The Gifts
Title: The Gifts.
Team: Spy for the Death Eaters, I think
Word Count: 100 x 12
Rating: PG - PG-13
Challenge: 12 days of Christmas
Characters: Hermione, Luna, Snape (and cameos of Harry and Ron)
A/N: I intended this to be complete in 12 drabbles, but, as is so often the case, things got out of hand. Here are the first twelve. Also, my paltry excuse for research on the symbolism involved is included in the original post on my journal, if you're interested.
The gifts began showing up out of nowhere. She'd checked the wards, but everything was in order. She asked the house-elves, but they didn't know anything. Or at least they weren't saying anything. They never said anything to her if they could help it, though.
The presents themselves were clean. The boys had cast every revealing spell they knew, but nothing was there to reveal. Harry suggested she had a secret admirer. Ron joked that she must have pissed someone off.
She didn't necessarily agree; the gifts were neither affectionate nor annoying. There were just so many...
The only clue was the sequence in which they were given. It reminded her of that Christmas song, but the gifts were all wrong. The first day she had received an origami crane perched within a mesh of bracken.
It was a beautiful piece, but confusing. It wasn't a natural combination, and she didn't know of any secret codes ascribed to the plant or bird.
It was arranged so that the crane was almost imprisoned within the bracken, although if it had been real, the bird could have easily escaped had it wished.
She wondered if the bird was hiding.
The second day, she got a small carving of two coyotes singing by a cactus. It was crudely hewn, but charming in its own way. The third day, she received three sleek stone owls. The fourth day brought four glass swans, while the fifth brought five golden rings.
It was the rings that gave her pause. They were a nonsequitor, even compared to the coyotes; the coyotes at least fit within the natural theme.
She lined the gifts up on her mantle, looking for any possible meanings within. Unfortunately, symbolism wasn't her strong point. She wondered if Whosit knew that.
Hermione dug out all her texts on animals, both Muggle and magical. Over the next few days, she used her spare time researching cranes, coyotes, owls and swans, adding wolves, snakes and butterflies as more gifts arrived.
She looked over all her notes, but found nothing to help her decode what she now felt was a message. Of the sparse symbolism she had found, the first three had communication as a common link. That was as far as she could get, though. She never had been good at interpreting metaphors and similes.
She needed help with this.
She needed Luna.
When Luna came round for tea the next day, Hermione hadn't yet received a ninth gift. Luna looked round the room with her wide, misty eyes, though her attention was quickly drawn to the mantle.
"You didn't say the person was an artist," Luna said, drifting towards the mantle for a closer look.
Hermione frowned. "I didn't think it was important."
Luna looked over at her, smiling softly while shaking her head. "Of course it's important. An artist would look at things much differently than a banker, for example." She looked at the gifts again. "And a good thing, too."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Good thing?"
"Well, if it were sent by someone who only looks at things in a material manner, what you've received so far could be quite the threat. They'd be telling you that you're trapped, alone and about to learn something the hard way."
Hermione gulped. She hadn't had an inkling. "But... What about the swans? They can't be bad, can they?"
"It's much like reading the tarot. It isn't so much the card itself, but the cards that surround it which make it good or bad.
"Read materially, the swan is helpless."
Hermione sat down hard. She hadn't felt threatened since the war ended. She'd grown complacent!
Luna observed her and smiled again. "But that's not the message this artist sent."
Hermione looked up, giving Luna all her attention.
"This artist isn't trying to threaten you. He's trying to warn you. Prepare you. All the symbols here represent thought, learning and change." Luna fingered the swan, adding, "Grace, and what's needed to achieve it.
"No, this isn't about ending your life, but more about beginning a new one."
"That makes no sense."
Luna smiled. "It's only tangentially about you. You're the catalyst."
Hermione frowned, but before she could say another word, another gift appeared on her table - the largest one yet. She quickly cast all the revealing spells the boys had taught her, but, once again, it was seemingly harmless.
She waved her wand and the package opened itself to reveal nine onyx cats, all in various poses.
Luna burst into laughter and reached in to take one out before Hermione could warn her otherwise. Luna examined the arching, hissing statuette, still giggling.
"This artist is funny."
"How so?"
Luna looked at her with obvious amusement. "I told you; you're the catalyst."
Hermione shook her head at the pun while Luna giggled again. "Surely that's not the message?" she asked, gesturing to the box of black cats.
Luna shook her head and picked up another figurine. "Of course not, not all of it, anyway. Cats are sneaky, proud and hunters. They also have nine lives."
"But what does it all mean combined?" Hermione asked, losing patience. She needed to know what to do.
Luna smiled. "Someone is trying to tell you that either you need to learn from them, they've learned from you or both.
"I think you've got a secret admirer."
Hermione snorted. "Harry suggested that. Ron thought I'd annoyed someone."
Luna smiled in her dreamy manner. "Oh, I think they're both right."
Hermione looked at Luna, alarmed once more, but Luna blithely put the cats away in the box. "I need to be on my way now, but let me know what the rest of the gifts are. I'm especially interested in the twelfth."
"Wait," Hermione cried, as Luna left. "You can't just go! What about..."
But Luna had just smiled and winked before Disapparating away, her tuneless version of "The Twelve days of Christmas" hanging still in the air.
Hermione was still angry with Luna the next day when she floo-called the blond to ask what dolphins could signify.
Luna laughed delightedly. "Oh, Hermione. He's playing, can't you see? I'd bet anything that the last two gifts will reveal everything."
Hermione had no doubts that her 'secret admirer' was playing with her, but she couldn't suppress the feeling that it wasn't as innocent as Luna thought it to be. She checked all her wards three times that night before going to bed.
She tried to ward against more presents, but a caw woke her up the next morning.
Like the rings, the raven was an anomaly. It was the first live animal given, and beyond that, there was only one of it instead of the predicted eleven.
She eyed it warily the entire day, keeping her distance. Perhaps because of of her caution, it wasn't until late night that she noticed the note on the raven's leg.
I hope you've enjoyed the riddles, but the game is near an end.
She looked up at the bird, but it was no longer there. Instead of a bird, a man stood before her.
Hermione gasped for air.
"Snape?"
Team: Spy for the Death Eaters, I think
Word Count: 100 x 12
Rating: PG - PG-13
Challenge: 12 days of Christmas
Characters: Hermione, Luna, Snape (and cameos of Harry and Ron)
A/N: I intended this to be complete in 12 drabbles, but, as is so often the case, things got out of hand. Here are the first twelve. Also, my paltry excuse for research on the symbolism involved is included in the original post on my journal, if you're interested.
The gifts began showing up out of nowhere. She'd checked the wards, but everything was in order. She asked the house-elves, but they didn't know anything. Or at least they weren't saying anything. They never said anything to her if they could help it, though.
The presents themselves were clean. The boys had cast every revealing spell they knew, but nothing was there to reveal. Harry suggested she had a secret admirer. Ron joked that she must have pissed someone off.
She didn't necessarily agree; the gifts were neither affectionate nor annoying. There were just so many...
The only clue was the sequence in which they were given. It reminded her of that Christmas song, but the gifts were all wrong. The first day she had received an origami crane perched within a mesh of bracken.
It was a beautiful piece, but confusing. It wasn't a natural combination, and she didn't know of any secret codes ascribed to the plant or bird.
It was arranged so that the crane was almost imprisoned within the bracken, although if it had been real, the bird could have easily escaped had it wished.
She wondered if the bird was hiding.
The second day, she got a small carving of two coyotes singing by a cactus. It was crudely hewn, but charming in its own way. The third day, she received three sleek stone owls. The fourth day brought four glass swans, while the fifth brought five golden rings.
It was the rings that gave her pause. They were a nonsequitor, even compared to the coyotes; the coyotes at least fit within the natural theme.
She lined the gifts up on her mantle, looking for any possible meanings within. Unfortunately, symbolism wasn't her strong point. She wondered if Whosit knew that.
Hermione dug out all her texts on animals, both Muggle and magical. Over the next few days, she used her spare time researching cranes, coyotes, owls and swans, adding wolves, snakes and butterflies as more gifts arrived.
She looked over all her notes, but found nothing to help her decode what she now felt was a message. Of the sparse symbolism she had found, the first three had communication as a common link. That was as far as she could get, though. She never had been good at interpreting metaphors and similes.
She needed help with this.
She needed Luna.
When Luna came round for tea the next day, Hermione hadn't yet received a ninth gift. Luna looked round the room with her wide, misty eyes, though her attention was quickly drawn to the mantle.
"You didn't say the person was an artist," Luna said, drifting towards the mantle for a closer look.
Hermione frowned. "I didn't think it was important."
Luna looked over at her, smiling softly while shaking her head. "Of course it's important. An artist would look at things much differently than a banker, for example." She looked at the gifts again. "And a good thing, too."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Good thing?"
"Well, if it were sent by someone who only looks at things in a material manner, what you've received so far could be quite the threat. They'd be telling you that you're trapped, alone and about to learn something the hard way."
Hermione gulped. She hadn't had an inkling. "But... What about the swans? They can't be bad, can they?"
"It's much like reading the tarot. It isn't so much the card itself, but the cards that surround it which make it good or bad.
"Read materially, the swan is helpless."
Hermione sat down hard. She hadn't felt threatened since the war ended. She'd grown complacent!
Luna observed her and smiled again. "But that's not the message this artist sent."
Hermione looked up, giving Luna all her attention.
"This artist isn't trying to threaten you. He's trying to warn you. Prepare you. All the symbols here represent thought, learning and change." Luna fingered the swan, adding, "Grace, and what's needed to achieve it.
"No, this isn't about ending your life, but more about beginning a new one."
"That makes no sense."
Luna smiled. "It's only tangentially about you. You're the catalyst."
Hermione frowned, but before she could say another word, another gift appeared on her table - the largest one yet. She quickly cast all the revealing spells the boys had taught her, but, once again, it was seemingly harmless.
She waved her wand and the package opened itself to reveal nine onyx cats, all in various poses.
Luna burst into laughter and reached in to take one out before Hermione could warn her otherwise. Luna examined the arching, hissing statuette, still giggling.
"This artist is funny."
"How so?"
Luna looked at her with obvious amusement. "I told you; you're the catalyst."
Hermione shook her head at the pun while Luna giggled again. "Surely that's not the message?" she asked, gesturing to the box of black cats.
Luna shook her head and picked up another figurine. "Of course not, not all of it, anyway. Cats are sneaky, proud and hunters. They also have nine lives."
"But what does it all mean combined?" Hermione asked, losing patience. She needed to know what to do.
Luna smiled. "Someone is trying to tell you that either you need to learn from them, they've learned from you or both.
"I think you've got a secret admirer."
Hermione snorted. "Harry suggested that. Ron thought I'd annoyed someone."
Luna smiled in her dreamy manner. "Oh, I think they're both right."
Hermione looked at Luna, alarmed once more, but Luna blithely put the cats away in the box. "I need to be on my way now, but let me know what the rest of the gifts are. I'm especially interested in the twelfth."
"Wait," Hermione cried, as Luna left. "You can't just go! What about..."
But Luna had just smiled and winked before Disapparating away, her tuneless version of "The Twelve days of Christmas" hanging still in the air.
Hermione was still angry with Luna the next day when she floo-called the blond to ask what dolphins could signify.
Luna laughed delightedly. "Oh, Hermione. He's playing, can't you see? I'd bet anything that the last two gifts will reveal everything."
Hermione had no doubts that her 'secret admirer' was playing with her, but she couldn't suppress the feeling that it wasn't as innocent as Luna thought it to be. She checked all her wards three times that night before going to bed.
She tried to ward against more presents, but a caw woke her up the next morning.
Like the rings, the raven was an anomaly. It was the first live animal given, and beyond that, there was only one of it instead of the predicted eleven.
She eyed it warily the entire day, keeping her distance. Perhaps because of of her caution, it wasn't until late night that she noticed the note on the raven's leg.
I hope you've enjoyed the riddles, but the game is near an end.
She looked up at the bird, but it was no longer there. Instead of a bird, a man stood before her.
Hermione gasped for air.
"Snape?"