Update! And a new poll!

Good news! I don't need surgery on my knee. I'm just going to be stuck in a brace for the next few weeks, but my ACL should heal on its own. Bad news, I don't think I'll be able to finish the new Thrown Back chapter today. They gave me some painkillers that are really kicking my ass. I'm really sorry. I'll do my best to get it out as soon as possible. If I can, I'm going to aim for at least two chapters since I haven't updated it in a while. I also want to finish Stick Situations so I can move on to something else. I have four ideas that I'm going to put in a poll to see which you guys like best. As always, let me know what you think in the comments.

1. Give Me Your Hand

   Harry had been at Hogwarts for all of a week before a pretty blonde in Slytherin robes grabbed him between classes and hauled him into an empty classroom. For a moment, he feared he was about to be hexed. Even though he didn't know any spells yet, he still reached for his wand.

   "Potter, I need your help," the girl said.

   "Who are you?" Harry asked.

   "I'm Daphne Greengrass," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I need your hand to get rid of Malfoy. He won't stop bothering me."

   Harry didn't know how he could help her get Malfoy to leave her alone. But if there was one thing he hated, it was bullies.

   "Er, okay."

   Daphne smiled brightly, kissed him on the cheek.

   Blushing brightly, he watched her skip from the room. He raised a hand to touch his cheek, and then look back at where she'd vanished in confusion. She'd never told him how he could help.

   Two days later, Harry was called into Dumbledore's office. McGonagall, Daphne, and a man he didn't know were already waiting for him.

   "Ah, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. "Please, come have a seat. There's something we need to discuss. Is it true that you promised Ms. Greengrass your hand?"

   Harry shuffled guiltily in his seat. Maybe he should've listened to Hermione and gone to a professor.

   "She said Malfoy was bothering her," he said in his own defense. "I just offered to give her a hand so he'd leave her alone, but I haven't done anything yet!"

   "No, not a hand," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "I meant your hand. As in marriage."

   Harry paled, his stomach dropped into his shoes, and his a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

   "And you agreed?" the man asked, pinning him with his pale blue eyes.

   "Er, well, yes, but-"

   "Then it's settled," he interrupted before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a scroll. "I have a marriage contract here. If you'll just-"

   "Oh, come now, Gareth," Dumbledore said humorously. "You know as well as I that an eleven-year-old can't enter into a contract. Let's give it a few years and see what happens. Until then, if Mr. Potter agrees, they can simply tell Mr. Malfoy there is a contract. Harry?"

   Harry heaved a sigh of relief.

   "Yeah, sure, professor," he said. "We can do that."

   Daphne glared at him, but eventually nodded. Harry had no way she would spend the next seven years doing everything she could to make sure he signed that contract before they left Hogwarts.

2. It's Just Not Fair

   When Harry is chosen as Hogwarts' second Champion, Ron Weasley is riddled with anger, resentment, and jealousy. After his fight with Harry, he can't sleep and lays in bed, wishing it was him in the spotlight for once.

   What if magic answered his call? What if Ron woke up the next morning as the second Champion of Hogwarts and Harry got to have a perfectly normal year?

   Basically, Ron learns to be careful what you wish for, while Harry gets to enjoy the Tournament as a spectator. Ron quickly finds out that there's a lot more to being a Champion than your name coming out of the Goblet. While he's busy studying and fighting for his life, Harry is off making friends with the witches of Beauxbatons, including the delectable Fleur Delacour and Suzette Beaumont.

3. Portkey Problems

   Portkeys are often made from the most random and mundane items a wizard can find. But what happens when Dumbledore makes the mistake of giving Tonks a Portkey that’s a little too breakable and asks her to go pick up Harry from Privet Drive?

   The Summer before 6th year, Tonks arrives at Privet Drive to pick up Harry and take him to Hogwarts for an important meeting with Dumbledore. As they walk down the street and into a secluded spot in the local park from which they can use the Portkey without being seen, Tonks trips. Harry tries to catch her, but he, too, ends up losing his balance. They fall to the ground in a tangled mess, and the plastic bowling trophy Dumbledore had given her breaks when they hit the ground.

   “Bugger,” Tonks mutters as she watches magic spark angrily from the piece remaining in her hand.

   Before either of them can react, they’re swept away and deposited on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean. Tonks quickly tries to make another Portkey, but it doesn’t work. She tries to Disapparate, only to discover powerful wards stopping her. Neither of them knows where they are, but they know they’re trapped. Their only hope is that Dumbledore and the Order will find them quickly.

   With no other option, they start to set up a shelter for the night, hoping they’ll be found before nightfall.

   Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore realizes something is wrong when Tonks doesn’t arrive. Moments later, Moody and Kingsley arrive and quickly begin to question the Dursleys. As they retrace the pair’s steps, looking for clues to what happened to them, Moody spots the broken plastic bowling pin lying on the sidewalk. With a muttered curse, they return to Hogwarts.

   It doesn’t take long for Dumbledore to figure out what went wrong. After a quick bit of Arithmancy to determine where the malfunctioning Portkey had taken them. Once he has it, he travels to the Burrow to gather the Order.

   Meanwhile, back on the island. Hours have turned into days and days into a week with no sign of a rescue. In desperation to get off the island, they even use magic to build a boat, only to get tossed back to the beach by a sudden wave every time they try to leave. With no other choice, they settle in and start to build a more permanent camp. They would just have to wait for rescue.

   Back at the Burrow, Hermione listens in to the meeting and is horrified to hear Harry is lost. Dumbledore and the Order members who’d gone to retrieve Harry return empty-handed. Unknowingly, they were having as much trouble getting to the island as Harry and Tonks were getting off of it. The only option was to get to the island by Muggle means. Upon hearing Dumbledore’s plan, Hermione storms in and demands to be taken along. Reluctantly, Dumbledore agrees, and they plan to leave the next morning.

   While spending days on a ship heading to the island Harry and Tonks are on, Hermione reads up on the magical history of the area. That’s when she makes an important discovery. There was a good reason they couldn’t Apparate or Portkey to the island. It had been used by the Spanish as a prison for wizarding pirates. Not only was it inaccessible, but there was a time-altering spell cast over the area to speed up the aging process. Unfortunately, they had no idea how much time was passing for Harry and Tonks compared to the rest of the world.

   Now, it was a race against time.

   (Will feature Harry, Tonks, their relationship, and the family they build on the island.)

4. Gilded Legacy

   During his early years as a rising star, Gilderoy Lockhart had an affair with the gorgeous young wife of a well-known politician. Nine months later, the woman returned to him with their daughter and confessed it was his. In a panic, Gilderoy Obliviated her, took the child, and sent her back to her husband. Shortly after, he left his daughter, Felicity, with his brother and sister-in-law to raise so he could continue building a name for himself. Felicity grew up adoring her father, despite the fact that he was rarely around. When he was, Gilderoy would delight her with stories of his travels, adventures, and accomplishments. 

   After Gilderoy ended up in St. Mungo's, Felicity became determined to continue his legacy of fighting evil and protecting the innocent. And she's going to do it by using the same, powerful magic her father told her about. Years later, shortly after she graduates from Hogwarts, Felicity sets out on her first adventure. 

   In a small Scottish village with a Troll problem, Felicity runs into Auror Harry Potter. Being supremely confident, she charges into danger to fix the problem before Harry can step in. While Felicity tries again and again to make her father's spells work, Harry is doing the real fighting. Out of sight of the villagers, Harry defeats the Troll just as Felicity manages to put on a pretty light show. The villagers and Felicity celebrate her perceived victory while Harry tends to the wounded and calls for help to clean up. By the time he realizes what's happened, it's too late. Felicity is already being hailed as a hero. 

   In the pub later that night, Harry learns that Felicity, drunk on her success, intends to seek out even greater challenges to honor her father. Terrified for her life and unable to dissuade her, Harry decides the best thing he can do is follow her around until she realizes she's in over her head. 

   Unfortunately for Harry, his luck stays true to form. Over and over, Harry saves the day while Felicity manages to trick herself into believing she's the one responsible and gets all the credit. Felicity even takes to referring to Harry as her sidekick because of how often he's by her side. Harry, rightfully annoyed, can't bring himself to leave her to a certain death. 

   Eventually, Felicity gets in over her head while Harry is away. A dark witch kidnaps her, reveals the truth about Harry saving her, and her father's past as a liar and a cheat. The witch turns out to be the daughter of a man Gilderoy once obliviated, leaving him without any memory of his own family. To get back at him, she's going to expose his lies and defeat his daughter publicly, destroying his legacy forever. 

   When Harry inevitably shows up to recuse her, she finally sees him for who he really is and how much she's enjoyed his company over the last several months. She's in love with Harry Potter.

   That's the gist of it so far. For added smuttiness, I was thinking some more magical women, like Veela, Werewolves, and Vampires, notice Harry is responsible for saving them and decide to reward him with a night of fun. Perhaps a couple of familiar faces can make an appearance? That would give me a chance to explore parts of the wizarding world I haven't really gotten a chance to use. So, there it is, a bit of a romantic comedy.

   All of these stories will be fairly short, less than 10 chapters, and focus on smaller pairings.