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Jul. 16th, 2003 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
essayelI have come to decision And that decision is this - that I really need to go and see 'Bulletproof Monk'. This decision has been made purely on the strength of the title.
I also need to see LXG (because Stuart Townsend's in it, though I suspect he keeps his kit on in this one) and Pirates of the Caribbean (Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom? whimper).
Oh well, I can wait for the vids to come out.
Hmmm ...what shall I do now?
Post something silly, I think.
“For pity’s sake, Dumbledore,” Remus hands were shaking as he leaned over the Headmasters desk, “you have to do something!”
The Headmaster steepled his fingers and smiled at Remus.
“Come now, Remus,” he said chidingly. “Surely you are exaggerating?”
“I am not!” Remus voice rose to an undignified squeak and he brought it back under control with an effort. “The man is driving me mad. True he was my best friend…fourteen years ago. True he is still one of the best friends I have but he is still driving me absolutely Harpic!”
“Sit down and compose yourself,” Dumbledore advised, “and tell me all about it.”
“Headmaster!” Snape’s voice cut across Dumbledore’s last few words. “Do we really have time to waste on this minor matter? Surely we have more important items on our agenda?” He scowled at Remus, deeply resenting the way that his measured report of the frankly rather boring Death Eater activities had been disrupted by the tardy arrival of the distraught Lupin.
“Severus,” Dumbledore smiled gently, “a problem shared is a problem halved. I’m sure that Remus would do the same for you.”
The taut look exchanged by Snape and the werewolf gave that extraordinary statement the lie but Dumbledore was busy pouring himself another cup of Ridgeways Imperial Blend and didn’t notice..
“Go on, Remus,” Bill said encouragingly, well aware that until they calmed Remus down he wouldn’t get a chance to make his own report. “What’s happened now?”
Remus gathered his scattered thoughts and began. “Well, Sirius turned up at my place a week ago – three weeks is all it took him to get around the old crowd. I wouldn’t have believed it possible in the time except I’ve had complaints from both Arabella and Mundungus and a couple of the others say they are traumatised as well. Sirius seems to have felt that time was of the essence and that all niceties could be dispensed with. These people are vital to the organisation and pouncing on one in an alleyway, twisting their wand arm up behind their back and snarling “listen or die” in their ear may be quick but is scarcely the way to weld them into a cohesive operating unit. Since he arrived, he has been either sunk in the depths of depression or full of energy. He has double dug my vegetable patch…twice. Last week, while I was away, he put my entire library into alphabetical order…” Remus paused, eyes closed at the horror of it… “and now I don’t know where anything is. He wakes me up in the middle of the night with lists of things he wants me to find for Harry, lists of things he wants me to do for Harry, lists of things he wants me to tell Harry and he has this absurd obsession about December. Whenever I say, don’t worry there’s plenty of time for that, he throws a wobbly and says everything has to be sorted out before Christmas. Now he wants me to get him a lawyer so he can make his Will and that’s a good idea because if he wakes me up at three a.m. once more saying “Oh, Remus, on Harry’s sixteenth birthday can you make sure he gets laid” I swear that I will do him some kind of lasting damage.”
He drew breath to continue but Severus interrupted with a chuckle.
“It sounds almost as though Black is contemplating putting an end to his sorry existence,” he said with relish. “Don’t interfere, Headmaster, please. There’s something exquisitely appropriate about the idea of Sirius Black committing suicide by enraged werewolf.”
Remus went white and was on his way out of his chair but Bill’s big hand pushed him back against the cushions. He drew two deep breaths and slowly unclenched his fists then nodded his thanks to Bill.
“There may be something in what Snape says,” Remus conceded reluctantly. “But why? I saw him just before the final of the Triwizard Tournament and he was fine…concerned for Harry, of course, avid for news of Pettigrew and desperate to clear his name….Snape, don’t you start! No, whatever has caused this – this upset has happened since then.”
Dumbledore sipped his tea reflectively then set the cup back on the saucer with a click. “So…what happened?” he asked. “Sirius was tense but rational on that awful night when we were dealing with poor Harry. Something must have happened after that. Something to make him view the winter with disquiet.”
Silence fell while Remus racked his brains and Severus leaned back in his chair, extended his legs towards the fire and made a mental inventory of his poisons cupboard. At length Remus shook his head.
“No,” he said. “I can’t think of anything. Sirius has always loved Christmas.”
Bill moved a little in his chair and frowned.
“Christmas?” he said. “But that’s what…no, surely not.”
“What?” Snape demanded. “Come on, drop the other shoe.”
Bill hastily described Sirius encounter with Sibyl Trelawney. “But that’s ridiculous,” he added. “Nobody takes her seriously, everybody knows what she’s like.”
“Hmmm…” Dumbledore reached for a Garibaldi and dunked it in his tea. “Perhaps, everybody except Sirius. Your year, Severus and Remus, was taught by Professor Dee. A splendid woman, very down to earth, and on one of the rare occasions she told you not to walk under a ladder or to avoid shellfish you had better jolly well take heed.”
“But…” Remus began to protest then thought better of it. It was quite likely, he admitted to himself, that Sirius didn’t know the full beauty of Sibyl Trelawney’s personality and had therefore taken her words at face value!
“Headmaster,” he said earnestly. “What shall we do? How much use will Sirius be to the Order and, more importantly, to Harry if he truly believes that he is to die on Christmas Day?”
Snape opened his mouth, caught Dumbledore’s eye and shut it again.
“Well,” Dumbledore’s smile was suddenly both wide and slightly scary, “the first thing that springs to mind is that we ensure that he does!”
Snape straightened in his seat and his delighted, “Yesssss!” cut through the stunned silence.
Remus was too aghast to speak so Bill did it for him.
“Headmaster, did we hear you right? You mean that we should – er – ensure that Professor Trelawney’s prophecy comes true?”
“Yes,” Dumbledore confirmed, drawing an excited ‘squee’ from Snape. “Sirius may not be able to take a very active part in the proceedings of the Order while he is still on the ‘Most Wanted’ list but his function as support for Harry is essential. We can’t afford to have him moping around. Harry is scarcely the most sensitive child when it comes to other peoples’ feelings but I remember how Sirius used to broadcast his moods.” Remus, currently suffering from the fall out of Sirius depression nodded wearily. “Harry might pick up that his godfather is distressed and I don’t want the boy worried,” Dumbledore continued, “so we will have to take steps to bring Sirius back into the right frame of mind. I assume I can count upon your support? Bill? Remus?” They both nodded but Snape scowled.
“Headmaster,” he drawled, “before I raise a finger to help Black it will be Christmas in August.”
“Funny you should say that,” Dumbledore said with a smile, his eyes twinkling madly.
I also need to see LXG (because Stuart Townsend's in it, though I suspect he keeps his kit on in this one) and Pirates of the Caribbean (Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom? whimper).
Oh well, I can wait for the vids to come out.
Hmmm ...what shall I do now?
Post something silly, I think.
“For pity’s sake, Dumbledore,” Remus hands were shaking as he leaned over the Headmasters desk, “you have to do something!”
The Headmaster steepled his fingers and smiled at Remus.
“Come now, Remus,” he said chidingly. “Surely you are exaggerating?”
“I am not!” Remus voice rose to an undignified squeak and he brought it back under control with an effort. “The man is driving me mad. True he was my best friend…fourteen years ago. True he is still one of the best friends I have but he is still driving me absolutely Harpic!”
“Sit down and compose yourself,” Dumbledore advised, “and tell me all about it.”
“Headmaster!” Snape’s voice cut across Dumbledore’s last few words. “Do we really have time to waste on this minor matter? Surely we have more important items on our agenda?” He scowled at Remus, deeply resenting the way that his measured report of the frankly rather boring Death Eater activities had been disrupted by the tardy arrival of the distraught Lupin.
“Severus,” Dumbledore smiled gently, “a problem shared is a problem halved. I’m sure that Remus would do the same for you.”
The taut look exchanged by Snape and the werewolf gave that extraordinary statement the lie but Dumbledore was busy pouring himself another cup of Ridgeways Imperial Blend and didn’t notice..
“Go on, Remus,” Bill said encouragingly, well aware that until they calmed Remus down he wouldn’t get a chance to make his own report. “What’s happened now?”
Remus gathered his scattered thoughts and began. “Well, Sirius turned up at my place a week ago – three weeks is all it took him to get around the old crowd. I wouldn’t have believed it possible in the time except I’ve had complaints from both Arabella and Mundungus and a couple of the others say they are traumatised as well. Sirius seems to have felt that time was of the essence and that all niceties could be dispensed with. These people are vital to the organisation and pouncing on one in an alleyway, twisting their wand arm up behind their back and snarling “listen or die” in their ear may be quick but is scarcely the way to weld them into a cohesive operating unit. Since he arrived, he has been either sunk in the depths of depression or full of energy. He has double dug my vegetable patch…twice. Last week, while I was away, he put my entire library into alphabetical order…” Remus paused, eyes closed at the horror of it… “and now I don’t know where anything is. He wakes me up in the middle of the night with lists of things he wants me to find for Harry, lists of things he wants me to do for Harry, lists of things he wants me to tell Harry and he has this absurd obsession about December. Whenever I say, don’t worry there’s plenty of time for that, he throws a wobbly and says everything has to be sorted out before Christmas. Now he wants me to get him a lawyer so he can make his Will and that’s a good idea because if he wakes me up at three a.m. once more saying “Oh, Remus, on Harry’s sixteenth birthday can you make sure he gets laid” I swear that I will do him some kind of lasting damage.”
He drew breath to continue but Severus interrupted with a chuckle.
“It sounds almost as though Black is contemplating putting an end to his sorry existence,” he said with relish. “Don’t interfere, Headmaster, please. There’s something exquisitely appropriate about the idea of Sirius Black committing suicide by enraged werewolf.”
Remus went white and was on his way out of his chair but Bill’s big hand pushed him back against the cushions. He drew two deep breaths and slowly unclenched his fists then nodded his thanks to Bill.
“There may be something in what Snape says,” Remus conceded reluctantly. “But why? I saw him just before the final of the Triwizard Tournament and he was fine…concerned for Harry, of course, avid for news of Pettigrew and desperate to clear his name….Snape, don’t you start! No, whatever has caused this – this upset has happened since then.”
Dumbledore sipped his tea reflectively then set the cup back on the saucer with a click. “So…what happened?” he asked. “Sirius was tense but rational on that awful night when we were dealing with poor Harry. Something must have happened after that. Something to make him view the winter with disquiet.”
Silence fell while Remus racked his brains and Severus leaned back in his chair, extended his legs towards the fire and made a mental inventory of his poisons cupboard. At length Remus shook his head.
“No,” he said. “I can’t think of anything. Sirius has always loved Christmas.”
Bill moved a little in his chair and frowned.
“Christmas?” he said. “But that’s what…no, surely not.”
“What?” Snape demanded. “Come on, drop the other shoe.”
Bill hastily described Sirius encounter with Sibyl Trelawney. “But that’s ridiculous,” he added. “Nobody takes her seriously, everybody knows what she’s like.”
“Hmmm…” Dumbledore reached for a Garibaldi and dunked it in his tea. “Perhaps, everybody except Sirius. Your year, Severus and Remus, was taught by Professor Dee. A splendid woman, very down to earth, and on one of the rare occasions she told you not to walk under a ladder or to avoid shellfish you had better jolly well take heed.”
“But…” Remus began to protest then thought better of it. It was quite likely, he admitted to himself, that Sirius didn’t know the full beauty of Sibyl Trelawney’s personality and had therefore taken her words at face value!
“Headmaster,” he said earnestly. “What shall we do? How much use will Sirius be to the Order and, more importantly, to Harry if he truly believes that he is to die on Christmas Day?”
Snape opened his mouth, caught Dumbledore’s eye and shut it again.
“Well,” Dumbledore’s smile was suddenly both wide and slightly scary, “the first thing that springs to mind is that we ensure that he does!”
Snape straightened in his seat and his delighted, “Yesssss!” cut through the stunned silence.
Remus was too aghast to speak so Bill did it for him.
“Headmaster, did we hear you right? You mean that we should – er – ensure that Professor Trelawney’s prophecy comes true?”
“Yes,” Dumbledore confirmed, drawing an excited ‘squee’ from Snape. “Sirius may not be able to take a very active part in the proceedings of the Order while he is still on the ‘Most Wanted’ list but his function as support for Harry is essential. We can’t afford to have him moping around. Harry is scarcely the most sensitive child when it comes to other peoples’ feelings but I remember how Sirius used to broadcast his moods.” Remus, currently suffering from the fall out of Sirius depression nodded wearily. “Harry might pick up that his godfather is distressed and I don’t want the boy worried,” Dumbledore continued, “so we will have to take steps to bring Sirius back into the right frame of mind. I assume I can count upon your support? Bill? Remus?” They both nodded but Snape scowled.
“Headmaster,” he drawled, “before I raise a finger to help Black it will be Christmas in August.”
“Funny you should say that,” Dumbledore said with a smile, his eyes twinkling madly.
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Oh Lovely
Date: 2003-07-16 03:56 pm (UTC)“Sirius may not be able to take a very active part in the proceedings of the Order while he is still on the ‘Most Wanted’ list but his function as support for Harry is essential. We can’t afford to have him moping around.
Oh how I wish that had really been the case :(
Re: Oh Lovely
Date: 2003-07-16 11:55 pm (UTC)"Ooooh," Hermione moaned. "It's just like a Diet Coke commercial."
"Diet what?" Ginny whimpered. "Oh, look, look at that drip. Look where it's going! Down...down...ooooh...lucky drip."
I don't think I need to draw you a picture - not you but perhaps Camilla might like one!
Re:
Date: 2003-07-16 11:50 pm (UTC)