Work is quite difficult

[alt_arthur]

It has been exceedingly difficult to do my job, given that I'm only allowed to go into the office one day out of four. These appearances at the Ministry are carefully timed so that I'm not even there at the same time as my coworkers. We all have to go through a scourgify protocol, scourgify, tergio, etc., our shoes and hands, etc. The most wary snap bubblehead charms in place if they see anyone else step within sight.

We can't Firechat, so at first we wrote even more memos than usual and left them for one another. No one actually dares touch the memos, so at first we wrote our notes to one another with Dicto-quills. Once the recipient has received the paper missive, it was set to hover in the air until read, and then incinerated with a quick spell. As you can imagine, this makes it quite difficult to backtrack and check work that took place via memo exchange.

So, of course, the obvious thing people are doing is to use their journals. More of the day to day minutaie of the way people do their jobs is showing up in public because of this, which has been quite fascinating in its own way. Although mostly, it's been recording people's frustration with the present restrictions. 'Where's that report?' 'It was in Dreskey's office last week, but that got sealed when he fell ill. Did they burn everything inside?' 'How can I get anything done when I haven't seen my assistant for three weeks?' etcetera, etcetera.

There have been some compensations, of course. It's certainly been pleasant to spend more time with Molly during the day, and the chicken coop is cleaner than it's been in weeks. And I'm sure the goats are mildly surprised that their stall is getting mucked out more reliably. Still, all in all, I'd be happy to be able to back to my old routine, not only with going into the office, but going out into the field. It's been months since I've set foot in a single one of the camps, and I'm quite worried about the conditions there.

Comments

Order Only

[alt_arthur]

Bill showed me quite a tidy little spell that Norma Brownmiller and I have been using. The two of us has a stack of parchment. After we write something, we tap the parchment with our wand, saying 'duplio,' and the other person's name, and then the words appear on the other person's corresponding parchment.

We're keeping it to ourselves for now...don't want the regime to realise that there's another system that could be used for surreptitious communication. Except it can't be--not surreptitious, that is, anyway. There's absolutely no security with the spell, unlike with "Order Only"; anyone can read either what is written or duplicated. So we're simply using it to copy work-related reports to each other.

Merlin knows what the camps will be like, once I'm finally allowed in again. I can imagine, of course. The sickness and death rosters, which I have to review each week, paint a very grim picture.

I hate feeling so helpless.

It has been strange that, whenever I go in, I really don't see anyone. Well, other than Bill, of course. I do miss Tonks. I hope we'll get good news about her soon.

I don't miss some of the blokes in my department chuntering on about the epidemic as if, well, now it's real and such a terrible thing! When muggles and muggleborns have already been dying from the sickness for months now. Disgusting.

Re: Order Only

[alt_poppy]

This duplication spell, Arthur.

There must be a charm already on the parchment each of you use? I mean to say, how do you ensure that it's Miss Brownmiller's parchment your writing turns up on and not Director Selwyn's or mine or some parchment at Buckingham?

I can see that it would be devilishly useful, that charm. If one could be sure of it. Is it a ticklish bit of wandwork to learn or is the spell just that straightforward?

Re: Order Only

[alt_arthur]

Well, yes, the parchment is all charmed with both wands involved, first. Norma and I each took a stack from the supply room, on the day we were told we had to go home. And you do have to concentrate quite hard on the person you mean to receive it.

It's not something either of us will be nattering about at the Ministry, believe me. I certainly don't want anyone getting any bright ideas about looking too closely at the network of spells Bill has put on the journals, after all, wondering how they can be kept more secure for the regime's purposes. I'd rather if it's not generally know that there are other ways to communicate across distances like this. We will certainly use it sparingly.

Re: Order Only

[alt_lupin]

I miss her too.

Re: Order Only

[alt_sirius]

So you both have to be in the same place to charm the parchment, but thereafter either of you can take a roll off it and use it?

That is handy, but unfortunately won't help with Davidson's group or any other like it, until the travel restrictions lift.

But if I know you, Arthur, what's really bothering you is the thought of how many kids you'd normally have smuggled to Moddey Dhoo by now. Am I right?

Re: Order Only

[alt_arthur]

Yes on the first question; the parchment must be charmed by both of us, and yes, that's a limiting factor.

It's not only the children we could have brought to Moddey Dhoo. It's all the suffering, the deaths, the waste of human potential. And I can't get in there to see what I can do to help. I can't place my hand of the shoulder of a mother and tell her I'll do all in my power to help her sick child. I can't get in the right in the face of a corrupt camp administrator and demand that he release the stock of food stuffs he's been hoarding. I can't do anything.

Sometimes the only thing that keeps me going when I do my job is the reflection that while I do represent the Ministry, at least I might serve as a kinder face for the people in the camps, a promise that not every pure-blooded wizard wants to hurt or enslave them or make them miserable. But now I can't even see these poor people, to be there with them as they're going through this.

[alt_selwyn]

I greatly appreciate your efforts, Arthur, along with those of your colleagues. It's been hard on everyone at the Ministry but I think we can take some pride in how quickly the spread was contained.

Let me know if your department needs additional owls or other resources.

[alt_arthur]

Well, it has certainly been an exercise in ingenuity. I think it would be worthwhile to have do some brainstorming, once this crisis is past, to consider developing some protocols which might be put into place to make it easier for people to work away from the office, in case of emergency. Of course, I have had some experience in this area already, as so much of my work is done out in the field. I might have some ideas to contribute.

[alt_selwyn]

Excellent thought. I look forward to seeing your ideas on this once you have some time to spare to put something together for me.