Order Only: The verdict

[alt_arthur]

Closeted with Norma Brownmiller this morning.

The decision has been reached. Mothers of children under the age of five are spared, but otherwise, one out of ten of the remaining muggle adults from the Vale of Glamorgan enclave are ordered to be killed. Then, aside for mothers with very young children, all of their families will be split apart, willy nilly, so that no more than five from the Vale will be together in any one camp. Brownmiller's supervisor, Cresus Deverill, in a particularly cruel twist, has ordered her to be the one to choose who will live and who will die. I suppose because he despises her for being 'soft toward the animals.'

I went through the list with her. It was absolutely ghastly. This one has five children. Do we let him live, even though he will never see them again? This one is in his sixties. Perhaps we should choose him, rather than someone younger? This one was trained in a despised muggle industry, elektronics. She is diabetic. Should we eliminate her? Perhaps this one, because he only has one hand, the other having been lost in a farming accident?

She was sobbing so hard after choosing ten that I finally took pity on her.

God help me. I chose the remaining five.

Comments

[alt_molly]

Oh, Arthur. Oh, my dear.

[alt_bill]

Bloody hell, Dad.

I'm so sorry.

I've gotten word from one of my sources that three of the purebloods arrested are being sent to Bellatrix Lestrange, in response to her request for three pureblood males, ages thirty-two to thirty-seven.

One of them is Oliver Wood's uncle. The other two are Ackerleys.

[alt_arthur]

She did just request muggleborns with those criteria. Three of them.

[alt_bill]

Yeah, well, apparently what she really wanted was purebloods. For some unknown reason. Guess she saw that this presented her with an opportunity and she decided to seize it.

Given the fact that they've been arrested for offences against Purity, I can't think she means them any good.

[alt_arthur]

Bugger. And the muggleborns had already been delivered to her.

Knowing her, I would guess she's unlikely to give any of them back.

[alt_kingsley]

If I could, my friend, I'd break away to spend some time with you, if you think it might help to talk. I have other duties for now, but once I've handed off this responsibility, perhaps we can arrange some kind of meet up.

I'm so very sorry. I've trained men and women who were forced to kill, and I've killed myself, and I know what it's like to face that dark night of the soul.

[alt_arthur]

Not like this, Kingsley.

This is cold-blooded murder. Made all the worse because it's murder by--by bureaucracy.

[alt_kingsley]

True.

But we have all been forced to do difficult things. In some cases, even dreadful things. All we can do is what you have done. Save all those that you can.

[alt_arthur]

Today that just doesn't seem good enough.

[alt_kingsley]

I'm sure it doesn't, my friend.

But sometimes, it's all that we have.