ORDER ONLY: Private Message to Cedric

[alt_harry]

Hey. Looks like you're starting to get caught up. It's a lot to get through. And I know all this isn't something you were planning on, but I'm glad you're in on it. Anyways. I saw you were talking to Mrs Longbottom, which is good. And she's actually pretty nice, I mean, sometimes she gets dead serious about things, but she's good at listening most of the time, and she cares about doing the right thing, but she also cares about all of us too, you know?

My parents were a part of this, you know. Back when it first got started. People call me Potter under the lock sometimes, and it's sort of nice.

So. Do you think you'll go out for Quidditch?

Comments

[alt_cedric]

Well she's in charge and we're in some dead serious stuff. I'm talking to her mainly about what I can do to be of use to the Order. And planning a time to meet in person 'cause it's just easier to talk in person.

Harry Potter. Not sure if I want to say that out loud. Ever. So I never slip in front of someone who would know and realize what it meant.

Quidditch is a very good question. I continue to improve physically. I'm flying more, but keeping it simple and short so far. Pro Quidditch has been my dream... well forever, as long as I can remember. But I'm in here now. And I look at it and it seems, well frivolous compared to saving babies and making us a better society. But flying and quidditch make me happy. For a long time my patronus thought was

There's no question, I have to go to tryouts come spring, otherwise people will ask nosy questions I won't be able to answer. If we decide other this would be best for a job I'll throw them if I have to. Several people have said that it could still be a useful job. I'm not sure I see why they think so but, we'll see what they say as I discuss things.

[alt_harry]

I know what you mean about things seeming sort of frivolous sometimes. When people were fighting in Saltash, and I had to sit there in my classes and just listen to professors talk, it was like everything they said was just pointless. People were dying, you know?

I think if they say it might be useful, it's worth looking into. And it's worth thinking about other stuff you can do on the side, too. Like Stretton is good at Arithmancy, and we need that sometimes, even if he's doing other stuff at work. And Sirius helps with potions sometimes. And the twins do some research, even though they've got their business to run. And sometimes, when we need a lot of people all at once, they jump in and help out too. So there's that.

And being ace at flying and strategy and things like that are really dead useful, too.

[alt_cedric]

I'm not sure how they see playing quidditch would be useful. If something like Saltash or Sarah came up most of the time I wouldn't be able to get away to the action and even if I could I'd have got get back to practice the next day. We've all seen how long Raz and Dolohov have been gone from Hogwarts when these things happen. The Cannons wouldn't take "I was off fighting against the Lord Protector. That's why I missed practice yesterday." as an excuse. Other than to sack me, report to MLE and save some galleons on my salary while praying that Dralworth isn't completely bristles before shaft for another season.

My main other idea at the moment is to work more or less closely with the twins on some ideas I have about quidditch supplies for legitimate business and ways to repurpose the same supplies to more militant ends.

Yeah, I think I was a relatively good captain, but not sure how well those skills will transfer over to combat. I was good at it for quidditch because I'm good on a broom and know the rules of the game. Until I could get combat wizardry training, above and beyond Raz's Defence class, it wouldn't be etched onto my bones the way flying and quidditch are. For years it wouldn't be as reflexive as what to do in the middle of a firefight, like we saw Raz and Dolohov demonstrate, but it was for me in the middle of a mad dive for the snitch, where it was all twitch reflexes and what felt like prescient guesses about how it would dodge.

[alt_harry]

We can't all fight, you know. Like if Bill were to get seen at Saltash, that'd be a problem, but Sirius or Mr Longbottom were different.

The supplies thing might be interesting.

And I know what you mean about fighting. At the Department of Mysteries, it was like they were just sort of playing with us. And it was too easy for them.

I don't know if I'll ever be good enough.

[alt_cedric]

I am good at Defence, I'd have been disappointed if I got less than an O. If I'm healthy by spring, I'll still be disappointed. Even if it's not my primary job, I want to be able to. Is anyone fooling themselves that the current regime will allow the kind of changes we think are necessary and right peacefully? At some point, we're all going to have to fight. Even those of us with completely normal lives that aren't wanted "criminals" are going to end up fighting.

If we want to fight and not have them playing with us, we’re going to have to train like we train for quidditch. I don’t know how we’ll find the time here at Hogwarts to do it properly, or with a teacher that knows how. It’s not like we can ask Raz to train us in small group tactics so that we can fight him and his family next time they’re out murdering people. And the Order’s fighters are all elsewhere. Reading about the stuff he’s done was hard. I like Raz. I liked his classes. He was a good teacher and has had good advice for me in the past. I guess I ought to have known the sort of stuff he’s done, but reading it made it so much more personal. And Siz is

The difference between quidditch pads and armor is not that great and in many cases the base materials are the same. If I start a legitimate business that uses large quantities of special leather to make “Kids Kwidditch Kit! We keep your kids safe!” that means I need large quantities of special leather, some of which is going to get destroyed in creation, some of it lost during trials. If some extra gets lost and funneled to people in Moddey Dhoo where they make honest to goodness armor out of it, how would anyone know? But if Lazlo’s tried to order that same leather MEU and Commerce would be all over them.

Bludgers are bloody dangerous, but I can think of a dozen different ways to make them far more dangerous as long as you can work out a system to make them not attack people on your side. There are lists and lists and lists of spells and runes and potions that are illegal to use in quidditch matches. Come Hither potions, Lizard Toe Gloves, Hagalaz on bludgers, the lists just go on and on and now it just looks like a list of things to do.

Clerking has been really hard to sit next to him this week and maintain the easy camaraderie that has built up over the last three months after having read about what happened in Mysteries. It was one thing to have read that Grim Truth about something that had happened years and years ago and quite another to know that just a few months ago he tried to maim my friends. He has this way of talking about just about anything that makes it sound nice and normal and fine. All academic and analytical. He doesn’t torture his students. He doesn’t pick on those labeled half-blood or from lesser families of dubious heritage. He pushes everyone to be the best they can be at a subject he’s passionate about. I trust you and your account, it’s just I don’t see it day to day. It’s like you are describing an evil twin in the account of what happened.

[alt_harry]

Those ideas about weapons and things sound really good. I'd definitely bring them up with Mrs Longbottom, and see if you can't meet up with Mr Lee. I've never really met him before, but the twins have.

They did this brilliant training thing over Easter last term, and I'd bet they'd set something up during summer hols too.

[alt_cedric]

Is Mr Lee the one that they keep calling Fu? I thought he mostly did muggle stuff?

That sounds wonderful. I assume the winter break we haven't tried because of family and the social whirl? However, think about the first quidditch practice in the fall. And the first month or so after someone gets replaced. We're going to need something much more regular.

[alt_harry]

Yeah.

Agreed.

Maybe we can set up something regular over next term, like we meet once or twice a week at the Shack or something and get training for an hour from an Order member.

And yes, that's the one. He does Muggle stuff, but I think he was working on armour things, and the twins like working with him.

[alt_cedric]

Once I'm closer to well I'd love to have a regular training and sparring session.

[alt_harry]

But yeah.

Raz is

I told him after the ceremony where Voldemort came back that I thought I was there as a back-up plan. And he agreed with me, but he said that he didn't know about it until after, and he said that he wouldn't have let it happen. That they would've had to kill him to get to me.

And I believe him.

I mean, it's not like he'd

It's hard.

He does things. He goes out and kills people. But he'll tell me he doesn't want me doing that sort of stuff, and I think sometimes he doesn't have much of a choice. But that doesn't mean he'll up and switch sides. I know that.

It's complicated. Because most everyone isn't all good or all bad, you know? And you can love someone even if they

Like Professor Dolohov. He was really awful in Mysteries. But once he figured out things, he left. He even gave us a book about how to fight better afterwords, and hasn't asked us once what we did with Arista and Hector. And that's not the Felix. It's him. It's not like I'm going to trust him with the Order stuff, or think that he'd take it easy on me if we were fighting in a battle or something, but I do trust him about some things, and we're not in a battle yet.

I can see how it'd be tough to work with him. Sally-Anne could barely look at him the first day we were back in class. And he is dangerous. But that doesn't change the fact that when he's teaching, he's funny. And fair. And interesting.

And Mr Snape and Mr Macnair did things before too, but now people in the Order trust them. And I trust them too. And maybe the stuff they're doing now makes up a little bit for what they did before. Some people can change.

I don't know.