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[alt_molly]

I'm up. I'm dressed. I'm sorry, everyone, but I think I will be all right, now.

Anyway.

I've been thinking about this all day. Percy's birthday is the day after tomorrow.

I wonder if there is a way that we can use that.

Bill has been taking Percy's things to the secondhand shops, all his possessions that none of us wanted to keep, since I couldn't bear to do it myself. With all of his books, and his robes, furniture and household items and such, we have a modest sum left over, above and beyond the funeral expenses, and I have been thinking: what if I used it as a pretext to approach that Headmaster Dolohov?

I could send him a letter, saying that I want to set up something at Hogwarts in memory of Percy. The Percy Weasley Memorial Award. A student would be chosen each year, perhaps the Headmaster's choice of a deserving prefect. I think with Bill's help, I can write some bunk about how I want the award to honour students following Percy's example in showing their devotion to Our Lord's service. (It might be a stipend to assist the poorer students, to help them pay their school fees, but of course that needn't be announced generally.)

With the stipend, I'd provide a plaque. The students' names would be inscribed on it each year. Maybe I could convince him to put it in the Headmaster's office, but if not, perhaps it would end up in the trophy room?

My idea was that I might weave some charms on the plaque: subtle or innocent or small enough to slip past Dolohov, yet something that might still be a help to our cause at Hogwarts. Dumbledore, what would be useful to plant in the Headmaster's office? Or if the plaque ends up in the trophy room, maybe it's something that could only be triggered by one of our Galleon holders? I wish we could make it into an emergency portkey, but I doubt he would miss that, even if we knew how.

I'm willing to grovel to our new Headmaster to accomplish this (and won't he love that), if we could think of any way this might be useful for planting a hidden charm or two. I just thought...Percy's birthday might provide a good pretext. And Dolohov is good, I know. Anything added to the plaque would have to be able to pass any test he could give it.

I'd welcome hearing your thoughts on this.

Comments

Private message to Fred and George Weasley

[alt_molly]

I was very angry at first, until I realised that it was the first time I was actually feeling things again.

You were right. So thank you.

[alt_alice]

I can see how that might be valuable, yes.

If it was something put in the trophy room, can any of our younger members think of what might be useful for galleon members to be able to access?

[alt_neville]

Well, one important point about using the trophy room is that we WOULD be able to access it, much more easily than anything in the Headmaster's office. Especially a suspicious Headmaster, if something dire is going on and we need help in a hurry. The staff could access it in an emergency, too, come to think of it. Or it might be a vehicle for exchanging messages. I don't think there are any portraits in there, or at least I don't remember any.

And the trophy room is central, too, rather than inside one of the Houses and so protected by passwords. It's just off the Great Hall--yet really tucked a bit out of the way and isn't visited very often. And all with the jogs and turns of the corridors right there, it's easy to slip into it unseen. It would be a discreet place to go to if there was some sort of ruckus. I'll bet no one was in there the night we helped Sarah Fawcett escaped, for example, but all of us were near it. If there was something in the plaque (or cup, or what have you) that could have helped her escape, that would be something.

We don't have any Emergency portkeys yet, do we? Dunno how you could plant one in the trophy room and not have Professor Dolohov detect it, though.

[alt_sinistra]

ToshaThe Headmaster does know the story of the plaque that Rod and Narcissa gave Alecto. I'd not trust slipping anything by him on an object (and I routinely check my rooms for things with unexpected charms, I can't imagine he doesn't.)

Something for the trophy room would be much more likely to succeed, I'd think.

Do the Galleon holders know the various ways out of the castle? I know there's still a couple of tunnels, yes?

[alt_alice]

The current plan is to show them the tunnels at the start of term as a precaution.

[alt_bill]

I agree. I think the chance of slipping something past Dolohov with any kind of charm is extremely small, especially if it's coming from you, Mum.

[alt_molly]

I suppose you're right, Bill.

[alt_bill]

There's no reason we couldn't charm something in the Trophy Room that might be useful, thought, if we really do think of something that would give the Galleon holders some needed back up help. Any one of the Order staff could do it.

[alt_molly]

I suppose that's true. It's just...

it's difficult to explain, but I wanted it to be something of Percy's. Maybe I'm irrational, but I wanted to give Dolohov the opportunity to gloat, to let him think he's getting a trophy--but somehow it might provide our side a crucial bit of help at just the right moment. It would make me feel that--that Percy was ending up helping our side after all. Even after he's gone.

I don't know. It made much more sense to me when I was lying in bed at 3:00 in the morning.

[alt_fred]

Well, Mum, maybe the thing to do is to play it absolutely straight. Give Dolohov a nice shiny plaque with absolutely no charms upon it whatsoever. Or...come to think of it, maybe you could give him that chess trophy cup that he won at that summer tournament he went to with Dad after his second year. Won the Devon Junior division, I think. (You didn't get rid of that one yet, did you Bill? He used to keep his cufflinks in it.) You could ask to have it displayed on a plinth in the trophy room, with a marker: In Memorium: Percy Weasley.

AFTER Dolohov has run every test on it that he and Barty Crouch can think of--they can tie themselves into knots over it, but they won't find anything. If we're lucky, they'll decide to humour you and display it there.

And then Professor Dumbledore or Professor Sinistra can slip in afterward and add something to the base. It'd be easy as anything for the Transfiguration Professor to create a hidden compartment to the cup's base, maybe set so a password can open it. We could stash whatever we think's best in there, and then tell the Galleon holders, 'If you're in trouble and you need 'X,' you can grab the Percy Weasley cup in the Trophy Room and say, 'Doloros Umbridge has thunder thighs,' and it'll open up the back of the cup base.

And there you have it.

[alt_bill]

I do still have that cup, actually. It was in a box of things I was going to ask family members whether they wanted, and I keep forgetting to do that.

The cup's silver plated, engraved with his name, and set on a finished dark wooden stand. It would be appropriate for a trophy room, I think.

[alt_george]

I dunno. I mean, I dunno if Dolohov would go for it. It doesn't have a connection to Hogwarts. Why should he agree to display a flipping chess trophy?

[alt_bill]

Hmm. That's a fair point.

What would you suggest instead?

[alt_george]

Mum...what about Percy's Head Boy badge? I mean, it might be hard for you to give it up, because you'd rather keep it. But it would add weight to the idea of the donation, and keeping it in the trophy room, because it definitely represents an honour connected to Hogwarts. If he asks you why you don't want to keep it yourself, you can say it's too painful of a reminder to have at home, and you're sure Percy would have wanted it to go back to the school, because Hogwarts meant so much to him.

I mean, everyone knew how proud he was of that badge; he was polishing it all the time. We used to tease him about it.

You can have it nicely mounted on a plaque: 'Percy Weasley, In Memorium,' with the dates he was Head Boy. And then once it's at the school, and Dolohov's checked it over, Brutka or Sinistra can slip something into the base.

[alt_molly]

That's...that's quite appropriate, actually.

What's more, it's the truth. It would be painful to have it around, especially since I think--well.

I will write to Dolohov later today.

Private message to Fred and George Weasley

[alt_molly]

I'm grateful for the suggestion, actually. It would be painful to keep it around, especially since he betrayed those principles so horribly.

Oh, this is going to be a difficult day, I just know it.

Re: Private message to Fred and George Weasley

[alt_gredforge]

We're coming round for lunch, okay? Tell Ginny. And we talked to Bill, and he'll be by, too. Charlie might even stick his head in the floo to say 'hello.'

Maybe going to Moddey Dhoo and spending the night with Alice and Frank might be good? Or we'll come and stay in our old room if you want the company. Just let us know.

Private Message to Molly

[alt_alice]

It's so good to see you up and writing, dear heart. I've just had a quick word from the twins, and you're more than welcome to come up for as long as you'd like. I've got some ideas that could use your input, and Florrie's been feeling a bit poorly lately, so we could certainly use your help, and, of course, your company.

Re: Private Message to Molly

[alt_molly]

Thank you, Alice. It IS good to be here at the Sanctuary, today of all days.

Dolohov has replied. He said he will take Percy's badge.

I do believe that is the first time I have communicated with him in any way. But it accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, so I don't regret doing so.