Weekly Drabble Challenge - Historical Splinches: Gunpowder Plot

[mugglemathdork]

In honor of Guy Fawkes, and the infamous Gunpowder Plot/Bonfire Night your prompt is just that. It doesn't have to be about Guy Fawkes necessarily, but it should revolve around that time era, and more specifically the attempted blowing up of the House of Parliament. After all, Harry Potter is British.

The following form must be used when submitting your drabble responses to this post -

Name:
House:
Title:
Warnings:
Words:

Winners will be awarded 15, 10, and 5 points respectively.

All drabbles must be less than 500 words; All standard grammar rules, and MNFF submissions guidelines apply.

The challenge will be up for a week, and be closed exactly a week later (November 9th).

MithrilQuill and I will be judging them and posting results a couple of days later.

All questions should be referred to the Question Corner - Do not post questions here. Only drabbles!

Other than that...have fun!

~Gato Loco & Mith~

[Pius]

Name: Pius
House: Ravenclaw
Title: Fire and Flesh
Warnings: a hanging
Words: 433

She watched him climb the gallows, his face hooded, stumbling up the ladder. His wrists were chafed red where the rough hemp bound them behind his back. He stood on the precipice, straining at his blindfold for a glimpse of the sky before he died. He was looking for her .

She bit back tears- just the thing to betray her, when the rest of the nation was overjoyed by the defeat of its greatest villain. Some Guy! Her hands fumbled at her skirts until she found her pocket. Her fingers clasped a twig of oak, eight inches long, with a core of lion’s heartstring. A single tear dropped from her eye. She could feel his eyes searching the crowd. She drew.

“No!” His voice cried in her head. Her mind swam with images of him- her Guy- his fierce smile as he left her to change the world, never to return; his voice, soothing. “I’m a ‘Catholic,’ remember?” he’d said, “They’ll burn me at the stake.” Then his laugh, as he’d tickled her with fire. His face, though it was hidden from sight, shone in the flame of her memory. “My terrible Occlumens,” he’d said, seeing past her brave words, “do not be afraid for me. I will be safe. I have made my choice .” She saw him smile one last time before his neck broke, and she was left to face her mind alone.

She opened her eyes, wand still in hand, as the hangmen were cutting down the body to throw on the crematory fire. She turned to leave. Why had he stopped her? She wasn’t afraid of the consequence, the risk of exposure… her mind was just too weak. Wandless and weary he was still stronger than she. She chased back the memories of their last days together, the memory of his laughter. She stopped. In a moment, she was laughing too. She ran back towards the fire as the hangmen walked by. She curtsied and muttered under her breath to the body bearers. They murmured some pleasantry back to her before tossing him on the fire .

She stayed until the hood burned away, and his bright eyes gazed at the sky again. The puzzled hangmen piled more fuel on the fire, but his skin remained unburned and unmolested. The flames blazed higher and higher until she could hardly stand close enough to see the corpse. She slowly stepped back. It was time to let go. She snapped her wand in two and threw it on the pyre. Oak and flesh crumbled to ash as she disappeared into the crowd.

I have taken some liberty with history- I am fairly certain that Fawkes' body was drawn and quartered after hanging, but I've omitted that gruesome detail- and I'm not particularly well versed in the politics of the plot, which I have endeavored to avoid mentioning. Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Bonfire day!

[Quercus]

Name: Quercus
House: Ravenclaw
Title: Treason and Plot
warnings: conspiracy to commit murder, mild language
words: 498 (It took some effort...)

Robert Cecil awoke on November 5 to pounding on his bedroom door. He threw on a shirt and robe, but was surprised to hear a faint incantation outside, and the groaning of iron on iron as the heavy latch lifted of its own accord.

Cecil pulled his wand from its niche one the bedpost, cleverly disguised as a carved rose, and muttered “Lumos.” Only one person could have broken through that door’s magical seal…

“Robert, it’s me, Lyttelton,” the intruder said wildly. “There’s been an arrest, I don’t know…That fool Tresham tried to warn his wife’s muggle cousin, and the guards found Fawkes just sitting there with the powder, matches untouched…Robert, he’d broken the Imperius, I could feel it, and otherwise he would have set the fire. He’ll tell them everything…”

Cecil looked shocked. “You should leave. If I were to be implicated in this plot all that we’ve worked for is over.” He calmed slightly. “Fawkes could not have known what was happening to him. He’ll protect us, for the sake of his own foolish cause.” Cecil sighed. “He’s strong, if he can break your Imperius. You’ll have at least a few days before they can drag your name out of him.”

Lyttelton’s eyes widened. “My lord…you will do nothing? At least give the muggle a quick death, for my sake, if you care nothing of his.”

“And how should I do that,” Cecil retorted. “The Wizengamot would be quite suspicious if a perfectly healthy young man were to drop dead of no apparent cause, in the presence of the only wizard at court. Even if they can’t prove anything they’ll remove me from this post.” He looked sternly at Lyttelton. “Do you remember the stories of Bloody Mary? Before my father became the monarchy’s first magical advisor there was no end to the prosecution of wizards. Princess Elizabeth is the first witch born to the royal family in seven hundred years, but by muggle law she will never reach the throne, if I am not here to make it happen.”

Lyttelton’s voice rose in frustration. “Then kill the rest of them and be done with it! Your damned subtlety merely creates more possibilities for failure! I know, you’ll say it has to be done just so, that the whole aristocracy needs to be replaced, that we need proper cover. It doesn’t matter. You’re simply a coward who risks the lives of his lessers to protect himself.”

Cecil raised his wand, but Lyttelton laughed. “I won’t reveal you. Whatever you may be, I am loyal to the blood, and I will uphold it in exile. Goodbye, Robert.”

“Wait, Stephen,” Cecil called, but the door had already slammed shut.

A zealot, he thought. But why did he care about the muggle? Cecil replaced his wand to the bedpost. He could still garner some influence with the popularity this would bring the King. A more repressive response might incite the wizards to rebellion… he fell asleep, dreaming of power.

Historical notes: Robert Cecil was the Secretary of State for Queen Elizabeth in the last years of her reign, following the death of his father the famed William Cecil, and then for James I. There have been some who speculated that he was involved in setting up the plot for failure, because he wanted to damage the reputation of England's Catholics and get more restrictive legislation passed...

Stephen Lyttelton was the only one of the conspirators to escape (or at least, there is no record of his execution, unlike the others).

Francis Tresham was a somewhat hesitant participant in the plot, and tried to warn his brother-in-law Lord Monteagle not to attend Parliament that day. Lord Monteagle revealed the plot. After being captured, Tresham died in prison, apparently of disease.

Guy Fawkes did indeed hold out to four days of torture before saying a word, which is why I've decided he would be an ideal candidate for breaking an Imperius...

The conspirators had planned on abducting and installing the 9-year-old Elizabeth as a Catholic Queen. She would later become the Queen of Bohemia for a short while ("The Winter Queen") but with great popularity.

[tha_looney_one]

Name: tha_looney_one
House: Hufflepuff
Title: A Hero
Warnings: None
Words: 500 [on my first shot too- i didn't even have to edit!!!*dances*]

“Everyone knew that little Princess Elizabeth was a witch. Well, everyone who knew witches existed. She had exhibited signs of magic as early as 3. It had been clear that she could change the future of the world, altering its very foundations. With a fully trained witch on the throne of England, magic itself could come out of hiding. Innocent muggles could be saved. But how to get to her?

“Everyone knew that King James was anti- witchcraft, and the all important 11th birthday was fast approaching. Everyone knew that if Elizabeth was to be trained, the King would have to die. But how? No one knew.

“Then an opportunity came to light- a prestigious wizard named Guy Fawkes- your grandfather- had come forward with a plan. He had joined a muggle religion called the Catholics. These people were repressed by the government, who supported another group, the Protestants. He could easily manipulate the muggles to think that if they blew up the parliament and the King, then Elizabeth could be kidnapped, converted, and installed as a Catholic head of state, when in fact she would be spirited away to Hogwarts a little early, to be trained in witchcraft. It was perfect- even if they lost, there would be no serious harm to the wizarding world.

“So the Ministry gave the go- ahead- Granddad would help the muggles, who would unsuspectingly help him. Then he could claim to have lost Elizabeth in a ‘fight’ with a marauding band- really a team of aurors. Everything went smoothly- the muggles bought it hook, line, and sinker. Yet one man, one cursed man, wrote a letter to a Catholic noble who would be at the site of the explosion, in an attempt to save his life. Even with cumbersome, unnecessary equipment, everything had been fine, until the ungrateful muggle lord read the note out loud at a meeting prior to the big event.

“At the time, it was unknown even to us, so Granddad, who would have been known forever as the savior of Elizabeth, and through her, the wizarding world, was sent to the basement of the parliament as planned. He took with him only muggle contraptions- a lantern and a match. The stubborn man wouldn’t be budged- he wanted to do it the way of the people he had come to know and love. The rest we know only from muggle accounts.

“Granddad was found in the doorway of the cellar, with a dark lantern and a burning match. He was arrested for treason, tried and convicted the next day, and executed the day after that.

“After his failure, the Ministry was too afraid to send out another attempt, and the Catholics were subdued- many of them had been convicted as well. There was no opportunity, and no drive, to re-introduce witchcraft to muggles. Now, there’s no way- they hunt down each other; imagine what they’d do to us.”

“Granddad was a hero, wasn’t he, Father?”

“Yes, William, that he was.”

Just to clarify, the man telling the story [father] is Fawkes' imaginary son, and William is Fawkes' imaginary grandson. Fawkes himself was called 'Granddad', even though that's a little Out- Of- Period. Also, some of the facts, especially the timeline, are probably in-accurate. I'm american, so all my info [which i also twisted/ discarded purposely] came from Wikipedia.

EDIT: Quercus PMed me some thoughtful questions, so I'm posting them here to clarify:
1) I consider my Fawkes a hero because he tried to integrate the wizard and muggle worlds.
2) By "the people he came to know and love", I mean the Catholics he had joined, not muggles in general.

Thanks for asking, Quercus!!!

Gato Loco Edit:tha_looney_one, there's no need for the big font asking others to enter. XD Weeklies are not going anywhere, seeing as I'm in charge of them, and whether two people or twenty people enter the challenge, it'll still be here. So please do not make use of the size 7 font asking others to enter.
-squishes over-enthusiatic drabbler-

[hermybabay82]

Name: hermybabay82 (Stacy)
House: Gryffindor
Title: A Sister's Concern
Warnings:none
Words: 446


Recently hearing of her brothers arrest and detainment she had flooed into the Leaky Cauldron immediately, distraught and confused due to the facts she had learned. She needed to speak with Guy and soon. She could only assume that they had been torturing him for the past week and if she knew her brother, and that she did, they were not likely to get any useful information out of him regarding the plot that he had been involved in. However, the plot was not what she was worried about.

Elizabeth Fawkes could not understand why muggle women wore these tight fitting corsets and petticoats. Wizard's robes were so much more comfortable, yet she adorned herself with them and a simple gown as she set off in an attempt to see her brother.

She arrived at the Tower of London in due time and came across her first obstacle, a lone guardsmen.

"Please, kind sir, may I gain entry so that I may have a word with my brother," pleaded Elizabeth as she curtsied.

"No, my lady, no one is permitted."

She had expected as much and was thankful that she had kept her wand tucked up her sleeve as she placed the guard under the Imperius Curse. She made him lead her to her brother's cell then bid him to keep watch as she spoke with Guy.

"Dear brother, how did you come to this? You would not believe the stories I have heard."

"What do you want, Eliza?"

"Oh, I'm just checking in on you as any good sister would," she advised playfully, "what have you told them so far?"

"Nothing that they didn't already know! Are you worried, dear sister, that I might spill the secret of you and your lot," he inquired maliciously, his face contorted in a grimace of utter loathing.

"The thought had crossed my mind I must admit, but that is only part of why I came. I thought I also might be able to help you out of your little predicament if you would like," came her reply as she pulled her wand from her sleeve.

With a cautious glance at the twelve inch ebony wand he malevolently replied, "you have no business here, Eliza, go back to your world. I do not want your help nor do I ask for it."

With his final spiteful words she left him there. She was sure it would be the last time she would ever see him. She had failed at reestablishing her old ties but also knew that he would not tell the secret of the Wizarding World to anyone for the rest of what would be his short life.



All information for this drabble was gathered from wikipedia. This source states that Guy Fawkes had a sister named Elizabeth and that is where I got my main character from. Please excuse any discrepancies with history due to the fact that I'm American and unfortunately am not up to par on English history.

[cmwinters]

Name: cmwinters
House: Slytherin
Title: Family Business
Warnings: Heresy
Words: 481

With a soft pop, a man appeared in the dingy cobbled street of Knockturn Alley and slipped into a pub, the cold and damp from outside clinging to his hooded cloak like a lover, only to be fought off by the raging fire in the grate of the pub he'd walked into.

Pontius Prince looked up from his drink as Roger Lestrange slid into the seat in front of him. “You're looking mighty pleased with yourself,” Pontius said

“Yeah, well . . .you know how the Ministry has enacted these new laws against Muggle baiting, right?” Roger began with a self-satisfied grin.

“Mmm,” Pontius grunted non-committally. He was not in the habit of speaking when it could be avoided.

“Well—heh—you know my blood traitor cousin, right?”

“Not personally, but I know of whom you speak. Married that Fox guy, right?”

“Yeah. There was some 'family get together' few months back. Turns out these Muggles—well, some of them, anyway—they're very into their 'religion',” Roger scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Anyway. The chap's brother's something of a fanatic. Idiot Muggle,” he muttered, and flagged down the barkeep, ordering a pint from across the bar.

“What has this to do with me?” Pontius drawled, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Oh, right. So I told this bloke I'm working at the Muggle Ministry, right? And get him all up in arms over . . . well this part I don't rightly understand, something about protestors and cat lickers, but I got him all worked up about it,” Roger explained with a smirk.

“Precisely how did you accomplish working someone up over something you odn't understand but he does?”

“Legilimency.”

“Mmm. Well. If you believe that I have a care for easily influenced Muggles and their antics, you are sadly mistaken,” Pontius stated, pushing his chair slightly away from the table.

“No, wait. Tonight they're going to try to blow up the Muggle Ministry!”

Pontius stared at him. “Why do I care?”

“Because, I'm supposed to be working at the Muggle Ministry, and this idiot's going to try to blow it up, and when it fails, my cousin will come back.”

“You keep saying 'try'. What makes you so convinced the attempt will fail?”

“I just got back from Polyjuicing myself as some other Muggle, and told him the whole plan. Most of the Muggle government will be there to catch them. Then their authorities will deal with the lot. And your cousin will get his wife back!”

Pontius glared. “It may have escaped your notice, Roger, but my cousin HAS a wife.”

“What?! He can't do that — he was betrothed to my cousin!”

“A betrothal which was broken once your cousin ran off with a Muggle.” Pontius stood and with a great scowl of disdain, tossed a gold coin to the table. “Have fun playing with your toys,” Pontius said, and walked away.

[mugglemathdork]

Congrats!!!
These were sooo amazing!
I'm a little disappointed that only six entries were done, but they were all done extremely well!

However, the following stood out:

1st - Fire and Flesh ~ Pius
2nd - A Sister's Concern ~ hermybabay82
3rd - Family Business ~ cmwinters

The winners have earned 15, 10, and 5 points respectively for their houses.

This will stay open for the next two days and then be moved to Hermione's Corner!

~ Gato Loco & Mith

[tha_looney_one]

Can I use the big font noowwww, Gato Loco?? Pwease????? Oh, well, I will anyway.

Yay Winners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of your entries were awesomeistic!!!!!!

buhbye [sorry if this is spam n=but i cant concentrate right now]