Voldemort Feared The Halfblood Boy More Than The Pureblood Boy Because Only A Halfblood Straddles The

this ups the ante quite a bit. a change in perspective

What are your biggest pet peeves in fics

My biggest pet peeve is, hands down, fandom’s portrayal of the first war, which is almost never portrayed as violent and terrible as the details we get about it in canon. Most importantly:

The First War started in 1970.

Not 1975 or 1976. Certainly not 1978. 1970. This means the war was raging the entire time the Marauders were at Hogwarts, and that they entered Hogwarts a year into the war. It lasted 11 whole years. The whole point is that the First War was much worse than the Second War.

I’ve seen people say things like “The Marauders era is boring because nothing really happens until their later years until the war starts and/or heats up” and say it like it’s complete fact and not something fans completely made up. The idea that the war only “heats up” after Snape’s Worst Memory is so universally accepted despite all evidence to the contrary.

(I’ve also seen claims that the only murders/war crimes committed during the first war were the few explicitly named in the text, which is, again… truly embarrassing analysis.)

The reason fandom has come up with this narrative is entirely to fit the Snape vs. Marauders “bullying” angle. It usually goes like this: Sirius and James were bullies for 5 years, until - conveniently and magically - the war started to “heat up” and get more serious 6th year or sometimes 7th year and therefore they matured (especially James, though the idea of Sirius maturing after the Prank is also common in fic). It provides a neat little coming of age arc for the Marauders, one that does not actually exist in canon.

Because, believe it or not, Voldemort was not going to adjust the trajectory of his war to fit this narrative.

On the pro-Marauders side who still see them as bullies, the fandom can’t reconcile the idea of the war being serious and the Marauders not being serious about it and instead spending their time bullying others. But the war was already heated up, and the Marauders were already serious about the war by SWM - because the Marauders attacks on Snape and others was them being serious about the war, because it wasn’t bullying, it was vigilante justice.

On the Snape fan side, to portray Snape as a victim of bullying, they have to pretend that he's the only person capable of being victimized in the whole entire wizarding world, and people actually being murdered and tortured conflicts with that narrative.

I can buy that the war took a few years to heat up, I doubt it went to daily murders and tortures immediately, but I think a war would not take 6-7 years to escalate. I would guess it heated up sometime the Marauders 2nd year or 3rd year, at latest.

(I often see so many Order deaths happening in late war, per Moody, used at evidence that the war only escalated then, but the Order is tiny and doesn’t represent the casualties in the rest of the population)

Evidence towards the fact that the war was very heated up already by the time of SWM is that Lily calls Voldemort “You Know Who” in her conversation with Snape outside the Gryffindor common room - which means that by that time Voldemort has spread enough terror that people are afraid to say his name.

Also, remember this is already a very violent society. The fact that some pureblood families murder Muggles for fun (Muggle hunting) is apparently an open secret, they murder house elves, and I’ve said before that I think pureblood society practices honor killings which are at least somewhat legally sanctioned (i.e. Merope’s situation).

So a few occasional murders is not going to shake them and is not what this society is going to consider a war.

More evidence is how much the violence has escalated at Hogwarts. Death Eater students are regularly and openly torturing students with Dark Magic "for a laugh" and not being expelled, which is something that doesn't even happen in canon era - the closest we get is Draco cursing Katie Bell by accident, during a specific secret mission, and unlike with Mulciber and Mary Macdonald, no one knows who the culprit even is, so they don’t have the option to expel him. Similarly we have Snape using Sectumsempra so often at Hogwarts that it became known as his specialty and not being expelled, despite it being a near-fatal torture curse.

This fic captures what the atmosphere at Hogwarts would’ve been like really well:

"Did that kind of thing happen a lot in Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, tone oddly flat. "In the seventies?"

“Yes," Sirius said after a long moment. "It did. There were times when it was pretty much open warfare in the halls and on the grounds, between the students everyone knew were on Voldemort's side and the ones who opposed him, or whose families did... I was talking to Pomfrey about it the other day, she says you lot get yourself hexed as often in a few months as our generation used to in a week. And people attacked pets or destroyed belongings all the time. It was one reason a lot of students hid being muggleborn."

There’s the inability to extrapolate from canon details, fandom often portraying the First War like it’s just 30 Death Eaters on one side and 20 Order members on the other.

For example, if a mere ~30 Death Eaters are already committing daily murders in HBP during the Second War, how much violence do you think an army of ~500+ DEs (Sirius says the DEs that came back in GoF is literally nothing to how large Voldemort’s armies were in the First War; Remus says the Order was outnumbered 20 to 1) was committing? Similarly, based on the statistics given in HBP (by February Ron says he’s literally lost count of how many students have lost relatives), by SWM a substantial amount of the student body would’ve had families murdered by Death Eaters (and therefore the students cheering James and Sirius on in SWM is obviously because they hate Snape for being a proto-Death Eater and not for being poor 🙄). There may have even been students themselves that were killed over breaks.

This lines up with Sirius's description of the war:

“You’re scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing... the Ministry of Magic’s in disarray, they don’t know what to do, they’re trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere... panic... confusion... that’s how it used to be."

There are lots of similar passages about the war, I’m not going to quote all of them, but I suggest people actually pay attention to those details, as well as stuff during the Second War that would apply to the first.

The same thing applies as fandom portraying teenage Death Eaters as only joining once they graduate, when canon indicates they would be Marked at 16, but that’s for another meta.

controversial headcanon is that Sirius black didn’t play quidditch while at Hogwarts

“There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year.”

phenomenal

a set if hp bookmarks i’ll have for melbourne supanova next weekend! one (1) boy for each book 

ginny weasley is as loyal as ron, as cool as bill, as funny as the twins, as fiery and protective as mrs weasley, as understanding and indifferent to other peoples’ opinions as mr weasley, as much of an animal lover as charlie, as stubborn as percy and they STILL gave her the personality of a wet rag in the films

It’s Mother’s Day coming up, so I’m thinking of all the women in my life and all the awesome roles they play (mothers, non-mothers, and never-mothers alike).

http://everythingisgoingtobeokcomic.com/well-behaved-women

Can’t wait for the Dean fic! Can we as a collective acknowledge that Dean and Ginny got together very shortly after she dumped Michael. That means he must’ve been flirting with her while they were still together. Dean ‘steal your girl’ Thomas

Dean Thomas when he sees Ginny giving Michael Corner the time of day:

Dean has rizz it’s canon soooo I had to drop a sneak peek of him in action 👀

First DA meeting back after Christmas, he’d asked how her dad was doing. She’d let him know the good news in her typical Ginny way, quick joke, shut down need for further questions (‘he’s doing alright. Not dead, that’s the main thing. What’s a couple of snake bites between friends?’) But he’d wanted to keep her there, keep chatting before she drifted back over to the Ravenclaws, so had pressed it a bit, asked if they’d spent the holidays between Devon and St Mungo’s. Whenever he’d pictured wizard hospital, it’d been a bit like an episode of Casualty but with more owls, and when he’d pictured Devon it was the proper seaside, like when his primary school did that trip to Southampton and his mate Liam threw that crisp packet at a seagull. Of course, then his brain had conjured up Ginny on a beach, bikini, licking something. There’d been something extra daring about imagining it when she’d been right there, chatting to him, her boyfriend stood five yards away, chatting with all the other Ravenclaws who wouldn’t know a good laugh if it hit them round the face.

‘Oh, we weren’t in Devon in the end,’ she’d said. ‘We ended up staying in London.’

‘Really? D’you have family in London, or something?’ We could’ve met up, he’d thought. Imagined taking her - somewhere. Wherever people take girls — he’d have to ask one of his cousins. Maybe go central, or use that Christmas money from his auntie to take her to the cinema or the good chicken shop in Forest Gate, hold her hand on the bus. He’d glanced over at Michael, who’d started eyeing the two of them suspiciously from over by the crash dummy, and resisted the urge to wave.

‘It’s a bit complicated,’ she’d said. Her smile was apologetic, curving its way out of her bottom lip. He’d wanted to ask more but didn’t know how, and her tone sounded final, so he’d dropped it. It would be ages til he’d learn what that smile meant — all cover, hiding things he’d had no hope of ever asking about. ‘Sorry to be cryptic.’

‘Nah,’ he’d said. ‘Keeping it mysterious, I like it.’

Little glint in her eye, mischief. ‘Well, you know. A girl’s got to keep her secrets close to her chest.’

‘Good place for them.’ Alright. Doing it? Yeah? Ok, he’s doing it: ‘Maybe I could have a look sometime.’

For a second he’d really thought he’d fucked it. But a new smile had crept up her face, then, like she’s intrigued, impressed, by the sheer audacity of it.

‘Ginny.’ Of course, then Corner had shown up, face like thunder, come to claim what’s his. ‘We’re pairing up, Harry’s just said. Thomas, you get your own partner, yeah?’

Potter Children Headcanons

JAMES

James is Ginny with black hair. Her eyes, her nose , the only out of the three to get her extreme freckles. I imagine him to be mid height but Albus is taller.

Ginny is his best friend. Absolute mammas boy yes James is the rebel child but so is Ginny. They have the same humor have the same interest they are very close. He made her a mum and they will always have that bond.

James is also very protective of Lily and Albus. Yes he had very caring and present parents but they are busy people so James stepped in a lot as he got older to be there for the other two. James and teddy are incredibly close James was Tedds first brother and they spend a lot of time together once James graduates, they even lived together at a point.

ALBUS

Everything about Albus looks like Harry. But, Albus has a warmness in his face that came from his mama. He has Harry’s wider shoulders but Albus got Ron’s height. Something James will forever be jelous of.

Albus was closer to Ginny as a toddler because he was so shy but moving through adolescence he noticed how similar he is to his father. They are both people watchers, don’t like big crowds, crave the quiet. He always goes to Harry when he has questions or concerns. Don’t get me wrong they fight a lot and when they do it’s bad but Harry is his favorite parent and deep down he would never admit it Albus is Harry’s favorite child.

Albus’s family mate is Rose she does all the talking for him and they get along very well. Teddy has always looked out for Albus as well always making sure he had eaten dinner and including him in things with the other cousins.

LILY

Everyone says lily looks like Ginny at first but, Ginny and Harry both agree she looks more like her father. She has her mums fair skin, her brown eyes, and a light dusting of freckles not like James and Ginny have. But if you look closer she has Harry’s eye shape. His check bones, his nose, his jaw. Her eyebrows her lips that’s all from her dad. When she’s standing right next to Harry that really shines through how much she looks like her father. She is also crazy petite like Ginny very small in stature.

She’s the baby so obviously she gets away with everything. If James and Albus want something then they make Lily go ask for it. She’s close with Ginny because they enjoy doing stuff together like getting nails done going shopping talking about boys all the usual mother daughter things. But just like Ginny and Molly holy hell those two could row if they fight the whole neighborhood will know. But that’s where Harry comes in if Lily runs to her room crying after a fight with her mom Harry will be the one to comfort her till she falls asleep.

Lily wasn’t that close to the boys growing up especially not James because she was so much younger but when they all got older they started to bond more. She always admired Aunt Angelina Lily could always tell her things she could never tell her mom.

"this female character is underdeveloped" TO YOU. I can read subtext and I know all about her backstory and her rich inner life. also she told me personally

tom riddle is a yapper. he loves his monologues and dramatics.

draco malfoy is a yapper. he, too, loves the sound of his voice and dramatics.

ron weasley has no qualms about being loud and seen. he grew up in a large household, fighting to be heard over his siblings.

harry potter grew up in a cupboard, friendless except for the spiders, and learned to subdue and suppress and submit at the dursleys. he isn’t loud, he isn’t boisterous, he isn’t talkative, he doesn’t like socialising, he keeps his opinions in his head and his feelings buried inside, he has very few close friends, he doesn’t reveal his worries and struggles easily, he dislikes showing his pain and weakness, and he sure doesn’t give up his secrets and personal details freely, sometimes not even to ron and hermione.

this is what canon harry’s like—very quiet and an introvert, someone who speaks when spoken to or has cause to broadcast his voice, and someone who’d rather blend into the walls than draw unnecessary attention to himself.