I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up to No Good: Lonely

[alt_terry]

Sometimes I've felt I'm likely to go mad from the loneliness.

The gorgon's gone back to the school so it's just the git now. He ignored me while she was here, and he ignored me for another week after she left because he was wrapped up in doing his mad notes about his experimental subjects. Then he started paying attention to me again. It's been awful. Not like he's been hurting me or anything. If anything he's been in a good mood (I have no idea why). But he wants me no further than a few feet away from him, and he's starting to watch me when I sleep. Sometimes he'll wake me up in the middle of the night, order me to do something pointless (like to move a stack of books from one corner over to another corner) and then he'll tell me to go back to sleep again. Which is all but impossible because he's still staring at me.

I hate that. I can't try to sneak in any studying or work on the animagus thing when he's practically breathing down my neck all the time.

At Hogwarts at least there were other people around every day, going about their business so I could see how normal people live. But here I only catch occasional glimpses of other people, disappearing around the corner just out of sight. Everyone scatters whenever the git's coming.

There's another boy about my age. I think I mentioned him before. He's a muggle, I think. He's blond, and even skinnier than me, looks half-starved, really. He's the one they call 'Dudders.' Mad sort of name. He's noticed me, too, and from the look I see in his eye, I think he wants to talk to me and he's trying to work up the nerve to do it.

Maybe he's lonely, too.

Comments

[alt_gredforge]

We're missing you, too, Professor.

We'd like to string Carrow up and use his vertebrae as wind chimes, personally. Until we can make that happy daydream a reality, is there anything we can send you that you're needing?

We haven't forgotten about you, trust us. We're never gonna stop trying to find a way to get you out of there.

[alt_terry]

It's starting to get colder. He hasn't given me shoes or boots so I'll probably need to wrap my feet with rags again.

I only know a crude warming charm. It's not very strong, but it does help. But I'm afraid to use it around him, in case he grabs me or touches me or something and then discovers I'm using it. There'd be hell to pay then. Same goes for my blanket at night. It's only a very thin covering, and a warming charm would be ace, but I have to sleep right beside his bed. What if he brushes against the blanket when he gets out of bed?

I need a better charm, one that will cool off instantly whenever he gets within, say, a foot of distance from me, so he can't detect it. Would that be a charm combined with a personal rune for him or something? Can you help?

[alt_neville]

That's hard, Terry.

Been thinking. You need ways to still feel connected, yeah? Maybe you'll think this is sort of a dumb idea, but have you ever learned how to play chess?

[alt_gredforge]

Hmm. Nice little problem you've set us, Professor.

We'll get on to researching it and get back to you.

[alt_terry]

No. I mean, I know how to play it, how the pieces move. But I've never exactly had a chance to play it myself. Why?

[alt_neville]

Well, it's just that I know you can play it remotely. By owl post. Or over the journals, come to think of it. I read a book once where there was a prisoner who played chess through the muggle post with a pen friend. You just tell your opponent what the next move is by naming the pieces and the square you're moving it to, see?

I dunno, it was just a thought. I mean, it'd give you something to think about during the day.

I'm pants at chess myself, though.

[alt_hermione]

Oh Terry!!!

Do you think there's anything I can do?

I mean I know there probably isn't, but anyhow I think you should talk to Dudders, I mean, he's just like you or me isn't he, only no magic, which means he has it even worse. I mean worse than me or most Muggleborns, not worse than you probably but - oh you know what I mean.

[alt_sally_anne]

There's a rune that protects from cold. But, it doesn't actually make you more COMFORTABLE, it just protects you from damage. We learned it last year, it's one of the runes that was very useful to ancient wizards but hardly anyone uses now because a warming charm makes you more comfortable.

Anyway, this rune would keep you from getting frostbite. (The books disagree on whether it would keep you from getting hypothermia. It definitely doesn't work on someone who's going into shock after an injury, I looked that up after my mediwizardry course because I was curious.)

You could write it onto your body in the same invisible ink we use in the journals and it should work and Carrow won't see it. But it won't make you any more comfortable. A modified warming charm would be better, if Fred and George can figure that out.

[alt_sally_anne]

I've been meaning to write about the Imperius curse and I haven't yet. Do you like reading about magic, when you're cold and alone? or would something else be better, like stories?

(I suppose there's also the option of 'magic, but something more cheering than the Cardinal Curses.')

[alt_terry]

It would all be good, honest. I like learning about magic. Because, of course, I'm not supposed to.

[alt_terry]

And anything you can pass along that would help me understand the stuff he uses against me, well, it can't hurt, and it might really help.

[alt_terry]

Yeah, I do.

It's hard, because the git's been hovering so much. But I caught his eye yesterday and smiled back, and his eyes sort of lit up. I'll try to figure out a way to talk to him soon.

[alt_ron]

We could play chess if you wanted. But I dunno. If you don't have a board and haven't really played before, just writing moves into the journals probably wouldn't make any sense to you.

We could tell jokes. That might be more fun.

Why was the broom late for lessons?




It stayed up too late and overswept.