Who: Jason King & Dunbar Oglethorpe What: meeting about the muggleborn situation... can QUABBLE help? When: Monday, 27 November, morning Where: QUABBLE offices Warnings: none?
After the informal meeting of his peers, Jason was intent to line up as much support as he could. A key part in that plan was meeting with QUABBLE to make sure their priorities aligned and hopefully to gain further insight on the league as a whole. There were too many moving pieces and unknown actors on the board. Jason knew he wasn’t seeing the whole picture. The BIL proposal and even the referendum were drawing more attention to the still mending distrust between muggleborn quidditchers and those who played during the ‘war season.’ Jason hoped Dunbar was the right guy.
“Thank you, again, for meeting with me today on such short notice.” Jason extended his hand as a formality waiting to shake before taking a seat. “I will get also get right to the point. I am worried about the state of the league, and really wizarding society as a whole. I am hoping that the quidditch players as a collective will be willing to show support and unity for their muggleborn and disenfranchised colleagues.”
The current climate in Quidditch seemed almost as bad as the weather itself. If it wasn't the BIL's motion to scratch the 1997-1998 season from all records, then it was the 'mess' with out of the blue player dismissals and trades - or it was the amount of injuries that seemed to be happening. Quidditch certainly wasn't some walk in the park. So Dunbar wasn't all that surprised when he got word from Jason King wanting to have a meeting. The only downside was the fact that QUABBLE didn't as yet have entirely (and properly) fitted out offices and conference space; thanks in no small part to the organisation being dissolved during the Thicknesse administration and their previous office space being taken up by some other group. Still for the time being the space above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes suited a purpose, and there weren't too many explosions to make it impossible to conduct meetings.
Dunbar stood up, smiled only a little and briefly, and shook Jason's hand before taking his seat again. It seemed like the other man wasn't going to beat about the bush, which frankly made for a change to the folk who seemed to like nothing better than prattling on before even getting to the point. "And you've come here to... see about ensuring whatever action they happen to take doesn't reflect badly on them or ends up being cause for dismissal?" he asked. Although he didn't know quite yet what Jason had in mind it wasn't an idea that sounded as if it was without merit. Whatever did end up happening Dunbar realised, with some dread, he would have to talk to management and coaches of the teams of any players that got involved; and that could take a while so as to ensure that so-and-so of this-or-that team didn't suddenly find themselves benched for a time or worse dismissed from the team.
“I am here because I have every intention of being as transparent as possible.” Jason was demanding transparency and he would offer the same. “As you may know many of the muggleborn players have been meeting in an effort to organize, especially since the BIL proposal became public knowledge.” Not that it hadn’t been on the table before then, just that it was less formalized.
“We are planning to make a bit of a statement moving forward.” Jason undid his jacket revealing his black t-shirt with bright fuchsia lettering that read ‘muggleborn and proud.’ It was something he had been messing around with after the meeting in his flat. “And I’m hoping that you have more insight on the field of play, as it were.”
Well, that didn't exactly answer his question but he nonetheless appreciated Jason's forthrightness. Dunbar nodded. "I had heard something about it." At least vague whisperings of it since until now the only person who he'd heard about it from directly was Aiden Lynch, and his mate hadn't gone into a whole lot of detail about it. Though anyone with half a brain ought to have seen this coming to be honest considering how they'd been treated in the last year.
He raised an eyebrow, wondering just what kind of statement they wanted to make exactly, and couldn't help but smile at the reveal of the shirt. It would certainly catch people's attention. "Only a bit?" he asked wryly. "Well, that'd depend on exactly what kind of statement you want to end up making. Certainly some teams will be more supportive than others in the degree to which they'll 'allow' a player to get involved with."
“Right now the goal is visibility,” said Jason. It was the simple answer. “Quite frankly, I don’t think many of us care if our teams allow us to be involved or not. We already feel forgotten or as if we aren’t made to matter while recovering from significant trauma decided not by our character but the nature of our blood. The Camerons narrative speaks to that some.”
His own narrative did as well, but Jason had a place of privilege where even while he worked for Una Yaxley, he had a whole set of McGonagalls on his side.
“We have been trying to move forward, to not be called out for co-optign the narrative while society rebuilds. However, Quidditch has become political.” Not to mention, Jason was a relatively smart man with a compelling story and already a known name in many households. It would be a disservice not to act. “The moment someone - although no one will publicly state who - suggested to wipe the 1997-1998 season from the books, it all changed.”
“Now, I don’t expect or even demand any other players, teams, or administrators to simply join my cause to make sure that all muggleborns have a voice, but it will be happening.” Jason paused because this was definitely becoming a speech now. “What I need from you is as follows: One: anything you are able to share about what you know about the proposal. Two: what contingencies you have in place to protect all players pending the outcome. And three: any other actionable item you might have to offer if you agree an equal playing field for muggleborns - one that is truly equal - might fall within the purview of the Betterment of the British League.”
Dunbar nodded, but remained silent so as to let Jason say his piece uninterrupted. He'd heard about that of course, having had an owl from Monte himself and then seeing Isla's piece in the Prophet. Though it turned out Monte hadn't ended up needing QUABBLE's help with being traded - but he figured Portree had acquiesced the way they had and weren't wanting to make more of a fuss than had already been made. However, by the sounds of it things weren't going to stay quiet.
No kidding, he thought as he could vividly remember his own mother's choice words about the motion to dissolve the previous Quidditch season. "What little I do know I'm willing to share even if it probably isn't much more than what is known by everyone else. As for the rest? That I can certainly help with no worries." It was after all the whole reason for the union even existing, and they couldn't very well keep the rest of their acronym if they weren't for the betterment of the League. "If you want we can go over that right now? Unless you wanted anyone else to be party to the information rather than just passing it on?"
“I have been empowered to serve as representative to my cohort and see no need to delay, unless you aren’t prepared today.” It wasn’t entirely a judgement statement, except in the small way that it was. Jason honestly had nothing against Dunbar as a person, he was a nice enough guy, a strong player on the pitch, and a friendly rival from school. However, what he needed now was more knowledge and he was on a deadline.
"To be honest I've actually been working on gathering information since I heard about Isla and then received an owl from Monte, so since you're prepared then we can certainly get a start on things today." He hadn't let the slight judgement in Jason's statement bother him. He'd long been used to it from his school days when people took house rivalry too seriously, and these days with the press in the past and now with QUABBLE he was used to hearing people's opinions - whether they were good or bad.
"One second..." Dunbar quickly searched his desk before pulling out the file (one he'd prepared on short notice of Jason's meeting) from underneath a pile of papers. As good as he was at at his work he still didn't quite know how to keep a tidy desk; a fact his mother lamented of and had no qualms in reminding him he ought to do better. "Shall we get started?"