Hogwarts Reminiscing

So I think most of you know that the close runner up behind Naked World Domination for my heart is Harry Potter. My writing roots began here, in fan fiction, and several DOZEN lifetime friendships as well... I know, because here it is nearly 6 years after I first dived into discussions, and almost 4 years after the last book came out, yet those friendships have endured. My writing group, the Burrow, was born here, and I have, in addition, a fairly large bunch of writing friends who are also coming along for this journey.

So I am THRILLED to join Potter themed Blogfests, and Michael has kindly obliged me a couple times (the last one, a Christmas story). Today's theme is about my BFFs at Hogwarts...



Who would have been in Trio a la Tart...

I think y'all know I'm older than Harry. He was born in 1980. But I'm younger than the Marauders who were born in 1960... I fall somewhere in the middle... maybe not THIS middle, but I'm going with it... there is some canon behind my decision. Namely,

Tonks by Kiwi Fairy

OoP, C 9 (on being prefect): “My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities.”
“Like what?” said Ginny...
“Like the ability to behave myself,” said Tonks.

You'll forgive Tonks for dressing like it was the 80s, because... you know... it was... Oh, yes... Tonks would have been my BFF, able to keep up with me around every turn.. It was handy that she could disguise herself so well. Binns thought she really was Madam Sprout pulling me out of History of Magic half the time.

It took us a couple years to realize there was someone interested in a different sort of mischief (not half bad looking, either, though I was actually crushing on his older brother Bill.) Charlie snuck off into the Foridden Forest every chance he could... followed Hagrid around like he was his assistant... would have bugged Kettleburn, too, but the man was suspicious of Charlie's fascination with Dragons.

Charlie Weasley by The Starhorse

It's thanks to Charlie, actually, that I ever gained any competence with a broom (Tonks, too—Tonks could barely WALK, nobody ever thought she'd fly well), but Charlie spent that first year trying to get away from us... it was master flying or miss out.

We took to following Charlie into the forest whenever we could, and after we helped him get away from Bane (the ANGRY Centaur) the three of us ended up friends.

Man, we had fun... mostly sneaking off where we shouldn't be... And Tonks and I used to taunt Charlie something wicked... silly Gryffindors...


"Let Slytherin seek glory
And Ravenclaw aim high
Let Gryffindor chase danger
They’re not afraid to die


The mighty they will finally fall
The brain will hence give way
The body it will fail us all
So danger seekers pay


But Hufflepuff knows toil and work
And Hufflepuff knows friends
And Hufflepuff will party on
When you’ve all met your ends!”

It was sad when we finally all picked different directions... Charlie and his creature NEWT, Tonks with all that Auror nonsense, and me with Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, headed to Peru to study Cursebreaking with the Incan experts. I still am plagued by guilt that if I'd stuck closer to home, Tonks would have survived that Wizard War... I should have been there.


So there we have it...


The Art is from Deviant Art (links included) and the Hufflepuff fight song is one I wrote as part of a fan fiction I wrote in 2007.