Harry Potter

We saw the movie last Saturday night, so we are now in process of rereading the later books.

Cedric Diggory was obviously set up as a hero type from the beginning. He's handsome, kind, hardworking, honest, athletic and noble. A classic hero in every respect - which should make him instantly hated by everyone except that he doesn't seem to know or care. This is just how he is. So it's a double shame that his fate was simply that of an unwanted "spare." In a different universe, he'd have been Head Boy in his final year at Hogwart's.

Lily Potter. Harry's mother. We know less about her than we know of James. We don't know her maiden name. We don't know if she played Quidditch or any other sports. We don't know who her friends were - who did she hang out with when she wasn't with James? All we know is that she was brave and loving, good with charms and came from a Muggle family that made so much of her that her sister hated her. And her son has her eyes. Whereas, we know James' sport, James' best friends, and that he as...cavalier about rules as his son. And other than his eyes, his son looks like him. We also know he comes of a wizarding family, but we know *nothing* of the family. In fact, it seems there are no other members of it left, other than Harry himself. Obviously, if there were, Harry would not have been given to the Dursley's, or at least they would have contacted him at Hogwarts by now.

I'm also dying to know more about Snape. He's a wonderfully complex character - he seems so evil, but Dumbledore trusts him implicitly, and he has made a great deal of threats that he's never carried out - and in turning against the Death Eaters and then spying for them, he's done an amazingly brave act that adds even more depth to his character.

On the other hand, I also believe that Snape had a huge crush on James Potter (much like some folk believe Malfoy has now) and that it was not only unanswered because James was in love with Lily, but it's also possible that, cruel as boys are, he and his cronies, including the possible lovers Sirius and Remus, made fun of him for it when he actually admitted it.

That's a good enough reason for an abiding hate. And now, here's Harry. And he looks like James except he has Lily's eyes....

Timing is...

Someone posted (quite against the rules, too) to SXF a nice, happy, chirpy, cute letter wishing everyone happiness in the upcoming holidays.

And my reaction was, of course, "Get a calendar, you silly person. Grrrrr."

There's a meme this time of year. The meme says, "Everyone celebrates Christmas as a lovely, secular family thing. And those who don't, or who don't remake their holidays to conform or don't create one to conform have something very wrong with them." I hate this meme.

However, before I could rant and rave and make everyone unhappy...someone posted a lovely loc to me about *all* my fanfic. But that isn't what changed my mood. What changed my mood was that she asked about the holiday I'd finished celebrating in a way that told me she knew I'd finished. In other words, she read her calendar.

And I didn't feel like grring anymore.

And there are only two more days. This has been my best December *ever*.

Snippet VII

Kyle could feel her eyes on him. She never stopped staring. She stared harder when he poured Bruce a cup of coffee, and harder still when he leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Sasha, I assure you. Kyle is not a threat to me." Bruce stared back at his bodyguard. She sniffed and pretended to read her newspaper. Alfred just shook his head and continued to dish up bacon and eggs at the stove.

"I can't take this anymore." Kyle pushed away his plate. It smelled delicious and was cooked exactly to his taste, but the first bite stuck in his throat. "Ms. Bordeaux, you and I need to talk." He was probably putting his foot in it again, but better that than letting it fester. Bruce caught his arm, but Kyle looked at him, and he let go. On the other hand, Alfred gave him a nod and a smile, so he was probably doing something right.

Sasha's lips thinned. She nodded tightly and turned. He followed her out of the kitchen to a small office off to the side. It was extremely neat, with notations such as "Master Bruce: Dentist" on a wall calendar.

"Won't Mr. Pennyworth mind?"

"No." She sat down on the single chair and folded her arms. "You wanted to talk, Mister Rayner. Talk."

Kyle sighed. "I didn't think you'd make this easy." He put his hands behind his back. "I know you're in love with Bruce.'

"I am..." She half stood for a moment before flopping down again.

"Ms. Bordeaux. Sasha. I've been called a lot of things in my life, but perceptive isn't one of them. 'Blind.' 'Clueless' - that's a big one. I've been known to miss things right in front of my nose. Hell, my assistant had a monster crush on me for months before I noticed. So, if I can tell how you feel about Bruce, there's no way you can deny it."

She let out a small chuckle. "No one could say you have an ego problem."

"Just being honest. I'm handsome, talented and clueless." He absently picked up a notepad and a pencil. "So. You're in love with Bruce."

"Fat lot of good it's going to do me." She bit her lower lip. "You of all people should understand. Or maybe I should compare notes with your assistant?"

He laughed. "Terry's a fifteen year old boy. Who is going to be really mad at me, because I told him I was straight. I'm really good at that, too. Being an idiot. That includes this thing with Bruce. My life is now about a thousand times as complicated as it was."

She thought for a moment. "You know. Better you than me. Being Bruce Wayne's girlfriend is just out of my league. No one cares what his bodyguard wears. And he's such a...well, a..."

"Mess?" Kyle smiled at her.

"A gorgeous mess." She sighed, and laughed.

"You know, you are not doing this right at all." You are an idiot, Rayner.

"I'm not?"

"No. You're supposed to be screaming at me in jealousy and pulling out my hair or something. Who said you could be a rational human being about this?" He folding his arms, still holding the notepad and pencil.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, pretty boy. I'm jealous as hell, but what am I going to do? I don't want to lose this job." She shook her head. "And I get to share in his little...hobby." She looked up. "You know about that hobby?"

He took a deep breath. This was probably a mistake, but she figured out Bruce. It had taken Alfred five minutes - it shouldn't take her long to figure him out. So. Time to show her he trusted her. "I have the same hobby, Sasha."

"You have...oh, God. You would be. You would be in the tights and mask club." She laughed again. "There is no way I can compete."

Kyle shrugged. "From what Mr. Pennyworth tells me, you're in the same club now."

She stopped laughing. "I guess so, but it's...it's my job. I signed on to protect Bruce Wayne. If Bruce Wayne insists on running around in a cape in the middle of the night, then I have no choice."

"That and you, well."

"Yeah. That, too. Hey. How come you weren't out there last night, pretty boy? I mean, if you're a superhero, then you've got training or powers or something. You should have been there." She glared at him.

"I wanted to be. You don't know how much it killed me to stay behind." He broke the pencil point and picked up another. "But. You have an excuse. And. In Gotham City, I'm just Kyle. Unless the whole crowd's been called in. And Batman never calls in the rest of the gang unless there is absolutely no choice."

"I do not understand that. I just don't." She ran a hand over her hair. "So. Which one are you?" She shook her head. "I used to basically ignore the details of you guys, you know? Whatever you did - save the world, fought some other jerk in a costume, fix up a disaster - it didn't really matter who did what. I mean, I cried a little when Superman died, cause he's so...him, but..."

"Yeah. I know." He grinned a little. "Before I became one myself, I didn't attention, either. Before I got this..." He spread his right hand, letting the ring glow just a bit. "I'd barely heard of the other guys who wore it."

"You're that new Green Lantern. The kid." Her eyes widened.

"I'm going to be that until I'm completely gray, aren't I? Assuming I live that long. Yes, I'm Green Lantern. And I've been GL for a couple of years now - you'd think some of the shine would have worn off." He shook his head.

"Why are you telling me this? I...I'm supposed to hate you."

"Because Bruce Wayne trusts you. And. Because I need to trust you. You're his Cover and his bodyguard. He's my life, Sasha, and if I can trust you with that, I can trust you with my codename."

Sasha looked at him. And looked some more. "Thank you. Kyle."

"Here. This is for you." He handed her the sketch he'd made of her, in a costume of his own devising.

She took one look, giggled and put it in her pocket. "You must really hate me. Skirts, boobs and a cape?" But she didn't throw it away.