History GhostsOfThePast / TropesAToH

* CentralTheme: '''Family.''' In this book, pretty much everyone's family issues come to light and become relevant. Harry begins to understand what it means both to inherit the legacy of Frey (on his father's side), and his mother being the Phoenix plays a huge role throughout the story. He is partially able to connect with [[spoiler: Maddie through their familial link]]. Ron's having lost his father at the end of the last book fuels CharacterDevelopment that leads him on quite a different track from canon. Hermione's being the daughter of Wanda Maximoff becomes important as her chaos magic begins to develop, and [[spoiler: when she learns the truth about her family, she is ''not'' pleased, though happy to meet her grandfather]]. Wanda in turn comes to accept her status as the daughter and daughter-figure of Magneto and Doctor Strange. Carol's issues with both her parents come to light, and Steve connects with his daughter (and becomes his great-granddaughter's real dad). Tony becomes a father as well, leading to some emotional development. Clark Kent comes to grips with his Kryptonian heritage. Scott Summers meets [[spoiler: his clone]], and Harry Dresden his [[spoiler: daughter]].

** Carol's dad, previously established as having [[StayInTheKitchen old fashioned attitudes]], and generally being a StandardFiftiesFather in the wrong century, is established on his first actual appearance as being [[AbusiveParents psychologically abusive]] - something which also, in retrospect, provides the root for most of Carol's issues. He tries to get Harry to use his PsychicPowers to [[MindRape set Carol 'on the right path.']] [[BerserkButton Harry predictably erupts with fury.]] When his wife and mother-in-law get the full story in chapter 20, they agree that he has to go. Since said mother-in-law is [[NeverMessWithGranny Alison Carter]], he is gone in very short order.

* ConflictingLoyalty: Harry is repeatedly caught between trusting and being honest with Ron and Hermione, and obligations to keep secrets from them - in some cases, intensely personal secrets. These include hiding the fact that [[spoiler: Bucky is the Winter Soldier, since he gave Arthur Weasley a MercyKill in HYDRA's assault on the Ministry,]] and Hermione's parentage. The former is secret for security reasons, the latter he figures out and keeps mum about at Wanda's request (since Wanda is his [[ParentalSubstitute godmother]]). This, combined with his tendencies to keep them on the sidelines for their own protection, and LockedOutOfTheLoop because he's not particularly eager to talk to anyone about whatever he's been through unless they were there, causes increasing friction, and both sides are profoundly unhappy about it.

** Harry and Carol. By this point, both of them are aware of their mutual attraction, but [[AnchoredShip deny that they're taking it further,]] or flirting, when they blatantly are. It gets to the point of almost being an ExaggeratedTrope, given that beings who have seen them together for just a few minutes can already tell that they're flirting, and becomes a RunningGag. [[spoiler: Then they finally get together in chapter 46.]]

* FightingTheLancer: A simmering subplot in ''Ghosts'' is the slowly developing friction between Harry and Ron, primarily thanks to Harry keeping Ron LockedOutOfTheLoop thanks to overprotectiveness, wanting to keep Ron and Hermione as his 'normal' friends, and necessary and unnecessary secret-keeping. This, combined with Harry's (secretive, manipulative, pragmatic, and [[ShellShockedVeteran shell-shocked]]) and Ron's (largely normal, but increasingly obsessive about training to hunt down HYDRA and avenge his father's death) CharacterDevelopment, makes their friendship more difficult. Then there's the small fact that Harry's technically hiding Arthur Weasley's killer right under Ron's nose. Neither is happy about this, though they eventually come to adapt... then Hermione's heritage, and the fact that Harry a) knew about it and b) kept it from them comes out.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Harry keeping his knowledge of Wanda being Hermione's mother a secret. On one side, it is not his secret to share, but on the other side, as [[spoiler:Hermione]] points out, he didn't even try to get Wanda to confess.

** Regarding Carol, Harry's just about the only person - prior to [[ParentalSubstitute Steve]] in chapter 60 - other than her mother and grandmother that she lets see her genuinely vulnerable side (thanks to major trust issues, particularly regarding guys) and [[IDontWantToRuinOurFriendship is terrified of ruining their friendship]]).

* CuriousQualmsOfConscience: [[spoiler: Maddie/Rachel]] starts developing these in ''Forever Red'', thanks to Gambit's steadily DefusingTheTykeBomb, and Harry's appeal to a better nature she didn't even know she had, when she starts doubting the morality of her commands when she'd previously executed them without question.

* DarkestHour: The ''Forever Red'' arc arguably hits its in Chapter 12. With the aid of the Red Son [[spoiler: (brainwashed Harry)]], the Red Room is able to cause most of Eastern Europe to leave the European Union and NATO and rejoin Russia's sphere of influence, which also spreads to Central Asia. Meanwhile, the Winter Guard hunts down potential supernatural threats and either wipes them out or forces them to flee to other regions, further increasing Russian influence. And then, just to top it off, [[spoiler: President Volodya tries to shut the Red Room down, only for Lukin to kill him and seize de facto control of the country and most of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.]]

** [[spoiler: Maddie/Rachel]], oh dear god, [[spoiler: Maddie/Rachel.]] [[spoiler: Stolen at birth]], raised as an ArtificialHuman and a LivingWeapon, raised to believe that the latter was her sole purpose for existence and that even the idea of free will was an aberration in her programming, [[MoreThanMindControl shaped to obey without question]] and programmed with shut down commands if this isn't enough... it's not surprising that she breaks down entirely when she finds out the truth.

* AbusiveParents: Joe Danvers is psychologically abusive, though it's insidious and very hard to pin down [[TruthInTelevision (as psychological abuse often is)]]. He tries to force his two older children - Carol, a sporty, HotBlooded teenage ActionGirl, and Stevie, a slight, [[TheQuietOne softly spoken]], artsy boy - into being what he wants them to be (a ProperLady and TheAllAmericanBoy). In Carol's case, he tries [[spoiler: to make Harry MindRape her. [[BerserkButton Bad idea]]]]. This strongly affects [[BrokenAce Carol]] and [[TheQuietOne Stevie's]] personalities, the former having major trust issues, and the latter suffering [[BreakTheCutie "a psychological death of a thousand cuts."]] When it's revealed just how far he tried to go, his [[MamaBear wife]] and [[NeverMessWithGranny mother-in-law]] make him pay.

* FantasyForbiddingFather: Carol's father is revealed to be a downplayed version of this; he doesn't stop her playing sports, and generally being a tomboy, despite his desire for her to be a ProperLady who'll StayInTheKitchen (which in turn causes his daughter to [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak hide her girly streak]] because she won't give an inch). However, this isn't so much due to grudging tolerance as the fact that he's wary of his mother-in-law and terrified of his brother-in-law (he's later terrified of both, and with good readson), who wholeheartedly support her. He's more successful with his second child, Stevie, who's quite quiet and a budding artist, when his father wants him to be a rambunctious [[TheAllAmericanBoy athlete]] like his youngest child, Joe Junior, dismissing his artistic talents as "girl's stuff" and encouraging his youngest son to do the same. It is described icily by his mother-in-law as "a psychological death of a thousand cuts."

* FauxAffablyEvil: Voldemort, who acts friendly and polite in an urbane sort of way in the midst of making some of the most horrific threats imaginable.

* FollowInMyFootsteps: Most of the dysfunction in the Carter-Rogers-Danvers family comes from here; Alison followed in Peggy's and Steve's footsteps as a LadyOfWar and LivingLegend at SHIELD, and her son, Jack O'Neill, followed in hers (as did his daughter, [[ComicBook/Agent13 Sharon]]), but her daughter, Marie Danvers, didn't (she preferred "making good" to fighting evil). Cue a mother-daughter split that took a while to heal. Then Carol showed every sign of following in her grandmother's footsteps, and her mother's fears (driven by Jack's [[ColdBloodedTorture experiences]] in the Gulf) meant she tried to avert this. Cue another rift, though one that was bridged before it got too far by Marie [[SoProudOfYou choosing to support and be proud of her daughter]].

* HealTheCutie:
** Harry is partially broken in the extended finale of the first book - [[spoiler: seeing a friend you've tried to protect get killed and then get killed yourself will do that]] - before being partially healed. Then, the brutal TraumaCongaLine of the ''Forever Red'' arc drives him to the brink of complete insanity as [[spoiler: the Dark Phoenix]]. He is talked down by the PowerOfLove, and the rest of the book has him slowly healing with therapy, time, and affection - falling head over heels in reciprocated love with [[spoiler: Carol]] certainly doesn't hurt - going from someone who's barely stable, to a KnightInSourArmour, to a KnightInShiningArmour once more (if a more cynical and pragmatic one than before) who believes that RousseauWasRight (mostly).

* HeManWomanHater: Lukin's not exactly a classic example, though he uses typical misogynistic slurs against [[spoiler: Maddie/Rachel and Wanda]] when incensed by the former's HeelFaceTurn.

** Jean is left practically catatonic after [[spoiler: Harry gets recaptured by the Red Room and learning Maddie is her long-lost twin sister]].

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Harry's still prone to this, like in canon, with the main exception being when he wants to overawe someone. At that point, he'll quite happily remind everyone what he's capable of. As he puts it, "I don't know what you know, or what you ''think'' you know, but it boils down to this: you have limits. ''I don't."''

* {{Housewife}}: Carol thinks of her mother as the ExtremeDoormat variant and her father as a StepfordSmiler version of the StandardFiftiesFather, describing them as such. While she's dead right about her father, as Harry realises as soon as they meet, her mother is a considerably more nuanced case (and much more like Carol than she wants to admit). Her RefusalOfTheCall was driven by a desire to "make good", not fight evil, plus her own [[LadyOfWar mother]]'s ParentalNeglect, and cemented by [[ColdBloodedTorture what happened to her brother, Jack]]. This drives her worries of what Carol might be getting into. Though she ultimately avoids making her mother's mistakes, explains why she was afraid, and [[SoProudOfYou accepts her daughter's choice and is proud of her]]. She also clicks to what her husband is becoming after finding out [[MindRape what he was willing to do]] to Carol to get her to be a ProperLady and [[MamaBear effectively kicks him out]] while her [[NeverMessWithGranny mother]] arranges for him to be KickedUpstairs and out of state (and per Alison, would have done much worse if she'd found out directly).

* HunterOfHerOwnKind: [[spoiler: Maddie]], pre HeelFaceTurn as she's a CompositeCharacter of famous canon example [[spoiler: Rachel Grey.]]

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Averted, hard. Belova aggressively kissing and fondling the Red Son [[spoiler: a.k.a. Harry]], who's a) physically a teenager [[spoiler: (14/15)]], b) a puppet of the Red Room and in no state to even ''consider'' consenting, with the narrative noting that from Belova's point of view, that's part of the point, in front of Natasha as a power play. This is because she sees [[spoiler: Harry]] as something of Natasha's that she can take, and afterwards makes a lewd comment about how he's 'almost done cooking', bragging about how she'll show him what pleasure means is treated as horrifying and absolutely disgusting. The fact that she's exceptionally attractive is treated as utterly immaterial by the narrative; [[EvenEvilHasStandards her sane teammates]] are [[{{Squick}} deeply disturbed by her behaviour]] and Natasha cuttingly describes it as what it is: an adult gloating about how she's going to molest a child.

* EtherealWhiteDress: Lily as the White Phoenix of the Crown a.k.a. Destruction of the Endless, consistently appears in a white dress with a golden sash and Phoenix emblem whenever she turns up.

* FollowInMyFootsteps: most of the dysfunction in the Carter-Rogers-Danvers family comes from here; Alison followed in Peggy's and Steve's footsteps as a LadyOfWar and LivingLegend at SHIELD, and her son, Jack O'Neill, followed in hers (as did his daughter, [[ComicBook/Agent13 Sharon]]), but her daughter, Marie Danvers, didn't (she preferred "making good" to fighting evil). Cue a mother-daughter split that took a while to heal. Then Carol showed every sign of following in her grandmother's footsteps, and her mother's fears (driven by Jack's [[ColdBloodedTorture experiences]] in the Gulf) meant she tried to avert this. Cue another rift, though one that was bridged before it got too far by Marie [[SoProudOfYou choosing to support and be proud of her daughter]].

* ForgivenButNotForgotten: Harry, eventually, forgives his grandfather for not rescuing him from the Dursleys due to understandable concerns (including not wanting to draw attention to Harry in the first place). However, as he notes, this is not the same as forgetting.

* HeroWorshipper: Zatanna is pretty starstruck when she meets Wanda, who remarks that she was the same when she met Agatha Harkness.

* HiddenDepths: Carol's mother turns out to be much more than the ExtremeDoormat Carol's been making her out to be.

* HolyBurnsEvil: The shield Carol was gifted by Odin in the first book's epilogue is capable of burning vampires on contact, due to being god-forged and blessed by Odin.

* {{Housewife}}: Carol thinks of her mother as the ExtremeDoormat variant and her father as a StepfordSmiler version of the StandardFiftiesFather, describing her as such. While she's dead right about her father, as Harry realises as soon as they meet, her mother is a considerably more nuanced case (and much more like Carol than she wants to admit). Her RefusalOfTheCall was driven by a desire to "make good" not fight evil, plus her own [[LadyOfWar mother's]] ParentalNeglect, and cemented by [[ColdBloodedTorture what happened to her brother, Jack]]. This drives her worries of what Carol might be getting into (though she ultimately avoids making her mother's mistakes, explains why she was afraid, and [[SoProudOfYou accepts her daughter's choice and being proud of her]]). She also clicks to what her husband is becoming after finding out [[MindRape what he was willing to do]] to Carol to get her to be a ProperLady and [[MamaBear effectively kicks him out]] while her mother arranges for him to be KickedUpstairs and out of state (and per Alison, would have done much worse if she'd found out directly).

* AbusiveParents: Mr Danvers is psychologically abusive, though it's insidious and very hard to pin down [[TruthInTelevision (as psychological abuse often is)]]. He tries to force his two older children - Carol, a sporty, HotBlooded teenage ActionGirl, and Stevie, a slight, [[TheQuietOne softly spoken]], artsy boy - into being what he wants them to be (a ProperLady and TheAllAmericanBoy). In Carol's case, he tries [[spoiler: to make Harry MindRape her. [[BerserkButton Bad idea]]]]. This strongly affects [[BrokenAce Carol]] and [[TheQuietOne Stevie's]] personalities, the former having major trust issues, and the latter suffering [[BreakTheCutie "a psychological death of a thousand cuts."]] When it's revealed just how far he tried to go, his [[MamaBear wife]] and [[NeverMessWithGranny mother-in-law]] make him pay.

* TheAllAmericanBoy: Joe Jnr Danvers, Carol's baby brother, fits this trope like an adorable, impressionable 9 year old glove. [[AbusiveParents His father]] also tries to force his [[TheQuietOne softly spoken]], creative older brother, Carol's middle sibling, Steven 'Stevie' Danvers, into this mould, the same way he tries to force Carol to be more traditionally feminine.

* FeminineMotherTomboyishDaughter: This is one of the many reasons that the Danvers family is so dysfunctional. Carol (the daughter) is a tomboy who is incredibly talented at sports (to the point she was once forced to be tested for steroids for embarrassing the male sports teams) and highly assertive. Her mother on the other hand is - [[HiddenDepths apparently]] - the typical housewife who puts up with her husband's [[AbusiveParents emotionally abusive behaviour]] towards their children with little complaint, without ever explaining to her daughter why. As a result, Carol initially doesn't like her at all, though in the sequel, she comes to understand her much better, HiddenDepths and all (they get on much better as a result). Her mother realising just how far Carol's father was willing to go and consequently [[spoiler: leaving him to her own mother's total lack of mercy helped.]]

* AbusiveParents: Mr Danvers is psychologically abusive, though it's insidious and very hard to pin down [[TruthInTelevision (as psychological abuse often is)]]. He tries to force his two older children - Carol, a sporty, HotBlooded teenage ActionGirl, and Stevie, a slight, [[TheQuietOne softly spoken]], arty boy - into being what he wants them to be (a ProperLady and TheAllAmericanBoy). In Carol's case, he tries [[spoiler: to make Harry MindRape her. [[BerserkButton Bad idea]]]]. This strongly affects [[BrokenAce Carol]] and [[TheQuietOne Stevie's]] personalities, the former having major trust issues, and the latter suffering [[BreakTheCutie "a psychological death of a thousand cuts."]] When it's revealed just how far he tried to go, his [[MamaBear wife]] and [[NeverMessWithGranny mother-in-law]] make him pay.

** Harry's jury-rigged armour, which he put together from a bunch of pieces of battered Iron Man armour, becomes this, courtesy of Sirius, being described by a dazed Carol as 'something from another age' - WordOfGod was that it was intended to evoke Numenor, KnightInShiningArmour aesthetic and all.
** Tony then uses this design as a template for a suit of armour referred to as [[MeaningfulName Project Galahad]], which Harry wears in chapter 44.

** [[spoiler: Dudley]] is the Blob in this setting, having been experimented on by Sinister, activating his X-Gene.
** The Blue Eyed Girl is a fusion of [[spoiler: Maddie Pryor and Rachel Grey, being the twin sister of Jean, stolen at birth by Sinister, and raised as his Hound.]]

* TheConfidant: Carol develops into this for Harry. Usually she's with him for whatever insane scenario he's found himself in ''this'' time, so already has the context. Additionally, they have an increasingly relationship that eventually evolves into an AnchoredShip, and as a side-effect of some well-intentioned but inexpert psychic therapy, they wind up with a PsychicLink, meaning that he doesn't actually have to ''say'' things, as such. This only gets dialled up further after [[spoiler: their RelationshipUpgrade.]]

* CostumePorn: Harry's jury-rigged armour, which he put together from a bunch of pieces of battered Iron Man armour, becomes this, courtesy of Sirius, being described by a dazed Carol as 'something from another age' - WordOfGod was that it was intended to evoke Numenor, KnightInShiningArmour aesthetic and all.

** Regarding Carol, Harry's just about the only person - prior to [[ParentalSubstitute Steve]] in chapter 60 - other than her mother and grandmother that she lets see her genuinely vulnerable side (thanks to major trust issues, particularly regarding guys, and [[IDontWantToRuinOurFriendship is terrified of ruining their friendship]]).
** Harry, meanwhile, is utterly scrupulous about abiding by her wishes, stating repeatedly that their friendship comes before anything else - [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan this is a large part of why she likes him]]. However, following ''Forever Red'', he's leery about a relationship because he doesn't want it just to be a case of Carol holding his mind together - since she's one of a very short list of people who can reliably act as his MoralityChain and provide a CooldownHug[=/=]YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech, [[spoiler: even when he's on the verge of transforming completely into the Dark Phoenix]]. The others are his father, and Jean - his cousin and increasingly, surrogate big sister.
** Interestingly, their psychic connection, formed accidentally in chapter 2, seems to be fuelling both sides of their relationship. They frequently share a bed and snuggle after one or both has gone through something traumatic (since Harry's a DoomMagnet, this is frequent), and are practically joined at the hip/the brain. While broadly platonic, [[{{UST}} the door is clearly open]] for them to become MindLinkMates. [[spoiler: In chapter 46, they do.]]

* CreateYourOwnVillain: Doctor Strange observes that Uther Pendragon's paranoid fear of the pacifistic druidic clans and his genocidal response led to a number of druidic plots to bring him down. Indeed, this habit came back to bite him twice: two druid boys survived ThePurge. One was Taliesin, [[spoiler: now known as Doctor Strange]], who became apprentice to Merlin and his right hand man, as well as eventually [[TheMedic Court Physician]] of Camelot, playing a key role in dismantling Uther's legacy during Arthur's reign. The other was Mordred, whose enmity for the Pendragon dynasty led to his allegiance to Morgana and Arthur's death on the field of Camlann, and the eventual collapse of Camelot itself. In other words, his actions led not only to the total dismantling of his legacy, but the collapse of his dynasty and his realm. [[spoiler: Nimue]] also gloatingly notes the irony in ''Unfinished Business'', feeling especially smug since [[spoiler: it was her magic that caused Arthur to be born in the first place]].

* CreepyMonotone: Essex, usually, with it being noted that it's [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness very rare for him to show any sign of emotion.]]

* CrushBlush: Harry and Carol. ''Frequently.''
** Harry even manages it when [[spoiler: on the edge of a Dark Phoenix meltdown, being incarnate as a being of living flame, which the narrative notes should, by all logic, not be able to blush.]]
** Diana gets a small one when Ginny's mentioned, after meeting her, which [[ShipperOnDeck Harry]] immediately spots.

* DoppelgangerLink: It is implied that the [[spoiler:Sinister clones]] are a HiveMind. While it appears that he simply [[BodySurf jumps from one cloned body to another]], but it has been hinted that multiple clones are active at once, as observed by [[spoiler:Maddie]] pointing out how he shows up in unexpected places and that she would notice if he were just jumping from one body to another.

* CerebusRetcon: Carol's dad, previously established as having [[StayInTheKitchen old fashioned attitudes]], and generally being a StandardFiftiesFather in the wrong century, is established on his first actual appearance as being [[AbusiveParents psychologically abusive]] - something which also, in retrospect, provides the root for most of Carol's issues. He tries to get Harry to use his PsychicPowers to [[MindRape set Carol 'on the right path.']] [[BerserkButton Harry predictably erupts with fury.]] When his wife and mother-in-law get the full story in chapter 20, they agree that he has to go. Since said mother-in-law is [[NeverMessWithGranny Alison Carter]], he is gone in very short order.

** The circumstances of Hermione's adoption become even grimmer once it's made clear just what Constantine did, that (combined with the Order [[TheFellowshipHasEnded falling apart]] and her mentor remaining persistently and unhelpfully silent) left Wanda so very alone and without options.

* DayInTheLimelight: Hermione gets one in chapter 18, which mostly consists of her, Ron and the Twins being LockedOutOfTheLoop and trying to figure out what's going on. They actually manage to get a pretty good idea of what happened.

** Harry's characterisation as the KidHero is torn to ''shreds'' by showcasing just how heavy a burden that role has become for him. The neverending threats targeting him because of who he is/could be, start taking a serious toll on his psyche along with the mental trauma already built up from his previous adventures, to the point where he develops a serious case of [[ShellShockedVeteran Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.]]

*** Leading people around by the nose with hints, comments, and selectively revealed information designed to manipulate them into doing exactly what you want them to do, playing them like chess-pieces, is a great way to win the metaphorical chess match. It's also a great way to get people to resent you at best, hate you at worst, especially when 75% of the time you refuse to tell them ''why'' you're doing it (even if that's a necessary part). Playing the LongGame also means that your personal relationships suffer in the process; as Strange sadly admits, he was an excellent teacher for Wanda, but a poor ParentalSubstitute, the latter of which she badly needed. That and his absolute refusal to help her with [[spoiler: her pregnancy with Hermione, by John Constantine, who she had come to absolutely distrust]], leaving her utterly isolated but for [[BestFriend Lily Potter]], as well as his ban on her taking in Harry after his parents' death (she was his godmother and had the right), critically damaged their relationship. While he had good reason to do so - Harry wouldn't have survived her enemies, [[spoiler: and neither would Hermione]] - she also had good reason to resent him, especially given what happened anyway with Harry and Sinister.

** Also demonstrated is the fact that the world doesn't stop when the heroes defeat a BigBad. After defeating HYDRA, not only does the world move on, the next instalment also shows that it's not always a happily ever after scenario. Both Harry and Carol need therapy following their experiences during the HYDRA Arc, and Voldemort is still a present problem, lurking in the shadows. The latter also indicates that no matter how many villains the heroes defeat, there will be another out there just waiting for a chance to strike. It's noted that the rise of the Red Room is partially due to the fact that, with SHIELD still rebuilding and HYDRA having fallen, there's no one to stand in their way.

* DoppelgangerLink: It is implied that the [[spoiler:Sinister clones]] are a HiveMind. While it appears that he simply [[BodySurf jumps from one cloned body to another]], but it has been hinted that multiple clones are active at once as observed by [[spoiler:Maddie]] pointing out how he shows up in unexpected places and that she would notice if he were just jumping from one body to another.

*** Chapter 20 elaborates on this with the reveal that the original Dark Phoenix [[spoiler: was Surtur, who]] destroyed an entire galaxy.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Harry and Carol. By this point, both of them are aware of their mutual attraction, but [[AnchoredShip deny that they're taking it further,]] or flirting, when they blatantly are. It gets to the point of almost being an ExaggeratedTrope, given that beings who have seen them together for just a few minutes can already tell that they're flirting, and becomes a RunningGag. [[spoiler: Then they finally get together in chapter 46.]]
** Ron and Hermione have a downplayed version of this. While it's not as obvious as Harry and Carol's {{UST}} [[EveryoneCanSeeIt (not that that's not really saying much)]], and Thor, Harry, and Maddie all make note of it at different points.

** Harry uses this to very carefully and [[ConsummateLiar skilfully]] dance around the point of the Winter Soldier still being alive, with 'Dave' the Elder Wyrm having hinted to Ron that this was the case. Afterwards, he feels distinctly unhappy about it.

* FightingTheLancer: A simmering subplot in ''Ghosts'' is the slowly developing friction between Harry and Ron, primarily thanks to Harry keeping Ron LockedOutOfTheLoop thanks to overprotectiveness, wanting to keep Ron and Hermione as his 'normal' friends, and necessary and unnecessary secret-keeping. This, combined with Harry's CharacterDevelopment (secretive, manipulative, pragmatic, and [[ShellShockedVeteran shell-shocked]]) and Ron's own (largely normal, but increasingly obsessive about training to hunt down HYDRA and avenge his father's death), makes their friendship more difficult. Then there's the small fact that Harry's technically hiding Arthur Weasley's killer right under Ron's nose. Neither is happy about this, and they eventually come to adapt... then Hermione's heritage, and the fact that Harry a) knew about it, b) kept it from them comes out.

* TheGlomp: Carol gives Harry one after the psychic therapy scene, when they both got a good look at each other's minds and stirred up a lot of emotions. It led to a SleepCute, but nothing more. In chapter 16, he gives her one in return, though this time it's more of a SecurityCling.
** Jean gives Harry and [[spoiler: Maddie]] one after [[spoiler: Harry's cooled down from the Dark Phoenix just after breaking loose of the Red Son programming]] and [[spoiler: Maddie executed her HeelFaceTurn and discovered that she was Jean's SeparatedAtBirth twin sister]], being described as hugging them both so tightly that it almost seems as if she's trying to merge with them.

* HateSink: The Beast a.k.a. the Blob a.k.a. [[spoiler: Dudley]] lacks any redeeming qualities whatsoever, so it's understandable to root for Harry when he literally [[spoiler: cut him apart during ''Bloody Hell'', after Dudley got turned into a vampire - something which, Harry notes, only changed his diet.]]

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The story settles into this, after the first book flirted with it, particularly in relation to the Avengers' habit of obeying rules more or less only when it suits them, a habit that Harry has acquired, which is treated as morally dubious. For instance, Doctor Doom's concern that the Avengers might one day decide to stroll into Latveria and depose him is presented as reasonable (even if his methods are not), on the grounds [[NoodleIncident that it has happened before.]] Likewise, their keeping the fact that Bucky used to be the Winter Soldier secret, having faked the Soldier's death, and using him as Harry's bodyguard in a school where more than a few students - including Harry's close friend, Ron - lost relatives to the Winter Soldier and the HYDRA troops he was leading (even if, as with Arthur Weasley, it was a MercyKill, it was still a kill). [[WhatTheHellHero Carol]] calls her grandmother, Alison, and the Avengers by proxy on this, pointing exactly why it's morally extremely dodgy. Alison, for her part, concedes that Carol is right, but Harry needed the best (not so much to protect him as to mentor him through the aftermath of ''Forever Red''), and for better or worse, Bucky is the best - and he also flies under the radar for those who don't know who he used to be.

* ConflictingLoyalty: Harry is repeatedly caught between trusting and being honest with Ron and Hermione, and obligations to keep secrets from them - in some cases, intensely personal secrets. These include hiding the fact that [[spoiler: Bucky is the Winter Soldier, since he gave Arthur Weasley a MercyKill in HYDRA's assault on the Ministry]] and Hermione's parentage. The former is secret for security reasons, the latter he figures out and keeps mum on at Wanda's request (since Wanda is his [[ParentalSubstitute godmother]]).This, combined with his tendencies to keep them on the sidelines for their own protection, and LockedOutOfTheLoop because he's not particularly eager to talk to anyone about whatever he's been through unless they were there, causes increasing friction, and both sides are profoundly unhappy about it.

* DissonantSerenity: Harry in general develops this trait, which most of his peers - and many adults - find extremely disturbing. For instance, after a flashback in chapter 12 after being physically and psychically tortured for two days, he remarks in a disturbingly casual voice, "That's when the torture started. You'd almost think I'd annoyed him."

** Averted in the case of Doctor Doom, who knows perfectly well why neither [[MamaBear Alison Carter]] nor [[WouldntHurtAChild Bucky]] is willing to force [[spoiler: Peter Parker]] to drink the potentially lethal antidote to [[spoiler: the Grey Court infection within him]], pointing out both that and the fact that they [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork aren't making any moves to stop him]].

* ExactWords: Dresden (at Pepper's suggestion) uses this so that he only has to serve as Mab's Emissary during the fight against the Red Room, rather than have to become her Knight. And since she'd just attempted to scam him into thinking he had to take the position, he threatens to bring it up with Thor and Odin, who would be less than pleased that she's trying to turn what is supposed to be a goodwill effort to her own advantage, if she objects. Mab being Mab, she's grudgingly impressed.

** Rita Skeeter is warned by Loki via Bucky that any slandering, libelling, or misrepresenting Harry in the ''Daily Prophet'' will be met with harsh legal action. She therefore very carefully does not do any of these in her article, but does include as much innuendo and rumour as she feels she can get away with.

* ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted; Mr. Weasley is still mourned and remembered, and the Weasley family's grief for him fuels Ron, Fred, and George's CharacterDevelopment. Meanwhile, the fact that Bucky is Harry's bodyguard and mentor, his past as the Winter Soldier kept secret, and is thus around Ron in particular almost every day, is repeatedly brought up as something that will be a ''major'' problem when the truth comes out.

* FriendVersusLover: Ron versus Carol, over Harry, something complicated by the uncertain nature of Harry and Carol's relationship (EveryoneCanSeeIt, but they're JustFriends because of prior psychological issues [[spoiler: until chapter 46]]), meaning that it overlaps with FriendshipFavoritism. Deconstructed somewhat in that they actually get on rather well, and Ron's main concern is less with Carol taking over his role as Harry's primary [[TheConfidant confidant]], more that he's LockedOutOfTheLoop since most of Harry's adventures don't take place at Hogwarts anymore, he wants to keep Ron and Hermione out of it for their own safety, and he's fairly reticent at the best of times (Carol, by contrast, is usually involved whether he likes it or not, and has a PsychicLink to work with).

** Strange's reference to the traditional poem behind ForWantOfANail in the final chapter of ''Child of the Storm'', becomes this in chapter 20. He's rhetorically asking those calling him on his decisions if they felt that he would be better as a knight on the battlefield, or a blacksmith present to re-shoe the horse. In chapter 20, though, it's revealed that [[spoiler: the Battle of Camlann was very likely lost, Arthur killed, and Camelot doomed, because he was not there to confront Mordred, Arthur's killer and Strange's EvilCounterpart, on the battlefield]] - and he is ''phenomenally'' bitter about that.

* ForWantOfANail:
** According to Gambit, Thor was able to stop Hurricane Katrina before it could devastate New Orleans. This leads to him feeling indebted to the God of Thunder, which he cites as a reason for helping Carol and company - or so he says. [[UnreliableNarrator Gambit being Gambit,]] this is rather less than the complete truth.
** Due to his friendship with Carol, and by extension Harry, and familiarity with superpowered beings in general, Lex figures out Clark's secret almost immediately after meeting him, and decides to help protect him.
** Magneto's intervention means that Cassius is never able to cast his "Die alone" Death Curse on Dresden, and that Kumori is captured before she can flee (though Cowl gets away).
** Wanda is able to reverse Corpsetaker's swap with Captain Luccio, returning the other to her own, more powerful body. Corpsetaker herself is KilledOffForReal, meaning that she won't be stirring up trouble as she did in ''Ghost Story.''
** While Strange is [[spoiler: pretending to be dead]], he cures Lea (and, according to WordOfGod, Maeve) of her Nemesis infection in exchange for Mab freeing Dresden of his debt to her, and convinces her to give up on making him the new Winter Knight by pointing out that as a potential Sorcerer Supreme he'll be fighting the Outsiders anyway. He also kills Mavra, a Black Court vampire who had crossed swords with Dresden in the past and had indirect leverage on him. This essentially curtails a significant number of later ''Dresden Files'' plot points.
*** Strange takes another hammer to ''Dresden Files'' canon by [[spoiler: wiping out the Red Court]] long before Dresden himself is put in a situation to do that same thing in ''Changes''.
** Due to Harry's massive power advantage, even when wearing PowerLimiters, different Tasks are chosen for the Triwizard Tournament.
** Sean's presence at the Yule Ball as a chaperone allows him to give Ron some much needed emotional advice, preventing his canonical row with Hermione.
** Strange makes another change to ''The Dresden Files'' by exposing [[spoiler: Peabody]] as the Black Council mole on the White Council long before this was discovered in canon and executing him, thereby preventing his scheme which resulted in [[spoiler: the deaths of [=LaFortier=] and Morgan]]. He also notes that he's eliminated the rest of the Black Council.
*** It's also mentioned in the same chapter that the Paranet (an Internet community of the weaker members of the magical world) is being founded a couple years earlier than in canon, and given Bruce Wayne's resources and expertise in adapting electronics to magic, may even be able to reach more than it would have otherwise.
** Sirius shows the Room of Requirement to Harry, a full year before he found it in canon.

* HeartbreakAndIceCream: Steve comfort Carol [[spoiler: his great-granddaughter]] with a 'Thor-sized' tub of Rocky Road ice cream after she's upset and angry (enraged, in fact, to the point where she breaks a punching bag and busts her wrist [[WorkingOutTheirEmotions trying to work it out]]) because of what [[spoiler: Yelena Belova]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil did]] to Harry.

** After leaving Grindelwald for Dumbledore to defeat, Strange apparently told Dumbledore that this trope was why he wouldn't just do it himself - though it's suspected that Strange [[HalfTruth being]] [[ManipulativeBastard Strange]], this may not be the only reason.

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Averted, hard. Belova aggressively kissing and fondling the Red Son [[spoiler: a.k.a. Harry]], who's a) physically a teenager [[spoiler: (14/15)]], b) a puppet of the Red Room and in no state to even ''consider'' consenting, with the narrative noting that from Belova's point of view, that's part of the point, in front of Natasha as a power play. This is because she sees [[spoiler: Harry]] as something of Natasha's that she can take, and afterwards makes a lewd comment about how he's 'almost done cooking', bragging about how she'll show him what pleasure means is treated as horrifying and absolutely disgusting. The fact that she's [[EvilIsSexy exceptionally attractive]] is treated as utterly immaterial by the narrative; [[EvenEvilHasStandards her sane teammates]] are [[{{Squick}} deeply disturbed by her behaviour]] and Natasha cuttingly describes it as what it is: an adult gloating about how she's going to molest a child.

-->Worse even than those, though, was the whispering in her ear, a voice that was always behind her, one that poured soft, cruel words into her heart in a tongue that only they understood, one that only a handful of mortals still spoke. The inexorable whispers, impossible to deafen, impossible to ignore, carried dreadful knowledge. They spoke of crimes and failures, of past mistakes and present incompetence, each phrase as artfully constructed as any spell, and far more deadly, slicing into the listener's soul. For those whispers were in the voice of Doctor Strange, and as all the world knew - the Doctor never lied.