Order Only - Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_albus]

My dear lady, several matters.

I have been giving some thought to the wards, and their layered effects. I become more convinced we would do best to unravel them in reverse order of their casting, which brings several challenges. More than several.

Also, I remain uneasy about the demands of the Fidelius variant, but I believe my tests to determine who could cast it profitably are as complete as they will be.

I have thought or two regarding horcruxes, as well.

Comments

[alt_alice]

Right. I see. And on top of it all, we have a due date to factor in, don't we?

So the first move would be the bait-and-switch the ad-hoc committee is planning for October, yes?

[alt_albus]

Indeed, yes. I believe that should be a significant priority.

From there, we can work on finding a figure suitable for undoing the work of the Dark Rite, and then consider the initial wards from eighty-three.

Poppy spoke to me this week about the question of Aurora Sinistra. If I recall some of her research correctly, she would be particular help on the earliest wards, and quite possibly the others as well.

[alt_alice]

Justin's found a lead on William that might be worth pursuing while things are still stable.

Once we start making serious attempts at the wards, the situation might shift enough to make any attempts to gain access impossible, and we can't trust that we'd be able to smuggle anyone in at solstice.

[alt_alice]

Rather, more impossible than they currently are, which is saying something.

[alt_albus]

You do have a way of putting the problem, dear lady.

William, indeed, would be most useful. A contact in Magical Transportation would be some significant help as well.

[alt_alice]

Bill's got a contact who's an assistant there (at least I think he's still there, we might have to check), but if we need someone more hands on, perhaps we might be able to shift Jeremy now that he's no longer under Mulciber.

We were thinking about Portkeys, but Ridley's got someone there, which means we can wring one or two from her for the right price.

[alt_albus]

Indeed. I was thinking about the crossing at Dover, too, and what we might learn there.

Mr Finch-Fletchley might be in a position to learn some of that too, perhaps.

[alt_alice]

Yes, he very well might. I'll be sure to mention it to him.

[alt_alice]

And your thought or two?

I've been thinking about putting Draco to work on that, by the way. I think he'd be suited for it, and Merlin knows he's got a powerful need to be useful at the moment.

[alt_albus]

I did not explain my task for the smugglers, I realise.

In 1807, the Corineus went down in a storm just out of Weymouth harbour. An old record suggests it was carrying a charmed gem designed to react when near particular and powerful magical items similar enough to a horcrux.

A number of items from the Founders are on public display (or purported to be, I have never held much respect for that old tale about Rowena's abacus and the documentation about Helga's garden trowel is clearly forged). Others are held at Buckingham. Having Mr Potter or some other suitable person carry the gem around might be informative.

Or not. It is a remarkably inexact world.

[alt_alice]

It is indeed. But it sounds entirely worth our while to try it out, regardless.