Could I get a challenge?

 

A NEW CHALLENGER HAS APPEARED: addictedforlife
Line: "Now all we need is an Indiana Jones hat." "And Nazis, you can't forget the Nazis."
Length: Around 1000 words

 

Challenge please?

Less crack, more room for really attempting to get a canon character, please?

 

I liked it. Dark enough and AU enough to keep me on my toes. My only quiblle is that you probably ought to clarify this one part:

I'm assuming you mean some kind of time-travel or Confundus on everyone but Dolohov, but I can't be sure. Clarify, plox. Otherwise, great work.

I liked it, and it has the subtlety (in places) that I always appreciate, what with the fogged brain, the references to the pumpkin juice, etc. You went off the rails a bit, but all in all it was a good effort.

Fucking great. Nicely loony, and not so far afield from canon (other than Harry getting a knobber) that I was put off.

Favorite lines:

I LOL'd. Well. I snickered out loud, at least, which is saying something.

I was seriously "What... the fuck...?" at the omake, though. And please tell me that when you say you and lil Pers collaborated on the omake, that you did *not* let him read the larger story.

I agree with most of this, and it sums up pretty well how I felt about the story.

NOW: Someone wanna hit me with a challenge? This'll be my first attempt at this type of thing, so keep that in mind. Humor and/or crack I ain't so good at, but WTF-factor? I guess we'll find out, huh?

Not too long or too specific, por favor.

 

In a multi-layered break in protocol, I'd like to offer this challenge/prompt:

"I only have seven days left to live; what would you do?"

Challenge to: anyone, and I wouldn't say only one person should try it.

Quoted by: whomever you please

Additional rule: NO sexual content.

Length: less than 1500 words.

Who is affected, why, who they're talking to and what they're doing is your decision.

 

Mini-Challenges. Help yourselves. Don't forget to post letting us know you've taken one.

~~~

A New Challenger Has Appeared: ???

Length: 500 - 750 words

Time: 1 Hour

Line: "Nothing personal, Ron. Ok, that's a lie, it's entirely personal..."

~~~

A New Challenger Has Appeared: ???

Length: 500 - 750 words

Time: 1 Hour

Line: "Remember the good old days, Harry? When there were good guys, and bad guys, and we knew who was who?"

~~~

A New Challenger Has Appeared: ???

Length: 500 - 750 words

Time: 1 Hour

Line: "One of them is going to die. Acknowledge that. Believe in it. One of them will die. Accept it. Then make your choice."

~~~

Enjoy. The more you can think outside the box on these, the more kudos you get. And bring the fic.

 

I will take this one. I needed a short break from finishing writing my thesis, so it was rather quickly put together.

My friend​

Blood. So much blood. He couldn't believe that it's was all his own.

"Why?” He whispered weakly while laying on the floor.

"Nothing personal, Ron,” said his best friend. Or maybe a former one. Friends don't try to kill each other. At least not for real. “Ok, that's a lie, it's entirely personal."

He knew he didn't have much time, but Hermione should have show up any moment. Ron glanced at his watch. It was already past the time she usually comes back from her work.

“Oh, don't get your hopes up. She will be late today. I've made sure of that,” said Harry. “Anyway, where I was? Ah, yes. It's definitely personal. And it's actually about Hermione too. To keep it simple – I want her. I've always wanted her. Yet, for some bizarre reason, she's fallen in love with you.”

Harry sat down before him without any care for all the blood on the floor.

“For years I wast trying to change it, all back to our time at Hogwarts, but without any success. Then suddenly I started to see effects of my subtle actions. I knew there is a trouble in your little Paradise before eight of you realized it and it gave me a new hope. Only for you to destroy it all together with your pathetic attempt to save this doomed relationship,” he looked into his eyes. “You just had to propose to her, hadn't you? You were always stubborn, Ron, but why you couldn't just let it go this one time? Why did you need to force me into taking such a drastic measures?”

For a second Ron thought that he will be cursed again, but no spell came his way.

“Don't worry, Ron. I will not curse you anymore. For a better or worse, even with all that happened between us, I still consider you my friend. To tell the truth, I want to apologize for killing you in such a painful way, but I need to make it look convincing and this is how the guy who will be blamed for you death works. If you're interested, I have him already captured, just waiting for a good moment for me to avenge you by killing him in a duel. But that is for later.

“Now, I will need to put my all efforts in helping Hermione to cope with your death. Let's hope that this time she will not make mistake in choosing her next boyfriend. I think that killing another one could be a little suspicious to some people.”

Ron felt cold. He knew that there was no hope for him. In a minute he will be death and nothing could change that.

In his last moments he thought about Hermione.

“I want to thank you for all these years of your friendship, Ron. Even with your faults, I could not ask for a better friend than you. It's just if I need to choose between you or Hermione, I choose her. I promise to you that I will take good care of her. Farewell.”

 

An interesting, if rather more flat look at psychopath!Harry, Celestin. It's not fantastic, but it's pretty solid writing, I think.

Of course, 750 words is really difficult to add much depth to :X

---------- Post automerged at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 PM ----------

I saw this, and it was too good not to use.

He put the gun down beside his wand. The safety had not been engaged.

He didn't think he had ever used that mechanism. He had barely put it down to begin with, and when he slept, it was motionless and potion-induced.

A still statue at dawn, waking at night to deal in death and destruction.

"There was a time before this."

A shock of red hair flashed in front of him as Ronald Weasley pulled his hood down.

Harry nodded.

"A time before guns, germs and nukes."

Harry knew.

"A time when the lines were never broken."

Harry understood.

"Remember?"

Harry remembered.

"Remember the good old days, Harry? When there were good guys, and bad guys, and we knew who was who?"

A lump built in Harry's throat, but it was overtaken with anger burning bright. Ron looked at him sharply.

"When did you become a bad guy, Harry? When did I become a bad guy? Where did we go wrong?"

"Herm-" Harry's voice rang strong and clear, with a hint of rust. He didn't say much.

"That was a bloody rhetorical question, mate," Ron muttered gloomily, bits of his old personality tempered by years of wisdom shining through.

Harry chuckled humorlessly.

"Whose died this time, Ron?"

"Luna."

"It's not a question of dueling anymore, is it?"

In truth, it had never been about dueling. It had always been about killing, and running away to kill another day.

"Luna... our last knight in armor pristine... our last Hermione..." Ron's gaze blanked as he relived his memories.

"There's no other way?"

In response, the first magical artifact that Hermione had ever owned clattered onto the table, a whirl of gold and fairy dust. Harry resisted the urge to go for his gun at the noise.

Harry drew a blood-red stone out of his robes.u

"I knew you kept it."

"I couldn't bring myself to destroy it."

"Her dying breath," Ron whispered.

Harry's fist slammed into the table and Ron brought up his wand on instinct.

The fist morphed about his gun and the Wand of Destiny appeared in Harry's right hand.

"This is my moment of surrender, Harry."

Harry's fingers twitched and, for a moment, Ron wondered if he'd become a bloody smear on the wall as-

"That's unfair."

"She didn't deserve it. She was young-"

"I was her age when Dumbledore died," the age old argument screamed and shouted. "She spoke the two words."

"That was when you went bad, Harry. When you killed my sister."

"Leave, Ron. It won't be the first time. But it certainly will be the last time."

Ron stomped out.

A single ray of light filtered through the dark window and hit the Time-Turner.

The prismatic glow was lost to the unholy crimson light of the Philosopher's Stone.

Harry's smile lit red.

========

Eww. I really hated this, after all was said and done. Maybe 3/4s way through, I really, really hated it.

EDIT: Eww, it was only 485 words. Fail. I could have sworn I wrote 500.

 

I'll try my hand at this one I suppose.

His scar hurt. It hurt a lot. Being in the presence of Lord Voldemort would do that when you had a damned horcrux in your head. Of course the scar wasn't the only thing in pain. Oh no, the rest of his body still hurt, still spasmed occasionally from Cruciatus after Cruciatus.

He could hear laughing. The cold heartless laughter of the Death Eaters who found pain and suffering to be a game. He could hear muffled sobs too, those coming from the girl standing in front of her two best friends.

Incomprehensible muttering reached his ears from Ron, who was bound just as he was, kneeling next to him in front of all the Death Eaters. Harry wondered if the torture had broken Ron. It had almost broken him.

He lifted his eyes to look at Hermione, whose scarred face looked back at him and then at Ron. She held her wand clenched tightly in her fist but was unable to move.

The sibilant hiss of Voldemort's voice permeated the room as he walked slowly to Hermione's side.

"It is time little mudblood."

Glistening tears leaked down Hermione's face. Sobs were choked back as she glanced at the Dark Lord and shuddered.

"It is your choice girl," Voldemort said. He drew a finger down the side of her face brushing away a tear. Hermione flinched away, desperate to ignore what was happening.

"One of your friends will be spared the torturous death I fully intend to give the one who remains," Voldemort explained.

They had been so foolhardy. So sure that they could win. They had destroyed the horcruxes. Voldemort was mortal, save for the one in his head. Harry knew he had to die for Voldemort to finally be defeated. So they had confronted him at Hogwarts and they had failed. They had failed everyone. Neville and Ginny and Luna, the Weasleys, McGonagall. They were all dead.

Harry locked his gaze on Hermione, silently pleading that she should spare Ron the torture as further mutters drifted from Ron's mouth. For all of Ron's faults he had been a good friend. If Harry could do it he would take the torture so his friend would be spared.

Voldemort reached over and grasped Hermione's face and jerked her head around to meet his blood-red eyes. "One of them is going to die. Acknowledge that. Believe in it. One of them will die. Accept it. Then make your choice."

Brown eyes, clouded by tears, jerked away from the monster and wavered between the forms of her two best friends. One of them... just one, she could spare whatever was coming. Ronald Weasley or Harry Potter. Her boyfriend or best friend. It was no real choice, they were all going to die anyway.

"Choose mudblood," Voldemort snarled. "Or you'll be the last to go. Forced to watch both of your foolish friends suffer and die before you."

Two words. Hermione raised her wand, and drew forth all of her hatred and anger and malice that she felt towards Voldemort and closed her eyes. So be it.

"Avada Kedavra."

Voldemort stared dispassionately at the scene for a moment.

"Interesting choice."

~~~

Also, if someone would like to take a try at this one, I couldn't come up with a thing for it. Nothing that seemed even remotely decent at any rate.

Challenged: thebrute7 (anyone now)

Length - 4K

Prompt: "Not again Ron! It never works!"

~~~

 

Nice one, thebrute7. Because I had a moment of inspiration, I actually quickly wrote a prequel (because I really, really don't want to write what I suppose to write right now) to the last one using the same challenge as you. I hope that no one minds.

Friends​

"One of them is going to die. Acknowledge that. Believe in it. One of them will die. Accept it. Then make your choice."

“Ok, now you're officially creeping me out,” said Ron.

“Why?” Asked surprised Harry.

“We're here to choose a chicken for a dinner, not execute some innocent wizards.”

“It doesn't make it any less true,” shrugged Harry. “Don't you have any compassion? These chickens have families that love them. Friends that will miss them.”

“These are just chickens. I doubt they know what family is,” argued Ron.

“How can you be sure? When I could talk with snakes, they sounded rather intelligent to me. What if chickens are the same?”

“So, what now? We need to find someone with the ability to talk with chickens? I don't even know how it would be called.”

“I'm sure that Luna will know,” said Harry.

“Yes, because that's exactly what we need right now. Someone to actually believe what you're saying. We better ask Hermione. If she doesn't know about it, it doesn't exist,” Ron talked back.

“If something is not in the books, it doesn't mean it' not true. Beside what if the Ministry wants you to think that way? What if they're hiding the horrible truth about intelligent chickens that are murdered every day for our appetite?”

“Ok, that's it. No more Quibbler for you, Harry. I will tell Hermione to cancel your subscription and Ginny to make sure you don't get any from Luna.”

“Heh, killjoy,” smiled Harry. “Speaking of Hermione, how is it going between the two of you? I don't want to be nosey, but...”

“Yes, I know. I admit that we had a little worse time lately, but I believe it's behind now. To tell the truth I'm considering...” Ron was unsure if he should to continue speaking.

“Yes?”

“Well, I'm thinking about proposing to her,” he finally said.

There was a moment of silence.

“I must say that I didn't see it coming now. Maybe later, but not now,” Harry said quietly.

“What are you saying?” Ron looked at his friend.

“Oh, you just surprised me, that's all,” he assured him. “I just didn't realize that we're at the age when most people start to get married. How sure are you about doing it?”

“I've already bought a ring. Actually, I wanted to ask you, if you could hid it for me. I'm worried that if I leave it in our flat, Hermione will find it by accident.”

“Of course, I will keep it for you, Ron. That's what you have the best friend for. To help with such a dangerous task as protecting the One Ring from unexpected discovery,” smiled Harry. “Well then, I'd say my congratulations, but I will wait with it till we know what answer you will get from Hermione.”

“You think she may say no?”

“I doubt that, but you never know. But now,” Harry's wand shot a spell, killing the closest chicken instantly. “Let's have a dinner already.”

 

May I have a challenge?

 

I like the whole chicken thing. It makes it more humorous. Interesting how you have a funny prequel to a serious piece and mine was just, well... serious.

 

Quoted for great justice.

 

Cursed​

x-x-x-x​

He stared at the black veins that were stretching across his skin, all originating from a central point on his hip. The dark magic radiated heat and sickness, he already felt a slight flush of fever from the curse. It would only get worse.

“There is no countercurse?” he asked, though he knew the answer.

The Healer shook his head. “No countercurse, no treatment, nothing that can delay its effects.”

He was going to die. He had nearly died on several occasions but never had it been unavoidable. He felt fear and relief and an almost giddy sense of adventure at the thought of discovering what comes next. Dumbledore would be proud.

“I only have seven days left to live,” Snape said, speaking to himself as much as the Healer. “What would you do?” he asked.

“I would say goodbye to my family,” was the prompt and expected reply.

Snape sneered at the man. He had no family. His mother was dead, beaten to death by his father in a drunken rage, and his father was dead courtesy of Snape’s first killing curse. “I have no family,” he said curtly.

The Healer’s expression gave nothing away but Snape fancied that he could see pity in his eyes. “In that case,” the Healer said, “I would do whatever I wanted, consequences be damned.”

“Consequences be damned,” Snape mused aloud. “I like the sound of that.”

Then he smiled.

He knew what he wanted to do.

x-x-x-x​

Eleven students filed into his office, the entirety of the dark lord’s Hogwarts coterie. They stared at him with what they no doubt thought were masks of neutrality and aloofness but for one such as Snape it was easy to see through the masks. They knew him to be marked and trusted him, not understanding the games that Voldemort and Dumbledore played, not understanding that he was a pawn in a game of giants, trusted by neither and used by both.

It suited the dark lord’s purposes to keep Snape close, just as it suited Dumbledore.

Snape’s dark eyes ranged over the students. They were murderers, torturers and three were rapists. They were the future of the dark lord’s army, already initiated into its ways and promised the mark upon graduation from Hogwarts. Dumbledore knew this but would not take action nor allow Snape to take action on his behalf.

Consequences be damned, the Potions Master thought.

“Our Lord achieved a great victory today,” he said, his quiet voice filling the room. “Join me in drinking to his glory.”

Twelve glasses were filled from a single decanter and when each student held one Snape raised his own. “To our Lord’s victory, may there be many more.” He drank, automatically noting the sweetness of the poison, mingled with the alcohol. His heart began to race but he ignored it, trusting his built up immunity to poisons to keep him alive for a moment longer.

The students first noticed that something was wrong when Draco Malfoy’s glass slipped from his suddenly nerveless fingers, smashing against the flagstone floor. Almost as one the students fell to the floor, their expressions faint and confused.

It was Millicent Bulstrode who realised the truth of what had happened in her final moments. When she tried to speak, to accuse him, blood welled from her mouth, choking her. A second later she was dead.

Drawing an antidote from his pocket Snape swallowed it and felt his heart slow down.

Walking over to Draco’s body, Snape reached beneath his collar and pulled free the amulet that he wore around his neck. Placing the amulet around his own neck Snape stepped up to his fireplace, throwing a handful of floo powder into the flames. With a shout of, “Malfoy Manor,” he disappeared from his office.

He reappeared in the main hall of Malfoy Manor, his passage through the wards eased by Draco’s ward-key.

Narcissa, alerted by the wards of the new arrival and the use of her son’s ward-key, arrived seconds later.

“I must speak with Lucius,” Snape said before she could speak. “I have urgent information and no time to reach Dark Lord through the proper channels. Draco was kind enough to loan me his ward-key,” he added by way of explanation.

“Of course, he is in the library,” Narcissa said, turning to lead the way. Snape’s silent piercer punched through her back and tore a hole in her heart, killing her instantly.

He swept pass her body without a glance and made his way through the corridors of Malfoy Manor. He knew the manor as well as anyone who wasn’t a Malfoy and had even provided the Order with floor plans and ward schematics, not that anything was ever done with them.

Coming to library Snape entered without knocking. Lucius’ head shot up from the book he was reading at the interruption. “Severus what ...”

“Read this,” Snape spat, feigning anger as he drew a piece of folded parchment from his pocket and handed it Lucius.

The pureblood took it gingerly, trying to avoid the spots of discolouration that dotted the parchment. It was impossible though, there were more spots than clear parchment. Curious as to what had roused Snape’s anger, Lucius unfolded the parchment but found nothing. He started to ask a question but the words wouldn’t come, his throat felt tight, constricted. His heart began to beat a rapid, panic induced, tattoo against his ribcage and his lungs screamed for air when they realised that none was available.

He tried to reach his wand but found his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. Then he noticed that he was on his back on the floor. He didn’t remember lying down though, or falling.

Snape leaned over him, his expression impassive as he watched his lifelong friend struggle for one last breath. “I killed your wife and son not more than ten minutes ago Lucius and with them gone so is the Malfoy family. You will be dead in twenty seconds. I promise, I’ll be sending you lots of company in the next few days.”

 

That wasnt half bad - in fact, it was pretty engaging, to be honest. I suppose a fatal flaw of TGYH is the lack of detail, but...

I'd totally read the shit outta that if you wrote ~20k words or so.

 

Two challenges for anyone interested.

Challenger: ???

Length: ~1000 words

Line: "Harry, could you explain to me why am I the only girl you've never slept with?"

Additional rule: It's not Hermione or Ginny. Find some other girl and reason why Harry didn't sleep with her.

***​

Challenger: ???

Length: ~1000 words

Line: "I'm The Goddamn Batman."
"And I'm the Harry Fucking Potter."

 

I'll take that one!

 

There's no rule against more than one person taking a challenge, right?

Alright, I've answered a couple of challenges so I figure it's time I issue one of my own.

Challenger: Anyone

Length: 1000 (more or less if you need it)

Line: "I swear, this isn't what it looks like!"

It doesn't have to be Harry, in fact it might be better if it wasn't. I think the Weasley twins would work best for this but that's just me.

 

I don't know, but I have no problem with sharing that challenge.

 

I think I'll snag that. I can see some good potential in it.