Author's Note: I would like to thank my betas – Kat-nee, Zivvy, Dessie, and Lo – for helping me work through any errors in plot, SPaG and definitely for telling me that it made sense. Please read and review if you have anything to say!

Title/Link: Poisonous

Team: Kenmare Kestrels

Position: Beater 2

Extension Used: None

Season 6, Round 1: Write an AU you've never written before. - HungerGames!AU

Optional Prompts: (setting) thunderstorm, (object) knife, (word) corporation

A/N: In the universe of the Hunger Games, there are 12 districts (called Panem altogether) and the Capitol. The Capitol is a "tyrannical dictatorship that holds political and economic dominance over Panem," (quoting Google). They enforce its rule over Panem through harsh means, the harshest being the Hunger Games.

For the Hunger Games, 24 tributes are between 11-18 years of age. Usually, it is one male and a female raffled (or volunteered, though rare) per district, for all twelve districts. This is the Reaping. The tribute parade happens after the reaping; to emphasize the purpose of each district. The purpose of the districts, respectively, are Luxury, Masonry, Technology, Fishing, Power, Transportation, Lumber, Textiles, Grain, Livestock, Agriculture, Mining.

After this, they are trained with the Gamemakers, and the Gamemakers provide a personal score based on their flair and accuracy. This leads to an interview with all 24 tributes. After this, they get sent to the Cornucopia, where they are given weapons and supplies (where they appear), but it is dangerous as the tributes start killing as soon as the countdown ends. These 24 tributes fight to their deaths to win the Hunger Games, as only one can survive for the game to end. When they announce the winner, it means that 23 of the tributes are dead.

Poisonous by ValkyrieAce

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Dolores Umbridge had just announced that her eleven-year-old sister was reaped as one of District Five's tributes for the Hunger Games this year.

'That pompous, toad-faced, arrogant smear of a woman!' she thought. She was furious something like this could happen and no one would face penalties under the ethical code. Then again, the "law abiding citizens" of the Capitol were too privileged to commit such a selfless act.

'There's no way out for her, except...' she frowned and straightened her posture, her decision already made.

"I volunteer!" she yelled clearly, trying to sound strong for the sake of her family.

In that moment, all the hushed whispers around her stopped. She could feel everyone staring at her, their eyes wide open in shock.

"Oh, my!" Umbridge exclaimed in a sickly sweet voice. "We have a volunteer! Come on up here, darling!"

People around her moved away, giving her enough space to walk forward. Hesitantly, she took a step forward. Then another.

The clicking of her shiny shoes echoed throughout the area, her mind growing uneasy at the thought of leaving her family. At least she could die without worry. They wouldn't be worked to the bone as the people from the more impoverished Districts were.

'Could I really kill another human being?' she thought, anxious. She wasn't afraid of death, not at all. In fact, one got used to the concept of death when the Hunger Games ran as often as it did. It was the idea that she would be taking lives with her own hands that scared her.

She could hear her sister screaming her name in anguish, her voice raw from crying. Out of her peripheral view, she saw her mother slump onto the ground, tears falling down her face in a silent plea. What that was, she didn't know.

Moments too soon after, she reached the podium and climbed up the stairs, taking the hand Umbridge had offered sourly. She could see herself projected onto the huge screens behind her, making her feel self-conscious of her looks.

She steeled herself as the male tribute was called out – Seamus Finnigan – and smiled wanly.

"May the odds be ever in your favour!" Umbridge gushed.

She would do this. For her family.

'Perhaps it wouldn't be too hard to win after all,' she thought, reminiscing about the time her father taught her how to analyse a fighter in both mind and body. She stood tall and held onto the rail as the chariot started to move.

It was the Tribute Parade. She made sure to scrutinise the strengths and weaknesses of the other tributes, mentally compartmentalising them according to their skill and threat level. A few of the tributes stood out to her, the ones with the attitude of a fighter.

There was the pair from District One, Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. Draco was a buff young man with platinum-blond hair and a smirk to match, whilst Pansy was a black-haired woman with a high-pitched voice and a disturbingly pug-like face.

Then, there was the pair from District Four, Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour. They were both gorgeous in their own ethereal way. With bulging muscles and a kind smile, Viktor looked as though he had been training for this his entire life. On the other hand, Fleur was the epitome of Athena, beautiful and strong.

As she contemplated the true extent of their strength, a few other outliers caught her eye. A bushy-haired girl from District Three, Hermione Granger, a curious looking girl from District Ten, Luna Lovegood, a shy boy from District Eleven, Neville Longbottom, and a lonely boy from District Twelve, Harry Potter.

"I'll have to keep an eye on them," she whispered as she prepared herself for what was coming next.

'It's time to train,' she thought, her lips quirking into a slight smirk.

Personally, she knew for a fact that her skills in fighting were most prominent through the act of knife-throwing. Her parents were always quite strong and proud of their ability to protect their own blood. So, every child, male or female, was taught to protect themselves with and without an unnoticeable weapon.

Usually, her weapon of choice was a neck knife, whereas her sister preferred the more elegant kukri. Without their weapons, they were both very skilled in simple martial arts. Here, though, she would have to settle for the traditional throwing knives.

She made sure to keep an eye out for her main competitors' talents as well. She had noticed that Draco was quite skilled in using both a sword and a spear, whilst Pansy showed off her talents in using a thin sword.

'These two... I need to watch my back with them around. They make quite a pair!' she thought as she observed Fleur's speed when given a bow and arrow, and Viktor's strength and agility.

'Impressive,' she thought as she surreptitiously watched Hermione visualising surveillance and survival tactics in a tiny notebook. She detected a wide knowledge in plants from Neville, who was the fastest out of all twenty-four tributes to identify them. She was confused by Harry, who was proficient with a sword, but knew no survival tactics other than luck.

But she was most concerned by Luna, who hid a cunningness and a genius mind behind a façade of smiles. She couldn't understand why, but she was uneasy at the thought of anyone killing this girl, almost as though she was being watched by an angel. She was left with one thought:

'She reminds me of my sister...'

She told herself that she wasn't excited, especially when it came to a situation as dire as this one, but she was. She had gotten a nine out of ten during her private training session with the Gamemakers. The only tributes to achieve a higher score were Hermione and Luna.

She hadn't liked the impression she got from Albus, the main Gamemaker. At first glance, he was kind and friendly. But with time, she could tell that the twinkle in his eyes belied a viciousness of a manipulator. 'He wasn't a Gamemaker for nothing,' she had thought then.

She turned as a flutter of shimmery purple fabric flickered into her vision, facing Luna in her dress. The entire dress was made of purple and teal undertones, the blend of colours bringing out the silver in Luna's eyes.

'Luna looks so ethereal...' she thought. Luna turned to her and smiled, and she realised that she had uttered it out loud. She tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear and looked at herself in the mirror, her body and eyes perfectly complimented by the rusty reds and golds in the dress she was wearing.

"You look quite pale!" Luna exclaimed, "Are you nervous about the interview?"

She looked around and noticed that Luna was, indeed, talking to her. She cleared her throat, inhaling and exhaling deeply to calm the pounding of her heart.

"A little bit," she replied. "I'm just not used to wearing such a beautiful dress. It makes me feel self-conscious."

"Ah, I'm assuming this is your first time fighting in the Hunger Games? I heard you volunteered to take your sister's place." Luna said, a knowing smile plastered on her face.

"Isn't it your first Hunger Games as well?" she retorted, folding her arms to prove a point, "and yes, I did volunteer. I couldn't let her go through something like this alone. Better me than her."

"Actually, this is the third Hunger Games I've volunteered for," Luna explained, "and don't worry about the interview. They only ever ask generic questions. Probably about your family and how training has been."

Her arms fell to her sides as she looked at Luna in shock, wondering how – and why - she would keep coming back here.

"I started volunteering when I turned thirteen," Luna answered, though the question was not vocalised. "I couldn't stand watching families lose their children when I could be doing something to help them. This is my way of thanking my District for taking care of me."

"That's certainly noble. Though, I'm sure that your parents must be worried!" She exclaimed. She looked at Luna curiously as the happiness in her eyes dimmed.

"I'm an orphan," Luna mumbled, "so it felt right to liberate parents from becoming childless. I can't save all of them, but I could certainly try."

She was in awe of Luna. Not only did she have the strength to win two Hunger Games, but she volunteered to fight for the children in her district out of the goodness of her heart.

"You know," she started, "your selflessness reminds me of my sister..."

"I suppose that's a compliment?" Luna asked, her tone light and airy. Luna looked at her questioningly and laughed. A light tinkling sound that was infectious. Soon enough, they were both laughing until someone called Luna away for an outfit check.

Impulsively, she hugged Luna and, for a few moments, watched as she walked away, the purple of her dress grabbing the attention of all the other tributes. She turned and walked onto the stage with her head held high, confidence in her body and her self-image. Tom Riddle, the host, seated her next to him and lifted her chin, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Now, love, is there anyone back home you would like to win for?" he asked.

"Yes," she spoke softly, "my parents and my sister."

"Well, I found it very touching when you volunteered to take your sister's place in the Hunger Games this year. Everyone here thinks so!" Tom said, the audience cheering their approval.

"Tell me, how did she feel about this?" he continued, interlocking his fingers and placing it under his chin.

"She was saddened, but I made her a promise. That I would come back alive," she said.

She could tell this was purely a show for the satisfaction of the Capitol. She looked at all the people in the audience, convinced that poverty ravaged on because of them. Because their corporation of lazy and privileged dolls couldn't bring themselves to work for what they love; instead, they choose to steal most of the profits right under the noses of the twelve Districts.

"What did you do to get such a high score in the private training session?" Tom asked, goading the audience to react in order to appease their curiosity.

"I threw a knife at Albus," she started, hesitating as the audience gasped collectively, "his beard was uneven, and my knife evened it out, I suppose..."

"I must say, you've made quite an impression!" Tom said, chuckling quietly as the audience laughed, thoroughly entertained.

"Thank you for your time!" he continued, the audience standing to clap their goodbyes as she exited the stage.

The tubes positioned her right in front of the Cornucopia. It was a gigantic hunk of metal, teasing them with the idea of protective gear and medical supplies. It was an illusion she knew would never last. Once the countdown ended, it was going to be a desperate scramble to survive.

The horrendously orange timer was blaring its numbers over the Cornucopia.

"Ten, nine, eight..." she whispered.

'Focus!' she thought to herself. It took her only a moment to realise that the throwing knives were closer to the tubes than the other weapons were. She focused on a backpack closest to the knives and the entrance to the forest, visualising a running track.

'I'll be long gone by the time the fighting starts!' she thought victoriously.

She locked eyes with Luna, who was right behind the Cornucopia, and whispered a silent good luck. Luna's eyes softened as she returned the well wishes.

"Three, two, one..." she spoke under her breath.

A loud whistle-like sound echoed throughout the forest, and she ran as fast as she could, avoiding a collision with Draco and Neville. She didn't stop - 'not even for a millisecond,' she thought - as she hooked her wrist through the bag of throwing knives and the backpack.

She disappeared into the forest, leaving behind desperate tributes and a carnage of dead bodies to the sound of cannons firing.

'Left here,' she thought, running swiftly towards the Cornucopia.

There were too many things going wrong. She had to kill Pansy, who had tried to slit her throat in her sleep, her traps caught two others, the gash on her right arm was starting to get infected, and she was in the middle of the biggest thunderstorm she had ever seen.

On the other hand, she knew both she and Luna were on the Top Five list. She knew what this meant.

The end was nearing.

She stumbled onto a dead tribute – 'probably Hermione's work,' she thought – and turned right. Her leg caught on a wayward branch, sending her straight down the hillside in an undignified heap.

She felt the cold seep into her bones, willing her to keep running. Her body heat was plummeting.

Time was running out.

She could now see the Cornucopia, its metal tip gleaming against the grey clouds every time lightning struck it. She came to an abrupt stop at the scene in front of her. Luna stood in front of the Cornucopia, looking serene and calm under the rain.

Fleur was behind it, fighting against Draco with Hermione by her side. It only took her moments to see that Draco could easily overpower them both, bludgeoning Fleur to death before circling Hermione.

'Four left,' she thought, anxiously watching as Draco lunged at Hermione, his spear a blur – and then Hermione was down for the count. Her body was losing too much blood for her to stand.

'Three more,' she thought, as Draco made his way to the Cornucopia with his spear in tow, unsteady, his rabid eyes already catching sight of Luna.

'He's going to kill her!' she thought, rapidly rushing to get behind Draco. He swung his spear towards Luna, gaining enough momentum to pierce her heart. Luna's smile disappeared into a sharp gasp as the spear hit her.

It felt as though time had slowed as she watched Luna fall onto her back. In her anger, she launched a knife at Draco's back and ambushed him. He twisted and grabbed a handful of her hair, tugging it violently as she clung to his back, holding the knife steady. Muffling a scream, she gathered her resolve and stabbed him one last time, immediately silencing his shouts.

She ran towards Luna and knelt next to her, gently laying her head on top of her backpack, hoping to comfort her while she tried to save her.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she yelled, her heart beating uncontrollably. "Come on, Luna, you can still win this," she said, her voice muffled by thunder.

"No, I can't. I ate a bunch of poisonous berries when you were distracted by Draco," Luna coughed out, her eyes still shining with her brand of happiness.

"But... why?" she mumbled, holding onto Luna's hand tightly.

"Because you didn't fight just for your own sake. You fought to save your family from a corporation that forces teenagers to fight to the death. You were able to see how our world had failed. How humanity had degraded into a segregated world of the rich and the poor," Luna explained, interlocking their fingers together with her good hand.

"I knew you would give your life for me. But I couldn't let you," Luna continued, "You have people waiting for you. I don't. It was an easy choice to make."

"Would you sing for me?" Luna asked weakly. She stifled a sob and nodded.

So, she sang. She sang a sorrowful song until Luna took her last breath. She broke down in tears as she clasped Luna's hand tighter, wailing loudly under the last echo of the thunderstorm.

"The winner of this year's Hunger Games is Daphne Greengrass!" the Gamemaker announced.

Suddenly, she couldn't care less about winning. All she wanted now was to be able to save Luna, the girl who reminded her of her sister. As she left to claim the victory with shaking fists, she had one thought on her mind.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

And she was going to make sure that it never happened again.

Fin

Word Count: 2,725

Additional Prompts:

The Golden Snitch – Through the Universe – (AU) 70. Galaxy – HungerGames!AU

The Golden Snitch – Ollivander's Wand Shop – 10–11 inch: Write about a Slytherin character.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry – Assignment #10 – Women's History, Task #11 - Write about someone showing great courage in an oppressive society.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry – The 365 Prompts Challenge – 138. First Line – This wasn't supposed to happen.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry – The Insane House Challenge – 220. AU – Hunger Games