uthseikoashx-inflamedme

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

HELP FOR MY MASTER’S THESIS: Hannibal fics recs?

hello everyone! :)

for my master’s degree in literature, i study artistic representation in fanfiction, especially in Hannibal (TV) fanfiction. my corpus features every fic published on AO3 that fall under the following tags: “Museum”, “Art”, “Painting”, “Religious Imagery & Symbolism”, from 2013 to june 2024. the aim is to find enough passages to build an interesting corpus of works to compare these texts. 

BUT, obviously, there are a lot of artistic depiction in fanfictions that are not tagged and thus not in my corpus yet. this is where and why i am calling for help. do you know any fic in which some artistic reference impacted you? 

i am searching in the Hannibal (TV) fandom but it may be of any rating, finished or not, etc etc. 

IF you know a piece of fic that is NOT Hannibal-related but would be very interesting to work on (a classic in the fandom? a particulary well-crafted piece? a perfect representation of what appears when you mix fanfiction and art?), i’ll take it, as it may be something worth comparing to my main corpus.

it has NOT to be in english and it can be a translation! EVERY LANGUAGE is good to go! plus encore qu’aux autres, je m’adresse à VOUS, fellow francophones :)

it may be a few lines, whole paragraphs, or an entire fic about it, as long as it references either what we consider artistic (vague remarks on painting, tableaus, sculpture… even in a non-artistic context — treating Hannibal’s tableaus as painting, or Will being described like a Antique sculpture counts — i'm taking these examples as i know it exists in the fandom) or a specific work (a painting in particular : descriptions, etc). 

i am especially curious about works featuring these passages that aren’t tagged with the previous tags; but honestly, i would gladly appreciate some recommendations tagged “Religious Imagery & Symbolism” or something i already mentionned, as it may help me to navigate the hundred of fics i currently have downloaded on my computer (lmao). 

feel free to mention AO3 locked fics as well as fics that are not on AO3 (that would be very much helpful). 

and, of course, you can refer to your own work!

to sum it up: have you any recs of Hannibal (TV) fics recs that include a moment about art / paintings / something treated as art even though it is traditionally not considered as such / etc?

thank you in advance, especially to those who answer and/or share this — and most of all, thanks to everyone who contributes to the fandom by writing, creating and reading <3

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

original post

i didn't change a single line

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Gellert Grindelwald: revealing & admitting love

... or a study of Albus and Gellert's last encounter, revealing Gellert's feelings

In FBtSoD, Gellert Grindelwald appears to be, despite the years and the tragedies, still not over Albus Dumbledore. It is quite a surprise to me, I must admit. I have no doubt that it has already been discussed in the fandom, but I want to write down my observations — especially regarding the end of the film.

[disclaimer : i do not support JKR. english is not my native langage, sorry for the mistakes!]

The unworded and unwilling admission (a quick description of the end of the fight scene)

The most evident proof of that is, of course, their duel: Albus and Gellert feel under their palm the beating of their former lover’s heart. The troubled expression on Grindelwald’s face enables us to conclude that his heart beats as well, not just Albus’ (and he is a bit distraught by it).

First of all, a quick description of the scene: they are fighting, closer and closer, and they finally find themselves mirroring each other, palm on heart. The shot is Dumbledore’s perspective: he stares at Gellert’s face, then at his own hand, feeling the beat. The countershot reveals his astonishment (or it is again Jude Law’s choice of playing Dumbledore constantly open very widely his eyes)... and his understanding. A beat (pun intended). Then, they finally both lower their wand, giving up, looking at the world around them crumbling.

I will definitely write a more detailed analysis of that scene, which is very akin to a sex and post-sex scene (it is not a joke, but a quite serious statement based on rather obvious clues). But now, I think that we can agree on the fact that this is at least a revelation scene: Dumbledore understands that Grindelwald’s heart beats and echoes his, ergo, Gellert is still moved by Albus. They both know it. They stop the fight, because neither of them can bring himself to actually fight the other — and there is no solution.

Before diving on the subject of the heart a bit more, I just want to highlight how powerless Grindelwald seems to be at this moment: he has revealed himself.

The beating of Gellert Grindelwald’s heart

The heart beating, in Harry Potter meta and in literature/movies/art, evokes several things — life, passion, sexuality, love. It is 100% sure it is also that it holds the same meaning in the HP/FB imagery & meta, because The Warlock’s Hairy Heart, Beedle the Bard’s tale, confirms it: the warlock extracts his heart to protect himself from love [1].

This very choice of putting emphasis on the beating heart is so telling — and quite romantic, if you ask me. Let us spot the differences between Grindelwald and Beedle the Bard’s warlock (and Voldemort, because the contrast is always interesting).

Grindelwald and the Warlock are ambitious and proud; yet, the Warlock took drastic measures in order to avoid falling in love – he fears to be submitted & to sacrifice his reason. Voldemort never loved anyone: his snake nature, both thematically and physically, links him to coldness (the snakes are “cold-blooded” animals).

'I regret it,' said Voldemort coldly. He turned away; there was no sadness in him, no remorse. — chapter 32, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (murder of Severus Snape by Voldemort)

(I think this example is quite telling; he is devoid of what is considered as “human qualities” (here, consequently, of compassion (com-patior, suffer with: he does not this)) in a few systems of morals and, more importantly, in arts (literature, cinema…).)

In a way, both Voldemort and the Warlock abandoned a human quality — love and by extension, empathy and careness; consequently, they both chose animality over humanity and its weaknesses.

On the other hand, a pumping heart evokes heat – the heat of love, of ire [2]. Gellert still has passions: strong ones, mostly destructive. He is not immune to love because he chose not to. That is a very interesting detail of his personality: he knows the pain of having a heart (having experienced love), as he says to Yusuf Kama. Yet, his heart is very most likely what moves him: his hate for muggles is a pulsion and a passion. 

He chose the heart — he chose to not abandon love… and passion.

I bet that his very heart will be why he will hesitate, in 1945 — why Albus will be able to conquer the Elder wand. But I digress.

I think Grindelwald is a very interesting villain, because unlike Voldemort, he is very much human. That fact embraces the morals developed throughout the books — humans are capable of beautiful, and terrible things.

(I am so disappointed by the FB films, because they could be so much better (I really don’t like them), they have such a good raw material)

“Who will love you now, Dumbledore?”

Anyway; regarding our first question, I would like to raise Grindelwald’s — already much discussed — question:

Who will love you now, Dumbledore?

He says this seconds after they lower their hands; after he made a small step towards Dumbledore (as if to… be closer? I can’t help but wonder if he wanted to touch his face, or kiss him, and for a reason I am about to expose, I think he is doing it sincerely). The pendant is slowly falling, and he is a mess — dishevelled, panting, glancing around him with a very expressing face.

I would like to stress the fact that it is implied that Grindelwald actually loved him (meaning: before the moment Dumbledore started to fight him, several minutes before). Just after that, the pendant breaks, the world appears again, and he adds:

You are all alone.

It is a Albus’ leitmotiv — and a GGAD essential dynamic: only he can truly understand me. Quite toxic, already confirmed since HPDH, I still hesitate if Gellert can understand Albus entirely in 1932. Not the subject. But here is the context of the infamous quote.

Of course, it could be Gellert playing gleefully (cruelly) with Albus’ feelings — just like he did in the diner scene, at the beginning of the movie: he is glad Dumbledore love(d) him. My personal interpretation is that he intended to do just that, but failed miserably: he was losing the battle (not of wands, but of the lethal game they are playing not really willingly) and grasped the most accessible and more deadly weapon he had within reach — out of sheer anguish and, most likely, heartache.

Somehow, I think that this move revealed more of his own despair than Albus’ suffering: he lost Albus and managed to admit, unwillingly, his feelings (a second time in a minute). I think it is a mistake to believe that he is mostly troubled by the loss of his immunity: Grindelwald is moved.

(I want to highlight that I love how Mikkelsen plays Grindelwald, really)

The fact that the world is breaking, the pendant is breaking, while Dumbledore walks away, might refer to both of their (broken) hearts, by the way, both magically and metaphorically (the more I think about it, the more I find that scene actually rather tragic, I must admit). 

Not much more to say about that, except the fact that I will analyse also that part in a future post, and that Gellert’s cruelty is literally deadly — but in a more subtle way that it was in FB2: in FB2, he was killing babies, now he strikes right to his former lover’s (beating) heart, albeit not that efficiently. A way better characterisation, in my opinion, showing several facets of the man at the same time.

The heart and the question have something in commun: they reveal Grindelwald’s emotions. The beating heart states that Gellert is still very human in front of Dumbledore. The question fails to be rhetorical: his desperation shows the fact that he is probably concerned by the answer – that someone will love him, and not nobody, just like he wanted to imply.

“I was never your enemy”

Another (last) moment quite telling about Grindelwald’s feelings is his last speech before disappearing. Dumbledore walks away (you can see him at the bottom of the shot), while the rest of the group (Newt, Theseus, the officials, etc) are approaching and trying to fight him, without success. 

He speaks one last time. It is clear that his speech has two addressees: the world, and Dumbledore.

“I was never your enemy.” A beat. He looks in the direction of Dumbledore, whose eyes are piercing him. “Then, or now.”

(the description is written by myself, I am guilty)

“I was never your enemy” is partly addressed to the world, because he seeks support among the wizarding world. But despite the fact that he says this while he looks at the crowd gathered in front of him, I believe it makes even more sense when we consider he says this to Albus.

“Never his enemy” may imply several things considering the context:

not his enemy when they made the blood pact: I am a firm believer that the pact was not just a move to protect himself, but a way to protect Albus as well (I refer to the theory of the 1945 vision Gellert might have had in 1899) and an act of love (which is almost confirmed by Dumbledore, if I am correct) (once again talking about the blood pact, but it is first and foremost a troth, something evoking marriage and bonding)

not his enemy when he sent Credence: he probably knew that Dumbledore would be largely capable of overpowering Credence, or hoped so; even better, saw (thanks to his visions) that Albus would not be defeated.

But even more important: “then, or now”. He says that looking right at Dumbledore. If he is still not his enemy, in my opinion, it means two things:

Gellert does not want to fight Albus.

Gellert still wants Albus by his side.

The former is obvious, we talked about it in the fight and the heart section. 

The latter might seem to come out of nowhere and I must admit we cannot be sure; but the context forces us to at least seriously consider this possibility. Indeed, the pact shattered and their bubble exploded — but Albus walked away before Gellert had been able to talk to him. Thus, it is quite possible that he feels the urge to express what he has to say quite cryptically. In that context, he may have chosen euphemism — not your enemy now, so your ally tomorrow, if you want to.

Dumbledore understands that Grindelwald is talking to him, of course. I am still unsure about how he deals with it, but his melancholy before the wedding (even though he seems genuinely happy for Newt’s team) makes me wonder — he does not enter, after all; he chooses to stay alone, and that is the end of the movie. That is why I tend to believe, for the moment, that Dumbledore thinks Grindelwald is right: despite his relatively close friends and numerous acquaintances, he is… alone — guilty of his past, penitent [3].

Conclusion

I repeat that I am surprised about the film: somehow, I thought the film would be far less talkative about GGAD. I focused a lot on Mikkelsen’s acting here, it surely contributes to the overall experience (the man knows how to play the well-dressed handsome enemy in love with the main morally grey character) (I am referring to Hannibal NBC)

I have not evoked Albus’ very direct (and a bit performative, if you ask me, but still welcomed) declarations of love (the poor man can finally talk about his crush and he does, without filter and to everybody, he is just like me fr); a win for the GGAD nation — even though I am convinced the film itself is quite a disaster, both on a narrative and on a coherence-of-the-universe level (but it is my humble opinion). Anyway, back to the conclusion.

Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore’s short but intense encounter has a lot to offer, first and foremost answers: neither of them is over the other, as far as I can tell.

But Albus seems to be healing. He refuses to stay near Gellert and has the upper hand in their last encounter — whereas Gellert has the upper in the very first sequence of the film. It indicates an evolution of the two of them as characters which might be very interesting in the future, especially in a crisis context like 1945…

Notes:

[1] – It is 100% sure it is also that it holds the same meaning in the HP/FB imagery & meta, because “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”, Beedle the Bard’s tale, confirms it : it might seem a stretch to give that importance to a tale. Yet, I think it is justified.

Roughly, tales (as literary genres) are meant to:

be a thesaurus of the morals and knowledge of the human heart: they synthesise people’s common knowledge and their brevity enables the author, a moralist (someone having knowledge about the human soul and heart), to convey a lesson.

represent a system of signs the reader has to decipher: works referring to tales refer actually to a system of signs and convey a message thanks to those signs. 

Thus, a work referring to a tale builds a metatextual/metacinematographical level of communication made of correspondences: a scene in a film is thus multilayered — a layer of signs and associations, a layer of knowledge of the human heart (emotions and morals). JKR actually wrote tales in the universe, meaning they are all the more relevant regarding the correspondences of signs, and the morals in the wizarding world (in the UK). That is why, I think, we can affirm that the theme of the heart, in HP/FB, has to be linked to The Warlock’s Hairy Heart and hold a similar meaning (or at least, the tale can inform us on a metatextual level).

[2] – a pumping heart evokes heat – the heat of love, of ire : I don’t want to develop that aspect that much, but throughout literature or arts history, it is quite often linked — just think of Achilles and the Iliad beginning by “ire” as its first word — and artists always look back to what has been made before. 

[3] – he is… alone — guilty of his past, penitent : a Gellert’s word struck me when I watched the film, “sinful”; the religious dimension on a textual level (what the characters think and how they see themselves) and a metatextual level (what religious figures are they embodying?) has to be addressed at some point. (once again, I highly recommend the fanfiction “Illumine” by meanwhiletimely, exploring (among others) the theme of religion)

Anyway, thank you for reading! :)

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Albus' secret network of forgers?

(or: how might function the creation of (magical) artefacts, according to the (quite confusing) film FBtSoD)

[ disclaimer: greetings, those who followed that account when I still posted essays & theories here. I am not quite back - I will post the thing about Dumbledore's boggart soon, though, despite the fact that it is... not exactly finished and satisfying. some things still could be interesting - that is why I will post it anyway. and by the way, if you are interested in the show WWDITS, you might be interested by this account: @uthseikoashx-itsnighttime. and, oh, sorry for the mistakes! 2 years later, i am still not fluent... :) ]

The fact that Bunty (Newt's assistant) must ask an actual craftperson to replicate the case suggests that a simple spell does not work. Two possible explanations may be :

the wizards can detect or feel when a product is a spell-crafted replica (...it is quite canon already)

every magical artefact has to be built by a craftperson gifted in magic and be enchanted by them (... once again, logical)

It justifies why Dundy does no use a simple spell. Furthermore, it implies that a lot of objects in the wizarding world are suffused with magic.

Nonetheless, Albus gives Newt and other characters, several times, items helping them in their respective quests: invitation cards, authorisation papers (when Newt saves Theseus (in a maze, quite ironic considering the myth)), etc. Official items, probably crafted magically to avoid... replicas, precisely. But those papers are most likely forged - how can Jacob attend to the tea party, if they are not? (or it would indicate a terrifying lack of security mesures - an absurd lack, so a logical explanation is preferable in my opinion).

Thus, I think we can infer two things:

there are wizards doing counterfeit papers, authorisations... and there are most definitely organisations in charge of forging fake documents or objects (a mafia of sorts?).

Dumbledore is in touch with one of those wizards/witches, or with one of these organisations - we can even suppose that in dark times, Dumbledore himself gathers a team of wizards/witches skilled in that kind of illegal activities (I headcanon that the Order of the Phoenix counted far more people than the main team for that very reason, even if those people were not as important as the Square Grimmault's team)

Sure, one might affirm that Albus is capable of forging those papers by himself - I don't think he would spend time on that, though. I guess that the credibility of the second point depends on how each fan sees Albus.

But it suggests two other things:

knowing that people forge false documents, instances (such as ministries) must stay alert and develop advanced methods of detection.

but in FBTSOD, Newt, Jacob... can walk in and out official buildings & meetings very easily: so, either their documents are particulary well counterfeited, either Grindelwald (or his minions) ordered the security staff to let Newt's team infiltrate the tea party and other official meetings (when Vogel announces that Grindelwald is now free of charges, for example)

So, Albus' probable secret network of forgers might not be that secret - but still quite useful, albeit not fooling Grindelwald's team - I mean, the bad guys know how the good guys look like, and Newt is quite well known - so in that situation, fake authorisations are almost... accessories (except in Newt's case, when he saves Theseus)...

Oh, besides, I interpret the fact that Grindelwald allows (supposedly) Newt's team to act as something not entirely done for the sake of his nomination as the new great leader; I tend to think that he is somehow curious of what Dumbledore is doing. But I will definitely come back to that in another post.

It's been a while since I have written - or read - any meta in the fandom; I hope this theory is still relevant, guys. And understandable. Thank you for reading :)

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

well, fuck

What I would love to see in the next Fantastic Beasts movies

(as always, sorry for the mistakes and for my poor english, I’m not a native speaker, etc! I will continue to correct it)

If you already read other posts I wrote, you know that I’m into plans and organised texts. So here we go again.

Just to be clear:

it’s neither a request, nor what I think we should or need to see, and I won’t be mad if we don’t have the following scenes it in the next films. (I do have an opinion on what can be interessing to include in the movies, but again, it’s my opinion! just ideas, and a lot of questions without answers also, etc) (and well it’s not groundbreaking but who cares)

About Newt and his friends

About Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald

About the Summer of 1899

About the other characters

About the Wizarding Society, Muggle world, etc

Some explanations we would like to have

1. About Newt and his friends

- Newt as a selfless and intrepid hero who loves all of the magic creatures

- To be honest, all the team as dauntless and loveable heroes and heroins facing bad guys (and Jacob - who’s already the kindest and smoothest man - being also incredibly brave)

- Newt and Tina, as a couple, loving each other, fighting together, having each other back, growing stronger and more confident with each other (like they’re fighting and are in symbiosis) (in the last film obviously)

- Queenie Goldstein as a powerful witch while she explains why she joined Grindelwald’s side - because she believes Ministry is going to do nothing for her, because she believes in a brighter future without the Statute

- (At least) some clues about Nagini’s and Riddle’s meeting

- Credence’s true family? And because his past is quite tragic and he’d already gone through awful experiences, maybe his happy end?

- Theseus not knowing how to act after Leta’s death: should he follow blindly the Ministry? Trust Dumbledore, his brother and the rest of the team?

- A character eventually agreeing with some of Grindelwald’s ideas about magic things which shouldn’t be hide and stuff, but fighting against him anyway (well, most likely Queenie)

2. About Albus Dumbledore and (or) Gellert Grindelwald

- Albus Dumbledore as the charismatic, incredibly marvellous and skilled wizard he is, while people around him are impress by his aura: imagine Albus walking in the Ministry, and people who are supposed to protect the whole country are amazed, even scared: he’s stunning, blazing with power (and with cold fury, because the Ministry obviously did something stupid and Dumbledore is mad at them)

(at this point, we finally understand why he is the most powerful, skilled, prodigious, dazzling wizard of his age)¹

- Albus with colourful and amazing clothes

- Albus facing his Boggart (which is supposed to be Ariana’s corpse, but well, who knows)²

- Gellert Grindelwald facing his Boggart (what could it be?) (ok, I’m just curious here)

- The backstory of the Deluminator: why and when Albus developed this magical device? Did he always used it to have fun with light, or was it initially a more personal object? Had Albus created the Deluminator to find Gellert Grindelwald to fight him, at the end?

- A funny and arrogant (and bitter?) Dumbledore’s rejoinder, while he’s conscious of his marvellous mind and skills (like in the books)

- Dumbledore’s reaction when he discovers who is the actual Master of Elder Wand (again, i’m curious)

- Are Grindelwald’s mismatched eyes™ a sign of something important about his past, his abilities? is his hair white - and not anymore blond - because of Dark magic?

- A moment when we see how Dumbledore is able to manipulate surrounding people, including allies and friends

- A heartbreaking and breathtaking dialogue in 1945, while they fight against each other - and I wonder if - how - they are going to talk about their past, shared ambition and dreams, sentiments, guilt, regrets, etc

3. About the Summer of 1899

- To be honest, it’s mostly: Albus and Gellert as remarkable, arrogant, impish, brillant and not wise at all young wizards in a flashback of 1899

passionate discussions about the Hallows, politics, the Statute, or complex magic things

wandless magic, non-verbal spells, forbidden and dangerous rituals³

Albus’ reactions while Gellert has his visions (was he already able to control his Seer’s abilities?)

how they have fun (common sense of humour, a bit bitter and jeering one most likely?)

And thanks those very quick scenes, we understand why Albus and Gellert fell in love with each other - they both were a freedom symbol for the other in a way, all what they always desired and dreamed of - and their common ambition elevated them, made them wanted a bright and glorious future

(ok, too much to show, yes, i know)

- Also, an already dangerous and extreme Gellert and an in-denial Albus (about the Inferi army, etc)

- A glimpse of the relationship between Abelforth and Ariana, between Albus and his family, and between Gellert and Albus’ siblings

(edit: and yeah i forgot, a kiss or something - an act only did by lovers and not best friends, because there are still people believing they are friends - and their relationship is technically still not canon?)

4. About the other characters

- Adult Abelforth, loathing his brother, suffuring

- Tom Riddle at Hogwarts, possibly facing Dumbledore, or as a young charismatic awful future Dark wizard, or acting like he’s jealous of Grindelwald’s influence and like he already wants to surpass him

(it could be great to see him, at least few seconds, to build the bridge between FB and HP and most importantly to have a more detailed vision of Wizarding modern History, you know what i mean?)

- Ministry people who do not like Dumbledore because it’s funny

- A character who’s scared by the war and finally who gives up, and who runs away to try to be as far as possible from the political troubles

(it would show how war is an ordeal - I do not have the impression that the pressure and all were something so exposed in HP books, it could be great to see it?)⁴

- Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, Cornelius Fudge, etc, being young - if they are already born in 1945? It’s not written anywhere so idk

- edit: I forgot Hagrid, it could be awesome to see him as a teen in the last movie during the events of the Chamber of Secrets’ first opening!

5. About the Wizarding Society, Muggle world, ect

- The consequences of Grindelwald’s actions around the wizarding world and in the Muggle world: how things are destroyed, how he influences the governments

- The influence of rich and conservative pure-blood families through the war: how several of the sacred-28 families supported Grindelwald, how they influenced the whole magic society, why their inaction killed people, how the Ministry is corrupted, why it didn’t really change, even after the end of the war⁵

- The same conservative influence but in the very heart of character’s life: how Nagini is marginalized, for example⁶

- Why not political opinions expressed by several characters, to show how politics is a delicate and intricate subject, and why neither Albus Dumbledore nor Gellert Grindelwald are all white / all black, how Grindelwald gain influence, etc

6. Some explanation we would like to have

- Why is Albus Dumbledore DADA teacher? We know he wrote articles in Transfiguration Today before graduating, so why teaching DADA? (guilt, will to help young people to not be tempted by Dark magic and power like he was, or was there simply already a Transfiguration teacher?)(should I mention it’s never said in the HP books?)

- When and why will Albus be the Transfiguration teacher? (edit: we have clues in FBtCoG because Travers says Albus is not going to be allowed to teach DADA anymore so I guess it explains it)

- How can Minerva McGonagall be at Hogwarts, already be a young woman - if I remember well, she’s not even born? Or extremely young?

- How Gellert Grindelwald summoned a phoenix - and more likely, let’s theorize, how might he summon and control Fawkes?

(because Credence can’t be a Dumbledore - or at least, can’t be directly related to Albus, Ariana, Kendra and Percival - or is he the illegitimate and secrete son of Abelforth? a cousin of Albus?

but if we consider Credence is not a Dumbledore, Gridelwald had been able to control a phoenix which is linked to thhe Dumbledores, right? is it thanks the blood pact? of because of Credence’s Obscurus? we don’t know

edit: or there is the theory about Credence being created by the philosopher’s stone I guess, so with Ariana’s Obscurial and most likely Albus’ blood)

- Why nobody knew that Grindelwald and Dumbledore met each other when they were teenagers, when Rita Skeeter published Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore in 1998?

(i’m not so angry, i’m mostly confused)

The Ministry knew Albus met Gellet Grindelwald in 1899, right? How can a that huge information be a secret during decades? Why Rita Skeeter only found it after Dumbledore’s death? Albus said they used to be “closer than brothers”: after that and because Travers doubted of Dumbledore’s true side, Albus had been restricted and watched by the Ministry during FBCoG. It should exist papers, files, archives which confirmed all of this. So why everybody forgot that Gellert and Albus knew each other when they were young?

- Or about Albus’ and Gellert’s former close relationship, didn’t Travers or Theseus understand they were lovers? Or if they understood, they - again - didn’t tell it? (Travers is not fond of Dumbledore, it could have been a scandal, why he didn’t say it?) Can all of that make any sense?

- Why isn’t the Blood Pact ever mentioned in Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore - or most likely, how everybody (Albus; Gellert; Newt and Newt’s friends; the Minstry; Grindelwald’s acolytes, etc) had succeed to hide it from the press and the whole magic society?

That’s already a lot so let’s stop here Half of it is not so deep but I’m a simple girl, I’m always here for characters’ and background’s (lore?) development I will be pleased to hear what are your own wishes also

Notes:

¹ : certainly one of the thing i would the most like to see in the next movies, which is also something very important in the FB and HP universe - i have the feeling his power, skills, etc are more an idea than a reality. (and i indeed used a thesaurus to describe him)

² : Boggarts, Albus’ Boggart, how - in Albus’ situation - it mirrors his Erised reflect and how it might show important elements about him is a subject i really want to broach, i already planned it, it may be great to talk about it i think?

³ : talking about forbidden rituals, i talked here about the Blood Pact and why i think it was illegal, Dark, etc :

Why Albus didn’t tell Ministry employees about the Blood Pact

⁴ : to be fair, there are elements which are reminders of the pressure of the war in the book, especially in OotP and DH, but the Golden Trio did not experienced the war like the common people did, and the story - even very short - of someone who was scared is something i will be pleased to discover

⁵ : well, i talked a bit about pure-blood conservative families, their power and their influence in two posts:

How can everyone find their true-love and still be in love after years in HP? (”magic-soulmates” theory and conservative society)

Why are the Weasleys poor? (eng&fr) (theories about pure-blood families, inheritance, etc)

(it’s theories, but it can explain my point of view - headcanons? - about those families and the Wizarding Society)

⁶ : again, check the two posts if you are interested!

Thanks for reading!

I again apologize for the mistakes - and there might be incorrect informations, even if I hope there are not

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Hi! Im a hardcore grindeldore fan. I was hoping if you could suggest some fics where grindelwald escapes nurmengard and joins durmstrang to attend the triwizard tournament to meet Albus...please...

hi!

unfortunately, i don't remember any fic like that, i am afraid... it has been a while since i have read a lot of GGAD fics, to be honest

i suppose you already are familiar with the AO3 tags system and already searched there

perhaps en livejournal, fanfiction.net, even wattpad? or with specific tags?

anybody having ideas/recs?

sorry i couldn't help you... i hope others will! have a lovely day :)

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Summer of 1899 fanfictions: with Philosophy, ancient Greek and Latin, foreign languages and a bit of Literature

(note: by “Summer of 1899 fanfictions”, I refer to the summer of Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald’s meeting as teenagers)

(note: I am not a native speaker, so I apologise for the mistakes, inaccuracies, truly bad use of tenses and wrong phrases. I hope it won’t be too unpleasant. Let me know if something is really not understandable!)

What about philosphy, Latin, etc, but in 1899 fanfictions? (dark academia vibes, I know)

There are already quite a lot of fanfics about it but not enough - because it's so great, let me detail why it is (and expose my headcanons)

(the [1] and [2] are notes, check the end of the post to read them)

(tiny disclaimer: i am not at all an advanced scholar on any of the following topics, just studying that kind of subjects and loving to draw parallels with hp. i hope i won’t say too many wrong things, etc.)

Philosophy :

Moral philosophy

The theories and questions throughout the history of moral philosophy (as far as I know) fit so well with the concerns of our revolutionary boys.

Is there any moral duty? Knowing wizards and witches could solve an amount of muggles' problems, is this immoral for them to stay in the shadows? What about the means of the revolution - is this ok to kill for the Greater Good, to initiate injuries, doom and destruction to build a better world, which cost is acceptable? What about consequentialism, utilitarianism, moral of virtue, deontological philosophy, idk? What's good? What's fair?

More touchy question: the maj-people are able to perform marvellous things, so are they consequently more important than maj-people? Because of their capacities, should they be praised - considered as superior beings - as gods? But if yes, should they treat muggles differently than they would treat wizards? If wizards shouldn’t be considered as superior beings, are they equal to muggles anyway?

And what about the Hallows - is this moral to possess them, considering they mirror Gyges’ ring? Should Albus and Gellet keep them for themselves, use them for the Greater Good (yes they want to, it’s clearly exposed in DH)? Is the Quest important enough to justify sacrifices?

Also, what about Aristotle’s virtue system - being moderate and all, use our reason to be in the middle? Because I’m sure as hell Albus and even more Gellert would reject this idea: isn’t it a form of passivism? (no, but through their pov and situation, they might think that)

(by the way they both read passages of Bentham's and Mill's and Kant's and Plato's and Aristotle's books nobody can convince me otherwise)

(I never read Nietzsche’s extracts and haven’t even merely a define idea of his theories to be honest, except for a few uncertain glimpses of his philosophy - he disagrees with religious morality and is quite vehement about it, and praises an idea of a free human being, released from this moral of the weaks. And as far as I know, I’m pretty sure Gellert would agree with him.)

Political philosophy

I do have a headcanon: Albus and Gellert both read the Republic of Plato (initially because it’s well-known and they didn’t want to be ignorant about it and they surprised themselves being enthralled by Socrates reflexions) ; and quite a lot of their discussions about a perfect society instituted by themselves (and about what’s fair and what’s good) were underpinned by the book.

Is this ok to rule the world? Which system is the best - tyranny, democracy, oligarchy? Are the wizards just like the philosophers and, thus, are righteously meant to be the aristocrats at the top of the government? And are all the wizards as legitimate as Albus and Gellert to rule the world (no)? What’s the acceptable extent of power they should have on civilians? What’s the necessary authority they must be allowed to have on civilians? What about the freedom of the press, of speech (those themes are explored in the Republic and well-), of maj-people and non-maj-people?

Philosophy of desire, joy, pleasure, beauty, etc

Have you ever heard of Plato? (sorry, again, yes.) Well in several Socrates’ dialogs, themes of love and desire are developed (I particularly think about the Symposium) and Albus and Gellert could be convinced by it: the praise of relationships between men, of intellect, of beauty… but also by the myth of Aristophanes (people are halves and search their soulmate (more or less)). Besides, I’ll be quite curious about what Albus and Gellert may say about Alcibiades’ eulogy of Socrates and what they may think of their dynamics.

(long story short, Alcibiades is young and handsome and desires the ugly Socrates, is fascinated by his intellect and considers him as the most interessant man he knows, and can’t help but feeling inferior facing him and being deeply humiliated because Socrates rejects him (on top of that, Alcibiades is drunk and jealous - the parallels to draw between them and our revolutionary boys are bloody interesting but back to the point))

Also, I totally see Albus and Gellert as hedonists during their youth - justifying their immoral and unwise chase of pleasure and complaisance by an artificial sentiment of moderation, temperance, so not true hedonists, like they are not epicurean at all - and this is again something quite compelling, I must admit.

Ancient Greek and Latin :

Latin and ancient Greek at Hogwarts

Throughout the 19th century, the civilizations of antiquity increasingly fascinated the intellectuals - a phantasm around the topic grew and influenced artists and erudite persons, and was furthermore a mark of the cultural capital and level of education of somebody.

Although we haven’t any clue about the fact that Hogwarts changed the disciplines provided through the centuries, we know it is possible : Dumbledore himself almost dismissed divination studies and depending the demands of the students, 7th years can study alchemy (most likely thanks a teaching offered by Dumbledore himself).

And I do have the headcanon that Hogwarts was in the past not that far from studies dispensed in english colleges - or at least, proposed classes of British (magic) Literature, maybe Law (like an elitist subject but necessary to enter in the Ministry and consequently pure-blood kids are always following that course) and, of course, ancient Greek and Latin classes.

And it was necessary, because Latin is the language of spells and most of the magical essays written back in antiquity were in ancient Greek - furthermore, the more complex, ancient and ruthless spells and rituals were based on ancient Greek and not on Latin, more used in everyday, ordinary, common magic (it is again an hc).

(by the way, Arabic and Hebrew could be as well considered as ancient languages used in magic (again an headcanon, but it would underline how magic is complex and has multiple forms and is not just European-centred), but I have the slight feeling that the ideologies and culture of European countries combined with xenophobia and racism have excluded the study of those languages even though they are also vital in the history of magic you know)

Yes it’s based on nothing, but it would be so great and ask so many things about the Wizarding World back in the late 19th and early 20th century - especially about social and political struggle between the population - pure-blood families vs muggle born students, etc [1]. (And it would satisfy my dark academia aesthetic. But quite irrelevant here.)

What about Albus and Gellert then?

Durmstrang could also dispense Latin of Ancient Greek class, in my opinion, but I think (again, imo), it is a bit unlikely. But it does not change the fact that Gellert had always been attracted to Dark magic; so he could have learned the basis by himself in order to decipher ancient Dark ceremonies, etc.

That’s why I think both of them had learnt ancient languages. Maybe Albus took an interest in Celtic dialects (Merlin’s language?), and Gellert was familiar with Vicking Runes. It obviously helped them regarding a lot of their magical and academic performances. Indeed, the boys were able to understand old papers about the Hollows, but also ancient rituals, etc. And thus, had a wide access to a more dangerous, unstable, raw and primeral practice of magic: it was not like the average spells in Latin, but an intricate way to unleash their potential [2].

Besides, only few people - erudites - were as interested as the boys were in these old ways to use magic, and needless to say that neither of those persons were as powerful as Albus and Gellert were. Furthermore, the boys were able to keep a balance between the complexity of the enchantments and the instincts they both have regarding the expression of their magic. They accordingly thought of being more powerful than everybody else.

Foreign languages :

The languages in the schools

It is clear that Hogwarts is exclusively Anglophone. The school is quite small: 40 students per year, so 280 students in all, coming from Great Britain - England, Ireland, Scotland, Yales, so the isles. We could also think that the wizardkind living in the CommonWealth during the colonial age also studied in Hogwarts. (again a hc, but Henry Potter and his son Fleamont were both born in India, fight me)

Durmstrang, on the other hand, could host quite more nationalities. I imagine the school having three main languages: German, French and English. But in fact, English and French are more “officials”, used by administration and in some classes (French was quite important at the time, right? then it was English?). So the students most likely speak between them in German (Germany had been formed in 1871 and I think the Austrian-Ungarian Empire was also Germanophone?), Russian, Hungarian, Lithuanian… well, all the languages spoken in Easten Europe.

(and just to mention it, I believe that Beauxbâtons is a huge school, bigger than Hogwarts and Durmstrang, because we need logic at some point - anyway)

What about Albus and Gellert then, again?

Gellert was probably speaking German, English (obviously, he wrote letters in English, spoke in English with Albus and Aberforth…), maybe French, and maybe another language depending on his mother country. I headcanon him coming from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, but he might as well come from Denmark (the country of Mikkelsen?) or a Balkan State (there were wars here at the end of the 19th century, it could be an interesting theme), etc.

However, I doubt that Albus knew Danish or Hungarian, but he definitely spoke French rather well (he exchanged letters with Nicolas Flamel) and perhaps the basis of something else (Italian? German?).

I do not mention magical foreign languages they could have been familiar with - we know Albus is fluent in Goblegedook and Mermish in 1994, but I doubt he already was in 1899.

(Also, Albus’ mother came from America, so she might be originally from the Native American community and thus know an another language and let Albus know as well, but the fact that she is Christian (most likely, regarding what is her epitaph) let me doubtful; but I’m not enough informed about the Native American history to build meta, headcanon and theories, so I won’t explore this idea more.)

All in all, they are quite familiar with a lot of languages, and they certainly had a few conversations in what was not English (a mix of Latin, Ancient Greek, German and French, perhaps?) to infuriate Aberforth and not let him know about what they were talking about. (headcanon, again)

Literature :

We do not have a lot of clues about fiction - novels, theater or poetry - belonging to the wizarding universe - except Beedle’s Tales, of course. But we can imagine it exists.

Nevertheless, I am more interested in what Albus and Gellert might have read in the muggle literature. Besides, I think it is funny to consider that some writers or playwrights are known by muggles but are in reality wizards and witches - especially Braham Stoker, Mary Shelley… maybe Poe and Shakespeare as well.

So, I imagine that Albus and Gellert would have heard of Goethe, Heine, Novalis for German literature; maybe Hugo, Baudelaire, Flaubert for French literature… most likely Dante (definitely Dante). Though I honestly do not think they were fond of novels and literature, they could have been interested by it sometimes, when it echoed to something in them - Shakespeare, but also the story of Verlaine and Rimbaud, or Oscar Wilde’s story and unique novel.

There is also the theme of Oscar Wilde, homosexual writer, and his trial at the end of the 19th century, which are recurrent topics in 1899 fanfictions - a quite interesting one, imo. Have you ever read the Preface of the Picture of Dorian Gray? Definitely Albus and Gellert vibes.

All in all, I don’t think they may have been interested in literature for literature itself, but rather for the political aspect of it. (except for Shelley, Shakespeare and Dante which are a witch and two wizards, and are interested by the references to magic in the works themselves, again hc)

To conclude :

Even though 1899 fanfictions are great - and I thank you, 1899 fanfictions writers, you are amazing - I quite love the idea of all of this aesthetic that could developed. It is somehow prompt ideas.

(also I an studying humanities so it might be why I see those themes in 1899 fanfics so well, yes)

Thanks for reading! :)

Notes :

[1] : I wrote about the conservative Wizarding World and pure-blood families here:  Why are the Weasleys poor? (eng&fr) (theories about pure-blood families, inheritance, etc) /  How can everyone find their true-love and still be in love after years in HP? (”magic-soulmates” theory and conservative society)

[2] : I wrote about Dark magic and rituals in 1899 here: What if Antonio (Gellert Grindelwald’s chupacabra) had been created in 1899? / What about a dangerous, complicated and a bit gore alchemical experience tried by Albus and Gellert secretly?

And I posted quite a lot of things about GGAD, check the Table of contents if you are interested! :)

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

(just sharing this here too, because that's how I headcanon how Albus and Gellert summoned Antonio and I would love to read a fanfic with that kind of raw, crude, materialist, carnal magic)

(sorry for the mistakes and stuff)

(tw/cw: blood)

Something like a prompt idea

Yeah Albus and Gellert reading books, scheming and performing wandless magic in 1899 is great but hear me out:

What about a dangerous, complicated and a bit gore alchemical experience tried by Albus and Gellert secretly?

I imagine so clearly Albus and Gellert performing a tricky alchemical ritual - an ancient one, to summon a familiar: Antonio.

(an useful link about a theory: Antonio created in 1899)

Why?

Actually, most of fanfics I know and read are mainly focused on their love relationship, and magic experiments are not that common (Extreme Incantations is great!)

I totally see them as humanists - you know, like the erudite scientists, savants, philosophers of the 16th century doing experiences and focused on the potential of humankind

But they are also a bit arrogant, keen to learn and to discover things, able to perform this type of ritual - and enjoying it half because of the knowledge to gain, half because of the challenge to overcome

In fact, I would like a more materialist approach of them doing magic: in a quite huge amount of (very good) fanfics, they are close of something idealist, into mind-ish stuff… and far from reality, raw material - why not focusing, every now and then, on an different approach?

More specifically, I wish a bit more gore approach: what about an alchemist ritual using blood - but it ends up a bit badly (or chaotically) and they are both covered by blood and sweat, shivering

They have feared the other might get hurt - but then, they realise they are able to masterise a ritual like this one

And this sentiment of power is overwhelming and exquisite

And there is something wrong about them being that galvanised, still covered by blood and acknowledging how they are unbelievably skilled together - something dangerous, but also feels like a punch in the guts - it is thrilling, intense

And the mix of power, roughness and desire is perfect

(And a handful of days later, they are enough confident to accomplish the blood ritual they both wish - the blood troth)

If someone wants to write it please do it

Or did someone ever read a fanfic like this?

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

The beauty of Grindelwald’s magic: the aesthetic of doom and the splendour of power (or why his magic is art)

(I’m working on several posts at the same time, worst idea, I’m late - and sorry for the mistakes, I’m still neither a native speaker nor fluent!) (the inital title of the post was “Grindelwald and the bloodcurdling and mesmerising beauty of his marvellous magic”, I love dramatics)

I just realised something about Grindelwald, magic and Nurmengard (and beauty) (and Riddle) (and Dumbledore).

Hogwarts has been built by two warlocks and two enchantresses - the most skilled of their age if I remember well - essentially thanks to magic, which was a feat.

But Gellert Grindelwald, before 1927, had constructed Nurmengard single-handedly.

And this is definitely a proof of how he mastered his power, of his talents and on top of that, of his creativity.

And it brings us to one of the main differences between Riddle and Grindelwald : the relation they have to creation and beauty.

On one hand, Tom Riddle never expressed any kind of awe in front of something beautiful - not surprising, considering love is entirely foreign and beauty and love are often, somehow, related (I think about Plato’s thoughts here, but someone who is enable to love may be quite insensible to beauty). His magic is sharp, acrid, efficient, but cold. Riddle never showed imagination, only talents in magic.

On the other hand, Gellert Grindelwald is drawn by the beauty of magic. In Extreme Incantations of meanwhiletimely, Gellert considers magic as his first love, something I definitely agree with - and although Riddle does too in his own way, they have a very different relationship to it: Grindelwald sees the beauty in it, and acts like an artist performing as he casts spells and enchants things. We would all think of how he personifies a conductor in Père-Lachaise cemetery, how he plays with the blue fire. Grindelwald worships magic and magic makes him spectacular.

Furthermore, there is an aesthetic in the way he practices magic: the splendour - voluptuousness? - of it is in its ambivalence, its balance between the creation and the destruction.

The Nurmengard Castle highlights how Grindelwald magic can lead to genesis, to formation, to production. He is able to summon breathtaking things, just like the Castle - here are some shots of Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald.

There’s an elegance, a will of a displayed grandeur - the interior is cosy and sophisticated, the giant window is gorgeous, the spot - the bloody Alps - is breathtaking.

But Gellert’s blue fire also emphases how his magic is destructive - and how that dimension is crucial in the magnificence of someone as powerful as Grindelwald. Romantics used to talk about the aesthetic of the ruins, and that aspect is quite developed in the movies: the blue fire, the Père-Lachaise cemetery, the skull, the black clothes the Dark Wizard is wearing, for instance.

And in my opinion, that’s a huge difference between Riddle (and a lot of wizards) and Grindelwald - Grindelwald inspires life and art in magic, and this leads either to wonder, or to doom, albeit magnificently. 

And I would add: that’s why a lot of people, and more specifically Albus Dumbledore, fell for him. Gellert is so impressive, mesmerising - and even though he wouldn’t have his talents of persuasion, he might still be attractive and captivate the crowds by the way he elevates himself thanks to magic. People would stare in awe, respectfully, impressed and seduced.

And as a teen, Dumbledore saw something he had never saw before: not a young monster hidden behind a charmer and bewitching mask, his terrible instincts and motives concealed by his beauty. Dumbledore saw a young man keen to violent and unconditional power; he saw the danger, but even more the splendour of it: he saw the magnificence of magic, used as well as for destruction and creation, dedicated to something bigger and greater and so beautiful - because magic, used with an artistic design, is simply stunning.

(Needless to say, Albus Dumbledore understands ths duality because he deals with it himself - he plays with magic and its exquisiteness too: the fight he has with Voldemort in OotP, his inventions like the Deluminator...)

(That’s not the only thing which had charmed Albus, indisputably - Gellert’s personality, ideas, etc. But I’m pretty sure Albus never met someone worshipping magic with as much devotion, talent and imagination (and probably mischief) as Gellert Grindelwald did.)

(Also, I’m not saying Grindelwald should be praised or admired - or excused - because he is unbelievably skilled: I’m saying that this part of him seduced Albus, because it is fascinating. It reminds me of the awe we tend to have in front of something horrifying, but still beautiful (and the appeal may come from the horror itself), the fascination towards something dangerous, deviant, but also splendid. It is not good but it undoubtlessly exists.) 

(I lost that post a first time and I lost what I wanted to say about Nurmengard in particular, but it might have quite a lot of thing to highlight about it - the pomp of having a Castle as beautiful as Nurmengard is, how Gellert loves beauty and tries to be surrounded by it, how it speaks volumes about how Grindelwald sees himself - someone who deserves way more than mediocrity - even more than ordinarity, the parallels with Dumbledore, how the Castle had been the symbol of his rising influence before being the one of his decadence, etc)

That’s all yey

(I talk a bit more and about other fandoms here: @uthseikoashxbutspam​)

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

tbh people mock harry for going back to rescue fleurs sister in the second triwizard task but harry knows dumbledore better than anyone else. he probably looked at the situation and thought “would dumbledore let an eight year old drown just because fleur couldnt do this bit? yes. yes he would.”

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

(sorry there must be a lot of mistakes I’ll fix that later (and I’m sometimes a bit angry, sorry)) 

A magic promise?

All things considered, Grindelwald and Dumbledore could definitely had done a magic promise in 1899

At the end of FBtCoG, Albus didn't say "yes, we did that blood pact and swore to not fight each other": that's what Newt assumed and Albus just nodded. Imagine if he's literally incapable to talk about it, if Gellert and he had created some kind of curse acting like a reverse Veritaserum, thus they are unable to talk about it

(Furthermore we can consider that it was what Newt assumed and maybe it was not true but Dumbledore was incapable to say the truth (or didn't want to))

Let's be honest, I prefer - we most likely all prefer - the other explanations, because they justify character's development and all. Here, it must erase all the guilt and shame and things Albus feels

But it might also explain things which are still confusing: why we didn’t knew about the blood pact in HP, why neither Albus nor Gellert mentioned it at anyone, why characters like Abelforth or Bathilda did not know about it...

But we're still in trouble

But we still have a fucking huge problem - the MACUSA knows Grindelwald did a blood pact (I realised that with horror quite recently)

(If Newt was able to determine what was the blood pact, specialists in America also doubtlessly figured out between 1926 and 1927 - we might even suppose they must be able to perceive that it has been summoned by two persons)

How do we fix that?

It doesn’t make sense, why is nobody panicked Grindelwald did a blood pact - perhaps it’s the source of his power, or maybe he’s undestroyable because of it - well, in a way, he is - and last but not least, why they didn’t find the other person he did the blood pact with?

We know quite for sure the MACUSA obtained some of Gellert’s memories when he was imprisonned, such as memories of Albus and Gellert together - WHY THE MACUSA DIDN’T ASK HIM ABOUT IT

Can we talk about the fact that one of the person ever Gellert seemed to be close is Albus bloody Dumbledore, the two were already brilliant, and the Ministries - the American one, the British one, even the Autrian-Hungary or German one - never tried to collect data, tips, idk, thanks to Albus’ knowledge? Quite unlikely - or pretty stupid -, especially after they got the memories.

And we know magic leaves traces/prints/something, MACUSA’s wizards must be able to identify Albus’ magic, right?

Unless it works like fingerprints? Consequently people have to be registered by governments - and they can not find the 2ond person Grindelwald did a blood troth with because Dumbledore is not registered? (and maybe that’s why they also wanted to send back in Europe the pendant? to find a person’s magic who matches with the one of the pact in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Swiss, France, England...?)

But again, they saw Dumbledore and Grindelwald together as teens, why they didn’t confront Albus about it sooner (Travers waited a few months before going to Hogwarts) and not directly about the blood pact (because it’s a state secret? maybe Travers is not even aware of it? maybe he is, but because he believes Dumbledore is a traitor, he doesn’t want to let him know about it?)

To fix huge inconstencies like that we have to suppose and theorise so many things I’m starting to be sick and tired of it

(I love to understand and rationalise the universe but uuugggghh sometimes it’s not even logical damn it)

(Bloody hell sometimes I'm fucking convinced jkr just decided to abandon - or more accurately throw by the damn nearest window - logic, canon and well-done work to just film something and sell merch - but naaah :))

Why Albus didn’t tell Ministry employees about the Blood Pact

Someone asked it on Quora and I figured out we actually don’t know for sure why Albus didn’t yet - he doesn’t explain it to anyone (if I remember well ?). But there’s many theories and logical deductions to explain it. I wanted to post it here :) (most of the time it’s obvious but idk exchange a bit about it can be great?) English is not my native language btw, sorry for the mistakes!

1. Blood Pact and blood magic are Dark (and possibly illegal)

According to what we’ve learned in the books and FB1 & 2, the main (but not the only) reason could be : the Blood Pact, and blood magic in general, is a quite Dark magic. I mean ; the other wizard who really used blood magic like Dumbledore and Grindelwald did is Voldemort (at the end of GoF when he obtains his new body, and when Dumbledore and Harry went to the cave to find the Horcrux in HBP). Few characters are also linked to blood magic, like maybe Lily, who protected the blood of her child, which was a powerful but also an “instinctive” magic ; or certainly Snape, who created the spell Sectumsempra, which is definitely a Dark curse.

That’s why this blood pact could be illegal, or at least considered as a very advanced, dangerous and deviant magic. In FB1 & 2 and according what we know yet, Albus is seen as a brilliant wizard, many people (Ministry employees excepted) are convinced he fights against Dark magic. However, years before he has submerged himself in a probably strange, powerful and questionable ritual with the darkest warlock of the century (yet). It’s certainly not something Albus would confess to the Ministry.

2. Albus doesn’t want anyone to know about his shame and feelings

We can also be pretty sure (here this is more about character’s psychology, but it’s central in HP franchise) that Albus is shameful about it. It can be one of his biggest regrets - the blood pact symbolizes the trust he had in Gellert and how it hurt him, his former arrogance and thirst of power (the Deathly Hallows quest), and how, despite all the things which messed up (Ariana’s death) he’s still bonded with his ex-boyfriend (who btw leads a quite bloody revolution through Europe).

And this is technically still theory, but we know that Albus Dumbledore is very secretive about his own feelings. He doesn’t want to let people discover his own thoughts and emotions (as readers through Harry’s POV, do not know about his guilt about Ariana, the summer 1899, and all, before the 7th book, after he died). So the shame could also be an explaination : nobody, except the persons he really trusts and who are entirely loyal to him (Newt, Harry?), has to be allowed to know about his feelings, deepest desires, weaknesses…

3. There are trust issues between him and the Ministry

We can’t forget that this deep magic bond between him and Gellert can be interpreted like his loyalty to the other man, even after almost 30 years :  the Ministry could never trust Dumbledore when he declares that he is against Grindelwald if they heard about it - and this is going to a be a problem for Albus to fight Gellert (I mean, even when Travers don’t know about the Blood Pact, he suspects Albus). Plus, Dumbledore doesn’t have any faith in authorities. He never seems to trust the Ministry (in HP books and now in FB, he is quite independent). So admit the existence of the blood pact could ruin his own activities and schemes (the Ministry could possibly arrest him?).

It’s also maybe possible that Dumbledore and Grindelwald swore to each other (potentially a magic promise ?) to not tell at any member of a government about the blood pact (they were probably quite hostile to the governments in 1899, you know, they wanted a revolution and all), but it’s entirely speculation here, and Newt can be considered as a member of the government (he works for the Ministry, if my memories are correct ?), so…

Conclusion :

This is theory, I’m sure I’ve forgot so many things, but I rly wanted to talk about it and I didn’t read anything about it so yes yes yes

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

(Although the Blood Pact as a reverse Horcrux might be something interesting, I have another theory - well I guess it is a theory)

(sorry for the mistakes etc)

What if the Blood Pact actually radiates with magic energy?

The idea that Albus and Gellert are able to detect and discern surrounding magic is pretty common and almost confirmed in the books. And the Blood Pact is actually a quite powerful artefact, summoned by two overpowered wizards and intimately related to their blood, magic and soul.

(Newt and Abernathy are less subtle and skilled than our two warlocks are, and are far less used to Albus’ or Gellert’s intimate magic print than the men are. So Newt and Abernathy might didn’t have felt it)

My headcanon is: both Albus and Gellert clearly feel other’s magic in the pendant.

In one hand, it gives power, because a mix of their magic must be particulary galvanasing. They would taste the savour and the shiver of the other’s skills while they cast spells, as if to their own magic was added a bit of electricity - just like if they are still doing magic together, etc

On the other hand, they could feel each other’s presence, identity, very intimate essence near their heart. And I could definitely imagine Gellert always bringing the pendant with him - as a reminder of both the man who betrayed... and loved him - and how he loved and betrayed him. (I think a lot of us agree on the fact that neither Albus nor Gellert have accepted what happenen in 1899 and that their shared story has to be - done and dusted? that they have to move on ? idk)

Honestly it does much sound like logic than theory, and I guess it’s a quite shared headcanon?

Well that’s it :)

We’ve all cooed and awed over Gellert wearing the pendant over his heart, but what if wearing it genuinely has a positive impact on your mood. Like similarly to how Slytherin’s locket made Harry, Ron and Hermione irritable and depressed, what if wearing a blood pact pendant fills you with content, reassured and/or confident energy? 

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Re: what you said about the horcrux/Lily's protection possibly being why Harry was given a choice to be reborn or truly die: personally I've always thought that him having the resurrection stone (and, well.. all of the Hallows) in his possession when he died is what allowed him that option? The whole "master of death" thing.

Your headcanons are your headcanons, Anon, but I personally don’t bother to think about the Deathly Hallows element of things because I think that attributing Harry’s survival as things stand in the canon story to being the Master of Death is 1) uninteresting and 2) kind of a cop-out. 

I could even go a step further and say that I’m often of the opinion that the Deathly Hallows were completely unnecessary as a story element - and I can also understand the position that the Deathly Hallows even undermined pre-existing story elements and were an overall negative addition. 

I mean, I like the Deathly Hallows. I think they’re fun. But I like them from the perspective of a fanfiction writer who sees all of canon as “IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE”. The Deathly Hallows are fun because they’re powerful and dangerous, but most of all, imo, because they’re a mystery. They raise lots of interesting questions about the history of magic and its possibilities, which are fun to discuss as a fan and to explore as a fanfiction writer. 

But I also think that the 7th book was too late to introduce something as powerful and mysterious as the Deathly Hallows, and to imply that the magical world has something akin to gods. The Hallows honestly appear from basically thin air for the last book in the series and I don’t think they do the series many services. 

-cut-

From a Doylist angle, why do the Hallows exist? Well, in my opinion, the Hallows are most essentially just another layer of the “Who was Albus Dumbledore?” storyline, which takes up a huge chunk of the 7th book. The Hallows are a revelation that allow Harry, in his grief and under stress, to believe that there might be something more to Dumbledore’s plans, to the magical world in general, and to believe that there might be some way for him to get the answers he needs/wants. 

“Who was Albus Dumbledore?” is the big mystery of the 7th book. Intertwined with that question is the second mystery: “What are the Deathly Hallows?” 

Compelling mysteries and fascinating twists had been a big part of the Harry Potter series through the past 6 books. Without the Dumbledore and the Hallows mysteries, I’d honestly say that the plot of the 7th book is kind of boring. 

The Horcrux Hunt is incredibly straightforward and it isolates the Golden Trio from the rest of the Wizarding World for most of the book. The 6th book has revealed to us all of Voldemort’s secrets, making him... kind of uninteresting, given that his role in the 7th book is just to be as cruel and scary as possible in the background. The most interesting thing Voldemort does in the 7th book may be his hunt for the Elder Wand, which is... arguably just a way to keep him busy and out-of-the-way until the final confrontation at the Battle of Hogwarts. 

I can’t really think of a single aspect of the Hallows that can’t be replaced or neatly avoided. I could argue that the page-time taken up by the Hallows could have been better put-to-use exploring nearly anything else. 

Off the top of my head examples: 

“What’s happening at Hogwarts?”

I think it could have been cool to see more of Snape before the very end, exploring his role of Headmaster of Hogwarts alongside the Carrows, which could have made the revelations “The Prince’s Tale” much stronger. We also could have gotten to hear more about Ginny, Luna, and Neville’s acts of rebellion, and the DA as a whole, which would have brought more pressure and stress to the Golden Trio’s mission. 

Obviously we can’t put Harry directly near Hogwarts or any of these elements until near the end, but this is a magical world, and there are plenty of ways and devices to give the audience passing insight into Hogwarts, building up curiosity for what’s really happening at the place Harry has long considered his home. We could have heard about this from characters on the run like Dean Thomas and Augusta Longbottom. Newspaper articles! Potterwatch reports! Gossip by Ministry employees! Kreacher and Dobby (even Winky)! There are plenty of ways to tease the audience even more than canon did in preparation for the Battle of Hogwarts. 

“What’s happening at the Ministry?” 

I understand that not everyone is a Percy Weasley fan, but I would have loved to see a little more of Percy Weasley and Arthur Weasley working at the Ministry, when the Golden Trio had to retrieve Slytherin’s Locket from Umbridge. Just hints of what they’re up to! While staking out the Ministry and during the Ministry job itself! And afterwards! Hints of the conflict between Percy and his family, versus the new regime! Mentions of Molly, Bill, Fleur, Fred, and George could have easily been worked in too. As well as Kingsley and Tonks (and Remus). What are the Weasley adults and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix up to under the “Magic is Might” Ministry? Mundungus Fletcher can’t let us know a little more about what’s going on with them when he appears?

I would have loved to see the Weasley twins pull something like their OOTP fireworks pranks at the Ministry of Magic, before having to go officially on the run, but that’s a self-indulgent long shot. But still, just showing just a touch more of Percy and Molly’s struggles specifically (probably through a scene involving Arthur) could have made Percy’s resignation and Molly’s “Not my daughter, you bitch!” even stronger. Tonks and Remus’ deaths could have hit harder. Kingsley could have been clearly set up as someone taking a leadership position. 

We can’t get everything with the story being from Harry’s POV, but we could have gotten more to make the struggle against Voldemort feel more united. 

Other things that could have happened: 

- Bill and Fleur could have been directly involved in the Gringotts heist. I mean, they both used to work there. PLEASE give Fleur (and Bill) something to do in this story. 

- Luna and Xenophilius’ plotline could have just been about propaganda and the danger of choosing your narratives regardless of the facts. Xenophilius could have just been another source of information on Dumbledore’s past and Ravenclaw’s Diadem. 

- A storyline involving the Flamels (covered below). 

The revelation of the Deathly Hallows might give Harry a “Special Secret Magical Bloodline Inheritance”, but... like... 1) the Invisibility Cloak and the Gaunt Ring being “special” doesn’t really bring anything neat to the characters of James Potter, Lily Evans, or the Gaunts*, and 

2) it undermines earlier ideas that Harry was an ordinary boy made into the Chosen One because the Wizarding World decided they needed a hero, and because Harry chose to be that hero for them. And also that Voldemort was repeatedly kind of tricked into focusing on Harry as a threat through the importance placed on the prophecy.

Andrea: Unhappy is the land that breeds no hero. Galileo: No, Andrea: Unhappy is the land that needs a hero.

- Bertolt Brecht, Life of Galileo

(*Side note, but using the Resurrection Stone to bring back Merope Gaunt for some convoluted reason could be very fun. She’s pitiful and a rapist and it could’ve been interesting to actually hear her speak for whatever reason. Maybe this could be through Harry wondering if Voldemort could ever feel remorse? Self-indulgent one shot idea! Moving on now!) 

Right, so, now I’m going to run through the Hallows’ involvement in the story. 

Harry’s Family Cloak 

Harry’s Invisibility Cloak could have honestly just been a really well-made cloak, unlike the ones the Order was using. Maybe the person who knew how to make good cloaks was killed. Maybe the creature used to make the Potter cloak has gone extinct. Maybe the Potters remake or repair the cloak regularly. The cloak could have just served as representative of James’ lingering protection, in balance with Lily’s sacrifice offering lingering protection, and it would have worked. It’s not that big a plot-hole. 

Snape kills Dumbledore 

Dumbledore didn’t have Snape kill him because he wanted to leave the Elder Wand without an owner - that was just a potential benefit. Dumbledore had Snape kill him because 1) Dumbledore was dying anyway, 2) it would spare Draco Malfoy from taking his life, and 3) it would confirm Voldemort’s trust in the double-agent, which would leave Snape to look after Hogwarts after Dumbledore was gone in the case of a takeover. 

Making everything about the Elder Wand undermines the truly complex and grimly practical reasoning behind Snape killing Dumbledore in the 6th book. 

Dumbledore’s fatal curse 

Dumbledore allegedly put on the Gaunt Ring due to being unable to resist the temptation of the Resurrection Stone, but... I think that was always subject to investigation. 

Even if Dumbledore believed that he’d finally found the Resurrection Stone, he’s more than intelligent enough to know that the horcruxes are extremely dangerous. So, okay, let’s assume that in canon, he tried to use some safety measures and his judgment was emotionally compromised by the prospect of being able to speak to his lost loved ones, then the result is that his arrogance in thinking he could handle it gets him burned beyond recovery. 

We have NO IDEA how the ring was protected and was curses were laid upon it, besides the fatal one that Dumbledore contracts. It’s not absurd to suggest that there was a temptation enchantment on the ring. Or that escaping the ring’s hiding place, like retrieving the locket, was a complicated trap by Voldemort that somehow required putting on the ring. It doesn’t have to have been a Hallow for it to be the sudden and unexpected end of Dumbledore, with vibes of Dumbledore being arrogant in thinking he could handle it. 

We can assume that Dumbledore’s struggles with the ring and desire to pass the Horcrux Hunt on to Harry are behind his decision to take Harry to retrieve the locket. The locket seems to have been set up so that no one person could retrieve it alone. Why not the same for the ring? 

I think it might have been equally compelling if it was specifically Dumbledore’s attempt to handle everything himself and leave Harry out of the Horcrux Hunt that got him killed in the end, rather than a long obsession with the Deathly Hallows, so long as you executed it effectively. It’s another reason why Dumbledore could encourage Harry to take Ron and Hermione with him. It’s dangerous to go alone! Take your friends!

You could even connect this fatal curse to a Flamel plotline, if you wanted to explore Dumbledore’s relationship with immortality. 

Voldemort’s Hunt for the Elder Wand 

Voldemort’s hunt for the Elder Wand could have been replaced with him actually being more involved in his takeover of the British Wizarding World. He could have just had Ollivander make him a new wand, to try to get around Priori Incantatem. He could have sought out Dumbledore’s own wand purely because Dumbledore was the only man he ever feared, a formidable wizard of immense talent, not because it was the Deathstick. 

In fact, having Voldemort take Dumbledore’s wand purely because it was Dumbledore’s could have been a FANTASTIC way to explore Voldemort’s relationship with the man and his reaction to Dumbledore’s death. Does Voldemort feel anything resembling regret that Dumbledore died that way? Did he want to kill Dumbledore himself? I could see Voldemort doubting that Dumbledore was really dead and believing that Dumbledore’s death was too easy, after Dumbledore had been a part of his life for so long. 

It could have been a great parallel/contrast to Harry’s own grief over Dumbledore. Voldemort’s inability to handle Dumbledore’s death could even serve as another window to Snape’s struggles staying in Voldemort’s good books, while trying to protect Hogwarts and follow Dumbledore’s plans.  

Xenophilius and the Three Brothers 

Xenophilius’ role in the story could have been as someone initially fascinated by Grindelwald, removed from the real suffering Grindelwald caused and his legacy (unlike Viktor Krum), who learns to fear the new Dark Lord as someone very real and very dangerous. He’s a good character to potentially reveal more about Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s past, to offer information about Ravenclaw’s Diadem, and to offer information about what’s been happening with Luna and with Hogwarts, while exploring concepts of misinformation and chosen narratives. 

The story of The Three Brothers brings an interesting addition to the world, since we’ve never gotten to see much of magical literature, and it reveals mildly interesting things about Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s characters. But it’s also very replaceable with other storylines. We could have gotten another Potterwatch segment in place of it or something, and that would have worked. 

The Potterwatch segment could have even revealed that Xenophilius was selling them out because Luna had been kidnapped. 

Dumbledore and Grindelwald 

Dumbledore’s obsession with the Deathly Hallows in his youth is representative of his desire for power, unnatural power, and his hubris. But how he fell in love with and got burned by Grindelwald still works without the Hallows. The time could have been used to explicitly explore the fact that Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald. It could have been used to explore Dumbledore’s history in politics - how or if he helped squibs, house elves, werewolves, giants - and how he was constantly torn between standing up against evil... and inaction due his his fear of sparking violent conflict (see Ariana’s death). 

Harry could have found an early pamphlet written by Dumbledore and Grindelwald as teenagers, which could have explored Dumbledore’s early beliefs that Muggles were “too dangerous to be allowed to govern themselves”. In my opinion, that would have been much more horrifying than Dumbledore much more vaguely believing he could “master Death itself”, and it would have shown how history has repeated itself in the magical world. 

That Dumbledore once believed he could “master Death itself” sets him up as seeking immortality in his own way, but... eh... again, unnecessary. 

If you wanted to explore Dumbledore’s youthful belief that he could “master Death itself”, contrasted with Dumbledore’s reckless wearing of the ring and then orchestration of his own murder, then you could have had a plotline about the Philosopher’s Stone. Bring back Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel! Dumbledore was friends with the man who made the Elixir of Life! Maybe the Flamels also knew Grindelwald personally? (Maybe Ollivander did too?) 

I’m still curious about why the Flamels allowed Dumbledore to use the Philosopher’s Stone (if it was the real stone) as bait in the 1st book, and then allowed him to destroy it because “things are better this way” and “there’s no way to cheat death forever”. Bringing back the Flamels could have explored how old and tired Dumbledore was! And Dumbledore’s relationship with immortality! In a truly fantastic callback to the very beginning of the story! 

In fact, maybe it’s the choice to destroy the Philosopher’s Stone, to prevent Voldemort from ever obtaining it, that prevented Dumbledore from being able to cure the fatal curse of the Gaunt Ring! Consequences of his earlier plotting! He’s a man of many mistakes already, so this could work. 

The Resurrection Stone 

Okay, so there are three ways to interpret Harry walking to his death in the Forbidden Forest, in my opinion. 1) The Resurrection Stone really brought the Potters, Sirius, and Remus back for a moment. 2) The Resurrection Stone brought fake or corrupted versions of Harry’s loved ones back, because it’s a deathly artifact that tries to kill its owners for meddling with an important natural boundary. 3) The Resurrection Stone brought back shades of Harry’s lost loved ones, which were formed from his own impressions and emotions, because Harry wanted his late loved ones to tell him things would be fine. 

If it’s the second option, then the sentimentality of the scene is deeply undermined by the horror of the situation. And either way, after Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus (arguably) all died so that Harry could live, to have them tell him that it’s time for him to die and that it’s alright for him to die is horrifying. 

Sirius should be furious that this is happening to Harry. If he was alive, he’d probably be doing everything in his power to prevent Harry from going through with this. 

The time that Harry spends isolating himself and then speaking with dubiously real shades of the dead could also have been spent with the real, alive people who love him and who want to continue fighting. Yes, Harry avoids them because he knows they won’t let them go through with it and he wants to save them, but he could still do that while spending more time with them. More time could have been spent on the reasons Harry has to choose to sacrifice himself (the people he loves and the people who believe he’s the Chosen One), which are also all the reasons he has to live. 

Harry walking to his death with the shades of his loved ones, comforted by the idea that he’s doing the right thing, is... not bad. It can have some uncomfortable vaguely “Destined Sacrifice” undertones and some “Everything with be Alright so long as you follow the Plan” vibes, in my opinion. That he can’t really die because he’s protected by some vaguely benevolent god-figure is... weird as a concept, in my opinion, especially when the concept of Death having a personification in the HP universe is brand new as of the 7th book. 

Very, uh, Deus Ex Machina. Which can be fun, but really... I honestly think the 7th book was kind of way too late to bring implications of deities into it.

Harry walking to his death alone, by his own choice and under his own power, plagued by doubts and the unfairness of the problems left to him by dead men, could have been good too. Very painful. 

Harry’s Resurrection 

As I said in my previous post about how Harry survived, you don’t need to bring the Hallows into it at all. It can all be about the conditions of Harry’s original survival (Voldemort’s promise to spare Lily, then Lily’s begging Voldemort to take her and spare Harry), Lily’s lingering protection, Voldemort’s taking of his blood keeping the protection alive, and the conditions of Harry’s sacrifice. 

If Harry’s survival is attributed to the Hallows, to being the Master of Death, then it doesn’t matter whether or not Voldemort is the one to kill him. Which undermines Lily’s sacrifice, Snape’s vows, Dumbledore’s plans, and Voldemort’s mistakes, all of which have been better built-up throughout the series. 

Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsed building. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives him the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that he has never understood. And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die."

Harry seemed to be watching the two men from one end of a long tunnel, they were so far away from him, their voices echoing strangely in his ears.

"So the boy...the boy must die?" asked Snape quite calmly.

"And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential."

- J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Intent matters in the magic of Harry Potter. 

The scene of Harry walking alone to his death, filled with a desire to live, imagining holding that splinter of horcrux up like a shield outside of his mother’s protection and his need to survive, could have worked! 

I would have believed that the Avada Kedavra was never meant to be used on a person carrying two souls. I would have believed that Voldemort’s use of Harry’s blood kept her protection of Harry alive. Voldemort’s theft of Harry’s blood didn’t give him Lily’s protection, just the ability to temporarily negate it. 

You don’t need the Hallows to explain Harry’s survival, is the thing. 

It could just be him! Wanting to live! 

They’re honestly unnecessary. 

Voldemort and Harry’s final duel 

Harry beating Voldemort because he’s the true master of the Elder Wand is... really contrived, in my opinion, and unnecessary. Voldemort could have been beaten another way. Voldemort could have been beaten cooperatively by Harry, Hermione, and Ron working together, because Hermione and Ron refuse to let Harry do this by himself and get himself killed again. 

Hell, Voldemort could have been beaten by Ginny for all I care, without Harry having anything to do with it. 

Harry’s sacrifice could have been the last straw for his loved ones letting this “Chosen One” narrative happen. They thought he was dead. This could have been an opportunity to show off that the “power Voldemort knows not” really is love, really is friends and family, and that the prophecy has actually all along been telling Harry that he doesn’t have to do this alone. 

He’s the Chosen One because the people chose him, because he chose to be the Chosen One, and here would be an excellent opportunity for those people to help their chosen hero.

“Who was Albus Dumbledore?” is the big mystery of the 7th book. Intertwined with that question is the second mystery: “What are the Deathly Hallows?”

We discover the life and lies of Albus Dumbledore through the 7th book through the people who knew him, who loved him and hated him, through the people he left behind. Which is... really the only way to get to know the dead, if you live in a world which doesn’t have a Resurrection Stone (or ghosts).

All of Albus Dumbledore secrets come out through Bathilda Bagshot and Rita Skeeter and Muriel Prewett and etc., with Aberforth as the last keeper of the life and lies of Albus Dumbledore. 

But we never really find out what the Deathly Hallows are. 

Dumbledore supposes that they’re just exceptionally powerful artifacts made by very talented wizards, rather than created by Death itself. And I hold that headcanon myself, because I think the 7th book is too late to introduce the concept of deities into the book series, when there already exists an adequate explanation for Harry’s survival. 

That being the “Master of Death” is a mentality, rather than an actual position, works as a metaphor. But, as I said above discussing Harry’s Resurrection, the Deathly Hallows don’t have to exist at all for it to be Harry’s own desire to survive (for the spell to take the horcrux and leave him) that saves him. 

I don’t really like the idea that Harry had power/immortality thrust upon him because he was somehow “better” than Dumbledore and didn’t seek out power or immortality, but that works too.

(I refuse to entertain the idea that Harry became the “Master of Death” because he, unlike Dumbledore, had the “right” bloodline, which has nasty implications for a series supposedly against the idea of blood purity. That you can cheat death so long as you’re “special in the right way” is bad. The idea that the people who love you can save and extend your life is fine, but the Hallows are honestly unnecessary for that angle.) 

I suppose that not learning the truth about the Deathly Hallows could be a metaphor for Harry not being able to learn the truth, the full and complete truth, from the dead men who played with his life like Dumbledore, Snape, and Voldemort. That there are some things in this world that Harry will just have to be content with never understanding. 

But Voldemort is shallow enough (as he stands in canon) that this is no “truth” to it all for him. Arguably, the 7th book is emotionally more about the conflict between Harry, Dumbledore, and Snape, than it is about Voldemort. 

(AND, if the Hallows are meant to show that “there’s no real way to cheat death, no matter how many wizards try in all their different ways”, then they DON’T WORK. 1) Because Harry is made out to be the Master of Death and he survives Death again, which undermines the Hallows as “not being a path to immortality either”. 2) Because Voldemort never meaningfully interacts with the Deathly Hallows as a concept (just the Elder Wand as a tool of power), and HE’S the one who needs the “you can’t cheat death” lesson.)

And Snape’s “truth” is largely revealed by “The Prince’s Tale”.

And Harry gets pretty solid closure on the Dumbledore front through the dubiously real conversation he has with the man in the False King’s Cross. All of Harry’s questions about Dumbledore get answered by the man himself, even after Dumbledore has died, for no clear reason. I kind of want to call it “Deus Ex Machina closure”, but that’s probably not right.

(Harry meeting Dumbledore waiting for him in Limbo isn’t bad, I like it fine! Death is weird in Harry Potter! But it ruins the metaphor a little, if the Hallows are supposed to be representative of the incomprehensible.) 

So the Deathly Hallows don’t really work as a metaphor on that front, as death being unknowable and mysterious, in my opinion. They’re superfluous to all the plotlines they’re involved in. 

And if they can be replaced or avoided in every plotline, introduced in the final book and kind of clumsily so, I... can’t really take the whole “Master of Death” thing seriously as a real thing. I mean, it’s a fun thing to explore in fanfiction and in fan discussions (and I do explore it in fanfiction and in fan discussions! I think they’re funky!), but... I also think that all of the page-time devoted to the Deathly Hallows in the book series could be given to more interesting, more relevant plotlines involving the characters we already know and love. 

(...I think that’s everything? More or less?) 

So, like! Sorry to hit you with this much text, Anon! Your headcanons are your headcanons, and they’re valid! 

But I personally don’t have much respect for the Deathly Hallows as an introduction to the series in hindsight. I think they were, at best, only kind of an “okay” addition to canon and the story. And I think Harry being the “Master of Death”, as though that’s a real thing that gives him special powers (rather than a mentality than doesn’t require the Hallows at all), runs from being “kind of poorly handled but fine” to a “straight-up cop-out”. 

So I personally don’t count that. 

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

A personal update (and about future updates/posts):

I graduated French highschool and am now a student. Instead of going to university, I'm going to start what's called "Preparatory Class of Grandes Écoles" (or CPGE).

In France, university is free and according of what I heard, often less competitive (and prestigious) than British and American colleges. That's why we have "Grandes Écoles" (which are, according to WordReference : "extremely selective higher education establishments which admit students on the basis of competitive exams"). In order to prepare those exams, the students join a CPGE (we cannot enter Grandes Écoles without).

This path is pretty known as an ordeal for students, who suffer work intensively during 2 years. It's quite selective and we are supposed to learn very specific and complex things in a lot of domains, to eventually pass exams and hope to be accepted in a Grande École. (*)

That’s why I might no be able to update this blog as often as I want - not enough time, unfortunately. However, I will definitely continue to post things every now and then (I want to post that bloody dissertation about Albus' Boggart, even CPGE can't stop me).

That's all :)

(A summary of CPGE, indeed)

(*) about CPGE and my studies:

There are several pathways: a CPGE might prepare to prestigious engineering studies, scientific research, well-known buisness or communication schools...

But there also Grandes Écoles asking for literature, philosophy, art, history studies (ENS, École du Louvre...) - and thus CPGE which are arts courses. That's my path!

I'm starting what's called a "hypokhâgne", a CPGE, and will study quite an amount of very specific things about French literature, philosophy, history, foreign languages (English and German), ancien Latin (and maybe ancient Greek), arts' history and theory, and geography. And I still don't know what I want to do after, but hopefully, I will find. I also moved in the very heart of Paris.

(I'm already late and didn't read all I was supposed to, honestly. Though I had the pleasure to discover that our first English text is rather understandable - no need to mention that's essentially thanks the fanfics I read during last months. At least, all the nights I spent on AO3 - or writing analysis on Tumblr - have been suprisingly useful. And maybe this year, I will actually learn how to correctly speak in English - and stop doing dumb mistakes. I hope so.)

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

(sorry for my poor English, again, and it's rather short - a wondering more than a theory really)

Why is Albus Dumbledore often pacing?

Today I thought about the fact that Fred and George often saw Albus Dumbledore pacing like that

And usually I was just like "well yeah wise and old people do like slowly and pensively walk in rooms i guess"

But actually, it may not be what's doing Dumbledore

Isn't far more believable that he paces like this when he has too much energy? It can be frustration, anger, desesperation, stress, anticipation, even joy, and he thinks extremely fast and with passion and his emotions are less contained than usual - and thus he has way too much energy to spend and has to do something - and thus he just paces frenetically in his office?

I do not have the books around right now so I can't check but an Albus' pacing scene might be described in DH, in Snape memories - I remember about Dumbledore being extremely vigorous and walking in his office while talking with Snape? But I'm definitely unsure

Idk if I just initially didn't quite well understand the meaning of Albus Dumbledore pacing like that or it is actually something we have to think about (like theorise and analyse)? Never read someone's mind on it

Well that's my opinion, thanks for reading, I wonder if others also have this interpretation? :)

(I hope I am understandable also)

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

this is a side blog in pause since, like, 2022? my multifandom & main account is @uths-ethnol-spam, & note as well @uthseikoashx-goingmyway on hannibal nbc and interview with the vampire (mostly).

twt: @ustheikoashx

i do NOT support JKR's racist, antisemitic, transphobic discourse and active militantism.

• Table of contents •

hi, everyone. here is the (finally updated!) table of contents: you will find a list of all the posts of this account & links of them (with short summaries of the posts); i hope it will help.

the posts are in chronological order: the first posts are the oldest.

finally, i drop my (new) carrd.me HERE. if you are interested in other fandoms, you may want to check the list of my own interests follow me on TWITTER or on side-blogs:

Hannibal & IWTV/TVC: @uthseikoashx-goingmyway

What We Do In The Shadows, Our Flag Means Death, Good Omens (theory): @uthseikoashx-itsnighttime

Why Albus didn’t tell Ministry employees about the Blood Pact : theories about the Pact, Albus’ shame and his trust issues with the Ministry

Harry Potter and the Problem of the Elder Wand : why is Harry doomed to be treated by future Dark warlocks because of the Elder Wand - although he will not be its Master anymore?

Gellert Grindelwald as Hogwarts teacher/librarian : where are the fanfictions? (+ idea/prompt I guess?)

Parallels between Le Cid and GGAD : why a well-known french tragedy which sounds like the Summer of 1899?

Why are the Weasleys poor : theories about pure-blood families, inheritance and Molly’s and Arthur’s past

“True-magic-soulmates”, conservative society and theories : how can so many people find their true love so young - and still being in love decades later?

FBaWtFT and FBtCoG : the most iconic quote?

Sirius’ Animagus : why Sirius’ Animagus’ dog form sums up his personality traits

What I would love to see in the next Fantastic Beasts movies : ideas and thoughts y’know, not requests or something like that

Personal favourite HP (and FB) fanfictions : a rec-list, but unfortunately (or not?) it’s mostly GGAD (last edit: 08-24-2020)

Did Abelforth know about Albus’ and Gellert’s relationship : just a short and random post and why I think Abelforth didn’t

FBaWtFT and FBtCoG : a messy review, my opinion and perception about it (and with just a bit of jokes and theories)

What if Antonio had been created in 1899 : a theory about Gellert’s chupacabra (threw by the window in FBtCoG you remember?)

Gellert Grindelwald’s future : a choice creators might have to do in the next movies about how Grindelwald’s true nature, past, emotions and intentions (written in an hour in the train srly guys too much enthusiasm)

Discussions about Albus Dumbledore : several persons talked about Dumbledore, why he manipulates, why he despises himself, the impact of 1899... (not my work but extremely relevant so)

Why Boggarts evolve through years : a theory about what shows Boggarts about people (examples, symbols, consequences...)

Why is Albus Dumbledore pacing : Fred and George highlighted that it’s quite an an habit of the headmaster, why ?

What if the Blood Pact radiates with magic energy : could Grindelwald and Dumbleddore feel each other magic/presence? (more like a headcanon underpined by few magic’s rules I guess) (quite short)

A magic promise and what knows MACUSA : an update of the post about why Albus didn’t tell about the pact but with other questions, such as : why MACUSA, knowing about the existence of the blood pact, did nothing ?? >:(

The beauty of Grindelwald’s magic: the aesthetic of doom and the splendour of power, or the relationship Gellert + magic and the relationship people + Gellert/ Gellert’s magic (check the comments there are interesting people’s thoughts!)

Summer of 1899 fanfictions: but with Philosophy, ancient Greek and Latin, foreign languages and a bit of Literature, because the dark academia aesthetic matches so well with them

Albus’ secret network of forgers: because FBtSoD works better with a secret network of wizards counterfeiting magical objects, that is now my headcanon everyone

Grindelwald: revealing and admitting love: Gellert and Albus’ last encounter of FBtSoD, and a quite detailed analysis of the scene of what it tells about Grindelwald

note: albus is the character i analyse the most, because he is such an interesting character — that being said, i do not absolve him of his crimes/decisions, and he definitely is a grey character (i wouldn't say the bad guy though... i mean, he is not like voldy...); in this house, we try to understand and imagine how he became what he became, and why he did what he did, without saying he did the right thing — because again, it is fucking interesting and actually crucial in the wizarding world — and it has an impact on newt's team, the marauders gen, the golden trio gen, the 'next-gen' gen, etc

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Boggarts: why we can suppose they evolve through years

(Hi, here again up to no good (basically, theory). I apologize for the mistakes, the poor grammar, the choice of words which may be incorrect, etc.)

This post can be considered as an introduction: I want to talk about several specific Boggarts, first and foremost Albus Dumbledore’s one. Yet, before, I need to justify why I believe Boggarts’ form is not petrified, fixed through time. So let’s do it here.

Several weeks ago, I wondered what Albus Dumbledore’s Boggart was back in 1927. We know his Erised reflect shows an adult Gellert Grindelwald - however, in 2007, JKR declared Albus used to see his family in the Mirror, just like Harry.

It could be a “redcon”, but what if it’s not? Our deepest desire might change through the years. But isn’t it the same about our deepest dread? So could it be the same with Boggarts? And consequently, has Albus different Boggarts depending on his age?

However, we don’t know a lot of things about Boggarts: are they able to change, or are they always mirroring the same fear?

Why Boggarts’ form could evolve

Remus Lupin explained in PoA that Boggarts take the form of the deepest fear of a wizard or witch. The way Remus presents them, the way each character is associated with an unique Boggart’s form in the books, both of those things could mean that a person has one Boggart. Nevertheless, even if we don’t have any canon clue about it - or I think so? -, I believe Boggarts are supposed to evolve.

Ron, Seamus, Parvati… their Boggart are inspired by phobias and traumas. But people are often able to go through those phobias after years. The phobia of a 13-year-old wizard is not necessary the same 45 years later, etc.

We can simply think that fears are strongly connected to our experiences, what we are currently passing through. For example, Hermione’s Boggart at 14, during the exams in PoA, is McGonagall who tells her she failed all the tests. But if she meets a Boggart at 18, during DH, it can not still take this form: Hermione is constantly in danger, because of her blood status and her friendship with Harry - and I didn’t mention the quest of the Horcruxes. How can her deepest fear still be fail her exams?

Depending the context (the war), the age and the experiences, a Boggart may definitely change.

Boggarts are clues to understand a character though

It doesn’t mean that a Boggart is useless when we want to talk about characters’ personality or psychology. In fact, a Boggart is often a good way to discover the true nature of several persons in Harry Potter (and now, Fantastic Beasts).

Remus Lupin’s Boggart is the full moon - but his deepest fear is not the moon itself, it’s how he is doomed to take the form of a werewolf every month. He’s scared of what he could do while he’s not himself anymore, disgusted by his own nature of monster - or more accurately, what he considers to be a monster. In a way, Remus is scared by himself. His Boggart tells a lot about his self-esteem and his opinion about himself: he is not confident, he loathes his own condition - even if he’s not responsible of it. We know that for sure thanks PoA, the end of HBP and DH.

We could also talk about Newt’s Boggart in FBtCoG - a desk. Dumbledore says he’s afraid of working in an office, but we can understand it’s a bit more than that - Newt’s afraid of being stuck far from everything we likes and care about, magical creatures. Only near them he’s useful, free, etc. Again, Boggarts contain informations about a person’s heart, a person’s intimate nature.

Molly Weasley’s Boggart is also extremely interesting. We discovered it at the beginning of OotP: it takes the form of Ron’s corpse, then Fred’s corpse, etc. We can deduce two things: on one hand, a Boggart can actually have multiple forms for the same person; on the other hand, a Boggart often shows an idea, is a symbol of an immaterial dread. Here, Molly is scared of losing her family, evidently not of a corpse.

Boggart’s form can be symbolic: it might show an idea and not a literal fear

It actually proves what Professor Lupin said about Harry’s Boggart: Harry is not afraid of Dementors, he’s afraid of fear itself. Dementors are a symbol. Boggarts have to be interpreted to be understood.

(well, about Harry, we could argue he’s most afraid of losing control and be vulnerable, which is something related to his fear, or he’s scared of Dementors because his first experience with them was quite traumatising, like Ron is afraid of spiders because Fred and George transformed his plush in a spider when he was young)

We can also suppose that Boggarts’ form change a lot when a wizard or which is young and reflects an “immature” fear. I don’t want to say that children’s and teens’ dreads shouldn’t be considered as “serious” dreads; but in the books, the students have more childish fears than adults - in a way, those fears are immature because they are still in development. We could guess that adults’ dreads are more constant, more symbolic. It’s still a theory.

The consequences

(To be fair, we could argue that Harry’s Boggart didn’t change from PoA to DH - although he went through awful experiences, saw dreadful things, his deepest fear stayed constant. Consequently, it would not support the system we developed.

However, I think we can all agree on the fact that Harry is a bit special - I mean, he’s the hero, he has a very strong personality, he is particularly determined, has to carry the consequences of a prophecy at a very young age, must lead a quest and a war against one of the most dangerous wizard… So the fact that he’s already quite mature at 13 seems pretty clear to me - Lupin says it, “there are things in your past others cannot imagine” (give or take). So I don’t think it destroys the theory - it’s an exception more than a rule?)

Having evolving Boggarts means that studying the Boggart of the same wizard through the ages mirrors the evolution of that same wizard. For example, imagine Harry’s Boggart at 40 would require to understand what Harry became. Does his Boggart still take the form of a Dementor? If it does, does it have the same meaning as it had twenty years before? If not, what could it be? etc.

And in my opinion, a perfect character to study and theorise regarding his Boggart is Albus Dumbledore - after all, he lived 115 years and we have glimpses of his evolution through a whole century. And we will talk about Ariana. And Gellert. But unfortunately, not in this post. Sorry. (it sounds like a cliff-hanger - and it is)

Thanks for reading, I will be happy to read your opinion on this! :)