Katherine Frances's Blog, page 239
April 4, 2016
Kim Shimmers and the Black Prophacy
A Harry Potter Fanfic by me (and the 3rd installment of the Kim Shimmers series)
This Harry Potter fan fiction (as long as all goes according to plan) will be posted every weekend. The pictures above are not mine, though I edited some.
Chapter 5
Glorious, Traitorous Thought
Dumbledore led Kim to a horse drawn carriage, the same method by which she and the other interns had gotten from a local inn a few miles away to the andasoe village. The ride was as jostling as Kim remembered it, but she was in a much worse mood now than she’d been when she’d arrived.
“Where are we going, exactly?”
“I’m glad you asked. We’re going to the place that you saw in your dream.”
“My dream… you mean the one with the portrait-” and then she sealed her mouth shut with a snap. Hermione had said not to mention the dream to anyone, but surely Professor Dumbledore was an exception.
“It’s quite all right,” he assured her, a faint smile crossing his face. “I was the one who asked Hermione to tell you not to speak of the dream in the first place, though indirectly… The fact you were able to have such a vision is troubling indeed… it’s protected by a Fidelius Charm.”
“Fidelius Charm?”
“Yes. It’s supposed to keep the very existence of the place on which you cast it from all except those whom the secret keeper, in this case, me,tell directly.”
“Strange… are you sure what I saw was this place?”
“Quite certain, you described it identically. And Sirius is there.”
“Well, the vision was odd looking. It was as if I was there, but only half so… Normally my visions are very crisp and real feeling. Not like a dream at all, but like a slice of real life that belong to someone else, that I’m just borrowing. But this was more like looking at something far away through a foggy mirror.”
“Fascinating. My thoughts are that the charm is still in effect for you, in part. You haven’t an idea where it is, or what it is, do you?”
Kim shook her head. “No. The vision cut out before anything of substance happened.”
Dumbledore hummed in thought. “Still concerning… but nothing to be done for that now. I should explain to you a few things before we exit this carriage, so listen close.” Kim leaned forward intently.
“The place you saw, the place I am taking you now, is headquarters to a secret organization called The Order of the Phoenix. Its purpose; to find and eliminate the dark threat that is Lord Voldemort. Its operations are highly secret, not only to protect it from Voldemort himself, but from the Ministry of Magic as well… Have you read the papers lately?” he asked a bit wryly.
“There’s been nothing,” Kim said, shaking her head to show her disbelief. “No word of anything.”
“They’re covering it up.”
“But… why? What could they possibly have to gain? Unless you think they’re controlled by…”
“Nothing so dark as that, though the possibility does exist. No, I find it more likely that Fudge is merely unwilling to see the possibility that lies before him. It frightens him. He’s so desperately needs to believe it not true, he’ll orchestrate half-truths to make it seem so! But, enough about that… When you arrive, you will be expected to follow the same rules of secrecy as all the others. I trust you understand that.”
Kim nodded readily. Dumbledore leaned back a bit, taking a breath.
“You’re too young to be a member of the Order,” he continued. “And yet I must ask you to act as one in one in this single respect… Once the school year begins, the Department of Mysteries will contact you. You’ll be working closely with them. In this way… you are a double agent, in an unofficial scene. I must ask at least this much; the vision you saw must remain hidden from them. I know they’ve asked you to report all your visions directly to them. But this one, you must not tell.”
Is that all? “Yeah, of course.”
Dumbledore’s brow rose. “You realize this request entails you lying to a Ministry official?”
“Oh- eeh… right, well if it’s for a good cause,” she reasoned. In reality, she’d already lied to the Department of Mysteries once, when she’d told them there was nothing odd about Strix. That was seeming more and more of a lie now.
“Good. I’m hesitant to ask more of you…”
“Is there something more?” Kim asked. She of course wanted to help in any way she could.
“There is the matter of Sirius’s location. The Ministry is hunting for him fervently. We’ve thrown them off the scent for now, but all the information about Sirius is coming from one office. If, say, the Department of Mysteries were to corroborate our false story, it would seem all the more convincing. And it would deflect any likelihood that the aurors we have working for us would be looked upon suspiciously.”
"I always wanted to be the quiet girl, the one who people believed was thoughtful, introverted, and..."
- randiwritten (via wnq-writers)
April 3, 2016
"And we will heal like an open wound,
Until forgiveness
Slowly becomes echoes
Trickling down on..."
Until forgiveness
Slowly becomes echoes
Trickling down on mountaintops.
We will heal, we will forgive-
And when that day comes,
Never forget this:
I will not love you.
I will not come looking for you.”
-
Rej Jaen
(via wnq-writers)
April 2, 2016
midenianscholar:
Antagonists are tricky. Too little work, and...
Antagonists are tricky. Too little work, and the antagonist comes across flat. A flat antagonist is easy and boring, because he or she won’t push the protagonist hard enough. Plus there’s that practice of making fleshed out characters and having interesting three-dimensional people, blah blah.
We all know the saying: Every villain is his own hero. Though I wrote these questions and prompts with famous antagonists in mind, you could actually pose them to your protagonist or other characters (just switch out the protagonist-themed questions for antagonist-themed) and it will still work.
I’ve always found it most helpful to answer questionnaires in my character’s voice, so I have written this addressing your antagonist directly. Try to answer in the way he or she would. You’ll uncover hidden backstory, depth, and softness in your antagonist.
But remember – even something “soft” (like empathy) can be a terrible motivator.
Your Antagonist’s Backstory
Hurting people hurt others. What hurt you?
When was the first time you were frightened by something you did?
When was the first time you experienced pain?
What is the most painful thing you have ever gone through?
Do you have a mentor, or someone you’ve modeled yourself after? Who is it, and why are they so compelling?
Have you killed anyone? Who was the first person you killed? (Alternatively: Who is the person you’ve hurt most?)
When did you feel the most humiliated by someone else?
Tell me about a time you faced rejection.
Is there something you’ve said or done you wish you could take back?
Who (or what) do you miss?
What’s one thing you can never forgive? (Could be an event in the past, or a character trait like lying.)
When did you feel the most accomplished or successful?
When have you felt helpless?
What was the first lie you told? What do you lie about most often?Your Antagonist’s Habits
What do you do to relax?
Where do you go when you want to feel like you belong? If you can’t get there, where would you like to go?
What do you like to read? What shows do you watch?
What do you daydream about?
What is your weapon of choice? How did you learn to use it?
When you feel uncomfortable, what do you do to cover it up?
What sort of clothes do you wear? Would you make changes to your wardrobe if you could?
Do you have any unusual or advanced skills?
How do you like to approach a problem?Your Antagonist’s Personal Life
Who are your parents? Do you have any siblings? Are they still alive?
Who (or what) is one person (or thing/ideal) you would never harm?
Who (or what) do you love? Would you call it love?
What is one secret you’ve never told anyone? Would you consider revealing it to another character? If so, who?
What lie do you tell yourself?
What is one silly thing you’re afraid of?
Tell me about your dream vacation.
What is one fault in others you just can’t stand?
What type of people do you like to be around (if any)?
What about you do you feel other people misunderstand?
Do you like kids? What about animals?
"You do not even think of your own past as quite real; you dress it up, you gild it or blacken it,..."
- John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman
(via wordsnquotes)
April 1, 2016
"You will be more motivated to do
what is inspired,
than what is required."
what is inspired,
than what is required.”
- Bruce Adler (via wnq-writers)
