Other People's Sandboxes

Title: Crucio (The Test of Loyalty Remix)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew
Rating: G
Word Count: 1950
Summary: They are each tested in their own way.
Original Story: Loyalty by framlingem
Notes: Written for Remix Redux 11.

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( Crucio (The Test of Loyalty Remix) )

Title: A Quiet Interlude (The Standing on a Precipice Remix)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Lily, Sirius
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1900
Summary: There were some questions Lily wasn't willing to face, even as an adult.
Original Work: Here Is No Place by schmevil
Notes: Many many thanks to my betas, sherylyn and inkvoices

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( A Quiet Interlude (The Standing on a Precipice Remix) )

Title: Beyond the Sunset (The Instilling Hope Remix)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Sirius, Lily
Rating: G
Word Count: 601
Summary: When one doubts, the other believes.
Original Story: Not to Yield by such_heights.
Written for Remix Madness 2011

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( Beyond the Sunset (The Instilling Hope Remix) )

Title: Memento Mori
Author: velvetmouse
Recipient: r_becca for the 2010 springtime_gen exchange.
Character(s): Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter & Others
Rating: PG
Warnings: Very AU, bordering on crack!fic; the mental gymnastics required to deal with time travel cause-and-effect paradoxes; off-screen character death
Wordcount: 10,616
Summary: Voldemort is dead, and everyone can finally get on with their lives.  Years later, the Dark Lord's personal effects are found, and it seems that he recorded more than anyone guessed.  A tale of change, memory and immortality found in the written word.
Author's Notes: Consider this an alternate time-stream from what we know happened in canon; the reasons for the differences will be explained, but not until the end.
Betas: The always amazing S.
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( Memento Mori )

Written for the prompt "Somehow... whether in the Afterlife or via a portrait, etc... Snape and Dumbledore talking about Neville after the Final Battle, when Snape learns more about Neville's bravery."

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"So what do we think of the new professors?"

It was a traditional question, one asked by Headmaster Everard Litcomb every year after the first staff meeting. As the oldest surviving portrait, it was his right and privilege to begin the discussion.

"Hmph," sniffed Headmistress Charity Appleblossom. "Too young by far. In my day - "

"In your day witches and wizards were required to serve ten year apprenticeships before anyone would even consider letting them teach anything," Headmaster Phineas Black interrupted wearily. "As we've told you every year, Charity, times have changed. We can't judge today's staff by our own."

"Well I for one am delighted to see Miss Patil and Mr. Longbottom joining the staff," Headmaster Albus Dumbledore proclaimed. "They were both fine students and - " He was interrupted by an indignant snort that came from his left.

"Do you have something to add, Headmaster Snape?" Headmaster Litcomb asked pointedly. Few of the Headmasters believed Snape deserved his place on the wall along side them, but Hogwarts's magic refused to let his painting be removed, and so he remained.

"Patil might have been a passable student, but Longbottom always was and every will be an incompetent idiot. How he got sorted into Gryffindor and not Hufflepuff I'll never understand."

"He survived seven years in the same castle with you," Black pointed out over the indignant squawks of the former Hufflepuffs. "That certainly shows a certain amount of courage."

"Bah. Cowardice, you mean. Never once did I see him stand up for himself," Snape retorted.

"I'd hardly call defying Tom to his face and killing Nagini an act of cowardice, Severus," Dumbledore chided gently.

"He - what?"

"Did you truly never know? He was the one - not Harry - who slew the snake that killed you."

"Drew Gryffindor's own sword, to do it too!" crowed Headmaster Dexter Fortescue.

Snape opened his mouth and snapped it shut again. "Hmmh," he finally said. "Perhaps the boy isn't useless after all."

Written for the prompt "McGonagall, Sprout, and Hooch on tea break in the teachers' lounge, complaining about: a. Dumbledore; b. students; c. another teacher."

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Pomona Sprout collapsed into a chair with an un-graceful thump.

"Remind me again why I ever thought becoming a teacher would be a good idea?"

"Because the alternative was to marry whatshisname and you had too much sense to do that?" a voice above her replied. Pomona opened her eyes to find a cup of tea levitating in front of her.

"Oh bless you, Rolanda," she replied and grasped the tea cup, letting the warmth soak into her aching hands. "On days like this I wonder if becoming Mrs. George Whitterby might not have been the safer choice."

"What happened?" Minerva asked, looking up from the pile of parchment she was grading.

"Miss Jessie Laband happened. I love that girl dearly, but Hufflepuff or not, I will be thrilled when she no longer has to take Herbology."

Minerva raised her eyebrows. "That bad?"

Pomona closed her eyes and shuddered at the memory of chasing down three dozen leaping toadstools. "That bad. The girl is as bad at Herbology as Longbottom is good."

"Don't let Severus hear you say that," Rolanda comment with a chuckle. "I've already been treated to three rants this week about the incompetence of Longbottom and the idiocy of Potter."

"That man," Minerva spat, "wouldn't acknowledge talent in a Gryffindor if his life depended on it."

Whatever Pomona might have replied was cut off by the wall calendar chiming loudly.

"Oh what now?" Rolanda groaned and went to check the calendar. "Merlin save us," she swore. "Albus has called another staff meeting. That's the fifth one in the last two weeks!"

She and Pomona turned to the Deputy Headmistress.

Minerva held up her hands in frustration. "Don't look at me, ladies. I'm finding out about these when you are." She gathered her papers with a sigh. "I suppose we should be off and find out what nonsense Albus is inflicting on us this time."

"Fine," Pomona replied, heaving herself to her feet. "But I give you fair warning now, Minerva - if he tries to make us do any more of those 'team building' exercises, I shall walk out the door and lock myself in greenhouse two until the spring!"

Title: Reflections
Gift for: firstyearagain in the 2009 founders_gifts exchange
Author: velvetmouse
Characters/Pairing: Helga, Rowena
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Genres: genfic
Author's Notes: Many thank, as always, to my beta Sherry, who saves the world, one comma at a time.
Summary: Two women. An enchanted mirror. What could possibly go wrong?

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( Reflections )

Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry, Hermione, others mentioned
Written for infiniteviking 's 2009 fandom_stocking

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing and fought valiantly to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching, but he was unable to keep his bright green eyes from dancing madly.

"Harry James Potter, stop that this instant and help us out of this mess!"

The reprimand would have been more effective if the speaker hadn't been bent into a position that a contortionist would have been proud of, and each limb hadn't been a different color. Not being tangled up with a large portion of the residents of Gryffindor tower might have also helped.

"But Hermione," Harry replied with feigned innocence, "you're the one who wanted to play twister. How was I to know that the wizarding version actually turned your hands and feet the colors of the dots?"

Hermione sighed as best she could from under Fred's armpit. "Just find the box and see if there are any instructions for how to undo the enchantment on the board, please?"

Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry, Draco
Words: 100 (a proper drabble!)
Written for nomdeploom 's 2009 fandom_stocking

Green eyes met grey from across the room, each tinged with weary understanding.

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy might have long time rivals, bitter enemies and on opposite sides of nearly every issue under the sun.

But there was one thing that they found they could always agree upon - girls went mad when the words "formal dance" were mentioned.

Harry crossed his eyes at Draco, and Draco rolled his in agreement. Then they each turned back to their respective girlfriends and continued nodding in all the right places, as the ladies went on and on about the upcoming event.

Title: Hook and Bait
Author: velvetmouse, written for the July 2009 hbpchallenge
Characters and pairings: Slughorn, Snape
Rating and warnings, if any: G, just a bit of AU goodness
Prompt, if any: none, really. just an odd little "what if" scenario that popped into my head
Summary: What if someone gently pushed Snape in another direction?

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( Hook and Bait )