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![[info]](https://www.scribbld.com/img/community.gif) confusion_fall (posted by ![[info]](https://www.scribbld.com/img/userinfo.gif) bronze_raven) |
| 2010-06-29 13:58 |
| Harry and Mandy's flat, 1 week after the Trio's meeting at the Hog's Head |
| Public |
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Mandy had been sitting by the window, looking at a preview catalogue of this fall's dress robes from her favorite designer when two owls flew in. One was unmistakably Daphne's and the other looked like one of Hogwart's loaner owls. She took both letters and then shooed the birds out. "Harry," she called, "You've got an owl from the castle." Judging by the writing, it was the ghost. Mandy chucked it unceremoniously onto the side table and opened Daphne's letter.
When Harry came in, she beamed at him. "Daphne says that Triny's little elfling will be fully trained and available for purchase in a month! It's a little female! I've been thinking of getting a cottage, and anything bigger than this flat will really need an elf. How great is this?" she rambled quickly, completely forgetting about Hermione's owl, which said:
Dear Harry,
I've gone over my research again, and I have come to the conclusion that Mandy and I really must resolve our grudge. It's better to be safe than sorry, and I would hate to lose the opportunity to pass on due to some silly disagreement. Would you be willing to arrange a metting for us and coerce her into attendance?
-Hermione
PS How are the Runic transcriptions going?
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Harry made a few non-committal noises in regard to the "greatness" of the situation that Mandy described. He picked up the letter and read it, groaning a little internally.
"Er, Mandy, this is gonna sound a bit absurd, but I need you to do me a favor. I don't think you're gonna like it, but it's really important to me," he said.
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The price she was asking was obviously a discount for a friend. Really, coming from the lineage the elfling came from... Mandy looked up from the letter she eagerly rereading.
"Does Granger somehow know about my intent to buy an elf and is campaigning for their rights via owl? You know, she's only just oppressed an owl by sending it here," Mandy said a bit self-righteously before biting her tongue. She knew this had to be about Granger or a Weasley given that the owl prompted it, and that, coupled with the assertion that she wasn't going to like it, put Mandy on edge.
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Harry was convinced that this wasn't going to go well. "No, um, it's not about the elf. She doesn't know about that. She wants, er, to meet with you. She wants to work out whatever is between the two of you and move on."
Harry felt like he was a little kid in trouble.
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"Whatever is between the two of us? She was an insufferable, uppity, impertinent little M-Witch, and I daresay that death hasn't improved her. She's resented me for taking her place as Head Girl, whether or not I earned it, and had the audacity to lecture me when we moved back to the castle. Honestly, the elves wanted to move our things in, and I am under no obligation to tutor anyone," Mandy ranted, cheeks flushing at the very idea that she was supposed to do the little Mudblood wisp of a memory any favors.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes momentarily, and spoke again, "Still, you say she wants to pass on and leave us alone for all eternity? That's the reward I can expect for my patience and effort?"
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Harry stood there, slack-jawed at Mandy's rant. He felt the urge to defend his friend. To explain. And to scoff at the idea that Mandy should expect any reward for her "patience" and "effort". But he knew better. Mandy would never agree to speak with Hermione if he stood up for her now.
"Please, just do it for me. She's my friend. Her happiness means a lot to me, and if it all works out the way that it's supposed to, you'll never have to think about her again."
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Mandy saw his slack-jawed reaction and her lips pursed together. He was actually considering taking Hermione's side of this. Who was Granger? She wasn't his girlfriend, just his former sidekick.
She took a deep breath, seemingly thinking it over. "So, what exactly do we need to accomplish with this little meeting? I mean, we'll never be friends, and that's her fault as much as mine... You know she hates me, Harry."
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"Um, well, I don't really understand the details very well. You don't have to be friends or pretend to be friends. I think it's better that you're not. But you can't be enemies either."
She hadn't dismissed the idea outright yet. There was a chance.
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Mandy considered it from an academic standpoint, comparing what she knew of ghosts and what she could infer from what Harry was saying. She might be a fashionista, heiress, and real estate agent, but she was also a Ravenclaw and had been Head Girl.
"So, she's resolving all ties to this world including grudges she holds? I mean, she's not trying to make up with Malfoy, Lestrange or anyone else with a blind prejudice against Muggleborns, but she is trying to make up with me. It must be people with whom she's had personal disagreements. Am I right?" she said with a clear interest now. At least, she was academically interested which seemed promising.
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Harry nodded. "That sounds right. I don't really understand all of the details. I've been scrawling runes for the last week, trying to get them right. I'm not sure how well I'm doing."
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"That silly, little ghost has you doing Runes? Merlin, you didn't even take Runes," Mandy said with a sigh of exasperation. "How can she expect you to pull of what must be a very complicated diagram with no prior- And I suppose she's got Weasley trying to, hasn't she? Just- Just let me see the diagram," she concluded with another sigh of annoyance.
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Harry pulled several pages of instructions out of his pocket. The handwriting looked like Dobby's. Hermione had named the runes and the patterns in which they had to be produced, and she had included copies of pages from various books on runes displaying each rune that Harry was supposed to learn.
"I figured out which runes are which. My attempts to recreate them weren't awful, I don't think, but they weren't particularly good. I'm also at a loss for what she means by these formations."
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Mandy took the pages from Harry, grabbed a quill and some parchment, and sat at their dining room table. "Would you get me a glass of wine, Harry?" she asked as she began scanning the pages. She jotted a few notes, eyebrows knitting together just a bit.
By the time Harry brought her a glass, she was sketching out the Runes in question, quickly and accurately. Under her breath, she mumbled consistently. "And then Uruz, inverted Eihwaz, Fehu perpendicular- Why? Whatever, perpendicular. That myopic Granger, expecting them to just pick this up. Isa? Why would standstill be here? That can't be... No, it's got to go to the left of Wunjo. Stupid ghost, putting standstill there would be such a silly reason to keep pestering us for all eternity. Raido, curve upward to Jera, and then superscribe Mannaz over the entire circle."
She handed her finished parchment to Harry and took a long sip of her wine, drinking half the glass, seemingly steeling herself for something. The diagram was nearly identical to the one the notes contained except the one correction Mandy had made. "It looks like she'll need me if she intends to do this right. Tell Granger that if she plays nicely, I'll do more than have her silly meeting. No offense to you or Weasley, but without months of constant practice, neither of you could replicate that without error. Any error will keep her here."
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Harry was shocked into momentary silence. He just stood there for a few seconds with a really stupid look on his face. When he finally shook it off, he pulled Mandy into a kiss and nearly caused her to spill her wine.
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Mandy laughed into the kiss, putting her wine down on the table and kissing him again. "I want my cottage and Daphne's elf," she said lightly but seriously. If she helped the ghost, she wanted more than just the shadow's disappearance as reward.
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Harry didn't really like the idea of having a house elf. They made him uneasy. But it was a sacrifice he'd have to live with. The cottage idea had grown on him in the past few weeks, though.
"Okay, you win, but please, let's not bring the elf up to Hermione. I don't want us all to get into a fight."
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