Subject: Purityworld Deconstruction Year One is finished!
Author:
Posted on: 2022-12-05 23:34:22 UTC
A debrief with Dumbledore, and going home.
Next up is year two: Lord Harry Potter and the Pureblood Panopticon! Stay tuned :)
I'm so sorry I didn't get to this before it fell off the front page! I've been fighting an infection and a sore throat, so I haven't had much energy outside of work. : (
Oh dear, I can see why those witches would be irritated by their "cameos" in Macbeth! Although considering how they're compared with Macbeth in the play ("something wicked this way comes"), I can also imagine Shakespeare intending it as a bit of satire: "You think our magical neighbors are spooky and weird, get a load of what obsessive ambition can do to us Muggles!"
Oh my gosh, Percy, dude, you were touching her hair in public my dude! What were you thinking man, your hands were in her hair, holy crap! It's just so scandalous and ha ha h ah ha ha ha ha ha ah ah ahga rfbyhuifcweifubyhwuc hair being a taboo thing will never stop being funny for me!
Wow, and here comes Pansy with some actual character beyond "bully!" I hope she does manage to get on the Quidditch team without catching too much flack from her parents. And I doubt she'll be able to convince Draco to lay off, but I'll be impressed if she at least tries. Jeeze, JKR really named one of her least friendly female characters, "pansy," didn't she . . .
—doctorlit only just noticed you added "Lord" into the title for this year
I could definitely see Shakespeare intending some satire that kinda missed the target there, yeah. Given how witch-burnings were happening at the time, I imagine they took that about as well as a Jewish person at the time might have taken Shylock.
The hairkink is pretty hilarious ;P Yeah Perce, I hope you’re intending to take responsibility for pawing up her hair!
I think JKR said she named Pansy that because she was bullied by a Pansy in school or something? But yeah, not a fun correlation, and honestly Pansy was really one-note in the books, which ultimately cheapened the house unity message they were trying for in the later years. We’ll see how this rebellion of hers works out…
Happy New Year!
The character interactions were just, well, adorable. And the Shakespeare line was very amusing.
Though I think it’s spelled “boogie” and not “bogie”? Maybe it’s a regional difference I’m picking up on.
—Ls
Actually it's bogie/bogey in UK English! I think bogie is a slightly more northern spelling--I might switch it to bogeys.
I'm glad you liked the Shakespeare reference! I mean, I'm the one responsible for the PPC's Shakespeare troupe--A Troupe by Any Other Name. ;)
Even though it largely stayed close to its original analogue, there are so many little changes that it held my attention quite a bit. It was especially fun to get a greater glimpse of Knockturn Alley, even with the adult additions, since we never saw much of it in canon. I love all the stores you invented there! Oh, and nice job sneaking it that early reference to the Deathly Hallows in the one painting!
I have to say, seeing Arthur Weasley go absolutely feral on Lucius Malfoy was an unexpected treat! It feels so off for his character, but I can also understand how galling the deprivation of the Weasley family resources has been for Arthur, especially with all the kids he has to house and clothe and feed. (Though it's nice Ginny doesn't need to wear her brothers' hand-me-downs in this timeline!) But in a weird way, it was also rather satisfying to see Molly and Narcissa both scolding their husbands at the same time. I know Narcissa is no friend to Molly, but it was just . . . kind of nice to see them on the same wavelength, even if they weren't necessarily teaming up in any direct fashion? I guess I just subconsciously want everyone to be friends, and that moment had the right vibes for me.
—doctorlit, somehow cheering on both the dad fight and the double-mom-scold
The Poisoned Apple is in the original Purityworld worldbuilding as "A pureblood club that has an exclusive Dark Magic membership policy." Pretty much everything else I made up--I wanted Knockturn to be forbidden because it was more louche and adult-only, rather than full of Dark Magic, since Purityworld cares more about manners and propriety than light versus dark magic.
Arthur does fight Lucius in the books! It's how Lucius allegedly gets access to Ginny's cauldron to plant Tom's diary. It's just that in the books he sort of got goaded into it through Lucius' insults, whereas here he has more motivation to throw down. And neither Narcissa nor Molly is happy about this public brawling because, well, their husbands should be setting good examples for their kids! I'm glad that moment of accidental solidarity is good, though.
Thanks for reading, as always! Next up: the journey to Hogwarts!
. . . and you're right, of course, they totally do get into a fight. To my embarrassment, I think the film version had overwritten my original memory from reading!
—doctorlit feels bookstores are no place for fist fights
The Burrow has been modified from its canon appearance to better reflect the Weasleys as an (ex-)Most Ancient House. It's inspired by Woolton Hall in Liverpool, particularly the stairwell.
Nice to see the Weasleys are mostly unchanged! They're teeny bit off, with the way Ron talks about house-elves being like furniture, and Mrs. Weasley worrying about Arthur's standing in the government, but they're mostly untouched by the phoniness and performativeness of the culture. It's nice when people get to act like people, yeah?
I was going to say something about Ginny dropping off the roof, but then I realized it would be hypocritical of me. montage of doctorlit dropping off ladders and throwing himself over fences at work
(Incidentally, Ron is probably objectively right to prefer gnomes over peafowl! Peafowl are nice to look at, but their waste is large solid splops, like a mix of dog waste and soft serve ice cream. Also, their voice can be distracting, especially when you're still asleep in the morning!)
New Terms You've Taught doctorlit Today:
-kissing gate
-Wellies (though I'd heard of the brand before)
—doctorlit, Lord of the Embarrassing and Ignoble House of _________
Ron didn’t exactly have the best track record with house-elf rights in canon, so I reckon it’s not incredibly off the mark for him there. And Mrs Weasley did send a Howler in canon about Arthur having an inquiry at work because of the car thing, so she’s also been known to be concerned about his standing!
That being said, yeah, they still care a little bit about society’s perception of them, since the Prewetts are Most Ancient Houses and the Weasleys used to be!
Haha oh my god take care.
Everything I learn about peacocks tells me they’re terrible creatures to raise. I suspect they’re the bane of the house-elves.
~Lily, happy you reviewed on her birthday
I have no doubt that the Malfoy house-elves spend an awful lot of time outside with scoopers, scrubs, and disinfectant. Oh wait, I forget sometimes they have crazy strong magic; I hope that's the sort of thing they can snap away with their fingers!
Incidentally, there's a rumor that peafowl are the reason my zoo even exists for me to work at: The zoo's founder was initially collecting animals on his own property, including peafowl (he was a Bird Guy). Legend says that his neighbors complained to the county about the sound, especially from the peafowl. The county tried to force him to surrender all the exotic birds, on the basis that he didn't have a zoo license. So he went out and got a zoo license, and found a cheap plot of farmland he could start developing, to eventually move the animals into!
—doctorlit wishes you a very happy birthday!
Great work! I really love how you reoriented an institution of oppression into something through which genuine love can be expressed. I wonder if Harry will let his friends borrow his magic somehow?
Second year will delve into older variants of bonding and other ways of accessing magic, so...perhaps something of that sort is on the horizon? But I do absolutely intend on emphasising the necessity of choosing to give someone your magic rather than having it be taken from you as their birthright/marriage right.
Thank you once again for reading! Hope you like the second year, too!
This chapter is pretty effing long, so I decided to upload it a little earlier than planned.
Aaaaah. Aaaaaaaaah. And you had to drop Dobby on us right away! I don't know if I'm emotionally ready to read through Dobby's character arc again . . .
I feel like I learned a lot about all these characters through this POV-swapping perspective, most especially Narcissa and Malfoy. It's nice to see that Malfoy really hasn't swallowed the full Koolaid yet, and is still a kiddo wanting to have fun with others kiddos. It was especially eye-opening to realize that a lot of the mean stuff he had been saying was spoken less from a place of actual haughtiness, and more out of (what Draco feels is) necessity. The canon version of Narcissa felt so much like a copy of Draco when she was introduced—bullying the Weasley family, like that's such a normal thing for an adult to do—that dropping into the inner narration of this version was quite jarring. She seems so controlled and calm compared to her canon self! And she doesn't seem to bear any particular ill will towards the Potters. Putting the Pureblood stuff aside, she's a rather ordinary and straightforward person! . . . is what I might have said if she didn't open on threatening poor Dobby over one 64th of the color pie. I hope she chokes on a garden rake! I loved Harry during his interactions with Narcissa. In year one, I pictured his voice being the same as little, tiny Daniel Radcliffe's, but during this chapter, he kept slipping into disaffected U.S. suburban teen, and it's glorious to picture him deadpanning some of those responses to Narcissa's proselytizing. Lastly (and I don't even know if this was intentional on your part), I find it very interesting that Neville's presence at the party isn't mentioned until Harry's POV section, with both Lily and Narcissa overlooking his presence entirely. A bias on the part of the grownups to overlook the sad, wimpy kid, while his fellow students at least recognize him as a peer? Also, it's easy to overlook next to the revelation that Draco wouldn't have been allowed to invite Hermione and Ron, but it really is a big deal that Draco insisted on inviting Neville to make sure Harry would have someone he knows at the party!
Aha. I see was wrong to think Gaunt-as-politician wouldn't have a body count in this timeline. But now I see a lot more people than James went down to him. I should have known better that someone like Voldemort couldn't be that different, no matter the timeline or culture . . . and it seems he's Bonding multiple women? That's why no one realized Professor Greengrass was Bonded to him: he's already made multiple Bonds? And the Tome of Avalon is a Bible analog . . . I thought most of the yikes was over with in year one, but it seems the pureblood panopticon is filled with yikes, and they are all starting to pour out! (Excellent title, by the way, big intimidating energy!)
Although speaking of Voldemorts and kill counts, I had to stare at Regulus's name for several seconds before going, "of course!" It makes sense he would still be alive, and I like the characterization you've given him. Much more even-keeled than Sirius, but with an intense emotionality that can lash out when provoked. When "Pettigrew's betrayal" was alluded to during year one, I naively assumed the betrayal was publicly known, and that Pettigrew would be the one in Azkaban, and Sirius still free; it's disappointing to learn Sirius is still publicly blamed, but I suppose that needs to wait until next year . . .
Man, I could not get through that scene between Narcissa and Lucius without laughing out loud. I can't take "Be dreadful with me" seriously, on any level! But it did make me wonder why, if witches have greater magic power because of their head batteries, why this society still seems so masculine-dominated. (Sounds like mostly men in the Wizengamot, and Pureblood women are dissuaded from playing Quidditch, etc.) Why not just? Take over? Go full Lysistrata and withhold magic from the boys? Also, nobody better tell Pureblood society about Samson from the real Bible, oh boy . . .
I really liked the dynamics you wrote between all the Slytherin students during the Quidditch game. We're so used to seeing Slytherin characters being aggressive towards others, I enjoyed seeing them being able to play a game ruthlessly, and still be civil to each other afterwards. It feels like a great interpretation of the Slytherin ambition being curbed by these students seeing each other as equals, at least roughly.
Some random thoughts/observations/questions:
-I expected the house-elf band to be a joke, but I like the idea of them actually playing well, and the observation that sheet music is a form of instruction, which house-elves would naturally excel at!
-Gosh, it feels weird for Jennifer Robinson to have biological family members, but it makes sense; she isn't a magical avatar in this world!
-I am learning all kinds of new French words today! Parure, croquembouche, choux . . . and I will probably never use them again!
-Harry is producing wandless, nonverbal magic when he gets angry in this chapter. Still bleeding off his mom's energy from the fight with Professor Greengrass?
-So . . . the Lockhart in this timeline . . . is a . . . romance novelist? A romance novelist who self-inserts in every one of his books? Or is he . . . like a. . . love guru? Helping people in their relationships and then . . . publishing the accounts of them? That's somehow so much worse than what his canon self was doing!
-One typo: "At the gate, Lily turned to her son, fixing her with her sternest stare."
And now I am sleepy! Good night!
—doctorlit waits for the inevitable moment when a Muggleborn witch shows up the Wizarding World in Marge Simpson hair
Yep! It's a thing! She's actually had several over her several lives. You can't just exist without having been born in a lot of universes. {= )
I don't have a great explanation for how that works, because everything I think of is a bit troubling if I think about it too hard. Is she inserting herself into a suitable existing family like a cuckoo? Is everyone related to her basically a "sundog" with no independent existence or free will? Maybe the universe just reacts to her presence by forming up this structure around her like a pearl around an irritant? I don't know. Maybe sometimes it's one thing, sometimes another. Like, I've occasionally given her a twin sister, and that's definitely the sundog thing, but the rest of the time? *big shrug*
As Lily says, her Purityworld family is based on her family from a Marauder-era RP I was in ages ago, but it's not identical. Her parents are the same: Argo, a British wizard, and Nora, an American muggle. But in the RP, she had a twin as I mentioned, who is not present here. And there is her great-uncle Aeron, current head of the Robinson family and the Penruddock house, who I made up purely for the deconstruction. There were also some Greek cousins in the RP that also exist in Purityworld, but I don't think they're going to play a part.
... Though, little-known trivia: I've toyed with the idea of Jenni having a couple of actual siblings (sort of) of her own kind. But I have no plans to do anything with them in the PPC, and trust me, HQ is much better off for it. I'm pretty sure the three of them royally effed up at least one world in their universe when they were young, and the other two haven't matured as much as Jenni has since.
~Neshomeh is still a little mad at N.K. Jemisin for having done a very similar concept so goddamn well already.
P.S. Because I can, have some Recolor.me images of Argo, Nora, and Aeron:
. . . a process similar to minis, where the story produces a "word construct" to account for an unfamiliar spelling—just filling in a gap in history/logic, instead? That way, her family members are still real, legitimate beings, just no organic ones, like minis!
—doctorlit, constructing words
... more or less the same as my pearl analogy? And it's definitely the least troubling option so far. {= D
~Neshomeh
Yes, I thought having the POV swapping was necessary to highlight the "panopticon" element of year two! It's going to go back to Harry for pretty much the rest of the year (with one detour into Hermione's POV), but basically all of the elements needed for the year two mystery have been established in this chapter. :)
This Narcissa is actually heavily inspired by this Narcissa in this actual Purityworld fic. She just read as so horribly full of herself and yet was tagged "good Narcissa", so I had a lot of fun mimicking that character voice but showing her doing terrible things like bullying Dobby and planning to make Lady Parkinson stop Pansy from trying out for the Quidditch team.
Yes, the grown-ups didn't really notice Neville there! But Draco did indeed invite him as an "acceptable Pureblood" who also happens to be friendly with Harry. There's a little bit more equitability and inter-house unity in Purityworld--but mostly because all the Purebloods are supposed to band together against the noncompliant Muggleborns and blood traitors. Also, I wanted to show the Slytherins as more personable than in canon, but not veering fully into the uwu woobie misunderstood characterisations that is very common in the Pureblood culture neck of fandom. Similarly, I didn't want to make Lucius and Narcissa completely unsympathetic, and that's why their little moment before the ball is so goopily funny. They're capable of being horribly in love with one another while also being horrible to everyone else!
Politician!Voldemort still has blood on his hands! It's just that he doesn't do the killing himself, for more deniability. ;P As for the bonds... you'll see in year two what sort of bond the Knights of Camelot have. I'm super excited about Regulus! Having him here means Harry (and Draco) gets to have someone more rooted in the Pureblood customs but is still a decent person as another mentor figure. And as for Sirius... he is indeed still the focus of year three. I mean... Ron still has Scabbers!
Unfortunately, in Purityworld fics there really isn't a lot of solidarity between the female characters. The heroines invariably view other women as competition for their love interests and portray them as screeching harridans or sluts. Pureblood ladies don't need no stinkin' feminism! They've got Twoo Wuv! But that's probably why they haven't figured out yet that their extra magic power in their hair means they could hypothetically have more power than their husbands. They don't want to be anything but sweet and submissive to their love interest. It's in their ~nature~. /s
-I really like the house-elf band, too! I feel like it muddles with the idea of them only being there to serve--if they're able to play music, couldn't they be capable of other forms of self-expression? But of course Narcissa thinks they only know how to play because of sheet music and not any sort of human-esque ability to do art.
-Yeah. She's got parents and a great-uncle! I think they're from a previous Hogwarts AU that Nesh did...
-That's actually more accidental magic, since he lost control.
-You'll see exactly what he's doing as the year unfolds, but I can say right now that most of his books' plots are riffing off of actual Purityworld fics. For example: Banshees and Ballgowns, Gemstones and Gillyweed, Snitches and Sensibilities, Veela and Valentines, Honour and Hairbrushes, etc.
-Thanks for catching that! I think I caught it myself too but missed fixing it somehow...
Thank you for reading! Good night!
I see I'm missing some context by not reading some of these actual purityworld fics . . . but I'm not going to! : )
Following from my assumption that Pettigrew was in Azkaban, I figured Scabbers really was just a rat this time. There's no reason they wouldn't have picked out the same pet and the same name . . . Just so you don't think I'm completely dense!
Yes, Hermione will unite the Wizarding World Women and rise up! Instead of a Senator Gaunt, you will have a Minister Granger! One both bookish and terrible! All shall release their house-elves and despair!
Ew. I feel gross for taking Narcissa's assumption about house-elves at face value . . . It's kind of horrifying how Rowling describing a race of people in terms of slavery apologia can taint my reading of them all these years later . . .
—doctorlit, proud member of S.P.E.W
Reveal the Wizarding World to the Muggles! Actually, why isn’t that a commoner fanfic trope?
—Ls, just reading the reviews
. . . the no-longer-playable cell phone game that takes place a year before Cursed Child. The character revealed to be the "villain" was trying to expose the Wizarding World to the Muggle World, and unite both cultures. It wasn't Hermione, if course,but another staff member in the Ministry.
—doctorlit wasted too many hours on that game
She definitely wasn't evil. Her grandfather ran a group of wealthy wizards called the Unforgiveable, who helped each other acquire more wealth through backroom dealings, and allied with Voldemort while he was active. Constance pulled a Crouch, Jr. on her grandpa, locking him up and using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him and take control of the group to reduce the harm they were causing. She led them into causing the Calamity to reveal magic to Muggles (and ironically, was placed in charge of the task force to combat the Calamity; the players were working for her all along!). But eventually, Minister Granger was able to convince her that the kidnappings and extortions she had committed along the way weren't worth the end goal, and that Muggles weren't yet ready to deal with knowledge of the Wizarding World. She ended the Calamity spell and turned herself in afterwards.
—doctorlit enjoys a little weird side canon
You don't need to read them, honestly; it's more of an easter egg for people who have suffered through Purityworld fics :P
Ahh, yeah, I can see how that'd come about! But for what it's worth, Sirius is in Azkaban for things completely unrelated to James Potter's death--in fact, in this timeline, he was in Azkaban before James died. But you'll have to wait for year 3 for the full story!
Citizen Granger is hitting the barricades! Volumnia Greengrass, first up against the wall!
I don't blame you for buying Narcissa's words! I mean, JKR really did fumble that house-elf plot there by suggesting they ~like~ being enslaved. I am definitely planning to toss that entire thing out the window. Can you tell this rewrite is one part lampooning Pureblood Culture and one part fixing things I found problematic in the canon itself? :P
Doesn't even feel like Hermione, getting all weepy like that. And it implies that acceptance of unjust social division is the mature, rational mindset. Ew. I'm even happier to have read one version of Greengrass getting face-meltered now!
—doctorlit on lunch break
You can be entertained by the deconstruction without reading the actual fics, but it's more cathartic if you have read the originals. But I guess that's kinda the same for other deconstruction stories--The Boys is more entertaining if you've been swamped by idealistic superhero movies, for example.
...we haaaaaave BL11 The Malfoy parents are dastardly, I tell ya. You did a very good job selling us on the "evil couple of evil who genuinely love each other and complement each other well" in Narcissa's section. Not that you were very hamfisted with the evil part, but come on, that's what they are. Seeing the ball from four different perspectives gave us a lot of character insight as well as information we wouldn't have gotten otherwise -- you could almost call it a... panopticon? Getting Draco's perspective was pretty cool, and crucial since we need to understand what it's like to be a kid growing up on this dreck to truly understand the setting -- and to understand what obstacles Draco will face on his path to being a better-redeemed character than he was in the books.
I like this Harry! I have a brain now, so I can appreciate him more than I ever could with canon Harry: An idealistic, justice-driven hero who gets a little too emotional sometimes and blasts people into pudding. Typical Lion behavior, tbh, and behavior I find... resonant. I can't wait to see where his character goes; I think it'll do me some good. Him suffering consequences for his misbehavior was also a much-needed jolt, and parents doing actual parenting isn't something you see often so it's nice to see. Although he still got off lighter than Malfoy! At least Harry actually did something wrong. And it seems like it's not only possible for a man to drain a woman's magic through a familial bond -- it works both ways, but Societal Standards make it impossible to imagine other paths. Power relations, am I right?
I'm really glad you like the multiple POVs for the opener! I did worry that it's going to be too long and repetitive, but I felt it was necessary to establish the, haha, pureblood panopticon. We'll be back to Harry's POV from here on out (with another detour to Hermione at one point ;) ) so I'm glad you really like my take on Harry! I think him being raised by Lily does make him a little better-adjusted and idealistic, even if he's still the same amount of bullheaded as he is in canon.
Yes, you're correct! The bonds are more equitable than the people in charge want you to think ;)
Thank you for reading and for this in-depth analysis!
Not a whole, whole lot to say on this one, since it's mostly the traditional "adults explain why the happenings happened." The familial bond is interesting. At first, I thought you had taken canon!Lily's sacrificial protection and made it better known and easier to use (aka without getting murdered), but then Ron mentioned any family's patriarch and eldest son can use it, too, so it seems to be an entirely new form of magic? Another element of the semi-matriarchal society, and of course, it involves the hair! Of course! Actually, that reminds me, I also like that your Ginny has a lot more personality and presence, compared to how shy she was in canon's early years. She must have grown up with more confidence in this society, knowing that women have special hair powers? Either way, I love the mental image of 10-year-old Ginny demanding, "This year, you shall steal me a toilet seat, brothers! It shall hang upon the wall!"
I don't entirely follow the reasoning behind destroying the Un-Ceinte master recipe. It seems like the more people have access to it, the better it is for society. I don't see how "others might use it against" Lily and friends, either . . .
—doctorlit awaits year two!
It’s a thing in the “Hair Lore”, where a witch is supposed to keep magic in her hair that she can let her husband and firstborn son access, since they have the “right” to tend to her hair. We just mapped that connection to the same sort of protection that Lily gave Harry via her sacrifice in canon.
The master recipe can be modified with the changes reflected in other copies of the recipe. Therefore, it would be dangerous to keep a written master copy around, lest it fall into the wrong hands like it nearly did with Greengrass. Changes could be stuff like messing with the ingredients to sabotage the potion or putting in a written curse that marks anyone trying to read the recipe to use it, etc. Lily, Jenni, and Severina are simply going to have to personally teach people how to brew Un-Ceinte, and trust that they will pass on the know-how to others that they trust.
Ginny has always been outgoing to me in the books, because to me it was her big hero worship crush on the famous Harry Potter that made her act shy. You can see in books 4-6 that as she gets over her crush and moves on to dating other people, she gets more confident around Harry. Since this is a world where Harry isn’t marked as some special Boy Who Lived (more like a boy who faked his death), to this Ginny he’s just a normal boy who is her brother’s best friend and who happens to be a Lord but who cares about that? You’ll see more of her in second year!
Thank you again for reading!
Aha. So pureblood culture not only views women as babymakers, but as literal containers for energy resources for the men in their life to make use of. Cool. Cool, cool, cool.
Gross.
Man, I feel dumb to be a PPC boarder and not see the danger of a master potion being in the power of editing. : D
They could just distribute ordinary paper recipes, though! I believe Hermione has some flash cards!
—doctorlit can get by with just his own hair's magic reserves, thank you very much
The power of editing indeed! And I suppose using solely Muggle means to copy down the recipe could be a loophole, yes--but you'd have to make sure it's completely done the Muggle way with Muggle paper and pen. I might have planned for Muggle tech to be used as a loophole in several instances in the future, so this would probably slot right in!
Will definitely be following the rest.
Excited to share year two, too!
