#and no other relatives for harry were alive

[cto10121]

Harry had to go back to his aunt and uncle because Dumbledore sealed a charm with Petunia’s blood. So long as his aunt and uncle allowed him house room, Harry would be safe from Voldemort. And even then the narrative constantly satirizes them, Harry ran away from home in Book 3, the Weasleys constantly threw shade and were outraged by his treatment, and even Dumbledore called them out for their abusive bullshit in Book 6. After Book 7 Harry went no-contact with his aunt and uncle (although he did barely keep in touch with a reformed Dudley). Y’know, as in real life without having to resort to actual murder.

#harry potter #percy jackson #hp clown takes #fan dumb #rowling’s politics are disgusting #but the notion that riodan is a better writer than her is LAUGHABLE #LAUGHABLE #rowling could and did write rings around him #the situations cannot ultimately be compared #both harry’s relatives were abusive but sally was not #sirius was in azkaban at the time and even after poa his name was not cleared #lupin was too poor to take him in #and no other relatives for harry were alive #percy had at least his mother who loved him #also of all the books to categorize as romanticizing blood ties…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 #hp is the exact OPPOSITE of family propaganda #it’s literally the power of friendship/found family to the core

[once-upon-an-imagine]

Scars To Your Beautiful - James Potter

A/N: I have no idea how I was able to finish this xD thank you @captainlunaxmen for all your help! I hope yo loves like this :)

Request - @nix-rose asked: What about a James Potter x Black!Reader (if reader can have some personality: extrovert, loyal, gryffindor but could probably be a slytherin, just a happy person, definitely rough and tumble but still enjoys looking cute-) “Have you… Always been this beautiful?” “…That’s so cheesy even for your standards.”

Warnings: reader is really insecure, mentions of abusive parents, James protecting you from a creep (nothing to explicit though) also, this isn't proofread :D

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter :) gif isn’t mine :D  

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Scars To Your Beautiful

But there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark You should know you're beautiful just the way you are And you don't have to change a thing, The world could change its heart No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful

The ‘other Black’. That's how you were known in Hogwarts. 

You knew your family wasn’t perfect. As much as they all like to make it seem that way, it was very much far from it. Being part of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black brought a lot of pressure with it, but you were used to it by now. And, deep down, you loved your family. At least your brothers and your cousins. Well, two of your cousins, you were always pretty terrified of Bellatrix after she enchanted all of hers and her sisters’ ancient creepy dolls to come alive and it still terrified you to your very core today. But you loved Andromeda and Narcissa, even if the latter was now spending all of her time with Lucius Malfoy and you saw less and less of her. 

Even if you’d never admit it, you were always a bit envious of them. Not in a bad way, you just… wondered a little how it would feel to be like them. You remembered guys literally fighting to get your cousins’ attention. And not a day went by without you having to hear at least ten different people saying how gorgeous your brothers were. 

And then, there was you. You had a respectable reputation since you were part of the Black family. But it sometimes felt like you weren’t worthy enough to be part of it. You’ve sometimes noticed some guys staring at you a bit too long. And you’ve gone out with a few guys before. But you’ve also had people come to you specifically to get closer to one of your relatives. And nobody had referred to you as beautiful. Well, no one, except…

“Hey, beautiful” you heard that very familiar voice standing next to you. 

“Potter” you smirked. 

“Going to the match today?” 

“The Slytherin-Gryffindor match?” you smiled. “Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world” you told him. 

“Good, cause I need my good luck charm” he said as the two of you walked to the Great Hall. 

“Exactly, how does that work, Potter? Because I’m not really rooting for your team” you reminded him and he scoffed, pretending to be offended. 

“But of course you are, your brother plays on my team-”

“My other brother plays for my team” you interrupted. 

“Well, maybe not the team but… I’m sure you like the Gryffindor captain more than Slytherin’s” he smiled sweetly at you. 

“Well, you got me there, Potter” you admitted. 

“Promise you’ll come to the party when we win?” he asked as you entered the Great Hall and you knew you would separate. 

“That’s a lot of talk, Potter” you smirked but he offered his pinky to you. You rolled your eyes but you took it. “Never speak of this” you told him.

“See you there, beautiful” he said before he saw you walk to your table. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Here” you said, sitting down next to your brother at Potions and handing him a small bag. 

“What’s this?” he asked, grabbing the bag. 

“That girl from Ravenclaw wanted me to give you this. I think she wants to ask you to Hogsmeade next weekend” you said, grabbing one of the chocolates inside. “Bite this, if it doesn’t have a love potion, I’m stealing them” you said.

“I’m not trying anything!” he complained. “Remember when we had to take care of Sirius after that girl from Hufflepuff basically drugged him?”

“I know, that’s why I wanted you to try them first” you chuckled. 

“Hold on” he said, grabbing his wand and pointing it at the candy. “We’re good” he said when a small purple dust came out of it. You grabbed one of the chocolates and Regulus grabbed another one, reading the note inside. “So, how was your talk with Potter this morning?” 

“I didn't talk to Potter this morning” you frowned, stealing some of his chocolates. 

“Don’t do that. I’m not Sirius” Regulus glared at you. “I’m not oblivious of how you two just casually entered the Great Hall together” he said. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Reggie” you said, pretending to be confused. 

“Or whenever he goes to Honeydukes he just happens to buy one too many Peppermint Toads so he gives you some, which just so happens to be your favorite” he said.

“He doesn’t… do that” you said, with your mouth half full of chocolate. 

“Are you… playing dumb? Or have you actually not noticed this?”

“Notice what? James is just friendly. That’s how he is” you tried to explain. 

“Really? He’s never gotten me Sugar Quills” Regulus said. 

“He doesn’t like Sugar Quills, why would he buy those?” 

“He doesn’t like Peppermint Toads either” he smirked. 

“Y-yes he does!” you argued, nervously. 

“No, he likes Chocolate Frogs, like the rest of us normal people” he said, as you glared at him. “And besides, it’s not just that. He’s always asking Sirius and me what your favorite books are, or asking Remus which songs you liked” he shrugged. 

“He… he does?”

“Does he really strike you as the guy who would read Pride and Prejudice for the fun of it?” 

“He might” you tried to convince yourself as you grabbed another chocolate. 

“Look, I know what you’re doing, and I know why you’re doing it. And it’s not worth it, bug” he said, getting serious. 

“It’s easy for you to say, Reg” you mumbled, picking another chocolate. “Look, it’s just… not that easy for me” you added. 

“You’ve gone out with guys before” he frowned, confused. 

“Not like James” you added. “What if… what if he’s really just being friendly? What if I think he’s interested in me and then I make a complete fool of myself? Just because he’s nice to me and I think there might be something else there? I feel…” you sighed, looking down at your hands. “It feels pathetic” you mumbled. 

“First of all, there’s nothing wrong with you liking James. Having feelings doesn’t make you pathetic” he said in a serious tone. “Secondly, did you not listen to what I just said? I honestly don’t think that James is just nice to you randomly like he’s nice to everyone else. He’s always looking for excuses to be around you, and he seems happier when he is. As do you. And, to be honest, I thought you were as oblivious about this as Sirius is, but now that I know that you were just trying to live in denial well, you’re dumber than Sirius- OUCH!”

“Excuse me?!” you asked, offended. 

“Only when it comes to this” he defended himself. “Look, I know that… for some reason, you’ve convinced yourself that you’re never going to find someone who fancies you-”

“For some reason? There is a very clear reason, Regulus, her name is Walburga!” 

“I know” he rolled his eyes. He knew very well about the hierarchy of the three of you in your home. And even if you were still not as below as Sirius because you were in Slytherin, your mother never let you forget that you were not Regulus or any of your cousins for that matter. “And I know that is not easy for you to turn off her voice in your head but, if you don’t, you might miss your chance to be with someone who is actually a great fit for you and it looks like he really likes you” he explained. “Don’t do that. If you let her win, you’re admitting that she’s right. And we all know, she’s not” he reminded you. “What’s the worst that could happen if you give Potter a chance?” 

“It’s very annoying when you’re right all the time, did you know that?”

“I do” he smiled triumphally, eating one last piece of chocolate as Professor Slughorn finally entered the class. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Ugh, what is it?” you heard your cousin’s annoyed voice on the other side of the door that you knocked on before it opened, and she appeared. “Oh, hey, love” she smiled when she saw it was you.

“Hi, Cissa, um… is this a bad time?” you asked, hoping you were not just interrupting her having sex with Malfoy. 

“Oh, no, love. Lucius is just moping about losing the match” she laughed, stepping out. “What’s up?” 

“Um, w-well, I wanted to ask for a favor… if you’re not too busy” you smiled. 

“Please, anything to get away from Lucius” she said, linking her arm with yours and already walking over to your dorm. “So, what’s going on?” she said, stepping into your dorm and noticing all the clothes scattered around your bed and the floor. 

“Well, I was hoping to get your opinion on something” you said, smiling sweetly. 

“Let me guess” she said, sitting on your bed and grabbing a few skirts and dresses. “You’re going to the Gryffindor party to see James Potter” she said, erasing the smile off your face. 

“Wha-? How did you know? Did Regulus tell you?”

“Oh, please, love, I’m sure you and Sirius are the only ones who didn’t know” she laughed. 

“What?”

“Yeah, Bella and Andy also know” she informed you. 

“What? How?”

“I told them” she shrugged. 

“Ugh, great” you said, throwing yourself on your bed. “My entire family is discussing my pathetic crush” you lamented. 

“It could be worse” she said. “At least he’s a pureblood” she smiled. 

“Right” you said awkardly, sitting up. Of course that would be the only pro she’d find on James. 

“Besides, he obviously likes you back” she said as she started looking through the dresses. “Stand up” she said, pulling you up and putting the dress in front of you. 

“How are you so sure that he likes me back?”

“Oh, please, love. You can’t be that dense” she snorted. “The boy won’t leave you alone. And I’m pretty sure you’re the only one not from Gryffindor to get invited to their parties” she said. “Or at least the only Slytherin” she said. 

“W-well, maybe Sirius invited me-”

“Then why isn’t Regulus going?” 

“Okay, fair” you sighed. 

“This looks pretty. How come you haven’t worn it before?” she asked, holding up a black dress. 

“Oh, I got it a while ago in a very cute shop, but, I know it’s not something my mother would ever let me wear” you told her. 

“Well, lucky for us, your mum isn’t here” she said, throwing the dress at you. 

After you put it on, Narcissa happily sat back down on your bed and helped you with your makeup. 

“Hey, Cissa?”

“Try not to move, I’m doing your eyes” she said. 

“How do you um… get a guy to uh… notice you?” you asked, making your cousin’s look soften a little. 

“James Potter already notices you, love” she smiled. 

“W-well, yeah, I guess b-but, um… how do I let him know that I like him?” you asked. “You know, without actually telling him” you chuckled. 

“You mean, how do you flirt with him?” 

“It’s just… Regulus insists that he does these things to get my attention and… to be honest, I didn’t think it was any different from the way he acts with other girls so… I guess I have been acting normal, but… I’d like him to know that I’m interested, I guess…”

“Well, Potter seems to have a big ego, so congratulate him on how well he played today” she said as she kept doing her makeup and you glared at her a little. 

“And Lucius is as humble as they come, I suppose” you muttered. 

“Fair point” she said, before she continued. “Look, you already know he’s interested in you. Just smile at him, laugh at his stupid jokes, you should be fine” she insisted as she finished. “Okay, I’m done” she smiled. You got up and walked over looking at yourself in the mirror. 

For the first time, in a very long time, you actually felt beautiful. Narcissa had managed to make you look as elegant and flawless as you did whenever your family had a dinner party, but you didn’t feel like you were wearing a costume in one of the dresses your mother always picked. You felt like yourself. You turned around and hugged your cousin tightly. 

“Thank you so much, Cissa!” you smiled. 

“You’re welcome, love. Now go flirt with your dumb boy” she said, ushering you outside your dorm. 

“You too” you said, smiling and walking down the stairs as she rolled her eyes.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

When you entered the Gryffindor Tower, the party was already in full mode. You felt a few people, guys specifically, looking your way but you thought maybe it was because you were possibly the only Slytherin here. You walked across the Common Room, looking for James, but you found a different Marauder first. 

“Hi, Remus” you smiled as he walked over to you. 

“Oh, thank Merlin you’re here” he hugged you. “You’re the only person I like at this party and now Prongs can finally stop moping about you not being here” he said, making you laugh a little as he pulled away and looked at you. “Wow… you look-?”

“Bad?” you panicked.

“What? No! You look lovely” he smiled. “Prongs’ probably gonna have a heart attack though” he smirked. 

“Shut up! Stop saying things like that!” you widened your eyes at him. 

“Oh, please don’t tell me that you are as oblivious as your brother” he chuckled.

“I am not-! You know, I hit Regulus for saying that today!” 

“Alright, don’t hit me” he said, putting his hands up in surrender. “But, you cannot tell me that you haven’t noticed the way Prongs acts around you. He was literally throwing a fit about you not coming today” he insisted. 

“Really? Because he seems fine to me” you said, pointing behind Remus where you saw James talking to a group of very pretty girls as he offered a drink to one of them while another one threw her hair back, clearly flirting with him. 

“That means nothing” Remus said, rolling his eyes when he looked back to you. “That’s how James is-” 

“Exactly, that’s how James is” you repeated. 

“No, it’s different with you” Remus insisted as he grabbed a drink and handed it to you. 

“Really? Enlighten me” you glared at him. 

“So, you are admitting you are as oblivious as Sirius then?” 

“You know, you’re making a big deal out of that for someone who is just as oblivious on my brother’s crush on him-”

“What?!” Remus said, choking on his drink and pulling you aside. “Alright, now you’re just making stuff up” he said. 

“I’m not! You really haven’t noticed how Sirius is obnoxiously loud whenever you’re around to get your attention?”

“He… does not” Remus said, blushing a little. 

“Or that he calls you sweet names” you smirked.

“He calls everyone ‘love’” he interrupted. 

“Yes, he does” you nodded. “But he only calls you ‘my’ love” you added. 

“He… does not” he repeated.

“What are you doing here?” Sirius asked, walking over to the two of you all of the sudden. 

“Nothing” Remus quickly said. 

“Being normal, why?” you said at the same time, making Sirius raise an eyebrow at the two of you. “Um… h-have you seen James?” 

“No, but I am seeing too much of something” he said, gesturing his hand at your body. “What the bloody hell are you wearing?”

“A dress?” you said, looking down at yourself. 

“That is too revealing. You need to go change!”

“First of all, it is not. And secondly, your shirt is literally completely open!” you complained. 

“Yeah, well, this isn’t anything they haven’t seen before” he defended himself. “I am not in the mood to fight some prick that stares at you for a little too long because of… that” he said. “Go upstairs and grab my jacket” he told you.

“What? No!” you complained.

“Yes” he insisted. “Would you reason with her, my love?” he asked, looking at Sirius and you smirked when he blushed furiously. 

“Shut up” he whispered to you. “Look, just go upstairs and pretend to look for a jacket, I’ll distract him and you can come back in a few minutes” he said while Sirius finished his drink. 

“Ugh, fine” you rolled your eyes. 

“How come she only listens to you?” Sirius complained, pouting at Remus. “It must be your beautiful eyes” he smiled.

“How many of those have you had?” Remus asked, taking his glass away from him. 

You made it upstairs to the boys’ dorm and went over to Sirius' trunk to look for one of his jackets.  You found one that you kind of liked and put it on before you went back downstairs. You looked for James but saw he was still talking to the group of girls. You tried to look for your brother instead but saw him very busy with Remus and you didn’t want to interrupt so you went to grab something to drink.

“I didn’t know they let Slytherins into our parties” you heard Augustus McLaggen on your left, pouring himself a drink as well. 

“Oh” you said nervously. You were rarely alone at these things. You would at least have Regulus by your side and he would make someone go away if you were uncomfortable. “W-well, James invited me and- I was with my brother-”

“Relax, darling, I’m joking” he smirked, walking closer to you. 

“Oh” you smiled wearily. 

“It’s actually a bit… refreshing to have someone from another house” he said. 

“Um… thanks?”

“There’s something different about you” he said, eyeing you up and down. “I can’t quite put my finger on it” he said, making you pull your jacket a little closer.

“Hey! You finally came, love” you thankfully heard James’ voice coming towards you and wrapping his arm around your waist. “I thought you were standing me up” he said, kissing your head. 

“J-James, hi” you smiled relieved. 

“Sorry, mate, gotta steal her for a bit” he said, smirking at McLaggen who was glaring at him and he quickly pulled you aside. 

“Thank you” you told him as the two of you walked away.

“Don’t mention it, love. McLaggen’s a prick, why were you talking to him?”

“I wasn’t talking to him! He was talking to me” you insisted as James raised his eyebrow. “I was just getting a drink! And I was gonna go look for you-”

“Are you wearing my jacket?” he asked, confused. 

“Y-your… what?” you said, looking down at your jacket. “This is y-your jacket?” you asked confused. 

“Yeah” he smiled.

“Oh, I’m sorry, it was in Sirius’ trunk” you said, confused. “I thought-”

“Yeah, beautiful. I’m gonna save you some time, probably none of our clothes is in the correct trunk” he laughed. “Except Remus’” he added. 

“I’m sorry” you said, starting to take it off. 

“N-no! Don’t worry about it, gorgeous. Are you cold? Is that why you wanted my jacket? ‘Cause it looks good on you- I mean, you look beautiful tonight” he said smiling at you. “W-well, you always do” he added. 

“R-really?” you smiled, feeling your cheeks blush.

“Yeah” he nodded. “You don’t need the jacket if you ask me-”

“Oh, um, w-well…” you stuttered. “Sirius just… didn’t like my dress and said I needed a jacket” you rolled your eyes.  

“Well, Padfoot just needs to snog Moony and mind his business” he laughed, making you laugh as well. “You look beautiful with that dress” he smiled dreamily at you. 

“Thank you, James” you said, feeling your heart flutter. “Wait, you know about that?”

“How Sirius calls Moony ‘my’ love? Of course I do” he chuckled. “So, what took you so long to come? Were you crying all this time because your house lost?”

“Really? Did you want me to come just to brag about the match, Potter? I can still leave” you smirked as he handed you a drink. 

“Please don’t. I was so bored before you came” he said, walking you over to one of the sofas near a window. 

“I find that very hard to believe” you said, looking around. 

“Why do you always think I’m lying?” James asked, placing his hand on the sofa, behind you. 

“Because I’ve known you since I’m eleven?” you replied, making him glare at you a little. 

“That hurts, love” he said, trying to sound offended. “When have I ever lied to you?” 

“Well, for starters, you didn’t tell me that you, my brother, and Peter became Animagi to help Remus-”

“That was your brother. He didn’t let us tell you” he defended himself. 

“Alright” you said, trying to suppress your smile. “So, you’ve never lied to me?”

“Never, love” he insisted.

“Not even to avoid hurting my feelings?” you raised your eyebrow at him and noticed him tense a little. 

“N-no, of course not” he said, taking a sip of his drink. 

“So, last Christmas when you invited us over and your mum was teaching me how to cook, you actually liked the Christmas Pudding I made?” 

“Of course I did” he chuckled. 

“James” you glared at him. 

“Yes, love?” he smiled, goofily at you. 

“I mistakenly added salt instead of sugar, it was ruined” you laughed. 

“No, no. It wasn’t ruined. It gave it a new better taste” he shrugged. 

“James!” you laughed. 

“What? It’s true! I liked it” he insisted. 

“Nobody else ate it! You can’t possibly think it was good” you laughed. 

“Well, I did” he shrugged, turning your way. 

“You’re really stubborn, did you know that?” 

“Oh, and you’re not?” he laughed making you smile. “Have you… always been this beautiful?” 

“That’s so cheesy, Potter, even for your standards” you chuckled, feeling your cheeks burning. 

“Wait… do you-? Do you not believe me?” he asked, his tone getting serious. 

“I- um… I do” you said, unconvincingly. 

“You don’t” he said, turning himself to you. “It is one thing that you don’t believe that I liked your Christmas Pudding-”

“You didn't” you insisted. 

“But how can you not believe me about that?” 

“I do!” you insisted. “It’s just… I’m sorry, I’m being stupid” you smiled sadly, looking at your drink. 

“No, you’re not” James insisted, placing his hand under your chin to make you look at him. “What’s going on, love? Did- did I say something wrong?” 

“No!” you quickly said. “You never say anything wrong” you smiled sadly. “It’s just… I’m not really used to um… hearing that” you said, feeling your cheeks blush. 

“Love, I tell you that every single day! Why is it so hard for you to believe me?” 

“Because, James, look at my entire family” you said, sadly. “You know who I live with. My mother is not warm and loving like your mum is. I grew up very differently than you” you reminded him, making his look turn soft and his heart break a little. “I know you wouldn’t lie to me” you added. “It’s just… not easy for me to believe it, I guess” you smiled sadly. 

“Well, love” he said, moving closer to you and placing his hand softly on your cheek. “If you’re okay with it, I will keep saying it until you believe me” he told you. “Because you are the most beautiful person that I have seen in my life. And, since apparently I haven’t been as obvious as I thought I was, I am completely and madly in love with you and I would love to take you out on a date” he said, making your heart stop. 

“R-really?” you asked and he raised his eyebrows at you. “I m-mean, y-yes, I would love to go on a date with you” you smiled. “And… in case you didn’t know because I’m horrible at this… I am very much in love with you too” you added, making the biggest smile appear on James’ face. “And I also think you’re really beautiful” you said before he pulled you in to kiss you on the lips. 

“I love you, beautiful” he said, making you smile. 

“I love you too, Jamie” you said. “Can I ask you one more thing?”

“Anything” he said.

“Do you like Peppermint Toads?” you asked suddenly, remembering your conversation with Regulus. 

“Do I uh-” he frowned. “Why are you asking me that?” he chuckled nervously. 

“You always give me Peppermint Toads when you say you bought too many but… I don’t think I’ve seen you have one” you explained. 

“Well, love… I hate to break it to you, but nobody likes Peppermint Toads” he admitted. 

“That’s not true!”

“Yes, it is” he said, kissing your cheek. “I just bought them because you always smiled when I gave them to you” he said. “So, I’ll buy you as many as you want” he said, hugging you to him and giving you another peck on the lips. 

"Thanks, love" you smiled. "Can you now tell me if you actually liked my Christmas Pudding?"

"I did!"

The End

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A/N: I hope you loves liked it! :)

#marauders #marauders imagine #james potter #james potter imagine #james potter x reader #sirius black x sister!reader #regulus black x sister!reader #james potter oneshot

[childotkw]

okay but imagine the grindelwald! harry au mixed with that ybtm(ibty) au where it's actually harry that goes to nathan's world. i would assume that dumbledore wouldn't allow those rumors to spread if harry came to him first, but if harry had built up a reputation beforehand... it's technically not allowed/ taboo to discuss the rumor (not like the school can place a ban on it), but the whole student body knows it by the time harry is there and assisting dumbledore. dumbledore can't even claim harry as his son or relative at this point because it would just end in even more disaster. harry is super adverse to the rumor but his refusal just kinda stokes the flames higher and at this point even grindelwald is aware that his supposed son is hanging out with dumbledore at hogwarts. and wouldn't that be rejection of the highest order again? or perhaps he wouldn't really even believe the rumor but that power that harry effortlessly wields, that's something to see. i feel like nathan would believe harry when he said that he wasn't grindelwald's son, but orion would do the real plotting when he connects nathan's attackers to grindelwald, like, the amount of drama orion lives for is RIGHT THERE orion would prob be disappointed when he doesn't see results tho lol, but he has plenty of other entertainment. like harry and his everything. and tom too, but he sees tom more than harry, and tom likes to hide everything, so. anyways this idea has consumed me so i'm sorry about the word vomit lmao your aus are very plot-bunny inducing

A spin off of Dark Side of the Moon where Harry side-stepped Dumbledore and Hogwarts completely, and became some vigilante-esque figure in the Wizarding underworld because his saving people thing was alive and well even if he's a grumpy boy.

His actions - stepping in and defending others regardless of status or species, breaking up the more destructive and illegal rings in Knockturn and making things a little safer for those living there, dodging the aurors with all the skill of a career criminal, etc. - drew attention.

Because of course they did.

And people loved to gossip about him.

Because of course they did.

Harry was focussed on trying to get home (he has yet to chat with Death), and unintentionally kicked off some of those rumours himself. Rumours that, for some reason, had people thinking he was Grindelwald’s son?

(It was absolutely because of the Deathly Hallows tattoo on his hip - don’t ask how it got there, don’t ask how the group of hags spotted it, Harry purged that memory from his brain, it did not happen).

Anyway.

Harry was strolling around Knockturn on Halloween and stepped in to chase off the men attacking Nathan, safely whisked the boy back to his family and let them know that Grindelwald’s men were on the prowl. Benedict took that warning seriously, and Cynthia proposed Harry stop by one afternoon for tea as a thank you.

And one gossipy vampire who witnessed Harry curb-stomp Grindelwald’s men spread the word that the Dark Lord’s apparent son was ‘on the outs’ with his father because why else would he attack a group of Acolytes unless there was trouble in paradise?

Long, long story short - Harry eventually ended up at Hogwarts as some weird teacher assistant / in protective custody / a God (people are too scared to ask at this point). He just chilled in the school, occasionally disappearing without a word to dismantle an illegal poaching organisation or bulldoze through some of Grindelwald’s men.

It was only after a few months that Harry even heard the rumour that people think he’s Grindelwald’s disgruntled, long-lost son. He tried denying it at first but by this point the rumour is so pervasive and wide-spread that he couldn’t change it. So Harry just rolled with it.

“Why yes, I am Gellert’s son. Yes, I think his political agenda is stupid. No, he’s not all powerful, he’s actually a moron and I’m going to break his nose when I next see him.”

People are lowkey terrified. Nathan has his pseudo-older brother who is training him to be a badass. Orion is frothing at the mouth and Tom is vibrating at a frequency that could propel himself into the sun.

Gellert just wants to know why anyone would look at him and think he’d ever sleep with a woman. Then he claims the magically-powerful-possible-god-man-thing as his son because why not?

#bored-platypus #HP #ybtm(ibty) #dark side of the moon au #harry potter #gellert grindelwald

[eighthday]

Review first season "Vigil"

Ep 3. An episode about loneliness and loss.

Although the series is shown from Amy's point of view, but in this episode, each character experiences his own trauma and deals with it in their own way. (An episode about each of us.) The pressure on Amy is starting to build up. The first attempt to find the killer came to a dead end. Amy's time on the submarine has been extended from 3 days to 3 weeks, and her pills have run out. And she let Poppy down again by promising what she couldn't deliver. After all, it was then that she realized that she would not have the opportunity to wish Poppy a happy birthday. Who rewarded her with such boundless responsibility and a sense of guilt not even for her mistakes? These downward steps, which she has taken more than once in the past, will reach a deep end and a state of revelation on her part at the end of the episode.

And then the present comes and passes familygram ❤️from Kirsten. A pleasant little thing again)

This familygram is more personal than all the others. Was Amy a little happy that the radio operator who delivered the telegram only confirmed that Amy knew about Kirsten's attitude towards her, but was afraid to admit? It is likely that Amy does not specifically reminisce about Kirsten, not understanding and doubting where they are in the present. Is this her approach in a relationship, or does she not want to hurt herself even more?

This is also one of the few times when Amy smiles sincerely. Kirsten hides behind a wish from a cat to emphasize, but not to attract the attention of other people, highlighting only three words for herself. "So do I". It's about work, but for me it's also a part of Kirsten.

Looking at this scene, I have several questions: Who are all these people except Amy and Poppy? Why are Ian's parents not at the funeral? Is Poppy being picked up by a close family friend or a social worker?(They can't be Ian's relatives, because if they were, Poppy would have stayed with them) Is there no one on Amy's side who could support her? Are they even alive or is she alone?

It's great to know that, after several previous attempts, these two have started to build a good relationship in Amy's absence)

In addition, we see a lot of photographs in many scenes that decorate Amy's home. Who enjoys taking pictures, storing them on their phone, and then printing them out? Amy has many skills besides saving her own phone password from Poppy.

"It's unfair." Say this phrase to a detective who must uncover the truth and restore justice, who works so hard that he becomes a DCI, who has tools and assistants at his disposal, who solves cases after case, but who due to chance loses his future. We don't know why Amy left medical school after the second year, which is very difficult to enter, but maybe she was searching for justice? Amy saves and gives a chance not only to Harry, but also to herself. If you put a mirror in front of Amy, the main core of the scene wouldn't change. She admits something to herself that she couldn't even tell the therapist or Kirsten.

Since Kirsten sent such a familygram, there was more than just one moment associated with this book. Most likely, there were also many other books, because Amy couldn't immediately understand the message. Amy is probably used to seeing Kirsten awake in the early morning and therefore does not ask her anything, but simply raises Kirsten's hand in a familiar, confident gesture to hug her and be closer.

P.S. It couldn't have been another animal, could it?)

Who remembers the story of Jonah? The prophet who was swallowed by a whale for three days so that he would become what he was destined to become.

#vigil #rose leslie #suranne jones #amy silva #kirsten longacre #silvacre #bbc vigil #amy x kirsten

[hollowed-theory-hall]

what do you think about unicorn blood? specifically whether drinking unicorn blood affected voldemort in any way?

Hmm... honestly, I don't think it affected him at all. I think the unicorn blood was consumed by Quirrell, for Quirrell, and not Voldemort.

When Harry describes the figure drinking the unicorn blood, he mentions the mouth under the hood on the side Quirrell's face is on, not the back of his head:

The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry — he couldn’t move for fear.

(PS, 185)

And Voldemort explains why Quirrell would need the unicorn blood:

“Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. I sometimes inhabited animals — snakes, of course, being my preference — but I was little better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic . . . and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long. . . .

(GoF, 653-654)

The hosts he used kept dying on him, and Quirrell was also slowly dying as long as Voldemort possessed him. Voldemort is fine, he has his Horcruxes, if Quirrell died, it'd be like any of the other snakes he possessed before — he'd return to his wraith form and move on.

The only reason he had to get Quirrell unicorn blood is so Quirrell would live long enough to get the philosopher's stone and get himself a body of his own. Because Voldemort would live regardless of what happened to Quirrell. Which we see, as Quirrell dies, but Voldemort is fine (well, relatively, he's still a wraith)

As for what I think it does, well, Firenze explains it as such:

“Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?” “No,” said Harry, startled by the odd question. “We’ve only used the horn and tail hair in Potions.” “That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn,” said Firenze. “Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.”

(PS, 186)

So, unicorn blood keeps you alive, if barely. It would just keep your body moving and breathing.

As for what exactly it curses you with?

We have no real way of knowing for sure. Quirrell seems worse for wear for most of the year, and he has been drinking unicorn blood for a while before Harry sees Quirrellmort in the forest, so it's hard to tell what are the effects of being possessed versus the unicorn blood curse.

If I had to guess what this half-life means, I'd say it correlates to the unicron's purity. Because Firenze states the curse is the result of killing something as pure as a unicorn. So, the curse would correlate, like karma for the death of the unicorn, and not the act of drinking its blood. So it's not the unicorn blood that curses you, but killing the unicorn, like slaying something holy.

I think of it as something like Odysseus' men killing the divine, immortal cattle of the god Helios and having various gods proceed to destroy their ships and curse their journey with bad luck, like the opposite of Felix Felicis. So, if I had to guess what's the curse of killing a unicorn, it'd be something along these lines.

#harry potter #hp #hollowedtheory #harry potter theory #hp theory #asks #hp meta #wizarding world #harry potter meta #anon asks #anonymous #voldemort #quirinus quirrell

[feministsforkatemiddleton]

more sussex pr b.s.

Via Michelle Ruiz at Vogue.

As royal gossip swirls and Kate-related conspiracy theories bubble to fever pitch, as an inept Palace comms team scrambles to explain away a Photoshop fail and my text chains spiral into concerned chaos over Kate’s health and that of her marriage, a thought is crystallizing amid the noise: they should have never let Harry and Meghan go.

Harry and Meghan were never "let go." They choose to leave, because they didn't get their way of being "half in/out"--which you fundamentally cannot do as a taxpayer funder royal. You cannot take taxpayer money (and perks that come with it, like security) and use your royal status to also gain lucrative commercial deals. It's political corruption.

And referring to the Waleses' marriage is nasty gossip. I bet Michelle doesn't do that to the Sussexes.

The current imbroglio is exposing that the royal family isn’t half as savvy or strategic as people are led to believe, nor as singularly focused on preserving the Crown. If they were, they would have tried to keep Prince Harry and Meghan within the Firm at all costs—not only because they were stars, and she, in particular, could appeal to Commonwealth countries in a way the rest of the family never will—but also because the Firm has left itself weak and short-staffed. 

"at all costs"?? You mean to let the Sussex continue to violate their personal boundaries and abuse them. For the rest of the family to laydown and take it...because?? Meghan press abuse was bad, so she can take it out on others? That's abuse. And they were never the stars or had the appeal supporters try to claim they were. And no, Meghan, as an American, doesn't really have any appeal to commonwealth countries. STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

King Charles has long advocated for a “slimmed-down” monarchy, according to reports. For the first time, I’m struck by the absurdity of this proposal: to push for the elevation of an even more elite cluster within arguably the most elite group of WASPs alive! Pretty savage, too: In the King’s case, it ostensibly meant symbolically demoting his own son, Prince Harry, to the back corner of the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Firm’s annual Trooping the Colour moment, as Prince William’s children moved him even further down the line of succession. 

Oh no, poor Harry, his brother had kids, the horror!

During rosier times, though, the King’s vision was one of efficiency, an effort to scale back the number of distant relatives living for life in taxpayer-funded “apartments.” Image-wise, a streamlined monarchy also trains subjects’ focus on King Charles, and his direct heir Prince William, and his next-in-line George—a reminder, however unsubtle, that these people don’t intend to go anywhere, no matter how anachronistic they’re starting to feel in modern society. 

This should still be the plan bc it is efficient and money-saving. And if Meghan and Harry had held their horses for a few years, then they would be a part of it--as was Charles's plans. It was supposed to be him and his sons and their wives over his three siblings and cousins. But...the Sussexes did not have any foresight, so here we are.

Be careful what you wish for: in light of recent events, the King’s slimmed-down monarchy is wasting away to nothing. If the royals are silent film stars, as British playwright Bonnie Greer once noted, their cast has been dramatically diminished after the deaths of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the defection of Prince Harry and Meghan to Montecito, plus the disgracing of Prince Andrew. With King Charles battling an unnamed cancer, Queen Camilla taking a break after holding it down in her husband’s stead, and Princess Kate (at least officially) recovering from unnamed abdominal surgery, only Prince William is wading back to work after an initial hiatus around Kate’s operation. The monarchy is so slender, it’s two illnesses away from being a one-man show. 

KATE IS RECOVERING FROM SURGERY. This is a fact. Stop nastily insinuating otherwise; your misogyny is showing.

Oh, and if you actually want to get you facts straight and call out something that is actually not good optics: Camilla was on a beach vacation, not with Charles. That's not a great look.

Whoever might have been helpful in this situation? Which two people—and their two cute children—could be shearing sheep and christening ships as we speak, providing a picturesque, PDA-filled distraction from the disaster-upon-disaster spilling forth from the Palace? The void left by Prince Harry and Meghan has never been more glaring. Neither has the Firm’s lack of foresight. Standing up for Meghan against a torrent of racist and sexist abuse—making it tenable for the Sussexes to stay part of this operation—was not only the decent thing to do, but the most prudent for the monarchy. Even if they didn’t care for Meghan (or Prince Harry), they should have been strategic enough to recognize that the Sussexes were an overall positive and diversifying force for the institution. They should have known that they couldn’t afford to lose two of their youngest, supplest stars, a couple with a global fanbase and tons of runway for the future.

The Sussexes didn't want to do bread-and-butter engagements like Anne and the Edinburghs. They wanted celebrity, and they brought the disaster. That's why we're here now. The Sussexes did not have the foresight, again--not the firm. And much of Meghan's "abuse" was fair criticism based on her actions and choices of abusing her position and power and not taking responsibility for it. And after this week, sorry--I never want to hear she had it "worse" again.

And the Sussexes are negative whiners; Harry's a prick and Meghan is an utter brat. Not dynamic. And Meghan is the older of the former , short-lived "fab four." Their ratings are in the trash too, so no, they hardly have a global fanbase.

-------

So sick of people like Michelle Ruiz--who otherwise had a solid career with good work--doing shit like this under the premise of good faith. It's not. This is mostly unfactual editorializing, with a good drop of misogyny thrown in.

Do better.

#princess catherine #british royal family #princess of wales #team wales #prince william #brf #sexism

[riverxsong-ao3]

“Don’t misunderstand, Harry” Sirius replied, reaching out hesitantly for Harry’s hand. “I would’ve broken out years before and taken you away, but that would have meant a life on the run for you. No Hogwarts, no friends – well, I suppose now that Tom might’ve shown up at some point. Either way, I contented myself for ages, believing you were living a better life – until, of course, I learned over the summer that you had been sent to your mother’s sister. I’ll never understand why Albus thought she would be an adequate guardian for you – that girl hated magic the moment she realised she could never have it.”

“No, I understand,” Harry said, placing one hand in Sirius' and twisting the edge of his sleeve between the fingers of his other, “but why break out just to take revenge on Wormtail? Couldn’t you have sent word that he was still alive, or contact your solicitors, or –”

“Harry,” Tom interrupted, gazing into his eyes, that annoying sensation that tasted like guilt welling up within him, “Sirius almost certainly didn’t have those options. My fault.”

“I didn’t,” Sirius confirmed. “And… no, not your fault. I think. This is all very strange, but as it took place after you split off from Voldemort, I suppose I can’t blame you.”

“No,” Tom said bitterly. “The actions Voldemort took that led you to being imprisoned without a fair trial took place long before I became my own person. I am complicit in them, and so, in a way, it is my fault.”

“Stop that,” Sirius demanded. “You’re just a kid. Do you even remember the atrocities Voldemort committed that led to his followers – not to mention me – being sent to Azkaban without a trial?”

“...Bits and pieces,” Tom admitted. “Not much, though. I used to remember more, but… Most of it is like a terrible nightmare now. I remember enough, however, to know exactly why you were committed to Azkaban without a trial. But I did that to you, I –”

“No, stop,” Sirius said, standing suddenly and beginning to pace. “You can’t have it both ways – are you Voldemort, or are you not?”

“I’m not,” Tom insisted hotly. “I hate what I became in in my previous life, I –"

“Then that’s good enough for me,” Sirius interrupted. “Look, I’m not going to lie and pretend I’m pleased about the fact that my godson was walking around with a piece of Voldemort’s soul in him for nearly a decade, but it’s obviously made you a better person, and he seems to have come out of it relatively unscathed, Parseltongue abilities and questionable choices in boyfriends aside.”

#harry potter #tomarry #tom riddle #fanfiction #vitae redux #harrymort #harry potter fanfiction

[hpdm-sideblog]

Femme Drarry

So, I’ve seen a lot of Femme drarry stuff on my feed and from that arose 2 questions: how could this be plausible within the universe? and how do we name them without fucking everything up?

Plausibility: Harry

Harry’s story would remain the same. We have two routes for this: either make her cis, or make her transfemme. Either way, her story is relatively the same with the added factor of her gender.

Naming: Harry(incomplete, will update later)

With naming her, we still have lots of options. We could name her something similar and give her the nickname harry, or literally still name her Harry because maybe Lily and James were attached to the name. If she’s trans, the latter doesn’t quite work because yes she’d be born with that name, but we’d have to give her an alternate name. The other thing thats so so important to realize is that it’s okay if we give her a name thats not at all similar to the canon ones. Harriet is cute, but some people feel icky about it. So, giving names that have similar vibes to Harry. Looking into the origin and meaning of the name Harry is so hard because there’s always a lovely lovely call back to the series itself, but I will update this section with my research and findings. But basically, when I’m able, I’ll look into similar feminine names in both vibe and meaning, aswell as popularity. I’ll update this post later.

Plausibility: Draco

Draco is a pureblood, which means his family needs a male heir to carry on the blood line. So the way I see it, we really only have two options: 1)Draco is born female and we give her a little brother 2)transfemme Draco.

1) Giving her a little brother, possibly naming him Draco, would serve to keep the metaphorical Malfoy Bloodline alive. The issue with this is now we have to create a whole new character for our AU and we have to be careful to make him make sense within the story. Give him a purpose that changes the course of it. I do think, just to fuck with lucius it would be so funny if the younger brother turned out to be a transgirl because now Lucius Malfoy has no fucking heir that fits his idea lol.

2) TRANSFEMME DRACO MALFOY!!! I’m obsessed w/ this idea dude.

Naming: Draco

Give her star names??? Like any star name!

Or, name her draca /j

#drarry #hpdm #femme drarry #transfemme draco malfoy #harry potter #draco malfoy #queer #draco/harry #draco malfoy/harry potter #hp #hp fanfic #drarry fanfic #hpdm imagines #fandom #harry potter fandom #harry/draco #transfemme #trans character #meowmeow #wlw drarry #femm drarry #fem #mwow #meow

[harry-on-broadway]

The Last Line: Part Two

Part Two

Word Count: 12.1K || Series Masterlist || Rating: M

A/N: Uh, so it’s been a minute. Life got kind of busy and I had to put this on the back burner for a little bit, but it has been fun to step back into this world. Would love to hear what you think! 

***

The venue was stuffy, the floor was sticky, and the smoky air made her feel as if she’d traveled back in time, but the atmosphere made Penny feel alive.

It was a Wednesday night and she was spending the evening at The Echo where an emerging folk-rock band was playing a show. It was the first concert she had been to in a week and it was exactly the reminder she needed as to why she hadn’t quit her job. Darren had been in rare form recently, seemingly going out of his way to find problems with her stories and shoot down any pitch she made, relegating her to writing up stories from the wire, while the Google Doc of ideas she kept open at all times grew longer and longer. At least she had her concerts.

After making a couple of laps around the venue, mentally noting the size, makeup, and energy of the crowd for the review she’d be writing later that evening, she went back to the bar and ordered a drink. Seltzer with lime was always her go-to when she was working. It looked like she was drinking, but kept her sharp for the evening.

As she sipped her drink, she scanned the crowd looking for the other critics she usually saw on the scene. She’d noticed Mikael from the Times when she was waiting for her drink, and had spotted Angel at the coat check on her way in. It surprised Penny that they hadn’t made their way backstage yet. Critics were usually given a special waiting area where there were drinks, appetizers, and sometimes a chance to chat with whoever was performing that night ahead of the show.

Penny had tried that the first few times she’d been sent out on assignment, but stopped soon after. Maybe it was her relative inexperience compared to other critics, but she still hadn’t perfected the idea of separating the art from the artist and found it difficult to be impartial after getting to know someone – she’d either feel bad giving a negative review to a great person or, on one occasion, want to give a shittier than needed review to the asshole who tried to cop a feel. Regardless, her fellow critics would soon be taking their respective spots around the venue.

For venues like The Echo, Penny preferred to stand in the back of the room where she had an equally good view of the artist and crowd, all the better to set the scene for her readers. She scanned the room again as the opener took the stage, noting how the room had started to fill even more, until she spotted the last person she’d expected to see.

Harry.

He locked eyes with her and she froze, hoping he was looking at someone behind her. But that clearly wasn’t the case as Harry raised his glass to her from across the room. She mimicked the gesture, unsure of what else to do. She paused, waiting for something else, a mouthed word or a wave, but Harry simply turned back to face front. Leaving Penny to do the same.

Suddenly, she was filled with self-consciousness. Was it just her or was he looking at her? She could feel what she thought were his eyes fixed on her, but each time she turned to look at him, he was focued on the stage. The opener began playing and Penny, though she didn’t need to, tried to focus on taking notes to get her brain back in work mode. Five or six songs later – she couldn’t remember – the lights came up and the buzz of conversation returned. So had her anxiety over Harry. Feeling shaky, she went back to the bar for some water, taking a sip as she stepped off to the side.

“How are you doing?” a quiet voice asked, close to her ear, causing her to jump. “Shit,” Harry said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, you’re good. It’s good,” Penny said, moving away from the bar. “I uh, didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” she said, scrambling for words.

“I’ve had the tickets for a while now,” Harry replied. “Don’t worry, I’m not following you or anything,” he added quickly. He paused as Penny looked at him. “Um, did you get my email?” he asked. He was trying to keep his tone casual, but Penny could sense a self-consciousness to the question.

“I did.”

“Oh, good.” His brow twisted into a frown. “I wasn’t sure since you didn’t respond.”

“I didn’t think I needed to, seeing as we’re not friends and I have no reason to talk to you.”

“We’re talking now,” Harry said.

“Yeah, and, as I said, we have no reason to.”

Harry rolled his eyes.

“What was that for?” Penny shot back.

“Nothing.”

“No, it was something. So go ahead.”

Harry sighed. “It’s common courtesy to reply to someone and accept the apology that they offer.”

“What if I don’t accept it?”

“You’re not accepting my apology?”

Penny shrugged. “You were kind of dick and what you said hurt me. I’m allowed to feel that way and not accept the apology.” She knew she was being stubborn and petulant for no good reason, but she dug her heels in anyway. “And this is also kind of insulting, you coming in here and telling me how I should do my job…again.”

“OK,” Harry said, defensively. “I’ve never told you how to do your job. I just said I didn’t like what you’d written. Or that you ignored my email. Which, if we’re airing it all out right now, I thought was kind of rude.”

“Oh my God, do you ever stop?” Penny yelled, causing heads to turn.

“Keep your voice down,” Harry muttered, sinking into himself, as he steered Penny away from the gathering crowd.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” They were standing across from each other and Penny had to crane her neck slightly to meet Harry’s eyes. His face was slightly flushed, from both the heat and his drink, and stray curls were poking out from underneath his cap. His brow and lips remained twisted into a scowl, and despite the intensity of his glare, there was a gentleness in his eyes. “Can you just leave me alone?” Penny asked, softer. “Despite what you probably think, I don’t want to fight you. I just want to watch the show and do my job.”

“You’re working tonight?” Harry asked, his own frosty demeanor cooling.

“Yeah. I’ve got to file a review bright and early tomorrow, so I just want to make it through the night without incident.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then,” Harry said, turning to go back to where he had initially been standing. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Penny asked. She answered her own question with one look. A crowd had gathered where Harry had previously been standing, with several people on their phones, scouring the crowd for him. “Word travels fast, huh?”

“Yeah,” Harry said with a sigh as the lights flashed, signaling the start of the show. “See you later.”

“You can stay here,” Penny said. The small peace offering was the least she could do. “I mean, it looks a little calmer over here. If that would make this more enjoyable for you.”

Harry stared at her, as if he was trying to see if there was some sort of catch to her offer. “Alright. If that’s fine with you.” Penny nodded. “Thanks,” he said again. “I really appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“See it’s not so hard to be polite, is it?”

“The offer only stands if you don’t talk to me,” Penny said quickly.  

“Roger that.”

The lights dimmed and Harry scooted closer to Penny, allowing other concert goers to pass by and get to their seats. “Sorry,” he whispered as he bumped her shoulder.

“It’s fine,” Penny whispered back, eyes facing forward.

As the band started to play, she tried to focus on the show, running through her mental list of notes she typically took during a show. There were the more technical ones. Questions of production value and ability, but also the less clinical aspects of the show that the average concert goer would want to know. What were people wearing? What was the overall vibe of the show? Did the band play the hits? Some special songs? But as she stood there listening, her thoughts kept wandering back to Harry.

Okkervil River was not the kind of band she pictured him listening to, but was he a secret fan? Was he scouting out something for his mysterious forthcoming record that she wasn’t supposed to know about? Penny always knew why she liked something and why she was in attendance, but the question that kept her going much of the time was why other audience members were there. And that question was only magnified with Harry.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him swaying along, the corners of his mouth gently turning upward as he watched the onstage action. He was obviously enjoying himself, another surprise.

The set was brief and after about 90 minutes the band left the stage and the lights came up.

“That was great,” Harry said.

“It really was. It was my first time seeing them and they set the bar very high.”

“It was your first time?”

“Yeah. Had you seen them before?”

Harry looked up at the ceiling, and it was clear that he was working on some sort of mental calculation. “I think this was my fourth time. Saw them a few times in London.”

“Oh, wow. Didn’t realize you were that big of a fan.”

Harry shrugged modestly. “I should probably be heading out,” he said, shifting on his feet as he watched the crowd start to head for the exits.

“I should be going too,” Penny said, looking in her bag to make sure her wallet, keys, and phone hadn’t been misplaced. “I need to get home and file this.”

“Where did you park?” Harry asked as they walked to the door.

“I didn’t park anywhere. I took an Uber,” Penny said. “I should probably call one now that I think about it.”

“Oh, I could give you a ride if you want.”

“Seriously?” Penny tried to hide her shock.

“Yeah. Consider it part of my ongoing apology tour since the email didn’t seem to work.”

“That’s lovely but I’m sure it’s out of your way.”

“It’s fine. I like night time drives anyways. They clear my head.”

“Harry, I don’t need this from you. I can just accept the apology and we can move on with our lives.”

Harry exhaled, sharply but without malice. “Has anyone ever told you how difficult you can be?”

Penny shot him a glare. “Difficult?”

“You yell at me in the restaurant, you refuse my apology, you refuse a ride home…stubborn as a mule.”

“Did you ever think I maybe didn’t want to get into a car with a strange man?”

“Did you ever think I maybe didn’t want to worry about you waiting around here alone?”

They were outside now, and Penny was thankful for the cool breeze that dulled the heat that had once again risen to her face. “Oh, well, that’s v-very kind of you,” she said, stumbling over her words. “But I do think it would be easiest if I just called an Uber.”

Harry rubbed his face. “OK, yeah, whatever.” Penny looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to leave. “The very least you can let me do is make sure you get into the car,” he said, making it clear that he wasn’t budging until she was on her way.

“Fine,” she said, punching in her location in the app. “Car should be here in about 15 minutes.”

“Why are you so insistent in your refusal to accept help from me?” Harry asked.

“Don’t get offended. It’s not just you, it’s all men.”

“OK, whatever, the question still stands.”

“I don’t think 15 minutes is enough time to unpack that,” Penny said with a grin. “Why were you so hostile towards me over 500 words that I wrote two years ago.”

“Fifteen minutes isn’t long enough to unpack that,” Harry replied with a smirk.

“Touché.”

“So…” Harry said after a moment, fighting against the awkward silence that had settled in between them. “Do you have any other concerts coming up?”

“Um…” Penny tried to think of her calendar. “I’m seeing Madison Cunningham and Andrew McMahon later this week and then this band called Talk to Plants next week. And then some friends and I have tickets to Queen later this month. That’s not work though, that’s just for fun.”

“Does it ever get boring going to so many concerts?”

Penny frowned. “Not boring per se but there are certain shows I get more excited for than others. But I try not to take it for granted. I know there are people who would kill to have this job. Do you have any shows coming up?” she asked, wanting to shift the subject away from her.

“Not really. I might try to see Ariana Grande soon but I’m just sort of playing it by ear. Not sure when I’ll be able to fit it in.”

“Is the new album keeping you busy then?” Penny’s eyes went wide as soon as the words were out her mouth. “Because I assume you’re making a new album? Since it’s coming up on two years after your first. And that seems to be a cycle most people like to follow.”

If Harry knew that she had been given inside information, he didn’t say anything, opting to keep the conversation rolling. “I’ve been writing and I’ve been in the studio but it will be a few months before you’ll need to sharpen your pitchfork for the review.”

“Oh, I don’t actually write for Pitchfork. I’m at The Moment,” Penny said. The joke was too easy.

“Well maybe you should make the move. Pitchfork seems more suitable for your demeanor.”

“What the fu–” Penny was cut off by a notification on her phone that her driver was approaching the curb.

“Get home safe,” Harry said, opening the door for Penny as the car idled next to them. “Let me know when you’re settled,” he added, gently shutting the door once Penny had situated herself inside.

Penny tried to ask what he meant by “suitable for her demeanor” but was cut off as the car pulled away. Putting Harry out of her mind, she settled into the backseat as the lights of the city flew by her. She opened up the Google Docs app on her phone and started drafting her review. A witty lede came to her rather quickly and the rest of the review flowed out of her after that. She’d have to clean it up before filing it to Darren, but that could wait until she was home. Her driver dropped her off at the entrance of her building, and she raced upstairs, quickly showering and throwing on some sweats and a t-shirt.

A cup of tea by her side, she sat on the couch and opened her laptop, pulling up the review she’d drafted in the car. She proofread it, adding some commas, fixing some spelling errors, and tweaking a few sentences so they flowed better. After a couple more read-throughs she felt satisfied, and shared the link with Darren, dropping him a Slack message as well. Sipping the warm beverage, she scanned her email, deleting some of the more useless messages and marking some to respond to when she logged on again in the morning. When she was finished, she went to close her laptop but hesitated.

Sighing, she knew what she needed to do and searching her inbox, she pulled up Harry’s apology email. Clicking on reply, she typed out a quick message – Made it home. Thanks for waiting with me. Hope you enjoyed the show.

She didn’t know what compelled her to do it, but it just felt right. She closed her computer and climbed into bed.

***

A chime signaling an email woke Harry from the light sleep he’d drifted off into. Ordinarily, he would have ignored it. Emails could almost always wait until morning. But for some reason, he rolled onto his side and lifted his phone from his nightstand. He squinted against the bright light coming from the device, and to make up for not wearing his glasses, and managed to make out the subject line: Re: An Apology.

“Fuck,” he said aloud to himself, scrambling to sit up and read whatever it was Penny had sent him.

It was only 13 words, arranged in the most perfunctory of phrases. No added emotion or extraneous details and punctuation. It was simple and straight to the point, but it knocked him out.

“Fuck,” he said louder, laying his head back against his pillow, phone clutched to his chest. He couldn’t explain why, but Penny Sanders was driving him out of his mind.

The next morning, he met Jeff and Tom at the base of Eaton Canyon. Harry always liked getting outdoors when he had the time, and both of his managers had been expressing interest in making more of an effort to get into nature, which had resulted in them setting up a weekly hike. Harry, usually the first to arrive, was last.  

“Big night, H?” Jeff said with a grin. “Assuming you’re late because you had to chase last night’s guest out.”

“Ha ha, Jeffrey,” Harry said tightly. “For your information, I didn’t sleep well. And before you go there, no, it wasn’t because of a hook up.”

“We’re just messing with you, H,” Jeff said, a little gentler. “Was something the matter? Do you feel OK?”

“No, everything’s fine. I was just keyed up from the concert,” Harry said as the three men started up the trail.

“Who’d you see again?” Jeff asked.

“Okkervil River.”

“Really?” Tom chimed in. “I think Penny was there last night.”

“Yeah, she was,” Harry said, trying to remain calm. “I actually ended up standing with her during the show.”

“Really?” Jeff said as he and Tom stopped on the path.

“Yes,” Harry said, turning around to face them. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“Seeing as how you two can’t seem to be in a room with each other without incident it’s a little surprising,” Tom said with a laugh. “Should we be monitoring Twitter for any videos of the two of you duking it out?”

“You all aren’t funny,” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “I have no problem being civil. Penny’s the one who has the problem with me.”

Jeff and Tom exchanged knowing glances behind his back as they pressed forward. For a few minutes the only noises between them were the crunch of sticks and gravel and the occasional grunt of exertion as they approached a particularly steep part of the trail. Harry was the first to break the silence.

“So, what’s the deal with Penny anyways?” he asked, keeping his eyes facing front.

“I mean she’s a journalist. She was with Variety before The Moment, but you already know all of that,” Tom said.

“Yeah, but like you’ve known her longer than that, right?” Harry asked, fishing for more information.

“Mmmhmm,” Tom said. “We lived in the same neighborhood growing up. I was honestly closer to her brother than her – we were the same year in school – but I was over at their house all the time. Penny used to write these little newsletters each week that she’d hand out to everyone on the block.” He chuckled. “It was pretty intense for an 11-year-old but she did the whole thing herself – she’d write reviews, op-eds, updates on neighborhood news. One time she reported on a feud between two houses on the block. It was clear she was meant to be a journalist.”

“You never mentioned you knew her,” Harry said.  

“I kind of forgot about her to be frank,” Tom said. “You know how it is…you leave home and suddenly 99% of your acquaintances and connections growing up just become people your mom updates you on during a phone call. ‘Mrs. Sanders sent over Penny’s senior portrait! She’s going to NYU!’ You know, that sort of thing.” He paused. “Reconnecting was actually a coincidence. My mom happened to send me one of her articles and then the next day I spotted her in the campus courtyard. I had no clue she was working around us, but it was great to see her.” He looked at Harry. “Why are you so interested?”

Harry gave an indifferent shrug. “Just making conversation.”

“I think Harry has a little crush,” Jeff said, a teasing lilt in his voice.

“I do not have a crush, Jeffrey!” Harry said, face turning red.

“Why are you so fixated on her then? NME, The Guardian, and Spin all gave you less than stellar reviews and you’re not hunting them down.”

“Would now be a good time to mention that Penny is single – according to my mom at least,” Tom chimed in.

“I hate you both,” Harry said, quickening his pace and leaving his companions in the dust.

He reached the top of the trail first and sat on a log, sipping the coffee Jeff had bought him, until Tom and Jeff caught up, sweaty and breathing heavily.

“I don’t have a ‘crush,’” Harry said without preamble, internally cringing at how juvenile the statement sounded. “I just…” He absentmindedly scratched behind his ear.

“Have a pathological need to have everyone like you?” Jeff finished with a smirk.

“Sure, let’s go with that.” Harry wasn’t sure that that was entirely the truth, but in the moment, it felt like the path of least resistance.

“I know we’ve already covered this, but Penny’s actually really wonderful,” Tom said, as they took in the view, sipping their beverages. “She’s smart and funny as hell. She’s just had to deal with a lot of shit which is where the prickly exterior comes from. I think if you gave her a chance, you all would actually hit it off. And again, she’s single.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’d never stand a chance with her. She’d eat me alive.”

***

It had been a busy few weeks for Penny. She was filing stories daily, attending concerts upwards of four times a week, and had even had a couple of interviews scheduled, filling her days trailing musicians around LA to gather enough information to formulate a profile that would generate enough clicks for the website. Aside from Chloe, who she saw daily in the office, and a few college friends who’d synced up business trips to have one night with her in Los Angeles, her social life had been nonexistent. It was much preferred to fall asleep to sitcom reruns than feign interest in someone else’s problems over post-work drinks.

All of that made the text from Tom she received all the more welcome.

While she had established her own circle of friends in the city, it was nice to finally have someone from back home with her, and despite years of silence between them, they’d fallen right back into the rhythm they’d had as kids in the neighborhood.

He’d been having a busy time as well, and suggested they meet up for dinner after work one night. Penny had quickly agreed, saying she’d walk across to Full Stop’s offices at the end of the day. Edits for her latest piece – an interview with the CMO of a new music marketing agency  – hadn’t come in, and she’d received no response from Darren when she’d messaged him about staying late to work through the piece. Figuring he’d left for the night, she plotted her own exit, texting Tom that she’d be there in twenty.

But as she crossed the campus, her phone had rang with the unpleasant chime of Slack, a sound she was sure would activate her fight-or-flight response until her last day on Earth. It was Darren, asking her to take a look at his edits.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she said to herself as she opened the door to Full Stop.

It was her first time in the building and she was surprised to see that it looked like any other office. An open floor plan with wood floors and bright white walls, pendant lights hanging from the ceiling. Groups of desks were scattered around the room, and in addition to some scattered couches and conference rooms, there was a kitchen with what appeared to be a fully stocked fridge and bar. And there didn’t appear to be a soul in sight. Penny pulled out her phone, ready to text Tom when he came through the door.

“Hey!” he said cheerily. “I was just about to text you. I have a last minute client call. Are you OK waiting for half an hour? You can help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”

“That works perfectly,” Penny said. “I actually just got some edits sent my way.”

“Great! Make yourself at home.”

Penny walked over to the table nearest the kitchen and put her bag down before raiding the fridge. She passed over the selection of beers and found herself a canned cocktail. She popped the tab and took a sip. It wasn’t great but it would do. She sat down at the table and opened the doc containing her story. She skimmed through Darren’s edits, shaking her head. Some of them were simple grammatical edits, but others were more complex suggestions that would require her to go back to the company’s publicist to set a follow-up call. Maybe they could do an email? She ran the charm on her necklace across the chain as she continued to read the notes. Darren’s edits would result in her rewriting significant sections, changing the angle of the piece. Thankfully, he’d given her until tomorrow afternoon to turn it around, but with nothing else to do, she figured there was no time like the present to get started.

She sent the email to the publicist and started making a list of all the things she’d need to do, and once that was complete, she began checking off the more minor changes. She was in the zone until the thunk of a bottle broke her concentration.

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world…” Harry said. “You know? From Casablanca?” he said as Penny stared at him blankly.

“I know. Your explanation isn’t needed.”

“Well, I thought it was since people usually pick up on it right away. My mistake.” He took a pull from his beer. “What are you working on?”

“A story.”

“Well, I figured that out.” He waited. “So you’re just going to ignore me?”

“I’m trying to work,” Penny said, looking up from her computer and taking a sip from her drink.

“Ah yes, you have someone’s hopes and dreams to crush. Who is it this week?”

“For the love of God will you please let that go?”

“No.”

“Well, I can’t wait for your next album. I’ll be sure to include details about how you act like a whiny manchild when someone has the audacity to offer a criticism instead of continuing to jerk you off like the entire industry has since 2010. I’m sure Twitter would love to learn more about how Mr. Treat People With Kindness has been verbally sparring with a female critic, in addition to following her around the city.”

“I think it’s the other way around,” Harry said. “You’re the one in my manager’s office.”

“Because my friend invited me! Why are you here?”

“Jeff and Tommy are supposed to go and get drinks with me and I told them I’d meet them here but they had –”

“A last minute client meeting?” Penny finished.

“Yeah. So I’m stuck waiting until it’s over.”

“Can’t you wait somewhere else?”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be as fun.”

“Why not?”

“Because you wouldn’t be there. And I can tell that having to deal with me really grinds your gears and it’s honestly kind of funny.”

Penny looked up from her computer. “Grinds my gears?”

Harry nodded. “It’s a saying.”

“I know,” Penny shot back. “I’m just confused as to why you’re saying it seeing as you’re not a senior citizen or a cartoon car in a Pixar film.”

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but quickly thought better of it, rolling his eyes as he took another sip of his drink. Penny turned her attention back to her computer but was distracted when Harry pulled up a chair next to her.

“Can I help you?” she asked as he leaned over her shoulder.

“So you’re not writing a review?” he asked.

“No, it’s a business story.”

“Hmm.”

Penny sighed. “It’s fine if you sit here, but I’m seriously going to need you to leave me alone. I really do need to get some work done.”

“Fine then.” Harry scooted his chair over a few inches and pulled out his phone, tapping on the screen in silence.

Penny didn’t know how much time had passed, but by the time she’d scheduled tomorrow’s follow-up, Tom, Tommy, Jeff, and someone she hadn’t seen before all emerged from a conference room laughing.

“Well, I guess that means we’re free now,” Harry said, standing up as Penny closed her laptop.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” she muttered before turning her attention to Tom. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“Yep, just need a second,” he replied. “And actually, we were all talking…would you be up for joining those guys for dinner?” He pointed to Harry and the other managers. “We were all talking and since we were all heading out we thought we could do a group thing.”

Based on the way Harry was staring at her from across the room, Penny was pretty certain that he’d received the same news. “Um…” she hesitated.

“You won’t have to sit next to him, I promise,” Tom said quickly, sensing the fear that was holding her back. “But I understand if you’d want to reschedule.”

“No, it’s fine,” Penny said. “I know Harry’s going to be pretty ticked that I’m going so that will make it a little fun.”

Tom grimaced. “I’m so glad you all are getting along?”

“Something like that, right?” Penny said with a grin.

Tom gave her the name of the restaurant and once she’d punched the address into her GPS, she was on her way over. When she pulled into the valet line in front of the building, Harry was already standing there, head bowed over his phone. He cut his eyes to her as she approached him but said nothing. Silence is better than antagonism, I guess, Penny thought to herself. Soon, Tom, Jeff, and Tommy rolled up, and the hostess led them to a table in the back of the dimly lit restaurant.

Harry remained silent as they shuffled along, but Penny didn’t miss the way heads turned as they walked by, eyes piling onto the group, causing Harry to look down at the ground, brows knit tightly together. Penny could see some of the tension melt away once they were ensconced in the secluded booth, but she also didn’t miss how the other men let Harry shuffle in first before piling in after him, almost as if they were trying to shield him from the prying eyes. As much as she disliked Harry, she felt for him. To have constant attention from strangers on you…she didn’t know how he hadn’t crumbled under the pressure yet.

“Thank you,” she said as the waiter filled her water glass and handed her a menu. She skimmed the text, quickly deciding what she wanted to eat and turning her attention back to the group. Jeff and Tommy were laughing, passing a phone back and forth in front of Harry, who paid attention, but said nothing.

“How was your day?” Tom asked, breaking her moment of observation.

“Busy,” Penny said, taking a sip of water. “I finished up some calls for a story and then had to finish writing the story, and then in the background I’m trying to put together a pitch for something I want to write in a couple of months.”

“Oh, is this the TikTok story?”

“No.” Penny was still sensitive about Darren’s reaction to the piece, but tried not to give it away. “That was DOA when it got to my editor’s desk. This is something different.”

“That’s a shame,” Tom said. “We were actually just talking about this the other day and how we have no clue about TikTok. Like do we need to get our existing clients on there? What should they be doing? Should we be looking for new clients there? Would have been nice to read something about that.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Penny said with a short laugh.

“But tell me about this other piece.”

“I really want to profile the women of BLACKPINK.”

“Damn,” Tom said. “That would be good.”

“I know, right? They’re coming to LA in a few months and I really want to sit down with them while they’re here. So I need to make sure the pitch is rock solid.”

“I have faith in you, Penny,” Tom said, raising his glass in solidarity.

Their waiter returned and each person took their turn ordering and once the menus were collected Jeff turned his attention to the whole group.

“So, I think we need an icebreaker of sorts,” he said, drumming his fingers against the table.

“Yes,” Tommy chimed in. “And we have the perfect one.”

“Why do we need to play a game?” Harry griped from across the table. “We all know each other.”

“I mean I don’t know Penny that well,” Tommy said.

“Well then maybe she shouldn’t be here,” Harry shot back. “She did crash our dinner after all.”

Penny was done with him. “Tom, I thought you said I wouldn’t have to talk to him,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine,” Harry mumbled.

“You know, a game sounds fun!” Tom interjected trying to keep the peace. “Why don’t you tell us the rules, Tommy.”

Tommy hesitated, like he wasn’t sure he should step in the line of fire. “Um, yeah. So it’s called ‘Best Of’ and it’s really simple. Someone says an album, and on the count of three everyone has to name their favorite song off of it.” He looked around tentatively. “I thought since we all like music that could be fun.”

Penny nodded. “It does sound fun. Who’s going first?”

“Why don’t you?” Jeff suggested, earning an eye roll from Harry.

“OK…,” Penny said thinking. There had to be some strategy to her pick. Something that wouldn’t make the men around her roll their eyes, but also something that said she was fun. Nothing too basic, but nothing to obscure either. “‘Led Zeppelin III,’” she said after a moment.

“Nice,” Tommy said. “Now think of a song in three, two, one…”

“Immigrant Song!”

“Celebration Day!”

“Tangerine!”

“Since I’ve Been Loving You!”

Their answers overlapped and they all grinned at each other’s choices.

“I wouldn’t have expected ‘Immigrant Song,’ from you, Penny,” Tommy said.

“No joke, it was one of my favorite songs as a kid. My dad is a pretty big Zeppelin fan and we used to listen to them in the car and I would ask to hear that song every day on the way to preschool.”

“Were you the coolest toddler there?” Jeff laughed.

“1000%.”

“H, do you want to add yours?” Jeff prompted.

“No, I’m good,” Harry said tersely.

“OK, then, while Harry pouts, would you like to toss out an album, Tommy?” Jeff asked.

“I’d love to Jeffrey,” Tommy said.

Penny tried to hide her smile, secretly pleased that she wasn’t the only one Harry copped an attitude with.

“Britney Spears, ‘In the Zone,’” Tommy finally said. “Three, two, one.”

“Me Against the Music!”

“Outrageous!”

“Toxic!”

Penny locked eyes with Harry across the table, shocked that they’d both named ‘Toxic.’

“Well, I guess I have to give you some credit,” she said, trying to thaw the ice between them. “That’s a great song.”

“It’s the only correct answer,” Harry said. “Not much to celebrate.”

“Well forgive me for trying,” Penny said. “Tom? Why don’t you take a turn.”

Tom named an album from the Stones and Jeff named a Chris Stapleton album and then it was Harry’s turn.

“Desperado,” he mumbled. “Go,” he added, not bothering to count down.

It was one of her favorites and she didn’t hesitate when she shouted out her answer. “Certain Kind Of Fool.”

She knew it wasn’t the lead single or one of the hits but she could remember exactly where she was when she first heard the song and it had touched her in that peculiar way that good music often does. You can’t explain how or why it makes you feel that way, the feeling is just there.

What did give her pause was that once again, Harry had the same exact answer as her. It hadn’t been surprising in the Britney round – anyone who didn’t pick Toxic had seriously questionable taste – but this was different. Did it mean something that Harry had also picked her special song?

“Wow, bold choice,” Tom said, Jeff and Tommy echoing his sentiment. They’d all said the title track instead. “Great minds must think alike, you two,” Tom laughed.

“Yeah,” Penny laughed. “Something like that.” Harry hadn’t said anything but he was staring at her, his lips twisted in an unreadable expression. She was about to say something else, but was thankfully interrupted by the arrival of everyone’s meals.

The game petered out as they dug into their plates, and the conversation steered more towards jobs and the industry. Penny figured the men would steer clear of talking business, not wanting the journalist in their midst to hear any trade secrets, but they spoke freely, intermixing stories and questions about work with personal anecdotes. Tommy and Jeff tossed questions Penny’s way, asking about where she lived, future plans, and favorite spots in LA. Harry was predictably silent.

It was clear he was still tuned into the conversation as his eyes darted between whoever was speaking, but he rarely smiled over the course of the meal and whenever Penny spoke he looked at her with an intensity that made her feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t anger or hatred or disgust or any of the emotions he typically displayed when he was in her presence, but the neutrally blank stare was still jarring.  

He maintained this until the topic of conversation switched to Penny’s reporting.

“Penny’s trying to do a BLACKPINK profile in the next couple of months,” Tom said.

“Oh?” Jeff said. “That would be a huge get. Have you made any headway with their team?”

“Not yet,” Penny said. “It’s this delicate dance of needing to make sure my editor is on board before reaching out to the client so I don’t make promises I can’t keep, but I also need a pretty solid confirmation on the talent side to get my editor to say yes. It’s a vicious cycle and it’s made even harder by the fact that we’re not one of the major trades so sometimes people aren’t as willing to take a chance with us. Everyone wants the cover of Rolling Stone, not the front page of a newish website.”

“I get that,” Jeff said, nodding. “If you need help setting up the connection with their team, just give a shout. Between the three of us we might be able to help out some. Set the wheels in motion.”

“Thank you,” Penny replied, trying to mask her surprise and act like this was an everyday occurrence. “I’ll touch base with you all in the coming weeks.”

Jeff nodded as Harry opened his mouth for the first time since the game ended. “You don’t write profiles,” he said, brows crinkled in a way that Penny might have found endearing had it not been for his antagonistic personality.

“I mean not yet,” Penny said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to work my way up to though,” she added feeling slightly defensive.

“So your editors are now letting you do this?” Harry prodded.  

“I mean, sort of,” Penny shifted in her seat, feeling her skin grow clammy with sweat. “They haven’t given me one yet, but I’m trying to be proactive. Work on profiles in addition to the other business reporting and reviews.”

“You’ve never done this, but you’re going to aim that high to start?”

“You’ve got to start somewhere and I can’t help it if my editors have given those assignments to someone else instead of me.”

“Well, did you ever think maybe they don’t give you those stories because you’re not good enough.”

With his statement, it felt like all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. Jeff, Tom, and Tommy, all looked at each other, first visibly recoiling from the harshness of Harry's words, then seemingly waiting for the explosion from Penny that was sure to follow the snide remark.

“I actually do think that on a daily basis, so as much as you think that might hurt me, it doesn’t,” Penny said. There was a certain vulnerability in admitting that, but it made her feel powerful. If she owned it, he couldn’t use it against her. She checked the time on her phone. “I should actually start heading out.” Her companions were silent as she gathered her things.

“Let me know how much I owe you and I’ll send something over on Venmo,” she said to Tom, who just nodded with a sad smile on his face.

“Goodnight guys, thanks for letting me crash,” Penny said to the rest of the table. She headed towards the door to collect her car from the valet.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, H?” Jeff said when he was sure Penny had left the restaurant.

Harry shrugged. “Dunno.”

“You’re being such an asshole. Did something happen between you all? At Tom’s party?”

Harry knew exactly what was wrong with him, but he’d never admit it out loud. Not even to his closest friends and confidants. “It’s just stress, I’ve told you before,” he deflected.

“Well go to a spa, take another hike, get laid, I don’t care,” Jeff said. “But this attitude needs to go.”

Harry knew Jeff meant well but his words felt like a slap in the face and he hated how accurate they were. He wasn’t himself and it didn’t feel good to know that his friends were also feeling the brunt of his anger and frustration.

“Sorry,” Harry mumbled. “I’m just going to go,” he said quietly as he walked towards the exit.

“Am I the only one who thinks those two need to fuck?” Tommy asked, when Harry was out of earshot.

“No,” Jeff and Tom replied in unison.

***

Penny was still waiting for the valet to return her car when Harry ambled up beside her. Catching a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eyes, she swiped at her eyes, trying to get rid of any evidence of tears. When Harry reached her, he stood next to her in silence.

“Here,” he said after a moment, offering Penny what appeared to be a napkin from the dinner table. “It’s probably better than your hand.”

“I don’t need it,” Penny said. Realistically, she did need it as her eyes were still wet and she knew her nose would start to drip momentarily, but she didn’t want to accept anything from Harry.

“Just take it,” he said. “You need it.”

“Oh gee, thanks. What a compliment.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to help.”

“Is this like some fetish you have? Treat me like shit and then swoop in with some chivalrous act to seduce me? Because I’ve got news for you pal, it’s not working.”

“Why are you so fixated on me picking you up? First at Tom’s party, now here? I hate to break it to you but I’m not into you like that.”

Penny looked him in the eye for the first time since he’d stood next to her. “What did I do to you?” she asked. “I get that you’re mad about the review and you’re entitled to feel that way, but why do you keep having to come after me? Just leave me be and I’ll leave you alone.”

“Until I release my next album.”

“Well you may have bullied me out of my job by that point so you’ll have nothing to worry about,” Penny said as the valet finally arrived with her car. “Have a good night.”

Harry stood there, stunned as Penny slid into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the parking lot. Sure, he was frustrated with her and he knew exactly why.

His heart had started pounding, when he saw her in the office that night. He hadn’t seen or heard from her since her post-concert email, but his day brightened the second he saw her sitting there, only to dim when she’d been so cold. If she hated him, two could certainly play that game.

But even with his disappointment, he didn’t think he could bear knowing that he was responsible for her feeling like this. He wasn’t sure if their paths would cross again, but if they did, and he kind of hoped they would, he would try to be better.

***

“So I’ve got some bad news,” Tom said to Penny a few weeks later.

She knew something was up. No one ever called their friends on a weekday afternoon with good news.

“Lay it on me Skogs.”

“I can’t go to the concert tonight.”

“What?” Penny was genuinely disappointed. She’d been looking forward to seeing Hayley Williams with Tom, a tribute to their teenage obsession with Paramore.

“Yeah, I have a late night here at work and I’m not feeling super great either so…”

“I understand,” Penny said sympathetically. “I’m just really bummed out.”

“I knew you would be,” Tom said.

“Do you know of anyone who wants your ticket?” Penny asked, already combing her brain to find a last-minute replacement she could drag to the show in Tom’s place.

“About that,” Tom said. “I have someone who is interested.”

“Who?”

“Harry.”

Fuck, Penny mouthed, thinking her thought was silent until she heard Tom chuckle and say “Don’t sound so excited.”

“Tom, it would be one thing if it was general admission. We wouldn’t have to interact. But I’m going to have to sit next to him. For two hours.”

“So don’t talk to him! I’ll give him the ticket. You all arrive separately, get there right before it starts, the lights go down, you don’t have to interact. Easy!”

“But he’s going to be right there and that’s just…”

“Penny, he really wants to go so I think he’ll be on his best behavior tonight.”

“You always say that and then I end up crying.”

Tom sighed. “If you’d really be that upset, I’ll tell him the ticket is claimed.”

Penny considered her options. Maybe she could get some sort of payback if he was forced to be with her. “It’s fine. He can have it.”

“Thank you, Penny. Are you OK if I give him your number? In case he needs to find you or something?”

“Uhh…sure.” Penny wasn’t thrilled about Harry having another way to harass her, but figured that he probably wouldn’t go out of his way to irritate her.

“Great, I’ll text him now.” Tom paused. “And I’ll buy you a drink or dinner or something for this.”

“Get ready, Tom, I have expensive taste.”

She ended the call, the sound of him laughing still echoing in her ears, when Chloe’s eyes found hers from over the barrier across their desks.

“Did Tom cancel? If so, I’ll buy the ticket off of him.” Chloe, though not a huge music fan, was always happy to be Penny’s plus one to a show if she needed it.

“He did,” Penny said. “But unfortunately it’s been claimed. By Harry.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not so bad,” Chloe said, shrugging.

“Not so bad? We’ve never had a conversation that ended on a pleasant note.”

“What about after the Okkervil River show? When he waited with you? And you even sent him a thank you note.”

“That was…different. I think he might have been ill. Or suffering from recent head trauma.”

“Sure.” Chloe smirked as she sank back in her seat.

“What does that mean?” Penny said, scoffing with disbelief.

“It means I think there might be something between you all.”

“Mutual hatred?”

“That’s turning into loooooovvvveee.” Chloe extended the last word as she swirled around in her desk chair.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Penny said, causing Chloe to perk up. “Maybe you’re that one that’s ill or suffering from head trauma.”

Chloe deflated. “I’m just saying he seems interested.”

“In making my life a living hell.”

“It’s the old playground thing. He doesn’t know how to say he likes you so he just picks on you.”

“I thought we were trying to eliminate that mentality from children. That’s not the foundation of a healthy relationship.”

“Lecturing me on relationships? Oh, that’s rich,” Chloe said laughing. “How long has this dry spell been?” Penny opened her mouth to respond but Chloe beat her to it. “Fourteen months?”

Penny had to hand it to her. She did have a point.

Penny had dated throughout high school and college and had had several serious boyfriends, but no one long term since she’d moved to Los Angeles and started work. Her longest relationship since then had been with the vibrator in her bedside drawer. All of the dates she went on were the same and they all exhausted her.

It was always a case of an aspiring musician seeing that she worked as a journalist, resulting in a date that was more of a networking event, with the guy either trying to pawn his demo off on her or spending about three hours mansplaining something about music. On the rare occasion a date did lead to sex, she’d find that her partner more often than not oversold his abilities in the bedroom, leaving Penny tired, unsatisfied, and a little sad.

“I’m doing just fine, thank you,” Penny said.

“It doesn’t have to be anything serious,” Chloe said, a little more gently. “You can use him for what you want and move on.”

“But that’s the thing. I don’t like him,” Penny said. “End of story.”

“Penny, can we chat in my office,” Darren called from across the newsroom.

“Fuck,” she huffed.

“Suddenly Harry doesn’t seem so bad does he?” Chloe said, with a knowing grin.

“No comment,” Penny shot back as she picked up her phone and laptop and headed into Darren’s office.

“Should I close the door?” she asked.

“Sure,” Darren said. “I wanted to talk to you about your pitch,” he said when she’d sat down on the chair across from him.

“Oh?” Penny tried not to sound, or feel, too hopeful. She’d submitted her pitch for a potential BLACKPINK profile soon after her dinner with Tom and the rest of the Full Stop team. Jeff had kept his word and put her in touch with the group's publicist, who was receptive to the idea of a profile.

“We’re going to pass,” Darren said, cutting right to the chase.

Penny felt disappointment wash over her. “Oh. Was there any particular reason?”

“The pitch needed some work. I couldn’t see what the point of it was. On any other story, it’s fine to try it out if the pitch isn’t all the way there, but with a profile with a major star, if we end up having to cut it if it’s in bad shape, that burns a bridge with talent and we can’t have that.”

Penny desperately wanted to point out that not publishing any story where a source sat for an interview burned a bridge – who wanted to waste time talking to a reporter who never followed through on their promises? – but felt like this might not be the time.

“Do you have any notes on how I could improve?” she asked instead.

“Eh,” Darren said, popping a stick of gum into his mouth. “Just try again, you’ll figure it out eventually.

Penny, once again, bit back her inner commentary. As her editor, it was Darren’s job to provide her with guidance on how she could become better, but “you’ll figure it out” was his standard response, which led to little improvement on Penny’s side.

“Got it,” she said, nodding. “Do you know who’s getting the profile?”

“Chris pitched one on John Mayer so we’re going with that.”

“Oh nice.” It was anything but nice. Chris was a recent hire who’d not done much to prove himself and the fact that he had been granted this privilege infuriated her. “Do you want to chat about anything else?”

“Not really,” Darren said. “We’re coming up on earnings season, so just be ready to write up those earnings reports. Maybe think of a couple of quick hits we could do based on results. Get on the phone with some analysts. Same as you usually do.”

Same as she usually did. That was the problem. She wanted to challenge herself, try new things, grow as a professional, but any time she made an attempt to do so fate, or more realistically Darren, pushed her down again.

“Great,” she said, plastering a smile that could have been mistaken for a grimace. “I’ll get started.”

“Thanks, Penny,” Darren said, glancing at her before quickly looking back at his computer screen.

When she returned to her desk, Chloe was stationed in one of the call booths, likely on a source call, phone wedged between her ear and shoulder as she typed furiously. Penny pulled open her web browser, glancing at her email, before pulling up the earnings calendar to start working on some story ideas. After a few minutes, she pulled up the major trades, as she did every day, and scoured their homepages for any breaking news. Rolling Stone had nothing new, but Billboard had just published a new feature: a piece on the rise of TikTok in the music industry.

This wasn’t the first time she’d been scooped by another publication, but it didn’t hurt any less. She sighed and stood up to make a cup of coffee in the breakroom.

***

“See you tomorrow,” Penny called to Chloe and the remaining staffers as she pushed her chair in and walked to the exit.

“Have fun,” Chloe said with an exaggerated wink. “Make good choices!”

Penny climbed into her car and plugged in her phone, pulling up a Top 40 playlist that she figured would make her bad mood dissipate. She should be more excited at this point. She’d been wanting to see Hayley Williams forever and wasn’t going to let Darren, her job, or Harry ruin that for her. She easily found parking in a nearby garage and walked into the venue, grabbing a drink for herself before finding her seat.

To her surprise Harry was already sitting there.

“Hi,” he said, standing up to let her into the seat next to him.

“Hi,” Penny said, tentatively, trying to read the situation. What kind of mood was he in? He didn’t seem as surly as he had been at dinner, but he didn’t appear overly outgoing either. “How are you?” she asked.

“Good.” Harry said, looking at her. “Uh, how are you?” he asked back after a moment, almost as if he realized returning the question was polite.

“Good,” Penny said.

She looked out in front of her. They were seated in the lower bowl of the arena and they watched the general admission section fill up in silence for a moment.

“I never apologized for dinner,” Harry said after a moment. “So...sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t. I should know better.”

“Oh, well, thanks.” Penny sipped her drink. “I have to admit I was surprised when Tom said you wanted to come.”

“Oh?” Harry turned toward her. He was wearing a denim cap and his wispy curls poked out from underneath it. There was a divot between his well-groomed brows as he looked at her questioningly.

“Yeah,” Penny said. “First, I was just surprised that you’d want to be in the same room as me and then I just didn’t think you were a Hayley fan.”

“Judging my music taste?” Harry said, a small grin on his face.

“No, not necessarily. It’s just clear you’re a fan of the classics and I didn’t think pop punk would be anywhere near your radar.”

“Well, I’m a man of multitudes.”

“Clearly.”

Harry snickered and Penny smiled, a real genuine smile for the first time that day.

“Tom said you all have seen her a couple of times?” Harry prompted, keeping the conversation flowing steadily.

“I went to a few Paramore shows with him and my brother – they’re the ones that introduced me to their music – and continued going even after I moved away.”

“That’s nice,” Harry said. “It’s always fun to have comfort artists like that.”

“It is,” Penny said. There was another beat of silence, before Penny changed topics. “Uh…how was your day?”

“It was fine,” Harry said, a little caught off guard.

“I don’t mean to be nosy, but I’m always just so curious as to how musicians fill their time when they’re not touring. Like clearly some people like to be in the studio at all times, but then others are less structured. I think it’s so interesting because you hear how people work, but there’s no clear formula as to how to make a good record. You know? Like some good ones were churned out and others have to marinate…sorry I’m rambling now.”

Harry chuckled. “You’re good. I do have a lot of time to fill when I’m not working.” He plucked his lip thoughtfully. “I took a walk today, did a little bit of writing. I had a call with the team about some…stuff…ate breakfast, ate lunch, picked up a new book at the bookstore.” He shrugged. “Nothing too exciting.”

“It’s interesting,” Penny said. She really wanted to ask him about his new album. Ever since her conversation with Tom in the parking garage weeks ago. She’d been keeping a lookout for any announcements about the forthcoming record. Breaking news like that would be huge, and while she had a firm stance on not mixing personal relationships with business, Harry was nothing to her. If he told her and she happened to let the news slip to Darren…what was the harm in that?

“I’m probably going to be heading into the studio some more,” Harry continued. “I have to start finalizing everything.”

“Oh, cool. Are you aiming for a release this year?”

Harry shrugged. “That’s the plan.”

The lights started to dim as the opener came on stage, effectively ending their conversation. When the set was over, Harry rose from his seat.

“Do you want another drink?” he asked.

“Uh, sure. Just a bottle of water.” Penny said.

Harry nodded, and a few minutes later, he was back at her side, two bottles of water in hand, just as the intro to the main show began.

“Thanks,” Penny said, leaning into him so he could hear over the thundering base.

“No problem,” Harry said, straining to be heard over the noise.

When Hayley Williams took the stage, Penny was transfixed and lost track of the fact that it was Harry beside her. She bopped along to the music and sang along, cheering especially loudly when the opening notes of her favorite song began. Realizing she wasn’t alone, she looked over at Harry to shoot him an apologetic glance, but found him grinning at her enthusiasm. The show was over far too quickly for Penny’s lighting and when the lights came up, she was sad at the prospect of having to head home.

“Well, that was fun,” she said, turning to Harry. “Thanks for hanging out.”

“Yeah, this was great.”

“I’m trying to decide if I should just wait here for things to empty out or if I should go now. I guess there’s going to be traffic either way.

“Want to grab a drink?” Harry asked.

He looked calm and collected but Penny could feel the nervous energy radiating off of him as he chewed at his lip and picked the skin around his cuticles.

“Uh…” she hesitated.

“I’ve been on my best behavior and that will continue. I promise I won’t antagonize you,” he said, still picking at his fingers.

“I’m not falling for this again,” Penny said with a bitter laugh. “We’ve pressed our luck enough tonight.”

“I’m serious.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because this is me trying to be a better person,” Harry said. There was a forlorn note to his voice, almost as if he was scared to admit this to her. “I’m sorry, like actually truly sorry, and I just want to show you.”

Penny considered his offer. He did sound sincere and genuine. “One drink,” she said. “And I pick the bar.”

“Deal.” Harry said. “Name the place and I’ll meet you there.”

Penny named a quaint beer garden a few blocks away and Harry added the address to his Maps app, waving farewell as they parted to head to their respective cars. He trailed Penny for most of the drive and pulled into a spot next to hers, locking his car with a beep.

“This place is quiet,” he said, looking at the half empty parking lot.

“That’s why I like it. It’s great for source meetings, dates, all sorts of things.”

“Do you go on a lot of those?”

“Source calls?”

“No, dates,” Harry said, as if his question had been obvious.

“Occasionally. What about you?”

“Occasionally.”

“OK then,” Penny said, stepping through the door as Harry opened it for her.

They found a secluded table, and Harry offered to get some drinks from the bar: neat tequila for him and a vodka tonic for Penny. He was back a few moments later, drinks in hand.

“Cheers,” he said, tapping his glass against Penny’s before taking a sip.

“Cheers,” she replied.

“So why journalism?”

“Oh, wow, you are really jumping into things here,” Penny said with a nervous laugh.

“It’s just something that I’ve been thinking about.”

“You’ve been thinking about me?” Penny looked at Harry with suspicion. “Why?”

“No, shit. I haven’t been thinking about you. Well, not in that way. But like, I’ve been going back and reading some of your stuff.”

“Why? Are you going to give me some more…notes?”

“God no. I just wanted to see what else you’ve worked on and it’s interesting. And I just…” he trailed off looking into space. “Just wanted to know how you ended up here.”

“Oh, um. I don’t think it’s that interesting.”

“Try me.”

“I’ve always liked writing,” Penny began. “But I was never any good at making things up. You know like characters and settings, but when you had all of the players in place and I just had to come up with the facts and occasionally my opinions…I loved that. And I was also nosy, so that was the perfect storm.”

“Was?”

“I mean, I still am, but I don’t want to be an investigative reporter anymore. Sniffing out the drama of my neighborhood was fun when I was ten, but I don’t really want to sniff out corruption in the entertainment industry.”

“You’d stay busy.”

“Yeah,” Penny said slowly. “Not sure I’d last long doing that. But talking about music…that I could do forever.”

“Why music?” Harry pressed. His eyebrows did that wrinkly thing again, like he was concentrating really hard. “You could have picked anything.”

“I just always liked it,” Penny said. She’d honestly never thought this much about why she picked her chosen field. “My dad is big into music. Not professionally or anything. He likes to play guitar and just has a massive collection of vinyls and CDs. He would always play stuff for us and tell us about the history behind it.”

“Zeppelin on the way to preschool,” Harry said with a grin.

“You remembered,” Penny said with a laugh.

“Paints a funny picture.”

“When I was like five, maybe six, I told my dad I didn’t like rock music anymore because there were no girls and for the next two weeks our morning music was all the ladies of rock. Stevie, Joan, Bonnie, Heart. He always made sure I had what I needed to hear.”

“That’s nice,” Harry said.

“It was. I –” Penny stopped herself, unsure if she should continue. “School was sometimes hard for me. I was really into more creative stuff but we lived in a big sports town so there weren’t a lot of opportunities to…connect with people who had similar interests. But my dad was always the person I knew I could talk to about music. And he encouraged me to follow my passions. He would always tell me that one day I’d end up with a bunch of friends that I could talk music with and now I do.”

“You do,” Harry said softly.

“I do.” Penny cleared her throat, unsure of where this sudden surge of emotion came from. “What about you? How’d you end up here? Well, I know that, but what sparked your interest in music?”

“Oh, you don’t want to hear about my journey to stardom on The X-Factor?” Harry deadpanned.

Penny snickered. “I think I’ve heard that story once, or twice.”

“Or ten times?” Harry shook his head. “It was a similar thing. My parents really led me to it. I listened to music a lot with them. Started performing in school pageants. Had a band with friends. I just realized I liked it and my mom really encouraged me to get out there.”

“It’s funny how parents really do know what’s best for you.”

“Shh, we can’t let them know that,” Harry said with a conspiratorial giggle. “Is it hard?” Harry asked, suddenly changing course. “Doing your job? Writing?”

“For me, the writing itself is the fun part. When I’ve finished my interviews and have a blank page in front of me and piece it all together…nothing matches that feeling. The hard part is what comes after. Editing, reader comments…but I’m sure you get that.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Harry deadpanned.

Penny rolled her eyes. “OK, funny guy. What about you? Do you like the writing process?”

“Hey hey hey I’m not done asking the questions!”

“My mistake, I didn’t realize this was an interview.”

Harry grinned. “Watch out, I’m coming for your job.”

“Ha!” Penny barked a laugh. “That’s cute but you wouldn’t last one week in a newsroom.”

“Why not?”

“You’ve been fixated on one shitty review for two years. Working in the newsroom, with my editor specifically, is like getting a bad review every single day. You wouldn’t be able to handle that much criticism. Your head would explode.”

“Are you familiar with Twitter?”

Penny snorted. “OK, I’ll give you that.” She eyed him from across the table. “The point is journalism’s not easy. Everyone seems to think they can do it, but few actually can.”

“And you’re one of the few?”

“I’d like to think I am.” Harry nodded, eyes locked on Penny. She felt her face grow hot under his gaze, not from anger, but from something else. “What?” She asked with a breathless laugh after a moment. “Was it something I said?”

“No.” Harry shook his head. “No, I just…nevermind.”

“OK…”

“I should be heading home,” Harry said abruptly. “Early morning and everything.”

He said it as if he’d already mentioned it but Penny had no recollection of it in their conversations and was caught off guard by the suddenness of it.

“Oh, yeah I guess I should head out too.” She fished around in her bag for her wallet

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry said, gently grabbing her wrist. “It’s on me. No arguing.”

“Well, I’ll have to get the next one.” Penny didn’t know why she said that. There was no indication that there would be a next time, as she was pretty sure Harry still hated her. But throughout the evening, she’d felt her own animosity towards him cool.

“Next one?”

“I didn’t mean anything by —” Penny stammered.

“Name the time and place and I’ll be there,” Harry said, cutting her off.

“Oh, um, yeah I’ll look at my calendar.”

When their bill was sured up, they left the bar, Harry trailing behind Penny before opening the door and motioning her through ahead of him. Penny didn’t know what else to say and instead focused her attention on finding her keys and unlocking her car.

“So, I guess just let me know if you want to do this again sometime. It was fun,” Harry said, cursing himself for repeating exactly what they’d just said inside.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely let you know.”

“And, again, I’m sorry about everything.”

“Apology accepted.” Penny meant it this time,

“Right, well, get home safe,” Harry said, clearing his throat.

“You too.”

Harry nodded as Penny slid in behind the wheel placing her bag on the passenger seat and her key in the ignition. Harry remained outside his car, watching her. She turned the key and eased out of the parking space, offering Harry a gentle wave before turning out of the lot.

Harry leaned against his car, his gaze not moving from Penny’s vehicle as it drove off. When he couldn’t see it anymore he sighed, then pulled his cap off and ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t know what came over him in there. They’d been having a decent time — or so he thought — and he’d had to go and ruin it. He hadn’t missed the look of hurt that briefly flashed through Penny’s eyes when he said he needed to get home, which was an utterly stupid thing for him to say. What was he going to do at home? Sit in front of the TV mindlessly watching whatever sitcom he could find? Lay in bed and pretend to sleep?

The one glimmer of hope was Penny’s parting words — “I’ll have to get the next one.” The promise of a “next one” left him strangely optimistic. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way but this night with her was the best he’d had in awhile. Until he fucked it up.

“Are you Harry Styles?”

The question pulled him back to the present. There were two women — maybe college age — looking at him expectantly, phones in hand.

“Yeah, I am,” he said.

“Can we get a picture?” the one asked.

“Sure.” They moved to stand on either side of Harry, smiling wide as he offered a thumbs up and a closed lipped grin in return.

“Thanks,” they said, heading back toward the bar. Harry knew it would be a matter of minutes before that picture hit Twitter or Instagram or wherever, which was probably his cue to leave.

He piled into his car and before he was able to turn the key, his phone pinged.

Made it home — surprisingly little traffic, the text from Penny read. Thanks again for the drink

Thanks again for the ticket, Harry replied as fast as his fingers could move.

Three dots appeared on the screen. Harry held his breath.

I meant what I said about that next time, Penny’s message read. If you’re free.

Harry’s heart pounded. He didn’t want to seem too eager, but he most definitely had time to see Penny again.

Let me check my schedule for the next few weeks, he wrote. I think I have a free night.

He waited a few more minutes but there were no more messages from Penny. A heaviness filled his chest, but he reminded himself that this was a start. He had a lot to make up for, but things were moving in the right direction.

***

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[denimbex1986]

'In 2005, writer Russell T Davies accomplished the miraculous feat of bringing back Doctor Who from the dead. And now with “The Giggle”, the last in his three 60th anniversary specials, it feels as though he has done the same thing all over again.

It has been a long time since Doctor Who has felt this exciting, this funny, this rich, this camp, this smart, this scary, this, well, sublime. It is almost cruel to have been given so little of David Tennant and Catherine Tate – a dream TARDIS team deserving of a full series – but but Ncuti Gatwa’s charismatic new Doctor, who made his debut tonight, suggests the future is bright for the sci-fi series.

Forget the Doctors, however. The real star of tonight’s spectacular was the villain: Neil Patrick Harris’ delightfully devious Toymaker. The character first made an appearance as a playful enigma in the classic series, opposite William Hartnell’s First Doctor.

Here he was recast as an “elemental force” beyond the science of the universe, a maniacal trickster governed only by the rules of play. His big game was to plunge Earth into chaos by making every human believe that their own opinion is supreme. It was a mischievous idea, and a satirical swipe at the last few years of rent-a-gob culture war blowhards and terminally online conspiracy theorists.

It was joyous to watch an actor having such an obvious blast with a role as Harris played the Toymaker as an agent of chaos. There are few scenes in Doctor Who – indeed, in all television – as magnificent as the one in which Harris lip synced for his life around UNIT HQ to “Spice Up Your Life”. What a flamboyant explosion of colour and delirium!

And yet, the Toymaker was no clown. It is rare for a Doctor Who villain to feel so unsettlingly unbeatable: like a god among insects, as frightening as he is frivolous.

The scenes in the Toymaker’s toy shop, for instance, in which the Doctor and Donna were trapped in an infinite hallway of tricks and terrors, were deliciously creepy. Just take the unsettling moment in which the Doctor discovered the body of a man who has been turned into a marionette, or when Donna was ambushed by a gang of Tim Burton-esque stop-motion puppets.

These moments not only showed off Russell T Davies’ talent for elegantly marrying tones (jump scares one moment, ludicrously camp the next), but how lavish Doctor Who is under his stewardship. The scale is bigger, the CGI is expensive, the visual language sharper, more polished. This is Doctor Who with Disney+ money.

The episode’s last laugh, however, was its big surprise: having been wounded by the Toymaker, David Tennant’s Doctor not only regenerated into Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth incarnation, he “bi-regenerated”, meaning that both Doctors now get to co-exist with each other.

It’s a totally new concept for the programme – and a slightly garbled way for the show to have its cake and eat it too. David Tennant’s Doctor got the happy ending he deserves, settling down with the Noble family to live a relatively normal life. The tender and humane Tennant was marvellous in these scene and as nonsensical as it is, I’m glad the bi-regeneration leaves the door open for his return.

And then there is Gatwa, our new Doctor. While he arrived sans trousers, his characterisation already felt complete. The Toymaker resolution – in which he and the two Doctors played a high-stakes game of catch – might have fallen flat in comparison to the rest of the episode, but the sassy Gatwa was already such a commanding presence that it didn’t quite seem to matter. Every scene with him in it was a joy. Every line was a reaffirmation that he is the Doctor.

What a time for to be a Doctor Who fan. The programme has never felt quite so alive.'

#Doctor Who #60th Anniversary #The Giggle #David Tennant #Ncuti Gatwa #Russell T. Davies #Neil Patrick Harris #The Toymaker #William Hartnell #Catherine Tate #Donna Noble #Biregeneration

[cat-loves-music]

Chapter One: Love of My Life

A/n: Lord this took me a loooonggggg time to get done. First I started this last year, gave up on it cuz writers block kicked my ass, recently got motivation and inspiration so I started writing again, then I accidentally deleted it. Now I finally have the first official chapter of this series completed! I should have the masterlist for it linked below so I hope you enjoy it. Beware, the angst is real for this series.

Words: 840 (it's relatively short, I feel like the other chapters will be longer)

Warnings: Angst, talks of mental health/panic attacks, mentions of family drama, ?suicide?, if there is anything else plz let me know so I'll add to it.

MASTERLIST

Y/n's POV

I never expected that I would be sitting in a new apartment without him. I could never imagine it but now I'm actually here and letting the reality sink in. It causes my stomach to churn at how unbelievable it all is.

Thinking that someone is your whole world, and having it all just flip overnight is excruciatingly painful. It feels like your heart is being ripped from your chest and some days you wish you could.

Harry and I were in love. There isn't a doubt about it, especially looking back at how amazing our life together was. We would do everything together. I would go with him on tour, he'd use this fake name for our trips to hotels, we'd go for walks together. It was always us.

Then Fine Line came out. It is an incredible piece of art, which I couldn't be prouder of him for, but then started the talks of tour. With the stress of my job and my family, I couldn’t go with him on tour. All of it was just eating me alive, to the point I wasn't okay. I couldn't burden him with all of my problems, especially not while he was so happy about going on tour and seeing his fans.

"Love, I know you've been stressed lately, so James has invited us and Adele to a getaway vacation. Would you be up to go?" Harry had asked.

"Harry, you know I can't. I would honestly love to, but there's no way I can go on vacation right now," I replied back.

He had looked at me with concerned and sad eyes. He hated seeing me like that, I know it.

I told him to go on the vacation, he'd need some time to himself before tour. He deserved it and he deserved having some time away from all of my problems dragging him down.

I could feel the rift between us growing larger, as my mental health deteriorated and the buzz of tour finally became too much. All of it was crowding my love for him, so I finally needed to speak up.

"Harry, can we talk?" I asked.

He turned to me, a worried look on his face. Something inside me feels like he knew where this was heading.

"Of course, love," Harry replied, patting the seat next to him on the couch inviting me to sit next to him. "Have a seat."

I took a deep breath and sat down next to him, my heart pounding against my ribcage.

"I love you," I stated with a shaky breath, my nerves were electricity and I had to keep myself from shaking.

Harry looked at me with furrowed brows, a slight smile on his lips, "I love you too."

One look in his eyes told me it was true, which caused my attempts to keep my shaking under control to be in vain.

"I'm not okay," I said, my voice breaking slightly as tears brimmed on the waterline of my eyes, "I can't do this to you. I can't have you watch me break. I—"

He watched me with worried eyes, his slight smile no longer there. As Harry took my hand in his, all that we could hear were my shaking breathing as I tried finishing my sentence.

I finally controlled my breathing and continued on, "You're going on tour, and I'm dealing with so much. I don't think I can handle the weight of it all, I can't hold you back from something as important as your job."

The weight of my words sunk in and I could see his heart start to break. Most of all, I could see how much his heart wishing that he could prevent what I said next.

"Y/n, I know you've been going through a lot, especially with your parents. I know that, but I can help you through this. I'll be here for you," he stated.

I sighed, my tears threatening to spill. "Your help would only do so much. I have to help myself and as much as it pains me to do this, I need to do this for myself. "

His eyes were silently pleading now, which only broke me even more as he whispered my name.

"We need to break up, Harry," I stated.

As if on cue, I could practically hear his heart shatter. Tears were blurring his vision and mine, I hated it, but it was for the best.

"Y/n please," Harry pleaded, his voice breaking, "don't do this. We can get you through this."

"Harry, I can't keep you from living your life. Your fans need you, the world needs you," I replied.

"But what about what I need?" he shot back. "I need you."

I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and wiped away my tears before I stood up.

"Goodbye Harry."

With that, I walked out the front door to what used to be our shared home. Leaving behind the shattered heart of the love of my life.

Hope you guys enjoyed it! I have honestly no clue when I'll post next. I will try to get it done soon. If you could please comment/like/reblog, it will really help me with motivation.

Anyways, have a good day and I'll have chapter 2 up soon :)

#harry styles #harry styles imagines #harry styles x reader #harry’s house #harry styles imagine #harry styles interview imagines #love on tour #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x you

[k1ll3r-k4rg0]

lângă mine stă un trecut cu o sută de gheare îl lovesc în plin cu priviri din raze de soare

a past with a thousand claws sits next to me i hit it hard with a stare made of sunbeams

you were the sunrise in all of that big dark black pale nothing and because of you, i learned finally to love the world again

---

i'm literally insane idk how i managed this anyways im obsessed with them. kim but if he was drawn in harry's portrait, and harry drawn if he was in kim's portrait. okay?

of course they put their own spins on the portraits too bc they're different guys. but basically it's if kim was the one who didn't get over his grief of his partner's death 6 years ago and harry if he did get over the grief of losing dora. kim loses his memories from alcohol blackout, and harry is still harry with all his skills and thoughts, just medicated and in therapy. instead of kim being there for harry and instead of harry being given the second chance to start again, it's harry who's there for kim and it's kim who's given the second chance to start again

the romanian lyrics up there r from "Undeva" by the Mono Jacks which is an incredibly harry song to me

anyways portrait meta under the cut coz it's a textwall.

anyways. for kim, instead of harry's white outline (there's a white shadow that smells like apricots) which i think resembles becoming someone out of nothing, i gave kim heavy a black shadow bc while he also loses his memories in this au, he becomes a wreck bc of grief from the loss of his partner eyes. in my headcanons, eyes had pale associations and that's part of why he was so good with perception. thus instead of the straight white and colorful lines on harry's, kim has curved lines like pale. the blue is the same blue color of eyes's eyes, and the grey is pale representative. there's also orange in there bc kim's self-expression is Very much orange imo. so he's covering it up (not my idea btw, i took it from @/u3pxx who did a really cool version of kim's portrait for their version of swap au also). he's wearing his pilot jacket, but it's the black one bc after eyes died he decided there was no other way to deal with his death than become eyes, so he decided to start wearing the jacket bc it made him feel a little cooler (eyes was so cool). imo he's also in mourning. so it's black. it's also why he got his hair and his facial hair like that coz it's literally how eyes had it. hes also got the red ears red nose of being alcoholic. bc he's alcoholic and maybe on drugs (like harry was) bc he (kim) completely just can't deal with the pressures of the job without it (they move him to processing and then homicide as a result of eyes's death). but besides the turmoil of the bg and all that past that's haunting him, kim himself is relatively monotone and put-together. the thin white line around him is the thin shred of professionalism he's BARELY holding onto to keep all that misery at bay and hidden from everyone else but like. it won't hold. there's already cracks in it. also the logo on his jacket is my hc for the aerostatics logo

harry meanwhile has the kim halo but it's like a sunrise bc to kim harry's always going to feel like sunrise (both in my hcs for canon and for swap). obviously harry's not as put together and strict and rigid as kim, so his portrait is a lot more colorful (his skills' colors!!). completely vibrant and alive and awake. in this au, harry's still harry but he got over the breakup bc he got therapy and he's on meds for his troubles. i have a line in one of my fanfics about kim taking care of harry post-tribunal where kim realizes harry needs him by his side and that revachol needs him, too. and when kim looks at harry he thinks it's like the entirety of revachol is there in his eyes. so i really wanted harry's eyes to really look striking. also the nametag is just another one of my hcs for their uniforms. they have last name, then 3 stripes for lieutenant (1 for patrol officer, 2 for sergeant, 4 for captain), then two stripes on the top to indicate double-yefreitor, ie other ranks (jean has a single hollow circle for satellite officer).

#i had so many versions of these oh my god i uploaded and reuploaded them #my theory about the de portraits being drawn on procreate continues coz i somehow manage to get the vibe so well every time #anyways. #my art #disco elysium #disco elysium spoilers #kim kitsuragi #harry du bois #disco elysium swap au #jumpscared by how my art looks like my art style every time no matter what #i've literally never rendered anything to this level b4 #very pleased with these also shoves harry entirely in my mouth. okay? #i have more doodles on p0rchc0ll4ps3 (my reblogs blog) if you go to the tag 'disco elysium swap au'

[lafcadiosadventures]

Madame Putiphar Readalong. Book Two, Chapter XXIII:

For the first time in this novel where any place can suddenly become a prison*, we enter the first tangible, actual jail in the novel, and it's none other than the Bastille.

*I believe Proust ironized about noblemen becoming the hosts of whichever place they were in. In Borel’s novel, they are imbued with the alchemic power of transforming any place into a jail whether they own it or not.

J.M.W.Turner, Lecture Diagram 75: Interior of a Prison c.1810 based on an etching from Piranesi’s Prima Parte de Architettura e Prospettiva (1743, pl.2)

We follow Patrick, armed with Pompadour’s letter, into the building. Borel compares it with a beast. Patrick is entering its belly to rescue an already semi digested Fitz-Harris. The jail itself is alive, slowly ruminating on and digesting its prisoners in its gut-like cells. The Bastille is a stone bull, a lot like Phalaris’ Bronze Bull, the narrator remarks. This was a terrifying torture device from ancient Greece, the neoclassicists’ model of rationality and measure, imposing the style in repressive official art (for example see Auguste Préault’s Tuerie: a Romantic response to Triqueti’s La Loi vengeresse a previous and official neoclassical bas-relief)

I’d also say Borel is putting us in perspective with this example: it not only casts the horrors of the Bastille in a magnitude of excess worthy of a capricious, self-appointed tyrant from antiquity, it also shows us how this type of power abuse is not specific to a determinate place and time period (although this novel is very much about ancien régime and restoration era France), it has happened in ancient Greece, it has happened in 18th c France, whenever this abysmal power imbalance is allowed to exist these types of abuses will happen. Finally, the brazen bull is also a great metaphor: its acoustic design transformed the tyrant’s victims desperate cries into the bull’s mooing, a final insult to those dying in it, transformed into a gag or entertainment for the tyrant. (also worth noting, Phalaris was established in what now is Agrigento, Sicily, a colony of Greece, coexisting with democratic Athens)(Phalaris was also, like the French tyrants, finally overthrown by the native population, and some say, roasted inside his own bull)(it is a VERY relevant comparison, on so many levels)

It’s also interesting to note how abstract Borel is keeping France’s most iconic prison. Most of his readers would have had a mental image of it I suppose. But think of how precise Balzac gets when depicting the Concièrgerie (or Hugo in his Choses vues, or Dumas with the Château d’If in Montecristo) it’s almost as if Borel, for now at least, is not interested in documentation of a precise space, we are allowed to imagine any prison, we are allowed to go full Piranesi here. [Insert your mental image of an ancien régime prison here] in lieu of ancien régime France’s most iconic prison, because, maybe its horrors exceed a concrete time and space, specific as they are.

We do see the vault Fitz-Harris is locked in, in its tangible side: a dreadful place where you can barely stand upright, humid, dark, freezing; as well as in its psychological dimension, the effect it has had on Fitz-Harris, how different he sounds now, no more cheerfully mean spirited “monomania of speech”. After weeks of sensory deprivation and immobility, probably half starved as well, he’s grown completely paranoid and afraid of his own shadow. He has probably been hallucinating before, since he thinks Patrick is imaginary too, he also fails to react to the sound of his cell’s door opening.

Fitz-Harris’ monomania of speech is not entirely gone, he cannot help and call Pompadour “—L’infâme! La Putiphar!” right within the guards’ earshot. Patrick grows understandably anxious....

(Interestinly Patrick, a relatively recently emigrated man, knows the Bastille by reputation, he mentions in reference to Fitz-Harris’ anti Pompadour outburst, something called citerne-aux-oublis, a place he says, prisoners were thrown into for harsh(er) punishment. I tried looking this up on Borel’s Bastille related sources but had no luck with the exact words or synonyms I could think of... It is possible Borel is referring to the apparently famous “oubliettes” of the Bastille?

“M. Viollet-le-Duc has assured us, quite gravely, that the famed oubliettes (the bottoms of which were shaped like sugar loaves, so that prisoners might have no resting-place for their feet) were merely ice-houses! It is not denied that these cells existed, and those who care to believe that a Mediæval architect built them under the towers of the Bastille as store-chambers for ice to cool the governor's or the prisoners' wine, are entirely welcome to do so. These were amongst the places of torment in which Louis XI. kept the Armagnac princes, who were taken out twice a week to be scourged in the presence of Governor l'Huillier, and "every three months to have a tooth pulled out."

From The Dungeons of Old Paris, by Tighe Hopkins.

Violet-le-Duc’s drawing of the vaults, and explanation of its origin as ice storage here

Whether he means that or something else, it speaks of the Bastille’s infamy as a symbol of terror, mentally torturing the general population in an attempt to keep them in line out of fear.)

Fitz-Harris, maybe out of prison instilled paranoia, or maybe just projecting his own faults into others, thinks this is a trap, Patrick is lying, he falsely claims he is pardoned, but Patrick is actually leading him to his execution. He still follows, because he has to prove he’s not a coward. (this reminds me of the duel and how differently they both understood masculinity and honour... more on that very soon, in a shocking reveal about Pat’s character)

This routine of Patrick begging for FH to follow him, and the prisoner refusing to be set free is pretty interesting.... there’s something Plato’s Cavern to be said about it, surely. However terrible the conditions, a routine is a routine, sudden change is more scary than quotidian incarceration. It is uncertain and stable at the same time (trying to put myself in the shoes of a person who could barely see his surroundings, calculating the passage of time by the irruptions of the guards, once you realize you’re not being moved I imagine you grow calm because it means you get to live, since any abrupt change is seen by Fitz-Harris as the possibility of execution)

However, as F-H is not as far gone yet as to be unable to notice that he is in fact, being released, showers Patrick in praise, abases himself, swears to change for good and live to “earn” Patrick’s friendship, which he has without having really deserved it. But Patrick reveals a dark side to what we before though was his Christlike behaviour. He confesses a rather perverse pleasure in subjugating the one who hated him so much by making him thankful. His revenge is simply not won by the force of an iron blade, but it is a much crueller revenge, he says. Patrick is less of a saint, less of a Christ intuiting virtues in his potential apostles than what we had been led to think before. He of course has never shared this secret source of pleasure to Debby, not even when she thought him mad and too good for this world for helping Fitz-Harris...

(i am including Fitz-Harris’ previous phrase, I bolded a part that seems like it will be relevant in the future, translation by @sainteverge )

“Apologies, apologies for the all the harm I have done to you! My entire life shall henceforth be entirely dedicated to cleansing myself of my crimes towards you. I shall do everything to be worthy of your esteem; for he whom you esteem must be esteemed by God. As for your friendship, do not ever give it back to me, it would be to profane it! Keep it for hearts righter than mine. Oh! you have my eternal gratitude!” “Fitz-Harris, no gratitude. You owe me nothing, I told you I do not avenge myself with a blade; but I did not tell you that I am not capable of revenge; therefore here is mine: a good deed for an insult. This one is more cruel, I think, than the blade, what say you? to force someone who hates you to bless you, despite himself, in the depth of his conscience; to force a man to blush, to die of shame before his fellowman; that is, if I’m not wrong, a revenge! What say you, Fitz-Harris? We are even, I believe?”

I for one, did not expect this from Patrick... his revenge is still, killing them with kindness in a way... but there’s something about his choice of word that is sensuous and almost cruel, that reveals a vanity, and a perverse relishing in other’s subjugation that is surprising from him. He seemed exceedingly good, and it’s interesting for borel to suddenly introduce this mildly sadistic streak in him.

We are denied Fitz-Harris' reaction, but I bet he was surprised himself.

#madame putiphar #long post #text post

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

We can't stop there, bestie. Now I'm yearning for some harry potter au headcanons.

Also unrelated but I like to imagine that both Tommy and Jake got good grades, just by different means. Tommy understood concepts with relative ease and enjoyed learning whereas Jake was too determined/stubborn to let himself fail, especially when Tommy was doing so well (sibling logic) and so he worked hard to keep up even if he wasn't all that academically inclined. He would definitely cut corners where he could though don't get me wrong.

HAHA okay here I am for everyone's least serious headcanon asks. Ask me what dumbass shit the modern Sully's do, send me all your stupid omegaverse asks. Harry Potter au's and your insane, idk, fucking Maximum Ride au asks or some shit.

-When they were in Hogwarts, pure of heart dumb of ass Jake Sully was trying his fucking hardest to send his brother to an early grave doing stupid Quidditch tricks every day. I think you're right, he is a hard worker and he does get good grades. Listen, if you get the grade it doesn't matter how you got there even if you cheated a bit. He loves to go on long jogs around the grounds before his accident.

-Our man is determined to be an auror, and he spends the summer in a program for young 17 year old wizards going into the program.

-Jake is held back a year when he looses a leg in an accident involving dark magic. He's lucky to be alive, some others weren't. He comes back really disillusioned about the fucking wizard cops, really sullen, and really lost. Tommy graduated in the year he was gone and Jake had a long year of nothing to recover. And he can't do his favorite thing anymore which is fly.

-Neytiri moved to the school the last year and is now in Jake's year. She moved there because her mom is the new healer. Jake meets her on his first weekly check in about his leg, as she is there helping her mother in the Hospital Wing.

-When they are walking out together she tells him she's sorry about his leg. He says he doesn't mind the leg as much, he just wishes he could still fly. Neytiri says he doesn't know why he couldn't.

-That weekend she takes him into the forbidden forest and shows him the thestral, creatures he's never seen before, but after the incident where he lost his leg, he can. Neytiri's sister died in front of her, and she can see them as well.

-Cue a year of intense thestral flying lol, thestral racing, jEYTIRI ALWAYS FALL IN LOVE VIA FLYING. God I guess there should be a Top Gun au for them. I gotta fit flying into the modern au.

#this got outta hand #the specific questions always beget something insane #i didn't even tOUCH the second generation #and i couldn't have jake enJOY the wizard cops #he is fighting the system obvs #him and neytiri are activists now #tom sully who always hated the wizard pigs getting his letter from jake about losing his leg: finally but at what cost #jake sully #neytiri sully #jeytiri #tommy sully #mo'at #mo'at cameo #eytukan is the care of magical creatures teacher and jake is gonna become so charlie weasley coded #charlie the least problematic weasley #except the twins they have been abolitionists from jump #theres a story here of jake on a dragon preserve learning to be a dragon trainer from neytiri's dragon training family #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #melissa's asks #melissa on avatar (cameron) #avatar hp #we are mindmelding get in

[wolfstardaughter-jj]

Like fathers, like daughter

Summary: You're the daughter of the infamous Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. During your 3rd year at Hogwarts, your family finally reunites and none of you plan on separating any time soon.

Warnings: curse words

Song: Last time by Taylor Swift ft. Gary Lightbody

Word Count: 2.3k ik...it's long

A/n: Got the idea from @wolfstar-jegulus-shipper , and in truth, Harry really does need a happy childhood so here you go:)

Your fathers, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were mostly seen as the outcasts of society. One being a werewolf and the other being a convicted murderer.

But that's not how you saw them. You saw them as the greatest people in the world who did everything in their power to stay alive and fight for what they believed in. And what they believed in was love.

You were only one when Sirius was taken away to Azkaban and when Remus lost you.

Saying you had a messy family History was an understatement.

But luckily for you, you had your aunt Andromeda and your cousin Tonks.

They took you in and took care of you. Stayed by your side and became your new family.

They also managed to let Remus visit and see you. Making sure to check in on you frequently. Your only wish was that you would get to be in the same house as him without having to go back to live with your relatives.

At some point Tonks introduced you to one of her closest friends, Charlie Weasley. You meet the Weasley Family and they become your 2nd family.

Your closest friend being Ron, you two were two peas in a pod. You would find every excuse to visit the Weasley's Burrow just to spend time together.

Eventually you two started your 1st year at Hogwarts after Tonks and Charlie graduated. You started the year with your best friend and you were happy.

You meet the famous Harry Potter and befriend him along with Hermione Granger.

You recognized Harry's last name not because of his title being "the boy who lived" but because of aunt Andy's stories of your fathers' adventures with a boy named James Potter.

Let's just say that your first two years at Hogwarts were the most chaotic years of your life. Emphasis on chaotic.

Through those years, you only grew closer to the three, especially Harry. He had grown to become your family, your brother.

Being Y/n Lupin-Black had its cons and pros. The cons being that some people would think that you were more like your imprisoned father.

In truth you were, you were confident, courageous and most of all, had a knack for pranking. But you were also like your lycanthropic father. You were intelligent, resourceful, and most of all, in love with books.

You made it your goal to prove all those people wrong. That you were more than what they saw you to be.

During your 3rd year, Remus steps into Hogwarts for the first time in years as not a student but a teacher. And not just that but he finally got to see you without the law having to interfere with your interactions. Meaning you got to see each other everyday and you cherished it completely.

Aside from having your father by your side, your other father managed to escape from Azkaban. It was like the universe was trying to push your family back together and you made sure to take advantage of it.

Which leads us to the moment where three of the friends had to witness their friend being dragged into a hole by a Black dog.

"NO! RON!"

You stood up as quickly as you could and attempted to jump down but the Willow suddenly came back to life and knocked you back.

You landed on your back with a loud thud. You winced at hard impact from the ground.

You stood up once more and realized that passing through this may be harder than you expected.

By some miracle you three eventually made it through with a few scratches and twigs stuck in your hairs but you made it through regardless.

"Where do you think this leads to?" Hermione asked.

"I have a hunch." You mutter.

As you expected, the tunnel led to the "most haunted house in London". In truth, it was the home to your father's full moon transformations during his time at Hogwarts.

You three climbed up the rickety flight of stairs that led to a whimpering Ron who was sitting on a moldy mattress that laid on the ground.

You ran towards him with haste, knowing full well that he was injured. The door surprisingly swung close causing all of you to turn around. There stood the man you've been waiting to see for 12 years.

"Papa…" you were speechless. You never thought that you would get to see him after all these years.

There he stood, all scuffed up in his Azkaban uniform. Covered in tattoos and smudges of dirt all over his clothes and body. His hair looked like he hadn't brushed in years. You guessed that's what Prison does to you for 12 years.

But you knew deep down that his heart couldn't have changed. No amount of time could change your father's heart into something it isn't.

You couldn't move or say anything, you were still processing it all. He too seemed speechless, looking into your eyes as if he was trying to find the words to say after 12 years of not seeing each other.

But the glint in his eyes said all that needed to be said.

You ran to him and pulled him into a hug. He hugged you with so much warmth, so much love. The love you've been waiting to feel for such a long time.

The trio witnessed a father and daughter finally reunite after years of being apart. They knew your thoughts and opinions on your father and believed you. Even without any proof on the matter, you kew your father was not what everyone said he was.

"My little wolf's all grown up." He whispered into your hair. His voice broke as he spoke, as if he was about to cry.

As you pulled away, you saw the tears that began to form in his eyes.

"You're here." You were starting to cry yourself. You still couldn't believe it.

He's here, he's really here.

"I am, little wolf. And I promise I won't ever leave you again, I won't let it ever happen again." He assured you.

Suddenly the door swung open to reveal your father, Remus. For a moment he stood there, trying to process what he was seeing. He honestly felt like he was dreaming.

Maybe it was the full moon closing in that night or the fact that he finally got to see his husband after 12 years of being apart. It was probably both but he didn't care, all he cared about was that Sirius was here, and he was okay.

The two slowly approached the other in caution, as if they were expecting the other to suddenly disappear.

Once they were finally facing each other, the two grinned happily.

“Looking rather ragged aren’t we?” Remus smirked. “Finally, the flesh reflects th madness within.”

Sirius chuckled lightly, “Well, you’d know all about the madness, wouldn’t you Remus?”

Remus shared a similar chuckle as he tackled Sirius into a tight hug. The two hugged for a moment but once they pulled apart, they pulled each other into a kiss.

The four teenagers stood there with somewhat shocked grins on their faces.

The two pulled away with blissful grins as they rested against each other's foreheads.

The two exchanged heartful whispers as they enjoyed the moment. Soon they pulled away and they focused back on the task at hand.

"I found him, Remus. I found Peter!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yes, I know, Sirius. I know." Remus assured.

Harry walked up. He knew about the unfortunate demise of Peter Pettigrew. He wondered why would they bring up a dead man in the midst of their reunion.

"What do you mean 'I found Peter'? Isn't he dead?" Harry asked.

He held faith in Sirius and Remus because he trusted Y/n. And in his eyes, anyone Y/n trusts is someone he can trust too.

Remus and Sirius exchanged hesitant looks. How were they to explain to the boy that the true culprit of his parent's fate was the rat that sat on his red headed friend's lap.

Eventually the truth just began to spout out from Sirius's lips. Sirius had wanted to tell Harry so much of the truth that it ate at him for 12 years and now he finally got to do it.

And now everything was clear. The truth was finally brought into the light and it was blinding.

Now the only thing they had to deal with was the rodent that was practically shaking for its life.

But before they could even get their hands on him, the door flung open. This time revealing a very amused Snape.

Every fiber in his being has been wanting Sirius to be captured back into the Ministry's clutches so they could perform the infamous Dementors' kiss. And now, he had the honour of turning him in.

He had taken Sirius's wand from him, cornering Remus with his own. "Oh who knew revenge would be so sweet."

"Ah Severus, you still play with that chemistry set of yours?" Sirius teased as he walked back.

Remus insisted that he stop but Sirius didn't listen.

"No, Remus, I've got to know." Sirius replied as he turned to him.

Snape let out a scoff, "You two argue like an old married couple."

"Well, they technically are married." You added with a light shrug.

Snape sent you a harsh glare before facing the two adults once again. "It's quite satisfying that I will be the one handing you over to the Dementors."

"As if I'd let you do that." You spoke under your breath as you shot the stupify spell at your professor.

Everyone sent you shocked looks at the fact you had just stupefied your teacher across the room.

"What? You expect that I just stand here and let him take my dad after I just got him back? Who do you think I am?" You questioned as you were suddenly pulled into a hug from Sirius who was grinning, proud of his daughter's actions.

Eventually they were reminded of their specific predicament when Scabbers- or should I say Pettigrew, started to squirm in Ron's grasp.

They had transfigured him back into his human form. And let's just say no one enjoyed his presence.

"Oh Y/n, look how much you've grown!"

You cringed at the man as he began to come towards you.

"You wouldn't let them kill me would you? You were always nice to me as a rat." He pleaded.

"If it were up to me, I'd rather feed you to that Acromantula in the Forbidden forest." You stated as you shoved him back.

Sirius and Remus faced Harry as they pointed their wands at Peter.

"It's up to you, Harry." Sirius pointed out.

Harry was at a crossroads. Somewhere in him wanted to bring Peter to justice by killing but he knew that it would not clear Sirius's name if he was dead. So he knew the best thing was to let Peter get sent to Azkaban or get the Dementors's kiss.

"The dementors can have him."

And with that, all the colors left Pettigrew's face. Knowing a fate worse than death was upon him.

You pointed your wand at the man and casted the petrificus totalus spell to prevent him from getting away. You've got to be prepared at all times.

As you all walked down the tunnel that lead you back to the Whomping Willow, You were lost in conversation.

As Sirius told Harry that he was more than welcomed to stay with you guys after everything was over, you stopped in your tracks as you remembered the events that would occur that very night.

"Dad," You called out.

Both your fathers hummed in reply as they froze in their spots.

You turned to Remus with a worried look on your face. "Did you take your Wolfsbane potion?"

The look of realization settled on Remus's face as he remembered that he did take his potion but he had forgotten about the full moon because of all of the commotion.

"I did but you guys need go back to the castle. I'll go back to the shack." Remus said as he pushed through the group.

"But dad-"

A hand rested on your shoulder, you turned to see Sirius who had a comforting smile, "Don't worry, I'll be with him. You take your friend to the Hospital wing and Pettigrew to Dumbledore or McGonagall. Alright?"

You nodded as you watched the two run back towards the shack. They didn't want Remus to transform while they were still in the tunnel, that was the last thing they wanted.

"We'll see you in the morning!" Sirius yelled out.

"Stay safe please!" You yelled back.

"We promise we will!" Remus yelled in reply.

The four of you, along with petrified Peter, managed to get out and head back to the castle.

When McGonagall found all of you covered in dirt and scratches, she wondered what on Earth did you four managed to get caught up in again. That was until she saw Pettigrew and all the pieces fell into place.

All four of you explained the predicament and with Peter present. It was solid evidence that your father was innocent.

The next morning. Sirius returned with an exhausted Remus. Luckily, neither of them were harmed during Remus's most recent transformation.

~~~~~~

As promised, Harry did go to live with the Lupin-Blacks and he was happier than ever. He had finally found a place, other than Hogwarts and the Burrow, to call home and permanent family that loved him at an unmeasurable amount.

He had two amazing parents to look after him, along with you as his God sister. He couldn't ask for anything more because in truth, this was what he wanted all along. A loving family.

You were more than happy to finally be reunited with both your fathers. And though there was still many difficulties in the future. You were glad you had both them and brother by side to keep you afloat.

#sirius black #wolfstar #remus lupin #marauders #moony #padfoot #remus loves sirius #moony x padfoot #remus x sirius #sirius loves remus #wolfstar daughter #lupin black family #harry potter #prisoner of azkaban #hermione granger #ron weasley #peter pettigrew #harry james potter #Spotify

[hirukochan]

Hi!! I love your writing so much I was just wondering what do you plan to do in the future? I’d love to live in your brain for like one minute because the ideas you have and the way you write is so amazing and unique.

Hi!! <3 

My brain is a very crowded, forgetful and cramped place, zero out of five stars would not recommend lol.

I have a few ideas for the future!

Of course A Servant of Death. I have four parts in total planned for that series and there is a vampire arc coming up in part three I am so excited for! It’s a huge project and I try not to stress myself out to prevent burn out. The first part ended up being longer than the HP book it was based on 😅. So that - even though it’s updating slower rn (I might have gotten a tad too excited and published too many WIPs right after one another 😅) it’s my baby, my love, my passion project. It’s not getting abandoned, it’ll just need some time to grow 🥰.

I am being strict with myself to finish my WIPs before I publish anything longer than a oneshot. Your tears is nearing its end though I am beginning to fear it’ll be longer than I anticipated because I’ve had a few more ideas (cramped and crowded brain and terrible planning skills + a lack of self control 😬). A most unexpected turn of events won’t be too long (she said optimistic for the fourth time now???) and with Carrying Atlas I honestly have no idea. I could spend forever developing their relationship and ignore the plot I have planned. I’m avoiding sitting down and fleshing it out for now in favour of writing smut!

As for oneshots:

I have a second part for Ministry Documents planned!

A Snape/Reader/Voldemort oneshot, the reader is either an Auror they trap and ‘punish’ together or a new recruit that has to prove her loyalty, haven’t decided yet, might write both. 

I have a half finished Snape/Reader/Crouch jr professor-student oneshot lying around where the reader has been sleeping with both her professors but neither knew about the other and they punish her together.

I am writing on a Snarriet oneshot, Snape is a demon Harrie summons but something goes wrong.

I have a few more ideas for Snarriet, including one Muggle AU where James and Lily are alive and Snape is Uncle Sev 🤭 (no blood relation!!) Questionable but it’s intriguing me.

Then I would love to rewrite an old fic of mine. It’s a Snape/OC story that’s very dear to me. It has its own magical society within the wizarding world. It follows Snape and Theodora O’Brian who has to attend Hogwarts against her wishes. She experiences racism, discrimination, classims, cultural genocide and the literal murder of her relatives because they arn’t ‘real’ witches and wizards.

It takes place during the first and the second war. They both join Voldemort after school, both get sucked into this cult and soon realise it’s not what they were promised it would be. Voldemort takes advantage of them, he seduces them and they have to navigate their life together, their complicated feelings for Voldemort, Dumbledore’s questionable morals and many more challenges. So it’s teen!Snape and adult!Snape. And there is an irish wolfhound named Duchess!

I have a Severitus fic with fem!Harry planned! Snape has to care for baby Harrie after the war. Voldemort is dead once and for all, no Horcruxes. It’ll be a bit of a character study I think, exploring Snape’s trauma and his struggles with reentering the ‘normal’ society after a horrible time among Death Eaters, his struggles as a parent, his wish to do better for her than his parents did for him. I think Snape reconciling with one of his parents during his journey as adoptive dad would be nice too. 

Another old story I’d like to rewrite is about Snape suddenly having to take a far more active role in raising his baby sister. It takes place before Harry comes to Hogwarts. She is sixteen (or fifteen??? I can’t remember lol) and a whirlwind of chaos, anger and some underlying issue she isn’t talking about. She went to Ilvermorny because Eileen moved to the US with her when she was a baby, leaving Snape alone with their father. After their mother dies Snape lets her stay at Ilvermorny. She gets expelled and Snape brings her to Hogwarts to finish her education. They bump heads all the time. It’s a lot of chaos 🤣 but also a fiercely protective older brother!Snape 🥰

I have probably more ideas that I forgot about and are now rotting in some notebook I’ll rediscover in a few weeks 🤣

But these are those stories I have lined up to write once I have cleared some things off my plate ☺️💚

#ask #fic ideas #future fic #ao3 fanfic #severus snape fanfiction