Order Only: Tea

[alt_sirius]

Fred, George: Have you heard any more from Terry?

Well, meanwhile, it's past time that we told you all about having Hydra over for tea.

So, to set the stage, of course, we've spent some time keeping Doughty Conduit look occupied. For one thing, we don't know how soon the Ministry might wish to inspect us, but for another, on the assumption that Bellatrix wanted to spy through Hydra, we figured she ought to be presented with the picture of domesticity. We even put Bea down for her nap in the pram in the kitchen.

Hydra and the nanny arrived promptly at two and I think at first Remus feared Mrs Baylock meant to stay and observe the whole visit but she made one or two disparaging remarks about the shop and then told Hydra she'd some errands of her own and would return for her at half-past-three.

Hydra looked around the shop while Dora went to see if Bea'd woken up yet, which she had, so they proceeded to the kitchen. At first she seemed quite shy but she kept sneaking me looks when she thought Dora couldn't see and finally she asked if I'd bite. Dora said no, of course not, so she tried giving me a scratch. Before I knew it she was sneaking me bits of her sandwich (she only ate the cress and the dill, no meat). Remus came in once the shop was between customers and almost called me Padfoot (we'd agreed on Sinbad for Hydra's benefit, since I've no idea whether she'd tell Justin about meeting a dog named Padfoot!) but he caught himself just in time. I don't think she noticed.

Moony kept pushing sweets on her. She'd make a remark about how 'Mummy' wouldn't like her to have too many sweets but then she'd take another biscuit as if defying Bellatrix were more delicious than the treat itself. And I'll admit, she spoke glowingly about Justin.

But there's one thing that happened - well, I'm sure if we've not heard about it by now, it probably isn't an issue. Still. Bea was showing off for our guest, with Dora's help, doing her parlour tricks of changing her hair colour and such. And she did something ... I've never seen her do it before, nor had Remus, I think, but she changed her face to look more like a dog's, then back to human. And she kept switching back and forth, three or four times running, and then said 'Da!' and then started all over again. Remus thinks she was just jealous that Hydra seemed to be paying more attention to the dog than to Bea. But if Bellatrix forces her to put her memories in a Pensieve or tries to Legilimise her, it might come out.

Fred and George, you're more likely to know what she's like when she's not with her mother. I'll grant that she seems remarkably adjusted for growing up that viper's daughter but - is it likely she's able to keep her mother from rifling through her thoughts?

Comments

[alt_lupin]

She was a really nice kid, honestly. Polite as anything, but delightful once she'd relaxed a bit.

I'm thinking perhaps we'll send her a little hamper next term with sweets. Does her father keep her well-supplied, or is he too much under Bellatrix's thumb?

[alt_lupin]

Also, that trick of Bea's with the dog face was something else. Bea didn't put on nearly as much of a show for Hydra as she had for Rigel and Bellatrix. I think she decided to try for a dog look because Hydra was so taken with Padfoot (uh, Sinbad -- sorry about that, although I don't think Hydra noticed) she was feeling a bit jealous of the attention he was getting.

She really did chatter on about Justin.

[alt_sirius]

Yes, it's clear that Justin hung the moon as far as she's concerned. I was surprised she spoke so long about going to France someday, eh? That was probably the most animated she got for the whole visit.

I don't think she noticed, either, but the look Dora gave you when you started to say 'Padfu' - I thought she was about to bash you over the head again.

What did she say about Rigel, and pets? I didn't quite hear her. Something about how she didn't know if he liked dogs but he seemed to like rabbits?

[alt_lupin]

Mmm. Were you listening when we asked her about pets? She's had two rabbits. One died, and the other was taken away from her and given to her brother.

[alt_sirius]

That must have been what she meant when she said he liked them. She sounded unhappy about it - but then, I'd've been unhappy too if my mother had taken away something of mine and given it to Regulus. Not at fourteen, though. She's small for fourteen, isn't she? I mean to say, she seems awfully slight for someone her age.

[alt_alice]

I know you have been worried about Hydra's association with Justin, and her motives... Have you changed your opinion of that, then? Do you think she's genuine about him?

[alt_lupin]

I can't speak for Sirius, but I certainly think she's genuine about him. Just the way she looked when she talked about him -- I don't think she was dissembling.

[alt_sirius]

Oh, I think she's genuine. As genuine as he is.

Owl just came from him, sent yesterday. He's been offered the 'opportunity' to defect. Wants to talk through the advantages of staying - and mentions how difficult it'll be to leave Hydra, if you please!

Merlin, it's a whole other host of worries. Romeo and Juliet of Hogwarts.

If I write and tell him to absolutely go home, he'll probably choose to stay just to show me he can make his own decisions. If I tell him he should stay then of course, that's what he'll do.

[alt_lupin]

I am SO glad you're the one with adolescent pen friends, and not me.

[alt_sirius]

Oh, shut it.

Just wait until Bea's old enough to date.

[alt_lupin]

She can date Kevin. He's about the right age.

Or I suppose once she's of age -- by which I mean thirty -- she can date whomever she chooses.

[alt_gredforge]

About Hydra Lestrange: we don't really know her at all. But we do know some people who know her better. That'll have to wait until we get back to school, though. (We'll be careful about what we ask, don't worry.)

Really though, maybe Hermione would know more? After all, she's around the Slytherin Common Room, and might see her there.

We have more information about Terry. Some reassurance, but some other stuff that's worried us a lot more. This is what we've pulled together from the notes we got:

He's really not acting normal. He's still reverting to 'boot,' particularly if something upsets him. There's a kind of confusion, or indirectness in his thinking. And maybe a touch of paranoia. He reports he's been sick for a couple days, but he doesn't think he's been poisoned. (Since this is a conversation that's contantly being conducted second and third hand, we didn't pass along the explanation that we wondered if the purpose of the blood spell was to remove poison from Alecto Carrow).

He says he's been sick for the past couple days: nausea, weakness, chills, vomiting. Oh, and he had a nosebleed. It feels worse if Carrow's farther away. Here's what he said about the ritual: they mixed his blood with a potion, cut his forearms and poured the mess over it, and it burned like 'cold fire.' There were some words said at this point, and he caught some reference to 'binding,' and there was more said, too, but he was in too much pain, maybe, to catch it. Then the other half of the blood/potion mixture got burned up in a silver cauldron.

He did think the bezoar was a good idea. But--this is weird: he willingly sent that sample of his blood to us before, the last time they did the binding spell; in fact, it was his idea. And this time, he mentioned they broke the vial afterwards so he couldn't save it. But when the suggestion was passed along that he send us a sample of his blood, suddenly he sounded afraid, maybe, or disgusted. Maybe both. Bugger, we didn't even think of that, but we can maybe see why. For years, Carrow's treated Terry like his blood's sort of his own personal ink well, to use for whatever purpose he likes. Guess for us to ask for the blood was somehow more threatening than him offering it.

So he was asked some more questions, and he wouldn't quite answer them, not directly. But then he said something strange, a real non sequitur about another kid there at the castle, a muggle about his own age. We think they were starting to be friends. He said: 'Dudley's still alive.' Like there was some doubt in his mind for awhile that it was true.

So one of us came up with what we think was a pretty shrewd guess: that the Carrows somehow forced Terry into hurting this other kid. Somehow, that hit him too close to the bone. He got really upset, turned into 'boot the mudblood,' said we shouldn't talk to him, and then disappeared.

Does that information about the ritual give you lot any better idea of what's going on?

[alt_lupin]

The bit about 'cold fire' rings a faint bell. I'm going to have a look in the library at Grimmauld Place and see if anything turns up.

Hasn't Alecto had nosebleeds? I'm trying to remember what Poppy said about her illness the other day.

Unfortunately, forcing Terry to hurt someone else sounds like exactly the sort of sadistic game that Amycus would relish for its own sake. That could have been part of the ritual, or it could have been entirely for fun.

[alt_gredforge]

Oh. One more thing. When he said that bit about Dudley, he said something else, too. We got together with one of our sources and spent a few hours tracking it down. It was a reference to a conversation awhile back under our Lock.

See, there was a point months ago where Terry was being a little more open than usual about Carrow, and what the git does to him. He told us about 'sadism' and 'masochism.' (He had to explain the words to us. Ugh.) He said that Carrow's a sadist, and that he'd probably like it if Terry was a masochist, but Terry said he's not. (Thank goodness.) Oh yeah, and this stuff can overlap a lot with Dark Magic. THEN he said that what he was really afraid of would be if Carrow decides to get someone else in, someone even WEAKER than Terry, and try to get Terry to be a sadist toward that other person. And then Carrow would get to watch.

And while we were talking about that, one of us started talking about Dark Arts theory, and said that one of the ways to defeat the cruciatus spell was compassion.

Anyway, maybe Terry was right about what Carrow wanted, and that's what happened. With Dudley.

The other thing he said, right after telling us that Dudley was alive, was that, um, this person was right. About compassion.

[alt_frank]

different sort of spell than last time, but doesn't seem like a poison transfer. sounds like he's binding terry closer to him. it'd explain why it's worse the further away he gets. and the anger and paranoia too, if some of carrow's rubbing off on him.

any idea about the silver cauldron bit, severus?

Private Message to Frank

[alt_alice]

Love, are you coming up to bed? It's late.

Re: Private Message to Frank

[alt_frank]

can't sleep.

Re: Private Message to Frank

[alt_alice]

Come up anyways?

I could use a bit of company.

Re: Private Message to Frank

[alt_frank]

m'not the best company.

not tonight.

Re: Private Message to Frank

[alt_alice]

Should I

You've been dr

Frank. I don't care what sort of company you're like. You are my husband, and I love you. I know you're hurting, and I know what you've been up to most of the evening, and I don't blame you for it, nor am I angry with you. It would just make me feel better if you were with me. Much better.

Please.

Re: Private Message to Frank

[alt_frank]

sorry.

sorry, al.

give me twenty minutes to wash up.

[alt_sirius]

Also, about that 'binding': If Carrow's trying any sort of binding that's tied to his own life, then it's important Terry understand that any harm Carrow suffers might bounce off of him and on to Terry. Do you understand, lads? It could be that Carrow's fixed it so that whatever happens to him or his sister takes its toll on Terry first. If he cuts himself shaving, Terry could bleed.

Perhaps Alice can give you the Secret for Grimmauld and you could help us rifle the library for more likely explanations.

On the Animagus front: This is going to sound weird, I know, but tell him that when he's alone, he could try pretending to be a few animals. Visualise wagging a tail or stretching like a cat or flapping wings. I know, it's dead silly but it's a short cut. Gets you out of higher thinking, if you know what I mean. Don't do it where Carrow can see him, though, or who knows what that bastard will think. Probably decide Terry's only good to eat out of a dog dish on the floor or something.

The thought occurs to me that this might be Carrow's way of protecting himself against Minerva's threat to duel him. If she were to meet him in combat and curse him, the curse would rebound onto Terry.

Mordred. I'm sorry. That was a well morbid idea. Been reading too much of my father's old Dark Arts books.

[alt_gredforge]

...

Blast.

Uh, we take it back. Maybe we're not in such a hurry for the Headmistress to duel the git.

We'd be willing to help you hunt through that library. (Actually, we're sort of itching to see the place). We'll talk with Bill or Mum about coordinating with Alice. What day would be good for you, or maybe you and Remus?

And we'll figure out how to pass along the word to Terry on that other stuff.

(Poor bloke.)