The Order of the Dawn Open

Gem skimmed his tongue along his bottom lip, his fingers tracing the books he'd had on top of his desk, ready to use. Ever since he'd heard anything about the Dark Witch Society, he'd felt a sense of unease, paranoia, even. He'd casually brush it off as anxiety to studies, but he knew good and well that that hadn't quite been the case.

Since the Ravenclaw's sleepover, the ability to discuss was a lot easier for him to find keywords, thus creating more ability for research... however, these were things he knew already. He had one ear open to listen to James, but his brain was racing with ideas, his moral compass was going berserk, and his fingers were pulling on the hems of his cardigan. He knew it all, he observed, he listened to his aunt go on tangents about fascists, pile books over books on him to do his bidding so they could converse about it, it was overwhelming, but now, he felt like he'd really needed it.

"James is right," Gem cut in, his eyes big, glazing over everyone sitting with them, "these are e' kind ov things tha' happen, the guilt." He swallowed, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "But, and that's a big but," He almost cracked a childish grin. Butt. "Tha' doesn't mean we shut up. It joost means ta lay low, watch, observe, and try ta find where they're going to step. Wait for a slip-up, wait for plans." He let himself grin now, looking behind him to make sure no one was there to watch or listen to them.
"A very... don't sit cos' I've moved yer chair sort of thing."

Gem pulled a folded parchment out from under his books, gripping a quill to start scrawling something on it, occasionally glancing up at his peers, hoping they'd wait until he was finished.

"Right, so," He sat up, sliding it across the table for all to see. It was a list, numbered, with a written title.

Decrypting The Dark Witch Society and its Fascism
(Or just Savannah)

1. Denial.
2. Euphemism.
3. Pedantry.
4. DOGWHISTLING.

"If you don't mind me elaborating, I'll... do that now." He straightened up, tapping the tip of his index finger on the first one.
"Okay, so... denial. Nevah reveal your power level, righ'? If you've heard em' say somefin' fascistic, dick around wiv other fascists, an' then all ov a sudden say they're not fascists..." He made a face, cocking an eyebrow-- it should've said plenty. "I'm not a fascist is exactly what a fascist would say."

"Next, Euphemism... I heard she did tha' in the library, I'm not this, but I'm THIS instead," if Gem could roll his eyes behind the back of his head, he would. "Preservin' wizarding values, allat' bullshite, yeh, they'll find a cute way to put it to make it appeal to... well, everyone else." He exhaled, moving on to his next point.

"Pedanry... where do I even start," he rubbed his temples with his fingers, shaking his head at the table like a drunkard at a bar table. "This... its got a lot, so I'll cut it short. Petty arguin', patronizing insults, and deterring you from e' actual point." He clicked his tongue, "All to get ya to change the subject originally at hand, all ov it to waste yer time. It's fookin' ridiculous... don't let it get in the way of yer argument."

"Last but not least, dogwhistling." He looked down at the parchment, which was bolded, underlined, and circled an ungodly amount of times. "I don't know if things are going to get this bad, but be prepared if they do. Little messages wiv their hands, cute cats, a wink and an index fingah up-- doesn't matter. Keep an eye out for it, it's a dogwhistle to other fascists and Dark Witches. Some people have ta use coded language to appeal to other fascists... this is no exception."

He stopped, taking a deep breath as if he'd lost it all in his tumble of phrasing, his cheeks burnt a light red. Looking at everyone with a small smile, he listened to James continue his plan, silently nodding along. He felt like he'd done enough talking for right now, he might go mute if he opened his mouth up again in the span of five minutes. This was a group of extremists, antifa, he was more than excited to get this rolling.
He grinned at the prospect of roughing bullies up a bit, glancing at Charlotte to see the long on her face-- he knew she'd be pleased, it had been a while since she'd had some action.

Charlotte was anxious about the meeting, she still wasn't sure what was going on or really what she pledged herself to, but it couldn't possibly be bad. Gem had barely briefed her on what was going on, so her had a vague idea.
She walked into the room, three books and a couple papers clutched to her chest; Two of them were recent Magic history books, she figured pointing out repeats in history would help, and one recent American history book, her parents have told her what was going on in that country, she figured that that might help as well, and last but not least, tactics that will help with their victory, plans, ect.
She sat down, placing the books on the table in front of her, she had bookmarked everything she saw that could fit into the topic of today's meeting. She smiled at everyone, leaning her head into her hands when James had started talking, paying as much attention as she could with so many questions in her head, but as he continued to speak, the questions began answering themselves. She still hasn't met this Savannah girl, but by god was she going to get a piece of Charlotte's mind the minute she got the chance.
Speaking of which, James had just mentioned that, and she was more than just excited. She hadn't been able to beat anyone yet, which is something she was used to. She never lived in the nicest area of town, and had to learn how to defend herself and anyone she associated with. Luckily, her background had worked in her favor. She smiled deviously, nodding in agreement to James' idea. Charlotte was positive they'd be fine... Afterall, she was sure everyone there had brains and brawn, or at least one of them. Not to mention the people they were going up against were probably first years as well.

Charlotte smiled when Gem started speaking. He was never much of a public speaker, and she knew, but her was doing really well, and she was proud of him. He was explaining everything really well, and she had no need to ask questions. However, there was one lingering in the back of her head since the beginning of the meeting...
"I get everything... But what if our skills aren't up to par with theirs. I'm confident in my abilities but only to a certain extent. There's going to have to be a lot of strategy to insure our victory, but sometimes that isn't enough, especially with the psychological games that I'm sure they'll be playing at. This probably isn't going to be a hugely violent thing because we'll also be the ones getting in trouble. In short, how to we get people on our side without them turning that into propaganda against us?" She spoke nervously, sifting through some of the papers she'd brought.
"Look, I did some research whatever this is. A tactic they'd probably use is stuff like Gem said, the third step I think? They're going to deter us from our point, and make us look crazy for losing our cool. Sayin' stuff like 'Why would you want to join a group of crazy, radical people when you could easily join a group of level-headed people like us.' I don't want to use the same tactic as them, but unfortunately, it works. How are we supposed to flip it around and make it work in our favor?" Charlotte was making hand movements as she talked, sighing when she actually finished. She had no doubts on whether or not she wanted to be a part of this group, she just had concerns on how they were going to prevail. She looked at everyone, her eyebrows furrows, biting the inside of her cheek, hoping everyone was following on with what she was saying.

^{Interacting with @James McMurtrie@Gem Stuart@Charlotte Marie Mahr}

The spot on the Library had seemed like a rather good one to meet up for the Order. Lark had found it was nicely tucked away and rather quieter upstairs.. plus near a lot of older dusty sections of books which she figured meant that rarely did other students come to study in this area.

Pre-meeting, Lark had tried to keep an ear out mostly in the Great Hall during meals. There hadn't been much whispering about anything in classes. Not that she could manage to hear anyway without losing focus on lectures. Although one of their classes had focused rather heavily on Death Eaters which brought up a great deal of sources Lark felt she could use later on.

Taking the liberty of scooting one of the comfier chairs into their little hideaway, Lark took a seat and listened at James began the meeting. 'Wikipedia?' Lark wondered what that could be. Feeling a bit ignorant as James continued his talk, and even with Gem... Lark hadn't realized how little she truly knew about all this. She had an opinion... but was she really going to be able to be helpful to their cause with her not knowing as much as everyone else did? She took out her journal and scribbled some notes as James and Gem spoke hoping to research more later on.

"I agree. We can't go against her willy nilly... she seems well prepared and if she has a close following then she wont ever be alone anyway." Lark sighed. Anxiously she doodled in the corner of her notes until James tacked up the paper he had in hand.

"They're..." She froze thinking of Clem and James being in this situation. Muggle borns being attacked in the hallways... she shivered.

"It can't be here.. she seems more methodical, not to mention she didn't lash out until someone tried to speak their opinion ya?" Lark wasnt sure that Savannah would just go right to beating people up. Not that she had met the girl...yet. It still didnt mesh with the stories everyone else had. She listened closely as Gem spoke his mind, nodding and scribbling more notes to herself.

"Was it in a certain spot in the hall? Or outside a classroom...maybe we can sort of keep a watch there." Lark tried to offer any thoughts she may have, still feeling behind the whole Facist curve thing.

"I get everything... But what if our skills aren't up to par with theirs..."

Charlotte was right to worry... Lark didn't exactly feel ready to duel, although she would sure try if need be. She looked around at the others. They seemed much more ready to any type of action. The girl was also right with it being hard to even verbally be ready... Savannah seemed to have her following not just by like minded ideals but she knew how to talk to others, knew how to manipulate and knew exactly what to say even if it was venomous words at the few of her friends who had interacted with her prior.

"If we start with this group, it could give us some experience...and find out if they're an offshoot of Sav's following or not.. could be a whole separate thing stemmed just from the typical pureblood mentality."

Elzabeth was excited about the meeting, she was beyond happy to be apart of something so good so soon into her time at Hogwarts. She had prepared by bringing some parchment and quill to take some notes along with a few books from the library that consisted of history and autobiographies from the dark times.

She knew there would be some good content about dark magic in the books and since the Order was all about stopping that, she figured knowing the enemy would be wise.

As James started to speak to the group, Elzabeth leaned back in her seat and listened closely, nodding along with every once in a while. Both Gem and Charlotte's points were very good.

Coming off as the good guys could be way harder than it seems, especially when Savannah was so smart.

Anyone who had overheard Savannah talk in that Library would agree that she had a way with words, the way she had simply put out that dark magic wasn't something people should stay away from so easily was astounding. There was no telling how powerful she could be if people actually started to follow her.

“The last thing she needs is more people to fuel her on, but stopping people from believing what she’s saying will be near impossible without us coming off as the bad guys. Like Charlotte said, they would try and make us look like the guys who’ve lost their minds.”

Elzabeth looked down at her books, remembering some of the points that had jumped out to her when she was reading.

“She believes the dark arts are merely misunderstood which is ridiculous if you're asking me. The Dark arts is usually defined as performing to cause harm. Whether its killing or taking control over, it's usually used for not so good things. While, technically it’s not evil, its still used for it nine times out of ten.” Elzabeth was gesturing with her hands, which is something she got in the habit of doing when she got passionate about a subject.

“It’s not only used for terrible things, it’s also very hard to control. There are countless examples of people who used the Dark Arts and it ended up backfiring on them or even causing excessive and irreparable damage. This could be very bad for all of Hogwarts if they go through with it, we all know at least a few people who would use that type of magic to cause harm to other students.” Elzabet let out a huff of air before sinking back in her seat.

"But Larks right, starting off with this group could help us gain experience which we're going to need if we ever want to go against Savannah." Elzabeth tried to fit in her other opinion, but at this point, she was so worked up with her other topic, she worried if it came off a little scatterbrained in the end.

James nodded and began took a piece of chalk from inside his robes. A large green blackboard covered one entire wall of the little study room.
He addressed his friends,

"You're all right. We couldn't take them on one-to-one just yet. I hear there are members from a whole variety of years. That's going to mean they're way ahead of us in terms of spells," he turned to the blackboard and wrote:

DON'T ENGAGE.

"This is going to be a war for hearts for the most part right now." he turned to Charlotte, "So, sorry we're not going to be knocking heads together straight away. We need to deradicalize Savannah's supporters. Which means we need to know who they are... Rumor has it, that - at least some part of the Dark Witches Society is an official school club - which means that there is a list of members - written on parchment - somewhere within this school. Logan, do you reckon you could find out where they keep school records, so we know where to go to... borrow... this list?"

He turned back to the board and wrote "SAVANNAH ROSE" and "TATIANA CRANE" at the top in large white letters.

"We know two members of this thing right now, and they’re both near the top of the power structure. We need to get to whoever's down here," he tapped the bottom of the blackboard bellow where he had written the names, "and drag them back to sanity, by befriending them and just reasoning with them. We want to thin their numbers as much as possible, without violence. That'll be a job for all of us, once we know which students we're dealing with."

He then turned back to the blackboard and wrote, "MUGGLE-BORN ATTACKS",

"We also need to know who's behind the Muggle-Born Attacks; and why." he grinned, "Maybe we set a trap... an ambush of some kind. Every attack has happened when a Muggle-Born is wandering alone in the corridors at the end of a school day. So we need somebody to act as... bait."

His eyes gleamed and he began to wander around the classroom theatrically, "Oooh, look at me. Just a scared, dumb little muggle-born. Ooh, I sure hope nobody comes and beats me uuup".

@Charlotte Marie Mahr @Gem Stuart @Logan Berry @Lark Flaer @Elzabeth Gillan

@James McMurtrie
@Lark Flaer
@Gem Stuart
@Charlotte Marie Mahr
@Elzabeth Gillan

___________________________________________________

Logan had been quiet for most of the meeting so far, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. He hadn't managed to find out anything yet, having researched in the wrong places. So he mostly just listened, finding what the others said to be useful.

He made notes throughout in his notebook, all in pencil, noting down what the others said.

[font=Monotype Corsiva]Order of the Dawn, meeting 1
Kids are attacking muggleborn kids. Not the Dark Witches, most likely. Need to find out who.

Denial - They keep saying they aren't anti-muggle.
Euphemism - Keep saying they're just protecting wizard rights. Deflects claims that they're anti-muggle using this.
Pedantry - Deflects arguments, deterring from point, wasting time.
Dog-whistling - Need to watch out for this. They'll find a secret kinda code they can use.

Flip one of those four tactics against them? Charlotte says we should flip the third, Pedantry, against them. It's a good idea.

Prevent more people from joining them, but also have one of us pretend to join them, perhaps, as a a double agent.

No fighting yet, there likely are second years in there, we'd never win in a fight, they know more than us.[/font]

He looked up when James asked him to do something. "Of course. I'll make sure to find out where. I'm sorry that I can't bring any more information to this, I didn't manage to find out much myself earlier. But, I feel it'd be great to possibly have one of us falsely join them? Similar to an undercover police officer, except we're not police officers. I would offer to, but I don't want to risk being found out and basically annihilated."

He then wrote a little more in his notebook.

[font=Monotype Corsiva]People we know are in the Dark Witches:
Savannah Rose
Tatianna Crane[/font]

If he had been holding a pen, Gem would've chewed on the end of it. He was too busy watching James communicate his plans to notice that... what he held was not, in fact, a pen, so when he tried to poke against his lips, he got a mouthful of feathers. He sputtered, wiping his mouth, looking disgruntled-- all done as quietly as possible.

Without thinking, he began to write down a bulleted list on the corner of his parchment, staring at it like it was a deformed cabbage his mother wanted for whatever reason-- mild disgust and confusion.



He licked his lips unsurely, then peered back over at his group of friends.
"It's in my understanding tha' the majority ov us are... purebloods, aye?" He sat up in his seat, tapping the bit of parchment until it had a big, black blob on it. "Well... dependin' on 'ow hard we're plannin' on hittin' these cacky bastards, boot... y'know, Charlotte and I could probably infiltrate, get some information, n' tell e' school 'bout it."
He straightened up, looking back down at his parcment.
"Ov course, I respect this is an independent cause... I'm in support ov bouf' ideas, joost tell me wot we need to do, and I've got your backs." He winked. He knew being a pure blood was a big advantage amongst most, but he'd never use it in a wrong way.. or, he hoped he wouldn't. So many generalizations these days.

^{@James McMurtrie @Gem Stuart @Charlotte Marie Mahr @Elzabeth Gillan @Logan Berry}

Lark's eyes followed James as he pointed and spoke to the others. He seemed so suited for this position. Plus, he had really been the one to bring them all together. The way he spoke she had to remind herself he was still their age, yet he sounded so formal and knowledgable.

Her eyes fell to her hand thinking of the other day in the Owlery. James had even comforted Logan... there was something about him that drew people to him just like Savannah had. Just in a different way... but the followers of hers must feel the same. Confident and protected, just like James did for all of them. This really would be a tough fight between the two groups. If only the girl could see that in James and that you dont need to weaponize anger to get what you want.


"Elzabeth is right, Savannah is going about this Dark Arts is misunderstood concept all wrong... there has ta be somethin' else that is making her feel that way.. and gather others." Anyone that was on the lower spectrum of that group had to share some of Savannah's fears for the wizarding kind.. not just her seething ire. "Influtrating..." Lark snapped a finger as she remembered an interaction she overheard in the Girl's lavatory.

"There were some girls..not sure what year or anythin' but they possibly attempted the meeting...or knew something." Closing her journal in her lap she pulled her legs out from under her and sat on the edge of the overstuffed chair. "They mentioned witches being more of a priority..almost sounded like an inner circle.. but basically Savannah might be searching for girls- no offense," she shot a sideways glance to the boys before laying her golden eyes on Charlotte. "It might be easier for a female ta get closer, even if the two of you go... it can't be abrupt though. Might cause suspicion... It needs ta seem more than happenstance. As if Savannah noticed or comes ta YOU for it. She seems to be rather controlling an' enjoys when things are her idea rather than another's." Lark hoped she wasnt sounding too pushy. She just hadn't really pieced that bit of information together until just now about a possible inner realm to Savannah's followers. If anyone was going to infiltrate it had to be one of them like Gem mentioned, wizard born or pureblood. No exceptions.. Savannah would know otherwise and who knew what she may do with that bit of information.


As the topic shifted to the other group causing issues, the thought of setting someone up as bait made her a little nervous. She didn't want anything to go wrong and get anyone hurt.

"I... I could try ta be bait?" Lark wanted to help out. She didnt have a lot of information about Facists or these other topics but perhaps this could be something she could do for the group.. and she would rather be the one to get in trouble or hurt instead of seeing her friends in a bad situation. Even if they all would be close by, things could change quickly. She wanted to believe the Hat had placed her here for a reason, saw something in her.. that feeling of confidence. She craved it and if this helped her be better well... she would chance getting a black eye, or worse.

OOC: No worries Elz ! that happens to me too in threads! Still made sense

Margo looked in upon the gathering, leaning against a handy bookshelf. It was impressive, really, the morals of the fellow students in the room. Margo wasn’t one to be brave- she wasn’t a Gryffindor- and she wasn’t one to be kind. In fact, a lot of people referred to her as mean, or at least spiky. However, the fact remained that she didn’t feel like she belonged amongst a group of students with morals such as these, never mind how much she wanted to. 

It was a risk, joining the six members of the Dawn. The Slytherin had known it from the moment that she’d heard their voices. She didn’t recognise everyone present, far from, but there were a few people, including Elzabeth Gillan, that she had seen around the castle. The group seemed to be made up of solely Ravenclaws, but Margo didn’t know enough of the members to be able to tell if there were any exceptions. The green on her robes set her apart, not to mention her lack of speech. Luckily for Margo, she liked being different. She wasn’t after the spotlight, but she did think that the world could benefit from being enhanced a little by those who weren’t afraid to express their flair. 

Fortunately, these people seemed to share that trait. Their gathering was not merely for pleasure- no, they had a purpose. A cork board proudly viewed their cause up on the wall and Margo couldn’t help but edge closer out of curiosity. Her eyes widened slightly as she read the various pieces of paper pinned there, and she whirled around to face the Dawn’s members. The Order of the Dawn, protectors of the innocent, and the noble downfalls of a society which was not only sexist, but more than slightly Death Eater like. Margo loved it.

And yes, she had heard of the Dark Witch Society since arriving back after the summer. It was almost laughable, the amount of rumours that surrounded their not so mysterious club. She wasn’t surprised to hear that they had a selective social hierarchy within their walls, but honestly, nothing about them would surprise her anymore. The founder, Savannah Rose, was enough of a shock. She’d only been in the castle for a little while but she was already rocking the boat. That girl was made of trouble, and not the good kind. 

So, it was then that Margo decided. The corner of her mouth twisted up into a smile filled with ambition before she opened her mouth to speak. She levelled her haze at the centre of the 6 people present, her voice bold. 

“I want in, if you’ll have me.” She told the room, slightly nervous. Obviously she wasn’t going to let anyone see that though. “I can be your eyes in Slytherin and I’ll do whatever you want to prove that I do want this.” 

She eyed the information they had already collected curiously once again. The room they currently stood in had been through a lot of tactical thinking in the past hour. The fate of Margo’s future lay with the Dawn to decide, of course, but she couldn’t help but try to add to their thought process a little bit. 

“If you infiltrate them, you become them. Didn’ you say that they were manipula’ive? Well, you would be using them just as they would use you if you became part of them only to reveal their secrets. Before taking action, maybe it’s best to decide if you want to use their methods to get back at them, or rise above their trickery and go for good ol’ sneaking around to figure out exactly who haunts their ranks.” Margo’s Scottish accent came out a bit thicker due to stress and she bit her lip, looking down at her shoes.

Buck it up and be different Margo. She told herself angrily, raising her jaw to look at the six other people in the room. She wanted this. A new start, part of the Order of the Dawn. She would get it.