lead to her helping the Dark Lord (wherever he was).

Unless she herself was not in the proper state of mind to actually consider that.

which makes what happened to the longbottoms all the more terrible, if they did give her all the information they had (which would probably be zero) and still continued to get tortured.

For that scenario, and similar ones, I always imagine they swore vassalage to Voldemort when he was sane, but then something happened to him (exactly what depends on the AU) which rendered him insane. That insanity then seeps down their vassalage bonds and affects everyone linked to him.

[crownin-thestars]

I just realised the reason why it's so hard for me to figure out how to write the bad boys hogwarts au is because Harry Potter has like the shittest world building. Like I love Harry Potter but holy crap the amount of problems there are in it's entirety

[soup-of-the-daisies]

cannot stop thinking about that meta that’s like “voldemort’s ultimate goal was to simply destroy the british wizarding world” because it makes so much sense. tom riddle was a poor, orphaned, assumed muggleborn boy with a (most likely) ‘commoner’ accent and a distaste for humanity who sorted into slytherin, the hogwarts house infamous for being filled with loud rich bigots. tom riddle, with his background, could not have possibly been very popular those first few years of his schooling. tom riddle would’ve loathed the lot of them, all those arrogant, spoiled rich kids boasting about their family line. finding out he was the heir of slytherin would have been both a relief (he has something to fit in) and a jackpot (if they knew, they’d bow before him). and he uses that heritage later, when ‘tom riddle’ has disappeared and a stranger called ‘voldemort’ appears in his place. the fanatics literally kiss his feet.

voldemort is canonically a genius. he would’ve known that non-magical blood doesn’t make you dirty or less talented, because he himself is the prime example of that. espousing the bigoted pureblood agenda was simply the easiest way to gain power over the ones in power—all to send society crumbling to the ground from the inside. he takes over the ministry and ruins it, taking the first steps in tearing down the establishment; he kills regardless of blood, implying he doesn’t give one flying fuck what your heritage is; he tries to destroy the sorting hat, which would render the concept of ‘houses’ void.

personally i think it’s very interesting and appealing to put this interpretation in the context of tomarry/harrymort. i’ve always HC’d that harry will grow tired when he’s older, after he’s saved the wizarding world once (at the expense of his own happiness and well-being) and sees that nothing has changed or will change. that voldemort was a symptom, not the disease. that he and hermione and ron keep struggling, working themselves to the bone to make their world more fair and to suppress and eradicate the rampant underlying bigotry, but that it just won’t take.

and with an older harry, an embittered one, turned caustic and cynical by the very world he once viewed as his sanctuary—i don’t really think their beliefs would differ all that much. they’ve both seen and experienced the injustices. they’re both annoyed and disenchanted. harry will always have a regard for life, and voldemort won’t ever, but if anyone would have a wish to tear society down and build it back up again it’s them both.

[srslyblvck]

so wrong, james potter

pairing: james potter x fem!reader

synopsis: You were a Slytherin, and he was a Gryffindor. Both of you despised each other—so why were you making out with the one person you hated the most?

warning: kissing, making out, suggestive content (?)

word count: 0.5k

author's note: this might be the closest thing i will come to writing smut lol

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ YOU WERE A SLYTHERIN, he was a Gryffindor. You were a pureblood, part of the Sacred 28—he was a blood traitor. You had been raised to despise everything he stood for: recklessness, rebellion, and that stupid, insufferable smile. You were elegant, poised, and always in control. Him? He was a mess—untidy hair that he ran his fingers through every few minutes, his shirt perpetually untucked, his shoes scuffed.

There were lists of differences between you two. Endless, insurmountable divides. But none of that mattered in this moment.

Because here you were, making out with James Potter in the Room of Requirement. Hands tangled in each other's hair, bodies glued together as if the space between you were the most unnatural thing in the world. You couldn’t remember how you ended up like this, with your back pressed against a wall, the dim light flickering around you, the scent of him—fresh grass and something undeniably him—filling your senses.

Neither of you said anything. There was no need for words, just the raw, burning tension that had been building for so long. His hands roamed over your body, fingers brushing across the thin fabric of your shirt, tracing the line of your waist, pulling you closer. You wanted to hate it. You should hate it. But you didn’t.

You hated James Potter. Hated the way his glasses always slid down the bridge of his nose, and how he’d push them back up with a lazy flick of his finger, as if nothing in the world could rattle him. You hated the way his hazel eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, as though everything was just a grand joke to him. You hated how he made everyone adore him without even trying, his stupid confidence spilling out in every careless gesture.

But more than anything, you hated how, right now, none of that mattered. How none of your disdain or hatred or carefully constructed barriers seemed to stop you from wanting him like this.

James' lips were on your neck now, trailing soft, deliberate kisses that sent heat rushing through your veins. His breath was warm against your skin, his hands firm as they slid up your back, anchoring you to him. A gasp escaped your lips, betraying the storm inside you. Your fingers tangled in his unruly hair, tugging him closer even as your mind screamed at you to stop.

But Merlin, it felt so good. His lips, his hands, the way his body pressed against yours, every movement speaking a language you didn’t want to understand but couldn’t resist.

His lips finally found yours again, and this time, it was desperate. His glasses were askew, but you didn’t care. Not anymore. All you could focus on was the way he kissed you—like you were the only thing that existed, like the years of rivalry and disdain had all led to this. To the heat between you, to the way his tongue danced against yours, to the way your body melted into his, craving more.

You hated him, truly. But in this moment, you hated yourself more for how badly you didn’t want to stop.

And it was so, so wrong.

[draco-dormiens]

FOR ALL THAT IS RIGHT AND JUST - Chp. 2

auror!draco x auror!fem!slytherin reader / post-war au

warnings: mild violence, draco is an insufferable flirt, mutual pining, drama!!

wc: 2762

tags: @yeolsbubbles @send-me-styles @shinytalent @malfoylover4l @satorulevi

tag list open!!

masterlist

Suspicious Wizard on the Hogwarts Express

Draco made sure to meet you outside of your apartment complex that morning. As much as his sarcastic and humorous nature shone through, he was also a very worrisome person, especially when it came to those close to him. Within his circle of remaining friends, it was safe to say that you were the most precious and cherished one of them all.

Many years ago, as you grew up in the countryside of England, you had met Draco Malfoy for the very first time. Perhaps four or five years old, hiding behind your mother's skirt as the Malfoy family graciously welcomed you to their home one New Years Eve. Draco's mother, Narcissa, was one of the most elegant women you had ever seen, and you remember thinking how she looked like a lady from your fairy-tale books. She knelt down to your level and introduced herself, little Draco holding on to her hand, as she kindly asked your name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said softly, "this is my son, Draco. What's your name, dear?"

From that moment on, it was as if you had known Draco in a past life. The two of you, along with children from other pureblood families, played in the ginormous garden that backed onto the magnificent Malfoy manor, and hours were lost hiding in the hedges from one another and running, screaming and laughing until the sky went dark. You would sleep in his four poster bed with silky green bed sheets and throws knitted in the Slytherin house colours, attend birthday parties, Christmas parties, and all matter of occasions at Draco's home. Life was a bottled dream of endless fun and contentment, and the first five years of school were just as momentous.

It wasn't until your third year that you started seeing Draco a little differently. When he'd returned from his family holiday and met you on the train platform, a new feeling erupted in your body and took the words right out of your mouth. You distinctly remember how long you embarrassingly stared at him, upon realising that the little boy you once knew was growing into a fine young man. His hair was different; not long and slicked back, but framing his face in the most wonderful way. He was taller, his body more refined from Quidditch, and his facial features had matured. In fact, he wasn't Draco at all - he was a handsome boy you'd just met for the first time in your life. He laughed at your gawking expression, before playfully pushing your shoulder and saying, "You'll catch flies, Y/L/N," before embracing you in a bone crushing hug. And it was in that moment, when he hugged your body against his, that you knew the feeling blossoming in your chest was different.

Unbeknownst to you, however, Draco was having just as hard a time absorbing the look of your maturing self. Your uniform fit different now, and your hair was silky and neatly presented. As you were growing up, certain elements of adolescence were kicking in, and Draco was starting to forget the little girl that would cry when she scraped her knee and ran around after him claiming he was far too fast to keep up with. Now, he was seeing a young woman, and realising how undeniably pretty his best friend truly was. In fact, he thought you were simply divine.

And he still does - to this very day.

"Ah, there she is," he announces, as you appear from the entrance to your building, rolling your eyes as he dramatically holds his arms out towards you, "the most wonderful woman in the world. Do me the honours of a hug, would you, ma'am?"

You oblige him, of course, still completely oblivious that his sarcasm was in fact his honest truth. He seemed more relaxed than yesterday in Harry's office, but you knew it was his most trained ability to bury his emotions. It was a sad reality, really. The two of you had cared for one another in a way that surpassed friendship for so long and yet, here you still were, hugging as friends. The fear of losing what you had built throughout your lives together; the friendship, the bond, the trust  - it was terrifying to think it could all be lost at sea if you pursued those bottled feelings, just to end up severing the golden ties that had kept you together for so long. The unknown of it had kept you the same all these years, trying to feel that fire with other people and getting a cold, frosty breeze instead.

"Draco, you're squishing me." You mumble into his shoulder, and he lets go, smiling down at you with a toothy grin, "we have to do our best today," you then tell him seriously, "going back will be... hard, but we have an important job. Harry is depending on us."

"Do you have no faith in me?" he holds a hand over his chest, looking completely devastated and ignoring how you were trying to make him feel more at ease with returning, "how could you say such a thing, to your best friend? Honestly, I like to think myself rather serious."

"You know that's not what I mean," you then say, slightly softer, and he swallows thickly, the sarcastic look he was so well known for wiping from his face immediately.

"Let's not start with that," he then smiles, as if he pressed a switch and his steely exterior was back in place of his much more vulnerable one, "Potter's depending on us, like you said, right?"

Platform 9 3/4 was practically teeming with people. Students you had known as teenagers now fully grown adults, some even with families and children, all arriving to take part in the memorial that afternoon. Professors from past years and even representatives from other wizarding schools were all waiting to board the train to Hogwarts. Being back there after so many years felt very foreign. So many memories, good and bad, were shared on that train. Tears were shed and smiles were shared on the platform where you stood. You feel Draco's hand on your waist as he leaned in to whisper something.

"Don't be alarmed," he said lowly, "but I've already seen someone I'm not too keen on."

"Where?" you ask quietly, and Draco tells you to look towards a man dressed in a tweed suit, smoking a pipe as he leans against far wall. By his feet is a briefcase, in his hands the Daily Prophet. The front cover had large letters that read: Memorial at Hogwarts: Ten Years On. "What's raised your suspicion, Malfoy?"

Draco begins to walk you along the platform, hand still on your waist. "First," he begins, "he's alone. Do you see anyone else standing by themselves? He's deliberately standing out of the way, covering most of his face with that paper. Second, he has a briefcase. What would he need that for? Staying for a few nights at Hotel Hogwarts? Don't think so." He stops you both at the entrance to one of the carriages, "and lastly, I just don't care for his demeanor. Something feels off about the way he's watching everyone. It's like he's looking for someone in particular."

Sometimes Draco reminds you why his talents as a Auror were renowned. Thanks to his family's name, much like your own, the war had affected him in ways others couldn't comprehend. It was his chance to make a difference and break out of the mold that his family had set him in, and his success is proof that he's not the cowardly accomplice everyone once thought he was. You admire him for a moment, in awe of his observation skills. When his eyes meet yours again, he gives you a lopsided smile. "Like what you see?"

A furious heat spreads over your cheeks as you pull your eyes from him. You can feel the way he's looking at you in such a smug way, knowing full well how much of a kick he gets out of casually flirting with you. You push his hand from your waist.

"Shut up," you snap lightly, "None of your... jokes, Draco. If you feel strongly about what you said then we should keep an eye on him. Watch what carriage he gets into."

The whistle on the Hogwarts Express bellows throughout the station, signalling its passengers to get on board. Carriage doors open, and people begin piling on. Both you and Draco hang back slightly, taking a mental note of where the suspicious man enters the train, and follow the crowd that he boards with. As he takes his seat at the farthest end of the carriage, Draco leads you to a seat just behind him, but with enough of a view to keep a watchful eye. You both sit, eyes flickering to the man every so often. You notice how no one interacts with him, as if not a soul on that train knew him. He opens up the paper once more, and stays on the same page for a curious amount of time. With so many people around, it was hard to communicate with Draco to see what he was thinking, but with one wink in your direction, you knew he was on the same page.

"Can't remember it taking this long," Draco says in your ear after some time chugging along the English countryside, "how did we pass the time back then?"

"I remember playing eye spy with Daph and Pans," you smile at the memory, "you, Blaise and Theo just talked about girls mostly. Or sometimes the next Quidditch season."

"Blaise and Theo had way more ladies than me," Draco then defends himself, and you look across at him, head resting against the seat and another one of those smirks on his face, "I can't even remember dating anyone back then."

"I thought you had a thing with Pansy at one point?" You laughed quietly, and he grimaced.

"That was... yeah. Not fond of that memory." Draco shakes his head and scrunches up his nose. You giggle that sweet sound he's always been so fond of, "anyway, what about you? Remember Marcus Flint? He had a huge thing for you."

"Flint?" you exclaim softly, "oh Merlin, Dray. I can't get into that."

He adored when you called him that. A little piece of your school years that never left. It may have only been a nickname, but it was said with such warmth that he'd long to hear it. Even now, he cherishes the moments it falls from your lips. Then a rather sickly feeling starts to swirl in his stomach, remembering that recently, you'd gone out on a date with a guy called Eddie Carmichael. Eddie was a Ravenclaw in the year above you. It was a shock to hear from him after such a long while, but he had recently visited the Auror office regarding some miscalculations in his business he couldn't quite explain, and his case was assigned to you.

Three dates later and he was ready to be serious - unfortunately for him, that was never on your agenda. He was nice, and would surely treat someone right one day, but that someone just wasn't you. Eddie tried to owl a few times since, but had given up not too long ago. Draco, after eyeing the man you were watching and noticing he hadn't move a muscle, had the sudden urge to ask you about it. He didn't usually pry on your dating life. After all, he'd rather not know.

"So, Carmichael," he says, his usual confident tone masking any sincerity, "are you a thing?"

"I haven't seen him in a month," you say dismissively, wanting to talk about anything other than this topic of conversation, "he was nice and all. Just wouldn't work out."

Draco nods, and then a thick silence falls over the both of you. It was awkward for a moment, as it normally was when either of your romantic escapades were mentioned. Then you decide to give him a taste of his own medicine.

"Anyway, I heard you took a Hufflepuff out," you say as casually as possible, "take it she was just for the night, then?"

Draco laughs and runs a hand through his hair, worried that you might hear how hard his heart was thundering against his ribcage. His romantic life was anything but that; mostly made up of one night stands and unanswered letters, and he hated that you knew that. It wasn't his proudest trait, but he just hadn't found anyone to settle with.

His mind was always everywhere but the person in front of him.

"She was alright," he clears his throat and looks out the window at the passing fields, "not much to talk about. She's much better off dating someone else."

You decide not to say anymore, already regretting the decision to ask. The conversation was quickly forgotten however, when the castle appeared over the brow of a hill, basking in the sunlight of the Scottish highlands, as majestic as ever. People in the carriage began to point and comment on its beauty, as the man who you were watching began to get up. You nudge Draco hard, and his attention snaps to the man now walking down the aisle of the carriage. The two of you rise, the commotion about the castle acting as a smoke shield to your movements, and follow him, at a distance, through your carriage and into the next. You both take a seat at the back of the next carriage, in case he turns to see you behind him. As he walks, he appears to drop a small piece of paper on the ground. You look at it suspiciously, and before you can say anything, it bursts open with a thick, black cloud of smoke that begins to fill up the carriage to the ceiling. The passengers begin to panic, confused voices and parents desperately calming their children. Draco grabs your wrist, as to let you know he's still there. Feeling your way through the smoke, you eventually end up at the door to the next carriage. Draco's hand is still around your wrist, and you feel him pull you into his chest as he leans over and opens the carriage door. The smoke begins filtering out, and as it does, you notice the man from before, desperately trying to detach the carriage connection.

"Oh no you don't." You shout, and kick your heel into his hands. The man retracts with a wailed cry, and looks up at you with disgust in his face. Draco grabs his wand as the man draws his own. You tell the passengers to get back into their seats, as a spark of red spurts out the end of the man's wand. Draco deflects it expertly, but the man wasn't finished. He opens his mouth, raising his wand in the air as the forbidden words begin to leave his lips.

"Avada-"

With the wind whistling through the carriage, the train flying along the track at break-neck speed, passengers screaming, Draco decides to resort to the old fashioned way of doing things before the man can finish the curse. He grabs the man by the collar and drags him back into the carriage, all the while the speed of the train causing his white-knuckle grip to loosen against the side of the carriage. As soon as the man hits the floor with a thud, you point your wand and yell; "Petrificus Totalus!" The man freezes, Draco slams the door shut, and for a moment, an ear piercing silence falls over the carriage. You look up at Draco, his chest heaving, leaning against the door with his hand in his hair.

"Who is that man?" a woman asks, clutching her child to her side, "how did he get on here?"

"Don't worry, ma'am, we're from the Ministry," you take your badge out of your pocket and relief floods her face, "I can't answer any questions yet, but I can promise that you are safe with us."

Draco lifts himself off the door and wanders over to stand above the frozen man on the floor. He plucks the wand from the man's hand and inspects it before shoving it into his pocket. He then takes the newspaper sticking out of his briefcase, and kicks the briefcase along to you. You stop it just under your foot. He then reminds you why it's best to be on his good side, as he flashes the nastiest, tethering on evil smile you've ever seen at the culprit.

"Thanks old chap," he says in a condescending tone, "hope you haven't done the crossword."

disclaimer: i do not own harry potter or any of the characters or storyline associated with it

[mightbeimpossiblenotto]

House - Oct 12 - @rosekillermicrofic - 1,950 words - Warnings: mild homophobia from character’s father, biting again

(a/n - this one is too long again, but it needed some world building)

Evan met Barty when he was just seven years old. His parents had taken him to some pureblood gathering for the adults, leaving the children to themselves in another room. Some of the other kids already knew each other from previous events, and they formed little groups, of which Evan had no desire to be a part. There was one sullen looking boy standing against one of the walls, glaring at everyone else with hazel eyes. His hair was a messy mop of dark brown, his skin pale and clear. Evan approached him.

“I’m Evan Rosier,” he greeted, in the way he had been taught to introduce himself, sticking a hand out to shake.

Barty stared at his hand with disdain. “Barty.”

Oh, Evan had heard that name before. “Crouch’s son?”

Barty’s face went abruptly dark as he straightened up against the wall. Evan took his hand back as it seemed Barty had no intentions of shaking it, awkwardly putting it back in his pocket.

“Don’t ever mention my father to me,” he spat. Evan didn’t flinch, he just raised one eyebrow at the other boy until Barty softened. “We don’t exactly get along.”

“I don’t get along with my father, either,” Evan offered, though he knew he didn’t mean it in the same way that Barty must mean. Evan’s father was a stony man; he didn’t show affection or any other emotion, and he didn’t show his love in any traditional methods, if at all. For much of his life, Evan considered his father on the outside of their small family: him, Pandora, and their mother had a very close relationship, and then there was their father on the outside, looking in but not participating. It seemed that Barty’s relationship with his father was even worse than apathetic.

But Barty seemed comforted by Evan’s commiseration. His face relaxed, and he stopped leaning against the wall. By the end of the evening, Barty and Evan had played several games of chess and exploding snap.

And I’ve been meaning to tell you

I think your house is haunted

Your dad is always mad and that must be why

They became good friends, Evan and Barty. They started seeing each other at more pureblood social events, and they each ignored every other child present, only playing with one another. By the time it was time to go to Hogwarts, Evan was excited about the prospect of seeing his friend every day, perhaps even living in the same dorm as him.

Barty was thrilled when he got on the train. He was nearly bouncing out of his seat with excitement. They shared a train car with Evan’s sister Pandora and a friend of hers, Dorcas. A third boy named Regulus wandered in at some point, his carefully bored expression trying to mask some anxiety at having to search for an open compartment. Barty invited him in immediately.

It wasn’t until far later that night, after the sorting hat ceremony and the welcoming feast, after Regulus, Evan and Barty had all been sorted into Slytherin and found out they were going to be sharing a dorm room together, that Barty’s good mood finally broke. Regulus had gone to sleep, an unnatural silence surrounding his bed curtains after he had pulled them shut (he must already know how to do silencing charms).

Evan was sitting up in bed reading a book, and Barty had been unpacking his trunk, showing Evan every little thing he had brought from home. After a while, Barty had gone quiet, and Evan realized he was able to finish a whole chapter without Barty interrupting. He looked up, only to find Barty staring at the wall, eyes unseeing, as tears streamed unhindered down his cheeks.

“Barty!” Evan whisper-shouted, shocked. He hurried out of bed to crouch next to his friend, but when Barty didn’t move at all, Evan changed tactics and sat next to him. Their backs were leaning against Barty’s bed as they stared at the stone walls that made up their dungeon dorm room. Evan waited for Barty to speak first.

“I’ve never spent a night away from home,” Barty finally whispered, which wasn’t what Evan had expected him to say at all. He was confused — Barty always complained about being at home, being near his father, so Evan expected him to love being away at Hogwarts. He waited for further explanation, and Barty quickly gave it. “I’m so… relieved.”

His voice broke, and then Barty was sobbing, and Evan pulled him as close as he could while he cried.

And I think you should come live with me

And we can be pirates

After several years at Hogwarts, Evan grew used to Barty’s confusing relationship with his family. He returned home for every holiday, never missing a single chance to leave. He professed how much he loved Hogwarts, how much he hated to leave, especially when Evan or Regulus were staying behind for a holiday. It took Evan until fourth year to realize the reason Barty always went back was for his mum.

He never spoke about her. He complained about his father on a daily basis; he repeated every terrible thing his father had ever put in his head, much to the displeasure of Evan, who felt it was his personal duty to prove Barty’s father wrong. But Barty never mentioned his mum.

Evan had asked Barty to come to his house for Christmas in fourth year. After three years of watching his friend come back from the Christmas holiday looking miserable and emotionally beaten down by his father, Evan had had enough. A week before they were all supposed to board the train back to London, Evan broached the subject with Barty.

“Why don’t you ever come to mine for holiday?” Evan asked. “If being at home makes you so miserable, that is.” He had been listening to Barty complain for close to three hours at that point.

“Can’t,” Barty said simply. “I have to see mum.”

Evan hadn’t ever asked again.

Then you won’t have to cry

Or hide in the closet

When Barty came back for sixth year, he was different. Evan couldn’t explain what it was to anyone else, but it was entirely obvious to him. Something fundamental had changed Barty in some way, and Evan felt entitled to that information. Barty walked onto the train with a different swagger to his step, a different attitude behind his words, a different emotion behind his eyes. It was as if he had a mask on for everyone else, but Evan could see right through it, and he hated the fact that he was the only one who could see it.

To make matters worse, Barty was avoiding Evan and their group of friends, never spending any time in the dorm or even the common room. He was usually hooking up with some girl, stumbling into the dorm early the next morning, looking disheveled and depressed. Evan couldn’t understand it. Barty had never shown interest in girls before, despite other boys in their year having started ages ago. Evan found comfort in this fact, as he had never had any interest in the other sex, and he was beginning to realize he never would. Except Barty had come back and, very suddenly, girls were all he could or would think about.

Evan’s patience quickly wore thin, and he confronted Barty one day on his return to the dorm. Evan had been waiting for him, fuming, because he hadn’t spent any time with Barty at all in weeks. As soon as Barty walked through the door, Evan practically pounced.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, Bartemius Crouch, Jr.?” Evan spat, backing Barty against the door he had just closed behind him.

“Um,” Barty fumbled ineloquently. “Getting dressed, I hope? These clothes are from last night.”

“I know,” Evan hissed. “You’re never fucking here anymore. Why are you never here?”

He watched Barty swallow thickly, his throat bobbing. “I’m here, I live here, Evan—“

“You haven’t slept here since we’ve been back,” Evan insisted. “Tell me what the fuck is going on.”

He shoved closer, getting in Barty’s space, watching as his eyes flew wide. “Get the hell off me—“

“Not until you tell me what’s going on with you,” Evan prodded. “C’mon, Barty, it’s me. We’ve been friends since we were seven.”

Barty stared at him for what felt like a long time. Finally, he admitted, “I had a fight with my father. A big one.”

Evan’s eyebrows pulled together. He didn’t back off from Barty yet. “That’s it? You fight with him all the time.”

“Yeah,” Barty blew out a large breath, the pieces of hair framing his face fanning out. “But, this time, he found out his only son and heir is gay.”

It went dead silent for a moment while Evan processed that vital bit of information. Barty tried to look nonchalant, as if he didn’t care at all what Evan’s reaction would be, but he kept inadvertently flicking worried glances Evan’s way.

“The girls,” Evan said, meaning it as a question but it came out more as a grunt. Barty knew what he meant anyway.

“Yeah,” Barty sighed. “I thought maybe I could fake it pretty well. I don’t even sleep with most of them. We just end up getting drunk and making out, which is fine for me.”

Evan’s head was spinning. “But you — guys. You’re into guys.”

Barty swallowed again, and Evan couldn’t tear his eyes away from Barty’s throat even if he tried. He leaned forward, not quite sure what he was planning on doing before he pressed his lips to the skin just over Barty’s thundering pulse on the side of his neck. Barty gasped beneath him, arching up into his touch. Evan groaned against his skin, gently biting the area and soothing the sting with his tongue. Barty made a sort of keening wail.

“Oh, Merlin, Evan,” Barty gasped out, and then his hands were shoving Evan back. His pupils were blown wide when Evan looked at him. “You — you’re…?”

He trailed off, not quite asking what he wanted to ask. Evan answered anyway. “I like you. I want you. I don’t really care about anyone else.”

Barty’s eyes, which were already too-wide, grew impossibly wider. He surged forward, connecting their lips for a moment, and it was like Evan was doused in fire. He had no idea how he had managed to live without kissing Barty before. Too soon, Barty was pulling away, but only to tack on: “Me too, Evan. Only you.”

And just like a folk song

Our love will be passed on

The day after they graduated from Hogwarts, Barty and Evan moved into a tiny flat in London. It was barely enough space for a living area, kitchen, bedroom and bath, and Evan couldn’t possibly love it any more than he already did. It meant so much to him to live in a space that only belonged to him and Barty, a space that was entirely theirs.

Barty was at the shops, but he would be home soon. Home — that was the word Evan had been searching for. He’d lived in many places: his family’s extravagant manor, their many vacation houses, the dormitory, to name a few. But he had never felt at home in any of them, not the way he did in that tiny flat, with Barty.

When Barty finally did arrive, with four bags of groceries hanging off of his arms, Evan greeted him with a soft kiss and a warm smile. “Welcome home,” he said.

“Happy to be here,” Barty replied.

[saintsenara]

Not disputing you ofc but do you remember the exact line about ron looking like bill perchance? I would love it for referencing purposes

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

and i am afraid that you're getting a more long-winded answer than you may have been hoping for...

male weasleys are split down the middle into two camps, physically:

charlie, fred, and george are described as being short and stocky [although "short" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, since they're all taller than harry: fred and george shrink when they take polyjuice potion to transform into him in deathly hallows].

the implication - i think - is that charlie and the twins look like molly, who is described several times as short and plump in build. ginny is also described numerous times in the books as short and is said in chapter thirty-three of order of the phoenix to resemble fred and george facially, which, since's she's described in deathly hallows as having her mother's brown eyes - which probably triggered some sort of freudian shudder in harry - means i think we can conclude that this half of the family all look their mam.

[and also that molly is a hottie herself. she often gets turned by the fandom into a fairly sexless being - even though she didn't have those seven children immaculately, did she? - with a strict, prudish vibe. and - to do some discourse for a moment - we all know that the fact that she's described as fat is the direct cause of this. but several men are canonically ready to risk it all for ginny - and it's time we all acknowledged this is because she inherited her bonafide baddie powers straight from molly.]

percy and ron - on the other hand - are, like arthur, described as being tall, thin, and gangly. bill is never explicitly said to be slender, but he is described in the fifth chapter of goblet of fire as "tall" immediately after harry has stated that charlie is short[ish] and broad - which allows us to reasonably infer that he's on the arthur-weasley-skinny-legend side of the family.

and we can also assume - since ron is never said to resemble molly, nor [to harry's great relief] ginny, facially - that his features - his long nose and blue eyes - come from his father, who is also the source of percy's short-sightedness.

and, while harry [the narrative perspective] never says that he thinks arthur is hot - because why would he? - nor percy and ron [although i think it's worth noting that he doesn't consider it ridiculous that both of them manage to pull - and it's never suggested that penelope clearwater and lavender brown aren't cuties] it's actually possible to justify the idea that they are canonically fit using more than pure hot air...

[harry does - obviously - think bill's a babe. he sees fleur checking him out and immediately thinks... same.]

because a very striking narrative choice that the series makes is the idea that all pureblood nuclear family units look identical to each other - which serves as a visual metaphor for the importance of blood-status and lineage within the wizarding world. this is why narcissa malfoy is as pale and blonde as lucius and draco [even though bellatrix and andromeda are dark haired] and why molly is a redhead even though red hair and freckles are stated in the text to be weasley - rather than prewett - traits. harry's resemblance to his pureblood father eases his passage through wizarding society. voldemort's lack of resemblance to his pureblood mother does the opposite.

the weasleys and the malfoys are narrative mirrors within the series - with the fact that ron and draco are both so near-identical to arthur and lucius as to be immediately identifiable as each man's son by anyone who meets them part of this mirroring. it makes sense, then, that since the non-ron weasley children don't have a specific malfoy mirror, the same general principle applies, and the three weasley brothers who are built like arthur also strongly resemble him facially - and that bill also has a long nose [and a long something else, i'll wager!] and a cracking pair of baby blues.

or that if bill is hot, arthur is hot - and therefore if arthur is hot, ron is hot.

[where bill outpaces his brothers, i fear, is that he clearly has rizz - whereas ron's seduction skills are famously weak before he gets his hands on a copy of twelve fail-safe ways to charm witches - i.e. when he cockblocks harry spectacularly by beefing with cho unprovoked about the quidditch team she supports, which always sends me - and percy is... percy.]

[if ron had simply played it cool he could have finessed going to the ball with fleur, and i'll die on that hill...]

[iamnmbr3]

Great answers! I do love the idea of Sirius as DADA teacher!

Here's another one for you: rank these characters from worst to best for the post of Minister of Magic

Albus Dumbledore

Lucius Malfoy

Sirius Black (again cause I love him and I read a fic about this once)

Minerva McGonagall

Barty Crouch Sr.

oh god. these clowns would all be such terrible minsters of magic. why are you doing this to me? ok fine. here goes.

Lucius Malfoy: I think because movie!Lucius was sort of toned down and defanged fandom sometimes forget what a nasty piece of work book!Lucius was before he had his downfall and got all sad and pathetic. Fanon!Lucius often gets turned into kind of a joke but book!Lucius was out there torturing muggles for fun by night while he had the ear of the Minister by day and was, seemingly, extremely adept at subtly spreading his pureblood supremacist agenda in government. (Honestly, better at it than Tom because unlike Tom he actually cared). Also in book 4 it's very clear that if he had gotten hold of Hermione - a fourteen year old child - on the World Cup grounds he would've attacked her without hesitation (been eager for it, in fact). Yeah he wasn't down with Voldemort's whole thing but that was more because of the effect it had on him personally. with Voldemort out of the picture he was top dog and he was doing just fine. All this to say, as Minister the policies he enacts are...not good to say the least. He'd be out there building a violent pureblood supremacist dictatorship in a heartbeat.

Albus Dumbledore: Albus says he can't be trusted with the power of being Minister and honestly...I believe him. He'd still play the same messed up manipulation games he plays in canon but on a much larger scale (while simultaneously feeling bad about it and telling himself it's for the greater good). He does some truly epic mental gymnastics to convince himself he needs to make himself dictator for life and then things spiral because obviously anyone who resists him is evil right? Right? Of course! The alternative is that he is wrong and he doesn't want to think about that. Also, he doesn't seem that bothered by house elf slavery and his ideas for getting nonhuman magical creatures on his side in canon seemed to involve asking nicely but not actually granting them rights. So I'm not super optimistic on that front. So yeah. This just turns into the whole of wizarding Britain getting gaslit and thrown into insane situations by a madman who seems so wholesome and lovable and yet... Also. Given how poorly organized the Order is I think it's safe to say that all other flaws aside, the man does not have a gift for management.

Barty Crouch Sr.: Listen. He ALSO sucks. Very clearly ok with slavery, not a fan of due process, and allowed Aurors to torture confessions out of suspects. His only saving grace is that he does love rules so he'd probably eventually step down and wouldn't make as many potentially damaging changes as Dumbledore.

Minerva McGonagall: Her no nonsense attitude ensures that any meeting she runs actually accomplishes things. She's smart. She's sane. She's stable. She doesn't care about ending slavery or changing the status quo, but she's a lot better than most of the options. She's not especially creative or good at political games though which often hampers her ability to carry out objectives and prevent bad actors (i.e. Lucius and his faction) from getting their way.

Sirius Black: What does the man who hates authority do when he finds himself in a position of ultimate authority? I don't know but I'd love to read about it! Sirius is actually pretty shrewd (contrary to fanon) and I think he'd actually turn out to be a natural at handling politics (much as he might hate it). He also understands traditional pureblood society (he is a Black after all) but he doesn't idolize it (he hates being a Black) which would allow him to understand and work with multiple factions. Additionally he can be forceful and authoritative. He's impatient, often biased and unfair, sometimes quite cruel, can be temperamental, and again, has 0 problem with slavery. So like. He's not good per say, but he's actually better than some of the others. (At least with him meetings are never dull because if he gets bored enough he just turns into a dog and eats the agenda).

[sitp-recs]

hi liv! do you know of any draco-centered longish fics??? thanks! i just love him so much

Hi anon, definitely! Here are my favourites:

Heal Thyself by astolat (T, 47k)

"Are you going for the course?" Lovegood asked. "You have the NEWTs.”

“What course?” Draco said, then, “No, don’t be ridiculous,” when he realized she meant the notice pinned up on the board he’d been staring at: Applicants To The Introductory Mediwizard Course For The Coming Term Shall Present Themselves In The Chief Mediwizard’s Office By August 24th.

A Room Up There (And You In It) by @the-starryknight (T, 59k)

When Preservationist Draco Malfoy was assigned to work on Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, he was excited to delve into the gorgeous Black family antiques. His excitement quickly ended when something in the House decided it did not like his presence one bit.

The Trouble with Wanting by waldorph (E, 60k)

Draco Malfoy is cleared of all charges; this is what happens next.

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop (E, 70k)

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always.

Among Ancient Pines by @graymatters (M, 74k)

Every day, Draco Malfoy tries. With every fiber of his being he tries. But he doesn’t much think about what he’s trying for. In his final term of Healer training, Draco is unfortunate enough to find himself on a plane, the only means of traveling to a small, magical town in rural Alaska.

Super Rich Kids by @thusspoketrish (E, 81k)

Draco Malfoy has become disillusioned by the glitz and glamour of the scandalous lives of the Post-Second Wizarding War Pureblood Elite. Enter: one existential crisis, one group of thieving cynical friends, and several terrible, terrible decisions.

A Thousand Beautiful Things by geoviki (M, 104k)

Draco Malfoy struggles with changed fortunes, shifted alliances, an ugly war, and an unusual spell, with the help of a concerned professor, an insightful house-elf, and an unexpected Gryffindor friend.

Nor All That Glisters by @sweet-s0rr0w (E, 110k)

Lonely and frustrated on house arrest, with no prospects for the future, Draco begins brewing Felix Felicis in an attempt to improve his lot. Just in the short term, of course. He isn’t a total idiot.

Far From The Tree by aideomai (E, 112k)

The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl (M, 114k)

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

Any Instrument by @dictacontrion (E, 131k)

Draco Malfoy wouldn't go back to England for anything less than an exceptional case. Being asked to figure out why Harry Potter can't control his magic might be exceptional enough to qualify.

There Is Always the Moon by @firethesound (T, 159k)

Draco's life after the war is everything he wanted it to be: it's simple, and quiet, and predictable, and safe. But when a mysterious curse shatters the peace he'd worked so hard to build, there's only one person he can trust to help him. After all, Harry Potter has saved his life before. Now Draco has to believe that Potter will be able to do it one more time.

[ellorypurebloodculture]

QaQ - are there rules for traditional pureblood mourning? You've made mention of "mourning ivories" and unicorn hair mourning robes (and I must say OUCH, bc hair shirts were historically a penance, those canNOT be comfy XD - it sounds like a way for someone to externalise the pain of their grief?) but do purebloods go the full victorian style full, half and quarter mourning, with allowed colours for each stage or something else?

I always just imagined it as wearing "mourning ivories" for those with Dark Magic and "mourning ebonies" for those with Light Magic. To be removed when the wearer so desires. Seven years would be considered a full/formal mourning.

[littleliterarylesbian]

I feel like the big "gatcha" of jegulus antis of them having some members of each other's families on their family trees is kind of fucking weird because.... EVERY wizard that's a pureblood or halfblood has in common people on every other family tree in some way shape or form.... wolfstar,,,,, ginny x harry (idk the ship name 😦), drarry, ect. THE WIZARDING WORLD IS FILLED OF INCEST BECAUSE JOANNE WAS FUCKING STUPID WITH HER WORLD BUILDING. EVERY WIZARDING WORLD'S FAMILY TREE, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IS ALL CONNECTED IN SOME WAY SHAPE OR FORM. I CANNOT STAND SOME OF Y'ALL WHO DON'T USE YOUR BRAIN AND THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE USING THIS TO ARGUE AGAINST A SHIP THAT'S NOT REALLY A BIG DEAL AND DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE SAME RULES ALSO DON'T APPLY TO YOU'RE FAV SHIPS 🫵

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

Marauders AU in which Voldemort is more intelligent and he creates a massive spell to erase people's memories to his convenience.

Sometime in 1979, Voldemort released a spell that was like a bomb, that created an explosion and chaos. Families were separated. Friends were separated. Lovers were separated.

He invents a "perfect world" only for Purebloods and manipulates their minds to make them think muggleborns and halfbloods are savages that want to kill everyone, because the lack of magic had corrupted their minds and they are practically wild animals.

So he builds a wall around Hogwarts and other parts of the Wizarding Community where purebloods and very selected wizards live inside a bubble. Like a dome. Outside the dome, everyone else stays behind left to survive in the forest and the ruins of the wild.

So obviously a very small selected group of death eaters (like Bellatrix, and Snape) know the truth, and work to maintain the order inside the dome, the rest are brainwashed.

Inside the dome, there are characters like Sirius Black (pureblood), Marlene McKinnon (pureblood), Peter (pureblood and very manipulative to use as a lapdog). Plus Lily Evans (who is not a pureblood but was spared because of Snape. He begged his master to let Lily be included in this new world) All of them with their memories wiped out, and new lives and personalities created for them. They are told that savages out there are dangerous. They live a comfortable life of rich people. Bellatrix is the public figure of this system, like the president. With Voldemort being the mastermind from behind.

Outside the dome, are the ones who know the truth. The rebels and survivors. James Potter, is the leader of the resistance. He was captured to be inside the dome but managed to escape before they brainwashed him. Remus, obviously considered not worth it for being a werewolf, but wanted to be killed. Mary, a muggleborn. And I am thinking other characters like Emmeline Vance and other characters from the original Order. They don't know what is inside the dome, they think at first that death eaters were torturing their friends.

Regulus is obviously selected to be inside the dome but at some point he wakes up and acts like a double agent and a spy from inside to help the rebels and protect his brother. Regulus along with Dorcas and Barty are brainwashed to be guards which their job is protect the dome from savages and hunt them down. They are the only ones allowed outside the dome to hunt more savages. The government told them to look specifically for the ones from the resistance like James or Remus. Regulus keeps sparing their lives a lot because he knows the true of who they are.

James and Lily were a couple before the explosion. And were separated. Lily doesn't remember James or thinks he is a murderer. Snape invented the story that he was the one who killed her parents and he is dangerous. But inside of her, she feels something for him still and she cannot explain why she is curious about what's outside the dome. James, on the other hand, is crazy in love with Lily and wants to get inside the dome to rescue her. He knows the truth.

Also, after the explosion, nobody knows who is alive or not. Who is outside the dome or not. After months of looking for his friends, Remus finds James with his little group of rebels but he is told that Sirius is dead. Wolfstar wasn't a thing before the explosion like Jily. But Remus loved Sirius in secret and never dared to tell him about his feelings. He griefs Sirius and wants revenge for his supposed dead. James doesn't lose hope that Sirius is alive somewhere inside the dome. He has hope that he can get his friends back.

So the story is the confrontation from the ones inside the dome lead by Voldemort, and how some of them start waking up. They don't understand why they feel things for those savages and why they provoke things on them without knowing they are actually their friends or lovers. Especially Lily and Sirius who feel things for James and Remus respectively and are confused because they shouldn't, they are dirty savages, aren't they?

And the other side of rebels resisting, surviving while they can with plans to get inside, discover what is inside and rescue their friends, make them wake up and realize who they really are. Of course led by Albus Dumbledore himself.

[nothelena21]

"Random HEADCANONS of BLACK FAMILY members"

Pollux Black: He hates art and anything related to the non-aggressive expression of feelings. Ironically, after his death, his children found complete and incomplete poems among his books of ancient runes.

Irma Black (nee Crabble): She likes to sit and embroider in front of the fireplace in the living room, in the rocking chair in front of the window in her bedroom, or any place she finds suitable for doing so. Many of her children's clothes featured subtle embroidery done by her.

Walburga Black: Known for being a chaotic and tough-to-manage child who could always be found on the move... she found peace walking around her family's vast grounds... that small uncut grove of trees? a perfect place to hide for a while from Pollux and Irma.

Alphard Black: Being one of the most neglected children by his parents, he found himself drifting in and out of different hobbies that kept him busy enough to escape reality. One of them was sailing and cartography... there was something special about feeling the cold wind on his face and the salty scent of the sea in his nose that visibly relaxed him.

Cygnus Black III: Most of the family members were educated in different branches of art: painting, music, theatre... there was nothing that the young Blacks had not tried until they were the best and got bored of it long after. Except for him, of course. He found himself immersed in the world of sculpture for longer than expected, spending days and nights until he managed to finish beautiful works that he asked Kreacher to place in corners of the family properties or their gardens. Many of his later sculptures were inspired by Druella, his beautiful and beloved wife... and later his three little princesses: Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

Druella Black (nee Rosier): So small and thin since she was a child... her fragile aura and delicate figure were easy to associate with a ballet dancer. That was how her classes began... her golden hair was tied neatly, her delicate skin was adapted to the makeup of the plays she participated in, her wardrobe was filled with costumes and comfortable clothes for training and her shelf with dolls had to be enlarged to proudly display trophies and gold medals. One of her biggest dreams when little Bellatrix was born was to hope that she would become as interested in ballet as she was and that they could practice and dance together for hours.

Arcturus Black: A skilled hunter for as long as he can remember, he loved to go hunting for animals in dark forests with his frivolous father. Unfortunately for his flirtatious wife Melania, that only meant an entire room dedicated to the taxidermy of these animals and many parts of them placed throughout the house as decoration. The only time he saw a gesture of admiration towards him from his father was in one of those forests.

Melania Black (nee McMillan): Her wealthy but stingy family did not allow her to make large monetary expenses on a regular basis: only on special occasions were goods, decorations or ostentatious clothes acquired to keep up with the elegant and superficial pureblood society. Great was her surprise when, after marrying Arcturus Black, he gave her the freedom to do with her inheritance whatever she wanted as long as she did not exceed what her work provided them. Decorating the properties and gardens as she pleased became her favorite activity, and she found a challenge in making her tastes in decoration ally with her husband's taxidermied animals.

Lucretia Black: Since she was a child, nothing pleased her more than to climb onto the back of any animal that wouldn't knock her down before she could count to ten. That's how Arcturus made sure to build a stable for five brightly colored horses and an Abraxan that Lucretia took years to tame without the help of specialists in the field.

Orion Black: Much to the chagrin of his Arcturus, his only son loathed the firearms hanging on the walls and the taxidermied animals that gave him nightmares which meant the house elves had to change his bed sheets almost regularly. Instead, he found immense love in stringed instruments and the rhymes that flowed on their own into a catchy and emotional song. He could spend hours hiding in the attic where old portraits lay waiting to decay with endless layers of dust on their surfaces. The one where Eduardus Limette Black rested under an apple tree with a predecessor to the conventional guitar glued to his hands was his favorite... and where he learned most of the notes and musical combinations that would drive anyone who heard them crazy.

[artemisiamezzanotte]

Why both Jily and Jegulus make sense in the Marauders Fandom

Okay, so I have been seeing a few posts recently dismissing Jegulus as a ship and, although I am personally more of a Jily than a Jegulus girly, I thought I'd explain why both ships make sense to me in the context of the original source material.

We know that there is a direct link between the Marauders and the Golden Trio in the books, and that each member of one mirrors a member of the other.

James and Harry being the most obvious, as father and son and the perceived 'leader' of their group of friends.

Sirius and Ron, the 'best friend'. Both from pureblood families, although the Blacks and the Weasleys couldn't be more different in their beliefs. Both feel misunderstood and perhaps misplaced in their family. Both give James and Harry unadulterated, solid friendship that is fiercely loyal and unquestioning.

Remus and Hermione, the outcasts. Remus due to his lycanthropy, Hermione due to her muggleborn status. Both try to counterbalance this by excelling in their studies and are, by nature (again, this is in the original books) more rule-followers rather than rebels.

Peter and Neville, the astonished Gryffindors. Both from pureblood families, both equally surprised by being sorted in the house where bravery is valued most. They each deal with impostor syndrome, but whilst Neville's friends build him up and he eventually comes into his own thanks to Dumbledore's Army, Peter fails (or is failed by his friends) in doing so and betrays them for the dark side.

We know that Harry ends up marrying Ginny, who is, like Lily, a magically talented and strong-willed red-haired witch but is also his best friend's younger sibling. So, James falling for Regulus doesn't feel like too far a stretch to me.

Jegulus also gives the opportunities to explore a lot of interesting considerations for writers, such as (i) what is the difference between loving someone as a best friend and loving someone romantically; (ii) you can't choose the family you are born into but you can make your own family as you grow older; (iii) what are the differences in relationship dynamics between partners, lifelong friends and siblings?

I'm sure someone has more cleverly and thoroughly analysed these parallels before but I just wanted to share my unsolicited opinion with the tubmlrverse.

Overall, I would say if you enjoy reading something, read it. If you find yourself not enjoying something, DON'T. Freedom is fickle in this flawed world, so exercise it ruthlessly where you can.

Ok, rant over, Misia out x

[awyeahitssam]

Harry/Tom; Broken Promises + Pillow Forts, unresolved angst. Weirdly soft for them.

Harry may love his boyfriend, but he was also the first to admit that Tom Riddle was a stubborn prick.

They had been dating for seven months - fighting for longer - and, naturally, Yule was no different. They spent the majority of the day schmoozing at Black manor, Harry having allowed Tom to use his political position as both the Potter and Black heir to score an invite. It was a dreadfully boring and headache inducing affair, especially because Tom abandoned him several times to whisper his plans for World Domination into the ears of enthralled purebloods.

And now that they were back home, Tom was refusing to honor his end of the deal.

“We’re both exhausted, Harry,” he sighed, replacing a stiff dress shirt with soft cotton. “Another time.”

Harry doubted that. Plus, it was important to watch today. When Harry was young and Lily alive, every Yule had been spent on this very couch, bundled under blankets with a mug of hot chocolate and Christmas specials playing.

“We just spent most of the day playing politics because you wanted to, Tom, something I only agreed to because you promised we would do this tonight.”

“We left early because you said you were exhausted,” Tom rebutted. “Which means you need sleep, not to watch muggle Telly programs.”

“Fine,” Harry snapped, pulling Mrs. Weasley’s annual sweater over his head to conceal his hurt expression until he could get it under control. “Do what you want, but I’m watching this.”

Tom didn’t have family traditions. He didn’t have family. So it was understandable that he didn’t know how important this was to Harry.

But Harry had watched these with Remus once his mother died, and doing it alone, now that they were both gone, felt wrong.

Not that he had ever truly explained the importance of this to Tom. His lover probably thought of it as a silly whim, a favor. Perhaps he just detested muggles too much to care how his turnabout would affect Harry, and had never been planning to watch at all. It did rather sound like him.

Harry curled into a ball at the edge of the sofa and twisted his wand. Pillows zoomed from every room of the house, blankets floating behind them, and Harry heard a grunt as Tom -- presumably -- dodged one as they piled around him, building a fort that made him feel more cozy and less alone.

“Harry,” Tom hissed, in that all-too-familiar tone of frustration.

“What?” Harry snapped, turning on the Christmas special. His chest felt tight and he could feel his eyes welling with stupid, traitorous tears he refused to let fall. There was a pause, and then a blanket was pushed aside, allowing Tom to peer into his fort.

He was frowning, but it was more concerned than annoyed, and Harry looked away quickly. Not quickly enough, it seemed, because Tom sighed heavily and stepped into the fort, gently grasping his cheek.

“What is it, darling?”

Harry shrugged, pulling out of Tom’s grasp.

“Nothing,” he said through a dry throat. “I don’t like it when you make me promises you have no intention of keeping.”

Tom tensed, but didn’t deny his claim. “You’re typically not so upset.”

Harry turned to face him, anger only making the tears stronger. “Just because I don’t say it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it,” he snapped. “As much as you hate liars, it’s interesting what you’ve become, isn’t it?”

But Tom did not snap back, or fly into a pique as he was wont to do when Harry criticized him. Instead, he crouched down before him with a frown, hesitantly touching his knees. “I’ve truly upset you,” he noted, then offered, “I’ll stay. We can watch the program together.”

Harry grimaced, pulling away from the tentative touch. “I don’t want you here if you don’t want to be here,” he said, heart panging. “Why don’t you go back to Malfoy’s? I know he was talking about the after-party half the night.”

But Tom only frowned at him. “I’m not leaving,” he said. “You’re upset with me.”

Harry’s chest tightened. “When has that ever stopped you from leaving in the past?”

“Well, if you would just tell me instead of expecting me to know!” Tom snapped. “I’m trying here, Harry!”

“Maybe I need time,” Harry returned, just as fiercely though his own voice was quiet. “I don’t have to tell you everything, Tom, and I’ll tell you nothing before I’m ready to. I had your word that you would do this with me. Excuse me for believing that would be enough.”

From the fleeting expression on Tom’s face, a punch might’ve landed gentler. Neither of them trusted easily. Tom, because he’d never had reason to trust. Harry, because his faith had been broken so many times in the past.

[valentinetypewriter]

Me And My Husband - Chapter 2

Series Masterlist

Main masterlist // marauders era masterlist

Taglist: @rainychaosmiracle

(Let me know if you want to be apart of the tag list)

Word count: 2,549

Remus had finally let go of Sirius after said boy had started to calm down, though he kept his hands on his upper arms for comfort. "Sirius please talk to me, what the hell was that about" Remus was always soft spoken, it almost seemed impossible for it to get even softer but he always managed when he tried to comfort people. "You wouldn't understand Remus, it's just my family, it's always them" more tears leaked down the shorter boys face, his voice cracking a bit when he spoke. Remus pulled Sirius closer to himself, rubbing his hand up and down the crying boys back "then explain it to me so I can understand it" Sirius let out a weak nod in response "alright but I can't speak about it here".

The two boys had made their way back to their dorm room, of course after Remus had made up an excuse to the rest of his friend that he wasn't feeling very well. Though no one thought to question it, the young Werewolf seemed to always be sick every other week. Sirius sat on the edge of his bed with Remus, though never looking up to make eye contact with the taller boy, he was too embarrassed to do so. Sirius started his explanation with a soft sigh "it all started during the middle of our break, after I went back home from the Potter's". The memory was still fresh to Sirius, it had kept him awake many nights since it happened.

~Flashback~

Sirius had kept to himself since getting back home, wishing he could just spend the rest of the time with James, or even his other friends. He was especially not excited about today, his mother Walburga had invited over a friend of hers, and she of course told him that he'd be meeting them. Sirius was never happy to meet any of his parents' friends, they were always just like them, strict blood purists that stuck up their noses at him. He was dreading the moment his mother would call for him, he was dressed up nicely, being told it was an important occasion and he hated it. When Walburga finally called him down he wasn't expecting to see someone from Hogwarts staring at him, no he was expecting some old wrinkly pureblood that looked something like a ghost.

Sirius didn't know her name, nor did he care too. All he knew was that she was in Slytherin and best friends with her little brother, who of course was already sitting by her. He walked over to his mother holding out his hand to introduce himself "this is my eldest son Sirius, the one we talked about" his mother spoke for him, she always did, but he dreaded the thought of his mother talking about him to her 'friends' he could only expect the worst. Though the older woman in front of him just smiled as she shook his hand "well I hope he is as lovely as you described him to be, I'm M/n l/n" he smiled back at her although very confused, his mother had said something good about him to this woman, something she had never done before. "This is my daughter Y/n, I believe you're both starting your last year at Hogwarts" the mentioned girl nodded her head at Sirius as a small greeting. "Now Sirius since you'll be graduating your father and I thought it would be a good idea for you to start courting a member of a well respected pure-blood family, and luckily M/n here had the same thing planned for her daughter".

The world suddenly stopped for Sirius, his heart sinking down into his gut. The sickening swirl in his stomach kept building until a mess of words almost started spewing out of his mouth, though one harsh look from his mother kept him quiet. Sirius had no idea what to or do, so he stood still staring at the girl his parents wanted him to marry, only looking away when Walburga brought over a dark green velvet box. She handed it to the small girl Sirius was starting to despise, she grabbed it with a small and a quiet "thank you Mrs Black". She opened it and pulled out a beautiful and large ring, it was silver with crystal stars around the band and a stunning Emerald in the centre, it was so beautiful and it made him sick.

Walburga slipped the ring onto the young girl's finger as her face faltered, she seemed almost scared of the tall woman in front of her. Walburga then beckoned over her son, slipping on the dark steel ring with a similar star pattern onto his ring finger. "You'll make such a lovely addition to the family Y/n" Y/n just gave the woman a soft smile "oh and don't worry we have everything already planned for the big day, it will be a week after the two of you graduate" M/n spoke with a gleeful tone. The two Teenagers would never know but at that moment they were thinking the exact same thing, a wish to be younger. The threat of adulthood and an arranged marriage would be looming over their heads for the entire year, so they had to make the most of their last free year.

~Flashback over~

At this point Remus had his arm thrown over Sirius's shoulder, rubbing his thumb up and down to comfort the miserable boy "they've dictated my entire life, how I dressed, how I acted, who I spoke to, even tried to decide what house they wanted me to be in" Sirius let out an angry huff before continuing "and now I can't even choose who I fall in love with, I mean I'm to be married a week after we graduate! I wanted to do things with my life, like travel the world, have more fun with my friends before ever thinking of settling down with a wife and kids!" small tears welled up in his eyes the more worked up he became "God and I hate looking at her, and that stupid ring, it just reminds me of what waits for me after graduation" tears were now rushing down his face as he let out broken sobs "I'm sorry Sirius, I'm sorry this is happening to you, that I can't help you, love shouldn't be something that's decided for you, you both deserve to fall in love with someone you care about" Remus held on tighter to Sirius as tears streamed down the boys face. "Though she doesn't mean any harm to you, like she said she doesn't want this either, she's only wearing it to keep her parents pleased" Remus hesitated slight before he continued speaking "and I don't blame her, I wouldn't want your parents finding out that you aren't wearing it, and I don't trust Regulus enough not to tell them. It's just a suggestion, only so you don't get into any trouble" he had a soft smile as he spoke and Sirius could just tell he cared about what he was saying. Comfort from Remus always felt sincere and true, it never felt demeaning or horrid in any way, it made Sirius feel safe.

~timeskip~

After their talk Sirius had thought more about what Remus had said and he was right though, Sirius would rather die than have his parents find out he wasn't wearing the ring. So he had actually decided to wear it, it wasn't unusual for him. He often wore multiple rings at once, so no one would think to question it. Remus on the other hand had tried his luck in finding Y/n, he wanted to talk to her and properly apologise for overhearing their conversation yesterday, he started looking for her in more obvious places. Like the Great Hall, the Courtyard and even The Black Lake, where more introverted students would relax but Y/n had been in none of those places. Remus was starting to lose hope, so he decided to go to the library planning on looking into a spell that would help them with their upcoming prank. Remus grabbed a few random spell books before residing in the back of the library where, on a good day, there weren't any people there. Unfortunately for Remus this was not a good day, sitting at his usual table was a girl, he couldn't make out much of her only the back of her head. He had planned on walking away and looking for a different seat before he noticed the finger adorned with a dark green gem. Sitting at his usual spot in the library, far away from people to have enough privacy was the girl he had spent his morning looking for.

So he mustered up enough courage to approach the Slytherin girl "Excuse me, Y/n" the mentioned girl shot her head up from her book as she seemed startled, Remus's eyes widened, hands slowly came up in front of him "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to come and apologise about yesterday…" "and to see how you are doing" he managed to stutter out as the girl reclaimed her composure. The girl let out a mean scoff at his words, not believing the words he was saying. "I don't care and it doesn't matter, it's not like you know anything besides what you eavesdropped on" she was so rude, though Remus had a feeling it was only to push him away. "Actually Sirius told me everything" he looked straight to the ground as your face grew harsh "of course he did, can't keep his mouth shut for a second". Remus moved to sit down next to the girl, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what's happening" Y/n seemed confused at his words "why in Merlin's name would you be sorry?" she seemed to shrink in on herself as she asked. "Well, because I know how much this is killing Sirius, and I know you don't want this either" Y/n scoffed at him "it doesn't matter what I want, this is how my family has been for generations, they never get married for love". She looked down at the table, tears pricking her eyes "but that doesn't mean you deserve this" Remus put a soft hand on the girl's shoulder, her eyes shooting up to meet him as he did so.

Remus knew all too well what the look in Y/n's eyes meant. It was the same look Sirius used to give him when Remus tried to comfort him in their early years, the same look that begs for the pity to stop. It was all too overwhelming for Y/n, the burning behind her eyes as she tried so hard to not let tears fall, the sad look in Remus's eyes as he stared down at her, trying to make her feel better with his useless words. Comfort never felt good for Y/n, it always felt too demeaning, as if behind the caring facade people were really just making fun of her, it made her feel weak. "Thanks, I guess" after that Y/n rushed out of the library.

~timeskip~

Monday had finally arrived, the day the Marauders could pull off their prank on Snape. They had found the perfect spell, a sort of transfiguration spell that would last an entire day and couldn't be reversed, it was perfect. There was 15 minutes before the first class started when they found Snape, he was with a few other Slytherin students in a busy corridor. They hid themselves behind a corner as James prepared to cast the spell, a small blue spark shot out travelling towards Snape. Unfortunately some had gotten in the way, having called out to the group of slytherin students who had stopped to turn around. Even more unfortunately the blue spark that was intended for Snape had hit none other than Regulus, he had made his way over to the group with Y/n, he moved too quickly to stop what was about to happen. As they were talking Regulus felt his large oversized Slytherin sweater start to shrink in size, changing itself into a cardigan style jumper. He started shifting uncomfortably, as his clothes grew tight. The others hadn't noticed until the boy's pants had started shrinking, forming into a pleated black skirt that reached the middle of his thigh. His socks also started to rise up his legs, changing into thigh high socks. They had all stopped talking, and Regulus had started looking around, his face violently red as he noticed how many people were staring at him.

In their shocked state the Marauders had no chance to duck behind the corned, Regulus had marched over anger burning in his grey eyes. "What the hell is your problem, it's the first day and you idiots pull this shit" he was very passed off, James had tried to stutter out a response though his eyes were stuck on the younger boy's outfit. "It wasn't meant for you Regulus, we were trying to hit Snape" Sirius shot out, annoyed that their prank had been ruined "Yes because that makes it so much better brother" the young boy's face started to lighten up, going back to its usual pale colour. James was completely stunned, he had a weird feeling form in the pit of his stomach, he deemed it to just be because he wasn't expecting to hit his best friend's younger brother. And it definitely wasn't because he thought that Regulus looked incredibly attractive in a skirt and thigh highs, though James couldn't tear his eyes off of him "if it makes you feel any better you sure do make a good girl" James blurted out, pulling out laughs from his three friends. Regulus felt his face burn up again as he looked away from James. He felt humiliated, "yes you're all absolutely hilarious" he wanted to get back at them, so he did in the only way he knew how. He leant closer to Sirius so the other boys wouldn't hear him, he wouldn't know but Remus could hear everything he was saying "just so you know brother, Y/n has been awfully close with that Crouch boy since we got back, you should keep an eye on your 'property'. If she fell for someone else mother would think you aren't putting in enough effort" Sirius had instantly stopped laughing, shooting his eyes from Regulus over to Y/n, where she had been talking closely to Barty Crouch Jr. The mentioned boy had laughed at something you said, putting an arm around your shoulder and pulling you closer to him. Regulus just smiled at the look on his brother's face, a sick sense of joy washing over him "I'm going to go and get changed now" Sirius rolled his eyes at his brother "yeah good luck with that" though Regulus seemed to ignore him. Sirius's eyes were stuck on Y/n for a few moments "Well that was a fail, let get the hell out of here" Peter had finally spoken, with that the boys had started to make their way to class.