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[alt_lupin]

Did everything go smoothly yesterday, Poppy? Arthur?

Alice's owl arrived with the drawings and letters for Puneet's parents. Perhaps we can make another try for him tomorrow, or this weekend.

That will bring us to Ethan, Ivy, and Sirius. I think the theory that Ivy is a Traveler and Sirius's parents are in hiding somewhere, or with some group like Sherwood's, are sound. Regarding Ethan -- how long do people want to wait? One of the things I've heard about Leap babies is that sometimes they show their magic earlier, which could be awkward.

Minerva, have you checked the book again lately? (Sorry to nag.)

Comments

[alt_poppy]

Remus. I'm sorry not to have reported sooner. There's a bit of a mess on my end.

Arthur and I made short work of it yesterday. We arrived, presented ourselves to the overseer, were allowed to proceed to the makeshift infirmary. We spent a short while 'examining' the sick children, then took over a small storeroom, bundled young Jason in there and asked to see the parents. They were shocked and saddened, of course, but they were amenable to our proposal once we'd explain what was at stake. I suppose they were swayed by the hope of a better life for their child than the one they've been forced to lead.

Arthur filed the parchmentwork and we left with the 'dead' baby.

It was only after I returned that difficulties began to arise. Apparently there's to be an inspection of the Stretton estates today, set in motion by my contacting Healer Locksley to obtain the prophylactic potion I took out there to keep any more of those children (including our Miss Perks) from coming out in Measles. Obviously, we didn't follow normal protocol in addressing the matter. And now there are questions.

[alt_alice]

I'd say now that he's over a month old, we can fetch him at any time. And you're right, love, just in case, sooner is better than later.

Frank and I can go for him.

And Merlin knows we need a secretary to keep all of this straight, and having you sort out all of this has been very helpful. In the future, perhaps we need to designate someone whose sole job is to coordinate and keep track of babies, and where they are in the process? Check up on paperwork and who is fetching whom, and so on? From book to paperwork to parental contact to Moddey, there are a lot of people involved, and it'd be a shame to let one slip by because of disorganization.

Although I for one do not plan on letting it build up to quite so many in one go in the future, which will hopefully make this a lot less of an organizational nightmare bother.

[alt_alice]

What sort of questions?

What was your cover? Did the Strettons sign off on any paperwork regarding the baby, or did you only interact with the Muggles?

[alt_poppy]

No, the Strettons were not involved directly. There was an overseer for the particular farm where the outbreak occurred. (I presume one of the umpteen copies of the forms went to the owners, but we had no dealings with them.)

I went clothed in St M's green and gave my name as 'Anne Hill'; Arthur was in standard work robes and said he was 'Mr Brinkley' from the Ministry. No one wanted to see actual credentials, though we had them. Completely false, of course.

[alt_alice]

And... just to clarify, are the questions about the baby, or about the measles?

[alt_alice]

I would imagine questions about the measles might lead to questions about the baby, of course... so I don't suppose it matters terribly much.

[alt_bill]

Ugh.

Dad, is there any parchmentwork we need to plant in any files anywhere at the Ministry to head off more questions?

[alt_arthur]

No, you know I'm always careful about that. This is unusual, that a health inspection taking place the day after a removal. It's a situation quite unlike anything we've ever faced before.

Merlin, I hope the parents don't go to pieces under questions or anything like that.

[alt_poppy]

Well, yes, that's a worry.

The inspection was triggered because the Strettons failed to report that they had a Measles outbreak, which wouldn't ordinarily have been a problem. No one expects employers to care about Muggles' health unless there's some chance of epidemic, or a possibility that wizards might fall sick of something dire, or a likelihood that someone in some other department might come to hear of the matter and think something should have been done about it.

I'm not honestly sure which of those things set them in motion; it could have been any of those things. Whatever the reason, Healer Locksley reports that a team have been sent out to the Stretton farms today.

[alt_bill]

Agreed.

I'm much less well positioned to plant false parchment work at St Mungo's. Although I have a possible helper there, someone in my analyst network I can call in if absolutely necessary. I'd prefer not to use her, however. She's more useful and reliable for information than actual clandestine action.

[alt_arthur]

Let's not endanger ourselves by jumping at shadows. It might raise even more awkward questions.

I will pin my hopes on the fact that most don't care about dead Muggle babies.

[alt_bill]

As long as they continue to think he's dead.

[alt_poppy]

We can hope that they'll be more interested in sticking it to the Strettons that they didn't file whatever reports they were bound to file.

Isn't that what bureaucrats care most about, Arthur? That their rules have been followed?

If they should question the parents, though- Well, I suppose we have to hope that they understand how thoroughly their lives and the child's life depend on their telling the story as we rehearsed it.

[alt_sirius]

I still don't like the idea of a Leap Baby at Moddey but I know I'm outnumbered.

I agree with Remus, though, that if Ivy's a Traveller she's best where she is - and that goes for my namesake, assuming he was born somewhere outside the Ministry's ability to control.

We were actually talking about whether it would be possible to create a second duplicate of the book and keep it at Moddey. So someone could check it more often than Minerva remembers has opportunity.

[alt_poppy]

Aren't you cheery today!

Private Message to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin

[alt_poppy]

I'll stop up this afternoon, shall I, and suggest to Minerva that we check the book together?

[alt_sirius]

If Perks is questioned, she might try to lie to protect you, Poppy. Best tell her not to worry about that. Your involvement in everything up to yesterday was within your brief and you can honestly say you were acting out of interest for her well-being, if anyone at St M's gets shirty with you.

But if she tries to lie she'll find herself in a hot cauldron and that might well create loads of problems for everyone.

Re: Private Message to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin

[alt_sirius]

Yes, perhaps you'd better do.

And maybe between you and Pomona, put it on a scheduled rota? Once a month? That way we shan't get so far behind again.

Sorry to ask it when you already have enough to be going on with.

Has she been better, do you think? Worse? Same?

[alt_poppy]

Quite true, though there's no very good way of communicating that to her without seeming guilty of something if my message were read.

Sticking my head in the Strettons' fire would be as suspicious as writing the child a 'private' message over the journals.

Re: Private Message to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin

[alt_poppy]

You've seen that she's having to file weekly reports to YKW?

I gather that has not been helping her general level of stress. Her strategies for managing stress remain the same.

[alt_sirius]

Right. And our Hermione can't tell her without all but confirming to her that you're involved with the Order.

This is getting far too complicated.

Bugger.

[alt_poppy]

Quite true.

In any case, I'm choosing not to worry on that account.

I have great confidence in Miss Perks' good head. One might credit her with the best qualities of her House, but perhaps it's sounder to credit her with simple good sense and higher than average intelligence.

[alt_gredforge]

Nor can we.

Unless...no. Too bad we've already had the Quidditch Day at the Burrow. Because maybe we could have framed it as 'friendly advice from older students' if she had brought it up. And we could have maneuvered the conversation round to it, since she'd already talked about the sick kids she saw.

This inspection probably means she's going to find out that the baby's been declared dead. There's no getting around it, if they decide to ask her questions.

[alt_arthur]

As many years as I've had at this job, I've good reason.

Usually, it helps us. I hope it will here, too.

[alt_poppy]

I expect she already knows. It would be unlike Miss Perks not to have checked on those children, so I expect she's been informed.