CHALLENGE #91: Brittany, #70: Summer Holidays
Title: Those of Great Ambition
Rating/Warnings: G/none
Characters/Pairing: Bellatrix Black
Summary: Bella's beginnings at Hogwarts.
Word Count: 893
Author's Notes: Challenge 90: Brittany ('m more talented than all of you. I see that clearly now.) I learned that I can't write for Bellatrix at all lol. This had more of a point in my head than how it turned out.
Registered purchases?: Both
Bellatrix Black was never an easy child to get along with. Her sisters could attest to this matter. Oh the stories they could tell! From the minute she could string two words together, she knew what she wanted and made sure she always got it. For her eleventh birthday, Bellatrix once again got exactly what she wished for. On September 1, 1962, little Bella, tired from a long day of traveling but still feeling a rush of excitement, heard Professor McGonagall, Deputy Head Mistress, call her name. She smirked as she stepped up and took her place on the stool. The Sorting Hat knew immediately where Bella belonged but toyed with her for a moment to see her reaction. At the mere mention of the possibility of Hufflepuff, Bellatrix’s mind went into overdrive. She started thinking threats at the hat, who merely chuckled. He knew she would react that way! And that surely cemented her place in the house of Slytherin. The girl would not take no for an answer and she had known since the age of six that she would one day join the noble house of Salazar. Her whole family had been. No one was going to take that from her, and on that day she fulfilled her dream.Her days at Hogwarts were no different at all. Bella ruled the school, at least in her mind’s eye. And she did get whatever she wanted when she put even the smallest bit of effort into it so in that way she was correct. She knew she was more talented than all the rest of them. She saw it clearly and it would not be long before everyone else did as well. One of her favorite past times was hanging out with the members of the Young Death Eaters Club. Well obviously they didn’t call it that in public, but that didn’t change that fact that that’s what it really was. She enjoyed dueling with the other members. She always tore them to pieces, sometimes literally. She trained hard because she knew exactly what she wanted to do once she left school.
One winter afternoon in the dungeons, the club was having a meeting. Bella was still only a second year and did not have any seniority. Rodolphus Lestrange, a burly sixth year was leading the club at this time. He said something that ticked her off. He expressed a sliver of doubt in the Dark Lord’s ability to conquer both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. In a flash of green and black she was on him. She challenged him to a duel. “How dare you insult the Dark Lord in front of me,” she spat at him before raising her wand. He was in an attack stance but still he was no match for her skill. “Diffindo!” she yelled before he could ever even get out the first syllable of a counter attack. He was pushed backward by the force of the attack. “Silencio!” Rodolphus yelled. He knew that as a second year, there was no way she had learned how to cast spells in the nonverbal manner and he had serious conflicts with attacking a girl so young. Yes even this future cold blooded killer couldn’t bring himself to really try to harm the girl in front of him. He sorely underestimated her though. She blocked his spell and had already sent a new one flying his way before he even realized his plan had failed. Her bat-bogey hex hit him square in the face. “Alright, alright! You win,” Rodolphus mumbled grudgingly through the mound of fluttering wings now covering his face. “Somebody do the counter-hex please,” he whimpered. Bellatrix looked up at him disgusted. “I always thought I was more talented than all of you. Everyone can see it clearly now,” she scoffed. Rodolphus had lost the respect of the club that day. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to guess who was calling the shots within a month of that encounter. Yes, little second year Bellatrix, ordering around students as much as five years her senior. She didn’t look out of place doing it either.
When she was nearing her final day at Hogwarts, Bella’s youngest sister Narcissa was still in the middle of hers. Andromeda was a huge disappointment to her. She had managed to be sorted into Slytherin, at least, but Dromeda lacked Bellatrix’s ambition and absolute ability to get what she pleased by any means necessary. She was weak and disobedient. Narcissa was a much better prospect. She was much more shy than Bella but Bella knew that she could follow in her footsteps. And so she left the Young Death Eaters Club in her hands, knowing it would give her experience with being superior even to people who should be considered her equals. Bella knew that by the time Cissy finished school, she herself would be well entrenched in the Dark Lord’s forces and would be able to take her under her wing again. She cared for her sister, at least the youngest anyway, very deeply and wanted to see only the best for her. She knew she was one of the most talented and deserving people of the Dark Lord’s recognition. And just like everything else in her life that she had ever wanted, Bellatrix was sure to get it very soon.
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Title: All Portraits Have Secrets
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for portrait drunkenness and general friskyness~
Characters/Pairing: the portraits of Hogwarts
Summary: The denizens of Hogwarts portraits go wild on the summer holidays.
Word Count: 963
Author's Notes: #70: Summer Holidays
Registered purchases?:Both
It was July and all the students had long since gone home on the Hogwarts Express leaving Hogwarts a hauntingly quiet place. Some of the teachers were still around at least some of the time. Professor Binns, for example, never left the castle anymore. Professor Dumbledore continued to live in the Head Master’s quarters year round, but he was growing exceedingly busy and was spending less time actually there than in any other time anyone could remember. Despite the lack of students or living professors around, constantly chatting, gossiping, teaching, fighting, there was one area of the school that actually increased in rambunctious behavior - the portraits. You’ve heard a little here or there about how they can go a little crazy at times like Christmas when the majority, though not by any means all, students have gone home to celebrate the holiday with their families. But on the summer holidays, when absolutely everyone is gone? The portraits go absolutely crazy.
On Tuesday night, The Fat Lady had just hosted a wild party ranging through all the portraits in Gryffindor Tower. Rumor has it that one of the monks hooked up with the portrait of Fiona, a 15th century Slytherin aristocrat, when the both of them had had a little too much to drink. Quite frankly, this wasn’t even that shocking to insiders since Fiona was a known flirt and had probably hooked up with more portraits than not in almost 600 years. The monk’s brothers were not too pleased with his actions though. Something about a “betrayal.” Regardless the whole incident is currently causing a lot of exciting drama!
The family portrait of the Renaissance family on the fourth floor corridor by the Great Hall was also particularly lucky that it’s impossible for portraits to get pregnant or have children. William and Catherine had seven children in life, and each of them was included in this family portrait. On the summer holidays particularly, the pair used the privacy liberally and surely would have filled up their painting with twenty more children over the centuries if they could! Their neighbors, a quiet seamstress and an old conservative man, were highly thankful that they were eternally limited to the seven brats they already had as they were loud and cried through the night and how could and old man ever get any sleep with that racket? Summer was bad enough on its own when he also had to listen to the parents practically every night. He was too old for that nonsense.
And you know those trolls that Barnabas the Barmy is always trying to teach ballet outside of the Room of Requirement? You do not want to see them when they know there are no students around to see them. They might not take to ballet very easily, but man do they know how to party. A few years ago they threw a rave in the Room of Requirement portrait spaces. You wouldn’t believe the insanity of it all, though understandably it was also the world’s best party for artwork ever thrown. It was in the Room of Requirement after all. The smartest troll had figured out how to work the room after 200 years of sitting across from it in his portrait. For the party, he asked it to provide all the things paintings would need for a party. The walls were huge and lined with canvas from the ceiling to the floor with a backdrop of a dark night club. Plenty of alcohol was there as well, and I don’t think a single painting missed out on the fun except Old Lady Dorris, the castle’s most notorious stick in the mud painting. She stayed home and knitted her nephew a new hideous sweater while everyone else danced the night away in luxury, including her precious nephew! Barnabas had a hard time getting the trolls ready for ballet practice the next night, believe me. Not that they were ever particularly cooperative.
You might be surprised to hear this but the one person who actually relaxes during the summer instead of going all out crazy is Sir Cadogan. He always goes to the parties (when he’s invited, anyway) because as a knight he always loved a good feast. He would tell his old quest tales to anyone who would listen at every party. But in between parties, he usually used the summer to take a breather from everything. He never threw his own parties and only very occasionally had more than a drink or two after dinner. Instead, he preferred to join the mermaids by the astronomy tower on their beautiful beach landscape. He set up a hammock between two palm trees and lazed around in it all day, napping, snacking on delightful tropical foods of all kind, and enjoying the company of beautiful mermaids as they splashed their tails in the water at him. He figured he deserved this kind of relaxation after defending the castle from young rapscallions all year long, so when they finally went home for summer break, he could take one himself. He loved being a knight and there was never a quest too small for him to take part in - but secretly his favorite time of year was actually when he could spend these sunny days at the beach with no one to bother him.
And there you have the crazy tale of the portrait denizens of Hogwarts when they believe no humans, particularly children, are around to witness their behavior. If you’re shocked - you shouldn’t be. I bet the portraits in your home secretly do the same things when they are home alone. Now you’ll never be able to look at that photograph of Old Aunt Nelly the same way ever again, eh? All portraits have secrets.
(893 words/30) + 10 bonus = 40 points
(963 words/30) + 10 bonus = 42 points
82 POINTS FOR HUFFLEPUFF
Rating/Warnings: G/none
Characters/Pairing: Bellatrix Black
Summary: Bella's beginnings at Hogwarts.
Word Count: 893
Author's Notes: Challenge 90: Brittany ('m more talented than all of you. I see that clearly now.) I learned that I can't write for Bellatrix at all lol. This had more of a point in my head than how it turned out.
Registered purchases?: Both
Bellatrix Black was never an easy child to get along with. Her sisters could attest to this matter. Oh the stories they could tell! From the minute she could string two words together, she knew what she wanted and made sure she always got it. For her eleventh birthday, Bellatrix once again got exactly what she wished for. On September 1, 1962, little Bella, tired from a long day of traveling but still feeling a rush of excitement, heard Professor McGonagall, Deputy Head Mistress, call her name. She smirked as she stepped up and took her place on the stool. The Sorting Hat knew immediately where Bella belonged but toyed with her for a moment to see her reaction. At the mere mention of the possibility of Hufflepuff, Bellatrix’s mind went into overdrive. She started thinking threats at the hat, who merely chuckled. He knew she would react that way! And that surely cemented her place in the house of Slytherin. The girl would not take no for an answer and she had known since the age of six that she would one day join the noble house of Salazar. Her whole family had been. No one was going to take that from her, and on that day she fulfilled her dream.Her days at Hogwarts were no different at all. Bella ruled the school, at least in her mind’s eye. And she did get whatever she wanted when she put even the smallest bit of effort into it so in that way she was correct. She knew she was more talented than all the rest of them. She saw it clearly and it would not be long before everyone else did as well. One of her favorite past times was hanging out with the members of the Young Death Eaters Club. Well obviously they didn’t call it that in public, but that didn’t change that fact that that’s what it really was. She enjoyed dueling with the other members. She always tore them to pieces, sometimes literally. She trained hard because she knew exactly what she wanted to do once she left school.
One winter afternoon in the dungeons, the club was having a meeting. Bella was still only a second year and did not have any seniority. Rodolphus Lestrange, a burly sixth year was leading the club at this time. He said something that ticked her off. He expressed a sliver of doubt in the Dark Lord’s ability to conquer both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. In a flash of green and black she was on him. She challenged him to a duel. “How dare you insult the Dark Lord in front of me,” she spat at him before raising her wand. He was in an attack stance but still he was no match for her skill. “Diffindo!” she yelled before he could ever even get out the first syllable of a counter attack. He was pushed backward by the force of the attack. “Silencio!” Rodolphus yelled. He knew that as a second year, there was no way she had learned how to cast spells in the nonverbal manner and he had serious conflicts with attacking a girl so young. Yes even this future cold blooded killer couldn’t bring himself to really try to harm the girl in front of him. He sorely underestimated her though. She blocked his spell and had already sent a new one flying his way before he even realized his plan had failed. Her bat-bogey hex hit him square in the face. “Alright, alright! You win,” Rodolphus mumbled grudgingly through the mound of fluttering wings now covering his face. “Somebody do the counter-hex please,” he whimpered. Bellatrix looked up at him disgusted. “I always thought I was more talented than all of you. Everyone can see it clearly now,” she scoffed. Rodolphus had lost the respect of the club that day. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to guess who was calling the shots within a month of that encounter. Yes, little second year Bellatrix, ordering around students as much as five years her senior. She didn’t look out of place doing it either.
When she was nearing her final day at Hogwarts, Bella’s youngest sister Narcissa was still in the middle of hers. Andromeda was a huge disappointment to her. She had managed to be sorted into Slytherin, at least, but Dromeda lacked Bellatrix’s ambition and absolute ability to get what she pleased by any means necessary. She was weak and disobedient. Narcissa was a much better prospect. She was much more shy than Bella but Bella knew that she could follow in her footsteps. And so she left the Young Death Eaters Club in her hands, knowing it would give her experience with being superior even to people who should be considered her equals. Bella knew that by the time Cissy finished school, she herself would be well entrenched in the Dark Lord’s forces and would be able to take her under her wing again. She cared for her sister, at least the youngest anyway, very deeply and wanted to see only the best for her. She knew she was one of the most talented and deserving people of the Dark Lord’s recognition. And just like everything else in her life that she had ever wanted, Bellatrix was sure to get it very soon.
----------
Title: All Portraits Have Secrets
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for portrait drunkenness and general friskyness~
Characters/Pairing: the portraits of Hogwarts
Summary: The denizens of Hogwarts portraits go wild on the summer holidays.
Word Count: 963
Author's Notes: #70: Summer Holidays
Registered purchases?:Both
It was July and all the students had long since gone home on the Hogwarts Express leaving Hogwarts a hauntingly quiet place. Some of the teachers were still around at least some of the time. Professor Binns, for example, never left the castle anymore. Professor Dumbledore continued to live in the Head Master’s quarters year round, but he was growing exceedingly busy and was spending less time actually there than in any other time anyone could remember. Despite the lack of students or living professors around, constantly chatting, gossiping, teaching, fighting, there was one area of the school that actually increased in rambunctious behavior - the portraits. You’ve heard a little here or there about how they can go a little crazy at times like Christmas when the majority, though not by any means all, students have gone home to celebrate the holiday with their families. But on the summer holidays, when absolutely everyone is gone? The portraits go absolutely crazy.
On Tuesday night, The Fat Lady had just hosted a wild party ranging through all the portraits in Gryffindor Tower. Rumor has it that one of the monks hooked up with the portrait of Fiona, a 15th century Slytherin aristocrat, when the both of them had had a little too much to drink. Quite frankly, this wasn’t even that shocking to insiders since Fiona was a known flirt and had probably hooked up with more portraits than not in almost 600 years. The monk’s brothers were not too pleased with his actions though. Something about a “betrayal.” Regardless the whole incident is currently causing a lot of exciting drama!
The family portrait of the Renaissance family on the fourth floor corridor by the Great Hall was also particularly lucky that it’s impossible for portraits to get pregnant or have children. William and Catherine had seven children in life, and each of them was included in this family portrait. On the summer holidays particularly, the pair used the privacy liberally and surely would have filled up their painting with twenty more children over the centuries if they could! Their neighbors, a quiet seamstress and an old conservative man, were highly thankful that they were eternally limited to the seven brats they already had as they were loud and cried through the night and how could and old man ever get any sleep with that racket? Summer was bad enough on its own when he also had to listen to the parents practically every night. He was too old for that nonsense.
And you know those trolls that Barnabas the Barmy is always trying to teach ballet outside of the Room of Requirement? You do not want to see them when they know there are no students around to see them. They might not take to ballet very easily, but man do they know how to party. A few years ago they threw a rave in the Room of Requirement portrait spaces. You wouldn’t believe the insanity of it all, though understandably it was also the world’s best party for artwork ever thrown. It was in the Room of Requirement after all. The smartest troll had figured out how to work the room after 200 years of sitting across from it in his portrait. For the party, he asked it to provide all the things paintings would need for a party. The walls were huge and lined with canvas from the ceiling to the floor with a backdrop of a dark night club. Plenty of alcohol was there as well, and I don’t think a single painting missed out on the fun except Old Lady Dorris, the castle’s most notorious stick in the mud painting. She stayed home and knitted her nephew a new hideous sweater while everyone else danced the night away in luxury, including her precious nephew! Barnabas had a hard time getting the trolls ready for ballet practice the next night, believe me. Not that they were ever particularly cooperative.
You might be surprised to hear this but the one person who actually relaxes during the summer instead of going all out crazy is Sir Cadogan. He always goes to the parties (when he’s invited, anyway) because as a knight he always loved a good feast. He would tell his old quest tales to anyone who would listen at every party. But in between parties, he usually used the summer to take a breather from everything. He never threw his own parties and only very occasionally had more than a drink or two after dinner. Instead, he preferred to join the mermaids by the astronomy tower on their beautiful beach landscape. He set up a hammock between two palm trees and lazed around in it all day, napping, snacking on delightful tropical foods of all kind, and enjoying the company of beautiful mermaids as they splashed their tails in the water at him. He figured he deserved this kind of relaxation after defending the castle from young rapscallions all year long, so when they finally went home for summer break, he could take one himself. He loved being a knight and there was never a quest too small for him to take part in - but secretly his favorite time of year was actually when he could spend these sunny days at the beach with no one to bother him.
And there you have the crazy tale of the portrait denizens of Hogwarts when they believe no humans, particularly children, are around to witness their behavior. If you’re shocked - you shouldn’t be. I bet the portraits in your home secretly do the same things when they are home alone. Now you’ll never be able to look at that photograph of Old Aunt Nelly the same way ever again, eh? All portraits have secrets.
(893 words/30) + 10 bonus = 40 points
(963 words/30) + 10 bonus = 42 points
82 POINTS FOR HUFFLEPUFF