House Filks

Hi, all.

Well, a number of people asked me about the four house filks I wrote in honour of Nimbus - 2003. I am an unrepentant elitist filk snob, so I hold true to my conviction that I will not enter these in any filk competitions or submit them to any filk site, nor will I post them to discussion lists or such.

However, so many people asked about them that I've bent my position on posting them *anywhere*. I'm posting them here.

If any of you want the tunes to these (since most of you only heard two, and because two are original tunes and two are SCA filks), all you have to do is mail me a blank cassette tape with a self-addressed, postage-paid return envelope, and I'll be happy to record them for you.

So, without further ado: the filks.

A Hufflepuff Song:

Hufflepuff
Has a lot that’s tough.
They think we’re all duffers,
They say we’re all dumb.
But hard work and kindness
Don’t hurt anyone
So we’re Hufflepuff,
And that’s quite enough.

Hufflepuff
Made of strong, stern stuff,
We value persistence,
We stand by our own.
Our egos don’t easily
Get overgrown,
Cause we’re Hufflepuff
And we’re tough enough.

We’re Hufflepuff
Go ahead and scoff
You don’t even see us,
You don’t realise
Tis honey, not vinegar
That catches flies,
And we’re Hufflepuff,
And we’re sweet enough.

Hufflepuff
Is no place to slough
We’re not here for glory,
We don’t need to shine.
We do our jobs proudly
And think that that’s fine
For in Hufflepuff
We work hard enough.

We’re Hufflepuff,
And we could be gruff,
But loyalty works--
And you might be surprised
By how much we accomplish
With patience, not pride,
For in Hufflepuff
Modesty’s enough.

Hufflepuff
Does not think it rough
To work in the background,
To help from below,
To sow seeds with favours,
To reap what we grow,
Cause we’re Hufflepuff,
And we’re shrewd enough.

We’re Hufflepuff,
And we’ve had enough!
You ask what’s the point in
A house of our kind?
Well, we run the world
From beneath, and behind,
Cause we’re Hufflepuff!
And we’ve got the stuff!


A Ravenclaw Song:

Oh, Muggles think that the owl is wise
For he flies both swift and true,
But wiser still is the raven bold
For there’s nothing she can’t do.

A peaceful bird is the turtle dove:
For hope and love she stands,
But the raven has true peace of mind,
For she serves no master’s plans.

The raven black with claws of coal;
The eagle bronze and bright:
Wisdom, wit and truth the goal;
Knowledge gives us flight.

A bird of prey like the kestrel
Picks off the weak and slow.
But patiently the raven waits
And her meals appear below.

The robin preens his feathers bright
And sings a song for all.
But ravens spare their voices
And none ignore their call.

The raven black with claws of steel;
The eagle swift and free:
Wisdom, wit and truth our weal,
Knowledge is our key.

The heron stands long hours in mud
And the stork he scans the foam,
But ravens feast on land or sea
And make any place their home.

The goose may be contented
To be fatted for the kill,
But ravens ever shall be free
To serve where’er they will.

The raven black with claws of pitch;
The eagle wizard-wise,
Owes fealty only to the witch
Who saw in us her prize.

The cuckoo preys on the innocent
And to echo is the parrot’s fate,
But ravens are the gods of birds
And they perch on Odin’s gate.

And for raven intellect
And for eagles sharp of mind,
Rowena, warrior, witch, and friend
Made a house for ravenkind.

The raven black with claws like knives,
The eagle brown of wing;
Wit and wisdom all our lives:
Truth is everything.

Now some might think that Ravenclaw
Has no trait to recommend,
But ravens know our wit’s a wealth
That serves us ‘til the end.

For ravens are both brave and keen
And not easily seduced:
Thus reason solves more ills than brawn -
And ravens rule the roost!

The raven black with claws of coal,
The eagle fierce and proud:
Wisdom, wit, and truth the goal
That lifts us from the crowd.


A Gryffindor Song:
(to the tune "The Peasant Knight" by Mistress Rosalind Jehan of Paradox Keep)

A young boy born to a lady and lord
Of noble birth and high,
But no drop of wizard blood between the two,
Still finds his place in a magic world
Where dragons fill the sky,
And he learns the truth behind all he can do.

“Oh I have the heart of a warrior
And although I’m Muggle-born
The Sorting Hat this day I’ve worn,
And it saw my might,
And thus it hight me Gryffindor.”

A girl no older than eight years
Sees dreams of futures told
And her mother knows she’ll be a witch like her.
She’s strong of heart and true of mind,
Both virtuous and bold,
And she learns with delight of the school awaiting her.

“Oh, I have the heart of a warrior.
And although I am half-born,
The Sorting Hat this day I’ve worn,
And it saw my might,
And thus it hight me Gryffindor.”

A wizard born of wizard kin,
Grows up with spells and brooms.
In his veins the blood of generations flows.
And every night his father
Helps his gifts of magic bloom,
As he waves his wand, his innermost soul knows

That he has the heart of a warrior
And because he’s wizard-born,
The Sorting Hat one coming morn
Will see his might
And it will hight him Gryffindor.

The boy arrived on an autumn eve,
With a short sword at his side,
Knowing not what challenge he would face that day,
But courage burned within his breast
And his fears of magic died
When he saw that castle looming leagues away.

“Oh I have the heart of a warrior.
And although I’m Muggle-born
The Sorting Hat this day I’ve worn
And it saw my might,
And thus it hight me Gryffindor.”

Her eyes as bright as firebrands,
The girl arrived one fall,
Leaving far behind the fate of peasant wife.
And always she’d remember
How that test determined all,
Gave her expectations for her newfound life.

“Oh, I have the heart of a warrior.
And although I am half-born
The Sorting Hat this night I’ve worn
And it saw my might,
And thus it hight me Gryffindor.”

“House of honour, House of strength,
House of Godric’s pride,
Be with me this day; and let me do you grace.
My parents met here in their time,
When here they did abide,
And in Gryffindor I pray I’ll take my place.

For I have the heart of a warrior,
And because I’m wizard-born,
The Sorting Hat this day I’ve worn,
And it saw my might,
And thus it hight me Gryffindor.”

Witch or wizard, serf or king,
‘Tis magic that we share
Neither skill of hand nor strength of arm can serve.
For bravery and honour bright,
No other can compare,
In our ranks are wizards famed for strength of nerve.

For they all have the heart of a warrior,
And no matter how they’re born
The Sorting Hat one day they’d worn,
And it saw their might,
And thus it hight them Gryffindor.

May you have the heart of a warrior,
And no matter how you’re born,
In this house we all are sworn
To strive for right
And serve the might of Gryffindor,
Yes no matter how you’re born
In dark of night or light of morn,
Be bold and bright,
And do what’s right for Gryffindor.


A Slytherin Song:
(to the tune "Worms of the Earth" by Sir Volodomir Kambionets, OL (Bob Esty))

(Well) We are the worms of the earth,
Against the lions of pride
All of our days we are told that our ways
Are too cunning, but we’re justified.
Those Gryffindors think they’re so noble and kind
But we find them naïve and plain wrong.
They’ve beat us before,
But we’ll win in the end,
And you’ll see we were right all along.

My father’s blood it was pure,
As was his father’s before him.
Of Salazar’s lineage we’re sure,
With such prowess they couldn’t ignore him.
So I learned thirty hexes before I was ten,
At Hogwarts the Sorting Hat knew me, for when
It was placed on my brow it spoke the name, and then
And in Slytherin house I found home. Where (Chorus)

As a student, of course, I excelled,
Be it Transfiguration or charms.
I learned every potion and spell,
Winning points for my house with no qualms.
And so what if my methods seem cut-throat or sly?
Just get out of my way if you’re not on my side,
Or else get a strong dose of Slytherin pride,
And you’ll learn what crossing me means. For (Chorus)

It’s not that we’re naturally mean:
We’ve respect for the hardworking type,
Or minds that are brilliant and keen,
And whose houses don’t grumble or gripe.
But just let us Slytherins win the House Cup
Or Inter-house Quidditch — it’s not all that tough,
And they stand up against us and shout “That’s enough!”
And those Gryffindors cry, “It’s not fair!” (No chorus)

But what they don’t know that we do,
Is that life never is about fairness,
The brave and the cunning are few,
But many the foolish and careless.
So you Gryffs who report we all cheat — it’s not true,
You just don’t like to think that we’re better than you,
And we know one day soon we shall all get our due,
And we’ll see who’s ahead of the game.

For we are the worms of the earth,
Against those lions of pride,
All of our days we are told that our ways
Are too cunning, but we’re justified.
Those Gryffindors think they’re so noble and kind,
But we find them naïve and plain wrong.
They’ve beat us before,
But we’ll just come back stronger,
And you’ll see we were right all along.


There you go. Enjoy!