Remus Lupin

MEETING MINUTES
Order of the Phoenix
Date: 12 April 1997
Location: the Burrow

Order Members Present: Sirius Black, Alice Longbottom, Frank Longbottom, Colin Creavey, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley, Dora Tonks, Charlie Weasley, Bill Weasley, Dorcas Meadows, Caradoc Dearborn, Remus Lupin, Poppy Pomfrey, Pomona Sprout, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Lee Jordan, Severus Snape, Cedric Diggory, Jeremy Stretton, Terry Boot.

Order Members Arriving Late: Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Evelyn Longbottom, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Draco Malfoy.

Order Members Absent: Nick Towler, Cecilia Perks, Walden Macnair, Minerva McGonagall, Arabella Scrim, Hermione Granger, Sally-Anne Perks, Harry Potter, Hydra Lestrange, Rhymes with Rudy.

Special Guests: Fu Lee, Ginny Weasley. The meeting was convened at 3 p.m. Because we were expecting a substantial contingent (all current Hogwarts students) to arrive at 4 p.m., but we had quite a bit to get through, we started the meeting with status reports.

REPORTS ON ONGOING PROJECTS

1. Aldrich Town and the Radio Station. Lee updated us on both. The radio station broadcasts at selected hours around the clock, since it's possible some people can listen only very late at night. They broadcast a mix of music, news, and commentary; they've been reading 'Pure Victory' a chapter each day, as well as some muggle classics; they're trying to provide content of interest to both muggles and wizards.

Overall, Aldrich is doing quite well, except for the citrus orchard, which survived the winter but is looking rather the worse for wear. Norman Bell, the resident wizard, has been rather too busy to keep it up; Lee has been similarly occupied. Considering the ongoing demand for oranges and lemons on the black market, they're wondering if any wizards with wands are interested in coming to live there to maintain it. I should note that the original arrangement, where Norman Bell's wand was carried for him by a muggle who handed it over when it was needed, has been long since abandoned; both Norman and Lee are trusted members of the community.

Back in mid-March, Charlie helped a muggle Healer named Roger Harris to escape from Porlock and settle at Aldrich. The residents have been positively delighted to have him, particularly after someone fell off a roof they were repairing -- the man fell and broke his neck, and while Norman can do a few basic Healing spells, necks are more than a little tricky. Apparently Roger Harris was able to work with him to repair the damage. He's planning on a trip to Saltash to train what he calls 'paramedics,' and he's preparing some radio broadcasts on medical topics.

2. The Bedford Collective. Bedford saw the largest influx of refugees after the raid on Strangeweale's facility. Sirius was there on Mothering Sunday and says everyone's settling in as well as can be expected. Several of the women who initially refused wands are now asking for them. We wandered off on a tangential discussion of wand cores and how things are going with Ragnik (slowly, because apparently there's a goblin taboo against haste in such matters; also, it's customary to begin apprenticeships only in certain seasons, and I guess spring is acceptable but winter is not, or something like that). We agreed that if anyone finds an amiable unicorn in their back garden, we'd all appreciate as many tail hairs as it's willing to let you pluck. Ditto phoenix feathers and dragon heartstrings.

3. Wands. Alice mentioned that Arthur's wand has found a new owner: Pilar Mishraput, one of the youngest witches rescued from Strangeweale. Like many rescued muggleborn teenagers she was initially reluctant to touch a wand at all (and Alice noted that Arthur's wand was also clearly reluctant to be owned by anyone else, responding very poorly when picked up by various Moddey Dhoo children as they reached the age of needing a wand.

Last week, apparently Maureen may have been goading Pilar a bit about her reluctance, and apparently said that if she was that nervous, she should try Arthur's wand, as it didn't like anybody and she could count on not getting any sort of reaction. She picked it up, said 'lumos,' and every light in the house blazed up. So it's safe to say they were a good match.

4. Octoborus research. Jeremy delivered this report. He's been working with Cecilia Perks and a few others on mapping; they discussed the latest stone and the intelligence at the Equinox from Rachel Brodie regarding the fact that Mysteries may have been as surprised as we were by which stone activated.

There was a bit more (my notes say 'pinging cycle'), but I got distracted by the arrival of the Hogwarts contingent, which happened in waves; we all took a bit of a break for greetings and a snack, then sat back down for the main part of the meeting, which was intended to include a discussion of Alice's overarching plans for the Order. This included some ideas from Fu Lee, and we'd just spread out a load of parchmentwork on the Burrow kitchen table when Jeremy spotted the message from Luna, warning us that Ginny was on her way. Sirius and Terry both transformed, and Dorcas and Caradoc Apparated away, and that was literally all we had time for before she walked in.

I'm not sure we actually had an official adjournment. After a period of loud shouting lively discussion, Fu Lee cheerily welcomed Ginny to the Order.

Most of the people at the meeting left; Alice and I took Ginny aside to try to give her a sense of precisely what she was signing on for; if she'd preferred NOT to be responsible for keeping secrets of this magnitude, we offered to modify her memory. She vehemently (and enthusiastically) asked to be let into the Order (and even knew it was the Order, given the note in the back of the copies of Pure Hunger that have been circulating at Hogwarts.) Alice swore Ginny in, and then we both left as well, to let the Weasleys talk with a bit more privacy.

We rather need to re-convene -- maybe in a week, at the Burrow again?