Fic Challenge #70
Title: Is Home
Summary: Professor Dumbledore has a peculiar new idea for a school-wide bonding activity... The Harry Potter universe meets HiH
Characters/Pairings: Most of Harry's year, all four Heads of House and Dumbledore
Genre: Humor
Rating/Warnings: G
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 1,347
So far, Professor Dumbledore’s peculiar idea for House bonding seemed to be a phenomenal success. Sure, some of the teachers were annoyed by the new uniforms they were assigned to wear and the castle was a bit harder to navigate with students bustling about in bulky outfits trying to get to as many activities as possible and two of the common rooms having been transfigured into completely different shapes (it was definitely an odd thing to look up at the castle and see two ships in the place of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tower), but no one had complained and most people seemed quite happy with the new arrangements.
*****
In the Gryffindor pirate ship, Harry stared boredly out the window at the enchanted seascape. Hermione was bent over a sheet of parchment, scribbling madly (which was no surprise), while Ron hunched over a stack of papers, brow scrunched up in concentration.
“What did you pick for this one, Hermione?” he asked, pointing to the paper currently in front of him. “Er, Orla Quirke, I think her name is.”
Hermione looked up with a look of irritation. “You’re supposed to decide for yourself, you know. And if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bother me. I’m trying to write. I only have fifteen more points to earn for the week.”
“Fine,” Ron muttered. “I’ll put Ravenclaw, then. She seems like a bit of a nutter anyway.”
Harry shoved his tricorn out of his eyes and peered down at his half-completed Charms homework. “Who wants to go visit Hagrid?” he asked. “I can’t stand being stuck up in here for much longer.”
“I’ll go!” Ron exclaimed, dropping his quill onto his stack of papers.
Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, but Harry and Ron paid no attention.
On their way out of the common room, Ron was nearly decapitated by Seamus Finnegan’s cutlass, which he was swinging about wildly while wearing nothing but his plunderwear.
“Oi, watch it!” Ron snapped. “And put on some trousers. Or one of those big puffy shirts, at least. But preferably trousers.”
Seamus only cackled.
*****
Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones were having a pleasant (but quiet) conversation about Hogsmeade in the library when they suddenly heard clanking footsteps approaching. A moment later, Ernie appeared around the corner of a bookshelf, red-faced and looking flustered.
“Have you voted for the animagi yet?” he asked urgently.
“Not yet, but I will,” Hannah replied. “I want those points. I know we can win the Cup if we just keep going!”
Ernie nodded earnestly, the visor of his helmet bouncing up and down. He propped it up again, annoyed. “Well, I would stop to chat, but I need to grab a book and then go to the Astronomy Club meeting.”
Just as Ernie turned to leave, he collided with Justin Finch-Fletchley. The two boys bounced off each other’s armor with a loud metallic clang. Justin straightened up quickly, glancing around to ensure that Madam Pince was not on her way to eat them alive.
“Did you know that Cedric Diggory is using a Time Turner?” Justin muttered under his breath in a tone of awe. “He’s doing everything!”
“Are you sure he’s really using a Time Turner?” Susan asked. “Is that even legal?”
Justin shrugged. “He told me he asked Professor Sprout.”
“I wish I had a Time Turner,” Ernie said longingly, glancing down at the watch strapped to the exterior of his armor. “Oh no! I’m late for Astronomy Club!”
As he loudly rushed out, a horribly familiar voice shouted, “WHO’S MAKING NOISE BACK THERE?”
Justin, Susan, and Hannah promptly ducked for cover under a table.
*****
Luna wandered past Hagrid’s Hut and into the Forbidden Forest, hair whipping in the wind where it streamed out from beneath her Viking helmet. She had already said hello to Professor Sprout, working in the greenhouses in light armor, and to Hagrid, who had decided to don a very large pirate hat even though it was not required of him as he was not a Head of House. She had hoped to run into Professor Dumbledore along the way so that she could suggest he move the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw ships into the lake. It was certainly big enough, and the castle looked very unbalanced with two ships perched precariously where towers ought to be.
Luna had not walked for very long before she encountered her friend Herbert the bowtruckle, dutifully pecking at his tree.
“Hello, Herbert,” she said politely, but Herbert didn’t respond. “I’m going to sketch you. Is that all right with you?”
His lack of a negative answer convinced Luna that he didn’t mind. She sat down on a smooth rock, pulled out her sketchpad and quill, and began to draw. When the sky darkened enough that Luna could no longer distinguish Herbert from the tree, she gathered up her things and began walking back toward the castle.
“Good-bye, Herbert,” she called. “You were a very good subject to draw. I think I’ll earn quite a few points for my sketch of you.”
Several students eyed Luna oddly as she walked into the Great Hall carrying sketch pad and quill, still a bit dirty from the forest, but she paid them no mind.
*****
“I think I quite like this new décor, don’t you?” Draco drawled, draped across a plush settee in the Slytherin common room. “It reminds me of home.”
Crabbe and Goyle nodded obediently.
Pansy fidgeted uncomfortably behind the settee. “I just wish we didn’t have to wear these ridiculous costumes,” she complained. “I can’t figure out how to sit down, Draco.”
“Didn’t your parents ever give you etiquette classes?” he replied.
“Yes, but they were Wizarding etiquette classes,” Pansy snapped. “My parents never made me wear ridiculous, poofy Muggle dresses. What’s wrong with robes, anyway? Why do we have to dress like this?”
“It’s part of Dumbledore’s stupid bonding thing,” Draco replied with a vague wave of his hand. “Of course it’s a bad idea. But I’m glad enough we didn’t have to wear smelly armor or those weird helmets.”
“The Gryffindors get swords, though,” Crabbe spoke up enviously. “We don’t get to have swords.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “We can have swords if we want to. They just have to be more dignified and elegant than those clumsy things the Gryffindors are lugging around.”
To prove his point, he rose from the couch and drew a thin fencing sword from a holster on his belt and sliced through the air with it. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy all applauded his form. Pansy leaned forward to give Draco a small peck on the cheek, but forgot about the tall powdered wig she was wearing and toppled over backward instead. Goyle pointed and laughed at her, but Draco just rolled his eyes.
“Really, Pansy. Do try to be more dignified. We are aristocrats, after all.”
Pansy huffed in annoyance as she pushed herself up from the floor and readjusted her wig and skirts.
*****
“I think this new initiative is working quite well,” Dumbledore said in contentment over dinner. “What do the rest of you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Professor Sprout said heartily. “What a lovely way to foster a sense of community.”
“It’s fun!” Professor Flitwick squeaked. “I’m thinking of sending my Ravenclaws on a Viking raid soon.”
“The Hufflepuffs certainly seem to be enjoying Knight Week so far,” Professor Sprout agreed.
“Albus, is it really necessary for us to dress in costume as well?” Professor McGonagall spoke up. “I think we are far too old, and it really is exceedingly difficult to make pirate clothing look suitably dignified for a woman of my position. I can hardly teach the students in a bandanna and ripped skirt.”
“Dignified isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Professor Snape muttered, tugging uncomfortably at the long socks tucked into his breeches. “Apparently aristocrats never wore anything but pastel colors…”
“Oh hush, you two,” Dumbledore chided with a smile. “It’s all in the spirit of fun, you know.”
1347/30 = 45 + 5 for challenge = 50 points for Hufflepuff!
Jennifer//Hufflepuff
Summary: Professor Dumbledore has a peculiar new idea for a school-wide bonding activity... The Harry Potter universe meets HiH
Characters/Pairings: Most of Harry's year, all four Heads of House and Dumbledore
Genre: Humor
Rating/Warnings: G
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 1,347
So far, Professor Dumbledore’s peculiar idea for House bonding seemed to be a phenomenal success. Sure, some of the teachers were annoyed by the new uniforms they were assigned to wear and the castle was a bit harder to navigate with students bustling about in bulky outfits trying to get to as many activities as possible and two of the common rooms having been transfigured into completely different shapes (it was definitely an odd thing to look up at the castle and see two ships in the place of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tower), but no one had complained and most people seemed quite happy with the new arrangements.
*****
In the Gryffindor pirate ship, Harry stared boredly out the window at the enchanted seascape. Hermione was bent over a sheet of parchment, scribbling madly (which was no surprise), while Ron hunched over a stack of papers, brow scrunched up in concentration.
“What did you pick for this one, Hermione?” he asked, pointing to the paper currently in front of him. “Er, Orla Quirke, I think her name is.”
Hermione looked up with a look of irritation. “You’re supposed to decide for yourself, you know. And if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bother me. I’m trying to write. I only have fifteen more points to earn for the week.”
“Fine,” Ron muttered. “I’ll put Ravenclaw, then. She seems like a bit of a nutter anyway.”
Harry shoved his tricorn out of his eyes and peered down at his half-completed Charms homework. “Who wants to go visit Hagrid?” he asked. “I can’t stand being stuck up in here for much longer.”
“I’ll go!” Ron exclaimed, dropping his quill onto his stack of papers.
Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, but Harry and Ron paid no attention.
On their way out of the common room, Ron was nearly decapitated by Seamus Finnegan’s cutlass, which he was swinging about wildly while wearing nothing but his plunderwear.
“Oi, watch it!” Ron snapped. “And put on some trousers. Or one of those big puffy shirts, at least. But preferably trousers.”
Seamus only cackled.
*****
Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones were having a pleasant (but quiet) conversation about Hogsmeade in the library when they suddenly heard clanking footsteps approaching. A moment later, Ernie appeared around the corner of a bookshelf, red-faced and looking flustered.
“Have you voted for the animagi yet?” he asked urgently.
“Not yet, but I will,” Hannah replied. “I want those points. I know we can win the Cup if we just keep going!”
Ernie nodded earnestly, the visor of his helmet bouncing up and down. He propped it up again, annoyed. “Well, I would stop to chat, but I need to grab a book and then go to the Astronomy Club meeting.”
Just as Ernie turned to leave, he collided with Justin Finch-Fletchley. The two boys bounced off each other’s armor with a loud metallic clang. Justin straightened up quickly, glancing around to ensure that Madam Pince was not on her way to eat them alive.
“Did you know that Cedric Diggory is using a Time Turner?” Justin muttered under his breath in a tone of awe. “He’s doing everything!”
“Are you sure he’s really using a Time Turner?” Susan asked. “Is that even legal?”
Justin shrugged. “He told me he asked Professor Sprout.”
“I wish I had a Time Turner,” Ernie said longingly, glancing down at the watch strapped to the exterior of his armor. “Oh no! I’m late for Astronomy Club!”
As he loudly rushed out, a horribly familiar voice shouted, “WHO’S MAKING NOISE BACK THERE?”
Justin, Susan, and Hannah promptly ducked for cover under a table.
*****
Luna wandered past Hagrid’s Hut and into the Forbidden Forest, hair whipping in the wind where it streamed out from beneath her Viking helmet. She had already said hello to Professor Sprout, working in the greenhouses in light armor, and to Hagrid, who had decided to don a very large pirate hat even though it was not required of him as he was not a Head of House. She had hoped to run into Professor Dumbledore along the way so that she could suggest he move the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw ships into the lake. It was certainly big enough, and the castle looked very unbalanced with two ships perched precariously where towers ought to be.
Luna had not walked for very long before she encountered her friend Herbert the bowtruckle, dutifully pecking at his tree.
“Hello, Herbert,” she said politely, but Herbert didn’t respond. “I’m going to sketch you. Is that all right with you?”
His lack of a negative answer convinced Luna that he didn’t mind. She sat down on a smooth rock, pulled out her sketchpad and quill, and began to draw. When the sky darkened enough that Luna could no longer distinguish Herbert from the tree, she gathered up her things and began walking back toward the castle.
“Good-bye, Herbert,” she called. “You were a very good subject to draw. I think I’ll earn quite a few points for my sketch of you.”
Several students eyed Luna oddly as she walked into the Great Hall carrying sketch pad and quill, still a bit dirty from the forest, but she paid them no mind.
*****
“I think I quite like this new décor, don’t you?” Draco drawled, draped across a plush settee in the Slytherin common room. “It reminds me of home.”
Crabbe and Goyle nodded obediently.
Pansy fidgeted uncomfortably behind the settee. “I just wish we didn’t have to wear these ridiculous costumes,” she complained. “I can’t figure out how to sit down, Draco.”
“Didn’t your parents ever give you etiquette classes?” he replied.
“Yes, but they were Wizarding etiquette classes,” Pansy snapped. “My parents never made me wear ridiculous, poofy Muggle dresses. What’s wrong with robes, anyway? Why do we have to dress like this?”
“It’s part of Dumbledore’s stupid bonding thing,” Draco replied with a vague wave of his hand. “Of course it’s a bad idea. But I’m glad enough we didn’t have to wear smelly armor or those weird helmets.”
“The Gryffindors get swords, though,” Crabbe spoke up enviously. “We don’t get to have swords.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “We can have swords if we want to. They just have to be more dignified and elegant than those clumsy things the Gryffindors are lugging around.”
To prove his point, he rose from the couch and drew a thin fencing sword from a holster on his belt and sliced through the air with it. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy all applauded his form. Pansy leaned forward to give Draco a small peck on the cheek, but forgot about the tall powdered wig she was wearing and toppled over backward instead. Goyle pointed and laughed at her, but Draco just rolled his eyes.
“Really, Pansy. Do try to be more dignified. We are aristocrats, after all.”
Pansy huffed in annoyance as she pushed herself up from the floor and readjusted her wig and skirts.
*****
“I think this new initiative is working quite well,” Dumbledore said in contentment over dinner. “What do the rest of you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Professor Sprout said heartily. “What a lovely way to foster a sense of community.”
“It’s fun!” Professor Flitwick squeaked. “I’m thinking of sending my Ravenclaws on a Viking raid soon.”
“The Hufflepuffs certainly seem to be enjoying Knight Week so far,” Professor Sprout agreed.
“Albus, is it really necessary for us to dress in costume as well?” Professor McGonagall spoke up. “I think we are far too old, and it really is exceedingly difficult to make pirate clothing look suitably dignified for a woman of my position. I can hardly teach the students in a bandanna and ripped skirt.”
“Dignified isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Professor Snape muttered, tugging uncomfortably at the long socks tucked into his breeches. “Apparently aristocrats never wore anything but pastel colors…”
“Oh hush, you two,” Dumbledore chided with a smile. “It’s all in the spirit of fun, you know.”
1347/30 = 45 + 5 for challenge = 50 points for Hufflepuff!
Jennifer//Hufflepuff