Somewhen brighter

Someone replied to that post saying something along the lines of “well of course there aren’t disabled characters, because it’s a MAGICAL world. Disabilities would just be cured with magic. How are you supposed to make a disabled character in a world like that?”

Which is stupid af, because of course you can make a disabled character in a magical world. You just give them a magical disability

So, anyway, two years, 6 longfics (one still in progress) and around 900k words later, that character exists. I don’t think that person will ever find him or my works, but he exists, and it makes me happy

(Also maybe he’s got a boyfriend. And maybe he’s a bit genderqueer too, because why not)

Big BIG love of mine is things that expand the Wizarding World outward, to different places and time periods and individuals. Even without the disability inclusion, which is close to my heart, this sort of thing is exciting - it's going to be a must read for me.

Like I can't say enough how I think this is the single coolest thing you can do with fanfiction. You've gone and done the coolest thing ever. And included disability into that, which is even cooler.

I hope those people find your work too. I'm glad I have. <3

...

Though hearing people say Harry Potter doesn't have disabilities... It does, though? I've always been quite pleased, actually, that it doesn't do the lazy, insulting thing where they magically cure disabilities. If anything - I think the way disability is shown in Harry Potter is quite good compared to most things, which simply don't bother.

Harry Potter, the main character, is disabled. Harry has glasses and needs them to function in everyday life. He suffers a disadvantage in quidditch because of his eyesight, rain water all over his glasses messing with his ability to play - until he gets a spell that water-proofs the glass.

Note how his eyes are never fixed with magic. His disability aid is.

It is a small thing, it's not something that always affects his life - that'd be cartoonish. Glasses aren't cumbersome or clumsy tools to wear. But the fact it sometimes does affect him is what I love. How many times does a character have glasses only for cosmetic reasons? They have glasses to show they are ''smart'' or a ''nerd''? Harry isn't ''smart'' - he is athletic and active, far closer to a ''jock''.

How often does the main character get to be the one with glasses...? How many of those main characters are ''nerds'' in some way?

Alastor is the most 'obviously' physically disabled, as an amputee. He has an old-fashioned wooden prosthetic that is decorated. It isn't a magical fix where the false limb is equal or better than his natural body - he limps, walks clunky, makes noise... he is hindered.

He also has a glass eye. It is magical and better-than-normal, but still has a cost: People think he looks disturbing. People distrust him. He is usually called by a disparaging nickname - Mad-Eye. He doesn't personally seem to mind, he has thick skin, but even in the newspaper he is called 'Mad-Eye Moody' rather than Alastor Moody. That's pretty fucked up considering his service to the world.

His service that has left him disfigured. His face doesn't move correctly, his mouth and nose are misshapen, he is more scars than skin. He looks so shocking to others that when he entered as a new teacher only two people who were already close to him clapped. Everyone else was stunned silent and freaked out. That is an ableist response - something people with facial disfigurement do put up with daily.

Alastor is a veteran, a war hero, a Legend... and within a decade has become a commonly insulted and disrespected joke, placed alongside 'half-giants' and 'werewolves'. (both society deem as sub-human)

Why? Because he has been physically and mentally affected. Mad-eye Moody, who has gone 'so crazy' he is scared to leave a heavily booby-trapped Muggle house. He is anxious, hyper-vigilant, paranoid, twitchy, particular about food and drink... because he is traumatized.

Alastor is a one-eyed, disfigured amputee with mental and emotional issues that hinder his ability to work and live comfortably - and have him suffer extreme ableism from his society. He is very disabled, basically - and magic doesn't fix it.

But he isn't used as a tragedy-case either. He isn't a lost cause, quivering fool, lost in flashbacks, "poor grandpa..." plot device. He is wise, brave, compassionate - when people listen to him as a human rather than a ''crazy ugly freak'' - they think he is fantastic.

Remus shows another, rarely portrayed side of disability. Does any of this sound familiar: - Being capable, willing and wanting to work - but the fact you need some small accommodations makes that almost impossible? - Passed up over and over for healthy people, even when your condition doesn't hinder your work at all? - Needing work to survive - but just to get work you need to not mention your disability? Need to pretend you're able bodied? - The day you bring your walker or cane or medication to work, or have one too many small incidents, is the day they treat you differently. - In public people give you shit for using disabled services because you don't 'look disabled' - When people find out you have a disability they don't approve of, they think you are a layabout faker leeching off of society? - Yet you have to fight tooth and nail for any sort of government aid - and it is never enough to actually keep you afloat? - Endless paperwork, meetings, assessments - your fate in government systems reliant on the whims of whoever see's you? - Poorly understood conditions where people think you are crazy, dangerous, violent, stupid or contagious? - Sometimes people straight up spitting on you or saying you should be 'put down' because you're sick? - Any medication you can get doesn't help much - and might cost far too much? - The ableism is so constant you start to believe it? That you are 'ruined', 'useless' or 'faking it'?

This is the reality Remus Lupin lives in, with a poorly understood invisible disability that leaves him having to pretend to be able-bodied just to survive the societal ableism... despite being a very capable man, when given the most basic accommodations and kindness.

((I wanted to note that the author did directly compare Lycanthropy to HIV/AIDS. Because she is a fucking idiot. What a stupid thing to do, directly compare a fantasy condition to a real one. The implications are awful. It is obvious she based what Remus goes through to EXPERIENCES people with HIV/AIDS have - but it is not a 1:1. they are experiences shared by many disabilities.))

People with disability's are allowed to exist in the world of Harry Potter without being fixed. Even with magical disabilities and magical cures, the realities of living with physical difference or invisible chronic illness is given weight and focus most things simply ignore.

I suppose what it doesn't do is offer named conditions. Nobody has Rheumatoid Arthritis, nobody has an SCI, nobody has POTS. Which is a shame. That is an awesome thing to do.

With the skills of the author however... I'm glad she didn't. She would only cock up trying to portray an actual condition.

What about the squibs, who are practically shunned from magical society and are put at a considerable disadvantage, and told they're better off leaving all of that behind? Are they not disabled?

What about Sirius, who faces his own challenges and might have struggled to integrate into society again from severe mental problems following Azkaban? Fair, we don't get to explore it because he dies before he's cleared, but it's possible to see the outlines of his challenges.

I like the way this children series handles it and as someone with PoTS and hEDS I can only say it’s one of the many thing I hate about Fourth Wing (I don’t care that the author has it herself, it’s a god awful portrayal imo). In fact, I find far more representation in Remus in terms of invisible illnesses than Violet.

It's smart, in my view, to remove the illnesses from real-world names. I am glad no one in Harry Potter has CFS/ME, but that we've got Remus Lupin as a champion for invisible illnesses. People with PoTS and hEDS have vastly different experiences of what that looks like, but I would say that most people have very similar experiences of what challenges people with invisible illnesses face. Plus, when Remus' experience differs from my own, I can go, "Well, that's because he's a werewolf."

However I wanted to look up the HIV/AIDS thing, because I remember it slightly differently. I've not been able to find the original text, but I've found what is supposed to be direct extracts (and seen these repeated in a few different articles).

Lupin’s condition of lycanthropy was a metaphor for those illnesses that carry a stigma, like HIV and AIDS. All kinds of superstitions seem to surround blood-borne conditions, probably due to taboos surrounding blood itself. The wizarding community is as prone to hysteria and prejudice as the Muggle one, and the character of Lupin gave me a chance to examine those attitudes.

Now, I might be wildly of the mark here, but she's saying she used Remus' condition as a metaphor for illnesses carrying stigma and that she could examine those attitudes, which sounds far more like comparing the experience that people with HIV/AIDS have than the direct equal sign that people have later put in place. I don't think it's her fault people heard lycanthropy = HIV/AIDS. That's not actually what she's saying.

Anyways, the one thing I want to add is that while Rheumatoid Arthritis doesn’t come up, the broader, non-medical term rheumatism does.

“Not so well,” said Slughorn at once. “Weak chest. Wheezy. Rheumatism too. Can’t move like I used to. Well, that’s to be expected. Old age. Fatigue.” 

+ Fandom is not social media. It's a creative and community-based space where people share in mutual love (and/or frustration with!) a specific text, whatever that might be. The rules you've internalized for social media mostly do not apply.

+ The only requirement of fandom is passion. If you genuinely love whatever your fandom is, that is enough. That's all you have to bring. Fandom is for people who are nerdy and get more attached to things than "normal" people do. This space exists for you to dive deep into your nerdiness. Self-consciousness is the enemy.

+ Fandom is a hobby. You don't have to be good at a hobby, you only have to enjoy doing it. That's all.

+ It's more than okay to lurk for a while. You don't have to immediately plunge into participating. In fact, we used to use the phrase "lurk moar" as a reminder that the best way to learn the culture of a specific community is by observation. Almost all fans have a period of time where they just watch what everyone else is doing before they start to interact with others. Take that time, but also don't let inertia keep you from joining in when you feel ready!

+ The economy of fandom is based around gifts. No one is doing this to make money. In fact, we legally can't make money off of most of what we do (and people should not try). We create so that other people will be able to take joy in something we mutually love. If someone creates something beautiful for you, make something for them!

+ That said, if you don't feel that creative drive yourself or if you don't feel confident enough in your own creations, there is no obligation for you to share those kinds of things. If all you want to do is comment on other people's creations and reblog other people's posts, that's okay! That's still makes you a valuable part of the fannish ecosystem! Don't feel guilty because you can't or don't create things! Some of my most beloved friends and fandom members are people who "only" comment/reblog/etc. Fandom isn't fandom without them! Most people who create do so at least partly for the comments, so by providing them, you're fueling further fannish creativity! You are the gasoline that makes the engine run!

+ Fannish creativity, whether fic or art or vids or whatever, is not content. It does not exist for you to consume in the way that social media content does. It exists for you to enjoy and engage with and react to. It exists to inspire you to create on your own. Each fannish thing someone creates is an invitation to squee with them over this thing that you both love. It's the opening salvo in a conversation. Talk back to the people who start the conversation if you want them to keep creating!

+ You don't have to worry about appearing weird if you engage with older content. There is no such thing as something too old to react to. The creator may have moved on or they may not have, but if you read a fic that's 20+ years old, it is not a faux pas to comment on it (I occasionally get comments on fics that are 20+ years old and it delights me more than I can say to know that something I wrote as a college student is still bringing someone joy so many years later!). If you find a tumblr post that's from 6 years ago, it's totally cool to like and/or reblog it. If you love a show from the 60s or a book from the 19th century or an epic from antiquity, it's awesome to share your love. You may not find people who will engage with you about it--but you also might! There are existing fandoms for things that are decades or even centuries old!

+ Two cakes theory is one of fandom's most important principles. No matter how lowly you think your creative offering is, there is someone out there who will enjoy it. I guarantee it. They may or may not tell you that they enjoy it (I won't lie, it can discouraging to create and not get any confirmation via comments and such that someone enjoyed it), but someone out there appreciated it. I know it's hard, but try not to compare your stuff to other people's.

+ Don't be afraid to reach out a hand. As in real life, sometimes you have to be the first one to reach out. Send a message. Start a chat. Reply on the post of someone who doesn't follow you. As long as you're positive and respectful, 85% of people will be excited that someone is talking to them. 10% will feel neutrally about it. Only 5% will think its weird or intrusive. And fuck those people, tbh. They don't deserve you.

+ Lean into what you have in common with someone else. Find someone who loves that specific side character as much as you do. Find someone who's written three fics for that fandom that only has six total fics. Find someone who has the same very unpopular take on a juggernaut ship as you do. And when you reach out your hand as encouraged in the last bullet point, do it by talking about the thing you both love. If someone gets a message from a stranger flailing about their blorbo, they're going to be excited that someone else loves their blorbo.

+ Stay positive. By this, I don't mean that you can't critique things about your fandom or its canon. You can! You should! But make sure that you genuinely love something about that fandom. That it's the love that's pulling you back in. Pure haterism is a bad way to spend your time and while it might feel good to hate with other people, that's only fun in small doses (and mostly in private). If you do it all the time, you'll become the kind of person others don't want to be around.

+ Small fandoms can be just as much fun as large fandoms. If you find one or two other people who love something the way you love it, that can be more than enough. Quality matters more than quantity in fandom, and in fact, the bigger the fandom is, the harder it can be to have a good experience.

Remus when he realized it had been Peter all along:

A dementors kiss doesn't kill you. That's the horror of it.

“What — they kill — ?” “Oh no,” said Lupin. “Much worse than that.

Lupin considers the kiss 'much worse' than death.

stay pawsitive

He figured it out, he just needed a little help delivering the message! 😅 James spent days agonizing over it, using every ounce of self-control not to text first. In the meantime, he planned about half a dozen dates, so when Sirius sent his not-even-finished message, James was ready with a reply. Or twelve. Meanwhile, Remus is grumpy and sleep-deprived once again at this ungodly hour.

Also, Sirius has a cat! Well, sort of. He ended up with Crookshanks after a girl from the neighborhood won a scholarship to a boarding school abroad and now spends most of the year overseas. Officially, Crookshanks is still hers. Unofficially, he's very much Sirius' cat, even if Sirius refuses to call himself his owner.

But James loved Lily.

And Remus also loved James.

James was his greatest friend he ever had, because Remus needed him most. James who never recoiled from the wolfish parts of him. James who charged into danger with stupid Gryffindor bravery and made Remus feel, for fleeting moments, normal. Safe. Wanted.

But where Remus quietly built James into the center of his world, James had already done that with Sirius years before.

Sirius was the person James sought first in every room. The one glance across a classroom to share a joke with. The one he trusted instinctively, blindly, absolutely. They moved through life like two halves of the same reckless thought.

Remus knew this because James forgave Sirius things he would never forgive anyone else for.

But it was safer for him to love someone who belonged to someone else.

And then there was Peter.

Always there.

Sitting at the foot of their beds while Sirius and James talked late into the night. Laughing a bit too hard at their jokes.

Peter followed them through corridors, through detentions, through war, through transformations under the moon, and somehow still remained peripheral.

working hard

Sirius works at a garage called Backdoor Garage & Repair. It doesn't actually belong to him; the owner is an old guy who named the place because it's tucked away in a tiny alley and customers have to go around and use the back door. Perfectly practical name, if you ask him. He has absolutely no clue why these young folks keep giggling every time they hear it. Sirius only ended up working there by happenstance. He was looking for spare parts for Alphard's wrecked bike, and this old man just happened to be the only person who had any. Sirius kept coming back for more until, eventually, the owner told him he should just bring the bike over and fix it there instead. It's easier that way. So he did. One repair turned into another, then he started helping out with other vehicles, and before long he was working there full-time. These days, Sirius practically runs the entire garage. The old man only shows up a few times a month to check the bookkeeping and make sure everything's still standing. The bike has been fixed for ages now. It's in perfect condition. It's still sitting in the garage, though. Sirius hasn't ridden it since.

Sirius is distracting himself with work until I figure out what he should do.😅

reflecting

Following the recent events, Sirius clung to his routine harder than ever. Normally, the structure brought him a peace of mind, but this time he couldn't focus on anything all day. For the first time in years, it struck him how much his life still revolved around alcohol, only now around not drinking. The thought was terrifying, one he wasn't ready to examine too closely yet. The alternative, however, felt just as frightening. James and Remus had made it painfully clear they were both open to the idea of having him in their relationship (or at least, in their bed). Even after learning about his addiction, James hadn't looked at him any differently. It was almost harder to believe than the night before. By the time he got home, Sirius had reluctantly admitted one thing to himself: he wanted the kind of intimacy a relationship could offer. The realization brought little comfort. If anything, it only left him more restless. Should he text them? ...Or should he just go work out again?

I wanted to make a picture with dramatic lights and shadows, even though I suck at it. This is the closest I could get to the Vision I had in my mind. Maybe one time! Also, welcome back the industrial style flat I imagined for Sirius years ago when I had the rockstar au brainrot! (I do want to get back to that once!)

Werewolf Pack Leader!Sirius Black and Human James Potter brainrot

by the time the war would have ended Lily would be a very different person from 15/16 yr old Lily. And by that I mean Hogwarts was a secure place during the war because of dumbeldore, it only gets taken over after he dies. So after graduating Lily would have lived through the ordeal of seeing the war more up close and personal. Both as a muggleborn and as a member of the order. She would have personally known people that had been killed (some along with their families). And she had to live through that while at first fighting herself and then hiding with her family knowing they could be next. And then in the situation she survives through the prophecy there’s the trauma of having to live through it.

Also by the time the first war ends snape’s worst acts - which end the friendship - are far worse than wanting to join up with death eaters, bigotry, and calling her what he did in swm.

It’s been years since then and at this point he would have actually been one and let’s not forget the most important part - being an accomplice in her son, Harry , getting targeted and having his life permanently changed, who was a baby.

anyways this got a bit too long, can’t wait to read the next chapters in the light of tmrw! thank you :)

I think people often underplay Snape's agency during the first war. He willingly joined a movement that advocated for the persecution and murder of people like Lily because he valued his own ambition over other people's safety.

What Snape wanted wasn't to dismantle the existing pure-blood hierarchy or create a society where people like himself and Lily could live safely and be accepted. He wanted to succeed within that system. He wanted status, influence, and recognition from the very society that marginalized him. While Lily was hiding with her family and trying to keep her baby safe Snape was embracing the Dark Arts, serving Voldemort, and participating in a cause built on violence and terror.

That is hard to forgive. But Lily is a kind person and very similar to Harry. And I think if Lily witnessed a change in Snape or saw him evolve, she could forgive him. But it would take years for Snape to get there. I don't think they'd ever be best friends again. But forgiveness doesn't require reconciliation

Dumbledore is so thoroughly disgusted with Snape when they first begin working together. Snape's redemption isn't a momentary "I made a mistake." It's a slow, painful process that takes nearly twenty years. Over that time, his moral compass gradually shifts from prioritizing his own desires to valuing the lives and well-being of others. That transformation would earn Lily's respect, but probably not her friendship.

Loves his wife openly, using adorably corny pet names and showing consistent affection

Takes visible pride in his children. They respect him deeply and look to him for moral guidance

Continues to write laws protecting Muggles even a decade after Voldemort’s defeat, proving his commitment to justice is not reactive but soemthing he honestly believes in

One of the few characters shown consistently working toward systemic reform, not just opposing Voldemort, but striving to make the wizarding world more equitable, regardless of personal or political cost.

A highly principled and motivated public servant who does meaningful work despite being undervalued by the Ministry and overlooked by many readers

Though not formally part of the Order during the First Wizarding War, it’s clear Arthur had deep ties to its members and supported their efforts. He references Mundungus Fletcher as early as Chamber of Secrets, and Moody trusts him enough that he gets called in during Goblet of Fire when Moody has the home disturbance.

Exceptionally intelligent and curious. He enchants Muggle objects on his own time and shows a love for discovery, invention, and humor and not enough people talk about how these traits are clearly reflected in Fred and George.

He doesn't hesitate to confront Lucius Malfoy in public, ready to physically defend his family without a second thought.

He and Molly create a true sanctuary for others—a home filled with food, warmth, and unconditional acceptance. Their hospitality is essential to the emotional core of the Order.

Finds ways to support his children's interests and autonomy even if he doesn't fully agree with their methods (cough Fred and George)

Values compassion even when people are assholes - stuck around to help the terrified Dursleys, who were being very rude and nasty to him, because they can't deal with magic by themselves.

Still has hard moral limits. One of the first people to stand up for Harry against the Dursleys - and has no patience for Lucius Malfoy's bullshit.

Despite being overworked and undervalued - has made meaningful connections with other people and makes time, space and money to spend doing special things with his family.

Immensely brave. Tackles danger head-on, even if he isn't known to be the strongest Wizard in the world.

Genuine interest in Muggle culture and things. Fandom and the Movies give him shit, portraying him as eccentric and daft, but he shows deeper knowledge and keener understanding of Muggle things no other Pureblood shares. Having a plug collection is so real of him, me too dude He gets words he only occasionally gets to hear spoken wrong (fellytone) but he knows how its used (makes successful phonecalls - and knows you don't need to yell into it) Can DRIVE A CAR on Muggle roads.

Has a Weasel as a patronus. A WEASEL. THAT'S SO CUTE!!!

Burrow-making animal that fights monsters far bigger than itself...