Story [Harry Potter] A Hundred Hogwarts Drabbles (UDC5) -- completed 1/20/12 -- Week Twenty: Ginny Weasley

Fels: Thanks!!



Week Ten: Draco Malfoy

Captain

Draco Malfoy was the leader of his little cohort; the captain, if you will. He led them?not just Crabbe and Goyle, but all the boys?and girls?who hung with their little group. The Slytherins, the special ones. The heirs to a dark power.

Draco relished in his power over them every chance he got. He liked the adoring looks, the way they all turned to him for a solution, no matter the problem. He liked being hero-worshipped.

He would never admit it to anyone?not even himself?but there were days he envied Harry Potter all those fans.


Pilot

Because Draco was the leader, he was at the forefront of every plan. He taunted Potter?s crew, he set up a fake duel to get the kid caught, he joined the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Seeker.

(He tried not to think about how many of his reactions revolved around Potter.)

And when the Dark Lord called, he answered, and took his followers with him.

He led them right up to the very gates of power, but even though he had Crabbe and Goyle stand guard, he never let them in.

The night Dumbledore was killed, Draco Malfoy stood alone.


Mechanic

Draco was no mechanic; he, a pureblood wizard, would never lower himself so far. But the Dark Lord had chosen him for this special task. Now he only had to fix the vanishing cabinet, and he would be forever remembered and honored.

If only he could fix the damn thing.

He spent all year working on it. Every chance he got, he stole up to the Room of Requirement, intent on his task. He ignored Dumbledore?s looks and Snape?s nosiness; he even ignored his friends, his studies?and Potter.

This task was set to him alone, and he would finish.


Mercenary

Draco knew the Dark Lord wouldn?t send any but his favorites to invade the castle; there would be no grubby mercenaries, just highly trained professionals.

And it was Draco?s job to end the headmaster?s life.

He tried not to think about it. He would do his duty. After all, what had Dumbledore ever done for him? He?d just favored bloody Potter.

But when the time came, Draco found that his wand hand was shaking as he pointed it. He couldn?t do it. After all his preparation and determination, he couldn?t do it. He couldn?t kill.

But Snape would never tell.


Serenity

The middle of a war-torn battlefield was a strange time to feel any sort of joy or relief, but when Draco?s mother put her arms around him and Lucius patted his son?s back, Draco could barely move.

?It will be all right,? Narcissa whispered, and Draco nodded, trusting his mother.

He had fought on the wrong side. He had fought on the wrong side for a long time, and he?d known that since the night Dumbledore died, but there had been no escape.

Draco didn?t know if there would ever be, but for a few moments, he was at peace.

 

Great drabbles describing his evolution from dark to light.

 

Sometimes I wonder what Draco Malfoy would be like if he had been born to a different family.

Great drabbles, I also liked the Snape ones with him reminiscing over Lily.

 

Fels: Thanks!! I love the changes Draco goes through as he realizes he?s over his head. I?d love to see more stories with him!!

Hazel: Me too!! Actually, if you haven?t read it, Kritzin?s ?Slave Child? is a really good story that has some great Harry/Draco interaction. Thanks, I?m glad you liked them!!



Week Eleven: Umbridge

Office

Umbridge looked around her office and nodded with satisfaction. With a little work, she had transformed the place into a delightful, cozy place to do her job.

Both of them. She had made it no secret that she was reporting to the Minister of Magic. She was here to make sure the Ministry?s wishes were followed in all educational matters. Hogwarts and its headmaster had been giving Fudge too much trouble lately.

She knew it would take some time, but she would sort things out and get Hogwarts back into line, dragging the students along with her. She wouldn?t fail.


Sales

Umbridge walked into class the first day with a smile on her face. She would start sorting out Hogwarts by sorting out the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum to meet the Ministry?s standards. No funny business, not in her class.

?Wands away,? she said.

It amazed her that, day after day, week after week, month after month, she still had to say ?Wands away? every time she walked into class. She didn?t understand why her students hadn?t caught on.

And it was that lack of understanding that would be her downfall. They weren?t idiots; they were forming a rebellion.


Accounting

Umbridge didn?t keep track of how many times Potter wrote the words onto the paper?and onto his hand. She didn?t need to. She would keep him until she decided it was time to let him go.

And she would bring him back here every time he lied in her hearing. Eventually, he would either learn or he would leave the school. She didn?t care either way. Potter was too much of a troublemaker. Sending the boy away from Hogwarts?and separating him from Dumbledore?would do both student and headmaster some good.

Yes, she decided, Potter had to go.


Management

It wasn?t hard to send Dumbledore packing; all Umbridge had to do was her job, and she eventually brought him down.

Managing the school as the new Headmistress of Hogwarts was a bit more difficult that she expected.

It was the students? fault. They seemed to have not learned a thing, Potter among them. Despite her favorite watchers, students were always causing trouble?especially those Weasley boys, and as soon as Umbridge could prove it, they would be gone.

But it would go smoothly soon enough. It would. She would get everyone under control soon enough. Even?especially?the professors.


Temp

The Headmistress position was supposed to be temporary, but Umbridge knew that Fudge was pleased with her work; she was sure that, by the end of the term, he would have appointed her to a permanent residency in the castle.

But there were certain things she would make sure the minister never heard about.

Such as how the students ran wild in the hallways and played all sorts of nasty, disruptive tricks. How the professors, when they even bothered to show up, actually encouraged the students to rebel.

How she couldn?t even figure out how to get into her office.

 

Great portrayal of Umbridge's utter cluelessnes.


How she couldn?t even figure out how to get into her office.

 

Fels: Thanks!! I just remember the bit in OotP when Dumbledore's office locks itself against her and she has to keep her old one


Week Twelve: Mad-Eye

Terrorists

Mad-Eye Moody had dedicated his whole life to fighting terrorists. He?d joined the Ministry as an Auror shortly after passing his NEWTS, and he soon became the most famous of them all. He found that having a reputation preceding him only helped him take down terrorists.

But Auror work was hard, and he eventually retired.

For a bit.

Dumbledore?s invitation to teach was an honor; he?d certainly like to pass on what he?d learned to the next generation. It always helped to be prepared, and no one was prepared like Mad-Eye.

He thought that on the morning he was attacked.


Deadline

Mad-Eye knew that this man?Barty Crouch, Jr., from the looks of him?had a mission and a deadline. He could guess at the mission?he knew remaining Death Eaters wanted Harry Potter dead, especially if Voldemort really was around like Dumbledore claimed. He didn?t know the deadline, but his contract with the school was for a one-year teaching gig; Crouch and whoever he was working with probably planned to attack Potter before the end of the term.

Mad-Eye tried to resist, but Crouch had surprised him?not any easy thing to do. Now he was stuck in his trunk.


Jack

Mad-Eye Moody was the best damned Auror in the biz, but even he?in his old age?could apparently still be jumped.

It was completely embarrassing that a junior Death Eater could capture him and jack him off to Hogwarts, right under Dumbledore?s nose, in his very own trunk. But the boy had come prepared; he knew exactly when the old Auror?s defenses would be down?hadn?t he always taught his trainees to never let their guard down, even in their own homes??and how to keep him down long enough to weaken him.

It was a long nine months.


Defiant

Through it all, Mad-Eye was defiant; he wouldn?t hold with this nonsense!

But Crouch had gotten him and gotten him good. Mad-Eye was an old man, and even he couldn?t outlast the final enemy: time.

The trunk was dank and cold, and even through Mad-Eye resisted at first, the cold environment and the lack of nutrition over several months was enough to wear anyone down, especially a scarred man far past his prime.

He still tried to resist every time Crouch came down to take his hair, but there eventually came a day when he didn?t have the energy to.


24

Mad-Eye spent 24 days in the Hogwarts infirmary, recovering from his stay in the trunk. Dumbledore offered to take him to St. Mungo?s, but Mad-Eye believed?even after this latest incident?that no place was safer than Hogwarts under Dumbledore?s protection (he?d eventually caught the imposter, hadn?t he?). Too many strangers coming and going through St. Mungo?s every day.

Mad-Eye slowly recovered, and Dumbledore caught him up on recent events.

Forget old and sick and retired. Mad-Eye?s mind was as able as ever, and where there was a fight against the forces of darkness to be had, he was there!

 

How she couldn?t even figure out how to get into her office.

I had forgotten about that one.


*

Poor Mad-Eye, I remember thinking that he as a creepy guy while reading the book, and then I was shocked to discover that it wasn't him at all, it was Barty Crouch.

And when he agreed to come back to work despite what had happened, I thought he was really a very brave man.

 

I'm glad to get caught up on all these drabbles of yours, Nat! I've been lurking, unfortunately. Not enough time to read and comment at camp, apparently. Thank goodness for Victoria Day weekend.

I've really enjoyed them all, but these Mad-Eye ones are brilliant! (Well, they're truthfully all brilliant!). I loved "Defiant" and the nonsense line. It's a great picture of what he must have gone through and thought while trapped in that trunk for a year.

 

Being stuck in a truck for that long would be awful. Great capture of that feeling.

 

Hazel: I love that bit Mad-Eye is incredibly brave. I actually did like fake!Mad-Eye, but the real Mad-Eye is way more badass

Idri: Yay!! I?m glad you?re caught up and enjoying them I don?t know how he survived being stuck down there for so long.

Fels: It really would Thanks!!



Week Thirteen: Voldemort

Enterprise

Tom Riddle had always been an enterprising lad, since his early days at the orphanage. When he got to Hogwarts and learned to control and strengthen his powers, the world was his oyster.

Tom was popular?people were attracted to power, and Slytherins more than most. It wasn?t hard to form a gang of loyal followers?nicknamed, in jest, the Death Eaters. It was even easier to sway the teachers; they were easy to fool into adoring him.

All but Albus Dumbledore.

Tom ignored the name?s ever-watching gaze and carried on; even Dumbledore had no idea what was in store.


Galaxy

There was a whole wide world outside of the school, and when he graduated, Tom spent years travelling?and learning.

But all through his travels, no place had ever felt so much like home as Hogwarts.

And no place was a better breeding ground for the Dark Arts?as Tom knew through experience.

When the opportunity arose, he traveled back to his old school and applied for a job. It was unfortunate that Dumbledore, the one person who had never trusted him, was in charge. Riddle cursed the school and left, vowing one day to return in triumph and glory.


Federation

?I am Lord Voldemort? were the words, and from then on, the world knew his name.

He gathered his Death Eaters around him, and they fed.

But even through all his victories, there was one place he knew he couldn?t take.

More than once, Voldemort stole in the dead of night to the very edge of the castle grounds?far enough away from the border that he wouldn?t be detected, but close enough to see the castle he had once called home and wanted to again.

Now was not the time, but eventually, he would take on Dumbledore.

And win.


Next

Voldemort?s next visit to Hogwarts was as little more than a thing, twisted and sick, unable to support himself or access his power.

It was only the Horcruxes that kept him alive?the Horcruxes and this spindly little teacher he had found roaming where he should not have been. He convinced Quirrell to take him back to the castle, to assist him in taking back his power and his eternal life.

And as before, his plans were spoiled by a little boy.

?Harry Potter,? his whispered, sensing the danger this enemy presented.

But the boy was young; there was time.


Generation

What Voldemort hadn?t counted on was a young generation?s determination to take up their parents? fight.

What he especially hadn?t expected was their ability to do so.

The Battle of Hogwarts was not going as planned. He still was not the master of the Elder Wand, and the students weren?t nearly as tame as the Carrews had reported.

Lord Voldemort made few mistakes in his long career. Underestimating the power of youth was one of his worst?and last.

And underestimating the power of love.

This time, he had no Horcruxes to keep him alive when his own spell rebounded.

 

Great trip into Voldemort's mind.

It gave me the creeps!

 

He gathered his Death Eaters around him, and they fed.
Ooo, really liked that line. Describes the Death Eaters well.

Great look at Voldemort!

 

Hazel: Thanks!! He gives me the creeps, too.

Fels: Thanks!! Now that I think about it, I made them sound like vampires


A couple of these are perfect for Trelawney!! But since I already did her, it's Luna this week.


Week Fourteen ? Luna

Psychic

Luna sometimes saw things that other people didn?t see. It didn?t bother her; she was too caught up in her surroundings to care what other people thought. It was even more so after her mother died and her father delved more deeply into his work.

She didn?t care that others thought she was strange and she didn?t have any friends. At least, that?s what she pretended to make the long nights and even longer days bearable. The castle was full of students, but she was alone.

She drew even more deeply within herself, and that made it easier to pretend.


Detective

Luna didn?t go looking for trouble or adventure; they both found her.

But she would never, ever regret it, because they also brought true friends.

She didn?t have much of an opinion on that Harry Potter boy, but he seemed nice. And when she got to know him, she learned that he was nice?and kind, and attentive, and friendly. He seemed to like her, even though everyone else thought she was strange.

But it was Neville she felt closest to. He knew what it was like to be an outcast, in the shadows, friendless and alone.

Alone no more.


Fraud

Luna never doubted her father, even when he printed strange things in his magazine; she knew that they were true, no matter what anyone else said.

She knew a fraud when she saw one, and she saw plenty?especially at school, like that dumpy old Umbridge. Luna didn?t know much about the Dark Arts, but she had a feeling that Harry was telling the truth about He Who Must Not be Named. That was why she had originally signed up for the D.A.

She stayed because it was helping her, and because in the D.A., she found true, lasting friends.


Awareness

Luna was more aware of her surroundings than she sometimes let on. And when she was with her D.A. friends, she was especially alert.

After that night at the Ministry of Magic, she had no choice.

But that was okay. Being alert would save her life. He Who Must Not Be Named was gathering the forces of darkness around him, and Luna?s friend was at the center of the opposition.

Not that Luna ever thought that the castle would be breached, even after the Ministry was.

Even so, she kept her enchanted coin; when it changed, she joined the attack.


Pharmaceutical

Neville had always loved Herbology best. Luna didn?t care much for it, but she listened as her friend discussed mandrakes and cures and poisonous plants, and she even learned a little something.

It wasn?t her great love, though, so after the Battle of Hogwarts, she left.

She traveled and worked and saw plenty of wonders, but none tugged at her heartstrings the way quiet evenings in the library with Neville had.

Eventually, she realized that she had had herself all along?with him. So she returned to Hogwarts, and to Neville. And in the years that followed, she was content.

 

That was a lovely trip. Luna is one of my favorite characters in HP and you portrayed her so well.

 

Poor Luna.

Lovely set.

 

Hazel and Fels: Thanks!! Glad you both enjoyed

These drabbles aren't dead yet! I got a bit sidetracked with my Sharon Shinn drabbles, but I'm back, and I plan to finish these -- perhaps not in a timely manner, but they'll get done


Week Fifteen: Choose any (non-"Author's Choice") challenge set from UDC3 or UDC4.

Week Fifteen ? Lupin

Truth

Remus Lupin had known from a young age that he was a werewolf; Greyback had attacked him as a child, and it had changed his whole life.

Remus Lupin had known for almost as long that werewolves were feared and despised, and he knew better than to tell people what he was. They would only condemn him.

When he made friends at Hogwarts?three real, true friends?he wanted, desperately, to tell them, but he was afraid that they, too, would fear him.

He finally got up the courage to confess, and he was surprised?and relieved?to be wrong.


Trust

It was a big deal to trust James, Sirius, and Peter, but Remus was glad he had. Never before had he been so accepted for what he was. And with their acceptance, he grew into the person he?d always wanted to be.

In their fourth year, when James and Sirius got the spell right and the three of them changed?illegally?into Animagi, the monthly shifts became less harsh?actually, they became fun, with three friends to share them with.

Peter was small enough to hit the knot, and James and Sirius were big enough to keep him under control.


Honor

Remus did his best to be a good prefect and a good person, but there were some things he regretted later.

Not very many?he was a good person and a good prefect?but he knew, even as he watched James and Sirius mess with poor little Severus Snape, that he should stop them . . . but he didn?t.

He had blamed Peter for never standing up to the duo; it was only later that he realized that he never had, either. He was just as much to blame?moreso, really, because he couold have stopped them and didn?t.


Loyalty

It was loyalty, always?James and Sirius were his mates, and he would never go against them or turn them in.

He fancied that his presence did curb them, sometimes, but that wasn?t always the case. And sometimes a word or a nudge from him would set them straight.

It bothered him a bit, what they did, but at the end of the day, they were still his best friends?all three of them.

In later years, he would come to deeply regret his loyalty to one of them. But that day was far away; for now, they were inseparable.


Love

He never had a serious girlfriend at Hogwarts.

There were dates, of course every once in a while?he had good enough looks, and he was quietly smart?but he never trusted anyone?anyone but his friends?enough to let them in. His secret lay heavy upon his heart, and even though his best friends loved him still, Remus never forgot that his condition needed to stay secret; the rest of the world would still condemn him.

So the love Remus knew at Hogwarts was the love of friendship from James, Sirius, and Peter. And that was enough for him.

 

Wonderful look at Remus. He's such an interesting character.

 

Fels: Thanks!! I really enjoy Remus



Week Sixteen: Sirius

Ranger

Sirius Black trotted ahead of his friends, sniffing the ground as his feet padded quietly through the grass. He heard a whisper of movement and turned to the right, but it was only a bird, which took flight as soon as it realized he was there.

Sirius barked quietly, getting his friends? attention but trying not to attract anyone else?s. Peter, quiet as a mouse ? ha, ha, Sirius thought ? ran through the grass and between the branches of the Whomping Willow, which didn?t detect his presence. He pressed the knot and wait for his friends.

It was time to play.


Cavalier

?You?re being very cavalier about all of this,? Remus hissed.

Sirius ignored him, leaning back in his seat and winking at Louisa Darcy in the next row over.

?I?m serious!?

?No,? Sirius replied. ?I?m Sirius. You?re Remus.?

James, sitting on Remus?s other side, snorted. Remus just rolled his eyes.

?We almost got caught last night,? he said. ?It?s not a joke.?

Sirius finally let his feet drop to the floor. ??Almost? is the key word there, mate. We didn?t actually get caught.? He shrugged. ?We?ll just be more careful next time.?

Remus frowned, but Sirius knew he wouldn?t stop them.


Thief

?Where?d you get that?? Peter asked excitedly.

?Swiped it from the kitchen,? Sirius replied, passing him the drink. At Remus?s frown, he added, ?Well, the house-elves gave it to me. Insisted I take it, really.?

?Yeah.? James unloaded a basket of sweets the house-elves had pressed on them as the two of them had left.

There was nothing like a late-night trip to the kitchens. The house-elves were always more than delighted to give students food. And there was nothing like that sweet thrill of stealing through the dark hallways in the dead of night, risking detention for the fun.


Acrobat

Dogs ? especially emaciated dogs ?were hardly acrobats. It had been nothing more than courage and luck and anger that allowed him to escape.

Sirius had eaten along the way ? it was amazing, the scraps people would throw out ? though now that he was here, getting food would be harder. He could forage a bit, but he would probably only be able to sneak into the castle once, and he had to make it count.

He was in there ? Peter Pettigrew. One-time friend, current traitor. He had cost Sirius his freedom and the Potters their lives; now Sirius would take his.


Barbarian

He and Remus stood over Peter?s shaking body, wands pointed, about to exact their revenge.

It was Harry who stopped them.

?I don?t reckon my dad would?ve wanted them to become killers ? just for you.?

Silence.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other, considering. Remus saw his own thoughts reflected in his friend?s eyes.

They looked like barbarians, bent on revenge, standing over Peter, about to kill him. He deserved to die. After all he?d done ? to James, to Lily ? to Harry ? to Sirius ?

But Harry was right. James wouldn?t have wanted it this way.

They lowered their wands.

 

?I?m serious!?

?No,? Sirius replied. ?I?m Sirius. You?re Remus.?

James, sitting on Remus?s other side, snorted. Remus just rolled his eyes.

I love this joke!

Barbarian was wonderful. It was a perfect moment to choose! This was one of my favorite scenes in the book and I felt the movie let me down on that part. This was a perfect extension on it!

 

?I?m serious!?

?No,? Sirius replied. ?I?m Sirius. You?re Remus.?

 

Fels: Glad you liked that! It was my favorite part to write. I know it's probably been done to death in internet memes, but for me, that joke never gets old


Week Seventeen ? Albus Dumbledore

Boys

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore took to Hogwarts like a fish to water. The first moment he stepped foot on the castle grounds, he took a deep breath and smiled. Some part of him knew that he and this place would be tied together. Coming to Hogwarts felt like coming home.

Albus wanted, more than anything, to travel the world and do great deeds. He would, one day.

And after he did them, he would learn that all the great deeds in the world wouldn?t bring him as much comfort as this school.

But that was still in the future.


Mountain

Albus dreamed of mountains.

Sometimes they were literal mountains ? distant lands he longed to visit ? and sometimes they were a metaphor for all he meant to achieve.

No one doubted that he would see and do great things. Albus Dumbledore was smart. The smartest in his year, for sure, and smarter than many older students; smarter, it was whispered, than some of the professors.

Albus didn?t acknowledge the rumors, but he didn?t dissuade them, either. He was intelligent, but he was brash and confident ? still young enough to believe in great things; still young enough to think he knew best.


Town

After he became headmaster, Dumbledore was not adverse to leaving Hogwarts; in fact, he often did so for business and pleasure (though less of the latter, these days).

But he found that he preferred the castle to anywhere else in the world. When he needed a break from the grounds, he happily moseyed down the lane to Hogmede, one of the last all-magical towns in Britain and situated conveniently close to the wizarding school.

There, he could find all the companionship and fun he needed.

Not that there was much Hogwarts couldn?t provide for him. Hogwarts was everything to him.


Controversy

Dumbledore was no stranger to controversy or conflict. But as the years passed, both started to take a toll.

And yet, he couldn?t give up. Not while there was still such darkness.

He was old enough, now, to realize that he couldn?t solve all the world?s problems. But, without false modesty or pride, he knew that his talents were great, and he was still needed. He wouldn?t be around for many more years, but he would fight evil while he still could.

And when he went, there would be others to take his place.

But not yet. Not quite yet.


Profanity

No profanity escaped his lips; he was too calm for that, even as events moved faster than he had planned.

In the end, things did work out the way he had directed, though he regretted the circumstances.

Some might say that it was a shame that Albus Dumbledore died at Hogwarts, in his very own home.

He would have told them that there was no better place for him to go.

His body remained there forever, entombed on the grounds.

His soul left, but his spirit remained, in the hearts of everyone who loved him and everyone who loved Hogwarts.

 

Week Eighteen: Cedric Diggory

Steed

Cedric Diggory knew he was no white knight, but people treated him as if he?d just ridden in on a majestic steed and slain a dragon.

(More like stolen an egg from a dragon, as it turned out, and Harry Potter had been the one to think of flying in.)

Cedric was an only child, his parents? beloved; he was Hufflepuff?s Seeker and the hero of his House for his deeds on the Quidditch field and, now in the Triwizard Tournament. Hufflepuff was often overlooked and seen as average; Cedric standing out among Hogwarts students made the House very proud.


Peel

Cedric, secretly following certain advice, peeled off his clothing and slipped into the bathtub in the prefects? bathroom. He took a deep breath and, sliding beneath the water, opened the egg.

Instead of that horrible screaming, he heard the hints for his next task.

Cedric was thrilled to have the advantage and considered keeping his knowledge a secret; after all, he would bring glory to Hogwarts and Hufflepuff House if he won the Triwizard Tournament.

Honor and a sense of justice prevailed; Harry had warned him about the dragons, so he deserved to be told how to understand the egg.




Gale

The water looked stormy; Cedric had no desire to wade into the lake. But wade he did, after creating a Bubble Charm around his head.

Harry ? of course, Harry Potter ? had beaten him to the captives, but he hadn?t left. Cedric took the sharp rock, untied Cho, nodded to Harry, and swam to shore.

He was the first one there, but Harry should have been, a point Cedric made to Dumbledore as soon as Madame Pomfrey doused him with a potion and wrapped him in a blanket.

Harry. It was always Harry. Cedric didn?t know why he was so frustrated.


Stylish

Cedric had tried to dress to impress for the Yule Ball; after all, he and the other champions were very much on display during the event.

Plus, he wanted to make a good impression on Cho. She looked stunning when he met her near the Ravenclaw common room. She was, he thought, a rare beauty, and even though they were rivals on the Quidditch pitch, he wanted to know her better. (Besides, Quidditch was canceled for the year.)

That was their first date. There were study sessions in the library, teas in Hogsmede, and secret rendezvous in certain third-floor classrooms.


Needed

It irked Cedric a bit that Harry was always just a little bit better.

Cedric had beaten him at Quidditch, but only because Harry had felt the effects of the dementors and fallen off his broom. Cedric had been chosen as the Hogwarts champion for the Triwizard Tournament, but somehow, Harry had, too.

Harry had known about the dragons, had flown in to get the egg, had made sure the captives were all rescued from the lake, was tied for first place with Cedric.

But Hogwarts needed Cedric, too. Hufflepuff House needed him. Cho needed him.

And that was enough.

 

Wonderful drabbles exploring the depths of everyone's favorite Hufflepuff!!!

Hufflepuff Forever!

 

Book-Geek: Thank you!! Hufflepuff is totally underrated


Week Nineteen: Percy Weasley

Theater

All the world?s a stage, and Percy Weasley was determined to make it is.

Percy had always been studious, even as a child; it was his way of competing with brilliant, outgoing Bill and fun, daredevil Charlie. And, as he gained three more brothers and a sister, it became his way of being noticed in a family that, according to some, had too many children and not enough income.

Percy was determined to break away from his family?s poverty and his father?s oddities. He was going to be something great. He was going to start by being great at Hogwarts.


Singing

Percy couldn?t sing ? the twins often teased him about singing in the shower, but he didn?t (at least, not when anyone was listening), but he could answer the siren song of knowledge.

He wasn?t a power-hungry Slytherin or a studious Ravenclaw, but he had smarts and a strict passion for order. Neither made him popular at school, but he had a few close friends in Gryffindor, and a couple spread throughout the other Houses.

Friends ? and connections ? were good. They would help him later.

The first time he told off a first-year, he learned he wanted to join the Ministry.


Jokes

He wasn?t sure, exactly, what he wanted to do in the Ministry, but something important. Something that would make him important, not just something mundane and small, like his father?s job. And preferably something that didn?t involve risking his life six times before breakfast (he had met Mad-Eye Moody enough times to dissuade him from becoming an Auror).

Bill wanted to be a code breaker, Charlie wanted to work with dragons, and the twins wanted to open a joke shop. Percy considered all those job options jokes; he wanted a real career, something where he could rise through the ranks.


Guests

Percy hadn?t planned to return to Hogwarts quote so soon after graduation, but his boss, Mr. Crouch (a good, respectable Ministry official who trusted Percy completely), was very much involved with the Triwizard Tournament. When he became ill and unable to participate as a judge, it fell to Percy to fill his shoes.

He tried to be objectified, but Harry Potter was, after all, a family friend of sorts; he had stayed at the Burrow one summer and spent the World Cup with the Weasleys. It would be nice to see him win ? and also good press for the Ministry.


Puppets

The next time Percy returned to Hogwarts, it was to fight a war.

He?d come to battle Voldemort and to help his family ? and to apologize for what he?d done, for not understanding what was happening to their world as Voldemort returned to power.

He came just in time to watch his brother?s life slip away.

During the battle, Percy felt like a puppet on strings ? dull, dead, being yanked around on strings without having an option to control his actions.

And after ? despite his family?s welcome, Percy found After to be worse and wished he could stop feeling.

 

Week Twenty: Ginny Weasley

Girl

Ginny Weasley had six older brothers, all of whom had achieved some noteworthy status (good or bad), leaving her as her mother?s darling and ?that Weasley girl? with red hair and skinny arms.

As the only girl, Ginny wasn?t special; she was just last.

People recognized her for her family ? after all, four of her older brothers were still at Hogwarts ? and little else,

Growing up as the youngest, she had learned at an early age that if she wanted to stick out, she had to do something or be someone special. She just wasn?t sure how to do so.


Secret

When she was eleven years old, she found a diary, and it was the biggest secret she had ever kept in her life.

And, she was learning, a dangerous one. She first thought it was nice to have a safe place to pour her thoughts out, her longings for attention, especially from Harry Potter, her brother Ron?s friend.

But then she started having black spells when she couldn?t remember what she?d done, and one day, she came ?awake? and found blood on her hands.

It was the diary. She had to get rid of it and keep it a secret.


Blood

Ginny came to realize that everything that had been happening ? the chicken, the paralyzed people ? was all her fault.

And that diary just wouldn?t go away.

She got it back, but she eventually lost control, despite her best tries. It took her, body and mind, and forced her down beneath the castle.

She saw Tom Riddle, and that was the last thing she saw before she started slipping away.

When she awoke, he was there, and it was all better.

Ginny had worshipped Harry before, but now she saw another side, and she was grateful and embarrassed and in love.


Magic

After that, Ginny started to make her own way.

She was hardly famous ? not that she wanted fame ? but she had an ever-growing circle of friends and acquaintances. And, she learned, she was a very talented witch.

She did well in her classes, especially practicals (and, not-so-secretly, with hexes). She earned praise from her professors and parents and admiration from her friends.

She grew up and grew into her own, and she stopped pining after something ? someone ? she couldn?t have.

And that was when she came to his attention ? when she became herself, the person she was meant to be.


Slayer

Ginny never thought she would take a life, but she did.

At least one.

She didn?t keep track of her body count that day; it was impossible to do so in the chaos (and better if she didn?t know for sure). That day tore at her soul.

But eventually, it ended, and she ? miraculously ? was still alive. One of the lucky ones.

She would never forget how lucky she had been.

She found her family, and Harry, and her friends. She mourned her losses and rejoiced in the people she still had left.

Eventually, Hogwarts became good for her again.