Sirius Black

How did the transfer go, then? Going to make it home before dark? Might get a move on if you've not started.

Hope you remembered to tell them Bedford has new shipments of woollens ready in the next two weeks. I dunno about you but I'm tired of them asking.

Hermione, Remus tells me you asked about a party in honour of Minerva.

Of course, we can mark the occasion.

But he said something in the course of it that I want to clear up. He said, 'Technically, it's your house.'

Look. All I've ever wanted is for this place to be a home for whoever needs it. Right now that's you, and Draco and Sn Severus.

Oh, all right, I know only you and Remus can probably see this, but I'm making a point: This is your home, for as long as you want it to be. And you've every right to invite members of the Order into it for occasions such as this.

So. No more of this business how it's my house and I need to approve visitors or parties or whatever else you've planned. So long as Alice has given them the secret, they're welcome whenever you invite them.

That's that.

We may be a little delayed coming home.

Everything's fine. Just the Swelling Solution the kids were working on went a bit haywire. I had a Deflating Draught all prepared, just in case, you know, and when I went to give it to Misses Saint and Smith, it wasn't there. So I used an anti-tumescent cantrip and that sorted them. Of course, I still didn't know quite what had happened to the vial I'd brought from home.

Would you care to take a guess?

Your daughter nicked it and dribbled it out on just about everything she could find. The vegetable patch. The hatchet Danny uses to chop wood. A goat. I've no idea how she gave Jacinda the slip but she made her way - as near as we can tell - to the kitchens and left a trail of mayhem in her wake. Victor finally caught her in the pantry. She'd gone and put a bit of the draught on about six of the jars of preserves. They shrank and shrank until the contents couldn't stay, er, contained. He heard the breaking of glass.

She had a few cuts, easily healed, and she's now fine, aside from the lingering certainty that the world is a cruel, unjust place for blaming her when she's misbehaved. We've righted all the shrunken items, except of course the preserves, there was no saving them. (You should have heard Victor about that: Naturally, she chose the strawberry and now there's only six jars of it left until next season. Plus, of course, they won't be able to use the jars for more canning, either.)

At any rate, you can imagine that we've had a bit of repair to do, particularly making sure that she's remembered everything she 'deflated' and we haven't missed anything. And then there's the lesson, which got disrupted and had to be restarted before the ingredients went to waste. (We can't afford to discard ingredients, not without any more shipments from Aleks.)

So, they've got another hour or so of brewing and there's the testing and everything. During which, young miss is in a 'time out' according to Jacinda.

Anyway. We'll be home soon.

Four days later and I still have occasional spasms. Morgana, this not being able to be Padfoot is almost as bad as when Bella cursed me and I had to stay Padfoot.

Mostly it's just being stuck in this house all the time, with that wretched elf.

I've been thinking about what we can do to prevent him betraying us if something should happen to me. Obviously, the orders I've issued him never to contact anyone who hasn't been told the secret of the Fidelius is perfectly effective while I'm alive. The question is what he'll do once I'm no longer his master. Will he accept the will as it's written, will he decide that Bella or Narcissa are his new mistresses, will he defer to Draco or Hydra or will he go and hang himself with my father's bootlaces?

It's complicated, because my mother's will actually left the property to Narcissa but my father's magical protections meant she couldn't take possession of the house. I wrote a will as soon as we were able to open it up, of course. But will Kreacher honour it if I'm not in the picture?

I think there are a few possible solutions but none of them are guaranteed. Since I can't do much else with this ankle still healing, and with my tremors I better not handle sensitive potions measurement, we may as well discuss the options.

I'm going spare with this blasted potion.

Tell me there's something else we can do today. Even if it's as simple as 'Mr Ponds takes his dog to the park.'

Nothing's ruddy working and I'd rather bury myself alive than tell Snivelly.

There's got to be a mission, right? Flying up the ley line? A muggleborn to rescue? Anything.

Have you packed in yet?

I think I've got a draft worth reading (finally). Unless you're too knackered? I'd like to finish it tonight if I can do.

It's not very fiery but I think it hits the strong points.

There's a section - I want to make sure it gets to what Alice and I were talking about, the manifesto of sorts.

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.

M'all right. By now I know the cave well enough to Apparate without too much trouble, despite the distance.

Slept for a good two hours afterward, and then made some of Poppy's tea.

Off now to see him. Should be able to make the return before Bea's bedtime.

Did Charlie tell Dora why he and Bill left in such a hurry? Hope it wasn't the company.

We spent a quiet day today and put together a picnic tea party in the sitting room, with Moony ensconced on the sofa and Bea happily climbing all over him to celebrate that she's 18 months old now (and that in itself is somewhat unbelievable!). But taking a lazy day like this seems to lead to thinking about all the balls we currently have in the air.

Kingsley, don't take our silence here as disapproval of the decision to call an end to the Players. Today aside, it's usually fairly busy round here. But your choice is a brave thing in its way and as Frank says, it's not the end, just a new chapter.

Arthur: Well done, mate, on Terry's file. It's good to know it can be done, particularly if we work with Beth on more smuggling of people as well as goods.

Bill, happy birthday! Believe it or not it does get more fun as you go along (I never thought it would do, either).

Molly, any luck with Mrs Perks? It's only three weeks now until the solstice so if we're going to get her a place on the boat we need to get moving.

Minerva: The Book? How many do we have adding up?

Alice, I've been thinking about the list of topics you mentioned from the meeting at Moddey when our people came back from Ireland. And we've been chatting about them, off and on, but with no firm conclusions. I do think that our success has to lie on these multiple trajectories, even if it keeps us all fragmented. We have to be able to keep moving forward on a number of fronts, and not put all our ashwinder eggs in one fire - in case something goes wrong, like in Ireland.

Still thinking about what that means.

Found an empty house to kip for a bit. Catch up on the journals.

Merlin, Mordred and Morgana.

Still no word from Albus?

I shouldn't have left.