#but marvolo left them alone

[spaceyaceface]

Gaunt Family Headcanons

Hi I have thought way too much about Ominis and his immediate family, and have come up with entire personalities and lives for each of them and how they interact with Ominis, so please enjoy this info dump.

Warnings: Abuse, cruelty, murder, suicide...

Cassius Gaunt - The Father

The name in Latin means "hollow" or "vain". Born in 1836. He was an intimidating man. When both of his parents died, he was left with the family fortune---or what was left of it. He forbade his sister Noctua from touching a single knut of the squandered wealth, and it was only because she didn't argue she ever stayed in good graces. He took a young bride, one of his second cousins, the moment her parents deemed her old enough to marry. A blood purist to the core, he wanted to make sure his children all knew the importance of the blood in their veins---the blood of Salazar Slytherin.

He had a desperate need for control, one that overtook him completely. As he children grew, he was quick to anger and 'correct' them in their mistakes. Magic was often used as punishment, and he was an expert of bending his children to his will. He encouraged competition between them, challenging them who could learn dark spells the fastest, preform them the best---but always favored his eldest. It was his worst kept secret.

His youngest, on the other hand... He had no love for. Whatever short supply he'd been born with had been used on the others already, and when Ominis was born, born blind, he had no sympathy. Of course, he tried to control him, just like the others. But he hardly mattered, in the long run. As long as he stayed in line, bowed down to his unyielding hand, there wouldn't be a problem.

Aurora Gaunt - The Mother

The name Aurora is the Roman goddess of daybreak. Why this name? It's so in contrast with Noctua. Born in 1847, Aurora was a young wife. Merely 16 when Cassius laid claim on her. She was an unfit mother. Manipulative to the highest degree. She could do no wrong---she was sure to make that clear. Any wrong movement could lead to an outburst of yelling or tears.

Ominis had not been expected. She wasn't planning on another child. But she adored the attention of being pregnant again, so she played the part of an happily expecting mother. When he was born, all hell broke loose. She screamed and fretted, and she was sure they tried everything---everything to cure his blindness. It was to no avail. When she realized that would be how it was, no matter what, she once again played a part---this time of the overly worried mother of the small pitiful blind boy.

She would tell Ominis how lucky he was to have her as a mother, how any other woman would have thrown him out, left him for dead. He was so dreadfully difficult to raise, she'd tell him. She loved him, she said, even if no one else ever would.

Marvolo Gaunt - The Eldest

The name "Marvolo" implies something "marvelous." "Volo" can also be taken as "I want", and in combination, may be read "I want to be marvelous." Born in 1865, he was the oldest of the Gaunts, and therefore, the promised heir of all their wealth. This led to him taunting and belittling his siblings constantly. In his eagerness to please his father, he quickly mastered dark spells and wasn't shy about using them---even on his kin. He was biding his time, a spoiled and cruel child, just waiting for the wealth to be his.

If only there was any wealth to be had.

By the time he came of age, it had all been spent. They had to start selling things, letting go of servants, just to keep the manor. His whole life he had been trained and told to be the perfect heir of the Gaunts, that he would live a life in luxury from his name alone. The cruelty and anger that had always been within him grew stronger and stronger.

It was a relief for Ominis when Marvolo found a cousin to take to wife and left the house, as he had been experiencing the brunt of his anger. His wife died after the birth of his second child, Merope, a fact he held against his daughter for the rest of his life.

Calidus Gaunt - The Second

The word "Callidus" in Latin means clever---a trait that the second son had plenty of. Born in 1867, he grew and discovered he was second in everything. Nothing he did was ever enough to please their father, and he grew to resent everyone in his house.

His cruelty wasn't as outward and bold as Marvolo's. Instead, it was carefully plotted. He'd sow seeds to arguments, spreading lies and rumors and watching from afar as the others came crumbling down. He grew to love the chaos he started, and it became his specialty.

He especially loved making Ominis's life harder in any way he could. It was easy to take frustrations out on him---he was so helpless when he was young.

Soon, Calidus moved out, determined to start life on his own. Like his brother, he took another cousin to wife. He used his skills in cheating and lying to start a shady business, and found success. The money he earned fueled his drinking, a habit he had picked up after marriage. He was the first of the Gaunt siblings to die. No one had heard from him in a while, nor his wife. A few short years after their marriage they were found dead in their bed. It was chalked up to a shady deal gone wrong. No one was ever charged for their murders.

Vidia Gaunt - The Dearest

The name Vidia stemmed from the word "Invidia", meaning "envy" in latin. Born in 1868. As the only daughter, she was treated differently. She wasn't pushed as hard to become anything, to be anyone. But she took after her brothers nonetheless.

Like her mother, she quickly learned that her emotions were the key to getting what she wanted. She threw tantrums like no other, feeling a constant need for attention. She was the youngest for quite some time---and she reveled in it. It wasn't a surprise that she hated Ominis from the moment he was born.

He took her attention from their mother. While she wasn't cruel with her actions, she used her words, belittling him and blaming him for everything that went wrong.

When she was whisked away and married off to a pureblood family, she was desperate for children. But that never happened. She was never able to conceive. Her husband was killed in a duel about 10 years after their marriage, and she was suddenly utterly alone. The small house she called home burned down in a bright blaze late one night, and judging from the way her burnt corpse was sat comfortably in her armchair, it was ruled as a suicide.

Ominis Gaunt - The Unwanted

"Ominis" is Latin for "Omen." Born in 1875, seven years after the next youngest, it was made clear from a very young age that he was a mistake. This, in combination with his blindness, made it feel as if the whole world was against him. In most ways, it was.

There was only one small bit of hope in his life---his Aunt Noctua.

He allowed her to change him. To steer him off the dark path his siblings had walked down. He had decided from a young age that he didn't want to be anything like them---Noctua's help was all he needed to follow through with that. She taught him the difference between wrong and right, and he forever regretting the wrong he had inflicted on others when he felt powerless.

He refused to be cruel. Refused to lead with hate, or envy, or pride. He wanted to be good. So he was.

He disowned his family name, taking the name Sallow because that was the only family he had ever known.

Bonus - Aunt Noctua - The Savior

The word "Noctua" means "Night Owl" in Latin. Everything that Aurora, the day, was, she was the opposite. The days that Aurora declared she's had enough, she was done trying to raise such a difficult child, Noctua would take Ominis into her home and remind him that he was worth more than he could ever know.

She taught him to read braille. To use that spell with his wand. To live. To love.

She tried to help each of the Gaunt children---but none of them would listen. None besides Ominis. She poured her soul out to him, determined not to let this child slip away like the others had.

Noctua never married. She disappeared, and her brother couldn't be bothered to look for her. But she'd left her mark on Ominis, a mark that would live with him always.

ANYWAYS there's my info dump, thanks for reading. This is the version of the Gaunt family I have for my Ominis fic Safety, and while I'm only touching on bits and pieces of it in the fic itself, I wanted all the thoughts and plans I'd made to go somewhere so here you go lol.

#i spent way to long on all this #ominis gaunt #ominis gaunt headcannon #ominis gaunt headcanon #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy headcanon #marvolo gaunt #marvolo gaunt headcanon #the gaunt family #the gaunts hc #ominis gaunt safety #ace talks

[legacyshenanigans]

okay but like, Ominis seeing the marks on Mcs neck!!! IM HOOKED

Well he won't see them exactly, bless his heart😅 but I was definitely thinking about doing an angsty little piece with my recent posts regarding the marks 👀💔 So here it is

Brotherly Hate 🐍

Ominis isn't fuckin happy, Angsty, probably going to be a stand alone piece to whatever stories I've got going on, because I kinda maybe wanna carry it on in a different approach, I really don't know, but for anyone who wanted to see Omi kick some ass, here you go.

Ominis and MC were sat together chatting one morning in Hogsmeade, he gave her a smile and reached out touching her neck, MC hissed as he touched where Marvolo had bit her the night before when they hooked up, Ominis narrowed his eye's.

Ominis: Have you hurt your neck?

MC: No, I'm fine..

He didn't believe her, something about the way she said that sounded insincere to him, he reached out taking hold of her neckerchief, quickly moving it out of the way and felt her neck, MC panicked but froze in place "Shit" she thought to herself. Ominis gently felt the teeth marks on her, his face went from concern to slight anger..He pulled his hand away slowly, shifting in his seat.

Ominis: Who did that? ..

MC: Ominis..

He couldn't help jealousy from rearing his ugly head. He furrowed his brows, gripping her arm.

Ominis: Who else have you been fooling around with? Don't take me for a fucking fool MC, someone had their mouth on you, and it wasn't me. So who?

MC was frozen, she didn't know what to  say.

Ominis: Sebastian?

MC: ..No

Ominis: Garreth?

MC: *tears forming in her eye's* No..

Ominis: *darkened voice* Then who? ..Tell..Me..

MC: I..I can't.

Ominis narrowed his eyes at her again, he was literally shaking with anger.

Ominis: When did it happen?

MC: Last night.

Ominis: ..When me, you and Sebastian stayed at my parents home?

MC: Y-Yes.

Ominis: ...And you're saying it wasn't Sebastian?

MC didn't say anything, she just stared at his cold face, she saw the moment the glass shattered for Ominis..

Ominis: *whispers lowly and deep* ..Marvolo?

MC: ....

Ominis: *tightening his grip on her arm* Tell me...Was it Marvolo.

MC: Ominis..Please-

Ominis: Did you let my brother fuck you?

MC: I...*sighs as a tear rolls down her cheek* Yes..

Ominis stood, suddenly strangly calm, but that was a worrying thing. He said nothing more to MC as he left the café they sat in, disapparating before MC could run out and reach him, she knew exactly where he'd gone..

Ominis appeared in the front yard of his family home, his fists clenched as he slowly approached the doors and stepped inside, he listened out for noise, hearing something from the kitchen, and made his way in there, he knew it would be Marvolo. He stepped in and simply stood there for a moment, Marvolo looked over his shoulder at him before going back to brewing some kind of potion.

Marvolo: Pfft. What's wrong with you? Walking in here with a face like thunder..

Ominis: Did you fuck her?

Marvolo instantly stopped what he was doing, turning to face Ominis, as he leaned back on the kitchen counter, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes at his younger brother with a smirk on his face.

Marvolo: Did I fuck who?

Ominis: ....MC.

Marvolo: P-ha...No.

Ominis: *steps closer to him, a look of utter hatred on his face as he grit his teeth* MC says otherwise..

Marvolo: *smirks wider* Why ask questions you already know the answers to? That's incredibly annoying Ominis..

Ominis: *now right in front of Marvolo* I want to hear YOU say it..Did you fuck her?

Marvolo had a twisted grin on his face as he simply whispered the word "Yes". Ominis instantly saw red, letting out a scream and lashing out at Marvolo, grabbing him by the collar and throwing him down into the floor, then diving on top of him, his mind focused on nothing else other than hurting his brother, he lashed and he punch, hitting Marvolo straight in the face breaking his nose, Marvolo growled, pushing Ominis backwards then kicking him in the stomach, for the moment that Ominis was winded, as he too growled and hissed through his anger and pain, Marvolo stood running for his wand in the kitchen, Ominis was a step ahead of him though, and knew that's what he was doing, Marvolo lifted his wand towards Ominis a furious look on his face.

Ominis: *still kneeling down on the floor holding his stomach, but aims towards Marvolo* Expelliarmus!!!

Marvolos wand flew out of his hand, as Ominis finally stood, aiming his at Marvolo, his nose crinkled and his brows furrowed heavily,baring his teeth.

Marvolo: *panting as he licks the blood from his nose which dripped down to his top lip* What's the matter little brother?

Ominis: Shut up..

Marvolo: *breathless chuckle*  Sharing is caring.

Ominis: *yells* SHUT UP!

Marvolo: *wicked smile* I fucked her...And I fucked her good.

Ominis's mind broke in that very moment, his hand was shaking as he aimed.

Ominis: *shouts aggressively* CRUCIO!!!!!!

The red bolt flew across the room, hitting Marvolo in the chest, his body flying back before he dropped to the floor in agony, seizuring and letting out pained grunts. Ominis stood there, panting heavily, listening to his brother.

Ominis: You fucking bastard! I HATE you!!!

Ominis composed himself slightly, realising what he'd done, but he was still to angry to care, he hadn't used crucio in years, it still didn't feel good to use, even against his prick of a brother, but desperate times call for desperate measures..He approached Marvolo once the spell had worn slightly, Marvolo lay there, breathing erratically, looking at Ominis, still with a look of anger on his face though he was in a great deal of pain, Ominis leaned over him, speaking in a harsh manner.

Ominis: If you EVER..Touch her again...I will kill you Marvolo..I will..Really..I mean it..

With that Ominis stormed out of his family home, taking in a long inhale before shakily exhaling into the cold air outside.

He really did mean it...He would kill him

~

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy headcanons #hogwarts legacy drabbles #headcanon #drabbles #hogwarts legacy fanfic #ominis gaunt #ominis gaunt headcanon #the gaunt family

[wedonthaveawhile]

The Serpents Hold // Chapter Twenty-Two

Content Warning: This chapter contains graphic depictions of violence and gore.

A reimagining of the 'In the Shadow of' storyline with a centric focus on Ominis and The Gaunt's.

AO3 // Masterlist

The Gaunt Estate flashed green as Nova rammed her body into Ominis.

The forked bolt of emerald lanced from the tree line, its heat blistering Nova's skin as it narrowly missed her shoulder and cleaved a deep crater into the earth. Molten grit and wisps of smoke snaked through the air as they lay winded on the ground, carrying with it the searing radiation of the killing curse that permeated their lungs.

Her chest was on fire; she couldn't perceive which way was up, but the bite of gravel slicing into her palms assured her she was alive. She reached a trembling hand towards Ominis, his name escaping her lips in a raspy cough.

Confirmation of his survival came in the form of a hoarse "Depulso."

He was ripped from under her fingers as she was propelled towards the Manor, but someone intercepted his spell, and Nova was wrenched to the ground—her skull cracking against the marble steps outside the boundary of the wards.

A shadow slithered closer to where Ominis lay, hacking up lungfuls of smoke.

Nova clenched her teeth against the agony flaring up her spine and brandished her wand, hurling an incendiary hex in the direction of their assailant.

The golden orb streaked past the attacker as they parried to the left, offering a fleeting glimpse of Lady Gaunt's twisted face before it detonated in the thicket behind her. Flames eagerly devoured the dry leaves and began creeping into the dense foliage, the flickering blaze exposing two more figures closing in.

"You've stolen everything from me, you foul rat!"

A boot stamped down on Ominis' wand as he fought to raise it. He choked out an incantation that hacked through his mother's Achilles tendon, and she shrieked in pain as her leg crumpled beneath her.

Nova's vision swam as she fought against the tide of unconsciousness threatening to drag her under. She clawed back to the surface, spurred on by the sound of Ominis calling her name.

"I'm… here," she gasped, each shallow breath accompanied by something grating inside her chest. A veil had descended over her eyes, casting the world in a crimson haze. She palmed at it and felt warm, slick liquid trickling down her wrists, saturating the fabric of her hospital pinafore. "Ominis?"

"Get inside."

He swayed to his feet while deflecting an onslaught of stunning spells closing in on him from all three assailants.

A diffindo tripped past his defences and cleaved his kneecaps. A sharp cry ripped from his throat as he fell to his knees, blood pooling in the scattered pebbles beneath him. Before he could muster the strength to dodge, a stunner found its mark—blasting into his shoulder, and Ominis slumped, defeated, at the knees of his mother.

Nova's grief-stricken scream raked up her scorched throat.

She was in agony.

All they suffered had been for nothing.

They should have stayed in the Room of Requirement, starved to death as Ominis had warned her they would. At least it would have been on their terms. Together.

She had been drowning ever since she awoke to his note, alone.

But those words, they had been the only thing keeping her from sinking deeper.

 

Nova,

Leaving while you sleep is not easy, but if you ask me to stay, I won't have the strength to resist.

I have to go in order to find my way back to you, to truly be with you.

My absence isn't abandonment. Trust that every step I take is in pursuit of you.

I love you.

Ominis.

 

Adrenaline sped through her veins.

She knew their execution was inevitable, but only with Ominis' by her side would she accept it. Hand in hand, braving whatever death had in store for them as one.

She forced her head up.

"Marvolo…" a familiar voice spat, their form looming over Ominis' body like a herald of vengeance. "This is for him."

Alice's hand shivered as she levelled her wand.

Nova's shattered ribs were grinding against her efforts to inhale. She pressed a bloodied palm against the balustrade for support and snarled out a disembowelling jinx.

Sparks blasted from her wand, but maternal hands snatched Alice out of harm's way, and the killing curse intended for Ominis blasted off into the clouds.

Alice's mother knocked back Nova's hex.

"Not my daughter, you bitch!"

Nova became disillusioned and flattened herself against a wall, channelling her desperation into redirecting the spell's trajectory back towards her attackers. Its momentum had slowed significantly with the twice-altered path, but she threaded it through the dark witches and nicked Alice in the abdomen.

A look of fright flitted across her face as she clawed at her wounded belly. A pause followed, thick with tension, before the first droplets of blood began to seep through her fingers—and then the torrent came.

Her mother's wild desperation to defend her child made her duelling technique exaggerated and predictable. Nova's eyes traced her wand movements, foreseeing, moulding, and repelling each incoming attack into blazing flares that tore through the night sky.

Signals for help.

Golden light fell across Ominis, who was regaining his bearings. His fingers skimmed along the rough gravel, seeking out the familiar touch of his wand. Nova's opponent made the deadly mistake of diverting her attention towards him to draw her out of her position, arching her wand for a close-range Bombarda.

The Auror Nova had tended to earlier in the evening glinted in her mind at the recognition of the spell—how he had been obstructed mid-cast. Inspired by the memory, Nova bloomed a protego around Alice's mother as she voiced the incantation.

The intention was to incapacitate, to inflict enough damage to keep her down.

Instead, the blast slammed into the walls of the shield and ricocheted back into the witch.

Billows of dense smoke dissipated into crimson streams that cascaded down the forcefield's walls, carrying sluggish chunks of debris in their wake.

Nova shook her head, blinking and trying to clear her vision.

Alice's scream made it real.

Flames curled around the twisted branches that flanked Gaunt Manor, the stifling heat further hindering her attempts to breathe and the light seeping through the black spots clouding her vision.

The air was thick with the scent of blood and dark magic; Alice was kneeling amongst the carnage with gore swarming her abdomen.

Nova's healer instincts kicked in.

She dispelled the disillusionment and staggered forward, only semi-lucid.

"Let me see," she croaked, dropping to her knees and prying Alice's icy hands from the wound.

She laced synthetic skin over the puncture and sealed it tight to contain the damage while cataloguing the potions needed to stabilise Alice's deteriorating condition. A calming draught first, to alleviate her distress—she was shrieking and clawing at blood-soaked grass for reasons Nova's mind was fighting to suppress.

"St. Mungo's, ward four." The words scraped up Nova's throat as she slipped Alice's wand into its owner's hand. "Apparate."

Alice's eyes were hazy and unfocused as she hiccupped blood, scarlet freckles painting her paling lips. Her fingers stiffened around the glossy oak; her wand was sparking, but she remained.

The anti-apparition wards.

Nova's panic collided with a visceral dread when she turned to Ominis and found him locked in a duel.

Mother and son were exchanging hexes of escalating malice, each probing for a weakness in the other's shields. Ominis was skilled in defence and held his ground as his mother advanced toward him to exploit an opening at closer range.

He growled out an arresto momentum, freezing her arm in an upward trajectory and a torture curse flashed red against the clouds. She was casting too many dark curses; Nova could see the colour draining from her skin as she continued pushing herself to the brink of magical exhaustion. The attacks she discharged were wilting into feeble downward curves, but she knew how to exploit her weakening state. She released a storm of diffindos, knowing Ominis stood little chance of deflecting them all.

The ghostly blades struck Nova and Ominis, the serrated edges tearing through the flesh of their raised arms with excruciatingly slow force, their bodies jerking backwards as the spell struggled to hack all the way through.

This was it.

Nova was beyond exhausted; every inch of her body screamed for respite.

Ominis' voice rang out as he tried to shelter them against another blitz of slicing spells.

Then, silence.

Something tumbled into Nova's lap, and she whimpered as liquid began seeping across her thighs.

Ominis' signet ring winked at her from his severed hand, fingers curled in a final, futile attempt to grasp hers.

His defeat had breathed some life back into his mother, and her black eyes flitted to her next target.

Nova had seen this before.

Wrath blazing in a Gaunt's fading eyes, their wand poised to deliver the final strike.

Wood bit into Nova's bloodied skin as the two witches raised their wands in tandem.

Her nightmares served a purpose.

All she had suffered hadn't been for nothing.

She wouldn't let it be for nothing.

She mirrored the spell Marvolo had cast at her a thousand times in her restless sleep.

"Avada kadavra."

 

Nova woke with a gasp.

The killing curse crackling in her ears mutated into fierce thrashes of her heart against her ribcage. Her fingers were trembling, stacks of paperwork slipping from her lax grip and fluttering across the Persian rug.

She blinked away the remnants of the memory in a panic, her mind lagging behind as it writhed through the grove where she and Ominis had fought together.

Pushing the heels of her palms into her eyes, she performed the exercise Poppy had taught her to wrestle back control from the nightmares.

"Three things I can see," she whispered, expelling the black abyss by easing the pressure and cracking her eyelids. Relief flooded her as she beheld the sight of the ornate hearth, the dwindling embers winking off the polished mahogany.

Her eyes flitted down, searching for a second focal point—her shaking hands. Drawing in a breath, she flexed her fingers to steady them. The scars running the length of her forearms sneered at her and challenged her resilience, but then a third factor wound its way around her ankles.

"Three things I can feel," she whispered to the creature poised on hind legs, his imploring paws snagging at the hem of her dress.

She lifted the young kneazle from the ground and settled him onto her lap, where he immediately set about exploring. He butted the soft curve of his head against her chin, and she nestled her face in his thick ginger coat, allowing it to brush away her tears while counting the rhythmic purring from her little companion as the second sensation.

She scratched his chin, wincing at the cramp that gnawed at her knuckles. The endless paperwork from sorting through Ominis' affairs had caused an insistent ache to radiate through her tired fingers.

Three things I can hear.

The room was filled with a symphony of quacking from the lake outside, carrying in on the gentle breeze wafting through the open window.

"Are the nightmares plaguing you again, my dove?"

The motherly cadence of the former Lady of the Manor wrapped around Nova's scattered thoughts like a hug.

"That night at Gaunt Manor," Nova told the canvas, her voice muffled by a comforting swath of orange fur. "I haven't had it for a while. It caught me off guard..." Nova sank deeper into the plush armchair, its velvet cushions moulding to her body.

The serenity of Noctua's living room eased her turbulent mind, and the warmth of the evening sun filtered through stained glass and planted technicolour kisses on her skin.

This was her penance? The consequence of the atrocities she performed that night?

 "…just the product of a guilty conscience."

Noctua's painted eyes softened with quiet sympathy. "The fault doesn't lie with you, sweetheart."

That was difficult to dispute. Gaunt influence didn't even play a role in swaying the Ministry's opinion in her favour; it was a clear-cut case. Ominis was ambushed for his inheritance, and Nova was caught in the crossfire.

St. Mungo's were less lenient, but that was understandable. Unforgivable Killing Curse aside, Nova's suppression of a bombarda maxima and Alice bleeding out as she crawled down the driveway in a wasted attempt to bypass the wards were extensively documented in the Daily Prophet. Healers and patients alike refused to entrust someone who had taken the lives of three witches so brutally with the healing of the masses.

Gathering her strength of mind, Nova knelt on the golden threads of the rug and began sifting through the documents scattered across it. A commotion erupted from the adjacent floo parlour, breaking her concentration as she arranged the parchment into numerical order.

A grin tugged at the corners of her lips, the tension in her soul easing.

"How does a blind amputee stick the landing better than I do every damn time?"

Noctua shook her head affectionately from her gilded frame. "Go see how their first day went; I always knew those young men were destined for greatness."

Nova filled the doorframe just in time to witness Sebastian hauling himself to his feet, brushing off a thick layer of ash that coated the arse of his Auror robes.

Ominis was laughing at his plight, a vision of immaculate perfection.

As Nova's amusement interlaced with his, he extended an arm, the emerald flame from the fireplace casting a glint off his silver, enchanted hand.

"We're home."

She fell against his chest, where his steady heartbeat served as a soothing rhythm to hers.

Today marked the longest they had been apart since the ambush; she prayed it would become easier with time.

When she had regained consciousness in the hospital, concussed, ribs shattered, and skull fractured, Ominis was, of course, already lucid and at her bedside.

They had recuperated side by side while his legal team handled affairs at the Manor in his absence. It was during this time Noctua's letters were discovered in his father's bureau, prompting the immediate recovery and proper burial of her body.

In her will, she had bequeathed all assets to Ominis.

 

Noctua's home towed a perfect line between Manor and cottage, a stark contrast to Ominis' ancestral home. While the latter flaunted every corner of its estate with harsh architecture and ostentatious sculptures to parade its lineage and wealth, Noctua allowed nature's hand to govern her grounds.

The Slytherin trio shed their shoes and headed straight for the estate's crown jewel. Oak planks groaned softy underfoot as they stepped onto the veranda overlooking the beauty of Noctua's lake. Swans glided across the glittering surface, the lazy songs of their cygnets harmonising with the lapping waves. Cherry blossoms danced in the breeze, their petals joining the cascading foliage of the weeping willows.

With champagne in hand, they gathered around the firepit in joyful celebration.

"First day of training down, just one thousand and ninety-four to go," Sebastian toasted, his forehead scrunching as he noticed Ominis was only half listening. "What are you looking for?" 

"Where is my son?"

"Oh, he was here just a moment ago…" Nova scanned the area, her eyes landing on a kneazle-shaped lump nestled in a ray of sunlight. "Garreth? Daddy's home, baby boy."

The golden creature was napping on the timber beams, his body so flat that it wasn't immediately clear where the sunbeam ended and kneazle began.

Nova slipped her palms beneath the furry mass, lifting him off the ground without breaking his shape and depositing him into the waiting arms of his doting father.

"I hate that you named him that. You've made it needlessly difficult to warm up to the thing," Sebastian grumbled, which seemed like a barefaced lie to Nova, who was watching him scrape up a thumb of cream from his scone and offer it to the spoilt Kneazle. Garreth blissfully lapped it up while reclining in Ominis' arms, basking in chin scratches.

"It was Ominis who promised Weasley we'd name our firstborn after him, not me."

"I didn't think he'd hold me to it so… passionately."

"Have you met Garreth?"

The smooches Ominis had begun planting on the kneazle's little baby head was a stroke too far for Sebastian, who redirected his attention to Nova's mostly reordered stack of papers, which were fighting to break free from beneath a paperweight.

"So, is this the pitch?"

"It is. We're almost there; just a few kinks to iron out, and then I'll be hand-delivering it to The Minister."

"Read him the opening statement," Ominis urged.

Nova pulled the letter from under the marble weight, revealing a beautiful script on the highest-grade parchment.

 

Esteemed members of the Ministry,

I trust my name is familiar to you, as are the recent events Ominis Gaunt and I have faced, which have led to his inheritance of the Gaunt fortune and his ancestral Manor.

We have opted not to reside there, considering the horrors we faced. So, I present to you our plans to reclaim the meaning of Gaunt Manor and donate it to a cause that impacts the lives of those in the wizarding community.

Through no fault of their own, muggle-born witches and wizards face prejudice daily. These children form the majority in all wizarding poorhouses. Many transition from muggle institutions, where their unique needs were not met, and upon arriving in the wizarding world, they have stunted knowledge and a sense of alienation.

It is our duty to extend a hand.

The Gaunt Orphanage will be a sanctuary with a workforce of half-blood and muggle-born employees who, in addition to providing practical care, will offer empathy based on shared experiences. These mentors will guide the children through their formative years and provide vital support academically, socially, and emotionally.

We can't undertake this alone. We seek the collaboration of the Ministry; your guidance in navigating regulatory processes, finances and legal compliance will be invaluable.

Please find enclosed details of our proposal. We await the opportunity to discuss this in greater detail.

Nova Fenwick and Ominis Gaunt.

 

"See what happens when you refuse to put a baby in your spouse?" Sebastian mused, his lips freckled with specks of scone. "They adopt fifty."

Ominis nodded as though this was entirely conventional, "I'd rather take in an army surplus children than endure the presence of another Gaunt on any given day."

"The pitch is exceptional, Nova," Sebastian smiled earnestly, "And if they don't listen, you'll soon have that shiny new surname to throw around."

Nova's heart swelled as she admired the polished ring gleaming on her left hand.

The signet ring she had refused to accept belonged on Ominis' finger, now resting snugly on hers.

She had barely gained consciousness before he had slipped it on her finger, with tearful declarations and heartfelt promises to swap it for a diamond at the earliest opportunity, but Nova didn't want that.

It was a part of him, a cut of his identity. He couldn't change his ancestry, but he could redefine what it represented.

"We won't rely on our name to gain rewards; we're going to be better than that." Ominis intertwined his hands with hers, gently tracing his finger over her ring as he drew her onto his lap.

"You used it to get a felon on the Auror training program," Sebastian pointed out, injecting a dose of reality into the moment and somewhat dampening its charm.

"That was necessary. I have to keep an eye on you."

"See, this is why things went awry last time: I'm not sure if you're aware, but they aren't exactly operational."

"That does it, go to your room."

"I plan to." Sebastian let out an arduous sigh as he rose from his wicker chair. "You know, it's been eight months since we moved here. I think it's time I start sorting through Anne's things."

"Do you want some help?" Nova offered, brushing her hand against his as he moved past, his watery eyes catching the sunlight.

He blinked hard, "No, I'd prefer to do it alone. Thanks, though. I'll join you for dinner later."

Garreth, who had been draping lazily on the arm of Sebastian's chair, stirred at the sound of his uncle departing the table. Extending his velvety paws out in front of him, he descended with elegant fluidity onto the hardwood floor, his claws emitting soft taps as he trotted after Sebastian. Nova and Ominis exchanged a laugh upon hearing Sebastian cooing a greeting, evidently making an exception for the kitten.

"So, are you feeling prepared?" Ominis asked as he topped their glasses with more champagne.

"Mostly, I still need to finalise plans for the hospital wing... It's refreshing being back in a healer mindset."

Since her termination from St Mungo's, she had immersed herself in studying theory, with a particular focus on paediatric care for Wizardkind.

Perhaps she'd take her exams and become the orphanage healer.

"My contact at St Mungo's seems to think we'll be receiving our fair share of unnamed newborns," she informed him, tapping her ring against the stem of her glass. "It's going to be difficult to resist giving them the surname Gaunt, isn't it?"

"It's certainly tempting to head an emergence of half-blood and muggleborn Gaunt's. Have you many first names in mind?"

"How many Garreth Gaunt's do you propose we introduce to the world?"

"Good lord."

"Let's see how bizarre we can make your father's legacy."

"My ancestors will surely be writhing in their graves," Ominis purred, his smile brimming with satisfaction as he clinked his glass against Nova's.

"Let them writhe," she replied.

Let them squirm for eternity in the shadows of their mausoleum. Their time in the sun had set, and the stars of a new generation were blinking a hopeful awakening.

At the lake's edge, Nova and Ominis would unite as one beneath raining cherry blossom—the name that had kept them apart, binding them together.

Two souls that had touched hell could, at last, breathe freely, embrace, love and cast its radiant light to every dark corner.

"The Gaunt's," Ominis breathed, pressing a kiss to Nova's lips. "Perhaps it's not such a terrible thing to be."

Author Notes: The story arc of The Serpent's Hold has finally reached its end, and I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has liked, commented, or silently followed along; your support is everything.

I have two epilogue chapters planned for the near(ish) future. The first will likely be smutty because exploring the capabilities of that enchanted hand is a NEED. The second will be domestic bliss ft. Sebastian being a doting uncle to a plethora of orphans because that will heal my soul.

I also have plans for a two-part fic that covers the time jump between chapters sixteen and seventeen told from Sebastian's POV. It will include the murder of Daddy Gaunt and the inner workings of the Ministry justice system.

Thanks again for reading 💕

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy ominis #hogwarts oc #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #ominis gaunt #ominis x mc #ominis x reader #hogwarts houses #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #hogwarts mystery #slytherin #ominis smut #ominis fluff #ominis fic #hogwarts legacy fic #bestfriend Sebastian sallow #the serpents hold #harry potter #ominis #ominis gaunt smut #ominis gaunt fluff

[tomriddlehyperfixataion]

The summer of 1942 - Tom Riddle x reader -P1

cross posted on Ao3

summary-

In the month before the school year ended in 1942, Tom Riddle is told that the orphanage council has decided to evacuate their children due to the high risk-thanks to the war. So Tom is sent to live in the countryside with a family-thankfully(or not so thankfully)- its a muggle family with a witch daughter-(y/n), his classmate. let's see if they get along, shall we?

=

In 1942, about a month before the school year ended-Tom Riddle, 15 years old, received a letter; telling him of the change of housing-as the orphanage council had all agreed to evacuate the children of the orphanage for their safety, due to the high risk of location. Wools orphanage resided in London-which was a high-traffic area for the war, so Tom wasn’t all that surprised to receive such a letter telling him he was to be hosted by a family out in the countryside until further notice.

‘We were, fortunately, able to find some hosts that fit your, unique, abilities.’

Tom huffed, glaring down at the letter-folding it back up and sliding it into the envelope it had come in. Hosts that fit his unique abilities, eh? That either meant a wizarding family, or a family that knew of magic. The rest of the letter had just informed him of what to do after returning from his 'private' school-as that was what Mrs. Cole was told when Tom had first left the orphanage 5 years ago now-and had provided train tickets within the letter.

If he said he was looking forward to this; he would be telling a half-truth. Because yes, he would be free of the orphanage for a whole summer-maybe even the summer after that-but he would also be in a place that wasn’t Hogwarts-a stranger's home, possibly with some random kids who had also been evacuated from London.

Tom set aside the letter-going back to his breakfast as his ‘friends’ all chattered away, not caring for the world around them. Tom glanced to his side, raising his brow a bit when he saw (y/n) Prothero looking at him, a letter in her hands, she blinked at him and then folded her letter-looking away as she returned her gaze to her friend across from her-who was speaking very…wildly.

Prothero was in his year, and his house-muggleborn-he hadn’t interacted with her much-maybe once or twice within the last 5 years, usually if they were partnered together for an assignment.

He had heard many call her weird-which Tom thought was odd, since-they were all wizards and witches, they were weird by that alone. The weirdest thing Tom had ever seen her do was pick up a rat snake and carry it away from a screeching horde of first-years who were terrified of the thing.

Then again, Tom didn’t interact with Prothero much-so he supposed that was why he hadn’t seen how weird she was.

Tom’s mind was back in the present with the sound of the bell, and everyone rushed to grab their things and head to class-Tom taking his time and strolling down the halls to his first class-wondering what the summer would be like now that he wouldn’t be in London for the first time in 15 years.

-

Tom stepped off the Hogwarts Express, nodding goodbye to his ‘friends’ as they all went off to their parents, heading to their mansions for the summer. How lucky for them. Tom looked down at his train tickets, making his way to the platform and ticket booth as described on the tickets. “Tom Marvolo Riddle,” Tom said as he handed over the tickets, the woman on the other side of the booth examined them and then handed them back-along with a slip of paper connected to a safety pin.

“Wear that at all times sweetheart, until you arrive at your destination, it will allow the marshals to identify you and get you where you need to go.” Tom nodded, politely thanking the muggle woman and pinning the paper to his jacket-one of the marshals examining it as he passed by-his Hogwarts trunk being taken by a station worker as many many other children joined him-saying goodbye to their parents, some sobbing and some attempting to cheer their families up-saying they would see each other again soon.

Tom spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd-Prothero, handing over her trunk and larger belongings before climbing into the train-not wearing a slip like Tom and many other children were. Tom just hummed, curious but not curious enough to ask her where she was going. Tom eventually climbed onto the train-passing by other children hanging out the windows-saying goodbye to their parents.

The train began to move-and Tom quickly found an empty car to sit in. he slid his bag into the overhead bin and sat down-opening his potions book and began to read-ignoring those who passed by his car as the train pulled out of the station-all the children still saying goodbye to their families as they were sent off the countryside.

Tom eventually looked up, surprised to see Prothero standing at the door-looking just as surprised to see him. She blinked, and then glanced at the seat across from him. Tom just looked back at his book and Prothero took that as a ‘whatever’ and sat down-closing the car door and sitting next to it, separating the two by a few feet.

They didn’t speak for nearly the entire ride-but they would both look out the window at each stop along the way, watching as children were picked up by their host families as they rode deeper into the countryside.

Finally, as night began to fall, Tom looked up, closing his book(the 3rd he had read so far on the trip) and glanced at Prothero, who was drawing. “you’re not wearing a slip,” Tom said, his voice slightly raspy from hours of not being used. Prothero looked up at him, and nodded.

“I live out here,” was all she said and that was good enough for Tom, who stood and slid his book back into his bag-grabbing another one to read. At that moment, his stomach growled and he huffed, sitting back down and pressing his hand to his gut. “Are you hungry at all, Riddle?”

Tom snapped his head up, looking at Prothero, who was digging through her bag-the jingle of coins catching Tom’s attention. “I don’t need your charity,” Tom muttered and Prothero frowned, glancing back at him.

“I was just being nice,” She muttered, standing and flipping a few coins between her fingers. “but if you don’t want anything,” With that, she stepped out of the car, most likely going down to the club car to get food.

Tom ignored the hunger he felt, he had far gotten used to doing so anyway. Especially during summer. But when Prothero returned, she tossed a wrapped sandwich over to Tom, who flinched as it landed next to his thigh. He narrowed his eyes at Prothero, who ignored him, opening her sandwich and taking a bite-only looking back when Tom continued to glare.

“It’s just a peanut butter sandwich, I bought jelly if you wanna add it,” Prothero muttered, holding up a few small rations of jelly, strawberry and grape. Tom just blinked and then stood, taking the grape jelly and going back to his seat-muttering a small thank you as he did. “you’re welcome,” Prothero said back, once again ignoring him as they ate in silence.

It was dead into the night when the train arrived at the station Tom was to get off. So he grabbed his bag and got off the train, waiting for his luggage as a station worker went to grab it. he looked behind him as he felt a presence, seeing Prothero once again, also waiting for her luggage.

“A coincidence our destination ended up the same,” Tom said politely, turning back to the train, watching as his luggage was rolled over to him-Prothero’s luggage not far behind. “Yep,” was all Prothero said, glancing over her shoulder. Tom felt as if she knew something, but before he could ask about it-two figures came up to the platform.

“Ah-there you are! Tom Riddle, I assume?” the older woman called, her hair pulled back into a bun, holding a slip of paper. Tom nodded. “Have you all your things?” the woman asked Tom and he nodded again, all he really had was his luggage and bag, he didn’t have many personal items. “very well, I’m Brenda Prothero, and that is my husband, John,” Tom looked around-seeing a man dressed comfortably, with kind eyes and a goatee, hugging Prothero.

Oh, huh. So that’s why Prothero had the same destination, her parents were to be his hosts for the summer. Interesting. “-and I assume you and (y/n) are already acquainted.”

“Yes ma’am,” Tom said, polite as ever, he wasn’t fond of muggles-but he would keep his manners if he wanted this summer to be pleasant in the slightest. At least they were aware of magic. “Wonderful, let’s get going then-I’m sure you’re both tired and need food,” And with that, Tom followed Mr. and Mrs. Prothero out of the station-which was really just a platform with a single building-and climbed into the car awaiting the family and Tom.

They drove deeper into the countryside, passing through a comfy-looking town and into farmland-where Mr. Prothero drove up to a comfortable house that had a farmhouse a good 100 feet away, and a large building about a mile away-all surrounded by fencing.

Tom blinked, sleep eating at his eyes and brain, and he shuffled out of the car as it turned off-and he followed the Prothero family into the home. “Your room is upstairs, to the right of the upstairs hall,” Mrs. Prothero said, pointing at the stairwell to the right of the kitchen-which was bigger than Tom thought it was going to be-blinking at the long table by the window that faced the path back towards town.

“(y/n), show him to his room, please?” Mr. Prothero said, sounding very tired, and Prothero nodded, grabbing her trunk and bag-nodding Tom towards the stairs-he followed, not bothering to say goodnight to his hosts-since they were already shuffling into their room-the light turning off almost as soon as the door closed.

The upstairs hallway was one long hallway, with two doors on either side-photos and portraits decorating the walls, and a door in the middle of the hall between the two ends. “Your room is there,” Prothero said, pointing down the right end, and then she pointed at the other end. “that one’s mine, that’s the bathroom.” she pointed at the middle door. “We share it-and there’s doors in our rooms that connect to it-locks on the inside. So if you use it, make sure to lock the doors when you do.”

Tom nodded, lugging his trunk down the hall and opening the door-nodding at what he saw. It was nearly as big as the dorm room at Hogwarts-but with only one bed. The bed was quite nice, with cream sheets and a green throw blanket at the end, it was just a bit bigger than his bed at Hogwarts and had plenty of pillows to spare.

Tom didn’t bother to examine further-he was exhausted, he had never been on a train so long since his first ride on the Hogwarts Express. He set his trunk on its side and opened it, grabbing his sleep clothes and getting changed, hearing Prothero in the bathroom through the door in the corner of the room. Tom looked through the window next to it-blinking up at the stars that were so bright Tom shut the curtains.

When he heard the door unlock and the other door close-he grabbed his toothbrush and went into the bathroom-brushing his teeth and relieving himself, after washing his hands he shut off the light and unlocked the door on Prothero’s side. He turned off the light in his room and slipped into bed, sinking into the mattress.

This wasn’t bad.

At least he wasn’t at the orphanage, surrounded by stupid muggle kids.

-end of p1-

someone on ao3 commented that peanut butter didnt get introduced into the uk till like-1946? and they dont call jelly jelly but Jam, and PB&J's werent/arent popular. im American so blame any inconsistencies on that-this is written up to p12??? so ill just be posting these on here now since my other writing is being stubborn

#tom riddle imagine #tom riddle x reader #tom riddle #fluff fic #15 year old Tom Riddle

[dark-elf-writes]

What would Clint do finding out about all the 'adventures' harry went on in school? Especially 2nd year with the basilisk and the triwizard tournament. Let alone Umbridges blood quills?

I mean for most of them there’s not much he can do.

Quirrel is dead

The basilisk is dead

Lockhart might as well be dead for all his entire personality was destroyed.

Lupin and Sirius were later Harry’s friend/mentor/father figures and are dead.

Barry Crouch Jr is dead.

Umbridge is in Azkaban and again might as well be dead.

Snape is dead.

Dumbledore is dead.

Tom Marvolo Riddle is dead.

Almost everyone that hurt Harry or was the reason for one of those many stories that made his gut twist and hands ache for his bow are all dead. Some of which were at Harry’s own hand. The battles are over. There’s no one left to fight. No one who can still hurt his kid other than the memories of everything he’s been through.

So Clint listens. He finds a therapist that specializes in magical patients and plays the long and painful game of convincing Harry to go. He is there to pick up the pieces and help Harry build himself up again stronger than before.

And late at night with only Nat and Jarvis to see him, Clint throws himself at the closest punching bag/wall/other and hits it until his knuckles bleed.

#the elf talks #harry potter #mcu #neither of them have what could be called healthy coping mechanisms #I mean one is a child soldier and the other was raised in a circus so like #cousin clint

[ailalovegood]

Dancing with the Devil

Pt. 1

Pairings: Tom Riddle x Fem Gryffindor Reader

Note: **This is set in the Seventies with the marauders**

Here I was, finding myself back at the Hogwarts express, going into my fifth year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.

After boarding, which took a bit, allbeit, my fault, I wasn't going to see my parents for a bit, and I wanted to treasure my last few moments with them.

Because I had done this, there were little to no seats left, so I was left rushing to find a suitable seat when I had stumbled across a pretty much empty compartment.

Except for the fact that there was a raven haired boy who was writing in a leather diary with the words, "Tom Marvolo Riddle" engraved on it.

"Hey, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full, heh."

I subconsciously scratched the back of my neck with a small laugh.

He just looked up at me, his curls slightly bouncing as he did. His pale green eyes stared straight into my soul.

He was incredibly handsome, and him staring at me made me even more nervous.

"Can't you find somewhere else?"

He glared at me.

"Erm, no, everywhere else is full..."

He scoffed and went back to his writing, completely ignoring me.

"Sir?-"

"Sit."

He said as he continued to write.

I dragged my belongings into the small compartment, cast them aside, then sat down opposite him.

Wanting to break the awkward silence, I decided to introduce myself.

"I'm Y/n L/n, and you must be Tom Riddle, right? It's engraved on your diary."

He stopped writing and looked up at me like I was stupid.

"First of all, I don't care. Second of all, don't talk to me."

"Sorry,"

I sighed, he obviously didn't want to talk, and I wasn't going to push him.

Though, that didn't stop me from being the absolute bitch I am.

"Party pooper,"

I whispered

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing."

I gave him a sweet smile.

He just rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

I asked.

"Don't worry about it."

He slammed the door behind him.

"Lovely."

I sighed. I mean..since he's done I might as well get changed into my robes.

I got my uniform out, slipped off my shoes and pants first, then took off my shirt.

I slid on my skirt, then grabbed the button down. I started to button the bottom buttons when the door slid open.

I was met with Tom. He stared at me and I stared straight back.

"Not going to ask."

He stared and the exposed part of my body, then rolled his eyes and sat down again, immersing himself in a book about the dark arts.

I awkwardly finished getting dressed, then sat down.

"I Erm-

Thought you were going to be gone longer."

He didn't look up, and only sighed.

"Whatcha readin' Riddle?"

I asked, sliding over to sit next to him.

"I'm in no way interested in talking, so stop bothering me."

I ignored him and looked over his shoulder.

"The Cruciatus Curse?"

He elbowed me to shove me away, then fixed his jacket with an annoyed huff.

"You're bad at taking hints, you know?"

"What year are you in?"

"Stop talking."

"What year?"

I asked, ignoring him.

"Ughh. Sixth, now shut the fuck up."

"I'm on my fifth yea-"

"God you Gryffindor's are so annoying!"

He groaned.

My owl, who had been asleep, screeched at him.

"Okay, can you please let me be?!"

"...Okay, I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

He breathed out dryly.

"iS tHaT tEnSiOn I hEaR?!"

Lily, my best friend, slammed the door open with a smile.

"Really?"

Tom was proper angry now.

"Riddle."

Lily acknowledged.

"Evans."

He said bitterly.

"Anyway, Y/n, want to come sit with Severus, Molly, and I? We finally got Remus, James, and Sirius to leave us alone."

"uhm..."

I did want to sit with my friends, but I also didn't want to lug all of my stuff to another compartment.

"No, I don't really want to move all my stuff."

"I get it. Well, cya at school my love!"

She yelled, leaving the car.

"My love?''

"She's my best friend."

"You love your friends?''

"You don't?"

"I don't love anyone."

He stated, matter-of-factly.

"Why not?"

"No one worth loving."

"What about your parents?"

I asked.

"Well if you really must know, my father was a filthy muggle that left me, and my mother died. But I'm fine on my own. Now please be quiet."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just shut up."

#Tom riddle #Hogwarts #Gryffindor Female Reader #Tom Riddle x Reader #Fem Reader #Enimes To lover's #enimes and lovers #Hogwarts fluff #Angst

[ozai-the-bonsai]

For the Greater Good

| Part 1 | Part 2 |

Pairing: Tom Marvolo Riddle x Slytherin!OC

Summary: Growing up with the dream of joining the Alliance, Ophelia's only wish has been to take her place by Grindelwald's side. As Grindelwald starts losing power during her last year at Hogwarts, Ophelia desperately searches for a way to turn the tide one last time. Eventually, she gets caught up in Tom Riddle's radar, who starts delving into her past.

Warnings: Strong language, some implied sexual content I guess (no smut, just some after-sex-talk)

Word Count: 2.9k

“How can you not tell me that you are Gellert Grindelwald’s one and only heir?!”

Ophelia quickly covered Aurora’s mouth with her right hand and spoke between her gritted teeth. “Go a little bit louder and let the whole damn castle hear you, Aurora, will you?”

Aurora muttered something that sounded like “Sorry,” but it was hard to make it out since her voice was muffled because of Ophelia’s hand over her mouth. Taking a deep breath, Ophelia let go of Aurora and took a few steps back, turning her back to the strawberry blonde.

She had always known that this day would come -that someone from her acquaintances (she didn’t really consider anyone as a friend) would eventually find out about her heritage -but she hadn’t really prepared herself for that moment.

“How did you find out?” Ophelia asked as she slowly turned back to face Aurora, who was swaying uncomfortably in her place and playing with her fingernails. “And when?”

“I kind of asked my father about it,” Aurora spoke with a low voice, still playing with her fingernails and giving it her all not to look Ophelia in the eye. “During the Christmas break. I… was too curious to find out something about you.”

Ophelia was constantly reminding herself to keep taking deep breaths. Upon realising how hard she was clenching her fists, she let them loose not to leave any marks on her palms. It was a must that she kept her temper under control. “Aurora, you know how much I despise it when others stick their nose into my personal matters.”

Upon hearing her words, the strawberry blonde immediately turned her blue eyes at Ophelia. “But Ophelia, I don’t want to be one of the others anymore,” she spoke almost beggingly, taking a small step towards Ophelia. “I want to be a friend to you.”

A scoff left Ophelia’s lips. “You have a funny way of showing that,” she muttered. “I am not looking for a friend, Aurora, I don’t… mind being on my own.”

Ophelia could swear she could see Aurora’s lower lip trembling. “You don’t have to be your parents, sweetheart,” her voice was almost lower than a whisper.

“But I am my parents,” Ophelia spoke with a cold voice. “And I am proud of it.”

After that day, Aurora never tried to ignore (or step over) Ophelia’s boundaries ever again. She always kept an open door for Ophelia with the hope that she would change her mind someday but other than that, Aurora never asked more than Ophelia was willing to share.

Breaking hearts had never been something Ophelia liked -she had her distance and she loved to keep herself behind her walls, yes, but that didn’t mean she went around hurting others in her spare time. Hence, that particular conversation in the dormitory bathroom had left her overthinking for weeks.

Still, at the end, she had decided to keep to herself and consider Aurora as someone she was more acquainted with compared to the others -but not a friend. All her life, she had never longed for intimacy and friendship once she got the sweet taste of freedom and peace being alone brought -she didn’t intend to break it.

Once again, the sound of the compartment’s door opening brought Ophelia back to reality. She shook herself and turned her gaze away from the window to see who was there to disturb her thoughts.

“Do you still have some seat for your poor, little Prefect?” Celeste Carrow asked, she had already changed into her Slytherin robes.

Besides Aurora, there was one other person who knew about Ophelia’s heritage: Celeste Carrow. Celeste’s mother, Louisia Carrow, was one of Grindelwald’s Acolytes and thus, had known Ophelia’s parents personally for a long time.

Sometime during the Easter break in their sixth year, Celeste overheard her mother talking about Vinda Rosier and Grindelwald’s child. However, unlike Aurora, she simply told Ophelia about what she knew and assured her that she wouldn’t reveal it to anyone else -no scene was made. 

Emrys snickered as he made some place for Celeste. “Poor, little Prefect, my ass! I’ll remind this to you the next time you use that luxury bathroom of yours.”

Celeste playfully hit Emrys’ arm. “Shut up, Emrys.” She raised an eyebrow at Aurora and Abraxas upon seeing them holding hands. “Has it finally happened, then?”

“Have you all been expecting this?” Abraxas asked with a confused expression on his face, to which all three of them -Celeste, Emrys and Ophelia -nodded. “Even Ophelia?!”

“Distant people usually observe the most, Abraxas.” All the heads turned to the door upon hearing the smooth, velvet voice. Tom Riddle was leaning on the frame of the door. “They have less distractions.”

Just like I have been observing the way the atmosphere changes as soon as you arrive here, Ophelia thought as she eyed him up. The last rays of the setting sun were melting as they touched his raven hair, giving him a somewhat unearthly look. He was playing with the ring on his right hand that carried a dark -perhaps black -stone.

Ophelia stood up from her place. “I would appreciate it if you all stopped talking about me as if I were from a different species.” She was talking to everyone in the compartment, but her green eyes were focused on a specific person.

Before leaving, she stopped for a moment, right by the door, so that she had to look up to meet Tom Riddle’s gaze. Using her best French accent, Ophelia spoke quietly so that only he could understand her. “Talking about being a good observer, hm?”

Then, without waiting for a reaction, she left the compartment.

[Time Skip]

She was still trying to catch her breath as she laid there, on the desk, completely naked. She wasn’t quite sure which planet she was currently on, but it sure wasn’t Earth.

“You sure you are really done? It seems like you are still not entirely finished.”

Ophelia pushed herself halfway up, resting her elbows on the desk, to look into his green eyes. “Physically, I am already done,” she said and bit her lower lip, pointing at her head, “but in here? I guess I’ll be done by tomorrow morning.”

Dorian stood up from the chair he was sitting in -he, too, was completely naked. Even a single look at his muscly arms was enough to tell that he was into training -well, he wasn’t Ravenclaw’s Quidditch Team Captain for nothing. “Do you think I can make you go wild one last time tonight?” He asked with a husky voice as if they hadn’t been making love like two animals just five minutes ago.

Before he could put Ophelia’s legs over his shoulders, again, she placed her right foot against his chest and shook her head. “We should save some for the next time, Dorian.”

The young man winked at her as he stepped back and fixed his light brown waves before getting dressed. Ophelia stood up slowly and started gathering her clothes, which were carelessly scattered around the empty classroom.

Ever since the beginning of the year, she had been having these affairs with Dorian MacMillian, in which they shared nothing deep but only their lust for physical contact. Ophelia had been aware of his interest in her for a while during their sixth year; every time they had an encounter on the Quidditch pitch, Dorian would try to flirt with her.

At first, Ophelia had completely ignored him, until she changed her mind during the summer holiday -she had no desire for an intimate relationship with anyone but just having the physical part did sound interesting to her.

Hence, during the first week of their seventh year at Hogwarts, Ophelia proposed an offer that was too hard to refuse: no commitment, no feelings, no affection; just pure sex. And, as she had figured, Dorian’s response had been an immediate and confident yes.

Since then, during their spare time -which was quite scarce in their seventh year -the two had been meeting in secret at night or early in the morning to make use of empty classrooms. And Ophelia hadn’t been disappointed in making this particular decision -yet.

Well, Dorian was quite good in bed and he had no objections when Ophelia tailored some of his skills to match her taste.

After they were both done getting dressed, they left the empty classroom in the dungeons and closed the door behind them. For a moment, there was a weird silence as they both stood in front of the closed door in that dimly lit corridor -the lighting in the dungeons had always been insufficient at Hogwarts, mainly because Dippet believed the Slytherins to have night vision like cats.

Of course, he didn’t really believe it -that was simply the running gag among the students.

“Well,” Ophelia broke the silence while trying her best to tame her hair, but it was no use, “this was really nice.”

A small smirk formed on Dorian’s lips. “I know,” he said with a cocky tone, which caused Ophelia to roll her eyes. However, she wasn’t expecting him to lean in and press his lips against hers. Quickly, the young woman took a step back, not even letting him properly kiss her.

Dorian was completely baffled.

“As long as we both have some clothes on, we are simply acquainted through Quidditch,” Ophelia spoke with a tone that was warning and cold -the warmth in her voice was completely gone.

Which never really had anything to do with Dorian himself, but rather with the fact that he left her completely satisfied every time.

“I… I just thought…” Dorian struggled to find the right words while averting Ophelia’s gaze as best as he could. “I don’t know how to put it -you just recently gave me the impression that maybe, this thing here, could go somewhere else.”

Ophelia took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest, she feared that something like this would happen. “Normally, what you have just said there would be enough reason for me to end our little affair right here, right now.” She could see the fear rising within Dorian -it reflected through his green eyes. “But I don’t want to.”

The young woman quickly carried on upon hearing Dorian heave a sigh of relief. “I want to keep this as it is because you are awfully good at what you are doing.” Ophelia took a step towards him, her index finger pointed at him. “However, if I hear you coming up with something like this again, then you’ll never see more of me. Understood?”

Dorian nodded, he resembled an obedient dog at that very moment. “No bullshit ever again -just raw animal sex.”

The edge of Ophelia’s lips curled upwards as she shot him a dirty look. “That’s more like it.”

[Time Skip]

After leaving the dungeons, Ophelia went to the Great Hall to join the others for dinner -of course, as soon as she sat down at the Slytherin table, Abraxas didn’t miss the opportunity to make a remark about her hair.

“I guess someone had a fun evening -what happened to your hair?”

Ophelia shrugged as she started filling her plate -the after-sex-hunger was already kicking in. “There was too much steam in the bathroom,” she lied effortlessly. “Some idiot has been showering inside a dragon’s breath.”

The blonde grimaced. “That’s disgusting.”

From the corner of her eye, she could see Tom raising an eyebrow at her -he was sitting to her left. “I don’t recall seeing you having such an appetite.”

“You know, Tom, the way you observe everything about me is getting kind of creepy.” Ophelia pushed a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. “Don’t you have anything else to obsess about?”

The young man shrugged in a careless manner as he turned the page of the book he was reading. “I am yet starting to find out rather interesting things -I think I will be keeping that up for a while.”

Ophelia rolled her eyes at him and resumed eating. “Whatever.” But deep down, she was slightly anxious whether he had already found out about her father -such a piece of information in the hands of a person like Tom Riddle had the potential to become dangerous.

She was very well aware of his interest in the Dark Arts and the way he longed for power -every time she was after some books in that field, she had to wait for Tom Riddle to give them up in the library, again. After borrowing them for the seventh time.

The boy has a strange obsession with the Dark Arts -I don’t know if I would want him to know that the only heir of Grindelwald is in fact sitting next to him.

“Guys, I have some huge gossip!” Aurora sat next to Abraxas as she excitedly spoke -she was particularly talking to Abraxas, Celeste, Emrys and Marceline. “I am almost one hundred percent sure that Dorian MacMillian is seeing someone in Slytherin.”

The first urge Ophelia had was to raise her head and look at Aurora but she controlled the primitive urges perfectly and continued enjoying her food so that she seemed completely uninterested in their conversation.

“Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain MacMillian?” Celeste asked, only to earn a nod. “Merlin, he looks so hot all the time, I sometimes want to take a bite out of him.”

“Should we find this alarming?” Emrys asked sarcastically but Celeste gave him the middle finger.

Aurora interrupted. “Anyway, I have been hearing it from the girls that he was being sighted in the dungeons a lot recently -especially during early and late hours.”

Abraxas nodded in an approving way. “Yes, the perfect time to get some action going in those empty classrooms.”

Ophelia stuffed her mouth with the rest of the chocolate cake to avoid any laughter escaping. Then, since she was done with her food, she rested her chin against her hand to “join” the little conversation. Tom was still in his own world, completely ignoring anything else.

Emrys gave Abraxas a pat on the back. “Speaking from experience here, right?” It was obvious that he was simply messing with Abraxas; however, this didn’t stop Aurora from punching Emrys on the shoulder. “Hey, it was just a joke!”

“Shut up,” Aurora warned him, took a deep breath and continued from where she left off. “Today, I saw MacMillian leaving the dungeons as I was heading to the Great Hall from the Common Room and the girl was a few steps ahead of him.”

Oh, fuck.

Celeste seemed overly excited to find out more about the fresh gossip. “No way! Did you see who she was?”

Aurora shook her head. “No, she was already at the stairs but I am pretty sure I saw some green on her robe.” Celeste made a disappointed sound as the strawberry blonde turned her blue eyes to Ophelia. “Merlin’s beard, what’s wrong with your hair? Did you mix shampoos again?”

Before Ophelia could say anything, Abraxas repeated what she had told him earlier. “Apparently, some of you girls have been bathing inside a dragon and leaving too much steam in the bathroom.”

Slowly, Ophelia straightened her back to sit up. She could already see where this lie was going to take her and she didn’t really like it.

Celeste frowned. “I have been using the bathroom for the last hour and I can guarantee that it was nothing like a dragon’s belly in there. Plus no one came in while I was bathing.”

Aurora’s eyes widened with shock as she placed her right hand on her mouth. “Merlin’s beard!”

“Darling, you’ve been saying that quite often lately.” Abraxas tried to tease his girlfriend, still not getting the hint.

Same old Aurora, Ophelia thought as she waited for the strawberry blonde to let the whole castle know about her little affair. Incapable of keeping her nose out of other people’s business.

“It was Ophelia!” Aurora said, to Ophelia’s surprise she was keeping her voice to a reasonable low. “She is the one MacMillian is seeing!”

Of course, all the heads around the table -including Tom Riddle -turned in her direction.

Ophelia crossed her arms over her chest. “What makes you think that?” She asked with a distant tone. “If you are making your judgements based on a simple lie I told about my hair, then you should start reconsidering a lot of things.”

Celeste nodded, backing her best friend up. “No, this makes a lot of sense -remember all the times we have been wondering where the hell Ophelia could be that early in the morning?”

For fuck’s sake, has everyone been observing me this year? Having Dumbledore at my tail all the time was enough but this is just too much.

“Is this true?” Abraxas asked with a shocked expression. “Have you really been sleeping with MacMillian?”

Emrys raised his eyebrows appreciatingly. “MacMillian is a nice catch -respect.”

Everyone stopped talking when Ophelia abruptly stood up, it was obvious that she was slowly getting angry. “I don’t care what you might assume but I am going to say this only once: I don’t like it when people start observing my life. However,” her green eyes found Aurora’s blue ones. “When it comes to being nosy, things get ugly.”

#tom riddle #tom riddle x oc #tom marvolo riddle #tom riddle x reader #gellert grindelwald #lord voldemort #harry potter #malfoy #rosier #slytherin #abraxas malfoy #vinda rosier #grindelwald #deathly hallows #death eaters

[tomionefinds]

Hi! Do you know of any good tomione political fics? Such as Tom being more conservative and Hermione liberal leaning.

Hey Anon,

Here's a few they're not specifically political as far as the house/stances but maybe have hints a their moral standings. Then I I did a search and found a few more that based on a cursory glance they also have a political background/backdrop. -JD

A Marked Deck by betagyre This is a sequel to Choosing Grey E/Ma | Complete | 190k Minister for Magic Tom Riddle has a family and a position of immense political power, and he must adapt to the responsibility that comes with both. But Hermione has much to adjust to as well, married to someone who is still very much a power-hungry Dark wizard. Follows Choosing Grey. Politicians by LadyMiya E/Ma | Complete | 25k You would have thought that Hermione Granger, a major in Political Science, would know better than invite a stranger from a pub home. But then, she would never be a true politician if she did.

communication errors by esotyric (devilrie) T+ | Complete | 8k sender: [email protected] recipient: [email protected] subject: Today’s Meeting

Granger – Attached is the dry-cleaning bill for the shirt you ruined when you threw your tea at it. I’m not sure if you noticed, but I happened to be wearing the shirt at the time. You are lucky it was cold. Pay the bill and I won’t sue you for assault.

Regards, Thomas Marvolo Riddle CEO of Walpurgis Corporate

sender: [email protected] recipient: [email protected] subject: re: Today’s Meeting

Riddle – I did notice, because unlike you, I can identify when something is being inhabited, you forest-destroying monster.

You do not require a dry cleaner to get herbal tea out of a shirt. The shirt was black, the tea was camomile, and you have no grounds on which to stand nor sue. Your company, however, WILL be exposed for the havoc it is wreaking upon our natural world.

Sincerely, Hermione Jean Granger CEO of Not being a Twat

Scandal by Nekositting E/Ma | Complete | 12k His eyes were fixated on her, lips turned into a frown as if trying to will Hermione to answer truthfully to his question. What he didn’t know was that she planned to avoid the question altogether. To lie outright because telling him that Tom bloody Riddle was feeling her up beneath the table in the middle of a political dinner was unacceptable.

A most personal incentive by Baryshnikov M | One Shot | 5k If Tom wanted to achieve his political goals, then he'd have to persuade Hermione of them first.

dove by con_fection E/Ma | WIP | 8k Just weeks ago, political activist Hermione Granger had been one of the jurors to convict serial killer and alleged cult leader Tom Marvolo Riddle of a host of violent crimes, including multiple counts of murder and grievous bodily harm.

He had almost managed to convince the other jurors that he was innocent, enrapturing them with his alluring visage and a story about his less than pleasant upbringing.

But, in spite of all of his anglicism, perfect looks and charismatic disposition, Hermione Granger could see straight through him, to the monster that lay beneath. Eventually, she had convinced the other jurors to see it, too.

There is only one question left in her mind, the question that won't leave her alone, the question that keeps her awake at night: why?

Political Animals by Macabre Marionette M | WIP | 5k The Capitol Hill has always been the playground for the ambitious and powerful. The newly elected Senator Tom Riddle is raising hell over his head, and who was Hermione Granger to stop him? [Non-Magical AU]

The Power Vacuum Conundrum by Spork_in_the_Road M | Abandoned | 32k Note: not about the kind of vacuum that sucks up dirt in muggle homes.

Hermione Granger goes back in time, not to save the future Dark Lord's soul, and not kill him. Instead, she figures she'll offer him some competition for the role of World Leader. She knows that when Grindelwald falls, there will be room for a new player on the field. At least this way, Hermione knows she's the lesser of two evils.

#tomione #Tom: Minister of Magic #political au #muggle au #drama #smut

[handercover]

It wasn't supposed to end like this, thought Han inhaling sharply as Tom practically tears her a new one while her uniform is uncomfortably sticking to her skin

Turns out that falling clothed in water was indeed uncomfortable, and having an unhappy guest who just happened to get in the crossfire between you and a friend's prank war was even worse, specially if that was Tom Marvolo Riddle - nerd extraordinaire and extremely unamused... Even if this was his fault technically

"Why did you even drink my tea in the first place?? You know what's been going on between me and Damian!" she huffs glaring at Tom, shifting uncomfortably as she sits in the bathtub, the Slytherin glares back at her "It's exactly because of that that I intervened" he glares back

Han rubs her temple as she looks at Tom, who is silently glaring at her now, waiting an explanation. She silently takes in his... new appearance, not in the least sorry for having thrown him in the water like a sack of potatoes just a few minutes earlier

"I told you me and Damian were having a discussion about who was the best idiot, which included one upping the other in the best way we could find, INCLUDING spells and such" she narrows her eyes at Tom "We wouldn't kill each other, just annoy the other" Tom narrows his eyes at well and pursues his lips "So tell me why did he want to turn you into a mermaid?"

Han just shrugged at that "I turned him into a frog a few weeks back, makes sense" Tom frowns at that "You two are... something else I swear" then sighs as he massages his forehead with his now webbed hands

"This brings me to the question, why did you even drink my tea?" she scoffs as Tom rolls his eyes before looking away, silently deciding to submerge himself more in the water, even if he's still in his uniform somewhat

"I saw Damian handling it and... I don't know" he huffs looking away, stewing silently, Han just looks at him. Definitely not amused "At least no one saw that" she says, trying to somehow see the bright side, no one had witnessed her throwing Tom over her shoulder and rush to the Prefect's bathroom at least

Tom huffed but slightly relaxed, before silently looking at his hands, analysing them silently before looking at his tail. Han turned around and grabbed her bag, carefully pulling out her potion book and turning the pages around as Tom looks at himself, then looks at his reflection in the water as she tries to find something that could help with this... she doesn't find anything but

"He definitely created something using gillyweed" she mutters as she reads over the ingredient, Tom scoots to her side silently as he too reads the page, practically pressed to her side "Or I hope so at least, it took effect after some time after all and it wasn't triggered by anything, so this means it could wear off by itself" she hums with a nod

Tom looked skeptic but decided to sigh and nod in response as Han closed the book and looked at him, then she smiled lazily "You look good tho, but I may be biased as I love monsters" Tom scoffed but looked away

Instead of pulling away however he just sank deeper in the water and decided to lay his head on Han's shoulder, pressed against her side and close to just wrapping his tail around her legs, he silently thought he'd be alone for the next ten hours so may as well make the most of it now that he has company

Han sighs after a few seconds before eventually standing up, Tom blinks in surprise before leaning against the edge of the bathtub, almost feeling disappointed that she's living so early... but Han starts to remove her clothing until she's left in her skirt and sleeveless undershirt, then she sits back in the bathtub

Tom raises his brow "You're not leaving?" he asks, surprised, Han scoffs "It's kind of my fault that you're like this, the least I can do is keeping you company", he blinks before gluing himself back to her side as they start to talk about whatever came up to their mind

No one comments on the fact that they miss lessons the next day, bit Han does reiterate the next week... managing to turn Damian invisible and freaking out half of the school, helped by Tom of course

Still debating on Damian's whole identity, but I have some ideas I will scribble down eventually, he's as stupid as Han but the spiritual brother of another one of my characters

#tom riddle x oc #tom marvolo riddle #tom riddle #harry potter #harry potter oc #hp oc

[blankdblank]

Protego Pt 8 - Unknown

Masterlist here

...

“Mr Baron,” Jewels said to the ghost hovering past an empty hallway, who instantly smiled at the latest use of the odd adaptation of his title by this young student out of her nerves on using his usual moniker.

“Yes Miss Evans,” his eyes shifted to the sheet of newspaper in her hands on this early Saturday morning she’d found him out deliberately alone. “Might I be hopeful in the assumption that you have discovered how we might be related?”

“Yes, do you know the Gaunts?”

“Yes,” he said with a doubling grin. “Noble line, direct, and with you alive thankfully unbroken. What I know Morfin was believed to have been the last of his name. Unfortunate. Might you have found a Muggle clipping on the mysterious death?”

“That and a few Wizarding ones. Um, I found this clipping that he got sent to Azkaban Prison for assumption he murdered the Muggle Riddle family because near twenty years prior his sister wed and got pregnant then was abandoned by Tom Riddle the first.” That had the ghost’s head tilt to look her dead on at the stunning bit of news. “I found the orphanage, I was left at the same one. She died an hour after Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr was born and Morfin, my recorded birth father, never claimed him.”

His lips parted and she continued, bringing out the picture copy of the Muggle police report, “The Riddles died when Jr was 16, and not eleven years ago Morfin and his unnamed wife were killed in a very un-accidental way that the Muggles recorded as accidental. Riddle Jr went here, it’s in his file from the orphanage, that shut down a few years after I was adopted because the Matron in charge died suspiciously as well. He’s named as a Prefect here in the Slytherin dorms. Do you know who he is?”

That had the ghost sink a good deal as his mood had, only worrying her more, and she pled, “Please don’t lie to me, I think he killed my parents and nearly killed me.”

“My dear, Tom Riddle Jr is leading the war against Muggles. Yet, somehow is, a Half-Blood. A fact I am certain none of his followers know.”

Tears filled her eyes and she sniffled to softly say, “So I have a mass murdering maniac for a cousin.”

“It would seem so, as apparently do I.” And his ghostly hand reached out to pat through her shoulder as if it would help, “You however are not him.”

Quickly she sniffled mid nod and asked, “Would you know who Morfin married? Maybe she was a Muggle, why there’s no record?”

The Baron chuckled in disbelief at the notion, “No, my dear, Morfin would not have wed a Muggle. The Gaunts were land rich and gold poor. No Muggle could ever allow him to keep the family legacy, she must have been of substantial standing to have been chosen to be his wife.”

“Even if he kept her secret? Sirius has a Great Aunt Dorea who married into the Potter family, is Morfin’s cousin, and supposedly meant to have been invited to the wedding, but she wasn’t aware of any wedding or a child at all.”

“Nor was I.” He said matter of factly at the realization washing over him. “There are ample ghosts and portraits within the grounds from Slytherin lines. Leave this to me I shall conference with each of them.” And he made certain to catch her eye contact to say seriously, “I will keep the identity of Merope’s son between us. Something I gravely advise you do as well. Best not to out his blood status or you could be in harm’s way. Were I alive and free to leave these grounds I would guard you day and night at this fact. Please, heed my warning, that fact can’t be trusted with just anyone.”

Hastily she nodded, “I swear. Thank you for helping with this. I keep dreaming about her and Alastor said it might be imbedded memories I keep reliving at night.”

“Very possible, many traumas repeat in odd ways varying person to person. I did not bear mine well, I can attest to that. Have you sought council on these dreams?”

“Yes, I have tricks Professor McGonagall helped me to learn.”

“Good, do try to enjoy your weekend. I am off to question some specters.” Down through the floor he dove, just leaving her there to pocket the clippings to head out for a mind emptying walk to the Black Lake, where hopefully something to do would pop into her head as she’d distracted herself by completing all of her homework already throughout the week. Something hopefully to take her mind off the nightmares she had been having where her mind was trying to fill in the day her parents were killed.

 *.*.*

Plotting for a few days had come to good use as Remus and Sirius finally got to slip through the hidden pathway into the Headmaster’s office. “Sirius,” he heard from his ancestor Phineas’ portrait when he shifted back to his non furry self.

“Hello, please don’t tell Dumbledore we were here.” He pled flatly, halfway knowing he might be useless in the request of the former Headmaster.

“Now that would entirely depend upon why you have come here in his absence.” Phineas said pointedly.

Sirius sighed while Remus shivered after his shift back to himself, an odd feeling after so long being unable to control the other furry form he had. The former replied, “There’s a note somewhere on a student, Tom Riddle Jr.” the name had the man in the portrait stiffen up. “He killed Morfin Gaunt and his Wife, nearly killed their daughter.”

“Near the pensieve,” Phineas answered and Remus turned around, stunned as his friend was at the direct answer they couldn’t have hoped for. “How did you come by this knowledge?” and he clarified before the boys had the chance to answer, “What proof do you have?”

“Morfin Gaunt’s daughter goes here,” and Phineas’ mouth began to ease open in shock, “Found his name on her birth certificate but there’s no trace of her Mum’s name. We’re trying to help her find that name. We’re trying to find out more about this Riddle cretin who tried to kill her. Maybe we can find trace of her Mum somewhere.”

“Keep me informed of the search,” he said and pointed to where Remus had hurried to, “Albus will not be gone long. Find what you came for.” He nodded and raced over to crouch at the same case beside the memory viewing tool Remus had guided out of the cabinet against the wall.

“Horcrux…” Sirius whispered, having read it off a note taped to a memory box half empty of glowing vials on the second shelf his hands were shuffling through to find more clues. And sharply at the sound of a noise inside the staircase outside the Headmaster’s office he’d been shown through a few times in the first semester for fights shifted back into a big black Irish Wolfhound and snuck his way out the same way he got in through a hidden tunnel.

Tom Riddle Jr was all over memory vials inside the clear case opposite the licorice snap bowl Dumbledore offered the students brought here. Remus was the one to charm the doors shut and pensieve back into the cabinet it was hidden inside of with all the memories in place where they had been taken from.

 *.*.*

 “Hey fuzzy face,” Jewels spoke aloud to the pounce of the hound in front of her with a large grey and white wolf at its side. A familiar folded bit of parchment between the lips of the wolf had her ask, “Where did you get this?” Gently taking hold of the map the duo used to sneak into the office. “Okay, I know it’s two of you four off the nicknames on this trick paper. Guessing Remus and Sirius.” The pair whined and she said sternly, “Change back.” Only for them to whine again, and she asked, “You can’t change back?”

Their heads shook and she sighed, turning to say, “Let’s go find Professor McGonagall.”

.

Luckily she was inside her classroom where she flinched looking up to see what animals were on either side of Jewels as so many students had on the way here, “Professor,”

“Miss-, are those students?” She asked in clear shock, still evident by her wide eyes that began to ease back to their normal size to at least appear calm.

“Sirius and Remus.”

“Did you do this?” She asked.

“No, can you teach me to do this?” Jewels asked with interest in her voice.

“In, a few years, yes.” Softly she cleared her throat, brandishing her wand drawn from a holster on her waistband and summoned a pair of robes around the duo, “Just in case.” And used her same wand to transform the pair who were naked underneath their robes and grateful for them.

“Where are your clothes?” Jewels asked the pair who cleared their throats in return and looked to McGonagall, who moved closer with a stern look on her face.

“Bit of a mishap trying out some new advanced spells,” Remus said and was joined by Sirius, they said together, “Sorry Professor.”

“While amusing the notion of first years being able to master Animagus forms, do not let me catch you terrorizing the other students by means of these forms. I will not be able to stop whom so ever wishes to best a four legged beast that happens upon them, even inside these halls. Animagus forms are to be used under the strictest of terms as laid by the Ministry.”

Pointedly she looked them over and they nodded, stating again, “Yes Professor.”

“Now go get dressed, and Miss Jewelia, how are you faring?”

“I found my birth dad’s name,” she said luring a curious grin onto Minerva’s face. “Mom’s name is ‘unknown’ so, some friends are helping to dig it out if we can.”

“I do hope that might bring you some closure and possibly some distant relations to correspond with in due time.” All Jewelia could do was nod and turn to follow the boys, slightly worrying the Professor who would check in on the girl again later in the day to make certain if she could help with something or not. Knowing fully as the rest of the staff did the trouble being had with her adopted sister.

“Come up to the tower with us.” Sirius said excitedly, and she shook her head no, not wanting to risk seeing her sister there.

Urging Remus to speak up an alternative, “Come halfway, wait for us at the clock tower, we’ll get dressed and come back to talk to you. It’s important.”

“It really is,” Sirius said, “Found where I knew Riddle’s name.” and her body locked up halting the duo other students were looking over in their odd bathrobes they had on. Suddenly rigid with an almost green complexion, like she’d be torn between getting sick or passing out he asked, “Jewels?” and moved closer to rest his hands on her arms. Remus moved closer to help keep hold of an arm in case she fainted as he’d been told she had before.

Barely audible she whispered, “Bloody Baron told me not to talk about him.”

Remus asked lowly in a whisper of his own, “He knows who Riddle is?”

“Bloody Baron told me not to talk about him,” she simply repeated and the pair began to nod.

Sirius whispered himself back to her, “Just, how about this, you don’t tell us what you know now, and we tell you what we found out. Nothing bad, just some odd memories we thought you should know. And one we really don’t, quite understand, but we can look up together. Not about him, it’s got an odd term in it we could research.”

.

“He’s not a good person,” was all she would share on Riddle Jr, hinting heavily that he was behind the murders of her parents. A fact cementing Sirius’ urge to discover what a horcrux was in case it was used as the murder weapon or form of magic to kill the Riddles and Gaunts off for some reason.

Good use of Librarian Pince’s system to get into the Restricted Section was taken. Off the list of recommended books and a good score of others they had gained a few books each and had to choose wisely on what they imagined a Horcrux might be used for. And just when the pair of them sat still looking down at the definition of what that was they could only slam the book shut and go to put it back as if anyone around them would see what a form of dark magic they were reading about.

“We need to go back to the pensieve,” the pair of them muttered together and came to an agreement now requiring some help. The intel on the Slytherin ledgers proved to be of little use aside from his having won some potions contest Alastor confirmed his mother had also competed in.

Distraction was required and while Dumbledore took a usual stroll across the ground several students had been asked to join in on distracting the Headmaster so they could get back into that office. Memories first of the first arrest of Morfin and Marvolo was followed by one of Riddle being found in that orphanage. A distorted talk with Professor Slughorn showed them who might have unknowingly helped to confirm interest in horcruxes was followed by one of his break into the Gaunt home after having framed  Morfin. Then a post graduated Riddle working at the shop mentioned in the paper clipping that fed into a murder for two more heirlooms of Slytherin’s. The final one was a job interview with Dumbledore where he named himself as Lord Voldemort that had the boys scramble away from the pensieve panting in shock.

“This is what the Baron told Jewels.” Sound from Barty on the other side of the office door came to warn them, when his try to ask a difficult question to keep the Headmaster busy failed having the former Professor guide him to this same office to consult his notes on a very intriguing question he himself wanted answered. Together they hurried to put the memories and pensieve back to hurry back our of the tower to find a quieter place to talk this through.

“What do we do now?” Remus broke the air as the pair paced around a dusty empty classroom.

“We have to tell Moody,” Sirius said and the pair turned to face one another recalling their friend was searching out the one leading the war against Muggles by his half Muggle birth name.

“Stop him before he reaches the Owelry. He was writing to other Ministry’s today.” Remus said aloud and turned to sprint with Sirius out of the room and through the castle to all but tackle Alastor off the path to the Owelry and drag him somewhere private for one of the most devastating things he could have learned about this now proven evil paternal cousin to Jewels.

Truth that came all the more poignant as daily newspapers grew grimmer in the increase of snatched people who would just be gone. Just like when the last Muggle aimed war had kicked off subtly or obviously people were taking sides, and parents at home were sending off letters to their children with specific instructions of how their summers were going to go. They didn’t need to say much to Jewels, just that they knew to at least give her some courage that she wasn’t hiding this massive secret alone and she could talk about this to them.

 .

 Half hearted the apology given deliberately in front of a Professor was given a stunning reply. A reply that had Lily gasp at the stray hair pulled from her head Jewels wound around a specific charmed rune shaped pendant the younger sister had made during the last two weeks. Jewels let it fall to her wrist dangling from the woven chain it was on and right away Lily’s body was forced to be thirty feet from her sister, the distance based on the size of the space and would be lesser inside classrooms. A clear non-verbal response that two weeks of being not pretty and embarrassed was not enough to gain forgiveness for what had been said between them.

A charm that had Severus on a mission hours later when he’d heard about it from a tearful Lily.

Underneath a glow of a lamp inside the library studying a new book she had chosen to delve into, Jewels barely had to look up in saying, “If this has anything to do with Lily keep it to yourself Sevy.”

“She’s-,”

He tried to say but was cut off as she stated coldly, “She called me a heartless monster and wished I never came to live with her parents.” Dropping his jaw, “Why don’t you try smooth talking that one after she cried to you. For just once Sevy can you at least pretend you are my friend too? But what does it matter you haven’t said a word to me in two weeks while she’s been tapped by a bit of misfortune.”

“I am your friend.” He replied.

“Then how long did you go without talking to her for what she said to me when we got off the train?” His mouth opened and she sighed.

“Very poignant, bet that cut her deep.” Jewels said and simply went back to reading as he slumped back into his chair.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Jewels.” He murmured.

“Just don’t bother talking to me about her. I have more important things to focus on, the History prompts we got for the essays due in two days for one. Think I found a good angle on the Troll Skirmish of 1493 against the Spanish Elm Wand Dispensary.”

“Since when are we studying about Trolls? Binns said we were due two scrolls on the Halfspum Wars in Calcutta Corner of the Bermuda Triangle.”

“He said we could choose the topic for the final seven scrolls.”

That had his eyes wide, “Since when are we due seven scrolls?!”

“It’s for our back to term grade? Worth half our grade. Might have not been paying attention like the back half of the class snoring throughout. Why I use a self writing quill to write all he says down.” She said showing him her notes that had him race to go and find a book in a topic of his own to get started outlining at least the extra paper he didn’t know was due from the Professor only she, Barty and Remus could keep up with at all. Mainly due to the fact Remus had adopted her system of note taking to let him know what end was up in each class most of the students fell asleep in or ignored the ghost Professor who was pleased to have any students able to keep up and answer questions each day. And Barty often copied Remus’ notes magically to be certain nothing was missed from tries to look over Jewels’ shoulder during class to copy her notes directly.

.

None of the portraits or ghosts would come up with an answer to who had married Morfin either, only worsening Jewels’ dreams. And in a means to bridge the gap between separated sisters Dumbledore had the both of them seated inside his office to listen to how he and his oldest friend were put apart in that last war. Internalizing the familiarity of that charm likened to the blood pact pendant he and Grindelwald once shared.

He didn’t share Jewels knew her birth father’s name, in case she hadn’t shared that with Lily yet, but was absolute in the fact that he was from a horribly cruel paternal Pure-Blood family that in the end severed the relationship between him and his siblings. He tried to help but in the end only made things worse by pushing more on the painful scar between the sisters.

Internally there was that pull to chat about the odd conversation on the way down out of the tower his office sat on top of, but the two remained silent until at the end of the golden staircase and Lily said, “I said I was sorry.”

“For once it’s not about you.” Jewels replied in an aloof tone.

Lily grabbed at her arm, “I said-,”

“WHAT?!” Jewels turned to shout at her now wide eyed sister. “I don’t believe you! I don’t trust you! You don’t get to cry and get to erase what you said! You can’t make it go away! I can’t forget it and you don’t get to dictate when I get over this or if I do! God, I wish Petunia got sent here like she wanted!” The gold and fiery red eyes of her sister burned in Lily’s mind like the words echoing in her ears the huffing Headmaster floors up had heard causing him to wipe a hand over his face in frustration at missing the goal so badly.

Just like she felt, out into the brewing thunder storm Jewels walked to try and cool down, eventually settling down on the arched bridge aimed towards Hogsmeade, seated with legs tucked up to her chest just watching the rain cascade off the roof down into the abyss below to meet the far from visible river.

Closer to her side heavy footfalls moved to where they stopped, on her right Hagrid settled down first onto a knee then sat back to cross his cumbersome legs in front of him. “Take it Albus gave you his Grindelwald speech. Had a rough time when I got hired here. Supposed to be comforting, though didn’t take it as rough as when my dad died.”

Tearfully she sniffled, trying to not show how badly her lips were quivering. “My birth parents are dead,” and his mouth opened wide at the crack in her voice that turned into a whine, “I can’t even find what my mom’s name was. Stupid Wizard records.” Sharply she gasped, “Stupid Wizarding laws, and orphanages,” tears now poured down her cheeks, “I’ve seen her face in my dreams. I just want to know her name! Why I can’t find it?” Her voice broke off and in the press of her forehead to her knees he curled his coat and himself around her trembling sobbing self.

*

“What is wrong with her?” Lily spoke aloud when Hagrid had found her not long after having escorted Jewels back inside when she’d calmed down. The former inside a hall off to the side of a few empty classrooms with windows looking over the lake looking out at the storm not sure where her sister had gone hours prior.

“She’s in mournin’, Lily.” He answered in a kind but firm tone at the obvious.

“Mourning what? She doesn’t get to look like me all the time anymore without me saying something? It’s my face!”

Hagrid poked her in the arm causing the teen to face him fully in his crouch down to say this plainly without following his urge to shout back and break the tantrum right off. “She found out her birth parents have died.”

“They aren’t her family, they didn’t want her!”

“You don’t know that, they were in an accident, Lily.” And her mouth fell open. “The both of you were shown a whole new world, and she found out finally some answers of two inherited conditions she felt ashamed of that are welcome here. On top of that she knows she is adopted and any chance of finding relatives is squandered by poor record keeping. Your sister loves you, she wants you to be there for her, and you hurt her. Losing a parent is nothing but tearin’ yourself into a million different pieces, I know I buried my Dad.”

He said luring tears into Lily’s eyes for the pain in his voice. “She’s a hurt little girl, who needs time to grieve. It is not about your face, or who gets to look like who. She feels a chance to know a whole family in this world is just bein’ kept from her. You need to stop pushing and just let her come round. Jewels is a great girl, so strong, but you can’t balance the world on a broken heart. I know you want your sister to snap right back to have fun and be attached at the hip again, but you have to let other people hurt when need to hurt. One day you are goin’ to feel that pain, everything and everyone has a time on this planet, grief will meet you one day, be kind in the face of it, she is tryin’ to be kind by not pushing on what you two have said to one another.”

“How long do I have to wait?” Lily asked and he let out a breath.

“Until, you wait until.” He said and she huffed. “For now, you’ll be close to late for lunch.”

“Why am I not enough of a sister she had to look for them?” Lily asked softly.

“She has the right to know whose kin she is. No scuff on you as a sister for her to look. You have to know, her search is for her, and you can join in support or dig in and make things worse.”

“Ever since we got here all I have to do is cave in to what she wants,” Lily grumbled.

“Well it must be very empowering for your sister to be the focus then.” He said and her mouth dropped open, “Truly, if you always get your way at home, here she finally gets hers over yours. Feels seen, supported, perhaps while she heals you might try to grow a bit. Not everyone bends to what we want.”

“But she always has.” Lily said and he nodded.

“That was a choice, that can be changed any day any time. Now, food.” He said guiding her to head towards the Great Hall, shaking his head to himself at having to have this talk.

All the same this talk was a great deal more successful than others had hoped and had the elder sister leaving subtle messages of support for her baby sister with mention of patience. Mirrored by actual physical time Severus would spend with Jewels, studying in the least with a bit more knowledge himself on why his friend was hurting so badly right now, and which way to aim topics or time together to be best for her.

The most help however would come with stolen time on her gifted broom the older Ravenclaw students picked up on that had the Quidditch team to hurry and fetch their own brooms to have an impromptu test of another possible future team member. A great show of what could grow in the next year to come, something hopeful instead of the daily harsh news of who had been snatched or what dark headline might be coming up next.

Ch 9

#Hogwarts #Bloody Baron #Sirius Black #Remus Lupin #Jewelia Evans #Minerva McGonagall #Lily Evans #Albus Dumbledore #Rubeus Hagrid #Mourning #Secrets #Horcrux #Marauders Era #Gaunt Family Mystery

[moldeater02]

Slyhtherin Trio raising a Dark Lord

A preview Actually might work on my first fic just because of my dumb rant idea, holy fuck. This is just a prequel, sort of, all Merope POV. I have no idea if I will ever mange more than this, but like I got the inspi, so I might as well post it

It was all her fault. She wasn't carefull enough. She foolishly believed that everything she did, everything they did, would be enough. That with their marriage, their house....their unborn child....

She believed he would stay. Even without the potions.

She was wrong. And now he had left. She was alone once more, with nothing but bottles of amortentia to keep her company.

Merope couldn't stay here. She had no job. No way to pay those stupid muggle bills. No way to buy food. No house elf to take care of their her house.

If she stayed, she would die of hunger.

But if she left? If she had to crawl back to her father's house? If she had to beg for mercy and suffer under his hands again? If she had to endure her brother's "love" that was nothing but torture?

She knew some part of her would die. Or worse. That the small life in her would die too. And she couldn't suffer it either.

But what other choice did she have?

In one world, she would let herself starve. She would steal money and manage to stay alive just enough. So that, during a cold night of December, Tom Marvolo Riddle would be born, and left at Wool's Orphanage. Leaving her son to endure the consequences of all her errors and mistakes.

In another world, she went to her estranged uncle, Ominis.

They had only met a handful of times, once her brother birthday, another time on her own. And he had came alone, refusing to let his partners met their family. Those memories were not clear in her mind, but she remembered his kind misty eyes. She remembered the gentleness of his hand as he placed a gift in her arms. The warmth of his arms as he hugged her. Her uncle was kind. And he always promised to help them if they ever needed something.

In this world, Merope would get to the highlands by floo. And she would find kinds hands reaching to help her.

#hogwart legacy #ominis gaunt #hogwarts au #merope gaunt #tom riddle #marvolo gaunt #merope gaunt is not a good person #but she didn't deserve what happened to her #i wrote this instead of being productive lol

[rosalinewintrell]

I Know You

Hey All and Happy Monday! Here is Part Twelve of Opposites are a Perfect Match. I know I labelled this as the Room of Requirement Chaper but it got to long so it's not... but I think you'll be happy with the goings-on of Rosaline, her friends, and her frenemy (?) Garreth.

Enjoy! And please like, comment, or reblog if you do!

Ominis wrote every day he was gone for a full week, attending only those family rituals necessary to remain polite. He was near invisible in the family manor, his blindness rendering him unworthy of a thought to even throw away. That didn’t stop Marvolo from being a right git though. He didn’t seem up for confronting Ominis physically this visit, but he hadn’t such qualms over tormenting his brother in other ways.

“I’ve taken to locking my wand in my trunk.” he wrote the third day. “Marvolo may find endless amusement watching me bumble around the house, but even I am not worth the effort. Anything to avoid his attention.”

“I’m sorry, Rosaline, but I will need you to take me clothes shopping again. Marvolo has decided to use my shirts for… blood rags. He dumped them on the first version of this letter. I had to scrub my desk for hours before I got the smell out.”

“It’s a good thing I left Victoria in your care. Marvolo’s newest acquisition (a cobra of all things) is rather vicious. I wouldn’t put it past Marvolo to have used her for food if she were here.” 

Rosaline had tried to keep her confrontation with Leander a secret from him, until he was back and they could speak properly at least, but Sebastian must have mentioned it in his own letters, and Ominis’ resulting response was at least as scathing as a Howler. She was glad he hadn’t enchanted it to be, he had the ability and cause to, but he knew about her aversion to such scenes and spared her the anxiety inducing horror.

She was certain to be in for an earful once they were tucked safely in the undercroft, though.

Rosaline truly was a verse to large displays in front of crowds. She often attended parties with her parents when she was young, and her mother had an unfortunate habit of putting her young daughter in the spotlight without much warning. Many times, she was forced to perform impromptu piano concerts, sing along with the hired quartet, demonstrate the week’s newest dance.

Her mother was not a bad person. She was a broken person. Meredith Adelaine Fortuna Ropusé Wintrell was exceedingly proud of her daughter, a fact she shared with any ear that would listen. She wanted the whole of Britain to be just as proud, care just as much, but her own childhood, one much darker, one full of different, deeper traumas had left her twisted.

She thought she was encouraging her daughter, the same way her own mother encouraged her.

It took mother and daughter years and many public panic attacks and anxiety breakdowns to understand each other that way. However, the healing of that rift couldn’t undo years of trauma and explosive reactions to anxiety and Rosaline found herself responding to stress with anger and a hair-trigger defense response.

In the last two months she lost control in public twice. She was sure Ominis thought that punishment enough.

***

She was happy when Ominis did return, arriving alone to pick him up from Hogsmeade Station. His train arrived just after lunch, and while Rosaline had a free period, Sebastian had divination and couldn’t make it. The platform was empty except the two of them and they embraced each other, hard and long, heads bent together. They walked in silence all the way back to the school, hands clasped, and retreated directly to the Undercroft after Ominis stored his trunk and returned Violet’s vivarium to his dorm.

“You have some explaining to do,” Ominis said as they stepped into the wide stone room. Rosaline had forced the boys to conjure a fireplace and a few chairs in the cavernous space, and as they entered a fire roared to life and the two sat close together.

“So do you,” Rosaline responded.

“What- what could I possibly have to explain? I’m not the one running around threatening to hex people!”

“Maybe not,” Rosaline said, studying her nails, “But you are the one running around with a new little Hufflepuff friend without telling me.”

“Wh-what does that have to do with anything?” Ominis was obviously becoming annoyed with her. He enjoyed cyclical banter but not when the conversation involved his friend threatening other students.

Rosaline shrugged she had always refused to drop her body’s natural reaction just because Ominis was blind. It was one of the reasons he liked her, Sebastian, and Anne so much. They simply didn’t over analyze their actions around him. “She was there.”

“She was there?” Ominis’ face had softened, and though his brows were still furrowed, his annoyed expression had grown confused. 

“Mhm.” Rosaline mused, watching him closely. “She stood up for you before even I could.”

“Oh,” he whispered, a little pink flush dusting his cheeks, lips relaxing into an almost smile.

“I’m surprised Sebastian didn’t mention it.”

Ominis shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “He was too ecstatic about Prewett nearly pissing himself in front of half the school. And angry about the way he attacked you with your back turned.”

“He didn’t even get a chance to do anything.” Rosaline reasoned.

“It doesn’t matter.” Ominis argued, “He would have struck you while defenseless. It’s a cowardly thing to do.”

“Well,” Rosaline tried to argue her case, but Ominis had begun and was not keen on stopping until Rosaline heard him.

“You shouldn’t have been in that position anyway!” Ominis was becoming irritated again, wildly fluctuating emotions his response to his own familial issues. “Next time someone says something stupid you’d do well to ignore it.”

“That’s rubbish and you know it.”

Ominis scoffed and folded his arms over his chest, glaring at her, “How is my irritation and concern rubbish?”

“That’s not what I’m saying Ominis.”

“I know!” Ominis shook his head. His hair was now hanging across his forehead the way it did when they were young, and the sight made Rosaline smile despite their argument, “It doesn’t change anything though.”

“You would have done the same if you were in my position, Ominis. Don’t be a hypocrite.” She reached out to smooth his hair back for him, but a few strands still managed to escape what was left of the pomade Ominis used.

Ominis sighed, “I know. But I have done sick things the muggles before. I used an unforgivable on one.” Rosaline cupped his cheek and he leaned into it. “I am just as bad as they are.”

Rosaline clicked her tongue at her friend, “You know how I feel about that.”

“Sorry.”

The clicking of the undercroft gate echoed in the cavernous space and Sebastian quickly stepped in. His steps thudded on the stone floors as he hurried deeper in to see his newly returned friend. “Ominis, Rosaline?” he called.

“Back here!” Ominis replied. He offered Rosaline one more heavy glance before pulling away and leaning against the wingback chair casually.

“Everything okay here?” Sebastian asked as he approached, eyeing the way Rosaline was sat forward and the lightly irritated furrow of her brow. `

“Of course,” Ominis said with a wave of his hand. “Just discussing Rosaline’s poor behavior towards Prewett.”

“You should have seen it, Ominis!” Sebastian said just as chuffed about the whole thing as ever, wide eyes and excited grin. “He was positively petrified!”

“So I’ve heard,” Ominis said dryly.

“Man, what a sight. If only he’d pissed himself.”

“Come now, Sebastian, don’t be so vulgar.” Ominis’ face twisted in disgust at the near wistful expression on Sebastian’s face. Eyes alight with the thought of his rival hobbling out of Central Hall, heavy dark stain snaking down the leg of his pants. It induced a cruel sort of satisfaction to spread in his chest.

“Oh, shut up. You think it’s funny too!”

“Just because something is true doesn’t make it not vulgar.”

“Ha! So, you admit it!”

“I have done no such thing!”

“Wow,” Rosaline interrupted, an expression of abashed amusement son her face, “You guys really started right away.”

Sebastian and Ominis looked at her blankly before irritated scowls pulled at their mouths.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ominis asked, offended by the smallest things now that Sebastian had him worked up.

“Yeah!” Sebastian agreed, just generally irritated.

Rosaline shook her head and rolled her eyes at them. “Never mind,” she stood and dusted off her skirt, “I have detention with Sharp soon, so I’m leaving.” Turning around she grabbed her black and green embroidered blazer and slipped it on before striding out of the Undercroft, the Ominis and Sebastian’s familiar bickering rising behind her.

“Detention?” Ominis cried.

“Yeah! Ridiculous right?” Sebastian scoffed and Ominis growled with frustration.

***

Rosaline hadn’t seen Garreth since their confrontation on Halloween, and though she had been actively avoiding him, it had been a fairly easy thing to do. They didnlt share classes outside potions and they had never sat very close before. She slipped in and out of class with Imelda by her side, the other girl’s intimidating stare and reputation an effective deterrent.

Today however, Garreth caught up with her. She was just turning into the Central Hall, the soothing pining of a lute nearly drowned by the droning buzz of a school day. Rosaline didn’t notice the tap of his shoes on the marble growing louder as he rushed through the crowd towards her, not until his voice rose over the din. He was coming up the stairs against a crowd of students she had been following.

“Rosaline!” His cloak was slung over one of his arms, the other braced against the thick tone railing. He was looking up at her a little, mouth slightly parted, as he breathed heavily. Late afternoon light filtered through the huge windows across the hall, golden light a halo around the mess of curls swept across his head and lit his eyes a near sparkling shade of emerald. His red blazer was unbuttoned, his tie was loose, and the first button of his shirt undone, collar askew.

Rosaline hesitated for a moment, meeting his eyes only briefly before looking away and hurrying her steps as she descended the stairs.

“Rosaline, please,” Garreth whispered as she passed him, his breath on her neck. Heat rose to the tops of her cheeks, but she still didn’t look at him.

“What can I do for you, Garreth?” She replied, voice appropriately polite and even, the tremble in her lungs silenced by a practiced tongue. She saw his face twitch out of the corner of her eye, a thoroughly chastened look crossing his face; her indifference obviously noted.

“Please talk to me,” Garreth pleaded following her down the stairs, hastening his steps to keep up with her as she darted through the crowd.

“I don’t possibly know what we would need to discuss,” She replied coolly.

“You can ignore me Rosaline but don’t dismiss me,” Garreth’s voice had hardened, an irritated edge coating his words. “We’re better friends than that.”

Rosaline scoffed loudly, chest tight and heavy, breaths starting to drag. Her breath was stolen completely as she found herself pulled into the alcove just outside the potions classroom. It was quiet, most potion-related coursework finished for the day. Garreth backed her against the wall, and leaned over her, arms braced where his hands caged her, one on either side of her head. He met her glare with his own, eyes dark and hard where they met hers.

“You can play the cold, aloof witch all you want, Rosaline, but I know you. You care for me, just as I care for you.” Garreth stepped closer to her, hands coming up to cup her cheeks. His fingers spanned the width of them, thumb resting gently by her nose, pinkies curling around her jaw.

“You don’t know anything.” Rosaline hissed, though her heart raced behind her ribs stomach alight with fluttering. His cheeks were red, freckles bright against the flush the spread over his nose, irritation dark in his eyes.

“Try me,” Garreth challenged.

“Fine.” Rosaline agreed.

“I know you like fashion, I know your favorite snack is a berry and crème tart from Honeydukes, I know you love a late-night hot chocolate but only Dossy knows how to make it.” Garreth sighed, a bit of tension melting from him as he pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he smelt the honey-light scent of her shampoo. “I know you love potioneering, but that you’d rather be outside in a garden, I know your favorite color is pink, but you will only wear certain shades. I know your favorite animal is the Jackalope, as random as it is. I know you are unendingly patient and kind, I know your hiding some dark, anxious part of yourself from me but I want to know that too.” Garreth pulled away to look down at her eyes, an endless pool of obsidian meeting sparking jade geodes. Her hands rested on his chest as she met his gaze, silent as her mind reeled.

“I know you, Rosaline Sophia Alexandra Wintrell. But Godric’s heart, I want to know more. Please, let me know you.” Garreth whispered against her skin, his breath warm where it brushed the top of her cheek. He continued to gaze at her with soft, dark eyes and pinned by their weight she only nodded, a shaky sigh escaping her lungs.

Garreth closed his eyes and released a sigh of his own as he pressed closer and kissed her, an expression of relief, a soft promise. Her lips were soft, hesitant where they met his. Then she sighed against his mouth and relaxed lightly against him, deepening their relatively chaste kiss.

Garreth pulled away, eyes darting over Rosaline’s face which was pink, eyes shining and dark. He was about to press in for another when someone cleared their throat loudly.

Both students snapped to attention, straightening and turning to face Professor Sharp where he was standing outside his classroom. He regarded them with a raised eyebrow for a moment before speaking. “Miss Wintrell, I believe you have detention—”

“Detention?” Garreth asked, looking down at Rosaline, though she was looking at her feet, hair obscuring his view of her face.

“Yes, Mr. Weasley, detention—something you will become familiar with if you do not remove yourself from my presence post haste.” Professor Sharp’s tone had grown irritated and he glar4d down at the boy, usually a sight students found intimidating. Garreth, however, continued to watch Rosaline who shook her head at him.

“It’s fine,” She whispered. Garreth opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the professor.

“Mr. Weasley,” Professor Sharp warned. Garreth frowned at the Potions Master but nodded.

“I’ll find you later,” He said to Rosaline before leaving with one last glance. Rosaline nodded after him and turned to face her professor to find him locking the door to the potions lab.

“Now, Miss Wintrell if you would follow me. We’ll be headed to the Astronomy Tower for your detention today.” 

#garreth weasley #hogwarts au #hogwarts legacy #garreth weasley x mc #garreth x mc #garreth x you #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #aesop sharp #garreth x reader #professor sharp

[teddyniffler]

Chapter 17: Part 2

Everything was ready.

The Gaunts and the Notts gathered on the path leading out of the house, looking down at the town below.

“To their traditions, Muggle men go out tonight to encourage the courtship and breeding of their kind. They leave calling cards to say they have been, as they don’t use owls.” Mr Gaunt told the group. “How disgusting. We are not only having sport tonight, but stopping more of them being created. Such a noble work we do on this night.”

Mr Nott laughed.

“Such bizarre customs” He observed.

Ominis stayed quite, he was to remain at the house while his family and the Notts went down below, he couldn’t see the Muggles to capture any, but he had been told he would have an important role, and a warning from Marvolo told him he should do as he was told. What they wanted him to do, he had no idea.

“Ominis, we shall be back soon with tonight’s ‘guests’.” His father told him as they all walked away to the town.

He was alone. The snow was falling all around him, he could feel it landing on him, however due to enchantments around the Gaunt’s house this night the snow felt dry and fluffy. Their home on the top of the hill would be lit up for all to see for miles around, it would look festive but nobody would know of the horror this house held. He had no doubt that a charm would be in place to block the screams and the flames being seen and heard down there in the town. He could almost picture what was happening in his imagination, his father walking boldly through the streets, at the head of the crowd, slowly and purposely walking towards unsuspecting Muggles. The Notts on one side, his mother and Marvolo on the other. All their wands concealed.

No muggle would raise an alarm, they would never see his family coming, they were truly serpents who came, attacked, and left without trace.

Maybe they would be flashes of lights that shone up people’s walls, flashing in the windows. Before the Muggles had time to look through their curtains, they would see nothing in the street below, all the oil lamps would be strangely burned out, unexplainably extinguished. The falling snow would cover any fresh prints of footsteps. Red lights flashing like the colour of strawberries or white lights like what Lumos apparently made.

Then the Muggles would be taken, it would be over so fast, They wouldn’t know what hit them. They would be snatched and taken by the night.

He was so horror fixed by what his own mind was trying to show him he didn’t notice Snakey tapping the skin behind his ears.

‘Friend. Friend’

“Oh sorry, what was it?” He asked in a hiss.

‘Smells and voices’ his snake answered.

Ominis stood up.

Yes, there it was, the faint crunch, crunch, crunch of footsteps in the snow. Then he could hear the sound of something being dragged across the floor, many things.

“We got them! We got them!” Marvolo said, slapping Ominis’ arm. “We got one of their children!” His arms came around Ominis like a distorted hug from behind, followed by Marvolo jumping up and down. He was beyond excited; he couldn’t control himself.

Ominis’ inside turned to ice hearing that.

“How old?” He asked in horror.

“Who cares, young I guess? We got its father too!”

The way they spoke, it was like talking about birds hunted for game.

“Wine?” Mr Gaunt asked Mr Nott and his wife.

“That was some good hunting.” Mrs Nott complimented. “I did enjoy how you levitated that one so the other wouldn’t see. She looked so shocked when her mate just disappeared. The Ministry should make Muggle Hunting legal already.”

“She didn’t even look up, its because they’ve never seen anything levitate before.” Marvolo’s voice popped in.

“I was not expecting a woman and a child to be out tonight, that’s not normally how the Muggles work, but perhaps these are deviants.”

“Oooh, criminal Muggles?” Marvolo laughed. “Ominis, don’t befriend this one, you already have a murderer for a friend.”

“Who was cleared, Marvolo.” Came their father’s voice. “The boy was innocent; my son would not befriend low life who kill their own family.”

Ominis felt faint, he felt like the floor was rotating slightly to the side. He couldn’t see the Muggles but his mind did, it was giving him awful visions.

“Let’s get them on the pyre, then we can serve the food” Mrs Gaunt said “I do hope you are all hungry, we have quite the spread. My husband has ordered the best foods. Wait until you try these foods right from Italy, we have the same people who prep food for the Minister for Magic and our own house elfs are highly trained, they made the cake here.”

Dragging noises and footsteps walking away, Marvolo was making odd noises of excitement as he followed the hunting party with their prizes.

“Marvolo, stop that, it will bite you.” His mother was saying.

“Such a small Muggle though.” Marvolo taunted.

“This one can go in the center with this one.”

“Incarcerous”

“Need more rope there.”

“Thank you.”

“Father, there’s still room! Can we go back and get more?”

“We’ll just do with these.”

He could hear them talking and joking so casual with each other. Ominis could hear them laughing, it was surreal.

“Remove their gags, nobody shall hear them now.” Mr Gaunt said.

Almost at once, the sound of a child crying and a man’s voice pleading for help filled the air, Ominis guessed the others were too stunned to speak.

“– What’s happening? – Please let us go! – Please, don’t, don’t- “

“Can we light it now?” Marvolo asked in glee.

“Ominis, come here.” Mr Gaunt said suddenly. Ominis looked up in shock. He felt their eyes on him like piercings rays. He stepped forward, closer to his father.

“Yes father?” Ominis asked. His heart was racing, his ears straining for the noise of any sound around him.

“You shall light the pyre.” His father said.

It was just like before.

They had brought him out in front of the Muggles they had captured, they were kneeling somewhere in front of him on the floor and a small Ominis was placed before them, a wand placed into his hand. It was his father’s wand. Each Gaunt proved themselves worthy of the Slytherin bloodline by practicing the dark arts from a tender age. He was to torture them, he couldn’t bring himself to make those Muggles scream more, he had been upset at hearing the screams, then his family tortured him until he turned torturer himself.

Now, his father was holding him in front of what he knew was the pyre they had been building. He could hear the cries of the Muggles begging to be freed.

He felt a hand pulling out his wand and felt it being put in his hand, his own wand this time, not his father’s.

“Set it ablaze” His father instructed.

Marvolo’s eyes zeroed in on Ominis, so did his mother’s. They were all watching carefully. This was a test to see if Ominis really was worthy of the Gaunt name.

‘Do it’ Marvolo mouthed frustratedly. If Ominis embarrassed the family in front of the Notts…

Ominis stood frozen on the spot.

He could feel his father holding him, one of his hands moved off Ominis and then Ominis felt it, there was a wand touching the back of his neck. His father was hiding it from the Notts, but Ominis could feel the wand.

“Ominis.” His father warned.

There was a ringing in his ears. He was going to be sick.

His heart raced and the cold night air suddenly felt very hot. He had escaped his family only to deliver himself right back into their hands. They wanted him to kill this time, not hurt, but to kill.

He was not a killer.

“Do it or you know what will happened. One last warning, you won’t get another.” His father muttered.

His hand around his wand was sweating so badly his wand felt wet.

This could not be happening, it couldn’t be happening!

Not again.

He remembered the pain, the hot burning pain ripping through every fiber of his being, it had been more than agony. He never wanted to feel that again, ever.

“Cruc-“ His father started in a whisper so the Notts wouldn’t hear.

“CONFRINGO!” Ominis yelled in pure terror, such was his fear he wasn’t thinking straight and the wrong words came out of his mouth, rather than setting them on fire, he had-

Tears were running down his face as his wand trembled in his hand.

The resulting explosion that followed only made him flinch more, right into his father’s arms.

There was a great heat, his fingers felt burned, he fell into his father then landed on the ground, he curled his legs up and tried to protect himself from the Cruciatus Curse that was surely about to hit him any second.

It never came.

While he lay cowering, he became aware of Marvolo roaring with laughter. It sounded like his brother was also on the floor, his laughing so great he couldn’t stand, then came the sick thud, thud, thud of many wet things hitting the floor, causing Marvolo to scream in mirth.

“Incendio not good enough darling?” Came his mother’s voice, touching his face. “My little boy likes the dramatics.”

The Notts were also laughing, clearly not noticing what had really happened.

“His spell threw him backwards, amazing!”

Ominis raised his head when he felt hands picking him up. Marvolo was left on the ground, it sounded like he was crying and struggling to breath, from all his laughing.

“You blew them up!” He gasped. “That was magnificent! We only wanted a fire, but that explosion! Brother! There’s pieces of Muggle everywhere! They are splatted up the house walls!”

Ominis didn’t need eyes to know what had caused the thudding noises.

‘Eat now?’ Came Mori’s voice

“Yes Mori, and look, Ominis blew your food into small bite sizes” Marvolo chuckled.

Somebody lifted his hands and he felt a wand tapping gently as somebody healed his scorched fingers.

“A little messier than expected.” His father sounded as delighted as his mother. “You did well my son. Ah, he burned his hands dear, but it’s all healed now.”

The fire was blazing hot, the pieces of the Muggles currently not in the flames were strewn around the Gaunt’s normally perfect garden, with Mori feasting freely upon them.

“The food remains untouched” Mr Nott sounded upbeat. “Shame about the bonfire, but I do enjoy pyromantics, you have raised your son well, Gaunt.”

“He is a wonderful gentleman in the making, come Ominis, Marvolo, get some food.”

Ominis was half carried to the food table, handed a plate filled with food.

He sat, horror and shock gripping him. When the Notts were not looking, Marvolo pushed food into his mouth, rubbed the tears from Ominis’ face and pushed down his trembling hands.

None of the Notts suspected anything, nor did they notice Ominis collapsing and Marvolo taking him to bed.

“He’s tired.” Mrs Gaunt said affectionately, when Ominis’ disappearance was noted. “He’s only sixteen, he can’t stay awake as long as Marvolo can, we are very firm about bedtimes until they are off age.”

The night closed with the remaining Gaunt’s and the Notts playing a wonderful trick on the Muggles.

The year 1892 opened to a beautiful red winter sunrise, pinks and oranges filled the sky but it was all flooded out by a low red sun.

Some of the houses still had festive decorations up, but any festive mood was ended abruptly once the screaming started.

The police were summoned by a running man coming in from the streets, all around people were rushing to the police to report another nightmare finding.

It appeared, to the confused policeman, to be multiple victims of exploding houses, possible due to a fire and a build up of gas, such things sadly did happen when homeowners neglected to hire a chimney sweep. However one giant fact broke this theory, no houses had blown up. The policeman, growing more and more concerned by more and more body parts turning up all around town, came to the conclusion it could be the killer known as Jack the Ripper. He had never been caught and he had been quite for a few short months, it could be likely he was now in the north of England rather than London. The police would issue a curfew for women to be home before dark and for his force to patrol the streets, in the meantime, more body parts turned up, including one that sent horror and despair through the town of Little Hangleton. Nobody could explain it, but everybody could see it. Far up on the church roof, too high for any man to climb, was a served head looking down at everybody below.

A few streets away, in the village center, a man with a hat pulled low over his eyes glanced up at the house on the hill in the distance. The gruesome discoveries of that morning were still being found by his group of Aurors, they vanished them and altered the memories of the Muggles in this area. The story they had placed in the none magically community was a Muggle duel had broken out, but the unexplained explosion had all the signs of magic origin. The head Auror kept looking up at the House of Gaunt, he knew exactly what had happened here. This was their work, he just knew it, however he was helpless to act. Even if he were to march his Aurors up the hill right this very second, there was no hard proof the Gaunts did this, just his inking, and that family were very well protected. If he tried to take on the Gaunts, it was more likely the entire Auror office would be forced to disbanded on some cock and bull claim against them.

He sighed and vowed right there, that one day, one day, he would bring that family in.

#ITSOFF17.2

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

A lot of fanon sees Abraxas as Voldemort’s #1 man or close confident. (Probably partially because according to Pottermore he killed Nobby Leach the first Muggleborn Minister of Magic?) Why do you see Abraxas as having nothing to do with Voldemort, unlike the Black family? Why do you see joining Voldemort being Lucius idea, not his dad selling him out?

The post anon is referencing.

Wrong blog, anon. If I paid any attention to fanon or Pottermore I would not be here writing these heretical metas.

That said, it's because the Knights of Walpurgis are utterly ridiculous and make no sense.

Remember that Abraxas and company went to school with Tom Riddle. I don't care how much better in school Tom Riddle before, how smart he was, or intimidating he was.

Tom Riddle enters that school with the last name Riddle, an impoverished, muggle, accent, and not a galleon to his name. He is marked, immediately, as muggleborn.

Tom might insist he's a halfblood, his middle name sounds very wizard like in origin, but this is dismissed. Sure, Marvolo is a very wizard name, but muggles could name their children this. It's "Riddle" that's very damning, as well as the fact that Tom Riddle shares looks with no one (taking mostly after his muggle father).

Tom probably spends the first year of Hogwarts beating the shit out of his dormmates so as to be left alone but I imagine at the best, they tolerate him.

We see that when it comes to leaving Hogwarts, they drop it like it's hot, Tom becomes a store clerk in the world's sketchiest pawn antique shop. And no, I don't think this was Tom's goal in life.

These guys, Abraxas included, are not going to swear their life, loyalty, and money to uppity muggleborn trash Tom Riddle who thought he was so very important in school because Slughorn liked him.

If he goes up to them and says, "Actually, guys, I've made this cool alter ego persona, Voldemort, and I'm him now" they'd laugh in his face and try to throw him in a dumpster (he'd probably then light them on fire but that's beside the point).

As for Tom leveraging his parseltongue to get them, I don't think that happened. Tom Riddle's origins are too much of a mystery to his Death Eaters, they seem to have no idea he isn't a pureblood. More, he would have been caught with the Chamber of Secrets. You tell that many people a secret, in that situation, and one of them would have narked.

And if Tom tried to tell them under unbreakable vow, they'd never do it, because why should they risk their lives just to learn muggleborn Tom Riddle's dirty secret that he's probably making up anyway.

And there's that Tom Riddle would want "Tom Riddle" to completely disappear so Voldemort can become real. If his peers know who Voldemort really is, well, that's just not good is it?

So, that means Voldemort is introduced to Abraxas when he is with everyone else. Now, the Blacks are a very trashy and unhinged family, so this all sounds great to them.

But the Blacks have also presumably lost all their money (they only have a single townhouse left), they disown family members at the drop of a hat, and they seem to gleefully throw all children available into domestic terrorism. They're not rational decision makers.

Given that Lucius is loaded, Abraxas did not do that. We also don't see much of him in canon despite his being alive up until Harry's sixth year. He's very hands off.

To me, that screams of him washing his hands of his idiot son who decided it'd be a great idea to go play domestic terrorist for some asshole who calls himself "Voldemort". As if that's even a name.

Not to mention that, when Lucius joins Voldemort, he hasn't done anything. He's just making these big, grandiose, speeches about how they should violently overthrow the muggle plague in their society. It sounds great, sure, but he hasn't done anything. Unlike Lucius (who in part sells Draco out because he actually has no choice), there's nothing for him to sell Lucius out too. There's just this man who makes speeches and, later, blows up buildings.

Why would Abraxas ever commit the Malfoy line to that? Voldemort can get results first and then Abraxas would shove Lucius at him. Until then, it's Lucius getting whipped up with all the rest of them and Abraxas just dying inside.

Basically, JKR likes to insist that evil gravitates to evil, that of course all the bad pureblood families always supported Tom Riddle from the beginning. I argue that some evil is intelligent and realizes that making yourself a slave for a man with no origins is the height of stupidity.

#harry potter #harry potter meta #harry potter headcanon #abraxas malfoy #lucius malfoy #tom riddle #voldemort #meta #headcanon #opinion

[fortisfiliae]

Promised Part 12 - Tom Riddle x reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

Summary: In this story, Tom didn’t grow up as an orphan, but with his grandfather and uncle. Reader’s sister got very sick and the Gaunts offer their help. But not without asking for something in return.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that I don’t condone any of this in real life. (GIF is not mine)

Warnings: Arranged marriage; it gets a bit sexy, but nothing explicit

Word count: 2.7k

Part 12 - Pillow Talk and Butterbeer

After you had gotten the Foxgloves in Diagon Alley, the only thing you could do for the antidote was to wait. Wait for Nagini to shed and wait for the end of March to arrive, so you could go to the Gaunt manor and look for a flask of Banshee tears. Meanwhile, the cauldron simmered safely in the Come and Go Room. You had to stir it frequently and skim off the foam that built up, so it required a good portion of your time, which was quite worrisome. How would you be able to keep that up when school would start again and you were occupied attending classes? Of course, Tom and you could alternate in doing those tasks, but you didn’t want to bother him with all that constantly. He had to attend to his duties as head boy on top of everything, after all. Well, there had to be a way. It would be manageable somehow. 

Even though Hogwarts was almost empty and there weren’t many people around, you hadn’t felt lonely. Not even a bit. Tom and you had gotten closer over the week. Even closer than before and he still showed no signs of annoyance towards you. Which surprised you. You would have thought that he liked to keep to himself a lot, and wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time with someone else, regardless of who it was. But that suspicion turned out to be untrue. Tom had followed you to tend to the potion every single time you had gone there, even if you hadn’t asked him to. He stuck to you like a magnet, which was strange at first, but once you had figured out that he just seemed to thoroughly enjoy your company, you let him.

When the two of you weren’t in the Come and Go Room, or studied for the upcoming semester, you spent your time in bed a lot. The meaning of ‘enjoying the holidays’ suddenly had a different ring to it. You still had not gotten used to his touch, his scent, his faint whisper in your ear. But if you were honest, you didn’t want to ever get used to it. It was too exciting to get that rush, the way your heart started racing, every time his fingers brushed across your skin. Every time your name fell from his lips and when his eyes lingered on your figure when you lay beneath him. Those smiles, rare and subtle, he graced you with between the sheets. No, you would never get used to that.

And Tom had started to talk more. Granted, still not as much as any other person you knew, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. One rainy day, he even opened up and talked about his family.  You held hands beneath the blanket, one of your legs was sprawled over him and you had just put your head into a comfortable position between Tom’s shoulder and the cushion, when he just began, out of nowhere.

“Do you remember when you asked me about my parents?” he said. “In your room, at Christmas.”

Your head propped up again so that you could look at him. “I do. Why?”

“Well,” he paused and looked back into your eyes, his voice low and plain. “Do you want to know what happened?”

“Of course. Tell me.”

He laid his head onto the pillow and looked up towards the ceiling while he bit the inside of his cheek. 

“My Mother,” he began. “She fell in love with him, Tom Riddle, when she was seventeen. He was a muggle. Filthy and worthless, even though his family was rich. Merlin knows what she saw in him.”

The thought that him being a muggle didn’t define his Father’s worth came to your mind, but it wasn’t your time to speak now. 

“He didn’t love her back,” Tom went on. “At least not as much as she wanted him to, apparently. Morfin, her brother, had just finished his schooling for Potion’s mastery, so she snuck into his chambers one night and stole one of his love potions.”

This story wasn’t going to end well. Most love potions, the ones that weren’t sold in joke shops, which were diluted and only meant to last for a few minutes, were illegal. You had learned about the most dangerous ones during Slughorn’s class in sixth year, so that you were able to detect them. One of them, the most powerful one, had attracted everyone’s attention back then. The potion alone was infatuating, even if one had not consumed it yet. Its scent had drawn in every person in the classroom, as it smelled different to everyone, based on what the person liked. You still remembered that striking feeling of needing to take the potion yourself. Obsession was the best way to describe it. All rationality had left you once Slughorn had lifted the cauldron’s cover. No one seemed in their right mind anymore. The mere thought of being at someone’s mercy, without even knowing it, was frightening.

“Amortentia?” you asked.

Tom nodded and you could feel one of his legs bouncing up and down. His voice still was indifferent, as if he was telling you just another irrelevant story.

“She drugged him with it and didn’t tell her family. They wouldn’t have tolerated a muggle as her husband of course. But they secretly got married and when she was pregnant, she broke the charm, thinking he would love her anyway.”

“And?” you asked, hoping that the answer would be different from what you anticipated.

“He didn’t love her obviously. And he ran from her. Left her. Can’t even blame him.”

“He left her when she was pregnant?”

Tom nodded and your heart sank for him. Even though his father’s actions were understandable to an extent, you couldn’t imagine what it must feel like being so unwanted by one of your parents that they would have left before you were even born.

“What happened to her then?” you asked.

“She died while giving birth to me. At least that’s what Marvolo told me.”

“You don’t think she’s dead?”

“Oh, yes I do. I don’t think she died from giving birth.”

“Do you think he… That Marvolo… Killed her?”

Tom shrugged, still looking up at the ceiling. “Possibly. I could see why he would have done it.”

Everyone who knew Marvolo could probably see him do that. That man was evil, to say the least, and seemed to enjoy it when others suffered. But killing his own daughter was something you hadn’t thought anyone, not even the worst person on earth, was able to do without hesitation. 

Silence had fallen over the room. You could hear Tom breathing, still collected and slow, contrary to yourself. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered for lack of a better word and held his hand tighter.

“It’s alright,” he answered, his voice sounding like he was the one consoling you when it should have been the other way around. “I have no memory of them. It’s not like I miss her.”

Could you miss someone you never really met? Probably not, you thought. But it was definitely possible to know you missed out. 

“And your father?” you asked. “Do you know where he is now?”

Tom let out a sharp breath through his nose as if he was suppressing a laugh. “I don’t think he’s alive either. They never told me, but I assume Marvolo took care of him as well.”

You sighed at his response, turned to lie on your side and rested your head on Tom’s shoulder, your hand leaving his, to hold on to his upper arm. 

There had been so much harm, so much betrayal in his life, even before he could have done something to prevent it. No wonder he behaved the way he did. There had never been hope. He never stood a chance.

“I don’t even know what to say,” you mumbled. “Do you wish it could have been different? If you had gotten to know them.”

“You and your wishful thinking,” he said and you could hear the smile in his tone. “I never thought about it. It wouldn’t change reality. It would just make me mad.”

You nodded as a silent way of approval, your fingertips tracing patterns on the curve of his shoulder.

“I do wonder, however,” Tom said and lifted your chin with his hand, so he could look into your eyes. “What my father felt when she put him under her spell with Amortentia.”

His gaze darted back and forth between your eyes and your lips, his fingers still holding up your chin when you blinked.

“The closest thing to love, I assume,” you answered, a breath stuck in your throat. “The replica of it at least, as hollow as it may be.”

Tom still looked at you with a glare as sharp as a butcher knife. He sucked in a breath, pondering, and parted his lips, about to say something. Before he could though, he leaned closer, pinned you down to the mattress and kissed you, his hand wandering from your chin to your neck.

An owl from Camille arrived on one of the last days of the break. Her letter made you smile as you walked across Tom’s room and read it.

“Camille wants to meet up on Sunday, when she’ll be back,” you told Tom, still skimming across her lines. “They are official now, Ben and her.”

“Alright then,” Tom said absentmindedly, his nose in one of the books from the library.

“She asked for you to come too.”

His head rose in confusion. “Me? Why?”

“I think she wants us to go on a double date,” you chuckled. “To the Three Broomsticks. Sunday at five.”

No matter how sure you were of how much Tom enjoyed your presence, he absolutely wasn’t entertaining the idea of spending time with Ben Hilt. And about that, he was very clear. He had asked you a couple of times if you were sure that Camille meant for him to come and had tried many ways of escaping that date, but alas, you dragged him there.

“Four Butterbeers,” Ben ordered after you had sat down at a table together.

Ben sat opposite to Tom, who was more than obviously annoyed by the fact he even had to be there. You patted his thigh, ordering him to behave, to which Tom eyed you seriously. Camille and you both bit back the smirks on your faces, while Ben tried his best to be friendly.

“So,” he said, looking at Tom and you. “How were the holidays?”

“Mind your own business,” Tom murmured, which luckily no one but you had heard.

“Good,” you spoke over him and pushed your elbow against Tom’s side. “Quiet. Not many people around.”

“Oh, you stayed in school, didn’t you?” Ben asked. “You both?”

Tom didn’t answer and looked back at Ben without a hint of emotion on his face. You nodded and smiled.

“How about you?“ you asked.  „What have you done? Have you met up?” 

“Oh, yes we did,” Camille said. “Ben introduced himself to my parents and then took me to the cinema.”

“Cinema?” Tom and you asked simultaneously. 

You had heard of cinemas before of course. But you had never been. Movies were a muggle invention, and even though it sounded tempting, you had never had a chance to go.

“Yes,” Camille confirmed. “We watched ‘Dead of Night’. That’s what it’s called, right?”

Ben nodded as he swung his arm around Camille’s shoulder. “Horror movies. My favourite.”

“Why would you do that?” Tom asked and took his cup from the server, who had come up with your order. “Go to the cinema. That’s such a muggle thing to do.”

“Oh, you’ve never been, huh?” Ben asked. “None of you have, have you?”

“You should have seen his face when I told him,” Camille laughed. She had, similar to you, grown up in a pureblood family as well.

“And you should’ve seen mine when I went to her house,” Ben added. “I’m still not used to wizard’s homes, you know. They’re so different. I like them.”

Tom stiffened next to you. 

“You’re muggleborn?” he asked, his mouth agape.

“Indeed mate. Didn’t you know?”

“You’re a mu-… muggleborn,” Tom stammered and looked over to Camille. “But you, you’re a pureblood, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Camille said, a baffled smile on her face.

Tom still had a hard time believing what he had just heard. “And you… You two. Even though…”

“Tom,” you whispered, trying to escape both Camille and Ben’s amused looks, and patted him on the thigh again.

“Excuse me,” he cleared his throat and motioned with his hand. “I just. I didn’t know.”

“Well now you do,” Ben shrugged before taking a big sip of his butterbeer. “Best of both worlds, am I right?”

“Right,” you said when Tom didn’t answer.

Changing the subject seemed necessary, but you couldn’t think of anything worth talking about. The only thing you had been doing was tending to the potion, and that was something you would rather keep a secret. 

“The worst thing is that none of you folks have phones at home,” Ben went on.

“Phones?” Tom asked.

“Telephones. You can call other people and talk to them.”

“I wish I had one,” said Camille. “I told my father about it and he thinks it’s a great idea. Maybe we’ll get one of those ‘phones’.”

That was interesting. To talk to someone directly, even if they weren’t there? No apparating, no Floo Network. Muggles might have been weak, but they sure knew how to handle their handicaps.

“Why would you need to do that?” Tom asked. “Talk to someone on the phone.”

“Well, it spares a lot of time. No need for owls or letters. You just pick it up from the hook and speak.”

Tom seemed to think about it for a moment. Then he shook his head. “But owls do the job just fine.”

“Not as quickly,” Ben grinned.

“Well, then I’ll send an urgent owl if I need my message to arrive sooner.”

Ben stifled a laugh and took another drink. “I mean, of course, mate.”

“I think it’s interesting,” you said. “And you only hear the voice of the other person? You can’t see them, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Fascinating,” you mumbled. “What other things do you have that we don’t?”

Ben looked into his cup for a moment and hummed. “Well, muggles invented the train, which we all use to go to school.”

“Oh,” Camille gasped. “Wait until he tells Tom about cars.”

Tom clicked his tongue. “Of course I know about cars.”

“Have you driven one?” Ben asked.

“No. Obviously not.”

“You should one day,” Ben gushed. “My father got a 1943 Bentley recently. Technically I’m not allowed to drive it, because I don’t have a license. But I’ve seen Father drive a lot. So I borrowed the car one night and it was life-changing.”

Tom took a drink and raised one brow. “I’d rather just apparate.”

“Yes, that’s great too. But it doesn’t have the same feeling. It’s really liberating. And much more comfortable than brooms. I could take you all on a ride someday in summer. The car fits four people.” 

“Why?” Tom asked before you could agree.

Ben raised his eyebrows again, a smile still plastered on his face. “For fun?”

“For fun,” Tom repeated and looked at you as if to ask you what Ben was trying to tell him.

“You should do more things just for fun, mate,” Ben chuckled. “Might help against that constant frown.”

Camille and you laughed quietly, both turning your faces away from the boys and you bit your tongue. Tom straightened his posture, his eyes darting across the table, apparently thinking hard.

“We’ll see about that,” he said and raised his glass. “Mate.”  

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

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#tom riddle #tom riddle x reader #tom riddle imagine #tom riddle x you #tom riddle fluff #tom riddle angst #tom riddle fanfiction #tom riddle AU #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfiction #voldemort #voldemort x reader #voldemort x you #voldemort imagine #voldemort fanfiction #hp #hp fanfiction #hp imagine #reader insert #fanfic #fanfiction #harry potter #imagine #imagines #fluff #angst #x reader #slytherin #hufflepuff #gryffindor

[riddlessbasilisk]

Your writing is immaculate when it comes to Tom omg okay I know there’s heaps of these already but “what dating Tom riddle would be like” ? 🥺

👀 I had a bit of fun writing this, hcs are always good for the imagination - most of this goes under the assumption of his nicer adaption, but definitely has a few mentions of our more canon one.

×××××

Dating Tom Riddle would include:

You being the only one allowed to sit with him at the library without asking first.

His eyes swirling with emotions foreign whenever he looked at you.

Him sneaking you out with him on his rounds, even if you aren't in the same house, he'll either wait outside for you or just go in and get you, pick your fancy (he knows how to get into all of the common rooms, he's cool like that).

Him pretty much forcing you to be his project/class partner whenever one is needed

↑ this doesn't actually mean he'll let you help him if you're bad at the subject.

Your relationship is kept quiet, mainly because Tom's admirers wouldn't appreciate you, what that does mean though is that everytime you're alone - whether you're behind a pillar or out past curfew - a lot of touching ensues.

Tom is a very possessive person, perhaps not noticeably, but anybody who flirts with you, or Merlin forbid anyone you flirt with, will end up needing medical attention.

Lestrange and Avery don't like you, but don't say anything because Tom will kill fight them.

Dates in the astronomy tower and forbidden forest, because they are both private wink wonk and easy to make excuses for.

He'll go to you for input for things with no context behind them (he thinks you're smart p much)

It's not all hunky-dory though, you two get into arguments all the time, either about the secretiveness, or just his low empathy, all sorts of stuff.

↑ one of these things is his blood supremacy, which he told you about indirectly a year and a half into your relationship.

3 years in, if you got that far, Tom tells you about his parseltongue and bloodline, and not long after the chamber of secrets,

Yeah, lets just say you got into one hell of an argument after that one, one that made Tom flat out ignore you for months, but you knew his gang were always watching you.

Halfway through your sixth year, you and Tom still haven't spoken and you've agreed to go with Abraxas Malfoy to the upcoming Yule Ball.

Turns out the cold-hearted parseltongue did feel something for you, because later that day you were pushed against a pillar, in front of everyone, and got told in the bluntest voice ever that you were going with him.

Which was funny because Tom had said the year before he found the ball a waste of time.

You could hardly complain, because you swore that while you were slow dancing, you heard him mutter something along the lines of, "oh merlin, i love you"

You never proved that, and you never heard anything like it again.

Not long after, Tom got you into the Slugclub somehow, you were thankful, he was hopeful that you would realise why he wanted you there in the first place.

When you had graduated, Tom had left for a few weeks, something about a diadem and Ravenclaw.

Moving in together, and quickly learning that your partner is scary to sleep with because he is genuinely like a corpse. Sometimes speaking in parseltongue randomly too.

And learning that apparently Tom likes liquorice, which isn't too surprising because it's just as bitter as him but still unexpected.

Noticing that, by the time he was 21 his eyes had sunken and glinted red in the dark, and you couldnt blame stress anymore.

Literally forcing him down to tell you everything.

Yeah, learning your not-so-official-boyfriend has killed multiple people and has been splitting his soul since he was 16 is shocking news indeed.

Learning that 'Riddle's Gang', the same people you had been in a club with, turned into some sort of deranged pureblood organisation makes you shiver.

And learning that you now had to make a choice between what was right, and what was easy, made you cry.

Join him, a supremacy group? Or leave him, hurting yourself?

In the end it didn't matter, if you stayed you died inside and if you left you died literally.

Most people would say leaving despite death was the better option. Both morally correct and a gained upperhand, because the Dark Lord cried for the first time since he was a small child that night.

If the version of you who stayed could've seen that night, they doubted they would've cared. They had also learned among hundreds of other things, that Tom Marvolo Riddle and Lord Voldemort were very different people - because they loved one and they didn't love the other.

Alternate Ending, Tom becomes a DADA teacher like he wanted and you continue to live a life of sleeping next to a corpse who eats liquorice - and you never find out about his tendencies. For the soft ones

#not me getting angsty at the end #tom riddle x you #tom riddle x y/n #tom riddle x reader #tom riddle