violent shades of violet

There is a particular bored register both Sirius and Phineas Nigellus reach for when they want to signal that a situation is beneath them. In both men it is a performance, reached for precisely when they are most engaged. Watching them deploy it side by side reveals how much of Sirius's affect is inherited, and how differently the two men wield the same tool.

1.0 Phineas: boredom as aristocratic contempt

Phineas uses yawns to display aristocratic disdain. But in every instance, there is a tell that he is keenly engaged. The boredom is a mask worn over contempt, and it never substitutes for genuine interest.

"Visit my other portrait?" said Phineas in a reedy voice, giving a long, fake yawn (his eyes travelling around the room and focusing upon Harry). "Oh no, Dumbledore, I am too tired tonight..." OoTP

And:

"Phineas Nigellus gave a long yawn, stretching his arms as he watched Harry with shrewd, narrow eyes." OoTP

In both cases, the yawn is juxtaposed against sharp, focused eyes. The languid body performs indifference while the watchful gaze betrays it. The yawn is theatre, undercut by the attention behind it.

That mismatch sharpens when Phineas reads Harry with uncomfortable accuracy. It is the precision of someone who has clearly been watching closely ( an acuity he shares with Sirius).

"You know," said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry, "this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything." OoTP

He lands the read, then retreats into examining his silk gloves while Harry begs him for information. That retreat is the weapon. It recasts the boy's suffering as a social imposition rather than a real emergency. For Phineas, ennui is a wall he raises between himself and anything that might obligate him.

2.0 Sirius: boredom as armour

Sirius reaches for the same register, but with him, it develops over time.

As a teenager in Snape's Worst Memory, he stares around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored and here, the boredom is an inherited default. It is the Black-family posture he wears without thinking, the studied disaffection of a boy raised to hold himself above the room. The narrative even frames it as attractive, "very handsomely so," which is how the pose is meant to land, and on the surface, it is indistinguishable from Phineas's yawns (perhaps the only difference is how deliberate it seems). 

But by Azkaban, this has changed. The same posture has become something he actively wields, and he wields it under real duress. Fudge's account of his prison visit shows this clearly.

"You'd have thought he was merely bored — asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the dementors seemed to be having on him..." PoA

And the performance is effective. The boredom does more than unnerve Fudge; it frightens him. A prisoner sitting rationally in his cell, asking after the crossword, untouched by the dementors that reduce every other inmate to a muttering wreck, reads to Fudge as far more dangerous than a broken man. The composure itself is what alarms him, because it looks like proof that Azkaban has failed to touch Sirius at all, and this is precisely the effect the mask is engineered to produce.

But Sirius is deeply affected by Azkaban; while the performance holds up in front of Fudge, the damage shows elsewhere. As even in ordinary, unguarded moments, the harm sits visibly in his face (particularly his eyes) with Harry frequently describing the: 

“ the deadened look in Sirius’s eyes,”  GoF

And observing in GoF that: 

“Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them — that deadened, haunted look.” GoF

Therefore, beneath the composure is a man permanently marked by the horrors of Azkaban and when in PoA he is cornered by the lake and facing the kiss, the performance collapses entirely. 

"Sirius had turned back into a man. He was crouched on all fours, his hands over his head. 'Noo,' he moaned. 'Noooo ... please. ...'" PoA

The man who "missed doing the crossword" is the same man reduced to begging on the lakeshore. The boredom in Azkaban was the last piece of dignity he had left, performed hard enough to convince the Minister for Magic that Azkaban had not won.

3.0 Conclusion 

But what if she was the one who fell apart first?

She knew before she ever took a test. The subtle changes in her body were impossible to ignore, and with them came that familiar, horrifying feeling that her body no longer belonged to her—a nightmare she'd fought so hard to leave behind, suddenly returning.

And with it came the realisation of everything this might mean. Maybe she wouldn't be able to continue working for the Ministry. Maybe the Order wouldn't let her stay in the fight anymore. Maybe everyone would suddenly start treating her like she was made of glass, something fragile that needed protecting, when that was the last thing she'd ever wanted to be.

A young woman who had entered a war as a soldier, who had spent so much of her life proving that she deserved to stand alongside everyone else, was suddenly faced with the possibility of being quietly, inevitably pushed out of the war right when it mattered most.

And what if her reaction was what set off Remus's panic?

What if, at first, he wasn't horrified at all? What if he was happy?

Because for the first time in his life, he was being offered something he'd never even allowed himself to imagine: a family. Not one he watched from the outside, not one that belonged to someone else—like the Potters, whose happiness he quietly envied—but one that was his own. Maybe the news of the pregnancy gave his life a kind of meaning he'd never believed he was allowed to have. Maybe, for one brief moment, he let himself believe he could have a future.

And then he looked at Tonks.

Her face reflected none of what he was feeling. There was no joy, no hope—only fear, confusion, the look of someone whose entire world had just collapsed.

And in that moment, his happiness curdled into guilt.

He realised that while he'd allowed himself to feel happy, even if only for a second, she'd been falling apart. That he had done this to her. That he was the reason she was terrified.

Maybe that's why, when he watched Tonks at Bill and Fleur's wedding—too bright, too radiant, almost unnaturally happy—he knew she was pretending.

And then another thought crept in.

What if this is what the rest of her life will look like? What if she'll spend years pretending to be happy?

Just like his mother did.

Sitting alone in the kitchen on the nights before the full moon. And whenever he found her there, she'd hurriedly wipe away her tears, smile as though nothing had happened, and blame it on a headache that could only be cured by hot chocolate before pouring him a second mug.

What if that was their future?

A life built on pretending. On quiet misery. On tears shed after everyone else had gone to bed.

What if it was always him? What if he was the thing that made everyone around him unhappy? What if he'd been wrong to believe, even for a moment, that he deserved happiness?

You know, I did come across one once but now that I'm searching for it, I can not find it lol

I wish I could remember who made it. It wasn't complete by any means(not to shade, but I wasn't on it 👀 lol or I was, and it was only one story, I can't remember but really nbd haha) but it had a LOT of stories on it. I wish I could find it 🫠

But to answer your question, yes! I think it would be useful!

There's also this one

✨ SORRY ✨

--

"Sorry," he gasps into her mouth, and she pulls her head back to frown up at him, looking baffled.

Bellatrix - Just Like a Prayer

Andromeda - Papa Don't Preach

With some help of @tedwardremus and @siriuslychessi, I've been geeking out again.

In short, I think there were about 50-100 dark mark bearing Death Eaters at the height of the war. So let's get into it:

Those we know escaped punishment: c30 DEs

…and what use would it be to deprive Voldemort of his wand, even if he could, when he was surrounded by Death Eaters, outnumbering at least thirty to one?

In the graveyard in GOF, there were about 30 DEs (if we take Harry’s 30 to 1 statement literally). Of those, we know the following seven were present: Lucius Malfoy, Walden Macnair, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Peter Pettigrew.

Additionally, in ‘Spinner’s End’ (HBP) we learn from Snape that he was among the many Death Eaters who did not go to Azkaban for their crimes. The three(/four) examples given were: Lucius Malfoy, the Carrows, and Yaxley. Apart from Lucius, that adds three more Death Eaters that, since they weren’t in Azkaban, would likely have Apparated to Voldemort's side in the graveyard; the Carrow siblings, Alecto and Amycus, and Corban Yaxley.

Those we know got killed: c 3 DEs

“Rosier and Wilkes — they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell.”

“[Evan] Rosier is dead,” said Crouch. “He was caught shortly after you were too. He preferred to fight rather than come quietly and was killed in the struggle.”

Evan Rosier is a separate Rosier from "Rosier and Wilkes" because Evan Rosier was killed after the McKinnon's and the Prewetts were murdered.

Those we know got imprisoned and escaped Azkaban in OOTP: 10

…she spread the newspaper on the table in front of them and pointed at ten black-and-white photographs that filled the whole of the front page, nine showing wizards’ faces and the tenth, a witch’s.

Of those, seven are referenced/seen in ‘The Pensieve’ (GOF) being sent to Azkaban: Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Mulciber, and Travers; as well as the three Lestranges, Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan.

Defectors: 3

Igor Karkaroff—was a Death Eater during the first war, but chose to make a deal with the ministry and ran for it when Voldemort returned.

Severus Snape—was a Death Eater during the first war, turned spy for Dumbledore

Regulus Black—was a Death Eater during the first war, died trying to destroy a horcrux

Death Eaters we don’t know the origin of

We also know the name of some Death Eaters that either might have gone to Azkaban, or might have been present at the re-birth of Voldemort or might have joined in the second war.

If the four were part of the first wizarding war, they would have either been in the graveyard or they would have been imprisoned, and therefore does nothing to the total count of Death Eaters we know operated during the first war. I've merely added them for completeness:

Jugson—Jugson was definitely either at the rebirth or in Azkaban because he’s mentioned in passing when Lucius yells out every Death Eater’s name when chasing Harry and the group in the DOM. At this point, Voldemort is operating in secret, and there’s no way he will have recruited new DEs yet.

Gibon—Remus recognises him during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, which some take to believe means he was likely on a wanted poster of the Azkaban escapees more than a year previous, and I am inclined to agree this is probable. In any case, I suspect he must have been part of the first wizarding war for Remus to recognise him so easily (unless Remus ran into him at school or something).

Throfinn Rowle—”That’s Dolohov. I recognize him from the old wanted posters. I think the big one’s Thorfinn Rowle.” (Ron, DH) The fact that Ron recognises Dolohov from the wanted poster, and not Rowle, suggests he wasn’t amongst the ten escapees, but I’ve heard the counter argument that there’s no other way for Ron to have recognised Rowle but the wanted posters. 

Selwyn—”Behind him came another scream, ‘Your wand, Selwyn, give me your wand!’” (Battle of the seven potters, DH) We know Selwyn was an active DE in the second war even before the Ministry fell, but we have no idea if he was part of the first wizarding war.

Total bottom-up count:

We know there are at least 40 Death Eaters in the second war, who were active during the first war, plus 3 defected (Karkaroff, Snape, Regulus) plus 3 Death Eaters that got killed (Rosier, Rosier and Wilkes).

There is also the case of the potentially missing Mulciber. We know there’s at least one Mulciber active during the second war, but there were two in the first war—Muliciber Snape’s friend and Mulciber Sr who went to the Hogs Head with a group of Death Eaters back when Voldemort cursed the DADA position.

“Then if I were to stop in the Hog’s Head this evening, I wouldn’t find Nott, Rosier, Mulciber and Dolohov waiting for your return?”

It’s possible one of the Mulcibers got killed or arrested (if so I’d bet on it being before Karkaroff’s trial, as Crouch never asks him to specify which Mulciber), and subsequently died in prison. 

In any case, we’re looking at about 46-47 Death Eaters.

Total top-down count:

However, we also have this number from Remus:

“... you weren’t in the Order then, you don’t understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one...”

Which begs the question: How many members were there in the Order of the Phoenix?

In the Order Photograph: 20

Alastor Moody; Dedalus Diggle; Marlene McKinnon, Frank and Alice Longbottom; Emmeline Vance; Remus Lupin; Benjy Fenwick; Edgar Bones; Sturgis Podmore; Caradoc Dearborn; Rubeus Hagrid; Elphias Doge; Gideon Prewett; Aberforth Dumbledore; Dorcas Meadows; Lily and James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black

The old crowd: +2

“You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher — the old crowd. Lie low at Lupins for a while; I will contact you there.”

In addition to the Order photo, we know Figg and Fletcher were part of the Order

Others: +2

And let us not forget Albus Dumbledore. Plus, I think we all assume Fabian Prewett was part of the Order, but just not available for the picture.

Meaning there are about 24 Order members in the original order.

If we take Remus’ statement literally there should be c480 Death Eaters. Given about 30 escape punishment, and 10 survives Azkaban long enough to escape it in OOTP, that would mean 440 Death Eaters got caught and either killed or died in Azkaban. The maths isn’t mathing. But it doesn’t have to.

Now, given Death Eaters are often described as Voldemort’s inner circle:

“And when You-Know-Who disappeared,” said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, “Lucius Malfoy came back saying he’d never meant any of it. Load of dung — Dad reckons he was right in You-Know- Who’s inner circle.”

“Malfoy’s dad must have told him,” said Harry, ignoring Ron. “He was right in Voldemort’s inner circle — ”

Harry thought he knew why Greyback was not calling Voldemort. The werewolf might be allowed to wear Death Eater robes when they wanted to use him, but only Voldemort’s inner circle were branded with the Dark Mark: Greyback had not been granted this highest honor.

I don’t think we can assume Remus is being entirely literal when he says they were outnumbered 20-1 with Death Eaters. It’s more likely he is referring to the broader group of Voldemort’s supporters: Werewolves, giants, snatchers and those allowed to wear Death Eater robes (like Fenrir) without bearing the mark.  That does probably amount to about 500, given:

By the time the four friends [Remus, Peter, Sirius and James] left school, Lord Voldemort’s ascendancy was almost complete. True resistance to him was concentrated in the underground organisation called the Order of the Phoenix, which all four young men joined.

If we can't take Remus' number literally, we're going to have to rely on logic. My guess is that we’re looking at about 50-100 Dark Mark bearing/inner circle Death Eaters.

Canonically this man’s handsomeness is mentioned when he was in his death throes and also one second cousin marriage does not make him a Hapsburg…..

1.0 Introduction

The importance of pity is repeatedly emphasized in the books - Dumbledore has his infamous quote:

Harry glanced again at the raw-looking thing that trembled and choked in the shadow beneath the distant chair. “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.” (DH 35)

Remus first pitied the werewolf who bit him, before finding out what Greyback was really like:

"I even felt pity for him, thinking that he had had no control, knowing by then how it felt to transform." (HBP 16)

Harry's described as having pity for Luna several times, for Draco, for Kreacher (which echoes Dumbledore’s words about Kreacher earlier):

“Oh... well...” She shrugged. “I think they think I’m a bit odd, you know. Some people call me ‘Loony’ Lovegood, actually.” Harry looked at her and the new feeling of pity intensified rather painfully (OoTP 38) “I enjoyed the meetings too,” said Luna serenely. “It was like having friends.” This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment (HBP 7) He despised Malfoy still for his infatuation with the Dark Arts, but now the tiniest drop of pity mingled with his dislike. Where, Harry wondered, was Malfoy now, and what was Voldemort making him do under threat of killing him and his parents? (HBP 30) “Kreacher is what he has been made by wizards, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby’s.” (OoTP 37) The elf lay on the floor, panting and shivering, green mucus glistening around his snout, a bruise already blooming on his pallid forehead where he had struck himself, his eyes swollen and bloodshot and swimming in tears. Harry had never seen anything so pitiful. (DH 10)

Those examples are in direct contrast with our villain(s). Barty Crouch Sr. is first character to be described as pitiless, towards Winky in GoF, which is meant to set up Voldemort being pitiless towards his followers ("his true family" who framed as his slaves, like Winky to Crouch) and enemies later on.

Mr. Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze. (GoF 9) Voldemort smiled his terrible smile, his red eyes blank and pitiless. (GoF 33) Harry didn’t answer. He was going to die like Cedric, those pitiless red eyes were telling him so... he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it... (GoF 34) “So you smashed my prophecy?” said Voldemort softly, staring at Harry with those pitiless red eyes. (OoTP 36) He watched Voldemort’s white, snakelike face vanishing into darkness, those red eyes fixed pitilessly on the thrashing elf whose death would occur within minutes (DH 10)

We even have Voldemort stated to be pitiless towards Kreacher specifically, a direct contrast to Dumbledore’s words about him and Harry’s own feelings later.

Other than our villains Voldemort and Crouch, there are only two instances of characters - heroic characters, in this case - being described as pitiless: Harry towards the Tom Riddle in Slytherin’s locket, and Lily towards Snape after he calls her a mudblood:

On three,” said Harry, looking back down at the locket and narrowing his eyes, concentrating on the letter S, imagining a serpent, while the contents of the locket rattled like a trapped cockroach. It would have been easy to pity it, except that the cut around Harry’s neck still burned. (DH 19) “I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just —” “Slipped out?” There was no pity in Lily’s voice. “It’s too late. I’ve made excuses for you for years. (DH 33)