Feeling *much* better.
Feb. 26th, 2010 08:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lomonaaerenI haven't written for a few days because my energy was so low, and instead gave myself permission to do other things. I now feel restless and energetic and ready to go!
...Though there will be no update tonight, sorry, as it's too late now my time.
But here is a teaser and a description of a new fic idea!
"Veela-Struck"- This is the first fic in a long time where I can't get a grip on the length- I don't know if it wants to be a one-shot, a chaptered novella, or even a novel-length. I suppose it will depend on what I decide to do with the central idea.
Draco's a Veela (big surprise) but without a destined mate, and has decided that he would like to court Harry Potter, one of the few people who treats him like a decent human being. He's surprised and hurt by Harry's refusal, until he learns the reason. Harry's ex-lover was a Veela who grew frustrated that the allure didn't work on Harry, and so he used a more dangerous, darker version of the allure to make Harry Veela-struck- essentially, a sex slave. Harry managed to break free after a few days and restrain himself enough to put the man in prison rather than kill him. Since then, though, the very idea of considering a lover who can control him like that makes Harry disgusted. He was raped mentally and physically, and he's never taking a chance that anything like that could happen to him again.
One reason this fic may need to be fairly long is the delicacy of the issues it's dealing with, and the fact that Harry would consider dating Draco if he wasn't a Veela. He doesn't object to him as a person, but as a creature.
This is from "Penance is the Play," a fic where Draco's been assigned as Harry's Auror partner because no one else can stand him, and it's Harry or being sacked.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“Potter?”
Harry leaned back in his chair so that he could see the doorway. The voice was Malfoy’s; he would have recognized it if twenty years had gone by, instead of only six. But he stood further back in the corridor, so Harry couldn’t see him no matter how much he craned his neck. “Hullo,” he said at last, giving up. “Malfoy?”
A pause, and then Malfoy stepped into the office.
He was much taller than Harry remembered, so much so that he had to change his mental image quite a bit. He looked more dignified with the pointiness smoothed out of his face, though at the moment he was biting his lip and so his mouth didn’t contribute much to his dignity. His hair bore one ragged clump of cut ends near the neck, which made Harry think he’d trimmed it violently with a spell to avoid a flame or some creature that clung to it.
He hadn’t been vain enough to go to someone who could adjust the style immediately, and that indication he could care about other things made Harry like him more. He rose and held out his hand. “Hullo,” he said again. “Shacklebolt tells me that we’re going to be partners.” Keep this simple and truthful until we can see what he’s made of.
Malfoy nodded and reached out to clasp Harry’s wrist. He seemed to be relaxing by the second. “Because no one else can stand me,” he said.
Harry choked. The Malfoy the notes from his other partners had revealed seemed to be oblivious to any of his own faults. Not like this one.
And this Malfoy also had a faint, stern gleam in his eyes that Harry hadn’t counted on. He weighed up the advantages of trying to lie to him, versus the advantages of telling the truth, and quickly decided to go with the riskier course.
“Yes,” he said. “For some reason, Kingsley thinks that I can ground you and keep you from making ridiculous mistakes.”
“I never make ridiculous mistakes.” Malfoy leaned back against the extra desk that the Auror Department had already granted Harry, swinging his leg as he looked around the office. Harry tensed for some critical comment about the stacks of files, the spare parchment that also stood up in piles nearly to the ceiling, and the photographs of the Weasley family on the walls, but they never came. “That word implies something small and petty, to me,” Malfoy continued, in a voice so haughty his words seemed to come entirely through his nose. “I make spectacular errors, and then I pay for it.”
Harry was smiling, he realized. That was probably silly of him, and he should try to stop it. But there was something about Malfoy’s combination of self-knowledge and arrogance that was ridiculously (yes, that was the right word) charming.
“Do your partners also pay for it?” he asked. “I can’t think of any other reason they would be so irritated, if you bore the entire brunt of the consequences.”
Malfoy sighed. “You misunderstand me,” he said. “I make the errors. I pay for the mistakes. I can’t help it if they were standing beside me and happened to be caught up in the maelstrom. They ought to pay more attention.”
Harry leaned forwards. “One thing you ought to know about me, Malfoy,” he said, “is that I have the same kind of confidence you do, but I’ll take care of a partner. In whatever way he needs it.”
Malfoy froze. Then he gave a breathless little laugh and said, “Well. No one’s ever made that offer to me before.”
Ah-ha! Harry thought he had just found another source of the conflict between Malfoy and his partners. If they didn’t like him, of course they wouldn’t try to protect him, or at least the protection would be far more lax. And that was understandable, but it was also against the rules of the Auror Department, and the exact thing that would make Malfoy feel hostile and alienated. Harry could overcome some of that just by treating him like a human being. Maybe, in the end, it would be enough to persuade Malfoy to relate normally to other people.
“I mean it,” Harry said. “I’ll guard your back. I’ll make sure that you receive treatment for your wounds. I’ll keep watch when you need to sleep, if we’re on a long and boring observation where the Department somehow expects us to remain alert at all times without doing anything.” Malfoy smiled, and Harry felt his breath catch, but he went on, because he knew the duties of a partner well enough. “I’ll do half the paperwork.” He paused impressively.
“But?” Malfoy asked. “I can hear one somewhere.”
“The one thing I won’t tolerate,” Harry said, “is active treachery. Turn on me, try to hurt me, and all bets are off. I still won’t kill you, but I’ll bring you back to the Department and turn you over to Kingsley along with a full report of your actions. I think you know what will happen then.”
Malfoy nodded, his eyes flickering. He probably knew Kingsley was a step or two away from sacking him.
“Also,” Harry said, leaning towards Malfoy until their noses almost touched, “there’s something else you’ve got to do. Something important. Something so important that not doing it would wreck any partnership we could have forever.”
“What’s that?” Malfoy actually looked apprehensive.
“Your half of the paperwork,” Harry said.
He learned later that more than one person passing by in the corridor had been stunned by the sound of the laughter coming from his office.
...Though there will be no update tonight, sorry, as it's too late now my time.
But here is a teaser and a description of a new fic idea!
"Veela-Struck"- This is the first fic in a long time where I can't get a grip on the length- I don't know if it wants to be a one-shot, a chaptered novella, or even a novel-length. I suppose it will depend on what I decide to do with the central idea.
Draco's a Veela (big surprise) but without a destined mate, and has decided that he would like to court Harry Potter, one of the few people who treats him like a decent human being. He's surprised and hurt by Harry's refusal, until he learns the reason. Harry's ex-lover was a Veela who grew frustrated that the allure didn't work on Harry, and so he used a more dangerous, darker version of the allure to make Harry Veela-struck- essentially, a sex slave. Harry managed to break free after a few days and restrain himself enough to put the man in prison rather than kill him. Since then, though, the very idea of considering a lover who can control him like that makes Harry disgusted. He was raped mentally and physically, and he's never taking a chance that anything like that could happen to him again.
One reason this fic may need to be fairly long is the delicacy of the issues it's dealing with, and the fact that Harry would consider dating Draco if he wasn't a Veela. He doesn't object to him as a person, but as a creature.
This is from "Penance is the Play," a fic where Draco's been assigned as Harry's Auror partner because no one else can stand him, and it's Harry or being sacked.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“Potter?”
Harry leaned back in his chair so that he could see the doorway. The voice was Malfoy’s; he would have recognized it if twenty years had gone by, instead of only six. But he stood further back in the corridor, so Harry couldn’t see him no matter how much he craned his neck. “Hullo,” he said at last, giving up. “Malfoy?”
A pause, and then Malfoy stepped into the office.
He was much taller than Harry remembered, so much so that he had to change his mental image quite a bit. He looked more dignified with the pointiness smoothed out of his face, though at the moment he was biting his lip and so his mouth didn’t contribute much to his dignity. His hair bore one ragged clump of cut ends near the neck, which made Harry think he’d trimmed it violently with a spell to avoid a flame or some creature that clung to it.
He hadn’t been vain enough to go to someone who could adjust the style immediately, and that indication he could care about other things made Harry like him more. He rose and held out his hand. “Hullo,” he said again. “Shacklebolt tells me that we’re going to be partners.” Keep this simple and truthful until we can see what he’s made of.
Malfoy nodded and reached out to clasp Harry’s wrist. He seemed to be relaxing by the second. “Because no one else can stand me,” he said.
Harry choked. The Malfoy the notes from his other partners had revealed seemed to be oblivious to any of his own faults. Not like this one.
And this Malfoy also had a faint, stern gleam in his eyes that Harry hadn’t counted on. He weighed up the advantages of trying to lie to him, versus the advantages of telling the truth, and quickly decided to go with the riskier course.
“Yes,” he said. “For some reason, Kingsley thinks that I can ground you and keep you from making ridiculous mistakes.”
“I never make ridiculous mistakes.” Malfoy leaned back against the extra desk that the Auror Department had already granted Harry, swinging his leg as he looked around the office. Harry tensed for some critical comment about the stacks of files, the spare parchment that also stood up in piles nearly to the ceiling, and the photographs of the Weasley family on the walls, but they never came. “That word implies something small and petty, to me,” Malfoy continued, in a voice so haughty his words seemed to come entirely through his nose. “I make spectacular errors, and then I pay for it.”
Harry was smiling, he realized. That was probably silly of him, and he should try to stop it. But there was something about Malfoy’s combination of self-knowledge and arrogance that was ridiculously (yes, that was the right word) charming.
“Do your partners also pay for it?” he asked. “I can’t think of any other reason they would be so irritated, if you bore the entire brunt of the consequences.”
Malfoy sighed. “You misunderstand me,” he said. “I make the errors. I pay for the mistakes. I can’t help it if they were standing beside me and happened to be caught up in the maelstrom. They ought to pay more attention.”
Harry leaned forwards. “One thing you ought to know about me, Malfoy,” he said, “is that I have the same kind of confidence you do, but I’ll take care of a partner. In whatever way he needs it.”
Malfoy froze. Then he gave a breathless little laugh and said, “Well. No one’s ever made that offer to me before.”
Ah-ha! Harry thought he had just found another source of the conflict between Malfoy and his partners. If they didn’t like him, of course they wouldn’t try to protect him, or at least the protection would be far more lax. And that was understandable, but it was also against the rules of the Auror Department, and the exact thing that would make Malfoy feel hostile and alienated. Harry could overcome some of that just by treating him like a human being. Maybe, in the end, it would be enough to persuade Malfoy to relate normally to other people.
“I mean it,” Harry said. “I’ll guard your back. I’ll make sure that you receive treatment for your wounds. I’ll keep watch when you need to sleep, if we’re on a long and boring observation where the Department somehow expects us to remain alert at all times without doing anything.” Malfoy smiled, and Harry felt his breath catch, but he went on, because he knew the duties of a partner well enough. “I’ll do half the paperwork.” He paused impressively.
“But?” Malfoy asked. “I can hear one somewhere.”
“The one thing I won’t tolerate,” Harry said, “is active treachery. Turn on me, try to hurt me, and all bets are off. I still won’t kill you, but I’ll bring you back to the Department and turn you over to Kingsley along with a full report of your actions. I think you know what will happen then.”
Malfoy nodded, his eyes flickering. He probably knew Kingsley was a step or two away from sacking him.
“Also,” Harry said, leaning towards Malfoy until their noses almost touched, “there’s something else you’ve got to do. Something important. Something so important that not doing it would wreck any partnership we could have forever.”
“What’s that?” Malfoy actually looked apprehensive.
“Your half of the paperwork,” Harry said.
He learned later that more than one person passing by in the corridor had been stunned by the sound of the laughter coming from his office.
"Penance is the Play"
Date: 2012-01-09 07:52 am (UTC)