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Pomona and I think we've reached 'the moment' for broaching things with Aurora Sinistra--and, with your permission, her mother, Arca. We may have an opportunity this Sunday evening, in fact, when we will all be gathered together. If you'd support our speaking to them. And if one of you would be able come take the oaths should we get so far. Actually, I think it might best be Remus in this case, given the way in which her cottage has been warded, but I'll come back to that. First, I want to brief you a bit on what makes us think them good candidates for recruitment.
The mother is, truly, a much simpler case than the daughter, though you know how long we've been cultivating her: I've every confidence that Arca Sinistra is sympathetic and that she'll be willing to join us in a formal capacity when given the chance. Her work is with the Department of Public Education, where her brief is food and nutrition, which mostly means writing pamphlets and offering seminars for folks struggling to put reasonably appealing meals on the table within an average family's budget. Her professional connections in and out of the Ministry could be quite useful to us, I believe, so I invited her along last Saturday to visit Melchior Culpeper, a dear old friend we share in common with Albus. Melchior was a mentor not only to me, but to Arca's mother, Prosperine Smith--I'd never put the pieces together to realise the relation: mother, daughter, granddaughter. Small world. In any case, I wanted Melchior's opinion on whether we could safely invite her to participate in some of Albus's projects--that's how he thinks of us, of course--and after our afternoon's conversation, there was really no doubt.
As for Aurora, Pomona and I have been making regular visits since her bereavement, and I believe she's finally at the point where she could reasonably consider and responsibly accept an offer from the Order. Certainly, she's reached the stage where she's feeling restless in her seclusion and wanting to find things not only to occupy herself but also to make a tangible contribution for good in the world. I've already involved her in a project of mine to bake enriched biscuits for the Highland village schools where there's an acute malnourishment problem. (She's one of a number of people who've agreed to help me with that; in fact, I've enough now to promise that I'll be able to set aside a proportion for Sherwood and Moddey.)
But back to Aurora. She's at the stage of grief where she's absolutely furious with the Protectorate (and, I believe, the Protector) for what it does to people and for what it fails to provide its people. We've talked about so many of its failings of late. Transfigured food. Shortages of medicinal potion supplies. Restrictions on imports. Incomprehensible regulations and interference with trade of all sorts. Book bans. Surveillance. Restrictions on the press. The lack of funding to support fostered halfbloods. The number of places that make it difficult for halfbloods to secure decent work, or rent a flat, or receive fair treatment or service. Biases in the village schools. Last week she was feeling especially impassioned about the fact that some lines of work and life choices are disproportionately admired (Aurors, Enforcers, having lots of babies for the Protectorate) while so many other objectively necessary, worthy paths are disdained (the necessary support tasks that keep society functioning).
I hope you agree that it's worth opening the subject to her now--to both of them--and if so, would you be available Sunday evening to come out to Cornwall to administer oaths? As I said, her cottage wards are an issue (and I hope not a red flag that will scuttle the whole matter). The first issue is that she's not entirely sure what all their layers may because (and this is the second issue) they were set for her by Antonin Dolohov. Ahem.
The first layer of warding is intention-based, so if you mean no harm to Aurora, it should be possible for her to admit you. The concerning thing is that Dolohov has almost certainly placed more specific protections to guard against known enemies of the Council who might conceivably see her as a target. Albus and I discussed this and feel it would be unwise for him to attempt to enter, and I think Alice and Frank are surely in the same category. Remus, I know you're also something of an outlaw, but perhaps not so likely to have been in Dolohov's mind when he was weaving her security spells. And I've been thinking, too, that you might be an excellent first person to introduce to her as she knows you already. I know she thought well of you when you were at the school. If nothing else, her reaction to you would tell us much about her ability to handle the surprises of initiation.
The mother is, truly, a much simpler case than the daughter, though you know how long we've been cultivating her: I've every confidence that Arca Sinistra is sympathetic and that she'll be willing to join us in a formal capacity when given the chance. Her work is with the Department of Public Education, where her brief is food and nutrition, which mostly means writing pamphlets and offering seminars for folks struggling to put reasonably appealing meals on the table within an average family's budget. Her professional connections in and out of the Ministry could be quite useful to us, I believe, so I invited her along last Saturday to visit Melchior Culpeper, a dear old friend we share in common with Albus. Melchior was a mentor not only to me, but to Arca's mother, Prosperine Smith--I'd never put the pieces together to realise the relation: mother, daughter, granddaughter. Small world. In any case, I wanted Melchior's opinion on whether we could safely invite her to participate in some of Albus's projects--that's how he thinks of us, of course--and after our afternoon's conversation, there was really no doubt.
As for Aurora, Pomona and I have been making regular visits since her bereavement, and I believe she's finally at the point where she could reasonably consider and responsibly accept an offer from the Order. Certainly, she's reached the stage where she's feeling restless in her seclusion and wanting to find things not only to occupy herself but also to make a tangible contribution for good in the world. I've already involved her in a project of mine to bake enriched biscuits for the Highland village schools where there's an acute malnourishment problem. (She's one of a number of people who've agreed to help me with that; in fact, I've enough now to promise that I'll be able to set aside a proportion for Sherwood and Moddey.)
But back to Aurora. She's at the stage of grief where she's absolutely furious with the Protectorate (and, I believe, the Protector) for what it does to people and for what it fails to provide its people. We've talked about so many of its failings of late. Transfigured food. Shortages of medicinal potion supplies. Restrictions on imports. Incomprehensible regulations and interference with trade of all sorts. Book bans. Surveillance. Restrictions on the press. The lack of funding to support fostered halfbloods. The number of places that make it difficult for halfbloods to secure decent work, or rent a flat, or receive fair treatment or service. Biases in the village schools. Last week she was feeling especially impassioned about the fact that some lines of work and life choices are disproportionately admired (Aurors, Enforcers, having lots of babies for the Protectorate) while so many other objectively necessary, worthy paths are disdained (the necessary support tasks that keep society functioning).
I hope you agree that it's worth opening the subject to her now--to both of them--and if so, would you be available Sunday evening to come out to Cornwall to administer oaths? As I said, her cottage wards are an issue (and I hope not a red flag that will scuttle the whole matter). The first issue is that she's not entirely sure what all their layers may because (and this is the second issue) they were set for her by Antonin Dolohov. Ahem.
The first layer of warding is intention-based, so if you mean no harm to Aurora, it should be possible for her to admit you. The concerning thing is that Dolohov has almost certainly placed more specific protections to guard against known enemies of the Council who might conceivably see her as a target. Albus and I discussed this and feel it would be unwise for him to attempt to enter, and I think Alice and Frank are surely in the same category. Remus, I know you're also something of an outlaw, but perhaps not so likely to have been in Dolohov's mind when he was weaving her security spells. And I've been thinking, too, that you might be an excellent first person to introduce to her as she knows you already. I know she thought well of you when you were at the school. If nothing else, her reaction to you would tell us much about her ability to handle the surprises of initiation.