andy_star: Unlikely Ancestors (Neville, G)
Title: Unlikely Ancestors
Author: andy_star
CPE: Neville
Rating: G
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: History
Word Count: 536
Summary: The Gryffindors are undertaking a genealogy project...
“I still don’t see the point of this exercise,” Hermione complained for the third time to the Gryffindor fifth year boys, who were seated around a large table in the library.
“But Hermione!” Ron countered, imitating her irritated, high-pitched tone. “If a teacher assigned it, it must be a valuable learning experience!”
“Oh, shut up, Ron,” Hermione snapped, groaning as she heaved a huge book off her lap.
Professor Binns had taken advantage of a quiet period during term to assign a project on genealogy. Anyone with wizarding ancestry could use the resources in the library to draw their family tree. Muggleborns could either sent away for records from home, or choose a famous wizard from an approved list to research. Hermione, protesting loudly at the prejudice of this project, immediately wrote home for all her family’s birth records, and to ask her parents to find as many books as they can in the local library that could help.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the project was that there was a prize for whoever could trace their family tree back the furthest. The Gryffindors had never been so glad they weren’t in History of Magic with the Slytherins.
“Three and a half generations,” said Seamus, throwing down his quill. “I give up.”
“Same,” said Dean. “Ron?”
“I’m all right,” Ron said, to everyone’s surprise. “One problem - do I have to put Malfoy on here? You know he won’t put me on his.”
“He will if he wants to win,” said Hermione.
“He’ll win anyway,” Ron complained, grudgingly adding Malfoy to his tree with very small, barely legible handwriting. “I don’t know why we’re bothering. Harry?”
“Hm?” Harry looked up from where he was starting to drown under a pile of dusty tomes.
“How you doing?”
“Oh, good,” he said, with a faint smile. “It’s interesting, actually - I mean, I didn’t know anything about my Dad’s family, and now I’ve got names, dates… it’s great.”
Ron got up to lean over Harry’s shoulder, raising his eyebrows as the huge parchment that Harry had spread out in front of him. It was covered in names. “Hey, maybe you’ll win,” he said, hopefully.
“Nah. It’s meant to be both sides, and there’s no way I can do my Mum’s family. The Dursleys might kill themselves if I write to remind them we’re related.” He looked thoughtful, as if thinking maybe he ought to do it anyway.
“Fine, what about you, Neville?”
Hermione glanced over at Neville, who had a vaguely horrified look on his face. “What is it?”
Ron walked around to look at the full page portrait on the page that Neville had been staring at for a full five minutes. “Hold on… isn’t that Godric Gryffindor?”
“Um… yes,” Neville squeaked. “I must have made a mistake, somewhere…”
“I don’t see one,” said Hermione, her scholar’s eye scrutinising his family tree.
“That’s so cool, Neville,” said Harry, grinning. “No one can say you don’t belong in Gryffindor now, eh?”
Suddenly Ron let out a bark of laughter.
“What’s funny, Ron?” Hermione asked, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“I was just imagining the look on Malfoy’s face,” Ron snorted. “Neville’s sure to win, now!”
Author: andy_star
CPE: Neville
Rating: G
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: History
Word Count: 536
Summary: The Gryffindors are undertaking a genealogy project...
“I still don’t see the point of this exercise,” Hermione complained for the third time to the Gryffindor fifth year boys, who were seated around a large table in the library.
“But Hermione!” Ron countered, imitating her irritated, high-pitched tone. “If a teacher assigned it, it must be a valuable learning experience!”
“Oh, shut up, Ron,” Hermione snapped, groaning as she heaved a huge book off her lap.
Professor Binns had taken advantage of a quiet period during term to assign a project on genealogy. Anyone with wizarding ancestry could use the resources in the library to draw their family tree. Muggleborns could either sent away for records from home, or choose a famous wizard from an approved list to research. Hermione, protesting loudly at the prejudice of this project, immediately wrote home for all her family’s birth records, and to ask her parents to find as many books as they can in the local library that could help.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the project was that there was a prize for whoever could trace their family tree back the furthest. The Gryffindors had never been so glad they weren’t in History of Magic with the Slytherins.
“Three and a half generations,” said Seamus, throwing down his quill. “I give up.”
“Same,” said Dean. “Ron?”
“I’m all right,” Ron said, to everyone’s surprise. “One problem - do I have to put Malfoy on here? You know he won’t put me on his.”
“He will if he wants to win,” said Hermione.
“He’ll win anyway,” Ron complained, grudgingly adding Malfoy to his tree with very small, barely legible handwriting. “I don’t know why we’re bothering. Harry?”
“Hm?” Harry looked up from where he was starting to drown under a pile of dusty tomes.
“How you doing?”
“Oh, good,” he said, with a faint smile. “It’s interesting, actually - I mean, I didn’t know anything about my Dad’s family, and now I’ve got names, dates… it’s great.”
Ron got up to lean over Harry’s shoulder, raising his eyebrows as the huge parchment that Harry had spread out in front of him. It was covered in names. “Hey, maybe you’ll win,” he said, hopefully.
“Nah. It’s meant to be both sides, and there’s no way I can do my Mum’s family. The Dursleys might kill themselves if I write to remind them we’re related.” He looked thoughtful, as if thinking maybe he ought to do it anyway.
“Fine, what about you, Neville?”
Hermione glanced over at Neville, who had a vaguely horrified look on his face. “What is it?”
Ron walked around to look at the full page portrait on the page that Neville had been staring at for a full five minutes. “Hold on… isn’t that Godric Gryffindor?”
“Um… yes,” Neville squeaked. “I must have made a mistake, somewhere…”
“I don’t see one,” said Hermione, her scholar’s eye scrutinising his family tree.
“That’s so cool, Neville,” said Harry, grinning. “No one can say you don’t belong in Gryffindor now, eh?”
Suddenly Ron let out a bark of laughter.
“What’s funny, Ron?” Hermione asked, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“I was just imagining the look on Malfoy’s face,” Ron snorted. “Neville’s sure to win, now!”