ORDER ONLY

[alt_alice]

I’ve got a spare moment or two before lights out, so I thought I’d write you all a quick note to let you know we’ve sent the Players safely off. Before they left, we had a bit of a dedication ceremony for the Memorial Garden, and planted the first tree in the centre of the garden in honour of all the Order members that have died. It’s an oak tree, and there’s a lovely piece of marble with a phoenix carved into it that was set into the ground in front of it. We’ll plant the rest bit by bit over the rest of the summer – and of course, we’ll hold off planting a few trees until some of you can come to be here for it.

There was no shortage of tears when the Players took their leave on our end. Kingsley – it took nearly an hour before all the sniffles died down to manageable levels, and I’ve been told more times than I can count to tell you that everyone “misses you already,” and wants to know how long it will be before you come back. I’m afraid the children weren’t the only ones shedding a tear, though -- Benjy has quite left his heart here with us at Moddey Dhoo, and Jacinda was equally sad to see him go. The two of them have really become inseparable during the last few months.

Best of luck to all of you, Kingsley. I hope very much that you’ll be able to pick up where you left off, and John is quite excited about hearing from you and learning what he can about the lay of the land in the camps. I'm sure he’ll be writing you much more detailed missives about everything. Danny and Victor have the remainder of the boat construction well in hand (with Frank lending his wand), and we still plan on being finished with her by early fall.

Speaking of John, he’ll be taking another load of supplies down to Sherwood camp this weekend, and is planning on shifting down there full-time within the month. As soon as the wards are up and the Secret Keeper at the camp is in place, Lucinda will be joining him. That brings me to my last bit of news – John and Lucinda have decided to get married before they leave us. It’s a good idea – Merlin knows when she’ll see her father next, and it’s good to give him the chance to properly give her away. They’ve decided to do a Muggle-style wedding, as that’s what both of them are more familiar with – Arabella has agreed to officiate, and Frank and myself will be witnesses. They’ve picked a good time to do it, because we’re up to our ears in flowers this time of year, and everything is so bright and green. I shall miss them both very much.

That’s all I can manage for the evening. Remus, darling, it’s good to hear that our Tonks is doing so much better. And Sirius, my love, you keep good and safe. Arthur, I hope this week has been kinder to you. And Molly, thank you for “playing owl” and getting our Neville’s note to Augusta.

Comments

[alt_sirius]

If the boat's to be ready by autumn, what does that mean for our June run? I've got Marguerite laying in supplies for a transfer at the solstice. Right now I don't see why I shouldn't be able to arrange transportation on this end.

[alt_alice]

Tide Turner might not be fully seaworthy by June, but we've also got The Hopeful, our smaller boat -- the one we used last time. We can fit four or five extra souls on board if we crowd in, which might work for Davidson's purposes too, if you'd be ready to take some people back with you to France. If not, we can wait until next solstice to start people-smuggling.

[alt_kingsley]

Benjy's been moping terribly since we left. He growls at all of us and says nothing's bothering him, but of course, we all know better.

It was hard to leave. I'd almost forgotten how nice it was to stay in one spot, and of course, the children got under all our skins. None of us are particularly keen on picking up the wandering lifestyle again. Still, we know our reports will be important, particularly for John and Davidson and the rest.

I never thought I'd say it, but tell Victor I miss his bubble and squeak.

[alt_frank]

ah, young love.