I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good: Private message to Pansy

[alt_sally_anne]

I'm on my way to the Burrow for supper tonight. Tomorrow I have to do the perimeter check on my broom in the afternoon and will be stuck having supper at the Strettons but I'm free all day on Wednesday. Maybe we're appreciating tea that day? If not do you want to get together anyway?

Are you going to ask them for careers advice? Other than 'you're probably not going to run a greenhouse'...

Comments

[alt_pansy]

I have a feeling Hitty would love to help us continue to Appreciate Tea back at our flat. After we go shopping to prepare for our extended Appreciation of Tea.

[alt_sally_anne]

Sounds good to me.

[alt_pansy]

And yes, I wanted to see what Mr Snape thought of things. Because he's asked me to help with some of his research which is

Well, I mean, it's really sort of ace. Actually.

And what they think about my trying for the Department of Mysteries, although they might not know how to get in, because none of them have yet. At least none that are still alive.

[alt_sally_anne]

I'm not sure who you'd even ask about Mysteries.

I asked Mr Snape for advice because I particularly wanted some thoughts from someone who's in the Order AND is a Slytherin. It's not that I don't like Gryffindors but sometimes their thinking is a bit two-dimensional, you know?

[alt_pansy]

They do tend to bellyache about Dark Arts, don't they?

From what I've seen so far, Mrs Longbottom is great deal more practical than I thought she would be, but I'm fairly sure she's a Hufflepuff.

[alt_sally_anne]

She is.

Professor Sprout is a Hufflepuff too, obviously. Tonks is a Hufflepuff. And Madam Pomfrey is a Ravenclaw. Mr Snape was a Slytherin. Aurelia Archer's uncle was a Slytherin in the Order, but he died a few years ago.

Terry's a Ravenclaw but Hermione's a Gryffindor. Lee Jordan's a Gryffindor.

The entire Weasley family probably going all the way back to the founders: Gryffindors.

Mr Longbottom: Gryffindor
Sirius Black: Gryffindor
Remus Lupin: Gryffindor
Professor Dumbledore: Gryffindor
Headmistress McGonagall: Gryffindor
Professor Macnair: Gryffindor
Nick Towler: Gryffindor
The Mysterious Rudy: who knows, but I'd put my money on Gryffindor

What with five Slytherins (even if one of us is really a Gryffindor), two Hufflepuffs, a Ravenclaw, oh and yes THREE MORE GRYFFINDORS, we doubled the House diversity of the Order of the Phoenix when Professor Dumbledore swore us all in.

[alt_pansy]

Your mum is sort of unofficial Order, isn't she? So there's that. And all the people who work for Bill. Besides Archer, I mean.

There's just a pile of people at Moddey Dhoo, and it's frightfully hard to tell who is what unless Mrs Longbottom says something like 'So and so brewed a potion' or 'such and such got her wand today.' There's that Stephen person, and Arabella somebody, who's the lady in charge, I think? They're magical, and there's a few other people they talk about a lot only it's not clear at all who has wands and who doesn't. Except for that one mad-sounding one who comes up with weapons. Fu Lee. I'm sure he's a Muggle.

Can Muggles brew potions?

I don't think so.

[alt_sally_anne]

Oh yeah, that's a good point. I think Mum is in the Order, but she doesn't have a journal (she's never had one) so she can't use the Order lock. She's a Ravenclaw. And I forget about Bill's analysts.

But I also forgot about Kingsley Shacklebolt (Gryffindor!)

So yeah.

Anyway at Moddey -- a lot of the muggleborns there never had a chance to be Sorted so they don't even really know. Like Lisa Turpin, she ought to be at Hogwarts with us, and who knows what House she'd be in? Anyway, Arabella is actually a squib, I saw that mentioned somewhere when I was reading back through all the Order posts. And Fu Lee is a muggle.

There ARE potions muggles can brew, according to my mum, because there are potions that are just mixing, or just mixing at certain temperatures (like cooking), and the person making them doesn't need any magic. That's sort of how muggle medicine works, I think.

[alt_pansy]

Really?

A squib?

That's rather unexpected. Isn't she their secret keeper? I know she has to meet everyone before they come in.

I thought she was magical for sure. Oh, and there's the people who died in Ireland. And the other people that go with Mr Shacklebolt all the time. Caradoc somebody. And Dorcas? Or Emmaline? The one who didn't die in Ireland.

And yes, I suppose that makes sense with the potions. Only I thought they were like runes, where just any Muggle carving them wouldn't make them active, it'd take a magical person doing it to make them work.

[alt_sally_anne]

Yeah she IS their secret keeper. I guess you can be a squib and still do it.

My money's on Caradoc somebody, Dorcas, Emmeline, and everyone who died in Ireland being Gryffindors and more Gryffindors but I'm willing to acknowledge I might be totally wrong about that.

And muggles can't make real potions, I mean it is like runes. But there are things muggles can make that are like potions, that's what I meant. I don't know what else you'd call them. But like the tisane I made for Capper, a muggle could make that just as well, you know? There are things muggles make that are like that only quite a bit more complicated.

[alt_sally_anne]

RIGHT.

So, are you doing anything Sunday? Because I think what you're doing on Sunday is coming to dinner at the Burrow. Because that's what I'M doing on Sunday and I really think it would be good if YOU WERE ALSO THERE.

[alt_pansy]

Of course it's what I'm doing!

Why would it be good if I was also there?

Other than the obvious, I mean.

[alt_sally_anne]

I like Mrs Weasley.

I have always liked Mrs Weasley and she has always seemed to like me reasonably well.

But now

Now she APPROVES of me. It's unnerving. I think it unnerved Ron, too. WE HAVE BEEN SNOGGING EACH OTHER FOR LESS THAN A MONTH.

I suppose this is why it's normally a big deal to Meet Someone's Parents only I have known Mrs Weasley since FIRST YEAR so...I don't want to stop going to the Burrow!

Yeah anyway. She invited me back on Sunday. You need to come. I think that will help.

[alt_pansy]

Right. I can do that.

So has she already told you what she wants you to call her future grandbabies?

You just know they're going to be ginger. And Gryffindor. Just so you're prepared.

[alt_sally_anne]

Oh bloody hell maybe I should stay home on Sunday and pretend I'm ill.

She wasn't THAT bad, thank goodness. She just beamed at me a lot. And once she got a little misty-eyed. You know what? She CLEARLY hasn't thought through the possibility of Slytherin Weasley children if we get married and OH GOD I REFUSE TO THINK ABOUT THIS

[alt_pansy]

I think it's lovely she's happy.

But I can see how it'd be weird to be around.

So we are BOTH going to dinner next Sunday, and I'm bringing a fruit basket, and we can talk endlessly about everything except your future ginger babies. Who would be utterly brilliant, by the way. And thoroughly spoiled by their Auntie Pans.

[alt_sally_anne]

WE HAVE BEEN SNOGGING FOR LESS THAN A MONTH. LESS THAN A MONTH.

[alt_pansy]

I'm just pulling your hair.

It's great that he stopped being thick about it. Honestly. And that you FINALLY

We would talk while we were waiting for you to walk up from your dad's, and he really does like you. I mean, you can just tell.

And I'm glad.

[alt_sally_anne]

Well, thanks.

I'm glad, too.

[alt_sally_anne]

By the way, I asked Mr Snape about Mysteries, since I know you're interested, and whether the Order knows anything about what would be useful for getting a job there. He didn't really know. He says that in the past, they recruited some generalists who were interested in everything, and specialists who were totally obsessed with some particular thing (like poor Capper with Arithmancy -- if he hadn't been a half-blood maybe that's where he'd have ended up.) But that was a LONG time ago, anyway.

Have you thought about asking Mr Malfoy? You got that tour all those years ago and met Mr Rookwood. It wouldn't be suspicious if you told him you've been thinking about that again.

[alt_pansy]

Yes, that's a good point.

I'm not sure what he'd think about it, but it's worth asking him, I think.

I'll have to sort out how to approach it. I don't think he'd be quite as old-fashioned as Slughorn is, though.

[alt_sally_anne]

Slughorn was just ridiculous.

And yeah, I think it's worth asking him. Unless you think he'd gossip to Dolohov -- that could be a little risky, considering. I mean he didn't see you there, but he saw me, and he probably guessed you were there somewhere.

[alt_pansy]

Good point. Who knows with Dolohov, though? It might work in my favour.