Are you going to bring her down with you so you can get some lunch? We can go back to St G's today and pick up more formula, if you like. Also make sure Lana's ready to be discharged and moved - well. somewhere. Saltash, I suppose, for the time being.

Before they left, Sirius came and talked to me. He was saying goodbye, I know that now, but he particularly wanted to make sure you were looked after.

Which we would have done, anyway, but--well, the thing is, I went to his and Remus's rooms this morning. He left a note for Ms Laura Finch-Fletchley. There was an instruction to give it to her when she gets here, because I guess he wrote to tell her about Justin.

There are some other things. I thought I'd sort properly after lunch.

It's the kind of thing I put off after Mr Snape died, and I wish I hadn't done. It was more helpful than I realised it would be.

Draco,

We might be a few days working on things for the potion. Maybe longer, so it means you'd be going to Moddey alone to see Ragnik on Thursday. I mean, I might be able to go with you but probably not, I'd plan on going alone if I were you. All right? We've still got time and we're not even going to get the other goblins to help before Mrs Longbottom and Remus have their argument-thing with them.

Oh, meanwhile, though, I left a book for you on the landing. It's about lock-picking. Just in case they say no, even after Remus and Mrs Longbottom make the case.

How is the pain? Do you need more dittany? Fresh bandages?

Soup?

If you're feeling up to Apparating we could go back to Grimmauld but Tim says he can probably find a tent for you if you'd rather stay.

You weren't at supper and I didn't see you downstairs or anything. Have you gone to Moddey? Bea wasn't nearly as temperamental tonight as she was yesterday.

Anyway, Draco and I went back to Greater Hangleton to see what we could find out about M.R., and we found a small building with a bunch of Sleepers in. I think it might have been the constabulary at some point, there were cells with bars and that sort of thing, but also offices and desks and phomes. Caked in dust, all of it.

But they were definitely Sleepers and the thing is, Greater Hangleton itself was more or less deserted. The other day we'd only seen a handful of wizards, all of them very odd. There's obviously not a camp anywhere nearby and the Muggle village itself is all falling apart. So I don't think anyone would notice if we went there to test things.

Once there's anything worth testing, that is.

Hydra came and found me and told me that she talked to Teddy Nott. She decided to try Sirius's idea, and convince him that I'm so atavistic that I can't think anything but the crudest thoughts, so fantasising about Professor Lestrange was about the limit of my imagination.

Anyway. She said she thinks she got him believing that part, although he seemed both smug to have been right about my pea-sized brain while simultaneously disappointed that I wasn't concealing something more nefarious.

But, the problem is, she doesn't think he's necessarily going to stop there. He wouldn't tell her what he plans, but he's going to try to make me do something humiliating before supper tomorrow.

And look. If whatever it is is at all tolerable, I think I should just do it. He's not going to be satisfied with anything less. He's just going to push and push until he gets what he wants.

Like with Hydra. She said he tried a different tactic today and instead of coming on so incredibly strong like before, today he was acting like a caricature of a gentleman. He even joked about how Justin used to carry her books for her and then he levitated them just out of her reach.

She said that when he compared me to an animal, she caught a sort of ... image, in his head. A memory. Like the time he cut me to see if my blood was red or brown. Only this was of a cat that he'd cut apart.

And then she said she could tell that he got--well, turned on. (Do you know what I mean?) She said she manipulated him pretty easily but she had that quiet calm she gets when she's really upset. (I think maybe we should make sure she's not completely alone when she's where he might go--because honestly, she shouldn't have to cope with Teddy on top of everything else she's going through right now.)

I'm not telling either of you this so that you can go and find him and invent an excuse to put him in the Hospital Wing. I just want you both to be prepared in case he does try something--and in case I do what he asks me to do, not to react out of proportion.

And Harry, that goes double for Draco. I don't know if maybe he's reacting this way because it's bringing up Dennis again, or what--I mean, maybe, I don't know, but whatever it is, he's been acting so oddly about the whole thing. I mean, this isn't really all that much more dangerous or horrible than loads of things we've done before but suddenly he's acting like I'm going to blunder the whole operation just because of Teddy's threats.

I'm not underestimating Teddy and if it's too awful, Harry, I'll just tell him I need your permission and you can tell him no.

But if it's even remotely something I can survive, without any lasting harm, then I think I should just go ahead and get it over with. It's not like he actually has any leverage, and in fact it's probably better to put him off the scent by making him think he's won this round.

I'm sorry you'll have to remake it.

I know you were cross with Pansy over the holidays, for not staying focused on her potions and not concentrating enough. So I promise, I was concentrating, but I know I can do better. I mean, obviously, I'll have to do better. I mean, not that I left my cauldron but I did forget to grate the willowbark before adding the essence of pennywort, and of course I should have known I needed to do that during the simmer, since there's plenty of time then and there's hardly any time after adding the pennywort. It won't happen again. I mean, if there is to be an again.

And I know there's simply no excuse for losing count of the number of stirs. I can't think what happened. I know it's meant to be clockwise for three minutes at the rate of a heartbeat and not more than 200 strokes; only my pulse was racing so I just tried to count one per second since that would have been 180, only I think that wasn't reliable or else I forgot whether I was on the second minute or the third. Or something. Also, I thought I might have heard a noise outside and I wasn't sure if I would need to stop and hide. I suppose I'll have to ignore anything like that in future. If there is

In any case, I know how important it is that I be able to take on some of the more complicated potions so you're free to work on other things but now all I've done is waste ingredients and leave you with even more work. So I'll understand if you'd like me to just continue underbrewing for you on the difficult potions until I'm more capable.


Oh, and I completely forgot to say that I hope you had a pleasant birthday on Thursday, despite everyone going spare because of those wretched Ouroboros pins. (But that's not because I want you to give me another chance at the Wolfsbane, if you don't think it's a good idea, after all. I just think it's too bad that no one else ever seems to remember your birthday, but I suppose that's because it's so soon after Christmas and it must have been hard growing up, too, when they're so close together.)

You asked about how I'm doing. Sorry, I was going to reply and then I was working with Harry on his Transfiguration and with Mr Snape on more Potions research and--well, then I thought I'd just write to you fresh.

Anyway, the thing is that Hogwarts has actually been really good. I mean, Umbridge wasn't but she barely paid attention to me. And most days I spend either in the library or working with one of the Professors who's in the Order, or with Mr Snape (who isn't a professor but really should have been, he's ever so good at Potions and Occlumency and Defence and so on), so it's really like I can do whatever I like. I just have to make sure the other students don't notice.

And Mr Snape says I'm well beyond Hogwarts level in most of my subjects, anyway. So I don't even mind if I'm not in lessons with everyone else. It's more like I'm studying independently all the time.

I know I make contributions, like with this potion that Sirius has been working on. Mr Snape's been helping only he and Sirius--well, you know, they don't get on. Sometimes it's as if they're speaking different languages. So I try to translate, I suppose, and explain when Sirius is only joking about something or being sarcastic, or stop them when they start talking about something that happened a long time ago.

And besides that I actually did make a suggestion that made a difference. Mr Snape said so.

I wish they could get along, though. It'd be much easier if they could see that they really aren't all that different. Well. Sirius is much more handsome, of course. And Mr Snape has more book-learning. But Sirius is adventurous and Mr Snape is very brave, and they're both ever so much better than they think they are. But even Mrs Longbottom hasn't been able to get them to like each other so I'm not sure it'll ever happen. But I can keep trying, I suppose.

Buckingham's a slightly different story. Sometimes I pick up interesting information but mostly, there are others now who have better conduits for the Order. Draco and Hydra and Harry. But sometimes people forget I'm there.

I don't know. I suppose I'm not really a fighter. I know what you mean about feeling like you're sitting back while others are taking on the risks. But I think as long as we're all doing what we can do, we're all contributing.