alt_luna | Daddy

Portia and Celia have been very kind, but still...Ginny, I expect you've heard. The Headmistress called me into her office to tell me, but I suppose word spreads fast around here. I don't think I will want to come to dinner tonight, but I'd really like to see you, if you can come to the Ravenclaw common room. The Prefects said that they would watch for you and let me know when you're there, and we'll find a place to go away for awhile to talk.

I can't believe I'll never be able to go home again. And that I'll never see him again.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_sally_anne

Oh, Luna. I heard at lunchtime. I am sorry, I am so, so sorry about your father.

From:

alt_neville

Blimey. What's going to happen to her now? I mean, she's been declared a half-blood, hasn't she? So will they have to get a foster family for her? Or will Ron's family take her in?

From:

alt_neville

I mean, she's an orphan now, isn't she?

From:

alt_sally_anne

Well she'll need someone to take care of her. I expect the Weasleys will offer, they've known her since she was a little girl. Surely they'll let her live with the Weasleys? I mean they're as pureblooded as the Malfoys and Mr Weasley works at the Ministry, for all Padma makes nasty comments all the time about Ron's family they're really quite respectable.

From:

alt_ron

Of course, she'll come live with us. And I reckon my parents will want to make it official, however you do that. Did you see what Mum said to her? About having serious stuff to talk over. I bet they mean to adopt her. If she wants them to, y'know.

From:

alt_neville

Can they adopt her, though? If they call her a half-blood? Sally-Anne, do you know? I mean, aren't half-bloods called, what d'ye call it, wards of the state or something?

I hope she'll be able to live with you. It sounds like she gets along real well with your Mum and your sister.

From:

alt_ron

I dunno about that stuff. I mean, I know Luna's not ever a halfblood. Not that it ought to matter, except that it does matter for stuff like this, and she's not one.

But, yeah, they're really good friends, I think. Ginny and Luna. They practically grew up together. I mean, with Luna's mother gone and her father so, well. He was a different sort than my dad--than most anyone, really. And he was mad about Luna, but I don't think he paid her much mind most of the time. I mean, she was always just turning up and staying at ours and he didn't ever seem to even notice she was gone. Mum'd go spare if we ever just disappeared like that without saying where we were going or when we'd be back. I mean, not that she really ever could keep up with all of us, but it wasn't because she wasn't worrying about where each of was, so she's always shouting at someone about how we're going to kill her one day with worrying her. Yeah. Luna's father's not, wasn't, I mean, like that at all.

From:

alt_sally_anne

There's no rule that says a half-blood can't be adopted, but there's no provision saying they can, either. The rules sort of assume no one would want to.

It would probably be best if they just ask to foster her for now. Finnigan's foster father really acts like his father; if you CAN adopt your foster child he'll do it and once he does, there'll be a rule saying you can. Because Mr Rosier is part of the same inner circle as Mr Malfoy and Mr Nott and the rest. If he wants something he'll get it.

From:

alt_ron

That's just awful, Luna. Just

yeah

I'm really really sorry.

From:

alt_lana

I'm very sorry for your loss, Lovegood. If there's anything at all that I or the other Prefects could do, you've only to let me know.

From:

alt_sirius

They killed him?

Why? Why now? What purpose does that serve?

From:

alt_poppy

It defies imagination, Sirius. It does.

I don't know what to tell you, except that none of it makes sense. Minerva and I have been trying to shake some credible information out of the bureaucrats all day. I've spoken with six different representatives at St Mungo's and been given a very hazy story. I really don't believe he was kept there all this time, but of course they're not going to confirm or deny that. What they have said is that Xeno signed some sort of contract or codicil or whatever the term is they use for such things that requires his body be turned over to the Programme for Anthromantical Studies. I've never heard of it.

From:

alt_sirius

Come again? They're giving out he's dead but his remains are to go to some obscure and presumably experimental project?

No.

I cry foul. What's more, I'd wonder whether he's really dead, if that's the way they're playing it.

More likely they just wanted to keep him round as a play-toy for old Voldy-trousers. Well, they can just stuff it, that's all.

If we don't flay every one of them alive and then pour lemon juice over them and then grow all their skin back so we can do it again ....

Sorry. I know, that sinks us to their level. I know it.

Merlin, it would feel good, though.

From:

alt_poppy

I know exactly what you mean, Sirius, about wanting to put them through even a fragment of what they've done to their victims.

But, I truly do not know what to think about Lovegood. You're quite right, of course: their nonsense story means anything at all might have happened to him, including the possibility that he's not dead at all. And you're right that the timing makes little or no sense.

Unless they've killed him accidentally. I really do wonder if that's not it: all it would have taken was someone getting frustrated when he persisted in making no sense at all regardless of what torment or technique they applied. A moment's fury and piff! Dead.

I can think of all too many reasons they might not wish to release his corpse. You know that they had to open a new sanitarium last spring to cope with the number of irremediable injuries inflicted by Buckingham and the Ministry on persons in custody. The fortunate souls may be the ones who die.

I--

Yes, Sirius, it would feel good.

From:

alt_bill

Bloody hell.

I saw this and like Poppy and Minerva, I've been wringing every connection I have, trying to find out more. The analyst team has been being extremely careful, though, to not draw attention to our inquiries.

I can tell you this much: his death certificate hasn't been registered this week. It might mean nothing, though, depending on when he died, if he died. It could come with next week's report. If it does come in, I have someone who thinks she can grab a quick look and at least get an official cause of death. That'll give us the Ministry's story of what happened.

But I agree with you, Sirius, given what we know about how they made him disappear. Whatever they will tell us will be a lie. We just have to figure out how much of a lie.

From:

alt_kingsley

If he is alive, what would they do with him? Now that the cure's out and presumably they can't pretend to be stashing him in a contamination ward?

Azkaban?

From:

alt_sirius

That's why I'm afraid they might not actually be lying about it, Kingsley. I mean, it's possible that, especially after he was so damaged by the Cruciatus curse, he grew to be more valuable dead than alive, as it were.

From:

alt_sirius

Oh, crikey, that research trip of his.

You don't think

I mean to say, there's not a reason he'd need

And Reg was doing something with lots of dead

bugger

From:

alt_poppy

What? I don't follow what you are saying here at all.

From:

alt_sirius

It's all right, Poppy. You don't want to know.

That's part of the legacy of living with a family of dark wizards. Sometimes the brain goes places you'd rather not.

Suffice to say I think I know what Reg was doing on that 'project' he was working on for so long recently. And it requires corpses.

When I'm finished being sick I think I'll murder that little goblin.

From:

alt_poppy

I-

Corpses?

Some sort of necromancy, then. I suppose that makes sense with Voldemort behind it.

I do wish I knew what he was researching here. Irma said he had her pull out all the Darkest tomes and manuscripts in preparation for his visit, and then he insisted on going down into her vaults and tromping around them himself. He wanted to see all of Slytherin's papers, of course, but also a trolley-load of private journals kept by some of the early teachers--Sprenger and Grunnion, among them. Neither of them was strictly a necromancer, but she did say Viridian (Hogwarts' first and only vivisectionist, you know) was in his stack. The only other thing she could identify with certainty that he dragged out to read were the Piers of Chesterton scrolls. There was more, but he was careful to keep her from ever having a clear view.

From:

alt_sirius

Grunnion? Not the inventor of the dungbomb, I assume.

(Though I could use a few dungbombs lobbed over the Malfoy gate right about now ....)

From:

alt_poppy

No. Not the inventor of the dungbomb.

Although, I'm not sure you could say that this particular Grunnion--he was on staff here in the early years, a generation or three down from the founders, I'd guess--was any more respectable than his latter day descendant.

Dungbombs.

From:

alt_bill

Thanks, Poppy. I'll give that list to the analysts, see if they can make anything of it.

Kingsley, do those names suggest anything to you?

From:

alt_kingsley

Not really, but I'm not the expert on dark arts that Emmeline is. I'll ask her, and see if she has any ideas. If she does, I'll forward 'em on.

From:

alt_kingsley

Well, I want to know. So does Emmeline. Spell it out for us.

So to speak.

From:

alt_sirius

I can barely write it, it's that revolting.

Reg kept talking about the dead. Loads of them. What do you need to mass murder people for, Kingsley?

And having Kreacher to ferry the corpses?

I'm gonna be sick again.

From:

alt_sirius

What about the girl, then? Have you heard from Molly and Arthur? I know they said they'd take her in if necessary.

Has Minerva any indication they'll be allowed to come see her? Or let her go home to them?

Circe. I just

Those bastards.

From:

alt_poppy

I haven't seen Miss Lovegood. Minerva offered to bring her here for a quiet place and a bit of help with sleeping if that proves difficult, but so far the girl has preferred to sequester herself in her House, I believe, and if that's where she's most comfortable, then that's exactly where she ought to be.

I don't know whether Molly has sought permission for her to leave the school. I rather doubt she'd be granted the request, given the restrictions on travel that are still in effect and the rules about anyone exiting or entering the school. Anyone not the Protector and his minions, that is.

You have the right word for them.

From:

alt_arthur

Arthur here. Molly's been crying all afternoon. What a hell of a thing. But I agree Sirius; I am not satisfied that he's dead. And if he is, I highly doubt that the cause of death is what the Ministry is saying.

We're definitely in agreement: we're going to apply to adopt her.

From:

alt_arthur

She just spent the weekend starting to put in the garden for him behind his house, so that he'd have something to harvest come next autumn. Bloody hell.

From:

alt_bill

I'm all for it, Dad, if you can convince the Ministry to let you take her. I'm sure the rest of us would support you on this, too.

From:

alt_percy

I'm so very sorry, Luna. Of course any of us will do anything we can to help.

Did Ginny manage to find you?

From:

alt_luna

Yes, she did. And it was very good to talk to her, but I've decided I want to be alone for a little while now. Except I'm holding my roommate's cat, because sometimes that's the very best thing to do when you're quite sad.

From:

alt_ginny

Luna,

I am so sorry. I know you will always have a home with us. I just know that mum and dad will allow you to stay with us. Right mum? They wouldn't split us up, you are like my sister. Better yet, you are my sister. Just drink that tea I gave you tonight, and I will meet you outside of your house in the morning and we can go to breakfast together and if we have time go for a quite walk around the lake. I think you need to talk more than we could tonight.

I love you Luna, my whole family does. I know you are not in a good place right now, but hold on to that.

Try to get some rest, and I will see you in the morning.

Edited Date: 2010-04-22 01:45 am (UTC)

From:

alt_molly

Yes, dear. Of course it's very soon for Luna to have to think about this, but your father and I have already talked it over, and as I told Luna, we want to talk with her about it, too. There will always be a place for her at the Burrow, and if she wants, your father and I would be glad to make it a formal arrangement.

From:

alt_luna

Thanks so much for coming right away. It helped better than anything, really.

Of course, I've been through this before. But that really doesn't help as much as you would hope it might. And this time I don't have any family members left to be with me through it.

From:

alt_ginny

It was no problem really. You know I will be there for you anytime you need me. If you need anything else tonight send me word. And don't forget your blanket.

From:

alt_molly

Luna, I hardly know what to say...Arthur and I are so dreadfully sorry. Oh, how I wish I could be there with you! As soon as the travel restrictions are lifted, we want to come to see you, so that we can talk with you about some decisions that will have to be made about your future. Please believe me, that Arthur and I are going to do everything we can to be there for you.

From:

alt_luna

Thanks, Mrs Weasley. It will be good to see you when you come.

Ginny brought me some of your ginger-pear jam--she still had a jar left--to have with some crumpets we toasted over the common room fire. I could close my eyes when I tasted it and pretend I was back at the Burrow with you.