#homenumplot

[homenum-revelio-hq]

A DEADLY LIST.

On March 21, 1982, the shops and street of Diagon Alley was left in flames and rubble by a DEATH EATER attack. Suddenly, and only in tragic (and in the case of Florean Fortescue, fatal) retrospect, the import of the map and list of dates that had been found by Artem Tremblay, Maurice Creevey, and Amos Diggory in the Rosier Estate during the Order’s ill-fated mission there the month before, became clear.

The Order was not going to let themselves be caught flat-footed again.

The next date on the list was APRIL 19 and since they didn’t have enough information to ascertain which location would be targeted, they sent people to guard all of them. When the Death Eaters came, the Order was ready.

Voldemort’s people were not expecting to have the tables turned on them. When their planned assault GRINGOTTS turned into a ambush with the ORDER OF THE PHOENIX already there, braced for a fight, panic and confusion resulted in a rout.

AN ATTACK REBUFFED.

The Death Eaters fled...for the most part. VINCENT GOYLE,  ALECTO CARROW, and BRIGHTON GREENGRASS did not.

Goyle died at EMMA VANITY’s wand (a bit of a surprise all around, since no one in the Order had suspect him to be one of the faces under those silver masks, nor was Emma particularly known for her martial prowess). Carrow and Greengrass were exposed and arrested by the “timely” arrival of Aurors ALICE and FRANK LONGBOTTOM (members of the Order themselves, although they neglected to include that information in their write-up of the event, saying instead that they had been “coincidentally” in the area when they noticed the disturbance and rushed to the scene - when in reality, they had been summoned from their own assigned posts by the patronus of AMELIA BONES).

Greengrass had too much influence with the Ministry of Magic (and too much gold in the family coffers) to get anything but a slap on the wrist after insisting that he’d been Imperiused by an “unknown Death Eater” into assisting with the attack - but Carrow was not so lucky (or privileged) and was carted-off to Azkaban.

It wasn’t the paradigm-shifting mass defeat that some among the Order had hoped for - but three down wasn’t bad for a day’s work, either, especially with no corresponding losses on the Order’s side.

Not even CARADOC DEARBORN could find fault with the results, although BRANWEN YAXLEY did earn herself some suspicious looks when she turned-up after the fight with blood on her hands and no explanations...

But it was a victory. And that was what mattered.

AN ORDER REKINDLED.

After the grim losses so recently suffered, a win was a welcome change for the Order. Spirits were revitalized and new plans were implemented. The radio broadcasts went on again; the refugees continued to be shuttled to safety; their research into the orb and necklace they’d confiscated and the dead bodies they’d uncovered proceeded apace. For the first time in years, it felt as though maybe they were actually winning...

Little did they know that this victory would also spark their enemy to take action...

[ainsleyabbott]

* After the Rosiers’ // self-para *

The party was over -- ended in death and disaster, rather than the laughter and dancing that Nessie had hoped for, but for once Ainsley wasn’t thinking about her sister's certain disappointment; her eyes couldn't seem to blink away the sight of James Potter's lifeless face, ash-blonde hair slowly shrinking back to black and cold gray eyes turning brown and vibrant only to fade to a lifeless mirror as bleak as a window’s broken glass. She hadn’t even seen it, but she still couldn’t erase the image from her mind...

Why had she come back? Ainsley felt like the Rosier’s estate herself: battered, broken, strewn with debris. House-elves already scurried around the wreckage, putting things to right, repairing the damage -- repairing most of it, anyway; some old and priceless treasures could never be fixed, like friendship...like James. No house-elf had the sort of magic that could fix him -- or herself. Why had she come back? Ainsley should have taken Nessie and kept running, could have left without ever knowing the extent of the damage, but her sister had insisted on returning to make sure that Jayesh was okay. Why had AInsley listened? She should have known that there would be nothing good to find here.

There was laughter and smiles in the ruined party’s aftermath, though, albeit no dancing; and most of those smiles were hidden behind cold silver masks. The chatter of their voices passed over Ainsley like jawing crows: hints of fragmentary words but no sense, no substance or sentences. She could feel strange hands clap her shoulder, strange laughs grate across her ears, strange voices praise her name…

"Didn't think you'd have it in you, Abbott!"

"Should have know better than to underestimate Vanessa's sister, eh?"

"Never thought you'd actually make the cut, but not an ounce of hesitation in you, is there? Bravo!"

"Admit I had my doubts you'd be any use, but you've proved me wrong…"

"Don't think I've seen a more impressive initiation since Bellatrix herself and those three mudbloods!"

"Pleasure to have you with us, Abbott…"

"She got Potter, on her first day? Yes, you'll be moving up the ranks fast…"

"Ranks?" Ainsley murmured, confused. She shook her head to try and clear it; it didn't help.

"Well, it is a bit quick for an induction, I admit," said a masked man who sounded eerily like one of Ainsley's favorite correspondents on archaic magicks, "but after your performance tonight I wouldn't be surprised if He decides to go ahead with it. You've impressed all the right people, my dear."

"B-but I'm not...that isn't wh-what…"

"He's come himself, you know. Wants to meet you. A great honor, for a fresh recruit especially. But we've wanted Potter's head for quite a while. Yes, He is most impressed. I wouldn't be surprised if He decides you've earned your Mark already."

"He?" Ainsley asked, although she had a sinking feeling it wasn't a question -- and then the door opened and a figure cloaked in black swept in, Bellatrix Lestrange -- the real Bellatrix Lestrange -- unmasked, on his heels. Ainsley opened her mouth to speak again, to protest--

But then the newcomer threw his hood back, revealing a gaunt face that might have once been handsome but was now sepulchral, the waxy skin stretched tight across sharp cheekbones and a razorblade nose, teeth bared in something that might have been a smile and might have been something preparatory to a bite -- and eyes, red eyes, cat-slitted and burning like a blood moon in that pale face.

Those eyes locked on Ainsley's and the rest of the room seemed to fall away. She felt like she was standing in a mist, oddly lethargic and hollow, although her mind was racing -- memories poured out across her numb senses: Nessie, laughing and young; Edgar, even younger, up in Ravenclaw Tower, ink on his nose; Amelia's lips, soft and warm, the beads of her yellow dress caressing Ainsley's fingers like hot coals; Nessie's tears over Jayesh, the plan they devised: the bribe of the clerk at the Ministry, the fake family tree; Dumbledore and Caradoc, the Order; her first battle; her first kill, whose name she'd never learned beneath that silver mask; the bleeding curse that had killed Peggy while Ainsley failed at every cure she tried to cast; the iron fence that had almost bisected Marlene; the false Orb that had nearly stymied her and Gideon both; the party, the fancy robes.. the silver masks, with their awful offer...Nessie, crumpling around a spell; Leina Nott, dead in her home; Lucius's face fading back to James, the heat of Ainsley’s Curse still warm on her frozen hands…

And somewhere, someone was laughing, high and cold and cruel. "Yes," a voice said, "oh yes, what a delight this is… Yes, do it!"

Clammy fingers closed on Ainsley's wrist, pushed her too-beautiful robes roughly aside -- a wand closed in, but she couldn't look away from that blood-red gaze -- and then there was pain, and fire curling across her skin, and a scream that she realized only later was her own…

And through it all Voldemort laughed and laughed...

[homenum-revelio-hq]

THE SOUL OF LORD VOLDEMORT.

Lord Voldemort thought himself safe. That was why he chose now to abandon his campaign of subtlety and secrecy in favor of open war. He had finally forged his sixth and final Horcrux, so what could the Ministry of Magic hope to do to him? What could the Order of the Phoenix do? He was immortal - or so he thought.

But Lord Voldemort underestimated people. Surely, no one but he was clever enough to discover the existence of his Horcruxes! He did not anticipate the cleverness of others. He did not anticipate Regulus Black. He believed the boy to be dead, after all. A coward in his own destruction - someone who could not handle the power of Lord Voldemort. 

As it turned out, the Horcrux that Regulus had found was only one piece of the puzzle. What he needed to discover was how to find the others. It wasn’t until Sirius Black mentioned the orb and how the dark object was able to kill 100 Muggles in a single night that Regulus realized there might be more than one way - perhaps the Horcruxes could be destroyed without even finding them at all.

He waited; listening in on conversations, learning about the orb, reading about the attack. And, when the battle broke out at the Ministry of Magic, he knew it would be his chance. Regulus moved to the House of Bones and found the orb and activated it using the magic that the Dark Lord himself had taught him. 

Instead of setting its sights on Muggles, however, he selected the target as bits of Voldemort’s soul. He used the locket he had retrieved from the cave that nearly killed him as a focus, and tuned the orb to seek-out the rest. When Regulus triggered the spell, it destroyed the Horcruxes in their locations all over the Wizarding World - and the seventh and final piece as well, the one still residing in the Dark Lord himself.

Those at the Ministry who were brave or unfortunate enough to be in the presence of Lord Voldemort as he unleashed his destructive powers in the battle watched as the final piece disintegrated, though no one there could tell how.

At the same time, wix across Britain felt themselves change. As though a piece of them had suddenly... left. Their bodies, their minds, their soul altered forever. Soon, it would be discovered that Regulus’ ploy with the orb did its trick, but with a nasty consequence.

Those who had been touched by Voldemort’s magic were affected, too. A piece of them was taken from this world as the final piece of him died. Not just his Death Eaters, who were wracked with agony as their Dark Marks burned icy-hot against their skin and deep into their bones, but all those who had ever fallen victim to his dark magicks.

They would survive - the soul could be split into seven, after all; Voldemort had proved that much, even if it had ultimately been his downfall. Losing a single piece was far from fatal. But a body without a piece of its soul... is that worth the life left over?

DETAILS.

The battle is over. The war has been won. 

Those who have had their character face-to-face with Lord Voldemort (either during the game or prior to it starting) would have had a piece of their soul sucked from their body and obliterated. How would this affect them?

This remaining portion of the event will last only two weeks in real time. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER.

Have your characters finish up any final battles they’re a part of - just because Voldemort is dead does not mean all Death Eaters will give up! It will take time for word of his demise to travel.

Characters might think to gather back at the House of Bones.

There will be one more event post to finalize the game. At that time, we will be able to finish up any threads and the game will come to a formal end.

[homenum-revelio-hq]

DARK MARKS AND FLAME.

The quiet, damp spring morning of Sunday, March 21, 1982 is suddenly shattered by the crack of explosions sounding throughout Diagon Alley! As the smoke clears, it becomes clear that several buildings were caught in the blasts, most prominently Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Shoppe and Maxim Talkalot’s Apothecary. What also becomes clear are the two Dark Marks floating in the sky above the burning rubble.

The fear and confusion engendered by the explosions triples as the sight and the whole Alley erupts in chaos and terror. The DEATH EATERS are here. No one is safe.

Some of the buildings targeted seem like obvious choices; others, less so. Florean Fortescue has been thumbing his nose at blood-supremacy for years, and the gossip about his employee’s tiff with one Lucius Malfoy is still making the rounds four months later; really the Dark Mark floating above his ice cream shoppe was just a matter of time. Maxim Talkalot’s apothecary is another matter; the Talkalots have always been sensible, practical people and while almost no one would be surprised were it be revealed that Fortescue’s clerk Sirius Black were a member of that Phoenix Group just like his deceased school chum, Potter, none of Talkalot’s people have any connection to the Order...but someone must have done something to upset the Death Eaters, because a Dark Mark hangs in the air above the ruins of his shoppe, too.

Most of the members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol on duty this morning are in Newcastle-upon-Tyne investigating what turns out to be a false report of Death Eater activity; while the Ministry scrambles to call-in and dispatch available Aurors and other agents, the Death Eaters take the opportunity to sow more chaos and fear - and to fight anyone who doesn’t run screaming at the sight of their silver masks.

CHAOS AT HOME.

The Order of the Phoenix barely has a chance to begin to gather and dispatch a few members to Diagon Alley to assist - because trouble has come to find them, too. Shortly after the explosions begin, the Potter Estate is overrun by Death Eaters. It was their headquarters for over three years until it was recently compromised by the defection of one Ainsley Abbott to the Dark Lord (James having been the Secret Keeper for his home before his untimely death at Ainsley’s hands) and the Order has been waiting ever since for the other shoe to drop...but in the meantime, it seemed a perfect location for Maurice Creevey to host his new recruiting broadcasts. It’s large, available, still has a loyal house-elf on staff, is well-warded, and since its anonymity is already jeopardized it would be no real loss to the Order should the Death Eaters be able to trace the broadcasts back to their source. Not that anyone expected that so quickly...

No, a lazy Sunday morning seemed a perfect time for a trial run of their new spell-augmented program and call-in line (and for Emmeline Vance and Benjy Fenwick to finally clear-out the last of the supplies left behind during their hasty abandonment of their impromptu infirmary) and all was going well...until the Death Eaters arrived.

They were able to Apparate right through the wards, as though someone who knew the spells had told them how - or perhaps they’d simply gathered so much magical power that they overwhelmed the magicks that should have forestalled them. However they did it, they were suddenly there with little to no warning and the handful of Order members found themselves abuptly fighting for their lives.

Everything happened so fast that the first few minutes of battle actually went out live on-air before the broadcast cut-off - making for an extremely tense unintended cliff-hanger for the startled listeners! On the upside, those who don’t think it a cheap gimmick in bad-taste as sure to tune-in next time to find out what happened...provided that enough of the Order survives that there will be a next broadcast...

ASSIGNMENTS.

DIAGON ALLEY:

Caradoc Dearborn & Cordelia Greengrass. If Cora wants to play in the big leagues, she’s going to have to prove herself. Caradoc pulls her along to Diagon Alley when the explosion hits, knowing she needs the experience on the field. If she does well, they can give her a set of Phoenix Tags. If she doesn’t...well, if she doesn’t, she’ll be lucky to survive, so any problems then might be a moot point.

Dedalus Diggle & Fabian Prewett. Dedalus was at work; Fabian was browsing for supplies for his classes. An ordinary, innocent morning - but then the shoppe next to Diggle’s Delight was blasted apart so badly it shattered Dedalus’s windows, and Quality Quidditch Supplies shook so hard all the Bludgers jumped free of their chains. The chaos they found outside was even worse. Dedalus didn’t even recognize Fabian until after he’d Stunned the Death Eater who had a hold of his arm!

Ryland Greengrass & Marlene McKinnon. Ryland knew it was going to be nerve-wracking, braving the streets of Diagon Alley all alone, but he’d summoned his courage and was on his way to meet Dedalus for a morning coffee. He had no idea how much courage this morning was going to require. When Marlene popped into view, it was a relief...until he realized that she’d come here to fight, and had no hesitation in dragging him into battle beside her!

Dorcas Meadowes & Artem Tremblay. A Sunday morning shift at Flourish & Blotts isn’t usually exciting - but then, Diagon Alley isn’t usually on fire. For once, no one batted an eye when Dorcas abandoned her post to run into the street...and into battle. Artem might have approached the situation with more prudence even after their early-for-them late morning breakfast was interrupted by explosions, but when they saw Dorcas trying to duel two Death Eaters at once they couldn’t just sit back and let her...could they?

Isla Selwyn-MacMillan & Lu Travers. Usually Isla is careful about what battles she fights, about how exposed she allows herself to be - but usually, Diagon Alley isn’t on fire with Dark Marks floating in the air above the shoppes that form the jugular vein of England’s magical community. This isn’t a time for care. So when she sees Lu come stumbling out of a shoppe, she doesn’t hesitate: she grabs their arm, tells them to watch her back, and joins the battle. Never mind that nobody asked Lu if they wanted to go to war today...

Branwen Yaxley & Annalise Fawley. When Annalise volunteered to help with the Diagon Alley attack, she thought it would be a good way to earn the Order’s trust. She didn’t expect to be paired with someone as enthusiastic about the fight as Bran! At least most of the other Death Eaters don’t know she’s really on their side, so they won’t be cross with her after for fighting them a little too hard...but on the other hand, most of them don’t know not to try and kill her back. If she wants to survive, she might be forced to help Bran win every duel that comes their way...unless a truly foolproof chance to hex her in the back comes along...

Frank Longbottom & Sirius Black. Frank knew sometimes things would be hard to navigate between being an Auror and working for the Order, but never did he expect to have to try and stay on duty while helping his fellow members during a battle. Nor did he think it would entail having to hold Sirius Black back from jumping into the flames of the young wix’s destroyed workplace.

Edgar Bones & Efa Chittock. It’s important to keep the newer members teamed up with someone who’s been around a bit and no one knows that more than Edgar Bones. While Efa had joined the Order before the new mentorship came into play, that doesn’t mean he still can’t act like one now on the battlefield.

Lily Evans & Lucinda Talkalot. Lily notices the shell-shocked young girl immediately - she’s clearly an employee of the business that just exploded in front of their eyes, probably on her way to work that morning - and she intends to get Lucinda to safety before they both end up dead.

POTTER ESTATE:

Peter Pettigrew & Mary Macdonald. Peter knew that telling the Death Eaters about the Potter Estate meant he’d have to be there fighting alongside the Order when they attacked in order to avoid suspicion. What he didn’t expect, however, was to get stuck dueling Death Eaters back-to-back with Mary, who seems to question everything about this not-so-random attack.

Maurice Creevey & Arabella Figg. Arabella had been a solid choice for Maurice’s broadcast and phone service. While not exactly a Muggle, she often has to live like one. Interviewing her on air about her life might show something to people listening. Too bad they never get to finish what they’re doing before chaos ensues. 

Benjy Fenwick & Emmeline Vance. Benjy and Emmeline are working on getting the remaining supplies from the estate to the House of Bones when the Death Eaters attack. Neither are used to being on the battlefield, which would prove to be a struggle if one were to get hurt...

Regulus Black & Gideon Prewett. Gideon has been tasked with looking into the mysterious necklace that Regulus claims to be a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul. He called Regulus to the Potter Estate prior to the attack to help guide him through the properties of the Horcrux. Little do they know what’s about to interrupt their discussion!

Amelia Bones & Mundungus Fletcher. After her brother gets pulled into an impromptu mission in Diagon Alley, Amelia rushes to the Potter Estate to see how she can help. She thinks she finds Mundungus Fletcher avoiding responsibility, but really, he’s looking at a list of dates. The same list that had been discovered at the Rosier house on Valentine’s Day. The chilling part is - the list has today’s date right at the top. 

Remus Lupin & Severus Snape. Severus is delivering the next batch of healing potions to Emmeline to put away for packing when the attack begins. It’s hard to know what to do, given he fights for both sides, but it’s even harder to realize he hadn’t known this was planned. By the time he runs into Remus Lupin, who’s just enjoying the last days at a fallen friend’s home, it’s understandable why his old classmate might be suspicious of him.

Emma Vanity & Hestia Jones. Hestia was here to observe the broadcast; Emma was planning on helping Benjy pack and move healing supplies. Neither one of them expected to end up in a fight for their lives; neither one of them are really comfortable with the idea of being in a battle - but the battle is happening, and their only chance of getting out of it alive is to fight.

Alice Longbottom & Maddy Warren. Alice wasn’t working - not scheduled for duty today, unlike her husband. While she’s one of the best fighters in the Order, they can’t risk her being exposed by the Aurors called to the scene wondering why she, too, showed up so instead of rushing to Diagon Alley to face the Death Eaters, she’s stuck doing behind-the-scenes gigs with the newest Order member... until the Death Eaters find them. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER.

This is all happening very fast and things are frightening and chaotic - for the Order as well as for the bystanders. No one in Diagon Alley knows if there are more attacks to come; no one at the Potter Estate knows how the Death Eaters got in nor how many there are. No one know who might be hurt, or worse.

This was not a planned mission, so they do not have access to the Map as they had during the last several missions. Those that have their Phoenix Tags will definitely want to use them! Remember, some characters don’t yet have them, while others may have forgotten to keep them handy when they weren’t expecting a fight.

While we definitely want you to spend your primary focus and effort on your assigned paras, you might get to a point where your characters want to split-up or trade-off writing partners or add a third character to the thread etc etc. This is allowed! Things are pure chaos in the Wixen World right now, and we aren’t going to stand in the way of that!

DETAILS.

Some of the pairings above were set by the admins based on events planned in-game. Others were chosen using random dice rolls. As always, admins will keep track of what is happening within threads. At random intervals, players might be asked to dice roll for their group, which will then spur a mini plot drop for their characters.

Remember to tags your posts with the date of event and to tag any open starters with ‘homenumstarter.’ This event does not yet have an end date, as we will vote on that like we have in the past. Threads set prior to March 21st can still be continued and more can still be started, if needed for plots!

[homenum-revelio-hq]

Tuning In...

Most of the Order doesn’t take Maurice Creevey’s little wireless hobby seriously -- or wouldn’t, if they knew enough about it to have an opinion. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. And after a recent bout of brainstorming with Dedalus Diggle, it’s become something rather more than just one outraged wizard shouting into the void and hoping there is someone to hear; now, it’s a recruiting tool for the Order of the Phoenix.

Using a combination of esoteric magic and Muggle world-based cultural references, the broadcast drops hints to people who know how to listen -- to the people who need to hear it.  Dedalus hopes to eventually incorporate more spellwork to help the broadcast target right-minded folk, but even as-is it’s already doing its part: Madaléina Warren is the first (but not, Maurice hopes, the last) success story, having found her way to the Order through the cultural clues in one night’s broadcast.

In order to streamline the process of contacting recruits, Maurice wants to set-up a phone line to be run by various Order members (those who know how to use a phone, such as fellow Muggleborns like Lily Evans) that listeners can call when they’ve solved enough of the clues to understand what they’re calling, and what they’re offering.

Upcoming plans also include a radio drama -- scripted by Mundungus Fletcher, who thinks he might have finally found himself a suitable stage for his talents -- to be acted-out by any members of the Order with suitable talent...or at least a willingness to participate.

Maurice cleared the basics of the project with Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn...but the details were left up to him (and to Dedalus) to puzzle-out. How the rest of the Order will react when they learn that someone has been reaching-out to the magical community at semi-random for recruits when they’re still reeling from the deadly revelation of a traitor in their midst will soon be determined...

[homenum-revelio-hq]

THE WAR RAGES ON...

The appearance of Lord Voldemort unsurprisingly unleashes even more chaos in the streets of Diagon Alley, but as more and more people Apparate to safely, their absence leaves little but dust and smoke to float quietly in the air. The Alley is left with an eeriness as Order members find themselves moving to various locations, many to the safehouses belonging to the organization. 

Those that find themselves at the Potter Estate see a similar scene to what they’d left. But the battle does not last long. Soon, Voldemort has had his way with Dorcas Meadows and Annalise Fawley and calls his loyal servants back to him.

The destruction at the house is palpable. A chandelier was broken thanks to Remus Lupin not too far outside the infirmary, which looks like it’s gone through an explosion. Inside, bloodstains litter the floors from one Emmeline Vance, whom Benjy Fenwick managed to transfer to the McKinnon Farm. Emmeline’s life was saved thanks to help from Benjy and Severus Snape. 

While the explosions in Diagon Alley had been used at least in part as a distraction for the attack on the Potter Estate, that doesn’t mean the damage wasn’t real. Florean Fortescue died in Sirius Black’s arms, a target of the Dark Lord’s attack due to Fortescue’s general speaking-out against Voldemort’s cause. Sirius thought he recognized the spell used as Severus Snape’s sectumsempra spellwork.

Lucinda Talkalot, after witnessing the destruction of her uncle’s shop, joined the ranks of the Order via an accidental trial-by-fire initiation when Lily Evans brought her to the Potter Estate, only to encounter more Death Eaters. While Lucinda’s uncle did not perish in the fray, his shopkeeper Verna died on impact of the explosion. Rumors speculate that she may have been the target.

Also in Diagon, Ainsley Abbott, in silver mask, lifted a jinx off Artem Tremblay’s eyes then ran back into the fight on the side of the Death Eaters, while Branwen Yaxley carved up a Death Eater (later discovered to be Thorfinn Rowle) like a Christmas ham. Artem was able to convince Branwen to let them play with their prey and bring her next target (Alcott Avery) back to the House of Bones for interrogation. 

Lu Travers protected Charlie Weasley from being tortured by Eleanora Avery, taking the Cruciatus in the child's place. After confirming the stunned Eleanora as the Death Eater, Caradoc Dearborn wiped her memory and sent Lu to "the safe house," where they stumbled into the battle and fought alongside the Order, albeit taking care to prevent the Death Eaters from making note of their allegiance.

Regulus Black, over the ineffectual protests of Gideon Prewett, captured and murdered Death Eater Julian Selwyn to prevent his “miraculous” survival from being exposed to the rest of the Death Eaters.

Mundungus Fletcher found a list of dates that had been taken from Nott Manor on the night James Potter died. He showed it to Amelia Bones and, together, they discovered that date of the explosion was right on top. 

It will likely take weeks to sort-through and repair all the damage in Diagon Alley, and even longer before some people feel safe shopping there again -- and of course, the dead cannot be revived -- and as for the Potter House, it is hard to say what will happen with no proper master left to care for it. One thing is for sure, though: this attack on the very heart of wixen London is going to bring the reality of the war home to many people who thought themselves safely insulated before. This is the sort of wound to the spirit of a community that will not soon heal.

DETAILS.

The Death Eater list will be updated to include the changes reflected from this event.

The Potter Estate has been compromised and is no longer safe. Think about what this might mean for your character.

Peter Pettigrew had given up the location and helped get the Death Eaters through the wards. At this time, only a handful of Order members (Severus Snape and Regulus Black) suspect it to be him, but this may change as the plot progresses.

The above notes of what happened during the event is not everything that was on the dash. Admins chose certain plot points to highlight, as they will be most likely to effect the overarching plot moving forward. If you believe something is missing, please IM the admins through discord and we will edit this post as necessary. 

You may now begin paras set after March 21st. Threads set during the event or prior to March 21st can still be continued, with new threads being kept to a minimum.

[homenum-revelio-hq]

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES...

This war has two leaders -- two unofficial generals, one might say -- although neither one of them spends much time in the public spotlight. One of them is not even publicly known to be involved in the war (although it is broadly suspected). The other is whispered by some to not even be mortal. They rarely grace a battlefield themselves...

But rarely is not never.

And so, as the screams and smoke rise from Diagon Alley on the morning of March 21, a new figure steps into the fray. He is tall, thin, and pale, with dark hair and inhumanly bright red eyes, and there is no mistaking who he is even by those who have never seen him before. His name is known to few, and even the sobriquet he adopted for himself is spoken only fleetingly: Lord Voldemort. Or as most of the fearful Wixen World refers to him: He Who Must Not Be Named.

In all the chaos, even his sepulchral arrival is not noticed by all -- not right away. The first of the wix who notice him (who are not already wearing silver masks, anyway) are young witches Dorcas Meadowes and Annalise Fawley -- both members of the Order of the Phoenix, sworn enemies of Lord Voldemort...although Annalise is enemy in name only, and would never have chosen to throw hexes at her own Dark Lord if she hadn’t been dragged into the battle by Dorcas.

Voldemort doesn’t seem perturbed by the idea of throwing spells at the both of them, either viewing the fight as an excellent way to cement Annalise’s loyalty to the Order in their minds...or simply not caring if one of his servants dies at his hands.

DETAILS.

Event threads can still be continued and new ones can still be created. Only those still in Diagon Alley may witness Voldemort. Even so, there is a lot of chaos and it’s a big street so some who are there may not be aware of him at all.

Admin Karli will play Lord Voldemort from a new sideblog set from the main roleplay blog. Please follow this blog here. A follow post will also be released.

Albus Dumbledore will be removed as Admin Karli’s secondary character and, instead, he will be placed as a secondary that either Admin Karli or Admin Nicky can write. This will be the same for Lord Voldemort moving forward. 

[homenum-revelio-hq]

THE HOUSE OF BONES...

The Potter Estate is no longer safe. This is something that members of the Order have known since the death of James Potter. He was the location’s Secret Keeper, after all, which means that now, so is everyone else who knew the secret. 

The Inner Circle begins to concoct a plan, spearheaded by Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn. They need to find a new headquarters - transition the Potter Estate from the main location into a backup, emergency safehouse instead.

Edgar does not like the idea, but he presents an option... The House of Bones. This estate dates far back into the Bones family’s history and was once famous for  protecting the people inside. Now, however, the house has changed. 

Over the years, it has become Cursed. 

It has a mind of its own and, with Edgar not being the official heir, it refuses to listen to him. But what of other options? The Inner Circle discusses, but comes up with nothing. The House of Bones may not be the most welcoming place, but the Potter Estate will surely lead to more death. 

By March 6th, the Order has officially begun their transition to their new headquarters, but they are not greeted with the same loving environment they are used to. Long gone is the warmth of the fire, the chatter of Gillie, the beds that felt like anyone could belong in them. It’s all been replaced with a dark, gloomy, soul-sucking place where death almost feels inevitable. 

In the House of Bones, there is no resting their heads for the night. The togetherness that the Potter Estate had brought has been replaced by an urgency for the end of the war. Their new “home” feels like a threat and the whispers of James’ name mix with that of Ainsley Abbott. Revenge? Perhaps. Obsession? Maybe. Loneliness is certain. 

...AND OTHER SPOOKY THINGS.

Thing to note:

Edgar has been entrusted as the house’s Secret Keeper, given he knows how to ward it. Whether or not he decides to keep that responsibility or transfer it on is up to him.

The house is connected to the Floo Network.

The house itself is very large and surrounded by forest; it is located atop a hill and close to a chilly sea.

The Potter Estate may still be used for threads, but the main headquarters has officially been transitioned to the House of Bones. The Potter Estate can be considered one of many rarely-used safe houses.

It is encouraged players read Seb’s post (linked above) to get a feel for the house. The House of Bones will be added to the world-building page.

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AN INTERROGATION.

While the initial meeting between Sirius Black and his brother, Regulus Black, doesn’t go quite as planned, the Order members who went with Sirius as back-up are impressed that the siblings don’t kill one another. Especially given Sirius’ current state. 

Once Regulus is detained and has convinced his brother of the Dark Lord’s near-immortality, Mary Macdonald and Sirius bring him back to the Potter Estate in the early hours of February 22nd, where the Inner Circle is waiting for them. 

Regulus is bound by invisible rope at the wrists for security purposes and Sirius sits on the edge of the room, watching the Inner Circle work, listening for any inconsistencies in his brother’s story. There may be the occasional quip or scoff, but mostly, it’s rather tame behavior from the older Black sibling.

The process of interrogation they utilize is one they’ve done many times before:

Alice Longbottom begins the interrogation, using her Auror skills to ask the questions in the lawful way. After, Mary enters with her own line of questioning, a bit more brutal - a bit less legal.

Typically, the interviewee is sweating by this point, unsure of what has been admitted. It’s at this juncture that Caradoc Dearborn rummages through the brain, pulling up any memories that shake the interviewee emotionally. In the end, Edgar Bones only needs to step forward and look at them with a smile until they break for good.

This same process is used on Regulus (though, without the buffer of James Potter between Mary and Caradoc, the Inner Circle might need to find another member to promote or else change their tactics) and it works fairly well. Regulus doesn’t worry nearly as much as the typical interviewee - having lied to Voldemort himself in the past - but the information given is vital.

His story stays the same throughout all questioning. He tells them of the Dark Lord’s Horcruxes and how he assumes there might be six, though that can’t be confirmed. Regulus tells the Inner Circle that he is carrying one now, but refuses to admit to the location on his person without his hands unbound - this information is found by Caradoc’s searching of his brain, anyway, and they locate the necklace in an inner pocket. The necklace is taken into custody by the Inner Circle for a thorough searching, which will likely be done by Gideon Prewett (perhaps with the help of Andromeda Tonks, though her name is not brought up with Regulus in the room) at a later date, much to Regulus’ dismay. He is promised that he will be kept in the conversation about the Horcrux. 

Regulus verbalizes his fear of the Wizarding World ending - explains he saw it in the cards and that Voldemort’s reign must stop or there will be nothing left. The Inner Circle takes this concern as less of a threat, but also understands that the Horcruxes will be the only way to end the war. 

During his search of Regulus’ mind, Caradoc also sees visions of erratic magic and dead bodies. This sparks the discussion of how Regulus came to find the necklace, along with his near-death among the bodies in the lake. He admits to his magic having been off since that experience, but refuses to state what he means in more detail. Given that the Inner Circle is not yet aware of the bodies that were discovered by Branwen Yaxley and Fabian Prewett, they do not know what to make of Regulus’ claim. The word inferi is not yet uttered and no knowledge of this dark magic has yet been identified.

Regulus is permitted shelter at the McKinnon Farm. He is forced to sign a cursed document stating he will not harm any of the muggleborns or werewolf refugees during his stay. If he breaks this contract, his left hand will became mangled and unusable. 

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SECURITY MEASURES.

The entrance of one Annalise Fawley on February 25th puts the Order of the Phoenix on edge. Even though it’s Lily Evans who brings her in, no one is completely sure if the grief-stricken girlfriend of James Potter is stable enough for that sort of judgement. This isn’t the same as Cordelia Greengrass, who can be vouched for by her cousin Ryland and who joined during a moment of chaos. This isn’t the same as Regulus Black, who had pertinent information and cannot leave Order safety without potential harm to himself anyway.

This is the sister of someone they’d killed. While Annalise claims to be on their side and appears truthful - even with a quick look into her brain by Caradoc Dearborn, which shows nothing eventful - she also has some incredible connections to the Death Eaters. In the end, they decide it’s wrong to discriminate against those connections (after all, look at Branwen Yaxley!) but, after Ainsley Abbott, they can’t be too careful.

A plan is formed: an enchanted parchment that Annalise must sign to earn her Phoenix Tags. By signing this, she will be unable to speak the names of Order members in relationship to the organization, specifically. The Inner Circle understands the loop-hole of cleverness being able to work around it... but all spells other than death have their downside. The charm is derived from the one that Regulus signed to obtain allowance to stay at the McKinnon Farm, so the spells are able to be put together simply enough.

After Annalise’s name appears in ink, the Inner Circle can’t help but wonder... do we do this for everyone? Ainsley had betrayed them - who’s next?

DETAILS.

While the Inner Circle are the only ones who initially know of the parchment, it would be rather easy for word to get out - especially since Annalise could assume this is something everyone has to do. How do the characters react? Would they believe they’re being stripped of their liberties? Would they agree that everyone should sign it out of loyalty? What happens to those that refuse? 

This moral dilemma can be played out interpersonally on the dash as word spreads. Threads set before and after this date are encouraged. You do not have to adhere to this timestamp.

[homenum-revelio-hq]

A LETTER IS RECEIVED. 

On the evening of February 19th, less than a week after the disastrous event at the Rosier-Abbott engagement party, an owl appears in the window of the Potter Estate, addressed to Sirius Black. Ironically, this happens to be on the same date as the disappearance of Sirius’ younger brother, Regulus Black, exactly one year earlier. This is not lost on Sirius, who is busy mourning the loss of another brother in James Potter.

The letter reads:

Sirius,

I hope this letter finds you, specifically. The information I am about to give you could create disaster in the hands of the wrong party. If this is really you, you will know who I am. I am alive. The details of how this happened are important, but written word is not the platform in which to share. I have information regarding the Dark Lord. Important information that could possibly mean the end of the war. Without it, you will die. Your Phoenix group will die. I have seen it. 

Meet me in the place where we visited as children in three days time at the witching hour. I will refuse to speak if you send someone else in your stead, though I am not naive enough to believe you would come alone, even if you have always been that reckless and stupid. 

The world depends on it.

-R.A.B.

DETAILS. 

This marks Regulus’ first entry into the roleplay. It can be plotted among players who is present for the owl or even if the letter ends up in the correct hands.

It can also be decided who is privy to the information in the letter. Does Sirius get the information and go alone? Does he show the Inner Circle? Does he tell someone else? etc.

How does this information affect the most recent death and James’ funeral? Regulus has been assumed death for one year - is this letter even trusted?

All these questions can be answered through threads and plotting! Karli will be ready to bring Regulus into play as soon as players are ready for this meeting to happen! 

[homenum-revelio-hq]

THE MISSION IS OVER.

As the mission comes to a close and a majority of those in the Order get home safely, the news that Ainsley Abbott has betrayed the organization with the murder of James Potter becomes the main topic of discussion with the members. Mary Macdonald was able to retrieve James’ body and brought it back to Lily Evans at the Potter Estate, while Emmeline Vance and Severus Snape helped continue to monitor the map and treat the injured. 

Those who were focused on retrieving the orb had varying levels of success: Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn found what they assume to be the real orb in the cellar. They still need to submit the object to Gideon (without Ainsley’s help, this time) for testing, but are largely confident in their success. Meanwhile, Amos Diggory, Artem Tremblay, and Maurice Creevey discover a map with locations and a list of dates that they believe to be telling of future Death Eater plans. The last group in search of the orb, Isla Sewlyn-Macmillian and Archie Macmillian, were captured by Death Eaters in the chaos after the murder, despite the original assumption by the Order that they would be the safest to blend in.

Sirius Black and Mundungus Fletcher were caught in their attempts to locate Death Eater information by Cordelia Greengrass, thus resulting in her convincing Dorcas Meadowes to let her into headquarters once the chaos began. At the time, Dorcas was alone due to Ndulue Travers abandoning their mission at the first sight of trouble. Lydia Avery was also brought into the Order’s safe house on McKinnon Farm by Daisy Hookum. Despite having not been aware of the Order’s mission, Amelia Bones was also caught in the crossfire and was brought to headquarters later, where she tended her splinched brother.

As not many in the Order knew that Andromeda Tonks was under polyjuice as her sister, Bellatrix Black, she was mistaken to be the real Death Eater by multiple people, including an awkward encounter with Frank Longbottom where he tried to battle her. Despite this, she and Ryland Greengrass were both able to make it safely back to headquarters, where Emma Vanity was reuniting with Dorcas. As Andromeda did not want to blow her cover, she immediately went home. 

Before Alice Longbottom Disapparated, she was able to track down and capture the Death Eater Lachlan Greengrass. She will have to make a statement to the Ministry of Magic about what happened at the engagement party. Lachlan has been placed under the custody of the Auror department and will stay in Ministry cells, pending trial.

On the grounds of the manor, Branwen Yaxley and Fabian Prewett discovered a sinister sighting of sixteen dead bodies. They don’t know what these bodies will be used for, but have taken a picture with a Muggle camera to show the Inner Circle. As it happened so quickly, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were not able to support the Order before the chaos began, but learned of James’ death by a patronus from Emmeline. Despite being able to get the wards down in time for the emergency Disapparition, Marlene McKinnon was still injured by Death Eaters and taken to headquarter by Gideon Prewett, who then went back to the party to help get James’ friends out without more harm. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER.

Now that James has died, there is much that the members of the Order will need to discuss, particularly because his death was due to one of their own’s betrayal. 

James is Secret Keeper and owner of the Order’s headquarters, along with the main funder for the organization. Do they have someone like Sirius ask James’ mother for money? How do they keep the location a secret? Do they find a new location for headquarters instead?

Now that everyone is Secret Keeper due to the original’s death, this also includes Ainsley, who has betrayed them. Not only that, but Peter could potentially give up their location as well, given he is the unknown spy.

Prior to this mission, James implied to the Order the Remus is a werewolf. What do they do about this now? They’re unable to ask James any follow-up questions. 

James was working on a plan to leak fake information to the Ministry in order to figure out who is a Voldemort supporter and who isn’t. What happens to this plan? It can be found on a desk in one of the studies, where James was working on it. 

Ainsley knows who they are, knows their names, and works for the Daily Prophet. What now? What will she do? What do they do about her? 

How do they stop James’ friends, particularly Sirius, from tearing-off in distress to kill Ainsley and other Death Eaters, which would likely result in him getting himself - and anyone else he drags along - killed too?

Those who attended as themselves with polyjuiced partners have some explaining to do. How do they make their excuses to avoid suspicion? Do they pretend to have also been polyjuiced, or do they admit to having been at the party but having had no idea their “partner” wasn’t who they seemed? Do they pretend they thought it was a prank, or make some other excuse?

DETAILS.

Karli will be taking up the role of Regulus Black, who will come in via plot drops throughout the next few weeks. His application can be found here. He will not be set for activity requirements until the plot drops have occurred and he is officially in play. 

Ainsley Abbott will be moved to a secondary role, allowing for periodic interactions without the activity requirements, given that she is no longer part of the Order. 

The Death Eater list will be updated to include the changes reflected from Alice’s capture of Lachlan Greengrass.

You may now begin paras set after February 14th. Threads set during the event or prior to February 14th can still be continued, with new threads being kept to a minimum.

[homenum-revelio-hq]

A PLAN IS FORMED.

The engagement of Vanessa Abbott to Jayesh Rosier has been the talk of the Wizarding World for weeks. Gossip columnists for the Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly, and lesser papers have all predicted that their wedding will be the event of the decade. To celebrate their upcoming nupitals, the Rosier family is putting on a classy and intimate engagement party with a mere one-hundred lucky attendants. 

While the rest of pureblood society talks about their excitement over this party - such a lovely thing during wartime! - Isla Selwyn-Macmillan catches a conversation about the mysterious orb that had been at the heart of a recent failure of the Order, allowing many Muggles to be killed. It appears that after being whisked away from the Notts’ home before the Ministry arrived, it was moved to no less a place than the main Rosier Estate...the very site of the upcoming party.

Isla, of course, is invited to the party, along with her husband, Archibald Macmillan. She believes this party could offer both a front and distraction for the Order to infiltrate the Rosier mansion and finally steal the real orb from its new rumored location.

The problem is... most of the Order will not receive an invitation. To make this work, they’ll have to turn into someone else. Someone a little more “appropriate” for the event. Good thing Mundungus Fletcher knows just the place to acquire Polyjuice Potion.

DETAILS.

With the engagement party not for several weeks, select members of the Order have been tasked with gathering materials from purebloods who are expected to attend the event. This can be anything that will work with Polyjuice: hair, teeth, fingernails, etc. These items should be obtained as inconspicuously as possible, but the secrets of the Order remain the upmost priority, and so may be gathered by any means possible.

The following characters have been assigned to the task (chosen through a randomizer based on players who volunteered to participate):

Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew

Branwen Yaxley & Ryland Greengrass

Emma Vanity & Fabian Prewett

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE: Isla and Mundugus should both have plots and threads revolving around the orb discussions and the stealing of Polyjuice Potion. These paras can happen with any character that makes sense through plotting with other players!

Another event post regarding the actual mission infiltrating the party will come in a few weeks. Every single character will have a role to play in that event. We will choose these roles closer to the event through some dice rolling and some admin decisions. 

[homenum-revelio-hq]

THE LOOK-ALIKES.

With the revelation that the “Lucius Malfoy” in attendance at the Rosier-Abbott engagement party was really James Potter, chaos and confusion became the order of the evening -- and for days afterward, as high society scrambled to determine who had really been at the party, and who had merely appeared to attend.

Given the duplicitous nature of many of the Order’s chosen polyjuice victims, and their haste to want to save face rather than admit to embarrassment, it is likely that the world will never know the truth of everything that happened that night. However, we know the various stratagems by which the Order of the Phoenix cleared the guest list for themselves:

LUCIUS & NARCISSA MALFOY: Andromeda "dosed" her nephew, Draco, with a tiny little potion to get him sick (just a simple cold) - but of course, Narcissa and Lucius won’t go anywhere when their precious son is sick!! (A fact well known among their circle.) So they stayed home, while Mary and James "became" them. Andromeda didn't need to get close to do so - just dropped-in while they were out and about.

Their alibi was rendered unassailable by the reversion of “Lucius” to James after his death, and while they scored themselves no social points by staying home (nor respect from the Dark Lord for having let themselves be used thus), everyone has had to get used to the fact that the Malfoys will dote on their little boy above all else.

BELLATRIX & RODOLPHUS & RABASTAN LESTRANGE: To allow Andromeda to avoid her crazier sister and because Ryland didn't think he could, Sirius did the work to slip the Lestranges a sleeping draught strong enough to keep them drowsy into the earlier morning hours. He wasn't seen breaking in to their home and, aside from a potential headache, there shouldn't be any lasting effects to what he did (unfortunate perhaps, but even Sirius wasn't about to kill his cousin in such a situation).

They were roused early by Voldemort himself descending on their home; despite their grogginess from the lingering potion, these most loyal followers dragged themselves from their respective beds and made their way back to the Rosier estate in time to witness the induction of one Ainsley Abbott into their ranks.

CASPER CROUCH: Branwen faked a letter from her mother to Casper Crouch: It's time you go on a date together, how about the party you're both invited to? Crouch, who knew Bran since they were toddlers, was as little pleased by this as Bran would have been herself had it been real. So, when Branwen showed up at his house and offered him a few Galleons saying I’ll give you this if you stay home and say you got sick, he willingly agreed.

Because Fabian (acting as Crouch) would have to leave after an hour by pretending to get sick, all messages coming to Crouch after the party would be something like I hope you feel better! and no one will notice a thing. At least, that was the plan; given what really happened, it’s unlikely anyone will be thinking of sending polite notes worrying about Casper’s health! Fortunately any gossip that “his” presence with Bran might have inspired shoul be overshadowed by the rest of the night’s events, so he’ll probably never be any the wiser -- just cross at having missed an interesting party for once!

ELLADORA ROWLE: Caradoc actually did the whole formal-proposal thing to Elladora Rowle. He does attend with the real Elladora for the first moments of the event and then brings her outside for one of those private (possibly naughty?) talks, where he and Edgar (gently) knock her out and hide her in a bush. Edgar takes over and they search the cellar. After an hour, they plan to switch back, with Caradoc just telling Elladora that she fainted. They would resume the night together. At least that was the plan... until Edgar and Caradoc come up from the cellar to the chaos following the death of James.

Then the plan changes only a little: Edgar flees with the Orb, and Caradoc fights his way to the garden where he revives Elladora and tells her that a battle broke out and both of them were Stunned in the chaos, he must get her home at once - and as no one is likely to check the precise timing of events against Elladora’s bewildered memory, his cover story will be one of the most air-tight of the night.

PERPETUA BULSTRODE: Lu meets Lady Bulstrode on the 14th for a private afternoon tea (and all that it includes). The Order knows Lady Bulstrode thinks herself too old now to attend such events so it is Lu's job to charm her into considering going together. "Oh, please Lady Bulstrode! Who else is ever going to take me to such a dazzling party!" When she agrees, Lu suggests to celebrate this decision with a little "party cocktail" to "knock that age out of your bones". In reality it's only a whisper-dreams potion where every word you hear upon falling asleep will become a vivid and delightful dream. So Lu whispers some sweet nothings about the party into her ear as she falls asleep and then catches up with Dorcas. 

If during the next few days people mention her at the party, she will simply think that between the party cocktail and her age, some facts must've gotten blurred. Certainly she’s not about to admit that she doesn’t remember her heroically maternal rescue of pretty, dim-witted Cordelia Greengrass from the chaos! And if she spends the next few months paying a private Healer for some extremely discrete memory-assistance, well... she’s a miserable old codger anyway. She probably deserves to fret a bit.

EDWIN & MORGANNA YAXLEY: After they agreed on which Yaxley they each would get to play, Mundungus assured Sirius that he would take care of delaying the real couple. How? Fashion sabotage. While getting ready for the party, the Yaxleys notice that the clothes tailored and selected for the night have lost all their charms that made them unique and the latest fashion. This is nothing short of an emergency, and it forces them to ask for a tailor to fix the charms on them in haste. Unbeknownst to them, the sabotour and their 'saviour' is exactly the same person working undercover: Mundungus. Now, woven with the spells that make their garments magical, there is a little hex that causes them to lose track of time -- confused but not completely out, just delaying them enough to give Sirius, playing Morganna, and Mundungus, playing Edwin, the time to sneak into the party.

The hope was that between the fashion emergency and the hex, the real Edwin and Morganna might be a little too stressed and confused to remember exactly at what time they arrived and to whom they'd spoken first. Besides, the only thing that ought to have mattered was that everyone would be in awe of their outfits! That they arrived just in time to witness the party descend into chaos is unfortunate... but at least they didn’t happen across themselves during the hasty about-face they beat the minute they saw which way the wind was blowing!

IGOR KARKAROFF: Having known they needed to gain some part of Karkaroff for the event, Emma accepted to have tea at his house. What was innocent quickly turned sinister as Karkaroff tried to use force to seduce young Emma. Hearing the commotion, Fabian raced to the rescue and knocked Igor out. Together, they pulled a tooth for the potion.

If Karkaroff remembered this, it was unbeknownst to anyone, as he wasn’t keen on sharing how he’d been turned down. He did not plan on attending the party after the debacle and expressed this sadness vehemently to Archie while the latter got ready for the evening. Archie was able to slip Igor a sleeping draught that should last several hours, allowing Daisy to become him for the evening. If asked later, it's possible that Igor might tell the truth...but for Emma's sake, everyone is hoping he'll be too embarrassed to mention it. Still, he certainly knows he didn't go to the party with her....

Much of the above plots were conceived and written by our fantastically talented players and the admins would like to take the opportunity to both praise and thank everyone for their participation in this and every event (official and otherwise) in our game! We literally could not do this without all of you!

[homenum-revelio-hq]

THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY: FEBRUARY 14TH, 1981.

The engagement party thrown by the Rosiers to celebrate the impending union of their own Jayesh with one Vanessa Abbott is hardly the shindig of the century - Vanessa is of middling social rank at best, and until a little over ten years ago was not even aware of her own pureblood heritage, but Jayesh is besotted and as he’s a younger son, a pretty, vivacious wife with pure blood and little fortune but great enthusiasm is acceptable.

     (Besides, there’s little chance of anyone outdoing the obnoxious gala that fêted the Malfoy-Black marriage any time soon.)

Nonetheless, in these dark times any happiness is worth celebrating, and the Rosiers are not known for their frugality or dullness so it is sure to be a memorable event...

                                             ...especially for the Order of the Phoenix.

THE MISSION.

Having learned from Isla Selwyn-Macmillan that the mysterious Orb that the Order has been chasing since that disastrous night at the Notts’ home, and which is believed to have recently been responsible for the deaths of 102 Muggles, is now being stored at the Rosier family’s chief residence, the Order has decided to take advantage of the party to infiltrate the estate discreetly and retrieve the Orb (and any other potentially useful secrets they can find along the way), an endeavor that will doubtless be helped by the fact that one of their own is the sister of the bride-to-be.

ASSIGNMENTS.

Ainsley Abbott & Amelia Bones. The latter will be attending as Ainsley’s date to the party, although they will not be arriving together since Ainsley will be there early to help her sister. Neither are technically there on Order business since Amelia is not technically in the Order, and it was decided that Ainsley would be busy enough already. Nonetheless, should any Order members find themselves in distress, both Amelia and Ainsley stand ready to help them get out unnoticed. Amelia also hopes to keep her date from being miserable...but that may be the harder mission.

Mary Macdonald & James Potter. They will be polyjuiced as Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, respectively, with James brushing-off his rusty lessons in “social comportment” to keep the both of them from getting caught. Their duty will be to watch-over the bride-to-be and keep Vanessa from noticing that there is anything amiss at her party. Knowing that Nessie would be protected by wix whose skills she trusts was the only way to get Ainsley to agree to having her sister’s party used as cover for the Order’s mission!

Lily Evans & Emmeline Vance. No one is expected to cross wands with any enemies at this party, but the Order has been around long enough to know that’s always a risk. Given that they’re meant to be bringing back a Dark Artifact, the chances of injuries are high enough anyway - so the Order wants to be ready. This leaves Emmeline and her new, reluctant assistant, at headquarters to prepare for the worst. They are thus also tasked with keeping an eye on the Order map that shows if anyone is in trouble so they can send out patronuses to Remus and Peter directing aide, if needed.

Isla Selwyn-Macmillan & Archibald Macmillan. As invited guests, the couple are among the safest of the Order members attending since the worst thing they’re likely to be exposed as being if caught is too nosy - which makes them a perfect choice to search the main floor for the Orb without drawing suspicion. The problem with this is that they often get stopped by “friends of theirs” and have to stay in character, making the search a rather slow one!

Emma Vanity & Daisy Hookum. Emma had been invited to the party with her family, but no one goes without a date. With most wix expecting her to be on the arm of a dazzling pureblooded wizard, Daisy has been assigned to polyjuice herself as Igor Karkaroff in order for Emma and her to watch over the mission and provide distraction if anything goes haywire. This means a lot of small talk with a lot of other guests (an undue amount of which seems centered on how nice it is to see Emma finally “getting over" poor Antonin and on with her life - and with such a good catch, too!). Daisy’s not used to being a man, however - nor is she very happy at having to play pureblood. 

Amos Diggory & Artem Tremblay & Maurice Creevey. The Diggorys are still held in high esteem by pureblood society and Amos has thus been invited to the event. With Artem as his plus one, it’s enough to get them both through the door to look for the Orb on the upper floors where they will be joined by “Rabastan Lestrange” (really Maurice Creevey) whose name and reputation should dissuade any interference -- especially as many of the guests will have forgotten about Amos while he was away and aren’t likely to seek him out to chat. It’s expected (by many in the Order, at least) that Artem will also be willing use their veela charm to protect their mission from exposure if necessary; between the three of them, it’s hoped that they’ll be able to trespass so far beyond the bounds of the party with relative impunity.

Cordelia Greengrass & Sirius Black & Mundungus Fletcher. The former is an invited guest; the latter two are attending under polyjuice, Sirius using the old-fashioned manners he hates so much to maintain his cover and Mundungus trotting out his old theatre skills as they pretend to be Edwin Yaxley and his wife, Morganna (the rest of the Order let them fight over who’s paying whom). The assignment of the latter two is to break into the study and rifle through the Rosiers’ private documents...a task made difficult by the fact that they’ve run across an overly-curious young witch who is disinclined to let them slip away easily. But it’s not like she suspects on whose behalf they’re really there...does she?

Ryland Greengrass & Andromeda Black. Both in polyjuice, using their rusty (especially in Andromeda’s case) old social skills to pass as Bellatrix and Roldolphus Lestrange, their assignment for the night is light: they are to mingle casually among the guests, but to stay near the Entrance Hall to make sure none of the actual people they’re all polyjuiced as show up. Andromeda was asked (and suggested) for the role by Sirius, who trusts that she can pull out her old skills as a proper pureblood lady well enough to blend in; Ryland was given what was hoped to be easy duty as he is still recovering (and perhaps not entirely trusted by some) but which is likely to be made more difficult by all the familiar faces attending...not that Andromeda won’t be encountering some unwelcome familiar faces of her own, too!

Alice Longbottom & Frank Longbottom. While not in the same social circles as the Rosiers, the Longbottoms are socially acceptable enough that the Rosiers decided to “invite” them...as hired guards, not guests. (“After what happened to poor Leina Nott, well...can't be too careful with that Phoenix rabble out there, can we?“) Ordinarily they would refuse, but for the sake of the Order they agree to be the Rosiers’ “Aurors at the feast.” They will pose as guests to the public while keeping their eyes out for possible trouble...just not the sort of trouble the Rosiers expect them to watch for.

Ndulue Travers & Dorcas Meadowes. Ndulue will be attending as the “pretty play-toy” on the arm of wealthy old pureblood Perpetua Bulstrode...who will secretly be Dorcas under polyjuice disguise. Their assignment is to search the Rosiers’ bedrooms for evidence (masks, robes, etc) that will allow the Order to pinpoint which of the family are active Death Eaters...a risky task made safer by the fact that the pair have a ready-made-excuse should they be caught “dallying” in said bedrooms!

Branwen Yaxley & Fabian Prewett. The former is a required invitee who, for once, is pleasing her mother by not causing a fuss, and even bringing a date - Fabian, although everyone there will think him Casper Crouch thanks to the polyjuice. Their task is to slip (or perhaps stomp) away from the party and investigate the grounds. While Ainsley has not been involved much in the plans for the night, being preoccupied with the actual party, she did get word to the Order just prior to the event that there's something odd - something Dark - hidden out on the Rosiers' lands. (Players should connect with admins to discuss what exactly they’ll find!)

Caradoc Dearborn & Edgar Bones. The Dearborn family is always invited to things like this as a matter-of-course; they also never attend. When Caradoc arrives with Elladora Rowle on his arm (really Edgar Bones under polyjuice), it causes a stir...but Caradoc doesn’t really seem to feel like talking. No matter - the families in attendance hadn’t expected that from him anyway! It gives them the ability to slip away - down to the cellar - in search of the Orb they’ve come for. 

Marlene McKinnon & Gideon Prewett. With Gideon’s position at the Ministry and Marlene’s vast knowledge in wards (given the ones set around her farm have held even under werewolves), they have been tasked with finding the anti-Apparition wards on the Rosier Estate and taking them down. The Order doesn’t know if they’ll have to make a quick escape - and they can’t all run to the Apparition point at once without getting caught! Marlene and Gideon are both purebloods who have not been invited but, should they be caught, can act as “gatecrashers” and dates of one another. They should not use their Phoenix Tags or polyjuice to keep suspicion down. 

Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew. Held back as reserves should things go south, the two friends may be especially relieved to not be among the attendees given Remus’s recently exposed secrets and Peter’s yet-undiscovered ones (although Peter’s Death Eater masters would doubtless have preferred him to be there, where he could give them more warning about the Order’s plans than a vague recommendation to keep their eyes open tonight...). Still, it cannot be easy to sit and fret at the borders of the Rosiers’ grounds while they wait to see if they’ll be required to charge to the rescue. They are not under polyjuice, but should have their Phoenix Tags ready. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER.

Anyone playing in a para where there is a polyjuiced party will need to decide how they kept their persona at home. (i.e. Did they break into their home and tie them up? Knock them out? Make them sick? Modify their memories? Maybe just falsified a nice sale in Diagon Alley?). This doesn’t have to be played out - we will assume it happened prior to the event - but should be kept in mind. It can also involve other characters through plotting.

Characters should be thinking about how their polyjuiced person speaks and acts - and how pureblood society in general behaves. Clothing should mimic high society wizarding families (high-end dress robes, jewelry, etc).

Some characters will be better at playing their part than others - not everyone will be perfect. It’s okay to trip them up...or even get caught!

Polyjuice only lasts for one hour and nobody has extra doses, while events like this tend to last well into the wee hours of the morning. This puts things on a tight schedule for our infiltrators! They can’t afford to dally.

Dark Marks do not show up in polyjuice and many of those being impersonated fall under the category of suspected but unconfirmed Death Eaters - but fortunately pureblood fashion and the icy temperatures combined should lead to full-length robes and long sleeves for most attendees anyway, so no one will be inadvertently exposed by failing to dress “appropriately” for their subject’s Marked status!

Just because there are para assignments does not mean you only need one thread. People can interact with others outside their assignment - this is just who the Order put them with for the mission. (i.e. Emma and Ryland could chat, Peter and Remus might find Gideon and Marlene messing with the wards, etc.) Feel free to branch-out and strike-up other interactions along the way!

Assigned paras should take priority, however!

Polyjuiced players may feel free to choose a temporary faceclaim to stand-in for whomever your character is impersonating!

DETAILS.

Some of the pairings above were set by admins based on events planned in-game. Others were chosen using random dice rolls. As always, admins will keep track of what is happening within threads. At random intervals, players might be asked to dice roll for their group, which will then spur a mini plot drop for their characters. 

Remember to tags your posts with the date of event and to tag any open starters with ‘homenumstarter.’ This event does not yet have an end date, as we will vote on that like we have in the past. Threads set prior to February 14th can still be continued and more can still be started, if needed for plots!

[homenum-revelio-hq]

A SEARCH FOR THE TRAITOR.

The Inner Circle doesn't really expect Ainsley Abbott to just go home after everything, especially with Edgar Bones arguing that she's too smart to stay where people could find her. But they have to check her flat for completion sake, even if just to say they at least tried. Mary Macdonald argues that they have to prepare for the eventuality that someone might be home, though, and so Edgar is ordered to bring at least three people with him. Mary wants to join herself, but Caradoc Dearborn argues that Mary might be too affected by James Potters' death to face Ainsley and should stay behind. 

Edgar chooses Maurice Creevey and Archibald Macmillan to give him cover. Maurice because he trusts him to be 100% loyal to the Order, and Archibald because he doesn't know him well yet and wants to see how he cooperates on a mission, as well as because he's said to be a good duelist, which is something they need in case something goes wrong. Hoping that nothing will, Edgar also brings Ryland Greengrass to help him with Ainsley's wards. 

On the 18th before sunrise, they make it to Ainsley's apartment and work to undo the wards for almost the entirety of the day. The sun is setting again by the time they're finally able to enter and see every corner of the apartment. Alas, no Ainsley. 

Some might say the mission was a waste of time, others might be glad that they at least know Ainsley is gone for sure now - or so they think! At the very least, they covered their bases.

Threads are not necessary for this plot-drop, but players can certainly feel free to write the mini-mission out on the dash, if they choose!