ORDER ONLY: Private Message to Remus

[alt_alice]

Why must we always be the ones who are reasonable? The ones who compromise? The ones who have the basic fucking decency to return the dead to their families? Is the reason why they don't give us a single goddamn quarter because we're winning and they're desperate? Or is it because we're just that gullible?

Lucinda is an utter wreck. She kept saying over and over again that she'd thought the worst of it was over, that people'd been back and forth to the Ministry a dozen times without running into resistance, that she just didn't understand how he could've been killed doing such a simple task, and her rage could light a dozen fires.

She's far from the only one.

I am tired, and my heart aches, and I cannot

What we're building has to be based on principles of justice, not revenge.

I know that.

I also know that we can't have our fullest measure of justice, not if we want to move forward.

Merlin knows we can't lock up half the wizards in England.

I am just beyond furious that we must fight as fairly as we can and still work uphill against slander after slander, when they can go blithely skipping about murdering innocent people for public relations purposes, and that our mercy can be requested and assumed when our Lucinda had no body to bury, and you need to talk to Rachel about what we're going to do regarding Seamus fucking Finnigan, because I really cannot be objective right now, apparently.

Comments

[alt_lupin]

She wanted to talk about Finnigan, when you met with her?

[alt_alice]

Yes.

Apparently, Jason Montague's invested in his future.

[alt_alice]

I find I am far less patient and far more angry than I used to be.

It would be foolish to expect that our victory would be immediate, and I knew we'd have a great deal of work to do after, but Merlin, Remus, I thought there'd be some measure of resolution. Some satisfaction. Maybe even some joy.

I suspect all that will be a while off yet. And in the meantime, we're left stumbling along, mourning those who aren't here with us, and fighting to keep what ground they bled for.

[alt_alice]

You realise I'm just in a particularly awful mood, and you're a person I love and can tell things to who won't take offense.

I'm sorry, Remus.

Merlin, I need a spliff or three.

[alt_lupin]

We all need -- I'm not sure. To forgive our own mistakes and anger, for one thing.

I talked to Rachel. Her people will try to bring in Seamus Finnigan alive, if they encounter him. We can still try that little bastard for his crimes. If Jason Montague wants full amnesty for him, he'd best be prepared to bring us Bellatrix Lestrange's head on a platter, and I mean that literally.

Did she mention the business with Terry, when she spoke with you?

[alt_alice]

All right.

I believe I can accept that with a certain degree of grace.

And no, she didn't. What happened?

[alt_lupin]

Apparently that note Terry left for Seamus Finnigan last week gave him enough information to work out that Terry is an animagus, and that probably there are others, likely including one that's small enough to have gone along to the rite.

Mind you, they already knew we had a spy at the rite; it's possible Bellatrix had already guessed there was an animagus involved. Rachel's warned Ron they might be on the lookout for animals, and she tracked Terry down tonight and had a chat with him. She said she was as gentle as she could be, but he got extremely upset with himself, and now she's worried she should have let you handle it instead. He's not equipped with tremendous self-confidence as it stands, and it's not as if he reports to her.

Frankly, I think it was inevitable they'd realise we had more animagi than just Sirius, sooner or later.

[alt_alice]

Bugger.

Yes. I think it was rather inevitable too.

I'll see what I can do. Thank you for passing it along.

[alt_lupin]

How much do you trust Jason Montague, anyway? Think this business about Rigel is intended to lure us in to a trap?

[alt_alice]

I think he's hedging his bets on both ends. I think that means he's looking out for what's best for him, and that he's not particularly loyal to any side -- at least that's what I hope. That he sees where the wind is blowing.

If he does set a trap and we walk into it, that could be quite profitable for him in the short term, no mistaking, but he'd put all his eggs in one basket and assume his people will ultimately win, and I don't see him being that big of a gambler. And he told us about Finnigan, which might serve to put us at ease, and might be an utter lie, but I don't think it'd offer him any advantage to lie about it. So there's that.

I think as long as this arrangement remains in his best interests, we might be able to trust at least a little.

[alt_lupin]

That analysis makes sense. I think you're right, that he's hedging his bets.

[alt_alice]

Well, it's good to know I haven't lost all of my capacity for rational thought.