Yay it finally posted! Thank you so much to @hprarepairfest for giving me the best excuse to write this - it has been taking up room in my head for a long while! Please go and check out all the other amazing stories that have been written and published as a part of the fest, the quality has been incredible and there are still more coming out every day!!!
Emerging from the Dark
Outside of Hogwarts, the war is escalating. Inside, Neville is doing his best to keep as many of his classmates protected as he can - and in turn has become the favourite punching bag for the Carrows. That's why, when Theodore Nott creates an excuse to get him alone, he is on his guard... not all is as it seems behind the Slytherin front lines, and this particular one is more observant than most.
45k, 17/17, complete, pls mind the tags before reading!
Day 5 @zutaramonth : Li and Lo tell Katara about the past Fire Ladies - or the lack of them in order to prepare her for her wedding and coronation! That, however, does not deter her, and gains their respect.
Please read the short speech of Lo and Li as continuous, so they are finishing one another’s sentences as they do in the series!
AO3 | FF -Worldcrawler
“There is a curse on Fire Ladies,”
“Indeed we have not had one for decades.” Came Lo and Li’s voices. Or was it Li and Lo?
After taking up the position of Fire Lord, Zuko had been forced to seek their advice on various matters of tradition. He considered them a two-headed snake, full of poison, and hated having them around. But nobody else knew the Fire Nation traditions or the Fire Nation history as they did, and Zuko needed to appease traditionalists as well as futurists at his public events.
Now he had found himself seeking their advice once more, but unfortunately he’d had to introduce them to Katara. Their marriage was approaching, and simultaneously her coronation. ‘When a Fire Lord marries, Prince Zuko, he is sharing all his responsibilities with his spouse, for the two must rule as equals always’.
Of course this didn’t sit well with the general populous, who thought of it as giving away half the Nation to the Water Tribes. That’s why he needed to present Katara to his people as following Fire Nation traditions. And the only ones who knew how to pull that off were, annoyingly, Li and Lo. Aside from their experience, they had a flare for the dramatic and had been the master minds of rallying the people to Ozai’s - or any - cause. Zuko needed to put that genius to good use, even though he knew they had played no small part in driving his sister completely insane.
“What curse?” said Katara, brows furrowing in worry.
“There is no curse! Don’t listen to them!” bit out a disgruntled Zuko. The outburst did not change the twins’ expression or posture at all. The perfect picture of humble servants.
“But you just told me to listen to them!” protested Katara. “What curse?” she asked again, turning to the two women.
“Fire Princess Azula,”
“Was challenged and lost the throne to her brother,”
“Fire Lord Zuko.”
“Fire Lord Ozai,”
“Banished Fire Princess Ursa,
“Before taking the crown.”
“And Fire Prince Iroh,”
“Would have ruled alone,”
“Since Fire Princess Otsa,”
“Died in childbirth,”
“Had his father not passed the crown,”
“To his brother.”
“Fire Lord Azulon,”
“Lost Fire Princess Zela in sickness,”
“After Fire Prince Ozai was born,
“Before becoming Fire Lord.”
“Fire Lord Sozin,”
“Ah that is a tale,”
“It is time to be truthful sister!”
“Yes yes. Fire Lord Sozin had a Fire Lady,”
“Fire Lady Mira,”
“Arranged,”
“Of course,”
“Ascended to the throne with him,”
“But upon the passing of the comet,”
“She took her own life.”
“And so you see,”
“There are no Fire Ladies our people remember,”
“And the power,”
“Since the start of the war,”
“Has always been the Fire Lord’s,”
“Alone.”
The two quietened when they had told their tale.
“So no Fire Lady has ruled alongside her husband since the start of the war?” asked Katara, glancing at Zuko.
“You would be,”
“The first.”
“The others are gone,”
“In Agni Kais,”
“Or banishment”
“Childbirth,”
“Sickness,”
“Or by their own hand.”
Katara was silent for a long time, thinking through this information. Zuko was balling and unballing his fists, silently praying to Agni that she wouldn’t leave him.
“I will break the curse,” she said finally, “I am a Master Healer, no wound or sickness will take me, a Master Waterbender so no assassin will best me, I cannot be banished without starting another war, nor challenged now the Sages have declared the marriage lawful, and I will not sit by and allow my husband to drive me to suicide.”
“We are gathered to hear of the 53 counts of crimes committed by one Hermione Jean Granger:
Arson attempt on one Professor Snape of Hogwarts.
Theft of polyjiuce ingredients from Hogwarts potions stores.
Illegal supply and use of polyjiuce potion to impersonate Hogwarts students Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, and Mimsy the Cat belonging to Millicent Bulstrade—“
“Excuse me sir, the cat was not intentional!”
“Yes thank you Miss Granger. Moving on;
Possession and extended use of an unregistered time turner.
Illegally freeing one Buckbeak, a prisoner due for execution.
Illegally freeing one Sirius Black, a prisoner due for Dementor’s kiss.
Concealing the whereabouts of one Buckbeak and one Sirius Black from authorities.
Kidnapping one Rita Skeeter.
Keeping one Rita Skeeter (unregistered beetle animagus) in a jar for an extended period of time.
Making threats to one Rita Skeeter about her articles.
Starting and masterminding an illegal society named ‘Dumbledore’s Army’.
Practicing and teaching defence spells that were at the time illegal to students.
Lying to High Inquisitor Umbridge about alleged terrorist weapons.
Intentionally entrapping High Inquisitor Umbridge with the Centaurs of Hogwarts forest.
Illegally travelling unaccompanied from school grounds during term time.
Use of magic outside of school grounds.
Breaking and entering the Ministry of Magic.
Destruction of the prophecy hall within the Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic.
Destruction of several time turners and experiments within the Time Room, Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic.
Performing an unsanctioned obliviation on two muggles, Dr Helena Granger and Dr Martin Granger.
Use of magic to forge muggle documentation of passports, visas, and drivers licences under the names Monica and Wendell Wilkins.
Illegal use of polyjuce potion to impersonate one Harry Potter, Undesirable, however consent was given in this case.
Continued use of illegal undetectable extension charms.
Hiding from authorities as a wanted undesirable.
Hiding from authorities when called in to blood-status questioning.
Accomplice in hiding wanted undesirables Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.
Threatening one Mundungus Fletcher for information.
Kidnapping one Mafalda Hopkirk and taking a strand of hair without her consent.
Illegally gaining access to the Ministry of Magic under polyjiuce potion.
Theft of Slytherin’s locket belonging to High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge.
Destruction of the residence of one Bathilda Bagshot, Godric’s Hollow.
Attempted destruction of one horcrux, held within Slytherin’s locket, belonging to one Tom Riddle, known as Voldemort, thereby committing partial attempted murder.
Impersonating Penelope Clearwater in front of official Snatchers.
Concealing the true identities of undesirables Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley from official Snatchers.
Complicity and main beneficiary in the destruction of an antique heirloom chandelier of family Malfoy.
Theft of a wand, 12 3/4 inch walnut with dragon heartstring, belonging to one Bellatrix Lestrange.
Theft of a hair of one Belletrix Lestrange.
Illegally impersonating one Bellatrix Lestrange through the use of polyjiuce potion in order to gain access to Gringotts bank.
Accessory to the confunding of two Gringotts security guards.
Accessory to the Imperiosing of Travers Mcgarrin and Bogrod of Gringotts .
Illegally accessing the Lestrange vaults in Gringotts.
Theft of the cup of Helga Hufflepuff from the Lestrange vaults.
Destruction of Goblin-made dragon shackles.
Destruction of underground railroad, entrance floor, and roof of Gringotts bank via illegally riding a dragon.
Intentionally letting a dragon loose in the English countryside.
Breaking curfew in the village of Hogsmeade by apparating into the village after allowed hours.
Illegally gaining access to Hogwarts school.
Destruction of the cup of Helga Hufflepuff.
Destruction of one horcrux, contained in the cup, belonging to Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort, and thereby committing partial premeditated murder.
Theft of the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Aiding in the destruction of the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Aiding in the destruction of one horcrux belonging to Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort, and thereby aiding in partial premeditated murder.
Destruction of several corridors of Hogwarts school, thereby causing the deaths of 5 Death Eaters.
Solicitor Jenkins, you have the floor.”
“Thank you your honour. It is needless to say that Miss Granger committed all the mentioned acts as direct and indirect ways of freeing the world of Voldemort, something in which she was successful despite all the odds. This has effectively saved thousands of innocent lives and brought back many British asylum seekers to our shores.
I would also like to remind the court that even though a law may exist, that does not make it right, and Miss Granger has shown truly insightful judgement and reasoning in the face of such unjust laws. Many of the aforementioned laws broken by Miss Granger have since been rescinded, supporting my point.
It is also suggested that any punishments required for the remaining offences have been executed tenfold through the unfair persecution of muggle-borns immediately prior and during the Second Wizarding War, being forced into hiding, and suffering the crucicatus cast by Mrs Lestrange. I would like to remind the court that Mrs Lestrange was widely accepted as having mastered the curse, and was imprisoned for life for a list of crimes including submitting multiple of her victims to the cruciatus to insanity. Miss Granger suffered under her wand for approximately twenty minutes.
Therefore it is my suggestion to clear any remaining items and allow the young Miss Granger out of the courtroom as a free woman with a clear record, and allow her to collect her Order of Merlin, First Class tomorrow in person.”
“Thank you Jenkins. Is there anybody here who wishes to press further charges against the defendant?”
There were low murmurs from all corners of the room, but nobody spoke up.
“It is therefore this court’s duty to move to voting of the Wizgamot. All those in favour of a full pardon for the actions just listed, please raise your hands.”
Hands were raised in a sea of red cloaks.
“Those against?”
A couple of members shuffled nervously in their seats but nobody raised their hands.
“With 58 votes for and zero against, this court declares Hermione Jean Granger cleared of all charges. Could Ronald Billius Weasley please take the stand.”
-----
A/N: So this was a little plunny that came to me and I got carried away writing it. I think they would have had to put all three of them on trial after the war in order to clear their names, but when I started writing it I realised that actually... there was quite a lot to what they had done! Anyway hope you enjoyed!
Likely to be the first draft of the first chapter of one of my WIPs, but can stand on its own(ish)... not the same one as what I had posted a while back but I am nothing if not working on multiple things in one go!
So enjoy the snippet - set a few years after the war, picture university age characters.
-----
Hermione flounced into one of the quieter rooms off of the main party. She found Theorode Nott, hands entwined with Pansy Parkinson, sharing a love seat, and the sight of a rather disheveled Draco Malfoy on one of the comfy armchairs. There was an enchanted gramophone in one corner, playing out some tranquil music which seemed to starkly juxtapose the ferocity of the party in full swing downstairs.
The smell of cigars permeated the air, and there were two bottles of fire whisky on the table - one empty, and one well on it’s way to be so. Draco sat on the armchair sideways, his legs up on the armrest, his jacket slung over the backrest. His bow tie had been undone, formal shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and he held whiskey tumbler in one hand.
When she stumbled in, she thought about turning around and moving away to find an empty room in which to sober up, but she hesitated in the doorway long enough for Malfoy to take notice of her. A drunken grin split is otherwise sour face, and Theo’s amused expression turned from Pansy to her at the door.
“Granger! What a sight for sore eyes! Come join us,” he called, amusing himself by putting her on the spot.
Hermione stepped into the room, thinking she must be even more drunk than she initially thought if she was actually about to crash this afterparty.
Draco straightened up his posture, swinging his legs around to sit normally on the large armchair.
“Plenty of room here Granger,” he drawled, indicating his lap.
“Keep dreaming Malfoy,” scoffed Hermione, head high with determination as she headed across the low table and collapsed on a longer sofa. She quickly turned so she was lying down, head to the armrest closest to the door, and heels on the other.
“Oh I do, Granger, I do,” he chuckled, pale cheeks rosy with alcohol.
“Bit drunk Granger?” asked Pansy, a touch of her school-time haughtiness still about her, but no malice in her tone.
“Just a tad. Don’t worry I only need to sober up enough to apparate and then I’ll leave you in peace,” replied Hermione, groaning and throwing one arm to cover her eyes as the room spun around her.
Theo and Pansy went back to slowly kissing one another as if there were nobody else in the world, and she could hear Draco pouring himself another glass of firewhiskey.
“You know,” started Draco, pointedly ignoring the couple in the corner, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drunk Granger.”
“Well feast your eyes Malfoy,” she laughed, turning to face him. She knew this tone from him. He was bored, and looking to get her riled up for his own amusement. Not tonight she thought, as she held up a hand to stop him from speaking as he opened his mouth.
“Let me guess, is my hair even more of a mess than usual? Lipstick a poor attempt at making my mouth look appetising? ‘Why bother wearing heels Granger when you totter about in them like a giraffe on a tightrope’” She said imitating his voice, putting as much scorn into insulting herself as she could while sporting a teasing smile. She swung her legs from the armrest onto the low table in front of her so she could sit up and look at him better. “‘And what are you wearing! Merlin Granger, a bit of class might improve you somewhat!’”
There was a silence, and then Draco laughed - a sound so foreign to her and even to Theo and Pansy to some extent - that all eyes looked at him. It wasn’t a scoff or a chuckle, but a real laugh.
“Actually Granger, I was going to say you look more ravishing than usual in that number, but I can see I will have to work harder at changing your opinion of me if you believe I would still say any of that shit about your looks.” He told her, leaning forwards and looking deep into her eyes. “Securing your affections is further away than I had imagined!”
“Ha! Securing my affections Malfoy?” She raised one eyebrow at him.
“Yes, have I not mentioned I intend to marry you?” He slurred, gazing at her longingly.
“You may have mentioned it last time you were sloshed,” she countered, rolling her eyes. From the way she saw Nott sit up a bit straighter in the corner she realised he had not been in on this little joke.
“Well then, it cannot come as a surprise,” continued Malfoy, leaning back in his armchair looking rather smug with himself that she remembered.
“Oh please Malfoy, just drop whatever little game it is you are playing - I know this is just your latest scheme to ridicule me. I’ll humour you for a bit but it’s going to get old really quickly,” she replied, mirroring his behaviour and falling backwards into the couch.
“No games here Granger, not this time. See I’m absolutely smitten with that big brain of yours, and the way your body turned out isn’t bad either,” he said with a smirk over his whiskey glass.
Hermione snorted.
“Right, and you’ve come to this life changing realisation when exactly?”
“Oh… probably third year when you punched me…”
Now it was Hermione’s turn to laugh out loud.
“Like a bit of rough and tumble do you Malfoy? Hoping I’ll slap you up a bit in the bedroom?”
Had Hermione been sober, she would never have engaged in this level of banter, even if she might have thought about the witty response in her mind. But drunk Hermione had no such filter, and was feeling exhilarated with her current verbal sparring match with her ex-nemesis Draco Malfoy. And she she didn’t even feel slightly embarrassed herself but was solely focussed on seeing how far Malfoy would push his apparent flirtatiousness. She would make him crack. Hopefully before she threw up all the vodka currently flowing through her body.
She took in Malfoy’s shocked expression and hoped she had pushed far enough, smirking at him in a way she had actually learned from the Slytherins that surrounded her in her life.
The shocked expression melted off of his face in an instant, eyes smouldering with something dark.
“For you Granger, anything,” he said darkly, holding her eye contact. “When we’re married we can try all manner of things your heart desires. You can have a whole wing of the house to play out your little fantasies ”
“And here I was thinking we were talking about your ‘little fantasies’, Draco” she purred, leaning towards him. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Oh Granger, I already have my own wing,” he murmured, “I’ll gladly show you any time you want.”
She was opening her mouth to retort, sure she had him on the run from her, but Blaise Zabini sauntered into the room, greeting them all, and placed himself next to Hermione on the sofa, seemingly taking her in for the first time that night.
He raised a carefully sculpted eyebrow at her and gave her a the smile of a predator having just caught sight of his prey.
“Well Granger, so lovely of you to join us this evening,” he said smoothly, arm coming to rest over her shoulders.
“Oh please not you too! This is ridiculous!” She spluttered, taking his arm off of her shoulders and depositing it by his side.
“I’m not sure I follow? I see a beautiful girl sitting here by my side - I cannot help but try,” he said smoothly, never one to take a rejection.
“Zabini. Non sono interessata,” she hissed at him in Italian. It was more than passable - as was everything she tried to study to perfection - but her cheeks burned as the words left her lips, making her feel stupid to have thought to speak to him in his mother tongue at all. The game was up - she couldn’t handle two Slytherins mocking her at once.
Blaise laughed and relaxed away from her, leaning over her outstretched legs to grab a whiskey tumbler and pour himself a glass.
“Message received Granger. Don’t mean to interfere where I’m not wanted! How has your evening been?”
“Bizarre,” she huffed, glancing over at Draco who was watching them intently. “I only came in here to sober up a little, but if you’ll excuse me I think I’m going to hunt down some water and leave now.”
Hermione stood up, pleased with the way she was no longer wobbling so much.
“Have a good night,” she called to the remaining occupants of the room, and then headed off to the bar without a backwards glance.
Back in the room she just left, Theo and Pansy no longer tried to conceal the fact they had been listening to the whole exchange.
“Did you just admit to Granger you’ve been in love with her since third year?” Theo blurted, twisting to look his friend in the face.
Zabini raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting between his friends. “Is that what I interrupted?”
“No, you interrupted Malfoy fucking it up,” replied Pansy.
“Well I couldn’t not tell her anymore!” said Draco, a scowl starting to form on his face.
“We know that! But she doesn’t know that!” Theo sighed, slapping his forehead in frustration. It had taken them an eternity to get Draco to admit it to himself, and now he springs it on Granger - not the first time either!
“Look Malfoy,” cut in Pansy, “you can’t just tell her you love her and then have banter about some fucking sex dungeons - she’s not going to believe a thing! You need to show her!”
“Show her a sex dungeon?” asked Zabini, somewhere between confused and intrigued.
“No! Show her he is serious about her!” cried Pansy, getting frustrated.
“And is he serious about her?”
“I’m literally right here,” growled Draco, irritably, “and yes, I am serious. I have to get married or lose the inheritance, and with the ministry finally passing a ban on all familial contracts stipulating anything to do with blood status, legally, I can choose to marry her… if she’ll have me. Otherwise I will face being forced into one of the Greengrass’ arms, and then I’ll never… never get a chance… to be with her…” His voice was pained and longing, having lost all the protection of the walls he had built for himself during his upbringing.
“Hmmm. She won’t just fall into anybody’s arms,” said Zabini, thinking out load “and especially not yours mate, not with your history.”
“Great thanks for the votes of confidence —“ started Draco, slamming his glass onto the table. Zabini held up a hand to indicate he wasn’t done.
“So, we will need to do this the hard way,” he continued. “We will have to train you to get her to fall for you. And unfortunately your pure-blooded, rich arse is a negative when it comes to the girl of your dreams,” he sighed.
“So what do I have left?” asked Draco, feeling a little despair creeping in.
“Why, your fabulous personality of course!” Cried Theo, grinning at him.
Draco Malfoy groaned and downed the rest of his drink.
I wrote a thing! Dramione for the Animagus fest :) it’s light and relatively short (15k), a smattering of smut and essentially idiots in love:)
"Draco Malfoy had squared with the fact that he rarely succeeded in things at first. His whole life could be read as a series of failures that eventually became successes.
It was no surprise then, in retrospect, that he had failed to become an animagus not once, but twice before finally succeeding.”
This is a story about failure and understanding, about success and honesty, and about two idiots in love trying to solve two very different mysteries - brought together through a series of chance encounters in the highland forests.
Draco is confused by Hermione’s words and gets a little help from Blaise
--- a short drabble from something a little longer I am writing. Takes place in the classic return to Hogwarts 8th year ----
Blaise sighed.
“What is it Draco?”
“What is what?”
“Oh please you’ve been glum since the night of the common room party - something is clearly on you mind.”
Draco shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds before rubbing his forehead.
“Its Granger,” he said finally.
Blaise nodded and waited for him to continue. Draco seemed to be debating something his his mind, but eventually he must have decided to take Blaise into his confidences.
“The other night I helped Granger out with the whole Mc-slaggen situation,” he started, unconsciously clenching one of his fists at having to mention the incident. “Afterwards Granger says something along the lines of ‘I owe you one Malfoy’-”
“Good imitation.”
“Thanks. Of course it was a ridiculous thing to say, so I said ‘we are far from even, don’t you think?’… and she gets angry!”
“She got angry? What did she say?”
Draco shrugged and his brow furrowed slightly. “She said… wait I wrote it down so I could remember…” he shuffled and brought out a piece of parchment that had obviously been folded and refolded various times.
“You wrote it down?”
“It didn’t make any sense Blaise! I needed to figure it out.”
“Granger said something you didn’t understand so you wrote it down. On parchment. And have been trying to decipher it…”
“Me writing it down is not the point! Look will you focus?” Blaise rolled his eyes but nodded, indicating Draco could continue. “Right here it is: ‘The only thing you owe me Malfoy is a fucking apology for anything that happened before this year. Everything else has to come from the bottom of that black little heart of yours.’”
He looked up at Blaise expectantly but was only greeted with an elegantly raised eyebrow.
“I’m not seeing what the problem is mate.”
“The problem is that it makes no bloody sense! Alright, I know I need to make everything up to her so why is she angry when I do something nice?” He threw his hands in the air and slumped back in his seat.
Blaise started to laugh, drawing a narrow eyed look from his friend.
“Mate. She has given you the easy way out of this! Typical Gryffindor move. And she’s told you how to do it.”
At the confused expression on Draco’s face Blaise sat forward on his chair.
“My mother left two… no… three different husbands because they were unable to apologise to her. So you could say I am an expert here. Art thou ready for me to impart knowledge and clarity to you?”
Draco rolled his eyes.
“Just bloody get on with it Zabini!”
Blaise chuckled. “Alright, lets start with some questions. You were a bit of a shit to Granger yeah?”
“Yeah…”
“And you did some stuff that is pretty bad to her right?”
“Which part,” replied Draco bitterly, “when I wished death to her and everybody like her? Or when I attempted to kill the only wizard likely to defeat the Dark Lord in a duel? Or how about when I watched her get tortured on the drawing room floor by my Aunt and did nothing to help?”
“Tortured? Lestrange?”
“It was… I’d rather not talk about it.”
“No offence but why the fuck did Granger even testify for you at your trial?”
“Merlin knows.”
“Right. Well. That was a little more than what I had thought, but it will serve to prove my point. So some pretty awful things happened, and you admit you are wrong and we’re all obviously in her debt for getting us all out of the war. Do you think that helping her out a couple of times this year would put you two back on even footing?”
“No, obviously not! That’s why I said we weren’t even!” cried Draco indignantly.
“But you implied that you could be even. That if you kept being nice to her some day you could level out. And you’ve just admitted to me right now that you couldn’t be.”
Draco was silent for a moment. “So there’s no way I can make it up to her, is that what you’re saying? Because I’m not going to stop trying even if that is the case!”
Blaise sighed.
“No Draco, listen. You cannot make it up to her, right, you just can’t. Implying that you could is insulting because, fuck, in what situation could that ever be the case? So you see why she got pissed off at you?”
“Ugh. Fine. I guess I get why she was mad. But the rest of what she said made no sense either!”
“She actually… she’s such a Gryffindor its painful… she actually gave you an easy way out of it. She said you owe her an apology for all your issues before 8th year. That’s what she wants - you to tell her you are sorry, you were wrong, you will be different from now on blah blah blah. And she wants you to mean it.”
“What? That’s it? Just say sorry?”
“I’d put a little effort into it if I were you. Apologise properly. Tell her exactly what you are sorry for and why, yeah?”
Draco nodded. “Alright, so I don’t assume I can make it up to her, apologise properly… so what did she mean by ‘Everything else has to come from the bottom of that black little heart of yours.’?”
“You were being nice to her right?”
“Well I thought so!”
“She’s jut questioning why you were being nice to her. See if you thought you needed to ‘get even’ with her and were only being nice to her because of that, then we’re back to where we started - you’re insulting her by believing you can be forgiven through racking up enough nice things you do. That doesn’t mean you’re being nice to her, only that you’re being nice because of the situation.”
Draco groaned.
“Blaise you’re not making any sense!”
“How is this so complicated? Fuck no wonder my mother has gone through so many men! Ok how do I explain this. So… see, if you think you owe Granger, and you think the way to make it up to her is to be nice, then you are only being nice because you owe her. Not because you think she deserves your respect. So then add in that she is muggle-born and you hate mugg—”
“I don’t—It doesn’t mean shit to me anymore!”
“Well you have all the time we’ve been at school! The point, Draco, is that if you go around being a prick to all muggle-borns apart from her, then you are essentially saying ‘nothing has changed, I just owe Granger some niceness for a while’, and when you believe you have paid off your debt you can go back to treating her like dirt.”
“Well that’s not what’s happening, and I don’t sound like that,” huffed Draco, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest.
Blaise shrugged. “Then make that clear. You need to make sure she knows you are treating her with respect because she is somebody worthy of respect - and not despite being muggle-born, but because she is a human being. Make sure you’re treating everybody the same - pure blood, half blood, muggle-born - and she will be happy with you.”
“So I apologise, and then continue treating her nicely, and also be equally unpleasant to everybody else regardless of background?” asked Draco, turning it over in his mind.
“If you want to put it that way… and really Draco, she gave you the easy way out. If she were a Slytherin she would have been calling in favours for ever and it would never be enough.”
“Bloody girls so complicated,”muttered Draco, tapping his fingers on his knee, “why couldn’t she just say so!”
“She literally did!” cried Blaise, exasperated with his friend. “Re-read your little piece of paper and you’ll see its all in there.”
Draco glared at him, but unfolded his parchment again and re-read her exact words, grumbling to himself.
Eventually he signed in resignation. “You’re right,” he bit out.
“I’m sorry, what was that? It sounded like Draco Malfoy admitting I was correct…”
“Fuck you. You were right. Happy?”
Blaise grinned. “Extremely. Where are you going?” he asked as Draco gathered his belongings to leave.
“To go and draft an apology. Respectful apologies to deserving witches is something my father actually did do well…” suddenly a feral grin took over his face, the type he would sport after carrying out a particularly good prank. “I bet Lucius would absolutely love it if he knew I was using his skill to apologise to Granger!”
“Your father any good at respectfully wooing witches too?”
“What? Why?”
“Oh you know… in case a certain muggle-born witch were to occupy your ‘little black heart’ as well as your mind!” Blaise winked at Draco as he pushed passed to leave the room and a spluttering Malfoy behind.
Days 3 & 4 sort of happened together. @zutaramonth
Iroh recounts the story of Oma and Shu. Very few people know they were actually enemies, and the similarities between their story and that of Zuko and a certain waterbender are starting to stack up.
Takes place as Zuko is healing from the final Agni Kai, and everybody is back in the Fire Palace!
Enjoy! AO3 | FF
-Worldcrawler
“One thing not many people know, nephew, is that Oma and Shu hated one another, in the beginning,” Iroh told Zuko, eliciting a groan from his nephew.
“Uncle!”
“Now, Zuko, until Master Katara tells you that you can stand again I have to keep you entertained… and what better way to do that than a noble story and some soothing jasmine tea?” Iroh chortled at Zuko’s resignation to the situation but noted how his nephew’s eyes would periodically dart to the door as if he expected somebody else to come in.
Handing Zuko a cup, Iroh settled himself on a chair beside the bed, helping Zuko sit up while not moving his bandages.
“Now, as I was saying, Oma and Shu did not like one another to start with!”
There was a silence. Finally, Zuko sighed.
“Why did Oma and Shu not like each other?”
“What an interesting question nephew! Since the story has peaked your interest, I shall tell you. It all started when two towns, one either side of the mountain, went to war. The war was so long and spanned so many generations that they soon forgot what it was all about! But, a child born in either of the towns was brought up first and foremost to hate anybody from the other town.
The mountain itself was perilous to climb, and only the young and fit could do so. One summer a sickness came over both towns, and the cure was tea made from flowers that grew at the top of the mountain, outside of either of their territories. The townspeople sent their most athletic young adults up the mountain where it was too steep for the older generation and too dangerous for the children.
One town sent Oma.
The other sent Shu.”
Iroh paused to sip his tea and looked over at his nephew, more taken with the story than he himself would admit.
“You see, Prince Zuko, the flowers only grew in one field at the top of the mountain, so it happened that both found themselves at the same place.
The first time they met they fought one another fiercely for the flowers and did not even pick one flower! You see, their honour for their town told them to hate the other before everything else… before the welfare of their people.
But as it got dark and they tired of fighting, they ran back to their homes, empty handed. That night people become more sick.
The next day the two agreed a truce while they picked, eyeing one another the whole time.
‘That’s not fair!’ one cried, ‘you have taken more flowers than me! If you take so many there will be none left!’
‘That’s not true!’ the other replied, ‘I’ve taken half as much as you! And my people need the flowers more!’
And so they both tried to snatch up as many flowers as they could before the other, for they did not trust one another at all. They could not see past their hatred to realise they were taking all the flowers and leaving none behind.
That night the towns healed, but more were needed. So the next day, Oma and Shu were sent up the mountain once again to retrieve more flowers. But there were none!
‘You came and destroyed the flowers!’ cried one.
‘Me? No you came and picked them all during the night!’ replied the other.
But the helplessness of the situation dawned upon the two and soon they stopped fighting.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ lamented Oma, ‘my mother is ill and there are no more flowers!’
‘At least she won’t die!’ scoffed Shu.
‘What do you mean she won’t die! My people are dying from the sickness - if I don’t find the flowers soon she might too…’
Shu was silent for a moment.
‘I was told that your town did not die of the sickness, but cursed us to,’ he told Oma.
‘I was told your town cursed us!’ admitted Oma. ‘Are your people dying too?’
‘Yes. My father is ill,’ said Shu.
As he spoke, Oma spotted one last flower at the edge of the field.
‘Look!’ she cried, pointing at it excitedly. Both ran towards it but stopped in front of it, for whoever picked it would save their parent and kill the other.
‘What if… what if we just scrape the seeds out of the centre and plant them?’ suggested Oma, suddenly feeling warmth for her mysterious companion who had not stolen the flower from her.
‘We need water to make it grow, and we must plant them near the surface for them to grow quickly,’ added Shu, respecting Oma for her idea.
They set to work carefully planting each seed at the right depth and dripping water on them. During their work they started looking at one another - really looking.
She is very pretty, thought Shu. He is quite handsome, thought Oma. Soon they were blushing at jokes.
‘My name is Oma,’ said Oma, after they finished their work. It was an offering of peace.
‘I’m Shu,’ he replied.
However, there was another problem! For the seeds to grow quickly, they needed to keep the ground warm. Deciding that leaving the seeds over night would risk them not growing quickly enough, they decided to lie down on top of their plants and spend the night side by side, sharing their warmth with the ground.
All through the night they exchanged stories about their towns - what the towns were really like rather than the propaganda they had been fed from birth. By the time the sun rose on the fourth day since they met, they were friends.
By the fifth day, the flowers had bloomed, enough for both of them! But that is not the only thing that had bloomed. Their young hearts had opened up to one another and it was with great sadness they left to their towns.
The flowers were received with great joy, and both parents were saved! Neither mentioned the other for fear of being outcast by their society, but each wondered how their town would react to knowing the other had saved them. For it was true that without Oma or Shu, people would have died that day - both were needed to grow enough flowers for everybody.
As two people who followed their hearts, however, they decided to continue going up the mountain every day to plant more flowers, knowing that there would be a next time, and enjoying one another’s company.
Now down in Oma’s town there was a young man who wanted to marry her and he followed her around all the time. She was not interested but he persisted. When she continued going up the mountainside after the sickness, he decided to follow her out of jealousy. He was slow and arrived long after Oma had, and peering into the field full of flowers he saw her laughing and falling into the arms of a stranger! When he saw them kiss he was filled with rage: for what had the other town done but steal what he thought was his!
He ran back down to the town and told them all about Oma’s affair, so that when Oma came down in the evening, she was locked up and never allowed to go up the mountain again.
Four days and four nights she was locked away, and four days and four nights Shu waited on the mountain. On the fifth day, the man who wanted to marry Oma went to the field and told Shu to leave. He said he was to be wed to Oma and Shu had disgraced her.
Shu fled, heartbroken.
When the man who wanted to marry Oma told her what he had done, with a cruel smile on his lips, she felt her heart splinter. That night she managed to escape but found her way up to the mountain barred by guards. In desperation she ran along the mountain and hid in a cave refusing to marry anybody but Shu.
As she wept, some curious creatures came to see who had entered their home, and consoled the poor woman. She and the badger moles became friends, and through watching them she learned to move the earth as they did.
A month passed and she tunnelled further into the mountain, leaving a labyrinth behind her. In the utter darkness, however, there would sometimes be light! Green crystals grew and she collected them, curling the stone around them to make a road.
Eventually, she emerged on the edges of Shu’s town.
As these things happen, that night Shu’s heart had called him to the mountain, and as he approached it he saw the figure of Oma, silhouetted in the moonlight. Even muddy and thin as she was, she was beautiful, and he cried with joy that she had not married and she had come to him!
Oma showed Shu how to follow the crystals and come to the heart of the mountain to meet her. She cautioned him not to follow any of the other roads for these would leave him trapped in the mountain. She taught him to learn from the badger moles and bend earth like her so that the mountain would never keep them apart.
When Oma returned to her town her parents greeted her with relief. Where had she been, all muddy and thin?
Mediation, she told them. She had made a spiritual connection and did not want to marry, but wanted to dedicate herself to the spirits.
Spirits should not be taken lightly Prince Zuko, even we know that, and back then they were far more visible in the open world. So if Oma said she was on a spiritual journey, her family could do nothing but oblige.
However, the man who wanted to marry Oma was not convinced, and he tracked her one night. However, he took a torch and so could not follow the green crystals to the heart of the cave - to the heart of the two lovers! He took a wrong turn and was hopelessly lost for a day and a night until he was spat out a few miles from his town.
In anger he mounted a raid on the other town. Shu was with Oma at the time and so did not know it was happening until he emerged from his tunnel and walked into town unarmed. The man who wanted to marry Oma killed him in cold blood.
As Shu’s heart stopped, the crystals ceased to glow and Oma felt her own heart pierced by a spear.
In her great anger and great power she flattened her own town searching for the man who killed Shu, but he was still in Shu’s town, so she bent through the mountain to find him. In her rage she flattened him with a mighty boulder, and then destroyed that town too.
Both her own people and his tried to attack her, but she was too strong and to broken to be defeated, although she killed nobody else. Eventually they decided to listen to her.
She told them of her love for Shu, how both towns were saved because they had worked together. She founded a new city, with people from both the towns, and she built it in two days and two nights with her earth bending.
‘Now you may live together and love each other,’ she told them, and taught some young people how to earth bend. They had to be grounded and firm, they had to listen to the way things were, not the way things were told to them. They had to stand their ground in the open, not as she had hidden on top and below the mountain.
When she completed their truing, she disappeared into the mountain, never to be seen again. They say the crystals started glowing again when she died and finally both hearts were at rest once more. In her honour, the people called the new city Omashu.”
Iroh and Zuko sat in silence for a moment, finishing their tea.
“That was a long time ago,” said Zuko finally, staring at his teacup.
“Perhaps. I find it a most relatable tale still!” replied Iroh, eyeing his nephew critically. “There are not many characters able to defy their own family and bring love and peace to the world, Zuko. To learn about other peoples as if they were your own and unite everybody together.”
“Oma did not unite, though. She destroyed both towns!” protested Zuko, but he still could not bring himself to look at his uncle.
“She did, in a moment of pain and panic. What would you do, Zuko? For the one you loved?” Zuko met Iroh’s gaze then, and watched as his uncle pointedly studied Zuko’s bandages. “In many ways Oma was denied her happy ending, but she rebuilt from the ashes something greater than herself. And her and Shu’s many lives afterwards have tried to do the same. It would be to disrespect them both if that chain were to break…”
Iroh patted Zuko’s arm and gently took his cup from him.
He silently let himself out, grinning to himself, leaving Zuko to whirring thoughts.
“Ah! Master Katara! You look troubled?”
“Hello Uncle! Oh I just had a strange dream about… flowers and badger moles I think? Anyway, is Zuko awake?”
