My fics

[blamebrampton]

Fandom was not for me. I never planned to write fic. I was going to write one tiny little thing for a dear friend as a present, and that was it. That was 250,000 words ago. WTF, Brammers?  Oh well, at least it's mostly decent stuff!

Sins of the Fathers Series
This came about by pure accident, I read Sansa's 20 Random Facts about Scorpius Malfoy and it just spoke to me. It said: obey libby_drew and write her fic based on these facts. So I did, and was grateful it had not said "assassinate a world leader for fun and profit!"

Scorpius Malfoy has known who the Potters are since he was a young boy, which is odd in a way, since he isn't too sure about one of his own grandfathers. When Albus Potter tells him they need to be friends, Scorpius's agreement sets in chain a longer sequence of events than either of them would have guessed, and one with echoes into the past. Epilogue compliant, two small AU touches.

part one
part two
part three
part four a
part four b


Fathers Who Could Do with a Spot of Sinning
Sequel to the above, partly prompted by the fact that anthimaeria threatened to hit me over the lack of H/D resolution. Finally finished! Ignore the fact that Part three is about 50,000 words, I said it would be a three-part story, and so it is!

Harry Potter is not known for accepting no as an answer, but Draco Malfoy is not known for being an impetuous fool. And it would be more than foolish to throw away a hard-won friendship built on respect. Draco is thinking of having business cards printed with that sentiment so that he can place them in strategic spots to remind himself throughout the day.

part one
part two
part three A
part three B
part three C
part three D
part three E


These Fragile Bonds
This is the one that started it all, in fact, just chapter one, which was to be a one-shot, never to be repeated deal. Oops. Written for the magnificent and delightful GBrampton whose It's Our Choices was the first HP fic I read (nearly the first fic, but since I have decided that Anne Rice writes only dodgy fic for invisible canon, I am giving the title to her.)

When you could be dead at any moment, you take kindness and solace where you can find them. That's not the same as love. Not at all. But you can't help feeling a small amount of responsibility for the boy you're shagging, can't resist making things a little easier for him. It's just a thing, another daft choice in a long string of them. You know that Harry feels the same way. HBP compliant, wholly AU afterwards.

Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four is all but written but has been put on the backburner until I finish everything else up and can come back to this in a rush.


Beneath Boundless Skies
I'm not sure what possessed me to enter the HP World Cup. If I was younger I would blame alcohol, but as it was I can only suggest temporary madness. Of course, the minute I made a team, everything went to hell in a handbasket. My magazine closed, my cat began to die, my team all had even worse problems ...

Maybe it was my fault for choosing the Death card. Death in the tarot is a card of change, of renewal. I wanted to make the H/D in this story organic, while in some way logical. It seemed such a stretch putting them into a sane relationship in the post-DH world, and then it occurred to me: what do British boys do when they need a break? They go to Australia. What do English people do in Australia? Relax and shag. Perfect!

Oh, so I accidentally killed an older-gen character I love. It was the Death card!

Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four

Snatched
This was my story for the 2008 AS/S fest. The recipient wanted adult Albus and Scorpius, the latter with glasses and Lily as a best friend. And a live Snape. I suspect she would also have preferred something romantic and smutty. She got this instead. Sorry. I make up for what I lack in smut with international politics and useful Finnish phrases!

Scorpius Malfoy has always brought out the idiot in Albus Potter. For the past seven years they’ve dealt with this through a cunning application of denial. Now James Potter’s life is being threatened, and everything else is swept to one side as they try to beat the most literal deadline any of them have ever faced.

Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four

Of Great Price
Another fest fic, this time for the first Darkfest. It follows Sirius Black's life as it comes together and falls apart. From 1971 to 1981, he learns love, trust and friendship, then fear, despair and betrayal. JKR gives only hints (ones that I feel completely allow for a Sirius/Remus reading, BTW) about the world that the Marauders grew up in, and how the four of them grew up in such different ways. Lily Evans, Severus Snape and Regulus Black all make guest appearances, along with sundry other, including Moody. This may actually be my favourite of all the fics that I have written, even though I can see its several flaws. 

Part one of four

For the Public Good
Written for the 2008 hd_holidays fest, despite me saying I would never fest again. Perhaps that's why what was meant to be a very serious political fic turned into the best-written piece of comedy I've managed so far. I would like to pretend there are hidden deep meanings here, in fact, there are merely a load of jokes about Peter Mandelson and loads of lunches.

Part one
Part two
Part three


Little Red Courgette
Politics again. This time Draco is in charge of making sure that wizarding produce all meets the exacting standards set down for it in legislation. Harry Potter appears just in time to complicate most aspects of Draco's life, which you might think would lead to serious consideration of the interactions between law enforcement and regulation in the wizarding world. In actuality, it's 31,000 words of dreadful puns and smutty innuendo, with genius cartoons by raitala .

Part one
Part two
Part three


And Save Me From Bloody Men
Most of the time I  write stories that are at heart comedic, or romantic. This one is 10,000 words of harsh slightly Atwoodian political satire set in a dystopian America. With about five quite good jokes and two somewhat romantic scenes. Written for hp10k, it's not the fun-fest most of my writing is. But it is a good, tight tale!

Here at the hp10k_showcase.



An Act of Simple Devotion
This was my accidental fest fic. The lovely nqdonne put out a call for an emergency pinch-hitter, and, in a fit of lunacy, I put my hand up. It was fine, there was a 14-day deadline, I'm a journo: easy! Except it was over Christmas and I spent 10 days travelling and sewing. This was a mistake on my part. As a result I did not write the 150,000 word fic this secretly wants to be, instead it's a 13,500 word glimpse into the world, but I still rather like it (and will almost certainly revisit it.)

The Battle of Hogwarts is done. In a quiet corridor away from everyone's eyes, Harry Potter takes a few moments to cry for everything he's lost. Draco Malfoy would have laughed at that two years ago. He doesn't laugh at things so readily these days. Besides, he's a prefect, and he should show some kindness. Contains a Young Persons Guide to Rebuilding Safe Societies After War, Justin and his amazingly impressive yacht, relaxed!Hermione and the Church of St Potter, bringing light into lives since 1998.


Nineteen Seventy-nine
Another accidental fest fic. And Marauders' era, to boot. Worse still, it's Regulus Black/Lily Evans. And yet, if I say so myself, I think this one is rather good. Told through the eyes of Regulus as he realises that practically everything he believed in is wrong and that the one person he can count as a friend is a red-haired acquaintance. The worst thing about writing this fic was knowing that my hero was doomed doomed doomed. Bloody JKR.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four


Marginal Notes
You're going to find this hard to believe, but I really didn't mean to enter this fest, either. Having said that, I foolishly scanned the prompt list, saw that one of my lovely flistees was going without, and had a BRILLIANT IDEA for a wonderful fic set in St Mungo's with loads and loads of Hermione and Ron on the side, and a really insightful Draco and a mostly unconscious Harry (this bit may have been due to talking with calanthe_fics  and raitala  a bit too much, the rotters). Tragically, that fic remains unwritten. The real world went all to pot and I spent two months doing the work of 2.8 people before buggering off to Europe for a month, where I instead produced a sweetly amusing little bit of Eight Year fic in which people get better, eventually. My fave part of this one was Astoria Greengrass, who doesn't actually have that many lines, but produces Bingo cards for people to fill in as Draco attempts to reconstruct his life now that a career as an Evil Minion is off the table. Here's one of her Bingo cards if you're interested.


Of Hoof Picks, Centaurs and Flight
You're sensing a pattern, aren't you? Yet another pinch-hit for hd_hols. It's politics again, but with a chance to use some of a bit of the horsey stuff still clogging my brain years since I last owned one. As the summary has it: Harry has promised that he will not do anything to upset the new head of Magical Creatures. Even if it is Draco Malfoy. When three centaur foals appear in Cumbria, far from the Forbidden Forest and all too close to Muggles, Harry’s promise is thoroughly tested. To say nothing of his equestrian skills.


The Consolations of a Summer's Day
I had really and truly sworn off doing fests, but the prompt for this one asked for Draco to be captured by the Estonian Aurors, and you know what I am like when it comes to Estonia! So I mentioned to my friend treacle_tartlet that this prompt seemed to be calling to me, and she was enormously supportive of the idea I should just do it. It took me a week to work out it was her prompt …

The original idea called for Draco to be on the run, which called for a crime, and I am afraid I offed Pansy Parkinson in a fit of madness. But Millicent stepped up magnificently to the plate to ensure a strong female supporting cast, and I was finally able to write the Kreacher I had always imagined after Book 7. As the original request had it, there is some angst along the way, but it was for Smoochfest, so there's a happy ending, too. 
Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four
Part five

Decline and Fall
serpentinelion is a writers community that invited me to join it. I'm not sure why, I suspect some of the mods were drunk one day and thought it would be fun to have someone really short around to feel taller than. Of course, having joined, I then had no idea what to do about it. It seemed strangely presumptuous to repost stories there. So I did nothing, until they had a short story fest. Stories should be one to five hundred words, said the rules, and based on a series of prompts. I chose Rome. The link also has links to all the other stories and the artwork done for that minifest, too. Er ... it's not funny. It's actually a bit angsty. And you can read it any way you like, that's intentional.


Tidings of Comfort
Draco Malfoy has been coming to sit in St Paul's for a few weeks now. He isn't looking for salvation or forgiveness, just quiet and space to think. When he meets a familiar figure on the steps of the cathedral one winter evening, it's better than anything he'd thought of wishing for at Christmas.  

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Sequel to Tidings of Comfort. Draco hasn't been seeking refuge in religion, just in London's most famous church. The fact that it's on the daily route of Britain's most famous Auror is total coincidence, he's really there for the music.


Albus Dumbledore: The Musical (aka DUMBLEDORE!)
It will come as no surprise to anyone to discover that this is crack of the crackiest kind. I blame pushdragon  for making me miserable by leaving fandom.


It's a Blunderful Life
jadzialove is my wonderful beta and I think she's great. For her birthday I riffed on a film she and I both love, and even managed to sneak in a little touch of Snarry in the night.

Draco Malfoy has had enough of the slings and arrows of, oh, you know. Which is why he is standing by the edge of the Serpentine Bridge wondering whether or not one should load one's pockets with stones. Having an angel second class leap by at this point would have been a distinct improvement on the guide he actually receives. With apologies to Frank Capra, and no dire warnings.


Pushing the envelope
Another short gift fic. Percy Weasley is inspired by Romilda Vane's newly rebadged Ministry!, not to mention her flashing eyes and lustrous hair, but old habits die hard for Ms Vane. A very foolish birthday present sequel to norton_gale's very fabulous Unfinished Business.


A Man of Middling Morals
NOT HP! This was written for Yuletide 2007, because my Canadian friend is good at convincing me to do things. It's the BBC's Robin Hood, and contains no slash, but lots of Djaq. Alan A Dale is on the spot when Djaq is kidnapped by Gisborne. It's a chance to appear manly and heroic in front of the only single woman he has regular contact with. Contains resourceful!Djaq and stoned!Gisborne.

 

Comments

[jadzialove.livejournal.com]

Hey, this doesn't look much like sewing!

Yes, I'm still up.

But not for long.

Just saw the post and wanted to thank you again for my lovely lovely gift fic. (I love that I've tricked you into thinking I'm wonderful!) I read it again just the other day. *pets the fic*

And yes, there's no turning back now--I have a Drarry icon. I blame you, of course, though it's hard now to mind. *hugs*

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

What's invisible canon? *curious*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Anne Rice's writing always struck me as though it was informed by something else. At the time I just assumed she was writing while fantasising about particular actors and that parts of her work were a little on the pastiche side. Since discovering fandom, though, I have changed my mind. Instead I have decided that her writing most reminds me of deeply involved fic, it's just that no one has ever found the canon it's based on. If I had years available I would trawl through early 20th century soft porn until I found it!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I feel so proud that I have semi-converted a Snarrier ;-) (And you are wonderful, everyone I like is, there is a rule.)

I currently hate sewing with a burning passion like fiery suns. But it must be done, and I have only six days in which to do it! I blame Yuletide ...

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Ha! Was this for me?
part two (er, shortly)
*g*

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter is not known for accepting no as an answer, but Draco Malfoy is not known for being an impetuous fool. And it would be more than foolish to throw away a hard-won friendship built on respect. Draco is thinking of having business cards printed with that sentiment so that he can place them in strategic spots to remind himself throughout the day.

Why are your summaries new to me? Was I so excited upon seeing your fic that I skipped the summaries altogether? I think not.

Actually, on second thoughts, that probably is what happened. :/

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Nope. They're new. I have a TERRIBLE memory (one too many hits to the head with motor vehicles) and I can see myself looking at things in a few years and saying "I wonder what that's about?" I'm trying to forestall embarrassment ...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Maybe just a teeny weeny bit ... (5000 words done, but more to go and there is SO MUCH sewing that needs to be done this week!)

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

Motor vehicles? 0_o

Err, please do be careful, but yes, the summaries are excellent ideas. And I'm most reassured to know that they are newly created, so yay for me not getting amnesia yet. :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Important lessons in my life: No one I am related to can actually drive, and never ride a bicycle in Sydney (as it turns out, London is surprisingly good. I take back all my earlier abuse).

Hurrah for your brain working! I shall hold it up to my own as a role model.

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

Awwww... Sydney drivers aren't that cruel to cyclists. :/

Though your multiple motorcar accidents indicate the opposite, I guess. *looks sheepish*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I beg to differ!
1. Taxi went AROUND car stopped at the red turning arrow, then through the red turning arrow to crash into me full-on the side
2. Car changed across three lanes of traffic without indicating (as attested my multiple witnesses) to side-swipe me (luckily just a bruise that time)
3. On four-lane one-way street, with me in far left lane doing 40km/h, car sits behind me with hand on horn, then finally swings past and around me in the next lane only to leap back just in front of me and stand on his brakes (luckily I ride a mountain bike, so I leapt it onto the pavement), then gets out of his car shouting abuse at me !! I unhooked my U-lock and told him I would be oh so happy to see which of us would win.
4. Many many other tales of lane-changing without looking, buses that do not believe in red lights, doors opening without looking (I once managed to just fit UNDER one from a truck, all those horsey tricks come in handy!) verbal abuse, things thrown from cars ... which I would mind less if I was an annoying cyclist, but I am a law-abiding, fast-moving, get out of the way if I am causing traffic flow issues cyclist. Well, that should all be past tense, I no longer cycle in Sydney, I'm not up to another six-month physio stint.

I will say on the other hand that with my two very serious accidents motorists were fantastic about also stopping to give help and police reports, and when I once came off my bike due to a broken chain while going around a corner, a taxi driver not only managed not to squash me, but moved out into the next lane to protect me from cars turning without being able to see me.

It's not an Australian thing, it's a Sydney thing, and there are many good and thoughtful motorists, but the bad drivers here are just awful

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

Whoah, that was quite a long and angry comment for 4 am in the morning. *g*

The car intent on side-swiping you particularly worries me, but what's this I hear about your horsey tricks? Oh, were you a rodeo person?! *gets excited*

But umm, yes. Number 4 sounds like typical Sydney road rage (complete with accusation and swears), and I'm sorry to hear you've been hurt so many times whilst cycling. :/

I guess it only takes one or two bad drivers for accidents to happen, and please don't move to Melbourne...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Eh, the only thing that can make me really angry is bad driving. And yes, I have no idea why I am here at 4am!

Alas, never did rodeo, but every gymkhana had some trick competitions, so I learned the fun stuff without having to listen to country and western music! Are you a rodeo person? They have a certain charm when well-run!

The good news with number four was that I was actually riding down to the Sydney Water Police at the time, and when I arrived and told them my story complete with licence plates, my friends there decided that they would have their friends in the road patrols do a great deal of checking that angry man's car wasn't defective, and that his licence was current, his seatbelt one, etc... Apparently he was pulled over about eight times that month.

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

What? Oh no, I just got all excited to think you were a rodeo person, and could do awesome tricks. :D (And whilst you weren't exactly, you still can do tricks! *swoons*)

Umm, to be honest, I don't see you being hit by someone with 8 arrests as a good thing. 0_o

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

That was cranky man, and they couldn't arrest him, just pull him over for 'random' inspections a lot. Oh it is so sleepy time! Good night, unless your're up lovely and early, in which case, good morning!

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

I don't think having random inspections would make the man any less cranky, but sure. *g*

And what? You haven't slept yet? 0_o

*shoos you off to bed*

Yes, good night to you. Sweet dreams. :)

[raedragonstar.livejournal.com]

Love the retaliation from your police friends.... I'd feel sorry for the guy if he didn't so very much deserve the hassle of being pulled over all the time.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

The boys assured me that they were only this evil to people who deserved evil. Bless em.

[galad222000.livejournal.com]

Hi, just checking in to see if there is any progress on Fathers Who Could Do With A Spot Of Sinning? Love this series. Best to you, CB

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Part two is c urrently at about 7000 written words, and several more drafted. Alas the last two months went completely pear-shaped. But now that I am temporarily unemployed I am sitting down and ploughing through. It's just a matter of physically doing it! (She says, while grabbing her handbag to go to the camping shop ... but then back to writing!)

a fic in search of cannon

[son-of-herne.livejournal.com]

Found your website though snottygirl's, via earth-Magic's. First: adore your fics, but, sadly, have read all on this page and still cravings are stirring ... help, please? Second: your comment about Anne Rice just floored me and prompted me to actually write this comment. I always felt that something just didn't quite fit in her writing ...not that the stories weren't wonderful when I read them (read: those that I've actually read, I haven't gone back to her for several years now) ...but they always felt like I've been reading just this side of what she's trying to say (you know those days when you'r just a fraction of a second out of sinc with the rest of the world? well, that's what I mean here). Do you think that's intentional on AR's part? (Now *that* would be a feat!)

Hope you don't mind me responding to you on this one but you were absolutely spot on in your assessment, and no one else has said it quite like you did, so ....

Re: a fic in search of cannon

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Hey, hello! Thank you! The second part of Fathers is with my beta now, and the accidental third part (it grew ... why do they always grow?) is well underway, as is another fic that will be out by Feb 11 and then some more Fragile chapters, which have been mostly written for months and meanly ignored. Hope that will fit the bill! I was accidentally roped into sewing for a production ... so my slowness was made even worse!

As to Anne Rice, I very much like your fractionally out of sync comment. I think at times she aims for and achieves a heightened ambience that leaves you following her quick prose a step behind, but at other times it is like watching an old-school glacier (and global warming ruins another of my favourite metaphors ...) So, at her best, I think it could well be intentional, and then she pads it out with many more pages, because publishers want volume! Had she lived in earlier days I see her perhaps turning out elegantly slim novellas, a la a pervy, prosey Emily Dickinson ...

Re: a fic in search of cannon

[(Anonymous)]

Wow. You respond quickly. And, again *wow*, you think Anne Rice actually does that intentionally. wish I could pull something off like that "intentionally". Hope you don't mind, but I will continue to correspond from time to time, and once my LJ is up and running I'd like to add you as a friend. Enjoy your day.

In answer to that question ...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Part two is up! Alas, Part three is not ...