Written for the Quidditch League, Round 4 - Appleby Arrows, Chaser 2: Write from a pet's perspective about their everyday life, (word) preposterous, (word) pillow, (song) How Bad Can I Be - Dr Seuss' The Lorax.
Also for Hogwarts' Funfair Events: Northern Funfair - The Ghost Train, Compartment 15: (word) death, Eastern Funfair - Ferris Wheel: (word) deep, Western Funfair - Wheel of Fortune: (word) uncertain.
Also for the Summer Challenges: Days of the Year - Happy Heart Hugs Day: write about someone struggling from a lack of physical contact, Summer Prompts: (word) sunbathe; Shay's Musical Challenge: 8. Book of Mormon - write about someone achieving their goal through dishonest means, Gryffindor Themed Prompts: (trait) arrogant.
And for the Writing Club: Character Appreciation - (Item) Horcrux, Disney Challenge: Snow White - Write about someone running away, Shannon's Showcase: 22 - (Scenario) Having an intense connection with another person, Book Club: Tink: (trait) loyal, (word) nook, (action) biting, Showtime: 6 - Farmer Refuted - (word) Mercy, Count Your Buttons: (song) "Satisfied" from Hamilton, (word) Freedom, Lyric Alley: No stress, my love for you is never in doubt, Ami's Audio Admirations: Worldwide Sales Director of Pots and Pans — Write about someone who lies about what their job is, Sophie's Shelf: Vault 11 - (word) Sacrifice, Emy's Emporium: Greece - 2. The sky- Write about a perfect day, Spain: 2. The nightlife - Write a fic that takes place at night, Portugal: 3. The fish - Write about someone with an obsession, Angel's Arcade: Riku: (color) silver, (plot point) being mislead by someone, (word set) darkness, change, mistrust, (trait) aggressive, (dialogue) "You made me a promise.", Lo's Lowdown: (Theme) rebellion, Bex's Biscuit Barrel: Rich Tea - [word] Wrong, [Emotion] Disgust, [Dialogue] "I can't even look at you right now.", [AU] Voldemort Wins.
For Hamilton Mania: Act One - 17 - (era) post-war, optional prompt: (word) deadly, Canadian Craze: 16 - write about someone struggling to behave, Insane House: Style - Past Tense.
Word count: 1323
hisses and venom
Her favorite sunbathing spot was cold. The rock she used as a kind of pillow, usually bathed in warm, golden light emanating from a spell her master had placed there just for her, was plunged in darkness tonight, and instead of the warmth Nagini expected, there was only a deep cold that hurt her scales.
She hissed, poked the rock one last time, but when nothing changed, she slithered away. The stone floor was almost slick underneath her body, and the corridors were cool as she moved toward what her master referred to as his throne room.
The corridors were mostly empty too, the dark stones flashing silver in the moonlight filtering in through the windows.
She didn't encounter anyone — she rarely did anymore. Now that they had won, it seemed as though everyone was too busy to be here. She missed the days when her master's servants had been around to terrorize. She had loved little more than to slither between their legs and pretend to bite their ankles — her master approved too, which only made it so much sweeter.
Her favorite had been the rat one. His fear had always been rather delectable, and her master had promised her she could eat the fool the day he misstepped.
Alas, she hadn't gotten the chance to sink her fangs into that idiot, and his death had come through other means.
A shame, really. Humans rarely smelled like prey that much, and she had been eager to see if he tasted like it too.
She didn't get a lot of opportunities to bite anyone these days, much less eat them. She would have relished the chance to eat the rat-man. Maybe she could even have gotten her master to have him turn into a rat so she could really hunt him.
After all, humans were usually dreadfully boring to hunt.
She had nearly reached the throne room — her best bet at finding her master these days — when she paused. There was a fork in the corridor, a split in directions, and Nagini stopped, suddenly uncertain, to consider it.
She had planned on going to her master, but she was feeling bored, and it was night already. Perhaps her master wouldn't even be there and she'd have to go to his rooms to try to find him. She had wanted to lay around in the sunlight, artificial or not, but she could always do that later.
Besides, she had lazed about all day, playing with the bones of the manchild who had tried to take her head off with a sword, of all things.
Preposterous. As if she'd let herself die so stupidly. That the boy had even thought he had a chance was ludicrous.
Her master had let her have her way with the fool's body as a reward though, and seeing the way she had kept his bones as a kind of trophy always made him laugh.
Her master kept his trophies too, at least in a way, and that was what had stopped her. If she went on her way and continued right, she would be going to the throne room, where she would perhaps find him and he might enchant another nook for her to sunbathe in.
But if she went left… She could go visit the prisoners again. That was always fun.
Before she could even truly think about it, her body had started to lean left, and she slithered on. The stones were cooler here, slicker, and the floor quickly turned into an uncomfortable staircase. This was her least favorite part about these visits: the stairs.
Well, that and the lack of heat, though at least she could tolerate the latter knowing that it made her master's prisoners suffer more than she did.
She didn't know any of them by name, of course. Oh, perhaps someone had told her once — or a few times — but really, all that she needed to know was that they wanted to kill her master, the one who had given her a part of his soul to keep and made her far superior to anyone else.
She finally reached the ends of the stairs, and she had to take a moment to gather her bearing before continuing on.
There were many cells occupied. One would think that this little rebellion of theirs would end now that their Savior was dead, his sacrifice as useless as Nagini and her master had always known it would be — she would have kept his bones too, but her master hadn't allowed her.
A shame, really, but one she had to live with.
As she slithered toward the occupied cells, she started to hear voices, snippets of conversation that were silenced as soon as her body came into view.
"You made me a promise," one man whispered, his voice almost a hiss. There was a delicious tint of desperation to it, and Nagini hissed with pleasure at the taste of it.
"I can't even look at you right now," another man replied. He, too, smelled like desperation and grief, but unlike the other, he smelled like anger too.
This one, Nagini realized, hadn't given up on everything yet.
This one could be fun to play with still.
She slid toward his cell and stopped in front of it, enjoying the way he suddenly recoiled at the sight of her. She was almost disappointed, but then he snarled at her and tossed something at her.
She dodged, of course, but it did prove that he had some fight left in him. He would be interesting — better than the last one she had tried this with, anyhow.
Well, she hoped so.
The man eyed her with mistrust as she moved in closer, but he didn't try to throw anything else at her. Undoubtedly he had no other ammunition, though that didn't stop him from trying to insult her.
She ignored him easily and raised her head until it was level with the locking mechanism for his door.
He fell silent — as did all the other cells near him.
Opening the door was child's play for her. She just had to pull the handle down — of course, from the inside, escaping was impossible. But from the outside? For her, who bore a part of Lord Voldemort's very soul? Oh, opening the cells was the easiest thing in the world.
But even though she was showing him mercy, the man didn't move. Not at first, anyway. The heavy metal door swung open with a loud screeching noise, but still, the man only flinched.
Nagini stayed there for a few moments, her head swaying from side to side as she watched understanding slowly dawn on the prisoner — or at least, what he thought he understood.
She departed when he started moving, slowly rising to his feet.
The stairs were more uncomfortable going up, but she endured them happily, her mind already churning with ideas for the future, about this new prisoner she had released.
She didn't get far, however. Barely a few feet away from the steps that led to the dungeons, her master found her, a deadly look shining in his blood red eyes.
Once again, Nagini stopped. She raised her head toward him, and waited.
Slowly, the wrongness in his body eased.
"Again?" he asked her in a hiss, amusement clear in his voice.
Nagini nodded. "I was bored. And he tried to throw something at me."
Her master sighed fondly. "I see. Well, then have fun with your new toy — I'll get someone to Obliviate the rest so they don't remember your little… visit."
Nagini hissed back thankfully and moved away.
She estimated she still had a few minutes before her future meal realized he wouldn't be able to open any other door and started trying to get out.
And then…
Well, then the true fun would begin.