Live Wire

[Warded to the Order (by Morgan)]

Ted got back to me with what he could do this afternoon. Here's what he had to say:

Alright, so I've been doing some steady work, and I think I've got something figured out. What I've done, basically, is set up a private wireless channel - similar to a police band or CB radio, if you're familiar with those. I put the prototypes in retractable ballpoint pens. You press down the thingy that would make the pen work, and then you get your transmitter activated, and whatever you say will go out to whoever else has one set to your channel. Magic's in it, so you don't need magical power of your own to operate it. Fits in a pocket, so carrying it at all times wouldn't be any trial. And I'm really quite proud of the volume control - Remus, thanks for finding me the books to get that working right.

It's not perfect. I don't have a way to make it completely private, and of course anyone who's around when you use it would hear it. However, if you're in an emergency situation, that's not necessarily going to be a problem anyway. Still, it would be a good idea to set up some code phrases so you can say things without saying them, dig? But anyway, you and Nick and I can test them out when you two are running your shift tonight. There's also the fact that if you break the casing, it's going to be useless. We may want to see about some protective charms on the device itself - so far everything I've attempted ends up screwing up the transmission, but we can keep trying.
[end ward]

[Warded to Ted Tonks]
How familiar are you with the practice of communicating by Patronus?

[Warded to MacDougals + Lydia, Nick, and Dorcas]

Sturgis Podmore is really an incredibly self-centered sort. It seems that he thinks I just sent his trainee the cute little bell charms to irritate him! I'm basing this on the fact that he sent me a letter exploding with glitter and garlic declaring that it is indeed ON.

A shower took care of the garlic issue, and most of the glitter. You know how glitter is. It'll be days before it's all really gone. But that just leaves me with a burning desire for vengeance. So, now requesting ideas for:

Ways (Preferably Humourous) to Mildly Injure Sturgis Podmore Either Physically or Mentally

After some conversation, it's been decided that the first Sunday of every month at 8 in the evening at the Hogshead will do for the regular neighborhood watch meetings for Scotland.

Anyone interested in self-defense training and practice can join me and Auror James MacConacher this Monday night at 8 in the Hogsmeade park. Wear comfortable clothes, and bring a bottle of water and plenty of patience.

[Warded Private]
Jehovah Emmerdale.

A man like him should not have gone out this way. He should have had his choice of days, when he felt he'd finished. He never should have been cut down by cowards, turned to ashes in the street. And what in Merlin's name do they tell his fourteen year old daughter? "Sorry, lass...your father was murdered for the simple fact that he was a good man who did good work in the world."

He was too good for this.

I suppose that leaves me and old Marius as the only ones who remember Marcus anymore. Is there anyone now who would remember Isabella? Probably not. I got used to being the only one to remember Teasag and Raghnaid, Rhona and Neilina...but this is a new burden of memory. Erik had fucking well better look after himself. I need someone around who remembers when I was an idiot child who didn't know anything.

Can't help but worry for Nick. If they're going after VRA, he's the voice of it and these days, one of their elder statesmen. I'm a loudmouth, sure enough, but I don't worry for myself. Anyone who comes after me can lose his head for his trouble. Damned if I don't think of everyone else, though. It's the hazard of family; always something to lose. I still hold life's not worth living if you've got nothing to lose, but I think about anything happening to Nick, or the kids, or to Lydia, and I swear I can feel the cold again. I want to tell somebody to fuck off so badly, and I absolutely can't until I know what their next move is, because I can't run the risk that the next move is coming after one of them.

[end ward]

For once, I am at a loss for words.

[Warded to Lydia]
You awake? I'm done moping and could use the company for a walk outside, if you're game.
[end ward]

[Warded to MacDougals + Lydia and Nick]
The dead vampire in Knockturn was not me or Nick. Just letting you know.

[Warded to Sturgis Podmore]

Seems to me we're reaching a point where it's more dangerous for Lydia to not know than for her to know. I intend to tell her about my own involvement. I'm letting you know as a courtesy, and to tell you I'll not be mentioning your name in the conversation.

[end ward]


[Warded to Morgan]
I think we've reached a point where it's more dangerous for Lydia to not know than for her to know. I intend to tell her what I've been up to, without mentioning anybody else's name. Just giving you a heads up so you don't get surprised by it later.

Now...thoughts on Madog and Peadar? They're staying here, they're bound to realize something's up before too long. Better to leave them in the dark or to tell them what's going on?
[end ward]

One of the hardest things about times like these is that after so many tragedies, I begin to feel like I'm parroting myself every time another occurs. Nonetheless, in the wake of events like those in Hogsmeade last night, something must be said. Thus I give my condolences to those who have lost friends and family in the attack, and my best wishes for recovery for those who were injured. For those who may have been turned, I strongly suggest you meet with the volunteers at PAWS: there are options besides simply becoming a monster full time, and they can help you find them.

Hogsmeade at large: you acquitted yourselves none too badly last night. With more preparation, we can do even better next time an attack occurs - because we would be fools to imagine that another attack from either the werewolves or the Death Eaters will not occur. I hope to see you all at the first Neighborhood Watch meeting: tomorrow night at the Hogshead, 8 p.m.

Bad night in Hogsmeade tonight. Major attack by large pack, sufficient that DMLE cleared out a few hours in (and rightly so). Several severe injuries - at least a few likely turned - and several dead. We got as many as we could evacuated to the Hogshead, and a great many are still there. Won't have a certain count for a little while yet. All of ours are all right, and I haven't heard that the DMLE contingent lost any.

Even when werewolves move in packs, it's usually not anything like this size. Usually I've seen a half dozen or so, maybe as many as a dozen moving together. We were seeing probably five times that many tonight, if I'm any judge. Fifty or more, as best I could tell. They didn't give up and move on until about half an hour ago - essentially when they ran out of opportunities to attack here. I suspect somebody's organizing and recruiting - Greyback being the most likely candidate for that. Some of these have been living wild for a while, though, judging by the bodies of the ones who were brought down. The political climate's ripe for that kind of thing; the disenfranchised are always good targets for lashing out.

Professional opinion: I think we can expect more of this, and on any full moon night I think anybody who's patrolling needs to be armed not only with wand but with a silver blade of some sort, and nobody needs to be patrolling solo. At least teams of two at all times.

All right, I'm looking to get a neighborhood watch going up here in wizarding Scotland - the idea being that if we're all being more deliberately alert and aware, we're more likely to be able to prevent trouble before it happens. Any locals who would be willing to be involved, comment here. Anybody with experience at defensive magic or warding who's willing to lend your neighbors a hand, let me know about that so I can force you into a leadership/teaching position. I've got centuries of teaching people to be effectively paranoid, but the magic stuff's outside my expertise.

Tell me if you're in so I know how many to expect at the interesting meeting, which will be held at the Hogshead on Sunday, 3 January, at 8 p.m.

By the way, Abe, I'm using your place for a meeting.

Full moon coming up. That's meant trouble the past few times. I plan to spend all three nights on watch in the general area of Hogsmeade, because that's unfortunately about the limit of what I can do to help. Hopefully we won't have any trouble this time around, but if we do I intend to be ready for it.

Be aware, any Dark creature with notions: you fuck with wizarding Scotland, you fuck with me. And I didn't get to be 713 years old by making that easy.

And for those of you going about your business living life and not having any combat training: for fuck's sake stay home and under good solid wards. I've been to some damn fine parties and pubs in my time, but not a one of them was worth my life.

Got a haircut - it's short for the first time in about twenty years.



I think I like it.

I think I must not be clear on exactly what Unforgivable means.

Let me be clear, first of all, that I've no issue with the use of deadly force when it's necessary. I've used it on many occasions myself. Sometimes it's him or you, and you do as you must. Sometimes it's him or your family or your homeland or your friends, and you do as you must. If you've got a quick and easy and painless way to do that when you're in a corner where you've got to, I can see why you might. Now, do I think it's necessarily a good thing for it to be that easy? Maybe, maybe not. It's an arguable point that when you can kill a man with nary an exertion on your part that you might start to find it a little too easy. God knows I've seen that happen to enough soldiers in my time, and vampires as well.

That's not really what I'm thinking on here, though. I can see the use of a Killing Curse as a last resort. What I can't see the use in is a Torture Curse. Sure, you can probably get a confession with it - trouble is, you can get a confession to just about anything with torture. I can't see a way anyone who's in theory a good guy has need of a spell that does nothing but cause pain.

The Imperius gives me trouble as well. Mind control? I can't see what could be accomplished with that spell that couldn't be just as well accomplished without invading anyone's mind.

I've known a good many Aurors in my time. I know a few now. The vast majority of them have been good men. Nonetheless, they're still just men - or women, in some cases. Too much power seldom works out well for either the wielder of it or the society it's wielded upon, no matter how good the intentions. This kind of thing always reaches further than people plan. You take something that for centuries you've called "unforgivable" and put exceptions on it, and more exceptions will be added as time goes on. Saw it happen with the church, with sex, with clothing, with language...once change begins, make no mistake: it is unstoppable.

The third of December marked my 713th birthday. In the course of that many years, I have had both some very good and some very bad birthdays. This one's odd for having marks in both the good and the bad columns. In the good, I've got a brilliant girlfriend who got me tickets to see The Clash next month. I've got plenty of entertainment, good work to do, and my personal life's essentially just fine. It's the rest of the world that's a fucking mess, and it picked my birthday to remind me of it. Werewolf attacks all across the countryside, and some of them none too far from my own backyard. What do you say, Scots? Shall we start our own neighborhood watch up here in the highlands and try to be prepared better next full moon? We might do a bit better keeping people safe with some organization.


But today...today's a good day. I've decided that just now, and I'm bringing a close to this entry, because I just got the news that my one hundred and fifty-third great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchild is on her way into the world sometime in the next twenty-four hours or so. So the world's a mess...but I do have this to be happy about. And if there's one thing I've learned in the past 713 years, it's that life's too short to not take what happiness comes your way.

[Warded to Edgar, Nick, and Remus]
Jack, lad, you're in for a treat. My fourth wife came from around Carmarthen, so I've a fair knowledge of the place. One of my second generation of granddaughters was one of the temple sorceresses, actually. How's your Welsh? Solid, or am I going to be translating for you the whole way?

Edgar, Nick, you should know I'm hoping for no less than three sea monsters. If we get one, I'm keeping its head. Or if it's too big to carry the head, I'll settle for a claw.

Anyway, pick a day. I've a preference for butting the two trips up together, because then I can explain it to Lydia as one journey with Old Nick that she's unlikely to question.
[end ward]

Right, so it seems I have a meeting with Podmore at 9 - in his capacity as my girlfriend's ex-husband, not on Order business. Just figured I'd let the castle residents all know in case he's planning to attempt staking me.

And, let's face it, because I find this entire business incredibly amusing and needed to share with somebody. He just informed me that we "need to have a chat."

Just letting you know, Miss Nora, we're all really looking forward to meeting you on Wednesday. Gwen and I started looking for childhood photos already.

Plans have been made, favourite granddaughters: your father will be summoning everyone to dinner next Wednesday night, including your darling brother and his charming "girlfriend".

Feel free to raid the castle for embarrassing photos. No need for thanks for arranging it, but if either of you feels compelled to help exercise horses, just drop on by. Also, if you do come by, we've got a couple of house-guests. Lydia's the woman I've been seeing for a bit now, and while it's not actually at a cohabitation point yet, she's Muggleborn and has some connections dangerous enough that she needed a place to go that was safe. Dorcas is family - 5th cousin, if I remember right? - and she's an Auror trainee. Had a few threats against her, and then a split with her boyfriend, so she's staying up in the Italian Room.

Oh, that's dead great. Nobody ever becomes more dangerous when you take away their ability to earn money, support themselves, and occupy their time.

Just how fucking stupid are these people? Christ, do they even know anything about werewolves? Just keep them off the fucking night shift! Give 'em a few days off on the full moon to stay in their boxes!

Fucking idiots.

Had a great time out Saturday, so I thought I'd see if you were game for another evening. How are you with horses?