FIC: 3 Ficlets (Harry/Ginny, Bill/Saul/Laura, Remus/Sirius)
ladychi and I wrote drabbles together tonight and here's what I came up with. I'm quite stunned that I wrote not one but two HP things.
And if I owe you a drabble for stumping me, I promise it's coming. I've been a bit stuck this week.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Harry/Ginny, Demelza
Lightning struck somewhere in the Forbidden Forest and Ginny wondered if Harry, wherever he was, was warm and dry and safe.
Ginny was at least dry-it was cold, here by the window, so far from the common room fire, which was now burnt down to embers, leaving the room dark. No one else was awake, and there was no one to miss Ginny, alone in her dorm as she was.
Her roommate Sarah was Muggle-born, gone, of course, and in her selfish worry about Harry, it hadn't been until the first night at school that it had occurred to her to wonder whether she was safe. Or even alive, the voice in her head supplied.
Her other roommate, Demelza hadn't come back from detention yet, and that worry was niggling away in the back of Ginny's mind; she was wondering if she ought to go wake Neville or Seamus and have them go see if she was all right-go with her to see if she was all right.
The next strike illuminated her reflection and Ginny saw her own face against the raindrop-streaked pane. Even in the half-second of light, she could tell she didn't look good-pale, with dark circles under her eyes, hair hanging limply around her face.
Ginny pressed her hand against the cold glass, wishing somehow for the ability to know whether or not Harry was okay. Or even alive.
She forced the worry down, even if it was only with the logical knowledge that Voldemort wouldn't be able to stop himself from gloating over Harry's death, especially with Harry's underground supporters such a thorn in his side.
So absorbed was she in her thoughts that she didn't hear the Fat Lady's portrait swing in. Ginny turned sharply, sensing movement, terrified for one brief second that it was Voldemort himself come for her, but it was Demelza.
She was limping a bit, though her limp faded when she noticed Ginny.
"You're up late," she said.
Ginny pushed herself off the window seat and hurried over to her friend. "What happened to you?"
Demelza winced. "I'm all right," she said. "I got Goyle. His Cruciatus is awful, but if you scream convincingly enough, he thinks he's doing a good job." She paused. "I reckon next year… I mean, when this is all over…" She swallowed hard. "There won't be a next year, will there?"
Ginny reached out for her arm. "Oh, Demelza," she said softly, though she had the same worry clenching her stomach. They were going to die here, all of them, or they'd die next year, or the next, whenever Voldemort got tired of keeping them alive.
"I'm really all right, though," said Demelza, stepping out of Ginny's grasp. "No need to wake Neville. I'll just get something in the morning. Let's go to bed."
"Yeah," Ginny echoed, and she slowed her pace to match Demelza's as they made their way to the staircase together. Over her shoulder, she saw another flash of lightning, but she couldn't make out anything outside. The fog had gotten too thick.
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul/Laura (yeah, this is like a prequel to the haiku...)
If this was a dream, well, that was just sick. Laura pinched herself. She didn't wake up.
Oh, gods, it was real.
It seemed more like an illustration in a picture book than a real scene-she half-expected a unicorn to come trotting into view.
"I guess we found the source of the water, then." Saul's voice cutting through the stillness didn't seem like it belonged here somehow. "They should be good to settle down below for a while, if this really is fresh water." His derision was palpable-waterfall or not, none of the three of them thought staying here was a good idea, but it wasn't their choice to make.
Laura pursed her lips.
"It's nice," said Bill. They both turned. He was still a few paces back, studying the scene before him with a restrained eye. "Nice for here," he added. "I didn't expect something like this, based on the rest of the planet I've seen."
Laura stepped out of her shoes and dipped a toe tentatively in the water. It might not be so bad after all, she decided.
"I thought we were going to have that tested," said Saul. "We don't know it's safe."
Laura ignored him, as Bill spoke for her. "That thing doesn't seem to mind," he said, pointing to a squirrel-like animal that was drinking from the spring. It would have to do for a unicorn, she supposed. It was kind of cute.
"We don't even know what that is." Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "It could be a whole different biology, it could…" He watched as Bill passed him, already barefoot, and joined her in the water. He didn't seem to care that the cuffs of his pants were getting wet.
Saul regarded them both for a few seconds. Then, he began pulling his shoes off. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered. "We're all going to die of… some... undiscovered disease."
Bill smiled as his XO slogged toward them. "That's the spirit," he said. "Try new things."
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Sirius
For twelve years, Remus Lupin's life was fairly routine.
He had jobs, provided he could hold them. Tea. Books. Beans on toast.
All of these things were generally sufficient for Remus to keep going with what he accepted as his lot in life. It was hard to be happy when everywhere he looked in his flat, he saw James, Lily and Peter waving back at him, happily unaware of what Remus had allowed to happen to them.
He didn't keep any pictures of Sirius.
The owl came on a Sunday, when Remus was in the middle of enjoying a yellowed paperback and a cup of Earl Gray. He hadn't had much meaningful social contact with other wizards in ages, so it took him a moment to register what was going on.
The bird looked at him expectantly and held out its leg. Remus recognized the handwriting on the envelope before he'd even gotten the letter untied.
"I suppose you've been told to wait for my reply," he said to it. The owl cocked its head and Remus nudged his plate over. It helped itself to some of his beans.
The owl bearing the Daily Prophet arrived five minutes after Remus had finished reading Dumbledore's letter and he knew why he had been sent it as soon as he saw who was glaring out at him from the front page.
All this seemed very distant while he was at Hogwarts. He had always regarded the castle as his true home, and he especially liked Sunday breakfasts, where he could watch the students from the staff table and pretend just for a moment that things had worked out differently. That illusion always ended, though, as did the term of peaceful Sundays, when once again, he lost himself under the light of the full moon.
His first full moon after he left the teaching job-the best job he'd ever had, could ever hope to have-was a Saturday, and he woke up in the cellar of his shabby little house, newly-resettled bones protesting even the slightest movement.
"Don't tell me you did it here, all these years?"
The voice sent a chill racing down Remus's spine. He had to be hallucinating. It was the lingering effects of the transformation, it had to be.
He sensed movement and someone crouched down beside him. "I meant to get here last night," said the voice. "But there were Aurors, all around the village. I guess I can't really stay here, can I?"
With great effort, Remus turned his head. His vision blurred with tears of pain and gratitude. Sirius stroked his hair, brushed his thumb over Remus's chapped lips.
"How do you feel about adopting a pet dog, though?"
And if I owe you a drabble for stumping me, I promise it's coming. I've been a bit stuck this week.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Harry/Ginny, Demelza
Lightning struck somewhere in the Forbidden Forest and Ginny wondered if Harry, wherever he was, was warm and dry and safe.
Ginny was at least dry-it was cold, here by the window, so far from the common room fire, which was now burnt down to embers, leaving the room dark. No one else was awake, and there was no one to miss Ginny, alone in her dorm as she was.
Her roommate Sarah was Muggle-born, gone, of course, and in her selfish worry about Harry, it hadn't been until the first night at school that it had occurred to her to wonder whether she was safe. Or even alive, the voice in her head supplied.
Her other roommate, Demelza hadn't come back from detention yet, and that worry was niggling away in the back of Ginny's mind; she was wondering if she ought to go wake Neville or Seamus and have them go see if she was all right-go with her to see if she was all right.
The next strike illuminated her reflection and Ginny saw her own face against the raindrop-streaked pane. Even in the half-second of light, she could tell she didn't look good-pale, with dark circles under her eyes, hair hanging limply around her face.
Ginny pressed her hand against the cold glass, wishing somehow for the ability to know whether or not Harry was okay. Or even alive.
She forced the worry down, even if it was only with the logical knowledge that Voldemort wouldn't be able to stop himself from gloating over Harry's death, especially with Harry's underground supporters such a thorn in his side.
So absorbed was she in her thoughts that she didn't hear the Fat Lady's portrait swing in. Ginny turned sharply, sensing movement, terrified for one brief second that it was Voldemort himself come for her, but it was Demelza.
She was limping a bit, though her limp faded when she noticed Ginny.
"You're up late," she said.
Ginny pushed herself off the window seat and hurried over to her friend. "What happened to you?"
Demelza winced. "I'm all right," she said. "I got Goyle. His Cruciatus is awful, but if you scream convincingly enough, he thinks he's doing a good job." She paused. "I reckon next year… I mean, when this is all over…" She swallowed hard. "There won't be a next year, will there?"
Ginny reached out for her arm. "Oh, Demelza," she said softly, though she had the same worry clenching her stomach. They were going to die here, all of them, or they'd die next year, or the next, whenever Voldemort got tired of keeping them alive.
"I'm really all right, though," said Demelza, stepping out of Ginny's grasp. "No need to wake Neville. I'll just get something in the morning. Let's go to bed."
"Yeah," Ginny echoed, and she slowed her pace to match Demelza's as they made their way to the staircase together. Over her shoulder, she saw another flash of lightning, but she couldn't make out anything outside. The fog had gotten too thick.
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul/Laura (yeah, this is like a prequel to the haiku...)
If this was a dream, well, that was just sick. Laura pinched herself. She didn't wake up.
Oh, gods, it was real.
It seemed more like an illustration in a picture book than a real scene-she half-expected a unicorn to come trotting into view.
"I guess we found the source of the water, then." Saul's voice cutting through the stillness didn't seem like it belonged here somehow. "They should be good to settle down below for a while, if this really is fresh water." His derision was palpable-waterfall or not, none of the three of them thought staying here was a good idea, but it wasn't their choice to make.
Laura pursed her lips.
"It's nice," said Bill. They both turned. He was still a few paces back, studying the scene before him with a restrained eye. "Nice for here," he added. "I didn't expect something like this, based on the rest of the planet I've seen."
Laura stepped out of her shoes and dipped a toe tentatively in the water. It might not be so bad after all, she decided.
"I thought we were going to have that tested," said Saul. "We don't know it's safe."
Laura ignored him, as Bill spoke for her. "That thing doesn't seem to mind," he said, pointing to a squirrel-like animal that was drinking from the spring. It would have to do for a unicorn, she supposed. It was kind of cute.
"We don't even know what that is." Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "It could be a whole different biology, it could…" He watched as Bill passed him, already barefoot, and joined her in the water. He didn't seem to care that the cuffs of his pants were getting wet.
Saul regarded them both for a few seconds. Then, he began pulling his shoes off. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered. "We're all going to die of… some... undiscovered disease."
Bill smiled as his XO slogged toward them. "That's the spirit," he said. "Try new things."
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Sirius
For twelve years, Remus Lupin's life was fairly routine.
He had jobs, provided he could hold them. Tea. Books. Beans on toast.
All of these things were generally sufficient for Remus to keep going with what he accepted as his lot in life. It was hard to be happy when everywhere he looked in his flat, he saw James, Lily and Peter waving back at him, happily unaware of what Remus had allowed to happen to them.
He didn't keep any pictures of Sirius.
The owl came on a Sunday, when Remus was in the middle of enjoying a yellowed paperback and a cup of Earl Gray. He hadn't had much meaningful social contact with other wizards in ages, so it took him a moment to register what was going on.
The bird looked at him expectantly and held out its leg. Remus recognized the handwriting on the envelope before he'd even gotten the letter untied.
"I suppose you've been told to wait for my reply," he said to it. The owl cocked its head and Remus nudged his plate over. It helped itself to some of his beans.
The owl bearing the Daily Prophet arrived five minutes after Remus had finished reading Dumbledore's letter and he knew why he had been sent it as soon as he saw who was glaring out at him from the front page.
All this seemed very distant while he was at Hogwarts. He had always regarded the castle as his true home, and he especially liked Sunday breakfasts, where he could watch the students from the staff table and pretend just for a moment that things had worked out differently. That illusion always ended, though, as did the term of peaceful Sundays, when once again, he lost himself under the light of the full moon.
His first full moon after he left the teaching job-the best job he'd ever had, could ever hope to have-was a Saturday, and he woke up in the cellar of his shabby little house, newly-resettled bones protesting even the slightest movement.
"Don't tell me you did it here, all these years?"
The voice sent a chill racing down Remus's spine. He had to be hallucinating. It was the lingering effects of the transformation, it had to be.
He sensed movement and someone crouched down beside him. "I meant to get here last night," said the voice. "But there were Aurors, all around the village. I guess I can't really stay here, can I?"
With great effort, Remus turned his head. His vision blurred with tears of pain and gratitude. Sirius stroked his hair, brushed his thumb over Remus's chapped lips.
"How do you feel about adopting a pet dog, though?"