Order Only: Report

[alt_bill]

Roughly an hour.

Potion effective. Sight keen-edged, hearing sharp. Remote, numb. Selwyn brought me via side-along. Noted the time, and carefully scanned the sky as soon as I arrived. Luck. Skies clear. Arrived soon enough after sunset that was able to identify westerly direction from fading twilight.

Did not recognise location. Suspect island or coast: could smell the sea. Standing stone. Preparations underway already: detected scent of smoke, unrecognised origin. Searched. Selwyn confiscated my wand, placed it in bag of black material. Silk. Felt the slubs under my fingers. He gave bag to Bellatrix Lestrange. Identified Barty Crouch Jr, Lucius Malfoy, dressed in white. Linen, perhaps. Dark-haired woman, dark-haired man. Strangers. Woman also in white. Barefoot. Shivering.

Escorted to viewing area. Selwyn seemed concerned that I have the best possible view. Courteous.

Rosier apparated in, carrying potion. Gave to woman, who drank. Inaudible conversation. Cast warming charm on her. Thoughtful of him, I thought. Put her wand in black bag, for Bellatrix.

Rookwood appeared, gave several phials, with dark liquid (blood?) and basket with organic material (leaves?) to Barty Crouch. Stepped away to observer circle; Selwyn manoeuvred my position to keep my sight line clear.

Crouch laid leaves out in circle on the ground around the stone. Circle perfect. Each leaf end to end. Precision.

Wait. Starlight flowing silver, and as the circle was completed, the line of leaves began to glow, bright enough to pick out silver glints in woman's hair. More waiting.

Dolohov arrived. With the boy. Seamus Finnegan. Both in white. Boy's face as milk-pale as his robe in the glow from the circle. Dolohov searched him, Crouch and Malfoy. Looking for metal?

Dolohov: case with three knives. Blades: keen. Thirsty. Each marked with rune, glowing faintly. Recognised two: 'family,' or 'blood relationship,' maybe. Also 'ward.'

Did not know the third.

The boy and the two dark-haired strangers each took a knife. The boy would not look at the woman. She stared at him. Desperately. Dolohov nodded. They each cut themselves, on palm. They bled for a minute or two into the phials Dolohov held. He muttered a charm (to make blood flow better?) The three knelt. Knives plunged into the ground. The boy had to be prompted to do so. Shook as he stood.

Dark-haired man left circle. Reclaimed wand, apparated away.

The boy's eyes met the woman's then. Something about the two of them standing there, the angle of their jaw lines...

I suspected then.

The Lord Protector arrived. He kept his wand.

Malfoy assisted woman to her feet. Crouch and Malfoy bound her to the standing stone. Their touch, so gentle. So very courteous. She did not resist. Malfoy mixed the blood from the three phials, drew a circle on the ground. Line of the leaves.

Dolohov: incantation, unknown language. Crouch handed him the two phials provided by Rookwood. Dolohov used the liquid within to draw runes on the woman's hands. A different rune yet. Did not recognise it. Different from the ones on the knives. Another long incantation.

The boy said something when prompted by Dolohov. English. I think. Couldn't quite make it out. Knelt at her feet, traced something on ground with his wand. Another rune, but too dark to see. Head bent, until Dolohov touched his shoulder, whispered something. He stood.

She closed her eyes.

No one breathed.

The boy performed the 'Avada Kedavra.' Flawlessly. She slumped. The ropes held her upright. He stood there. Just looked at her.

Dolohov crouched

seized one of the knives

Will stop there. The rest of that part can be seen by those who view the memory.

Afterwards: the phials were poured out onto the ground. Dolohov shattered them at the circle's edge with a spell.

Rosier took the stumbling boy away.

Selwyn retrieved my wand. I took a last look at the body, quiet against the stone, the blood I stared up at the stars. Told myself to remember them.

Remember this.

Remember this.

Remember this.

Dolohov took me out for a drink. Among other things: confirmed what I had suspected.

She was the boy's mother.

Comments

[alt_molly]

Oh, my dear.

I will see you in the morning. Charlie says...Charlie says that's best.

I love you so much.

[alt_terry]

The first time is especially difficult.

I am very glad you have your brother with you.

[alt_gredforge]

We're hoping there won't be any more.

And yeah.

[alt_gredforge]

(Merlin. Seamus Finnigan, you poor bastard.)

[alt_kingsley]

Understood. Thank you for your willingness to do this. I hope to Merlin it will crack this problem for us once and for all.

Thinking of you tonight, son.

[alt_severus]

Eat something as soon as you can, if you have not already. Simple is best: bread with milk, or cheese, or honey. Tea, as hot as you can stand it, with extra sugar or honey in it.

You will not want to, for fear of what dreams might come, but sleep, as soon as you feel you can without replaying events behind your eyelids the moment you close them.

[alt_bill]

Have eaten, yes. Although it was difficult to keep it down. But I succeeded. Charlie is giving me tea. With enough honey to glue my teeth together.

Not ready to sleep. May try later, but playing chess for now.

[alt_severus]

Good. It may turn your stomach, but the more sugar you can get into your body, the more it will counter the effects of the magics you have been exposed to. What you are feeling is not simply due to the emotional weight of the actions you have been forced to witness: from what you have related, you have been present at an exceptionally powerful blood-magic rite, and if your magics are not attuned to those energies, they may continue to have physical effects upon you.

Bathe before sleeping, if you have not already. And as you have a strong emotional and magical connection to your home, you may also find some small amount of surcease by standing barefoot on the earth for at least a few moments.

[alt_bill]

That reminds me: something I neglected to put in the report, but it may be important nonetheless. I felt it start when Dolohov began the first incantation, sort of like...like a vibration. Very small, very subtle. I might not have noticed it at all at the first were it not for the potion. It became more noticeable with the second incantation, and when Seamus did the killing curse, it was like a surge of something, from the ground up through my feet. Snapped off suddenly when Dolohov did the last part.

When the blood soaked into the ground.

[alt_bill]

As for standing barefoot outside, it's fucking cold out.

[alt_bill]

Should have kept that last bit to myself. Or for the ones viewing the memory, anyway.

Sorry, Terry. Sorry, Lee, Fred, George.

[alt_poppy]

Severus has just pointed me to this.

I can only say I am very sorry for what you've been through, Bill, and then second his advice. I do rather think the afterlife of the potion you took might help temper your experience of this first night's dreams. It is, of course, no guarantee of dreamless sleep. One hopes, merely, that the emotional freight may be blunted somewhat.

I hope that is how it proves.

In any case, do not add any other potion or (further) intoxicant. And, if you've not yet done so, I would caution against taking any sort of sleep aid.

[alt_bill]

Understood. But damn. I wanted that drink.

No, no sleep aid.

Don't want sleep at all, though am sure Charlie will bully me later into trying.

[alt_bill]

Charlie transfigured a tub for me for a bath, as Severus suggested. Had the water as hot as I could stand. He put some oils in it he said would help. I stink of lavender now, but it did help. Calming.

Getting sleepy now, a little. Will try again soon.

[alt_frank]

right, mate.

this would've happened with or without you. wasn't your doing, and hard as it is you couldn't have stopped it. remember what your job was. to see. to sort out what was happening. that's why you were there, and you did your job well. we wouldn't have known anything about it without you. because you were there, we'll be able to sort out what happened.

we'll get a pensieve, get a good look at everything.

and. it'll stick with you. no mistake. but if you remember why you were there, and the good that it did, it might help.

Private Message to Bill

[alt_frank]

don't try and drink it away.

it only works for a little while. not worth it in the long run.

trust me on this one.

[alt_macnair]

What Frank says.

Shame about the Finnigan lad. Remember him from his first year, just a wee thing, but seems he was bound for a difficult patch from the beginning. There are only so many we can help, much as it never seems to be enough.

[alt_lupin]

Oh, Bill.