The Journey Home WEEKLY CHALLENGE ~RESULTS~

[Russia Snow]

This barmaid is currently enjoying some nice quiet time at home and has been inspired by this to give you guys this prompt:

The Journey Home

Your challenge this week is to write a drabble of 500 words or less about the journey and the arrival home of a Hogwarts Student.

You can use any characters, any eras. You may also take the term "home" loosely, if you really want you can write about a character going to a friends house for the summer (or part of the summer) but the drabble MUST be set straight after the students leave the Hogwarts Express.

You have until 10pm BST August 15th to complete this challenge.

Points:

15 Points for First Place
10 Points for Second Place
5 Points for Third Place
2 Points for participation

All questions to the "Ask a Barmaid" Thread =)

~Madam Russia xxxxx

[iMusic17]

Name: iLuna17\ Ellie
House: Slytherin
Name: Not My Home
Rating: 3-5th for Wallburga and her curses
Word Count: 500!
Characters: Sirius, Regulas, Orion, and Wallburga Black\ James Potter
A\N: Kind of dark, but it shows Sirius's home life and his escape, which happened the minute he goes home


I left the Marauders begrudgingly and headed over to my family. Family, what does the word even mean? Blood is the only thing I have in common with those people. They are horrible people; murderers. The only person who knows what my mother uses as punishment is James. He told today that his place is my place, and to owl him if she uses it again. The Cruciatus curse. It is pain to the extent that you would prefer death to continuing to suffer. Regulus practices it on me sometimes, as well. He uses it rarely and only for a few seconds, and it’s not as bad as when she does it.

So I walked over to the people I am forced to call family, hoping my mother would simply ignore me instead of telling me how big of a waste of space I am. Luckily, she was too busy fussing over Regulus to notice her eldest son. My father was just standing in the background, not saying or doing anything, per usual. Once my mother noticed my presence, she just sniffed haughtily. Then she barked at me to carry my brother’s things; she thought he looked too peaky to do it himself. Then, we were all treated to a rant about ‘those bloody Hogwarts elves’, before we Apparated home.

I was now. . . home. I tried to quietly sneak up to my room, but to no avail.

“SIRIUS ORION BLACK! YOU WILL STAY RIGHT HERE UNTIL I SAY YOU CAN LEAVE!” Conceited much, Mother?

“Nope. I’ll think I’ll just leave now.” I saw her face twist into a smirk. She hates it when I use sarcasm.

“Do we really have to go through this again? I don’t like using this curse on the blood of the Noble House of Black.” I must have set a new record. I had angered her in under five seconds since I stepped into the house. I deserve a medal.

“Actually, I think you do.” Shut it. Shut it. Shut it. You are an udder idiot, Sirius Black. Stop it with the sarcasm, or it’ll be longer and worse. (if that’s even possible)

“I see you leave me no other choice. I have to say I’m disappointed with your troublemaking skills, Sirius, you and your friends have not caused a letter to come from a professor for at least three months now. I would have thought I would be getting one at least once a week, considering the filth you consider friends. That makes this less worth it for you; less trouble for the same punishment. . . Crucio!” It felt like burning knives were being repeatedly stabbed over every inch of my body. It went on for centuries till Mother finally called it off. I stood up and faced her.

“You’re losing your touch, Mother.” Then I just left. No one stopped me. I was done putting up with her. I decided to accept James's offer, hoping I could finally go home.

[Padfoot11333]

Name: Padfoot11333/Lily
House: Hufflepuff
Name: This Weekend
Rating: 1st-2nd
Word Count: 195
Characters: Remus, James, Remus's unnamed dad
A\N: Set in the Marauder Era.

The train was both quiet and loud at the same time…that is to say, my heart was beating loudly at the thought of returning home, but the compartment was completely silent and empty.

The first weekend home was a full moon, so I would be transforming, and I wouldn’t have my friends with me. Throughout my fifth year, I had grown used to seeing Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail beside me whenever I transformed. But now I wouldn’t.

My father knew nothing of this, of course. When I stepped out and saw him, he smiled and whispered in my ear, “We’ve got everything set up.”

You might, I wanted to say, but you won’t have my friends with me. I loved returning home, but I needed James, Sirius and Peter with me. I loved my family, but I also loved my friends.

That was why I was surprised when my father gave a toothy grin at James and said, “Would you like to come stay with us sometime this summer?”

“How about this weekend?” James replied cheekily. My father looked surprised.

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “This weekend sounds great.”

Returning home suddenly sounded a lot better.

[the_computer_is_an_enigma]

Name: the_computer_is_an_enigma
House: Slytherin
Title: Her Last Trip Home
Rating: 3rd-5th years
Word Count: 499
Characters: Myrtle (Moaning Myrtle)
A\N: Hope this is all right. I typed this on two different computers, and they kept giving me two different word counts. (Two different programs.) Microsoft Word rated it 499 words, so I stuck with that. RS Edit: Mine got it at 492, so it's fine =)


Her Last Trip Home



The door closed behind her with an empty thump, and Myrtle found herself in her family’s kitchen. After a long train ride filled with laughter and hurtful jokes, the silence of her home was stinging.

Her mother sat at the table, waiting. When she saw Myrtle, she smiled. Her eyes twinkled in that familiar, loving way, which had always made her envy her mother’s beauty as a child. Now, Myrtle only looked back in spite, through those hateful glasses that rested on her nose.

“How was it, darling?”

Myrtle lowered her head. “Fine.”

Her mother approached and brushed a cool hand across Myrtle’s cheek. Her acne had flared up again, and when her mother’s fingers touched one of the bumps, Myrtle winced.

“Hmm... You’ve gotten more since I last saw you.”

“Thanks for stating the obvious.”

“How have you been eating?”

“Fine.”

Her mother frowned. “Myrtle, I want the truth. I told you before you left for school—if you want your skin to clear up, you have to change your diet. Your father and I can’t always watch you, so it’s your responsibility to—”

“My skin isn’t going to get better if I stop eating cupcakes, Mom. All the other girls in my House are pigs, and their skin is perfect!”

“Those other girls have problems of their own!” her mother said. “How do you know that they don’t go home and cry about the same things as you do?”

“Be-cause!” Myrtle blurted. “I’m the only one! Nobody else has acne like me! Nobody else is the butt of every freaking joke!”

Her mother’s expression of anger changed to one of shocked concern. “Myrtle… do these other girls pick on you?”

“I…” Myrtle gasped. “No!”

“Pumpkin,” her mother said gently, “you can tell me anything. Do you have problems at school?”

Myrtle let out a shaky breath. “Yes.”

“About what?”

For a minute, Myrtle considered telling her. She actually had it on her lips, that outpour of hurt and anger she had bottled inside of her for all those years, but something inside of her rebelled.

Instead, she found herself looking up at her mother’s face and smiling. “You,” she whispered. “You! You and Dad are so… cheap! You bought me these stupid glasses and now everyone hates me! I have no friends and it’s all because of you!”

Her mother flinched. “Why, Myrtle! Don’t you have any idea what we’ve done for you?”

“YES!” Myrtle shouted. “YOU’VE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL! I HATE YOU! I WISH I NEVER SAW YOU AGAIN!”

She spun on her heel and fled to her room upstairs, where she slammed the door and began to scream. She screamed for hours and hours, taking her pain and rage out on her family. And when she could scream no more, she collapsed, hair a mess, tears staining the carpet.

A year later, Myrtle would get her wish. She would never see her family again.

[Weasley Mom]

Name: WeasleyMom
House: Hufflepuff
Title: The Press and Pull of Home
Word Ct: 496
Ratings: 3-5th, no warnings
A/N: Thanks, Natalie, for beta reading on short notice.



She was the only one left on the train.

She told herself it was because of her Head Girl responsibilities, but staring into a familiar compartment, she wasn’t thinking about the students on the platform or any belongings they may have left behind. Instead, she watched a younger version of herself pointing out a smudge on a sweet freckled face and boldly claiming proficiency with magic.

Her face reddened at the memory, precious though it was to her now. She glanced down the corridor, now quiet except for the noise spilling in from outside. She was leaving Hogwarts for good, and was strangely ambivalent about it. Surely, she ought to feel more nostalgic… sadder or something.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the clunk of footfalls on the steps, followed by the sound of a voice as familiar to her as her own.

“Exactly how long were you planning to make me wait out there? I was starting to look desperate.”

Any remaining sense of duty fell away like a door slamming hard. She shot him a playful grin. “Is that so?” Knowing how he loved it when she flirted with him, she did not throw herself into his arms, but only said with mock-pity, “You poor thing.”

Then he made a strange sound—something between laughter and a heavy sigh of relief—and closed the distance between them in three strides. Unable to resist any longer, she threw her arms around his neck. He lifted her off her feet and kissed her as if they’d not seen one another in months, which they hadn’t. He smelled good—so good, in fact, that for a moment she couldn’t think properly. How did he manage to sit in an office all morning doing paperwork, and still smell like the air outside?

“I missed you,” she finally mumbled into his neck, her feet still dangling a few inches off the ground. She didn’t understand his muted response, but it hardly mattered: it was obvious that he felt the same way.

A few minutes later, they stepped off the train and onto the platform together. She saw Harry standing with her parents and the Weasleys, and felt a surge of joy at being with those she had missed for so long. But there was something even stronger spreading out inside her: the press and pull of the hand resting in the small of her back. His hand… grounding her, settling everything on the inside.

And then it all made sense.

She wasn’t sad about leaving school because—as much as she loved it—Hogwarts was not her home. Her home was not a dwelling at all, but a person: the very one who now stood back as she moved from one embrace to another in happy reunion. With him, she was her truest self. He had always been there, and now, she hoped, brushing her thumb against the jagged edge of the ring on her finger, he always would be.

[Merlynne]

Name: Merlynne
House: Slytherin
Name: Mute Objects
Rating: 1st-2nd.
Word Count: 496
Characters: Draco Malfoy
A\N: It could be any summer, but I figured this would occur the spring after Draco’s fourth or fifth year at Hogwarts, before things started getting heavy for him.

*

At times Draco Malfoy felt that his life was divided between two equal and opposite realities; the first filled with noisy, nosy people and conversations he couldn’t shut out, the other filled with endless mute objects of great esteem and little use. He wasn’t sure which one he preferred, and when the city of London appeared at long last on the horizon through the window of the Hogwarts Express, he concluded that neither of these two realities was any good.

Draco said goodbye to the mutest of the noisy people at school, Crabbe and Goyle, and stepped onto Platform 9 ¾, which in the last few days of June was hot and crowded and dirty. He adjusted his robes, averted his eyes from the faces, and let the family House Elf collect his things from the train while Draco proceeded to a grubby fireplace at the end of the platform, reaching into his pocket for a handful of Floo powder. Behind him parents squeezed their children and told them how much they’d grown. Tossing the powder into the flames, Draco stepped in and enunciated, “The Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire.”

A minute or so of discomfort, heat, and vertigo, and Draco stepped out of the first reality and into the second. Soot fell from his clothing to the white, marble floor in a wide, empty hallway. In the distance he could hear noises on the stairs.

“Mother?” he called out into the emptiness. “Father?” Silence was the only reply. Arriving at the foot of the arching marble stairs, he found the House Elf, Draco’s school trunk clutched between its bony fingers as the creature tried to drag it up the stairs. Catching sight of its master, the Elf let the trunk fall and slide back down the stairs to where it landed at Draco’s feet with a bang. The Elf prostrated itself against the floor.

“Welcome home, young master,” it grovelled. “Young master’s parents will be so pleased. If young master will follow Lolo...” The Elf clambered down the stairs, beckoning with long fingers for Draco to follow. “Most-busiest mistress prepared nice things for master,” it gasped. “Much nice things.”

Draco followed the Elf to the dining room, where he found the table covered with gifts in elegant paper, laid out in order of size from smallest to largest. For a split second the Slytherin felt the heavy loneliness of that second reality, so contrary to the light and cheery loneliness of Hogwarts. Still, Draco was not one to indulge in self-pity, and so he began to un-wrap the procession of mute objects, taking joy in them as only children often learn to do.

Until the last. Beneath the emerald paper was a silver cage, and inside a small ebony songbird whose silvery voice quavered and then rang, bell-like in the empty house. After a moment’s hesitation Draco turned to the Elf. “I won’t have it in my room,” he stated shakily. “Tell mother to keep it elsewhere.”

[psijupiter]

Name: Psijupiter
House: Ravenclaw
Rating: 1st-2nd
Word Count: 351


Lily had changed into a pale blue sundress before leaving the Hogwarts Express, and had pulled her coat across herself lap to keep her warm. A year at school and Severus had forgotten about Muggle clothing, how it exposed things like elbows and knees. He tucked his own elbows closer to his body so he wouldn't accidently knock against hers.

The second class carriage was crowded and noisy and thick with smoke. He had let Lily sit by the window, as always, and she was half-asleep, her forehead pressed against the cool glass. Beyond her, the countryside was hidden in darkness. It was a long train ride from London and in previous years it had been a brief time of happiness, a break from the bullying and pressures at school before his unwelcome return to his parents' house. He and Lily had chatted and played games, had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder and his hand on her arm, their knees pressed against each other in the small space.

Severus curled further into himself and beneath his too small coat he could feel the outline of the letter hidden in the inside pocket. This year his summer escape would be cut short - a trip to Malfoy manor, a chance to meet certain influential people, Lucius had promised. "Time to think of the future, Severus," he'd written.

Lily stirred and Severus closed his eyes to feign sleep. She'd know he was faking, of course, but she didn't want to speak to him anyway. The breath felt squeezed out of him and when he felt her looking at him he steeled himself. For a moment he thought he felt Lily's hand hovering above his arm, but when he opened his eyes she appeared to be sleeping.

That was fine - she didn't want to talk to him and he didn't need to talk to her. He wasn't going to beg for her forgiveness anymore. He had other things, more important things to think about than the friendship of a girl he might have once felt something for.

It was time to think of the future.

[ron lover]

Name: ron lover
House: Gryffindor
Rating: 1st-2nd
Word Count: 500
Notes: I cut this down from 600 words, so it's missing a bit of detail. =/


Scorpius couldn’t help but laugh at Al’s panicked expression and nervousness. It was almost adorable. “You know you have nothing to be anxious about yet; we won’t be there for a few more hours.” They were only an hour out of Hogsmeade, and his foot was already tapping and his face was betraying his mind’s state of unease.

“I know. But how can I not? I don’t even know why I’m feeling this way. It’s not like I don’t want to tell them. I do. It’s just such a change telling everyone.”

“I understand,” Scorpius said, even though his circumstances were different. Al knew what he meant, though, even if he didn’t respond. Scorpius had gone through the same thing.

Scorpius heard Al’s foot tapping all the way to King’s Cross. He stopped once they got off the train to meet his parents, but once they were in the car to the Potters’ house he started again. Scorpius almost laughed: Al was drumming the tune from one of his favorite songs.

“Something wrong, Al?” Lily asked from next to him. She nodded her head towards his leg that had been going up and down. He stopped.

“No, nothing’s wrong. Just bored.”

Scorpius smirked as he looked out the window. What a liar.

When Al’s parents started asking questions about school Al forgot all that he was worried about. The questions that he and Scorpius got were enough to distract him. It was only when Lily started talking about her current boyfriend that Al became nervous again.

Because he couldn’t say anything, Scorpius brushed his knee against Al’s. He looked at Al and grinned when his foot stopped tapping. They sat with their knees together until they reached the Potter home.

Once inside everyone went a separate direction. Scorpius followed Al to his room. He had to chuckle when he saw it; it was the exact same as before. As he sat down on his bed the other boy closed the door. Well, at least Scorpius thought so. He just didn’t hear it latch.

“I’ve been thinking about this –“

“ – I hadn’t imagined – “

“ – oh just shut it,” Al said as he sat next to Scorpius, knee on knee, thigh on thigh. “I think it would be best if we were to show them, not tell.”

“You want them to walk in on us snogging? I don’t know how well they’d react to seeing me on top of – “

“You know that’s not what I mean. They could see us holding hands. Or being close. I don’t know. Something like that.” Al was looking at his hands so he didn’t see Scorpius nod.

Scorpius knew Al was beating around the bush. It would be easier for him to show his parents they were together rather than say it. It wasn’t what Scorpius would do, but he understood what was going through Al’s head. He didn’t care about how Al told anyone about them. It only mattered that they knew.

[the opaleye]

Name: the opaleye
House: Slytherin
Title: The Last
Warnings/Rating: 1st-2nd years ; no warnings.
Word Count: 500
Author's note: Natalie is pretty cool. She peels potatoes and stuff like that. She's also my beta.

The Hogwarts Express pulls into King’s Cross, and as the students make their way on to the platform, Sirius waits. He does not have the loving arms of parents to reluctantly fall into. He does not have an embarrassing kiss from a mother, or a smack on the shoulder from a father. Not that he wants one, needs one, anyway.

Prongs taps him on the shoulder and he’s saying something, but Sirius can’t hear what it is. And now James is giving him a funny look and Remus is asking what’s wrong and Peter’s just standing nervously in the background. He shrugs them away, mumbles something about summer. James pushes something into his hand and then leaves with the others. When Sirius finally exits the carriage the platform is nearly empty.

Regulus didn’t even make them wait.

Sirius walks. He flicks his wand at his trunk and it shrinks until he can fit it in his trouser pocket. He doesn’t care that he’s not supposed to use magic yet.

The London air is foreign and familiar all at once. He wanders the streets like he always has during these unbearable summers at home. He loves that muggy stink of exhaust fumes and the sounds of motorcycles screeching in the near distance. He walks and walks, breathing in the noise and the freedom.

He eyes up a girl with particularly long legs, and then he sprints across the street and out of sight as her boyfriend catches on to what Sirius is up to. It’s almost normal. Almost. Only this isn’t normal at all because this is the last time, the last time.

It’s nearly dark when he reaches Grimmauld Place. His hand aches and when he looks down he realises his fist is still clenched around whatever James pushed into his hand. His eyes crease at the memory because time seems to be drifting so slow, now. He opens his hand and smoothes out the crumpled parchment. It’s an address he knows well, something he didn’t need to be told, but James really is the best friend anyone could have because Sirius knows, Sirius knows. It’s an invitation. Something he can accept without giving in to pride or whatever other Black family traits he’s inherited.

Just do it, Sirius. One more time then you never have to come back.

He should feel something—standing before his childhood home, knowing that this is the last time, the last time that he’ll walk through the door. The bile rises in his throat at the thought and it’s not because of sadness or nostalgia at leaving, it’s because he wants to turn around right now. He doesn’t even want to go inside one last time.

But there are some things he needs from his room and he wants to say goodbye to Regulus. And maybe if he takes one more look at Andromeda’s name burnt off the family tree he’ll feel something.

Relief would be nice.

Yes, he thinks. Relief would be nice.

[wendelin the wierd]

Name: Wendelin
House: Gryffindor
Title: The Journey Home (Aren't I creative?)
Warnings/Rating: 3rd-5th years
Word count: 455
Author's note: Parvati is an odd voice to write. You know who's not odd? Alex, my beta. She is just awesome for taking this on at the last minute.



Parvati took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. The platform was crowded and the other students were giving her strange looks. It’s not a big deal; you’re a Gryffindor- start acting like one. So what if the love of her life had asked her sister out, right in front of her nonetheless? It didn’t mean anything. Now that she thought about it, there were a million ways the scene could have played out. She had simply run out of the carriage too soon. Perhaps Dean had been hit by a stray Silencio spell. Or perhaps a Hippogriff had broken through the train window and viciously slashed him just as he said, “Padma, would you like to –“. Yes, that was possible.

“Parvati!”

She stopped in her tracks and mentally cursed as Lavender drew up next to her. “Have you heard?”

“Heard what?” Parvati said tightly.

“Oh, you poor thing…” Lavender stretched out her arms, and Parvati allowed herself to be held.

“Then she accepted?”

Lavender drew back slightly and nodded.

Really, it wasn’t like she didn’t expect this. She knew full well that Dean had always had a thing for Padma. But he had been so kind, so friendly and just so endearing in that horribly clueless way of his. Boys! she thought, exasperatedly. One thing was certain, she didn’t want to have this conversation here.

“Come with me, “she said, pulling Lavender’s hand.

“Where are we going?”

Parvati steered her into a secluded alcove. “Somewhere more private. Now tell me exactly what happened.”

“Well, it was quite romantic really. He just looked straight into her eyes and said “Padma, would you like to go out with me”. I heard he’s liked her for ages and-“

She stopped then, taking a closer look at Parvati’s rigid stance.

“Are you alright?” Lavender asked, frowning slightly. “I mean, I know you had a crush on him but really, you can do so much better.”

“Oh yeah?” She looked challengingly at Lavender. “Like who?”

An incomprehensible expression flashed across Lavender’s face. It struck Parvati that she had seen Lavender look like this only once before and that had been in sixth year when…

The next thing she knew, a pair of warm lips were pressed against hers. She waited a few seconds before gently pushing the other girl and breaking the kiss.” Lavender, you realise that I’m still upset about Dean, right?”

Lavender stepped away, her face shuttered. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Parvati touched two fingers to her lips. They still tingled. “Nothing,” Parvati said, “Nothing at all.”

Lavender gave her a hesitant smile and reached out. “Just friends then?”

“Always.”

And she leant into the warmth of Lavender’s embrace. She was home.