Order Only: Private Message to Sally-Anne

[alt_hermione]

How's everything going?

I know it's late but I only just had a few minutes to sit and work on my notes.

Can you get us a list of potions in need of resupply? Terry and a few others are helping Professor Slughorn with the regular stock. If I need to reassign anyone because you're running through things quickly, I can pull a couple more volunteers.

Oh, and Healer Culpeper's going to do the Wolfsbane this month, but I sort of want to be available when he does, he doesn't have a lot of practice doing it. So I might need to assign some of Professor Slughorn's assistants to Sleeper work.

Comments

[alt_sally_anne]

Potions. Yes. Basically any variety of sleep potion is still being drawn down very quickly, and not just within Hogwarts, you know those visits we've been making to Order-supportive villages, we've had lots of people asking. We're also running low on Anti-Infective and Burn Paste. We're out of Mistress Plumpwell's Anti-Wasting Remedy and we'll need a substitute, also Tummy Tonic, and you know they want more veritaserum, right? I mean not the Healers but the people down at the gate.

I know I had a list somewhere. I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something.

[alt_hermione]

Yes, Professor Slughorn's making the veritaserum himself (actually he wants me to make a cauldron 'when we have a chance,' but I've no idea when that will even be). Okay.

The problem is if I reassign Fitz then I have to either send Arista Selwyn with her or have someone else work with Arista when she's working.

Hm, maybe I can - oh, I know. Pip Macmillan! He's not in anyone's rota yet.

[alt_sally_anne]

I can come help brew, if you want, I mean instead of going out with the other Healers, if you need someone. Not for anything like veritaserum mind you. I could do the burn paste, though.

[alt_hermione]

No, I can always press for a few more helpers, but the Healers need skilled assistants.

Burn paste doesn't take too long, anyway.

[alt_sally_anne]

I never know if I'm going to spend the day with someone who's going to make me stand around and watch no matter how simple the job is, or if I'm going out with someone who's going to say, 'you take everyone in that queue over there, shout if anyone gets worse after you treat them.'

I think it would be better to have me making burn paste than spend a full day with the first sort.

[alt_hermione]

Well, if you get that sort, you could come back and take over the burn paste!

Or. Maybe if Draco doesn't have an assignment tomorrow, he'll come help.

Or not. I mean, he's an excellent potioneer but I'll have to make sure he and Terry aren't in the same lab.


You know, brewing is easy but managing all these staff is much more complicated.

[alt_sally_anne]

Draco can't even be in the same room as Terry to brew potions?

Or does it run the other way?

[alt_hermione]

Oh, no, it's nothing like that--I mean, I don't think there'd be any sort of trouble, really. I'd just rather not have to worry about any sort of awkwardness. Draco hardly notices Terry, I don't think--and it's not as if Terry doesn't get on with Draco, he does, I mean, they're well enough together, but--well, it's hard to explain.

You know how Sarah Fawcett looks at me, sometimes? Like she's wondering if I'll ever be quite good enough for Draco?

[alt_sally_anne]

Oh, sure. Yeah.

Except Terry was never your boyfriend. Was he? I mean, Sarah WAS Draco's girlfriend for a while.

[alt_hermione]

Terry? No, of course not.

Though, he'd have liked to have been. I mean, I think he still sometimes wishes I felt that way.

And sometimes I'm not even sure I feel that sort of thing about Draco. I mean, like you and Ron. Or Justin and Hydra. I suppose I fancy Draco more than I've ever fancied anyone--anyone real, that is, not a crush or anything--but--I dunno. I keep wondering if we'll wake up one morning and he'll remember that I'm nothing special, that I'm plain and I babble and I forget I have quills in my hair, and I smell like the inside of a cauldron instead of lilacs and rose petals. And he'll realise how much better he could do.

Sorry, I didn't mean to--it doesn't matter.

Anyway, I'd just as soon not put him and Terry into close contact just to see what happens.

[alt_sally_anne]

You're not plain when you're talking about something you find interesting.

And I think that's what Draco sees when he looks at you even when you're not talking.

Anyway I see what you mean about Terry. Probably better not to put them to work together.

[alt_hermione]

No.

Well, I'll figure something out. Maybe I'll tell Healer Culpeper he's needed for healing potions first, and put off the Wolfsbane another few days. We've got time.

Oh, it's nearly midnight. I should finish up these batch notes and get to sleep. You too, I expect.

[alt_sally_anne]

Anyway Arista works with you just fine, despite her crush on Draco!

Doesn't she? Actually I guess I'm just assuming, there. Since you're letting her work on the potions.

[alt_hermione]

She does all right, considering she's barely eleven. That's why I have Fitz with her, though, because sometimes she's a little restless. Plus she only helps about half the time.

Though, I suppose I could have her work with Draco and she'd be certain to do everything just right--I don't think he'd forgive me, though!

[alt_sally_anne]

If Ron ever comes by to help with potions work you could have him supervise her. She'd want to impress him, too. And Ron LIKES being worshipped by Arista. (Comes of being the almost youngest of seven.)

[alt_sally_anne]

OH, I remember what it was.

For some of the camps. Deverminating shampoo. LOTS of it. Although honestly I think just treating heads one at a time is never going to do the job properly.

[alt_hermione]

Deverminating.

Why not use the rune?

[alt_sally_anne]

Because they're muggles and they think they need shampoo, I guess? I offered a rune and they didn't trust me it would work. (I decided not to tell them about the time I used a rune to set a plague of lice on Ravenclaw House, that didn't seem like it would exactly send the right message.)

[alt_hermione]

Right.

Well, I can't ask Terry to do that one. And Emrys has a good touch with the knife, for the gurdyroots, but that means taking him off the guarana.

Might be worth it, though.

[alt_sally_anne]

I guess it depends on whether we think the muggles should be told to suck it up and wait for the runes to work.

[alt_hermione]

You might be better off. They have to start trusting some magic, don't they?

[alt_sally_anne]

If those idiots who ran the camps had put up those runes years ago this would have saved a lot of trouble. And it would have taken them what, a half hour? It's ridiculous.