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nextgensquad · 22 days

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i know most people ask about the canons, so i'm here to shake things up a bit: i'd love to hear more about everyone's next gen ocs! or i know that's kind of a broad question so maybe just your favorites or the ones you think about the most!

anon, we never got a notification for this message! thank you so much for sending it, sorry tumblr refused to let us know <3 this is such a great question

pearl's fave ocs:

abigail longbottom, probably one of the first ocs i ever settled on. she's neville and hannah's daughter, lucy's best friend, a gryffindor who never thinks of herself as brave. she's surrounded by very high-drama high-intensity gryffindors and is very quiet in comparison, but has a heart of steel. she gets pregnant by james when they're too young for a baby, keeps it, and eventually falls in love with fred while james figures out his various fuck-ups with some help

ysella fawley, one of albus and scorpius' best friends in their little slytherin circle. from a kinda new money pureblood family that found themselves on the up and up after the war when all the old money fams fell hard, she was raised rich and spoiled, but really cares about nothing besides quidditch and her best friends. and hooking up with girls.

sebastian rosier, not in any of the next-gen kids' squads but loosely associated with lucy through her drag racing, on a rival team full of spoiled rich brats (very much old money - rosier, shafiq, etc), his daddy funds the illegal race track and is also a mafia boss, got lots of issues. may or may not ever overcome them.

katherine parkinson, molly's work rival in adulthood, daughter of pansy's older brother, a nepo baby and journalist who is very cutthroat and calculated about getting ahead. becomes a political correspondent to the ministry, where she meets louis weasley, who falls in love with her on the spot. this causes a lot of issues because she's already betrothed to a pureblood guy whom she hates.

edelweiss urquhart, known as edie, pansy's daughter with orville urquhart. her parents are divorced, hate each other, and use her as a toy to compete with each other. gets bullied by the other slytherin girls in her year and ends up adopted by lily and dominique's gaggle of gryffindor girls instead.

jake longbottom, son of neville and hannah, abby's older brother, the quintessential golden gryffindor boy that all the other kids inevitably have to be compared to because he's just so put-together. becomes an auror like his godfather harry; privately a lot more of a mess than he'll ever let on. very hard to read.

luke, elijah, and marnie goldstein, children of anthony goldstein and hannah's little sister bethany. close family friends with the potters because bethany worked on the aurors with harry. luke and james are best friends in a very bro-y way; marnie is part of lily's troublemaker group; elijah and albus hooked up a few times in sixth year and now hate each other. it's great.

and many more ofc! hopefully everyone else comes to edit this <3

becca here, coming to add mine, but help, i have so many ocs, it's almost impossible for me to choose faves. this is really just a small selection i've picked at random:

iseult (issie) malfoy, younger sister (by five years) of scorpius, probably my number one kiddo, she ranks along with the canons for me. nobody who knows her, except her family who somehow managed to miss it, is surprised when she's sorted into gryffindor. she's physically fearless, obstinate, and much tougher than she looks. adores her immediate family (and has some struggles reconciling what she knows about them with how other people see them), but rebels stubbornly against their attempts to make her into a proper pureblood girl, because she's a leggings-wearing, grubby-fingered, harpies-supporting cat girl. eventually grows into herself, gains confidence, and ends up captaining the gryffindor quidditch team. probably plays professionally after hogwarts for a while, but i haven't got that far with her.

sophie longbottom, daughter of neville and hannah, the same year as iseult and also sorted into gryffindor. issie and sophie become best friends almost immediately, a fact their respective fathers just have to deal with (with varying levels of equanimity), because you don't argue with 11-year-old girls' friendships. sophie is a lively, friendly chatterbox, very socially confident, and absolutely unhesitant in choosing her friends. she's a little naive, and tends to assume that the world is a good and just place, and gets shocked by the bad sides of life. she tends (especially as a child) to assume that authority figures can be trusted and the system works, and gets a bit worried about things like breaking rules.

titus hart, one of my complete ocs, in that both his parents are also ocs, but please don't hold that against him. titus is lucy weasley's year (two years below lily and hugo), and his grandmother runs the white wyvern pub in knockturn alley, a seedy underworld hub. he's a slytherin, but never quite fits in with his pureblood housemates, since he's a halfblood from a family without much money. he's foul-mouthed, grumpy, and protects himself by pretending to be a dick, which works because he's also very large and looks intimidating. underneath it all, titus is an absolute sweetheart, you just have to earn his trust to see it. he is reluctantly dragged into lucy's hogwarts theatre club.

hazel kitson, a muggle, but stick with me. when hazel's six, she makes friends with the weird little boy with the strange name in the playground and, being six, is mostly unfazed by the revelation that he's a wizard. skip forward ten years, and hazel kitson and scorpius malfoy are the most unlikely pair of best friends ever. hazel is independent, resourceful, and eternally curious about everything. if she encounters a puzzle or mystery, she can't rest until she solves it, which becomes an issue when one of the puzzles she can't solve is james potter. (shameless plug for the fic i'm currently writing about this on ao3.)

dannicus (danny) urquhart, one of scorpius's closest friends at hogwarts. younger son of a traditional pureblood family, danny suffers from being the disappointing second to his golden boy brother auster, who, as well as being his parents' favourite, is also an enormous dick. danny can't stand most of his large family and disagrees with their (traditionalist) politics, but deals with that by pretending not to take anything seriously. one of his love languages is making fun of people, he loves to stir shit, and will never let go of anything. on the flip side, he's also surprisingly emotionally intelligent and open with his affections, and he's absolutely ride-or-die for his friends.

i'm going to leave it at 6, which is very restrained of me, there are so many more.

#hp next gen #hp next generation #ask #anonymous

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ao3feed-snape · 2 years

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The Mudblood

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/fPKzIst

by ravnclxws

Originally written by Kirsten Krueger on Wattpad.

"Wha-How-how did you do that?" Malfoy questioned furiously. I gave him a cocky smirk. "Just a few simple jinxes. Guess I'm not that much of a Mudblood after all, hm?" His brow furrowed. "No-you're still a Mudblood. Do you not know what Mudblood means?"

Her Muggle brothers never thought anything odd of Lainey Fitzroy until finding out that she's a witch at age eleven. Determined to learn and succeed, Lainey goes to Hogwarts, where she meets an array of life changing people, like the famous Harry Potter, the notorious Draco Malfoy, and the ever-faithful Ginny Weasley. Lainey has a few secrets, though, some she doesn't even know about, along with a plethora of decisions to make as her years pass at Hogwarts.

I do not own anything in the Harry Potter world. All rights to J.K. Rowling.

Words: 3785, Chapters: 1/131, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/M

Characters: Lainey Fitzroy, Astoria Greengrass, Ashley Pucey, Adrian Pucey, Melody Flemming, Harmony Flemming, Ryan Harper, Vince Anderson, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, George Weasley, Fred Weasley, Percy Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Bill Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Cho Chang, Albus Dumbledore, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid, Dobby (Harry Potter), Minerva McGonagall, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Dolores Umbridge, Nymphadora Tonks, Fleur Delacour, Nagini (Harry Potter), Argus Filch, Dean Thomas, Viktor Krum, Peeves (Harry Potter), Seamus Finnigan, Oliver Wood, Gilderoy Lockhart, Lavender Brown, Millicent Bulstrode, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, Cormac McLaggen, Graham Montague, Padma Patil, Parvati Patil, Moaning Myrtle, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, Buckbeak the Hippogriff (Harry Potter)

Relationships: Lainey Fitzroy/DracoMalfoy, Lainey Fitzroy/Cedric Diggory, Lainey Fitzroy/Fred Weasley, Lainey Fitzroy/Brian Urquhart, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s), Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Melody Flemming/Ryan Harper, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/fPKzIst

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Severus Snape

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hell-yeahfilm · 2 years

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THE MYSTERY OF THE MONARCHS

“By the time he was eight, Fred Urquhart was a bug man.” Though Urquhart’s work has been well documented for young audiences, most recently in Meeg Pincus’ Winged Wonders (2020, illustrated by Yas Imamura), this brisk and lively account of his decadeslong search focuses on the role played by thousands of “amateur scientists,” particularly schoolchildren, of three countries in finally tracking the butterflies to their winter quarters in mountains west of Mexico City. Rosenstock fills in details about the monarch’s life cycle over several appendixes, noting both the worrisome fact that migratory populations have declined in numbers some 80% over the past 20 years and that we still don’t know just how the insects find their way over such a distance. Along with butterfly-strewn representations of Urquhart and his wife, Norah, both White, and groups of volunteers that are diverse in both race and age, Meza, who was born in Michoacán, Mexico, where the monarchs have special significance, especially to the Purépecha and Mazahua people, adds an afterword in which she describes visiting Michoacán and meeting the community that is collectively caring for butterflies through sanctuaries. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

from Kirkus Reviews https://ift.tt/ogsauPR

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cescalr · 3 years

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Chapters: 14/14 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Susan Bones, Parvati Patil & Lavender Brown, No Romantic Relationship(s), Parvati Patil & Mandy Brocklehurst, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley & Parvati Patil & Mandy Brocklehurst, Nymphadora Tonks & Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass & Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini & Susan Bones, Gemma Fawley & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Cedric Diggory & Cho Chang, Lisa Turpin & Vaisey Urquhart, Lisa Turpin & Pansy Parkinson Characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Susan Bones, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Sorting Hat, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Minor Characters, Pansy Parkinson, Narcissa Malfoy, Molly Weasley, Andromeda Tonks, Ted Tonks, Dean Thomas, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Morag MacDougal, Seamus Finnegan, Vincent Crabbe, Lisa Turpin, Vaisey Urquhart, Blaise Zabini, Amelia Bones, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Miles Bletchley, Mandy Brocklehurst, Quirinus Quirrell, Lady Greengrass, Lily Moon, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Cedric Diggory, Gemma Fawley, Cornelius Fudge, Arabella Bode Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Alternate Sorting, Hogwarts, Mirror of Erised, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Developing Friendships, Character Study, Character Development, Canonical Character Death, Minor Canonical Character(s), Canonical Child Abuse, Semi-Canonical Character, Minor Original Character(s), (bc of that previous statement), (and also just in general), POV Blaise Zabini, POV Hermione Granger, POV Susan Bones, POV Harry Potter, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, POV Nymphadora Tonks, POV Neville Longbottom, POV Draco Malfoy, POV etc etc etc, (look there's a lot it'd be too many tags), Swearing, Childhood, (look like most of the characters are children ok), I'm Bad At Tagging, i don't know if, Violence, is graphic or not but, 'choose not to use archive warnings' bc i'm not sure Series: Part 1 of And The Universe Decrees... Summary:

There's this thing you feel, when you know something is about to change. ~~~~~~~ Everyone's about to be surprised. The Sorting Hat never knew mixing things up and putting people where their heart should really be versus where they want to go and where their family has gone before them would turn out so entertaining. He should do this more often.

#hp #hp fanfic #hpfanfics #harry potter fanfiction #myfanfic #harry #ron #hermione #parvati #mandy #etc man it's the whole ensemble #anyway: finally a fic that isn't an early stage WIP

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rhodesmystery · 5 years

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he runs, through green

“Bill… dad…” he starts, except Bill cuts him off.

“What did Charlie Weasley ask me on the day of my wedding?”

I guess the second part to... my other one? kind of? if you squint? have fun

Charlie knew that he was being stupid, but that wasn’t a first for him.

It had been the fear. The cold fear, running down his back, that made him leap. Throw himself at the air, focusing on the pinpoint location. Urquhart Manor, far in the Irish hills. Charlie knew he should have made a plan, perhaps brought someone else along just to be sure. Except the little runic stone had started to burn so fiercely in his pocket, that he hadn’t really had much in the way of thought after. Just ran, headfirst into the rain, while his mother screamed for him.

And he hits the ground running, almost going ass over tit in the muddy grass. Catches himself, tries to get the blood to stop pumping so loudly through his ears. One of the nearby statues of a great winged horse manages to keep him upright. Through the pale moonlight, it’s then that Charlie notes an odd streak across the backside of the statue. He wasn’t going to deny it made his stomach drop, as he pulled his hand away to see a dark, sticky substance. Only then did he notice just how quiet it truly was.

Gingerly, wand ready, Charlie walks forward. Front doors still firmly shut, no outward signs there was a struggle. But he knew this house, this home. Had visited it on more than one occasion, but the stories Natasha spun alone spoke of just how lively it was, no matter the time of day. Not a single light was on, and neither was a single Sainglen grazing without a care for their masters.

Charlie grips the stone in his left hand, holding it close. Trying to get a message through. Yet it had gone remarkably cold, unresponsive. A simple flash, and he didn’t want to think of what that might’ve meant. Finally, he reaches the front door, fiddling with it open.

It wasn’t locked.

No alarms, just the quiet. The suffocating, endless quiet. Even the waves seemed to have stilled, no longer slapping the edge of the great cliff just beyond the property. Charlie may not have been a Seer, but he would admit to recognising a bad feeling when it came and shot red sparks across the room, barely missing his face.

“Protego!”

With a whip, he catches the next onslaught. But it’s harder than he remembered. Granted, the last time he had come across a Death Eater properly, it had been him and Natasha — and even then, they had barely managed to get him to run away. Even at the Burrow, he had grabbed who he could, telling them to run, while they stalled their attackers.

Except now, Charlie could not pinpoint just where his attackers were firing from. How many there were. Sweat was beading down the back of his neck, as he barely sidesteps another curse. It makes a horrific screeching noise as it passes, almost taking his full attention. Something catches him, left arm, stone drops.

“CHARLIE!”

There, middle of the great staircase. Natasha was held, wand against her throat. A great hulking beast of a man was behind her, a shove in her back to force her down the stairs, one step at a time. Charlie knew then, to yield. Raises his hands, wand in the air, no tricks. Eyes only on Natasha, and how, despite the tears rolling down her cheeks, her jaw was set. She was planning something, he could tell, just couldn’t figure out what it was.

From his left and right, two other people emerge, hiding behind their masks. Something about how he needed to get down, but Charlie refused to budge. They kick him, back of the knee. Charlie doesn’t mean to crumble the way he does, but he meets the ground hard, still tender from the Apparition. Wand kicked from his hand, and watches as the other goes to bend, picking up his stone.

Rolling it over in their hand, they must have recognised it for what it was. “This how you were communicating?” Holds it out in front of Charlie’s face, waving it there. “Huh?!” A blinding amount of pain shoots up his jaw, as they punch him cleanly downwards. All he does is spit the blood out in front of him, and continue to hold his gaze. Don’t give them an inch, he tells himself. Don’t let them see how terrified you are.

“You don’t need to hurt him.” Natasha’s voice rings clear. “I’ve already told you everything I know.”

“Except… you didn’t, did you?” Finally, the one holding Natasha speaks, spinning her around. Whilst his wand was still pointed towards her, with the hand now free, he brandished what looked to be the matching stone to Charlie’s. “What is this?”

Without missing a beat, she answers: “A good luck charm.”

Any other time, Charlie may have laughed at the rather condescending look the Death Eater gave her, except that it was followed with a slow, cracking noise. In his hand, the stone broke up, pieces gradually getting smaller and smaller, the only sound to fill the great entryway, until all that was left was tiny grains of dust. Tipping his hand over, a plume of what was once their means of connection fell to her feet, and he spoke once more.

“We will be back again, Natasha, for Corvus. And it had better only be him walking through that door.”

And then, it was over. With a snap that thundered, all three Death Eaters disappeared. Only then did the lights finally turn on, as if shifting reality itself. Charlie finally saw what had been hiding, and just how damaged the manor now was. Paintings torn, glass shattered. Stone and wood were spread, and he did not linger on the splattering of blood. Natasha seemed to let herself drop, sitting on the steps, head in her hands. With a great heaving sob, followed by another, and one more, Natasha fell silent.

Stepping through the worst of the damage, picking up his wand on the way, Charlie climbs the stairs. Two down from her, he falls to a crouch, and could find that a hand on her shoulder was the best he could do. “What happened?” he asked carefully. Behind her, where a great window opened out onto the sprawling lands, was nothing. Charlie could only assume that the glass had been blast out into the floor below.

Silence follows, almost uncomfortably. Until, finally. “They came for my grandfather,” she speaks, slowly and measured. “Promised them horses.

“His dad, Cahir, — my great-grandfather — barely managed to find out in time. Evacuated everyone. Had to practically shove them all out into the Network, except it got cut off just as I was about to go in.”

Natasha inhales deeply, lifting her head then. Staring out the broken window, seeing something Charlie didn’t. “I panicked, when they broke in. Called for you. I’m sorry… you’ve got your own family to worry about.”

Tears, big and fat, began to roll down her cheeks. Lower lip wobbling, Natasha looked like she was fighting the urge to cry, and losing. “Nat,” Charlie can only sigh. She’d given him stuff to think over, of course. Probably more than he was used to. But all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms — and so he did.

“I’m sorry!” she sobs, nails digging into the arm of his jacket. “I thought they would—that they—”

Charlie doesn’t think about how his hands hadn’t quite stopped shaking. Doesn’t focus on his stomach hadn’t unclenched. That the world was still sitting at an axis unfamiliar, and that Charlie just presses his forehead against hers, squeezes his eyes shut, and doesn’t think that he might have greeted Death only moments before. Arms holding Natasha tighter still, feeling how gradually her body stopped shaking as her breathing evened out, Charlie lets out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

“We should probably leave,” he murmurs, not wanting to open his eyes. Not wanting to see the destruction, not yet. Charlie knew he could’ve been just a simple piece in the grand puzzle of it all.

Natasha hums, perhaps some agreement, but nothing in the way of commitment. “Do you want to grab a bag?” is all he asks, and she shakes her head against his. Neither of them were willing to move.

Without counting the exact seconds, only finally does Natasha turn, to point her wand at the great window. “Reparo,” she whispers, and the pieces seemed to glide from the grass below. Charlie takes her by the hand, then. Thinks of the seaside, the rain. Shell Cottage, he almost commands to himself. Repeats it over and over. Tries to ignore how his stomach lurches, as Natasha grips his hand, nails digging into his skin.

Where Urquhart Manor had been still, Shell Cottage was fierce. Winds beating against their faces, rain drenching them before they had time to open their eyes. Charlie holds his wand up, a thin umbrella forming from the end, as a weak attempt to protect them from the worst of the weather. He watches closely as water continues to run down Natasha’s face, not questioning when he notices that tears mingled in too.

Beams of light reach them, then. This he had expected, and Charlie looks upwards into the rather harried faces of Bill, Fred and Arthur. Three of them, wands raised. It’s then that Charlie realised he didn’t know what the time quite was.

“Bill… dad…” he starts, except Bill cuts him off.

“What did Charlie Weasley ask me on the day of my wedding?” There’s no threat to his voice, but Charlie knew better. Weight in his words, one part for security, one part for accepting, now or never.

Out the corner of his eye, Charlie sees Natasha looking at him then, eyebrows drawn together in the middle. Swallowing thickly, he speaks slowly, strongly, over the howling winds. “I asked for Bill Weasley’s permission to marry Natasha Rhodes.” Holds only Bill’s gaze as he answers, waiting for the last word to drop. Natasha tense visibly next to him, her hold on his hand far too tight, bordering on painful. Charlie only squeezed back, with a quick flick of eyes over how his brother and father also took the admission.

A muscle in Bill’s jaw tightens, as if he was about to do something he was going to regret. Wand turning on Natasha, the light still emitting seemed to highlight just how tired she was, how swollen her eyes were. How Charlie now noticed that her hair was clumping on the side of her head, dark streams of red running down.

“What did Natasha Rhodes and I promise?”

“Bill…” Natasha looked uncomfortable, uncertain. Like she had cried everything out, and yet there was a threat for one last tear. “Don’t make me say it.”

His wand glows, louder, brighter, as he seems to push further down. Charlie realised then, that Bill was afraid, this person was an imposter. And, it hadn’t occurred to Charlie that was possible at all. “What did we promise, Nat?”

Natasha shouts, as she shoves Bill’s wand out of her face: “We never made it to thirty together!”

It was his turn to look stunned, as his brain tried to put the sentence together. Of course he had read enough books in the past, and heard more than enough discussions, where passing phrases had been used. But the more he thought about it, the more he was taken aback. Charlie could only stare up at his older brother, in a mild sort of wonder, and think ‘what does she mean?’

“Come on.” Bill was quiet now. Grabbing Natasha by the arm, pulling her to her feet.

Charlie is slow to follow, until Fred is the one helping him. Rushing inside, already pointing wands at themselves to dry off. A threat of a cold was imminent, even as Molly threw her arms around him, scolding him relentlessly. He’s made to sit in front of a roaring fire, Natasha swaddled and beside him, hot chocolate shoved into their hands. Finally, Charlie looks at the clock. It was nearly seven in the morning.

Despite the ruckus they had caused, only Bill was the one to stay up with them. Charlie didn’t know how that made him truly feel, as he couldn’t find it in him to drink. For her part, Natasha remained quiet, sipping slowly at her drink. The only noise in the cottage was the sound of the sea, and the ticking of the clock.

With an inhale, Natasha opens her mouth to speak. “You were going to ask me to marry—”

Except, Charlie cuts her off, unable to stop himself. “You two made a promise to marry each other?” All he could do was stare at his drink. The fire. The clock. Not them, neither of them. It felt a little surreal, like he was experiencing Hogwarts all over again. Losing out to Bill once more. Even as Charlie had carved his own path, there Bill had still been. Pathetic, perhaps it was, to think of it in such a way. Except, it seemed, that was Bill and Natasha’s best kept secret.

“I was like, twelve, Charlie—”

“—It was a joke, mate—”

“—after Bill got dumped by that Emily girl!”

Charlie had heard the name, seen the girl. “But you still made a promise?” A small part of him was saying stop acting like a prat, that he was tired, had just faced Death Eaters, that Natasha had given him the enchanted stone, not Bill. Called for him first. But the larger part was yelling, that it had taken six years for him to finally be able to say the words out loud, and they still weren’t even to Natasha.

Six years of practicing in a mirror, of writing it down in a letter, crossing it out, screwing it up and trying again. Six years of watching her come and go in his life, where he could feel the words, will you marry me, sit, right in the centre of his chest, unable to make it past his lips.

“Charlie,” Natasha speaks again, softer this time. No more tears. “We promised each other, that if we weren’t married by the time we were thirty, we would just marry each other. Joked it was for tax benefits when we were older. But Bill found Fleur several years later… and I found you.”

She’s looking at him, trying to find his eyes. “I love you, Charlie Weasley, you absolute idiot. And if you don’t propose to me right now, after everything we’ve been through tonight alone, I will never speak to you again.” Natasha ends with a smile on her face, that’s equal parts tired and teasing.

“I—”

“This is the part where you ask her to marry you,” Bill whispers far too loudly, and Charlie had almost forgotten he was still in the room.

“Shut up.”

Shifting, Charlie puts his drink on the ground, and gets down on one knee. Nearly trips on the blanket in the process, finds nothing in his pockets that would do, but takes her hand anyway. It’s there, he thinks, that he finds her amused smile, messy hair and tired eyes beautiful. “Natasha,” he starts, stops. Swallows. Six years. Six years to get to this point, to find the perfect words, the perfect time. And yet he had nothing of the sort, except beaten and torn clothes, a storm outside, and sheer willpower alone.

Stuff it. If he tried to perfect it anymore, he would miss the moment forever. “Will you marry me?”

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aniketosomina · 3 years

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Very pleased to announce I have a story forthcoming in Paul Finch’s Terror Tales of the Scottish Lowlands, to be published by Telos on 22nd October. “The Fourth Presence” will appear alongside stories by Charlotte Bond, M W Craven, Steve Duffy, Tracy Fahey, Paul M Feeney, S J I Holliday, Johnny Mains, William Meikle, Reggie Oliver, Graham Smith, Anna Taborska, John Alfred Taylor and Fred Urquhart. Delighted to be asked to contribute to this long-running, award-winning series, and honoured to be included with such a great lineup. #terrortales #terrortalesofthescottishlowlands #paulfinch #telospublishing #ghoststories #strangetales #weirdfiction #scotland #hauntings #scottishghoststories #books #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CTppBtnrz7m/?utm_medium=tumblr

#terrortales #terrortalesofthescottishlowlands #paulfinch #telospublishing #ghoststories #strangetales #weirdfiction #scotland #hauntings #scottishghoststories #books #bookstagram

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scifihorroradventure · 7 years

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THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)

A priest (Alex Gallier) visits Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) in prison as he awaits execution. Desperate for someone to believe him, Victor begins to tell him the tale of the events that led to his imprisonment. As a young boy, Victor inherited the Frankenstein fortune and estate, becoming the Baron after his father's death. He hired Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) to be his tutor, and the two became fast friends. Over the years, they sought out new knowledge, eventually discovering the secret to life itself. But while Paul was content with resurrecting a dead dog, Victor thirsted for more, declaring that instead of returning life, he would forge an entirely new body out of various parts and create it instead! Though Paul was first attracted to the idea, the gravity of the situation quickly struck and he tried to dissuade Victor from his plans for his own sake, while at the same time trying to protect Victor's fiance Elizabeth (Hazel Court) from the truth. Victor killed Professor Bernstein (Paul Hardtmuth) in order to use his brain for his creation, though the brain became damaged thanks to Paul’s interference. Despite this, Victor finished work on his creation, but the resulting Creature (Christopher Lee) was mindless and violent, escaping out into the woods and killing an old man (Fred Johnson) and his grandson (Claude Kingston). Victor and Paul killed the Creature but unbeknownst to Paul, Victor revived it, keeping it deep within his lab and using it to kill his maid Justine (Valerie Gaunt) when she threatened to expose his work. Shortly before Victor and Elizabeth were to be married, the Creature escaped again, menacing Elizabeth before Victor killed his creation once and for all. His tale finished, Victor is visited by Paul one last time before heading to the gallows for his crimes.

The Curse of Frankenstein was the first of Hammer Film Productions' Gothic period piece horror films, getting the franchise off to a good, though slightly shaky start. Loosely based on Mary Shelley's original novel, it is a much slower, more character-driven interpretation of the story than Universal's Frankenstein, which focused more on the horror aspects. Not to suggest that Curse has no horror of its own - Christopher Lee's Frankenstein Monster (or "the Creature," rather) is a harrowing looking beast, with sickly pale skin, dead eyes, and more stitches than Universal's Monster would know what to do with. Lee plays the Creature as more of an instinctual, feral creature, which honestly probably makes more sense, especially with a damaged brain. Sadly, he doesn't get to do very much, and by the time he does start to go on his climactic rampage, he's killed by Victor almost immediately. Also, once the entire story has been told and the movie ends, it's not entirely clear why Victor is in prison, let alone about to be executed. Yes, he's responsible for the deaths of Justine, the old man, and the little boy, but there's no way for the authorities to know that. Quite some time passes between Justine's death and the rest of the movie - certainly Victor had disposed of her body by then (likely in the acid bath), and there's no real way to pin the old man and grandson on him (assuming their deaths were even known about), so while he may deserve the sentence, the fact that he even has it is questionable. Justine (played by Valerie Gaunt), meanwhile, ultimately feels like a waste. She’s set up as the treacherous maid having an affair with Victor, but then does absolutely nothing for the rest of the film until she foolishly decides to blackmail him near the end. She’s pretty to look at, but essentially only there so the Creature has someone resembling a main character to kill.

The star of the show, Peter Cushing plays the infamous Baron Frankenstein, turning in a rather interesting take on the character. This Frankenstein is no doctor, merely interested in the sciences as a way to increase his own genius. He starts off resurrecting a previously deceased dog, and when he succeeds at that, he simply wants to take the experiment to its next logical step: human beings. Despite the insanity of his experiments, Cushing plays Victor as a calm, logical man, a sharp contrast to Colin Clive's openly unhinged Henry Frankenstein from the Universal films. Very rarely does Victor lose his cool or raise his voice, doing so only when somebody threatens his work. Of course, despite his cool demeanor, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty, turning people into bodies and then hacking them apart for use in his creation. Cushing would later consider Victor his most popular role, and he would go on to play him again five more times.

Finally, we come to Paul. Played by Robert Urquhart, Paul is undoubtedly the most problematic element of the film. Initially, he is right alongside Victor in the thirst for knowledge and the quest to create life itself, but he soon changes his tune and then does nothing but complain for the rest of the film. Yes, the movie clearly intends for Paul to be a conscientious objector, the moral compass for the audience to identify with as he tries to convince Victor to cease his experiments... The only problem is that he instead comes off as nothing but a whining wet blanket, with both him and the film itself ignoring the fact that it had to have been him who set Victor down this path. After all, Paul was his tutor, who taught him everything he knew, and Victor clearly had no interest in playing God beforehand. Certainly, Paul could have second thoughts upon realizing the gravity of the situation, but the execution is severely lacking, and Paul instead comes off as a petulant child throwing a tantrum. Instead of trying to appeal to Victor in any real meaningful way, countless scenes end with Paul essentially saying, "This is crazy and I don't like it," and then huffing and stomping out of the room. It's also Paul's fault that the brain Victor had planned for the Creature is damaged, potentially making him responsible for the deaths the monster caused. And lastly, when he visits Victor in jail at the end of the film, he literally does nothing to help him, showing up, watching Victor desperately beg for his life, and then leaving. Now, if Paul believed Victor deserved execution for what he'd done, that would be understandable, but then why even go to the prison at all and taunt him with a moment of false hope at the eleventh hour? Paul is supposed to be the sane man of the two - the hero, even - but he just comes off as an indecisive ass who tries to have things both ways and he ultimately bogs the film down.

Though it faced a series of obstacles behind the scenes that made its creation difficult (including a too short script, concerns over the level of gore, and a potential lawsuit from Universal over similarities between this and Son of Frankenstein), The Curse of Frankenstein nevertheless gave birth to "Hammer Horror," the only real franchise capable of rivaling Universal's iconic monster movies. The film paved the way for multiple sequels starring Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein, as well as other films by Hammer involving Dracula and the Mummy.

Rating: ★★★ ½

Cast: Peter Cushing ... Baron Victor Frankenstein Robert Urquhart ... Paul Krempe Hazel Court ... Elizabeth Christopher Lee ... The Creature Valerie Gaunt ... Justine Paul Hardtmuth ... Professor Bernstein Fred Johnson ... Grandpa Claude Kingston ... Little Boy Alex Gallier ... Priest Melvyn Hayes ... Young Victor

Director: Terence Fisher. Producer: Michael Carreras (executive producer), Anthony Hinds, Anthony Nelson Keys (associate producer), and Max Rosenberg (uncredited). Writer: Jimmy Sangster (screenplay) and Mary Shelley (original "Frankenstein" novel). Music: James Bernard. Special Effects: Les Bowie (uncredited matte painter).

#sci fi horror adventure #the curse of frankenstein #peter cushing #frankenstein #hammer horror #mad scientists #1950s

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nextgensquad · 6 years

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“ CLAW YOUR WAY TO THE TOP, LITTLE EMPEROR — AMBITION SITS WELL ON YOUR SHOULDERS, POWER IN THE SHARPNESS OF YOUR TEETH. — ”

next gen squad meme: [2/7] characters of colour ↯ HUGO WEASLEY ; slytherin, halfblood — class of 2026. born in devon. london-located post-hogwarts.

hugo weasley grows up in the shadow of the golden trio. another way of looking at it is that he grows up illuminated in the light they give off. hugo isn’t always sure of which is true. he’s not even sure if he has a preference. from the age of twelve, he knows he’s going to be minister for magic one day. ( his best friend, cepheus malfoy, — the younger of draco malfoy’s two children, and the dangerous one — knows from the first week of sharing a dorm together, and his sister rose expects something like it from hugo ever since he’s eight and a half and negotiating rules with their parents. )

he follows his cousin albus potter into slytherin, to pretty much nobody’s surprise — well, except, perhaps, for those who do not know him, but hugo doesn’t particularly care about their opinions anyway. one day, he will, because such is the nature of politics, but not at age eleven, when he is carving a place for himself in a world which defines him by the deeds of his parents. at eleven, he thinks of who he is, and who he could be. it’s a lot to bear on the shoulders of one so young, but hugo is not atlas, and he is unafraid of the weight.

⥈

hugo is sharp, perceptive and pragmatic — his cousin lucy teases him for wearing monogrammed cufflinks ( ‘it’s pretentious,’ she says. ‘it’s pragmatic,’ he corrects — they speak of status, of prestige, of respectability, of success. he is young for his position, and these are the sorts of things that people absorb when they try to take his measure, even if they don’t realise it. ) and roxanne calls his pragmatism soulless with a teasing laugh, but hugo weasley has always known what it takes to succeed, and he meets these with a smirk or patient rebuttal. he loves his family, truly — he knows the papers, particularly gossip rags like accio!, try to present them as a family in ruin, torn asunder by their differing houses and personalities and loyalties, but they’re wrong. they bicker, of course, and hugo isn’t entirely sure whether he even likes all of them sometimes, but he loves them. they’re his family. he’s much more like his mother than his father — and rose, with her quick quips and easy charisma, has always taken more after their father — but he respects his father’s ability to defuse a room as much as he respects his ability to strategise, and he respects both of those traits more than any other. that’s not to say he won’t intentionally invite over friends with the specific goal of winding up his father, though — ron weasley has always been excellent at turning a range of shades of puce, and mia urquhart has always especially delighted in provoking him to that stage.

upon graduation, hugo and cepheus join the ministry — cepheus in the department of magical law enforcement, following fred weasley, and hugo in the department of international magical cooperation. cepheus sticks around for a few years, bouncing around various areas of the department, with a particular focus on the wizengamot, before officially leaving the ministry to work in his cousin alexandria’s employ for her campaign teams ( he spent most of his time employed at the ministry moonlighting for her anyway, and using his position in the ministry to the advantage of alexandria greengrass’ work ), but hugo stays. he works with the international magical office of law and with the british representatives of the international confederation of wizards primarily, then ends up as assistant to the minister, where he intends to stay for a few years, to see how the work is done. following that, he intends to become head of the department of the international magical cooperation and then finally make his bid for minister of magic — the youngest minister the wizarding world will have ever seen, as well as being their first openly gay minister of colour. these are all aspects of himself which are used against him in his campaign — his youth, his sexuality, his blood status, and his race, even if only the first is ever explicitly mentioned — but he refuses to tamp down or minimise any of them. perhaps his mother’s justice-driven brand of idealism ( pragmatic as she may be, she still holds stubbornly to what should be right, even when nobody has her back — much like her niece lucy ) runs strong in him, or maybe lucy’s thoughts about the truth have rubbed off on him more than expected, but hugo weasley will not let anyone else tell him what makes him worthy or not, especially bigots. he will win: just watch.

⥈

hugo was sorted into slytherin alongside cepheus malfoy, who quickly became his best friend, and mia urquhart, who became another of his best friends. cepheus’ cousin jessamine nott was sorted into hufflepuff in their year — the first nott or greengrass to be sorted into hufflepuff ever. hugo’s never been especially sympathetic towards others, but he was deeply aware how it could be to walk into a new house where nobody expected you to go — he at least had albus with him. jessamine didn’t have anybody. it didn’t take much, but he mentioned it to his two hufflepuff cousins: dominique weasley, the head girl and absolutely most chill member of their family, and molly weasley, who was absolutely never going to be a prefect, but could always be counted on for a fun time and a megawatt smile. the two of them took jessamine under their wing, and between them, cepheus and mia — who adopted jessamine into her own girl gang, along with madelaine avery ( who’d ended up in ravenclaw, and had been mia’s friend forever, and mia had always protected ) and eventually vienna montague, who dormed with hugo’s cousin lily potter in gryffindor — he counted jessamine amongst his friends. he spent most of his time with cepheus and mia, but increasing amounts with lily, jessamine, maddy and vienna as well, and occasionally the wood twins, primarily because of jessamine and lily. hugo’s friend group is by far the most terrifying of all of the weasley-potters’ friends — whilst there have always been some irrepressible and terrifying friends amongst their various squads, nobody quite beats the terror trio that is hugo weasley, cepheus malfoy and mia urquhart.

it’s no wonder, then, that when hugo runs for minister, he uses alexandria greengrass’ team to run his campaign. they’ve been working on it behind the scenes for years, particularly because cepheus, mia and vienna all work for alexandria, but when it comes time to make it official, he would never consider anyone else. the question of romance comes up during the campaign, of course, both the official one and the shadow ones they run for him over the years — his sexuality is one thing he does not hide, but they have to ask whether they need to cover up any affairs of the heart. truthfully, hugo’s not really sure. he and cepheus have spent their adult lives making important people fall in love with them, wrapping them around their fingers with a cool smirk or perceptive remark. many people, hugo finds, are attracted to power — and then those who aren’t are attracted to the idea of being seen. hugo deals in both. sometimes he wonders if, maybe, while he and cepheus spent their time making people fall in love with them, they might have fallen in love with each other too — but that’s a dangerous line of thought to follow, and so he doesn’t. he thinks if anyone knows what he’s been musing on, it’s mia, but she hasn’t said anything. still, he’s considered asking for her thoughts — she’s uncannily perceptive and blunt as all hell, and, most importantly, fiercely loyal. for now, it’s easier to amuse himself by wrapping dominic creevey around his finger and wondering, absent-mindedly, about nico zabini and the wood twins, rory and nicholas ( though he knows that jessamine would have his head if he ever broke their hearts — hufflepuff or not, hugo knows better than to underestimate her ).

#hugo weasley #hp next gen #hpedit #hp next generation #nextgenedit #nextgensquad #jane #melosquad #this doesn't fit thematically w my last graphic at ALL but i'm trying to do work and it's putting me in a stressy mood so it's a mb today #moodboard #god this is so long and filled w so much stuff that isn't even hugo #but a lot of his friends and peers are important for his journey ig #nextgenmeme #also this is so LATE but it's just. my work is really fucking w my head and i've been packing as well #so i needed to do Something Creative to get a little out of my head #and finish something to feel remotely productive and gain momentum lmao #anyway here have my ambitious son #also his face claim doesn't show up here bc i want to use one of his images for fred's graphic sdfghjm #why am i like this #oh and we passed the 50 follower mark!! for those who saw pearl's post saying we were close

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ao3feed-snape · 3 years

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Midnight|Draco Malfoy

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/3aa3H1l

by lunasthestrals

"𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧, 𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙞 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚."

Kastalia Valentina Devereaux - so much power in three words, maybe that's because they're not just words in the wizarding world. Kastalia Valentina Devereaux is the name belonging to the most powerful witch of her generation. Descending from the pureblooded line of Merlin himself, and having a father from an extremely wealthy French wizarding family, Kastalia is famous among all wizards. *** I in no way support JK Rowling's views and actions, but I feel I should give her credit as I am taking my spin on a world she created. So, all credits go to JK Rowling for the world of Harry Potter, I only own my OCs. I DO NOT tolerate homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, misogyny or ANY form of discrimination. My page and stories are a safe space for EVERYONE.

Also understand that I in no way support Tom Felton's actions and refusal to speak out for the trans community. You all probably know that Draco is one of my favourite/comfort characters, however this doesn't mean that I support Tom Felton. As I've said I DO NOT tolerate transphobia.

started:15.09.20 also published on Wattpad - _lunasthestrals

Words: 10255, Chapters: 3/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Multi

Characters: Draco Malfoy, Kastalia Devereaux, Kassandra Devereaux, Damian Devereaux, Arabella Devereaux, Charley Vueles, Niko Vueles, Edward Vueles, Adrian Pucey, Cassius Warrington, Terrence Higgs, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, Emma Ringheim, Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, Astoria Greengrass, Graham Montague, Marcus Flint, Miles Bletchley, Vaisey (Harry Potter), Urquhart (Harry Potter), Eddie Carmichael, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Sybill Trelawney, Rubeus Hagrid, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Nagini (Harry Potter), Horace Slughorn, Filius Flitwick, Sirius Black, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Merlin (Harry Potter), Gilderoy Lockhart, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody

Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Slytherin, Hogwarts, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Triwizard Tournament, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Order of Merlin Awards (Harry Potter), Wizards, Witches, Wizarding World (Harry Potter), Quidditch, Quidditch Beaters, Quidditch Seekers, Death Eaters, Dumbledore's Army, Dark Mark (Harry Potter), Battle of Hogwarts, Second War with Voldemort, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, Malfoy Manor (Harry Potter)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3aa3H1l

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Severus Snape #Snape #Professor Snape #SS

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munove · 5 years

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La maravillosa historia de la mariposa PS 397

La imagen que tenéis sobre estas líneas es historia de la ciencia. Fue tomada el 9 de enero de 1976 en un recóndito paraje de las montañas de Michoacán y en ella vemos al investigador Fred Urquhart, que sostiene entre sus manos algo que acaba de recoger del suelo y que ha estado buscando durante más de 30 años. Se trata de un ejemplar de mariposa monarca, uno de los millones de mariposas que revolotean en este apartado bosque a 3.000 metros de altitud, pero solo esta tiene lo que él está buscando: una diminuta etiqueta en la que pone “PS 397”.

etiquetas: mariposa, monarca, ps 397

» noticia original (www.fogonazos.es)

#Nacional

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rhodesmystery · 5 years

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natasha Facts™:

has subscriptions magazines, like trashy celebrity and fashion ones (witch weekly, spella weekly, the american charmer, the witch’s friend, spellbound, etc). has since she was in her early teens, keeps old editions.

endorses wonderwitch products hard. literally drops money backing it when she’s introduced to fred & george’s line. has three pygmy puffs, two pink, one purple, named kronos, atlas, and periwinkle.

her great-aunt vela urquhart played keeper for the holyhead harpies, and her uncle aquila plays chaser for the ballycastle bats. lots of her great-aunts/uncles and cousins are aurors, magical law enforcement or mediwizards, especially due to the war, having left previous careers that were also either to do with quidditch or breeding of magical creatures (notably for the urquhart family). there’s only one curse breaker in her family (great-uncle antares urquhart), one magizoologist (oriane selwyn (nee amell)) and one actress (phillipa graves (nee black)).

takes divination because she made a promise to her great-great grandmother, but she also gets a kick out of scaring trelawney with really great fake prophecies (especially when it means that class has to end early)

madam puddifoots tea shop is honestly one of the places she spends free weekends in hogsmeade at. you know when she’s in there because not many other dare to enter to find her.

may or may not have been involved in an incident where the previous slytherin captain fell off his broom at an early training, and natasha scooted on in as captain in her sixth year.

lyra, natasha’s mum and a number of her aunts and uncles and cousins were a part of the slug club, as was jacob. aquila, her mother’s brother thereby natasha’s uncle, didn’t quite get the ‘honour’

she’s a lot like her father, deep down. looks like him too, in the eyes.

her great uncle or cousin something removed or whatever, haytham black, married the infamous madame zabini. he died in ‘94 due to ‘natural causes’, which is considerably young for a wizard of his potential. no one could prove foul play. they had no children together, but the black family name in their line died with him.

she’s a stupid dumbass, who climbed the astronomy tower from the outside on a dare. you could dare her to swim the length of the black lake probably, if weighed in enough, despite her fear of water and drowning.

this also means she plays guinea pig for penny a lot, because the girl would be like ‘hey look i made a perfect draught of living death but i need to test it’ and natasha would be like ‘oh that’s my job right’ and rowan would be like ‘NO’. also she plays guinea pig because she’s quite frankly a little terrified of penny

one time her and barnaby tried to find out if they cast aguamenti ‘hard’ enough, if they could propel themselves into the air with water. yep.

very good at carrying a haughty air of indifference and smarts, but the reality is that she’s a thrill seeker, and really doesn’t have a look before you leap sense. like preparation sessions for anything is more her being held by the collar of her shirt and being forced to listen. why people follow her leadership is beyond her.

was supposed to be a ravenclaw. like knows it. and sometimes (a lot of the time) catches herself staring at the towers, knowing she should be up there. choosing slytherin to follow jacob’s footsteps was not her brightest decision, and it kind of haunts her a bit.

in saying that, jacob was the pretty boy jock who was great friends with everyone and popular and smart and everything people aspired to be. until he wasn’t. natasha isn't sure if her memories are just trying to remind her of good times, or just messing up what she hears as gossip with the reality, but the whiplash of jacob before and after hurts her. especially since she was barely ten or eleven (math bad) when it all happened. gets to a point where she isn't sure if she wants him back.

lyra seals jacob’s room in the manor. magically very very locked. when natasha finishes at hogwarts, she finally manages to tear the door down.

gets very very good at sneaking around the castle. she can’t help it, gets like manic energy late, yknow? and what better to shake it off than a walk around a creepy old castle. means that she’s found a lot of places to hide, however.

like she’s honestly not That Bad at spell creation, but she’s pretty blasé about it. the only spells she's created, or helped create, were really just to make sure charlie didnt die in the forest lmfao (like ad meridiem is a lighting/waypoint spell, generally utilised on carvings, so he doesnt lose his way). has made up a few hexes here and there though. flitwick is disappointed in her for the attitude though, and she doesnt like disappointing flitwick. that said, she COULD tell him about her charms, but that would mean admitting she knows charlie goes into the forest still and no one wants that conversation

she botched up dying her hair one time but keeps it that really bad not quite a dip dye just to annoy her mother

can’t tell if she actually went into the room of requirement or just a very quiet classroom. and will probably never know.

lets out a low whistle when entering a room she hasn’t been in before

sleeps with the curtain pulled on the right side of her room, which is her right if she was laying on her back, and mimics it with the beds at hogwarts, because that’s how she used to sleep back home in america

picks up random objects with not always the intention of keeping them, but the few she has she keeps on her person (currently: two smooth rocks, worn down by her running her thumb over them in times of stress, a locket missing its chain, a tarnished ring, several pressed flowers and a collection of shells)

while she’s half blooded, through marriage, a number of her extended families are related to other muggle families, pureblood families, or half blooded families.

religiously tells her father’s muggle family she’s a wizard, and proves it by balancing spoons on her forehead, pulling birds out of thin air, or ‘reading their palms/minds’. they think it’s great party tricks with the polite laughter of high society, but really it freaks them out a bit when she stops playing dumb and says something legit. (but then lyra says ‘natasha helene rhodes!’ in that voice and the game is up)

she’s fucking awful at potions. like hands down terrible. penny is literally carrying her through the most part of her education.

her owl is called fox because she thinks she’s funny, and she has a snake called marquis de sade, the third. it ate the second. she rescues it from a shelter, simply on the basis that it was taken from the apartment of some old lady. no one had seen the woman in weeks, the apartment was empty, and only the snake remained. freaky™

legend has it that her great great grandfather, before being burnt of the family tree, raided the family vault at gringotts. while his family claimed he stole, he was still technically a legal part of the family at the time, so nothing could be done. that said, no one quite knows where he put the money. the manor natasha grew up on, named urquhart manor, is actually very far away from where the urquhart family put down roots, and is where a majority of her family lives, or had lived, in their lives. it apparently just appeared one day on the cliff, and that’s the end of that story.

before the legilimency thing was a thing in game, i actually wrote something regarding it. lyra had a knee-jerk reaction to the letters sent home about natasha’s adventures, and spent the summer before her fifth year training her in legilimency and occlumency, alongside other family members. natasha’s ‘natural legilimens’ status is a stretch, as with eye contract, she can get a general read on emotion, plus bits and pieces on a general population of wizard kind. a stronger read on those younger and unawares of the art of occlumency, of course. and then an even stronger cast, provided she uses her wand, that actually gives her the ability to read memories.

#*natasha #hphm #my pc restarted writing this #so i rewrote it all from memory lmfao RIP

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charlieplimpton · 7 years

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Tagging Monarch Butterflies

Wow! This week has been a whirlwind adventure that we’ll not soon forget. We’ve never seen so many Monarch Butterflies as we saw this week in Texas. This Fall, Chelsea and I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Monarch Butterflies during their fall migration. Contributing to the conservation and scientific research of this majestic species has provided me with the most gratifying work of my young career in the wildlife field. While I’m still not in love with Texas (I don’t think that I ever will be) the butterfly migration, so far, has been spectacular!

Each Fall, Monarchs migrate from the upper midwest and northeastern regions of North America down to their wintering location in the trans-volcanic mountains of central Mexico. Before reaching their final destination, most of the Monarchs will funnel through Texas. Our job is to catch them, tag them, and record some pertinent information before letting them continue their journey.

The impetus for Monarch tagging started with a man named Fred Urquhart who had a passion for Monarchs at a very young age. He became a zoology professor at the University of Toronto, and married fellow professor Norah Patterson who also loved butterflies. They spent years experimenting with different techniques to track butterflies, and in 1940 finally found a tag that would stick to their fragile, moisture sensitive wings. As they began tagging butterflies, they quickly realized the project would have to be expanded and they would need help from volunteers.

Together they created the Insect Migration Association, which is known today as Monarch Watch. They enlisted the help of thousands of citizen scientists across North America to tag Monarchs with the hope of discovering their migration route. Tag recoveries were sent in from across the country unveiling the mystery of their migration that had never been known until then. Monarchs tagged in Toronto were being recaptured along the gulf coast, the midwest, and central Texas. But the biggest mystery still remained. Where, if anywhere, did these beauties overwinter? Did they overwinter somewhere specific or was there something else going on?

In 1975, the puzzle was finally solved with the help of Mexico’s first two citizen scientists, Ken Brugger and his wife Catalina Aguado. They searched the mountains west of Mexico City for two years before they discovered millions of Monarch butterflies roosting 10,000 feet above sea level on Cerro Pelon. They were stunned by what they had found. Monarchs were covering tree branches like scales on a fish.

But how could they know that these were the same butterflies that had traveled thousands of miles South? Dr. Fred Urquhart traveled to the Cerro Pelon mountains to witness the spectacle for himself. Only five minutes after arriving, Fred picked up a butterfly that had been tagged by one of the citizen scientists. By looking up the code on the tag, he was able to see that the Monarch was tagged and released by two school boys and their teacher in Chaska Minnesota in August 1975. Today workers in Mexico are paid five dollars for each tagged Monarch butterfly they find and report back to Monarch Watch.

The Monarch has one of the more complex life cycles found in nature. Each Spring, it takes four generations for the species to migrate from Mexico to their Northern ranges. Each butterfly completes a life cycle of four stages. The four stages of life are egg, larvae (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The first three generations only live as adult butterflies for about a month at most. However, the fourth generation will live for six to eight months. These Monarchs make the remarkable migration from the upper Midwest and Northeast all the way down to Mexico. No one is really sure how the Monarchs know exactly where to return to each Fall in Mexico having never been there before. It’s one of the world’s great mysteries.

Monarch caterpillar on Green Antelope Horns Milkweed. Asclepias virdis

A few months ago, we raised Queen caterpillars. They are a comparable species to the Monarch and mimic their color pattern. When a caterpillar is big enough, it will go through a metamorphosis and a chrysalis will form. Monarchs form a chrysalis that looks very similar.

Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar literally melts and reforms into the butterfly. Here is a queen butterfly just about to emerge.

Since the species is growing in popularity with the general public, you may have heard about the importance of milkweed plants. These plants are essential to the Monarchs survival, as the caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed. Monarchs lay their eggs on the underside of Milkweed leaves and when the larvae hatch, it will consume the egg shell before feeding on the leaves. Milkweed plants are toxic to most animals when ingested, but Monarchs have adapted to use the toxins creating a defense mechanism against predators. Over time, predators have learned to avoid caterpillars and butterflies resembling Monarchs. Other species like the Queen and the Viceroy mimic the Monarchs color pattern to protect themselves from predators.

Many people believe that Milkweed plants are the only food source for Monarchs. In actuality, it is the only food source for caterpillars. Adult butterflies feed on a wide variety of flowers, but they do have a preference for certain species.

Monarchs face a number of threats, which have decimated their populations. They’ve been declining steadily over the past 20 years at alarming rates. In Mexico, deforestation is a major issue. Illegal logging in and round roosting sites have reduced the number of trees available to them. Habitat loss in their summer range has also greatly diminished the milkweed availability due to development and farming. This also ties in to another major threat, the use of pesticides for crop production. Milkweed plants prefer to grow in disturbed areas, often along roadsides and fields. Pesticide spray used by farmers can easily drift onto surrounding milkweed plants. When caterpillars eat milkweed plants tainted by pesticides, they will most likely die. Climate change is another major implication that can affect the timing of their migration and cause late season snow storms that have devastating impacts on the population.

Another concern that is new to the scientific community is the presence of an obligate protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE). OE must live within a host in order to grow and multiply. Dormant OE spores can be found on the outside of the butterfly’s body. These spores allow the OE to survive outside the Monarch’s body. The life cycle of OE almost parallels that of the Monarch. Female butterflies pass the OE onto their offspring by laying eggs infected with spores. As stated previously, when a caterpillar hatches, the first thing it does is eat the egg shell. Once the OE spores are inside the caterpillar, parasites are released and they begin to multiply. An adult that is infected with OE will not recover, but the presence of OE can vary from mild to heavily infected. Most of the damage is done to the butterfly during the pupa stage. Heavily infected adults will emerge from the chrysalis deformed and unable to fly leading to death. A butterfly with a mild infection will often be smaller and weigh less than a healthy butterfly resulting in a shorter life span.

One component of our work this fall is collecting OE samples on the butterflies we catch. This is done by taking a piece of clear tape and pressing it against the abdomen. We then stick the tape to an index card to later be examined under a microscope.

There are actually three populations of Monarchs in North America. While we are working with the population that overwinters in Mexico, there is a population that overwinters along the coast of California. The third is a non-migratory population that breeds in southern Florida. More than 70% of this population of butterflies is infected with OE whereas 8% of the population that migrates to Mexico is infected.

After taking measurements, sexing, and obtaining an OE sample, the final step is placing a tag on the hindwing of each butterfly. The tags were ordered from an organization called Monarch Watch. Each tag has a unique 6 letter/number code, email address, and phone number. The ultimate goal is correlating the location of the original capture with the spot that the butterfly is recovered. If Monarch Watch receives a report with your tag code, they'll let you know where and when it was found. To read more about the tagging process, check out this link to their website:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/tag.htm

We also record other useful measurements.

The first step is to catch the butterfly which is not always an easy feat.

Step two is determining the sex of the butterfly. Males will have two scent glands on the top of the hind wings next to the abdomen. Females do not have those glands and usually have thicker veins than the males. With each butterfly that we handle, we use a new pair of nitrile gloves. This is done to prevent the spread of OE spores from one butterfly to another.

Here is a better look at the glands on a male.

Female with no glands and thicker veins.

We also observe wing damage and overall condition as well as body mass.

A clever way of holding the butterfly still while taking wing measures is to use a sheet protector. The forewing is longer than the hindwing. After each use we clean make sure to sterilize all equipment that comes in contact with a butterfly by using a non-toxic bleach. This decreases the spreading the OE spores. We also bleach the nets at the end of each day.

Here we measure the hindwing.

To obtain OE samples from the abdomen, we use a gentle pat and roll technique with a clear piece of tape. The tape will pick up scales and any OE spores the butterfly may have. Don’t worry, no butterflies were harmed in the process. They’re stronger than they look.

The tape is placed on an index card and labeled with the last 3 numbers from the tag code they received.

Back at the office, we look at each sample underneath a microscope. The larger objects are the scales while the smaller dark dots are OE spores. This butterfly was heavily infected. So far, we've only had a few butterflies that have been positive for OE.

Finally, it’s time to put the tag on. We found using a toothpick helps with placing the sticker on the wing. The tag is always placed in the middle of the discal cell of the hindwing. With a little imagination, you may find that the discal cell sort of has the shape of a mitten.

Pressing down for 3 seconds ensures it will stick.

After the Monarch is tagged its time to go!

Ready to go to Mexico!

This past week we had to call for some reinforcements to come out to the field and help us during the peak migration. Our supervisor Jacky and a few other gals from the office came out and caught most of the butterflies while we stayed back and tagged them. We tagged a total of over 450 just this week alone! We are now up to 598 butterflies for the season.

Chelsea and I set up a table underneath a tree and went to work. Its fun, but a lot more exhausting than it looks. One butterfly after another was processed while the others would bring back 50 butterflies at a time. Not a bad view though!

When the butterflies are caught, we place them inside glassine envelopes. We call this a royal flush.

Look at all of those butterflies!

Monarchs will also create overnight roosts in trees where they will spend the night together during migration. This is similar to what they do at their wintering site in Mexico. We went out early this week with the hopes of finding a roost. We were able to locate small roosts on at least 10 different trees in one area. Each tree had multiple branches with 10-15 butterflies on each branch. They are hard to see at first because they blend in with the tree branches very well. We watched as they began to open their wings in the early morning light.

Once it’s warm enough, they disperse into the fields to feed on what ever they can find before they lift off into the sky and continue south. This one is feeding on Gumweed which we were surprised to see so many on. This plant is not really known as a plant they regularly feed on.

Nearby there were fields covered in Liatris (seen above) which they seemed to prefer over the Gumweed, which makes sense because it is listed as an important plant for Monarchs.

One of my favorite wildflowers of Texas.

Here is the Queen butterfly we mentioned earlier. The side view shows the color is darker than the Monarch.

They also lack the black veins of the Monarch on the inside of the wings.

The Viceroy is slightly smaller than the Monarch and has a faint line that runs along the middle of the hindwings. Here are some other species we’ve encountered this Fall.

American Lady

Fiery Skipper

Gulf Fritillary

Juniper Hairstreak

#monarch #monarch butterfly #migration #butterflies #texas #flowers #caterpillars #milkweed

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