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[alt_charlie]

Well. That's over, at least. Judging by the way Bill's reacting -- flipping back and forth between utter horror, and cold and vacant -- it was even worse than we'd expected. He just keeps staring at the wall and

Poppy -- he says he could really use a drink (or "another drink" -- apparently Dolohov took him out right after to answer his questions over a pint, Bill said there might be something useful in there but he couldn't bring himself to talk about it yet). Will it interact or interfere with the potion if I give him a splash? I won't unless you tell me it's all right, and I'm not going to let him pour for himself right now, but if I've ever seen a man in need of a shot, it's him.

All the rest of you -- he's fine, it's over, he's back here at the Burrow, we won't be heading out anywhere else tonight. Mum, Fred, George, we're out back in Dad's the shed -- I conjured a cot and I'm going to try to get him to sleep it off. Don't come back here. Don't come back, don't let Percy or Ginny or Ron come back, as far as you know we're in New London. Trust me.

Comments

[alt_molly]

Understood, dear.

Just...just take care of him, dear.

Oh, I know you will. And thank you.

[alt_charlie]

Yeah.

He's coming out of it a bit. Faster than he expected, really. He grabbed his journal and started writing a little bit ago, so I think you'll be hearing his version in a few minutes.

I'm mostly trying to stay out of his way. He's really fucking scary right now

[alt_molly]

Oh, Charlie. I just read what he wrote. I'm in tears.

I don't even know what to say to him.

[alt_charlie]

It's okay. I'll sit with him for the rest of the night.

[alt_terry]

Especially make sure he's kept warm.

It will help as much as anything.

[alt_charlie]

Thanks, Terry. I will.

We're going to play chess for a bit.

Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_poppy]

I wish I'd seen this earlier. I apologise that I did not.

It would have been best if you had kept him from drinking, but if you did not, I doubt any long term damage will have been done. A somewhat more difficult night, I think, but it shouldn't prove life-threatening.

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_charlie]

It's all right. I didn't think it would be a good idea, anyway, so I told him I wasn't going to give him another drink unless you said it was all right, and you not answering immediately gave me time to distract him.

Merlin, I really hope he'll be all right in the morning. The look in his eye is right devastating.

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_charlie]

Merlin's tears, he's really getting testy now. Think the potion's wearing off. He's about bit my head off twice in ten minutes, and he's pacing like a penned dragon -- I wouldn't be surprised if he opened his mouth and flame came out.

I really hope this is normal.

I'm up for distracting him as long as I need to, but if you've got any suggestions on how to lure him to sleep, I'd appreciate it.

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_poppy]

It is the magic, alas. I doubt you will be able to gentle him while it remains so high in his blood and bones. Unless-

What do you to quell a dragon in high blood? If you an think of a parallel action, try it. No harm in it.

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_charlie]

A meal and some exercise, for the most part, although the exercise is usually of the sort that isn't suitable in this situation, if you take my meaning. And we're mostly doing that already, so I suppose there isn't much else.

(Although sometimes we have to round up a dozen wands and stun the poor thing to let him or her sleep it off. Which I don't think you'd advise, or he'd let me do -- and I don't want to have to try to get the drop on him right now. Not when he's like this.)

I've got a bit more food and tea into him, and convinced him Snape might know what he's talking about with the standing barefoot on the ground thing, though he snapped at me about the cold, too. (I reminded him we have warming charms for a reason.) Don't know if it really helped, but I figured it couldn't hurt. Snape's a right bastard sometimes, but I don't think he'd try to hurt Bill deliberately, and this is the sort of thing he knows about, right?

Anyway, Bill's calmed down a bit, and he actually won the last chess game, which means he's back to thinking about his moves strategically instead of just attacking straight out. I'm figuring on bringing up the idea of sleep again in another half-hour or so.

(I'm so tired myself right now that I think my eyes are crossing. But I told him I'd stay with him until he's asleep, at least. We've two transfigured cots out here to sleep on. I'm not letting him back in the house until I know my brother's still in there he's feeling better.)

How's Minerva doing? I forgot to ask.

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_poppy]

Minerva is gravely ill. We can scarcely find her within the wizened core of what was once so robust a mind and magic. She has very nearly lost herself.

But we are not giving her up, nor allowing her to give up herself.

It is a pitched battle at the moment, and it is unclear whether we are advancing or going down to ignominious defeat.

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_charlie]

I ... there aren't really words. I hadn't realised how bad things were. (Well, and we've been caught up in our own troubles this week.)

Is there ... is there anything we could do? To help, I mean. I saw Snape was being picky about potions ingredients with Tonks and Sirius; do you need a few hours of someone else running around and trying to locate the right things? I'm memorable, so maybe that wouldn't work, but really, anything I can do, just tell me.

On this end, I finally got Bill to sleep around 4:30 in the morning or so, with me not far behind, and then the damn rooster woke us at dawn. But Mum was awake when we stumbled into the house, and she fussed over us a bit (in the good way, I mean, not the unhealthy way) and fed us and sent us back to bed. I think, actually, that having Bill to worry over these past two days has helped her a little.

Actually, there's a thought. You might want to ask Mum to help you take care of Minerva for a few days.

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_poppy]

Thank you for the offer and your suggestion about your mother. I think it best to wait until tomorrow and then we'll see where we are in this process. I may call on Molly then

Re: Private Message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_charlie]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. And for her.

And let's all hope the new year is a better one.

Private Message to Charlie

[alt_nymphadora]

How is he? That was an awfully brave thing he did, but- Well. How is he?

And how are you, Mr Faithful Sidekick? Staying up and seeing him through. That can't have been easy.

We're all right here. My blokes are sleeping it off after the moon. I may be going back to McGonagall's, I'm not sure. Depends on Alice and Frank, but I'm home seeing my girl now. She's an early bird, that one. And always sunniest first thing, so it's nice to have that time with her. She'd send a Hiya if she understood about these journals, so you can imagine she's giving you that giant grin of hers and waving at her favourite Uncle Charlie.

Re: Private Message to Charlie

[alt_charlie]

Ta, luv. I don't know how you manage to do it, but you somehow always know when I need to hear happy cheerful things and provide them in spades. Tell Miss Bea hullo from me, and give her a few kisses on account. I'll stop in and make good on them in a few days once things calm down here a bit.

(And, you know, I was just saying to Poppy that Mum seems to be doing a bit better yesterday and today, having Bill to fuss over. Maybe sometime later this week you should drop by for a visit, and bring Little Miss Early Bird along with you. We can maneuver her into Mum's hands and pretend that wasn't our purpose all along.)

I won't lie, last night while I was sitting with him, all I could think about was how they say casting the Dark Arts hurts your soul to do. And watching him pace, and snap at me, and lose his temper at jokes that would have made him laugh two days ago, well. Only the second time in my life I've ever prayed for anything, but I was praying with every bit of me that just being at a nightmare like that wouldn't be enough to do it.

But when he woke up this morning -- afternoon, really -- he was a little better. Quieter, and I still don't like the look in his eye, but a little better. I'm mostly trying to keep him away from Ron and Ginny so he doesn't bite their heads off, since they wouldn't understand. He can take it out on me all he's a mind to, it just rolls right off, but I don't want him saying something to them he'd regret later.

And once this is all done with, and he's back to his usual sunny self, I'll trade in all the favours he's been racking up!

Re: Private Message to Charlie

[alt_nymphadora]

I'll say a prayer for that, too. I think I know what that is, more or less.

Because, Charlie, I know they're not making it up, those people who say Dark Magic changes your soul. It's the one thing I ever agreed with Mr Crouch about. And I've seen it over the years with Barty. He was never nice. I don't mean that. But he wasn't twisted back then. Just cold and unsatisfied with his family. (That was mutual, on his father's part, at least--his mother just wanted Barty to be someone he wasn't, which isn't quite the same.). But then he started learning 'the Arts' (they sat that like it's painting or dancing, you know), and he changed. He got hateful and took to holding grudges that were never cleared, and he got more and more violent. And stealthy about it, too. Every time he'd come home for hols, he was scarier.