#voldaburga

[camelliacats]

Counting Backwards (51-60/∞)

100-word drabbles for a range of ships. *Requests always welcome! Repeats allowed~*

Chapters 51-60: [FFN] [AO3] | ←   → | start from the beginning

Pairings/Characters: Lily Luna Potter/Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy/Molly Weasley II, Sirius Black/Mundungus Fletcher, Hannah Abbott/Millicent Bulstrode, Nymphadora Tonks/Alastor Moody, Dominique Weasley/Regulus Arcturus Black, Tom Riddle, Jr./Walburga Black, Rolf Scamander/Scorpius, Dominique/Hermione Granger–Weasley, & Yaxley/Daphne Greengrass

Rating: K - K+

Words: 1,000 collectively

Additional info: romance, slash, femslash, cross gen, family, angst, hurt/comfort, AU fic, pre-Marauder era, Marauder era, Harry's era, Next Gen era, 3rd person POV

Summary: Because, actually, destruction is the most beautiful thing of all… These are the countdowns until everything falls apart. | Various pairings, eras, ratings, etc. Includes het, slash, femslash, cross-gen, next-gen, but nothing too bad. Read it all or only what you like!

51: LilyLPScorpius

            It was spectacular! There were fireworks! Uncle Ron had a fit worthy of McGonagall on a bad day! And Lily wasn't even his child!

            "Let me just explain," fifteen-year-old Lily told her parents, Aunt Hermione, and Uncle Ron, the last being the only one who was irate. "Scorpius and I have a lot of things in common—"

            "No! I won't allow it! Not a Malfoy in our family!" Uncle Ron bellowed.

            Lily rolled her eyes. She liked Scorpius, yes, but she wondered when she'd get the chance to explain they'd already broken up because they worked better as mates?

52: DracoMollyII

            Sometimes he felt like a child as she bustled about and didn't keep their engagements. Molly swore up and down that she wasn't married to her job, but Draco wasn't so sure, because she told him these things while she gave him half her attention. The divorcee had heard excuses before and knew how to spot them.

            But this time was different. He didn't know how to confront adult-like Molly, who made Draco her last priority. It wasn't that she loved her job more than him…

            She just happened to love him least out of everything in her entire life.

53: SiriusMundungus

            Sirius was always in the middle. James and Remus vied for his attention. Regulus and his parents expected totally different things of him. Remus and Mundungus offered a life of fun.

            Remus sniffed Sirius after Lily and James left the Order meeting. "Oh, Godric, Padfoot—you smell like stale wine and tobacco," he said disapprovingly, knowing with whom Sirius had hung out before the meeting.

            Remus could gripe, because Sirius loved him. But Sirius missed hanging out with Mundungus, their old classmate and fellow Order member who was the only one who understood Sirius' opinion that danger could be fun.

54: HannahMillicent

            Hannah had had enough of being different before this year, which was supposed to be her last. She'd lost her mother, one of her best mates was on the run (poor Justin!), and it was a death sentence to join the reconstituted D.A.

            She took solace in the quiet of the forbidden third-floor corridor…which Millicent also enjoyed. After a few weeks, Hannah didn't begrudge her the respite. In fact, it gave them the chance to enjoy it together.

            Until, as the year drew to a close, Hannah could no longer take solace in Millie's strong and comforting warmth, too.

55: TonksMoody

            "What are you looking for, Tonks?"

            She almost squeaked when he spoke to her, though she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised, since she knew about—and loved—his magical eye. "Nothing, Mad-Eye. I just came to say goodnight since the day's over."

            He grunted. "Goodnight." A minute of silence passed; he softened and sighed. "You won't find what you're looking for here, Nymphadora."

            Usually it angered her, him calling her that. This time it just made her sad, and she wondered if his eye had been able to see she'd just fall for another scarred man in the future.

56: DominiqueRegulus

            She thinks her name must mean "unlucky one." So far, she's seen nothing to contradict that. She aced her training and yet didn't become a Transfiguration professor. She loved Lysander, a boy with a perpetually broken heart, once. She can't outshine her older sister or her only brother.

            So of course Dominique, timid and non-complaining like a good Hufflepuff, goes and falls for a man who's supposed to be dead, who's more than twice her age, and who's got a brother complex. He might be kind, soft-spoken, handsome, a little like her…

            But Regulus isn't the type to love back.

57: TomJrWalburga

            When they were older, his roommates teased him. Tom Riddle had everyone charmed, but he wouldn't let anyone charm him.

            "You've got to think of witches at some point, yeah?" one asked. (No, of course not.)

            "Marrying a good pureblood is what we all need to do." (Yes, blood purity should remain intact, but he didn't want to marry.)

            "What about Walburga Black, a year above us? She's gorgeous." (That didn't matter. Walburga was destined to marry Orion Black, that student three years their junior.)

            (… And who Walburga Black married was none of Tom's business. Now, about making Horcruxes…)

58: RolfScorpius

            "It's not about being different or the same," Scorpius told him as they enjoyed a cuppa while Rolf planned his next trip (because he and Luna were still friends and partners and no one else would be a naturalist with him). Scorpius sat reading one of Rolf's books.

            "Then what's it about?" Rolf prompted, not looking up.

            "It's about what I like about you, what you like about me." Scorpius paused, obviously waiting for his lover to meet his eyes. "I like a lot of things about you."

            Rolf could no longer think of what he liked about Scorpius, though.

59: DominiqueHermione

            Hermione's…not all that bad. Sometimes it's enough to look at her prettiness and admire it and nurture it, because Dominique knows that, if left to her own devices, her aunt wouldn't care much about her appearance.

            Sometimes it's enough to run her hands through those lovely brown locks and see Hermione be a blushing witch. Dominique loves pecking her reddening cheeks.

            But the moment Hermione opens her mouth? It ruins everything, and Dominique's reminded then that the only person who truly can stand her is Ron, partially because he's put up with Hermione's nagging for longer than anyone else.

60: YaxleyDaphne

            Have you ever played a game of hearts?

            Yaxley has.

            He's stolen Daphne's, just to spite Lucius. He can't stand that Lucius got off while Yaxley has had to stick to the shadows post-war. It's not fair that Lucius gets to keep his family, his wife, his mistress while Yaxley has nothing.

            So he's taken Daphne's heart to play with…

            …but the game's getting old…

            …and it aches to see Daphne return to Lucius night after night…

            …so Yaxley ends it.

            (It doesn't mean he cares, not really…

            It's just another game of hearts…)

            [That's a game he's never won.]

Remarks for—

Ch51: For "guest," as requested with the prompt "remote." It's subtle, but Ron wasn't even remotely close to grasping the situation when the adults finally found out.

Ch53: For AshNox, as requested with the prompt "stale wine and tobacco." This was hard to do in only 100 words, though! I wanna write them some more, because disapproving!Remus here is fun…

Ch55: For AshNox, as requested with the prompt "scars."

Ch57: For AshNox, who requested this specific pairing.

Ch60: Whoops. Kinda alludes to my 2 fics, "Coveted" and "By Any Means." Which you might like if you enjoyed this drabble…and if you enjoy Death Eaters. ;) *loves Yaxley*

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

2021 note (regarding ch51): Deffo one of my funnier fics. I like this type of misunderstanding! XD

(regarding ch53): …you ever just…not remember writing something? *lol* (Hey, I'm allowed—I'm closing in on 800 fics this year!! XP)

(regarding ch55): Now this drabble I recall with a certain fondness. Moody I see as someone who'd chase away all affections, regardless of the person.

(regarding ch60): Ngl, there are some fic ideas that are hard to escape, so when I go to write a ship or charrie, I write more either in that universe or smthg similar to it. Such as here. (Another good example is anything Elfen, Eloise/Fenrir. ;P)

And if you want to support Counting Backwards, please swing by its FFN and AO3 versions and consider liking and reblogging these posts on my HariPo fic tumblr!