#they are indeed named after Harry Potter characters

[comradeacerbus]

Happy international cat day, from my two babies Nymphadora Tonks and Looney Lovegood 😻

[ellecdc]

Come Back, Be Here (finale)

Sirius Black x fem!reader - First Wizarding War Order of the Phoenix - 5.7k

p1 // p2 // p3 // p4 // p5 // p6 // p7 // p8

CW: mentions of past abuse/torture, amnesia, hurt/comfort, fluff, use of Y/N

A/N: Holy. Friggen. Crap. WHAT A RIDE! Thank you all so much for enjoying this story with me - it has truly felt like the most niche book club and I have had so much fun chatting with you all. Feel free to send in requests for these lovely characters in the CBBH universe - I'd love to continue playing with them! xx

Lily and James Potter returned to 12 Grimmauld place on the 3rd of November – Sirius’ birthday. There were long hugs, a lot of tears and soft dinner conversation, but there would be no gifts or raucous celebrating. 

Regulus Black was arrested at Malfoy Manor as a marked Death Eater, but with the backing of James, Sirius and Dumbledore, the Ministry allowed Regulus to be placed on house arrest, confiscating his wand whilst he awaited trial. Dumbledore assured the group that because of Regulus’ defection, his support of the Order, and the memories that Dumbledore, you, and those who were present on October 31st provided the Ministry, Regulus would likely be acquitted of his charges, or at the very least receive a lighter sentence. 

Tom Riddle was quickly charged with treason, tyranny, countless charges of the use of unforgiveables, countless charges of leading or causing the death of wizards, witches, and muggles, countless charges of torture and brutality, eliciting fear and chaos, and illegal use of Dark Magic. He was sentenced to the Dementor’s Kiss and the act was carried out on the 5th of November. 

Peter Pettigrew did indeed receive a fair trial for his role in the Wizarding War. He was questioned under Veritaserum, and it was found that he was guilty of treason, using unforgiveables, contributing to the fear and chaos of a treasonous leader, the use of Dark Magic, and sexual assault and brutality. He was sentenced to life in Azkaban.

Lucius Malfoy came looking for his son and was thus arrested by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the charge of being a marked Death Eater. He was questioned under Veritaserum which proved Lucius was guilty of harboring dangerous criminals, using unforgiveables, contributing to the fear and chaos of a treasonous leader, and the use of Dark Magic. He was sentenced to life in Azkaban. His property and vault at Gringott’s were seized by the Ministry and, after taking what was owed for reparations, was placed into his son’s name. 

The Ministry respected Narcissa Malfoy’s dying wish and placed Draco Malfoy in the care of Sirius Black and Y/N L/N. The Ministry offered the couple access to the Malfoy vault to support Draco’s upbringing, but they opted to leave it aside for the child to choose what to do with the fortune when he was of age.

Narcissa Malfoy’s funeral took place on the 7th of November. The blustery November air accosted the patrons which mostly consisted of Order members and a few of Narcissa’s friends who were able to dodge persecution for their roles or complacency in the war. She was awarded an Order of Merlin posthumously for her role - a title she now shared with you, Sirius, James, Lily, Remus, and later Regulus along with the rest of the Order of the Phoenix. Draco left his mother a beautiful bouquet of narcissus, baby’s breath, lavender, and pink camelia’s. You and Sirius gave her a bouquet of edelweiss, fern, and gladioli. Blue hydrangeas and hyssops came from Regulus who was unable to attend due to the nature of his house arrest but were placed at Narcissa’s headstone by Lily and Harry in the family plot of Malfoy Manor. Andromeda, Ted and Nymphadora Tonks stood by you, Sirius, and Draco at the headstone during the funeral service as Dumbledore spoke of the bravery, loyalty, and dedication Narcissa showed not only to her son and her family, but to the greater wizarding world on the 31st of October. 

“There is not one witch or wizard amongst us today that does not owe Narcissa Black Malfoy a considerable debt. Without her bravery and cunningness, evil could very well have prospered, dooming us all to life of immense pain and suffering. She dreamed of a legacy - of a better future - for her own son as well as for every child of wizard kind. Narcissa was a beyond bright student during her time at Hogwarts, a strong leader in her social circle, a skilled healer during the war, and an incredibly brave soldier. Though, possibly her favourite and certainly her greatest role was that of a loving mother; for she died to ensure that her son would live to see a better tomorrow. Narcissa Black Malfoy is the type of person, friend, partner, and parent that each of us should aspire to be. May her legacy of love and loyalty live eternally.” He said as he raised his wand.

One by one, every person present raised their wand to the heavens in honour of Narcissa Malfoy and her sacrifice to the wizarding world. Draco, Harry and Nymphadora, along with the Weasley children and Neville Longbottom who did not yet have their own wands raised a narcissus flower in solidarity.

The remaining marauders, you, Lily, and Regulus did indeed stay at 12 Grimmauld place for some time. The house was unrecognizable from the time Regulus and Sirius spent growing up there; it was bright, it was colourful, it was full of children’s laughter and squealing, it was a place people liked to come to visit, and it was chock full of love. 

The problem with the new and improved Grimmauld Place? 

Your tribe quickly outgrew it. 

As time went on, your memories seemed to return to you basically in full, and the full extent of your trauma reared its ugly head. For years you became hyper-focused on knowing where each member of your family was at any given moment, and a panic attack threatened any moment you didn’t have everyone important to you within your periphery. The Third Worst Day™ of Sirius’ life (in chronological order, the first being the day he almost ruined things between you two, the next being the day you ‘died’) was the day Lily and James suggested to you, him, Remus, and Regulus that they should perhaps fix up Potter Manor and move their ever-growing family there. It was partly the worst day because of how the idea of James and Lily moving away made him feel, but it was mostly because of the mental breakdown you had at the news. 

“You can’t! You can’t do this! I just got you back, we just got each other back. You can’t do this!” You shouted as everyone tried to get you to breathe. The numerous hands approaching you placatingly was in fact not what you needed at the moment, and you fell into a manic state.

Needless to say, the suggestion was not met well by you, and ended with you being admitted to the psychiatric ward at St. Mungo’s. Sirius sat at your bedside with your hand in his, Lily and James in chairs across from him whilst Regulus and Remus stayed home and watched the children. 

“I cannot live without any of you anymore. I’m sorry, but I refuse. I can’t do it.” Sirius admitted quietly to his friends as he rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb.

You had been dosed heavily with calming draught and dreamless sleep in order to prevent any seizure activity, which you became plagued with due to the trauma of the brain from memory retention and prevention throughout the war. 

“I can’t either.” James admitted, causing Lily to turn and face him.

“I’m sorry Lil’s, I know-” he cut himself off to take a steadying breath. “I know when we got married, you probably imagined us living at the Manor or maybe in another place as independent adults. After we lost mum and dad, I’m sure you imagined us taking that over in their place, and I think I wanted that too, but now, knowing what we know, I would have done things differently. I wish we had moved in with mum and dad and been there to enjoy their last few years with them. We had our own flat at the time and Moony, Pads, and Vix had theirs and I was so lucky that I got to spend as much time with Vixen as I did, being her order partner and all, but then she was gone, and I regretted ever spending a single moment away from her. Now...now I’m afraid that every second I don’t spend with you – all of you, any of you, my family – is a second wasted and I don’t want to waste another precious second. Not anymore. Not ever again.” 

Lily looked imploringly at her husband.

“You really are a bell-end.” She muttered fondly.

“Pardon me?”

“Do you really think I imagined us living alone in that big ass manor just us and our kids? What part of that do you think appeals to me? I love you, James, but a girl needs backup to deal with the likes of you.” 

Sirius and James exchanged a bemused glance before Lily continued.

“I want to live the rest of my life with my family. That’s you, James, and our kids, but it’s also Sirius and Y/N, it’s Remus and Regulus and Draco. Hell, if Alice and Frank or Marlene and Dorcas told me they wanted to move in I’d happily help them pack the boxes.” She laughed as she looked at you and Sirius’ intertwined hands.

“I think we’re all going to be stuck with one another until the end of time.” James said as he pulled his wife into his side.

Sirius smiled greatly at them. “Until all the mischief is managed.”

After that, the friends all agreed that none of them were willing to part from the group, and if for whatever reason anyone felt the need for more privacy, they would opt to build an outbuilding on the property.

“Oi! You’ve gotta knock, Prongs! Fuckin’ wanker.” Sirius had shouted as he hastily pulled the sheets up around the two of you.

“Uhm, maybe you’ve gotta lock the door, Pads.” James muttered with a mouthful of muffin as he came in to sit on the edge of the bed, completely unperturbed by the fact that the two of you were still naked and very recently involved in unmentionable deeds. 

Nevertheless, no one ever felt the need to build their own place on the property.

And Sirius made sure James got a taste of his own medicine a time or two after that incident.

Lily Evans Potter did indeed contact Healer Grundke at the end of the war and was brought on to work under her as an intern whilst she worked toward getting her Healer license. She spent many years in general medicine before moving fulltime to labour and delivery. Sirius often teased her that between the number of days she has spent in labour & delivery as a patient and as a doctor, he was surprised any of their other friends ever saw her. 

His nose was charmed green for a week.

Regulus Black was eventually acquitted of his crimes. He was placed on a sort of life-long probation in the form of a tracking spell on his wand that would alert the Ministry of him ever practicing Dark Magic. He opted to stay with his brother and his friends though he pretended to hate every minute of it. In truth, Regulus found great joy in being an uncle to Sirius’ and James’ children and Godfather to his best friend’s daughter Luna Lovegood. He declined the opportunity to join the Wizengamot, stating that as the rightful heir to the Black name, Sirius should be the one to take the Black’s seat.

Sirius Black, in Sirius Black fashion, dramatically refuted this idea. He did not want to pick up the mantle that was laid for him by the generations of Black’s before him; he refused to sit in the nearly still warm seat that his father had left. It took Regulus, Remus, and Lily all to tell him how much good he could do by not only bringing in a younger generation’s perspective to the Wizengamot, but as a wealthy heir to a pureblood line, a war hero, and an advocate for werewolf and muggleborn rights, he could bridge the gap between the left and right-wing members of the court.

It also helped that you had told him he’d be the only one capable of making the robes look punk rock. 

James Potter opted to be a stay-at-home dad and uncle to care for the children living at Potter Manor. The Potter vaults had enough money in them to last his family multiple lifetimes without every making a dent, and with the money Lily was making as a healer, there was no need to be worried financially. Also, being a kid at heart made him the absolute best friend of any child who met him. As the children grew older, he and Mrs. Weasley worked together to homeschool the children of the Order until they were old enough to attend Hogwarts.

Remus Lupin, never one willing to ride on his friend’s coat tails, spent the first few months following the war applying to various jobs through out Wizarding London. He had hoped that between his stellar academic record, his time spent as a prefect and tutor, his Order of Merlin, and his dedication to the winning side of the Wizarding War, that he would be able to secure a job within wizarding society. Unfortunately, it seemed the wizarding world still had a long way to go with the prejudice it held for werewolves. Walking through Diagon Alley feeling sorry for himself, Remus spotted a “for lease” sign in the window of what used to be a pet store. He immediately sent an owl to the landlord and asked for a meeting. 

Though Remus tried to refuse, Sirius and James insisted on investing in Remus’ planned bookstore.

“I’m not borrowing money, Prongs.” Remus muttered defiantly.

“It’s not borrowing, Moons! It’s an investment! If anything, you’ll be making me more money.” He exclaimed excitedly.

“Moony, please,” Sirius added...well, seriously, “think of how pissed off my ancestors would be to know I’m investing their money in a half-blood werewolf’s business which happens to stock muggle literature?” 

With a mischievous smirk, the deal was settled, and the lease was signed. 

Remus wasted no time to get started at the bookstore. He walked into the small storefront and conjured a broom, deciding to start by sweeping up the hay and owl droppings.

No sooner had he started did he hear the door chime. 

“Oh! My apologies, we’re not quite open yet.” Remus offered as he made his way to the door. He stopped in his tracks when he saw you and Regulus standing in the entry.

“I should hope not. This place looks awful.” Regulus commented with a wrinkled nose.

You elbowed him hard in the ribs.

“Looks like you could use some help.” You said cheerily as you held out a stack of papers. Remus took them gently to find your CV and cover letter. Before Remus could even look up, Regulus dropped his on top of yours in Remus’ hand.

“All my references are either dead or in prison so.” He offered with a shrug.

“I’ll vouch for him.” You said.

You were smiling at him so kindly and so sweetly, Remus wanted to cry. You had always been his biggest supporter; championing him through every milestone in Remus’ life. He was certain he didn’t deserve even half of the love you gave him, but he was eternally grateful for every drop of it.

“Thank you, guys.” Remus said wetly as he pulled the two of you in for a hug. Regulus groaned the entire time but when Remus finally pulled away, he had a slight blush. 

“Yeah, yeah. Well, what is family for?” He muttered which elicited a sharp gasp from you and a bark of laugh from Remus.

“Don’t be going soft on us now, Black!” Remus said with a laugh and ruffled his hair. 

“Fuck you guys, clean this barn up on your own.” He grumbled as he turned to leave, but the two of you wouldn’t let him.

He was grateful that you didn’t. 

Sirius eventually proposed to you – though beg was likely a more appropriate definition.

“We should get married.” He had said to you late one night as he came back to the bedroom after putting Draco down. 

You lowered your book into your lap as you considered him. “I beg your pardon?”

“We should get married.” He repeated plainly.

Your lip threatened to quirk into a smirk, but you kept your face blank. “And why should we get married?”

Sirius guffawed at you. “Uhm, maybe because we’re in love? And I’m the best and would be the best husband?”

You continued to stare at him.

“Why shouldn’t we get married?” He asked, now beginning to panic.

“I never said we shouldn’t.”

“Then why won’t you marry me?” He shrilled as he moved to kneel at the end of the bed.

“You’re the first thought in my mind when I wake up in the morning and my last thought at night before I fall asleep. Fuck, you make up the majority of my dreams too. Did you know that? Did you know that I go to the Ministry and count down the minutes until I get to see you again? Did you know that when you’re at work, I spend my time thinking about what you’re doing, who you’re talking to, what they’re saying to you and you to them? And not in a stalkery way, I swear. But I just think you’re the coolest fucking person ever and I’m jealous of everyone who gets to listen to you speak when I’m stuck at home or at work. And I watch you with Draco -our sweet boy - and our Godson and the other children and I get fucking giddy thinking that I get to spend the rest of my days with a woman so lovely. So, marry me. Marry me, damnit!”

It was a battle to keep your face straight but by the absolute grace of God you did before saying “Siri, babe, you’re coming off a little desperate.”

There was a brief pause before you got a “you cheeky little minx” and 45 seconds of tickling which turned into kissing which turned into touching which turned into so much more.

You were sticky and satisfied as you both caught your breath, still intertwined with one another when you said, “I will.”

“Hm?”

“I will.” You repeated as you leaned onto your elbow so you could look him in the eyes. “I’ll marry you. Marry me.”

Sirius stared at you in awe before pulling you down into his embrace for a searing kiss which once again turned into so much more. 

And you guys did. Marry each other, that is. It was a beautiful spring day on the grounds of Potter Manor with only your closest family and friends. It was perhaps a touch smaller than what either you or Sirius grew up picturing your wedding to be, but it was so much better than either of you could have ever imagined.

“...I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to love such a wonderful woman. There’s not one person in this world who deserves to know the likes of you, me least of all, but will do everything I can to ensure I get to keep what little light you’re willing to share with me forever. I have already loved you in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, and in life and in death. There is not one planet in any universe, nor a timeline that exists where my love for you does not. I vow to you that you will never spend a day in this life not being loved by me. Wherever you go, I go; in this life and the next.” Sirius said through his tears. 

With a smile you began your own vows. “Sirius, I have had the absolute pleasure of getting to witness you become the man you are today. It wasn’t always easy or pretty, but I have seen you through it all; the good, the bad, the really bad, and the ugly. And I have loved you through all of it. As I laid dying, I told James that I didn’t regret a single moment of this life with you, and that is still true today. Every moment, all the blood, sweat, and tears, brought us here today - and I would still do all of it again if it meant getting to stand here today by your side. I made a vow that I would find you in our next life and I would love you there too. Well, here I am. I found you. I will always find you.”

Lily, Marlene, and Alice stood by your side, and James, Remus, and Regulus stood by Sirius’ as your magic was bound together, and you were pronounced husband and wife.

Sirius hung the framed parchment that Remus had found in the wooded area where he first met Regulus in his office. The note symbolized your dedication to him, to your friends and family, and your unyielding perseverance. The parchment was later joined by your wedding pictures, drawings that he and Harry had painted back in Grimmauld place as well as pictures Harry and Draco had given him since, and the first ever check he received for his investment in A Marauder’s Map to Books. 

You loved working at Moony’s bookstore; everyday felt like getting to hang out with your best friends even though you pretty much lived with them as well. It was nice to see Remus and Regulus in a setting outside of the parental/guardian role you’d all taken on following the war. You were surprised at first (though you supposed you should have known better) that Remus and Regulus worked really well together – Regulus’ uptight and serious façade was well balanced with Remus’ laidback and jovial personality. Regulus would handle the more difficult customers whilst Remus made sure every customer who came in felt welcome. Things often fell by the wayside or got overlooked when Remus was away due to the moons, and Regulus was quick to pick up the slack. Regulus would often get too caught up in work and forget to stay fed or hydrated, which Remus counteracted by briskly walking past Regulus and placing biscuits and cups of tea brewed exactly to Regulus’ liking before he could refuse. If you noticed Regulus’ cheeks tinge peak and a shy smile grace his lips – you didn’t mention it. 

Draco grew to be a very happy child; you and Sirius couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride every time that boy giggled or laughed. You kept your word and left the Malfoy vaults untouched save twice a year when Narcissa would purchase a gift for Draco on June 5th and December 25th. 

He was such a good son and an even better big brother. 

Draco was the most jealous of Harry when Harry became a big brother to his sister Jasmine Potter. It was hard not to chuckle at how proud the four-and-a-half-year-old was as he bragged about being the ‘bestest big brother’ and watching Draco skulk around the house. 

“I could be a big brother! Really, I could. I’d be so nice and gentle, and I would share all my toys!” He told you and Sirius solemnly as you tucked him in to bed. You assured him he would indeed be a wonderful big brother, but not to worry about it too much as you were sure Lily and James could use two big brothers for their newest addition. 

You both gave him kisses goodnight and closed the door behind you. You’d hardly made it two steps from the door before your husband had you pushed up against the wall. 

“I could be a really good daddy too, you know?” He whispered into your neck before starting to suck on your pulse point.

You couldn’t stifle the moan that escaped your lips. “Are you trying to tell me something?” 

Sirius kissed his way back up your jaw before slotting his lips against yours. “Perhaps we should give the kid what he wants.” He managed between kisses.

You chuckled.

“He gets everything he wants already, Siri.” You whispered back as you pulled his body flush with yours.

“What about me, hm?”

You pulled your head back to search his face. “Do you want another baby, Sirius?”

Sirius’ pupils seemed to blow wide at the sentiment. “I don’t so much want a baby as I want your baby, my love.” He whispered reverently.

Your restraint snapped and you launched yourself at him. He caught you as your legs wrapped around his waist and your arms around his neck, carrying you down the hall to your bedroom.  

Approximately ten months later you gave birth to your daughter Aurora Black.

September 1st, Kings Cross Station

“Merlin’s saggy balls, how do you – for fuck sa– oh, got it!” Sirius could be heard behind you as he fought with the pram. 

“Would you watch your mouth?” Lily muttered.

“Yeah Pads, watch your fuckin’ mouth!” James loudly announced causing other parents to look over at the absolute freak show that was the Potter & Black family’s stepping onto Platform 9 ¾.

“Sorry.” You offered with a quiet smile to a particularly perturbed looking couple as they grabbed their smarmy looking child and ushered him away from the likes of you. “Wankers.” You muttered as they hobbled off.

“Who’s a wanker, mum?” Draco asked as he slid up beside you. The rotten child knew he wasn’t supposed to use such language but couldn’t pass the chance at getting to repeat your nasty comment.

“Presently, it’s you.” You commented while teasingly narrowing your eyes at him. 

“Oi, leave your poor mum alone! You’re buggering off to Hogwarts and leaving her with the likes of me for the next ten months.” Sirius said as he (finally) made his way to you with the pram in tow. The three-year-old twins seemed none the wiser that they just nearly got folded into the damned thing and thrown onto the tracks in a fit of rage. 

“My deepest condolences during this trying time.” Draco offered you severely.

Sirius scoffed and you laughed as you pulled him into an embrace. You were waiting for the day he pushed you away because hugging your mom goodbye in front of your friends was embarrassing. But today, you relished in the feeling of your first child letting you hold him tight.

“I’m so proud of you, Draco.” You murmured into his platinum hair.

“Thank you, mum.” He responded quietly. 

“Draco! Harry! Over here!” The sound of Hermione Granger interrupted your hug as Draco turned to wave at his friends. 

“Be good kid, okay? Look out for your sister?” Sirius asked as he pulled Draco into his own embrace.

“’Course, dad. I’m not new here.” He teased as he ruffled Aurora’s hair.

“Draaaccoooo...” She whined in response.

“Go see ‘Mione.” You ordered Draco with one last side hug. Harry and Draco swapped parents and siblings to give their respective goodbyes before heading off to catch up with their friends. 

“Are you ready, Rory?” Jasmine Potter asked your daughter kindly. She was a year above Aurora and was very excited to get the chance to show her younger cousin around the castle. 

Your daughter looked between her cousin and her parents before Sirius spoke up. “Jazz, do you mind giving us a minute?” He asked his Goddaughter.  

Jasmine turned to talk to James and Lily who were busy entertaining Posie and Lyra as you and Sirius bent down to talk to Aurora.

“What’s on your mind, love?” You asked your daughter gently.

Your heart welled as Aurora’s eyes turned glassy.

“I’m not ready.”

Sirius made a cooing sound as he wiped the tears from under her lash line. “What are you most worried about, my little star?”

Aurora sniffled miserably. “What if I’m sorted into the wrong house?”

You and Sirius couldn’t help but rear your head at the comment. Out of all the things you thought would be worrying your daughter on her first day of boarding school, which house she got sorted into was not it.

“Rory, that’s the exciting part baby.” You tried as you rubbed her arm consolingly.

“I get it, Ro, I was worried about which house I was going to be sorted into as well.” Sirius commented.

Aurora rubbed a fist against her eye as she turned to consider her father. “Really?”

Sirius nodded solemnly. “Really. You see, I came from a long line of proud Slytherins. I was supposed to get sorted into that house too, because I was supposed to be just like them. But I couldn’t be like them, I could only be like me. So, I was sorted in Gryffindor, even though my family didn’t like it.” 

“Did you get in trouble?”

Sirius nodded sadly. “I did.”

“But Ro, you know that no matter what house you get sorted into, me and daddy are going to be so, so, so proud of you. And we’ll be proud of you because you’re you, not because you were sorted into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor or Hufflepuff or Slytherin.” You added with a soft smile.

Aurora seemed to consider this. “Well, Harry and Jazzy are in Gryffindor, and Draco is in Slytherin. I’d like to be in one of those I think.”

You nodded at her, but it was Sirius who answered.

“That’d be pretty cool, huh? But listen, I met the most fantastic people in my house even though I knew no one in it when I first got sorted. Uncle Prongs and Uncle Moony were my dormmates for seven years and look at us now! Completely co-dependent and still living together.”

“What is co-dependent?” Aurora asked with furrowed brows.

“Not important. What I’m trying to say is, Rory, you are going to give that hat a run for its money, you know why?” Sirius asked.

Aurora shook her head.

“Because you are your mother’s daughter. And she is the the most loyal, the most cunning, the bravest and the smartest person I know. You’ve been raised by the most spectacular person, and any one of those houses will be lucky to have you. Got it?”

You watched as Rory took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before offering her dad a solid nod.

“Atta girl!” He said as he enveloped her in a hug and kissed her head. “You show that sorting hat who’s boss.” 

Aurora chuckled as she moved to hug you.

“I’m so proud of you, my love.” You said into her hair. She tightened her hold on you before letting go and stepping back.

“I think we’re ready for you, Jazzy.” You called, and the older girl came and took Aurora’s hand as they headed towards Draco and Harry to board the train.

James and Sirius wolf whistled and hollered, waving frantically as they watched the kids walk away. Hermione, Harry and Draco chuckled while Neville and Ron turned beat red at the attention.

You propped Lyra on your hip and the two of you continued to wave as the train pulled away. None of you stopped waving until you couldn’t see your babies anymore.

A sob tore its way through James, and you looked over to see Lily making alarmed eye contact with you as she awkwardly patted his arm and he and Sirius leaned into each other.

“First time?” An older woman asked as she went to walk past you.

“No” was yours and Lily’s chorused response as you peeled your husband away from his best mate and moved him toward the pram where your youngest two sat forgotten. 

“Lord, is it going to be this bad every time we send one of the kids off the first time?”

“It’ll be worse!” Sirius cried emphatically as he fell into your arms, basically crushing poor Lyra who was still sat on your hip. You looked over to Lily hoping for help only to see her in a similar predicament. 

“Sirius Black, at this rate our youngest three won’t ever want to come back to Kings Cross Station.” You muttered as you moved Lyra to your other hip so you could support your husband’s weight.

“Good! Then they’ll never leave me!” 

Your heart twinged as you patted Sirius’ back.

“Siri, look at me.” 

For a moment you thought he might refuse, but he unfolded himself slowly and stood to look at you. 

“This is what we fought for, my love.” You said as you caressed his cheek. “So that our babies could go to Hogwarts and learn and be children and be free and be safe.”

“I still hate it.”

You laughed at his petulance. “Me too, actually. Do you think Hogwarts is hiring? What if we all just move there?”

“Great idea, Vix!” James cheered from beside you, eyes rimmed and cheeks glistening. “Lily flower could work in the infirmary, Padfoot could teach astronomy, you could teach muggle studies, I could teach flying, Moony could teach defence against the dark arts and Regulus could teach potions! It’s perfect!”

Though you had to admit this plan of James’ actually sounded pretty perfect, your attention turned to little Posie falling asleep in Lily’s arms. 

“Why don’t we discuss this more once we get these kiddos down for a nap, hm?”

Sirius found you later sitting in the sunroom with a book in hand. He thought you made the prettiest picture sitting in the soft sun filtering through the leaves of the trees outside, plants surrounding you with your nose buried in a book. So, he took a picture. 

“I wasn’t ready!” You whined with a smile on your face.

“You’re always ready.” He said as he pressed a kiss to your lips. “I’m sorry I was such a mess at the train station today.” He said as he lifted your legs off the loveseat to sit down and replace them atop his lap.

“You don’t have to apologize, Siri.” You said as you tapped him with your book. 

“I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you.” He commented, his gaze seemed far away as he watched the branches dance in the September breeze.

“You can do that tomorrow.” You whispered back.

A smile graced his face before he turned to look at you. “I love you; did you know? I don’t think I say it enough, but I do; I love you.”

He punctuated his sentence with three loving squeezes of the fat of your thigh.

“Sirius. Every breath I take means ‘I love you’.” You responded and sealed it with a kiss. 

You got an owl from Draco and Aurora later that night.

Aurora was a hat stall.

She was also sorted into the same house as her mum.

Thank you so much for reading! Can't get enough? Check out these CBBH themed one shots, or, feel free to request a one-shot from your faves in this universe!

[saintsenara]

I’m obsessed with your Percy/Rodolphus fic, so I just wanted to get some more of your thoughts on who you think the Lestrange brothers are/what they’re like. They’re often overlooked in this fandom but I personally love them. (PS your answer to my Frank/Rabastan question was amazing. Thank you!)

thank you so much, anon! this is a lovely ask and i'm so thrilled you've enjoyed subluxation.

i've been joking quite a lot while writing it that it’s tricked me into finding rodolphus and rabastan lestrange fascinating, having never cared about them before. but this is - it’s time to come clean - not strictly true... obviously, as a bellamort shipper, poor cuckolded roddy has had to take up some space in my brain, but also the family appears in quite a lot of my other writing and i have quite a lot of headcanon lore i appear to have ascribed to them…

most of this - unsurprisingly - surrounds the family’s relationship with voldemort. while the evidence of canon is that the malfoys are voldemort’s favourite accomplices - at least until lucius falls from grace after failing to retrieve the prophecy - i am much fonder of the idea that the lestranges are the dark lord’s most important death eaters and that the family has been in voldemort’s orbit since the second he arrived at hogwarts.

i do not - however - think that the lestrange originally ensnared is either rodolphus or rabastan. i know many people choose to interpret the mention in half-blood prince of a lestrange in the slug club alongside tom riddle as referring to rodolphus - and i do see the interesting things which can be done both with the idea of him as voldemort’s oldest friend [and, therefore, fully aware of his real name, appearance, and background, while his wife is not] and the idea of him as much older than bellatrix. but i much prefer the idea of voldemort having an impact which is distinct across three separate generations: you have the knights of walpurgis, who become the first death eaters, who know the proto-voldemort of the 1940s and 1950s, with all his messy human characteristics; then you have these men’s sons, who know the unassailable paramilitary kingpin of the 1970s, who seems to be a force of pure magic; then you have these men’s sons, who know the paranoid, monstrous voldemort of the 1990s and his single-minded obsession with harry potter. or, in other words, you have abraxas malfoy - then lucius malfoy - then draco malfoy, each trying to square the voldemort that’s in front of them with the voldemort they once knew.

hence my favourite original character: rodolphus and rabastan’s father, romulus augustulus lestrange. named for the last - and worst - roman emperor.

i am - as any good tomarry shipper - obsessed with the parallels between harry and voldemort, and i originally came up with romulus in order to provide voldemort with his very own ron weasley. the two meet on the hogwarts express when romulus sits in tom’s compartment, it’s romulus who acts as the insider to the magical world who helps tom adjust to his new life in the castle, and it’s romulus who convinces tom while they’re heading north that the only house worth being in is slytherin. i like him then remaining tom’s ride-or-die even through his teen edgelord days, his depressed retail-worker days, and his long sojourn on the continent.

[although readers of my tomarry wip one year in every ten will be aware that his relationship with the young voldemort is not entirely a happy one…]

i write rodolphus and rabastan as being born in 1949 and 1953 respectively and as having some sort of acquaintance with voldemort as children - indeed, one headcanon i use, if the story fits it, is that voldemort is both brothers’ godfather. this means that, when voldemort returns from albania in 1966, both are in their teens and - rodolphus especially - are all too susceptible to the revolutionary miracle voldemort is promising. i imagine that rodolphus - in conjunction with lucius malfoy - is the dark lord’s best recruiter of young pureblood men in the later 1960s and early 1970s, and that these men are much more interested in open violence than their fathers, who support voldemort as a political leader within the wizarding world’s established framework, rather than as a terrorist.

which means, of course, that i think that rodolphus is the person who recruits bellatrix.

while i like the potential of bellatrix and rodolphus’ canon vibe being caused by the gulf of a large age gap, i really like them as a clear illustration of the way in which pureblood society’s rigid gender roles stifle potential - and, therefore, think that they marry the second bellatrix finishes school, in an arranged marriage they both go through with because it’s what they think they ought to do [and i think that voldemort’s affair with her starts almost simultaneously - i think it’s important, when thinking about bellatrix’s radicalisation, that all the evidence of canon is that she’s groomed to be a terrorist when she’s barely out of her teens by a man old enough to be her father, and voldemort - who, when she’s 19, is 44 - being her only proper experience of a romantic or sexual relationship is quite a key part of that]. i am wedded to the idea that the marriage is profoundly unhappy - but not abusive or toxic - because neither bellatrix nor rodolphus really like each other - they get along cordially enough, but there’s no real passion or affection between them.

the only exception to this is their passion for voldemort and his terrorist organisation. the implication of canon is that bellatrix is the more zealous of the two - and that she is the ringleader of their attack on the longbottoms, while rodolphus and rabastan are just doing as they’re told - but i don’t buy it. i think rodolphus is a hardcore death eater, that he is entrusted with high-level missions throughout the 1970s, and that voldemort values him incredibly highly prior to 1996, when our evidence is that he’s also sent to azkaban having been caught in the department of mysteries alongside lucius malfoy.

[and one high-level thing i think he’s entrusted with is the knowledge of what - exactly - is in his vault…]

which means, i think, that he is probably slightly more disillusioned than bellatrix once he’s broken out of prison for a second time in july 1997. i am now convinced that the role he plays in subluxation - essentially pius thicknesse’s childminder - is one he agrees to because he thinks it’ll keep him safer than being at voldemort’s side as he grows more and more volatile - and i am also convinced [because, i hate to say, i’m a delphini truther] that he flees the battle of hogwarts the second harry springs out of hagrid’s arms and goes on the run with his dead wife and dead master’s lovechild.

rabastan - on the other hand - gets given up by lucius malfoy as part of his plea deal and shuffled off for life in azkaban.

indeed, i really like rabastan as… a bit of a flop. whereas i think rodolphus has a genuine capacity for sadism, i prefer rabastan in what we might call the draco malfoy vein - someone who is profoundly unpleasant and who believes wholeheartedly in blood-supremacy, but who doesn’t have the stomach to actually follow this through with violence. i like the idea of him as someone voldemort finds quite unimpressive, and i also like the idea that rodolphus - since awful people are never wholly awful, nor good ones wholly good - puts himself in considerable danger to protect his younger brother from the dark lord’s anger by fixing his mistakes and covering for his fuck-ups.

and i am now really, really into the concept of rabastan and frank longbottom!

the only other headcanons that i am absolutely set on when it comes to the lestranges are that their ancestral home is in brancaster, in norfolk [a very beautiful, but not not desolate place], and that romulus has a great love of flying horses which is passed down to both of his sons.

[aeligsido]

Hiyaaaa! 🧚‍♂️

You said in this ask that you would love to talk about your OCs, sooooo... Top 5 OC? 👀🍬

Hiiii 🕺

I also do indeed!

1) how dare you make me try to rank my babies (affectionate) 2) top 5 oc of what!! So many things I could go off on!!!

Jk jk, but I did choose to list five of my first OC created in a fandom. Bc why not. Important note that some of them were created more than ten years ago (a bit reworked more recently)!

-

1- [Fairy Tail] Lyna Dreyar (technically now Dreyar-McGarden) . I genuinely don't remember much from when I created her years ago — I think I do have notes somewhere. She was always Laxus' little sister though. She was also a Dragon Slayer but now she isn't anymore jdjdjdb. I think I reworked her personality a bit too? She was more of an extrovert in my first drafts I think, but she's not as much anymore 🤔

-

2- [One Piece] Monkey D. Ceeli (previously Shelly). Once again, I created her a long time ago! And she changed a bit, too. (I mean, we also learned some more about this world since I created her lmao). She's Luffy's little sister (by three years). In my first drafts (I do have a fanfic with a few chapters posted with her as a character, over on my ff.net... not on ao3 bc i don't think I will ever complete it) she was supposed to have been raised with the ASL brothers, with a pretty serious personality and very interested by the Revolutionary in general. Also I don't remember what it was exactly but she had powers™. Now, she has a super powered haki (bc i can), she was raised by their mother (for... reasons), and Luffy doesn't know her (or that she exists). She's also way less serious and a bit more into the overexcited side.

-

3- [HP] Daisy Potter (it... wasn't her first name when I first thought about her but I can't remember what it was now). Again, a very old OC! She wasn't that developed all that time ago, but she's way more present in my mind now haha. You will never guess, but she's Harry's little sister, bc i once found the HC that Lily was pregnant when she died and I ran away with it. Interestingly enough, I think that the explanation I have for her birth now and then is the same? And same for her fate in canon,,, (I mean, a canon where she's born). Rip (i love u baby). I put her in a lot of different aus now, where she grows up differently each time and things impact her differently, but I think at her core she's a very brave and smart girl who wants to do good. She's her parents' daughter all the way!

-

4- [Star Wars] Letti Kryze. One of my most recent ones! So maybe five years old or so idk what time is. She's Korkie Kryze's daughter, a Jedi, eight years younger than Luke & Leia, and has the habit of causing accidental chaos everywhere she goes. I love her she's a baby. I remember after watching the first season of the Mandalorian thinking it would be funny if her and Din kept throwing the Darksaber back at each other bc neither of them want to be the big boss™. She's a tired teenage girl in the middle of an intergalactic war who just wants her father back and it shows.

-

5- [DC] Emma Pennyworth. Alfred's granddaughter via his daughter Julia. She is, in general, done with the Batfam's collective bullshit, and wants to hold the braincell. She's also like, twelve, so there's that. I've written her a few times actually!! She tries so hard to be serious and mature and she forgets a bit to be a kid, but also her favorite sport is annoying Damian lmao.

-

Bonus — this one time I was very into Hetalia and created an OC Bretagne, bc of course I did.

-

Yes there's a common theme in all of those lmao. Interestingly enough, even when the OC is like... Cringey and a bit Mary-Sue and all, the goal was always to have them as part of the family and... That's it. Legit 0 of them have a love interest (I'm thinking of Cana for Lyna but that's a very recent development, and I do have a few ideas for Letti but it would be another OC)!! It's so funny in insight idkdkd

I also have a fair share of OCs that are like. The next gen (you know the type). So there's that. I'm giving so many characters kids and I'm not even sorry.

... Well kids or random family members lmao.

[dhr-ao3]

Rituals for Remembering

Rituals for Remembering https://ift.tt/OFodrLs by Alexis_Vale A researcher intent on curing memory disorders. A musician yearning for his forgotten muse. After Dr. Helene Farmer is asked to treat a famous singer with amnesia, her own memory loss resumes plaguing her. Maybe she doesn't need to remember. Helping others restore their memories should be enough. But his music beckons her, and as she learns more about him, her buried memories begin to resurface. Vessel is compelled to summon his lost love through his lyrics. She’s out there, somewhere. He wants her back. Even if he drove her away. Even if she doesn’t want him. But the beautiful doctor consulting on his case has her own mysteries, and as he learns more about her, he senses she might hold the key to his longing. Their pasts are tangled together. And they each have their Rituals for Remembering. This story is neither canon nor timeline compliant, and based on characters originally created by JKR ( I do not support her views,eww) and inspired by the brilliance of Sleep Token. I had to take some liberties with timelines--I am not smart enough to plot time travel! Updates weekly. Please don’t post this on Goodreads! Enjoy! Words: 4597, Chapters: 1/13, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Forget, Remember, Forgive Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M, Multi Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Vessel (Sleep Token), Harry Potter, Sleep Token Ensemble, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Victoire Weasley, Charlie Weasley Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Pansy Parkinson, Sleep & Vessel (Sleep Token), Vessel (Sleep Token)/Original Female Character(s), Theodore Nott/Charlie Weasley, Theodore Nott/Everyone Additional Tags: Theodore Nott Being a Little Shit, BAMF Hermione Granger, Doctor Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy is Good at Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Timelines, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy In Love, Endgame Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Smut, Draco Malfoy Has a Large Cock, Protective Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy Has a Different Name, POV Hermione Granger, POV Draco Malfoy, Vessel (Sleep Token) Needs A Hug, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, BAMF Blaise Zabini, Protective Theodore Nott, Memory Loss, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Pining Draco Malfoy, Simp Draco Malfoy, Dark Magic Rituals (Harry Potter), I Wrote This While Listening to Sleep Token's Music, Modern Era, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Just Kick Rocks Canon, in every lifetime, Hermione and Draco are not OK but they will be, it will only hurt a little, HEA I swear, Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Shreds, slytherin gang gang, Are you Sure Ginny and Harry are Gryffindor?, BAMF Theodore Nott, Researcher Hermione Granger, Musician Draco Malfoy, Charlie & Theo are poly get into it, Theo can't help if Sleep Token Fans are Sexy, Lucius Regrets His Interference and Earns his Redemption, Narcissa Tried to Tell him, Sleep Token is Dramione Coded, The Venn Diagram of Dramione fans and Sleep Token Fans is a circle, BAMF Pansy Parkinson, Supportive Harry Potter, ron who?, BAMF Neville Longbottom, Neville Has Rhythm Yes Indeed, The Best Support System Ever, Come Get Your Man Hermione, Draco Your Lady Is Right There, No One Does It Like Draco, doctors are the worst patients via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/FwsJpUo November 22, 2024 at 07:10PM

[riveriafalll]

when stars collide (black holes form): character list!

Callidora Black: The Protagonist

Calli is our OC isekai, who has been reincarnated from a world similar to ours, into the Harry Potter universe as Bellatrix Black’s twin sister.

She has a clear set of objectives and people she needs to look after/stop being evil/stop being dead, which she follows to the point of obsession, often being seen as cold and uncaring to anyone outside that list. She tends to be wary and suspiciously of the majority of adults in this world, partially because they failed the first time around, and partially because the adults in her new life (Drusilla and Walburga beloathed) are monsters.

When she's not chasing after the multitudes of children she mentors, playing Beater on the Slytherin Quidditch team, or running black market muggle trading rings, Calli can be found in the restricted section of the library, usually with her best friend Tommy Connolly for company and something to feed her caffeine addiction.

Tommy Connolly: The Best Friend

Tommy (who is mentioned precisely once in canon, and will one day play Beater on the Irish Quidditch Team), is the embodiment of a Gryffindor - he's a loud, boisterous, always friendly, always moving, blonde jock, and the perfect example of a Gryffindor. No one knows quite how he befriended Callidora Black, the Slytherin Ice Queen who seems to care for no one outside her family, but they're all a little too scared to ask.

Tommy, the ultimate ally to acroace-Calli, is the support she needs, helping her with everything from drafting up schedules, to finding horcruxes, to running her various money-making schemes, and asking for nothing but friendship in return.

Bellatrix Black: The Twin

In this AU, Calli works very hard indeed on making Bella loved, seen, and needed. Bellatrix is a Quidditch fan, and dragged Calli along to try-outs in second year for Beaters, which Calli allowed purely because it was a healthy way to get the violence out. Bellatrix is far more mentally stable here, with a proper support system, a close family, and no great desire to prove herself to the up and coming Dark Lord. She's very protective of her family, espeically Sirius and Regulus (Calli may or may not have taken advantage of her competitive nature to be their favourite cousin), and doesn't hesitate to use violence on just about anyone. She would 11/10 throw hands with Voldemort if he came near her family.

Narcissa Black: The Perfect Child:

Narcissa, as her title suggests, is the perfect child. She's what every Pureblood family wants - demure, soft-spoken, intelligent but out-spoken, and, of course, the perfect wife. On the surface, that is.

Below her perfect demeanor, lies a razor sharp tongue, a genius with poison, and the cold-cut ambition that is what makes her a Slytherin. Narcissa is mostly self-sufficient, with a mask good enough that even Calli cannot always tell whether all is as good as it seems, and plays along perfectly with her mother's schemes, right up until the point where they no longer benefit her.

Much to Calli's dismay, Narcissa genuinely loves Lucius, and they date from Narcissa's third year, right through to seventh year, when they get married. Calli still bullies Lucius, though.

Andromeda Black: The Rebel

Since in this version of canon, Andromeda is the oldest sister, she spent the first six years of her life being a mother to her siblings. With Callidora's arrivial, she took a lot of that weight off her shoulders, leaving Andy free to be a normal child. Most of Andy's canon remains the same - she marries Ted, gets disowned, has Tonks - but her sister's don't disown her as well, and even ends up naming Bellatrix as Tonk's godmother.

Sirius and Regulus: The Cousins

Sirius and Regulus are basically twins, with how close they are (Callidora strikes again). Even when Sirius goes into Gryffindor, they never really fall apart, remaining as close as they've always been. As such, when Regulus joins the year afterwards, Sirius is always bringing him into Gryffindor Common Room, and introducing him to all his friends. They are brother, first and foremost, and they stick together through thick and thin and disownment and abuse.

Everyone else: The Miscellaneous

A list of other characters who play roles in this, in no particular order: Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Petunia Evans, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, Molly, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Frank Longbottom, Alice Fortesque, the assorted Skittles, Lucius Malfoy, Technoblade the Kneazle and various others

[yuri-is-online]

I've been thinking more about the Twisted Wonderland/Tokyo Debunker magical school game story genre thing, wondering about how and why it works and there are a few things that stick out in my train of thought

A lot of it seems to come from how popular Harry Potter was (and for the desire for a suitable replacement given jkr's recent history.) Games are a more recent addition to the genre, but if you look at ya novels in the early 2000s there's a lot of magical school stories, including a lot inspired by fairy tales which twst and td both are.

The house system both games use is a feature of U.K. schooling, and spread to places like Australia but the closest thing to this in the U.S. is how dormitories work in most colleges. Since we're talking twst/td I don't think that a house system exists inside Japanese boarding schools, but it might if there's british style schools in operation in Japan. The details present in Yana's character design make me think she probably did some research about how the school system works since from what I understand the houses are indeed usually named after important historical figures, but again that could be something taken from well you know. And tokyo debunkers got it from twisted wonderland (allegedly).

What really brought all this up in my head was thinking about the role of the protagonist... people really want a game where they can be sorted into a dorm of their choosing and train as a whatever but that's really hard to code and plot when you have multiple dorms, especially if you're plotting a sequential story that releases over time and not all at once. For example, say you got placed into Pomefiore at the start of Twisted Wonderland's story. It would make no sense to not know what is going on with Vil and Epel, or for Riddle's overblot to not put him into direct conflict with Vil, OR you could even argue Yuu to be allowed to attend unbirthday parties and help with the tart making in the first place. It wouldn't make sense for the natural progression of the plot and would be very immersion breaking for readers. But I can't help but feel that the concept of the unaligned protagonist is being a bit underutilized... I should probably think a bit more

[novacainedaydreams]

An Introduction

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁*ੈ𑁍༘⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Name: Nova <3

Age: 21

Gender: Demigirl Genderfluid. (She/they/he.)

Sexuality: Demiromantic + Sapphic. (I love my gf!)

DNI: Terfs, homophobes, racists, sexists, ableists, pedophiles/MAPS, zoophiles, people who shit on cluster b disorders. (Those are the only ones I can think of on the top of my head. Do DNIs even work? I feel like people are just gonna do whatever they want....)

Other things:

~ I am a college student.

~ If it was a diagnosable thing, I would have Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder.

~ I think I may have ADHD and OCD too, and I'm looking at a diagnosis appointment in a few months. I'll update this if it turns out I do indeed have it.

~ I love cats <3

~ I like witchcraft!

Interests:

~ Harry Potter (unfortunately. Fuck JK Rowling. I love Ron Weasley.)

~ Supernatural. (I can't believe Destiel is technically canon!!)

~ Reading. (Ask me what I'm reading. I tend to be really eclectic.)

~ Golden Girls. (Amazing.)

~ Adventure Time. (Marceline is my favorite character of all time.)

~ Hunger Games. (Katniss Everdeen! Holy shit I love her!)

~ The Lord of the Rings. (Samwise is great!)

~ Hello Kitty, Dark academia, grunge, punk, riot grrrl, landscapes aesthetically. (Though I imagine I'll go everywhere when I reblog those types of posts.)

~ I still think about the Dreamsmp and that annoys the fuck out of me. (I want to get "Getting there" tattooed on me. Holy shit.)

~ I lurk crit blogs a lot and might occasionally post my own opinions and reblog stuff.

~ Monster High and Ever After High. (Oh I miss you my darlings.)

~ Unus Annus (I still fucking miss it blegh-)

~ My Hero Academia. (I have a lot of fucking things I'd change though to be completely honest.)

~ Mouthwashing. (Jimmy is such a piece of shit. Also I love Anya.)

~ I don't know man. I'm kinda everywhere.

Why I made this blog?:

~ I hate my main, but I don't wanna delete it. So I guess I made a sideblog to overcompensate! (That is the wrong words....)

~ I want to have mutuals. (Can I have mutuals on a side blog? I don't know maybe!)

~ I need somewhere to vent. Writing is hurting my hands. Maybe typing will help?

~ I can talk about my daydreams! ......maybe.

~ I really want someone to send me asks ngl.

......how the fuck do you end a introduction post?

I can't just say nothing. That'd be hella cringe.

Ummm

Goodbye bitches? no that sounds sinister.

Hmmmmmmmmm

Oh!

Nice to meet you!

(haha nailed it)

[mariacallous]

The cartoon interviewer greets you onscreen. He looks a little young to be asking questions about a job—sort of a cartoon version of Harry Potter, with dark hair and glasses. You can choose other interviewers to speak with instead, representing various genders and races with names like Benjamin, Leslie, and Kristin. Alex, the name given to this AI interviewer, asks about your professional experience, theoretical questions about programming, and then gives out a coding exercise.

Alex is an AI interviewer developed by micro1, a US company that describes itself as an AI recruitment engine for engineers. The tech provides an “enjoyable, gamified, and less-biased interview process,” the company’s founder, Ali Ansari, claims in a demo video of the tech.

The use of AI tools in job hunting is becoming widespread. Career sites like Indeed and LinkedIn have incorporated generative AI tools for job seekers and recruiters into their platforms. There are interviewer chatbots companies can enable, as well as AI tools to help people practice for job interviews. But the use of AI in evaluating candidates has mixed reviews: Some HR tools have been caught making negative judgements on applicants who have Black-sounding names, giving preference to men, or skipping over candidates with employment gaps on résumés.

AI tools in hiring save companies money and time, but the long-term implications for workers have yet to be realized.

Ansari tells WIRED that this tool allows companies to “screen candidates in a much more efficient and accurate manner.” Micro1 splits its model into two formats: Companies can employ the software to interview candidates for specific roles, and rather than picking through a sample size of thousands of applicants, can screen endless masses of candidates with the AI interviewer. Or candidates can go through the process independently to be added to a marketplace of engineers. The internal marketplace has a talent pool of vetted engineers—from India, Argentina, Brazil, and other countries far from American tech hubs—who Ansari describes as “untapped but exceptional.” This, he says, may help diversify who gets to work in top tech jobs. “We become the way into Silicon Valley,” Ansari says.

More than 100,000 people have gone through micro1’s screenings with hopes of being added to its marketplace of engineers, and the company lists a number of tech companies, including DoNotPay (whose CEO has also invested in micro1) among those who have used its system to screen or hire engineers from its marketplace. Ansari says companies are using micro1 to screen as many as 30,000 candidates a month.

Asynchronous video interviews have become more common, with companies turning to prerecorded responses in automated systems to handle screening interviews. This task has become more onerous after a series of layoffs in the past two years have whittled down the number of positions available, and recruiters who post open roles on sites like LinkedIn can receive hundreds or thousands of applicants. And generative AI tools have made it easier for those seeking jobs to bulk apply, creating more applications for recruiters and hiring managers to review—some with little relevance to the role. But while AI is becoming more common on the hiring side, too, some recruiters are wary of the biases it may have, and have steered clear of employing the tools in their decisions.

Of course there’s still bias with AI tools, Ansari says. “Of course there’s also bias with humans. The goal with the AI system is to make it much less biased than humans.” With AI, Ansari explains, the AI interviewer on micro1 won’t pass or fail a candidate; instead, it places them into categories like inexperienced, mid-level, and senior. Then, Ansari says, it’s on the hiring manager or recruiter to decide if the candidate is a good fit for the role. They can also listen to audio recordings of the responses rather than relying solely on the AI interviewer to interpret them.

Zahira Jaser, an associate professor at the University of Sussex Business School, says a lot remains unknown about the impact of AI and asynchronous interviewing—including how the tech affects candidates. Recording oneself can be awkward, and there are no human cues to pick up on from an AI interviewer. After being told to act naturally and put their best foot forward in the already nerve-wracking process of human job interviews throughout their career, people may not know how to show their best self to a chatbot, particularly when they’re up against opaque, built-in biases of AI.

“In the real world, humans are biased. But there are techniques we can use to overcome this human bias,” Jaser says. “In an algorithm-driven bias, this is likely to be very systematic.” For example, some AI hiring tools are trained on profiles of past successful employees, raising concerns that they will repeat past biased hiring practices.

For now, these AI tools don’t have the final say in who gets hired. But they increasingly have sway over which applicants get face time with a real human, and that can have a massive impact on what the workforce looks like going forward.

But if you ask Ansari, there is an alternative path for interviews in the future: He believes job seekers may also use AI-driven avatars to interview for jobs with AI interviewers, relegating the painful, tedious parts of initial job searchers to computers entirely. AI could make “really good matches” between job seekers and companies, Ansari says. “And then the company and the candidate can spend their actual time on a Zoom call or in-person interview.”

[braveclementine]

Chapter 1

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

𝕴 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 the dialing tone of the phone, waiting patiently. Then, I heard it click and a gruff, hospitable voice said, "Vernon Dursley speaking."

"Hello Mr. Dursley." I said in my most pleasant voice. "This is Elizabeth Kane from the British library calling to request a small phone conversation with one Mr. Harry Potter on the question of a book policy, may I speak with him?"

"Er-" Uncle Vernon said gruffly, less hospitably. "I suppose so."

"Thank you Sir. It is of the utmost importance that I speak with him."

"Have I spoken with you before?" Uncle Vernon asked suspiciously.

"No sir, I don't believe so unless you've called the British library, but I certainly don't remember talking to you and I have quite the memory." I said politely.

"Hmpf. Very well." There was some other sounds on the other side of the phone and then a nice familiar voice said, "Hey Elizabeth."

I grinned, dropping the proper voice I'd been using with our uncle. "What's up Harry?"

"Oh, you know, the usual."

The usual was code for absolutely nothing.

"What about you?" Harry asked.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to give you a heads up about an upcoming event in your life." I said, not necessarily joking.

"Really?" Harry asked, sounding a bit interested, "And what exactly is on the 'vision of the futures' broadcast?"

Let's back up a second. My name is Elizabeth Kane Potter and I am the twin sister of Harry Potter. Unfortunately, due to the unfortunate circumstance of our parents being murdered when we were one years old, we were separated. Harry did not know who I was, though I knew very well who he was.

I had the peculiar ability to see the future, though very limited, and usually only surrounding the events of Hogwarts, and sometimes summer events, usually revolving around Harry though sometimes around Ron and Hermione as well. I had not told Harry we were related, because I had gotten a strange feeling that I shouldn't. My feelings, I might mention, are usually very good.

"Well, it's not exactly pleasant." I said, building it up. "But sometime after ou- your birthday, Aunt Marge will be coming to visit."

Harry groaned on the other side of the phone. "I hate her."

"Sorry." I said sympathetically.

"Are you done yet boy!" I could hear Uncle Vernon's voice distantly on the other side of the phone.

"Nearly." Harry said. "It's a bit complicated."

Uncle Vernon said something else. He must've wandered out of the room because Harry said, "Anyways, how has your summer been?"

I sighed. "Difficult, of course. Dad's not exactly pleased about what happened last year at school. Not pleased is a bit of a stretch. He's furious, naturally. I've never been in more trouble in my life!"

Harry chuckled. I sighed. "I suppose you have to go, don't you?"

"Unfortunately." Harry said. "At least you call me, though."

"Honestly." I said lightly. "I'm surprised Uncle Vernon doesn't recognize my voice. I actually told him my real name this time."

Harry laughed. "Yes I was quite surprised but I got the joke anyways."

I grinned. "About the library?"

"Indeed."

I sighed. "I'll send you a very nice birthday present Harry, don't worry!"

"Cheers Elizabeth." He said, sounding a bit happier than before.

"Bye Harry."

"Bye Liz."

I heard a click as he'd already hung up and I quickly set my receiver down. I sighed and glanced over at the clock. Three minutes. Well, that was a bit longer than most conversations.

I wandered through the kitchen to the living room where dad was reading a book and taking notes. He looked up as I wandered through.

"Can I-"

"No." He said, looking back down.

I glared at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I just wanted to take a quick walk."

"No."

"C'mon Dad! I've been good all summer! Please!" I begged. I had to get out of the house, it was driving me crazy.

"You realize you are in trouble for a very good reason, right?" Dad asked, still not looking up from the book. "You broke somewhere close to twenty school rules, nearly got killed by Basilisk, nearly drowned, and then nearly died dueling Voldemort. Not to mention that you broke your ankle and it only just healed."

"Yes, but I couldn't just leave my friends to do it on their own! I blame myself for the whole thing anyways." I added the last party bitterly.

Dad sucked in a deep breath, looking up for half a second from the book, and then said, "Alright, fine. 10 minutes, no more."

"Thank you!" I squealed and I darted out the door. I raced down the path so that I could walk back.

It was twilight, so just a little bit before the sun was going to set. The wind felt amazing on my face. It wasn't too hot, though it was summer. I'd gotten bored in the house so I'd found a workout book and had started exercising, getting into shape. I wasn't fat or anything before, but now, I found that I was out of breath less and less when I ran. It was called stamina.

After 4 minutes of straight running, I stopped, turned around, and walked back. I wasn't breathing as deeply as I might've been last year. I did wish I had water though. Oh well, I'd just get a glass back home. I passed by Trang's house and hesitated.

Trang was my only friend in the Muggle world, though she didn't know that I was a witch. She was only home for the summers because she spent her school years in America. She also knew I was in seriously deep trouble so we hadn't hung out this summer. I wondered if dad would let me hang out with her on my birthday. He probably would. I'd never gone a birthday without her since I was three.

I walked past the lovely house. It wouldn't bode well if I happened to talk to her and dad found out. I was supposed to be just walking.

Suddenly, a large black dog crossed my path and I froze, staring at it. I thought for the most peculiar second, that I recognize it. A distant memory, perhaps? Yes, I could hear in my ears the word 'puppy'.

The dog had frozen as well as I stared at it, gauging me with its large yellow eyes. It wasn't the cutest dog I'd ever seen. It's fur was matted and shaggy and it had a long tail. But I knew that dog, I just knew it.

I took a step towards it and then on instinct, I got on my knees and held out my hand. The dog trotted over slowly and sniffed my hand and then licked my cheek.

"P-puppy?" I asked in a shaky whisper, my heart thudding in my chest. It couldn't. . .

The dog whined, shaking it's tail.

"I- I remember you." I whispered, my voice trembling with either fright or happiness, I wasn't entirely sure. "Sirius?"

The dog nodded its head and I laughed. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

The dog cocked its head to its side.

"I know your innocent." I whispered. "I just know it."

"ELIZABETH!" I jumped and so did the dog, taking off back the way it had come.

"Dad!" I said, pretending to be delighted. "Did you see that dog? It just-"

"In the house!" Dad said angrily and tensely. I noticed his hand was clenched in his pocket over his wand.

I gave him a shocked look, I didn't even have to fake it. "Dad? What's wrong? It was just a dog!"

Dad looked angry, but the anger was webbing. "Did you foresee that dog before you came out here?"

"What! No?" I asked, still confused. I knew I had to act like I didn't know that was Sirius. "It's just a stray dad! It's not like it bit me or anything!" I said angrily, glaring at him. "Why are you-"

"In the house. Now." Dad stressed the last word and I ran back to the house, a bit hurt and a bit worried. What was going to happen to Sirius now? I just had to hope he'd run far enough away. Of all the nights I had to demand to go out!

I decided to act normally, though I was fuming mad, and went upstairs and looked through my books to find something to read. I grabbed my newest book- The Giver by Louis Lowery- and went back downstairs and settled on the couch.

Dad wasn't home for another twenty minutes, by which point I was already on chapter five and completely immersed in the book. I didn't even realize dad was home until he picked the book out of my hands.

"Elizabeth!"

I jerked. "Yeah! What?" I snapped, not angry, but scared. He'd given me a heart attack.

"Didn't mean to scare you." Dad apologized, handing the book back.

"Oh, it's fine." I said, flipping the book upside down so that it would hold my place. "What was that all about with the dog?"

Dad hesitated and I thought for a split second he was about to tell the truth and then he said, "Nothing, it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter? What do you mean it doesn't matter! You flipped out over a stray dog!" I asked, getting up from the couch as he moved into the kitchen. I bit the inside of my cheek. What did it matter? I was a twelve year old girl. If dad didn't want to tell me, it was to protect me. . . or some bullshit like that. I sat back down and picked the book back up, glaring angrily at the pages as though they'd offended me.

Dad sighed, coming back into the living room. "You're ungrounded."

I looked up from the book, skeptically. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Dad said. He seemed preoccupied. He had picked up a newspaper, re-reading words on the front cover over and over again. What had happened? Well besides the fact that Sirius was somehow here even as he was supposed to be in Azkaban.

I put the book down and said, mostly as a test, "I'm going to Trang's house then."

"Okay." He said, looking out the window. "Just there and back."

I wondered, as I hurried out of the house, if I might see the dog again. Obviously, I couldn't search the area in case dad came around, but I could certainly look for him.

However, though I kept my eyes peeled the entire time to Trang's house, I did not see any dogs- period.

I was disappointed, but this feeling vanished as Trang opened the door and gave me a proper hug. "Welcome back." Trang said, opening the door to let me in.

"Thanks." I said and flashed her a grin. Everything was going to be fine.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 Diagon alley by myself because I needed to find a proper present for Harry's birthday. Our Aunt and Uncle never gave him anything and I felt that a decent present was in order. The only problem was- I didn't know what to get him.

I knew Hermione would be getting him a broomkit, Hagrid would be getting him a biting book, and Ron would be getting him a sneak o' scope so I knew what not to get him at least. I also knew not to get him a book unless it was about Quidditch but I wandered into Flourish and Blotts anyways.

There were multiple books about Quidditch that Harry had never read yet, and I bought two of them. Then, I found a book on magical creatures and bought that for myself. I left the shop quickly before I bought anymore. I also decided to get him a box of sugar quills. These lasted longest of the Magical candy and thought they would be decent as a birthday present. I decided to go with the Cherry flavored ones that looked a bit like phoenix quills.

After my shopping was done, I took the floo network back to my house. Dad didn't look up as I entered the living room. He was pored over a dark arts book again, writing small notes on a piece of parchment. Ever since Dumbledore had approached him with the job offer, he'd been constantly planning lessons all summer. It'd be weird, having dad as my Professor, and I'd love him there of course. . .I just hoped nothing happened this year like my first two years. It might be harder to plan and sneak around and save the day with Dad watching over my shoulder.

I went upstairs and did the presents up in brown paper and string. Then, I waited for Sadie to wake up.

Sadie was my Spotted Wood Owl. I'd bought her before my first year at Hogwarts in Diagon Alley. She was gorgeous.

I also had a rabbit named Sushi. Dad had given him to me for Christmas in my first year. Suddenly, as though he knew I was thinking about him, I heard little paws scrabbling on wood outside my door. I opened the door and there was Sushi. He'd climbed the carpeted steps and had scratched at the door, trying to get in.

Now that the door had been opened, he hopped inside and started sniffing things. I sighed but smiled. He wasn't supposed to be up here, but he always did what he wanted and always got away with it too. Even dad couldn't be firm with him, Sushi was just to cute.

I got on my hands and knees and started to pet his head and along his back as he sniffed the corner of my bookcase.

"Hi baby." I cooed. I always spoke in a sing-songy voice when talking to him. "What are you doing?"

Sadie hooted in her cage and landed next to Sushi, making him jump and run in a circle around me and then peek his little head out from behind a box. I tsked at Sadie. "You're not supposed to eat him, you know."

She hooted, looking up at me with her great big yellow eyes. She seemed pleased with herself. Sushi started to creep out from behind the box, approaching Sadie slowly. Then, once he was near her, he sniffed her feathers and then got on his hind legs so he was the same height as her. He sniffed her head feathers.

I waited, tense. Would Sadie try to snap at him? I certainly hoped not- I really wanted them to get along.

Then, Sushi reached out and put a paw on her beak and then lowered himself back down onto four paws and scampered off. I heard his paws make soft thumps on the carpeted stairs as he made his way back downstairs.

Sadie hooted. I sighed with relief. "I hope you two get along. I love you both so much."

Sadie hooted again and flapped her wings, flying up to my shoulder. I petted her head feathers automatically and smiled down at her. I kissed the top of her head.

"I do have something to ask of you." I said and pointed to the package on my bed. "You don't have to take it now, though I do want to know if it's to heavy for you."

Sadie flew over and grabbed the string in her talons and pulled it upwards and then set it back down.

"It's for Harry's birthday." I explained. I held out both arms and said, lifting my left arm. "Fly to this arm if it's too heavy and fly to the other arm if you can manage it."

She flew to my right arm and nibbled my ear.

I laughed, lowering my arms. "Alright then. His birthday is tomorrow. You can take it whenever you want though, okay?"

Sadie hooted in agreement.

"Elizabeth!" Dad called from downstairs. "Dinners ready."

"Coming!" I shouted back. Sadie flew from my arm to the cage and I raced out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the dining room.

After dinner, I found that Sadie and the package were gone. Sushi was flopped underneath my bed, sleeping.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖚𝖕 the next morning and laid in bed for a moment before realizing that it was my birthday- I was officially thirteen!

I rolled out of bed and made my bed up and got dressed as quickly as possible. Then I made my way down the stairs.

Dad was already up. He'd made perfect crumpets and had set out syrup, jam, and butter on the table. There was milk, tea, honey, sugar, bacon, and fruit on the table as well.

I was quite delighted with the entire set up, hugging dad tightly and kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome." Dad said, sitting down at the head of the table and immersing himself in another book.

There were presents on the table, but I didn't open them right away until after we'd eaten breakfast.

"The one on top is from your grandfather." Dad called from the kitchen.

I decided to open that one first and found that it was a small oak box with detailed engravings on the outside. I figured that it was for jewelry. On the inside was a blue velvet strip that ran around the base and covered the bottom of the box.

I set that aside and pulled over the next gift which was from dad. It seemed soft and squishy and I opened it curiously. It was a pink backpack. It was old too, and there was something curiously familiar about the backpack. I opened it up in case there was something inside but there wasn't anything and I zipped it closed again.

"Hey dad!" I called for he was still in the kitchen, boiling more water for tea.

"Yeah!" he called back, coming back into the room.

I held up the backpack and looked at him, gauging his reaction. "Is this the backpack. . ." I drifted off.

He nodded, taking a sip of his newly brewed tea. "Yes, I thought you might like to have it."

"Thank you." I said softly, laying the bag down on the table. It was like a present from my parents and Lupin all at the same time.

There was a second present from dad which turned out to be books. Yay! Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Dead Man Walking, and Dealing with Dragons.

There was a present from Ron which also came with a letter which read:

Elizabeth, I'm sure you've foreseen this gift. If not though, It's a book on Ancient Egyptian Magical History or whatever. I'm sure it'll go right up your alley. Anyways, Bill's taken us around the tombs here in Egypt, which are fascinating. There's loads of curses on some of these tombs. Mum didn't let Ginny go into some of the tombs though. Mostly because of the skeletons and stuff. Apparently there's these Muggles called 'grave-robbers' and they loot tombs for money but the curses make them grow an extra head and stuff like that. I'm sure it's all in the book. Dad's gonna buy me a new wand with the left-over money- that's a lucky break. We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get our school supplies. Any chance of meeting you there? Oh, and Percy's Head Boy. Fred and George are disappointed. Ron

I set the letter aside, smiling a bit. So Percy was head boy, huh? Suppose I should've seen that one coming. I opened up the book which was huge and I was surprised that his owl could've delivered this. Surely Errol collapsed on the way here? I shrugged and picked up the next letter which was from Hermione.

Elizabeth, Sadie showed up some weeks ago with a letter from you and I do apologize for not having written back immediately. I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I've been quite busy! Nevertheless, I did tell Sadie I would have a letter and present for your birthday on July 23 and so she flew back on that date! I was a bit surprised, but your owl is quite smart. Anyways, France has been wonderful! I've learned so much about witchcraft that I redid my entire History of Magic essay! I think it's a bit long- two feet longer than asked- but I know you put in nearly as much work as I do so yours is probably somewhere close to mine. Ron wrote to me- I'm so happy his family won the money. He told me he'd be in Diagon Alley a week before term. Will you be there? Enjoy your birthday! Love from, Hermione

I opened her present which was big and a bit clunky. Upon opening it, I saw it was a broomkit, identical to the one she'd gotten Harry. A wide grin spread across my face. This was perfect!

As expected, there was nothing from Harry. However, there was a letter and present from Hagrid. I opened the letter first, smiling.

Dear Elizabeth, Happy Birthday! You were right, of course. Dumbledore made me Care of Magical Creatures Professor. You'll find this book useful for next year. See you soon All the best, Hagrid

I grinned, setting aside the letter. Last year when everyone found out about my power (it's more of an ability but I like the idea of 'power' since it makes me feel like a superhero like Superman or Batman) I told Hagrid that Dumbledore would make him Care of Magical Creatures Professor. He hadn't believe me, perhaps not wanting to get his hopes up. Now, I was proven right.

There was also, not entirely expected, another carved statuette. It was a Centaur, though it didn't seemed to be modeled after any specific one that I'd met in the forest. This was the third statuette that he'd given me and I was very happy with it, though surprised as he usually only gave me them for Christmas.

I picked up the clumsily wrapped package and untied it. As I pulled the wrapping paper off, I saw the title of the book- The Monster Book of Monsters- and then dropped it as it started to move. It crawled along the floor, perhaps a bit like a crab, moving it's book covers up and down. Sushi took off down the corridor of the kitchen and I quickly jumped from my seat and grabbed the book, rubbing my finger down my spine.

The book quickly relaxed in my hands and now, I was able to read it. I set it down carefully on the table. Would it stay like that for the rest of the year? Or would it start up its activity again and I'd have to belt it in between reading it?

I shrugged and decided not to belt it, just so I could see what was going to happen. There was another present, which I also hadn't expected. Who else was there? Grandfather, dad, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid.

I picked up the small box with the small note attached. I flipped up the note first.

Thought of you when I saw this, Happy Birthday Liz Love Fred

Curious, I opened the small box. Inside was something so minuscule, I didn't think it was in the correct size.

"Hey dad!" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come here for a moment?"

I heard footsteps and he was in the room and I held the box out to him. "Can you enlarge this for me, please?"

Dad took his wand out and tapped the box and it grew to about the size of a shoebox. "There you go."

"Thanks." I set the now heavy box down on the table and pulled out the painting in the box.

"That's an unusual gift." Dad remarked, looking over my shoulder.

I didn't comment, looking at how beautiful it was. The frame was cherry wood and I turned it over to see if there was a price tag. I worried about how much Fred had spent on it. There was a sidewalk, the type commonly seen in Britain. There was an empty park bench on the side with dirt and grass on either side of the walk. There were many trees and between the trees were light poles. Each lightpole had two spherical lamps attached to them. The trees leaves glowed orange and red and green and blue hanging above. Near the very end of the walk was the silhouette of two people, one man and a woman, both standing under a black, also silhouetted, umbrella. The walk glistened with rainwater.

I set it aside. I wasn't sure how I felt about this gift. Nervous- definitely. I didn't want Fred to have spent so much money on it. Sad- because I wasn't sure about my feelings for Fred. Sometimes I loved him and sometimes I thought of him as a brother. Happy- because it was such a lovely gift. And embarrassed because Dad didn't know that Fred and I were a. . .well what were we?

Then, I picked up my Hogwarts letter, feeling very excited. It was much thicker than I had remembered. I skipped the intro letter which had the info of where to be on what day to get to Hogwarts. I picked up the letter with my shopping list on it.

Year Three Spell books: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 by Miranda Goshawk Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky Intermediate Transfiguration by Emeric Switch The Monster book of Monsters by Donald Lemke Numerology and Grammatica by Lukas Karuzos Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy Spellman's Syllabary by Rosana Spellman The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

I let out a deep breath. That was a lot of books. Of course, I was taking a lot of classes as well. There were the seven classes that were required until fifth year which consisted of: Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration. If I had my way, I would've dropped Astronomy a long time ago. Like after my first class long ago.

But once students became third years, they could choose some extra classes which consisted of: Alchemy, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, Magical Theory, and the Study of Ancient Runes. I had signed up for every class, except Alchemy because I knew fully well that it correlated with Astronomy.

"Oh yeah." Dad said, going into the living room and coming back with The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger. "That's your copy. I had to get them at Flourish and Blotts and figured I'd get yours when I got my teaching one."

"Great! Thanks!" I said, putting the textbook with the other books I'd gotten for my birthday.

There was a knock at the door- signaling that Trang was here. I grabbed The Monster Book of Monsters, Ron's book, and Hermione's broomkit, and raced up the stairs to throw them on the bed before Trang saw them.

Dad went to answer the door. I heard him greet Trang happily. I stared at the Monster Book of Monsters uneasily. Did I bind it? Or was it loyal to me now?

I decided to leave it on my bed, untouched.

Glancing around, I saw that both Sadie and Hedwig were sitting on my window ledge. Hedwig eyed the book on my bed.

"Hello." I said happily, grabbing my owl treats from inside my drawer. I offered a handful out to each of them and they ate them up. "What are you doing here Hedwig?"

Hedwig held out her leg and I saw a note that told me that Hedwig had to go stay with Ron. "Ah." I said. "So his aunt came."

Hedwig then held out her leg again and I read a bit closer. "Oh! You can also stay with me! That's wonderful!" I said happily. "I'm afraid Sadie's cage is a bit small but when I get back, I can rig something up if you'd like."

Hedwig hooted.

"Elizabeth!" Dad called down the stairs, "We're waiting for you!"

"Coming!" I shouted. I rushed about the room, grabbing my purse and making sure I had money and at least one book though I didn't think I'd need it. "Bye guys! I'll be back soon." I said to the owls and dashed down the stairs, closing the bedroom door behind me.

I quickly made sure Sushi was in his cage, and then rushed out the door where Dad was waiting to take Trang and I to the British Aquarium. We were leaving so early because it was going to take us a bit to get there.

If it had been just dad and me, we would've used the floo network to a magical place nearby and walked the rest of the distance to the Aquarium. Or maybe even side-along apparition. However, because Trang was with us, we had to take Muggle transportation like the subway. We didn't have a car.

I hoped Sadie taught Hedwig not to eat Sushi.

.💙💙💙.

𝕴 𝖈𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖕𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖔 my bed without eating dinner. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep right away. I had lovely dreams about turtles and fish and whales and seahorses and dolphins and a lone shark way off in the distance. This dream slowly turned to a woman behind blown up to the size of a balloon and floating out of a house and into the sky.

I woke up, realizing that it had been a vision, not a dream.

Harry was going to blow up his Aunt.

⬅️➡️

[limetimo]

RAB fics I read (1-8 Jan 2023)

This Spark Of Black That I Seem To Love by JBlackMalfoyRosier If you like trans Regulus riding James' face, this is the fic for you! Other things happen too, but at least 60% is Regulus riding James' face and dick.

regulus black and his loyal slut by orphan_account James wants Regulus to take a break from writing an essay, so he misbehaves :D objectification and humiliation

to the dark lord by justwhatialwayswanted Regulus plays 5D chess with Voldemort and Dumbledore; neither of them knows, and likely won't find out until it's too late for them. Regulus/Evan slowburn ♥

career goals: tyrant by justwhatialwayswanted basically the same as above but with different tone

Not Courageous but Selfish Instead by Darlena 10yo Severus Snape run away from home, thus will never go to Hogwarts, idk we're not too far along in the plot yet

glimpses of heaven by lunahunt ♥♥♥♥♥!!!! In the aftermath of the Prank, James isolates himself from his friends. His Mum signs him up for a Quidditch summer camp and guess who else is there? REGULUS. I adore this one.

The Missing Link by Keysie AAAAYYYYY ♥♥♥♥♥ Rem Reg friendship, developing wolfstar, slowburn jegulus, lily and the girls having fun, toddler harry steals the show

Lumos by cridecoeur Regulus doesn't die in the cave, fucks off to muggle London and becomes Sherlock Holmes, proceeds to fall in love with John Watson so much HIS PATRONUS IS WATSON. nobody will ever let him live that down. Also John brought a gun to a wand fight and won

With great powers comes great responsibility by mischievovstar Look it's a spiderman AU with james as estabilished spiderman

Wedding Crashers by Infinitewolfstar, Siriuslymoonyprongs crying creaming throwing up the Marauders crash Regulus' wedding, are being hunted by mafia

Slytherin House Humour by DBR_Augary short funny spoofs "shit slytherin say" kinda thing

Family Bonds by dalula Sirius decides to scare Regulus with his animagus form. (Un)fortunately, Regulus is into that. Animagus blackcest

Confessions by FrankieQuinn13 lmao Severus Snape loses a bet and has to tell James Potter he wants to have his babies. When he realises that Potter has been avoiding him since the "confession", he uses the same trick on Sirius and later Remus. endgame Regulus/Severus

i see how this ends (poorly) by Quillium Seer Regulus ♥♥♥♥♥♥ The beginning of my everlasting love for Evan Rosier ♥♥♥♥♥

A Star By Another Name by FiresFromOurHearts just regulus living his best life under not one, but two secret identities

Let’s make the most of this by jelfulry wolfstar and overprotective little brother regulus

Letters to Lily by inthemiddleofit rivals to friends to lovers; james hires his football teammate regulus to write love letters to his crush Lily; it's not really a spoiler when i say that eventually JAmes figures out that he had fallen in love Regulus and they start dating. But Regulus is carrying a lot of trauma from his emotionally abusive childhood and it causes massive trouble for their relationship.

The Spider and The Snake by geckokay spiderman James where james had just gotten bitten

lifeless things (nothing beside remains) by olivearcturus Regulus finds himself in a time loop, and he has a mission to complete, yay!

Waters Run Deep by knight_bus_of_doom regulus wasn't dead, he was in a stasis, and really you should read at least the first work of the series to get the best of the FEELS

Deliver Me From My Friends by minkhollow :D:D:D regulus interprets the prophecy in creative ways

Of Secrets and Swords by Everything_Gay BBC merlin with marauder characters

all in, prongs by aiko_fantasy james has a casual fling with regulus, and playing poker with remus he makes a bet that if regulus is up to it they'll have a threesome. regulus is indeed up to getting fucked by both james and remus.

The Mind of Madness by phantasmaraneae after wally and orion die Sirius is called in to take custody of Regulus, who is a squib and well, trapped in his own mind by the Black Madness. Sirius needs to get to the bottom of Regulus anguish to free him. blackcest

The Last Round by JBlackMalfoyRosier regulus is a stripper and his husband james comes to see him at work

Pre-Match Rituals by JBlackMalfoyRosier regulus plays best when he gets to relax before a match. jegulus

Whatever happened to the young, young lovers? by georgia_sk so good. Regulus Goes Apeshit. wolfstar, jegulus, rosekiller

Hunger of the Pine. by theg0ldenboy kinda cracky zombie apoalypse au

When Summer Fades by StellaBlue ♥♥♥

This Is Why I Hate Mondays by AtomicMint :D :D :D funny stuffs

There is another sky, (--Ever serene and fair) by llamallamaduck Sirisu and Regulus run away from home and travel the world with their wonky portkeys until they build a home ♥

[thegreatwarhq]

CHARACTER APPLICATION: 

character name & any aliases: Oliver Wood

character dob & age: June 1st, 23 years old

canon or oc: canon

character pronouns/gender identity/romantic & sexual identity: cismale, he/him, biseggsual

character faceclaim: Casey Deidrick

character house/past house if relevant: Gryffndor

which school they attended: Hogwarts

character alignment in the war/explain if and why it’s changed since the battle: very much of the side of the order.

where have they been living for the past year: they have a nice little apartment in puddlemere

important character information/bio: 

Oliver was born to a pure blood wizard family in Great Britain. The family was by no means rich, but they were not poor. Just had enough to be comfortable and happy. His parents loved their son dearly and supported him with anyway that they could.

When Oliver was 5 he was taken to his first quidditch match with his father. He immediately fell in love with the sport and was nothing less than an enthusiast about it. His room was decorated with posters of the greatest players, and he could tell you everything about almost any team, the players the stats, whatever their was to know he knew. He never missed a game on the tele and would rush home from whatever he had going on to catch the games.

When he was 11, Oliver attended Hogwarts and was placed into house Gryffindor. It was there he met his roommmate and life long friend Percy Weasley. During his first year, Oliver knew he had to be on gryffindors quidditch team. Charlie, captain at the time, wouldn’t allow a first year to play since the roster was full but he was the teams unofficial water boy, and attended all of the practices. He joined the team on his second year.

During his first match, he was hit in the head with a bludger and was placed in the hospital for 1 week. Embaressed, he still went into the next game and did relatively well for the remainder of the season.

During his 5th year, Oliver was made captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team he was unable to find anyone skilled enough to play as Seeker for the team after the departure of Charlie Weasley in the previous year. However, his search was ended when his Head of House, Professor McGonagall, observed Harry Potter catch Neville Longbottom's Remembrall on a broomstick from a fifty foot dive. McGonagall claimed that it was a move that even Charlie Weasley couldn't have pulled off, convincing Oliver that Harry was indeed something special. He immediately saw that Harry's build was perfect for a Seeker, and impressed upon McGonagall the need for Harry to have a decent broom to fly.

Oliver gave Harry his first Quidditch lesson in private, immediately seeing that Harry was a natural flyer on a broomstick. Wanting to use Harry as a secret weapon during the first match of the season against Slytherin, Oliver tried to keep his presence on the team under wraps. Despite his best efforts, however, word got out about Harry's presence, although his skill level was a secret from everyone outside the team.

The team did fairly well that season. However, the final match of the season against Ravenclaw was a disaster. Harry was in the hospital wing after facing Professor Quirrell and Lord Voldemort, and recovering the Philosopher's Stone. Without Harry and his Nimbus 2000 broomstick, the Gryffindor team suffered its biggest defeat in three hundred years.

Oliver spent the summer of 1992 devising an entirely new training schedule that included early morning practice sessions. He was determined to win the Cup, and his enthusiasm for regular training sessions knew no limits. He was annoyed that his team did not seem to be taking it as seriously as he was, but that may have been a result of getting them all up earlier than they expected on the day of their first training session.

On the first Saturday back at school, he booked the Quidditch pitch to begin training earlier than the other teams. His plan was cut short by the arrival of the Slytherin team, who had been given permission to use the pitch by Professor Snape in order to train their new Seeker, Draco Malfoy. The Gryffindor team was clearly very annoyed with this, but Oliver saw it as an opportunity to train Harry even harder in order to beat slytherin in the first match.

Gryffindor won their first match of the season against Slytherin, but the unexplained attacks on Muggle-born students (later found to be caused by the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets and the freeing of the monster within) forced the cancellation of the year's remaining matches. When Minerva McGonagall announced the good news that the school would not be closing, many students shouted "Dumbledore's back" or "The heir of Slytherin has been caught". Wood instead showed his intense love for Quidditch by shouting "Quidditch matches are back on."

In his final year, Oliver Wood was especially desperate to win the Quidditch Cup. He knew that he had the best team in the whole school, and he felt that the Cup would have been Gryffindor's for the past two years if events hadn't so conspired against them. Training his team hard for the first match against Slytherin, he was shocked to find out that Slytherin had indeed managed to postpone the match owing to an injury to their Seeker, Draco Malfoy. Malfoy, injured by a hippogriff after insulting it during a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, was overplaying his injury to get out of playing the match during such extremely bad weather. Gryffindor were to then play Hufflepuff instead.

During the match, Harry was overcome by Dementors, who were attracted to the large gathering. He fell from his broom while chasing the Golden Snitch and it was captured by the Hufflepuff Seeker, Cedric Diggory. When he realised what had happened, Cedric immediately offered Oliver a rematch, but Oliver declined it, knowing that Cedric had caught the Snitch fair and square, and assuring Harry that he didn't blame him for failing to catch the Snitch despite his previously impeccable record.

Oliver knew they still had a chance to win the Cup if they won their remaining matches and other results went their way. He urged Harry to buy a new broom, since his had been destroyed by the Whomping Willow after the last match, and was also worried about the Dementors appearing again and affecting Harry. Harry assured him that Professor Lupin was teaching him to deal with Dementors, and that he had received a Firebolt broomstick for Christmas.

Oliver was amazed, then disappointed to learn that Professor McGonagall had confiscated it to check for signs of tampering or sabotage, as she feared that Sirius Black may have sent it to harm Harry. Oliver tried to appeal to McGonagall, telling her that having the Firebolt would greatly enhanced their chances of winning the Quidditch Cup. McGonagall, however, accused Oliver of placing victory above Harry's life in his order of priorities. Finally, though, the Firebolt was given a clean bill of health, and returned to Harry, much to Oliver's joy.

In the run up to the second match of the season against Ravenclaw, Oliver upped the training sessions to five times a week, and monitored the status of the Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho Chang. Knowing that she had a lot of trouble with injuries, he hoped that she would not be fit to play, and was disappointed to learn that she was able to. During the match, Oliver told Harry to stop being a gentleman and knock Cho off her broom if he had to.

Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw, and other results went their way, meaning that, in the final game of the season against Slytherin, if they could win by two hundred and ten points, they would win the Cup. Oliver took to constantly reminding Harry that he must not catch the Snitch unless they were ahead by at least sixty points, and ordering that Harry should be accompanied everywhere he went, to prevent anyone from harming him before the game, which numerous Slytherins made it clear was a clear and present danger.

During the match against Slytherin, Oliver took two Bludgers to the stomach early in the game. Harry, though, managed to capture the Snitch when Gryffindor were ahead by at least sixty points, resulting in Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup. Oliver, overjoyed, ecstatic and finally having achieved his dream, watched Harry lift the Cup aloft.

After leaving Hogwarts, Oliver became the Keeper for Puddlemere United's reserve team. In the summer of 1994, he attended the Quidditch World Cup, along with his old classmates. It was at the World Cup that he saw Harry and introduced him to his parents and told Harry of his new career.

Battle for Hogwarts:

Oliver returned to Hogwarts along with former Gryffindor Quidditch players Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Alicia Spinnet to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. During a lull in the battle, which was granted to them by Lord Voldemort as time to gather the dead, he assisted Neville Longbottom in carrying the dead bodies of Colin Creevey and others into the Great Hall.

Personality:

Oliver’s personality outside of quidditch is very humble and laidback. He is never afraid to crack a joke and be himself around people. He wants others to be inspired to do their best, and never fails to try and lift up others. He is a true friend to those who are important to them and will have everyone’s back no matter what.

When it comes to quidditch, he has an extreme intense and dedicated personality. Whenever the topic comes up he has a magical enthusiasm about it.

az app.

[dhr-ao3]

Name It - (Rubicon Excerpt)

Name It - (Rubicon Excerpt) https://ift.tt/YFKN5kd by Stevie_Sunshine An excerpt from a future chapter of Rubicon, my forced marriage/ soulmates/ wartime fic. This will likely feel a bit disjointed, and may contain spoilers, but its here to smut and it does, indeed, smut. We enter mid-scene to Draco and Hermione discussing his fears about what may happen if he lets himself accept that they can truly be together after his years of pining. Hermione, at this point in the fuller fic, has recently accepted the realities of what a real relationship with Draco means - namely, the fact that they can't love one another without loving to the point of obsession, so she's a few steps ahead of the curve and has already decided what she wants. Words: 6740, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of Rubicon Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Additional Tags: Shameless Smut, Fluff and Smut, Gratuitous Smut, My First Smut, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Blood Magic, Blood As Lube, Cutting, Bloodletting, Knifeplay, cum kink, Cum Play, Cum Soaking, Panty Kink, Porn with Feelings, Porn With Plot, this is an excerpt, May contain spoilers, Draco Malfoy Has a Large Cock, Draco Malfoy Has a Breeding Kink, Hermione Granger Has a Praise Kink, Hermione Granger Has a Breeding Kink, Soulmates, Married Couple, Married Sex, Married Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Established Relationship, Established Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Breeding, What Have I Done, Biting, Declarations Of Love, Breathplay, Choking, Breath Control, Oral Sex, Rough Oral Sex, Cunnilingus, Face-Fucking, Face-Licking, Author is Fine I Promise, Part of a larger fic, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Wartime Romance, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, To Be Edited via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/SjR3BAO August 27, 2024 at 04:27AM

[artemisia-black]

The soul in the Harry Potter universe; a joint meta with @ashesandhackles

1.0 Introduction

One of the main themes of the Harry Potter series is death; with explorations of the cost of earthbound immortality, resurrection and constructs of the afterlife being major sub-themes.

Death is so central to the series, that the story opens with a double murder, failed infanticide and the supposed death and defeat of Voldemort. Indeed, the book is named after a magical instrument that grants immortality ( the philosophers/sorcerers stone), and the book’s primary plot revolves around the plan to steal the Elixir of Life.

However, despite being a series that is so focused on death, death itself is not treated as an absolute finality. Indeed, Death is framed as a natural part of life that to the,

“ …well- organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” PS

And it is via the soul that a person can access the afterlife and greet death like a friend, and in this meta, we will explore how the concept of the soul is constructed within the Harry Potter series.

2.0 The soul in the Wizarding World

This concept of the eternal soul finds its seeds as early as the Philosopher’s Stone - in the scene where Harry finds a slain unicorn in the forest.

“That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn,” said Firenze. “Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.” PS

This, right here, alludes to the idea of Voldemort maiming his soul in his greed for immortal earthbound life. The unicorn, as a symbol in myth, is to represent a “pure soul” - the killing of a pure soul to one’s own gain, would make his soul unable to go on to the Kingdom of Heaven, so to speak.

However, the existence of souls is explicitly confirmed in PoA, where the readers are first introduced to the nature of dementors:

“Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can’t see them. Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself . . . soul- less and evil. You’ll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to feel ashamed of.” PoA

And illustrates quite plainly what is “worse than death”:

“What — they kill — ?”

“Oh no,” said Lupin. “Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you’ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no ... anything. There’s no chance at all of recovery. You’ll just — exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever ... lost.” PoA

The idea of the soul being incredibly important to wizardkind is implicitly demonstrated through the reaction of Sirius Black towards the Dementors. Given that he is a character who shows little self preservation (he willingly lives on the edge of starvation several times), he only occasion he shows concern for his own welfare is when he is about to receive the Dementor’s kiss:

“ The yelping seemed to be coming from the ground near the edge of the lake. They pelted toward it, and Harry, running flat out, felt the cold without realizing what it must mean — The yelping stopped abruptly. As they reached the lakeshore, they saw why — Sirius had turned back into a man. He was crouched on all fours, his hands over his head

“Nooo,” he moaned. “Noooo ... please. ...” PoA

3.0 The soul and immortality

Having discussed the existence of the soul in the series, it is important to explore the limitations placed upon it.

3.1 Ghosts; souls that are bound to the earth

Within the universe, it appears that a soul must be contained within a body while on this plane of existence. Indeed, the idea of an earthbound soul free of its body is one which is either deemed morally repugnant (in the case of Horcruxes) or the shadow of human life (in the case of ghosts).

Within the Harry Potter universe, the ghosts linger in the liminal space between life and death, veritable proof of an after-life yet having no knowledge of it.

As Nearly Headless Nick explains:

“I……was afraid of death,” said Nick. “I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn’t to have ... Well, that is neither here nor there... In fact, I am neither here nor there...” He gave a small sad chuckle. “ OoTP

The idea of the wizarding afterlife is also hinted at when both Harry and Luna - characters who are in alignment with series’ position on Death (whereas rationalists like Hermione and Ron react differently) - hear voices whispering from behind the veil, whose ragged curtain mirrors descriptions of the Dementor’s cloaks. And much like when the dementors lower their hood to remove a soul, the touching of the veil also removes a soul from the earthly plane. The veil in the Death chamber acts as a separation between the earthly life and next. The imagery of the veil returns in the story of the second brother in the Tale of Deathly Hallows: “Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered.

Returning to ghosts; they are earth bound, yet cannot influence the physical space around them nor partake in any earthly delights. At the Deathday party, Harry asks one of the ghosts (who was floating through the rotten food):

“Can you taste it if you walk through it?” Harry asked him.

“Almost,” said the ghost sadly, and he drifted away.” CoS

Yet they are conscious and have ‘memory’ of who they were when they were alive. Nick describes it as:

“.....an imprint….”

“ upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod….” OoTP

Indeed the construct of ghosts within HP, are congruent with the philosophical thinking of Rene Descartes.

In Meditations on First Philosophy, published in 1641, Descartes states that:

“ There is an outer world, which includes my body, but I could still exist even if it were all destroyed.”

He later furthered this idea, by merging the idea of mind and soul and exploring the dualism of the physical realm with the mental. In a letter to Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia, Descartes writes:

“…..These arise…from the close and intimate union of our mind with the body. This list includes, first, appetites like hunger and thirst; secondly, the emotions or passions of the mind that do not consist of thought alone, such as the emotions of anger, joy, sadness, and love; and finally, all the sensations….”

This sentiment echoes the ghost’s desire for food which is a recurring theme within canon. Indeed the first time Nick is introduced he states:

“I haven’t eaten for nearly five hundred years,” said the ghost. “I don’t need to, of course, but one does miss it.” PS

3.2 A soul that is intact

The soul, as Slughorn notes in the Half Blood Prince, is meant to be “intact and whole” and that “splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature.” This belief is embedded in the wizarding world, to the point, Hermione complains, “All I could find was this, in the introduction to Magick Moste Evile — listen — ‘Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction.’”

As a side note: the idea of a Horcrux being horrifying to wizards may be the primary reason behind Regulus Black’s defection.

In Goblet of Fire, we are introduced to the Unforgivables - in particular, the killing curse. But what does the killing curse actually do?

We begin with etymology, as confirmed from interviews: it comes from Aramaic, which means - “Let that thing be destroyed.” Goblet of Fire opens with the murder of the Riddles, which apparently caused no marks on the body and escaped any natural explanation for Muggle doctors. To their bewilderment, the Riddles apparently just “dropped dead”.

Later in the book, we get a description of the curse being performed:

“There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though something vast and invisible was soaring through the air - instantaneously, the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked but unmistakably dead.” GoF

We posit that “Avada Kedavra” releases the soul from its mortal container. The description of something “vast and invisible” is possibly the soul of the spider. This is the reason why Voldemort’s soul fractured when the curse rebounded on him:

“My curse was deflected by the woman’s foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah . . . pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost ... but still, I was alive.”

4.0 The pure soul; the true master of death

The acceptance of death (through not choosing to be earth bound) and a soul that is unmaimed is the key to both resurrection and access to the afterlife.

It is imperative to note that the central thesis of Deathly Hallows embodied by the Corinthian’s quote on Harry’s parents’ graves:

“The last enemy that will be defeated is Death.” DH

This quote is so central that it is explicitly explained within the text:

“It doesn’t mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry,” said Hermione, her voice gentle. “It means ... you know ... living beyond death. Living after death.” DH

This idea is set up from the first book, and while choosing a wand ( or the wand choosing him) Harry is intentionally paralleled with Voldemort, in a way that shows their differing attitude towards death. While their wand cores are from the same Phoenix ( a creature that frequently resurrects from the ashes), their wand wood is different, symbolic of their differing routes to resurrection. Harry’s wand wood is Holly, a symbol of protection and prosperity, with symbolism connected to Christ’s Crown of Thorns. Whereas Voldemort’s wand wood is Yew, which is known as a tree known for its ability to regenerate once its branches touch the ground, its berries and wood are also known for their poison. (Credit: indihpblog).In Order of Phoenix, the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore makes the series’ narrative conversation more explicit, not just with imagery of Fawkes swallowing the Killing Curse and being reborn, but also this:

“ There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!” snarled Voldemort.

“You are quite wrong,” said Dumbledore. “Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness—”

To:

“You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?” called Voldemort, his scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. “Above such brutality, are you?”

“We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit—” OoTP

Contrast this moment to how Dumbledore reacts to Voldemort’s ultimate fate as a maimed soul (represented by a flayed baby) in the King’s Cross scene.

“What is that, Professor?”

“Something that is beyond either of our help,” said Dumbledore.

Within this scene King’s Cross, provides a liminal space between life and death, and a symbol for limbo. A place many Catholics believe the souls of the unbaptised end up ( although this is not official catechism, it is a widely accepted concept by many catholics).

See also: Azkaban as purgatory

In this scene, Harry who possesses a “pure soul,” is given the choice to go on to the afterlife (access to said afterlife) or to be resurrected and return to earth.

“I’ve got a choice?”

“Oh yes.” Dumbledore smiled at him. “We are in King’s Cross, you say? I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to ... let’s say ... board a train.” DH

It is also interesting to note that the series concludes in King’s Cross.

This choice is contrasted to the part of Voldemort’s soul which appears stuck in this limbo.

Of course, Harry still tries to save Voldemort, despite Dumbledore’s proclamation. He offers Voldemort a chance to heal his soul, by asking him to feel remorse - something Hermione says in the beginning of Deathly Hallows as a way to heal a torn soul:

“Yeah, it did,” said Harry. “You’re right. But before you try to kill me, I’d advise you to think about what you’ve done. ... Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle. ...”

“What is this?”

Of all the things that Harry had said to him, beyond any revelation or taunt, nothing had shocked Voldemort like this. Harry saw his pupils contract to thin slits, saw the skin around his eyes whiten.

“It’s your one last chance,” said Harry, “it’s all you’ve got left. ... I’ve seen what you’ll be otherwise. ... Be a man ... try ... Try for some remorse. ...”

But Voldemort does not choose redemption and instead unwillingly dies and either ceases to exist completely or is trapped in eternal suffering. Interestingly there is a concept of hell known as Annihilationism, which theorises that hell is non-existence rather than eternal torture.

[iamnmbr3]

This is an absolutely outstandingly written piece of meta and a complete delight to read. I agree that Snape and Tom's relationship is utterly fascinating and completely unique.

In the context of Snape and Tom's special relationship, I think this bit from book 4 is also very interesting.

Either Snape is the Death Eater who is "too cowardly to return" or the one who has "left...forever," and either reading proves really interesting when we think about these two characters.

Now I believe the intended reading here is that Snape is the Death Eater whom Voldemort believes has left him forever and intends to kill until Snape is able to get him to change his mind (even though actually his first instinct was correct) and Karkaroff is the one who is too cowardly to return. EXCEPT that actually the Death Eater who is killed shortly after this speech is not Snape, but Karkaroff who tries to flee and is eventually hunted down. Which suggests that Snape is actually he one who is too cowardly to return.

This argument is strengthened by the fact that if Voldemort wanted Snape dead he could very easily have ordered Barty Crouch Jr. to carry it out. But Crouch doesn't seem to have any such orders. As far as he knows after Harry touches the cup he'll be transported to the graveyard and killed so there's no reason to wait around and not go straight for Snape if he had orders to do so. But he doesn't.

If we assume then that Snape is not the Death Eater whom Voldemort intends to kill that is quite extraordinary because Snape has failed to show up when his Dark Mark burned and has shown no particular signs of remaining loyal to Voldemort. And yet Tom is apparently willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He speaks nebulously of punishing him (not even by name) but seems willing to accept him back into the fold.

Alternately, if Snape is indeed the Death Eater whom Voldemort intended to kill then it's even more amazing. Karkaroff ultimately loses his life for fleeing. But Snape, who Voldemort believes has left him forever and who he specifically states he plans to kill (and in that context the use of the phrase "has left me forever" is interestingly personal) shows up late and is not killed on sight but rather given a chance to explain himself. And that explanation is actually accepted.

This adds on to other things, like the fact that he actually apologizes to Snape before killing him - seems almost desperate, in fact, to explain himself. And that apology not only shows his regret but also serves to give Snape a warning and a chance to defend himself if he wants so he can have a more "honorable" death or perhaps even a fighting chance.

Furthermore it's interesting that Tom doesn't use the killing curse on Snape. Even Charity Burbage gets a quick and clean death before getting fed to Nagini. Why should Snape not be granted the same privilege? Perhaps the reason Tom deviates from his usual MO and doesn't use the killing curse on Snape is because he literally can't. Powerful spells in Harry Potter require you to mean them. Tom may not be able to muster up enough will to hurt Snape to be able to use the killing curse or even a lesser but still deadly spell. Naginia is his Horcrux and thus is "him" in a sense so using her might be his best attempt.

Please tell us more about Voldemort's relationship with Severus, and why you think it differs so much from Voldemort's other relationships

Whatever it is that lingers between Tom and Severus—power, manipulation, some dark bond none of us can fully grasp—it naturally ignites chaos in the mind of the beholders. And if you’re eager to feel that burn, I’ll gladly embrace you in it. To you brave, reckless souls, I say this: your wish is my command.

So, here we are, picking apart how Severus Snape—mudblood, poor, and bruised from the heavy hand of a Muggle father—managed to land himself a spot at the table with the most rabid pack of blood purists you’ve ever seen. A table, mind you, he had no business sitting at. The Death Eaters, that tight little clique of privileged purebloods, had no real reason to let in this scruffy little outsider. Sure, Snape was useful. Very useful. His skills were sharp as knives, and he could do their dirty work, get his hands filthy so they didn’t have to. But useful doesn’t mean welcome. Useful doesn’t mean accepted. You know who else was useful? Fenrir Greyback and his mangy lot. They brought terror to the doorsteps of half the wizarding world, and did Voldemort’s cause no small service. But did they get a place at the inner circle? Did they get respect? Hell no. They were the dirt beneath the boots of the real Death Eaters. Useful filth. And then there’s Snape, embodying everything these purists claim to despise—a half-blood with a tainted surname, living in squalor, dragged through the muck by a Muggle brute of a father. By all accounts, Death Eaters should have spat in his face and tossed him out like yesterday’s rubbish. But no. Not only does he get a seat at the table, he rises. He’s placed on a pedestal, standing closer to Voldemort than some of the most loyal, purest-blooded lackeys in the room. Voldemort, in all his cold-blooded glory, didn’t just tolerate Severus. He raised him up, right in front of their sneering, offended faces. Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. If you think Voldemort did this out of some sense of gratitude, you’ve missed the point entirely. Tom Riddle doesn’t do gratitude. That kind of sentiment is beneath him, an alien concept. Voldemort doesn’t reward; he uses. Deeds done in his name are expected, not appreciated. You’re not going to get a pat on the back from a man who thinks the world owes him its loyalty. Snape’s service should’ve earned him nothing more than a brief reprieve from pain. A loosening of the noose around his neck, if he was lucky. That’s Voldemort’s way—keep them all desperate, keep them all afraid. So why did Snape, of all people, get raised up? Why did he, the least likely among them, become a favorite?

Mind, it’s not just me declaring Snape as Voldemort’s favorite. That dark, twisted bond is laced into nearly every interaction between the two, as if something unspoken and festering passes between them. But it’s Narcissa Malfoy who lays it bare. A woman born into the highest echelons of pure-blood privilege, the very foundation on which Voldemort’s so-called supremacy stands, doesn’t hesitate when she calls him “the Dark Lord’s favorite, his most trusted advisor.” Let that sink in.

Here is the wife of Lucius Malfoy, a man whose lineage is steeped in the darkest of traditions. But when her family’s future is on the edge of a wand, when her son’s life dangles by a thread, she doesn’t rely on Lucius, doesn’t turn to Bellatrix. No, she comes to Severus, because deep down, she knows. They all do.

It’s something more insidious, something that slips through the cracks in the floorboards of Voldemort’s ideology. He is the one Voldemort trusts, the one Voldemort leans on, the one whose counsel can shift the dark winds of fate. That is real power, raw and untouchable. Narcissa sees it—how could she not? Even with all her aristocratic pride, even with the weight of her name and her family’s legacy pressing down on her, she understands that none of it means a damn thing next to what Snape has. Narcissa, with her family’s long, proud heritage, has to grovel before someone who, by the very logic of Voldemort’s cause, should be inferior. But Snape is different, and everyone knows it. They may not say it, they may not even want to admit it, but they know. He operates outside the lines, above the fray, immune to the very rules that were meant to keep people like him down. Snape, the half-blood, the one with the muddied past, holds a kind of sway that no one else in Voldemort’s ranks can claim.

Oh, there comes the bitter irony of Peter Pettigrew. After years of scraping and groveling, thinking he’d earned his place in the Dark Lord’s favor, Peter is handed over like a rag for Severus to wring out. Peter, one of the smug Marauders who’d gleefully hounded Snape through school, reduced now to something just shy of a house-elf, bowing and cringing under Snape’s very roof. A cruel twist of fate, no doubt arranged with Voldemort’s signature malevolence. Was this some attempt to plant a spy in Snape's house? Maybe, if you take it at face value. But think for a moment—Voldemort, who couldn’t pry Snape's treachery from his skull with all the power of Legilimency, putting his trust in Wormtail to do the job? The rat that couldn't outsmart a dormitory prank, never mind a master of deception like Severus?

No, this isn’t espionage; this is karma. Cruel, twisted karma orchestrated by the Dark Lord himself. You can almost picture Severus watching Peter scuttle about his house, casting him those withering, superior glances—knowing full well that Tom has given him this indulgence, this little taste of vengeance. Snape treats Wormtail with open contempt, because he knows he can. He knows it’s allowed, expected even. It’s as if the tables have turned in the most bitter of ways, a humiliating reversal of fortune. Pettigrew, who once revelled in Snape’s humiliation, now reduced to the lowest of roles, while Snape—Voldemort’s golden boy—sits at the top. Isn’t it delicious? You’d have to be blind to chalk it up to coincidence. Moreover, Pettigrew’s fate is all the proof you’ll ever need that Voldemort’s rule isn’t founded on something as simple or sentimental as loyalty. Loyalty? Sacrifice? Please. Pettigrew’s life was one long, groveling act of desperation to stay in the Dark Lord’s good graces. You bring your master back from the brink of death itself, and still, all you get is contempt. Voldemort demands service, sure. But service? Guarantees nothing. And when you set Severus and Peter side by side, the question gnaws at you. Why? Why is Snape the favored one, the exception, the enigma in Voldemort’s otherwise brutal, predictable hierarchy? What makes him different? There’s something between them—something that doesn’t follow the usual logic of power and punishment. Voldemort doesn’t just tolerate Snape’s defiance; he rewards it, bends the system to accommodate it. Something unspoken, something hidden behind the masks they both wear, grants Snape a level of favor that Pettigrew could only dream of.

What’s crucial to grasp here is that Voldemort doesn’t spare anyone. His entire ideology is rooted in cruelty, in domination, in the ruthless obliteration of all who oppose him. He doesn’t just eliminate enemies; he obliterates them, wipes them from existence without a second thought. And yet, here’s the anomaly: Lily Evans, mother of Harry Potter, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and a Muggle-born witch, is offered a chance to live. Live. This decision, however, is directly tied to Snape. Snape had begged Voldemort to spare her, and it is this plea—Snape’s plea—that softens the Dark Lord’s otherwise unyielding cruelty.

To truly grasp the enormity of this act, we need to take a step back and consider Snape’s position in all of this. Remember, Severus was just 21 years old when he found himself pleading with Voldemort, one of the most dangerous dark wizard in history, to spare Lily Evans.

Snape wasn’t the imposing, confident figure we often associate with him thanks to Alan Rickman’s performance—he wasn’t a man exuding quiet menace, seemingly capable of standing toe-to-toe with Voldemort. No, at this point in canon, he was barely more than a boy, a young man fresh out of Hogwarts, with no powerful lineage or wealth to protect him.

And yet, despite this—despite the sheer imbalance of power between them—Snape dared to approach Voldemort. Voldemort. With a plea. Not for himself, but for a Muggle-born witch. At best, Snape’s request might have been laughed off, dismissed as the desperate wish of a foolish young Death Eater. But it wasn’t. For some reason, Voldemort didn’t just tolerate Snape’s plea—he actually acted on it.

Consider how critical this moment was to Voldemort’s larger agenda. At the heart of his entire scheme is a singular, consuming fixation: the annihilation of the child prophesied to be his undoing. Harry Potter is Voldemort’s obsession, the one threat he must eliminate to secure his dominion. The Potters were no longer just enemies—they were the key to his future, and Harry was the focus of his most crucial mission. In this context, sparing anyone even remotely connected to Harry was an extraordinary risk. Leniency wasn’t just unnecessary—it was dangerous. By showing mercy to Lily, Voldemort risked undermining his own carefully constructed agenda. And this wasn’t a moment where Voldemort could afford to make mistakes.

This unprecedented act of “mercy,” this concession Voldemort granted Snape, became the very thing that led to his downfall. Had Voldemort simply killed Lily Evans on the spot, as he did James, she would never have had the chance to sacrifice herself for Harry. The protection her sacrifice invoked—the ancient magic that saved Harry’s life and turned Voldemort’s killing curse back on him—would never have existed. Voldemort, the cold strategist, fell because he didn’t bend for anyone—except, inexplicably, for Snape. And that single, dangerous deviation cost him everything. That’s how it’s all started.

And there it is— how it’s all ends. Voldemort’s final words to Severus Snape before he executes him. But pay attention to how he begins. “Clever man,” he calls him. He suggests that Snape might’ve already known the truth of the Elder Wand’s treachery. Tom would never acknowledge someone’s cleverness if it undermined his own intellectual abilities. If he implies that Snape may have already unraveled the mystery of the Elder Wand, it undoubtedly indicates that Voldemort had recognized Snape’s crucial role in the wand’s problems long before. It’s not just idle chatter or casual flattery. No, it’s a bloody confirmation that Voldemort himself had long ago pieced together the mystery of Snape’s involvement with the wand. This wasn’t some last-minute realization that forced his hand. It wasn’t ignorance that delayed Snape’s death, not at all. It was deliberation. Voldemort, for all his cruelty, wasn’t stupid. He suspected, long before that moment, that Snape was at the center of the problem with the wand’s loyalty. He just chose not to act on it until the very last moment.

He held back from executing him, searching for any other way around the wand’s limitations, trying to find a solution that didn’t involve killing Snape. But when it came down to it, when all other options were exhausted, Voldemort finally made his move.

And what does he do? He delivers a speech. A bloody speech, full of regret and excuses—“I regret what must happen.” Does that sound like the Voldemort we know? The Dark Lord who kills without a second thought, who carves his empire from the bones of the disobedient? Hell no. This is the man who thrives on fear, on swift, brutal punishment. And yet, here he is, delivering justifications like some guilty executioner. This isn’t Voldemort’s usual method. This isn’t the whip coming down fast and hard. This is something altogether more… hesitant.

That speech, soaked in rationalizations, tells us everything we need to know. Snape’s death wasn’t just business—it was personal. It’s a messy, ugly end to the unexplainable dynamic between them. Even at the very end, Voldemort is bending, twisting, trying to justify his actions to the one man who had managed to worm his way under his skin. And in that second, we see something rare—a glimpse of the complexity in their relationship. Voldemort’s usual ruthless efficiency is absent.

His “I regret it,” spoken once more, stands out like a blade in the gut, sharp and unexpected, slicing straight through Voldemort’s usual cold indifference. The Dark Lord, who has never spared a thought for the wreckage in his wake, lets these words hang in the air, unnatural as they are. A man who’s never known the weight of remorse now offers something that almost feels like regret. Not true regret, of course—Voldemort doesn’t have the luxury of feeling something so weak, so human. But still, It’s not a sentiment he offers to anyone else. It’s almost as if Voldemort doesn’t know how to process this lingering attachment, as though Snape’s mere existence demands something from him that Voldemort is incapable of giving. Snape occupies some strange corner of Voldemort’s mind, twisted and dark it may be, that not even the Dark Lord himself seems to understand. Despite the fact that I’ve painted a whole canvas of tangled thoughts on the strange relationship between Severus and Tom, I’ve barely begun to tug at the thread of their inexplicable dynamic. There’s so much more I could unearth, layers of intrigue and tension that ripple through every scene between them, and I could easily go on for hours about the small, delicious details woven into their story. But, as it happens, my full-time job is already sharpening its knife and aiming for my back, so I'll have to bring this whole saga to a close with the following quote:

For me, the intensity of this scene speaks volumes about their relationship, capturing the very essence of what makes these two so bloody fascinating. The way their gaze alone can make Death Eaters flinch under the weight of their unspoken understanding. It’s not fear, not exactly. It’s something colder, something deeper. As though they’re witnessing a bond forged in the dark, a grim understanding that none of them can ever be a part of.

That’s what keeps dragging me back to these two. The tension, the labyrinth of contradictions, the complex tangle of manipulation. I want to look away—hell, I should look away, just like the Death Eaters did. But there’s something about it, something that coils around me, tightening like a serpent’s embrace. Can you blame me?

[a-room-of-my-own]

Most of you, I suspect, will be unfamiliar with the work of self-professed ‘horror author’ and trans woman Gretchen Felker-Martin.

Latterly a little-known film and culture writer, Felker-Martin’s name reached wider circulation this week following the recent release of a debut novel — although not, it must be said, for the quality of the writing.

Called Manhunt, the book is set in a post-apocalyptic future in which a deadly virus wreaks havoc and turns people into zombies.

So far so mainstream — if you like that sort of thing.

Yet delve a little deeper, and Felker-Martin’s work is highly disturbing for reasons that go much further than the characters and plot, which centres on two transgender women hunting down and killing ‘TERFs’ in a battle for survival.

TERF is shorthand for ‘trans-exclusionary radical feminists’ — the highly derogatory term used by trans rights activists for anyone, but almost exclusively women — who insists that biological sex is real.

I am among them, while the term is also repeatedly used against Harry Potter author JK Rowling for her passionate defence of this fundamental principle.

Now, Felker-Martin has apparently seen fit to exact a deeply unpleasant fictional revenge, depicting the successful writer’s gruesome death after being crushed by a burnt-down castle.

I will not dignify Felker-Martin’s underwhelming prose with any further detailed description, save to say that it is full of misogynistic bile of which you can get a flavour via one of many enthusiastic promotional tweets put out on social media.

‘Try my novel Manhunt. Trans dykes fall in love and f*** and murder TERFs, feral men maraud in the wilderness, JK Rowling dies, etc,’ she has proclaimed.

So here we are, arrived in a place where a mainstream publisher — Manhunt is published by Tor Nightfire, an offshoot of publishing giant Macmillan — sees fit to release a novel featuring aggressive and violent fantasies about a living, breathing woman.

Sadly, I can’t say I am surprised. In some ways it is a natural extension of the world in which we now live, where women (and it is nearly always women) are routinely threatened, physically harassed and attacked for their views.

A world where self-styled ‘activists’ can call for their rape and murder and do so standing outside the house where they live with their children, as they have done to JK Rowling.

All while maintaining that they are the victims and we the oppressors.

Now it is being set down and marketed as ‘entertainment’ — and this makes me sick to my stomach. Let us pause for a minute to contemplate the outcry if a female author dared to depict a real-life trans person being crushed to death, the fate that befalls JK Rowling in Felker-Martin’s novel.

In fact, we can do more than imagine. Last year, JK Rowling published Troubled Blood, one of her Cormoran Strike series, which she writes under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith and was immediately accused of transphobia. She had employed the simple fictional trope of allowing her killer, on occasion, to disguise himself as a woman to commit his crimes.

Never mind that he is not the main villain of the book, nor is he ever portrayed as trans or even called a ‘transvestite’: the howls of outrage and victimisation were immediate, along with calls to boycott Rowling’s work and for bookshops to withdraw it from the shelves.

Where are these bleeding hearts now, when depictions of grotesque violence against women are being glorified by another author and her acolytes?

But then I know first-hand the hypocrisy of publishing houses, who seem to have no problem selling books by everyone from drug dealers to murderers — and indeed delightedly basking in the promotional opportunities they afford — but who draw a line at female authors who have done nothing more than speak out in support of women’s sex- based rights.

Two years ago, having produced a proposal as well as a sample chapter of my book on modern feminism, I was wooed by three separate publishing houses, wined and dined by their representatives and told that they were desperate to be the ones to take it to market.

Yet when they subsequently took it to their acquisitions department, all were each told the same thing by the virtue-signalling hipsters with beards and their blue-fringed colleagues: that they would leave their jobs in protest if they dared to publish a book by ‘transphobic’ Julie Bindel.

They all caved in, leaving me to sink into a deep depression from which I struggled to emerge. After years of being ‘de-platformed’ at university debates, disinvited from events at the last minute and often requiring a police escort at those I am ‘allowed’ to attend, this felt like the final nail in the coffin of free speech, reason and women’s rights.

In fact, my story had a happy ending. My agent was then contacted by a male publisher at Little, Brown, which published the book last year. It has since sold extremely well, vindicating their decision.

Many other female writers, among them children’s author Rachel Rooney, have not been so lucky — hounded for doing little more than tweeting in support of sex-based rights and, in Rachel’s case, choosing to leave the world of publishing.

It is a chilling depiction of the double standards — and doublethink — our society now finds itself in. One in which feminists are labelled oppressors in clear contradiction to the evidence that is around us.

I have spent 40 years campaigning for the rights of women, and I know now, as I have always known, that our morgues, our rape crisis centres, and our domestic violence shelters all tell the real story about who are the perpetrators of violence and who are the victims.

The truth is that you don’t hear reports of trans activists being attacked by women, feminists or otherwise.

Far from it. All of us, including JK Rowling, have spoken out in support of gender non-conforming people.