psychological horror // slow burn // enemies to begrudging allies to whatever the fuck these two have going on
Summary: Seven years after Voldemort’s final death, Harry Potter has struggled to make sense of his third life. A poster child for the new ministry posing as an auror, he finds himself in limbo– no longer who he used to be, and not yet who he will become.
When a disgraced Draco Malfoy emerges from isolation and draws him to Malfoy Manor, the lines between past and present are obscured. Disoriented by a mysterious magic that seems to prey upon unguarded corners of the mind, they become trapped in the estate’s malevolent underbelly.
In order to survive the cursed labyrinth and return to his friends, Harry must rely on his enemy as they spiral together down the revealing intersections of fear, memory, and proof of who we really are.
The most hardcore thing that Harry James Potter ever did was not, contrary to popular belief, the “there’s no need to call me ‘sir,’ Professor” incident, but instead was either the time that he
a) laid into one of the people he respected most in the world (and the only authority figure in his life offering him help in one of the most desperate situations he’d ever been in) for leaving his pregnant wife, going “man, you’re inhibited by your own self-loathing and fear? That’s rough. That really sucks. But you know what trumps that? RESPONSIBILITY. You brought a child into the world. You’re a father now. You’re scared? Walk it off. Walk it off AAAAAALLLL THE WAY BACK HOME. And say hi to Tonks for me.”
or
b) he willingly let himself be murdered, came back from the dead, walked back onto the battlefield, stared his own killer dead in the eyes completely unimpressed and called him “Tom”
that “I’ll go with you” scene between Harry and Hermione in the movies would hit so hard if I didn’t know that Harry forced himself to go without saying goodbye because he was afraid that if he found Ron and Hermione he wouldn’t be able to leave them
wishing I could freeze time so fanfic writers could write all of their slow-burn enemies to lovers and gay porn and fix-it fics and all of their WIPs and prompts without having to worry about life and other responsibilities
(aka my rationale for the ethical implications of engaging with the intellectual property of a violent public figure)
**This post is to explain my personal perspective as someone who has chosen to continue making fan content for the Harry Potter series. I am posting this to acknowledge the cultural context, clarify my position, and contribute to an important dialogue. I am not looking for validation or a debate-- these are simply my thoughts as they stand.
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First, if it is not already clear from the title: I unequivocally resent JKR's bigoted and exclusionary views, particularly as they relate to feminist and transgender issues. Her rhetoric and her actions around these matters are hateful, cruel, and dangerous.
That is the extent of my relationship to JKR, the person and public figure.
Unfortunately, there also exists another relationship-- one to JKR, the author attached to the Harry Potter series, a work of literature that I deeply resonate with.
As much as it hurts to admit, there cannot be a clean separation of the art from the artist. The knowledge of the artist has directly affected my relationship with the art. It is why I am writing this post. Yet, it will still be posted on a Harry Potter fan page. I am in a confusing gray area that I am still figuring out how exactly I should navigate.
To do so, I want to talk about "impact."
I've thought about it. I really have. But I don't think a complete amputation of this series from my life leads to any meaningful advocacy.
I mean, yes, I selfishly want to engage with the art I love, of course-- but I was also frothing at the mouth for a Skyrim-esque Wizarding World video game that came straight from my dreams. One which I have yet to buy because I am aware of where that money would go. That was a tangible impact-- something I could disengage for.
But, what about disengagement from the intangible. Fanfic? Fanart? Community?
I have read about the importance of reducing JKR's relevance, but honestly, I think the logic-- while well-meaning-- is flawed. Hypothetically, even if everyone who opposed JKR's views evacuated from fan spaces, then she would still be the author of one of the Top 10 most successful franchises in the entire world-- and even if somehow she WASN'T anymore-- if Harry Potter was scrubbed from everyone's memory-- she would still be a billionaire capable of extreme harm.
But Harry Potter wouldn't cease to exist. The problem with JKR isn't her as a singular person, and it definitely isn't the books she wrote about teenage wizards-- it's everyone in the world who agrees with her hateful views, the people who exist to support the bills and organizations she funds. Disengaging from Harry Potter doesn't erase those people.
If everyone who opposes JKR removes themselves, then fan spaces that she lives in would be filled with people who openly support her bigotry. The internet would gain a new echo chamber for hateful beliefs to fester unchallenged, disguised as a children's series about a magic boy.
Some argue that's what it is now, but I disagree. This is a diverse (and very queer!!!!!) community. You can pull potential examples of JKR's prejudice from the text, but those Doylist analyses are not what made the series popular. This is where, I believe, the separation of the art from the artist becomes relevant:
Barthes' theory around "The Death of the Author" proposes that writing is defined by the reader's interpretation. The author and their intent dies on the page-- they only exist to provide the literal words, while all meaning is born from those who consume it.
Harry Potter, as a piece of art, feels like mine because it is mine. Honestly, I think the characters and story that I love would be unrecognizable to JKR-- and vice versa. It's not about her, not even a little bit. The words could have been written by anyone, and the way I internalized it would remain exactly the same.
So, in terms interacting with the art, I will continue to fill the artistic spaces with interpretations that convey inclusivity and acceptance, in which I am creatively free to adjust, redact, and add pieces to my liking.
My advocacy lies in preventing this art from existing only through the interpretations of people who agree with hate and bigotry.
This works in tandem with the moral lines that I draw against my interactions with JKR, the billionaire who uses her power to promote hatred. I will loudly condemn her from within the places she thinks are hers, I will advocate in favor of the movements that she has tried to smother, and while I am aware that if she never makes another cent, she still would already have more money than a person could spend in one lifetime, I will not knowingly let my dollars be the ones that fund her prejudice.
TLDR; If everyone who opposed JKR disengaged from Harry Potter, fan spaces would not die. They would only be transformed into an echo chamber for people who are cool with bigotry.
Hi. It is a bit interesting…. for my psycho analysis: I do think that the only ship that the definition of true love is Harmony. The motto of them “you and I until the end, together against the whole world, I don’t not what will happen tomorrow, but I do promise we will be together in it”. I adore Jilly, they can be compared with Harmony. My favorite characters: 1. Harry, Hermione; 2. Neville and Sirius; 3. James and Lily. I dislike Ginny Weasley and I think she is a selfish rude spoiled girl, I dislike Ron after 4 book ( but he had a potential to become better person). I don’t think that Weasley are evil, but the have a lot of problems. I think that the worst person in HP is Wormtail
Ooo okay lots of info here -- thank you for submitting !
disclaimer that this is just for fun and I’m a stranger on the internet so everything may be wrong but if anything from this interpretation resonates then cool ! There's more info to break down here so it'll be a longer one:
I'm mainly just looking for patterns in these and for you, I’m really honing in on the word “selfish” used to describe Ginny, which is followed by your dislike of Ron post-book 4 — a time in which he behaved more selfishly, his insecurities and desires for attention repeatedly putting a wedge between him and Harry. Then, of course, you mention Wormtail, a character defined by the (selfish) betrayal of his friends for his own safety/power.
It draws me back to the characters you do like and emphasizes their selfless traits — James and Lily, who took leading roles in the war and died protecting their son; Sirius, who would have withstood torture for his friends and went mad with rage from their betrayal; Neville, who stepped up to the front lines of the battle despite the years of bullying he endured from practically everyone he stood to defend.
And, lastly, Harry and Hermione-- a representation of true love, which you characterize through an "us against the world" type of loyalty-- a certainty that if they have no one else, they will always have each other.
I think it's worth noting a couple things:
1) There are other famously selfish characters in Harry Potter, characters who are objectively more responsible for pain/violence in the series, but you singled out Ginny, Ron, and Wormtail (noting him as the worst in the series)-- In wondering why, it's seems like it may be because they were/are considered friends, so their acts of "selfishness" are much more personal than broadly evil characters like Voldemort or Umbridge.
and 2) In my original post, I didn't suggest anyone send characters they dislike and neither of the previous posts included that kind of information-- I don't mind that you did, but I do think your inclusion of the characters you dislike, as much as the ones you do, suggests that these betrayals are very meaningful to you, and these values are deeply associated with your feelings around love.
Taken together, I would guess that you might be a person who has felt betrayed by someone you trusted. Maybe this was a specific event or events that occurred, or maybe it was a more enduring situation in which you were giving yourself to a person/people who did not reciprocate and/or respect your efforts. Based on the dislike you strongly express for characters who may represent such personal betrayals, I would also guess that this might be a relatively open wound, and you may retain a lot of anger towards the person/people who were careless with you-- as a result you may now be cautious in selecting who has the right to an intimate role in your life. The "us against the world" type of love tells me that you might find comfort in the idea of a person who is protective of you, who shares your hurt, who reciprocates/appreciates your loyalty, and who can provide an unwaveringly reliable source of love.
jegulus and moon chaser (this is totally not me reflecting my obsession with regulus and remus on to james)
ahh, thank you for the submission!! really great choices-- I immediately made some assumptions about you lmao
again, mandatory disclaimer that this is for fun and I'm drawing wild conclusions from the tiniest amount of information, but if something resonates, then amazing! okay, now that that's said, here's what I got:
starting out with a big assumption, which may be totally wrong, but-- since regulus and remus are the characters you're obsessed with, I'd guess that those are the characters you identify with, and you pair them with james because he represents the qualities you're attracted to.
in terms of regulus and remus, the word that comes to mind is "ostracized." they are both characters based in isolation and stigma, and as a result, are often depicted as having particularly guarded personalities to defend against their underlying loneliness and insecurity.
meanwhile, james represents the opposite: the extreme of a confident and popular presence, who loudly wears his heart on his sleeve. pairing him with regulus and remus can enhance this difference, and he can become a light to their darkness, a safe place for those characters to reveal themselves and find love from someone who will leave no room for doubt.
taken together, I'm guessing that you may be a person who has felt othered in some way, maybe even neglected or abandoned, and you might have your own walls up-- maybe similarly expressed through introversion or harbored anger. as a result, you might long for a loud, unquestionable acceptance and find comfort in the idea of a person who proves to you your own worthiness of being loved.
