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[alt_sally_anne]

I just wanted to mention that while I was in Hogsmeade yesterday Avery tracked me down while I was by myself to tell me I ought to break things off with Ron because he'll never get on the Council with a half-blood girlfriend, and I'm holding him back, and when I didn't seem properly impressed he said that everyone knows Lucius Malfoy is out of favour with Our Lord and if He wants to punish Mr Malfoy for something, Avery could see to it that it was Pansy who got hurt. Because she's more expendable than Draco, or Mrs Malfoy.

He didn't say who he'd tell them to hurt instead, if I went along with it and broke things off with Ron. I'm sorry I didn't think to ask.

Anyway

I thought I should tell, well, enough people that I didn't make this a PM to Mrs Longbottom (though I did tell Ron and Pansy last night).

Comments

[alt_alice]

I see.

I'm sorry, Sally-Anne.

Draco, Hyrda, have you any thoughts? Does this threat have some teeth behind it? Perhaps you might see what you can glean over the holidays.

[alt_draco]

Don't they always have teeth?

We're not the only ones being challenged, here. Our sponsors are, too - indirectly, yes, but even so. If Avery has spoken with both Weasley and Sally Anne about ending things, then I think it's logical to assume that he's being entirely serious and that he's reacting as such because he's been made to feel insecure or threatened about the candidates he chose.

Nevermind that there are half-bloods who are candidates and that it should therefore matter little if another one is dating one.

The proper thing for Weasley to do would be to break things off. In public, at least. I suppose Sally Anne could do it, too, though it doesn't send quite the same message.

[alt_draco]

Then again, it may be more advantageous for Sally Anne to do it, if only to appear as if she's a half-blood who knows her place and responds well to the suggestions of a pureblooded council member. Conversely, Weasley comes out looking like one who doesn't immediately cave in the face of Avery's threats, which is good.

He also comes out looking like a half-blood lover, but that can't be helped now, anyway.

Private Message to Draco

[alt_alice]

And what about his statements regarding your father?

I suspect Avery was posturing in order to intimidate, but it still doesn't paint a very pleasant picture regarding his current position.

Re: Private Message to Draco

[alt_draco]

What about them?

What possible benefit is there to assume that Avery is posturing?

Re: Private Message to Draco

[alt_alice]

That's one reason I'm asking you to help me sort out these dynamics further. With Minerva's hands tied, we're blind in terms of the inner workings of the council. They've recently added a great deal of new blood, in addition to this contest business, and it is difficult sometimes to determine where these new political faultlines and allegiances lie and how they can best be exploited.

I'm assuming due to his only recently joining the council that his ability to bend the ear of Voldemort is fairly minimal. You're right in that perhaps it would be worth our while to learn more about those dynamics before jumping to conclusions.

Whatever you could find out would be useful.

Re: Private Message to Draco

[alt_draco]

Even if Avery can't bend Voldemort's ear directly, there's probably someone else whose ear he can bend who is more higher ranking than he. Alliances and allegiances are crucial to most council members. The ones who don't have them end up like the Carrows.

I don't have much I can tell you that wouldn't amount to more than speculation, but I'll let you know if that changes.

Re: Private Message to Draco

[alt_alice]

Please do.

I know that this is a difficult time for you, and for your family, and that you face a very uncertain future.

Please let me know if there's anything that I can do.

And if what you truly needed was to keep your family safe, I would do what I could to help you. You are not alone, Draco.

[alt_ron]

Go bludger yourself, Malfoy! Obviously you don't care enough for anyone to stand up if there's a bit of pressure. Fine.

I mean, I'm sorry for anyone who thinks you care for them. Seriously.

But I'm not doing what Avery wants. Especially not now he's trying to throw his weight around. And I'm surely not doing it just because you think it's a good idea. I mean, of course you do.

You can't give in to people like that. Then they know how they can manipulate you forever.

[alt_draco]

You quite clearly care a great deal about Pansy, I see. Or don't you?

And you needn't get so emotional. More than half of our real lives are carried on in secret anyway, so what difference does it make if you and Sally Anne have a temporary falling out in public? There are dozens of ways to stage it so that Avery has no sure way to conclude that it necessarily had anything to do with his threats.

He already knows how to manipulate you; you're fooling yourself if you think he doesn't.

[alt_ron]

Of course I care about Pansy. That's really rich, coming from you!

But that's why we can't just give in to Avery, because then he'll know all he has to do is threaten Pans and we'll roll over. And then he's loads more likely to really do something to her.

The difference between public and private is owning up to what you care about. And if I break things off with Sally Anne that puts her in a really bad position. I mean, if Nott, say, or any of the rest want an easy target, it tells them they can go for her because no one cares enough to protect her anymore. And it maybe makes it tempting to show her what they think of halfbloods or to put her in her 'place', y'know?

[alt_draco]

Yes, I anticipated you would say that, which is why I suggested that you do it in a way that leaves Avery with no clear way to determine that the break-up was a result of his interference. Waiting a week or two, for example - or, better yet, have Harry make the suggestion. That boosts Harry's profile with Voldemort while at the same time making it clear to Avery who you answer to.

Also - contrary to what you, Sally Anne, or anyone else might embody or think, couples are actually constantly breaking up in this school, or going off and on in a variety of ways.

Sorry to say it, but you're most likely over-estimating how much your dating Sally Anne "protects" her. Her associations with Pansy, Hydra, Harry, and myself carry a great deal more weight with people like Nott. Though Nott likes to test those boundaries all the time, anyway, regardless of who he might offend.

[alt_ron]

Yeah, look. About that. It's not that I can protect her--you're right, I can't--but that dropping her would be a signal she's an open target. If you're going to step up and make it clear you're protecting her, then... But you're not. You don't. Pansy does, sure, but I'm not sure that would stop something happening if we set up a breakup and make her act like her pureblood boyfriend's decided she's rubbish. That's just an invitation for Nott or Montague or any of them.

[alt_draco]

It seems the only scenario you are imagining is one where you call her a slaggy half-blood in front of the entire school, or something. You don't have to announce that she's "rubbish." In fact, the scenario I propose with Harry would fully allow you to maintain a public friendship with her.

Is this about protecting her or about protecting your Gryffindor's sense of nobility and chivalry?

[alt_ron]

. . .

[alt_ron]

He tried telling me, a month ago, that I should drop Sally Anne, and I reckon when I didn't, he decided to take a different approach.

But we're not doing it. Avery can go bludger himself.

[alt_hermione]

He might 'know' that Mr Malfoy's out of favour but there's a big difference between that and Voldemort having an excuse to punish Mr Malfoy. Not that he'd need an excuse So that part might just be posturing, because as far as anyone can tell, Mr Malfoy's still doing everything that Voldemort requires of him. It's harder to know what that all entails, though, given that he's tried to give Draco room to succeed. Or, I don't know, Pansy, he hasn't distanced himself from you in quite the same way. Maybe you could ask him just how bad it's getting for him, and then we'd know more?

One thing I thought of just the other night is the book. Mr Malfoy usually checks it when he comes to the Governors' meetings and last Thursday I don't think he did. I mean, he didn't really stick around or come early or anything (well, he almost never comes early but he certainly wasn't in the castle afterward). But aren't the women at Bedford going to start having their babies really soon? (Not that it matters because they wouldn't show up in the copy he sees and they it's not as if they'll be discovered in the camps, but it made me realise we really should just put it on our list of things to do a day or two before the Governors meet, finding a way in to the Headmistress's office to check the book.)

Oh, but anyway, what I meant was that if he's started ignoring that, then that's a possible reason someone might make trouble for him. Or maybe it's an indication that he's horribly distracted by other things. Not that Voldemort would have Pansy tortured just because Mr Malfoy didn't check the book. But he might, it's hard to say.

[alt_justin]

Hermione,

He used to come earlier, though, didn't he? I mean to say, I recall him arranging tea with Draco and Pansy and Harry and sometimes even Hydra. I say, perhaps it's because he doesn't wish to associate himself with them, what, or with the Headmistress if he's aware of the strictures on her. Or perhaps he doesn't wish to be observed speaking to Professor Dolohov, what. There are a jolly good load of reasons he might be making his visits as short as possible, if you follow me.

But Pansy, Hermione's got a good suggestion about asking Mr Malfoy how things are with him. I rather suspect he might be flattered by your solicitousness, what, and perhaps give us a better sense of Voldemort's mind. You might even ask him if he believes his strategies are helping you and Draco. If he declines to answer, we're no worse off, and if he does say something, well then, I say, we'd be a dashed sight better for the intelligence.

Either way, I do think it's dangerous to consider that Avery's merely puffing himself up to appear more influential in Ron's or Sally-Anne's eyes. I'm bally well sure he could arrange to fabricate any sort of offence he likes, if he's not pleased, and particularly if he thinks Mr Malfoy's vulnerable.

-Justin

[alt_draco]

Everyone knows, or at least suspects, that my father is out of favour. Avery undoubtedly knows more than I do at this point; I've barely spoken to my father since Christmas hols. And even if I had, he would undoubtedly go to great lengths to hide the details of his disgrace from me. That's just how he is.

Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_ron]

What are you thinking?

Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_ron]

Er. Are you not talking to me, then?

You were already gone last night when I came to walk you back. You could've sent me a message if you were done early.

Re: Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

I'm sorry. I didn't want to --

I actually went to bed really early last night so I wouldn't have to think about this. And then couldn't fall asleep I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to walk with me, Milli had come in for some reason and Madam P suggested I walk back with her, and she said it was to make sure I could keep an eye on her while we were walking but of course she's in the Order (Madam P, I mean) and I was thinking maybe she was trying to

I don't know.

If anything happens to Pansy, I

Re: Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

And I wasn't picking up my journal because I was afraid Mrs Longbottom would have said, 'you two have to at least pretend to break things off, that's going to be safest for all of you' but instead she didn't say anything useful at all, which is almost as bad.

Re: Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_ron]

Yeah.

I don't even know.

I wish some of the would say something. Because I want to know if they think Malfoy's right. Because the way they're not saying anything, I think they do.

And if they'd just say, then I could tell them to all get bludgered.

Except.

I don't want anything to happen to Pansy, either. And I don't want it sound like I don't care if something does.

This really reeks, y'know?

Re: Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

Yeah.

Re: Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

I mean, Draco's right that we could continue to see each other secretly and things wouldn't actually change all that much, we already live so much of our lives in secret -- and you know, we get to have our mothers in the secret with us, and Draco doesn't; the cost he pays for keeping the secret is different than for us.

But you're also right that giving in to a blackmailer shows that you can be manipulated.

But of course, we wouldn't REALLY be giving in; we'd be sending a signal that we could be manipulated but it would be a lie, one that would give us some information, maybe, later on.

And you know, I still don't know who Avery thinks he'd push as a sacrificial lamb, instead. I hadn't thought about how vulnerable Pansy is, I'd always thought about how her friendship with Mr Malfoy keeps her safe but he's right it cuts both ways. Draco's always been the one at wandpoint, you know, they threatened him to keep Harry in line and they punished him when Harry misbehaved (and they made Mr Malfoy do it) but no one really paid that much attention to Pansy.

It would probably be Mrs Malfoy. That they'd use instead.

Re: Private Message to Sally Anne

[alt_ron]

Okay, yeah. I just don't believe Avery can be sure who Voldemort would go after or that Voldemort would listen to what Avery says about which of them to hurt.

But I don't know he can't.

I mean, really, what do I know?