Private Message to Seamus Finnigan

[alt_padma]

Have you heard? Chang was in Ravenclaw Corner this afternoon on account of Dark Arts lessons being cancelled. He said that Mr Malfoy and Miss Professor Carrow had a DUEL last night! In the corridors!

Tamblyn said he heard that Miss Carrow tried to cast the killing curse on Mr Malfoy! But she missed and he Cruciated her to subdue her. But Dames said that's not what she heard, she heard that it was Mr Malfoy who went to try to kill Miss Carrow, on account of her talking to that Londinarium chap. So then we got Moon to come over, and you know she's dating Ptolemy Baddock, and he was there, but she said that he said that it was just a disagreement between them, and they hadn't had their wands out at all. Only no one really believes that.

In fact, Sandoval said that if Mr Malfoy had wanted to cast the killing curse on Miss Carrow, he wouldn't have missed, but he told Moon that it was ridiculous to say there wasn't any kind of duel, because Baddock and Professor Sinistra were there and were sending students away down the corridor in the other direction. And they wouldn't have done that if it had just been an argument. But he didn't think they were casting anything too bad - you know, just usual duelling club kinds of spells, because he couldn't credit they'd go and try to duel to the death right in school where anyone might come along!

Well. Then Laverty, she said she heard that a long time ago, Miss Carrow was after Mr Malfoy, you know, like how Professor Acton was always trying to corner Professor Raz? And she was really in love with him, but he wouldn't have anything to do with her (and can you blame him, really? I mean, who would ever be attracted to Miss Carrow?) and so she's been sending him little 'presents' for years, and finally he tried to send one back to her brother. So he took bottle of firewhiskey that she'd sent him and sent it to Professor Carrow. He didn't realise it was the same one, so he drank it, but it was poisoned! And that's why he went to the hospital wing on Wednesday. So when Mr Malfoy came here yesterday for the Governors' meeting, she waited somewhere between there and the Slytherin common room and she ambushed him in revenge!!!

I sort of want to ask Malfoy, but I know he'll get well shirty if we pry into his father's personal business. I wonder if Parkinson knows anything about it? I mean, a few people said they heard screaming, but then, her brother's in the hospital wing, so maybe she was really overwrought? Anyway. What are they saying up in Gryffindor? D'you reckon Mr Rosier would know if she was really ever in love with him?

I can't believe it, though. A School Governor - I mean, MR MALFOY, and Miss Professor Carrow duelling in the CORRIDORS! If they weren't both so well deadly, I'd say the Headmistress ought to give them both a detention! Ha-ha!

Comments

[alt_seamus]

I heard they duelled, too. Here in Gryffindor people are mostly saying it had to do with Parkinson -- you know how Mr Professor Carrow twitted her in the journals about her father? Who was Lucius Malfoy's best friend? What I heard is that Miss Professor Carrow was being well spiteful to Parkinson -- in some of the upper-level Dark Arts classes she's been using him whenever she needed an example of a bumbler. So he went to tell her to leave Parkinson alone, but then it doesn't make sense she'd just attack him.

But, I ALSO heard it had to do with Parkinson's father but not like that. I heard Alecto Carrow was actually the one responsible for killing Mr Parkinson -- it was an accident, mind, but it was her who caused it. And, that Mr Malfoy only found out when the article ran, and so he's been plotting to kill her. But that? Can't be true, because I agree with Sandoval, if Mr Malfoy wanted someone dead, at the end of the day they'd be in the ground, not in the hospital wing!

But DUELLING. In the CORRIDORS. ADULTS. It's hard to believe but if there is ONE thing that every rumour agrees on, it's that they duelled in the corridors. Oh, except for what Percy Weasley is saying, he says there was an argument and it was JUST an argument and NO wands were used and EVERYTHING ELSE IS A HYSTERICAL FABRICATION (I think that's how he put it). But AS IF anyone believes THAT.

[alt_padma]

That's what Baddock says too, or at least what Moon says Baddock says, but well. His dad is Mr Malfoy's other best friend, so he's sort of like Mr Malfoy's nephew the way Melinda Pennifold and Parkinson are his nieces. So of course he's going to say whatever Mr Malfoy told him to say!

I hadn't heard that Miss Carrow was the one who did for Pansy's dad, though. And if she really was, then I can believe Mr Malfoy was well upset. I mean, the article said that he never left Mr Parkinson that whole time, the three hours or whatever it was that it took for him to die. And all the while the Healers couldn't do anything except wait.

And well. If something like that happened to Lav or Parvati, and I found out for sure who it was, I guess I'd be well tempted to curse first and ask questions later.

So if that's true, then maybe he really did mean to come after her. Which would mean Miss Carrow was acting in self-defence. But still...I dunno. I think you're right about Mr Malfoy: if he wanted to kill her, he wouldn't have stopped, even if half the school had come running round the corner.

[alt_seamus]

And I wouldn't ask Malfoy. And I don't think I'd want to ask Parkinson either but you could try if you want, I'd be afraid she'd either hex me or cry, either is bad. I mean, if it has to do with her dead father -- well.

Mr Rosier might know some things. Let me think about how to put it.

[alt_padma]

What about Hooper? His brother works for Mr Malfoy, right? I bet he'd know what really happened, or what might be happening. At least, if there's any, oh, what do you call them, repo repercut repercussions about what happened, and it comes through Mr Malfoy's office.

Oh, the other thing I heard was that it had nothing to do with a Tragic Past at all. It was about what Professor Carrow did to Marvolo's mudblood. And Mr Malfoy was going to warn her that he's going the Lord Protector to get them both sacked.

[alt_seamus]

Oh, GOOD THOUGHT. I'll go find Hooper right now.

Why would Mr Malfoy have cared about a mudblood? I mean I suppose he shouldn't have messed with Marvolo's property but it's not as if he damaged her permanently, I heard there won't even be a scar.

[alt_padma]

Oh and it's because messing with Marvolo's property is like messing with Marvolo, isn't it?

He's well attached to that mudblood, I mean, she goes everywhere with him. Probably even to the loo.

[alt_seamus]

He does treat her sort of like a pet, doesn't he?

[alt_seamus]

Hooper says his brother said Mr Malfoy was using a cane today to walk with and looked like his back hurt him. Also, he spent nearly all day either on floo calls or in Court.

So if Miss Professor Carrow cursed him (or hexed him, whatever it was) it sounds like she really did hurt him. Although from what I've heard she's still in the hospital wing so she must have been worse off than Mr Malfoy by the end.

Malfoy says everyone in Slytherin knows his father's just fine but I heard people talking today and he DIDN'T look well when he stopped by the party. They said he looked ill and he didn't eat anything.

[alt_padma]

What about Mr Rosier? Did he say anything?

I saw Draco saying that, but I think it's like when grown-ups say they're fine but really they're anything but.

Did you notice how this evening so many people were writing to Mr Malfoy privately? Mrs Malfoy, even. And I don't think they'd all be writing to him if he were able to answer, do you?

You don't suppose...I mean, Miss Professor Carrow is an expert on the Dark Arts. Maybe she learned that spell from Auror Lestrange. The one that killed Sirius Black. That took 24 hours, didn't it? I mean, maybe.... Oh, but then we'd have heard, wouldn't we, if he'd gone to St Mungo's. They'd have made an announcement. And Draco would have been sent home, if he were really dying. And Mrs Malfoy wouldn't be looking for him through the journals.

Unless....

You don't suppose he's somewhere no one knows where to find him, and unable to write back?

[alt_seamus]

I did notice all the people writing to him but SURELY if she'd cast anything like that he's clever enough to have noticed, and even if they couldn't do anything about it, Aurors would have come to arrest Miss Professor Carrow. And Malfoy would have gone home and for that matter probably Marvolo and Parkinson and maybe even Hydra, and none of them even sound especially worried.

I haven't heard from Mr Rosier yet, he usually sends owls. Maybe I'll get one in the morning.