Ficlet dump (Harry Potter, Animorphs, Doctor Who, SPN)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Dumbledore, McGonagall
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Albus and Minerva discuss Harry's first welcoming feast
“‘Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak?’” Minerva quoted as she entered the Headmaster’s office, shaking her head in amusement. “The students will all think you’re mad.”
“My dear Professor, of course I’m mad. No wizard ever agreed to take on the post of a teacher with all his wits intact.” Albus paused, papers shuffling themselves on the desk before him as he peered up at his former protégé through his spectacles. “You do understand the meaning behind it, I hope?”
“Of course I do, Albus. It’s merely a very clever way of promoting house unity. My concern is that most of them aren’t yet clever enough to understand it.”
“Don’t underestimate the students, Minerva,” he cautioned, waving his wand over the papers. They stilled, and the top drawer of his desk slid open. “They tend to surprise you. Sherbet lemon?”
The stern witch accepted the sweet as she settled herself into the chair across the desk. She’d long ago learned it was quicker to simply go along with the Headmaster’s odd tastes.
“Harry Potter,” Albus said suddenly, changing tracks completely. He stood, striding over to the shelf where the Sorting Hat perched. “The Hat tells me he refused a spot in Slytherin.” The Headmaster sighed. “I’d hoped the train ride would be short enough for him to be Sorted without bias. It seems I was wrong.”
“Slytherin!” Minerva exclaimed. “Albus, he’d have been torn apart!”
“Or he might have provided a link between the Houses,” Albus countered, his face alight. “Harry Potter in Slytherin - imagine what it could do! We’re still very much at war, Minerva; this is only a ceasefire. He will return.” The excitement flickered and vanished, and the Headmaster was an old man again. “The boy is your responsibility now, Minerva. Look after him.”
“Of course.” Minerva nodded and stood, turning to go. “Good night - oh, and Albus?” She paused, glancing back at the aged man behind his desk. “Promise me we’ll never have to sing the school song again.”
Albus chuckled. “Good night, Minerva.”
Minerva smiled. “Good night, Headmaster.”
*
Title: Lily's Floors
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Severus, James
Spoilers: DH
Rating: PG-13 for abuse of a dead body
Prompt: "That's all you could do for her?" - Movie canon: Snape finds James' body. ( here on the At the Close meme)
The door is open. Swinging ajar like a taunt, a lure. Inviting. Come in, come in, and Death accepted.
Severus accepts, too, slipping inside that hallowed hallway where Lily walked and Potter followed, slavering in Her wake like a dog. There he is, now, sprawled and broken, pouring his lifeblood onto Lily's floors. His arrogance was ripped out and strewn among the shattered glass he lies in. No more will he taunt the child who lost his way.
That child looms over him, now, dark and angry, for he was entrusted with the care and protection of Her, of that sacred red-haired green-eyed gem that was Lily Evans -- Evans, never Potter -- and he failed.
If Severus were anyone else, if Potter were anyone else, there would be mourning, here. There would be reverence for the hero, respect for the man who gave his life. But here, Potter lies dead, after all his strutting, after all his arrogance, nothing but a rag doll on the floor, and Severus stands over him and tastes a victory, some small humor briefly tainting the melancholia that is the loss of Her.
He whips out his wand and points it at the thing on the floor. Levicorpus, he doesn't say, and Potter's body flies into the air, limp and swinging. It's not how the spell is meant to be used, Severus wants to make Potter squirm, but that's no longer possible and so he hangs there, suspended as he used to suspend.
"You see, Potter?" he whispers, hisses through his teeth. "You see how it felt, all those years ago?" He's pacing, circling his prey like a jungle cat moving in for the kill. He slashes his wand and Potter jerks limply, and Severus can almost believe he's still alive, swaying gently there at his mercy.
"You don't deserve Her," he says. "You never deserved Her." Another slash, another jerk. Potter's glasses clatter onto Lily's floor, the lenses crushed to dust under Severus's heel. "This!" he roars. "This is all you could do for Her?" He slashes, and slashes, and in his head he can almost hear Potter's screams.
Liberacorpus, he doesn't say. Potter falls, collapsed on the ground the way Severus was collapsed, years ago, but Potter doesn't call anyone Mudblood, and he doesn't get up. No one's laughing now.
"If only you were alive to see Her dead," Severus spits, and turns to climb the hallowed stairs that Lily climbed.
*
Fandom: Animorphs
Characters: Rachel (brief T/R and J/C)
Spoilers: #53
Rating: PG
Prompt: Babies: Animorphs, Rachel, she regrets many things her last night on earth- not having the freedom from her sense of duty to ever finish growing up and having children is only one of them
Rachel has never truly thought about the future. Career, marriage, kids. She made resolutions as a child, sure, who didn't? But by the time she's reached an age to give the matter serious thought, she's hardly guaranteed a future to think about.
The night she knows she's going to die - she's expected to die, she's nearly died, but she's never been so certain that she wouldn't make it through - she thinks she probably won't sleep. If she does, she'll have nightmares, like every night.
She isn't expecting this.
In her dream, the war is nothing but a memory, faded and half-real. She graduates from college, and then law school, and Tobias stands beside her, blonde-haired and featherless. They marry, nothing huge, but nice, a day to remember. Jake and Cassie, too, happy and together. Marco stands with his mother and father, and she's never seen him so pleased as when he's invited to sit at the head table at the reception with the other Animorphs. Ax is both present and absent from daily life, coming and going between his two peoples as he pleases. It's like the perfect life they've never had, things that could never have happened without the Yeerks and yet because of them also never will.
And then comes the next step of life, the kids. Jake and Cassie have two, Rachel and Tobias have one, but there's really no such thing as separate families when you've done what they've done so it's more like three children shared between the four of them. It's a dream and they're nothing but abstract, faceless beings, but Rachel loves them with all her heart.
They grow old, the six of them, always together, the threads of their lives twisted and knotted together with war so that they can never be unraveled. It's a beautiful life, seeds sown in blood and darkness sprouting into the perfect orchard in the sun.
It's the worst dream Rachel has ever had, because now she has to wake up.
*
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eleven, Amy, Rory
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Prompt: Doctor Who, Team TARDIS (any Doctor), Team TARDIS run into the TARDIS...only its not the TARDIS, its a police box.
He's running, boots pounding at the pavement, because that's what's expected of him - blunder in, anger some locals, runrunrun and then save the day. Amy and Rory are just behind him, holding hands, Ponds together till the end. And behind them is a stroppy alien with very sharp teeth, or maybe very lethal poison, or maybe very mind-controlling powers, or maybe some Extremely Very Not Good combination of the three - he's not quite sure which - but whatever it is, they've managed to make it very, very angry. That seems to be the norm these days but no one ever takes the time to explain what, exactly, he's done wrong this time. Still, it would take all the fun out of things, he supposes, not having to run from anyone anymore.
He rounds the corner, and-- ah! There it is! TARDIS ahoy! Half a block to go, his fingers already fumbling for the key in his pockets (and whywhywhy are they so big?) But he doesn't need it anyway, because the door is ajar and his brain says wrongwrongwrong but it's too late, because he's already through and the Ponds tumbling inside after him, and he's pressed up against a wall where there shouldn't be a wall. Someone pulls the door shut with a click and everything is dark.
"Doctor?" Amy whispers from somewhere around his left elbow.
"Yes?"
"I don't think this is the TARDIS."
*
Fandom: Supernatural
Characters: Cas, Dean, Sam, Bobby, Crowley
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Prompt: Crack: Supernatural, Sam & Dean & Bobby & Castiel, Castiel is de-aged, but not dis-empowered
"Castiel," Dean said, slamming one of Bobby's books shut. "A little help would be nice." He turned, expecting the angel to be behind him, but saw only empty air. "Come on, Cas, we know you're busy, but--"
"I'm down here," interrupted a voice that was far too shrill to belong to Castiel. Everyone's eyes dropped to the floor.
"Cas?" Sam said, struggling to keep a straight face. "Are you four?"
"I believe I'm three and a half," the angel said, looking down at his de-aged vessel. "But yes, that's the general gist of things."
"Don't you think you're taking this baby in a trenchcoat thing a little far?" Dean wondered.
"And more importantly," Bobby said, "can you still help out with this Eve problem?"
"I still have full use of my powers," Cas said with a nod of his three-year-old head. "But I would be of better assistance in my normal form." With the faint swish of wings he vanished.
"Crowley," he demanded, appearing in the demon's torture chamber. "I demand you return to me to my normal form at once."
"Oh, I'm scared out of my little demon boots," Crowley said dryly. "Three-year-old looks good on you."
"Three and a half," Cas corrected with all the vehemence of a mis-aged child. "Turn me back."
"All right, all right, don't get your heavenly Huggies in a twist. Angels, no sense of humor. How you live with yourselves I'll never know."
Characters: Dumbledore, McGonagall
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Albus and Minerva discuss Harry's first welcoming feast
“‘Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak?’” Minerva quoted as she entered the Headmaster’s office, shaking her head in amusement. “The students will all think you’re mad.”
“My dear Professor, of course I’m mad. No wizard ever agreed to take on the post of a teacher with all his wits intact.” Albus paused, papers shuffling themselves on the desk before him as he peered up at his former protégé through his spectacles. “You do understand the meaning behind it, I hope?”
“Of course I do, Albus. It’s merely a very clever way of promoting house unity. My concern is that most of them aren’t yet clever enough to understand it.”
“Don’t underestimate the students, Minerva,” he cautioned, waving his wand over the papers. They stilled, and the top drawer of his desk slid open. “They tend to surprise you. Sherbet lemon?”
The stern witch accepted the sweet as she settled herself into the chair across the desk. She’d long ago learned it was quicker to simply go along with the Headmaster’s odd tastes.
“Harry Potter,” Albus said suddenly, changing tracks completely. He stood, striding over to the shelf where the Sorting Hat perched. “The Hat tells me he refused a spot in Slytherin.” The Headmaster sighed. “I’d hoped the train ride would be short enough for him to be Sorted without bias. It seems I was wrong.”
“Slytherin!” Minerva exclaimed. “Albus, he’d have been torn apart!”
“Or he might have provided a link between the Houses,” Albus countered, his face alight. “Harry Potter in Slytherin - imagine what it could do! We’re still very much at war, Minerva; this is only a ceasefire. He will return.” The excitement flickered and vanished, and the Headmaster was an old man again. “The boy is your responsibility now, Minerva. Look after him.”
“Of course.” Minerva nodded and stood, turning to go. “Good night - oh, and Albus?” She paused, glancing back at the aged man behind his desk. “Promise me we’ll never have to sing the school song again.”
Albus chuckled. “Good night, Minerva.”
Minerva smiled. “Good night, Headmaster.”
*
Title: Lily's Floors
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Severus, James
Spoilers: DH
Rating: PG-13 for abuse of a dead body
Prompt: "That's all you could do for her?" - Movie canon: Snape finds James' body. ( here on the At the Close meme)
The door is open. Swinging ajar like a taunt, a lure. Inviting. Come in, come in, and Death accepted.
Severus accepts, too, slipping inside that hallowed hallway where Lily walked and Potter followed, slavering in Her wake like a dog. There he is, now, sprawled and broken, pouring his lifeblood onto Lily's floors. His arrogance was ripped out and strewn among the shattered glass he lies in. No more will he taunt the child who lost his way.
That child looms over him, now, dark and angry, for he was entrusted with the care and protection of Her, of that sacred red-haired green-eyed gem that was Lily Evans -- Evans, never Potter -- and he failed.
If Severus were anyone else, if Potter were anyone else, there would be mourning, here. There would be reverence for the hero, respect for the man who gave his life. But here, Potter lies dead, after all his strutting, after all his arrogance, nothing but a rag doll on the floor, and Severus stands over him and tastes a victory, some small humor briefly tainting the melancholia that is the loss of Her.
He whips out his wand and points it at the thing on the floor. Levicorpus, he doesn't say, and Potter's body flies into the air, limp and swinging. It's not how the spell is meant to be used, Severus wants to make Potter squirm, but that's no longer possible and so he hangs there, suspended as he used to suspend.
"You see, Potter?" he whispers, hisses through his teeth. "You see how it felt, all those years ago?" He's pacing, circling his prey like a jungle cat moving in for the kill. He slashes his wand and Potter jerks limply, and Severus can almost believe he's still alive, swaying gently there at his mercy.
"You don't deserve Her," he says. "You never deserved Her." Another slash, another jerk. Potter's glasses clatter onto Lily's floor, the lenses crushed to dust under Severus's heel. "This!" he roars. "This is all you could do for Her?" He slashes, and slashes, and in his head he can almost hear Potter's screams.
Liberacorpus, he doesn't say. Potter falls, collapsed on the ground the way Severus was collapsed, years ago, but Potter doesn't call anyone Mudblood, and he doesn't get up. No one's laughing now.
"If only you were alive to see Her dead," Severus spits, and turns to climb the hallowed stairs that Lily climbed.
*
Fandom: Animorphs
Characters: Rachel (brief T/R and J/C)
Spoilers: #53
Rating: PG
Prompt: Babies: Animorphs, Rachel, she regrets many things her last night on earth- not having the freedom from her sense of duty to ever finish growing up and having children is only one of them
Rachel has never truly thought about the future. Career, marriage, kids. She made resolutions as a child, sure, who didn't? But by the time she's reached an age to give the matter serious thought, she's hardly guaranteed a future to think about.
The night she knows she's going to die - she's expected to die, she's nearly died, but she's never been so certain that she wouldn't make it through - she thinks she probably won't sleep. If she does, she'll have nightmares, like every night.
She isn't expecting this.
In her dream, the war is nothing but a memory, faded and half-real. She graduates from college, and then law school, and Tobias stands beside her, blonde-haired and featherless. They marry, nothing huge, but nice, a day to remember. Jake and Cassie, too, happy and together. Marco stands with his mother and father, and she's never seen him so pleased as when he's invited to sit at the head table at the reception with the other Animorphs. Ax is both present and absent from daily life, coming and going between his two peoples as he pleases. It's like the perfect life they've never had, things that could never have happened without the Yeerks and yet because of them also never will.
And then comes the next step of life, the kids. Jake and Cassie have two, Rachel and Tobias have one, but there's really no such thing as separate families when you've done what they've done so it's more like three children shared between the four of them. It's a dream and they're nothing but abstract, faceless beings, but Rachel loves them with all her heart.
They grow old, the six of them, always together, the threads of their lives twisted and knotted together with war so that they can never be unraveled. It's a beautiful life, seeds sown in blood and darkness sprouting into the perfect orchard in the sun.
It's the worst dream Rachel has ever had, because now she has to wake up.
*
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eleven, Amy, Rory
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Prompt: Doctor Who, Team TARDIS (any Doctor), Team TARDIS run into the TARDIS...only its not the TARDIS, its a police box.
He's running, boots pounding at the pavement, because that's what's expected of him - blunder in, anger some locals, runrunrun and then save the day. Amy and Rory are just behind him, holding hands, Ponds together till the end. And behind them is a stroppy alien with very sharp teeth, or maybe very lethal poison, or maybe very mind-controlling powers, or maybe some Extremely Very Not Good combination of the three - he's not quite sure which - but whatever it is, they've managed to make it very, very angry. That seems to be the norm these days but no one ever takes the time to explain what, exactly, he's done wrong this time. Still, it would take all the fun out of things, he supposes, not having to run from anyone anymore.
He rounds the corner, and-- ah! There it is! TARDIS ahoy! Half a block to go, his fingers already fumbling for the key in his pockets (and whywhywhy are they so big?) But he doesn't need it anyway, because the door is ajar and his brain says wrongwrongwrong but it's too late, because he's already through and the Ponds tumbling inside after him, and he's pressed up against a wall where there shouldn't be a wall. Someone pulls the door shut with a click and everything is dark.
"Doctor?" Amy whispers from somewhere around his left elbow.
"Yes?"
"I don't think this is the TARDIS."
*
Fandom: Supernatural
Characters: Cas, Dean, Sam, Bobby, Crowley
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Prompt: Crack: Supernatural, Sam & Dean & Bobby & Castiel, Castiel is de-aged, but not dis-empowered
"Castiel," Dean said, slamming one of Bobby's books shut. "A little help would be nice." He turned, expecting the angel to be behind him, but saw only empty air. "Come on, Cas, we know you're busy, but--"
"I'm down here," interrupted a voice that was far too shrill to belong to Castiel. Everyone's eyes dropped to the floor.
"Cas?" Sam said, struggling to keep a straight face. "Are you four?"
"I believe I'm three and a half," the angel said, looking down at his de-aged vessel. "But yes, that's the general gist of things."
"Don't you think you're taking this baby in a trenchcoat thing a little far?" Dean wondered.
"And more importantly," Bobby said, "can you still help out with this Eve problem?"
"I still have full use of my powers," Cas said with a nod of his three-year-old head. "But I would be of better assistance in my normal form." With the faint swish of wings he vanished.
"Crowley," he demanded, appearing in the demon's torture chamber. "I demand you return to me to my normal form at once."
"Oh, I'm scared out of my little demon boots," Crowley said dryly. "Three-year-old looks good on you."
"Three and a half," Cas corrected with all the vehemence of a mis-aged child. "Turn me back."
"All right, all right, don't get your heavenly Huggies in a twist. Angels, no sense of humor. How you live with yourselves I'll never know."