Order Only: The Ministry and Owls, plus Rookwood

[alt_bill]

Two things: first I want to report that the Minister of Magic is being flooded with owls from parents demanding that the MLE take over the investigation of the latest incident at Hogwarts. Apparently, Fudge is not particularly appreciating the complaints. The order came down from Senior Undersecretary Umbridge that any owl used to deliver one of these complaints should be promptly confiscated from its owner by the Ministry, with the excuse that the Ministry needs the owl's services 'for the duration of the crisis.' Dolores Umbridge failed to consider, however, that her title does not impress most owls. They'll only work for someone other than their owners if the owners expressly gives permission for them to be lent out to somebody else. The Ministry owl handlers suffered some bad pecking and talon scratch attacks while the owls made this clear to them.

Secondly, and this is big. Two members of my analysis team, Aloysius Archer and Tabitha Dames, have been cross-indexing Lucius Malfoy's journal posts (especially any mention of the movements of Augustus Rookwood) with the camp security log-book entries and the reports of epidemic outbreaks. The evidence can't be ignored. The pattern of outbreaks following Rookwood's visits to the camps is more than a statistical probability, it's a dead certainty.

On October 5, Malfoy told Regulus in a comment that Shroton and Ampfield were selected as 'test sites.' The LP inspected the camps on October 14, and that's rare. There's a whole lot of other corroberating evidence that they presented to me, and I can go over it with you, Dad, if you like.

I've gone and pulled what budgetary parchment work that I can. Of course, Rookwood works with the Department of Mysteries, and so those budget spreadsheets never see the light of day. BUT I did find a few mentions of mysterious requisitions in the budget for the Department of Squib Affairs, with Rookwood's initials.

I don't know what Rookwood's up to, but if Archer and Dames are right, I'm very much afraid that the evidence is damning.

Somehow, the Ministry of Magic, specifically the Department of Mysteries, is behind the cause of the epidemic.

Comments

[alt_frank]

sorry, old boy.

at least it's not anyone you work direct with.

[alt_arthur]

I work for the Ministry of Magic. I can't reconcile my conscience that easily, Frank.

Molly's tried to tell me that our work for the Order balances out what I have to do at the office. But it seems like such a pittance, when balanced against the devastation we've unleashed upon this country.

[alt_sirius]

Arthur, I think you're right about one thing: Whatever this was, I don't see how it can have been deliberate. The more I think about it, the more I think perhaps the first cases were as baffling to them as everyone else.

We're still left with the deplorable, unconscionable lack of response for far too long while innocent people died, and the disgusting disregard for protecting the public even if it meant exposing their culpability. But frankly, the Ministry had a penchant for covering up its foibles even while Albus Dumbledore was there to force them to own up to their mistakes. I can't imagine that the tendency would have improved without him as a watchdog.

That aside, at least we're forming a picture now.

I'll need a little more, but it sounds like Bill's team might soon get us enough hard facts to put together the whole truth.

[alt_frank]

if it makes you feel any better, I don't think of you as working for them at all. you work for us. you're our inside man. you and Bill both are.

ever since the old man left us, you and Minerva have both done one hell of a job.

and if Min is our general, you're next in line in my book, mate.

and that is something you should be proud of.