The Forbidden Forest

Remus Lupin is lost amid the chaos of a changing world. His mother says her own goodbye, his father seems to disappear into a bottle, and suddenly it's just him and the wolf left.  And the wolf got hungry.  Rho and James talk about the allegory of the wolf, HIV, eating disorders and the conundrum of Peter Pettigrew. 

Content Warning: Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Animal Abuse, Animal Death Sirius Black travels to the north of France over the Christmas holidays of his first year.  Rho and James talk about the frivolous, fantastical world that he travels between. 

We travel back in time to meet Remus Lupin as an eleven year old, just finding out that he's on his way to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. A sheltered boy, Remus is soon swept up into a completely different world, and finds himself struggling to make sense of how to keep his secrets and let in his newfound friends, particularly one Sirius Orion Black.  Afterwards, Rho and James discus...

To make a Grim, you bury a live dog in a churchyard before any person is laid to rest there.  But first, he was a young man named Sirius Black. In chapter one, we meet our protagonists during their seventh year, frantic for some reprieve in the hidden parts of the forbidden forest.  Be warned, this whole chapter is a an angsty sex scene. Read it on AO3. Join our discussion on Facebook. 

10 Years Later. Rho and James wrote this on their honeymoon.

Lucius can’t see thestrals. Draco hides in a cave. Luna and Greg become parents. Rho and James lament and rejoice at the last chapter and talk about redemption arcs, empathy, moral philosophy, and the normalisation of birth in our society.

THE DRAGON CHAPTER. 

Old, dark [blood] magic, only to be defeated by even stronger bonds of friendship and trust. And our aims are identical and our hearts open. Rho and James talk about forgiveness, acceptance, and safety at the near end of the series.

Neither of them drowns, but not everyone survives. In the wake of his grief, Harry finds himself back at Hogwarts. Rho and James talk about Draco's poshest possums draped decadently about his pockets. And, in the middle of all the laughing, talk a bit about death and being in recovery alongside people who die. 

Pansy Parkinson and Portrait! Dumbledore make appearances. Draco has unexpected and unwelcome visitors. James and Rho talk about death magic and Sirius and how much James dislikes Dumbledore.

Hestia and Flora. Fred and George. Teddy and no one. James cries and Rho talks about Harry finding solid ground. 

Draco gets oral sex. Rho and James talk writing sex scenes and fan-fiction versions of sex that contrast with mainstream pornography. 

Harry is dreaming of a big, black dog. What could that mean? 

A lot happens. Harry and Draco come to terms with being death omens. Harry names his thestral Fleabag. The discussion that follows is more Grindledore crack fic allusions and Rho avoiding all the self reflecting. 

Harry delivers his finished memorial to Hogwarts. Luna breaks the news of moving meetings and her maternity leave. Harry and Draco are in a small argument, so it ends with Harry naked. Rho and James talk about Minnie McG, war memorials and sex. 

Greg has a panicked announcement to make, Harry has a birthday dinner, Draco has an orgasm, and Hermione is confronted with systems of magic she can't wrap her head around.  Afterwards, Rho makes James sweat some more talking about intimacy, and they climb atop their soapboxes to yell about their many feelings on witchcraft in an African context. 

Harry does the work. Dennis relapses. Wolfstar. Rho and James talk relapse and recovery, world building and The born and die people.

Draco was dead. Or being kissed? One or the other. Rho and James talk about intimacy, and James does some unintentionally performative exhibitionist recovery work during the discussion. 

Harry struggles with moderating his desire, but takes Draco on a date anyway. It involves greenhouses, Indian food and a kiss! Rho and James talk a bit about creating a space of safety and the dynamic between the two of them. 

Draco at the trial of Rudolphus Lestrange. Slytherin solidarity. Hiss hiss. Rho and James have an hour long discussion about everything. EVERYTHING. Severus Snape. Dumbledore. Death. Dementors as autonomous beings. Chemical castration. Recovery chips. You name it. 

Harry gets into the more frustrating parts of recovery, and right before Draco sends him wizarding porn. Eventually, he makes his first public appearance at Lestrange's trial. Rho hates doing this discussion, but does it anyway. Because recovery is fucking like that. 

Draco quits his job. It's glorious, but also terrifying. He heads to the Ministry of Magic to meet Auror Weasley and others testifying in the Lestrange trial. Rho and James have a very disjointed discussion on fandom, tagging, and other assorted things. You also get to hear about their fake honeymoon. 

Hestia Carrow makes herself known. Harry grows through the pain and comes out as gay to Ron and Hermione. Rho and James talk about recovery as a whole person, the mirroring of Hestia and Draco and Hermione surrounded by NA pamphlets. 

Draco tells his therapist he's having thestral-related hallucinations, meets Hermione in the bowels of the DoM, and finally flees to Luna's house. Eventually, he responds to Harry's letter. Rho and James are interrupted by the latest apocalyptic nightmare, a cricket, but find some time to talk about James's therapist and the Hermione / Draco friendship. 

Harry celebrates one year sober. Rho and James chat about the new characters they're introducing.