Round 3, Challenge 10: Voting
Below the cuts are the drabbles and poll for Round 3, Challenge 10 of rwhg_ldws
• Please mark the drabbles out of 10 using the poll below.
• Participants are no longer allowed to vote.
• Please mark ALL of the drabbles. If you don't, none of your scores will count.
• The order of the drabbles random.
Feedback is welcome, just no flaming, bitching or the such. I'll be having words if there is. *looks menacing*
Challenge 10: Drabbles
Drabble 1
Author: maybe1ce
Title: Just Another Fairy Tale
Rating: PG
Word Count: 500
Once upon a time, a girl was born. She clutched Life in her strong fist, bending it to her will with her formidable mind and unshakable sense of justice. And, as it usually goes, she couldn’t truly live at her best until other parts of her were allowed to die.
It happened over years, as Life dealt its blows and taught her that when accepted with an open heart, unmet expectations can lead to more than bitter disappointment.
And so, a wedding came. Not hers, not yet, but, a wedding all the same. She planned on a romantic day filled with happiness and the beauty of standing at the cusp of the future. There would be a shared dance, a sweet complement, a gentle kiss. Instead, there was fire and blood and unmitigated terror -- not how it was supposed to go. Still, at the end of that long day, lying on a dusty cushion in a half-dark room, she slid her shaking hand into a large, warm one, and thought to herself that it was just right.
Once upon a time, a man died. But, first, he lived and, in the process, was born many times. Time and time again, he left his child self behind, to be reborn a man of powerful strength and gentle compassion.
It happened over years, as Life threw its challenges and he rose to meet them with power and kindness he hadn't known he had.
And so, a hero’s funeral came. The mourners were few, the deceased was unknown to the world, but as he tenderly placed his own socks on the feet of the little Elf and raised resolute eyes to those of his friends, he knew that they could and would prevail.
Once upon a time, a couple married. They fought and laughed and made love together.
It happened over years, their moments of realizing their oneness despite their differences and the challenges Life provided.
And so, a Christening came. Not for their baby, but for a baby niece, conceived and borne during months of mourning and healing. Her parents, once considered the most beautiful couple in their acquaintance, were now scarred and shaken by battle and hardship, aged beyond their years.
“What name shall you give this child?” asked the elderly robed witch.
“Victoire Rapier Weasley.” They answered, their voices as one. And at that moment on a rainy May morning, these new parents shone with a force of unity and love blinding in its brilliance. Their child, named for Triumph and Remembrance and other grand ideals far too heavy for such a tiny thing, answered with a loud belch that echoed off the stone walls of the old chapel.
Blue eyes met brown, needing no words. The messages were clear. The unexpected brought unanticipated joy and hope. They were strong enough to move forward in love. They were deeply connected.
Once upon a time, there was Hermione and there was Ron. Together, they lived Happily Ever After.
Drabble 2
Author: shocolate
Title: Circle of Life
Rating: PG-13 for language
Word Count: 500
A/N(optional): many thanks to my lovely beta.
According to Hermione, Muggles say the top five most stressful things in life are splitting up, someone dying, being made redundant, organising a wedding and having a baby.
Muggle researchers know nothing about supporting the Cannons.
Having been through all five, simultaneously, while supporting the Cannons, I can only think that Muggles have never been locked up in a dungeon while the love of their life is tortured by Death eaters, or seen their best mate's lifeless body being carried out of a forest.
Which is not to say that I've had a good day, but I'm able to put it in perspective.
Of course, you don't have a baby or organise a wedding in a day.
Hermione and my mum started organising mine round about the same time Ginny announced she'd been fucking my best mate.
Sorry, Hermione.
Round about the same time that Ginny announced that she was having a baby.
We didn't deliberately set the date for when Ginny would be the size of an erumpent, and it's not my fault they got drunk at a Christmas party and forgot the Charm and are due in September.
We set the date for September because I'm working two jobs and had to squeeze in a honeymoon after the back-to-school rush at the shop.
Organising the wedding didn't stress me out; I was too busy working two jobs, and had no strong wedding opinions and Hermione had everything under control. Harry had the stress of watching Ginny swell to an alarming size and having to return her Dress Robes to be altered, several times.
I pretty much only turned up on the day, kept out of my mother's way and showed people into a tent.
Up until that moment the day was stress free, and I had no idea what all the fuss was about.
It was when I turned to see Hermione's arrival that everything went wrong.
A scream echoed around the tent.
Harry and I went for our wands, but it wasn't Death Eaters.
It was Fleur, screaming as Aunt Muriel clutched her heart and toppled out of her chair.
Well, she was remarkably old, and it was remarkably hot, and she was dead before she hit the ground.
Not an ideal thing to happen at a wedding, but I was happy to carry on.
My bride glared at me, over the dead body, hissing that it wouldn't be appropriate.
Ginny waddled over, knocking people aside with her bump, to tell me it was my fault, for having a summer wedding.
I'd barely started shouting at her when she clutched her belly and screamed that the baby was coming.
Mum turned from the dead body of her aunt to prepare to deliver her grandson.
I complained that I didn't choose the date, it was George's fault.
George announced that I was sacked.
Hermione announced that the wedding was off.
Split up, redundant, between a corpse and a labouring woman at my own wedding.
And the Cannons lost.
Drabble 3
Author: miss_daizy
Title: Every Purpose Under the Heavens
Rating: G
Word Count: 500
A/N: Many thanks to my beta. The title is from Ecclesiastes 3:1
His mother is holding her first grandchild, almost incoherent with joy. His father reaches over her shoulder to chuck the baby under the chin, a dull, scratched wedding band on his finger. You'd think they'd never seen a newborn before, their faces are so awed and shining. "Oh, she has Fred's smile!" his mother cries, looking at the crumpled little face. She doesn't, or not yet anyway, but Fleur, who is tired from her first outing after Victorie's birth, smiles in agreement. Every baby, Ron sees, will have his nose or his chin or exactly his freckles. Every baby will be a another victory. Hermione, from across the room, gives him a look so pure and deep that his heart seems to stop for a minute before coming back to life with a hard thump. Yes, she seems to be saying. I want this too. For all that is lost, something is found. His parents have know this for a long time.
His mother is sitting in the first row of seats, a tremulous smile on her face. He winks at her before turning to watch Harry getting ready to walk Hermione down the aisle. Hermione takes a deep breathe before taking his arm. For all that she loves Harry, she's thinking, they're all thinking, of her father who has died without this pleasure. Harry whispers in her ear and shoots Ron the cheeky grin of a man whose done this before. Always first, he has to be, that Harry, and Ron loves him all the more for it. When they reach him, Hermione beams at both of them as though they'd just confessed to reading Hogwarts, A History. Her bouquet is rich with fragrant white roses and Ginny, her only bridesmaid, has charmed all the flowers in the garden to match. Roses, he decides, will always remind him of her smile. Roses will be their flower. For all that is lost, something is found. Ron slips a shiny new wedding band on her finger.
His mother is the first to die. At her graveside, as his mother, his mother, keeper of his boyhood self, is lowered into the ground In his father's grief, too strong and real for words, he sees the other side of a life long love. The greatest change of his life will be living without the woman who's weathered so many changes with him before. Hermione grips his hand so hard that he looks down and sees the dull, scratched wedding band on her finger that is as much a part of her as her wild hair. It's worth it, Ron thinks, it's all worth it, even as he begs the fates to let her outlive him. Rose looks out at him from Fred's eyes and wipes a tear from his face. She is pregnant with his first grandchild, a girl, they just found out, she whispers in his ear. For all that is lost, something is given. She promises to name this baby Molly.
Challenge 10: Voting
Poll Round 3, Challenge 10: Voting
• Please mark the drabbles out of 10 using the poll below.
• Participants are no longer allowed to vote.
• Please mark ALL of the drabbles. If you don't, none of your scores will count.
• The order of the drabbles random.
Feedback is welcome, just no flaming, bitching or the such. I'll be having words if there is. *looks menacing*
Challenge 10: Drabbles
Drabble 1
Author: maybe1ce
Title: Just Another Fairy Tale
Rating: PG
Word Count: 500
Once upon a time, a girl was born. She clutched Life in her strong fist, bending it to her will with her formidable mind and unshakable sense of justice. And, as it usually goes, she couldn’t truly live at her best until other parts of her were allowed to die.
It happened over years, as Life dealt its blows and taught her that when accepted with an open heart, unmet expectations can lead to more than bitter disappointment.
And so, a wedding came. Not hers, not yet, but, a wedding all the same. She planned on a romantic day filled with happiness and the beauty of standing at the cusp of the future. There would be a shared dance, a sweet complement, a gentle kiss. Instead, there was fire and blood and unmitigated terror -- not how it was supposed to go. Still, at the end of that long day, lying on a dusty cushion in a half-dark room, she slid her shaking hand into a large, warm one, and thought to herself that it was just right.
Once upon a time, a man died. But, first, he lived and, in the process, was born many times. Time and time again, he left his child self behind, to be reborn a man of powerful strength and gentle compassion.
It happened over years, as Life threw its challenges and he rose to meet them with power and kindness he hadn't known he had.
And so, a hero’s funeral came. The mourners were few, the deceased was unknown to the world, but as he tenderly placed his own socks on the feet of the little Elf and raised resolute eyes to those of his friends, he knew that they could and would prevail.
Once upon a time, a couple married. They fought and laughed and made love together.
It happened over years, their moments of realizing their oneness despite their differences and the challenges Life provided.
And so, a Christening came. Not for their baby, but for a baby niece, conceived and borne during months of mourning and healing. Her parents, once considered the most beautiful couple in their acquaintance, were now scarred and shaken by battle and hardship, aged beyond their years.
“What name shall you give this child?” asked the elderly robed witch.
“Victoire Rapier Weasley.” They answered, their voices as one. And at that moment on a rainy May morning, these new parents shone with a force of unity and love blinding in its brilliance. Their child, named for Triumph and Remembrance and other grand ideals far too heavy for such a tiny thing, answered with a loud belch that echoed off the stone walls of the old chapel.
Blue eyes met brown, needing no words. The messages were clear. The unexpected brought unanticipated joy and hope. They were strong enough to move forward in love. They were deeply connected.
Once upon a time, there was Hermione and there was Ron. Together, they lived Happily Ever After.
Drabble 2
Author: shocolate
Title: Circle of Life
Rating: PG-13 for language
Word Count: 500
A/N(optional): many thanks to my lovely beta.
According to Hermione, Muggles say the top five most stressful things in life are splitting up, someone dying, being made redundant, organising a wedding and having a baby.
Muggle researchers know nothing about supporting the Cannons.
Having been through all five, simultaneously, while supporting the Cannons, I can only think that Muggles have never been locked up in a dungeon while the love of their life is tortured by Death eaters, or seen their best mate's lifeless body being carried out of a forest.
Which is not to say that I've had a good day, but I'm able to put it in perspective.
Of course, you don't have a baby or organise a wedding in a day.
Hermione and my mum started organising mine round about the same time Ginny announced she'd been fucking my best mate.
Sorry, Hermione.
Round about the same time that Ginny announced that she was having a baby.
We didn't deliberately set the date for when Ginny would be the size of an erumpent, and it's not my fault they got drunk at a Christmas party and forgot the Charm and are due in September.
We set the date for September because I'm working two jobs and had to squeeze in a honeymoon after the back-to-school rush at the shop.
Organising the wedding didn't stress me out; I was too busy working two jobs, and had no strong wedding opinions and Hermione had everything under control. Harry had the stress of watching Ginny swell to an alarming size and having to return her Dress Robes to be altered, several times.
I pretty much only turned up on the day, kept out of my mother's way and showed people into a tent.
Up until that moment the day was stress free, and I had no idea what all the fuss was about.
It was when I turned to see Hermione's arrival that everything went wrong.
A scream echoed around the tent.
Harry and I went for our wands, but it wasn't Death Eaters.
It was Fleur, screaming as Aunt Muriel clutched her heart and toppled out of her chair.
Well, she was remarkably old, and it was remarkably hot, and she was dead before she hit the ground.
Not an ideal thing to happen at a wedding, but I was happy to carry on.
My bride glared at me, over the dead body, hissing that it wouldn't be appropriate.
Ginny waddled over, knocking people aside with her bump, to tell me it was my fault, for having a summer wedding.
I'd barely started shouting at her when she clutched her belly and screamed that the baby was coming.
Mum turned from the dead body of her aunt to prepare to deliver her grandson.
I complained that I didn't choose the date, it was George's fault.
George announced that I was sacked.
Hermione announced that the wedding was off.
Split up, redundant, between a corpse and a labouring woman at my own wedding.
And the Cannons lost.
Drabble 3
Author: miss_daizy
Title: Every Purpose Under the Heavens
Rating: G
Word Count: 500
A/N: Many thanks to my beta. The title is from Ecclesiastes 3:1
His mother is holding her first grandchild, almost incoherent with joy. His father reaches over her shoulder to chuck the baby under the chin, a dull, scratched wedding band on his finger. You'd think they'd never seen a newborn before, their faces are so awed and shining. "Oh, she has Fred's smile!" his mother cries, looking at the crumpled little face. She doesn't, or not yet anyway, but Fleur, who is tired from her first outing after Victorie's birth, smiles in agreement. Every baby, Ron sees, will have his nose or his chin or exactly his freckles. Every baby will be a another victory. Hermione, from across the room, gives him a look so pure and deep that his heart seems to stop for a minute before coming back to life with a hard thump. Yes, she seems to be saying. I want this too. For all that is lost, something is found. His parents have know this for a long time.
His mother is sitting in the first row of seats, a tremulous smile on her face. He winks at her before turning to watch Harry getting ready to walk Hermione down the aisle. Hermione takes a deep breathe before taking his arm. For all that she loves Harry, she's thinking, they're all thinking, of her father who has died without this pleasure. Harry whispers in her ear and shoots Ron the cheeky grin of a man whose done this before. Always first, he has to be, that Harry, and Ron loves him all the more for it. When they reach him, Hermione beams at both of them as though they'd just confessed to reading Hogwarts, A History. Her bouquet is rich with fragrant white roses and Ginny, her only bridesmaid, has charmed all the flowers in the garden to match. Roses, he decides, will always remind him of her smile. Roses will be their flower. For all that is lost, something is found. Ron slips a shiny new wedding band on her finger.
His mother is the first to die. At her graveside, as his mother, his mother, keeper of his boyhood self, is lowered into the ground In his father's grief, too strong and real for words, he sees the other side of a life long love. The greatest change of his life will be living without the woman who's weathered so many changes with him before. Hermione grips his hand so hard that he looks down and sees the dull, scratched wedding band on her finger that is as much a part of her as her wild hair. It's worth it, Ron thinks, it's all worth it, even as he begs the fates to let her outlive him. Rose looks out at him from Fred's eyes and wipes a tear from his face. She is pregnant with his first grandchild, a girl, they just found out, she whispers in his ear. For all that is lost, something is given. She promises to name this baby Molly.
Challenge 10: Voting
Poll Round 3, Challenge 10: Voting