Answers To The Questions You Refuse To Ask By @the-ships-to-rule-them-all

New Master List Organisation

Thanks to Tumblr essentially looking at my list of fics and saying “ahaha no way, get a hobby u spammer”, I have spent several hours reorganising my master list between bouts of crying and wondering why I spend so much time on something I don’t get paid for. 

For those of you that can access my blog proper, you will now see three tabs at the top, where my ficlets are organised. Below are the quick links and little summaries:

Canon and Post-Canon 

Usually Harry centric, but other POVs too, these ficlets are set at any time between Harry living with the Dursleys up to the birth of James. Head to this tab if you want some canon-compliant, usually Harry centric character exploration. This is where the most stuff is. 

Next Gen 

From the birth of James onwards, this is where to go if you want more stuff on Teddy and Vic, James causing havoc and raising his father’s blood pressure, Hugo being awkward, some Scorbus softness, Lily being sweet but deadly, etc. 

Marauders

Are you too happy? Do you want to read something fluffy and sweet and then suddenly realise at the end that oh my god they’re all dead and Harry will never know about just how loved he was or how hilarious his parents were? Click on this tab for sweetness so bitter you won’t know how to feel. 

As usual, this all comes with the caveat that none of these lists can open in the tumblr app, which annoys me as much as it annoys you. For some mobile devices, there is a way around it to open it in a browser, but for the rest of us it’s laptop only, I’m afraid. Also apparently Tumblr can just strip out ALL OF YOUR LINKS at any time, so, uh, save your favourites, I guess? 

If you spot any missing or broken please send me a personal message with the link NOT an ask about it.

Happy reading. 

This feels like a giant pidgeon crapping on my heart.... 

'I lost someone special to me, too. Her name was Costia. She was captured by the ice nation, whose queen believed she knew my secrets. Because she was mine… they tortured her, killed her, cut off her head. I thought I'd never get over the pain, but I did. By recognizing it for what it is… weakness.' 'What is? Love?'

Harry and Ron after a few pints

“Sirius told me,” James said, letting himself be dragged down the eleventh-floor corridor, “that you’re going to blow me in McGonagall’s office”

Lily snorted, pulling on his hand. “McGonagall’s office does it for you?”

James took two strides to catch up with her, still holding her hand. “You do it for me,” he said into her neck, jumper pressing against the thin fabric of her top. 

She rolled her eyes, goosebumps where he’d touched her, and pushes his head away. “Not in McGonagall’s office I don’t”

She could hear the grin in his voice. “Spoilsport. If I’ve left my party so you can show me the stars or some shi-“

“I can’t believe you hate stars.”

“I don’t hate stars” they’d started up some stairs towards a door, Lily still dragging him,

“I wouldn’t have started going out with you if I knew you were anti-star.“

“What I’m anti is my girlfriend showing me the stars and passing it off as a birthday gift.”

Lily stopped dead in front of the door and wheeled around, standing a few steps above him, head cocked. “Wait, it’s your birthday?”

James flashed her a grin. “Yeah, you didn’t hear?”

She shook her head, mock disbelief palpable. “No! how old are you turning?”

“Twelve.” He shot back.

She smiled. “Wow, hope the second-year course load isn’t hitting you too hard.” She opened the door without turning away from him, slowly pulling him into the old astronomy tower.

“It’s the girls that are gonna get me actually,” James said, still joking but not quite, dropping back to shut the door.

“You think it’s bad now,” Lily stepped closer, backing him in, “just wait till you’re in seventh-year and they refuse to blow you in McGonagall’s office.”

“Hmm,” she was close enough to see the piling on the terrible jumper he was wearing, his face angled towards hers, “and forget my birthday.”

“Unforgivable.” She said, quietly.

“Have you actually brought me up here for the stars?” he looked a bit worried, “Cause, like, if you have I was totally kidding before.”

She laughed, stepping back. “No, relax. I’ve brought you up here to show you this.” She brandished her wand and gestured to the far corner of the room. “Lumos”

James starred at the corner, confused, taking a second to get it, only then it clicked. “is that-“

“All the Quidditch brooms of the Slytherin team, yes.”

James gaped at the brooms, then back at her, eyes wide. He swallowed. “Not stars then”

She smiled, “Not quite.” She inched closer, still not touching him, save her mouth almost on his, “Happy Birthday Potter.”

• Happy Father’s Day to James Potter who stood between the Dark Lord and his son, wandless, knowing it to be a battle that could never be won.

• Happy Father’s Day to James Potter who saw the streak of green light and thought of dimples in his sons cheeks, birthdays he will miss, presents he will never gift and games he’ll never see Harry thrive in.

• Happy Father’s Day to a boy of 21 that never got a chance to be a father - a rock of support. A teacher. A mentor. But who died for fatherly love.

• Happy Father’s Day to Rubeus Hagrid who brought such joy into Harry Potter’s life, and whom Harry loved unconditionally from the bottom of his heart.

• Happy Father’s Day to Rubeus Hagrid who taught Harry of selfless kindess and loyalty. Whose actions taught him it was never words that shaped bonds.

• Happy Father’s Day to Rubeus Hagrid whose will had been broken as he gently carried the corpse of the kind, brave boy through the Forbidden Forest and into the light; and not once in those moments did Harry doubt his love.

• Happy Father’s Day to Arthur Weasley who was never less of a father to his eight children, even though his seventh son was not his by blood.

• Happy Father’s Day to Arthur Weasley who, despite the faults of rotting society and insults to his family name, raised eight beautiful human beings who fought for the better world in the name of the greater good - who licked ash off their wounds and stood ever straighter when eight had crumbled to seven.

• Happy Father’s Day to Arthur Weasley - an underrated underdog, and a radiant human being.

• Happy Father’s Day to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore whose heart may not always have been in the right place, and whose methods birthed veils of secrets, but whose wisdom soothed Harry on many occassions.

• Happy Father’s Day to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore who taught Harry love was the only magic worth having in the world.

• Happy Father’s Day to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore who taught Harry that it is choices that make us who we are, far more than our abilities.

• Happy Father’s Day to Sirius Orion Black, the closest thing to James Harry ever had in his life. A confidant. A brother and a dad.

• Happy Father’s Day to Sirius Orion Black who, despite seeing James in a fifteen-year-old boy,  gave Harry truth and confidence, treating him as an equal rather than a child led to hide behind great men and shadows, never testing for his true potentials.

• Happy Father’s Day to Sirius Orion Black who assured the bravest boy he had ever known, in his hour of darkness, that death was peace, swifter and easier than falling asleep.

• Happy Father’s Day to Remus John Lupin who taught Harry James Potter that his fears should not incite shame and humiliation - that strength lied in growth and acceptance of your weakness.

• Happy Father’s Day to Remus John Lupin who loved Harry as selflessly as James Potter and Lily Evans had once loved him.

• Happy Father’s Day to Remus John Lupin, who, despite never being a father to Teddy Lupin, raised a wonderful man who will raise his son to be as great a man as his father had been.

• Happy Father’s Day to William Arthur Weasley, a loving father to Victoire, Dominique and Louis, whose story tells of bravery and unwavering belief in the good of the world.

• Happy Father’s Day to George Weasley whose son Fred mended the soul which was torn apart. Whose daughter Roxanne brought smiles and sincere laughter back in his life.

• Happy Father’s Day to Percy Weasley who loves Molly and Lucy as devotedly as Arthur and Molly had loved him, and is careful not to experience the pain of his parents.

• Happy Father’s Day to Percy Weasley whose heart still freezes at the jokes that slip his lips, yet the smiles of his children remind him it is what he would’ve wanted.

• Happy Father’s Day to Draco Lucius Malfoy who makes a point of showing his son that shackles of the past are not Unbreakable vows, that circumstances birth differences severed further by hatred. All he needs is a little trust and support. And a kind heart.

• Happy Father’s Day to Draco Lucius Malfoy whose heart swells with butterflies as he watches Scorpius be a man he himself could never have been.

• Happy Father’s Day to Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan who ensure the kids remember the spectacular fireworks on every birthday of their daughter. And teach her love is the most colorful sparkle in the world.

• Happy Father’s Day to Neville Longbottom whom his twins view as a hero, but who never forgets to remind them humans are not flowers - a person’s true worth lays beyond appearance and demenour, in the depth of heart, the very corners of the soul.

• Happy Father’s Day to Ronald Billius Weasley whose dad jokes never cease to bring light in the darkest of places nor embarrass Hugo and Rose. And whose advice is still the most powerful of all.

• Happy Father’s Day to Harry James Potter, a devoted and loving father to Teddy, James Sirius, Albus Severus and Lily Luna. A teacher. A mentor. A brother. A confidant.

• Happy Father’s Day to The Boy Who Lived and everyone who loved him enough to risk their lives to lead him to a place where he is now. Home.

tell me the story of neville longbottom, the other boy who lived.

tell me the story of a boy who was born unimpressive, who could have been a chosen one had snape listened longer at the door. who had parents that loved and cherished him for far too short a time. who lost his mother and father to the cruelty of death eaters, who had to grow up with a family that always saw him as less than who he was, who he could be, because his magic remained hidden inside him, coiled like a snake.

tell me the story of a boy who could never quite handle school, who could never muster the courage to raise his hand in class, who always messed up his potions somehow. who sat in the gryffindor common room as hermione patiently went over her history of magic notes for him and wondered for the millionth time why he didn’t end up a hufflepuff. who never saw himself as anything special, not really, because there were other kids in his year whose stars burned brighter, while he struggled just to keep up with the bottom of the class.

tell me the story of a boy who stepped up, who foresaw hogwarts descending into darkness and refused to let it happen without a fight. who became the next leader of their secret fight against the dark lord, rebelling against snape and the carrows from within the castle. who led the surge to take the sword of gryffindor from snape’s office; who took blow after blow from torturing death eaters to try and protect the first-years who didn’t deserve any of this. who ended up hiding in the castle, creating a supply line to hogsmeade and continuing to fight under threat of expulsion (and worse) because someone had to do it.

tell me the story of the unchosen one, who went from a nervous little boy to the slayer of nagini in seven years. tell me about that neville longbottom.

Challenge accepted

“The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education. The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all revising hard.”

— Happy birthday to Minerva McGonagall

Professor Lily Potter

Imagine if Lily Potter had become the Potions professor at Hogwarts. If Voldemort had killed James, but she and Harry had survived, both shielded by the power of her love. 

Imagine how Lily Potter would encourage the Weasley twins in the things they were good at, instead of scolding them like everyone else in their lives, because she remembers what it was like growing up with the Marauders. Imagine how seriously they would have taken their studies with just a little bit of praise for the things they were doing right, because they were clearly smart boys. Imagine how much smarter they could be if only somebody realized their intelligence and encouraged it—somebody like Lily Potter. 

Imagine how gently Lily Potter would correct little Neville Longbottom, whose face looked just like his mother’s and whose eyes were filled with fear. Imagine how many of her lessons she would try to relate back to Herbology to help him understand, how patient she would be if he was having trouble. Imagine how she would praise him and boost his confidence, how she would help him with his other studies as well because, after all, Alice and Frank were practically family. 

Imagine Lily Potter teaching Nymphadora Tonks. One powerful ex-auror teaching an outspoken, quirky, auror-to-be. Imagine how much respect those two women would have had for each other, especially when Lily heard Tonks’ aspirations and Tonks heard of Lily’s time in the Order. 

Imagine how Lily Potter would have protected Harry whenever he was in danger, like nobody else in the school could. Imagine her specifically forbidding Harry from going anywhere near the Philosopher’s Stone, but knowing that he won’t listen because he’s his father’s son. Imagine her finding out that Harry had gone missing in the middle of the night, and rushing past all of the spells to get to where he’s battling with Quirrel. Imagine the fury that would have erupted from her wand. Imagine how safe and loved Harry would have felt. 

Imagine how nurturing Lily Potter would have been to little Ginny, who she recognizes as a little lost and scared. Imagine her keeping a very close eye on the only Weasley girl and becoming rather concerned, deciding to send Molly and Arthur an owl. Imagine how quickly she would have found out about the diary, because little Ginny finally has someone to confide in other than the dark lord, and shutting it down completely in the name of keeping her honorary neice safe. 

Imagine how proud Lily Potter would have been of Hermione, another muggle-born girl facing prejudice, yet rising to the top of her class. Imagine her appreciating the disadvantage that Hermione had, having not come from a wizarding family, and admiring every answer the girl could provide. Imagine how encouraging she would have been of Hermione’s intelligence rather than dismissive, how often she would assure her that blood status had nothing to do with a person’s character. 

Imagine how fond Lily Potter would have been of Luna. Luna may not look like much but she was a free spirit and a kind soul, the kind of person that a woman like Lily could appreciate in the dark ages they were living through. Imagine Lily giving Luna a fond smile every time their eyes met, and glaring down anyone who made fun of her differences. Imagine how protective she would have been of little Luna Lovegood, who had few friends and reminded her of herself before she had met Severus. 

Imagine how fond Lily Potter would be of the pranksters, but not too fond to keep them in check while they were in her class. 

Imagine the points Lily Potter would deduct from students she caught saying the word ‘mudblood.’ Imagine the detentions she would give, the long conversations she would have with the offended and offensive students, the letters she would send home to both parties’ parents. Imagine how proactive she would be in spreading tolerance throughout the younger students and stopping intolerance in the older ones. 

Imagine how much Lily Potter would have helped Ron Weasley, who was forever copying off of Hermione’s notes and essays. Imagine how thoroughly she would explain the things he wasn’t understsanding, how hard she would work to keep his attention on the lesson during class. 

Imagine how many different styles of teaching she would explore in an attempt to reach each and every one of her students, something Snape never attempted. Imagine how many great potions masters were just waiting for an opportunity to discover their talent and were provided that opportunity by Professor Lily Potter.