February Frenzy, Day 1
Aaaand we're off! A little explanation first: last December, I had the idea of doing something special in the month of February, to exercise some creativity each day, devote some time to writing and other works. I called it February Frenzy. Every day this month, I'm going to try to post something that I wrote/made/drew/etc.
On to today's item, then.
I've mentioned this before some time back: I'm working on a new L/J fic post-DH. I wanted very much to have a first draft of the first chapter done today to start off February Frenzy. I've been writing it on and off for a while, and three-quarters is done. Today I tried to connect how I started it to how I intended to end it, but the two parts are not meeting well. It's almost nine, so I don't think I'm quite getting there today.
So I'm just going to post what I did write today, which is a little Evans sisters interaction that may or may not be part of the chapter eventually.
When Lily finished washing the breakfast dishes and headed up to her bedroom, she found her sister scrutinising her reflection in the mirror. Petunia had put on a pale pink sundress with frills; a combination that Lily would never have touched in a million years, but which she had to admit looked quite lovely on Petunia.
‘Where are you off to?’ she asked, a peace offering.
‘Mind your own business,’ said Petunia crossly. She snapped open a little box and began to apply powder to her cheeks. Lily fell back, cross-legged, on her bed, and observed.
‘Who’s the lucky bloke?’ She tried again when Petunia had moved on to mascara.
There was silence for a couple of seconds, but eventually Petunia, as Lily knew well, couldn’t resist spilling the details.
‘Someone,’ she said mysteriously, waving her hand in a vague manner.
‘Tell me,’ said Lily, playing along.
‘Why should I?’ But a hint of a smile played on Petunia’s face. ‘You wouldn’t know him anyway.’
‘Come on, Tuney …’
‘All right, all right. He’s the younger brother of an old classmate - you remember Marge, don’t you?’
Lily stared at Petunia incredulously. ‘Marge Dursley? Don’t you - well, you’re not really friends, are you?’ Why, the number of times Petunia had complained about the loud, overbearing older girl when they had been classmates in Petunia’s boarding school!
Petunia glared. ‘She’s all right. And anyway, it’s her brother I’m going out with, not her.’
Well, thought Lily, it wouldn’t be fair to judge the chap - he could be completely different from his sister.
‘So - um, he’s a decent fellow, I reckon?’
‘Of course he is!’ Petunia looked highly affronted. ‘Give me credit for my taste.’
‘All right, all right.’ Lily held up her hands in a show of surrender.
Petunia turned back to the mirror. ‘I met him quite by accident last term,’ she said as she continued to apply her make-up. ‘Literally bumped into him in a café. Dropped all my books. He said he remembered me from Brighton Grammar, when he and his parents visited Marge once at half-term. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t it just flattering, that he could recall who I was after seeing me just the once?’ Having finished, Petunia set her make-up box down and beamed at Lily.
‘I’d say he has a good memory. Do you find that attractive?’
Petunia rolled her eyes and returned to her reflection. She pushed her hair behind her ears and her expression turned thoughtful. ‘Lily … can I -’
‘Borrow?’ Lily grinned.
‘Yeah. Your pink butterfly hair clips … you never wear them anyway, and they’d match my dress so nicely …’
Lily laughed and rolled over to find the clips in her trunk. ‘Here.’ She tossed them over.
‘Thanks.’ Petunia pinned them in place. ‘How do I look?’
‘Ravishing. You’ll knock him out.’
‘What are you going to do today, then?’ asked Petunia. ‘You’re not going to just hang about indoors, brooding again, are you?’
‘I don’t brood.’
‘Yes you do. You’ve been brooding the whole summer, and I’ll bet it has something to do with the Snape boy. You’re still avoiding him - not that I’m complaining, really, but what’s going on?’
‘Nothing. We’re just not … friends any more.’
‘Did something happen at school?’
‘You could say that. Tuney, I … don’t really want to talk about it.’
Petunia’s eyes narrowed. ‘You weren’t going out with him, were you?’
Lily shook her head. ‘No, nothing like that.’
A breath of relief escaped Petunia. ‘Well, thank goodness. You can do much better than that, Lily. He’s no loss. Stop thinking so much about it.’ She patted Lily on the shoulder and swept out of the room. The hair clips sparkled as she went.
Five minutes later, she was back, looking horrified.
‘What’s-’ Lily began. Petunia flung the hair clips at her.
‘They’re - they’re moving,’ she hissed.
Lily held up the clips, dumbfounded. One of the butterflies gave a feeble flap of its wings, and then lay still. Comprehension dawned slowly. She’d practised Motion Charms on the clips before O.W.L.s, figuring it wouldn’t matter since she never wore them anyway.
‘I didn’t mean - I’m sorry, I forgot -’
‘Save your breath,’ snapped Petunia, turning on her heel to stalk out of the room. Lily groaned and tossed the clips back in her trunk.
On to today's item, then.
I've mentioned this before some time back: I'm working on a new L/J fic post-DH. I wanted very much to have a first draft of the first chapter done today to start off February Frenzy. I've been writing it on and off for a while, and three-quarters is done. Today I tried to connect how I started it to how I intended to end it, but the two parts are not meeting well. It's almost nine, so I don't think I'm quite getting there today.
So I'm just going to post what I did write today, which is a little Evans sisters interaction that may or may not be part of the chapter eventually.
When Lily finished washing the breakfast dishes and headed up to her bedroom, she found her sister scrutinising her reflection in the mirror. Petunia had put on a pale pink sundress with frills; a combination that Lily would never have touched in a million years, but which she had to admit looked quite lovely on Petunia.
‘Where are you off to?’ she asked, a peace offering.
‘Mind your own business,’ said Petunia crossly. She snapped open a little box and began to apply powder to her cheeks. Lily fell back, cross-legged, on her bed, and observed.
‘Who’s the lucky bloke?’ She tried again when Petunia had moved on to mascara.
There was silence for a couple of seconds, but eventually Petunia, as Lily knew well, couldn’t resist spilling the details.
‘Someone,’ she said mysteriously, waving her hand in a vague manner.
‘Tell me,’ said Lily, playing along.
‘Why should I?’ But a hint of a smile played on Petunia’s face. ‘You wouldn’t know him anyway.’
‘Come on, Tuney …’
‘All right, all right. He’s the younger brother of an old classmate - you remember Marge, don’t you?’
Lily stared at Petunia incredulously. ‘Marge Dursley? Don’t you - well, you’re not really friends, are you?’ Why, the number of times Petunia had complained about the loud, overbearing older girl when they had been classmates in Petunia’s boarding school!
Petunia glared. ‘She’s all right. And anyway, it’s her brother I’m going out with, not her.’
Well, thought Lily, it wouldn’t be fair to judge the chap - he could be completely different from his sister.
‘So - um, he’s a decent fellow, I reckon?’
‘Of course he is!’ Petunia looked highly affronted. ‘Give me credit for my taste.’
‘All right, all right.’ Lily held up her hands in a show of surrender.
Petunia turned back to the mirror. ‘I met him quite by accident last term,’ she said as she continued to apply her make-up. ‘Literally bumped into him in a café. Dropped all my books. He said he remembered me from Brighton Grammar, when he and his parents visited Marge once at half-term. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t it just flattering, that he could recall who I was after seeing me just the once?’ Having finished, Petunia set her make-up box down and beamed at Lily.
‘I’d say he has a good memory. Do you find that attractive?’
Petunia rolled her eyes and returned to her reflection. She pushed her hair behind her ears and her expression turned thoughtful. ‘Lily … can I -’
‘Borrow?’ Lily grinned.
‘Yeah. Your pink butterfly hair clips … you never wear them anyway, and they’d match my dress so nicely …’
Lily laughed and rolled over to find the clips in her trunk. ‘Here.’ She tossed them over.
‘Thanks.’ Petunia pinned them in place. ‘How do I look?’
‘Ravishing. You’ll knock him out.’
‘What are you going to do today, then?’ asked Petunia. ‘You’re not going to just hang about indoors, brooding again, are you?’
‘I don’t brood.’
‘Yes you do. You’ve been brooding the whole summer, and I’ll bet it has something to do with the Snape boy. You’re still avoiding him - not that I’m complaining, really, but what’s going on?’
‘Nothing. We’re just not … friends any more.’
‘Did something happen at school?’
‘You could say that. Tuney, I … don’t really want to talk about it.’
Petunia’s eyes narrowed. ‘You weren’t going out with him, were you?’
Lily shook her head. ‘No, nothing like that.’
A breath of relief escaped Petunia. ‘Well, thank goodness. You can do much better than that, Lily. He’s no loss. Stop thinking so much about it.’ She patted Lily on the shoulder and swept out of the room. The hair clips sparkled as she went.
Five minutes later, she was back, looking horrified.
‘What’s-’ Lily began. Petunia flung the hair clips at her.
‘They’re - they’re moving,’ she hissed.
Lily held up the clips, dumbfounded. One of the butterflies gave a feeble flap of its wings, and then lay still. Comprehension dawned slowly. She’d practised Motion Charms on the clips before O.W.L.s, figuring it wouldn’t matter since she never wore them anyway.
‘I didn’t mean - I’m sorry, I forgot -’
‘Save your breath,’ snapped Petunia, turning on her heel to stalk out of the room. Lily groaned and tossed the clips back in her trunk.