#potterheads

I think I've finally realised something after more than twenty years as a Potterhead: I'm a very unusual Harry Potter fan.

First of all, I'm a book fan rather than a film fan. I enjoy the films, but apart from Prisoner of Azkaban, there isn't a single one that I absolutely adore.

In fact, here's a terribly controversial opinion: the only adaptation I actually prefer to the book is Deathly Hallows (Part 2). I really dislike the final novel, but I think the final film works surprisingly well.

Secondly, let's compare Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, because I do believe they excel at completely different things.

Harry Potter has far more complex and human characters.

The Lord of the Rings has a stronger story, a more coherent mythology, and a much more satisfying ending. And that brings me to my biggest revelation.

After all these years, I've realised that I love Harry Potter but I don't love plot. Wait, don't throw stones at me yet. Let me explain:

I've never particularly enjoyed war stories;

I've never been interested in competitions;

Teenage drama has never been my thing (not even when I was a child or a teen myself);

the Horcrux hunt never fascinated me.

What I love is... everything around the plot.

I love the characters, I love Hogwarts, I love the houses (well, I love my house - Hufflepuff pride!), I love the humour, I love the magic, I love magical creatures, I love the feeling that anything extraordinary could happen, I love the friendships, the found family moments, the cups of tea, the late-night conversations and the sense of belonging.

If I'm honest, I'd much rather watch everyone sit around the kitchen table at the Burrow drinking tea, chatting and eating Molly Weasley's cooking than spend another chapter hunting Horcruxes.

I don't read fantasy to feel anxious. I read fantasy to dream. To feel comfort. To feel better.

That's probably why some of my favourite films are The NeverEnding Story and Back to the Future. And let's not start on old Brazilian soap operas by Aguinaldo Silva (with a lot of humour and what they used to call "fantastic realism"). I love stories that fill me with wonder, hope and possibility.

And somehow, despite not loving the central plot of Harry Potter, I still adore the Wizarding World (and that's why I like the first Fantastic Beasts film so much). Which, if anything, proves just how special it is.

Because if a series can make someone fall in love with its world, its characters, its humour, its magic and its atmosphere even while not particularly caring about the main storyline and hating the ending...

Then it must have done something right.

Guys did we sleep on this scene?

The fiction name : The Glass Passenger by lifeisapopsong on ao3

PLEASE READ UNTIL THE END, I PROMISE I DIDN'T JUST RANT HERE HAHA. I'VE ADDED A FEW INFO YOU MIGHT LIKE. 😭💕

The plot isn’t just amazing...it’s incredibly well-crafted, and every character is so spot-on you’ll feel like they jumped straight out of canon. If you’re into The Black family and the Marauders' era, this fic is a treasure:

the depth and accuracy of each character study is absolutely mind-blowing. It’s chaotic, warm, and totally addictive, LIKE I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING???!

YOU need to check this out if you haven't already yet!!

It's 10/10 HIGHLY recommended (and I am generally VERY picky with fanfics)😭

It’s a slow-burn fic that builds beautifully so be ready for the long game...it mixes humor, tension, and emotional intensity so so well, trust me it's an incredible reading experience ❤️

Disclaimer:

It is STILL in progress but around 300k+ words long...

the updates are very slow at the moment the author just went through pregnancy, so please be patient with her. She promised she wouldn't abandon this beautiful fiction, so you are safe to check it out if you want to!

If you’ve read it, let’s discuss....I NEED to hear your thoughts 🥰

RECOMMENDED READING ORDER FOR THE BEST CURATED EXPERIENCE

(bonus scenes) for new readers finding it for the first time, coming from a superfan ♡

1. Just after reading chap 34, go to lifeisapopsong's profile, there is a seperate work solely devoted to draft scenes. The first chapter of that work...it has over 4k+ words.!! You need to read THAT immediately after.

then come back to chap 35 and read as usual.

2. After reading chap 43,

COME DIRECTLY TO THE COMMENT SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 44 [and check comment box No. 2] (the boxes u find at the bottom of ao3 work comment section eg : 1, 2, 3 , 4...

You are free to start with chap 44 after checking out the bonus scene you find there.

3. Read the full fic as written so far (till chapter 48)

Then come back to chapter no 33, comment section (box 2) for a little emotional pay off hehe.

WELL when the author uploads new bonus scenes, the order might not STAY the same and I will edit the post asap!, it's advisable for everyone to ping me up a little in case I forget and you want to read this fiction if you see this post after a long time since I've written this. <3

UPDATE : currently a part of an unrevealed on-going challenge.

P.S. For instant replies : just drop a little ping on one of my YouTube community posts (My handle : @witchlightaura), pls make sure it's the latest community post so youtube notifies me about a comment properly.

I only have youtube push notifications switched on, so I can come back to you quickly 😅

I love Molly...It's clear she cares about Harry (her boggart, her warmth, all of it) but I've found some of her behaviour...uncomfortable.

She knew Harry was mistreated by the Dursleys, starved, neglected and yet she never took serious against them. At the sametime, she withheld info from him...of a war Harry's basically the central of because he's "too young" while repeatedly thanking him for risking his life for her family.

Her parenting style also feels inconsistent...when it's her own kids, she scolds them harshly for breaking rules or for slight mischief...unlike Harry, who's reckless choices, which mind you are often far more dangerous and life-threatening were often brushed aside by her (unless it's one of her children involved in it too)...

I often thought it's because she felt a bit uneasy to treat Harry the same way as her own children as he's not her own child no matter how much she cares about him...

BUT.

The scene she created in the OOTP (book), she started an unnecessary argument with Sirius along the lines of "He's as good as my son" shows she really isn't concerned about crossing or overstepping parental boundaries she hasn't fully earned.

But if I am being TRULY honest, she HAS never acted like an active parent for Harry...sure a little help here and there...but if you look a little closer to the naunce, you will see her maternal instincts was her own children first at all times...and that's totally normal. I am not 'blaming' her for it or anything...because that's expected, she's a mother.

But she shouldn't be over-glorified as a parental figure for Harry, when she never stepped up in serious ways in her life. If she really saw him as one of her VERY own, she'd have pesonally made sure Harry's life at the Dursleys got safer from the very moment she got the wind of how Harry's treated and wouldn't just rely on Dumbledore for it.

I read all 7 books in middle school because my friends were into the fanfiction and that shit was so mid