I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

Well

I hope the Order is planning on giving me some Potions tutoring in addition to the Apparation lessons.

The Headmistress caught me giving Stephen Capper his tea (which is just TISANE, mind you, not anything I'm not supposed to have, though I was trying to get him to think it was a sleeping potion -- so much for THAT) and now she's forbidden me to make potions EVEN IN POTIONS CLASS.

I assume I'm still allowed to make them WHILE I'M TAKING MY OWL EXAM but I didn't ask because I didn't want to give her any ideas.

AND she told Capper that his brother died in the camps, after they snapped his wand and sent him there (because he wasn't nervous enough! I mean I HAVE BEEN MAKING HIM THESE TEAS BECAUSE HE CAN'T SLEEP FOR WORRYING ABOUT THAT HAPPENING TO HIM) and I'm hoping that really means the Order got him out, since they faked my mum's death maybe they also faked Thomas Capper's?

Comments

[alt_neville]

Blimey. That's just--

All right. First of all, you are going to pass your O.W.L.s. And so is Capper. We'll make sure of it.

I'm willing to take whatever potions ingredients that're needed for whatever potions we work on in class, every time. If all of us nick just a little, we can keep you supplied. And you can brew, in the hidden room. I'm sure Fred and George or Lee would help you. Lee especially. He's really good at potions. Wait...

All right, I just spoke to him, here in the Gryffindor Common Room. He said yeah, he'll do whatever he can to help you.

We'll figure this out. She is not going to beat you on this!

[alt_neville]

And what a filthy thing to do to Capper, to fling it at him about his brother like that. He didn't know?

Come to think of it...that's exactly what she did to the Weasleys, isn't it? About their Dad?

We've got to think of a way to help him, too.

[alt_evelyn]

That's a good idea about nicking the potions ingredients. Sally-Anne, if you get us a list of ingredients you need, I can see what I can pocket during my lessons too.

[alt_sally_anne]

ugh ugh ugh I don't want the rest of you getting in trouble, too.

It's not as if she won't guess it's why you wanted them, if she catches you nicking them, and she pretty much popped out of NOWHERE today when I was giving Stephen his tisane.

[alt_luna]

I'm willing to pass on any teas that Stephen might need. If we pass it in the hidden room, then the Headmistress won't know, and I can give it to him in Ravenclaw Tower.

Oh, poor Stephen. I can go see if he needs some company.

[alt_pansy]

Be very careful, Lunes.

[alt_luna]

Yes, I'll be very careful. I promise.

[alt_sally_anne]

Yeah unfortunately now that he knows it's just tisane, I don't think it'll work as well. I tried to make him think it was a real potion, a gentle one that you brew like tea and then drink, because I thought if he believed it was, it would help more. The valerian made it smell and taste just dreadful, which helped with the pretense.

If you point out to him that it WAS helping then maybe it still will. It's just a blend of chamomile, lemon balm, rosemary, and lavender, plus ground valerian root. Except for the valerian there's nothing we can't just request from the kitchen still, since at least she hasn't stopped us drinking tea yet, and even the valerian isn't something we're forbidden to have.

[alt_harry]

That's

I can't

Okay.

I'm going to talk to Corner and see if there's something we can work out together to help Capper before we all leave for hols. Love Luna, or really anyone, do you know if Capper's been able to get a tutor for hols? Or after?

I really wish Madame P was still here.

And if you can't brew in class, you can't brew with a tutor, can you? Even if me or Pans got you one.

That's bollocks.

[alt_luna]

No, he doesn't have a tutor, he says. His mum tried to get one, but they couldn't find one who was certified.

[alt_harry]

Okay then.

Thanks.

Private Message to Sally-Anne

[alt_pansy]

It could've been worse.

Imagine if she'd caught you with a real sleeping potion.

I hate her so very much.

Re: Private Message to Sally-Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

If they catch me with the real potions I'm going to wind up in the camps.

I mean there's no way around it. If you saw how excited Umbridge was when she thought that's what I'd given him, and then how disappointed she looked when she tested it and saw I was telling the truth --

Re: Private Message to Sally-Anne

[alt_pansy]

If she catches you, we're going to make sure you stay hidden and safe until Sirius can come fetch you.

I'd kill her if she tried to stop us.

Re: Private Message to Sally-Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

Well this is part of why we made the coins, right? if I send out an 'x' you'll know to have the Twins light off every firework they've got and the rest of you can come save me.

Re: Private Message to Sally-Anne

[alt_pansy]

With all our wands blazing.

You know, we really are sort of like an army. Because it'd take one to stop us, if it came to that.

Re: Private Message to Sally-Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

You'll come bursting in and it'll be ... Su Li. Or Megan Jones (except she doesn't have a galleon).

Not that I want either of them sent to the camps, either.

[alt_terry]

If you come to the review sessions being held at the Burrow, I promise you'll have a tutor for potions, at least for the Easter holidays. A very good one. It's all arranged.

[alt_sally_anne]

Well that's something.

Even just a potions lab so I can practise would be something. I mean all the potions I might have to brew for the Potions OWL, I HAVE brewed successfully at least once. It's just that I've also muffed all of them completely on other occasions.

I was planning to take advantage of any open potions lab time Professor Slughorn offered, when we got back from hols, to practise the ones I haven't mastered.

[alt_hermione]

There's another lab at Hogwarts, too. Well, there's the Room of course, the secret room, but there are other places.

We can talk about it at Grimm the place where we'll be revising. There's a place I go to practise.


She's evil, that woman. And that's from someone who has to live near Him a lot of the times.

[alt_sally_anne]

Well, in theory all I really need is a cauldron and privacy, right? And ingredients.

It may be the 'privacy' and 'time' that are in shortest supply. I could start skipping the YPL Exercise sessions, those are theoretically optional.

[alt_pansy]

And it's not like it'd make her hate you less if you kept going.

Hermione, does it have enough supplies for what she'd need?

And you know I'm going to drill you until you are sick of it whenever we get the chance.

[alt_sally_anne]

Well drilling is all well and good but I can TELL you how to make a Draught of Peace. I know the exact ingredients, I can recite the precise instructions in the textbook, it's just that when I make it I've never (on my own) got the timing just right that it turns out properly.

[alt_pansy]

Maybe we could do a mock version and time it?

[alt_sally_anne]

Well in theory it's seven minutes you simmer it before you add the hellebore but actually that doesn't work consistently. You have to watch it, and add the hellebore when it turns just the right shade of pink. Sometimes I get the wrong shade. Other times I think I did that part right but didn't pick quite the right moment to add the unicorn horn...

[alt_sally_anne]

Also, the one that might be on the OWL that I still have the most trouble with is the Draught of Peace -- I brewed that correctly once but Slughorn walked by and told me when to add the syrup of hellebore. It's never turned out any other time.

My wit-sharpening potion is also still a bit unpredictable even though we covered those last year and I did fine on the exam (that was one of the times it turned out). My Befuddlement potion is also a bit unpredictable -- I mean it USUALLY turns out but not consistently.

[alt_ron]

You okay today? Sorry I wasn't around la

She didn't hex you to keep you being able to brew Potions, did she? I can't think what kind of hex would do that.

Except Imperius.

She didn't, did she?

And she didn't give you another badge, did she? Were you wearing the one you have?

Only, I wonder if she has some sort of snooping spell on them. I mean, you said she came out of nowhere, and-

Yeah.

Maybe we could make a dummy badge that would look like the one she gave you but wouldn't have any spell she put on.

Don't say it. Paranoid. That's me. But really, she's a nightmare.

[alt_luna]

Ron, that's a very good thought. About the badges. I don't think you're being paranoid; I've heard a couple people complain about her showing up at exactly the wrong moment, just when she's not wanted.

I think we should send a warning out on the galleons. I'll do it.

[alt_sally_anne]

She didn't put imperius on me, she just told Slughorn I'm not allowed to brew anymore even in class or under supervision. He told me he'd talk to her about it, though I doubt it'll do any good.

I hadn't even thought about the stupid badge. I was wearing it, because I'd been at YPL exercises and I was heading to supper next. I've transfigured a duplicate, though now I'm wondering if it'll make her even MORE suspicious if I stash the original in my trunk. Maybe a soundproof pouch inside my book bag would be better? Because if they're also something she uses to know exactly where you are, it would be awfully suspicious if it tells her I'm in my dorm when she knows I'm not and sees me wearing it -- you know?

[alt_ron]

Ugh.

You're right, a sound-proof pouch is a good idea, in case she's able to use them to listen in on what you say. But she'd still know where you are. If that's what the badges are. Trackers, I mean. And that would really not be good if she were able to track us to the secret room.

I'm going to write on the galleons that no one should ever wear a badge up there again.

We should meet tonight, anywiz. Don't you think? So we can talk before we all go home.

[alt_justin]

Hullo, Sally-Anne,

Wayne, Bobby, John and I were up half the night, talking about Madam Umbridge and her latest crashing insensitivity.

I say, it's beyond intolerable. I keep wondering if I might be able to say something to Mr Rosier or Mr Pontner at the Ministry, to somehow turn this into a public relations debacle, what? But then, it can't possibly be a worse issue for them than it already is, and yet no one's done anything about it.

It's well frightful, no matter what. We've just got to make sure she doesn't succeed in bringing us low--in body, spirit or anything else that matters.

-Justin