Meme time!
So a conversation this afternoon reminded me of this meme:
What is your favorite scene you've never posted? Why is it your favorite, and why hasn't it been posted? Will you share it now?
Kind of a toss-up for me, but let's go with the one that has no hope of being posted ever, rather than the languishing but still hopeful WIP.
In the post-GoF hiatus, I was writing a story titled Coming of Shadow, Promise of Light. It was to be a MWPP-era 7th year (and just after) fic, setting up the whole mess to come.
And it was thoroughly jossed by the release of Phoenix.
If I'd started posting it, I would have continued; HP fandom is pretty good about grandfather clauses. But I hadn't felt up to posting it as an early WIP, so after the jossing, I shoved it in a drawer.
One of the things I liked best about the fic was writing a deeper, nuanced Peter. He was mostly (at least in the areas I was reading) being written as a completely useless, spineless tag-along and I wanted to give him an actual personality. Of course, seeing as JKR herself wrote him useless and spineless, I guess the fandom knew something I didn't. (My JKR issues, let me show you them.) This scene was one of several (most never got written) meant to set up Peter as a slightly-above average wizard who had the misfortune of being born in the same year as some of the brightest students to come through Gryffindor that generation. Had he been a year older or younger -- or possibly even in another house -- he would have been considered a solid student, better at some things, worse at others, in the upper part of the class but not without effort. In the company of the other three, though, he was doomed to be always lesser; getting reflected glory but never shining on his own. And even his friends tend to see him that way, always playing catch-up to them, because it all comes easy to them while he has to work for it. So of course he resents them, despite the friendship. Without Voldemort it probably would have come to nothing - maybe they'd have grown apart after graduation, maybe there would have been a fight, but nothing worse. Introduce an outside pressure like that, though, and - boom.
*sigh* I would really have liked to finish that story. But it wouldn't have survived being taken down to canon-compliance and rebuilt.
“James and I’ll be Aurors, of course!” Sirius declared enthusiastically. “The Death Eaters won’t know what hit them! We’ll be an unstoppable team, right James?”
James was grinning at his friend’s extravagant boasts, but he nodded anyway. “It’s a shame you can’t join us, Remus,” he said quietly, grin dropping away. “You’d make a terrific Auror too.”
But Remus shook his head. “I don’t mind,” he said. “I don’t really have the personality to make a good dueller, and that’s what it takes these days.”
“You’re the best one in the class!” Sirius protested.
“I’m good,” Remus admitted, “but it’s not second nature to me like it is for you. I’d get kiled in a real fight.” He smiled wryly. “I think I’ll make my contribution to the fight elsewhere - I’ll be useful longer that way.”
“Shame,” James said glumly. “It’d be good to have more friends at our backs. Hey - I know! How about putting that encyclopedic knowledge to good use - there’s all kinds of research positions open. Developing new spells, coutercurses, shields - even potions. I’d trust a shielding spell you had a hand in any day, Moony.”
Remus flushed slightly, being by far the most modest of the quartet. “Maybe. I’ll look into it.”
Peter waited eagerly for one of them to mention his future contributions to the fight against Voldemort. In his imagination he conjured up scenes of him standing with his friends watching packs of Death Eaters be dragged off to prison. A warm feeling filled him; together they’d be unstoppable.
“Going to apply to the Ministry, Wormtail?” Sirius asked, bringing him back to reality.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah! You bet!”
“What department?” James grabbed a handful of Bertie Botts and passed the carton along to Remus.
Peter felt his spirits sink a little. Wasn’t it obvious? “M-magical Law Enforcement.”
Sirius’ eyebrows shot up. “Really? Peter - you know you don’t have to stay near us - strike out on your own!”
“Yeah, you can do it,” James enthused. “We have faith in you!”
What could he say to that? “Th-thanks, guys.” But he stared glumly at his wizard cards while James and Sirius regaled Remus with predictions about the adventures they’d have. If they had so much faith in him, why didn’t they think he could work Law Enforcement? Just because he wasn’t top of the class--! We can’t all be Head Boy, he thought sulkily. There are plenty of good-but-not-great wizards out there; why shouldn’t I be one of them? But none of his friends seemed to notice his sullen silence.
What is your favorite scene you've never posted? Why is it your favorite, and why hasn't it been posted? Will you share it now?
Kind of a toss-up for me, but let's go with the one that has no hope of being posted ever, rather than the languishing but still hopeful WIP.
In the post-GoF hiatus, I was writing a story titled Coming of Shadow, Promise of Light. It was to be a MWPP-era 7th year (and just after) fic, setting up the whole mess to come.
And it was thoroughly jossed by the release of Phoenix.
If I'd started posting it, I would have continued; HP fandom is pretty good about grandfather clauses. But I hadn't felt up to posting it as an early WIP, so after the jossing, I shoved it in a drawer.
One of the things I liked best about the fic was writing a deeper, nuanced Peter. He was mostly (at least in the areas I was reading) being written as a completely useless, spineless tag-along and I wanted to give him an actual personality. Of course, seeing as JKR herself wrote him useless and spineless, I guess the fandom knew something I didn't. (My JKR issues, let me show you them.) This scene was one of several (most never got written) meant to set up Peter as a slightly-above average wizard who had the misfortune of being born in the same year as some of the brightest students to come through Gryffindor that generation. Had he been a year older or younger -- or possibly even in another house -- he would have been considered a solid student, better at some things, worse at others, in the upper part of the class but not without effort. In the company of the other three, though, he was doomed to be always lesser; getting reflected glory but never shining on his own. And even his friends tend to see him that way, always playing catch-up to them, because it all comes easy to them while he has to work for it. So of course he resents them, despite the friendship. Without Voldemort it probably would have come to nothing - maybe they'd have grown apart after graduation, maybe there would have been a fight, but nothing worse. Introduce an outside pressure like that, though, and - boom.
*sigh* I would really have liked to finish that story. But it wouldn't have survived being taken down to canon-compliance and rebuilt.
“James and I’ll be Aurors, of course!” Sirius declared enthusiastically. “The Death Eaters won’t know what hit them! We’ll be an unstoppable team, right James?”
James was grinning at his friend’s extravagant boasts, but he nodded anyway. “It’s a shame you can’t join us, Remus,” he said quietly, grin dropping away. “You’d make a terrific Auror too.”
But Remus shook his head. “I don’t mind,” he said. “I don’t really have the personality to make a good dueller, and that’s what it takes these days.”
“You’re the best one in the class!” Sirius protested.
“I’m good,” Remus admitted, “but it’s not second nature to me like it is for you. I’d get kiled in a real fight.” He smiled wryly. “I think I’ll make my contribution to the fight elsewhere - I’ll be useful longer that way.”
“Shame,” James said glumly. “It’d be good to have more friends at our backs. Hey - I know! How about putting that encyclopedic knowledge to good use - there’s all kinds of research positions open. Developing new spells, coutercurses, shields - even potions. I’d trust a shielding spell you had a hand in any day, Moony.”
Remus flushed slightly, being by far the most modest of the quartet. “Maybe. I’ll look into it.”
Peter waited eagerly for one of them to mention his future contributions to the fight against Voldemort. In his imagination he conjured up scenes of him standing with his friends watching packs of Death Eaters be dragged off to prison. A warm feeling filled him; together they’d be unstoppable.
“Going to apply to the Ministry, Wormtail?” Sirius asked, bringing him back to reality.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah! You bet!”
“What department?” James grabbed a handful of Bertie Botts and passed the carton along to Remus.
Peter felt his spirits sink a little. Wasn’t it obvious? “M-magical Law Enforcement.”
Sirius’ eyebrows shot up. “Really? Peter - you know you don’t have to stay near us - strike out on your own!”
“Yeah, you can do it,” James enthused. “We have faith in you!”
What could he say to that? “Th-thanks, guys.” But he stared glumly at his wizard cards while James and Sirius regaled Remus with predictions about the adventures they’d have. If they had so much faith in him, why didn’t they think he could work Law Enforcement? Just because he wasn’t top of the class--! We can’t all be Head Boy, he thought sulkily. There are plenty of good-but-not-great wizards out there; why shouldn’t I be one of them? But none of his friends seemed to notice his sullen silence.