ORDER ONLY - Questions

[alt_hermione]

The first questions are:

Is there a way through the wards? Because my friend knows someone who would like to get out.

Also, on the one hand you say 'don't go setting bombs' and 'next time point your wands the other way.' But you can hurt people with wands and bombs hurt a lot of people. So what should ordinary people be doing and what should the Dogstar be doing?

Anyway I parafrased the last one so I hope it's right. And those are the first two, and I could answer the first one but I'm not going to, I'll say whatever you want me to say.

Comments

[alt_lupin]

Well, I trust Sirius can handle that second one. Should be easy enough.

That first one, though. I sympathise with anyone who'd like to get out of the Protectorate, but can we risk that information getting out?

[alt_sirius]

Doors swing both ways. They ought to be able to work out that much.

Besides, that's not what Hermione's friend really wants to know. But that's the question she asked.

[alt_sirius]

1. Tell your friend: 'I wasn't living in England before, but I was at the Cup.'

2. I admonished the mob for taking out their frustration on helpless victims, rather than fighting for a change in regime. The question of what ordinary people should do, ongoing, however, is thorny. It depends largely on one's means. Simply being kind to the muggleborns around one is a start. Refusing to believe it when the Ministry tells you ... well, that I'm dead, for example, or when they try to blame muggles for something that Death Eaters have likely done themselves, that's another important thing. Keeping faith in true friends. Someone your age isn't likely to have the ability to do much more, but, in general, finding ways to make the world a little less prejudiced or unfair, that's perhaps the best we can ask for now.

As for the DogStar, well. That's harder to answer. Let's say for now that I don't condone their methods and I do wish they'd stop implementing plots that cause a lot of collateral damage. I'd rather see them using their resources to save muggles and muggleborns, than just trying to assassinate as many powerful wizards as they think they can get.

[alt_hermione]

Okay, here are some more.

Neville wanted to ask if his parents were in the wand smuggling group, but he knew I couldn't answer, so he asked 'What keeps him going?'

Someone else wanted to know what happened to the Muggleborns at the Quidditch Cup, and how people can help you, and to tell you that the Grim Truths make him happy.

And someone else wanted to know what made you change your mind about Muggles and Muggleborns.

And someone wanted to ask about the group but also knew they couldn't so they asked if everyone in the Order (only they didn't say the Order) were outlaws or if some of them held down jobs and things.

[alt_alice]

I'd imagine he probably suspects as much.

Frank and I have thought for a while that our Neville might be one of the people helping you at Hogwarts.

But it is ever so nice to know for sure. Thank you, Hermione.

I'll have you know he's never breathed a word about it to Frank or me.

[alt_sirius]

Right - which means we can guess, probably in less than three, who some of the others are.

But if they can get by without telling tales, I reckon so can we do.

[alt_alice]

Very true, love.

[alt_sirius]

Speaking of, though, how are the young people we just added to your number?

And Wil? I've been thinking about him, especially. Must be all the time around Bea.

[alt_sirius]

I don't know what keeps Neville going. Sorry. Couldn't resist. Right. What keeps me going? Er...tea, mostly, these days. The occasional biscuit. Lovely bit of mutton now and then. And knowing that no matter what people say about me, I'm not alone.

I'm guessing that your friend means to ask what happened to the Muggleborns who went missing after the Cup? I think we're going to have to establish some ground rules, here, Hermione. I don't want to be an utter pillock or give them loads of clever answers, but on the other hand, I'm going to have to limit myself to answering exactly the questions they ask. Tell them to think carefully about how they want to phrase things, all right?

Well, then. I don't know what happened to all of the muggleborns. I expect some of them took advantage of the chaos and managed to escape. Others weren't so lucky. And some had the chance to leave but didn't, for reasons of their own.

And thank him, please, about the Grim Truths. I wish they weren't necessary.

Next. What made me change my mind? Getting to know some muggleborns. It's easy to hate or fear a group of people when you don't know anything about them first-hand. Once you get to know a few individuals, they come to colour your perception of the whole. When I realised that the idea of muggleborns being less skilled or less entitled to magic was rubbish, the fact that it was my 'birthright' ceased to matter so much. That they were my friends became more important than whether they had pure magical blood. As for muggles, well. They may not have magic but they've got some cool inventions of their own. Films and music and transport and such. They're quite creative--possibly more than wizards, even. That's a radical notion, I know, but I think it's ridiculous to ignore their capabilities or their contributions just because they can't use a wand.

And about our professions. Well. Let's just say it'd be much harder to do what we do if we all lived in hiding. Though hiding in plain sight is, I suppose, a form of hiding, as well.

What's next? Remember--from here out, choose your words wisely or you might not get the answer you want.

[alt_lupin]

Of course, the difficulty with changing hearts through friendships these days is that the Protectorate has done a rather thorough job of driving wedges between people based on blood status. Imagine if our muggleborn friends from school had been slaves to other classmates. Or to the likes of Amycus Carrow.

Though at least a few students apparently overcame that. Neville and, hmm. Yes, I can make some guesses. Some of them are rather unsettling.

[alt_sirius]

Right, Moony, but the whole point here is that these are obviously some students who have already decided to put those beliefs aside - at least some of them - and from what we already know, they treat our Hermione and Terry for that matter decently. So I reckon they're halfway, at least, to chucking out the whole lot of the Ministry's rubbishy propaganda.

[alt_lupin]

Yes.

I rather imagine that question was not so much 'how do I free my mind from the prejudices I still hold' so much as 'how do I bring other friends around to my point of view,' however.

[alt_sirius]

Mm, that may have been the intent behind the question but it wasn't the question that was asked.

[alt_lupin]

No. But if you have any good advice for swaying the pigheaded, there's no harm in offering it here.

[alt_sirius]

Oi, is this their agony session or yours?

[alt_hermione]

All right.

You still haven't answered about whether the Order are outlaws.

Someone asked if there are any questions you want to ask them.

[alt_sirius]

Yes, I have done, Hermione. The question was about whether the Order are outlaws or have jobs. I answered about our jobs.

Questions I want to ask them? I'm not sure they could answer or that we ought to know if they did tell us.

[alt_lupin]

What I want to know if whether they truly treat you as an equal, Hermione. Not merely that they're kind -- there are people capable of being thoroughly gracious toward those they consider their inferiors, provided that those inferiors never demand to be treated as anything else.

It can be difficult to tell, sometimes, whether you are being treated kindly, or justly.

[alt_lupin]

It's worth considering whether we have any messages we'd like Sirius to pass along, as well. Beyond the obvious, like 'Don't get caught.'

[alt_poppy]

'Don't get caught.'

Quite.

I'm not sure I think it's a good idea to give these children any help in imagining that there are numbers of us and that we share quick means of communication with Sirius (and Miss Granger). Even if that cat is out of the bag to an extent, I should not like to give them more information than we have already.

I've a shrewd notion some of them guess rather more than is good for them as it is.