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Coda

WALDEN MACNAIR lives a solitary life in the woods and highlands of Northern Scotland, and is scarcely heard from again. His half-sister Maggie, once a servant to the Jugsons, gets married to another former muggleborn-in-service. They have seven children.

Order Only - Private message to Justin Finch-Fletchley

Know it ain't been but less than a week, but have you had a chance to speak with Maggie yet?

Order Only: Alliances

Snape asked if I know anything about alliances amongst the Death Eaters. Can't say that there's much I'm certain of, but reckon I could offer some speculation.

The truest alliance in the council is between all of those who fought and risked their lives to bring Voldemort into power. Call them the old guard, if you like, though some of them, like Crouch Jr., are younger than I am. I've said it before, but the core of that lot see each other as family (and are family, in some cases), despite their surface differences. The group Miss Granger reported on represents that core, more or less. I reckon Antosha's return has united them more closely than ever before.

And then there's the others on the council who slipped in as the pieces of the Protectorate fell into place. They didn't risk much or contribute to the fight, but they have benefited by aligning themselves with the powers that be. The old guard regards them as scavenging opportunists, lacking in the strong pureblood ideals that characterise the old guard.

Looking at Miss Granger's report, I'd say that some of the old guard might feel threatened by those in the new, though it's hard to say - might just be aiming to remind the newer folk of their place on the rungs. Either way, it's good that there's tension in the ranks. For us, that is. Means they're distracted. Though it'd be better yet if there were fissures within the old guard itself.

Like I said, they're family to one another, but doesn't mean they don't have their weak spots. If you ask me, Lestrange is one of them. The younger one, that is. Maybe Selwyn and Rosier, as well. Even Malfoy, if you press right. Not Bellatrix and not Crouch, Jr, though.

Interesting that Malfoy says going to court is dangerous. I doubt that's much to do with Strangeweale or Glendower, and more down to the Lord Protector's state of mind.

Order Only: Twins

Don't know if we should let them in or not. I figure that's for you lot to decide. Maybe that old man will show up and insist on it for reasons that are mysterious to everyone. Me, most of all.

Troubled by something else, though. How easily and with how much confidence they "deduced" the truth. True, it seems it was a complicated pattern of signs that led them to conclusions, but it wasn't too long ago that I was in a similar position of wondering if the people around me really believed what they were meant to.

Never acted on any of my suspicions, and never would have dared to really let myself have them. But maybe that was Voldemort's reach, acting on me, ~~like it still~~

Point being that a person's view of the world is tainted by the people they're surrounded by. If you've known Death Eaters, you tend to believe that inside, most people are like Death Eaters. Severus and Dora might have had different experiences, but that was mine.

If you've known kindness, and have been encouraged to embrace tolerance, maybe you start to believe that inside, most people are that same. Or want to be. You start to see that the Matron, who's just doing her job of healing people, might be a smuggler. That your parents might be, too.

Not sure where they've come up with that notion about Sinistra. Though the fact that she's with Lestrange is interesting.

Weasleys, Dora, and the rest of you who still have a place in the world, you ought to be very careful. In seeking out like-minded folk to join our ranks, there's always a risk that you'll show your hand. Even, it seems, when you fully don't intend to.

And thanks. For taking that risk.

Some days I am grateful to be a fugitive. It's only now that I feel truly free.

I worry for this group of lads and lasses the twins have befriended. Seems that they're entertaining a lot of speculations, trying to seek out assurances that there is a trustworthy adult element out there in the world. I want them to find that assurance. But I don't know how they can find it safely.

That's all, really. Most I've written in a while, and the fingers are starting to ache.

Order Only

Had some time to think this week, mostly reading through different reports about the explosion at the Quidditch Cup and such. Also re-read what you wrote, Black, condemning those who were involved. I assume that what you wrote was meant to be an expression of the mindset that most of the Order share - the ones who weren't forced on you, anyway.

Thing is, I'm still not really clear on what we do. The Order, that is. Snape and I traveled together because we both saw we shared a common goal: ridding the world of one of the most dangerous megalomaniacs it's ever known. So far, I haven't heard much talk of how to make that happen.

Rousing the people themselves to depose of the "puppets" is well and good, but there are too many people who don't realise who the puppets are, or even see that they themselves might be one. Not all the vital cogs in the Protectorate wear the mark. Most of them - like the camp administrators, the mid-level Ministry workers - probably consider themselves decent folk who are just trying to keep their head down and ride things out.

The only people who are moved to action right now are the ones who have already suffered to extremes, and because of that, their goal is one built on revenge, not change. I share your condemnation of their plots because they are chaotic and put others in harms way, in addition to making more people fear them, the resistance, than the one they should really fear.

But, I can't fault them for their desire to take action, even if the way they go about it is wrong-headed. What if the explosion at the cup had been better executed and Voldemort had been killed. Would the deaths of those innocents not have been an acceptable loss?

Because innocents are already dying every day, and in slower, far less merciful ways. Smuggling in wands and hiding people away in a sanctuary doesn't do the rest of them any good. Neither does passing the job of deposing on to people who have shown themselves to be unwilling.

Hippocampi

If anyone looks out a castle window toward the lake, or ventures near the shoreline, you can see the family of Hippocampi that were featured in the Care of Magical creatures exam this week. They're a bit shy of people, but curious, too, and sometimes they like to show off with some formation swimming if they think they've got an audience. Don't try to touch them and definitely don't try to feed 'em, though. There's plenty of fish for them to eat in the lake.

The two big ones are the parents, Triton and Corinth, and the smaller, deep green one is their son Aegeus.

Never did have any critters in my storage, but I figured if I made a fuss of it, no one would see me trying to lure out a hippocampus from the lake. Not sure how they ended up so far North, when you usually find them in the Mediterranean, but they make a curious, musical call at night that I would hear sometimes, and I knew they were out there, sure enough.

Anyway, hope someone thinks to look after them down the road. And Eithne, too. Oh, and Gryffindors, there's some cauldron cakes and treacle tarts and some other sweet things that have been set up for you in the common room, once you've finished with your last exam. Enjoy. And clean your ruddy teeth when you're done.

Warning

The alert ward on my storage went off early this morning. I was already up, but by the time I got outside, whoever set off the alert was long gone. The tracks in the area looked to be a dog's, so I reckon a curious creature might've got close enough to trigger the ward. There were human footprints, too, but too muddled by the dog's to make out the size. Still, something in my gut tells me that someone's been snooping about. All I can say is that it better not be a curiously noble first-year Slytherin, his mate, or his mudblood.

Reminder

Reckon it bears repeating:

My storage is one hundred percent off limits to all students at all times. I don't care what noises you think you hear coming from it, stay clear of the building if you want to keep your house points. And your hands.

And to the NEWT students who've been asking: no, it's not a manticore.

Away

For any Gryffindor students staying at the castle over the holiday, know that I'll be away for most of the duration. I'm heading to parts elsewhere on business, so keep your noses clean, yeah? Professor Acton has agreed to help you out if you need anything. Hopefully, you won't.

I've no plans to return to the castle with a dragon. Or anything else dangerous.

Well, not too dangerous.

Current Mood: annoyed

Eithne

Before any concerned student asks, no, I hadn't any plans to set a baby dragon loose in the castle. Point of fact, I was working with the mite creature on a new programme of dragon keeping. Due to their undomesticated nature, most dragon keeping involves hexing and restraint and sedation. My own belief is that this only serves to make the creatures more aggressive, especially toward the keepers. You try telling a dragon keeper that they don't know their own business, though, and make sure you duck quick after the telling.

My study with Eithne - that's the her name, the Ridgeback's - was quite safe. You can see that I have no dragon-inflicted wounds upon me. My work was nearly finished, besides. I was planning to let Stornoway have her, hoping, of course, that they'd take my research into consideration when it comes to their keeping methods. Now that she's been spooked and caged I'm not sure my research is worth a knut. She'll be scared of people now, and apt to bite again.

As always, the Care of Magical Creatures shack is off limits to all (yes, all) students who are not accompanied by myself. Would have thought the sign and the lock would have been enough to make that clear - not to mention the smell.

forest

After one of yesterday's lessons, I overheard a fifth year lassie from Ravenclaw wonder aloud if I ever slept at the castle. Truth of fact I always sleep at the castle. I've got a set of quarters as plush as any man could ever need, with a nice fire in the grate and a good pillow. It can take a long time, years even, to find a good pillow.

But the forest needs more managing than one man, our Mr Lupin, can handle. As much as we do to keep students from wanderin into the forest, the forest must also be prevented from wanderin into Hogwarts. Every week I check for tracks, and look carefully to see that creatures aren't making their nests too close to the school. Usually they have a mind not to, but some of them are drawn to humans, be it for ill or good. Webs are the real bother, cos it takes a good study to tell if they're spun by common arachnids or something more sinister. And the tracks of some larger creatures can look a bit alike, especially in thick mud. Lupin's a good help on that count, got that nose of his.

Still, I can't help but curse the daft fool who decided to call the forest Forbidden. That's a sweet and sure way to make the youngin's long to take a wander in it.

Yet if there was ever a time it was forbidden, it's now. Deep into winter with no touch of spring, you can bet a pretty galleon that there're some beasties who are raging for a good meal. So mind your heels and steer clear, yeah?

~~Weasley~~ If any student of my house needs a word, I'll be popping into the common room for a bit after supper.

quidditch

I don't usually care for a look in here. Can't say it seems wise to be peeking at what the children say to each other when I'm not around. Reckon this might save them from having to voice their feelings about me on the walls of the toilets, though.

Don't suppose anyone needs reminding that there's a quidditch match this Saturday? Ravenclaw v. Slytherin. Mind you do your betting where I can't see it.