Private message to Barty Crouch Jr and Bellatrix Lestrange

[alt_selwyn]

Meg's all yours, Auror Lestrange. I'm confident you can ensure some 'permanent damage.' She might be useful later as an object lesson but it's probably not worth the trouble to keep her alive. (It largely depends on whether we care if word gets around that the damage was from MLE, not from some mysterious curse cast by the Dogstar traitors. St Mungo's will certain know the difference. Do we have a secure ward of trustworthy Healers? They leaked like a sieve during the epidemic.)

Barty -- we've established they are at least reading the journal, but they're more than willing to turn their backs on members who get captured, at least low-level members. We should talk about whether we want to share the code name Auror Lestrange learned -- someone might have heard it used, but on the other hand, it might give them a certain glamour we'd rather avoid.

Comments

[alt_crouch_jr]

If there's anything left when Bella's finished, I'd send it to Azkaban. Bury it there. You're too right about St Mungo's permeability.

I suggest we keep the code name Procyon to ourselves. It will tell us more when we do run across it, and in the meantime, we'll avoid spawning imitators and admirers. Besides, the recruitment system we've discovered is sophisticated and subtle enough that I doubt publishing the name would lure any informants. I'm not convinced that many of Procyon's conquests know that they know his name. We know to probe for it now, however, and that may pay rich benefits one day.

[alt_selwyn]

Excellent point.

I've been trying to think of avenues to investigate that might turn up a rogue legilimens. It's not a particularly common skill. Are there tutors that MLE uses? Do any take private clients? Perhaps the booksellers might be able to provide names of individuals who've bought books, though plenty of people try to learn the trick and fail.

[alt_crouch_jr]

It's not common at all. You're quite right.

We don't attempt to teach the skill to those who have no pre-existing aptitude. Occlumency, yes, for defensive purposes. Legilimency, however, is a waste of training time in people with no predisposition.

Bellatrix seems certain that this Procyon is a natural talent. That does not, of course, mean he is untrained nor that he has gone undetected all his life.

Bellatrix may have thoughts on ways to trace him.

[alt_bellatrix]

His training was not thorough, if he had it. He let the girl get a lasting impression of his face.

Were the body still on display, I'd suggest staking out the lines to watch for recruitment activity, but as that's no longer possible I currently have one of the assistants combing the calender, looking for events where feelings about the Protectorate, be they good or ill, are most likely to be roused.