HP-only Five Things Meme

[runespoor]

The bad news are that I can't go on holidays, my computer crashed, and the USB devices that miraculously held several dozens of thousand words of written words have been infected by some virus which means that said fics cannot be posted on this computer. I am not having my best fandom summer ever.

But! OTOH, there's been the release of Deathly Hallows.

So here's the deal: ask me for a five-things (or five-ways-that, or five-times-that, or whatever) thingie about HP.

If you ask about Andromeda Black, you get another free! five-things! thingie!

(I expect spoilers in comments.)

Comments

[riah-chan.livejournal.com]

Five times Andromeda Black liked here sisters?
Five times the DA didn't get caught?
Five times Luna was right?

(Your choice...)

Five times Andromeda Black liked her sisters

[runespoor7.livejournal.com]

i.

Ted and Andromeda get married in the middle of what is swiftly turning into a sea of letters from Andromeda's family, warmly congratulating her on the birth of her incredible child and begging her with veiled threats to come back within the family. (There are also Howlers, from Andromeda's aunt, but they don't count.) They get married because Nymphadora needs the legal protection, formally binding her to her father.

Bellatrix is the only one who doesn't send anything at all and pretends Andromeda never existed; Narcissa sends no letter, but a handsome Moses basket for Andromeda's child.

They are the only ones not pretending that Andromeda's choise can so easily be undone.

ii.

Summer in the Black residence. Narcissa is painting her nails for the third time in two days, Andromeda is lounging on Narcissa's bed with her eyes half-closed, and Bellatrix is idly twisting her wand between the fingers on her left hand, while her right hand is twisting a lock of her hair.

"God this is boring," Andromeda sighs heavily, rolling over and vaguely wishing she could have a smoke.

Bellatrix grunts. Narcissa glances up from the pink shine of her nails.

"We could play a little Quidditch," the blond suggests. "If we took our brooms and just let the Snitch free - the first to catch it wins."

"I'm bored, not suicidal," Andromeda retorts.

"Cissy, you're Slytherin's Seeker," Bellatrix reminds her youngest sister before in a long-suffering tone.

Silence stretches out, until Andromeda, who has grown tired with counting the ruffles in Narcissa's sheets, says, "I've got Muggle magazines in my room. D'you want me to go get them?"

Merely thinking about moving is an effort, but if that's what it takes to shake them out of their apathy, she'd be willing to do it. First she'll have to endure Bella's recriminations and Cissy's wariness, of course, but she's used to those being the price to pay for anything fun in life. Bella, Andromeda fleetingly thinks, just doesn't know how to have fun.

But no outraged screeching comes; instead, after a heavy pause, Narcissa's voice asks, in a mildly interested tone, "Do they have personality tests?"

iii.

When Andromeda strode onto the battlefield, baby Teddy on her hip and her eyes dry even when she looked down on her daughter's grotesquely peaceful corpse, the anguished cry of her name reached her ears only a moment before arms were flung around her, shaking, and Narcissa's blond head was buried against Andromeda's shoulder, sobbing and babbling again and again how sorry she was and how Bella was dead, dead.

Andromeda looked up and a dozen of feet away Narcissa's husband and son were standing, both looking so alike, embarrassed, and shaken. Lucius wasn't looking at her until Narcissa wailed Andromeda's name a second time, and then he looked straight into Andromeda's eyes; Narcissa's son Draco was glancing at her repeatedly, then flushed and looked away.

Slowly, Andromeda's free arm rose and gripped her sister's shoulder.

Re: Five times Andromeda Black liked her sisters

[mariagoner.livejournal.com]

Narcissa sends no letter, but a handsome Moses basket for Andromeda's child.

Damn. Damn! This AND the third drabble killed me dead. Your Narcissa is just... DAMN. But still so very perfect!

Five times Andromeda Black liked her sisters (iv + v)

[runespoor7.livejournal.com]

iv.

"Bellatrix is the one who found the book," Narcissa said, almost as an apology, as Andromeda fairly squealed over the opened present.

"I had to look through the entire kingdom to find it - it was nowhere in Knockturn and even Flourish and Botts weren't sure they could order it, they said it was too old!" (Bellatrix sounded almost outraged on Andromeda's behalf) "I was so happy when I finally found it - in Wales of all places - say, it is the edition you were looking for, right? Cissy told me it was this one but I wasn't sure she hadn't misunderstood..."

Andromeda looked up from her present though she couldn't stop her hands from running over the embossed leather of the cover.

She was grinning so hard her cheeks were hurting her.

"It is, it's exactly, exactly what I wanted, it's-"

v.

Andromeda couldn't help the smirk that stretched her lips when she read the report of how Bellatrix' trial had gone. Of course her sister wouldn't go quietly - how arrogant of the Ministry to believe otherwise.

She let out a 'heh' as she folded the newspaper and started on her second cup of coffee, feeling in a better mood than she had since Bellatrix had been caught - since Sirius had been arrested, really. Today, even the thought of Sirius couldn't entirely abate her high spirits.

Later in the day, when she heard on the radio that the Malfoy family walked completely unscathed from the charges that had been held against them, she started actually humming.

Five times the DA didn't get caught

[runespoor7.livejournal.com]

i.

They share the same compartment in the train. Luna is humming under her breath, Neville is glancing out of the compartment and when Ginny abruptly says they should restart the DA, she realises her friends both already have their Galleon in their hand, like a good-luck charm.

ii.

"Aren't Dungbombs a little juvenile?" Ernie MacMillan pants.

"Yeah, but they're gonna be what let us not be caught," Ginny replies sharply, her wand raised.

A giggle escapes from Terry's lips, while the smile on Luna's stays as serene as ever.

Dashing through the corridors in the middle of the night: vastly overrated. Behind them the echoes of the cursing Death Eaters fill the halls.

iii.

After the fourth-year disappeared in the green flames, a second passed before Ginny nodded decisively and turned back toward Luna.

She should be alright now, Ginny didn't say, because that was just empty words. They wouldn't have any news whether the girl joined her parents before they were arrested - and they managed to leave England - or not.

"It's the third student we help through the Headmaster's fireplace," Luna noted.

Ginny nodded grimly. "They're bound to find out how we get them out in the end - we need to find another way." She looked around the office one last time - but Dumbledore's portrait was still desperately empty. "I hope Snape'll let Neville off easy," she added as an afterthought, because those were the kind of thoughts they couldn't afford to voice. They needed to be strong.

In Luna's presence such words never sounded weak, and Ginny felt better every time she did speak them.

Luna cocked her head to the side, as if she was listening to something, maybe to Neville setting himself up in order to buy them the time needed to sneak into Snape's office.

"He'll be alright."

They left the office under the silent eyes of the portraits.

iv.

Suspending the Christmas decorations was a lot of work - they had to do it silently and quickly between their classes because during the day the Carrows were less likely to roam through the castle than at night - and anyway no-one would be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, but damn if they were going to let the Carrows and Snape turn the school into a tomb.

v.

"Dam-mit," Anthony cursed when his robe caught in a bush. "You sure - it's the right way?"

The right way in the Forbidden Forest, now that was a laugh, but Lavender didn't mention it.

"They're going to catch Hagrid," Hannah mumbled from somewhere behind her.

The decorations and pro-Harry posters were hanging all around Hagrid's hut, Lavender remembered, wincing.

Last time - Lavender hadn't been there but she's listened to Hermione, and Ron especially, telling the tale - Hagrid's giant half-brother had been-

Lavender refused to waste time being petrified. Instead, she scolded herself mentally - of course he'd be big, what would be the point otherwise - and yelled, "Grawp! Hagrid needs your help!"

Re: Five times the DA didn't get caught

[mariagoner.livejournal.com]

This is fantastic. I love how quickly you sketch out their struggles and just how desperate things slowly become over time for them so easily. Excellent job!