alternity | Grim Truth 93/17/01

alt_sirius posting in

Greetings, British Wizarding World.

Things have been moving quickly of late - so much so that I could likely write to you every day. But then if I did, I hate to think what retributions might occur, whether 'in my name' or despite it.

Still, there are some items that bear attention, and demand response. Back at the beginning of last year, and then again in June, we talked about the debate over whether the Head Boy and Girl ought to be allowed to use the Unforgivable curse known as the Cruciatus. At the time, I wondered if teenagers had really become so much more unruly in the present generation that torture was the only way to control them.

However, it seems that the Grim Truth of the matter is even more insidious: Apparently the youth of Hogwarts no longer need to do anything wrong to earn punishment in extremis. Anyone with children at Hogwarts or soon to begin attendance should be righteously afraid for them, if they were not already. Especially now that they have been locked into quarantine by Ministry edict!

There were two incidents this week alone, neither of them provoked or deserved. I have seen some comments to the effect that the second student invited the curse, for academic interest, and therefore the occurrence is of no concern. I could not agree more with those who counter that an underage witch cannot be expected to give informed consent to be tortured. Although the witch in question has my respect and kudos for the way she bore the curse, she should never have been allowed to subject herself to it. I am sure her father wishes she could have gone through her whole life without ever experiencing the torment of an Unforgivable Curse. (As do we all.)

Some of the students have been braver than others at expressing their outrage – and their fear that they may be next. Even the Hogwarts Board of Governors have questioned the wisdom of allowing the Curse when it can be applied to callously and for so little reason as has been exhibited this week. Perhaps the least of these messages is the one that reminds us the journals are not to be trusted, for they are tools the Ministry intends to use against you as they monitor your thoughts and statements, much the way Amycus Carrow held a theoretical discussion against the student he tortured Thursday night.

This incident, and others like it, demonstrates more clearly than I can say how abhorrent the use of the Unforgivable Curses ought to be, and how there can be no safe haven for Hogwarts’ students while those in charge take it upon themselves to punish the people in their care so brutally. What justification can possibly serve? How can anyone of conscience allow such a miscarriage of duty? One can only hope that yesterday's emergent Board meeting will lead to a more sensible attitude toward the Curse. (It is especially intriguing to note Lucius Malfoy's shock over the use of the Curse, considering he had no such scruples when it was applied to his own goddaughter about a year ago - and by none other than my benighted mother!) I admit that I'm heartily curious as to the outcome and the particulars of their discussion!

At the same time, Hogwarts has now become a quarantine state, at the very time that its students are more concerned than ever that they'll be attacked by one type of madman or another. We now see that the Ministry cover-up of the epidemic has led to its spread far beyond the confines of the camps. Supposedly, the Ministry claims that half bloods are 'more vulnerable' to the ravages of disease. However, is should be clear that this affliction, whatever its origin, recognises no barriers of blood. It is working its way through the whole population, not just those with no magic. This fact alone ought to remind everyone that there is no difference between purebloods, halfbloods, Muggle-borns, and Muggles. All are human. I don't know what makes wizardkind able to perform magic. Is it a genetic trait? Is it something more mystical? I'm no biologist. But I do know that our abilities do not give us the right to style ourselves more worthy than those without the talent.

It's that distinction that I suspect may be the downfall of St Mungo's efforts to discover a cure for the Scourge - or paralysis, if you prefer. I shouldn't be surprised if they started, or were ordered to start, from the assumption that the camp epidemics could not touch the magical population. It's clear you're all at risk.

That assumes that the Ministry are (finally) telling you the Grim Truth themselves, and not obstructing your right to travel out of some authoritarian desire. One thing they have not told you is that no matter what, there is still hope. You owe it to yourselves to take precautions, but in addition to demand that the Ministry bring all its resources to bear, to make no assumptions about what may be causing this disease or how to resolve it. And you owe it to yourselves to keep questioning what you hear, to keep your eyes and ears open and to continue to speak when you can - and when you must.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_regulus

Mongering paranoia and panic again, brother?

How thoughtful of you.

From:

alt_sirius

Well, you seemed somewhat unoccupied lately and I thought you might need something to do.

Besides, you know how I like to hear from you.

From:

alt_regulus

You mistake my failure to write here if you think it's due to indolence. Whatever comes of this will simply go on the list.

From:

alt_sirius

Top of your list, I'm sure. Better get to it; I've a wager with someone how long it'll take before I get the blame for something you're about.

Which is really no different from when we were kids, after all.

From:

alt_regulus

I can't decide whether we remember those times differently or just remember different times. I didn't think our part of it was all that awful. Or that all of it was awful, at any rate.

From:

alt_sirius

I never said it was all awful. You're the one admitted that you wriggled out of trouble more often, like any 'self-respecting little brother' ought. It's bound to colour your perception.

That and other things.

From:

alt_regulus

I was wrong to own up to my responsibility for those times when you took blame for things we both did?

From:

alt_sirius

I didn't say that, either.

From:

alt_regulus

You're impossible, you know.

From:

alt_sirius

Why? Because I'm not going to simplify everything into convenient stereotypes? What do you want me to say? That Father was a tyrant, Mother a self-centered harridan, you were an angel and I was always out of step? Sorry, I'm not going to make it that easy.

All I said was that you'll get your 'assignment' or whatever you choose to call it, it'll get reported as something to do with my vast array of followers and all the papers will call for my head - again.

I do wonder, though - don't you get tired of not being able to take credit where it's due?

From:

alt_regulus

A goblin, you mean?

I used to wonder how things would have been different if I'd been oldest. Whether you'd have come out differently; whether I would. Whether you'd have seen me differently. Or the reverse.

Does the difference between us really come down to wanting 'credit'? To masses of people speaking your name? To publicity? and your face grinning out from wanted bills on every light post and shop window?

I work to bring credit to our name and receive credit from the only source that matters. The only source that's ever extended it, really.

From:

alt_sirius

A goblin? I don't follow .... Oh. I see. Heh, I'd forgot about that. Well, not to them, certainly.

In my view, the difference between us is that you've always craved approval and recognition, from one sort of authority figure or another. And you've done whatever you think will buy you that praise. Whereas I learned I don't need a pat on the head to find acceptance or feel like I'm part of something greater than myself. I'd just as soon not be the one under the fairylights, to be honest, but I'm not going to stand by silently if no one else has the brass to call foul.

Would it have been easier for us if you'd been older? Does it matter?

From:

alt_regulus

I wonder if we're all as deluded about ourselves as you. I suppose the trick of it is that one never realises.

You know, they say that sometimes a person on his deathbed will fancy himself somewhere else entirely, fully believing himself hale and whole even as he draws his last breath.

From:

alt_sally_anne

I was actually thinking the quarantine made me feel a bit safer until I read this.

I think he's right thought that purebloods will get it next. Though I wonder why the camp guards didn't all get sick? I mean this started in the muggle camps. Maybe it's that they're healthier? One of the years I didn't have enough to eat, I got really sick, and I think the muggles in the camps often don't have enough to eat.

Although the Strettons feed their muggles pretty well and their muggles were REALLY sick.

From:

alt_ron

Well, and why didn't the Strettons get sick?

From:

alt_sally_anne

Oh because they never believed the Ministry that they weren't in danger.

Mr and Mrs Stretton never left the house the whole of Christmas hols. They hire a bunch of managers anyway, they had the managers out dealing with the muggles and reporting in by owl or maybe floo but they weren't ever allowed to come in to the house.

I expect before they quarantined themselves they used bubblehead charms and scourgify and the rest.

From:

alt_ron

Well, I bet that's how the wizards who run the camps kept from getting sick. I mean, I bet they don't ever really get very close to the muggles. Even before anybody was really sick, they all talk about them like they're contagious. They talk about the muggles that way, I mean. Look how people treat Hermione and Dennis. Even Malfoy, and Dennis serves him food and stuff, but he still acts like Dennis smells bad. Harry's not really like that about Hermione, exactly. But loads of other people are.

Anywiz, I bet the camp bosses just stay in their offices all the time and hardly ever get close to any but a few of the muggles.

From:

alt_sally_anne

By the way I meant to tell you earlier, your mum sent me something too, I'd asked her if I could borrow the story Luna mentioned so she sent it to me.

Don't tell anyone as I think it was written by a muggle and your mum did say to be careful with it. But if any of you want to read it you can. I'm loaning it to Pansy first though.

From:

alt_neville

I'd like to read it, I guess. When I'm done with my Potions essay.

I'll be careful not to let Seamus or Dean see it. Seamus probably wouldn't even notice, I reckon, but don't know about Dean. Who knows what he might tell his foster father.

From:

alt_ron

What's it about, anyway? You could probably just tell me about it.

I mean, I've enough stuff to read just for homework and all.

From:

alt_sally_anne

It's only about three pages long, Ron! Just read it yourself if you care enough to be interested.

From:

alt_ron

Well, how do I know if I would be interested? All you said is that it's a muggle story.

I mean, it could be a totally naff, girlie muggle story or it could be something really wizard, couldn't it?

From:

alt_sally_anne

I misspoke. What I meant to say is, you can read it yourself if you're CURIOUS.

It's THREE PAGES LONG. NeverMIND already I'd probably just have to explain it to you after you read it anyway.

From:

alt_ron

Well, there's no reason to get shirty about it. I only wanted to know what it's about.

So I guess I am curious, yeah?

From:

alt_sally_anne

Well alright then, I gave it to Neville because Pansy was done with it so let him know when you want to read it. But not while Finnigan is around, I don't know about Thomas but Finnigan reads a lot, he might want to know what you've got.

From:

alt_ron

No probs. He's off somewhere tonight, anyway.

The twins have got a charm that makes a parchment look like homework if anyone looks at it who doesn't know the password. We got them to put it on the story. Now it looks like Astronomy when I hold it and like Herbology when Nev's holding it. It'll probably be Potions for you.

Oh, yeah. The password's the usual one. Y'know. I Solemnly Swear. Just so y'know.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Well that's just wizard except for the bit where PANSY wants to see the story again when you lot are done with it.

It sounds like a nift spell so long as Fred and George can change the password. Pansy isn't stupid. It's not super likely she'd just randomly try casting it on her diary but she could.

From:

alt_ron

Oh. Didn't think of that.

Now it's tunafish.

From:

alt_sally_anne

That'll do.

From:

alt_neville

It is really strange about the guards not getting sick. I hadn't thought about it before, but you're right. (If they're telling the truth about that but who knows. It looks like there's been a lot of lying going on).

I told you my Gran and Great Aunt and Evelyn used to go serve at the soup kitchen every couple of weeks at Wyre. Evelyn's written to me about it and said Gran was always a fanatic about washing hands and using scourgify and so on every time they went, because Gran always told her it would be easy to pick up any diseases the muggles and muggleborns might have.

From:

alt_sally_anne

I think they probably ARE telling the truth about the guards, because if the guards were getting sick they'd have had to hire more, but people wouldn't want to do it because they'd be afraid of getting sick. It just seems like it would be too much to cover up. But I don't know.

From:

alt_percy

Luna Lovegood

It would of course, be preferable

For you to presume to judge the motivations

The Ministry

That the curses used to be called 'Unforgiveable'

I'm sure that the Ministry appreciates your concern for its citizens.

Yes, I'm being sarcastic.

From:

alt_arthur

I think he agrees with you, Sirius, and is struggling with how to make a show of replying to you without actually coming out and saying so.

He argued against the proposition that the Head Boy and Head Girl be given authority to issue the curse in the first place, remember, and you know, of course, about that whole blow up we had this summer when he experimented with using it himself against a garden gnome.

Molly received a letter from him today. He was deeply upset about what happened to Luna.

From:

alt_sirius

It's hard to know what he's thinking, Arthur. There are plenty of wizards who balk at the idea of the Unforgivables, but who wouldn't hesitate to throw any number of dark spells if they needed to do.

Still, he does seem to have a good heart, your boy. I've been paying attention to what he has to contribute - and when and how he says it. It certainly seems as if he mostly wants everyone to get on without any major trouble. But then, there are plenty of good people caught up in this government of yours, who are able somehow to suppress their better judgement in order to do what they do every day, in the interest of 'getting on'.

I dunno. If he truly wants success - I mean position, power, etc. - sooner or later he's going to have to choose what he can and can't ignore. And I know, that's what scares you and Molly.

From:

alt_sirius

Indeed they do, Mr Weasley - especially whenever they can twist my concerns into a convenient object of blame for all that is wrong within the country.

And no, the sad thing is I'm not being sarcastic at all. See if you can count up the days until something nasty happens and I get the 'credit' for it.

Remember your question to me last spring?

From:

alt_lucius

Ignorant, arrogant, inaccurate and defamatory as always, Black.

The deliberations of the Ministry, St Mungo's, the Hogwarts' Board of Governors and any other institution to which you may think you have the right of disclosure are, naturally, no business of a pariah who has cast himself ever in the rôle of martyr and self-appointed saviour. Your disciples may believe your messianic drivel, but to the true citizen of the Protectorate it is clear that you have not a shred of evidence for your claims.

You only wish to cause alarm where there is no call. Just as you only wish to incite discord in the minds of those too weak to see your deceptions for what they are. Moreover, to continually involve students in your melodramatic pronouncements of doom is an act of the worst cowardice. It is they, and not you, who will pay the price if they are so naïve as to give you the slightest credence.

From:

alt_sally_anne

I am SO glad Pansy didn't reply to him this time.

She wishes she could but she knows she'd only get in trouble for it.

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Grim Truth 93/17/01

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