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December 30th, 2006
09:46 am - 12 Days of Christmas Challenge: 5
Before I get started on the challenge stuff I'll just say that this Saddam Hussein Executed news did not make this world a brigher and better place. Instead it just puts me in a bad mood. Especially reading this It is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself -US President George W Bush. What bollocks is that? Murder is now a 'milestone of democracy'. *spits*
Okay I'm not going to say any more at the moment other than: I. feel. very. sick.
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Posting early because Adam is coming this afternoon.
A while ago my good friend lycoris issued a challenge where participants wrote different things for each of the twelve days of Christmas. I was reluctant at first because I knew I wouldn't fulfill them all but, flushed with success regarding my Spring-Heeled Jack challenge, I had a bash and managed about four responses.
So today's challenge was ...five AUs
Okay so I didn't manage five...but I've got two! (Ignore the fact the first one was actually a plotbunny that never went anywhere) *cough*
Title:The Diary: Learning History
Author: Lord Localfreak
Fandom:Harry Potter
Ship:None
Summary:AU, Future-Verse. No Horcruxes. What if Riddle's diary had managed ressurection, at a price? In a world controlled by Voldemort a lonely Gryffindor, product of a pureblood breeding scheme who has never met his parents, finds an unusual friend.
To anyone watching Gabriel, it was just another day of lessons and homework, he was just another anonymous face in a crowd of students hurrying through their evening meal eager to get to their common rooms to plot or study or talk with their friends, but Gabriel was eager for a different reason.
He didn’t have many friends, his natural shyness made worse by the fact the stupid hat just had to have sorted him into the most looked-down-upon house there was. He didn’t seem to fit in with his housemates but none of the other houses would sully their boots with him. He spent a lot of time hiding in the library. It was nice there. He wasn’t the best student in the world, but there were some fiction books there and sometimes he could find a quiet corner table and flip idly through a book or imagine that he was in a world that was so much less… difficult for him.
Most people used the library for functional means; even the busy Ravenclaw’s didn’t spend as much time simply browsing as he did. They always wanted the educational tomes in whatever section that currently took their fancy. All Gabriel’s meandering has bore fruit however when he’d come across a battered old book, of all places, underneath the bookshelf- as if someone had dropped it and it had been kicked away.
It wasn’t a library book, he knew that- the black cover was dusty and mottled- like it had been dropped in the bathwater at some point. Mr Baddock, the librarian, would never let one ofhis books get in such a sorry state. Besides that it had someone’s name down the side, but no one of that name went to the school, Gabriel had checked the school-lists just in case.
His first instinct would be to hand it in but…when he opened it he found it was just an empty book, not something someone would miss, and probably, judging from the state of the book a discarded present- one the recipient hadn’t appreciated certainly.
Gabriel, of all people, appreciated the joy of blank pages…and he’d never had a book like this- all his work at home was done on parchment which was easily mislaid.
He decided he’d ‘adopt’ the book himself. He could guarantee it a good home at least.
He’d never actually kept a diary before but he knew that it was the kind of thing you wrote in in the evenings- when you had a whole day to digest so he’d done nothing to the book but spent time researching locking and concealing charms on it- not that anyone in his dorm would be interested in anything to do with him but he wasn’t stupid enough to leave something he intended to keep secrets in unprotected- he did sleep in a much larger dorm during the summer after all and the boys there would not all be so honourable.
So he’d restrained himself. Concealed the precious book in a nook down the side of his bed under a myriad of charms and waited.
He’d thought it best to begin on a Monday. And it seemed to take ages till Monday came round, longer still till the dinner, where he bolted his food down as quickly as he could without seeming too suspicious and then was forced to wait edgily until the Headmaster dismissed them all from the hall.
At last though it was time. He lay on his bed biting his lip at the anticipation of this moment. He uncapped his quill and opened the book.
Hello, my name is Gabriel.
He wrote, relishing the way the black ink sunk into the paper…until it sunk further and further in and disappeared altogether. The page was blank!
Cringing in disappointment Gabriel’s jaw dropped- no wonder it had been thrown away- a horrible, stupid joke diary that swallowed whatever you wrote! What a stupid idea! He was about to slam the diary shut when suddenly, words began appearing, and in different handwriting than his own.
Hello Gabriel. My name is Harry.
Gabriel stared at the words for a few minutes. This couldn’t be real! He’d never heard of a book that talked back before- not like this!
Eventually more words appeared.
Are you still there?
Yes Gabriel shakily wrote watching again as all the words were absorbed. What are you?
I’m just a memory. Preserved in a diary. Where is this diary now Gabriel?
Hogwarts- my school. Have you heard of it?
I was a student there myself- briefly.
Gabriel frowned. What do you mean, briefly?
I…I suppose I must have died before I made it to seventh year. What year are you in?
Third. You? I mean..what year were you in when you were…left here.
I was in my second year.
You sound awfully grown up for a second year
It was a long time ago- other people have written in here since- I have learned through them. Where did you find this book anyway?
In the library- it was under one of the shelves not in it.
It must have been hard to find- are you a Ravenclaw then?
No. Gabriel must have replied too quickly because Harry picked up on it.
Oh, just spend a lot of time in the Library then? You must know it pretty well to have found wherever the book was hidden. I’m sorry for assuming. One of my best friends was just like that- not a Ravenclaw but I reckon she had half the library books memorised from first year. I wasn’t as fond of studying, myself.
Neither am I. Gabriel confessed, I like the library though- it’s quiet.
I know what you mean- if Hogwarts is anything like it was when I was there it’s probably still overwhelming at times. I used to go on walks at night when I wanted peace and quiet.
Didn’t you get caught?
Sometimes. But not often I had a very special heirloom from my father that let me move about unseen.
Wow- really? That sounds brilliant! I wish I had one.
If he had one, Gabriel reasoned, he might never take it off- he’d use it between every class no one would see him to trip him up in the corridors or pull at his hair again.
In a fit of honesty Gabriel added, I was…wondering…if I could use you, er, this book I mean, like a diary- that’s what I’d planned to do it.
Of course. It is your book now- you don’t mind talking to me I hope? It’s very lonely being in here for years when nobody writes in you.
No- I mean- I like talking to you- it’s great- it’s like
Like
Like having a friend.
Don’t you have many real friends?
No. Not here- my dorm mates don’t like me and all the other houses hate us on principle. Did you have any friends when you were …er…alive?
Not until I came to Hogwarts. At my home I didn’t have any friends at all- they used to pick on me too. When I came to Hogwarts I made some friends. I’d be yours too- if you’d like that.
Yes. Please.
Author's Note: Plotbunny that never grew after HBP came out and changed my perceptions. That and I'm rubbish at writing war-scenes which is where I wanted this to go.
Title:The Seven Rules of Slytherin
Author:Lord Localfreak
Fandom:Harry Potter
Ship:None (v. vague possible PW/SS)
Summary:What if....Percy Weasley had been sorted into Slytherin?
The Seven Rules of Slytherin
I am proud of my Hogwarts house, alumni of Slytherin house; I can’t imagine how my life would have been different if I’d not got into Slytherin. It wasn’t what I’d expected of course. All my family had been in Gryffindor and it took a bit of getting used to. It took the family a while to come to terms with it I suppose, but Mum had always said she’d known I was different from my older brothers, quiet to their boisterousness, circumspect to their brashness, and after my sorting she was always sure to make clear that my difference did not mean that I didn’t belong into my family.
I was so unfocused when I was 11; I think that was the thing. I knew what I wanted in life- I wanted to make something of myself, I wanted to better my life and I resented my family’s low station in life just because we got the bad luck of the draw in the centuries-old Pureblood feuds. All I knew was that I wanted something better; but what was better? What exactly did I want and why? I hadn’t a clue. Until I settled into Slytherin House.
1. Know Your Goals
In my sixth year I made a list, finally putting down in ink what I wanted and why (I burned the list immediately afterwards, of course). I wanted something better: a better life for myself and my family. I wanted, therefore, Power, Money and Influence to clear the family name and change our situations. Ambitious goals of course, that’s why every Slytherin is then taught
2. Know your means to achieve them
My means: Education- the better my academic standing the better chance at influential positions in society. Contacts- there were plenty to be made at Hogwarts, it is the most prestigious school in Britain and the majority of influential families would send their children there.
3. Use your head
I cultivated friendships with my year mates in most houses aided with occasional gifts and offers to help with homework or to do it entirely- for a small fee. The money I gained from tutoring the lower years and occasionally doing people’s homework was mostly spent on Christmas and birthday presents for both my family and my connections (a little ingenuity goes a long way).
4. Assess all information with a pinch of salt.
As a child, in Hogwarts, in Slytherin house contradicting information is never far away.
Malfoy, Flint and others in our house waxed lyrical about how wonderful Voldemort’s take over would be. Lessons learned at their parents’ knees. At my parents’ knees I was taught the opposite. It was easy to see that both were probably exaggerations of the truth.
On the one hand Voldemort was a saviour, who would stop the decline of the old customs and values of the magical world and the erosion of the secrecy that had kept us safe. On the other hand Voldemort was a psychotic extremist who wanted to kill all the muggles, muggleborns, half-bloods and pretty much anyone who stood in his way and who would probably end up destroying the Wizarding World in Britain by decimating the population and making inbreeding kill those left over off.
5. No one is EVER telling the whole truth.
My housemates told me that their parents spoke of wonderful things after Voldemort conquered. They spoke of Power, Influence- the things most of us wanted, but at a price. They didn’t see the price, the servitude to a madman who could drive you mad through his mark. They didn’t see that power from him was not power at all.
My Father and Albus Dumbledore spoke of the ‘greater good’ of defeating Voldemort’s evil. Of combating his madness, they offered a dream- a world of peace. Being a Hero would bring Power and Influence. But they didn’t mention the price either, turning children into soldiers and murderers, the death of classmates who simply believed something different to them. They didn’t offer improvements on the old system, didn’t offer to address the concerns about the weakening secrecy of our world, the loss of culture and rituals, the assimilation of muggle culture. They didn’t offer a better world.
The Ministry said that Voldemort was not coming back. On the one hand they sounded concerned, sensible. They were the authority, they made the laws.
On the other hand they were divided and bumbling. Many of their laws were unjust and admission of Voldemort’s return would be impolitic, causing the public to notice the flaws in their government as they panicked in need of reassurance.
6. Weigh your words and use cunning
When my brother’s best friend Harry Potter appeared at the final task of the Triwizard Tournament hunched over the dead body of fellow champion Cedric Diggory and shouting that Voldemort had returned things became rather difficult for me. For a start, who was I to believe? My little brother’s best friend? The press? My housemates? The ministry? My father? They all said different things. On top of that, even if I did believe that Voldemort was back what could I do? Openly mouth off about the evils of a man who I knew nothing about except that he was the bogey-man from my childhood and my parents were Against him? Where would that leave me? The ministry wouldn’t hire me. I wouldn’t get my prestige if they decided I was dangerous and impolitic like my father. My friends who believed in Voldemort’s ideas or were neutral would not remain useful contacts if they saw me as a reactionary. I remained neutral. I treated my friends no different and when the Minister’s second-in-command wanted to interview me for a job in the department of Information I did the same as I did with my fellows, I was vague about politics with the occasional lie and truth weaved around it and twisted to make them believe I was saying exactly what they wanted me to hear, even when I was saying ‘I don’t believe you’.
7. Don’t ever burn useful bridges if they may be useful to you.
This stood me in excellent stead. Dumbledore wanted me in his Order, the Ministry (when they deigned to admit they’d been covering up Death Eater attacks and that Voldemort was probably back after all) wanted me as an informer and the Death Eaters wanted me as a spy. I hedged my bets and treated all equally. I didn’t pass information until I’d assessed all of them. Eventually I decided that although I didn’t believe in Dumbledore’s cause the Order was the lesser of the three evils.
I wouldn’t be a major member but I did research, ran errands, sold occasional secrets (though none that would harm my friends on the other sides). When Severus Snape killed Dumbledore everyone thought that he was a Death Eater and wouldn’t have anything to do with him. Death Eater or not he was useful to me and it was I who received accolades when his name was cleared.
When the Order of the Phoenix won the war I was heralded as Percy Weasley, master informer. Had the ministry won I wonder if they’d have given me similar accolades, had Voldemort won it is likely I would, at least, have been allowed to live.
I won a medal for that. It took some time but eventually I achieved my goal. I am now head of Department of Information and close advisor of Minister Longbottom (who really grew up well, contrary to office gossip when I was starting out). My Father retired at the end of the war and he and my mother now live quite comfortably.
They always ask me why I never ran for Minister myself; I always reply that Longbottom is the man for the job as far as I’m concerned. Which is true, but not the only reason, I know not to burn my bridges with others and I am protected from the worst invasions of the media by my lesser status and yet I’ve got it. I’ve achieved my goals. I have money, influence and more power than you would think.
Slytherin House made me the man I am today. I finish wrapping up my Mum’s Christmas present and wrap my (hand-knitted) silver and green scarf around my neck. I think I did rather well out of that house, if I do say so myself.
Author's Notes: I wrote this yesterday so there wasn't a lot of time for tidying up but I liked writing it. I couldn't think of any AUs that would be different to things I've read until I thought- such a simple thing- if Percy hadn't been in Gryffindor, would that have changed his actions in the books? I think, maybe.
Please note the title has nothing to do with the Seven (songs?) of Mary...just because my mum has been listening to it. I can't even remember the title which just shows how much I know it!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://piktures.deadjournal.com/mood/charitycam/goth_boy/cold.gif) cold
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Comments:
| From: | (Anonymous) |
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| Date: | December 30th, 2006 - 03:08 pm |
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1) A lovely little idea, it's a shame the bunny died. :) But it's gorgeous anyway and wonderfully ambiguous - is Harry an evil little diary creature or not? It's lovely.
2) I ADORE this one, I think it's my favourite of what you've written so far. It's just ... I love Percy's thought processes, I love the way he considers logically and carefully and sensibly. It's a magnificent little piece and I love it, love it, love it!
(lycoris)
*grins* Thank you! I'm glad you liked them!
| From: | (Anonymous) |
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| Date: | December 31st, 2006 - 05:50 am |
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(iamisaac)
These were both brilliant, and I thought that the second one was a particularly fascinating look into Percy Weasley's head - so entirely probable!
| From: | (Anonymous) |
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| Date: | December 31st, 2006 - 09:41 am |
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versipellis says:
I really like the first one, it's fascinating!
The second one is very IC for Percy and I definitely agree with how you presented him. I think he would've done well in Slytherin.
:) thanks! Glad you liked!
Neat idea for the first one!
I LOVE that use of hte list and Percy is so in character. Great job on these, Mike!
Marvelous- I especially like the Percy-in-Slytherin AU :) |
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