Drabble Night, March 19, 2004

[amanuensis1]

The theme: Three Little Words. Could be directly incorporated into the drabble, or just as inspiration.

I was dismayed to find that I'd made some unnecessary duplications in trying to get all the words/ideas into the drabbles, at least once, but I keep reminding myself that it's "Fifteen minutes and NO BETAS" on these things. Meh.



Plaintive, Luminary, Susurrus -- Remus/Sirius (challenge by cluegirl)

The nights are hell.

Remus knows what hell is now: Hell is not Sartre's other people; it is not even the absence of people. Hell is not brimstone or flame or nice geometrical divisions of sins and punishments.

Hell is dusk, when the candles in the parlor are poor luminaries to replace the comfort sunlight brings during the day. Hell is evening, when every susurrus of the old house is the voice of a ghost pleading to be heard, and gone the next moment. Hell is night, when there are no barriers between oneself and one's thoughts, and might-have-beens and should-have-dones and never-will-be-agains.

"I didn't get to tell him good-bye," Remus says plaintively to the quiet air.

There is no one to hear, and no one to witness him weeping.

---

Ornamental, taste, windowpane - Harry/Ron (challenge by isolde)

"Ginny had fun," said Ron.

"I think so." Harry was uncharacteristically hanging his robes up instead of tossing them on the floor, but then, these were formal and rented. "At least a dozen older witches told me how good we looked together."

Ron's reply came around a mouthful of toothpaste, but Harry understood it anyway: "You jus' go' a thing for re'heads."

"You're sure she didn't mind?" Harry asked for the thousandth time. "Being...you know...window-dressing?"

"Don' be--" *spit*--"daft. She's happy to do us favors. And she likes dressing up."

"I suppose..."

"Besides," added Ron. "she's still my little sister. I can put a toad in her bed if she refuses. D'you want to open that window; it's stuffy in here."

Nighttime rituals nearly completed, the two climbed into bed.

And, too tired for anything more that night, shared the last one:

"'Night, Harry." Kiss.

"'Night, you sexy redhead."

---

Draco/Ron, forgiveness, accident, delicate (challenge by goseaward)

"I've come to beg your forgiveness," said Draco.

"Why?" said Ron.

"Because it was an accident."

"No, I mean, why should I forgive you?"

Draco thought. "Because it was an accident," he repeated, stressing the first word just a bit differently.

"Ah."

"And I have very delicate feelings. So you should forgive me before I go and throw myself off the astronomy tower."

"Draco--" Ron shifted in the infirmary bed. "--it is very hard to cast a furnunculus charm onto someone's bum by accident."

"I know. Very, very hard. I had to practice for weeks before I could manage it accidentally. Am I forgiven yet?"

"Jesus. You know--"

"Right. Astronomy Tower. Tell my father I never loved him." He turned to go.

Ron caught Draco's sleeve. "Git. Give me a kiss. And don't mess up my pillows. It still hurts to sit."

---

Limpid, Apotheosis, Surcease -- Snape/Harry (challenge by cluegirl)

And so it has come to this.

Two days ago, Potter reached a hand out for his, and used what was surely his last conscious act to curl his fingers about Snape's.

Snape has not moved his hand in those two days. None have tried to make him do so.

He sees the remainder of his own days stretching out before him: untroubled, limpid. No one to disturb their neat order. No one to make a beloved nuisance of himself within that calendar.

No boy less than half his age climbing in and out of his bed, his rooms, his life.

Such a hideous apotheosis is not to be borne.

He watches Potter's chest rise and fall in breaths that come with ever more space between them.

Snape waits, not for death, it seems, but mere...surcease.

For both of them.

Comments

[maeglinyedi.livejournal.com]

You hear that shattering noise? That's my heart which just broke into a thousand pieces while I read that Sirius/Remus drabble. Man...so SAD. Beautiful, but sad. Loved the rest as well, but that first one...*hurts*

[gmth.livejournal.com]

Whoa, a fluff sammich with a slice of mangst on either side. That's impressive. ;-)

Seriously. The Snarry one killed me. And poor Remus... I wish someone had been there to huggle him. He so needs a shoulder to wipe his nose on.

What happened to the smut???

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

Yay!

I loved the Draco/Ron, and the Harry/Ron- great fun, and love the touches of established humor in both. Great job!

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Such a hideous apotheosis is not to be borne.

The Apotheosis Of The Amanuensis!!!

Yeah, ok, it's angst, but I just can't see that word without thinking of, um. I wish I could remember where I knew this from. It's a book title. I don't think it's an actual book, though.

[fallingfortruth.livejournal.com]

*swoons* I heart you. Lots. Don't mind the crunching noise, it's just the bits resettling, it'll stop soon.

Also, I adore the Draco/Ron. And the Harry/Ron. *has strange Ron fixation* But the mangst is ghod.

[kat-denton.livejournal.com]

Oh, the snarry one!!! There's such foreboding in the word "surcease". All of them are tightly crafted, but I especially liked the angsty ones.

[satanbaker.livejournal.com]

Weee. Very nice, my favorite was the Draco/Ron one, that was just amusing.

[jeddy83.livejournal.com]

Man, the first and last drabbles damn near broke my heart. *whimper* Poor Remus and Severus.

And the Ron/Draco is like an AU of the one from last week in which Draco is only playfully malicious instead of just plain evil. The insincerity of his apology was just perfect.

[elsajeni.livejournal.com]

I wish, I wish, I wish you hadn't just killed me. Dammit, I was fine through the first 3. Even the Remus/Sirius. I guess I've gotten used to it. Why did you have to kill me?

Right. I'm going to go watch a Johnny Depp movie. That'll make me feel better.

[noblerot.livejournal.com]

The first drabble simply aches. Heaven is for the dead and hell is for those left behind.

Harry/Ron and Draco/Ron were great snapshots of two very different relationships and the types of specialized difficulties each entails -- of course romance between Draco and Ron would involve playful (and painful) battles.

And the Snape/Harry? It doesn't vent sorrow, it suppresses it, which is exactly how Snape would approach mourning. And this opening image... whew: Two days ago, Potter reached a hand out for his, and used what was surely his last conscious act to curl his fingers about Snape's.

[ygrane.livejournal.com]

Mangst sounds like something dreadful that needs an ointment and an antibiotic. ^_~

Loved the drabbles. ^_^

[glitterdemon.livejournal.com]

You know, I never realized that you only had 15 minutes for each drabble, which renders me completely speechless, because your drabbles are always perfection. Just a little side note.

I love these, as usual. The only thing unusual is that I'm completely unable to choose a favorite. Each one is beautiful in its own way, with a brilliant economy of words into emotion. Thank you for sharing. :)

[naltariel.livejournal.com]

Hell is when you read how devastated Remus is after losing Sirius...

*sniff*

[hated-and-loved.livejournal.com]

Wow. I was all set to post about the Remus/Sirius, and how sad and aching it was, and then I got to the Snape/Harry. And. Oh. It's just beautiful.

I admire your ability to write powerfully while remaining concise. That's the challenge of drabbles—to tell an entire story in such a short space—and yet you never seem to falter. You're really a very talented short-story author; you know that, right?

[ntamara.livejournal.com]

"Right. Astronomy Tower. Tell my father I never loved him." He turned to go.

*g*

good ones!

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

These were all great! The Snarry one just killed me though. SOB!

[moshi.livejournal.com]

Aw, the Remus/Sirius and Harry/Snape are so sad, and very well written, I'm constantly in awe of you drabblers. I really liked the Draco/Ron -- that was funny, particularly Draco's sarcasm. :0)

[crossmymind.livejournal.com]

Gah. I'm blubbering like a little baby over here. Well not exactly, but close enough. Remus/Sirius and Snape/Harry... *throws hands up* Heartbreakingly wonderful.

Note to self: Do not read fics of any sort when you are running on no sleep.

[xxbulletwingsxx.livejournal.com]

*sob*

[misted-oracle.livejournal.com]

Oh just beautiful and sad as always. The first one almost made me cry, but was lovely.

Also loved the Ron/Harry one! That's always good too.

[loony-moony.livejournal.com]

*is sho shad now wah*

The Remus/Sirius - .....waaaaaaaaaah. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I don't miss Sirius. I just don't. *flees teh Ammeh Arrows bahahah* But Remus...wah, I love him, wah. *sniffles* Evil, sad drabble. *pouts to the extreme*

Harry/Ron - Well, that was an interesting way to write a drabble without accomodating the three words you were supposed to accomodate. *giggles and point at you* Silly, silly b00. Ron is also very silly. YOu know, this drabble is almost incestous in its brotherly-and-yet-not-brotherly love in it. Did I mention I don't like Harry/Ron (so stop making me like that either it's bad enough mimbi wrote Snarry Mpreg in my journal)?

Draco/Ron - Wheeeeee! Now that's what I like most about you! The silly, childish, loving humor with the smut that always somehow slips in. When you write in your lighter style, you can make me read just about every pairing you feel like writing (although my limit stretches at Dumbledore/Flitwick ick ick). :D

Snape/Harry - O_O Don't tell me Snape's just poisoned Harry because he was too erratic. I will just have to skin him alive if that's true. O_O

[ex-trolleys.livejournal.com]

...Thank goodness for dictionary.com ^_^; I think my new favorite word is susurrus.

#1 and #4 sledgehammered my heart, but that's nothing new in the world of Amanuensis drabbles. Wah.

Hooray for Harry/Ron, I say! And a goofy grin @ Ron/Draco! <3

[laenij.livejournal.com]

That last one just killed me...*sigh* So sad! How do you manage to get so much emotion into your wonderful, beautiful drabbles?!

<3 Loved them all.

[sodomite.livejournal.com]

The first one was just beautiful. I love reading these kind of fics after OOTP, although I very rarely find anything good! Remus' sadness is wonderfully portrayed - I thought I might start tearing up.

The last one was especially nice as well.