#khannas circle

[missnight0wl]

Y7Ch57: The Final “Battle”

*sigh*

Ok, let’s talk about this disaster.

Ah, yes. Because everyone knows that as soon as Dumbledore is not at Hogwarts, the faculty becomes totally incapable of doing anything – including people like Minerva Badass McGonagall or Filius Former-Duelling-Champion Flitwick. Yes, of course.

Funny that you say that, Jae. I’ll actually come back to it a little later.

You know what? No. Rowan would cry at least for a week straight if they knew how fucking stupid everyone is at this point.

All right, that might be my biggest problem with this whole “battle” because… WHY?? Why do we even care whether or not they get to Hogwarts? Minnie alone would kick their asses in under a minute – and quite frankly, I’d love to see it. Just let them through!

WHY THE FUCK DO WE CARE?!

Ok, so it’s never really explained who’s exactly Perry’s target here. Sure, we’re told it’s about an adult Legilimens, and MC deduced that both Dumbledore and Snape are adult Legilmenses. Still, it’s never addressed directly again, and it kinda bothers me. But whatever, I guess. Apparently, we’re supposed to assume that it’s indeed Snape who’s Perry’s target. But like… if there’s anyone at Hogwarts fully capable of defending themselves... IT’S SNAPE. Like… just imagine this encounter.

Perry: Severus Snape? I have a proposition for you that--

Snape: *lazily waves his wand*

Perry: *flies over the Black Lake, slightly smoking because of the impact of Snape’s spell that hit him*

Or…

Perry: Severus Snape? I’m Peregrine Lastname, I’m the father of MC and Jacob. I--

Snape: Sectumsempra!

Perry: AAAAAAAAAA!

Snape: I suffered years because of your two spawns.

Perry: Help! I’m bleeding out!

Snape: Yes, that’s a very accurate description of my suffering.

Seriously, why do we care?! I swear, this fucking “battle” has no stakes whatsoever, and I just don’t understand why it even exists.

Another absurd: why the fuck Verucca wants to kill Peregrine?

Ok, so at least it’s clear that Verucca is indeed a Snyde because apparently, all the Snydes are stupid bitches. If Verucca thought just for a moment, she’d realise that the Ministry focusing on Peregrine meant they’re focusing less on her. And that means she can do whatever she wants more freely. But whatever, I guess.

And here’s another stupidity. If Verucca wants to lead R, all she has to do is to convince other members that Perry is insane and that she’d be better for the whole organisation. Like, it should be super easy after he fucked up with the recent mind control test. And who fucking cares that he ruined R’s name or whatever? Rebel people against Perry, lay low for some time, change the name of the organisation, and enjoy your fucking profit! What would Perry do when left alone??

Because I’m gonna do it myself!

A friendly reminder that Verucca is also Merula’s mother’s sister (according to Y5Ch28) which means it’s quite likely Merula’s parents are cousins – which is not rare among pureblood families, after all :)

I know, it’s really disappointing.

Also, the Circle of Khanna behind us, especially Ben and Corey (and especially if you chose to ban Merula from the Circle a couple of chapters ago):

No, really, it’s just… so pathetic, considering that the vast majority of the Circle never cared about Merula and Merula never cared about them.

I… I’m…

HOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS SO BAD??

Also, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS FIRE?!?!?! How anyone at JC looked at this and was like: “Yeah, that’s good enough”?! I swear we had dragon fire animations before better than this abomination…

Ok, but Ben’s utter disappointment in this scene is the only good thing in this damn chapter. I can even say I actually enjoyed it.

I mean… Yeah, there were 17 of you and 7 of them, so… By the way, I talked more more about the fighting alone in this post.

Ok, but does anyone remember that R is supposed to be an international organisation? Was it simply retconned or are we supposed to believe that an international organisation has like… 14 members? Am I counting it correctly? Perry, 7 idiots he brought with him, Verucca, Merula, Shiratori, Burke, Zenith Xeep, and Rakepick. Right?

I don’t know how it’s possible, but this whole situation gets more and more pathetic the more I think about it.

Also, I mentioned in the post linked above that I felt more threatened by Mrs Norris in Y1. But you know what else had more tension than this damn “battle”? Our very first trip to Knockturn Alley. Remember this?

Now, let’s compare those situations.

Honestly, it’s just so upsetting that this game used to be created by people who actually could create tension for one simple event that doesn’t even matter that much in the great picture, and now we’re getting… THIS. The final “battle” with R had literally no stakes. There was no logic and therefore also no threats. I felt absolutely nothing, and I’m truly baffled remembering how many emotions this story could give me back in Y5.

Unfortunately, it all changed with the extremely stupid end of Y5, and it was getting only worse ever since. It’s like JC’s greatest ambition is making things worse than Y5Ch31 was.

But let’s move on because I’m not done.

MC’s reaction is about as emotional as I felt during this whole chapter. It’s just hilarious, sorry not sorry.

Ok, so at first, I wanted to leave this part because JC clearly doesn’t know what they’re doing anymore. But you know what? I’m gonna rant. Because no, Rowan’s sacrifice was not honoured. And quite frankly, you keep desecrating it by still using it at this point.

Learning the truth was something very important for Rowan. I mean, this is our conversation from the end of Y1:

By the end of Y7, I’m pretty sure we didn’t solve a single mystery of the story. And what’s the worst is that we didn’t solve the mystery of Rowan’s death. Sure, Peregrine told us that Rakepick went rogue or whatever. But it still makes no fucking sense.

First of all, only an idiot would believe in anything Peregrine says. But more importantly, we actually know about things suggesting that Peregrine lies. In the insane route, Rakepick in Azkaban is absolutely terrified of R, so how she’d go rogue if that’s the case? On top of that, we saw in Olivia’s memories that Rakepick talked with someone from R about Duncan brewing his potion. Yet, Peregrine claimed that R didn’t get involved with the Cursed Vaults until Jacob went missing. You know what it means? It means that Perry fucking lied. And if he lied about something this important, why should we believe him about anything else?

Moreover, we still don’t know why Rowan died. Rakepick told us in Azkaban that it wasn’t Rowan who was supposed to die that night. Then who? Ben? Why? Sure, Rakepick herself claimed in the Forest that she wanted to kill MC. And sure, you can say it makes sense if she saw MC as her competition – except it makes no sense! Why? Because it only made things harder for her. And the game even addressed that!

Why would Rakepick make things so much harder for herself just to get rid of her competition? Especially since she should’ve known where the Sunken Vault is because we know that R was there before (thanks to the note from the Weird Sisters TLSQ). But even if she didn’t know… it still would be more reasonable to not draw attention to herself and simply use it to work on getting to the Vault before MC.

You didn’t honour Rowan’s sacrifice. You ignored about 95% of things that ever happened in the game.

#long post #hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm spoilers #hphm mc #hphm jacob #hphm peregrine #hphm r #verucca buckthorn #merula snyde #anti merula #ben copper #patricia rakepick #rowan khanna #circle of khanna #jam city #year 7 #Y7Ch57 #playing hphm #analysis post

[the-al-chemist]

One week…

If I’m remembering your publishing date correctly lol

It was only right that I make a year 6 cover to match the others. Hope you like it! 🧡🌻

Omg.

Omg.

Look what @thatravenpuffwitch did 🥺🥺🥺

Erin, I love this so much! Your edits are so beautiful and I’m so happy and grateful that you decided to make yourself my official cover designer 😍😂 THANK YOU 💛✨🌻

And YES, you got the publication date right! There’s ONE MORE WEEK to go until The Saga Continues… (Godric help us)

#submission #from thatravenpuffwitch #al loves pals #artemis hexley #hogwarts mystery #hphm fic #hphm #the hexley saga #Artemis Hexley and the circle of Khanna #one #more #week

[libellule-ao3]

Life Links

8. Jae Kim / Shadow partners

Summary: Jae Kim and Annie Thorn make a final rescue before the battle.

⚠️Warning: Violence and torture. ⚠️

Chapter index - previous chapter (Jacob Thorn)- next chapter (MC - Annie Thorn)

A/N: I couldn't find any image corresponding to what I wanted. So, I take advantage of this chapter to share one of my headcanon: Jae's patronus.

"Foxes are cunning, resourceful and fiercely intelligent. [...] Foxes are also highly adaptable and can live in many diverse habitats around the world. If deep down you’re channelling the fox, you’ll likely have resilience in spades." (Extract from Wizarding world)

I always thought it fit him like a glove. 😊

Determined, Jae Kim walks through the gloomy forest surrounding Snyde Manor. The hasty departure of wildlife fleeing the human approach echoes in the night, lit by a gibbous moon. The tension of his silent companion is tangible. Annie disapproves of this meeting place. The risk of ambush is too great. This is precisely why no one else could have accompanied him.

After Voldemort’s rise, Jae used his smuggling routes to ex filtrate Muggleborns and other Death Eaters targets, and Annie used her duties to cover them up by leading their pursuers on false leads. Thus, Chiara, their werewolf friend who deserted her pack that had fallen under Greyback’s domination, could take refuge in France. Diego too.

Annie is an Auror. Jae is a smuggler cook. They are not on the same side of the Galleon. Yet, they have always helped each other. He contributed to the success of her missions by providing her with information; she saved him from Azkaban or from his rivals. They are friends, partners, and they have been lovers for a long time. Their relationship has always been one of total trust and non-judgment, and since their teenage years, their respective solitudes have met every time they were single. They can’t love each other, so they gave each other pleasure. It’s better than nothing.

For several months, another woman occupies Jae’s thoughts. Always present to concoct the potions needed for certain negotiations or to repair the side effects of a few dubious transactions, she has supported him in most of his undertakings. Her solar beauty, her gossip and her kindness won over his heart, which Jae had long thought closed to all the other women who were not Annie. Alas! Penny Haywood was brutally torn away from him before he could confess his feelings.

But after weeks of investigation and negotiation, Jae is going to get her out of this Hell. The last evacuation before chaos and war.

Nobody at the meeting point, a clearing with a rune stone. Annie's spirit slips through his mental defences to comfort him, but through her legilimency, he also detects her anxiety.

Suddenly, a veil seems to be torn away to reveal a witch flanked by two people huddled together. Jae stiffens. This is not what they have planned. They are two. The witch pulls her hood over her shoulders and steps aside to expose her prisoners. Penny and… Jacob?

Merula’s vanity feeds on power, and money is an excellent source of it. So, the smuggler throws a well-filled purse at her. She weighs it and with a look allows Penny to join him. He takes her hand in his, trying to convey all the affection that no words can describe. Her chapped lips draw a tired smile, but full of promise. Then Merula unlocks Jacob’s handcuffs and pushes him unceremoniously toward his sister, stunned. He is in an awful state.

“Get him out of here!”

Jacob rushes to Annie, snatches her wand from her hands, and turns it on his jailer.

“Traitor!”

The air becomes electric as the two enemies stare at each other as if the world no longer exists. Jae shudders, fearing the worst, blood pulsing in his ears. He stands in front of Penny and probes the Auror, undecided.

“Go on! What are you waiting for?”

“Merula, don’t provoke him. We’re going to leave nicely and...” says Jae.

“Crucio!” Jacob’s voice has the hardness of a block of ice.

With a blood-curdling howl, Merula falls to her knees under the power of the terrible curse as Annie throws herself on top of her brother to stop this madness.

“Stupefy!” shouts Jae.

The prisoner collapses. Merula pushes Annie away, who wants to help her. “Get out!”

She stands up and walks towards the fainting mage. The witch bursts into a sinister laugh, her amethyst eyes full of painful madness. She curtsies mockingly. “I bow low... Me, I would never have succeeded in using this magic against you!”

With a sneer of bitterness, Merula turns on her heels. “You have fifteen minutes to leave my property!”

Annie pours the essence of dittany to heal Jacob's raw wounds–the rest will wait. Then Jae wakes him with a spell. “Renervate,”

The quartet leaves the premises without a word. First on foot, then by teleporting to the shore where a Portkey awaits them.

“This book will take you to Deauville. Chiara and Diego are waiting for you there,” says Jae to Penny.

Her emaciated face and bleary eyes knot his stomach. She looks so vulnerable in her rags, barely concealed by that cape. He feels like he’s leaving a puppy by the side of the road and hoping it will survive. Doubt and guilt assail him like stakes in the abdomen. Jae Kim never thought he would be torn between the two women in his life.

“And you? What will you do?”

“I’ve got stuff to sort out,” Jacob scolds before disappearing, giving no one time to protest.

As usual, Jae sees Annie break down under her brother’s apparent indifference.

“We’ll fight at Hogwarts,” he says.

Annie places a hand on the smuggler’s shoulder. “Go with her... You’ve done enough,”

“That’s not our plan,”

Annie’s eyes get cloudy. “That’s my plan... Petrificus Totalus!”

“Why?”

The two friends accompany him to the ground, stiff as a board. Annie kisses the corner of his lips. A soft, wet imitation of their first kiss in the Hogwarts kitchens, the one he won after a bet.

Her answer resonates in his mind as she pulls herself together. “You know damn well why,”

Petrified, Jae wants to protest!

“Take care of each other!” orders Annie, placing a Portkey and a bag full of gold in Jae’s immobile arms. “In case of defeat, never come back!”

In tears, Penny briefly hugs the Auror. “Be careful,”

Helplessly, Jae endures the whirlwind of a journey in the arms of the one he loves while his mind focuses on his lifelong partner.

Annie...

#hphm #hphm fic #jae kim #hphm jae #Circle of Khanna #battle of hogwarts #LL fic #harry potter hogwarts mystery #esl writer

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

These so called “friends” of MC’s suck. I swear I lose faith in more and more of them with every new chapter. At least we can see who our true friends are I guess since they still manage to be supportive even with any doubts they might have. Too bad there’s very few of them now. Some of them still support Merula but not MC and that stings ngl. How can they stand with her even after everything but can’t do the same for MC? Fuck them.

Whoa nellie, I got like a dozen different messages expressing similar sentiments to this one, including at least a few that specifically targeted Ismelda and/or Beatrice. And hey, you're not in the wrong for how you're feeling, though I'm not sure I agree.

The main issue here is that The Circle of Khanna is treated as a collective. That's been a problem in how our friends were written for quite some time now. What, every single one of them wants to withdraw at the beginning of Year 7? I don't buy that. Penny, sure. But Tonks? Ben? No way in hell. The group is treated as a singular entity which ignores a lot of the nuance and conflict that would arise from this. I suppose something similar happened with the D.A. in the books, and in general, writing large groups of people can be tricky, but still. This is the reason why The Circle (initially) turns on MC. Because they are the embodiment of honoring Rowan. How could they not? I am glad to see that it was only temporary, though.

At the end of the day, I don't think that it's so much that MC is Peregrine's child so much as it is that MC knew and kept it hidden from The Circle. In general, it's not handled brilliantly, because MC didn't know about Peregrine until just a few chapters ago, and I think they can be forgiven for taking some time to process how they feel about this - but then again, the various members of The Circle may also need time to process it, and let their brains catch up with what it might mean. In particular, Barnaby's reaction was probably frustrating for a lot of folks (though it was no surprise to me, at this point) that he had to work out if MC was bad just because their Dad was. Obviously, of all people, he should know better...but then again, does he truly comprehend his own family as being "bad?" Maybe he does and I'm just being stupid, but I don't know. Trying to figure it out is all.

Ben's reaction was the most upsetting to me, but it's not like it doesn't make sense. The Circle of Khanna began that night in the Forbidden Forest, and it began with him, Merula, and MC. Ben is likely feeling quite isolated right now because of these twists and turns. Merula is one of them, and MC might be as well. True, it's not their fault that their Dad runs R, but why didn't they say so? Can he be truly certain that MC is on his side? Because Merula wasn't. Ben hasn't said anything to this effect (yet) but he is the last founding member of The Circle who remains safe. The others are compromised, no two ways about it. MC now has a conflict of interest, and Merula sure as hell does too. How is Ben supposed to feel about that? How is anyone?

As for Beatrice and her line about how "interesting" things have gotten...yeah, that was bizarre. I can offer no interpretation of it that puts Bea in a good light, so I'll just refer to my classic escape route that I've used before and argue that flavor text isn't necessarily canon. It's not part of the main scene, so therefore I choose to ignore it. That might be a little silly, but it's the best I've got. I've talked about Ismelda in previous posts, but the short answer is that I feel like, given her extensive history with Merula...she's perfectly allowed to feel uncertain about this. If MC can feel uncertain about Peregrine, I think that's only fair.

Speaking of Merula...yeah, it is strange that The Circle is more divided about her than it is about MC. But, if it's any consolation, I think time heals all wounds. The Circle of Khanna was initially confused and horrified to learn about MC's lineage, but they came around and pretty much universally sided with them (except Ben) understanding that none of this was MC's fault. Which is a lot more support than Merula got. She only got 50% of the Circle to let her stay. Not to mention, there are pragmatic reasons to keep her around as well. There's no reason to assume that everyone who voted for Merula automatically forgives her, the way the gang seem to have forgiven MC.

It's just a lot to handle. These characters are young. They've lost so much, and grown up in an atmosphere of uncertainty, never knowing who they can trust. Betrayal has been a huge theme in this game. Ben was suspected from Year 2 to Year 5. Rakepick betrayed everyone in the Portrait Vault. Merula has been a spy since at least Year 6. The question of how shady Jacob may be has been central to the entire story. Not to mention that MC has always been a little ambiguous in their nature. They are and have always been a trickster. It's just how the game is written. For better or for worse, they have a lot in common with Jacob, (who went rogue) as well as Peregrine. (Enough said...) Like, MC has the same quality of talking people into doing things for them. We now know where they get that talent.

The Circle of Khanna learned the truth, and experienced a creeping doubt about Jacob's Sibling. But it didn't take long for (most of) them to shake it off and learn to trust MC again.

#The Circle of Khanna #HPHM Analysis #Ben Copper #Merula Snyde #HPHM Jacob's Sibling #HPHM Peregrine #HPHM Jacob #Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery #HPHM Spoilers #Beatrice Haywood #Ismelda Murk

[electricslytherindog]

Not very sus, MC

#hphm #harry potter #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hp #harry potter hogwarts game #mc #jacob's sibling #circle of khanna #peregrine hphm

[carewyncromwell]

Cedric 🤝 Carewyn

Requested by Anon

Cedric Diggory had heard all sorts of stories about Carewyn Cromwell, prior to meeting her. Just about everyone in his year had plenty to say about the infamous Cursebreaker who had broken the curses on the Vaults endangering Hogwarts, and unlike a lot of the stuff circulated among Carewyn’s year and older when she first arrived, a lot of it was positive. Fred and George Weasley, for instance, were fond of telling the entire class that Carewyn was actually a Weasley, using her ginger hair and their older brother Charlie calling her his twin constantly as proof. Many first years also really looked up to Carewyn as a Prefect, since she -- unlike some other Prefects, who were most focused on following the rules and earning house points -- had a very protective affect and would frequently mentor younger students in dueling so that they could better protect themselves, even if it was technically against school rules. 

Cedric, for his part, was kind of flustered when popular Hufflepuff sixth year Penny Haywood introduced him to Carewyn. Not only was he kind of overwhelmed by the positive attention he’d received so far for his flying and work ethic, but being introduced and talked up to one of the most well-respected older students at school? Yeah, um, Cedric felt simultaneously thrilled and nauseous, spiced with a huge dosage of inferiority complex. Carewyn had such a cool air about her too that it was hard not to be intimidated by her, however much Cedric didn’t have to literally look up to her that much, thanks to his gangly height. 

Fortunately, along with being daring, protective, and intimidating, Carewyn was also incredibly modest. She even offered him some comforting words.

“I know this place can be overwhelming…but at least it seems like you’ve already seen how fun it can be too – how many awesome, talented people you can meet. Just take things at your own pace and do your best, okay?”

Cedric was definitely very encouraged by Carewyn’s kindness. It even encouraged him to -- after gathering up his courage -- approach her for help with his charmwork. He’d heard Carewyn and Ben were the best Charms students in their year, as well as that Carewyn had also occasionally tutored the Weasley twins in advanced charms, and he really wanted to improve his magic in all areas, Charms included. And considering Carewyn also was well-regarded as a duelist, he knew she’d also know a lot about defensive charms in particular. Considering their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Huxley Meyers, largely used his first-year classes as an excuse to bully his youngest students, Cedric knew he wasn’t going to learn much of anything of value from him.

Carewyn asked Cedric to meet her on the Dueling Grounds Saturday morning. When Cedric arrived, Carewyn had him assume his dueling stance, but instead of getting ready to duel herself, she took a position beside him, facing the training dummies set up to the side.

“First things first,” she said in a very business-like voice, “what defensive spells do you know already?”

Cedric flushed. “Well, um...I do know Ebublio, the Bubble Charm -- and Impedimenta, I learned those, watching people at the Dueling Club. And I know the Tickling Charm! Fred Weasley taught me that one...or was it George? I have trouble telling them apart sometimes...anyway, Penny suggested I study Expelliarmus -- she said you used that in a duel, in your first year -- ”

Carewyn smiled. “I did. And I’d say that one’s a very good one to know...most witches and wizards are helpless without their wands. It’s a good way to stop a fight before it gets out of hand.”

Cedric looked down at his own wand hand uncomfortably.

“I have been having a bit of trouble with it,” he admitted. “I think I have the wand movement down, but...well, it’s not working right, for me.”

Carewyn considered this. “Show me your form, on the dummy.”

She inclined her head to the dummy in front of them. Cedric took a deep breath, turned to the dummy, and tried to focus.

“Expelliarmus!”

His spell materialized and even hit the target, but his red spell didn’t disarm the dummy. Carewyn, however, didn’t look disappointed -- instead she was nodding slowly.

“I think I know the problem,” she said. “You’re moving your arm a bit too much.”

She held up her own wand beside him, her focus solely on the dummy as well, so as to demonstrate. 

“The wand movement is a sharp, upside-down, backwards ‘L’ -- you’ve got that right. But your body shouldn’t be moving so much, to create that ‘L.’ You should be locked in place, except for your wrist. Hold your ground, with your body. Pretend you’re physically intimidating your opponent’s wand. Make it run and hide, with just your confidence. Expelliarmus!”

With only a flick of her wrist and seemingly no effort at all, Carewyn successfully knocked the dummy’s wand out of its hand, chucking it a good five feet in the air and across the grounds. Cedric was left staring and smiling in awe as Carewyn quietly summoned the dummy’s wand and reaffixed it to its hand. 

“Your turn,” she said with an encouraging smile. “Stand your ground and make that wand run away.”

Cedric didn’t get it on the first or second try. This discouraged him greatly, not just because he felt like he should be able to do better, but also because he hated messing up in front of someone cool like Carewyn. 

The Cursebreaker, however, being very perfectionistic herself, was incredibly kind in her counseling of Cedric.

“A lot of people don’t pick up these sorts of things right away,” she said patiently. “You’ll get better at it, the more you practice.”

Cedric smiled self-consciously. “I hope so.”

He paused. Then he asked, “Hey, Carewyn...may I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Will you tell me about that duel? The one where you used this spell, in your first year?”

Carewyn raised her eyebrows, a bit surprised. “What would you like to know?”

“Well...it was your first duel, right?” Cedric said awkwardly. “And you were my age, when you did it...so I reckon you had to be breaking some rules, at the time. How did it happen? Why did you duel...well, whoever it was you were dueling?”

Carewyn’s lips curled up in a very slight, almost absent smile as she turned her gaze onto the castle.

“It’s not much of a story to tell,” she said slowly. “Some of my friends and I was getting bullied by one of our classmates and I didn’t know that many spells...so I asked Professor Flitwick to help me defend myself.”

Cedric blinked, taken aback. “You were bullied?”

Carewyn’s red lips spread into a huge, amused grin. “Well, sure. I was ‘that delinquent Jacob Cromwell’s’ little sister. Just about everyone assumed I’d be trouble back then.”

Cedric frowned deeply. “...I guess I have seen people get bullied for worse reasons, but...that’s really rotten, Carewyn. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

Carewyn’s expression softened slightly, clearly approving of the younger boy’s sentiment. 

“It was nothing I couldn’t handle. Regardless...that classmate had attacked one of my friends in the Courtyard for his ancestry -- he was a Muggle-born, see -- so I went over and told that classmate to back off. She attacked me with a Knockback Jinx -- her one trick, at the time -- so I defended myself.”

“It must’ve been a great duel,” presumed Cedric. 

Carewyn gave a light huff. “Hardly. It was over in about ten seconds -- I chucked a potion bottle at her head and then disarmed her.”

Cedric burst into laughter -- so much so that he ended up letting loose a loud snort, after which he hurriedly rushed to stifle his laughter. Carewyn’s expression grew softer again, and Cedric chuckled a bit more self-consciously. 

“...Hold on...” he said, as he considered this. Then his face lit up. “...that’s why Penny told you about me helping Aaron in Charms class -- because of this! You stuck up for people weaker than you, even when you were still my age...”

Carewyn gave a light shrug. “I suppose so. Penny was there that day, in the Courtyard. It’s after that whole thing that she first approached me, and we became friends too.”

Cedric beamed. “That’s awesome...you and Penny being friends, of course, but...well, why you became friends. She saw you protecting your friend...and it made her want to be your friend too.”

Carewyn’s eyes drifted up toward the towers overhead idly. “...I guess you could put it that way.”

Cedric’s brown eyes and smile looked a little more confident than before as he turned to face the training dummies again. 

“Expelliarmus!” he cried, more loudly than before.

With a burst of red light, the dummy’s wand was knocked right out of its hand.

Cedric grinned excitedly, his face looking more boyish than ever. “I did it!”

Carewyn’s face burst into a proud smile too. 

“Well done!” she said, coming over to rest a hand on his shoulder and give it a supportive squeeze. 

Cedric turned to her, still beaming from ear to ear. 

“I pretended that...I was protecting somebody too,” he admitted. “And well...it was easier -- to stand my ground, I mean -- if I just pretended there was somebody behind me. Like my dad, or Aaron -- even someone younger.”

His smile grew so much that it actually made him close his eyes. 

“I think that’s what I want to do with any of these spells, really,” he said as he opened his eyes again. “Protect other people -- not just myself.”

Carewyn’s expression grew warmer, prouder. “I think that’s a very noble dream, Cedric.”

Cedric flushed, clearly both pleased and touched by Carewyn’s approval. 

“...Say, um, Carewyn? Do you think you could...maybe...show me the Stunning Spell? I feel like that one could be really useful...”

Carewyn raised her eyebrows, her red lips curling up in a wryer smile. “Another time, maybe. For now, let’s duel properly, and see if we can work on perfecting the other spells in your arsenal.”

Friendship Drabble Prompt! 

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #friendship drabbles #cedric diggory #carewyn cromwell #penny haywood #fred weasley #george weasley #amos diggory #my writing #yup cedric is kind of starstruck by cursebreaker cromwell XD #but hey mama bear sees an excuse to mama bear! so she does hahaha #carewyn definitely inspires cedric enough to become a prefect #charlie is the person who inspires him in becoming quidditch captain #in the books cedric's described at one point as 'strong and silent' and in the game we see him being a bit awkward #so yeah I actually see this poor kid secretly being a bit self-conscious and people-pleasing #and yet he does end up knowing more spells than the entire rest of his class combined in just his first year XDD #hence why ben taps him for the circle of khanna

[weirdcursedvaultkid]

why wasn’t merula added to our friends list after she accepted the circle of khanna as her true family and went against her aunt and R???? Like wouldn’t that be the perfect moment to add her lmao??

#like her arc is done she can be mcs friend now LOL #LET ME HAVE TEA WITH MERULA AT MCS FLAT #AND DRINK BUTTERBEER!!!! #mella speaks

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Paranoia and confusion is running through conservative circles in Southwestern Ontario as word spreads that Canada’s spy agency is asking questions about India and a local Conservative nomination vote last year. Conservative MP Arpan Khanna has represented Oxford since a byelection last summer, which followed a chaotic nomination battle earlier that year. Khanna is a well-connected former Jason Kenney staffer and also served as Ontario co-chair of Pierre Poilievre’s leadership campaign. Khanna, who tried but failed to win a seat in Brampton in 2019, continues to be a subject of gossip in local Conservative circles, aspersions the Conservative MP has attributed to bitter internal political rivalries and racism.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #ontario #conservative party of canada #CSIS #racism

[hellodanny-hphm]

People say that Merula is JC's favorite, when in reality, they probably don't like her at all. Like, if a character you're writing is your favorite, you would do everything you can to give them a great arc, not using her as the villian for everything.

I completely agree with you. Jam City doesn't love Merula, she uses her.

One thing they succeeded, they created an emblematic character. Merula draws attention and that's why she has so much focus on the script. A lot of people love Merula, a lot of people hate her too, but everyone comes up to talk about her, whether it's well or badly. Jam City loves all the attention Merula gets, so they use her. And the game keeps moving.

You and I, like many here, have already seen that many things could be done for Merula's development to be good. They insert the fear that the character feels, the duality of good and evil, the mysteries that she is involved in, the regret that the character feels for the things she has done, but all in a very superficial way. That's the hallmark of Jam City, they throw out good ideas but don't work on them.

They leave Merula forever on the fence so they can use her as a villain in SQ. And that makes it obvious that many people end up hating Merula unnecessarily.

This game that became a Side Quests game and they always use Merula and Ismelda as villains, as if there weren't other characters to explore, other narratives. And the justification of the early years for me is not an excuse.

That's why sometimes Merula's presence is exhausting and people end up mistaking it as Jam City's favoritism for her. It's not about being a favourite, it's about being an easy-to-use and attention-grabbing instrument!

If Merula had a good development, it would probably be less hated. That's it, who loves, cares, it's not Jam City's case.

Just to finish,

SPOILER OF DATAMINE FUTURE CHAPTERS

I think this redemption they made for her was horrible. Very superficial the way she breaks the vow, it is simply "oh I like Khanna Circle, Khanna Circle is my family" in a poorly crafted way, as Merula somehow betrayed the Circle, even if it was for a plausible reason. Okay, Merula has been helping the Circle, but she also put people in the Circle at risk to save her life and that's why she's suffering, crying. But how did she make that decision? How did she go from seeing herself as a Snyde to taking on a new family? This would need to be better written. It could be deep and dramatic. And I don't think it would be impossible, even with the limits of the chapter text. Jam City has done this before with Merula.

It's another reason why many hate her. Jam City raises redemption but doesn't work redemption 🤡 it's pretty hard.

#harry potter hogwarts mystery #hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm spoilers #merula snyde #hphm merula #merula x mc #merula x jacob's sibling #hogwarts mystery merula #hp hogwarts mystery #hp rpg

[fensherohair]

Shadow of You (Charlie Weasley x GN Reader)

Words: 1.5k Warning: Grief, Mourning, Mentions of Characters death. Note: Based on the Hogwarts Mysteries mobile game

Charlie could remember when he first saw you. You were one of his closest friends in school. Although your brother had left a rather questionable reputation behind, you had slowly proved, although mischievous and a rule-breaker. You did it for a good reason. You had broken so many curses that threatened the students of Hogwarts during your time there. Just as you lost people you loved dearly, he could still remember you arguing with Ben in the courtyard; you had called his reckless behavior stupid and admitted you missed the old him despite him being terrified of nearly enough everything, including his own shadow.

Even now, when the Battle of Hogwarts had ended, he still remembered how the pair of you were at Hogwarts. He could remember the Valentine Howler he had sent you asking you to be his Valentine that year, just as he remembered how you had gone on to save him from the Hungarian Horntail dragon when he had stormed off in a strop at the Dragon Sanctuary. He wouldn’t tell anyone, but he often went there to remember you. You had changed his life in so many ways; some of it he hated you for, but others things he loved you for it.

“I wish you were here (N/N),” quietly muttered Charlie, his red hair tied back in its normal ponytail. His freckles, which you had loved so much, were still firmly on display, even if some of them were covered by the burns that scattered his body. It wasn’t long before he pulled out the letter Bill had sent him. A picture of (Y/N) and himself stood together with bright smiles. To anyone, you were happy; no signs were pointing to the tragedy that was set to take you away. There was nothing to say his life would change forever. His smile only grew upon seeing a picture of the group he had once been a part of. The Circle of Khanna. Each member had come together to find the final cursed vault, break the curse on Hogwarts, and avenge Rowan’s death. In a way, it was your way of handling the loss.

Hey Charlie,

I know with everything that happened during the war and losing Fred. It would have reminded you of (Y/N) and what happened. I know you loved them, even when you don’t want to admit it out loud. Fleur suggested I send something to you that might help you truly come to terms with what happened to (Y/N) and know that they're at peace.

I hope you put the Resurrection Stone to good use. Harry destroyed the Elder Wand and kept the Invincibility Cloak. We figured you would appreciate the stone and that it would be safe with you. I’ve also got some news for you. Our Ron is engaged to Hermione, George is starting to move on again, Fleur is expecting our first child, and Ginny is celebrating securing a place with the Holyhead Harpies. Oh, and would you believe it, Percy finally figured out there is a world outside work.

You’re going to be dragon-crazy, Uncle Charlie. I hope to see you soon, little brother. Mum, Dad, and the rest of the clan, including the extra members, also hope to see you.

Bill.

Charlie reached into the envelope, pulling out a small black stone, holding up to the light coming from the abandoned cave entrance. He wondered if it would work and show him (Y/N). If it did work, how would you appear? He soon closed his blue eyes, focusing on you. Remembering your beauty, your stunning (E/C) eyes, and ever changing hair. Remembering your laugh when you were amused and your determination to find and break the curses. Yet Charlie hadn’t noticed the person standing at the entrance of the abandoned cave. The wizard who had run away years prior in an effort to stop R once and for all. The person whom Charlie had ultimately blamed for his friend's dying. Jacob (Y/L/N).

“What happened to her?” questioned Jacob upon seeing the small tombstone with your name on it. Charlie could only stiffen upon hearing the voice again, he soon turned around to face (Y/N)’s older brother, with so much un-repented hate and anger in his eyes. He had hoped never to see the older wizard again but knew it was inevitable. He knew eventually Jacob would come looking for (Y/N), although he hadn’t expected it to take this long. To Charlie, it was almost like Jacob had suddenly taken notice he hadn’t seen or heard from his sister for years.

“Rakepick and other members of R,” angrily replied Charlie; even now, all these years later, he could remember when Bill had told him you were gone. He could still remember his heart-shattering and as if you had taken a piece of him with you. “She, Merula, and Ben were surrounded by members of R. They were tortured for information about you. They killed all three of them because you never answered the calls for you,” spoke Charlie through gritted teeth. Your mother had allowed him to take you to Romania with him. There, he buried you in the cave where he had first told you he loved you. Every few days, he took fresh flowers to put on your grave. Just as he would take things that he thought you would have liked there, too.

The second Weasley brother soon returned to his little cabin, a sad smile on his lips at seeing how quiet it was. The picture of you on the mantelpiece did little to help his mood. The red head once again took hold of the Resurrection Stone, thinking of you again in the hopes that the stone would allow him to see you again.

“Charlie” spoke a soft voice. The redhead opened his blue eyes in seconds upon hearing your voice. At first he thought he was hearing things, you weren’t anywhere in front of him. “Charlie,” when he heard your voice again, he turned around. There you stood, next to the window overlooking the sanctuary. Upon seeing the dragons flying freely above, a small smile on your pink lips. A small smile come to Charlie’s dry lips to see you there, exactly how he remembered you when he had last seen you. Tears in his eyes to see you again, even when he knew you were just a shadow of who you were in life.

“(Y/N),” uttered Charlie; his smile grew a little bigger to see who stood at your side. There, right next to you, was Fred. It was almost like you were his guardian now, showing him the ropes of the afterlife. Both of you waiting for him to join you and watching over him and the others you loved. “Fred. I missed you both so much,” stuttered the older redhead. He honestly didn’t believe the stone would work but was happy that it proved him wrong. “Nothing is the same without either of you here,” almost sobbed Charlie. His little brother stood next to the one who held his heart, a sight he thought he would never see. It was almost like his family was whole again, seeing the pair of you stand by each other as if you were working on some secret plan to course havoc.

“I promise she’s taking good care of me,” said Fred, a cheeky grin coming to his lips as he looked over to (Y/N). He knew Charlie had been lost for years, since the day you were taken away by R. The entirety of Hogwarts knew of the murders, Dumbledore having announced it as you were technically a hero for breaking all six curses on the school, saving both staff and students alike. Even now, you stood for what a Gryffindor student should be.

“I tried (N/N). I tried to move on without you. To find love again, but I couldn’t do it,” whispered Charlie as you moved over to him. Your (H/C) braided, the braid hanging over your left shoulder. You could see tears in his eyes whenever he remembered finding out what happened to you. “I don’t want to move on (Y/N). Moving forward means I’m leaving you behind. Something I know I won't be able to do. Not when I love you so much. I was going to ask you to marry me when I saw you again,” confessed the redhead. Pulling the chain from underneath his jumper, where a small engagement ring resided. Tears soon appeared in your (E/C) eyes upon realizing why he had been so excited for the next time the pair of you would see each other. A meeting that never got the chance to happen.

“I’ll always be here with you, Charlie,” whispered (Y/N) with sadness in your voice. “I’ll be right behind you when you're with the dragons out there, smiling with you. I never left you, not even for a second. You’re the one who made me laugh when I was down, helped me find my brother when I wanted to understand him, and always held my heart. From the moment you saved me from injury during that Quidditch game. I will always be walking at your side. Even when you don’t see me,” you add, watching as the realization dawned on him. You would always be there with him even in death. You smiled once more before Charlie put the stone on the mantle piece next to the photo of you. The picture makes him smile as you were laughing at something when it was taken.

“I love you, Charlie Dragon Tamer Weasley. Forever,” spoke a whispering voice in the wind. One last time.

Fens Masterlist

#charlie weasley x reader #wizarding world #x reader #reader interactive #reader insert #wizarding world onshot #wizarding world fanfiction #wizarding world fanfic #hogwarts mystery #gender neutral reader #post battle of hogwarts #cross posted on quotev #cross posted on wattpad #cross posted on ao3

[missnight0wl]

Don't you hate how JC is forcing us to believe that Merula is grieving Rowan? No, I'm sorry but Merula the little shit isn't grieving Rowan. She never cared about Rowan. If she truly cared she wouldn't have joined R after her death, she wouldn't try to get the MC to join R after her death, she wouldn't blame MC and Ben for Rowans death lmao. Merula honey, if Rakepick didn't succeed in killing Rowan, you would've succeeded in murdering her with the Devils Snare in year 1🤣. Mc is truly the dumbest character for trusting Merula and letting her be a founding member of the Circle of Khanna, like MC literally disrespected Rowan by having Merula in the circle. For fucks sake she tried to kill her and bullied her during their first year. This is why mc isn't a Hufflepuff, loyal Hufflepuffs wont disrespect Rowan like this. mc isn't a Ravenclaw either they're dumb as a brick it's unbelievable 🤣

Jam city's favoritism towards Merula is just annoying. Like JC don't you dare make Merula mention Rowans name ever again 😔

I mean, to me, it was always pretty clear that Merula pretends her grief to gain our sympathy and use the Circle of Khanna for her own purposes. And to be completely honest, I don’t feel we’re being forced to believe it’s honest. Sure, we are forced to work with Merula and I guess you could argue it’s the same thing – but I don’t think it’s quite the same.

In fact, MC did call her out very shortly before the Circle of Khanna was created, in Y6Ch19:

Of course, the problem is that we let Merula stick around either way. But even that shows that MC doesn’t necessarily believe Merula at any point. See, the thing is that it would actually require some thinking from MC and that’s something MC is incapable of. MC is not just stupid – they’re a terribly written character who just goes along with whatever happens (or rather JC wants to happen) and there’s no reflection to it whatsoever. Again, look at the example above. MC directly questions Merula’s motivation in Y6Ch19. But then, at the very beginning of Y6Ch20, Merula stands by our side when we create the Circle of Khanna. Why? Because that’s what JC and they don’t care about logic. And that’s another level of being problematic, in my opinion.

That being said, I absolutely agree that Merula being a “co-creator” of the Circle of Khanna is an insult to everyone. I’m pretty sure Rowan had lines implying that they feel uncomfortable around Merula even in Y6. It’s not even only that Rowan didn’t like Merula and Merula didn’t like Rowan – most people in the Circle of Khanna don’t like Merula. The only reason she was there at all was that she happened to be with us in the Forest, which is simply ridiculous. Even if she had to be included as a part of a therapy group, she shouldn’t be a co-leader. Hell, I’d rather see Penny in her place because she was at least Rowan’s actual friend – and that says something coming from me because I REALLY dislike Penny.

Still, there’s one more thing about your message I have to correct. See, Merula didn’t join R after Rowan’s death. Yes, that’s what she told us at first:

… and we even had the option to tell her then this:

… which admittedly didn’t change anything, but I think it was a nice touch. Still, it doesn’t really matter anyway, because later we learn about Merula’s Unbreakable Vow – which she allegedly made after Y5.

And the funny thing is that MC even gets upset about it:

The problem is that MC doesn’t mention Rowan’s death this time, and that’s something they absolutely should ask about. They should’ve said:

But why Verucca made you say that you joined after Rowan’s death? It made you look like an even worse person than you are in reality? Why didn’t you say that you joined earlier and couldn’t leave after Rowan’s death because they were manipulating you?

But of course, JC couldn’t have MC ask any of that because we'd have to acknowledge that Merula was working for R when she went with us to the Sunken Vault, and that raises other inconvenient questions. Did she know Rakepick would appear there, for example? And more importantly: did R tell her to do anything in the Vault? As a result, we might’ve learnt about the Crown of Mneme earlier. And to be honest, I don’t really understand why the writers didn’t take that route because we learn about the Crown in the very next chapter anyway. But I suppose they just weren’t able to comprehend so many plotlines.

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm mc #merula snyde #anti merula #rowan khanna #circle of khanna #hphm r #jam city #ask #chiefchildangel

[the-al-chemist]

Artemis Hexley and the Circle of Khanna

(Part 6 of The Hexley Saga)

Eight years after his disappearance, Jacob Hexley has been found and lost once more. Reeling from her brother's second abandonment and her mentor Patricia Rakepick's betrayal, Artemis Hexley prepares to enter her sixth year at Hogwarts.

But Artemis is not the only one still dealing with the aftermath of the events of her fifth year. With her friends struggling, Rakepick on the loose, and one more Cursed Vault yet to find, this might well be Artemis' most challenging year yet...

Chapter 1: The Garden Party

Chapter 2: Homegoing

Chapter 3: Times, They Are A-Changing

Chapter 4: The Lost Boys

Chapter 5: Needing Space

Chapter 6: The Seeker and the Statue

Chapter 7: The Lady by the Lake

Chapter 8: Darkness Falls

Chapter 9: What Comes Next

Chapter 10: A Room at the Inn

Chapter 11: Back to Life

Chapter 12: Alanza Alves

Chapter 13: Lonely Hearts

Chapter 14: Reflection

Chapter 15: The Creature in the Moonlight

Chapter 16: Wolfsbane

Chapter 17: Telling the Truth

Chapter 18: Infinite, Unbroken, Forever

Chapter 19: Lyre, Lyre

Chapter 20: The Sunken Vault

Chapter 21: Amends

Notes and resources about some of the more difficult subject matter is available here.

#artemis hexley #hogwarts mystery #hphm fic #hphm #the hexley saga #Artemis hexley and the circle of Khanna

[libellule-ao3]

Life Links

7. Jacob Thorn / Little Bird

Summary: Jacob is brooding in a cell.

⚠️Warning: captivity, violence, torture mentioned, swear word. ⚠️

Chapter index – previous chapter (Tulip Karasu) – next chapter (Jae Kim)

Locked in the cold, damp basement of a mansion of which he knows every corner, Jacob broods over the dark thoughts of a betrayed man. In the light coming through a window well, he observes the bruises on his skin, and his raw wounds, the result of endless torture. Spells have made the bones in his legs disappear, potions have made them grow back in abominable pain. Water bubbles enveloped his head in a simulated drowning. His body was burned and thrown against the pillars of the interrogation room.

Retaliation for his actions, but also a way to make him hand over his accomplices, to make him confess his objectives, what he knows and the informations he has passed on and to whom…

For whom did Jacob keep silent?

Was it loyalty to Dumbledore, who asked him to infiltrate the Death Eaters to get at the heart of the enemy? He is dead. And so are his only friends.

For Snape, who suggested he eliminate Nagini, Voldemort’s loyal snake, using the Fiendfyre? Jacob dislikes this double agent whose true loyalties he can’t figure out.

To be on the side of good? Jacob has navigated so many murky waters he doesn’t even believe it anymore.

For Annie? His little sister is doing just fine without him and has proven it time and time again.

For his mother? He has long since stopped expecting her to be proud of him.

So for whom? For whom did he keep silent? Whether or not he talks, he’ll end up dead here!

A door creaks and Jacob stands up. Will he be tortured again? His jailer walks up to his cell and watches him silently, entrenched behind her mask. Jacob’s face twists with pain and rage as he recognises the figure of his visitor, his torturer... and the executioner of his heart.

This witch whose stubbornness, pride and cunning he has come to appreciate. She has several labels in Jacob’s eyes: self-proclaimed rival of his sister, discreet accomplice to his infiltration by facilitating his search for information without denouncing him, passionate lover and finally...

“Traitor!”

“I had no choice.”

Jacob signs his contempt with a spit. “Traitor!”

“Why did you target Nagini?” she says, removing the mask concealing her face.

Jacob’s gaze defies irises the intense colour of an amethyst. Why kill Nagini? Because it is the only being in the world that Voldemort seems to have any kind of attachment to, and Snape claims the snake holds a piece of Voldemort’s soul. Therefore, killing the reptile is a condition for the annihilation of You-Know-Who. The wizard would rather die than tell her!

“You'll regret stopping me,” he says, clutching the rusty bars of his cell. “Why did you do that? I thought we were on the same side, Merula. What the fuck has changed?”

The lock mechanism suddenly activates and opens the door of his prison with a sinister creak. Then a pair of handcuffs materialises around his wrists. As soon as he takes his first step outside, Merula tightens the handcuffs.

“Follow me!”

Her voice snaps like a whip. Jacob follows the witch to another dungeon where she asks the prisoner wrapped in a warm cloak, her own, to follow her as well. Despite the dirt and her hunched back, he easily recognises this other prisoner. Penny Haywood. She must be the potionist plucked from her home to concoct countless cauldrons of Wolfbane potion that he has vaguely heard of. She is so weak that their jailer does not even bother to handcuff her.

They walk through tunnels lit by the few torches that light up as they pass, and Merula coldly informs them that all forces have converged on Hogwarts to confront each other.Suspicious, Jacob moves forward with cautious steps. Will they be killed? No, if Voldemort wins, he will still need Penny. Will they be moved somewhere else, where no one is likely to find them?

A shiver ran down his spine. With a shy smile, Penny wraps her arm around his bare shoulders to share the warmth of her cloak. Her kindness touches him all the more because he no longer expects anything from anyone, and for a second, Jacob considers playing the hero for this girl. She’s a good friend of his little sister. That would be at least two people to put flowers on his grave. But then he changes his mind. Who knows what traps are lurking in this labyrinth that Merula moves through so effortlessly?

“Traitor, traitor, traitor,” he mumbles like a mantra.

It is difficult to perceive the distance travelled or their direction in this monotonous environment with no landmarks to rely on. The darkness clouds his senses. Without wanting to, he lets himself be intoxicated by the feminine perfume that warms his skin... and despite himself, his heart.

Love and the desire for revenge tear him apart.

Merula is his little bird... but she’s also a fucking traitor!

#hphm #hphm fic #hphm jacob #Circle of Khanna #battle of hogwarts #LL fic #harry potter hogwarts mystery #esl writer

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

The whole “keep people guessing” thing they’re trying to do with Merula is so annoying though. They’ve done it so often that people are getting tired of it. I hate to say it but even when they did it with Rakepick it wasn’t this level of irritating. I mean at least with her we’re not forced to still care about her and be encouraged to “save” her and bring her to the right side after she did something to wrong us. Unlike Merula, that’s exactly what they’re doing. She’s treated MC appallingly from ever since I can remember yet we’re still forced to call her a “friend” and look out for her, it’s total bs. We give her chance after chance no matter how many times she fucks up and whether players actually want to or not. They’ll probably do it again after ch 38 even though there’s literally no reason why they should. It’s just the same thing over and over again with her, I’m so sick of it.

For better or for worse, I'm gonna say that Merula is the single most important character in the game, apart from MC.

I'm not even talking as a Merula stan right now. The rose colored glasses are off. I'm looking at this critically, and analyzing the narrative, and it's clear to me that Merula is the character who the story revolves around the most, by far.

Jacob is also significant but he kind of stopped mattering much at all after he was rescued from the Portrait Vault. The idea of Jacob was central to the first five years of the story, a guiding light. But as an actual character, he offers nothing to the narrative that MC doesn't already provide at this point. (Apart from answers, but for whatever reason he doesn't want to give answers, and MC has stopped asking.)

All of the Year 1 characters offer significance to the main story, at least to some degree. Well, apart from Penny. (Seriously, if you ignore any and all sidequest content, Penny's actually surprisingly irrelevant to the tale of Hogwarts Mystery.) Rowan, like Jacob, is significant to the plot more in concept than in presence, but this time I think it was intentional. The Circle of Khanna, Rowan's death, was the first time they'd played a major role in the story since Year 2. Not that I'm saying this is a good thing, but a significant part of Rowan's death was how it furthered Ben's character arc. Ben is probably the second most important character after Merula - there's a reason the two of them, alongside MC, were the Circle's founders.

But Merula. Oh god.

She's established in the first two chapters. She's been a constant presence ever since, a thorn in MC's side. She literally has her own track in the OST. (Though it's shockingly underused.) The only other character who does is Jacob. (And his theme is dreadfully overused, to the point where it's just a general "emotional moment" theme now...) I think Merula, and her character, were always significant to the story the writers wanted to tell. And, yes, part of that story is showing us her human side.

Honestly, I know I compare Merula to Draco a lot these days, but it's not like there isn't reason to. The further we get into the story, the more I feel like Merula's character is almost written as a response to his, and/or a kind of wish fulfillment for everyone who was rooting for him to be redeemed. (Merula canonically has a hawthorn wand, same as Draco, which is noted for choosing people going through "turmoil" and "inner conflict.") Because I do expect Merula to be redeemed. Yes, even now, I'd argue that the signs are pointing in that direction more than ever. Which is also a good thing for a number of reasons, but among them is this: Merula as just a straight up one-note antagonist would get pretty boring after a while. Draco, as a one-note bully, had already gotten stale by OOTP, until HBP fleshed him out. Showing us another side of Merula is a good way to develop her as a character significant to the story.

The thing is, there's no way to show us another side of Merula if the heroes aren't willing to listen. As a result, MC and the Circle simply have to listen. This can be frustrating when the characters arguably have no reason to hear her out, and plenty of reason not to...but I think the writers are banking on the idea that after everything MC has been through with Merula, it's not unreasonable that they might have developed some amount of fondness for her, or pity, if nothing else. Even if it's just pity, just MC being a good person - I realize how irritating this is for people who are sick of her, but, again, something else I've said before is that Jacob's Sibling is not ours. We get to decide a lot of what is true about them, personalize them, but at the end of the day their lines and reactions are still pre-written by Jam City. I think it's clear that Year 5, and especially "About Merula" were meant to signal a change in how MC sees her. The player might not agree. But unfortunately, I think we all just have to go with it.

#Merula Snyde #HPHM Analysis #Fandom Analysis #Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery #The Circle of Khanna #HPHM Spoilers

[electricslytherindog]

MC: Professor Green maybe connected to R. She might be even work for then.

Everyone: What make you think so?

MC: Her friendship with my brother.

#hphm #harry potter #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hp #harry potter hogwarts game #mc #jacob's sibling #circle of khanna #jacob hphm #olivia green

[carewyncromwell]

Duncan 🤝 Carewyn

After the death of Rowan Khanna, quite a few members of the sixth-year class rallied around her best friend, Carewyn Cromwell, in the pursuit of some justice for their fallen classmate. This led to the creation of the Circle of Khanna, the purpose of which was solely to avenge Rowan by bringing her murderer, Patricia Rakepick, to justice and stop the criminal syndicate Rakepick was a part of, R, from causing any more harm to anyone else. Before long this organization also gained members outside of Rowan's class -- the already-graduated Bill Weasley was one of the group's founding members and arguably its second-in-command after Carewyn, of course, but the group also gained much younger students such as Penny's second year sister Beatrice Haywood, Bill and Charlie's first-year twin brothers Fred and George Weasley, and first-year Hufflepuff magical prodigy Cedric Diggory.

The Circle's most unusual member, however, was the ghost who most commonly occupied the Prefect's Bathroom on the fifth floor -- Duncan Ashe.

In life, Duncan had been friends with Carewyn's older brother, Jacob. When she first met him, Duncan acted very hostile toward the mere mention of Jacob, to the point that she wondered how they ever could've been friends, but over time, as she got to know him better, Carewyn came to see that a lot of Duncan's harsh words toward Jacob were a defense mechanism more than anything, and that he'd truly been very fond of Jacob, even if he had a hard time expressing it. Duncan would even sing with Carewyn sometimes, not just songs she liked, but ones Jacob liked too! And once Jacob was freed from the Portrait Vault and he finally got the opportunity to see Duncan again, even just as a ghost, all remnants of the bitter attitude Carewyn encountered when she first met Duncan had seemingly dissipated. There were even days when Duncan acted legitimately cheerful -- like when he decided to "check in" on Carewyn by poking his head through her Potions textbook while she was studying in the empty Slytherin commonroom.

"You're up well past your curfew, young lady," Duncan's head smirked mischievously at her through the book.

When Carewyn subconsciously dropped it, Duncan laughed, swirling as a translucent shade up into the air over her even as she glared up at him.

"Duncan!" she scolded, clutching her heart. "That's not funny! You scared me half to death!"

Duncan's smirk only broadened as he crossed his arms over his transparent, robed chest. "Hey, it's not my fault you were way too focused on what you were doing to notice your surroundings. Honestly -- you and Jacob really are two of a pair..."

"I was focused because I have a test next week," Carewyn said coolly, leaning over to pick up her book. "I doubt whatever Jacob was focused on was test answers."

Duncan gave a short, bark-like laugh. "Ha! Of course not! More likely he was obsessively comparing illustrations of various dragon breeds, trying to assess the aerodynamics of their respective wing-spans or some nonsense..."

Even while saying this, something oddly fond flickered through Duncan's eyes. It made Carewyn smile a bit more sincerely despite herself.

"Probably..."

Duncan cocked his eyebrows at her expression, and Carewyn had to cover her mouth with her hand to hold in a giggle.

"Sorry, it's just -- when you used to talk about my brother before, it always sounded like you hated him. Even if I know you didn't, really. But now...well, I can't read your emotions as well, with you being a ghost...but I still feel like you're not holding back as much. Like you're being more honest than before."

Carewyn smiled encouragingly at him.

"It's really cool to hear. And to hear about Jacob from you too...I can tell you were really close."

Duncan was so taken aback by this that he actually seemed to flush, his transparent cheeks darkening with gray. He looked away quickly, flustered.

"Oh, don't cod me! I'm not acting in any particular way all of a sudden -- just...just not quite so mad at him anymore, now that we've talked everything out..."

Carewyn smiled a bit more wryly. "I'm glad you did that too. Jacob's never been good with people -- I reckon he was only going to know how you felt when you were finally honest with him -- "

"Oh, eff off, will you?" grumbled Duncan halfheartedly, flushing more gray than ever.

Rather than teasing Duncan further, Carewyn smiled a bit more kindly again.

"I'm serious, Duncan," she said. "I'm glad you and Jacob talked things out. And I'm glad you're happier...after everything you've been through, you deserve it."

Her eyes softened.

"...I'm happy my brother had someone like you. That he still does."

Duncan looked up at Carewyn, that gray flush still clinging to his cheeks. There was something almost unsure about his expression, before it broke into something a little more grounded: a smile touched with a cynical edge.

"...Hm...well, it's not like I could just let your brother throw himself back into danger without any back-up, could I? Or you, for that matter -- you're such a self-sacrificing little thing, I reckon you'd push Jacob right out of the way and chuck yourself in front of the Knight Bus itself, if it came to it -- "

"Shove off," said Carewyn, and Duncan cackled.

"Now then," said the ghost, and he became a bit more serious as he floated down as if to "sit" on the chair closest to her, pretending to prop his arms up on the back of the chair, "what you and Jae Kim were talking about the other day, about infiltrating one of R's meetings. I did some 'investigation' of my own, and I think your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor might have an allegiance you'll want to know about."

Carewyn raised her eyebrows. "Professor Meyers?"

"Yeah. Turns out that old Huxley thought being a professor at such an illustrious school would have a higher salary. Upon discovering, no, in fact, it doesn't, I reckon it was easy for R to sucker him in with the promise of a little extra scratch on the side, in exchange for information. I caught him using the Floo Network talking to someone who sounded suspiciously like that one R dosser who ordered Jacob come to Knockturn Alley, right before I died...asking how long he'd have to wait for his deposit, in exchange for intel on Dumbledore's most recent outing."

Carewyn's eyes flashed with righteous anger. "So that's how R has been able to keep such close watch on us."

"At least partially," agreed Duncan. "Remember, you've only had this bloke for a year...and probably will have him no more than that, if that myth about the Dark Arts job being cursed is true..."

Carewyn crossed her arms. "Well then, we'll definitely have to keep a close eye on Meyers in the future, so that he doesn't overhear anything he shouldn't..."

Her eyes then lit up with a bit of mischief.

"...Duncan, does Meyers have any inkling that we're onto him?"

"Nope," said Duncan with a smug smirk. "He knows who's your friend and who isn't, of course -- but I don't think he has any clue that you all have been investigating R. I'd hazard a guess that that thick plonker has no idea the Circle of Khanna even exists."

Carewyn's mouth spread into just as broad of a smirk as Duncan's.

"Then maybe we can use R's mole to help us get some information on them, as well," she said decisively. "Do you think you could keep an ear out, in case he has any more interesting 'fireside chats?'"

Duncan's smirk betrayed white teeth. "Hm, I'm sure I could. It's not like I have any classes to occupy my time. And hell -- what's the use of being able to float through walls and doors and not having to answer to the law or any of the Hogwarts teachers if you don't take advantage of it?"

Friendship Drabble Prompt!

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #friendship drabbles #my writing #duncan ashe #carewyn cromwell #jacob cromwell #duncan my precious ghost boy I love you!! <33 #and so does carewyn you are her unofficial brother-in-law and that's that :3 #but yeah seriously why wasn't duncan more involved with the circle of khanna?? he'd be like the PERFECT spy #also he has motive to take those R creeps down they were responsible for his death :I