alt_sinistra | Private message to Raz

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Private message to Raz

Raz -

There’s another one.

I’ve been up in office hours, working with some of my newts. When I went down to my classroom to fetch the next round of marking, I checked for anything hexed (that is a most useful charm you taught me, even if I am near saying it in my sleep now) and one of the blameless-looking essays from my 2nd years glowed.

Same pink parchment, same hand. It looks like it had been glamoured to look more like an ordinary essay, but the glamour had started fading - that pile came in Monday, and they’ve been stacked on one of my shelves since then. (So, how did it get in there? Because both the hex and the concealment is well beyond a 2nd year.)

The intention of the runes for the hex, based on something in the letter, would be unpleasant. But the more I look at it, there’s something in the design that makes me think it could have ended up being quite a bit worse - whoever set it was a bit too emphatic.

When I came back upstairs, Vesta Chambers took one look at me and immediately got the others to agree to stay longer. I’m glad of the company, and they’re being dears. They’re currently explaining basic chart skills to a couple of second years who came for help, saving me the trouble, and Maxine O’Flaherty has tried twice to get me to drink more tea.

What I really want is a stiff drink or three, but not with two classes still tonight. Later, I suppose.

I am being very cautious. Promise.

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Bloody Erebus. I know that you are being cautious, but this has got to stop. It's gone beyond harassment and threats at this point- someone's trying to hurt you.

Pardon me, cos I know you're a modern witch and can look after yourself, but no, I'm not having that.

It's certainly not a second year, and I'd wager to guess it's not someone who typically uses pink parchment, either. Someone in Ancient Runes and Dark Arts...unless she has help from her friends....

Now that's an unpleasant thought.

I appreciate the care, truly, love.

Looking at it more soberly (now I'm over the initial scare), though...

It's two Thurisaz back to back, points out, Isa between them, with Hagalaz on top, with the suggestion of a tower in how it’s drawn. My best guess without going by the library is that the person who triggers it experiences miserably bad weather in the near future.

Which, if whoever had left well enough alone, would be one thing. But there's a certain quality in the drawing (you know how students are, with that "if so much of this is good, more is better.")

From the ranting in the letter, I think it was intended more "be miserable in the rain" or even "come down with a nasty cold" - just that I think it actually came out closer to something that could lead to a bad fall or worse. (Ice, towers, and stairs not being the best combination, really.) That doubled Thurisaz and the implied amount of chaos, more than anything else.

Not that "May you be miserable" isn't bad enough, mind you. Just ... better than it could be, in terms of intentions.

So. What next? Do we tell Minerva? Do something else? I am going to take steps to tidy my classroom and office so that there's very little left out for something to be slipped into, but that only goes so far.

Whether it was intended or not, if you fall down those tower stairs you're probably going to be hurt, perhaps seriously so, and when this person sees that you're dodging their efforts, I fear that they'll try something even more elaborate next time.

As for telling Minerva, what can she do? Make an announcement to the student body at large? I'm not sure that's the best message to send.

If she weren't so busy and weren't so ambivalent toward me, I'd ask Bella to come in and act as if she were setting up surveillance equipment in your office. That'd put an end to things, right quick.

True, on all counts.

On telling Minerva: Not so much her being able to do anything you can't (and I quite agree, speeches would scarcely help.) More that if something else happens (or, Circe forbid, something happens to a student caught by accident) you know she'd have our heads for not warning her. But I can also see an arguement for not doing so just yet.

As to your sister-in-law - it would rather imply that something *is* up between us. Besides the other practical issues. ~~And I'm not sure I want her in my office.~~

Blast. I'm not sure there is a good answer, without some other kind of data.

I really doubt that Bella is the sort to determine my concern for you as verification of romance- or, more specifically, to care. If others knew that Bella came on my request, they might...

Well, that's part of the problem, isn't it?

Whoever's sending you the hexed letters thinks they have my permission.

It was the observing audience I was thinking of, yes.

I...

I do see your point.

But I am also thinking about what you said about the last one. That changing behaviour is, in some ways, handing over control of what we do to someone else. (A very obsessive and small-minded someone else, no less.) And I don't like that solution much either.

The one benefit of telling Minerva is that it would be much easier to sort out class lists, and who's in both Dark Arts and Ancient Runes (and female, and a high enough year.) There can't be that many candidates when you put all of that together, can there?

It just makes me feel rubbishy to think that people might conclude that we're hiding what we have between us for any other reason than to protect your privacy- and mine, too.

Not many candidates, no, unless she has that help from her mates that I mentioned. And if we can pinpoint who it might be... well, what would you want to do with that information, once you had it?

Well, yes, on the first bit. Just... I don't want to be rushed into it by someone else, if you see what I mean. Because going public has consequences too.

On what to do with the information: honestly, I'm not sure. She hasn't actually hurt me yet, after all. It's hardly the sort of problem that detention would solve, and yet, would harsher punishments actually change the behaviour, or just make her stop targetting me and focus on someone else, perhaps much less able to take precautions?

I do wonder, though, how much someone has to be hurting or lonely, to make this kind of obsession seem like the sensible thing. And whether there's any help for that.

But at the same time, this can't go on, you're right.

That it does. ~~But don't you want~~

If you find out who it is, you can always go to MLE and file a complaint. If the witch is of age she could even be called in front of the Wizengamot.

Or, you know, if she's one of my newts (Merlin... I just can't fathom who) then I could talk to her. Though if she's that obsessed then she might feel singled-out, even special, if that were to happen.

Well, I reckon the good news is that she hasn't gotten past you yet. Small favours. Truth is, I'm just as stumped as you are. I think you're right, though, and we should at least let Minerva know what's going on.

On Minerva - you, me, both of us? (Bearing in mind I'm gone Sunday and Monday.)

Don't think I don't want to shout how I feel about you to the four royal stars - I do.

But at the same time, we both know it'll take some time for everyone else to gossip about and get used to, and ask questions about, and so on, even if everything goes the best possible way.

And right now, this week, that thought's awfully tiring, as much as the end result would be wonderful. (That's the meeting prep, and the two planning sessions this week. Though I am looking forward to a little time in New London.)

Right. I have class to set up for. My office is much tidier, the classroom's about halfway done. I'll continue to be sensible and cautious and very wary.

And I love that I have you to worry over me. Even while I wish you didn't have to.

Both of us, I think. Because it concerns both of us equally.

Oh, so you're saying you're not ready to move on from "are you an item" questions to questions about when we're getting married, when the sprog are coming, where we summer, and when I'm going to take you away from Scotland and set you up with a nice house in New London so that you can have your friends over to play cards all day?

Sensible, I must say.

I wish I didn't have to worry, either, but... it's like you said last time: if we can't outsmart one of our own students, what good are we, really?

On Minerva: First one to catch her at a good time to set up a chance to talk does so? (My schedule’s same as usual through Saturday, with the addition of those CCF sessions tonight and Saturday. I’m planning to apparate into New London first thing Sunday morning, and be back by about 8 on the Monday.)

On the rest of it... yes. Maybe I’m just greedy (or hopelessly unrealistic) to want something that suits us, not everyone else’s assumptions. Or even just time to talk about it fully before other people wish it into being for us.

I want a life that has you in it. But also the stars, and I hope teaching of some kind, and … who knows what else, because I’m sure I don’t yet. (Honestly, I’m still getting used to the part about you being in my life.) A steady diet of card parties is not high on the list, though.

I did sleep better than I was afraid I might, I feel like I’ve got the materials for tonight’s planning session under control, and I’m up early enough to lose myself in some nice professional reading. Along with the daydream of being somewhere with you for a few days with no one else around, and nothing on the calendar.

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