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[alt_lee]

Bad news. Neville passed this on to me.

Sally-Anne Perks was caught by Madam Umbridge giving Stephen Capper a tisane to help him sleep, because he's been so terrified of what happened to his brother happening to him. It wasn't even one of the medicinal potions you left for her, Madam Pomfrey. It was just stuff like chamomile and valerian. But Madam Umbridge said she wasn't allowed to do it, even if it was only a tea, and her punishment is that she's not allowed to brew any potions at all until after the O.W.L.s exams--even in class, or with supervision!

It's clear that the Headmistress is determined to make her flunk her exams.

Well, we're not gonna let it happen.

Her classmates in her year plan to nick the potions ingredients she needs, and I've agreed to supervise her brewing. We have a room where we can do it securely. Haven't talked to Fred, but I bet he'd be willing to help, too. And yeah, we know we have our own N.EW.T. exams to study for, but we can be with her, looking over her shoulder, and working on our own stuff as she's going through each brewing step.

So it stinks, but we're not letting the pink toad win on this one.

Comments

Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_bill]

Alice,

Nick is taking this extremely hard. He knew about the plan to delay, too, and he's just sick over the fact that we waited until it was too late. He knew Capper at school.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_alice]

The fault lies with me, Bill. After Arthur died, I was trying to prioritise and make sure we had everything covered, and Thomas Capper fell through the cracks.

I've failed Arthur, and Nick, and Thomas most of all.

Please tell Nick that I'm sorry.

The best thing I can do right now is make sure that we don't make the same error again, so I'll be looking through our past notes and following up with some potential loose ends in the next few days.

If you'd think it would help, I can also meet Nick and talk to him about it. Sometimes a full heart needs a person to share the burden with, and I deserve to carry some of his load.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_bill]

I'm sorry for you, too, Alice. This is one of those dreadful burdens of leadership, the sort of thing that used to keep Dad up at night. We lose people all the time in this murderous regime. Just hang on by remembering the ones we've saved. Go dandle the babies in the nursery on your knee, if it'll help.

I'm meeting with Nick tonight after work, but yes, I think it would help if you could speak with him, too. I'll see if there's a time he can come out to the sanctuary this weekend; one or the other of us will send you a patronus.

Maybe he could use a visit to the nursery, too.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_bill]

After thinking upon this more:

Please, Alice, don't heap more guilt on yourself. You walked into a helluva situation, trying to take over the Order on the fly, when we were all reeling in shock over Dad's death. Don't forget, I went totally off my nut, and I wasn't any bloody help at all to you with the transition, overseeing all the details at the Ministry, and I should have been.

To be scrupulously fair, it was Dad's choice and Dad's responsibility to leave Capper put. He did have honestly valid reasons for that choice. No one could have foreseen Capper's accident.

The real responsibility, though, goes to the heartless bastards who snapped his wand and send him to that camp in the first place. Don't forget that.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_alice]

I will never forget, believe you me.

And I'd love to have him come and talk. I think it'd be good for both of us.

...Thank you, Bill.