#the whomping willows and the ministry of magic were the SHIT

[achillvs]

sometimes you hear a song you haven't heard in years and find that you still know every word to it just as well as you did when you were 13 and suddenly you feel the connection between the person you were and the person you are

and sometimes that song is "draco and harry" by the whomping willows

[limetimo]

RAB fics I read (17-25 May)

Love Covers Over a Multitude of Sins by crazyparakiss  “Didn’t your father teach you to never question your brother, Regulus Black?” /  “In this filthy world, full of muddied blood, only a Black is good enough to birth a Black.” Blackcest, deeply touching in a fucked up way

vitriol spills forth from my lips (i wish it were acid instead) by Anonymous In which Sirius needs a therapist but bullying will have to do, and in which Regulus is the unfortunate collateral damage.

A Battle Undone by asterialunar James discovers the love of his life isn't dead after all. In which Regulus hid in the Room of Requirement for five years. Can they build a life together now?

Dead Men's Requests by Anonymous Regulus' ghost shoots out of Voldy's wand in GoF and he asks Harry to deliver some messages. Unexpectedly cute af

just lovers (like we were supposed to be) by zeppazariel James accidentally fake dates his way to bisexual awakening AND true love.

Upon the Horizon's Verge by tenrousei_kuroi Regulus/Sirius/Remus/James gangbang with a little bit of plot *thumbs up*

Snuggles With Snuffles by FeistyAster, just_a_whorecrux In his animagus form Sirius can hear Regulus having nightmares and starts spending nights with him to sooth them. One night things... escalate. Blackcest

Fault Line by doshu for thistlecat Sirius kind of accidentally groomed Regulus into equating sex with brotherly love,,, and even after Sirius ran away form home and realised that fucking one's brother isn't a-okay, Regulus didn't get the memo. In which the Black brothers are very different and very similar.

Just Cuddle In Close by Anonymous James/Regulus/Sirius

Like Stars They Burn by ZionSunrise Sirius finds about the Dark Mark, they have love-hate sex, Regulus dies.

Regulus's New Pet by Anonymous After Regulus is almost mauled by a werewolf under the Whomping Willow, he finds himself in an unexpected position of power over his brother's friend. And I mean, he's a Slytherin.

But no one told me I could go too far... by Anonymous Regulus and Pandora become besties, elope to Italy and hunt the Horcruxes ♥♥♥ SWEET.

Tell Me How To Be In This World by TabeaOrNotTabea Regulus did a Thing before he died but it was kinda obscure blood magic thing and Harry Potter, father of five, has a shock of his life when Sirius Remus James and Lily pop up in his front lawn. Dolohov, Bellatrix, Pettigrew (and Regulus) pop up in Diagon Alley.

Ghosts by vivi1138 Regulus finds himself a ghost. Being dead doesn't mean he can't get shit done.

In The Shadows of Flashing Lights by ifyouwvntto this is looking interseting af. James and his little, not very famous music band of four years (Sirius Remus Lily) are betrayed by their songwriter Peter Pettigrew. Pop star Regulus (who secretly anonymously writes songs for other artists) is done with being a puppet and is working on ripping himself away form his studio and family. They can help each other.

I am terribly sorry for dying by Anonymous for coincidences Regulus can't believe he has to deal with this bullshit. Dying was supposed to bring him peace, not bureaucracy battles! Also how dares Narcissa have a baby and have a Malfoy spawn usurp Regulus' rightful place of the family's youngest.

Marionette by Anonymous Regulus loves Barty. He loves him. He loves him. If he says it enough times it may even become true.

R.E.N.E.W.A.L. by Doreling for Kidansong oh this is a fun one, Hermione and Kreacher have a time dust accident at the battle of the ministry of magic and get yeeted to the 70s. They make friends with Regulus and Snape and Lily and start project RENEWAL.

Trials and Tribulations by lemon_drps Regulus is straight up not having a good time and his self-made drug is failing and he's also gay and engaged to a girl and very much a poor little meow meow bastard man

The Secrets of Regulus Black by Josiem Secrets. Regulus has many of them. A bit of a slow start but it's looking good!

Pranksters and Poets by blackpotterdanvers Marauders meet Dead Poet Society but we're promised a happy ending *checks the tags just for sure* Not Canon Compliant yeah we're good

don't leave me (i want you here with me) by Anonymous a mind fuck is what this is, Blackcest but not really

beneath the ocean waves by Anonymous Regulus' animagus for is an octopus and it saves his life in the cave. Very funny with an open ending!

Borrowing Against the Past by Anonymous for coincidences screaming. Regulus didn't go to the cave, has a bookshop in Hogsmeade and a wife and children and he helps Sirius when Sirius breaks out of the Azkaban and... I can't finish this summary without spoiling the mindfuck so go read it!

Diptych by pansysnarkinson Regulus and the Diary of Tom Riddle

Ancient Runes by Soupy_George Remus and Regulus become friends over, you guessed it, the Ancient Runes

Good Old-Fashioned Loverboy by TakeSwimingLessons At 16, Sirius Black run away to Potters. At 16, Regulus Black runs away to Uncle Alphard. Alternatively, the story of James Potter's bisexual awakening. I loooove Regulus fashion sense, give it to me!

Daylight by mrthisisnotme Remus is pining after Sirius, background Jegulus

Fated to Fall by ouzell soulmates AU! Jegulus

All The Lonely People by tinyscales accidental baby acquisition via Room Of Requirement turns Regulus' life upside down but he doesn't really care because his baby Harry is so so so worth everything.

rewrite my heart (let the future in) by secretpersona :D :D :D

Black Stag by euphoricmelodyy non magical AU, I want to HURT Regulus' ballet instructor with my bare hands babe you're 14 and your gums are bleeding please stop malnourishing yourself for some old bitch's approval :( You won't be a Romeo if you die :( On the bright side, the friendships are impeccable

Star Stepper by Ourania95 Regulus runs away from home to Muggle London, is patting himself on the back for getting a good mark in muggle homeless living which is both a reasonable thing to want and possible to achieve; meanwhile Orion is slowly losing his sanity trying to find him :D

clandestine meetings by VioletMoony Regulus has to befriend the Marauders to spy on them. He is very grumpy about it. He and James are at each other's neck, homoerotically

The Marauders and the Chamber of Secrets by SilverShadow1 marauders plus lily plus regulus reading the chamber of secrets

Auror Academy - the class of 1979 by Regulus_Potter AUROR REGULUS HELLO???

Regulus And Barty's Magical Adventure by Anonymous for Grey_Kenaz I, for one, think that patricide is very sexy of Barty. Regulus does not agree with me, but he tags along because that's what friends are for.

A Lovely Little Normal Life by mothmage not a Regulus fic but a BAMF Petunia fic you shouldn't overlook

[kindofinprogress]

Part 2 to A little nerve(ous)

I originally planned for this to be three parts. But I'm not so sure anymore!

Read part one here

Harry sat at the dinner table with a heavy sigh. He could do nothing more tonight than watch a Weasley family dinner play out in front of his glazed over eyes. It had been a long day of meetings he had no business in- but everyone needed his input at the ministry these days. As if he wasn’t a drop out 17-year old. As if they hadn’t spent the better part of the last three years dragging him through the mud. Harry spent a lot of time letting his mind wander during these meetings. Much like he was now- committing the names of the Fallen Fifty to memory, wondering if there could have been a better way, if any of the deaths could have been avoided, how anyone could see him as a hero, what he was supposed to do next.

“Wanna go for a walk, mate?”

Ron’s deep voice shook Harry out of his trance-like state. The silence that followed was absolutely deafening. Where had everyone gone?

“Huh?”

“Erm… Dinner finished around 15 minutes ago. You’ve been a bit out of it for a while.”

Harry cleared his throat and made to get up with his dish (still full of food) in hand. “Right. Sorry. I should-”

Ron took the plate out of Harry’s hand and set it back on the table “You should come have a walk with your best mate.”

All Harry could do was nod his head and follow Ron. He felt simultaneously completely void of thought and full to the brim with it.

It was a while before Ron spoke again.

“Feels nice, doesn’t it? The breeze. I bet spending all those hours underground at the ministry aren’t doing you any good.”

“Right. Because we certainly haven’t had our fair share of nature and the outdoors over the last year.” Harry recoiled a bit at his own response. That was much too harsh with no reason. “Godric. Sorry, mate.”

“S’alright. It was funny.” Ron said, putting a large hand on Harry’s shoulder and shooting him a kind smile.

Harry felt a bit embarrassed at how nice it felt to have Ron’s hand on his shoulder. There was a time when physical affection was so foreign to him it’d made him uncomfortable. But being a plus one at the Weasley’s had meant having to go from deflecting touch to at least bearing it pretty fast. By fifth year he’d even welcomed Molly’s hugs, Bill and Mr. Weasley’s strong and lengthy handshakes, Ron’s hand on his shoulder, the twin’s ruffling of his hair, Ginny’s… A sigh escaped him at the thought of her. Ron must’ve known what was on his mind because he let her know Ginny was inside still, helping Hermione do some washing.

“But I’m sure she’d be up for a little after hours flying if you wanted me to get her? Or I could leave you two-” he started to suggest, with a raised eyebrow.

“Ron.”

“Oh as if time alone with my little sister isn’t exactly what you want.”

“I… No.”

Ron shot him a questioning look. “No?”

“Ugh. Not ‘no’. But… No.”

“Yeah, I’m not following mate.” Ron’s walking had stopped, he was leaning on a large boulder with his arms crossed. Harry noticed how far they’d walked from the Burrow. He wondered if they were still within the protective barriers. They should turn around. Had he even brought his wand? Was it too late for someone to be creeping around?

“Should we head back?”

Harry had only seen the expression which took over Ron’s face exactly three times before. Once, when Hermione revealed Krum had invited her to visit him over the summer, once when the pair of them had caught Ginny and Dean snogging in an abandoned corridor, and lastly when Ron had caught him kissing Ginny in her bedroom last summer. The look that said he wanted nothing more than to punch a bloke.

“What are you playing at?”

“I just think we should stick closer to the house-”

“About Ginny, you daft monkey!”

“It’s complicated, Ron.”

“No… it’s not. It’s really not, Harry. You pined after her at Hogwarts, you dumped her seconds after you finally got her- don’t interrupt me with your excuses. You pined after you dumped her, and, and… all that in the forest? Pouring over that bloody map day in and day out? The ‘If I come out the other end of this’ speech you gave me? What the hell, Harry?”

Harry’s lips formed into a thin line- keeping everything in he wanted to blurt out. About how much he missed her still. About how he couldn’t keep asking her to wait around for him. About how much better she deserved than a killer. He turned around and started walking faster than necessary toward the lit house. But there it was again seconds later- that huge hand on his bloody shoulder. Harry was tall but Ron had always had a bit on him. He should’ve known better than to think his friend couldn’t match his stride. Harry stopped and stared up at the sky. All that damned vastness. He kicked at the stump near them once, twice, and again and again and again until Ron had him by both shoulders and was steering him toward the pond- muttering something about going a round with a whomping willow.

Harry splashed a handful of water on his face and layed on the earth. Looking up once more at all the vastness up there. It didn’t take long for Ron to join him. Part of Harry thought he might care how silly they must look- two grown men laying side by side like that near a pond. He quickly waved this away though. There was a moment not long ago he and his mate had shared next to a much larger body of water, on a much colder and darker night that bonded them in a way probably not many people could understand. He’d always known Ron- but seeing a man's insecurities played out like Harry had witnessed- It allowed him to understand Ron better than ever.

“You don’t want to be with her anymore then? Think it all just got a bit much? You two seemed rather cozy before-”

“Before I got swept up into being a ministry troll.” He sighed again. “I miss her like you wouldn’t believe.”

“A little ball of light that sounded like Hermione floated into my heart and led me right back to her, remember? I think I know what you mean, mate.”

They laughed at that. Probably the first time Harry had laughed in days… or weeks.

“Yeah, alright. You might get it, then.”

Ron was quiet this time- not pressing him for more but knowing more would come.

“She deserves better.”

“I reckon you’re right. Ginny certainly deserve someone who’ll give her the time of day.”

“I haven’t been that cold.”

“Yeah, mate, you kind of have. This is the first night you’ve been home early enough for dinner in two weeks and you barely glanced at her. I only suggested getting her earlier because it’s been a while since I saw you two strolling around back here.”

Harry groaned and put his hands over his eyes, knocking his glasses backward onto his head. It had been a while. Too long. Godric.

“She does though, you know? Deserve someone better. I can’t give her… I don’t know. A normal life. Normal… happiness.”

“What the hell are you on about, mate?”

“Think about it. I can only travel by restrictive floo right now otherwise I get bombarded with cameras- remember all the gossip at Hogwarts? Imagine that but instead it’s all of Wizarding Britain. I’m as good as being treated like an auror nevermind I never trained or passed any N.E.W.T exams- It’s like you said, this is the first night I’ve been home for dinner in weeks, Ron. And I completely blew her off even though I miss her so much it feels like she’s as far as the moon sometimes.” Harry blushed and stole a glance at Ron, surprised a bit by his declaration.

Harry groaned.

“And it’s not just that, Ron.” A silence that beckoned more from his end met him in response. “How am I ever supposed to look her in the face and tell her the very same dark magic that allowed Tom Riddle to torture her for a year was inside me all along? How could she ever forgive me for Fred-” Harry felt a knot form at his throat. “How did I ever think I could soothe that pain away, knowing he was only in harm's way because of me?” Harry waited for Ron to say something. Anything. But nothing came and so his mind whirred with thoughts of Ginny and he sat there with nothing more to say. He really did miss her, his Ginny. No. Not his Ginny. Ugh.

“Hey.”

He looked up at Ron, who was sitting and staring down at him now.

“Remember fifth year, when Ginny talked to you about her being possessed and all? Really got through, didn’t it? I think… I think 11 year old Ginny could have really used that too. But there was no one around to give that to her. We all just kind of watched her seal all that away and couldn’t do anything about it because well, what did we know? I think… if anyone could understand the full story of the last year, the prophecy-doing things you didn’t want to do, the horcruxes, Kings Cross- everything. And take it in without judgement or.. Or fear or whatever you think they might, I think it’s Ginny.”

Harry wondered how true these words might be. He could only hope they were, even a little bit.

“So listen, you can sit around like a zombie and keep yourself away from… shit, from living your own life the way you want to for the first time ever or you can bloody get up and do something. Where’s that gryffindor bravery? Only let it out to defeat dark wizards? Not to talk to the girl you fancy? Bloody pathetic, mate.”

Harry and Ron allowed themselves to laugh full belly laughs again. They sat there staring at each other then back up at the stars again for a while after their laughter died off. Eventually, Harry got up first and after offering Ron a hand up, they walked back to the Burrow and Ron went up to bed while Harry poured himself a tea and sat out on the back porch by himself for a bit, enjoying the breeze.

[stelamaris]

QHPRA - The Whomping Willow

@feelsandotps

He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at the Burrow had been the happiest of his life. - Ugh, this is SO sad. :’(

I love the image of the last day before school - Mrs Weasley cooking up a feast, Fred and George letting off fireworks so the kitchen is filled with red and blue stars, hot chocolate... no wonder Harry doesn’t want to leave!

It’s always chaotic in the morning when you’re setting off on a long journey, no matter how much prep you do. *sigh*

The Anglia is BIGGER ON THE INSIDE. 8D

‘I mean you’d never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?’ - hahaha, I love it!

They had almost reached the motorway when Ginny shrieked that she’d left her diary. - oh, if only she’d left that at the Burrow...

‘The Dursleys haven’t given me pocket money for about six years.’ - I hate these people. They are SO rich and they don’t give Harry anything while Dudley gets ridiculous presents.

I love how Ron immediately jumps to “let’s just drive the car to Hogwarts”. I would have said“let’s just wait until your parents get back and they’ll fix it” and that’s why I’m not in Gryffindor. *lol*

‘Even under-age wizards are allowed to use magic if it’s a real emergency...’ - more foreshadowing! The Ministry really tries to get around this in OotP

Surely not every single magical child takes the Hogwarts Express, though? It makes no sense for kids from Ireland, Wales and the North of England to go to London just to get to Hogsmeade, let alone kids that already live in Scotland. There must be other arrangements for them?

Imagine how worried and panicked Arthur and Molly were when Ron and Harry didn’t appear on the platform. Imagine how Hermione felt when she couldn’t find them on the train!

Harry has never travelled on a plane because the Dursleys have always left him behind on their holidays.

Harry imagining their smooth and spectacular landing on the front lawn in front of Hogwarts is hilarious: even if they hadn’t crashed into the tree, I doubt the landing would have been that smooth, and the teachers would still have been annoyed with them for being so reckless.

Very amused at Harry and Ron mutually ignoring the whining of the engine until it dies and they erupt into PANIC.

I forgot how badly Ron’s wand was snapped. I think Harry’s wand in DH is worse but only by a little.

The car is actually responding to verbal commands! I wonder when it became sentient.

Given how badly Ron and Harry treated the car, I’m amazed it saves them later.

Ginny was amongst them, easily visible because of her vivid Weasley hair. - But Harry never noticed her, right?

Snape berates two injured 12 year-old boys in a freezing cold office and terrorises them with the threat of being expelled. Reminds me of how he behaves four years later in HBP when Harry has a broken nose and his face is covered in blood.

McGonagall’s first action is to light a fire and make sure the boys have a least a modicum of comfort (it was probably for her, too).

‘Explain,’ she said, her spectacles glinting ominously. - McGonagall is an anime character! *lol*

Yeah, Harry, why didn’t you send an owl? :P

Snape looked as though Christmas had been cancelled. - Hahaha!

‘serious damage to an old and valuable tree’ L-M-A-O like he gives a shit about that tree. I bet you he’d be glad to see it torn up by the roots and turned into pulp.

Harry immediately pointing out that technically they can’t lose points because the term hasn’t started and McGonagall’s pleased reaction.

Harry knew perfectly well they’d just be disappointed the Whomping Willow hadn’t squashed him flat. - Much like Snape.

Bless McGonagall for conjuring the boys some food and drink. She even provides the iced pumpkin juice Harry was craving earlier.

Ron forestalling Hermione’s lecture, he knows her that well already.

Yeah, it’s a really good thing McGonagall didn’t let Harry and Ron go down to the Great Hall given how Gryffindor reacts when they get into the Common Room. :’) I love that Harry notices Percy and that Ron immediately understands his elbow and they make a swift exit.

Really nice to see Harry enjoying the admiration of his peers for once.

[im-a-meteorite]

i’ve been marathoning the harry potter movies since im in quarantine and i’ve been taking some notes. i’ll post them all bc why not 

sorcerer’s stone

harry knowing that there’s no post on sunday,, a genius

hedwig’s theme playing when harry looks out of the window and sees an owl flying by, very nice

hagrid doing magic at the house on the rock thing,, wouldnt the ministry be able to track that?? since there’s no wizard that lives there, they should be alerted?? or did they remove the trace from hagrid once he got expelled?? like does it work by the trace only or? bc if it doesn’t work by location then how would they know that a muggle witnessed the magic?? idk anymore

the kids staring at the nimbus 2000 and saying its the fastest model yet,, then the camera zooming on the handle w/ the background blurred -> the most straight forward foreshadowing

hagrid is actually the worst person to take harry on his tour situation,, like bro literally left him in the middle of a train station

the weasleys and harry going to the platform while theres a shit ton of ppl walking around,,, statute of secrecy where??

the great hall is on the first floor?? i thought it was on the ground floor

ew the hats

i wish the movies had dumbledore’s weird few words speeches

“theres not one witch or wizard that went bad that wasnt in slytherin” broooo

mcgonagall is so savage i love her

snape is an asshole

a crap ton of chessboards in the great hall study hall scene,, foreshadowing the challenges?

madam hooch really yeeted herself out of neville’s way

✨🥰 oliver wood 🥰✨✨

harry really wiped the troll buggers on his robe,, disgusting

snapes hair is lowkey on fleek tho,,

making most of the slytherins ugly bc they’re the “evil” house is just a disservice to all the inbreeding

hermione setting snape on fire is truly iconic and very extra tbh like sis why tf would u know a spell like that

seasonal transition wasnt that great tbh

overall the directing style is kinda basic

“not in the restricted section,,” rule breaking hermione is the best hermione

dumbledore’s handwriting is so extra and loopy like tf?? but it fits his character

the hedwig flying season transition was good

“immortal?” “it means you’ll never die.” “i know what it means!”

50 points each for being out of bed??? wtf is this point system

filtch saying there’s werewolves in the forbidden forest,,, thats illegal sir

hagrid calling the trio by their first names but draco by his last,, we love favoritism

harry’s thoughts r so ridiculous,, “snape doesnt want the stone for himself, he wants it for voldemort!” lmaoo wtf,, evidence pls sir,, u don’t even know he was a death eater. was it the bad vibes?? bc same

harry figuring out that the person who gave hagrid the dragon egg is voldy,, a genius

“kill us faster?? now i can relax!!” ron is so iconic i love him

“lucky we didnt panic!” “lucky hermione pays attention in herbology”

how is it that harry’s hand burned quirrel but not the skin on harry’s neck?? that shit makes no sense

yeah i really cant imagine this dumbledore fighting voldy in movie 5

hermione’s headband in the reunion scene is so cute i love it

chamber of secrets:

how is dobby even allowed to just jump on the bed?? like is it bc harry isnt his master that he can do smth like that

“dobby has heard about harry potter’s kindness” or whatever,, bro u work for the malfoys either the elves gossip or draco is waxing poetry about harry

aunt petunia saying “we have ice-cream” after that whole affair is just ridiculous

DIAGONALLY

this seems like the extended version bc i dont remember the borgin and bruks scene to be that long

the close ups with lucius and ginny’s books r insane lmao like chris columbus made it so obvious

also mr weasley’s acting is so funny like its so exaggerated

lucius malfoy is so dramatic and extra we love it

also lucius knowing hermione’s name and “draco’s told me all about you”??? bro whats with draco?? lmaoo

snape really got mad with the whole car business

mandrakes r fucking weird bro how did jkr come up with that

PERCY WALKING WITH PENELOPE CLEARWATER??? HOW DID I MISS THAT??

omg colin had so many lines?? wow

omg erol with the fucking howler,, iconic

ron’s facial expressions?? pure comedy, rupret is so good

LOCKHEART REALLY SAID “GOOD GIRL” THEN WINKED AT HERMIONE

“pesky piksy pescinomy” this bitch dumb

“why is it always me?” poor neville

omfg ✨🥰 oliver wood 🥰✨

ahh using the seeker position for fighting

ew draco used the m-word

the shit the basilisk is saying is so lame lmaoo

how does harry not recognize that he’s hearing a different language?? or does parsaltongue act weird

HOW IS THE WHOLE SCHOOL IN THE SAME CORRIDOR???

“i know the counter-curse that could’ve spared her” bitch the dirty looks he got?? omfg

the movies would’ve been 500% better if they had lee jordan’s iconic quidditch commentary

“scarhead” “TRAINING FOR THE BALLET, POTTER?”

“what did you expect?? pumpkin juice??” madam pomfery is a queen

dobby is dumb dumb

“who am i, hedwig? what am i?”

“reading? i didnt know you could read?”

“look at my face” “look at your tail!”

“you can’t cancel quidditch!”

“oh harry, if you die down there, you’re welcome to share my toilet”

lockheart: do you live here? ron: no *smacks him in the head with a rock*

“voldemort is my past, present and future” are all slytherins this dramatic??

the tension between hermione and ron in the last feast was insane

justin filtch fletchy is so ugly im so sorry i cant

prisoner of azkaban:

im sorry but harry doing underage illegal magic pisses me off every time

aunt marge 🤢

“do they use a cane boy?” “oh yeah, i’ve been beaten loads of times”

that whole scene is so chaotic

“you cant do magic outside of school!” “oh yeah? try me”

sirius really dumb for barking at harry like it makes no sense

the knight bus is probably one of the best things in this movie

“whatcha doing down there??” “i fell over” “whacha fell over for?” “i didnt do it on purpose!” “well come on then, lets not wait for the grass to grow”

harry leans over and looks for the grim, stan: “whatcha looking at?”

“yeah take it away ernie,, its gonna be a bumpy ride”

this whole thing is written and directed so perfectly

i hate how they replaced tom bc it really made no sense

all the bits of magic in the leaky caldron is so genius

fudge reminds me of trump but like dumber

the blue lighting and coloring is just great, it fits the colder vibe of the story (not like HBP with the hazy/blurry effect)

ugh the glass and mirror transitions are one of my favorite things,, alfonso curon really did that 

i love the weasleys,, also everyone looks great in this movie

omg the scene with arthur talking to harry about sirius with the sirius poster always being in sight?? amazing

contrast of light and darkness just echos the whole dementor vs patronus situation

i dont even understand why remus took the train other than for the nostalgia

the lights slowly turning off in the different carriages?? amazing

the visual representation of the dementors’ effect is great

REMUS!!!

i wish there was more emotion from remus when he’s talking about sirius,, like that was one of his only friends

snape clapping literally twice for remus,, ajhshsh

ahh the placement of the slytherin and gryffindor tables right beside each other to increase the tension and further the plot

oh yea the new dumbledore, also cool hat he has

omg the new fat lady painting

omg the candy scene?? so cute i love lads being lads. that scene just echo’s dumbledore’s light in the dark quote bc its storming outside at night and they’re creating a happy environment within the dark especially with the dementors

ah yes the clock references + following the bird to show us important parts of hogwarts and putting the whomping willow in the forefront

ron’s reading of harry’s tea leaves,, still on point tho. ron really has a knack for divination

buckbeak! omg drapple

draco is so hot especially with that ring also the slytherin pins??

“oh yeah, terribly funny, really witty. god, this place has gone to the dogs”

the kids look so messy i love it + harry’s uneven tie

HERMIONE CLINGING TO RONS ARM!!

“its killed me! your gonna regret this, you and your bloody chicken”

omg the boggart lesson

“riddikulus!” “this class is ridiculous”

fuck snape!

draco really pushed someone with his bandaged arm

remus is such an amazing professor i love him and i just miss him so much

ugh harry in this hoodie?? amazing

remus and harry’s conversation with the music :(( lily :((

wtf is that eye painting??

percy screaming about being head boy,, bro stfu

sirius is such a dramatic little bitch i love it

seasonal changes marked by the wimping willow

“turn to page 394”

what a fucking rude ass bitch,, i hate snape

harry really be seeing the grim everywhere

i wish they had “wheres wood?” “trying to drown himself in the shower”

winter transition with hedwig! + clock tower

“come and join the big boys”

i just adore this scene of the twins giving harry the map (bro i really want a series about the marauders)

whos that skinny bitch with draco???

harry’s way too rash tbh

also mcgonagall being also too nonchalant about the whole marauder’s situation?? like those werent your students

remus is a soft boy dark academia icon

if only dumbledore wasnt a dumbass,, remus could have been uncle moony raising harry with sirius

ron’s nightmare scene?? iconic

“my dad didnt strut. nor do i” umm james potter was also a drama queen sooo probably strutting

“you, YOU FOUL LOATHSOME EVIL LITTLE COCKROACH” “hermione no, he’s not worth it”

sirius’ dog form really looks like a rabid dog omfg

the part where hermione grabs harry while she’s on the wimping willow omfg

“only one will die tonight” YOU DRAMATIC BITCH UR NOT MAKING THIS BETTER

“finally the flesh reflects the madness within” “well you’d know all about the madness within, wouldn’t you remus?”

why the fuck is the shreaking shack is swaying in the wind??

QUARRELING LIKE AN OLD MARRIED COUPLE

why the fuck didnt they knock peter out?? like tf?? they’re actually dumb dumb there were so many ways for this to go right

this man really sent 2 13-year-olds on this dumbass mission

buckbeak really beat up remus,, “professor lupin’s having a really tough night”

harry’s a fucking psycho with this patronus bullshit,, i cant

can they stop screaming while flying on buckbeak?? someone might hear them

im still mad sirius didnt get his name cleared,, so much would’ve changed

“we did it” “did what? goodnight” i fucking hate dumbledore and his mindlessness omfg sometimes i wanna punch him in the face

fuck snape for outing remus as a werewolf,,, but also he really didnt have to resign. like istg wheres the marauder energy when it comes to defying everyone??

i wish the movies had went into the marauders’ history :(( its one of my favorite aspects of the series

[cmeliabones]

                                      i used to be broken.     i used to be shards of iron and ice,                         a whirlwind of broken glass,     until I learned to be more.

DILAN DENIZ? No, that’s actually AMELIA BONES from the MARAUDERS ERA. You know, the child of ENDER BONES and IRMAK BONES NÉÉ KUNDAKÇI ? Only 25 years old, this SLYTHERIN alumni works as a LEGAL ADVISOR AT THE WIZENGAMOT and is sided with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. SHE identifies as A CIS WOMAN and is a PUREBLOOD who is known to be SECRETIVE, CYNICAL and SELF-NEGLECTFUL but also JUST, AMBITIOUS and LEVELHEADED.

LINKS – pinboard, stats. CHARACTER PARALLELS – laurel castillo (htgawm), peggy carter (mcu), spencer hastings (pll), rebecca bunch (crazy ex-girlfriend), raquel murillo (la casa de papel) AESTHETIC – a blood red lipstick mark on a drained cup of coffee, knuckles bruised from collapsing against a wall, smoking through the crack of your window in the middle of the night, striped blouses, chipped black nailpolish, downing vodka without wincing, wiping sweat off your eyebrow while laughing, sinking down in the shower and not getting up for half an hour, eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man, a longing for something without quite knowing what it is, a sense for justice that burns you up (and hopefully takes the whole world with it one day), something weighing down on your shoulder at all times, the inability to sleep if the world is too quiet HEADS UP – there are some triggers in this intro (specifically: burn out, anxiety, alcohol, smoking, self destructiveness, death and grief). all are trigger warned in front of the bulletpoints theyre mentioned in!

backstory ( 1955 - 1973 )

amelia bones grows up happy. with two older brothers & a set of loving parents, there was such room to grow. her parents are openminded and supportive and allow her fire and mind to expand and grow. she grows up valuing family and empathy and acceptance and fairness, and will always fall back on these values.

a bit of background on her parents: 

her father comes from the bones family, which has been a prominent magical family in eurasia for centuries (mostly for their influence in politics & international cooperation, and their progressiveness). after the global wizarding war, her father’s grandfather and his wife migrated to england after he was offered a position at the ministry, which he got offered due to his efforts during the war. word of their (good & wonderful!) reputation then spread in the UK, too, and they soon became a respected pureblood family (not that they cared about blood status, not at all, and i think plenty of purebloods didn’t care much for the bones --- too progressive and idealistic and proactive).

amelia’s father followed in his own father’s footsteps and joined the department of international cooperation, through which he met irmak, a turkish witch who worked for an international ngo advocating for worldwide women’s rights. they started as coworkers, and soon fell for one another and soon marriage followed, and then their three kids

amelia loves her family. they’re her entire world.

she was the last of her siblings to go to hogwarts, which just made her all the more excited, i think. amelia envied her brothers for getting to go before her, though, very much so. either way ---- amelia was a hatstall, stuck between hufflepuff and slytherin, stuck between her deep sense of justice and her cunning ambition. in the end, she was sorted in slytherin, but she would have thrived in either house, really. 

she walked towards that green-and-silver table with such pride in her face and back, proving that she’d fit right in

i think she was sorted in slytherin in the end as her ambition allows her to do more with her sense of justice. it’s the road towards her goals, her goals being reaching justice and righteousness and her ideals.

anxiety / panic attacks / alcohol & smoking / self destructiveness / burn out tw || amelia put immense pressure on herself all through hogwarts, not only wanting the best grades, but also wanting to be a helpful and put together individual. in her fourth year, she burns herself out --- there’s no energy left in her body. she started having more panic attacks, her anxiety growing with the pile of assignments she was unable to finish, and amelia -- for a while -- lost sight of herself, unsure how she was ever able to be so productive, to do so much. 

amelia starts smoking. she starts drinking. she yells at the whomping willow. she finds release in anything that will quiet her brain and she loses control, for a while --- detentions grow, as do her absences in class, and her grades drop. after a few months, she steps to slughorn, telling him that she’s not okay, that she needs help. (i imagine he was a bit startled, not by the news (as there had probably been reports of the change in amelia’s behaviour), but by the way she approached him, so maturely.)

admitting she wasn’t okay was the main step she needed and soon amelia was learning where her weaknesses lied, and how she could cope with stress, and how she should dose her work so she wouldnt end up this way again. and slowly but surely, amelia rebuilt her good grades, and prepared herself for those looming OWLs. end of tws

her last three years at hogwarts are spent studying, hard. amelia also became prefect & eventually head girl ( this is not definitive! just. putting it down in case ), and spent the rest of her time preparing for a career at the ministry --- that was where her ambition lied, after all. especially with the turmoil and unrest growing in the wizarding world, amelia’s sense for justice GREW, and she wanted to do something about it badly: the ministry was a flawed system, that much she knew, but she also knew that there were good people there (her dad, her grandfather, etc.) and that there was always room for change and growth

amelia cares SO MUCH about justice, it’s just something she’s always done. she has a very deep sense of justice herself, is very just in judging and approaching people. she’s also open about this & will call you out on her shit ( i imagine she did a fair amount of this in the slytherin common room ) but in a calm and collected way

ended up graduating with seven NEWTs, all with either E’s or O’s. we stan an overachieving icon. 

post graduation ( 1973 - 1980 )

anxiety tw | amelia started working as an administrative assistant at the wizengamot, interning under a member at the same time, slowly climbing the ranks and preparing for a successful career. it’s stressful, and sometimes anxiety inducing, but amelia sticks to her coping mechanisms that she’s developed over the years (both good and bad) and mostly thrives. end of tw

(parental) death, murder, grief tw | when she’s twenty, her parents are murdered. at that point, amelia had still been living at home, but she’d been at work when it all happened --- returning to a dark mark above the place she grew up in. her parents had been murdered for not meeting the vision of what purebloods were supposed to be, another pair of victims of a cruel war ( and the start of the bones’ downfall :( )

self destructiveness tw | amelia fell back in old patterns for a while, forgetting to take care of herself, raging against a world that wouldn’t listen. she took the time she had gotten off work to grief and drowned herself in distractions and things that only seemed to make things worse, in the long run end of tw

and then she returned to work and was done. done, with feeling like she’d drown in her grief, and so she turned cold. it wasn’t hard -- amelia had always been quite levelheaded, able to look at situations with emotional distance and objectivity, and now she did the same with her life. she joined the order as well, even though she had previously doubted them ( she thought them unorganised, chaotic rebels, and she had to eat her words, partly, after she joined ). amelia grew bitter and secretive and cynical, but she worked harder than she had ever before, wanting to see a better world as soon as possible --- for her brothers and their families, for all the families still whole, for fucking everyone, to be honest.

death of children tw | re: her brothers and their families, she thinks that theyre both stupid for having kids in this time. look at what happens every day! look at what happened to their parents! why would you risk orphaning your children?!

not that she voices those opinions. they’re dark and mean and she swallows them and keeps them locked up. 

of course, she was kind of right. edgar and his kids did die. lmao. when she found out, though, she didn’t think “told you so”, she just hated herself a bit more. end of all tws

right now, amelia is a legal advisor at the wizengamot, assisting with cases, working on arguments and compiling evidence, always bristling at how useless aurors are at paperwork. she hates the ministry, partly, but wants to fix it from within. her dream is to get a seat at the wizengamot, and eventually grow further, too. her ambitions run deep, as does her idealism, and together those will get her far.

she’s also more closed off than she was before. i think that amelia was a lot warmer as a teen, and definitely a lot more spontaneous. now, though, she is focused deeply on the tasks at hand and cynical, scared of loving more people than she already does. there’s more to lose when you have more people you love, and all that stuff --- but still, amelia is kind and approachable, but there’s always a hint of distance and coolness. 

does Not take good care of herself. amelia sleeps too little, drinks too much coffee, does not eat enough fruits & veggies and constantly abandons her needs when there’s other, more important things. and there are always more important things ( especially considering she seeks for them )

death & murder tw | the timestamp kind of sent amelia into a state of despair, for a hot second. learning that her brother and his family were killed in the war chilled her to her bones. learning that she was murdered in the far but near future confused her, and scared her. she took a moment to recenter herself, to take in all this new information, and then got to work. i imagine that amelia just stormed into the ministry/the dmle and started working to fix this, using her future position as an argument to have a proper role in the developments. ( merlin knows that the ministry can use a good set of brains, after all, and she has a more than good set. ) she also stuck with the order, of course.

amelia also took it upon herself to research a LOT about the future fates of people she suspected of death eater activity, to know who to trust and who not to. read a lot of archived newspapers and such over the past month. too many. end of tw

personality & details

career woman. fuck the glass ceiling, she’ll break it with her high heels and kiss the shards with her red lipstick and grin while doing it. amelia is successful and will be even more successful and nothing but death can stop her from reaching her goals

in the end, that’s why she was killed --- bc she was unstoppable. if it wasnt for voldemort, she WOULD HAVE become minister for magic, mark my words

caffeine dependent as fuck

kickboxes to let go off some steam and cropped up Stress. she has been doing it ever since her the summer after her fourth year and has a mean right hook and can break your nose if she wants to, but chooses not to. (would rather fight you with words, anyway.)

a levelheaded, realistic queen. 

workaholic, pls tell her to take a break!!!!

she has a deerhound doggo called jimmy and she loves him SO MUCH. dogs are Everything to amelia. she loves dogs so much. 

“men ain’t shit” -- amelia bones, thrice a day, at least

listen she’s just a Queen, that’s all ive got

[theguythatdraws]

HPHM Character Profile

Thanks to @phyl-the-gryffinclaw for tagging me.

I tag @three-space-kittens.

General information:

Name: Finnigan Jack McGarry

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Nicknames: Finn, Pip, That Bastard, Buddy, Bub, Hey You, Drunk, Drunken Fool, That Weird Cursed Vault Kid

Date of Birth: March 16

Astrological/Zodiac Sign: Pisces ♓️

Ethnicity: White

Nationality: Pure bred, 100% Irish (Thick Irish accent)

Species: Wizard, Legilimens, Animagus, might be half werewolf.

Blood type: AB-

Blood status: Half-blood. Both parents are half-blood.

Family:

Aaron McGarry, Father

A simple farmer that runs the McGarry Farm in Ireland, specializes in Earth/ Water related spells. Was 42. Killed by Death Eaters during a raid when Voldemort took over the second time.

Sarah McGarry, Mother

An Auror for the Ministry of Magic, specialized in Ice spells. Was 42 also. Killed when she was discovered to be Half-blood at the Ministry when Voldemort took over the second time.

Jacob McGarry, Brother

Finn's big brother, Gryffindor at Hogwarts, expelled for reckless endangerment. 27. Specializes in Air based magic. Has a dragon tattoo on his right arm. Currently a Dragonologist in Ukraine.

Flumpy, House-Elf

The McGarrys were very kind to their House-elves, and Flumpy was no exception. Acts as a farmhand and is free to come and go as he pleases. Still alive.

Affiliations:

McGarry Clan

Weasley Family

Hogwarts

Gryffindor House

Order of the Phoenix (second wizard war)

Ministry of Magic (uneasy, former)

The Three Broomsticks

The Hogs Head Inn

The Leaky Cauldron

The Blind Pig

Occupations:

Hitwizard, quit.

Farmer, currently.

Magical Characteristics:

Boggart: Fenrir Greyback, due to being kidnapped and scarred by him as a child.

Riddikulus: Fenrir Greyback dead.

Wand: Whomping Willow, 11 inches, Phoenix feather core, bottle opener taped to it's base. This is the one he got from Ollivander and Rakepick never destroyed it.

The Mirror of Erised: He lies and says he sees a keg, but in actuality he sees himself, Jacob and Chiara all laughing and smiling together, safe and sound.

Thestrals: Yes, he saw a kid die when he got kidnapped.

Patronus: Unicorn, turned into werewolf, out of love.

Animagus Form: Siberian Husky.

Amortentia: Whiskey, Wolfsbane, and wolf pup. To others: Boxing glove leather, beer, smoke.

Appearance:

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 129 lbs.

Complexion: Scarred all over.

Hair color: Brown.

Eye color: Black as charcoal.

Hogwarts Information:

Worst class: Divinination, because he honestly couldn't give a shit. Only took it because Chiara also took it.

Best Classes: Care of Magical Creatures, because of his time on the farm.

Charms, his family specializes in elemental magic, and those include Charms.

Potions, because it's like brewing beer.

Herbology, again, because of the farm.

Least favorite teachers: Rakepick, why do you think?

Binns, because he drones on and on about bullshit.

Favorite teachers: McGonagall, she's awesome.

Kettleburn, he likes creatures as much as Finn.

Flitwick, he's a Savage.

Snape, because he gives Finn great advice.

Quidditch: Played briefly, but quit when Allison broke his arm.

Favorite spells:

Incendio, Fiendfyre, Protego Diabolica, Bluebell Flames, the one that turns water into wine.

Trivia:

Specializes in fire-based magic, much like the rest of his family, and can conjure and control Fiendfyre wandlessly and wordlessly.

Met Chiara in First year Halloween, and had a crush on her for the longest time. First kissed her after Forth year celebration.

Somehow became Prefect, because Dumbledore said "Fuck it, the weird Cursed Vault kid."

In Fifth Year, one full moon, he had to protect Barnaby and Ben from werewolf Chiara and got three new scars across his back.

Suffers from PTSD from getting kidnapped, and when he sees his boggart, he freezes or breaks down.

Practices boxing in the Dueling Room, is actually pretty good.

Hates Jae, because he sees him everywhere with Chiara, wants to chokehold him.

He drinks almost all the time.

[virtus-vindicta-victoria]

Laguz;

Hadrian | Rosie | @pleasantprefects | @birussianspy

1,732 words

31 July 2011; London

“Hey!”

Hadrian’s attention turned back to the champions’ tent ahead of him at the voice, and he grinned as he saw Rosie jogging across the field toward him, brushing her hair out of her face.

“There you are! Weren't you going to find me and tell me to kick some ass?” She leaned around him, frowning. “Where’s Griffin?”

“I tried getting him in with me, but Volantes wasn’t having it…” Hadrian trailed off, glancing back over his shoulder to where the flying instructor was standing at the fence, shouting away a gaggle of teenage girls that had presumably come to wish one of the contestants good luck. “I had to drop Dad’s name to get him to let me in, and then he just refused Griffin, sent him off somewhere to wait -- I’m sure he’ll try to sneak in, but he said if he doesn’t make it in to give you this--” He pulled Rosie into a tight hug before holding her back at arm’s length to survey her. She’d be fine. “--and tell you good luck. You’re going to be fine, yeah? You’re not too nervous?”

“Nervous? Me? I eat fear for breakfast,” Rosie answered, miming shooting a pair of pistols at him with a grin, but the grin quickly faded and she dropped her hands, shaking her head. “No, uh, for real -- I’m pretty nervous. I mean -- I don’t know what to expect in this thing and then, well, if I fail this… I don’t want to be turned into a bug again, you know? Or -- or worse, I guess.”

Hadrian watched a reporter hurry by them into the competitors’ tent and put an arm around Rosie’s shoulders to steer her to a shady spot away from any stray listening ears. “You’ll be fine. You’re trying, and that’s what matters. I mean, you know, obviously we hope you succeed, but if you don’t…” He trailed off and cleared his throat, dropping his arm from around her shoulders to lean against the fence, folding his arms across his chest. “The bug thing was because nobody had bothered trying, yeah? I mean, when the Seven told us to--”

He broke off, watching another reporter slip past Volantes at the gate, but she, too, headed for the tent in the middle of the paddock.

The reporter had been well out of earshot, but Hadrian still dropped his voice before continuing. “When Murray died, that wasn’t… we’d tried before, and it didn’t work, but the Seven didn’t care because at least we’d tried. You’ll be fine. No more bugs, and nothing worse.”

Rosie nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “Okay. Trying’s good, got that. I can do that, for sure. I mean, this thing has a money prize and everything, I think, so that’s enough motivation in itself.” She gave him a small smile, joining him in leaning against the fence. “And it’s just games, what’s the worst that can happen? Penny had to face a dragon in the first round and everything, and she was fine. It’s not like the, um -- the Foundation is asking me to do something like -- you know, Murray, or Barrows, or -- or something like that.”

“Yeah.” Hadrian rubbed at the back of his neck, knowing it was just a matter of time; all the rest of them had done it -- it was inevitable that she would, too. “If we were going to ask you to do something like that, you’d already know -- probably. I mean, you’ll probably be asked to sometime, but not -- not here.” He gave a dry laugh and dropped his hand from his neck, jamming it into his pockets and rocking back on his heels. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m not great at pep-talks. Guess that’s why I was never Quidditch captain.”

“Yeah, no offense, but I’ll definitely never hire you to write a speech for me when I’m rich and famous,” she said, nudging him with her elbow.

“You’ll be fine, though, really. No needless waste and all that, so even if things are dangerous in the Games, it’s not likely that anything tragic will happen.”

He saw a shadow cross her features, her brow knitting, the corners of her mouth turning faintly downward. “Have you done anything to make up for it?” she asked quietly. “I mean -- for the things you’ve done, like have you… I don’t know, have you -- tried to make things -- a bit better? A bit more -- more even?”

“Make up for it?” he repeated. His brow creased, his grin faltering. “I don’t… we are making things better. We’re leaning so much about magic, and doing incredible things, and sometimes there’s a price to pay for that -- but we are making things better. Sometimes things get… messy, you know, or you have to do things that aren’t -- that aren’t good things…”

How many nights had he lay awake, afraid to shut his eyes, knowing he would see a flash of green illuminating the trees of the forbidden forest, see Pennington falling through the branches of the Whomping Willow, see Alis Murray laughing until her breath caught in her throat, see Philippa Knight collapsing on the floor of the owlery? How many times had he woken up from a nightmare in a cold sweat, heart hammering against his ribs, breath coming in ragged gasps as he gripped his sheets, trying to orient himself back to reality?

But eventually, the nightmares had stopped, and he knew it was worth it, all of it, all of the sleepless nights, all of the things they'd done -- Eleanor and Jacob were evidence of that; a squib with her magic returned, a man brought back from the dead -- the Vindication had already achieved the impossible, and was still seeking more answers, more truth -- virtus, vindicta, victoria.

“We are making things better,” he repeated. “And it’s not always easy, but we do what we have to.”

Rosie bit her lip, crossing her arms, and didn’t respond immediately, looking out across the field where Volantes was doing his best to block another group of well-wishers from getting to the champions’ tent. “Calhoun told me,” she said quietly. “I mean -- she told me a lot about -- about what it’s really like. Taking a life. It’s… for what we’re doing, it’s a pretty huge price to pay, isn’t it?”

“We do what we have to,” Hadrian said again. “And that’s all. Not any more than that. It’s not easy, but--”

It had been easy, though -- a few words, a flash of green, and that was it -- it was so simple. That was a better word, he thought, simple. It had been quick, but it hadn't been easy. There was a time when he thought the nightmares wouldn't end, but they did, and he could live with himself again; we look out for each other, that's what we do. They protected each other; they protected their work; they protected Griffin, whether he knew it or not, and that, more than the rest of it, was worth everything.

“It’s worth it,” he said. “To protect the people we care about, and protect the work we’re doing. We gave a little girl her magic back. Ira brought someone back from the dead. Isn’t that -- wouldn’t you do anything to protect that? Don’t you want to know what else is possible? There are people in the Ministry who work for years to understand all these big mysteries and answer all these questions, but we're finding those answers and we're putting them to use, not just letting them sit around in some big underground vault, we're learning things and making things better -- and people like Murray and Barrows and Knight…” He trailed off. “I’d do it again,” he said, quieter. “If it meant protecting that work and protecting the people that matter to me -- Griffin, you, Sowilo, Jera, Pepperup -- I’d do it.”

Rosie dropped her eyes to the grass, her arms still folded tightly across her chest. “Yeah, I know.” She was quiet again for a long moment, and glanced back up at the tent. “Shit, I should -- I should probably--” She broke off, turning slowly to look up at Hadrian beside her, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowed. “Hadrian,” she said slowly, “what exactly have you done?”

I did what I had to was the answer Hadrian wanted to give -- it was the answer he’d given when Avaritia had asked about the owlery; it was the response he’d given when Invidia had tried to tell the rest of them how well he’d done; it was what he’d told himself when he couldn’t sleep at night -- but something in the look on Rosie’s face told him she wouldn't accept that as an answer.

And why not own up to it? They’d spoken candidly enough about Murray and Dragyn and the rest of it, about Barrows’ death and the Vindication’s involvement in Waite’s kidnapping, the cryptic messages around the school, the vandalism of the divination tower, even Rosie’s attack on Keara -- why should this be different?

Because this was on him -- just him. Invidia had been the one to give the order, but could he say he’d have acted differently if she hadn’t been there? It didn’t matter -- he’d done it; he’d do it again; he’d do it a hundred more times if he had to, if it meant protecting the people he cared about.

He cleared his throat and reached up to adjust his glasses, glancing around to ensure they were still alone. He dropped his hand from his glasses and folded his arms across his chest, meeting Rosie’s eyes as he said, “I killed Philippa Knight.”

She gave him a slow nod. “Right.” She cleared her throat. “Right,” she said again, and closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. She opened them again and met his eyes and said carefully, “I’m sorry you had to do that. I -- I think I have to go now. Wish me luck.”

Hadrian caught her arm as she turned to go, his mouth half-open, but the words were lost somewhere in his throat. He closed his mouth; what more was there to say, except--

“Good luck, Laguz. Your friends are cheering for you.”

He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, something like a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, and then released her arm to let her join the other competitors in the tent.

[yatorihell]

In The Darkness Chapter 38 - The Goblet of Fire

Word: 1,907

Summary: The champions are revealed. Who is going to be facing the Triwizard Tournament

Previous chapter | First chapter

Thank you Gio (@themusicalbookworm) for beta-ing me <3

Read on AO3

The first Defence Against the Dark Arts class was…unnerving.

The class sat unusually quiet – aside from the few whispers about how their new professor was an Auror – as they waited for him to arrive.

They didn’t dare breathe when he entered the class. The door slammed shut behind him with a flick of his wrist as he strode to the front of the room, sleeve concealing his wand.

His robes had flashes of white, green and red beneath the black fabric that billowed around him. His long grey hair fell in dreadlocks, one of which fell between his piercing green eyes as he swept over the room with a dark expression before settling on the foremost tables.

“You won’t need those books.”

This was the first time they had heard him spoke. His voice was as cold as steel as he watched the class shuffle their bags, stuffing away their newly bought copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection.

“The Ministry of Magic says you're too young to see illegal Dark Curses.” Rabo didn’t move, but his eyes never ceased to bore into each and every student in turn as he spoke. “I say it’s a load of crap.”

“Someone trying to kill you isn’t going to give you a chance to wave your pathetic wands and say some flowery shit before they can have your guts spills out of your mouths.”

Rabo moved forward, latching onto Yukine who tried to avoid his eye until he was right in front of him. “What are the Unforgivable Curses?”

Yukine looked at Suzuha who was sat next to him. He wasn’t going to do it on him, was he?

Very slowly, Yukine stood up. “The Imperius Curse.”

Rabo silently approved the answer by turning back to his desk. He opened the drawer, hand darting inside to capture a spider the size of a dinner plate. Hiyori, sat on the table beside Yukine and Suzuha, let out a small whimper when Rabo dropped the spider onto the desk.

The point of his wand merged from his sleeve, and without hesitation, he cast the curse. “Imperio!”

The spider twitched before it jumped up, dancing across the table as it were dancing the tarantella. Its movements grew more erratic as if it were tethered to Rabo’s wand which whipped to and fro, a sinister smile tugging at his lips as he watched it helplessly follow his order.

He dropped it after a few more seconds and the spider fell down, spindly legs splayed out on the desk.

“Another,” Rabo ordered. His eyes fell on Hiyori who shrank back in her seat when he moved the limp spider onto her desk. “You.”

Hiyori stood even more slowly than Yukine, throwing him a nervous glance.

“T-the Cruciatus Curse,” she murmured, voice barely loud enough for the class to hear.  

He didn’t wait for Hiyori to sit before he cast the spell. “Crucio!”

The spider let out an ear-splitting shriek that made the entire class recoil in their seats, too afraid to cover their ears as they watched their professor torture the creature. The spider shuddered and jerked violently, legs curled into its body as it tried to escape the spell.

Hiyori stood rigid, watching the spider’s agonised dance across her parchment with a look of absolute horror at what she was witnessing.

Rabo’s wand stayed trained on its target, never letting it get more than a few centimetres away before he upped the pain and the spider’s screams turned silent as if its voice had broken.

He jerked his wand away and the spider grew still. Hiyori collapsed back into her seat, white as a sheet as she stared at the spider.

“And the final?” Rabo asked. The class remained silent.

“The Killing Curse,” Suzuha said. He was the only person in the room to look Rabo straight in the eye when he said this, not standing like the others had.

Rabo watched him levelly before his eyes dropped to the spider which was still recovering from its torture. It didn’t know it would all be over soon.

He executed the spell with precision, not a movement nor second wasted.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Blinding green light hit the spider and it rolled onto its back, legs curling up and twitching before it stilled. Silence filled the class.

Suzuha stared at the spider’s corpse, hands balled into fists at the cruelty.

“There is no counter-curse or blocking this spell,” Rabo said. He stared down at Suzuha with no pity or regret.

“If you get hit, you die.”

~

On Friday night, the anticipated wait was over. For a week, numerous students had stepped forth to the Goblet of Fire, throwing in scraps of paper which they had carefully written their names on whilst their friends whooped them.

Eternal glory sounded like a dream. One that could come true.

Both Bishamon and Yato had thrown their names into the Goblet days ago, watching the fire sear the paper into ash, much to Kazuma’s protests and Hiyori’s pleading for Yato to think it through.

To be honest, Yato didn’t think it through. If Manabu was entering, then so was he. Plus, he wouldn’t mind wiping that smug smirk of ‘Prefect Bishamon’s’ face.

The Durmstrang Students had shuffled onto the end of Slytherin’s table, ignoring the fascinated looks they received, whilst Beauxbaton’s had politely seated themselves at the end of Gryffindor.

Hiyori stole glances at Manubu during the feast, and she as sure he was doing the same to her when she inadvertently caught his eye. She quickly looked down at her plate, hoping that he still wasn’t watching her.

Professor Tenjin stood moments later, and the room fell silent.

“The Goblet is almost ready to make its decision,” Professor Tenjin announced. Madame Kinuha and High Master Okuninushi looked as equally impatient as the students, as well as the entire professor table – except Rabo.

“When I call the champions name, please come to the top of the hall, past the professor table and through to the next chamber for further instructions.”

Professor Tenjin gestured to a small wooden door on the left before he swept his hand up in a grand and the hundreds of floating candles were extinguished into a smoky haze. The room gasped as it was plunged into a near darkness that was broken by faint moonshine.

The Goblet of Fire shone a brilliant white-blue which matched its flames that crackled and roared and, as if on cue, the fiery tongues turned scarlet. The room gasped as a scrap of paper was spat out of the flames.

Professor Tenjin snatched it out of the air and unfolded it. The hall held its breath.

“The champion for Durmstrang,” his voice rang out in the silence, “will be Nana!”

A thunderous applause broke out from the group of Durmstrang students along with the polite applause of the other schools.

Yato craned his head, trying to catch a glimpse of the champion through the huddle of maroon-clad students, congratulating their classmate as they muscled their way to the front. What Yato didn’t expect was a young girl to stride forwards, the same one he nearly missed at Durmstrang’s arrival.

She vanished through the wooden door and the room fell into quiet once more, waiting for the Goblet to make its choice.

A second piece of paper was spat out from the flames which the headmaster read carefully.

“The champion for Beauxbatons –,” a pause, “- is Manabu!”

Yato’s face dropped. He looked at Gryffindor’s table where the Beauxbatons students sat clapping their hands daintily, squeezing Manabu’s arm in congratulations as he grinned and made his way to the awaiting professor’s who ushered him into the side chamber.

Yato wished he hadn’t look at Hiyori, because when he saw her glowing face and mile-wide smile at Manabu’s victory, it felt like the Whomping Willow had winded him.

He wanted to be chosen. He needed to be chosen.

Another roar of fire. Another scrap of paper.

The room held one breath, one heartbeat, as Professor Tenjin announced the final champion.

“The champion for Hogwarts,” a pause, “is Suzuha!”

Fuck.

Yato looked at the Hufflepuff table where, with their backs to him, Yukine and Suzuha hugged. A myriad of people slapped Suzha on the back as he made his way to the front full of smiles and with the deafening cheers of the school behind him.

His eyes skimmed over the Gryffindor table where Hiyori cheered as loudly as before.

He’d missed his chance. His chance to get Hiyori to notice him. Now Hiyori would be all over Manabu and Yukine would be with Suzuha every step of the way. And where would he be?

Nowhere. The din subsided as Professor Tenjin raised his hands.

“Now we have our three champions!” Professor Tenjin called, “but in the end only one will go down in history, only one will –.”

His voice cut off – not that anyone noticed as all their attention had been taken by one thing.

The fire in the Goblet had turned red once again, burning with an even fiercer flame. It spat out a charred piece of parchment which Professor Tenjin caught. He stared at the name, and everyone in the room stared at him.

He cleared his voice and looked up, eyes scanning the table of the far side of the table before finding who had been chosen as the fourth champion.

“Yato.”

~

Yato was ushered into the side chamber amongst the confusion. A fourth name had been chosen. His name. And no one knew why.

Suzuha, Nana and Manabu sat on small couches looking as equally confused as Yato when he entered the room. He didn’t have time to explain before there was shouting on the steps leading down into the chamber.

He caught the words ‘conspiracy theory’ along by an accented voice shouting his name as the three headmasters, as well as Professor Tsuyu and Professor Takemikazuchi, descending into the room.

“What did you do to that Goblet?!” High Master Okuninushi roared.

Yato stumbled back, nearly falling into the fire. “I didn’t do anything!”

“’e’s lying!” Madame Kinuha barked.

The teachers had encircled Yato, backing him up with nowhere to go. The three champions looked at each other, realising what had happened.

“The Goblet of Fire wouldn’t have chosen a fourth champion unless it had been meddled with!” High Master Okuninushi seethed. He seemed to have grown with his fury, towering above the other professors and making Yato shrink back, wishing he had some Floo powder so he could get out of there.

“The Goblet of Fire is an exceptionally powerful object, only an exceptionally powerful Confundus charm could’ve tricked it!” Professor Tenjin roared back. Yato winced.

Only Professor Tsuyu’s voice was calm, matter-of-factly pointing out that Yato didn’t possess the magic to be able to do such a spell.

The headmasters fell silent. This much was true – but someone did bewitch the Goblet.

“Am I… I mean…” Yato looked between their faces uncertainly. What did this mean? Was his entrance void if someone had cheated him into the competition? There were only meant to be three champions....

“This is a magical contract,” Professor Tenjin closed his eyes, fingers pressed to his forehead before he dropped them and opened his eyes.

The crackling of burning logs and Professor Tenjin’s voice broke the prolonged silence. All eyes were on him.

“As of tonight, you are a Triwizard champion.”