Luag Chambers (dragons_shadow) wrote in afic, @ 2011-03-21 23:10:00 |
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Current mood: | contemplative |
Entry tags: | !completed, character: draco malfoy, character: luag chambers, player: deb, player: jessica |
WHO: Luag Chambers and Draco Malfoy with appearances by Alyssa and Amy Chambers
WHEN: March 21, 2005, afternoon-evening
WHERE: Luag's blackhouse on the Isle of Harris
WHAT: A chat about many different political things at the Ostara party.
Even though it was cloudy and a bit windy, it at least was dry so as long as everyone was bundled up properly, running around outside for games was feasible. He had been surprised when Mandy showed up with Malfoy, but having another child toddling around had been a plus, even if she babbled an awful lot in what he figured was French. It was odd to watch Malfoy in such a low key atmosphere and even odder to see the pureblood seem to take the body language with Mandy that he associated more with couples at parties than just a friend you happened to bring along. It made him worry more about Mandy considering that Nate told him that she was staying at Malfoy’s house and while that could look bad in and of itself on the surface, if anyone saw the posturing now, it could be taken even worse.
Catching a glimpse of Malfoy off on his own, he wandered over to the blond, offering him a glass of whisky before he nodded to where Amy was trying to teach Alyssa a game. “She’s a wee precious one, she is,” he commented before taking a sip from his own glass. “Yer lucky ta have her.”
“I know.” It still felt complicated to Draco to take Alyssa out socially in wizarding Britain. It brought a side of him into the public that wasn’t normally seen as he cared for his daughter where others could see. But he smiled fondly at where he watched her, keeping a loose eye on her, unwilling to let her out of his sight completely. “She was trying to explain to your sister earlier that her mother’s name is Amelia.” Was Amelia, but Alyssa still spoke of her in the present tense.
“It’s a good name,” Luag commented before chuckling. “Ah think Maw was just glad ta have more say in the name than she got with us. Although if ye let Amy talk fer too long ta yer wee one, she’ll have her convinced ta join her in Hufflepuff when she’s old enough.”
One eyebrow arched. “She’ll have some doing to convince her of that. I suspect Alys will find her way into Gryffindor when the time comes.” And that only if Hogwarts were made into a safe place for children again. Draco asked mildly, “How does she find Hogwarts these days?”
“Ah’m sure the Hat will throw in a few twists an’ turns. Amy realized she had started ta be too convincin’ ‘bout wantin’ ta be in Hufflepuff when the Hat started considerin’ Slytherin instead. That shut her up good, no offense ta ye, ye ken?” Luag pressed his lips together in a hard line before he puffed out a long sigh. “She’s pretty middle o’ the road an’ she’s just started. She’s lucky Dad’s a halfblood though. Nobody bothers her, but there’s children in her year that have a rough time o’ it. Blamed fer everythin’, made ta feel they dinnae belong there ‘cause o’ their blood or family.” He shook his head as he blew out another sigh. “She’s young, but we’re drillin’ her already ta nae agree ta anythin’ they might offer her, especially if they want her ta sign a paper or take a vow ‘bout it. Doesnae matter how good it sounds, dinnae accept it.” He took a sip of his whisky before rolling his eyes. “Sounds like they’ve watered down the curriculum too, but that could just be how Amy talks.”
“I find it fascinating that our elders believe they know better than those of us who lived the war,” Draco said dryly. “I can name several who would speak out against the pressing of students to join an army, myself included. It’s good that you’re ensuring she will be strong enough to hold fast against it, if she’s allowed to do so.” He wouldn’t put it past them to make it impossible to say no to the army. “I’d like to see the place improved before Alyssa goes. Although I suspect already that the school has no idea what it’s in for.”
“If she fights, Ah want her ta do it ‘cause she wants ta an’ she believes in what she’s doin’, nae ‘cause the Ministry is holdin’ power over her an’ is nae giving her a choice,” Luag muttered. “Especially since the people she’ll be fightin’ could easily be me an’ Maw an’ her sisters...” He shook his head. “Although Ah’d prefer if there wasnae a chance she’d get caught up in a fight at all, but that isnae somethin’ Ah can make happen on my own.” Raising an eyebrow, he looked over at Draco curiously. “Ye mean the ‘possible’ recruitment an’ draft they’re talkin’ ‘bout with that army? Or that that’s likely just the start o’ it?”
Draco laughed, a soft dry sound. “Actually, I was thinking past politics. Alyssa and Alex are on their best behaviour today. When the two of them are set free in a place they know, they are terrors, and come Hogwarts, they’ll only be a year apart. I pity their teachers.” He looked away from Alyssa, focusing on Luag and the more serious topic of the situation at Hogwarts. “It seems as if Hogwarts is becoming a place to breed Ministry drones, and any who disagree may find themselves without an education. Or branded, or worse. The Ministry does not want to breed creative children, or independent thinkers.”
“If that is the case, they might as well just get rid o’ Slytherin an’ Ravenclaw now,” Luag said with a snort of amusement. “Although they’ll probably still get trouble from Hufflepuff an’ Gryffindor if that loyalty an’ bravery end up on the wrong side.” He took a sip of his whisky before he shook his head. “Ah’m nae sure if Ah want ta see what the public would think if they were ta brand a child...” He made a face. “Or if the public would ever find out ‘bout it considering how quiet they were ‘bout the emblems ta start with...” Glancing down to Draco’s arm, he pressed his lips together as he shook his head. “Ah still dinnae understand their method with ‘em. O’ who deserves ‘em an’ who doesnae... Especially with-” He cut himself off as he raised his eyes to scan for wherever Mandy was.
Draco’s gaze followed Luag’s, gaze narrowing faintly as it fell upon Mandy, assessing where she was and that all was fine. He smiled faintly to see her smiling; she needed this chance to escape from her thoughts. “Boot’s arrest?” he prompted quietly.
Luag nodded as he refocused on Draco, his eyes narrowing at the faint smile. It didn’t seem like much, but considering the reputation that most held of the blond... “Aye, his arrest. It doesnae fit with what they’ve done so far,” he finished quietly before pausing as he stared down at his whisky and went over his words carefully. “Ah ken it’s nae my place since Ah amnae her family, but... what are yer intentions concernin’ Mandy?”
The smile fell away, one eyebrow arching high. “My intentions? Are none of your business, Chambers. She is a friend, and currently a house guest, not to mention married with her husband in the custody of the Ministry. And I do believe it does fit, in that they are crushing his attempts at rebellion and they are making an example of him. If they accuse him of treason, then if any one of us tries to mimic him, they will do the same again. It strikes fear into those who might think to speak against the Ministry, that they, too, will be arrested for simply speaking their mind.”
“She is my friend too an’ considerin’ her husband is in custody fer treason, Ah worry ‘bout conclusions others might make ‘bout her being yer houseguest, especially if ye’re as-” He paused a moment. The actions weren’t really intimate, even though he would consider them so if it was him and Nate. Some people were more affectionate publicly than others though, but even affectionate didn’t seem right. “-protective in other public places.” He hesitated another moment as he went over what he’d seen at the party and at the few events he’d been to and his own personal experience with trying to court girls. “Some may not understand the customs in escortin’ a woman regardless o’ yer intentions, especially considerin’ how many people are tryin’ ta kill the old way o’ life, ye ken?” Hoping he got his point across without insulting the other man more, he shook his head. “They’re escalatin’ too fast though. They could have branded him publicly or given him a shorter sentence.” His stomach churned at his next thought. “Or taken the twins away from ‘em.” He shook his head again. “Or maybe the Ministry is just hopin’ ta stir people up more... After all, if Terry is in Azkaban fer treason ‘cause he spoke his mind, why aren’t suspected terrorists with shady pasts nae in there with him? Why do STs get ta walk free until they commit a horrible act when a halfblood without a record can easily commit treason?”
Draco chose to ignore further discussion of his behaviour with Mandy, being as it was well within the limits of propriety as far as he was concerned, and had not actually changed between outings several weeks ago, and now. Boot, however, and the politics surrounding his arrest, was a far more interesting topic, on several levels. “Because treason is more dangerous,” Draco said mildly. “Where the acts of terrorism are concerned, it affects a few people. A building is destroyed, perhaps a half dozen people are killed, and the act only cements in the public’s mind how dangerous the STs are. By letting them roam free, those who act against the Ministry do the Ministry’s work for them: the public will never see them as good. But what Terry wrote has the potential to turn people against the Ministry. Words are powerful things, and when they are well-applied, they can move mountains. The Ministry cannot afford this is it wishes to continue in power. They cannot let the public question. Thus, speech is contained and destroyed, while those who are dangerous remain free.”
“But in the same way, if they just mark him as an ST, they negate his words by makin’ him one o’ those dangerous people who arenae good. Why listen ta the words o’ an evil man? Ye’ll just end up goin’ the way o’ the Death Eaters, aye? By makin’ it treason, ye make it more appealin’ ta some.” He frowned slightly as he thought over conversations with Nate. “The forbidden fruit. Like when ye mentioned Muggles bannin’ books, first thin’ Ah wanted ta do was find a list o’ ‘em an’ read ‘em ta see why they were banned.”
“Ah, but for others, simply saying he’s bad isn’t as strong as threatening imprisonment and possible execution.” Draco’s lips pressed together; they needed to figure a way to get Boot out, for Mandy’s sake. “If he is a traitor and if those very words are treasonous, then anyone who reads them may also be committing treason, and subject to the same punishment, oui? Thus, they will not risk agreement.”
“That’s a dangerous game though...” Luag frowned as he thought it through. “If someone followed that logic, they could easily get people they dinnae like locked away. It doesnae take much ta get a treasonous pamphlet in someone’s home an’ take tip off the Ministry before they noticed it. An’ Ah mean any side, nae just the Ministry plantin’ evidence. With how they are actin’, Ah doubt they’d listen much ta the accused.”
“Makes one wonder who would judge if Diggory were to have such found in his office,” Draco mused idly.
Luag snorted as he shook his head. “Ah’m sure he’d try an’ make up some shite answer ‘bout doin’ research an’ knowin’ his enemy.” He took a sip of his whisky as he mused about something that had been rattling around in his head since the whole Turncoat fiasco. “Although... Ah did wonder if he had a hand in his own house bein’ attacked... An official o’ that standin’ who knows he’s unpopular with some, he’s got ta have his house heavily warded. An’ it was awfully handy he wasnae in his house when it happened...”
“A judas goat.” Draco remembered the conversation he’d had with Hermione, when the Turncoat first appeared on the scene. “It would certainly be plausible. After all, why wait for the evil STs to prove just how terrible they are when you can facilitate it by doing their job for them?”
Luag nodded. “Much easier that way too. Ye can actually control the damage done, orchestrate it in the best way ta emphasis what ye want done. An’ then ye can smoke out yer enemies. Ah dinnae like that Turncoat pamphlet an’ liked it even less when Diggory’s house was attacked... Looked like a trap even before that. It’s an easy way ta group together either the very desperate or the very stupid o’ yer enemy.”
Draco took a sip of his whiskey, then gesturing with the cup idly as he spoke. “The question is, then, who is following the Turncoat that needs to be rescued from their idiocy?”
“Ah’m nae sure if anyone is,” Luag said with a puff of breath. “Or will be after the attack on the house. Bein’ associated with that probably did more ta turn people away then someone gettin’ arrested fer treason.”
“And if they are, they likely lack the intelligence or ingenuity to be of any use,” Draco mused. “So it might well cull out those, at least. In that respect, the Turncoat doesn’t harm us. We let him do what he will, and the problem is to our reputation, but not to us directly.” He looked off, thoughtful, trying to figure out if there were a way to turn this to their advantage somehow, but he couldn’t see one.
“Or can help our reputation if we link the Turncoat with an opponent,” Luag pointed out. “Which might be beneficial considerin’ that our reputation does harm us more than it should.”
“If the Turncoat is a Ministry ruse, then we need someone on the inside to discover the documentation, ensure that it couldn’t possibly be considered faked, and leak it to the outside.” Draco smiled slowly, sharp and quiet. “The question is who would have those records, and who could access them.”
“Ah’d hope that if he was a Ministry ruse, the Ministry would nae be stupid ‘nough ta leave a parchment trail,” Luag said with a snort. “But if they did have a record, it would have ta be pretty deep in the Ministry... Ah’m nae sure who would be able ta get at records like that.” He smirked as he chuckled. “Ye may have better luck just plantin’ the records yerself.”
“Ah, but that could be proven wrong,” Draco pointed out. “We need actual evidence.” He thought he might put Potter on it, or at least start him sniffing in the right direction. It seemed as if he ought to be able to find someone who could get close enough that he trusted.
“Dependin’ on what it is, the evidence could just as easily be proven wrong,” Luag countered. “Unless it’s somethin’ really, really solid...” He shook his head slightly. “An’ frankly, if ye could find somethin’ like that, Ah’d start ta wonder ‘bout the wizardin’ world ‘cause it’d have ta be full o’ right eejits if a Ministry stupid ‘nough ta leave that ‘round has been controllin’ it this easily.”
“Intelligent and devious are not necessarily the same thing,” Draco pointed out. “And crowds are easily led by what the rest of the crowd believes. How do you think the Dark Lord gained the power he did? He was absolutely blatant about what he did, and yet they followed him.” The word choice was deliberate, Draco distancing himself from that bit of history.
Luag shrugged. “Some people really believed that was the right way ta go ‘bout it an’ because he was blatant about everythin’ he did, everyone else was too scared o’ him ta do anythin’ unless they were intent on fightin’ him.” He shook his head slightly. “But the Dark Lord gained power by takin’ it. At least Ministry power. Ah’m nae sure how well he’d do if he had tried gettin’ elected instead.”
“Whereas Diggory fooled everyone into believing that he would be good for the wizarding world, and now that he is in office, I highly doubt he will be ejected. Having power is merely a means to gain more, and you’ll notice, he makes decisions based on control and fear, exactly as the Dark Lord did,” Draco informed him. “The beginning was different, but the end result is all too similar. And with the election in the past, he is free to do as he will with the completely agreement of the people, who believe that he is, of course, acting in their best interest.” His tone was dry and derisive, irritated at the idiots who couldn’t see what they had set loose upon their world.
“Aye,” Luag puffed out. “An’ unless he starts sendin’ his Aurors out ta perform the killin’ curse on people he doesnae like, they’ll probably keep believin’ that. Even if it’s ridiculous ta us, arrestin’ Terry an’ tossin’ him in jail is still a proper line o’ action. If he had sent his men in there an’ killed Terry an’ his family fer it, normal people might actually start ta worry proper.”
“He will have to be careful on how he sentences Terry, walking the line between doing what is appropriate for treason and as you said earlier, not going so far as to horrify the public with how he punishes him. Which means Terry ought to be safe from receiving the Kiss,” Draco mused.
Luag nodded. “Aye. There would be an outcry if he received the Kiss fer just writin’ treacherous words when someone who personally attacked the Minister is still at large.” He glanced over at Draco. “Or people like ye are still walkin’ ‘bout free. An’ if there isnae outcry, Ah have a feelin’ that the population o’ Britain would decrease quickly. People wouldnae want ta risk gettin’ killed over sayin’ the wrong thin’. Especially when ye can easily say somethin’ ye dinnae mean without thinkin’ ‘bout it.”
“Exactly,” Draco agreed. His expression shifted from mild calm to a smile as he heard Alyssa calling Papa! cheerily. He called back in French, crouching down as she raced over to him and catching her to swing her up. By the time the little girl finished chattering, she was staring at Luag, wide eyes blinking curiously, and Draco was relaxed and smiling. “Can you say thank you to Mr. Chambers?” he prompted.
“Merci, Monsieur Chambers,” Alyssa chirped cheerily, if a bit shy.
Luag couldn’t help the warm grin plastered on his face as he watched the young girl, even if he couldn’t understand a lick of what she was saying. It was easy to at least get the feeling of it though and he nodded at her thanks. “Se do bheatha, Alyssa,” he responded, curious to see how she’d react to the little used language.
Her head cocked, pale eyes clear as she blinked, then asked her Papa in French what the funny man was saying. Draco laughed and responded in English. “I’m quite certain I have no idea, Alys, but if you insist on speaking to him in French, it is only what to expect that he might choose to respond to you in a language other than English as well, oui?”
Luag chuckled as his grin grew. “Aye, it is only fair that if Ah cannae understand ye, that ye shouldnae be able ta understand me,” he teased. “If ye lived up here, ye’d be as good at Gàidhlig as ye are at French.” He raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at Draco. “She’ll do well at Beauxbatons if all else fails.”
“As long as I do not allow her to forget her mother tongue, oui,” Draco agreed. “But I should rather see her attend Hogwarts, with her friends here. She and Alex will be something to watch, I suspect.”
While Alyssa spoke in French still, one word remained obvious as she said, “Papa says I might be a Gryffindor. Why is that bad?”
Draco snorted softly. “Hush, Alys. I shall explain the politics of the houses when you are old enough to understand.”
Luag raised an eyebrow, knowing there was a question in there somewhere, but unable to understand anything other than it having to do with Gryffindor. “Hopefully you’ll be impartial when you explain the politics of it. Gryffindor is an pretty good house after all. But then they all have their merits as long as you don’t get too full of yourself.”
“One of my best friends is dating a Gryffindor,” Draco said idly, his smile growing as he swung Alyssa out and listened to her laugh. “The world isn’t what it was when we were young, Chambers. We’ve found new lines to draw between ourselves. I’m quite certain that had Amelia gone to Hogwarts, she would have been a Gryffindor. Alys takes after her.”
“Sadly one o’ those lines does have a strong association with one o’ the houses,” Luag said with a shrug before smirking. “An’ even if it isnae the same as when we were young, Ah have a feelin’ that Hat hasnae changed any. It likes ta be full o’ surprises, even when ye’re sure o’ an outcome.” Catching movement by the byre out of the corner of his eyes, he turned to see Amy peeking in. Remembering that one of the sheep was still a bit balder than it should be, he muttered under his breath. “Ah have ta go. Before my sister picks out a new pet ta take home.” Really, he didn’t want her to start making a fuss at the party about tattooed sheep. He gave Draco a polite nod. “It was nice talkin’ ta ye. If ye ever want Alyssa ta get more o’ a taste o’ the wilds, ye can always ask.”
“I appreciate your hospitality, as unexpected as my presence likely was.” Draco nodded at him politely, then bent his head to listen to Alys chatter on about the game Amy had been showing them.