Dartboard of Discards: Summer Rituals Outtakes 1

Author's Note: As Summer Rituals wraps up, there are a lot of discarded scenes that I had in the process of writing. What follows is a collection of some of those scenes. Some are alternate versions. Some are full scenes that just didn't get there. Some of them have not even been seen by beta readers. I'll be explaining why in notes before and after.

The first scene would have been in the fourth chapter, "Seven" before I decided that it was the wrong place to start for getting the mission underway.

Being on a submarine in the Royal Navy at sea was a new experience for Lavender. Her presence on the HMS Oracle was a new experience for her crew, from the moment she'd come aboard. The Oracle had been submerged about a quarter mile off shore when Lavender had entered through a modified torpedo tube. All she had with her was a package of gilly weed and her wand.

Judging from the looks of the Captain and crew of the Oracle, that was a problem. It was a problem that would have to wait, however. M's office was on board at the moment, and M was a superior officer to the Captain.

"Miss Brown, you come to us rather uniquely recommended," M said from her seat inside the magically expanded office. "There are exactly nine people who were involved in the recent thwarting of the return of the Dark Lord known as He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named. You are one of them. Of the nine, only Mister Potter had more exposure than you did, and your exposure was a bit accidental, occurring when you accompanied Headmaster Dumbledore back to the chamber.

"However, you did have the presence of mind to cast an identifying spell as the wrath passed. You alone of all of them, indeed of all the available magical agents of the Service, have seen his magical signature.

"We have intelligence that You-Know-Who may have fled Britain for Albania. It is your mission, lead by your uncle to confirm his prescience by testing for the residue of his passage. Q will equip you with what you need. Assuming, of course, that you are willing to take up the mission. You have the option, but there is no available replacement."

Lavender stood up straight. She'd long dreamed of perhaps being a secret agent. Her uncle had helped with that dream, being one himself. A few times she'd helped her uncle with his missions, by serving as part of his disguise. No one thought that an man on an outing with his niece was a spy. She knew that they wouldn't give her a mission that she couldn't do. "I serve at Her Majesty's pleasure."

"Very good," M said primly. "I believe that Q has appropriate attire for you, now."

"Good, because I really don't think the Captain wants a naked girl on his ship," Lavender replied

The next scene comes from the fifth chapter "Six" where Harry and Hermione were shopping for a present for Neville. Other scenes required that this one be dumped.

"You know, I don't think I've ever went shopping for a gift for anyone before," Harry said as he entered the garden center. Hermione was pushing a cart that she'd secured Jimmy's car seat turned baby carrier in. Jimmy was fast asleep at the moment, which was probably a good thing. "And unless you count the gathering on Ron's birthday in the dorm, I've never attended a birthday party."

"The Dursley's never gave you ... those people," Hermione said, as her face contorted into a scowl. "We'll see about fixing that."

Harry could see the determination in his Hermione's face. If he didn't say something now, and head her off, he was sure that the formal affair that Neville had invited him would pale in comparison. "I don't really want something big. Just family."

"Really, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking into his eyes. Harry felt as if she was testing his opinion. "You've never really had a birthday party, before, and birthdays are really something special to celebrate. Mum always says that it's a day to especially celebrate you."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "How do you celebrate yours last year?" He bent down to examine some potted annuals, before dismissing them as past their prime, and not something that Neville would like. His godmother had explained the Adorning Rite and the gifts that he'd present for that, but he could and wanted to get something special, personal, from him.

"Well, last year, starting the day off with Double Potions with Snape," Hermione said. "But last year was different, I was away at school. There really wasn't anyone to celebrate it with at Hogwarts. When I was younger, Mum used to invite my class mates over to dinner. That kind of petered out though, by the time I turned nine. My tenth birthday, Dad took me to the British Museum to see the King's Library collection. You know they've got a copy of Caxton's first edition fo the Canterbury Tales ...

"Anyway, Mum made my favorite dinner, before we finally opened my presents.. Most of them were books, of course. Birthdays and Christmas are when I get my best books. I got my leather bound copy of the Complete Shakespeare for my eleventh birthday."

"They never took me anywhere for my birthday," Harry said as he examined the perennials. "I think we're going to need to look in the greenhouse to find something really special for Neville. Any way, they did take me with them last year for Dudley's birthday outing to the zoo."

Harry smiled, remembering Dudley being trapped behind the glass at the reptile house. "Dudley always seemed to want and get more and more gifts every year. I think he got thirty-seven gifts last year. Most of them were broken or lost within a week. I always felt that it was a waste. If you're going to give a gift, it should be something that is used or treasured.

"I wasn't lying to Mrs. Weasley when I told her that the jumper she made for me was my most treasured gift. My cloak may have been my father's, passed down to me, but that jumper, she spent a lot of time making for me, and she didn't even know me, not really. I was just the little orphan boy who was friends with her son. She said it was no bother, but to me, when I opened that package, I could feel how much care she put into it, you know."

Harry had to wipe his eyes which were tearing up just a bit.

"I love the blanket she knit for Jimmy," Hermione said. "I think you're right, we're going to need to look at the special plants in the green house."

Harry pushed the door open to the green house, and immediately came upon several plants that caught his eyes. There were lilies and orchids, and even a couple scarlet star plants, which even Neville would find a task to keep growing. There was a peace lily that was almost as good as the one that he'd moved to sit by the window in his room at the Grangers.

"Moth orchid," Harry decided, as he looked at a particularly nice plant. "I think this will do for Neville. He liked the ones like this at school, and even helped care for the ones in Green House One."

"Okay," Hermione said, just as Jimmy's eyes opened. In less than five seconds, as Harry picked up the orchid, their baby boy began to cry. It didn't take long for Hermione to figure out the problem. "I hope there is a nappy changing station in the restroom."

"I saw the sign as we passed," Harry said. "Is it my turn or yours?"

"Mine," Hermione said, sliding the nappy bag over her shoulder before picking Jimmy up. "Hopefully he'll wait until we reach home to decide that he's hungry."

"We're not that lucky," Harry replied. "I'll get the care of book for these for you to give him, if you want?"

"No, get another orchid," Hermione said, as she started to head towards the restroom. "Neville's already got that book."

Then there was the scene out on the terrace after Neville's birthday ritual. It was actually inspired by a small fight between two real female identical twins that I known. I decided that I had a better option in Parvati's kiss for the story, and this one got pushed aside, never to be completed.

The wind blew up Parvati's skirt once again. Fortunately she'd managed to hold it down from going up all the way this time. There was definitely a problem with being a Gryffindor. She was way to easy to take up a risk. In this case going without her panties to Neville Longbottom's birthday party.

"They're looking over here again," Sally-Anne pointed out. "I told you that it wouldn't take bikinis to get the boys attention."

"I am so going to curse you when we get home, Padma," Parvati said for the sixth time since they'd gone out onto the terrace. "This wind is really irritating."

"Mortified enough yet, sister?" Padma asked. "And you promised not to when I goaded you into this."

"Hermione, Sally-Anne, hold my sister down," Parvati growled. "I think she needs to be an exact match again."

"Not happening, Parvati," Padma said dancing away. As she moved away, however, the wind caught her dress and flipped it upwards, only staying on her by virtue of her arms. It blocked her view allowing Parvati to dart inwards and yank her sister's panties down to her knees. Her sister tripped as a result, landing on her now bare behind. "Parvati!"

"I'd stay out of this," Ginny said as she approached the girls. She'd just handed Neville back his broom and her carefully arranged hair was now wind-tossed. Her dress no longer hung straight and tight, having flared out while she was on Neville's broom. "Never get in between fighting twins."

"We'll take your word on that, Ginny," Hermione said.

Parvati decided to put just a little distance between herself and her fallen sister. Padma pushed her dress back down and tried to stand. With her panties at her knees that wasn't exactly easy, especially since Padma didn't seem to realize that at first. Padma looked up at the sky, and then met Parvati's eyes.

There was a note of challenge in her sister's eyes, and a promise that something would be done. Parvati met that gaze, reminding her sister that just because Padma had ended up in Ravenclaw didn't mean that she couldn't be brave and take up the challenge she gave Parvati. The panties dropped to the ground, and Padma stood.

"It looks like you've got MacMillian's attention, Padma," Sally-Anne announced. Ernie wasn't with the Gryffindor boys, instead he and Malfoy were almost on the exactly opposite side of the girls.

Parvati looked across the terrace at McMillian. The boy was definately looking right at her twin sister, his mouth wide open. Obviously he was very surprised that Padma had removed her panties

Down below the terrace, Brocklehurst was carefully walking through the garden, every once in a while leaning on the cane she carried.

Chapter Seven "Three" brought a scene that I considered for quite some time, before discarding. It had some hooks in it that I might consider reviving later, but it passed when I changed how Hermione's day went. Also I needed to talk more about Percy, Penny, and Ginny.

Hermione had forgone swimming at the Burrow for Ginny's birthday. She'd been a bit surprised that she and Harry had been invited to go. She was more friends with Ron than his little sister. Still, it was nice to get out of the house. At the moment, she was sitting on a bench overlooking the Weasley kitchen garden, her blouse open just enough for Jimmy to nurse from her breasts. At the moment it was the left one, since she'd managed to swap just a few minutes before.

"If there is one thing I miss about having babies, it is the nursing," Molly Weasley said, sitting down beside Hermione. "It's when you have the most connection with them. It helps that it's also one of the times when you can count on them being quiet."

"I don't know how you managed to have seven of them," Hermione said. "One is enough that I'm pretty sure I'm going have to change all my plans."

"Babies do that," Molly said. "I had my dreams before I had Bill, they changed once I had him suckling from me. Not that I'm not planning on trying to resume a few of them once Ginny's off to Hogwarts this September. Not to say that they necessarily have to change. You're very young, Hermione, yes, you've got a baby boy to care for, but you can still end up as a Prefect and Head Girl, as well as whatever else you have planned. You just have to be prepared to go about it a bit differently.

"Of course, since you are ritually bound to Harry, you're going to have to be very careful. A boy like him is going to want a large family, and you're going to have a very hard time denying him. I can tell that you're very close, and I read the advanced copy of Harry and Ginny's letters. So, I know that you have most likely started another line like the Prewitts and the Weasleys. I was doomed the moment I decided that Arthur was the one.

"Of course most Prewitt women have had at least four children, and twins run in our line, ever since George Prewitt rescued his future wife from the Dragon. That's where the story of Saint George and the Dragon comes from, though George was a wizard, and certainly no saint. The man had at least three dozen illegitimate children by at least thirteen women, including a nun, to go along with the half dozen, three sets of twins he had with Margaret."

"I read about him, and Margaret, when I started looking into ritual pregnancies after Harry saved me and I found out I was having Jimmy," Hermione said. "She was one of the thirteen, but I didn't find out much more. There aren't many books about it, and most of them seem to be deliberately glossing over things."

"Of course they are," Molly said. "No woman ever wants any other to go through it, so it gets glossed over, passed down only in the family. Fortunately for you, I have Margaret Prewitt's book."

I think I'll cut off this bit of discards here, thought there are more discards, especially towards the end of the story. I'm hoping to finish Summer Rituals soon.