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michael corner is reluctantly growing up ([info]mlcorner) wrote in [info]pandorarpg,
@ 2011-12-21 19:02:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!status: complete, ^date: november 08 2003, character: alicia spinnet, character: angelina johnson, character: ernie macmillan, character: george weasley, character: hermione granger, character: justin finch-fletchley, character: michael corner, character: ron weasley, character: seamus finnigan

dumbledore's army, unite!
Characters: Dumbledore's Army
Setting: Rook Cottage, 8 November 2003, 6:30pm
Rating: PG, for dark theme discussion and a little violence
Summary: Time to bring back the ole DA gang for a little mystery solving action!

Michael felt a bit nervous for this meeting, maybe because he'd been arranging things for it in the journals so he was sort of the person people were looking to to have all the information now and he hadn't exactly meant for that to be the case. Especially when he had absolutely no information at all concerning these 'nightmares.' Except that he did now have all of Lavender's information, which was bad enough, because he didn't know all that much about it yet he was supposed to tell everyone about what she'd uncovered during the meeting. Why had he volunteered to present it for her again? Oh yeah, because he was too sodding nice, that's why.

Once everyone had arrived and finished their initial 'hello's' and 'how do you do's' and so on, they settled down in Luna's slightly too small living space with quite a fair amount of snacks and drinks to last through the night if need be. If this amount was going to show up each time (if they were going to have more meetings like this) they might need to find a slightly larger place to hold them, because Luna apparently had not expected so many people to attend. It may not have been the original DA, but it was a good number of them. Everyone seemed to look toward Michael at this point which made him uncomfortable to say the least. He'd never been the leader of anything before and while he didn't mind being the center of attention, in this situation he didn't feel like he had enough information or experience with these 'nightmares' to really be at the helm. Hopefully they were just thinking of him as the secretary and not the leader so with this in mind, he cleared his throat and said, "Well alright. I suppose I call this first renewed Dumbledore's Army meeting into order. We should probably get started."


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The Murders
[info]mlcorner
2011-12-22 01:19 am UTC (link)
previously mentioned topics: who all has died? what's the connection between the nightmares and being murdered? what does the DMLE know so far? - speculation probably, unless our DMLE characters would be willing to give up information. present any findings anyone has.

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The Murders
[info]hermoniny
2011-12-23 05:26 am UTC (link)
Hermione sat up a bit when the topic of the murders was brought up for discussion. She'd done a little bit of looking into on that, but not a whole lot. Still, she had something to say about it.

"I think it's important that we find the connections between the victims," she said, her voice very obviously shaking as she spoke. She wasn't completely sure she would make it through the meeting without crying, but she was going to try. "I think we're all aware of who has been killed so far, but the one I'm interested in focusing on is the first one. Dmitri Zurlo, died in the Department of Mysteries, and that an item was removed." Hermione took a deep breath before continuing. "Before the Gala, I met with... with Harry. He was looking into the death and the missing object. He thought it was what should be focused on. I agree." She waited then to see what the others might say, and to get herself back under control.

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The Murders
[info]firewaterburn
2011-12-23 08:15 am UTC (link)
Seated on the floor in front of Dean, Seamus listened to the conversations and theories go back and forth. He was amazed to hear everything that had been going, everything laid out, and he wondered a bit shamefully how wrapped up in his own life he'd been to miss all of this.

As he'd told Michael, he hadn't much to contribute to the meeting except for a few snacks. That is, until Hermione mentioned Harry and his investigation. Hermione was obviously shaken, and Seamus wished he could do something to make her feel...well, not like her world was shattered. nothing came to mind, though, except... "You mean the box?" he blurted out, for some reason, an article he'd read in the prophet coming to mind.

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The Murders
[info]hermoniny
2011-12-24 04:13 am UTC (link)
"Yes," Hermione said, grabbing onto what Seamus had said to keep her going. If she stopped for too long, she might not be able to start again. "Yes, the box. Harry didn't know much about it, other than it was an old possession of Voldemort that he'd found. He was sure that it had something to do with the nightmares and such, and if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it was to trust Harry's gut. There's a possibility that the other objects in that collection may shed some light on what that box was specifically. I think it is something we need to figure out." Hermione didn't quite take that as far as she soon intended to, since there were no Unspeakables in their group. That was something that might have to change soon, but she was working herself up to that topic.

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The Murders
[info]pigwidgeoned
2011-12-24 04:30 am UTC (link)
Ron looked over at Hermione, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he was fairly certain that he wasn't going to like it when he found out.

"That's all well and good, Hermione, but all those objects are in the Department of Mysteries, remember? And none of us work there so we're not going to have access to any of them. And considering how things went the last time we tried to break into the Department back in fifth year, I don't plan on risking it again anytime soon." He did not want to have anymore contact with the brain room - or any room in the DoM for that matter. That place was beyond creepy and as far as he was concerned, the lot of Voldemort's creepy objects could remain there.

"Who's to say that the other objects are going to tell us anything about the box anyhow? Shouldn't we be focused more on who the murderer could be?"

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The Murders
[info]hermoniny
2011-12-24 04:51 am UTC (link)
Hermione looked over at Ron seriously, knowing he was going to hate what she had to say on the topic. She looked back at the rest of the group before continuing. "He's right, breaking into the department is a bad idea, not when we don't know much about the place. And I think some of us should definitely focus on who the murderer is, but learning about that object will help us learn about the killer. Which will help us to know what we're up against and how to approach it."

She glanced back at Ron once more, but couldn't look at him when she spoke next. "I thought it might make sense for me to transfer to the Department of Mysteries, at least until this person is caught. I'm not doing anything helpful in my department right now, and I have the required NEWTs to qualify as a candidate. We might be able to learn a great deal more about this whole situation that way." She looked back at Ron quickly. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

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The Murders
[info]ernsthename
2011-12-24 05:26 am UTC (link)
Ernie listened to the conversation about the murders with interest as it would be something that he may be able to offer some of the inside information on. The stuff that travelled through the grapevine at the Ministry.

"Of course, well said Hermione," Ernie said to Hermione's suggestion about the object. "There are plenty of us; it's irresponsible if we all focussed on one facet of the investigation without considering other information. And I think out of everyone here, you are in the best position to be quickly transferred to the Department of Mysteries--just since your reputation precedes you."

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The Murders
[info]hermoniny
2011-12-24 05:43 am UTC (link)
Hermione nodded at Ernie, empowered by having someone backing her up. "Right, do you know how quickly I would be able to transfer over? The sooner I can get in there, the quicker I can start learning about those other objects, the quicker we may have some answers. I know it could be dangerous, but I think it is a necesary risk."

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The Murders
[info]ernsthename
2011-12-24 05:57 am UTC (link)
"I think since you've already had the orientation and security training at the Ministry, I can imagine that it can be as fast as the paperwork is processed." Ernie said thinking. "So it wouldn't be as difficult so long as you have it all filled out properly and have your grades sent." He knew a bit about it here and there as there were folks who did typically transfer out of the DMLE to find more tame jobs once they've had enough of the risk.

"And indeed it can be quite dangerous, which is why you would need to take every precaution reasonable," he nodded, agreeing fully with her thought. "Please let me know if you do need anything in that matter--I'm often around on regular weekday shifts and I don't mind ensuring that you make it back home safely if you do feel that you aren't safe."

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The Murders
[info]hermoniny
2011-12-24 06:11 am UTC (link)
Hermione nodded in agreement with his statement. "I hoped it might be a quick and reletively easy process. Then I suppose tomorrow I'll see if I can get the paperwork started so when I go into work next I'll have it ready to turn in." Hermione was already thinking of what she might need to have with her when she turned in the transfer request.

She hadn't thought to look at Ron again, even though she had figured before hand that he wouldn't be crazy about this idea. "If I can manage it, I'll try to get as much time with those objects as I can, once I transfer. I'll have to see how they organize things down there first, but if nothing else I could go in on my days off. And thank you, Ernie," she added in response to his last comment. "I might take you up on that once in a while, things aren't exactly safe at the moment anyways."

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The Murders
[info]pigwidgeoned
2011-12-24 06:30 am UTC (link)
Ron hadn't really noticed that the entire time this exchange was happening, he was balling his hands into fists at his sides. When Ernie had first spoken up Ron had looked directly at him and had not stopped staring at him since. It wasn't bad enough that the reason Ron had even signed up to come to this bloody meeting was to confront that git who did not know when to stop prattling on about things he didn't rightly understand, but now he was going on about Hermione, egging her on to go do something reckless and dangerous and talking about how he could protect her? Who the fuck did he think he was anyway?

There were quite a lot of words he wanted to say just then, but most of them were lost on him. All he really felt like doing was smashing Ernie's face in and right now seemed like a perfectly good time to do so. DA meeting or no, he was not going to let someone else make passes at his girlfriend or tell him how he should be acting since his best mate had died. He'd had just about enough of Ernie Macmillan, thank you very much. So instead of saying anything, Ron stood up rather nonchalantly, walked straight up to where Ernie was seated, held his arm down by his waist with his fist up just as Aggie had showed him the day before, moved his fist forward in a straight line toward Ernie and just before he made contact, he twisted his fist downward and let it collide with Ernie's face.

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The Murders
[info]ernsthename
2011-12-24 06:47 am UTC (link)
"Well, it shouldn't be as difficult on most days when they are adequately staffed," Ernie said, again drawing from what he heard. He didn't quite notice Ron approach him.

He did notice Ron when he was jabbed right in his left eye. He saw stars upon impact and felt the sharp pain, before automatically punching back towards what had to be his attacker's stomach and moving himself out of the way in case any further blows were to be had. Of course in hindsight he would've reacted differently since that wasn't quite the way to act in a DA meeting, but to his defence he was taken by surprise. "Bloody hell, Weasley--what was that for?"

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The Murders
[info]basilisk_srvivr
2011-12-24 06:54 am UTC (link)
Justin had been quiet during most of the meeting, speaking only the very few times he had something to say. He'd been nodding as he'd listened to Hermione and Ernie discuss the possibilities, and as such also missed Ron's approach, initially dismissing it as the bloke needing to get up to go to teh loo or some such thing.

He jumped as a fist hit Ernie in the face, and before he'd even stood up, Ernie's fist was returning the favour in the direction of Ron's stomach.

"Have you gone insane, Ron?!" he asked in fear for his friend. He grabbed Ernie with one hand on his shoulder and the other on his waist, trying to pull him away from the perceived danger.

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The Murders
[info]hermoniny
2011-12-24 07:00 am UTC (link)
Hermione let out a yelp of surprise when Ron punched Ernie. She had noticed him getting up, wondering where he was going, because she had been fairly certain this would be a conversation he'd be invested in. But then he'd actually punched the guy, and she was shocked! For a moment she didn't know what to do, but after that moment she sprung up from her seat and ran over to where he was, getting in front of him and putting her hands on his chest to force him back a bit. "Ron stop! What are you doing?"

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The Murders
[info]prankstrinchief
2011-12-24 07:05 am UTC (link)
George watched the scene unfold in bewilderment, but as soon as he realized what was going on, he jumped into action. "Oh shite!" he said as he pushed through the group to where Ron had just assaulted someone. Hermione beat him to his brother, but he jumped in between also and put a hand on Ron's shoulder, over Hermione's shoulder.

"Mate, cool it, what the hell was that?" He glanced back at Ernie and saw that he seemed to be alright other than the obvious punch to the eye.

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The Murders - [info]pigwidgeoned, 2011-12-24 07:18 am UTC
The Murders - [info]hermoniny, 2011-12-26 03:46 am UTC
The Murders - [info]ernsthename, 2011-12-27 01:41 am UTC
The Murders
[info]mlcorner
2011-12-27 03:18 am UTC (link)
"Er, right," Michael said after Ron had left the room. He figured it was time to divert people's attention from the punch, so he should probably bring up what Lavender had asked him to tell everyone about Bianca. It was a bit difficult seeing as most of it was based on divination and he didn't particularly believe in it, but he tried his best.

"So Ron mentioned focusing on the murderer and er, Lavender had a theory that I promised I would mention for her. I know that we shouldn't be pointing fingers, but this really bothered her and I didn't want to let it go by unsaid. She said that Bianca Dunstan was having visions about the same woman, Pandora Zurlo, that everyone else was having the 'nightmares' about. Bianca told her this herself.

"And I know this is all Divination and I don't know much about it nor put much stalk in it but a few people do, and the visions plus the readings that both of them had done said something about deception, duality and the unknown like maybe the murderer could be doing this without really knowing about it." Michael cut off for a moment, not having really said that Lavender had accused Bianca of being that murderer. He sighed. "Lavender is worried that Bianca is someone to be concerned about, because of her visions. 'Because no one has visions without reason' she says. So, I said I would tell you lot."

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The Murders
[info]ernsthename
2011-12-27 03:44 am UTC (link)
"Hmmm," Ernie said, finally settling back into some sort of normal having performed a simple charm to reduce the swelling. "I don't put that much stock in divination either," he said with a shrug. "But I suppose that is besides the point. I would propose that none of us can be too careful." He felt as if he was starting to sound like one of their former professors, as he could've sworn he had the words 'constant vigilance' on the tip of his tongue.

"It's just that it seems to me that once whoever it may be--whether it is Pandora Zurlo or a follower or something like that--has it in her mind to off someone, she just does. Regardless of the skill or condition her target. I hadn't heard from anyone who has survived an encounter--we're not even 100% sure if these deaths are truly linked." He was still in a spot of denial when it came to the linkage just since it gave him at least some measure of hope--to not face imminent death. "But I agree though, that we should look into protective measures for those who can be targeted."

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The Murders
[info]basilisk_srvivr
2011-12-27 04:01 am UTC (link)
Justin, already upset at the attack on his best mate, grew angry as it sounded like Bianca was being offered as a possible suspect. Justin normally did not get angry - he would often run and hide before showing anger - but after first Zach and now this, he was nearing the end of his rope from watching his friends being wronged in front of him.

"Bianca is not involved in this," he insisted, standing up to face Michael. At heart he knew the words weren't his, but he was just too upset, particularly since Lavender wasn't even there to make the accusation herself. "She's my friend - our friend! She wouldn't hurt a fly! So don't tell me you even consider it, it's the most ridiculous thing in the world!"

He then turned on Ernie. "And what kind of protective measures do you think would help? I certainly couldn't keep you locked up at home, so what can we even do? Can't even keep you bloody safe from getting hit at a DA meeting!"

Having said his piece, he flopped back down, arms crossed over his chest in an almost petulant fashion. "Maybe we should all just move to Canada or something. I hear Montreal is nice this time of year."

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The Murders
[info]ernsthename
2011-12-27 05:12 am UTC (link)
"Hold on," Ernie backtracked quickly, having realized that he's missed one of the more pertinent pieces of the conversation. The second Bianca was mentioned, he saw her as a target, not a potential perpetrator. She didn't have that in her. His mind was already halfway thinking of solutions that involve the protection of people as vulnerable as she was. "There's simply--it simply can't be that she'd do such a thing." He paused for a moment though.

He sighed at the obvious lack of logic there, he had initially felt too emotional at the distress that Justin was experiencing. "But what if she were put under the Imperius Curse? Or something similar?" He, as many of those who as children heard whisperings about the war from adults knew that there were many of those who have had their autonomy forcefully taken from them at some point.

"I'm alright, Justin. It was a bit of a surprise," Ernie said. "Remember, it's not only on you who happens to be responsible for my well-being." He smiled a bit sadly at the whole matter. He felt bad that there was no guarantee for his safety, or for anyone's safety for that matter. "And I'm not running away," he added with a sigh. "As much as I'd love to at times. Who's to say that it'd stop this?"

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The Murders
[info]mlcorner
2011-12-27 05:20 am UTC (link)
Michael sighed. He knew that it was going to go over this way but he had to say it. "I'm not accusing anyone of anything, Justin. I'm only relaying the facts that they both gave - or y'know, what they consider to be facts. They did their readings together and both saw similar things in them and Bianca is having visions rather than nightmares which is different from what everyone else is experiencing. So even disregarding what Lavender considers about her being dangerous, we do have to take into account that it's odd that she's having visions about Pandora.

"But yes, that's what Lavender was referring to. Not just Bianca though, which is what I was taking out of it, because I don't know Bianca nor did I meet her to get any sort of feel for whether she might be a threat or not, that was Lavender, but... well anyone could be under the Imperius Curse. Or maybe even some other magic we don't know of, because these memories aren't exactly magic we've seen before either. We could be dealing with a whole new amount of control that we don't quite understand, so we have to be on guard. And maybe come up with some sort of code or safe word for the lot of us just in case?"

Michael shrugged at Ernie's previous comment about the links between the murders. "Well, I think you lot in the DMLE would know more than us about them being linked, though seeing that the Prophet says that all the cases are being investigated as one case now, it sounds like they are linked in some manner. They were all having nightmares, so that sounds like a rather strong link."

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The Murders
[info]ernsthename
2011-12-29 02:37 am UTC (link)
"I suppose it didn't appear to me that Bianca was under the Imperius Curse yesterday during the party--she was very much herself." Reaction to the breast cupcakes and all... "But it doesn't exclude a unique level of skill, or possession, or something that we won't or can't fathom. I suppose that the ingenuity of dark wizards and witches keeps many of us employed." He paused and considered the idea of a password or passcode. "I think in a way using it alone can lull one into a false sense of security, but perhaps if we can keep in mind to pair that with a personal anecdote or something to help confirm identity. But even then--I guess what I'm saying is that there's no sure-fire way to prevent anything, really."

"You are right, Michael. There are claims regarding the nightmares and spots being witnessed with the recent cases. But it may be coincidence or a copy-cat for all we know. It's the death of Zurlo and Harry that are investigated as one."

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The Murders
[info]mlcorner
2011-12-29 04:41 am UTC (link)
"Alright, look Ernie and Justin. Don't get stuck on the Bianca part of this, okay? The important part that we need to be focusing on here is that we need to be vigilant toward everyone we care about now, just in case. And even then, there's no guarantee we're going to see any differences even if they are possessed or under Imperius. The whole point in many previous cases of that curse having been used was that we weren't supposed to notice that the person was under the spell - he or she was supposed to act like they normally did before so no one knew.

"We don't know how many people could be working with Pandora now, or could be forced to work with her, so we have to be careful and look out for each other. But I do think that the fact that Bianca is having visions instead of nightmares is something of a curiosity - not that it might be a negative thing necessarily, but maybe something that could possibly help us in some way." Michael took a breath, taking a look at Justin for a moment. He knew that Ernie was being diplomatic about this, but Justin was more short-tempered today, maybe because of what happened yesterday at the party.

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The Murders
[info]basilisk_srvivr
2011-12-29 04:54 am UTC (link)
"Sure, let's all forget that we're suspecting friends who aren't here of being involved in the murder of innocent people."

He pouted even further and looked aside at Ernie. He'd hoped his best mate would have stood up as he had, but he was being more 'reasonable' than Justin. Bugger reason, Bianca was their friend, and she deserved their support just like the rest of them. Just because she wasn't in the DA didn't mean she deserved it any less.

"Of course it's something that could help us, you-" he winced, unwilling to say anything overly mean to his friend, no matter what had been said. "Corner. But that's not what Lavender said to you, is it."

It wasn't a question. He knew he'd have to talk to Lavender herself to get some truth out.

"There's no need to defend her, she's not even here to make the accusations herself. You're just passing on the news. It doesn't matter anyway. You lot just decide it all, I'll sit here being my usual self."

Useless layabout.

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The Murders
[info]mlcorner
2011-12-29 07:13 am UTC (link)
"That's not what I meant either, Justin! Merlin, do you think that I condone spreading hurtful shite around about people? I seem to recall defending you yesterday for the very same sodding thing by putting my fist into someone's face!" Michael was nothing if not loyal to his friends - and he counted Justin among them - but he wasn't going to ignore facts when they presented themselves. "I already told you, I don't think Bianca is possessed or any of that shite. But I do think that we need to start keeping an eye out for that sort of thing - and keep a look out for each other - because it is possible and could very well be happening!"

Michael groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "I volunteered to pass on the information that Lavender had found because she couldn't be here herself. If she could have been, she would have said all this on her own. It's not an accusation, Justin, it's a concern. There are facts that don't match up with everyone else, whether you like it or not, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking Bianca about that. No one else has mentioned having visions of Pandora the first night, so it is certainly important that we find out why Bianca would have them while the rest of us only had dreams or visions about our worst fears."

He hated this. He really did. Michael didn't like arguing with friends (mostly because it rarely ever happened and when it did, he would turn it into a joke and dissolve it as quickly as possible) but he wouldn't back down just because his friends were disagreeing with him. Lavender may have been emotional when she first brought up Bianca's possible involvement, but the facts she presented were real and they did need to look into the discrepancies and find out why she was seeing Pandora before the rest of them.

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The Murders
[info]ernsthename
2011-12-29 09:44 pm UTC (link)
"I guess what he's saying, Justin, is that we can't tell if anyone or everyone is as we think they are--or as we want to think of them. We just need to be careful, even among people we don't--can't fathom being against us. I wouldn't get terribly offended if you were a bit more cautious around me if it would ensure your safety," Ernie said, more to Justin than to anyone else. It didn't or shouldn't take a genius to remind him or anyone of what such times were like.

"What you're saying happened to Bianca is certainly anomalous, so it would be a good idea to investigate this carefully. No one else that we know of has had visions of Pandora that first night, but we should try to find out whether anyone else experienced this. Thanks for relaying this to us from Lavender, Michael. It's not easy being the messenger of some unsavory news." He was still struggling with the news. Like Justin, he knew Bianca from Hogwarts and considered her the best sort of person. But he tried his best to be objective--he knew what he needed was more information, to piece together and come up with his own conclusions. "I can try investigating a bit further at work." He also considered when he would next have time to speak to Bianca.

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