#robert hitchens

[peggy-elise]

Merle Oberon in Temptation 1946 ⚱️

[melodymidway]

The Hitchens Family

This post is dedicated to Esther and Miranda Hitchens, the daughters of Bob Hitchens and Iola Black. It also contains quite a few headcanons about Beauxbatons and the Black family.

Julius and Phineas Hearst, as well as the Elysians, belong to @helenadurazzo

Cygnus Black, Ella Max, and their four children: Sirius, Phineas Nigellus, Elladora, Iola

Don't mind Phineas Nigellus's Picrew, I tried to make it as similar to his HL look as possible, lol

Iola Black was the daughter of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, which automatically meant much drama and trouble for the entirety of her life. The youngest child of Cygnus Black and Ella Max, born in 1851, she had no memory of her father, who died mere months after her birth in some reckless adventure of his. Neither did she know her brother Sirius, whose seemingly innocent cold turned into a full-fledged fever and took his life when the boy was barely eight. However, Iola grew under the watchful eyes of her grandparents, mother, Aunt Misapinoa and Uncle Arcturus, who later became her stepfather.

The marriage of Cygnus and Ella took place when both were very young, and was a part of a deal between the Black and the Travers families. As there was no Travers bride of the suitable age, the choice fell on the daughter of a Travers lady, who had married a Max. The union was entirely loveless, but produced four children. Ella's particular favourites were Sirius and Elladora, yet she didn't quite like Phineas Nigellus and cared little for Iola. Cygnus's death brought her no despair, save for the one of losing the position of an heir's wife; however, the fate of her eldest son scarred her for life.

Several years later, Ella married her deceased husband's younger brother Arcturus, whom she liked way more and who allowed her to remain in the Black family circle and wield some influence. It caused considerable indignation among the Blacks, as Arcturus was supposed to establish new connections with his eventual marriage. In 1860, they had a son, Rasalas, yet Ella never loved any of her living children as much as she did the ghost of her dear Sirius, with only Elladora coming close.

Rasalas was the only sibling Iola was genuinely fond of, and she often helped to nurse and educate him. Phineas Nigellus and Elladora were too cold and haughty for her taste, and out of her three Blishwick cousins, she only liked the youngest, Hadrian. Like the vast majority of the Blacks, Iola became a student of the Slytherin House. However, her best friend was a Ravenclaw by the name of Walter Ellington. Some even expected them to wed eventually, yet their friendship was entirely platonic, and Walter soon announced his engagement to Lorna Lovegood.

Iola was aware that her mother placed all her hopes of a successful match on her, as she liked keeping Elladora near too much to encourage her to join another family. At first, she tried to avoid matchmaking at all costs, claiming to be occupied with her career in Healing and Potion-making, as well as making lengthy visits as far from her relatives as possible. Yet, she couldn't hide forever, so she began to consider potential suitors. Those who pleased her family inevitably disgusted Iola, and those she could hope to like turned out taken or weren't interested or were of too lowly an origin for the pride of the House of Black.

One day, Iola ended up attending a muggle ball with Walter as her partner, as the Ellingtons were among the families that didn't reject such invitations out of arrogance and sense of superiority. There, she accidentally stumbled upon a crying child. Iola loved children and was rather skilled in dealing with them, so she was able to soothe the boy, Hugh Hitchens, with relative ease. It was how she ended up meeting his father.

Robert Hitchens, or simply Bob, was a well-to-do landowner of a noble lineage, being the grandson of a baron on his mother's side. Being the only child of a good family and having lost his father quite early, he managed the affairs of his estate, which was located near Bath, as well as the surrounding land. To aid his ailing mother and make the house less gloomy, he took a wife, who gave birth to Hugh. However, both of the women soon left him, his mother dying of a disease and his wife not surviving a carriage accident.

Iola was charmed by him and his son since that very first meeting and seeked new opportunities to cross paths in the months to come. Various events allowed them to spend much time together, and they fell in love, deciding to get married. Bob, an intelligent and courteous man, was determined to ask for her family's blessing, yet Iola dissuaded him, knowing that it would end very badly. She left the Black residence discreetly and without any regrets. Her suitcase contained only her most precious possessions, including a golden crown with stars and onyxes, her uncle's present. Bob searched for a perfect ring for Iola meticulously and eventually found one with an intricate crest, believing she would love it. Iola was flabbergasted to recognise it as the Black family crest. The ring turned out to be an heirloom, previously in possession of Apollonia Black and considered long lost.

Only Rasalas, the Ellingtons, Hadrian, and Noctua Gaunt, a good acquaintance of Iola's with whom she shared many grievances about their families, were present on the wedding on the bride's side, though Rasalas did so secretly as not to face repercussions. Phineas Nigellus, officially the head of the Black family after the death of his grandfather Licorus, personally disowned Iola and burned her portrait off the family tapestry, passionately renouncing her as his sister. Ella was completely disappointed, saying that instead of heirs, Iola's children would be pathetic Half-Bloods by the whim of their thoughtless mother. Elladora proposed to cut off the heads of Iola's husband and any children they would have, the practice she often used on the old house-elves.

Together, Bob and Iola had two daughters: Esther Emma Hicthens, born on September 1st, 1880, and Miranda Hannah Hitchens, born on June 7th, 1886. The first names were chosen by Iola and continued the star thematic of the Black family while Bob picked the middle names to honour his mother. His own name alluded to his mother's maiden name, Robinson. Emma was the lady's first name, and Hannah was the name she had wished to give her daughter, the one she never ended up having. The girls were affectionately called Essie and Mira by their family and friends.

Esther looked like a Black through and through, with her grey eyes and black wavy hair that was, fortunately, more manageable than her mother's unruly curls. Miranda's appearance mirrored her father's, her hair being straight and brown, and her eyes likewise brown. Hugh's features and clear blue eyes gave him a stronger resemblance to his mother's family. His hair was also a lighter shade of brown than Bob's and Mira's.

The relationship between Hugh and his father's second family proved that it was, in fact, possible for one man's children by different wives to get along. Iola treated Bob's son as though he were her own, and was warmly respected in return. The children never perceived each other as only half-siblings. Hugh was fond of his sisters and, having inherited his father's kindness and good humour, often indulged their games and antics. Thanks to the input of his stepmother, whom he grew used to call mother, Hugh knew quite a lot about the wizarding world. Being particularly interested in art and photography, he was fascinated by the moving portraits and pictures Iola got him.

In 1888, Iola's favourite brother Rasalas got married to Marthe Auclair, the younger sister of Maurice Auclair. The Auclair business had previously experienced a crisis, which forced the head of the family to arrange a match between his heir and Adele Lefebvre, the daughter of a less prominent but wealthy family, to get financial support and provide political standing to the Lefebvres in return. Marthe's marriage into one of the most prestigious British pureblood families was believed to be a blessing which would recover the reputation of the Auclairs completely. Rasalas, not quite as progressive and enthusiastic about the non-magical population as his sister, as well as mindful of his image, didn't invite Iola and her family to the wedding. While Iola understood his reasons and, frankly, didn't much wish to see her relatives and sister-in-law Ursula Flint (who, in her opinion, was almost as unpleasant as Phineas Nigellus), she couldn't help feeling offended and hurt.

Rasalas Black and his daughter by Marthe Auclair, Alcyone Black

Bob and Iola's marriage was very happy, but rather short. In 1889, Bob went to a different town on business and was unlucky enough to encounter the Gaunts, who resided there. Fond of torturing Muggles for the fun of it, the heavily prejudiced family made Bob their new target. He was hit with the Cruciatus Curse multiple times, and his cries for help were so horrible that Ominis Gaunt begged his relatives to show the man mercy. The next spell Bob received after the boy's words was Avada Kedavra, for the only mercy the Gaunts were capable of was death.

Iola, worried about her husband's long absence, came to the town herself and found his body. Though the Muggle doctors stated that he must have taken a bad fall and had brain hemorrhage, the witch knew what the death by the Killing Curse looked like and put two and two together quickly. Moreover, Noctua herself came to apologise for her family's actions and offer her sincere condolences, briefly meeting both of Iola's girls during her visit. It was the last time the two of them had seen each other, for Noctua soon departed to the Slytherin Scriptorium and never returned. Another loss that quite shook Iola, though it happened a few years later, was that of her cousin Hadrian Blishwick. He was an Auror and perished in the same battle where his colleague, Aesop Sharp, got his injury.

The news of Bob's untimely demise shook the family badly. Hugh, only seventeen, was forced to take over his father's work. Usually quite open to communication, he closed off and hardly ever left the estate for some time, even losing his enthusiasm for the things he had previously loved. Iola didn't tell him the truth about Bob's death, fearing that he would come to loathe magic, as well as not wishing to add another burden on his shoulders. Esther, a girl of nine at that time, was utterly devastated, for she adored her father. She was the only person whom Iola told about the magical nature of Bob's passing, without any details. Mira was only three and preserved few memories of Bob.

Phineas Nigellus thought that Iola would crawl back to the Black residence after the death of her husband due to not having anything to live on. Needless to say, Iola never did. Unlike Hugh, she didn't lock herself away in her grief, but applied for a more active job at St. Mungo's instead of selling potions from home in order not go mad within four walls. She also preserved her place as the mistress of the house, doing her best to help her stepson.

Since Iola was now often away, Hugh looked after the girls, playing an almost paternal role in Miranda's upbringing. Esther was often put under Rasalas and Marthe's guidance in France, as Iola wanted to prepare her for the future while also placing her in safety. Hearing how particularly anti-Muggle Hogwarts became during Phineas Nigellus's time as the Headmaster (the appointment Iola had once laughed at and called absolutely idiotic), she decided to send Essie and her friend to Beauxbatons.

Said friend, Wilhelmina Dallimore, whom Esther tended to call Mina, came from a neighbouring family, was discovered to be a Muggleborn witch at some point of their acquaintance, and thus taken under Iola's wing. The girls were close as children, and going to the same school in a different country made them only closer.

Mina Dallimore

Potions and Alchemy were always considered to be the main specialisation of Beauxbatons, which suited Esther perfectly. Having watched her mother make brews and learned many a particular, she was curious about these sciences since her very childhood. She also excelled in Herbology and was good at Transfiguration. Still, it was Alchemy that she felt particularly passionate about. The subject was compulsory at Beauxbatons, and Esther learned everything she could about the experiments with genuine fascination. In particular, Spagyric, the plant alchemy, piqued her interest, especially since there were few studies on it, undeservedly so. As Nicolas Flamel was the benefactor of Beauxbatons, he sometimes gave lectures on Alchemy there, and Essie attended them all.

Beauxbatons was usually associated with elegance, which was an accurate description, yet few of the outsiders cared to remember that such an appearance was created by strict order and discipline. A student's looks must be neat, and their manners refined and pleasing. The freshmen even had special classes dedicated to the rules of conduct in the wizarding society, as well as the traditions of various beings. Beauxbatons also paid a lot of attention to the classical aspects of education, particularly music and languages. Most of its students were well-versed in dancing, Esther being one of them and enjoying the process very much. She also took singing lessons, and her naturally lovely voice helped her become quite good at it.

In addition, the grounds of Beauxbatons were famous for their organised lawns and labyrinths of shrubberies, as well as enormous flower beds. Roses were the particular pride of the academy, and Essie even took a couple of them with her, charming them so that they preserved their beauty. She really liked her school despite some of its faults.

As Esther often said, Beauxbatons wasn't only about the duels of wands, but also the duels of words. The French Academy of Magic had an insane competition due to the huge amount of students from various countries, and many did their best to fight for their place under the sun. Some chose to do so with hard work and patience, as did Esther, others attempted flattery, certain individuals gladly made their rivals trip to promote their own chances. Esther quickly learned that if she wished to achieve something and stand out, she must prepare to be always vigilant. Though she and Mina made some good friends, particularly Bernadette Auclair, the daughter of Maurice and Adele whom Esther also knew since childhood, as well as their other roommate Carmen Reyes, there were way less friendly students in their year. Renard Tremblay, the cousin of Falco and Clarisse Tremblay, was a prominent example. Coming from a noble French family, he felt superior to the non-Pureblood girls and happened to mock them, not without receiving a hex in return.

Beauxbatons taught Esther equanimity, restraint, and shrewdness. It wasn't too hard a lesson since her demeanour was naturally calm, and she possessed innate intelligence. Essie even jokingly claimed that she was lucky not to inherit the Black fierceness, which sometimes turned into madness. She preferred to take things slow, disliking rush and abrupt change. Though she was unfailingly polite and kind, with all the gentleness of the world reserved for her loved ones, some considered her unfeeling due to her self-control and mostly rational approach. In addition, her sense of humour could be quite wry and biting. Esther had a pet, or rather, she took one of her mother's pets with her to school. Being allergic to owl feathers, Iola used her ravens, Huginn and Munnin, for communication. Since Essie inherited her allergy, she made Munnin, her favourite of the two, her own familiar.

In contrast to Esther, Mina was outspoken and quite reckless, seeking excitement rather than peace. She quickly became very fond of flying and Quidditch, playing in school matches as a Chaser and even dragging Essie along to a professional one. Nowhere near as enthusiastic about Potions and Alchemy as her best friend, Mina still sometimes kept her company during her practices and witnessed quite a few of her experiments. During one of them, her intervention actually saved Esther from harm. Mina pushed her friend away from the explosion, sustaining mild burns herself, much to Essie's horror. After this accident, she developed the habit of automatically conjuring a shield the second something seemed suspicious.

Esther and Wilhelmina studied at Beauxbatons for four years. Since the number of children who were willing to enter it exceeded the school's capabilities, the management decided to only accept those who belonged there by birth and couldn't be transferred closer to their place of residence. Two English girls, whose place was, by default, at Hogwarts, were on the top of their chopping list. Esther made sure Professor Weasley was contacted rather than the Headmaster, knowing that they wouldn't be accepted otherwise, and Matilda took great pleasure in welcoming Phineas Nigellus's Half-Blood niece and her Muggleborn friend at Hogwarts for their fifth year behind his back.

The witches were introduced to the Headmaster on the first day of the studies. Phineas Nigellus first wondered if Mina was a relative of the Weasleys, with her red hair and freckles, but quickly forgot about her when Esther was announced. Not unexpectedly, Professor Weasley received a lecture about letting such unworthy individuals into the school, which ended with a warning to Esther: should she make one wrong movement, she would be expelled. Such behaviour confirmed all of her mother's snide remarks on the Blacks, and Essie found herself heartily disliking the Headmaster. Alas, she would have many more reasons to loathe him in the future.

During the sorting ceremony, Mina became a student of the Gryffindor House. However, this option was immediately excluded for Esther, seeing as she was too careful and cautious to be a lion. Having briefly considered Ravenclaw, the Hat hesitated between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Essie would have preferred the latter, as the former was famous for Pureblood supremacy that she didn't want to deal with, yet the decision was made in favour of the snakes.

Surprisingly, most of the Slytherins in her year were quite friendly. Essie co-lived pleasantly with her roommates, growing particularly close to Violet McDowell. Being the Slytherin Prefect of their year, Violet helped her a lot with her transfer troubles. She encouraged a slightly competitive friendship between Imelda and Mina since both were great flyers, all while using her purely Hufflepuff compassion to help Nerida and Grace in their respective quests. Esther also rather liked Sebastian and eagerly accepted his invitation to the Crossed Wands, however, his dark inclinations eventually led them to go separate ways.

As for adapting and meeting more people, Essie received eager help from Basil and Farrah Ellington, the latter more than the former, as they knew each other since childhood due to the friendship their parents shared. Esther also bonded with Garreth Weasley over their shared passion for Potions, and with Natsai Onai over their transferring experience. She would also grow closer to Georgiana with time, and the two would work together on the projects connected to Healing.

Still, her payment for having nice classmates was the simultaneous existence of an extremely nasty one. Cantankerus Nott was obsessed with blood purity and family lineages, so he immediately classified Esther's family situation as "dirty Muggle blood spoiling such an impeccable Black heritage" and caused unrest on multiple occasions. For instance, he once closed Esther in the Owlery, all while being fully aware of her allergy to owl feathers. One day, Cantankerus would create a list of noble Pureblood families, known as the Sacred Twenty-Eight. However, his choice of them wouldn't be entirely impartial. For instance, Georgiana Wotton and Phineas Hearst wouldn't find their surnames there due to being in conflict with Nott.

Given Esther's enmity with the Headmaster, her cold head was still very much needed. Ever since their distasteful first meeting, she decided to preserve her place at Hogwarts by being quiet, respectful, and mindful of the rules. She put a lot of effort into her studies and paid particular attention to Potions and Herbology. Professor Garlick quickly warmed to her, appreciating her help in the greenhouses; Professor Sharp wasn't against letting her practise her brews in his classroom, with their comfortable silence sometimes interrupted by small conversations.

The absence of Alchemy baffled and upset her immensely, and she tried to compensate it with books and new experiments, eventually collaborating with Julius Hearst to get a sufficient number of students to be able to take Alchemy as an elective course. The eventual list included the two of them, Stanley Midway, Garreth Weasley, Cressida Blume, Georgiana Wotton, Sebastian Sallow, Zsuzsi Shröder, and Adelaide Oakes. Professor Sharp was selected to give Alchemy lessons, and he wasn't very fond of the prospect, but with time, the so-called Alchemy Club grew on him. The students also became united among themselves. Esther received the nickname 'Lady Alchemist'. Her friendship with Julius strengthened, and his brother even believed they were a couple.

Esther's newly-found balance was destined to be ruined rapidly, though. At some point, she happened to get caught in the crossfire of a fight against the goblins, which led to her closer acquaintance with Phineas Hearst. While Essie did well at DADA, she wasn't an extremely talented dueller and could hardly stand her ground in a serious battle. Phineas proposed her to join him on his trainings, and Esther came to aid him in his researches, especially since she knew quite a bit about the goblins. Yet, the activities she found herself involved in often differed from what was allowed, so she did her best to stay unnoticed. It didn't prevent Phineas Nigellus from voicing his often ridiculous suspicions. For instance, he even claimed that Esther's loyalty to Hogwarts was just an act, and she was, in fact, helping the goblins. Essie couldn't quite understand if he genuinely believed it was so, or simply wanted to damage her reputation.

In spite of all the issues Esther had to face, Hogwarts granted her an unexpected ally. He was watching her intently ever since she first entered the Great Hall, and upon looking at him more closely, Essie recognised the boy she had met and briefly talked to during one of her visits to the Diagon Alley. When she got lost on one of her first days at school, he offered her help and introduced himself as Phineas Black. Esther was suspicious about his intentions at first, believing that he only meant to mock her, yet Phineas was completely sincere.

He was a year older than her and the only one of Phineas Nigellus Black's five children who didn't believe in the Pureblood supremacy. Thus, he didn't consider developing a good relationship with his Half-Blood cousin, whom he was very curious about, below his dignity. Esther was surprised at how easily they got along, and how quickly she began to feel the sort of intimacy that very few inspired with him. However, they had to be discreet about their friendship, as Phineas Nigellus was very likely to do everything to prevent it. Arcturus, Phineas's younger brother, noticed their interactions and tried to dissuade Phineas from ever talking to Esther again. Still, young Arcturus loved his brother enough not to report his every step to their father.

Phineas Nigellus Black, Ursula Flint and their five children: Sirius, Phineas, Arcturus, Belvina, Cygnus

Phineas had an imaginary scale of his siblings' awfulness. Arcturus was the least problematic of them, followed closely by Sirius, who had already graduated. He was often irritated by Phineas Nigellus, but not due to his glaringly unfair conduct as the Headmaster, but because he was overbearingly controlling and tended to ruin the fun Sirius was trying to have. Belvina and Cygnus were almost equally spoiled, having inherited all the arrogance and pompousness of their parents. Belvina was particularly attached to her father and proud of his position as the Headmaster. In the future, she would name one of her sons Nigellus. Cygnus's own behaviour greatly resembled that of his descendant, Draco Malfoy. His prejudice and disdain would reach their peak in his horrible treatment of his son Marius, who would be born a squib.

Phineas played in the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Seeker and was furious at Phineas Nigellus for banning Quidditch. However, his attempts to persuade his father to lift the ban alongside Imelda were fruitless. Still, even though Phineas was no favourite son of his, Phineas Nigellus proposed to make him a Captain the following year, when the students' restlessness forced him to let the season happen. The Headmaster saw no problem with using his position to give his children more influence. For instance, he had pushed Sirius to become a Prefect, though he was clearly not qualified for it. Phineas refused with indignation, defending Imelda's right to be the Captain. She was a good friend of his, and he admired her drive and enthusiasm to bring victory to their team. Esther had little fondness for flying, but she sometimes accompanied her friends to the Pitch, pleased to see a blooming friendship between Phineas and Mina that would eventually turn into something more.

Though Phineas was done enough with his family not to mind being disowned, Essie resorted to various tricks to undermine their closeness in the eyes of their fellow Slytherins to avoid consequences. For example, she used the identical names of her cousin and friend to her advantage and made it seem like she always referred to Phineas Hearst. Among her trusted fellows, Essie could call him Finn, a nickname that would soon get glued to him. She also enjoyed addressing him as her cousin since she grew up with no cousins, her father being an only child, and so treasured their bond very much.

On the summer after her fifth year, Esther invited Phineas to visit her family's estate. He gladly accepted, telling his parents that he would go to a friend's place. Iola embraced her nephew with all of her characteristic warmth; Hugh found an intriguing interlocutor who was extremely interested in the Muggle world; Mira made him her playmate. It was easily the most carefree summer in Phineas Black's life.

Another bond that changed Esther's life quite a bit was the one she formed with Ominis Gaunt. Their relationship had a rocky beginning due to Sebastian inviting Esther to the Undercroft without Ominis's permission, but they soon got along and gravitated towards each other in an almost unconscious way, going from exchanging small comments to getting engaged in long conversations. They had the same values and beliefs; Ominis loved the sound of Esther's voice. From the very first months of their acquaintance, they started developing feelings for each other.

By the end of Essie's first term at Hogwarts, the two of them were already close enough to open up quite a lot to each other. It was when Esther spoke about her father and his early death. Ominis was horrified when the few particulars she knew gave him a clear understanding that the murder had been committed by his own relatives. He confessed his guess immediately and tried to beg for her forgiveness, but Esther, though shocked and pained, insisted that he was in no way responsible for the crime and had even attempted to help. She needed time to process the truth, but she never held Ominis accountable and proceeded with their communication as before.

During her winter holidays, Esther convinced her mother to reveal everything to Hugh and Mira. Hugh wasn't a revengeful sort and knew he could hardly oppose the wizards, but he was rather offended by the former concealment of truth. He asked if any measures had been taken to punish the guilty. Iola's answer was that she had made an attempt, yet the Ministry was unwilling to anger such an influential Pureblood family as the Gaunts.

Ominis told Esther many stories of his Aunt Noctua. His genuine attachment to her made Essie quite curious about the witch, who reminded her of her own mother. In the Scriptorium, she had a chance to meet Noctua's ghost and interact with her. Only then did she learn about the friendship between Iola and Noctua and remember her own short encounter with the latter. In the end, Esther overheard the ghost telling Ominis that she thought the two of them would make a great couple.

Their relationship officially began during the second term of their fifth year. When it came to the Christmas ball during their sixth year, Esther attended it with Basil Ellington, considering it a safe option since she needed cover while Basil didn't want to invite anyone after his breakup with Georgiana Wotton. Still, she managed to steal a dance with Ominis when Phineas Nigellus was sufficiently drunk, and Cantankerus had a tiny accident, organised by their friends.

While they were secretive about their relationship, with only the trusted friends knowing and their dates being very private, the situations that could make an onlooker suspicious did happen. For instance, Ominis once defended Esther against the Headmaster's accusations, automatically squeezing her hand in process. Phineas Nigellus didn't like it and made a scathing comment about the Gaunts never letting him take a mere Half-Blood for a wife.

While the Headmaster only meant to mock in that particular case, he soon began to consider the possibility of Ominis and Esther being together in truth. What fed his disagreeable conclusion were the quite transparent hints of one observant Cantankerus Nott, whom he even summoned to his office to question. Upon receiving all the confirmation he needed, Phineas Nigellus contacted the Gaunts, who in turn gave Ominis a violent lashing out, threatening to subject Esther to her father's fate if he didn't break up with her.

As hard as Ominis and Esther tried to find a solution, their options were few. They were yet schoolchildren, both dependant on their families, so running away and living separately was out of their reach, and frankly, too early and abrupt for Essie's sensibility. Staying with the Hitchens family was also considered uncertain since they could be opposed to it, given Bob's story, even if her and Ominis's romance resembled Iola's quite a bit. Still, she feared that should the Gaunts find them, their wrath would be unleashed on her mother and siblings, and she must protect them at all costs.

It was what eventually convinced Esther that what she had with Ominis for more than a year at that point had to be put to an end. The circumstances forced a difficult and painful breakup on them. While Esther was pretty good at putting a brave face, she still went to Phineas, Mina, and Julius for comfort. She also tried to soothe herself by repeating that it was the most optimal thing they could do, but she wasn't quite able to keep herself from tearing up as she did that.

Even though Esther did her best to keep her feelings to herself and insisted that new assignments would make a good distraction and lift her spirits, she did snap at Cantankerus, who made a nasty comment about her and Ominis within her hearing. Though her attack was only verbal, she had the misfortune to be overheard by Phineas Nigellus, who wasted no time in assigning her detentions. Professor Sharp, who was also present, suggested that Esther serve them in his classroom in an attempt to give her a less bothersome task at least, since the situation was as unfair as could be, but the Headmaster insisted that she clean the dusty rooms. In one of such rooms, Esther stumbled upon the Mirror of Erised, where she saw herself and Ominis as adults, with two girls that could only be their daughters.

It was in such troubled times that Hugh announced his engagement, albeit sorry that when he found his happiness, his sister lost hers. His fiancée, Saraswati Byrne, whom everyone called Sara, was the only daughter of Suscrita Shah. Much like her mother, Sara attended Cambridge under the disguise of a gentleman, reversing her name to call herself Aras Byrne. However, unlike her maternal family, she studied literature instead of astronomy. Being particularly fond of poetry and knowledgeable about languages, Sara worked as a translator and was glad to find an equally creative husband, with whom she could move in the circles of their fellow talented individuals and build a loving family.

Hugh Hitchens and Saraswati Byrne

They got married in the summer of 1898, with Sara's aunt Satyavati Shah and Phineas Black among the many guests. They would soon have two children: Sullivan, born in 1899 and given the middle name Robert, as well as Hillary, born in 1902. Surprisingly, Hillary would one day become the mother of Myrtle Warren, a Muggleborn witch who, much like her great-grandfather Bob, would become the victim of the Gaunts, or rather, their descendant Tom Riddle.

Though Iola said that the estate had a new mistress, therefore she and the girls must move out to let Hugh and Sara build their lives as they saw fit, Hugh insisted that they stay at least for some time, especially since he and his wife would go to their honeymoon. Iola, Esther and Miranda liked Sara very well, and the former took up teaching her daughter-in-law how to manage a household. It was to Sara that Esther often went for advice while in doubt.

They didn't have to wait too long for another drama to occur, though. Phineas Black, freshly graduated from Hogwarts, started working in the Ministry of Magic, as his family wanted. However, it was soon discovered that he had chosen the Muggle Liaison Office of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, which enraged his father. Still, Phineas Nigellus held hope that his second son could yet be influenced and transferred to a more respectable position. It lasted until young Phineas began to publicly support Muggle rights. Such behaviour, in the eyes of the Blacks, warranted disinheritance.

Esther was on her seventh year when it happened. She found out from the Daily Prophet, along with a letter from her cousin that came with it. Determined to help Phineas, she and Mira immediately contacted Hugh, asking to let him stay in the estate at least before he found himself his own accomodation. Hugh was amenable, and Iola basically adopted her nephew, treating him as a son. Phineas Nigellus, furious as he was, accused Esther of twisting Phineas's beliefs and demanded that she not aid him in any way, which she chose to ignore, as controlling her life outside of school was nowhere near his rights or obligations.

Esther's last year at Hogwarts brought her reconciliation with Ominis, as they valued each other's friendship too much to part ways completely. They would keep in touch after graduation as well. The time before her finals was spent on preparation and musings about her future. Esther initially entertained the thought of becoming an Unspeakable, but the prospect of joining the Centre for Alchemical Studies in Egypt outweighed the previous plan. Since entrance control was required in the centre, Esther undertook the preparations with utmost diligence, agreeing with Professors Sharp and Garlick to act more like their apprentice than a regular student during her last year.

Professor Garlick treated her more as a friend than an apprentice; they called each other by their first names in unofficial settings and promised to keep a correspondence. Her closer interactions with Professor Sharp let Esther discover more about him and his past, which made her appreciate him even more, a feeling that was completely mutual. Her attachments made it quite difficult for her leave Hogwarts, the school she once had to get used to because of unfavourable circumstances but eventually grew to love.

Esther's graduation was notable for Iola's presence and thus her first meeting with Phineas Nigellus in two decades. Unlike her daughter, Iola had no reservations against calling her brother out in a harsh and mocking manner. Moreover, Phineas Nigellus noticed the ring with the Black family crest on her finger, accused her of stealing it, and wanted to take it away from her, believing that it belonged to his line. Only Esther's intervention saved the party from a scandal.

That summer, Iola decided to move out of the estate at last, and Phineas found them a nice house on the Diagon Alley. He didn't live there for long, though, as he soon got married and relocated to Hogsmeade, where Mina worked as an assistant at Spintwitches. As passionate as she was about Quidditch, Mina had no aspirations to play professionally, but Georgiana Wotton's tales of wood for brooms made her very interested in their crafting. She would eventually get a job in a company that produced brooms. Upon their marriage, Phineas changed his surname to Dallimore, and his name to Finn, as his full name reminded him too much of his father.

Esther enjoyed herself in Egypt, diving deep into her researches. There, she met Ryder Prewett, Leander's older brother and the second son of the Prewett family, who worked in the local branch of Gringotts as a Curse-Breaker. They became friends, and Esther joined his Curse-Breaking group for her alchemic practices, helping them with the tasks connected to her field of study. Eventually, they tried to have a romantic relationship, but for all its shine and cheer comparing to the secrecy and calmness of her and Ominis's romance, it didn't last long. Perhaps Esther intentionally didn't let it be long since she had an unpleasant experience with the Purebloods of such rank and waited for the time when his family would forbid their union. Ryder didn't take the breakup well and was angry at Esther for a while. Ironically, he would one day marry Violet McDowell, her close friend, and they would be able to have a good-natured communication once again.

Returning to little Mira, the girl began her education at Hogwarts when her older sister was on her sixth year. She had none of Esther's natural tranquility, being way more spirited but no less cunning, so she entered the school with all the drive and boisterousness of many a Black, Iola among them. While Mira had no Beauxbatons to teach her the intricacies of social ties, she was forced to learn them at Hogwarts, and very quickly. Though the Sorting Hat seriously considered Gryffindor for her, Miranda eventually ended up in Slytherin, greeted eagerly by her sister and cousin but not by her classmates. Where luck had smiled upon Esther, it didn't spare much for Mira, as the snakes of her year were mostly convinced Purebloods. Belvina Black was the absolute worst of them.

Since their very first days at school, Belvina proved that she was nothing like her brother and sneered at Miranda constantly, calling her a filthy Half-Blood. Never the one to tolerate such attitude, Mira declared war and used every trick to make Belvina's life miserable in return. Their shared dormitory gave much room for action on both sides. While Mira adored being in the centre of attention and gathering people around herself, she didn't succeed with the Slytherins, as they either supported Belvina or kept quiet in order not to be bullied.

There was one Slytherin who remained unfazed by Belvina's threats, though. Valerian Lovegood, Basil and Farrah's cousin, was a rare snake among the eagles of his family, notable for minding his own business in his perfectly acceptable loneliness and only watching the people around with mild curiosity at best and annoyance at worst. Despite their obvious differences in temperament, Mira decided to approach him, and they made a great pair of friends.

The students from other houses joined in, forming a united circle. Caitlin Sparks, a Hufflepuff who came from a huge family, brought all the kindness of her House and much fun; Severn Macmillan from Ravenclaw, the heir of the Macmillans, was the most collected and witty person of their company; Demetria Weasley, mostly called Demie, was way more well-behaved than her brother Garreth, and her cuteness masked her fierce protectiveness of her friends.

Valerian Lovegood, Mira Hitchens, Caitlin Sparks, Severn Macmillan, Demie Weasley

Mira was a skilled flyer and played for the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Beater. Her favourite subjects were DADA and Beasts, for she was a more talented dueller comparing to Esther, and the creatures, particularly big and epic ones, fascinated her. However, all the gift for Potion-making ended up in Iola's and Esther's hands, with nothing left for Miranda. She also intentionally ignored Astronomy due to the associations with the Blacks. She was disgusted by the vast majority of them no less than Essie, yet she couldn't conceal it as well.

Some were surprised that Gryffindor hadn't been chosen for Mira in the end, as she was considerably more inclined to the fire element. Even her Patronus was a Fire Dwelling Salamander. Meanwhile Esther loved water and could swim very well, so her own charm took the form of a seagull.

Sometime on the second term of their fourth year, the Slytherins were going down the staircase after the Charms class to attend Herbology a few floors below. Belvina, deep in her inner plotting, accidentally tripped and fell all the way down. Her first instinct was to cover her embarrassment and accuse Miranda of pushing her. When the news reached Phineas Nigellus, he summoned Mira and the other students to his office, all while Belvina lay in the Hospital Wing with a sprained ankle and some bruises. She decided to go along with her lies, as it allowed her to save face and get rid of Miranda simultaneously. The witnesses repeated her version of the story, some eagerly and others fearfully, with the only exception of Valerian, who had walked right near Mira at the time of the accident and tried to give truthful testimony, but to no avail. The Headmaster saw his chance to cause trouble, and did just it.

Miranda was supposed to be expelled, and Valerian, as he was Pureblood, to be given detention for slander. As soon as it was known, Mirabel Garlick wrote a letter to inform Esther. Iola was abroad at that time, and there wasn't much time, which meant that Essie had to resolve the problem on her own.

Though it happened in the middle of her own school year, she was in London, as the Centre for Alchemical Studies was temporarily closed down due to an accident. Esther's acquaintance from Beauxbatons who also entered Alchemy trainings, Odile Perrot, blew up her experiment and sustained serious injuries. As she came from a high-ranking Pureblood family, her parents demanded an investigation. Odile was an overconfident and assertive witch who cared more about people's intelligence rather than blood status, which allowed her and Esther to form an alliance. Essie was concerned about her well-being, yet she couldn't write to the Perrots, as they wouldn't approve of their daughter's association with a Half-Blood.

Esther was very exasperated at first, thinking that her sister had really done something that warranted expulsion. However, when Mira explained the situation, her sister believed her and was resolved to prove her innocence. Professor Sharp helped her revise the school rules, and the information about a student in danger of expulsion having a right for a trial was found.

Of course, Phineas Nigellus denied Esther's request and dismissed her almost instantly. Still, Mira pointed out that they were no less Slytherin than he was, and so could use their connections to achieve their goals, as it was, apparently, the only force the Headmaster would bow to. That gave Esther an idea to contact Walter Ellington, who was not only a family friend, but also a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Mira's close friends also wrote to their parents. Quite a decent group was collected at Hogwarts afterwards, and if Phineas Nigellus didn't want to anger the influential families, he had to comply.

Miranda was given a small portion of Veritaserum and spoke the truth, which removed all the accusations from her, and Valerian's detention was transferred to Belvina. This case caused the questioning of Phineas Nigellus's methods in general, and though many Purebloods would have liked for him to stay where he was, the majority made a decision to fire him from his position as the Headmaster.

Such news could evoke nothing less than a huge celebration. Only the Slytherins from the highest families were upset to lose a professor who always judged in their favour. As Phineas Nigellus held other Houses in varying degrees of contempt, to say nothing about the non-Purebloods, a large number of people was gladdened by his resignation, his own son among them. Mira and her friends had their own feast with butterbeer; Esther joined the professors and drank her vine with the sensation of unexpected triumph.

Matilda Weasley became the headmistress of Hogwarts and remained in that position up to 1925, when Armando Dippet took the lead. She was determined to restore Muggle Studies, a subject Phineas Nigellus had cancelled and replaced with Magical Theory. Esther advised the her as to the perfect candidate. In the end, Finn Dallimore became a professor, much like his father, yet the subject he was passionate about was nothing Phineas Nigellus could ever approve of.

Esther returned to her researches and wrote an article that caught the attention of the wizarding community. For the first time in a while, Alchemy was actively talked about, and a fair number of students wanted to take the class on their sixth and seventh years. Right after graduating from the Centre for Alchemical Studies, Esther received an offer of a job at Hogwarts, with the promise of being able to proceed with her scientific studies. She consented, especially since Hogwarts and its surroundings housed some of her favourite people in the world.

It wasn't only Mira's willingness to take up Alchemy to please and support her sister, or Finn's steady and comforting presence on her side, or Mina's cheerful suggestions for pastimes, or Mirabel's sweet smiles that made Esther's time at Hogwarts special, though. Close as they were during her time at school and afterwards, with all her esteem for him, she hardly ever entertained the thought of romancing Professor Aesop Sharp. Yet, as the time passed, something in their dynamic shifted. Their easy conversations, mutual assignments, and readiness to help each other gained a tender undertone. Esther's new job threw them together again, closely and constantly, placing them on equal ground and finally making them drop the formalities. Before they knew it, Esther bitterly regretted the impossibility of dancing with her former professor on a ball, and none of Aesop's new assistants understood him and their tasks anywhere near as well as Esther had done.

Esther enjoyed teaching, especially since she had few classes and could concentrate on her scientific activities, yet her profession had its drawbacks. One of her seventh-year students, Barron Bletchley, was intent on flirting with her and winning her favour. Though Esther did her best to gently dissuade the young man, he continued approaching her. Aesop didn't like it in the slightest and was harsher to Barron during his own lessons.

When the traditional ball descended upon Hogwarts in the end of the first term, Esther finally had proper fun with no Phineas Nigellus around to spoil it. It was only slightly dampened by her meeting a past admirer of her mother's, one of the Headmistress's guests, who called her Iola and expressed his regret about the lady's marriage to a Muggle. Still, Esther danced a lot, particularly with her cousin, and drank her favourite wine freely. Mira was also enjoying herself immensely. She had borrowed her mother's Black crown for the occasion, not due to any fondness for her maternal family but rather to rub it in Belvina's face.

Esther and Aesop circled around each other the entire evening. After their duties were completed, they were walking to the dungeons together. Their conversation took an unexpected turn, and in one of the dark empty corridors, they shared a passionate kiss. However, Aesop left immediately after breaking it, feeling ashamed and believing it to be the result of alcohol. Esther wasn't impressed by this decision, confronting him afterwards and saying that she had been nowhere near unwilling, in case he hadn't noticed. Aesop proposed her to meet at Hogsmeade after the winter holidays to talk, giving them time to think about it.

Needless to say, a disaster interrupted it all. Belvina never forgot the slight to her family and, disgusted by Esther being made a professor, decided to take her revenge. Her fury made her bolder, so simple humiliation or resignation was no longer satisfactory for her. Instead, Belvina came up with a complex plan.

Though she and Cygnus meticulously ignored their disowned brother, Belvina pretended to want to mend their relationship. She and Finn met in his personal rooms for tea, which gave her an opportunity to study the protective spells that the professors used and find a way to enter Esther's own rooms, as she wanted to make the attack completely unexpected. She did succeed, stunning and immobilising Esther before casting multiple Crucio curses on her. It was when Aesop came to collect her, and Belvina, scared due to being discovered, accidentally dropped the spells, which allowed Esther to finally scream from the immense pain that hit her with full force. Belvina panicked and didn't manage to find a quick way to escape, so she was caught when Aesop broke into the room.

Finn overheard the noise and came out of his quarters, only to witness Aesop, face pale and angry, with a faint Esther in his arms and Belvina dangling in the air helplessly from the sheer power of his wandless magic. He was left to deal with his sister while the Potions professor went straight to St. Mungo's. Iola and Julius were on a shift at that time. Hearing about her daughter's state sent Iola into hysterics, as she was acutely reminded of the way her husband had died. She insisted on taking care of Esther herself, especially since the latter spent quite a bit of time unconscious and trapped in her agony. Julius used all his knowledge and skill to save his dearest friend.

The Healers feared that the amount of Crucio Esther had received would result in permanent damage and make her suffer chronic pain, something Aesop in particular found horrific and triggering due to having lived through a similar experience. Still, much to the relief of Essie's family and friends, Iola's capable treatment minimised the risks. Anytime Aesop came for a visit, Mira went with him, staying at her sister's side as much as she could. Iola took notice of the Potions professor's constant presence and worry, deciding to have a serious conversation with him.

When she found out, Mira was livid, pouncing on Belvina and actually tearing some of her hair out by the time they were forcibly separated. Belvina faced a trial that ended with her expulsion and sending to Azkaban, as she was already a legal adult at that time. A few years later, her family got her out and married her off to Herbert Burke.

Esther gradually recovered and returned to work. She and Aesop talked and made a decision to try to have a relationship. Some people gossiped about the inappropriate age gap and expressed their discomfort or disapproval, as did Nerida Roberts, Esther's former roommate. Still, it was the first romance of Esther's that proceeded relatively smoothly, and in 1904, she happily changed her name to Esther Sharp. Two years later, she achieved phenomenal success in her Spagyric experiments, managing to find a way to revive some plants that had previously been considered extinct. They were proven to be safe to use in potions, which opened many new paths in fighting the diseases and even some curses. It was one of her inventions that finally healed Aesop's leg. Knowing her to be a passionate dancer, he promised her to make up for all the dances they missed.

They continued teaching at Hogwarts, sometimes staying in Aesop's house near the sea. In 1909 and 1913 respectively, their sons, Castor Hadrian Sharp and Aramis Nathaniel Sharp, were born. Following the tradition of her own family, Esther chose the first names, weaving star theme, Greek mythology and even Herbology in Castor while honouring a French region where she lived and grew so much as a person in Aramis. Aesop named his sons after his late Auror partner and good friend, as well as his father. Thus, Esther never got the two daughters she had seen in the Mirror of Erised, yet as her notion of happiness changed, it caused her no distress.

Ominis managed to move on and fall in love for the second time in his life as well. His beloved, Evangeline Elysian, was also a Half-Blood, and the one raised by her Muggle mother no less. Yet, Ominis was now an adult and independent man who could get and protect a house of his own, separately from the family that had as good as disinherited him, so this relationship faced considerably less obstacles comparing to the one he had shared with Esther. Upon their marriage, Ominis and Evangeline had two daughters, Leila and Gilda, born in 1910 and 1916 respectively. Leila had the middle name Cornelia in honour of Evangeline's mother while Gilda was named after Noctua Gaunt.

Since Esther and Ominis maintained a friendly relationship, the former was made Leila's godmother. Feeling no bitterness due to their past, they were more than capable of being genuinely fond of each other's children. Said children, particularly Castor and Leila, also spent much time together.

Still, the Gaunts, namely Ominis's brother Marvolo, searched for his family. Marvolo's intention was to kill his non-Pureblood sister-in-law and nieces, as well as to potentially rob Ominis's house, since the descendants of Salazar Slytherin were sinking further and further into poverty. Esther was drinking tea with Evangeline, having agreed to babysit the girls for the evening, when the attack eventually did happen. To find out the location of the house, Marvolo had used Imperius on Sebastian.

While Ominis and Evangeline tried to make Marvolo leave peacefully, Esther discreetly apparated Leila and Gilda to her own house. When she returned, Marvolo was nowhere to be seen, but Evangeline lay dead on the ground, and Ominis was seemingly unconscious, a wound in his head bleeding dangerously. The Aurors arrived shortly afterwards, summoned by Sebastian the minute he had come to his senses, and the Healers took Ominis to St. Mungo's. In her horror and pain, Esther couldn't help thinking that if she had married Ominis, she would have been the one murdered.

While Ominis recovered, Esther took care of the girls, and Leila departed for her first year at Hogwarts alongside Castor under her guidance. When he was out of St. Mungo's at last, Ominis chose an even more secluded and protected house to keep his daughters as safe as he could.

Sebastian felt immensely guilty about Evangeline's death and tried to perform a dark ritual to return her back. The ritual involved a human sacrifice, and Sebastian chose to murder a Muggle. The man turned out to be Ross Livingstone, the brother of his classmate Hamish. Once his crime was discovered, Sebastian was sentenced to several years of Azkaban.

Castor and Aramis Sharp, Leila and Gilda Elysian

While Mira behaved in a bolder way comparing to Esther, there was no other situation that could result in her expulsion, and so she graduated from Hogwarts without any problems. As she wasn't opposed to danger in her career and was very fond of creatures, she decided to become a Dragonologist. The head of the MacFusty clan that took responsibility for the population of the Hebridean Blacks for centuries hired her to help him, as his own children, save for one son, all chose different jobs and left home. So, Mira moved to the Hebrides, and Valerian followed her, as their friendship had long since taken a more romantic turn. Despite her usual yearning for big company, Mira found a pleasing occupation and good friends on the islands, while Valerian was thankful for their calmness and quietness.

In 1913, Mira gave birth to their only son, Blaze Lovegood, a name she adored due to its association with dragons and Valerian agreed to rather begrudgingly. While the boy looked a lot like his father, his temper was very reminiscent to his mother's, and so Blaze eventually entered Gryffindor. Both of his cousins were Slytherins, and he often invited Aramis to the lion's table, as the latter was quite exasperated by his roommates.

Later in his life, Blaze would have three children, two daughters and a son. The eldest of his daughters, Elmira, named after his mother, would marry into the McKinnon family and become the mother of Marlene and Mason, dying alongside the majority of her family in a Death Eater attack. The younger daughter, Ottilie, would end up with Martin MacFusty, becoming the part of the family that her father and grandparents so loved. The son, Xenophillus, would publish his own newspaper and live a quiet life, only caring for his wife, Pandora McNully, and daughter, Luna, until the former's untimely demise.

Coming from the family of five children, Finn wanted a similarly big bunch of his own ones. Mina wasn't extremely excited about the idea, as she was very immersed in her job as a broom maker, so she limited the number to three at most. In 1903, Agnes Esther Dallimore was born, named after her godmother. She was closely followed by her brother Alan, born in 1905. As they were still young and two children were enough responsibility, Finn and Mina took a break. Only in 1919 did they have another daughter, little Antonia.

Agnes and Alan, both determined and ambitious, ended up in Slytherin like their father; Antonia took more after her mother and joined Gryffindor. Agnes had a relationship with Ogden McKay while her brother dated Violet Baudelaire, a romance that would eventually come to nothing. Antonia was the target of quite a few attacks from the pureblood supremacists, particularly Thelma Fawley. Yet, she had undying optimism and drive, which helped her move forward.

Blaze Lovegood; Agnes, Alan, Antonia Dallimore

The friends of Valerian and Mira, Severn Macmillan and Caitlin Sparks, also got married. They had three children: Melania, born in 1906, Shannon, born in 1915, and Nyle, born in 1931. Much to Mira's unpleasant surprise, Melania expressed a desire to be betrothed to Arcturus Black III, eventually becoming the mother of Lucretia and Orion, as well as the grandmother of Sirius and Regulus. Being much saner and way less set in the Pureblood ways comparing to her in-laws, Melania was one of Sirius's favourite relatives. Shannon was briefly considered as a potential husband for Reina Rosier, but it didn't happen due to her engagement to a Carrow, much to his relief. Still, he continued his family's lineage, being the ancestor of Ernie Macmillan. Nyle married Georgiana Baudelaire, and they had two daughters, Alice and Kathleen, the latter named after his mother.

Melania, Shannon, Nyle Macmillan

[helenadurazzo]

Peculiarities in Hogsmeade

Esther’s Slytherin classmates invite her to Hogsmeade for a tour and a leisurely visit in the charming town. However, when trolls invade the village, it becomes a much more wild experience.

Esther Hitchens belongs to @melodymidway

Esther Hitchens POV, Sept 1896

Esther supposed that she was rather lucky to have her first week at Hogwarts go so smoothly. The only sour part of the whole week probably being whenever she had to cross paths with her uncle who was not afraid of hiding his distaste for her and his lack of patience. Luckily none of the other professors, and most of her peers acted like him, in fact, it almost seemed like some were amused by the fact that they were watching the headmaster deal with his half blood niece, and she figured it was quite ironic as well.

Her classes went quite well, with them being how she met a majority of her peers who were not in Slytherin. In her first charms class that the Slytherins shared with the Gryffindors, Mina introduced her to her roommates with a particular emphasis on Natsai Onai. Similar to them, she had also transferred to Hogwarts but unlike them she came from Uagadou the previous year. She was rather friendly and was happy to provide advice for them as they adjusted and listened to them share their stories of Beauxbatons just like she would tell her stories of her time at Uagadou during the slower moments in charms class when they were not practicing the summoning charm or testing each other in summoners court, a curious game of Professor Ronen’s own creation.

Defense Against the Dark Arts followed and it was a chance for Esther to bond with her fellow Slytherins as they were paired up for dueling in their shared class with the Ravenclaws. Professor Hecat deemed that she and Sebastian would start the series of matches which only consisted of basic casts, shield charms, and levitation charms. It was to her great shock that she managed to beat Sebastian, especially if the words of Ominis and Phineas were true of him being one of the most skilled duelers in their year. Yet he surprised her when he acted rather humble about the loss and expressed his respect for her skills but inviting her to the secret dueling club.

Sebastian was quite an interesting case and was more friendly than one would assume, given his natural overconfident body language that would influence someone to think he was self centered. She was surprised when Sebastian approached her after the first meeting a crossed wands for the school year to invite her to Hogsmeade with some of the other Slytherins that weekend and she found herself agreeing rather quickly and desperately hoped she made the right choice. Her own roommates were fine enough with the only one who she could foresee even possibly becoming a problem being Imelda, and even then she was more into competition and quidditch, simply wanting to prove her skill. Yet the more she thought of it, Esther knew that Sebastian was bound to invite some of his roommates, and while she did know of them from just sharing a few classes with them, she was quite skeptical about their intentions. While Cantankerus proudly mocked her similar to how Renard did back at Beauxbatons, Ominis tended to keep to himself. Phineas on the other hand was almost always popping in and out, spending time with that professor who escorted him to the great hall, it was hard to figure out if she could even come to trust any of them

“You made it!” Sebastian waved to her once she reached the training grounds, their designated meeting spot before heading to Hogsmeade.

“Sorry I’m late.” Esther swiftly apologized upon seeing that all of the Slytherins in her year were there except for Cantankerus were there. She spotted Violet talking to Imelda who was hovering on her broom while Phineas, Grace, and Nerida sat nearby with a book that they were all looking at. Ominis was the only one standing other than Sebastian himself, lingering close to him like a shadow.

“You’re not.” Imelda gave her a rare kind smile as she hopped off her broom. “You’re actually rather punctual for someone who is still learning the layout of the castle.”

“I won’t even begin to tell you how many times I got lost in the castle during my first year.” Nerida freely shared with little shame, “I was almost late to a lot of my classes because of that perplexing grand staircase.”

“I suppose that’s everyone” Phineas commented as he stood up from where he was sitting, “Should we get going before Nott stumbles on over here?”

“Certainly.” Ominis nodded to Esther’s surprise. Out of everyone that she felt would share those same nasty opinions as Cantankerus, she felt it would be him given the whispers she heard about him and his family from her peers. Yet he appeared to have quite a distaste for his fellow Slytherin.

“Is it a confusing path to get to Hogsmeade?” Esther pondered.

“Not at all, at least the way we are going so don’t worry.” Sebastian assured her, “In fact, I hope to give you the best guide to the charming village and hopefully you can find comfort in it for recreation the same way we and many other students of Hogwarts have. You’ll soon learn how amazing that little place is. Now, shall we head on our way?”

“Of course.” Esther nodded before smiling at Sebastian, “Thank you by the way, for the invitation.”

“You’re always welcome to join us.” Grace kindly beamed, “It is always better to go to Hogsmeade with classmates, it makes for a much more cheerful experience.”

“I still can’t believe you bested Sebastian in a duel in Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Violet commented as a slight change of topic as they walked under the archway as they followed the path away from the school, “You used some quite impressive techniques, it must be interesting to compare how they teach such subjects as Beauxbatons to the ones here.”

“I assure you it was just some good luck.” Esther humbly insisted.

“You have quite a bit of potential to hone your dueling skills into something quite extraordinary.” Sebastian complimented her, “Soon enough you can make those occasional bursts of luck into more consistent performances. I still want a rematch sometime once you are up to it.”

“It sounds fun.” Esther played along with a shy smile.

“Say Esther.” Imelda suddenly spoke as she came up from behind Esther in a way that made her jump from a brief startling, “How are your skills in flying? I know quidditch is cancelled but it doesn’t mean you can’t show off your skills on a broom. I know quite a few courses to race on in the surrounding area, you should try them some time. I am still looking for someone who can give me an actual challenge.”

“I doubt you’ll get that from me.” She awkwardly informed her, “Mina has always been the better flyer of the two of us. She was excited at the prospect to play quidditch until the headmaster cancelled it.”

“It won’t be cancelled for long, I’ll make sure of it.” Imelda vowed, “Quidditch is a passion of mine I plan to not lose sight of, regardless of what he says.”

“Just make sure to stay out of trouble, we certainly don’t need more of it.” Ominis dryly pointed out before turning to Sebastian, “I am surprised you were not thrown into detention this week that must be a record for you”

"Do you spend time in detention often?" Esther raised an eyebrow.

Sebastian playfully shrugged, “You can say that but I have a way with the faculty here, words are a powerful tool”

“Wish I could be as carefree as that” Esther sighed, “The headmaster has not hidden the fact that if I make one wrong step I will-“

“Merlin’s Beard!” Phineas exclaimed, cutting Esther off but it seems unintentional by his tone of genuine surprise, “Look! From the Forbidden Forest!”

Esther allowed herself to follow Phineas’ distraction and raised her head and widened her eyes upon seeing what he referred to. From the trees of this forbidden forest, there were two magical beasts, one of white feathers and one of brown feathers. Sure, it had been far from the first time that Esther had seen magical creatures near school grounds, there were numerous Abraxans that were not too far from Beauxbatons after all. But seeing that another school had similar occurrences, regardless of their rarity, was quite fascinating. “Are those Hippogriffs coming from the forest?”

“Quite a sight isn’t it?” Sebastian gazed up with a smile, “You certainly don’t see something like that everyday.”

“I wonder if Poppy has named the Hippogriffs?” Grace commented.

“Absolutely.” Nerida nodded, “She’s likely already named them to”

Imelda chuckled, “Probably something like Prancehoof or Sugarfoot”

“So what’s the Forbidden Forest like?” Esther asked as she looked to the left

“The name speaks for itself.” Sebastian enlightened her, “It is out of bounds for all students, complete rubbish if you ask me. The professors think it is too dangerous for students, but I think they need more confidence in our defensive abilities”

Grace shuddered, “You can go ahead if you are that entranced by it, I think I’ll pass on the Acromantulas”

Violet folded her arms and muttered before clearing her voice and looking directly at Sebastian, "You better not try sneaking in there like you do the restricted section. Matter of fact, you’re lucky me and Phineas aren’t turning you in for your shenanigans”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Phineas chuckled, “You should lighten up sometime Violet, there is certainly a lot of curious things in those forbidden locales, so many secrets.”

“You need to stop encouraging him.” Violet scolded her fellow prefect. “You always encouraged the chaos of him and his sister if you were not partaking in it yourself.”

Esther pondered why Phineas had been made a prefect if he was as mischievous as he was. She supposed perhaps they chose him since he wouldn’t upset anyone by not having supremacist views or being from an infamous family, while also being somewhat well behaved, at least compared to Sebastian he seemed to avoid detention more often.

Yet it did not make up the contents of her next question as she turned to Sebastian once more, “You have a sister? Does she also go to Hogwarts?”

“She used to.” Sebastian revealed and before he continued to her surprise as Esther initially assumed she had graduated, “She’s not well at the moment. I hope to introduce you to her sometime, I think you two would get along, surely she will be back to Hogwarts soon enough.” He sighed as they passed by another one of those horseless carriages, “I know most of you can’t see them, but I have always thought that thestrals pulling a carriage was quite a grim concept.”

Phineas’ face fell as well, “It is quite unsettling when you see them for the first time.”

“You two can see thestrals?” Esther remarked with surprise, not recalling if she had met anyone her age who was capable of seeing them.

Phineas was the only one who shared, and it seemed to be more of the sake to enlighten his friends on more of the story behind his late arrival. “Only since that dragon attack that tore the carriage apart that Professor Fig, myself, and an official from the ministry were taking to Hogwarts. That fearsome creature gobbled up that ministry official like he was nothing, and so quickly to…”

Ominis sighed, “Such stories are quite equally grim, but let’s not keep these sour faces, we came to relax after all.” He assured the group as they walked across the final threshold to enter Hogsmeade at last.

The village was even more cozy than any of them could have attempted to describe to Esther. The streets were present with a few witches and wizards who walked in and out of shops but did not felt crowded in the same area Diagon Alley and Place Cachée did. The orangish trees of falls added to its picturesque nature, especially with all of the quaint cottages. She wished she had of thought to ask if Mina could come along but since she was the one invited she didn’t feel like it was her place, but perhaps someday she could visit with one of her oldest friends.

“Welcome to Hogsmeade!” Imelda confidently beamed.

“It’s beautiful…” Esther breathed.

“You will never forget your first visit.” Sebastian assured her, “It’s hard to take in all of the magic of this place. I don’t know if it’s the shops or the people, but there is just something about Hogsmeade that makes us all flock to it like moths to a flame.”

“Where would you even start?” Esther looked around, taking note of her surroundings and the names of the shops.

“We can help with that.” Sebastian comforted her, “We can give you a quick tour of the village on our way to the circle, it’s a good meeting place. And then perhaps after we are all done with our own explorations, we can stop by the three broomsticks for a butterbeer.”

“To your left is Tomes and Scrolls.” Grace started just before they resumed walking. “It’s a bookshop that provides texts about a variety of specializations, such as transfiguration. Professor Weasley always recommends Mister Brown’s spellcrafts as they often come in handy”

“And up that street.” Ominis added a few steps up, his hand pointing in the general way of a path that headed northward. “You will find J Pippins Potions and the Magic Neep, you can get just about anything you may need for Professor Garlick or Professor Sharp’s class.”

“Speaking of potions.” Esther spoke up with her first question. “I was wondering about alchemy at Hogwarts, it’s a personal passion of mine. I haven’t seen to found anyone who takes it.”

“Makes sense.” Phineas shrugged, “Alchemy can only be taken by sixth or seventh years so no one in our year would be able to take it. I remember my brother wanted to take it this year but there was not enough people to form a class and a challenge to even find someone to teach the class so he is waiting for next year to see if he has a change in fate. Although if you are looking for someone who knows a bit about alchemy, perhaps you could talk with Natty. I don’t know her personal level of skill, but I do remember her mentioning that Uagadou students were taught alchemy similar to the ones at Beauxbatons.”

Esther sighed in disappointment, “I suppose Nicolas Flamel is the reason alchemy is so prominent at Beauxbatons.” And she simply hoped that perhaps she would get the chance to resume her studies the next year.

“I know you said you were not into flying but perhaps your friend would be interested in Spintwitches, it’s the best place for us to get brooms. Shame it’s not open today for some reason” Imelda motioned to the right after a little bit more of walking. “Although that Albie Weekes tries to help people make up for lackluster flying skills with broom modifications. I believe brooms can be like wands with the right crafter, they truly work best with the right person”

“Speaking of wands.” Phineas interjected as he directed her attention to the shop across the street from Spintwitches. “Ollivanders is the best place to get wands both here and Diagon Alley, just make sure you don’t say that in hearing of Georgiana Wotton, wouldn’t want to make her jealous, but I suppose the wands that the Wottons make are fine enough.”

“Georgiana comes from a family of wandmakers? I wouldn’t have expected that.” Esther raised her eyebrows in surprise, trying to envision the thought of her classmate who didn’t even use a wand coming from such a family.

“She is quite a fascinating person as you will soon learn if you haven’t already, just don’t insult her and you’ll be fine.” Sebastian chuckled and judging by Phineas’ annoyed and embarrassed face he felt as if there was a previous experience that led to this warning. “Now here is the Three Broomsticks, the jewel of Hogsmeade. Hardly anyone can spend a day in Hogsmeade and not treat themselves to a butterbeer.”

“But if Butterbeer isn’t your thing there are still plenty of other drinks and treats to enjoy.” Violet assured her as they resumed walking, “Such as Steeply and Sons, Hogsmeade’s Local Tea Shop.” Violet motioned as they entered what was likely the village circle that Sebastian referred to earlier.

“And you can’t forget Honeydukes.” Nerida added, “Great place to get sweets of all kinds. Chocolate Frogs, Sugar Quills, Cauldron Cakes, there is so much for everyone to find something g that they can enjoy.”

“Of course there is more places than that but it’s always fun to learn stuff like that during casual exploring.” Sebastian smirked, “Now let see what else we can get-“ yet he stopped in the middle of his proclamation as a loud sound shook the circle, so much so that shopkeepers and villagers came out of the shops and cottages to see what was going on.

Before Esther knew it, a troll came barreling through a street from the north into the town circle, swinging its club at everything in its path. It roared menacingly after it slammed its club into the ground as a sign of dominance. When Esther just so happened to glance over at Phineas he had a peculiar look on his face, rather than fear, it was almost as if he was studying the troll, but such observations were not important at the moment as the troll continued its rampage, yet was drawn away by two villagers and an auror given by the looks of her outfit.

Yet their troubles were far from over as another troll, certainly different from the last one, came bursting through one of the buildings, reducing it to piles of rubble. Suddenly, it came rushing towards them but luckily Sebastian was always a prepared dueler and set up a massive protego shield to protect them before sliding off to get behind the troll, shouting Confringo, what seemed to be his favorite spell, at the troll.

“Expelliarmis!” Phineas shouted with all of his might as he pointed his wand towards the trolls club causing it to fall out of his hand, “Accio!” He summoned the club towards him and luckily had been out of the way of the others in their group or it likely would have slammed someone in the face as it came flying across the circle. Phineas was quick to destroy the club with an exploding charm to leave the troll more defenseless, or rather, more reliant on its brute strength and might.

Ominis by that point had also joined in the fight along with others, with even Esther herself trying her best to help although she knew deep down she could hardly stand her ground in such a fight. “Are we weakening him at all?” He asked the others.

“Keep at it!” Imelda encouraged them all, casting her own fury of powerful offensive spells. “We will wear him down eventually, especially now that he is disarmed.”

“Diffindo!” She heard Nerida shout.

“Bombarda!” She heard Grace shout from the other direction, amongst the numerous confringo spells, courtesy of Sebastian Sallow.

Suddenly a crate flew into the troll’s face, Esther couldn’t even tell where it came from considering how fast it was and nearly messed up her own spells because of brief startlement, “What was that?” she exclaimed.

“A taste of his own medicine.” Violet declared as she continued commanding the surrounding crates and boxes as a line of defense.

“Nicely done!” Esther praised her fellow Slytherin and prefect, as she focused back on her own spells, shouting out a loud and confident, “Diffindo!” Before drinking some Wiggenweld potion she had in her pocket. Professor Sharp did have a point when he said it was always wise to have some on your person.

“Phineas look out!” Sebastian warned his friend as the troll planned to strike him done while he was unguarded. Esther was not even sure what he was doing, given that his back was turned, was he simply disoriented?

“Are you worried about me Sallow?” Phineas teased as he started to summon some sort of glowing blue, nearly white, magic that shimmered in an ethereal way yet Esther never recounted seeing such magic. Even more stunned when the troll exploded into pieces that vanished into the air rather than scattering on the ground. If Esther’s ears were not betraying her, she could have sworn that Phineas hadn’t even used an incantation to perform his final blow, perhaps it was a reason he was made a prefect.

“I suppose you can handle yourself” Sebastian chucked lightheartedly at his friend, which made a tired smile emerge on Phineas’ face.

“Goodness!” The same woman from earlier who wore the auror uniform finally rushed back into the town circle and over to them, “A second troll? Did you all take on a fully grown troll by yourselves!?”

“I guess so.” Phineas spoke for the group and seemed almost unfazed as he did so. But perhaps that was what happened when you survived a dragon attack in midair. “It’s all a bit of a blur to be honest”

“Merlin’s beard!” The auror exclaimed. “Are you all alright?”

“We seem to be.” Violet stood next to her fellow prefect after quickly glancing over all of them. “I suppose I can speak for all of us that we are simply glad to have been at the right place at the right time. We were happy to help protect Hogsmeade.”

“I say ‘help’ is a bit of an understatement.” The auror remarked. “Nerve like that. You all have the makings of an auror if you keep honing those dueling skills if you ask me. As long as you all are unharmed. Perhaps you could help us casting a few repairing charms to fix the damage those trolls brought. With the extra wands, it should be done in no time at all.”

“Of course officer.” Phineas instantly agreed.

“Singer.” The auror introduced herself, “Officer Ruth Singer. And thank you, again. I will need to alert the ministry about this, a troll attack like this… it’s unprecedented.” And with that she left to be on her way with a swift apparation

Officer Singer was certainly not lying when she said all of them helping would repair the damage so quickly. In fact, the building was the only difficult thing to repair as the rest were just a few carts and signs that needed to be fixed up. And soon enough, Esther found herself and her newfound friends taking a breather on some of the benches near the pond was the repairs concluded.

“I say we all earned ourselves a butterbeer or two.” Sebastian declared for the group. “Might help us forget how we were almost pulverized by a troll.”

Esther smiled weakly, “It would be nice to catch our breath with a calming atmosphere and a butterbeer.” And judging by her peers nods, they inclined to all agree with the proposal, regardless of what plans they initially had to make their trip to Hogsmeade for that weekend.

At first the group walked in silence. It seemed as though they were all exhausted by the unexpected troll encounter. And even Esther took note that the group’s walking pace was much slower than it was before. Yet eventually, she heard Grace’s soft voice break through the silence.

“Assuming it isn’t completely desolate in there, we could introduce you to the owner, Sirona Ryan.” Grace expressed the proposition to Esther. “If there is anyone at Hogsmeade you should know, it’s her. She cares deeply for Hogsmeade and the students of Hogwarts who frequent the area.”

“That’s good to hear.” Esther smiled with uncertainty, and Grace was quick to notice.

“Is something wrong? Are you hurt?” She gently asked, “If you are you should have told us we could have-“

“No, no, it’s not that.” Esther quickly assured her, “It’s just, I wish I could have helped more. I felt like I was hardly helping compared to the others.”

“Hardly anyone is prepared for such combative dueling against opponents who truly mean harm.” Nerida joined in the conversation to assure her, “No dueling club can fully teach you that. And it is certainly hard to beat people like Sebastian and-“ upon that she suddenly turned her head, noticing Phineas’ absence unlike Esther herself. Luckily, he wasn’t too far behind but instead had stopped near an alleyway that led to the river that flowed through the village, almost as if he was listening in on a conservation or looking for something lost. “Phineas? Are you alright?”

“Yeah...” Phineas shook as if trying to get back to his senses but did so subtly to not cause concern. “Yeah I’m fine, let’s keep going.” He then broke an acting confident smile as Esther, “The Three Broomsticks is just up ahead.” He gestured to the familiar building ahead as other members of their group who were further ahead went inside, “Quickly now, we have well deserved butterbeers with our names on them.”

The pub shared many of the charming qualities as Hogsmeade itself did with the cozy atmosphere and the warm embers coming from the fire place. It almost seemed as if she had fully forgotten how they were almost destroyed by that fearsome troll. There were a couple of patrons in there but certainly not a lot given the scarce amount of people scattered around the tables. Her and her peers took up the barstools which there was conveniently just enough of to fit them all.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again Lodgok.” A woman spoke to a goblin as they took their seats. “I shall let you know if I hear anything.”

“Thank you.” The goblin named Lodgok smiled.

“You be well.” She smiled as the goblin went on her way and she resumed her place behind the bar, with Esther now confidently able to identify the woman as Sirona Ryan. “Now what can I- oh.” Sirona started before lingering on Esther, “There’s a face I haven’t seen before.”

“Heh.” Esther awkwardly smiled before introducing herself, “Esther Hitchens, it’s my first time here.”

“Welcome.” Sirona smiled as she used her wand to summon eight glasses of butterbeer, “Butterbeer’s on me.” She sighed once they were all served, “I heard about the attack, I shall be looking in on the other shopkeepers and residents shortly, especially the ones in the center circle. But I am glad to see you students escaped injury.”

“Thanks to Phineas here.” Sebastian praised his friend, patting him on the back. “He’s the reason we managed to make it out unscathed by dealing that impressive final blow to the troll.”

“Is that right?” Sirona smiled proudly at the black haired Slytherin, “Well done.”

“Sebastian is prone to charm and flattery as you know.” He lightly joked, “But thank you Sirona, these butterbeers were just what we all needed. We owe you Sirona.”

“My pleasure.” Sirona smiled gently, “But believe me, you don’t owe me anything, this is the least I could do for you all protecting our village. But I must say… trolls in Hogsmeade? That’s never happened before… something isn’t right… the only brutes we usually have to deal with are-“ being cut off when two met entered into the pub. The tall one was dressed in classy Victorian fashion with a top hat while the shorter one was dressed more casually with a white button up collared shirt, brown pants, and a worn vest, “How timely…” Sirona’s face fell as she went to go address the two men who reeked of being nothing but bad news.

“Was that Lodgok I saw leaving just now?” The taller man questioned Sirona with menacing charm, “Your clientele is not what it used to be Sirona.”

“Not to worry Victor.” Sirona was quick to stand her ground. “Once the two of you leave, the calibre on my clientele will greatly improve.” Her eyes looked at the other man who was reaching for his pocket, likely to grab his wand, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you Theophilus.”

“Come now.” Victor Rookwood stepped forward, “No need for theatrics.” He smirked as he turned towards the bar, his eyes settling on none other than Phineas to Esther’s shock. “I am only here for this one anyway.”

While Phineas, followed by Sebastian were quick to get up to deal with the men, both halted behind Sirona. “My friend is enjoying a well deserved butterbeer.” She insisted.

“Only want a quick word-“

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me.” Sirona stepped in his way, pointing her wand at him. “I said my friend is busy.” And with that even some of the patrons of the Three Broomsticks got their wands out to get the men to stand down.

Victor Rookwood shook his head with disappointment, “One would have thought you all had enough bloodshed for one day. Come Theophilus, the Three Broomsticks isn’t what it used to be. Let’s take our galleons elsewhere, after all, the boy can’t drink butterbeer forever now can he?” To which Theophilus nodded in agreement and the two made a swift exit, with Sirona eyeing them down until they were out of sight.

She sighed as she approached Phineas, “Seems you have made an unfortunate enemy since the last time you were here. Watch your back Phineas; Rookwood and Harlow are by far worse than any troll you may encounter.

“I will Sirona, don’t you worry about me.” Phineas promised her, “I can handle myself.”

Once the scene quieted down Esther found herself speaking to the girls again with thankfulness, “It’s good that Sirona was here, she didn’t seem at all intimidated by those dark wizards.”

“I told you she was a good one to know.” Grace smiled but even it seemed to waver due to all they had been through.

“That’s it Finn.” Esther suddenly heard Sebastian angrily whisper at Phineas even though Sebastian clearly intended the conversation to be a private one. “First the dragon attack and now a troll attack and you have dark wizards after you? What aren’t you telling me?”

The black haired Slytherin who was still as mysterious as when he first entered the great hall had a facial expression laced in regret for seemingly keeping more secrets than one could imagine, “I promise to tell you everything soon enough Seb, but it’s best for everyone that I do that later.”

“And on that note I think we should head to castle.” Ominis interjected his voice at quite an opportune time that made Esther ponder if he had also overheard the conversation, “We can explore Hogsmeade another time, but for now, let’s get back to the castle before we find ourselves in deep trouble”

[bilibliophl]

Jules Guerin - book illustrations and cover design for Egypt and its Monuments by Robert Hitchens. Source+biography.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Christopher Hitchens: Let me give you an example. From Mr. Jefferson - since you asked me to mention my book, which I'll happily do - in 1788, when the United States was barely a country, it was having its sailors taken as slaves by the Barbary states, the states of the Ottoman Empire in North Africa.

Bill Maher: Tripoli. The shores of Tripoli.

Christopher Hitchens: Tripoli. And its ships stopped, and its crews carried off into slavery. We estimate one and a half million European American slaves taken between 1750 and 1850, Jefferson and Adams went to their ambassador in London and said, "why do you do this to us? The United States has never had a quarrel with the Muslim world of any kind. We weren't in the crusages, we weren't in the war in Spain. Why do you do this to our people and our ships? Why do you plunder and enslave our people?"

And the ambassador said very plainly, "because the Qu'ran gives us permission to do so. Because you are infidels. And that's our answer."

And Jefferson said, "well, in that case, I will send a navy which will crush your state." Which he did. And a good thing too.

Islamic fundamentalism is not created by American democracy. It's a lie to say so. It's a masochistic lie, and it excuses those who are the real criminals, and it blames us for the attacks made upon us."

--

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War

"It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every mussulman who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise. He said, also, that the man who was the first to board a vessel had one slave over and above his share, and that when they sprang to the deck of an enemy's ship, every sailor held a dagger in each hand and a third in his mouth; which usually struck such terror into the foe that they cried out for quarter at once."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_slave_trade

Robert Davis estimates that slave traders from Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli enslaved 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans in North Africa, from the beginning of the 16th century to the middle of the 18th century.

==

Islam doesn't hate the west because we're "imperialists" or "colonizers." That's the excuse, not the reason. It hates the west because we're kuffar, and it has a divine mandate to destroy us. Starting with the Jews.

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-4/Book-56/Hadith-791/

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar: I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “The Jews will fight with you, and you will be given victory over them so that a stone will say, 'O Muslim! There is a Jew behind me; kill him!’”

Islamic fundamentalism is not caused by the west. It's caused by Islam. It's endemic to Islam. It's the entire point of Islam.

Stop faffing around, making up stupid, self-flagellating excuses for why we deserve to be attacked. There's nothing we could ever do to make Islam happy and still resemble the west. The only acceptable response is unconditional surrender and submission.

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-4/Book-52/Hadith-196

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah 's Apostle said, " I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' and whoever says, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' his life and property will be saved by me except for Islamic law, and his accounts will be with Allah, (either to punish him or to forgive him.)"

It's not bigotry to hold Islam responsible for its actions; it's only bigotry to refuse to.

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in jan 2024

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to ask about individual ones if u want my full thoughts or ask for my goodreads!!] 

the tail end of winter break + flights to the other side of the world and back + two week vacation means i am so fucking back, baby

prince's gambit (reread) + king's rising (reread) + the summer palace + the adventures of charls, the veretian cloth merchant + green but for a season - c.s. pacat ★★★★★ (fantasy romance)

nothing like tearing through the whole capri series to start off your year by changing your brain chemistry yet again. it's not a perfect series but it is so good at the erotic and the romantic and the perfect push and pull of tension !!

locklands - robert jackson bennett ★★★★★ (fantasy)

fantastic and utterly satisfying end to the series. i'm always trying to pitch these books as much as possible because the magic system is one of my favourites ever and rjb has an understanding of themes if i've ever seen one

[reread] jane, unlimited - kristin cashore ★★★★★ (YA fantasy)

still love this genre-bending mind-fuckery of a book. it's an interesting take on grief and a positive look at the potentiality of both the universe and individuals

a beautifully foolish endeavor - hank green ★★★★★ (scifi)

utterly shocked considering how little i liked the first book but i found this one compulsively readable and absurdly fun. it still reads like someone very online wrote it but i enjoyed the ride this time

the rest of us just live here - patrick ness ★★★★☆ (YA fantasy contemporary)

solid and pretty standard YA contemporary that has some bonus fun fantasy that made it much easier to swallow for someone who doesn't like YA contemporaries very much

a power unbound - freya marske ★★★★☆ (historical fantasy romance)

decent conclusion to the series and a hot romance that kept me invested, but the "plot" dragged and took up so much pagetime

bloodmarked - tracy deonn ★★★★☆ (YA fantasy)

obvious second book syndrome with wacky pacing and a bloated cast of characters, but it handled a lot of trope-y YA stuff pretty deftly and i am deeply curious where this plot is going to lead

moon of the turning leaves - waubgeshig rice ★★★★☆ (post-apocalyptic)

decent sequel that trades in the horror of the first book for a more survivalist bent. i don't think it's particularly interesting if you don't already like these sorts of books, but i do, so i liked this one as well

the trial of henry kissinger - christopher hitchens ★★★★☆ (political non-fiction)

def not kissinger for babies but the writing was solid and easy to follow, even if i knew nothing about the politics going in

eileen - ottessa moshfegh ★★★☆☆ (thriller)

relentlessly unpleasant to read but the frame story gave it an interesting flair. i've always found ottessa moshfegh's works worth reading even if i don't exactly enjoy them

annihilation - jeff vandermeer ★★★☆☆ (scifi)

extremely slow to start but it does eventually cohere into something? the writing was beautiful and i understand why everyone highlights it as atmospheric

small things like these - claire keegan ★★★☆☆ (historical)

complete nothing of a book to me. wasn't good, wasn't bad, totally fine, just didn't make me feel anything and i probably won't ever think about it again

the perfect crimes of marian hayes - cat sebastian ★★★☆☆ (historical romance)

the plot of this book was so so bad and unfortunately rather important to the flow but it did feature two character tropes and a romance that were exactly my type of shit. i would describe this as "if you closed both eyes and ignored the plot entirely it's almost an astrid/wulf fic" and that's how i had fun

you made a fool of death with your beauty - akwaeke emezi ★★★☆☆ (romance)

the banter and relationship with the FMC's best friend was by far the best part of the book. i liked the premise of the main romance, but it ended up being insta-love despite the incredible setup. also read like it was so concerned with being beautiful that it forgot to be horny or passionate or even interesting

lumberjanes vol. 1-2 - n.d. stevensen et al. ★★☆☆☆ (children's graphic novel)

tried to be coherent in the wrong sorts of ways and didn't lean into childish whimsy the way it should have, but the art was cute. it wasn't bad but i'd never choose to give it to a kid

[what-if-rpg]

Hey there, tags! The week just got started, and we would already love to see some apps coming. If you are looking for some new rp, check us out. Under the read more, you will be able to see a full list of all our open characters right now. Also, yes, you can send in an original muse of yours. We will welcome you all here.

CANON CHARACTERS

Brittany Pierce

Kurt Hummel

Danielle Harper

Artie Abrams

Shelby Corcoran

Kitty Wilde

Brody Weston

Unique

Shane Tisnley

Sue Sylvester

Jeff Sterling

Sebastian Smythe

Will Schuester

Matt Rutherford

Friday Romero

April Rhodes

Noah Puckerman

Jake Puckerman

Spencer Porter

Emma Pillsbury

Stephanie Pierce

Sugar Motta

Roderick Meeks

Mason McCarthy

Madison McCarthy

Santana Lopez

Bree Jordan

Holly Holliday

Grace Hitchens

Joe Hart

Rory Flanagan

Judy Fabray

Stevie Evans

Tina Cohen-Chang

Hunter Clarington

Mike Chang

LeRoy Berry

Hiram Berry

Jean Baptiste

Azimio Adams

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Avery Fabray (FC: Lily James)

Stacey Evans (FC: Lili Reinhart)

Chelsea St. James (FC: Ariana Grande)

Shannon Wilde (FC: Hunter Schafer)

Eléonore Smythe (FC: Stefania Spampinato)

Archibald Schuester (FC: Robert Pattinson)

Poppy Rutherford (FC: Ruby Barker)

Jamison Rutherford (FC: Regé-Jean Page)

Danna Rose (FC: Georgina Amorós)

Claire Rose (FC: Danielle Savre)

Thalita Rhodes (FC: Anna Camp)

Lei Readdie (FC: Shay Mitchell)

Evelyn Puckerman (FC: Kat Dennings)

Imogen Porter (FC: Nicola Coughlan)

Zara Pillsbury (FC: Madelaine Petsch)

Elenora Pillsbury (FC: Phoebe Dynevor)

Alessandra Pierce (FC: Claudia Salas)

Rafa Padilla (FC: Rafael Silva)

Adofo Motta (FC: Mena Massoud)

Maximus Meeks (FC: Jonathan Bailey)

Morena McCarthy (FC: Martina Cariddi)

Rebecca Lynn (FC: Ana de Armas)

Valentino Lopez (FC: Wilmer Valderrama)

Treyvon Jones (FC: Mason Gooding)

Talisa Jones (FC: Laura Harrier)

Levi Jones (FC: Michael B. Jordan)

Kyan Jones (FC: Jeremy Pope)

Billie Jones (FC: Alexandra Shipp)

Angelica Johnson (FC: Naomi Scott)

Jordan Jackson (FC: Zac Efron)

Cordelia Jackson (FC: Brie Larson)

Bradley Jackson (FC: Zac Efron)

Mildred Hummel (FC: Sandra Bullock)

Liam Hudson (FC: Dacre Montgomery)

Brian Hudson (FC: Nick Robinson)

Benjamin Hudson (FC: Shawn Mendes)

Gabriella Goldman (FC: Ashley Tisdale)

Abigail Goldman (FC: Ashley Tisdale)

Daniel Fabray (FC: Hunter Parrish)

Mia Evans (FC: Brianne Howey)

Victoria Crawford (FC: Claudia Jessie)

Alannah Crawford (FC: Renee Rapp)

Max Cohen-Chang (FC: Henry Golding)

Jenny Chang (FC: Gemma Chan)

Lucy Blossom (FC: Olivia Wilde)

Troy Adams (FC: John Boyega)

Caleb Adams (FC: Jacob Latimore)

Jess Abrams (FC: Brigette Lundy-Paine)

Castor Abrams (FC: Henry Cavill)

[2womenforme]

some of the athiests that have overlapping and back ups of my god put downs = richard dawkins , sigmund freud , andrei sakharov, ayn rand, thomas edison, rosalind frankland , karl marx ,matt dillahunty , aron ra , robert ingersoll , dan barker , tom jump , 1. Charles Darwin 2. Albert Einstein 3. Alan Turing 4. Stephen Hawking 5. Christopher Hitchens 6. Isaac Asimov 7. Carl Sagan 8. Bertrand Russell 9. Socrates 10. Thomas Paine 11. Hypatia 12. Thomas Jefferson 13. Richard Dawkins 14. Epicurus 15. Mark Twain 16. Richard Feynman 17. Frederick Douglas 18. Kurt Vonnegut 19. Aristotle 20. George Carlin 21. Friedrich Nietzsche 22. Leonardo da Vinci 23. Yuri Gagarin 24. Ludwig Feuerbach 25. Voltaire 26. Sam Harris 27. Benjamin Franklin 28. Seth Andrews 29. David Hume 30. Madalyn O’Hair

[mergingonthefreeway]

Greenpeace - Don't Stop from Samona Olanipekun on Vimeo.

This is no ordinary cover: Don’t Stop is a contemporary fable about being young in the world today. The song is a call to action for people worried about their future and the state of the planet, and a rallying cry for those who dream of a better tomorrow. Together we can stand up to the fossil fuel industry. Add your name now: act.gp/3qIN8o6

Production Company: Lammas Park @lammas_park_productions

Director - Samona Olanipekun @samona_o Exec Producers - Steve McQueen, Bona Orakwue @bonaclara7, Anna Smith Tenser @smithspanna Producer - George Telfer @gtelfs

Production Manager - Chanel Parkinson @chanellyonthetelly PA - Hannah Lockwood @hanlockwood Cast Coordinator - Beth Rubery @beth.rubery Production Runner - Tom Gimlette @tomgimlette

Researcher - Shireen Bahmanizad @shireen_bahmanizad Researcher - Conall O’Brien @conallobrien Bidding Producer - Nat Baring @natanatics Lammas Park Head of Operations - Nicholas Horne Lammas Park Production Assistant - Umashni Puvanendran

1st AD - Gabriel O’Donohue @_gabriel.odonohue_

Movement Director - Liara Barussi @liarabarussi Casting Director - Coralie Rose @coralie_blamo_rose

DOP - Annika Summerson @annisummerson Steadicam / Camera Op - Jonathan Tyler @jonotyler Focus Puller A Cam - Kate Mollins @kate__mo_ Focus Puller B Cam - Sam Ebrahim Riley @samrileyac Clapper / Loader - Sonia Rogriguez Camera Trainee - Lucas Murray Reynolds Grip - Warwick Drucker

Video Playback - Robbie Ross @rsvp.london DIT - Ben Grady @colour.grady Sound Recordist - Anthony Leung @anthonyleungsound

Gaffer - Salvador Lopez-Gomez @glofilmlighting Best Boy - Jamie Hitchens @jamiehitchens Desk Op - Noah Furrer Electricians - Charlie Lodge, Lee Madigan, Nathan Rubins Rigger - Steve Daly @steve_daly

Production Designer - Jade Adeyemi @adeyumyum Prop Buyer - Martha Howe @martha.howe, Matty Mancy @matty.mancey Led Art Assistant - Lea Otovic @leaotovic Art Dept Assistant - Isabelle Bryan, Nana-yaw Mensah @nyk_mensah, Lucia Barsegian @luciabarsegian, Daisy Alexander, Fenella Evans @fen.art_, Sofia Karavis @sofiakara

Construction by Cous De La @cousdela

SFX Supervisor - Neil Gawthrop SFX Technicians - Miguel Ferreira, Jonathan Long SFX by Machine Shop @machineshopsfx

Costume Designer - Verity May Lane @veritymaylane Costume Assistants - Amy Thompson @a_thompson, Johanna Yohannes, Ellie Rimmer @ellie_r1

Make Up Designer - Maya Man @mayamanartist Make Up Assistants - Chelsea Murphy @sculptedbychelsea, Nic Marilyn @nicmarilyn Hair Designer - Kreszend Sackey @kreszendsackey Hair Assistant - Viviane Melo @vivianemelomua

Medic - Verity Stacy

Editor - Jack Williams @__jackwilliams_ Edit House - The Assembly Rooms @the_assembly_rooms Edit Producer - Phoebe Armstrong-Beaver Sound Designer - Jack Sedgwick @snappajack Audio Post - King Lear @kinglearlondon Audio Producer - Suzy McGregor Colourist - George Kyriacou @georgekcolourist Post - Black Kite Studios @blackkitestudios VFX - Mark Stannard Colour Producer - Holly Tidwell @holly_tidwell, Jade Denne @jadedenne

Camera - Panavision @panavisionofficial Lighting - Panalux @panaluxworld Studio - Dukes Island Studios Insurance - Dan Woods at Media Insurance Brokers Accountancy - Robert Okonski & Emmanuel Lindsay at Clay GBP

Casting Assistants - Laura Meredith Additional Casting - Lauren Patterson @ Jukebox Collective Agency

CAST:

Speech Givers: Kyle Osbourne Lili Chin

Tomorrow’s Warriors: Kyle Osborne, Emily Tran, Cassius Cobbson, Shanise, David, Tami Lisa Smith

Waiters & Kitchen Staff Cameron Berryman, Izaebella Cresci, Christopher Mbaki, Jinessa Meggi, Ebony Aboagye, Oliver Manley, Kade Turner, Geddy Stringer

Party Guests: Graham Collier, Anja Kick, Philippa Casares, Noreen Goodwin, Benji Ming, Catherine Cornwall, Huma Mohyuddin, Ellie Madden, Albert Graver, Rainier Manzano, Ruby Gascoyne, Sharifa Butterfly, Haseeb ‘Chilly’ Hearn, Duran Abdullah, Mikael Rivieri, Patrick Gabco, Ellie Harlulow, Rogerio Ghesti, Katerina Bragin, Michael Ahfong, Kesiena Banye, Beverly Connel, Jeanette Maskell, Peter Wilkinson

and Featuring: Will Poulter, Fraser T Smith and Avelino

MUSIC

Written by: Christine McVie / Universal Music Publishing Group Produced by: Fraser T Smith / 70Hz Original Rap verses: Avelino Music Supervision and Consultancy: Ed Bailie and Seb Whyte / Leland Music Music Marketing: Olivia Hobbs and Clare Wright / Blackstar Agency Performed by: Future Utopia X Avelino X Tomorrow's Warriors With thanks to: House Gospel Choir, Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, Janine Irons, Fish Krish, Gabriel Starkey, Patricia Pascal

AGENCY

Creative Agency: Mother London Creative Director: James Sellick @jamessellickauthor Creative: Scott Anderson @scottanders44 Title Design: Ben McNaughton Head of Production: Anna Murray @annasedgwick Producers: Tommy Frankau @tommyfrankau, Nic Akinnibosun, Joseph Ogunmokun Epilogue: Written by Scroobius Pip in collaboration with Greenpeace, performed by Lilli Chin Special Featured Performance: Will Poulter

[prasa-koval]

70) The Weekly Standard - amerykański neokonserwatywny magazyn polityczny, zawierający wiadomości, analizy i komentarze, który ukazywał się 48 razy w roku. Pierwotnie redagowany przez założycieli Billa Kristola i Freda Barnesa, Standard był opisywany jako „reduta neokonserwatyzmu” i „neokonserwatywna biblia”. Jego wydawca założycielski, News Corporation, zadebiutował jako tytuł 18 września 1995 r. W 2009 r. News Corporation sprzedało magazyn spółce zależnej Anschutz Corporation. 14 grudnia 2018 r. jego właściciele ogłosili, że magazyn przestanie się ukazywać, a ostatni numer ma zostać opublikowany 17 grudnia. Źródła przypisują jego upadek rosnącej rozbieżności między Kristolem i innymi redaktorami, którzy z jednej strony zwracali się w stronę stanowisk antytrumpowskich, a z drugiej strony, zwracając się w stronę trumpizmu wśród odbiorców magazynu.

Wiele artykułów w magazynie zostało napisanych przez członków konserwatywnych think tanków zlokalizowanych w Waszyngtonie, w tym American Enterprise Institute, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hudson Institute i Foreign Policy Initiative. Osoby, które pisały dla magazynu, to m.in. Elliott Abrams, Peter Berkowitz, John Bolton, Ellen Bork, David Brooks, Gertrude Himmelfarb, Christopher Hitchens, Harvey Mansfield, Cynthia Ozick, Joe Queenan i John Yoo. Strona internetowa magazynu również regularnie publikowała komentarze i artykuły informacyjne dostępne wyłącznie online. Stanowisko redakcyjne witryny zostało opisane jako neokonserwatywne.

Standard był postrzegany jako bardzo wpływowy magazyn w administracji prezydenta George'a W. Busha (2001–2009), nazywany pokładowym magazynem Air Force One. W 2003 roku, mimo że nakład magazynu wynosił zaledwie 55 000 egzemplarzy, Kristol powiedział, że „mamy dziwną relację z najwyższym szczeblem administracji. Trzymają nas na dystans, ale wiceprezydent Dick Cheney wysyła kogoś, aby odebrał 30 egzemplarzy magazynu w każdy poniedziałek”. W 2006 roku, mimo że publikacja nigdy nie była dochodowa i rzekomo przynosiła ponad milion dolarów strat rocznie, szef News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch początkowo odrzucił pomysł jej sprzedaży. Następnie w czerwcu 2009 r. rozeszła się wiadomość, że sprzedaż publikacji Philipowi Anschutzowi jest nieuchronna, a Murdoch twierdził, że po zakupieniu The Wall Street Journal w 2007 r. jego zainteresowanie mniejszą publikacją zmalało. The Washington Examiner poinformował w tym miesiącu, że spółka macierzysta Examiner, należąca do Anschutz Clarity Media Group, kupiła Standard; cena wyniosła około 1 miliona dolarów. Standard zwiększył swój nakład płatny o 39 procent między czerwcem 2009 r. a czerwcem 2010 r. Według BPA nakład drukowany wynoszący około 100 000 egzemplarzy w 2013 r. spadł do 72 000 egzemplarzy w 2017 r., przy czym nakład spadł o około 10 procent między 2016 a 2017 r.

Pod koniec 2016 roku Kristol zakończył swoją kadencję jako redaktor naczelny. Zastąpił go Stephen Hayes, starszy autor magazynu. Pod przywództwem Hayesa, Standard nadal był tak samo krytyczny wobec Donalda Trumpa, jak za Kristola; zwolennicy Trumpa z kolei krytykowali Standard, a wpływy magazynu na kręgi republikańskie malały. W grudniu 2017 roku The Weekly Standard został oficjalnym partnerem Facebooka ds. weryfikacji faktów. 14 grudnia 2018 roku Clarity Media Group ogłosiło, że zaprzestanie wydawania magazynu po 23 latach. Podczas gdy niektórzy spekulowali, że zamknięcie The Weekly Standard miało na celu przejęcie subskrybentów Standard przez inny magazyn Clarity Media, Washington Examiner, jednak oświadczenie prezesa Clarity Media Group, Ryana McKibbena, mówiło, że takie spekulacje są nieprawdziwe. Kristol uważa, że ​​przyczyną zamknięcia magazynu była wrogość zwolenników administracji Donalda Trumpa.[28]

Gazeta „Standard” promowała i popierała inwazję na Irak w celu obalenia Saddama Husajna. W listopadzie 1997 r. Bill Kristol i Robert Kagan napisali artykuł redakcyjny zatytułowany „Saddam musi odejść”, w którym stwierdzili: „Wiemy, że propozycja kolejnego ataku lądowego na Bagdad wydaje się nie do pomyślenia. Ale nadszedł czas, aby zacząć myśleć o tym, co nie do pomyślenia”. W pierwszym numerze magazynu opublikowanym po 11 września, według Scotta McConnella z The American Conservative, „Gary Schmitt i Tom Donnelly, dwaj pracownicy PNAC Kristola, wyjaśnili, jakie powinny być cele wojenne kraju. Ich retoryka polegała na łączeniu Saddama Husseina i Osamy bin Ladena w praktycznie każdym akapicie, aby połączyć ich biodrami w umysłach czytelników, a następnie przedstawić strategię, która faktycznie nadała atakowi na Saddama pierwszeństwo przed wyeliminowaniem Al-Kaidy”. 16 grudnia 2018 r. współzałożyciel i redaktor współpracujący John Podhoretz bronił relacji, odpowiadając na pytanie Lulu Garcia-Navarro w NPR: „Czy żałujesz relacji z wojny w Iraku?”, mówiąc: „Myślę, że zasadniczo wszystko, co czasopismo — redaktorzy, autorzy — może obiecać, to to, że będą uczciwi i powiedzą, co mają na myśli, myślą i będą argumentować najlepiej, jak potrafią. I na podstawie dostępnych wówczas faktów, The Standard właśnie to zrobił”.

W 1997 roku, prawie rok po tym, jak na okładce ukazał się artykuł zawierający oskarżenia o zatrudnienie prostytutki i plagiat wobec autora bestsellerów Deepaka Chopry, redaktorzy The Weekly Standard przyjęli pełną odpowiedzialność za błędy w artykule i przeprosili. Chopra twierdził, że magazyn zawarł ugodę na kwotę 1,6 miliona dolarów.

Zespół redakcyjny:

Stephen F. Haye - redaktor naczelny

Bill Kristol - redaktor naczelny

Fred Barnes - redaktor wykonawczy

Christopher Caldwell

Andrew Ferguson

Lee Smith

Philip Terziann

Jonathan V. Last - redaktor cyfrowy

Matt Labash - starszy autor.

Redaktorzy współpracujący:

Max Boot

Joseph Bottum

Tucker Carlson

Matthew Continetti

Joseph Epstein

David Frum

David Gelernter

Reuel Marc Gerecht

Michael Goldfarb

Mary Katharine Ham

Brit Hume

Frederick Kagan

Robert Kagan

Charles Krauthammer

Tod Lindberg

Rob Messenger

P. J. O'Rourke

John Podhoretz

Irwin Stelzer.

[radiodormouse]

After three issues of surreal comedy in a vein reminiscent of Aqua Teen Hunger Force—a show that itself often flirts with the disturbing and macabre—Yummy Fur takes a sharp turn into horror with a story that ranks amongst the best the genre has to offer, regardless of medium.

Chester Brown not only intensifies the dread here but introduces religious themes and symbolism that skirts the line between blasphemy and orthodoxy. Exploring existential unease through a lens that’s both provocative and thoughtful, Brown delves into questions of faith, Biblical morality, and the uncanny, challenging believers and nonbelievers alike.

This unique blend of nihilism, dread, and theological inquiry offers a rich, layered experience that lingers long after readers turn the final page. Recommended for fans of Robert Aickman, Christopher Hitchens, and Adult Swim.

[libraryben]

Many puddings made in Indonesia contain agar, a gelling agent that, unlike gelatin, doesn’t melt at the blistering temperatures typical in the Southeast Asian country. Though not Indonesian herself, the American-born Hesse had learned about agar’s culinary uses from a neighbor who once lived in the then-Dutch colony.

A complex sugar obtained from red algae, agar (a name derived from “agar-agar,” meaning “jelly” in the Malay language) is so important to scientific research that during World War II, when faced with import restrictions from Japan, the substance’s main producer at the time, the United Kingdom recognized the shortage as a national emergency. Across the U.K., citizens started foraging alternative seaweeds in an effort to safeguard the production of vaccines and antibiotics.

Despite agar’s significance, few remember Hesse’s key role in microbiology history. Much of the available information about her life comes from two sources: the 1939 paper about the introduction of agar into bacteriology (the study of bacteria), co-written by Arthur Parker Hitchens and Morris C. Leikind, and a short biography published in 1992 by the couple’s grandson, Wolfgang Hesse. Popular articles about Hesse tend to portray her chiefly as a housewife, but newly resurfaced documents shared by Wolfgang’s children and detailed here for the first time reveal her skill as a scientific illustrator and scholar in her own right. The records will be soon deposited at the Museum at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin.

[mincerman]

Is this a list of the same type of people?

Gerald Durrell

Derrick (Fredo Santana) Coleman - rapper - purple drank

Anthony Bourdain (TV Chef) - Heroin, Methadone, Cocaine, Alcohol.

George Herbert Scott (Airship Pilot), d.1930.

Grayson Murray, American golfer

Mark Lanegan, 57

Taylor Hawkins, 50

Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth Lead Singer, liver failure.

Lisa Marie Presley, 54

Raye (Rachel Keen), British Singer

Andrea Dunbar (Playwright, age 29 - brain hem orange).

Robert Louis Stevenson - hence Jeykel and hyde (aged 44, drugs inc alcohol)

Phil Lynott

Paul Walsh, Footballer.

Andy Warhol - “Although not as big a drug-taker as many of his entourage in mid-century New York, Warhol was addicted to Obetrol – marketed today as Adderall – an amphetamine diet pill that has a similar effect to speed.” - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/24/drugs-and-alcohol-do-not-make-you-more-creative-research-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Jefferson King (Shadow)

Taylor Hawkins (died at 50) Foo Fighters, Drummer.

Jordon Peterson

Ivan Toney (Brentford and England footballer and gambler)

Wasim Akram (Cocaine)

Robson Green

Simon Pegg

Don Whillans, mountaineer

Stanislav Petrov (the man who saved the world)

Samuel Taylor-Coleridge (Laudanum)

Goethe

W.H.Auden, Benzedrine

Jared O’Mara (former MP)

Anne Robinson

Hayden Panettiere, actress https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/22079654/heroes-hayden-panettiere-addiction-alcohol-opiods-nashville/amp/

Jennifer Elliott (daughter of Denholm Elliot)

James Mangan - 19th C. Irish Poet, influenced -

Shane MacGowan.

Sir William Carr (Pissing Billy)

James Gandolfini

Lanre Fehintola

Howard Hughes, OCD, Codeine

Kirkland Laing (Boxer)

Ian Royce, Comedian.

Bobby Liebling (lead singer, Pentagram)

Rory Hamilton Brown

Matthew Mellon (banking heir)

Nora Butlin

David Berman (silver Jews)

Ted Ngoy (the donut king - gambling)

Ernst Udet - German WW1 Ace, responsible for Nazi aircraft manufacture until suicide,1941.

Blair “Paddy” Mayne (famed early S.A.S. Soldier)

David Stirling (famed early S.A.S. Soldier)

Danny Cipriani

William Golding

Luke Sutton, sports agent

Bryony Gordon

Gaddafi

Paddy “Mad” Merrigan (Jockey)

Michael K. Williams (actor)

Robert Webb (British Comedian)

Mark McManus

Brian O’Nolan

Rodney Dangerfield

Tara Palmer-Tompkinson

Marco Pantani

Robin Smith (cricketer)

Dr. John (The Scatman)

Robert Havlin (jockey)

Kenneth Williams

Victor Willis (son of a baptist preacher - Village People.

Stu Ungar

Charlie Parker

Miles Davis

Harold Shipman

Danny Trejo (ends up dead on top of Tortoise in Breaking Bad).

Sandy Ratcliff (Sue Osman, East Enders)

James Hunt

Michael David Weiss (film injustice re safety needles)

Charlie Chaplin Snr. (Cirrhosis, 38)

Oisin Murphy (jockey)

Peter Shilton (gambling)

Marvin Gaye

Robert Young, actor, brother of Roger Moore

Dick Van Dyke

Yuri Gagarin

Christopher Farley (U.S. actor)

Ronald Lacey - played Dylan Thomas (1978) - Harry Ridler in Minder on the the Orient Express

Jordan Peterson

Tanya Sarne (Fashion)

Elizabeth Wurtzel (Prozac Nation)

Bradley Cooper

Tom Maynard (Cricketer)

Bobby Beasley (Jockey)

Toulouse-Lautrec

Baudelaire

Montgomery Clift.

Jay Kay

Mike McCready (guitarist - pearl jam)

Elton John

Heinrich Böll, German Writer, Pervatin, during WW

Andy Fordham (The Viking)

Alice Cooper

Phil Spector

Alan Watts

Mark Lanegan

Rupert Young - Will Young’s brother

Matthew Perry (Friends sitcom)

Susannah Constantine (TV host)

Hugh O’Connor, Actor, -1962-1995. Shot himself in the head on the day of his 3rd Wedding Anniversary.

Deacon Brodie - alcoholic sinner fire-runner and example used by Robert Louis Stevenson in J & H - a hundred years later - and a life that Stevenson tried to pursue himself

Desi Arnaz, American actor

Felicite Tomlinson

Demi Lovato

William Hurt (American actor)

Venedikt Vasilyevich Yerofeyev - Author of Moscow Stations, 1969

Olivia Channon

Willie Carson Jnr

‘Bloody’ Mary Coughlan.

Roy Orbison (yo-yo dieting)

Christopher Hitchens - thinkoholic, alcoholic, smoker

Emma, Lady Hamilton

Jan-Michael Vincent (Airwolf)

Maradona

Keith Gillespie,Footballer, Gambling.

Eddie Van Halen

Richard Kiel (Jaws)

John Bonham

Matthew Perry, American actor.

Stuart Cable - Drummer Stereophonics - choked on vomit.

Cameron Douglas

Chris Langham - cocaine / alcohol. (Went to prison for 6 months for download child pornographic images. Played Orwell in 2003 BBC film.). Career destroyed after that.

Johnny Vegas

Arthur Daley.

Mike Tyson

George Harrison

Alexei Rykov aka ‘Rykvodka’ Rightist Politburo member, Premier and co- ruler with Stalin and Bukharin ‒. Defendant in last show trial

Hans Fallada (Rudolf Ditzen) - German Author

Henry Pierrepoint - executioner father of Albert the executioner.

Bob Hindley (alcoholic father of Myra Hindley)

Simon Day (fast show)

Frederick Nietzsche (Opiu re m / chloral hydrate)

Tennessee Williams

Henry Willson - Hollywood agent (Cirrhosis)

Steve Caulker - footballer aged 25 (alcohol and gambling)

Tim Bergling (DJ Avicii) - aged 28

Verne Troyer (49)

Ashley Mattingly (playmate)

Jean Michel Basquiat - artist, 27, Heroin

Keith Levene, Founder member of The Clash, and Public Image Ltd

Dolores Riordan (46) lead singer of cranberries - died drowned in her bath 2018 Park Lane Hilton. Also anorexic and bi-polar.

Demi Lovato (ex Disney Channel actress)

Charles Baudelaire - laudanum and alcohol

Chris Leben (UFC fighter)

Mike Bell a.k.a. Mad Dog (WWE - wrestler)

Freddie Starr

Irvine Welsh

Dolores O’Riordan (alcohol / anorexia)

Dennis Price.

Shia LaBeouf (actor)

Rhys Thomas (Rugby)

Russell Pearce (Boxing)

David Plunkett Greene (Heroin)

Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernon (grateful Dead,27)

Annabelle Neilson - Heroin / aristoc

Ray Wilkins

Jeff Hatch (NFL player)

Ryan Cresswell (footballer)

Jon Stewart (guitarist, sleeper)

Alexander || of Russia.

Otto Gross (influenced Jung) - addict - 1877 to 1920. 42.

Oskar Schindler

Phil Lynott

Shaun Ryder

George Brown MP

Paul Ryder (Bassist)

Gary Oldman

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker, English Drummer.

Mac Miller / U.S. rapper (26)

Jeff Hanneman - Slayer - cirrhosis, 49

Gary Busey (American actor)

Philip Larkin (half a bottle of sherry at sunrise).

Hunter S. Thompson - pro addict - suicide Feb 2005

Gregg Allman, American Singer / Songwriter

Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey)

Martin Gore (Depeche Mode)

Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)

William Faulkner. (American Writer)

Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce)

Eugene O’Neill. (American Writer)

Anthony Burgess

Donald Maclean

Kim Philby

Ellen Philby - wife of spy Kim Philby (47)

Anthony Blunt

Ringo Starr

Jerry Lee Lewis

Ricky Hatton

John Ford (Film Director)

Jack London (Author of John Barleycorn novel) morphine overdose and alcoholism

Tom Chaplin, Lead Singer, Keane.

Nico - H - velvet underground

Art Pepper

Liza Minnelli

Richard Bacon

Jay Kay (Jamiroquai)

Tobey Maguire

Christian Slater

Chris Cornell (lead singer of Soundgarden)

Max Jacob (French Post)

Malcolm McDowell

Fred Trump Jnr. (Eldest brother 1932-81) - alcoholism aged 42.

Owen Wilson

Gary Oldman

Keith Flint (Prodigy)

Demi Moore - actors

Danniella Westbrook

Roger Ebert (Film critic)

John Cassavetes (great director) - hobnailed liver, 59. Q.v. Under the influence (1974) - starring his co-alcoholic and co-dependent wife, Gena Rowlands (who was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of progressive madness).

Bill Evans - Heroin - jazz

Suroosh Alvi - founder of Vice media - ex Heroin

Gary Fraser - Director of T2

Trainspotting - ex Heroin

Keith Floyd.

Ant mcpartlin

Tom Hardy (aa)

Steve Coogan

Kenny Sansom

Dante Gabriel Rossetti - painter -(1828-1882) became addicted to chloral, with whisky chasers

Philip Roth - American Novelist (Halcion sleeping pill)

Lee Marvin

Bryony Gordon - terrible telegraph columnist

‘Mad Jack’ Byron

Chet Baker - Jazz Trumpeter

Berlioz

Ray Charles - Heroin.

Sir Edwin Landseer (Laudinum)

John Hurt (died 28 Jan 16 pancreatic cancer ages 75)

Anthony Eden (Benzedrine) Drinamyl also known as ‘purple hearts’ to take him up and up to four sleeping pills a night to take him down. Eventually they stopped working - he couldn’t sleep and the doctors said the pharmaceutical solution had run its course - and he had to be evacuated to Jamaica for a few weeks - presumably to withdraw, just after Suez and a Sterling crisis. https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/98/6/387/1548168 - from Dr David Owen - concluding with the line ‘a fit and well Anthony Eden would not have made all those mistakes’.

Christopher Walken

Alistair Maclean - later on.

Al Pacino

Andrew Symonds (Australian Cricketer)

Margaux Hemingway (grand-daughter / supermodel)

Amy Winehouse (27)

Brian Jones (27) Rolling Stones

Jimi Hendrix (27)

Janice Joplin (27)

Jim Morrison (27)

Rudy Lewis (27) The drifters

Alan Wilson (27)

Dickie Pride (27)

Ron “Pigpen” Mckernon (27)

Kurt Cobain (27)

Dash Snow (27) - artist

Gary Thain (27) Bassist, Uriah Heep

Pamela Courson (27) Morrison’s wife, Heroin overdose, 3 yrs later in ‘74.

See also - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club

Fred Archer (29) gambling - shot himself.

Dean Martin

Eve Babitz

Pete Townsend

Courtney Love

Kevin Lloyd (Actor, The Bill)

Amedeo Modigliani

Diego Maradona

Brett Favre

Babe Ruth

Paul Merson (drink and gambling)

Bill Werbenuik (Snooker)

Kirk Stevens (cocaine - Snooker)

Mark E. Smith - d.2018. Lead singer of the Fall. 60.

Danielle Westbrook

Mary J. Bilge

Alec Baldwin (actor)

Vince Taylor from Isleworth - inspired Ziggy Stardust.

Douglas Kenney - founder of National Lampoon, 33, probable Suicide. Hawaii.

Alan McGee - Founder of creation records and property developer

Patrick Swayze

John Skipper, (former) president ESPN

David Cassidy

Steven Tyler (alive)

Hubert Selby Jr - author of last exit to Brooklyn - died sober even refused morphine.

Etta James

Slash

Bradley Cooper

Calvin Harris (Scot dj)

Eva Mendes

Colin Farell

Al Pacino

Craig Charles

Davina McCall

Anthony Hopkins

Rob Lowe

Phil Michelson (gambling)

Melanie Griffith

Jamie-Lee Curtis

Moby

W. C. Fields

Jean-Claude Junker

Christine Dolce (queen of MySpace) - cirrhosis

Franklin pierce - us president - cirrhosis

Chernenko - soviet leader 84 - cirrhosis

Jimi Hendrix - cirrhosis?

Billie holiday - cirrhosis

Jack Karouac - cirrhosis

Rob Lowe - alcoholic - 27 yrs sober

Sean Hughes (Irish comic) - cirrhosis

List of people with cirrhosis https://m.ranker.com/list/famous-people-with-cirrhosis/celebrity-lists

Etta James

Francis Bacon

Lucian Fraud (gambling)

Bobby Davro

David Warner - AUS cricketer

Baudelaire

Jesse Ryder - NZ cricketer

Herschelle Gibbs - SA cricketer

Alan Hudson (footballer)

Paul McGrath (footballer)

Kenny Samson (Footballer)

Garrincha (Brazilian Footballer)

Hank Williams aged 29

Marvin Gaye - crack before he was shot by father

Mickey Mantle (baseball player, Cirrhosis)

Joseph McCarthy (anti-communist)

Gilbert Harding - "The Rudest Man in Britain" 1907-1960.

John Paul Getty III

Caroline Aherne

Chris Difford - squeeze / clouds

Gary Shail - spider in quadraphenia

8 Mile actress

NIna Simone

Lord Lucan

Lady Lucan

Goering

Christy Brown

Edward St Aubyn

Rick Stein

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Snooker Player)

Chris Cornell

Denis Johnson (Author of Jesus' Son, 1992)

Dermot Reeve

Joey Barton

Will Self

Charles Kennedy MP (intracerebral haemorrhage)

Eric Joyce MP

Debbie Harry (Blondie)

Sir Anthony Eden - Benzedrine - buried at st Mary's church, alvediston. Un-respected.

Luvo Manyonga SA long jumper Olympic silver medallist 2016 - crystal meth

Ian McShane - Lovejoy, Deadwood - cocaine / alcoholic - 28 yrs since first AA meet.

Colin Milburn (cricketer)

Tom Petty (Heroin)

James brown

General Gordon of Khartoum - alcoholic - (according to Lytton Strachey)

Errol Flynn (absolutely everything) - in secret lives at the end "Errol Flynn made the fatal flaw of confusing his art with his life - in film they applaud Robin Hoods and rascals - in real life they tire of them soon... They stand by to let the person destroy himself". Heart problems and Cirrhosis.

Tyrone Power - 1 yr after The Sun Also Rises aged 44

Charlie Wilson US politician cv.film

Brian Clough

Sean Ryder

Greg Merson 2014 WSOP Main Event winner

Tubby Hayes - British Jazz - Heroin

Phil Seaman - Drummer - Heroin

Rick Parfitt (Status Quo)

Ian Kilminster (Lemmy)

Jack wild (oliver in artful dodger) aged 53 mouth cancer

Joe meek - pills - Telstar

Rasputin (alcohol and sex)

Boris Yeltsin

Paris Jackson (17) Michael's daughter

Jimmy pegg - walker in dads army - 39

Alexei Stakhanov (coal miner)

Seymour Hoffman

Lo ' David Coyle - Mr Bates in Downton Abbey

David Cassidy - 70s singer / heartthrob

Simon Danczuk MP

John Belushi

Whitney Houston

Bobbi Kristina Brown

William S Burroughs - writer, Heroin

William S Burroughs Jr. - Aged 34 - had liver transplant - cirrhosis

Amy winehouse

Brian Epstein - in a totally white bathroom - the only art was a giant picture of El Cordobes. And he wanted to give up managing The Beatles to manage bullfighters in Spain. L. Oo

Dante Gabriel Rosetti (Laudanum), Chloral, Alcohol)

Jimmy greaves

Mary Todd go. F FB

ST Coleridge (both Laudanum)

Sigmund Freud - a lot to answer for - cocaine

Irvine Walsh

Malcolm Lowry 1957

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Michael Phelps - most decorated Olympian

Tony Curtis

Robbie Williams

Mel Gibson

Sir James Chadwick (sleeping pills) sleeping on fear his work on a bomb would lead to mass destruction

Charles James Fox - cirrhosis whilst in office as Foreign Secretary - also Ascites (7 pints of fluid drained at death also 35 gallstones found) - lived in Chertsey and Foxhills, prodigious gambler.

Barry humphries

Daniel Radcliffe

Jack Dee

Jack karouac

Ian Fleming?

William Holden (actor, Bridge on the River Kwai)

Brad Pitt

Len fairclough

Malcolm Lowry (under the volcano)

John le Meisurer

James Beck (Alcoholic) Dads Army

Arthur Lowe - Dad's Army

Clive of India

Frank skinner

Rodney king

RD Laing (Dr)

Richard Hughes (jockey)

Johnny Murtagh (Jockey)

Jeremy Wolfenden

Jockey Wilson

Diego Maradona

John McAfee - dry drunk

Antony Hopkins

Michael Barrymore

Tara fitzgerald

Gazza

Tiger Woods https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tiger-woods-avoids-jail-on-driving-charge-dp9f6gv7n

Lou reed

Marquis of Blandford

F Scott Fitzgerald

Beethoven

Edgar Allan Poe

Diana Ross

Robin Williams

Elton John

Eminem

Lilly Allen

J.L. Austin, Academic, Lung Cancer, 48.

Johnny Cash

Samuel l Jackson

Frank Sinatra

Buzz aldrin

Ben affleck - gambling / alcohol

Ulysses Grant 18th president

Benjamin franklin

George bush jar

Alexander the Great

David Yelland Former editor of Sun.

David Bowie / Ziggy Stardust (Coke)

Eric Clapton

Bill Wilson

W.C. Fields (died of gastric haemorrhage)

Blondie - whose music is used to advertise baileys

Stephen King

Hermann Goering (Morphine)

Hermoine Norris (yellow card)

Brad davis

Tom Maynard

Alec Baldwin

Morgan Freeman

Charlie watts both recovers

William f Buckley

Charles Kennedy

Jamie lee Curtis (daughter of tony Curtis)

Lana del Rey

Barnaby conrad (bulls)

Yazz Yasmin Evans

Peaches Geldolf

Caroline aherne

King Richard 3rd died 1485 battle of bosworth

James beck (dads army)

Fat boy slim

Calvin Harris

50 cent

Prince (Perocet)

Francis Bacon

Anthony kliedis

Shania twain

Peter Townsend

Leona Lewis

Jessie j

Alice cooper

Moby

Ringo Starr

Asquith?

Constantine Chernenko (Soviet president - cirrhosis)

Chris difford (lead sing squeeze)

George IV - gambling mainly.

Henry VIII - sypillus (food issues - drink - sex)

Ozzy osbourne

Jack osbourne

Kelly osbourne

Steve coogan

Paul Gascoigne

Midge Ure

John Daly

Steven Tyler

Nicole Ritchie

Drew Barrymore

Naomi Campbell

Waylon Jennings

Nick Nolte

Martin Sheen

Keith Moon

Kurt Cobain

Rt Hon George Brown MP, Lord George Brown (1914-1985) Labour Belper, 1945-70, excused by his staff of being ‘tired and emotional

Paul Nicholls (ex Eastenders)

Alan Ladd

Jack Lemmon

David Hasselhoff

Errol Flynn - ended up supporting The (Fid)Del - worst film ever - Cuban rebel girls and the Cuban story doc - 1959 - year he died - revolution for alcohol, cocaine, and heroin - these two pieces of art marked the ego, deciept and denial.

Truman Copote

Billy Joel

Jimmy White (Snooker, Crack)

Stephen King

Ernest Hemingway

Diana Ross

Orson Welles (and father)

Ben Affleck (drink / gambling)

Abi Evelyn t (yellow card)

Trinny Woodall

Don Simpson - producer of top gun bev hills cop

Peter Doherty

Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon guitarist)

Robert Newton - born Shaftesbury 1905 - died Beverly Hills 1956 - heart attack - Shaftesbury most famous alcoholic. Aged 50.

12th Duke of Marlborough - Ex Marquis of Blandford

Henry VIII

Thomas de Quincey - confessions of an English opium eater. (Actually laudanum).

Pat Eddery

Richard Hughes

Dr William Stewart Halsted - inspiration for Clive Owen's Dr John Thackery (The Knick).

Nero?

Frank Skinner

Alexander the Great?

Eric Joyce (former MP)

Robert Mitchum

Osgood )brother of Peter

Lionel Bart

Ira Hayes (flag man)

John Bonham (Windsor)

Joseph "Joe" McCarthy - commies

Dylan Thomas

James Joyce

James Thurber

Gary Moore (singer, 80s)

Jim Morrison (27)

Franklin Pierce (US President, 1853-1857. Liver cirrhosis 1869 aged 64.

Macaulay Culkin

Michael Jackson

Boy George

Carrie Fisher

Beth Morris (voice contestant) - cocaine

Hitler (Barbiturates)

Mussolini, Stalin, Eichmann.

Mao Zedong (barbiturates)

Jeffrey Dahmer (Alcohol)

Johnny Depp (booze)

Rodney Dangerfield

Mickey Mantle (baseball, booze)

Billie Holiday

Melanie Griffith

Ewan McGregor

Tony Hancock

Guy Burgess (spy)

Diana Ross

Shane MacGowen

Craig Charles.

Paul Verlaine (French 19th C Poet)

Toulouse-Lautrec

Melanie Griffith (Percocet)

Elvis (Percocet)

Cindy McCain (wife of John MCCain, Percocet)

Gerald Levert (Percocet)

Bill Werbeniuk

Ant McPartlin

Prince (Fentanyl overdose)

Lil Peep (Fentanyl overdose)

Alex Higgins

Bon Scott (AC/DC)

Kirk Stevens (Cocaine)

La Galue (Louise Weber) - queen of Momartre - can can dancer.

Jeff Hanneman (singer, Slayer)

Yves Saint-Laurent

Florence Ballard (The Supremes)

Colin Milburn (Cricketer)

John Barrymore (Early Hollywood Actor)

Kemal Ataturk (Cirrhosis)

Gail Russell (Early Hollywood icon)

Helen Morgan (American singer and actress)

Ulysses Grant

George Best

Calum Best

Verne Troyer

Keith Whitley (American Country music singer)

William Falkner (American author)

Caspar Fleming (Novelist’s son)

Anna Nicole-Smith

Yootha Joyce (Mildred)

Jerry Bailey - us jockey)

Joe Namath

Walter Swinburn (both dead) alcohol and also eating disorder

Bobby Fischer (Chess)

Willie Thorne ( gambling)

Kirk Stevens

[denimbex1986]

'The film about the nuclear scientist Robert Oppenheimer is not just bad, noisy, hard to follow and far too long. It gets in the way of understanding one of the great events of our times.

I have been amazed by the way so many people have claimed to have enjoyed it. I endured it.

The only common complaints have been about the rather underpowered portrayal of the actual detonation of the first bomb on July 16, 1945. What were these complainers expecting? A blast-wave in the cinema? Apparently people think it is not spectacular enough.

I say, thank heaven for that. I have walked on the blasted nuclear testing grounds of the old Soviet Union in Kazakhstan, amid the total, desolate silence and seen the traces still left years afterwards: the vast, solid concrete slab, the size of a block of flats, tipped to a drunken angle by the blast; the shards of black glass all over the earth's surface, mementoes of the day the heat of the bomb fused the desert sands into a sea of such glass; and the soft warnings of the scientists who accompanied me: 'Do not linger here. Do not under any circumstances disturb the dust, in case you breathe it in. It is still lethal.'

Who needs another great big bang to know that this moment mattered? There is enough archive film of the tests and of the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for those who wish to know.

How can there be so little actual dialogue in so long a film? Why does the director, Christopher Nolan, feel it necessary to accompany conversation, when it happens, with loud, driving music (and sometimes with unexplained crashing noises) to tell us this is all important?

Why do we need to see Oppenheimer and his Communist mistress, Jean Tatlock, sitting in armchairs with nothing on or engaging in fantasy ghostly sexual congress during a committee session?

Why was this film even made?

Like Nolan's previous blockbuster and critical success, Dunkirk, I think it leaves the audience knowing less about the subject than they did before they went into the cinema.

Here is a rather simple story. The US government grasps that, with a huge concentration of brilliant minds and vast sums of money, it may be able to make a weapon more destructive than any in history.

The possibility is not a secret. Scientists in several major powers, including Britain, had been examining this since 1939. British experts have already made major advances but the country lacks the money to carry them through. A large team of British scientists go to the US to help in what they think (wrongly) will be a joint Anglo-American project.

Hollywood, typically, makes little of the British contribution or of the later freezing out of Britain, which led to the 1945 Labour government restarting the UK's own independent nuclear weapons programme. A brilliant, brutal bureaucrat, General Leslie Groves, has proved he can work wonders by building the Pentagon in no time. He is picked to build the bomb, and chooses Oppenheimer as his scientific chief, a Left-wing eccentric with a messy sex life and a tragic marriage (his wife is an ex-Communist who drinks too much), who reads the Hindu scriptures for relaxation.

He is not your ordinary suburban person. He has Communist friends but he is good at nuclear physics and managing scientists. Oppenheimer duly delivers the bomb, too late to be used on the Nazis but in time to be dropped on Japan.

Bang. Hurrah. The war ends. Sorry about all the innocent people who got burned to death but that's war and they shouldn't have attacked Pearl Harbor. The end.

Except that it isn't the end.

All kinds of worrying things are buried in the story. At one point, in 1942, one of Oppenheimer's Communist friends suggests that Oppenheimer gets in touch with the Soviet Union about the bomb project through a British scientist (and Soviet asset). Oppenheimer realises the suggestion is treasonous and refuses it. But he does not report the contact for eight months. When he does, he tries to cover up his friend's role for four months.

All this matters because soon after the German defeat, it becomes clear Stalin has penetrated the bomb project, and has known for ages about it.

And the US, having been Stalin's close ally until 1945, violently switches to being Moscow's bitterest enemy.

Suddenly, now that the Soviet Union is the enemy, all those Communist dalliances in the 1930s start to matter. Just because the stupid, gristle-brained Senator Joe McCarthy says so, doesn't mean the American establishment hasn't been infiltrated by pro-Soviet Communists. Subsequent intelligence disclosures confirm that it was. Oppenheimer, later in life, ceases to be indispensable to the US nuclear bomb programme. Plenty of others can handle it. He has also become politically awkward as he clearly suffers from remorse over the uses made of his discoveries.

But why is so much of the film devoted to an attack on an obscure US politician, Lewis Strauss, who took part in the campaign to remove Oppenheimer's security clearance.

Hollywood was badly scorched by crude witch-hunts during the McCarthy years and has never really seen straight over such issues since.

The danger was not imaginary, or purely the result of American hysteria. The truth is that there were Communists, and fellow-travellers, in the US and in Britain, and that quite a few became agents of Stalin. Many probably got away with it.

In unhysterical Britain, the nuclear scientist Alan Nunn May, an actual Communist, was jailed for ten years for giving secrets to the Soviets. The German refugee Klaus Fuchs, who also gave British nuclear secrets to Stalin, was jailed for 14 years and went to live in Communist East Germany when released.

All of this has been known for years. But a film made in 2023 needs to get past these ancient 1950s Hollywood resentments. Here are several huge issues barely touched on.

The scientists knew they were building a weapon of mass destruction but excused themselves because Hitler might build one, too. We now know that Hitler never got near building a bomb.

The whole moral driving force of the project was a fantasy.

In the summer of 1945, British intelligence assembled a group of captured German scientists at a picturesque old house in Godmanchester, near Huntingdon. The house was bugged from basement to attic. The Germans were astonished at news of the bomb and plainly had never got within miles of making one. This has been public knowledge since 1992.

Even more devastating is modern historical research about Japan.

It is clear that Japan's surrender was not forced by the bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Japan's fanatical leadership cared little about civilian deaths (they had not blinked when a firebomb raid in March 1945 killed 100,000 in Tokyo itself). By the time the bomb was ready, there were few Japanese cities of any size left standing.

The scholar Tsuyoshi Hasegawa concluded from Japanese and Soviet records that Japan's surrender was mainly caused by Stalin's decision to enter the war. The military leadership feared he would invade Japan from the north and seize large parts of the country.

It has long suited Japan and the US to pretend that the two A-bombs ended the war. Japan can pose as a victim nation. The US, which is embarrassed about being the only country to use the bomb in war, can soothe consciences by saying the action saved tens of thousands of Allied troops from death. But the worrying truth is known to academics and diplomats. So the second great justification for the use of the bomb in 1945 melts away.

President Truman's airy dismissal of Oppenheimer as a 'crybaby' for doubting the morality of using the bomb now looks callous and self-serving. Truman was a nobody promoted to power by the crooked Tom Pendergast machine in Kansas City, Missouri. For sure, he was no great intellect.

Oppenheimer, by contrast, was a powerful thinker. A great film could have been made out of this huge story. But this wasn't it.'

[what-if-rpg]

If you guys are looking for a new roleplay to join during summer time, this is the moment to check us out. We are looking for new members, and we would love to have you here. Under the read more, you can check ALL our open characters. Canons and OCs, and yes, you can still send in your own muse if none of the ones we have are for you. Check us out?

CANON CHARACTERS

Brittany Pierce

Kurt Hummel

Danielle Harper

Blaine Anderson

Artie Abrams

Shelby Corcoran

Kitty Wilde

Brody Weston

Unique

Shane Tisnley

Sue Sylvester

Jeff Sterling

Sebastian Smythe

Will Schuester

Matt Rutherford

Friday Romero

April Rhodes

Noah Puckerman

Jake Puckerman

Spencer Porter

Emma Pillsbury

Stephanie Pierce

Sugar Motta

Roderick Meeks

Mason McCarthy

Madison McCarthy

Santana Lopez

Dave Karofsky

Bree Jordan

Holly Holliday

Grace Hitchens

Joe Hart

Rory Flanagan

Judy Fabray

Stevie Evans

Tina Cohen-Chang

Hunter Clarington

Mike Chang

LeRoy Berry

Hiram Berry

Jean Baptiste

Azimio Adams

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Avery Fabray (FC: Lily James)

Stacey Evans (FC: Lili Reinhart)

Chelsea St. James (FC: Ariana Grande)

Shannon Wilde (FC: Hunter Schafer)

Eléonore Smythe (FC: Stefania Spampinato)

Archibald Schuester (FC: Robert Pattinson)

Poppy Rutherford (FC: Ruby Barker)

Jamison Rutherford (FC: Regé-Jean Page)

Danna Rose (FC: Georgina Amorós)

Claire Rose (FC: Danielle Savre)

Thalita Rhodes (FC: Anna Camp)

Lei Readdie (FC: Shay Mitchell)

Evelyn Puckerman (FC: Kat Dennings)

Imogen Porter (FC: Nicola Coughlan)

Zara Pillsbury (FC: Madelaine Petsch)

Elenora Pillsbury (FC: Phoebe Dynevor)

Alessandra Pierce (FC: Claudia Salas)

Rafa Padilla (FC: Rafael Silva)

Adofo Motta (FC: Mena Massoud)

Maximus Meeks (FC: Jonathan Bailey)

Morena McCarthy (FC: Martina Cariddi)

Rebecca Lynn (FC: Ana de Armas)

Valentino Lopez (FC: Wilmer Valderrama)

Treyvon Jones (FC: Mason Gooding)

Talisa Jones (FC: Laura Harrier)

Levi Jones (FC: Michael B. Jordan)

Kyan Jones (FC: Jeremy Pope)

Billie Jones (FC: Alexandra Shipp)

Angelica Johnson (FC: Naomi Scott)

Jordan Jackson (FC: Zac Efron)

Cordelia Jackson (FC: Brie Larson)

Bradley Jackson (FC: Zac Efron)

Mildred Hummel (FC: Sandra Bullock)

Liam Hudson (FC: Dacre Montgomery)

Brian Hudson (FC: Nick Robinson)

Benjamin Hudson (FC: Shawn Mendes)

Gabriella Goldman (FC: Ashley Tisdale)

Abigail Goldman (FC: Ashley Tisdale)

Daniel Fabray (FC: Hunter Parrish)

Mia Evans (FC: Brianne Howey)

Victoria Crawford (FC: Claudia Jessie)

Alannah Crawford (FC: Renee Rapp)

Max Cohen-Chang (FC: Henry Golding)

Jenny Chang (FC: Gemma Chan)

Lucy Blossom (FC: Olivia Wilde)

Troy Adams (FC: John Boyega)

Caleb Adams (FC: Jacob Latimore)

Jess Abrams (FC: Brigette Lundy-Paine)

Castor Abrams (FC: Henry Cavill)

[godsfavoriteasian]

New books to my collection 📚