ALOHAEMORA

“Huh?” Harry said in a way that made it obvious to Ginny he had not heard what she had asked him.

“What are you holding that has you concentrating so hard? An obsessive note from a Rita Skeeter admirer?” she teased, settling onto the sofa.

Harry still stood in the middle of the sitting room, one hand tangled in his hair, the other holding a slightly crumpled envelope, unmistakably Muggle with the stamps on the front. The sort that had never once found its way to their home before.

“It’s a birthday card,” he said, a little distantly.

“That makes sense,” Ginny replied lightly. “Go on, pin it up with the rest.”

Harry didn’t move. His gaze remained fixed on the card, as though it might vanish if he looked away.

“It’s from my cousin,” he said.

Ginny stilled. “Your cousin? Dudley?”

“I only have the one.”

When Sirius is asked, why he left, he himself names his parent's pureblood mania. He doesn't say "because they treated me like shit" or "I was forced to marry" or "They wanted me to become a death eater".

"…hopes that Lucius shall soon join Bellatrix and Rodolphus in his inner circle."

Sirius's attention snapped back to his mother. She had stepped aside to have a hushed conversation with his aunt Druella—Narcissa's mother. Regulus appeared to have wandered off. Heart racing slightly, Sirius edged closer, angling himself so he could hear the two women more clearly.

"Yes, Elijah and Yessenia are very proud of their sons," Aunt Druella was whispering. "And of course, of their daughter-in-law," she added haughtily. "Bella has proved invaluable to the Dark Lord, they tell me."

Sirius's stomach sank to the floor.

"Oh, you must be so pleased," Mother effused, and Sirius thought it was a testament to how well he knew his mother that he could hear the contempt and envy in her tone. "Both your daughters are thriving."

"I am pleased, indeed," Aunt Druella agreed. "But you mustn't lose faith, Burgie, dear. Your sons are still young. Regulus is already showing great promise—and even Sirius has hope, yet. I'm sure Bella would be only too happy to lead him in the right direction, to mold him into the Black heir he was born to—"

"That will not be necessary," his mother interrupted coldly. "Sirius knows well the responsibilities he bears. Orion has never hidden them from him. Whether or not he chooses to join the Dark Lord, he is aware of the legacy he must uphold, of the duty he has to protect our family, and families like ours, from the filth that has been allowed to invade our society…"

Sirius ducked away, nausea rising sharp and sudden in his throat. He moved blindly through the crowd until he found a deserted corner of the large reception hall, the noise dimming into a dull, distant hum.

It was not that he understood at that moment, exactly. Looking back, he could see he had been understanding it all these years—little by little, without ever naming it. It was a slower kind of horror—one that had seeped in quietly. And even though it was now hitting him all at once, sudden and blinding, he knew he shouldn't be surprised, really, because he had known it would come to this all along.

Slowly, Sirius lowered himself into a chair, heart pounding hard against his ribs.

He had felt devastated and betrayed when Andromeda had disowned them all and run off, three years ago. He had been bitter and resentful; his favorite cousin, the only family member who never spoke to him with cruelty or condescension, had left him to choke in the stifling rot of Grimmauld Place alone. But now…he understood. It didn't matter whether his family aligned themselves with Voldemort or not. It didn't matter if they chose to dirty their hands or not. Their violence ran deeper than any allegiance to him, deeper than any single act of brutality. So long as they clung to their creed of blood purity, so long as they wielded their wealth and status to grind others down, they were complicit in the same evil. And so long as Sirius bore their name, so long as he stood beneath their roof and kept silent, he was complicit too.

he had spoken without thinking, and saw ginny’s face whiten. 

“so it’s true?” she said. “that’s what you’re trying to do?” 

 “i — not — i was joking,” said harry evasively. 

they stared at each other, and there was something more than shock in ginny’s expression. suddenly harry became aware that this was the first time that he had been alone with her since those stolen hours in secluded corners of the hogwarts grounds. he was sure she was remembering them too. both of them jumped as the door opened, and mr. weasley, kingsley, and bill walked in.

i really do love that this is the first time they’ve been alone since breaking up at a funeral and two things happen in rapid succession:

harry, who has been tight-lipped & on edge abt The Plan for several days now, is so comfortable with ginny that he completely blows his cover bc dry, muttered asides to ginny are apparently muscle memory for him

Ron, *snickering*: Merlin, Harry. Were you dropped on your head as a child?

Harry: Ha! Bold of you to assume I was held.

Ron: .....

Harry: .....

Oh my god, what if Voldemort just kept forgetting who Sirius was, even after he used Sirius to lure Harry to the DoM?

Voldy finding out after all the work he’s done to traumatise Harry:

 I know it’s a common idea that he’s making it up or exagerating out of self pity, but I think that kinda denies what we know to be true of the way he is treated across the board. 

It relies solely on the idea that if you’re progressive in one regard (here, Andromeda marrying a muggleborn) than you’ll be progressive everywhere despite the negative propoganda and societal demonisation of a group…which just isn’t the case in any way. 

Like, look at some of the examples we get about werewolves:

This is it folks, the last day of new fics! Thanks to everyone who has taken part, whether it’s writing or commenting. It’s been great fun. There’ll be a full round-up post with every submission all in one place tomorrow! 

Today we’ve got Remus coming back from the werewolves, hospital wing arguments, and a hot dueller. Be sure to comment on the fics that you read!

Victory by Alohaemora

Remus and Tonks, after the Hospital Wing.

Rating: T     Word Count: 2490     Chapters:  1/1

Spellbound by UltramarineOrchid

Tonks couldn't help but wonder: why had no one ever told her how sexy a duellist could be? 

Rating: T    Word Count: 1556      Chapters:  1/1

Behind The Golden Gate by Daydreamsgonerogue

After almost a year, Remus returns from his mission among the werewolves. In London, he waits for Dumbledore’s orders and takes refuge in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Tonks, on the other hand, has tried to drown her heartbreak in work ever since Remus rejected her. Soon, they find themselves drawn to each other (again), without quite naming it — until losing track of the calendar and time puts them in a miserable situation.

thinking about the most underrated duo