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He heard what he wanted to hear, though his heart did not want to hear it. Not really. His heart had hoped she would tell him she had stopped seeing Rodolphus and had moved on to someone much healthier and better suited to her, that she wanted nothing more to do with him. His head, well Albus' head was dancing with plots and plans and gleefully, no less, at the knowledge that his idea to break Riddle's circle could now go ahead. Dorcas permitting, of course. The poor girl had no idea that her short and uncomfortable answer had given him so much information. She would likely expect him to pry further on the matter, but Albus had no real interest in hearing about any shenanigans the couple got up to, and whether they had confessed their love for each other yet. It wasn't important. What was important was whether she was willing to deceive her lover further than she already had, and that was the part he was struggling with. How to ask her to do such a thing was a hard enough conundrum... How to ask her to put her life on the line in such a dangerous way was near impossible to figure out.

Albus cleared his throat. Uncomfortable wasn't something he usually was, and he had enough years and experience behind him to know how to handle most situations with confidence, but this, this made him uncomfortable. Trying not to let it show, he sipped at his drink, eyes lost in the crackling fire as he tried to gather the right words on his tongue. "Dorcas," he began, voice catching, a little more husky than usual. "I would ask something very reckless of you tonight," he told her, eyes still fixed on the fire and not the woman he was asking to sign a death sentence. "And I need you to know, that you can refuse. Please don't feel like this is an order." He really didn't want her to say no, but it was important for him to stress that she was welcome to at any point. It was a request, not a sentence, and he would never hold it against her if she didn't want to play the part he needed her to. "I fear I have nobody else to ask, and I understand the weight my request carries." Tearing his gaze from the fire, his eyes pierced hers. "How would you feel about becoming a Death Eater?" The question hung heavily in the air, and Albus left it there, not sure what else to add to it to make it any less horrifying.




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notes: --
tagged: Dorcas Amilie Meadowes

His slippers - they really would have passed for soft shoes if questioned - made no noise on the carpeted floor as Albus meandered around the edge of the room, helping himself to a small sweet pastry and chuckling under his breath at the sight of Geralina leading young Kit to the truffles. Everybody seemed content to chat in their little groups, and Albus sincerely hoped they would branch out just a bit and make new acquaintances at the very least with each other. What was the purpose of having a group of people fighting for a cause, when those people did not make any efforts to know each other. No, that would not do, they needed to be a family, and though the members who had been with the Order a while were indeed that, the new recruits needed to be welcomed into the fold and made to feel a part of things. Between the youngsters who were newly graduated, and the likes of Tristan, there were enough people that may feel like outsiders to the organization, and Albus would be making sure the older, more seasoned members made every effort to see that that wasn't the case.

Finishing his bitesized pastry, he licked a crumb from his finger and crossed to Dorcas, eyes twinkling as he looked forward to what they might discuss in a moment. She was his most interesting ally at the moment, and he had high hopes that she was about to become a lot more interesting. Albus had long had his suspicions about a certain Lestrange, and since Dorcas just so happened to be intimately involved with the man, it made sense to exploit that in any way he could. He would never wish any harm on Dorcas, but her help was invaluable. She practically had her foot in the doorway of Voldemort's lair, and with just a little shove, she could be right inside. It was a dangerous ask, but Albus was no fool, he knew that every person in this room was risking their lives just by being associated with the Order. It was a huge target on each of their backs, and their deaths were more likely than that of any other in this war if they were found out to be a part of the rebel alliance. Dorcas' target was slightly bigger, as was Kit's, thanks to them being Aurors mostly, but also there was Kit's status as half vampire that would draw endless attention to him, and then there was Dorcas with her Death Eater lover. What a predicament she was in, but it was incredibly helpful. Albus was lucky that she had been willing to play along so far, and he got the sense that she enjoyed it, and got some sort of twisted kick from it.

He leaned down to her tiny height and spoke softly. "Dorcas," he crooned. "A word, if you don't mind?" he indicated to the door that led back out into the hallway. They had walked the familiar path to the side room with the cosy fireplace many times before now. They had sat in armchairs facing each other and drank liquor to take the edge off of the conversation topic, and they had managed to laugh, too, despite the seriousness of what he was asking her to do. He enjoyed his talks with Dorcas, and he would miss them if the worst were to happen and he were to get her killed. Yes, he would miss her dearly, his brave little fighter. They passed a few curious faces as they crossed to the door, and Albus offered warm smiles as he held the door open for Dorcas and led her down the hallway to a door that required unlocking with his wand before they could enter. Ushering her inside, he closed the door and locked it behind them, not wanting to be disturbed. The fire whooshed to life in the hearth, and Albus put away his wand, setting his drink down on the small table beside his favoured arm chair. "I won't keep you long," he said, humour in his voice. "I'm sure you'd rather be elsewhere."




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notes: If you are joining the site with a new Order Member, you are welcome to join this thread.
tagged: Dorcas Amilie Meadowes

The room was rather empty except for the tables that lined the edges, filled with all kinds of sweet treats that Albus had to admit he had given in and tasted. The apple crumble was particularly delicious, the chocolate truffles a real delight. He could have stood there and tried one or more of everything, but there was business to be getting on with, and the more pressing issue of the pie crumbs all over his deep purple robes. Long fingers gripped their wand and swirled it over the mess on the old man's attire, crumbs vanishing before his twinkling blue eyes. With a hum of satisfaction, he adjusted the half moon spectacles that sat on the bridge of his nose, and forced himself to move away from the food that was on offer for the wonderful people that would be here soon enough. A meeting had been called for the Order of the Phoenix, and though the subject matter was dire, meetings were often long and taxing and feeding his friends was something Albus considered to be very important. He glanced across to the second table on the other side of the square room, this one filled with drinks of all different kinds, fizzy lemonade and fancy juices for those that liked to remain in control of themselves, and more adventurous bottles of alcohol for those that wished to forget for a while why they had been called here tonight.

Albus would be in the second group, sharing a tipple of brandy with Fawkes after the meeting, when they were both in their nightgowns and ready for the land of nod. Sometimes forgetting was a necessity, at least for a little while, when families close to you were being winked out like lights, like fireflies stomped on without any second thought of the after effects. There would be after effects, Albus would make sure of that. The Netherly family had been full of good people, good, decent people and children who wouldn't hurt a soul and were cherished allies of the Order, and yet they had been targeted by blind followers of a lost child on a power trip. It was not right. Albus could not bear to sit around and do nothing while this sort of behaviour went on right under his nose. He had more than a few good plans up his sleeve about steps that could be taken, and tonight he had every intention of putting some of those plans into motion. Calling all of his loyal followers, his friends, together for the night was the best way of getting things underway, and though he would only be speaking to a select few of the group about his plans, he hoped that in gathering, it would boost their sense of community with one another after such a loss. The members of the Order were varied, different ages, backgrounds and lifestyles, but in order to make this vigilante group a success, they needed to become a family, which was why these meetings were designed to strengthen bonds, as well as discuss plans.

He checked the ancient golden pocket watch which was hidden inside his robes, and gave a little nod to a house elf that hovered in the corner of the room, watching as the creature hurried from the room and out to the hallway, ready to greet the guests as they arrived, which they should do any minute now. Albus arranged himself near the drinks table, and began to pour a few glasses of wine for something to do, since he deemed sitting at one of the comfortable chairs dotted about the room to be quite rude. He would remain standing until everyone had arrived, and then he would be required to mingle. Old age didn't get one special treatment, especially when one was the leader of a group of rebel warriors trying to figure out how to defeat a crazed man with a pet snake. Then again, to the opposing side, Albus was sure he was considered to be the crazed man with a pet Phoenix. Funny how viewpoints could be so obscured, depending on what one wanted to see. Albus continued to carefully pour the wine.




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notes: Welcome, friends! Please use your invitation to enter the building, once raised in front of the door, it will turn to ash and the door will open.
tagged: André Daniel Meadowes , Emily Jane Meadowes , Dorcas Amilie Meadowes , Christopher Erebus Devereaux , Geralina Amara Drake , Tristan Jude Dearborn , Lily Joanne Potter , James Henry Potter . (If you are joining the site with a new Order Member, you are welcome to join this thread).