October Challenge Fic: Five Have a Magical Time

[lazy_neutrino]

Title: Five Have a Magical Time
Author: lazy_neutrino
Rating: PG
Length: 3300 words
Summary: The Famous Five spot some sinister hooded shapes in masks storing suspicious-looking bundles and crates in a cave near their home. Can they foil the nefarious wiles of the Death Eaters in time? Prompt from dolorous_ett
Notes: Thanks to kennahijja for a very patient beta!
Crossover: Famous

Comments

[tree_and_leaf]

Absolutely brilliant - especially McGonnagal, and the way Anne finally got the last laugh... Draco was perfect, too, and Greyback very sinister. Beautiful skewering of Blyton's prejudices, too.

Do muggles count as mudbloods?

[lazy_neutrino]

Oh, good point. I don't think Draco's ever spoken to a Muggle before. I shall think about that and see if I can come up with a canon reference or a better word, which still keeps the antagonism of Mudblood.

I'm glad you liked it - the prompt was a dream!

[shiv5468]

"Gosh," said Shiv. "That was super."

You hit Blyton's tone perfectly.

[lazy_neutrino]

Thanks! I suspect I may have overdosed as a child...

[mephisto5]

Simply smashing.

[lazy_neutrino]

Thanks! It was great fun to write - I actually finished it in two days, and it's been back and forth in beta since then!

[snorkackcatcher]

It's been a long time since I read any Enid Blyton books, but that sounded spot on! Nice use of Dung and McGonagall and a great finish, just excellently judged throughout and a crossover that actually manages to combine the two canons in a way that fits with both, rather than skewing one of them completely out of whack. (I thought you were going to go completely postmodern and have Greyback rip them to shreds at one point. Maybe I'm just suspicious.) Loved the title, btw. :)

[lazy_neutrino]

You're very perceptive - at one point the working title was Five Go For A Burton since I could not see how to get them out alive. (Mind you, I wasn't expecting Greyback to walk in - I had originally planned Lucius, and then Bellatrix). [I also liked Five Go West for its ambiguity!] Timmy was a major problem - in the first draft he came with them into the cave, and that made the denouement difficult; dogs are a real pain when you're trying to build suspense!

I'm glad you enjoyed it - I actually have read a Blyton quite recently: I picked up The Secret Seven on the train back down from Scotland on Saturday to see what it was like. She's actually much more subtle than I remember.

[snorkackcatcher]

I seem to remember The Five Find-Outers were my favourites as a kid, followed by the Secret Seven and only then the Famous Five. (Maybe not even that -- I can remember a series with titles of the form "XXXXX of Adventure" that I liked too.) I think my mother still has most of my old kids books, I'll have to take a trip down memory lane sometime. :)

Dammit, saying that has got me wondering what a Harry Potter/Just William crossover might look like (that being another kids series written with at least half an eye to an older audience). Not that I have time to write it. :(

[lazy_neutrino]

I never had the Five Find-Outers - that was Fatty, Daisy, Larry et al., wasn't it? I have read a few. I've also read the Island/Castle etc of Adventure books but never had those. I remember them being a little more frightening than the Famous Five, but that was thirty years ago. Maybe not any more :)

You should write a Harry Potter/Just William crossover - it would be great fun to read!

[lizbee]

Smashing! A jolly picnic and lashings of ginger beer for you!

[lazy_neutrino]

Cheers, old thing! Jolly glad you liked it!