Harry Potter Meta / Conspiracy Theorist

Musings and Meta, both rebloged and from me, an insane Harry Potter addict. Feel free to message me with your ideas or questions. :)

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Is Harry a good liar?

I think he's a pretty good liar. Yes, of course, there was the Vernon Dudley incident, but the problem there wasn't that he couldn't lie; he just came up with a bad one. But when he comes up with a good lie, his acting can back it up.

I mentioned it a bit here, I believe, but let's review a few times Harry lies really well:

“Should call Filch, I should, if something’s a-creeping around unseen.” Harry had a sudden idea. “Peeves,” he said, in a hoarse whisper, “the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.” Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

(PS, Ch16)

“Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?” It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines. “We were — we were —” Ron stammered. “We were going to — to go and see —” “Hermione,” said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him. “We haven’t seen her for ages, Professor,” Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron’s foot, “and we thought we’d sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry —” Professor McGonagall was still staring at him, and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to explode, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely croaky voice. “Of course,” she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye. “Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been . . . I quite understand.

(CoS, Ch16)

both Filch and McGonagall fall for his lies pretty easily.

Harry's lying is that he comes up with a lie quickly (sometimes badly) and then he sticks to it with full confidence. Like, he chooses a lie and sticks to it like it's no one's business, which is what makes him a good liar when he has a good lie.

Even when his lies are bad, he comes up with them super quickly:

“This is the copy of Advanced Potion-Making that you purchased from Flourish and Blotts?” “Yes,” said Harry firmly. “Then why,” asked Snape, “does it have the name ‘Roonil Waz- lib’ written inside the front cover?” Harry’s heart missed a beat. “That’s my nickname,” he said. “Your nickname,” repeated Snape. “Yeah . . . that’s what my friends call me,” said Harry. “I understand what a nickname is,” said Snape.

(HBP, Ch24)

And he's a quicker and more believable liar than Ron and Hermione:

“what happened to you?” “Stung.” Harry muttered. “Been Stung.” “Yeah, looks like it.” said a second voice. “What’s your name?” snarled Greyback. “Dudley.” said Harry. “And your first name?” “I—Vernon. Vernon Dudley.” “Check the list, Scabior.” said Greyback, and Harry head him move sideways to look down at Ron, instead. “And what about you, ginger?” “Stan Shunpike.” said Ron. “Like ’ell you are.” said the man called Scabior. “We know Stan Shunpike, ’e’s put a bit of work our way.” There was another thud. “I’b Bardy,” said Ron, and Harry could tell that his mouth was full of blood. “Bardy Weasley.” “A Weasley?” rasped Greyback. “So you’re related to blood traitors even if you’re not a Mudblood. And lastly, your pretty little friend . . . ” The relish in his voice made Harry’s flesh crawl. “Easy, Greyback.” said Scabior over the jeering of the others. ”Oh, I’m not going to bite just yet. We’ll see if she’s a bit quicker at remembering her name than Barny. Who are you, girly? “Penelope Clearwater.” said Hermione. She sounded terrified, but convincing. “What’s your blood status?” “Half-Blood.” said Hermione.

(DH, Ch23)

Hermione sounds terrified, Ron comes up with his answears too slowly and gets the snatchers suspicious, and Harry, even if he comes up with a shit name, says this shit name with full confidence, calm, and convection.

And that confidence is the key to a good lie.

Harry knows how to speak calmly under pressure. We see it with Umbridge too:

“Where is Albus Dumbledore?” “No idea,” said Harry promptly. “Drink up, drink up,” she said, still smiling. [...] “Very well,” said Umbridge, looking displeased. “In that case, you will kindly tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black.” [...] “I don’t know,” he said a little too quickly. [...] Where is Sirius Black?” “No idea,” said Harry loudly. “Haven’t got a clue.” They stared at each other so long that Harry felt his eyes watering. Then she stood up. “Very well, Potter, I will take your word for it this time, but be warned...

(OotP, Ch28)

He is calm and says his line with enough conviction and quickly enough with his answers that Umbridge believes he was saying the truth under Veritaserum no less.

So, yeah, I'd say Harry is good at the act of lying, though, coming up with lies is... well... it depends on the situation and how stressed he is and able to come up with something convincing — but his problem is usually the content of the lies, not the acting.

[maxdibert]

Top 10 worst HP characters? Not necessarily by personal preference but by their actions and morality; 10 being evil but a little and 1 being the true absolute worst

The list below has nothing to do with my personal preference for the characters, nor with my morality or ethics. Of course, when going to trial or evaluating each case, we could move the characters up or down the list, or even acquit them (in Severus’s case, for example, it would be a complicated but winnable trial). However, this is not the point of discussion. Instead, I have based the rankings purely on the charges that would be brought against each character and the legal severity of those charges in a purely exponential manner.

There are, of course, more characters, but I chose some of the more obvious ones and created this list. I insist that in these matters, one must always consider the cases and their circumstances. Additionally, I did not rank them from “most or least bad people” in an ethical sense. Instead, I opted for “most to least unlawful actions under the law,” which is quite different. Here we go:

1. Lord Voldemort (Tom Riddle)

• Aggravated Homicide

• Conspiracy and Financing of Terrorism

• Torture and Inhumane Treatment

• Incitement of Hatred and Systematic Discrimination

2. Bellatrix Lestrange

• Aggravated Homicide

• Systematic Torture

• Active Participation in Terrorist Activities

3. Fenrir Greyback

• Assaults with Intent to Kill and Causing Serious Bodily Harm

• Aggravated Assault with the Risk of Spreading Harm

Terrorist Conspiracy

4. Barty Crouch Jr.

• Premeditated Homicide

• Kidnapping and Identity Theft

• Terrorist Conspiracy

5. Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail)

• Treason and Conspiratorial Homicide

• Reckless Homicide

• Terrorist Conspiracy

6. Dolores Umbridge

• Abuse of Authority and Institutional Torture

Child abuse

• Incitement of Discrimination and Racial Harassment

7. Lucius Malfoy

• Incitement of Hatred and Promotion of Discrimination

• Obstruction of Justice and Complicity in Terrorist Activities

• Corruption and Abuse of Power

8. Severus Snape

• Illicit Association with a Terrorist Organization

• Homicide under Controversial Circumstances (for Dumbledore’s even if he asked for it)

9. Sirius Black

• Attempted Homicide

• Aggravated Assault

• Offense Against Public Order

10. James Potter

• Harassment, Bullying, and Minor Physical Assault

• Offense Against Public Order

• Exhibitionism and Indecent Exposure

[keepmycandleburning]

I've thought a lot about Voldemort's speaking style in order to write dialogue for him. First of all, he typically speaks formally without using contractions. You can see this in the majority of his dialogue. But sometimes when he's teasing someone or joking (the next few examples too), he does use contractions:

Or when he's copying someone:

At the DE meeting in DH ch 1, Voldemort only uses one contraction the entire time, when he's saying this to Bellatrix:

In the graveyard, he seems to be putting on quite the dramatic performance. He has a speaking quirk where he repeatedly asks (mostly rhetorical) questions in a certain style, with a structure of 'is it not?' 'did you not?' 'will you not?' Typically with a name right after: did you not, Wormtail? He's doing this over and over and over in the graveyard scene:

It's so recognizable and so characteristic that I love to make my Voldemort speak this way. It's so him. And it's a fascinating thing because of how affirmation-seeking it is. He doesn't just make his statements, he has to actively draw the other person into it with this provocative questioning where he's almost daring them to disagree with him. Interestingly, in the rest of the series I think he only uses this structure once, to Bellatrix in ch 1 of DH.

Voldemort uses people's names very frequently when he's addressing them. This mirrors how the majority of the Death Eaters use a formal title for Voldemort every single time (or very close) they speak to him. See how frequently he uses Lucius's name here:

The only thing Voldemort ever (in the canon era obv) calls Peter Pettigrew is Wormtail. Voldemort calls most DEs by their last names: Yaxley, Avery, Rookwood, Rowle, Dolohov, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott; and some by their first names: Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Severus. He is also on consistent first name terms (I mean... not reciprocally) with Bellatrix (and even nickname terms with 'Bella,' something she's only otherwise called by her sister, her brother in law, and her family house-elf), which notably remains consistent even in Voldemort's internal monologue that calls Lucius 'Lucius Malfoy' when the cup is stolen and just 'Malfoy' in the Shrieking Shack—and also note how in the Shrieking Shack Voldemort calls Snape 'Snape' when speaking to Lucius, and that later in the Shack Voldemort's internal monologue calls him 'Snape' even when out loud he's saying Severus. I'm not sure to what degree this is just the writing style of the books but to me it's notable because these sections are from Voldemort's POV.

On the note of names, Voldemort speaks of himself in third person as 'Lord Voldemort,' typically as a fear/power tactic, and also as 'he':

He frequently warns people not to lie to him (and calls them out for lying, like Wormtail in GoF 1 and Lucius in DH 1):

Voldemort tells a lot of jokes, most often at the expense of other people and for his own entertainment or the entertainment of his Death Eaters. He has a teasing, clever sense of humor:

I would have to make a whole post to show all the moments of Voldemort being funny as hell. Maybe I will...

Voldemort is often described as speaking quietly and softly (and the verbs whisper and breathe are used), so much so that multiple times his voice is barely audible (but also see the above quote where his voice remains audible even though it's quiet):

In GoF, he speaks lazily (he's also described as moving lazily, and looking relaxed in the Slughorn memory, and as 'gliding' when he walks). In DH, he screams multiple times to express negative emotions, typically fear. His voice is described as a hiss, and as 'sibilant.' And of course, high and cold and clear. He spoke differently when he was young, and super differently at the orphanage, but that's a whole new post.

Voldemort has distinctive mannerisms. He tilts his head a little to one side:

He holds wands delicately:

He paces, in the graveyard and in the Shrieking Shack. He's often in dim lighting (can his slit pupils see in the dark, like a cat?), and is drawn to be near fire (for warmth?): in the Riddle House, at the Death Eater meeting, in the Forbidden Forest. He laughs and smiles, again often at other people's expense. He's in general a very expressive person, which you can see in his face (so many examples. In his meeting with Dippet he even looks nervous and his face reddens) and eyes (wide with astonishment in the graveyard; pupils contract to thin slits when he's shocked) and nostrils (dilating with excitement lol). And he has this one weird facial expression he does when he's really happy:

When Voldemort was a child, he was tall, thin, and pale with jet-black hair and dark eyes, and looked a lot like his father. He was described as very handsome consistently.

In the scene with Hepzibah Smith (late 1940s or 50s), his hair is a little longer than it was at Hogwarts, and his cheeks are hollowed, but he looks even more handsome. He's pale in a way that makes Hepzibah think he's overworked. And his eyes become red when he's feeling a strong emotion.

In the interview scene with Dumbledore (around 1968), his appearance is drastically different:

Notably here, it's not just his irises that are red, it's his entire eyes.

As Dumbledore says in HBP (unless he's wrong/lying...), Voldemort's appearance is changing because of his repeated Horcrux creation. After this interview, he has around 13 years for his appearance to continue changing; note that at no point of the First War was Voldemort handsome (directly stated in above quote).

I'm running out of image space LOL, but it's really important that in the graveyard, Voldemort directly states that he got his 'old body back':

The potion that revived him gave him his old body. The way he looks in the graveyard is how he looked on Halloween 1981. This is also supported by Voldemort looking this same way in book 1 when possessing Quirrell, by the DEs immediately recognizing him, and by the Ministry workers immediately recognizing him in OotP. Also in the Halloween 1981 flashback, Voldemort's face scares a child, and he's described as having a 'white hand.' His skin is described as 'white' post-resurrection, but only as 'pale' at the DADA interview & earlier, which again implies that by 1981 he looked the way he did in the 90s. Also, at the interview his voice is already 'higher and colder,' which means his voice was a gradual change too.

And the way he looks is:

(Notice how it's the exact same face Harry recognizes.)

In GoF, OotP, and DH, Voldemort is described as:

-tall

-skeletally thin, with a gaunt face (very likely not muscular)

-white skin

-scarlet eyes with vertical slit pupils like a cat (also described as wide, red, bright red, livid, blank, pitiless, gleaming) (remember the whites of his eyes became red too)

-a flat nose with slits for nostrils like a snake

-lipless mouth

-masklike face

-snakelike in appearance, likened to a skull; flattened, serpentine face

-large hands with noticeably, unnaturally long fingers (compared to spiders)

-His eyes gleam in the darkness (GoF) and he's so pale he seems to glow (DH 1 'so pale that he seemed to emit a pearly glow,' DH 32 'the pallor of him gleaming slightly in the semidarkness').

-He wears black (hooded) robes and black cloaks.

-He is described only once as 'hairless,' and not until DH 1: 'his face shone through the gloom, hairless, snakelike, with slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes whose pupils were vertical.' Voldemort is never described as 'bald,' despite the fact that a number of characters are called bald and balding throughout the books (none of which are ever also described as 'hairless'), and notably it's Voldemort's 'face' specifically that's described as hairless, which is odd. He's specifically described as black-hooded in OotP at the Ministry, so I can only assume he's dressed similarly in the graveyard and that's why. IDK why his head situation isn't described at the DADA interview. If you saw one of my author's notes on Keep My Candle Burning, you will know that when I was a child I guess I was either imagining him in the earlier books before I read to DH (or saw the films), or I missed the single word 'hairless' description that's only given once, and I was imagining Voldemort having black hair as he was described in his youth. There's something strange about this and I almost don't know what to make of it. If he's bald, why doesn't it say so clearly, and earlier, and more than once (like how his eyes are described probably a dozen or more times, and his long fingers, and his white skin)? I kind of wonder if this was decided after, like because of the films or something? Lol anyways... enough heresy...

-He's never described as having long fingernails, fangs (LOL), a forked snake tongue (LOL), any unnatural skin things like scales (LOL), or as not wearing shoes. (Other than in the graveyard where he doesn't appear to put shoes on, or underwear...) But you can write him however pleases you

[nettedtangible]

Lot of things to criticise about Dumbledore, but honestly, the thing that actually pisses me off the most is when Harry is upset, talking about Snape, and Dumbledore's all like "Professor Snape, Harry"

Like how about you shove it up your fucking arse Mr "he has to die at precisely the right moment"

[fanonical]

people who draw ron’s scars from the brain attack and harry’s scar as a literal lightning bolt - you’re doing the Lord’s work

[nillegible]

Percy was always his mother’s son. As a child he looked up at his father with stars in his eyes- his dad’s an important person at the Ministry! -but he values that because Molly taught him to.

He’s the most watchful, the quietest of the Weasley children when he’s not geeking out about something new he’s learned and wants to share. That’s why he notices the embarassed flush on Molly’s face when she’s browsing for school robes for Bill (and handing his down to Charlie), the way she pressed her lips together when they need to visit Gringotts.

Sometimes, he thinks he sees her banish some of the food off her own plate onto Fred’s or George’s. Sometimes she says she’s not feeling so well, she’ll make a bit of soup for herself and goes without dinner altogether.

There’s only so much magic and talent and gardening can do to stretch out such a meager grocery budget.

Percy loves his father but he also hates him. Nothing, no love for your job, no passion is worth the lines around his mother’s eyes.

But Bill and Charlie are just as irresponsible, chasing adventure and dragons. Molly is so so proud of them, but pride can’t buy a new wand and Ron has to make do with Charlie’s old one. They make do. Always.

Percy won’t. He’ll do his job whatever they ask of him. They laugh at him, but he knows that cauldron bottom legislation isn’t fascinating. Percy is tired of fascinating. His job is practical, and important, and it pays well.

He’s doing the right thing.

[lullabyknell]

Oh man, I just fully realized that a Watsonian explanation for Peter Pettigrew’s silver hand (as opposed to Mad-Eye Moody’s clunkier prosthetics) is that it’s almost certainly a result of Voldemort’s personal research into and contemplation of restoring his own body. Voldemort is an extremely powerful and capable wizard, focused for years (especially the year of GOF) on regaining his lost body; there’s no way he was looked into prosthetic spells purely for Peter Pettigrew’s sake. He was probably doing research on resurrection rituals when he was possessing Quirrell, when he wasn’t dormant to regain strength. I was already relatively certain that the silver hand spell was of Voldemort’s own invention, but thinking over what Voldemort had probably been focused on for the past thirteen years, I’m only more certain. 

[blvnk-art]

James playing Beatles for Lily <3

[kafkaesquemess]

I love the scene with Harry and Hermione dancing to “O children” in DH for multiple reason but now that im thinking about it, this scene could mean:

1. wizards listen to muggle radio stations 

or

2. they played a Nick Cave song on the WWN (Wizard wireless network) 

OR

3. Lee Jordan is playing bops on Potterwatch between their reports (this is more likely considering the government was taken over by death eaters so they probably wouldn’t play muggle music and the trio was commonly listening to Potterwatch )

[pauliedraws]

I really wanted to animate one of these scenes where Ron and Harry are goofing off, because I think it’s interactions like these that make the books fun.

Ron is my favourite character. And you can tell just from watching my other videos. The movies did my boy so dirty, this is my way of giving him the spotlight for once.

[thelethifoldwitch]

Imagine Hogwarts after the Battle, after the War, sure –

But imagine Hogwarts’ students, after their year with the Carrows and Snape.

Imagine a tiny little first-year whose porcupine pincushions still have quills, but to whom Fiendfyre comes easily. The second-year who tried to go back, to fight; whose bravado got Professor Sinistra killed, as she pushed him out of the way of a Killing Curse. The third-year who perfectly brewed poisons, hands shaking, wishing for the courage to spike the Carrows’ cups. The fourth-year who throws away all of their teacups, their palmistry guidebooks, because what use is Divination if it didn’t see this coming? The fifth-year who can barely remember what O.W.L.S. are, let alone that she was supposed to take them. The sixth-year who can’t manage Lumos to save their life, but whose proficiency with the Cruciatus Curse rivals Bellatrix’s.

Imagine the seventh-year who laughs until he cries, thinking about the first-years who will fall asleep in History of Magic while their story is told.

Imagine the Muggleborn first-years left alive, if there are any: imagine what they think of the magical world, when their introduction to it was Death Eaters and being tortured – by their classmates –for having been born.

Imagine the students who went home to their parents (or guardians, or wards, or orphanages) and showed them what they’d learned: Dark curses, hexes, Unforgiveables; that Muggles are filth, animals, lesser. Who, yes, still can’t transfigure a match into a needle – but Mum, there’s a hex that can make you feel as though you’re being stabbed with thousands. (Don’t ask them how they know.)

Imagine the students who will never be able to see Hogwarts as home.

Imagine the students Hogwarts has left, when it starts up again – the lack of Muggleborns, blood-traitors, half-bloods, dead and gone – the lack of purebloods; the Ministry would have chucked everyone of age (and possibly just below) in Azkaban for Unforgiveables, wouldn’t they?

Imagine how few students there are left to teach; imagine how few teachers are left to teach them.

Imagine the students who can’t walk past a particular classroom, who can’t walk through a hallway, who can’t walk into the Great Hall without having a panic attack or breaking down. Imagine the school-wide discovery that the carriages aren’t horseless after all; that everyone, from the firsties to the teachers, can see Thestrals.

Imagine the memorials, the heaps of flowers and mementoes – in every other corner, hallway, classroom; every other step you take on the grounds.

Imagine the ghosts.

Imagine the students destroying Snape’s portrait, using the curses, hexes, even Fiendfyre they’ve been taught how to wield – it has to be restored nearly every week; Snape stays with Phineas Nigellus semi-permanently. (None of the other portraits will welcome him. His reasons do not excuse his conduct.)

Imagine the students unable to trust each other – everyone informed on everyone, your best friend might turn you in.

Imagine the guilt that everyone carries (it should have been me, it’s my fault s/he’s dead, I told on them, it’s all my fault), the students incapable of meeting each other’s eyes because it’s my fault your best friend, your sibling, your Housemate, your boy/girlfriend is dead.

Imagine the memorials piled high with the wands of the dead. Imagine the memorials piled high with the self-snapped wands of the living.

Imagine the students who are never able to produce a Patronus.

Imagine Boggarts being removed from the curriculum because Riddikulus is near impossible to grasp, even for the sixth- and seventh-years. Because their friends and families dead will never, ever be funny.

Imagine the students for whom magic feels tainted.

Imagine the students who leave the wixen world – hell, the students who leave Britain entirely, because there’s nothing left for them there.

Imagine the students who never use magic again.

(Image source.)

(From the mind of the wonderful lavenderpatil, a keen look at how students might be after war.)

[ppyajunebug]

Reblogging this kickass post by the equally kickass

lavenderpatil

because everyone should read it

[deducecanoe-deactivated20161213]

I think… I could be wrong… but everyone Prof Trwylany (sp) said would die at the beginning of every term DID die in the battle of hogwarts? BUt yeah. The year after that was probably filled with grand speeches about those who sacrificed their lives, and how they would rebuild hogwarts, etc. meanwhile… the kids knew. They were there. They knew what it was really like. And the incoming first years probably had a very different relationship with the older kids, who’d seen shit, than in years past. I think there’d be a long year of seriousness and severity… or everyone would try to put on a happy face and pretend that Colin Kreevy wasn’t working on the school paper any more because he was dead. Stiff upper lip. But with a very subdued attitude.

[violent-darts]

Imagine the seventh years who came back. Because nobody finished their seventh year. That year was a loss. But the ones it really mattered for were them. Imagine the older kids who are up in the night because they can’t sleep for bad dreams hearing the crying from the lower dorms and finding that little girl who can’t make pincushions but can make Fiendfyre hugging her knees, and saying, “You know what, bring your pillow up, you can sleep on my bed while I read.” Imagine the new first years, the ones who hear the story on the train, who’re eleven and still young, seeing an older student sitting alone staring blankly and going over to them and saying, “D’you want some of my chocolate frogs?” because they can’t think of anything else to do. Imagine one finding someone who’s sitting staring at nothing one day and asking in a quiet voice, “Do you need a hug?” and then staying for an hour while the older student cries and cries and hugs them, because some eleven year olds are really smart (and some eleven year olds already came to the school from Bad Shit) and know that sometimes it helps to hold someone you could look after. Imagine the older students who look at these younger ones coming in, all new and safe and bright, and swearing on Merlin’s grave that nothing will ever, *ever* hurt these kids. Imagine the alumni of Dumbledore’s Army, who refused to let the fucking Death Eaters win when they were here and kicking and sure as she won’t let them now, finding things to do on weekends, organizing things, refusing to have it so that people just stay there alone being sad. Fuck the third-year rule: *everyone* can go to Hogsmeade, you just buddy up the young kids with the older kids and I mean, fuck, *who’s going to be a threat to the older kids now*? Imagine them making up insulting nicknames for their old enemies, taking Voldemort and the Carrows and Lestrange and metaphorically spitting on them every time they use them. Imagine Ron volunteering to take on the Boggart that takes up residence in the one class cupboard because no, look, the stupid thing *still looks like a bloody spider* and look it’s fucking hilarious when you take its legs off and tie it up with a bow. And the class laughs. Imagine Harry staying at the school for a couple years, even when he’s done, because once people understand how the charm worked - how because he let Voldemort kill him it meant that nothing Voldemort could do could hurt any of them anymore - everyone just feels *better* when he’s there. Imagine the nights where everyone leaves the common rooms and camps out in the Great Hall and drinks Butterbeer and tells stories and cries and sometimes there are shouting matches because people get so raw, but in the end everyone falls asleep in a pile together. Imagine all the really, truly inappropriate jokes the survivors make, the ones that make their parents’ eyes fill with tears and terrify the first years, because actually when you’ve been dragged face-first through Hell the *worst shit* becomes fucking funny. Imagine how the owls don’t have to be kept in the owlry anymore, because every kid needs the animal they brought with them; imagine that for the kids that lost theirs, or never had one, their friends finding them some, buying them some. Imagine the girl who knows the Cruciatus Curse breaking down crying because she can’t believe she did that, she can’t ever believe she would and she knows she’s wrong and evil and tainted, and Ginny holding her while she cries and when she calms down, Hermione tells her the story of Regulus Black, and about how just because you made shit choices once that doesn’t mean you can’t make better ones now. Imagine that people have been dealing with this kind of horrible shit all through human history, and people are out there dealing with it today, and yes it absolutely sucks and it’s horrible and the scars it leaves are real and heartbreaking and sometimes people are too badly hurt to go on, but also former child-soldiers play team games and laugh at funny stories and refugee kids with horrible stories love colouring books with bright colours and play games with the friends they’ve made in the camps. And these are kids who fought. Who fought like little demons. Who *chose* to fight. So yeah, it could be awful. It could be nothing but bleak from beginning to end, a year (a decade) of sternness and unhappiness. But it doesn’t have to be; it isn’t guaranteed. (and as @tygermama notes, we Muggles have been figuring out this shit: we give it names and throw our best guesses at it, and some of them are good. So there’s help there, too.)

[amemait]

Ooooof

[deadcatwithaflamethrower]

This entire post is a story unto itself.

[jabberwockypie]

*Sob* This is much better and wonderful and … BRB, CRYING IN A GOOD WAY.

[arrghigiveup]

Fuck this almost made me break down on public transport ;__;

[fanonical]

hermione: i have a foolproof plan

harry: shoot

hermione: let's slip some respect women juice into snape's potions

[joshuu-nutboi-higashikata-deact]

[neurospicybirb]

Fun fact! Water actually turns “blood red” when it is contaminated by sulfur creating sulfuric acid. And scientists have discovered that around the time of the plagues a volcano went off that disturbed Egypt’s environment. So the plagues are scientifically proven. The other parts of the plagues are explained by the sulfuric acid river making the animals leave the river and escaping into the human population.

[vampiregirl2345]

WHY DIDNT ANYONE TELL ME THE PLAGUES WERE PROVEN

[kvothe-kingkiller]

if anyone wants a full list heres how they happened:

basically they all stem from a massive eruption of a volcano on the island of santorini off the coast of greece. the ash then floated over to egypt which kickstarted the plagues

1) blood: the ash carried the mineral cinnabar, which has the capability of turning water red

2) frogs: the ash also had many toxic and acidic substances so naturally, all the frogs are gonna flee the river

3) lice: given what was going on insects would have burrowed into dead animals/peoples skin and laid eggs, which then hatched

4) beasts: everything is getting poisoned from the ash and toxins, causing animals to freak the fuck out/die

5) pestilence: toxins again

6) boils: the ash would have caused storms that carried acid rain which when it fell, would irritate peoples skin causing boils

7) hail: the storm again

8) locusts: again with the insects and the amount of dead bodies and such which attract more insects. a lotta insects basically.

9) darkness: the ash covered the sky, blocking out the sun

10) slaying of the first born: given that children’s bodies were found in higher numbers than others, some archeologists think they may have been sacrificed to stop all the destruction, but they aren’t 100% sure about that. this is just me but I would say another possibility is that babies/kids are a lot more susceptible to toxins and shit, so while an adult may have been fine or gotten a bit sick, it might have been very dangerous/deadly for kids or babies

the volcano would also attest for the parting of the sea weirdly enough. the red sea was in fact the ‘reed’ sea, and was very shallow, probably waist deep or so. given the amount of shit dumped into the ocean from the volcano, this wouldve caused a tsunami to head towards egypt. the water would get sucked out from the reed sea right before the tsunami hit, letting people pass it easily, then the actual tsunami would hit, fuckin up anyone who tried to follow.

another theory is that the red water was caused by algae, which would cause the frogs and stuff to jump out as well. the algae also carried substances toxic to animals so if they ingested any they’d get sick and die, so more insects. in this theory there was a sand storm coincidentally that caused the rest

some sources: X X

[wigmund]

The volcano wasn’t ON Santorini - it WAS Santorini, then called Thera. It completely blew away the Minoan settlements on the island and was one of the largest eruptions in human history. 

The tsunamis from the Theran eruption devastated Crete, weakening the then-powerful Minoan civilization, leaving them open to being invaded by the Mycenaeans.

The volcanic winter it created devastated crops in China leading to the fall of the Xia Dynasty. 

The abrupt and catastrophic loss of the people of Thera may have also inspired the myths about Atlantis.

[orville-redenbacher-space-hero]

this is blowing my fucking mind

[blvnk-art]

Whenever I’m drawing a new comic, I know I’m truly inspired when I can imagine a whole scenario for the comic. I’m going to take you through my thought process while drawing my latest Hinny comic.

It’s about the first time they touched after the kiss in the 7th book. Voldemort and Horcruxes drestoyed, plenty of people dead, including Ginny’s brother. The comic happens a day after Fred’s funeral with the Weasley family.

I imagine Ginny tried to hold everything for the sake of her mother, dad and borthers, she helped them with everything, so busy with helping that only when she has time for herself the truth finally hits her, and she refuses to eat to go to a secluded place to cry.

Harry finds her at the back of the Burrow, and she doesn’t hide the tears when he’s the face she wanted to see the most in that moment.

Harry immediately understands what she needs, because it’s exactly what he has been needing too. He kisses her tenderly in the forehead, and holds her, and feels her flowerish scent, and it’s like feeling good again, that he has the whole time of the world now.

Ginny wants to smile because he got his hair cut, and his scruffy beard brushed against her own cheek when he hugged her, but it’s also so incredibly sad because he must have been through some awful shit during the horcrux hunting, and somehow while she wants to know everything she also knows he would talk without her asking to, so she doesn’t ask. 

Instead, they share a sad smile and break apart, but not for too long. No one comments anything when he arrives at the kitchen holding her hand.

[blvnk-art]

There weren’t any stupid noble reasons to leave her again, especially when they both most needed each other.

[blvnk-art]

Trying to decide what he's feeling. That monster in his chest is just butterflies

[doughtah]

I’m kinda surprised how lax (i mean, not Really surprised given how inattentive they seemed during the main atory but Still) the Ministry of Magic (MoM) was when Tom killed the Riddle family. GoF starts off with everyone finding out that the Riddles died and the bodies were left there, struck by Avada Kedavra, and the muggles were completely baffled by this. Wouldn’t it-again, i know MoM sucks as a governing body per Everything that happens in the main story, but Still-wouldnt it make more sense for MoM to brutalize the bodies a bit to keep anyone from suspecting something odd? Was there a previous instance where theyd done this and it had backfired somehow? Does MoM feel that ‘well, we can fully destroy some memories that the muggles might have and mess with their brain, but we draw the line at physically brutalizing them! That’s just wrong.’?