alt_bill | Order Only: Private message to Alice, Remus, Sirius, Weasley family, Communications committee

Right.

We've still heard nothing further on Ginny's fate. I've been mulling over making this journal entry all day, and it makes me rather sick to write this down, and I'm sorry, but I think we're going to need to talk about it. Bluntly. Make some plans, so we'll be ready to respond to whatever happens next.

My first desire and priority, as a member of the Weasley family, is to rescue Ginny if at all possible. If not now, later. If that's not possible, and I realise it may not be, I want to give her as much support as we can, whatever way we can. Through surreptitious means, if we can manage it, without endangering either our personnel or our sources. Through the journals, doing what we can to give her hope and courage, despite the fact that Bellatrix will be privy to anything she reads there. Through any other avenue we can figure out.

At the same time, I want to protect this process we're undergoing, to rebuild Albion. I want us to continue to work on winning hearts and minds, to convince both magical and non-magical folk not to be frightened of us, to protect the people for whom we have accepted responsibility. To behave in an ethical manner, as much as we can, so it makes an actual difference to people which side succeeds in winning this war.

Bellatrix Lestrange, obviously, wants to scuttle both these hopes. Getting her claws into Ginny has opened several opportunities for her, and she won't hesitate to use them. Assuming Ginny isn't already gone--I'm sorry, Mum, but it has to be faced--Bellatrix won't hesitate to use this development in any way she can to thwart our goals, whether by killing or capturing any of us who attempt a rescue, getting the people of Albion to turn against us, or egging us into fighting with each other.

Last night Rachel outlined for Mum some of the ways she thought they may try to use Ginny. There are at least three possibilities, frankly, all of them ugly, and they will require different responses. (It may be that Bellatrix will pull something even more diabolical out of her arse that hasn't even occurred to us yet, and we'll be scrambling to catch up, but for now let's start here.) Personally, I think that Bella won't keep the fact that they're holding Ginny a secret. It makes me almost physically ill, as I said, to actually put this down into words, but capturing my baby sister is a public relations coup for our enemies, and I expect them to do their best to exploit it.

One: Ginny could be put up for a show trial, maybe even publicly killed, as a warning example to anyone else thinking of resisting them.

Two, she can be kept as an unwilling hostage, and they'll use the fact that they have her in their clutches to influence our movements or decisions.

Or three, she can be kept as a hostage but presented as someone who's seen the light and returned to the pureblood fold, ostensibly joining them willingly. I don't think that we can discount that third possibility, as it would obviously suit Bella's purposes beautifully and at the same time be a huge blow to us. We know perfectly well that they have no scruples whatsoever about lying the press.

In all three of these scenarios, I imagine they will try to strip her of any information they can gain from her regarding our tactics, our security procedures, our plans, our allies, or anything else that Bellatrix thinks she can learn.

I want us to spend some time thinking about how we can respond to or counter each one of these possibilities. (Even better, I would strongly like to get out of the role that Bellatrix seems determined to stick us in, to be reactive rather than active.) Again, I hate this like poison, but it must be said: whatever we decide to do and however we choose to respond to the situation publicly should probably be coordinated between the family, the Order leadership, and our communications/press staff.

If Ginny is allowed to read any private messages we send to her, obviously they can't be kept private from her captors. Despite this, it's my personal opinion that we should still write to her, but we should be cautious about what we say to her, and those messages should be kept on a private lock. Bella may legilimise my sister's mind but I'll be damned if I'm going to give the bitch any opportunity to chime in with helpful written comments to what I might say to Ginny.

I'm going to suggest a meeting tomorrow morning after breakfast to discuss these issues. We can convene in the work room just off Mum's quarters. I understand that not everyone may be able to make it, but leave a written comment if there is anything you want us to consider. It's probably going to be an ongoing conversation.

Thanks.