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[alt_sally_anne]

I got an owl from Mrs Stretton today. They applied for a muggleborn to replace Maureen but were denied by the Ministry, officially on the grounds that if they couldn't keep track of the last one they shouldn't get another, but it sounds as if Mrs Stretton called to argue about it and there's a shortage.

(She also wanted to know if I knew anyone who'd left school who might be interested in a job as a nanny. I'd recommended Megan Jones for the job she'd offered me and I guess that got her thinking that I might have other referrals.)

Anyway I thought I'd mention the shortage. I don't know how long that's been happening but you didn't have trouble getting Ellie, did you?

Comments

[alt_lupin]

We did not. However, there were quite a few formalities, and I'm not surprised they wouldn't hand over another one to someone who'd been careless with her first.

[alt_sirius]

No, in fact, they gave you a few names, didn't they?

[alt_lupin]

No -- Arthur and Kingsley got the names. We tailored the application to try to get them to assign us Ellie, and it worked.

[alt_lupin]

Didn't YOU fill it out, come to think of it?

[alt_sirius]

Oh, yeah. I did.

That's right. Kingsley and Arthur did get us the names of likely young people. Mostly friends or relations of people in Sherwood.

There was Ellie and ... Bugger all. Now I can't remember the others. Can you?

I suppose I ought to go back and look. We might be able to get them out, now that it's been a while.

[alt_alice]

There's Laurel Sinclair -- the one who's been 'called into service' and is nowhere to be found.

I don't recall the others, though.

[alt_lupin]

Jeanne Harris and Midge Gardner. (I didn't remember either, but I looked them up, after we realised Laurel might be the mother of the child in the book.) Jeanne was 16, Midge was 12, so I suppose they'd be 17 and 13 now.

It's worth looking them up.

[alt_nymphadora]

Which camps were they from? Or wasn't that specified?

[alt_lupin]

Kingsley didn't say.

[alt_sirius]

Right. And I knew that, too, and Laurel and all.

It's hard to concentrate properly with Sniv Snape being so chatty and cheerful round the house.

[alt_nymphadora]

Were the Strettons investigated for Maureen's going missing? I'd have thought surely they would have been.

Only, I'm surprised the Strettons thought there was any chance of getting another--or even that they'd dare bring it up, so maybe they weren't dragged over the coals for her running off.

What do you suppose?

[alt_sally_anne]

From what she said, I think she paid someone off.

[alt_nymphadora]

Yes, well. I suppose there is a different standard for people who run a necessary operation like that farm of theirs. The economy depends on people like them, so it's a matter of passing the right number of galleons to the right official and trouble looks the other way.

Lovely.

More reason to be glad they got told no about hiring another muggleborn.

[alt_lupin]

Sally-Anne, do you know if they wound up getting in any trouble over the Diviner's Mint?

[alt_sally_anne]

I don't know if you'd call it a fine or a bribe but they had to pay a load of money and they don't get to keep the Diviner's Mint.

[alt_alice]

A shortage of Muggleborn is rather interesting, if that's what's really going on.

I know we've put a sizable dent in younger Muggleborns, but I'd imagine she was looking for someone closer to Maureen's age.

I wonder if the richer families taking on servants instead of using house elves are suddenly leading to a greater demand? Or if the smuggling Beth has been doing has made that large a dent in their population?