Order only: Evening Prophet

[alt_sirius]

Well, there it is: Ministry Puts Stop to Questionable Practice; Corruption at Clinics

Looks like there were about six of them raided, as well as another four that were investigated with 'no findings of wrongdoing' according to the article.

Bad luck, Poppy: Eosphorous wasn't one of the ones owned by this Smethley chap, but at least it's agreed to close its doors, so the papers say.

Not a word about Malfoy, of course, though there's a rather ominous quote from a Mr Sebastian Maule, to the effect that 'Certain people in high places can't stand another man's success.'

Meanwhile, Dora and I have been talking and we're fairly sure we can convert the flats to either side of the garden into tidy little compartments for muggleborn to hide, if we can figure out how to let them know it's safe to hide there. Still not sure where they could go from there. Don't suppose we'd be able to restore the Vale of Glamorgan, or that it'd be safe even if we did. But perhaps there's somewhere else along the coast, where a bit of land could go unnoticed. Their own private Moddey Dhoo, eh?

As for wands. I went round Ollivander's today. Padfoot did, I should say. Merlin, I hadn't realised the protections on the place. I don't see how anyone can get in after-hours. Arthur, was that a Ministry bloke I saw in the shop, taking down the precise measurements of each wand as it's made and then filling in the names of the buyers? Stone me. Harder than I thought.

Oh, and Arthur, Bill: I've another favour to ask. Our contact, Terrie Taylor, up in Stevenage. She needs a new job. Any ideas? I think if we approach her the right way about it, she may still be able to help us on occasion - but bear in mind that she's got no desire to swear in to the Order. And I don't think it'd be a very good idea, in any case. But I don't think she'll be able to stay in her current position for much longer. It's a bit complicated. Just ... if you hear about anything, or can think of anything, let me know?

Comments

[alt_arthur]

Regarding Ollivander's: yes, I'm not surprised. I'm afraid that the Ministry keeps an extremely strict watch on wand purchases. It would be extremely difficult to use them as a source.

[alt_bill]

About Terrie. I'll give it some thought.

Is there some position with Laszlo's she could take? Not anything that would require swearing her to the Order, I mean.

[alt_molly]

Good heavens! I have no idea if this is related in any way, but Percy just got home from a garden party event that was held at Narcissa Malfoy's garden party, at Kensington Gardens.

You'll never believe it, but Lucius Malfoy's last clerk was found stuffed under a hedge, obviously obliviated, with his robes torn and bloody. Percy said they had to take him to St Mungo's. He'd been worked over, quite thoroughly. Made quite a to-do, believe me! Isn't THAT rather a bobble in Narcissa's entertainment! Rather a little different than pixies in the punchbowl!

[alt_poppy]

Eosphorous have agreed to close? Without being charged with any malfeasance? I should like to have been a fly on the wall during those negotiations!

No, indeed, the Vale of Glamorgan would not be a good idea. I do have a thought, though.

The north and Scotland are dotted with tiny bothies like the one I stayed in last week. They were rarely visited even when Muggle ramblers were free to use them, and now, well. Wizards are much more likely to end a day of rambling by Apparating to an inn than to kip in some rough cottage or cattle shed in the middle of Merlin knows where.

Many of them are still on private (wizard-owned) property, but a great lot of them are on lands seized from Muggles. What I don't know, I suppose, is whether the Ministry have some way of knowing when a bit of the public land goes missing from the map. I doubt it. Why would they think to worry about such a thing? But, then, it's hard to measure their propensity for paranoia.

Bill or Arthur? Do you have any idea whether the Ministry have any way of knowing if a bit of the public land were to be suddenly made unplottable? No alarms were raised when we hid Moddey Dhoo, but that was early going for the government and things could have changed, I suppose.

Alternatively, I think we might be safe to target some of the mountain bothies on privately held parcels, like those in Northumberland. I don't believe the owner in that case would notice the loss of a tiny parcel here and there in the remoter areas. He respects the old rights of way, so he's never thrown up wards around any but the inhabited portions of his land. I could have a look about this coming week: Pomona and I are booked in for a course at Alnwick Gardens, and we've planned all along to do a bit of a ramble after that finishes. She's particularly keen to see if we can't find a second coral root orchid for her collection, and that search will, perforce, take us into the less-travelled areas of the estate.