ORDER ONLY: Terry & Harry

[alt_hermione]

First of all as you probably know Terry is in the infirmary again. Last night he was all black and blue and he couldn't walk. He said that he got hexed. I don't know about what hex would do that but he said it knocked him off his feet and slammed him into the wall, and that it didn't seem like Professor Carrow meant to hurt him as badly as he did. Which I don't believe for a second, Terry is such a marter, and he won't ever let anyone pity him, but he ought to!! So I'm going to go see him. And Madam Pince said I could, because I have been such a diligent worker this week-end.

We dusted almost all the books in the Restricted Section, and took them out and cleaned them all off. Some of them wanted to bite me but I wouldn't let them!

In other things that happened, Harry Marvolo came in and wanted to look at the old annuals on Saturday afternoon. I was taking a break and Madam Pince was at her tea so I showed him them, and he wanted to look at the one for 1977, and when he did he was paying an awfully lot of attention to the Gryffindor section. After he left I went in and looked at it and there's a boy in there who looks just like him, which I suppose I knew, because of everything that Sirius has been saying. But he's the Lord Protector's son and I didn't really believe it, I suppose.

He was nice. I mean, he was really very nice and he talked to me more than he had ever talked to me about anything. I think he wanted to know what Muggles were like because he asked me about them. I told him that they were just like we were except that they don't have magic and they don't live in nice places. Usually I think that he wouldn't let me say "we," because he isn't like me because I'm a Mudblood. But he didn't say anything about it. I wasn't sure if he was happy or sad because of the things that he read in the annual because he looked like he was half about to cry and half about to start laughing the entire time, but anyway I am going to go visit Terry now.

Comments

[alt_molly]

Oh, my goodness, the poor boy. Both of them, really.

Poppy, how badly hurt is young Boot? (That wretched Carrow!) I find myself taking quite an interest in the boy since the twins have more or less adopted him as a sort of personal mascot. Will he be there in the infirmary long enough that I can send him something to cheer him, if the owl arrives this afternoon? I'd send him some of my shortbread, if only I could get my hands on some butter! Nevermind, I'll send him some Honeydukes sweets, with a note. Better yet, I'll send it to the twins, and they can visit him and hand it over personally, even if he's out of the infirmary by then. He would probably appreciate receiving it from some friends. Hermione, I hope your visit with him goes well.

As for young Mr Marvolo . . . it does sound as though he's trying to find out more about his parents, doesn't it. And on his own, apparently, not for any purpose on the Lord Protector's agenda. That seems hopeful. Your description of how he treated you, Hermione, seems promising, too. My advice to you is to be open and friendly toward him as you can, while still remaining careful.

The pictures he was looking at were probably of his father, James Potter. Does he look very much like James, Minerva?

[alt_mcgonagall]

Quite the spitting image of James - but with Lily's green eyes, Molly.

Hermione, do be careful. We simply don't know if this is genuine, or if he's a snake in the grass.

[alt_poppy]

It's a pelvic fracture, Molly, and bad. I hadn't planned to start him on Skele-Gro until this morning, as he truly was not coherent enough to endure the pain last night; this morning, however, he took quite the hysterical turn, and I've given him the Draught of Peace and some mild soporifics, which settled him down. Now, of course, he can't have the Skele-Gro for another twelve hours, because it interacts quite poorly with the Draught of Peace. Unless we wish him to have purple pustules, of course, which Professor Carrow might find amusing but I do not.

[alt_molly]

Oh, how dreadful. Hysterics? Was it the pain that caused the hysterics, then? Not that he doesn't have plenty of cause, of course, but he's always struck me as unbelievably stoic about his injuries. Perhaps he just reached some mental limit.

(Honeydukes AND a new jumper, made with my softest wool.)

I'd like Professor Carrow have done to him what I'd find amusing.

[alt_poppy]

No, it wasn't the pain. I believe he was distressed at seeing the other people in the infirmary with him. I've noticed that he has a terrible fear of Mr Lupin, and I suspect that that is the trouble - but he was not able to express his fear in any way at all. He kept insisting that he was fine, fine, utterly fine, and that he would just nip off to his duties - although it was excruciatingly clear that he was nowhere near fine.

[alt_sirius]

I saw that post of your Terry's, and my palms itched - if I could've got my hands 'round Carrow....

But well done, child, on showing Harry the annuals. Perhaps that means he got my latest owl and meant to check the photos against the pictures of James and Lily from them. In which case, he might have been bluffing about having seen them before, Minerva. It's quite confusing.

Wonder why your Terry'd be upset about Moony Lupin being in the hospital wing with him? I mean, up and about, I understand - there's loads of people who are afraid of werewolves - but on the day after the full moon he's usually half-dead with exhaustion and couldn't hurt anyone even if he wanted to do.

Not that I can imagine he'd want to harm Terry, anyway.

[alt_kingsley]

I've heard many parents threaten their children with being bitten if they don't behave. And I wouldn't put that past Carrow.

[alt_sirius]

Nor would I, Kingsley, but Moony can't very well bite anyone when he's unconscious.

[alt_molly]

Hmm. Well, I must say, if that's what Carrow did (and I certainly wouldn't put it past him either) then the boy's reaction makes sense. I forgot, last night was the full moon, wasn't it, so that's why Lupin was in the infirmary. But the boy might not have realised that was the reason Lupin was there. I mean, think about it: if Carrow injured Terry Boot, all the while telling him it was because he was being bad, and then he woke up in the hospital wing and Lupin was right there beside him in the next bed . . . well, the poor boy might have thought Carrow sent him to make good his threat.

No wonder he panicked so badly then.

[alt_hermione]

Oh poor Terry! I suppose I've never tried to show him what a nice man Mr Lupin is - only ever tried to get him to just be friendly - and he must have been so scared, not knowing. I wonder whether he thought I was awfully stupid to be friends with a werewolf? Well I know what I need to do to help him now anyway!