Ficlet: Owls Can't Survive in the Desert

[lierdumoa]

Title: Owls Can't Survive in the Desert
Fandom: Harry Potter/Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: none
Rating: PG
Summary: John Sheppard, A History. 379 wds.
A/N: Unbeta'd. Maybe later I'll turn this into an actual story.



The scar disappeared with Him. That was the easiest part

"You can't just leave us like this!"

"I saved the whole fucking world, Mione. I don't owe anyone anything."

Rewriting his personal history took a bit more doing. But he knew how to get by on his charms, literally or figuratively. Clever that one. Could have been a Slytherin. He doctored the necessary papers, sticking to the truth as much as possible. Orphan. Raised by mother's relatives, now dead. Reasonably good marks in school.

"It's illegal you know. For wizards and muggles. You can't just be someone you're not. You'll go to jail for this."

"They'll have to catch me first."

"Please. Don't. We're your family."

"You know as well as anyone my family's dead."

Should have taken advanced arithmancy. He was years behind for the engineering program. No matter. He faked his way through it until he caught up. After all, he hadn't learned legilimency for nothing. The accent, that took a bit of practice. But he did speak to snakes after all. Affecting a North American midwestern drawl was hardly the hardest thing he'd ever learned to do.

The eyes were more troublesome. Laser surgery. The airforce covered it. Natural born flier, he was. Decent head for maths.

Some problems with authority.

"Think I'll call myself John."

"Smith?"

"Yes, Ron. John Smith. Why that's a brilliant name."

"You know, you look just like Malfoy when you roll your eyes like that. Sarcasm does not become you, mate."

He tried the regulation haircut but it kept growing back. Same bloody cowlick he could never get rid of in secondary school.

...same goddamned cowlick he could never get rid of in high school.

He'd get the hang of this eventually.

Don't know why they cared so much anyway. It was under a bloody helmet half the time. Mild confundus and nobody bothered him about it.

"Shepherd. John Shepherd."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Got a nice ring, don't you think?"

"Sure. Should change the spelling, though. Something more American looking."

He stopped replying to letters. After a while he stopped getting them. It was easier that way.

He was getting shipped off to Afghanistan in two months. He might never return. It's not like he could be the boy who lived forever.

Comments

[hollymurph.livejournal.com]

I rarely comment. But I really, really liked this. Short, bittersweet, but quite sharp and clean. Does that make any sense? This is very "canon-esque" in my mind. No, that really isn't a word, but I'm trying to convey that while this little shorty is not canon (yes, duh fanfiction, I know) it very well could be. A snippet of a future that is quite possible...
Anyway, I liked it.
Holly

[eternallycait.livejournal.com]

Oooh I really liked this. I liked the conversation bits - I think they really added to the piece. So sad - and yet - sort of hopeful? in a way? Have you ever read the TWOP review of Serenity (the firefly movie) where it talks about Shepherd Book getting to reinvent himself and how he could remake himself to get a second chance? That is the loosest paraphrasing ever, but hopefully you get my point - which is: hopeful that Harry gets a second chance to the life he wants, rather than what he was thrust into, sad because he had too, and that I loved your story.

[diluvian.livejournal.com]

Nifty!

...same goddamned cowlick he could never get rid of in high school. He'd get the hang of this eventually.

Hee.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Now that is interesting.

Huh.

[carnadosa.livejournal.com]

That's a completely different kind of bitter then when it was done Songs Across the Ocean (http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/188552.html)

He was getting shipped off to Afghanistan in two months. He might never return. It's not like he could be the boy who lived forever.

Oh, ow, bitter like woah.

[carnadosa.livejournal.com]

Oh, forgot the sequel. Ancient Blood (http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/192871.html)

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

Ah, damnit. I had my own John/Rodney sequel ideas, with tons of invented anthropology, and a completely different story agenda. Maybe I can still write it. Hmmmm.

(Still Carnadosa)

[(Anonymous)]

Oh no! *tries to fix the mojo*

I mean, I love her story HP/Anita Blake crossover but I don't go for John/Telya. And your Harry's are coming from different places so...

Still interested

[adrianabr.livejournal.com]

Do you intend to write more about this? Because it's damn good and now I'm curious!!

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

::catching up on comment backlog::

I do! But. It's pretty far down on my list of WIP's, unfortunately.

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

::catching up on comment backlog::

Yes! This is just how I wanted this piece to be read.

I was talking to my SGA watching friend about this and how -- John has issues. I mean, look at The Eye. CRAZY. And it's always fun exploring how he got that way. Obviously he's not Harry Potter, but if he were? It would explain so much.

:)