TBAY: More Invisibility Cloaks

[ssk7882 <skelkins@attbi.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52263

Out in the garden of the Safe House, the sun is still shining, even 
though the storm clouds are moving quickly in on the Bay.

"I don't want to spoil everyone's fun," says Eileen to herself. "But 
I think invisibility cloaks belong to old families, not people with 
connections to the DMLE."

"Truthfully?" whispers Elkins, with a quick glance back at the door 
to the Safe House.  "So do I."

"Elkins!  I was talking to *myself* there!"

"And I was eavesdropping.  I think that they belong to old families 
too.  Look at what Ron says, when he first sees Harry's in PS/SS."

-----------------------------------------------------------------
"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the
box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's
what I think it is -- they're really rare, and really valuable."
------------------------------------------------------------------

"Really rare, and really valuable," repeats Elkins.  "But what Ron 
*doesn't* say is anything about them being 'restricted.'  And given 
that Ron is a Ministry kid, I think that he might well know about it, 
if they were.  It also seems clear to me that Ron's never *seen* one 
before.  'If that's what I think it is.'  But we know that the 
Weasley kids do come into contact with members of the DMLE from time 
to time.  Charlie met Moody while visiting Arthur at work, for 
example, and the Twins also seem to be acquainted with him.

"Hermione never brings it up either," she continues.  "No 'Harry, you 
can't have one of those!  I just read in a book that only people in 
Magical Law Enforcement are allowed those!'  Nothing like that.  
Nobody ever cautions Harry against being caught with one in his 
possession either, which I suspect would have come up by now, if 
Invisibility Cloaks were really restricted to members of the DMLE.  
Snape never objects to his owning one on those grounds.  Nobody 
does.  It looks to me far more like a very valuable legacy artifact, 
the sort of thing that wealthy old families might possess, than it 
does like government issue."

Eileen nods.  "After all, Barty Crouch Sr. wasn't just head of the
DMLE," she points out.  "He was an aristocrat. And something in the 
way JKR describes the Potters makes me think we're looking at a 
similar background." 

"I agree.  Inherited wealth.  Never had to work for a living.  Also,
the Malfoys seem to view the Potters far more as class traitors than 
as inferiors.  Both Draco and Lucius talk about them as if they 
*should* have been on Voldemort's side.  As if they made the wrong 
choice.  I'm left with the impression that the Potters were wizarding 
aristocrats as well."

"But I do hate to spoil Cindy's fun..." begins Eileen.

"Do you?  Really?"  Elkins blinks.  "How droll.  I always find it 
rather amusing, myself.  In fact, I think that I'm going to end this 
post right here..."

"You are?  Why?"

"Why, to give her a chance to object without having to deal with more 
of our Crouch talk, of course!"

"But how do you plan on conducting more than one conversation at a 
time?"

Elkins jerks her head over towards her two clones on the swingset.

"Oh."


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Elkins