ORDER ONLY: Private Message to Neville and Evelyn

[alt_pansy]

Hey.

Look. There's no easy way to say it, but I messed up, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did about your mum, and I should've just stuck to the plan.

It's been really stressful these last few weeks, and I suppose I was over thinking things. Whether it'd be believable. What people are expecting me to be like. And I took things too far.

I've told Sue, I'm going to try not to put any of you in this sort of position again, where I'd have to hurt or embarrass you, because it's just not worth it. And once again, I'm sorry.

Comments

[alt_neville]

Don't worry about it. Yeah, I'll admit I was a bit startled, I guess. But we're all going to have to get used to playing a part, more and more as we grow older.

I have to also tell you: I'm afraid I may have messed up, too. Found a note on my pillow this morning--guess a house elf brought it--telling me to report to Professor Dolohov's office right after lunch. It seems he's been interviewing all of us who were caught in that last challenge and ended up serving detentions this week. Dunno what he was after at first, but it was clear he had talked with someone who was an eyewitness to what had happened. He asked me what the circumstances were, but it was clear that he already knew. I kept my control, and just tried to act like I always do with him: cautious and maybe a little slow. We went over who was standing where, what was said. He asked me if I get called blood traitor a lot, and I told him that I hear it pretty often, and I've had to teach myself not to react to it.

He pointed out that I did react this time. I didn't know what to say to that, so I said it was because Evelyn was standing right there, too. So he started asking questions at a rapid clip, one after another. 'Does your sister get hassled frequently by people? Do you feel bullied? Do people try to hurt her? How often do you have to defend her?'

After going on like that for awhile, he suddenly sat back in his chair, and just looked at me, with that way he has, you know? Like he can see right through your body to the back of your spine. Then he bludgered a question at me that I was not expecting: 'Have you ever thought very much about how much Evelyn resembles your mother?'

It was like my whole brain seized up or something. I was already nervous, but now I had to stop and think, to remember that I couldn't let on that I had ever met my mum, that I had any contact with her. And I was worried about the Order, and not giving anything away, but he just kept firing questions at me.

The next question I could pay attention to was, 'so you really had set this whole thing up with Pansy ahead of time, right?'

I didn't come right out and say yes.

But I'm all but sure that the look on my face gave it away.

I'm sorry if that gets you into trouble.

Evelyn was next in the queue outside his office to speak to him when I walked out. I don't know what she said to him. I wanted to wait to talk with her afterward, but I couldn't stick around; I had to meet with my Transfiguration partner to work on our project. Haven't talked with Ev yet.

[alt_evelyn]

He started in right away with why we would help you, Pansy, and how I knew you. So yes, I'm assuming he knows we volunteered.

I just told him I knew you because Nev knew you through Ron, and that we overheard you talking to Sally-Anne about how you were really worried about doing well and didn't know what to do for this challenge, so we volunteered because we knew how much this meant to you.

I hope that's all right. I really do.

He said the same thing to me. That I looked like mum. And I just sort of looked blank and said, 'I do?'

Still. It gave me the shivers to hear him say that.

Private Message to Neville

[alt_evelyn]

Should we tell mum?

With everything that's been going on lately, I don't know if we should bother her.

I think we were lucky he was trying to catch us as having helped Pansy, and that he wasn't fishing for something worse.

(Oh, Pete, I know it wasn't like he was really interrogating me, and that if he was, it'd be so very much worse, but I really didn't like him asking about mum like that.)

Re: Private Message to Neville

[alt_neville]

I think she's rather know than be taken by surprise. She is our commanding officer, besides being our mum.

I think we do need to say something.

I must say, I'm glad I've had that training in Occlumency. I think it did help. But I don't much like being interrogated by him, even when he doesn't have any idea of the scale of what we're trying to hide.

Re: Private Message to Neville

[alt_evelyn]

Right.

I think it's mostly that he was trying to catch that we were helping Pansy, and trip us up, and that in order to do it, he was asking questions about mum and how much I. Because that's what Pansy was going on about to get you detention.

[alt_pansy]

All right.

It's not like I'm supposed to win this thing anyways.

You might want to put in some more work with Hydra though, Nev, so you won't get shaken up like that again.