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Order Only: Visit from Dominic Selwyn
Selwyn showed up at the Burrow about an hour after the family had completed having lunch. He asked to speak privately with Mum, but she asked that I be included in the conversation, given that I'm a co-executor of Dad's estate.
We discussed various matters, but this is of the most interest to the Order in general. He reiterated that the Ministry knows that the IMA were the perpetrators, but that fact is NOT to get out. Then he sprang a surprise: there is going to be a rite performed, and as Arthur's heirs, we have the right to send a representative of the family to witness it. The purpose of the rite is to 'protect the wizards of Britain from the rabble of Ireland.' We didn't know what that meant, so I probed a little. It was clear he was reluctant to go into much detail, but he finally admitted that although it must be kept secret, the rite was meant in part as the Protectorate's justice for the attack against the Lord Protector. And we are being included as witnesses because we are entitled to revenge, too.
Merlin.
And as for 'protecting the wizards of Britain,' he pussy-footed around a bit, and then finally hinted it had something to do with the wards.
My eyes met Mum's, and we could each tell what the other was thinking: whatever it is, we need to see this. Selwyn went on to describe the conditions for the witness: whoever comes must be an adult, as 'this will NOT be a fit thing for a child to see.' It must be someone capable of controlling emotion, as an outburst might distract the ones enacting the rite. It will involve things that observers might find upsetting, particularly if they are not particularly accustomed to the Dark Arts. Whoever it is will not be allowed to bring a wand to the rite. Someone will hold their wand for safekeeping a short distance away. The same will be true for any magical jewelry and all metal objects (which, again, can be held for safekeeping).
Oh, and one other tidbit he let drop: Dolohov will be there.
Well. Sounds like a thoroughly dark rite.
I have agreed to go. I assume that I am going to watch an execution. Maybe with some blood sport for the appetizer.
God.
We discussed various matters, but this is of the most interest to the Order in general. He reiterated that the Ministry knows that the IMA were the perpetrators, but that fact is NOT to get out. Then he sprang a surprise: there is going to be a rite performed, and as Arthur's heirs, we have the right to send a representative of the family to witness it. The purpose of the rite is to 'protect the wizards of Britain from the rabble of Ireland.' We didn't know what that meant, so I probed a little. It was clear he was reluctant to go into much detail, but he finally admitted that although it must be kept secret, the rite was meant in part as the Protectorate's justice for the attack against the Lord Protector. And we are being included as witnesses because we are entitled to revenge, too.
Merlin.
And as for 'protecting the wizards of Britain,' he pussy-footed around a bit, and then finally hinted it had something to do with the wards.
My eyes met Mum's, and we could each tell what the other was thinking: whatever it is, we need to see this. Selwyn went on to describe the conditions for the witness: whoever comes must be an adult, as 'this will NOT be a fit thing for a child to see.' It must be someone capable of controlling emotion, as an outburst might distract the ones enacting the rite. It will involve things that observers might find upsetting, particularly if they are not particularly accustomed to the Dark Arts. Whoever it is will not be allowed to bring a wand to the rite. Someone will hold their wand for safekeeping a short distance away. The same will be true for any magical jewelry and all metal objects (which, again, can be held for safekeeping).
Oh, and one other tidbit he let drop: Dolohov will be there.
Well. Sounds like a thoroughly dark rite.
I have agreed to go. I assume that I am going to watch an execution. Maybe with some blood sport for the appetizer.
God.
Private message to Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey
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.
Re: Private message to Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey
This rite, whatever it consists of, sounds perfectly horrendous. I hope our imaginations are overestimating that, but in case we are not wrong in guessing that you will be witness to something heinous, I would like to offer you a dose of something which will simultaneously heighten your ability to recall the details of what you see and depress your responses to what you are witnessing. The draught is called Commemini Acer, and it is used principally by people whose work demands extreme visual acuity or memory for minutia and the ability to perform detailed tasks without being distracted by irrelevancies.
You are, after all, attending this event in the pursuit not of revenge but of potentially crucial information, and it would be perfectly natural if your ability to process and recall needed details were dulled by the brutality of the ritual these butchers have planned.
Of course, I would not recommend anything of the kind if you were to be in a situation where you needed to rely on your reactions and your wand. But under the circumstances-
Well. The choice is yours entirely.
Re: Private message to Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey
I must confess I'm absolutely dreading this. It's bad enough, seeing...well, seeing what I saw, with Dad, whenever I close my eyes. I don't want to overlay that with yet more bad memories. But I'm convinced that I have to do this.
The ritual is the 28th. Do you need to brew the potion, and can you do it by then? Or do you have it in your stores? Or you can tell me where I can obtain it, I could pick it up.
Re: Private message to Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey
Re: Private message to Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey
She's trying. But it's so, so hard for her.