andy_star: The Properties of Unicorn Hair (Neville, PG)
Title: The Properties of Unicorn Hair
Author: andy_star
CPE: Neville
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: Letters
Word Count: 873
Summary: veiledintention universe, but futuristic. Alice loves reading. Too bad her parents never let her read anything really interesting...
Alice Longbottom, at seven tender years of age, was as curious as any cat has ever been. She was interested, primarily, in how things worked, and secondly, why they worked. She understood, and had done for some time, that there was much to learn from books, and had therefore learned to read at a pace much advanced from the rest of her class.
She learned by taking a book at random off her parents’ bookshelf and sounding out each word until she knew what it meant. At night she would hide under the bed covers and read by the light of a special magical lantern until she fell asleep.
Knowing her obsession, her parents were careful about what books they left within her reach. She longed to see what was in the big ones on the top shelf in the study, huge, tasty-looking books that she found out later were her mother’s most gruesome medical textbooks. She had once picked up a scruffy looking book from her mother’s bedside table and got as far as sounding out the title: “Wendy’s Wicked Weekend”, before her father snatched it out of her hand, telling her firmly that she was at least thirty years too young for that one.
The only time she really got to see anything exciting and grown-up, was when her mother took her on a visit to see Draco Malfoy. Her father was supposed to watch her, but he had to work at the last minute, so her mum was forced to bring the little girl along. Alice wasn’t too happy about it either - she’d only met Mr. Malfoy a few times, and she got the feeling her Dad was a bit uncomfortable around him. But when she followed her mum out of the fireplace, she found herself in a room simply full to bursting with books. She gazed at them, forgetting all her manners and letting her mouth hang open with amazement.
Mr. Malfoy came in, looking quite grand in an silvery over-robe, and greeted Alice’s mother warmly.
“I’m sorry Draco,” Tracey said hurriedly. “Can I use your loo?”
“Go ahead,” said Mr. Malfoy, sounding amused. “How’s the pregnancy coming along?”
“Too slowly,” said her mother. Alice was hardly listening; she had wandered over to the bookshelves and twisted her head around to read the spine. “Alice,” her mother was saying. “Will you be all right for a minute?”
“Fine,” she said, sounding out the syllables in her head. 'Un-i-corn - Hair - and - Its - Prop-er-ties’…
Her mother fled the room, which she had been doing a lot lately. After a moment Alice realised that Mr. Malfoy was watching her, and she turned to look at him. He looked uncomfortable, as if he wasn’t sure if he should speak to her.
“You have a lot of books,” she told him.
He smiled. “Do you like books?”
“Awfully,” she nodded eagerly. “How many do you have?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never counted.”
“Oh.”
He cocked his head slightly to one side, observing her. “You can look at them, if you like.”
She needed no further encouragement. She pulled out the book about unicorns and sat cross-legged, settling it on her knees. When her mother came back in the room, she looked worriedly down at her daughter. “What’s that book?” she asked Mr. Malfoy. “It’s not something horrible, is it? She’s surprisingly good at understanding the words.”
“It’s an outdated essay on the properties of unicorn hair,” Mr. Malfoy assured her. “Nothing horrible at all.” The two of them sat down at the little table and chatted.
Alice devoured the book hungrily, but to her disappointment, there was not much information on unicorns themselves, just the hairs once they had already been removed from the unicorn. By the time her mother was ready to leave, she had almost finished the volume. Mr. Malfoy looked very surprised when she handed the book back to him, taking out her finger from where it marked the place. “You read that fast,” he observed. She grinned.
That night, when her father came to tuck her into bed, he asked whether she had enjoyed her outing. “It was marvellous,” she told him. “Daddy, did you know that unicorn hair is used in Invisibility potions?”
He stared at her. “Er, yes, actually, I did.”
“Well, did you know… it can be used to strengthen potions or foods that are aphro… aphrodisiacs?”
His eyes widened. “Where on earth did you hear that?”
“I didn’t,” she said, innocently. “I read it.”
“Where, Alice?”
“Um…” she immediately sensed that this was one of the things she wasn’t supposed to have read, so she thought quickly. “One of Mummy’s books.”
He groaned. “Well don’t go near that book again - I’ll have to talk to your Mum about more book security. Go to sleep now, you little rotter.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, and he kissed her on the forehead.
The next time her mother went to visit Mr. Malfoy, Alice asked if she could go too. Her mother said it would probably be all right, so long as she stayed quiet, like last time. Alice smiled and said of course she would be quiet, so long as she could look at another of Mr. Malfoy’s wonderful books.
Author: andy_star
CPE: Neville
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: Letters
Word Count: 873
Summary: veiledintention universe, but futuristic. Alice loves reading. Too bad her parents never let her read anything really interesting...
Alice Longbottom, at seven tender years of age, was as curious as any cat has ever been. She was interested, primarily, in how things worked, and secondly, why they worked. She understood, and had done for some time, that there was much to learn from books, and had therefore learned to read at a pace much advanced from the rest of her class.
She learned by taking a book at random off her parents’ bookshelf and sounding out each word until she knew what it meant. At night she would hide under the bed covers and read by the light of a special magical lantern until she fell asleep.
Knowing her obsession, her parents were careful about what books they left within her reach. She longed to see what was in the big ones on the top shelf in the study, huge, tasty-looking books that she found out later were her mother’s most gruesome medical textbooks. She had once picked up a scruffy looking book from her mother’s bedside table and got as far as sounding out the title: “Wendy’s Wicked Weekend”, before her father snatched it out of her hand, telling her firmly that she was at least thirty years too young for that one.
The only time she really got to see anything exciting and grown-up, was when her mother took her on a visit to see Draco Malfoy. Her father was supposed to watch her, but he had to work at the last minute, so her mum was forced to bring the little girl along. Alice wasn’t too happy about it either - she’d only met Mr. Malfoy a few times, and she got the feeling her Dad was a bit uncomfortable around him. But when she followed her mum out of the fireplace, she found herself in a room simply full to bursting with books. She gazed at them, forgetting all her manners and letting her mouth hang open with amazement.
Mr. Malfoy came in, looking quite grand in an silvery over-robe, and greeted Alice’s mother warmly.
“I’m sorry Draco,” Tracey said hurriedly. “Can I use your loo?”
“Go ahead,” said Mr. Malfoy, sounding amused. “How’s the pregnancy coming along?”
“Too slowly,” said her mother. Alice was hardly listening; she had wandered over to the bookshelves and twisted her head around to read the spine. “Alice,” her mother was saying. “Will you be all right for a minute?”
“Fine,” she said, sounding out the syllables in her head. 'Un-i-corn - Hair - and - Its - Prop-er-ties’…
Her mother fled the room, which she had been doing a lot lately. After a moment Alice realised that Mr. Malfoy was watching her, and she turned to look at him. He looked uncomfortable, as if he wasn’t sure if he should speak to her.
“You have a lot of books,” she told him.
He smiled. “Do you like books?”
“Awfully,” she nodded eagerly. “How many do you have?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never counted.”
“Oh.”
He cocked his head slightly to one side, observing her. “You can look at them, if you like.”
She needed no further encouragement. She pulled out the book about unicorns and sat cross-legged, settling it on her knees. When her mother came back in the room, she looked worriedly down at her daughter. “What’s that book?” she asked Mr. Malfoy. “It’s not something horrible, is it? She’s surprisingly good at understanding the words.”
“It’s an outdated essay on the properties of unicorn hair,” Mr. Malfoy assured her. “Nothing horrible at all.” The two of them sat down at the little table and chatted.
Alice devoured the book hungrily, but to her disappointment, there was not much information on unicorns themselves, just the hairs once they had already been removed from the unicorn. By the time her mother was ready to leave, she had almost finished the volume. Mr. Malfoy looked very surprised when she handed the book back to him, taking out her finger from where it marked the place. “You read that fast,” he observed. She grinned.
That night, when her father came to tuck her into bed, he asked whether she had enjoyed her outing. “It was marvellous,” she told him. “Daddy, did you know that unicorn hair is used in Invisibility potions?”
He stared at her. “Er, yes, actually, I did.”
“Well, did you know… it can be used to strengthen potions or foods that are aphro… aphrodisiacs?”
His eyes widened. “Where on earth did you hear that?”
“I didn’t,” she said, innocently. “I read it.”
“Where, Alice?”
“Um…” she immediately sensed that this was one of the things she wasn’t supposed to have read, so she thought quickly. “One of Mummy’s books.”
He groaned. “Well don’t go near that book again - I’ll have to talk to your Mum about more book security. Go to sleep now, you little rotter.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, and he kissed her on the forehead.
The next time her mother went to visit Mr. Malfoy, Alice asked if she could go too. Her mother said it would probably be all right, so long as she stayed quiet, like last time. Alice smiled and said of course she would be quiet, so long as she could look at another of Mr. Malfoy’s wonderful books.