Private message to Finnigan

[alt_jason]

All right?

Soz about the quick parting this morning. No time but to grab a café scone, a speedy cuppa, and then be off. Worked with the new trainees this morning and aff. Speaking of which, you ought to be one. Better with a wand than all of them.

I can try to have a word with someone about that, if you like?

Anyway.

"Terry Boot Longbottom?"

Not sure who or what he is to you, but is he giving you trouble?

Comments

[alt_seamus]

He's nothing. He's less than nothing.

Amycus Carrow's old mudblood.

[alt_jason]

So I recall.

Got more to say about it? I'm ears.

[alt_seamus]

Yeah he wants me to feel guilty for turning in Neville.

He thinks I owed Neville a life debt. It's complicated. I didn't. I don't think I did, anyway.

I don't know if I want to tell you about this.

[alt_jason]

I'm not sure I want you to tell me, either?

Which is to say that it sounds dire. You seemed

And if you don't want to say more about it then you shouldn't.

[alt_seamus]

I was really angry this morning. At both of them.

Neville meddled. I didn't tell him not to, and it saved my life, but instead

Neville got what he deserved and it's a shame Boot got away.

Though that reminds me. I should tell you (or someone) -- apparently Terry Boot killed Amycus Carrow by tearing out his throat with his teeth. I think he's got to be either a werewolf, or an animagus of some sort, and surely Carrow would have known if he were a werewolf and taken precautions?

[alt_jason]

I could tell.

Huh. How'd he become an animagus while living with Carrow, I wonder?

Carrow was the Transfig professor, so maybe he picked it up that way, somehow, but you can bet Carrow wouldn't have taught him.

He definitely wasn't an animagus when I was at school, but then it would be highly unusual for a boy of ten or whatever to have mastered that. Especially with no training whatsoever.

[alt_seamus]

How do you know he

oh

so I was right, I guess, you were just messing with me

[alt_jason]

I could tell you were trying to figure me out.

How'd you even suspect? Is it because you trained with Hydra Lestrange.

No one else knows, really.

That is, it's marked as one of my 'training skills' but as far as anyone else knows, I've not got much talent in the area.

[alt_seamus]

Yeah, it is. I knew about her, obviously, and I trained with her anytime she'd fight me just because she's so good in a duel. Anyway she usually knew what I was going to do before I did it, and I learned a few tricks to throw her off at least a bit.

You duel -- it's not exactly like her, but I noticed you anticipated moves I didn't think I was signaling and you weren't falling for the things I was trying to signal. I tried some of what worked when I was dueling Hydra and it worked with you.

[alt_jason]

Yeah, well you throw me off my game a b

That's funny. Whenever someone else has started to suspect (not that many have), I usually misread them on purpose so that they go back to thinking I've not got a clue.

And the talking a lot. That throws people off, too. Most people believe that anyone who talks a lot only wants to hear himself speak.

Sorry I didn't tell you.

You're the first person I have told outright.

[alt_seamus]

You said MLE knew, though, how'd they work it out if you didn't tell them?

[alt_seamus]

Anyway, thanks.

For trusting me.

[alt_jason]

I experimented a bit to see if having the skill would take me further along the career path that I wanted. Interrogation, Surveillance, that sort of thing.

But I eventually worked out that it would be more advantageous in the long run (although its been a painfully slow long run) if I kept the skill a secret and continued to use it without people knowing.

As for trusting

Yeah, I reckon I do.

[alt_seamus]

Here's the thing. You know I'm from Ireland, you know Ireland's crawling with violent muggles, and years ago, the Lord Protector wanted to set up some sort of ward that would keep the Irish muggles from coming over here. But there was no way to do that without making it very difficult for the wizards, too, and my family -- my mother's family -- promised they'd keep things under control. They handed over some of my blood, to go into the regular wards. If they lost control of things, the Lord Protector could have someone use me, to make that ward against Ireland.

So you probably remember that bomb that almost killed Dominic Selwyn, at least if you were working in MLE. It did kill Ron Weasley's father. That was IMA -- don't know if they told you that, were you in MLE yet? High enough to hear? There was some story they put out, it wasn't true. Anyway.

So that was supposed to be it, for me. The ward needed blood, a whole lot of blood, and a death, and that's actually why -- I mean, I'd always known that could happen? And I wrote a note to Padma and to Neville, to say goodbye, and Neville decided he'd go to Antonin Dolohov because surely, he said, surely they'd come up with an alternative. And I was weak and said okay. And what Dolohov came up with was that someone related to me would work just fine so instead of me being sacrificed, it was my mother, and instead of Dolohov doing the sacrificing, it was me. Well, he helped with the bloodletting afterward. It was

I can't

WHY would any of them think I would be grateful for that?

She was my mother. She was the only person who ever

[alt_jason]

That's when I was a trainee, but yeah, I heard.

I mean, not really about you. Or your mother.

Who expected you to be grateful? Who said you ought to be?

[alt_seamus]

Terry fucking Boot. Longbottom.

[alt_seamus]

He said I owed Neville a life debt, and there would be all sorts of magical repercussions for betraying that, and I don't even know why I'm listening to that FUCKING MUDBLOOD who spent most of his life licking the soles of Carrow's boots. (Literally. I mean that literally.)

[alt_seamus]

And, I mean, I'm not listening to him.

It's just that I haven't been able to stop thinking about my mother, all day.

She wanted

to make it easier for me

I mean she was trying to protect me, still, even though

[alt_jason]

Seamus, I'm sorry.

This explains so much about you.

[alt_seamus]

Yeah, well, so that's the other reason I think Padma's mad if she believes the Order would go easy on me.

[alt_seamus]

They took me away and put me in fostering with Mr Rosier, I wasn't even allowed to write to her, from September 1 when I was eleven years old until the day I had to kill her.

[alt_jason]

That's fucking horrid.

Don't be too sure about the Order. I doubt Boot speaks for them, even if he does go by the name Longbottom now.

But you're not going to turn yourself in to the Order.

You're going to stay here with me.

[alt_seamus]

Yes. I am.

[alt_jason]

Ha.

I really am the biggest fucking idiot sometimes.

Let it be noted.

[alt_seamus]

What? Why?

[alt_jason]

I thought if we just kept on as mates and avoided the whole shagging thing that it would keep me from developing an attachment to you.

But look at me, with the whole "stay here," "don't go" nonsense.

Surely I'm not actually fooling you.

[alt_seamus]

I try not to assume I'm right if I think someone likes me.

Sometimes it's been wishful thinking.

[alt_jason]

Nah, you're right.

I'm just not sure what to do about it.

[alt_seamus]

Well, I promised I wouldn't try to kiss you.

So if you've changed your mind about shagging me, you'll have to make the first move.

[alt_jason]

I like this calculating side of you.

You don't want to think about your mother.

I don't want you to think about your mother.

Meet me in my rooms in an hour.

I'll see to it that you don't think about her or anything related to this for a good long while.

[alt_seamus]

I'll see you in an hour.