I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up to No Good: Rereading old journal entries

[alt_luna]

I've been going back and rereading old entries, trying to catch up on everything. It's quite fascinating to have this new view of history of the past few years, realising for the first time that there are all these other stories going on there in the background and I didn't even know that they were there at all until now. (I'm very glad, if I didn't say it before, that Hermione Granger and Terry Boot have wands, even if they're hidden. I believe everyone who has the ability to do magic should have the right to have a wand.)

I'm extremely curious about the wand smugglers. I understand why Hermione Granger can't answer any questions about them, but still...it's quite a nice thing to know there ARE people out there doing what Sirius Black said we should do: paying attention to what's really going on. And helping others. Even the people who are the most powerless and despised.

So, who are they? How, exactly, are they operating? Where are they getting the wands? How are they smuggling them in? How do they move them around to get them to new owners? Sally-Anne Perks thought that Mrs Weasley might be involved. Could the barter network be a part of it? She's so involved with it, and that might be a good way to move suspect goods from one part of the Protectorate to another, if you have enough people in the network. Especially if not everyone in it knows exactly who everyone else is.

There are always bits in the papers telling everybody how people shouldn't use the black market, that no true patriot would ever do such a thing. But everybody barters, really. Well, I suppose except for the most important people in the government who can afford to buy rare goods for money at the very expensive shops.

Oh, and also: THAT'S why there were all those bugs in Ravenclaw tower. I really didn't think that people had left out enough food to cause such a big infestation.

Do you promise not to do it again? Or at least a warning first would be nice.

Comments

[alt_sally_anne]

We are NEVER setting lice on Ravenclaw Tower again.

I still can't believe we more or less got away with that.

You do realise, we didn't MEAN to set swarms of vermin on the lot of you? We only wanted to give lice to Padma Patil. But it shows how that sort of thing can go wrong, the whole tower was crawling with everything under the sun. And really there were plenty of Ravenclaws who hadn't done anything to deserve it!

[alt_sally_anne]

As for the wand smugglers -- well. I thought Mrs Weasley was one and I STILL think she is, but not the rest of the barter network. It's too big and too open. However, there might be people in the barter network who are, and they might be using it for cover, because really covering up a really serious illegal activity with the sort of minor shenanigans that everyone turns a blind eye to would be clever, wouldn't it? For one thing if she gets nervous around MLE they'll assume that's why, because it's really not much of a secret. (I don't think the barter network is even illegal but it IS sort of a grey market.)

There's someone at Hogwarts and I think it's Madam Pomfrey. We talked about the Headmistress but I still can't believe it. I wouldn't be surprised if Professor Sinistra was, except that she's dating Professor Lestrange and you'd have to want to play with fire -- although Justin's dating Hydra, come to think of it. So who knows.

Anyway I try not to think about it too much because I'm afraid I'll slip and give something away. But when there was the attack from Dogstar at the QWC and I realised the muggleborns were trapped right under where the bomb went off, I sent a message to Madam Pomfrey because I knew she'd take it seriously, as seriously as she would it if were purebloods maybe trapped and dying. And, she did.

[alt_justin]

Hello,

I don't know much about the smuggling on this side but I know Sirius has people on the continent to help him gather up supplies and hire boats to run for the borders. I overheard him talking to my mother about it once or twice when they thought I was elsewhere.

And I didn't intend to fancy Hydra, what? Nor did I think she'd fancy me back (or that her parents father would let her date me) but I'm ruddy well glad. Even if it's dangerous. Well, she's not the danger, if you follow me. But Professor Lestrange is one of the Lord Protector's Councilmembers, what?

I suppose Professor Sinistra could be like Mata Hari. She was a muggle spy who slept with men to learn their secrets. Though somehow I rather think someone like that would do better at Court than here in a castle well brimming with students, what?

As for Madam Pomfrey...do Healers take an Oath here? Outside they do, and muggle doctors and nurses, they all take something called the Hippocratic Oath. They have to swear that they'll do no harm--meaning nothing that would make a patient worse off, what--and that they'll help anyone who needs helping, regardless of who the person is. So magical or not, whether the person is Muslim or Christian or nothing at all, gay or straight, or even black or white or Asian--she'd have to help, no matter what. So if Healers have to swear that sort of thing here, which I suppose they might not do--well, I mean to say, the fact that she helped at the QWC doesn't necessarily mean she's one of them.

On the other hand, she treated me well enough this week. But that doesn't mean anything, either, does it, since she's no reason to know I'm muggleborn?

Did someone really think it was your headmistress? Blimey. I suppose I haven't read as far back as that yet. Or perhaps I missed it, there's a ruddy lot to go through, isn't there?

Oh, but do you know, I think the Durmstrang Headmaster's supposed to have been one of the Lord Protector's followers, from before, what? And of course Professor Froissart, he's not as far as I know but then he's jolly well married to Mr Malfoy's sister, so I've always gone well careful about him, do you see.

-Justin