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georgie-weasley · 4 months

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Tutor G.W. x Fem!Reader

Warnings: I think one swearword

Word Count: 3k

Paring: George Weasley x Fem!Reader

Summary: George thinks the best way to get to know you is to pretend he needs a tutor

A/N: This has nothing to do with a birthday but I wrote it yesterday as my birthday gift to myself because I wanted it.

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George Weasley was not stupid by any means; he just chose to spend his time focusing on other things besides school. Him and his twin probably could get amazing grades if they wanted to but they didn’t want to. Both of them were fine being subpar in school because that wouldn’t matter anyway. However, George was always fantastic at Transfiguration. Though he would mess around and get on every single one of McGonagall’s nerves, he always managed to get the work done and ace the tests. Until recently that is.

The bell signaling the end of class rang and the students gathered their things. George laughed at something Fred said as he shoved his most recent test into his bag. “Mr. Weasley.” Came McGonagall’s voice from the front of the room. The Weasley twins turned to face her. “George, come here please.”

George sighed and waved to his brother. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

As Fred left, George made his way over to McGonagall’s desk. She glanced at him over the rim of her glasses, her face stern. “What can I do for you Minerva?” Her glare worsened and George cleared his throat. “I meant to say, what did I do now Professor?”

McGonagall sighed and folded her hands on her lap. “George, what’s happening to your grade? I know you usually only care about the minimum grade required to continue Quidditch in your other classes but typically, if you can believe it, you’re one of my top students.”

George shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to tell her. He wasn’t about to tell her that he and his brother are planning on opening a joke shop after school. If she knew, he was sure she would disapprove or tell his mother. He was in his seventh year so really he knows he should be focusing on school and his grades but he wasn’t interested. “Just been busy.”

The look on her face told George she didn’t believe a word he said. “George, let's be honest. You have never studied for my class since your first year. I’ve seen you pay attention maybe 10 times. However, you still managed to get some of the best scores in your class, even your whole year. Want to fill me in on the actual reason your grades have dropped?”

George chewed on his lip as he debated telling her the truth. He could already hear Fred’s whining if he did tell McGonagall the truth but she was staring at him and likely wouldn’t stop until he spilled the beans. “Fred and I are planning to open a joke shop after school so really we don’t need to work hard in school.”

McGonagall sighed and shook her head. George was prepared for her to tell him it was a horrible idea; everyone else he bothered to tell thought they were idiots for wanting that. “I think it’s a wonderful idea but you can’t stop trying in your classes. I hate to do this but with your grade as is, you’re not allowed to participate in any Quidditch matches until your grade improves.”

“But Professor you can’t! The first game of the season is in three months. I have to play.” George went from elated to have her support to more heartbroken than he ever had been within seconds.

“I can and I just did. Now, I’ve taken the liberty of asking my top student to be your tutor. Once your grade has shown improvement, then you can go back to Quidditch.”

George knew there was no way to convince her to change her mind. Maybe if it hadn’t been his final year playing Quidditch, he wouldn’t have minded as much. George loved the sport but he could have lived without it for a few months if he had to. He didn’t want to but if he was forced, he would have survived. Being his last year at Hogwarts, he wouldn’t get any more games after the year was over so he had to make the most of it. Besides, maybe he could ditch the tutor and figure this all out on his own. Now that he was thinking about it, he hoped his tutor wasn’t horrible. “Who did you assign to be my tutor?”

At that moment, the door to the classroom opened and you walked in, your arms filled with books. He watched you with wide eyes, entranced by you. He’d seen you around the castle before but he never got the chance to speak with you. While he was causing chaos everywhere he went, you were always studying. George also knew that you were in the highest level class in all of your subjects; his know-it-all brother Percy would be pissed to know you were smarter than him. There was no denying how smart you were but George didn’t realize until this moment just how beautiful you were. Sure, he thought you were gorgeous from a distance but now that he was seeing you this close, gorgeous wasn’t enough to describe just how stunning you were. He should probably stop staring at you but he couldn’t take his eyes off of you.

“Miss Y/N? Please come see me.” McGonagall sounded like she was speaking through a tunnel. Her voice seemed to be so far away from George he wondered if you had actually put a spell on him. You set your belongings down on a desk before making your way up to the front of the room. With each step you took, George could feel his heart speeding up and his lungs struggling to get air.

“Yes Professor?” George stared at your lips as you spoke. He felt a little like a creep but he couldn’t stop watching.

“I was hoping you would be willing to tutor Mr. Weasley. I’d be happy to give you some extra credit if that would help.”

George held his breath, waiting for your answer. He was hopeful you would say yes even if it was just for the extra credit. “Sure.” George felt like he was flying on the fastest broom known to wizards after hearing your answer. The bell rang, meaning George would be late for charms but McGonagall had thought that through and handed him a note to explain his late arrival. McGonagall moved away from her desk, gathering papers from the students as you turned to George.

He could see your mouth moving but he couldn’t hear a single word coming from you. George saw your face contort into the most beautiful frown. What happened to make you so upset? Was it him? He searched your face for any indication on what could have gone wrong when you crossed your arms over your chest. “George? Can you meet me in the library after dinner?” You snapped your fingers in his face, causing him to come back down to earth.

“Oh, yeah sure. I can do that.”

With a roll of your eyes, you walked away from him and sat in your seat. McGonagall ushered him out of her class as he tried to wrap his brain around what just happened. Well, he had until tonight to get himself together.

---

After dinner, George made his way to the library, a room in the castle he hardly ever visited. Almost right away, George spotted you. Towards the middle of the room you sat at a table surrounded by books. With a little spring in his step, he bounded over to you, sliding into the seat across from you. “Hello Y/N. How are you this evening?”

You ignored him, grabbing a book and setting it in front of him. “Professor McGonagall said that you’ve been falling behind the past few months so I figured we could start easy to make sure you aren’t completely incompetent.” You dropped a handful of buttons onto the table and looked at him expectantly. “Turn them into beetles.”

George smiled and waved his wand, easily turning the buttons into colorful beetles that started to scurry away. Before you could react, he waved his wand again and they turned back into beetles.

“Follow me.” You grabbed your things and walked out to the courtyard, George following close behind. The courtyard was full of other students messing around before it was time for bed. He saw quite a few students with bright orange and purple boxes; he would have to tell Fred he saw their products being used out in the wild. George was too distracted watching the other people he didn’t see that you had stopped, causing him to ram right into you. You stumbled backwards and George shot his arm out to catch you around your waist, saving you from falling into the fountain.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, a crooked smile on his face. You scowled, trying to keep your own smile hidden. He was cute, you could admit that. However, he was loud and obnoxious and clearly didn’t care about anything but himself.

You cleared your throat and moved his arm away from you. His cheeks turned almost as bright red as his hair which you found to be endearing. “Turn this rock into a frog.” You picked up a rather large rock from the ground and set it on the edge of the fountain. With ease, George did as you asked and made a perfect frog.

The series of tests continued. You would tell George to transfigure something and he would do it without issue. Even the harder spells he did perfectly. This made no sense to you. Why would McGonagall claim that he needed a tutor when clearly he could do everything just fine? “Are you pretending to be stupid or something?” You finally asked George as you both walked in the castle, heading to your common rooms.

George looked at you in surprise. “What do you mean? I need a tutor.”

“No you don’t George. You did every spell perfectly. Even the one I gave you from my class which you are not in. You’re smart. On Monday I’m going to tell McGonagall you don’t need any help.”

Absolutely not. There was no way he was going to just let you go like that. You were far too smart to be in any of his classes and you were never around when he had any free time. No, George wanted to spend time with you no matter what. “Can we at least meet up again tomorrow just to make sure I know everything?”

You crossed your arms over your chest, sure there had to be some sort of trick forming in his brain. “Fine. Tomorrow at the lake at three. Don’t be late.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

---

The next day, George waited by the lake for you, a plan forming in his head. It wasn’t his best plan but George knew if he wanted to see you again, something would have to happen. As you approached the lake, you watched George. He was much more calm when he was alone, something that you really liked. While you hardly ever spoke to him before yesterday, you had seen him around school with his brother and friends. He was so loud and open and just excited to be alive so it seemed. He was very different now on his own but you liked it. It was easier to admire his handsome features when they were relaxed. Though, he was very handsome when he was laughing and smiling too. You could even argue he was more attractive when he was happy but it was just easier to see him like this.

George spotted you and a wide bright smile crossed his face. He jumped to his feet and swooped down into a bow as you approached him. Despite trying not to smile, you couldn’t help but giggle at his theatrics. “Good morrow to you my fair lady.” He reached out and took your hand in his, kissing it.

With a roll of your eyes, you took your hand from his and dipped into a curtsy. “Good morrow to you, kind sir.” If it was even possible, George’s smile widened at your answer. He stood up straight and took your hand once again to lead you to a blanket he had set up. There was a picnic basket overflowing with snacks and a bottle of what you were sure was not champagne. Upon closer inspection, it was sparkling apple cider.

George blushed a little as he watched you take in the setup. “I thought you might appreciate snacks while you tutor me. It’s no easy job.”

You chuckled and set your books down on the blanket. “George, you’re incredibly easy to tutor. You already know everything.” You opened one of your books and searched through it to find a spell for him to try. You wanted something that wasn’t too difficult but still should challenge him. You settled on a spell you had been working on in your advanced class. “See that big boulder?” George nodded. “Turn it into a pig.”

Seeing how well he did yesterday, you were sure this would be a spell he could easily pick up on. George cleared his throat and nodded, moving closer to the rock. He cast the spell and instead of the rock turning into a pig like you expected, nothing happened. You both frowned as he tried again. And again. And again. George tried to turn the boulder into a pig for ten minutes but he never managed to do it.

“Well, maybe that one was a little harder. Why don’t you try the one we did yesterday?” You stood and grabbed a small rock to set in front of him. “Can you make it a frog?” He should be able to easily do it since he did it perfectly yesterday.

George flashed you a cocky smile. “Of course I can.” With a flick of his wand, the small rock grew frog legs but was still a rock. You both watched as the rock tried to hop around. George tried to hide his smile as you turned to him in shock. This is exactly what he had been planning on. All last night he thought about ways to keep you around. He thought that maybe if he swept you off your feet then you would be impressed and want to spend time with him but he worried it wouldn’t be enough. So, he decided to suck at transfiguration. If he was horrible then you would continue to be his tutor and he could spend more time with you and get to know you more. Then after all of that, you could at least be his friend if not more. Of course he’d have to still do better on his tests and homework so he could stay on the Quidditch team.

Sensing some bullshit, you crossed your arms over your chest. “Interesting. Maybe we should go back to the beginning?” You dug around in your bag and pulled out a matchstick. “This is one of the first spells you learn. Matchstick to needle.” Theoretically, this should be even easier than the buttons and beetles he did yesterday. Turning one inanimate object to another inanimate object is extremely easy; he should be able to do it without issue.

George nodded and took the matchstick from your hand, letting his fingers linger on your palm just a little longer than he needed. He set it on the ground and cast the spell but once again, nothing happened. George turned to look at you, hoping to see a confused expression on your face but he didn’t. You were looking more bored than anything. “Huh, I guess I do really need a tutor.”

You stared at him, wondering if he’s really doing what you think he’s doing. “George, are you pretending to be stupid?” It was the same question you asked him yesterday.

George gave you a sly smile. “What do you mean? I need a tutor.” He answered you, saying the exact same thing he said yesterday. You rolled your eyes and started packing up your things. George rushed over to you and grabbed one of your books. “Please wait.”

“No George. You knew you didn’t need a tutor and yet you insisted on meeting with me again today to what? Lie? Give me my book.”

George looked between you and the book in his hand before he slowly handed it over. “Can I at least explain why I did this?” This was all blowing up in his face. Somehow he thought that maybe you wouldn’t realize what he had been doing but he should have known someone as smart as you would have noticed.

“Fine.”

He was surprised you even gave him the time to explain himself. “I wasn’t trying to use you or waste your time. I just wanted to spend time with you and I thought this would be the best way.” He rocked on his feet as he waited for any response from you.

“Why would you need to create some dumb excuse to spend time with me?” You hated it but your heart was fluttering at the idea that George wanted to spend time with you.

George flushed bright red and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “Well, I think you’re really pretty and I wanted to get to know you more.”

Neither of you moved. George kept his eyes on the floor while you watched him. You had never been one to be bold; that was more George’s speciality. However, today was the time you needed to be bold. “I happen to think you’re really pretty too.”

George’s head snapped up and he looked at you with wide eyes. As he got over his shock, he smiled brightly. “Well, then what do you say we turn this tutor session into a date?” He gestured to the picnic blanket behind him.

“I’d really like that. Just promise me one thing?”

“Anything.”

You smiled and grabbed his hands in yours. “Don’t ever pretend to be stupid again.”

Taglist

@100gaysnails @george-weasleys-girl @weasleybuns @s1aaaaayyyyyyyt @asuperconfusedgirl @jsjcue @daisydark @creepybloodykitty2 @themarauderswife7 @mintyme101

#hp fanfic #hp fanfcition #harry potter fanfiction #george weasley fic #george weasley fanfiction #george weasley #george weasley imagine #george weasley x reader #george weasley fluff

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aanoia · 10 months

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Like you hold the world in your hands, and the stars in your eyes

Sirius Black x reader

Words; 1k+

Warnings; none really, just cursing

The beginning is kinda sketchy but it gets better I think There will be a pt.2, comment if you want to be tagged in it! (and if you want to be tagged in future marauders/harry potter posts, i want to start a tag list) Guys please request things I am begging you, please anything anything anything i need writing ideas

It had been four days.

Four entire days since I had been pranked by the Marauders, or more specifically, Sirius Black. It had to be a record. However, the streak had just been broken as swiftly walked into the Great Hall, anger radiating off me with red goo covering my body. I marched to the Gryffindor table where three of the Marauders sat, Sirius leaning over James and Remus’ shoulders to gaze at the newspaper

James laughed behind his hand as he watched the me approach and Sirius slapped his back in joy. Oh, how the Black boy loved teasing me.

“Y/n, looking quite gooey there, did you forget to shower this morning?” Sirius asked with a smile as he straightened out his back.

“That’s a shitty insult.” I retorted, tilting my head up to meet the boy's gaze.

“Wasn’t a shitty prank though, was it?”

I pointed at Sirius, lightly poking his chest, “If you or one of your dimwit friends prank me one more time, I will punch you.”

“Do it.” He taunted, his smile turning smug.

Typical. Men always thought they knew everything.

I shrugged, “Alright.” I turned around, pretending to begin to walk away and rolled my eyes at Sirius’ triumphant laugh. I turned around, using my momentum in my fist and in a second Sirius was stumbling back, his hand connected to his nose as blood gushed from it. He looked at me with shock in his eyes and I smiled innocently at him.

“Holy shit.” James said as he rushed to his friend's side.

McGonagall marched down the aisle, “Miss L/n, Mr. Black, detention for both of you. Mr. Potter, do bring him to the infirmary, the blood will stain the ground.”

“What? Why do I get detention? She punched me!” Sirius asked as James helped him up. McGonagall glared at the boy and he looked down, accepting his fate.

“8 AM tomorrow, my office. I will see you two then.”

I tiredly walked into McGonagall's office, yawning the moment I sat in the chair.

“Right on time, Miss L/n. Thank you for your punctuality, a trait your fellow classmate does not possess. Biscuit?”

“Please.” I grabbed one of the biscuits and immediately bit into it, savoring the good taste. “Delicious as always.”

McGonagall smiled, “Glad to hear it.” The door finally opened and Sirius walked in. “Ah, Mr. Black. Five minutes late.”

He flashed her a smile as he grabbed a biscuit, “Sorry, Minnie. A lot goes into this beautiful hair every morning.”

I snorted, “Yeah, a lot of products.”

He touched my hair, “Oh, looks like you still got some goo in your hair. Didn’t wash well enough, I guess.” I slapped away his hand with a glare.

“Children, tread carefully, you're fixing for another detention. Miss L/n-”

“Yes?”

“Have you not visited the infirmary for your knuckles? Madame Pomfrey could heal your bruises.”

“It’s alright. I think it looks good, does it not? It’s my trophy, proof I made Sirius Black bleed.” I winked at him and he rolled his eyes.

“Sadistic bi-”

“I suggest you stop your sentence right there, Mr. Black. Hand me your wands, please.” She asked and I pulled it from my bag, handing it over to her awaiting hand.”

Sirius shrugged, “Sorry, Minnie. Forgot mine in my dorm. Truly a shame. I could go retrieve it now, I’ll be back in just a few moments.”

“You and I know perfectly that you will not be returning. And your wand in your robe pocket. Hand it over now, Mr. Black.”

He sighed and pulled his wand from his robes, “How do you do that?” She didn’t respond. “Seriously! You always know when anyone is lying. It scares me, Minnie.”

“Ah, yes, truly terrifying.” I mocked, rolling my eyes.

He looked over with a glare, “Are we talking about your face right now? Because if so, I agree. It fuels my nightmares.”

“Says you.”

“Both of you, be quiet. I expect my classroom to be free of every speck of dust by dinner. Go, children.”

“So, L/n.” Sirius asked after thirty minutes of cleaning. “You and Greenwood, huh?”

I shook my head, “What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just rumors going around about you and him.”\

“What kind of rumors?” I asked and turned to look at him. He was already looking at me intently.

He smiled, “People say you guys are snogging. Maybe even dating. They say you two are in love with each other.”

I snorted and turned back around, continuing with my dusting. “That’s hilarious.”

“Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“In love, dimwit. Are you in love with Greenwood?”

I paused my actions, seriously thinking over the question, “I’d be his, if he asked.”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

I turned around again, “I owe you no answer. I like him, I’m not sure yet if I love him but if I did you would not be the person I tell.”

He blew out deeply, “Well, if you want my opinion-”

“I don’t.” I said. “I have my own.”

He ignored me and took a step towards me, “Then I believe you deserve someone better. Someone who would treat you like you hold the world in your hands and the stars in your eyes.”

I hesitated, “And who would that be?”

He took another step forward and I tilted my head to meet his gaze. I shuddered as his breath fanned over my face. What is he doing?

He gently placed his hand on my cheek, “You would deserve better, but me. I would treat you like the world in your hands and the stars in your eyes. I would treat you like you have the ocean's vigor in your voice and natures beauty in your mind. I would treat you so much better than he would.”

My breath quickened and I took a step back as my mind went into panic mode. I quickly grabbed my bag and robe.

“I’m sorry, Sirius. I just- I can’t.” I said quickly and walked out of the classroom, deciding I’ll pick my wand up from McGonagall's office later.

I raced to the Gryffindor common room and quickly muttered the password.

“L/n, you’re back early? Where’s Sirius? Did you kill him?” James asked as I passed by him and the other two Marauders, I stopped to look at them, still in shock. James sat comfortable on the sofa as Remus and Peter played chest. Remus looked at me with his brows furrowed.

“Are you alright, Y/n?” Remus asked. Remus and I had always been close, his mom and mine being best friends, it’s a shame his friends suck.

“Y-you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Peter mentioned, also looking at me in worry. Okay, Peter’s not that bad. (Not yet.)

“I-” I swallowed and nodded. “I’m fine. Goodbye.” I said and walked up the stairs to my dorm.

When I opened the door three heads snapped my way.

“Y/n?” Lily asked.

“You’re done with detention already?” Dorcas asked as her girlfriend, Marlene, looked up from her lap.

“Are you alright, babe?”

“What did Sirius do this time?” Lily questioned.

“I think- I think he confessed his love to me?”

#aanoia #romance #sirius black x reader #sirus black #sirius x reader #james & peter & remus & sirius #sirius orion black #sirius x you #sirius being sirius #marauders era #the marauders #james potter #remus luping #peter pettigrew

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romione-trope-fest · 1 month

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Do You Like Chocolate?

Fic Title: Do You Like Chocolate?

Author Name: Mertronus

Selected Trope: Muggle AU

Brief Summary: Ron’s senior year begins with an unexpected surprise

Word Count: 2,040 (Chapter 1 only)

Rating: T

Any Trigger Warnings: None

—

Chapter 1

Ron walked through the doors of Central High and took a deep breath. Senior year. This was it…his final year of high school. There was so much to be excited about this year. He was at the top of the totem pole, so to speak. An upperclassman. All of the other classes would look up to him—and not only because he was one of the tallest in the school.

He was also one of the starting wide receivers for the Central High School Chiefs football team—for the third year.

He had homecoming and prom to look forward to, as well as the senior trip.

But there was also so much he was dreading. Ron tried not to dwell on those things as he located his new locker near his homeroom. He sighed and swiveled the dial to enter his code—then tried again when his locker refused to open. On the fourth try, it finally unlocked. Typical.

Central High wasn’t rundown or anything…but it definitely wasn’t new. Everyone knew that the lockers rarely opened on the first try.

“Weasley,” came a voice from beside him.

“Potter.” Ron leaned against his now-closed locker and watched his best friend fiddle with his own, just three lockers away. “So, you can drive to my house, eat my mom’s breakfast, pick up my baby sister, and just ignore the fact that your best friend was sleeping right upstairs?”

Harry laughed as he shoved his gym bag into the locker. It had only taken Harry two attempts to open it, Ron noticed with annoyance.

“Your baby sister is a junior now and would put you in your place if she heard you call her that.”

“She could try,” Ron chuckled. “Now back to why you didn’t wake me up.”

“Well, when your mom told me that you were still asleep, I didn’t see the point in trying to wake you.” He closed his locker and faced Ron. “We all know you wouldn’t wake up until you were ready. I’m honestly surprised you made it on time.”

“I’ve perfected my morning routine and got it down to three minutes flat. And I ate breakfast on my way.”

“You did not eat oatmeal while you drove!” Harry stared at him wide-eyed.

“The trick is,” Ron threw his arm around Harry as they headed to their homeroom, “you put a bit more milk in it, throw it into a mason jar, and then you can drink it like a shake. No spoon needed.” Ron grinned at Harry, clearly proud of himself.

Harry sighed and shook his head. “I can’t figure out if you’re ingenious or ridiculous.”

“Bit of both I would say,” came a sharp voice from behind them. Ms. McGonagall had just entered the room behind them. “More ridiculous, but most of the smartest people are.” She smiled at Ron and Harry. “Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter. Enjoyed your summers?”

“Morning Ms. McGonagall,” they both said as they sat near the front.

“We did, thanks,” Ron continued. “Did you?”

“Well,” McGonagall placed her bag on her desk as more students filed into the room, “summer school was quite boring without you two. But I was glad for your absences nonetheless.”

Dean Thomas, who’d just taken the seat on the other side of Harry, snorted. Ron side-eyed him briefly, then grinned at McGonagall. “We missed you, Ms. M. But not summer school.”

Ron and Harry had spent the previous two summers in summer school with McGonagall catching up. But, with some extra help the previous year as well as many threats of being benched in their senior year by Coach Moody, they had both been able to finish their junior years strong. Neither one of them had any plans to be benched senior year. For one, outside of seeing Harry every day, football was the only daily thing Ron looked forward to in school. During the winter and spring they trained and ran track to keep active, but football was always their main event.

On top of that, scouts for the colleges they’d both applied to would be watching, and full scholarships were on the line. Ron was a fantastic wide receiver, and Harry was one of the fastest running backs in the state. They knew that several schools had their eyes on them, including Western University, where they both hoped to go.

The bell rang and McGonagall started to close the door just as Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini slipped through. Both sat and smiled at McGonagall innocently.

“Don’t be cute,” McGonagall scowled. Then she turned to begin attendance as the morning announcements started over the intercom.

The bell rang again ten minutes later and Harry ran off to his first class. Ron stayed in his seat since he had English with McGonagall first period. A few others stayed put too—both of the Patil twins, Blaise, Dean, and Lisa Turpin.

A flash of blonde hair entered the room and Ron cringed. Damnit. Of course.

Lavender Brown smiled coyly at Ron and took the seat in front of him, next to Padma Patil. “Morning Ron,” she cooed.

“Hey,” Ron said simply, praying that she would turn towards the twins for gossip or some kind of cheerleaders mini convention rather than try and hold a conversation with him. They’d dated sophomore year for a couple of months, and ever since then she’d continued to try and get him back. Apparently, the fact that Ron hadn’t dated anyone since her, though there was no shortage of options at Central, told her that Ron was still interested.

Ron was not interested.

The truth was, none of the girls at Central had ever caught Ron’s eye. They all seemed to be the same. And any who showed interest in Ron, likely only did so because of his football fame. None ever seemed to want to get to know him. Even Lavender only wanted Ron in order to portray the perfect All-American high school power couple—cheerleading captain and football champ. They’d be shoe-ins for homecoming king and queen. Maybe even prom king and queen. Ron knew this was the case even though they were no longer together, which put a damper on two events he was otherwise looking forward to. He knew Lavender would be expecting a Homecoming ‘proposal’ or some such nonsense.

It would never come.

Ron sighed in relief when Lavender turned to her two best friends.

“The new girl was in my homeroom,” Lavender whispered. Ron’s ears perked up.

Damn, starting at a new school senior year must suck, he thought.

“Oohh, I heard something about a new girl…what’s she like?”

Lavender shrugged. “Super quiet. And spacey. She didn’t even answer Flitwick when he called her name! He had to tap on her shoulder. I seriously can’t tell if she’s a nerd or a ditz. And her hair! She really could do with a straightener.”

Ron rolled his eyes. Lavender, Padma, and Parvarti were all cut from the same cloth. They believed that hair should be pin straight and makeup should be flawless at all times. And they weren’t the only ones. Ron felt as if there were very few real girls at their school. They were mostly stuck on status and beauty. Superficial things.

Ron wanted real.

His sister Ginny was one of the realest girls in their school. He loved that she never fell into those obsessions like hair and makeup and such. Ron figured that was partly due to being a female athlete. Her best friend Luna, however, wasn’t an athlete and yet was just as real—though a bit odd. Ron thought she was good value though. She was always fun to have around.

As McGonagall welcomed everyone to Senior English, Ron pulled out his notebook and pushed himself to focus. At least he knew Harry would be in his next couple of classes.

“Hey, Ron!”

“Sup Weasley!”

“Hey! Weasley!”

“Ron! What’s up!”

Ron smiled and waved to anyone who greeted him as he made his way down the hall after lunch. Being a starter for three years running gave him a level of popularity he never expected. He was invited to all of the parties, sat at the big table at lunch, and was widely known throughout the school.

And yet he’d never felt so lonely.

Aside from Harry, he hung out with Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, and Neville Longbottom, all members of the team, but not to the same extent as with his best friend. And now that Harry was splitting his time with Ginny…

Ron got it, even if it did take him a bit to warm up to the idea. If he had a girl, he’d want to spend time with her too. But Harry had always been Ron’s person. Not that Ron felt he needed a new person…but it would be nice to have someone like Harry had Ginny.

But there was no one at Central who—

A small body bumped into him as it sprinted passed and Ron just caught a whiff of vanilla and berries. It was soft and inviting, so unlike the overwhelming perfumes so many of the other girls wore.

Ron looked up and watched as long brown curls floated down the hallway. She was looking at the door numbers as she passed them and seemed lost.

As she ran, a small book fell out of her half-closed bag. Ron ran forward to grab it.

“Hey!” He called as she continued on. “Hey, wait! You dropped your book!”

She finally stopped in front of Snape’s science classroom, which happened to be where Ron was headed himself. She stood in front of a woman Ron had never seen before—a substitute? he thought hopefully—and held up one hand while she seemed to catch her breath. The woman simply smiled.

“Hey,” Ron said catching up to them. “You dropped this.” He held out the book to the girl’s heaving back but she didn’t turn. “Excuse me?”

Ron caught the woman’s eyes curiously and she tapped on the girl’s shoulder and pointed over it. She finally turned around and Ron’s breath caught.

She was beautiful, in a very normal way. She wore no makeup but didn’t need it. Her eyes were the perfect shade of brown, like melted chocolate. There was the perfect amount of freckles splattered across her slightly upturned little nose, so unlike the freckles that covered just about every inch of Ron’s body. Her hair was long and curly, with some frizz around the edges. Ron could imagine pulling on the tendrils and watching them spring back into place.

She looked up at him expectantly, and he remembered his mission.

“You dropped your book,” he said lamely.

Her eyes watched his lips as he spoke and he felt a shiver run through him. He’d noticed her lips too. Was she thinking the same as he was? Was she wondering how her lips would feel against his or…?

Her eyes dropped to the book and widened. She took it from him and gave him a brilliant smile and a nod before ducking into the classroom.

“Thanks for that,” the woman said with a smile, before following the girl into the classroom.

Ron made his way into the room a bit confused. Even more so when he noticed that his greasy-haired science teacher was, in fact, present. So who was that woman? She was young, but definitely not young enough to be a student. And she was dressed professionally, like a teacher or a staff member or…something.

As he took a seat closer to the back, and further away from Snape, his eyes darted to the girl. She sat near the front but off to the side. The woman sat on a low stool in front of her.

And as Snape began to talk, the woman’s hands began to move in rapid sign language.

Deaf…the new girl was Deaf.

**Look out for more chapters on AO3!**

#submission

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hanniology · 1 year

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Did you Hit Me with the Confundus Charm | Choi Seungcheol

Synopsis: in which Choi Seungcheol is confused about three things; how the hell to pass his seventh year of potions, why Professor Malfoy hates him so much (it might be because of how terribly he’s doing in his class) and where your feeling for him stands. Genre: fluff, angst(ish), Gryffindor!seungcheol x slytherin!reader. Note: Hint of them being enemies ish. Another repost that was deleted sorry school is actually making me lose it atm. Warning: Reader does smth not that great at one point but they have their reasons. Word count: 2689.

Tagging: @fanfic24

CHOI SEUNGCHEOL WAS CONFUSED.

His friends would agree that he is always confused, but this time he was really confused.

Just for clarifcation, he’s just confused, not stupid. You shouldn’t consider the gryffindor head boy, quidditch captain that always has a plan to beat the opposing team in game stupid. Why? Because Professor McGonagall was the one who assigned him as head boy and saying that he is stupid, is indirectly calling her stupid and she is not.

You would call him stupid for his shit performacne in potions class, that you would have to end up tutoring him.

He wouldn’t call himself stupid, just unmotivated about the subject because to him, it isn’t real magic. (Also because he’s pretty sure professor malfoy is biased)

Him saying that led to you going on for fifteen minutes about how wrong he was.

But due to the lack of motivation, he doesn’t care too much for the class, that’s why he is always so confused in class.

Even though he was confused, you were there to help him become less confused. Sure it took a while through all the back and forth bickering at each other. After a week when the bickering calmed down, you realized he was an idiot.

An idiot, with only one thing bouncing around his head at all times; quidditch.

So that led to the next session taking place at the quidditch where you came up with a game involving quidditch and potions in order to gain his interest. But you had to switch it up every few sessions because he’d get bored when he starts getting the game. (typical gryffindor) but gave you the chance to ask more difficult questions revolving potions and what gryffindor doesn’t like a challenge.

It goes on for a couple of months and you two eventually get closer, start hanging out more than just during the tutoring sessions. Seungcheol would always try to walk you to astronomy class, the one all across the school from his class because you would always carry one too many books in your bag. He would always get confused when you tried to disagree every time. It’s because he doesn't see the insane amount of stares the two of you would get when near each other.

Why doesn’t he see all the stares and whispers when the two of you walk the halls? Because he’s too busy trying to impress you, he pays no attention to his surroundings.

Choi Seungcheol liked you, it was kinda inevitable, with all the time the two have you spend time with each other even outside of tutoring him.

And he’s not that confused on potions thanks to you, but he is still confused on something, do you like him back?

That’s the question he’s been constantly going back and forth about, because you have the same look in your eyes as him when he looks into the mirror thinking of you.

But everytime he tries to ask you out whether to go to hogsmeade together, or visit the astronomy tower after hours, you would always decline.

His friends would always tell him how they would catch you staring at him in class, in the halls whenever you guys cross paths and in the great hall. Even Jeonghan, your housemate and best friend, thinks and is sure that you reciprocate his feelings. They were obviously the first people to know about his little (big) crush on you. They figured it out before he even did, sure it was kind of a weird sight to see a gryffindor and slytherin liking each other, especially with the whole history of them being rivals, but that is so two decades ago.

He still hasn’t given up because technically you never denied going out with him because you didn’t like him back, you always just had excuses. Homework, projects you needed to fix last minute, tutoring session with Mingyu, he almost strangled Mingyu when he learned about that. Maybe… you were confused?

That might be the case, Seungcheol never confessed his feelings towards you, just asked you out on dates. Maybe you didn’t even know they were date dates and just friendly hang outs.

Wait, if you didn't think they were date dates and you declined them all those times does it mean you don’t want to hang out with him anymore?

Did he do something wrong to make you not want to hang out with him anymore?

Did he do something to make you-

“Choi Seungcheol!!”

The sound of your voice breaks him out of his internal thoughts.

God the way you screamed at him was kinda hot with your somewhat annoyed tone and face expression because he probably didn't hear you the first couple of times.

But your expression quickly turned into a scared one when Seungcheol jumped at your voice, well because you guys are literally miles off from the ground and his broom wobbled a little when you called for him the third time.

You didn't need to tutor him anymore, but since the NEWTs were coming soon (in three months, but Seungcheol said there’s enough time, but that’s wrong because there’s never enough time) you wanted to keep him on his toes to make sure he was prepared.

And to mabe spend time with him… because you guys are friends… that’s it… Yes. Friends.

“Huh, sorry I zoned out.” The gryffindor in front of you apologized knowingly pouting, with his stupid kissabe lips… Wait kissable, no, what? That’s disgusting and… stupid…

Anyways you convinced him into these (friendly) date sessions with more quidditch trivia games and you promised him they would be more challenging.

“Tsk, what could your stupid little brain be thinking about?” You raise an eyebrow, moving your broom closer to him.

Flustered by the closeness between the two of you, he avoids eyecontact so he can think that you’re not looking at his red heated face and to not see that stupid smirk on your face.

“I- um…”

While he tries to think of a response, he sees behind you that the sun is setting, making the view behind you a bright orange with two Slytherin and Gryfindor quidditch stands flags waving because of the light wind passing by in the spring season.

He doesn’t know what possessed him to say the next thing that came out of his mouth, maybe it was the gaze you were giving him, or his brain shutting down from all the potion questions you asked today. Or maybe it was his natural Gryffindor instinct for completely losing all of his sense of conscience when he’s with you, not that he had much of a conscience to begin with in the first place.

“I was thinking about how I think you’re the prettiest and smartest person I know. And how I’d like to go on a date with you, if you want? Because I really like you.”

Oh how Seuncheol just wanted to be swallowed by a hole from the ground and disappear forever, (BUT HE CAN’T BECAUSE HE’S MILES OFF FROM THE GROUND) when you didn’t respond.

You however were so glad he had his face looking downwards (he was totally not fantasizing his death) because he would see how your face has been a bit frozen in a shocked expression for a good minute. Completely not expecting that kind of response from him, you expected the usual “ur mom” joke from him, not a heartfelt confession. Speaking of hearts, you can hear yours loud and clear and just hoping he doesn’t hear it as well. Or that would be embarrassing as hell.

Just as Seungcheol was about to apologize for the outburst confession, he heard you cough to clear your throat to reply.

“Well I don’t think jeonghan would appreciate you calling me the smartest person you know.” you let out a nervous chuckle trying to ease the awkward tension.

“Yeah he wouldn’t mind that, but he probably wouldn’t be able to handle the truth that I think it’s you and not him.” he replies while rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

“I did mean it though,” he says quickly, “everything I said. I really do like you yn, and I’m sorry for just randomly saying it during our study session. You don’t have to like me or anything just-” whatever was going to come out of his mouth, he completely forgot when your lips were suddenly on his.

It wasn't that long of a kiss but long enough for it to be more of a peck. When you backed away from it and realized what you’ve done, you started to panic.

“Oh merlin, I-i didn’t mean to- I mean i did, but i shouldn't have done it. It was a mistake- sorry. Please forget whatever just happened-”

And then you took off, flying down to the ground faster than he’s ever seen, you could’ve been a seeker with that type of speed you probably went faster than his team’s seeker.

You left him so fast, just as confused.

—-

Ever since the kiss Seungcheol has been looking for you wanting to talk because he feels like he deserves some sort of explanation.

You kissed him right after he just confessed to you and you just ran off like that.

But the problem is he had a hard time finding you.

You didn’t see you in any of the classes he had with you, so he thought maybe go check your other classes you had. He missed five of his lessons just to find that you haven’t been into any of your classes.

Which he finds so weird since even though you’re a slytherin you were a bit of a stuck up when it came to school.

He once told you during a tutor session that you should have been in Ravenclaw instead once.

Big mistake

That tutor session for potions turned into a lesson of not to listen to stupid hogwarts house stereotypes. He thought it was kinda weird since you were a slytherin.

But then he understood why you were so like that about this kind of stuff.

You were a muggleborn.

Which means both of your parents were just regular people with no sort of magical blood.

So it makes sense you were so against all the stereotypes, especially the ones at your house.

Because it was really rare for a muggleborn to enter the slytherins house, due to their house founder Salazar slytherin not liking muggle-borns in the slightest.

—

It's been two weeks and he still hasn't been able to find you anywhere.

But he doesn’t have any time to worry about that now since the final match for the quidditch cup is about to start.

The quidditch cup, the thing he’s been trying to win as captain of the Gryffindor team all year long. It’s finally here.

So that would definitely be the reason why he’s so nervous. Because it’s his final year here at Hogwarts and everyone in his house is relying on him in order to win.

Finally he was in the air with his teammates on one side and the Slytherin side on the other, while Mme Hooch was explaining the basic “don’t kill anyone” protocols. His eyes couldn't help but wander to the stadium where everyone was watching.

Everyone except what he prossumes to be you. He remembers you saying you don’t like quidditch very much even though you were excellent on the broom from what he has seen. But he was able to force you to watch his games when you guys started getting closer as friends. And whenever he went to go watch other quidditch games when his house wasn’t playing, you’d always refuse even for your own house.

Did you only ever come to watch whenever he played? Then why aren't you here now?

Seungcheol still thinks it might be because his breath probably smelled and you didn’t want to face him again.

“Hey Cheol,” said the boy next to him, Lee Chan, the team's seeker. “The game is about to start, pay attention captain.”

He nodded at him, maybe the game will help him forget about his confusion.

“You know that the Slytherin team’s Keeper is out sick, so they got a replacement.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I heard they aren’t all great compared to their main one so let's hope they do miserably.”

–

Turns out the rumour of the replacement keeper was true Gryffindor was in the lead by 40 points with a 120 while slytherin had an 80. But that wouldn’t do them any good if the Slytherin seeker caught the snitch before Chan did because it would end the game and they would’ve gotten 150 points.

Thinking about that does make quidditch sound kind of weird, all that effort into scoring points but it wouldn’t matter unless you catch a small golden ball.

Maybe you were right, quidditch was a bit of a ridiculous game, but it did give him some of his best memories.

Playing Quidditch with his siblings, winning his first Quidditch cup with Gryffindor in his fifth year, becoming quidditch captain last year, his first kiss with you in the stands-

Well even if you constantly avoided him, it still was a nice memory for him.

After another 15 minutes of just wacking a speeding flying bludger across the sky and witnessing the slytherin team taking an offence approach when they realized that their keeper is no use to them. And then taking the lead

The sound for the end of the match was heard, ringing in his ears.

Watching as all the stadium's colours turn into red and gold, the colour of gryffindor, checking the scoreboard board to see that they have won with 270 points and slytherin with 140.

Without a thought he and the rest of his team go speeding towards their seeker who was already down.

—-

After the big gryffindor celebration held in the house’s common room, seungcheol decided to head downstairs to the trophy room and put the quidditch cup into its rightful place up in display.

Closing the glass of the box filled with trophies, he couldn’t help but notice a familiar figure in the reflection of the glass.

“(Name)?”

“Hi,”

“What are you doing here? It’s late, you’re suppose to be at your house you could get in trouble.”

“Yes, I am aware of me possibly getting in trouble if caught, even though you technically caught me.” You step forward, towards a desk in front of you, placing your hands on it.

“I just felt like I owed you a bit of an explanation about everything.”

“You think?” His tone of voice came out more aggressive than even seungcheol was expecting.

He didn’t think he felt as upset as he sounded, maybe he was bottling up everything he felt. And you couldn’t blame him for doing so.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for avoiding you and everything. I-it’s just, I was scared. And I didn’t know what to do.”

“Yn”

“Don’t get me wrong, I like you too, it’s just.”

“Yn”

“You’re a gryffindor and I’m a slytherin and sure the stereotypes are stupid and all but- there’s still stupid predejuice against slytherins.

“Yn”

“You would be praised for breaking the stereotypes while people would think that I would only hang out withheld you to gained something from yo-”

“LN YN!” Seungcheol says a lot louder and finally gets your attention.

Grabs your hands that were on the desk with his,

“So you like me?” He smirks.

Rolling your eyes, “is that all you got from that?”

Squeezing your hand. “No no, I assure you I was listening to everything you said, but the most important thing is that you like me and I like you. So who cares whatever anybody else thinks.”

You blinked. “Wait, you like me?”

“I thought you were smart? Isn’t it obvious?” he chuckles, leaning his forehead on yours.

“YES IT VERY MUCH IS.” A voice from the hall screamed.

“CHAN BE QUIET!” Jeonghan’s familiar voice screams afterwards.

“Don’t worry about them, I’ll give them detention, just like anybody else who says anything about us.” Kissing your forehead before chasing after the two guys in the hall.

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ay0nha · 1 year

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The Sweet Refrain of Temptation | Remus Lupin

SUMMARY: Remus meant no harm and unwillingly became the target to place your frustrations. Yet, just like the other Marauders, Remus had an undeniable charm that he knew how to use to his advantage. Due to him, your original penance was cut to something manageable, but something tied to his company.

PAIRING: Remus Lupin x f!reader

WORD COUNT: 2.4K

WARNINGS: nothing really, canon-typical things, semi enemies to lovers, slytherins, some yelling, detention-ish scenario, I seriously have a whole fic idea that is just ugh, Remus being a little awkward but so warm, etc.

A/N: This came out of nowhere. I just had to get this out of my system. Many thanks to @queerdeadwizards, the entire first section is from their beautiful brain which inspired me to write this fic (find it here)! and thank you @kalllistos for everything always. Enjoy.

"I understand your anger, Remus." Dumbledore sounded condescending; almost as if he really understood what Remus felt like, his heart thrumming against his chest, and a feeling of faint nausea as he looked into those eyes that he had known for so long. "However, and I am sure you will understand, because you're a very smart man, it is as follows: There is nothing we can do."

Remus felt his body heat with anger, "Can you not do anything?" He tried to contain his feelings as he continued, "Or do you not want to do anything?"

"I cannot, unfortunately," The older man said, remorse lacking from his response as his gaze went to his hand. "Trying would be in vain, my boy. And, had I tried, had we tried, you know, with that name..."

"Bullshit!" Remus shouted, slamming his hands on the antique table, its hinges groaning over the unexpected pressure. His anger spilled out at his feet, burning him, consuming him.

Dumbledore had been taken aback by Remus's outburst; He glared at him, and his eyes were of a calm that he had never seen before.

"Sit down."

"You're not telling me what to do," Remus hissed under his breath. "Pardon me, but you have to be one of the most uninterested people I have ever had the displeasure to meet. She's been on your side, and you won't even-

"Remus, listen to me." Dumbledore's voice was strained, and his eyes had darkened. "There is nothing we can do."

"You haven't even tried!" Remus let out a laugh, ugly and bitter and filled with her, still. He wished he could just forget. He never would, though. You had been his own secret, his only love. He could never forget that. "You haven't even fucking tried! You know what? I'm—I'm tired of this. I'm tired of you."

"Remus, you have to realize," Dumbledore said, his voice sharp before his former student had the chance to escape his warning, "...That your actions will have consequences!"

Something inside Remus had snapped as he continued his way to the door, slamming it tightly behind him. With everything he had in him, never again would he repeat the same mistake.

—-

“Mmmm what a heart for such a powerful name, I see…I see…hmmm….” The hat on your head made your palms sweat. Eyes were on you with unwavering expectation. Those before you were sorted so quickly and yet felt like you were in front of an audience for an eternity. You needed to be Slytherin.Your future relied on it, even at your young age, you understood that plainly. “Slytherin, eh?...Are you sure?”

You thought there would be relief in joining the notorious house, secured even. Yet, years had passed and you were growing weary of waiting for the feeling to settle in. Therefore, you did the only thing you knew to do; carve a rudimentary space for yourself that people never dared challenge. It was far too easy to scare your peers into submission, the real challenge was found with the professors.

They noted your potential, as they did with all the bright students. But they never failed to turn a blind eye to your lack of belonging. And they never seemed to understand your preferred solitude.

“Mister Lupin!” Professor McGonagall’s shrill voice broke your concentration. You were moments away from the final beetle, meaning your freedom from transfiguration was fleeting. “Do perk up! I suggest you start helping your partner before I threaten points.”

As her wand tapped harshly against the wood to pair with her words, Remus jolted awake. The beetle had made its way to him, hoping the unassuming boy would provide it safety. Yet, just as quickly—well, clumsily—Remus shook his wand with an ill-practiced manner.

“Don’t—” You warned him, but the damage was already in motion. Instead of a brilliant jet of light came from his wand, exploding into a vivid burst of red light, an ugly yellow color shot out and missed entirely.

What received the unfortunate incantation was your notebook, the white pages fluttered away as newly born moths. Your peers around let out gasps that quickly turned to laughter while anger bloomed in your chest.

Transfiguration was a finicky thing only because it was the one thing within the magical world that felt more like a science. Holding your wrist steadily, repeating practiced words, and seeing accurate results caused a pride that made you soar. Yet now, everything you knew about it flew away.

“I–I…I’m so sorry—” Remus struggled to form something coherent when he met your glare. Without a hint of sympathy, you squashed the remaining beetle under your palm, your anger welcoming the repercussions McGonagall would have for you.

In hindsight the action felt out of character, Remus meant no harm and unwillingly became the target to place your frustrations. Yet, just like the other Marauders, Remus had an undeniable charm that he knew how to use to his advantage. Due to him, your original penance was cut to something manageable, but something tied to his company.

Carrying his guilt on his face, Remus looked like a kicked puppy. He was quick to find a solution, though; a charm to replicate his notebook to pass along to you. You filtered through the pages, having tangible evidence of what a good student he was. It seemed like an innate ability of his to pick things up so simply, that all you could do was curse it.

“And this must be him?” The portrait looked down its oiled nose at the stumbling boy behind you. “A Gryffindor, no less.”

“Remus–” Coming from your lips, his name sounded flat. To him, you held a consistent disappointment with his presence. Yet, he missed how mortified you were to be caught talking about him. “What do you want?”

“You weren’t in the library, I figured…” He answered, tucking away parchment into his inner pocket. Then, he paused due to the scoff coming from behind the ornate frame. “...If I’m interrupting, we can always…”

Remus’ politeness made your skin crawl. The time working together proved his kindness was genuine rather than performative. Trying to match it was in vain because any attempt you gave it felt more sardonic than anything.

“I’ll be at the library tonight.” You intentionally kept your answer vague. At some point you’d be there as Madam Pince was employed by McGonagall to keep an eye on you and your collective progress.

“That won’t be a problem will it? I do believe it’s almost time.” The portrait spoke knowingly. It always looked to stir trouble. Successfully doing so, Remus folded into himself while you eyed him with suspicion. “You think I don’t see you disappear into the night when it comes time? Hmm?”

“Enough.” You hissed, stopping the conversation from furthering. If you couldn’t call upon politeness, you could offer your protection. Looking at Remus, you left no room for arguing. You wanted to be done, so you agreed, “The library, tonight.”

Remus gave an appreciative, tight-lipped smile. The expression was becoming a habit and you saw it again later that night when he found you tucked away in the library. You didn’t notice him at first, far too engrossed with people watching than the work in front of you. But when you caught his eye, just hidden behind stacks of books and other students, there was that smile again.

“Sit.” You instructed him. The work was near completion, all you needed was for him to scribble throughout the paper like he’d done the work as well.

“I see my notes have been helping…” Remus nodded to the open book as his greeting. You were enamored with it, catching his mannerisms even within his writing. “Although—” He spun the book toward him, “M’not sure how much David Bowie can help us with transfiguration…”

The notes that you were determined to memorize were the lists that weren’t meant to be there. They were like forgotten grocery lists of scribbling notes-to-self not meant to be shared with you. So, you felt the need to defend yourself for lingering so long on what Remus found noteworthy.

But he laughed it off as his mistake, “I should have gone through this before I gave you this.”

“I had to ask Sir Aloysius who he was…” You were surprised by your own admission. The homework was becoming drawn out and you were set to do it on your own. Yet when trying to determine the theorist names, you struggled. “...said with a name like that, must be a wizard insane.”

“You and the portrait—Sir Aloysius—talk often?” Remus’ eyebrows cinched together at his clumsiness. Small talk was never easy, but with you it felt impossible. He wished he told you more about the iconic rockstar you seemed interested in.

Remus wasn’t nearly as awkward as you made him out to be. He was smart, clever. Those around you admired him for his subtle wit, but you struggled to elicit that from him, only being met with hesitance. The reasoning being Sirius’ connection to you. It was hard to call him family despite being raised beside him, but every external perspective, Remus included, considered you thus.

“He speaks in riddles,” You commented off handedly. “Don’t take it personally, everything is a game to him.”

“Not many people actually talk to the portraits.”

Your eyes flickered to his to decide if he was teasing you, though, all you noted was honesty. He was impressed; that there was a side of you that proved rumors otherwise.

“I’d rather…keep that between us.” Your lips threatened to turn downward. But when Remus began to smile, you matched it best you could.

“Of course.”

It was late into the night, but you found most comfort in the time. There were less students roaming the halls and things were quiet. But as with time passing steadily, the harder it became to fight off the shared exhaustion. Remus tried to hide it, as he did in class. His head would sway first, then bob. The grip on his pencil became slack, while the graphite became softer against the paper. He avoided your eye, embarrassed by the lack of self-control as hours passed.

There was something endearing about it, the way Remus fought sleep. However, even in his current state, he was unusually perceptive. He saw how you not only grew languid but also stretching the shared time.

“You know, David Bowie could rival that of the theorists.” Remus hummed pushing his book closed. “Some people even think he’s from a different world entirely.”

The sentence before you still seemed scrambled. You’d read it over and over again, but nothing seemed to stick. Remus’ words pulled you away entirely. Looking to him, you noted how heavy his eyelids grew and how the conversation was the only hindrance between him and sleep.

“Isn’t he a wizard?”

Sometimes you felt like you were from a different world despite belonging to the same one your entire life. There was comfort in the thought that another wizard could share the sentiment.

“Muggle...”

You hid your flinch at the word. The word wasn’t inherently combative, but it cast a shadow on the conversation. Your commons’ password haunted you just the same. Pure-blood. The concept followed you, reminded you of something you were forced into. For some, muggles were from another world. For you, they were the exceptionally isolated unknown.

“...he makes music.” Remus commented, his warm demeanor seeming always present. He had an uncanny ability to read the mind and the discomfort that laid within yours. “It’s quite good...I’m sure we could find some used records around, the Junk Shop, maybe... ”

You heard him trail off, leaving you room to accept his invitation. The longer you held onto your answer, the harder it became for Remus to fight off a yawn. The action reminded you of your position, what caused you to sit so uncomfortably under the burning gaze of Madam Pince when you touched the books. Shaking your head with reservation, you brushed Remus off, eyes averted from his questioning gaze and fingers trailing the book once again.

“Get some rest.” You knew of his condition, but you’d never admit it unless Remus told you directly. This was your form of politeness; never direct or prevalent, but always omniscient. “I’ll wake you when I’m done.”

The work was completed, had been for awhile, but you kept your nose buried in the books, ones that spoke on lycanthropy. The stigma around it was sickening, but the information was helpful to understand the companion across from you.

You weren’t sure what to do with the information. You could swallow it whole, pretend like you’d never read it. Or you could open the next book, looking for remedies for the scars littered across Remus’ face. You hadn’t minded them as much as he had, his self-consciousness carried in his shoulders. For you, it paired well with his house, representing his bravery and nerve to face it time and time again.

You had caught yourself. You were staring. Blinking hard, you dismissed it as exhaustion. The dreams of the night before were slowly shifting into nightmares. That wouldn’t have scared you away, but what unnerved you the most was how accurately the dreams transcribed the curve of Remus’ nose.

The dream was the same that very night. It started off forgettable, a fantasy-like world that could be misconstrued for a fairy tale. But the fog in your mind started to swirl. The colors became deeper, more like shadows that soon transformed into familiar figures. Remus and Dumbledore.

They were older, but perfectly recognizable. The perspective of the dream varied as the night did. This was the first time you felt like you too were present in the room, not just a hovering presence. They spoke of you as though you weren’t there. Remus defending you against the unsympathetic Headmaster with an anger you hadn’t known he possessed.

You were wary to call it a premonition, but before you could do anything—as sleep typically constituted— there was a flash of light. Once translucent, the light revealed connected hands; your own and a hand that held scars patterned similarly to the boy who sat across you merely hours ago. They were conjoined by a thin tongue of brilliant flame that wound its way around your hands like a red-hot wire.

An unbreakable vow.

#q #remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x f!reader #remus #lupin #remus lupin fluff #remus lupin angst #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin blurb #remus lupin fic #remus lupin fanfiction #Harry Potter fic

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bharatiya-naari-sab-pe-bhaari · 2 years

Text

In afterlife, Severus Snape and Lily Evans Potter meet.

Snape: *getting up abruptly and looking everywhere wildly*

Lily: *crossing her arms glaring at him* So... you are here finally.

Snape: *squinting into the distance not really giving Lily any attention*

Lily: excuse me! Where are you looking? I'm speaking to you. Look at..

Snape: can you shut up for one fucking second Potter!

Lily: *taken aback* I..I am Lily.

Snape: I can see. I am dead not blind.

Lily: but you just called me Potter.

Snape: you married him

Lily: *glaring again furiously* oh so its back to that again isn't it. When will you stop being a jealous lout Severus. I..

Snape: * standing up smoothly, face impassive and walking away towards the edge to peer down*

Lily: *shocked at being so rudely ignored and follows him angrily* I am speaking to you! What the hell are you..

Snape: shhh! Let me see whether that brainless buffoon managed to kill Voldemort or not.

Lily: yes and about that! How dare you treat my son so harshly! Did you think I would forgive you after the reprehensible behaviour you displayed.

Snape: *wincing seeing McGonagall almost get sliced by a hex but was relieved seeing Harry alive and Nagini dead* oh thank god! The horcruxes are gone. He is fallible now. Now stop dawdling and kill him you idiot Gryffindor.

Lily: *slack jawed in shock at being ignored again*

*Voldemort is killed and Snape throws his arms up like he is crazy*

Snape: YASSS!!!!! DIE YOU VENOMOUS LUNATIC GENOCIDAL MANIACAL EVIL DISGUSTING PIECE OF HORSESHIT! YOU PISS ON HIM LUCIUS! DO IT NOW! Phew... that was not a completely horrible display. *grins like a loon and turns away swiftly ignoring a bewildered Lily Potter to walk into the distance*

Lily: *recovering from shock to angrily stomp behind him* hey! Do you have nothing to say!!!

Snape: No. Nothing to you at the least.

Lily: but you bullied Harry

Snape: get over it.

Lily: you can't just expect me to get over it. I will never forgive you.

Snape: *cocking an eyebrow but not stopping* Did I ask your forgiveness?

Lily: *flabbergasted* but didn't you do all this for me?

Snape: *laughing out loud with genuine amusement colouring his voice* Oh damn! Who told you that honey? That's a load of crap.

Lily: but.. but that's what you said to Dumbledore.

Snape: I needed Dumbledore to trust me enough to let me aid him in defeating Riddle. That coot only understands the language of love. Nothing would move him more than a tragic love story. Foolish sentimental Gryffindor.

Lily: but that doe?

Snape: I can change my patronus at will. Have always been able to.

Lily: you told Harry about me. Gave him your memories.

Snape: as much as I detest that brat I do happen to have a heart. He would have needed a typical cliched reason to accept my help. And of course to clear my name. I didn't just go through all that shit to get villified for eternity. I am a Slytherin after all.

Lily: *stomping madly now* but then why did you do all this?

Snape: *sighing like he is explaining calculus to a two year old* Because it was the right thing to do. And because those idealistic fools couldn't have won the war without me. And also because I detest being manipulated and used. Which Riddle did. I wanted to defeat him. Kill him. In the most humiliating way.

Lily: *meekly* so this nothing for me?

Snape: *looking at her intently* why would you even think that I would sacrifice my life for a hypocrite of a standard less woman who decided to choose the easy way out. Who took me and my friendship for granted and cast me aside like I was a charity case. Who laughed at my pain and humiliation and then shagged my tormentor. Sorry to burst your bubble Lily but the world doesn't revolve around you. Get over yourself. The only feeling I have for you is pity. You were a brilliant bright witch who could have conquered the world if you wanted. But you decided to get married to a juvenile deliquent. All the world will ever remember about you would be that you married James Potter and birthed Harry Potter. Shame...

Lily:

Snape: anyway good bye! Have fun. I have a Headmaster to find.

#severus snape #harry potter fandom #snape fandom #prosnape #pro severus snape #snape love #headcanon #i couldn't help myself #lily evans potter #anti lily evans #lily can go fuck off #hypocrite #anti snaters #an answer to all those shitty after sevlily reunions marauder stans write

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steampunkserpent27 · 1 year

Text

Black Ink

for @nelweensfic 's birthday! I hope you've had a great day! Here's some eighth year quidditch! I hope you like it! CW: Implied Canon-Typical Death/Grief, Eighth Year, Implied Bullying (not between Harry/Draco), Happy Ending He had thought he'd never get on a broomstick again. Not after the battle, not after he'd walked into that forest and came out a changed man. Everything was a reminder of the people they had lost. The flowers that grew in the courtyard, the Black Lake, the expansive castle that was still being put back together, brick by brick. Even when Headmistress Mcgonagall had started the new Quidditch league, he hadn't signed up. How could he? How could he just go back to how things were before, as if nothing had changed at all? It wasn't until he saw Draco Malfoy's name on the roster, which had been crossed out with black ink and changed to Death Eater, that he signed up as well.

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tommarvoloriddlesdiary · 1 year

Note

Darling can you please do

[ same age AU, Budding Dark Lord, Oblivious Harry,]

no:10 [ stop staring at him ]

With Tom Riddle looking at Harry with burning hate and loathing but to everyone else it seems he's in completely love with harry and adores him

(Basically a simp) when tom does get to know this he's affronted and in shock then the slow realization sets in that he truly does feel something for Harry , after all.

LOVE AND HATE DOES HAVE A THIN LINE .

i would love to! this was a blast, though i got a bit carried away. even more so than the last prompt 😅 and this cuts off a bit abruptly because if i had kept it going it would have been triple the length 😬 i really hope you enjoy this! and if anyone else wants to send a prompt, please feel free. you can make your own or pick from here.

“Oh no.”

Tom looked up from Draco’s copy of the Daily Prophet. Pansy had drawled the words with a derision she only saved for two things in this world; One: A new Witch Weekly fashion trend that simply wouldn’t do. And Two: Harry Potter.

Breakfast was well underway. The clattering and chattering of students digging in and delighting in the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year had the hall alight with feverous energy. The excitement to spend the day ransacking the little wizarding village and breaking away from the now monotonous daily life that Hogwarts provided always seemed to spur on the mischievous and untoward.

Tom glanced at Pansy’s hands (holding nothing save for a fork she clutched tightly) and at the table before her (displaying simply her morning meal) and concluded that there were no Witch Weekly fashion trends to bemoan. Which meant somewhere (and more than likely too close), Harry Potter was within sight.

“Just one morning,” Pansy muttered. “Just one Merlin damned morning. That’s all I want. Some Morgana blessed peace and quiet.”

If what he thought was happening was happening, then Tom would have to agree. And if he were a lesser man, he would nod slowly in commiseration.

“Prefects Riddle and Parkinson,” Hermione Granger called from just behind Tom, her voice polite and inquiring. Her timing impeccable. “Good morning.”

Pansy’s grip on her fork somehow grew tighter, leaving her hands impressively pale. Tom carefully shifted around to look up and over his shoulder; his eyes barely met Granger’s before landing on Potter’s.

Tom did not like Harry Potter. He constantly felt like he was on eggshells around him, especially after that incident two years ago. Potter hadn’t said anything at the time, but Tom was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He hadn’t taken Potter as someone who would hold his cards close until the right possible moment, but he always seemed to surprise Tom in unexpected ways. Potter was a living, breathing menace.

“Prefects Potter and Granger,” Tom’s voice was smooth and quiet under the noise of the hall. “To what do we owe the visit?”

Tom could make a few educated guesses. Although, it was rare for any Gryffindor Prefects to make their way over to Slytherin territory. They tended to avoid crossing the hall like the plague, feeling much safer and stronger when approached versus approaching. Very un-lion like, if one were to ask Tom. So, with such a rare occurrence, it was more than likely that a professor had requested something of them.

Granger cleared her throat, and Tom stopped glaring at Potter long enough to acknowledge her properly. “Professor McGonagall requested that we pair off for Hogsmeade duties. Given Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw’s poor handling of last year’s final weekend, she suggests we divide our pairs with one prefect from each house.”

Suggests, in McGonagall’s speech, typically meant insists. Pansy clearly caught on to this as well because she protested vehemently, swinging her fork like a weapon, “There is no way I’m going to waste my Hogsmeade weekend patrolling it with one of you two Gryffindorks! I’d rather take a bombarda to the face!”

And though Pansy was often times overdramatic to a fault, Tom could see the appeal of that. With her by-the-book attitude, Granger would ideally be a good fit for Tom’s Prefect Persona, but they often butted heads over the most minor things. Tom’s goals were always self-oriented, and when presented with a good enough bribe resulting in excellent blackmail or a chance to have someone ingratiated with him, he would almost always rather that than hand out proper punishment. He couldn’t do that with Granger hovering around. And Potter was Potter.

Potter’s brows rose at Pansy’s little teardown, “Parkinson, you would have had to patrol no matter what. If that means by yourself or with one of us, what’s the big difference?”

“The big difference?! Obviously, just being near you two breaks me out into hives—“

Granger interrupted with a put-out sigh, “It’s just for the morning! Until we are relieved by Macmillan, Abbott, Goldstein, and Patil during lunch, it’s not like we’re spending all day together.”

“Yeah, Parkinson,” Potter smiled teasingly, “It’s not like you’re going on a date with us.”

Tom glanced back at Pansy when she didn’t respond with scathing and cruel words as he had expected. Instead, she was bright red and nearly vibrating with anger. Tom nodded once, “If Professor McGonagall expects this of us, we’ll do it.”

And when Pansy opened her mouth, no doubt to protest further, Tom frowned slightly and watched as she immediately snapped her mouth shut, going pale again. “Right. Yes, of course. Tom is right, obviously.”

“There,” Tom dawned his most charming and careless grin, “it’s settled, then.” He paused, considering. Granger would be a hassle to patrol with, and Potter is someone Tom wants to choke to death, but maybe there was a way to turn this inconvenience into an opportunity.

If he could get something on Potter, something of equal value to what Potter had on Tom, then perhaps he could gain an edge, and they would, at the very least, be at a stalemate. So, Tom continued, “Granger, why don’t you and Pansy patrol the north end of Hogsmeade while Potter and I take the south? We’ll meet in the middle by lunch and wait for our replacements.”

Tom watched Granger and Potter share a glance that spoke of too many things and nothing all at once. He could make out a healthy dose of confusion and surprise, but there was a long history of shared glances and a secret language that Tom wasn’t privy to that kept him out of the loop.

“Sure,” Potter nodded and replied for her. He looked back at Tom and smiled softly, “Let us know when you’re done with breakfast.” And Tom couldn’t help but think that Potter should wear a bag over his head. To hide his ugly scheming face from the world, of course.

Tom’s answering smile was strained but enough for Granger and Potter to take their leave. He turned back in his seat to find Pansy’s head buried in her arms and her plate pushed away but not far enough for a few strands of her dark hair to be spared of egg yolk.

“How could you do this to us, Tom?” Pansy muffled into her sleeves, sounding stricken and betrayed.

“Pull yourself together, Parkinson. You can make nice with Granger for one morning.”

She peered over her arms and glared. Tom watched her hesitate, debating her next words before she threw caution to the wind and mumbled, “I’m sure you’ll just love making nice with Potter.”

Tom was ready to dismiss the comment, but there was something about the implications and her undertone that made him pause. Before he could ask, Draco fell into the seat beside him, “Was that Potter and Granger I saw walking away from the table? What did they want?”

Pansy shot up, overjoyed to have someone to rant further with. “They wanted to ruin the peace and sanctity of MY precious Hogsmeade weekend, of course! Tom and I have to patrol in pairs with them because McGonagall clearly has a death wish for her little Gryffindors.”

“What,” Draco scoffed. “Absolutely not. Tell me you said no.”

“I didn’t have a choice. Tom agreed for us.”

Tom sighed, “Say it with any more resentment, Pansy dear, and I’ll think you’re truly upset with me. You act like this is how I wished to spend the day.” And that was another worry; Tom pondered while Draco tried to steal his Prophet back from Tom’s grip. He did have errands to run in Hogsmeade today, and he doubted Potter would be willing to tag along. Even if Tom went about his business casually, Potter might still catch on to what he was planning with the items he needed, which was far too great a risk.

Pansy whined, “How can I believe you when you threw me to Granger faster than Potter can catch a snitch?”

Draco dropped his hand and whipped his head from Pansy to Tom twice over. “Oh, Merlin. Is it happening? Is it finally happening?”

“Don’t act so excited, Draco,” Pansy sniffed, “It’s happening at my expense. I am a casualty in this.”

Tom’s brows furrowed for a moment. Was he missing something? “Is what happening?”

“You’re finally confessing your love for Potter,” Draco and Pansy announced in jarring unison. They said it like it was a fact, like it was obvious.

Tom, blindsided, could only say, “What?”

“You’ve been obsessed with him for years,” Draco carried on, as-you-please. “You stare at him all the time, sit near him during classes, and partner with him during Defence practicals,” He listed off all of Tom’s alleged habits one by one on his fingers, “You mutter about him constantly—I sometimes catch you doing it when you sleep—and whenever he finds a good enough reason to ask you something, you bend over backwards to comply.”

Tom did no such thing. That is ridiculous. So, he said as much, “That is ridiculous. I do no such thing.”

Pansy rolled her eyes, “You’re ridiculous.”

Tom’s answering glare was enough to turn a man to stone and Pansy to a quick escape. “Anyway!” She shouted, “Let’s just get going! We’ll grab Potter and Granger and make our way to the village.” She muttered at the end, “I’m sure this won’t be awkward at all.”

She jumped out of her seat and walked to the end of the table to wait for Tom with a surprising amount of patience. Draco just shook his head and sighed, “And here I thought you were making some progress.”

Tom turned slowly to look at Draco head-on. He smiled a perfectly pleasant and sinister thing, “Draco. It would be wise not to let your mouth undo the years of work you’ve done to prove your usefulness.” He stood up and carefully folded the Prophet, finally passing it back.

Draco accepted it green-faced and wide-eyed, “I’ll be mindful of that.”

“Excellent.” Tom excused himself and followed Pansy to the Gryffindor table. He couldn’t believe she and Draco thought Potter was someone Tom was…infatuated with. How could they not see Tom’s apparent disdain and loathing for him? How could they mistake Tom’s clearly coerced actions in an attempt to keep Potter from revealing Tom’s secret for some misguided want to please him?

What was there to like about Potter anyway? Tom wondered as Pansy said, “Chop chop! Let’s go, losers. Breakfast is over, and I don’t want to get trampled by the morning rush down to the village.”

The Gryffindors around Granger and Potter all looked at their housemates with various forms of pity. Then, Weasley laughed, “Yeah, Parkinson. No one would want that.” And his sarcasm was met with poorly muffled giggles.

“Ron,” Granger chastised and stood along with Potter. “Yes, yes. Let’s go. We have to make sure the third-years don’t wander.”

Granger naturally kept a quick pace, leaving Tom, Potter, and Pansy trailing after her. Pansy dragged her feet so she lingered even further behind, and Tom carefully kept stride with Potter while they all walked out of the Great Hall.

Tom took in Potter’s face with a close inspection. He supposed his earlier remarks of Potter’s ugliness weren’t exactly founded. Objectively, Potter had a sort of boyish handsomeness. Not at all like Tom’s more classic handsome with features sharp and forever in vogue. No, Potter was a little softer. A strong jaw without it being cutting, pronounced but not overly so cheekbones, a long mouth and full lips that were in a perpetual state of dryness…

Tom felt an odd stirring in his chest and disregarded it.

So. Potter wasn’t ugly. His dark hair and green eyes indeed lent a hand as well. Tom supposed that was something to like about Potter. Objectively. Subjectively for some, but not for Tom.

When Tom tore his eyes away from Potter to glance at their other two companions, Pansy’s look of utter despair and Granger’s quiet amusement felt like an omen. And when they reached the main doors, the brisk autumn air greeted them with an overbearing familiarity.

Potter hunched his shoulders at the cold, smiling. “Chilly today,” he said.

Granger sighed like an overworked mother of two and started rifling through her beaded bag. She frowned when it became apparent that whatever she sought wasn’t there, “Oh. Sorry, Harry. I thought I brought a scarf, but I must have left it in the dormitory.”

“It’s alright, Hermio-“ Potter cut himself off and glanced down at his hands in surprise.

Tom tucked away his wand and carelessly continued walking. “We’re wizards; I do hope you remember.”

Pansy snorted inelegantly and jogged lightly to catch up to Tom. She gave him an impressed look and two thumbs up before damning herself to hell for all eternity, “Nice one, Tom. Potter’s bound to fancy you back with all the suave chivalry.”

Behind them, Tom could hear Potter and Granger exchanging soft words. “Pansy. Stop talking,” he hissed. This was getting absurd.

Pansy shrugged but walked silently down to Hogsmeade for the rest of their journey. And when it was time to split apart, Granger and Pansy waving—or, rather, flipping them off from Pansy—as they set off to the northern parts of the village, the leftover silence between Tom and Potter turned…awkward.

That was the only word Tom could describe it with. Awkward. He immediately cursed Pansy for jinxing it earlier. Tom was decidedly never awkward about anything, having drilled out any sort of gracelessness or inconvenient feelings long ago. But after briefly exploring Potter’s objective handsomeness, suddenly being alone with him felt awkward.

“So, Riddle,” Potter began, saving them from the disquiet, “how’s your start of term been going?”

Tom had no idea where Potter was going with this and felt on edge. But he responded, “Well. And yours?”

“Yeah, no, it’s been good,” Potter nodded a little too quickly. His lashes fluttered with his roaming eyes. Eyes that were looking anywhere and everywhere except at Tom.

Potter had a small beauty mark at the curl of his jaw just beside his—

Stop staring at him. Tom reprimanded his own eyes. Once again catching himself paying too close attention to Potter’s face. He focused on surveying the village.

Their patrolling took them through the sparse beginnings of the morning Hogsmeade rush; the laughter of students and carefree happiness of the townsfolk provided a charming scene to the golden autumn backdrop. Tom was struck with the realisation that his goal of finding Potter’s secrets wouldn’t be met if they continued on silent—but…there was something rather companionable about all of this.

And now that Tom was spiralling down that thought path, he was caught off guard by how simply…nice…this was. He had thought Potter would be annoying, rambunctious, and generally disagreeable, but the reality turned out to be quite the opposite. Potter’s quiet enjoyment of their surroundings was like a magnet, and Tom felt himself slowly gravitating towards it.

“Riddle, do you mind if we stop by Honeydukes?” Potter asked, perking up at the sight of the sweet shop just ahead.

Tom was ready to disagree, not because he didn’t want Potter to shop—actually, it would be a great benefit if Potter did shop, just so Tom could suggest they go to some of the places he wanted to visit as well—but because he didn’t want to deal with the large crowds of students intending to stockpile their sweets to last until the next Hogsmeade weekend. Tom supposed this is what he got for finding pleasure in another’s company.

But while Tom was still weighing the pros and cons of saying yes, they had already arrived, and Potter had taken his silence as consent, entering the shop with practised ease. Evading crowding bodies left and right. Tom sighed and followed carefully, having decided he’d rather have Potter nearby and within sight than the opposite.

Potter selected a few candies, prattling on about who preferred what from his little group of friends. It only occurred to Tom that Potter hadn’t seemed to be getting anything for himself when Potter had asked, “Would you like anything?”

Tom blinked twice in quick succession, “Pardon?”

“Do you have a favourite sweet? Anything you’d like?”

Did…did Tom have a favourite sweet? Was Potter being serious? “Why?”

“Just offering,” Potter shrugged but waited. He stared at Tom with a ready patience. It seemed as though Tom would be answering, or they would be trapped here forever.

This is another thing, Tom thought, that one could possibly like about Potter. He was alarmingly kind towards others. Offering, gifting, teaching, helping—Tom had seen Potter do all these things and more. Yet, Tom had dismissed it as a weakness, a foolish pandering that made Potter less than.

But held in the steady gaze Potter had laid upon him, Tom felt that, if it truly were a weakness, Potter wouldn’t look so strong and self-assured at this moment. An answer slipped out of Tom unbidden, “White Chocolate Skulls.”

Potter’s face turned fascinated, his eyes widened behind his wireframes, and his mouth fell open ever so slightly. “White Chocolate Skulls? Riddle, do you have a sweet tooth?”

Tom nearly bristled, “I do not have a sweet tooth.”

“I beg to differ,” Potter smiled like he was holding back a laugh. “White chocolate is the sweetest chocolate they make,” he shook his head and continued, walking further into the shop and towards the Skulls, “I really would’ve pegged you as a Licorice Snap kinda guy.”

Tom made a face, and Potter caught the look and couldn’t hold himself back any longer. His pearling laughter caused a few heads to turn, and Tom strung tight like a bow at the sudden urge to smuggle Potter away, to keep his laughter only for Tom’s ears—

Tom paused. That was a strong reaction. He breathed through it while he picked apart what exactly was going on.

Did he like Potter? Did Tom like him enough to want to keep Potter all to himself? And had he been so obvious that Pansy and Draco had known for years and he hadn’t?

Tom had an unsettling feeling that this could all be traced back to the incident from two years ago and refused to look any further into it.

#tomarry #tomarrymort #harrymort #pov: tom #my fic #3k words #prompt ask #this went everywhere and nowhere #i really might come back to it #finish it up and post it on ao3 maybe?#maybe i should make a series on ao3 for the prompt asks #i am once again unsure if this will meet expectations 😭#but there are a lot of silly lines that make me laugh in this one

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consistentsquash · 9 months

Text

HP Femslash Recs from 2023 (January to June)

Recs for new femslash fics posted in first half of 2023. January to June! One fic for each month. Rec lists are based on my reading and what I like. YMMV.

Theme - HP ladies rocking their queer side during different stages of their lives. Some of them are also rocking their dirtybadhotwrong side <3

AO3 collection

Petunia Comes First by DepravedDesires (January)

Themes - dirtybadhotwrong

Pairing - Petunia/Lily

Rec because - dirtybadhotwrong femslash is the best starting fic for this list. We stan! Petunia definitely deserves to come first.

How dare Lily ignore her until there was something she needed from her sister? Typical Lily, making a mess of things and then getting someone else to clean it up for her.

Candles Lit Against the Dark by @perverse-idyll (February)

Themes - Retirement + Healing

Pairing - Minerva McGonagall/Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank

Rec because - This is so totally the retirement life I want. It's packed with beautiful friendships, people focusing on the sweet instead of the bitter, people moving on together, people forgiving each other. It's an incredible fic with perfect execution on some classic tropes like matchmaking and friends who are going to help you whether or not you asked for it. Also some not so classic tropes like celebrating a female character's life/happiness/love being the center of a rich fic. Ultimately this is Minerva McGonagall's fic and I am so here for it. Her life is full! She's done a lot, she's got the perfect retirement and her friends are her best fans. It's got a big cast and everybody is characterized really vividly. This fic is like fruitcake. But really, really rich homemade fruitcake. It's just juicy and bursting with flavor. ~~Sorry, Claxton Fruitcake Company~~. Also this fic has the Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank for me. Of course PI's Snape has been the Snape for me from the first time I read When the Rose and the Fire Are One. Speaking of Snape. Oh yeah!!! We get Snape. Lots and lots of Snape. Also some lowkey/not so lowkey Snarry flirting. But definitely don't pass on the fic if you are squicked by Snarry. This fic is so much more than that and you definitely won't be squicked by anything. I am normally a YMMV person when it's about squicks because those can be pretty subjective but I am giving a no squick guarantee on this fic. READ IT <3

At around four in the afternoon, with three chapters to go in the espionage novel she was reading – since popular thrillers provided not only diversion but an eye-opening refresher course on Muggle slang and cultural attitudes – Minerva glanced up from the page to find Wil leaning in the doorway, watching her.

Reccer note - If you don't normally go for PI's works because of the bittersweetness/ambiguity/intensity, this is a perfect intro fic you can read in any headspace. You get the Trademark PI Snape with lots and lots and lots of nonstop healing/good times and a 100% extra virgin pure legit happy ending. ~~No rimming though~~ We got gloves! But seriously. We get some of the classic PI themes like Ego Death, Real Death, Forgiveness, Atonement but these heavy themes are present without feeling heavy. My theory is PI drank a lot of champagne to get this nonstop bubbly effect in the fic.

Once of Eden by eldritcher (March)

Themes - Crossgen + Coming of Age

Pairing - Lily/Eileen

Rec because - Poignant and super sharp character study of Lily. Lots of storms inside her head about her family/war/Petunia/Snape. This is right before her marriage but she has this feeling she doesn't fit into that life and she doesn't want to let go of her past. Like a lot of us, she's also seeing her past/childhood through these nostalgic glasses but at the same time she's also noticing adults in her life and has this bittersweet feeling that she's an adult now/making adult choices now. Serious Catcher in the Rye vibes. This fic has the Lily for me. Really like Harry, really Gryffindor. Don't let the pairing put you off. It's a really beautiful, sensitive, unique, powerfully human fic.

She knew there were girls who did this. Petunia and she had giggled about it once or twice. Sirius talked a great deal about how he liked watching girls kiss each other. It got him going like nothing else, he said. This would not get him going. Eileen was Severus's mother. Eileen was not a girl. She was sullen and cross, but not right then.

Reccer note - A great eldritcher intro fic for Marauders era readers. It doesn't have the rollercoaster intensity of their other fics. Definitely more approachable. But you can also see some of the classic Eldritcher themes about Nostalgia + Returning Home to find out nothing's going to be the same again + Permanent loss when one door closes in your life + all the characters being flesh and blood people you can empathize with without self-insertion. This fic made me cry but it was a healing cry. I don't normally see femslash fics hitting these themes so it's unique in my reading experience.

Nymphadora, Nymphet by @thistlecatfics (April)

Themes - House of Black ladies being House of Black ladies

Pairing - Bellatrix/Andromeda, Bellatrix/Tonks

Rec because - Thistlecat has my whole heart for how she characterizes Bellatrix in this fic <3 Love, love, love. Also Tonks! This fic is layers and layers of delicious dirtybadhotwrong and at the same time a brilliant character study. Also the first time I have actually seen Lolita in a femslash fic. Whoa, love. AU premise but definitely don't let that make you skip this. Totally, totally pays off.

She had changed her hair for them. They asked about size, and she grew tall and then short. They asked about shape, and she gave herself broad shoulders, pulling at the seams of her shirt, even with the charms her mother had added to give her freedom of movement after the sheer number of clothes she had torn apart as a child in playing with her physical form. They named body parts, and she adjusted them as they asked, all four of them laughing. She was having fun. It was a challenge! They were going so quickly. When they said to make her breasts larger, she obeyed. She had played so little with her breasts, which had just started to grow, and flesh was so easy and fun to work with. They asked for bigger, and she threw her shoulders back and let them grow.

Knotweed by @turanga4 (May)

Themes - Relationship resolution, war era

Pairing - Poppy/Pomona

Rec because - because I love fics which show us why it's important to focus on the good things/the important things during bad times. Pomona said it best! <3

“I need things to live,” Pomona continued. “I need things to grow. If I’m going to fight, I need a bit of why we’re fighting. I want this—want us, want you— for as long as I can have it.”

Leather by @saintsenara (June)

Themes - self-discovery, war era

Pairing - Tonks/Fleur, Tonks/Charlie, Tonks/Remus, Tonks/OFC

Rec because - I love this fic. It's got so much self-discovery with lots of good emotions but with a huge contrast against the war tension. Love how Tonks makes the best of each day because she doesn''t know what's going to happen tomorrow. Also love the confusion/acceptance/exploration cycles in the fic.

She’d learned the term for it eventually, and knowing the word had given her the power to understand herself - it was like magic, in that sense. The first person she’d told had been Charlie, as they relaxed - eighteen years old and feeling very grown up - after their first fuck. It had been nice - tentative and halting and all very un-British and sincere - and she’d confessed and he’d looked at her with his lovely round face and confessed the same. And they’d laughed and laughed at how they would be able to compare notes in future on what they sampled from the buffet of human genitalia.

Reccer note - Legit character studies of bi characters are super rare in our fandom. I don't really go for self-discovery type fics but this one is whoa! Love, love, love and highly recommend this one. It's out and proud and amazing. <3

#hp femslash recs #hp #femslash #femslash recs #hp femslash 2023 #fic recs #hp fic recs #short fic recs #recs

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joka13 · 2 months

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FANFICTION: Weasley Twins x Reader (Slytherin Girl) - Part 29

WARNINGS: none

You don't go to your next class and instead head to the library. You pull a random book off the shelf, sit down at an unoccupied table, and start reading. You've always found comfort in the pages of a book no matter the issue, so it comes as a surprise when tears begin to blur your vision. You quickly hide behind your book, propping it up vertically on the tabletop.

You silently cry, and you wonder why. You know for certain that you're afraid of what Professor Umbridge might do to you during your detention, but that's not all. There's something else that's been bubbling up inside you for a long time, and it suddenly dawns on you that it has to do with Fred and George.

You realize that, ever since you met the Weasley twins, your school life has not been easy. You're always having to look over your shoulder to be sure that a teacher isn't watching you too closely. Your grades are dropping fast. You're getting detention. You lost your best friend to your enemy. All of these bad things have occurred and you know it'll only get worse if you continue to stay with the twins... Yet you feel that what you've gained throughout all of this completely outweighs your amount of loss.

The tears stop falling as you think of them: Fred and George. They make you feel happy. They make you more than happy; they make you free. When you're with them, you don't have a care in the world other than to make them feel as happy as you are. Before you met the twins, all you were concerned about was school, getting good grades, earning the respect of the professors, and whatnot. All of those are fine things, but... isn't this wonderful feeling worth so much more?

It is, you tell yourself, and you haven't been so sure of anything ever in your life.

You then remember the unexpected boldness that had driven you to almost telling Fred and George that you loved them. (You would have if old Umbridge hadn't spoiled the moment.) That boldness returns now as you relish the certainty of your genuine love for the Weasley twins. You quickly stand up, disturbing the silence of the library as the legs of your chair drag on the floor. The abrupt movement knocks the book you'd been pretending to read off the table. (Typically, you hold a much higher respect for texts of knowledge and would never dream of treating one so poorly, but right now you've got your mind totally set on something else.) Even if the truth is so obvious it'll sound silly when you do, you're going to profess your love for Fred and George as soon as possible!

You leave the book and rush to the library's exit. You're practically bouncing with joy and excitement as the words you plan to say to the twins form in your mind. Right as you come to the doorway, you smack into someone entering, sending you both to the floor.

"Y/l/n!" Malfoy's voice growls. Your happy emotions quickly give way to ones of hatred as you look up to see him getting back to his feet.

"Sorry," you mumble out of habit, then wish you could take it back.

"I ought to tell Professor Umbridge about your reckless behavior. You could have injured me," Malfoy sneers as you stand up.

You snort. "Oh, please. Don't be such a milksop."

"You won't be calling me such things once I get you in detention," Malfoy retorts.

You roll your eyes. "Don't bother. I've already got detention scheduled with the pink toad."

"Well, then," Malfoy says, grinning wickedly. "If that doesn't turn out to be enough punishment, I'll just have to wait to make my complaints until after she's become headmistress. Then she could do some real damage."

You raise an eyebrow in mild surprise at this. "What? Why would she ever be made headmistress? If anything happened to Dumbledore, I'm sure Professor McGonagall would be his replacement."

"But something has already happened to Dumbledore." Malfoy brushes past you, lingering too long when your shoulders touch. Your immediate desire is to move away, but now you're curious to hear what Malfoy has to say. "He's gone mad, you know," he half whispers into your ear. "And the Ministry of Magic will soon be wanting to make a... permanent statement about it."

Malfoy's words linger long after you leave the library. Though it's a bit early for dinner (not that you'll be around for when they serve it), you head down to the Great Hall, not wanting to be anywhere near Malfoy. You have a seat by yourself at the far end of the regular Slytherin table in hopes that no one will attempt conversation with you while you think.

Is what Malfoy implied really a possibility? You were upset about Umbridge's educational decrees when they first began making their appearances but also grateful that she didn't have any more power than that. She doesn't have the power... but the Ministry of Magic surely does. Could they really be so set on taking Dumbledore down if only for the sake of the students? Or is there more to it? If they truly cared about the education of Hogwarts' students, they wouldn't have sent someone like Umbridge to "put things in order". What you've read in the paper makes you think that the Ministry just doesn't want people to worry about You-Know-Who... Dumbledore's a very influential wizard, which is why they would need to hurt his reputation if he was wrong. But he's not, and, as far as you can tell, about one third of the public knows it, so the Ministry still has a good amount of opinions to win over... Is this the "something" that Maddy warned you about? Or would it only be the beginning...?

You aren't prepared for it when the intimidating dong of the clock tower lets you know the time: five o'clock.

You scramble off the bench and run as fast as you can through the halls and up the stairs, dodging students and faculty as you go. You'd hate to make Umbridge anymore upset with you by being late.

You reach the third floor, winded and panting heavily. For the first time, as you approach the door leading to Umbridge's office, true anxiety takes hold of you when you really imagine the situation that you're about to put yourself in. You feel sick. Every step closer to the door decorated with an ugly pink bow seems like an eternity, and you want to turn and run.

But you're a good student. You've always obeyed your professors because it's always been for your own good... Is this for your good? You extend a shaky hand toward the door handle...

TAG LIST: @tomhockstetter7-111 @jasm-1ne @costheticbabe @luthien-elvenia-asher @megablonde22 @thecuteavocado @weasleylady92 @websfromallthespiders @rubyintheforest @weasleylover4eva @georgeweasleyslostearhq @im-coolrat @them-cute-boys @xmadigurlx @keirasinbin

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elvendorx · 2 years

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So… if we’re talking canon Harry Potter do you think James and Sirius had the best friendship in the story? (I think so) Where they the closest friends? How do they compare to the golden trio? Do they just top everybody? (Again I think they and with relative ease.) You write about them so beautifully and explain your thoughts and points well. I hope you don’t mind be asking

Hello! Thanks for your ask & kind words!

I completely agree, it’s not even a contest for me, they’re the best friendship in the series. ‘Best’ is obviously subjective, but in terms of trust, loyalty, intensity and unconditionality they top everyone. Even outsiders (McGonagall, Fudge, Hagrid, Rosmerta), with the (incorrect) context of Sirius being the traitor, emphasise the intensity of their friendship, the extreme loyalty and trust - “Potter trusted Black above all his other friends” - and their closeness as a pair. For me, they outdo everyone else in terms of how far they’re willing to go together and for each other, the endurance of their friendship - absolutely zero signs of growing distance or mistrust, and in terms of the absoluteness of their trust and loyalty. It’s unconditional love, basically, lmao.

The golden trio have a different dynamic as a threesome. Because of their centrality in the series we see more of their ups and downs, their bickering, their fall-outs, so it’s easier to find those points of “weakness”. They’re teenagers and there’s the pressurised environment of the war later on so I don’t think that should undermine their friendship. Even so, I do think it highlights James and Sirius’ high levels of tolerance for each other and the exceptionality of their friendship. I don’t see them having any meaningful, lasting conflict, I don’t think they’re competitive with each other, whereas with Harry and Ron there’s a sort of two-way jealousy that crops up (again, Harry doesn’t have a typical childhood so it’s exceptional circumstances) but I just don’t see that coming between James and Sirius.

I don’t see Sirius being annoyed that James has doting parents or holding it against him (whereas Harry is a bit bitter about Ron’s “easy” life as he sees it at times). There doesn’t seem to be any lingering fallout from the prank between James and Sirius either: SWM is post-prank but they target Snape without any apparent concern that doing so might encourage him to spread the information about Remus’ condition in revenge and they don’t seem to have considered that maybe their pursuit of Snape has gone too far (“Shit Snape nearly died, maybe we shouldn’t push our luck anymore!”). James has no concern that encouraging Sirius to pursue Snape might be a bad idea. The consequences for James and Sirius are negligible in a way that I don’t think they would be had it negatively impacted their friendship, even momentarily.

Sirius brings up James wherever he can, so I really feel like he would have mentioned any effect that the prank had on his friendship with James (especially in PoA where he expresses feeling responsible for James and Lily’s deaths) - just something like “James gave me a hard time about it” or “I nearly lost my friendship with your father over it” but there’s nothing like that. I also feel like Sirius would feel more ashamed of it if James had expressed any disapproval but he’s still just like “it served [Snape] right”. Remus was supposedly the more morally concerned one at school so if he’s largely letting it go, I can’t see James coming down any harder than that (could be a priority thing with Remus there considering he and Sirius are in the middle of trying to kill Peter but I feel that that just assists my point if anything).

In terms of other pairs in the series, I would say that as readers we’re supposed to see James and Sirius & Fred and George as almost parallel double acts: they’re both involved in pushing boundaries, lax interpretations of rules, magical inventiveness and creativity, etc. I also think this is where the Marauders as pranksters thing comes from but they don’t strike me as “lol let’s slime the corridor!!!!!” kids, more “let’s show everyone how clever we are” in a superior way, hence the power play with Snape.

I would say that J/S and F+G stand either side of the same line though, Fred and George are a bit more fun and J/S are a bit more risky, a bit darker imo. Fred and George aren’t totally harmless - stealing the car, putting boil powder in people’s pants, giving Dudley the Ton-Tongue Toffee all strike a similar note to James and Sirius blowing someone’s head up twice its normal size - but I don’t think they take themselves as seriously as James and Sirius do. I can’t see J/S opening a joke shop, for example, and Fred and George don’t actively pursue one person and torment them for sport.

So there’s a distinction there, there’s a boundary for Fred and George, and a big part of James and Sirius’ bond is the boundlessness of their friendship. There’s no limit to their trust for each other, they’re willing to die for each other, they keep the switch secret from Dumbledore because they have complete trust. But they also have similar boundaries (or lack of) in terms of what they find acceptable re: Snape and their more unsavoury activities. It’s their joint willingness to indulge in extremes, to push boundaries, their lack of limits re: themselves and each other, that suggests to me an intensity and unconditionality that brings them closer than other pairings we see.

It’s also different because Fred and George are related, they haven’t known anything but each other, they’ve grown up together but James and Sirius forge their bond as separate people coming together. They have different upbringings yet have similar spirits and it’s essentially love at first sight on the train to school which kicks off a lifelong bond involving being prepared to die for each other. Again, unfair to expect to see Fred and George as teenagers to mirror that intensity, I’m sure Fred and George would die for each other, but I still just think it’s different.

Lily and Snape also meet as children, they call themselves “best friends”, but where James and Sirius are bonded in their beliefs, Lily and Snape’s friendship is broken apart by ideology, by one not being able to trust the other, by a fundamental disconnect in values. Ultimately they don’t have each other’s backs - Snape calls Lily a slur, Lily believes the worst in Snape even before Hogwarts, blames him for her problems with Petunia, etc. The “they’re kids and can’t be expected to always act fairly and logically” disclaimer applies here but in comparison James and Sirius are backing each other up vs Snape when the train’s barely even started moving, which sets them apart again. Outdoing friendships that predate them, I’m crying.

The descriptions of Dumbledore and Grindelwald - “the boys took to each other at once”, “both such brilliant young boys, they got on like a cauldron on fire” - mirror“your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school” and “never saw one without the other” but Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s shared boundaries of ideology are broken and their friendship starts and ends within a matter of months. Again, James and Sirius endure - through school, through Sirius leaving home, through the prank, through a war.

I’m mainly going off friendship pairs because of how closely James and Sirius are aligned as a twosome and because it makes for clear contrast where James and Sirius have the endurance that the others don’t - “Nothing changed when they left school”. We also don’t really see codependence like the use of two-way mirrors in any other friendships - the Golden Trio have individual activities, Lily and Snape have other friends. Even if you consider Dumbledore and Grindelwald codependent, their mutual obsession crashes and burns. At the prospect of an hour or two apart, James and Sirius are like no no no absolutely impossible which in my opinion at least gives them the title of closest friendship in the series. (Sidenote: how much easier would like, an audio device have been to use in a detention? Sorry, not good enough, they need to look into each other’s eyes or whatever.)

The main thing for me is the trust, I just don’t see any instance where James or Sirius’ trust in the other falters given James’ insistence on Sirius being secret keeper, his agreement to go along with the switch when Sirius suggests it. We see a lot of friendships/relationships struggle in the series, particularly pre-second war: Dumbledore and Grindelwald, Lily and Snape, Sirius and Remus, Sirius and Regulus, Peter & the other Marauders (though covertly rather than openly until PoA) - James and Sirius survive all of it.

If you’re looking for a super healthy friendship - potentially not, because I think they bring out the best and worst in each other (which I love!!!!), but in terms of unconditionality and loyalty, imo they embody that in its most concentrated form in the series - which I think is saying a lot considering how little they actually feature together.

I will again stress that I’m obviously biassed when it comes to James and Sirius and if anyone disagrees or interprets anything differently I’d love to hear it. Also talk to me about comparative friendships I’ve overlooked! I’ve really loved answering this (apologies it took a while), thank you so much!

#ask #james potter #sirius black #inseparable #prongsfoot

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firendgold · 10 months

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“Harry doesn’t trust adults”

The above is an oft-uttered statement in the fandom, generally taken as fact. I would agree with an it to an extent—however, there are adults Harry trusts almost implicitly throughout the series, and typically he does so because they fulfill certain requirements:

they treat him with respect (not quite like a peer, but like someone whose voice and thoughts matter)

they are almost-constantly present

they give him information or answers

The two who most frequently fulfill these requirements and earn Harry’s trust are Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore—but Dumbledore consistently edges out Lupin because of the amount of times he is respectful, available and informative.

First though, the obvious rebuttals:

What about the Weasley parents?

Harry is very fond of Molly and Arthur, and he does come to see himself as an extension of the family (as they do for him)... but. It is not a complete envisioning, as evidenced by how many times Harry is surprised to have Molly hug him (year 4), or admit in an argument with Sirius that he is “as good as” another son (year 5), or even to receive a family watch when he is seventeen after knowing and being around the Weasleys for five years (year 7). Even as he adores the Weasleys, he still considers himself somewhat apart from them.

We do not see Harry entrust Molly with secrets, with information, with how he is feeling as the Problem of the Book is running rampant on his physical, mental, and emotional health. He seems to instead take a similar stance as Ron, who would not be caught dead telling his mother about goings-on at Hogwarts unless he absolutely had to.

Indeed, Harry even keeps relatively harmless things from her such as his sponsorship of Fred and George’s joke shop, although this causes Molly to worry for some time that the twins got the gold through nefarious means.

And as for Arthur, he is a warm but rather distant presence in Harry’s life, usually serving as a source of comic relief in the earlier books and only getting a bit of personal time with Harry after Nagini attacks him in year 5. Though he is definitely a father and a good father to his children, you don’t get the sense that Arthur sits in that chair for Harry except by extension of being the patriarch of the family Harry is already fond of.

In year 6 when Harry confides in Arthur about his suspicions concerning Draco Malfoy, Arthur kindly but definitively brushes him off, reinforcing the minimal level of trust Harry has given them throughout the series.

In short, Molly and Arthur adore Harry but are simply not available enough to qualify as reliable, and they (rightfully) treat him like a child that needs to be protected, even though Harry’s experiences do not quite line up with or justify how they treat him.

What about Professor McGonagall?

There’s a line in book 5 chapter 32 after McGonagall has been cursed and sent to St. Mungo’s that shows how much Harry has come to see his Head of House as a pillar of fairness and stability:

“There was nobody left to tell. Dumbledore had gone, Hagrid had gone, but he had always expected Professor McGonagall to be there, irascible and inflexible, perhaps, but always dependably, solidly present.”

So then, you might say, doesn’t that mean that Harry trusts Minerva just as much as (if not more than) he trusts Remus and Albus? Nope, not completely. Here’s why: Professor McGonagall has let Harry down before.

There’s no need to go into detail about year 1 where the trio tries to tell Professor McGonagall about the Philosopher’s Stone (which to be fair to her is not in danger) and she shoots them down, but this is still a pivotal point in shaping Harry’s opinion of her.

Shortly before this, he has been punished by McGonagall for being out after curfew, trying to help another staff member smuggle a dragon off the grounds. There’s no doubt he’s broken the rules, but the 150-point deduction she takes from him, Hermione and Neville feels disproportionate and extremely unfair.

In year 2, when suspicion lands on Harry after the Chamber opens, it is McGonagall who takes him to Dumbledore’s office for the first time after Harry ends up in too many wrong-place-wrong-time situations with Petrified students. It’s clear to the reader that she doesn’t really suspect Harry, but it’s also notable that even though she is his Head of House, it is Hagrid that bursts in later on Harry and Dumbledore’s meeting to vehemently declare Harry’s innocence.

In year 3, with a little help from Hermione, McGonagall is also the instrument of taking away Harry’s new Firebolt (understandably so, to be fair), and doesn’t do such a great job reassuring Harry about its eventual return once it’s cleared for curses.

And much later in year 5, she makes the glaring error of losing her temper with Harry and telling him to control his after he has already had several of Umbridge’s sadistic detentions, and twice come to her for help with handling them.

This doesn’t mean that she always lets Harry down, though. McGonagall is also the one who persuades Dumbledore to bend the “no first year broom-havers/Quidditch players” rule in year 1.

In year 4 she is one of the first to back Harry up when he insists to Dumbledore that he did not put his name in the Goblet of Fire, even though that means going publicly against Snape, and she allows Harry and Hermione to practice spells in abandoned classrooms for the tasks.

And in year 5, during Harry’s career advice session, she stands toe to toe with Umbridge and promises Harry all the professional advice and assistance she can give, even if that means going against the Ministry’s party line.

In short, McGonagall has the curse of being just as distant toward Harry as many of the other adults in his life, though not maliciously so. I’d argue that Harry trusts McGonagall to be professional and fair and present when it comes to school-related matters, but not so much when something unusual or Voldemort-related happens—and since “Voldemort-related” covers most of Harry’s life, he doesn’t extend McGonagall as much trust in that arena after being shown several times where her priorities lie.

What about Sirius?

Sirius is a special case. Harry admires Sirius, and he worries for him. He does trust Sirius, and he believes Sirius cares for him without needing as much reinforcement as he does for/from other characters. But for all their limited time together, Harry steps into a parental role for Sirius just as much as Sirius does for him:

Harry trusts Sirius enough to be honest with him about things going on with Voldemort, and even relies on Sirius to keep him informed when other adults wouldn’t—but he also tries to keep Sirius from being caught again by the Ministry practically from the moment Sirius first gets away. This includes writing Sirius letters about pain in his scar in year 4, then backpedaling immediately and asking Sirius not to come to him when Sirius understandably freaks the fuck out and says ‘I’m flying north, don’t try and stop me’.

Harry tries to physically shield Sirius from Snape in year 5, even though the two are adults and have every right to have stupid fights in the middle of Sirius’ house about Harry’s Occlumency lessons and shit that happened twenty years ago. (You can tell how I really feel about that.)

Also in year 5, the infamous two-way mirror: Harry doesn’t know what Sirius’ gift is until too late, but he also resolves almost immediately after getting it to never use it, because he wants to protect Sirius from any potential consequences from Snape, the Ministry or any others. He is fifteen years old, and by this point has so often embraced the role of keeping information from Sirius to keep him ‘safe’ that it never occurs to him that he is metaphorically sitting in the wrong chair.

Sirius’ one mistake is not mistaking Harry for James, but occasionally goading Harry to make decisions based on what James might have done or not done—for example, when Harry verbally tries to dissuade him from coming to the school in book 5, Sirius invokes James to make Harry feel guilty and push him to do what Sirius wants, and you can tell it stings:

“Listen, don’t go asking too many questions about Hagrid,” said Sirius hastily, “it’ll just draw even more attention to the fact that he’s not back, and I know Dumbledore doesn’t want that. Hagrid’s tough, he’ll be okay.” And when they did not appear cheered by this, Sirius added, “When’s your next Hogsmeade weekend anyway? I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn’t we? I thought I could—”

“NO!” said Harry and Hermione together, very loudly.

“Sirius, didn’t you see the Daily Prophet?” said Hermione anxiously.

“Oh that,” said Sirius, grinning, “they’re always guessing where I am, they haven’t really got a clue—”

“Yeah, but we think this time they have,” said Harry. “Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you, and his father was on the platform, Sirius—you know, Lucius Malfoy — so don’t come up here, whatever you do, if Malfoy recognizes you again —”

“All right, all right, I’ve got the point,” said Sirius. He looked most displeased. “Just an idea, thought you might like to get together —”

“I would, I just don’t want you chucked back in Azkaban!” said Harry.

There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry, a crease between his sunken eyes. “You’re less like your father than I thought,” he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. “The risk would’ve been what made it fun for James.”

“Look—”

“Well, I’d better get going, I can hear Kreacher coming down the stairs,” said Sirius, but Harry was sure he was lying. “I’ll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?”

There was a tiny pop, and the place where Sirius’s head had been was flickering flame once more.

It’s a clear sign that Sirius loves Harry, but doesn’t necessarily respect Harry’s attempts to keep him safe.

Harry trusts Sirius, but not entirely, and not consistently. In some ways, he does not always treat Sirius like an adult like he does with other adults.

Done. Now for the two adults Harry does choose to trust for extended periods.

Why does Harry trust Remus?

Remus is one of the first adults in Harry’s life to be distant, but still kind, respectful, reliable, and dependable.

One of their first points of conflict (Remus not letting Harry face the boggart) is handled by Remus better than many other adults ‘handle’ Harry: he explains why he did what he did, listens to Harry’s counterpoint, and provides more analysis and guidance for Harry’s fears. He is one of the few teachers Harry has that does so.

How is Remus different than everyone above?

To be fair... in some ways, he isn’t. Certainly he is around much less, so Harry ends up “trusting” him for a much shorter time period than he does for the Weasleys, McGonagall, Sirius, and Dumbledore. But his experience with Harry in year 3 has a lasting positive impression on Harry:

Though he has to almost beg Remus to teach him the Patronus Charm at first, Remus does agree and sacrifices lots of his personal time to do just that. The fact that the lessons are ultimately successful strengthens the bond between them. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to imagine that every time Harry is able to successfully cast a Patronus, he thinks of Remus along with his dad and his happy-memory-of-choice.

Although Remus gives Harry an intense (and, we later learn, hypocritical) dressing-down in the same year after catching Harry out after hours with the Marauder’s Map and Snape, his willingness to lie directly to Snape’s face (long seen as a source of authority in Harry’s world) means that Harry sees him as someone who isn’t afraid to bend the rules for a good cause, or to protect someone. This means he sees Remus in a different light as a teacher than he does someone like McGonagall (who doesn’t rebel against her peer/boss Umbridge in Harry’s line of sight until a few years later).

Remus shows he is willing to protect Harry from Sirius before the Wormtail-reveal, and also from Harry’s own recklessness, which means that Harry can rely on him to be in a more senior/paternal role in the way he can’t always do with Sirius.

This may explain why he doesn’t seem to hold any grudge against Remus for disappearing post year 3 and not showing up again until the beginning of year 5.

How is Remus the same?

Remus does have his shortcomings, which push him slightly down on the list.

The aforementioned disappearance between year 3 end and year 5 beginning is never properly explained, and we don’t get the sense that any letters were exchanged between Remus and Harry in that time.

Remus is also guilty of invoking Harry’s parents to try and shame Harry into doing what he wants (in this case, not running off recklessly with Sirius on the loose in year 3).

In year 5, when Harry confronts him and Sirius about James’ behavior toward Snape, both men give less-than-satisfactory explanations.

In year 6, Harry is just as displeased with Remus for brushing off his Draco-concerns as he is displeased with Arthur.

Most importantly, Remus’ offer to join the trio on the Horcrux hunt in year 7 even though it means abandoning Tonks and Teddy almost shatters Harry’s good opinion of him entirely, and forces Harry to see the man he has long admired in a new light.

All this means that Harry trusts Remus with things he wouldn’t trust Sirius, McGonagall, or the Weasley parents with, but there are still many things he keeps to himself. It’s notable that out of the Sirius/Remus/Albus trio, Remus is the one Harry discusses Voldemort with the least.

So, that’s Remus sorted.

(at last, we have arrived.)

Why does Harry trust Albus?

I’d hardly argue that Dumbledore handles or treats Harry perfectly. But Harry’s first impression of him face to face is perhaps the most positive out of everyone above minus the Weasley parents.

Albus does a lot to endear Harry to him without even trying, precisely because that’s just how he treats all his students. Albus is polite, respectful, and kind to Harry.

Albus is also very seldom absent for very long. He vanishes briefly at the end of years 1 and 2, but is back almost before Harry has time to miss him. He is present throughout the entirety of years 3 and 4. In years 5 and 6 this turns into longer departures from the castle, and we see how Harry has come to rely on Albus so much that he is discomfited by his absences. And once Albus has died, a significant portion of Harry’s brainpower is taken up in grieving the loss of everything Albus was to him.

How is Albus different than everyone else?

Albus knows from the beginning that Voldemort will target Harry once he returns, and this informs the discussions he has with Harry. Where other adults seek only to shield Harry from Voldemort or related topics, Albus is aware that even their best protections will not hold against Voldemort’s hatred and determination, which is why he and Harry have the most conversations about Voldemort by far.

Albus does reference Lily and James, but doesn’t compare Harry to them or use them to shame Harry into doing the opposite of whatever he’s currently doing.

Notable example: in year 3, when Harry expresses regret for letting Pettigrew get away and not letting Remus and Sirius kill him, Albus praises his decision and says it is one he believes James would have made as well.

It’s true that Albus doesn’t give Harry all the information he has about a subject at any given time, but he is very open with information that other adults in Harry’s life wouldn’t necessarily share with him, and doesn’t lie to him. (For example, can you imagine Molly Weasley saying anything about the Mirror of Erised besides “Stay away from it”?) Examples:

Year 1: he fully explains the dangers of the Mirror of Erised, and later explains Nicolas Flamel’s decision to die and the reason why Quirrell couldn’t touch Harry.

Year 2: he supports Harry when Harry is the school pariah, gives Harry information about Fawkes that later saves his life, and later sheds some light on Voldemort’s early history.

Year 3: He interacts least with Harry here, but still comes through in the end to infodump about Patroni, prophecies, and the concepts of compassion and mercy.

Year 4: Before this, Albus has typically defended Harry either from Voldemort or from low-level hostility from his classmates or teachers. GOF is the first time he has to publicly defend Harry’s reputation and physical person from governmental and international threats. He does so while still allowing Harry information on things others wouldn’t, such as the post-Halloween 1981 Death Eater trials, the current disappearances linked to Voldemort, and personal information about Ludo Bagman and Snape.

It’s also notable that along with Sirius, one of the first people Harry considers writing to at the beginning of the book when he has his scar-vision is Dumbledore.

Year 5: Hoo boy. Well. Not very much respect, presence, or info-sharing here until the big prophecy reveal at the end, but even as Albus completely changes his approach to Harry in this book, he still takes pains to defend him from both the Ministry during the DA debacle and Voldemort himself at the Ministry of Magic.

How is Albus the same?

Although he doesn’t express it the same way as any other adult, Albus definitely sees Harry as a child (albeit one burdened by ridiculous challenges), and this backfires on him at the times he chooses not to provide Harry with adequate information or protection because he wants to protect him.

Naturally, Albus’ age and prestige also keep Harry from sharing certain things with him that he might have shared with Sirius or his parents, like his love interests or his more minor academic woes.

Can I just write “year 5″ here? When Albus chooses to keep pertinent information from Harry and directs the other adults (and kids!) in his life to do the same, Harry rebels and gets into ever more dangerous situations culminating in Sirius’ death. It’s bad. It’s really bad.

Like pretty much everyone else in book 6, Albus dismisses Harry’s concerns about Draco—and although we know in hindsight that Albus took them completely seriously and already had counterplans for Draco’s actions, on the surface (and in Harry’s eyes) he was let down by someone who was meant to trust him and take his word for things.

The specter of Severus Snape also constantly stands between Harry and Albus, with Snape’s allegiance and reasoning being the one bit of information Albus does not share with Harry under any circumstances.

On the surface, it seems like Remus and Albus have more than enough flaws and make more than enough mistakes with Harry to not elevate them above the other major adults in Harry’s life... AND YET.

Even though Remus and Albus do both let Harry down at significant moments, he retains enough trust in them due to their past behavior and treatment of him to rely on them the way he relies on almost no one else.

#fireandgold #fireandgoldposts #Harry Potter #potter meta #Harry and trust #Harry and adults #people are going to take this as bashing lol but it's not that I dislike these characters #it's just pretty obvious who's closest to number 1 in Harry's heart following his parents and possibly Sirius #this took me 3 fucking hours to write holy shit

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dhr-ao3 · 5 months

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Written in Stone

Written in Stone https://ift.tt/gLe4hNc by Samheliad Hermione tucked her chin further into the scarf around her neck, feeling the wool against her cheeks and lips, wishing it had been plush enough to bury her nose into as well. The air in the Forbidden Forest this evening was cold, in that sour, damp sort of way that clings to your pores. “We should be coming up on it in just a moment”, she whispered softly over her shoulder to the sleek blonde wizard who followed. She shivered. Cold had always been the most intolerable sensation she couldn’t stand. It felt like all of her nerves were screaming at once. She’d been crucio’d during the war a handful of times and she wasn’t sure if her memory had muted the pain from it, or if she actually might have preferred that over the frigid air. Draco’s footsteps behind her were slow, precise, and deliberate if not simultaneously fluid that sent its own chill up her spine. He was practically prowling like he was the deadliest thing in these woods tonight. .............. Words: 3667, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Demelza Robins Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Additional Tags: Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Post-Second Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Hogwarts Eighth Year, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, Good Friend Neville Longbottom, Good Friend Ginny Weasley, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy is Bad at Feelings, Eventual Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Canon, Not Canon Compliant, Ambitious But Rubbish, I Don't Even Know via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/PhHQK8q December 02, 2023 at 04:45AM

#IFTTT #Dramione #Draco x Hermione

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cj-ghostemoji-destielpie · 6 months

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Here's chapter one! Hope it's not too terrible. Wanted to write it in first person but found it easier to write it like this. Link to my original post is above (I hope, I'm not use to posting things on here yet lmao).

Chapter one below!

The Only Spell We Need Is Time

By: Dragonborn_Eldenlord

Links to read elsewhere:

Here's the chapter....

Chapter One: Hufflepuff:

Ophiuchus meets Snape for the first time during the first day of school for Hogwarts when the first years are all doing the hat ceremony going to their house's tables and meeting the older students. Bledsoe and Snape don't exchange words, just Snape raising a brow curiously at Bledsoe when he takes a seat on the other side of McGonagall at the teacher's table.

Snape had known that Dumbledore had hired a new teacher but he wasn't expecting someone so young and naive looking.

The first time they actually talk is a few days later when Snape stops by Bledsoe's classroom (a beautiful building with large arched windows and a glass ceiling, the building attached to a large greenhouse via a circular door in the back of the classroom beside Bledsoe's large black desk) to collect some herbs from the greenhouse for his Potion's Class; some students had managed to plow through his supplies by using far too much in their potions, which of course ruined their potions and made a disastrous mess in the classroom.

Bledsoe greets Snape with a kind shy smile, typical of a Hufflepuff Snape thinks to himself, and allows him to enter the greenhouse without much discussion before he returns to grading papers. Snape notices books on the small bookcase behind Bledsoe's desk before he enters the greenhouse.

Books about things he wouldn't typically associate with Hufflepuff's. Darkness in the Herbs, Poisonous Plants, Loki's Guide to Mischief and Magic, and Forbidden Knowledge of the Herbalist. All the books look well-read and worn, with sticky notes between multiple pages. Perhaps not all Hufflepuffs are the same, he thinks....

Snape is reminded not to judge people for their houses by the second week of school...

It was Snape's free period of the day and a student forgot to go collect some herbs that were low in the class from the greenhouse so he figured he'd go ahead and go to the greenhouse, knowing Bledsoe only had a handful of first-years so there wouldn't be a bunch of people to deal with or the possibility of awkward forced conversation with Bledsoe. He's seen the young man chatting with Hagrid and Minerva plenty of times and he's somehow managed to avoid speaking with the man more than necessary; socializing isn't Snape's strong suit.

A few students, two Pureblood first years (Ravenclaw and Slytherin), had found out that Bledsoe was a Muggle-born and decided to kill his favorite plants (bachelor buttons, a common muggle wild plant from his home state) he had grown outside of the small building/greenhouse. They left the words MuggleScum burned into the ground in front of the doors to the building.

They expected him to cry. To be sad and weak. To possibly cancel class to grieve over his stupid flowers. Instead, they watched in surprise and fear as Professor Bledsoe seemed to stand taller and a hard expression filled his face as he turned his gaze on his previously snickering (a few students hadn't been snickering and instead had been looking at the destruction with pity or empathy) students.

His gaze filtered over the students, not even acknowledging Snape approaching and taking in the destruction, and he pulled his wand from the holster on his right thigh before seeming to draw a symbol in the air over the words burned in the ground, not even looking away from the students.

A few moments later, the plants quickly regrew and he had a small smirk tug at his lips as he spoke in an eerily calm manner to the students.

"If no one confesses to this destruction, then everyone in this class will have detention every day after classes for the next three months with me. And I can guarantee it won't be a fun hour like I try to make my classes.

No. The first punishment will be working in the yard outside of the greenhouse and planting all of the trees and various plants that will be shipped here soon.

After that, you'll be pulling weeds in the gardens and the greenhouse.

Once there are no more weeds, you'll be scrubbing the floors of the castle. And I'm sure that will last the rest of the three months."

After a few moments of heavy silence, he smiles coldly, "So, what's it going to be? Detention for everyone or a simple confession?" He says, adding flippantly, "Of course, I do know who actually did this and they will be sent to Dumbledore's office regardless, but the extent of the punishments and what I tell the Headmaster will fluctuate depending on if you both confess."

No one says anything for a few moments so Bledsoe shrugs, "I guess you'll all be having detention for the next three months then."

"And if I may add," Snape says, gaining Bledsoe's attention, at Bledsoe's nod and shy smile, Snape continues, "After the three months of detention with Professor Bledsoe, you'll all be having detention with me for the following month. I'm sure I can find use of your time. Cleaning cauldrons, scrubbing the potion room floors, etcetera," he says calmly in his typical flat and monotone voice, the Snape-Disappointed-Single-Raised-Brow-Glance™ over the students causing many to pale.

"Jonah and I did it, Professor..." a Ravenclaw Pureblood steps forward towards Bledsoe, looking a mix of apologetic and fearful.

"Coward, Juliette," the Slytherin Pureblood hisses at her.

Bledsoe has a small smile tugging at his lip, "You both will go to the Headmaster's Office immediately. And you'll both have detention with me for the following three weeks every day except Mondays. And ten points from Ravenclaw and twenty from Slytherin."

After the two students make their way towards the castle, Bledsoe gestures for the rest of the students to enter the class and smiles kindly at Snape.

"Thank you," he says simply but sincerely.

Snape feels the tips of his ears redden but manages to keep his stoic and disinterested expression.

"No trouble at all, Bledsoe," he says calmly, "I came by to pick up the jars of Screaming Dragon Lilies that one of my students was supposed to pick up this morning."

Bledsoe nods, accepting Snape's direct manner of avoiding small talk, and enters the class. He makes his way past the students' desks and towards his desk. Snape follows and stands a few feet away, nearer to the door of the greenhouse than to Bledsoe.

Bledsoe waves his wand over three large jars on his desk before lifting the crate of jars and handing them to Snape.

Snape quirks a brow at Bledsoe, silently questioning why he used his wand before he had picked up the crate.

"I simply removed the warding to prevent anyone from touching the crate or its contents. I didn't want to be covered in large purple and pink polka dots," he explains with a small chuckle, earning a faint smile from Snape.

~~~

Bledsoe had noticed during his first three weeks at Hogwarts that Snape was almost never in the dining hall during meals unless there were important announcements to be made that involved himself; wednesday of the second week, Dumbledore announced that Professor Snape would be teaching dueling to the sixth and seventh year students that were interested one saturday evenings.

And so, Bledsoe decided that since he too did not enjoy or find much necessity for being present during meals at the castle, perhaps he should invite Snape to join him for some tea and cookies he'd made. To stave the boredom. And perhaps the loneliness as well.

It was a typical boring Tuesday afternoon, as a Hufflepuff pranced into a Slytherin's lair, not knocking at all as he went through the open doorway, startling the grumpy and reclusive man so much so that he nearly toppled a stack of precariously placed old tomes.

"What the bloody- oh, Bledsoe," Snape sighed and appeared to be fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the younger man, "To what do I owe the... pleasure, of your sudden entrance to my space?"

Bledsoe smiled, seeming shy but despite the urge to retreat he simply smiled stood up straighter, and feigned confidence, "I've made a couple batches of cookies and thought I'd ask if you'd be interested in joining me in the sugary indulgence. I also have some chamomile tea I could fix up as well."

Snape raised a brow, looking surprised but also curious, "For what reason would you want my company? Surely Minerva or Hagrid would indulge your request."

Bledsoe seemed to deflate slightly at Snape's words, "Well," he says, forcing a small smirk, "I thought perhaps some sugary cookies would sweeten your sour soul, Snape. But perhaps it's far too late," he says with a casual shrug.

Snape actually snorted at the remark, causing Bledsoe to grin widely at the accomplishment of making Snape snort. Snape even gifted him with a very small smile of his own.

"Perhaps it is, Bledsoe," he says softly before shrugging slightly, "But I suppose we could at least try, correct?" he says coyly as he stands from his desk and lays his quil down upon the wood.

Bledsoe grins up at Snape, "We must certainly shall. And," he says with a shrug as they leave the room, "if it seems to fail, we could always try again every Tuesday."

Snape raises a brow but a slight smirk tugs on his lips when he notices Bledsoe's slight blush, "Perhaps, Bledsoe."

"Call me Ophiuchus," he says with a kind smile, "I honestly don't like my last name at all but I haven't figured up a suitable replacement as of yet."

Snape nods, "Very well then...Ophiuchus," he says lowly, and Bledsoe swears the hairs on the back of his neck just stood on end. But not from fear; nay, it was arousal. From simply hearing the older man say his name in that low grumbly voice, "But you must call me Severus in return."

"Deal," Bledsoe says with a cheeky grin as he playfully bumps shoulders with Snape, "But I think I'll indulge in a few nicknames for you as well, Severus. How do you feel about Sev? Or Sevy?" he asks with a silly smile.

Snape rolls his eyes, though it's a fond expression rather than his typical annoyed eye roll, "I suppose I couldn't really stop you since you seem quite stubborn. Unless I used a Silencio on you, but that would grow quite tiring."

Bledsoe chuckled, "Yep, you're stuck with my annoying friendliness and goofiness, Sevy. Welcome to friendship."

Snape had a thoughtful expression on his face, "Friends..." he mumbled softly to himself, Bledsoe didn't hear him. Snape hasn't had a friend since... since Lily.

#severus snape/original male character #gay severus snape #snape #snape/omc #severus snape #professor snape #snape love #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #hufflepuff #hufflepuff/slytherin #snape fanfiction #gay #gay ships #hogwarts houses #fanfic #magic

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agoddamn · 1 year

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Was thinking about fuckable old men, and had some thoughts about mentor figures in stories. Often with a wise mentor/guide, people will either complain about how boringly perfect they are, or be weirdly resentful of any flaws. Even more so if the character is initially presented as very wise, only to later show any flaws (thinking of like Rose Quartz and idk. Dumbledore). It's weirdly common for people to go on about how boring and perfect a mentor is, and then freak out that they're not perfect and instead just a person.

It's like. It seems like a very childish response to me, and whenever I see that kind of behavior from older people, it just screams "I have mommy/daddy issues". Idk where I'm going with this, but you're the #1 fucker of old and pathetic characters so, thoughts?

Tangent: I think I'm like the only person who liked Dumbledore being gay and thought it was believable. Usually, if a narrative introduces an older male and female pair (Dumbledore and McGonagall, from the literal page 1) it's with the intent of eventually setting them up.

Otherwise, if there's no implicit romantic match for a mentor character it's because a similar-age women literally does not exist (Obi-Wan Kenobi pre-TCW)--or because they're so narratively isolated it would be impractical, typically by their imminent death (Yoda). Batman's Alfred has Leslie Thompson to play off of, frex. Dumbledore having no vague chemistry with Minerva whatsoever was noticeable, even way back before the announcement. His fondness for flamboyant fashion is also, in retrospect, classic gay coding. I fully believe that JKR purposely set that up and didn't just go "uhhh yeah Hogwarts was SUPER diverse" after the fact.

(She did do that with a bunch of other things, to be clear, just not gay Dumbledore.)

(As a tangent to a tangent, we can safely blame Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent for all characters ever having a bad case of the not-gays. It all comes back to comics every time!)

Anyway! Real answer!

Yes, I agree that people tend to get a bad case of projection when it comes to older characters. It happens to characters in any form of fiction that features a relatable everyman protag, but older mentor characters seem to get it extra bad.

I think some of it comes from mentor characters typically being presented as entirely supportive figures; they don't get the same narrative real estate--the same opportunity for character growth-- that, say, the rival gets. A mentor's job is to Be Good And Support MC, not have a character arc. Thus, the particular sense of betrayal the audience has when the mentor character has slightly different goals than the protagonist.

And I do mean "slightly different" goals--to use OT Obi-Wan as an example again, think of how angry people get at him hiding that Anakin was Vader. People get angrier than Luke did in the actual canon discussion the characters have about it! Luke and Obi-Wan align in 99.5% of their goals--the only difference is that Obi-Wan feels that Luke has to accept the reality that he may have to kill Vader.

This is a viewpoint that makes perfect sense for his character. Even before the prequels added the backstory that put Obi-Wan in the same position as Luke, where he could have killed him but chose not to deal a finishing blow, it's...not actually all that strange to keep the sordid details of a parent's past from a kid. Kids want to love their parents. Kids don't want to hear, "hey, your dad tried to kill you!" and they certainly don't want to hear that at a formative, tender age.

You can argue the technical logistics of Force connections and whether Luke was more or less at-risk with his knowledge of Vader, but I genuinely believe that the intended real-world parallel was this situation ("I want to let the kid believe he had a good father") rather than...some of the more extreme interpretations I've seen.

Because people hate this lie. In spite of it being a perfectly logical choice for Obi-Wan's character, they hate him for it and rail against him for "stealing Anakin's children." I've seen fics/headcanons/'metas' that go "Obi-Wan had to have been planning on setting him off like a school shooter in 20 years" or "Obi-Wan was planning to use him as a guided missile from the beginning" and...that's just way harder for me to buy than "he couldn't tell this kid who wanted to love his father than Anakin tried to kill him."

tl;dr mentor characters typically don't get character arcs and so people feel betrayed when they have visible needs and desires outside of validating the protagonist.

#asks

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