Lynx: Anyone on?

Stag: Hello.

Lynx: Hi Harry. What's going on?

Stag: Nothing, at the moment. Which is weird. The silence is kind of creepy.

Lynx: So there's NOTHING going on right now?

Stag: No. Like I said, it's kind of creepy. If he weren't dead, I'd think YKW would burst through the door any minute.

Lynx: lol. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Stag: Yeah. BTW, I had an idea...

Lynx: What is it?

Stag: Well, you know how many kids were orphaned after the war. And out of those, probably only about half of them--and that's being optimistic--will be lucky enough to grow up in the magical world. The rest of them will probably have to grow up with Muggles, and I know from experience that not all Muggles like the magical world.

Lynx: I'm aware of that. Not that I'm happy about it, of course.

Stag: I know you're not. I was just thinking...if I could find someone who's willing and has enough time on their hands to run it, what would you think of starting a magical orphanage?

Lynx: I think that's a great idea! Best one I've heard all day.

Stag: Really?

Lynx: Of course! I don't know if I'd be able to help you, but you definitely have my permission.

Stag: Great! Now all I have to do is find someone who's willing and has that funny stuff called "free time."

Lynx: lol.

Minister by Default

Lynx

After having to hear dozens of hairbrained suggestions from almost everyone in the Ministry, the best one I've heard in a while comes from someone who doesn't even work in the Ministry. (After the war, we made the Auror office independent from the Ministry so that if anything ever happens to the Ministry again--translation: if it's ever overtaken by another power-hungry psychopath--the Aurors won't be ineffective.)

Harry and I were talking online during one of those rare things...I think they're called "breaks." Anyway, he suggested creating a magical orphanage--a place where all the magical children whose parents were killed can go, or just where kids from bad homes can go for the summer until they leave Hogwarts.

I don't know how we're going to manage this, what with all the other things going on (and all the morons who don't think dementors are inhumane), but I hope we find a way. Like I said before, it's one of the best ideas I've heard in a while.

Diary of an Auror

Stag

I can't believe it. My idea for the magical orphanage is actually coming together.

It started when I told Shacklebolt my idea and he said he liked it, but it didn't really get going until I suggested it to Mrs. Weasley.

"That's a wonderful idea," she said. "If you do start one, I'd be more than happy to get involved."

"Do you know of anyone else who'd be interested?"

"Yes, actually. I'll talk to them about it."

She did, and pretty soon we had a pretty big group of people who all thought a magical orphanage was a great idea and wanted to do something to help--donate money, get organized, etc. We even had a gourmet chef volunteer to cook meals once it was built.

Of course, building it would be a problem. First we'd have to find a site that was away from Muggles, get permission to build there, get the materials and set up anti-Muggle charms--all before we even started. I was sort of venting to everyone about what a problem it'd be, and Draco solved it.

"You could use the Manor," he said.

"You mean...your old house?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm not going to live there. And it shouldn't be too much of a problem to get rid of any Dark Arts stuff that's left."

"That's actually a very good idea," Aunt Andy said from the kitchen. "You could divide up some of the rooms to make room for more kids, make it a bit more homey..."

"Fix the hole Aunt Spazzy left in the carpet?"

I laughed. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea."

I can't believe it's actually coming together.

KiltedStranger: You're doing WHAT with the Manor?

YouCanCallMeE: Converting it into a magical orphanage. What's so weird about that?

KiltedStranger: Um, maybe the fact that you didn't even want to go back there to get your stuff, and now you're suggesting orphans live there?

YouCanCallMeE: That was two years ago, Theo. Besides, none of the kids will have lived there before. They don't know everything that went on there.

KiltedStranger: You do realize that most of the kids will say it's haunted, right?

YouCanCallMeE: Everyone knows it isn't. And once they take a look around, they'll see it's not.

KiltedStranger: What did Shacklebolt say when Harry suggested it?

YouCanCallMeE: He liked the idea. He sort of said the same thing you're saying--mostly about how some people will have a hard time getting over what it was--but he thought it was a good idea.

KiltedStranger: It's a weird idea, but it could work.

YouCanCallMeE: Once we get rid of the carpet Aunt Spazzy burned a hole in, it should actually be a pretty nice place.

The Invisible Man

Falcon

Harry came up with the idea for a magical orphanage, and I said he could use the Manor if they needed a place for it.

Most everyone liked the idea. Theo still isn't sure, and to be honest, I'm not completely sure, either. Still, they needed a place for it, and using the Manor would save time, money, and a whole bunch of other things worth saving. That, and anyone who's never been there before would think it's a pretty nice place.

Yes, Shacklebolt uses chatspeak. EVERYONE uses chatspeak during private online conversations. Heck, my MOM uses little snippets of chatspeak--lol, jk, brb, btw--online sometimes, so I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say Shacklebolt uses the occasional "lol."

BTW, I think it'd probably take a while to convince the wizarding world to ban dementors from Azkaban. Need I remind you that Crabbe and Goyle--and the Carrows--are in there? You could argue that they deserve to be surrounded by dementors.