ORDER ONLY

[alt_alice]

Easter hols are fast approaching, and I'm hoping we'll be able to take advantage of this time with extra training, meetings, and for those of you who can be spared, some additional ley-mapping and camps visits. I'll see if we can't get us all together for an Order-wide meeting at some point. Harry, Draco, Hydra, let us know when you'd be available for your tea meeting. Pansy, Ron, I'm hoping you'd be able to attend that as well, and I hope I'm right to assume that your schedules will be a bit easier to work with.

If something should come up suddenly regarding the contest, we'll see what we can do to work around it.

Luna, love, consider us all at your disposal if you need to work over a particular topic over hols that we could help with. And Luna, Evelyn, and Hydra, you all have yet to master Apparation, which could be a possible goal for you to work towards as well. (Hydra, I know you might have trouble getting away -- perhaps you could convince your parents to hire a tutor so that you won't be at a disadvantage for the contest?)

Charlie, Hagrid might be able to help out with some of our octoboros work, so just make sure you coordinate with him so that you can both be available at the same time if you're going to be working further with the centaurs.

Poppy, Pomona, Severus, I'm wondering if we might be able to sneak a peek at the book before hols, just to cover our bases.

Lee, let us know once Dr Harris's pamphlets are printed and ready for distribution in the camps. We'll package them with our nutritional supplements.

Comments

Private Message to Ron and Sally-Anne

[alt_alice]

I've been wondering what your thoughts are regarding Avery's suggestion.

I don't mean to put you both on the spot, and don't expect an immediate answer, but I would like to talk further about what you're thinking now that you've had some time to process. I know this is a deeply personal issue for you both, and that Pansy is wrapped up in all of it as well, which makes all of this tricky to sort through.

From where I'm sitting, your choices are certainly less than ideal on all fronts. However, angering Avery would have potentially negative consequences for all three of you, and whatever plan we come up with should attempt to minimise that as much as possible.

Re: Private Message to Ron and Sally-Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

I was talking to Justin today and the idea we had is possibly suggesting to Avery that we boost Vince and try to make sure he wins. Alternately, that we boost an additional candidate that was proposed by an ally of his, or that we offer to try to knock one of his rivals' candidates out of the competition.

I'm going to try to find out who his allies and his enemies are.

Re: Private Message to Ron and Sally-Anne

[alt_ron]

Course, if we do that, we can't make it obvious to Avery that I don't give a fig about getting selected. Only that we'd be willing to help one or two others as allies (or, anywiz, give them some help even if we don't let them know we're helping--I don't think it'd be a good idea to out and out ally with Crabbe. Nothing good could come out of that.

Re: Private Message to Ron and Sally-Anne

[alt_sally_anne]

Well, I don't think we'd want to tell Crabbe we'd help him. But he's awfully thick. We could help him out without him noticing.

Re: Private Message to Ron and Sally-Anne

[alt_ron]

Yeah, exactly.

I don't think we'd want anyone else to realise we were helping Crabbe, either, though, so we would want to be careful.

Re: Private Message to Ron and Sally-Anne

[alt_alice]

That's an intriguing possibility.

I think you'd have to tread very carefully so as to not give the impression of defiance, and hope he'll chalk it up to the power of love and Gryffindor stubbornness. If he'd made any of his requests in a more public venue, we'd be in a different situation where he'd have to get satisfaction just to save face. Making it appear as though you owe him a favour and bowing and scraping a bit is certainly preferable to burning bridges.

Staying together publicly would hurt your chances of success in the Auror programme, but we can talk about that over hols, perhaps.

I don't believe Pansy to be in immediate danger from Avery. The threat is generally troubling in its larger implications about Luicus's fragile position within the council, however, and I do worry about her safety should someone want to hurt Lucius in some way. It did not sit well with me at all to have her described as expendable, and I hope we can all sit down and work through this further over hols.

That being said, I don't think your staying together would change her fortunes dramatically, especially if you work to mitigate some of the sting to Avery's pride.

I would suggest talking over this option further with Severus. Subtlety is his strength, not mine.

[alt_harry]

I can put together a long-distance flying club outing if that'd help.

And yeah, I'll let you know when I can come by for Tea Appreciation.

[alt_alice]

That would be very useful, Harry.

[alt_sirius]

We've been talking about offering up Grimmauld Place for a proper Order meeting over the holidays, Alice. Only we know that's not exactly ideal for everyone, but we can't think of a better solution.

Order meeting or no, everyone's welcome for supper at least once over hols. And we'll certainly hope to have a Tea Appreciation at Laszlo's.

[alt_poppy]

Severus might draw Minerva away this time, leaving Pomona or me to read the book. I haven't been given audience at all for weeks, but that in itself gives me room for insisting on a conversation with the Headmistress, if not about her own health, then about the end-of-year audit or some such.

I'm certain we can come up with one ruse or another that will give one of us access to the book.

[alt_frank]

Looking forward to seeing you over hols, Poppy.

[alt_poppy]

Likewise.

[alt_frank]

(He's speaking for both of us on that count, Madame P.)

[alt_alice]

Good. Thank you.