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[alt_lupin]

There's still nothing in the papers, but we're hearing rumours that Dolores Umbridge is dead. There are a few who are saying she's dead at Harry's hands, though others are insisting she was killed by someone else and Harry permitted to take credit or blame, it's not entirely clear which.

Minerva, surely you've heard SOMETHING.

Sprout, Poppy, any updates on Cedric Diggory? The rumours sounded rather grim, where Diggory was concerned.

Comments

Private message to Poppy

[alt_lupin]

Dolohov took him to you, and not St Mungo's? I don't know why that surprises me, but it does.

Re: Private message to Poppy

[alt_poppy]

Dolohov did the right thing, as it happens. I'm not meaning to sound arrogant there, only, it happens that I have supplies of a certain restricted preparation that St Mungo's does not, and Dolohov correctly deduced that. He reasoned that I must have more of the potion I used to save his life when his curse damage accelerated and sent him into mortal crisis. Cinnabaris. It stays the body's systems at the brink of death, allowing a Healer time at that critical juncture to treat traumatic wounds when there has been a desperate injury or to repair damage incident to a curse.

At any rate, Dolohov calculated that if I had possessed only one dose of so precious a substance, I would not have spent it for him. Fortunately, I was not tested in that way. And I have now used my only remaining phial of Cinnabaris on Mr Diggory, about which I am not in any way sorry. Such situations, which are unfortunately not as rare as one could wish, are exactly why I have pressed without ceasing for a change of policy in the control of dragon's blood. It's ludicrous that healing institutions should not have access to a reasonable supply for this purpose.

Speaking of which, I am more deeply embroiled with Dolohov than ever as a result of this: when we transferred Mr Diggory to St Mungo's, he led them to believe that he had taken charge of the boy's care within minutes of the cursing. A lie. It was perhaps three-quarters of an hour before Dolohov discovered the situation, and at that remove, Cinnabaris was, indeed, the only hope he had. As any curse specialist at St Mungo's would know immediately. So Dolohov lied to protect me, and it succeeded, though his account was met with raised eyebrows and a dry remark that the Potions NEWTs must just have been brewing luck draughts because clearly Diggory had been sustained by some strong felicity to have been spared.

Re: Private message to Poppy

[alt_lupin]

I don't imagine anyone would begrudge Cedric Diggory the Cinnabaris.

For that matter, I don't know that anyone would begrudge Cedric Diggory two vials of Cinnabaris.