Order Only Private Message to Alice, Remus, and Sirius

[alt_poppy]

Alice, you'll want to send someone out to the gates in a few minutes. Healer Repton Chandless and his family (his wife, Meliflua, and 2 young children plus his mother-in-law and her mother) will arrive as soon as they've collected their belongings.

Meliflua sings with the opera company in New London. Her mother is, I believe, a painter or perhaps it's weaving she does, I'm not certain. The great-grandmother was a curse-breaker for Gringotts in her day, though I gather she gave it up quite some years ago. (Perhaps when she married the second time.)

Healer Knox declined to join us and had to be Obliviated, as did Healer Behm, I regret to say.

We're headed for Derbyshire now to pay a call on Tempus and Delilah Grandin; I expect he's on-shift this morning, but if she's persuadable, we'll ask her to call him home. I believe they've got small children, as well. Wish me luck. I don't have the history there that I do with some others, but he came to Hogwarts once for one of Aurora's YPL programmes, and he was both solid in his craft and a clear, patient instructor with the students. He would be an asset were we to bring him over, and he's certainly on the list of people who might come under suspicion for having been connected in that way with known Order members.

Auror Harkiss, Enforcers Jordan, Cooke and Brindl came with me, but I've left Cooke and Brindl with Melchior Culpeper to make rounds of people M thought he might be able to talk over to our side.


I'm determined to wring whatever advantage I can from the Nesbitts' tragedy.

Comments

[alt_alice]

The Chandless family has arrived safe and sound.

Thank you, Poppy.

I am so incredibly sorry that there is a tragedy to take advantage of in the first place.

[alt_poppy]

It took time with the Grandins, but they are preparing to head your way, as well, now. And they're bringing their next neighbours, Halfa and Mort Jorgensen. There are seven small children, two grown children, three older folks, and an assortment of familiars in the party in addition to Tempus, Delilah, and the Jorgensens.

We've just arrived in Horncastle for a visit to the Oxley family. Healer Frances Oxley was forced into retirement a little over a year ago, possibly because she got crosswise with MLE over the Vale of Health: her specialty is hex injuries. I think she might be made to see that her position is tenuous in light of what happened Monday, and she has a family to think of, just as Effie Nesbitt did.

[alt_poppy]

Well, that was unexpected.

There was no sign of the Oxleys at Fairweather House in Horncastle, and when Harkiss and Jordan took a closer look, there were indications of a hasty departure and some puzzlement over whether there might have been a scuffle, whether the scene suggested an arrest. Apparently they didn't take much with them: clothing still in wardrobes, cupboards and drawers. Food on the shelves.

But then we found a note on the mantel. Addressed to Bellatrix Lestrange and Thorfinn Rowle, telling them what they might do with their 'new regime'.

We take it they're in hiding. The shame is that means they're beyond our help as much as they may also be beyond Rowle and Lestrange's reach.

On our way again. To Nether Padley in the Peak district, to see if we've better luck looking for Healer Avitus Maginn.

[alt_alice]

You might send the Oxleys an owl in a few days to see if we can't establish some form of communication, and if they'd rather stay on their own for the time being.

[alt_poppy]

That's an excellent thought, Alice. Absolutely.

[alt_poppy]

Alright. Things went more straightforwardly with Maginn, but then he's a single wizard and that simplifies matters.

He's agreed to come to the school by supper tonight. I'm afraid the delay makes things awkward for our arrivals staff, but he was determined not to be rushed into an abrupt departure. (Do be sure he receives adequate scrutiny when he arrives re. treachery or hidden motivations. I don't suspect him of any ill-intent, but I won't be able to vouch for his whereabouts over the next several hours, either.)

If you see Aurora, tell her we're on our way now to see her cousin Melantha at Oakham in Rutland. While I've not met her more than twice or thrice in bureaucratic settings at St M's, I'm carrying a letter Aurora wrote last night, and I've every hope that we'll persuade her to come over to us.

[alt_alice]

We might see if Iain Macmillan would be willing to extend messages to his contacts as well -- they'd be a little further flung than our immediate circle, which could potentially be useful as long as we're careful.

[alt_poppy]

Ah.

Yes, perhaps you're right. His connections are in the camps as well as at St M's?

[alt_alice]

Yes.

I anticipate we'd have a wider range of responses, but it'd be a good faith gesture.