Notes: Protagonists not named as a challenge, but you should hopefully be able to work out the POVs and settings! Characters are taken from all six books, the two Comic Relief books, and other JKR-generated material. List at the end for reference (some are a little sneaky!)
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1.
"No, you can't play Quidditch with us! You're a girl!"
Laughing, they marched up the hill to the paddock. She watched with tears in her eyes, then stamped her foot. She'd show them!
She glanced around to make sure they couldn't see her, then took the hairpin from her tresses and jiggled it in the lock, like she'd seen the twins do. Miraculously, it sprang open and she grabbed Percy's broom, the one he wasn't allowed to have at school this year.
The feeling as she flew for the first time – nearly ten feet above the ground! – was utterly brilliant.
2.
She stormed out of the drawing room, not trusting herself to speak, and left her husband to escort the guests out. Only when they had gone did she return.
"How dare he?" she screeched. "That was family gold! It should have been left to family!"
"But it was a Black he willed it to …" began her husband, weakly.
"He's not any more! He knew that! I told him to have nothing to do with the boy! How dare he defy his sister's explicit wish?"
"But what …"
"I'll show you what." She raised her wand in cold fury. "Incendio!"
3.
"Dragon!"
He didn't bother to look up. His little sister was always crying dragon. All right, she'd got him the first twenty times, but he wasn't going to fall for it again.
"Dragon!"
He smiled. Not on a Muggle beach. She wouldn't fool him this time.
"Dragon!DRAGON!"
He looked up, startled at her screams, and trembled as the shadow passed overhead. Green scales. Sharp claws! A jet of fire setting deckchairs alight …
Later, while his parents were explaining what had happened to the Ministry people, he looked at his sobbing sister and knew she would never cry dragon again.
4.
"Hermione told you about it?"
"Yes. Prefect's meeting. She told you too, I suppose. What do you reckon?"
"Worth a try. I don't want to go into the exam room never having done any of the spells!"
"Well, neither do I, but …" She lowered her voice. "If there's really something in what Potter says, I want to be able to fight them, too."
"Hey, when did you start being the courageous one?"
"Don't know. When did you start being the one who worried about exams?"
The sisters looked at each other for a moment and then burst into helpless laughter.
5.
He watched her leave with a lump in his throat. Never though' to meet anyone like her at his age. Might never see her again, now, but – there were some things yeh just had to do, weren' there? Yeah. Know she understood tha'.
Hope she understood tha'.
He sighed and walked over to his brother, who was moodily kicking a tree. It was starting to look the worse for wear. "Come on, then," he said, having to tug his brother's shirt several times before he noticed. They trudged away.
Whatever yeh said, blood weren' on'y important to the Death Eaters.
6.
"But what's so bad about Muggle-borns? Aren't they still wizards like us?"
"Don't be silly! Everyone knows they can't do proper magic!"
"Oh."
She listened to her younger sisters with a mixture of pride and exasperation. Wishy-washy idealism was all very well, but two years in Slytherin House had only deepened her belief that it had no place in wizarding society.
At least one of her sisters already had the right idea. Andi would be well equipped when her letter came. As for poor naïve Cissy – perhaps given time, once at Hogwarts, she would learn and come to know better.
7.
She put the letter down and tutted with impatience. Of all the things to do! Down the front of her robes, indeed! Her sister's actions had always belied her name, but this just went too far. For a witch to challenge the chief wizard of the land – in public! – was positively scandalous.
And now she expected room and board! Well, she supposed she had a duty to provide it.
She pursed her lips. She had hoped her family might one day make a name for themselves, go down in history. After her sister's behaviour, there was little chance of that.
8.
"Why didn't you ever tell me about her, Mum?"
"You were … so young, darling. And then … well, we didn't think knowing would help you. You had your own … troubles."
She looked away, shocked and hurt, feeling tearful. "I always wanted a little sister," she said eventually. "Or a brother. Though I did sort of find them elsewhere …"
Her mother, also crying, hugged her tightly. "I know, darling. I wanted that too. I lost her before I even knew her. And then –" her voice caught "– when you went away to … school, it was like I lost you too."
9.
He'd never been one for readin' and writin', not if it weren't necessary. Not like his brother.
He glanced up as the group entered his pub, narrowing his eyes at the sight of their tall, black-haired leader, the one with the oddly deformed face. He knew him, seen his face before somewhere …
Later, he polished glasses, counted change, listened without seeming to as they sat at his tables and talked. Eventually he slipped into the back room and wrote grimly, with unaccustomed fingers, and sent his owl away.
He'd allus been one for readin' and writin' when it were necessary.
10.
When he was sure the weirdoes had finally gone – and he'd seen his sister off home with vague words of apology that of course they didn't mind her dozing off after dinner, only too glad she enjoyed the brandy – and his shaken wife and son had finally retired – he collapsed onto the living-room sofa and mopped his brow.
His own sister! Floating on the ceiling, round as a beach ball!
An extremely unwilling laugh forced itself from his throat. He'd always secretly wanted to see her brought down a peg or two. If only it hadn't been the boy's doing …
11.
He'd always wanted a dog, but Mother would never allow one in the house.
As he walked away, burning with anger and humiliation once again, refusing to let them see how much he cared, he wished with all his heart that just for once she would change her mind. A dog would have been so much better.
A dog was loyal to you. It loved you unconditionally, it played with you, it didn't spend all its time hanging around with its stupid blood-traitor friends and taunting you every time it saw you.
That was its nature.
Not like a brother.
12.
He waited in the cold, clammy darkness, the physical effort barely suppressing his terror. His heart raced at every rustle, every echo, every hint of a sound.
If she's alive, I'll be good to her, I'll be nice, I promise, I'll never tell her to go away again …Finally, noises, slowly approaching. His companion inquired brightly if their friends were coming to see them, but he ignored him. As the noises came closer he shut his eyes tight.
He shouldn't look up if he'd see the monster.
He couldn't bear to look up if he'd see his sister's broken body.
13.
He swung his Beater's bat viciously at the Snitch, knocking it away from the Seeker's fingers before they could close on it. And if his bat hit those fingers in the follow-through, and as an unfortunate side-effect broke them with a loud, painful-sounding snap – well, that was just a real shame, now wasn't it?
He caught his brother's eye as the referee berated him, and shrugged. Yeah, another suspension maybe, but like Brutus said – the important thing was take out the Seeker (now receiving medical aid).
A penalty? Ten points at worst. The Snitch? Could cost the Falcons the match.
14.
She'd noticed him watching her with suspicion – when she gazed out of the window of an evening, or took longer than necessary gathering herbs in the garden, or listened for the sound of hoofbeats outside the cottage.
He must understand what it meant. But her secret was safe, he wouldn't dare tell their father. Just as she would never tell about his visits to the village, the rumours she heard while shopping, the obvious Memory Charms performed to cover up his actions.
She understood dimly that even the Heirs of Slytherin had desires that had nothing to do with purity.
15.
Eyes of fire, long dark hair, purity of blood; beauty to throw yourself away for. Her proud smile as his brother led her down the aisle …
He longed for her, was bitterly jealous of his brother …Eyes on fire, long dark speeches, purity of belief; beauty to throw yourself away for. Her wild smile as she led them all down into utter disaster …
He longed to impress her, was just as dedicated as his brother …
The creature passed by, and he curled up alone on the hard bed, shivering at the memories.
He was no longer jealous of his brother.
16.
He hopped and jumped and … danced away from the reception desk, looking for the stairs. Horribly embarrassed by the stares. He glimpsed his … ex-girlfriend? oh no … at the back of the queue, trying desperately not to laugh, and cringed.
"Dragged my brother along – OW – to a pick-up-a-partner night at this dance hall," he told the Healer on the fourth floor. "Two middle-aged witches grabbed us – AARGH – before we could ask any totty for a dance. Don't think he's forgiven me yet …"
"So then he …"
"Said one day he'd – OUCH – send me some shoes to really get me dancing!"
17.
He had hardly known Sirius, really. Yes, he'd been a mere babe in arms at first. He'd had barely two years to truly know him, love him, look up to him, as was only proper.
But it chafed with Sirius that he was rarely allowed to leave 12 Grimmauld Place. And when finally one day he had sneaked out, it had ended in tragedy.
But he had never forgotten him.
Once grown to manhood, he visited the grave every year. And when his wife had asked what they should name their first-born, his answer had required no thought at all.
18.
They had the dormitory to themselves, lying on adjoining beds to talk, just like home. But this wasn't home, not any more.
"Think Mum and Dad will let us come back?" asked his brother eventually.
"Don't know. Might not be open."
He grabbed his camera, took pictures of his room. Something to remember it by. Just in case.
They hadn't told their parents much about their world for the last couple of years. They were both only half-trained wizards.
He felt a sudden lump in his throat.
"Say cheese!" he said, pointing the camera at his brother. Just in case.
19.
"Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets, but she'll be all right …"
"Ron and Ginny fought Death Eaters, but they'll be all right …"
"Ron was poisoned, but he'll be all right …"
Letters from his mother, bearing news. He dreaded what the next might say.
"Bill was bitten by Greyback, but he won't be one, not really, but he's terribly scarred, they never heal …"
He gazed out at the foreign land, suddenly angry that he was so far from sister and brothers, only told of their dangers after the fact, never there to keep them safe.
20.
"Don't you recognise me?"
He stared. Long blonde silky hair, flawless complexion, vibrant purple eyes, dressed in what even he could tell must be the latest fashions. One hand held the chimaera-scale core wand that reflected her innate Multimagus abilities. The other rested lightly on the pink unicorn she'd ridden.
"Er, actually, no …"
"But I'm your long-lost twin sister Mariana Suzette, separated from you at birth and raised by wood-nymphs! You need me to defeat the Dark Lord with my special powers he knows not!"
Horrified realisation suddenly hit him like a Bludger. Quickly, he raised his wand.
"Riddikulus!"
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The list:
1. Ginny breaking into the broom shed for the first time at the age of six
2. Walburga Black blasting Alphard off the Tapestry
3. One of the Toke children during and after the 'Ilfracombe Incident'
4. Parvati and Padma discussing Hermione's ideas for the DA
5. Hagrid saying goodbye to Madame Maxime before the long trip home with Grawp
6. Bellatrix age 13 listening to her sisters talking
7. Prudence Rabnott (or whatever her married name was, if any) after receiving Modesty's letter about Bragge and the Snidget
8. Hermione hearing about the 'sister she never had' (that JKR once planned to give her according to her website?)
9. Aberforth Dumbledore warning Albus of the arrival of Tom Riddle seeking the DADA position
10. Uncle Vernon reflecting on the aunt-inflating incident
11. Regulus at school after encountering the Marauders
12. Ron waiting for Harry in the Chamber of Secrets
13. Karl and Kevin Broadmoor doing their stuff for the Falcons
14. Merope Gaunt reflecting on her brother's activities and her own crush
15. Rabastan Lestrange in Azkaban suffering Dementor-inspired recollections of Rodolphus and Bellatrix
16. Chesney Thompson from my Nymphadora Tonks and the Liquor of Jacmel -- erm, I mean the unidentified wizard in St Mungos in OotP seeking treatment for biting shoes sent by his brother :D
17. Phineas Nigellus on his older brother who died at age 8 (listed on the Black Family Tree)
18. Colin and Dennis Creevey in the wake of Dumbledore's murder
19. Charlie receiving letters about the scrapes various Weasleys have got themselves into
20. Harry meeting everyone's worst fear!