takearisk;

taking your own advice is so hard. it’s “make bad art” this and “kill your perfectionism” that until i sit down with an idea i like. the i have to execute it perfectly Or Else

your mistake is thinking healing will always feel good, and not often like molting while clung to dead tree bark

I need to talk about this quote. We never talk about this enough. Prior to this, Voldemort only shows shock. But after James and Lily Potter arrive, Voldemort shows fear. The only wizard Voldemort is truly known to fear is Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards ever to live, yet the arrival of the Potters strikes fear in him.

I think this speaks to how powerful the Potters truly were. Not only were they able to defy him three times and live, while most wizards couldn’t manage to do it once, even after he killed them, Voldemort is still wary of James and Lily Potter. There’s a reason that he asked both James and Lily to join him, despite being young and blood-traitor/Muggle-born. There’s a reason Voldemort had Peter spying for over a year before he made his move. There’s a reason that Voldemort specifically chose the moment where they were the most relaxed, and therefore the most vulnerable, to attack. There’s a reason he did not dally and torture the Potters, though he probably would have got a sense of satisfaction out of it, with how much they’d defied him. 

Because Voldemort believed, in my opinion, that James and Lily Potter could pose a threat to him in a fair fight. If they’d had their wands or a chance to prepare, or even a few more seconds to come up with a plan of escape, it would have been a very different battle in Godric’s Hollow. Voldemort did not just fear Harry Potter, ‘the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord,’ Voldemort feared his parents, and what they would do to keep him safe.

— March 6, 1922 / Franz Kafka diaries

Written for @hinnyfest

Prompt 1: First I Love You

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A/N: This scene is from a prologue to a fic I was thinking of writing. It changes HBP a little bit, and it changes DH completely. But mostly it's an After The War fic that covers the time from Dumbledore's Funeral till the time Harry and Ginny get married (so about 3 or 4 years).

This scene isn't necessarily based on the prompt, but it does fit the requirement, and I couldn't think of anything else that others weren't already doing.

Also, for context, Harry and Ginny get together in March instead of in May in this story, and Ginny is born in September 1980 (to avoid the Trace).

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"We need to talk," Harry said.

Ginny looked at him and nodded. Unable to do anything else but accept the fact that he would tell her that they would have to break up because he, Ron, and Hermione weren't returning next year. He hadn't told her why, and she hadn't bothered to ask. Hermione did tell her that they were going on a trip though, which made absolutely no sense to Ginny.

He stood up and offered her an arm. She linked hers through it, and he led her away from the Funeral and toward their most frequented spot near the shore of the Black Lake where he cast a Muffliato around them as they sat down.

"I've been keeping something from you," he said, playing with the hem of his robes.

"What is it?" She asked after a few moments passed in silence.

He looked her in the eye, seemingly weighing his decision before he nodded to himself.

Then, he told her everything. 

The Meetings with Dumbledore, Tom Riddle's past, the fact that Dumbledore had suspected a possibility that he would not live past this year, all the Spells Dumbledore had taught him as a result that he hadn't even told Ron and Hermione about, the Horcruxes, and he finished it up with telling her about the Diary, and what it actually was. 

She listened attentively, grateful that he was revealing such a deep secret to her. At least, until she heard about the Diary, which was when her face had lost all color, and she had to fight herself to not throw up.

Five minutes later, it seemed that she had won the fight against her body, and she leaned against a rock. "Got any other Erumphent Horns you want to drop on me?" She asked in a joking manner, but for the first time, Harry missed it. 

His face closed up, revealing not a hint of emotion, but when he spoke, his voice was filled with regret. "I'm sorry," he said, looking at the floor. "I shouldn't have told you that." 

"Harry," she said, placing her hand over his arm. "I was just joking. I don't mind keeping your secrets." 

"There's still so much you don't know," he said, shaking his head.

"That's alright," she said, trying to sound consoling. "You can tell me in your own time. Or not tell me at all."

Harry shook his head. "You deserve the truth," he said, looking her in the eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I found out something very recently," he said. "And… erm, well… I love you." 

Her mouth dropped open in shock. She had never once doubted Harry's feelings over the course of their three month old relationship, but she'd never expected him to come out and say it like that. At least not now.

All of that, however, didn't stop her heart from melting into a puddle of goo, nor did it stop the smallest, most lovesick smile from forming on her face. 

"I love you more than I have ever loved anyone," he continued, looking back down at the ground again. "Dumbledore always told me that my ability to Love was my greatest strength. I always thought he was just being a barmy old man. But then you and I got together, and everything was- everything is… better. You make me happy, and I know this is a selfish ask, but I don't want to let you go- let us go," he gestured between them.

"What are you saying?" She asked softly, hoping she wasn't pushing too much.

He took a deep breath. "Will you come with me?" He asked her, biting his lip and finally meeting her eyes

"On the… trip that you, Ron, and Hermione are going on?" She asked.

He blinked at her phrasing. "It's not a trip," he said. "We're going to go find these… things, and destroy them." 

"Do you know how?" Ginny asked. 

"Yeah," Harry said. "I'll tell you that later, though. Along with Ron and Hermione." 

"And do they know you want me to come?" Ginny asked.

"Hermione doesn't," Harry began, grimacing. "Ron seemed to know I'd try and pull something like this. But he didn't seem to mind the idea if the lack of punches he threw at me were any indication."

Ginny's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "He has matured, I'll have you know," Harry said, smirking at her.

"I know," she said, fully meaning it. Ron truly had 'grown up' after the Death Eaters had invaded Hogwarts. "It just surprised me is all." 

"Yeah," Harry said, smiling. "Surprised me too if I'm being honest."

"You're sure about this? All of this?" She asked. 

"Very," Harry answered. "I need you, Gin. And I know you can help, if you choose to come."

"Well then, count me in, Captain Potter," she said. 

He blinked at her. "Really? You… don't want time to think about it or anything?" He asked, sounding like he really didn't want to.

She gave him an honest answer anyway. "The thing is Harry," she said, scooting closer to him. "I love you, too. Have done for over… well, half my life, really. And if I can help you bring Tom down, do you really think I wouldn't do so?" 

He shook his head no, and it looked like that pretty much sealed the deal for him, so she stood up, offering him a hand. "What will you tell your parents?" He asked, allowing her to pull him up.

"I've got a month to think of something," she said, shrugging. She only hoped she would be able to find something believable. 

"I'm glad to have you on my side then," Harry said softly, cupping her face and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Glad to be there, Harry," she whispered. 

He smiled at her, a genuine smile that didn't seem like it was plastered onto his face, and just seeing that smile reinforced her decision. Tom Riddle wouldn't come between them. She wouldn't let him.

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This story won't be out till I finish my current WIP (A Song of Lightning and Fire). I do hope to write this someday, but till then… yeah.

the best thing a male character can do is to be insane and love his wife. (insp.) 🕷️❤️❄️

the eyes chico, they never lie.

Lily and Fleamont would always exchange a good laugh, even before officially becoming family.

-

“The charm that boy has… I have no idea where it comes from.” “He says you taught him all the moves.” “Ha! Enjoy the dinner, Miss Evans.”

Lily comforting James on Fleamont’s funeral.

-

“He never gave me the Invisibility Cloak, I basically stole it. Now I wish I hadn’t, then it would mean so much more now that he’s gone. I guess I feel a bit guilty I never told him.” “I’m quite sure he knew the son he had…”

me reading a slow burn with an idiots to lovers trope

Piazza di San Marco, Venezia, Italia | Roberto Povero

Happy Birthday Harry! ⚡️

i think if your account has existed on this site for a certain number of years you should be grandfathered into ad free browsing. a decade seems reasonable like if you signed up in 2012 or prior you have tenure

Salma Deera, Letters from Medea

You’re not alone. Neither are you.