I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

I spent most of the evening covered in other people's blood and my dress robes are shredded and my rat has been trembling in my sleeve for hours.

Pansy and I climbed down out of the Protector's Box because there seemed to be a lot more injuries on level 20. And we'd both learned some mediwizardry at CCF.

There were people who were hurt so badly they'd have died if we hadn't stabilised them. And there were people who were barely scratched but who grabbed onto my sleeves and insisted they were dying and then called me heartless when I pulled away and said there were a lot of people who were hurt worse and those were the ones I could do the most good for. And there were people who were terribly hurt who said 'heal my child first' or 'surely there are others who need you more' and there were people who just sat there and stared into space like they didn't know where they were or what was going on.

And I knew that from where the blast came from, the servants' area was probably even WORSE but I had no idea how to get there and in the meantime there were all these people who were hurt, all around me.

Finally enough real Healers got to the section that they could take over. And Madam Pomfrey answered my message and said she'd go to the servants' area but of course she hasn't told me whether Hermione is all right. And Hermione still hasn't said anything. I hope it's just that she doesn't have her journal with her. Or the ink got smashed in the explosion.

And then they made us all get back into the Protector's Box because there was going to be a 'Demonstration.' All these people gathered down at the bottom of the pitch. Some of them were Council members but most of them were just ordinary people. And they formed everyone into lines and they all saluted the Lord Protector with their wands and then the Lord Protector cast the spell to make the Dark Mark, and then they started running.

They sounded like wolves on the hunt.

Apparently there's a muggle camp not too far from here. It's mostly muggles who actually built the stadium for the QWC.

And now I'm finally back at Pansy's. She loaned me a nightgown and I'm going to bathe and sleep here and go back to the Stretton's in the morning.

The actual game seems like it was about ten years ago.

Comments

[alt_ron]

So you're okay, then? Both of you?

[alt_sally_anne]

Yes, we're okay.

Okay'ish, anyway.

[alt_terry]

I'm really glad to hear it. I just opened my journal because the git had me at his beck and call last night and...

Merlin, Sally-Anne. And Pansy. Thank you for saving lives. I'm ever so proud of you both. But Hermione's right, sometimes the worst thing is that you can't unsee certain things.

I hope you sleep okay tonight. Don't hesitate to ask for Dreamless Sleep potion, for at least the first few nights, if you can't.

[alt_gredforge]

What he said. Good on you both, Perks and Parkinson.

[alt_pansy]

I was just helping.

I wouldn't have been brave enough if Sally-Anne hadn't decided to go and help.

She was brilliant though.

Really truly brilliant.

[alt_sally_anne]

So were you.

Don't cut yourself down.

[alt_sally_anne]

I should have asked last night whether there was any in Pansy's house. I hardly slept at all.

Terry I'm really glad you didn't have time to look in your journal last night. Because you wouldn't have known if Hermione was okay.

[alt_pansy]

I wasn't even thinking about that.

I wasn't thinking much at all.

I feel like I haven't slept in a week.

I wish you were still here.

[alt_sally_anne]

Me too.

[alt_sally_anne]

You know it just occurred to me I'm being ridiculous.

AS IF Mrs Stretton is going to say no to me right now.

I've packed my trunk. I told her I'm going back to your house as soon as I can floo-call you to let you know I'm coming, and I'll just leave for school from there.

Is that okay? I'll try a floo call as soon as you tell me you're there to answer.

[alt_pansy]

Yes.

I'm here.

[alt_sally_anne]

I'm on my way.

[alt_pansy]

Good.

[alt_terry]

Yeah, I think you're right. I would have just about gone spare if I'd had to wait all night to find out she was all right. But this way, her post was the first thing I saw when I opened up my journal this morning.

[alt_ron]

We are, too. Mum and Dad finally got here--back at the tents. And Nev and Evelyn and Ginny and Bill and Charlie were all with them. There are too many of us kids for them to side-along us out, and everyone was sort of too tired to think about doing it, anywiz. So we're staying tonight and going to take the Portkey tomorrow like we were scheduled at the beginning.

I'm not sure where Percy is. With the Malfoys, maybe. Or Clearwater. I don't know. And no one's saying anything about it.

We heard that crowd leave the stadium. Dad called it a mob. And he looked really sad. Or grim, actually. That's more how he looked. Like it would be awful, whatever they'd get up to. So they were going to the camp? That can't be good.

[alt_sally_anne]

No.

[alt_sally_anne]

I'm glad you're all okay.

[alt_ron]

Yeah. Me, too.

[alt_ron]

You know, for a while tonight, I was sort of stuck taking care of Arista Selwyn. And there were all these people, pushing and shoving and breathing like they'd been running miles. And loads of people were crying. And some were shouting at everybody, like that would do any good.

But Arista was okay. I mean, once I caught up to her and told her I was going to stay with her. She wanted to hold my hand for a while. But then she wanted me to make her laugh, so I was doing my whole part as Mad Eye's cat. And we were stuck in this sort of window ledge halfway down the stairs and we couldn't go back up and people were just stuffed in there and no one could really move, but we were just sitting there and she was laughing.

I don't know. It was just odd that all that stuff could've happened all in one night and everyone else could be so wound up about it all, and we were just there and it was all right for a while.

I mean, I guess I should feel bad that I wasn't helping a lot of people, which maybe I could've done if I hadn't taken off after her. But, I don't know. I'm pretty useless at Healing stuff. But I can make kids laugh. You know?

Private message to Ron

[alt_sally_anne]

You did really well, Ron. Looking after Arista.

When I climbed down at first it wasn't to heal people, it was to look for you, because your mum was screaming in the journals and I couldn't see you through the omnioculars anymore and I told her I'd try to find you.

But then there were people everywhere bleeding who needed help, and

I knew that I needed to do what I could, and trust that you could take care of yourself. And you did. And you took care of Arista.

[alt_neville]

I'm glad we were there with your parents. I mean, I could see your mum was upset, but after she found out you lot were all all right she was trying not to show it.

Oh, blimey. I bet this means that Gran's not ever gonna let me go to the World Cup again.

I hope...I hope that not too many people got hurt. From that crowd that left the stadum looking for trouble.

That was an awful thing to happen. On top of a whole lot of other awful. Ugh.

[alt_neville]

It also makes me feel a little bit worse, in a way, that I didn't get into CCF, because it's clear that the mediwizardry stuff can come in real handy. Although goodness knows I hope that none of us ever want to have another 'opportunity' to practise it like that. I wonder if there is some way I could take a first aid course somewhere else.

[alt_sally_anne]

You know -- do you still get to come to YPL during the year? Because we should suggest that to Sinistra, that the YPL have some of those mediwizardry people come and run a class like that that anyone could take.

Because the stuff I did mostly wasn't THAT complicated. They taught us some rules (like the three B's: breath, blood, body heat) and spells that won't fix someone perfectly but heal them enough so they won't die while you take them to St Mungo's or wait for the real Healers to arrive.

Otherwise we could talk to Madam Pomfrey, because I think she'd think it was a good idea, too.

[alt_neville]

I'd be willing to do either one. Do a class with YPL--if they'll still have me--or take it through Madam Pomfrey.

I think it's a good idea if you can get away to stay with Pansy till school starts.