973January 2006
Percy looked up from the report he had just finished compiling, quietly casting the spells that would enable its proper location when filed and to produce the summary page that he included on all his reports for Kingsley's benefit. The second spell was the same one they had used when Percy had been smuggling information from the Minister's office to the Auroury. It was a useful bit of magic really.
The quiet noise of another person in the room had him supressing a flinch of surprise, he hadn't realised how used to being alone he was until Edward had joined him.
Training Edward hadn't been difficult, other than Percy's own acknowledged reluctance in sharing his workload which he put down to habit more than anything else.
He now had a little more time on his hands and while he rather thought he should be using the time to take a more proactive interest in the Minister's role, he wasn't.
Pulling his desk drawer open he removed a file that made him rather unhappy.
All through December, through the highs of the successful Gala, and Audrey's afternoon with the Spanish ambassador's wife, which looked like the beginnings of a tentative friendship. The joy of Christmas where the girls had been gifted their first bikes by Audrey's parents and their first training broom by his Dad, this file had been the cloud to his silver lining.
The group still hadn't found a name, but they had become more visible. The meetings had continued though currently their manifesto was broad enough that Percy hoped cold hard facts could keep them from gaining any traction.
Earlier inclusion of muggleborns into magical society was the headline of their movement. The inclusion was proposed to be as soon as the first accidental magic was detected and at the exclusion of their muggle relatives. Ministry sponsored 'homes' would be needed for those where suitable families couldn't be found.
They wanted to steal children. They wanted to steal children and put them into orphanages.
Because magical orphanages were better than muggles.
The Department of Mysteries had been helpful, or as reasonably helpful as Percy had expected when he had sent his request to them. The statistics they returned painted a very grim picture of what the future would look like if this group got any of their half-baked ideas off the ground.
First accidental magic in muggleborns was on average performed at the age of two. Children of magical parents on average performed their first accidental magic at the age of 18 months, though this was presumed because not only were the parents watching for it, but the children would see examples of magic in their daily lives and therefore be more likely to mimic what they saw.
Percy had read the report and had wanted to smash something into tiny little pieces that magic would be unable to fix. Both Maggie and Lucy had performed their first magic around their second birthday. If anyone had knocked on their front door and tried to take either of his children from him, Percy was very sure that he would have reacted with extreme prejudice. He couldn't even begin to imagine how you could unentangle a child from their family to remove it to the magical world. It would require something as drastic as death. The extent of cruelty it would take to make it believable made Percy reel.
It simply wasn't possible. It was nothing short of inhumane to even contemplate.
The problem lay in the balance, the muggleborn had always faced challenges. earlier inclusion that was not ripping children from their families may help support their early development. It could be used as a way to identify those children at risk because their non magical family were unable to accept and adjust to magic.
Percy flipped through the report again letting his eyes scan the page slightly out of focus while he mulled over his thoughts. Perhaps orphanages were the place to start. Not in creating them for muggleborns but finding those muggleborns that were without families and offering a place in the magical world earlier, might be worth looking into. while he didn't expect cold hard reality to sway these people, if up take by magical families for orphaned muggleborn wasn't high it could be used to undermine at least some of their proposed plan.
Percy scribbled himself a few notes and ideas before hunting out his list of contacts to find who might be able to help him put together a more comprehensive plan. He'd need someone in Child and Family Services, and Accidents and Catastrophes. He'd need to know the current demand for magical adoption and its process before he could suggest anything further. There was also the issue of locating the muggleborn.
Percy and Audrey were having a rare, slow, Saturday morning. They had no plans and no expectation to be anywhere. It was just the four of them, sharing breakfast at the dining room table and potential plans for the rest of the weekend.
The idyl was broken by the arrival of an owl. Portends of doom that they were.
The front page of the Prophet held no hint of the chaos it contained; it was the third page with its centrally placed article and a photograph taken from the gala, that shouted the news to the world
CANDIDATE MINISTER MARRIED TO A MUGGLE
Percy pushed the paper over to Audrey just as the mirror began to chime. It was obviously a signal as the landline started to ring.
"I'll get this, you get the phone?" Percy asked rising from his seat.
Audrey left her seat for the hall table where the landline was shrilly ringing. She picked up the handset dropping down to sit on the bottom of the stairs.
"Hello?"
"Audrey, have you seen the paper?"
"Hi Mum, yes we've seen it."
"Well?"
"I don't know yet Mum, we'll probably have to release a statement or something."
"Is it going to cause trouble? Will Percy still get elected."
"I don't know, look, I'll ring you later as soon as I know what's going on but its not something that we weren't expecting eventually."
"Alright love, let me know if there's anything we can do? Give my best to Percy and the girls."
"Thanks Mum, Bye."
Audrey put the phone down then returned to the dining room. Kingsley was on the mirror. She dropped back into her seat and pulled the paper over to read the article properly.
"Look Percy, we're going to have to release a statement of some sort. If we don't get out in front of this tomorrow's headlines will be worse."
"I understand that, but I don't feel that my family needs to be dragged into the spotlight. Audrey has a waiver, that's all they need to know and that should be enough. If they want to come up with conspiracy theories of how she'll become the power behind the Minister they'll do that anyway no matter what we say."
"I don't disagree Percy but allowing at least an interview and a couple of photographs of the girls."
"My answer is no. The last thing I want is for someone to hunt down Audrey at work or find out which school Maggie attends. The house is safe enough but there is nothing that can be done to safeguard Maggie's school or Audrey's place of work other than the threat of breaking the statute."
The doorbell chimed interrupting their conversation.
"I'll go," Audrey said getting up. Maggie and Lucy had both given up on their breakfast and were whispering with each other, she collected them both up and sent them in to the sitting room with permission to watch TV as long as they didn't start squabbling. Happy that they would be distracted and reasonably well behaved for twenty minutes or so, she pulled open the door to see Bill and Fleur standing on the step. "You've seen the paper then," Audrey asked ushering them in.
"Yes, and we have come about the wards," Fleur said to Audrey as they followed her back into the dining room where Percy was wrapping up his call with Kingsley.
"Oh? Where are the girls?"
"Dad agreed to pop over and keep an eye on them while we are here," Bill answered.
"I have been thinking about this and we," Fleur indicated between herself and Bill, "have come up with a few things that we think might help. You cannot hide the house, and these things have a habit of getting out, you do not want people hanging around outside."
"Ideally no, not just because of the statute but I'd rather not have the neighbours annoyed at us," Audrey agreed.
"So, we are going to alter your wards, it will mean magical people who do not know your house is here and have not been invited will be encouraged to walk past. This way you should not be bothered."
"That sounds perfect," Audrey agreed. "It won't stop anyone we know visiting, will it?"
"No, though anyone who has not been before will need to be brought to the house. It is not a Fidelius charm, that is too much, it is a version of it though. I will put a little something extra in as well to stop a certain animagus reporter."
"Oh yes, please do." Audrey huffed a laugh, "I am sure that she must know that Percy was involved in the cabal that blackmailed her to write those articles after the war, and while it did make her name and fortune no doubt, she'd be happy to get one over on any of us."
"We'll start now, and it shouldn't take too long. You still have everything anchored in the cellar?" Bill asked as he guided Fleur towards the hall.
"Yes," Percy said. "If I won't be in the way I'll come with you. I'd like to know what you're putting in and how it works."
Bill nodded. "Of course, depending on what the matrix can support there's a few other things on the possible list, you can have a look over it and see what you think."