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Tweak says, "Tick...tick...tick..."

Neville Longbottom (forevernev) wrote in wished,
@ 2009-08-31 19:15:00

Entry tags:

!1997: 08, !incomplete, dean thomas, fred weasley, george weasley, michael corner, neville longbottom, susan bones

Who: The D.A.
When: Monday; 11am-ish
Where: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes - Backroom
What: D.A. Meeting
Rating: TBD, prolly no more than PG
Open/Closed: Closed to D.A. members

Neville was beyond nervous. Take a regular young Gryffindor and shove him into some semblance of leadership, and he ought to shine. That didn't excuse his overly dry mouth, his sweaty palms (which he continuously rubbed against the sides of his trousers), and his inability to settle his voice into anything other than a squeak--

He took to arranging and rearranging the crates, taking full advantage of his coming of age to Accio the heavy boxes this way and that. And he tried to recall how many of them there used to be in the Room of Requirement to help in setting out enough crates for everyone to sit upon. It was probably too much to hope for for Harry to make an appearance, considering. He slipped a hand into his trouser pocket, idly fingering the fake galleon once used to call everyone to meetings, wondering if anyone else still had theirs, wondering if they still worked when people were miles and miles apart.

He ought to have asked Hermione about it. He ought to have asked Hermione a great number of things, but they all seemed less important than the news he had to share with the rest of the D.A. Here's hoping they'd all show up.

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weasleyforge
2009-09-01 02:43 am UTC (link)

Fred manned the counter until he saw people starting to arrive, and then he handed it over to Verity so that he could begin ushering them into the backroom, making it seem as if they were customers. The shop was crowded, so no one really noticed. He knew that Verity would figure something out, though, so he'd have to tell her about the DA - after the meeting, maybe, once they were all out and he could have some time.

He wondered if that bit with 'sneak' and the blotches was still in effect, or if he had to owl for Hermione's permission first.

After a few people had come in, he ventured back into the back himself to see if Neville needed any help, and came up behind the boy to clap him once on the shoulder. "All straightened out, Longbottom?"

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	forevernev 2009-09-01 02:58 am UTC (link)
	He gave Fred a thumbs-up sign and a pleasant enough grin, but that grin didn't quite reach his eyes. Matter of fact, it went away fairly rapidly, to be replaced by a look that might've been familiar to Fred. It was the same uncertain, unsettled pallor of someone who'd just eaten a Puking Pastille. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

susy_b
2009-09-01 03:11 am UTC (link)

Susan was just grateful to get out of her house, while she did not mind spending time at home, the place was becoming a bit constricting. Convincing her mother to let herself and Hannah go to Diagon Alley alone was the hardest bit. Of course the girl consulted her father first, who then backed her up 110% to allow them to go. He even agreed to let them use the floo system.

At precisely 10:30 Susan crammed herself into the tiny floo in the kitchen and was instantly whisked away to the floo within the Leaky Cauldron. There was no denying that Susan was incredibly exciting, not only was she going to see all her friends, but she was also going to the WWW! A store that she had YET to step into.

The store was certainly.... obvious, especially since a lot of the other shoppes had closed, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes looked so lively and inviting. Stepping into the store she was instantly greeting with overwhelming sights, and sounds... and smells. The girl didn't even know where to start, and for a brief moment she lost her reasoning for coming there. Especially when a few pygmy puffs began to coo at her. It was only for a moment, and then it was back!

Swallowing slightly, she glanced around the store, there were a lot of people there, and she wasn't exactly sure where she was supposed to go. Wandering towards the back of the store, she assumed that was where she would find some familiar faces. Right?

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deanthomas
2009-09-01 07:28 pm UTC (link)

Dean headed in a few minutes late. He'd been about, but he'd seen a few other D.A. members wander in and had remembered what Hermione said about them all not arriving in a herd. So he'd hung back, looking at all the closed shopfronts and watching people. The twins' shop was the busiest place he saw, even with students out buying supplies. He was glad they were going so well, but he wondered if there was any chance of the rest of their old House getting backpay for all the free product testing they'd been subjected to over the years. (Even if Dean had never gotten the worst of that, really.)

He said hello to the twins and looked around for Seamus, but he didn't see his friend about yet and shrugged.

Dean spent a couple of minutes wandering the store, grinning at some of the new products and the kids looking at them, then made his way to the back room, with the others.

There were crates set out to sit on, and Dean saw a pale-faced Neville talking to Fred - or maybe George. Dean gave him a wave and then moved to stand next to Susan, who had just wandered in too, he thought. "Hey, Susan," he greeted, smiling. "Good to see you. Summer been all right?" It felt a bit odd to be talking about nothing, considering what they were here for. But they were still milling about, no point in them all standing silent and worried, right?

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susy_b
2009-09-02 03:12 pm UTC (link)

"Dean!" That brilliant smile curled on her lips as she moved over just to give him a little bit more room to stand beside her. "Oh, my summer has been all right, a bit quiet." Shrugging slightly, those blue-green eyes lifted to look up at him. "How about you? Were your hols enjoyable? I cannot believe school is starting soon."

It was strange to be having such a lighthearted conversation, considering the circumstances of their presence in the back of the shop. Susan couldn't even fathom what exactly was going on, she read about the attack at the wedding in the Prophet, and instantly knew it was complete rubbish. She read all the journal entries about the wedding as well, and about the Prophet spewing lies, but things were still left unanswered. Like, what was going to happen? Why this was happening? What could they do?

Glancing around the back of the shop, there wasn't much to say, and while the conversation was kept light, the tension was obvious, and weighed down on her shoulders greatly.

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deanthomas
2009-09-04 10:30 pm UTC (link)

Dean grinned back at her. "They were all right. Bit slow, and filled with kids who didn't have enough to do and drove me crazy. But that pretty much goes with the territory, so I'm used to it. I just forget how crowded it can seem, while I'm at school most of the year," he told her easily.

He kept half an eye on the rest of the crowd, but like the rest of them, he was just passing time, waiting to hear the truth. Might as well chat with someone while he was.

He could see the worry in her face and posture though, and Dean shrugged, giving it up. "Did you have any trouble getting here?" he asked instead.

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weasleyforge
2009-09-01 03:19 am UTC (link)

Fred let his hand drop from Neville's shoulder, and his eyes narrowed for a second at that look - this was important, and Neville looked like a cat about to sick up - but the look softened quickly. "Easy, Nev. Really. All you've got to do this time is talk, yeah? And they're your mates... don't worry so much." He said it soft enough that the other DA members milling about wouldn't hear.

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forevernev
2009-09-01 04:33 am UTC (link)

He gave a nod and took a couple of deep breaths, which helped him look considerably less green than before. His mouth opened and shut a few times, like the gasping of a landed fish. He did want to talk, but for some odd reason he couldn't form the words to speak.

"S'not..." he began, clearing his still-parched throat. "S'not who's here, Fred. It's what I've got to say to them."

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weasleyforge
2009-09-02 02:50 pm UTC (link)

"Well, the way everyone's whinging about it, it's not like they're being too quiet about wanting to hear it." Fred shrugged. He wasn't too interested in hand holding when it came to the DA, especially since they'd been making Ron a right pain to be around when he was at the Burrow.

Besides, Fred was under the impression that even bad news was good when it wasn't the bile the Prophet was spewing out.

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weasleygred
2009-09-01 07:36 pm UTC (link)

George let Fred head to the back before he did, staying out in the shopfront and showing off a few products, letting a few wandering firsties try their testers for the shite that was less expensive to make. Mostly just to distract from the the people vanishing into the back. He kept an eye on Verity, making sure she wasn't getting overwhelmed or anything - though she was usually better at the bloody counter than he was anyway.

Finally though, the shop had thinned out a bit, and most people who were going to show were there, so he ducked into the back room too.

He caught Fred's eye for a second, but his twin was talking to Neville - who looked like he might sick up at any moment. If he did, Fred was cleaning it up.

George left them to it, standing by the door so he could peek out to check for more and waiting for everyone to settle. He already knew everything that was going to be said, he figured. But you never knew. Harry, Hermione, and his little brother were secretive little prats, sometimes.

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born_a_lion
2009-09-03 04:14 am UTC (link)

Waiting outside her brothers' store, Ginny peeked in, biding her time until both of the twins seemed to be otherwise occupied. She stepped into the shop with a gaggle of witches and trailed them to the love potions where they giggled and debated purchasing them while she tried to keep both her brothers in sight at the same time. Despite their height and easily recognizable bright red hair, it was harder than she'd've thought.

She'd snuck out of the Burrow, flooing to the Alley while Molly had been distracted outside. She knew her mother was likely to kill her when she found out (if she found out, Ginny had to keep hoping), but it was worth it. She had to be here.

Ducking around a group of men, Ginny hoped she'd be able to get all the way to the backroom without being seen but there was George, waiting at the entrance and Fred just beyond him. Straightening her shoulders, Ginny headed for the back room, trying to act as if she belonged there.

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[OOC - takes place after all other threads]

forevernev
2009-09-01 05:42 am UTC (link)

Once everyone had settled in, Neville took his place in front of those gathered. He cleared his throat to call up the crowd's attention, but before he said a single world, he started fumbling with a sheet of parchment. His eyes roamed over the parchment's contents, his mouth silently moving as he read through what he needed to say. Right. Just be swift; it'll be over sooner if you keep to what you've planned out.

Harry ought to be here. Hermione at the very least. She's brilliant at public speaking.

"Erm," he started, krinkling up the paper in his hands. "Th-thanks everyone for coming on short notice. It's been ages. Um...well, I suppose we ought to just get to it. You've all read the, um, the Prophet. You've read what they and the Ministry want us to think, and you all know it's wrong. But you've not known why. There've been too many mysterious disappearances and leave-takings. And now Dumbledore's retiring so it seems as if Hogwarts isn't going to be the same as it was.

"Hermione, she thinks Dumbledore's retiring to concentrate on helping win the war." It was a war now, and if anyone had any doubts about it, then he'd have to make them see sense. The attacks, the incident at the Weasley wedding. It wasn't a simple skirmish anymore. It was a full-on conflict. "Professor McGonagall's doing everything she can to still keep Hogwarts Castle and everyone inside it secure, but we've got to keep an eye on the new professor. This Pittiman bloke, the one taking over Binns' post, could've been appointed directly by the Ministry. We've got to steer carefully around him. For all we know, he...he might be another Umbridge come sneaking about the castle trying to discredit Dumbledore.

"So. In the meantime, we do things like we did before. Secret meetings for spell practice and to exchange news. And...and I think it'll be good if we try and recruit more students in once we're back at school. Remember Harry wrote up Hermione's instructions on how to put more protection on that journal privacy hex? Um...I want to make sure everyone knows how to do the spell perfectly. It could be the difference between being safe and getting caught.

"Maybe...maybe it'll all rest on Harry's shoulders in the end, but I don't think that's entirely true. It'll have to be everyone working together, protecting one another. And if Harry needs us, I don't want to be the one to let him down."

It rambled; it went all over the place, but at least he got most of the bits he needed to share out to the rest of the DA. He hoped.

"Ummm...any questions?" He hadn't realized that he'd scrunched up the parchment into a tight little ball, not needing to read from it since he began speaking to everyone.

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cornering
2009-09-02 12:49 am UTC (link)

Michael felt a bit nervous being in a room with the old DA members again. He liked them all great, of course, it was just the conditions under which they were having to meet now that bothered him. When Neville said "war" Michael visibly flinched as though the bloke had thrown a book at his face. Everyone and everything seemed to be quiet when Neville finished talking. Michael looked around, expecting someone else to ask the question that was weighing on his mind but no one else spoke.

Finally he looked back at Neville and opened his mouth. "Where are Ron, Hermione and Harry? Hermione is the one who told us about the meeting--why isn't she here? Why aren't they here?"

It wasn't that Michael had any real attachment to the three of them, but he knew that they knew more than everyone else and that their knowledge was going to be vital if anything was to go in the favor of those who were opposed to You-Know-Who. So he didn't understand why they weren't there or why they didn't say they wouldn't be coming.

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weasleyforge
2009-09-02 02:48 pm UTC (link)

"Because there's a whole bloody lot of people trying to take Harry's head off, if you haven't noticed." Fred called out from the back of the room. "And since he's meant to save the world, and what not, I think we'd all prefer that didn't happen."

He thought about it for a minute and then added, "And Ron's not allowed in the shop. Great giant git, he knocks things over."

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susy_b
2009-09-02 03:19 pm UTC (link)

Susan listened carefully to what Neville had to say, carefully and quietly. She wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to tell them about Hermione coming over to her house and shifting through her Aunt's things, thus she kept her mouth shut about that. As Michael spoke, gaze tore away from Neville to look at the boy. It was a valid question, where were they? It was Hermione who suggested this meeting, shouldn't they be here? However, Fred's reply brought a tiny, timid smile to her lips.

Attention brought back to Neville, Susan finally spoke up, "How bad is it looking, Neville? You said war, is it looking like that?" Swallowing slightly, her voice got caught in throat. War was a terrifying idea in her mind, and she didn't want to think about it unless she absolutely positively had to.

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cornering
2009-09-02 06:22 pm UTC (link)

Michael opened his mouth in retort to Fred, then closed it again. Of course Harry was in danger, Michael knew that, but weren't they all? Most of them were risking their lives to be there just then and he was fairly sure he probably wasn't the only one who either lied or didn't even tell his parents that he was going.

His frown deepened as Susan spoke up. He liked Susan and he liked Neville but he hated hearing what they had to say right now. He hated hearing that word and seeing the images it conjured up in his mind. Cold, blue hands and lips...

Michael looked down at his lap and struggled with himself. How much longer could he take this? How much longer could he pretend like Quidditch was the only thing that mattered and that everyone wasn't really in any sort of danger?

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born_a_lion
2009-09-03 04:24 am UTC (link)

Rolling her eyes at Michael, Ginny bit back a comment, then grinned gratefully at her brother when he said just what she'd been thinking. She glanced up at Neville, her heart going out to him. He wasn't a leader, not really. She wished she could get up there and help him, rally the D.A., but she knew he'd been tasked with this. If Hermione had wanted her to do this, she could have asked quite easily.

Before she could stop herself and realise that Susan's question hadn't been answered, she spoke up. "You said recruit... how are we going to avoid another... incident?" Ginny twisted her lips to the side, knowing that Marietta had been punished to an extent, but not nearly enough.

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