Post by caladwen on Dec 20, 2007 2:53:51 GMT -5
Hello our soon-to-be loyal reviewers (we hope).
This is a fanfiction about two girls who transfer to Hogwarts during the Marauders Era. Yes, it's been done, it's been done and been done badly, it has also been done well. We're hoping for the latter.
We would like to welcome you to our first joint fic, hopefully, the story will be interesting, and you'll stick with us throughout Autumn. On another note, we would like to add that we are writing in tandem, not as a single entity, seeing as we live in different countries. See if you can spot the differences in writing style (and spelling)!
On one last note, we have no beta, and as of now, aren't looking. We read each others stuff, and fix the mistakes we find, but it's not perfect. If you spot something, please point it out, and we'll fix it. We want our story to be as eye-friendly as possible!
Risa & Azure
Azure: Okay, people. This is going to be a universal disclaimer, for I don't like adding them and neither does Risa. We don't own Harry Potter or any of the themes therein. We make no profit from the writing of this story. Enjoy!
Tabbi looked up at the hulking castle from her position on the ground and couldn't help but be intimidated.
It was one thing to hear about Hogwarts; great, sprawling, with towers and spires reaching toward the Heavens, but another to see it in person. She had been hearing about this place for most of her magical life, which tallied just under six years. But now, as she looked up upon it, she felt very small. Salem's didn't compare to this... they weren't even in the same category.
Tabitha drew her cloak up tighter around her shoulders, shivering slightly. The one thing that she thought she surely would not get used to was the weather. In England, it seemed to rain constantly. And then, when it wasn't raining, it was bone-chillingly cold. She wondered briefly how it would be in the summer; if it would get as hot as it had in America or if it would stay in an eternal Autumn.
Glancing down at the small slip of paper in her hand, Tabitha read the words over again for what felt like the millionth time. Her instructions for entering the school were hard to read in the darkness. In fact, she thought as she looked around at the black that surrounded her, why am I still standing here?
Gazing up at the outline of the huge castle one last time, she took the handle on her trunk and trudged up the path... a path that she hoped led to the front doors.
A few minutes later, she pushed open the massive doors. Inside, she was pleased to see, it was bright and cheery. Although it was probably late, and the famed Start-of-Term feast was probably over, the torches along the walls were still lit and burning brightly. Tabitha quickly disposed of her winter clothing and stowed it away in her trunk.
She looked down at the robes again, noting for about the sixth time today that they were odd. She wasn't used to wearing such an elaborate uniform; the one at Salem's had consisted of a polo shirt, skirt, stockings and shoes. This one, she observed, was made up of what felt like three different layers of clothes for no point that she could see.
Sighing, she looked around at the merrily lit Entrance Hall. There were four hourglasses on the back wall, two flanking either side of the Grand Staircase. She considered these curiously. The massive hourglasses had statues of animals perched atop them: a lion, a serpent, a raven, and an animal that could resemble a badger.
Tabitha moved closer to the hourglasses. There were stones inside, where grains of sand would normally be. The lion's was done in scarlet and gold; the topmost part of the hourglass was filled with small rubies. The serpent's, green and silver with emeralds pooled behind it's glass. That raven was perched on top of a stack of sapphires. She herself was blue and gold. The last hourglass was gold and black with the strange badger-like creature on it. It's topaz were shining in the torchlight.
She couldn't imagine what these were used for. It seemed that some of the strange practices at Hogwarts hadn't been mentioned in all the stories she'd heard.
Someone cleared their throat above her. Starting, Tabitha looked up to see a stern-faced woman in a more medieval style emerald robe.
"You would be Miss Hurley?" The witch asked, starting down the stairs.
"Yes ma'am." Tabitha murmured, watching the woman's decent.
"I see you were admiring our house-point counters," the woman went on, "said to be made by the Founders themselves."
"House-points?" she asked curiously, cocking her head to the side slightly.
"Here at Hogwarts, we divide our students by placing them in four seperate houses based on the qualities that the Four Founders prized. Your house is like your family; you go to classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitories, and spend free time in your house common room. Answering questions in class and exhibiting good behavior earns your house points, while breaking rules and causing general mayhem looses points for your house. At the end of the year, the house that had accumulated the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a high honor for the house to which it is awarded."
Tabitha looked perplexed for a moment, and then nodded. The witch continued, "There are Heads of House, put in place to keep houses from becoming too unruly. I am the head of Gryffindor house," she pointed to the hourglass with the lion guarding it. "I fully trust that, if you are in my house, you will not go to extraordinary lengths to get points taken away." Tabitha tore her gaze away from the hourglasses and nodded, somewhat reluctantly. She had no idea what she was promising. Or, indeed, which qualities that a Gryffindor possessed.
In short, the whole affair was becoming quite confusing. She bit back a sigh; she hardly wanted to be here at all.
"Miss Hurley, the Headmaster is waiting for you in his office. If you would follow me, please." She started up the stairs again, adding, "Oh, and do leave your things here. They'll be transported to your dormitory after it is decided upon which house you'll be entering."
Tabitha was a bit nervious about leaving her things behind. Everything she was going to rely on for the next year was in her trunk. How did they know some student wasn't going to come along and steal it? As suddenly as this thought crossed her mind, she laughed inwardly and shrugged it off. They probably have wards against that sort of thing.
Two more staircases led away from the landing at the top of the Grand Staircase. Tabitha, following the witch, took the marble one leading upwards. She got in a quick glance at the downward-leading stone staircase; it was dark and didn't look at all favorable. Deciding this must be the dungeon, she hoped that none of her classes took place down there.
There was a wooden door at the top of the marble staircase that gave way to a rather large hall. She looked up and suddenly felt sick. Towering miles above her were staircase upon staircase, all moving and constantly switching. How am I ever going to find my way around in all this mess?
Tabitha was finding out that there were many odd things about Hogwarts, most of which were kept hidden by cleverly placed rumors. She wondered why there was such a need for secrecy. It wasn't as though the school was private, or anything... Then, of course, she didn't know that much about the country. It was entirely possible that things like this were kept under wraps here. Salem's had been very open about what happened there.
Salem's... She remembered the day she had been told she would be transferring. Her father had mailed her a letter, telling her that he had finally got the job he had wanted for so long. Problem being that said job was clear across the Atlantic Ocean...
Tabitha wandered down to the cafeteria, hoping that they were still serving breakfast. Silently, she cursed her brain for not allowing her to get any sleep, and then allowing her to oversleep when she finally could rest. Completely crazy. Still, she was starting to adjust to this life; over Summer Vacations she had stayed up all night and slept all day. Such was the luxury of being an American teenager when your parents worked all day. Now that she was back at school, she couldn't get her schedule turned around.
At long last, she pushed open the doors to the cafeteria to a loud protesting groan from her stomach. Frowning, Tabitha hurried over to the counter where the food was served, almost groaning at the nonexistent line. She knew the lady serving the food well; five years of going through this same line three times a day had not been wasted on her. "Ah, Mrs. Wincott. Lovely morning, isn't it?"
Mrs. Wincott mock-glared back at her. "You're an hour and a half late. You'd better be grateful I noticed you weren't in line this morning." she handed a steaming plate across the counter.
"Thank you so much!" Tabitha told her, eying the plate hungrily.
"Oh, and before you devour the plate as well..." Mrs. Wincott gave her an envelope. "Letter from home."
She took it in passing, before rushing to find a table and digging in heavily to her eggs and toast. The cafeteria was nearly cleared out by the time she had noticed the letter, still laying innocently on the table.
"Tabbi!" she heard her name called from across the room and dropped the letter as her best friend Jess slid into the seat next to her, "Why are you always so late?"
"Because," Tabitha told her friend simply, "I is almost 16. I sleep too much."
"Yes, but I is almost 16 too, and I don't sleep as much as you do." There was silence for a moment, before her friend poked at the letter, "Ooh, letter from home?"
Tabitha picked up the letter, "Almost forgot," and ripped it open. Her eyes scanned the page, and as she progressed they grew wide and she dropped her fork.
"Tabbi?" Jess asked concerned.
"He. Did. Not."
"Didn't what--" Jess read the paper that was being pressed under her nose. Her eyes progressively got wider as well.
"What?! He can't make you do this! You've still got two years to finish here! You can't transfer to some fancy English school..."
"I - I..." Tabitha stammered. "I don't want to go. Whether it's Hogwarts or not, I don't care. I can't just leave!" She suddenly felt sick, and wasn't at all hungry. Pushing her plate away, she stood up. Jess came around the table to hug her.
"Don't worry, Tabbicat. We won't let the mean ol' parents steal you away to England."
"Miss Hurley?"
Tabitha snapped out of the flashback, shaking herself slightly. "Sorry ma'am. I was thinking."
The stern-faced witch gestured up the stairs. "The Headmaster is waiting."
She nodded and stepped onto the revolving staircase adorned with a phoenix. Odd, she thought, as she reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the door.
It swung open of it's own accord, revealing an elaborate oval office adorned with portraits and shining magical objects. The Headmaster sat behind a large oak desk, his fingertips together. He looked thoughtful, almost meditating, and Tabitha hated to disturb his peace.
She cleared her throat after a moment of silence, and his eyes opened.
"You are Miss Tabitha Hurley, I presume?"
Tabitha nodded, afraid to speak in the company of someone so wise-looking.
The Headmaster sprang out of his chair with a nimbleness that spoke nothing of his age. He held out his hand to her in a gentle, friendly manner. "Professor Dumbledore."
She took the hand and shook it nervously.
"I suspect that Professor McGonagall has told you of our houses?"
"Yes Sir, she has."
"Very well," He strode over to one of the towering bookcases and pulled a weathered old hat out of it's display case, "I would like you to try on the Sorting Hat so that we may know where to put you."
Tabitha took the hat and put it on her head lightly. Suddenly, there was a voice whispering in her ear. She kept her thoughts clear so not to confuse the Hat, which clearly had strong magical properties.
After a fair bit of grumbling on the Hat's part, it stated aloud to the rest of the office, "Ravenclaw."
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and took the hat off of her head. The Headmaster took it back graciously, but didn't return it to the bookshelf. Tabitha thought that maybe there was another exchange student.
"I trust you will find life at Hogwarts very different from that at Salem's. I also think that you will handle the transfer well." Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes glittered at her, and she gulped.
"Yes Sir. I'll do my best." She smiled faintly. The Headmaster waved his wand in a sweeping motion, and she noted that her tie and the trimmings on her robes had turned blue and bronze. There was also a badge on her chest now, gleaming in Ravenclaw colors with a great black eagle about to take flight.
"Now, it is late, and you may find that all your dorm-mates are already asleep. I will let you do the same," she took this as a sign to stand. "Your belongings have been transfered to your dormitory... I will have Professor McGonagall escort you there."
"Thank you, Sir."
"You're very welcome. We shall speak some other time?"
Tabitha nodded, before taking her leave somewhat nervously. Professor McGonagall was waiting for her at the entrance to the Headmaster's office; with her was a large man with a lot of beard and a tan girl. She assumed this must be the transfer student. Waving, she was led away by the Professor.
That night she lay awake in the dormitory and listened to the sound of the other girl's deep breathing. She remembered saying goodbye to her friends a few months previously, remembered stepping onto that plane and waving goodbye to America.
Hogwarts seemed very odd already; she anticipated what her first day was going to be like. Did they have the same subjects here? How advanced were their sixth years? The questions stormed about in her head for the longest time. When she finally did sleep, she had no dreams.
Okay, and that's a wrap! Now, that was the prologue, and from here on in, things will get a little more interesting! We appreciate reviews, preferably with a little praise, and some concrit. We don't advise flames, nor blatant advertisement of your story, if you review us, we will try to review you at some point. If you mention in passing something like this "If you're bored one time, would you mind giving me some feedback on my story (insert title here)" we may feel compelled to do as you ask; however, if you asked "Hey, nic storie!!1! Plz review mi storiez!1!!)"
Risa: If you like Slash, and also like SB/RB, check out Brotherly, which can be found under this penname. Azure wrote it, with minimal help from me (not to say she needs my help to be a brilliant author). It's slashy, slightly dark, lime-y, and powerful. (Azure, don't delete this!)
Risa & Azure
This is a fanfiction about two girls who transfer to Hogwarts during the Marauders Era. Yes, it's been done, it's been done and been done badly, it has also been done well. We're hoping for the latter.
We would like to welcome you to our first joint fic, hopefully, the story will be interesting, and you'll stick with us throughout Autumn. On another note, we would like to add that we are writing in tandem, not as a single entity, seeing as we live in different countries. See if you can spot the differences in writing style (and spelling)!
On one last note, we have no beta, and as of now, aren't looking. We read each others stuff, and fix the mistakes we find, but it's not perfect. If you spot something, please point it out, and we'll fix it. We want our story to be as eye-friendly as possible!
Risa & Azure
Azure: Okay, people. This is going to be a universal disclaimer, for I don't like adding them and neither does Risa. We don't own Harry Potter or any of the themes therein. We make no profit from the writing of this story. Enjoy!
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
Tabbi looked up at the hulking castle from her position on the ground and couldn't help but be intimidated.
It was one thing to hear about Hogwarts; great, sprawling, with towers and spires reaching toward the Heavens, but another to see it in person. She had been hearing about this place for most of her magical life, which tallied just under six years. But now, as she looked up upon it, she felt very small. Salem's didn't compare to this... they weren't even in the same category.
Tabitha drew her cloak up tighter around her shoulders, shivering slightly. The one thing that she thought she surely would not get used to was the weather. In England, it seemed to rain constantly. And then, when it wasn't raining, it was bone-chillingly cold. She wondered briefly how it would be in the summer; if it would get as hot as it had in America or if it would stay in an eternal Autumn.
Glancing down at the small slip of paper in her hand, Tabitha read the words over again for what felt like the millionth time. Her instructions for entering the school were hard to read in the darkness. In fact, she thought as she looked around at the black that surrounded her, why am I still standing here?
Gazing up at the outline of the huge castle one last time, she took the handle on her trunk and trudged up the path... a path that she hoped led to the front doors.
A few minutes later, she pushed open the massive doors. Inside, she was pleased to see, it was bright and cheery. Although it was probably late, and the famed Start-of-Term feast was probably over, the torches along the walls were still lit and burning brightly. Tabitha quickly disposed of her winter clothing and stowed it away in her trunk.
She looked down at the robes again, noting for about the sixth time today that they were odd. She wasn't used to wearing such an elaborate uniform; the one at Salem's had consisted of a polo shirt, skirt, stockings and shoes. This one, she observed, was made up of what felt like three different layers of clothes for no point that she could see.
Sighing, she looked around at the merrily lit Entrance Hall. There were four hourglasses on the back wall, two flanking either side of the Grand Staircase. She considered these curiously. The massive hourglasses had statues of animals perched atop them: a lion, a serpent, a raven, and an animal that could resemble a badger.
Tabitha moved closer to the hourglasses. There were stones inside, where grains of sand would normally be. The lion's was done in scarlet and gold; the topmost part of the hourglass was filled with small rubies. The serpent's, green and silver with emeralds pooled behind it's glass. That raven was perched on top of a stack of sapphires. She herself was blue and gold. The last hourglass was gold and black with the strange badger-like creature on it. It's topaz were shining in the torchlight.
She couldn't imagine what these were used for. It seemed that some of the strange practices at Hogwarts hadn't been mentioned in all the stories she'd heard.
Someone cleared their throat above her. Starting, Tabitha looked up to see a stern-faced woman in a more medieval style emerald robe.
"You would be Miss Hurley?" The witch asked, starting down the stairs.
"Yes ma'am." Tabitha murmured, watching the woman's decent.
"I see you were admiring our house-point counters," the woman went on, "said to be made by the Founders themselves."
"House-points?" she asked curiously, cocking her head to the side slightly.
"Here at Hogwarts, we divide our students by placing them in four seperate houses based on the qualities that the Four Founders prized. Your house is like your family; you go to classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitories, and spend free time in your house common room. Answering questions in class and exhibiting good behavior earns your house points, while breaking rules and causing general mayhem looses points for your house. At the end of the year, the house that had accumulated the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a high honor for the house to which it is awarded."
Tabitha looked perplexed for a moment, and then nodded. The witch continued, "There are Heads of House, put in place to keep houses from becoming too unruly. I am the head of Gryffindor house," she pointed to the hourglass with the lion guarding it. "I fully trust that, if you are in my house, you will not go to extraordinary lengths to get points taken away." Tabitha tore her gaze away from the hourglasses and nodded, somewhat reluctantly. She had no idea what she was promising. Or, indeed, which qualities that a Gryffindor possessed.
In short, the whole affair was becoming quite confusing. She bit back a sigh; she hardly wanted to be here at all.
"Miss Hurley, the Headmaster is waiting for you in his office. If you would follow me, please." She started up the stairs again, adding, "Oh, and do leave your things here. They'll be transported to your dormitory after it is decided upon which house you'll be entering."
Tabitha was a bit nervious about leaving her things behind. Everything she was going to rely on for the next year was in her trunk. How did they know some student wasn't going to come along and steal it? As suddenly as this thought crossed her mind, she laughed inwardly and shrugged it off. They probably have wards against that sort of thing.
Two more staircases led away from the landing at the top of the Grand Staircase. Tabitha, following the witch, took the marble one leading upwards. She got in a quick glance at the downward-leading stone staircase; it was dark and didn't look at all favorable. Deciding this must be the dungeon, she hoped that none of her classes took place down there.
There was a wooden door at the top of the marble staircase that gave way to a rather large hall. She looked up and suddenly felt sick. Towering miles above her were staircase upon staircase, all moving and constantly switching. How am I ever going to find my way around in all this mess?
Tabitha was finding out that there were many odd things about Hogwarts, most of which were kept hidden by cleverly placed rumors. She wondered why there was such a need for secrecy. It wasn't as though the school was private, or anything... Then, of course, she didn't know that much about the country. It was entirely possible that things like this were kept under wraps here. Salem's had been very open about what happened there.
Salem's... She remembered the day she had been told she would be transferring. Her father had mailed her a letter, telling her that he had finally got the job he had wanted for so long. Problem being that said job was clear across the Atlantic Ocean...
Tabitha wandered down to the cafeteria, hoping that they were still serving breakfast. Silently, she cursed her brain for not allowing her to get any sleep, and then allowing her to oversleep when she finally could rest. Completely crazy. Still, she was starting to adjust to this life; over Summer Vacations she had stayed up all night and slept all day. Such was the luxury of being an American teenager when your parents worked all day. Now that she was back at school, she couldn't get her schedule turned around.
At long last, she pushed open the doors to the cafeteria to a loud protesting groan from her stomach. Frowning, Tabitha hurried over to the counter where the food was served, almost groaning at the nonexistent line. She knew the lady serving the food well; five years of going through this same line three times a day had not been wasted on her. "Ah, Mrs. Wincott. Lovely morning, isn't it?"
Mrs. Wincott mock-glared back at her. "You're an hour and a half late. You'd better be grateful I noticed you weren't in line this morning." she handed a steaming plate across the counter.
"Thank you so much!" Tabitha told her, eying the plate hungrily.
"Oh, and before you devour the plate as well..." Mrs. Wincott gave her an envelope. "Letter from home."
She took it in passing, before rushing to find a table and digging in heavily to her eggs and toast. The cafeteria was nearly cleared out by the time she had noticed the letter, still laying innocently on the table.
"Tabbi!" she heard her name called from across the room and dropped the letter as her best friend Jess slid into the seat next to her, "Why are you always so late?"
"Because," Tabitha told her friend simply, "I is almost 16. I sleep too much."
"Yes, but I is almost 16 too, and I don't sleep as much as you do." There was silence for a moment, before her friend poked at the letter, "Ooh, letter from home?"
Tabitha picked up the letter, "Almost forgot," and ripped it open. Her eyes scanned the page, and as she progressed they grew wide and she dropped her fork.
"Tabbi?" Jess asked concerned.
"He. Did. Not."
"Didn't what--" Jess read the paper that was being pressed under her nose. Her eyes progressively got wider as well.
"What?! He can't make you do this! You've still got two years to finish here! You can't transfer to some fancy English school..."
"I - I..." Tabitha stammered. "I don't want to go. Whether it's Hogwarts or not, I don't care. I can't just leave!" She suddenly felt sick, and wasn't at all hungry. Pushing her plate away, she stood up. Jess came around the table to hug her.
"Don't worry, Tabbicat. We won't let the mean ol' parents steal you away to England."
"Miss Hurley?"
Tabitha snapped out of the flashback, shaking herself slightly. "Sorry ma'am. I was thinking."
The stern-faced witch gestured up the stairs. "The Headmaster is waiting."
She nodded and stepped onto the revolving staircase adorned with a phoenix. Odd, she thought, as she reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the door.
It swung open of it's own accord, revealing an elaborate oval office adorned with portraits and shining magical objects. The Headmaster sat behind a large oak desk, his fingertips together. He looked thoughtful, almost meditating, and Tabitha hated to disturb his peace.
She cleared her throat after a moment of silence, and his eyes opened.
"You are Miss Tabitha Hurley, I presume?"
Tabitha nodded, afraid to speak in the company of someone so wise-looking.
The Headmaster sprang out of his chair with a nimbleness that spoke nothing of his age. He held out his hand to her in a gentle, friendly manner. "Professor Dumbledore."
She took the hand and shook it nervously.
"I suspect that Professor McGonagall has told you of our houses?"
"Yes Sir, she has."
"Very well," He strode over to one of the towering bookcases and pulled a weathered old hat out of it's display case, "I would like you to try on the Sorting Hat so that we may know where to put you."
Tabitha took the hat and put it on her head lightly. Suddenly, there was a voice whispering in her ear. She kept her thoughts clear so not to confuse the Hat, which clearly had strong magical properties.
After a fair bit of grumbling on the Hat's part, it stated aloud to the rest of the office, "Ravenclaw."
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and took the hat off of her head. The Headmaster took it back graciously, but didn't return it to the bookshelf. Tabitha thought that maybe there was another exchange student.
"I trust you will find life at Hogwarts very different from that at Salem's. I also think that you will handle the transfer well." Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes glittered at her, and she gulped.
"Yes Sir. I'll do my best." She smiled faintly. The Headmaster waved his wand in a sweeping motion, and she noted that her tie and the trimmings on her robes had turned blue and bronze. There was also a badge on her chest now, gleaming in Ravenclaw colors with a great black eagle about to take flight.
"Now, it is late, and you may find that all your dorm-mates are already asleep. I will let you do the same," she took this as a sign to stand. "Your belongings have been transfered to your dormitory... I will have Professor McGonagall escort you there."
"Thank you, Sir."
"You're very welcome. We shall speak some other time?"
Tabitha nodded, before taking her leave somewhat nervously. Professor McGonagall was waiting for her at the entrance to the Headmaster's office; with her was a large man with a lot of beard and a tan girl. She assumed this must be the transfer student. Waving, she was led away by the Professor.
That night she lay awake in the dormitory and listened to the sound of the other girl's deep breathing. She remembered saying goodbye to her friends a few months previously, remembered stepping onto that plane and waving goodbye to America.
Hogwarts seemed very odd already; she anticipated what her first day was going to be like. Did they have the same subjects here? How advanced were their sixth years? The questions stormed about in her head for the longest time. When she finally did sleep, she had no dreams.
Okay, and that's a wrap! Now, that was the prologue, and from here on in, things will get a little more interesting! We appreciate reviews, preferably with a little praise, and some concrit. We don't advise flames, nor blatant advertisement of your story, if you review us, we will try to review you at some point. If you mention in passing something like this "If you're bored one time, would you mind giving me some feedback on my story (insert title here)" we may feel compelled to do as you ask; however, if you asked "Hey, nic storie!!1! Plz review mi storiez!1!!)"
Risa: If you like Slash, and also like SB/RB, check out Brotherly, which can be found under this penname. Azure wrote it, with minimal help from me (not to say she needs my help to be a brilliant author). It's slashy, slightly dark, lime-y, and powerful. (Azure, don't delete this!)
Risa & Azure