Sirius Black

I think we're about ready to go. Radhika and Ellen are going to take photographs to establish that Draco and I are working with the good people of Brighton to rebuild their boardwalk.

Merlin, what a massive annoyance, but I admit I'm looking forward, in some ways, to doing a little work with my hands.

Alice, I left something for you in the drawer of your desk. Open only when you're alone. Circe knows I needed one after John's service, and Remus mentioned you were feeling particularly tense, too.

Anyway.

We'll be back by dark, I expect.

Well, how bad was it?

You know, if I'd been thinking clearly I could have gone with you as Padfoot, for a little moral support.

Sorry for not thinking of it sooner. I suppose I've been distracted by drafting this Grim Truth Alice wants, trying to come up with ways to tell people about the private messages without making it clear that we have someone on the inside letting us know how long it would be before they start archiving them again.

Anyway, supper's ready if you're feeling like joining us. The 'whole family,' I suppose we might start calling it. Not that Remus, Hermione or I are very hungry after the spread they put on at Moddey. If you don't want to tell Draco how his mother is, you can tell me after Bea goes to bed.

I'm sure Snape wants to hear all about Dolohov's house, though.

So, what are the odds that we'll go more than ten minutes today without Bea reminding us that she's three?

I think the hardest part so far has been keeping her out of the cake. (To say nothing of the incongruity of Kreacher even making a cake. I've checked it for razor blades or rat poison or anything equally malicious.)

When are we expecting the Moddey contingent? I've fielded about a million questions about Kevin, Keisha and Sara already. Who else did Alice plan to bring? (I can't quite explain so she'll believe me that Rory's not really interested in a party for a three-year-old.)

Maureen is coming, isn't she? Because if there are about to be a dozen children under six here we might need to set up a few more safety spells.

How's that student - Montgomery?

And have there been any aftereffects from the memory modifications on her companions?

I'm posting privately mainly not to worry certain types who, er, don't necessarily know what happened yesterday afternoon. Though eventually Alice and Charlie need to be told - I thought there was no sense worrying Molly everyone else, particularly with Hagrid's involvement in saving that girl.

Well, that was ... interesting.

Alice, I do think we should perhaps simply meet Ridley for a summit. Too much back and forth is bound to lead to problems. More than a few.

Anyway, she's not half glad to confirm that Bill's a sympathiser, she clearly fancies him more than just as an office mate, and so does he, though I think neither of them are willing to admit it.

Which means I'd be happier if neither of them were directly involved in negotiating. Particularly given how free she is with her affections. And all those middle-of-the-night private messages, if they mean what I think they meant.

She mentioned that it's 'convenient' for the two of them to converse during the day but in their eagerness to please each other we might find ourselves agreeing to something we can't afford.

We'll have to see what Dora thinks. I think she might be willing to jump from DogStar if given the right motivation. But it might be to our advantage to leave her with one foot in each group, too.

Right. Well, our Institute members had a swift cuppa here yesterday, then we let them use the Floo to get to Milton Keynes. (The only hard part there was finding an active grate!) From there they flew toward the coordinates Terrie had supplied for the farm.

Harry, Justin, from what you lot said yesterday you didn't hit any trouble, but you got close enough to see that it was fairly well fortified, yeah?

Terrie did reply to my owl, too, and said she's still working on convincing some of the residents that she's on their side. I've told her to go careful. She's got her little boy to think of, and all. She said in her letter that it's slow going but it's going. She's had to stop letting Beth's people pass through, in the interim, too.

So Alice, I think we'd best keep in touch with her, but let her tell us when things there are ripe for an uprising. She did send me a copy of the new identity papers for someone being transferred, as well as the type of badge they let the overseers use, so we might be able to infiltrate sometime in the next month, before they change the forms again, and see for ourselves. Perhaps an appearance by a bonafide rebel will help impel them to act in concert.


Meanwhile, Bill, how are you feeling, mate? Anytime you want to come by, do.

I'm heading to Minerva's to relieve Frank and Alice. Additional buffer would not go amiss, if you cared to come along.

Been thinking about what you said the other day, the messages between their Neville and the Finnigan lad. D'you suppose it means they're better mates than we realise? Or are you leading somewhere else with it.

Merlin, if we have to tell Frank again that Neville can't be inducted to the Order ... I don't know how he'll take it. Not well, and I can't blame him. But if the boy's hiding something ....

I guess we'll have to ask if he's said anything that Alice and Frank haven't told the rest of us.

Right. Floo. Another night of ignoring the (constant) snide remarks out of the malevolent minger.

Listen, everyone: I know we're reeling over Emmeline. But we're not done with what we mean to do today.

Frank, Kingsley, Moody - we were completely successful. Dora and Allie were everywhere, it seemed like - every time we looked round they were somewhere else, just where they needed to be.

Fu's trick worked perfectly (James would have been impressed!) and we liberated three stock cars full of grain, root vegetables, wool and medicinal supplies, Poppy - all sorts.

We're getting ready to hit Manchester now. Everyone's fine on our end.

The rest of you, keep your wits. It sounds extremely dangerous out there and you don't need to compound one loss with more errors. You know what to do; you've done it countless times.

And all of you: Swift Flight. Stay safe. Come home.

Frank, tell Neville and Evelyn to be a bit ginger with Allie this morning. She's okay but probably a little, er, slow-moving.

She's on her way back; I made her stay at Grimmauld for fear she'd splinch if she tried returning last night.

We talked, most of the night. Well, I let her talk. Seems like she needed a good crying out.

So I'm just reading through everyone's conversations now but it's rather remarkable how Alice and I covered most of the angles people have discussed.

Except the one about letting Hermione and Terry tell their friends a couple of choice pieces of information. (And I agree with Dora, Moony: You're brilliant.)

But I've been thinking about it, off and on, ever since they all started asking questions and the letters came from more than one or two people and so on. Eventually this lot are likely to all ask for induction into the Order.

And I agree with Poppy that we can't allow them to continue forcing our hands.

In all honesty, I'm more concerned with what happens if they don't come to us about joining. Fred, George, you said before that you didn't think everyone on your lock would be good to add to the Order and not just because of their ages. The thing is, unless we're sure of their intentions, it's an unconscionable risk even to confirm their suspicions about the links they've already made.

However, all that having been said, trust has to start somewhere. I think we might let Hermione and Terry tell them the facts in Moony's proposal but also tell them that we have a message: Good show, you're all very clever, keep sticking together and helping each other, yes, we'll consider new recruits but no, not until you're of age.

That might stave off the uncomfortable conversations for a while, at least.


I also think it's high time we found something to do that would actually move things along a bit. I know we're making progress but it's a bit too slow and incremental for me. At our current rate of smuggling it's going to be another ten years before we have enough of them distributed.

Well.

Albus, you wanted a meeting with us all after the students had left. And Frank's now finished the border run.

So if we want a place to meet, Grimmauld's available. Remus and Dora will tell Ellie that they're closing the shop Friday night so that we can all be there. Allie, I think it's 'Matilda's' anniversary and so Junius and Dora have offered to bring Bea and watch your two at yours while you and the husband have a romantic night's holiday.

Don't think Frank will mind. Oh, but if you come a bit earlier in the afternoon, we could go round and try Puneet's parents again, maybe.

What do you all say?