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storypaint) wrote2010-11-18 09:53 am
storypaint) wrote2010-11-18 09:53 am
[ Avatar/Harry Potter] Badgered (Zuko & Toph gen)
Title: Badgered
Fandom: Avatar/Harry Potter fusion
Length: 1183 words
Prompt: Give me a pairing or character(s) from any fandom you know I'm familiar with, and I'll write you a few lines about them AT HOGWARTS! - Zuko and Toph for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
esotaria
Pairing: Zuko & Toph gen
Other: n/a
Excerpt: Finally Azula said, "Ty Lee said she saw my brother coming this way. I'm sure you know who he is. Zuzu, the family disappointment? Hufflepuff to the core?"
"Get under there and shut up."
"What?" Zuko blanched. He was pretty sure that the old couch she was pointing at hadn't been cleaned in... oh, decades. Since his dad went to school here. Maybe since Headmaster Iroh had attended as a student.
"Look, do you want my help or not? She'll be here in a minute." Toph rolled her eyes. Glancing toward the door to the common room again, Zuko muttered under his breath and then slithered under the couch. His hand fell on something sticky, which was gross, and then something cold and wet, which was even worse. And then Toph sat down and splayed herself all over the couch, which just crushed him further. He grunted angrily.
"Ssh," she said. Before he could protest any further, the wall made the whisper sound of moving brick and Zuko could see, from his cramped vantage point, three pairs of feet enter the room. The leader was definitely his sister; he didn't know anyone else who bothered wearing heels under their robes (and he didn't think it was uniform regulation, either). The second person was wearing sensible black shoes that he immediately identified as Mai's, and the third person had bright yellow socks, which distracted him from the excitement and disappointment of seeing Mai almost-in-person. He knew those socks...
"Hey, you there," Azula said, as if she'd suddenly noticed the girl on the couch. Toph yawned and shifted.
"Yeah?"
"Is that any way to address your princess, first-year?" Azula's tones were ice. Zuko cringed from his place under the couch.
"I'm a second-year, thanks," Toph said, sounding completely unconcerned. "Sorry, Princess."
Her voice dripped with insincerity. Azula's foot tapped on the floor impatiently; Zuko could practically hear her mind working. Punish this girl for impudence or catch Zuko? Choices, choices.
Finally Azula said, "Ty Lee said she saw my brother coming this way. I'm sure you know who he is. Zuzu, the family disappointment? Hufflepuff to the core?"
Zuko scowled. He'd thought maybe the fact that he'd ended up in stupid Hufflepuff with Ty Lee would have afforded them some solidarity. Obviously not. Azula was just using her for intelligence purposes.
"Kid with the scar?"
"That's the one. Did he come in here?"
Toph laughed. "How would a Hufflepuff get in here? Someone would have to let him in. Besides," she said, sitting up abruptly (the springs in the couch bounced and smacked Zuko hard in the stomach, taking his breath away), "if you didn't notice, I'm blind. I didn't see anyone come through here."
Zuko held his breath.
"What do you want him for, anyway?" Toph continued, lazily leaning back against the couch again.
"He's supposed to be helping me with something. Like a good brother," Azula answered, before she lost interest in Toph. "Ty Lee!" she snapped instead, as they turned back toward the exit. "Your failure is unacceptable."
"I was so sure I saw him," Ty Lee said in a placating whine. "I'm so sorry, Azula..."
The sounds of the scolding faded away as they stepped back into the corridor. Zuko waited a full ten minutes more before he emerged from under the couch. His robes were coated with dust, and whatever he'd dipped his elbow in had bleached the sleeve orange. Toph leaned forward to brush the floor with her feet, and then she laughed.
"I bet you're a huge mess. Even the house elves don't go under there since Jun's kneazle made that her lair."
Zuko attempted to brush himself off, distaste in his expression. He pondered a cleaning spell, but the last time he'd tried that, he'd managed to end up with one short sleeve, and he really didn't want to explain that one again.
"So you're the famous Halfblood Prince, huh?" Toph said, standing up and walking around him in a half-circle, as if she were sizing him up. She didn't bother trying to meet his eyes, though. Hers were glassy and green; Azula had accepted her story of being blind without pause, which made him think that it was true, but she hadn't paused at all when she seized him in the corridor and dragged him in here to hide.
"I'm not a halfblood!" Zuko fumed. "That's just a stupid rumor. Azula and I have the same mom. And we're not royalty, just because my dad - "
He stopped. Toph made a "pfft" noise. "Not the best-kept secret in all of Hogwarts, okay. Everyone has an idea of what Ozai is up to, and what he claims."
Zuko blinked. Somehow he wasn't surprised that this crazy Slytherin second-year was comfortable using the name others feared.
"Why were you hiding, anyway?" she asked.
"I don't want to help her, that's all," he admitted after a long moment. He sat down on the musty couch and put his head in his hands. "There's no reason for all of this. Aang doesn't even do anything."
"Sometimes he sneaks up to Headmaster Iroh's office and talks to the portraits," Toph said helpfully, sitting back down beside him. "He's a weird kid."
"You know him?"
Toph nodded, putting her bare foot up on the couch and picking between her toes. Zuko was grossed out but somehow couldn't look away.
"Yeah, we have History of Magic together. Mostly we make paper airplanes." She grinned. "He doesn't really know what it means to be the Boy That Lived, but he thinks that making friends with people from every house is going to unite the magical community or something."
"Good luck with that." Zuko snorted. "My dad isn't going to stop until he's dead."
"Or until someone stops your dad, I guess," Toph answered matter-of-factly. She put that foot down and drummed her toes, seeming to enjoy the sensation.
"Do you have to do that?" Zuko burst out finally.
"Do what?"
"...Nothing." He sighed. "Anyway, thanks for hiding me. I appreciate it."
He rose to go, but Toph reached out and pulled hard on his sleeve, stumbling him back into the couch.
"Come on, now, I'm a Slytherin. I want something in return for my trouble."
She grinned again slowly. Zuko blinked.
"Tutor me in Potions next week. I need to get some decent grades or my parents will be more pissy than usual. They keep saying that they'll homeschool me if I don't improve." She scowled, drawing both her feet up and wrapping her arms around her knees.
"Uh, yeah, sure," he answered quickly. "...But, you know, Professor Zhao doesn't like me. He grades really hard."
"He doesn't like me either," she said. "Not since that thing with the frogs last October."
"That was you?" His eyebrows rose; he was impressed.
"Like I said," she answered airily, "I'm a Slytherin. And I'll see you in the library at three on Monday."
"Okay," he said, and nodded. "Three it is."
"Don't bring Aang with you, by the way," she continued, as he headed for the door. "That Ravenclaw kid who never shuts up might help, though."
"I'd probably kill him," Zuko answered.
"Good point. See you then!"
(He didn't bring Aang; Aang showed up all on his own.
That didn't stop Miss Hama from kicking them all out after half an hour, though.)
Fandom: Avatar/Harry Potter fusion
Length: 1183 words
Prompt: Give me a pairing or character(s) from any fandom you know I'm familiar with, and I'll write you a few lines about them AT HOGWARTS! - Zuko and Toph for
esotariaPairing: Zuko & Toph gen
Other: n/a
Excerpt: Finally Azula said, "Ty Lee said she saw my brother coming this way. I'm sure you know who he is. Zuzu, the family disappointment? Hufflepuff to the core?"
"Get under there and shut up."
"What?" Zuko blanched. He was pretty sure that the old couch she was pointing at hadn't been cleaned in... oh, decades. Since his dad went to school here. Maybe since Headmaster Iroh had attended as a student.
"Look, do you want my help or not? She'll be here in a minute." Toph rolled her eyes. Glancing toward the door to the common room again, Zuko muttered under his breath and then slithered under the couch. His hand fell on something sticky, which was gross, and then something cold and wet, which was even worse. And then Toph sat down and splayed herself all over the couch, which just crushed him further. He grunted angrily.
"Ssh," she said. Before he could protest any further, the wall made the whisper sound of moving brick and Zuko could see, from his cramped vantage point, three pairs of feet enter the room. The leader was definitely his sister; he didn't know anyone else who bothered wearing heels under their robes (and he didn't think it was uniform regulation, either). The second person was wearing sensible black shoes that he immediately identified as Mai's, and the third person had bright yellow socks, which distracted him from the excitement and disappointment of seeing Mai almost-in-person. He knew those socks...
"Hey, you there," Azula said, as if she'd suddenly noticed the girl on the couch. Toph yawned and shifted.
"Yeah?"
"Is that any way to address your princess, first-year?" Azula's tones were ice. Zuko cringed from his place under the couch.
"I'm a second-year, thanks," Toph said, sounding completely unconcerned. "Sorry, Princess."
Her voice dripped with insincerity. Azula's foot tapped on the floor impatiently; Zuko could practically hear her mind working. Punish this girl for impudence or catch Zuko? Choices, choices.
Finally Azula said, "Ty Lee said she saw my brother coming this way. I'm sure you know who he is. Zuzu, the family disappointment? Hufflepuff to the core?"
Zuko scowled. He'd thought maybe the fact that he'd ended up in stupid Hufflepuff with Ty Lee would have afforded them some solidarity. Obviously not. Azula was just using her for intelligence purposes.
"Kid with the scar?"
"That's the one. Did he come in here?"
Toph laughed. "How would a Hufflepuff get in here? Someone would have to let him in. Besides," she said, sitting up abruptly (the springs in the couch bounced and smacked Zuko hard in the stomach, taking his breath away), "if you didn't notice, I'm blind. I didn't see anyone come through here."
Zuko held his breath.
"What do you want him for, anyway?" Toph continued, lazily leaning back against the couch again.
"He's supposed to be helping me with something. Like a good brother," Azula answered, before she lost interest in Toph. "Ty Lee!" she snapped instead, as they turned back toward the exit. "Your failure is unacceptable."
"I was so sure I saw him," Ty Lee said in a placating whine. "I'm so sorry, Azula..."
The sounds of the scolding faded away as they stepped back into the corridor. Zuko waited a full ten minutes more before he emerged from under the couch. His robes were coated with dust, and whatever he'd dipped his elbow in had bleached the sleeve orange. Toph leaned forward to brush the floor with her feet, and then she laughed.
"I bet you're a huge mess. Even the house elves don't go under there since Jun's kneazle made that her lair."
Zuko attempted to brush himself off, distaste in his expression. He pondered a cleaning spell, but the last time he'd tried that, he'd managed to end up with one short sleeve, and he really didn't want to explain that one again.
"So you're the famous Halfblood Prince, huh?" Toph said, standing up and walking around him in a half-circle, as if she were sizing him up. She didn't bother trying to meet his eyes, though. Hers were glassy and green; Azula had accepted her story of being blind without pause, which made him think that it was true, but she hadn't paused at all when she seized him in the corridor and dragged him in here to hide.
"I'm not a halfblood!" Zuko fumed. "That's just a stupid rumor. Azula and I have the same mom. And we're not royalty, just because my dad - "
He stopped. Toph made a "pfft" noise. "Not the best-kept secret in all of Hogwarts, okay. Everyone has an idea of what Ozai is up to, and what he claims."
Zuko blinked. Somehow he wasn't surprised that this crazy Slytherin second-year was comfortable using the name others feared.
"Why were you hiding, anyway?" she asked.
"I don't want to help her, that's all," he admitted after a long moment. He sat down on the musty couch and put his head in his hands. "There's no reason for all of this. Aang doesn't even do anything."
"Sometimes he sneaks up to Headmaster Iroh's office and talks to the portraits," Toph said helpfully, sitting back down beside him. "He's a weird kid."
"You know him?"
Toph nodded, putting her bare foot up on the couch and picking between her toes. Zuko was grossed out but somehow couldn't look away.
"Yeah, we have History of Magic together. Mostly we make paper airplanes." She grinned. "He doesn't really know what it means to be the Boy That Lived, but he thinks that making friends with people from every house is going to unite the magical community or something."
"Good luck with that." Zuko snorted. "My dad isn't going to stop until he's dead."
"Or until someone stops your dad, I guess," Toph answered matter-of-factly. She put that foot down and drummed her toes, seeming to enjoy the sensation.
"Do you have to do that?" Zuko burst out finally.
"Do what?"
"...Nothing." He sighed. "Anyway, thanks for hiding me. I appreciate it."
He rose to go, but Toph reached out and pulled hard on his sleeve, stumbling him back into the couch.
"Come on, now, I'm a Slytherin. I want something in return for my trouble."
She grinned again slowly. Zuko blinked.
"Tutor me in Potions next week. I need to get some decent grades or my parents will be more pissy than usual. They keep saying that they'll homeschool me if I don't improve." She scowled, drawing both her feet up and wrapping her arms around her knees.
"Uh, yeah, sure," he answered quickly. "...But, you know, Professor Zhao doesn't like me. He grades really hard."
"He doesn't like me either," she said. "Not since that thing with the frogs last October."
"That was you?" His eyebrows rose; he was impressed.
"Like I said," she answered airily, "I'm a Slytherin. And I'll see you in the library at three on Monday."
"Okay," he said, and nodded. "Three it is."
"Don't bring Aang with you, by the way," she continued, as he headed for the door. "That Ravenclaw kid who never shuts up might help, though."
"I'd probably kill him," Zuko answered.
"Good point. See you then!"
(He didn't bring Aang; Aang showed up all on his own.
That didn't stop Miss Hama from kicking them all out after half an hour, though.)
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