Bellmel

Hi anon!

Turns out I don't have a lot of gen fics bookmarked, but here's a few that I know of and adore:

Metamorphagi at Midnight by @celestemagnoliathewriter. Celeste does a wonderful job of showing Andromeda's grief while continuing on for Teddy.

Green by @bellmel - Another wonderful look at the grief a parent feels at the loss of a child, only this one is focused on Molly during the first Christmas after the battle.

Rage by @floreatcastellumposts - Flo wrote a wonderful post-battle and next-gen series. There is a focus on shipping for a lot of them, but she also has some excellent gen fics like this one, which is a moment between Ron and Harry before Fred's funeral.

“Daddy, did you believe in dinosaurs when you were my age?” little five-year-old Lily Luna asked in her squeaky voice, her big brown eyes staring up at Harry behind her sparkly purple glasses.

“Dinosaurs were real, Lily,” Harry replied, tucking the blankets around his youngest.

Lily only furrowed her brows. “Mummy said dinosaurs weren’t real.”

Harry blinked. “She did?”

“Yeeeeeeep!” Lily replied, popping the P at the end. “Granddad said they were mythical creatures that Muggles believed in but they didn’t exist. They were just dragon bones that they found.”

Harry didn’t know what to say as he started to question what was and wasn’t real. “I see,” he settled on.

“I was just curious because I knew you grew up as a Muggle,” Lily elaborated as she pulled her glasses off her face and held them out to Harry. “Can you put them in my case, Daddy? Mummy always says if they’re not on your face, they’re in your case!”

Harry accepted the glasses, folding the arms in before he put them away. “Your mum is a very smart lady. I wish someone had told me that growing up.”

“Don’t worry, Dad, I just told you!” Lily replied in a chuffed voice. “Good thing you have me around to tell you all the smart things Mum tells me.”

Harry smiled, bending down to press a kiss to her forehead. “I am very happy to have you around. Goodnight, Lily.”

“Night, Daddy!” Lily said before she rolled over on her side, snuggling her stuffed dragon from her Uncle Charlie.

Harry crept out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. He crossed the hall to his own bedroom to see Ginny sitting up in bed reading a book. She looked up at him when he entered.

Brumous: When Harry discovers that Sirius gifted him a communication mirror, it sets in motion a series of events that changes everything.

Chapter One: The Mirror

It’s Sunday somewhere, am I right?!?

I’m amazingly excited to share my newest story with you all that I’ve been writing with pure blood, sweat, and tears. It’s my version of a Sirius Lives AU and I hope you all join me for the wild and hopefully unique ride!

Don’t forget to drop a review on whatever site you read on. I have been dying, quite literally, for feedback on this new series so make my weekend, please!

Special thanks to @bellmel who has been kind enough to listen to me drone on and on about this series and edited it fabulous for me. Special thanks to @foreverginevra who made me such a kickass banner that I want to cry every time I look at it. 

Also available on ff.net

If you have already read the first chapter - oh my gosh, how amazing is it?! And you know the best part? I can say with all sincerity, that it just gets better and better. I absolutely promise you. I mean, we haven’t even seen Sirius and Molly hanging out together yet! And it’s worth reading this story for that alone!

I have a lot of love and respect for Molly Weasley. But obviously, there are many people in the fandom who feel quite differently about her. And that’s ok. But one of the arguments people use to criticise Molly the most is how she never worked, despite their financial situation. I’d argue though that it’s a very naive argument, one that ignores the realities of a woman in Molly’s situation trying to enter the workforce, especially in a world where magic has done away with much of the need for unskilled labour, which removes many of the opportunities people would usually get to join the workforce when qualifications and experience are lacking. 

In the Service of Others

Molly is not one to sit idle. 

It isn’t in her nature. She likes being busy, and maybe by this stage, it’s habit more than anything – two decades of parenting have given her hands little opportunity to twiddle with inactivity. And it is true that there is always work to do around the home – chickens and pigs to feed, dinners to cook, jumpers to knit. But as she watches the last of her children eagerly bid her farewell from the window of the Hogwarts Express, Molly never even entertains the idea of staying at home with no company but her own. 

Afterall, Molly is someone who needs a purpose. She needs a role. 

She needs a job. 

But while Molly has always told her children they can do anything they want in life, it seems life doesn’t see fit to extend the same truth to Molly. Because while Molly wants a new role, no one wants her. 

It might seem to make more sense to give Ron the precious family heirloom (remember that Molly’s brother Fabian died in the First Wizarding War; Molly has held onto his watch out of sentimentality since then). But Ron is the sixth son in his (canonically financially-struggling) family. He’s been forced into hand-me-downs his whole life. If he’d gotten the watch with a dent in the back, he wouldn’t have appreciated it; he’d only have seen the flaw. And if his mum bought Harry a new watch instead of getting Ron one, Ron would have resented that. A new watch was a worthwhile expense to get Ron a rare taste of the luxury and individual attention he has always craved.

Here's a little sneak peek of the upcoming Mother's Day one-shot!

“Can we be quiet so we don’t wake up your mum?” Harry interrupted as he turned back briefly to look at his children but his eyes caught Ginny smirking in the doorway. “Happy Mother’s Day!” Harry exclaimed, his face breaking out into a grin as he gestured wildly towards her.

James and Albus screamed, “Mummy!” and rushed at her while Teddy grinned as he too made his way towards her. Arms flung around her body as she attempted to hug all three at once. 

“Mummy, I maked you a card,” James announced as he handed her the bright pink envelope. 

Crouching down so that James and Albus could see the card as she opened it, she saw a drawing of what looked like their family. She could easily pick out the four Potter boys due to the scribbly hair, and she figured Harry’s was the big square with the largest scribbles for hair. She picked out her and Lily easily as well, with long red strokes that went down to their feet. With a smile, she opened the card and read his shaky letters as Harry made his way over to look at the card as well.

Happee Mummy’s Day!

Mummy I luv you lots and lots and lots!! We cock you a BIG brekfest!!!!!

Luv Jamie

Ginny tried to keep her giggle at bay because she was a grown adult and smiled up at James. He looked rather proud of himself, a large grin spreading across his freckled face. 

“Jamie, why would you write that?” Teddy asked as he peered over Ginny’s shoulder.

“’Cause I love her lots and lots!”

“No, not that. The other part.”

“Oh, ’cause we always cook Mummy a BIG breakfast every year!” James exclaimed. 

Ted arched an eyebrow. “That’s not how you spell cook, mate.”

“What did I spell?”

“No!” Harry exclaimed, shaking his head as he stared at Teddy with wide eyes. “No, Ted, no! Just no.” 

James stomped his foot. “What does it say?”

When I first broached the topic of the Romione divorce and Romelza relationship, someone asked what my plans were for this series and if I was switching the focus of the major couple.

The answer then and now is no. This series will focus primarily on the Potter family. I love writing Harry navigating life as an emotionally damaged little cabbage. I love the relationship between Harry and Ginny. I love the lives of their four kids and how they parent coming from two vastly different backgrounds.

While Ron is one of my favorite characters, Ron isn’t nearly as much fun to write. He’s not angsty enough for my personal taste of a main character.

So, no. This is not going to become the Romelza show. I will continue to write chaptered stories that focus on all of the Potter family characters (the main six). I will continue to write one-shots like Basorexia that have an insane amount of POVs for fun (I have one already in the works that takes place the summer after Legerdemain). I may interject a Ron POV at times like I did in Kalopsia. Honestly, Moribund is the only chaptered story I even have planned after Legerdemain and it will feature the main 6 Potter POVs, plus an occasional Remus POV and an occasional Ron POV just to help the storyline progress for reasons I won’t get into since spoilers.

I have always said my main focus is the Potter family. I will continue to focus on Hinny, Tedoire, Jamily, Scorbus, and Rayly as the main couples of anything adult next gen. For stories that take place while next gen are kiddos, the main focus will be Hinny. I’ve always been very clear that I love writing the Potter family. I’ve never said I was going to write a Ron series. You guys jump to conclusions and don’t trust me and that’s just hurtful. I plan out my stories with meticulous detail and I’ve already laid clues in Legerdemain for Moribund. That’s how meticulous I am about my stories. Everything happens for a reason and I make things as realistic as I can. I’m sorry but baby girl Potter just isn’t realistic for this series with the framework I’ve already done. I’m more boxed in with what I can do when it comes to the Potters because I’ve already laid groundwork and plotted out their lives. Ron can get a divorce because he’s not the main character and I can be more flexible with him.

All I want is to have some fun with the side characters. It’s why I gave Andy a partner in Hugh and had him be Teddy’s boss. It’s why I had Lily and James date a Krum and a Wood to draw in those connections from the original series. It’s why I brought in Hunter’s family to give him more depth as he blossoms into a relationship with Roxanne. It’s why I gave Dominique a potential budding romance with Nolan. Its why Fred is marrying Cormac McLaggen’s daughter because the potential wedding with McLaggen could be hilarious. It’s why I wanted Rose to be with Colin so that Albus can be utterly exasperated by how bubbly Colin is and Lily can make fun of him for disliking the guy. They’re all just there to make the universe more rich and fun.

I don’t have fun writing the side relationship of Ron and Hermione. I hate Hermione. I love Ron. I think of it as I’ll be able to write Ron more as he and Demelza double date with Hinny or the side storylines the four of them have together. It’s not because I want Romelza to be the main focus. I have never ever said that. Stop making assumptions.

The universe and Tumblr referred to here isn’t a ‘Hinny’ universe and Tumblr. It’s SAM’S universe and Tumblr. And for those of us who love Hinny, we’re lucky that Sam shares that love. But you know what? We’re not entitled to it. If she wants to write about Hinny in her Tumblr blog, then lucky for us! But there is no rule saying she can only write about Hinny, or even Harry Potter, for that matter. If she wants to write about why dogs are better than cats, or why Katniss is far better off with Peeta than with Gale (it pains me to write that), then she can absolutely do that as well. 

Authors love discussing their stories with readers. But there has to be understanding and respect and boundaries. Fanfiction isn’t a Choose Your Own Adventure story. It’s not even a democracy. You can share your head canons and ideas with authors. But the moment you place expectations on those authors, either in terms of storylines you want to see or even volume of output, is the moment you overstep the boundaries. 

Authors write for free because it’s a hobby, because they have a story that they want to tell. If they can’t tell the story they want to tell, they’re not going to write your story instead. No one is going to write a story just to appease the preferences of a group of anons. They will just stop writing. 

And on that note… anonymous asks. Sending an anon ask telling an author what you do and don’t like in their story, and expecting your feedback to be represented in their stories, is just entitled and rude. If you have something to say, own it. Put a name to it. One of the reasons authors use Tumblr is to build relationships with their readers. You can’t build relationships with anonymous people. 

I’ve had a lot less free time for writing these days (unfortunately), so I’m glad I was able to participate in the Harry-Ginny Discord’s Minor Character March Challenge. Thanks to Liza for organizing the challenge and @thedistantdusk for being a fantastic beta ❤   It’s no secret that I love writing Hinny from an outsider POV, and I hope you all enjoy the incomparable Cormac McLaggen!  On Ao3 and teaser below.

He was surprised when she asked him. Or rather, he was surprised that it was Granger that asked him, because of course there wouldn’t be a shortage of witches who wanted to be his date. Tall, good-looking blokes who were top at Quidditch would always be in high demand at Hogwarts, to say nothing of his impressive connections. Honestly, if he hadn’t said yes to her, there would’ve been more girls angling for a date with him than he could shake his wand at. After all, old Sluggy’s Christmas party was the talk of Hogwarts, and those who weren’t one of the select few to get an invitation would do anything to get one.

This fic is the whole reason why I like football.

Those first three months after the war, they dab their wounds with Dittany and tiptoe around each other. theirs is a dance that isn’t graceful at all; harry stumbles at the sight of ginny’s sleep-mused, pillow-creased face, and ginny trips when she watches the moving tendon at the side of his neck when he talks to dad about rebuilding Hogwarts. one knows when the other falls, when the other’s desire breaks through the thick film of grief that clings to them like skin. they can get back together whenever they want; now, they have the luxury of time, but that doesn’t happen until July. between may and July, however, there are looks. / There are looks. Like the one she gives him when she sees him after he’s chugged goodness knows how many shots of firewhiskey on his eighteenth. Brown eyes spitting fire from between her pale eyelids, her fingers twitching, waiting to touch him, the desire roaring in him and in her like a raging fire that even a hurricane cannot extinguish. A look, saying, Look Harry, I’m here and I’m alive and so are you. A gaze that dares him to deny her touch. Who the fuck is he to deny her anything? So he reaches out, his fingers a little unsteady because a) he’s drunk and b) his body craves her touch like a smoker craves nicotine. he tugs and she comes easily, like that’s all she wants: to be near him. That’s exactly what he wants, too. In her bed, on the lumpy mattress, she traces the back of his left ear. When she removes her finger, he puts it into his mouth. She cards her fingers through his shaggy hair and he moans. Before his eyes droops, heavy with sleep, intoxicated, she gives him a look that he will remember for however long he lives. It says: we’re alive and together. / There are looks. Like the one she gives him from between his legs. His cock in her warm mouth, his hand in her soft hair. She licks under his shaft, and he lets out an embarrassingly loud moan (thank Merlin for Silencing Charms). Let go, Harry, she says against his scarred thighs before taking him back in her mouth. He does. When he opens her eyes, she’s sitting on her heels, looking so proud of herself. Come here, he says. She does. In her mouth, Harry tastes himself, and that is enough to get him ready for another go. He flips them over, kisses the base of her beautiful throat, and already she’s making these incredibly sexy sounds in the back of her throat. Before he disappears between her legs, she gives him a look. It says: I love you. / There are looks, like the one she gives him across the altar. Her blazing look that burns him to his extremities, and in those few moments that it takes her to say her vows, he repeats in his mind: grateful, grateful, so grateful. Then there is the dance, she in her white gown and him in his brand-new robes. This dance is so graceful, so sure, they don’t miss even one step. Those who look, say, match made in heaven, look at them, so attuned to each other, like magnet traversing the same trajectory. In their bedroom, later, she complains of her throbbing feet. He’s still in his wedding robes when he kneels in front of her, cradles her small foot in his calloused palms. He presses both his thumbs to the arch of the foot, and along the sole. Feel good, he asks. Like you wouldn’t believe, she says. There’s a slit on her gown, so he traces the birthmark on her thigh with his warm tongue. And this, he asks. In answer, she brings her calf to rest on his shoulder. It feels like ancient history, that he once carried the weight of the wizarding world on these strong shoulders. Here, she reaches out and brings his head forward. Her gown has a plunging neckline. She pins his nose between the soft mounds of flesh. This feels better, she comments softly. / There are looks, like the one she gives him when they hear the baby’s heartbeat in that beige-walled muggle hospital. She didn’t want to go to Mungos’s because, obviously; but now she wants the world to know that their baby, harry potter’s and ginny potter’s, is growing inside her every millisecond. In her cabin, the doctor gives them pictures: black

Exciting news for me to share!

A few select people are already in the loop aka @seriouslysam8 @thedistantdusk @celtics534 @ellieoryan7447 and @bellmel

But after talking to Sam about an idea I had -- which turned into multiple ideas after idea bouncing with Sam -- she helped me decide to make my wonderful world of ASC into a trilogy which I am calling

Kismet Trilogy

1. The First Time Around

Told in snippets and short stories of moments in the lives of the Marauders, from how they first met, to how James and Lily fell in love, to how Peter betrayed them. It will end with Sirius going to Azkaban.

2. A Second Chance

The story that you've all come to love. The story of Sirius only spending 4 years in prison before he is finally given a trial and able to raise Harry with Remus the way he should have. It is the story of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin as they learn what it means to be a father/brother/guardian to Harry while finding love themselves and the story of Harry Potter, a young boy with a loving home who learns about the Marauders from the two men who should have raised him and grows into the man who will lead the war against Voldemort. Slow burn Hinny.

3. TBA Third Story

Will pick up where ASC leaves off and continue into the future of the world and characters you've all come to love.

Why now you ask?

Well, I have Marauder memories that I want to use and sadly, they just don't all fit into my story.

I have ideas on things that I want to do with the future of my living characters in ASC and starting a new story might be the best way to do that.

And finally, because I am really excited to tell you that my world is not ending in the near future and I will provide you with more Hinny goodness and other couples to come.

I am calling the trilogy Kismet which is fate/destiny; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny; the property of being lucky; the, usually unfortunate, way of the world.

I think it sums up what I want to do and what I have done so far in ASC and I am excited to share this news with you all!

Chapter One -- The One Where Muggles are Filth will be posted this weekend (it starts in the year 1965 and is from the POV of Sirius Black). Many of the memories have been mentioned and/or shared in ASC already, but many of them have been extended and many of them are brand new.

I think it will allow those people who love Jily/Marauder a new fic to love in my ASC world and for those interested, it will provide more background on our loveable Marauders and Jily.

If all goes to plan, every weekend I will drop 2 chapters. One from The First Time Around (FTA) and one from A Second Chance (ASC).

Hi, @maurader007

Thank you! ❤️❤️

This means so much to writers like @seriouslysam8 and myself. We live and breathe reviews and it makes our whole day to hear what readers think of our stories.

I totally think there’s only like 30 people who actually read (despite stats saying differently) because that’s around the number of reviews I get per chapter. So I always just write for those 30-ish people. 😂😂😂

Now, at the time, I wasn’t leaving comments and reviews - I’m being overly dramatic here, but I just didn’t have the mental energy to formulate a review. So all you had to know that I liked your story was one measly kudos that I left when I first started reading your story.

And here’s my point, which I want to stress to you and to other writers like @seriouslysam8. As someone who posts stories, I know how important reviews are. But they only give you a small indication of what your stories mean. So for every 10, 20 or 30 people that review your story or chapter, I can guarantee you that there are so many more people that your story impacts, but for some reason or other, do not leave reviews. And while my struggles absolutely pale in insignificance compared with what other people endure, I could argue (and I am) that these are the people that need your stories the most.

Chapter Eight: Hogwarts

Effloresce is finally finished! Ahh, it feels good to click complete on that. Don't forget to drop a review to let me know how you liked the story!

I will say, I will never post two stories at the same time every again. That was a lot to juggle.