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Post by Incapability on Apr 6, 2006 4:45:00 GMT 9.5
I decided to have a go at the Peeves/Frik/Mab/Voldy challenge Rita has posted. Instead of Frik summoning Mab I twisted it so that he was keeping her away (he hated and fought her, after all). For want of a better name I hereby give you "The Evil Plotbunny Challenge - Part One"Another loud bang. Minerva closed her eyes in a short prayer for patience which she knew would remain unanswered. Peeves had been out of control lately. Not that he had ever been in control. But his recent activities made her think back to the old Peeves with a not inconsiderable touch of longing. The House Elves were still refusing to cook after the latest uproar he had caused in the kitchen – and they were used to him! Professor Sprout hadn’t been the same since he had left Greenhouse number 13 in chaos. The paintings were hurrying along in silence, always glancing to and fro to check whether Peeves might be approaching with another set of paint-filled balloons. Filch had resigned after Peeves had given Mrs Norris a “flying lesson”, and Madame Pince had followed shortly afterwards when he had set parts of the library on fire. Minerva sighed. Albus had always hinted that there was an iron-clad reason for letting Peeves stay. But then, he had insisted that there was an iron-clad reason for trusting Snape as well. The noise was coming from the grounds, near the lake if she was not mistaken. Minerva approached the cackling poltergeist led only by the light of her wand and the distinct smell of stink bombs. Why Peeves had missed the opportunity of disturbing lessons by doing whatever he was doing by daylight escaped her. When she was close enough to see what he was up to this time, she froze dead in her tracks, not able to decide how to react: should she turn away and give herself up to the grief that welled up inside her at the sight? Or should she go forth and hex Peeves into oblivion? She decided to go for the latter. He was spraying graffiti onto the white marble of Dumbledore’s tomb. * “Peeves!” The poltergeist turned around, grinned widely and threw the spray can directly into her face. That settled it. He was in for it. Minerva took a deep breath and raised her wand, beginning to mutter an incantation she had heard of many years ago. When she was done, she looked at the poltergeist, as if waiting for him to vanish into thin air. Nothing happened. But suddenly, it seemed as though Peeves was being pulled away by some invisible force. A look she had never seen on him before crept onto his face; a strange mixture of malice and, yes, of pity. “You have no idea what you just did”, he whispered. Minerva shivered. She could not remember Peeves ever uttering anything else than cackling or indecent noises. “You have no idea … once she is back, you will wish you had kept me … but it is too late now. I have done what I could to keep her out of this world while I was in a place with strong magical powers. Now you will have to see how you cope with her … I wish you luck. You will need it!”
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Post by Rita, Oh Yes! on Apr 6, 2006 15:25:16 GMT 9.5
Ooooh! *all excited* Do continue!
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Post by Incapability on Apr 6, 2006 17:18:07 GMT 9.5
I certainly will! This is so much fun!
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Post by himiko on Apr 7, 2006 4:00:25 GMT 9.5
Love the title!
This is great, please keep going! Must...see...Mab...
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Post by Incapability on Apr 9, 2006 0:10:26 GMT 9.5
I must admit that I'm not very happy with this. It's more difficult than I thought. but Mab is not far ahead ... *** "The Evil Plotbunny Challenge - Part Two And after these words, he vanished with the sound of air being squeezed out of a balloon. Minerva stood dumbfounded for a moment, not knowing what to make of these truly cryptical warnings. She was torn between shrugging them of as one of Peeve’s usual oh-so-hilarious little jokes and looking out for this mysterious “she” he had announced. But the night was as quiet as one could possibly wish for at Hogwarts, not a sound apart from the occasional splash from the giant squid or one or two howls from Hargrid’s newest pet roaming the forest. The moon was painting the night in gentle light, and a light breeze had suddenly sprung to life. She sighed once more and turned to go back to bed. * The first thing she did the next morning was write an owl to both Mr Filch and Madam Pince to inform them that their nemesis was finally removed and that they were most welcome to return to their old posts. On her way to the owlery, she spotted Potter sitting on a windowsill, on his own and brooding, as he had been so often since … Minerva resisted the impulse to call him. It could not be good that he singled himself out, and she wanted nothing more than to know what it was that bothered him, but she also knew that he would never tell her, that no one was welcome in the isolation he had created around himself. The night’s gentle breeze had turned into a sharp wind, and it hit her fully when she stepped to the owlery window to send the letters away. She turned away without looking back, and so she did not see that the owls could hardly hold themselves up in the slowly growing storm, and neither did she see the dark tower of clouds that was forming itself at the horizon, coming closer and closer.
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Post by himiko on Apr 9, 2006 5:03:11 GMT 9.5
Oooh! The Oncoming Storm! *shuts the hell up with the Dr Who references*. It's really good! Can't wait for more. ;D
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Post by Incapability on Apr 9, 2006 20:14:19 GMT 9.5
Aaaand *drums* "The Evil Plotbunny Challenge - Part Three"Three days later, not even a blind House Elf could have denied, or ignored, the existence of, as it was called among the more theatrical students, “The Cloud”. It came closer by the hour, and you could almost watch it grow. Since yesterday, it was surrounded by swarms of ravens, more than Minerva had seen in her whole life. She did not know whether her nerves were fooling her or whether the hoarse screeches of the birds of Death could already be heard. Hagrid had reported that the Thestrals were being extremely restless. Professor Trelawney had shut herself into her tower to “converse with her Inner Eye”. Minerva snorted. To feed her Inner Sherry Stock, more likely. But even Firenze had murmured of evil signs and ill fates looming ahead. And he had so far never spoken of such things, had always pointed out that these signs were hardly ever so threatening or so close that humans would have to worry about them. He had requested a meeting with her twenty minutes ago. * “Do you see its shape, Professor?” The centaur was shouting to make himself heard against the storm. “That is no ordinary cloud. There is something inside it. A living thing. Do you see how it moves? The way it changes? I have watched it for two whole days, and more than once I was sure that I had seen a face in its shape.” “What kind of face, Firenze? Do you think it could have to do with Voldemort?” Firenze shook his head. “No. It was a woman’s face. A face like I have never seen one before. Whatever is in there, I doubt it is completely human!” “But you said you saw a woman!” “Would you call Hagrid something else than a man, Professor? Those terms are not reserved to humans alone.” Minerva cleared her throat. “Erm, yes, well. Could you keep an eye on this … thing, and inform me if anything happens?” “I would not have dreamt of doing anything else.” what might that be ...
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Post by Rita, Oh Yes! on Apr 10, 2006 12:04:42 GMT 9.5
Ooh intrigue! ;D
Me likie
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Post by himiko on Apr 11, 2006 6:56:36 GMT 9.5
Me too, me too, moremoremoremoremore....
Ahem. Sorry. More pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. ;D
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Post by Incapability on Apr 13, 2006 2:14:27 GMT 9.5
Ok, ok, but only because you asked so nicely. the writing is getting more and more difficult, I'm awfully afraid of over-dramatising. so, if you think "that was a bit too much", please let me know. anyway: The Evil Plotbunny Challenge - Part FourThree days later, not even a blind House Elf could have denied, or ignored, the existence of, as it was called among the more theatrical students, “The Cloud”. It came closer by the hour, and you could almost watch it grow. Since yesterday, it was surrounded by swarms of ravens, more than Minerva had seen in her whole life. She did not know whether her nerves were fooling her or whether the hoarse screeches of the birds of Death could already be heard. Hagrid had reported that the Thestrals were being extremely restless. Professor Trelawney had shut herself into her tower to “converse with her Inner Eye”. Minerva snorted. To feed her Inner Sherry Stock, more likely. But even Firenze had murmured of evil signs and ill fates looming ahead. And he had so far never spoken of such things, had always pointed out that these signs were hardly ever so threatening or so close that humans would have to worry about them. He had requested a meeting with her twenty minutes ago. * “Do you see its shape, Professor?” The centaur was shouting to make himself heard against the storm. “That is no ordinary cloud. There is something inside it. A living thing. Do you see how it moves? The way it changes? I have watched it for two whole days, and more than once I was sure that I had seen a face in its shape.” “What kind of face, Firenze? Do you think it could have to do with Voldemort?” Firenze shook his head. “No. It was a woman’s face. A face like I have never seen one before. Whatever is in there, I doubt it is completely human!” “But you said you saw a woman!” “Would you call Hagrid something else than a man, Professor? Those terms are not reserved to humans alone.” Minerva cleared her throat. “Erm, yes, well. Could you keep an eye on this … thing, and inform me if anything happens?” “I would not have dreamt of doing anything else.” * Firenze’s message reached her that very same night. Minerva threw on her tartan dressing gown and hurried outside to join him. Once out on the grounds, she knew immediately why he had called her. The cloud had now reached the grounds of Hogwarts. What she did not know was why she had been able to sleep in the noise of a full-grown hurricane, over which could now definitely be heard the cries of thousands of ravens. When she stood beside him, he pointed towards the cloud, which was rapidly approaching the lake. “Do you see what I meant? The face? It has become much clearer by now. Sometimes you can even see a body!” He was right. The cloud formed a delicate female face, and it was only theoretically human. Sure, there was a nose, a mouth, eyes, but the expression … there was no word to describe it. Minerva shivered. It was now at their side of the lake, and it started swirling and brewing more wildly than ever. The woman inside of it seemed to spring to life, she opened her eyes and raised her arms. Minerva grabbed Firenze’s arm and squeezed it as hard as she could; surely this was as close as she would ever get to what Potter had felt like when Voldemort had returned. The thought made her insides freeze, and Peeve’s warning echoed through her mind … once she is back, you will wish you had kept me … you will have to see how you cope with her … I wish you luck. You will need it … What if this woman … thing … was another Voldemort? At that moment, a monstrous thunder broke loose, and the ravens began to dive for the ground, flying wildly to and fro and screaming in highest excitement. Minerva threw herself to the ground and covered her head to protect it from the insane birds. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Firenze trying to frighten them away by hitting at them. To no avail. Then, all was silent. The wind had died down, the thunder was gone, and the birds were gathering around the black haired woman that stood were the cloud had been only seconds ago.
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Post by himiko on Apr 14, 2006 6:13:41 GMT 9.5
YAY! Mab's back, Mab's back *crazy happy dance*
I don't think that was too much at all. There has to be some element of drama when something like this happens. People forming out of storm clouds and all.
Please write more soon!
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Post by Incapability on Apr 15, 2006 16:20:16 GMT 9.5
I thought Mab being reborn out of a storm would be pretty nice, she being Queen of Air and Darkness, and all that stuff. Glad you like. But I'm afraid it's getting horrible now; I'm changing the point of view, and me no good at writing Mab ...
"The Evil Plotbunny Challenge - Part Five"
Mab took a deep breath and looked around, taking in everything she saw, the lake, the castle in the distance, her faithful ravens surrounding her to welcome her, and she simply enjoyed the sensation of existence. The gentle touch of the wind in her hair, the feeling of firm ground beneath her feat, her own cold skin beneath her hands as she ran then up and down her arms, all things she had almost forgotten. It had been a long time. At long last, her eyes came to rest on the human lying on the ground, and the creature next to her. That must be a centaur. Mab had never before seen one herself, these creatures lived far away from Britain, and she had never travelled that far. Not after that visit from Ares had annoyed Zeus so much… She stepped towards the two, who were staring at her with eyes wide open, one pair of eyes showed discomfort, while the other shimmered with distrust. They were not stepping back. She set up the most enchanting smile she could muster, and it was not difficult: tonight was her night, the night of her triumph. If she could not frighten them, she had to charm them. When she stood a few steps away from them, she waited, waited for them to make the first move, to speak the first word. It did not become the dignity of a Queen of the Old Ways to make herself known as long as she did not know who she was dealing with. And really, after sending each other glances that spoke either of doubt or worry, the woman spoke. “Who are you, and what do you want here?” Mab smiled even broader. Her voice had been overly sharp, they did not trust her. Surely that idiot Frik had told them some hair-rising about her before he had left. But then again, surely she could convince them that these were but tales invented by the limited mind of a bitter old gnome. She shot another smile at the centaur and said “I am Mab, and I am here because Frik isn’t anymore.”
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Post by himiko on Apr 20, 2006 4:46:28 GMT 9.5
You are good at writing Mab. That was a brilliant part. I have missed the "Evil Plotbunny" fic whilst I have been in Wales.
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Post by Incapability on Apr 26, 2006 22:13:31 GMT 9.5
Aaaaand another part. I'll try to get it really going soon, promise!
Minerva decided to get back to her feet. It was no easy decision, considering she had just seen a huge storm cloud turn into a not very tall woman. She could be forgiven for her shaking knees, even if she was transfiguration teacher. And so she pulled herself up, slowly, one hand reaching up to grasp Firenze’s long mane to support her on the last bit of her journey. This woman was way too theatrical for her taste. Was it really necessary to turn up in a cloud, and dragging all these unholy birds along! The noise, the noise! The blasted creatures were now sitting all over the unwelcome visitor, who was acting as though she had never had a body before. After a while, she seemed to notice that she was not alone, and approached Minerva and Firenze. The centaur shot her a worried glance. Minerva understood why. The woman was of incredible beauty, but she was also incredibly frightening. Her eyes were glistening in a way Minerva did not like at all. She could not quite decide what they resembled more; those of a snake, those of a wolf or those of a falcon approaching their prey. The way she smiled showed clearly that she was not afraid of loosing her victims, it was with an air of self-confidence and self-satisfaction Minerva had seldom seen before. Everything inside her screamed that this woman meant danger, not only her eyes, but her movements, were those of a predator, and she was surrounded by an aura of power that made Minerva shiver. Yet, she refused to step back, knowing that if she did she would admit defeat before a fight had even taken place. “Who are you, and what do you want here?” The woman had not spoken, and Minerva, unable to bear the silence any longer (if you could call about 2 000 screeching birds as background noise silence, that is …), had barked the question, a bit too sharp to feign confidence, she realised when she saw the woman’s smile broadening. This meant trouble, she could feel it in her bones … if only Albus were there, he would offer the visitor one of his blasted sweets and ask her to his office to sort this unholy business out … “I am Mab, and I am here because Frik isn’t anymore.” She seemed to think that was sufficient enough an introduction. But unfortunately, neither Shakespeare nor his ingenious Midsummer Night’s Dream were generally known in the Wizarding World, and so Minerva had never heard of a fairy Queen who went by the name of Mab, might she be as tiny as a nutshell or not. Just as she was about to ask another incredibly intelligent-sounding “Who?” , she noticed the ring on the leg of one of the ravens on Mab’s shoulder: It came from London. But not just anywhere in London …
The ravens had left the Tower.
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Post by himiko on Apr 27, 2006 0:34:53 GMT 9.5
Hehe- like the lines about Shakespeare not being known. Now, forgive me for being dense, I know there's some sort of superstition about the Ravens leaving the Tower of London, but I can't remember what it is- care to enlighten me? Or will all become clear in the next part. *reminds self to read up on superstitions of own country*. You've certainly captured Minerva's character very well. Must have more!!!!!
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