comment_fic 856-860: HP, Hobbit, myth, HL
Title: Ask me to help you find the wind
Fandom: Harry Potter
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Anderson
Warnings: child abuse, AU, victim blaming by the victim
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 410
Point of view: third
Prompt: Harry Potter, Dudley + Harry, they grew up as best friends, with Dudley trying to help Harry everytime his parents were abusive of him.
When the letter comes, Harry hands it off to Dudley; his parents don't notice, so later that afternoon, they hide in Dudley's room to read it together.
"Could it possibly be real?" Harry asks hesitantly.
"I think it might be," Dudley says. "All the... odd things, you know."
"I suppose," Harry replies dubiously. But there are a lot of odd things.
They have no owl to send back a letter, so they put it aside for now.
.
Three days later, a witch knocks on the door. Aunt Petunia nearly faints, and Uncle Vernon scowls fiercely, but Dudley politely invites her in.
After her explanation, Harry says, "It does sound wonderful, ma'am, but I can't leave without Dudley."
Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, blinks at him. "Beg pardon?"
"He's my brother, you see," Harry says, licking nervously at his lips while glancing towards the door. His relatives had left him alone with the professor, dragging Dudley with them. "I can't leave him alone here. Without me around, they might turn on him."
"Mr. Potter," she says severely. "Do you mean to tell me that your relatives are… are harming you?"
He hesitates, glancing again at the door. He doesn't want to say - it's always his fault, anyway - but without him, Dudley might be in danger. "Yes," he whispers.
Her eyes flash.
.
Hedwig brings letters between them daily, as Harry writes down everything about Hogwarts while Dudley shares all the details about their new family. He doesn't have enough magic for Hogwarts, but there is a tiny spark there, enough to see the creatures. As best the healer could determine, the one Professor McGonagall dragged them both to that first day, Dudley's potential had been there since birth (of course) but only Harry's magic in close proximity had let it grow enough to actually matter.
Harry is Sorted into Hufflepuff, makes friends with Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot, and doesn't like Professor Snape all that much, but since the healer fixed Harry's eyesight and Harry's not in Gryffindor, Professor Snape never goes into tirades about the father Harry can't remember and never knew.
Sometimes, the headmaster watches Harry; Harry pays it no nevermind.
Over the holiday, Harry goes home to his brother and foster family: the Diggorys. They have another son, a fourth year Hufflepuff who helped Harry navigate Hogwarts in the beginning.
"It's been amazing, Harry," Dudley says, pouncing on him at the station.
"Yes, it has," Harry agrees.
Title: with lonely steps to tread the unfounded deep
Fandom: The Hobbit movieverse
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Milton
Warnings: mentions of character death, a mother's grief, mourning
Pairing: mostly gen
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 330
Point of view: third
Prompt: Any, Any, Sworn
She stands at the top of the mountain, staring out at the world. Her guards stand with her, by order of the King Under the Mountain and their own loyalty to all that remains of Durin's line. Dain's wife is long dead, and so is her own husband, the father of the sons she no longer has. To avoid tearing apart their newly-returned realm, the wedding will be in three days.
Three days until she is queen in name, though - according to the elder brother she no longer has - she has been queen in all but name since their grandfather died at Khazad-dûm.
She should not have let her sons join her brother on his quest for Erebor. Fili was barely of age, and Kili nearly there, but they were boys still. Her boys. Thorin had promised her, with the most solemn oath in Mahal's name, on the blood of Durin, that he would guard her boys well and return them to her whole and unharmed.
She has yet to cry for them, any of them, her only remaining brother and her babies. And now she alone is left, to be Queen Under the Mountain.
There could yet be another child of Durin's line, the people whisper to each other, she is still in the prime of life, our queen.
She smiles, mirthless, at the top of the mountain. Durin's blood is cursed, ever since Thror held the arkenstone for the first time. And she is the last direct descendant. There will be no more children. Let Dain's son have the throne.
Her brother had promised to return her sons, and he had promised their homeland back, and he had promised that all would be right again.
Of those, he kept only one.
So, for Thorin, she will rule Erebor. And for her sons, she will rule it well.
She turns away from the setting sun, holds her head high, and walks back into the mountain.
Title: let me praise men for eating the apple
Fandom: Greek mythology
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Plath or Levertov or Sexton
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 100
Point of view: third
Prompt: Greek Myth, Artemis + Athena, sisters
They go running in the moonlight, wolves at their back and owls at their side, through the woods, over mountains, into the sky.
"Do you now believe that I'm faster, sister?" Artemis asks, grinning and barely breathing hard, at the top of a mountain far from home.
"Never," Athena laughs.
They resume the race as the sun rises.
...
Finally, they rest in the shade of an olive tree. Arachne spins them pillows and one of Artemis' amazons brings them water. They lie side by side, wolves spread around them and owls roosting above their heads.
'Tis a good day.
Title: the reclining dragon
Fandom: Highlander
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: outside pov; future!fic
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 390
Point of view: third
Prompt: author's choice, any, garyuu or garyou (Japanese) - unrecognized genius; an exceptional person hidden among the masses (literally "a reclining dragon")
"Professor," the boy on the front row asks, "how do you know it's true?"
David sighs. This kid - Adamson? Addison? Something that starts with an A - has to question everything. "Whether it's true or not," he says, for the fifth, fifteenth, fiftieth time, "it's what the book says, so that's what I'm teaching, okay?"
The kid glares at him, ignoring all of his classmates' looks. "But if it's not true, what's the point?!" the kid demands, and David has no idea why he's taking this so personally.
"Look," David says, "if you want to have this discussion, come to my office hours. But this will be on your midterm, and your final. So can I get on with it, please?"
"Fine," the kid mutters, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair. He doesn't take a single note for the rest of class.
When the kid shows up at his office hours, David bites back a curse. "Dr. Conrad, I'm not sure you remember me - I'm Matthew Adamson," the kid says politely, hovering in the doorway.
"Yes, Mr. Adamson, I remember you," David says. "Please, have a seat."
They argue for the better part of an hour, and Matthew brings up several points David's never quite thought of like that. Finally, David says, "This! This is how you should speak in class. Don't just flat out refuse to listen - guide the discussion. Alright?"
"Yes, Dr. Conrad," Matthew says, ducking his head.
David asks, "This is your passion, isn't it? And it's killing you being in a 1001 class."
Matthew nods without looking up. "I couldn't just skip the general studies, and I missed the deadline for testing out," he mutters petulantly.
David chuckles. "Think of this as an easy A, son. And stop trying to derail the units."
"Yes, sir," Matthew says, recognizing the dismissal and rising to his feet. "I'll see you in class on Monday."
.
Matthew still argues in class, but he also gets the other students involved, raising issues and demanding explanations. It's the most fun David has had with his beginner class in years. He's pretty sure that, given a few years, Matthew will revolutionize the field.
At the end of the semester, David writes, Thanks for all the food for thought, on Matthew's final and looks forward to the kid's future.
Title: the sum of damages done to them
Fandom: Highlander
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Adrienne Rich
Warnings: mentions of minor character death
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 80
Point of view: third
Prompt: any, any, 3 mistakes they've made and the 1 thing everyone except them thinks was a mistake
1
"You know what I was? Death. Death on a horse," he spits, knowing that admitting to it is a mistake. He's the best liar there ever was; he could've gotten out of this.
But he's so damn tired of pretending to be something he's not.
2
Okay, so drinking eighteen barrels of beer and defacing the pyramid was a mistake. What of it? It was fun.
3
MacLeod's sword swings. Kronos falls.
Oh, my brother, Methos thinks.
& 1
He rides the pale horse.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Anderson
Warnings: child abuse, AU, victim blaming by the victim
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 410
Point of view: third
Prompt: Harry Potter, Dudley + Harry, they grew up as best friends, with Dudley trying to help Harry everytime his parents were abusive of him.
When the letter comes, Harry hands it off to Dudley; his parents don't notice, so later that afternoon, they hide in Dudley's room to read it together.
"Could it possibly be real?" Harry asks hesitantly.
"I think it might be," Dudley says. "All the... odd things, you know."
"I suppose," Harry replies dubiously. But there are a lot of odd things.
They have no owl to send back a letter, so they put it aside for now.
.
Three days later, a witch knocks on the door. Aunt Petunia nearly faints, and Uncle Vernon scowls fiercely, but Dudley politely invites her in.
After her explanation, Harry says, "It does sound wonderful, ma'am, but I can't leave without Dudley."
Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, blinks at him. "Beg pardon?"
"He's my brother, you see," Harry says, licking nervously at his lips while glancing towards the door. His relatives had left him alone with the professor, dragging Dudley with them. "I can't leave him alone here. Without me around, they might turn on him."
"Mr. Potter," she says severely. "Do you mean to tell me that your relatives are… are harming you?"
He hesitates, glancing again at the door. He doesn't want to say - it's always his fault, anyway - but without him, Dudley might be in danger. "Yes," he whispers.
Her eyes flash.
.
Hedwig brings letters between them daily, as Harry writes down everything about Hogwarts while Dudley shares all the details about their new family. He doesn't have enough magic for Hogwarts, but there is a tiny spark there, enough to see the creatures. As best the healer could determine, the one Professor McGonagall dragged them both to that first day, Dudley's potential had been there since birth (of course) but only Harry's magic in close proximity had let it grow enough to actually matter.
Harry is Sorted into Hufflepuff, makes friends with Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot, and doesn't like Professor Snape all that much, but since the healer fixed Harry's eyesight and Harry's not in Gryffindor, Professor Snape never goes into tirades about the father Harry can't remember and never knew.
Sometimes, the headmaster watches Harry; Harry pays it no nevermind.
Over the holiday, Harry goes home to his brother and foster family: the Diggorys. They have another son, a fourth year Hufflepuff who helped Harry navigate Hogwarts in the beginning.
"It's been amazing, Harry," Dudley says, pouncing on him at the station.
"Yes, it has," Harry agrees.
Title: with lonely steps to tread the unfounded deep
Fandom: The Hobbit movieverse
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Milton
Warnings: mentions of character death, a mother's grief, mourning
Pairing: mostly gen
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 330
Point of view: third
Prompt: Any, Any, Sworn
She stands at the top of the mountain, staring out at the world. Her guards stand with her, by order of the King Under the Mountain and their own loyalty to all that remains of Durin's line. Dain's wife is long dead, and so is her own husband, the father of the sons she no longer has. To avoid tearing apart their newly-returned realm, the wedding will be in three days.
Three days until she is queen in name, though - according to the elder brother she no longer has - she has been queen in all but name since their grandfather died at Khazad-dûm.
She should not have let her sons join her brother on his quest for Erebor. Fili was barely of age, and Kili nearly there, but they were boys still. Her boys. Thorin had promised her, with the most solemn oath in Mahal's name, on the blood of Durin, that he would guard her boys well and return them to her whole and unharmed.
She has yet to cry for them, any of them, her only remaining brother and her babies. And now she alone is left, to be Queen Under the Mountain.
There could yet be another child of Durin's line, the people whisper to each other, she is still in the prime of life, our queen.
She smiles, mirthless, at the top of the mountain. Durin's blood is cursed, ever since Thror held the arkenstone for the first time. And she is the last direct descendant. There will be no more children. Let Dain's son have the throne.
Her brother had promised to return her sons, and he had promised their homeland back, and he had promised that all would be right again.
Of those, he kept only one.
So, for Thorin, she will rule Erebor. And for her sons, she will rule it well.
She turns away from the setting sun, holds her head high, and walks back into the mountain.
Title: let me praise men for eating the apple
Fandom: Greek mythology
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Plath or Levertov or Sexton
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 100
Point of view: third
Prompt: Greek Myth, Artemis + Athena, sisters
They go running in the moonlight, wolves at their back and owls at their side, through the woods, over mountains, into the sky.
"Do you now believe that I'm faster, sister?" Artemis asks, grinning and barely breathing hard, at the top of a mountain far from home.
"Never," Athena laughs.
They resume the race as the sun rises.
...
Finally, they rest in the shade of an olive tree. Arachne spins them pillows and one of Artemis' amazons brings them water. They lie side by side, wolves spread around them and owls roosting above their heads.
'Tis a good day.
Title: the reclining dragon
Fandom: Highlander
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: outside pov; future!fic
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 390
Point of view: third
Prompt: author's choice, any, garyuu or garyou (Japanese) - unrecognized genius; an exceptional person hidden among the masses (literally "a reclining dragon")
"Professor," the boy on the front row asks, "how do you know it's true?"
David sighs. This kid - Adamson? Addison? Something that starts with an A - has to question everything. "Whether it's true or not," he says, for the fifth, fifteenth, fiftieth time, "it's what the book says, so that's what I'm teaching, okay?"
The kid glares at him, ignoring all of his classmates' looks. "But if it's not true, what's the point?!" the kid demands, and David has no idea why he's taking this so personally.
"Look," David says, "if you want to have this discussion, come to my office hours. But this will be on your midterm, and your final. So can I get on with it, please?"
"Fine," the kid mutters, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair. He doesn't take a single note for the rest of class.
When the kid shows up at his office hours, David bites back a curse. "Dr. Conrad, I'm not sure you remember me - I'm Matthew Adamson," the kid says politely, hovering in the doorway.
"Yes, Mr. Adamson, I remember you," David says. "Please, have a seat."
They argue for the better part of an hour, and Matthew brings up several points David's never quite thought of like that. Finally, David says, "This! This is how you should speak in class. Don't just flat out refuse to listen - guide the discussion. Alright?"
"Yes, Dr. Conrad," Matthew says, ducking his head.
David asks, "This is your passion, isn't it? And it's killing you being in a 1001 class."
Matthew nods without looking up. "I couldn't just skip the general studies, and I missed the deadline for testing out," he mutters petulantly.
David chuckles. "Think of this as an easy A, son. And stop trying to derail the units."
"Yes, sir," Matthew says, recognizing the dismissal and rising to his feet. "I'll see you in class on Monday."
.
Matthew still argues in class, but he also gets the other students involved, raising issues and demanding explanations. It's the most fun David has had with his beginner class in years. He's pretty sure that, given a few years, Matthew will revolutionize the field.
At the end of the semester, David writes, Thanks for all the food for thought, on Matthew's final and looks forward to the kid's future.
Title: the sum of damages done to them
Fandom: Highlander
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Adrienne Rich
Warnings: mentions of minor character death
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 80
Point of view: third
Prompt: any, any, 3 mistakes they've made and the 1 thing everyone except them thinks was a mistake
1
"You know what I was? Death. Death on a horse," he spits, knowing that admitting to it is a mistake. He's the best liar there ever was; he could've gotten out of this.
But he's so damn tired of pretending to be something he's not.
2
Okay, so drinking eighteen barrels of beer and defacing the pyramid was a mistake. What of it? It was fun.
3
MacLeod's sword swings. Kronos falls.
Oh, my brother, Methos thinks.
& 1
He rides the pale horse.