#muggle studies

[marvelwitchergilmore]

Growing Into Something More

Summary: Theseus Scamander x Hufflepuff!Reader -> At school, Newt Scamander was your best friend. But despite that, you never really got along with his brother. Until you eventually did.

Disclaimer: Fluff, best-friend's brother, rivals/friends to lovers, partly reader falls first-he falls harder. Slight spoilers for Crimes of Grindlewald. Reader works in Muggle Artifices, physical touch love language, reader helps Theseus through grief, sprinkle of angst, happy ending.

You found it odd, really. Being able to get along with one brother, but not the other. 

Since attending Hogwarts and being sorted into your house, you’d found peace in very few people. Being muggle born, but having magical powers wasn’t exactly common. 

“I can’t believe they even let her in,” whispered one Slytherin girl as you walked down the hallway. 

“I can’t believe they’re letting her stay,” whispered back the Ravenclaw girl who was linking arms with her. 

Keeping your head down, you pushed past both of them and carried on your way. It hadn’t been the first time you’d heard comments like that, and you were sure it wouldn’t be the last. 

Once lessons had finally finished, you escaped into your common room where you got around an hour of peace, sitting with Newt whilst working on your Charms essay, before the Head Boy came storming inside. 

Really, it was more of a stroll. But anything Theseus Scamander did annoyed you to no end. 

Going around the common room, handing out the different scored essays and warnings, he congratulated or warned different students until his hands fell into his trouser pockets and turned to where you and Newt were sitting side by side on the floor. 

“And one of my Professors told me that she had to undo a rather powerful knotting charm,” Theseus said, though you didn’t look at him, unlike Newt. “Two students; A Slytherin and Ravenclaw…” You could feel his eyes on you, though you still didn’t look at him. “Tripped all the way to their classes. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Y/n?”

You didn’t answer. You didn’t look up. You just kept working on your essay. 

“Y/n!” Theseus raised his voice a little to get your attention. But, from the way you held your shoulders, he already knew you’d spotted him the minute he walked in. 

Finally looking up at him, you shrugged. “Wouldn’t know a thing. I don’t really have friends outside of Hufflepuff.”

His eyes narrowed at you just before Newt jumped in. “I-I think, whether Y/n knows something or, like…like she said; doesn’t. They more than likely deserved it.”

Theseus hummed before lowering his voice. “As Head Boy, you should know that should I find the culprit, I must deduct house points. But as your brother…” Theseus crouched down. “And, since she’s your best friend, I have to agree. They…” Theseus turned and looked at you, purposely trying to ignore him. “They had it coming.”

The short pause in your note taking told Theseus you’d heard him. And the smile that you refused to let show warmed him more than he’d expected. 

Over the next two evenings, people started disappearing from the halls and common rooms since they were headed home for Christmas. Newt had said he’d meet you back at the common room, but after seeing him run down the hallways and out into the courtyard with Leta Lestrange, you knew you wouldn’t see him for a while. 

“What are you doing here?”

Looking up, you searched for who the voice belonged to. And it wasn’t long before you found it, your mostly natural face turning into a scowl…kind off. 

“Trying to find a spell that will hide me from idiots. Clearly it’s not working.”

“Ha, ha.” Theseus mocked. “But seriously, the final train leaves in an hour. Aren’t you headed-”

“I’m not going home.”

“What?”

It was easier to speak the truth to Theseus, but even some truths were too hard to say when looking people in the eye. “Mum and dad thought it was best.”

“What?”

“You know, you’re really living up to this ‘idiot’ nickname.”

Theseus chuckled. “Where’s Newt? Isn’t he-”

“He’s with Leta.”

“Oh.”

You smirked. “Jealous?”

For the first time in a long time, you saw him nervous. “N-no.”

“God,” you breathed in shock. 

“What?” 

“I know you and Newt are brothers but…Jesus…get you talking about one girl and suddenly you’re like twins! All nervous and bumbling, not knowing what a word is. Maybe ‘idiot’ suits you.”

“Stop calling me an idiot.”

You shrugged. “Shame. It’s stuck now.”

“Y/n.”

“Don’t Y/n me!” you told him as you closed the book on your lap and approached him. 

“Then stop calling me an idiot!”

Suddenly, you stopped in your tracks realising, not only had he taken a few steps towards you, but now there was barely three inches of distance between you both. 

And nobody was a witness. 

You could kiss him, or kill him, and nobody would ever know. 

With heavy breaths, Theseus spoke in a quiet voice. “Why aren’t you going home?”

“I already told-”

“I mean the real story. The truth.”

You swallowed, somehow unable to look away from him. “What I told you was the truth. They don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“They tend to care what people think. Family, friends, neighbours. I’m the freak.”

“You’re not a freak.”

You found yourself chuckling a little. “I am a freak. I go to a school we can’t talk about, the fact I made a bookshelf levitate when I was seven is still a story told at parties. But it’s never in amazement or wonder. It’s mostly in…warning? Fear. They just want a normal holiday.”

“And, do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Care?”

You paused for a moment. “Care about who?”

“Their opinions?”

“You know I don’t.”

Theseus smiled and you scolded yourself for how it made your stomach turn. Usually, it would churn. But not this time. 

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I do.” Reaching out for your hand, his fingers brushed yours, briefly. “I don’t think you’re a freak, Y/n. And I know you don’t care about people’s opinions but…I think you’re wonderful, Y/n. Truly.”

Just as your breath hitched in your chest, the sound of the common room door opening echoed throughout the room. In shock or fear, both yourself and Theseus jumped apart. And the feeling of his hand no longer being in yours…

Your hand had never felt so cold. 

In front of you, Newt and Leta were standing together. 

“Newt,” Theseus said. 

“Hello,” he replied before looking at you. “Y/n…you’re still here?”

You nodded, hiding your hand behind you as if it was evidence you didn’t want him to see. “Y-yeah. Mum and Dad decided to head to the Coast. I prefer Christmas in the village so…”

You could feel Theseus’s eyes looking at you and in the short moment Newt looked away, you dared to look at the older Scamander brother and lightly shook your head when you saw his face. 

The subtle nod that came from him told you everything you needed; He wouldn’t tell Newt. But he is wondering why you just lied to your best friend. 

“Leta and I were just going to check on the raven. I just wanted to grab some things beforehand.”

Both of you nodded before smiling in Leta’s direction. 

“Hi, Theseus.”

“H-Hi.”

You smiled a little to yourself, watching as Leta ran to follow Newt down the hallway. 

“You’re not stupid, Theseus.” You told him. “But you’re still an idiot.”

And as you passed him by, he nodded with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, maybe I am.”

Though you and Theseus never spoke about what happened in the common room, you did eventually tell him why you lied to Newt about your Christmas Stay-Cation at the castle. 

“He doesn’t need to worry about why I’m here or not.”

“But why lie? Why not just tell him the truth, like you told me?” Theseus asked. 

He’d been coming down the breakfast early every morning, trying to catch you before Newt or Leta even woke up. Mostly, you were avoiding everyone. You dined early, headed…somewhere, which he was still yet to figure out, and would return to dinner later than the rest. 

“He doesn’t need my family drama, or my sob story, when he’s…having fun.”

“He and Leta are close, aren’t they?”

You nodded. “I’d go as far as to say she’s his best friend.”

“What about you?”

You shook your head. “He’s my best friend. But that doesn’t mean it goes the same way.”

Theseus shook his head in disagreement. “Newt cares for you-”

“I know he does.” You smiled, and for a second Theseus scolded himself for being struck by it. “And I know he sees me as a friend. But what he and Leta have…it’s just…more.”

“And what about you and I?”

That was when your smile disappeared, your face falling to a deadpan. “You’re tolerable.”

Theseus smiled, if a little smug. “That’s better than being an idiot, at least.”

It was only after he graduated that you started to realise just how much you missed him. Even if he was a pain in your arse most of the time. 

Leta and Newt’s friendship was growing a little stronger day by day. Even more so when Newt nearly got expelled. 

“I thought you were looking after him,” Theseus had said to you in a low voice as you waited outside of Dumbledore’s office. 

“He’s a capable human being, Theseus. He doesn’t need me babysitting him.” 

“Really?” His tone was harsh. “So why am I here then?”

From where you were both standing close in front of one another, in a whispered argument, the door to the office fell open. 

“It’s alright, you may enter. Thank you, Ms. Y/L/N.”

You looked towards the Professor and nodded, but not before looking back at Theseus once more. He may wear the suit and tie of a Ministry Auror, but that didn’t stop him from being the same boy you’d expertly ignored throughout school. 

“This isn’t my fault, Theseus. You can’t blame me for this one.”

The next time you heard from Theseus was just before the war. He’d sent you a letter. First to agree with you that, yes, it was odd him writing to you of all people. But then to apologise for how ‘things were left’ between both of you, the last time you’d spoken. 

Finally, it was a plea. 

“I don’t know what will happen after today. But, should the worst happen, please look out for Newt. Yes, he’s a capable human being. But he’s still my brother.”

You’d written back almost immediately. 

“I will, I promise. But try and stay safe.”

You would never know it, but the moment Theseus received your letter, it had been the first smile of relief he’d given in a long time. 

Maybe it was the war, maybe it was the fact you’d both grown up, maybe it was the fact that since you’d started working at the Ministry in the ‘Misuse of Muggle Artifacts’ office, you’d surprisingly seen more of Theseus than you’d care to admit. 

But, whatever it was, you’d seem to have grown…closer. 

Maybe close enough that you could call him a friend. 

Newt was away, in search of another beast to add to his growing sanctuary. Theseus had finally started dating Leta – something that you knew hurt Newt more than he was letting on.

“Why don’t you just try?”

“I’m happy where I am, Theseus.” 

Despite your efforts to walk away, pretending to be on urgent and important business as you put disenchanted library books back onto the shelves, Theseus continued to follow. 

“Please,” Theseus sighed. “Your talents are wasted here. I’ve seen the kind of spells you can cast. You’d be a great Auror.”

You shook your head. “Aside from the fact that I have no desire to join your boys club, I’m a muggle.”

“You’re a witch.”

You sighed, turning around sharply. “To you, I am a witch. But to them, I am a muggle. Besides, what I’ve found is that most witches and wizards don’t know what even half of the items in here are actually for.”

You could see the uncertainty in Theseus’s eyes, so, hurrying towards one of the tables, you pulled a couple of items. And, after a couple of guesses, he still got their functions wrong. 

“I’m right where I need to be, Theseus.”

Clicking his tongue as he leaned against your desk, he shrugged. “The offer is always open.”

“Thank you, Theseus. And if there is anything I can help with; muggle or otherwise…”

Theseus smiled. “It’s nice.”

You smiled back. “What is?”

“This,” he motioned back and forth. “Being friends.”

“We’ve come a long way.”

“Yeah,” you smiled. “I guess we have.”

As time moved on, so did your friendship with Theseus. What had once been a rivalry of sorts, eventually became a friendship you began to cherish. 

With your work in Muggle Artifacts, you’d landed yourself a few different temporary transfers to different Ministries. 

And each time, you’d find yourself sending a post card to a few people – but the only one to ever reply was Theseus. Usually it was to tell you about a restaurant to visit, or a site to go and see. Either way, despite being half a world away, you still had someone you could share at least half of a memory with. 

Despite all of this, the first time you hugged Theseus was just after the first battle with Gindlewald. 

Queenie had joined the dark side. Dumbledore was refusing to fight him for…reasons only he knew. And Leta…Leta was dead. 

The Ministry was closed for the evening but you’d stayed late trying to disenchant a brandy bottle that would only pour water from Hogwarts black lake in an upwards stream. 

It was as you passed the main offices on a brief break that you heard it. A quiet mumble, a soft cry and then a smash of a glass which echoed only pain. 

On a gold plaque, you read the name. 

Theseus Scamander: Head of the Auror Office

It was fresh. Both the plaque and the words. You did have half a mind to give Theseus his own, rather normal, brady bottle as a congratulations for his promotion. But, upon pushing the door open further than the three inches it already was open, you realised maybe it wasn’t the best idea. 

The bracket of the door was broken from where he’d clearly slammed the door closed. You figured maybe that was why the door was open and he didn’t know. 

“Theseus?”

Inside his office, you found everything from his desk on the floor. His coat and jacket were stamped into the carpet. Beneath your heels, glass crunched and the door fell open a little more when you gripped onto it for stability. 

Then you saw him. 

His hair was all over the place, his eyes were red, his cheeks were stained from tears. The tie around his neck was loose, but not fully gone. And, despite trying to keep his composure, the minute his eyes met yours, it was gone in an instant.

Racing inside, you quickly wrapped your arms around his frame as he fell to his knees, bringing you with him. Sobbing into your shoulder and neck, you held him a little tighter before using your wand to fix the door, quickly and quietly. 

Once it was fixed and locked, you waited until Theseus had calmed a little before moving your head back to look at him. 

You didn’t say a word. You didn’t have to. Theseus knew you. Despite the years and the growth, he still knew you. 

I’m so sorry. Don’t worry. I’m here. You’re not alone.

Drying the falling tears, you looked him over. There were no cuts or stray shards from the shattered glass. Just a sad and heartbroken man. 

“I…I can’t go home. She’s still there. I can’t…” His voice broke and it broke your heart. 

Holding back your tears for him and for Leta, you pulled him back in for a tight hug. And, over the years, you helped him where you could. 

First, it was with staying at your place until he was brave enough to face his own home. Each day, you’d take your break from work and walk to the local bakery. On the way, like you’d done for so many years, you passed Theseus and Leta’s home. 

And each time, you’d spot Theseus. And each week, he got closer and closer to the door, until one afternoon, you watched him walk inside. 

That night, he didn’t come home. But you found him. Sat in his kitchen, going through Leta’s things. 

Just eighteen months after her death, Theseus decided to move. 

“It’s too hard,” he had told you. “It’s like I’m waiting for her to walk inside and…come home.”

You understood, and over the following few years, you watched Theseus find a way to live again, as well as just breathe. You even helped him get ready for his first date. 

“You should know, I have less experience in this world than you do.”

“Still,” Theseus sighed. “Which one? Blue? Or-”

You reached forward, taking the second tie from him and throwing it back into his wardrobe. “Blue. Definitely blue. And- come here.”

Positioning him in front of you, you fixed his hair before he could run his fingers through it again out of nervousness. Finally, you fixed his tie. 

“There,” you smiled, softly. “Handsome as ever.”

“You think I’m handsome?”

“Uhh…” You stalled, both because of his question and because, standing so close to him, sent you right back to Hufflepuff common room, the first time you’d held his hand. 

Quickly, you cleared your throat. “You better get going. Before you’re late.”

Looking at the clock, he swore. “You’re right. Thanks for your help.”

For the first time, Theseus kissed you on the cheek. It was barely a second thought. Just a quick kiss as a goodbye before the door closed behind him on his way out. 

And yet…

It sent your head into a spin. 

“Pull yourself together,” you told yourself as you cleaned up your home. 

By the time you saw him again, everything was normal. Until the day things started to change. 

“Alright, what is going on between you two?” Newt finally asked. 

He’d been noticing the change for a while. Maybe just under a year? 

You and Theseus had been growing closer – closer than ever. Newt felt for certain that things his brother and you didn’t tell him, you most certainly told each other. 

Newt also knew that he hadn’t seen that kind of light in his brother’s eyes since they were kids. The kind of light that only came to him when he was around you. 

But in the most recent weeks, something had…changed. 

“What? No. Nothing.” His brother had always been a terrible liar. 

“Theseus.”

“Nothing it’s-.”

Newt smiled to himself as he fed Dougal. “You like her.”

Theseus forced a laugh. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“And she likes you, too.”

Theseus leaned forward, quickly following his brother, being sure to avoid the stray tail of another long-named animal. “She-she does?”

Newt chuckled. “You should see the way she looks at you when you’re not looking.”

“And-whoa.” Theseus ducked to avoid another branch. “And how is that? Exactly?”

“Like how you look at her when she’s not looking.” Newt explained. “Don’t you find it rather annoying? Looking at one another when the other isn’t looking back?”

His brother chuckled. “I guess that is kind of annoying. But,” he smiled. “Does she really look at me?”

“Are you kidding?” Jacob said, emerging from behind the tree of Pickett’s family. “She can’t take her eyes off of you. And neither can you, for her.”

A blush spread across Theseus’s face as he smiled and looked away. 

“So, when are you thinking about doing it?”

“What?”

“Asking her out,” Jacob specified. 

“Right,” Theseus nodded. “Asking her out. Soon. Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“She’s…she’s my…friend.”

Jacob chuckled. “She’s more than your friend.”

Jacob had a point. 

A very correct, very good point. 

But despite his age and…wisdom when it came to asking a woman out on a date…for the first time, he felt like a fish out of water. 

Not that he liked to admit it, but he’d been shot down a couple of times over the years – politely, but it was still a no. He didn’t want you to say no. He didn’t want you to say no, find it odd and then leave your friendship for dust. 

He didn’t want to get it wrong. 

Not with you. 

Three days later, he spent twenty minutes pacing outside your office door. He’d had his speech rehearsed (and written down, just in case he forgot). He knew you – you knew him. There was no reason to be nervous. 

And yet, he was. 

Maybe you had been right all those years ago. He wasn’t stupid, but he certainly was an idiot. 

“Knock, knock.”

“Just a minute!” Your voice shouted from somewhere inside, followed by the sound of a box falling, a creak of a ladder and then a clatter of something else. 

“Y/n?” He rushed inside, looking for you amongst the different muggle items you’d educated him on over the last couple of years. 

“Theseus?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “I was hoping- where are you?” The more he looked around your office, the more lost he seemed to get. 

“Uhh,” you looked around you. “Between the tapestries and the telephones!”

Theseus looked around him. “Telephone…telephone…Ah!”

Spotting the small sign just across the room, he followed it until he found you stuck in the middle of a pile of different fabrics and wires. 

“Are you alright?”

You nodded with a chuckle as you dusted yourself off. “I’m fine. Did you need something?”

“Uhh,” Theseus had to knock himself back into shape. Looking at you…this was why he wrote his speech down. One simple look at you, and it was like his brain cut off entirely. “Yeah. Yes. I was hoping I could…ask you something?”

“Oh, well, just give me a moment.”

Theseus watched you for a moment, struggling to find a normal way out of the pile. “Would you like some help?”

“Please.”

A soft chuckle escaped him. “Alright, pass me your hand.”

In three swift movements, your hand was in his and he soon hand you standing in front of him. For a second, he was reminded of a memory he’d almost forgotten about. 

Brushing his thumb over your knuckles, he watched your breath hitch in your chest for a moment. And he smiled. 

“What…what was it that you…wanted to ask me?”

“Well…” Theseus took a breath.

He’d known you for years. There was once a time you’d purposely not look at him, annoyed by his very existence. But now…now your eyes wouldn’t leave him. And he’d never been more grateful. From the minute he saw that hint of a smile on your face in the Hufflepuff common room, something inside of him had wanted to see it again. 

And that Christmas…

He knew you. He knows you. 

And you know him. 

“I was hoping you’d accompany me to dinner. As a date. A romantic one.”

“I…” You were speechless, but the fact you didn’t curse him or push him away was a good sign. “You…”

He chuckled. “You know, it’s not often I see you speechless.”

“Well, it’s a shock.”

Theseus cringed a little, “A bad one?”

You just smiled. “Oddly…no. Not at all.”

“Oddly?” 

You rolled your eyes with a soft chuckle. “Considering our history started out because I cursed your shoelaces because you’d annoyed Newt-”

“I knew that was you!” 

You laughed, feeling Theseus’s arms pull you closer before you could move away. 

“I knew that was you,” he laughed.

“You were rather annoying at that age. And every age.”

He chuckled. “And now?”

You shrugged, trying to hide your smile though you were failing. “A little less so now.”

He smiled, leaning closer, pressing his forehead to yours as he kept you in his arms. “So, what do you say to a date?”

You smiled. “I’d love to.”

Theseus lifted his hand and rested it on your cheek, his thumb brushing your cheekbone before he leaned across and placed a kiss on your other. “Wonderful.”

A smile broke out on your face that Theseus knew he would never forget. 

“I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow,” he told you. “In the meantime, would you like some help with…all of this?”

You chuckled. “Love some. Maybe you can help me find my wand.”

Theseus shrugged and stepped back for a moment to draw his own. “Accio.”

There was a small tapping sound before your wand came rushing out underneath the pile of wooden crates in the corner and straight into Theseus’s hand. 

“I believe this is the wand you’re looking for.”

“That it is,” you smiled. “Thank you.”

With a wave of your wand and a simple spell, things started moving back into their rightful place. And, despite Theseus saying tomorrow would be your first date, that didn’t stop either of you from taking it earlier than planned. 

[unfinishedhowl]

all wizarding exam quizzes masterpost ⋆⭒˚.⋆

★ O.W.L.'s:

Potions Charms Care of Magical Creatures Herbology History of Magic Divination Study of Ancient Runes Astronomy Muggle Studies (coming soon)

★ N.E.W.T.'s:

Potions Charms Transfiguration Herbology Care of Magical Creatures Defense Against the Dark Arts History of Magic Divination Study of Ancient Runes Astronomy Muggle Studies (coming soon)

Transfiguration and D.A.D.A. are only part of the N.E.W.T.'s because of a lack of source material. Have fun and let me know your results in the comments ❤️

[managone16]

Fun fact: The Magical gene in the HP universe is a recessive gene. How do I know that? Well, my biology teacher made a whole fucking ppt analysing the genes, from Muggle Borns to Purebloods to Half Bloods. (I will post it when I get my hands on it) Here is how to works: The Dominant gene, Muggle gene, is M while magic is m. Therefore, Lily's parents most likely had the genes Mm and Mm, meaning when they had her her genes were mm, while Petunia could be Mm or MM. If she was Mm and Vernon was also Mm, there was a chance that Dudley would've been a Wizard. Next we go to Sirius. His parents both had the mm gene, making him and reggie both have this gene. Easy as that. As for Remus, Hope definitely had the Mm gene, as if she had MM gene and Lyall had mm, then Remus would have been a muggle. But he could have also been Mm, chance of him being a muggle increasing. As for Harry being half-blood, he has the proper mm gene, along with every wizard and witch, regardless of blood status, proving the fact they should all be treated equally. (Not kidding, someone add this to their fic please) Finally, we have Filch, the squib. Squibs are tricky, but my teacher also discovered that a squib may be produced due to a mutation in the mm gene, making that even if the person's parents were both magical, they wouldn't hold any/limited magical abilities.

[rebeccasreveries]

charity burbage aesthetic

marauders & co masterlist

“they have laughed inside her laughter. now she rallies her defenses, for she fears that one will ask her for eternity and she's so busy being free” joni mitchell, cactus tree

[handledwithgloves]

an old polaroid, it reads: Draco + Harry "Muggle Studies Trip" '99

[poppyy-0]

After Hogwarts, Draco and harry move in with each other. In their little apartment, Draco is making harry tea.

Draco: "There you go." He passes it to harry then sits down on the arm chair.

Harry: "Thank you love." Harry takes a sip of the tea. "Agh! What did you put in?"

Draco: "The tea bag, water, milk and one sugar. Like you taught me."

Harry: "Drink yours." Harry says to Draco.

Draco sips it and makes a face.

Harry: "Did you put salt instead of sugar?" He says seriously.

Draco: "Yeah."

[lilbeanz]

Professor Burbage 📀📻🎶✨️

(As characterised in 'The Journal of Dreadful Things' series)

[andrewsprayingmantis]

JK Rowling’s Biases and how they’ve Affected the Harry Potter and Marauders Fandom

Part 1: Moaning Myrtle

(Warning: This is a long post.)

For being a story that covers themes of discrimination, equal treatment and anti-genocide, the Harry Potter series has a lot of hidden racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia etc. hidden in between its pages. One of the main purposes of the Marauder’s fandom, at least in my interpretation, is to try to combat these issues. We’ve tried to bring in a more diverse caste, coming up with racial headcanons for characters, incorporating more homosexual relationships and making more characters trans in order to explore their lives and combat Rowling’s transphobia, but there are still a lot of biases that the fandom has unwittingly adopted due to Rowling being the mother. JK Rowling's exclusive definition of ‘feminism’ has been explored in detail in reference to her transphobic views, however I think it is also important to explore how these biases held by the author have impacted her writing, and as a result, the Harry Potter and Marauder’s Fandom.

The way JK Rowling writes women in the Harry Potter series is very telling. While she claims that she writes female characters who are ‘empowering,’ further analysis proves that she does anything but. To me, one of the biggest examples of this is Moaning Myrtle. A girl who is so known for how annoying she is, that she is called by that title more often than her actual name, which is Myrtle Warren. Her characterization is an annoying, borderline creepy teenage girl ghost who is constantly crying and complaining, and always getting in the way of the main characters. She is occasionally helpful, but for the most part, she is just treated as a nuisance. My problem with this is that when I looked more into Myrtle’s backstory, it became very clear to me that she had every right to complain and cry due to what happened to her.

The official canon story of Myrtle is that she was a muggle-born wizard who was sorted into Ravenclaw. Due to her glasses, acne and all around annoying disposition, she was frequently bullied to the point of isolating herself in the girls’ bathroom so that she could have the privacy to cry. On one of these occasions, she heard someone outside of her stall, a boy, and stepped out to scold him only to be instantly killed. This is Myrtle’s account of her death. From there, an investigation is laid out at Hogwarts in order to find the cause of her death. Upon finding an Acromantula in the possession of a half-giant student, Hagrid, it is decided that he was the cause of her death and he is expelled. Tom Riddle, a half-blood boy who helped discover this, is given an award. The problem with this, is that it is very clear that the Ministry did not do their research.

The first thing that stands out to me about this case is that they had a first-hand witness that they did not use. Myrtle is a ghost, and it is canon that she was delighted to tell anyone about her death. I would imagine right after the events she would be less delighted and more desperate for justice, but it is still reasonable to assume that she could have been interviewed about the cause of her death. They literally had access to the victim’s first-hand account, and they didn’t use it. How do we know? Because people don’t just instantly die upon seeing an acromantula. If that were the case, when Aragog was discovered, several ministry workers would have died, and Hagrid himself would have to have some kind of magical exception. While Acromantula’s are dangerous to wizards and cause death, they do not provide the instant death that Myrtle describes. Instead, they likely wrap their victims in webs and eat them alive. As seen with Nearly-Headless Nick, the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady, ghosts will still sustain the injuries that caused their deaths. Moaning Myrtle’s ghost has no injuries, no bite marks, no missing limbs, no spider webs, so clearly, this was not death by acromantula. If second year Hermoine Granger was able to figure this out, professional aurors and ministry workers should have too. So why didn’t they?

There is a layered answer to this question, but the core of it all is racism. The Harry Potter series explores racism using the metaphor of blood purity. Rather than going into the difference of treatment people receive based on color of skin, it highlights how something as simple as magical parentage can completely change how people are treated and how valuable their lives are. For the purpose of this analysis, keep in mind that the main minority groups that are highlighted in the wizarding world are those whose magical abilities and humanity can be questioned. It has less to do with appearance, and more to do with purity. In Moaning Myrtle’s case, she is not pure. She is a muggle-born, and so according to the general prejudice of the wizarding world, her death is seen as less important. Essentially, due to the fact that she is part of a minority group, one that is ‘less-powerful’ and therefore less important, her murder case is swept under the rug and treated as inconsequential. In the real world, this phenomenon is known as “Missing White Woman Syndrome.” When a white woman or girl goes missing, the media coverage for her case is extensive. This is even more true if she is attractive, able-bodied and from a middle-class family. However, when women and girls of color go missing, the cases are treated as less important. Both in the UK and the US, the majority of missing person’s cases to make the news are of white women and girls, even if there are just as many of not more women of color who have gone missing. What this tells the general populace is that white women are seen as a more tragic loss to society than the loss of a woman of color. (If you would like to further research this phenomenon, I encourage you to watch this video on the subject. It is very short and is made by a white crime sociologist. If you would prefer a more extensive breakdown, this video breaks down this subject as well as several others that relate to it, and is made by a Black woman with a lot of knowledge on the subject.)

If Myrtle was pureblood in the magical world, her murder case would have been seen as much more tragic. It would have likely become an urban legend that the entire school still talks about even in Harry Potter’s day, a case that people know all the intricate details about and make their own little magical true-crime podcasts on. Instead, most students don’t even know how she died, or care. They don’t know that she was murdered, or that her accused murderer was literally the man hired to be their groundskeeper. What I really want to know is, did Myrtle know about that? Did she know that Hagrid was literally there at Hogwarts, living a good life and generally unaffected by the murder accusations thrown at him? If a man was accused of murdering a white girl, or in this case a pureblood girl, would it be possible for the general populace to allow him anywhere near their children without putting up a massive fuss?

Another problem is, did Myrtle actually believe Hagrid did it? Did anyone actually bother to tell her when her murder case was supposedly ‘solved?’ She’s a Ravenclaw student, and they are known to be good at solving riddles and finding hidden messages. Would Myrtle actually believe that it was Hagrid and an Acromantula who killed her? If she was told this by the ministry, why didn’t she mention this to Harry in the recounting of her death? My best interpretation is that either no one actually bothered to tell Myrtle, or that she knew they were wrong. Here’s the thing: if I was accepted to a prestigious school and told it was one of the ‘safest places on earth’ and told I would learn magic there, and then I was bullied and murdered there, and people didn’t even bother to tell me about the resolution of the case or solve it properly, I think I would be pretty annoyed. And, I might start to have something of a victim complex. I might cry a lot, and whine and complain that everyone hates me, especially since there’s so much evidence. I was murdered, and hardly anyone cared. That would sting. She was lied to and told it would be safe, and then she was murdered. And yet every time she whines and cries, it is chalked up to her just being ‘annoying.’ See the problem?

What makes this case even more disturbing is the underlying racism in the accusation of Hagrid in the first place. Hagrid is again, a part of a minority group. He is a half-giant, and is overall a pretty sensitive person who has a strange obsession with the odd and misunderstood magical beasts. On the other hand, Tom Riddle was a known purist, as it is canon that in his years of Hogwarts he created a group of pre-death eaters known as the Knights of Walpurgis. With this clique, he would bully and humiliate muggle-born students on a regular basis. So who sounds like the individual more likely of murder? A low-intelligent, well-meaning but overall useless half-giant, or a cruel, competent half-blood human who was attractive, ambitious, and had a whole life ahead of him to live? Everyone has seen how reluctant authorities are to convict young men of SA or abuse, especially when they have so much potential. But this is only the case when these young men are white. If they are of any different race, people will rush to paint them as horrible villains the minute they get the chance, even if there is not enough evidence to back up the claims. Returning to situations in the real world, this was often the case of lynching black men during the Jim Crow law era in the United States. White men who did not work for the law would see a black man have an affair with a white woman and paint it as assault, because there was no way that a white woman would actually consent to be with a man like that. They would kill innocent black boys like Emmett Louis Till for things as simple as talking back to a white lady, because they were seen as guilty from birth. This again reflects into the Harry Potter universe, since it became so easy for Ministry workers to accuse Hagrid despite the evidence. Not only that, but they rewarded Tom Riddle since he was the one to ‘discover’ Hagrid’s guilt. The only reason Hagrid did not get a harsher punishment is because his victim was just as meaningless and useless to the wizarding society as he was.

If you didn’t already hate Dumbledore enough, it should also be said that he knew about everything the whole time. He suspected Tom Riddle, enough to keep ‘an annoyingly close eye on him’ his remaining days at Hogwarts, and yet he said nothing. The year that these events occurred was 1943. Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, the cause of a massive world-wide wizarding world, in 1945, two years afterwards. Before this, if we are to believe the events of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to be canon, he was still an active participant in hunting Grindelwald and had several epic battles with him. In 1932 he had the Qilin bow to him in order to elect him as the next Supreme Mugwump (this scene was ridiculous to me but it is canon), meaning that he had a reputation. He had a reputation of being a powerful and intelligent and well-meaning wizard, so if he had spoken up and said something about Myrtle’s case, people would have listened. He intervened in areas of the law plenty of times during the Harry Potter series, but while teaching at Hogwarts decided not to get involved when an innocent girl was killed and an innocent half-giant boy was expelled and blamed for it. But he did feel the need to keep and eye on Tom Riddle. So he knew. He just did nothing.

What really bothers me about this is that Myrtle Warren’s characterization in the Marauder's and Harry Potter fandom remains mostly the same in comparison to how JK Rowling wrote her. I’m not saying she’s not annoying. She is. I’m not saying the bath scene with Harry in the fourth book wasn’t creepy. It was. What I am saying is that no matter how annoying, weird, pathetic or even creepy Moaning Myrtle is, the fact that she is still only characterized for that is really sad to me. No one (as far as I’m aware) has tried to explore the true tragedy behind her story, and the injustices she was forced to face and just accept. Just because she’s annoying does not mean she deserves what happened to her, yet many fanfic writers still write her as nothing more than an annoying teenager to be ignored and forgotten. I want to be clear, I’m not blaming anyone for this but JK Rowling, just be careful about the kinds of biases you are embracing when you continue to write a character the way that JK Rowling did. I should also add as a disclaimer that I am white, so it is very fair to say I may not have a perfect perception of these things either. If there is anything that you would like to add to this, please do! I would love to see this become a big philosophical discussion.