#that being said i don't think Hermione would be a good minister either

[hollowed-theory-hall]

hello! do you think percy would be a good minister of magic? i have been reading a fic that explores this path for the character that's amazing but i was wondering if what we know about him in canon would really allow him to be a good one

No, I don't think he'd be a good minister. Or that the position would be good for him.

Listen, I like Percy, I honestly think he's an interesting character, and I like his arc (even though I wish the ending of it would've been a little different) but that guy is not minister material.

Percy as a minister would be pretty similar to Fudge. He's a bureaucrat who'd be constantly chasing the approval of other influential people (he'd have his limits, but, he'd still do it). He is not particularly charismatic, and while he is intelligent, he's not the wisest. Specifically, because he chooses to be blind when it suits him (like, not realizing something is up with Ceouch Sr, because Percy got to do the job he wanted).

Percy idolized Crouch Sr. Percy as a minister, especially if we're immediately after the war, is going to crack down on all Death Eaters like Ceouch Sr did. Percy was out for vengeance after Fred died, and I don't think he'd be sated once the war is over. He'd 100% use his position to make life difficult for anyone associated with the Death Eaters and improve his own family's standing. What I'm saying is that he'd be pretty corrupt. Not that he'd see it as corruption, that's just how the ministry is and always was, and he'd see no issue with it because the ministry is perfect in his eyes.

(Also, I would've actually preferred seeing him step away from the ministry, at last for a bit post-canon. I think the environment there is doing Percy no favors, frankly. Him going back to work in the ministry post-canon is like going back to the abusive ex that gaslit you)

Yes, he had an arc, but his arc wasn't about seeing the faults in the system at large. I mean, I don't think he really sees the problems with the ministry as an organization.

Even post-canon, he'd think (like most characters, to be fair) that the problem in the ministry was the specific people there. That if they replaced some of the people in power, Death Eaters and Voldemort wouldn't be an issue again. He wouldn't consider that the problem is the system itself and how the ministry operates (part of that selective blindness I mentioned). It means that, just like Fudge, when Hermione or someone would come to him like: "yo, there's a problem with how this works" he'd say: "that's impossible! that's how it always worked! We can replace the person in charge and that'll fix it" and call it a day. He could be convinced to add some reforms for the sake of muggleborns, but I don't think he'd come up with them himself. And maybe he could be convinced to get the dementors out of Azkaban under the right conditions but I won't hold my breath for it.

Percy loves rules and bureaucracy, and he adores the ministry (as an organization) the way it is. He isn't going to be the solution to the WW issues.

Also, I think Percy is the kind of boss who'd be a horrid micromanager, and that is a potential recipe for disaster in the ministry. He just likes when everything is done to perfection and how he thinks it needs to be done, so he'd constantly check on his subordinates and annoy the shit out of them. I don't think he'd survive more than one term. (Hermione, might also do this as a minister — one of the reasons I'm not a fan of her as the Minister of Magic either)

Do I think his tenure as minister would damage the Wizarding World? Probably not. It'll stay more or less the same. He'd be pretty efficient in getting what he wants done, but what he wants is probably not what the Wizarding World in Britain needs.

(Though, he might just be chosen/elected because they don't seem interested in actually solving their issues, yk?)

Do I think he'd be a good minister? Not particularly. He'd be there for his term(s), not change anything big, and keep the status quo more or less intact. History would remember him as an okay if forgettable minister (like Fudge would've been remembered had Voldemort not returned in his term). Like, I think he'd be better than Fdge in certain aspects (he has more of a spine), but, like, that's a pretty low bar.

[saintsenara]

what do you think about Minister for Magic Percy Weasley? will he be better or worse than Kingsley and/or Hermione?

percy would be abysmal as a minister, because he's incapable of having anyone disagree with him.

i'm not someone who really likes the idea of hermione as a politician, because i don't think she'd be very good at either the grubbier - the schmoozing and charming and courting the press - or the more emotionally heavy - the fact that the things politicians have to make decisions on are never a black-and-white choice between what is fair and unfair, or good and bad, or right and wrong - aspects of the job.

but - nevertheless - she is at least somebody who's happy to be debated with and to receive criticism and pushback. she doesn't like being wrong, obviously, and she can be quite a sore loser as a teenager, but she has a fundamental love of argument which would make her curious about her constituents' lives.

percy, on the other hand, is somebody who canonically refuses to listen to other people. if he's pressed on something he's said, especially if the response is critical, he tends to shut down the conversation, to refuse to listen and/or to talk over the other person until they're forced into submission, and to disengage from the conversation by physically leaving it. and while he has his damascene conversion at the end of deathly hallows, the fact that in the epilogue he's still just monologuing at full pelt about how right he is suggests that's something he never grows past...

handing him the reins of power would be a very bad move...

[thevagueambition]

21 and 29 for the fic asks?:D I would also like to ask how much Visualization you have with your writing! Do you See what everyone looks like, where they're standing , and so on? Or is it all pretty abstract, script and Big Plot stuff, and then you fill in descriptive details later as needed?

Starting with your question about visualisation, I actually don't have super strong mental visualisation skills -- that's part of what makes me want to create art, I think. Once I've drawn a character, I know what they look like!

I do sometimes have very specific ideas about body language, facial expressions and where people are in space in relation to each other, but often in a way that can be rather inelegant to try to convey in text (this is the sort of thing I'd be likely to do a sketch of because I do have a strong visual idea of it)

When I write dialogue heavy scenes, I often write out the dialogue itself first (often including gestures) and write everything in between afterwards. I do this to stay in the "flow" of the back and forth of the dialogue.

Furthermore, since I find including sensory descriptions unintuitive in most situations, that's also something I often go back and add after I've written out the rest of the scene or when I'm editing and notice something of that nature might help emphasise or relay something in the scene.

(Thinking about it right now, I'm realising that the reason I find including sensory details so unintuitive is probably because of how unobservant I am in my own life. I notice things I find particularly compelling and things that trigger sensory issues, that's more or less it lol)

21) Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

Not immediately after writing it. In general, if I've fully written something out, it's likely to make it into the fic in some form -- often at a later time or in a different context if it doesn't work where I initially put it. I do delete stuff, of course, but usually I either do that before I've spent forever on a scene or I do it if I come back to something like two years later and don't remember where I was going with that bit or why I thought it was a good idea, lol.

This also relates to how I write long form stuff -- usually I "sketch out" the next few scenes I want before I actually start writing them out so it's rare for something to make it to the fully written state without being something I judge to be relevant to the story/somewhere I want to take things

29) Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic.

I don't have any deleted stuff from Elysium I'm afraid :P

I did have a fun idea for Les Mis/Harry Potter fusion at some point, where the barricade plot (in a probably less deadly version lol) happens as a student protest at Hogwarts :P I'm unlikely to ever write more of it, but I'll put some of what I did write under the cut

Neville burst into the room of requirements.

“The Minister of Magic tried to arrest Dumbledore! Now Dumbledore's fled Hogwarts!”

For a moment, the room of requirements, which usually bustled with activity, was completely quiet.

“Dumbledore… is gone,” Harry said, and turned to face the rest of Dumbledore’s Army. “With his arrest, they’ll appoint Umbridge Headmistress. The student body will not stand for it. We can rally them when they appoint Umbridge, take over the school and remove her once and for all.”

Harry looked from face to face, suddenly feeling unsure of his plan. A few people looked dubious, but the twins and Ginny were grinning at each other, Ron looked grimly determined and Hermione was already scribbling furious notes down on a piece of parchment.

“Well?” Harry asked.

“I think you’re right, Harry,” Hermione said. “But if we’re doing this, we need a plan. We need to know what parts of the school we’re planning to occupy, what tools we need to barricade them successfully and exactly what our demands are.”

“Our demand is no Umbridge,” Ginny said.

“Yes, but who are we directing that demand to? The school board? The ministry? And how do we prove we represent the students at large? Do we get everyone to boycott classes? Do we try to get teachers on board? To suspend classes in solidarity?”

“We’ll have a few days before they officially appoint Umbridge, right? Let’s focus on getting people on board for now. Fred, George, do you still have a stash of stink bombs?”

“Yeah, but we’re running low,” Fred said.

“We can make more, though,” George said.

“Good, you two get on that now,” Harry said. “Hermione, you, me and Ron can begin to plan which parts of the castle we should focus on.”

[divagonzo]

I am reading you new story Beloved. In the latest chapter, I don't understand the hostility between Hermione and Jones. Did you have another story where there back story or history is explained. Thank You.

Mornin’ Nonnie. Coffee is brewed in the kitchen.

TL;DR answer: - Read Ch. 16 of Ron Weasley Chronicles.

Long answer under the cut below because it’s long and spoilerish for Beloved and other fics in my entire Nicheverse.

Hemera Octavia Jones is an OC of mine. She’s s statuesque at 1.85M, dark brown skin, unapolgetic in being cometent to the point of arrogance, unabashedly Bisexual (*in a relationship with Aurora Sinestra, Astronomy Prof at Hogwarts, whom she met when she was DADA professor in the 1998-1999 post-war term), best friends with Kingsley Shacklebolt (even if she is a few years younger), cousin to Hesetia and Gwenog Jones, and 1983 graduate of Hogwarts (Hufflepuff House)

She’s much like how Okoye is written for the film adaptation of Black Panter - but that was purely accidental on my part, considering I’ve not yet watched it and wrote Jones before the movie came out (nor have I read the first comic.)

I wanted someone who was a force of nature and much a foil for Hermione, like another wing of the same bird with similar goals.

She started in the program right out of Hogwarts, having Gawain Robards and Kingsley Shacklebolt as Seniors (and later, Moody, too, before he retired.)

Her first and only year at Hogwarts (which is in a half-written Yr 8 fic focusing on the friendship of Hermione, Ginny, and Luna while the guys are off being Aurors) was wrought with problems, most of them caused by Hermione Granger. Jones, though, also saw so many of Hermione’s weak moments, the ones where she lost her temper, had PTSD flashbacks, nightmares, and other mental health problems. Admittedly, Jones also protected Hermione, sometimes from herself, and from additional scrutiny from others and outside influences, so she would have a chance.

Hermione never realizes that until much, much later on.

(This is also when we get a better introduction to Audrey Reeves (who is later Audrey Weasley but that’s not what you asked.)

Jones and Hermione knock sparks and will for a very, very long time. Hermione can’t drop the grudge from that first year and Jones takes great pleasure in antagonizing her, because Hermione is so passionate but it’s also a weakness because others can possibly control her by being emotional. (Yes, I realize it’s a toxic trope idea and anti-feminist but it’s also something that women get from other women sometimes, myself included. Thus, while problematic, it’s also realistic.)

But here is the ultimate relavant section from Ch. 16 for you:

“Go on. I’m listening. I figure that after the last coupleof days, I should listen to my mistakes so I can learn from them. You’ll alsonot sugar coat anything for my benefit.”

Hermione leaned against the door. “I don’t know where yougot the idea that we’d be friends from the first day. I don’t know why youpresumed that I would be so open and trusting with someone I didn’t know. Noteven Professor McGonagall can force that. But,” Hermione stopped and she sawHemera nodding, “But when you were teaching us, you were so bloody mental. Youdidn’t listen to anything the survivors were telling you. Because you are anAuror, you taught the class like no one else had gone through anything worsethan taking our OWLs. Everyone in your classroomof seventh-year students had been throughhell, one way or another. Yet you treated us like first years that didn’tdeserve to be out from our Mum’s apron strings.”

“I had a task, Granger. The Minister wanted you in the AurorCorps and we needed the help. He thought you would be an amazing asset. I wasalso there to see if anyone else had the aptitude for it. When you’re down to12 Aurors from 100 because of the culling and the Coup, you take what mightwork.”

Hemera winced while shifting in her bed. “But there wassomething else, something personal. Ron let it slip that you attacked him onetime, with magic. He explained what happenedwhen he was first assigned to me as a trainee. He tried to say he wasresponsible for it, and I know that’s bullshit. But it caused a huge problem.Do you want to know what that was, and what happened as a result?” Hemera’seyes flashed. “No matter how hard I worked him, insulted him, belittled him, orhumiliated him, he wouldn’t raise his wand against me. An Auror who won’tdefend himself is useless to me and will probably get a whole team killed. Nomatter what I did to him, he wouldn’t raise his wand against me. He’d have noproblems with the other Seniors in training. Butme, a woman? He said he couldn’t do it, ‘cause of what you did to him.

“Do you know how bloody long it took me to re-train Ronafter that incident? It took a month of daily training; a month of wasted time,all because you got shirty he went and kissed another girl ‘cause you couldn’tpull your finger out and tell the bloke you fancied him.”

“I couldn’t afford to lose him as my best friend!” Hermioneyelled. She looked and saw Harry roll over in his bed and Ron shift but wentback to snoring. “I didn’t know and you never said.”

“I was too busy fixing your mistakes, mistakes you neverbother to apologize for. Hell, even I can say I’m sorry and I’m as much of an arseholeas anyone. But you? Ron casually mentions off-hand that he has to back downwhile rowing with you, and apologize anytime that you think he’s wrong.  The fewtimes he’s stood up to you and tried to tell you when he’s feeling less thanstellar you bite his bloody head off. Fuck, he has zero pride when it comes tostanding up for himself, because you and Potter never once tell him that he isright about something.”

“That’s impossible. Ron never backs down from a fight,especially with me.”

“Isn’t it? You weren’t there seeing him constantly beingknocked on his arse because he wouldn’t raise his wand in self-defense. Whensomeone you love attacks you with magic it is a hard betrayal to overcome. Butsomehow he did but the consequences held him back until he pulled his head outof his arse and raised his wand to me and fought back like you finally did. It took me dropping my wand and tellinghim that he either raise his wand to me and fight back or I would personallykick his arse out of the program. I berated him in front of everyone andbelittled him to the point he slugged me before walking out.”

“Good for him,” Hermione muttered. “I would have loved toslug you myself some of those days.”

“Things would have gone swimmingly for you had you tried,Granger. You might have gotten over your fear and made something of yourself,for the Auror corps.”

Jones had a secondary task: recruiting for the Aurors post-war. Hermione was who they wanted, just as much as Ron and Neville and Harry. But her post-war time (years, really) was filled with much mental health distress, such as ptsd, anxiety, sleep deprivation from nightmares, and a short-term sleeping draught potion addiction (where sleep was vital but also a co-morbidity to depression, too.)

They knock sparks but Jones also had to re-train Ron to be who he needed to be, as an Auror. While Viv has mentioned in her public and private meta that Ron needs praise and encouragement and positive support, Jones didn’t know that and didn’t do such until after he would be willing to stand up for himself. Once he did/does, the relationship changes for the better, even if it appears to be negative.

For the relationship with Ron, it’s about self-respect. Once he has that, Jones can respect him too, even if she disagrees. Admittedly, that’s one of my not-necessarily positive traits. O_O

So when I write this, it’s a case of breaking a bad habit and rebuilding a new one. When you break someone, it’s your personal responsibility to rebuild them. That takes patience, determination, and giving a (dung) about their welfare and well-being. That’s what Jones did here - which Hermione never realized that it was for his own safety and benefit.

Yes Ron is soft-hearted and so caring but he had a job he wanted to do and was incapable of doing it if he wouldn’t stand up for himself and others. Once he decided to do such, his career took off.

It’s only years later that she sees Ron and Harry as peers, along with Hermione, but it’s that she has trust issues and can’t get too close because Aurors get injured, maimed, and killed in their profession. Once she realizes that she can get close to them, as a peer and as a friend later on, the relationship blooms for everyone, including Hermione.

So nonnie, if you read this far, congratulations. Now you know why Auror Hemera Jones is vital in  my nicheverse.