Harry Potter The Application Process

[zerohour]

"Yes, yes, just fill out the entire application, both the general application, as well as the primary and secondary persona applications. If you don't fill out all of them, then the whole things is invalid. Take as many as you want! If one group doesn't work out, then try another!" The two red headed boys talked to a small gathering of students, with more approaching to hear what was going on, or turning in filled out papers. Harry hesitantly approached them, curious to what kind of scheme they had going on.

"What are the two of you doing?" He asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Harry my boy! Just the person we needed to see!" one of the twins said, having him over.

"As for what we're doing, we're just making sure Hogwarts looks its best for the Triwizard tournament!"

"Just what does that means exactly?"

"Well, as you know, you're quite famous." George began.

"Really."

"Yes, surprised us a bit too. Anyways, you'll garner more attention than most, and a lot of these foreigners are going to judge us by you and those associated with you."

"So, given that not only must you be at your best, but your friends and rivals too, we've opened up this little stand to collect and process applications for those positions. Auditions and interviews are to follow shortly."

"You're holding auditions for who gets to be my friends?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Don't worry. Hermione's grades made her a shoo in for position of best friend." Fred assured him.

"Mostly because we need her help organizing this whole thing." George added.

"But sadly Ron had a bit of trouble with his, so he's filling out another one, trying to make himself a more attractive prospect."

"Really we just like watching him squirm, but you'd be surprised at how many kiddies want to take his place."

"And the rest of them?" Harry asked, looking at the now sizable crowd holding papers, ink and quills.

"Well, given how Malfoy is a stuck up, slimy, whiny git, we figured that he would be ruining your reputation a bit. If he's the best rival you can get, you can't be all that impressive, right?"

"So most of the applications are for your new rival and their own little cadre of companions. Mostly Slytherins, but more than a few Ravenclaws and a couple of Hufflepuffs are applying too. Some of them are putting in applications as free agents, couldn't convince their friends to join up or just didn't think they needed anyone else, so we've been building teams with the unattached applicantsÔÇØ

ÔÇ£You know, it's almost like playing matchmaker. We have to combine them into fully functional groups. Have to make sure that the team dynamics are there, and that there aren't any underlying issues between them.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£Romantic rivalries, blood feuds, that sort of thing.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£We want them at your throat, not each others' after all.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£Right...ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£That's why we got your bookworm to help us out in the first place. She's tearing through those applications like Ron through a chocolate cake.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£So how did you convince Hermione to help out? This seems like the sort of thing she would fight tooth and nail against.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£Well that was easy.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£See we went up to McGonagall's office.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£Dressed to the nines and everything.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£And we told her we had an idea to promote school unity and present a good front to the international students. We laid all our cards on the table with her.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£Well, not all of them. We had to coach it in terms that wouldn't give her an aneurism.ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£And she gave us her full approval and extra credit to boot!ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£We just told Hermione that McGonagall endorsed the whole thing, and she could probably get some of the extra credit herself for helping out, and she couldn't get to work fast enough!ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£I see...ÔÇØ Harry replied.

ÔÇ£Not only that, but she's already drawn up a brilliant plan for a smooth transition from the Malfoy/Potter rivalry to the new status quo, and it shouldn't take more than a week for the majority of the adjustments to settle."

"Do you really think that Malfoy will just stop harassing me whenever he can just because he didn't get the position?"

"No, but that's why we're the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen. We're cooking up a few charms, curses, and other assorted goodies that will... encourage him to get his rocks off elsewhere. Can't have him interfering with your rival just because his ego got hurt, and who knows? Maybe he'll make the final cut!"

"Well... alright." Harry surrendered to the twins. It was probably best to let them have their fun and stay out of their way. If he interfered, it would probably only focus their attention on him, so bets to let things run their course. besides, if anyone could take care of Malfoy on a permanent basis, whatever trouble this stirred up could very well be worth it.


--------- ------------ ----------

So yeah, I was bored and cooked this up for fun in between writing the next chapter of Childish Things. Probably play around with it a bit more in the future but probably not become a full fledged fic. So, did you guys enjoy it?

 

[ragnarok1337]

...Moar?

 

[wingthesword]

Please sir may I have some moar!?

 

[nuclear death frog]

This amused me.

 

[marthf1]

That was impressively wacky. Definitely would make an excellent prompt for a challenge or something.

 

[mandalorianjedi]

Yes... There's definitely a need to continue on from there.

 

[ecs05norway]

Altho there's always the ubercrack version, in which Luna Lovegood wins the coveted position of Heir of Slytherin.

 

[Prince Charon]

So yeah, I was bored and cooked this up for fun in between writing the next chapter of Childish Things. Probably play around with it a bit more in the future but probably not become a full fledged fic. So, did you guys enjoy it?

This is one that needs to be continued, please. :yay:

 

[zerohour]

Alright, so here's the basic format the twins have chosen. The groups consists of two to four people who can fill the following positions.

The Boss
The Brains
The Beauty
The Brawn

Obviously, Harry is The Boss and Hermione is The Brains, leaving The Beauty and The Brawn open for Ron. I;mn not sure which one to go with right now. The Beauty sounds like i could be hilarious, but it's much easier to see Ron go for The Brawn. Which one do you think he should go for?

As I mentioned, I'm mainly writing this as a collection of snippets for humor, so please suggest any students or groups of students you think would make for a good or interesting applicant.

-Currently have the following snippets in mind, nad will try to write them later.
--Ron freaking out and trying to change himself to better fit Beauty or Brawn
--Malfoy's reaction to finding out he's being replaced
--Malfoy's application

 

[zerohour]

ôAlright Ron, just calm down, and you can figure something out.' the young redhead said to himself as he entered a place no one would ever think to look for him.

The library.

Ron had been one of the first to stumble upon the twins application process, and had laughed it off, thinking it just another one of their jokes. However, when he came back an hour later and saw a sizable crowd of students surrounding them, as well as a stack of completed applications, he began to get worried. When he saw Hermione reading and sorting the papers at breakneck speed, he knew that it wasn't a joke.

Immediately, he fought his way to the front of the crowd, and demanded an application, but the Twins simply shook their heads.

ôSorry Ron, but we've grown up beside you, and you just don't have any qualifications for this.ö

ôSure it's fine for most days, and the biggest concern is Snape giving out detentions or Malfoy getting a laugh in on you, but the eyes of the world are on us now. We've got Quidditch stars, Veela descendents, and who knows what else cavorting around the castle, so Harry needs to step up his game.ö

ôSorry brother mine, but let's face it, you just don't have what it takes.ö

ôI-I can come up with something!ö Ron exclaimed, watching as his brothers huddled together and silently conversed.

ôWell, you are family...ö

ôAnd you've been his best mate for three years, I guess we could give you some leeway...ö

ôWe'll be taking applications for the next week or so, while the international students get settled into Hogwarts. After that, we can't make any promises.ö

"That's fine, I'll figure something out by then." Ron said, desperate to gain whatever information he could.

ôFor Harry's posse, there are four positions. The Boss, The Brains, The Beauty, and The Brawn.ö Fred began.

ôThe Boss and The Brains are obviously filled by your intrepid leader and the bushy haired bookworm over there, which leaves two slots open for you. Beauty or Brawn.ö

"Sadly, you're lacking in both of those. Sure, you're not the worst looking bloke, but you won't be winning any pageants anytime soon."

"Likewise, you're not exactly rippling with muscle. You're decent but not exceptional, and Harry needs exceptional."

Ron sighed, "Well, I said I'd figure something out and I will. I'm sure there's some sort of strengthening potion or Charm of Might somewhere, I just need to find it."

"Good luck Ron." the Twins choruses, earning a halfhearted wave from their youngest brother.

----- ------- ----- ------- -----

ôAlright, so Fred and George said that the group had four slots, the Boss, the Brains, the Beauty, and the Brawn. Harry's the Boss, and Hermione is the Brains, so that leaves the Beauty and Brawn for me.ö Ron muttered to himself as he began browsing the nearest selection of shelves. ôThere were a lot of people turning in applications, so I don't have time to be picky. Whichever one I find a decent spell or potion for is the one I'll go with. If it's something I don't like I can always change it once this whole thing has died down anyways.ö

Ron continued his journey into the depths of the library, ignoring the glare Madame Pince was giving him as he noisily pulled books from the shelves and just as carelessly put them back after a quick look through. Shelf after shelf, and he couldn't find anything that seemed to jump out at him. Sure, there was probably something in "Five Hundred Spells I Couldn't Live Without," but he didn't have time to sort through all of them to find the one or two that could help.

Finally, Ron found a book that definitely had what he needed, but it wasn't what he was hoping for.

ôOne thousand and one tips to make your teeth sparkle, your hair shine, and the girls swoon, by Gilderoy Lockhart.ö Ron frowned as he read the title. He thought back to his second year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and while he had proven to be a slimy git who couldn't hex a flobberworm, he couldn't deny that most of the ladies were smitten with him despite that, and he had done a rather good job of making a living off of being handsome.

Ron grimaced as he browsed through the table of contents, and realized that he would have to do potions work, since he didn't have time to master more than one or two of the spells, but gritted his teeth and sat down to read the massive tome before in in great depth and detail. Hopefully it would all be worth it.

---- ---- --- ---- ---

It took Ron nearly five hours to get back to the Tower, settle into his room, read the entire book, and write down a list of ingredients for the dozens of potions he found that could be brewed relatively quickly. Unfortunately, his own stock of ingredients was woefully lacking, and the only place he could get them was from Snape's office.

Sighing, he made his way down to the common, room, where he ran into the one person he was hoping to avoid until the entire thing was over.

ôYou know, I don't care what the Twins say, you're still my best mate.ö Harry said.

ôThanks Harry, but they're right. I'm just dead weight. First year, the only thing I did was play a game of chess. Second year I got buried under a ton of rubble, and Third year you and Hermione managed to take care of things while I was sleeping in the hospital.

Heh, even when I'm trying to be useful, I'm useless. The open spots were for Beauty and Brawn, and I couldn't find anything that would make me stronger or faster or anything like that. The only thing I could find was a book of makeup tips by that bastard Lockhart.ö

ôRon, it doesn't matter to me. The Twins are just having a bit of fun.ö Harry tried to comfort his friend, but Ron shook his head.

ôI'm not doing it because of the Twins. I'm doing it because I need to. I need to prove that I can pull my weight and help you out, even if it is something silly like this. You could always rely on Hermione, and I'm going to prove that you can rely on me too.ö

ôWell, alright Ron, if you need to do this, then I won't stop you.ö

ôI just wish I knew how I was going to pull it off. The only way I can get all of these ingredients in time is to get them from Snape, and I don' think he'll let me if I just say please.ö

ôSo you're going to steal them?ö

ôLooks like.ö

"One minute." Harry said before dashing up the stairs to the boys' dorms. He returned a few moments later, with bundle of silvery material in his hands.

ôTake my invisibility cloakö

ôHarry, that's your dad's cloak! I couldn't-ö

ôLike I said, you're my best mate. If I can't help you out when you need it, then I don't deserve to call myself yours.ö harry said, earning a smile form his friend.

ôThanks Harry, I'll be back in a bit.ö Ron said, and with a swirl of the shimmering fabric, disappeared from sight.

--- --- --- --- ---

Ron crept his way down into the depth of Hogwarts, his eyes darting around in search of hidden threats. Filch or Mrs. Norris were the two he was most concerned about, but there were Prefects, Teacher, or God forbid, Peeves as well.

He managed to reach his destination, but it was there that his luck failed him. The door was ajar, and he could see Snape as his desk, working diligently to destroy the grades of non-Slytherins. Ron gulped, steeled his nerves, and slowly inched his way into the office. He took care to avoid making any kind of sound, until he was behind the greasy haired git. He carefully drew his wand, and pointed it at the unsuspecting teacher.

ôStupefy.ö Ron barely managed to whisper, before sighing in relief as the Potions Master slumped down on his desk, unconscious. As quickly as he could, he sneaked over to the massive ingredient cabinet, and began grabbing jars of whatever happened to be on his list, stuffing them in his bag. While he was quite satisfied with knocking out Snape and stealing his stuff, he wouldn't put it past the Slytherin Professor to suddenly rise, eviscerate him, then bring him back to life to serve one hundred years of detention, so he worked quickly, and got out of their as soon as he possibly could.


--- --- --- --- ---

It took Ron three days of skiving classes and hiding from Filch to get everything set. Three days spent hunched over all the cauldrons he could borrow from his housemates, flitting from one to the other to make sure none of them would boil over, and frequently flipping through the book to make sure that he was following the proper procedures.

Even Snape, with his general distaste of Gryffindor, would have to admit that the young Weasley did an admirable job of monitoring the dozen or so brews at a time.

Before his were one hundred and fifty eight completed potions, with effects ranging from making his teeth so white they nearly glowed in the dark, giving him perfect balance, and making all bodily processes smell like roses and honey. The effects were wide and varied, but all sought to improve Ron physical presentation, save for two. These two took the longest to brew, and were the reason he had stayed awake and out of class for three whole days. The first was a mild love potion. Not enough to make someone throw themselves at him, or even come over to ask him out, but it did improve their attitude towards him and make them more receptive to him. The second drew attention to him, making people subtly shift their focus towards him when nothing pressing presented itself. All together, they would make for a potent combination to classify Ron and the ôBeautyö of the Trio.

The book recommended not to take any more than three in a given day, and no more than twelve over the course of a week. However, Ron didn't have the time to determine which would most benefit him. It was obvious to everyone that Ron was not the Brains of the trio, and it was moments like this one that made it so obvious.

ô...I'll just drink them all at once.ö And without any further hesitation, Ron downed potion after potion, hoping that the warning was simply a precaution and that things would work themselves out.

The suddenly writhing of his stomach told him that this was most likely not the case.

ôBloody hell...ö Ron moaned as he dragged himself to a corner to ride it out. Hopefully it would all be over soon.

It wasn't.

--- --- --- --- ---


ôWell Fred, do you think Ron will show up?ö

ôDoubt it mate. We told him a week five days ago, and no one's seen him for three. He's probably hiding out until this whole thing is over with.ö

George sighed, ôToo bad. I was hoping he would come up with something.ö

ôYou won't be disappointed then, I hope.ö a voice spoke up, causing the Twins to turn around.

ôRon! We were wondering when you would...ö Fred trailed off, staring at his youngest brother. George joined him in his stunned silence.

ôSomething wrong?ö

ôRon! You got HANDSOME!ö George exclaimed bluntly, earning a perfect smile from his brother.

ôI thought so too, but it's always nice to hear it form someone else.ö

ôBut- how did you-ö Fred continued to gape.

ôLockhart might have been a slimy, idiotic git, but he knew his stuff when it came to appearances. I guess I should be glad he insisted Hogwarts got a copy of all of his books.ö Ron chuckled.

ôSo... I'm guessing you're applying for The Brawn?ö George joked, earning a grin from the other two.

ôSure, why not. They say looks can kill, right?ö Ron joked, and his brothers joined him in a round of laughter.

"Well, it's safe to say I doubt anyoen is going to beat you for the Beauty, though you might have trouble hanging with Harry. You'll probably have to fight girls-"

"-and guys-"

"-off with a stick!"

"I think I can live with that, at least until this whole thing wears off. I've got enough to last me a few months, and I can always make more if I really need to."

"Good to see you applying yourself, even if it was for something like this. I'm sure mum would be proud that her baby boy is finally accomplishing something." George

"You're not going to tell her, are you?" Ron asked, worried that Mrs. Weasley would react as she often did and write a scathing letter, or worse, a Howler.

"Our lips are sealed."

Ron sighed, "Thanks for that. Now I've been awake for three days, so I think I'm going to head up to the tower and sleep for a bit." He suppressed a yawn before staggering (gracefully) in the general direction of Gryffindor.

After Ron departed, the Twins looked at each other.

"Is it wrong that I think Ron is prettier than Angelina?"

"If that's wrong, then I don't want to be right brother. He is one fine looking man."

 

[Obfuscated]

Well, I just woke up so hopefully I'll manage to surpress this bit before bedtime.

Some things are not meant to exist.

 

[Prince Charon]

:snigger: :rofl: Disturbing, but bloody funny anyway.

 

[mandalorianjedi]

With my family asleep, much like I should be before I go to work in two and a half hours, I had to stifle my laugh at this scene.

I especially liked how Ron got the drop on Snape.

Gred and Forge's comments on Ron were great too. I wonder if Ron will actually get that date with Fleur this go round? Though I am curious as to the potential side effects of all those potions took, since apparantly he wasn't to down them all at once.

 

[zerohour]

Apologies for roughness.

ôSo Ms. Greengrass, you are applying for the leadership position of Harry's rivals?ö

ôThat is correct.ö the young Slytherin answered, staring coolly at the twins before her.

ôAnd you have recruited a cadre of companions to fill out the remaining positions?ö

ôAlso correct.ö

ôAs the leader, would you care to share the details behind your group? It will help us determien their individual merits as well as prove you have a firm grasp of your members and the group dynamics.ö

ôOf course.ö Daphne answered, before drawing out a short report, and handing it to them.

ôI'll begin with a basic summary of my three companions. As you mentioned that this was designed to promote school unity, I took the liberty of recruiting a member from each of the other three houses.ö

ôFrom Ravenclaw, we have Padma Patil. Not only do her tests results consistently compare with Ms. Granger's her twin sister is a member of Gryffindor, which provides both a source of information and an easy method of infiltration should it prove necessary. Naturally, she will be filling the Brains position in our group.ö

ôNext up we have Susan Bones, from Hufflepuff. She is our Brawn.ö

ôInteresting choice there, I would have thought she would be the Beauty.ö George interjected.

ôWhile she is one of the more attractive females in our year, her Aunt is Amelia Bones, head of the Auror Department, and as a result, she has received a large amount of extracurricular training and tutoring in self defense, dueling, and the like. She is far better suited for the Brawn position as oru enforcer.ö

ôAnd the last member?ö

ôLavender Brown is our Gryffindor member, filling the remaining position of Beauty. She is well known for her attractive features, and she possessed a broad knowledge of beauty charms and treatments. ö


ôHow are the team dynamics?ö Fred asked.

ôWell enough for now. There is no animosity between the members of my group, and we have engaged in numerous social interactions both to strengthen our ability to work together, as well as ensure there are no clashes of personalities to disruptö

ôA few questions.ö


ôWho would you say is your weakest member?ö

ôLavender, without a doubt. She lacks the drive to further her education that Padma has, and doesn't have family connections to push her like Susan. However, I believe this will be a temporary setback, as any operations or conflicts with Harry's group will hone her skills and give her the drive necessary to exceed her current level of skill.ö

ôAssuming you are selected, how would you deal with Mr. Malfoy and his companions, should they be less than gracious with the loss of their position?ö

ôDraco relies too much on the power of others to augment his own, which leaves him vulnerable when he is not in direct contact with them. Suitable contermeasures have been devised, with worsening punishments should the message not sink in. Should he fail to understand the new order, we have several last resorts that should remove him as a factor for several months or until the end of the year.ö

ôExcellent work. While we have our own plans in place, it's good to see you showing such initiative.ö Fred commented.

ôThank you.ö

ôWhat do you have to say about your all female team?ö George inquired.

ôIt will present a united front and prevent several problems that can arise from interaction between the opposite sexes. Furthermore, it allows us to coordinate efforts to confuse and disorient Harry that would be significantly less likely to succeed should males be part of our team.ö

ôSeducing Harry?ö Fred waggled his eyebrow, earning a sneer from the interviewee.

ôDon't be so crass. While I won't deny that is an option, far easier to simply throw him off balance with flirting or the like. More extreme options aren't being considered at the time.ö

ôOf course, of course, our apologies.ö

ôWell, it seems that your paperwork is all in order, and I can say that your team is one of our strongest candidates we've received so far. We'll be in touch.ö

ôThank you for your consideration.ö

As the young witch left, the twins looked at each other.

ôHer team is a really strong one.ö

ôDefinitely one of the best we've gotten so far. Blew Malfoy's crew out of the water, that's for sure.ö

ôStill, there are plenty of other strong individuals. While there aren't any teams that can match up against her, building a team from the lone entries could be enough. Looks like we'll be up all night piecing them together, so they have a halfway decent chance against her.ö

George sighed. ôWho would have thought this would be so hard?ö

 

[zeebee1]

The beginning and end of nearly sentence has ÔÇ instead of quotes.Ø

 

[zerohour]

Apparantly I wrote a few more of these and forgot about them. Here's one now, and I'll probably post another one for Christmas Day.

Happy Holidays!




"So, Miss Patil, you're applying to be the brains of Potter's operation?"

"That is correct, Mr. Weasley."

The Twins shared a glance, "You are aware that the position has already been filled, right?"

"By Hermione Granger, I am aware."

"Then why are you applying? Your application with Miss Greengrass is one of our stringest, so why are you applying for Hermione's place?"

"Just because she's been working with Harry for the last three years, doesn't necessitate that she is the best candidate. I am here to show that I am far and away the better choice."

"Well, if you insist, we can't really turn you away..."

"Very well then Miss Patil, since the position is already fille,d what makes you think you can supplant Miss Granger?" Fred asked seriously.

"As you know from my application, I am ranked second in our year, only behind Miss Granger by the smallest of margins, and that is only because she is taking additional classes, boosting her overall score. In our shared classes, our scores are nearly identical, and I have edged her out numerous times in various assignments."

"Very true, but how does that qualify you to replace her? Your academics are essentially even, but she has three years of experience working with Harry."

"That is true, but by choosing me as the candidate, Harry will gain access to additional resources as well as broadening his potential base."

"How so?"

"While Hermione is indeed intelligent and skilled, she is a Gryffindor. She doesn't give him access to anything that he couldn't get on his own, aside from her intellect. However, s a Ravenclaw, I can give Harry access to numerous other academic minds in my house, as well as allowing him an easier time establishing connections within Ravenclaw House. Having easy access to twice as many people is reason enough, but as many regard Harry as Gryffindor's Golden Boy, and will assume he will use Gryffindor allies to accomplish his goals. Even if I were to join his group, that suspicion will enable him to utilize Ravenclaw without undue scrutiny from his rival. The ability to surprise your opponent cannot be underestimated.

"Excellent points, every one of them." George responded.

"While we hadn't planned on considering your application seriously, you have raised several important points, and we will take them into consideration during the final review process."

"Thank you for the consideration." Padma said, immediately rising from her seat and shaking their hands, before leaving.


"So... I think this just got a bit more complicated brother." Fred sighed.

"I doubt Hermione will be happy with this turn of events. I just hope she doesn't hex us when we tell her there are other serious candidates for her position."

"I don't think we're that lucky George."


Stray Thought: Fred and George start drafting up a teacher lineup, given that Harry killed or utterly destroyed two of his teachers already. Having him face off against regular students might not be enough of a challenge for him.

Snape: Boss
McGonagall: Brains
???:Beauty
Hagrid: brawn

Suggestions for alternate lineups or potential Beauties are appreciated

Also tried to fix the previous snippet's issue with the quote marks. Hopefully it worked.

 

[Innortal]

"Then why are you applying? Your application with Miss Greengrass is one of our stringest, so why are you applying for Hermione's place?"

I think you mean, strongest.

Otherwise, a fun and humorous read, well done. I look forward to seeing if the younger years also get some time to make their own applications.

 

[zeebee1]

Why did the format in the first post mess up after the first couple of paragraphs? More to the point, why are the errors still there.

 

[Hawk]

The first post needs to be viewed in Unicode (UTF-8) to look right, while the later posts are in Western (ISO-8859-1) which is the first encoding method that Firefox (and likely other) browsers default to, and because there are two encodings used on the same page autodetection fails.

I do not know why he is typing in two different character encoding systems.

These are kind of amusing snippets. I think Aurora Sinistra (Astronomy Professor) is the youngest of the professors, and often in fanfiction she is portrayed as being good looking since she isn't clearly described in canon iirc and fanfiction of course needs some female teacher to have boys lust over.

 

[marthf1]

Padma Patil was very well done. The disbelief as well as eventual serious contemplation was perfect.

I am dubious about teachers because when the other schools arrive, it'll become a little ridiculous. However, with the shenanigans that were occurring during canon, I'm suppose all you need is a little bit of grease, here & there. Perhaps there should be some stipulations on how all the teams interact, so it's not a ?vs1, but rather a psuedo-larger conflict or some sort of rotation.

As for a teacher beauty, all that comes to time was what inverted helix said. At least he has a reason though, as I don't recall her description.

Hmm, I second the request for a younger team application & would like to suggest an older team application as well!


Oh, if your muse cooperates it'd definitely interesting to see the other schools' reactions to all of this. If there are three teams total, with Malfoy's 'team' fighting to stay afloat, it'll even reflect the 3+1 of the actual tournament~

 

[Innortal]

There is also the chance of Hagrid applying for The Beauty via legacy.

After all, his dad had to have some skills to woo a female giant.

 

[zerohour]

Expanded the Daphne interview. Enjoy.

@Innortal: You are a terrible person and I will write that up in excruciating detail just to see you suffer.


The Twins sat at a table in an unused classroom in the West Wing. They had cleaned it years ago to use as an impromptu lab for their experiments, and had only recently converted it into a pseudo-office for their latest project. Across from the fairly impressive desk they had transfigured for this very purpose, sat a dark haired beauty who coolly observed the room with a dispassionate expression.

ôSo Ms. Greengrass, you are applying for the leadership position of Harry's rivals?ö

ôThat is correct.ö the young Slytherin answered, her eyes locking with the twins before her. Fred cleared his throat while George fidgeted slightly. It seemed Daphne had mastered the art of giving someone the eye, and it felt far too much like getting called to McGonagall's office for their comfort.

ôAnd you have recruited a cadre of companions to fill out the remaining positions?ö

ôAlso correct.ö was her short reply.

ôAs the leader, would you care to share the details behind your group? It will help us determine their individual merits as well as prove you have a firm grasp of your members and the group dynamics.ö

ôOf course.ö Daphne answered, before drawing out a short report, and handing it to them.

ôI'll begin with a basic summary of my three companions. As you mentioned that this was designed to promote school unity, I took the liberty of recruiting a member from each of the other three houses.ö

ôFrom Ravenclaw, we have Padma Patil. Not only do her tests results consistently compare with Ms. Granger's, her twin sister is a member of Gryffindor, which provides both a source of information and an easy method of infiltration should it prove necessary. Naturally, she will be filling the Brains position in our group.ö

ôNext up we have Susan Bones, from Hufflepuff. She is our Brawn.ö

ôInteresting choice there, I would have thought she would be the Beauty.ö George interjected.

ôWhile she is one of the more attractive females in our year, her aunt is Amelia Bones, head of the Auror Department, and as a result, she has received a large amount of extracurricular training and tutoring in self defense, dueling, and the like. She is far better suited for the Brawn position as our enforcer.ö

ôAnd the last member?ö

ôLavender Brown is our Gryffindor member, filling the remaining position of Beauty. She is well known for her attractive features, and she possessed a broad knowledge of beauty charms and treatments. This not only puts her far ahead of most other girls with her ability to maximize her presentation, but her knowledge could be applied to any one of us, thus enabling any of us to take up the role should it prove necessary. She also grants us a secondary method of gaining access to Gryffindor Tower.ö

ôAnd finally, could you tell us about yourself?ö

ôYou already know my name. I have consistently been in the top ten student in our year since coming to Hogwarts. While I am by no means the top student, I've studied a number of spell books, and I think I have a much broader knowledge of useful spells than most students in our year, which is far more practical than learning most of the overly specific spells we are taught in the classroom. I am also responsible for maintaining the peace in Slytherin House by keeping their various ambitions and egos from clashing too much. Unfortunately, a degree of subtlety and grace is required instead of brute force, so I'm quite adept at keeping people in line. While all three member of my team can be formidable in their roles, it would likely break down in short order without someone like me to keep things in order and cohesive.ö

The Twins nodded, impressed with her presentation. It seemed like Daphne had plenty of skill to take up the role of leadership for her team, without letting it go to her head like a certain blond snake often did.

ôHow are the team dynamics?ö Fred asked.

ôWell enough for now. There is no animosity between the members of my group, and we have engaged in numerous social interactions both to strengthen our ability to work together, as well as ensure there are no clashes of personalities to disrupt our cohesion.ö

ôWhat would your method of operation be in regards to Mr. Potter?ö

ôOur current plans revolve around observation at the moment. Lavender is a major hub of gossip both with the Gryffindors and other students, so she has collected a large number of stories and rumors. This information is being sorted, and will give us a clearer picture of how Mr. Potter thinks. As he is the only constant known at this time, we will likely persist in this state or at the very most, engage in some minor conflicts to test our team dynamics, as well as measure the reactions of Mr. potter and his companions. Unlike Mr. Malfoy, a friendly or at least impartial rivalry would be preferable to his chosen methods or becoming outright enemies.ö

ôVery good.ö Fred said, nodding in agreement..

ôPerhaps a bit too conservative, but good.ö

ôWith respect, I disagree. In order to achieve maximum utility out of this relationship, it is necessary to carefully select a nature that is compatible and palatable for both sides. Striking a perfect balance will create a synergistic effect and encourage both of us to excel and reach beyond our perceived limits.ö

ôMy apologies.ö George offered, ôThe majority of candidates so far have not demonstrated such an in depth analysis of the rivalry position, so we were unprepared for your... preparedness. He finished lamely.ö

ôIt's not a problem, but do remember that I'm a Slytherin. Getting the most out of something is second nature to those of us with class.ö

ôA few more questions, if you don't mind.ö Fred commented, refocusing the other two on the matter at hand.

ôOf course.ö

ôWhat do you have to say about your all female team?ö George inquired., shuffling a few papers

ôIt will present a united front and prevent several problems that can arise from interaction between the opposite sexes. Furthermore, it allows us to coordinate efforts to confuse and disorient Harry that would be significantly less likely to succeed should males be part of our team.ö

ôSeducing Harry?ö Fred waggled his eyebrow, earning a sneer from the interviewee.

ôDon't be so crass. While I won't deny that is an option, far easier to simply throw him off balance with flirting or the like. More extreme options aren't being considered at the time.ö

ôOf course, of course, our apologies.ö Fred replied.

ôWho would you say is your weakest member?ö

ôLavender, without a doubt.ö Daphne said almost instantly, ôShe lacks the drive to further her education that Padma has, and doesn't have family connections to push her like Susan. However, I believe this will be a temporary setback, as any operations or conflicts with Harry's group will hone her skills and give her the drive necessary to exceed her current level of skill.ö

ôWhat about the rest of you? What would you say your weaknesses are?ö

ôSusan isn't nearly as aggressive as I would like. She prefers to stay on the defensive, which drags things out and exhausts herself. If she would go on the offensive with her range of spells, she could end most duels in a few minutes. Given that her aunt teaches her to keep her safe, and her friendly nature, it's not that surprising, but it can be somewhat frustrating. As for Padma, she's a bit obsessive. She takes her grades very seriously, and Hermione has a tendency to edge her out slightly overall, either because of her excessive attempts at extra credit, or due to her slightly heavier class load. Padma can occasionally fixate on her and lose sight of the big picture as a result of that.ö

ôAnd what would you say is yours?ö Fred asked carefully.

Daphne considered for a moment. ôI suppose I would say... my ambition. I like to win, and don't always accept failure with grace. I have, in rare instances, over reacted and lashed out as a result, which has caused some... minor problems in the past.ö

ôMinor problems?ö George asked, eyebrow raised.

ôSuch as?ö

Daphne flushed slightly, breaking her calm expression. ô...rebuilding the Slytherin Common Room.ö

ôI like her. She's feisty.ö Fred grinned, earning a vicious glare from the dark haired girl.

ôWould you like a demonstration, Mr. Weasley?ö she asked dangerously.

ôNo need for that my dear. Just a bit of harmless fun.ö Fred managed to say, trying to placate the girl before him. George waited for several tense seconds for things to calm down before moving on to the next question.

ôAssuming you are selected, how would you deal with Mr. Malfoy and his companions, should they be less than gracious with the loss of their position?ö

ôDraco relies too much on the power of others to augment his own, which leaves him vulnerable when he is not in direct contact with them. Suitable countermeasures have been devised, with worsening punishments should the message not sink in. Should he fail to understand the new order, we have several last resorts that should remove him as a factor for several months or until the end of the year.ö Daphne answered, with a look of boredom, ôIn all honesty, he won't prove much of a problem. He relies too much on his familial connections without realizing how gauche it makes him look to those of us with actual cunning.ö

ôExcellent work. While we have our own plans in place, it's good to see you showing such initiative.ö Fred commented.

ôThank you.ö

ôDo you play Quidditch?ö George asked.

ôNo, and I have no intention to begin.ö Daphne replied, ôHarry is known as a gifted Seeker, and his Firebolt makes it almost impossible to match him on any other broom. While I am more than capable of riding a broom, I have no desire to invest so much time and money to try and close the gap between us. I prefer to pick and choose my battles instead of fighting a losing one.ö

ôVery true. It might also keep Mr. Malfoy out of our hair, at least some of the time. Allows him some interaction with Mr. Potter under controlled conditions.ö

ôVery true bother,ö Fred answered, before turning back to Daphne, ôWhat about your flexibility? Harry could easily add new members to his own group depending on how this whole process goes, or how things change in the future. What would your reaction be?ö

The young Slytherin paused, considering. ôThat would depend on a variety of factors, such as who joins Mr. Potter's group and what role they fulfill. Without a clear understanding of what the exact change to the dynamics is, the only answer I can offer is that with members in all four houses, we will have inroads to all possible candidates for our own counter position. Within a week we could compile a list of candidates and choose the one most appropriate to our group.ö

ôDo you think the inter house rivalries will be a problem for you?ö

ôTo some degree, it's inevitable. The Houses of Hogwarts place an unhealthy amount of interest on the House Cup, and therefor, the rivalries between the Houses. It's quite likely that we will all face some pressure form our housemates to cease our associations, but I feel that we are capable of dealing with it, especially if it is presented in a positive manner, or failing that, met with overwhelming force.ö Daphne smirked, not so subtly touching her wand.

ôWell, it seems that your paperwork is all in order, and I can say that your team is one of our strongest candidates we've received so far. We'll be in touch.ö George said, still studying the dossiers in front of him.

ôThank you for your consideration.ö Daphne said with grace, before offering them a slight nod and departing.

As the young witch left, the twins looked at each other.

ôHer team is a really strong one.ö

ôDefinitely one of the best we've gotten so far. Blew Malfoy's crew out of the water, that's for sure.ö

ôStill, there are plenty of other strong individuals. While there aren't any teams that can match up against her, building a team from the lone entries could be enough. Looks like we'll be up all night piecing them together, so they have a halfway decent chance against her.ö

George sighed. ôAnd that's not even factoring in what she might do to us if she loses. She called blowing up her Common Room a minor problem! Even we never managed to blow up the Common Room, not even by accident!ö

Fred paled, ôI don't even want to think about what could happen to us, especially if she asks her team to help out. Susan and Padma probably know enough between them to scare off a dementor, and with Lavender she can get to us any time.ö

ôDo you think we should let her win by default.ö

ôDo you really think Hermione would let us?ö Fred replied, causing his brother to let out a moan of despair.

ôWho would have thought this would be so hard?ö

 

[Innortal]

Very nice.

And now to mentally add to your scars...

"My name is Luna Lovegood, and I am applying for the Brawn."

-or-

"I'm applying for all four, Daddy says I'm an overachiever."

 

[theunderbolt]

Luna Lovegood final boss?

 

[shiki]

Luna Lovegood final boss?

Bonus dungeon boss for True Ending would be more appropriate.