(no subject)
Wow, it feels like we were just here! Week 6 has snuck up on me!
A couple of things to remember when deciding which drabbles to vote for (most and least favorite):
Guidelines:
Which drabble best incorporates the prompt?
2. Is the drabble clever, different, fresh? Does it evoke an emotional response (good or bad)?
3. Does the drabble contain grammar, canon or spelling errors?
The “feedback” option.
As a voter, you have the option of leaving a brief statement about why you voted the way you did, for both most and least favorite. Your feedback will then be given to the drabble writer (if they want the feedback) ANONYMOUSLY.
Example: Most - #40: the ending was brilliant - OR - Least - #57: the ending fell flat
Here we go for week 6!
Choose your favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote. Once again (despite the rules), we’ll only be eliminating one author this week.
Participants using a skip:
bookishwench
Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, October 3, 2008.
The Great Cliché Challenge!
1
Title: Quid Pro Quo
Author: snowe
Rating: PG
Warnings: Crapilogue Compliance
Word Count: 393
Oh, but the expression on Hermione Granger's face is priceless; I'm quite sure she never dreamed I'd march into her office and, quite civilly, ask if she is sleeping with my husband.
Draco told her, I'm sure, that we live separate lives privately (true) and that I don't care what or who he does, so long as it stays private (very true, and I expect the same in return). I suppose she thinks I don't care for him, when nothing could be further from the truth; I'm very fond of Draco. We get on well, despite our unorthodox arrangement; he's a devoted father, and has always been a kind and generous husband to me. Romantic love is very well in its place, but marriage is a serious matter and should be based on something more lasting than mutual passion. No doubt Miss High-and-Mighty looks down on me, but I am still contentedly married while she suffered an acrimonious and public divorce.
She splutters for a moment, but I cut her off. “My dear, you can't think I mean to interfere in the least, or that I've come here to warn you away from Draco. I know I can trust in your discretion, and I'm really quite pleased that he's involved with such a respectable witch.”
She pales at this-she must think I'm insulting her, but I'm entirely sincere.
“My son, Scorpius, will be leaving Hogwarts next year. He'd like a position in International Magical Cooperation-his grades are quite good, but...well, our family history might hold him back. If our family could be seen socializing with the you, and perhaps your dear friend Mr. Potter as well...that would be such a help to Scorpius' prospects.”
Her face softens a little, and I press my advantage.
“You're a mother, too, Ms. Granger, and I know you can understand my feelings. Scorpius is a good boy, and he mustn't suffer for his grandparents' mistakes. I'll expect to see you Saturday after next, 8 o'clock, at the Manor for a small dinner party.”
I nod politely, making a swift departure before she can change her mind. I've half a mind to thank Draco for his current choice of companion; I'd never have dreamed he'd pick someone so very useful...and the look on her face!
I smile all the way home.
2
Title: His Centerpiece
Author: kate0404
Rating: G
Warnings: *high-pitched singing voice* Fluuu-uuuf
Word Count: 495
Author’s Notes: The flowers mentioned below are gorgeous and I recommend taking the time to have a look at them. That is all.
“Seriously, Draco, you can’t do that.”
“And why not, Granger?” My son’s response is as snarky as always, but the twinkle in his eye doesn’t go unnoticed… by me anyway.
“Because,” Hermione answers with a smile, “if Pansy catches you hovering her centerpieces filled with priceless, and rare, phalaenopsis, nymphea coerulea and neomarica caerulea, she will have your head on one of those shiny, silver platters.”
I want to chuckle as Draco rolls his eyes, but stop myself when he gently drops the floating vases anyway. “Leave it to you to give them their proper names, Granger,” he mumbles.
Watching them work together has become one of my favorite pastimes over these past few months. Preparing for Pansy’s wedding has been more… enlightening… than I could ever have imagined.
Though Draco had kept his voice low, Hermione heard him. “I find the technical names of the flowers to be beautiful and eloquent.” Her eyes take on a dreamy, faraway look and I notice the nearly-invisible smirk form on Draco’s lips.
I never would have become aware of the budding relationship between Draco and Hermione if Pansy hadn’t taken a leap outside her comfort zone and began dating Ronald Weasley. Those of us who know Pansy best were shocked by the news at first, but love her enough to see he is what makes her happy.
“You are a hopeless romantic, Granger.”
And it is plain to see who makes my son happy.
Hermione grins. “I never said I wasn’t.” Draco and I both watch as she meticulously places one of the vases in the exact center of one large, round table. “Besides, these flowers are stunning; they deserve to be called by their proper name.”
I spent so many of my younger years in a home that showed no less than pure hatred towards those who weren’t of a pure bloodline. And at one time, I may have shared some of those views. It was not outside my comfort zone to call someone, like Hermione, a Mudblood.
I confess, however, that it’s hard to hate Hermione.
Draco sets a vase on another table, not nearly as centered as Hermione’s. “So, you’re saying that all things beautiful and stunning and so forth should be called by their proper name?” I know my son well enough to see he’s attempting nonchalance with his question; to me, the underlying meaning is bright as the midday sun.
“Of course,” she replies as she leans over to adjust Draco’s poorly-centered vase. “It shows respect, admiration, and appreciation. You, of all people, should appreciate and admire true beauty, Draco.” Her lips quirk into a smile.
It is so hard to hate her when I see so much of myself in her; she vivacious, quick-witted, and smart as a whip.
Draco smiles, a real smile - something I haven’t seen him do in years. “I do, Hermione Granger, I really do.”
It’s also extremely hard to hate someone my son loves so much.
3
Title: A Hard Shove
Author: ilkee
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 477
When Harry thought of her, when she was absent, and he pictured her in his mind, it was always the same.
She was sitting across from Draco Malfoy, cheeks flushed, eyes flashing in anger or excitement, debating some terribly important and completely boring topic as if changing Draco’s mind could align planets.
It bothered him that his image of his best friend also included the blonde prat. It was unfair that the two could not be separated. Now, standing in the dark, empty sitting room, with her crumpled parchment note balled in his fist, he could see that maybe she also thought it was unfair that the two could not be separated.
They were like two magnets, struggling to be apart and forever slamming back together.
Harry sighed and threw the note in the cold fireplace and ran his hand through his hair.
She was running again.
Hermione Granger, celebrated war heroine and brilliant witch in general, was running from the one thing she was afraid of: her feelings for Draco Malfoy.
Wait. Two things. She was still terrified of heights. Harry supposed that, to her, admitting that she was in love with the guy who had once said cruel and hateful things to her, would be like standing on the edge of an impossibly high cliff and looking down. Never mind that they were friends now and Draco had long ago made amends.
She was in love with Draco. He was sure of it. Though she had never told him - another thing that irked him - she was, after all, his best friend of many, many years and he could tell. He could tell in the way she watched him across rooms, and when he was absent, the way she would bring conversations around to center around him, even if it was criticize him. Oh, he was sure she thought she was being very clever, but he knew.
And from the way Draco always made sure he was sitting next to her, even when she was poised to spit fire or take him to task for some careless thing he said, Harry guessed that Draco just might be in love with her too.
In the small, bitter places in his heart, Harry wished that it would be Draco who would run. But then that would leave him with a best friend who was forever asking about Draco, and that wasn’t any better. He was really rather sick of it.
No, what he really wanted was for them to both come clean. To stop toeing the edge of that cliff and jump. And he thought that maybe this time he would give them a little push. Or maybe a hard shove.
Harry got up and threw a handful of floo power into the fireplace and stuck his head in the green flames.
“Draco? Are you home?”
4
Title: Oh Matilda
Author: emm718
Rating: Pg-13
Warnings: Insinuation and technical terms
Word Count: 499
Three weeks, thirteen dates, and thirty-three snogs ago, I was the apple of Draco Malfoy’s eye. Every day we’d spend hours talking about important social issues, like how pretty my leaves were and how much he hoped I’d flourish in the new flat. He worried immensely about my well being, always fussing about whether I was receiving enough sunshine or water. But my favorite part of the day was when he’d return home, shed his robes as he loosened his tie and ask me in the sweetest drawl, “Did you miss me whilst I was at work, Matilda?” I did, every day and I thrived under his tender care, my stalks reached heavenward and my red flowers bloomed bigger than usual. I wanted to be the most brilliant Fanged Geranium that he had ever owned. I liked being his pride and joy.
Then he decided to take up with that horrid witch with endlessly atrocious hair and he came home less. Even when he did, she was always with him. Laughing, flirting, touching. It was completely disgusting the way she used her womanly guile to turn my dearest Draco into a simpering love-sick clown. She even had him cooking for her, like a common house elf.
It was all too much for me to bear. This Hermione creature was stealing all of Draco’s attention from me and that wasn’t something I could tolerate. He was my human and I would not let him go without a fight. So I hissed as loudly as possible, using my large blooms in a chorus of indignation.
Her head turned, eyes large and I knew I had her attention. “What was that?”
Draco glanced at me briefly. “Matilda.”
Then the atrocious girl grinned at me as she moved nearer. I growled my displeasure, retracting my petals and baring my fangs.
Still she wasn’t deterred. The insipid woman had the gall to reach out and touch me! As if I was some common pet!
So I did what any plant in my situation would do. I bit her. Right on that bony finger.
She shrieked in surprise, yanking her hand away and Draco hurried to her side.
“I’d forgotten they bite,” the idiot witch murmured as he checked her wound. I could see two tiny red dots, but no blood, clearly I hadn’t bitten her hard enough.
Draco smiled at that awful Hermione, and then he kissed the marks. I was appalled and gasped my displeasure.
As their eyes met, I realized my mistake, and when their mouths connected, it was clear that I had only helped my beloved Draco in his attempt at pollination.
Because in a matter of seconds, they were a chaos of human limbs as they fumbled ungracefully to his bedroom where he was sure to use his stamen to spread pollen all over her stigma.
I wilted instantly. It was apparent that my envious behavior only brought them closer, and I had handed Hermione the victory of Draco’s affection.
5
Title: The Trial
Author: marlaichen
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 479
The vaulted courtroom hummed with anticipation. A small crowd had turned up, more than usual for a morning trial. As Gretchen entered from the judge’s door, she felt the familiar heaviness that precedes a long day. Her joints creaked in protest, as they did more often in her old age, as she hoisted herself onto the raised platform at the head of the hall. She had been a judge in the days before the Dark Lord’s ascension to power, and the days only seemed to be getting longer since then. Perhaps they were. There were far more criminals then there had been in the old days, too many by her reason, though she never dared to say so.
Gretchen quickly scanned the single sheet of parchment that had been placed in front of her with the names of today’s defendants. Four names stood out to her: Emily, Anna, Hermione, and Jane. Yes, it was going to be a long day.
The crowd hushed as Gretchen cleared her throat. She called out the first name on her list.
“Hermione J. Granger, Muggleborn.”
It was the women Gretchen hated judging the most, and as the small door at the end of the hall opened, she remembered why. There was only one reason women ever sat in the defendant’s seat, and when they did, Gretchen could see the betrayal etched into every one of their faces. In this girl, the betrayal was piercing. She felt nauseous.
Hermione was led to the center of the room where she stood alone, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. She wasn’t offered a seat. This wasn’t a trial that was expected to last long.
Gretchen cleared her throat, again.
“Hermione Jane Granger, Muggleborn, age 28, you have been accused by the New Wizard Republic under Resolution P9-73 of acts against the Pureblood race in the forms of--”
It was only a whisper, but it was enough to make Gretchen’s words die in her mouth.
“Where is my child?”
Gretchen winced, visibly winced, as Hermione’s eyes found her own. It was as if she had been pulled across the room into Hermione’s body, and every ache trapped inside that question flooded Gretchen entirely.
“Your daughter is being held as evidence in these proceeding. Our tests have proven that her father is, indeed, Pureblood.”
All of the color drained from Hermione's face. Her eyes immediately flickered around the room before landing on a spot in the crowd.
“Case is dismissed,” Gretchen said loudly. Guards rose to escort the girl back through the door.
There was a spell, given to all judges, used to summon back-up in case a disturbance in the courtroom, and though a young, blonde man rose quickly from the crowd, a wand clutched tightly in his hand, Gretchen just couldn't bring herself to remember it.
6
Title: The Eleventh Hour
Author: inadaze22
Rating: PG-13
Warning: a little language
Word Count: 499
11:01pm
She was leaving him.
11:24
Pansy lifted the wine glass to her lips and caught the sight of her sparkling engagement ring. It had been in the Malfoy family for seven generations and-sadness bubbled in her belly. Pansy would’ve cried, but she was far too dignified to succumb to such urges.
She glared at her ring.
It was priceless in the eyes of her family and society, but worthless in hers; just rock and metal….
But that wasn’t why she was leaving him.
11:32
She refilled her glass.
Pansy had been a lot of things: a bitch, a coward and a bully, but she’d never been stupid. The signs had been in her face for years. At the War Anniversary Ball three years ago, Pansy had caught Draco gawking at the newly-single Hermione Granger. She’d been dancing with Bill Weasley, and when the married wizard had platonically kissed her cheek, Draco had frowned. That had been the first sign.
Granger’s lingering looks at Draco had been the second.
His response to her accusation: “That’s absurd. She’s my friend… and accountant.”
Pansy had accepted his lie because the truth was a harder pill to swallow.
She stared at her ring.
It was supposedly proof that his heart was hers, but that was a lie. It belonged to her….
But that wasn’t why she was leaving him.
11:46
After her final glass of wine, Pansy rose to her wobbly feet.
Hatred. Where was it? She wanted it to consume her. Its presence would make leaving easier. Pansy wanted to hate Draco’s fidelity. He’d never cheated, but he’d been dishonest with his love. She wanted to hate Granger for tearfully nodding when she’d answered Pansy’s only question: “Do you love him?” Pansy wanted to hate herself for overlooking the signs. She even wanted to hate Malfoy Enterprises for providing the atmosphere that had fostered their secret affection for one another. But she couldn’t.
The fault belonged to no one.
She frowned at her ring.
It symbolized what she would’ve gained, but instead reminded her of what she was losing….
But that wasn’t why she was leaving him.
11:58
With her suitcases in hand, Pansy stood in the doorway of their bedroom.
Many questions ran around in her head. Will Granger wait long to confess? When will she take her side of the bed? Will he marry her? Pansy cringed. She needed to leave.
When she entered the lounge, her legs felt like lead. Where was that hatred? There had to be more to feel other than pain and heartache.
She looked at her ring.
The engagement had been something that she’d talked him into, but no more. Pansy placed the ring on the table and backed away. If they loved each other, then she would take herself out of the equation to make things easier for them.
Why? Because someone had said that to truly love someone was to let them go….
And that was why she was leaving him.
7
Title: Outside, After the Fall
Author: imogen_penn
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 470
He watches and he waits, playing a role that is farther and farther from himself every day.
Things like honor, and loyalty, and trust become harder and harder to hold on to.
He knew she was surprised when she told him. He could see the steel girders behind her eyes, strengthening herself, preparing for a fight that never came. He had smiled, a practiced art that everyone learns at some point, smiling in the face of disaster and heartache.
“If you trust him, I trust him.” The words were like poison on his lips.
Every day he saw them. Every day he hated her a little more for staying. Every day he loved her a little more for not leaving.
He could see that they were in love, but it wasn’t the kind of love he would have chosen for her. Passion bound them together, but there was no reason to it. They led separate lives with separate friends, separate jobs, separate dream and ambitions. And yet, they were inextricably tied. He knew when Malfoy was angry because she was. He knew when Malfoy was sad because she was. He knew when Malfoy was happy because she was.
Part of him hated it. The word co-dependence appeared in his vocabulary like a chisel, cutting chinks of light into a brick wall. Part of him envied them, the connection, the rollercoaster life of lovers.
In saner moments, he though about what he didn’t see. He wondered if Malfoy was tender, if she shared her mind with him. He wondered what she looked like when he touched her, if she ever looked at Malfoy with the open and unguarded honesty that she had shown him. He wondered if Malfoy deserved it while he did not. He wondered if she screamed his name.
He tried to run, hours of trainers against pavement hoping to outrun his desire, his jealousy, this love affair that would never be. He tried violence, but nothing made him hurt like she made him hurt.
He knew that it was wrong, waiting to find an in, waiting for a chink in the wall, or a break in the curtain. Waiting to get in so he could get her out.
In the end, it was his heart that was breaking apart and not hers. In the end, she was in love with Malfoy and not with him. In the end, Hermione would get her happy ending, and he would end like all tragic heroes, destroyed by his own pride. He had planned on Hermione, he had assumed. And now she was out of reach, and everything he did, each lie he told, made him into a person less and less worthy.
But still he hoped, and still he tried. He watches, and he waits for whatever end he can find.
8
Title: Watch for It
Author: ravenswing34
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 497
“Watch for it,” he had said. “You won’t notice it unless you know. He’s that good.” She had begun to doubt her husband’s words when she caught it. As he had bent over her hand, his eyes had quickly scanned the room yet was back to fix her with a dazzling smile in the blink of an eye. He truly was that good. She excused herself politely to check the believability of the rest of her husband’s words.
“She isn’t as good,” he had said. “You can catch her at it but never do you feel slighted. She pulls it off as if she is looking for all her friends. But, she’s not. She is searching for one person.” Ginny mused over this information as she joined the group surrounding Harry and Hermione. Hermione was currently speaking to a tall Ministry official and Ginny watched with amusement as Hermione kept changing her stance in order to see around him. She was good at the art of subtle manipulation, as the official never noticed he was being subtly rotated so that Hermione would have a view of the ballroom again.
Ginny sidled up to Harry and whispered, “He’s here.” Harry subtly nodded and both he and his wife turned to watch Hermione. “There it is,” she whispered. “See? Her shoulders relaxed and she isn’t searching anymore.”
“He must be coming this way,” Harry mused. Ginny looked away from their study to confirm that indeed Malfoy was striding towards their group. “Look at her hands,” he hissed. “She’s wringing the hell out of them!”
Ginny grinned. “She’s got it bad alright!”
The minute Malfoy joined them, Ginny could swear the heat went up a few degrees and the tension became almost palatable. As everyone continued inane party conversation, she hissed in Harry’s ear. “Look, they are both subtly turning towards each other and did she just check her hair?”
“Look - he’s brushing imaginary lint off his robes!”
“Oh! For Merlin’s sake! Kiss her already!” Ginny screamed. Hermione and Draco jumped and turned startled eyes towards their friends.
“So much for subtlety,” Harry mumbled.
“Just do it, please! This dancing around each other, scanning rooms for each other, incredible tension when you do find each other is killing us! You are attracted to each other! Just kiss already!”
“You know, dear, you have the subtlety of the Hogwarts Express. You know that, right?” Harry fondly smiled at his firecracker of a wife. They both turned to watch the couple in front of them. Hermione and Draco had finally turned to each other fully and were quietly gazing into each other’s eyes. Slowly, Draco caressed Hermione’s cheek and leaned in towards her. She intertwined her fingers in his hair at the nape of his neck and tugged him down to her. Their lips met in a soft kiss and a collective sigh went up from the group.
Ginny turned to grin up at her husband and replied, “It worked, didn’t it?”
9
Title: Heimdall the Naturalist
Author: greenschist
Rating: G
Warnings: Um, owl POV.
Word Count: 465
June
She seems like a fine specimen.
The female has large, keen eyes, gentle hands, and hair that would fluff out a nest nicely. I can see why the male wants her attention.
His choice to initiate his pursuit by letter (Granger, How’s your summer so far? D. Malfoy. P.S. Write back. Heimdall won’t leave until you do. ) may have been the wrong decision, however, because the female seems more agitated than responsive. It takes her almost as long as it took the male to write a letter (It's fine. How are you? ) that is just as unimpressive, but at least she leaves him an opening to continue.
It's exciting to have the chance to observe a human courtship up close!
July
It was a mistake to interfere.
This courtship through parchment is just so slow. Yes, they are writing longer, more spirited letters to each other now, but what do “muggleborns” and “purebloods” have to do with the business of finding a mate? Time for a nice tasty lemming, I thought, a display of the male’s hunting prowess.
Unfortunately, by the way she threw it out the window and from her letter (Is this supposed to be some sort of THREAT? ), the female appears unimpressed. Now the male is furious with me and is sending multiple letters to the female using other owls.
How disappointing.
August
I had hoped that the female changed her location because she was starting to feel broody, but she's just joining her friends-including the hyperactive Pigwidgeon and that tart Hedwig-for the rest of the summer in a ramshackle “burrow.” This would be an excellent time, in my opinion, for the male to show the female the quality nest site he could provide, for it would surely shine by comparison.
I believe that the female's companions are less than supportive of this courtship from the way they keep screeching “That's Malfoy's owl!” and “Have you lost your mind, Hermione?” His letter (Don't stop writing just because you're there with them. Please. ) suggests the male shares my anxiety.
Of course, the female is more than strong enough to ignore any criticism, and her letter (Silly boy. I wouldn't do that. You're not getting rid of me that easily. ) makes the male smile.
September
The last thing I wanted to see in the Owlery was the male carrying yet more parchment. Doesn't he realize that since he and the female are both back at the castle, it's time to move this courtship to the next level?
There may be hope for this species yet because, yes, apparently he does.
His letter (Dear Hermione, Let's meet in Greenhouse One tonight at ten. Love, Draco. P.S. Heimdall won't leave until you say yes. ) makes me dance on my perch in sheer delight.
ooo
REMEMBER: Vote for the NUMBER of the drabble, NOT THE NAME. It just makes it easier on the mods!
Please leave both a MOST favorite and a LEAST favorite vote. We must have both in order for your votes to count.
Poll
A couple of things to remember when deciding which drabbles to vote for (most and least favorite):
Guidelines:
The “feedback” option.
As a voter, you have the option of leaving a brief statement about why you voted the way you did, for both most and least favorite. Your feedback will then be given to the drabble writer (if they want the feedback) ANONYMOUSLY.
Example: Most - #40: the ending was brilliant - OR - Least - #57: the ending fell flat
Here we go for week 6!
Choose your favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote. Once again (despite the rules), we’ll only be eliminating one author this week.
Participants using a skip:
bookishwench
Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, October 3, 2008.
The Great Cliché Challenge!
1
Title: Quid Pro Quo
Author: snowe
Rating: PG
Warnings: Crapilogue Compliance
Word Count: 393
Oh, but the expression on Hermione Granger's face is priceless; I'm quite sure she never dreamed I'd march into her office and, quite civilly, ask if she is sleeping with my husband.
Draco told her, I'm sure, that we live separate lives privately (true) and that I don't care what or who he does, so long as it stays private (very true, and I expect the same in return). I suppose she thinks I don't care for him, when nothing could be further from the truth; I'm very fond of Draco. We get on well, despite our unorthodox arrangement; he's a devoted father, and has always been a kind and generous husband to me. Romantic love is very well in its place, but marriage is a serious matter and should be based on something more lasting than mutual passion. No doubt Miss High-and-Mighty looks down on me, but I am still contentedly married while she suffered an acrimonious and public divorce.
She splutters for a moment, but I cut her off. “My dear, you can't think I mean to interfere in the least, or that I've come here to warn you away from Draco. I know I can trust in your discretion, and I'm really quite pleased that he's involved with such a respectable witch.”
She pales at this-she must think I'm insulting her, but I'm entirely sincere.
“My son, Scorpius, will be leaving Hogwarts next year. He'd like a position in International Magical Cooperation-his grades are quite good, but...well, our family history might hold him back. If our family could be seen socializing with the you, and perhaps your dear friend Mr. Potter as well...that would be such a help to Scorpius' prospects.”
Her face softens a little, and I press my advantage.
“You're a mother, too, Ms. Granger, and I know you can understand my feelings. Scorpius is a good boy, and he mustn't suffer for his grandparents' mistakes. I'll expect to see you Saturday after next, 8 o'clock, at the Manor for a small dinner party.”
I nod politely, making a swift departure before she can change her mind. I've half a mind to thank Draco for his current choice of companion; I'd never have dreamed he'd pick someone so very useful...and the look on her face!
I smile all the way home.
2
Title: His Centerpiece
Author: kate0404
Rating: G
Warnings: *high-pitched singing voice* Fluuu-uuuf
Word Count: 495
Author’s Notes: The flowers mentioned below are gorgeous and I recommend taking the time to have a look at them. That is all.
“Seriously, Draco, you can’t do that.”
“And why not, Granger?” My son’s response is as snarky as always, but the twinkle in his eye doesn’t go unnoticed… by me anyway.
“Because,” Hermione answers with a smile, “if Pansy catches you hovering her centerpieces filled with priceless, and rare, phalaenopsis, nymphea coerulea and neomarica caerulea, she will have your head on one of those shiny, silver platters.”
I want to chuckle as Draco rolls his eyes, but stop myself when he gently drops the floating vases anyway. “Leave it to you to give them their proper names, Granger,” he mumbles.
Watching them work together has become one of my favorite pastimes over these past few months. Preparing for Pansy’s wedding has been more… enlightening… than I could ever have imagined.
Though Draco had kept his voice low, Hermione heard him. “I find the technical names of the flowers to be beautiful and eloquent.” Her eyes take on a dreamy, faraway look and I notice the nearly-invisible smirk form on Draco’s lips.
I never would have become aware of the budding relationship between Draco and Hermione if Pansy hadn’t taken a leap outside her comfort zone and began dating Ronald Weasley. Those of us who know Pansy best were shocked by the news at first, but love her enough to see he is what makes her happy.
“You are a hopeless romantic, Granger.”
And it is plain to see who makes my son happy.
Hermione grins. “I never said I wasn’t.” Draco and I both watch as she meticulously places one of the vases in the exact center of one large, round table. “Besides, these flowers are stunning; they deserve to be called by their proper name.”
I spent so many of my younger years in a home that showed no less than pure hatred towards those who weren’t of a pure bloodline. And at one time, I may have shared some of those views. It was not outside my comfort zone to call someone, like Hermione, a Mudblood.
I confess, however, that it’s hard to hate Hermione.
Draco sets a vase on another table, not nearly as centered as Hermione’s. “So, you’re saying that all things beautiful and stunning and so forth should be called by their proper name?” I know my son well enough to see he’s attempting nonchalance with his question; to me, the underlying meaning is bright as the midday sun.
“Of course,” she replies as she leans over to adjust Draco’s poorly-centered vase. “It shows respect, admiration, and appreciation. You, of all people, should appreciate and admire true beauty, Draco.” Her lips quirk into a smile.
It is so hard to hate her when I see so much of myself in her; she vivacious, quick-witted, and smart as a whip.
Draco smiles, a real smile - something I haven’t seen him do in years. “I do, Hermione Granger, I really do.”
It’s also extremely hard to hate someone my son loves so much.
3
Title: A Hard Shove
Author: ilkee
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 477
When Harry thought of her, when she was absent, and he pictured her in his mind, it was always the same.
She was sitting across from Draco Malfoy, cheeks flushed, eyes flashing in anger or excitement, debating some terribly important and completely boring topic as if changing Draco’s mind could align planets.
It bothered him that his image of his best friend also included the blonde prat. It was unfair that the two could not be separated. Now, standing in the dark, empty sitting room, with her crumpled parchment note balled in his fist, he could see that maybe she also thought it was unfair that the two could not be separated.
They were like two magnets, struggling to be apart and forever slamming back together.
Harry sighed and threw the note in the cold fireplace and ran his hand through his hair.
She was running again.
Hermione Granger, celebrated war heroine and brilliant witch in general, was running from the one thing she was afraid of: her feelings for Draco Malfoy.
Wait. Two things. She was still terrified of heights. Harry supposed that, to her, admitting that she was in love with the guy who had once said cruel and hateful things to her, would be like standing on the edge of an impossibly high cliff and looking down. Never mind that they were friends now and Draco had long ago made amends.
She was in love with Draco. He was sure of it. Though she had never told him - another thing that irked him - she was, after all, his best friend of many, many years and he could tell. He could tell in the way she watched him across rooms, and when he was absent, the way she would bring conversations around to center around him, even if it was criticize him. Oh, he was sure she thought she was being very clever, but he knew.
And from the way Draco always made sure he was sitting next to her, even when she was poised to spit fire or take him to task for some careless thing he said, Harry guessed that Draco just might be in love with her too.
In the small, bitter places in his heart, Harry wished that it would be Draco who would run. But then that would leave him with a best friend who was forever asking about Draco, and that wasn’t any better. He was really rather sick of it.
No, what he really wanted was for them to both come clean. To stop toeing the edge of that cliff and jump. And he thought that maybe this time he would give them a little push. Or maybe a hard shove.
Harry got up and threw a handful of floo power into the fireplace and stuck his head in the green flames.
“Draco? Are you home?”
4
Title: Oh Matilda
Author: emm718
Rating: Pg-13
Warnings: Insinuation and technical terms
Word Count: 499
Three weeks, thirteen dates, and thirty-three snogs ago, I was the apple of Draco Malfoy’s eye. Every day we’d spend hours talking about important social issues, like how pretty my leaves were and how much he hoped I’d flourish in the new flat. He worried immensely about my well being, always fussing about whether I was receiving enough sunshine or water. But my favorite part of the day was when he’d return home, shed his robes as he loosened his tie and ask me in the sweetest drawl, “Did you miss me whilst I was at work, Matilda?” I did, every day and I thrived under his tender care, my stalks reached heavenward and my red flowers bloomed bigger than usual. I wanted to be the most brilliant Fanged Geranium that he had ever owned. I liked being his pride and joy.
Then he decided to take up with that horrid witch with endlessly atrocious hair and he came home less. Even when he did, she was always with him. Laughing, flirting, touching. It was completely disgusting the way she used her womanly guile to turn my dearest Draco into a simpering love-sick clown. She even had him cooking for her, like a common house elf.
It was all too much for me to bear. This Hermione creature was stealing all of Draco’s attention from me and that wasn’t something I could tolerate. He was my human and I would not let him go without a fight. So I hissed as loudly as possible, using my large blooms in a chorus of indignation.
Her head turned, eyes large and I knew I had her attention. “What was that?”
Draco glanced at me briefly. “Matilda.”
Then the atrocious girl grinned at me as she moved nearer. I growled my displeasure, retracting my petals and baring my fangs.
Still she wasn’t deterred. The insipid woman had the gall to reach out and touch me! As if I was some common pet!
So I did what any plant in my situation would do. I bit her. Right on that bony finger.
She shrieked in surprise, yanking her hand away and Draco hurried to her side.
“I’d forgotten they bite,” the idiot witch murmured as he checked her wound. I could see two tiny red dots, but no blood, clearly I hadn’t bitten her hard enough.
Draco smiled at that awful Hermione, and then he kissed the marks. I was appalled and gasped my displeasure.
As their eyes met, I realized my mistake, and when their mouths connected, it was clear that I had only helped my beloved Draco in his attempt at pollination.
Because in a matter of seconds, they were a chaos of human limbs as they fumbled ungracefully to his bedroom where he was sure to use his stamen to spread pollen all over her stigma.
I wilted instantly. It was apparent that my envious behavior only brought them closer, and I had handed Hermione the victory of Draco’s affection.
5
Title: The Trial
Author: marlaichen
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 479
The vaulted courtroom hummed with anticipation. A small crowd had turned up, more than usual for a morning trial. As Gretchen entered from the judge’s door, she felt the familiar heaviness that precedes a long day. Her joints creaked in protest, as they did more often in her old age, as she hoisted herself onto the raised platform at the head of the hall. She had been a judge in the days before the Dark Lord’s ascension to power, and the days only seemed to be getting longer since then. Perhaps they were. There were far more criminals then there had been in the old days, too many by her reason, though she never dared to say so.
Gretchen quickly scanned the single sheet of parchment that had been placed in front of her with the names of today’s defendants. Four names stood out to her: Emily, Anna, Hermione, and Jane. Yes, it was going to be a long day.
The crowd hushed as Gretchen cleared her throat. She called out the first name on her list.
“Hermione J. Granger, Muggleborn.”
It was the women Gretchen hated judging the most, and as the small door at the end of the hall opened, she remembered why. There was only one reason women ever sat in the defendant’s seat, and when they did, Gretchen could see the betrayal etched into every one of their faces. In this girl, the betrayal was piercing. She felt nauseous.
Hermione was led to the center of the room where she stood alone, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. She wasn’t offered a seat. This wasn’t a trial that was expected to last long.
Gretchen cleared her throat, again.
“Hermione Jane Granger, Muggleborn, age 28, you have been accused by the New Wizard Republic under Resolution P9-73 of acts against the Pureblood race in the forms of--”
It was only a whisper, but it was enough to make Gretchen’s words die in her mouth.
“Where is my child?”
Gretchen winced, visibly winced, as Hermione’s eyes found her own. It was as if she had been pulled across the room into Hermione’s body, and every ache trapped inside that question flooded Gretchen entirely.
“Your daughter is being held as evidence in these proceeding. Our tests have proven that her father is, indeed, Pureblood.”
All of the color drained from Hermione's face. Her eyes immediately flickered around the room before landing on a spot in the crowd.
“Case is dismissed,” Gretchen said loudly. Guards rose to escort the girl back through the door.
There was a spell, given to all judges, used to summon back-up in case a disturbance in the courtroom, and though a young, blonde man rose quickly from the crowd, a wand clutched tightly in his hand, Gretchen just couldn't bring herself to remember it.
6
Title: The Eleventh Hour
Author: inadaze22
Rating: PG-13
Warning: a little language
Word Count: 499
11:01pm
She was leaving him.
11:24
Pansy lifted the wine glass to her lips and caught the sight of her sparkling engagement ring. It had been in the Malfoy family for seven generations and-sadness bubbled in her belly. Pansy would’ve cried, but she was far too dignified to succumb to such urges.
She glared at her ring.
It was priceless in the eyes of her family and society, but worthless in hers; just rock and metal….
But that wasn’t why she was leaving him.
11:32
She refilled her glass.
Pansy had been a lot of things: a bitch, a coward and a bully, but she’d never been stupid. The signs had been in her face for years. At the War Anniversary Ball three years ago, Pansy had caught Draco gawking at the newly-single Hermione Granger. She’d been dancing with Bill Weasley, and when the married wizard had platonically kissed her cheek, Draco had frowned. That had been the first sign.
Granger’s lingering looks at Draco had been the second.
His response to her accusation: “That’s absurd. She’s my friend… and accountant.”
Pansy had accepted his lie because the truth was a harder pill to swallow.
She stared at her ring.
It was supposedly proof that his heart was hers, but that was a lie. It belonged to her….
But that wasn’t why she was leaving him.
11:46
After her final glass of wine, Pansy rose to her wobbly feet.
Hatred. Where was it? She wanted it to consume her. Its presence would make leaving easier. Pansy wanted to hate Draco’s fidelity. He’d never cheated, but he’d been dishonest with his love. She wanted to hate Granger for tearfully nodding when she’d answered Pansy’s only question: “Do you love him?” Pansy wanted to hate herself for overlooking the signs. She even wanted to hate Malfoy Enterprises for providing the atmosphere that had fostered their secret affection for one another. But she couldn’t.
The fault belonged to no one.
She frowned at her ring.
It symbolized what she would’ve gained, but instead reminded her of what she was losing….
But that wasn’t why she was leaving him.
11:58
With her suitcases in hand, Pansy stood in the doorway of their bedroom.
Many questions ran around in her head. Will Granger wait long to confess? When will she take her side of the bed? Will he marry her? Pansy cringed. She needed to leave.
When she entered the lounge, her legs felt like lead. Where was that hatred? There had to be more to feel other than pain and heartache.
She looked at her ring.
The engagement had been something that she’d talked him into, but no more. Pansy placed the ring on the table and backed away. If they loved each other, then she would take herself out of the equation to make things easier for them.
Why? Because someone had said that to truly love someone was to let them go….
And that was why she was leaving him.
7
Title: Outside, After the Fall
Author: imogen_penn
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 470
He watches and he waits, playing a role that is farther and farther from himself every day.
Things like honor, and loyalty, and trust become harder and harder to hold on to.
He knew she was surprised when she told him. He could see the steel girders behind her eyes, strengthening herself, preparing for a fight that never came. He had smiled, a practiced art that everyone learns at some point, smiling in the face of disaster and heartache.
“If you trust him, I trust him.” The words were like poison on his lips.
Every day he saw them. Every day he hated her a little more for staying. Every day he loved her a little more for not leaving.
He could see that they were in love, but it wasn’t the kind of love he would have chosen for her. Passion bound them together, but there was no reason to it. They led separate lives with separate friends, separate jobs, separate dream and ambitions. And yet, they were inextricably tied. He knew when Malfoy was angry because she was. He knew when Malfoy was sad because she was. He knew when Malfoy was happy because she was.
Part of him hated it. The word co-dependence appeared in his vocabulary like a chisel, cutting chinks of light into a brick wall. Part of him envied them, the connection, the rollercoaster life of lovers.
In saner moments, he though about what he didn’t see. He wondered if Malfoy was tender, if she shared her mind with him. He wondered what she looked like when he touched her, if she ever looked at Malfoy with the open and unguarded honesty that she had shown him. He wondered if Malfoy deserved it while he did not. He wondered if she screamed his name.
He tried to run, hours of trainers against pavement hoping to outrun his desire, his jealousy, this love affair that would never be. He tried violence, but nothing made him hurt like she made him hurt.
He knew that it was wrong, waiting to find an in, waiting for a chink in the wall, or a break in the curtain. Waiting to get in so he could get her out.
In the end, it was his heart that was breaking apart and not hers. In the end, she was in love with Malfoy and not with him. In the end, Hermione would get her happy ending, and he would end like all tragic heroes, destroyed by his own pride. He had planned on Hermione, he had assumed. And now she was out of reach, and everything he did, each lie he told, made him into a person less and less worthy.
But still he hoped, and still he tried. He watches, and he waits for whatever end he can find.
8
Title: Watch for It
Author: ravenswing34
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 497
“Watch for it,” he had said. “You won’t notice it unless you know. He’s that good.” She had begun to doubt her husband’s words when she caught it. As he had bent over her hand, his eyes had quickly scanned the room yet was back to fix her with a dazzling smile in the blink of an eye. He truly was that good. She excused herself politely to check the believability of the rest of her husband’s words.
“She isn’t as good,” he had said. “You can catch her at it but never do you feel slighted. She pulls it off as if she is looking for all her friends. But, she’s not. She is searching for one person.” Ginny mused over this information as she joined the group surrounding Harry and Hermione. Hermione was currently speaking to a tall Ministry official and Ginny watched with amusement as Hermione kept changing her stance in order to see around him. She was good at the art of subtle manipulation, as the official never noticed he was being subtly rotated so that Hermione would have a view of the ballroom again.
Ginny sidled up to Harry and whispered, “He’s here.” Harry subtly nodded and both he and his wife turned to watch Hermione. “There it is,” she whispered. “See? Her shoulders relaxed and she isn’t searching anymore.”
“He must be coming this way,” Harry mused. Ginny looked away from their study to confirm that indeed Malfoy was striding towards their group. “Look at her hands,” he hissed. “She’s wringing the hell out of them!”
Ginny grinned. “She’s got it bad alright!”
The minute Malfoy joined them, Ginny could swear the heat went up a few degrees and the tension became almost palatable. As everyone continued inane party conversation, she hissed in Harry’s ear. “Look, they are both subtly turning towards each other and did she just check her hair?”
“Look - he’s brushing imaginary lint off his robes!”
“Oh! For Merlin’s sake! Kiss her already!” Ginny screamed. Hermione and Draco jumped and turned startled eyes towards their friends.
“So much for subtlety,” Harry mumbled.
“Just do it, please! This dancing around each other, scanning rooms for each other, incredible tension when you do find each other is killing us! You are attracted to each other! Just kiss already!”
“You know, dear, you have the subtlety of the Hogwarts Express. You know that, right?” Harry fondly smiled at his firecracker of a wife. They both turned to watch the couple in front of them. Hermione and Draco had finally turned to each other fully and were quietly gazing into each other’s eyes. Slowly, Draco caressed Hermione’s cheek and leaned in towards her. She intertwined her fingers in his hair at the nape of his neck and tugged him down to her. Their lips met in a soft kiss and a collective sigh went up from the group.
Ginny turned to grin up at her husband and replied, “It worked, didn’t it?”
9
Title: Heimdall the Naturalist
Author: greenschist
Rating: G
Warnings: Um, owl POV.
Word Count: 465
June
She seems like a fine specimen.
The female has large, keen eyes, gentle hands, and hair that would fluff out a nest nicely. I can see why the male wants her attention.
His choice to initiate his pursuit by letter (Granger, How’s your summer so far? D. Malfoy. P.S. Write back. Heimdall won’t leave until you do. ) may have been the wrong decision, however, because the female seems more agitated than responsive. It takes her almost as long as it took the male to write a letter (It's fine. How are you? ) that is just as unimpressive, but at least she leaves him an opening to continue.
It's exciting to have the chance to observe a human courtship up close!
July
It was a mistake to interfere.
This courtship through parchment is just so slow. Yes, they are writing longer, more spirited letters to each other now, but what do “muggleborns” and “purebloods” have to do with the business of finding a mate? Time for a nice tasty lemming, I thought, a display of the male’s hunting prowess.
Unfortunately, by the way she threw it out the window and from her letter (Is this supposed to be some sort of THREAT? ), the female appears unimpressed. Now the male is furious with me and is sending multiple letters to the female using other owls.
How disappointing.
August
I had hoped that the female changed her location because she was starting to feel broody, but she's just joining her friends-including the hyperactive Pigwidgeon and that tart Hedwig-for the rest of the summer in a ramshackle “burrow.” This would be an excellent time, in my opinion, for the male to show the female the quality nest site he could provide, for it would surely shine by comparison.
I believe that the female's companions are less than supportive of this courtship from the way they keep screeching “That's Malfoy's owl!” and “Have you lost your mind, Hermione?” His letter (Don't stop writing just because you're there with them. Please. ) suggests the male shares my anxiety.
Of course, the female is more than strong enough to ignore any criticism, and her letter (Silly boy. I wouldn't do that. You're not getting rid of me that easily. ) makes the male smile.
September
The last thing I wanted to see in the Owlery was the male carrying yet more parchment. Doesn't he realize that since he and the female are both back at the castle, it's time to move this courtship to the next level?
There may be hope for this species yet because, yes, apparently he does.
His letter (Dear Hermione, Let's meet in Greenhouse One tonight at ten. Love, Draco. P.S. Heimdall won't leave until you say yes. ) makes me dance on my perch in sheer delight.
ooo
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