The Brawl ~ WEEK 11 Results and FINAL WEEK~

[Equinox Chick]

WELCOME, BRAWLERS!

I hope you're feeling brave. I hope you're feeling reckless. I hope you've cleaned your wands and polished your quills .... because today ...

THE BRAWL BEGINS

Over the next few weeks you will be taken on a journey more dangerous than taking the Death Eater oath, more fiendish that the Triwizard Maze, sadder by far than Lily appearing out of Harry's wand, and (hopefully) less boring than wandering around the country in a tent smelling of cats.

A recap of the rules can be found here

And I wish to bring your attention to this --->

If you fail to submit a drabble without letting me know, then I could be forced to invoke previous barmaidly ebil powers and disqualify you from the next Brawl competition. (Round 5)

Extensions cannot be given to anyone. I MUST have your drabble by Thursday 8pm (GMT) every week. The only exception to this will be if all your barmaids are having RL issues and/or internet problems.

For your information:-GMT= Greenwich Mean Time. Use this converter here, if you're unsure of the time difference. The Barmaids are NOT your time zone clerks!

Send all drabbles to Equinox Chick. If, by any chance, my inbox is full, then contact me via the Ask the Barmaid thread here, which is also where you should direct any questions about this competition.


List of ne'er do wells

Slytherin =3
theopaleye
melody93
coolh5000

Hufflepuff =11
hestiajones
Weasley Mom
Sainyn Swiftfoot
AidaLuthien
minnabird
Cinderella Angelina
Apollonious
Gwendalynne
inspirations
majestic ginny
h_ vic

Ravenclaw= 5
MissMeg
ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor
Olive Oil Med
Mugglemathdork
Midnight Storm

Gryffindor = 6
FlightOfSong
FawkesToTheRescue
Sapphire at Dawn
Welshdevondragon
Karaley Dargen
Maple and PheonixFeather

~~~~~~~

Prompt 1 -

Because on Tuesday he’ll be thirty-one, your first prompt is

Ronald Bilius Weasley

And this picture

How you choose to incorporate the prompts is up to you, but both need to feature in your drabble and not be a passing reference. It is for the voters to decide if you have done a good job. Drabbles must be sent to me (Equinox Chick) by Thursday 3rd March 8PM GMT


GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL

The Barmaids

EDIT: Wow I was so excited that I forgot the form - oops. Please include this with your drabble.

[B]Name:[/B] (this will be removed from your drabble)
[B]House:[/B] (ditto)
[B]Title:[/B]
[B]Ratings/Warnings:[/B]
[B]Word Count:[/B
[B]Author's Note:[/B] 

[Equinox Chick]

I need to draw your attention to a small amendment to the rules.

6. The contestant with the least amount of points will be eliminated, given a pat on the head, some points, and can no longer participate, whilst everyone else moves on to the next challenge thus having survived! Participation points will only be given to brawlers who send their drabbles in on time. If I have to disqualify you then no points will be given.
EDIT: [28th February 2010] It may be necessary to have more than one contestant eliminated each week. It is largely dependant on participation, but it will be made clear how many will be leaving when the polls are posted.

~Carole~

[Equinox Chick]

The drabbles are all in for this week and only one person did not submit, but fear not, Brawlers, for we have been joined by the fearsome Leahsm2 who has jumped into the arena to fill the void.

Will everyone now read the drabbles and vote for their favourite drabble and their least favourite. When reading, please bear in mind the prompt as well as the usual MNFF submission guidelines. Both should be important in your decision.
I’d love it if you could encourage everyone to vote, but don’t tell them which drabble you’ve written. There’s an honour system in place here, but us barmaids often hear things, so any whispers of skulduggery and you’ll be out on your ear!

Follow this link here to vote.

EDIT: Due to some sort of Nargle, the first question is 'Which is your LEAST favourite drabble?' Make sure you read the questions properly.

Voting closes Sunday 6th March at 3pm GMT. There will be TWO people leaving us this week.

~Madam Carmerta~



Title: All Grown Up
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years, none
Word Count: 499
Author's Note:

“Dad! Hugo hit me!”

“Did not!”

“Did so!”

“Enough!” shouted Ron, clutching his head. “Rose,” he began, “Don’t bother your brother while – ”

“But he started it!” Rose wailed. Hugo stuck his tongue out when he thought his father’s back was turned.

“I don’t care who started it,” said Ron, giving Hugo a stern look.

“But Dad –!”

“I don’t care!” Ron repeated, raising his voice. “I’m ending it. Both of you, to your rooms! When will you ever learn to grow up?”

Hugo immediately raced upstairs, scared of further punishment. Whereas Rose banged her feet on every step, screaming about how “Hugo’s the favorite child” and “nobody listens to me”. Ron waited for her to reach her bedroom before sighing, then wandered outside to the lake by the house.

Ron ambled up and down on the rocks, stopping now and then to study a particularly curious-looking pebble or stone. Whenever he came out here, everything went calm for a while. It sounded corny, but he often thought of this spot by the lake as his spot, his own special place where all his troubles could just disappear.

For the first time in awhile now, Ron had time just to think. He thought about how Hugo would begin Hogwarts that autumn, and remembered how nervous he had been right before he tried on the Sorting Hat. He almost laughed as he remembered Fred and George’s stories about how painful the Sorting was. How had time gone so fast?

Rose came home from her first year at Hogwarts a proud Gryffindor, full of excitement and stories to tell about getting lost, secret passageways, and the new friends she’d made. Rose had even invited one of those new friends, Rachel Whethers, to spend a week with them during the holidays. Rachel was Muggle-born, and she had been astounded by the many magical toys Rose had, and the way Hermione could knit sweaters for S.P.E.W. by magic. Ron had recalled the way Harry had been the first time he visited the Burrow, marveling over the tiniest things of which Ron had never taken much notice.

There was no doubt about it, Ron missed his school days – exploring the castle with Harry and Hermione, visiting Hagrid and Fang, going to Hogsmeade at the weekends – but it gave him much pleasure to know that Rose had fun at Hogwarts, and Hugo was so eager to begin his first year. Ron once again wondered how time could have possibly flown by so fleetingly.

He was so lost in thought he didn’t hear his wife come up behind him until she was standing right there. He felt Hermione touch his arm, and quickly took her hand in his. Ron looked down at her and gave a small smile, and she gently squeezed his fingers. They stood there awhile, holding hands and watching the treetops across the lake dance with the wind.

Ron realized how time had gone so quickly. . .Simply put, he had grown up.

Title: Her
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years
Word Count: 285

“Padma told me she saw Ron by himself,down by the lake. Maybe he’s upset about the break-up too.” I pick my head up from my pillow long enough to glare at Parvati with my bloodshot eyes.

“Why should he be upset?” Tears begin flowing down my face again. “He was up in his dormitory with her! He doesn’t care about me!”

“You should go talk to him, I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.” Parvati strokes my tangled hair.

“You think so?” I slowly sit up and rub my sore eyes.

“Of course, nobody who’s seen you two together could doubt that he loves you.”

“Really?” I rub my eyes again.

“Yeah,” Parvati croons.

“What about her?” I whisper.

“What could he possibly see in her? You’re so much prettier, Lavender. She’s just jealous of you.”

I roll up from my bed and rub off my face. Parvati brushes out my long blonde hair and braids it, as I reapply my make-up. Parvati’s right. She probably lured him up into the dormitory with her to make me jealous. She’s always thought she was better than me. I bet she was just jealous Ron loves me. Parvati’s right. Poor Won-Won was a victim.

I walk out of the dormitory and down to the lake, reassured of his love. I see a figure next to the water and call out. Nobody turns. Maybe it isn’t him. As I get closer I see my Won-Won, only he isn’t alone. He’s with her. I turn around and run back to Gryffindor tower. I fall back onto my unmade bed. He doesn’t love me anymore. I try to smother my tears in my pillow again. He really loves her, not me!

Title: A Brief Interruption
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years; none.
Word Count: 333
Author's Note:

He looks out at the water and wonders how long it would take to swim around the world and back again. The waves move in and out, painting the stones with a glaring white sheen and he can hear Hermione in the distance calling his name but he does not reply. She knows where he is. He’ll join her soon.

His hands are shoved deep in his pockets and suddenly he feels like an insecure fourteen year-old boy sulking about the corridors of Hogwarts as Hermione snogs that prat Krum in some dusty classroom. He bites his lip to stop the grin at the memory. But his hands turn to fists at the cool dusky breeze and there is something warm and hard wrapped around his fingers that was not there all those years ago. It wasn’t there the day before either and yet it feels like it was always meant to be a part of him.

Ron, stop being such a sap!

Ron smiles at the interruption and this time it’s not Hermione’s voice but a voice he hasn’t heard since that black night when Hogwarts crumbled and everything changed. The waves move in and out, painting the stones with a darkening sheen of something more sinister. There had been someone missing yesterday. Someone he had resented for a lot of his life, someone he had admired, someone who had nearly killed him with an Unbreakable Vow, and, most of all, someone he loved. Only, now he realises that his brother was there all along.

Ron’s grin spreads further as he thinks of Fred.

“Oh, shut up,” he whispers to the waves. “You can talk. I saw you that time you let Angelina drag you into Madam Puddifoot’s.”

Hermione is calling him again and he turns away toward the sound of her voice. The water moves in and out, and above the waves, not one, but two sets of laughter are carried on the breeze. All around the world and back again.

Title: Need
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd, none
Word Count: 170

Ron stood at the edge of the water, looking out over the vast churning sea. He stood there, just watching the water turn over, wind whipping his hair. The sea mirrored the world outside of his sanctuary, everything being mixed up, the situation rough.

He wasn’t proud of it, running from his best friends like that. It wasn’t that he was coward; it was that he had a temper - a temper that he couldn’t seem to control. He knew that he was wrong. He had no reason to be mad, no reason to leave. It scared him knowing that he didn’t know what was going on with Harry and Hermione. He figured they were alright, they hadn’t been discovered, that he knew, but he didn’t like not knowing where they were, what they had accomplished.

Ron sighed and looked at his shoes. He was ashamed of himself. He took a deep breath and looked back over the water. He needed to get back. They needed him – he needed them.

[Equinox Chick]

Title: Thirty One
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years/None
Word Count: 309
Author's Note:

Thirty one …

Skip … skip … skip … plop.

Thirty one …

Another pebble followed the first, skipping out across the waves and then sinking, well, like a stone.

Ron Weasley hadn't minded turning thirty really. There'd been a big party, and for once, he'd been centre of attention, but turning thirty one was different. It was quieter for a start, being out here on his own on the beach, not to mention that, whilst thirty was almost like a little pocket of time in and of itself, thirty one put him firmly in his thirties, and that was a little daunting.

That made him a real adult.

Of course by most people's standards, he'd probably been a real adult for quite some time: he had a wife, two kids and a mortgage (all he needed it seemed was a dog to complete the full set). The thing was though he didn't really seem himself as a proper grown up.

His parents, now they were properly old.

He wasn't.

Sometimes, he still felt like he was eighteen. His Keeper's reflexes were still good, and there was no grey in his hair, but thirty one just made him wonder how much longer that would be the case.

He sighed and stared at the murky grey, churning water.

The thing was though that being older had his advantages too. If he was honest, he didn't fancy going back to being told what to do and having raging hormones make a fool of him. He liked the comfort in his own skin and in his own life that had come with age and security.

He knew he was being ridiculous now, and he didn't have being too young to blame anymore, so he figured he'd go home and chase around with Hugo; that would prove to himself that he wasn't old.

Title: The Chase
Ratings/Warnings: 3rd/5th years. / Violence? ish?
Word Count: 498
Author's Note: Action and angst. Who'd'a thunk?

“Stupefy!”

Ron dodged Harry’s falling body. There was no time to stop and help him.

Even worse, it was all up to Ron now. Four of them had been sent to investigate a sighting of Travers in a small village on the coast of Wales, but they had got more than they bargained for when they found not only Travers, but Alecto and Amycus Carrow. Travers alone would have been dangerous, but manageable; with the Carrows’ help, the scales had quickly turned against the Aurors.

Alecto turned to gasp out a spell; Ron deflected it. He had to throw himself to the ground to avoid a second attack, this one from Travers. Ron scrambled back up, panting. Travers was too clever, that was the trouble. Harry and Ron had been forced to leave Williamson and Merrythought behind, but the fact that they’d lost Amycus worried Ron more.

Alecto tripped, and Travers whirled to fire a flurry of spells at Ron while she picked herself back up. Ron was glad for probably the thousandth time that he was a crack hand at Shield Charms.

Alecto started running again; Travers and Ron followed. Ron knew his best bet was to take Travers out, but he was having trouble mustering enough breath to shout spells. Still, if he could stop the two of them running, maybe he’d have a shot. Here goes nothing, he thought, crying, “Confringo!”

The ground exploded in front of the Death Eaters. Alecto skidded and fell into the resulting ditch. Travers had thrown himself to the ground instinctively.

As Travers began to push himself up, Ron sent a Stunning Spell at him. Travers promptly slumped back down. Then Alecto heaved herself out of the ditch and raised her wand. Ron instinctively shouted, “Protego!”

But instead of attacking him, Alecto had revived Travers. “Come on,” he heard her growling. “Nearly there.” The pair of them got to their feet and took off running. Nearly where? Ron wondered frantically.

They were now very near the crest of a hill that sloped down to the sea. Ron fired a Stunner at Travers and Alecto. The former deflected it as Alecto shouted, “Now!” Ron dove to the ground, the rebounding spell narrowly missing him, and knew for a heart-pounding second the certainty that he couldn’t stop whatever spell was coming.

No spell came, and Ron opened his eyes to find Alecto and Travers mounting brooms, with Amycus already in flight. Ron fumbled for his dropped wand, found it, and stood, but it was too late. The Death Eaters launched into the air. Ron half-ran, half-fell down the hill after them as they picked up speed,
casting spells with everything he had. By the time he reached the pebbly shore, they were out of range.

Ron watched, boiling with frustration, as they receded into tiny dots. “Why?” he shouted viciously. “Why am I never good enough?”

He let himself go limp. “Why couldn’t it have been me who got Stunned?” he whispered.

Title: Reflection by the Sea
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years / None
Word Count: 388
Author's Note: Maybe everyone had the same idea I did.

Shell Cottage was okay, but Ron couldn't stand it. He felt caged by the small rooms and haunted by the sound of wind coming in from the sea. He walked into the kitchen where Fleur was making dinner and Bill was reading the Prophet.

"How do I get to the shore?" he asked. "Besides jumping off the cliff."

"I don't recommend that method," Bill said. "I'll show you a way." He put down the paper -- Ron could see a picture of Harry on the front page -- and walked outside with him.

"If you follow that path there, you'll find a little place where you can get to the water." Bill paused and looked closely at his brother. "If you're not back for dinner I'll come after you."

"That's fine," Ron said. "It's chilly enough I won't want to stay out long." He nodded at Bill then sauntered down the path. As soon as he was out of Bill's sight he broke into a run, not stopping all the way down the cliff until he reached the rocks at the edge of the sea.

"Not that Bill really thinks I'd throw myself off the cliff," he muttered, picking up a rock and throwing it in. "That wouldn't do any good."

He gathered up a handful of rocks and began chucking them, one by one. Christmas was only a few days away. He could almost taste his Mum's pie and see the Christmas tree lit up. But he could see, even more clearly, a desolate little tent in the middle of nowhere. Had Hermione thought to put up decorations, or did it look the same as always?

His last pebble thrown, Ron rubbed the spot where he fingernails used to be, and stared out over the water. As always, he wondered how they were getting on. He missed Hermione so much his eyes hurt, and hated feeling that he'd failed Harry. He vacillated between hoping they were fine without him and hoping they did actually miss him.

"I'll find a way back," he promised. "We'll find each other again, and I won't fail you."

He turned to go back up the path, walking slowly. He'd find them, and he'd take Hermione in his arms and never let her go, and then -- then they would win.

Title: Growing up
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years.
Word Count: 455

I stood in the surf, enjoying the cool wash of waves against my bare feet. I sunk into the wet sand, my anger slowly draining from me at the mercy of the gentle sea.

The sky was grey, sullen, reflecting the feelings inside me. I turned my head slightly, so that I could see Shell Cottage up on the cliff. Fleur was just a silhouette to me, looking through the kitchen window. I knew it was her, even from this distance.

Crunch crunch crunch.

Pulled from my reverie by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching on the shingle, I glanced around yet again. Ron. I looked away, and watched in my peripheral vision as he came and stood beside me in the surf. I resisted the urge to smile at the sight of my little brother standing in his shoes and jeans, the water soaking him.

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself,’ he sighed.

I let his comment sink in, then looked at him. He returned my gaze, staring me straight in the eye. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I countered finally. Turning, I slid my wet feet into my shoes and started walking away.

Ron, unperturbed as ever, fell into step beside me. He laughed, harsh and bitter. ‘You don’t have a clue, Bill.’

‘You ran away from your friends, Ron, when they needed you. Don’t tell me about my life.’

His voice rose. ‘Yes, and I know I made a mistake! You don’t have to keep reminding me! But you’re no better.’

‘I know better.’

‘No you don’t! If you did, you wouldn’t be throwing a tantrum right now over something so pathetic. Get over yourself -- nobody thinks any less of you, but they think less of me.’

‘You’re right; they do think less of you.’

‘You’re not a werewolf, Bill. And if you do become a werewolf, Fleur will still love you. God, she doesn’t care about that side of you at all.’

I stopped and looked at him. No, he still appeared to be my brother, the same one I‘ve known for seventeen years. Unravelling a little at the edges, but ultimately only my little brother, only little Ronnie. ‘When did you get so deep?’ I asked.

His lips jutted out in a sulky expression more characteristic of him. ‘I didn’t “get deep”. I grew up. I grew up when I ran away. Something I wish I could forget or change, if only you’d let me.’

‘I haven’t said anything.’

‘It’s your expression!’ he snapped huffily, striding in the direction of the cottage. I followed his progress with my eyes, and then sighed, stepping after him. However wrong he might usually be, I hoped this time he’s right.

[Equinox Chick]

Title: Sand Castles
Rating/Warnings: 1st/2nd Years — Character Death, Epilogue? What Epilogue?
Word Count: 484
Author’s Note: It’s not completely E?WE?, but I thought a warning was in order just in case.

“I booked us a holiday,” Hermione said as she balanced three-year-old Hugo on her hip. “It’s a private beach in Cornwall with a nice little cottage.”

Not looking up from the Exploding Eclair he was trying to perfect, Ron mumbled, “Sounds nice.”

The pebble skimmed the surface of the water before it began its inevitable plunge into the depths of the sea. It had taken hours for Ron to be able to get a stone to skip more than a couple times before sinking, but he had kept at it until he could finally get some decent distance.

“Ron, will you please do something other than throw rocks?”

“Like what?”

“Try playing with your son. Teach him to build a sand castle.”

With a scoff, Ron said, “I can’t even build a sand castle.”

It was ten years to the day since they had been there. The holiday had only lasted two days before being cut short. He never blamed Hermione for booking the holiday, just like she had never blamed him for what had ended it, but he also knew that they both blamed themselves for what they didn’t have the guts to blame one another for. And it all started with a potty break.

“Where’s Hugo?” Hermione asked as she returned to the beach with Rose.

Tossing one last stone before turning to his wife, Ron said, “I thought he went with you.”

Hermione blanched.

Magic could do a lot of things — almost anything, according to Hermione. It could help build a house in a matter of hours and demolish it with the flick of a wrist; it could make someone warm in the coldest conditions; it could help someone breathe underwater. And in a dangerous situation, it could be activated by someone’s basest survival instincts and save that person’s life. But not always, not every time. His son had been too small and his magic too weak to combat undercurrents that had been rushing along for millennia.

Hermione had cried until Magical Accidents and Catastrophes had found Hugo, and then she had cried some more. Ron hadn’t cried, but the sight of that tiny body being pulled from the waves had made him vomit in the same sand where his son had been playing only hours before — the sand where the sand castle they should’ve build was supposed to have been.

As he skipped one last stone, Ron sank to his knees on the water’s edge, scooping up the sodden sand into a large mound. He placed a pebble from his pocket that he had brought with him in the centre. Slowly, the sand moulded itself into a tiny replica of Hogwarts.

He hadn’t been back since it happened because it had taken that long to perfect the charm, but that little castle would stand for an entire year — long enough to return and renew the monument to his baby boy.

Title: Sometimes He Wondered
Ratings/Warnings: 1st/2nd... No warnings that I'm aware of.
Word Count: 499

Hugo.

Ron had never thought that the first time he was called to Hogwarts in his role as a parent would be because of Hugo. They had had all those letters about Rose – that incident with the boys’ bathrooms, the flood in the dungeons... and then when she and her Hufflepuff friend Maggie Peakes had put Amortentia in the Ravenclaw pumpkin juice, he thought that had really been it. And yet, here he was. It was only Hugo’s second year, and depending on what Professors Vector and Thorn – his Head of House – were deciding on right now, he might already be temporarily suspended.

The worst part about it was that Ron didn’t even know whose side he was on. Of course, setting free all the hedgehogs they were supposed to be practising on in Transfiguration and putting them in the basket with the clean Slytherin laundry before the House Elves carried it to the dungeons had been wrong. But hadn’t it been very funny and even creative, too? It was something that Fred and George might have done at school, and he never thought that they crossed any lines. But then, Hermione of course had never thought that way, and wouldn’t now...

Hugo had been sent back to his classes after the initial talk; Ron had been invited to stay for the teachers’ discussion, but just being in the Headmistress’s office had made him far too nervous. Hence, he had decided to go for a walk around the lake instead. It was so many years since he had been to Hogwarts himself, and yet just looking around him brought back so many memories. The Whomping Willow. Hagrid’s hut. That tree where they’d sat in their sixth year, right before he and Hermione had taken their Apparition tests.

He had reached a part of the lake where he’d never really been to before. Rather than the grass and sand that surrounded most of the lake, the shore was covered in small pebbles here. Ron picked one of them up and flicked it at the smooth surface of the lake. It didn’t even hop once. Jamming his hands in his trouser pockets, he kicked another pebble away, and resumed his walk.

The only times his own parents had been called to the school for him were when he had been in mortal danger. Somehow, Ron suddenly wondered whether he, Harry and Hermione hadn’t missed out on a lot of things. Of course they had had a great time at Hogwarts, but since their first year, things had always been terribly serious. They had never really been just students. They hadn’t played a prank on Slytherins in their second year; they had been brewing Polyjuice Potion to find out who was attacking Muggleborns.

What was really frustrating about this was that he would never find out now. His school days were long gone, and he was almost certain that he wouldn’t want to change a thing about them. He just wondered sometimes...

Title: Lake Encounters
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd
Word Count: 498
Author's Note: I like to believe that this could have happened in canon, even if never of them ever spoke about it again.

Ron took a deep breath, enjoying the silence around him. He couldn’t believe how hard it had been to get a minute to himself. It seemed that everywhere he went, she was there. In his free periods, before and after every class, even the ones they didn’t share. No matter how quickly he tried to get away, she always managed to find him. It was exhausting. He wondered why anyone actually wanted to have a girlfriend – they were nothing but trouble.

It was a clear but cold day and the grounds were quiet, making the lake the perfect place to be. He had spread his cloak out on the pebbly bank and just sat staring out across the water.

The noise of stones shifting behind him distracted Ron from his thoughts and he felt a brief twinge of annoyance to have his moment interrupted. He looked round, and was surprised at who he saw walking along the bank a few metres away.

“Hey,” he called out. Hermione turned.

“Oh,” she replied, “I didn’t realise you’d be here. Where’s Lav-Lav?”

Ron sighed. “Look, Hermione, I just came here to sit and get some peace and quiet, and if all you want to do is argue, then I’ll leave you to it.”

Her face softened. “No, it’s all right. You were here first. I’ll find somewhere else.”

“Why don’t you just stay?” He shuffled up on his cloak and spread out the other half.

She just glared at him in reply. “Just because I managed to be civil to you for thirty seconds, does not mean I want to be anywhere near you. You’re still an idiot.”

And don’t I know it, he thought, before saying aloud, “We don’t have to talk. We can just sit here.

She paused for a minute. “Fine, but I’ll use my own cloak.”

True to his word, he kept quiet and they sat in comfortable silence for at least half an hour, until a far too familiar voice could be heard calling his name. Hermione looked up. “Looks like you’re wanted.”

“Maybe she won’t see me.”

“Sounds like she already has. And I’m sure she won’t be impressed to see you sitting with me.”

“Fine. I’d better go. And don’t worry – I won’t tell anyone you were here. You can go back to hating me now.”

He stood up and was about to leave when he turned back. “I…it’s my birthday next week.”

“And? Are you expecting a present, because you’ll be waiting a long time.”

“No…it would just be nice to have my best friend talking to me by then.”

“Ron!” Lavender’s voice seemed to be coming closer and Hermione’s face hardened once again.

“I’m sure your girlfriend will have a whole day of fun planned for you. I’d only get in the way.” Picking up her own cloak, she shook it off and left him alone, with no choice but to fix a smile on his face and meet his approaching girlfriend.

Title: A Great Man
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years/character death
Word Count: 406
Author's Note: Zip

Hugo stared out at the waves, blinking back tears.

They had never been close. Never shared the bond that was normally expected between father and son. They had had no mutual interests and the only things they had had in common were their family and their tempers. Hugo had spent most of his summers home from Hogwarts at his Muggle grandparents house to avoid the rows, and when, after school, he had chosen to work at a Muggle real estate company, the only one who had been surprised had been his dad.

As the years had dragged on, they had become more distant, meeting only at the occasional family party. But that hadn’t stopped his dad from barging into his flat, angry and concerned, when Hugo had announced that he was giving up magic for his Muggle fiancée, Rachel.

Hugo sighed as he remembered the row that had followed. His dad had accused him of wasting himself and disowning his family, and Hugo had responded in kind, reminding his father of all the nights he had worked late, all the mornings when they had hardly spoken, still stiff from the row of the day before. Red in the face, his dad had shouted that he had only been trying to provide his family with the things that he had never had. Hugo had replied that it had been his presence that they had needed, not his money, but that now it was too late. That he didn’t want his dad around anymore.

He had felt terrible then, but it didn’t matter. His dad had stormed out into the night, and he, in his pride, had not called him back.

It had all been years before. Hugo was a now a father himself, and his oldest son was beginning to show signs of being a wizard. His mother had tried, several times, over the years, to bring peace back to their family, but each time Hugo had insisted that his father apologize first.

Now it was too late.

It had been his sister, Rose, who had brought the news of the accident. Soon thereafter he had received the letter from his mother, asking him to speak at the funeral.

A lump formed in Hugo’s throat as he imagined standing in front of the crowd of family, dressed in black, beginning the speech he had written.

“Ronald Bilius Weasley was my father... and he was… a great man.”

Ratings/Warnings: 1st/2nd
Title: Quiet Moments
Word Count: 499 words
Author's Note: Since Ron was born in 1980, this is obviously last year's birthday

Ron walked slowly over the small pebbles that riddled the shoreline. It was early morning and the place felt desolate. Perfect for his mood. He hated that his unprotected feet felt the tickle of the round stones, and the small jabs from the sharper ones, sort of like his life so far, he thought, sadly.

“Thirty,” Ron said loudly, as he sat down by the edge of the water, closing his eyes and willing himself to indulge in a moment of inner reflection that Hermione promised would lead to a better sense of self.

He noticed the water fowl, startled by the sounds of a human voice, scattering and screaming their protests as they flew to safer parts of the small lake. He could count on one hand the number of times he had purposely been up so early in the day, and yet he had felt the need to take a few moments to be alone.

Ron was thankful for the growth of his household. Rose had moved from a toddler into a real little person. A person capable of setting fire to the cat, in moments of great excitement, but nothing he and Hermione couldn't fix. Together. This year they had added Hugo to their family. Hugo was small, yet sturdy, and the happiest baby alive.

“My son,” he murmured, not wanting to disturb the denizens of the lake anymore than he already had, but grinning at the sound of the word as it left his mouth, and entered his heart.

He let his mind wonder to places he had not allowed it to in many years. He thought of Fred, the big brother who had tortured him in many little ways, but had also enlarged him in important ways. He wished he could have saved him, been there when he needed him. Ron knew that he probably couldn't have changed anything that had happened as that brick wall fell, and yet a deep regret gnawed at him.

“I could have done... something,” Ron whispered, fighting back tears that were unwanted.

Ron felt, more than heard, the faint zip of an Apparition, as his water fowl friends screamed at him again. Zero hour. Time to launch a new attack on the evil doers of the wizarding world at large, he thought, as he noticed Harry standing ten feet away from him, holding a small parcel and grinning.

“Happy Birthday, you old man,” Harry laughed, as he walked towards him, dropping the package into Ron's arms.

Ron saw that the corner of the package was opened, the chocolate frogs noticeably missing.

“Wow,” he said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “You signed your card.”

“Open it, Ron,” Harry said, smiling large.

Ron peeled off the rest of the covering, noticing a face more familiar to him than Harry's. Ron saw Ron. He pulled another card out and saw Hermione. The Heroes of Hogwarts Edition, he read, laughing.

“Happy birthday, Ron,” Harry said.

[Equinox Chick]

Title: Waves
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd years
Word Count: 204
A/N: Enjoy!

It felt all wrong.

The wind whipped around the house, screaming, as Ron Weasley rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t help but think of Harry and Hermione. What were they doing? Did they miss him? Did they even care that he’d left?

Grabbing a bite to eat from the kitchen, Ron walked down to sit by the sea. As its waves approached him, and then suddenly backed off, Ron’s mind thought of Harry and Hermione, doing who-knows-what now that he wasn’t there to hold them back. He quickly dropped the thought just as the sea waves backed away. But of course, the waves always came back.

And just as the waves pushed onward and retreated, Ron Weasley fought a psychological battle in his mind; he’d think of them, and then he’d forget, and then he’d think and forget. Who was he anymore? Surely not a Gryffindor, now that he’d run away. Ron wasn’t sure he was proud to be Ronald Bilius Weasley anymore.

The thoughts came. They went away. But the longer Ron stayed at Shell Cottage, the more Harry and Hermione became the sea breeze, ready to be whisked away. Ron could not let that happen.

And that was when he saw the light.

Title: Diamond in the Rough
Ratings/Warnings:1st-2nd None
Word Count:499
Author’s Note:

“Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” Bill said in a grim voice.

Ron whipped his head around, panic on his face. “I dropped it,” he cried, his voice cracking. “I was just standing here, thinking about what I was going to say, and it slipped...”

“Merlin, Ron.” Bill knelt down and began sifting through the pebbles.

The presence of his elder brother helped him focus, and he dropped to his knees to help. “What if it’s in the water?”

“Then you may have to let it go.”

“No! That’s the ring! It took me weeks to settle on it, and I’ve been saving since my first day of work!”

Bill wasn’t listening. “You were standing right here?”

“Yeah, it can’t be far.” But he didn’t exactly sound confident. “Where’s Hermione?”

“I held her up when I saw you on your hands and knees, but she wasn’t too happy. Something about the sunset…”

“We were going to watch it together. That’s when I wanted to ask her, but now… it’ll be too late soon. Bloody hell,” he said in frustration.

“Wait,” Bill said suddenly, carefully moving a few rocks aside. “I saw something.”

They sifted through several inches of rock until they found it: a circle of gold with a sparkle lying on wet sand. It had fallen through the rocks. Bill picked it up and cleaned it with his wand. “Nice.”

Ron heaved a sigh of relief and held out his hand.

“I don’t know,” Bill said with a grin. “Are you sure you can handle this? Perhaps I should ask her if she’ll marry you.”

“Very funny.” He took the ring and slid it down to the knuckle on his little finger.

“Some blokes use a box,” Bill called, laughing as he returned to the house.

“I like holding it,” he mumbled, mostly to himself. It was the truth: an engagement ring in a box was only a possibility. But when he held it, somehow he knew she wouldn’t say no.

He looked out at the sea and saw the sun doubling itself over the water.

There was still time.

Soon he heard small feet crunching through the rock, coming toward him. When he saw her, he had to stifle a laugh at her aggravated expression.

“Ron Weasley, what in world were you two doing out here? They did everything but tie me up, and now we’ve nearly missed the sunset.”

Ron grinned. She was angry and her hair was flying around in the wind. Best of all, her arms were crossed tightly the way they always were when she lectured him. She was clearly begging to be kissed, but sadly, that would have to wait.

“I hope you have a good explanation,” she finished.

He laughed softly. “Oh, I do.” He held his hand out to her, causing her to soften a little. “But first I want to show you something. C’mon.”

She gave him a curious look, reluctantly unraveled herself and took his hand.

Title: Without You
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd, none
Word Count: 252 words
Author's Note: Writing this was a lot of fun, I hope I get to keep competing for awhile.

Ron Weasley stood by an anonymous pond in the Forest of Dean. At least, it would be just another pond to anyone else. He had pulled Harry out of this pond, Sword of Gryffindor in tow. He had destroyed Slytherin’s locket right by this pond. That had been Boxing Day, 1997.

It had been a long time since then. McGonagall had retired, he had quit working as an Auror to help George in the joke shop, and after breaking up twice, Harry and Ginny were finally engaged.

Ron sighed, fingering the diamond ring in his pocket. He should have proposed sooner, but he had wanted to ask the doctors Granger for their approval.

No, that wasn’t true. He should have realized that Hermoine was unhappy, should have been more flexible earlier, more understanding, more intelligent, more... a lot of things.

If he had, maybe he would have gotten a chance to ask the question, and maybe she would have said yes. Instead, when he had arrived at Hermione's flat, she told him that they needed time apart.

She had carefully and calmly articulated all of the reasons for it. It was so unlike how they normally fought, that he hadn’t been sure how to react. So he had kissed her on the forehead, and turned around and left.

Ron wondered if she had found someone new. He wondered if her parents were going to ask her about his proposal. He wondered what on earth he was going to do without Hermione.

Title: Envy
Ratings/Warnings: 1st - 2nd; none
Word Count: 170
Author's Note: None

Stupid Harry.

The early morning light was beginning to sparkle across the lake. I kicked another stone into it and the sparkles rippled outwards.

He had it all. As if being the Boy-Who-Lived wasn’t enough. As if defeating Tom Riddle wasn’t enough. Now he’d managed to get himself into the Triwizard Tournament.

I heard footsteps cracking the rocks behind me. She’d been following me since I’d told her to leave me alone at breakfast, I was certain.

‘He didn’t put his name in.’

I ignored her.

‘Really, Ron, he wouldn’t have –’

‘I know he didn’t,’ I said through clenched teeth.

‘Well,’ Hermione said after a pause, ‘Harry seems to think –’

I finally turned around to look at her. ‘I don’t care what Harry thinks.’

I watched her take in my expression. ‘Fine,’ she said quietly, turning away and heading back towards the castle.

I continued to walk along the edge of the lake, kicking the stones in as I passed them.

Of course she would take his side.

[Equinox Chick]

~ BRAWL WEEK 11 ~

This week the challenge was different. The brawlers set each other the prompts, showing how truly evil they really were. I quaked when I saw some of them, I must admit, but the three finalists stepped up and wrote six wonderful drabbles.

This week you need to vote for TWO favourite drabbles and TWO least favourite.
Please bear in mind the prompt set and how well the brawler dealt with that prompt. Some are truly ebil!

You have until Saturday 21st May 10am (BST) to vote.

Then we will be down to the final two.

Here we go then.

VOTE HERE

(apologies if I screw up the formatting. I am Arthur Weasley.

************************************************** **************

Title: Snakes and Cages
Words: 499
Rating: 1-2, none
A/N:

Prompt:

Write a drabble in first person plural (= we) form. You can use any characters that we know from any kind of canon (books, chocolate frog cards, interviews, ...) but NO characters that are complete OCs. Also, this drabble must fall into the "historical" category.

We should have known from the beginning how it would end.

We were all different, but what set him apart had less to do with personality or individual strengths than it did with a malignant belief system that colored everything he touched. But we were full of ourselves: we believed we could overcome these differences for the educational good of the wizarding world. We imagined children from all walks of life, many discovering for the first time that they possessed magical ability, walking wide-eyed through massive doors into a world they would come to cherish as a second home.

That was the dream, and it came true.

Together, we were unstoppable. We were the brightest, but it was our combined energy that pushed our dream into reality: intelligent planning, endless drive, bloody hard work, and sheer guts... these were the parts that came together to create Hogwarts.

Still, we needed a degree of separation; the differences between us were too great to be ignored, and certainly the students could only benefit from learning to hone the keenest of their skills and temperaments under our influence. So we instituted the House system, and it functioned brilliantly. Each student found his or her place among those of a similar mind or disposition. And as an additional benefit, Salazaar was contained to his own space. He didn’t have access to every Hogwarts student, but only to those who were already of a mind like his.

But as time went on, we realized this was not enough.

Snakes do not like to be cornered, and Salazaar’s influence could not be contained to his cage under the lake. He would only consider purebloods for teaching positions, no matter who was most qualified or best-suited for teaching. And the way he looked at the half-blood students… we knew he was dangerous. The three of us gathered many times to find a solution. Helga wrung her hands and Godric raged—each of us angry and concerned, and in the end, there was only one thing to do.

We’d expected a physical battle, but he surprised us by smiling and saying his bags were already packed. We were briefly relieved, but knew him too well to think that would be the end of it. He departed that afternoon, but not before announcing that he’d left something behind for us, something to remind us of him… a chamber in the castle that caged a monster. He said his work was not finished at Hogwarts.

No one would ever know the castle like we did; we searched every bit of it and found nothing. Yet, there was no relief, for not one of us was fool enough to under-estimate our former friend’s magical ability, arrogance, or determination to best us.

We carried on, but when our eyes met in the corridors, we were afraid of what we knew, of what might come someday when we are gone.

If only we had seen from the beginning how it could end.

****

Title: For Him
Prompt:

Write a Next Gen drabble involving two characters. One of them must be a canon Weasley offspring and the other must be an OC. The setting is Hogwarts, but you may choose the specific space. There must be a confrontation and a sincere apology.

“Thanks for coming,” Louis says. He is sitting on a table in the empty Charms room. Looking around, he feels a short pain in his chest. Maybe this isn’t the best place to do this; he remembers many stolen nights that the two of them spent on the cushions here.

“Is it true then?” Eva is still standing in the doorway, as though ready to run.

Louis looks at her, somewhat baffled. “Is what true?”

“You and Maggie Longbottom. Everybody is talking about it – for your information, it makes me look like an idiot.” She looks quite angry now, and Louis can tell that she has been building up a lot of frustration.

For a moment, he doesn’t really know what to say, because there is no way he can fully deny her accusations.

“You should have said something sooner,” he finally murmurs. “I had no idea about those rumours. I could have told you there’s nothing going on.” She snorts. “Honestly, I don’t even like Maggie that much! And anyway, she’s with Lorcan.”

“You say that as though this settles everything – but you’re with me, and still the rumours do get around. And don’t pretend that you don’t know what happened in the Great Hall this morning.”

“I... don’t. I had to finish my Runes essay.”

“Well,” Eva says, lifting her chin slightly. “Lorcan dumped her, probably for some other girl. They had a shouting match in the middle of the Great Hall during breakfast. So when Sue told me you wanted to see me here, I assumed it was to dump me, too, now that Maggie is officially free.”

A thousand thoughts start running through Louis’ mind at full speed. Lorcan dumped Maggie. He has finally had the heart to do it. But what does that mean for them? One thing he does know is that he needs to go through with what he came to this room for.

“So,” Eva’s voice interrupts his thoughts, “if you didn’t ask me here to dump me, what do you want?” She finally takes some steps closer to him and glances at the cushions on the floor.

This makes it so much harder, but he can’t go back now.

“Eva, I honestly am so sorry. I can’t be with you any longer. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

“Fair!” she suddenly shrieks. “So you are dumping me! You could have thought about fairness before you started sneaking round behind my back with that– that–”

His insides seem to contract; every part of his body is telling him to run.

“It has nothing to do with Maggie. I’m not the same person that I was eight months ago. I’ve... changed. I truly am sorry, you have to believe me!”

“I don’t have to do anything, especially not for you,” she says, turns on her heel, and storms out of the room.

First, he doesn’t know what to do, but then all his thoughts focus on one thing – he needs to find Lorcan.

*******

[Equinox Chick]

Title Unwelcome Disturbance
Ratings 3rd-5th years; no warnings.
Word Count 500
Prompt:

Write a Snape-centric drabble set in the trio era. It must be from his POV, but not necessarily first person, and should include a student who is not a Gryff. Remus Lupin must be mentioned, but need not appear.

Severus Snape was standing behind a wrought-iron fence, waiting. He would come here when there was nowhere else to go. He didn’t like the place, as such, but he could tolerate it and that was all he could ask for, really. Sometimes, he wondered if it would be easier to stay at Hogwarts over the summer holidays. He wondered how would it feel to be alone in the castle with only brief exchanges between Dumbledore and Hagrid for company. Unbearable, he concluded. Severus preferred to be alone.

The cemetery was quiet this morning, although, it always was. It was old and forgotten. Perhaps that’s what had drawn him to it in the first place. He knew what it was like to feel old beyond his years. He knew what it was like to feel forgotten.

This past year at Hogwarts had been particularly wearisome. Remus Lupin’s arrival did not help. In all honesty, it only served to remind him further of what he had lost and what he would never have again. The echoes throughout the castle’s corridors of four irritating boys and that girl, that one girl, seemed particularly loud that year.

He closed his eyes, and as he did so, the sound of sandals slapping upon the pavement reached him. His eyes remained firmly shut, and he let his mind wander to memories of summers when he could escape home and run and run and run. The familiar creak of the cemetery gate sounded through the crisp morning air and he finally opened his eyes.

He watched as the girl settled down on a stone bench, as she pulled out her sketch pad and pencils. Her back was straight and her red hair fell across her face. She looked like Lily. That was the reason he returned time and again.

Lily.

Someone coughed and he looked up with a sneer. He had never been disturbed here. It was his place.

“Professor Snape?” He looked down at the girl standing beside him on the pavement. She was wearing a cropped teeshirt and shorts of an inappropriate length.

“Miss Chang,” he observed with a sneer. “If you were at Hogwarts I would deduct ten points from Ravenclaw for your current choice of attire.”

Cho Chang flinched at the admonishment and Severus felt that brief, thrilling flush of control. She sniffed and glanced over at the girl in the cemetery.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you, Professor,” she said. He recognised the look on her face, the judgement. “I’ll let you get back to whatever you were… well… goodbye.” Severus turned from her before she could finish.

She could judge him, spread the rumours around Hogwarts. He was used to it. He had never known anything different, after all. But Severus was annoyed at one thing—he could never return to this place again.

The girl with red hair had been seen by another pair of eyes. She was no longer what he wanted, who he wanted. She was no longer tolerable.

****************

Title: Above Us
Wordcount: 499
A/N: The weather is significant near the end.
Prompt:

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up with the Marauders, the Trio, or the Next Generation but how different their stories would be without Hogwarts! For this drabble you are to go back in time and a write a conversation between two of the four Hogwarts Founders. The two Founders present must be of the opposite sex. The weather must be central to the conversation and you may allude to romantic connections between the Founders but they cannot be the focus of your drabble. One of the Founders must tell a joke and the other must be eating a boiled egg by the end of the drabble (which he/she was not eating at the start of the drabble). However, there is a catch! Someone is eavesdropping on their conversation and you must tell the drabble from the point of view of the eavesdropper. The eavesdropper cannot be another Founder.

I is cleaning the armour in the entrance hall. Nothing more. I cannot help that the Masters speak so loudly when I is cleaning nearby. It is Master Salazar and Mistress Helga who is talking in the dining hall. It is too big for them and what they say echoes through the hall. I isn’t eavesdropping. I is always hearing things. They says house elves has big ears.

“I must say, Salazar, I am quite satisfied with our work here. In my opinion, we are ready for the first group of students if they arrive in a fortnight.” This is Mistress Helga. She is always kind to us. Master Salazar doesn’t reply. Then, Mistress Helga sighs and I briefly forget cleaning. “What bothers you still? The castle is perfect for our needs, and more – it offers an opportunity to accept a far greater number of students in the future, and–”

Master Salazar makes an odd sound, and Mistress Helga is saying nothing for a moment. “I know what you’re thinking, Salazar,” she continues. “But we have come to an agreement regarding the students, and there is no reason why you should have anything to do with someone you consider to be beneath you.” She is never speaking in that tone to us, and I is thinking that I doesn’t want to be Master Salazar right now.

“Still, this castle concerns me as much as it does any of you,” he replies. “And I cannot help but feel that we are in a Muggle’s house. The students arrive by coaches; they walk up staircases; the rooms are lit by fires. Are we, or aren’t we wizards?”

“I, for one, am a witch. And I agree with Godric and Rowena. The students have to be taught magic. Until they have learnt their magic in the traditional way, they should not use it for their day to day business. They will walk before they can fly, and they will sit around the fireplaces before they can cast a warming charm. It is part of a process.”

“Yet I don’t see why we should suffer, should surround ourselves with less magic than we are used to, just for their sakes!”

Mistress Helga sighs. “Then this is where we differ. I would gladly give everything up for their sakes. Oh, do lighten up, Salazar. Maybe a bit of sunlight is all you need. My niece told me an excellent tale, about a troll, who, having lived under a dark bridge for many years–”

“Are you likening me to a filthy troll?” He is taking an egg from the basket and nearly crushes it.

“No, not even remotely. But maybe we can get more magic into the castle without hindering the students in their learning. I have often felt that this hall was rather bleak.” She is whispering now, and I is not hearing anything. I looks around the corner, and sees Master Salazar taking a bite from the boiled egg. He is looking satisfied.

*******

[Equinox Chick]

Title: Nothing Like Lily
Ratings 1st-2nd years; no warnings.
Word Count 495
Prompt:

Pair Petunia up with anyone but Vernon. However, this must be a person that appears in the books (however briefly). Also, your drabble must somehow fit into canon (i.e. it can't be AU, but it can be set before the books, or after the books, or in a 'missing moment'), but still seem believable.

The first time she saw him, he was leaning against the brick wall outside Tesco, paper in one hand, cigarette in the other. His clothes were tattered and old, the sleeves of his corduroy blazer frayed, and his trousers far too short. She felt a familiar, unsettling pang of vague recognition.

He didn’t look up from his paper as she passed, but when she began to load the shopping into her car she felt him watching her. Petunia, ignoring Harry’s cries as Dudley hit him with a can of baked beans, turned around. The man was gone. Only an abandoned cigarette sending plumes of smoke spiralling up from the pavement left any trace of his existence.

The second time, Petunia was pretending to garden whilst listening in on the row between Mr and Mrs Rimple next door. When she glanced up the street, she saw him walking towards her with a limp. Surely he did not live around here? This was a respectable neighbourhood. He caught her eye and she scowled, turning away slightly so as not to encourage conversation.

“Good evening.” His voice was thick and deep and Petunia’s head whipped back around as that vague familiarity sparked within her again. That voice, his voice… it reminded her of trains and steam and London. It reminded her of something lost. Petunia’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him properly. He wasn’t nearly as dirty as she had first thought, just shabby. In fact, he was rather young and good-looking once you got past the general scruffiness of his appearance.

“Good evening.” Perhaps she had an admirer? Petunia blushed at the thought, coughing slightly to cover her embarrassment.

“Nice day out,” he said. Petunia nodded and offered a small smile, wondering if he was new to the area. “Your sons should be outside playing.”

Petunia opened her mouth to correct his assumption but noticed that his attention was elsewhere. She turned in the direction of his gaze and huffed with irritation as she saw Harry’s small face peeking out at them from behind the net curtains.

“He’s not mine,” she told him. “I’m looking after him for… a friend.”

“I see,” he said, smiling faintly. The man looked at her once more, and she felt a sudden urge to touch his face. There was something calming about his eyes that left her rather weak at the knees.

“He’s frightful child,” she continued. “No manners!”

His smile seemed to fade with the dusky light.

“You’re nothing like her, at all.”

Petunia’s forehead creased at the sad disappointment of his tone. A cold sense of resentment slipped from her throat and down, down, down to her stomach. He glanced over her shoulder at the window one last time before turning away.

“Wait!” she called after him, annoyed. “Like who?”

He stopped walking, his hand resting slightly on the Rimple’s fence.

“Lily,” he replied.

Stunned, Petunia watched in silence until he rounded the corner and disappeared from view.

******
Title: Everything and Time
Word Count: 499
A/N:
Prompt:

Epilogue? What epilogue?! In an alternate universe, Harry is engaged to Hermione and Draco is with Ginny. On the eve of Ginny’s wedding day, she and Harry meet in a Muggle pub to say goodbye to what could have been. There must be no dialogue (although you can allude to past dialogue through internal thought) and a Muggle clown must feature significantly. It must be canon compliant up to the Final Battle in Deathly Hallows.

I probably shouldn’t be doing this.

Having a beer with my ex-fiancé in a Muggle pub on the eve of my wedding would almost certainly be frowned upon by… well, everyone. But I came anyway. It seems that after everything and time, I still can’t refuse Harry.

We push both our weights against the rusty gears of conversation until we remember how to talk to one another. We discuss Quidditch, work, and other “safe” topics: Neville, Teddy, George and the shop. More notable are the things we don’t discuss: the wedding, of course, and the ring that is sparkling on Hermione’s finger even now wherever she is. We don’t mention the war, or the time after, or the time after that. Yet those subjects hang heavy in the silences.

We finish our beers and walk toward Picadilly Circus as I wonder why Harry wanted to see me. Does Hermione know he’s here? I certainly didn’t tell Draco, and likely never will.

We pass a street musician, and are then stopped by a clown who has taken an interest in us. I laugh at his clothes, his demeanor and his red balloon, and he dances to make me laugh harder. Harry, for his part, sighs impatiently, and just like that, we are back in an old pattern: he won’t lighten up, and then we argue. Immediately, the comedy of the moment is gone, and I know I want to stay, if only to prove something… to show Harry that these are the spontaneous moments of life, the moments you don’t have to miss because of a meeting or an assignment or some warped sense of embarrassment. I plant my feet and give him a look. He studies me for a moment before giving in, finally relaxing his shoulders and smiling a bit.

The clown draws our attention; he seems sad, and I wonder if something about us has made him so. Something about us makes me sad, too. He holds the balloon between us, wanting us to take the string. I do so, and Harry eventually follows suit—our two hands holding it together without touching. The clown gestures toward the overcast sky, and I know what he wants us to do. I look at Harry to find he is already looking at me, and inexplicably, a lump forms in the back of my throat. We let it go together, and watch it rise. Memories flood my mind: that first kiss after Quidditch, stolen moments in the Hogwarts grounds, flying, reading the paper in bed… and laughing. So many times, we laughed.

He kisses me softly on the lips, goodbye. And when I open my eyes, he’s walking away. I turn and find the clown is gone as well, and question whether anything really happened at all. But then I look up and see a tiny red dot moving across the clouds. I stay until it disappears, then slowly retrace my own steps back to where I belong… Malfoy Manor.

Barmaid's Note: Phew!

[Equinox Chick]

RESULTS

Wow, this swapped a few times. And it’s got to the stage where I really didn’t want to see anyone leave because the last three are incredible drabblers.

Sadly, we have to say goodbye to

Julia (the opaleye) who has been the most amazing contestant writing lyrical drabbles that made me ache at times.
And once again, Lori (Weasley Mom) takes the stage win for Hufflepuff.

Here is a breakdown of the results.

Weasley Mom -Snakes and Cages <4,3>
Karaley Dargen- For Him<2,5>
The Opaleye -Unwelcome Disturbance <2,8>
Karaley Dargen -Above Us <3,2>
The Opaleye - Nothing Like Lily <6,5>
Weasley Mom -Everything an d Time<7,1>

Weasley Mom <11,4> + 7
Karaley Dargen <5,7> -2
The Opaleye <8,13> - 5

Prompts set ...
Lori set:

Write a Next Gen drabble involving two characters. One of them must be a canon Weasley offspring and the other must be an OC. The setting is Hogwarts, but you may choose the specific space. There must be a confrontation and a sincere apology..

for Kara

and

Write a Snape-centric drabble set in the trio era. It must be from his POV, but not necessarily first person, and should include a student who is not a Gryff. Remus Lupin must be mentioned, but need not appear.

for Julia

Julia set

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up with the Marauders, the Trio, or the Next Generation but how different their stories would be without Hogwarts! For this drabble you are to go back in time and a write a conversation between two of the four Hogwarts Founders. The two Founders present must be of the opposite sex. The weather must be central to the conversation and you may allude to romantic connections between the Founders but they cannot be the focus of your drabble. One of the Founders must tell a joke and the other must be eating a boiled egg by the end of the drabble (which he/she was not eating at the start of the drabble). However, there is a catch! Someone is eavesdropping on their conversation and you must tell the drabble from the point of view of the eavesdropper. The eavesdropper cannot be another Founder.

for Kara
and

Epilogue? What epilogue?! In an alternate universe, Harry is engaged to Hermione and Draco is with Ginny. On the eve of Ginny’s wedding day, she and Harry meet in a Muggle pub to say goodbye to what could have been. There must be no dialogue (although you can allude to past dialogue through internal thought) and a Muggle clown must feature significantly. It must be canon compliant up to the Final Battle in Deathly Hallows.

for Lori

Kara set

Pair Petunia up with anyone but Vernon. However, this must be a person that appears in the books (however briefly). Also, your drabble must somehow fit into canon (i.e. it can't be AU, but it can be set before the books, or after the books, or in a 'missing moment'), but still seem believable.

for Julia

and

Write a drabble in first person plural (= we) form. You can use any characters that we know from any kind of canon (books, chocolate frog cards, interviews, ...) but NO characters that are complete OCs. Also, this drabble must fall into the "historical" category.

for Lori

Please let us hug and squish Julia for being a great brawler. She takes participation points (5), stage winner points(10) and third place points(5) totalling 20 points for the house of snakessssss.



Moving on (sorry for the indecent haste)

THE FINAL

Sometimes the simplest prompts prove to be the hardest ...

We’re down to the final two, and that can only mean one thing:

A DUEL

We’re all familiar with the duels in the Deathly Hallows. Molly’s immortal words as she felled Bellatrix Lestrange, for instance, are the stuff of legend.

However, duels do not have to involve wands and fighting for your life. They can be a war of words (James and Lily), or a battle across a chess set (Ron taking on McGonagall).

For your final drabble, brawlers, I want you to write a duel of some sort. It has to be between two people and two people only.
They need to be canon characters, although they can be minor characters.
There needs to be a winner.
It must be a Missing Moment duel, and thus take place outside of the canon that we have read.
Example: You cannot write your duel taking place at the Battle of Hogwarts, but you could write Crabbe and Goyle having an argument just prior to Harry turning up.

I am upping the word count to 750 words. You have until Wednesday 25th May 8PM (BST) to send me your drabbles.

The Winner will be announced on Saturday 28th May at 10PM (BST)

You have both been brilliant brawlers.

GOOD LUCK!

Madam Carmerta