RMH

ellievsbear

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Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
almost home

oozey mess
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One Nice Bug Per Day

#extradirty
wallacepolsom
Misplaced Lens Cap
Xuebing Du
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taylor price
todays bird
h
$LAYYYTER
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Product Placement
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@vampireluph
Something that i did while waiting for the next chapter of B&G by @obsidianpen... That scene now lives in my head
Потрясающие работы! Не могу передать насколько они прекрасны! Спасибо огромное!
BACKWARDS FUTURE
Summary
Trapped in 1952 and held captive by a dangerously curious Tom Riddle, Hermione Granger walked on a razor’s edge—playing the obedient housemate while hiding her time-torn past. But when a radio played a song that shouldn’t exist yet, her carefully constructed lies began to crumble. And when a coded message crackled through the radio, Hermione’s last hope began anew.
Snippet Chapter 1:
“You’re unusually quiet,” Tom remarked, his voice breaking the tense atmosphere. He leaned back casually, his posture relaxed, but his obsidian eyes were sharp as ever. “Is something troubling you, Hermione?”
She forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow even to her own ears. “Troubling me? No, of course not. I’m just… tired, that’s all.”
Tom smirked again, but there was no warmth in it. “Tired,” he repeated as if testing the word. “How curious. You seemed perfectly fine just moments ago.”
Hermione looked down, not wanting to look at Tom’s eyes. She could feel his gaze boring into her, dissecting her every move. Her grip on the knife tightened. She had to be careful, had to keep her composure. Most importantly, she really had to watch how she breathed. But… the song, the memories, the fear–it was all too much.
‘Hey, little train! Wait for me!
I once was blind, but now I see…’
She closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to stay calm. When she opened them again, Tom was still watching her, his expression unreadable.
“Tell me, Hermione,” he said, his voice soft but dangerous. “What do you know about this song?”
Her breath hitched.
He can’t know! H e c a n ’ t k n o w ! H e c a n ‘ t k n o w !
Read it on Ao3:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/64306639/chapters/165071671?view_adult=true
He’s a real gentleman 🫦🙏
i wouldn't mind lol
Thank you for your recs, there've been so many fics I would have never come across without your recs! The Lost and Found series by Aquaphobe is now one of my favorites, it is truly one-of-a-kind and so underrated, so thank you for surfacing that one.
As a result, I am now craving fics with an older Tom Riddle, magical or muggle setting, in other words, Tomarry but with their canon age gap. Would you be able to rec some? Thank you greatly
Thank you so much! And yes, lost and found by @honbug is a beautifully written series featuring a Mafia AU setting; I will link it here so that everyone can hopefully read it 🤍
I love a good age gap fic! Please see below for a rec list featuring older Tom, and I’ll combine this with another ask I received recently requesting silver fox Tom Riddle recs. I tried to find fics where it’s mentioned that Tom has a bit of grey at the temples; otherwise, these fics all feature Harry and Tom at their canon age gap (or close to it).
lost & found (Series) by @honbug (E, 183k, WIP)
(Part 1) Sometimes, Harry gets lost. (Part 2) For as long as he can recall, Harry's felt that the world is not as it should be… (Part 3) Tom knows from the beginning that he is destined for greatness. Nothing and no one will stop him from achieving his goals. (And then, of course, there are the dreams.)
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Canon Age Gap Recs
A Special Day by @vdoshu (E, 3k, complete)
“I think a fresh start is important. I’d like one, and I think this can be it.” “It’s a bit late for a fresh start for me, don’t you think?” he retorts snidely.
An afternoon's delight by @loneamaryllis (E, 2k, complete)
"I want you to fuck my throat." Voldemort was a hard man to surprise, and yet those seven words knocked the wind out of him. He lifted an eyebrow, lips parting slightly.
aurora polaris by @aglassroseneverfades (E, 217k, complete)
Harry does not give up the Horcrux when he dies. Moved by compassion, he embraces it instead. The world Harry wakes up to is not like the one he remembers. And his captor is neither the same as he was, nor as different as he would like.
Everything Green Is Gold by anonymous (E, 24k, complete)
Prior to Hogwarts, Harry had stayed mostly invisible to the teachers and adults around him his whole life. But Tom Riddle, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, looked at Harry like he was something to be wanted.
Everything We Dream Can Be Real by @vdoshu (E, 52k, complete)
Harry had a life after Voldemort. He had a family. He had a career. And then one day it was all ripped away when he woke up at Number 4 Privet Drive. Or: Where Harry doesn’t exactly get that chance to do it over again. And things are Not Okay.
Fault Lines by @vestiges-of-light (M, 151k, complete)
After the world believes that Voldemort has died on that Halloween night, Tom Riddle returns to Hogwarts to claim the Defense post at last. Hogwarts will be a sanctuary, while he waits to find out more about Harry Potter and the prophecy that connects them. But when Grindelwald is broken out of prison, perhaps the magical world needs Voldemort to be publicly resurrected after all.
hook, line, and sinker by @purplemineralwater (E, 41k, WIP)
Harry asks Professor Riddle for help in killing Voldemort, Riddle is endlessly amused.)
James Potter Does Not Approve by Lytri (T, 4k, complete)
James had never liked Gaunt, and that wasn’t about to change anytime soon.
Let's talk sugar by @being-luminous (T, 2k, complete)
In which Harry Potter may or may not be a sugar baby.
Memories of a Killer by @chemfreak89 (M, 47k, complete)
Age catches up with everyone. The infamous serial killer Voldemort now spends his time reading newspapers and making trips to the local library in search of a new crime novel. But one day he makes an interesting new acquaintance that shakes his quiet life and rekindles old flames and unknown desires.
Ministry: A Christmas Special by @milkandmoon-103 (M, 4k, complete)
Rumours are circulating within the Ministry that Senior Undersecretary Tom Riddle is sleeping with his assistant.
One slap, two slaps, three slaps by @albondiguilla007 (E, 4k, complete)
Minister Tom Riddle turns seventy.
One Year In Every Ten by @saintsenara (E, 207k, WIP)
A decade after the final battle, a serial killer emerges, with a message that proclaims the Dark Lord has risen again. Harry is assigned to the case.
Resonating Souls by @endlessburningdarkness (E, 4k, complete)
Minister Riddle has an unusually dream filled night.
Revolution of Configured Stars by @tollingreminiscentbells (E, 162k, WIP)
In another world, Harry Potter was spared. Raised in Lord Voldemort's Britain, he enters his seventh year wanting to keep his head down. But after a chance encounter with ‘Marvolo Gaunt’, it looks like it may not be so simple.
Terms and Conditions May Apply by @duplicitywrites (T, 17k, WIP)
Lord Voldemort gets one chance at a new life. This new chance comes with a lot of conditions.
The Betrayal (And Boon) of One's Own Biology by @riverxsong-ao3 (E, 7k, complete)
Tom Riddle had always known he was destined for greatness. As a young wizard, he was certain he would present one day as an Alpha - strong, powerful, in charge. When he did not, he came to accept that he must, in fact, be a Beta.
The Dinner by @moontearpensfic (T, 3k, complete)
Voldemort takes Harry to meet his parents.
The Rigmarole Dance by cannibalinc (T, 8k, complete)
Harry is nine years old when he points at Lord Thomas Marvolo Slytherin, High Warlock of England, and declares "You're my soulmate, and we're going to be married."
Unwinding the Minister (Hypothetically) by @ramabear (E, 4k, complete)
It's the end of December and Head Auror Harry Potter finds himself in the Minister's office once more and he can't help but wonder, how much the young, uptight Minister really just needs to unwind for a night. And how much he'd be happy to help.
Until Midnight Comes by @dividawrites (E, 26k, complete)
A few years after the war Harry reluctantly attends a party at Malfoy Manor. He drinks a few too many and runs into a handsome man called Tom. What happens after is definitely not a drunken error in judgement—it’s love at first, blurry sight instead.
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Tomarrymort Recs by aethon 🐍
Hi! Thank you for your interest in this blog 🤍 This is a rec blog focused exclusively on Tomarrymort recs.
If you're looking for Tomarrymort rec lists, keep reading! I will keep this master list of links updated as I post more rec lists to this blog.
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My standard list of rec list disclaimers:
• Please mind all tags and warnings on AO3 before reading (including CCNTW, explanation here). I strive to include a balance of themes and a diverse range of fic genres and ratings in my rec lists, so you'll come across lighter fare such as fluff and crack fics, along with fics that may cover darker themes. • Recs are always listed in alphabetical order by title. • Because I'm reccing Tomarrymort ship fics (all ratings from G through E) rather than gen fics, I aim to find fics where both characters in the ship are a meaningful part of the story; there isn't significant focus dedicated to side ships for Harry or Tom before getting to the endgame ship; and the Tomarrymort ship is central to the story. • Finally, this blog is not a fic-finding blog, but please visit our friends at @findingtomarrymort if you're having trouble locating a specific fic!
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Tomarrymort Recs Master List
I. Longfic Recs
(coming soon) Part 0 — Longfic Master List (56 fics) Part 1 — Tomarrymort Beginner Pack (10 fics) Part 2 — Intermediate Pack (16 fics) Part 3 — Advanced Pack (12 fics) Part 4 — 2024 Longfic Update Pack (8 fics) (coming soon) Part 5 — 2025 Longfic Update Pack (8 fics)
II. Themed Rec Lists
Harry-Raises-Tom Riddle recs (14 fics) Voldemort-Raises-Harry recs (13 fics) Fem Tomarrymort (F/F) recs (15 fics) Part 1 — Dead Dove Tomarrymort recs — Non-Con/Dub-Con (30 fics) Part 2 — Dead Dove Tomarrymort recs — Incest / Chan (25 fics) Part 3 — Dead Dove Tomarrymort recs — Necrophilia (11 fics) Tomarrymort Recs by Horcrux (22 fics) Tomarrymort Recs with Hemipenes (25 fics)
III. Answered Asks
Professor Potter recs (13 fics) Professor Riddle recs (12 fics) Tom & Harry Co-parenting recs (8 fics) Creature Fic (naga, vampire, mermaid, werewolf, veela) recs (25 fics) Unhinged/Dark Harry recs (13 fics) Independent/Strong-Willed Harry recs (10 fics) 1940s-era Tomarrymort recs (23 fics) Tomarrymort crack recs (34 fics) Tomarrymort casefic/mystery recs (15 fics)
IV. Recs by Publication Date
24 Tomarrymort Recs for 2022 (24 fics) Jan 2023 recs (10 fics) Feb 2023 recs (30 fics) December 2023 HP Rec Fest (36 fics) 23 Tomarrymort Recs for 2023 — One-Shot Edition (23 fics) 23 Tomarrymort Recs for 2023 — Multi-Chaptered Fics (23 fics) 30 Tomarrymort Recs for 2024 — Complete Multi-Chapter Fics (30 fics) 30 Tomarrymort Recs for 2024 — One-Shot Edition (30 fics) (coming soon) 40 Tomarrymort Recs for 2024 — Longfic Edition (40 fics)
V. Tomarrymort Weekly Recs (for recent fics)
25 October – 7 November 2024 11 – 24 October 2024 4 – 10 October 20242 8 September – 3 October 2024
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30 Tomarrymort Recs for 2024 — Completed Multi-Chapter Fics (Part 1)
Happy new year, and what a year 2024 was for the Tomarrymort ship! 🤍 We went from close to 13,000 fics in the beginning of 2024 to over 15,000 fics in the ship tag by the end of the year. How incredible is that!?
I've split up my 2024 year-end recs into 3 parts: (1) Completed Multi-Chapter Fics, (2) One-Shots, (3) WIPs. Here is Part 1 of the list: Completed Multi-Chapter Fics.
Please enjoy these 1.5 million words of completed Tomarrymort fic from 2024!
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A Dangerous Game by @cybrid (E, 322k, complete)
Tom Riddle opens the Chamber of Secrets in Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts. After a botched attempt to extract the Horcrux in Harry’s scar leaves their souls tied together, Tom is forced to kidnap him when he makes his escape. A story of Horcrux hunting, adventure and unwilling attraction.
Anabiosis by @itsevanffs (E, 39k, complete)
The school is… unprotected. Voldemort gets resurrected early, and learns this very quickly. Harry Potter likes his new teacher: he's a pretty man in his early thirties with a kind smile and dark hair and eyes - and he doesn't seem to hate him, unlike all the other teachers.
aurora polaris by @aglassroseneverfades (E, 217k, complete)
Harry does not give up the Horcrux when he dies. Moved by compassion, he embraces it instead. What follows next, he could not predict. He’s not sure he ever really had a choice in the matter. The world Harry wakes up to is not like the one he remembers. And his captor is neither the same as he was, nor as different as he would like.
Change Me by @valkyrie-chemist (E, 17k, complete)
Harry Potter had grown up listening to tales of the cursed Lord Voldemort. Trapped in his mysterious manor, the man—the monster—was said to be crueler and more hungry than Death itself. So why then, Harry thought, was the groundskeeper still alive? What sway did Tom Riddle have over Lord Voldemort to stay his wicked hand when Harry had so brazenly trespassed on his lands? Whatever it was, it was not enough. For try as he might, not even Tom could persuade the monster to let Harry leave. That is, Tom challenged, if Harry even wanted to.
Creatures of the Dark we are by @hikarimeroperiddle (E, 28k, complete)
Banished to his cupboard at age 4, Harry learns to listen only to the Voice in his head. Its teachings warp all Harry could have become until no more than dark magic and devotion remains. Visions of a wraith with red eyes complicate matters, especially when Harry and the Voice follow it to Hogwarts so Master can get his hands on the Philosopher’s Stone. Harry can do magic. He can’t do people.
death cheater (are you?) by regulus_little_mermaid (E, 14k, complete)
Tom tries to understand: just because a stranger saves your life a few times doesn't mean you can fall in love with him.
Dulce Et Decorum Est Mori by beetaker (E, 135k, complete)
“I'm glad it's both of us,” Harry said, green eyes somehow greener, the natural brightness in him turning incandescent. “I'm glad we're going together.” “We'll always go together,” Tom said, knowing it as fact, unable to imagine anything different. Wherever he went, Harry was sure to follow. It'd been that way forever. It would surely always be that way.
Extenuating Circumstances by Origin_Of_Symmetry (M, 87k, complete)
“You’re really quite a delight, Harry. I can’t believe I went weeks thinking you were useless and boring.” Somehow, unwittingly, Harry finds himself engaged to Tom Riddle. He’s not entirely sure how that happened.
friend of the devil (a friend of mine) by @shyinsunlight (E, 28k, complete)
There’s something very unsettling about Tom Riddle. Cedric can’t put a finger on it. Whether it’s the way he moves, all long limbs and eerie fluidity, the dissecting gaze he follows them with, or the way he speaks, with an accent that doesn’t match his manners. Maybe it’s how he drinks in Harry’s presence like a religious zealot, or how his eyes wander over Harry’s body as if he’s seen the skin and flesh underneath before.
gaming buddies by @reggieblk (M, 19k, complete)
All it takes is a rude comment under a YouTube video for Harry and Tom to meet their best friend and, incidentally, the love of their lives. Through thousands of hours of playing Minecraft together, getting to know each other, and finally meeting in real life, it was inevitable they'd fall in love.
Hearthstone Abbey by @ramabear (E, 116k, complete)
Harry follows Thomas Gaunt into his world much like he stepped onto Diagon Alley that first time, wide-eyed and full of wonder. He has no idea what exactly this world has in store for him, but he knows that with Thomas at his side, he is safe and happy for the first time in his whole life. There is someone who will always be there for him, always look after him, always care for him and everything Thomas does just proves that to be true.
In the Shape of Fear, Erised by @rowena-rain (E, 19k, complete)
Harry sneaks into Lupin’s office late at night, determined to banish his recurring nightmares of a certain devastatingly handsome future Dark Lord once and for all. But things quickly spiral into depravity, and before he knows it, Harry is getting thoroughly railed by a boggart in the form of Diary Tom Riddle... Or is it?
in the silence by @satflesk22 (E, 48k, complete)
There's a new student at Hogwarts. And, for some reason, he's decided he's going to be Tom Riddle's best friend. Tom, immortal aspiring Dark Lord, apparently has no say in the matter.
In Their Absence by @mosiva (E, 35k, complete)
“Weird place to hang out, mate,” Harry said, more to break the oppressive silence. There was nothing but the thick hedges, the faintest whisper of a breeze, the grey sky overhead, and Voldemort. “You believe this to be a dream,” Voldemort rasped. “You always were foolish.”
Kudosed, Bookmarked, Subscribed by @maquira713 (E, 79k, complete)
By day, Harry works as a lowly assistant to his boss: the cruel, controlling Tom Riddle. By night, he lives, breathes, and writes fanfiction. And when he's not writing, he's obsessing over the work of his favorite Ao3 author: Lord_Voldemort_. So, of course, it’s only a matter of time before Harry gets caught reading Voldemort’s latest fanfiction at work… by none other than his boss.
Machine Men by @izharmilgram (E, 5k, complete)
Harry discovers Lord Voldemort is transgender, and he's really fucking hung up about it.
rage, rage (against the dying of the light) by MerleBlanc (M, 17k, complete)
1978. Voldemort is winning, bored, and his immortality secured. When a mysterious man appears out of thin air to oppose his Death Eaters, he is more than intrigued by whom the newspapers now nickname the Good Samaritan. Except someone is also stealing his horcruxes one by one, and he has never felt more threatened in his life. Or: Harry just lost his wife, made a deal with Death, travelled from the future to gain back his mortality, and decided to fuck a timeline.
see you soon by @duplicitywrites (E, 9k, complete)
It’s summer, which explains why Tom has all this free time to visit Harry’s flat and place of work, but it does not explain how Tom knows, with unerring accuracy, where Harry is at any given moment. Harry has checked with his coworkers—Tom only ever shows up at Fortescue’s when Harry is the manager on shift.
Shiver, Lustre, Skin by @monsieurclavier (M, 9k, complete)
Harry goes undercover as a bargirl at one of Tom Riddle’s exclusive clubs. Tom has her figured out in approximately one second. Or: In which Tom is a badass Wizarding mob boss and an incorrigible lesbian flirt, and Harry—sassy newbie Auror and secret virgin—is just Tom’s type.
something precious by @mosiva (E, 16k, complete)
“Fine,” Harry said, giving in to curiosity as he always did. “What is it?” Tom shook the vial, letting the liquid catch the light and send rays scattering over his hand and face. “It’s a love potion,” he said.
Still Into You by @moontearpensfic (E, 29k, complete)
Harry has a stalker. If only he noticed sooner.
Sugar Soaked by @teaandsweaters9 (E, 46k, complete)
Seducing Hepzibah Smith out of her most precious belongings should have been simple. Spend time with her, charm her, drain her for all she’s worth, and move on. Unfortunately for Tom Riddle, Harry Potter, professional savior and amateur waiter, has other plans.
the only heaven by iwasborntired (M, 11k, complete)
“You,” Ginny swallows, and her voice sounds jagged, waves crashing against an uneven shore. “You called out for him, in your sleep.” He does not need her to finish. He knows. It is sick and festered and rotten, and it is true. In the blanket of night, in his dreams, Harry Potter starves. His mouth forms the supplication, a secret scalds the air, and his soul, then and now and always, calls out for Tom Riddle. It is only fair, after so long spent stitched into the fabric of one other.
the righteous dead by @aspengray (T, 40k, complete)
Harry is resurrected, sewn together with thread and magic. He remembers nothing except that he loves his savior, a man named Voldemort.
Thin Skin by @iseliljathedreamer (E, 15k, complete)
The war ended with a conditional surrender where the most powerful wizard alive signed his freedom away for 100 years to a boy of 17 armed with a basilisk tooth and a putrid, poisoned pool, in exchange for secrecy and eternal life. But that was years ago now. Harry thought he'd never get used to having Voldemort living in his house, but he did. Time is a miracle-worker beyond all human comprehension, and yet, there are wounds it remains to heal. Quite literally.
Tom Riddle's DIY Disaster by @sri-verse (E, 13k, complete)
Harry and Tom were the closest two people could be. They always shared everything, no secrets between them. So, when Tom told Harry about his last orgasm, why was Harry acting all weird? It was granted that Tom would think of him.
Trenches by @shadow-of-the-eclipse (T, 82k, complete)
"Maybe you should kill them," Harry says. He's sitting perched on the stairs, hands clasped together, green eyes watching Tom and his irritating year mates. His form is hazy around the edges, an almost translucent quality to his image. "I can't just kill people," Tom says. "Not in public.” Role-Reversal where Harry is the Dark Lord and Tom Riddle is the Boy-Who-Survived.
two ways of being: the noun & the verb by cycloalkane (NR, 8k, complete)
Potter is finishing up with his sketch of the craniofacial structure. There is still more of his body to go, and more sessions left, and Tom cannot be sure whether he wants the precise drawings to be more or less—true, at all, if he could even describe them as untruthful. They aren’t beautiful as Tom is in the mirror, but they are still, undeniably, him, with the eye of someone learning to cut people apart and look beneath their skin, still bloodless yet, and—well.
What quickens me is the violence in thee by @i-dream-of-libraries (M, 17k, complete)
Harry is sold at auction to a man who is clearly in some kind of disguise - Lord Riddle isn't as charming as he looks, and the way he looks at Harry...
You By The Shore by @blackseatwenty (E, 19k, complete)
Harry's grown on the island his whole life. He fell in love with a stranger standing alone by the shore. Or is it crazy to believe in love at first sight?
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@thedeathofdreams1 made this height chart for Blood and Gold so I thought I’d share 😂 poor Hermione and Walter. Why is everyone so tall why am I like this
this chart is everything!!
I'm cheeky snippet anon. I was particularly hoping for a glimpse of the Draco pov in B&G but I'm a fan of all your fics I'll take any snippet and be incredibly grateful 😍 or I'll take nothing and be grateful too! Thanks for writing!
“Floor two, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement,” announced the cool, female voice.
Draco rushed out of the lift as soon as the doors opened. A few interdepartmental memos flanked him before fluttering off in different directions.
He knew his way around, having come here with his father on more than a few excursions, so Draco made his way to the Auror offices quickly. He kept his head down. He avoided making eye contact with anyone, and somehow managed not to draw attention to himself.
He heard him before he saw him.
Draco was just passing one of the large sections of walled-off cubicles when the much too familiar sound of Potter’s voice reached his ears. “...feels like a Friday, you know?”
“You said that yesterday, Harry.”
Weasley. After glancing quickly up and down the narrow hall he found himself in, which was, blessedly, empty at the moment, Draco made a split-second decision. He pressed himself up against the wall of what must have been Potter’s cubicle and eaves-dropped.
“It does, though. Feels like this week has dragged on forever already.”
“I know. It’s the paperwork.”
“It’s always the paperwork. I’m losing my damn mind.”
Perhaps you made a grievous error in your career choice, Potter, Draco thought amusedly.
“You might have made a bad career choice, then,” said Weasley. Draco glowered. It sounded much less funny coming from him.
“Yeah, well, at least you’re stuck in it with me.”
“Don’t think I’m not considering quitting every time a new case to file gets dropped on us. George said his door is always open.”
“You’re not allowed to quit. You’re nowhere near funny enough to help run a joke shop. You’d ruin his business, and then my Triwizard Tournament winnings will have gone entirely to waste.”
There was theatrical sigh followed swiftly by a banging sound, which was then followed by some swearing and some good-natured laughter. Draco rolled his eyes. He was about to turn the corner and finally announce his presence when Potter spoke again.
“It’s… Today is Hermione’s birthday, you know.”
Draco froze and held his breath. Her birthday? Today was her bloody birthday?
“...Yeah. I know.”
A stretch of silence so uncomfortable that even Draco felt awkward. More awkward than he already did, at any rate.
“I, er. I owled her, Asking her to meet me out later. I think she will.”
You think incorrectly, Potter, Draco thought darkly.
“Yeah? That’s… Good. That’s good.”
“I told her I got her something. A gift.”
“That is traditionally what one does on someone’s birthday, yes.”
Potter sighed even more dramatically than before. “It’s you. You’re the gift. You and a giant, heartwarming, much-needed apology speech. You’re coming with me to the Three Broomsticks, and we are finally going to hash this whole thing out and move past it. Okay?”
Draco had to cover his mouth to prevent the awful laughter that threatened to escape. Weasley? Potter was bringing Weasley to Granger, as a present? Her estranged ex-boyfriend? To hash out his cheating behavior from over a year ago?
Wherever she was, Draco was certain that Granger would feel nothing but relief knowing she had missed out on this birthday surprise. She’d probably prefer to be ripped apart by the turbulence of time-travel, really.
“I… what?” Weasley said weakly.
Draco decided he’d heard more than enough. Granger would not be meeting anyone out for birthday drinks, because Granger was likely in mortal peril, stranded in the wrong decade, and that was looking at things optimistically. Channeling all the dignity he could manage, Draco straightened his posture, fixed a contemptuous look on his face, and turned the corner to reveal himself.
“Potter,” he said stiffly.
It worked too well.
As it happened, Potter was leaning back slightly in his chair, lifting the two front legs off the ground. Upon the unanticipated arrival of Draco Malfoy in his cubicle, he startled so badly he yelped and kicked the chair right over, sending himself tumbling backwards to the floor–and good thing, too, because he also happened to have his wand in his hand. A bright yellow spark shot from its tip, missing Malfoy by a distressingly small amount as he fell and striking an interdepartmental memo mid-flight instead. The little paper airplane promptly exploded in a burst of golden confetti.
“Hope that wasn’t important,” Draco said drily, not allowing the panic of nearly being hit by a hex show on his face.
“WHAT THE FUCK, MALFOY?”
“FUCKING HELLS!”
Both Potter and Weasley yelled at the same time. Potter–in a move that was, admittedly, impressive–had turned his fall into a sort of tumble-roll, and was back on his feet in a flash, his wand aimed much more precisely on Draco’s face. Weasley had pulled his wand out as well, and now that Draco looked around properly, he saw that there were at least five other wizards and witches who had popped their heads up over the cubicle wall, all of which were now doing the same, looking alarmed.
Probably wasn’t the brightest idea, spooking a bunch of aurors, Draco admitted in the privacy of his mind.
«This wasn’t a fairytale, and Tom wasn’t a hero. Despite knowing his kiss wouldn’t revive his lioness, that it wouldn’t heal her wounds, and it wouldn’t save her… he kissed her anyway.»
commission art for ff The Brightest Star in the Sky by @tippilo
(chapter 40), published on AO3
““I never got the trick of it” […] He took her hand; she drew it back instinctively and then replaced it in his.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald (insp)
Hermione’s mouth fell open. She watched as Tom drank, keeping his eyes locked on hers, the hint of a smile never leaving his lips.
“You can’t take my question,” Hermione found herself saying. “That’s not fair.”
“I don’t see that listed as a rule. A simple yes or no will suffice.”
“That’s not true and you know it! These things are—are complicated.”
Tom’s slight smile vanished. “Ah… I see I have my answer.”
“What? No you don’t, I didn’t say anything,” Hermione said, but she spoke much too quickly, and she knew that he was right.
He did have his answer.
Tom drank and assessed her in silence. Hermione had the bewildering urge to both steal the bottle from his hands for herself and to flee the cottage, though she knew she’d get exactly nowhere if she tried.
“Stop that,” she said, fidgeting in her seat. When he did nothing but raise a brow at her, she scowled and said, “Stop staring at me and—and being all quiet and thoughtful. I know you’re sitting there, making up your own version of what you think you know, and I know you know that it will drive me crazy so—so just… here.”
She slid her glass across the table. “If you want the story of my torrid past love life, fine. But I’m going to need more nail polish remover to get through that.”
Tom filled her glass. He said nothing as he slid it back to her, only waited.
Hermione took a drink and heaved a great sigh. She racked her brains as she considered just how she was going to tell this story without telling him everything.
“I’ll preface this by saying I’m not going to use anyone’s real names,” she started. “And to point out that this was all years ago. I don’t even talk to him anymore, and haven’t in a long time.”
“Oh?”
“Yes.” She knew why he looked surprised because she knew what he—incorrectly—suspected, but Hermione was not about to utter the word Liam out loud if she could help it. This was all bad enough.
“Why fake names?” Tom said.
“Something about you being a murderous, possessive Dark Lord,” Hermione grumbled. “Consider it a precaution.”
“Did he hurt you?”
The question was spoken softly, with little inflection. It was amazing how Tom could send a chill shooting up her spine so effortlessly. His relaxed posture hadn’t changed; he still held the bottle lazily in one hand.
But his eyes. They were biting and cold.
Who do you ship with Hermione?
Draco Malfoy
Ron Weasley
Severus Snape
Harry Potter
Bellatrix Lestrange
Viktor Krum
Narcissa Malfoy
Theodore Nott
Fred Weasley
Pansy Parkinson
Tom Riddle
Other (put in comments)
what is your writing process?
ahhh I hate this question! Okay here I finally just screen recorded what it looks like when I write:
And here is that passage after I read it back and edited once:
Hermione woke, but she kept her eyes closed and didn’t move. Still asleep, she lied with each slow exhale. Tom’s arms were dead weights around her waist, his breathing just as calm. Still peacefully asleep.
She went over it and over it in her head, envisioning it so well she might have lived it. She imagined the color of the sky. She pictured what the ground was like, the lighting, the smells—the whole, chilling atmosphere. She kept her breath steady. She never moved.
And it will probably change again and again…
so thats it. Very sophisticated. Sometimes I have a messy gross paragraph that details the major plot points I need to hit at the bottom of the page, but I didn’t include that because spoilers.
any Christmas miracle BG snippets available 👀
why yes! I’m about 6k words deep and not even close to being done 🫠
—
He kissed her ankle after he’d discarded them. Hermione’s mind went blank at the sight of him, his eyes closed and lips full and splayed against her as he all but kissed her feet. Then his eyes went to hers, dark and heavy. “Repeat after me,” he said as one of his hands glided up her thigh.
“Haas-rach.”
Hermione blinked stupidly. A word. A parseltongue word, most definitely.
Repeat after me?
“Haas-rach,” he hissed again, the sounds guttural and smooth all at once. Tom kissed her again, his smile wicked.
“Say it,” he said. “Try.”
Hermione nodded, but the first words out of her mouth were, “What does it mean?”
“Say it.”
His eyes flashed that startling, hellfire red. His nails dug into her thigh, and his voice had gone from liquid molasses to jagged glass in a second. Hermione squealed and tried to jump further up on the bed, but she moved less than an inch. Tom’s hold on her was, as always, much too tight.
“H-has-rock,” she stuttered, her hands clutching at the sheets like lifelines.
“Wrong.”
Tom’s voice dropped back to that sultry purr. He stopped digging his nails into her thigh and massaged her there instead, a soothing motion.
His eyes stayed red.
Interview taken from The Severus Snape and Hermione Granger Shipping Fan Group. (Admin approved)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/199718373383293/
Hello Loten and welcome to Behind the Quill, thank-you for letting us get to know you a little better.
Many of our members will know your works with Post Tenebras, Lux and Chasing the Sun being considered classics for the SS/HG pairing.
Thanks for the invitation, hello everyone.
What’s the story behind your pen name?
There’s a werewolf novel, Bareback by Kit Whitfield. In one scene a character is looking at the moon and mentions that in Old English poetry they would use the term loten to describe a night when the moon was bright enough to see by. I haven’t been able to verify it since the author may well have invented it, but I love nights like that and I liked the word, and the rest is history.
Which Harry Potter character do you identify with the most?
I get asked this a lot, actually. There is no one character, I don’t think - I identify to some extent with most of the characters that feature more frequently in my fics, or I wouldn’t be able to write them (the exception is Lucius, as far as I can tell he’s truly fictional and not derived from anything in me). I probably have more in common with Hermione than the others, at least my version of her, but it’s hard to say for sure.
Do you have a favourite genre to read? (not in fic, just in general)
Fantasy all the way. My mother nagged me into reading The Hobbit when I was around seven or eight, and that was it. I do read other genres but a good 85 per cent of my reading material almost certainly has magic or dragons somewhere in it.
Do you have a favourite “classic” novel?
I have a few. I like all of Austen’s works, my favourite is probably Sense & Sensibility. I’ve just finished re-reading Jane Eyre. I like Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels as well.
At what age did you start writing?
My mother is one of those parents who hoards everything her offspring do, and among the boxes of paper is a short story I wrote and illustrated when I was maybe five, about a flying shoe (imaginatively titled The Magic Clog). And when I was six I had a poem published in an anthology of children’s verse (I don’t remember how that came about; I think my school was asked to get involved, had a competition and picked out a few that ended up in the book) - my contribution was a piece of free verse about a dripping tap. So it’s something I’ve always done, though I started taking it more seriously as a teenager developing roleplay characters.
How did you get into writing fanfiction?
My best friend when I was around thirteen was into fanfiction, she wrote Stargate SG-1 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fiction at the time. I don’t know how she got into it herself but she introduced me to reading it, though it was a year or two before I found the courage to try writing any. My early stuff was… not very good, and I will never admit to being the author of any of it now!
What’s the best theme you’ve ever come across in a fic? Is it a theme represented in your own works?
Oh, that’s a hard one. I like seeing consequences being explored - often authors will give a character the backstory or motivation they need them to have for the sake of the plot, but if it’s not one of the main characters they won’t pay it any more attention after that. When it’s done well, I do like stories exploring the realism of just how a character would be affected by what happens to them. It adds a new dimension to their personality, and the psychology behind it is interesting in its own right. We’re a product of our experiences, and so are fictional people. I try to show it in my writing as well - why a character does something is as important as the thing itself.
What fandoms are you involved in other than Harry Potter?
I read fics from all sorts of fandoms, but Discworld was where I first started writing (badly). It’s a pretty small fandom despite the legions of fans worldwide, so I got to know a few writers there and learned more about what I was doing. Took a break for a while due to personal reasons, and when I returned under this name I started off in the even smaller Tamora Pierce fandom, trying my wings before entering the madness of Harry Potter. These days the Potterverse is still my first love along with the other two, but others include the Wheel of Time, Good Omens and too many smaller ones to list. I don’t write for them or anything so active, though.
If you could make one change to canon, what would it be? Do you have a favourite piece of fanon?
Snape surviving, and the HG/SS ship, naturally! Do you listen to music when you write or do you prefer quiet?
Music, or Youtube videos (I watch a lot of Let’s Plays), or just having the TV on. I can’t concentrate in complete silence, my mind wanders to other things. I also talk to myself if there’s no other source of noise and I’m trying to break the habit.
What are your favourite fanfictions of all time?
This would have been far easier to answer a few years ago, but I read less and less fanfiction as time goes by and I don’t read Potter fics at all any more. My personal headcanons have developed more and more over the years, and nobody’s headcanon is the same as anyone else’s, so I end up disagreeing with fics these days because it’s not how I would have done it and it makes it difficult to enjoy them.
The best fic I ever read was also the one that introduced me to HG/SS, but at some point, along the way, it was deleted and the author removed their account, and I’ve never managed to remember the title or pen name to look for it elsewhere. I don’t remember the plot either after so long, but the characterisation was absolutely superb and the ship just made so much sense that I never looked back.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? How does that affect your writing process?
A plotter, definitely. I always have a first draft mostly complete before I start uploading anything. Initially, it was just because I realised I was writing longer stories and didn’t want to risk hitting writer’s block or real-life delays and having to go on hiatus in the middle of uploading a story, but later I realised I preferred it. I don’t have to worry about writing myself into a corner or contradicting myself, I can take the time to make sure things are coming across the way I want them to. And it means I never have to force myself to write ‘the next chapter’ to a deadline - if I don’t want to work on whatever comes next, I can jump ahead and write something later in the plot that I do want to work on. I also find it a lot easier to plan a story around a timeline to get the overall pacing right.
What is your writing genre of choice?
I don’t really know what you’d call it. Slice of life, I suppose? I like stories about characters rather than about plots.
Which of your stories are you most proud of? Why?
Most of them, in their own way. My Tamora Pierce series, even though they’re nothing groundbreaking and even though I know I could write them far better now, because they were the first things I wrote that I felt truly pleased with and because the overwhelmingly positive responses gave me the confidence to keep going, to try for something completely original rather than a retelling, and to venture into a far bigger and much more terrifying fandom.
Post Tenebras Lux, because it’s (almost) exactly the story I wanted to tell and (almost) exactly the way I wanted to tell it. Chasing the Sun because it’s the best written of anything I’ve done and I can see how much I’ve improved over the years, although I prefer the content of PTL. And I’m incredibly proud of the thousands upon thousands of positive and constructive reviews both of them gathered along the way,
I never expected to attract much notice at all and it’s been a tremendous help to me both as a confidence boost and helping me see more about how others view storylines and characters in ways that I’d miss. I think overall it’s PTL I’m most proud of, with CTS a close second.
Did it unfold as you imagined it or did you find the unexpected cropped up as you wrote? What did you learn from writing it?
Talking about CTS and PTL both, they’re more or less the way I imagined them. Sometimes I’d get a review showing me a perspective I’d never considered, and one or two of them ended up having quite a long-running impact. Sometimes I’d reach a point, particularly in CTS, and realise that what I had planned for that part of the story wasn’t going to work and I’d end up writing something completely different.
During the writing of both of them I mostly learned about how my brain works and how to organise myself to write at my best - I think I’ve learned more after they were done; I re-read both of them every year or so and see things I could have done differently and things that work and things I no longer agree with.
How personal is the story to you, and do you think that made it harder or easier to write?
Back to PTL for this one, since most of CTS’ plot isn’t completely mine. I never planned it to be particularly personal to me; at the time I just wanted to write about my favourite character and give him a better ending than canon did, and enjoy myself telling the story. As I went along and started touching on different subjects it became more personal - I’ve experienced bullying and depression, amongst other things, though fortunately not on the same scale as the characters I write about. I think it made it both harder and easier; stirring up old memories wasn’t particularly pleasant, but it meant less time researching and rewriting those particular parts because it felt more real, to begin with.
What books or authors have influenced you? How do you think that shows in your writing?
That’s another hard one. Subconsciously I think almost everything you read influences you at least a little. I tend to divide books into three categories - ones I don’t enjoy and don’t finish (which is rare but does happen), ones that were good but ultimately forgettable, and ones that deserve to be re-read, and I’ve probably learned something from almost all of the latter kind.
If I had to name one author it would be Terry Pratchett. His writing spanned such a vast spectrum it blew my mind wide open from the first time I picked up one of his books (I think I was ten or so) and he’s still the author I come back to time and time again and find something to enjoy and appreciate no matter what my mood is. He’s known for humour but there’s so much more in everything he wrote. As for how outside influences show in my writing, I really don’t know but I can guarantee they’re there.
Do people in your everyday life know you write fanfiction?
Not really. Some of my school friends did, but over the years I’ve lost touch with all of them. Of my family and current friends, the ones that would understand fanfiction don’t share the fandoms I write for, and the others just wouldn’t understand the concept. I’m not ashamed of it, I just don’t know how to explain it to someone who has no overlap with this world. Some of my online friends know, but half of them I met via my fanfics in the first place, so I’m not sure that counts!
How true for you is the notion of “writing for yourself”?
Where fanfiction is concerned, there’s no point doing anything else. If you’re trying to make a career out of writing you do have to write for your audience at least to some extent, but one of the joys of something not for profit like fanfiction is that you can tell the stories you want to tell and don’t need to impress anyone.
The whole reason PTL exists is that I couldn’t find a fic that told the story I wanted to read, so I wrote it myself. CTS primarily exists so I could fix a lot of the parts of canon I had the greatest problems with. The fact that other people agree is amazing and I still get warm fuzzies from every review from someone sharing the same opinion, but that wasn’t the point.
Starting out in small fandoms meant I had no expectations for reviews so I never felt the need to try and court them, and every piece of feedback was a pleasant surprise rather than a main motivation. It’s also a lot easier and more enjoyable to write for yourself; my other fics are mostly small one-shots based on prompts from other people, and many of them were a real struggle to write.
How important is it for you to interact with your audience? How do you engage with them? Just at the point of publishing? Through social media?
I’d say it’s pretty important. I try to answer every signed review where possible, and it’s always surprised me when people tell me they weren’t expecting it - it seems to be something most fic authors don’t do. It never occurred to me not to at least thank someone for taking the time to leave a review, and for those who leave longer reviews with questions or observations or (constructive) criticism I like the chance to explain some of my reasons for a particular decision or to talk about something in the fic or the wider fandom or writing in general.
That said, I don’t have much contact with readers outside review responses and FFN messages. I don’t really use social media (hence the format of this interview). Nothing against it, but introversion and a lack of much free time (and, it must be said, a little laziness) mean it’s not for me at this point in time. I do have a blog but it’s not very active.
What would you most like your readers to take away with them when they’ve finished your stories?
Honestly? I’m happy if someone finishes and thinks 'that was a good read, I enjoyed it’. Anything else is icing on the cake. Sometimes I get lovely messages from people who’ve been going through rough times and they tell me something in my stories resonated with them and helped them feel a bit better, and that’s an incredible feeling. Others tell me they’ve been inspired to work on their own writing or to read more about a subject I mentioned. Some just want to let me know they’ve checked out a song or book I referenced or quoted and they liked it. All those are great, but as long as someone likes the story and enjoys reading it, that’s enough.
What is the best advice you’ve received about writing?
The most specifically useful was probably “when you’re writing dialogue, read it out loud”. Time after time I’ve done that and realised a piece of a conversation was very awkward and strange and been able to rewrite it. In a more general sense, the best thing I’ve seen was “don’t force it”. If you’re not in the mood to write something, don’t try to, because it’ll be far lower quality than if you wait until you’re excited to write it down.
What do you do when you hit writer’s block?
That ties into the previous question. Usually, I leave that piece of writing alone and either work on something else or move away from writing entirely and give myself a break for a few days to clear my head. Sooner or later something will shake loose and I’ll see my way past whatever the problem was. (This usually happens either in the shower or while driving, when I can’t do anything about it, because the universe just hates people sometimes!)
Has anything in real life trickled down into your writing?
Oh, absolutely, though I can’t give many specific examples. As I mentioned before, my experiences with bullying and depression definitely added an extra dimension to the way I write about those issues, but that’s the only obvious thing. I haven’t consciously included any specific incidents from my life anywhere in my writing, but I’m sure there are a lot of small things I haven’t even noticed. And there are definitely some details that are me, such as certain characters’ music tastes (or a preference for black forest gateau…)
Do you have any stories in the works? Can you give us a teaser?
I get asked this one a lot! Yes, I do plan on at least two more long Potter fics, if possible. I’m fairly sure at least one of them is going to happen. I have some concrete writing and a lot of notes. But it’s difficult to avoid treading ground I’ve already covered in existing fics, I don’t want to produce anything that feels too similar. I also wrote both PTL and CTS while I was unemployed and living with my parents, and now I’m living on my own and working, so I have much much less free time. No teaser, I’m afraid :)
Any words of encouragement to other writers?
The only way to get better at writing is to write, so write. Don’t worry about not being good. That can come later. You can always rewrite anything. My early fics under other names range from thoroughly amateur to absolute trash that I’ve disowned, and there’s plenty of original writing that will never, ever see the light of day.
If you write something down and hate it, leave it for a while and then go back and look at it and figure out why you hate it. Try not to be afraid. It takes real courage to let other people see your writing for the first time, and nothing hurts like your first negative review, but the world won’t end. Criticism comes in three forms - misunderstandings that you can address; genuine criticisms that you can learn from; and, very rarely, flames or trolling that you can ignore. Most people will have a valid point, and most of them will genuinely be trying to help you.
And READ. Read everything you can get your hands on. Fics, books, blog posts, newspaper articles. If you don’t like something, try and work out why. If you do like something, try and work out why. Exercise your imagination and the rest will follow.
Thank you so much for spending some time with us Loten, it was a genuine pleasure getting to spend some time getting to know you better.