Heavily Warded - Remus LupinniveusreginaOctober 10 2004, 22:18:17 UTC
Dear Remus,
I'm sorry I cut off all communication about my progress and made you think I was breaking my word. I assure you, the reason for my silence was part of my plan to convince Lucius.
Convincing Lady Minister Marchbanks to implement the idea of the council wasn't nearly as hard as my insistance that my name be kept utterly and completely out of it. That way when word reached Lucius about this from Madame Marchbanks, I could insist I was just as surprised as he was. After the first phase of blustering was over and he calmed enough to listen he saw reason.
Put your fears to rest, I am unharmed and I only bartered one thing I did not wish for. Lucius insisted that I be one of the members of the council for Meracus Sanguis. I am not looking forward to spending endless hours cramped in a small room with people determined not to compramise. There is a reason I spend a lot of time gardening. I prefer the wind on my face and the clean smell of rich earth.
I have something better then kindness from Lucius. I have his respect.
Oh dear. I am sorry I have caused a bit of consternation on your spouse's part. I thought of it since I dabble a bit in Magical Music myself. The books I've learned off of were quite a good instructional series. I saw they made this book for duets and I thought it would be ideal for you both. I find I produce favorable sounding stringed instrument sounds and wood winds. I tend to be a bit sharp on the brass instruments.
To answer his question, Yes, I, Narcissa Malfoy sent Remus Lupin and Ben Allen a present to celebrate thier thier wedding. It is what civilized people do, after all.
You are welcome on all three counts. Enjoy the Port. If you enjoy it, I can let you know where to order it from.
Re: Heavily Warded - Narcissa Malfoylupin_exoriorOctober 11 2004, 07:23:23 UTC
Dear Narcissa,
No apologies are necessary. You'd told me what you intended to do, and you did precisely what you promised. Any lack of faith was my own failing, not yours, and I will not make that mistake again. I give you my solemn oath that should you and I make any bargains in the future, I will not allow doubt to poison my mind, no matter appearances.
I had hoped that you would not have any difficulty convincing Madam Marchbanks. She has always been a wise and just leader. It pains me that she refused to run for the Ministry position because she would have been the best choice for our world at this troubled time. Her neutrality in dispensing justice has been a blessing and has helped heal many old wounds.
Lucius asked you to serve on the Council? I can't tell you how much that reassures me. I just completed a post to Gil telling him that Lucius coveted power so much that he would insist that MS send only yes-men flunkies to the Council. I must apologize to you for that. It seems I am as guilty of prejudice as those I am campaigning against.
Perhaps we should not enter this Council venture expecting to be dealing with people unwilling to compromise? I've chosen Exorior's representatives quite carefully. I've asked Hermione and Gil to represent us. They are both sensible, honest people, whom I believe will work for the good of all Wizardkind. I've reserved the last Council spot for either myself, if things don't go as we hope on Tuesday, or Ben. We'd hoped to disappear to his farm in Kerry if things don't go our way on Tuesday, but . . . I can't simply abandon Exorior. There isn't anyone else to take the third representative slot. Our volunteers are mostly part time workers. So, I'm trying to convince Ben that we can live out there in Dingle and floo to the Ministry and Council. So far, it's been a hard sell.
It pains me to admit it, but Ben is really the only representative I have any qualms about, since he doesn't compromise when it comes to prejudice. I really don't know how he ended up in Ravenclaw. He is more Gryffindor in this respect than I am.
Which brings me to my next topic. Compromises. Since you are my friend - we are friends, Narcissa, aren't we? It's difficult for me to regard you as anything else after these last few weeks, so if I am wrong in this assumption, please correct me now - and you will soon be facing either myself or Exorior's representatives on the Council, I thought it best that I give you some idea of our stand on certain issues. Exorior will be entering the Council willing to compromise on certain issues, for the good of us all. Even Ben understands that it can't be all Exorior's way. I feel it only fair to inform you of the two issues we will not compromise on: the Forced Muggle Retrievals and equal rights to all sentient creatures. As long as the kidnapping of Muggleborn children from loving homes stops, I will support any changes MS wishes to make to this system, including the educating of the Muggle families (of course, rescue of magical children in distress in the Muggle world will remain a priority; we simply do not want loved children ripped from their homes, which I'm sure you, as a mother, can well understand). The second, equal rights for all, seems self-explanatory.
Re: Heavily Warded - Narcissa Malfoy part 2lupin_exoriorOctober 11 2004, 07:23:53 UTC
If you feel that MS can accomodate these two points in Council, I feel assured that Exorior will be willing to make similar accomodations on issues dear to MS. Are there any points that MS has similar feelings on? I know that the legal requirement for werewolves to take Wolfsbane was one of MS' strongest issues in your campaign platform. If it is any comfort to you, I promise to fully support this issue, either as Minister or a fellow Council member. If you would not feel that you are breaking trust, I would appreciate knowing what issues MS doesn't want to compromise on. I think if MS and Exorior can work together, it will make the Council's job that much easier. I do not want to be locked in that small stuffy room with obdurate people either, Narcissa.
I didn't know you played a magical instrument, Narcissa. Ever since you sent home that book with me, Ben has been wanting me to try. He says the sounds I produce are similar to something called an oboe, whatever that is. If this were a different world, I would ask you to come play with us some night. Hell, we're trying to make it a different world, so I'll ask you anyway - you have an open invitation to join us in music any time you'd like. Ben plays most night. It will be a good learning experience for Ben. And, I suppose, it is only fair to extend that invitation to your spouse. I know Lucius would die rather than willingly inflict the company of the likes of me upon himself, but . . . we really must try to heal these wounds the war has inflicted. Our efforts have to be more than lip service. If we can't find common ground, we are all doomed.
I give you my word that whatever happens Tuesday, I shall try to have an open mind on MS, whether I am dealing with your party as Minister or a fellow Council member.
Re: Heavily Warded - Remus LupinniveusreginaOctober 11 2004, 12:46:08 UTC
Dear Remus,
I do agree on some level, Marchbanks would have been a good choice for minister but it would have been a fine line she had to walk for her very neutrality. She could have brought peace or could have made everyone equally unhappy by being so fair and balanced. It would have required tremendous amounts of luck and skill. I don't doubt she has both, however I don't blame her for not wanting the task either.
Yes, Lucius chose me for one of the MS Representatives. Much to my dismay Lucius wouldn't send Yes Men flunkies, he knows better then that. Yes, Men Flunkies are incapable of independent thought, therefore would get ripped to shreds by experienced politicians. I am merely worried about the accusation of nepotism when my name is announced.
I am glad you are selecting your Exerior representatives with care. I know Gilbert Whimple from a previous employment. Ms. Granger I have heard of from my son but we haven't been formally introduced. Though I believe I did see her at the Quiddich World cup her fourth year. From what I have seen of her recently she's grown up considerably.
Flooing long distance from the Manor to the Ministry is an alternative I myself will be employing. My garden requires too much care to be left alone for weeks at a time.
Mr Allen does not compromise when it comes to prejudice? Isn't that, in it's self, prejudicial?
As a mother, I understand that the Exerior wishes to fight for an end to the forced retrieval system. However, to understand the fight you are going to face, I’ll give you the abridged version of why we insisted upon it, in the first place. Prejudice was not part of it.
Muggles are many and we are few. An arrow or a bullet can kill a wizard or witch just are surely as the Killing Curse, only the muggle doesn’t even have to mean it to commit the unforgivable sin of murder. All it would take would be just one Muggle to be so jealous of the wizard or witch they know to bring about our downfall and destruction. I have had nightmares of waking up and discovering some muggles in masks taking me to their secret laboratory to cut me into wafer thin slices.
I realize you’ll argue that kidnapping children might cause the same thing; all it would take is one witness we didn’t erase the memory from correctly. However, we cannot go back to our original method of inducting muggle borns either. It was clearly flawed to have produced a Tom Riddle.
Equal rights you’ll have a fight for but I shall see what I can do behind the scenes. I will agree to as long as it’s phrased as equal rights for each creature to determine their own destiny and seek equal protection under the law. We cannot think in human terms alone. What a human craves as a necessity may be repulsive to a goblin or a house elf
Re: Heavily Warded - Remus Lupin(Con't)niveusreginaOctober 11 2004, 12:48:12 UTC
When I was a child, I asked the house elves if they wanted their freedom. They were horrified at the idea of being free. Not because they were scared of the outside world, or that we’d punish them for wanting it. But concern that the humans would fall to pieces if they weren’t there to help us. I asked them if there was anything they wanted that we didn’t give them.
They explained to me they loved their life. They loved caring for their humans. They liked the challenges it brought. They had a warm place to sleep and plenty of food to eat. They had chances to learn new skills as the humans needed them. Travel to see the world and meet others as my father took them with him on business trips. I wrinkled my nose and said ‘it must be awfully strange to be a house elf.’
It was then the wisest words I have ever heard were uttered. “Strange miss? For a human it is strange to want what a house elf does. But if you were a house elf you’d think you were a nice, normal elf!”
Now I shall give you a hint upon what we will not compromise on. First and foremost, is the mandatory treatment of all creatures under compulsions or curses that make them a danger to themselves or others and research funding for better treatments and cures.
I also have my own personal agenda. Hogwarts concentrates so much on strict academics they have virtually no art, aside from the chorus. I want mandatory art and music courses in Hogwarts. There were once art and music courses in Hogwarts, but the budget for that was eaten up by the Quiddich program. Since I cannot see a way to prevent children from seemingly trying to kill each other on the Quiddich pitch, I will settle for instating a new arts program beside it.
Yes, I do play magical instruments. You’d be amazed how much you are able to learn when you turn all the time you wait for your husband to come home from Death Eater Meetings into something productive. Days when I cannot work in the garden due to weather, I practice. I am not a professional by any means but I can manage a bit of Beethoven’s ninth and the Ode to Joy. I would be glad to join you and your spouse someday. However, I feel it might be prudent to wait until after the election is completed. I wouldn’t want idle tongues wagging about things they ought not be wagging about.
Re: Heavily Warded - Narcissa Malfoy(Con't)lupin_exoriorOctober 12 2004, 08:22:25 UTC
On the subject of civil rights for all, I'm not suggesting that house elves or any other being be forced from their current positions, if that's where that being desires to be. What I am requesting is that there be laws in place that protect these beings the same way there are laws to protect wizards. As matters stand now, a house elf can be beaten and killed by its master with impunity. I want to initiate laws that would make this kind of act the murder it is, and have it punished as such.
Thank you for the hint. As I stated in my previous missive, I am behind you completely on the availability of affordabe Wolfbane for werewolves like myself. So long as MS' methods of ensuring that these people under Curses receive treatment are humane and respectful of that being's rights (I will not endorse any type of 'witch hunt'), you have Exorior and my complete support in this.
As you do for any program that brings the arts back to Hogwarts. I think that's a lovely idea that is long overdue.
Waiting until after the election is over to get together to play music is a fine idea. Ben and I have been talking, and no matter the results, we're going to move out to his farm in Dingle, Ireland, on Wednesday. He feels happier out there, and, well, it's beautiful. We're going to put in a flower garden next spring, so it seems you and I will have yet another thing in common.
There is one subject I notice you did not address in your response to my original letter, and I am hoping it is an oversight and not simply Slytherin subterfuge. Forgive my bluntness, and you may be blunt as necessary in return, but Gryffindors are simple minded in some respects. Your actions have shown you to be my friend, but I am not so childish as to fail to see that we sometimes make such actions in our own best interests. For my own sanity, I would really like to know if we are friends, Narcissa. If not, that is fine, and we can be colleagues, but . . . it just makes things easier for me if I know where I stand with someone. It occurs to me that, as a married woman, you might have concerns as to my motivations for asking such a thing. You are a beautiful woman and you don't really know me well, after all. I could be working to cause a scandal to break up your marriage, for all you know. I don't know if words will do any good, but I assure you that is not my intent. I am newly married, and, well, such an accusation would cause me as much complication as it would you. For my own peace of mind, I would like to know where I stand with you. If, in your next missive, you do not address this issue at all, I will take your hint and understand that we are simply colleagues for peace, which is perfectly acceptable. I'd just rather not be regarding you as something you may not be.
I hope this finds you well. Whatever the outcome of the election tomorrow, I look forward to working with you in the future.
Heavily Warded - Remus Lupin(Con't)niveusreginaOctober 12 2004, 12:57:53 UTC
It is good you agree that Civil rights should allow a magical being to determine thier own destiny. Protection of thier rights is a matter we will likely have to negotiate on the wording of at a later date. I agree no creature should have thier life or health endangered without thier consent. I have added "consent" into the mix because this should also apply to Humans. I doubt Aurors would enjoy being told they could not do thier job because they weren't allow to ever risk thier lives.
Thank you for your support in my desire to bring the Arts back to Hogwarts. As you can see from earlier in my letter, it is a subject that is dear to me.
I wish you and your spouse the best of luck in Ireland. Keep a sharp eye out for Jarveys. They seem to thrive in Ireland. Ask Gilbert Whimple about his recent experience with Jarveys. He has recently cleared out an infestation of them and his daughter Tansy has adopted one as a pet.
As for your other question about whether or not we are friends. Just as I do not feel it is prudent to visit you until after the election, this is a question it will be wise for me not to answer until after the election as well. The reason is, until the results are announced, I am still the wife of your political rival and unfortunately must act like it.
Ask me again on Wednesday. Then I will be able to give you my honest answer.
Re: Heavily Warded - Narcissa Malfoylupin_exoriorOctober 12 2004, 07:56:17 UTC
Dear Narcissa,
I suppose you're right. Marchbanks would eventually have faced the same problems any of the three of us would.
I wouldn't worry much about the nepotism accusations, Narcissa. I suspect if Lucius wins that will be the least of your problems. Also, please don'ttake this wrong, but the people like you a lot more than they do your husband. I'll feel beter knowing that you are representing MS on the Council, and, if an opposing candidate is relieved for your presence, how much more relief must the worried people be feeling?
Thank you for sharing your reasons for supporting the current inhumane Retrieval system. They do make sense, Narcissa, and I am not suggesting that this is an easy topic to deal with. Yes, you are right that Muggles outnumber us, and you are also correct in how easy it would be for them to kill us. The thing you are the most correct about is what will happen once these kidnapping Retrievals are discovered.
I have to say that I don't agree with your assessment that it was the old system that was responsible for the hardships Thomas Riddle faced. Riddle's problems were caused by his mother's deceipt. She failed to tell her Muggle husband that she was a witch before she bedded and wed him, to disastrous results. What Mrs. Riddle did would be no different or less criminal than my failing to tell a purebred wizard I might be courting with marriage intents of my lycanthropy. The old system did not have a safe place for orphaned wizard children to be sent, but we have the Children's Home now.
Narcissa, I understand fully your fears of Muggles showing up in the night to haul you off to a lab somewhere. I'm a werewolf. What kind of fate do you think I'd face at their hands? But I also know Muggles very well. This kidnapping we're doing is going to lead to our ruin far faster than any slip of the lip a Muggleborn's family might make. After all, who would believe a single person saying that there's an entire invisible wizard community living side by side by them in London? The person(s) would be dismissed as insane. However, once these kidnappings are revealed, and take my word for it, it is only a matter of time before we slip up, the Muggle government that has been so helpful to us will turn on us and seek our downfall. Please, Narcissa, I am not arguing this out of simple sentiment, but out of legitimate fear for our people's future. MS is underestimating the Muggles' abilities, and when they learn what we are doing, it will be war. And, we will have those Muggleborns like my spouse who know all our tricks and weaknesses helping their Muggle relatives take back their stolen children. The nightmare and civil war within the WW we are courting here will make those dreams you have now seem pleasant. Continued in next post
Heavily Warded - Remus LupinniveusreginaOctober 12 2004, 12:18:32 UTC
Dear Remus,
I am realistic about how the public views the members of the Malfoy family. However, I would like to differ with you about the collective sigh of relief people may feel about my announcement for the council. When people see me, they don't see Narcissa Malfoy. They see Lucius Malfoy's wife. A subtle difference which could mean either comfort or agony for the individual who knows. You have gotten to know me. The vast amount of the wizarding world does not. Many do not wish to because of the last name a carry.
Once again, I would like to respectfully differ with you about the former system not being a problem. I agree that both methods could lead to our destruction. However I believe the old system was very much a factor in the making of Tom Riddle and also in the issues that Mr. Potter himself faced. It is not just the lack of an orphanage for children with wizarding talent or the safety of our people at stake, but the slow and steady errosion of our culture.
We have a unique civilization that is steeped in tradition and rich from the diverse peoples we contain. I realize civilizations and culture's are destined change and we might benefit from muggle thinking, but muggle born children grow up in entirely in Muggle Culture. Of the muggleborns I have talked to they say they always feel as if they are strangers in a strange land. One described it as "I feel like a blindfolded waterbuffolo stampeding in your neatly organized garden." We need to find a way, from an early age, to allow these children to see our world and know the people in it. Ensure they are well cared for and nurtured and that they are enriched by thier twin cultures, not feel as if forced to chose between one or the other.
So we cannot continue as we are now, we cannot go back to how we did things before. We must, therefore, go forward. Forward is always a good direction to go in. (Cont)
I'm sorry I cut off all communication about my progress and made you think I was breaking my word. I assure you, the reason for my silence was part of my plan to convince Lucius.
Convincing Lady Minister Marchbanks to implement the idea of the council wasn't nearly as hard as my insistance that my name be kept utterly and completely out of it. That way when word reached Lucius about this from Madame Marchbanks, I could insist I was just as surprised as he was. After the first phase of blustering was over and he calmed enough to listen he saw reason.
Put your fears to rest, I am unharmed and I only bartered one thing I did not wish for. Lucius insisted that I be one of the members of the council for Meracus Sanguis. I am not looking forward to spending endless hours cramped in a small room with people determined not to compramise. There is a reason I spend a lot of time gardening. I prefer the wind on my face and the clean smell of rich earth.
I have something better then kindness from Lucius. I have his respect.
Oh dear. I am sorry I have caused a bit of consternation on your spouse's part. I thought of it since I dabble a bit in Magical Music myself. The books I've learned off of were quite a good instructional series. I saw they made this book for duets and I thought it would be ideal for you both. I find I produce favorable sounding stringed instrument sounds and wood winds. I tend to be a bit sharp on the brass instruments.
To answer his question, Yes, I, Narcissa Malfoy sent Remus Lupin and Ben Allen a present to celebrate thier thier wedding. It is what civilized people do, after all.
You are welcome on all three counts. Enjoy the Port. If you enjoy it, I can let you know where to order it from.
Sincerely,
Narcissa
Reply
No apologies are necessary. You'd told me what you intended to do, and you did precisely what you promised. Any lack of faith was my own failing, not yours, and I will not make that mistake again. I give you my solemn oath that should you and I make any bargains in the future, I will not allow doubt to poison my mind, no matter appearances.
I had hoped that you would not have any difficulty convincing Madam Marchbanks. She has always been a wise and just leader. It pains me that she refused to run for the Ministry position because she would have been the best choice for our world at this troubled time. Her neutrality in dispensing justice has been a blessing and has helped heal many old wounds.
Lucius asked you to serve on the Council? I can't tell you how much that reassures me. I just completed a post to Gil telling him that Lucius coveted power so much that he would insist that MS send only yes-men flunkies to the Council. I must apologize to you for that. It seems I am as guilty of prejudice as those I am campaigning against.
Perhaps we should not enter this Council venture expecting to be dealing with people unwilling to compromise? I've chosen Exorior's representatives quite carefully. I've asked Hermione and Gil to represent us. They are both sensible, honest people, whom I believe will work for the good of all Wizardkind. I've reserved the last Council spot for either myself, if things don't go as we hope on Tuesday, or Ben. We'd hoped to disappear to his farm in Kerry if things don't go our way on Tuesday, but . . . I can't simply abandon Exorior. There isn't anyone else to take the third representative slot. Our volunteers are mostly part time workers. So, I'm trying to convince Ben that we can live out there in Dingle and floo to the Ministry and Council. So far, it's been a hard sell.
It pains me to admit it, but Ben is really the only representative I have any qualms about, since he doesn't compromise when it comes to prejudice. I really don't know how he ended up in Ravenclaw. He is more Gryffindor in this respect than I am.
Which brings me to my next topic. Compromises. Since you are my friend - we are friends, Narcissa, aren't we? It's difficult for me to regard you as anything else after these last few weeks, so if I am wrong in this assumption, please correct me now - and you will soon be facing either myself or Exorior's representatives on the Council, I thought it best that I give you some idea of our stand on certain issues. Exorior will be entering the Council willing to compromise on certain issues, for the good of us all. Even Ben understands that it can't be all Exorior's way. I feel it only fair to inform you of the two issues we will not compromise on: the Forced Muggle Retrievals and equal rights to all sentient creatures. As long as the kidnapping of Muggleborn children from loving homes stops, I will support any changes MS wishes to make to this system, including the educating of the Muggle families (of course, rescue of magical children in distress in the Muggle world will remain a priority; we simply do not want loved children ripped from their homes, which I'm sure you, as a mother, can well understand). The second, equal rights for all, seems self-explanatory.
Continued in next post
Reply
If you feel that MS can accomodate these two points in Council, I feel assured that Exorior will be willing to make similar accomodations on issues dear to MS. Are there any points that MS has similar feelings on? I know that the legal requirement for werewolves to take Wolfsbane was one of MS' strongest issues in your campaign platform. If it is any comfort to you, I promise to fully support this issue, either as Minister or a fellow Council member. If you would not feel that you are breaking trust, I would appreciate knowing what issues MS doesn't want to compromise on. I think if MS and Exorior can work together, it will make the Council's job that much easier. I do not want to be locked in that small stuffy room with obdurate people either, Narcissa.
I didn't know you played a magical instrument, Narcissa. Ever since you sent home that book with me, Ben has been wanting me to try. He says the sounds I produce are similar to something called an oboe, whatever that is. If this were a different world, I would ask you to come play with us some night. Hell, we're trying to make it a different world, so I'll ask you anyway - you have an open invitation to join us in music any time you'd like. Ben plays most night. It will be a good learning experience for Ben. And, I suppose, it is only fair to extend that invitation to your spouse. I know Lucius would die rather than willingly inflict the company of the likes of me upon himself, but . . . we really must try to heal these wounds the war has inflicted. Our efforts have to be more than lip service. If we can't find common ground, we are all doomed.
I give you my word that whatever happens Tuesday, I shall try to have an open mind on MS, whether I am dealing with your party as Minister or a fellow Council member.
Yours,
Remus
Reply
I do agree on some level, Marchbanks would have been a good choice for minister but it would have been a fine line she had to walk for her very neutrality. She could have brought peace or could have made everyone equally unhappy by being so fair and balanced. It would have required tremendous amounts of luck and skill. I don't doubt she has both, however I don't blame her for not wanting the task either.
Yes, Lucius chose me for one of the MS Representatives. Much to my dismay Lucius wouldn't send Yes Men flunkies, he knows better then that. Yes, Men Flunkies are incapable of independent thought, therefore would get ripped to shreds by experienced politicians. I am merely worried about the accusation of nepotism when my name is announced.
I am glad you are selecting your Exerior representatives with care. I know Gilbert Whimple from a previous employment. Ms. Granger I have heard of from my son but we haven't been formally introduced. Though I believe I did see her at the Quiddich World cup her fourth year. From what I have seen of her recently she's grown up considerably.
Flooing long distance from the Manor to the Ministry is an alternative I myself will be employing. My garden requires too much care to be left alone for weeks at a time.
Mr Allen does not compromise when it comes to prejudice? Isn't that, in it's self, prejudicial?
As a mother, I understand that the Exerior wishes to fight for an end to the forced retrieval system. However, to understand the fight you are going to face, I’ll give you the abridged version of why we insisted upon it, in the first place. Prejudice was not part of it.
Muggles are many and we are few. An arrow or a bullet can kill a wizard or witch just are surely as the Killing Curse, only the muggle doesn’t even have to mean it to commit the unforgivable sin of murder. All it would take would be just one Muggle to be so jealous of the wizard or witch they know to bring about our downfall and destruction. I have had nightmares of waking up and discovering some muggles in masks taking me to their secret laboratory to cut me into wafer thin slices.
I realize you’ll argue that kidnapping children might cause the same thing; all it would take is one witness we didn’t erase the memory from correctly. However, we cannot go back to our original method of inducting muggle borns either. It was clearly flawed to have produced a Tom Riddle.
Equal rights you’ll have a fight for but I shall see what I can do behind the scenes. I will agree to as long as it’s phrased as equal rights for each creature to determine their own destiny and seek equal protection under the law. We cannot think in human terms alone. What a human craves as a necessity may be repulsive to a goblin or a house elf
(Continued)
Reply
They explained to me they loved their life. They loved caring for their humans. They liked the challenges it brought. They had a warm place to sleep and plenty of food to eat. They had chances to learn new skills as the humans needed them. Travel to see the world and meet others as my father took them with him on business trips. I wrinkled my nose and said ‘it must be awfully strange to be a house elf.’
It was then the wisest words I have ever heard were uttered. “Strange miss? For a human it is strange to want what a house elf does. But if you were a house elf you’d think you were a nice, normal elf!”
Now I shall give you a hint upon what we will not compromise on. First and foremost, is the mandatory treatment of all creatures under compulsions or curses that make them a danger to themselves or others and research funding for better treatments and cures.
I also have my own personal agenda. Hogwarts concentrates so much on strict academics they have virtually no art, aside from the chorus. I want mandatory art and music courses in Hogwarts. There were once art and music courses in Hogwarts, but the budget for that was eaten up by the Quiddich program. Since I cannot see a way to prevent children from seemingly trying to kill each other on the Quiddich pitch, I will settle for instating a new arts program beside it.
Yes, I do play magical instruments. You’d be amazed how much you are able to learn when you turn all the time you wait for your husband to come home from Death Eater Meetings into something productive. Days when I cannot work in the garden due to weather, I practice. I am not a professional by any means but I can manage a bit of Beethoven’s ninth and the Ode to Joy. I would be glad to join you and your spouse someday. However, I feel it might be prudent to wait until after the election is completed. I wouldn’t want idle tongues wagging about things they ought not be wagging about.
Sincerely,
Narcissa Malfoy.
Reply
Thank you for the hint. As I stated in my previous missive, I am behind you completely on the availability of affordabe Wolfbane for werewolves like myself. So long as MS' methods of ensuring that these people under Curses receive treatment are humane and respectful of that being's rights (I will not endorse any type of 'witch hunt'), you have Exorior and my complete support in this.
As you do for any program that brings the arts back to Hogwarts. I think that's a lovely idea that is long overdue.
Waiting until after the election is over to get together to play music is a fine idea. Ben and I have been talking, and no matter the results, we're going to move out to his farm in Dingle, Ireland, on Wednesday. He feels happier out there, and, well, it's beautiful. We're going to put in a flower garden next spring, so it seems you and I will have yet another thing in common.
There is one subject I notice you did not address in your response to my original letter, and I am hoping it is an oversight and not simply Slytherin subterfuge. Forgive my bluntness, and you may be blunt as necessary in return, but Gryffindors are simple minded in some respects. Your actions have shown you to be my friend, but I am not so childish as to fail to see that we sometimes make such actions in our own best interests. For my own sanity, I would really like to know if we are friends, Narcissa. If not, that is fine, and we can be colleagues, but . . . it just makes things easier for me if I know where I stand with someone. It occurs to me that, as a married woman, you might have concerns as to my motivations for asking such a thing. You are a beautiful woman and you don't really know me well, after all. I could be working to cause a scandal to break up your marriage, for all you know. I don't know if words will do any good, but I assure you that is not my intent. I am newly married, and, well, such an accusation would cause me as much complication as it would you. For my own peace of mind, I would like to know where I stand with you. If, in your next missive, you do not address this issue at all, I will take your hint and understand that we are simply colleagues for peace, which is perfectly acceptable. I'd just rather not be regarding you as something you may not be.
I hope this finds you well. Whatever the outcome of the election tomorrow, I look forward to working with you in the future.
Yours,
Remus
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Thank you for your support in my desire to bring the Arts back to Hogwarts. As you can see from earlier in my letter, it is a subject that is dear to me.
I wish you and your spouse the best of luck in Ireland. Keep a sharp eye out for Jarveys. They seem to thrive in Ireland. Ask Gilbert Whimple about his recent experience with Jarveys. He has recently cleared out an infestation of them and his daughter Tansy has adopted one as a pet.
As for your other question about whether or not we are friends. Just as I do not feel it is prudent to visit you until after the election, this is a question it will be wise for me not to answer until after the election as well. The reason is, until the results are announced, I am still the wife of your political rival and unfortunately must act like it.
Ask me again on Wednesday. Then I will be able to give you my honest answer.
Sincerely,
Narcissa Malfoy
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I suppose you're right. Marchbanks would eventually have faced the same problems any of the three of us would.
I wouldn't worry much about the nepotism accusations, Narcissa. I suspect if Lucius wins that will be the least of your problems. Also, please don'ttake this wrong, but the people like you a lot more than they do your husband. I'll feel beter knowing that you are representing MS on the Council, and, if an opposing candidate is relieved for your presence, how much more relief must the worried people be feeling?
Thank you for sharing your reasons for supporting the current inhumane Retrieval system. They do make sense, Narcissa, and I am not suggesting that this is an easy topic to deal with. Yes, you are right that Muggles outnumber us, and you are also correct in how easy it would be for them to kill us. The thing you are the most correct about is what will happen once these kidnapping Retrievals are discovered.
I have to say that I don't agree with your assessment that it was the old system that was responsible for the hardships Thomas Riddle faced. Riddle's problems were caused by his mother's deceipt. She failed to tell her Muggle husband that she was a witch before she bedded and wed him, to disastrous results. What Mrs. Riddle did would be no different or less criminal than my failing to tell a purebred wizard I might be courting with marriage intents of my lycanthropy. The old system did not have a safe place for orphaned wizard children to be sent, but we have the Children's Home now.
Narcissa, I understand fully your fears of Muggles showing up in the night to haul you off to a lab somewhere. I'm a werewolf. What kind of fate do you think I'd face at their hands? But I also know Muggles very well. This kidnapping we're doing is going to lead to our ruin far faster than any slip of the lip a Muggleborn's family might make. After all, who would believe a single person saying that there's an entire invisible wizard community living side by side by them in London? The person(s) would be dismissed as insane. However, once these kidnappings are revealed, and take my word for it, it is only a matter of time before we slip up, the Muggle government that has been so helpful to us will turn on us and seek our downfall. Please, Narcissa, I am not arguing this out of simple sentiment, but out of legitimate fear for our people's future. MS is underestimating the Muggles' abilities, and when they learn what we are doing, it will be war. And, we will have those Muggleborns like my spouse who know all our tricks and weaknesses helping their Muggle relatives take back their stolen children. The nightmare and civil war within the WW we are courting here will make those dreams you have now seem pleasant.
Continued in next post
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I am realistic about how the public views the members of the Malfoy family. However, I would like to differ with you about the collective sigh of relief people may feel about my announcement for the council. When people see me, they don't see Narcissa Malfoy. They see Lucius Malfoy's wife. A subtle difference which could mean either comfort or agony for the individual who knows. You have gotten to know me. The vast amount of the wizarding world does not. Many do not wish to because of the last name a carry.
Once again, I would like to respectfully differ with you about the former system not being a problem. I agree that both methods could lead to our destruction. However I believe the old system was very much a factor in the making of Tom Riddle and also in the issues that Mr. Potter himself faced. It is not just the lack of an orphanage for children with wizarding talent or the safety of our people at stake, but the slow and steady errosion of our culture.
We have a unique civilization that is steeped in tradition and rich from the diverse peoples we contain. I realize civilizations and culture's are destined change and we might benefit from muggle thinking, but muggle born children grow up in entirely in Muggle Culture. Of the muggleborns I have talked to they say they always feel as if they are strangers in a strange land. One described it as "I feel like a blindfolded waterbuffolo stampeding in your neatly organized garden." We need to find a way, from an early age, to allow these children to see our world and know the people in it. Ensure they are well cared for and nurtured and that they are enriched by thier twin cultures, not feel as if forced to chose between one or the other.
So we cannot continue as we are now, we cannot go back to how we did things before. We must, therefore, go forward. Forward is always a good direction to go in. (Cont)
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