IT'S BLOODY HOT IN HERE (no, really. it's seriously hot.)
it's the summer holidays! a perfect time to travel, relax, spend time with loved ones and bask in the sun. the wizarding world is lively with energy at this time of year. everyone seems to want to make the most of their break before september comes around the corner and life returns to its normal, mundane pace. it has been especially exciting with the sporadic and strange appearances of old and new faces. some claim to be from a different world while others claim to be from a different time. then, there are the ones who have simply found themselves waking up to be remarkably younger or older. just remember to keep to your curfews, half-bloods and muggle-borns! those eerie disappearances are still happening in an increasingly alarming rate...
MINISTRY OF MAGIC
for the ones who don't have the good fortune of going on holiday, you won't have to worry about having nothing to do, especially if you're part of the ministry of magic! with all the anomalies happening, you're going to have your hands full registering, documenting, interviewing and/or helping with a multitude of busywork relating to the newcomers. or maybe your job doesn't have anything to do with that. maybe you're on the opposite end and you've been brought in. or maybe you're just a tourist and you want to see if you can catch a glimpse of the minister for magic. whatever your reason is, welcome and stay out of people's way!
DIAGON ALLEY
everyone loves to go shopping and what better place to do it than diagon alley? you'll find mills of people looking at all the different items on sale or on display in store windows. maybe you're here to purchase materials for the upcoming school year or you're out on a date with your significant other. or maybe you actually own or work at one of the many shops here. whatever your reason is, you better be ready for the crowd and the heat.
KNOCKTURN ALLEY
oh no! what are you doing here? turn back right now! knockturn alley is no place for you to be. well, at least it isn't if you aren't a dark arts practitioner or you're not part of some nefarious secret group. just turn around and go back to diagon alley. it's much nicer there, friendlier and safer. have you not heard about all the disappearances going on? you're only asking for trouble stepping into a place like this, even if it's remarkably cool here.
M.I.A.V.I.
not in the mood to go out? or maybe you're stuck in the waiting room at st. mungo's trying to figure out why you're suddenly 10 years older and you need a distraction. disregarding the reason, it's sure a good thing you've conveniently brought along your m.i.a.v.i. so feel free to browse the public network, create your own post, or private message someone!
OTHER
not interested in any of the options above? feel free to make up your own! the wizarding world is huge, so get creative with it. the setting is the summer of 1980. have fun testing out and shaping your characters, mingle with others, and start getting those crs down!
this is the life she's led since she was a little girl and now as an adult she has to toe the line, keep to the rules, make sure everything she's spent years working for since she left hogwarts isn't taken away because some pureblood in the ministry has a bad day and decides to take it out on her. there is no rebellion in the wizarding world. there is no order of the phoenix. there is nothing with the fire in its eyes trying to claw its way free. there is nothing beaten and bruised but still standing tall. there is only a world existing like this.
things of course are shaken up by the newcomers, the way some claim nothing is right, the way some people just wake up wrong. lily just hopes it all can get sorted out soon.
she hears the rattle of bottles before she sees the cause and waves a hand, which causes the movement to stop abruptly - no incantation needed. but then she's walking over, coming 'round the counter to check. ] No harm done, it can be cramped in here.
[ maybe harry sees her hair before he sees her face. lily sees the general look of him before she sees his face and frowns in surprise, speaking without thinking. ] James, you were just here— [ but then she gets an actual good look at him and oh, oh but he looks different, just enough, but he looks like james and his eyes are like looking into a mirror and she takes a step forward unconsciously. it's too damning. there's no other explanation. ] ... You're displaced from where you belong too, aren't you love?
[ james isn't going to let her live this down, is he? a son. ]
Harry stares (and stares) and isn't sure he can make his lips close shut, he's probably gaping like some complete daft idiot right now. ]
I - ah.
[ He struggles to find words, just any words really, but eventually his brain clicks back into place and he realizes why it'd gone on the fritz so badly. He's looking into his mum's face. This is his mother, young and well and alive. ]
Mm -
[ He stops himself before he can say something embarrassing like mum!
And something else entirely surges in his heart, makes him want to burst out and yell for her to be careful and not to move to Godric's Hollow, and to find Dad and hide somewhere, but he resists that too.
Instead, he nods. Slowly.
Her eyes, as so many have said, are just like his. He stares into them like he's staring at his reflection.
[ she realizes she's done something wrong when he stares for so long and her breath catches once. she's still reeling a little from the thought of having a son at all (and being married, and pregnant, and so on), and now she's said something wrong but finally he's looking back at her and yeah and she manages a small smile, overwhelmed and tired and suddenly she finds herself reaching to take one of his hands and lead him toward the back of the shop. ]
Come sit with me behind the counter so we can talk. Obviously I can tell who your father is. [ awkward. she squeezes his hand before turning to look at him because she just can't stop. before she and james parted so that she could run the shop, they'd thought briefly about a future. lily's thought about kids. ] You look just like I'd imagined when I thought about having children. [ oh. a beat. ] I'm sorry, that's probably really weird, it's just—overwhelming. I know it's probably worse for you with the displacement.
[ The feel of his mum's hand around his, pulling him in some direction, is so surreal that it very nearly blocks out everything else about this situation, leaving him - at least - with his spatial sensibilities to avoid knocking into any other cabinets and potions shelves so to avoid putting his mother out of business.
When she finally sits him down towards the back of the shop, squeezing his hand and speaking to him, Harry has to force himself to get his thoughts together. Enough of them to understand what she's trying to say.
Of course his voice is a bit faint, almost a mumble when he responds. ]
You can? [ is quickly followed by a small-sounding ] I do?
[ Harry swallows, resisting the powerful urge to leap up and put his arms around his mother, holding on and never letting go. He opts to root himself to where he is instead. ]
Only from seeing you here. It's obvious. Your father is-- [ she pauses and smiles, a little sadly, before moving on. ] No one's told me about you or anything, I just pieced it together.
[ she sits across from him, running her fingers through her hair and looking (and feeling) utterly overwhelmed. a son. even if she and james were to have a son now, he wouldn't be... ]
Tell me. Your name, your house, what you like, what you don't like, I want to know everything about you.
[ Harry breathes out, suddenly not at all sure he should be telling her anything about himself.
Because telling her his name and his house are easy enough for a start, but then he'll have to get into the Dursleys and how he ended up there; how he'd lost his parents, how they'd been killed, how Voldemort's still on the loose, how he'd lost so many people and he's not sure that's going to be the end of it by the time the war's through.
(Besides which, there's that pesky detail of the prophecy.)
But he can't stay silent either. He doesn't want to. He wants her to know him. He wants to be here forever and never leave this shop. ]
Harry.
[ That's easy enough, right? ]
My name's Harry. I'm - I'm in my sixth year at Hogwarts. I'm in Gryffindor.
Harry. [ it's breathed out softly and it sounds like a prayer. maybe it is. there's something so strange about how he's treating her, like she's a ghost - and she files the information away for later. she won't touch on it now. not when he's right here before her.
he's almost as old as her - there are still a few years there of course but not many and it makes an ache sit in her chest. she reaches out unconsciously to brush his hair back, frowning when she sees the scar - but she doesn't ask him about it. she knows better. she just flicks her gaze to look at him, to acknowledge him, to show she sees it and cares as she tucks his hair back and--it stays, somehow, maybe it's practice with james' hair, maybe it's literal magic. ]
Gryffindor's a good house. I'd be proud of you in any one, though. Do you play Quidditch? [ there's a strange tremor in her voice and she pauses to compose herself, taking a shaking breath. ] Sorry. I'm--sorry. I just... Look at you, you're wonderful.
[ Harry's eyes shut for a moment, so painfully content with the reality in this surreality that he wants to memorize the way Lily's hand brushes his hair back for when this all ends and he's got to face the world (and Voldemort) once more.
When he opens his eyes again, it's to find his mum looking at him like she could read every last secret he's got locked up in his head, and there's so much care in her eyes (the same eyes that he has) that it's hard not for him to feel a sudden thickness in his throat.
He swallows, willing himself not to make such a fool of himself and notes that if anything, maybe he's in good company. The way Lily's breath sounds shaky as she exhales is so similar to his own. ]
I'm not. [ His voice is a mumble. ] I mean, if I am at all it's because of you and dad.
[ Ugh.
He swallows again. Hard.
He tries for a change in topics. ]
I'm - yeah. I play Quidditch. Seeker. There's nothing quite like flying.
[ it's firm. she really won't. this time she tugs at a lock of his hair affectionately instead, looking intently into his face. ] Even if you've got pieces of people inside you, you're still your own person. Do you understand? You're not wonderful or not because of them, you stand on your own two feet and make your own decisions.
[ a beat. ] Merlin, I sound like my mother. Oh, but she would have loved you too. [ does that mean she already loves harry?
probably.
she smiles and nods at what he says about quidditch then, finally. ] I never did play. James did, but gave it up after Hogwarts. Now he and Sirius lay about complaining about how Remus and I can't go out after curfew and--[ a pause!! let's not talk about curfew. ] refusing to do their washing up. He came in the other day asking for a potion to kill a mold monster because they left their dishes so long the muck became sentient.
[ It's the first time he's ever had a motherly talking-to from his mother, and Harry can't help but marvel at the very concept of it. Never mind actually taking her advice, but the fact that she's giving him a lecture at all is - well. It's amazing. It really is.
Harry doesn't argue, nodding instead like any good son ought to. He wants to say something, maybe a 'thank you' but no words come out of his mouth.
And by then, Lily's moved on to Quidditch.
Thankfully. ]
That sounds like dad, yeah. [ At least what he's heard and seen in memories of his father. Harry can't help but smile, the faintest breath of a laugh escaping his lips before he adds: ] Sounds like Sirius too.
[ it's like lily can't stop looking at him, like she wants to memorize his face so she never forgets it (hah) even if this all ends tomorrow, even though that isn't how any of this works, even though it probably looks ridiculous to just... peer at him as long as she is. she's still reeling, just a little, but having the somewhat lighter conversation is letting her come back from it.
the question brings her crashing back down.
lily bites her lip before she shakes her head slightly, looking toward the door before she looks back at Harry. ] No. I live here, above the shop. Things are... complicated, here. James and Sirius, they can go out and do whatever they like whenever they like, but I have to be in by nine pm, so it's better to have it so that they can still come and go as they please.
[ that... no, okay, that doesn't sound good at all, what. ] That doesn't stop the both of them from spending all day here and spending half the nights on my sofa as well. [ she rolls her eyes. ] Hangover potions.
Okay, this brings him all the way back around to something he'd seen and heard earlier, talk of 'Riddle' and something else about leadership. He'd ignored it in favour of - well, seeing his mother. But now that he's had a little bit of time to settle into the concept, the rest of the world around them begins to take form once more, like a painting slowly coming to life. ]
Is it a rule, then? Because you're ...
[ Half-blood? Not a pure witch or wizard, the way Voldemort and his Death Eaters wanted? The very concept makes Harry's blood begin to boil, reminding him that he might have time now to get to know his mum but that time won't last if he doesn't do something before Voldemort sets off to kill her and dad. ]
It's a law, yes. Muggle-borns' curfew is at nine pm. Half-bloods' curfew is at ten pm. [ she sighs, leaning her elbow on the counter. ] I close my shop at nine and lock up so I don't break any laws but that's still pushing it. I've fought the Ministry time and time again but there's no winning against bureaucracy.
[ this lily is a little different from the lily in his timeline - this lily is tired, resigned. ]
Supposedly it's for our safety because there have been a lot of disappearances of anyone not a pureblood, but the whole thing is just suspicious all around and no one is doing anything about it but sitting around making new laws about it. We've all got the Trace on as well. For our "protection."
Does everyone have the Trace on them or is that just the Muggle-borns?
[ This is beginning to sound suspicious. It makes him wonder whether or not this is some nightmare universe where the first of the wars hadn't even happened because Voldemort didn't even need to win.
Muggle-borns and half-bloods. Purebloods can do whatever they like. Which is why, [ she says briskly, ] if at all possible you're not going in Ministry to register. If you do, you're going to tell them you're a Potter and you're not going to mention me at all.
You'll still get the Trace due to being underage, but you'll be marked pureblood. They'll automatically assume a Potter had a child with another pureblood.
[ she shrugs. ] It's the easiest way of things until we can get you home.
[ Harry wants to argue, chest already heaving with a breath to tell her that there's no way he's going to deny being the son of Lily Evans, but this is so much more than a matter of names and pride; it's for his safety that she's doing this. Logic eventually wins out past his emotions and he settles back into his position with a sigh. It's not right, no, but he's going to listen to her. She understands the way of this world better than he does, after all. ]
What happened here, exactly?
[ Maybe he ought to start with the more general questions first. ]
I'm not sure how to put it into what happened terms. I can tell you the state of things now, though. Minister Riddle came into power the year before I started Hogwarts and the registrations started soon after. They were welcomed at first to keep track of people because of the disappearances.
[ lily sighs now, reaching to brush some of harry's hair back again. ] Now, the restrictions are getting tighter and the disappearances aren't stopping so people are getting tired of nothing being done about it. Ministry claims to be working on it, but what's to say there would actually be more problems without this setup? Nothing.
The words Minister and Riddle put together, the words Minister Riddle, is really just about the only thing Harry can focus on right now. He's goes rigid like a wood board, eyes widening as he stares into his mother's face like he's waiting for her to tell him it's all just a big joke and she's having a laugh.
But he waits and no such sentiment comes out.
He takes a deep breath but he can't stop his heart from racing in his chest, fear and adrenaline all crashing into one uncomfortable mess. ]
Did you just say Minister Riddle? Like - Tom Marvolo Riddle?
[ lily stops very still. she knows a fear response when she sees one and she hadn't expected one like this from a conversation where she's merely annoyed and frustrated with the way of things. but she nods to his question, frowning. a part of her - a majority of her - is desperate to know why he reacted that way, why harry's reaction had been to shut down so spectacularly at a simple name.
she knows he's not good for half-bloods and muggle-borns, but this is a lot. this is too much. what's happened in harry's timeline?
that other part of her, a tiny part of her, is terrified to actually find out. her hand settles at the junction of his shoulder and neck, grounding. ]
[ Well, he can and he wants to, but would it change things, change the future, change his mum's future, if he tells her? Knowing she'll die and when she'll die ... what kind of a burden is that to put on someone he loves?
Harry shakes his head, swallowing hard.
He can tell her about his world without divulging in that particular detail because it's important to know who Tom Riddle is and what he's capable of doing.
Maybe he'd been sent here to do something about it. ]
He's bad. Riddle. In my world, he goes by 'Lord Voldemort' and he might not be Minister of Magic but he's power-hungry and he's selfish and he doesn't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way. [ His description doesn't even begin to express how evil the monster is. ] He's killed so many people. And he'll kill more to get what he wants.
[ she listens. what else can she do? it's not like they can run out and overturn an entire government right now. impossible. (people have been disappearing since the 40s. ... but he would have been a child then. impossible.) lily sucks in a breath, eyes searching his face. ] Don't worry about timelines so much. This one is already different from yours. It doesn't matter. It doesn't change this one to know yours. Not just from knowing it.
[ another breath. ] But... I need you to understand that I believe you. At the same time, here he's well-liked and hasn't stepped a visible toe out of line and people feel as though he's protecting them. Without a huge change, there isn't much that can be done.
[ it looks like it pains her to say that. she feels cold inside. ] I know the majority of Ministry workers don't care about people like me. I can tell every time I have to go in. People like Rodolphus Lestrange-- [ she frowns and exhales sharply, expression twisting. ] He doesn't matter. What matters is what you've told me.
But that's the thing. Something can't be right if he's in power. He's up to something, he's got some plan.
[ Harry feels a bit delirious and he probably sounds completely nutters, but this is so important. This is how people get killed. This is how his parents died. It was because people like Tom Riddle exist. ]
We've got to do something. Mum - [ He stops himself almost immediately, the word halting on his lips. He feels his face grow warm, embarrassed. It's the first time he's ever had a chance to say the word to his mother, even if his mother can't be more than a couple years older than he is. ] I - do the Death Eaters exist here?
[ she does, even if she shouldn't - and maybe she really shouldn't, maybe she should tell him to knock it off, to not tell anyone else, but her son has come from another time and is right here before her and he's
oh
he's called her mum.
everything else falls away for a moment and lily flushes brightly, surprised, pleased, and embarrassed all at once. the first thing she does is draw harry into an almost-crushing hug, having to half tuck her head into his neck because he's already taller than her. but then the question registers and she pulls back enough to look at him: ]
[ The hug is unexpected, but for a moment it happens to melt away all the anxiety and frustration and fear that had been building up in his chest, bursting out of him like an overflowing cup.
He'd been so worked up, so tense, that when she holds him it feels unnatural at first. Rigid. He hasn't hugged anyone for months now.
But just like that, he remembers what it feels like, and better than that, he wants to memorize how this feels like. His arms wind around her, holding on tight.
It takes him a moment before he can respond when she pulls back. ]
They call themselves the Death Eaters. Supporters of Voldemort and the dark arts. They believe in purity of blood.
[ the way he reacts to it is unexpected and lily resolves to hug him more as long as he's here - to make it a habit, to make sure it comes as easy as breathing. for now though, their conversation should take precedence again.
she holds onto both of his hands instead, unwilling to let him go entirely like she's afraid he'll go away if she does. so he's not going to get away any time soon even if he wanted to.
lily looks confused at the explanation and shakes her head, brow furrowed. ] Not that I know of. Nothing called that, anyway. There are people that believe in blood purity, but... No one that openly admits to it or to the dark arts. Riddle's got people in Ministry, but none of them are called Death Eaters. Pricks, more like. [ ... look your mum is 20 she's going to swear in front of you get used to it. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
my son
this is the life she's led since she was a little girl and now as an adult she has to toe the line, keep to the rules, make sure everything she's spent years working for since she left hogwarts isn't taken away because some pureblood in the ministry has a bad day and decides to take it out on her. there is no rebellion in the wizarding world. there is no order of the phoenix. there is nothing with the fire in its eyes trying to claw its way free. there is nothing beaten and bruised but still standing tall. there is only a world existing like this.
things of course are shaken up by the newcomers, the way some claim nothing is right, the way some people just wake up wrong. lily just hopes it all can get sorted out soon.
she hears the rattle of bottles before she sees the cause and waves a hand, which causes the movement to stop abruptly - no incantation needed. but then she's walking over, coming 'round the counter to check. ] No harm done, it can be cramped in here.
[ maybe harry sees her hair before he sees her face. lily sees the general look of him before she sees his face and frowns in surprise, speaking without thinking. ] James, you were just here— [ but then she gets an actual good look at him and oh, oh but he looks different, just enough, but he looks like james and his eyes are like looking into a mirror and she takes a step forward unconsciously. it's too damning. there's no other explanation. ] ... You're displaced from where you belong too, aren't you love?
[ james isn't going to let her live this down, is he? a son. ]
m-mum ;;
She called him James.
Harry stares (and stares) and isn't sure he can make his lips close shut, he's probably gaping like some complete daft idiot right now. ]
I - ah.
[ He struggles to find words, just any words really, but eventually his brain clicks back into place and he realizes why it'd gone on the fritz so badly. He's looking into his mum's face. This is his mother, young and well and alive. ]
Mm -
[ He stops himself before he can say something embarrassing like mum!
And something else entirely surges in his heart, makes him want to burst out and yell for her to be careful and not to move to Godric's Hollow, and to find Dad and hide somewhere, but he resists that too.
Instead, he nods. Slowly.
Her eyes, as so many have said, are just like his. He stares into them like he's staring at his reflection.
What would Hermione do? ]
Yeah.
no subject
[ she realizes she's done something wrong when he stares for so long and her breath catches once. she's still reeling a little from the thought of having a son at all (and being married, and pregnant, and so on), and now she's said something wrong but finally he's looking back at her and yeah and she manages a small smile, overwhelmed and tired and suddenly she finds herself reaching to take one of his hands and lead him toward the back of the shop. ]
Come sit with me behind the counter so we can talk. Obviously I can tell who your father is. [ awkward. she squeezes his hand before turning to look at him because she just can't stop. before she and james parted so that she could run the shop, they'd thought briefly about a future. lily's thought about kids. ] You look just like I'd imagined when I thought about having children. [ oh. a beat. ] I'm sorry, that's probably really weird, it's just—overwhelming. I know it's probably worse for you with the displacement.
no subject
When she finally sits him down towards the back of the shop, squeezing his hand and speaking to him, Harry has to force himself to get his thoughts together. Enough of them to understand what she's trying to say.
Of course his voice is a bit faint, almost a mumble when he responds. ]
You can? [ is quickly followed by a small-sounding ] I do?
[ Harry swallows, resisting the powerful urge to leap up and put his arms around his mother, holding on and never letting go. He opts to root himself to where he is instead. ]
So - you. You know who I am.
no subject
[ she sits across from him, running her fingers through her hair and looking (and feeling) utterly overwhelmed. a son. even if she and james were to have a son now, he wouldn't be... ]
Tell me. Your name, your house, what you like, what you don't like, I want to know everything about you.
no subject
Because telling her his name and his house are easy enough for a start, but then he'll have to get into the Dursleys and how he ended up there; how he'd lost his parents, how they'd been killed, how Voldemort's still on the loose, how he'd lost so many people and he's not sure that's going to be the end of it by the time the war's through.
(Besides which, there's that pesky detail of the prophecy.)
But he can't stay silent either. He doesn't want to. He wants her to know him. He wants to be here forever and never leave this shop. ]
Harry.
[ That's easy enough, right? ]
My name's Harry. I'm - I'm in my sixth year at Hogwarts. I'm in Gryffindor.
no subject
he's almost as old as her - there are still a few years there of course but not many and it makes an ache sit in her chest. she reaches out unconsciously to brush his hair back, frowning when she sees the scar - but she doesn't ask him about it. she knows better. she just flicks her gaze to look at him, to acknowledge him, to show she sees it and cares as she tucks his hair back and--it stays, somehow, maybe it's practice with james' hair, maybe it's literal magic. ]
Gryffindor's a good house. I'd be proud of you in any one, though. Do you play Quidditch? [ there's a strange tremor in her voice and she pauses to compose herself, taking a shaking breath. ] Sorry. I'm--sorry. I just... Look at you, you're wonderful.
WOW THAT TAG WAS SO UPSETTING????
When he opens his eyes again, it's to find his mum looking at him like she could read every last secret he's got locked up in his head, and there's so much care in her eyes (the same eyes that he has) that it's hard not for him to feel a sudden thickness in his throat.
He swallows, willing himself not to make such a fool of himself and notes that if anything, maybe he's in good company. The way Lily's breath sounds shaky as she exhales is so similar to his own. ]
I'm not. [ His voice is a mumble. ] I mean, if I am at all it's because of you and dad.
[ Ugh.
He swallows again. Hard.
He tries for a change in topics. ]
I'm - yeah. I play Quidditch. Seeker. There's nothing quite like flying.
I'M SORRY
[ it's firm. she really won't. this time she tugs at a lock of his hair affectionately instead, looking intently into his face. ] Even if you've got pieces of people inside you, you're still your own person. Do you understand? You're not wonderful or not because of them, you stand on your own two feet and make your own decisions.
[ a beat. ] Merlin, I sound like my mother. Oh, but she would have loved you too. [ does that mean she already loves harry?
probably.
she smiles and nods at what he says about quidditch then, finally. ] I never did play. James did, but gave it up after Hogwarts. Now he and Sirius lay about complaining about how Remus and I can't go out after curfew and--[ a pause!! let's not talk about curfew. ] refusing to do their washing up. He came in the other day asking for a potion to kill a mold monster because they left their dishes so long the muck became sentient.
[ BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! ]
ARE U THO
Harry doesn't argue, nodding instead like any good son ought to. He wants to say something, maybe a 'thank you' but no words come out of his mouth.
And by then, Lily's moved on to Quidditch.
Thankfully. ]
That sounds like dad, yeah. [ At least what he's heard and seen in memories of his father. Harry can't help but smile, the faintest breath of a laugh escaping his lips before he adds: ] Sounds like Sirius too.
Do you live with them?
no.
the question brings her crashing back down.
lily bites her lip before she shakes her head slightly, looking toward the door before she looks back at Harry. ] No. I live here, above the shop. Things are... complicated, here. James and Sirius, they can go out and do whatever they like whenever they like, but I have to be in by nine pm, so it's better to have it so that they can still come and go as they please.
[ that... no, okay, that doesn't sound good at all, what. ] That doesn't stop the both of them from spending all day here and spending half the nights on my sofa as well. [ she rolls her eyes. ] Hangover potions.
weep .... i didnt think so
This whole business sounds a bit ...
Well.
Okay, this brings him all the way back around to something he'd seen and heard earlier, talk of 'Riddle' and something else about leadership. He'd ignored it in favour of - well, seeing his mother. But now that he's had a little bit of time to settle into the concept, the rest of the world around them begins to take form once more, like a painting slowly coming to life. ]
Is it a rule, then? Because you're ...
[ Half-blood? Not a pure witch or wizard, the way Voldemort and his Death Eaters wanted? The very concept makes Harry's blood begin to boil, reminding him that he might have time now to get to know his mum but that time won't last if he doesn't do something before Voldemort sets off to kill her and dad. ]
no subject
[ this lily is a little different from the lily in his timeline - this lily is tired, resigned. ]
Supposedly it's for our safety because there have been a lot of disappearances of anyone not a pureblood, but the whole thing is just suspicious all around and no one is doing anything about it but sitting around making new laws about it. We've all got the Trace on as well. For our "protection."
[ bitterly. ]
no subject
[ This is beginning to sound suspicious. It makes him wonder whether or not this is some nightmare universe where the first of the wars hadn't even happened because Voldemort didn't even need to win.
(Oh, boy, is he ever in for a treat.) ]
no subject
You'll still get the Trace due to being underage, but you'll be marked pureblood. They'll automatically assume a Potter had a child with another pureblood.
[ she shrugs. ] It's the easiest way of things until we can get you home.
no subject
What happened here, exactly?
[ Maybe he ought to start with the more general questions first. ]
no subject
[ lily sighs now, reaching to brush some of harry's hair back again. ] Now, the restrictions are getting tighter and the disappearances aren't stopping so people are getting tired of nothing being done about it. Ministry claims to be working on it, but what's to say there would actually be more problems without this setup? Nothing.
[ wait... did she say minister riddle? ]
no subject
The words Minister and Riddle put together, the words Minister Riddle, is really just about the only thing Harry can focus on right now. He's goes rigid like a wood board, eyes widening as he stares into his mother's face like he's waiting for her to tell him it's all just a big joke and she's having a laugh.
But he waits and no such sentiment comes out.
He takes a deep breath but he can't stop his heart from racing in his chest, fear and adrenaline all crashing into one uncomfortable mess. ]
Did you just say Minister Riddle? Like - Tom Marvolo Riddle?
no subject
she knows he's not good for half-bloods and muggle-borns, but this is a lot. this is too much. what's happened in harry's timeline?
that other part of her, a tiny part of her, is terrified to actually find out. her hand settles at the junction of his shoulder and neck, grounding. ]
Yes. Now tell me what's wrong.
no subject
[ Well, he can and he wants to, but would it change things, change the future, change his mum's future, if he tells her? Knowing she'll die and when she'll die ... what kind of a burden is that to put on someone he loves?
Harry shakes his head, swallowing hard.
He can tell her about his world without divulging in that particular detail because it's important to know who Tom Riddle is and what he's capable of doing.
Maybe he'd been sent here to do something about it. ]
He's bad. Riddle. In my world, he goes by 'Lord Voldemort' and he might not be Minister of Magic but he's power-hungry and he's selfish and he doesn't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way. [ His description doesn't even begin to express how evil the monster is. ] He's killed so many people. And he'll kill more to get what he wants.
no subject
[ another breath. ] But... I need you to understand that I believe you. At the same time, here he's well-liked and hasn't stepped a visible toe out of line and people feel as though he's protecting them. Without a huge change, there isn't much that can be done.
[ it looks like it pains her to say that. she feels cold inside. ] I know the majority of Ministry workers don't care about people like me. I can tell every time I have to go in. People like Rodolphus Lestrange-- [ she frowns and exhales sharply, expression twisting. ] He doesn't matter. What matters is what you've told me.
no subject
[ Harry feels a bit delirious and he probably sounds completely nutters, but this is so important. This is how people get killed. This is how his parents died. It was because people like Tom Riddle exist. ]
We've got to do something. Mum - [ He stops himself almost immediately, the word halting on his lips. He feels his face grow warm, embarrassed. It's the first time he's ever had a chance to say the word to his mother, even if his mother can't be more than a couple years older than he is. ] I - do the Death Eaters exist here?
no subject
[ she does, even if she shouldn't - and maybe she really shouldn't, maybe she should tell him to knock it off, to not tell anyone else, but her son has come from another time and is right here before her and he's
oh
he's called her mum.
everything else falls away for a moment and lily flushes brightly, surprised, pleased, and embarrassed all at once. the first thing she does is draw harry into an almost-crushing hug, having to half tuck her head into his neck because he's already taller than her. but then the question registers and she pulls back enough to look at him: ]
The what?
[ now, that's no guarantee they don't exist. ]
no subject
He'd been so worked up, so tense, that when she holds him it feels unnatural at first. Rigid. He hasn't hugged anyone for months now.
But just like that, he remembers what it feels like, and better than that, he wants to memorize how this feels like. His arms wind around her, holding on tight.
It takes him a moment before he can respond when she pulls back. ]
They call themselves the Death Eaters. Supporters of Voldemort and the dark arts. They believe in purity of blood.
no subject
she holds onto both of his hands instead, unwilling to let him go entirely like she's afraid he'll go away if she does. so he's not going to get away any time soon even if he wanted to.
lily looks confused at the explanation and shakes her head, brow furrowed. ] Not that I know of. Nothing called that, anyway. There are people that believe in blood purity, but... No one that openly admits to it or to the dark arts. Riddle's got people in Ministry, but none of them are called Death Eaters. Pricks, more like. [ ... look your mum is 20 she's going to swear in front of you get used to it. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
uses my fave headcanon
pls forgive for being so glacial in my reply; im so sorry for me