In honor of the Kentucky Derby

[vulgarweed]

Well, for a certain value of "honor"...also inspired by a rant at fanficrants about how stupid it is to send the Harry Potter cast to a Muggle horse race in Kentucky. I agree. My alternative.

Not posted to snape100; doesn't fit the current challenge. Death Eaters behaving badly!

Breeding Counts

Words: 100
Rating: PG
Characters: Lucius, Blaise, Snape
Summary: In which Lucius demonstrates why he was never a contender for a teaching position.



It was the social event of the year for the overmoneyed, and Lucius Malfoy was holding court in his skybox at the great thestral race. “Breeding will tell,” he said, nudging his son’s friend Blaise, “See, the inferior line of the tendons there?”

“Er” said Blaise, looking down. “I can’t see them, sir.”

Lucius aimed his wand way down at the track, where the Muggleborn groom for the mount Cornelius Fudge owned was standing. “Avada Kedavra. Now you can. So – you do understand it’s the bloodline that…”

Snape rolled his eyes. The worst breeding he could see was up here.



So how'd it go for you? Your horse win?

Comments

[millefiori.livejournal.com]

For reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture, I clicked on the link without realizing it was you who'd posted it. (What the hell, it's just 100 words, right?) And I thought, oooooh, clever! Then I backed out and saw it was you, and I thought, well, duh!

I didn't actually have a horse before I watched, but now I'm totally in love with Barbaro (and not just because I've been totally in love with Michael Matz from way back in the Jet Run days). I'd so love to see him win the triple crown. Who was the last one, anyway? Seattle Slew??

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Hee. And aw. Glad to make you smile, even by stealth. (Perhaps especially).

Some people who know way more about horse racing than I do say the Triple Crown is a possibility. We've thought that before, though...I think there was one more recently than Seattle Slew, but I'm not really sure about that. It's been a pretty long time at any rate.

[millefiori.livejournal.com]

There was another one--Affirmed. (I'm so anal, I had to go look it up after I posted!) I really should've remembered that, since I had a massive crush on Steve Cauthen, his jockey.

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Oo, good to know. What year was that?

[millefiori.livejournal.com]

1978, the year after Seattle Slew. It's been a long time!

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Wow, almost 30 years still. No wonder people are getting so itchy for another one!

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Especially since Seattle Slew died 2 or 3 years ago, so there are no Triple Crown winners left alive - and we've had several horses come so close to doing it, only to fail. (In Real Quiet's case, by a mere nose!)

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Definitely overdue. That'd be so exciting to see!

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Definitely! I remember watching Secretatiat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed win the Triple Crown back in the 70s; I'd love to see another horse do it now. 30 years between Triple Crown winners is 20 years too long.

[corporal-katz.livejournal.com]

Haha! Snape's reaction cracked me up. :D

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Time with Lucius - a lifelong study in jaded exasperation. XD

[celeloriel.livejournal.com]

Hee hee. :P

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

:D

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

Hilarious! Poor Snape, to have to endure witnessing so many acts of callousness over the years...

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Heh, yes. And by now his response is more ennui than outrage...

[oleander9999.livejournal.com]

Lovely, lovely! Poor little groom!

I actually bet on a horse for the first and only time today!

I didn't win, but it sure was fun! I was tempted to shout at the television for him to move his bloomin' arse. Never thought of that wand thing though...

I would totally bet on thestral races.

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks! Poor little groom indeed!

I've only bet on a horse once, some minor Chicago-area race...my office held a staff party at an OTB place. :P

I would bet on thestral races too. I can see them, too. But I bet the stakes are really, really high.

[oleander9999.livejournal.com]

I would bet on thestral races too. I can see them, too. But I bet the stakes are really, really high.

awwww *hugs you*

also, you're so cool. :-)

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

awwwwww *hugs back* The latest one (yes, more than once) was a long time ago. Knock wood.


Hey, guess what I'm working on tonight.

[oleander9999.livejournal.com]

hurrah!!!

yes, I just had to ask machka how to do little font. :-)

my ears are burning.

[machka]

*giggles*

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

I was happy it was Michael Matz's horse that won. And what a race!

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

It was, wasn't it? I had no emotional investment at first, but I developed a little bit.

Horse Stories!! :)

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

A Thestral race! Oooo! Hmm, war vets and DEs for jockeys? And... how many in the audience can see them? The radio announcer would really have to be good at describing things for those who can't (yet) see thestrals.

Hee-hee, Snape thinking about inferior breeding!! :D So, did Fudge's mount win? That would rub it in nicely. Ack, killing the groom, muggle-born or not - how declasse! Good grooms are SO hard to find!

Been writing horse stories too, altho in the Warmachine universe, but still, a talking horse of a type called the 'Ghost Wind', what more could ya want? And I'm working on an illustration of the animal as well. (You know writing a horse story is simply an excuse to DRAW horses!)



We had nothing but horse lovers in my house today and *none* of us remembered the Derby! I didn't even know the names of the contenders. *blush* I might be a bit better at remembering the names of famous dressage horses. The Black Stallion would glare at me, if he knew how much I've lapsed.

Re: Horse Stories!! :)

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Ooooo, lovely sketch!

That's funny that NONE of you remembered! I would've thought you'd be watching for sure. I was thinking of you, anyway.

I think the jockeys at a thestral race would probably practically have to be able to see their mounts, and I agree, the announcers and commentators and referees would have be drawn from the ranks of war veterans and medics and sure, DEs (and apparently, Hogwarts grads). Yes, I think Fudge's steed did win. That's nice karma. Perhaps because his jockey could actually see him now! And it was the first race that everyone who was paying attention could see entirely.

Of course, for the more innocent audience members, they could always see the jockeys and the tack and the colours flying by - just not what was really doing the work. :)

Re: Horse Stories!! :)

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Yep, first I knew that I'd missed the Derby was checking LJ and seeing your post! Mom and Dad knew that a non-favorite horse won, but didn't remember his name except that it was "B-something".

Forgot folks like medics - and religious practitioners - and police, etc., would certainly be able to see the black pegasi. Any jockey better be ablt to, although Harry's friends were willing to ride sight unseen (eek!). Yeah, you could see the jockeys and colors - maybe you could put streamers in the thestral's manes and tails to help make for visual cues?

Erg, and yeah, everyone at the races that day could see the thestrals, oy. Thanks, Lucius! -_-

I hope Malfoy lost a ton of money on the betting.

I'm hoping the horse sketch will color nicely, although it's his rider who actually has more color on him, Cat is mostly black, white, and grey.

Re: Horse Stories!! :)

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Yes, those are definitely professions that would give you a lot of thestral-spotting mojo. And just some random folks from all walks of life. (I can see them, and the first time, it was completely random: On a college internship I was just standing outside the office having a smoke break when there was a car/motorcycle accident right on that corner. Very gruesome--let's just say there was absolutely no room for denial that I had seen someone die.)

I wonder how the thestrals would feel about the colored ribbons. Legbands too.

He did lose money - and took it out on lots of people, though not as spectacularly.

Oooh, that'll look cool colored.

Re: Horse Stories!! :)

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Ugh, seeing an accident like that... ow. I think the first time I saw people go real-time was watching the towers fall live on 9/11. I was recuperating at my folk's place from an emergency root canal and I was too sick and in pain to get up and change the channel from the scenes of the smouldering towers. And then they fell down. And people fell out the windows. And then they replayed it over... and over... I'm still in pain from that one, when I bother to think about it.

I've no idea how thestrals would 'like' legbands, streamers, or any of that stuff - might be interesting to see what they do about it. :D I hate to think what would happen if a thestral suddenly decided it didn't want a rider any more. It's bad enough when a terrestrial horse decides to dump a rider. A bucking-fit at 1000 feet would be pretty 'interesting'.

Will probably do the coloring of the art tomorrow after I've had sleep - my typos mean it's time to get to bed. :)

[divinetailor.livejournal.com]

lovely, my dear. perfect! and you know how much i love the thestrals.

you gave me a grin and a chuckle on this pre-caffeinated sunday morning full of grading late papers, and "i don't see why i should have to read this sort of impenetrable baloney!"-themed reading responses i've been putting off looking at for...hmm...a month. sometimes my students run a bit more to the Malfoy end of the attitude spectrum. "a new idea that challenges my conceptions! a reading that isn't dead easy and obvious as the doorknob! i am offended! ooh, the vapors! medic! healer!"

*rolleyes*

uh--go ahead and remind me that i was just the same when i was their age, because i could use the reminder. but...but STILL!

(i need a paid vacation).

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks so much, dear. I love them too - any excuse to write 'em in, I'll take.

Oy on the late-papers front. It's good to see you getting your Snape on. No coincidence that so many of the Snape fangirls I know online are teachers IRL. ;)

I suppose I should remind you that you were just the same, but I'm not sure it's true...was there ever a time when you resented the mysterious and challenging in literature?

[dreya-uberwald.livejournal.com]

Heh, great drabble. I imagine that a near-lifetime of being around Lucius Malfoy would be enough to install a pathological sense of jadedness and cynicism in anybody. Personally, I like to think that Malfoy senior's afterlife will involve him being Hastur and Ligur's housemaid (frilly apron optional).

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yes, Snape's seen-it-all act is no act anymore. Lucius is such a boor.

Personally, I like to think that Malfoy senior's afterlife will involve him being Hastur and Ligur's housemaid (frilly apron optional).

You will write this, won't you? ;)

[dreya-uberwald.livejournal.com]

You will write this, won't you? ;)

You know I'm not going to be able to resist. There are just so many ironic torments that are just begging to have themselves inflicted upon Lucius. *Wonders if there could be a way to have Dobby and Gollum visit the diabolic Dukes*

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

The bunnies love you, you're know. You're so soft and chewy.

Are Dobby and Gollum shacking up now? I'm sure they could use some nice housewares.

[cressida0201.livejournal.com]

I was pointed here by oleander9999. Great little drabble!

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Oooo, thanks so much! :D