The Pit of Rogue Plot Bunnies
A collection of scenes from stories I may or may not turn into real stories, but were begging me to write them anyway. If anyone reading these wants me to write a full story for it, or if they want to use the idea themselves, just say so in your review.
First Idea-
Harry Amell and the Tervinter's Stone
Summary: Harry Amell always knew he was a little strange. He just never knew why. That is, until now. "You are a mage, Harry." Dragon Age/Harry Potter fusion.
Prologue: The Village of Privet
In the far west of Ferelden, just beneath the shadow of the Frostback Mountains, there lies a tiny village isolated from the rest of the world known as Privet. It is a place where nothing extraordinary happens, and the villagers go about their daily lives without a care in the world. Tales of Grey Wardens, Blights, and Magi are little more than tall tales here, for all the evidence the inhabitants have seen. Yes, Privet was a very calm and peaceful place.
Little did the villagers know, that would all change tonight.
For tonight, a stranger had entered the small settlement, garbed in a long cloak that obscured everything about the person. If one was looking carefully, though, they would notice that this strange traveler was walking very slowly and unevenly, showing they had a limp. They would also notice the way the stranger's arms were clutched to their chest, shielding something from the harsh weather.
Fortunately for the traveler, few were able to see this suspicious activity.
A fierce storm was raging outside, and most of the villagers had retreated indoors to escape the violent downpour. The key word here is, of course, "most".
"Vernon! Please, come inside!" A shrill cry cut through the night, and the stranger froze in place. Beneath the cloak, verdant green eyes turned and searched desperately for the source of the voice. It was familiar, and the traveler needed to find her.
Without realizing it, the stranger had burst out into a run, ignoring the shudder of pain that followed every step. Pain and exhaustion were drowned out in a new flood of emotions. Joy, nervousness, and most dangerous of all, hope.
"Hold your horses, Petunia!" A hoarse voice, Vernon, the stranger guessed, called back, "I just need to get the blasted goats back in the stables. Can't let them get away in the storm!"
None of this conversation mattered to the stranger, though. All that mattered was getting to that door as quickly as possible. Soon enough, the house was finally close enough to become clear.
Looking at Petunia Dursely, you would hardly be impressed. In fact, many nobles would consider her the perfect example of how those of "lower stock" could not compare in beauty. With her long and thin neck and very narrow, haggard face, she was unlikely to win any competitions for allure. However, that did not bother her. She was a proud and tough woman who worked hard and cared deeply for her family.
That last fact was the entire reason the stranger had come out here.
"Petunia." The cloaked person choked in greeting.
Green eyes turned and widened in shock. Whether it was at the state the stranger was in, or in fear because someone she could not identify knew her name, the stranger could not say
"Yes?" The peasant woman answered nervously. "And who are you?" She was tense. Fear it was, then.
Beneath the cloak, the traveler couldn't bite back a chuckle. "Is that any way to greet your sister, Pet?"
Petunia stared in disbelief, but there was something else in her expression that made the cloaked woman's knees go weak in relief. "Lily?" Petunia called, hopefully.
Despite her best efforts, tears began to trail down her face. "Yes, sister, it's me."
With that, she lifted one hand and pulled her hood down, revealing long matted tresses of auburn hair and the deep green eyes that all their family carried. A small smile played across her lips as she took in the sight of the family she had not seen in years.
"Lily!"
Petunia wasted no time, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye and dragging the woman to the warmth of the cottage.
"Quickly, come inside, you'll catch your death out here. Honestly has living in that tower for so long addled your…" Petunia trailed off, realizing something.
"You're not supposed to leave the tower." The follow-up questions weren't voiced, but Lily knew what they were. Why are you here? Will they come after you?
Lily didn't answer at first, just searching around them quickly for any eavesdroppers before pushing her sister inside the cottage.
"James and I need your help." Lily began.
Petunia still looked confused, but nodded. They had exchanged letters for a time, so Petunia knew of Lily's frowned-upon relationship with her fellow mage, James Amell. Again, in a paranoid habit, Lily looked around before holding out her arms.
Her sister watched with trepidation as Lily revealed she was carrying a small bundle of cloth. Carefully, Lily began to unwind the cloth to reveal what was hidden within.
"That's a…" Petunia gasped.
"A baby. Mine and James' son." Lily finished, with a little pride coloring her tone.
While the flickering candle across the room was the only source of light, Petunia could see the baby very clearly. There was a tiny tuft of black, messy hair on his head and a serene look as he slept, unbothered by the tension around him.
"That's why you came here, isn't it?"
Lily nodded, letting her exhaustion show on her face. "Mages are… not supposed to have relationships with one another. It virtually guarantees the presence of magic in the child. If the Templars find out about such a pregnancy, they take the baby away." As any mother would, Lily looked torn apart and the mere thought of what she was saying. "We couldn't let that happen, Petunia, we just couldn't! We had to escape, get him away!"
Petunia grabbed her sister in a comforting hug.
"What did you do?" She asked calmly.
Lily sniffled. "We…made a plan, some of our friends agreed to help provide enough of a distraction for James and I to escape. But…"
"But?" Petunia prompted, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Somehow, I don't know how, the Templars found out. James…he fought them, to keep them off our trail, but he couldn't have won." Lily's face could only be described as utterly broken. "He's dead, Pet, I can feel it. And they're just behind us. They'll get me next."
Petunia looked alarmed. "Lily? They won't find you, I swear it! You can hide out here, I'll talk to Vernon and…"
Lily shook her head. "It's too late." She whispered. "I'm already injured and they have my phylactery. They'll find me soon enough." She looked down at the sleeping bundle in her arms, "They don't know about him, though."
Suddenly, the full truth of her sister's plan hit Petunia like a bolt of lightning.
"You want me and Vernon to care for him." It was a statement, not a question.
Lily looked at her desperately. "Yes. Please, Petty! I know you have your own son, when the Templars come you can pretend that he's one of yours, they won't question it. Please, you're his only hope!"
Petunia looked at the expression of her sister, filled with fear, desperation, and that tiny bit of hope, and made her decision.
"What is the name of Dudley's new 'brother'?"
Lily beamed. "Harry. His name is Harry. Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Petty!" She pressed a kiss to her sister's cheek in gratitude and Petunia couldn't help but smile. It reminded her of better times, simpler times when she and Lily were children. They had fought so often, but there had been interspersed moments of genuine love between the two sisters.
Then the Templars had come and taken Lily away. Petunia could no longer think ill of her sister after finding out what life was like for Mages in the Circle.
This really was the least she could do.
"I should leave now." Lily finally declared, with not a little regret. "They need to be led away from here."
Petunia nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
So, slowly, Lily handed her son over to her sister, pausing momentarily to push a kiss to the sleeping child's forehead. "I'll always protect you, dear." She muttered.
With that last statement she threw the cloak's hood back over her head and dashed outside.
"Hey, watch where you're…" Vernon came in. "Petunia…who was that who just ran out of our house?"
"Lily." Petunia said frankly.
Vernon's eyes widened, then turned to the baby in her arms. It didn't take much time for him to put the pieces together. "We'll be taking care of the boy?" He stated, more than asked.
Petunia nodded firmly, showing there was no room for debate.
Vernon grunted in acknowledgement, then sighed. "Bloody mages. Should've known something would happen sooner or later." Despite his bluster, though, Petunia knew that he would not object. Whatever he felt about Mages, Vernon knew Petunia's sister was important to her and wouldn't argue this point.
"Take him to Dudley's room and introduce the two." Vernon said gruffly, putting his soaked cloak back on. Seeing his wife raising an eyebrow, he explained. "If we need to feed another mouth, I'll need to make sure more work gets done." Petunia watched his burly frame as he opened the door and once more stepped into the storm.
Petunia slowly moved to the back of the cottage, to the last room in the hall. Quietly, she pushed open the door, trying not to wake either her son or her nephew.
"Ma?"
The childish question nearly made her jump in surprise. Turning, she saw her young toddler of a son, still with his baby fat and all, standing in his crib and staring at her with curious eyes.
"Dudley, I want you to meet someone." She pushed Harry closer, so Dudley could see him. "This is your cousin Harry. He'll be staying with us for a while."
"Pay?"
"Yes, Dudley, I'm sure he'll play with you." Petunia assured him, "But not now. Now you both need to sleep."
Dudley pouted, but at the stern look his mother was giving him, he crawled back to his corner of the crib and curled up for sleep. Gently, Petunia placed Harry on the other side of the crib.
"Good night, nephew." She said quietly.
She turned to leave, when something caught her eye. There, on the baby's forehead was a very strange scar, shaped like a lightning bolt. But it wasn't the unusual shape that caught Petunia's attention.
Looking at the scar that she hadn't noticed before, Petunia couldn't shake the strange feeling she was getting from it. The only way she could describe it was: power. Sheer, unnatural power pulsed within that scar. But, why…
I'll always protect you. Her sister's last words echoed.
"Don't be silly, Petunia." The woman scolded herself as she left the room, "That kind of magic is forbidden. There's not even a possibility that Lily would use such dark magics, even to protect her son."
Right?
Ten years later
It was a beautiful day outside in Privet's small corner of Ferelden. The deep blue sky stretched on forever, uninterrupted by clouds, and a gentle breeze cooled the landscape below the sun's heated sight. The fields were a vibrant green as the crops reached their highest point. Yes, it really was a great day.
Unless you were working. Harry, like every other villager in the farming town, was doing just that.
Arms straining with effort, the boy groaned as he pulled the plow forward. Droplets of sweat trailed down his face with every step he took, and it felt like his entire body was on fire.
"Of all the days for that Maker damned ox to get injured." He growled to himself, sending a glare at the whining animal a few feet away.
Bracing himself for more, Harry nearly fell to the ground in relief when someone interrupted him.
"Boy! Take a break, you look exhausted." Vernon announced.
Harry needed no more convincing and was away from the plow in a second flat. Once he reached the front step of the house, he collapsed.
"Couldn't handle it, eh, cousin?" Chuckled a new voice.
Harry turned his bright green eyes to the left and did his best to give a visual death threat to Dudley, but the other boy just laughed harder. Harry tried to stay annoyed, but a chuckle of his own soon escaped. Dudley sat down next to him.
"You know, I would've done it if you asked me to."
Harry grimaced. It wasn't that he didn't like his cousin, really, but he always felt a little inferior to Dudley. The elder boy was much bigger than him, broad and muscled for his age compared to Harry's lean structure. Dudley was also much more popular than him, and while Dudley's big gang of friends did at least try to include Harry, it was clear that they were only doing so because Dudley asked them to.
It was an open secret that many people in the village were cautious about Harry. Between his sudden and unexplained appearance in town and his family's refusal to explain much about his own parents, all manner of rumors had popped up about his origins.
And, to make things worse, there were those strange incidents.
Every now and then, things happened around Harry that he couldn't explain. Appearing on top of the cottage roof, a sudden rainstorm when he had been too hot, and once when he was angry at one of the other children in the village their hair had suddenly combusted. No one was ever hurt, and there were very few witnesses, but that didn't stop word from getting out. Harry asked his aunt and uncle about it, but they always changed the subject quickly.
Dudley, on the other hand, was willing to give a friendly ear to Harry's concerns. Both boys had spent many nights just talking about things. Whether those were big things like Harry's mysteries, or just minor gripes about how boring Privet was and how they dreamt of seeing the world and going on adventures.
Seeing the look on his cousin's face, Dudley opened his mouth. "Harry? Something you want to…" He was cut off by a thundering shout from the fields.
"Dudley! Come over here and help!"
Dudley rolled his eyes, giving one last assuring smile at his cousin before darting off. "Coming, father!"
Harry slumped back and relaxed. At least his chores for the day were done.
On cue, the creak of the door behind him reached his ears. Looking up he saw his aunt's stern face looking back.
"Harry." She said stiffly. Harry smiled sheepishly, knowing that tone of voice far too well for his own good.
"Just taking a break, Aunt Petunia." The boy placated. "I'll get to the rest of the chores in a few moments."
His aunt nodded, but still kept her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him, clearly looking for any signs that he was lying. After searching for a few more seconds and finding nothing to confirm her fears, the older woman went back inside the house, mumbling something under her breath. Once more alone, Harry laid back and stretched.
Nothing could go wrong today, he thought.
Unbeknownst to him, though, a new arrival was about to enter the village. A very large and hairy man with a disturbingly calm demeanor from Lake Calenhad was coming to investigate a report from one of the villagers about a young boy with strange abilities.
His name was Hagrid, a tranquil from the Ferelden Circle of Magi. And he would change Harry's life forever.
A/N: I couldn't resist.
And before anyone asks about the change in the Dursleys, well, if they hated Harry for his magic they wouldn't try to avoid sending him away now would they? Besides, Harry's life was hard enough in his own series, it's only going to be harder in Dragon Age. Might as well give him a little bit of time where his life doesn't suck.
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