Private Message to Justin Finch-Fletchley

[alt_ron]

Yesterday afternoon was good. I'd been feeling the rust starting.

I knew I'd miss the flat. And sparring with you. And talking. Mind you, life in Gryffindor's not as bad as it could be. For now.

But what I'm really starting to miss? Having the Hawk and Hare just round the corner. When's the first Hogsmeade day?

Comments

[alt_justin]

Ron,

Too right. We hardly knew we'd landed in the middle of a smashing pub district, what?

Has Longbottom behaved to your prediction, then? I expect you and Finnigan have been getting on as usual.

You were quite right about Professor Desai, as well, old man. Between her instruction and Professor Dolohov's I'm confident our final year will be our most rewarding.

-Justin

[alt_ron]

Exactly.

And, yeah. Things are about the way I expected. How're things in Hufflepuff?

She's brilliant, yeah? I'm almost looking forward to NEWTs. Bring it on, right?

[alt_justin]

Well, we've not suddenly lost any dormmates, at least. Since Stebbs and Wayne didn't return last year, Ernie, John, Zach and I have got used to the arrangements.

How is Ginny getting on? If memory serves, she was close to Thomas at one time. And of course, you've said that of all of you, she was the one closest to your brother.

-J

[alt_ron]

Yeah. Gin had a hard time with Percy. She went really quiet for a while, and I still think she's working it out. I don't know, I suppose we all are. It's complicated. I don't know whether she's really talked to anyone about it, either. I mean, maybe Luna or Honoria, but... y'know, Luna's peculiar. There're things she gets that other people wouldn't, so sometimes she's really, really perceptive about when people are sad or hurt or whatever. I remember walking into the kitchen and finding her with Mum a while after Dad died, and they'd were talking about something daft the way Luna does, but I thought it seemed as if Mum seeemed- I don't know. I got the feeling she'd helped Mum somehow. But there are other things Luna just doesn't seem to twig to at all. She can be all airy-fairy. So I don't know if Gin would've talked to her or not.

Anywiz, about Thomas. I think by the time it happened, he'd burned bridges with her. Actually, maybe that made it harder with Percy. Because he'd done the same. Burned his bridges with all of us, including Gin. Even though she tried hard not to let him go.

So what you're really saying is... I ought to talk to Ginny. Be a bit of a better brother.

[alt_justin]

No, not at all, old man. I'm sure you're an excellent brother. It just occurs to me that we might include her a bit more, now and then.

-J

Order Only

[alt_ron]

Blech. Poor Nev.

Say. Have you had a chance to ask Dolohov whether we could get a classroom warded so we could spar properly? I meant it when I said I'm getting rusty. I talked to Desai and she said she'd support it, but she agreed it's Dolohov we should ask to allow us a room.

Re: Order Only

[alt_justin]

Do you know, I thought it rather odd when I saw his plan, what, because I honestly can't say I do know Neville all that well. The Longbottoms do keep themselves to themselves. Then, too, he bally well wasn't in CCF, just as he says, so I haven't had all that much opportunity to observe him or get to know him. He does seem jolly well reticent.

However, I'd already chosen MacDougal for my essay. I do appreciate the strategy of not laying all our cards on the table, if you follow me, but for people like you and me the line between tipping one's hand enough and tipping it too much is dashed thin.

As to your question: No, I've not yet. It's a smashing idea, though. I generally don't see the Headmaster at the weekends, but we'll go on our customary run in the morning and that ought to give me a splendid opportunity.

-J

Re: Order Only

[alt_ron]

Well, it's not just that Nev and Evelyn stick together, but Nev keeps things pri secret. He just does. And I've just got used to knowing that he does. He's got his reasons. I mean it was years before we knew he was in touch with his parents and seeing them in the summers.

I expect we all have things we don't tell. Even our best friends. You must. I'm not prying. Just saying. Sally Anne does, too. Definitely. And, y'know, it's just how we get on.

I don't know whether Nev's better off or not for not having got into CCF and gone down the path we did. It's just a different set of risks he's running.

Come up with anything interesting about MacDougal? I wrote about Harry and that was... more interesting than I thought, actually. And then I went ahead and wrote about Crabbe. He's actually almost brilliant with Dark Spells sometimes. A bit like Thomas was, y'know: sometimes his work is loads more powerful and focused than you'd think he could manage. With Thomas it was that he'd get so angry, so, well, enraged, and it'd just pour out of him. I don't know where it comes from with Crabbe, exactly, though I've heard people talk about his father and I've got a guess.

I think I was probably meant to write about Finnigan, y'know, as a rival. But I was thinking about what she might ask us to do this week to follow up on this... and if I can avoid going head to head with Finnigan right away, I think it'd worth having to take on Crabbe, instead. Besides, I don't think anyone else is likely to take Crabbe seriously enough to write one of these about him. And the more I worked on it, the more I reckoned there was to say about him. So it was dead useful to have done.

Re: Order Only

[alt_justin]

Crabbe's a good choice. I thought about using him or Goyle but determined it's best not to be seen going after any potential Councilwizard, what. I chose Zach for my person I knew well.

On MacDougal, it was more a question of where to stop, if you follow me. There's the way she drops her arm after every cast, the way she can't focus when she's casting in lessons, and is jolly well always glancing at the Professor to see if she's doing it correctly, the way she struggles to cast nonverbally, so on, so forth. Rather too easy but I wanted to be able to provide a proper thorough analysis, what.

As for Neville, I can well understand keeping one's own counsel. None better! But I say, there's a difference between that and being wholly retiring. Mind, it's not that I don't like him; he's a good egg, our Neville. I simply don't know him.

-J