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!
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. ]
Things are mostly peaceful. The disappearances are the biggest problem we faced until the issues with the displaced. I assume the Order you speak of fought the Death Eaters, so without the one, it makes sense there wouldn't be the other.
[ soft. she didn't miss the bitterness. she's too bright for that. ]
Harry considers ways of reaching him, maybe sending him an owl or taking a train right up to Hogwarts in the hopes that he might see him ... it's been months since he'd seen his Dumbledore too.
Would this one be so different?
He'd know what to do though. He'd believe him, the way Lily says she does, and he'd find a way to help him bring Tom Riddle down.
For now, he's got to learn a little more about this world, as mad as it may be. He's got his mum, anyway, and that's - well, that's more than enough for now. ]
Could you tell me more about these disappearances?
Of course I will. It's—oh hell, my potions. Hold a tic—
[ lily stands quickly, hurrying over to a small cauldron set aside and bringing it back to where it belongs on the counter, whereupon she inspects the contents with a furrowed brow. giving it a quick stir with a flick of her wand, she dips her pinky in and ... tastes it? then grimaces. ] Still tastes of Licorice. It'll hold.
[ now she lights a small, self-contained fire beneath it and adds a couple more ingredients, stirring more and then slumping back to sit. ]
Sorry. Been working on it a week and it needs delivering in two days.
[ chewing on her lip a moment, she gets back to business. ] The disappearances have been happening for about forty years. Muggleborns and half-bloods, sometimes muggles. No one knows why or how, but with the implementation of the curfew the numbers seem to have gone down somewhat. Not as much as anyone would like, but...
[ she shakes her head. ] There's not much more anyone knows.
[ While Lily tends to her potions, Harry can't help but take the time to get a better sense of his surroundings, basking in the small shop.
He never really knew what made a place theirs, having spent so much of his time in places that never really belonged to him, not even Hogwarts, not even his small shared dorm, but seeing this space it's hard not to think that it's got to belong to his mum. He's only really known her for less than thirty minutes, but this shop is hers.
And seeing her make potions - well, he'd always known she was smart, but there's something about seeing someone you could only imagine in your head do something as mundane and wonderful as potion-making to make the entire situation feel so ... surreal.
He's quiet the entire time, right up until she starts to explain the disappearances. ]
Are there reports? Have the Aurors got some leads at least?
[ No, Harry's pretty much convinced Volde -- no, Tom Riddle has got something to do with all of this. He just needs to do a little bit of investigating himself. ]
[ it really is a strangely home-y shop for an apothecary. not enough to turn away the most die-hard, but just enough to bring in the more mild-tempered ... and honestly, make it more comfortable to spend so many hours a day here. being in the shop with it all locked up still counts toward curfew so long as she doesn't open up for anyone, so some nights she doesn't head up to bed until far past when she should.
point is: the touch of lily is everywhere. sighing, she shakes her head. ] If they know anything, they're not sharing. The reports are from the families of the missing, but none of them have been found. And now with the displaced... Either it's the opposite happening or the two aren't connected but no one knows or everyone pretends not to know.
[ SUDDENLY, A BALL OF ORANGE FUR--or not so suddenly, as the large, squish-faced cat that harry will recognize (but looking much younger, practically a kitten) is lazily sauntering along--makes its way across the counter from apparently nowhere and nudges lily's arm insistently until she pets it.
rolling her eyes, lily grabs gently onto the cat's fur ruff and... ruffles it more, whereupon said cat begins to wash its face from the indignity of it all.
anyway many things about crookshanks potentially make sense now. ]
This would be my cat.
pls forgive for being so glacial in my reply; im so sorry for me
[ The cat looks incredibly familiar, the squashed-face like it'd been punched in the nose striking a chord in Harry's chest, making him miss his best friends more than he could even express in words.
He leans forward to give the cat a couple of scritches, momentarily lost in his own jumble of thoughts that seem to collide this world's with his own.
It takes him a second, two, to sort everything back out again, and when he does, he remembers their conversation only a minute ago. ]
I think, if I know Riddle at all, it's probably more of the latter than the former. Something must've happened - either in this timeline or maybe mine, I don't know. But if there are any reports, I've got to find them.
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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
But it breaks the tension, and that's something. ]
I'd say.
[ Death Eaters are synonymous with pricks, really, and Harry will be the first to cosign that notion. ]
If there are no Death Eaters ... does that mean there's no Order either?
no subject
finally, after a few more moments, she squeezes his hands and sits back. ]
The Order?
[ she sounds genuinely confused on that one, so it's probably a no on the order. ] I... can't say I've heard of that either.
no subject
So much has changed here. So much seems wrong, save for the fact that his mum is here, alive and well and not freaking out over his existence. ]
Suppose there'd be no need for the Order if there are no Death Eaters and Tom Riddle's happily in power.
[ Does he sound bitter? He does sound a little bitter. ]
Where's Dumbledore?
no subject
[ soft. she didn't miss the bitterness. she's too bright for that. ]
Hogwarts. As always.
no subject
Harry considers ways of reaching him, maybe sending him an owl or taking a train right up to Hogwarts in the hopes that he might see him ... it's been months since he'd seen his Dumbledore too.
Would this one be so different?
He'd know what to do though. He'd believe him, the way Lily says she does, and he'd find a way to help him bring Tom Riddle down.
For now, he's got to learn a little more about this world, as mad as it may be. He's got his mum, anyway, and that's - well, that's more than enough for now. ]
Could you tell me more about these disappearances?
no subject
[ lily stands quickly, hurrying over to a small cauldron set aside and bringing it back to where it belongs on the counter, whereupon she inspects the contents with a furrowed brow. giving it a quick stir with a flick of her wand, she dips her pinky in and ... tastes it? then grimaces. ] Still tastes of Licorice. It'll hold.
[ now she lights a small, self-contained fire beneath it and adds a couple more ingredients, stirring more and then slumping back to sit. ]
Sorry. Been working on it a week and it needs delivering in two days.
[ chewing on her lip a moment, she gets back to business. ] The disappearances have been happening for about forty years. Muggleborns and half-bloods, sometimes muggles. No one knows why or how, but with the implementation of the curfew the numbers seem to have gone down somewhat. Not as much as anyone would like, but...
[ she shakes her head. ] There's not much more anyone knows.
no subject
He never really knew what made a place theirs, having spent so much of his time in places that never really belonged to him, not even Hogwarts, not even his small shared dorm, but seeing this space it's hard not to think that it's got to belong to his mum. He's only really known her for less than thirty minutes, but this shop is hers.
And seeing her make potions - well, he'd always known she was smart, but there's something about seeing someone you could only imagine in your head do something as mundane and wonderful as potion-making to make the entire situation feel so ... surreal.
He's quiet the entire time, right up until she starts to explain the disappearances. ]
Are there reports? Have the Aurors got some leads at least?
[ No, Harry's pretty much convinced Volde -- no, Tom Riddle has got something to do with all of this. He just needs to do a little bit of investigating himself. ]
uses my fave headcanon
point is: the touch of lily is everywhere. sighing, she shakes her head. ] If they know anything, they're not sharing. The reports are from the families of the missing, but none of them have been found. And now with the displaced... Either it's the opposite happening or the two aren't connected but no one knows or everyone pretends not to know.
[ SUDDENLY, A BALL OF ORANGE FUR--or not so suddenly, as the large, squish-faced cat that harry will recognize (but looking much younger, practically a kitten) is lazily sauntering along--makes its way across the counter from apparently nowhere and nudges lily's arm insistently until she pets it.
rolling her eyes, lily grabs gently onto the cat's fur ruff and... ruffles it more, whereupon said cat begins to wash its face from the indignity of it all.
anyway many things about crookshanks potentially make sense now. ]
This would be my cat.
pls forgive for being so glacial in my reply; im so sorry for me
He leans forward to give the cat a couple of scritches, momentarily lost in his own jumble of thoughts that seem to collide this world's with his own.
It takes him a second, two, to sort everything back out again, and when he does, he remembers their conversation only a minute ago. ]
I think, if I know Riddle at all, it's probably more of the latter than the former. Something must've happened - either in this timeline or maybe mine, I don't know. But if there are any reports, I've got to find them.