Order Only: Ginny

[alt_bill]

Charlie and I may have a situation, and I need to give you all a heads up.

Ginny sent the two of us a private message in her own journal, and I am afraid that if Dolores Umbridge follows her past pattern, she might to force Ginny to read it aloud (Fred and George, she hasn't made her read it yet, has she???) Given what happened to the Fleet family....yeah.

The message, I regret to say, was extremely ill-considered. Which is going to be dangerous for other people, namely us Weasleys. A few pertinent bits that, if Umbridge is snooping for treason, might be more than a touch awkward to explain:

'Ron and the twins always seem to be off doing something with their friends. I don't say anything, but I am not stupid either. I know what I know; and even if I don't know all, I know when I am being avoided. They are cautious around me. I know what that looks and sounds like.'

I'll do a public post in my own journal tomorrow about Dad's birthday, and I'll leave her a PM there and try to respond. I'm not stupid enough to reply to her directly in her journal. I am sending her an owl telling her to reply in mine. If we're not all arrested first.

Fuck. I hope we don't have to scramble to evacuate a bunch of people today.

I really wish we still had working portkeys

Comments

[alt_lupin]

Bloody hell.

Fred, George, Lee -- any chance you can keep her from reading it? Hex her if you have to, get her to the hospital wing, steal her journal...

[alt_sirius]

If she has to read it, she has to read it.

The best you boys can do is come up with a credible story and stress that it's all a family misunderstanding.

[alt_bill]

For the love of Merlin, you three, report…

Has she been hauled into Umbridge's office yet? Have you been hauled in? Or Ron?

What's going on?

[alt_lupin]

Surely we'd have heard from Pomona or Poppy if anything drastic had happened?

Or we'd have seen MLE chatter

[alt_lupin]

Though maybe that will only make things worse if she does have to read it in the end. Because it might persuade her that you truly have things to hide.

Private message to Padfoot

[alt_lupin]

Right.

I don't know if I want to say anything where her family can see, but 'I'm not stupid, I know what I know' has me worried.

You?

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_sirius]

Terrified.

But do you think she means that she's also observed her mother's activity and put two and two together, or do you think the Weasley boys have been careless enough to let any ambivalence they feel about her politics spill into their normal interaction with her?

And can we afford to take a chance, either way?

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_lupin]

That's exactly what I'm wondering. Whether she's seen the same clues as some of our Juniors and pieced them together the same way, or if she's just feeling left out and venting to her favoured brothers about the others' perceived neglect of her.

Not that it will matter all that much if Umbridge hauls in Ron, Fred, and George to ask them what it is they're doing with their friends.

Something I considered suggesting years ago, and set aside: taking Ginny to Moddey. Permanently. Not necessarily with her cooperation.

Making it look like she'd been killed.

If we could get away with it. If Molly thought she could play the bereaved mother with enough credibility. If...

I don't know. Do you think it's an utterly mad idea?

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_sirius]

I think it's an utterly mad idea but one we may have to consider.

The problem is that we'd be creating a hostage for Moddey, the way Kingsley and the Players had to sit on that bloody Ridley for so long.

An Obliviation accident? The tragic misapplication of a routine spell? Believe it or not, I'd trust Snivellus to do it and be able to reverse it later, so Molly wouldn't lose her entirely.

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_lupin]

Obliviation? What would we be making her forget?

And yes, we'd be creating a hostage for Moddey. They'd have to take her wand, her journal, and make sure the other children kept their wands out of her hands. For a while, at least. Although if we could cast something on her that kept her on the island -- or use an Unbreakable Vow -- perhaps we could allow her the wand.

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_sirius]

Anything she's seen. Anything she suspects. Everything from the funeral? I don't know. Everything at all?

I mean, he could do, I'd bet. Legilimise her, find out what's suspicious, wipe it clean.

It's just as drastic as pulling her out of school and faking her death. But I'm not sure if Molly could take that, on top of Arthur.

And bloody Erebus, I've just realised Bill said Arthur's birthday would have been tomorrow.

We'd best have Molly round for elderberry wine and fairy cakes.

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_lupin]

Good thought about the fairy cakes.

And about Snape. He could pull her into his office easily enough as Milland, too. Maybe I should suggest it? I get on with him better than you do. Which admittedly isn't saying much.

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_sirius]

Or ask Pomona to ask him. Or Alice.

Re: Private message to Padfoot

[alt_lupin]

I asked him myself.

We're all adults, I think, and it feels a little absurd to pass it through a third party. Besides, I wanted to make it absolutely clear that I thought he should legilimise her, and Obliviate her if necessary. If I'm asking that -- of anyone -- I should at least have the decency to be the one to ask.

I hate this.

[alt_sirius]

Bill, Molly,

Come by the garden tomorrow and we'll lift a glass in Arthur's memory.

That's assuming you're not all hopping to Moddey Dhoo by then.

Chin up. I've every faith that the twins can think of something to point out how grief-stricken Ginny must be and how it's all a big misinterpretation.

[alt_molly]

Bless you, Sirius. And thank you. There's no one we'd rather be with tomorrow night.

[alt_alice]

Thank you, Bill. Fred, George, please keep an eye on things and keep us appraised.

Private Message to Bill

[alt_alice]

Bill; I know you're handling quite a lot right now, but even if nothing comes of this, I think you would be in the best position to speak with Ginny about discretion. Privately.

Re: Private Message to Bill

[alt_bill]

Oh believe me, I will.

Private message to Severus Snape

[alt_lupin]

Right. So given this -- Sirius and I are concerned that Ginevra may have seen some of the same clues as the Juniors, and pieced them together in the same way. Only without the discretion, or the motivations for secrecy, or the bloody common sense and desire for self-preservation of a -- well.

I hesitate to suggest this where Molly can see. But I'm wondering if you'd consider pulling her into Milland's office on some pretext and legilimising her to find out exactly what she knows. Doing a memory modification, if it's necessary.

If she's seen too much that you can manage it without damaging her creating too many other problems -- I'm wondering if we should kidnap her, fake her death, and take her to Moddey. That creates its own set of problems, of course. But leaving her at Hogwarts could be disastrous.

[alt_kingsley]

Phew.

Caradoc and had planned some camp visits today, but we've aborted those and moved into position just outside Hogwarts so we are on hand to help with side along evacuation, if anyone needs it.

[alt_molly]

Oh, dear.

I have no idea what she thought she was referring to in that passage, Bill. I don't have any reason to think she's put together enough clues to figure out much about the Order....but that's not very reassuring, given that both the twins and Ron managed to blindside me.

Or maybe she's managed to piece together information about the Junior Auxiliary? Which could be quite as dangerous.

Oh, dear.