Diagon AlleyII forum Grand New Year Battle: The Death Eaters vs. The Order.
This was written for the Diagon AlleyII forum Grand New Year Battle between the Death Eaters and The Order. (Down with the Order!) The two teams are battling it out, so to speak, by writing stories based off of prompts. We have a great many number of prompts to choose from, each with their own point value and conditions. Below are my chosen prompts and their point tally. (this time I put them at the end so the beginning isn't all cluttered with them)
This story is for Round 1 of the Next Gen Era, Round 5 in the overall contest. See my profile for my Rounds 1 and 2 submissions, both from the Marauder Era, Of Secrets and Hope and Snape's Story: The Evolution of a Death Eater, and my Round 3 and 4 submissions from the Golden Trio Era, Harry Potter and the Uncertainty of Youth and Love and Loss.
Rounds 1,2, and 4 saw victory for the DEs! The teams are close with the DE's at 1266 and the Order at 1245!
Oh, and one last thing, this round featured some interesting restriction prompts, one of which was that no names could be used in the story. Just... you know... so you know and you don't think I'm nuts. :D
Things Forgotten
The turquoise haired Metamorphmagus sat in his own home-based potions lab, stirring his batch of Wolfsbane potion. As he did, he really wished that he hadn't absently drunk the goblet full of Forgetfulness Potion he'd set near his pumpkin juice that morning. For the last twenty minutes he'd been trying to remember for whom he was brewing this particular potion.
Forgetfulness Potion was a funny thing. He couldn't remember who had ordered this specific potion, or his own name, or the names of anyone else he knew, but he could see each and every one of their faces in his mind's eye, while also remembering exactly how to brew the complicated concoction in the cauldron in front of him. He also remembered how to finish the almost equally complicated Polyjuice potion, which was simmering off to the side and needed... something added to it.
With a sigh, he opened a nearby cabinet, taking out the exact component he needed, still unable to remember it's name, but grateful that he could at least pick out the ingredient by sight. He apparently still knew when everything needed to be added as well, even if he couldn't remember what any of it was bloody called.
Sighing to himself again, he shredded the amount needed, added it, and stirred the gloopy mud like liquid within the cauldron as he tried to recall the name of the 'cousin' he was making this for. With a squished up face, which caused his hair to change from turquoise to purple, he thought hard, but he could feel the Forgetfulness Potion pushing back within his brain, seemingly mocking his efforts.
Giving up, he groaned out loud as his hair turned back to it's usual color.
At least knew he was brewing it for one of his honorary cousins from the red headed family who he'd spent practically every summer with, just like the rest of his pretty-much-cousins. All his life he'd been surrounded by people who weren't technically family, but had treated him as such anyway, and he loved them all for it.
He would always do everything within his power to make each and every one of them happy, no matter how much it cost him personally or financially. There were a lot of people in his extended family and sometimes his personal goal seemed like it might break him, but he'd never give it up. He loved them all too much.
Case in point, the Polyjuice was a favor, and almost finished. He really wanted to get it to... With another annoyed groan, he tugged at his turquoise locks.
He had to get it to the first daughter of his fussiest red headed 'uncle', the one who worked at the ministry setting boring standards on cauldron bottoms and broom twig lengths. The 'cousin', who was named for her carrot-haired grandmother, needed the potion to help her avoid both the twins she was currently seeing.
Previously she'd been seeing both secretly, but they had found out and now would not give her a moments peace until she chose between them. So she'd been going about her business looking like someone else until she decided what to do with her little triangle. The eldest of the twins had been particularly persistent and was the main reason this was necessary.
Wondering if he should pay this overzealous twin a 'friendly' visit, he searched out a vial to ladle the potion into. Perhaps a talk with the twins mother would be helpful. She was sometimes hard to get a hold of, as she was very often out trying to find things like Crumple Horned Snorkacks, but one should never underestimate the power of a mother's lecture. It could be exactly what was needed in this situation. She was an old family friend, after all. One of his almost-siblings was partly named after her... whatever her name was, and he'd spent a lot of his childhood listening raptly to her stories of her adventures in the wild.
He had hoped that he wouldn't have to try to intervene at all, but he'd already tried to have a bit of a talk with his 'cousin' about it, before he'd agreed to brew the potion for her, and all he'd gotten for his trouble was a Bat Bogey Hex.
Really, they were all far too old for Bat Bogey Hexes.
Personally, he frowned a bit at his cousin's romantic actions, especially since the twins were so much younger than she was. He wasn't the only disapproving one either. He knew that one of her other cousins, who had found out about the situation by accident, disproved as well. The eldest daughter of his most brilliant 'aunt', who was named for a flower... no … a potion... no, yes, a flower, had put together all the little clues and cues about the little love triangle and had been shooting her older cousin disapproving looks at the weekly family dinners.
His flower named 'cousin' really was growing up to be quite bossy and opinionated, just like her mother, who everyone had always called the brightest witch of her age.
Really though, he wasn't one who should be talking about other people's love lives. He himself was currently in the middle of a similar problem, only his was more of a square than a triangle. Two of his... special friends were quite a bit younger than he was, as well. There hadn't always been three people in his love life, but lately things has gotten a bit complicated.
Of course there had almost always been... he drew a blank. If this potion didn't wear off soon he was going to flip a newt, he swore to... some deity.
Her name... was... was... he almost had it... he could feel his mind grasping for the name that went with the sweet face, blond locks, and slight French accent of his longest lasting relationship, the one who was closest to his own age... V. It started with a V. … Veela! No, that wasn't her name, that was part of her blood. Her great grandmother had been a Veela.
With a sigh he forced his thoughts onward. The harder he tried to fight against the potion, the longer it would take for the effects to wear off.
In addition to his sweet Veela, he also had been quietly seeing the man who was his brother in all but blood, named for his paternal grandfather and that grandfather's oldest and dearest friend. Yes, he was seeing none other than his famous, bespectacled godfather's eldest son.
Though they weren't actually related, sometimes things could still be awkward. Growing up together had created a bond that was like that of two brothers, but distinctly different. After all, he himself had technically been raised by his maternal grandmother, but had spent so much time with his godfather and his godfather's family, he'd had his own room in their home. He couldn't deny the slight level of awkwardness that came when he and... uggg, the eldest one, had shyly started their relationship.
Blowing his bright tresses off of his face as he ladled the Polyjuice into a vial, he remembered how he'd agonized over his conflicted feelings for weeks before finally coming to the conclusion that he'd hate himself for turning away from something that could make him happy. 'When it's real, you cannot walk away,' he remembered thinking to himself after weeks of agonizing questions and painstaking consideration. In the end, he'd been unable to consider the idea of never finding out.
Just as he'd always been happy with his sweet Veela, he'd been equally happy with his brother from another mother. While everyone already knew about his involvement with his Veela, almost no one knew about his second relationship. Only his faux brother's siblings knew, as he'd yet to find the courage to talk to his own godfather about the situation.
The siblings were fine with it though. He'd known deep down that he would always be able to count on his practically-siblings about anything. They'd both still been in school when they'd found out about his involvement with their eldest brother, and he'd been so grateful at their instant acceptance that he'd gone out and bought them bags and bags of items from the family joke shop.
Ridiculously appreciative of being accepted once again for who he was, he'd shoved bags of Skiving Snackboxes, Fanged Frisbees, Patented Daydream Charms, and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder at them despite the fact that they'd both been too old for such things. It had been the only way he could think of to show his gratitude.
Besides his second beau, the only other two people in the world who truly knew almost all of his sins and secrets were... the siblings... the middle one, the boy with the green eyes and the youngest one, the girl with the copper red hair.
Part of being family was knowing and keeping each others secrets, which was why he'd not yet told his godfather that his youngest child was seeing a member of the families oldest rival. The copper haired girl was secretly dating the star christened son of one of the most financially influential men in the wizarding world.
He'd often heard his famous, lightning scarred godfather reminiscing about the antics that they'd both gotten up to at school together. Some of them had sounded dangerous... He thought he remembered something about a dragon... and maybe another story about... Fiendfyre... but he couldn't be sure right now.
With a flat out growl of frustration, he tried to recall how long the Forgetfulness Potion took to wear off. The answer wouldn't come, but he knew that he really ought to be writing all this down. What he could and couldn't recollect was vital information that could be used to pin point exactly which parts of the brain the potion effected. That information could then be used to refine the effects. For some reason even the greatest Potion Masters had been unable to truly refine Forgetfulness Potion.
Now, if he could only remember where he'd put his quill and parchment.
As he looked around, he tried to keep his goal in his mind, losing it when he suddenly could remember that he had a date tomorrow. A date not with his Veela beauty, or his bro beau, but with someone else. Another one of his practically-cousins, the one named for his father's twin brother; who had fallen at the battle of Hogwarts.
The Metamorph had lectured himself sternly before getting involved with his new lover, in all his red haired, mischievous glory, but again had been unable to stop himself. He'd been unable to stop wondering if this pale, freckled jokester was the person he was supposed to be with. After all, they certainly made each other happy.
He felt a deep connection to each and every person in his extended family. As a teen, growing up with all the other younger teens, who he hadn't technically been related to, had been rather confusing. As an adult, it hadn't gotten much better.
Suddenly he felt the effects of the potion slip a bit as he remembered that today was Sunday, the day the whole family got together for dinner. Even his 'uncle' who had never settled down, the one who played with dragons in Romania, would be there today.
Once he remembered all that, he also remembered that he'd planned to hand over the Polyjuice tonight while no one was looking. The whole family would eat and talk and laugh and he'd do the same. All the while he'd also be trying to keep his two less public romantic interests... less public, while still enjoying the few minutes he'd be able to steal with each of them.
As he floo'ed to his 'grandparents' house, he lectured himself some more. One of these days he was going to have to make a choice between his three sweet romantic interests, but he had no idea what that choice should be. What he did know, though, was that he was essentially playing with fire. He'd gotten himself into a situation that had no good end. No matter what he chose, he'd hurt someone and he'd never ever meant for that to happen.
In a way, he sometimes felt like he was failing the people who had accepted him into their hearts and homes without question, but he didn't know what he could do about it now. The dye had been cast.
At times it was hard to be part of such a large and raucous group of people, no matter how wonderful and well meaning they all were. When many of them would come to him all at once, requesting this and that, it could be overwhelming and he'd sometimes find himself thinking, 'I'm sorry, I forgot that I only exist when you need something.'
He almost always immediately felt bad when he did. Mostly because it wasn't true at all. They all came to see him for reasons other than favors. The thoughts usually coincided with the full moon, a time when he tended to be extra grumpy.
If he could, he himself would suffer every hurt that life meant for any of them to endure, but he knew he couldn't. He really was only human, after all. Well, with a splash of werewolf, but mostly human.
As he walked out into the garden, which was the only place the entire clan would fit together, he studied the faces of the people who were his family and slowly all the names and details came trickling back into his brain. They were an eccentric and complicated group of people, but they were his group, his tribe, his pack, and he'd do whatever was necessary to keep them all safe and happy.
Looking around, he knew that they'd all do the same for him as well, or his name wasn't... well, eventually the potion would wear off completely and he'd know that too.
Dialogue Prompts: You may choose One+1 from Lorcan
"I'm sorry, I forgot that I only exist when you need something." 3
"When it's real, you cannot walk away." 3
Character Prompts: You may choose four
Lorcan Scamander 3 (You may choose two dialogue prompts with him)
Albus Potter 5 (You may use one additional potion prompt if you choose him)
Lily Luna Potter 4 (If you include her in a Lilius (Scorpius/Lily) relationship, plus two points)
Rose Weasley 2 (You may choose two pairing Prompts with her)
Pairing Prompts: You may choose one. All Pairing MUST be romantic +1 from Rose, +1 from Wolfsbane
Teddy/Fred 5
Teddy/James 5
Teddy/Victoire 5 (You must choose at least one restriction prompt with this pairing)
Restriction Prompts: Choose as many as you want
Do not use any "?" in your story 2
Do not use any dialogue in your story 2
Do not use any names throughout your story 2
WWW Prompts: You may choose four
Skiving Snackboxes 1
Fanged Frisbees 1
Patented Daydream Charms 1
Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder 1
Potion Promps: You may choose one.+1 from Albus
Polyjuice Potion 5 (Plus two if you include this into the Molly/Lorcan/Lysander Love Triangle)
Wolfsbane 5 (You may choose one extra pairing prompt)
Song Prompt: You can choose one.
Human by Christina Perri 5