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[alt_alice]

Molly, now that the chicks are all out of the nest, are you free to come up for a visit? We'd absolutely love to have you (and Arthur too, if he can manage it), and we'd very much appreciate the addition of those bee hives.

Comments

[alt_molly]

Oh, Alice, I would love to get away. And I'd love to meet Kevin of course. When did you have in mind?

[alt_alice]

Oh, whenever works best for you, really.

I know things have been a bit hectic for you as of late, so I don't want you to feel obligated, but you seemed like you could use a bit of a break, and we'd love to have you.

[alt_molly]

Mmm. I do want to get away. Desperately. It was so stressful, getting the children ready for school, and now after Ron's latest escapade. . . well, I certainly could use the escape. The sooner the better!

I'm not sure whether Arthur could come, though.

[alt_arthur]

No, I don't think I should risk it, frankly. I want to make myself available, whenever Internal Affairs wants to do a follow up to the talk I had with them today. But you should certainly get away, Molly. Alice is right, it would be good for you, and you've been looking a bit peaky lately, my dear.

[alt_molly]

Are you sure, Arthur?

[alt_arthur]

Positive. It'll be good for you, and I can survive on my own cooking for a few days, I think.

And if I can't, I can bully Bill into coming by and cooking for me.

[alt_frank]

and how did that talk go, mate?

bloody IA. does that pencil-pusher Kindle still work there? he was an annoying little prat.

[alt_arthur]

It's rather difficult to say. It all seemed quite low-key, which was a relief, but they have quite good poker faces, and it was hard to tell what they were thinking.

(Kindle? He's more annoying than ever, except now he's the Assistant Director of the entire department, worse luck.)

[alt_frank]

I feel you, mate.

had a feeling Kindle would do well with the new boss in town. if I remember, he always looked like he'd just had a lemon shoved up his arse, and he was always more fond of the rules than the reasons why those rules were around.

[alt_alice]

Oh, Molly, I can't even imagine what I would do with Neville if he ever did something like that. Then again, Augusta would have her turn with him first, so between the two of us, he'd have quite a time of it!

I understand if Arthur can't make it -- we will miss him, of course, Frank especially so, but we can catch up with him some other time.

[alt_molly]

Well then, I will come. I'm eager to visit with you all, and to see all the wonderful progress that Bill's told me you've made. Would as early as tomorrow be all right? You could put me up in any spare corner, honestly, and I wouldn't mind in the least. I don't need to bring much, other than the hives, and I'll charm the bees to sleep and shrink them down for transport. Unless you need me to bring any other supplies for the Sanctuary?

(I can't imagine Neville getting into the sort of scrapes that my boys seem to fall into almost every week. How I wish a little of Neville's steadiness would rub off on Ron!)

[alt_alice]

Oh! Tomorrow would be lovely.

We can put you up in Remus's old room -- I'm sure he wouldn't mind. We'll get fresh sheets for the bed and air out the room tonight.

The children are incredibly excited about getting bee-hives -- they've been studying beekeeping and bees for weeks now, and have come up with all sorts of essays and pictures about bees that I'm sure they'll all want to show you.

And you never know -- after all, they'll be dorm-mates for a good long while, won't they? Regardless of who ends up influencing whom, I do think it's wonderful that both our boys have become friends.

[alt_molly]

You can tell the children I'll be there shortly after lunch. Thank you! I'm quite looking forward to it.

[alt_poppy]

Molly, I'm proud of you for going. That's the ticket. You need to get away from all this for a bit, and the Sanctuary's just the place.

I swear, I felt more at home and more ease there than I have done in such a long time. I've been trying to think why trading one place filled with rambunctious youngsters for another should feel like a holiday, and I believe it's because at the Sanctuary there are no Governor's to placate, no bureaucrats demanding yards of parchment to document everything, none of these rotten apples who use their pureblood entitlement to harass and terrorise their peers. (Oh, it's begun again already, Molly, and it makes me simply ill to see it.)

In any case, I'm very glad you're able to go. Tell the children there that I think of them every day when I look at my collection of their drawings. I've hung them all on the walls of my little office.

[alt_frank]

missus Cratchit, some mail just came in.

[alt_alice]

Ooooh, Mister Cratchit! Bring it upstairs so we can read it together!

[alt_molly]

'Missus and mister Cratchit?'

Some inside joke, I suppose?

[alt_alice]

In a way, yes! I'll show you once you get here tomorrow. Neville's the one that came up with it, really.

[alt_poppy]

Alice.

Tell me that I remembered to bring you some bee sting antidote. I can't think whether we discussed how to use it. You need to shake the vial, then remove the cap and jab the little, sharp point of the vial into the skin just at the place where the sting occurred. It will counteract any reaction a child might have and greatly reduce the severity for an adult.

My, the old brain is clearly slipping. Did I bring it to you? I surely meant to, and I'll find a way to send it along straightaway if I didn't.


Bother.

[alt_alice]

No worries, Poppy, I checked with Stephen, and he says the antidote was in a little box full of other vials and tonics that you passed along to him. After talking to him about it, we've decided to put it in a place of prominence so that we all know where it is in case we need it in a hurry, and after dinner tonight, we'll have a meeting with all the adults so we all know how to use it too.