#hp canon

[sofoulandfairaday]

I don't know if you'll even receive this because of the godforsaken shadowban, but what do you think of Bella's relationship with her parents? I know it's unpopular but I've always seen her as a mama's girl personally. I think Andy was Cygnus's favourite and for Narcissa I can't decide between her being nobody's favourite and everyone's favourite but in a more subtle way lol.

This is honestly such a good question - and something I wanted to talk about for ages.

I appreciate your takes a lot, even if I somewhat disagree. You were the first person in this wretched fandom who made me see the light about Bella's relationship with her family. Not in the sense that it's necessarily wrong to headcanon her as being abused, but you were the first person that made me see that there could be other interpretations: no one, both in the English and Italian fandoms, seemed to think that Druella might have not been a stuck-up bitch.

With this being said, I think Druella was a stuck-up bitch. Nah, kidding. Kind of. Long post under the cut, but this is one of my favourite pieces of meta I've ever written.

I think Bella has a very bad case of Older Daughter Syndrome. I believe that both her parents had wished for at least one son because that is unfortunately what was common in noble families in the 1950s (and pureblood society seems to be stuck much further than that). I actually hc that Druella had one or more miscarriages (all boys) before and after having her daughters. When C&D were told that they couldn't have more children, both by her own volition and by being unconsciously pushed by her parents, became desperate to prove herself. Of course, it was useless. Not because her parents were cartoon villains ("I wish you were a boy" bullshit, only said in Disney movies), but just because they would never see as they would have seen a son.

Bellatrix confronted herself with impossible expectations throughout her life, as very often happens to the oldest children (daughters most of all). I'm sure she was brilliant, magically talented, possibly good at most things she tried - it was never enough. Not that her parents weren't proud of her, they were, but there was always one grade that could have been better, one hour more she could have spent practising, one sentence she could have said better at a social gathering, etc. Whenever something wasn't up to par, as it was bound to be, there would be corrections. Always too many corrections and never enough compliments. Parents often fall into this trap: it's not enough to be proud of your child if you never tell them you are.

I'm also sure she was immensely spoilt. You can imagine how that goes: Cygnus and Druella were probably very cold people, bad at demonstrating affection, and tried to show their immense love for their daughters by showering them with gifts and material things. They always told their daughters how good and special they were, how they were destined for the best. Personally speaking, this is not enough. It's not enough to point at all the money you spent on family holidays and private schools - "look at what your mother and I have done for you; is this how you repay us?" - if you've never taken interest in your daughter's interests. If you've never asked her opinion on the world, what she wants to be when she grows up. If you've always taken for granted that she would follow in your own footsteps - no doubt, the best possible life choice. It's not enough to tell your daughter she is destined for greatness because she is a Black. She should be destined for greatness because she is great.

Also, I'm sure she was put in charge of her younger siblings from a very early age. Again: oldest daughter. Simultaneously loving them more than anything in the world and resenting them immensely because they were probably held to lower standards than she was. Parents often go softer on the second child, especially if less successful, or less gifted (I'm sure that both Andy and Cissy were bright and talented witches, just not as good as Bella overall).

She would be the bossy one, and the comforting one. She would be the one teaching them right from wrong, the one to go to when they had problems (she would act high and mighty about it, and maybe tease them, but heaven help anyone who dared do anything to Bella's sisters - and they knew it). She would go out of her way to help them.

She would feel extreme amounts of pressure on her shoulders, she would be more solitary, more reserved than her siblings, less likely to share except for the times when it all came gushing out - imagine everyone's shock when they found out about her interest in Dark Magic. Andromeda would be appalled, "I thought I knew my sister". But did you, did you really?

So: reserved, more academically skilled, both proud and resentful of her younger siblings, who were probably considered more charismatic (Andromeda was meeker and kinder and Cissy was probably a social butterfly, the popular pretty girl with tons of friends), who don't realise that they could only be that way because someone else before them had taken up the burden of the family's expectations upon herself. Of course, Andy&Cissy probably saw big sister Bella as the best, most successful, most intelligent, confident girl in the world - probably had inferiority complexes - but she never knew that. (keep in mind: the Blacks, a British upper-class family in the 1950s, probably had all of the generational trauma that we see in shows like The Crown. They were NOT the type to talk about their feelings at the dinner table).

Bellatrix was also probably very controlling of her younger sisters, and a bit of a perfectionist. She probably never apologised (a sign of weakness) and never admitted when she was wrong. She gets it from her parents. You can see how this is a recipe for disaster for the things to come.

And what happens then? She graduates from Hogwarts with whatever number of NEWTS and exceptional grades in all of them for her parents to say: "Oh, good, you did your duty. ANYWAY, no pressure, but we kinda really need you to pick a good pureblood boy and marry him. A trip around the world (to explore dark magic in faraway lands) as a graduation present? Don't be ridiculous, dear. We'll throw you a big party".

OH. OH. I would go insane. I would seethe. I would combust with rage. And I think Bella probably did. That was her breaking point, her "let it go" moment where she said: you know what? I've tried so hard to be proper, and good, and fit into """"patriarchal""" standards and it's never fucking enough. No more. Everyone is talking about this new dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, and I've been following his work. Of course, you people, my family, don't know because you've never asked me about myself beyond how I was doing in school, but my view on the world is that Mudbloods are infiltrating our society and we need to fight for survival (ironically, a view absorbed from her parents). I choose Rodolphus Lestrange, who is more than willing to let me pursue a military career and we'll happily practice Unforgivables on random Muggles that live too close to our house. Suck it.

Andromeda (who is secretly dating Ted behind her sister's back because she's afraid of her disapproval) is appalled. Narcissa is too young still (and being the youngest, possibly the most immature). Her parents go "Ehm, we don't really think you should blow up buildings- how about silently influencing politics?" But nope. Bellatrix marries Rodolphus to appease them and then she happily follows Voldemort from one Muggle village to the next, blowing up houses and getting railed by the Dark Lord next to her victims' corpses - he is the only one who sees her for what she is: dark, talented, hungry.

Andromeda runs away, and Bellatrix takes it the hardest. She sees it as a personal failure. The sister she helped raise. You can hear the hurt even thirty years after it happened.

As for her parents: Cissy was without a doubt Druella's favourite, as the daughter who looked most like her and lived the life closest to hers. Andromeda was probably nobody's fave (Middle Child Syndrome, a whole other post), but likely both her sisters' fave.

Bella... Bella was the child Cygnus understood most and was probably proudest of. She was also the hardest to love: I think that the few instances of physical affection he showed his daughters were for Andy (a naturally kind and bubbly child, who would not relent in her pursuit of affection even when told to go away) and Cissy (who was always slight, non-threatening, delicate, etc). Bella was prickly, maybe easily hurt (by her parents, seeing how attuned she was to their reactions). She strikes me as the sort to push away any display of sweetness saying she didn't want it, as a preventive measure. The kind of child who hides so that people will go looking for them, to see if they care. She was the same with Rodolphus, probably (but the man is a saint and at a certain point must have been like "it's not just that enjoy fucking you, i do like to hold you, i do like to kiss you, you are not a duty to me, i don't care if you're stubborn. i love you") and the Dark Lord (who is so scarce with his affections, she must have brainwashed herself in saying "it's fine, i don't really need it. i only need to be held in high esteem by him").

Anyways, Bella is the child Cygnus (and secretly Druella) are proudest of. Yes, Cissy made conventional choices, but imagine having Lord Voldemort, your old classmate-turned-Dark-Lord, over for tea and he keeps going on about how he didn't expect to find such an apt pupil in Bellatrix and that she is wonderfully skilled with a wand (pun intended, and Tom knows it, the little shit). I'm getting carried away, but you get the gist. [Although, while I hc Cygnus as a Voldemort fanboy, albeit not a Death Eater, I always liked the idea that Vold and Druella didn't like each other much]

Also. Bella: Daddy Issues, yes or no? Yes. Obviously. She hides them (with more or less success, after Azkaban) because she is a Black, but it's pretty clear from her entanglement with Voldemort that having a male figure her father's age, giving her validation does things for her. Happens to the best of us.

Did Bellatrix and Druella hate each other? No. No, I think that blood is too important for someone like Bellatrix. But I think that Druella's lack of understanding of her feelings and her life choices (and also the fact that Druella, to me, is the sort of mother who always plays the victim "oh, what did I do to deserve this?") definitely didn't help their relationship. I think that Bella was a dutiful daughter, the kind that would take care of her mother in her old age and stuff like that, but they would fight a lot.

Oh, look, another ginormous post. Anyways, I hope I painted a good picture. I could talk about this for hours.

#bellatrix lestrange #bellatrix black #andromeda black #narcissa black #cygnus black #druella black #lord voldemort #rodolphus lestrange #hp meta #hp heacanon #hp canon #? maybe? #the black sisters #answered #asks

[invalid-prongs]

“you’re here.”

sirius feels as though all of the air has been knocked from his lungs. he blinks quickly, but james remains where he’s stood, a smile on his face. “here i am, padfoot,” he chuckles softly. “here i always am.”

without thinking, sirius launches himself forward, arms outstretched. james mirrors his actions, but instead of the warm embrace of his best friend, sirius smacks into the other side of his prison cell.

he cries out as he falls, feeling a rib crack in his chest, but instead of expressing concern, the prisoners around him chuckle darkly, consumed in their own insanity.

#marauders #marauders era #canon compliant #akos writing canon? #never #what is this trickery? #sirius black #sirius black in azkaban #azkaban #hp #harry potter #canon #hp canon #harry potter canon #marauders canon #marauders era canon #james potter #angst #hurt/comfort but where is the comfort #hurt

[anxiouslittlecarrot]

Thinking about when Harry told Dumbledore the deepest desire of his heart was to have his family alive and well by his side, and Dumbledore, whose deepest desire was essentially to have his family alive and well by his side, told him his was a new pair of socks. Dude really said “I’m not going to bond with this eleven year old orphan”

#harry potter #hp canon #dumbledore #carrot.txt

[padfoot-n-moony]

James: ...Moony... are you OK?

Peter: I think he hit rock bottom...

Remus [covered in cardigans, surrounded by books and chocolate]: You know, rock bottom isn't that bad when you have a few cardigans, entertainment, and chocolate.

#harry potter #hp #hp canon #marauders #young marauders #marauders headcanon #james #james potter p #prongs #peter #wormtail #peter pettigrew #remus lupin #moony #remus

[podcastnineandthreequarters]

Our latest episode is here! Reeah and Jem finally fulfill the promise we've been making since the series began; we FINALLY answer all the unanswered questions about the Harry Potter series. Join us as we discuss literally everything. Listen now!

#podcast nine and three quarters #tnc producions #that's not canon productions #hp #harry potter #hogwarts #magic #wizarding world #hermione granger #ron weasley #albus dumbldore #voldemort #gryffindor #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #slytherin #hp canon #hp meta #hp headcanons #muggles #Spotify #hp books #hp movies #hp podcast #harry potter books #harry potter movies #harry potter series #harry potter theories #hp theories #harry potter podcast

[black-occamy]

Fandom: omg there's nothing abt the marauders in canon, we made everything up!

Me: oh, rly? Do tell an example!

Fandom: Lily was excellent in charms and James was NAILING transfiguration!

Me *pulls up Philosophers' Stone*

For @spotsandstains 😘

#hp canon #philosophers stone #harry potter #james potter #lily potter #lily evans #marauders #marauders era

[jamespotterbbg]

my roman empire is that the actors for sirius and remus thought they were portraying a couple.

#my roman empire #roman empire #marauders #marauders era #the marauders #the marauders era #marauders fandom #harry potter fandom #harry potter #hp fandom #3rd book #prisoner of azkaban #incorrect marauders quotes #remus loves sirius #remus lupin #sirius being sirius #sirius black #remus x sirius #sirius orion black #black brothers #cute wolfstar #wolfstar #wolfstar angst #gary oldman #david thewlis #wolfstar is canon #dead wizards from the 70s #dead gay wizards

[quail-in-red]

I always thought it was pretty neat that Harry could talk to snakes tbh. Love when it shows up in fanfic!

#hp fanart #harry potter #him not being able to speak it anymore is a bummer but like fuck canon lol #snakes are pretty cute but also I know if I ever saw one irl I’d scream

[risafeywritesdrarry]

Took a short week long break before diving into edits for the Drarry fic to make this. The same image as the fic's book cover, only they're younger.

❤️💛💚🩶

#drarry #drarry fanart #harry potter #draco malfoy #drarry art #drarry fandom #draco x harry #harry x draco #harco #hpdm #hp fanart #hp art #my art #mine #drarry is canon

[vvatari-art]

#post canon #harry potter #hp #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy oc #hp hogwarts legacy #hp oc #hufflepuff #hufflepuff oc #hufflerin #hogwarts legacy ominis #ominis gaunt #ominis gaunt x mc

[dufferpuffer]

Longbottoms boggart wasn't Snape.

I mean you'd think this would be obvious enough - but people who hate Snape bring it up as their sort of trump card. "He was so bad he was a 13yr olds biggest fear!" No. He wasn't. Boggarts don't quite work like that. Boggarts are not themselves your worst fear - they make you FEEL your worst fear. Hermione isn't actually scared of McGonagall. (I'm sure alot of first years are scared of her though I mean she is strict and stern and a little scary at first.) Did she have some irrational fear of suddenly failing all her classes? Yeah, maybe a little bit - but it is BECAUSE she is scared of not being good enough. From the first book we see her struggling to fit in with her peers. She is muggleborn, she learned she was a witch so suddenly that she poured herself into being the most perfect witch she could.

Professor McGonagall, a stern and strict witch she respects, telling her she isn't good enough despite all of her best efforts makes her FEEL her worst fear. It has nothing to do with Minerva personally - honestly it could probably be replaced with Dumbledore or someone... its just she has far more interaction with Minerva.

SO - Longbottom and Snape: How do I know that Snape isn't his absolute worst fear? Because he still attends Potions every fucking week!!! Do you think RON could attend Charms if it was run by a spider?!? He can pass Snape in the hall, he can sit in the same room as Snape, he can even be teased and bullied by Snape. His parents were tortured to insanity by Death Eaters. Severus Snape is NOT his worst fear, that's stupid. Snape just makes him FEEL his worst fear - like McGonagall makes Hermione feel hers. SO what is Neville worst fear? I think the clue comes with him quickly saying that he also wouldn't want the Boggart to turn into his grandma. Inadequacy. Neville has never been good enough. He has low self worth. The tiniest bits of praise overwhelm him. He never wins any house points and losing some devastates him. He got his magic late, his family kept trying to tease it out of him, thought he was maybe a squib. He has a proud legacy to uphold and he is terrified he cannot. He is the worst potions student Snape has ever had.

Snape makes Neville feel inadequate. His grandmother makes him feel inadequate. But mix them together... and suddenly these two very scary people that seem to have such control over his life... look a little ridiculous.

DO you think Lupin is LITERALLY scared of the moon...? Or does the moon make him feel powerless and dangerous and inhumane? DO you think Harry is LITERALLY scared of Dementors...? Or is he scared of how powerless he is against the horrible way they make him feel - the trauma they bring up from the deep recesses of his mind?

Snape was not so horrific, so awful, so scary, so mean - that he as a man became Nevile's worst fear. He, like his grandma, makes him feel inadequate.

#neville longbottom #severus snape #is say headcanon but no this is just canon #people need better media literacy #heres a headcanon though: Lupin actually is a little sacred of the moon. he blocks the sight of it with his hand if he goes out at night. #hp #hermione granger #remus lupin #harry potter

[anxiouslittlecarrot]

Hermione/Neville is a criminally underrated untapped pair with so much potential, I will remain on this hill until the day I die

#hp headcanon #hp canon #hermione granger #neville longbottom #hermione x neville #carrot.txt #fuck jkr

[wtccttwwbghaiwhtr]

Harry and Voldemort: share brother wands, share parts of souls, are two sides of the same coin, send dreams and visions to each other through their mind, both grew up in similar circumstances, both are orphans, and have been enemies since (Harry’s) birth… and you expect me *not* to ship them?

#wdym hinny is the canon ship? thats impossible #proship #harrymort #tomarry #tomarrymort #harry potter #tom riddle #hp fanfic #hp marauders

[gimme-a-magic-carpet]

“it’s the 70s, not everyone is gay” yea ok pal, watch me

#the power of a keyboard #they’re all gay it’s canon #it’s always been canon #marauders #marauders era #marauders fandom #hp #harry potter #wolfstar #jegulus #dorlene #rosekiller

[iamnmbr3]

Love how Harry is just out here just casually remembering every little detail of what Malfoy was doing four years ago.

In book 5 Ginny yells at him because he completely forgot about the time she got possessed and nearly murdered by Voldemort in second year. But apparently Harry noticed and still remembers every item he saw Draco look at in a shop that same year.

#drarry #Harry Potter #drarry in canon #hp reread #harry potter and the half blood prince #harry/draco #harry x draco #my post #drarry g

[gods-graveyard]

Jily, Jegulus, Jegulily or whatever tf else you ship-

James Fleamont Potter- is, was, and will always be a simp.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

#jegulus #starchaser #sunseeker #jily #jegulily #the marauders era #hp headcanons #actually fuck it #this is canon #james fleamont potter #james potter #lily evans #regulus black