Buried in parchmentwork

[alt_arthur]

I'm sure Molly must be beyond vexed with me. Bill was expected for dinner tonight, and I believe one of the chickens is being sacrificed for the occasion, but I have not stirred from my desk for hours, and I must finish going through these personnel reports and tabulating these columns before I can begin to think of escaping. It's my own fault, really: I was the one to suggest we do a full write up of the cluster of diphtheria cases at Epping Forest, as a case study of how to contain an outbreak of contagious disease. I suppose the painstaking boredom of epidemiological summaries is my fitting punishment for being an over-eager bureaucrat. I do hope, however, that the final assessment will offer some conclusions that will prove useful to the appropriate public health committees at St Mungo's.

Well, back to it.

Comments

[alt_bill]

Sorry not to see you, Dad, but all the more chicken for me!

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[alt_arthur]

I've been racking my brains, trying to think of way to officially uncover the half-blood status of that boy we met in the Epping Forest infirmary, Dean Thomas--without referencing Frank as the source, of course. The report may indeed prove useful to St Mungo's, but it's also partly an elaborate ruse, to give me an excuse to go digging into some personnel files. I don't know why the boy's case has been haunting me so, but it has. I can save so very few, but it would absolutely criminal to let him fall through the cracks. HE wouldn't even have to go hide at Moddey Dhoo. If I can just draw the lines neatly enough so that the Ministry is forced to acknowledge his parentage, he would have the right to go to Hogwarts. I want very much to get him out of there, so he can get started with his magical education before it's too late.

Frank, I've been thinking: perhaps I could slip a note into the boy's personnel file under the bloodline section, referencing the Auror's case number? Then I could 'discover' it and formally request the file. Once I do, I can make the information public, and surely then we can get his half-blood status officially verified.

The only problem, of course, is how do I find the Auror case number?

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[alt_bill]

I've been trying, but I still don't have a trustworthy conduit of information into that department.

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[alt_sirius]

Well, I've an immediate thought, but it's not a good one.

My cousin Nymphadora has been picking up extra work destroying old documents, as you know. I just wonder if her *own* curiosity might be piqued?

Problem is then she traces it to you and how do you explain your extrasensory knowledge?

As I said, it's no good. Too risky and while she seems almost ripe for cultivating, I quite hate the idea of tricking her into getting involved.

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[alt_frank]

it's been a few years, but I can sort out most of what the case number would be.

the murder happened in 1981, mid-October, so the file would end in 101981. don't remember the exact day, but if it was the 15th, it would be 15101981. you get the idea. the file would start with a "D," because it's an unsolved murder case, and it would also have my badge number in it, 1125. I didn't work too many murder cases that month, so there'd only be two, maybe three files that would have all those numbers on them. the file would have all the parchment from the case in it -- my report, transcriptions of interviews, even crime scene pictures. there's a few other parts to the case file number based on who archived it and when the case was closed, typical wax stamp crap, not sure about that part.

might be easiest to just go to the archives after-hours and root around to track down the complete case file number. the archived files are kept in these really tall filing cabinets, sorted by month and year. it would be archived in the Sept.-Dec. 1981 drawer.

the ladders are a little rickety, but they have brooms you can borrow. back in the day, there wasn't any security to speak of, but that might've changed since I left.

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[alt_arthur]

Well, I'm not quite ready to reject the idea out of hand, Sirius. She's a half-blood herself, which I should think would surely make her sympathetic to the boy's plight.

I agree though, that I wouldn't want to trick her.

I'll give the matter some further thought.

[alt_nymphadora]

Mind if I pay you a visit for a cuppa tonight, Arthur? My evenings have been dreadfully boring lately, I could use a laugh or two.

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[alt_sirius]

Well, that's rather freakishly convenient.

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[alt_sirius]

Not that I'm suggesting we corrupt the youth of England or anything....

[alt_arthur]

It would indeed be a pleasure to see you, as always. And I do believe I have a tin filled with some of Molly's best biscuits somewhere on my desk, buried under all these reports. Perhaps you can help me unearth them and then we'll put them to good use.

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[alt_arthur]

Indeed.

I do like the young woman, Sirius, and I don't intend to ask her to do anything that would get her into serious trouble. But perhaps we should take the opportunity if it's given to us.

I will try to sound her out tonight.

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[alt_sirius]

I wish I had a million Galleons.

No, I wish Voldemort were utterly defeated and everyone were free again.

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[alt_arthur]

Well, don't we all, Sirius, but what particularly prompted this?

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[alt_sirius]

Just checking.

I take it Voldemort hasn't dropped where he stands?

No Galleons falling from the sky here, either. Damn.

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[alt_arthur]

And yet somehow, we muddle on.

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[alt_sirius]

Agreed, though I have to say, I get bloody tired of having to do everything the hard way.

I suppose we just have to be grateful for the breaks we do get, Arthur. And sounding Nymphadora out might not be as difficult as you think. Take a look at this owl that just found its way to me (not that I've been making it easy for the poor creatures):

I'm not at all convinced that I can make a difference just by being a janitor. Sure, I hear all sorts of things, but so far, I can't think of a single useful thing out of the lot.

She's searching, I'm sure of it. We just have to give her something to channel her energy.

[alt_nymphadora]

That sounds loads better than my usual jam sandwich. Count me in! Maybe I can even help you straighten things up a bit.

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[alt_poppy]

Arthur, I'll be most interested to read this report when it's ready if you would be so good as to send me a copy. Send it to Hogwarts, however, as I'd rather not carry it about the countryside in my pack. And, in any case, your owl might have to fly quite a search to find me. (If I'm actually needed for anything, send a patronus. It won't mind so much if it has to check from Lands End to St Andrews to Dover for me. And if Alice goes into labour and I'm already beyond the wards at the Sanctuary, a patronus will be the only good way of reaching me. Or, of course, write me here--though as you can see, I've had days on this ramble when I've quite ignored my journal in favour of my sketchbook.)


Have you, in fact, discovered anything solid about the boy's parents? I do hope you are able to send him to us at Hogwarts. As a pupil.