Post by gear on Sept 16, 2011 16:55:35 GMT -8
Title: Look
Words: 696
Summary: It is muggle London, sometime in the late 1800s. You see two emaciated children. One will be acknowledged someday as one of the greatest witches who fought in The Second Wizarding War. The other will be dead in a few decades. Today however, neither of them knows this. Today is a turning point.
Warnings: Written in second person?
Rating: PG
A/N: This is semi-cannon and semi-AU. I took the part about McGonagall having a muggle husband, and being a child in the 1800s, and sort of ran from there. Thanks to Jazzyjess for inspiring this. This will be the first in a series of 3+ fics focusing on Minerva from various viewpoints. Daniel and Alice Mayfield are my own inventions.
Look. You see a little girl. She is sitting, not waiting for anything, just sitting. She is petite, with limp brown hair, and a determined glint in her eye. She is thin, far too thin, and you wonder when she last ate.
Look closer. She is sitting on a set of steps in a grimy, dirty, city. In several decades, politicians will look at the city and decide that it reflects badly upon them, but right now, it is filled with smog so thick as to be comparable to pea soup. You are idly curious about how much damage the girl is getting from breathing the air. Next to her is another child. He looks very much like the girl – they could be siblings, even twins. He looks somewhat better fed than she, but the resemblance is still heightened by the half-starved look they share.
Look up. The sky is filled with pollution. It is noon, but the sun is visible only as a point of light in the sky. You think you see something moving, there is a little flickering speck, its off dim grey coloring perfect camouflage against the dark sky. It is coming closer and closer to the children, and now you see that it is not a speck, but a great, majestic bird. With a final swoop of its light, feathered wings, it lands, perched on a lamppost across the street from the kids.
Look back down. For the first time, the boy looks excited. He turns to the girl next to him and saying, “Look, Minerva! It’s an owl! Your namesake, the Roman goddess of wisdom and battle, she had an owl named Glaucus – Glaukos in the original Greek - who was renowned for his wisdom.”
The girl seems half bored, half amused, as if such tirades of scholarly speech were commonplace coming from the young boy and responds with, “Yes, Dan, of course.”
Look back at the bird. While you and the children have been distracted, it has flown closer on stealthy wings, and you can see something tied to its leg. It lands as silently as it flew, barely more than half a meter away from Minerva, and almost close enough to touch the boy. He continues to ramble on about owls and their symbolism, but the girl’s head snaps around to look at the bird, and she is half crouching before the owl’s wings have fully closed. She maneuvers herself between Daniel and the bird, sharp eyes assessing it for any threat. She sees the letter, and her eyebrows form a deep frown.
Apparently having decided it is not a threat, Minerva slowly extends a hand toward the owls leg. A low hoot causes her to freeze, but when it is not followed by a sharp beak and ripping claws, the movement resumes. Slowly, painfully slowly, Minerva removes the letter while Dan looks on with obvious curiosity. When Minerva is done, the owl gives another soft hoot, and, with a gentle nip at her fingers, takes flight.
Minerva shoves the letter at the boy, demanding, “So? What does it say?”
Look at the letter. It is written in brilliant, sapphire blue ink, on thick, expensive paper. It reads:
Dear Minerva McGonagall,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Special accommodations will be made for you, concerning your
situation. Please meet me at the north west corner of Trafalgar Square, July 10, at 3 o’clock. Do not be late.
Sincerely,
Alice Mayfield
Look at the children. Daniel is staring at Minerva, she, in turn is gazing at the ground.
Dan’s mouth opens and closes a few times on unasked questions before he finally blurts out, “What are you going to do?”
There is silence for a few moments, until Minerva nods briskly and stands, replying, “I’m going to Trafalgar Square tomorrow.”
Words: 696
Summary: It is muggle London, sometime in the late 1800s. You see two emaciated children. One will be acknowledged someday as one of the greatest witches who fought in The Second Wizarding War. The other will be dead in a few decades. Today however, neither of them knows this. Today is a turning point.
Warnings: Written in second person?
Rating: PG
A/N: This is semi-cannon and semi-AU. I took the part about McGonagall having a muggle husband, and being a child in the 1800s, and sort of ran from there. Thanks to Jazzyjess for inspiring this. This will be the first in a series of 3+ fics focusing on Minerva from various viewpoints. Daniel and Alice Mayfield are my own inventions.
~ ~ ~
Look. You see a little girl. She is sitting, not waiting for anything, just sitting. She is petite, with limp brown hair, and a determined glint in her eye. She is thin, far too thin, and you wonder when she last ate.
~ ~ ~
Look closer. She is sitting on a set of steps in a grimy, dirty, city. In several decades, politicians will look at the city and decide that it reflects badly upon them, but right now, it is filled with smog so thick as to be comparable to pea soup. You are idly curious about how much damage the girl is getting from breathing the air. Next to her is another child. He looks very much like the girl – they could be siblings, even twins. He looks somewhat better fed than she, but the resemblance is still heightened by the half-starved look they share.
~ ~ ~
Look up. The sky is filled with pollution. It is noon, but the sun is visible only as a point of light in the sky. You think you see something moving, there is a little flickering speck, its off dim grey coloring perfect camouflage against the dark sky. It is coming closer and closer to the children, and now you see that it is not a speck, but a great, majestic bird. With a final swoop of its light, feathered wings, it lands, perched on a lamppost across the street from the kids.
~ ~ ~
Look back down. For the first time, the boy looks excited. He turns to the girl next to him and saying, “Look, Minerva! It’s an owl! Your namesake, the Roman goddess of wisdom and battle, she had an owl named Glaucus – Glaukos in the original Greek - who was renowned for his wisdom.”
The girl seems half bored, half amused, as if such tirades of scholarly speech were commonplace coming from the young boy and responds with, “Yes, Dan, of course.”
~ ~ ~
Look back at the bird. While you and the children have been distracted, it has flown closer on stealthy wings, and you can see something tied to its leg. It lands as silently as it flew, barely more than half a meter away from Minerva, and almost close enough to touch the boy. He continues to ramble on about owls and their symbolism, but the girl’s head snaps around to look at the bird, and she is half crouching before the owl’s wings have fully closed. She maneuvers herself between Daniel and the bird, sharp eyes assessing it for any threat. She sees the letter, and her eyebrows form a deep frown.
Apparently having decided it is not a threat, Minerva slowly extends a hand toward the owls leg. A low hoot causes her to freeze, but when it is not followed by a sharp beak and ripping claws, the movement resumes. Slowly, painfully slowly, Minerva removes the letter while Dan looks on with obvious curiosity. When Minerva is done, the owl gives another soft hoot, and, with a gentle nip at her fingers, takes flight.
Minerva shoves the letter at the boy, demanding, “So? What does it say?”
~ ~ ~
Look at the letter. It is written in brilliant, sapphire blue ink, on thick, expensive paper. It reads:
Dear Minerva McGonagall,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Special accommodations will be made for you, concerning your
situation. Please meet me at the north west corner of Trafalgar Square, July 10, at 3 o’clock. Do not be late.
Sincerely,
Alice Mayfield
~ ~ ~
Look at the children. Daniel is staring at Minerva, she, in turn is gazing at the ground.
Dan’s mouth opens and closes a few times on unasked questions before he finally blurts out, “What are you going to do?”
There is silence for a few moments, until Minerva nods briskly and stands, replying, “I’m going to Trafalgar Square tomorrow.”