Ok so I’m just gonna write down my favorite dialogues of when Ron came back in DH and destroyed the horcrux :)

“‘Are - you - mental?’

Nothing but the shock of hearing that voice could have given Harry the strength to get up. Shivering violently, he staggered to his feet. There before him stood Ron,”

“Harry could not answer. The silver doe was nothing, nothing compared with Ron's reappearance; he could not believe it.”

“As he dragged sweater after sweater over his head, Harry stared at Ron, half expecting him to have disappeared every time he lost sight of him, and yet he had to be real: He had just dived into the pool, he had saved Harry's life.”

“‘How come you're here?’

Apparently Ron had hoped that this point would come up later, if at all.

‘Well, I've - you know - I've come back. If-’ He cleared his throat. ‘You know. You still want me.’

There was a pause, in which the subject of Ron's departure seemed to rise like a wall between them. Yet he was here. He had returned. He had just saved Harry's life.”

“‘…- I can't do it, Harry!’

He had backed away, the sword dragging at his side, shaking his head.

‘You can do it,’ said Harry, ‘you can! You've just got the sword, I know it's supposed to be you who uses it. Please, just get rid of it, Ron.’ The sound of his name seemed to act like a stimulant. Ron swallowed, then, still breathing hard through his long nose, moved back toward the rock. ‘Tell me when,’ he croaked.”

“He had sunk to his knees, his head in his arms. He was shaking, but not, Harry realized, from cold. Harry crammed the broken locket into his pocket, knelt down beside Ron, and placed a hand cautiously on his shoulder.”

“‘After you left,’ he said in a low voice, grateful for the fact that Ron's face was hidden, ‘she cried for a week. Probably longer, only she didn't want me to see. There were loads of nights when we never even spoke to each other. With you gone . . .’

He could not finish; it was only now that Ron was here again that Harry fully realized how much his absence had cost them.”

“‘I'm sorry,’ he said in a thick voice. ‘I'm sorry I left. I know I was a - a -’

‘You've sort of made up for it tonight,’ said Harry. ‘Getting the sword. Finishing off the Horcrux. Saving my life.’”

“Simultaneously they walked forward and hugged, Harry gripping the still-sopping back of Ron's jacket.”

“Though the walk through the dark forest with the doe had seemed lengthy, with Ron by his side the journey back seemed to take a surprisingly short time. Harry could not wait to wake Hermione, and it was with quickening excitement that he entered the tent,”

Things I hate in Harry Potter Fanfictions

This are the tropes I found multiple times in lots of different fanfictions and I got fed up with how illogical, overused and badly written they are :/

Completely changing the story to the point where I’m starting to wonder if it’s even Harry Potter because the only thing that stayed the same are the names.

( If it’s ships ) When one or both sides are already in love with each other ( in this cringy “I always loved him/her ) especially on what normally would be considered enemies to lovers. If I’m reading a story especially with a non canon ship I’d want to know how they’ve came to be, how the love blossomed. Or at least a reasonable explanation of why the character loves the other from the start of the story.

( If it’s Dark Harry ) The: One morning Harry wakes up and decides ah fuck it I’m changing sides “I care not for your good side anymore, now I’m going to be evil” and Voldemort is like “Oh well- guess I won’t kill him then, never mind that it was my obsession for the last decade and more, It changed today”

Evil-Good Harry…? Honestly I hate this trope soooo much. The: Voldemort was good from the start and it was Dumbledore that was truly evil and he manipulated Harry and/or he was the one who killed Harry’s parents. “Yeah, no like Voldemort is a pretty good guy. He can even be considered as a role model of being good if we ignore all of his other/earlier victims and people he tortured. I mean- I don’t see any evil right?”

Ron, Ginny and Hermione bashing because why not ( this happens especially often with Slytherin Harry fanfics). I don’t mind if some characters get their negative traits explored but make it real people, I can’t read a story where those characters act so bad and OOC for no actual reason. And no Harry being in Slytherin isn’t a reason because those characters never bullied and harassed anyone purely because they were a Slytherin. Yes they did not like this house ( for a good reason might I say ) but they never even acted out on Malfoy who was openly bullying them, the only situations we get where Malfoy and his friends got attacked by Ron and/or Hermione were deserved, and were responses to his provocations.

( If it’s not in order to hide his identity ) Changing Harry’s name. I can understand using Hadrian or Harris as the elongated versions of Harry but when someone straight up changes his name and now I’m reading a story about Daniel or Bob or something for no apparent reason then the whole thing seems stupid and illogical for me.

When Draco and Snape liked Harry from the start. Draco was a narcissistic, spoiled little child and he wasn’t nice to Harry both when he knew who he was ( train ride ) and when he didn’t ( Madam Malkin - their first meeting ). He expected admiration and friendship from Harry like if he had earned it. Making him be like a best friend from the very start is non sense, those boys would need time to come together, and with Harry’s personality I bet they’d still have a silly rivalry if they were in the same house. Same with Snape, like there’s no way he would tolerate Harry let alone like him. He hated Harry from the moment he saw him in the great hall and even before the boy went to Hogwarts. For Snape and Harry to like each other there would need to be a very good reason and it wouldn’t come immediately, but with lots of time and more interactions between each other.

Too much muggle stuff in the magical world. I don’t mind it if a lot of the story plays out in the muggle world or some muggle stuff is crucial for the story point but when I read a fan fiction where Harry was in St.Mungos and he was being treated the muggle way I lost it and dropped the fic. Like are you really going to put full on muggle medical equipment in a gigantic wizard hospital and make your healers use almost only muggle diagnostic methods? Most Wizards barely have any proper knowledge on muggles, and even muggleborns don’t know that much since they are introduced into wizarding world at a young age and basically spend the rest of their life in it. They have a lot more knowledge about muggles than pureblood wizards but it’s still not THAT much.

Overpowered Harry. The „Lord Potter; Black; Peverel; Gryfindor; Slytherin; etc… etc.. :/ nothing wrong with powerful Harry. I like powerful Harry. But it’s ridiculous that a child, a 11-15 yo boy would just instantly have more magical power than Merlin himself, and he would immediately know what to do with it

Gringotts knows everything about you. The „heritage tests” and all. Making a good use of Gringotts is amazing in fanfiction and I love exploring ideas people have on it but this trope is not only overused but also dumb. I’m not talking about simple family linking that people use or like blood checking. I mean the young Harry goes to Gringotts and just with a drop of his blood it is instantly known that he is meant to be a lord of this and that and he owns such and such properties and he is hella rich because of all the vaults that were left to him. And also goblins being friendly. These creatures do not like wizards.

Know it all Hermione. But like literally. Hermione being so overglorified and being literally smarter than Dumbledore and basically all Hogwarts staff often at age 11-16. She’s smart but let’s be real this is not possible. Like her being able to do anything in the world after “reading a book/going to the library for a bit”

Harry being the most handsome, ripped and freaking amazing Hogwarts student while literally being like 14 or 15.

Harem… Nothing bad with Harry having a flock of girls that are attracted to him ( this is canon ) but oversexualizing women in order to make Harry the girl-magnet that has 7 girlfriends and like all the „conventionaly attractive” witches around him - Hermione, Ginny, Fleur, Daphne etc.”

Harry hating Dumbledore from the beginning, blaming everything on the poor old man, being annoyed by the most stupid thing like: “Dumbledore smiled at him, and Harry went utterly furious” ://

Child Harry behaving like an adult and teenage/mature Harry behaving like a child. Why would a 11 yo go to Hogwarts and suddenly be a master manipulator, know exactly what to say to get out of difficult situation and can outsmart his peers and/or adults to show „how much better he is”. And the other situation: Harry being completely clueless, using childish language, being referred to by others as “little one, pup etc.”

All Slytherins are misunderstood angels. No they aren’t! As a Slyhetin myself I can recognize Draco’s ( and his friends ) bullshit when I see it! Yes stop the stereotype of “All Slytherins are bad” but do not excuse actually bad Slytherins.

Fics gloryfing toxic pureblood culture. Exploring different aspects of the culture, the better and worse ones is cool and creative but I’ve seen a lot of fics gloryfing what is just abusive and toxic and romanticizing it in the name of “pureblood customs/traditions”

Guns… just no… like what? It’s like how to tell you’re American without telling you’re American. I hate seeing guns in HP and the wizarding world, and the often following glorification of this weapon

Excessive American English. I don’t mind it much if it’s just some words but please all the slang and common words from American English are annoying. It’s not that hard to do a little bit of reaserch of the common differences in some words. The story is played ( mainly ) in the United Kingdom, the language used by characters should be British English ( like Harry & Hermione ) and Scottish English ( like McGonagall )

Excessive ( and especially if heavily described ) abuse from Dursleys that would have killed Harry at least 5 times before he would be 10. Like heavy beating, breaking bones, stabbing. I do not like reading such things and I found this in fanfics quite a lot….

Oversexualization of children 11-15. While exploring the sexual side of romance/life is okay in a teenager, it is a part of life, I hate seeing fics that oversexualize ships that at the time have characters aged 11-15 - literal children, especially oversexualizing young Hermione, in some Harmony fics ( where she was 14 ), or Ginny, with fics calling her a slut/whore because she had a crush on Harry, or when she’s a bit older because she dated a few boys.

Illogical use of Parseltongue. First of all Parseltongue is a language and Parselmouth is the speaker ( pls I beg don’t describe Harry as a Parseltongue ). But suddenly this language being like all powerful, and you can do wandless magic with it and basically perform any spell without ever using it before.

Luna being bullied by every Ravenclaw, ( like most of those ppl - especially the older ones or younger ones - do not actually care ) and her being like a super mega seer that knows all about the future and is actually super mega smart in her weirdness.

Feel free to add your points to this list!

Hello! I just wanted to pop by and say I’m sorry for spamming your blog with likes and reblogs the last couple days. I just was desperately looking for Ron content I hadn’t seen before and kinda fell in love with your blog (I also found you on Quora and love your answers there also)! I’d keep going back even further than I made it (sorry if that’s creepy) if I didn’t keep losing my spot and having to scroll all the way back to where I was (stupid phone). I want to be as bold as you are when it comes to defending Ron. He’s my hyperfixation and the way you passionately defend him is amazing. You take no shit and don’t let anyone make you feel bad for loving Ron. I love your fight back attitude because you’re right - Ron fans have spent decades fighting for our lives in this godforsaken fandom. Anyways, thank you for inspiring me to be loud and proud about defending Ron. It’s becoming a hobby of mine.

Don't be sorry! I'm glad you enjoyed my blog! Do keep in mind though that I've been... needlessly aggressive in the past, over sometimes misunderstandings. I can be much too angry, so... be careful. I tend to forget that behind the messages, there's another human being... ... a human being that's also a Ron-bashing asshole, yes, but a human being nonetheless.

Anyway yeah!! It's exhausting how much casual Ron-hate is still tossed around, and how even Romione shippers will call shitty toxic tropes "cute :)". Yeah sure, maybe Hermione saying "oh Ron you're MY idiot :)" was cute once. But when you've seen over a thousand fics where Hermione calls Ron "MY idiot :)" while Ron gets cruxified the SECOND he's upset at her, yeah that's not being a Ron fan, that's just being a Mary Suemione simp.

I should really finish my fanfictions, show an example of what kind of content I wish Romione could be. Enough of the bootlicking for Hermione, enough excuses for her, enough of thinking that her academic results are somehow proof of her being on another level of being. I hate that kind of thinking. People really have no idea what school does to kids, do they?

Other folks have talked about it before, and it's true, that a lot of Ron-hate is steeped in social issues. Classism, elitism, sexism, ableism, puritanical Calvinist bullshit from the USA's finest """Christians""". The notion of Ron being "useless" and how that means he shouldn't be friends with Harry and Hermione... like, my guy, you know that's the way Voldemort thinks right?

It's kind of astonishing how badly this fandom misses the point of the whole series (it's not like Rowling was being subtle about it!!), but then these are the idiots that worship Draco Malfoy and claim he was redeemed when his last action pre-Epilogue was to claim he was on the Death Eater's side. If that's the role model these folks want then no wonder they can't appreciate Ron: Ron actually recognized when he fucked up and actually apologized and tried to do better, while Draco was saying racial slurs and showed no remorse aside from that time he cried about how murdering people is hard. Of course the fandom of folks who believe that Harry should forgive Malfoy when Malfoy never apologized would assume that Ron is a bad guy: can you believe that Ron shows remorse? Remorse is for weak people. Only cool people don't have remorse, because that means they have nothing to regret. That's how it works right?

Anyway. The HP fandom sucks, it's a cesspool of bigoted jerks that like to pretend they're really progressive but are just a mirror of their much-loathed author whom they still worship through Hermione dearest. Rowling's books teach us that it's okay to impose your ideas onto the "lesser" peoples because it's for their own good, that a few performative words about how you think everyone is equal is enough to have you branded "tolerant" even your other behaviour is the polar opposite (see how Hermione will chide Ron for being "racist" towards giants when he points out that they're violent... only to be a quivering terrified mess in front of Grawp, yeah, I can smell the tolerance from here), and OF COURSE, that girly girls are dumb sluts here to steal yo man. Oh and also that the man is always to blame, and if he's feeling hurt by something, it's invalid unless he's an orphan.

This fandom sucks, but that's the only place where there's a tiny chance to find actually decent Ron content. Woe.

What are your favorite characters in HP? And are they the ones you like to write and read fanfic about? Because for me these are two different lists (except for Harry, my one true love)

hi!! ooh good question. honestly it's been literal years since i've interacted with HP as a canon beyond fic and so i think i agree with you, these are two different lists for me!

my absolute favorite character in HP growing up was ron lol. i was a huge ron weasley girlie. loved him to death. i think that def influences how i write and read him now (i have little tolerance for ron bashing in fic tbh) but not to the extent it would if i still cared a lot about canon and held it in a special place in my heart, which i kind of don't.

i think i like harry more now, through fanfic, than i did in canon. certainly that's true for draco.

other canon faves were:

cedric (my first ~fanfic may have been self-insert me/cedric diggory when i was like 10 that i wrote in a spiral notebook i still have!!)

george (but not fred? why??)

sirius (and isn't that a disconnect with fic!!)

ginny (possibly my second fave after ron)

luna (my manic pixie dream girl before i understood what that was)

fleur (this made young allie a certified molly weasley hater for a while, and i was legit mad she didn't win the triwizard tournament lol. my default state for any competitive venture as a kid was to always root for the girl no matter what)

pansy (this one has stayed consistent! looking back i think i had a crush on pansy, too, because i can't figure out why i always loved whenever she popped up)

i think you can def see parts of this list in who i like to write (cedric lives rewrite when?? jk) but it's certainly not a fully overlapping venn diagram. way more interested in harry and draco now, plus a good number of side characters that fic has made interesting that i never thought about in canon (like charlie, the rest of the slytherins, zacharias smith?? etc.)

thanks for this ask! it was so interesting to think about.

Wrong boy who lives meets Canon

ok so, before anything starts let's get to the rules:

The title of this prompt is "Wrong Boy who lived Meets Canon" so the canonverse has to follow the books down to a T untill the two universes colide (however feel free to correct any racist names and stereotypes and cases of Jk's bogotry against Slyterin's that you may find. i will not tolerate slander against Severus or Draco so if you hate them don't ever write a fict for this or any of my other plot bunnies. )

You don't have to stick with canon ships....in fact i heavily encourage that you don't (just please let be Bill be with Fleur, they are cute)

In neither of the universes you are allowed to pair Harry with Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Neville, Susan Bones, crab, goyle or any of the two other members of the golden trio.

No reader-inserts, self-inserts or unhappy endings are allowed.

spanking, watersports, extremely underage ships or parent/child incest are only allowed if portrayed on a negative light.

Peter Petigrew and Dolores Umbridge must be bashed on both universes.

You must bash Ron Weasley in the WBWL universe and make him a bully cause wbwlharry needs a rival and i'd like for the WBL universe to be compleatly different from canonverse in terms of interactions. (so....yeah...don't pick this plot bunny if you're a apart of the ron Weasley defense sqaud)

Dumbledore must be bashed in the WBWL universe

Molly Weasley must also be bashed in the WBWL universe.

Dumbledore must be gay in both universes and atracted to Grindewalt and Grindewalt alone.

you are not allowed to make wbwlharry OP but you can make him a genious.

you can make wbwlharry be a creature but that creature but that creature can't be an elf (of any kind) or a a naga.

if wbwlJames is evil,wbwlharry's patronus can't be a stag,for obvious reasons.

as there aren't nearly enough ficts with these tropes i've decided that:

Percy Weasley

Sirius Black

James Potter

and

either Fred, George or both

must be Slytherin's in the WBWL universe

while that universe's Severus Snape is a gryffindor.

15.poor grammar is not allowed (you don't need a beta but at least use grammarly some form of grammar corrector)

16. in both universes,Hagrid can only be paired with Madame Maxine and no one else

17. in both universes, Mad Eye Moody and Amelia Bones can't be paired with anyone

18 . in both universes, Minerva Mcgonagal can only be paired with Poppy Pomfrey or anyone on the staff that she never taugh herself.

19. in both universes,Crabbe and Goyle can only be paired with Daphne Greengrass, Astoria Greengrass, Milicent Bulstrode, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, each other or an Oc.

Now with that out of the way, let's go:

So the basic premise of this plot bunny is that, when Sirius falls on the Veil in the battle of the ministry, Harry follows him, only the Veil is not a death device but a portal wich brings them to the universe of the Wrong Boy Who lived.

Now, as is a classical of this trope you must chose one of the follow:

A. James is evil and gave Lily a love potion to make her fall for him as well as casting the Imperious on her so that she allowed him to be as violent and neglectfull as he wishes to be with Harry.

B. Same as above but with Lily being the one to give James the potion and cast the imperium in a bid to marry the most popular guy at school (if you ever read Knowledge of the Gods by PreciousLadyAthena on Ao3. This Lilly is basically the one depicted in that story but more evil)

C. Jilly as a whole is evil and only care about Harry's oc sibbling/ the one dubbed as the chosen one.

D. Dumbledore spelled Jilly to be evil

Regardless, it is up to you to decide wbwlHarry's house and romantic interests.

I wanna see canonverse Sirius and Harry trying to help wbwlharry with his voldemort while wbwlharry helps them to get back home.

Make of that what you will

I am so glad I found your page! Finally an author who understands why Hermione is so bloody annoying. I have to ask you which relationship/fandom relationship irks you the most?

Ron x Hermione

Harry x Hermione

Sirius x Hermione

I tolerate the Romione but the last 2 just get my blood boiling. Apologies for my rant beforehand, I’m just excited to finally come across someone who understand me! I think fandom thinks Hermione and Lily were similar and therefore “Harmony” would make sense (excuse me while I puke). Other than being smart I don’t see how Lily and Hermione were alike. My friends and I call the the Harmony shippers the fake fans since most of them watched the HP movies and didn’t read the books or clearly comprehend it. As for Sirius and Hermione, I don’t see him ever dating his godson’s friend. The man might be made out to be wh**e according to fandom, but the man has standards! I don’t think Hermione is his type at all. He wouldn’t give her the time of day and probably release Buckbeak after her. Hell Buckbeak would probably attack her if she wouldn’t shut up while she was on one of her rants lmao. Ron may put up with Hermione for a bit but Harry and Sirius wouldn’t give her the time of day. The other thing I can’t stand is fandom making Hermione a Head Girl! Wouldn’t that be someone who is approachable, kind, and empathetic? Does Hermione possess any of those qualities?! Umm, no! She would give out detentions and give lectures to students trying to have fun about studying and doing homework just like a bloody professor. She’s not Head Girl material!

I gotta ask, did you find me via Reddit where someone keeps bashing me for not liking Hermione?? Yes, I’m allowed not to like a character. No, I don’t needless bash her in my stories. Yes, I’m getting irritated and frustrated by the entire thing.

I digress.

I would say Romione irks me the least. I’ve tolerated writing them in canon compliant stories.

Harmony is just no. Sirimione (is that what it’s called?) is a massive no. HE WOULD NEVER DATE HIS GODSON’S FRIEND. I don’t understand why Hermione is the one character who is constantly paired with everyone under the sun. She’s not that interesting.

I think she’s smart enough to be head girl, but I don’t think she has the social skills to be head girl. By extension, I don’t get stories that have Draco be head boy either. That makes no sense. Ron being head boy doesn’t make sense. Or Harry. Or Ginny. It’s all for different various reasons that I draw that conclusion.

Check Between the Lines // Closed RP

@heartscfvalor​

The rest of the year, following the Final Battle of Hogwarts in May of 1998, went back and forth between spells of utter peace and quiet, and then bursts of flurried activity, trying to repair the world. The Ministry pulled itself back up by its bootstraps, led by Kingsley and guided by a council he put together of surviving Order members and trustworthy Ministry workers. Kingsley did what he could to minimize calling on the Golden Trio....but it was not as if they could really escape involvement.

Harry had no desire to, anyway. He wanted to be on the ground running, making things right again. And first and foremost, that meant devoting several weeks of that summer to trials, working through the list of Death Eaters and assigning conviction or exoneration statuses...even the dead had their names marked, for historical accuracy.

He attended every single one. And at Kingsley’s request, Harry wrote testimonies for several, along with Ron and Hermione, and other DA members, giving evidence that contributed to decisions for many convictions. But only one time did he actually speak up, attending the trial and then stepping onto the floor before the Wizengamot, holding their gazes resolutely and talking until he broke down every last bit of resistance, and all but pulled the I’m the goddamn Boy Who Lived and I saved your arses, give me this card.

In the end, though many seemed bewildered by Harry’s persistence, the concession was made. Narcissa Malfoy was cleared of any charges and given a “judicial request” to remain on house arrest. Lucius Malfoy was required to serve six months in Azkaban, and then he would join her for three years’ house arrest....and, by Harry’s demand without compromise, Draco’s conviction was reduced to war crimes under duress and his sentence was eighteen months’ house arrest.

Harry didn’t have much time to think or dwell on the Slytherin man for the rest of the year. It was only as Christmas began drawing closer, the Weasleys and Hermione planning quite the bash after losing out on the year before together, that Harry thought of the blond...and his gut clenched imagining a Christmas in the dark, haunted halls of Malfoy Manor. So as the others decorated the tree and sang to Celestina Warbeck and the smells of a feast filled the air, Harry sat down one evening to pen a letter.

Happy Christmas, Malf Draco,

I imagine this will seem very out of the blue. I hope that you’re...well, as well as you can be. I had thought to come to the Manor in person and ask after you, but I wasn’t sure if you would tolerate that. Thought this was a safer starting point.

Truthfully I worried you must be lonely. I know your mother is with you and your father will be soon, as well, but...all considered, I wasn’t sure how much of a comfort those facts are. Not that your mother isn’t lovely, and I still need to thank her in person someday. I don’t know if she told you that she protected me that day. She lied right to his face, hid that I was still alive--I know it was to get back to the castle searching for you, but she took that risk. It made all the difference.

You looked so angry and confused when I spoke at your trial. Did you really think that I wanted to see you cast away into Azkaban? I know we were never friends, but I did not see you as one of them, Draco. You were always better, capable of more.

...I’m being called down to dinner. I’m not sure what else to say, so I will go ahead and have send this before I lose my nerve...the bird’s called Eleos. She’s partial to having her wing joints scratched.

Regards,

H.J. Potter

Juliet Immortal (2011) Review Part 3

In which Jay attempts plot twist after plot twist, and retcon after retcon, cheerfully saying “Fuck you” to R&J and any reader who likes them, and me saying "Fuck you" back. Spoilers, of course.

How. The fuck. Is it still Romeo’s fault??????

Well, yes, he still betrayed her to the Mercenaries for no good reason, true. Still, though, you would think she would lay off the guy once she realizes that yes, she really did kill herself!!!

*opens mouth. Closes it*

Romeo “I am a pilgrim to worship this saint” Montague, not realize the gift he’d been given??????? As if he hadn't been as fully committed to Juliet as he to her!!!!

Also, the very fact of Juliet spending literal centuries hating him and nursing a grudge against him instead of moving on to other people…honey, I don’t know what to tell you except that it may not be hate you’re feeling. Just saying. *coughenemieswithbenefitscough*

“Hey, what if…Juliet Capulet wasn’t the stupid and naïve girl we think she is???? What if we went easy on her for once?????” Fuck you, book. Lay off my sun saint maiden.

This would never happen in canon, not even in an alternative reality! Not only that, but why the hell is Juliet even in the tomb and faked her death in the first place? Why is Benvolio randomly there? Why the hell did Romeo get Ron the Death Eater’d so badly????

Gotta love this tendency of the book to call itself out on its own plot holes, as if even it knows it’s bullshit. And by love I mean hate. There is no way Romeo wouldn’t recognize his own cousin, and fuck you to the book for even acknowledging it!!!!

Fuck you too, book.

To Conclude

So despite my wangsting, this isn't the badly written disaster I have experienced before re: published R&J fanfic. It zipped along nicely, it was entertaining, and the prose didn't make me want to stab my eyes out. The author didn't attempt the early modern English lingo, perhaps wisely, because then I would have gone postal, and the magic system really was just horribly done magic realism. All in all, this wasn’t a total embarrassment to read.

That said, this book is a big “fuck you” to anyone who likes/loves Romeo as a character and R&J as a pairing and hell, even R&J the play. If I had to tag it on AO3, it would be as a total hate fic. R&J are horrendously OOC even for this alternative reality. The Ben/Juliet pairing is much more shallow than the R&J one, yet treated as the “superior" ship. The ending in which Juliet time travels back to her own time to the tomb and Benvolio finding her and telling her about Romeo/Rosaline is an awful deus ex machina and a slap in the face to anyone with two brain cells to rub together. It is as if the author read the play once in freshman English, hated Romeo with the passion of a fiery suns, and thought, “Why can’t Juliet be with someone like Benvolio, he seems cool.” And that became her spite OTP for her fictionalized anti screed.

As for the Romeo slander...well, you lot know already how feral I can get whenever bad faith arguments crop up against R&J proper, but especially for Romeo, who gets the absolute worst of the hate, bad faith criticisms, and largely uncharitable and bizarrely resentful interpretations. When I see it in fanfic, published or not, I truly get snarly. Suffice to say, Romeo and Juliet are two halves of the same fucking coin, and to criticize one for being rash and impulsive and overly emotional when the other is right there doing and feeling the exact same things in very similar language and the narrative itself pointing it out...is just sad at this point. That's why I have personally never understood why people dislike one or the other so much; their differences are much more subtle than their similarities, imo. So Jay's insistence on trashing Romeo while at the same time making him act somewhat sympathetically at times (telling Juliet key truths, helping her against the real Big Bad, the Mercenary who made him, still loving Juliet despite her hating him to bits and loving Ben instead) while at the same time giving him a really awful fate just gets my chupacabra. Thanks, I hate it! And what pours salt in this wound is that despite it all, R&J are still more interesting to read about together than Ben/Juliet (!!!). It’s like the Darkling drama all over again.

And then there are actual sequels to this!! How the hell could this author continue this is beyond me. If the author does get some ovaries and even the slightest hint of self-awareness, she would have just made R&J enemies-to-lovers or enemies-with-benefits; I think that also would have made that These Violent Delights book more compelling and fixed the lack of romantic tension between the two leads.

But in sum: If you want a quick read, like nicely plotted and detailed trainwrecks, are not as invested in R&J canon or even R&J itself, and are tolerant of Romeo bashing, go ahead and pick this up. Otherwise, skip.

The Secret of Distance (2/?)

Summary: Anne and Gilbert embark on their journeys, but stay close to each other at heart. Courting across 1000 miles isn’t easy, but they’re more than willing to step up to the task. (A post s3 story). 

Notes: If you want to be tagged when the next chapter is posted, I can do that! I’ve seen others do that, and wanted to throw it out there.

~~*~~

Gilbert had grown so accustomed to the rattling of the window on the side of his face, that as the train slowed to a stop, he roused from his sleep. Around him, passengers shuffled on tired feet down the aisle of the train, but Gilbert squinted tiredly, adjusting to his surroundings. Where was he again? 

Outside the train,  a sign was lit up by electric lights: “Welcome to Toronto, Ontario.”

Oh, that’s right, he thought to himself, I’m going to medical school. At 4:30 in the morning it seemed. As he grabbed his trunk, his brain felt like it was trudging through mud. He’d left PEI on a ship to the mainland, then situated himself on the train for a fifteen hour trip. And he had kissed Anne. 

That woke Gilbert up. He had kissed Anne at exactly noon yesterday, and she had kissed him back. He kissed Anne. She tasted the way he expected sunshine would taste if you could jar it like honey. She fit perfectly against him when he pulled her close, drawn to him as strongly as he was to her. Soft hair framed her face, feathery tufts that grazed his fingers when he held her cheek. He’d never forget the sight of her, so beautifully grown, yet so breathtakingly Anne . The thought was distracting enough that he didn’t realize his footsteps had slowed to a halt in the middle of the path. 

He might’ve stood there forever, burning the memory of Anne’s kiss into his mind, but a drunkard rambled past him, colliding with his shoulder. Gilbert stumbled on his feet, righting his coat on his shoulders with a bristled frown. He needed to find his new apartment before he was swept away into whatever unsavory things happened at four in the morning.

From one of his hidden inside pockets, he pulled out a note in Miss Stacy’s familiar script. 

Gilbert, 

Emily couldn’t get you into a boarding house because of your late admission. She does, however, know a young man who has an extra room in his apartment. He’s agreed to let you board with him, and will leave the door unlocked so you may let yourself in. You’ll find Ronald Stuart at 293 North Sunset St - the right hand apartment. 

Good luck on all your endeavors! I know you’ll exceed beyond our expectations. 

Your Exceedingly-Proud Educator, 

Miss Muriel Stacy

Gilbert didn’t know much about this Ronald Stuart, but had sent the young man a letter telling him when to expect him. Part of him was glad he wouldn’t be living under the supervision of an owner of a boarding house, like Anne certainly would be. If he found this Ronald Stuart agreeable, they could become close friends and enact their own rules, answering only to themselves and to each other. 

The house on 293 North Sunset St. was a sizeable place built of bricks the same color as the PEI roads back home. Gilbert snuck as quietly as he could up the creaky stairs leading to the door of his new apartment, before twisting the door knob. Stubbornly, it refused to budge. 

Gilbert peaked at the house number, then his note, then tried the door again, this time with more strength. Maybe Ronald hadn’t gotten his letter in time? Maybe he’d forgotten to leave the door unlocked. 

There was nothing to do about it. He rapped his knuckles hard enough on the door that the noise likely could be heard by the next door neighbors. Even so, the door remained closed. The chilly August air was beginning to sink into his bones. Gilbert knocked again, more aggressively this time. 

“I hear ya, I hear ya!” came a voice from inside the house. Gilbert took a step back from the door, steeling himself for whatever would come once the door opened. A shadowy figure appeared behind the curtains before the door swung open. 

Gilbert cleared his throat. “Mr. Stuart?” 

The fellow before him was a tall one, lanky with hard angles. His dark hair was a mop upon his head where long, straight hair stuck out in all directions. Long eyebrows quirked back at Gilbert, who clenched his jaw. 

“Gil?” the man answered back. Gilbert cocked his head. No one called him Gil. Not even Bash or Anne. 

“Yes, that’s me. Gilbert Blythe. The door was locked, otherwise I’d have let myself in.” 

Ronald ran a hand through his hair, tousling it into an even greater mess. He stepped aside and let Gilbert enter the space. 

“I was real glad was Dr. Oak reached out to me about you coming to stay,” Ronald explained with a yawn. “The last fellow who stayed here graduated last spring, and I’ve been having trouble paying for the whole apartment myself. It’s not much, but it’s plenty for two men to share.” 

Gilbert pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to his new roommate. Inside was the first of four years’ worth of rent payments. Bash had promised to send Gilbert his share of the farm’s earnings in plenty of time each month for him to pay his debts. 

“That reminds me, this is for you,” Gilbert said. Ronald only tossed the envelope on a nearby table and leaned against it, tired eyes examining his new roommate. 

“You drink?” he asked. Gilbert couldn’t tell if the man was offering or judging. 

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. 

“You snore?” 

Gilbert frowned. “...Not...that I know of?” 

Ronald shrugged and headed up the stairs. 

“We can talk in afternoon. I’m going back to sleep. Your room is up the stairs on the right. Mine’s on the left. There’s one more empty room, for guests I guess, if you ever have any.” 

Gilbert bit the inside of his cheek. Would the people from home ever come all the way to Toronto just to see him? Adjusting his cases in his hands, Gilbert took a deep breath. 

“Alright, thank you.” But Ronald had already gone. 

Outside, the street echoed silence around, giving it an eerie stillness. If he hadn’t been so tired, he might’ve felt the weight of being so far away from home and his family. But exhaustion prevailed in numbing his thoughts, and he found his bed without any welcoming ceremony. Laying fully dressed on top of his blankets, Gilbert fell deep into sleep. 

~~*~~

“You a novelist or something?” 

Gilbert looked up from the kitchen table and found Ronald in the doorway. He must’ve looked like some sort of writer, with pages upon pages of inked words spread across the table in front of him. A mug of coffee steamed at both places and at the table, and Gilbert nodded down to it. Ronald accepted it appreciatively, sipping it with a satisfied smile. In the daylight, and perhaps after bathing, the man seemed to have a sophisticated air about him that came solely from his looks and not his attitude.

“No, I’m just writing some letters home. There are a few people who’d want to know I made it here in one piece,” Gilbert replied, somewhat nostalgic for home. His gaze found the opening line of the paper in  front of him: My Anne...

“Where is home, anyway?” 

“Avonlea, PEI.” 

“That far away, eh? No wonder you wandered up to the house so early this morning. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of Avonlea, though.” Gilbert nodded politely, not sure how much Ronald Stuart wanted to share about himself or how much he wanted to share in return. “I’m Ron, by the way. I apologize that I’m not terribly friendly before seven in the morning.” 

Gilbert chuckled and shook his head. 

“I guess I didn’t realize the trip would be over sixteen hours. Sorry for waking you up.” 

Ron got up from the table, grabbing some bread from the breadbox and shoving a piece into his mouth. 

“What made you want to come here, anyway?” 

“Ah, my teacher from home knows Dr. Oak. I was initially intending on attending the, uh...well, the Sorbonne in France, but I changed my mind.” 

The expression on Ron’s face told Gilbert he was not convinced.

“Yeah right, you just weren’t accepted. That or you can’t speak french.” 

“No, I was accepted - or as good as, anyway. I just chose not to go.” Gilbert paused. “But you’re right, I don’t speak french very well.” 

Ron’s jaw dropped. 

“I didn’t take you for an idiot, Gilbert.” 

Gilbert straightened his shoulders, crossing his arms defensively. 

“It’s a long story, one that I’m sure would make perfect sense if you were to hear it.” He paused. Would this Ronald Stuart be convinced that genuine love was more valuable than an educational opportunity? “But to tell the truth, I’d like to just write these letters and get them sent out before the post is collected in a few hours.” Ron held up his hands in surrender and trekked back up to his room. 

Returned to silence, Gilbert tilted his face to the sun pouring in from the kitchen window. He wondered if Anne was enjoying the same warmth on her first day of school. Picking his pen back up, he continued to write.

My Anne, 

I cannot think of a more wonderful way to start a letter. It does my heart such good knowing that wherever you are, you might be anticipating this specific correspondence. I’d like to begin this particular letter by informing you that I have made it to Toronto safe and sound - albeit at four in the morning! I haven’t been a train for such a long period of time since I traveled with my father. Should you still desire to be my penpal (though I hope you’ll want to be a much more than penpals) you’ll find my complete address on the envelope. North Sunset street is just as beautiful as it sounds. 

Have I beat around the bush with enough formality? I may as well jump right in.

Anne, what a fool I’ve been. I’ve had sixteen hours to compose the perfect way to reveal to you in extensive detail all the ways I’ve been a fool, but I fear I don’t have your gift with language, so you will just have to tolerate my inadequate explanations. As Diana might have informed you, I never received your letter, and for the sake of clarity and fairness, I’m going to assume that you never received mine.  

I want to eradicate every doubt in your mind. Anne, I never had any real, genuine feelings for Winifred. I have learned the hard way that there is a vast difference between enjoying someone’s company and genuine love. When you love someone, you don’t just enjoy their company. You ache until the next moment you see that person, yet they’re always with you - in your mind, in your heart. The extent to which I adore you and take pride in your existence is so overwhelming that I wonder why I thought I could ever settle for anything else. Is it bold for me to hope you feel the same way? I truly do love you, Anne. 

With all that disclosed, I’m certain there are times when I made you feel like I didn’t care for you at all. For that, I hope you know how very ashamed and sorry I am. You won’t ever feel like that again, I promise. If, in our separation, you grow doubtful or lonely, I’ll be on the first train bound for Charlottetown. 

As for follow up questions: 

Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, when in heaven’s name did you start to have feelings for me? Most days I was certain I’d never win your heart, but then I’d catch you looking across the classroom and think maybe it wasn’t so hopeless after all. 

Did you receive the letter I left you in your room? You never said anything, so I wondered. Oh! And what did your letter say? I’m so bitter that it disappeared.

Are you well? How are you adjusting to being away from home? I know Green Gables was so precious to you. How is Queens? Do your new classmates adore you, yet? I’m certain they do.

I’m sure I will have more questions the more I fondly remember each encounter I’ve had with you, but for now, I won’t bombard you. 

As for me, I’m better now that I’ve arrived to Toronto and have unpacked all my things. My roommate, Ron, is a peculiar brand, and it’s still unclear as to whether or not he is - as you’d say - a kindred spirit. So far, I have my doubts. We’ve known each other all of eight hours and he’s already called me an idiot. But we have our own bedrooms, and there’s more than enough space for the two of us, so I can’t complain. Class begins tomorrow, but I’ve some final paperwork to complete. I hope to explore the campus and learn all the hidden nooks where a medical student might read and daydream about his love back home.

I still have to write to Bash, and I want to send this as soon as possible, so I’ll conclude here. I miss you terribly already. Yet, how thankful I am that we got the time we did. 

Know that I remain always 

Yours, 

Gilbert 

(PS:  My roommate called me Gil at our first meeting. I’ve not decided if I like it yet, but maybe if you call me by that name, I’ll warm up to it.)

(PSS: Is it too much trouble if I ask you to enclose a picture of yourself, or something that I can keep on my bedside table that will remind me of you?)

Gilbert had just folded the letter up and sealed it, when Ron came back into the room. In his hand was a picture frame that Gilbert recognized immediately. 

“Who’s this?” Ron asked. 

Gilbert snatched the frame, eyes icy. 

“Were you going through my things?” 

“I was just leaving some clean linens, and I saw it on your table. Not trying to pry, but I’m...curious.” 

Gilbert peered down at the frame, and felt a wave of homesickness sweep over him. It was a photograph he’d had taken shortly before Hazel had come to live in the house. It had been difficult to find a photographer who wouldn’t fall prey to their prejudices. 

“It’s my brother and my niece,” he explained. Ron seemed to sense the thin ice he stood on, so he nodded. 

“She’s sweet,” he commented, nodding down at Delphine’s bright eyes. 

“The sweetest,” Gilbert agreed, pushing away the photograph when he felt his throat close up. They were silent for a few moments when Ron fixed his eyes on Gilbert.

“Why didn’t you go to the Sorbonne?” he asked evenly. Gilbert matched the serious gaze, unashamed of his choices.

“I would’ve had to marry a girl I didn’t love, and leave behind the one I do.” 

Ron’s face didn’t change, but the lack of judgement was slightly promising. 

“Family and love, huh? Wish I could relate.”  Then he spun on his heels and headed toward the front door. “Well, I’m off.” 

“Oh, uh, bye?” 

The tense, awkward air in the room evaporated when the door slammed behind Ron. A long exhale left Gilbert’s lips and he grabbed a clean sheet of paper. This letter to Bash continued much like his letter to Anne’s had, full of apprehension about Ronald Stuart and anxiousness about the impending start of school. He’d exhausted all of his mildly uninteresting topics before he added:

I do have some news that might interest you. Anne and I are...well, I don’t know for certain what we are. Courting? Yes likely. More than friends? Absolutely. Together? In every way a man can be together with his love across 1000 of distance. I ended things with Winifred and ran like a madman through Charlottetown to see if Anne would give me one last shot. She did. Thank god, she did.

My courtship with Winifred actually ended two weeks ago, as poorly as you can imagine. But I did right by her in every way I could, and respected her enough to be honest that I could not be with her if it’s Anne that I so greatly adore. Not that I said Anne by name, but Winifred knew. She made me promise not to tell anyone until she could safely leave Charlottetown, which is why you are just hearing about this now. Though I regret having humiliated her to the point of returning back to France, I feel so much...lighter, happier. Knowing that Anne cares for me the way I care for her leaves me feeling confident I made the right choice. I think Winifred will see that one day, too. 

I miss you, Bash. Delly too. The more I’m here, the harder it is to imagine that I’ll be living without you. I can barely remember what it was like when it was just me - without my brother, without the laughter of the baby. There’s a room here for guests if you ever want to visit, but I’ll come home when I can. Something tells me if I stray from Avonlea too long, something vital in me will starve.

I love you all. I hope the harvest is going well.

Your brother, 

Gilbert.

With both letters sealed and addressed, Gilbert stepped out onto the new streets, drinking in the Toronto sun as he made his way toward town. 

I don't want Percy to be MC's friend. He's a complete jerk who only cares about himself more than his friends, parents and siblings but at least, he learned his mistake in the last Harry Potter movie. Watch the video called "The Entire Life of Percy Weasley (Harry Potter Explained)"

I can’t say that I agree, anon, though I can understand finding Percy obnoxious, especially in this game. His personality can definitely rub people the wrong way. However, having just watched the video, I have to say that I think it’s very one-sided. I’ll try and go through everything that it talks about - under the cut because I have no filter.

Fred and George

To say that he didn’t like his brothers Fred and George, and that he wanted to control them, isn’t really accurate and it doesn’t acknowledge that whenever Fred and George were mentioned in conjunction with Percy, they were usually bullying him. Vandalizing his Head Boy badge, even though he was proud of having gotten the position and it meant a lot to him. Or the time that they literally sent him dragon dung. Or the time that they tried to leave him for dead in a Pyramid tomb. And it was played for laughs. I’m not condemning Fred and George because they were the human embodiment of the chaos alignment, so it makes sense that they would butt heads with Percy. Brothers pick on each other, I know it happens. But it’s not fair to act like Percy feeling distant from his other siblings was his own fault. Fred and George were really popular with the Weasleys and other kids. Percy, by comparison, was just tolerated. Even though he was the model student and the one who followed rules, and the twins were constantly causing trouble. Why should Percy be ashamed of doing what he’s supposed to do? Why shouldn’t he want attention and validation from his family? Maybe the reason he talked constantly about his accomplishments was because he wanted to be appreciated.

The other Weasleys

Most of the moments where he doesn’t get along with his family in the early books are not moments that Percy himself initiates. It’s primarily Ron, Ginny, or the Twins picking on him. He didn’t even feel like he could tell his family he was dating someone because he guessed (correctly) that they would bully him for it. Speaking of that, Ginny promised she would keep Percy’s secret, and then turned around and told basically everyone. 

Despite all this, Percy very clearly cared about his family, well before Deathly Hallows. Like the time he boasted about Ron helping to win the House Cup. The time he tried to comfort Ginny, believing she was upset about Ron. The time he scolded Ron over this and warned him to stop going near the site of the Basilisk attacks because of how it would look. Or the time he watched out for Harry because Mrs. Weasley asked him to, “like an extremely pompous guard dog” as the video says. (Like I said, very one-sided.) Or the time that he refused to let go of Ron after Ron was used as a hostage in the Second Task. The video also attributes the end of Percy’s relationship with Penelope to him working too much in GOF...but there’s literally nothing in the books that ever suggests that.

The Triwizard Tournament

Like Bill, Percy is show constantly shown to be a good leader. He was named Prefect and Head Boy and he utterly embraced the positions. But the video mostly focuses on how proud he was of having gotten these positions and now enough on how he got them...because he earned them. In the same breath as talking about how he would apparate in the house every morning just to prove he could the video also talks about how Crouch barely gave Percy the time of day. Couldn’t be bothered to remember his name and just gave him pointless tasks. Despite how excited Percy was and how eagerly he would talk about all this to the rest of his family, who found it boring and avoided the topic. Percy is all alone in GOF. Even more so than he has been before. It’s really no wonder that he poured himself into his work and looked to the Ministry for support and validation, because he wasn’t getting any at home. He was just being belittled and humiliated at every turn. Of course, once Crouch was imperius’d, Percy thought he was finally getting recognition, but he was just being used. He was being set up as the fall guy. Even the villains are indirectly dismissive of this character! 

Because Crouch was out of commission, Percy was having to deal with all his work. So to say that he valued laws and rules over his own family is not only cruel, it’s completely wrong. Percy is resentful of them because to him, it feels like their actions are creating more stress for him at work and ruining that environment for him too. Ruining his dreams. The Ministry (and the video) blames Percy for not figuring out that something was off about Crouch, but it was still the same hand-writing, so why would Percy question it? 

The Estrangement

His supposed reprieve came when Fudge hired him as a Personal Assistant. Percy was excited and came home, hoping his Dad would be proud of him. But like always, Percy was disappointed. Arthur was right in his suspicions about why Fudge hired Percy, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that Percy heard “You aren’t good enough to have gotten this job.” He heard Arthur refuse to believe that he might have actually earned this. That he was succeeding. “No Percy, this job isn’t real. The one person who’s actually valued you in recent memory is just manipulating you and it’s totally our fault for siding with Dumbledore, but I won’t admit to that.” That’s how it felt. And yeah, it was one time too many. The Weasleys have never conveyed to Percy that they appreciate him or want him around, so why should he want to stick around? Why didn’t anyone step in sooner, or come to his defense when he was taking the fall for Crouch? Why is it only when their agenda is threatened that they say something? And Percy is the selfish one? Why should he believe Voldemort has returned? I agree that what he said to Arthur about Arthur’s reputation and their family was horrible...but I think Percy-Antis view this as totally without cause. And the cause is clear. 

I take issue with how the video describes Percy slamming the door in Molly’s face “without even giving her a chance.” Because that scene was never depicted. We don’t know what happened or what was said. We don’t know how long the conversation may have lasted. But y’know, if I was Percy, I don’t think I’d even answer the door. He’s made his choice - cut ties with his family. To Molly’s credit, she was one of the only Weasleys who praised his accomplishments...but neither she nor Arthur ever did anything about the constant, constant bullying. That might be pretty hard to forgive, and Percy never receives any apology for it. He’s the only one who apologies in the end.

The letter that Percy sends Ron seems pretty terrible until you look at it from from the perspective that he’s genuinely trying to protect his little brother. Which he has always done in his own way. It’s an olive branch. Look, the word on the street is that Harry Potter is constantly lying and potentially dangerous. Percy might very well have made the judgment call that his family was blinded by their loyalty to him. It’s not like Percy and Harry were ever close. Think about it. After befriending Harry, Ron consistently got involved in dangerous adventures like confronting acromantulas, dementors, devil’s snare, the list goes on. It’s not unreasonable at all that Percy might want Harry to stay away from Ron. I’ll agree that giving Umbridge an endorsement is jaw-dropping...but we don’t see them interact. Umbridge might have put on a completely different face around Percy. Or he might have simply trusted Fudge and repeated his words. We just don’t know.

Fudge’s Departure

Dumbledore said that it’s harder to forgive someone for being right, then it is for being wrong. I’m not going to go off on a Dumbledore-bashing tirade right now, because that’s hardly the point -  but while that is very wise advice in general...it completely misses the real point of why Percy left. It doesn’t matter if Dumbledore was right and Fudge was wrong. (Though Percy no doubt felt horrible and humiliated yet again when he realized that.) What matters is that Percy’s family pushed him away and made him feel so isolated that Fudge valuing him was the only good thing going on in his life. Percy leaving doesn’t make him an asshole. But it does say a lot, not about him, that he decided Fudge’s approval and his job at the Ministry were worth moving out and cutting off all contact with his family. Dumbledore's assessment of Percy’s feelings once again ignores any responsibility that his family has in why he left in the first place.I genuinely do love the Weasleys to no end (just look at my URL) but their relationship to Percy was toxic.

 Scrimgeour, like Fudge, used Percy to get to the Weasleys, and forced him to pretend that he wanted to see them when he didn’t. Try to imagine being in that position, especially when Molly was the only one who even acted happy to see him. Fred, George and Ginny threw food at him. Literally why would Percy ever want to see them again if this was the welcome that he got? It was already painful for him and they did not make it any easier. Sure, I know that it was probably painful for them too, but they were once again not even considering Percy’s feelings, just their own. 

The Battle of Hogwarts 

I’ve already talked about how Percy apologies for everything, and the other Weasleys apologize for nothing. Not gonna lie, this is realistic to an uncomfortable level. Family members who have been mistreated wind up being the ones to apologize because they miss their family, even though they often aren’t completely to blame. But this is probably never going to be addressed because immediately after the reconciliation, Fred died. Just imagine how much undeserved guilt Percy felt about that. And then look to the epilogue where there’s one final humorous moment about Harry seeing Percy at King’s Cross and making a mental note to avoid him. Literally nothing has changed. Percy is still the joke of the family. He’s just accepted it because without them, he’s alone. He’s learned to see himself as the problem, and not them. 

...I am such a nerd. But I hope you can see where I’m coming from as well. Again, I love The Weasleys. I adore Fred and George. But Percy is not, and was never a bad guy. In some ways, he’s my favorite Weasley. I do love his character arc. But...I just...I wish there had been some apology from the twins as well. 

The Lewis Hamilton Fallacy

With Lewis Hamilton setting a new FORMULA 1 win record, and closing in on a record-equalling seventh World Championship, the vitriol on social media has been increasing, causing many to no longer wish to participate in Facebook groups that tolerate driver-bashing and hatred.

So how did we get to this point?

There are many factors at play here such as most drivers having a big presence across social media, but a key premise is we all have a different model of the world.

How you see things is completely different to how I see things, and generally speaking, this is a good thing for society as we can all bring our different points of view to a scenario and find a way forward.

Sadly this is not the case in the comments of nearly every F1 group on Facebook, where people are adamant that their point of view is right, yours is wrong, and you’re an idiot for thinking the way you do.

Let’s take a look at some of the common arguments in F1 groups, and see if they hold water…

Driver X Is The GOAT!

The GOAT argument isn’t specific to the world of F1, just look at the NBA, where LeBron James fourth NBA title stirred great debate as to whether or not he takes the mantle from Michael Jordan.

In F1 we have Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher, 93 race wins vs 91, six championships vs seven.

So how do we work out who the GOAT is?

Well, we can’t.

And even when F1 and AWS put out their ‘Fastest Driver’ analysis it still didn’t appease people if their guy wasn’t deemed the fastest.

Different drivers, different competition, different cars, the list goes on.

What we can have though is our favourite, and our own criteria for choosing a GOAT.

Personally, I didn’t much enjoy the years where Schumacher and Ferrari dominated. However, he has the most titles so to me he is still the greatest.

Some say the best of all time is Jim Clark, some say Fangio, some say Ayrton Senna. But unless they have seen them race, how can they compare?

Because if they’re using statistics, well the numbers don’t add up.

If they’re using stories and YouTube clips, then they’re comparing some drivers highlight reels against other drivers careers.

The passing of time plays an interesting trick on the mind, where we often forget the flaws, the disappointments, and the losses, remembering only the triumphs and victories.

And that’s ok.

You can have your GOAT, I can have mine, and neither of us can (or should) try to convince others that their GOAT is wrong.

Lewis Hamilton Has The Fastest Car (Or Best Car)

This one is odd, as I’m yet to see a car that wasn’t the fastest win a race.

When Pierre Gasly won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, on that day, his car was the fastest.

Maybe there is something in the air in Italy, as in 2008 Sebastian Vettel won in a Toro Rosso to claim his first win in F1. Funnily enough, on that day, his car was the fastest.

You wouldn’t think you’d need to explain how motorsport works, but what happens is the driver who crosses the line first, ie completes the race distance the fastest, wins. It’s that simple.

These ‘fastest car’ or ‘best car’ arguments add to the Lewis Hamilton Fallacy.

Formula 1 is a meritocracy, and as such, the best drivers usually find themselves into the cockpit of the best car.

From 2010 to 2013, it was widely acknowledged that Red Bull Racing were producing the best cars, as they powered Sebastien Vettel to four consecutive World Championships.

Today though, people are rewriting history as they claim Hamilton has ‘always’ benefitted from being in the best car.

So which one is it?

Because clearly it can’t be both.

The Good Old Days Were Better

This one is always fun, and is something that likely happens to all of us as we get older!

I’ve found myself opining that the English Premier League was better in the 90s and 2000s than it is now for example.

Often, the ‘good old days’ coincide with a time in history where our favourite teams and stars were winning. Funny about that.

Have you ever met a Ferrari fan who thinks the current era is better than the 2000-2004 period?

No, you haven’t.

However, where this one gets really interesting is when people argue that the drivers no longer drive the cars, and that everything is controlled by engineers sitting on a pit wall.

The problem with this is the Williams FW14B, built in 1992, is still considered the most technologically sophisticated car in the history of F1.

It’s 28 years old.

The FW14B had semi-automatic transmission, active suspension, traction control and, for a short time, anti-lock brakes.

It also had Adrian Newey in charge of aerodynamics.

In fact, Williams found the FW14B was proving so successful that when the FW15 was ready half-way through the 1992 FORMULA 1 season, it wasn’t used.

The argument (often made by people who reach their limit reversing out the driveway) that Hamilton turns up on a Sunday, plants his foot on the accelerator, and drives into the distance is disrespectful of the amount of work he puts in to keep his body and mind at peak performance, as well as the staff at Mercedes who put in countless hours perfecting the car.

Mercedes Should Get Max Verstappen, He Would Beat Hamilton

This would be a terrible idea for Mercedes, so it’s a good thing they don’t listen to public opinion on social media.

First of all, it sends a message to drivers in their development program that even if you progress through the program the seat will go to the big-name with more runs on the board.

Second, do you recall the Senna v Prost years?

Sure, Ron Dennis had two prodigious talents at his disposal, but the infighting, egos, and crashes out on course disrupted team harmony, causing factions in the garage and distrust at all levels.

Mercedes currently have the perfect set up, and it’s obviously working, as they pick up championship after championship.

As we’ve seen throughout history, having a genuine #1 and an able deputy leads to both Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships.

During the aforementioned ‘Schumacher Years’ of 2000 to 2004, he was the undisputed #1 and teammate Rubens Barrichello understood his role and performed it admirably.

Lewis Hamilton Doesn’t Have Competitive Teammates

Former Formula 1 World Champions Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, and Nico Rosberg would probably all argue that they are competitive drivers, capable of going wheel to wheel with Hamilton.

And they would be right, because they have the race wins and championships to prove their credentials.

When Hamilton joined the grid in 2007 as a teammate to Fernando Alonso, the belief throughout the paddock was that Alonso was #1 and Hamilton would be there to learn the ropes in F1.

In reality, it didn’t work out like that.

As Hamilton performed well, taking podiums and race wins, tensions mounted, and boiled over at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, where in the final qualifying session Alonso deliberately delayed Hamilton in the pits, ensuring he wouldn’t be able to get in one last run.

The pair didn’t speak for weeks after the incident.

At the end of the season, both drivers secured four race wins and 12 podiums. Clearly they were allowed to race each other, there were no team orders.

Funnily, after tensions thawed, in 2017 Alonso said “[Hamilton] was able to win with a dominant car, with a good car like 2010 or 2012, or with bad cars like 2009 and 2011. Not all the champions can say that”.

Is Alonso suggesting Hamilton hasn’t always had the best car?

Facebook commenters would disagree with the two-time World Champion…

In Jenson Button’s book ‘Life to the Limit’ Button goes into detail how competitive Hamilton was, and makes it clear that he too was there to win, not just to act as a rear-gunner for Hamilton. An interesting fact Button points out in this same book is that when Rubens Barrichello was his teammate at Honda, Barrichello had it written into his contract that they were equal drivers, he was not to be a #2…

When Hamilton moved to Mercedes for 2013, a move derided by many given Mercedes lacklustre performance in previous years, it was Nico Rosberg’s team.

There is evidence that team orders were used on at least one occasion in 2013, where at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix Rosberg was ordered to stay behind Hamilton in the closing stages, rather than fighting for third place. Hamilton felt the call was wrong, and that Rosberg should have been allowed to race.

During the 2014 Formula 1 season tensions again boiled over for Hamilton and a teammate, as several early exchanges throughout the season threatened to compromise both drivers title aspirations.

The pair had a wheel-to-wheel battle in Bahrain, a down-to-the-wire tussle in Spain, and made contact in Belgium.

In 2016, the year Rosberg won the championship, the two came together at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, in a move that infuriated Niki Lauda, as both drivers crashed out of the race.

The duo came together again at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, however both drivers could continue, with Hamilton taking the win.

Nice Rosberg went on to win the 2016 Driver’s Championship, which gives Hamilton detractors a curious dilemma.

On one hand they laugh, saying he was beaten by Nico Rosberg, yet on the other, they say he has never had to race against competitive teammates.

So, which one is it?

Lewis Hamilton Needs To Prove He Can Win With Another Team

This one always brings a smile to the face 😊

I have no problem with fans being new to F1, it’s great! The sport needs more and more fans to keep it going.

The issue is people forgetting that the sport was going before they saw it on Drive to Survive, then commenting on Facebook posts.

For the record, Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 Driver’s Championship with McLaren.

Although they had a Mercedes engine at the time, they were indeed their own team then, as they are now.

And that is a different team to Mercedes.

Hamilton has won championships with two teams.

Before the 2008 season Felipe Massa of Ferrari was the favourite to win the title, and Ferrari did indeed win the Constructor’s Championship, however, in a thrilling finish to the season Hamilton won the title by one point.

His teammate Heikki Kovalainen finished seventh.

But wait, doesn’t the best car always win the Driver’s Championship too?

Well now I don’t know what to believe.

Put Lewis Hamilton In A Williams, Let’s See How He Goes

If Hamilton was to drive for Williams, we already know how it would go – terribly.

Why?

Because it is a poor car that has suffered at the hands of bad management and a lack of finances for several seasons now.

Fernando Alonso drove a horrible McLaren from 2015 to 2017.

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello had a terrible Honda to drive in 2007 and 2008, and not just because it had a map of the world painted on it. The aerodynamics were poor from the start, and the car just wasn’t competitive.

Does this diminish any of these drivers achievements before or after?

Does it prove their car is what won them races?

No, what it does prove is that Formula 1 is a team sport, and that it takes everyone rowing in the right direction together to deliver a package capable of competing at the front.

If Lionel Messi signed for Newcastle they still wouldn’t win the league. Likewise if Lebron James joined the Knicks, they wouldn’t win an NBA title. The teams they would join are still terrible, but having a champion on the team would improve them and make everyone life their standards over time.

Hamilton wouldn’t win in a Williams, just like Raikkonen can’t win in an Alfa and Vettel can’t get near a podium in a Ferrari this year.

However, the one thing all these drivers have in common is the ability to wring every ounce of performance out of a bad car, and Williams would expect nothing less if they had Hamilton in their race seat.

Politics Don’t Belong in Sport

As a middle-aged white man, this one makes me cringe the most.

Middle aged white men on Facebook, telling a black man what he should and shouldn’t do, how he can protest, and how he is ‘ruining’ the sport for them.

Yikes.

The purpose of a protest is to bring issues to light, to have people questioning their attitudes and beliefs.

Telling someone how they can protest against their perceived suppression is, er, suppressing them further.

You may not agree with ‘We Race As One‘, the BLM movement or drivers taking a knee before the race, but that’s the point. An issue being highlighted is an opportunity for you to question your thinking, to reflect, and possibly make changes. There is no harm in admitting that at one time you held beliefs that you now feel are wrong.

While we’re on the topic of politics in sports and how the handful of minutes it takes to show drivers supporting the ‘End Racism’ message ruining peoples enjoyment of Formula 1, what of other sports?

The ‘Old Firm’ derby is one of the biggest rivalries in sport, and it is founded on religion and politics. People are born into a side based on which side of the clearly divisive line they fall, Catholic vs Protestant, British vs Irish Scot, Conservatism vs Socialism. People have been killed on derby days, and violence in Glasgow increases any time the two clubs play.

Politics don’t belong in sport though, so they must be fighting over something else.

In 1967 Muhammed Ali refused to serve in the US Army during the Vietnam War, uttering the famous line ‘I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong…no Vietcong ever called me nigger.’ Since then he has, rightfully, been lauded as a hero for his stance.

The Vietnam War probably wasn’t political though, was it?

Even the sport of Bandy isn’t immune to politics!

Norway declined to take part in the 1957 Bandy World Championship because the Soviet Union was invited, due to the Soviet invasion of Hungary the year before. The country made a similar protest for the 1969 Bandy World Championship because of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia that year, handing over the hosting of the 1969 event to Sweden.

Indeed Formula 1 itself is no stranger to politics in sport, with the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled due to concerns over human rights protests led by Avaaz.

You may not agree with the stance Hamilton has taken, you may not like it, but you do have to respect that in a free society he can use his platform however he sees fit – he built it.

What To Make Of The Lewis Hamilton Fallacy

Now I’m not naïve enough to think that the words on this page will make everyone stop arguing on the internet, that will never happen.

What I do hope though is that it has loosened the grip for some people, and will help them take the blinkers off.

We’re lucky enough to be living in a time where each Sunday, one of the finest Formula 1 drivers the world has ever seen jumps into his Mercedes and puts his life on the line to win trophies, and entertain us.

I’m lucky enough to have seen this level of performance twice, once with Michael Schumacher, now with Lewis Hamilton.

Should I live long enough to see Hamilton’s records beaten, I won’t waste time arguing over who is the GOAT, who had the best car, or why this bright new talent needs to jump through made up hoops to prove themselves to the folks in the bleachers.

I’ll simply be grateful to have witnessed three drivers at the absolute peak of their powers, doing what they love.

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no problem and i would really love to see what you wrote about snape so if its not a problem share

Alright, I’ll put the Keep reading thingy, because I think this will be a long one. If you’re not interested in my opinion on Snape, please, keep scrolling. We can have a constructive argument about Snape as a character, but I won’t ever tolerate character bashing (with the exception of Dolores Umbridge, Peter Pettigrew and Fenrir Greyback). If anyone disagrees with me, I respect that, and I would really like to know why :) 

It’s so funny to write my opinion when someone actually asks for it! So here it is my opinion on Severus Snape... 

I think that Severus Snape is one of the strongest characters; both mentally and magically. Possibly even the strongest one right next to Harry. He is really determined, devoted, self-controlled, but most importantly he is emotional. Of course, he doesn’t show it, but he is really driven by his emotions. The main thing which made him change was his love for Lily. Love is the purest emotion, and I don’t think it was an obsession. His patronus was the same as her, she was something what made him happy, something that protected him. It was just unrequited love, and that happens in real life. But you can’t just push an off button, and stop feeling something for someone. We can see him showing exactly how he feels in some occasions. For instance, when he was mad that Sirius got away at the end of the PoA. Or when he refused to teach Harry occlumency after Harry saw his worst memory. But let’s go back in time for a bit... 

Judging someone according to something they did while they were teenagers, or really young adults is not really fair. But let’s start from his hostility towards the Marauders. It’s completely understandable since they were mocking him all the time, and without any real, valid reason. Even if they did have a reason, bullying is never justified. What James did to Snape in his worst memory is something that can make a serious trauma on a person. He, again, acted on emotions. He was humiliated, frustrated, angry, and he let it out by calling Lily a Mudblood. Was that right? Of course not. Did he regret? I think he did, until the day he died. But, teenagers say a lot of dumb stuff, and should never be judged by that. I would most gladly slap 16 years old self because of some things I said when angry and emotional. And with what he said, he lost the most important person he had in his life. I think that was the worst punishment ever for saying one dumb word. People often mention his invention of Sectumsempra. He invented the powerful spell to keep himself safe. Is it brutal? Yes. Could he kill someone with it? Yes. Did he ever? No by what we find out from the canon. Sirius, who is one of the most loved characters, endangered Snape’ life because of his teenage rashness, and lack of sense for consequences. The fact he literally sent Snape to transformed Remus was more dangerous than any spell Severus invented. Why? Because transformed Remus can’t be controlled, and what he can do cannot be undone. As we saw clearly, Sectumsempra has a counter curse, since Malfoy survived Harry’s experiment. If you’re judging Snape for inventing Sectumsempra, and using it against the Death Eaters to save Remus and George, then Harry is way worse than Snape because Harry used the spell purposely to hurt Malfoy. He could easily kill Malfoy, and then what? All the characters in the whole HP universe did at least one stupid thing, and we can’t judge them just because of that. Because if we do, write out Remus, Sirius, James, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and many, many others as good characters :)

As we all know, Snape joined the Death Eaters. Kind of expected because, let’s be serious, most of the then Slytherin house did. Peer pressure is a nasty thing + Snape wanted control/power. He was naive to think he’ll get it from Voldemort, but look at all the people that followed Voldemort. Snape was among the smartest there, if not even the smartest one. Was that a mistake? Yes. And again, he did it when he was what 18? As I said before, people do stupid shit when young, and that’s a fact. Alright, he did really, really stupid shit, but it was a moment of naivety. If someone is judging him plainly on that, remember what Sirius said about the world, people and the Death Eaters :) From the moment he realised what he did when he told Voldemort about the prophecy, Snape did everything in his power to make up for that. He risked his life in various occasions, he lied to one of the most powerful wizards ever, who can read minds, torture, and kill people just for fun. But he did that for years. Snape always did exactly what Dumbledore told him to do, and even killed him, knowing that the deed will make him an enemy number one in the eyes of the Order. But he did that with a higher purpose, and on Dumbledore’s order. If Order wasn’t so judgy towards Snape, maybe they would know about this plan, and they would handle it better. Snape was a Death Eater for what, a couple of years, but he spent seventeen years trying to redeem himself for what he’s done. You can at least respect that. As my best Skyrim friend Paarthurnax wisely said “What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?” :)

The only thing I can’t justify is his teaching methods towards a particular group of students. We never see Snape teaching a bunch of Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws, so we don’t really know what was he like in those classes. He is a mastermind with potions, and has a potential to be a great teacher. I don’t justify his behaviour towards Harry & co., and never will. His teaching methods were questionable at best, but lets take a look on who he “bullied” as a teacher. 

Harry - son of a man who bullied him, and a woman he loved. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. It occurred to me that maybe Snape didn’t want Harry to forget what was important in life, and since Snape grew stronger from being treated poorly, maybe he wanted to do the same effect with Harry. I think he didn’t like Harry in particular, but I don’t see him as having bad intentions in long term. Nothing comes served in life, and I guess that was Snape’s point. Teen James was pretty spoiled, and vain, so maybe Snape didn’t want Harry to turn into teen James. 

Ron - Ron was to Harry what Sirius was to James. In Snape’s eyes, the same thing, and he deserves to be treated the same. Still, can’t be justified. 

Hermione - I guess she really did remind him of Lily. The fact that Snape didn’t want to hear anyone call Hermione a Mudblood tells us all. Emotions got the best out of Snape in this one, since he obviously couldn’t really control them. 

Neville - a soft kid who needed some strengthening for real. Well, not really in that way. Snape’s treatment was just too much. Was the fact that Neville was terrified of him good? No. But Neville got stronger, and learned to stand up for himself. And don’t forget, the prophecy could easily be about Neville, and if it was, then Lily wouldn’t be dead. 

As I said before, I don’t support his teaching methods, and can’t justify them because it was his choice to act like that, when he could easily be someone better than that. And that is the only thing I don’t understand about him. Maybe Dumbledore told him to be nasty :’D And of course he was biased to Slytherin. I think that doesn’t need any arguments. I would love to see what Snape was like when teaching young Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs because I’m sure he wasn’t that bad. Strict? Sure. Snarky? Always. But I highly doubt he treated Cedric, or Padma Patil, like he treated the students I mentioned. 

To conclude this, I think the anti-Snape fandom need to at least respect what he did because the man did some great things, and he was one of the main links in a chain that led to Voldemort’s downfall. Voldemort who was deceived by Snape. And as far as we know, Severus Snape is the only person in this world who did that long term (kudos to Narcissa Malfoy for lying to Voldemort’s face)! You don’t have to love, or like him, but he doesn’t deserve the bashing he gets. He deserves respect. I made him close to Gwen, my OC, to show the softer side of Snape. The emotions he hides, and how he is surely capable of them. I made him mentoring Gwen to show how he has a potential to be a great teacher. And I have a great plans for Snape in my fic because he, as a character, really gives an opportunity to make an interesting story :) 

Writer’s Cut: Ginny In Stay Standing

“

This one is a lot harder to write. I think, to properly write a discourse on Ginny in Stay Standing, I have to admit to a couple of things. 

First of all, the Ginny at the beginning of Stay Standing has a much different characterization than the Ginny at the end of Stay Standing. I wrote this story over years of time and grew both as a writer and as a person. And sometimes the person I was when I wrote her was ugly and bitter at the start. I freely admit that. 

When I first started writing Stay Standing, my relationship with one of my sisters was very... strained, and she reminded me of Ginny very much, and that reflects heavily in this piece. I was a little 18 year old when I first began this story and I was much more prone to allowing my personal emotions to affect my writing process back then. 

I had a lot of people ask for this, actually. Ginny is the hardest person to write for me, to be honest. The reasons are pretty complicated, but mostly it comes down to the fact that she is probably the only character who I can not empathize with. It’s hard for me to put myself in her shoes. 

It is very difficult to not bash her and I’ve deleted scene after scene after scene where I have done just that. Usually when I have a final product with a scene she’s in, I’ve already deleted anywhere from 5 to 15 different approaches. Not that I outright write her as a terrible character, but when I reread it, you can practically taste the distaste I have and that’s not okay. You, the reader, should not be able to tell if I’m writing her right. 

So in Stay Standing I have scenes where I succeeded and scenes where I did not and I feel like it left a certain message I did not intend to leave. Clearly, towards the end of the story, years in, where I’ve become a better writer, Ginny also becomes better as a consequence. 

The most difficult part about Ginny, the character, is that I know a lot of my dislike comes from a certain level of animosity I carry from my own childhood. I had a hard time making friends so whenever I brought them over and my younger siblings wanted to take away the friend (the attention of that friend, I should correct) that I worked so hard for ,it always devastated me because THEY were brilliant at making friends and had them come over all the time, played with other kids all the time. But I did not and they still felt the need to take. 

Now I understand more, I never viewed myself as the cool kid, never thought my siblings looked up to me. But they did. They thought I was brilliant. And they wanted to befriend their brilliant big sisters friend. It makes perfect sense NOW, but back then I didn’t understand. 

Safe to say, reading about Ginny trying to get Harry’s attention right from the start in Chamber of Secrets, while I was in elementary made me hate her character very much. It was a harmless crush and perfectly normal. Obviously I know that now, but I still don’t like her. I still have this distaste that’s never faltered. 

In the following books when she would befriend Hermione and Harry, it was more tolerable, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth for her character. I found everything she did annoyed me. It was pretty innocent stuff, really, but it still bugged me that she seemed rather popular, well liked, beautiful, yet she still sought attention from her crush Harry Potter. It was a bit obsessive really and out of place because there were so few scenes where he saw her interact with Harry. It never really felt like she had a significant conversation with him. Her personality never really shined through. She was seen rarely and in those moments she never showed any care for her siblings. And perhaps that’s because the story is told through Harry’s perspective. We see her in some of the later books dancing with Fred and George and having fun, but that’s it. 

Though I do understand Harry saving Ginny probably put a stamp on her adoration for him. It makes sense that the crush lasted so long. It also attributes in part to bad writing. As much as I adore the books, I’ll be the first to admit Rowling did not have a good grasp on the romantic aspects of things. And that’s coming from someone who is Ace. She did not have a good grasp on sibling relationships. The only sibling relationship I think she wrote quite well are the Creevy brothers, actually. 

The lack of interaction between Ron, Fred and George. And more specifically, between Ron and Ginny, really bothered me. 

That, more than anything, is what bugged me about Ginny’s friendship with Hermione and Harry, because there didn’t seem to be ANY relationship between Ron and Ginny. THAT bothered me. 

There are lines in the book that suggested that Hermione and Ginny hung out. Lines in the book to show that Harry and Ginny were at least on good terms and talked on and off. BUT NOT LINES to show the same between Ginny and Ron. 

It seemed like HARRY talked to the Weasley siblings more often and on a more positive note than Ron did. 

This is due to Rowlings assumption that the reader just knows they hang out. In her interviews she makes comments that suggest how closely knit the Wealsey’s are. How fond the siblings are of Ron. She makes comments that of course everyone loves Ron because he’s Ron, how could you not? She’s built this world up in her head and she seems to believe that it should be obvious so she doesn’t bother to write scenes that show it because it just is. There is a clear distinction between how Rowling speaks of these characters and how she writes things down in the book. Which is a huge problem for the reader who is not privy to all that Rowling knows, only what she writes. 

Getting back on track, my point here is that every time I try to write Ginny, every scene that she shows up in Stay Standing, it has been very difficult. I admit, at the beginning of the story, I failed the character a little bit. I still think she might have lost her temper and told Ron not to come for her birthday, that feels in character to me, but the bitterness and cruelty behind that scene? No, I didn’t mean that. 

The birthday scene was meant to be a sort of blowing up of all the tension that seemed to manifest between them during Half Blood Prince. J.K Rowling wrote no reconciliation between the siblings. Only Ron and Hermione. We are left to assume there was one. Or that, somehow, the nod of Ron accepting Harry as Ginny’s girlfriend was some sort of make up. 

Half Blood Prince has Ginny and Ron at each others throats and there simply is nothing to suggest they fixed things. They simply don’t talk much after that. And in Deathly Hallows, Ron demonstrates extreme concern for her, but Ginny is MORE concerned for Harry when they meet up again than seeing if her brother is okay. In fact, there’s not a single line to suggest that she had any concern for her big brother at all, which sickened me and pretty much reaffirmed my hatred for her character. 

I despise bashing characters though and so I have tried very hard to write her in a positive light. To put myself in her position and try to see things from her perspective, but that is why she has literally only one scene in the entirety of Stay Standing, from her point of view, towards the end of the story.

The Mirror scene: “She’d thought that Harry and Hermione were a lot more damaged than Ron though.” 

At this point, I’d sort of learned how my siblings viewed me. They had this... filter when it came to the things I said and did. They wanted to impress me, they wanted to be like me, they thought I was emotional impenetrable and that nothing they did could affect me in any way because I was just that strong. 

So I sort of took that into consideration when I wrote from Ginny’s point of view, and I feel like I understood her better, like I could sort of see how SHE felt better than when I was younger. 

“He was more put together than the other two were.” 

I feel like the way she viewed Ron might have put him on this... not a pedestal, but I feel like Ginny saw Ron as someone who should know better, as someone who knew his family loved him. I think she saw his witty jokes and his many friends and the assured way he went about helping them and just thought he was a much more confidant person than he actually is. She saw him as her smart, witty, funny big brother who judged her even though she was trying her best. 

I think she would have met hearing he left Harry and Hermione with anger at first before it would give way to confusion and hurt and disappointment. 

“Ron abandoned them in the middle of their journey. He just fucking left, the coward.” 

I think Ginny genuinely cares, but she’s spent so much time seeing her brothers a certain way, looking at them like obstacles she needs to overcome, that it would take something huge to shake her of that view point. 

Molly’s expectations of her being the little girl warring with her need to be on equal footing with her brothers created the rather harsh and terrible things she did in Half Blood Prince. She’s overcompensating and her view on things are not how they actual are (just as it was for all of use growing up). 

In a way, Ginny is the best way to measure my own growth, coming to understand her character (not really like, but understand) helped a lot in understanding my own siblings and realizing the problem I had with her character helped me to recognize flaws in my own judgement. 

I rewrote the mirror scene probably twenty times and that’s an understatement. I did a lot of working through my own feelings in this one. 

“Oh God, why was her Big Brother dying? And she felt so bipolar because just an hour ago she was filled with so much hatred for him.” 

Ginny’s growth here, all the realizations, must of been like an atomic bomb going off inside of her heart and having to regrow it cell by cell. I really just obliterated her in this scene. 

This writers cut will probably be the hardest to write for obvious reasons. I know a lot of readers must have been scratching their heads wondering why Ginny sometimes seemed so harsh and other times towards the end so loving. 

I tried to stay true to the character, but with Ginny I always feel like I’m out of my depth and I know I’ve failed in some areas. Every time I tried to write her more... fierce side, it turned my more cruel than I intended. I couldn’t write her fierce without remembering all the shitty stuff she pulled and that in turn made it hard not to write her in anger. So then I tried to avoid writing her fierce and she just read so meek. Then I would try again and it would be this odd mix of too mean, too meek, too all over the place and I’d sit there going Yikes, this isn’t right at all. 

So I hope this answers questions without angering any Ginny fans. Like I said, my distaste for her character stems from personal feelings and I’ve tried over the course of the years to be better about it, but I don’t ever really think I will enjoy writing Ginny even if I manage to keep true to her character. 

But I feel like I understand her a lot better than I once did and moving forward I plan to work on writing her properly. 

Dear Voltron Fandom (an open letter)

Dear Voltron Fandom,

You don’t know me, but I know you. Before I get into this, allow me to introduce myself so I’m not a stranger. My name is Paiton. I’m 19 years old, and I have high functioning autism, and the character I relate to and love the most is Pidge. I have traversed through many a fandom in my life so far. From Avatar:The Last Airbender, to Sailor Moon, Steven Universe, Disney, you name it! All of these fandoms are loving and wonderful in their own way. However, every fandom has a dark side; It’s just the nature of fandoms, unfortunately. Despite that, I was able to look past that, and be proud to be a part of them! But NEVER have I EVER been more ashamed of being in a fandom when I got dragged into Voltron. Before that, I heard rumors of how toxic the fandom was and all of the crazy stunts some fans tried to pull in order to get what they wanted into the show. So, I tried to avoid the show and its fandom like the plague at all costs.Two months went by and my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to check out the show just to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out I really liked the show and Pidge quickly became my favorite! Hell, I even started a Pidge Ita Bag; just added the first charm to it a couple of days ago! I started out just keeping to myself on my quiet little tumblr blog just reblogging fan art and fics as well as interesting theories and talking to my friends about it. And I can’t forget about buying Voltron fan swag! All was well, despite the occasional bits popping up about the latest fandom disasters. That is up until quite recently. I thought I had seen it all when I had to fight to defend Sailor Moon fans that were being bashed for liking Sailor Moon Crystal or for getting into Sailor Moon in general because of Crystal. I thought I had seen it all when I saw SOULESS Steven Universe “fans” telling an artist to kill herself for drawing Rose Quartz skinny. I thought I had seen it all when I saw the Brony fandom in general. But this....sending death threats to the voice actors and their families, blackmailing the creators in order yo make Klance canon, and a rumor that some antis were burning fanart?! This is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! To those who participated in ANY of these horrible actions or any other crimes against the fandom, you ought to be ASHAMED of yourselves! Your actions are SHAMEFUL and you should /feel/ ASHAMED. People like you are a disgrace to this and every other fandom out there. You are the reason why the Voltron fandom has such a bad reputation. Now for the sake of this not being me dragging the voltron fandom for the entirety of however long this is going to be, I’m going to play devil’s advocate for a minute or two. I know that not everyone in the Voltron fandom is bad. Hell, my best friend is a Klance shipper and a Lance fangirl and she’s one of the chillest Voltron fans I know! And you want your ships to be canon, I get it. Every fan wants their ship to be canon, weather its a strait, or LGBTQ+ ship. We need more LGBTQ+ representation in...well, pretty much everything really. And it is coming. Its getting there, but  its gradual and you have to be patient! “Patience yields focus” , in the immortal words of our beloved Space Dad. But I also understand that fandoms can change things as well. The first example that comes to mind is Kim Possible if any of you reading this are old enough to remember. When Kim and Ron finally got together in the movie that was supposed to be the series finale, the fans flipped every last crumb of their shit and wrote in, demanding another season. And another season they got, ending with Kim and Ron graduating high school. So fandoms /can/ change things, but this.... Blackmail, death threats, is NOT the way to do it! If anything, stuff like that will steer people away from creating representation just because of the sheer mass hysteria it causes within fandoms! Its the toxic people in the Voltron fandom that pull this sort of stuff that steered me away from the show in the first place. To the toxic people in the Voltron fandom who call themselves proud members of the community. You know who you are. I am calling all of you out. You are not fans. You are bullies. Plain and simple. The kind that beat up the little kid with glasses and stuff them in a locker for being a nerd. The kind that steals lunch money in the cafeteria when the teacher isn’t looking. The kind that spread awful rumors about that shy little girl that likes anime, telling her that nobody would care if she died, only worse. You are the very same kind of bullies that I tried to get away from by joining fandoms (supposedly an accepting environment for people who are different and like the same stuff) in the first place. Now I am the kind of person that doesn’t have a temper. However, stuff like this is one of the very few things that get me righteously pissed off. But I don’t yell, or scream, or punch a wall. Instead, I channel that anger into fuel I can use for something else. Which is what made me write this open letter to you, the Voltron fandom. Like I said earlier, not everyone in the Voltron fandom is bad. To all of those that just enjoy the show and respect other people’s ships, or don’t give a dam about ships at all. thank you for being decent human beings and trying to clean up the mess these toxic, souless antis made of our fandom. After seeing all of this I can tell you that I am officially 1000% DONE with this bull. So I am calling the antis out. Consider this a reality check for ALL of you. This is a fucking CARTOON. The people you are shipping so feverishly together are fictional characters. Underline the word “Fictional” as in “not real”. At the end of the day, they are just a bunch of lines and colors moving frame by frame and voiced by real human beings with feelings. They are not above emotions like some of you idiots think they are. When are you going to get it through your tiny brain cases you call heads that how you are acting is childish, immature, and just plain sadistic?! I want to get something strait right now. I do not hate the voltron fandom, not at all. I hate what its become. These horrible antis and haters and toxic people are infecting the fandom like a deadly disease; like a fast spreading plague that causes the slow and painful death of its victum. However, unlike the real Black Plague, there is a cure! And a contagious one at that! So I’m sending out a call to action to every decent human being in the fandom! Those who are here just to enjoy the show for what it is with other people and have a good time, the older fans who got into Voltron: Legendary Defenders because they grew up with the older versions, the Multishippers, those who are respectful of other people’s ships,, or don’t give a dam about shipping at all, as well as those who keep their accounts as safe spaces for all fans. Do your girl a solid and help make the Voltron fandom a better place. Please, be a voice for good. If you see a fan getting harassed by an anti, just politely shut them down. Don’t go full on Leroy Jenkins and fight back, don’t feed the trolls, guys! Just politely tell them to back off and ignore them after that. Then, turn around and try to cheer up the person who got harassed! Share your favorite fan art pieces with them or give them fic recommendations! Who knows, you just might make a new friend! If you see someone you follow on any social media platform doing any of the bullshit I’ve previously mentioned earlier, unfollow them immediately. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life and neither does anybody else. Let your followers know that your account is a safe space for all decent Voltron fans to geek out and that there is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for antis. If someone disagrees with you on your ship or theory, politely ask them to explain their reasoning in a civil manner. Get a dialogue going so the whole thing doesn’t turn into an all out screaming match. It can be done, people! It is possible! It just takes a little effort. It may take some time, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, but I beleive we can fix the fandom if we all work together.  Now I also want to take a moment to send a message. To the voice actors of Voltron; Bex taylor Klaus (My Queen), Jeremy Shada, Steven Yeun, Josh Keiton, Kimberly Brooks, Tyler Labine, Rhys Darby, and A.J. Locascio. To the Co-Creators of Voltron; Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery. I am not apologizing for the actions of the toxic part of the fandom (that’s a mess they gotta clean up themselves), but I am speaking for the good part of the fandom and myself when I say that we apologize for what these souless people have put you through. Nobody should ever have to go through that just some people want a small sense of validation in their ship being canon. We love all of you and we hope that you can find it in your hearts to give the fandom a chance to redeem itself. I wrote this in hopes of waking some people up and start to to change things for the better. At least that’s what I hope will come of this rant that I wrote all in one sitting at 4 am. Just know that we all love and respect you and I am going to try my hardest to help change this fandom for the better with the help of my friends and followers, as well as the rest of the fandom that actually has a soul and a conscience. We are going to try and remind everyone that we are all on the same side. We all love the same show and the same characters and the same story. After all, we’re all made up of the same cosmic dust.

signed,

Paiton

not to recreate my “i wish bert mccracken would mansplain to me why jesus was an anarchist” post again but i would honest to god just sit there and listen to roBERT monologue about how my smartphone is evil & thank him for it afterward. i would allow him to use the word “superfood” without bashing him over the head with a guitar. i would tolerate him singing the praises of ron paul and never shutting the fuck up about infinite jest or david foster wallace. i’d still tell him he’s an asshole at the end of the day but like..... he knows that already. he is a DICKHEAD but he is MY dickhead i CLAIMED him & i am his mother & father. i am allowed to love ONE shitty white band dude and i chose HIM. ok

Because I Could Not Stop for Death - Chapter Eight

Language: English

Rating: Teen+

Pairing: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter

Tags: AU - Canon Divergence, Reptilia28′s Don’t Fear the Reaper Challenge, Manipulative Dumbledore, Black Hermione Granger, Slight Ron Weasley Bashing

Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Chapter 8: Reaching Out to a Heart In Doubt

Summary: Expectations are hard.

BY the time Harry reaches the Great Hall (having stopped once to get directions from a portrait only to find he’s been going in the wrong direction), he’s pretty sure he’s the last to arrive. His face grows warm as hundreds of eyes turn to look at him, and he quickly makes his way over to the Gryffindor table. Neville has saved him a seat between him and Hermione, and he mutters a thanks as he quickly sits. Once again he finds himself looking towards the Slytherin table, but Draco is seated with his back to the Gryffindor table this time, so he figures he’ll catch him in class that afternoon.

    “What did P-Professor McGonagall want?” Neville asks quietly. She doesn’t ask, but Hermione’s eyes flicker over at him as she eats, giving away her own curiosity. When he hesitates to say though, Neville quickly adds, “N-Not that you have to say, i-if you d-don’t want t-to.”

    It isn’t like the professor told him he couldn’t tell anyone, but he feels awkward discussing it in the Great Hall surrounded by the rest of Gryffindor. Neville’s question after all was heard by a few of the other first years around them, a few of them poorly disguising their interest, as Harry catches two of the first year girls whose names he can’t remember and Ron Weasley looking over. He’s enough of a curiosity as it is; he doesn’t want his parents’ fortune--now his fortune--and this unknown will as additional reasons for everyone to talk to him.

    Lowering his voice, he says, “I’ll tell you after lunch, when it’s just us.” Maybe, if he can catch him on the way out, he’ll tell Draco too.

    Unfortunately, Draco finishes before them and heads out with some other Slytherins. He doesn’t even look over, and Harry frowns watching him go. Could Draco be purposely avoiding him? He isn’t sure, but he doesn’t have time to think about it as Hermione nudges him that they should start heading to class. Considering some of the others aren’t done, he figures she and Neville are impatient to hear about his talk with their Head of House so he nods. As soon as they are away from the Great Hall and alone in the hall heading to Defense Against the Dark Arts, they turn on him.

    “So? What did the Professor want to talk about? Is it something about tomorrow’s class?” Hermione asks.

    Harry shakes his head. “No. Uh, actually…” He trails off as he looks around making sure no one else is around while he tries to think of how to explain. “Basically, as the Gryffindor Head of House, Professor McGonagall is like my guardian here. She was asking if I wanted her to get my parents’ will from Gringotts.”

    “Their will?” Hermione frowns, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve never heard their will?”

    “My aunt and uncle didn’t know about it,” he explains. He doesn’t want to elaborate, embarrassed at the thought of telling them how much they hate wizards or what living with them is like. Especially with how the professors reacted. Instead, he says, “Anyway, soon as she can get it, she said she’ll let me know.”

    “D-Do you think they l-left you a lot?” Neville asks.

    “Well.” Harry shifts uncomfortably. “Honestly? They left me a lot of money in Gringotts,” he admits. “Professor McGonagall said there used to be an estate, too, but she doesn’t know if that was sold. Other than that, I don’t know what else they could’ve left,” he admits.

    Other students start coming down the hall, ending any further discussion on the matter. Hermione suggests they head to class to avoid being late, and off they go.

    Defense Against the Dark Arts brings them an unexpected surprise. An error on their schedule means they’re unexpectedly sharing this class with the Slytherins. Harry, Hermione, and Neville reach the classroom in time to find the first years divided by House, and they’ve clearly missed something as Ron and Draco are standing glaring at each other, Ron’s face nearly as red as his hair and Draco glaring back. Before they can try to get an explanation, the classroom door opens and Professor Quirrell motions them to come inside. A Slytherin girl marches over to the professor, pointing to her schedule.

    “N-No mistake, Miss P-P-Parkinson. B-B-Both h-h-houses are sh-sh-sharing this c-c-class.”

    As the class is settling in, the professor comes over to Harry, mentioning that he missed the opportunity to greet him on his visit to Diagon and that he hopes Harry is settling into Hogwarts well. Someone among the Slytherins makes a snide remark about having to deal with their professor fawning over their latest celeb, and Harry blushes, embarrassed. He looks over in the direction from where the voice came from, and he finds himself looking at Draco who quickly looks away. He doesn’t think it was the blond, but it must have at least been one of the other Slytherin boys around him, and his supposed friend wasn’t saying anything about it. He had been planning on going over to talk to him, but now he instead goes to take a seat next to Neville.

    When class starts, Professor Quirrell stutters through his introductory lecture almost to the point of being incomprehensible. There are whispers around the class and giggling, which Hermione sitting in front of Harry attempts to quell as she shushes those closest, which only prompts some more whispers and laughter among the Slytherins. Eventually, they’re instructed to just read through the first chapter on their own, with instructions on the essay they’re to start if they finish it before class is done, which will be due for their next class. There’s grumbling among the Slytherins, who apparently have their next class the next day, and gloating from the Gryffindors nearby who overhear as the next DADA class for the Gryffindors isn’t until Thursday. In a still trembling, stuttering voice, Professor Quirrell attempts to call for order, which only results in the talking lessening and dropping back down to whispers, but not stopping altogether. It seems to be enough for him, though, as he goes to his desk.

    A few minutes into reading, Harry looks up and finds him staring; in fact, it happens a few times, the sense that he’s being watched, only for him to look up and find the professor looking in his direction. Sometimes from his desk, sometimes as he walks around the classroom. It becomes deeply unsettling and he spends the rest of class trying not to look over at the professor at all, occasionally glancing at the clock on the wall in the hopes that time will speed up. When class is over, he wastes no time getting out of the classroom, coming up just short of running out and waiting for Hermione and Neville in the hall.

    As both the Gryffindors and Slytherins both also have Magical Theory, there’s no getting away from those more interested in exchanging insults. It escalates enough that a passing Ravenclaw prefect scolds them, taking ten points from each House, and threatening to inform their Heads of House if they don’t cut it out. It leaves the atmosphere between the two groups tense and Harry, still unsure if he should try to approach Draco, decides it’d be too awkward to do it right now.

    The professor for Magical Theory turns out to be a tall, olive-skinned woman with broad shoulders and long dark hair tied in a braid. Her dark brown eyes sit under thick eyebrows, and her wide mouth sits under a straight, pointed nose. Behind her is a chalkboard, the name “Professor Pythagora” written across it in blue. If it weren’t for the faint lines on either side of her mouth, and the streak of white in her braid, she might have passed for a younger professor.

    “Find your seats now, please.” A slight accent Harry is unfamiliar with is just barely noticeable when she speaks. Once everyone is seated, she continues, “Now then, welcome to Magical Theory. I am Professor Pythagora.” She motions to the board behind her with her wand, causing the letters to shimmer. “I will warn you now: I will not tolerate disruption in this class. If having the freedom to choose your seats results in too much talking and misbehaving, I will give you assigned seats for the rest of the school year.

    “Magical theory is arguably the most important subject you will learn, bar none. In this class, you will learn the basic truths of magic, known as the Natural Laws of Magic.” She waves her wand again at the board, causing her name to disappear and be replaced with the words “Natural Law of Magic”. As she continues, bullet points appear underneath, and her words are transcribed accordingly. “These laws explain the do’s and don’ts of magic as we know them. They provide the limitations of magic as we understand them, and how that translates to every branch of magic you will be taught here at Hogwarts.”

    She looks over the students, pausing and smiling over at Hermione, who is taking notes down, before continuing, walking among them. “Muggle-born students will understand this best: Magical Theory is the wizarding world equivalent of science. In short, magical theory will give you a broader understanding of how the world works. Unlike many of your other subjects, it is an ever changing field, as our own understanding of the world is always growing. What is true today, may not be true tomorrow. This is a subject which encourages not only critical thinking, but that we challenge what we think we know of the world.

    “That being said, do not take that as an invitation to question what is taught in this class if what you are presenting is some foolish, ill-thought out nonsense that is clearly just an attempt to get out of doing homework or, worse, taking your exams. Should you wish to challenge any of my teachings, or the information in your book, I fully expect you to back that challenge up with adequate research.” She moves back to the front of the classroom, turning to face them all. “Otherwise, I will assign you double homework on the subject you attempted to challenge. Are we clear?”

    All at once, the class murmurs together that they understand, and she nods her head. “Good, now I will give you the next ten minutes to jot down the notes on the board. While you do that, I will pass out the class syllabus for the year. Most of the reading we will do together in class, so that I can explain some topics further, and to allow everyone the opportunity to ask questions regarding the material as it comes up. I encourage you to ask here, for you’ll find that if you don’t understand something, chances are one or more other people are also confused. Better to ask and get clarity than to not ask and get things wrong on the homeworks or exams. And anyone laughing at another student’s question will have points taken from their house.”

    Professor Pythagora proves to be a strict teacher. By the end of class, she has taken ten points from each House (the first five from Gryffindor because Ron forgot his book, then five from Slytherin for the snide comment Draco made about him likely being unable to afford it; then five more from Gryffindor for the snickers when it was Crabbe’s turn to read and he stumbled over a few words, while Slytherin lost five points for similarly laughing at Neville’s stuttering through his own portion). She advises that she’s gone easy on them, it being the first day, but that in the future, each disturbance will result in an additional five points per instance. Despite that, she assigns no homework, and simply reminds them to be on time and ready to start where they left off when she dismisses them.

    The next few days are more of the same, as they learn their way around the school and their professors introduce them to the subjects they’ll be learning. History of Magic, it turns out, actually is taught by a ghost, but the excitement over that is quickly quelled as it turns out that Professor Binns is hands down their most boring teacher yet. Magical Theory, on the other hand, is less boring than expected, as Professor Pythagora alternates between going through the reading herself, and having them read, in order to ensure they’re engaged in the matter. When she’s not having to scold anyone for misbehaving, she’s actually more prone to smiling and encouraging them to participate in the class discussion.

    Professor Flitwick, after falling off the stack of books he’d been standing on when calling roll their first class when he reached Harry’s name, makes them most excited for future Charms classes when he informs them that the first couple chapters of their book would review the importance of pronunciation and wand movements when doing charm work before moving into the actual charms. They would learn the history behind the charms, and then move on to learning to do the charms themselves. It promised to be one of the more hands-on classes, and they were all looking forward to it.

    With Astronomy cancelled the first week, as Professor Sinistra has yet to return from a research trip, the only class they have with Slytherin Tuesday through Thursday is Magical Theory. Harry makes only one attempt to talk to Draco in that time, when he comes out of the Great Hall after lunch Tuesday, but Draco pretends not to hear him as he goes to catch up with other Slytherins so Harry doesn’t try again.

    So much for trying to stay friends, he thinks. He recalls what Ron said, about many of Voldemort’s followers being from Slytherin along with Malfoy’s family, and wonders if that has something to do with this change in attitude. Regardless, it’s not like he can force a friendship.

~~~

NARCISSA Malfoy was raised to be a society wife; a scion of the Black family, responsible for maintaining the purity of her own family while continuing the bloodline of the Malfoy family. It was a responsibility she had taken seriously, having had the lesson drilled into her all her life, but even more so after her second eldest sister was disowned for running off to marry her school sweetheart, a mudblood Ravenclaw in her year, immediately after graduating in 1972. It was such a stark difference to the pride her eldest sister’s wedding the year prior had brought the family, and Narcissa, being the youngest, could not imagine being disowned by her family.

    So she considered herself fortunate that her interest in Lucius Malfoy had been reciprocated enough that, coupled with her family legacy, he proposed shortly after her sister’s disownment despite the scandal. If perhaps she had thought at Bella’s wedding that she would like to wait to settle down herself, Dromeda’s removal from the family tree had made her fear that to do anything but immediately settle down with the most eligible pureblood bachelor would result in the same. After all, the Malfoy family was one of the oldest, with their lineage in Britain dating back to the eleventh century, making it so few could rival their accumulated wealth and influence. It made it so fanatically pureblood families, such as the Blacks, were willing to overlook the fact that the Malfoy family tree was spotted with a few half-blood relations among its branches.

    She had loved Lucius enough that given the choice of marrying him when he proposed, and risking the censure of her family if she turned down a match that would be even greater than Bella’s to the Lestrange family, it had been no choice at all. She agreed to marry him once she was done with school, and the summer following her graduation, that had been that. Her family could not be prouder, and indeed, they had virtually sung her praises for all to hear. News of their wedding was splashed on the front page of the Daily Prophet for a week, accounting for every detail.

    Whatever she had thought to once do with herself once she was done with school was replaced with her new responsibilities as a wife. While most of her classmates went on to pursue careers, or just interests they couldn’t while in school, Narcissa began learning the Malfoy history she would be expected to impart to the future Malfoy heir, as well as the responsibilities of running the Malfoy household. Once the elder Mrs. Malfoy was satisfied she’d learned all there was to know, her in-laws retired to an ancestral home in France, leaving the newlyweds the main Malfoy estate in Wiltshire to themselves.

    While Lucius worked as a Death Eater first as a spy, and then in more active roles, Narcissa was tasked with maintaining the illusion of their neutrality and simultaneously meeting with other pureblood families to try to determine their loyalties to better assist Lucius in his role as informant. It gave her something to do as, year after year, their attempts at having a child failed. When news trickled down to her through others in her social circle that her estranged sister was with child, an unfamiliar feeling of jealousy overcame her and she was tempted to reach out, ask how her sister had managed what she had yet been unable to do. She never went through with it.

    When she finally became pregnant in the latter half of 1979, she practically confined herself to Malfoy Manor, wanting nothing to do with the escalating war or the stress of maintaining social connections. Maintaining her health and having the child she longed for meant more to her than anything else, no matter how much Bella nagged at her to do her part for the Dark Lord. Lucius, who to that point seemed to be as obsessed with furthering the Dark Lord’s cause as her sister, surprised her by agreeing she should stay safely in the manor.

    On the 5 June 1980, she gave birth to Draco Lucius Malfoy, and he became her world. She swore to herself as he fell asleep in her arms that first night that she would do anything , fight anyone , to protect the perfect little being in her arms who had cried incessantly until he’d been placed in his mother’s arms. When nearly a year and a half later, the Dark Lord fell, she’d urged Lucius to avoid suspicion however he could. She would not have her son grow up with his father locked away in Azkaban, the taint of that following him as he grew up and attended Hogwarts. If the Dark Lord had been doomed to failure, then they were lucky it had happened before their allegiance had been revealed.

    She was relieved, as he got older, at realizing that her son would not be expected to fight. By the end of the war, casualties were common on both sides, although heavier on the opposing side. Still, in the last few months, she had worried every time Lucius left that he would not come home. She couldn’t imagine letting Draco leave not knowing if he would come back to her. Better to put up with the existence of blood traitors and mudbloods than the possibility of losing her son.

    While many others in her social circles hired tutors and left their House Elves to watch over their children. Narcissa wouldn’t hear of it. The only time she wasn’t with him was when her presence at a social event, or a Ministry event with Lucius, was absolutely required. Even then, unless Lucius or his parents, visiting from France, were able to be with Draco while she was gone, she would excuse herself at the earliest opportunity. She personally took charge of most of Draco's in-home education, only hiring a tutor the year before he was due to begin Hogwarts to ensure she had covered everything he’d need to know before beginning.

    When Lucius declared his intention to send Draco to Durmstrang Institute instead of Hogwarts, he saw the notorious Black will in Narcissa for the first time. Where in all other matters, she had given her opinion but ultimately deferred to his judgement, when it came to where Draco would attend school, she put her foot down. She would not hear of him going anywhere but to Hogwarts. Not only had every member of her family from time immemorial attended Hogwarts, which by all accounts was the best school in Europe, she would not hear of him going so far away from them. The fight lasted days, to the point where she purposely changed her schedule so that she and Draco were virtually never home when Lucius was free to avoid him putting ideas in their son’s head about Durmstrang, until finally he conceded that Draco would in fact attend Hogwarts when the time came.

    In truth, if she could have kept him home to herself, Narcissa likely would have. She missed him terribly, all the more since he’d only written to them once so far on Sunday night to inform them he’d been Sorted into Slytherin (“As any respectable Malfoy would be,” Lucius said, though he beamed with pride). She’d asked him to write daily, had hoped he would, but wasn’t surprised when nothing came the first, second, or third morning. Still, she sent him a letter and a small box of treats daily before sitting down to breakfast, and kept an eye out for a response.

    Thursday, she was rewarded with his first response thus far, the Eurasian eagle-owl they’d gifted Draco for school delivering his letter to her directly. Narcissa takes it, petting the owl once before calling a House Elf to provide a treat for the bird so he’s ready to deliver her response once she’s written it.

5 September 1991

Dear Mother,

I apologize for not writing sooner. Thank you for the treats you’ve been sending; the cookies yesterday were especially good.

    Narcissa smiles. She’d decided to make those herself on a whim.

We already have a lot of homework, which has kept me busy, but I will try to be better about writing. You were right about how easy it is to get lost; Hogwarts is so much bigger than I imagined. It’s lucky the Slytherin common rooms and dorms are in the dungeon; I can’t imagine having to navigate all the moving staircases on the first week to try and find the other Houses’ dorms.

Speaking of other Houses, though, did I tell you Potter was sorted into Gryffindor? Before we were Sorted, I agreed we’d stay friends even if we went to different Houses.  The older Slytherins, however, said Slytherins and Gryffindors are rivals, and especially because so many of them are mudbloods and blood traitors. Potter has already made friends with some. I know you always say we Malfoys always keep our word, but Father said I must always act in a way that will reflect well on Slytherin. In this case, should I keep my word? Or would that be against all Slytherin stands for? Mother, I wish you were here; you always know what to do. I know

Father would say I must figure it out myself, but I don’t know what the right thing is. If you could advise me, I would appreciate it.

Your loving son,

Draco

    By the time she finishes the letter, Narcissa is frowning. She wishes she had known with whom her son had been exchanging letters with the last month; she might have managed to prevent their getting close, thus sparing her son the difficulty such a friendship would inevitably come with. Early on after the Dark Lord’s downfall, she and Lucius had agreed that while they would teach their son the importance of their pureblood status, they would keep the truth of their allegiance in the war a secret until he was older. Lucius had been too high up a Death Eater near the end for his identity to have remained secret for long. His current Ministry connections, and his position on the Board of Governors, required the continued belief that they had been neutral prior to Lucius being placed under the Imperius Curse.

    She had warned him when they began preparing him for Hogwarts that there would be those in his House who, in the safety of their common room, would be vocal about their family’s support of the Dark Lord. They were sending him off with the information they’d always told him, that their family had remained neutral, but he was never to tell anyone who among his Housemates had supported the Dark Lord. She hadn’t thought to tell him that among those open supporters, there would be a great amount of animosity towards the supposed “hero” of the wizarding world, and thus he would do well to not befriend the other boy. She never thought they’d meet outside the school.

    Now her son is asking for her help to navigate the situation, and knowing her son as she does, she knows that whatever her response, he will take it to heart. Much as Draco loves and respects his father, Narcissa is the one who has his confidence, the one who has been by his side, guiding him, all his life. He will want to make his father proud, but he will do as his mother says is right.

    Folding the letter carefully, she slips it into the pocket of her robe and stands, smoothing out the lines sitting down had begun to create before she leaves the library where she’d been going over her calendar when Vespid arrived. She glances briefly at the clock, then heads for Lucius’s office. She finds him exactly where she expected, sitting at his desk, facing the fireplace located behind it. Once a week, he and the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge meet, and sure enough, the Minister’s head is currently floating in the green flames. They’re wrapping up, exchanging pleasantries, so she comes over to stand near the desk, in clear view of the Minister.

    “Ah, Narcissa! Looking lovely, as always,” Minister Fudge compliments. She greets him with a small, bland smile, well versed in being polite without encouraging a lengthy conversation. “Well, I must go, Lucius. But I’ll be in touch. You have a good day.”

    “Yes, Cornelius, you as well.” He waits until the Minister is truly gone, and the flames in the fireplace have returned to their normal orange-yellow color to turn his chair back towards the desk. “Impeccable timing, dear. The man is incapable of taking a hint and noting when his presence is no longer warranted.”

    Narcissa gives him a genuine smile. “I thought that might be the case. Shall I call for some tea?” He nods his agreement and she calls for one of the House Elves before taking a seat across from her husband. Once a tray has been brought, she waves the Elf away before serving them each a cup. “There you are.”

    “Thank you.” He takes the cup and sips at it, eyes flicking briefly to look over at her before returning to some correspondences in front of him. He suspects there is something she wishes to discuss, but knows she will get around to it in her own time.

    Narcissa is in no rush, serving herself a cup and sipping at it as she decides exactly how she wishes to broach the subject before doing so. Once she is ready, she says quietly, “The Parkinsons will be completing the renovation of their garden soon; we’ve been invited to a dinner party in a few weeks. With the children all off to school now, they’re likely worried that outside of the holidays when they’re all home, we’ll otherwise do little socializing with them.  Shall I accept their invitation, or shall I tell them we’ve a prior engagement?”

    “The Parkinsons,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You may as well accept; they’ll just move the date if we say we aren’t available.”

    She nods her head knowingly. “Very well. You’ll be interested to know that Artemisia Zabini is apparently in the market for a London home.”

    “Done gallivanting abroad, is she?”

    “I doubt it. Her son started Hogwarts this year as well. It is probably easier to keep a residence domestically instead of having the boy travel abroad every break.”

    Lucius looks up at her thoughtfully. “Is he a Slytherin?” Narcissa lifts one delicate shoulder to indicate she isn’t sure, and he nods. “If he is, he’d be a good friend for Draco to have.” More accurately, it would be a good connection for them to cultivate, due to the boy’s infamous mother, whose beauty was renowned internationally, as was her influence, her multiple marriages, and her unknown wealth.

    Narcissa simply nods her head in agreement before segueing easily to the reason she’d come to see her husband. “Speaking of friends, did you know Draco had been speaking with Harry Potter? I meant to ask you after we dropped him off. I thought he’d been exchanging letters with Nott’s boy, or I’d have put a stop to it.”

    “I did not, but this could be good.”

    “You don’t think Draco’s being friends with the Boy Who Lived is bad?”

    Lucius presses his fingers together in front of chin, a grin spreading across his face. “On the contrary, this is an unexpected advantage. No one knows where Albus had him, but did you see the state of him? Draco becoming friends with Harry Potter allows us to take him under our wing, influence his allegiances before he becomes one of Albus’s little puppets, and quash those who still suspect me after all these years in one fell swoop. After all, would a former Death Eater loyal to the Dark Lord treat the one responsible like family ?

    “Draco has done well befriending the Boy Who Lived. Has he written to you about him?”

    “Only to say that he was Sorted into Gryffindor,” Narcissa tells him.

    Lucius rolls his eyes. “Of course he was. No matter. Encourage him to invite the boy over. Perhaps for the holidays.”

    “As you wish, Lucius. If anything, I will plan a holiday party and have Draco invite his friends, including the Potter boy. We can also have the Zabinis over then.”

    Lucius agreed to the idea, and they discussed other matters instead while in her mind, Narcissa was already planning the letter to Draco.

                                                                                             5 September 1991

Hello Darling,

Hogwarts will soon become so familiar to you that you will not recall a time when you could not navigate it as well as the manor. While I look forward to hearing from you often, your classwork should take precedence; do not apologize for taking care of your responsibilities first and foremost. While I am glad to hear that you wish to uphold the values of Slytherin, always remember one thing:

You are first and foremost a Malfoy, with the blood of the noble house of Black running through your veins. Even among the Sacred Twenty-Eight, few are your equal. I trust you to advance the interests of our family, and never allow others to make you question what you know to be right.

I am disappointed to hear, however, that your fellow Slytherins are distinctly lacking in the cunning and forethought members of our House are known for, and hope that you defer instead to what your father and I have taught you. Your Head of House, Professor Snape, can also guide you accordingly. You do yourself no favors by setting yourself up against the other Houses unilaterally, including the members of Gryffindor. That is not to say that you should go so far as to mingle with those inferior to you, but never forget that the families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight do not only reside in Slytherin, and that even among those who cannot claim our pureblood status are those who can prove useful to us Malfoys, or even just you personally in your ambitions at school.

Take your father’s connections for example. Many cannot claim the lineage we have, but they are nevertheless relations we cultivate. Until such time that they prove to no longer be useful to the Malfoy family, they will be important connections for us to maintain.

I hope my words have eased your concerns, and helped you understand the best course of action. I do not wish to tell you what to do, but to give you the tools and understanding so as to make your own decisions.

                                                                                      Write again soon, love.

                                                                                            Your Loving Mother

Story Notes:

Chapter title is from the Newsboys song “That’s How You Change the World”

Confession: The “error” in the schedule was me forgetting to make a note that Monday’s DADA class was also a shared class (‘cause that was the only way I could make the rest of the schedule work). Instead of going back to edit, figured I’d make the error canon instead.

Fun fact: Pythagora, I’m sure you can guess, is named for Pythagoras as he is credited with the modern definition of the word “theory”. Historians don’t agree on whether or not he even had children, much less whether or not he had a daughter, and what her name was if he did. Two possible names given were Myia or Damo (Theano is another, but I don’t like that one, lol), so our Magical Theory professor’s full name is Myia Damo Pythagora!