I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good: Private Message to Ron Weasley

[alt_harry]

So. Where are you?

I told my person I was writing Cedric. I don't think he cares much as long as it's not someone else on my team.

He looks like he'd rather not be here. I don't blame him, I guess.

Comments

[alt_ron]

Yeah. Mine's sort of a scruffy-looking bloke. I thought they made Enforcers keep their hair trimmed and sharp-looking.

Maybe that's why this chap got sent out to work with us.

And, yeah. I've been writing Sally Anne. I mean, I think she's off at Grimmauld maybe. Or maybe the Strettons have her working there today, but it's not too likely she's sitting around thinking I'll be writing her.

I was thinking of writing you in a bit, actually. Trying to decide if we should take advantage of the lock and just tell our teams where we are. I mean, they could still wander around for a while before they 'find' us, but at least it wouldn't take so long? I don't know. This isn't really so bad. As long as MLE haven't stunned them all. I mean, are our teams really competing with each other or fighting enforcers?

[alt_harry]

I don't know. I guess it's sort of like what Linus was talking about with the tokens. Like whether we needed to just all get as many as we could, or stop other people on the other team from getting more.

I think if we found a way to talk to our team without tipping anyone off Dolohov won't see it like it's cheating, maybe? Just sort of being clever? But if we make it way too easy, it might be suspicious.

Whatever we do, though, we should both do it.

[alt_ron]

Yeah, well. The biggest problem is not letting anyone find out about the lock. We can't afford to have Dolohov or Desai guess we've got a secret way to communicate that's not anything like the comms spells they were teaching. And that's something we're not doing with our teams, really.

I mean, it's dicey enough sitting here and writing with two different kinds of ink, yeah? With an enforcer sat three feet away.

But, well. We also don't want Zabini or Thomas or any of them to get suspicious, either. Especially Daphne. Because I think she has half an idea about it already.

So. Right. I think we shouldn't use ISS unless it gets really late and we haven't been found. I mean, I don't want to lose because my team let me get 'executed' at sundown. But that's hours off still.

[alt_harry]

Yeah.

That works. I mean, to leave it alone unless it gets really last minute.

What do you think they'll make us do next? With the tokens? It was sort of weird how they made Thomas keep his separate like that.

[alt_ron]

Excellent question.

For one thing, it looks like you can't count on Dean being on your team for long. But if he's not, then maybe the teams will get broken up. Or we'll be asked to each name some people to give to a new team along with Dean.

Ugh. I hope they don't make him leader of a third team. That would be... Well, we'd all have to watch our backs.

I still think the thing about the tokens may not be so much what we have to do with the ones we found as what Dolohov and Desai might do with any of them we didn't find. That's why I was so keen to stay out until we'd got them all. Or all we could possibly locate.

Speaking of locators. I think D&D warded me to neutralise the locator charm my team's been using. Otherwise, they'd for sure be here by now. I'm not that far from camp. Unless they scattered everybody all over the forest and made them find each other first. But still. If that's the scheme, they'd have found their way to me and that's how they'd find each other.

Anywiz. About what we'll have to do next... seems like things are getting more serious with each day and the kind of fighting the exercises mean us to do. First we were 'killing' each other, but able to come back in the game pretty quickly. And then it was a longer time to lay out if you got killed. And then the thing yesterday about healing... they'll probably do that again and try to make it so we can't really get out of the killing and healing bits, right?

I really want to know what D&D thought of our truce. It's sort of unnerving that there wasn't any debriefing last night or this morning, yeah?

And today, they've got enforcers to fight. That's a big step from us throwing marking spells at each other.

What might they have us doing next week?

[alt_harry]

That's what I'm worried most about.

Like, it's funny, I don't think I'd have trouble if we were in a proper duel with someone, even if it meant we'd probably get our arses handed to us.

But if they have us doing stuff to Muggle people

you know

People who can't fight back

Or they put us in a place where we might have to seriously hurt each other

I mean, we're already sort of being careful, you know? You could tell Patil and Macmillan weren't happy with the order they were picked, but Macmillan's stayed pretty quiet about it, like if he said anything someone would yell at him or something.

[alt_harry]

You've been doing really well, you know. Your team, I mean. I think we're all really sort of even. Which is good.

[alt_ron]

Thanks.

We worked really well together the first two days. Yesterday, though, was dicey.

How do you think F-F will do, leading? I mean, I know Malfoy will step right in, and if anyone can keep Patil and Zabini in line, he'll do it. And Finnigan will be glad it's Malfoy not me he's got to take orders from. And Bones is solid. She'll follow anything reasonable.

[alt_ron]

Your team's got good people on it, and I bet it's loads more pleasant working together with all of them.

That's another thing that was peculiar last night, actually. I mean, my team was really divided about how to go about the task. Loads of good ideas about magic for finding the things, but I've got all the Win at Any Cost people. Heh. And they really cared about whether we were going to end up with more tokens than your lot.

But then. D&D just hung up the sacks but didn't count or weigh or measure or say anything at all about who won.

That was odd.

[alt_harry]

I think they've still got Pink Toad on the brain. The Win At All Costs people, I mean.

And it's not like they've ever had to take real big risks before either.

[alt_ron]

Oh, say!

Something's up.

Angus McScruffybeard's just snapped to attention. I think someone's closing in on us.

[alt_harry]

What's happened?

Did they get you? Did anyone get stunned?

[alt_ron]

Actually, it was your lot first. And then mine came along pretty fast after that. Did you see F-F sent a PM to Malfoy? Told him where to find me. (You might want to have a talk with him about winning!)

Anywiz. There was a bit of scuffling. I'll tell you about it when you get here.

I'm just relaxing in the mess tent with a plate of biscuits. I'll save you some.

[alt_harry]

Good.

And yeah. Well. I mean, we're sort of figuring out how much we should work together, aren't we? So it's okay.

I think as long as he has a good reason for doing it, they'll listen.

It's sort of nice to know we won't get horribly punished for trying different things this time around.

[alt_harry]

found me