Sirius Black

I didn't want to disturb yesterday when you had your (much deserved) day off, but, have you heard from Nick and John? They said something about a quick jaunt back to the Ministry for - a missing box of files? I know we tried to retrieve as much as possible as quickly as possible. They insisted it was essential, though, to the redistribution project, and that they'd be quick and careful getting in and out.

I've been asking round, quietly, and no one seems to have seen them since yesterday lunchtime. Twenty-four hours is not what I'd call quick.

You haven't heard that they hit trouble and had to lie low, have you?

I've settled in with John and Lucinda and their group, for a visit. Lucinda has had a number of meetings with Mrs Langworthy since I was here last and they've been working out other safehouses along their route. Right now, their part of the route goes from Nottingham to Peterborough and there's another effort to find rest points all the way to Norwich. John went and scouted last month and he thinks he's found a suitably abandoned stretch of village outside of Great Yarmouth. The hope is to gather people there and make a run for Amsterdam over the summer.

Our assumption is that the people Davidson's assisting can't Apparate, so the safe-houses have to be close enough together that one can get there in a night or two. That's the difficult part, as we always knew it would be. But turns out Mrs Langworthy's got a few friends who are also more sympathetic and, as she puts it, 'Are too old to care what anyone thinks.' A laudable attitude, I think, but nonetheless one that they probably ought to curb at least for the sake of appearances.

Well, anyway, they're training up some guides (Paul's one) and figuring out the best routes between one house and the next. They need links to the southern cities and camps. And of course, if we can get our little branch going, we could also send some of the refugees south, to Hastings or Eastbourne - provided we could find anything along the southern coast that's remotely uninhabited.

Kingsley, I was wondering if Benjy or Dorcas might want to help with some of that - especially acting as a guide or helping to figure out safe places to sleep during the days and whom else we could recruit. They're both gregarious enough, seems to me, they could do some good making inquiries of an innocent bent, which could help us figure out who's sympathetic and where we might look for outposts. What do you think, mate?

Not sure how long I'll stay. At least a week or so, so I'm in one place when Harry undergoes the first task. Hermione, be sure to have him ask for help if he needs it, all right?

Right. So Frank and I have been talking.

No, really talking.

Dora, we need to push forward on making that back garden at Laszlo's into a better sanctuary for halfbloods and Muggleborns. I know you've already developed a quiet reputation, but - Circe, I swear we could help people hide and get them out of the city. Like that group that young woman tried to find last summer.

And I'm going to talk to Turner tomorrow about helping more people escape the camps. And I think it's high time someone figured out how to get a stash of wands out of young Ollivander's.

As for you, Macnair: No, we're not going to - what's your plan if one of us gets grazed by a hex, then? Amputate? Morgana, we're not monsters. That may have escaped your notice but we try to do things round here without increasing the body count.

One thing's certain, we're not giving up on Terry. And we're not going to sit round anymore.