Order Only: Sherwood Band has a problem

[alt_kingsley]

Poppy, Frank and Alice:

We stopped by for our usual beginning of the month stop to see our friends with the Sherwood Band. They celebrated Guy Fawkes in their own way, by quietly liberating a half a dozen people from Derby. It seems they've taken a tip from us, and now they have a confederate inside the camp who's providing bogus death certificates, so there shouldn't be a hue and cry. Davidson's obviously thought quite carefully about this, and they've been building up a cache of supplies so they can support more people. Those wands have helped a lot. However, there is a problem they didn't anticipate.

One of the women they got out fell badly ill this morning. Poppy, we're afraid it might be the sickness that's been reported in the Muggle camps, but she's a muggleborn. Once I told them about what Poppy's heard, that it might be spread by fleas, we checked everyone over (us and the Sherwood people as well as the escapees), using Molly's charm. But we found no sign of either fleas or flea bites.

Poppy, these people don't complain, but they're obviously worried about how the ruddy hell they're going to be able to nurse her while they're living rough and sometimes have to move fast to break camp to avoid Bloodhounds or MLE. She has a high fever. Davidson asks if there is anything we can do to help her. I thought--well, I thought about the isolation room you set up for Frank at Moddey Dhoo. Is there any possibility we can bring her there?

Ever since she's fallen ill, she's been insisting that no one should get close to her. Jacinda Chadha, her name is--skinny as a wand, in her late twenties, I'd guess, and obviously one tough lady. They're trying to tend her as best they can by using their wands to float supplies within her reach, but they'll be in a right fix if they have to break camp and move out fast.

Is there anything we can do for them?

Davidson's never really asked anything from us before. He's always rather prided himself on being as self-sufficient as possible, although those wands we gave them have thawed things out marvelously. I really don't want to let him down now that he's genuinely asking for our help.

Comments

[alt_alice]

Oh dear. That does sound dire.

I'll talk with Stephen immediately.

[alt_frank]

it was double the risk with me and mel, and we've tried out the room and have some practice in keeping everything sterile.

[alt_alice]

Agreed. As is Stephen.

We can't leave her there. She's putting the rest of the Sherwood group in danger. We'll take every precaution, and, as Frank said, we've been able to test the system so we know how to be careful.

Stephen says it'd probably be best to Side-Along to the Point, tell her the secret, and then Side-Along again directly into the room as soon as you get here --it's that room in the Northeast corner that's down a long hallway -- less danger of splinching that way. Frank will lower the wards so you can Apparate inside.

Stephen stressed that you should all be extra careful with contamination -- multiple showers after for everyone -- the Players, the Sherwood group, everyone, and to be extra-vigilant about washing hands before touching food or other people, covering coughs, and watching symptoms for the next week and a half. I'm sure Poppy will weigh in with more, as well.

At least you lot can go to St Mungo's if you get ill (Merlin forbid), but the Sherwood group... I worry what would happen if they were all to get sick. Be careful, Kingsley. Tell them all to be careful, too.

[alt_kingsley]

We will. And thank you again, Alice. Davidson won't forget this, and neither will I.

[alt_poppy]

Kingsley, I understand what you are saying about the awkwardness of leaving this woman with the Sherwood group, but honestly, there aren't many good options. If, indeed, the illness is flea-born, and I've heard nothing to contradict that so far, it is very difficult to stop. And she will be a source of the disease wherever she is, if there are fleas about to bite her and then carry it on.

But this is what troubles me, Kingsley. If this is a flea-born disease, how can it be that the Ministry have found no way to eradicate fleas from the camps? It would seem within the capabilities of magic to reduce their population nearly to zero if there were administrative will to do so. And yet, the disease is spreading to new camps and new populations. Are we to think the Ministry wants to see these populations decimated? I get the impression from what I read between the lines in The Prophet that the harvest and a number of industries are suffering from labor shortages, so I find it difficult to believe that this is a planned culling of Muggles, much less of Muggleborns.

And if it is not flea-born?

I don't know what to advise. I see that you need to move her away from the Sherwood group, but where you should take her is a puzzle. Obviously, you are not well-situated to keep her with you. You could Obliviate her and leave her at St Mungo's, but there are definite risks in that course of action. On the other hand, if there is any other option, I really can't advocate that she be quarantined at the Sanctuary; I hate the idea of taking that risk with our children.

I would say that you could bring her here, but I'm not sure how we could conceal her, and I'm as loath to expose this population of young people to this disease when so much is unknown about its spread as I am to allow it into the Sanctuary. And, in any case, there are Ministry representatives here today doing some sort of security sweep of the school. (In advance of tomorrow's Quidditch match, I suppose. They do this whenever there's a chance that the Protector might take a notion to travel here. I haven't heard that we expect him, but it's always a possibility when his son is scheduled to play.)

If you were to take her to the Sanctuary, I would urge that only one of you have any contact with her, and that person should also be quarantined somewhere before being allowed to return to your midst. The people at Sherwood can be assumed to be at risk; we will have to wait and see if any of them fall ill. I hate to take a cold view of this, but it does provide us with an opportunity to learn something about this disease if it happens to spread amongst that group. Or yours.

I wish I could offer you my full assurance that there is a clear, correct course of action, but there are still too many questions with respect to this disease. I know you will consider the situation with a clear head and make the most responsible choice you can.

[alt_frank]

steve says he's been trained in contamination procedures from St Mungo's, and is sure he can pull it off -- bubbleheaded charms, no physical contact, showers after, and staying far away from Laura and Kate (and pretty much everyone else) until he's sure she isn't contagious and neither is he.

he's ready to set up bunk in Lupin's guardhouse for the duration.

[alt_kingsley]

All right, the decision's made. I'll be at the Point with her in just a few. I'll send a patronus to let you know when we arrive.

Merlin, I hope this is the right decision.

[alt_poppy]

Of course I trust Stephen to take the necessary precautions if this is the decision you have made.


Let us hear how things are progressing, Frank, as there is news to report.

[alt_frank]

will do, Poppy. thanks.

[alt_kingsley]

I'm the only one who's come near her, and I kept my gloves on.

I offered your suggestion of St Mungo's, with an obliviate, and she told me to kill her rather than do that. I'm sorry, Poppy, I know you won't like it. But I'm going to take her to Moddey Dhoo. Frank and Alice and Arabella have given their permission, with Stephen's approval, and so that's what we're going to do. I'll isolate myself from the rest of the Players when I get back, making a separate camp, and we'll wait out the ten days until I'm clear. Luckily, we've had so many performances cancelled that no one's expecting us anywhere for awhile.

[alt_kingsley]

Poppy, I also put the bubble-head on myself, just to be safe while transporting her.

[alt_sirius]

Well, if nothing else, it seems that your willingness to help has made inroads with Davidson and his merry band of outlaws.

One thing troubles me - well, many things, but in particular: isn't anyone else at the camps falling ill with this thing? I mean, have they even admitted it's rampaging through the Muggle populations, let alone recognised that of course it's going to infect Muggleborns, too? Merlin, they're all human beings - it stands to reason that if one population gets sick, eventually they all will, including wizards.

If no one who runs the camps has had any troubles, well ... I'd suspect foul play, myself. Even if they're saying it's creating a labour shortage. There has to be something keeping it from magical folk, which means it's likely a man-made problem.

Anyone know? I wonder if there's an opportunity to expose the disease in a Grim Truth?

[alt_poppy]

That is an excellent question, Sirius.

I suppose it's entirely possible that staff at the camps have been affected. Certainly, the whole thing has been kept very quiet by a government that never likes to admit that things in our glorious state are not going well. There's been absolutely no official explanation for why prices are rising steeply in the markets or why certain items that are made here at home have suddenly become nearly impossible to purchase. But there are rumours, obviously. Pomona and I found ourselves in the midst of a lively speculative conversation about it all at the Three Broomsticks on Tuesday evening.

In any case, you are absolutely right. It would be a very significant piece of information if we could learn whether any of the camp staff have fallen ill. Or anyone at any of the factories or farms where people who have the disease worked. If there are, then the risks to the general population are much larger, and the secret-keeping is much more perilous. And, of course, if the only ones to have become ill are the unfortunates interned in those camps, then we should be asking a great many questions about how their overseers have protected themselves against infection.