Here to trick or treat!!
What are your general headcanons/metas on background lore in Harry Potter? (i'm thinking in the similar vein of your wizarding fashion)
ooh I have a fair few:
The intersectionality of blood status:
The top of the wizarding pecking order is undoubtedly the purebloods. However, amongst them there is an internal hierarchy which is determined by two key intersectional identities:
- Being part of the sacred 28- This list represents a group of families who claim to have no Muggle or muggle born ancestry and these families consider themselves to be the "purest" of wizarding bloodlines. They are also often concerned about keeping muggleborns out of wizarding spaces.
- Wealth
Within the constructs of St Mungos and Azkaban incapacitating mental illness is framed as ‘worse than death.’ And access to treatment appears to be judged on the morality of the individual. Gilderoy Lockhart while amoral was not a death eater so is allowed the more humane institutionalisation of St Mungos. As are the heroic Frank and Alice Longbottom (who are still viewed with large amounts of pity).
In this example, Araminta wants to ensure what she is doing is legal (that’s not to say she doesn’t do it anyway), and she uses her clout to try and force the bill through. This is interesting for several reasons. It mainly demonstrates that the Blacks want the oppression that flows from their beliefs enshrined in law and that their bloodthirsty tendencies need to appear to follow laws/have a veneer of respectability.
For the Black family, the front stage is where they present a refined image of themselves. The family motto, "Toujours Pur" is a key part of this performance, reinforcing their commitment to blood purity and the superiority they claim comes with it.
But as Goffman explains, there is also a "backstage," where a mask off image is revealed. Think of it as changing out of your outside clothes into your comfy house clothes.
In the backstage, the Black family’s iron fist comes into play. This is where their real power lies—power that is unvarnished, coercive, and often brutal. It’s in the backstage where they are willing to do whatever it takes to maintain their image, and honestly it gives CULT.
So, I think the Longbottoms have their own version of the "velvet glove over an iron fist." They might not be as fanatical as the Blacks, but there’s still this deep need to maintain their family reputation.
Neville is dangled out of a window by his uncle Algie because they were terrified he was a Squib. And this implies that there's an underlying pressure to ensure that Neville lives up to the Longbottom name.
So Voldemort strategically brands his social elite Death Eaters with the mark, which if revealed would send them tumbling down the social hierarchy. This would also explain why death-eaters who are already social pariahs, such as Greyback, do not receive them.
And would also explain the fear many of the DE demonstrated during the graveyard scene in GoF and why they returned despite their fear:
“The Death Eaters stirred, and Harry saw their eyes dart sideways at one another through their masks.” GoF
Death is so central to the series, that the story opens with a double murder, failed infanticide and the supposed death and defeat of Voldemort. Indeed, the book is named after a magical instrument that grants immortality ( the philosophers/sorcerers stone), and the book’s primary plot revolves around the plan to steal the Elixir of Life.
First off, the way we gender fragrances wouldn’t really make sense in the Wizarding World; they’d just blend notes without any thought of “masculine” or “feminine.” Gendered scents are actually a modern marketing ploy, basically invented so we’d spend more on one kind of perfume over another. Wizards wouldn’t be following that at all, so you’d have this amazing variety of complex, mixed fragrances—no one gatekeeping sandalwood or rose, just everyone smelling like they’ve rolled around in an apothecary.
