"GUILTY!!!!", Azkaban Winners Announced! Options

[evlpez]

Owls will be sent from the Ministry to the following guilty writers regarding their sentences.


1. PINKPANTHER Wins the Grand Prize of 5 Galleons for The End Of The Beginning! She will go to Azkaban!

2. RONSMYMAN Wins the Second Prize of 4 Galleons for A Duel of Dual Emotions! She will go to Azkaban!


3. AGRIPPA Wins the Third Prize of 3 Galleons for Too Many Memories! He will go to Azkaban!


4. McGONAGALL'S CAT and ZYMURGY Tie for the Fourth Place Prize of 2 Galleons for The Wronski Feint and Shouldn't Happen to a Dog! They will go to Azkaban!


CONGRATULATIONS, FELLOW FERRETS!
Many thanks to all who participated in this Challenge!
All members are encouraged to resume the other projects around the site and start new ones! We'll make an announcement when we're ready to hold another Official Project Ferret Writing Challenge!

[evlpez]

4TH PLACE WINNER OF 2 GALLEONS - McGONAGALL'S CAT


The Wronski Feint


Cheery yellow walls and crisp white curtains belied the tense conditions in the kitchen. Lily had long since placed a Lullaby Charm on Harry, who was merrily oblivious to the arguing amongst the adults. He concentrated on smearing mashed banana into the tabletop as he sat on his mother's lap.

James was staring resolutely at some point near the corner on the ceiling, his arms stubbornly crossed on his chest. Sirius glowered, mumbling to himself while Remus gently tried to draw the two back to the problem at hand, with little success.

Suddenly James turned on Lupin, "Yeah, and we thought that Frank and Alice would be fine with what the Order had planned, too. Look where it got them!" He glared at Sirius. "I'm NOT going into hiding!"

"It's not just you that you have to think about now," Remus tried to interject as Sirius let fly with several rather creative epithets concerning James' stubbornness.

"E- NUFF!" Lily growled a bit too loudly. Sirius spun his attention to her, followed by the other two. "You idiots! He is winning!"

"Thanks for the newsflash, Lils," James grumbled.

Tossing a chilly glance at James, she continued, "Look at how you are all fighting. In another few moments you're going to say things you'll regret... things you won't be able to take back. He is breaking you apart... us apart. " She paused, choking back emotion. "Harry and I need you to work together.. The Order needs you to work together... before all is lost."

"Lily's right," Sirius' voice carried resignation and defiance. "Fighting amongst ourselves is stupid." He looked sincerely, pleadingly, at James. "Obviously the protections for Frank and Alice weren't good enough. This is the only possibility.. for right now."

James shuffled in his chair, "Someone sold them out."

"Right, was it you or me... or better yet, Dumbledore?" Sirius asked caustically. "Exactly how many of us actually knew what the wards were, let alone how to get through them? Who could it have been?"

"You're right. Just the five of us and Dumbledore," James said as his resolve began to crumble. "You, Remus, Peter, us, and Dumbledore..."

Remus touched his friend's arm, "James, at least try it. Think of Harry. ... We'll come up with something better as quickly as we can."

After a few moments of contemplation, James sighed. "OK, but only if Dumbledore is our Secret-Keeper."

"You can't be serious! The wizard is fighting the biggest evil presence since 1945 and you want him to be vulnerable to having to disappear for long periods of time? " Remus looked at him incredulously. "Defeats the whole purpose, doesn't it?"

"Then Sirius, " James said through gritted teeth, staring unseeingly at the mess Harry was still merrily smearing around.

"Oh, no. Not me. I'd be the first one Bellatrix and her friends would come for if you become difficult to locate." As he said it he glanced at Remus. The look that passed across Sirius' face was one of having been manipulated and resenting it, but he suppressed it as quickly as it had appeared.

Remus chuckled at Sirius, "You are toast anyway, old pal. This would just be a more acceptable excuse for her boss to let her have a go at you. You know they've got it in for you no matter what you do or don't do."

"Even a better reason for someone else to be the Secret-Keeper. If I don't know, there is no way I can break under pressure and give you away."

"Merlin, Sirius! It's you or no one." James declared flatly.

"Yeah, I have my own situation that makes me a liability," Remus said quietly, sounding as though he alone was responsible for letting down all the hopes of the Order.

Pensively, Sirius caressed Harry's shoulder, marveling at how the child's entire upper arm was barely longer than the width of his own hand. Harry giggled and happily slopped squishy banana goo on his Godfather's wrist.

Exhaling a huge sigh of resignation, Sirius aquiessed. "How did the world get so ... so.. so... "

Lily squeezed his hand in gratitude, then laughed at the gooey mess she found coating her hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, pacing his room, running a hand through his hair, Sirius talked out loud to himself...

"Why in Merlin's Beard did Dumbledore do this? ... Or was this Moony's idea? ... Could they have gotten to him? What in the world is he thinking? ... Why did I agree? ... He's right that Bellatrix has had it in for me, probably since I was put into Gryffindor.. maybe even before .. and definitely now..." he laughed ruefully. "What in the world was James thinking? ... Am I strong enough to pull this off? Short answer, probably not. Oh boy, Bella and her buddies, really something to look forward to. Merlin! What WERE they thinking? What were WE thinking? What was I thinking? Poor James... Poor Lily... Poor Harry. What am I going to do? Oh, Merlin's Ghost!"

Sirius' eyes fell upon the latest edition of Witch Weekly. The Player receiving this year's "Dangerous" Dai Commemorative Medal was on the cover.

"Wronski Feint!" Sirius grinned. "Perfect!"

He immediately flooed over to Peter's.