Fic Challenge #187: Naturally
Title: Naturally
Summary: Quirinus has an unusual -- even for him -- encounter with Voldemort. Written for the prompt "Blah, Blah, Blah". Part of the continuing fleshing out of Quirrell's side of the story, compiled here at FFnet.
Characters/Pairings: Quirrell, Voldemort, Nagini
Genre: General, with underlying horror and a dash of humor
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 810
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Yes
If yes, your Tumblr username: N/A
Quirinus, you talk too much. It’s tiresome.
My Lord’s irritation swept over me in a prickling wave, and the most unnerving sensation of pins and needles bled across the lower part of my face.
I raised a hand to my mouth, and felt a smooth expanse of skin from nose to chin.
I swallowed convulsively. Did I even have a tongue? I must have had a throat still to be able to swallow. A humming breath escaped my nose. Ah, and apparently a larynx. I stumbled to a mirror and stared.
A man without a mouth stared back. I swallowed again, and saw the rise and fall of my Adam’s apple. I felt my tongue move behind my teeth along the alveolar ridge, and then back to my hard palate.
Well. This was awkward. But not insurmountable. I still had all my vocal tract physiology. I simply lacked lips and a mouth at the moment.
I sighed in relief.
Laughter whistled softly in my brain. You’re an odd duck. I do enjoy that about you.
How’s that, my Lord?
It took you all of a few moments to adapt to your current situation and to in fact find a silver lining in it.
I felt the muscles of my face try to stretch anatomy no longer present into a smile, and then try for a grimace. Both, predictably, failed. I closed my eyes briefly. Lots of practice at adapting to new circumstances, my Lord. So then, how long will we be playing this game?
Game?
I’m assuming this is a temporary state of affairs enacted for your amusement. Hence, game.
What makes you think it’s temporary?
I crossed my arms, taking a deep breath through my nose. You need me to leave my quarters at some point. I’ve got a story for the turban on my head, but I suspect also wearing a covering for the lower half of my face like some kind of highwayman might raise a few eyebrows. And, lacking a mouth, I may have a touch trouble explaining. Such an episode would draw unnecessary attention to us. Therefore, I conclude that this must be temporary.
Clever clever Quirinus. And what if I’ve simply decided to cast you off because your incessant babbling has grown intolerable?
I tapped my fingers against my arm. Possible, but unlikely. We’re terribly close to reaching the stone. Seems like a bit of a waste to get rid of me now, really. You’d have to go ensnare another human familiar and possess the back of his skull. I clucked my tongue in the closed cavity of my mouth. It echoed oddly and made me choke. Coughing without a mouth was quite an experience, and made my nasal passages ache horribly. Anyway, that would definitely put a delay on your plans. And I know delays irritate you. Also, Nagini would miss me, and you hate it when she’s sad.
Laughter caressed my cheeks and the tip of my nose. That I do. She doesn’t perform her duties nearly as well without you.
Where is Nagini, anyway? Her absence was rather odd, come to think of it. She normally would be twining around my ankles or curling on my neck. I stretched my thoughts towards her, finding the braided connection that we shared. Nagini?
Wake up, wake up. There was licking across the corner of my mouth. You were dreaming. And choking. I worried.
My eyes flared open, my fingers flying to my mouth. The comforting curve of my lips was there, just as it had always been. I let a deep exhalation flow out of my mouth. I wondered how you had done that, my Lord. That would have been an unusual bit of punitive magic.
Don’t tempt me. My mouth and nose have been pressed into this pillow for hours, and turnabout is fair play.
With a start, I turned my head to the side. My Lord, I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me. A few moments thundered by. Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?
I was enjoying your dream, actually. Most illuminating. I’ll have to look into a spell like that. As a disciplinary action, it seems exquisitely targeted.
A shiver marched down my spine. I doubted I’d be nearly so calm in real life as I was in that dream should I be the target of such a spell. Particularly if there was no obvious countermeasure.
Have a little faith, Quirinus. As you so eloquently noted in your dream, you’re not expendable at the moment.
I snorted softly. You certainly know how to comfort a man, my Lord.
Natural talents, Quirinus. Natural talents.
Nagini curled on top of my chest in a sun-warmed heap, not bothering to comment.
32 points
Summary: Quirinus has an unusual -- even for him -- encounter with Voldemort. Written for the prompt "Blah, Blah, Blah". Part of the continuing fleshing out of Quirrell's side of the story, compiled here at FFnet.
Characters/Pairings: Quirrell, Voldemort, Nagini
Genre: General, with underlying horror and a dash of humor
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 810
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Yes
If yes, your Tumblr username: N/A
Quirinus, you talk too much. It’s tiresome.
My Lord’s irritation swept over me in a prickling wave, and the most unnerving sensation of pins and needles bled across the lower part of my face.
I raised a hand to my mouth, and felt a smooth expanse of skin from nose to chin.
I swallowed convulsively. Did I even have a tongue? I must have had a throat still to be able to swallow. A humming breath escaped my nose. Ah, and apparently a larynx. I stumbled to a mirror and stared.
A man without a mouth stared back. I swallowed again, and saw the rise and fall of my Adam’s apple. I felt my tongue move behind my teeth along the alveolar ridge, and then back to my hard palate.
Well. This was awkward. But not insurmountable. I still had all my vocal tract physiology. I simply lacked lips and a mouth at the moment.
I sighed in relief.
Laughter whistled softly in my brain. You’re an odd duck. I do enjoy that about you.
How’s that, my Lord?
It took you all of a few moments to adapt to your current situation and to in fact find a silver lining in it.
I felt the muscles of my face try to stretch anatomy no longer present into a smile, and then try for a grimace. Both, predictably, failed. I closed my eyes briefly. Lots of practice at adapting to new circumstances, my Lord. So then, how long will we be playing this game?
Game?
I’m assuming this is a temporary state of affairs enacted for your amusement. Hence, game.
What makes you think it’s temporary?
I crossed my arms, taking a deep breath through my nose. You need me to leave my quarters at some point. I’ve got a story for the turban on my head, but I suspect also wearing a covering for the lower half of my face like some kind of highwayman might raise a few eyebrows. And, lacking a mouth, I may have a touch trouble explaining. Such an episode would draw unnecessary attention to us. Therefore, I conclude that this must be temporary.
Clever clever Quirinus. And what if I’ve simply decided to cast you off because your incessant babbling has grown intolerable?
I tapped my fingers against my arm. Possible, but unlikely. We’re terribly close to reaching the stone. Seems like a bit of a waste to get rid of me now, really. You’d have to go ensnare another human familiar and possess the back of his skull. I clucked my tongue in the closed cavity of my mouth. It echoed oddly and made me choke. Coughing without a mouth was quite an experience, and made my nasal passages ache horribly. Anyway, that would definitely put a delay on your plans. And I know delays irritate you. Also, Nagini would miss me, and you hate it when she’s sad.
Laughter caressed my cheeks and the tip of my nose. That I do. She doesn’t perform her duties nearly as well without you.
Where is Nagini, anyway? Her absence was rather odd, come to think of it. She normally would be twining around my ankles or curling on my neck. I stretched my thoughts towards her, finding the braided connection that we shared. Nagini?
Wake up, wake up. There was licking across the corner of my mouth. You were dreaming. And choking. I worried.
My eyes flared open, my fingers flying to my mouth. The comforting curve of my lips was there, just as it had always been. I let a deep exhalation flow out of my mouth. I wondered how you had done that, my Lord. That would have been an unusual bit of punitive magic.
Don’t tempt me. My mouth and nose have been pressed into this pillow for hours, and turnabout is fair play.
With a start, I turned my head to the side. My Lord, I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me. A few moments thundered by. Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?
I was enjoying your dream, actually. Most illuminating. I’ll have to look into a spell like that. As a disciplinary action, it seems exquisitely targeted.
A shiver marched down my spine. I doubted I’d be nearly so calm in real life as I was in that dream should I be the target of such a spell. Particularly if there was no obvious countermeasure.
Have a little faith, Quirinus. As you so eloquently noted in your dream, you’re not expendable at the moment.
I snorted softly. You certainly know how to comfort a man, my Lord.
Natural talents, Quirinus. Natural talents.
Nagini curled on top of my chest in a sun-warmed heap, not bothering to comment.
32 points