Order Only: Frank, Alice

[alt_poppy]

Frank, Alice?

I've been thinking, and I'd very much like to know a bit more about what you've told your children. About yourselves. I know Alice said you didn't intend to tell them about the work you do with us. But-- Well, I wonder what your Neville knows and what he might piece together from what you've told him. He's a quiet boy, but he does a lot of thinking, I believe, about how things are. He's thoughtful in both senses. And if there are children capable of taking a bit of information and putting it together with other bits, like Sirius's Grim Truths--

Your Neville wrote back to him once or twice, didn't he? Sirius? Have I misremembered?

I'm only thinking that your son is one child with a special bit of information about two members of our group, and if children his age are capable of figuring out what's what, he may be as well. You--and we--should be prepared for him to have questions. Or suppositions, even. And sooner than later.

We ought to have a plan for what you could tell him and when.

This whole episode with Miss Granger's friends suggests to me that we've been a bit too laissez faire about the things your children and the Weasley children--now there's a caution!--might glean from things they hear and observe.

Comments

[alt_molly]

I'm seriously beginning to wonder whether we shouldn't consider giving Neville and Evelyn port keys, as we're giving them to Hermione. To be used in case of desperate emergency only--as in they've been taken into custody by Bellatrix.

Of course, they must understand that if they use them, there's no going back: once triggered, they'll never be able to go back to their old life or see their friends or attend Hogwarts ever again. But especially after what happened to Sirius, I think we would never forgive ourselves if we lost them to Bellatrix's clutches when we had the chance to save them with a little foresight.

Frank and Alice, what do you think?

[alt_bill]

That's not a bad idea, actually, Mum.

What about your children, though?

[alt_molly]

It almost kills me to say it, but I think not.

Neville and Evelyn know that their parents are part of a secret, illegal group. The twins and Ron and Percy and Ginny don't. That innocence is their best protection.

[alt_bill]

Yes, but what if one of us is arrested? You or Dad or me?

What if we're forced to go on the run, and the Ministry decides to force us to give ourselves up by taking them into custody? Or hurting them, even?

[alt_molly]

Merlin, Bill. I--I hadn't thought of that.

Oh, god.

[alt_bill]

Well, I have. I've had nightmares about it. Dad and I have talked about it. A lot.

We're a big family. Unless we all make a clean getaway together, they'll use some of us to force the rest of us to give ourselves up.

I'm sorry, but that's what they'll do.

[alt_kingsley]

I hate to say it, but Bill's right. That is what they'd do. Damn them.

[alt_arthur]

I hadn't want to say anything, but I do think Bill's right.

Molly...I think that we should have emergency port keys made. We won't give them to the children to hold, not now, but we'll stash them in several places where any of us can get to them quickly. Hide some in the Burrow, some in my office, some in Bill's office. Minerva, we'll count on you to get the children out via portkey if they're at Hogwarts at the time.

If all three of us are arrested at once, Merlin forbid, or even Charlie, too, then we'd have to pin our hopes on getting a quick patronus off to the children to instruct them how to find the port keys and use them.

Come to think of it...Frank, I'll send you a list of the locations where we're hiding them. If we're taken into custody so quickly that we lose our wands before we can get a message out, we'll depend on you to send the patronuses to the children. I'll give you the wording of the message with the locations, so you'll know what to say that will convince the children to obey the summons.

I want to cover absolutely all eventualities.

[alt_frank]

right, mate, you can count on me.

[alt_alice]

I do very much like that idea, Molly. Frank does too.

Whereas before, Augusta could claim absolute ignorance, she certainly can't now, and she and the children are very much at risk if our security were to be seriously compromised.