Revelation

‘Ask yourself to see your alter ego and the answer you seek will be revealed’ had been Dumbledore’s words to Harry as he handed him the small mirror. The headmaster’s meaning was lost to Harry, but conscientiously he gazed into the square regarding his own face, looking for something he knew wasn’t be there.

‘The half-blood prince is who I seek,’ he muttered barely audible, mockingly adapting the artful phrasing Dumbledore used in the delivery.

Suddenly, completely unexpectedly his reflection flickered before palest azure replaced brilliant green. Black became white-blonde, thin lips full, long face broad. Harry’s jaw dropped as he stared into the handsome face in want of colour, so unlike his own. There was surprise in the boy’s every countenance and Harry was sure it was in his too.

‘You’re the Half-Blood Prince?’ Harry blurted out.

‘You’re the Boy Who Lived?’ gasped the other through the two-way mirror.

Disbelief

Harry thought he'd heard wrongly - his expression said the same, so Tonks repeated;

"I'm the Half-Blood Prince."

Lupin seemed embarassed for Tonks, yet slightly amused; he exited the room.

"But - you're not..." Harry didn't know how to say this. "I thought the Half-Blood Prince would have to be - well..."

"But I am a half-blood," Tonks replied.

Harry bit his lip. "I thought a Prince would have to be... male."

Tonks looked as uncomfortable as Harry felt. "I'm a Metamorphmagus, remember?" she mumbled. "I needed this disguise..."

It made sense, Harry thought, as the awkward silence intensified... why she was called by her surname... why she prefered to have short hair...

"You didn't honestly think anyone sane would make me an Auror?!" laughed Tonks. Harry understood her reasoning.

"What exactly does a Half-Blood Prince... do?" he said, finally.

Tonks sighed. "Well..."

Traces of History

Harry stumbled forwards and his hand hit the tapestry by the side of him, sending a blow of dust which he was too slow to avoid breathing and got a mouthful of that nasty taste of old. It wasn’t until the choking subsided that he actually managed a look around, with watery eyes and his sight half blocked by the dirt on his glasses.

He moved more dust when kicking a lying helmet. The metallic sound echoed painfully, piercing the silence that seemed not to have been disturbed in ages. Gazing up, he spotted it; the huge tapestry finally made sense. Though the layers of dust, he was looking at the image of a man. The letters inscribed were worn out, but Harry made out the G’s and F’s, the rest was easy. Here’s your Half Blood Prince, Dumbledore, he told himself feeling sick of his stomach. Forever immobile.

Winning Entry!



The Luminous Benefactor

Harry and the HBP Ficlet Challenge

Written by Shan aka padfoot_88



“The myth of the Half-Blood Prince is well known throughout the Wizarding world,” Hermione read from Great Wizarding Myths. “Otherwise known as the Luminous Benefactor, it is said that the Half-Blood Prince is the good within the evil, the light within the darkness. His powers are beyond that of the entire Wizarding population of England, the full extent of his magical ability unknown. Although no image of his appearance has ever been recorded, he has been described as an auburn-haired wizard of pureblood descent.”

Hermione’s voice faded as she read the last sentence.

“It appears that, after a certain age, the spirit of the Prince removes itself from its current host’s body and finds a suitable teenage wizard for its next host.”

Harry and Hermione stared open-mouthed at Ron.

“What?” he asked quizzically. “Hang on…you think it’s me? No way! I mean…I can’t be. I’m a-”

“Auburn-haired, pureblood, teenage wizard.”

~The Ring~

“Oh my God Harry, look!”
Harry stared in disbelief at the picture Hermione was pointing at. He had seen that ring before. In fact, he had seen it nearly everyday of his life in Hogwarts.

“What is it?” Ron asked craning his neck to see over Harry’s shoulder into the book. “This ring holds the power of the Half Blood Prince and serves as an indicator to his identity.” he said reading the inscription under the picture. “Hey, that looks kinda like Seamus’s ring, doesn’t it?”

“It’s exactly the same Ron, identical.” Hermione said disbelievingly.

Ron’s face cracked into a grin.

“You hardly think Seamus is…”

“Hardly think I’m what?” Seamus came up behind Ron.

The trio’s eyes flew simultaneously Seamus’s ring. Harry grabbed his hand and tore the ring off.

“Hey give that back - it was my grandfathers…” Seamus began angrily, but stopped short.

The ring was glowing.

This challenge is closed to new submissions. Please vote for your favorite submission.

Congratulations to padfoot_88! The Luminous Benefactor won the poll for the members' favorite ficlet! Padfoot earned herself a winners' icon with her brilliance!