Cold Beboots was cold

[beboots]

The final evening at Christmas Reflections at Fort Edmonton! It ended up being like -27C in the river valley... The poor draft horses had frost all over their coats, and were brought into the stables (switched out for tractors AKA "mechanical horses" ;) ) halfway through the evening. I took a shower right before I left for work, and I put my hair in braids while wet. So after I lit the bonfires, and I realized about an hour into my shift that my braids had frozen. SOLID. Like, icicle cores. D: 

CHECK IT OUT



PIPI LONGSTOCKING COSPLAYS = NOW RIDICULOUSLY EASY. 

And for comparison purposes, here is what it looks like defrosted. SO FLOPPY



Here is a shot of the glorious bonfire I made yesterday, to warm you up wherever you are. :)

Comments

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"No matter what he might still think about blood, he can't exactly blaming someone for getting coaxed over by somebody with Voldemort's force behind the personality." I agree. He has the world experience, maturity level, and personal experience with the dark lord that means that he can really understand and sympathize with her about this whole thing. If Ron, especially, knew much about the details I think he'd still be hung up on the idea of "Holy crap you LET the Dark Lord POSSESS YOU??"

"He does. He really, really does. I think having both the Grangers and the Weasleys deciding that he's a charming young man would definitely help." Definitely. :) I also wonder if Draco could play an adult role, later... or at least speak with Snape and Dumbledore about his suspicions regarding Harry's home life. Also, Sirius gets out a year early, and so that means more time with Harry?

"Oh, very good! He might have not wanted any kind of lessons that involved darling Aunt Bellatrix in his head, no matter what hypothetical benefit he could get." That's if he was offered the chance in the first place. I'm not sure that Voldemort would have wanted his Death Eaters to have the ability to hide things from him... Although, granted, it also meant that if captured his men would not give up everything the first time Dumbledore looked at them with a twinkle in his eye... But on the other hand, it's probably just easier to just not tell everyone the full story, let nobody know who everyone else involved is, etc.

"I think Snape could teach Draco rather easily, if Dumbledore doesn't (the reason for not teaching Harry was to avoid a possession attempt, I think)." Oh, that would be interesting! Especially if Draco is learning from Dumbledore... and Harry later has a few abortive attempts at learning from Snape before switching to Draco. Harry could ask the question - why couldn't Dumbledore teach HIM, too? - and get the honest reply.

"Ron's the poor schmuck that doesn't have much of a chance to do or get anything new." Sadly, true. :(

Okay, so I'm mostly finished this series of scenes, but I'm stuck on ONE LINE. This is the sequence that goes "Hermione is annoying Draco (he doesn't want to be seen with her in public, and he's had a series of nightmares all week and isn't on the top of his game); then Draco accidentally insults her ("Well, you probably don't know because you're a mudblood" or something similar), then she slaps him and runs off (later, crying in the girl's bathroom), then the Hallowe'en feast & troll happens; Draco finds out the next morning and visits her in the hospital wing to apologize and explain.

However, I'm still stuck on just what Hermione would have said to illicit such a reaction out of Draco. :P Any ideas?

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"I agree. He has the world experience, maturity level, and personal experience with the dark lord that means that he can really understand and sympathize with her about this whole thing. If Ron, especially, knew much about the details I think he'd still be hung up on the idea of "Holy crap you LET the Dark Lord POSSESS YOU??"" I think Draco might take over that aspect. If the weasel must know... Draco can very diplomatically phrase it so that Ron gets the distinct idea that Voldemort intentionally possessed Hermione by force, not that everybody in the school leaving her to do her own thing left her talking to the only person that seemed to care. Draco was excited to be on adult terms with people, finally, and Hermione would not have made herself popular in Gryffindor by standing up for Draco. (Especially if a couple other Gryffindors are Petrified and she's left alone. Obviously she's in league with them-- it might be enough that Gryffindors start using slurs against her)

"Definitely. :) I also wonder if Draco could play an adult role, later... or at least speak with Snape and Dumbledore about his suspicions regarding Harry's home life. Also, Sirius gets out a year early, and so that means more time with Harry?" Snape should be interesting. Dumbledore can say "greater good" all he likes, but I /dare/ him to say that to Snape's face. Potter's living in an environment where he is hated and probably abused, and WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LEFT HIM WITH LILY'S SISTER. (In my private head-canon where I make myself feel better, Snape and Lily were reconciling before she died, and the last letter mentioned that she had to go into hiding. She doesn't want it to be too much of a surprise, but she's pregnant.) Snape might have thought Potter was with grandparents or something.

"That's if he was offered the chance in the first place. I'm not sure that Voldemort would have wanted his Death Eaters to have the ability to hide things from him... Although, granted, it also meant that if captured his men would not give up everything the first time Dumbledore looked at them with a twinkle in his eye... But on the other hand, it's probably just easier to just not tell everyone the full story, let nobody know who everyone else involved is, etc." Right. There are a trusted few that get to do the cool things, and Draco probably ended up as one of them.

"Oh, that would be interesting! Especially if Draco is learning from Dumbledore... and Harry later has a few abortive attempts at learning from Snape before switching to Draco. Harry could ask the question - why couldn't Dumbledore teach HIM, too? - and get the honest reply." Draco has a much better memory of being a teenager. Kids do NOT do "it's for your own good"/"better stay ignorant." I think Draco would be horrified if he worked out the final desired outcome. Albus wants Harry to sacrifice himself because he can't figure out any other way to take out Voldemort? Okay, maybe they should come up with a Plan B before presenting that bit to Harry.

"However, I'm still stuck on just what Hermione would have said to illicit such a reaction out of Draco. :P Any ideas?" Maybe an insightful question about Voldemort's Death Eaters? Something that hits too close to home. "I can't think that so many wizards and witches would actually want to... well, waste their time, I suppose. If they think Muggles are so inferior and beneath their notice, why would they do all of these things?" (points at history book) She could probably relate it to the Manson case or something similar, with the extremely charismatic leader coaxing people into doing things that would normally be completely past them.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

It's a Slytherin specialty, phrasing things in such a way as to manipulate the meaning to the most advantageous effect for them. ;)

"Especially if a couple other Gryffindors are Petrified and she's left alone. Obviously she's in league with them-- it might be enough that Gryffindors start using slurs against her." Oh damn, that's so true, I hadn't thought of that... Clearly she's a sympathizer/spy/traitor in their midst. Gryffindors act from their gut instincts, not the intellectual ones that say "wait, if the Heir of Slytherin hates muggleborns, why is he working through one now?" Of course, it makes it worse that Draco isn't really around for Hermione to confide in about the verbal abuse she's been experiencing. Shunned from all sides. ;_; I'm not sure how to portray this... I guess there will be hints of it that Draco sees - sitting alone at the Gryffindor table at meals, not speaking with him very often (to his relief) - and the pieces all get put together later?

"Snape should be interesting. Dumbledore can say "greater good" all he likes, but I /dare/ him to say that to Snape's face. Potter's living in an environment where he is hated and probably abused, and WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LEFT HIM WITH LILY'S SISTER." Yeah, as Snape has actually MET Petunia, Snape just must not have realized who Harry was actually staying with. ;)

" Draco has a much better memory of being a teenager. Kids do NOT do "it's for your own good"/"better stay ignorant." I think Draco would be horrified if he worked out the final desired outcome. Albus wants Harry to sacrifice himself because he can't figure out any other way to take out Voldemort?" I'm sure that Draco would be especially so because he worked out for himself that his mission to kill Dumbledore in sixth year was REALLY supposed to be some sort of suicide mission which he against all odds actually succeeded in doing and surviving. He was really just supposed to let all the Death Eaters into the castle and let them finish the job when he inevitably failed to kill the headmaster.

"Maybe an insightful question about Voldemort's Death Eaters? Something that hits too close to home." Hmm... that may work. Perhaps she's been doing some reading and is like "Hey, Draco, you're from a magical family, can you explain the motivations of Death Eaters to me? Because it makes like absolutely no sense." And Draco's like "-bwuh? What? I, er," TIRED CAN'T PROCESS THIS SHIT "IT'S OBVIOUS ISN'T IT" or something?

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"It's a Slytherin specialty, phrasing things in such a way as to manipulate the meaning to the most advantageous effect for them. ;)" And Hermione and Harry aren't going to make waves about it. I think Harry knows that thinking-before-speaking is not Ron's specialty, and he might have used his dad's phrase-- never trust anything that can speak for yourself if you can't see it's brain. Hermione's muggleborn, and that actually matters here. Unicorns and werewolves and vampires and magic are REAL. Why not really nice young men that talk through a journal and can show you things about the way the school used to be?

"Of course, it makes it worse that Draco isn't really around for Hermione to confide in about the verbal abuse she's been experiencing. Shunned from all sides. ;_; I'm not sure how to portray this... I guess there will be hints of it that Draco sees - sitting alone at the Gryffindor table at meals, not speaking with him very often (to his relief) - and the pieces all get put together later?" Right. He doesn't put it all together fast, because it's not that unusual. She's sitting alone with a book at meals, and once in a while she might even be scribbling into a journal. She's not answering as often in class, she's not trying to corner him after classes that Gryffindor and Slytherin share. She might look borderline okay because Tom keeps reassuring her.

"Yeah, as Snape has actually MET Petunia, Snape just must not have realized who Harry was actually staying with. ;)" He wouldn't have made nearly that many cracks about Harry's privileged childhood, otherwise. Yes, Snape is a jackass, but I think he has a couple lines. Child abuse? Let's not set that up again, Albus. It makes it very, very hard for kids to figure out their lives are worth anything... unless that's what you want? (Trick question. Albus might have considered that, but good luck convincing Snape.)

"I'm sure that Draco would be especially so because he worked out for himself that his mission to kill Dumbledore in sixth year was REALLY supposed to be some sort of suicide mission which he against all odds actually succeeded in doing and surviving. He was really just supposed to let all the Death Eaters into the castle and let them finish the job when he inevitably failed to kill the headmaster." Right. That's why Snape was there, that's why the Death Eaters he let in included Bellatrix and Fenrir. Bella would have been delighted to kill Dumbledore, and she would have made it hurt. It was meant to be a humiliating failure Voldie could later take out on Lucius, too.

"Hmm... that may work. Perhaps she's been doing some reading and is like "Hey, Draco, you're from a magical family, can you explain the motivations of Death Eaters to me? Because it makes like absolutely no sense." And Draco's like "-bwuh? What? I, er," TIRED CAN'T PROCESS THIS SHIT "IT'S OBVIOUS ISN'T IT" or something?"

That is a VERY good question. Draco might not have confronted that part yet. The results were bad, yes, but there might not actually be that much wrong with the process. For serious. Hermione's very young, very smart... she's a little girl that he would have tortured to death, if he was any older, so it's probably strongest coming from her. He's seen how she's getting excellent marks in every single class, she's even clever enough to figure out how much pronunciation matters, and she goes against every last bit of philosophy the Death Eaters used.

(And really, what did the Death Eaters want? The name itself is a little strange. Voldie's the only immortal one, all the rest of them could be killed just the same as any other wizard.)

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"never trust anything that can speak for yourself if you can't see it's brain." I absolutely loved that line in the books. It really does demonstrate a cultural difference amongst wizards and muggles: wizards HAVE to warn their young kids about these kinds of things. ;)

"Hermione's muggleborn, and that actually matters here. Unicorns and werewolves and vampires and magic are REAL. Why not really nice young men that talk through a journal and can show you things about the way the school used to be?" Draco is going to have a long talk with her i the summertime about how to recognize super-neat-o rare magic, and distinguish it from rare dark magic/magical objects.

"She might look borderline okay because Tom keeps reassuring her." Borderline, yes, but maybe towards the end even Draco notices a few cracks in the veneer? After all, he knows from experience what "stressed out/fear" looks like...

"That's why Snape was there, that's why the Death Eaters he let in included Bellatrix and Fenrir. Bella would have been delighted to kill Dumbledore, and she would have made it hurt. It was meant to be a humiliating failure Voldie could later take out on Lucius, too." Precisely. This is jet another incident which has cemented Draco's distrust for authority, especially authority that purports to praise you and make use of your "unique skills"... but is really manipulating you for another purpose.

"That is a VERY good question. Draco might not have confronted that part yet. The results were bad, yes, but there might not actually be that much wrong with the process. For serious. Hermione's very young, very smart... she's a little girl that he would have tortured to death, if he was any older, so it's probably strongest coming from her. He's seen how she's getting excellent marks in every single class, she's even clever enough to figure out how much pronunciation matters, and she goes against every last bit of philosophy the Death Eaters used." Yeah, this is again, the very beginning of a paradigm shift in Draco's philosophy. It doesn't help that he's having flashbacks, though. With PTSD, there are some good days/weeks/even months, but it flares up every so often, and then she's asking him questions that he actually has to THINK about and if he thinks about it he has to confront things that he's done that he'd rather not think about...

"(And really, what did the Death Eaters want? The name itself is a little strange. Voldie's the only immortal one, all the rest of them could be killed just the same as any other wizard.)" I read a fic a while back (one of those "what if the bad guys have a point?" stories) that overall magical strength has been declining for several centuries, and it's blamed on muggleborn dilution. In a few hundred years, if this continues, then NO-ONE will have magic. I've always thought about it in terms of misconceptions along that line, along with the same kind of justifications that were used in Hitler's Germany or even in some areas about immigration: like, "THEY'RE STEALING OUR JOBS AND RUINING OUR TRADITIONS" and other things, times a thousand but with magic.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"I absolutely loved that line in the books. It really does demonstrate a cultural difference amongst wizards and muggles: wizards HAVE to warn their young kids about these kinds of things. ;)" And even then, they weren't angry with Ginny. He reminded her, but he was upset and didn't know just who had been possessing his daughter yet.

"Draco is going to have a long talk with her i the summertime about how to recognize super-neat-o rare magic, and distinguish it from rare dark magic/magical objects." There might also be a real discussion about why the Death Eaters did what they did, from that question he flipped out about the first time. She might start thinking that all of the Death Eaters were brainwashed, too. She saw a report that it happened to Draco's dad.

" Borderline, yes, but maybe towards the end even Draco notices a few cracks in the veneer? After all, he knows from experience what "stressed out/fear" looks like..." Once Hermione knows what she's doing, but she can't seem to tell anybody or stop? She has that look of somebody that's in way over her head and trapped. (Also, "her body will lie in the Chamber forever" is REALLY twisted.)

Hermione still might work out just what the monster is. She's smart enough, she has the hints about chickens first-hand, but maybe she can't tell anybody. She could deface a library book and earn detentions from a very, very disappointed Madam Pince? Somebody would go take a look at just which book it was she was marking up, eventually, but Pince might not have spread that rumor around. Hermione was properly apologetic, she thought it was her notes-- detention, but no need to embarrass somebody that liked her books.

"Precisely. This is jet another incident which has cemented Draco's distrust for authority, especially authority that purports to praise you and make use of your "unique skills"... but is really manipulating you for another purpose." That lets him really disapprove of what Albus is trying to do to Harry. There is the remote chance that Albus had absolutely no idea, but... he did this before. Tom Riddle didn't want to go home for summer, either, and here's Harry coming to him asking to stay. If Albus doesn't have any idea, with Arabella Figg right there to monitor, then he's a moron. He's not a moron.

"Yeah, this is again, the very beginning of a paradigm shift in Draco's philosophy. It doesn't help that he's having flashbacks, though. With PTSD, there are some good days/weeks/even months, but it flares up every so often, and then she's asking him questions that he actually has to THINK about and if he thinks about it he has to confront things that he's done that he'd rather not think about..." Yeah. Better to lash out and not think about it in company. He'll probably have to keep thinking about it later, because he almost lost her completely right there (not that it really matters, but it was against The Plan).

"I read a fic a while back (one of those "what if the bad guys have a point?" stories) that overall magical strength has been declining for several centuries, and it's blamed on muggleborn dilution. In a few hundred years, if this continues, then NO-ONE will have magic. I've always thought about it in terms of misconceptions along that line, along with the same kind of justifications that were used in Hitler's Germany or even in some areas about immigration: like, "THEY'RE STEALING OUR JOBS AND RUINING OUR TRADITIONS" and other things, times a thousand but with magic. "