alt_sirius | Order Only: Richard Marshall

Everyone at Moddey already knows this but Remus just got back from delivering Richard Marshall. Today's visit only had one wrinkle in that too many people knew we were coming (via the buttons) and wanted to ask us questions. Finally we had to remind them that we were supposed to be removing a baby that had died suddenly and that a crowd would attract too much attention.

Here's a small sample:

Who are the black wands?

Why do they want muggleborn children?

Why do you want our children?

Is it true that you're raising them to be soldiers for our side?

What if you're wrong and they're not magic, are you going to bring them back?

When are we going to have the uprising?

How many GOOD wizards are there out there?

How will we know what to do?

Why can't you rescue us all?

You're arming muggleborn, what about muggles? Do you care about us at all?

ARE there wizards who eat muggle babies as a delicacy?

Is it true that last year, the Lord Protector was killed, and they sacrificed three virgins and a goat and he came back to life again?

And so on.

Obviously we had to be careful about how we answered. (Except about the goat, of course.)

Lee, I think those radio broadcasts of yours may have to find a coded way to speak to these sorts of worries or fears.

At any rate, Richard is safe at Moddey and there are a dozen or so Muggles in Hartlepool who are champing at the bit for a chance to raise their pitchforks in revolt.

Circe help us.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_lupin

I'm just relieved that bloke who asked about the baby eaters made sure to say that he didn't think WE were planning on sauteeing poor little Richard for a late supper.

You don't think anyone IS eating babies, do you? We'd have heard something more substantive than wild speculation, if that were true.

alt_sirius

I'd say we covered that well enough with the reminder that insanity - or cannibalism - is not a trait that is exclusive to wizards.

True enough. I can't say I blame them for believing that wand-users are capable of anything, though.

I'm not sure I'd put it past Strangeweale.

alt_alice

I agree the radio at Aldrich will certainly help.

I wonder. If we start more actively distributing Fu Lee's defensive and offensive inventions meant for Muggle use, that might be seen as a gesture of equality and good will, but it also might imply that we are immediately ready for an uprising, which we are not. And if they were discovered in any way, we would lose any initial advantage of surprise.

Then again, distributing those sorts of materials do take time.

alt_frank

depends on what they'd be used for, doesn't it?

camp protection and defence is a tough one. the key is the huge number of civilians who can't fight back. besides, unless we had a critical number of people we could give weaponry and armor to, I don't know if it would amount to much.

Point taken, love.

I agree that a single muggle in armor in each camp is hardly going to pose a real threat, whereas a few hundred in one concentrated place is a great deal more likely to be useful.

...And the thought of how much work we're going to have to do in order to get there just made my head spin.

He's got two dozen of the protective plating units made, and has been working on it for nearly a full year. And he hasn't even started to make additional models of his crossbow and pistol prototypes.

I'm going to have to see if we can farm out some production to Aldrich.