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[alt_charlie]

Poppy, I need you -- or anyone else at Hogwarts -- to meet me within about ten minutes or so. Far side of the lake, just past the wards, on the path to Hogsmeade Station?

I've just got your dragon blood -- two whole phials -- but I need to hand it over quickly before anyone notices I'm gone.

Comments

[alt_charlie]

Right, for anybody who sees this later and wonders what that was all about: I stomped out of supper tonight because everybody was getting up my nose and went out flying to cool down, and found Istvan, one of our Horntails, mortally wounded just at the edge of the reserve. Looks like two of them got in a fight, which means we'll have to keep an eye out for who the other one was. I'm guessing it was spill-over from whatever those people are doing to them for the wards.

There was no way he was going to survive, but I did manage to get two phials of blood before I had to put him down. (Wish like hell I'd had more phials with me, too, since I likely could've got more.) I was able to deliver them to Poppy and get back to the reserve quickly enough that nobody missed me.

Sadly, Istvan was tagged, so I couldn't harvest anything else -- no heartstring, no liver, no lung -- since we have strict protocols in place for what happens when one of our dragons dies. But it's something, and I'll keep my eye out in case one of the wild and untagged ones doesn't make it through the winter.

Here's to Istvan. One cranky bastard, but a beautiful dragon.

[alt_pomona]

Nicely done, that, and I'll toast Istvan - in tea, I've far too much marking to do tonight - later.

Poppy, you were missed at supper. Dolores apparently wanted a word.

Fortunately for you, she got distracted before she could come up and find you (something Gwendolyn asked, I think, but I didn't hear) and I heard her say she had students coming up from about now. But you might want an excuse handy for why you weren't at supper.

[alt_poppy]

Thank you, yes, you're quite right.

I'm nearly through the brewing. Thankfully the Cinnabaris is not a difficult or long potion to prepare. Just unforgiving with respect to timing.

[alt_poppy]

Thanks to your quick action today, I now have two precious doses of Cinnabaris vitalis potion tucked away, brewed off the books and without anyone the wiser, as luck would have it. As always, I hope never to need them, but if some truly dire accident were to befall someone here, this potion could save a life.

So, yes, here's to Istvan. And to Charlie Weasley.

[alt_charlie]

Much as it pains me to waste any bit of a dragon who's passed on, I'll keep my fingers crossed that you don't need to use the potions. Although if whatever Lestrange and Dolohov do about that underground duelling club doesn't work to discourage them, you might wind up needing them after all. (Can't believe I just said that. I'm touching wood right now.)

And you don't need to toast me. All part of my job.

[alt_molly]

Well, that relieves MY mind, that you have some Cinnabaris on hand! I'm glad that Charlie was able to reach you so quickly.

Charlie, well done!

[alt_charlie]

Aw, Mum, it was nothing, really. I'm just glad the infirmary will have it on hand in case of emergency.

[alt_severus]

Now that the demands of the infirmary have been met, I will place a claim on any further dragon blood you are able to procure. My research on restoring the Sleepers has reached the point where the most likely lines of investigation are draconic.

[alt_charlie]

I'll see what I can do. Give me a list of the ingredients you're most likely to need, sorted from top priority to bottom priority, and I'll get you whatever I can lay hands on. Some things are easy -- scales, shed claw casings, whiskers from the Hebridean Black -- and some things are much, much harder, such as anything that can only be harvested after the dragon's death. If you think you'll need powdered Longhorn horn, for instance, tell me now so I can be on the lookout.

[alt_bill]

Oh, Charlie, that's tough. Good for you for seizing the opportunity, but I know the entire reserve is going to have a tough time over losing him.

Condolences to you all.

(I'm thinking: do you want me to send you a mokeskin pouch? There's a shop that sells them on Diagon Alley. Might be a good thing for stashing phials, so you'd always have extra on hand).

[alt_charlie]

Thanks, mate. Yeah, we'll miss him. He was a miserable old bugger, but he was our miserable old bugger.

And yeah, that'd be great, cheers. I usually try to keep a full complement in my robes when I'm out and about, but tonight I wasn't wearing my usual, since I wasn't expecting to be needing them. (I actually dumped my antivenin and my emergency burn potion, which we always carry no matter what, to have the phials free.) So I'm kicking myself a bit for not being better prepared. But at least we got some.

Private Message to Bill Weasley

[alt_charlie]

Also, I forgot to ask: how'd it go on Monday?

And, Kg2.

Re: Private Message to Bill Weasley

[alt_bill]

It was...interesting, even if I was a bit stymied in accomplishing my purpose. I'd been invited for a birthday beer, but it was all three of them inviting me, really. I spent as much time talking with Remus as I did Tonks, and 'Sinbad' was parked at my feet almost the entire evening. So I never had an opportunity to raise the possibility of dinner.

I'm not giving up, though. What time I did manage to snatch with her in conversation made me see even more how much I do like her. A lot. She's fun, and she's warm and she's friendly.

And Merlin, also busy. Between the customers and Bea it seemed at times as if she barely had a moment to breathe.

I've already decided I'm going back again Friday. Maybe a better chance will come up then.

Nh7.

Re: Private Message to Bill Weasley

[alt_charlie]

Well, if nothing else, you'll have a nice few evenings out, somewhere you know the people in charge have got your back. Which is something I think you can use a bit of! All the work for the Order is one thing, but you need a little bit of downtime, too, or else you'll sit down at your desk one night and explode from all the stress.

Another visit tomorrow night sounds like a grand plan -- though from what I've heard, Friday nights are even busier than the rest of the week, so you might not get your chance then, either!

Give my love to everyone, though!

So, are you ever going to start giving me a challenge, here? Qd2.

Re: Private Message to Bill Weasley

[alt_bill]

It was good for me, spending a good slice of time with people I totally trust. Made me realise how rare that's been lately. Yeah, I'll say hello for you next time I'm there, of course.

A challenge? So you can pull out your trebuchets, no doubt. Or pour burning pitch all over the black squares on the board.

I'm almost beginning to wonder whether you might consider swapping out your bishops with a couple of trolls. THEY WOULD BE ADMIRABLY SUITED FOR THE AMOUNT OF INTELLIGENT THOUGHT YOU'RE EXPENDING ON THIS GAME.

Nc5.

Re: Private Message to Bill Weasley

[alt_charlie]

And I just offered to Tonks to come in and help distract Miss Bea a bit one night a week or so, since apparently she's into the tantrum phase, so I might meet up with you there one of these nights! Likely won't know until right before when I'll be able to make it, but we'll see.

And oi. If you think I'm not paying attention, why haven't you taken advantage, then? Could be I'm plotting something dastardly you just haven't seen yet.

Or it could be that I'm just amusing myself. The trebuchet should be finished in another few moves. In the meantime: Bxc5.