archivetms

[archivetms]

IT MIGHT BEGIN WITH A SMELL OF SMOKE. you’ll crinkle your nose and you’ll search all around, first glancing to your kitchen, as if there lies the obvious source. when it yields no answers you’ll look around and notice the rising grey smoke from a drawer you never really look into, and this’ll strike you as STRANGE, as it should, because there really is no reason for it. you’ll stride forward and pull it open with intent, wand ready to put out whatever fire has begun. and there, in the middle of a neatly charred hole, will lie a galleon. nothing special, really, except that it’s still red at the edges from how it burned red hot like a fire poker, and when you lift it with cautious fingers you’ll find a new message arranged around the edge : 20.05.2020, 21.00, 44° 42’ 7.9596".

mad eye moody’s dumbledore defense will surely give most of you a fright, as he rises from the thick layer of dust across the floor and rushes towards you before exploding. no one can work out how to get rid of it, the curse is that good - and only a lucky HANDFUL of you will have been given a heads up. once your heart stops THUMPING, follow the low hum of voices : they’ll lead you to the basement, unfamiliar for most, cleared of all but the table and chairs sometime in the last few years.

“wotcher,” GINNY is the first to speak up in greeting, her friendly grin still somehow lacking, “you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

"not so much a ghost," NELLIE told ginny with a light smile. she wrung her hands nervously in her lap. every time her bouncing leg hit the ground, it changed a color, visible under her ripped jeans. "more like a support group for children with wands in crisis. the last real meeting i remember was before the war, i think."

HERMIONE gave a small nod. "it has been a while," she admitted, somehow managing to keep her voice steady. even though she had been the one to send out this call to arms, this felt wrong without harry here with them, the weight of his absence still hanging over all of their heads. she might have been the one to found dumbledore's army, but he had always been their leader. now that role would be in the hands of someone else. clearing her throat, she continued, "it seemed appropriate though -- after what happened at the memorial."

AURA was still a little shaken by the aparition at the front door, she wasn't sure if the chills she felt running through her body were due to the 'ghost' or because of the reason they've all been gathered. "weren't we all in the room of requirement?" she spoke up softly, her legs up against her chest and her arms tightly wrapped around her body. despite her entire expression being devoid of her usual cheerfulness aura allows herself a timid smile, "i was kinda hoping for it to remain the last one." it was obvious that she wasn't all that excited about the meeting... she would be, she was surrounded by old friends after all. but the air was a little thick and the circumstances weren't ideal. she could understand though, "you're right hermione, it feels... necessary... how- how have you guys been?"

"depends which army we're talking about." GINNY phrases it like it's a joke, but it isn't one, really. whether it was the group formed in the room of requirement, a response to umbridge or, the one that was birthed in a school that no longer felt like a home to combat death eaters - they'd been through a whole lot of war meetings for a bunch of kids. "it was... quite a message. loud, not so clear. i'd say i can't believe they're trying to spin it as a joke, but..." she tilts her chair back, and clucks her tongue - they also knew better than MOST how willing the grown ups of the situations were to push things under the rug. "i feel better now we're here. don't you all?"

she sighs softly, she'd hoped the true reason they were all gathered there would come up later. AURA didn't feel ready to talk about it all just yet, she's always been the kind to simply ignore unpleasant things until she can't anymore. but she supposes it's fine to get this out of the way sooner rather than later. especially if what's going on is actually serious and not some joke from some bored death eater that just decided to spice up their sunday afternoon, and doing it later involves yet another war for them to fight. "it's pretty much their brand at this point, isn't it? ridicule what you can't understand..." she shrugs slightly, even though with the way she's sitting -almost like protecting herself- it's hard to notice, "i'm taking it none of us believes in the prophet? and well... the mark has to mean something, right?"

the 'joke' stance would have been expected, from the likes of the prophet. that paper had consistently shown itself to be not much more than a pile of horseshit, and though a childish lark probably wouldn't have sold HALF as well as the fear mongering rubbish they'd gone with, GINNY wouldn't have put it past them. it was the fact that it came from the ministry - run by a man that ginny had the UTMOST respect for, who her parents had much the same feeling for - that truly stung. "someone had to take it seriously," she says, firmly, in perfect agreement with her brother, with her friend. it was cruel that it always seemed to be THEM who ended up back in this position, but if the people with sway were going to stick their head in the sand... so be it. "when the dark mark appeared at the world cup, my dad said that only death eaters know how to conjure it. that means it couldn't have been a joke. someone did that on purpose." she chewed her lip. considered her words. continued, before she thought otherwise. "and i don't think that prophecy everyone's talking about was that batty old woman just trying to save her job, either."

PARVATI drums her fingers on the table in front of her. she didn't know what to think anymore. she would like to think that the prophet, the people paying her bloody rent, wouldn't lie, but she knew better at the end of the day. "what about the kids?" she asks, eyes flashing. "maybe mum or dad taught them how to cast it? or there could have been more in training," she suggests, trying to soothe the knot in her stomach. then she looked up. "what about the order? have any of them said anything?"

in this very moment, ROLF was reminded of how long it took his grandfather to pick a side during the war with grindlewald. he had been similar during the war with voldemort. he had ultimately chosen the right side, but other than offering medical support and helpful knowledge here and there, rolf was never in the middle of the fight. it's not as though he was a coward, he just believed there was always good in people. he still tried to live by that, but after seeing what the death eaters had done to his friends, to his school, he couldn't ignore the fact that there was and always will be bad in this world. now, standing here with some many that did fight, rolf wanted to be more like his grandmother. she was never afraid to run into something head on that she knew in her heart was right. "regardless of what the order might think, we need to formulate a plan." rolf was staring at his feet firmly planted on the floor, his hand on his chin, so he didn't see those who looked at him with wide eyes. however, he could feel their stares. "i know that i don't usually speak in these meetings. i know that i wasn't much help the last time around, and i'm truly sorry for that. however, if something is coming, and i suspect that it is. then, this time will be different." he slowly looked up, looking directly at the one person's fighting spirit he admired almost as much as his grandmother's. "ginny, i want to fight.”

ALICIA could feel every single nerve in her body, all alight. fight. she wanted to do that too, wanted to punch and kick and scratch at whatever threatened to take away the small nuggets of peace everyone had managed to gather up in the past couple of years but — experience was screaming from the back of her mind. "what if that's the point?" she doesn't intend to speak, her thoughts being formed into sound before she’s had a chance to review. "what if they just wanna shit us up?" was that too muggle of a phrase?  "why else would we get warning? why not just attack when we're unprepared?" that's a grim thought — alicia can't keep eye contact, her hands behind her back to hide their shaking.

"don't you think it's a bit presumptuous, parvati, to imply that the likes of draco malfoy have nothing better to be doing with their time than taking over the family business?" GINNY can't help herself. the accusation causes something strange to bloom within her chest, and her words come out sharper ( and far more incredulous ) than she had truly intended on, and sit heavily between them. her expression is unreadable, but her mind whirls ; what reason has she to be defensive, beyond a solemn apology spoken at a memorial ginny's been trying hard to forget?

she's almost grateful for the implication of rolf's words, might JUST have been, if they didn't make her mouth dry up. "i didn't call the meeting, rolf," quieter, this time, than she'd chosen to be before. almost private. she understands the WANT between them all, to do something. she's been feeling that SAME itch beneath her skin, and she can't lie that it only started with the dark mark. wanting to fight makes sense to her. wanting to do something, to have an active role... wasn't that why they'd all answered the call? "half of it back then was fear mongering, but that didn't mean...- that it was any less serious." she almost shivers at the memory of a name too terrifying to utter, of methods used by the carrow twins, of a MYTHICISM of the death eaters that was meant to make your blood run cold... "for all we know, the order are ignoring all of this, but we're taking it serious, even if no one else is. we're all pretty much in agreement that dumbledore's army is reinstated, but, uh...- to circle back to something rolf said-" had implied? she looks towards him, briefly, before scanning the rest of the table, "we can't do much else, tonight, but we should probably work out who's leading us, now that-...." harry's gone. the words died in her throat. "you know."

anxiety spread throughout ROLF’S body, extending toward his fingers, which soon began to shake. he quickly tucked the under his arms, hoping no one else noticed. "i-i'm sorry, gin. i just assumed-" his heart rate picked up. "i was wrong." deciding it was better to not make any more assumption, rolf kept his lips pressed in a firm line, instead figuring it was best to let those who actually knew what they were talking about speak up. as he listened, rolf swayed back and forth on his feet, his eyes glued to the floor until he heard ginny's voice cut out. his head snapped up, eyes searching for hers. rolf knew she wouldn't be able to get his name out. he saw the look in her eyes and crossed the room, closing the space between them. resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it just enough to let her know he was there for her, rolf got the courage to speak up once more. "she's right you know, but then again, i can't ever remember a time where ginny weasley was wrong. however, that's not the point." he cleared his throat, raising his voice enough to make it seem as though he was less anxious then he actually was. "regardless of what the order is thinking, dumbledore's army will stand strong, as it did before. so i just have one thing to say. i'm not sure if anyone else felt this way back when, but i feel it today as strong as i did when we last stood around like this. we're a family and we will get through this together, as one."

NEVILLE had been quiet throughout the meeting. the thing was, he was expected to have something to say. he was a founding member of the da and had formed it again in harry's absence. and now harry was gone, and...the mantle fell most obviously to him, but it already felt so heavy.

there were too many ghosts in this meeting. his heart had hammered for long moments after he saw the apparition of mad-eye. he had never had much of a relationship with the real mad-eye, but sometimes he thought about how it was the scheming of the impostor that had led him to his calling. in his life, all the good seemed entwined inextricably with all the bad. it seemed there was no letting go of everything, no moving on. the coin had burned, and he had come. but to what end?

his eyes flicked to rolf when he said they were a family. his gentleness seemed to balance ginny's fire. at last, neville leaned forward. "no one ever told us to form the da. there was no one telling us what calls to make or who to put in charge. we always decided that for ourselves. so i say that we nominate and then we vote."

he looked back at ginny for a long moment. she was brave, bright, and she was already stepping up. it was an easy decision to make. "i nominate ginny weasley," he said, chin lifting. "do i hear a second?"

"No, it should be Hermione." MICHAEL had been quiet through most of the meeting. That seemed to be his schtick. All the ravenclaws (geez, he was back in a room with the DA for one second and he was separating them back into their houses again) were usually sitting back and listening, thinking it through. Michel might not have been the smartest ravenclaw, but the bird on his robes wasn't just for show, or just because he dreamed of flying.

"Sorry Ginevra," Michael didn't call her Ginny anymore. Always her full name or Weasley, but given that the room was populated with multiple Weasleys, he stuck to her first name, "But I don't think you have the experience." He looked at Rolf, then back at the fiery redhead, "And I know of a few times you've been wrong." He was practically shouting 'you know, when you dumped me, no hard feelings' into the air between them. "You're reckless and headstrong. Makes you a great quidditch player. Not a leader. Not if we wanna be smart."

He turned to the room at large. "We might say that Harry was the teacher, and that Dumbledore's name was on the parchment," he swallowed, "But Hermione created the DA. It was her idea. She wrote the rules. She enchanted the galleons. She's also the only person in this room who's done this. Really done this. She found the horcruxes, hunted down death eaters; the works. This isn't a war. Not yet. We need to be quiet and stealthy, not loud and explosive. I vote Hermione."

“merlin, michael, issues much?” NELLIE tilted her head, arms cross over chest. nel tended to mind her own business. she knew she wasn’t meant to lead this, and was perfectly fine with that. too much responsibility she didn’t want. and what would she do to run them? in this hypothetical, nellie had no idea. she thinks maybe matching jackets. “do you have something to say to ginny? not much the time. were you even* in the second da?*” nellie knew she was being a bit mean, but she really couldn’t help it.

of course, nellie had a personal stake in ginny, as one of her friends, but hermione was undeniably competent. a member of the da twice, nellie was familiar with both their work with the group, but she felt the need to at least stick up for her friend. “i vote GINNYor NEVILLE.” nellie flicked a piece of orange hair over shoulder. it had been yellow, but her anger simmered at the offense on behalf of ginny, leaving it a sunset-colored mop. “hermione’s great, but i was around for the second installment. ginny, luna, and neville ran everything. if anyone, it should be them. it’d be stupid otherwise. so.” she usually didn’t talk this much, especially not during meetings, but she huffed a breath, leg bouncing with energy.

HERMIONE had remained quiet for the past several minutes. It wasn't that she had nothing to say. It was quite the opposite -- she had too much she wanted to express, deep in thought, her mind whirling with the possibilities as she tried to come up with the game plan that she knew everyone was expecting from her. It was hard to figure out how to fight when you weren't sure what you were fighting against. It wasn't until Michael spoke that she finally realized what was best. "No," Clearing her throat as all eyes turned on her, she paused for a few moments before she continued, "We shouldn't pick one leader. What we need now is balance. Neville's bravery. Ginny's spirit. Ron's strategy. My knowledge. Different perspectives are more important now than ever."

NEVILLE was taken aback by michael bringing an apparently personal agenda to such an important decision. he really wasn't impressed, especially with those insults directed at his friend. ginny had experience, and she wasn't reckless, she was brave. he would trust her with his life, many times over. he remembered what michael had done for the younger students, but he hadn't as much of a leadership role then, and he certainly wasn't playing one now with the way he was stirring the pot.

it wasn't that he disagreed with the choice of hermione. who truly could? she was brilliant and would no doubt keep the da several steps ahead of everyone else. however, he was somewhat biased towards ginny because of the way he had seen her rally together the students in that long and terrible year. they had different kinds of experience, but both would probably prove valuable. he wouldn't be unhappy at all if the group were to choose hermione. he was mostly unhappy about the way she was nominated.

neville was debating not saying anything, but it had gotten too personal. "i'm sorry, you're entitled to your opinion of who should lead the da, but that's not an acceptable way to talk about ginny. we've all made mistakes, even hermione." he glanced at hermione. "i respect everyone in this room. we should all treat each other that way."

he considered nellie and hermione's suggestions for there to be more than one leader. he'd been resigned to the idea that he would be nominated. neville was ready to do whatever he needed to do for the group, as he had before, if the vote fell that way.

"i think it's a good point that we all bring different things to the table," he said, looking around the room at his friends, comrades-in-arms once and now again. "i still think there's value to a strong leader at our head--" he could only think of harry, harry. "--even without a lot of other top-down organization. but i already made my nomination, so." clearing his throat, he sat.

as soon as michael opened his mouth, ROLF tried to hold his tongue. he had lived his life by always giving others the benefit of the doubt, but there was just something about that boy, other than the fact that he was ginny's ex, that rubbed him the wrong. thankfully, hermione spoke up, which distracted him from whatever he might've said to michael. her statement took him by surprise, especially since he was also in favor of ginny. the red head was one of his best friends after all. rolf was even in favor of nellie's nomination of neville, who was another brilliant friend of his. however, no matter his personal feelings and biases, hermione's idea made more sense. "i'm afraid i might have to second hermione. i think it might be..." not better he thought to himself, trying to find the right word. "smarter, to have more than just one person leading us. when it was just harry, i can't even imagine the immense pressure he was under as the leader, as the chosen one, and just as a normal student like the rest of us were. it isn't right to put that much pressure on anyone here."

AURA had chosen to remain quiet for the time being. not because she didn't have anything to say but because she wanted to think it through before voicing her opinion. the unwarranted jab at her best friend, made her train of thoughts derail and she shot a glare the boy's way. "we've ALL made mistakes at some point during our lives... at the moment, you're making it crystal clear the apparent mistake you think ginny made in regards to you wasn't one after all, michael." she knew full well the redhead sitting close to her didn't need her defense, she could protect herself on HER OWN. she's proved it time after time, but this was just the way aura was after all.

she takes a deep breath trying to calm herself down and organize her ideas. "i agree... different perspectives could be helpful in the long run. neville, ginny and you have already proved you're capable of being a leader; the ones that have been here since day one are witnesses of all you've done for this group. there's no denying that. but do all of you actually want to have that responsibility again? i think your own opinion should also matter. there's no point in forcing you to take a stand if that's not what you want."

To be perfectly honest, this was weird. DEAN hadn’t been back with this group of people since his Hogwarts days: and those were so ungraciously ripped away from him. He was glad to be back, he was. But a little part of him wished that Seamus were there, that the room didn’t feel suddenly so empty in the absence of his friends: the ones they had lost, or the ones who no longer wished to return.

And a bigger part of him wished that there was not so much bickering, so much bad blood. “Can we all lay off each other? None of us are death eaters, yeah?” He had been silent for most of the meeting, unsure of what to say: Dean hadn’t really seen the DA in it’s second iteration, and the group had clearly changed. They all had. But he gave a pointed glance at Aura, and then Michael in turn.

“Yeah well… without…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. But no one else had and it hung in the air, an unspoken truth. “Without Harry, the fact that we’re having this debate maybe suggests that the group shouldn’t have just one leader. Unless we need one for like, a safehouse.”

“We’re all here, aren’t we? We all chose to take a stand, whether that means leading the group or being in it.”

up until a certain point, GINNY sat with her spindly chair leaning backwards, the front two legs off the ground. she kept her arms crossed over her chest and very uncharacteristically, bit her tongue, her gaze burning a hole into the CENTER of the table ( aside from a brief flicker towards michael, when he first spoke ) as everyone around her discussed her strengths and weaknesses and all the ways in which her friends were better options. she didn't DISAGREE with that assessment. ginny had been expecting her nomination, of course, but that didn't come from a place of her being vainglorious. when she thought of everything that she had done during the year where it was just... she and neville and luna and the few people they could gather to the cause against the world, she remembered a THOUSAND stupid mistakes, big and small, and had a million and one ideas for how they could have done better. they'd done their best, all of them, and they'd been all that a chunk of the hogwarts population had, but they were still just kids. what they'd been doing had come from a place of necessity, but it wasn't something to find pride in.

the thing that BOTHERED her - that continued to, even as the conversation wound this way and that - was the idea that she was the lesser than of three. her brow furrowed, a dent appearing as she thought about it, almost entirely tuning out the people that were jumping to her defense. lesser than of six, she supposed, if they were counting both armies. she had known the minute that her coin had burned, so hot it had left a mark when she had gone to pick it up, that in all likelihood she would be put forward to lead again. she'd also been well aware that neville and hermione would be, too, and anyone who'd thought otherwise for even one MOMENT was a fool. they'd done this before. they had the experience. in times such as these, the default was to fall back on the people who'd done it : and she was fine with that. more than, even. aura's point, caught just as ginny properly tuned back in, was sweet, but unnecessary. at least for ginny. that weight of responsibility on their shoulders wasn't something that people wanted, but she had decided a long time ago that she could handle it. being nominated didn't bother her. being treated like she was the one wild card in a sea of better choices pissed her RIGHTLY off.

the two front legs of her chair hit the ground with a thud.

"this is stupid." that wasn't a great opening. ginny was aware, suddenly, of how at risk she was of ticking dean off, so her next words were said in a rush, all the better to avoid that particular blow up. "we're going around in circles, either... making a case for the same people, or defending MY honor. which- thanks, but i don't need anyone here to do that." the corner of her lips twitched, though whatever bemused SMILE she might have offered the people in question never fully materialized. instead, her emerald hues fell upon michael once again.

"if you're still bent out of shape cause you got dumped nearly a decade ago, then that's your issue to work through. save it for the pitch and send a bludger my way, someday. just don't sit there and try invalidate everything that i've done for the da." a part of why ginny hadn't... chosen to speak up sooner, was cause she was AWARE of how much she'd have proven his point. she was headstrong, she was loud, in a word she was hotheaded : and she hadn't really wanted to give him the satisfaction of being right, which...- how WELL they were fitting the cliche of bitter exes, right now? laughable. at the end of the day, michael could say what he wanted - but the one thing she refused to be was DIMINISHED. if they were going to keep having these meetings, if they had to sit across from one another at them, then they had to get one thing clear. "hermione is a brilliant option, and so is neville - but you don't get to act like their experiences trump mine. i had voldemort in my head years before anyone but harry and i had faced him. i was in the department of mysteries. i didn't go on the same grand quest hermione did, but i was here, corunning the second army with neville and luna," she'd defied snape too. she'd been a part of the trio that had tried stealing the sword. she'd protected first years, smuggled muggleborns into the room of requirement, done everything she could, and she wanted to say all of that and more, like the fact that she - like many in the room - had the scars to prove it. the milky blood traitor carved into her arm felt like it were burning red hot, and it was the only thing that really sobered her, and she settled for leaning forward, and finishing with a simple: "we were in the same rebellion, protecting the same people, and we won the same war. the only difference is i restarted it with neville and luna, not you, or anyone else here. don't pretend i didn't."

she felt like she'd run a marathon, when she was finished - but she wasn't done. chewing the inside of her cheek, angrily, her words hung heavy in the air until she pushed her chair away from the table, suddenly, pulling out her wand - before anyone could WORRY about imminent danger, she gave it a wave and conjured a box before her. another jab ( that was meant to be a flourish ), and there were enough shreds of parchment and pens ( easier to scrawl quickly with ) to go around.

"there's too many PERSONAL-" yes, a little pointed, "feelings clouding everyone's judgement, and this is the only way we're going to get this over with quickly and fairly. write who you think should lead us. don't sign your name. put it in the box, and we'll tally it up." she was still fuming, but she directed a little smirk the other girls way, "no copyright infringement intended on you, tally."

It had been a while since KATIE was back with this group of people and she'd be lying if she had said being here didn't bring back memories, both the good and bad. She listened to the rest of the members speak as she nodded her head in agreement to whatever they had been saying. "Arguing isn't gonna solve any of our problems. so can we just drop it?" She asked the group, looking between all the people that she was sure people could here arguing from a mile away. She had her own problems to deal with, but she knew that arguing wouldn't solve anything, which is why she decided to be civil although she'd be lying if she'd had said she hadn't thrown a scowl or two Nellie's way. "Look, none of us want to do this without Harry, but he's gone whether we like it or not and someone has to lead whether it be one person or a group of people." She reassured the group, looking between everyone that had been in the same room as her. If she had to pick, she'd probably pick either Dean or Alicia as the new leader's, but she knew that it wasn't just her say and that the group had to agree with her too.

“ i think it’d be a bit uncharacteristic for us to be completely devoid of fight, but ginny’s right. “ when wasn’t she ? NELLIE twisted around, grabbing her backpack from where she’d carelessly left it on the floor. under her wand, a chocolate frog, and a pair of sunglasses ( it was not the weather for them, but nellie liked the aesthetic ), nellie grabbed out her notebook. passing by pages of scribbled notes, she started to rip out full pages, and then rip those in half. “ here. i have pens too, one second- “ she took them out of the front pocket, blue, purple, and pink glitter gel. taking a pen and a slip of paper for herself, she passed the rest on to the person beside her. “ who cares about constant vigilance when i’ve got CONSTANT CRAFT SUPPLIES ? “

nellie scribbled her vote, making sure to sign her name ( though ginny said explicitly to not. who was eleanor diggory if not a rule breaker ) and leave a heart. “ we aren’t just here for an election, i don’t think. honestly, maybe we are. i don't pay very good attention. “ nellie smacked her lips together, cherry chapstick pink. she took her slip of paper and placed it face-down onto the center of the table. “ what i’m wondering is what bellatrix is doing. obviously, she’s mad, but is she any real threat ? “ well, now that nellie’s said it aloud, she’s not so sure. the same thing could be said for voldemort, couldn’t it ? ONE MAN, ONE IDEA, and two wars with it.

ALICE hadn't talked the whole meeting, she wasn't very vocal about her opinions, she mostly kept to herself anyways. of course, she had opinions, but none of them would do any good out in the open, so she kept silent, making faces at certain people's statements. Personal feelings shouldn't be brought into a serious conversation, she thought that more than anything else.

When nellie brought up constant vigilance she sunk deeper into her chair. Alice had heard the phrase so often, it had lost it's effect on her, but something about hearing someone say it that she, frankly, didn't know very well, struck something in her, she didn't know the feelings ' name, but it wasn't anger, "constant craft supplies," she spoke for the first time, the whole meeting, "that's good" she smiled, writing her own response on the piece of paper in front of her.

"She's a loose canon, we don't know anything about her," Alice shrugs, "for all we really know, she's with the giants now, " Bellatrix lestrange had become an urban legend at this point, something for a 5 minute fame piece, which was terrifying, honestly. They had all seen the legend in work.

once the voting had commenced, NEVILLE decided that it would be best to move onto other topics--nellie brought up a salient point, as did alice.

"we can't ever count bellatrix lestrange out," neville said grimly. "i think her not being very stable just makes her more dangerous." besides all the terrible tragedy of death, his greatest regret about that night was that they didn't chase her down. neville thought that if they came face-to-face--he would kill her. he didn't think that about many people, but he was sure when it came to her. "what about her husband, rodolphus lestrange? he was never taken into custody."

he'd had trouble trusting the ministry for a long time, and this certainly wasn't helping matters. he wasn't impressed by the recent actions of the daily prophet either. he had been raised wanting to believe in the institutions of their world, but they had failed time and time again. he supposed that was why they found themselves here.

"do we have any evidence that they're recruiting? i mean, the dark mark isn't just meant to intimidate us. it's also a rallying call." neville didn't want to believe that they could be growing in numbers again, after everything. but those key figures had slipped through the fingers of both the order and the department of magical law enforcement, and neville knew very well that all it took was a seed or two...

she could ALWAYS count on nell. it was nice to know. GINNY was quick moving around the room distributing paper and pens, but her friend was quicker ; by the time she had circled round, nellie had her vote cast, and ginny plucked it from the table and dropped it in the ballot box. “thanks,” for the craft supplies. for catching that she wanted the topic changed and following through. for all of it, really, but she didn’t want to say too much and kept it all to a soft squeeze of the others shoulder before she moved back to her chair.

“she’s still in the country,” she slipped back into her seat, tone matter of fact. ginny’s focus was now primarily on the scrap of paper ahead of her as she bent her head, sheet of ginger hair acting as a privacy curtain and hiding what she scrawled from the rest of the table, but she could still multitask. “we know that from the fact that rodolphus WASN’T brought in.” she thought about the woman she had duelled : wild hair, wilder eyes, undeniably skilled with the wand she wielded as if it were a dagger. she remembers the flash of green light that had been a hairs breadth away from hitting her, and she’s grateful for the fact her face is obscured, though her hand still shakes. she’s quick to fold up the paper she’s finished writing on and push it away, hiding her hands in her pockets as she sits back. “if anyone could stop a convoy, it’s that woman.”

she doesn’t know if she believes that the dark mark at the memorial WAS a rallying call, really, but she won’t deny that neville isn’t wrong to at least... think it. chewing at her lip a moment, mind moving a hundred miles a minute, she thinks about - the mark in the sky, and bellatrix, and writhing tattoos, and masked death eaters, and the fact that THEY can only speculate, but... “leave that with me.” gaze flickers to neville. she’s aware she can’t say something so vague without being questioned, but she feels... weird, about the whole thing, and she hesitates before adding, “there’s no point in theorizing. i- i think i can talk to draco. i won’t need to say much, or tell him why i want to KNOW - but i might be able to get an answer out of him.”

He was glad, at least, that the arguing was over. At the very least, DEAN didn’t really care what people thought about leadership: he knew who he wanted before he stepped foot in the room, before his coin had burned in his pocket earlier that morning. “Thanks Nellie,” Dean grinned, grabbing a light blue pen and scribbling his vote quickly before sending it across the room with his wand and dropping it in the box.

“Yeah, I think she is. A threat at the very least, grand plan or not.” Dean said absentmindedly. He was not looking at the room, instead using Nellie’s pen to doodle a sketch of a dragon on his forearm. His few interactions with her had him worried: whether or not Bellatrix was planning on something, he certainly did not want to cross her again. “Why’d you say that, Gin?” This was more intentional: putting down his pen, he raised his eyes across the room to face her. Maybe Dean hadn’t been paying attention, but he certainly didn’t follow her logic. “The breakout was months ago, she could be anywhere by now. But it’s old Death Eater tactics, yeah? If they’re not actively recruiting, they’re definitely shoring up their own ranks.”

“Speaking of, do we know what the ministry is up to?” His gaze shifts to Hermione and Tally: the two people in the room he knew for a fact worked for the Ministry. “Maybe they’re handling it for once. At least with Kingsley in charge…” He trailed off, unwilling to finish that sentence. Maybe this time I won’t have to run. “I haven’t heard anything from the Order, but I can’t imagine they’re doing nothing.”

"you're never getting that pen back, nel," GINNY’S just kidding. the atmosphere hadn't exactly settled, yet, so she feels as if...- in a way, her little joke might be seen as her trying too hard - but she isn't. free of her ballot, waiting for the last of them to send in theirs, she was just searching for something to pass the time : and watching dean's fluid movements and the shape of a dragon take form was as good as anything. she wasn't expecting him to address her, but her eyes flicker upwards from his arm to meet his gaze, anyway. "just a feeling, i guess," she shrugged, only now aware she'd sounded an awful lot like she was stating FACT. "if she didn't think she had to leave the country in the last six years, i don't see her doing it now. we've all heard the rumors." and didn't the dark mark somewhat confirm them?

"i've not heard anything from mum and dad," about the order, that was. the ministry was a sore subject, still. "i doubt the ministry is doing much, if they're trying to spin the whole thing as a joke," she'd expected better from minister shacklebolt. that much was plain to see from the expression that had worked its way onto her face. before she could delve too much more into it, however, ginny took a sweeping glance along the table and realized the last of the ballots had been submitted - "we can circle back. first, let me get this over with."

she thought, briefly about asking neville to accompany her to a sideroom so that she wouldn't have eyes on her, as she opened up the box. that seemed like it'd be ASKING for trouble, though ( ballot box tampering, anyone? ), so - rolling up her sleeves and pushing her hair behind her ear, ginny took the top from the box and tipped it upside down. it really didn't feel great, having all eyes on her, but she worked quickly ; reading each scrap of paper and dropping it back into the box, keeping a tally ( and a couple lines ) on a spare sheet of all the votes. it didn’t take as long as she had worried it would. all too soon, as if she needed to, she gave a little cough to clear her throat.

“one vote for rolf. someone said they liked your speech, a lot. one for dean, cause you ‘have a good heart’. one for alicia, because you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, one for nellie for much the same, and one for michael cause someone wants to see you get impeached.” she rattled all thier names off one by one, and tried to remain matter of fact when it came to revealing the reasoning. she agreed, for the most part, but she was trying to seem... impartial.

“three for luna. she did a good job, when she was leading,” that was the essence of all the notes that had luna’s name scrawled across them. rightly so. “six for neville, cause...-” fuck impartialness, “you’re the best of all of us, nev. and- seven for hermione. for all the reasons already mentioned.”

“nine for ginny.” she’d reached the end of her page, and though she’d been hunched over her page, some, she sat back now - trying very hard not to look SMUG, as the sweeping look around the table she gave dwelled, a little, on michael. it wasn’t something to be proud of. “some of you guys said some really nice things about me, so thanks for that. i don’t think i have to tell you i’ll do anything for everyone here, but if everything goes...- bad, like we’re worried it will, then- whatever it takes. i’ll do it.”

she was grateful, you know. to be seen as COMPETENT. it was one thing, to think it of yourself, but it was another for others to think it too, and ginny...- couldn’t help the soft, sad sort of feeling that had built in her chest at the fact that some people in the room had thought she’d do even HALF as good a job as harry did. she’d been voted in, fair and square, and she was fine with that. but she felt... good, about her next thought.

“i was voted in, i won’t turn it down, but if something were to happen to me...” they’d be in the same place, later. they all KNEW it, and it was the one argument that stuck in mind. her words, now, were directed to the people who had come second and third. “neither of you- hermione, neville- have to, if you don’t want. but would you work with me, maybe?"

ginny's idea that bellatrix had helped rodolphus escape held water for NEVILLE, but dean's doubt made sense to him as well.

he felt a stab of nostalgia, sweet but sharp, when he saw dean sketching on his arm. they'd never been the closest at hogwarts, true, neville always on the periphery, but he he remembered watching dean draw while the weasley twins goofed off and hermione studied...memories. so many memories with so many in this room. whatever happened with the vote, he hoped the group would maintain that precious cohesion. what he'd read about his parents' iteration of the order told him that was one of their strengths, too, even if it made the battles they had to face more painful.

it was a good point about both the ministry and the order. they needed more information than they had. but it was time for the vote, so neville tabled that. the vote--mostly didn't surprise him. and he found that he was satisfied. he gave ginny a small, warm smile, twitching at the corners when he saw that bit of smugness in her face. if something were to happen...it didn't bear thinking about. but neville would be a faithful lieutenant. to the bitter end, if need be.

"in a heartbeat, gin," he told her with a nod. he looked around the room for hermione. three seemed right. "and not to get too far ahead of myself, but i am thinking...we need someone to liaise with the order." his fingers tapped slowly on the table as he further explained his point. "i don't think we have to decide to become one organization, but i think we'll be at a disadvantage if we keep information from each other. and you know bellatrix and her lot will use every advantage they can get."

MICHAEL was starting to regret being here. All he did was offer fair criticism of Ginevra fucking Weasley, and her goons leapt down his throat like he'd said she was a piece of trash. Then of course, her friends elected her mayor. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed, so he could speaking with some degree of calmness. He had to remember why he was here: Because someone had to act while the "adults" all had their heads up their asses. Someone had to do the work. It was the DA last time. It'll be the DA this time. Besides, these guys would all get themselves killed without him to reign them in.

So he was staying.

"Absolutely not," Michael said immediately when The Order was mentioned. Michael knew next to nothing about them, except that Voldemort had hated them and they'd done nothing to stop him. The fact that Neville knew some of them meant that Michael could take wild guesses at who they were: a number of people Neville knew came through the portrait right before the Battle of Hogwarts, but it wouldn't be any more than speculation. "The Order isn't going to help any more than they did last time. This is third time we'll have to fight their war. Let the relics lie in the dust. We'll handle this."

Then he turned to their new "leader". "So what're we doing? We don't know who cast the mark. We don't know if they were a Death Eater. We don't know if it was a call for help or just a dying gasp. We don't know where the missing prisoners went. We don't know what organization they have. We don't know which former Death Eaters might be helping them, or their children. We know nothing, oh gloriously elected leader." Michael shrugged. "We only know it wasn't a prank. So what's the agenda?"

"Third time is a stretch, Corner. Most of us were babies for the first war." ALICIA grins, a laugh dancing around her mouth and evident in her eyes. "Did you goo goo ga ga Voldemort away too?" Corner definitely had a bit of a chip on that shoulder of his, and Alicia wouldn't have the patience for all that bullshit Quidditch jock bravado for much longer. "Sounds like you reckon you could do better. G'wan. What would you being doing right now if you'd gotten enough votes, Corner?" She's slouched all the way back on her chair, hands painting her words in the air and looking the picture of nonchalance now that they had settled on something and had briefly stopped asking the questions none of them were gonna work out the answers to. "Other than give us a morale boost by listing all the shit we don't know?"

MICHAEL is undaunted. He ignores the taunt, knowing it for what it is. Arguing over what he meant by third and we would only delay actually getting something done. "I'm glad you asked, Alicia!" He speaks as if he was hoping for the challenge. "Neville is right in that we should be getting more information. Just not from the Order. Step 1 is recruitment. We are smaller than we once were, and we need fresh eyes and ears. And we already have a ready recruiting ground. Hogwarts. We rose from there because we saw the pattern before anyone else did. So I bet there are students there right now who are seeing things we're not. So we should go get them." He held up a finger, to indicate he wasn't done. "Meanwhile, the rest of us should start re-establishing contact with people from our years. This isn't a war. Not yet. There's no target to wave a wand at. But we all know people who were tied to the death eaters before. Pansy. Blaise," he quirks his mouth, "Malfoy. Any one of them could've heard something useful. I'll start working on a couple potions we could make excellent use of. Once we have facts...then we go in."

“ no problem, “ NELLIE said softly, addressing both dean and ginny. she shrugged her shoulders about getting her pen back. nellie brought her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing on it as they spoke of bellatrix and the rest of the death eaters. she wished she knew anything substantial. WHAT WERE THEY PLANNING ? she hoped that ginny was right. that draco would be able to tell her something.

nellie squinted her eyes. she resisted the urge to change them a color, MAYBE RED, for the hell of it. might feel good to give him a scare. “ sorry, need i remind you that you aren’t in charge ? we’re a secret organization. IT’S IN THE NAME. how would we recruit ? fliers ? a prophet article ? oh, maybe a howler ? “ it was an idea, she’d give him that, but how did he plan to put it into any actual action. “ they’re - they’re bloody children, no more than we were. WE DIDN’T DESERVE WAR, and neither do they. “ she was older now. old enough to recognize that she dealt with much more than a child should have ever had to. but wasn’t that hogwarts ? wasn’t that life ? nellie didn’t know anymore. this, she did not voice.

“ we should ask the order. it’s just being lazy if we don’t. “ not that nellie cared for them much, but she wasn’t going to say they didn’t have experience. they were just... different, she thought. she’d never wanted to be a part of that. “ and, yes, the death eaters that are less... death eater-y. but we should be aware that EVEN IF WE WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THEM, even if we’re friends with them... they have their own worries. we shouldn’t tell them much, like gin said. definitely not about da. “

“sorry, michael - i had no idea that voting hermione in ahead of me would have given us all the answers to those questions, immediately, from nowhere. silly me.” GINNY couldn’t help but CHUCKLE not-so-softly at alicia’s words, knowing now the reason she still had such a soft spot for the other, though she wasn’t much interested in what he actually had to say in response to them until... well.

“absolutely not.” she hadn’t thought she’d have to be so firm, so soon, but as it turned out - they were apparently VERY lucky indeed michael hadn’t triumphed in the ballot box. she nodded along to nellie, taking the time the other was speaking to pull together her own thoughts and work through the sudden flash of jaw tightening anger that had struck her. she needed to be able to say more than michael, you’re so fucking stupid, and she even took a moment ONCE nell was finished to make sure the line wouldn’t make an appearance. “we aren’t bringing kids into this war. not again. i’m not the only one here who lost my childhood because of things outside of my control, but we’re...- we aren’t doing it. none of them know what it was like. none of the current set of students were a PART of the war. we aren’t turning them into the next colin creevey’s.” her heart HURT to remember him ; not the only casualty, not by a long shot, but the one she was sure they all remembered. he had deserved better.

“i’ve already said i can talk to draco,” with the patience of a SAINT, she managed not to roll her eyes, “at least i have an in, with him. if you’re hiding one to the other goons, by all means, speak up- but if not, keep to who we know. i’d say you should get in contact with CHO, michael, but if this is the attitude you have with all your exes, it’s probably best someone else does.”

"So you wanna be just like them?" MICHAEL shot back. No long speeches. No grandstanding. "You wanna tell the kids they're too young. They should stay out of this? If war is coming they are already involved. Don't insult them like they insulted us."

“we were DIFFERENT.” GINNY’S losing patience with him. she’s lost it, actually, around the same moment her voice raises a couple octaves, her eyes trained upon him and only him. “we weren’t kids anymore, we HADN’T been kids in a long time. for ME, it was when voldemort was in my head- for NELLIE, it was the last triwizard challenge- for HERMIONE, and ron, and harry, for the rest of everyone here it was what HAPPENED while we were at that school. it was insulting to be left out when we went to war, because we had already been fighting it, BUT THEY HAVEN’T LIVED OUR LIFE, MICHAEL.”

"right now, we don't really know what's going on at all," NEVILLE pointed out. "i think it's too soon to start recruiting--" child soldiers, it would always be too soon to start recruiting child soldiers. blimey, michael. he wouldn't wish their childhoods on anyone. "--when we don't know the nature of the war. if there is a war." but it felt like there was always a war. that it would never be over. neville felt like he was speaking through thick grey exhaustion. "we can talk about ways to get information out to students, if information starts being repressed or misrepresented again, though. i think they do deserve that. of course, we'd, erm. need information first."

"for now..." he looked over at michael for a moment. he wasn't impressed by his behavior, but this wasn't the time to make enemies among their own. "i do like the idea of the potions--sort of stockpiling, preparing, practicing in general. for most of us who aren't aurors or similar, we aren't doing defensive magic every day. we need to review our hiding places, our supplies. make sure we're shored up, no matter what happens."

"Ginny," MICHAEL says the nickname for the first time in the meeting. It is deliberate, and calm. Like her, his words were aimed at the redhead and the redhead alone. "I know this is hard to understand, but not everyone has lived the same life you did. I didn't join the DA because I had something horrible happen to me and I was somehow magically not a child anymore. I joined because I wanted to do something. I was a child, and I wanted to do something. We're all still children, Ginevra. You think twenty-two is really that much older than sixteen? And those kids? Those 7th years who were 1st years at Hogwarts when the battle happened? They aren't mythical spotless children. They were there too. They lost people, too." Michael could name a few of those 1st years. He'd freed more than one of them from dungeons multiple times. They'd been fighters, even then. "There's not a single person in Hogwarts who doesn't know what the war was like. You are letting your emotions and your ideal of what you wish these children could be cloud your judgment, blinding you to the real fact that if you asked them, they'd volunteer in a heartbeat, just like we did. Which I believe was my reasoning against you in the first place."

Michael then turned back to the group at large. "I approve of Neville's suggestion. I haven't cast a battle spell in years. I think new lessons would do us good. We also need to be able to cast a wider net, bring in information from people we don't already know. Yes of course it means being careful, but if it's not going to come from recruitment, then we need to brainstorm something else. Lack of info will kill us as surely as a failed Shield Charm."

"michael." ALICIA is aware that ginny can more than defend herself, but she can't just sit back and let this become the bloody corner-weasley showdown. his quidditch jock bravado opinionated shit had officially reached its end-of-alicia's-patience phase. "we DEMOCRATICALLY elected ginny leader. not you. would taking a step back from the centre-stage spotlight kill you for two seconds? you've not let her fuckin' BREATHE since we voted her in." she's slowly relaxed herself out of her pretend cool-calm-composed facade, leaning forward on the chair and finally standing up to look directly into his eyes. "so SIT. DOWN. now." if alicia had ever had aspirations of teaching children, this would be the moment she finally perfected her teacher's voice, along with those teacher-y eyes. she won't blink first.

thank merlin for alicia. GINNY was WELL aware that she had proven many of michael's points against her, this evening ; but she wasn't above proving a few more of them, and was ready to launch into another tirade - or, as the case might've been, launch herself across the table - when the older girl spoke up again. crossing her arms over her chest once again, her gaze more of a glare, ginny resisted the urge to stick her tongue out ( and probably add 'childish' to his list of complaints against her ), and for once, chose not to unpack what he had to say. she had no problem being a source of information for the kids at hogwarts, if it got to that point - but ginny's feelings on including them in the army were clear as day.

"i think when the conversation turns to child soldiers, it's about time to call an end to this shindig," she said, evenly, looking all around the table at the gathered faces of friends ( and she supposed in some cases, now, foes ). "i agree with neville, though. if anyone here-" she looked to mafalda, due to her attachment to the diagon alley apothecary, but her words were general, "has a particular talent for potions, we should probably begin stockpiling them, and... anything else we'd need. and i think-"

she really didn't want to agree with michael, specifically.

"we should get back to training. practice duelling regularly, start... polishing up old spells, learning ones we didn't know existed back when we were first doing this. weekly or- bi weekly meetings. as much as we can, until something changes. if hermione will lend a hand-" she did, after all, have more expertise when it came to PROTECTIVE SPELLS, "we can secure this building. it can be used as a storage unit, of sorts, and there's a larger room upstairs we can clear out for duelling practice."

that seemed... decisive. ginny let her words sit, for just a moment, before adding-

"i guess all that's left to say is... keep your coins close."