30s, she/her.
anti-jk, anti-terf, will block.
i don't engage financially with hp. not interested in the show, audiobooks, game etc. please don't encourage financial engagement on my posts.
here to talk to other people who also aren't over it. i love book-based discussion and theorising and not taking anything too seriously; i have more of a "what if it's this?" mentality over one fixed interpretation. i don't do ship drama (you can sell me on anything), mwpp vs snape drama (they all suck and i like it that way), etc etc.
this is a sideblog, i follow from @likealittledeath. ao3 is here (ongoing remadora fixation).
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Weaponising boredom: a parallel between Sirius and Phineas Nigellus
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
While the surface behaviour of the two men is identical: the drawl, the haughtiness, the refusal to seem affected, the intent behind it differs. Phineas performs boredom because he genuinely holds himself above the situation, and the mask conceals the engagement he will not dignify. Sirius performs it defiantly as the mask conceals the pain he cannot afford to show. And both men clearly learned the same trick in the same house.
I know it's generally accepted that Remus was the one who panicked the moment he found out Tonks was pregnant.
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?
What if that was the thought that finally broke him and the reason he left?
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"lavender marriage" ...right but tonks's marriage carries more societal stigma than remaining single would. it puts a target on her head, jeopardises her career and disgusts her family. like?!
I’d love to see something like a full Remadora stories directory. Sometimes I tell myself I will do it once I have time and that time never seems to come. Is that something that people would actually find useful? It would hopefully also bring some traffic to older, complete stories
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!
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How to play: Find the word in any WIP and share the sentence containing it. Reply, reblog, stick it in the tags, tag us in a new post, or keep it private. All fandoms, all ships, all writers welcome.
How many DEs were there at the height of Voldemort's power in the first war?
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.
At 100, then 70 got caught, 60 got killed or died in Azkaban, 10 escaped and 30 evaded punishment to begin with. But you can see why it was such a headache for the Ministry! There might have been upwards of 500 wizards, witches and magic beings who operated under Lord Voldemort’s command, and about 50-100 who were part of an elite inner circle. That’s not nothing to try to take down in the aftermath, especially with stuff like the imperius curse.
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“Pitiless Red Eyes”: Harry Reflecting Voldemort during the Locket’s Destruction
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)
Both examples of victims striking back and doing what was done to them, throwing back to the perpetrators the dehumanization that was inflicted on them.
Harry doing so with the locket is particularly interesting, because in that scene Locket Riddle creates a version of Harry and Hermione that resembles him. But it’s not only Riddle-Harry that resembles Voldemort - the Real Harry, too, starts to sound exactly like Voldemort as he orders Ron to kill the bit of Voldemort’s soul.
2.0 The Locket
There’s a lot of significance in Merope’s locket and the protections around it (which you can read about in my meta Slytherin Locket Cave: The Life and Death of Merope Gaunt), which create a step by step reenactment of Merope's suffering under her abusive family. It’s the only horcrux with mirrors inside it, calling back to the Mirror of Erised, to Harry and Voldemort as reflections, as “family” . Harry’s wearing it when he views the full memory of Voldemort killing his parents and trying to kill him. It’s the horcrux that most symbolizes Voldemort’s violence towards people he considers family, because it represents Merope’s abuse by her father and brother who try to kill her, represents the cycle of violence that Voldemort continues - and the continuation of that cycle is depicted when Tom Riddle in the locket tries to kill Harry by strangling him, exactly how Marvolo strangles Merope with the locket, and tries to drown him in a lake, evoking the lake around the Slytherin locket protections. (Voldemort, consequently, is also framed as a symbolic mixture of father and brother to Harry)
With a howl of rage, Gaunt ran toward his daughter. For a split second, Harry thought he was going to throttle her as his hand flew to her throat; next moment, he was dragging her toward Ogden by a gold chain around her neck.
“See this?” he bellowed at Ogden, shaking a heavy gold locket at him, while Merope spluttered and gasped for breath.
“Mr. Gaunt, your daughter!” said Ogden in alarm, but Gaunt had already released Merope; she staggered away from him, back to her corner, massaging her neck and gulping for air. (HBP 10)
Then something closed tight around his neck. He thought of water weeds […] It was not weed: The chain of the Horcrux had tightened and was slowly constricting his windpipe.
Harry kicked out wildly, trying to push himself back to the surface, but merely propelled himself into the rocky side of the pool. Thrashing, suffocating, he scrabbled at the strangling chain, his frozen fingers unable to loosen it, and now little lights were popping inside his head, and he was going to drown, there was nothing left, nothing he could do, and the arms that closed around his chest were surely Death’s. . . .
[...] All he could do was raise a shaking hand to his throat and feel the place where the locket had cut tightly into his flesh. (DH 19)
The locket is also the horcrux that Harry is most directly involved in killing, in a premeditated way, even if he doesn’t personally strike the blow (other than Diary!Riddle, which was more impulsive in the middle of a fight).
A significant aspect of this sequence is that it both parallels and contrasts Harry's relationship with Ron vs. Harry's relationship with Voldemort, with Voldemort and Harry’s dynamic existing as a dark mirror to Ron and Harry. Both dynamics are framed as “brothers” - Voldemort and Harry are explicitly called as such via the brother wands, twin cores, etc., while Ron and Harry are implied throughout the text, but particularly in this same sequence, where Harry says that Hermione is like his sister - so of course, the unsaid implication is that Ron is his brother.
“She’s like my sister,” he went on. “I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It’s always been like that. I thought you knew.” (DH 19)
And the way Ron and Harry’s fight plays out is meant to echo the violent brotherhood of Voldemort and Harry’s dynamic, demonstrating their capacity to become like Voldemort, and his ancestors before him (i.e. Morfin as a violent abusive brother to Merope who helps their father kill her) - then choosing not to, thereby breaking the cycle.
The cyclical violence, Harry’s struggle with it, and Harry having the capacity to turn into Voldemort, is all alluded to here:
“YOU-KNOW-WHO, then!” Harry shouted, goaded past endurance. “If there was one place that was really important to You-Know-Who, it was Hogwarts!”
“Oh, come on,” scoffed Ron. “His school?”
“Yeah, his school! It was his first real home, the place that meant he was special; it meant everything to him, and even after he left —”
“This is You-Know-Who we’re talking about, right? Not you?” inquired Ron. He was tugging at the chain of the Horcrux around his neck: Harry was visited by a desire to seize it and throttle him. (DH 15)
At exactly the moment they start talking about Harry’s similarities with Voldemort, Harry gets the urge to strangle Ron with the locket, his "brother" - like Marvolo did Merope, like Locket!Riddle does to him. (More on this in this meta)
Then in the fight between Ron and Harry where the locket is influencing Ron, it's Ron who essentially reflects/“turns into” Voldemort with his violent anger at Harry and Hermione. Ultimately it does almost come to physical violence during the fight where Ron leaves - and Hermione puts a Shield Charm in between Ron and Harry when they’re about hex each other, just as Lily throws herself as a shield when Voldemort is about curse Harry:
she dropped her son into the crib behind her and threw her arms wide, as if this would help, as if in shielding him from sight she hoped to be chosen instead. (DH 17)
“on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield", (DH 33)
Ron made a sudden movement: Harry reacted, but before either wand was clear of its owner’s pocket, Hermione had raised her own.
“Protego!” she cried, and an invisible shield expanded between her and Harry on the one side and Ron on the other; all of them were forced backward a few steps by the strength of the spell, and Harry and Ron glared from either side of the transparent barrier as though they were seeing each other clearly for the first time. (DH 15)
(Read more about this in my meta "When Lily Cast Her Life As A Shield": Analysis of the Shield Charm). These also echo Ariana throwing herself in between her brothers to get them to stop fighting. More on this in future metas.
When Ron leaves, he's reflecting Voldemort, but in the scene where he comes back and saves Harry, it's Harry reflecting Voldemort, and I'll demonstrate how below.
Firstly, interestingly the locket trying to drown Harry echoes Harry's thoughts when Voldemort is about to be reborn in GoF:
Let it drown, Harry thought, his scar burning almost past endurance, please... let it drown...
[...] Let it have drowned, Harry thought, let it have gone wrong...
[...] A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything in front of Harry, so that he couldn’t see Wormtail or Cedric or anything but vapor hanging in the air... It’s gone wrong, he thought... it’s drowned... please... please let it be dead... (GoF 32)
The child Voldemort is called “the thing” “creature”, “it”. (Although, in this case, the child Voldemort being described as he is, is more kind of playing on the horror elements, vs. the more intentional exploration of dehumanization in the DH passages below.)
In the scene where Harry and Ron destroy the locket, Harry is throwing back to Voldemort the dehumanization Voldemort inflicts on him and Lily:
“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.
The sword flashed, plunged: Harry threw himself out of the way, there was a clang of metal and a long, drawn-out scream.
“And... and it went? Just like that?” she whispered.
“Well, it — it screamed,” said Harry with half a glance at Ron.
Riddle’s eyes were gone, and the stained silk lining of the locket was smoking slightly. The thing that had lived in the Horcrux had vanished; torturing Ron had been its final act. (DH 19)
-
He could hear her screaming from the upper floor, trapped (DH 17)
he must hide himself, not here in the rubble of the ruined house, where the child was trapped and screaming, but far away… far away… (DH 17)
“Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter” (DH 36)
He pointed the wand very carefully into the boy’s face: He wanted to see it happen, the destruction of this one, inexplicable danger. The child began to cry: It had seen that he was not James. He did not like it crying, he had never been able to stomach the small ones whining in the orphanage —
“Avada Kedavra!” (DH 17)
Voldemort uses Harry’s name frequently out loud, but in his head it’s only “the boy” (paralleling how the Dursleys only ever call him “boy”), the child, "it". While Lily he doesn’t call by name out loud or in his POV - only referring to her as mother, silly girl, mudblood, cockroach. This is starkly apparent in the 1981 memory where Voldemort kills the Potters especially, because James is named four times, but Voldemort never uses Harry or Lily’s names (or his own name, interestingly).
Similarly, Locket!Riddle is described as trapped and screaming exactly as Lily and Harry in that memory, and Harry refers to him as a cockroach, “it”, “the thing”, just as Voldemort refers to Lily as a cockroach and Harry as "it". And Harry has no pity - in other words, no mercy - for him.
(Note: Similar language is used for the infant Voldemort in King's Cross, but I... like what the text is doing there a lot less lol, and I think it diverges thematically from my point here anyways, so I mostly won't be analyzing that in this meta.)
This is further emphasizes by how, after their fight, Harry in a way does to Ron what he does later to Locket Riddle:
They did not discuss Ron at all over the next few days. Harry was determined never to mention his name again, and Hermione seemed to know that it was no use forcing (DH 16)
This echoes Dumbledore’s words about Marvolo and Merope after she ran away from home:
“From all that I have been able to discover, he never mentioned her name or existence from that time forth.” (HBP 10)
Morfin similarly doesn’t use Merope’s name in the scene where he meets Voldemort, only uses dehumanizing terms (calling her a slut). And likewise, Percy's rift from the Weasleys is described in similar terms:
“Whatever you do, don’t mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad,” Ron told Harry in a tense voice.
“Why not?”
“Because every time Percy’s name’s mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he’s holding and Mum starts crying,” Fred said. (OoTP 4)
Not using someone’s name signifies dehumanization, but also - it’s what you do to a family member you’ve disowned.
This changes when Ron comes back, during the scene of the locket's destruction:
“Please, just get rid of it, Ron.”
The sound of his name seemed to act like a stimulant. (DH 19)
The emphasis on the use of Ron’s name here is directly contrasted with Harry calling Locket Riddle “it”.
When Locket!Riddle starts speaking, there's this significant line:
“Ron!” he shouted, but the Riddle-Harry was now speaking with Voldemort’s voice and Ron was gazing, mesmerized, into its face. (DH 19)
But it’s not just Riddle-Harry who is speaking with Voldemort’s voice and reflecting Voldemort - Real Harry is too, sounding exactly like Voldemort (Harry also opens the locket in Parseltongue - speaking in Voldemort’s voice, Voldemort’s language):
“I wanted Harry Potter’s blood. I wanted the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago .” (GoF 33)
Harry gripped the locket tightly, bracing himself, already imagining blood pouring from the empty windows. (DH 19)
-
The snake’s cage was rolling through the air, and before Snape could do anything more than yell, it had encased him, head and shoulders, and Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue.
“Kill.” (DH 32)
“Stab,” said Harry, holding the locket steady on the rock. (DH 19)
-
“Then kill him, fool, and be done!” screeched Voldemort.
he could only hear Quirrell’s terrible shrieks and Voldemort’s yells of, “KILL HIM! KILL HIM!” (PS 17)
Then he heard Riddle’s hissing voice:
“Kill him.”
[...] A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.
“KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! SNIFF — SMELL HIM!”
[...] “NO!” Harry heard Riddle screaming. “LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!” (CoS 17)
“I’m going to open it,” said Harry, “and you stab it. Straightaway, okay? Because whatever’s in there will put up a fight. The bit of Riddle in the diary tried to kill me.”
[...] “Stab!” shouted Harry; his voice echoed off the surrounding trees, the sword point trembled, and Ron gazed down into Riddle’s eyes.
“Don’t listen to it!” Harry said harshly. “Stab it!”
“Ron, stab it now!” Harry bellowed: He could feel the locket quivering in his grip and was scared of what was coming. Ron raised the sword still higher, and as he did so, Riddle’s eyes gleamed scarlet.
“Ron, stab it, STAB IT!” Harry yelled, but Ron did not move: His eyes were wide, and the Riddle-Harry and the Riddle-Hermione were reflected in them
“Do it, Ron!” Harry yelled. (DH 19)
It's incredibly interesting how stark of a difference this is from the Harry that only uses Expelliarmus against Voldemort, where his difference from Voldemort is emphasized (disarming vs. the Killing Curse). But here, Voldemort repeatedly ordering Quirrell to "kill him" is echoed in Harry ordering Ron to "stab it" again and again. Harry is bloodthirsty, he's eagerly waiting for Locket!Riddle's blood to come pouring out, just like Voldemort craves Harry’s (and others’) blood.
We are shown two wildly opposing examples of brothers here - Voldemort is the brother that tries to kill Harry, while Ron is the brother that saves Harry’s life. And the Riddle-Harry reflects Voldemort when he hurls abuse at Ron… all while the real Harry does the same thing to his other "brother", the one that tried to kill him.
The implication that Harry is echoing Voldemort here is reiterated when Hermione does the same thing later in the book in calling a wandless Muggleborn “it”, when she’s Polyjuiced into Bellatrix and is imitating her:
“How did it offend you?”
“It does not matter, it will not do so again,” said Hermione coolly. (DH 26)
And because the trio has to be completed - when Harry and Ron go to find Hermione, then it’s Hermione who has “turned into Voldemort” (More on this in future metas), and Harry ordering Ron and Ron obeying him is hilariously contrasted with the next scene:
“Hermione, will you please —”
“Don’t you tell me what to do, Harry Potter!” she screeched. “Don’t you dare! Give it back now! And YOU!” (DH 19)
3.0 Lily and Snape
Harry’s actions towards Locket!Tom Riddle are echoed in Lily’s actions towards Snape.
Just like Tom Riddle to Harry, Snape is framed as “like a brother” to Lily (i.e. see how similar the language around siblings Lily & Petunia is to Lily & Snape, elaborated here). And just like Tom Riddle to his “brother” Harry, Snape eventually kills Lily.
The same way that Harry using Ron's name “acts like a stimulant”, Lily using Snape’s name makes him happy:
“Severus?”
A little smile twisted Snape’s mouth when she said his name. (DH 33)
She also comes up with an affectionate nickname for him, just like she does “Tuney” for her sister:
“...thought we were supposed to be friends?” Snape was saying. “Best friends?”
“We are, Sev, but I don’t like some of the people you’re hanging round with! I’m sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he’s creepy! D’you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?”
"[...] But Mulciber’s and Avery’s idea of humor is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don’t understand how you can be friends with them.” (DH 33)
And she uses his name excessively when speaking to him - which Voldemort also does as ways of creating the illusion of intimacy and validation (i.e. he calls Snape "Severus" 13 times in the scene where he murders him.)
But when Snape calls her a mudblood, she then weaponizes Snape's class and dynamic with the Marauders to humiliate him back, and "Severus" and "Sev" becomes Snivellus.
“I don’t need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!”
Lily blinked. “Fine,” she said coolly. “I won’t bother in future. And I’d wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus.” (OoTP 28)
In other words, Lily uses his insecurity and “weakness” against him - just as Tom Riddle often does and exactly as Locket!Riddle did to Ron. Lily knows Snape’s dreams and desires and fears, and she uses them to strike back ("I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible")
Likewise, just like Voldemort is pitiless, just like Harry has no pity for the locket, Lily is described as pitiless towards Snape:
“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. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends — you see, you don’t even deny it! You don’t even deny that’s what you’re all aiming to be! You can’t wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?” (DH 33)
It would’ve been easy to pity him - but the cut around her throat still burned. Unlike the locket with Harry, Snape doesn’t literally attempt to murder Lily when he calls her a mudblood - but it nonetheless represents death to her, Snape throwing the slur at her that represents the genocide of people like her and represents Snape's eventual act as a Death Eater that will get Lily killed.
4.0 Conclusion
These instances of Harry and Lily mirroring Voldemort are significant - as it's not a coincidence that Harry and Lily are the ones echoing Voldemort, because all throughout the series both are emphasized as his reflections, and both are painted as familial to him, Harry as his "brother" and Lily as his "sister". More on this here, here, here, and here.
Of course, Harry and Lily are not actually Voldemort - these instances of lack of pity and sympathy are only momentary lapses in extreme circumstances. Harry is shown feeling sympathy for the piece of Voldemort's maimed soul in King's Cross and giving him a chance for remorse, and it can be assumed that Lily continued to empathize with Snape long after their friend breakup. Both of them are a lot like Voldemort, but they choose to be different from him in the ways that most matter.
Thank you @dream--shrine, @bettysgarden12, and @daenerysthevampireslayerr for reading this over for me!
you don't know that McGonagall, Pince, Pomfrey and Sprout aren't wilding out after the students go to bed! Maybe even Trelawney is invited if she promises to not predict doom and gloom on everyone