(no subject)
Title: The Comforts of Home
Author: Ceria
Fandom: Harry Potter
Spoilers: through DH
Rating: PG-13
Character: Susan Bones
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and universes belong to JK Rowling and the Bloomsbury, Scholastic books. I make no money from this.
Notes: Thank you Elf and Lee, I couldn't do it without you. The yellow chair .
1991
It was scary leaving home; Susan found comfort in only one place her first night at Hogwarts, it was a bright yellow chair in the Hufflepuff Common Room. The first night away from home, she curled up in the large chair and cried herself to sleep long after the other first-year students had went to bed.
That night she didn't care how many tears the fabric absorbed. All she knew was that she missed her parents and Auntie Amelia, and somehow, that silly chair helped. Maybe it was the way it enfolded her body with its arms that first night, or the faint wisp of stale air, because both reminded Susan of her father.
By the end of her first week, Susan had stopped crying and begun to sleep in her bed, even if she still sat there whenever she missed home.
1993
Giving up her favoured seat wasn't easy. However, Susan remembered how comforted she had been two years ago and when she saw little Andrea hiding in the corner near the fireplace, eyes all wide and scared, Susan sat next to her.
"Do you see that chair over there?" she asked, pointing into the far corner.
"Yes."
"Well, I'm going to tell you a secret. Two years ago, on my first night here, I spent the whole night in that chair."
"You did?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Why?"
"Because I was far from home and a wee bit scared and it… well, it reminded me of home."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Maybe you should try it tonight and see if it helps."
Andrea had sniffled a little, but nodded in agreement, giving Susan a tentative smile.
Within two weeks, Andrea had made some friends and, once again, Susan returned to her habit of sitting there every night to finish her homework.
1994
On a beautiful, crisp November night, Susan was shocked to find Justin Finch-Fletchley standing behind her when most of their House was out playing Quidditch; Susan had not joined them, using the excuse of having to study for Potions.
"Hello, Justin."
"Hey, Susan," he said with a confident voice, his steady hands folded on top of the chair. "I was wondering if you had a date for the Yule Ball yet."
"No," she whispered, wishing she had something spiffy to say that would catch his attention. If only Megan was there with her, then Susan wouldn't look like such a loner. But her best friend was watching the Quidditch match.
"Would you like to go with me?"
Maybe he'd… Oh. Blinking, she clutched her hands in her lap beneath the book to keep them still. Inside, she was bouncing around like a rubber ball. "I'd like that," she managed to say, somehow keeping her voice steady.
Two nights later, as she finished the bookwork for Charms, Justin leaned over to wish her good night, kissing her on the cheek. At least that time, Megan was there to giggle with an embarrassed and giddy Susan.
1995
Whispers behind her back and pitiful glances left Susan edgy and tense most of that year. As if she could control the fact that Yaxley and several other Death Eaters escaped. It was the first time she curled up in her favourite chair to cry in four years. The very idea that the man who killed her uncle was free infuriated Susan, and she began to dream of ways to fight them. Until she heard the whispers of a secret meeting at The Hog's Head, and became determined to fight back.
1996
Gobstones was a silly name for a game, but it was so much more enjoyable for her than Quidditch and one didn't need a Pitch or broom to play. Someone who might be afraid of heights would do well with such a game. Neville convinced her to play the first time and by her sixth year, Professor Sprout was willing to transport that chair out onto a corner of the field as a place for her to sit and think between turns.
It wasn't her fault the stones spit gobs of green goo all over the bottom of it that day. Really. She'd tried to scrub it clean, terrified and upset that if the chair was ruined, Professor Sprout would have to remove it from the Common Room. By now she considered it her lucky charm and wouldn't know how to study if it was gone.
1998
Not allowed to attend Hogwarts in her seventh year, Susan begged her parents to buy the books necessary for the curriculum anyway and let her study at home. She might not be able to get her NEWTs in any traditional fashion, but she had faith that soon enough she would see Hogwarts again.
She had taken to the habit of studying with the coin earned from Dumbledore's Army flipping through her fingers. It wasn't the same, and she couldn't find a cozy spot in her home, but she studied anyway.
2004
Childhood comforts were often given up with adulthood, but that didn't stop Susan from searching the Hufflepuff Common Room years later. It had been a vain wish to begin with; hoping the chair might still be there after all that time had passed.
Smiling to herself, she sat in a brand-new chair that wasn't quite large enough to be comfortable. Or was it uncomfortable because she no longer needed such comforts as an adult? Either way, three days before the students returned to Hogwarts for a new year, Susan wandered through the yellow and black trappings that decorated the Common Room of her old House.
Even though she was nervous, Susan was looking forward to begin teaching this year. Being the Muggle Studies Professor meant so much to her. She had seen the division brought about by fear of Muggles, by fear of the unknown, and it was her goal to make sure every witch and wizard that passed through her classroom learned a measure of tolerance for things they didn't understand.
Author: Ceria
Fandom: Harry Potter
Spoilers: through DH
Rating: PG-13
Character: Susan Bones
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and universes belong to JK Rowling and the Bloomsbury, Scholastic books. I make no money from this.
Notes: Thank you Elf and Lee, I couldn't do it without you. The yellow chair .
1991
It was scary leaving home; Susan found comfort in only one place her first night at Hogwarts, it was a bright yellow chair in the Hufflepuff Common Room. The first night away from home, she curled up in the large chair and cried herself to sleep long after the other first-year students had went to bed.
That night she didn't care how many tears the fabric absorbed. All she knew was that she missed her parents and Auntie Amelia, and somehow, that silly chair helped. Maybe it was the way it enfolded her body with its arms that first night, or the faint wisp of stale air, because both reminded Susan of her father.
By the end of her first week, Susan had stopped crying and begun to sleep in her bed, even if she still sat there whenever she missed home.
1993
Giving up her favoured seat wasn't easy. However, Susan remembered how comforted she had been two years ago and when she saw little Andrea hiding in the corner near the fireplace, eyes all wide and scared, Susan sat next to her.
"Do you see that chair over there?" she asked, pointing into the far corner.
"Yes."
"Well, I'm going to tell you a secret. Two years ago, on my first night here, I spent the whole night in that chair."
"You did?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Why?"
"Because I was far from home and a wee bit scared and it… well, it reminded me of home."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Maybe you should try it tonight and see if it helps."
Andrea had sniffled a little, but nodded in agreement, giving Susan a tentative smile.
Within two weeks, Andrea had made some friends and, once again, Susan returned to her habit of sitting there every night to finish her homework.
1994
On a beautiful, crisp November night, Susan was shocked to find Justin Finch-Fletchley standing behind her when most of their House was out playing Quidditch; Susan had not joined them, using the excuse of having to study for Potions.
"Hello, Justin."
"Hey, Susan," he said with a confident voice, his steady hands folded on top of the chair. "I was wondering if you had a date for the Yule Ball yet."
"No," she whispered, wishing she had something spiffy to say that would catch his attention. If only Megan was there with her, then Susan wouldn't look like such a loner. But her best friend was watching the Quidditch match.
"Would you like to go with me?"
Maybe he'd… Oh. Blinking, she clutched her hands in her lap beneath the book to keep them still. Inside, she was bouncing around like a rubber ball. "I'd like that," she managed to say, somehow keeping her voice steady.
Two nights later, as she finished the bookwork for Charms, Justin leaned over to wish her good night, kissing her on the cheek. At least that time, Megan was there to giggle with an embarrassed and giddy Susan.
1995
Whispers behind her back and pitiful glances left Susan edgy and tense most of that year. As if she could control the fact that Yaxley and several other Death Eaters escaped. It was the first time she curled up in her favourite chair to cry in four years. The very idea that the man who killed her uncle was free infuriated Susan, and she began to dream of ways to fight them. Until she heard the whispers of a secret meeting at The Hog's Head, and became determined to fight back.
1996
Gobstones was a silly name for a game, but it was so much more enjoyable for her than Quidditch and one didn't need a Pitch or broom to play. Someone who might be afraid of heights would do well with such a game. Neville convinced her to play the first time and by her sixth year, Professor Sprout was willing to transport that chair out onto a corner of the field as a place for her to sit and think between turns.
It wasn't her fault the stones spit gobs of green goo all over the bottom of it that day. Really. She'd tried to scrub it clean, terrified and upset that if the chair was ruined, Professor Sprout would have to remove it from the Common Room. By now she considered it her lucky charm and wouldn't know how to study if it was gone.
1998
Not allowed to attend Hogwarts in her seventh year, Susan begged her parents to buy the books necessary for the curriculum anyway and let her study at home. She might not be able to get her NEWTs in any traditional fashion, but she had faith that soon enough she would see Hogwarts again.
She had taken to the habit of studying with the coin earned from Dumbledore's Army flipping through her fingers. It wasn't the same, and she couldn't find a cozy spot in her home, but she studied anyway.
2004
Childhood comforts were often given up with adulthood, but that didn't stop Susan from searching the Hufflepuff Common Room years later. It had been a vain wish to begin with; hoping the chair might still be there after all that time had passed.
Smiling to herself, she sat in a brand-new chair that wasn't quite large enough to be comfortable. Or was it uncomfortable because she no longer needed such comforts as an adult? Either way, three days before the students returned to Hogwarts for a new year, Susan wandered through the yellow and black trappings that decorated the Common Room of her old House.
Even though she was nervous, Susan was looking forward to begin teaching this year. Being the Muggle Studies Professor meant so much to her. She had seen the division brought about by fear of Muggles, by fear of the unknown, and it was her goal to make sure every witch and wizard that passed through her classroom learned a measure of tolerance for things they didn't understand.