Got another story idea.

[lomonaaeren]

Got attacked by another story idea last night, in the usual way, with me falling in and out of sleep, and adding more and more to the story’s plot during the time I was awake.

First I thought it was a one-shot idea. Then I thought it was a longish one-shot. Now it is probably going to be novel-length.

Argh.



Title: Forgive Those Who Trespass (which, yes, indeed, I kidnapped wholesale from the Lord’s Prayer)

Summary: When his friends vanish into the Department of Mysteries, Harry goes searching. The last person he expected to stumble upon in the hunt was Draco Malfoy. But is Malfoy another victim, or actively involved in whatever plot has taken Ron and Hermione?

(I will have to change the summary. It sounds cheesy).

Longer summary: This is post-DH but not epilogue-compliant (obviously). The Unspeakables have grown more powerful in the wake of the war, because, due to their innate paranoia, they were the hardest of the Ministry’s departments for Voldemort to infiltrate, and thus have the most people free of corruption. Now their power is being expressed in weird ways. Or so Harry’s heard. Since there’s never any solid information available, there’s really nothing for him to chase, and he’s occupied with his training as an Auror and living apart from Ginny (due to his recently revealed sexual orientation) anyway. This seems to have no relevance to him.

Then Ron and Hermione, who are also in Auror training with Harry, get fed up and switch to Unspeakable training, citing a combination of their exasperation with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the fact that the Department of Mysteries sounds more interesting. Harry accepts it, because, well, why shouldn’t he?

Then Ron and Hermione vanish, along with all the other trainees, and the entire Department of Mysteries goes instantly incommunicado. Harry tries to figure out what happened, but his superiors are not being cooperative. Harry gets the sense that they’re frightened of the Unspeakables and don’t want to risk a further decline of the Ministry’s reputation by taking the story public.

So down he goes into the Department of Mysteries, alone. There are traps waiting at every corner, and, in the first or second room he searches, Draco Malfoy, who apparently left the country in embarrassment after the war was done. Malfoy can’t speak, and his hands have been Transfigured into deformed flippers so that he can’t write. None of the spells Harry tries on him can reverse his silence. He can, however, communicate by nodding and shaking his head—as long as Harry asks the right questions.

Despite not trusting him, Harry can’t leave him there, and takes him along. Besides further traps and further mysteries (ha-ha, bad pun), he starts running into shimmering Pensieves full of memories. These turn out to be Draco’s memories, apparently serving some mystical purpose, since they’re always guarded. From them, Harry learns more about Draco’s past and some of the horrors he’s suffered in the past year. Both his compassion for and his distrust of Draco keep increasing.

And the deeper he goes, the weirder things get…

This will be a horror story and an action/adventure as much as anything else. The romance will be conducted mainly through the fact that Harry gets to know Draco better as somebody he wants to protect and through his memories (I cannot have a Draco POV, since that would immediately reveal everything that was going on). It will also provide me with the opportunity to play with the Department of Mysteries, which I think is one of the most neglected areas of canon.

I know what the major revelations will be. I do not know exactly how it will end, though.



Yeah, and I thought I wasn’t going to have another novel-length story idea for a while, since I was entertaining only one to work on after A Determined Frame of Mind and I Give You a Wondrous Mirror are finished. That’s Written By the Losers, a post-DH time-travel novel.

Guess that won’t work. The damn things seem to come in pairs.

Comments

[dysonrules.livejournal.com]

Damn you, how do you tap into my weaknesses? Mute!Draco is my favorite thing ever ever ever!!!!!

I might even read this as a WIP so that I can pester you inhumanely until you do nothing but write 24/7 until you're finished. Sound good?

I am exercising extraordinary self-control by not reading "Mirror" until it's finished. I'm using it as a test of character. And to see how far my nails can be gnawed down without causing physical pain.

The time-travel fic sounds fab, too! Can't wait! (I like your one-shots, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE your novels. Love.)

[star-faerie.livejournal.com]

That's weird. I'm contemplating using a line from the Lord's prayer as a title, in fact I was thinking about the previous line to yours 'forgive us our trespasses'. Weird, huh?

Interesting concept. Though I'm not sure what to make of Draco having flippers for hands!!

[ura-hd.livejournal.com]

Sounds totally cool! Cannot wait to read it!

[leochi.livejournal.com]

You're incredible! Where do you get all those ideas from? You really must be kissed by the Muse to be able to work on so many different stories at once - Kudos to you!
(Shaking my head in amazement...)

[hpstrangelove.livejournal.com]

Maybe it helps your writing when you have two different ones to work on (I can't even write one chapter, let alone an entire novel length fic, so what do I know ;-)

It sounds great - I can hardly wait.

[audlee.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so terribly excited! You've become one of my favorite authors... and this... eep! It's like being told that Ben & Jerry's is coming out with a new type of ice cream. I'm giddy with anticipation!

I like the concept, as well-- and I like the idea of the story and bonding between Draco and Harry coming as a result of Ron & Hermione. Wondering how that will affect the dynamic.

The action aspect sounds promising, since I love when you write action scenes. At the same time, I'm terrified, because you tend to write cliffhangers... With a two for the price of one muse, that means twice the cliffhangers... Plus action... Little less Draco POV... uncertainty and intrigue...

You really are deviously brilliant. :o>

[punkfaerie4242.livejournal.com]

Your stories are brilliant and you are an amazing author. I am huge fan of your fanfic.

[ravenqueen55.livejournal.com]

That sounds very interesting. And you're right ~ playing with the DoM is quite tempting ~ so much you can do with that.

I have a question...I just started 'reporting' for the Potterwatch Prophet, a newsletter that provides links to art and stories and icons all dealing with DH or post-DH storylines. Do I have your permission to submit links to IGYaWM and my birthday fic for this week's edition?

[yumikoyoshihana.livejournal.com]

Yay!! That sounds so interesting! I was going to be all sad when IGYAWM and ADFoM were finished because I wouldn't have you're updates to look forward to, but now I see that that worry is all for naught. I'm so excited to read them!!!

Oh, and Mute!Draco? For. The. Win. And you're right about the Department of Mysteries. I think JKR wanted it to be all Mysterious but in the end it turned out to be a hole-y plot device for Harry finding out the Prophecy. And killer drapery.

[firedraygon97.livejournal.com]

A horror fic!! This is going to be so awesome, I just know it. Can't wait to see what you'll cook up for the pensieve memories. *shudders*

[byaghro.livejournal.com]

*short version* New chapter story? SQUEE!! *happy dance*

*typical Byaghro response* If I read this summary on the main FF.net pages I would be potentially intrigued but extremely worried that the plot would wander into hokey very fast. However, because I know YOU'RE writing it there is much excitement and anticipation. I love the diversity of your work. Some authors can be counted on for one type of story but your stories run the gamut from fluffy to very serious. It is so nice to have an author I trust not to lead me, or rather the characters, astray. There might be angst and strife, but I know you're not going to leave us with some horribly depressing, emo ending. And even if you wrote something with an ending that was less than sunshine & roses, I feel that the story leading up to that ending would be believable and that the ending would FIT and not be some "and life sucked so they died" deal.

[neji-chan.livejournal.com]

Horror stories being my favouite kind, I love this plot. The Department of Mysteries is, well, a mystery, so there are tons of possibilities and with your imagination... it would be a pleasure to read it. Plus, I always had a fascination with the Unspeakables, and what their job would be like. Add mute!Draco to the mix...

A time travel fic? Aghk ::dies:: I ADORE time travel!!! XD Ever since I saw Back to the Future when I was a kid. Diana Gabaldon and Stephen King
just added fuel to the fire some years later ::excited::

[shukuun.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sounds really interesting. =) I'd love to read it if you do write it. Like the others, I certainly wouldn't mind reading it as a WIP--regardless of how often you update. =)

[suonguyen.livejournal.com]

Oh wow you have certainly spiked my interest! I love the whole ideas of the unspeakables thing, I don't think I've ever read a fic about them before, and I'm certain you're going to write them full of mystery! hehe. Can't wait for this story... Will it be after your other ones are done?

[glorafin.livejournal.com]

The summary sounds great. I'm looking forward to it. :)

[damedbx.livejournal.com]

WOW!! that seems like an awesome story idea. I cannot wait to see anything written. DAMN. i got to go now...hOMEWORK!!

In all in all, i would be interested in reading this...

BTW, did you ever answer the comment i made?? i can't remember what exactly it was on...but mind if i add you as a friend? it seems that my inbox doesn't want to slow down on the increase. LOL

[usyagi.livejournal.com]

mute!Draco? OH MYGOD. Yes. Please? With candy on top? He's a secret weakness of mine, and I'm always too busy to finally write that muse myself. Please please please?

And novel-length too?!

Although, here is a suggestion to keep from the flipper hands: There was an episode on Star Trek Deep Space Nine, in the first season, when there is a virus that breaks the connection in the brain that enables "encoding", which in communication means... the ability to put thoughts into a form that can be transferred as a message to the decoder. Maybe, instead of the hands being flippers.. maybe... Draco has lost the ability to encode his thoughts. It's all jibberish, literally. That would keep him from writing; as for his voice, it'd be easy to make a spell or potion just render his vocal cords.. paralyzed.

Thought I'd help with a suggestion! Keeps Draco in possession of his hands. They just.. don't help him in the way of communicating.

[issahime.livejournal.com]

Ooh, now I want to read that! I love the rpg-feel of the adventure aspect, and there seems to be a shortage of good horror H/D fics. And Draco without a voice will be interesting. I've only read one other story where that was done well, and I would like to see it again.