alt_harry | ORDER ONLY

I got asked a lot of questions today.

It was mostly just sorting out what happened yesterday again, in more detail. And they asked a little bit about the boxes, and Draco, and Hermione, but not as much as I expected.

Hydra being there helped. A lot.

They made an announcement that they're planning on keeping some people around to ask them questions after everyone else leaves. It's mostly people in our year. Hydra, do you know, are you going to be in on those too? Because that'll make it loads easier than having to handle your mum or something.

We might try to get the galleon holders in our year together to clear up some things, just so no-one panics or something. Do you think they'll let us out of the common rooms tomorrow?

And.

We're going to have a problem with the journals.

They'd have to look back a ways, but if they got to the older stuff, before we joined the lock, and read the stuff Draco and Hermione and me wrote to each other it wouldn't be good. They can already see that we all wrote each other private messages and things, so they'd probably want to read them. All of them. And if they go back far enough they could tell I was in on it too.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_sirius

Merlin, Harry. Didn't you lot use codes in your messages?

That's urgent business, then. Maybe Dora can get in tonight. Rachel, Bill, do you think you could come up with a plausible reason to go in to the Ministry and assist? It'll have to look like an accident.

Sorry, kiddo, that you're having to go through that.

From:

alt_rachel

MLE makes an effort to hire clever people. Coded messages will only make them more suspicious. If they can't work out the code, they'll ask Harry.

From:

alt_severus

It would be best if no one with a cover to lose was involved, or could be implicated; we ought not open the possibility for more losses this week.

I had two doses of unimprinted polyjuice in my belt at the time I left the school — it was my habit to avoid adding Milland's hair until the last available moment. I will offer them up as necessary.

From:

alt_nymphadora

I can try, but I have to be honest: I'm not likely to get into those archives, and if I do try, I'm pretty likely to get caught in the wards.

They don't let us in that corridor at all when we're down on that floor, so I can't even say how it's all set up. Only, I've heard talk about it being a huge room with loads of bound books where all the journals are recorded--somehow. I mean, I can't even imagine how they keep all what everyone in the Protectorate writes. That's an enormous amount of ink and parchment, don't you reckon?

Anywiz, we'd need a plan for what I can do to be sure I get the right books if I get in the door, and for how I could completely erase what needs erasing before the enforcers can get to me if I do get snared.

From:

alt_rachel

If we want to be selective, we should kidnap one of the monitors. Ned Pennifold oversees it. We'll need someone to legilimise him, I doubt he'd explain it all voluntarily.

Otherwise, burn the whole thing. I'd suggest Fiendfyre. Any of you lot know how to cast it safely?

From:

alt_frank

my magic is too unstable at the moment to trust it'd work.

From:

alt_severus

I can, as much as anyone can ever.

As I am the boogeyman du jour, I will certainly volunteer.

From:

alt_rachel

I'm willing, but as noted earlier, I do have a cover to lose.

There's a small staff that works nights in the archive, pulling things that have been questioned. I think it's less than a dozen people. It's probably possible to draw them all out but it will certainly attract suspicion and make it less likely that the overall mission will succeed.

From:

alt_severus

Is there an alarm that would empty the building for evacuation that could be triggered?

From:

alt_rachel

No.

There's an alarm that summons MLE, and the people working in the archive know to get out of the way for that. It is possible you could duplicate the alarm and make them think Aurors were coming.

From:

alt_nymphadora

I don't know, Severus: the area is pretty tightly secured, and people with access have to disable a series of wards. I know that much.

I'm not saying we couldn't maybe arrange for you to Polyjuice into someone with the right clearance, but you'd have the same trouble I would not knowing the sequences and spells for moving through the wards in that department. It would surely be better if we could get someone who has the right clearance and knows the protocols.

Brodie, I can't see what you're saying. Do you have clearance?

From:

alt_rachel

Do I have clearance. Let me think about that. I have certainly been in there, but someone else escorted me back.

I paid attention to the wards and so on when I went in that time. Not because I was planning on breaking back in to destroy the archive, mind you, or I'd have paid better attention. I THINK I know the sequences and spells. Though this was -- six months ago? -- they might have changed them.

Alternately, depending on where you started the fire, it might not matter. Dogstar's talked about burning the entire Ministry down, though nothing's ever come of it.

From:

alt_severus

Miss Brodie suggested that night would be a more logical time, as there are fewer support staff available then.

Given the urgency of the problem, Alice is coming over to Grimmauld to discuss matters — if you are available to join us it would be appreciated.

From:

alt_rachel

Me?

Yeah, I can come. Isn't that under Fidelius, though? Someone's going to need to come give me the secret. I can meet you at my flat.

From:

alt_severus

My apologies; I had intended Miss Tonks. I cannot extend an invitation to Grimmauld.

I have an idea; let me refine it somewhat.

From:

alt_rachel

I thought she lived at Grimmauld! Sorry.

From:

alt_alice

I'll pop right over and fetch you, shall I?

From:

alt_rachel

Sounds good.

From:

alt_rachel

What I was noting to Severus and Alice is that there would be people working back there, even in the middle of the night.

Obviously if we burned down the whole Ministry, casualties would be significantly higher.

From:

alt_rachel

Currently, the journals are monitored by a group of Aurors chosen for their discretion and loyalty (not merely to the Lord Protector, but to Lucius and Barty's faction.) They have a list of individuals whose private messages they are not to read, and Draco, Harry, and Hydra are on it. Also Narcissa Malfoy. There are a few others.

However, under the circumstances I think it's highly unlikely that Lucius will be able to keep people out of Draco's messages, even the ones to Harry. Just how compromising are these private messages? Are we talking about minor disloyalty, questioning things you're not supposed to question, genuine sedition, treason...?

From:

alt_hydra

Well, I did call my mother a bitch in one of them.

From:

alt_rachel

Do not lose sleep over that one.

From:

alt_hydra

Oh, only that was to Justin, I suppose.

Not Harry or Draco.

But if they check any of my messages and look at the ones I exchanged with Justin, it could be very, very bad for him.

From:

alt_rachel

You're on the same list as Draco. Even if they look at Draco's messages, if they don't suspect you...

Hmm.

Maybe we should just burn the whole archive. Quickly, before they start looking.

From:

alt_harry

If they read between the lines, yeah. They'll see us talking to Hermione like she's an equal, and she never said anything daft like she had a wand and knew how to use it, but we did question things. A lot.

And we talked about Sirius. In code, but we figured no-one would look closely as long as we didn't use his name outright. So it wasn't very good code.

From:

alt_rachel

You talked about Sirius?

What sorts of things did you say?

From:

alt_harry

I'd have to look, okay? It would've been several years ago. I don't know.

It's enough. If they're looking for proof that we weren't loyal, it's enough.

From:

alt_hydra

I was told that I should "remain available." I suppose that means they'll either use my abilities, or have me there to make people think I will use them.

I haven't been told to expect Mummy, but we already know that she doesn't mind showing up unannounced.

From:

alt_harry

Are you

That's a stupid question. I know you're not okay.

I keep turning around to ask you something only you're not there. And I keep thinking about what happened. What they did. And I was just wandering around the castle looking for you and Teddy and the entire time

I should've known. I should've sorted things out sooner.

I'm sorry.

From:

alt_hermione

Mr Lupin suggested that reading my journals might make me feel better, seeing how concerned people are and so on.

I haven't even really looked at it since arriving here and letting everyone know that I'm here.

It's not your fault, Harry.

There's nothing you could have done.

From:

alt_harry

I can't do this.

I'm going to bollocks it up without you.

I have to bury Raz tomorrow, Hermione.

And I don't have my two best friends around and I know you've been through a bunch of stuff and you probably don't want to think about things or talk and you shouldn't if you don't want to but it's like I've lost you too. And I've got to sort out what to do and I have to watch every word I say and I can't even take the time to just sit and breathe and I've got to pretend like I'm not drowning but I am.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

You've got enough of your own stuff to worry about.

It's not your fault either.

From:

alt_harry

I didn't mean to

It's been a long day.

I'd rather talk about stupid things than not talk at all.

From:

alt_hermione

Oh, Harry.

Look. I just--can't right now. All right?

And you wouldn't have had me, anyway. Not there, not with them.

I suppose one thing is that it doesn't really matter what you do today. You can mourn as hard as you like and they'll understand. They'll draw their own conclusions about why but they'll understand.

It's not that I don't care, Harry. I'm sorry you feel alone right now. But you're not.

And--Well. That's all, really.

From:

alt_harry

It just doesn't end, does it?

I'm glad you're writing.

And I'm glad you aren't dead, and that maybe I can see you again sometime, and maybe when you're feeling more up to it we can talk about what on earth we're going to do next.

Draco, I don't know if you're even going to notice this, but it's shit, it's all shit, and I know it is, but I can't lose you too. Okay?