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winterThe second batch of St Nick’s request not-really-drabbles. 480 words about Hob Gadling for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
xwingace, 658 words about Sirius Black’s mother of all people for amamiyarin. Next up: vampires and more vampires, because I still have to polish up arabwel’s vignette.
RINGING THE BELLS, forxwingace
The woman was shivering in her uniform. The evening was growing even colder than the day had been, and the street was almost empty; it wasn’t even worth turning the sound system on, and her bell was shot anyway. She rubbed her arms and stomped her feet, and it took her a moment to notice the man’s approach. He had a scraggy blond beard, and his jacket looked warm.
“Cold, isn’t it?” she called out as cheerfully as she could. “Give a dime or a dollar to those in need!”
“What’s it for?” He had more than a trace of a British accent.
“Salvation Army.” She patted her uniform jacket with pride. “For the poor and the needy!”
“Guess I can spare a penny then,” he muttered as he searched his pockets. He dropped a few dollars into the almost empty kettle. “Not much luck tonight, ey?”
“I don’t have the right sound effects,” she told him with a rueful smile. “I got the broken bell, and I was supposed to have Christmas song on the iPod, but I let my son fill it, and he’s a History major. I don’t recognize a single song from the playlist.”
“Not the classics, then? Holly and the Ivy, how did that one go?” The man closed his eyes. “The rising of the sun, the running of the deer...”
“Not in this version.” She scrolled through the playlist of the little plastic device on her belt and plugged in the jack of the external speakers propped on her kettle.
“Holly standeth in the hall, fair to behold...”
“I know this one,” the man said. “Nay, Ivy, nay, it shall not be, I wis, let Holly have the mastery as the manner is...”
He had a good strong voice. British drinking songs, she thought, or were those the Irish that sang in pubs all the time, and she wasn’t that cold anymore as she clapped her broken bell on the kettle’s edge, beating out the rhythm of the song.
Some stragglers from the offices paused in their dashing to their cars long enough to listen, and old instincts made them reach for their wallets. When the song was finished, she hugged the stranger, and they both laughed.
“Thank you!” she said. “I was about to pack in.”
“You guys are a religious outfit, right?” He smiled. “Mention Robert... say well of Hob Gadling in your prayers and we’re done.”
“Done.” She gave the bell another forlorn shake. “I’d get more donations if I were in a Santa suit, I guess.”
“I can’t stand Santa.” Hob winked at her. “Bloody immigrants.”
She looked on as he walked down the street, swaggering to the rhythm of a carol half a millenium old, and even when he turned a corner, she thought she could still hear that song.
Nay, Ivy, nay, it shall not be, I wis...
LAST DAY OF SUMMER foramamiyarin
It was Faith’s first time on the Hogwarts Express, and for all that she’d heard about it, she was a little afraid. The train rumbled and shook, and it was so – Muggle.
After an hour, she could no longer stand it, or the chatter of the other first-years in her compartment. They talked so much! She was sure they’d all end up as Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, dumb loyalty and dumber bravery still.
She made her way through the train cars to the rear. She had seen a small porch at the end of the train, back on the station when Mummy still held her hand, and she thought the fresh air would help. She took care to nod politely when someone noticed her pass, if they were children of people her parents knew. Harold Potter tried to wave her over, but Faith wasn’t in a mood to talk to Gryffindors, even just second year ones.
She had her wand out as she approached the door at the end of the last carriage, since she’d learned Alohomora years ago, but to her surprise the door swung open as she pulled on the doorknob. The sheer unthoughfulness of it made her huff in disapproval, and it took her a moment to notice she hadn’t been the only one to have the idea about a breath of fresh air.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the boy said. He was tall, dark-haired, at least a sixth-year if not a seventh-year. He was holding his school robes in one hand.
“Well, that door shouldn’t be open,” Faith said resolutely. The rail around the platform looked far too flimsy. “If a first-year came through, you’d be wiping blood off the tracks all the way to Hogsmeade.”
“And I suppose you’re not a first-year?”
“Well, I am. But I spent the whole summer practicing spells, and Mother taught me one that would make me bounce right back on the train.”
“So you spent your last summer before Hogwarts learning?” The boy reached down to ruffle her hair.
“It was fun.” Faith looked up at him. He was wearing a Slytherin tie, and she approved. “What did you do?”
“I visited the family. I settled some matters that had to be resolved.” There was a large ring on his finger, and now he raised it up to his face, so that the eye of the ring looked like a third eye in the middle of his forehead. “It’s my last year at Hogwarts, and I want to turn a new page.”
Faith looked at the railing, then at her robes, still devoid of House colours. “Is Hogwarts nice? My parents always say it is, but – not all the first-years look happy.”
“Hogwarts is the best place ever. Whenever I get on the Hogwarts Express, it’s like going home.”
“Really?”
The boy put his hand on Faith’s shoulder and pointed to the trees rushing past. “You leave everything behind – all the troubles, all the things that make you different. All that matters in Hogwarts is what House you’re in, and that’s all the family you need. Sometimes I think I’d like to stay in Hogwarts forever.”
“I want to be in Slytherin. My Mummy was there, and so’s my fiancé. Orion Black. We’re to marry when I leave Hogwarts.” Faith wasn’t too sure how she felt about that, but Orion wasn’t too stupid for a boy, and he let her order him around when they’d played as children, so she thought he was okay.
“Then maybe you’ll help me keep Orion out of trouble. Last year he got caught sneaking Dungbombs into Gryffindor Tower.”
“I’ll tell him not to get caught,” Faith promised. “Are you a Slytherin prefect?”
The boy smiled and slipped on his school robes. A pin glittered in the afternoon sunlight, and Faith’s mouth dropped open. “You’re Head Boy!”
“Tom Marvolo Riddle, at your service.” He winked. “But to my friends, I am Lord Voldemort.”
xwingace, 658 words about Sirius Black’s mother of all people for amamiyarin. Next up: vampires and more vampires, because I still have to polish up arabwel’s vignette.RINGING THE BELLS, for
xwingaceThe woman was shivering in her uniform. The evening was growing even colder than the day had been, and the street was almost empty; it wasn’t even worth turning the sound system on, and her bell was shot anyway. She rubbed her arms and stomped her feet, and it took her a moment to notice the man’s approach. He had a scraggy blond beard, and his jacket looked warm.
“Cold, isn’t it?” she called out as cheerfully as she could. “Give a dime or a dollar to those in need!”
“What’s it for?” He had more than a trace of a British accent.
“Salvation Army.” She patted her uniform jacket with pride. “For the poor and the needy!”
“Guess I can spare a penny then,” he muttered as he searched his pockets. He dropped a few dollars into the almost empty kettle. “Not much luck tonight, ey?”
“I don’t have the right sound effects,” she told him with a rueful smile. “I got the broken bell, and I was supposed to have Christmas song on the iPod, but I let my son fill it, and he’s a History major. I don’t recognize a single song from the playlist.”
“Not the classics, then? Holly and the Ivy, how did that one go?” The man closed his eyes. “The rising of the sun, the running of the deer...”
“Not in this version.” She scrolled through the playlist of the little plastic device on her belt and plugged in the jack of the external speakers propped on her kettle.
“Holly standeth in the hall, fair to behold...”
“I know this one,” the man said. “Nay, Ivy, nay, it shall not be, I wis, let Holly have the mastery as the manner is...”
He had a good strong voice. British drinking songs, she thought, or were those the Irish that sang in pubs all the time, and she wasn’t that cold anymore as she clapped her broken bell on the kettle’s edge, beating out the rhythm of the song.
Some stragglers from the offices paused in their dashing to their cars long enough to listen, and old instincts made them reach for their wallets. When the song was finished, she hugged the stranger, and they both laughed.
“Thank you!” she said. “I was about to pack in.”
“You guys are a religious outfit, right?” He smiled. “Mention Robert... say well of Hob Gadling in your prayers and we’re done.”
“Done.” She gave the bell another forlorn shake. “I’d get more donations if I were in a Santa suit, I guess.”
“I can’t stand Santa.” Hob winked at her. “Bloody immigrants.”
She looked on as he walked down the street, swaggering to the rhythm of a carol half a millenium old, and even when he turned a corner, she thought she could still hear that song.
Nay, Ivy, nay, it shall not be, I wis...
LAST DAY OF SUMMER for
amamiyarinIt was Faith’s first time on the Hogwarts Express, and for all that she’d heard about it, she was a little afraid. The train rumbled and shook, and it was so – Muggle.
After an hour, she could no longer stand it, or the chatter of the other first-years in her compartment. They talked so much! She was sure they’d all end up as Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, dumb loyalty and dumber bravery still.
She made her way through the train cars to the rear. She had seen a small porch at the end of the train, back on the station when Mummy still held her hand, and she thought the fresh air would help. She took care to nod politely when someone noticed her pass, if they were children of people her parents knew. Harold Potter tried to wave her over, but Faith wasn’t in a mood to talk to Gryffindors, even just second year ones.
She had her wand out as she approached the door at the end of the last carriage, since she’d learned Alohomora years ago, but to her surprise the door swung open as she pulled on the doorknob. The sheer unthoughfulness of it made her huff in disapproval, and it took her a moment to notice she hadn’t been the only one to have the idea about a breath of fresh air.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the boy said. He was tall, dark-haired, at least a sixth-year if not a seventh-year. He was holding his school robes in one hand.
“Well, that door shouldn’t be open,” Faith said resolutely. The rail around the platform looked far too flimsy. “If a first-year came through, you’d be wiping blood off the tracks all the way to Hogsmeade.”
“And I suppose you’re not a first-year?”
“Well, I am. But I spent the whole summer practicing spells, and Mother taught me one that would make me bounce right back on the train.”
“So you spent your last summer before Hogwarts learning?” The boy reached down to ruffle her hair.
“It was fun.” Faith looked up at him. He was wearing a Slytherin tie, and she approved. “What did you do?”
“I visited the family. I settled some matters that had to be resolved.” There was a large ring on his finger, and now he raised it up to his face, so that the eye of the ring looked like a third eye in the middle of his forehead. “It’s my last year at Hogwarts, and I want to turn a new page.”
Faith looked at the railing, then at her robes, still devoid of House colours. “Is Hogwarts nice? My parents always say it is, but – not all the first-years look happy.”
“Hogwarts is the best place ever. Whenever I get on the Hogwarts Express, it’s like going home.”
“Really?”
The boy put his hand on Faith’s shoulder and pointed to the trees rushing past. “You leave everything behind – all the troubles, all the things that make you different. All that matters in Hogwarts is what House you’re in, and that’s all the family you need. Sometimes I think I’d like to stay in Hogwarts forever.”
“I want to be in Slytherin. My Mummy was there, and so’s my fiancé. Orion Black. We’re to marry when I leave Hogwarts.” Faith wasn’t too sure how she felt about that, but Orion wasn’t too stupid for a boy, and he let her order him around when they’d played as children, so she thought he was okay.
“Then maybe you’ll help me keep Orion out of trouble. Last year he got caught sneaking Dungbombs into Gryffindor Tower.”
“I’ll tell him not to get caught,” Faith promised. “Are you a Slytherin prefect?”
The boy smiled and slipped on his school robes. A pin glittered in the afternoon sunlight, and Faith’s mouth dropped open. “You’re Head Boy!”
“Tom Marvolo Riddle, at your service.” He winked. “But to my friends, I am Lord Voldemort.”
