I am including this as a private comment, because it's personal financial information that the younger members of the Order don't need to see. Please share with Tonks.
Selwyn also spoke very frankly concerning the life debt he owes to Dad, and it's clear that he feels he must take responsibility for the family. He was tactful--I was grateful for that--but straightforward. To be blunt, as much as it sticks in my craw, he's absolutely right, because without Dad's income, Mum is in a very tight situation.
I was impressed, despite myself. He has already looked into some options for cobbling together small stipends into an income stream that will help Mum make ends meet. There's a fund for 'protecting the Lord Protector' which he had to stretch things a bit to cover, but this was an attack on the LP and it did kill Dad instead, so. He looked into redirecting money to us from the Rebuilding Ireland Fund but since there's official denial that IMA was involved, the accounting would be too complicated. There's another fund he turned up that's for the Widows and Orphans of Those Who Died in the Lord's Service. He also made it clear that we should contact his clerk if bill collectors are harassing us.
Then he mentioned the Repopulation Office, which issues incentives to the wizarding population that have large families. Having seven pureblood children entitled us to move into a stately home, but Mum and Dad had turned that option down long ago. Selwyn, however, sensibly pointed out that we could accept the stately home and rent it out to some other family who has not had, as he put it, 'as much reproductive success.' And, he added, we were entitled to getting a mudblood servant. Mum's hackles went up at that suggestion, which he couldn't help missing, but I managed to convey the impression that she was offended by the idea of someone of impure blood under our roof. He agreed and then suggested that, again, we could rent the mudblood service's out, and that would give us another income stream.
I told him that my intention is to give up my flat and move back into the Burrow to save money and be with Mum. This was a surprise to Mum, and she started to protest, but I squeezed her hand and she fell silent, thankfully. I explained that Percy recently ended a relationship, and needs to get out of his own living situation, so my idea is that Percy can move into my flat, which is smaller and will save money, and then we just have to see about how to break Percy's lease.
He's quick, I'll give him that. He immediately picked up the hint (Merlin, but it stung my pride to give it) and said that he would take care of arranging things with Percy's landlord so that an accommodation could be reached that would satisfy everyone.
So: as much as Charlie and I hate it, we're both relieved, too. At least Mum is going to get some help. And if I can convince her to deal with the Repopulation Committee, it might be an opportunity for the Order, or at least one of the Order's allies. We could get someone into the house who would be doing activities we could support, with a very tolerant landlord. And it would get one more muggleborn out of the camps, and into good hands.
I also wonder: this may be a ways down the road, but Charlie and I have been discussing whether it might not be a good idea to get Mum involved at Laszlo's somehow. I reckon she would be a very good clerk. She's personable, and has a lot of energy...or she will, when the grief eases a little. And you could trust her implicitly, of course. Naturally, the shop isn't probably doing well enough to provide her with full-time wages, at least not yet. But maybe helping out a day or two. Or she could help keep the books; she's very good at that.
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branchandroot
Private message to Remus Lupin and Sirius Black
Date: 2012-12-24 08:35 pm (UTC)Selwyn also spoke very frankly concerning the life debt he owes to Dad, and it's clear that he feels he must take responsibility for the family. He was tactful--I was grateful for that--but straightforward. To be blunt, as much as it sticks in my craw, he's absolutely right, because without Dad's income, Mum is in a very tight situation.
I was impressed, despite myself. He has already looked into some options for cobbling together small stipends into an income stream that will help Mum make ends meet. There's a fund for 'protecting the Lord Protector' which he had to stretch things a bit to cover, but this was an attack on the LP and it did kill Dad instead, so. He looked into redirecting money to us from the Rebuilding Ireland Fund but since there's official denial that IMA was involved, the accounting would be too complicated. There's another fund he turned up that's for the Widows and Orphans of Those Who Died in the Lord's Service. He also made it clear that we should contact his clerk if bill collectors are harassing us.
Then he mentioned the Repopulation Office, which issues incentives to the wizarding population that have large families. Having seven pureblood children entitled us to move into a stately home, but Mum and Dad had turned that option down long ago. Selwyn, however, sensibly pointed out that we could accept the stately home and rent it out to some other family who has not had, as he put it, 'as much reproductive success.' And, he added, we were entitled to getting a mudblood servant. Mum's hackles went up at that suggestion, which he couldn't help missing, but I managed to convey the impression that she was offended by the idea of someone of impure blood under our roof. He agreed and then suggested that, again, we could rent the mudblood service's out, and that would give us another income stream.
I told him that my intention is to give up my flat and move back into the Burrow to save money and be with Mum. This was a surprise to Mum, and she started to protest, but I squeezed her hand and she fell silent, thankfully. I explained that Percy recently ended a relationship, and needs to get out of his own living situation, so my idea is that Percy can move into my flat, which is smaller and will save money, and then we just have to see about how to break Percy's lease.
He's quick, I'll give him that. He immediately picked up the hint (Merlin, but it stung my pride to give it) and said that he would take care of arranging things with Percy's landlord so that an accommodation could be reached that would satisfy everyone.
So: as much as Charlie and I hate it, we're both relieved, too. At least Mum is going to get some help. And if I can convince her to deal with the Repopulation Committee, it might be an opportunity for the Order, or at least one of the Order's allies. We could get someone into the house who would be doing activities we could support, with a very tolerant landlord. And it would get one more muggleborn out of the camps, and into good hands.
I also wonder: this may be a ways down the road, but Charlie and I have been discussing whether it might not be a good idea to get Mum involved at Laszlo's somehow. I reckon she would be a very good clerk. She's personable, and has a lot of energy...or she will, when the grief eases a little. And you could trust her implicitly, of course. Naturally, the shop isn't probably doing well enough to provide her with full-time wages, at least not yet. But maybe helping out a day or two. Or she could help keep the books; she's very good at that.
Anyway, think about it?