Private Message to Daphne Greengrass

[alt_blaise]

Say. I can see there's something wrong.

You're avoiding me and making an entirely unsubtle job of it.

And Bole-

Nevermind about him.

No, I do mind what he's doing to you. That's the point.

Really, it has to stop.

I know you won't want any sort of scene, but I say, there must be something you know--or something of his you could get hold of--that we could use to help him see his life would be more promising if he'd leave off meddling with you.

Comments

Private Message to Daphs

[alt_blaise]

Look, the other thing I wanted to say--and this doesn't mean it's why I wrote--I wrote because I'm seriously worried about you and still am--the other thing I wanted to say is about my birthday: don't get yourself in a mess with Bole, trying to do something for me.

I've been telling people that I'm putting off the celebration this year for summer. And I mean it. We'll have some sort of very nice, small house party. For just a few people. At Mother's house by the sea, perhaps.

Re: Private Message to Daphs

[alt_daphne]

Oh, you're birthday - well, I've already passed my plans along to Lizzie so that she can take lead on things, but if you're waiting until summer I can let her know that, too.

I don't want to avoid you, Blaise, but Barney can be so...complicated, you see. And I really don't want anyone to know just how complicated things can be. Between us. I've seen Padma's written to you, and if she's mentioned me I hope that I can count on you to be discrete, as always.

He'll be leaving school in a few months, and will probably be signed to one of the quidditch leagues. He won't want a school-girl anymore, not then. He'll end things with me and things can go back to the way they were.

Re: Private Message to Daphs

[alt_blaise]

Well, Lizzie could always surprise me. I just don't want you getting into 'complications' over it.

No, you know, I'm not going to use euphemisms for it, Daphs. He's hurting you, and what he wants is something he can't ever have: he can't control you completely, no one can. Short of Imperius, I suppose, but I don't think his sort would find that satisfying. What he wants is for you to be completely bent to him, but he'll break you trying. He's breaking you trying.

It's-

I've seen it before, and it's awful. It's the way Mr Mulciber was with Mother. He could have killed her, you know. Nearly did. And before you tell me Bole's not that bad, think. About the way it's going, and what's next, and what could be after that, because it happens in steps.

I hope you're right that he'll lose interest quickly, but you want to be making plans for how to help that along.

Don't worry about Patil. She did ask, and no surprise: people can see there's something wrong, Daphs. It's that serious. But I put her off, and, of course, I'll be discreet. It's none of Patil's business at all.

Re: Private Message to Daphs

[alt_daphne]

I think it would all be fine if I could just stop making him cross with me. He's really very sweet to me a lot of the time, and he knows that he has a Beater's temper and can be prone to over-reaction. So really, it's not so bad. It's my fault for not telling him the truth about going to your Mother's wedding party. He thought I was with my family and when he read about the wedding in the papers, well of course he was furious because I had lied to him, and there's no way around that. But I'm not sorry I lied, because I wanted to go to the wedding, I really did.

And then, well, sometimes I think if I can just make him cross enough, he'll be sick of me and break things off. I can just imagine what people would think of me then, though - what he would say to them about me, I mean.

How did things end with your Mother and Mr Mulciber? I'm not sure I've ever really heard about that part.

Re: Private Message to Daphs

[alt_blaise]

I don't know that you're right about that. It's not all right that he gets remorseful after he's hurt you. He does it because he's afraid you'll walk away from him. And he doesn't want that. He wants you to only notice him, and only do anything at all if you're with him. If he had his way, I bet, you'd not even go to lessons, you'd just sit in your room until he's back from his lessons and flying and whatever he does, and then you'd be there, ready for him.

See, about the wedding. If you had a proper relationship with a sane person, you wouldn't have had to lie, you would have said where you were going to go and it would have been fine. And even if you hadn't said, if he were a reasonable, normal person, he might have felt hurt or cross, but he wouldn't have acted like it was a major crime.

He's just got you thinking sideways, Daphs. That's part of it.


What happened with Mr Mulciber was plenty 'complicated'. He got very angry with Mother. That happened often. And once he locked her in his dressing room for days. Well, for at least two days. I'm not sure. I was small, but I remember a lot of it, and it was at least that long. I thought he'd killed her, but then I'd hear her and I knew he hadn't yet.

In any case, it was night, and Mulciber got roaring drunk, and he let her out. Made her kneel down and beg forgiveness. And then he made her do everything he ordered her to do. Bring his boots. Bring his evening clothes and his gloves and do up all the fastenings. He was going to go out. He kept asking her to pour another drink and another drink. And then all of a sudden he was on the floor. Sick all over. So ill. And he died.

I was hiding in the corridor, watching from the dark side of the door. And when he was dead, I helped Mother clean things up before she called the Healer.

Nothing the Healer could do, of course. Nor MLE when they came.

Re: Private Message to Daphs

[alt_daphne]

Oh, Blaise, that's simply awful. How terrible for you to have seen that, and for your Mother to have lived it.

I thought about this last night, and I just don't know. Barney isn't nearly so cruel as Mr Mulciber, but he has that quick temper. He says he's going to work on it, and sometimes it seems as if he has, and he's lovely to be around again. And of course he wants me to go to lessons, and he supports my application for YPL counselor, too.

I can see why you're looking out for me, after you've been through what you've been through. But I'm not sure that the situations are entirely the same.