Harry Potter discussion forum for movies, books, and more! - The Leaky Lounge: July's Contest Winners - Harry Potter discussion forum for movies, books, and more! - The Leaky Lounge

We had a lot of wonderful entries and it was really hard to choose, but choose we must. So, without further ado, let's give a BIG congratulations to the following winners!

First Place: Fabian and Arthur by Tristan J. Charbonneau
Second Place: Aberforth Dumbledore and His Goat by Tanya K
Third Place: The Findings and Losings of a First Year by BrwnEyedRaven
Honorable Mention: Transfiguration by Fidelia
Honorable Mention: The Decline and Fall of Peter Pettigrew by meriadoc.cp

Because of the length of each of these entries, each entry is its own post. You can scroll down to read each entry or simply click the title of each entry and a new window will pop-up with the entry.

The first place winner wins a Custom made wand from Wizard Wood Wands.

Also, we'd like to invite those who wrote prequels to post their stories in this thread. There were many entries we liked, but had errors that kept them from placing. This enables readers to read more prequels and for your work not to go unseen! The Team and I do have one request; for those who had profanities in their entries, we'd really appreciate it if you changed or removed them before you decide to post. Please remember that if your story breaks the rules (Contest's rules and/or Forum's rules), your story will be removed. All entries submitted should be okay, minus the use of profanities. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to PM any of the Team or e-mail us at contests@the-leaky-cauldron.org.

This post has been edited by mjk: 31 July 2008 - 08:08 PM

First Place: Fabian and Arthur by Tristan J. Charbonneau

It was raining again. The pattering of rain on the dying autumn leaves drowned out the sound of footsteps on the country lane.

A man was walking swiftly along a dark, cobbled road. His cloak was billowing behind him, his long ginger hair flying in the wind. He glanced at his watch. The battered face shone 3:47—right on time. His stride quickened as the road sank before him. He was calm, and ready for what lay ahead.

'Fabe!' A voice called through the rain. Fabian stopped. He turned to see a young, bespectacled man, drenched in rain, running to catch up to him. Fabian shook his head to himself and turned to keep walking.

'Fabian,' the young man panted, falling into step beside his brother-in-law. 'I heard you leave. Is something wrong?'

Fabian smiled ironically, 'No, Arthur, nothing's wrong. You should go back to the house; you'll catch cold.'

Arthur didn't break stride. Fabian noticed he was still in his bedclothes and wondered if he had woken Molly when he left.

'But,' Arthur said thickly, already sniffling in the cold downpour. 'If nothing's wrong, why are you leaving?' He looked concerned, and Fabian felt a mixture of gratitude and frustration toward him.

'Dumbledore… has something for me to do.' Fabian said. That was the closest he could get to saying the actual reason for his departure. Any more detail, and he would find himself unable to continue.

'What can you tell me, what do you know about what Dumbledore's planning?' Arthur asked. He sounded desperate, and Fabian did not like it. He was used to Arthur being jovial and eccentric. But Fabian understood that keeping his blossoming family was a lot of stress.

'I only know what Dumbledore's told me,' Fabian said, rubbing his bearded chin. He was looking out at the village in the valley. Once he reached the village, he could disaparated and keep Arthur from asking the crucial questions.

'Which is more than any of us know,' Arthur retorted, not letting up. 'Dumbledore has been shutting us all out since Marlene was—'

'Dumbledore has a lot on his mind. I'm sure you'll be filled in as sure he has a spare moment.'

'But, Fabe, couldn't you jus—'

'It isn't my place to tell you. I'm sorry.' Fabian was getting annoyed now. He checked his watch again. He had just over five minutes to disaparate. Suddenly the idea of how much time he had left came crashing down upon him.

'Has Gid been 'round lately?' he said, looking down as he spoke now.

Arthur looked up at Fabian, looking slightly concerned. 'Not since Saturday. Why?'

Fabian nodded. He and his brother were alike in many respects, paramount of which being that they were both terrified of their younger sister. Molly had a powerful temper, and both Fabian and Gideon had scars to prove it. Fabian had forgone saying goodbye to Molly, and now he knew that Gideon had done the same.

'I may not—' Fabian started. He was having a hard time coming to terms with it himself, let alone telling others. 'I may not be coming back here, Arthur.'

Arthur was still looking at him, but now his face was full of fear and concern.

'What are you saying, Fabian.'

Fabian looked down at his watch—he was late now, but the charm boundary was very close. He stopped and turned to Arthur.

'Dumbledore assigned us a job,' he said, and his voice was much steadier than he had expected. 'Gideon and I. We were told yesterday evening.'

Arthur just stared.

'I…' Fabian looked down at his watch. He would not need it anymore. 'Make sure Molly gets this, will you?' He unbuckled the battered and dented watch and handed it to Arthur, who was standing in a state of shock.

'But… Fabe, surely… Are you sure?' Arthur stammered, but Fabian knew he needn't answer. Arthur was looking at him like he was already dead. The sadness in his eyes made Fabian nauseous.

There was a long moment of silence, when only the rain and wind could be heard. Then Arthur gulped loudly, composed himself, and stuck out his hand.

Fabian was taken aback by this gesture, but took Arthur's hand and shook it. When their eyes met, there was sudden understanding.

'Take care of your boys, Arthur,' Fabian said, breaking the hand shake. 'They're our future.'

And with that, he took two steps back, and felt hot air pass over him. Arthur looked as though he wanted to speak, but before he could, Fabian turned on the spot and disaparated.

The next morning, Arthur came down the stairs to find Dumbledore sitting in his kitchen, and Molly slumped over the table sobbing, a tarnished gold watch clenched in her fist.

Second Place: Aberforth Dumbledore and His Goat by Tanya K

Growling, the teenage boy scooped up a handful of goat dung and flung it at the house. The goat droppings just barely missed the window of the room where they were talking and, after bouncing feebly against the house, fell with a pathetic splat to the floor. A goat standing nearby turned its head to watch the boy’s antics, but did not cease its rhythmic chewing. The goat had been very generously offered a delicious black boot only a few minutes prior, so naturally, all of its interest was concentrated on whatever was left of the boot in its mouth.

The boy wiped his hand unceremoniously on his trousers and crossed his arms, sulking.

He didn’t even noticed when his younger sister sat down next to him.

“Did you do that, Ab?”

Her soft blue eyes were fixed on the stain just inches from their brother’s bedroom window. The boy named Ab had often wished that he shared her eyes, rather than those of his pompous older brother.

“Yes. So what?” he spat.
She rotated to face her brother, eyes widened in shock. It was not often that he spoke to her in such a harsh manner.

He panicked momentarily as her hands began shaking and her eyes became unfocused.

“No! I’m—” He took her hand. “I’m sorry, Ariana. I didn’t mean to yell at you like that.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and took several long, deep breaths.

“Better?” he asked, embracing his sister.

She nodded, and then opened her eyes.

“Ab, I know you don’t like what Albus and Gellert are doing… I don’t either. But please don’t be too mad. I don’t want you two to fight. The idea makes me feel a little queasy...”

“Ariana, we haven’t been fighting.”

“I know. Not yet. But I can see it in your eyes that you want to and…” she lowered her voice as if she were about to unveil a monumental secret, “It makes me scared.”

“If that damn Grindelwald would just go back to where he came from—”

“Aberforth, please!”

She clutched his arm, her breathing shallow.

He relaxed his demeanor and she relaxed her grip.

“Just know, Ari, I love you and everything I do is for your safety.”

She blinked, nodded weakly, and kissed him on the cheek.

“I just need a little time to calm down, that’s all,” he added.

She nodded again and made her way back into the house. Aberforth watched her disappear through the doorway. Her walk was simultaneously awkward and graceful. It was a cross between the stiff march of an inferius and the unsettlingly peaceful saunter of someone under a weak imperius curse.

Aberforth sighed and turned toward his goat. The goat regarded him with an expression of indifference. He pet his goat affectionately and the goat bleated in appreciation, a heavily chewed piece of boot falling from its mouth in the process.

“See you tomorrow, Al!”

Aberforth’s head whipped around. That pile of doxy droppings, Grindelwald, was finally exiting the Dumbledore house.

“You’re leaving already?”

Aberforth’s brother followed shortly behind.

“No choice. Aunt Bathilda wants me home before sunset.”

“I’ll owl you.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Grindelwald’s face split into the obnoxious grin that had always given Aberforth the urge to choke him.

“He should have left sooner,” Aberforth whispered to his goat.

“What did you say?” Grindelwald snarled.

Albus Dumbledore simply looked puzzled. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“No, that brother of yours definitely said something about me.”

Aberforth rolled his eyes and patted his goat on the head. “I was only telling Alexander Dumbledore here what a nice sunny day it is.”

Albus shook his head and explained to his friend, “Yes, Aberforth names his goats.”

Grindelwald’s scowl did not lift, but he had apparently decided against arguing. He had begun to turn toward his aunt’s house when Albus exclaimed, “Gellert! You forgot your boots.”

“Oh, right.”

It was an excruciatingly hot summer’s day, and the two older boys had removed their boots to cool off.

In unison, Albus and Grindelwald turned around to discover a lone boot sitting beside the doorway.

“Ab, what did you do with Gellert’s other boot?” Albus asked.

Aberforth pointed toward Alexander Dumbledore, who spit out the remains of what once was Grindelwald’s boot before trotting off to get a drink of water.

This post has been edited by mjk: 31 July 2008 - 07:36 PM

Third Place: The Findings and Losings of a First Year by BrwnEyedRaven

Lying on a bed in a round yellow room, little Davy Gudgeon cracked open his eyes. He glanced around to make sure everyone was asleep. Davy slipped out of bed and hurried down the short tunnel to the common room. Yesterday, Oliver Furta had said that there were 10 gold galleons hidden in one of the old classrooms, and Davy was determined to find the money first. Slowly stretching for the round brass doorknob, he pushed open the large, circular door. The hallway was dark and silent, and Davy carefully crept out.

Just as he reached the top of the main staircase, he heard something moving down the hall. Panicking, Davy turned to the side. Up ahead, Peeves floated high up with a jar in his hand. Davy’s face gaped with horror. The squat head turned, and seeing the boy, started with glee.

“Ickle firsty, nice and thirsty,
Out of bed at night.
He’ll soon learn he’ll get the worsty,
Peevsey’s great delight,” he cackled.

Davy ran the other way, but Peeves was not to be distracted from his new target. He followed the small boy closely, tossing bits of the liquid from the jar along the way. Zig-zagging, Davy tried to dodge the stuff, but a small glob caught his arm. The strong stench coming from it reminded him of something he had smelled in herbology, and instantly started to burn. Stumbling and howling, Davy grabbed the heavy handle of the massive wooden door at the end of the hallway. If only this door would open, he could get away from Peeves. As the poltergeist drew closer, fear provided extra strength. With a loud creak, the door opened enough for him to squeeze out and pull it shut behind him. Out of breath, Davy began hacking and wheezing, relieved to have escaped. But something was wrong. A gentle breeze raising chills on his arms, Davy knew that he was now in more trouble than ever. He was outside.

Instantly, Davy turned around to push the door back open, but it now seemed to be locked, no doubt by a denied and disappointed Peeves. The eerie light from the full moon shone down on the deserted, disturbingly quiet lawn. There were no other doors along the wide castle wall.

After a few minutes frantic walking, Davy saw a huge tree at the bottom of the hill, and the groundkeeper’s hut just on the other side. A desperate groan came from Davy’s throat; he was on the complete opposite side of the castle from the common room. Just as he was about to turn around, he heard running feet. Someone had found him, he feared, but there was no one there. How was that possible? A second later, three boys came out of nowhere. Two tall boys and one short, fat one were walking quickly toward the big, gnarly tree. They had to be at least sixth years. Davy scrambled to get out of view.

“D’you think Madame Pomfrey’s let him out, yet, Prongs?” the tall boy whispered hoarsly.

“I’m not sure, Padfoot,” the other boy replied, ”Wormtail, go hit the button.”

Right before his eyes, the short, fat boy turned into a rat! Shocked, Davy clamped a hand over his mouth, barely managing to swallow his gasp. Reaching the tree, the boy/rat touched a knob that wasn’t noticeable until just then. The gigantic tree froze, its branches not even swaying with the breeze. The three boys hurried toward the dark hole at the base.

After a few minutes, Davy decided that it was safe enough for him to get up. Danger forgotten, Davy moved to follow them under the tree. Wham! The Whomping Willow picked that exact moment to recover its movement. Davy was knocked off his feet and slammed into the ground. Stumbling up, he tried to move out of the way, but he was still in range. A gigantic branch came from behind, the tip almost wrapping around his head, and poked him hard in the eye. The thicker part of the branch smashed into the back of Davy’s head, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.


Lying on a bed in a large white room, little Davy Gudgeon cracked open one eye. He had no recollection of what happened the night before.

“Had a hard knock, that one” declared Madame Pomfrey, voice drifting out from her office, “Almost lost an eye. I found him when I went back for poor Remus. What a disaster that could have been. Don’t know what Davy was doing out there.”

“One can only wonder” said Professor Sprout. “But I can tell you that students are already giving the Whomping Willow a wider berth. Don’t know how they found out, but I suspect Davy will be infamous for years.”

Honorable Mention: Transfiguration by Fidelia

The autumn afternoon was gray and cool as Lily entered an outdoor courtyard at Hogwarts on her way to Charms. She stopped short as she saw two groups of students facing off against each other, the wind causing their black robes to swirl about them angrily.

Severus was in the forefront of one group, wand raised in a defensive position. Sirius stood in front of the other group, a small smile on his face as he prepared to strike.

“Let’s see how well Snivellus dances,” taunted Sirius. “He’s so good at dancing to someone else’s tune.”

“Langlock!” To Lily’s astonishment, James strode through the crowd, his spell silencing not Severus but Sirius. An audible gasp emerged from both groups.

James turned to Severus. “That’s a last chance, Severus. Remember London.” He turned to Sirius. “That mouth of yours is going to get us in trouble,” he murmured. “We said we were going to wait.”

James strode off across the courtyard and into the castle. After a moment’s hesitation, Lily followed him inside.

Lily passed several empty classrooms. Further down the corridor she saw James’ robes billowing behind him as he entered a classroom. Swiftly Lily followed him. Opening the door, she peered in and saw James at one end of an empty room. With a long movement of his wand, James conjured several hovering, faceless figures at the other end. James assumed a combative position, wand outstretched. “Oppugno!” commanded James. One figure swooped forward with startling speed. James quickly demolished the figure with a well-timed “Confringo!” and a swift motion of his wand. Lily gasped, and James’ eyes met hers.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Why did you bother to stop Sirius,” Lily countered.

“Aren’t I a man of mystery,” James responded coolly.

Lily tossed back her long, red hair. “Seriously, why did you suddenly decide to help Sev? It’s not as if you care about him.”

“I don’t,” replied James.

“Just because he’s poor, because he doesn’t have pretty-boy Sirius’ looks – “

“That isn’t why I dislike him,” James snapped. “I don’t like what he chooses to be.”

“And what is that?” Lily demanded.

“A follower of Voldemort,” James told her shortly.

Lily stared at him, dismayed. “How do you know Sev – “

James responded impatiently, “It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see what he is, Lily. Look at who his friends are. Do you know what he’s up to when he and his gang go into Hogsmeade? Ever wonder where he goes in wizarding London? Severus is in deep.”

Lily asked quietly, “And you’re dead certain about this?”

James sighed. “Let’s just say that when your ears are as close to the ground as ours are, you hear things others don’t.”

Lily’s eyes filled. “So, why bother to protect him?”

James shrugged. “Let’s just say it’s a final warning after we confronted him near Knockturn Alley. I hear once he pledges his allegiance, there are no second chances.”

Lily gestured around her. “So all this is about….Sev? Conjuring opponents, practicing fighting?”

James laughed grimly. “Lily, this is about far more than just Severus. In less than a year, we’re gone from Hogwarts. There’s no more protection. We’ll have to choose more than a career – we’ll have to choose sides. The lines are being drawn now. You’re either with Voldemort – or you’re his enemy. ”

Lily crossed her arms. “Why are you worried?” she asked. “You’re a pure blood. You’ve got nothing to lose, even if Voldemort does come to power.”

James looked at her incredulously. “Nothing to lose?” he echoed. “You think I’m just out for myself? Look, a lot of witches and wizards are in great danger just because they’ve got the ‘wrong’ blood in their veins. People I - care about - could die. Should I sit around doing nothing while a reign of terror starts? It’s like Dumbledore said – “ James stopped suddenly.

“Dumbledore?” asked Lily. “Dumbledore knows about your plans?”

“Who do you think gave us permission to use this room?” James grinned. “Sirius and I approached him with all we’ve seen happening. We couldn’t just sit back and watch. Dumbledore agrees that our talents for sneaking around and for gathering information have considerable use in the fight that’s coming. We could do something…..real.”

James turned back to face the hovering figures. “I’ve lost a lot of time these last few years, playing pranks and scraping by,” he said quietly. “So, if you’ll excuse me….” he asked pointedly. He raised his wand, ready to start the next attack.

Lily nodded, feeling suddenly bereft.

“Or, you could stay and watch,” James suggested. His dark eyes met hers steadily, filled with purpose.

“I’ve never sat and watched in my life,” Lily retorted. She walked towards him, wand ready.

Honorable Mention: The Decline and Fall of Peter Pettigrew by meriadoc.cp

"Over here, Peter."

Peter Pettigrew looked across the Leaky Cauldron to see her waving at him. He didn't understand how he had been so lucky as to have a gorgeous woman like Serpentsia interested in him, but she was. As he slid into the booth next to her, she bent forward to kiss his cheek.

"I've missed you," she said, stroking his arm and leaning into him.

"Thanks very much," he said, and mentally kicked himself for sounding so gauche.

Six months after leaving Hogwarts, not much had gone right in Peter's life. His job was boring, menial, and meaningless. Meanwhile, James and Lily were wrapped up in each other. Sirius...

Speak of the devil---Sirius strode into the pub and saw Peter at once. Sirius Black defined "tall, dark, and handsome", and when they were schoolboys short, lumpy Peter had enjoyed basking in the reflected glory of Sirius and James. Now, well, there was no glory for Peter.

"How are you, Peter?" Sirius smiled dazzlingly at Serpentsia. Peter frowned.

"Fine. Sirius Black, this is my, this is Serpentsia Kovac."

Sirius lifted Serpentsia's offered hand and kissed it.

"My pleasure," he said. "I'll join you."

"I'm sorry," Serpentsia smiled, lightly squeezing Peter's arm, "but I'd like Peter to myself."

Sirius's eyebrows arched and he turned to Peter.

"I understand." He winked at Peter and walked up to the bar. At once he was surrounded by several others, and two women stood close to him. Peter didn't doubt that Sirius would leave with at least one of them.

"Peter."

He turned to Serpentsia. She was beautiful, with long, dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. She was Czechoslovakian or Yugoslavian, and her accent made every word a caress. He wondered again what she saw in him.

"Don't be jealous of Sirius," she said. "I want you."

Peter shrugged.

"You should want him. He has looks, money, family. Everything comes easy to Sirius."

"Good evening, Peter."

Peter looked up scowling at the interruption. Remus stood next to their table.

"Remus. Is this old boys' week?"

Remus smiled.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'm here to interview for a tutoring position but thought I should say 'hello'."

"Of course, sorry. Remus Lupin---"

"I am Serpentsia," she interrupted. "Peter's girlfriend."

Remus nodded.

"It's nice to meet you. I see the Whitsons; I'd best get over there. See you, Peter."

Peter watched Remus cross the room. Like Peter, Remus wasn't finding life after Hogwarts to be easy. At Hogwarts, some were smarter than others. Some were more attractive than others. Some were more adept at magic. Some were better at Quidditch. Peter was better at none of them. And Remus was a werewolf. More than anything else Peter, James, Sirius, and Remus had Hogwarts, and especially Gryffindor, as a commonality amongst them. Now James and Sirius still soared above the crowd; Peter and Remus scraped along as well as they could.

"Why do you want anything to do with me?" Peter asked Serpentsia. "What do I have to offer a woman like you?"

She turned toward him, taking his hand between hers. Her gaze was suddenly intent, almost mesmerizing.

"It's what I can offer you, Peter."

Sirius laughed loudly, drawing the attention of most of the other patrons. Sirius was tall, athletically-built. A woman next to him ran her fingers through his long, black hair.

"What do you want, Peter?" Serpentsia asked, loosing one hand to gently turn his head back to her. "Good looks can fade. Money can be lost."

Her voice lowered to a whisper and she leaned closer to him, so that he felt her breath on his face. From the corner of his eye Peter saw Remus leaving, his shoulders slumped.

"What you can offer me?" Peter said. "What sort of magic do you have, Serpentsia?"

She smiled. She stroked his hair, and he fancied he glimpsed something like a tattoo on her forearm.

"What do you want, Peter?"

He was small. Ordinary. He wanted. He needed.

He stared at her. Her eyes narrowed, becoming catlike in their shape. He swallowed.

"Power," he said. "I want power."

Serpentsia nodded.

"I know someone who can give you what you want. All the power in the world."

They kissed.

This post has been edited by mjk: 31 July 2008 - 07:33 PM

My estimate of the chance of placing with this entry was pretty accurate. I gave this slim to none but had to submit it anyway because the exercise was too much fun. Besides, someone had to write about the bad guys...


Tormented

Crouching he peered through the red mulberry bush from the fencerow where Old Man Yeoman’s field met the road. This was always the most dangerous spot on his route home from school. He had only about a mile to go but the lane ahead dipped into a valley cut by a small, swift stream and was completely hidden from both directions. Last year it was the scene of an auto accident when a tourist out of petrol rolled to a stop on the bridge in the depression. A lorry crushed the car. The tourist was unable to push it completely out of the way for the blackthorn hedge so full it extended across the berm to the very edge of the road this side of the bridge. It was these blackthorn bushes that concerned him now.

He usually flees for home in a panic ahead of Rudy. However, today he was delayed by Mrs. Grace who this time mixed birthday wishes with her offers to talk about his problems. She was kind and tried to look after those school children with “issues” whom the other teachers ignored. But he knew she could never understand his. He always declined.

Rudy was his only friend. They were the only two children their age in the area. The close proximity of their houses naturally drew them together. They used to play and have adventures until two years ago when odd things began to happen during their grand battles against invading armies. Rather than alarm it awed Rudy and he began trying to induce more… effects. This progressed so far that their friendship dissolved into a morbid game of cat and mouse with Rudy teasing, taunting, threatening, and finally abusing him to force the weird events to happen. Almost every day.

From his current position he could see the top of the sloe thicket that made such good ambush cover, Rudy’s favorite. He couldn’t wait any longer. The visitor would arrive before him. He was supposed to come home immediately after school so as to be waiting with his dad when the visitor came to call. His father warned him not to be late or there would be consequences, as if there weren’t going to be consequences anyway. Consequences were happening more and more whether he deserved them or not.

The letter to his father didn’t give many details, just that there was a school for gifted children with a place for him if he wished to accept it. An agent from the school would come today, his eleventh birthday, to explain fully. He mustn’t ruin this. This was an opportunity to go away to school and he was desperate to hear about it, desperate to get away from his dad and from Rudy. His dad was bad. Rudy was worse.

Running now he reached the bridge and had just considered he might get home untouched when the first one struck. The rock grazed his knee only startling him but the second one found its mark in his lower back and brought him up rigid taking his wind. He stumbled into an intimate embrace with the roadway. Struggling through the pain stinging his right kidney he pushed himself up on all fours. Before he could get to his feet he found Rudy had a new surprise for him. Among the rocks now raining down around him were potatoes. One slammed into the side of his face but instead of thudding and bouncing away like the rocks it exploded into a spray of mash. It was fresh from the pot; overcooked too so that it was nearly a paste. A good bit of it stuck to his face and as he wiped it away he could feel the burning welt rise.

Terror gripped him as he heard the whine of an engine approaching quickly. A black sports car launched itself over the rise at him and he leaped up knowing he was about to be smashed into its chrome grille like so many insects. Terror mixed with elation now as he didn’t fall but kept rising up over the car, over the hill, and onto the grass along the opposite side of the road. Leaving the squealing tires and Rudy’s missiles behind he ran the mile home with impossibly long strides.

Sprinting breathless through his front garden he pulled up short to find another surprise. Before him stood an extremely tall man wearing a shocking purple suit. His waist-length auburn hair and beard made him appear stretched like the reflection in a carnival mirror.

“Good afternoon, Mr. MacNair,” said the man. “I am Professor Dumbledore. I believe you and your father are expecting me. That was quite a spectacular escape you pulled off just now, Walden. Would you like to know how you accomplished it?”

-----------------


This started as a pity-filled tale about a martyr of the original Order. I changed the name to add a twist. It seems to me the executioner’s job was ready made for MacNair – or possibly it’s the other way around.

Onespeedonly

This post has been edited by onespeedonly: 31 July 2008 - 11:39 PM

This was my entry, and also my first post (I was registered for quite some time, but something went wrong with the validation...
Anyway, here it is, please give feedback!! (as I am foreign, style and grammar tips are also much appreciated!

HOME

‘Lil, you alright?’

Lily Evans found herself spread-eagled on the floor, staring into the bespectacled eyes she loved most of all. However, how could she? For surely, Voldemort must have killed her. She remembered a flash of coloured light coming from his wand, and more often than not, you did not see a lot more after that.

‘Where am I,’ Lily whispered unsteadily, ‘and where is Vo, volde…’

‘Quiet, love,’ James replied. ‘He is gone now’. ‘He jinxed you pretty badly, but apparently, he was not aiming to kill.’ ‘You must have a superb guardian angel,’ he said smilingly.

James smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. ‘I wonder how much longer we can keep defying him though? The three narrow saves we’ve had already seem to good to be true.’He pondered for only a brief moment, before adding, ‘you know, the Order could shelter you and Harry…’

Lily sighed. ‘Not that rubbish again. Do you think I have been sorted into Gryffindor to stay home and knit sweaters?’

James chuckled unvoluntarily, but then said sternly: ‘it’s not your bravery I’m doubting, it’s your fortune.’ ‘Even a vat of Felix felicis couldn’t account for the luck we’ve been having!’

‘I see what you mean,’ replied Lily sarcastically. ‘Every Death Eater in the country plus Voldemort is chasing us, we lose friends on a weekly basis and we brought a son into the world we might never see grow up. Even as a little kid, I dreamed this would happen.’

She regretted these words as soon as she had said them. She knew the recent death of the McKinnons weighed on James’ heart as much as on hers. She saw tears well up in his eyes and felt immensely guilty. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered softly.

James nodded, not yet able to speak. Finally, he restrained himself and spoke shakily: ‘we have to keep believing we can stop him, we just have to. To accept he is unstoppable is to accept defeit. I do not know who or what is able to stop him nor when, but my life’s desire is to help that moment happen. For you, our son and the friends we have left.’ He wiped the remainder of his tears and said, forcing a grin: ‘it's a good thing Sirius isn’t here. He would never let me forget that I just sobbed like a little girl.’ The thought of his closest friend mocking him seemed to cheer James up. Suddenly, he stood up and went upstairs to get Harry out of his cot. Lily opened her mouth to remind James that Harry was probably fast asleep, but then thought better of it and kept silent. When James returned, she saw that Harry was wide awake and positively delighed by the late-night attention. ‘Where are the Sorcerer’s Little Apprentice crayons Bathilda gave Harry for his birthday?’ James asked.

‘Surely, you have not waken Harry just to colour with him?’ asked Lily incredulously. But, not wanting to disturb James’ new-found happiness, she brought him the crayons and some paper.

‘This is our house, Harry,’ James said while drawing a simple house and a garden. The drawing, not being made with ordinary crayons, illuminated the house’s silhouette. ‘And that’s the Fidelius charm around it. Friendship is the single most important thing in your life, Harry. Don’t you forget that’. Harry stared at him with interested green eyes. ‘Can I try one too?’ asked Lily tentatively.

James passed her the crayons. She began to make a rough sketch of the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 and three quarters. Before she could move on, the drawing had already lit up two mini-versions of her and James waving their eleven-year-old son goodbye. There was no sign of evil. ‘This is how life will hopefully be in a few years, Harry! There might even be…’. She did not need to finish her sentence, because two tiny children joined the sketched family. Now it was Lily’s turn to cry.

‘We could name one of them Jamie,’ James tried. ‘It’s unisex!’

Lily laughed and hugged him. She then took over Harry, cuddled him and said: ‘as long as you are not going anywhere, it’ll be alright.’As Harry watched his both parents stare into the night, his thoughts may have been likewise.

Here was my entry. It is my first fic that I have written so it is a little rough.

An Important Sorting

He sat on the three-legged stool while a voice in his ear was contemplating his character. “Hmmmmm, Gryffindor or Slytherin. Where should I put you?”

Regulus' mind drifted back to the day when his mother received an owl post from his older brother who was at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. “THEY PUT HIM WHERE!?! THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF HIS STUPID TRICKS! I WILL NOT HAVE A GRYFFINDOR IN THIS FAMILY!!!” Regulus couldn’t believe it! He had never heard of any of the Black family that had been in any house other than Slytherin. A feeling of elation came over the young boy and he dared to feel a glimmer of hope about the future.

When Sirius came home over the Christmas holidays during his first year at Hogwarts, Regulus thought their mother would scream the house down. She kept going on about the shame that Sirius was bringing to the Black family name just by being sorted into a different house than his ancestors. After that Sirius stayed at school or went to a friend’s house for the holidays and only came home when forced to for the summer. Regulus missed his big brother and really wanted to talk to him. Sirus seemed so happy about not following in the family’s footsteps.

During his first trip to school on the Hogwarts Express Regulus managed to get Sirius away from his group of friends for short talk. He was really nervous, but it was important to him. Away from their mother he finally managed to get the courage up to ask Sirius about his sorting, and how he ended up in Gryffindor. Sirius explained that the hat had sensed his bravery and willingness to break away from the family and gave him the chance to choose Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. Sirius then looked hopefully at his little brother “Do you want to be somewhere other than Slytherin?” Regulus mumbled “Yeah, but I don’t think Mom would like it neither one of us were in her old house. I really would like to be with you though. You are my big brother.” Sirius tells him “The choice yours little bro.”

After the trip across the lake with the other first years and Hagrid, Regulus was scared to get up in front of everyone. When his name was called he timidly sat on the stool while the hat was placed on his head. Immediately the hat started to talk in his ear.

“Hmmmm….. Where should I put you? You have a bravery that will show as you get older, and a desire to be in Gryffindor I see. I already put your brother into that house to the dismay of your parents. They wrote the headmaster because they were very upset about it. Of course I could always put you in Slytherin. Your entire family possesses just what Salazar Slytherin was looking for in a student! Are you brave enough to go against your family like your brother was?” Regulus thought to himself quickly, “I can’t go against Mother. She would kill me!” Just then he heard the hat yell out “SLYTHERIN!”

Regulus cast a quick glance at his brother Sirius who was sitting with his friends at the Gryffindor table and saw the disappointment in Sirius’ eyes. He looked sadly away as he walked over to the Slytherin table. As he sat down in an empty place next to a sallow faced teenager with a hooked nose and greasy black hair that fell in curtains around his face he thought, “Not all Slytherins can turn out bad. There has to be some good ones around here somewhere.”

Congratulations to the winners.
Loved 'Jamie', lilylunalupin !

This was my entry to the contest.

Moonshine's approval

She sat by the window, looking at the soft green shoots budding forth on the tree outside, but not really seeing them, thinking of how they had met ~

A pretty brown haired girl was struggling to un-stick two pots in Herbology when a fair haired, pleasant faced boy who had come up to collect a pot too, said, 'Er, can I help?' Then he had proceeded to separate the pots and handing her one with a smile, left to join his group with the other.

As beginnings went, it was quite prosaic, but what was to happen later on wasn't common by any standards. A Black falling in love with a Muggleborn? Unthinkable! The Blacks didn't even associate with Muggleborns, far less marry them.

But it had happened.

Andromeda remembered the time when she had stayed over at Hogwarts for Christmas. After lunch on Christmas day, Ted had asked her if she'd like to go for a walk and she'd agreed. They'd spent more than an hour walking by the lake even though it was cold outside. She'd never felt so free, so valued, with anyone else. But Bella and Cissy had been wild when they'd heard of it. She could still remember their words - 'You're going out with a Mudblood?' There had been a row ending with their not being on speaking terms for days. They still weren't speaking properly for that matter.

It was no surprise that she hadn't seen much of Ted after passing out of Hogwarts. Ted wouldn't possibly be accepted by her family no matter how good a wizard he was and he knew it. He was still Muggleborn. He hadn't tried to contact her because he didn't expect her to give up her position or prospects for him. And she herself hadn't been sure of her feelings towards him then.

But now that she was, things couldn't continue like this for ever. Some step had to be taken, and she would take it no matter what the consequences. If only the nagging doubt in her mind would go away ...

Andromeda got up and crossed the room, full of purpose. She had a small case with her things in it and her Persian cat - Moonshine following her, as she went downstairs to the living room where she knew her parents were.

'Where are you going with that?' Her mother asked as her father looked on. Narcissa, who was also there, threw at her sister a look which was a mixture of scorn and distaste.

'I'm going – to Ted.'

Andromeda had known it wouldn't be easy, and it wasn't. There followed another row, ending with her family cutting off all ties with her. Were they really her family though? No one in that house cared how she felt; but she was sure that her cousin Sirius would understand. She also knew she would be blasted off the family tree presently, but she didn't care.

The die was cast. Though Andromeda didn't know what Ted would say, she didn't have any doubts as to her decision of walking out on a house that had refused to give her her freedom. She didn't look back and walked off with dignity to where Ted had promised to meet her. He would have been surprised to hear from her after a long time, but he seemed to be the same old Ted she knew from Hogwarts from his reply to her owl. But she couldn't be sure - seven months was a long time. Ted could have moved on for all she knew. And if he had …? Andromeda still walked on determinedly.

Ted was waiting and his eyes lit up as he saw her. Moonshine, who liked Ted, rubbed himself against his legs happily while Andromeda looked on. Taking in her set expression and the bag she had with her, Ted understood what she'd done but said nothing. They walked away together, silently, with Moonshine following in their footsteps. Andromeda was now, more than ever before, scared. She had left everything that had been hers behind. Horrible thoughts ran through her mind. What would Ted say? Did she seem like she had taken him for granted? What if he no longer ...?

After they'd gone on in silence for a few minutes, Ted suddenly turned to her and asked, 'A diamond bracelet?'

Andromeda stared.

'It would have to be imitation, of course. I can't afford the real thing; but a man has to give his wife a wedding present, hasn't he?'

She dropped her bag and threw herself into his arms and they hugged in full view of the chuckling Muggles on the street.

Moonshine approved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been edited by silviera: 01 August 2008 - 11:46 AM