Order Only: Facinorous Stint

[alt_bill]

I promised Dora that I'd try to glean what I could concerning Poppy's nemesis, Healer Stint. I took my source (formerly of St Mungo's, now working for the Ministry) out for drinks after work, and this is what she was able to pass along to me off the cuff:

Facinorous Stint is a former Ravenclaw noteworthy for his blatantly carnivorous attitude toward relationships: he is notorious at St Mungo's for sizing people up according to how useful they might be to him and then treating them accordingly. My source says that the people around him or just below him 'tend to have footprints on their face because of the way he keeps stepping on them.' He has had three assistants quit in the last year. He's thick as thieves with one of his former roommates from Ravenclaw, and the other three despise him and refuse to have any contact with him.

He did author two papers, one on potion cross-contamination and one on potion interactions which indicate that he could have knowledge regarding poisons.

Also: his ex-wife is missing, as of about five or six years ago. Which is ominous. His career took off noticeably after that.

I know this isn't helpful for the immediate issue, but I should have more from her in a day or two, including a list of the committees he's serving on. My source remarked that he was involved with an unusually high number: he's cutting quite a swath through the bureaucracy.

I hope that there is no further alarm with regard to Poppy before then.

Comments

[alt_poppy]

Oh, for goodness sake. Bill. I'm appalled to think that you've dropped other necessary things for this.

Truly, I'm feeling much better today, and I really don't wish to be a bother.

[alt_sirius]

You're not the bother, Poppy. That blasted Stint is.

Just watch your back. I don't like you up at the top of a mountain with no one to watch it for you.

[alt_sirius]

Thanks, Bill. At least it's something.

As for the ex-wife, I don't doubt she wanted as much distance between herself and this bloke as she could possibly get. He's the sort comes off as charming at first but there's an undercurrent like he's figuring out how best to dispose of your body when he's done with you.

Yeah, I don't know if he really poisoned Poppy but I'd sure believe it if he had done.

[alt_pomona]

That does rather match with what we've heard from Aurora, too. (She wouldn't talk much about that incident at the St. Mungo's gala between Rabastan and Stint last December, but I gather it was both most unpleasant and entirely in character.)

He did, I should note, try and put his head in the door of the pub last night. Tried to insist they make space for him at the bar, tried to insist that Pryderi rouse Poppy so he could "have a word". At that point, the local men made it quite clear that sort of thing wasn't done round here, and set him back out in the chill inside of three minutes. Clearly not the sort of setting he's used to dealing with.

Aurora was quite right that they're clannish here, but whatever she said by way of explanation's been a help to us, at least.

[alt_bill]

More tidbits on Stint, passed along by my source this morning, as well as dropped by Rosier in a conversation I had with him today. My, Poppy, your nemesis really does sound like an utter git.

About the Gala: Stint was tightlipped about it himself at first because he was, get this, literally tight-lipped. As in, Rabastan Lestrange got furiously hacked off at him and magically sealed his mouth shut. Over something Stint said about Aurora Sinistra, because when Stint managed to unstick his mouth ten days later, he was saying all sorts of vile things about her. Calling her a slut was the least of it. He's also supposed to be furious, now that their engagement has been announced.

Also, I'm chasing down rumours that Stint has a couple of very unhappy society witches among his patients who filed claims of dissatisfaction only to retract them suddenly and claim no knowledge of the matter when questioned by oversight board members following up. Which sounds downright dodgy to me. Maybe there's some dirt there we can use?

He's been more absent than usual this summer from St Mungo's, too. Which is also upsetting his coworkers. Whatever is absorbing his attention, it isn't his usual work.

[alt_pomona]

I'd known most of that about the Gala (not the last bit in detail, though Aurora mentioned she'd had a few notes from other people who'd been targets of his after he started complaining about it in January.)

That part about the unhappy patients is new to me. Quite worth exploring, if there's a way into that, I'd think.

As to this summer, well. He's been chasing Poppy around. He's been out at the YPL activities far more than he was supposed to be. But it makes one wonder if there's some other occupation for his time we haven't spotted yet.

Thank you, Bill, for digging. And I'll make sure Poppy sees this when she comes back, in case she has other thoughts.

[alt_pomona]

I also must admit that we may have painted ourselves into a corner, rather.

When we arrived yesterday, I mentioned to Aurora that Ellie (that being the handy material for our Sirius and his potion for a possibly extended period of time) was my great-niece. She made no comment yesterday, beyond the pleasantries, and of course she had a number of other things on her mind.

But middle of the night, I woke up and realised just how flimsy that is. The problem with Aurora, really, is how much time she's been at Hogwarts. Not just her own studies, but she was only gone six years before coming back to teach, and as a required course, she sees every student until after OWLs.

I've no idea if she'll start thinking on it later, but I, well. I needed to admit the problem, and see if you all have any suggestions. I do think she'd ask me or perhaps Poppy before telling anyone else, but I also know of her weekend plans with that nest of snakes.

[alt_sirius]

I know you and Poppy won't like this suggestion but that's what the Confundus Charm is for, isn't it?

Then again, if she doesn't ask about it, it might be a sign of what you were saying last night, that she's someone to consider as a potential ally. I don't know as I'd offer her membership in the Order, not without more concrete proof that she can protect herself (and us) among the vipers, as you aptly (asptly?) put it. But thus far, I'll admit, she does seem to maintain a healthy sensibility.

[alt_pomona]

I don't like, but for more reasons than the obvious.

Aurora's strength, really, is her sense for patterns. (Well, when it comes to anything other than plants.) The problem with a Confundus or anything of that kind is that we might get the immediate problem, and cause more later, as she worried over what she was missing. And I don't think we want that at all.

I don't know how much sense you made of the conversation at lunch yesterday - she was being rather oblique, if you didn't know the background. Back in April, something in their planning meetings, half a dozen nearly harmless questions from Stint had her more and more convinced he was plotting something for the CCF time at Leicester.

I don't know what happened, and I don't think she'll share the details easily, but clearly something did. That's what she meant yesterday about being proved right, and thinking that the Malfoys might take her concerns about this thing with Poppy slightly more seriously as a result. But she spent weeks worrying at the transcripts before she convinced herself this spring, wanting to be absolutely certain she wasn't missing something. (She said something about how astronomy teaches you to recognise what you can't see from what you can, but she has been rather more philosophical recently than her usual.)

Last thing we want to do is give her an excuse to do that kind of digging in and looking at the details. And beyond that, we've no way to find out what she might have said to Rabastan in the interim if we can't ask her. (They do talk. More than most people assume.) Besides the fact I don't expect to see her again until we get back to school.

I am, however, glad you approve of her healthy sensibility. And it seems that this might be a possible test: I think she's unlikely to put me at risk without talking to me first, anyrate, which would at least give us some warning.

[alt_sirius]

Well, there's no point worrying about it until it becomes a problem. I didn't mean to suggest you ought to go track her down and Obliviate her on the spot, just in case. It's more a question of 'If' she comes back to you in the school year and asks anything worrisome. But then, I suppose you can always say something about how you're not surprised she doesn't remember Ellie since she was a mousy thing at 11 or what have you.

I'll grant you it's not wise to Confund or Obliviate her when she's so often in the company of the likes of Malfoy. Or Bella. Just remember that if she does mention any misgivings to someone else, you might find yourself caught in the lie before we have time to do anything about it.

Anyway, Frank's coming too, so we've another able wand if we need one. I'm forming a plan to see if we can catch Stint off-guard. Bet Frank'll be up for it. Well. Part of it, anyway.

[alt_pomona]

Well, good. And quite the point, about the company she's keeping. Though, really, I'd worry more about Rabastan directly. And no. I'm aware of the risk, but I really do trust she'd come to me or Poppy first if she does worry over it.

I think the part of this plan I dislike is that if you want me upstairs with Poppy, we won't get to watch the fun. Though I really should not be encouraging you two, even in this good a cause.

[alt_sirius]

It's good to know I am here to amuse you.

But no, what I've in mind will work best if the chaperone is elsewhere. We can always send you a Patronus if you want to join in the interrogatory portion of the evening, mind.

[alt_pomona]

You have an excellent record of being quite amusing, yes.

I would be interested in the 'interrogatory portion of the evening' as you put it, if we can arrange it without suspicion, though.