Order Only: A death in West Sussex

[alt_arthur]

I received last week's death list report yesterday and went out to the camp at Adur to investigate this morning, based on a laconic handwritten notation: "Avada Kedavra. Punishment for attempt at wandless magic."

John Marlow was forty-five. I see from his records that somewhere he has a muggle wife and three children, although he was separated from them years ago when the Protectorate overthrew the Ministry, due to his status as a muggleborn. He attempted to use a wandless spell, Expelliarmus, to defend a woman being punished with the cruciatus curse. The killer was one of the camp's assistant administrators, a thug by the name of Charles Bawsley. I interviewed him and came away positively sickened: he made little attempt to hide the fact that he had resorted to cruciatus because, to put it bluntly, the woman refused to spread her legs for him when ordered to do so. Apparently, Mr Bawsley labours under the impression that his exalted position comes with certain personal perks. John Marlow tried to come to her defence and was killed for it.

It was a first offence. Apparently, there are no second chances at Adur.

I also spoke with Bawsley's superior, who was more concerned with the fact that muggleborns have been reading and try to apply the latest Grim Truth's lessons than with the abhorrent behaviour of personnel on his staff. As of yet, there is no codified protocol that camp adminstrators are ordered to follow if confronted with muggleborns attempting wandless magic, but I wonder if that will change soon. I would do my best to quash the word of this incident to others in my department, except that I wonder whether we'll be reading something about it in the Prophet soon. The head administrator mentioned getting a follow up visit from a reporter.

Kingsley and Bill or anyone else, I would appreciate your passing along to me if you hear any reports or just rumours of other muggleborn attempts to use wandless magic.

Comments

[alt_bill]

Merlin, Dad.

Come to think of it, I believe I might have heard a tail end of a conversation about this incident. Plympton was saying something to someone in a Floo call about how 'it cut short any opportunity the MLE had to investigate whether other wandless magic was going on.' He must have been referring to Marlow's death.

[alt_kingsley]

I don't know what attempts are being made in the muggleborn camps, although we'll keep our ears open for any hints of people trying it. I do know though that Davidson's people were particularly interested in that last Grim Truth, and they have several teams working on practising the spells suggested. Only a very few have managed to have much luck channelling their power, although, of course, those two or three people are very excited about the possibilities. But apparently, it takes a great deal of practice.