Challenge 045; Hurt/Comfort & Challenge 056; Angst
Title: Ron and Hermione's Escape
Rating/Warnings: PG, no warnings
Characters/Pairing: Ron/Hermione
Summary: Hermione goes back for Ron when Harry goes after Snape
Word Count: 1,285
Registered purchases?: None :(
Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Caught up with the mental madness she had just dealt with, Hermione had completely forgotten about the abhorrent stench of the troll from the previous room. She quickly plugged her nose and ran for the door on the opposite side of the room. As quickly as she could manage, she opened the door and gasped at the sight before her.
If she had not been a part of the brutal game of Wizard’s Chess not minutes before, she would have though nothing had ever happened. All of the broken pieces were gone from the board and the intact chess pieces were waiting patiently on their assigned squares. Ron, however, was still waiting unconscious in the middle of the board.
“Ron!” she yelled as she ran to Ron’s side, “Ron! Ron! Are you alright?” Hermione knelt at Ron’s side and shook him by the shoulders - he didn’t respond. “Ron, please! You have to get up! We have to get out of here and help Harry!” She shook him again and he still he would not respond. Hermione began to panic, looking around the room for something to rouse him. All she could find were broken pieces of marble and dirt, nothing appropriate to help someone. She went back to Ron’s side, “Ron, oh, please!” She touched his face gently, “Please be okay…oh, I don’t know what I would do with myself if you were hurt. I mean, I know it was your idea to sacrifice yourself, but you have become one of my…best friends here and we have to get out of here before something else bad happens!”
All of a sudden, Ron let out a strained grunt. “Wha-wha happen’d to me?”
“Oh, Ron! You are alright!” She started to give Ron a hug, but thought better of it. She patted him on the shoulder gently, “You sacrificed yourself so we could win at Wizard’s Chess and go on to the next room.”
“That sounds like a really brave thing of me to do,” Ron said, sitting up shakily and smiling gently at her. His reached for his back, which hurt quite a bit, and realized he had a large gash on his face that was bleeding profusely.
“Oh, Ron! Look at your face,” Hermione reaches for her wand, “Episkey!” she said while giving her wand a slight flick. Instantly, the wounds on Ron’s face stopped bleeding, though they still appeared as if they might start bleeding again at any second. “That will help you for now, but we still need to get you back to Madam Pomfrey as soon as we can!”
Hermione began to help Ron up off the floor. He stumbled a bit and clasped his head, “Oh, Hermione. I don’t feel well at all. I don’t know if I can get out of this place with out passing out or throwing up!” He fell to his knees and put his head on the floor, “Can’t I just lie down again? I am so sleepy and this floor feels so nice…”
“No, you can’t! You probably have a concussion and if you fall asleep, you will never wake up again!”
“That sounds okay right about now…” Ron began to lay down on the floor again and Hermione had to practically drag him back up to his feet.
“You absolutely can not stay here! I am not leaving you! Look, we need to get back to the last room, grab some brooms and get out of here! Who knows what Harry is doing in there by now! What if he’s hurt or something?”
Ron supported himself on Hermione’s shoulders, “Alright, alright! Let’s get out of here.” She took him by the arm and guided him back to the large wooden door. She set Ron against the wall as it took all of her strength to pry open the large door. She took him again by the arm and walked into the sound of fluttering keys.
The keys had returned to lazily flying around the ceiling as if nothing had ever happened. Hermione thought for a second, wondering how they would get out with just the one broom. “How are you at flying, Ron?”
“I’m alright. I’ve flown around the yard with my brothers since I was little,” Ron was still clinging to the wall, but appeared to be thinking clearer. “I’m not sure how good I will be currently, though. My head is pounding and my back is killing me.”
“Well I certainly can’t do it!”
“Why not, Hermione! You’re the smartest person I have ever met!”
“What, books and smarts? That has nothing to do with my ability to fly a broom!”
“Well then I guess we either risk me flying us into a wall or we stay down here forever!”
Hermione thought for a second, looking to the broom hovering in the middle of the room and then back to Ron. She sighed heavily, “Fine! I will fly us out of here! But you have to hold on to me really tight!” Hermione blushed slightly, realizing her embarrassing statement.
“It’s a deal,” Ron said also blushing and looking at the floor.
“Okay, here’s what we have to do. You open the door, I’ll grab the broom and run into the other room. Then you close the door behind me before those flying keys can attack us. Do you think you can do that?”
“I think so,” Ron said, walking over and opening the door.
“Okay, ready? One, two-” Hermione grabbed the broom and the keys immediately descended upon her. She swatted them away as she ran for the door, broom in hand. Ron closed the door behind her as she ran into the room, taking a few of the keys with her. She hit them to the ground and Ron ran over and stomped on them a few times.
“Well, that worked,” Ron said, wobbling slightly on his feet. “Now we have to fly through the Devil’s Snare and then past Fluffy?”
“That’s about it,” Hermione said, mounting the broom, looking at the ceiling covered in the plant. Ron also stared at the ceiling, but didn’t move. “Ron, what are you waiting for? Get over here!”
“What if you crash?” Ron said, still looking at the ceiling.
“I won’t. This is the only way we can get out of here!” Hermione yelled.
“Alright! Alright.” Ron made his way over to Hermione on the broom, stepping behind her and getting unpleasantly close.
“Ronald, you are going to have to hold on to me or you are going to fall and get another concussion.”
“Fine!” Ron grabbed Hermione around the middle clutching her robes tightly.
“Okay. Let’s go,” Hermione said as she kicked off the ground. Ron almost slipped off the back of the broom causing him to tighten his grip on Hermione’s robes even more. Hermione flew threw the hole she had created before, aiming for the trap door up ahead and gaining speed.
“Hold on, Ron. This might hurt a bit.” Hermione slammed into the trap door, throwing her hands in front of her, hoping the trap door would open easily. They flew through the door before Fluffy even had time to realize what was happening. Hermione landed in front of the door to the third floor corridor, flung it open and ran outside, pulling Ron with her.
“That was bloody brilliant, Hermione!” Ron said, leaning against the closed door, “I didn’t know you could fly that well!”
“I didn’t know either,” Hermione said, putting down the broom with her hands still shaking. “Come on, let’s get you to the hospital wing. I have a letter to send for Harry.”
Word count points: 1285/30 = 42
Title: Neville's Journal
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, minor mentions of suicide
Characters/Pairing: Neville
Summary: Neville writes in his journal before going to Hogwarts for the first time
Word Count: 662
Registered purchases?: None :(
July 17, 1991
Dear Journal,
Hi there again, journal. It’s been a few months since I’ve had the chance to write in you. Things have been busy around here. My birthday is in a few days and I got my letter to Hogwarts a few weeks ago, to the surprise of a few people in the family. Uncle Algie nearly fell off his chair when I told him and Aunt Enid hugged me so hard that I’m pretty sure she broke one of my ribs. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about their excitement. I know they are just happy for me that I am finally going to Hogwarts…well I guess they are just happy Hogwarts wants me at all. But I think they aren’t really happy for me at all and they are just relieved I’m not really a squib like they thought I was for so long.
I always hear about that time Uncle Algie dropped me out of the window and I bounced down the street, though I don’t remember it. What kind of family does that to a little kid, magical or not? What if I had been hurt or killed? They would have been sorry then! Or maybe they wouldn’t have been sorry at all. Maybe they wanted me to die when he dropped me. They would have been rid of the worst member of the family early on and I wouldn’t have been such a disappointment to them my whole life.
I just keep thinking of all the terrible things that could happen to me at Hogwarts. What if I am sorted into Slytherin? We are a pure-blood family, so it is a possibility, right? But all the terrible things I hear they do in that house scare me so much. I hear that they take the first years out in back and whip them with self-propelled whips. I don’t think I could stand being put in a house like that. Literally - I think the people in the house would kill me before the end of the year. I really hope that I get into Hufflepuff. The things I hear about the house make it seem like a pretty safe place to be. No one will expect much from me if I was in Hufflepuff, right? I would be a disappointment to the family, though, considering mum and dad were both in Gryffindor. I would be a disappointment to everyone if they put me in Gryffindor, though. I think I would rather just play it safe and be in Hufflepuff.
To be honest, journal, part of me doesn’t want to go to Hogwarts at all. I try so hard to help Gran and be a good grandson to her, but most of the time I let her down anyway. I can hardly do anything magical, even to help her around the house when she asks. I know she loves me, but I just feel like such a big disappointment to everyone. Just between you and me, the thought of killing myself has crossed my mind more than once. It would be se easy. Gran has lots of pills lying around the house. I could just take a handful of those and stop being such a letdown. I know I’m never going to accomplish anything worthwhile like my parents, so why should I keep being a burden on everyone in my family?
I don’t know. As much as I want to be something amazing to this family, I know I won’t be. But I can’t shake the feeling that simply killing myself would not be something that my parents would want. It would let them down even more than anyone else in the family. I can’t do that to them, even if they don’t recognize me. I have to keep being strong and at least get by at Hogwarts. It’s the least I can do for them.
Until next time,
Neville
Word count points: 662/30 = 22
Total points: 42+22 = 64 points for Hufflepuff
Rating/Warnings: PG, no warnings
Characters/Pairing: Ron/Hermione
Summary: Hermione goes back for Ron when Harry goes after Snape
Word Count: 1,285
Registered purchases?: None :(
Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Caught up with the mental madness she had just dealt with, Hermione had completely forgotten about the abhorrent stench of the troll from the previous room. She quickly plugged her nose and ran for the door on the opposite side of the room. As quickly as she could manage, she opened the door and gasped at the sight before her.
If she had not been a part of the brutal game of Wizard’s Chess not minutes before, she would have though nothing had ever happened. All of the broken pieces were gone from the board and the intact chess pieces were waiting patiently on their assigned squares. Ron, however, was still waiting unconscious in the middle of the board.
“Ron!” she yelled as she ran to Ron’s side, “Ron! Ron! Are you alright?” Hermione knelt at Ron’s side and shook him by the shoulders - he didn’t respond. “Ron, please! You have to get up! We have to get out of here and help Harry!” She shook him again and he still he would not respond. Hermione began to panic, looking around the room for something to rouse him. All she could find were broken pieces of marble and dirt, nothing appropriate to help someone. She went back to Ron’s side, “Ron, oh, please!” She touched his face gently, “Please be okay…oh, I don’t know what I would do with myself if you were hurt. I mean, I know it was your idea to sacrifice yourself, but you have become one of my…best friends here and we have to get out of here before something else bad happens!”
All of a sudden, Ron let out a strained grunt. “Wha-wha happen’d to me?”
“Oh, Ron! You are alright!” She started to give Ron a hug, but thought better of it. She patted him on the shoulder gently, “You sacrificed yourself so we could win at Wizard’s Chess and go on to the next room.”
“That sounds like a really brave thing of me to do,” Ron said, sitting up shakily and smiling gently at her. His reached for his back, which hurt quite a bit, and realized he had a large gash on his face that was bleeding profusely.
“Oh, Ron! Look at your face,” Hermione reaches for her wand, “Episkey!” she said while giving her wand a slight flick. Instantly, the wounds on Ron’s face stopped bleeding, though they still appeared as if they might start bleeding again at any second. “That will help you for now, but we still need to get you back to Madam Pomfrey as soon as we can!”
Hermione began to help Ron up off the floor. He stumbled a bit and clasped his head, “Oh, Hermione. I don’t feel well at all. I don’t know if I can get out of this place with out passing out or throwing up!” He fell to his knees and put his head on the floor, “Can’t I just lie down again? I am so sleepy and this floor feels so nice…”
“No, you can’t! You probably have a concussion and if you fall asleep, you will never wake up again!”
“That sounds okay right about now…” Ron began to lay down on the floor again and Hermione had to practically drag him back up to his feet.
“You absolutely can not stay here! I am not leaving you! Look, we need to get back to the last room, grab some brooms and get out of here! Who knows what Harry is doing in there by now! What if he’s hurt or something?”
Ron supported himself on Hermione’s shoulders, “Alright, alright! Let’s get out of here.” She took him by the arm and guided him back to the large wooden door. She set Ron against the wall as it took all of her strength to pry open the large door. She took him again by the arm and walked into the sound of fluttering keys.
The keys had returned to lazily flying around the ceiling as if nothing had ever happened. Hermione thought for a second, wondering how they would get out with just the one broom. “How are you at flying, Ron?”
“I’m alright. I’ve flown around the yard with my brothers since I was little,” Ron was still clinging to the wall, but appeared to be thinking clearer. “I’m not sure how good I will be currently, though. My head is pounding and my back is killing me.”
“Well I certainly can’t do it!”
“Why not, Hermione! You’re the smartest person I have ever met!”
“What, books and smarts? That has nothing to do with my ability to fly a broom!”
“Well then I guess we either risk me flying us into a wall or we stay down here forever!”
Hermione thought for a second, looking to the broom hovering in the middle of the room and then back to Ron. She sighed heavily, “Fine! I will fly us out of here! But you have to hold on to me really tight!” Hermione blushed slightly, realizing her embarrassing statement.
“It’s a deal,” Ron said also blushing and looking at the floor.
“Okay, here’s what we have to do. You open the door, I’ll grab the broom and run into the other room. Then you close the door behind me before those flying keys can attack us. Do you think you can do that?”
“I think so,” Ron said, walking over and opening the door.
“Okay, ready? One, two-” Hermione grabbed the broom and the keys immediately descended upon her. She swatted them away as she ran for the door, broom in hand. Ron closed the door behind her as she ran into the room, taking a few of the keys with her. She hit them to the ground and Ron ran over and stomped on them a few times.
“Well, that worked,” Ron said, wobbling slightly on his feet. “Now we have to fly through the Devil’s Snare and then past Fluffy?”
“That’s about it,” Hermione said, mounting the broom, looking at the ceiling covered in the plant. Ron also stared at the ceiling, but didn’t move. “Ron, what are you waiting for? Get over here!”
“What if you crash?” Ron said, still looking at the ceiling.
“I won’t. This is the only way we can get out of here!” Hermione yelled.
“Alright! Alright.” Ron made his way over to Hermione on the broom, stepping behind her and getting unpleasantly close.
“Ronald, you are going to have to hold on to me or you are going to fall and get another concussion.”
“Fine!” Ron grabbed Hermione around the middle clutching her robes tightly.
“Okay. Let’s go,” Hermione said as she kicked off the ground. Ron almost slipped off the back of the broom causing him to tighten his grip on Hermione’s robes even more. Hermione flew threw the hole she had created before, aiming for the trap door up ahead and gaining speed.
“Hold on, Ron. This might hurt a bit.” Hermione slammed into the trap door, throwing her hands in front of her, hoping the trap door would open easily. They flew through the door before Fluffy even had time to realize what was happening. Hermione landed in front of the door to the third floor corridor, flung it open and ran outside, pulling Ron with her.
“That was bloody brilliant, Hermione!” Ron said, leaning against the closed door, “I didn’t know you could fly that well!”
“I didn’t know either,” Hermione said, putting down the broom with her hands still shaking. “Come on, let’s get you to the hospital wing. I have a letter to send for Harry.”
Word count points: 1285/30 = 42
Title: Neville's Journal
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, minor mentions of suicide
Characters/Pairing: Neville
Summary: Neville writes in his journal before going to Hogwarts for the first time
Word Count: 662
Registered purchases?: None :(
July 17, 1991
Dear Journal,
Hi there again, journal. It’s been a few months since I’ve had the chance to write in you. Things have been busy around here. My birthday is in a few days and I got my letter to Hogwarts a few weeks ago, to the surprise of a few people in the family. Uncle Algie nearly fell off his chair when I told him and Aunt Enid hugged me so hard that I’m pretty sure she broke one of my ribs. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about their excitement. I know they are just happy for me that I am finally going to Hogwarts…well I guess they are just happy Hogwarts wants me at all. But I think they aren’t really happy for me at all and they are just relieved I’m not really a squib like they thought I was for so long.
I always hear about that time Uncle Algie dropped me out of the window and I bounced down the street, though I don’t remember it. What kind of family does that to a little kid, magical or not? What if I had been hurt or killed? They would have been sorry then! Or maybe they wouldn’t have been sorry at all. Maybe they wanted me to die when he dropped me. They would have been rid of the worst member of the family early on and I wouldn’t have been such a disappointment to them my whole life.
I just keep thinking of all the terrible things that could happen to me at Hogwarts. What if I am sorted into Slytherin? We are a pure-blood family, so it is a possibility, right? But all the terrible things I hear they do in that house scare me so much. I hear that they take the first years out in back and whip them with self-propelled whips. I don’t think I could stand being put in a house like that. Literally - I think the people in the house would kill me before the end of the year. I really hope that I get into Hufflepuff. The things I hear about the house make it seem like a pretty safe place to be. No one will expect much from me if I was in Hufflepuff, right? I would be a disappointment to the family, though, considering mum and dad were both in Gryffindor. I would be a disappointment to everyone if they put me in Gryffindor, though. I think I would rather just play it safe and be in Hufflepuff.
To be honest, journal, part of me doesn’t want to go to Hogwarts at all. I try so hard to help Gran and be a good grandson to her, but most of the time I let her down anyway. I can hardly do anything magical, even to help her around the house when she asks. I know she loves me, but I just feel like such a big disappointment to everyone. Just between you and me, the thought of killing myself has crossed my mind more than once. It would be se easy. Gran has lots of pills lying around the house. I could just take a handful of those and stop being such a letdown. I know I’m never going to accomplish anything worthwhile like my parents, so why should I keep being a burden on everyone in my family?
I don’t know. As much as I want to be something amazing to this family, I know I won’t be. But I can’t shake the feeling that simply killing myself would not be something that my parents would want. It would let them down even more than anyone else in the family. I can’t do that to them, even if they don’t recognize me. I have to keep being strong and at least get by at Hogwarts. It’s the least I can do for them.
Until next time,
Neville
Word count points: 662/30 = 22
Total points: 42+22 = 64 points for Hufflepuff