Voting Time - Week 2!
VOTING IS CLOSED
Read the voting rules, please!
1. Please don’t vote for yourself or ask/coerce/blackmail others into voting for you. ☺
2. If you submitted a drabble, you are required to vote.
3. Please vote for a Most and Second Favorite drabble. If you do not vote for both, your vote will not be counted.
4. Vote for the NUMBER, not the name. For the sake of the mods, please! Comment with your votes to THIS POST. Comments will be screened. Example: MF#2, SF#6.
5. Don’t forget the prompt: “everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds” -- Candide.
1.
Author: deirdre_aithne
Title: For the Best
Word Count: 240
Rating: G
Warnings: subtle Ron-bashing?
“How did he take the news?”
Hermione closed her eyes as a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her back against a firm chest. Leaning her head back onto the man's shoulder, she took a slow, deep breath in an attempt to stop the tears that welled in her eyes. In the back of her mind, she heard the echo of Ron's angry voice from only an hour before.
“Not well,” she finally answered, only slightly comforted when the blond man pressed an affectionate kiss against her hair.
“Perhaps it's for the best,” he murmured into the wild mane, and she turned in his arms to press her face against his robes. Thirteen years of friendship, and the year they shared on the run with Harry had not been enough for Ron to accept her choices. As much as it pained her to admit, Lucius had a point; better to know where the ginger stood with her relationship now.
“Candide had it right,” Hermione said, forcing her voice to remain steady as she turned her face upwards to meet the wizard's grey eyes.
“Are you sure this is the 'best' of all possible worlds, witch?” Lucius asked, his tone amused as he leaned down to brush his lips against hers.
“It is if you kiss me,” she replied, forgetting her sadness as her lover claimed her mouth in a possessive kiss.
2.
Author: sweetly_beth
Title: Enduring
Word Count: 296
Rating: K
Warnings: none,unless you don't like canon divergence.
Harry had rubbed off on her.
Biting back a sigh, Hermione took a discrete glance at the man in the backseat of her car, and asked herself just what she thought she was doing.
Apparently, he was wondering about the same question.
“What sort of game do you think this is, Ms. Granger?”
Her name was spat out, as though it was something filthy on his tongue.
Back when she was a child at Hogwarts she would have meekly resigned herself to snubs worse than this one, but over the years she had grown into a hard-earned self-respect.
“Mr. Malfoy, with all due respect,” she began evenly, keeping her eyes fixed on the stretch of road before her, “I would like to think we’ve moved past the stage of proud abhorrence in our relationship and toward something resembling tolerance, wouldn’t you?”
His attitude said enough. He remained silent and cooperative for the remainder of the trip, but his gray eyes were hard with anger.
Hermione tried to be understanding. Losing everything one had ever known, one’s family, home, and people, was not something she would wish on anyone, regardless of how resilient he was.
She had lost a lot, too (there was that familiar sting in her eyes whenever she glanced at the forlorn band on her ring finger) but at least she’d had a place to fall back to.
When she saw the chance to help a fellow stripped wizard, she jumped at it. It was just her luck that the one she was trying to help hated her for what she was, what she had.
She held on to the belief that in this new, magic-less world of theirs, it would be for the better. Even her new companionship with the broken Lucius Malfoy.
3.
Author: illusionrain
Title: Best of the Best
Word Count: 297
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
“And to what, Ms. Granger, do I owe the dubious pleasure of your company,” Lucius Malfoy sneered, drawing out the pause, “within the sanctity of my home?”
Hermione held back a snort. Like she wanted to be here! This was purely business and he knew that. “As you know, Mr.Malfoy, I work for the Regulation and Control. In accordance with the new Preliminary Law, you are required to release four of the five house-elves currently under your employment. Or they must be given proper compensation. All within thirty days. This will be your last reminder.” She leveled a cool glare at him and then stood, setting her tea aside. “Thank you. Good day.”
“Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, Ms. Granger.” He had grabbed her arm before she could leave. Biting her lip, Hermione hoped fear wasn’t as easy to see as it was to hear. Why couldn’t he just let her go? What was it about Pure-Bloods that always made them want to have the last word? “My wife,” he stated facetiously, “is ill. I filed for an extension on the matter.”
“Your extension on the matter,” Hermione mimicked, furious, “has been denied.”
An elegant eyebrow, slim and silver, raised in apparent disbelief. “Denied? I dare say you probably had a hand in that.” His grip on her arm tightened. “Are you so blinded by hate that you would let an innocent woman die?” he mocked. “Ms. Granger, if I might remind you …”
“You may not!” She shook his arm off and stepped back. “If I might remind you,” she mocked in return, “everything is for the best -”
He cut her off, “In this best of all possible worlds.” At her stunned expression, he smirked. “Voltaire, unlike you, was a true wizard among Muggles.”
4.
Author: scarletladyy
Title: Small Mercies
Word Count: 298
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slavery
"Are you serious?"
Lucius looked at her darkly, holding the brown robe that signified her place in society now. "Yes. I am deadly serious. If you do not wear this, we cannot go out."
"I'm not sure I want to," Hermione muttered, though she knew that wasn't quite true. She was desperate to see what the outside world was like now, and she wasn't exactly happy with her pride getting in the way of that. "Fine. Give it here."
"Watch your tone," said Lucius sternly as he tossed her the cloak. "As I have said before, I am not above beating you for your insolence, particularly if you show me up in public."
Hermione scowled as she pulled the brown robe over her head, symbolising that she was indeed a slave. The Malfoy's slave. "I still think --"
"Quiet," demanded Lucius, his eyes narrowed as he faced her. "You should be grateful. Had you been given to anyone else, you would not even have the opportunity to visit Diagon Alley. It is only my prestige in the Wizarding World that allows me to take my slaves where I go. You couldn't have got it any better off, so if you keep up this attitude, I'll leave you behind."
"Hmph," Hermione moaned quietly as she walked towards the door. He was somewhat right; she had it better than most of her friends did, so she shouldn't really complain. This was her life now, so she had to be thankful for small mercies like visiting Diagon Alley. The only reason Lucius had agreed to take her with him was because she'd behaved in front of Voldemort last week.
"Come. We haven't got all day," Lucius scolded, and Hermione took a deep breath before walking out into the new world, bracing herself for the horrors she would encounter.
5.
Author: benebu
Title: His Home is His Castle (and This Wizard is a King)
Word Count: 300
Rating: G
Warnings: none
From the moment he enters his study, Lucius immerses himself into his work. As the king, he has the final decision on everything and anything after all, meaning he has to be well-informed on a wide range of subjects. As it is, he is just signing the decree lifting the ban on flying carpets in Wizarding Britain. He remembers flying on such a carpet, really long ago. It was fun. He could see himself doing it again.
Lucius smiles.
He considers himself a benevolent ruler. To his knowledge, no one has ever called him otherwise. (And he would know: the king has spies everywhere.)
The knock on the door startles him. Is it evening already? Time does fly when one is busy ruling the nation, doesn't it?
--
Hermione always makes sure to put on a cheerful face before entering Lucius' sanctuary to pull him away from his imaginary work. The elves know to take away whatever writings he produced and burn them to ashes: no one ever needs seeing evidence that a once brilliant mind is now so deeply lost into his delusion that he sincerely believes he is ruling the Wizarding World from behind his mahogany desk.
She's been told that she should hire a nurse.
She's been told that she should leave him, and live for herself.
She's been told many things, most of them by people who never understood her marrying Lucius in the first place.
She hasn't listened to them then, and doesn't intend to now. Call it manor, castle or self-imposed prison, this is her home, this is where she should be.
She has loved this man, loves him still, and whenever he remembers who she is, he loves her back.
Can anything be worth more than being a queen in your lover's eyes?
Read the voting rules, please!
1. Please don’t vote for yourself or ask/coerce/blackmail others into voting for you. ☺
2. If you submitted a drabble, you are required to vote.
3. Please vote for a Most and Second Favorite drabble. If you do not vote for both, your vote will not be counted.
4. Vote for the NUMBER, not the name. For the sake of the mods, please! Comment with your votes to THIS POST. Comments will be screened. Example: MF#2, SF#6.
5. Don’t forget the prompt: “everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds” -- Candide.
1.
Author: deirdre_aithne
Title: For the Best
Word Count: 240
Rating: G
Warnings: subtle Ron-bashing?
“How did he take the news?”
Hermione closed her eyes as a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her back against a firm chest. Leaning her head back onto the man's shoulder, she took a slow, deep breath in an attempt to stop the tears that welled in her eyes. In the back of her mind, she heard the echo of Ron's angry voice from only an hour before.
“Not well,” she finally answered, only slightly comforted when the blond man pressed an affectionate kiss against her hair.
“Perhaps it's for the best,” he murmured into the wild mane, and she turned in his arms to press her face against his robes. Thirteen years of friendship, and the year they shared on the run with Harry had not been enough for Ron to accept her choices. As much as it pained her to admit, Lucius had a point; better to know where the ginger stood with her relationship now.
“Candide had it right,” Hermione said, forcing her voice to remain steady as she turned her face upwards to meet the wizard's grey eyes.
“Are you sure this is the 'best' of all possible worlds, witch?” Lucius asked, his tone amused as he leaned down to brush his lips against hers.
“It is if you kiss me,” she replied, forgetting her sadness as her lover claimed her mouth in a possessive kiss.
2.
Author: sweetly_beth
Title: Enduring
Word Count: 296
Rating: K
Warnings: none,unless you don't like canon divergence.
Harry had rubbed off on her.
Biting back a sigh, Hermione took a discrete glance at the man in the backseat of her car, and asked herself just what she thought she was doing.
Apparently, he was wondering about the same question.
“What sort of game do you think this is, Ms. Granger?”
Her name was spat out, as though it was something filthy on his tongue.
Back when she was a child at Hogwarts she would have meekly resigned herself to snubs worse than this one, but over the years she had grown into a hard-earned self-respect.
“Mr. Malfoy, with all due respect,” she began evenly, keeping her eyes fixed on the stretch of road before her, “I would like to think we’ve moved past the stage of proud abhorrence in our relationship and toward something resembling tolerance, wouldn’t you?”
His attitude said enough. He remained silent and cooperative for the remainder of the trip, but his gray eyes were hard with anger.
Hermione tried to be understanding. Losing everything one had ever known, one’s family, home, and people, was not something she would wish on anyone, regardless of how resilient he was.
She had lost a lot, too (there was that familiar sting in her eyes whenever she glanced at the forlorn band on her ring finger) but at least she’d had a place to fall back to.
When she saw the chance to help a fellow stripped wizard, she jumped at it. It was just her luck that the one she was trying to help hated her for what she was, what she had.
She held on to the belief that in this new, magic-less world of theirs, it would be for the better. Even her new companionship with the broken Lucius Malfoy.
3.
Author: illusionrain
Title: Best of the Best
Word Count: 297
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
“And to what, Ms. Granger, do I owe the dubious pleasure of your company,” Lucius Malfoy sneered, drawing out the pause, “within the sanctity of my home?”
Hermione held back a snort. Like she wanted to be here! This was purely business and he knew that. “As you know, Mr.Malfoy, I work for the Regulation and Control. In accordance with the new Preliminary Law, you are required to release four of the five house-elves currently under your employment. Or they must be given proper compensation. All within thirty days. This will be your last reminder.” She leveled a cool glare at him and then stood, setting her tea aside. “Thank you. Good day.”
“Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, Ms. Granger.” He had grabbed her arm before she could leave. Biting her lip, Hermione hoped fear wasn’t as easy to see as it was to hear. Why couldn’t he just let her go? What was it about Pure-Bloods that always made them want to have the last word? “My wife,” he stated facetiously, “is ill. I filed for an extension on the matter.”
“Your extension on the matter,” Hermione mimicked, furious, “has been denied.”
An elegant eyebrow, slim and silver, raised in apparent disbelief. “Denied? I dare say you probably had a hand in that.” His grip on her arm tightened. “Are you so blinded by hate that you would let an innocent woman die?” he mocked. “Ms. Granger, if I might remind you …”
“You may not!” She shook his arm off and stepped back. “If I might remind you,” she mocked in return, “everything is for the best -”
He cut her off, “In this best of all possible worlds.” At her stunned expression, he smirked. “Voltaire, unlike you, was a true wizard among Muggles.”
4.
Author: scarletladyy
Title: Small Mercies
Word Count: 298
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slavery
"Are you serious?"
Lucius looked at her darkly, holding the brown robe that signified her place in society now. "Yes. I am deadly serious. If you do not wear this, we cannot go out."
"I'm not sure I want to," Hermione muttered, though she knew that wasn't quite true. She was desperate to see what the outside world was like now, and she wasn't exactly happy with her pride getting in the way of that. "Fine. Give it here."
"Watch your tone," said Lucius sternly as he tossed her the cloak. "As I have said before, I am not above beating you for your insolence, particularly if you show me up in public."
Hermione scowled as she pulled the brown robe over her head, symbolising that she was indeed a slave. The Malfoy's slave. "I still think --"
"Quiet," demanded Lucius, his eyes narrowed as he faced her. "You should be grateful. Had you been given to anyone else, you would not even have the opportunity to visit Diagon Alley. It is only my prestige in the Wizarding World that allows me to take my slaves where I go. You couldn't have got it any better off, so if you keep up this attitude, I'll leave you behind."
"Hmph," Hermione moaned quietly as she walked towards the door. He was somewhat right; she had it better than most of her friends did, so she shouldn't really complain. This was her life now, so she had to be thankful for small mercies like visiting Diagon Alley. The only reason Lucius had agreed to take her with him was because she'd behaved in front of Voldemort last week.
"Come. We haven't got all day," Lucius scolded, and Hermione took a deep breath before walking out into the new world, bracing herself for the horrors she would encounter.
5.
Author: benebu
Title: His Home is His Castle (and This Wizard is a King)
Word Count: 300
Rating: G
Warnings: none
From the moment he enters his study, Lucius immerses himself into his work. As the king, he has the final decision on everything and anything after all, meaning he has to be well-informed on a wide range of subjects. As it is, he is just signing the decree lifting the ban on flying carpets in Wizarding Britain. He remembers flying on such a carpet, really long ago. It was fun. He could see himself doing it again.
Lucius smiles.
He considers himself a benevolent ruler. To his knowledge, no one has ever called him otherwise. (And he would know: the king has spies everywhere.)
The knock on the door startles him. Is it evening already? Time does fly when one is busy ruling the nation, doesn't it?
--
Hermione always makes sure to put on a cheerful face before entering Lucius' sanctuary to pull him away from his imaginary work. The elves know to take away whatever writings he produced and burn them to ashes: no one ever needs seeing evidence that a once brilliant mind is now so deeply lost into his delusion that he sincerely believes he is ruling the Wizarding World from behind his mahogany desk.
She's been told that she should hire a nurse.
She's been told that she should leave him, and live for herself.
She's been told many things, most of them by people who never understood her marrying Lucius in the first place.
She hasn't listened to them then, and doesn't intend to now. Call it manor, castle or self-imposed prison, this is her home, this is where she should be.
She has loved this man, loves him still, and whenever he remembers who she is, he loves her back.
Can anything be worth more than being a queen in your lover's eyes?