Challenges #75 and #76
Title: The Most Important Child
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Dumbledore, McGonagall
Summary: Albus and Minerva rescue a little boy from the wrecked house in Godric's Hollow and take him back to Hogwarts.
Word Count: 335
Author's Notes:
Registered purchases?: Both
"It's been a long day." Albus lay back in his armchair, his eyes closed, his arms tightly wrapped around the bundle on his lap.
"It certainly has." Minerva replied, her hands shaking as she poured herself a glass of port. "A horrible day."
"Or joyous." He retorted, his response quick despite his nodding head, he was not as asleep as he appeared. "Voldemort is gone, at least for now." He rocked the bundle in his arms closer to his face, making soothing noises as it began to stir.
"That's true, but at what cost? Was it worth it?" Minerva paused, the glass at her lips. "Even if you can say yes to that, I'm not so sure he can." She finished, her head pointing in the direction of the child Dumbledore was holding, barely a year old but already the spitting image of his father, his face only changed by the appearence of a red mark on his forehead, easily covered by his already unruly haircut.
"Being raised without a father, and without a mother,...is a difficult thing I will admit, but he has many others here, others who care about him. Even if you changed my mind about his real family."
"I will not hear another word on that," Minerva snapped, a little shocked at herself. She wasn't usually one to tell the headmaster what to do but something about that family, the way they made her feel, she would not let them have Harry, no matter what Albus thought.
"Certainly, Minerva." He looked back down at the child, now awake, a grin on his face as he pulled at Dumbledore's beard, tangling his fingers up in it. "So happy, who would have believed just a few hours ago he was fighting for his life."
"And winning." Minerva smiled. "We've got a special boy here, Albus, he's going to be a handful."
"He's going to be important." Albus nodded, his face suddenly grave. "Important indeed."
Title: Too Many People He Cared About
Rating/Warnings: PG, swearing
Characters/Pairing: Harry, Luna, Ginny, Hermione (Harry/Luna so subtext that it's text. Harry/Ginny)
Summary: Harry is having some very strange dreams the night after Bill and Fleur's wedding.
Word Count: 832
Author's Notes: None
Registered purchases?: Both
"I guess that's why I like you so much." Ginny was saying, but she was so far away. Her voice, it came to his ears as if she was right there, but her face, her body, herself, was so far away, all he could see was a blur of red hair.
"Fucks sake, Luna, come back."
Luna? "Ginny."
But the blur wasn't red anymore, it was white and it was coming closer.
"She doesn't really understand you know." Luna said, nonchalantly. She wasn't even looking at him, but instead was sticking butterbeer caps onto the wall. "You heard her, I know you did. At the wedding you heard us talking."
"I don't know what you mean." Harry replied, fidgetting with his sleeve.
"Liar." Luna said, but she laughed, almost cackled, her eyes bright. "I saw you hovering outside the door, and you know I did, or you wouldn't be hearing this now." Harry glared at her, as if daring her to tell him something. "And you heard her crying, you heard me telling her you'd be fine." Luna laughed again. "Why were you even creeping outside, Harry? Were you hoping to see one of us changing or something?"
"Luna, you know me better than that."
"Unfortunately so, Mr Noble. Mr Always Does The Right Thing." Her usual sunny demeanor couldn't cover up a little bitterness below. "You were afraid Voldemort would use her to get to you? Really? I don't believe that at all."
"Believe what you want, I don't really care." Harry shouted, but as he turned to look at her, she was gone. Walking forward he glanced into the doorway.
"I don't understand why he won't let me go too, you know?" Ginny spluttered, her face as red as her hair, from anger and from upset. "Voldemort can't use me to get to him if I'm WITH him. And why is it only me that needs protecting? What about Ron? What about Hermione?"
"I think-" Luna started, but Ginny was in full rant mode.
"And...'let me'? Merlin what am I even saying? I don't want him to 'let me'. It's my decision! ARGH." She let out an exhasberated scream, no longer crying she had gone full-on angry now. "What an arrogant...shit. Really."
Harry recoiled at the door just as he had the first time. Was that really what she thought of him?
"Are you really suprised at that?" Harry whipped round at the sound of yet another female voice.
"Hermione." He spat. "For fucks sake. I'm so sick of all you..."
"All us what?" Hermione asked calmly, a grin on her face and an eyebrow raised.
"Busybodies." He finished lamely. "It's just too much. Can't you just let me live my own life for one moment without second guessing every fucking decision?"
"It's a bit hard just to let it go when it affects us so much."
"Affects you? Please, like you would ever let me make a decision that changed what you were going to do anyway"
"Affects them, and in turn affects everyone else. Everyone. It's not all about you Harry, as much as you sometimes think it is."
"You make me sound like...like a..."
"Arrogant shit? You can be...sometimes!" Hermione laughed, "But selfish or not, it's human nature. I'm not saying you don't have a big heart."
"And a big head to go with it, apparently."
"Don't sulk, it's unbecoming." Ginny said, putting her arm around him. Hermione was gone.
"Ginny, you have to understand." Harry started, his hand on her face he looked straight at her.
"Understand that you want to protect me? You're so like your father it's almost creepy."
"Not protect you..." He continued but his eyes were no longer fixed on Ginny, they were behind her, his gaze caught by a flash of white and blue again. "Excuse me, there's just...something I have to sort out." He turned from her and started running towards the blur.
"Wait up!" Luna called from where Ginny had been standing. She ran back to him and mussed his hair. "Where are you going?"
"I thought...I thought I saw." Harry stopped, there was no point trying to explain.
"You are trying to protect her, you can't deny it."
"No, I can't."
"But we both know why."
"We do."
"Who's going to protect me, Harry? If they come for me, who'll protect me?"
"They won't come for you, Luna."
"Because I'm not Ginny?"
"Because I won't let them."
"You really should have thought this through Harry. You're messing everything up." Hermione's voice came from Luna, her hair turning red. It was all too much. Too many voices, too many opinions, too many people he cared about. He just wished this was all a dream.
335/50 + 10 = 16.7 17 points
832/50 + 10 = 26.64 27 points
Total = 44 points
Rachel//Ravenclaw
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Dumbledore, McGonagall
Summary: Albus and Minerva rescue a little boy from the wrecked house in Godric's Hollow and take him back to Hogwarts.
Word Count: 335
Author's Notes:
Registered purchases?: Both
"It's been a long day." Albus lay back in his armchair, his eyes closed, his arms tightly wrapped around the bundle on his lap.
"It certainly has." Minerva replied, her hands shaking as she poured herself a glass of port. "A horrible day."
"Or joyous." He retorted, his response quick despite his nodding head, he was not as asleep as he appeared. "Voldemort is gone, at least for now." He rocked the bundle in his arms closer to his face, making soothing noises as it began to stir.
"That's true, but at what cost? Was it worth it?" Minerva paused, the glass at her lips. "Even if you can say yes to that, I'm not so sure he can." She finished, her head pointing in the direction of the child Dumbledore was holding, barely a year old but already the spitting image of his father, his face only changed by the appearence of a red mark on his forehead, easily covered by his already unruly haircut.
"Being raised without a father, and without a mother,...is a difficult thing I will admit, but he has many others here, others who care about him. Even if you changed my mind about his real family."
"I will not hear another word on that," Minerva snapped, a little shocked at herself. She wasn't usually one to tell the headmaster what to do but something about that family, the way they made her feel, she would not let them have Harry, no matter what Albus thought.
"Certainly, Minerva." He looked back down at the child, now awake, a grin on his face as he pulled at Dumbledore's beard, tangling his fingers up in it. "So happy, who would have believed just a few hours ago he was fighting for his life."
"And winning." Minerva smiled. "We've got a special boy here, Albus, he's going to be a handful."
"He's going to be important." Albus nodded, his face suddenly grave. "Important indeed."
Title: Too Many People He Cared About
Rating/Warnings: PG, swearing
Characters/Pairing: Harry, Luna, Ginny, Hermione (Harry/Luna so subtext that it's text. Harry/Ginny)
Summary: Harry is having some very strange dreams the night after Bill and Fleur's wedding.
Word Count: 832
Author's Notes: None
Registered purchases?: Both
"I guess that's why I like you so much." Ginny was saying, but she was so far away. Her voice, it came to his ears as if she was right there, but her face, her body, herself, was so far away, all he could see was a blur of red hair.
"Fucks sake, Luna, come back."
Luna? "Ginny."
But the blur wasn't red anymore, it was white and it was coming closer.
"She doesn't really understand you know." Luna said, nonchalantly. She wasn't even looking at him, but instead was sticking butterbeer caps onto the wall. "You heard her, I know you did. At the wedding you heard us talking."
"I don't know what you mean." Harry replied, fidgetting with his sleeve.
"Liar." Luna said, but she laughed, almost cackled, her eyes bright. "I saw you hovering outside the door, and you know I did, or you wouldn't be hearing this now." Harry glared at her, as if daring her to tell him something. "And you heard her crying, you heard me telling her you'd be fine." Luna laughed again. "Why were you even creeping outside, Harry? Were you hoping to see one of us changing or something?"
"Luna, you know me better than that."
"Unfortunately so, Mr Noble. Mr Always Does The Right Thing." Her usual sunny demeanor couldn't cover up a little bitterness below. "You were afraid Voldemort would use her to get to you? Really? I don't believe that at all."
"Believe what you want, I don't really care." Harry shouted, but as he turned to look at her, she was gone. Walking forward he glanced into the doorway.
"I don't understand why he won't let me go too, you know?" Ginny spluttered, her face as red as her hair, from anger and from upset. "Voldemort can't use me to get to him if I'm WITH him. And why is it only me that needs protecting? What about Ron? What about Hermione?"
"I think-" Luna started, but Ginny was in full rant mode.
"And...'let me'? Merlin what am I even saying? I don't want him to 'let me'. It's my decision! ARGH." She let out an exhasberated scream, no longer crying she had gone full-on angry now. "What an arrogant...shit. Really."
Harry recoiled at the door just as he had the first time. Was that really what she thought of him?
"Are you really suprised at that?" Harry whipped round at the sound of yet another female voice.
"Hermione." He spat. "For fucks sake. I'm so sick of all you..."
"All us what?" Hermione asked calmly, a grin on her face and an eyebrow raised.
"Busybodies." He finished lamely. "It's just too much. Can't you just let me live my own life for one moment without second guessing every fucking decision?"
"It's a bit hard just to let it go when it affects us so much."
"Affects you? Please, like you would ever let me make a decision that changed what you were going to do anyway"
"Affects them, and in turn affects everyone else. Everyone. It's not all about you Harry, as much as you sometimes think it is."
"You make me sound like...like a..."
"Arrogant shit? You can be...sometimes!" Hermione laughed, "But selfish or not, it's human nature. I'm not saying you don't have a big heart."
"And a big head to go with it, apparently."
"Don't sulk, it's unbecoming." Ginny said, putting her arm around him. Hermione was gone.
"Ginny, you have to understand." Harry started, his hand on her face he looked straight at her.
"Understand that you want to protect me? You're so like your father it's almost creepy."
"Not protect you..." He continued but his eyes were no longer fixed on Ginny, they were behind her, his gaze caught by a flash of white and blue again. "Excuse me, there's just...something I have to sort out." He turned from her and started running towards the blur.
"Wait up!" Luna called from where Ginny had been standing. She ran back to him and mussed his hair. "Where are you going?"
"I thought...I thought I saw." Harry stopped, there was no point trying to explain.
"You are trying to protect her, you can't deny it."
"No, I can't."
"But we both know why."
"We do."
"Who's going to protect me, Harry? If they come for me, who'll protect me?"
"They won't come for you, Luna."
"Because I'm not Ginny?"
"Because I won't let them."
"You really should have thought this through Harry. You're messing everything up." Hermione's voice came from Luna, her hair turning red. It was all too much. Too many voices, too many opinions, too many people he cared about. He just wished this was all a dream.
335/50 + 10 = 16.7 17 points
832/50 + 10 = 26.64 27 points
Total = 44 points
Rachel//Ravenclaw