Order Only: We have a situation here

[alt_arthur]

Frank and I arrived at Maldon to speak with Bellatrix Peploe's parents, and I'm afraid things went downhill quite rapidly. As in, Frank has both parents in a petrificus totalus and is continuing to plead with them while I'm writing this.

I think it's quite safe to say they didn't pick the name `Bellatrix' because they're interested in astronomy.

They support the regime 1000%. We've seen all sorts of reactions when telling parents that their child has magic, but this one we've never witnessed before. When informed that Bellatrix was a witch, the father astounded us by immediately attacking his wife. In fact, he tried to choke the life out of her, all the while yelling that she must have been the one to 'steal the magic.' We were so surprised that we fumbled with our wands for a moment before blasting them apart, but fortunately we stopped him before he managed to crush her larynx.

Our usual script, of course, is completely out the window at this point. They aren't going to give us permission to take her. In fact, I'm afraid that unless we separate the father and the mother (by which I mean I'll have to arrange to have them assigned to different work camps), he'll just attack her again once we're out of sight--unless we memory charm them to forget our visit altogether. But if we leave the baby with them, little Bellatrix is doomed to be outed as a mudblood eventually. If I send off the mother by herself with the baby, what's to prevent her from hurting the child, once Bellatrix's magic manifests? And if we don't bring her to Moddey Dhoo, what do we do about the Book?

Frank is arguing privately to me that we have to take the baby and memory charm the parents so they think she has died.

Can anyone come up with a better idea?

Comments

[alt_bill]

Bloody hell, Dad.

[alt_kingsley]

This has never happened before, I take it?

[alt_molly]

But Arthur, if we take the child without the parents' permission, that's kidnapping. And think of their anguish, because they will think their child died! And they'll never see her again, never know what happened to her!

[alt_poppy]

Arthur.

I don't know quite what to say, but I do urge you not to do anything rash.

You say the husband attacked his wife, suspecting her of having stolen magic for the child. (Of course, he knows he's not done it.) What has the wife said for herself? Does she suspect him in turn? Can you not use that to help them see neither of them has done any such thing?

Have either of them threatened the child at all? You say you're worried the mother would harm the child, but is there really reason to fear that? Do either of them show any sign of blaming the child for its magic?

[alt_mcgonagall]

Book be damned. If we begin to destroy their choice -

Well, I wouldn't want to be no better than a Death Eater. We can't. Even if we memory charm them, we must abide by their decision. Isn't it that, exactly, which the Lord Protector takes away from Muggles and Muggle-borns, which is so objectionable?

The thought of baby Bellatrix growing up as a Mudblood, though. That makes me shudder. Hermione, what would you have them do?

[alt_frank]

theyre not budging man

the woman called me a blood traitor. bloody hell.

at the very least we've got to put memory charms on them so they wont spill the whole story so that parts a given

and there is no way in hell I am leaving this child with them. thats all there is to it.

[alt_lupin]

Goodness, managed to miss all this today.

For what it's worth, Arthur, I think you did the right thing. As a parent to be, if I one day found myself making a decision that would condemn my child to a life of misery and suffering, I damn well hope someone would be there to stop me the way someone.