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[alt_hydra]

I had supper with my family tonight, all of them. Well, not you, Dora (or Bea. Or Sirius). It was Nanella, Pascoal, Uncle Lucius, Aunt Narcissa, Mummy, Daddy, Uncle Raz, Professor Siz, and Draco. It was for my birthday, sort of, only it happened tonight because it was the only evening that everyone was free at the same time.

It was like a lot of family suppers, no one was pretending to be anything they weren't. Well, except for me and for Draco. I tried to pay attention to see if I heard anything that might be useful. I don't know if I did but I'll share it anyway.

First, nobody likes Corax Mulciber. They don't like how he's trying to take control of things, and they also think he's not efficient. Uncle Lucius was able to find out that the man, Boulstridge, that Mr Mulciber called back from his holiday - Mr Mulciber didn't even need him, he just did it because he felt like it, and to show off. Mummy says he's "flashing his cock" instead of doing anything worthwhile.

Mummy also said that Mr Yaxley is unhappy that she and the other Aurors are in charge of monitoring journals now, because he it should be under MLE's control. She said that Yaxley gets more batty every day.

Uncle Lucius was - I think he was panicked, very panicked, when Mr Mulciber tried to take control of the journal monitoring. Mostly because he knew that Mr Mulciber wanted to study Aunt Narcissa's and Draco's journals in particular.

They also talked about Aldrich, a little, because Nanella said something about how she couldn't find any mango stilton (Mummy's favourite) for supper. Mummy wasn't happy that her favourite cheese wasn't served, and it put her in ill spirits. She and Uncle Lucius agreed that the farm must have been taken over by black market opportunists.

And everyone drank a lot of wine.

Well, I don't know if that's helpful, but I thought it might be.

Comments

[alt_hydra]

It doesn't make me like Mum my Mother.

[alt_sirius]

Sweetheart, I don't think you could ever be like your mother if you tried.

(Sorry for ever thinking you were.)

[alt_lupin]

I've been thinking about this and I don't think it quite -- you're completely unlike your mother in temperament, that's true enough, and I don't think you ever could have been a second Bella, no matter what unusual talents you possess.

But more than that, you chose the path of compassion toward people born in different circumstances from yourself, and you chose the path of honesty with yourself about what this regime does to people, and you chose the path where you risk your own safety to try to change things.

Everyone -- all of you on the lock made that choice.

And Hydra, that's why we're not worried about you turning into Bella.

[alt_hydra]

Sometimes I worry about it. Not that I really think I will... only I wasn't happy when I found out I was a legilimens. Not at all.

Private message to Hydra

[alt_lupin]

No. I can understand that.

You're clearly afraid that you'll turn into a monster.

As it happens, I do turn into a monster. So I can understand a bit of what you're feeling over this.

(Alas, being able to read minds presumably doesn't vary by the phase of the moon, making it a bit harder to manage simply with detailed planning.)

Re: Private message to Hydra

[alt_hydra]

Yes but then I remind myself that anyone can turn into a monster. It doesn't take a special sort of person to do that.

I think you're a very nice person.

Re: Private message to Hydra

[alt_lupin]

Why, thank you. I think you are also a very nice person.

Re: Private message to Hydra

[alt_lupin]

And you are correct: anyone can turn into a monster. People do every day, in the Protectorate.