asphodelroot:
“I’d prefer avoiding all fights, altercations, and crossed words,” Lily snipped, crunch the remnants of the ice cube between her teeth. “Somehow I doubt that you occupying Sirius for the evening would a smart step towards that goal.” Especially with Sev admitting to be so totally ready to poke and prod at a werewolf under a full moon eclipse for the sake of trying make him have a violent outburst. For the thoroughness of the study, but still.
“Remus is plenty mentally present tonight.” Which might speak well to this variation of the brew, if not for all the other moon-mad symptoms itching at him. “Meaning problem is his calm. Just because he’s aware of where he is and what he’s doing doesn’t mean he can’t get angry and lash out about it.” But maybe that wasn’t something a potion could be relied on to regulate. Hell, perhaps it wasn’t even the lycanthropy’s fault. Remus could simple be angry and lashing out, because he was angry and lashing out. Not because of the moon or because he was bitten so many years ago (well, maybe because of that, but not in the usual, lunar sense).
Pursing her lips against the gloominess of symptoms she couldn’t help with a brew (and had thus far failed to help with anything else), Lily curled her arms around the plate of sausages and started munching on them. A welcome distraction, even if not the crisp burst of cherries she wanted. “Take me through the variations you’re going to try next,” she said, because losing herself in calculations and magical construction would also be a distraction from her irritation and the helplessness rooted beneath it.
Severus shrugged in a hey, at least I tried, sort of way, and didn’t press the issue.
Severus hummed in thought, half agreement and half introspection, eyes flitting about the room until they landed on the werewolf. ‘ He does, at that, ’ is all he said, but he wondered privately if some of the ingredients diluted within the potion mixed together wrong. If he’d made a mistake that enhanced the moon-madness rather than decreased it. He had such little room to test it’s effectiveness, a population sample of one, but he had done the best he could with what was available and whatever happened tomorrow night there would at least be able to collect more information to work on for the next eclipse.
Severus nodded at her request, leaned forward, elbows on the table, and began a thorough explanation of the current variation on wolfsbane he was working with, as well as the one he was going to attempt next (and next, and next, until it bloody worked). The chatter seemed to help her, and it helped him as well to reiterate and explain what was mostly buzzing about in his own head for months now. Lily was always a good sounding board.
Eventually, the chatter winded down, and Lily dashed off to find her wayward werewolf with renewed determination. Severus sighed, pulled his plate back in front of him, and resumed his habit of people-watching.
END.
@perniciouspotter
Flashback. February 1984.
Severus rapped brisk and loud knuckles against the wooden door. In the last few years following graduation he’d expected to run into Potter again — neither of them made their allegiance a secret, especially not from each other. And they, sworn enemies from the moment they met to the very end, were set on a collision course and picking up speed. How could Severus not anticipate a crossing of paths?
Current circumstances were laughably different from what he’d anticipated before. Instead of the violent encounter he was itching to have, a clock ticking downwards in his mind counting towards this meeting, Severus shifted a bag of healing brews against his shoulder. Waiting almost politely at his enemy’s front door to be let in. With every intention to do the opposite of causing harm.
He nodded in greeting as the door clicked open. ‘ Potter, ’ he said in the least hostile tone he used since he was 11. ‘ You were informed of the reason for my visit? ’ Of course he was. It would be rather difficult if he wasn’t. But Severus had run the meeting in his mind several times over and this was the best he could come up with.
madeyed-andmoody:
The Goyle estate wards were so easy a toddler could have done them. However, that was not why Alastor had brought Severus Snape with him. No, he’d brought him along because, despite Dumbledore’s assertion that Moody just trust the younger man, Snape still needed to be proven in the field. Thus far, they’d been trustworthy. Thus far, their information had been sound.
Yet something still nagged at the back of Alastor’s mind. It may have something to do with the fact Severus had tried prodding at it every chance they could get. Or, perhaps, the flippancy with which they handled curses and other dark magics - where it was a necessary curiosity for Alastor, one he’d indulged in to learn, Severus’s fascination lay far deeper.
Moody had known Severus would be able to get them the document they’d need from the Goyle estate. He also had his suspicions surrounding the estate and the missing Order members. At the very least, he figured Severus would have an idea.
Without a portkey, Moody and Snape were forced to trudge through the dark and, quite frankly, disturbing woodland. They’d been out for a long while, though the Order knew where they were headed. Both wix were clearly tired, though neither had admitted to the bodily weakness of tiredness. Not in front of the other. And, finally, they had reached the border, the clearing his would allow them to leave just ahead when –
A twig snapped. It wasn’t him, or Snape.
Alastor hunched his shoulders, grabbed fistfuls of Snape’s robes, and tossed him as far as he could - safely, it seemed, behind a broken section of an old arch. Not far enough yet, he noticed as he turned, planting his feet with a snarl, but getting there.
A curse came hurtling toward him from the shadows ahead and Alastor sidestepped neatly, tossing up a protego wide enough to span the opening he was protecting, fishing out his wand as he did. “Snape,” he barked, tossing a look over his shoulder. “Break anything? If not, find us a way out! Now!”
The trip through the private woods was long and tedious, and completely avoidable had Severus been able to replenish his supply of portkeys in time. He was not very athletic — or at all, really — and felt every unnecessary step they took down the woods with deep frustration and exhaustion. Neither of which he showed to his partner, whom he was sure kept one eye on the enemy and one on Severus himself. This mission was a test, and everything he did was, as always, under scrutiny.
A twig snapped. Severus swiveled around on high alert towards the source of the noise, wand at the ready — the weight of hands on his back and shoulder, a twist of fabric — The ground was swept from beneath his feet. Severus blinked. He only had time to be confused before he slammed against the ground a few yards away with a heavy THUD.
He got back up on his feet cursing and huffing and considerably more annoyed than he was only a moment ago. ‘ Fuck off! You bloody brick! ’ He shouted back at the buffoon that threw him across the fucking field, but he was half turned towards the broken arch, wand in motion, spells at the ready. Wards meant to keep people in were only a hair's breadth away from keeping people out. Severus reached into the edge, plucked its strings, and cast a spell, the incantation rolling off his tongue like water. A long string of latin whispered in gentle, coaxing tones, and the edge of the safety clearing shimmered and expanded it’s scope until it covered both himself and the Auror a few yards behind. It would keep their enemies outside of the dome. But more importantly, Severus and Moody can apparate out.
‘ NOW, ’ shouted Severus over his shoulder. ‘ We have thirteen seconds! ’ Moody had to apparate first, if Severus left the spell would break and the safety border would snap right back into shape.
Severus flinched at the flagrant use of the Dark Lord’s name from little old Potter, no less — who do you think you are?! An old thought that sprang to the top of his mind every time he had the opportunity to be in the arrogant boy’s presence for more than a moment, and thus all the more easily dismissed for it’s recurrence. Potter held himself above the rest, as always, but from the way he carried himself it seemed to Severus he was merely keeping his head above water.
Severus tipped his chin up as he followed Potter to the living room. Shoulders squared and back straight. ‘ Equality is unattainable in the wizarding world. The Dark Lord provides opportunity, which is more than what the Order could say for itself. ’ Severus was a practical man and he took the practical path — in most things. It all fell through in the end for him but being a Death Eater was, and still is, the practical choice.
Severus watched Potter move like every shift pained him. He took mental notes of his observations. He was silent for a long moment after the question was posed, before he sat down on the armchair besides Potter, legs crossed at the knee, and set his bag of brews by his feet. ‘ The process will be a month long, at least, ’ he started. ‘ I’ll administer a potion and spell three times a week. 12 to 24 sessions in total — after that, everything that could be fixed has been fixed. ’ He tilted his head to the side slightly. ‘ Once we begin there can be no delays or breaks. This is a delicate process. The margin for error is very slim. ’
wrongdeor:
Severus didn’t miss the near slip-up, but far from surprised he was bracing for it. He was ready for this to be the most unpleasant encounter Potter could make, and from experience that was a rather tall order but entirely achievable for the twat he knew — what was unexpected instead was the correction. Severus, graciously, pretended not to notice. ‘ Potter, ’ he said in a clipped tone. He nodded in return.
He stepped inside, paused in the entrance hall and turned to look at his enemy patient. With a slanted brow, Severus said, ‘ Surprised? War makes for strange bedfellows, Potter. A halfblood with a muggle name would have more to lose and to gain in this war than a pureblood boy with a trust fund. And what I want hardly overlaps with what I need to do. ’ He jerked his chin towards the injured wrist. ‘ You need that hand to fight, and we need you on the field. Ergo, here I am. ’ He lifted a shoulder, the bag shifting with the movement, vials jostling beneath the fabric. He didn’t respond to whether or not he can cure him. That remained to be seen.
Severus looked at the wizard for a moment. Head tilted slightly to the side. ‘ And I never liked unequal fights, if you recall. ’ That was you, Potter. He nodded down the hall, towards what he believed was the living room. ‘ Lead the way. ’
.
The second Severus opened his mouth, James felt like breaking. That had happened a lot since he’d gotten out of the dungeons and Lily had left him. Little things would make him want to throw something or sob or a mixture of both - like seeing the mug she used to use in his cupboards or watching Garnet snub him as though the cat never even realized he’d been gone. Or, like the other day, when Remus had been visiting him at Mungo’s and said Lily’s name and James had told him to watch his damn mouth as though he’d been called something crude.
But all Severus needed to do was talk in that slow, annoying drawl of his and remind James of all the reasons Lily had broken up with him without even doing it on purpose. Or, knowing Snape, maybe it was on purpose and the wix was just so fucking smart that it hardly sounded that way. “Convenient timing to realize that about yourself,” James said with a new dullness to his voice that hadn’t been there before. His head suddenly felt stuffy like he was holding back tears, but he just ground down his back teeth until it went away. Maybe later he’d curl up with Sirius and let himself cry again, but there was no fucking way Severus Snape would see how much this - Lily, Severus, their friendship, everything - was affecting him.
“Voldemort promotes equality in your little circle of friends?” James quipped back with his eyebrows raised, a mean smirk on his face, using the name intentionally to try and get a rise. He turned and led the way to his living room where a plush maroon couch and two armchairs sat around a coffee table. There was a multi-patterned blanket on the back of one of the chairs. It felt warm in here, despite James’ lack of it.
He gingerly sat on the couch, perching himself forward because leaning back would’ve caused his joints to ache and pain to hiss from between his teeth. Gently, he lowered his wrist to rest against his knee. “So, what kind of process are we lookin’ at?” Severus could kill him, if he wanted to. It would be easy. James would do whatever he was told and, if he were about to be poisoned, he’d have no clue until it happened.
Evan nodded when Severus went on about Theo, face paling. He would have been about to start working on the serious injuries if it weren’t for knowing he had said he would give an update. His gaze stuck to Theo until he reached the point of explaining his next steps in regards to treating Lily.
“Parchment of ailments is in the top drawer of the desk — two pages worth,” He murmured then pointed toward the desk. “London got met with an explosion. Evans appears to have gotten the brunt of it. Phoenix tears have been administered and the broken bones have been reset. I was going to take care of the cosmetic part of things once certain the tears were successful. It’s been about ten minutes since using them.” He pressed his teeth together to suppress the worried look that seemed desperate to appear. “Original plan was to keep her under for the evening to give her body a chance to rest. The tears may accelerate things a little. I’ve only ever used them on external injuries but a few drops by mouth seemed like the best call so I am uncertain of what to expect. If you think there’s something I may have missed… I wouldn’t have suggested switching if I didn’t trust you.”
Anyone but Theodosia being brought in, and he would have let Severus work on them. “She’s stable for now and that’s the most I can ask for. I wouldn’t have been able to move her to St. Mungo’s with the condition she was in when Bones and Lovegood brought her in.”
Severus took the parchment from the drawer and listened intently to Rosier’s updates as he read the report. Again the cold and distant panic beat against his ears from far away as if through a body of water.
London got met with an explosion. Evans appears to have gotten the brunt of it.
‘ Phoenix tears, ’ Severus muttered. He looked at Lily, his lips pressed together in a flat line, teeth gritting helplessly. He looked at Rosier as the report wound down and the man said that he trusted Severus. He didn’t miss the hesitance, the unspoken don’t make me regret trusting you that followed the tail end of those words. ‘ Of course, ’ said Severus with a brisk nod. ‘ I’ll keep an eye on her. ’ He moved to her bedside, the parchment crinkling in his hand with how hard he gripped it.
He cast diagnostic spells of his own, read their results, tracked the progress of the Phoenix tears. He stood rigidly by her bedside, fingertips touching her wrist, feeling for a pulse. He watched and waited. It was all he could do.
End.
@melancolialunar
June 14th, 1984. The Lupins’ household.
Severus stepped over the cobblestoned garden path and up the steps in a straight, uninterrupted walk, but as they stopped before the closed door, they hesitated. They were keenly interested to see how the adjusted Wolfsbane fared against the eclipse, and that was what brought them here in the first place, but before they rang the bell to Lupin’s mother’s house, they felt a rush of nerves at what awaited them and what to expect from this visit. The last time they dealt with an eclipse, Severus didn’t see Lupin for nearly a week. And the wolfsbane was completely ineffective then. Now — Severus wanted to see for themself.
They shifted the strap of the work bag against their shoulder, adjusted the pot of hot soup in their hands, took a deep breath that they let out slowly. They rang the doorbell, and waited. ‘ Good to see you’re still alive, ’ Severus greeted dryly. But not dishonestly. ‘ We have a lot of work to do, ’ they lifted the shoulder with the bag strap briefly, shifted their stance, and patted the lid of the steaming pot of chicken soup. Then declared their offering, ‘ I brought food. ’
News traveled fast, especially in an organization as small as this one, but not fast enough as far as Severus was concerned. He made his way to the Prewett estate as soon as he heard, not ready to believe until he saw — and asked, and checked, and tested — for himself with his own two eyes.
The door clicked open, and Severus stepped inside.
He looked at the young man in silence. It was strange, like walking into a room where everything was slanted sideways and stuck that way. He and Regulus Black were never friends. But they were in the trenches together, for years. As much as ‘together’ could count for anything among the Death Eaters. (And apparently it counted for something, Severus thought, teeth gritting together. He let the hope roll through him like an unpleasant potion he couldn’t un-swallow.)
‘ If I was here to kill you, you wouldn’t have time to ask stupid questions, ’ he said, the door swinging shut behind him as he strode into the room. He stood in front of the newcomer, arms crossed, scanning him from head to toe without any effort to be discreet. Then he looked him in the eye. ‘ Regulus Black. ’ He didn’t move. An invisible hand passed over the other’s mind with light fingers, a pick-pocket of thoughts. ‘ You don’t look half as dead as I was told you were. ’
a closed starter for @wrongdeor
location: the prewett estate
when: june 19th, 1984
It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. Or, at least, Regulus was fairly sure it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, though that may have been the remains of the haze of adrenaline and sleep deprivation that now dogged his footsteps as he was entirely unwilling to sleep in this place, no matter how Moody or Jones or anyone had attempted to assure him of his safety. He might as well have been frozen to the seat they’d left him in for all he’d been convinced to move from it. At least it was against the wall with an easy view of the door.
There was no telling what the room might hold, what might be hidden behind faded wallpaper and the sun-bleached outline of rugs. Regulus was not someone typically prone to extensive worries, not with the curiosity that made every day something new. That didn’t apply here. It was unfamiliar and filled with people who expected him to take a great deal purely on their words and promises.
The person that he saw when he looked over from where his gaze had been fixed between two floorboards, one curling up and the other missing a nail, was not who he’d expected. Oh, he’d known this so-called Order attracted strange kinds. It brought him into its folds after all, but there were only so many familiar faces he expected. Severus Snape was not one of them.
“Severus?” It was a question more on whether or not he was tired enough to start hallucinating. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time in his life. “Severus, what are you… Why are you here?” He stopped and all the color drained from Regulus’ face. “Are you here to kill me before I can speak to anyone?” He didn’t want that to be true. He’d liked Severus towards the end of all that, admired their mind and their ability to rival him in his worst moods, but the reasons for him to be sharing a room with them were slim. He didn’t trust it.
This is a list of curses Severus crafted for the Dark Lord during the last six years of their Death-Eatership. These spells are commonly used by Death Eaters, and experienced Order members came across them often in the last 6 years. There are no set counters for these curses yet – they’re mostly dealt with through a patchwork of obscure spells and potions that work as often as they don’t. There’s a rumor among Order members that Severus crafted spells for the DE, but it was neither confirmed nor denied.
Feel free to include these curses in threads, plots, and backstory in whatever way you like! If you have any questions, let me know. (pls heed the warnings)
Battle spells:
Frigus —
Freezes the major blood vessels connected to the heart. Turns the blood to ice, spreads outwards. This spell is used in battle, and the victim of this curse loses consciousness immediately. If the counter is not cast shortly after the curse, or a healer had not found a way to keep the victim alive long enough for the ice to be melted, the victim will die.
The counter for this spell was crafted shortly after Severus Snape joined the Order of the phoenix.
Sectumsempra —
Always cuts. The wand movement is ambiguous – a quick and decisive slash, in any direction, upward or downward or sideways. The victim is cut in broad slashes, like a sword flying in broad arcs. If the wand is thrust forward instead as the spell is cast, then much like a sword the magic will stab through the victim from one side and come out the other. A clean cut.
Wounds from this curse can bleed for hours and hours, and are particularly resistant to common healing spells. The spell was created by Severus Snape during his sixth year at Hogwarts, and the healing spell was created some time after his graduation, but is still an almost total unknown.
Submerso —
Fills the victim’s lungs with water so they drown while standing in land. This spell is used in battle, and the victim will react much like a drowning person would. Except, unlike a drowning victim, the water can’t be coughed back up, and the common spells used to treat drowning victims in such an emergency only increase the amount of water and hurry the victim along towards their death.
There is no known counter for this curse. Healers have begun using bastardized cleaning spells to remove the excess water instead, but the victims are often left extremely dehydrated as a result, and the struggle is always getting there in time before it’s too late.
Putredine –
Purple flames wrap around the victim like thick ropes. They don’t burn. They weaken the flesh, poison the blood. Extremely painful upon impact. If left unhealed for long periods of time the flesh rots and must be amputated. There is no designated healing spell for this curse, and healers have had to use creative and various methods to treat it’s victims. Effectiveness of treatment methods is inconsistent.
Ave –
Spell leaves small but deep wounds in the victim, like holes. The number and depth of holes depends on wand movement and strength of the spell cast. The wounds are deeply reminiscent of bullet holes.
Flamma pulmintra –
The precursor to Cinere, the ash spell. Turns the air in the victim’s lungs scorching hot, burns the victim inside out. There is no designated healing spell for this curse, and healers have had to use creative and various methods to treat it’s victims. Effectiveness of treatment methods is inconsistent.
Naufragi tumet –
Attacks the nerves of the affected area of the body. The nerves swell and twist into new shapes. Extremely painful upon impact, and for a time afterwards the affected body part would be useless. Healers have had to use creative and various methods to treat it’s victims. Effectiveness of treatment methods is inconsistent.
Lapise –
Turns the victim’s flesh to stone. Upon casting will transfigure the part of the body it hits to stone, and begin a very slow and gradual spread throughout the rest of the body. The speed and duration of the transfiguration depends on the caster’s skill. it can take anywhere from hours, to days, to weeks to spread out in a noticeable rate, by then the battle will have long been over. A skilled healer or wix knowledgeable in human transfiguration can slowly and painstakingly undo the effects of the spell, but the effectiveness of that process depends on the skills of said healer itself. The spell has no official counter, as it doesn’t officially exist in any text, and is only known and used by Death Eaters.
Pavor –
The victim is suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed by intense, all-consuming fear and panic. The effects of this spell last anywhere from minutes to hours, and the echoes of fear linger for long afterwards. Victims of this curse would do anything from freeze mid battle, drop their wand and curl up in a ball and rock back and forth, scream, weep, run and run and run amid spellfire with no direction or logic or thought. Nothing but fear. Nothing but panic. Very few people give this spell the weight it deserves – it has no permanent physical effects and as such, survivors of this curse are given a calming draught at most and dismissed as healthy afterwards without a second thought.
Interrogation spells:
Flore —
Seeds twist into existence within every joint of the body. They grow, and bloom, and by the end of the spell flowers have pushed their way out of shoulders, elbows, and knees, in full bloom. The only thing that will stop the flowers’ progress is speech: talk, and the pain stops. Talk, and maybe they’ll finally kill you. Victims of this curse retain full awareness and mental clarity throughout this process. The pain settles without the haze to dull it.
If the spell is canceled before the flowers have pushed their way out, the victim may live. They may suffer permanent injuries, most notably in the knees, wrists, and elbows. The seeds will remain embedded in every joint.
Shortly after joining the order, Severus Snape crafted a healing spell that heals most of the wounds inflicted by the curse, depending on the severity, and a potion to dissolve the seeds and mend the joints back together. Full recovery is not guaranteed.
Dolor —
This spell is used for torture and for extracting information from victims. When cast, the lightest of touches upon the skin would cause the most excruciating pain. Running a feather down a victim’s arm would send them screaming and weeping themselves hoarse. A sharp gust of wind would cut like knives. The weight of their clothes, the press of their shoes, the texture of the earth against the soles of their feet. Everything will cause relentless waves of pain. Being under the effects of this spell for too long is known to send victims into shock, and in extreme cases, lose their minds.
Interrogations using this spell are usually conducted by two or more Death Eaters. One to cast the spell and keep it going, and the other to ask the questions and make sure they receive an answer. Victims of this spell are treated with the same remedies a victim of the cruciateus is. Non-Death Eaters who have seen or heard of this spell often refer to it as the other cruciateus.
That one mf-ing spell:
Cinere —
The victim turns to ash. First the skin, then the muscle, then the tissue, then the bones. It's a slow and meandering process, unsteady and certain only in it’s inevitability, picking up speed and intensity only to jolt to a near halt, then meander for a while longer as if to play some more. It may take, on average, from three to seven days to complete. The victim remains alive through the entirety of the process. There is yet no known counter for this curse. Once a victim has been hit, the only thing that can be done to stop the pain is a mercy kill.
This curse was created to send a message. Powerful enemies of the Dark Lord would die slowly and painfully in plain view of their loved ones, begging for death. This curse was not used frequently so as to not reduce its impact.
promptfairy·:
headcanon prompts with questions based on plants & what they represent in flower language . happy roleplaying !! ♡
abatina : is there anything in life your muse has changed their mind about over time ( due to becoming more educated on the topic , certain experiences , etc . ) , or that they would change their mind about under certain circumstances ?
acanthus : is your muse deceptive , or willing to lie or deceive to achieve certain means ? why or why not ?
aloe : how does your muse handle grief ?
amaryllis : what is something or someone that your muse takes pride in ? how do they express that pride ?
anemone : how does your muse view the world ; as a cruel & unforgiving place , a land full of wonders , or something in - between ? where does that world view come from ( what experiences , life lessons , etc . ) ?
angelica : where does your muse draw inspiration in life ? what motivates them ?
apple blossom : how does your muse go about expressing or not expressing their sexuality ?
bachelor’s button : does your muse actively seek romantic companionship , or cherish the liberties of being single ?
basil : does your muse have a love - hate relationship with anyone or anything ?
bay tree : does your muse seek glory & accolades , or do they favour a simpler , more personal life ?
begonia : how cautious is your muse ? are they prone to noticing red flags , or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ? why or why not ?
belladonna : how does your muse respond to silence ? do they take comfort in soundlessness , or seek to fill the void with noise ?
bluebell : does your muse learn from their past , or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes ?
carnation : what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ? how do they express or not express this relationship ?
chamomile : what is your muse likely to take away from a painful experience ? are they one to be haunted by adversity , or to use what they’ve gone through to become stronger ?
chrysanthemum : how does your muse express romantic love ? how do they feel about love as a concept ?
daffodil : is your muse one to be loyal in relationships , or are they likely to quickly move from one bond to another ?
daisy : did your muse ever feel as though their innocence had been lost ? what moment in their life could be described as the end of their innocence ?
edelweiss : what was the bravest moment in your muse’s life ? are they known to be courageous from then on ?
fern : does your muse believe in magic or cosmic forces , or are they more likely to think their life is ultimately a matter of their own control ?
forget - me - not : has your muse ever forgotten something that is or was important to them ? are they afraid of forgetting things like that ?
gardenia : is your muse one to confess romantic feelings early on , or to conceal them for long periods of time ?
gladiolus : describe a moment from your muse’s life that they will never forget .
goldenrod : does your muse believe in luck or fortune ? why or why not ? where do they believe these things come from ?
heliotrope : does your muse believe in soulmates ?
hibiscus : how does your muse view the gentler , daintier things in life ? as things worth preserving & caring for , or things only bound to wither & disappear ?
holly : how strong is your muse’s sense of intuition ? are they aware of it ? do they ever fear that it is only paranoia ?
hollyhock : how strong is your muse’s sense of ambition ? what’s something they strive for in life ?
hyacinth : is your muse athletic ? does it come naturally to them , or have they had to work for their physique and/or skill ?
hydrangea : how much does your muse value communication in their relationships with others ? are they prone to being misunderstood ?
iris : if your muse could convey one last message to someone they have lost or left behind , what would it be ?
ivy : what are your muse’s views on marriage ? do they believe it is something strictly for love , or an institution rooted in business & social benefits ? do they desire or have they desired to be married ?
lavender : how easy is it to gain your muse’s trust ? once their trust is broken , how might one go about mending it ?
lilac : what was your muse’s childhood like ? how has their upbringing affected them as they’ve aged ?
lily : how does your muse view their mother ?
lotus : has your muse ever felt as though they’ve been reborn ? have they ever desired the feeling of a fresh start , or a better understanding of themself and/or the world around them ?
magnolia : describe your muse’s relationship with nature & the natural world .
marigold : is your muse prone to jealousy ? how might they handle envious feelings ?
mint : does your muse view themself as virtuous & moral ? what do these words mean to them ?
nasturtium : describe your muse’s relationship with their birthplace , or homeland .
oak : who would your muse consider the strongest person they know ?
pansy : does your muse often reflect on their own actions ? do they ever think a lot about the past , and what they could have done differently ?
parsley : describe a holiday your muse enjoys , and why they enjoy it .
peony : what would a ‘ happy life ’ look like in your muse’s eyes ?
poppy : what comforts your muse ?
rhododendron : is your muse receptive to warnings & advice given by others ?
rose : how much does your muse value other people ? do they wish to have many friends , lovers , and/or associates ? are they an easy person to love ?
sage : what is your muse’s legacy ? what do they want to be remembered for & what might they actually be remembered for ?
salvia : is your muse possessive over people or things that matter a lot to them ? how do they express that possessiveness , or lack thereof ?
snapdragon : is your muse merciful ? why or why not ?
southernwood : how seriously does your muse take themself ? do they prefer a solemn & intellectual atmosphere or do they delight in jokes & banter ?
sunflower : what brings your muse the most joy in life ?
tulip : how does your muse view people in general ?
violet : how does your muse respond to betrayal ?
willow : how does your muse handle sadness & depression ?
zinnia : how has the loss of fallen comrades and/or loved ones affected your muse ? has it taught them anything or given them any new perspectives ?
madeyed-andmoody:
Alastor was bent over a table, pouring over the maps he’d drawn up on each of the childrens’ homes, York and London and Wiltshire and Liverpool. Each of them had become familiar, something he could trace over in his sleep by this point. It was imperative he knew, imperative that these children were kept safe.
Alastor hated feeling powerless, hated feeling like he was not doing enough. So he plotted and planned and he learned to fill in his inadequacies.
The dining room doors swung open and Alastor glanced up, eyes landing on Severus Snape. Just the wix he wanted. He motioned for the other to come closer, a pleasantry falling from his lips on habit.
“Snape. What did you find out?”
They approached the dining table, returning the pleasantry with a nod, their wand moving instinctively to spell the doors shut and ward them against snooping, magical and otherwise. ‘ Bellatrix Lestrange will be at Liverpool, ’ they said without preamble. ‘ The Lestrange brothers as well, ’ though that went without saying. The head of the beast being there meant it’s claws and tail would surely follow. They placed the small vial on the table, wispy silver shimmering under the morning light. Thoughts and memories, shifting images they gleaned from Rabastan’s mind the night before. ‘ We may need to keep our teams informed. ’
They paused. They knew who they'd assigned to Liverpool, and what they were capable of, and what they weren’t. ‘ I suggest we rethink our team assignments. ’
asphodelroot:
Lily’s first stop after the first time she’d lost Remus in the two seconds she’d turned her back on him had been the bar, where she’d spent a frustrating ten minutes talking the bartender through making a Shirley Temple—okay maybe four of those had been spent convincing them she really did need four cherries; grenadine and ginger ale wasn’t a hard concept for anyone to grasp. The name seemed to be the main sticking point, because the ‘Cherry-Bomb Fizz’ the bartender had presented her with a flourish seemed no different from what little Shirley would sip on at all those fancy Hollywood parties. Save for perhaps the excessive amount of cherries.
Drink acquired and first cherry quickly dispatched, the second stop on Lily’s limited itinerary was this now habitual table, out of the way and with an excellent view of main room. The second cherry hadn’t survived long, and the third was tucked behind her teeth as she scoffed. “I don’t make bets against my own interests,” she said. Not to mention ones she was pretty sure had the odds severely stacked against her. “As long as it’s not Sirius, we’ll all survive.” They never needed a reenactment of that fight, but they especially didn’t need one on this particular night, with Remus ready to rip into anyone and everyone at the drop of the hat. Looking sidelong at her friend, Lily had no humor to her as she added, “Don’t encourage it.”
Severus plopped the last cherry into his mouth before it met its fast approaching demise. ‘ Hmm, doesn't that sound like a lie, ’ he said aloud, and pushed his plate of sausage rolls and fries between them to head off protests regarding his ill-concealed theft. He could think of a few occasions where Lily made bets directly against her own interests, with predictable consequences. But like the good friend he was he kept the details to himself.
Severus hummed, eyes flickered down the other side of the room to where Black was. Severus always knew where the other one was if they were in the same room. Old habits die hard, and six years of distance clearly weren’t enough to dull his caution. For good reason. He looked back at Lily and lifted both hands up in mock surrender. ‘ Alright, alright, I’ll resist. ’ He would try. The little part of him that urged to poke the hungry bear stomped about in protest. He brushed it aside. His tone turned serious. ‘ Did you talk to Lupin? What was he like? ’ It wasn’t a regular full moon coming up. They were all concerned for a repeat of last May, even with the adjustments Severus made to the Wolfsbane. ‘ He’s always agitated before a full moon. ’