Back In Action - Meeting

Jack alerted everyone of the meeting via the old Dumbledore's Army method of calling them - enchanted coins. That Hermione Granger had started a tradition that could not be stopped. Jack waited in the kitchen, the usual meetig place, with an unusual amount of anticipation. Perhaps it was because she finally had something for the Order to do. It was not what they wanted to do, sure, but it was something to get them going.

Butterbeer, Firewhiskey, tea, and biscuits had been set out. She allowed a few minutes of amicable conversation before she stood, clearing her throat. "Some new faces. Hello, I'm Jack Dyllan. I'm glad you all have made it. I have not liked this silence but I could not bear to bring you together without good reason. Tonight, I have two."

She held up a copy of the Daily Prophet. "Gideon Pierce. We know nothing about a man so important to us. Let's get some information on him. He'll be clever. So let's do some acting. If you see him, play the adoring fan, the eager citizen. Ask for an autograph. Ask questions. Look supportive, be observant. Seek him out."

She glanced around. "That's the first mission. The second is a little more hand's on."

She paused. "In the Forest of Dean are two huts. In one, is the member list of the Death Eaters. In the Order, a list of current Order members. These were placed at the births of both factions, and powerful magic keeps both lists in the huts, where they are magically updated. The intent was so that the leader of each faction could view their members. It was supposed to be a place of peace, but my intelligence unit has discovered that, at the end of this month, the Death Eaters are breaking this pact to try and reach our list. They can't remove it but they can surely copy it. When they launch their attack, we will be there. We will defend our list, and furthermore, we will find their own."

She paused. "This is good old fashioned tactical warfare. I want no killing when this happens. I want intelligent manuevering. Stunning, communication, formations, leadership. We need people defending and people on the offense. This is a chance to defend ourselves, but it's an opportunity to tell the Death Eaters we are not a force to be reckoned with. Are you all ready for it?"

((Feel free to throw in some entering banter, I just know that can take awhile, so I jumped to the meeting))

Melopmene was soooo going to be late.

It really wasn't her fault. First of all she didn't apperate. And if she had wanted to she didn't think apperateing into a house where she was, was going to ease it. Futuermore she can't apperate out of Hogwarts.
And the meeting had caught her by suprised.
Often she checked her coin everyday but it had been a busy week at hogwarts and she left her coin in her room.
So when she had finally cheaked it the meeting was15 minutes away from starting and she was stuck at Hogwarts.
Damn it. She thought as she grabbed her bag and threw off her coat just to throw on a nicer one.
Then as she ran our of her room she slipped and fell right outside of her door and banged her head on the ground.
Bloody hell that hurt so much. She thought and pulled her self up. She grabbed the newspaper she had slipped on a read the heading.
Gidieon Pierce.
Who's he again? Melopmene thought.
Melopmene was often forgetful. One thing or another slipped form her mind then rentered at strange times.
She locked her door than remembered.
Snap! She thought as she fumbled with her key.
She had forgotten her broomstick inside!
She rushed in to grab her broomstick out of the closet the rushed out again. Closeing and locking the door.
And of course enchanting it so Alohamora wouldn't work.
The ruehing out side Melopmene slung her bag on to her broomstick and hopped on.
Then a quick look at her watch.
She was a good 30-45 minutes late.
Oh well.
She could always ask for a catchup.

There was something feral in the bellies of Death Eaters, of this Frank Longbottom was vaguely certain. As he listened to Jack talk about the intentions of their dark foils, he began to wonder to what end the Death Eaters were attempting this. There was, surely, not a lot left in it for them. The mass murder of a handful of Order of the Phoenix members would achieve little but it would no doubt be a handy bargaining chip for both sides. The Order would have to play nice or the Death Eaters could easily slowly funnel names to the werewolves – and then they’d all be in for it. It was a factor that Frank had acknowledged but it unsettled him a lot more than he’d originally thought and no amount of shuffling on the spot and clearing his throat could dispel the sudden sickness welling up within him.

It had been a long time since the Order had been called into action. It had been a long time since there had been some faction warfare. He wasn’t dubious about his skills but what Frank did wonder was whether they were all ready for this. There was always hunger in a witch or wizard’s belly for war, especially where the Death Eaters were involved, but even so, antagonising them, which was all they’d probably do in the grand scheme of things, would achieve very little except for rousing the dragon. Pun very much intended.

Before Frank knew what he was doing, his hand was high up in the air over his head. He closed his eyes briefly from behind his glasses, wondering why he was doing this, but he brought it back down when he was called upon, revealing his steady gaze once more before allowing his mouth to open and dispel some words. If he looked like a fool, then he most probably deserved it. Frank was only a step from giving himself a smack on the head. He preferred to keep quiet but there he was, putting in his two eggs.

“Could we try and fool them, maybe?” He posed carefully, glancing around the room. “What if we made a second list – one that we could either track or manipulate to tell them what we want them to know… They’d think they had the list when in reality they actually had exactly what we wanted to give them.”

Hallie has kept her head down and gotten on with her life for the past few months. After her lovers quarrel with Theodore, that seemed to have solved all arguments, the pair had been happy and eagerly anticipating the birth of their child, which was the size of an avocado and had been growing in Hallie's womb for sixteen weeks.

Initially the witch had wanted to abort. Why? Timing. It wasn't perfect timing, for starters she didn't feel ready and her auror training exams were literally around the corner. Hallie had wanted to be an auror her entire life, or at least as long as she could remember, for her Father was one and the blonde wanted to continue his legacy. But pregnancy complicated that. Since the Ministry had discovered of her pregnancy they'd gave her less hands-on roles, which Hallie understood but it was starting to bother her. She was adventurous, she was energetic and a not-so-secret adrenaline junkie. She needed something to get her blood pumping pregnant or not.

Hallie had been introduced to the Order of The Phoenix by Sophia Granger the night she'd fell from Gryffindor Tower when escorting the students out from the fiendfyre. It was a miracle that Hallie had survived but it was that evening, the night she risked her life yet another time, that illustrated how suited of a character Hallie was to the Order of The Phoenix.

Since signing up the blonde had been on one mission, a mission of victory. Not too long ago Hallie had ventured into the depths of the Blood Pack hideout and personally rescued, alongside Marcus Belby, Khaat Lupin and her newborn twins. That same day she'd been taken to the Lupin's house (unknowns to anybody) and met the Ministry of Magic. It was this meeting that only strengthened her fuel to restore order and uncover the lies polluting from the current ministry.

Gideon Pierce. An ex-Slytherin in his early forties. Attorney turned deputy minister. There had been a recent article in the Daily Prophet supporting his promotion to deputy minister. Hallie, like other members of the Order, was still suspicious on who exactly Pierce was. He wasn't exactly well known and there were several and in Hallie's opinion, more worthy candidates for the role. Of course Hallie was near the bottom of the Ministry employment hierarchy - what did she know?

'I could try and get him alone.' Hallie began after raising her hand, 'I could easily find an excuse to have to go to his office. Although I'd probably need some suggestions on what information you want?'

It was a type of task Hallie hadn't done before. She was experienced in the dueling, wand-on-wand action but a task of stealth and trickery. A task of acting and draining information was something she wasn't skilled in but she had to start somewhere. Her instinct would guide her if the others would agree and allow her to carry out the task.

As for the death eater battle. Hallie didn't need to comment for people to know that she would be attending to aid the defense of their hut.

It been awhile since the Order been called,  Sophia was beginning to wonder if it died.  Of course being a loyal member she was,  didn't give up on it one bit when other people did.  She knew they would make a come back and a big one and well here they are now.   She never doubted Jack leadership,  she was a damn good leader when it came to the order.  The Order would never die,  not as long as Jack was leader she was sure of it.

Hearing Jack speak, Sophia's ears perked up at the sound of Gideon Pierce name. " Why does that name sound so familiar? " Sophia thought to herself biting her lip thinking to herself.  Looking down at the Daily Prophet Sophia rolled her eyes shaking her head.  " That's why, he was in the Daily Prophet. " Sophia thought to herself cursing herself for not knowing sooner.   As for the others,  Sophia was suspicious who he was and his plans.  

Sophia had a feeling he was up to no good,  and she was sure she wasn't the only one who thought that.  Sophia nodded at what Jack asked.  She was ready for anything she threw at her,   but Frank did have a point though.  If they were able to fool them,  they wouldn't know of the Order members.   It was a pretty good idea Sophia had to admit.

Balthazar nodded slowly, he had nothing to say on the topic of Gideon Pierce. Sure, if he had to, he could ask his friend Marie to get involved, but even he knew that telling a Death Eater what the Order was worrying about wasn't a good idea. Besides, knowing the Frenchwoman and her terrifying best friend, they two already had it as handled as it was going to get. Then again, maybe not, but Balthazar himself wasn't going to go anywhere near that particular problem.

The list, on the other hand, that was a problem he'd have to get involved in. If it was up to Bal, he'd rather that both lists stayed secret. Sure, he was loyal to the Order, but he also had friends in the Death Eaters who could have their careers or lives ruined if things got out. There was literally no winning for the man, in this situation. However, as much as finding the Death Eater's list wouldn't be great, the Death Eaters finding theirs would be far worse. He still hadn't admitted to Marie that he'd joined a faction, and knowing her, the following argument would not be pretty. Furthermore, there were members of the Order who had joined under the condition of not openly being supporters, like himself. It would be dangerous, for some, if their names got out in the open.

The businessman listened quietly, rather unlike him, but he was never too vocal in these meetings, before licking his lips and shifting in his seat slightly. "Frank's idea has merit, but how will we pull it off? Jack, you said that there's powerful magic keeping the list in the hut, there's got to be other enchantments as well, probably even something to keep us from using spells anywhere near that list. Old magic has a way of protecting itself like that. So, we just hide the real thing under a chair and write up a fake? Do you think they'd fall for it?" Balthazar queried, rambling slightly. It wasn't often that the man spoke intelligently about anything that wasn't related to the inner workings of Harding&Sinclair.

Jack was wary about this meeting. A big part of the meeting was to take stock, once again, of what exactly the Order had going for them. She was afraid it would not be much. They had gotten Khaat to safety, yes, but they never would have been able to keep the werewolves at bay without the help of the Death Eaters. Surely everyone who was there remembered that – this sudden turn must indicate to their forces that the Death Eaters were aware of the Order’s current weakness and comeback from an alliance quickly to betray them.

However, there was reason for hope. Frank’s thinking was good, though the magical set up of the hut prevented them from being able to get the true list out of harm’s way. Hallie spoke soon after, followed by Balthazaar. Jack let them all have their time to speak, for moderating these meetings had become a real pain in the arse. At least they had all learned to take turns, something no one seemed willing to do when she had first joined as a student. She hoped that, now, there seemed to those with her to be more hope for the Order than she had first seen.

Jack was feeling better, certainly. They might be few but she believed in those she had. “Hallie, I’d appreciate that, thank you. I’m not sure what we’re looking for yet. He’s come in after a serious of strange political events, and I don’t believe in coincidences in politics. An attempt to enter into his confidence could be enough. Just find out what you can.”

She turned to the subject of the lists. “And Balthazaar is right, Frank. Though there definitely could be something to a decoy.” She paused, smiling. “Or maybe, many decoys.” The image of a hut full of lists came to her mind but she pushed it out for now. She wanted to see, when the time came, if someone among them could come up with the idea. Part of the reason she was not mobilizing now was for the simple fact that if she did not push the Order to begin behaving like they care for the safety of the country, than she might as well go rogue.

“Is there any other questions? I know this is a random, strange set of occurrences, but we must do what we must do. I am afraid that, if we do not show our skill and ability, we will become a primary target for the Death Eaters. Currently, we are considered weak and small, and the Death Eaters and the Ministry are not afraid of us. They need to be reminded of our cause in the hopes that they slip up.”

It's been a long time since Miseria had actually shown her face in public or actually participated in a meeting of sorts. And now, there she was, her blue eyes glistering as usual and red hair loosely hanging on her shoulders; she played with the braids of it and pursed her lips as she looked around, examining the other order members.

There were some new faces, those who she had never seen, but she had no intentions on introducing herself. If they wanted to get to know the former Hufflepuff student, they had to ask: simple as that.

As Jack began explaining, she only nodded. She could keep on an act of a fan, not that she would actually do that, but if it was a mission... For the sake of fun, perhaps so.

Then there came in the Death Eaters and one could see an anticipating smile on her face, but when the leader told them there would be no killing, nor would there be any fights, Miseria sighed in disappointment. If there was something she loved to do it was to wreck chaos and present a nice havok to her enemies.

"Eh, but what if we will let them assume we are that weak, and once they are confident in that, we strike?" she looked at Jack with her eyebrows slightly arched.
"I know this sounds odd, even random, especially for those who want to prove that we are strong and stand united, but... don't you think that striking from the shadows, like some of them do, is a bit more... err, surprising?"
She smiled gently. The idea of decoy was good though. Might as well work if the Death Eaters were as stupidas they expected them to be.

Miseria spoke up, reminding Jack once again that the young woman had more experience than her years let on. She had been caught up in this world of politics for a time relative to Jack's own time, and she had the mind for strategy. Still, this meeting was not about congratulating the Order on the few assets they had. It was about honestly facing the dilemma ahead, taking stock of every hole in their defense, preparing themselves to adjust what needed to be adjusted.

A small smile twisted onto Jack's face as she surveyed Miseria. "Unfortunately, that's the situation we've found ourselves in. They have assumed we are weak, and they expect us to either mount no defense against our list, or to fail miserably. The ground work has been set. We cannot maintain their belief that we are weak in this company attack, because the advantage they gain will be insurmountable. We are emerging from the shadows, so let us take the opportunity to come back in style, with force, and with the ideals the Order of the Phoenix was built upon."

Grimmauld Place did not hold particularly fond memories for Elijah Krum. As a petulant teenager he had walked the halls, memorised the paths so many talented witches and wizards had walked in the past in folly. There was a part of him that would never forget the way his father had recalled the stories of the Potters, the Weasleys and all of the other families that had called those hallowed Grimmauld halls their sanctuary only to be torn from it, only to be betrayed. Now, just like the house, the organisation was in disrepair and Elijah found his ring-clad hands smoothing back pealing wallpaper, his art-trained eye finding the shadows on the walls where portraits of austere figures had once hung so proudly and without repentance for their values. It was hard to imagine the grim Victorian structure as a home, one that Sirius and Regulus Black had grown up in. He wanted to restore it, it was a natural fancy to take, and somehow, he had a feeling the Order would agree to it, too.

Jumping down the rest of the stairs from the upper level landing he’d been lingering on, Elijah joined the Order in the kitchen once more. He traipsed his way down the length of the table, pausing briefly to lean over and ruffle the red hair atop Jack’s head before ducking away from any reprisals. His fingers reached out and flicked the kettle on. The sound of bubbling water immediately filled some of the silence in the room and Elijah turned, leaning back against the counter as he folded his arms across his chest. His eyes swept around the room, taking in the visages of the different Order members that still survived. There was something terribly sad in the fact that the faction itself seemed to reflect the state the Death Eaters imagined they were in. Elijah felt like interjecting that there was nothing to come out of the shadows but as his eyes found Balthazar bent over the table, he felt the air leave his chest and he kept his silence for the moment.

Removing his wand from behind his ear with his slightly paint-stained finger tips, Elijah summoned cups from the cupboards and sent a scouring charm their way before waving his wand across the room to the people sat at the table. Turning his wand on the boiling kettle, Elijah sent that around the room after the pot of teabags he’d flicked at, filling the cups up before spoons went in after the teabags, milk hurrying around after all of the rest of the utensils. Then, finally, everything was back in its place and with one last flick Elijah summoned three plates of biscuits and, satisfied, brought his cup to his lips as he deposited himself down in a chair beside Balthazar, his mind putting the brakes on but to little effect. He was still impulsive, it seemed. Still an idiot. Could he help himself? No. No, he couldn’t.

“Brief question here,” Elijah began after reaching forward, grabbing two chocolate digestives. He put one down by Bal and took a bite of the other before dunking it into the tea. After chewing and swallowing, Elijah finally continued.

“Has anyone actually been to see if these lists are actually there? Let’s bear in mind, Dumbledore was a crafty man and this could very easily be a bluff. Also, how do we actually know that this is what the Death Eaters are interested in? Do they know we know? What’s the deal here?”