The Pottermore Network: Slytherin
Title: The Pottermore Network
Fandom: The Social Network
Characters: Eduardo/Mark pairing, Dustin, and Chris.
Rating: T
Warnings: I have no idea. I'll ask Kelly. WARNING: A WILD DUSTIN APPEARS.
Spoilers: Uh... The Social Network? I think?
Summary: Mark hacks into Pottermore to see what house he's in. Dissatisfied with the results, he crashes the site, and calls on Eduardo to help him make improvements. Eduardo helps, but not in the way Mark expects.
Notes: I know nothing about coding, so if anyone does and wants to correct me on what I've said, please feel free. Also: As it's a "choose your own adventure" type story, the story-line of each individual house is extremely similar, though the details are different. This is on purpose, because, well... It's Mark and Eduardo.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own Pottermore. I do not own The Social Network. This is a work of fiction, and the characters described herein are based on the fictional representation of real people, to whom I have no affiliation or connection with. If you got here via searching your name by some means, I would advise you to go back and go to a different place. You should try YouTube! They have kittens there!
Dedication: This was inspired and encouraged by Julia and Kelly. I thank you both dearly, because I probably wouldn't have written it had you both not insisted. I love you both. TEAM PRIDE, YEAH.
Actually, thinking on it now, he’s not really that surprised. He’s always been pretty sure that he’s a Slytherin. It’s not really that big of a deal, except it is. He knows he’s a Slytherin, except that doesn’t mean he wants to be. He never really wanted to be in this house, because no one that ever read Harry Potter wanted to be in Slytherin. It’s the evil house, the one where only Death Eaters go, the one that churned out the worst people. No one really wants to be sorted into Slytherin, unless their families were in Slytherin, and they were raised with the “prejudiced git” mentality.
Eduardo walks in just as he’s starting to write the code to crash Pottermore. He walks up behind him, because obviously he knows Dustin, and he knows Mark, and he usually knows when Mark is up to something. It’s just the way it’s always been, ever since they first met at the Hanukkah party at AEPi Mark’s freshman year.
They’ve been friends again for about four years now. After the settlement, Mark had cornered him at the first opportunity and forced him to listen to how he felt and what he’d been thinking. It was a tense few hours, sitting alone in that conference room, just the two of them. It had started out with a few angry swears, some name-calling, and more than one attempt at escape.
Then, Mark sat down and calmly told him everything, from the mistakes they both made, and how they’d miscommunicated, to how they could push past this and move on, as friends again.
Two years later, after a couple of beers at Chris’s house, they were locked into a closet by Dustin, who refused to let them out unless they got over the "sexual tension."
And now they’ve been in a steady relationship for two years, much to Mark’s constant surprise. He keeps expecting to slip up and say something or do something that will hurt Eduardo even worse than before, and be left alone forever. He keeps expecting to fail.
At the moment, though, Eduardo is watching Mark code Pottermore into a crash, because he knows Mark has deep-rooted insecurities, even if he doesn’t like to talk about them, ever. “Mark, what are you doing?”
Mark can’t lie to Eduardo. He never could, really. He’d tried, and he’s come to discover that he’s a terrible liar. “I’m taking Pottermore down.”
Eduardo sighs and leans against Mark’s desk. “Why are you trying to take Pottermore down?”
“I’ve been sorted into Slytherin. I want to make a new code for the sorting hat, an improved one, one that’s more accurate, so I can be in any house but Slytherin.” Mark doesn’t stop coding, but he glances up to see what expression Eduardo has on his face. It’s a frown, with a furrowed brow.
Eduardo leans over and puts his hands over Mark’s, stilling them and stopping him from typing anymore. He doesn’t even get to implement the code before he’s taken away from the computer and over to his couch. Eduardo sits down, and forces Mark to sit, as well, before he speaks.
“Why don’t you want to be in Slytherin?” He asks, patient. He knows this could take a while. Mark may have promised to talk to him more, to tell him things, but it’s still hard, even after four years.
Mark takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I don’t want to be a bad person, Wardo. I’m not-- I don’t belong in other houses, because I’m not really a good person, but I don’t want to be a bad person.”
“Mark, you’re not a bad person because you’re in Slytherin. That’s not how it works. If you’re a bad person - which you’re not, by the way - it’s because you’re a bad person, not because you were sorted into Slytherin.” Eduardo stands and closes the blinds, because Dustin is getting curious, and a curious Dustin is always something to avoid during serious discussions. He sits back on the couch, next to Mark, and takes his hands. “Slytherins aren’t bad people. They’re just misunderstood, which is something that is definitely you.”
“Slytherins aren’t good people, Wardo. Every bad wizard that ever lived came out of Slytherin. And in the books? All the Slytherins were mean-spirited and just horrible people.” Mark argues, taking his hands away. “They’re just bad people, and I guess I’m not that surprised that I was sorted into that house.”
“Mark, they’re not all bad. It’s just-- it’s self-fulfilling prophecy, okay? All the Slytherins are told their bad, and everyone hates them, so where else are they going to go to feel welcome? The only place that would welcome them happens to be run by a lunatic that hates everyone. It happens to people all the time, they’re just told that they’re something bad, and they become it because they don’t know what else to do. They figure that it’s their destiny to be that kind of person, and-”
“No, I know, Wardo. My mom taught me all about this in high school. I’m the child of a psychiatrist, remember?” Mark laughs bitterly. He knows entirely too much about his own brain, and that in itself is worrisome.
“Right, of course. But Slytherins are… they’re loyal, and smart. They’re brave and a little bit ruthless. Slytherins are fiercely protective, and they will stop at nothing to achieve a goal once it’s in their heads. It’s not about hate and greed and evil, they’re just very secretive and defensive. They force other people away sometimes because they’re afraid of getting hurt, but they’re so, so motivated.” Eduardo sighs and shuts his eyes briefly. “All the houses are just places for students to get to know each other, to share time with people that they have things in common with. It doesn’t define you. You created Facebook, and that’s a Ravenclaw trait. You did whatever it took to make it succeed, that’s Slytherin. You use all this money and power to help people, that’s very Gryffindor. You’re loyal to your friends, that’s Hufflepuff, but you locked me in a conference room with you for six hours so we could talk, and you refused to let me out until we were friends again. That’s Slytherin.”
Mark squeezes his eyes tight, and shudders a breath out. “I just-- I don’t want to be that person, Wardo. I-- I want to be a good person, I want to be good enough to have you in my life. But I’m not a good person. I’m selfish and I’m rude, and I’ve never really understood how you haven’t seen that. I’m not that great of a person, and you haven’t left yet. I shouldn’t be enough to keep you around.”
Mark keeps his eyes closed, because if he does, he can pretend that he’s asleep, that he’s dreaming this.
Eduardo’s hands are shaking around his own, though. And his breath is hitching as he tries to keep from crying.
“Jesus, Mark… is that what this is about? Do you think that you’re not good enough for me?” Eduardo’s voice is barely above a whisper. “Do you think that, just because you’ve been sorted into Slytherin, I’ll leave you or something? Because I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to leave you, ever.”
Mark can’t open his eyes. He’s afraid that he’ll wake up, and Eduardo will be gone, that this is just a dream and he won’t be able to remember it once it’s done. So he keeps his eyes closed, and tries to keep his breathing steady, when suddenly-
Soft skin touches his lips, and when he opens his eyes from shock, he sees Eduardo pulling away, a tearful smile gracing his features.
“Besides… I’m a Hufflepuff. Our houses are pretty close to each other. You can come and visit my house anytime you want, since we’re the party house and all. We’re particularly good finders.” Eduardo laughs, and even louder when Mark asks him, “What the hell is a Hufflepuff?”
It’s been four years since they’ve become friends again, two since they began their relationship, and Mark is finally ready to let go of his own insecurities and tell Eduardo, in no uncertain terms, exactly how he feels.
So he does. “I don’t ever want to miss you. I don’t ever want to 'wish you were here.' I don’t ever want to have to tell you that I love you over the phone, or on Skype, or in an email. I want to be able to say it to you, face to face, because I’m a Slytherin and that’s what I want and I’m going to stop at nothing to make it happen.”
Eduardo smiles, big and bright, his teeth glinting under the fluorescent lighting. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
Party Time! | Gryffindor | Hufflepuff | Ravenclaw
Fandom: The Social Network
Characters: Eduardo/Mark pairing, Dustin, and Chris.
Rating: T
Warnings: I have no idea. I'll ask Kelly. WARNING: A WILD DUSTIN APPEARS.
Spoilers: Uh... The Social Network? I think?
Summary: Mark hacks into Pottermore to see what house he's in. Dissatisfied with the results, he crashes the site, and calls on Eduardo to help him make improvements. Eduardo helps, but not in the way Mark expects.
Notes: I know nothing about coding, so if anyone does and wants to correct me on what I've said, please feel free. Also: As it's a "choose your own adventure" type story, the story-line of each individual house is extremely similar, though the details are different. This is on purpose, because, well... It's Mark and Eduardo.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own Pottermore. I do not own The Social Network. This is a work of fiction, and the characters described herein are based on the fictional representation of real people, to whom I have no affiliation or connection with. If you got here via searching your name by some means, I would advise you to go back and go to a different place. You should try YouTube! They have kittens there!
Dedication: This was inspired and encouraged by Julia and Kelly. I thank you both dearly, because I probably wouldn't have written it had you both not insisted. I love you both. TEAM PRIDE, YEAH.
Actually, thinking on it now, he’s not really that surprised. He’s always been pretty sure that he’s a Slytherin. It’s not really that big of a deal, except it is. He knows he’s a Slytherin, except that doesn’t mean he wants to be. He never really wanted to be in this house, because no one that ever read Harry Potter wanted to be in Slytherin. It’s the evil house, the one where only Death Eaters go, the one that churned out the worst people. No one really wants to be sorted into Slytherin, unless their families were in Slytherin, and they were raised with the “prejudiced git” mentality.
Eduardo walks in just as he’s starting to write the code to crash Pottermore. He walks up behind him, because obviously he knows Dustin, and he knows Mark, and he usually knows when Mark is up to something. It’s just the way it’s always been, ever since they first met at the Hanukkah party at AEPi Mark’s freshman year.
They’ve been friends again for about four years now. After the settlement, Mark had cornered him at the first opportunity and forced him to listen to how he felt and what he’d been thinking. It was a tense few hours, sitting alone in that conference room, just the two of them. It had started out with a few angry swears, some name-calling, and more than one attempt at escape.
Then, Mark sat down and calmly told him everything, from the mistakes they both made, and how they’d miscommunicated, to how they could push past this and move on, as friends again.
Two years later, after a couple of beers at Chris’s house, they were locked into a closet by Dustin, who refused to let them out unless they got over the "sexual tension."
And now they’ve been in a steady relationship for two years, much to Mark’s constant surprise. He keeps expecting to slip up and say something or do something that will hurt Eduardo even worse than before, and be left alone forever. He keeps expecting to fail.
At the moment, though, Eduardo is watching Mark code Pottermore into a crash, because he knows Mark has deep-rooted insecurities, even if he doesn’t like to talk about them, ever. “Mark, what are you doing?”
Mark can’t lie to Eduardo. He never could, really. He’d tried, and he’s come to discover that he’s a terrible liar. “I’m taking Pottermore down.”
Eduardo sighs and leans against Mark’s desk. “Why are you trying to take Pottermore down?”
“I’ve been sorted into Slytherin. I want to make a new code for the sorting hat, an improved one, one that’s more accurate, so I can be in any house but Slytherin.” Mark doesn’t stop coding, but he glances up to see what expression Eduardo has on his face. It’s a frown, with a furrowed brow.
Eduardo leans over and puts his hands over Mark’s, stilling them and stopping him from typing anymore. He doesn’t even get to implement the code before he’s taken away from the computer and over to his couch. Eduardo sits down, and forces Mark to sit, as well, before he speaks.
“Why don’t you want to be in Slytherin?” He asks, patient. He knows this could take a while. Mark may have promised to talk to him more, to tell him things, but it’s still hard, even after four years.
Mark takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I don’t want to be a bad person, Wardo. I’m not-- I don’t belong in other houses, because I’m not really a good person, but I don’t want to be a bad person.”
“Mark, you’re not a bad person because you’re in Slytherin. That’s not how it works. If you’re a bad person - which you’re not, by the way - it’s because you’re a bad person, not because you were sorted into Slytherin.” Eduardo stands and closes the blinds, because Dustin is getting curious, and a curious Dustin is always something to avoid during serious discussions. He sits back on the couch, next to Mark, and takes his hands. “Slytherins aren’t bad people. They’re just misunderstood, which is something that is definitely you.”
“Slytherins aren’t good people, Wardo. Every bad wizard that ever lived came out of Slytherin. And in the books? All the Slytherins were mean-spirited and just horrible people.” Mark argues, taking his hands away. “They’re just bad people, and I guess I’m not that surprised that I was sorted into that house.”
“Mark, they’re not all bad. It’s just-- it’s self-fulfilling prophecy, okay? All the Slytherins are told their bad, and everyone hates them, so where else are they going to go to feel welcome? The only place that would welcome them happens to be run by a lunatic that hates everyone. It happens to people all the time, they’re just told that they’re something bad, and they become it because they don’t know what else to do. They figure that it’s their destiny to be that kind of person, and-”
“No, I know, Wardo. My mom taught me all about this in high school. I’m the child of a psychiatrist, remember?” Mark laughs bitterly. He knows entirely too much about his own brain, and that in itself is worrisome.
“Right, of course. But Slytherins are… they’re loyal, and smart. They’re brave and a little bit ruthless. Slytherins are fiercely protective, and they will stop at nothing to achieve a goal once it’s in their heads. It’s not about hate and greed and evil, they’re just very secretive and defensive. They force other people away sometimes because they’re afraid of getting hurt, but they’re so, so motivated.” Eduardo sighs and shuts his eyes briefly. “All the houses are just places for students to get to know each other, to share time with people that they have things in common with. It doesn’t define you. You created Facebook, and that’s a Ravenclaw trait. You did whatever it took to make it succeed, that’s Slytherin. You use all this money and power to help people, that’s very Gryffindor. You’re loyal to your friends, that’s Hufflepuff, but you locked me in a conference room with you for six hours so we could talk, and you refused to let me out until we were friends again. That’s Slytherin.”
Mark squeezes his eyes tight, and shudders a breath out. “I just-- I don’t want to be that person, Wardo. I-- I want to be a good person, I want to be good enough to have you in my life. But I’m not a good person. I’m selfish and I’m rude, and I’ve never really understood how you haven’t seen that. I’m not that great of a person, and you haven’t left yet. I shouldn’t be enough to keep you around.”
Mark keeps his eyes closed, because if he does, he can pretend that he’s asleep, that he’s dreaming this.
Eduardo’s hands are shaking around his own, though. And his breath is hitching as he tries to keep from crying.
“Jesus, Mark… is that what this is about? Do you think that you’re not good enough for me?” Eduardo’s voice is barely above a whisper. “Do you think that, just because you’ve been sorted into Slytherin, I’ll leave you or something? Because I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to leave you, ever.”
Mark can’t open his eyes. He’s afraid that he’ll wake up, and Eduardo will be gone, that this is just a dream and he won’t be able to remember it once it’s done. So he keeps his eyes closed, and tries to keep his breathing steady, when suddenly-
Soft skin touches his lips, and when he opens his eyes from shock, he sees Eduardo pulling away, a tearful smile gracing his features.
“Besides… I’m a Hufflepuff. Our houses are pretty close to each other. You can come and visit my house anytime you want, since we’re the party house and all. We’re particularly good finders.” Eduardo laughs, and even louder when Mark asks him, “What the hell is a Hufflepuff?”
It’s been four years since they’ve become friends again, two since they began their relationship, and Mark is finally ready to let go of his own insecurities and tell Eduardo, in no uncertain terms, exactly how he feels.
So he does. “I don’t ever want to miss you. I don’t ever want to 'wish you were here.' I don’t ever want to have to tell you that I love you over the phone, or on Skype, or in an email. I want to be able to say it to you, face to face, because I’m a Slytherin and that’s what I want and I’m going to stop at nothing to make it happen.”
Eduardo smiles, big and bright, his teeth glinting under the fluorescent lighting. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
Party Time! | Gryffindor | Hufflepuff | Ravenclaw