𝕮𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖑𝖓𝖎𝖘

ᓚᘏᗢ ♥︎ ੯‧̀͡⬮ノ

[neverenoughmarauders]

The wrong scent

Chapter 16 of Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs had made it to AO3. They've finally got an idea about how they can help Remus: Human-to-animal transfiguration!

Finally, a breakthrough! Werewolves weren't dangerous to anything but humans. Why had they never thought about that before?! This opened a few different pathways they could explore. Yet, James was by no means done questioning Remus.  

'They say the transformations are excruciating.'

It was another half-asked question from his friend.

Remus grimaced. 

'I am sorry, mate.' 

It had to be awful.

'What do they feel like?' 

There was earnest curiosity in James' voice.

Remus hesitated.

'Well,' he began slowly, 'I am not sure how to describe them, really. It's like your skin is on fire... like you're being burned alive...' Remus shivered as if the thought of flames eating up his body made him feel cold, not warm. 'It's not like when we transfigure things in class. The bones shift and bend and... break...' his voice went small. 'It's... yeah... it's...'

James twisted uncomfortably next to Sirius. 

'Blimey,' he muttered again.

James—unlike Sirius (who had never come closer to breaking a bone than his sprained ankle in the Forbidden Forest )—knew what breaking a bone felt like... had done so, more than once. 'I was a total arse,' James had admitted to Sirius once. 'It was half a year after Alex had died. I didn't exactly mean to hurt myself, but I think... I think it was in the back of my mind, y'know, that everyone was always talking about her.'

Sirius, however—unlike James, unlike Peter, unlike, he had previously thought, Remus—knew what curses could feel like. His house was full of cursed objects. That came with risks. And, of course, there was that blasted curse from Snivellus in their first weeks. So he had no trouble imagining the burning sensation Remus described. 

Werewolf transformations were cursed. Most other human-to-animal transformations were painless; there was no reason why this should have been any different. But there didn't need to be a reason. Curses inflicted pain; whether from a bite, an object or a wand. 

James didn't ask any more questions that day. They chatted a little longer, about the Quidditch match, school and the upcoming Easter holiday (though still a whole month away), before James insisted Remus needed to rest. Sirius knew James well enough to suspect his friend had ulterior motives. While Remus looked like he could do with a nap, James was rarely one to notice things like that, for all his ability to remember the smallest details.

James led Peter and Sirius to the library, staying unusually quiet on their walk. 

Once they'd grabbed a table, James disappeared behind some bookshelves and came back with a stack of thick, leatherbound volumes on Transfiguration.

'What's this for?' asked Peter, eyes widening as James placed a heavy book in front of him.

'We're going to have to become experts on Transfiguration,' replied James.

As usual, James exuded energy and action, but this time it was different. This energy was, if anything, charged with fury. 

'Human transfiguration is N.E.W.T level, James,' said Sirius cautiously, looking at the book James had opened.

He knew what James was thinking. If they could transfigure themselves into animals, they could potentially stay with Remus during his transformations.

'I know.' 

James' voice was stubborn. 

'And I don't think we get to human-to-animal transfiguration before Seventh year,' Sirius continued, thinking of the conversations he'd overheard at home.

'I know,' repeated James. 

'We'd better get started, then,' sighed Sirius, realising James was right. 

But it would take years before they'd be anywhere near helping Remus, even if they put in extra work.

[v-a-l]

Hi! I was just thinking about what made Hermione come to the conclusion that Sirius wants to live through them. Now I last read OOTP a month ago, but I can't remember anything from the conversation that suggests that he wants to live through them, he only said that they should know how to defend themselves because of the environment that will come and that is why the DA is a good idea. And even if Hermione was influenced by Molly during the summer what makes her think that the DA is a bad idea after Sirius says it's a good idea? He gave valid reasons why it is a good idea. Hermione is very smart but this scene just felt and she felt ooc here.

I know that sometimes JKR used characters like Hermione and Dumbledore as spokespersons about what she wanted the audience to know that's why we get Hermione saying that but if that's what she wanted us to think, she did a poor job because Sirius actually kind of right and it makes Hermione look biased against Sirius.

Same with Dumbledore in that conversation with Harry after Sirius's death and it sucks. She wanted us to think Sirius saw Kreacher as inferior because of his species but that's not true at all. Now, some scenes with Sirius and Kreacher made me uncomfortable and I am not going to lie about it. But Sirius hated Kreacher because he was a part of his abusive childhood and repeated the same bigoted stuff his family thought and let's not forget Sirius only got violent with him when he called Hermione a slur. So Dumbledore saying that just feels so ooc because usually he is so wise (but once i read a meta about him seeing Sirius as Grindelwald and thinking by that meta it gives us an interesting perspective about this conversation as well).

Sorry this is getting long 😅. Anyways my point is that none of it makes any sense. It is clear that JKR was biased against Sirius and to show that she brought two other characters down (though these moments can be seen as interesting flaws in them)

Have a lovely day! (Sorry about the long ask, I hope it makes sense)

Honestly, while JKR is a brilliant writer, I also find her fairly reactionary in her writing style. Sirius was one of the most popular characters in the story because she wrote him that way, he inadvertently became more popular than a lot of other characters she preferred because again, she WROTE him that way. Perhaps the creation of a character as multi-faceted and dynamic as Sirius is was entirely by accident, as she really seems to double down on the character assassination as the books go by, but regardless, there's little in the way of canonical proof to suggest that Sirius is trying to live a vicarious life through the kids. Especially cause he's the one who seems to understand what they actually need after all they've been through instead of just patronising them.

Sirius is the only one who takes Harry seriously, he is the only one who tries to not just physically be there like the others, but actually also provide emotional support. He's constantly been doing this since he escaped Azkaban, and at this point, both in the case of Harry generally, and the Weasleys specifically when Arthur was injured, he's repeatedly looking after others at his own personal cost. He gets Ron an Owl, almost tells Harry how to beat a dragon (and that's the kind of stuff Sirius Black simply just goes around knowing, how to take down Dragons), gets Harry his firebolt and Hogsmeade slip. Sirius is generally an emotionally intelligent person, and this is after 12 years of forced isolation from civilisation.

The tragedy of Sirius' arc in OOTP is that there's no one around him who can relate to his experiences. This makes it impossible for Sirius to find the kind of empathy and support he needs from the members of the order. By OOTP, Sirius' mental health, whilst constantly deteriorating is also displayed on technicolour before the entire cast. He's not allowed any secrets, his abusive childhood, his unprocessed grief, years of dementor and solitary confinement related trauma, the fact that he lost his entire twenties, his burgeoning alcoholism is all on display and not spared judgement from the self-righteous members of the Order who did not support him at 21 and are not going to support him at 33.

Furthermore, the narrative repeatedly validates him. He insists that Harry should be told the truth, and he's right, he insists that he can do more instead of just being locked up and left alone and he's right, he wants Snape to restart Harry's lessons and he's right, he repeatedly and actively disagrees with Dumbledore's opaque methods and again, he's right. He gives Harry the two way mirror because Harry needs him to be there, and as Godfather, it is Sirius' responsibility to find a safe way to ensure that happens.

Whilst he's not at his best, he's still trying, he's trying so hard to be what everyone needs him to be even when its contrary to his own instincts and emotional needs which are either dismissed entirely by the people around him or mocked with derogatory catchphrases like "fit of the sullens" that its genuinely heartbreaking that despite him going out of his way to help the Order, not only is his devotion not returned it's barely even acknowledged. They never try to acquit him, there's no mission run by the Order to try and recapture Peter or get Sirius a trial or even an opportunity to give a press conference (which, with the political climate in OOTP would actually be a great way to discredit the ministry), Dumbledore pretty much just locked him in and threw away the key, a circumstance not entirely different from the past 12 years of Sirius' unfortunately short life. An acquitted Sirius would mean a discredited justice system and ministry and also a powerful wizard to run missions again, but this prospect is not even brought up let alone addressed. He gets a posthumous consolation through a footnote in the Daily Prophet, like that could compensate for the trauma and the decade he's lost.

I think it's very binary to put people into boxes and go "this person is only these set of traits and that's all they can be." Sirius is more than his grief for the Potters and love for Harry and years of isolation and torture. He's a brilliant detective, one of the order's most powerful duelists, someone who is blatantly not afraid of calling people out, be it Walburga or Crouch or Dumbledore, someone who despite growing up in a cesspit of bigotry and violence fights for people like Lily Potter and Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger. The guy who barely tolerates Kreacher but is distasteful of Crouch's treatment of Winky. Sirius, like most people, comes with facets and is possibly one of JKR's finest creations. Not that she seemed to realise it herself.

Not that that's surprising.

The most interesting thing about Sirius and Dumbledore, and Dumbledore's repeated refusal to trust Sirius is that unlike pretty much everyone else in the order, Sirius knows that Dumbledore and Grindewald used to be friends. Lily wrote it to him and Sirius read it. If Sirius could figure out the GoF plot while being half starved to death and living in a cave, a free healthy Sirius with a very much alive James Potter would probably have put the whole plot together. I wonder how much that influenced their dynamic in OOTP because whilst the others have nothing on Dumbledore, Sirius does. If Sirius can spare Dumbledore his judgement despite knowing the truth, Dumbledore can get over Sirius being a Black.

[mzuul]

1999 - Harry’s Wisdom Teeth removal

[arliedraws]

[civxxx]

[gin-draws]

“Keeping up with the Blacks”

[dufferpuffer]

Can you talk a little about Remus’ intelligence? Recently I’ve felt it’s been severely downplayed in fandom as a response to fanon depicting Sirius as “the dumb one” and Remus as “the smart one” in a wolfstar context. While obviously Sirius is extremely intelligent that doesn’t mean Remus has to be dumb in contrast? I also think they just have different types of intelligence, and I strongly believe that basing their intellect off of their achievements in school is limiting (also people don’t take into account that Remus was sick every month for at least 3 days, even if he was matched perfectly in intelligence with Sirius he’d still be doing worse in school). What’s your take on this my balanced remus lover friend?

I don't think Remus is a 'genius', like James and Sirius might be. But he's a bloody capable wizard - hard-earned, not talent.

The one flashback we get of him as a kid, we see him focusing hard on his OWL's, despite an upcoming Full Moon. He has his own methods for revision - when he asks Sirius if he would help him study, Sirius can't fathom why he should bother. Sirius doesn't need to revise or study - but Remus is good at it.

You're damn right that doesn't mean he is stupid compared to Sirius. There's nothing stupid about forming methods to help himself learn. Sirius and James are natural talents - Remus is a nerd.

By adulthood his work ethic has paid off: He has effortless confidence in his charms and conjuring - doing most of it without incantation. He's kind of a badass: He conjured fire and a non-corporeal Patronus without incantation - while exhausted and in the presence of a dementor. He could duel Lucius Malfoy, battled death eaters in the astronomy tower, dueled while flying and supporting an injured man on his broom - and disarmed multiple people in a row with enough accuracy to catch their wands. (tbf they were children)

Remus is a natural at teaching. First day on the job: he handles a room full of kids like he's been at it for years, even those with difficulties who need extra care and encouragement. He is patient with Harry learning to cast a Patronus, explaining things clearly to him - changing his explanation as Harry's needs change. This shows a deep understanding of both the material he is teaching... and what it is like to learn. Knowing how to struggle, how to adapt, how to learn, the validity of different perspectives - that's good wisdom.

His greatest strength is his Social Intelligence. Witty, astute, cunning, sly, persuasive… Sirius isn't socially inept but he is so honest and blunt he can come across as kicking the door down - rather than Remus' picking the lock and making it seem like a natural innocent behaviour. Does that make sense...? It was the entirety of his role in PoA: A murderer on the loose after Harry's blood - and yet through all the mysterious absences, sketchy evasiveness, superficial closeness with Harry, slightly slap-dash teaching methods and blatant distrust from Snape (who had been proven trustworthy - Harry just thought he was an arse)… Remus Lupin manages to charm his students, getting to know them without any of them knowing anything about him. He has Harry hanging off his every word, despite obvious apprehension to engage with him about his parents or needs. He effortlessly keeps Harry's trust even when he blatantly, skillfully lies in-front of him - and TO him! For his own gain!!! The scene of the Marauders Map is a brazen display of how quickly he can manipulate his way out of a complex situation. Even when he is with a murderer and they all know he will turn into a werewolf soon - he commands emotional focus. Ron is injured, a Murderer is present, they are supposed to be investigating a rat with haste... yet most of the time they are discussing HIM and why HE is 'not so scary, please don't hate me' in a long-winded fashion.

Only Snape seems immune. So he bullies him to shut him up. Without SEEMING like a bully. The kids think he is great, the way he can control the uncontrollable - Snape and Peeves.

Remus slips in and everyone is so taken with him they never notice the lock being picked. Their perception of him is on a tight leash. A magician’s sleight of hand and a silver tongue. Lockheart WISHES he could do this.

Remus is practical and practiced. He has the grit of someone who has fought for his life with both his wand and his tongue. He has lived a life of misdirection, gaslighting and manipulation - always subtle, always present. He reads others better than himself and moves through society with quiet ease, slipping in unnoticed and slipping out just as easily. No wonder he works as a spy.

He’s a top-class wizard - held back only by circumstance. Balancing his core needs, his interests and his health with no support network and poverty…? yeesh. In another life he may have been able to focus his efforts on a passion, rather than on topics that aid his survival in a harsh world.

As he is, though: he’s a formidable duelist and skilled charmer (magically and socially) - a survivalist, both in the wild and within society. An outcast who never seems like one. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

That's my take, as 'balanced remus lover friend' :^) Thanks - I needed to sit down and yap about Remus for a bit, had a shitty month

[pancake-0028]

Andromeda Black

[astracoreiisblog-deactivated202]

sirius wins the idgf game every time omg. Bro does not care. His best friend is in love with someone? "U re not getting the girl with ur personality, James." Peter admiring James. "Peter, u will wet yourself." His other best friend is a werewolf who suffers every full moon. "Damn, I wish it was a full moon." A student starts to ask questions about their secret. "I'm just killing him, whatever."

I just know he made everyone he knows at least cry once, and it wasn’t even on purpose. He's just made like that, and he doesn't even care if u don't tolerate him.

[formerlympp]

a @jilymicrofics follow-up to how (in which James fixes his mess) - so

She was trying very hard not to overthink things.

So what if she’d finally mustered up the courage to ask James out after wishing and hoping for the last two months that he’d do so and was met with… well, nothing in return? So what if he’d made a strangled cry and then dashed down the next corridor with the wave of students heading in that direction? She’d done her best to ignore him slipping into the Charms classroom five minutes late after his little detour away from her. So what, if her stoic exterior was badly hiding the fact that on the inside, her heart was cracking a little bit?

She wasn’t the first girl in history to have unrequited feelings. She wasn’t the first to misread a situation. She wasn’t—

“Lily!”

Lily turned around at the sound of her name on instinct, well before her brain had recognized the voice saying it. James came jogging up to her, his hair a windswept mess as usual, his tie crooked like the glasses sitting on his nose.

“Look, about earlier—I’m… I was—I am a total moron. Yes, I would—I want to go out with you on the next Hogsmeade weekend.”

The flush in her cheeks from embarrassment darkened now in delight. “Oh, all right then. Good.”

“Good.”

“Yes, very good.”

James grinned lopsidedly at her, tugging a hand through his hair. “Right… well… I’ll see you… for our date.”

“And before then. Many times.”

James chuckled, color now rising in his cheeks and she was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss the uneven corners of his mouth. “Of course, yes. Erm… ‘bye.”

She watched him jog back down the hallway toward his friends, who greeted him by enthusiastically clapping him on the back and she chewed her lip to stifle a laugh.

So, it appeared, she hadn’t misread the situation and he did indeed fancy her too. She just forgot about the tiny fact that he was a bit of an idiot sometimes.

[talitasami]

Old but gold Lily Evans portrait!

[green-moonie]

✨

[deleteddeleted3]

Draw Prongsfoot badly challenge 🦦

[nodirectionhome-ao3]

Special shoutout to @nena-96 for the Ides of March memes that inspired me to open this up again today. As a gift to Nena (and also because I really do want to get back to writing this fic when I'm feeling less like a dumpster fire), I put a little something back on AO3 today :)

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[diamondmeadow]

olga_snow on Instagram

[ohyou-pretty-things]

artist : sybillgray 🐾

[slytherinstag]

This will always be my favourite Harry and Sirius moment. The only thing that made Harry accept that Sirius was actually dead was because only death would stop Sirius from being there for Harry.

It just shows how much Harry valued Sirius and most importantly he knew how much Sirius cared for him