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

[alt_sally_anne]

So have they been pulling all of us aside for quiet little conversations or just me? Because first Mrs Longbottom wanted to talk to me and then yesterday it was Tonks.

Mrs Longbottom wanted to tell me that they're trying to be less secretive and it's hard because they've got so many bad habits to break. Only I guess she could tell how cross I was getting because she backed off after a bit.

Talking to Tonks was better although I'm even more confused now about -- she had an awful, awful foster family, you know, Auror Crouch's parents. Once when she was sick, they didn't want to get her a Healer but they didn't want to catch the disease from her so they shut her in her room and barely even fed her.

She wanted to know if I wanted to join the Order. And what I thought was worth taking risks for, which was a good question, actually, it was sort of what Michael and I had that last really big fight over. He thought I was taking too many risks, with the potions.

And maybe he's right? Healing the muggle children who were sick last year, that was worth a lot of risk. Because some of them would have died. (And it turns out that none of them did, after all.) But the Hogwarts students who are hexed to throw up or have headaches or to drop things constantly or all the other awful things that Umbridge does to people, they won't die, or at least they shouldn't. It's about hurting people. And I can't -- I don't know, I can't bring myself to look at people who I could help and say, 'you're not hurting ENOUGH for me to risk myself.'

I don't know.

It's easier to make a decision when you know the consequences will be be annoying but not horrible, like if I'm taking a risk of being punished in an ordinary way it's different than if I'm risking being sent to the camps. And it's easier to make a decision when you know that what you're trying to stop is really truly awful, like if I'm taking a risk to protect someone from being sent to the camps it's different than if I'm taking a risk to stop them vomming up their supper.

Comments

[alt_pansy]

...which is a very Hufflepuff way to do things.

She's probably in charge, then.

[alt_ron]

When Hufflepuffs rule the world...

Could it happen?

[alt_pansy]

Umbridge is one too, isn't she?

I think Mrs Longbottom could probably kick Madame Umbridge's arse in a duel. And the people that work with her seem to like her a lot more than the people who work with Umbridge.

But Madame Umbridge has an edge when it comes to not being afraid to be truly awful to get something done. At least from what I've seen of Mrs Longbottom so far. We'll have to see.

I think they have about the same number of enemies, but Umbridge probably has a much shorter lifespan. Which is sort of funny, if you think about it.

And now that Mrs Longbottom seems to be gunning for Umbridge, it's even funnier, because she and Professor Raz and Professor Dolohov all want the same thing.

[alt_sally_anne]

I know! If only they could all work together on this particular problem!!!

Because SURELY at that point Umbridge would wind up DEAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. Or at least she'd no longer be our problem.

[alt_pansy]

Exactly.

Well, if we work with both, that might help matters.