stgulik

Title: Howl
Summary: When life hands you feathers, make owls.

I'm posting this a second time because I couldn't get lj and Google Docs to play nicely together before. Thanks Teddy and Trev for the Brit-picking. I wish I could hear it in Trev's voice ...

- - - - -

Remus walked into the gloomy owl office on the last Hogsmeade weekend of the school year. One round desk was lit by the skylight above, and here - besides dozens of post owls - stood the building's only other occupant.

"Get out, Lupin," growled Snape.

"It's a public building, Snape," replied Remus easily.

"Out, or I'll hex your bollocks off!" Snape seemed ready to shove him bodily out the door.

"What the hell, Snape? You can't just ..." Remus followed Snape's gaze upward and saw a tawny owl swoop inside. Clenched in its claws was a bright red envelope. The owl landed and ostentatiously stuck out a foot.

At the look on Snape's face, Remus clumsily warded the office door. "Better get it over with," he said bracingly.

The packet flew open and a slurred male voice shouted them down.

SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE, YE' FECKLESS GOOD-FER-NOTHIN'!

Both boys clapped their hands over their ears. Every owl screeched horribly and made a break for the skylight. The resulting owl-scrum blocked all the light.

I'LL HAVE YER GUTS FOR GARTERS IF YOU PUT ANOTHER FUCKIN TOE OUT O' LINE AT THA' PONCY SCHOOL. I'LL TAKE A BELT TO YOU EVEN IF I HAVE TO COME TO BLEEDIN' SCOTLAND MESELF!

In the silence, Remus's ears rang painfully. He lifted his eyes, expecting the worst. But to Remus's surprise, Snape just shrugged.

"My parents had to pay school damages yesterday. I knew he'd send a Howler, so I bribed our owl to meet me here. Fewer witnesses."

"I won't tell anyone," Remus swore.

"You better not, or I'll hex your bollocks off."

"You said that before," smiled Remus. "Look, it's raining feathers. Let's transfigure them into owls now that you lost Hogsmeade all theirs."

Snape turned away, but not before Remus caught his smirk.

- - - - -

What does a person's first fanfic drabble look like? In my case, it looks like this. Please be kind!

* * * * *
Reparo

Severus would not miss a single thing about school. Not this station platform, not those endless goddamn Quidditch games, and certainly not the library, where he could be found, alone, sprawled in one of the comfortable chairs deep in the Charms annex.

At first, Severus had been content to gaze at him obliquely: sandy hair, long fingers holding a book or a quill, throat enticingly exposed above a loose red and gold tie.

Later – “How would you pronounce this?” He had glanced up almost shyly, nudging a yellowed book across the arm of his chair.

One conversation led to more; one afternoon led to much more.

But the annex was discovered, then invaded, by giggling girls who seemed more interested in his biceps than Advanced Charms, and Severus was nudged out, resigned to having lost the best thing about the whole -

The train whistled. “Oi, Snape, you dropped something.” Remus Lupin was suddenly there, bending over, then pressing a cloth into his hand. “My address. Write me, yeah?” Before Severus could take a breath, Remus had moved down the platform. Severus clenched his hand around the handkerchief. Parchment rustled.

Maybe the year hadn’t been a total loss.

- - - - -

So, The Avengers rocked, and that is all. I've seen it twice already! Trying to explain the reasons to rational people has been impossible. So I'll just list for you my Top Five Reasons Why The Avengers Rocked:

5) Scarlett Johanson as Black Widow. Both the actress and the character held their own. I loved how Black Widow was the only girl on the team. When I was a teenager, I created my own comics and dreamed of writing for Marvel. But more importantly, I dreamed of being the only girl superhero on an all-boy team. Make of that what you will. 

4) Agent Coulson. He's appeared in all the Avengers prequels. He's the ultimate bureaucrat. And he's so cuddly. I can't find a video without spoilers, so just take my word.

3) Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. The Hulk was the only pre-Avengers movie I haven't seen. But please believe, if he'd've been Bruce Banner instead of Edward Norton, I would have been first in line.

2) Loki! I do like a villain who takes joy in his work. I credit Joss Whedon for Loki.

And the thing that made me weep ... you're going to think this is weird ... I can't believe I'm writing this ...



1) The Avengers spent a good 30 movie minutes laying waste to a fair-sized city.

No, come back! You don't understand! Look at the picture above. Nary an issue of the Avengers comic went by where our heroes and heroines did not significantly lower the local property value. Alien creatures slammed into airports! Giant monsters battered with train cars! Skyscrapers punctured with laser beams! And every issue contained a panel much like this picture, right down to the rubble-strewn streets. I told you I wanted to write for Marvel! They were total geniuses over there.

Sigh. Well, in other news, I'm happy to report I am still in the game over at the Snupin_LDWS challenge! There are some awesomely talented writers participating; it's a bit intimidating, but I have to say I'm learning a lot from them on the art of the drabble.  Please drop by, read and vote this week!