In March 2008 sw69 issued a drabble challenge on Potter Place. The rule was to use the month and day of one's birthday combined with shirt colour to make a sentence to be used in the drabble. Here is my contribution and the guidelines.

It's a ss/hg drabble of exactly 400 words.

The Dangers of Child Minding

An animagus form really was quite convenient when entertaining small children, Severus thought, swooping low through the living room once more. The toddler clapped his small hands and squealed.

When the door opened and two boys, one red head and a black haired one, entered with their quidditch gear he took an extra swoop to avoid the suddenly opened door. Kicking off their shoes the boys stumbled through the room. The red head hit the other with a shoe and the black haired one retaliated, or at least tried to. Instead he kicked the small animagus form which was propelled through the air and landed on the blanket next to the toddler.

Anxiously the boys ran to the blanket just in time to see the Severus transform into his normal figure. He lay in an undignified sprawl on the blanket and while getting up the door opened once more.

In came the mother of the toddler and the black haired child. Seeing her husband sprawled on the floor and the children looking terrified she asked: 'What is going on here? Are you alright, Severus?'

Getting a groan and a scowl from her husband of seven years convinced her that no real damage had been made but still prompted her to look to her oldest child for an explanation.

'I'm sorry, Mum' he said. 'Daddy was flying and I sort of kicked him...'

'Whatever possessed you to do a thing like that? You know that you have to be careful with your father when he is in his animagus form.'

'I know, Mum. I kicked the bat because the goblins told me to.'

'What?' she screeched. 'I don't know where you got that ludicrous idea, but I've told you more than once not to make up stories like that. You could have seriously injured your father and now you're trying to put the blame on goblins. That's it, young man, go to your room and stay there until supper time writing lines saying "The goblins did not tell me to kick my father".'

'Now, Hermione, don't be so hard on the boy', Severus interjected, having finally caught his breath again. 'He didn't do it on purpose, but I will agree that he needs to take responsibility. Therefore I want you, Son, to think about what the consequences could have been and at supper time there will be no dessert for you.'

The sentence used is of course: I kicked a bat because the goblins told me to.

Not my best effort, but hey, at least I wrote something! Comments very welcome so please review.

THE GUIDELINES:

Pick the month you were born:

January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I hexed
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I made Polyjuice With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I snarked at
December-----I flew my broom into

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1-------a phoenix
2-------a troll
3-------a wand
4-------a chalice
5-------a Hogwarts ghost
6-------a Death Eater
7-------my Floo
8-------my Crup
9-------my best friend's lover
10-------my neighbor
11-------my Potions teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a bartender
14-------a house-elf
15-------a goat
16-------a Hogwarts portrait
17-------Molly Weasley
18-------a clock
19-------a centaur
20-------a bat
21-------an Auror
22-------Voldemort
23-------a potato
24-------a bowtruckle
25-------a Quidditch player
26-------Ron's sister
27-------Ron's brother
28-------the Wizarding Wireless
29-------the squid
30-------a hippogriff
31-------a Squib

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White---------because I can do whatever I want, damn it.
Black---------because I bloody felt like it.
Pink-----------because I like Umbridge.
Red-----------because the goblins told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm a know-it-all.
Green---------because Professor Snape walked my way.
Purple---------because I lost my knickers!
Gray----------because Dumbledore said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because Malfoy offered me 1,000,000 Galleons.
Orange--------because my family were blood traitors.
Brown---------because I can--Voldemort said so!
Other----------because I'm a Death Eater!
None----------because I can't control myself!