Thursday 20th August 1942, Addie's journal

[finaldefense]

Hadrian's gone again. Mum told Arianwen he's staying with friends. I don't know if that's true. It probably is, he got in such trouble for going to Mrs Scalara's last time. Honestly though, from what he said about me and Mum, I guess it doesn't really matter, he's going to go away and stay away, where ever he can, as much as he can. Like Daddy, but

Comments

[susannah_emily]

But Uncle Ishmael and his family ARE our family. Daddy wouldn't hear of us saying otherwise, even though he knows that there are people who won't want to marry us because the magick doesn't always breed true in our line. (Not that it does in anyone else's, necessarily, but they pretend it does.) Maybe Grandmother Redferne didn't think so, but she's dead and Lavinia is living in her house now.

Oh, and cousin Alanna got a Hogwarts letter, by the way, she's so excited. You will look out for her and Fiammetta won't you?

[finaldefense]

*claps*

Oh that's a second one, that's great! Although poor thing, any trouble we have marrying will go extra for her. But then, it's like being Muggleborn, I guess, and they can marry into some families, even if it isn't easy.

I'll look out for them when I can, but they're not likely to sort Gryffindor are they? Besides, Hadrian didn't make Fiammetta sound like she would need help...

[susannah_emily]

I don't know how they'll sort. Justin went Slytherin and nobody expected that! They're sorting more and more people there who aren't pure and I'm wondering why. Alanna could go Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, she's not very outgoing, but maybe being in a school where she's not odd one out will be nice for her.

Fiammetta is very likely to sort Gryffindor. Hadrian says I'm full of it, but she's not a Slytherin.

[finaldefense]

Really? I would have thought it was hard to impress Hadrian if you were anything else. *excited* But... that might be good, even. Well, if we get along. I'm um... not exactly the most popular person in Gryffindor anymore.

[susannah_emily]

I've always thought Gryffindor was the hardest house to be a prefect in. Slytherin is really the easiest. We have ways of dealing with things internally that the other houses don't have, and traditions. Ravenclaw is a little harder because they don't have that, but the biggest problem for Ravenclaw prefects is that they're all such pigs in that house. Hufflepuff is pretty easy too. But Gryffindor is the house where everyone feels they have to do the Right Thing and everyone feels that they are just as qualified as anyone else to decide what that is. I really feel for you. Simple self-interest is so much easier to handle as a motive, because unless a person's really stupid you can convince them how it's in their interest to follow the rules at least so far, but if a Gryffindor decides the rules are Wrong, God help you.

[finaldefense]

It's been pretty hard. I mean, for the people who genuinely think hard about what the right thing is, and have a difference of opinion with me, well, usually I can respect that and mostly they can respect me. But some Gryffindors just seem well... stupid about it... I mean, they think it must be the right thing to do, just because it's them doing it!

*feels horribly disloyal*

I mean, well, mostly Gryffindors aren't like that. And really, I think it's more me than them. Minerva does really well. But Annie Weasley wrote to say that she made prefect and honestly, I didn't know what to say to her after last year!

[susannah_emily]

Unfortunately that's exactly what they think. That because they're good people, whatever they want to do must be the right thing.

Annie's at St Mungo's now volunteering; her family's been driving her mad. Why don't you come down tomorrow with us and have a chat with her in person? It'll be easier to talk about it face-to-face, I'm sure.

I think, by the way, that even though Mum doesn't much want us to, we need to sit down with Arianwen and Marlie and talk to them about the way things have been around here, because I'm certain they're very confused. Also, when Hadrian comes back, we're going to have to have another talk with him.

[finaldefense]

I'm tired of all these serious conversations, I really am. But... you're right.