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Watching The Scenery
Author: Zabrynna
Date: 04-08-09 17:20
Victoria, Philippa, Anne and Zabrynna stand near the gated entrance of the park that's between the Hogsmeade library and Blossom's. They're eating lemon ices and debating what to do next. Anne is all for going down to McFusty's Pets so she can flirt with Indigo.
Victoria points out, "You don't even know if he's there."
"Then we should go down and see," Anne says with a smile.
Philippa, her eyes on a group of boys none of them have seen before, casually mentions, "Indigo McFusty and Professor Kent are cousins of some sort. Gaia Goyle told me."
Anne asks around a bite mouthful of lemon ice, "And how does Gaia know?"
"She overheard the professor say something to Indigo."
Victoria, who's also now looking at the same boys Philippa is, asks, "Who do you think they are?"
"Oh, I know exactly who they are," Philippa states. "They are very cute guys who didn't go to Hogwarts, which means if we go up and introduce ourselves they don't have to know we're only fifth years."
Victoria agrees with Philippa. "Yes! Let's go right now."
"But what about Indigo?" Anne moans. "Zabrynna, what do you think?"
Zabrynna's has only been half listening, if that much. Declan Douglass had come into view and her attention has been fixated on him. She does at least respond to hearing her name. Tearing her eyes off Declan she asks, "What?"
"What do you think?"
"About what?"
Philippa grins at Anne. "Zabrynna's been staring at our chaps over there as well. That mean she agrees with us. Don't you, Zabrynna?"
"Uh, sure," Zabrynna answers, still not having the vaguest idea of what they're talking about.
Victoria pats Anne on the arm. "Indigo will be there later. Those blokes over there might not be."
Pulling Anne by the hand, Philippa urges, "Come on."
Seeing that they are going in the same direction that Declan is, Zabrynna doesn't protest or even ask for clarification on what's taking place. A few minutes later Philippa has introduced the four of them to a four Czech St. Emrys students and seating inside The Three Broomsticks ordering drinks. That's fine with Zabrynna because just before they went into the pub, Declan entered and now they are sitting not all that far from where he is.
This day is working out to be quite nice!
Kronos Papadiamantopoulos
Author: Ron Weasley
Date: 04-08-09 18:23
Already inside the Ministry for over an hour, Ron chafes in itchy black robes. The sooner the raid begins, the sooner he can drop the robe and be comfortable in the jeans and pullover he's got on underneath. The woman at the desk across from Ron looks up from the pile of parchments she's scribbling on and smiles as Ron jabs a finger between his neck and collor.
"Almost done, Mr. Papidaminpoolus."
"Papadiamantopoulos," Ron automatically corrects for what must be the thousandth time."
"Right. Sorry. It's quite a mouthful, isn't it?"
"Pretty woman like you, call me Kronos," Ron magnanimously offers in a Greek accent.
The woman, who is somwhat plain, flutters under the compliment, patting her hair and batting her eyes. "Me? Pretty. Hardly. But thank you for saying, Kronos. Now, if you will come with me we'll get a photograph taken for your identification card."
Nodding, Ron rises and follows her to a corner where a booth has been set up for taking the photos that appear on Ministry employee badges. Ron and some others arrived at various times through the morning as applicants for Ministry jobs. He would have much preferred being with Hermione or Harry but that's not how the mission assignments went. He can't let his concern for them, or for family members also in the raid, to cloud his actions and reactions when things begin.
Standing where the woman, whose name is Tammy, has indicated, Ron stands still while she fiddles with the camera then snaps a picture. "One more, Kronos, just in case I fudged the first one."
Stating the obvious, Ron asks, "So this is meaning I am hired?"
"Yes, definately. Let's sit back at my desk and discuss terms, scheduling, and so forth.
Trailing two steps behind Tammy, Ron looks to the clock on the wall just beyond where Tammy's cubicle with its half-walls is located. He knows the clock is fairly accurate and now he also knows that any second now those entering through the Atrium will be making their move.
Hand slipping into the pocket where his wand is, Ron can tell that the others with his group are tensing and readying themselves as well. Being able to see them and the clock makes him glad the cubicles have walls that don't give any real privacy.
Tammy's moved to her desk and is motioning for Ron to sit as she says, "Your name,"
"Papadiamantopoulos," Ron supplies.
Tammy laughs, "No, your first name. It's familiar to me but for the life of me I can't think of why."
The hands of the clock shift slightly and Ron cannot believe he's actually going to get to say this. Pulling out his wand in a fluid movement, Ron says, "Kronos means time and your time is up."
All around the large office space, hands go in the air. Only one person puts up a fight and he's taken down with a punch to the jaw by Drake Bennett who, shaking his fist, exclaims, "Damn, but that felt good to do."
The employees are hustled into a smaller room where they are tied up and gagged. As he's making sure Tammy's bonds are secure without cutting off circulation she whispers to him, "I don't know who you really are, but it's about time. Some of us have had a pool going on when an attempt would be made to take down the Minister."
"Does that mean you're with us," Ron asks.
"Definately! I've only kept the job because I have a half-sister and half-brother among the missing. I'm taking care of their children. I was worried that if I found a job in another country if either of them were able to find a way to try and contact me, they wouldn't know where to find me."
"Does that mean if I untie you and give you back your wand, you'll help us?"
"I... okay, though I'm no good at dueling."
Ron starts untying Tammy, with Drake asking, "What are you doing?"
"Tammy's going to make sure this room stays secure and no one in here gets hurt."
To the others taken prisoner Ron asks, "Who else is with us?"
Three men and another woman speak up. Of the others, only two glare with body language making it clear they would stop the group if they could. Ron directs Tammy to watch over them, frees the other volunteers to help with the raid, then after freeing the remaining ones tells them, "Leave the Ministry."
Without a single word of protest, they do just that. The others in Ron's group, impatient to get moving warn the volunteers, "If you're lying and don't intend to help, if you hinder us in any way, you will regret it."
With Drake on point and Ron bringing up the rear, the group moves on to the next of the offices to secure it, this time meeting some resistance but not much.
A Raiding We Will Go
Author: Griffin Price
Date: 04-09-09 13:49
Griff had spent Friday night at the house in France, listening to Carys practice Frence, playing with Tristan and Seeayetee, and accepting Alun's challenge to a chess match. At no time did he mention that he be doing something other than regular work on Saturday. When Griff left this morning he'd tiptoed in to kiss Tristan's cheek and to nuzzle with the cat, murmuring to Seeayette that he expects the cat to look over Tristan should Griff not return by this evening. After looking in on the still sleeping forms of Carys and Alun, Griff had left for the British Ministry of Magic. He'd left a letter with Ruth in the event something happens to him today so that Carys and Alun will know what's happened and will have full access to his accounts and information on what of his and his family's is still back in the Faulklands.
Griff had arrived early at the Ministry but spent the next few hours in and out of the office. As far as the Ministry knew, Griff was doing service calls in a futile effort to catch up with the backlog. What he was really doing was delivering portkeys to different Order and Resistance members.
When the plan to raid the Ministry was revealed to more and more people, Griff heard the original version of the plans and how Jet Obsidian had suggested using some of the other entrances as well. Jet himself told Griff that the idea came to him when overhearing a conversation Griff and a woman were having in the cafeteria.
This got Griff to thinking about even more ways people could get inside when the time came. He suggested offically made portkeys, made by him and on the Ministry's time, in a sense making the porkeys official. The irony of that was not lost on anyone and when Griff went around this morning to distribute the portkeys, he was met by grins of eager anticipation.
Back in the office in plenty of time before the raid was to start, Griff methodically worked on the paperwork that keeps piling up on his desk. It's not that he loves doing paperwork; it's that by being so diligent helps to pass the time.
As the time drew near, Griff started paying more attention to the room, though he already knew who was where. The seriously understaffed office, in fact the entire understaffed Department of Magical Transportation, has more people in on a Saturday than Griff would have liked but there was nothing he could do about that. He'll get the drop on those in the immediate vicinity, the element of surprise on his side.
Griff's got his hand on his wand, posed to spring up and take the room, get it secure then move on when someone comes rushign in yelling, "The Atrium's under attack!"
Not only did this spur people into action around him but the person running in and shouting the warning is none other than Dulcie.
Rushing to the door, Griff holds up his hands to halt people, at the same time loudly saying, "Calm down! Panicking will only lead to people getting hurt!"
Hearing how calm and rational Griff sounds and seeing how unflustered he appears, a number of people do visible calm. Shutting the door and stepping off to the side, Griff levels his wand at those in the room.
"The Ministry is being raided. In that box, there, are portkeys for those of you too frightened to apparate out."
"If that's even possible," one man says, not at all sounding like he thinks he'd be able to just up and leave so easily.
"We don't want to hurt any innocent bystanders."
"We can really go? I have a baby at home," a woman says.
"Yes, go. We don't want to fight you if we don't have to."
Of the ten other people in the room, seven leave on the spot, some apparating, some using the portkeys. Of the three left, two are men and one is Dulcie. One of the men, twitchy sort but who's nice enough Griff supposes, steps forward. "I want to help."
From beyond the closed door, there are sounds of chaos, feet moving rapidly, voices raised. Griff tells Twitchy, who's name is actually Myron, "I've got to secure this department."
Myron takes in the four of them and croaks, "Just us?"
"No, others are already on this level to help." To Dulcie Griff says, "You weren't supposed to be at work today."
"I had some paperwork I didn't finish last night. I had only just arrived when people started taking over the Atrium. I was already on a lift or I'd probably be trapped on Level 8. I knew you were here this morning. All I could think of was to warn you of what was going on."
"You should go. Either apparate out or take one of those portkeys."
"Only if you come too."
Griff shakes his head. "I'm part of this, Dulcie. I won't abandon my mission."
"Then I'm going to help."
Unsure of just how Dulcie thinks she can help as she's not really the sort who knows how to duel or handle herself well under extreme duress, Griff nonetheless has no time to argue. He feels an urgent pressure of being behind.
"Stay behind me then," Griff orders.
To Twitchy and the other man who as yet has said nothing and whose name is Llyle, Griff says, "Out the door then flank me to either side. We'll start a sweep."
"How do we know who's who?" Twitchy asks.
"Nearly forgot," Griff grunts.
He waves his wand at one sleeve and an armband appears. Seconds later Dulcie and the other two men are sporting armbands as well. They start out of the room into the adjoining one, finding people cowering under desks and huddle together against the walls. Working swifly, Griff directs them to the portkeys or for those too frightened to leave, instructs them to bunch together in the nearest supply closet.
As they move on to the next open work space, Twitchy yells, "Watch out!"
Dulcie screams and throws herself at Griff just as Llyle fires a bolt from his wand, directing it at Griff. He snarls, "I don't want to be on your side."
Griff and Twitchy both get off shots, each hitting Llyle but not before another from Llyle catches Dulcie square in the back. Llyle is dead but for the moment Dulcie is still breathing, if somewhat shallowly. Twitchy takes her from where she lies in Griff's arms.
"I'll get her to safety."
"Thank you, Myron."
"Kick their asses! I'm tired of the their crap, not that I was doing much to stop it myself."
Griff pats Myron on the arm, "You are now. Better late than never counts in this case."
"Only if we win," Myron says then adds, "And we will win. Now go."
A single, quick nod and Griff is working through to a corridor where he encounters a skirmish between some of the Minister's more vocal supporters and some of the Resistance and Order members who'd portkeyed in.
The Department of Mysteries
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 04-09-09 18:28
The brass gate of the lift in which Ethan and several others stood slid open at Level 9 and revealed a simple, bare corridor. Cautiously, with wands drawn, the group moved down the hall and stopped before a plain black door. Bill Weasley stood closest to the door and opened it carefully. He and most others in the group had never had opportunity or reason to visit the Department of Mysteries before and didn't know what lay beyond the door.
They discovered that it opened into a circular room, in which there were eleven more plain black doors. Blue light filtered into the room from burning candles, giving the space an almost aquatic appearance.
The group moved into the room and looked around. Michael Turin, the last to cross the threshold, closed the door behind him.
In that moment, the walls began to spin. They rotated so fast, the group could no longer tell which door they'd used to enter the room. Some feared they'd fallen into a trap, but the select few in the group who knew better calmed the fears of their comrades and moved across the room to exit through any one of the revolving doors.
They came into a large, rectangular room with poor lighting and stone benches lined around and around and down several steps. The benches looked upon an archway set on top of a raised dais. A tattered black cloth hung over the archway and blew in a breeze no one else felt from where they stood in the room.
The room was deserted.
"If I were an Unspeakable, I think I'd avoid this room too," someone commented.
Ethan nodded. "It is a bit eerie in here, isn't it?" He moved away from the door, down several steps, but stopped well before he reached the level of the archway. His eyes scanned the entire room, taking in every aspect. He spotted another doorway the moment Bill announced, "There's another door over there," and pointed toward it with his index finger extended.
The group, led by Ethan who was nearest, walked in the direction of the doorway. It opened into an even stranger room, where several desks encircled a large tank filled with brains floating in dark green liquid. This room was not devoid of people, though the Order and Resistance members vastly outnumbered the Unspeakables.
The Unspeakables rose hastily to their feet and drew their wands.
"What is the meaning of this?" the only male among them shouted. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Ethan switched to auror-mode and spoke for the group. "We have business with someone in this building, though not with you. Go quietly or join us. The choice is yours."
Before the Unspeakables could answer, someone came through one of several other doorways that led into the room. Ethan kept his wand trained on one of the three who had their wands pointed at him, but Bill's wand twitched toward the newcomer before he visibly relaxed.
The newcomer spoke to his coworkers. "Mara, Horatio, Violet. Do as our guest says."
"But Jet––" one of the women started.
He cut her off with a shake of his head. "Trust me on this."
The man, Horatio, didn't look convinced. The women, however, lowered their wands and reached for things like purses and cardigans before ducking out of the room.
"Be reasonable," Ethan said to Horatio. "Lower your wand and follow your coworkers. Go home. You really don't want to be at work today."
Jet took a cautious step closer to Horatio and held up a hand. "Listen to him, Horatio. He means well, I promise you that."
"I don't know what is going on here, and I don't know what you know or think you know," he spat at Jet, "but I don't like it. I'm not leaving. Not without a fight!"
Red sparks shot out of his wand a second after Jet struck Horatio's arm, causing the hex to miss Horatio's intended target, Ethan. Unfortunately, the spell hit Michael on the arm. He grunted after the hit and clasped the bleeding cut with his other hand.
Bill stunned and bound Horatio. Jet pocketed his wand and withdrew his own.
"Glad you all are here," he said to the group at large. "I've been waiting."
"How many are working today, and are more expected to arrive during the course of the day?" Ethan asked, getting straight down to business. After all this time of inactivity, he fell easily into doing what he used to do for a living. Ask questions and get results, the easy or the hard way.
"Very few of us today, since it's a weekend, though with the department being so understaffed these days, we find ourselves with more work than we're used to and we often have to come in on our days off to get things done. That said, no one else is scheduled to come in today, but that doesn't mean unexpected drop-ins aren't a possiblity."
Ethan nodded and glanced quickly at Michael, who had already staunched the bleeding on his arm with a basic healing charm.
He turned back to Jet, who spoke again.
"It shouldn't take long to secure the rest of the floor."
"Good," Ethan said. "We want to head over to the courts, too. It being Saturday, we don't expect anybody to be there."
"Perhaps a clerk or two," Jet commented, already moving toward another room with the group quickly behind him. "Should be easy work, though."
The group, led by Jet, moved through the rest of Level 9 and worked to secure the floor before they moved on to Level 10 via a staircase from near the entrance to the Department of Mysteries.