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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.

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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.