(Untitled)

[minister_lupin]

There is a large botanical garden that I like to visit not far from my cottage. It's always been part of the local Muggle university, but at least one wizard is known to have had a hand in it: Rowan Bract, who designed a set of systematic beds that function as a living reference guide. The beds are grouped according to a well-known herbology text

Comments

[pottersfield]

Why do you like to visit the garden, if being there's sort of depressing?

And what happened this week? I haven't seen you since we all went out on Sunday.

[minister_lupin]

It's not usually, which is why I think the impression is a hangover from the week.

I had a series of meetings during which certain factions kept bringing up the Wizarding Code of Secrecy and throwing about endless rolls of statistics showing how lax security has become in Britain. It's an important issue, but it's also a convenient pretext for other agendas.

[pottersfield]

Normally I'd say their just looking for something useless to worry about, or rooting around for an excuse to... well, bring up those other agendas. There are some muggles I wouldn't mind there being extra security against, though. People like the Dursleys.

[minister_lupin]

It's no secret that the conservative element is furious over the reforms we've pushed through since the war. Every so often they sound the alarm and try to get everyone riled up. I don't like that De Gallden is nosing around, however. He's an opportunist of the worst stripe, and it's never a good sign when he takes an interest.

[strangewaynes]

Hmmm. I think every Hufflepuff has it ingrained in them to love plants, magical or not, or at least every Hufflepuff who's had Professor Sprout as a Head of House. I feel I should've known about this garden, I'm a bit disappointed in myself.

Thanks for writing about it, I think I'll ask Eloise (Midgen, you'll know her, most likely) if she wants to visit it sometime.

[minister_lupin]

The Systematic Beds aren't well-known in wizarding circles anymore; no-one likes to have to explain how the last wizards with custody over it met their ends.

It's well worth visiting, however. I think the two of you will enjoy it a great deal.

[jmff]

Speak for yourself!