Double Drabble o' Balance

[Stud Muffin]

As the title says, this week, in appreciation of all my loyal drabblers and their wonderful drabbles, I am going to have a double drabble challenge instead, with double the participation points (20 points), and double the winning prize (50 each). But here's the catch: you have to write exactly 200 words, instead of the usual 100.

And your prompt for this week is: Balance[/size]

All other rules remain the same. Remember to spell check before you post your entry, and ensure that it clearly takes place in the Harry Potter universe. You have one week before I announce the winner.

May the best drabbler win!

[Hitman Unknown]

It was a precarious line to live on. One misstep, one stumble, and he would go falling into the dark abyss that waited on one side of the thin line he balanced carefully on. There was no chance that he would fall on the light side, only darkness would meet him if he failed. So many people, both the weak and the strong, had failed to do what he strived for. Then again, none of those people were him. None had his power, brilliance, and sheer stubbornness. It was a hard life, no doubt, but would anything worthwhile ever be easy? It’d have probably been easier if he wasn’t watched so carefully.

Dumbledore, it seemed, saw him more clearly than anyone else, and could see the balance he battled for. No matter where he turned, no matter what he did, he always seemed to be watching, waiting for the one slip, and the darkness to overcome him. He wasn’t concerned with the Old Fool now, though, he needed to concentrate on his plans. Nothing was more important.

So wrapped up in his plans, however, he failed to notice when he lost that balance, and went tumbling headlong into the Darkness.

[Zoriath Mentriad]

Draco looked in the mirror long and hard. His face was screwed up with confliction and confusion, and he did not know what to do. His life had become the scale, and he the beam in the center. He was desperately trying to escape this nerve wracking balance. He just wanted something to break this equality. Every time he thought of something that would allow him to kill Dumbledore, something else came up that made him not want to, both adding weight to their side of the scale.

“I have to kill him.” He thought.

“He doesn’t deserve it,” Argued the other side of his mind “You have to protect him.”

“I’ll die.”

Draco slammed his fist on the sink. What was he going to do? Everything was so in balance. Something had to tip the scales. Something had to tell him what to do. He needed advice, but he had turned everyone away. His head began to hurt, thoughts raced through his head, he began to sweat. Finally, the weight of the scales became to heavy, and he broke. He crumpled into a heap on the floor and began to cry. Nothing was going to give. Nobody could help.

[AutumnBreeze]

His breath came in quick, harsh gasps. He could feel the blood pooling beneath his shirt from all the cuts he had acquired in his long captivity. He could hear the mocking, jeering laughter from all sides. And he could feel the adrenaline running through his veins, creating a ringing in his ears as he entered another battle for survival.

More laughter sounded from the crowd as the Death Eaters watched, entranced. They were certain he would die this time. He had been put through so many tests, and been hurt so many times getting through them. There was no way he could survive more. He had been put through the ringer, and staying in the world of living should be near impossible for him at this point.

One thing he was, though, was a survivor.

And he could certainly survive walking on a thin, breakable balance beam over a pit of Inferi. He could survive this. If he could survive the hell that he had been put through, survive so many “tests” that were really death traps, survive the torture and blood and beatings, then he could survive just walking.

He could survive this. The key was to balance.

[Hedwig]

They were standing on the two ends of a see-saw. Lord Voldemort was on one side, and Harry Potter was on the other.

Harry had started on the ground while Voldemort was right at the top. He had tried to kill Harry and then disappeared. However, Voldemort was not completely gone. And, he had already killed Harry’s parents. This had both raised and lowered his end of the see-saw. It had raised it because he had seemingly lowered the protection Harry had, and Harry’s morale. But, it had also created a very protective barrier for Harry: the power of love. Voldemort was not completely gone. The imaginary see-saw could still be balanced.

This balance was also changed the moment Voldemort decided to kill an animal so pure that his soul became even more fragile. The drinking of the unicorn blood put Voldemort even lower on the see-saw. He was still on the higher end, because there were seven parts of him that needed to be destroyed.

Each time Harry destroyed a Horcrux, Voldemort went even lower. They were soon completely balanced. Voldemort was now mortal.

Neither can live while the other survives. This has to end, one way or another.

[Freddie]

Another box of a Resuable Hangman fell to George’s feet.

“Fred,” George said, juggling some Extendable Ears, “this is a failure.”

Fred scoffed next to him and wiped his brow. Two more boxes of Reusable Hangmen toppled to the floor, adding to the growing pile of previously dropped jokes and tricks.

George sighed and eyed the stack of unloaded boxes by the front door. They had all been delivered that morning, and the coming weekend was Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes’ grand opening.

However, the twins were struggling at setting up the displays.

“Careful, Fred!” George warned, dodging tumbling merchandise. “Balance the bloody things.”
George heard Fred sigh and lower his wand.

He looked around. “Then you set them up, mate. I must have the agility and concentration of a Hippogriff, because we haven’t made any progress.”

“No,” George confirmed. “We haven’t.”

There was a pause, then Fred spoke: “You try.”

George smirked and lifed his wand gracefully. “Watch and learn then, twin.”

He levitated the first box of Extendable Ears, and placed it gently on the highest shelf. Then he did the same to the next box, and soon, all the dropped packages were positions stylishly in place.

George smiled. “Balance.”