#v; second wizarding war

[gracexthoughts]

of violent delights chap 7

happy birthday, mia

30 January 1996

Euphemia's POV

The Christmas break seemed to float by. Harry and I stayed at Hogwarts as always, the Weasleys and Hermione staying as well. My first two years at Hogwarts, I went back to the Dursleys' for Christmas, just to see Harry and make sure he was okay. Since Harry started though, we've had no reason to go back. Christmas with each other and our friends has always been far preferable. I'll never forget how excited Harry got his first Christmas morning at Hogwarts. 

I love the castle during the holidays. It's decorated to the nines and is quiet and serene for two weeks. I spend most of my time running around the empty halls with the twins, a snowball fight with the Twins and I on one team and Harry, Ron and Hermione on another, and two weeks of no prefect rounds. 

Since that night in the broom closet, Mattheo and I haven't spoken of what happened. I've never seen him be so gentle, especially not to me. The way he helped calm me down from panicking, and the way our hostile banter turned playful in the time we spent locked in the closet has plagued my mind in the two months since. I fully expected to arrive in class the next morning with the whole school knowing Euphemia Potter had a panic attack from being stuck in a broom closet with Mattheo Riddle (most girls' dream situation) but no one knew unless I told them. Mattheo hadn't told anyone what happened, or if he did he swore them to secrecy. I tried to thank him for it but I only received a grunt in return, reverting back to the same cold, angry and insufferably superior jerk I've always known him to be. Even so, I can't help but wonder what he was doing over break, why he was so nice to me that night, and why he hasn't tried to use my weakness against me. 

Harry has been despondent since Christmas when his new Firebolt was confiscated to be checked for tampering. I hadn't even woken up yet when Harry had come rushing in, yelling thank you over and over again. He'd thought I had bought him the new broom but I hadn't. Well, I'd been planning on it but my plan was to let Harry pick out the broom he wanted rather than choose it myself. But some mystery benefactor had beaten me to it and McGonagall promptly confiscated it, worried about it being cursed or hexed and Hermione has taken the brunt of Harry's anger. Secretly, I'm grateful someone else thought it was strange besides me but i’m sorry Hermione is being shut out for it.

Since term has resumed, and prefect rounds and Quidditch practices along with it, Harry and I have been adding weekly anti- dementor lessons to our schedules. Four lessons in and Harry and I can both produce the shield version of the Patronus Charm. The corporeal form, however, has been a bigger challenge. 

"Happy Birthday, Mia!" The door to my dorm is flung open as the Weasley Twins, Angelina, Alicia, Lee, and Harry all flood into my room. The best benefit of being a prefect? I have my own dorm room. Although, my friends have started to use it as their own personal common room so it's ultimately not that private anymore. I sit up, making a noise somewhere between a groan and a laugh as my friends and brother surround my bed. I squint at the clock on my nightstand and balk. 

"I love you all so much but it's literally 8AM, I don't get to sleep in on my birthday? It's a Sunday!" I pretend to whine, falling back on my pillows. With Quidditch practice Mondays-Thursdays 4:30-6:30PM, prefect rounds Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-11PM, and extra lessons with Lupin on Wednesdays at 8PM I have barely any time to do my schoolwork, let alone anything else. 

"No, because it's not fair for you to shorten the time we get to celebrate you by sleeping," Angelina says, crossing her arms and sitting on the bed next to me. 

"You can't sing at breakfast," I say, sitting up with my eyes wide and looking at the Twins. Fred and George love parties, celebrations and taking the mickey out of people they love. When they found out I'd never celebrated a birthday before coming to Hogwarts, they made it their personal mission to make every birthday since absolutely insane. 

"We won't," Fred says, a mischievous gleam in his eyes behind his smile.  

"I couldn't believe you less," I laugh. 

"Oh we're singing! No opting out, Potter!" Lee says, wiggling his eyebrows like a madman. 

"C'mon, Mia don't be a spoil sport!" George says, leaning against one of the posts of my bed frame. 

"Oi! I am many things but a party pooper is not one," I laugh, "I need you all the leave if you expect me to get dressed though." 

"Boo," Fred laughs, heading towards the door with George and Lee. Harry holds back for a moment and leans over the edge of my bed to give me a hug. 

"Happy birthday, Mia," he says with a small smile. 

"Thanks, Haz," I return his smile, reaching up to ruffle his already unruly hair. He chuckles and shoves my hand away and turns to leave with the rest of the boys, leaving me with Angelina and Alicia. 

"Sooo, what do you think Freddie got you for your birthday?" Angelina asks, lay back on my bed. 

"The twins better not have gotten me anything. I don't want any presents," I say, pushing off the blankets and tossing them over Angie. 

"Not the twins! Fred," Alicia says, sitting on the back of the love seat in front of the fireplace. I furrow my eyebrows as I cross the room to my dresser and begin pulling clothes out for the day. 

"Why just Fred?" 

"C'mon, Mia. You are not dense," Angie says, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows. 

"About what, Ang?" I turn, raising my eyebrows, playing dumb because I know exactly where they are going with this. 

"Freddie liiiikes you!" She responds in a sing-song voice, causing me to roll my eyes and throw a sweatshirt at her from across the room. 

"Please!" I groan. 

"Why are you upset? Fred's cute," Alicia says. Angelina and I raise our eyebrows at our friend, who is very openly lesbian. "That's not a personal opinion! It's just a fact. Fred and George could have any girl in this school they wanted and yet, dear Freddie has been single for more than a year. He likes you, Mia. It's plain as day." 

"I look like I could be his sister. Remember first year when half the school thought we were triplets?" I say, pulling a sweater over my head. The Weasley family all have bright and fiery red hair while my hair is a darker red, a weird mix of the dark brown of my father's hair and the bright red my mother had. Never stopped people from asking if we were related though. "I don't like Fred like that." 

"You're dumb for that, Phe. Sorry," Angie laughs. 

"You date him then if you think he's so great!" I laugh. 

"No thanks. I've got dibs on George though," she responds, winking at me. Alicia and I exchange a shocked look before we burst out into laughter. 

"You know, Ang, I think that will work out very well for you," I tease. Angelina bolts up to her knees, still on my bed. 

"What do you know?" 

"A secret!" I wink and duck as Ang throws a pillow at me.

"The three of you and your secrets, I swear!" 

"Okay so who do you like? There's gotta be somebody," Alicia pries, and I sigh. 

"There's no one. When would I find the time?" 

Angelina gasps, jumping up from the bed and rushing over to me, grabbing me by the shoulder. "Don't tell me it's Riddle!" 

"ANG!" I groan, pulling out of her grip, moving into the ensuite bathroom but leaving the door open. 

"Oh my god, imagine?" Alicia starts cackling on the couch, falling off the back and landing on the cushions on the other side, her feet dangling over the back of the love seat.

"It's like Romeo and Juliette! By that muggle writer you like so much!" 

"Romeo and Juliet both die in the end," I call from the bathroom. "I don't really think they are meant to role models." 

"Still, he's so hot. And experienced. From what I hear he's amazing in be-" 

"Ah! No! Please stop, it's already hard enough to do rounds with him without thinking about his bedroom habits!" I interrupt Angelina, waving my hands begging her to stop. "Let's go get breakfast and you can continue your tirade of embarrassment once I have coffee in my system, deal?" 

My day is spent being dragged around by my friends. They take me to Hogsmeade, singing happy birthday again when Rosemerta brings me a cupcake with a small candle stuck in the top and telling every shopkeeper it's my birthday. I think I spend most of the day blushing and trying to hide.  When we finally make it back to the castle, I head into my room to put away some stuff I bought in Hogsmeade. 

Just as I'm about to leave to rejoin my friends, something catches my eye on my mantle. It's a yellowing piece of parchment paper folded into a square  with my name on it written in handwriting I don't recognize. I reach for it and turn it over revealing a dark red wax seal. I study the crest pressed into the dark red wax, feeling like I recognize it but not being able to-- My knees fold below me and I sink to the floor at the realization. I did research on our family history my first year at Hogwarts and this crest was everywhere I looked. The Potter Family crest. 

My hands shake as I tear open the letter.

22 October 1981

My darling Mia,

Happy 18th birthday, my beautiful, wonderful daughter. If you're reading this letter, then I am very glad I decided to write this. While I hope your mother and I come out of this war relatively unscathed, I feel it would be irresponsible if I did not put some things in writing for a worst case scenario. So, I have enchanted this letter to appear to you on your birthday on the off chance I am not there to give you a present in person.

As I'm sure you know, my father inherited a fortune, which through his career he grew significantly, and a manor house. A house in which he and my mother raised me, and I spent my life in. My parents, never failing in their generosity, made our home a haven for others, and a place of warmth and joy, not only for our family by blood, but our family through choice as well.  It has a proper name I never could be bothered to remember but everyone just called it the Potter Manor anyway. If you are reading this it means I am gone and the house is now yours. You'll find directions to it in this letter as it was hidden by enchantments before we left to go into hiding. What you do with the house and the money, I leave entirely to you and your brother's choosing. I know first hand how quickly the world changes and I believe the age of manor houses and ballrooms, and lavish parties of my parents' life is not in keeping with the world you shall be a young woman.

I also want you to know how loved you are. We may not have expected you but we have never regretted your existence. You and your brother have been the shining star that has guided your mother and me through the dark years that have followed us since leaving Hogwarts. I know you will do incredible things in your life, my darling. Watching you grow these last few years has been the most wonderful experience of my life and being your father is the greatest privilege. Your mother and I love you and Harry more than anything in this world. 

I know if you are reading these words, then the worst has happened and I am very sorry I never got to watch you grow into the beautiful young woman I know you will be. Luckily, you have been surrounded by loving friends and family since your birth and I know you and your brother will be well taken care of by your godfathers. Remus and Sirius are my brothers, as well as Peter, and they are some of the only people your mother and I would entrust our children to. Do me a favor? Tell them I love them for me. 

Now, I hear your mother calling me for dinner and I must go have a wonderful meal cooked by the woman of my dreams, joined by the two most beautiful and wonderful children to ever exist. What a lucky man I am. 

With all my love, 

Dad

I can't help as tears fall down my face as I read my fathers words, words he hoped would never reach me, words he might have shown me himself, to which we would laugh at our good fortune and celebrate the 18 years we spent together as a family. I blink back tears and read through the letter again, soaking up the only piece of my father I have. 

As I reread his mention of godfathers, a tightness grows in my chest. Sirius, I know, is Harry's godfather but Remus? I sit there, my knees pulled to my chest, for a moment before the realization hits me. 

The letter in my hand, I run out of my room and into the halls, furiously walking to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, red clouding my vision as the truth of my life comes more clearly into focus. As I enter the darkened classroom, I see light spilling out from the office door at the back. I throw the door open to see Remus Lupin standing at a record player in the back, music playing softly from the speakers. 

"Mia! Are you alright?" He asks, his eyes scanning my face with concern. 

"Are you my godfather?" I blurt out, unable to control the anger coursing through my veins. Lupin pails and he nearly drops the record in his hands. 

"W-Where did you hear that?" He asks, setting the record down and walking around his desk to face me. I hold out the letter, slightly crumpled from my rush through the halls. Lupin's hands shake as he takes the paper, his face growing somber as he reads the words my father wrote days before his death. The office is silent for a long moment, the only sound is the record player in the corner spinning still even after the music has come to an end. After a long moment, I break the silence again. 

"So? Is it true?" Lupin looks up at me, tears shining unshed in his eyes, and nods slowly. 

"Yes..." I close my eyes, willing myself not to cry as he hands me back the letter. I wait for him to continue but he doesn't. So I do. 

"What, no excuses? No explanation as the where the fuck you've been the last fifteen years? Sirius Black being Harry's godfather is bad enough but you? You seem quite capable. I mean you're alive, seemingly sane and decent and yet I had no idea you existed until 5 months ago. Clearly my father was under the impression you'd have been a good guardian to his children and yet, what? You said no? Disappeared until I was old enough not to be a burden on you? Ran away and left the children of a man who called you brother to the care of their muggle aunt and uncle who made their lives a living hell? I assume you knew the state of my mother's relationship with her sister since you were good enough friends to be her child's godfather!" I rant, barely recognizing my own voice as it's clouded through grief and tears and barely contained anger. 

"Mia-" He takes a step towards me, his hand outstretched and shaking but I step back, shaking my head as tears flow freely down my cheeks now. 

"How could you have left us there? Without even as much as a letter? A visit? Not even a single sign that we were not entirely alone in the world? Do you have any idea what they were like? Any idea what we lived with for 15 years? How they lied to us about who we were ,who our parents were and how they died, how they locked us in the cupboard under the stairs when we used magic before we even knew magic was real!" I'm yelling now, rage over taking any sense of decency or respect for the man standing in front of me, looking guiltier than a man on trial for murder. All the rage I've stuffed down over the years about the circumstances of my life bubbles up as I realize what Harry and I could have been spared. I rage and I rage and I don't care if it wounds this man. "You know, all this time I've been wrong about you. All year, I've thought that you were good and kind, that you were giving Harry and I lessons out of empathy when really all along it's just been guilt! You claim to have cared about our parents and yet you abandoned the children they sacrificed their lives for... You... You're just as much of a coward as Sirius Black." I say before turning on my heel to leave. 

"Mia! I-I tried. I promise you, I tried to take you but... I was told I wasn't fit," Lupin says, his voice breaks on the last word. I close my eyes, for a moment, frozen in my tracks as I stand under the doorframe. 

"Then you didn't try hard enough," I say quietly before slamming the door behind me and running out of the classroom. 

A/N: I’m sorry Remus, I love you I promise. Also i’m sorry it’s another all Mia chapter but Mattheo’s is next, i promise.

[luminescenc1e]

A familiar cold seeped deep into his bones, chilling his very soul. Feeling hopeless as he clung to the icy floor beneath, eyes tightly shut, unable to look up, or look anywhere, frozen like some kind of a cowardly statue. The cold floor slowly vanished, replaced by jarring comfort and beads of sweat rolling down his face. Lucius awoke startled, clothes glued to his skin and the comforter suffocating him. The pale moonlight illuminated the room, bringing into view the recognizable outlines of his bedroom furniture. “ Am I?” 

Getting up, robotically, his feet carried him to the tall windows overlooking the garden and the maze of the estate. Tall trees in the distance, created long shadows, that he did not dare look towards for too long, worried his mind would turn branches into limbs. Forcing his lungs to work, he breaths in, but it doesn’t seem enough as it still feels like he could feel the press of the frozen floor against his chest. “ I didn’t mean to wake you. ” 

He adds unable to look at his wife, knowing how weak he looks, how weak he had been, and what she had suffered because of him. “ I don’t think I’ll be able to get back to sleep, maybe it’s for the best, I have an early meeting. You sleep more, it’s too early. ” Coming back to her side of the bed, he takes his wife’s hand and kisses it gently. 

prioriiincantatem asked: “   shh ,   it  was  just  a  nightmare .   you’re  safe .   ” ( Narcissa to Lucius or Draco )

[sodamnradd]

(slightly nsfw)

Yards away from the ramshackle cottage filled with people who don’t like him, Draco lets his himself cry. Snape dumped him here an hour ago and left after a private meeting with The Order.

Footsteps approach. Draco wipes his tears.

It’s Granger, carrying a bowl of lumpy pasta.

“I was saving the box for a rainy day but figured you could use it more than me.”

He stares at the offering, and scrunches his nose. “That’s revolting.”

She says, “I’m sorry about your father.”

Draco’s eyes sting. Then, since she still hasn’t left, he tries the lumpy pasta and finds it offensively delicious.

-

Two weeks later he’s playing Wizard’s Chess with Weasley when Granger appears, a bag strapped across her shoulder.

Weasley hugs her so fiercely, her feet lift off the floor.

“There are only two rooms,” says Weasley, welcoming her inside. “But you can share mine.”

She shakes her head. “The sofa’s fine.”

-

Weasley hurls a howling werewolf against a tree.

Draco stuns two more, searching the field frantically for Granger.

A scream pierces the air.

He doesn’t think before he launches himself between her and the feral wolf. Something sharp slashes his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Draco takes Granger’s hand and touches the port-key in his pocket.

They land in a heap, gasping atop each other.

She’s bleeding profusely. Her forehead, her cheek, her chin.

-

It’s not until he’s cleaned her up, using magic to sew the scar on her temple back together, that she discovers his shirt is drenched in blood.

She makes a fuss when he removes his shirt. “This is worse than my scar. You should’ve said something!”

“We’re not keeping tabs, Granger.” Truthfully, he’d forgotten all about it when he’d seen her hurt.

Her hands are gentle as she cleans his wound.

They receive word from The Order that the battle was successful, but Ron has been reassigned to a different safe house.

“I won’t have to sleep on the sofa anymore.” She jokes, her breath warm on his spine.

It’s the oddest thing, but his cock stirs. Just the idea of Granger in a bed makes him feel too tight in his skin.

-

They play house for a few days.

Draco enters the kitchen one morning and falters when he sees her in his jumper.

“It was on the chair,” she says apologetically. “I was cold.”

“It’s fine.”

Seeing Granger in his clothes has a deeper effect than he thought. He’s hard again. Admittedly, he’s hard a lot these days.

-

They’re playing chess when Granger poses casually, “Who’s the last person you kissed?”

Draco says, “Pansy.” Without having to think about it. He meets her eye. “You?”

“Ron,” she says.

He tries not to wince, wondering if it was while they all lived together.

“Did you sleep with Pansy?”

His cock stirs again. He exhales. “Yeah,” he says, unable to ask the same question. He doesn’t want to think of Granger naked with another bloke. 

“Do you miss it?” she asks. “Sex?”

He gives her a telling look.

She makes the next move on the chessboard, cheeks aflame.

He shoves his chair back and, when she looks up, he pats his lap. “Come here.”

He thinks she’ll say no. That she’s merely curious and that her questions didn’t mean anything. But she doesn’t do any of that.

He watches, fascinated, as she rises from her seat. And when she straddles him, he’s pretty sure his heart explodes.

-

Sex with Granger makes war tolerable. He’s addicted after one taste. More. It’s all he ever wants. More and more and more.

On the sofa, on the counter, in his bed, in the shower, against his bedroom door.

Her body is lush and responsive. Her skin is gorgeous covered in his love bites. When she moans his name, Draco aches.

She’s doing exactly that, riding him furiously on the sofa with her hair tangled between his fingers, when the door swings open and Snape enters.

Granger gasps, ducking away.

Draco curses, plucking his shorts from the ground.

Snape turns around, giving them a few seconds to become decent. He’s ramrod straight and possibly not breathing.

“I’m so sorry professor,” Granger apologizes profusely. Her voice a little raspy. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“I would hope not,” snarls Snape, peeking cautiously over his shoulder. “I dare say, when we thought you two were occupied, this isn’t what we had in mind.”

Draco bites his lip so not to laugh. He’s not sure who’s more humiliated. Granger or Snape.

“Where’s the research?”

“One moment.” Granger dashes upstairs wearing Draco’s jumper inside out and backwards.

Snape says, “What are you smirking about?”

Draco shrugs, untroubled. “Nothing.”

“Attachment only causes distraction, Malfoy.”

“Or something to fight for,” he rebuts.

“And if she dies?” He sneers. “If you fall in love with that girl and something happens to her, you won’t survive. I know you.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” he says firmly.

Snape narrows his eyes, realizing it’s too late for words of caution. “You fool.”

Draco says, “Don’t tell the others about this.” Because he knows they’ll separate them if they find out. “Please.”

Granger returns wearing trousers. She passes a ribboned scroll to Snape.

Snape stares in disdain, taking it after a beat too long. He glowers at Draco, his mouth forming a straight line. He says, “If you wish to survive, you’ll stop this.” Draco is about to protest, but Snape holds up his hand. “But as far as I’m concerned, I was never here. Good riddance.”

He slams the door on his way out.

Draco remembers the devastation of losing his father. Snape’s right. They probably shouldn’t.

And yet.

When Granger locks her arms around his neck and bursts into a fit of giggles, he melts.

To hell with it all. He’ll fight for them until the bloody end.

(976 words. Prompt: secret safe house relationship discovered by Snape from X).

[mallfoii]

A chasm opens every time she touches him, wrapped up in something safe and familiar. There’s an expiration date on their new…relationship. How they treat each other, how she smiles so effortlessly and moves closer to him. And she trusts him, it’s laughable, a manic sort of feeling that grips at his mind, unsure whether he wants to laugh or cry, maybe scream. But he’ll take it, hell there isn’t anything else, anyone else that has made him feel like this. “ You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, and if they try and force you, I’ll just kick them out. This is mine, you are my guest here, them I don’t care about. ”

He almost smiles as he drags his eyes from their hands to her face. A part of him wants her to remember, so they can laugh at the two of them, how absolutely insane it is, that in the middle of this chaos, in the middle of war, it was Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy who had managed to find solace in each other. “ We can stay here, later if you want, we can go into the garden. The weather is somewhat better. ” It had been raining for days, and today was the first day where it was slightly cloudy, almost sunny if you squint and look up at the mostly gray sky.

Draco gets out of his shoes and then moves up on the bed, pulling her with him. “ You’re safe here, no one can enter these wards unless I allow them. And can only stay here while I allow it. ” Of course, his parents could come here, but he doesn’t say that, and he somehow knows that they won’t. It would be impossible for them to leave England, he and his followers would think they were escaping. “ It’s going to be alright Granger, I promise. ”

@mallfoii cont. from here

HER HAND IMMEDIATELY TAKES HIS, SCOOTING CLOSER ON THE BED SO THAT HER KNEE HIS PRESSED AGAINST HIS THIGH. Hermione doesn't know what she was like with him before, and she had a suspicious that his initial stoicism was because it was unusual but being near him felt right. It felt like this was how things were meant to be. And as the days passed, she cared less and less about who she was before. Sure, the not knowing the parts Draco couldn't fill in was infuriating and there was a certain emptiness to be had with no knowledge of the relationships that had once been so important to her, but she might never get her memories back and she couldn't spend forever waiting for that lost life.

She had to make decisions based on what she wanted, not what the other Hermione from the past had wanted. Because that girl might never exist again.

"More than anybody," she answers instinctively before letting out a little laugh. "Which I realise probably doesn't sound like it means much considering... you know..." she gestures to her head to indicate the complete absence of all other trusted relationships she may have once had that came with her amnesia. " but I mean it. I trust you. Completely."

Leaning forward, she catches his lips for a soft, chaste kiss. With the intention of both reassuring him of her trust and calming herself after the tumultuous afternoon she'd undertaken emotionally. "You're right, though. I need to sit down and talk with them. Just... not today."

[teaforthotxxx]

No offence but Drarry and Jegulus are so different. Literally. Draco and Harry are such different entities from James and Regulus (or at least the regulus in my head). Also, the roles are v much reversed. James is a jock who is famous for bullying and playing pranks on Slytherin while Reggie is a reserved boy who lives in the shadow of his much louder and explosive older brother.

Harry (even if he was raised by jegulus/marylily) is a sassy nepo baby (pls he was still a nepo baby when he was an orphan) that despite his trauma still tries to do good and be good. He resists the evil in him and continuously tries to live up to his title as the boy who lived (assuming second wizarding war still happens). Harry shares more similarities with Regulus than James at this point!! Meanwhile, Draco is a overly pampered but also misguided son of a bigot. He is continuously taught by his father to take up space and he takes his anger out on others. He makes fun of the Weasleys because they are low hanging fruit but he is not repressed in the way Regulus or Harry is. Yes he is living in his father’s shadow but he believes one day he can be a worthy successor to Lucius. This probably has more to do with how much Narcissa loves her son but still he is so different from the black brothers (despite being related to them).

If I had to compare drarry to any marauders ship, it might have to be NobleFlower (Narcissa and Alice) but definitely not jegulus. AND, unpopular opinion: HINNY has more in common with Jegulus than Drarry.

[obsidianpen]

While you were writing NG, have you ever added, sort of, connoted any religious references into it?

Because V's behaviour towards Harry in it is not only so highly canonical to his character, but also so reminiscent of this one story. In the New Testament, Matthew 14:6-12, if I remember right, there was this story about how King Herod hosted a feast on his birthday for his nobles, etc. and the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, pleasing Herod and those who sat with him after which he said to her:

"Ask me for half of my empire, and I will give it to you." So she went out and said to her mother: "What shall I ask?" She said: "The head of John the Baptist!" Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked: "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

The thing is, also as a religious allusion, that "for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" which basically translates to human life equals a whole empire. V's never really cared about taking any life. In the Deathly Hallows, the Second Wizarding War overall, the only thing he truly cares about is killing Harry, because Harry's his only mistake, only failure, that he's ever made in his whole life (account hollowed-theory-hall explains it impeccably in one of their posts), and he proves that point. He practically stops caring about everything else, including winning the war and including his supposed empire, but is entirely obsessed with, well, Harry's head — even long before he, in NG, becomes... Infatuated?

And just like Herod, he's so down (for Harry's soul's purity and Harry's own beauty he keeps pointing out and simping over cough cough) that he does things he never thought he'd do and truly considers Harry's head his new empire (sort of like when he goes so far as to haunt down Nicolas Flamel for the elixir of life and all to make Harry immortal, even though... Yeah, it's bc of his OWN immortality's sake but still </3).

Either way, he's beyond repair in terms of head-over-heels IMO and I'm all here for it <33

purposely, no, I haven’t been making any biblical references like that in NG. But the Bible is quite the big book with many stories, and I was raised Catholic, so it’s not surprising to me that there may be a plethora of religious themes there… but none of them are conscience. Hauntingly is an entirely different story and situation of course - very purposeful there.

(and yes you’re right, he’s down bad bad and what’s worse is he’s starting to realize it)

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 0.5

Propaganda:

For Liu Qingge:

Warning for spoilers, He’s the War God of Bai Zhan Peak basically the original sword gay in the world of SVSSS, whether or not you ship him with Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe or neither the point still stands that he’s a draw his sword first ask questions later kinda guy. Also SQQ basically canonically calls him a pretty boy, what more do you need 

He's one of the best swordsmen in-universe! According to the author, he's not interested in a relationship so he's canonically aro and possibly ace as well!

For Kurogane:

He's been practicing swordplay since his dad started teaching him when he was a kid, and inherited the sword Ginryuu that's been in his family for generations.  He now uses his skill with a blade to protect the people he cares about, and is considered the strongest swordsman in his country.  He once cut off his own arm with his sword to save the life of the man he loves, and honestly isn't that just Peak Sword Gay?

he's over six foot & his sword is almost as tall as he is, his husband (technically not canon but by god the queer subtext is h e a v y) is an immortal vampire wizard twink whose life he saved by cutting off his own arm, he's a family man first & a mass murderer second, he's that one tumblr post that's like "it's not my fault my love language is acts of service & all I know how to do is kill", he is the most mentally stable member of his traumatized little found family & he's doing his level best to drag the rest of them up with him no matter how much they (specifically his husband) might kick & scream about it

[metalomagnetic]

In terms of power levels, where would you put Grindelwald, Dumbeldore and Voldemort? In Oruboros Grindelwald gave Marvolo a run for his money, but in other fics the disparity between Voldemort + Dumbeldore and Grindelwald is much more significant. Voldemort is definitely the strongest, but where would you put them all in relation to eachother?

I'd say Dumbledore is clearly more powerful and skilled than Grindelwald, what with the famous duel and whatnot.

With Voldemort, it is a bit more complicated, because of the age difference. Of course, a 16-30 year old Voldemort is going to probably lose to both Dumbledore and Grindelwald, simply because he's half a century younger. However, his age also starts working in his advantage, once he hits 40ish-50ish- because then Dumbledore becomes too old to keep up with him, if that makes sense.

I think canon Voldemort is more powerful than Dumbledore in the seventh book (when he's 70 and Dumbledore is well over 100), and also more powerful than Grindelwald, since Dumbledore is better than Grindelwald.

We know Voldemort was on the cusps of winning the First Wizarding War, that NO ONE could stop him, until Harry did- and that is why Harry is such a Big Deal, because he was the one to finally put an end to Voldemort, when no one else managed and wizarding Britain was doomed.

In the second war, they lucked out- Voldemort clearly lost his marbles somewhere in Albania (he is not the man described prior to his appearance- we hear how intelligent he was, how charismatic, how powerful, yet that is not what we get when he finally shows up, so I must assume he lost his mind in Albania). Even so, in the duel at the Ministry he was not injured, and he did not tire, and where it not for Fawkes he would have killed Dumbledore- Dumbledore that was in possession of the Elder Wand, no less. So I'd say it's pretty clear he was more magically powerful at that point, only he went insane, and Dumbledore outsmarted him in that regard.

If we put them all in an AU where they are the same age- I guess I'd still rank Voldemort as most powerful, but Dumbledore would probably still win, simply because no matter what dark arts they know or how overpowered V and G are, their downfall will be their arrogance, pure hubris, and Albus would outmanoeuvre them in one way or another.

[sugareey-makes-stuff]

Yayyy! Not only did I finish this microfic series, but I also got to write about my fav boys again! This challenge has definitely gotten me inspired to work on current WIPs in my queue after months of being stuck. Crossing my fingers I can get a few more things out in the coming months. Below is a complete masterlist of all the Perciver microfics I wrote for @microficmay. 700 words of smol little stories! You can also check out the #dreaming that you feel it tag or read Dreaming that you feel it on AO3. Which microfic was your fav? Feel free to let me know! :)

i. Vivid (G, 50, Friends to lovers, developing relationship, endearments, romantic fluff, morning cuddles)

ii. Talisman (G, 50, Second Wizarding War, on the run, wartime, amulets)

iii. Worthy (G, 50, Kilts, traditions, established relationship)

iv. Healing (T, 50, The Burrow, banter, flirting, developing relationship, injury recovery)

v. Push & Pull (G, 50, Fights, developing relationship, miscommunication, dorms, apologies, empath)

vi. Unhand (G, 50, Hogwarts Seventh Year, late at night, sneaking around, caught, detention)

vii. Precious (T, 50, Second Wizarding War, Battle of Hogwarts, reunions, missing scene, duelling)

viii. Mistake (M, 50, Hogwarts Sixth Year, dorms, showers, roommates, accidental voyeurism, attraction, awkward crush)

ix. Elation (T, 50, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Quidditch, Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor Quidditch Team, Post-match, getting together, friends to lovers, bets & wagers, feelings realization, snogging, some humour)

x. Day & Night (M, 50, Established relationship, post-war, comfort, opposites attract, implied sexual content)

xi. Warmth (E, 50, Sexual content, sexually explicit, praise kink, light dom/sub, blow jobs, orgasm)

xii. Evolve (G, 50, Post-war, reflection, getting back together, developing relationship, friends to lovers)

xiii. First & Last (T, 50, Panic attacks, hurt/comfort, light angst, best friends, memories, Hogwarts First Year, post-match, post-Hogwarts Quidditch)

xiv. Fulfilment (T, 50, Established relationship, late at night, romantic fluff, love, feelings realisation)

[voxmyriad]

Cal Kestis Week 2024, Day One—Lightsaber

It's Cal Kestis Week and I'm here with fic!

I haven't written fic in ages, but I can't let Cal Week go by without contributing!

Prompt: Touch | “You’re doing great!” | But First They Have To Catch You | Lightsaber

[Gen, no archive warnings apply, read on AO3 or here on Tumblr]

Considering how many enemies Cal has to face on a regular basis, he shouldn't need to practice at all. Or even have the time, for that matter. Every planet he visits, every mission he joins or takes on alone, there's always someone out there who objects to him, really violently. There are some days when Cal feels like he keeps his lightsaber lit more often than not.

But the Mantis never feels more empty than in hyperspace.

At first he spent a decent amount of time just watching it pass, but Cal has never been very good at sitting around. After a while something always tugs him up out of the pilot's seat (Greez's seat) and into the main cabin (never filled with the scents of Greez's cooking or the quiet murmur of Cere and Merrin's conversations). Something has him dialing the power down to training mode (no one left he could spar with) and reaching back, back through his memory. He finds Master Tapal's resonant voice, deep and calm, distantly impatient and amused by turns.

"Master, when can I learn to fight with two blades like you do?"

"Jar'Kai is not to be undertaken lightly, Cal."

"I'm not undertaking it lightly. Shouldn't I be as prepared as I can be?"

"You will be, when you have completed your training in the Forms. Now, begin again."

Begin again. Eyes closed, seeing the training room in the Albedo Brave, Cal moves around the small space in the Mantis. The orange blade reflects off glass and metal, the flickering light of a campfire lit to hold back the darkness. It isn't about learning, not now, but about control. Even the greatest lightsaber masters in the Temple had moved through these exercises.

As he steps through his memories, other voices return to him. Long before the war, before he'd accepted Jaro Tapal's offer and become his Padawan, Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker had led a demonstration for the Initiates. Form III, Soresu, against Form V, Shien. Sitting in a group between his friends Caleb and Reva, Cal had followed the flashing blades with rapt attention. It had seemed impossible that he could ever move that fast, but the masters were still able to talk while they sparred. They had even joked back and forth, as blue clashed on blue, as Skywalker had driven Kenobi back step after step and yet never quite got past his guard.

"Rather flashy, Anakin."

"Maybe I'm trying to distract you."

"Distract me, or impress your audience?"

"Can't it be both?"

They had been impressed. Master Skywalker had been wizard, bright enough in the Force to blind them, but so focused and determined. Cal knows he hadn't been the only one who had resolved in that moment to train as hard as he could so he'd be able to fight like that.

(He'd only learned later how efficient Soresu can be for deflecting a lot of blaster bolts at once, how useful Shien is when facing an angry lightsaber-wielding Inquisitor. Back then, in Cal's eager eyes, it had just been about how cool it looked.)

Every step, every movement, listening to his memories, Cal slowly completes the single-bladed katas in order, ending where he had begun. Then, following the rumbling voice in his memory, he lights his second blade and begins stepping through the form he had only observed, the footwork of Jar'Kai, copying Master Tapal's training as he'd never done in life.

"In Jar'Kai, you are the center of your weapon. You must never forget your center, Cal."

"I won't, Master."

(He's trying, he's trying. What does it mean when his center keeps moving? When he keeps being pushed off-center by enemies and allies alike?)

As he approaches the completion of that remembered kata, Cal arrives at the form he had never been taught, never observed in the Temple. With no pause or break in flow, he separates his blades, whirling in slow motion as he blocks and counters invisible enemies the way he had learned to fight with them. Been forced to train himself to fight with them. There are no comforting memories of former sparring bouts now, only snarling faces and hurled threats to accompany the humming blades.

"Jedi!" "Traitor!" "Kill him!" "Take him out!" "He can't counter all of us, can he?" "What's he doing?" "He's so fast!" "Am I the only one left?" "I don't want to die like this!"

(The sounds of death don't change, he's learned, whether they arrive via burning blaster bolt or cauterizing lightsaber blade. He knows the flavor of fear in the air, in the Force, the spike of it just before death arrives. He knows it better than he wants to. He can't forget it.)

The long hilt in his hands bears almost no resemblance now to the broken thing he'd clutched to himself on that ride down to Bracca's surface. In his travels, in following Cordova's path, his second trip to Ilum and everything afterward, he had kept coming across new components, new wraps, new materials for plating, and he'd always been curious. Hardly a day passes that Cal isn't working to improve it, but there are still a few pieces of Master Tapal inside. All of his teachers are carried with him, inside and out.

"What is a Jedi's lightsaber to him, Padawan?"

"His life, Master."

"Correct. His life, a limb, an extension of himself. But it is also a weapon, the weapon only of a Jedi, kept as a reminder that peace is our goal, drawn only when all else fails. To draw a lightsaber upon an enemy is to take on a heavy responsibility. It must never become the easy solution."

(How often has he begun a conflict by pulling out his lightsaber first?)

Finally, reluctantly, he opens his eyes in the present and takes in the silent ship, with BD-1 perched safely out of the way on the kitchen table and recording. That prompts a smile as, with a snap, the lightsaber blade disappears. BD-1 chirps and straightens up, the recording ending.

"Thanks, buddy," Cal murmurs, holding out a hand for the little droid to hop up onto his shoulder. "Let's see what's next."

[mariana-oconnor]

The Blanched Soldier pt 1

...however following an unhappy circumstance involving his writing hand and some amateur attempts at carpentry I have taken it upon myself to write to you in his stead.

What did Watson do to his hand? What carpentry was he attempting? Inquiring minds want to know.

And we're getting this one from the horse's mouth, so to speak. That'll be interesting. A lot of the drama in Watson's stories comes from the fact we don't know what Holmes is thinking and we have to try to work it out through context clues. I wonder how it will wor with Holmes as narrator.

Perhaps I have rather invited this persecution, since I have often had occasion to point out to him how superficial are his own accounts and to accuse him of pandering to popular taste instead of confining himself rigidly to facts and figures.

I am compelled to admit that, having taken my pen in my hand, I do begin to realize that the matter must be presented in such a way as may interest the reader.

A confederate who foresees your conclusions and course of action is always dangerous, but one to whom each development comes as a perpetual surprise, and to whom the future is always a closed book, is indeed an ideal helpmate.

An ideal helpmate for your ego, is my best guess. I'm not sure how else to take this. Also, your ability to insult Watson while trying to compliment him is, as ever, a delight. Though probably not to Watson - not that he has any legs to stand on in the matter of insulting people in his writing.

The good Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association.

Wife number 2? Wife number 5? Wife number 627?

How dare Watson have other people in his life. How dare he!

“Middlesex Corps, no doubt.” “That is so. Mr. Holmes, you are a wizard.”

“Yes, indeed. But the letter was written in the afternoon, and a good deal has happened since then. If Colonel Emsworth had not kicked me out—”

Alas, a colonel. I thought perhaps after last time ACD had got over his irrational hatred of them, but we shall see. Colonel Emsworth, I am watching you!

"He was Colonel Emsworth's only son—Emsworth, the Crimean V. C.—and he had the fighting blood in him, so it is no wonder he volunteered."

Does 'fighting blood' mean that he's just super aggressive and can't control his temper? I'm worried that's what it means. But instead of being a bad thing, it's a good thing because he's in the army and his dad's a colonel?

“Well, when the war was over, and we all got back, I wrote to his father and asked where Godfrey was. No answer. I waited a bit and then I wrote again. This time I had a reply, short and gruff. Godfrey had gone on a voyage round the world, and it was not likely that he would be back for a year."

OK, so we presumably have another case of a father covering up some 'shame' or 'scandal' that requires him to place his reputation above his child. Something's very wrong with Godfrey.

"I wrote to the mother, therefore [...] In reply I had quite an amiable answer from her and an offer to put me up for the night."

So the colonel is apparently keeping this scandal from his wife as well. The other offence of poor communication with your romantic partner is also in play. A classic Holmes tale.

“Tuxbury Old Hall is inaccessible—five miles from anywhere."

Look, I may be from Britain where distances are smaller, but even I don't think 5 miles is that far. Even if you're walking it. If you're a slow walker that's still 2 hours at most. Mr Dodd was in the army. You're telling me that an army guy thinks a 5-mile walk is inaccessible?

"...and there was his wife, who might have been older. She had been Godfrey's nurse, and I had heard him speak of her as second only to his mother in his affections, I was drawn to her in spite of her queer appearance."

You didn't describe her. What about her was queer? You can't just say that and not describe her. Does she have an elephant trunk instead of a nose? Three eyes? Do her earlobes droop to touch her shoulders?

“He glanced at the two which I handed him, and then he tossed them back. “‘Well, what then?’ he asked. “‘I was fond of your son Godfrey, sir. Many ties and memories united us. Is it not natural that I should wonder at his sudden silence and should wish to know what has become of him?’"

I know this is't going to be, but the vibes of 'son joins army, gets boyfriend, then comes out after leaving the army, but his strict military father is a homophobic jackass' are strong with this one.

He's 'on a voyage around the world'. He 'doesn't want to talk to you'. He needs 'a complete rerst and change'.

"The lady questioned me eagerly about her son, but the old man seemed morose and depressed. I was so bored by the whole proceeding that I made an excuse as soon as I decently could and retired to my bedroom."

You were bored? You cam here telling the woman you'd tell her about her son - who you claim to love - and then when you do the thing you promised her you would, you're too bored so you go to bed early. Clearly this woman is upset about her son and wants to hear about him. You damn well talk to her about him.

"...after a year of sleeping upon the veldt, Mr. Holmes, one is not too particular about one's quarters."

But 5 miles with a suitcase is still too far to walk and talking to one unhappy woman for one evening is too boring to endure. You must have been a terrible soldier, Mr Dodd. Apparently the only thing you managed to do in the army was sleep. Though, I suppose if all soldiers slept as much as you seem to have done, the world would be a better place.

I bet Watson wouldn't quibble at walking 5 miles. And he hurt his leg... or his arm... or some body part or other.

"'Is Godfrey dead?’ “He could not face my eyes. He was like a man hypnotized. The answer was dragged from his lips. It was a terrible and unexpected one. “‘I wish to God he was!’ he cried"

Dun dun duuuuuuuun!

A fate worse than death. Oh dear, what would be considered a fate worse than death in 1903? I mean, it obviously won't be that he's gay. I hope it isn't disability, scarring or mental illness.

It's going to be disability, scarring and mental illness, isn't it? I mean he's a man so at least it's not likely to be rape in literature of this time period, as it would almost certainly be for a female character. But I have a sneaking suspicion Godfrey's got PTSD or something like that and they're locking him up in the cellar. The title does imply some sort of physical aspect. Le sigh.

[cressidascowper]

CREATOR TAG GAME

bringing this back bc i think it's fun 🤭

pick your 5 favorite gif sets of 2023 that got less than 1k notes and then pick 10 gifsets of someone else's that got less than 1k notes.

mine:

this alicent hightower set bc i love the guts album for her and the cassette tape effects along with the ripped paper effects were super fun to play with

my beloved ladies (phoebe, rachel, & monica)!!! i just love them sm

natasha romanoff's tinder page was a random thought that came to my head and v proud of how it turned out :D

this yennefer set is one of my most prized possessions. the blending alone took me so long and i'm happy w the way it looks

the blending of this anidala set nearly killed me...and this is one of the only times i've ever done a quadruple blend

others:

i am OBSESSED with this star wars set by @edwards-teach...the coloring is just so stunning and i love the simplicity of the quotes in a box!

this star wars set by @padme-amidala is probably the best thing i have ever seen. the amount of blends and transitions and coloring is just mind blowing! seriously a piece of art work. still can't get over that erika made this set for me <3

becca's (@yenvengerberg) gifs always leave me speechless but this yen and tissaia set just has a special place in my heart..the quote, the colors, the blending, the transitions are all just perfection and capture the relationship so well 🥹

this alicent set by @saws2004 lives in my mind rent free. i absolutely ADORE the way the quote flows through the layout, so well done. the blending and the use of b&w is just superb. honestly one of my fav sets ever i could just stare at it all day

i LOVE the typography in this anidala set by @cal-kestis...nik is just a photoshop wizard and her creativity always blows me away. the blue and orange go so well together and nik's ability to combine multiple fonts is perfection.

this yennefer set by @ughmerlin is so so pretty!! the colors are so soft and the song matches yennefer perfectly. i also love the transition from b&w to color chefs kiss. & the font choice is just lovely.

umm hello??? this shang chi set by @simoneashley is gorgeous. the amount of time this must have taken was so worth it bc the colors are so so vibrant. i always love a good rainbow set esp when the coloring is this amazing!!

this house of the dragon set by @lady-arryn is so beautiful. the coloring and sharpening is just so soft and ethereal. and this particular blue/orange combo is wonderful. i am particularly obsessed with the blending of second gif..its just SO pretty.

my beloved triss!! this triss merigold set by @genyazafin is amazing i love it sm. i love the blue and orange and the way the coloring captures the darkness of the show. also the blending of the last gif is just so satisfying

screeeeeaaaaam this natasha and yelena set by @rosamndpike is just pURE pAin and is also rly rly pretty. the blending is flawless and i love the song + scene pairing choices. the typography alignment and placement is also super unique and satisfying

+ one more because i can – this regina set by bestie @morgana-pendragon is just teehee amazing. i love the trio of term idea and those three words fit regina perfectly (esp the 1st and 3rd lol).. the purple coloring is so her and is so well done

no pressure tagging all the people above & @singularities @moirainesedai @rebecca-weltons & anyone else who wants to do this !

[password-door-lock]

What would you like to see next in the Glow-in-the-Dark universe?

I still have a lot of ideas for this au even after finishing the fic so I wanted to put out a poll to see what people are most interested in potentially reading about in the future. I'll put a little blurb for each idea below the cut for context!

Context below the cut! It will absolutely spoil the end of Glow-in-the-Dark, but any of these will be perfectly functional as stand-alone fics if people are interested.

(These reader characters are all different characters, and none of them are the same person as the MC from Glow-in-the-Dark proper).

King Yoosung x reader In this universe, Yoosung has just been unexpectedly crowned King. He's spent his life caring for birds in the royal aviary with the expectation that he'd be a prince forever. He's not interested in the throne, but he understands that accepting the crown was the best choice for his kingdom and people. Now, on the brink of war, he must quickly learn how to rule. Will you show him that he's a person first and a monarch second?

King Saeyoung x reader Days ago, Royal Wizard Luciel performed a risky spell to absorb his brother's magic powers, including the curse that he carried. Then, Luciel was called to take the throne as the kingdom's Second Monarch as part of a strategy to protect himself and Saeran. As he adjusts to his new throne, his new powers, and the fraught political situation, Saeyoung begins to struggle with the secrets he carries. Will you be the one he spills them out for?

Royal Advisor Jaehee x reader As Diplomatic Advisor to King Yoosung, Jaehee is diligent and highly involved in all of the kingdom's affairs. It falls to her to mitigate the conflict with a neighboring kingdom--- only, that involves convincing too very secretive twins to divulge secrets that they've clung to for years, as well as divulging a few secrets of her own. As her job becomes progressively more stressful, Jaehee retreats to the woods often for the solitude and peace that she can't find in the palace. Will you walk with her as she forges her own path forward in a world that demands so much of her?

Royal Advisor Jumin x reader Jumin was absolutely blindsided by his best friend's abdication. As he learns more and more about Rika's betrayal and her relationship with V, he struggles not to blame himself. After all, he was the Domestic Advisor to both monarchs--- shouldn't he have picked up on the tension between them? He can't help but feel that he could have done something more. To distract himself from his thoughts, Jumin decides to organize a cat festival, with the full blessing of King Luciel. Will you encourage him to indulge in life's small joys as he heals from the betrayal?

Knight Zen x reader As Captain of the royal guard, Zen is dedicated to preparing for war. His objective is to protect the monarchs, the palace, and the kingdom at all costs. He isn't interested in the diplomatic side of things--- he's interested in making sure that the people he loves are protected and taken care of. But his courage and skill can't protect him against the magic his enemy wields, and he'll need all the help he can get to defend the kingdom. Will you fight for him the way he fights for those he loves?

Secret 7th option Yooseven

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

👋😃

I’ve been wondering what is your thought about the farmer working with some kind of organization to stop any crazy events from happening because since kids going missing magic and stuff and must we not forget monsters and evil spirits keep happening I can see some kind of organization stopping this from happening or maybe even had a hand in stopping different species wars that lasted many years, and to be honest, just the idea of the magic council kidnapping kids to become wizards and sorcerer is something that must cause a lot of chaos and the stuff about the cult of the lady, while I like the idea of the farmer being a secret agent working with other species and having a double life in the dark while acting oblivious to all the magic And the stuff happening around and the only reason the farmer moved to the valley is because the reports of crazy things that keep happening there but there is a lot of thinking about it.

and if you want you can make a short story since I really like your stories.

Wow, I've never gotten that far with headcanons, but the idea is pretty interesting!

If I understand correctly, dear anon, your idea is that the reason for Farmer's arrival in Stardew Valley is to investigate strange magical occurrences, since Farmer himself is a member of a secret disaster prevention organization. Let's call it the "V" organization.

I think such an organization makes sense at least because humans (at least some humans) don't want to make the same mistakes as the elves, a race that lived before humans and destroyed itself because of powerful magic and advanced technology (Dwarf talks about this in his mature event). Then, the reason the Farmer came to their grandfather's inherited farm is just a cover.

Still not much is known about the Ministry of Magic, but I and others have had speculation that mages from the Ministry are doing rather questionable actions under the pretext of protecting people from monsters, malicious magic, and whatnot (the way the Morgan arrived in the Valley). Apparently, someone had a lot of questions about an all-powerful magical organization that does not obey anyone, but many obey it.

About the Belinda's cult, by the way...

_________________________________________

"So my gut didn't deceive me!" Jio took out his blade from its sheath and was already in a fighting stance, but the elf didn't have time to do anything because Belinda gave the command.

"Hold. All of you. Put your weapons away."

A few seconds of tense silence, and yet Jio dared not disobey the order. "Yes, my lady," a note of irritation and concern could be heard in his voice.

"Who would have thought, my dear friend, that your grandchild would go so far..." Belinda's expression softened for a second at the memory of Farmer's grandmother, but she became serious again as she approached Farmer for answers.

_________________________________________

In the case of the cult of the Lady with a Red Tail, I think Belinda will offer to cooperate. For both organizations that operate regardless of the rules of the Ministry of Magic/ Order of Pythagoras/etc., wish for the good of humanity... They share the same goal, so why not become temporary allies? Or at least not to kill each others.

It is not difficult to guess that the reaction of other adventurers and magicians to the truth about the Farmer (either they will tell it themselves, or the truth will come to light) will be, to put it mildly, unpleasant. Because if it turns out that the Farmer's organization is an official enemy of the Ministry of Magic, there will be a lot of problems, and not only for the Farmer.

[astarab1aze]

The eyes are mesmerized by every oddity on every shelf. The things here are what one would expect to find within the confines of a fantasy novel, but the bottles V touches and herbs he scents in the air are not only tangible, they are real. As is the young woman tending the store, who he's noticed has stolen a few curious glances at him, at his curiosity (which, granted, must seem childlike to her). "You offer such...varied wares," he observes softly, cautiously. Some of them he's seen, given his line of work, but the rest... Frightfully fascinating. // V FOR VIRI 🔪

A Vitalean in Scarburn? The devil hunter was an awful long way from home, a stranger in a strange land where hunters of all sorts were looked down upon - too many chances for such a sort to bring unwanted attention to their kin. Nightfolk were second-class inhabitants of the continent, spit on and warred over enslaving every step of the way, and especially beastfolk. Hunters brought with them suspicion and violence, their presence proof enough of something amiss for why would a hunter be anywhere at all unless there was something to kill, some danger to eliminate?

She, however, didn't discriminate, but found herself a mite curious, watching as the gangly, almost-skeletal man with tattoos darkening his skin poked his head around the petta flowers and jars of various root blends, hovering between bottled blackwyrm eyes and widow innards, wincing nearly imperceptibly at some of the more horrific ingredients contained in the glass set upon wooden racks and the grisly trophies hanging upon the walls - most from Kirat, the rest from the Scarburran Foothills. Hunting used to be a celebrated profession on the western side of the continent. Rather, it still was, but not by nightfolk. Not by witches, wizards, shapeshifters, vampires, werebeasts, greater beastfolk, or sapient monsters. Too many too willing to abuse their positions, and much was the same with the sorcier class. What good were they, if they killed the very folk they were meant to protect? But as she thought, she was never one to discriminate.

He was safe here, as long as he was only a customer. Perhaps he was only a hunter on pilgrimage, seeing the world for its experience, popping into quaint little shops in city centers on his travels - perhaps a lover of souvenirs and self-given gifts. Or, maybe he had a lover in road leathers waiting for him outside, doing some shopping of their own elsewhere.

She hadn't moved from her post at the counter, but she did think to call out to him, address him properly. That was until he addressed her.

"--Well, if you've a wish to be successful, then you must offer that which folk have need, and in Scarburn, we've need for much," she answered plainly, blinking once, twice quickly. "What is it you've need for, devil hunter? There's course salt, chalk, the flesh and innards of many a powerful beast from beholder eyelids to the shit of a styxie - all ethically procured and in accordance with even Vitalean law. Long as you ring a purchase, you're welcome to peruse, but I must insist you ring. I'm running an apothacary, not a gallery."

[obsidianpen]

I feel like NG is turning me into a conspiracy theorist, the longer I look at any individual character for too long the more my brain goes absolutely feral

Today's conspiracy theory below (although I may change my mind later and go back on this):

Before Harry, V Did Not Fuck.

Was he a virgin? Probably not, the man is 70, and I imagine he would have at least tried it out of mild curiosity, but I suspect it would have been when he was younger (Tom Riddle) and probably not as interesting as the Dark Arts.

We know he's capable of feeling lust in his Snakeface!Body, but Harry is also waking up a lot of human biological functions in V, such as the need to sleep. It's unclear how frequently, if at all, he felt so before Harry and there's certainly no mention in the first Wizarding War about V keeping sexual partners of any kind.

If he was sleeping with Bellatrix in the Second Wizarding War, then it certainly wasn't regular enough for him to have even considered the basics of anal sex, implying that it was either 1) pretty vanilla, which would be surprising for any kind of BellaMort reading, or 2) less important or appealing than other things at the time. By the time Daphne talks to Harry at the wedding, it's pretty clear that the two aren't an item by the end of the war, making me think it was (2). They still flirt, and it clearly ended on good terms, but they act more like good friends after a short affair than exes.

This also brings me to how V acts around Harry, where he basically wants to fuck all the time. I think that this is similar to his sleep patterns, i.e. sexual desire was something that had largely disappeared for him over the years as a side effect of his dark magic use (either in the form of anorgasmia, a dulling of desire, or something else). Correspondingly, Harry's complete soul that hasn't been drenched in dark magic from the age of 16 is reawakening in him feelings of sexual desire that he may not have ever felt before in his entire adult life. He acts like a horny teenager because his development was artificially curbed due to his horcruxes/dark magic use, and he's basically rediscovering how to self-regulate normal human functions like sleep and sexual desire 50 years later than everyone else.

TLDR: V's sexual drive is like his ability to sleep, and if he wasn't sleeping after making his horcruxes then he sure wasn't fucking either. Much like sleep, then, sex and desire are things that Harry is reawakening in him courtesy of his unbroken soul.

scarily accurate