Hm. Have been irredemably mucking about for last few hours and I haven’t even finished my laundry or packed. Also, I haven’t actually written anything. I think if I make it to bed having done the beta I promised, I will consider myself ahead of the game. Besides, I have to get up and go run tomorrow before I drive to Buffalo. The redeeming part of running at six am in Virginia is that however cold and dark it will be, it will be colder and darker in Buffalo, should I put off the running.
Oh, but I did upgrade my lj account and get more icon space. ::grins:: The downside being that it fcked up my timestamp. And I checked the timezone – it’s set correctly. ::sigh:: And yet it seems quite stuck on GMT. I’m not in the bloody GMT timezone, I’m in the Eastern US zone. Grrr.
Anyway, the point of this entry was to give a teaser for the fic whose writer’s block both broke, then reformed. ::sigh:: It’s Letters Home II, in A Firebolt Ring series.
Teasers:
Excerpt from Hermione’s First Letter
Dear Mum,
Lots of things going on this year at Hogwarts. Did you know… well, of course you couldn’t, but can you believe that there are slaves in the wizarding world? It’s true. It’s absolutely disgusting. I’m going to send you a letter just about that issue alone, as I couldn’t give you a proper survey of the situation in this letter. Suffice to say I’m not taking this information lying down. I’ve already started a bit of a plan, and I think it has a lot of potential. But more about that very soon.
Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is an ex-auror by the name of Alistor Moody. He’s a bit odd, and quite honestly I find him creepy and his teaching methods repugnant, but he definitely knows his stuff. I’m sure we’ll learn loads, by hook or by crook. His theme is “Constant Vigilance,” which he shouts whenever he can. At least he’s not the sort of person to let Voldemort kip under his turban, if you know what I mean.
Excerpt from Mrs. Granger’s First Letter
Third, I know that you are now approximately fifteen and three-quarters (I do wish you had at least told us about the timeturner use – we missed your actual birthday last year!) and that certainly by sixteen many girls have started their sexual exploration. I appreciate that you have shied away from this subject in the past, but ignorance will not serve you at all, Hermione, and it is quite unlike you. At this point I must admit my own bais – I would much rather you experiment with self-induced passion than experiment with a partner, at least for the present. But, I am not so naive as to think that Viktor has not thought of such experimentation, with you as a partner.
No, Hermione. On this I must insist – you may have all of the high ideals that you wish to have (if you indeed have them on this point), and he may indeed be acting as a perfect gentleman, but he is also a seventeen year-old boy His gentlemanly behavior and his hormones are not mutually exclusive. His desire to have sex with you does not in any way diminish his honor. Many a perfect gentleman has had intriguingly wonderful sex with beautiful young ladies; the romance industry thrives on that very point. The desire doesn’t make or break his gentlemanly behavior, you understand. It is what and how he chooses to act on his desire, just as it is what and how you choose to act on your own that defines you as a person. Sex is not bad, though many people may try to tell you different, or infer it, if they do not say anything directly. Rather, it is how we use sex that can be bad or good: do we use it to build our intimate relationships, is it an outlet of joy, is it safe? Or is it used as a tool for gaining and exercising power over another person, is it an act of fear, is it hurting someone?
Returning to my original point, of sexual experimentation, I highly recommend that you begin on your own, though not necessarily ‘alone’. That is to say that it is no use trying to experiment when you are not already aroused, particularly if you are not quite experienced already. I recommend that you experiment after you’ve been thinking of him, or kissing him, or something of the sort. Your mind and your senses work in tandem, and thoughts of him may be nearly as powerful as one of his kisses. (And if his kisses aren’t doing anything for you at all, this is something we need to discuss. By all rights they should be making your insides turn to jelly.) I won’t go into the details of masturbation again, as you have the material I gave you in June, you have the toy which I’m sure you’ve hidden at the bottom of your trunk, and you have me here, if you have any other questions.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Flames? Viktor Action Figures? (I’m bored – amuse me?)