I will literally never get over how Jane Austen, in 1813, wrote a man accepting rejection by saying “well women always play hard to get so I’ll take your no as a yes”. And this is still accurate to this day.
Just like Slughorn, Albus Dumbledore collects people. Only, instead of focusing on those with influence, he looks to the outcasts.
The expelled half-giant. The young werewolf. The repentant Death Eater.
He protects them and gives them a second chance. All he asks in return is their loyalty.
And, if on occasion he requests that they undertake a certain task, invoking their debt of gratitude - well, that is no more than he is owed.
He once thought to add a certain disowned Black to his collection, but quickly realised his mistake.
Sirius is not an outcast, but a rebel. He knowingly chose his path, and chooses what price he is willing to pay for it. He refuses to be used.
So Albus Dumbledore abandons him.
Who gave you the RIGHT?
Dumbledore knows Sirius’s loyalty lies with Harry instead of him, and he has no use for someone who is not willing to follow his orders without question.
Ooooohoo if there’s ever a post that fits my aesthetic…
okay but then where does Harry himself fit into this collection? Is he an outcast because he is “the Boy Who Lived”?
Nooonono, my friend, that’s what makes this post so beautiful. Because it fits the meta I’ve been trying to get people to accept for years.
Harry was an outcast due to a childhood filled with abuse and neglect.
Vernon made him an outcast by dismissing his claims of magic, berating him, locking him in a CLOSET and putting bars on his window, and let’s face it, even though her editor made her cut it out, Jo intended for there to be physical abuse.
Petunia made him an outcast by enabling and contributing to this abuse, as well as making Harry do dozens of chores while doting on Dudley.
Dudley made him an outcast by bullying him and threatening any students at school who wanted to be his friends.
And the rest of the wizarding world made him an outcast when they bullied him for being an outsider.
Harry James Potter became an outcast the moment he was placed with The Dursleys.
And who put him there in the first place?
I’m here for this Anti-Dumbledore discussion.
This makes even more sense when you consider why Dumbledore deliberately made Harry an outcast.
Think about it What would Harry have been like if he had grown up in the wizarding world? Or, to put it another way, what would Harry have been like if he had grown up in a world where magic was the norm?
He would have taken magic for granted. He would have been less likely (especially as he got older) to view Dumbledore as a wise mentor and more likely to see him as flawed and capable of bad decisions. He would have seen both the world and Dumbledore as ordinary, with their good points and bad points.
But Dumbledore didn’t need a well-adjusted boy who took magic and the magical world for granted. He needed a child who would love the magical world unstintingly, even irrationally, because it was a haven from neglect and abuse. Even more, he needed a child who feared this world becoming evil and who therefore would not question someone that he saw as the ultimate authority, especially if he believed that obeying that authority would keep the world safe.
Even if obedience meant his own death.
Dumbledore wanted a martyr who would die for the wizarding world, because he believed that Voldemort could not die until Harry did. Which was why he left Harry with the Dursleys and let them neglect and emotionally abuse him for the next ten years.
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan designated the month of October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month.
This month we let women, and men, know that they are not alone. 1 in 4 women will experience a miscarriage in their lifetime, 1 in 160 women will experience a stillbirth in their lifetime, and according to the CDC 2,500 babies were reported to have passed away from SIDS. These are statistics, the facts, but these are real life mothers and fathers who have lost a child.
I give you these statistics because we live in a society that considers infertility, miscarriage, stillbirths, and infant loss to be taboo topics to speak on. I understand that these are heartbreaking instances, and people may be uncomfortable with speaking about them, but they need to be talked about. They are real life occurrences plaguing families all over the world.
This month is just as much about awareness as it is remembrance. We remember the babies born sleeping, those we carried but we never able to hold, those we held in our arms but were unable to take home with us, and those who came home but were taken too soon and could not stay.
I know there are friends and family who have experienced the loss of a child and are open about their pain and suffering and others who keep it to themselves out of a sense of privacy or fear of being open about it.
You are not alone. Your pain is valid. We will not forget you or the children you have had to say goodbye to far too soon.
Rest in peace sweet angels, you were loved from the very beginning, to the day we said goodbye, and are still in our hearts now.
This is actually super helpful for someone who has trouble accepting any emotions that seem “bad” or “negative.” It’s nice to know those unpleasant feelings have a real purpose!
Anxiety. Guilt and sadness. Like a revolving door for me sometimes. This is a great resource for recognising ways to adapt my feelings to something more positive and see the better way…
Daily reminder:
If they wanna talk to you, they will. If they wanna be with you, they will. If they wanna make things work, they will. Don’t let things be one sided. It’s not healthy, and it’s not fair to you.
Blah. This is importan for me. I totally crush on random ass people that don’t even like me who probably rarely even remember I exist and then I get sad when they don’t give me attention.
Sweaty #selfie or it didn’t happen right? Warmed up with @sarahbethyoga
#Yoga warm up, then some posture #Pilates from @thebalancedlife and then #burnbootcamp because I’m trying something new since my energy has been improving!
