The Order of the Dawn Open

“I dunno, do you really think she wants an audience?” James said glumly, feeling he was at fault but not really understanding why, “Maybe we’ll just leave it up to Elzabeth for this one and chat to her later.”

He looked around at the group. “Let’s figure out exactly what these attacks look like. If we recreate the same circumstances, we’re more likely to draw these jerks out.” He said pulling Elzabeth’s notes towards him, “Look most of them happen in the halls, sometime between 4 and 6 when classes are over. The victim is always alone... and they rumours say it’s a bunch of guys. An ambush. What we need is to give them a taste of their own medicine.” He took out a large piece of parchment, a map of the school that one of the kind prefects had been handing out in the Common Room so that the first years wouldn’t always be late to class. He pointed at a set of corridors that converged into a smooth-looking plus. “Here. There’s this set of hallways that’s pretty far from any of the classrooms on the third floor. It’s a long walk to the open spaces so prefects and Professors usually don’t bother patrolling through this section. Three of the
Six students who were attacked got jumped somewhere around here. There’s loads of stuff to hide behind, like statues and suits of armour and stuff. I could pretend I’m all alone there and when they come to get me, you guys can jump out, cut off all their potential exits and we can ask them a few questions.”

He looked up at the group around him. It felt very empty without Lark and Elzabeth. He tried for a small smile but it felt dishonest. He’d definitely catch them up on the plan later but the wave of nauseous guilt washed over him like a wave at the beach. Lark didn’t have... feelings for him did she? Did he have feelings for her? He wasn’t entirely sure... He hadn’t been lying about his impulse to kiss Charlotte and she was pretty badass, but there was something- different about Lark, something special.

He secretly wished he’d gone after her.

Elizabeth ran into the library and found the order looking smaller than it had been last time. She ran up to James and said breathlessly "They are kidnapping now, one boy in the library ran up to me covered my mouth and started dragging me away before I bit his hand and ran over to the crowded area of the library." Elizabeth made sure she included everything but then said "I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys. So back when I was like seven these boys started making fun of my best friend. So I confronted them in the alleyway where we all walked to get home. Then they pushed me against the wall and started making fun of me and my mum who had died in a car accident earlier that year. Then all of a sudden garbage flies out of the garbage cans and all the garbage falls on the boys but misses me. I run home and forget about the incident. Well on my first attack one of the boys from that group was the one who had beaten me up. The rest of them just hated me because I am muggle-born and so does he also for that reason because he is a pureblood." Elizabeth made sure the way she said all this made sense.

James thought for a moment, the torrent of information washing over him like a flood,

“Ok, first of all Elizabeth, I’m very sorry to hear about your Mum. That must’ve been awful... I can’t imagine,” he quickly allowed himself to step through to the next topic, the thought of exploring the death of someone’s parents was an emotional journey on which he was unable to embark while a whirl of feelings still crowded his chest.

“Listen, are you saying that this... the guy who tried to grab you in the middle of the Library is... Muggleborn? If not, what was he doing wandering around your neighbourhood?”

He walked over to the blackboard and wrote “ELIZABETH’S ATTACKERS”

“Ok bare with me on this, but what if.... what if we’re looking at three totally seperate groups of people here? The DWS are... feigning interest in social reform, they’re all about... Wizard social services... maybe they even believe that their cause is good... and then there’s something pernicious underneath their whole outfit. Then we have Elizabeth’s group, they’re partly about attack Muggleborns sure... but their cause is personal, the want to attack Elizabeth specifically. Then, there’s this third group. Not connected to either Elizabeth or the DWS. They seem cleverer and more careful than Elizabeth’s people but far more brazen and honest about their motives than the DWS.”

He drew a circle around the title “Muggleborn Attacks”

“I say this, Elizabeth, build your group and go after your guys. If we’re ever around and they try to hurt you, then we’ll protect you, yeah? But the Order of the Dawn is going to focus on this middle group, we need to find out what their motive is... if they even have one.” He tapped his chalk under the Dark Witches Society title.

“As for the DWS, nobody engages as of yet. We collect as much intel on them as we can, but we keep our heads down and our reputations clean until we can expose the Dark Witches for who they truly are.”

He stood up.

“Let’s catch Elz and Lark up on everything at dinner tonight, an begin planning. Hey Elizabeth if you ever need our help or just somebody to talk to, you’re welcome to come to me whenever, yeah?”

With that he gathered his notes and books and walked out of the Library

OOC: James leaves

@Gem Stuart @Charlotte Marie Mahr @Elizabeth smith @Margo White

Elizabeth shook her head and said "Ok but I think the guy is a pureblood because his friends said he was homeschooled and we were little so he couldn't have gone to hogwarts. I think maybe his parents thought he would be safer and smarter living around muggles." Elizabeth reasoned this was a good enough answer for why but she wasn't sure. "I still have no idea who those boys are but I will keep building my group but first I need some help. Ok so I was discussing plans with one of my group members when another girl came up and she stated that she wanted to be the group and that she was the leader and that only girls were allowed except for her two boyfriends. Then after I stated that I was the leader and that anyone of all gender was welcome she called us weak since we were first years and that if we were going to have a larger and better group then we needed her, but this time I lost my temper and yelled at the girl and told her that she didn't even know what was going on and such and then some more people came over and I had to explain to them why I was the leader and that as the leader I write the letters and recruit more people as well as my other members but we vote on who gets to join and such. I am more like the founder instead of the leader. I just told them that if they wanted to join they should ask instead of state, not everyone can join because not everyone is trustworthy." Elizabeth felt good to hopefully get some advice on what was happening.

Gem's face blanked out when he saw Elizabeth run in again, only his eyes widening a bit at the prospect of a kidnapping. He was glad James had it under control, because he hadn't had a clue on what would happen after that, how would he even be able to respond? Kidnapping?
He exhaled through his nose, eyeing the redheaded girl unsurely-- he wasn't sure how keen on making allies with random people was yet, especially people who had problems that big, but he figured it would be a good sob story-- why not? He sat up, watching James up and leave.
He wasn't sure how he could possibly respond, so as she spoke, he gathered his books, hugging them close to his chest, beckoning Charlotte to mirror his actions. He also made a brief glance at Margo, nodding his head at the door discreetly as to say, Let's get the fuck out of here.

"Look... ehm, I'm not sure. Joost be kind to whoever ya encounter, right? We've all got other... situations, so just be wary about who ye want in yer group, I feel like yer smart enough ta be able ta tell which ones 'ave bad intentions over good ones, okay?" He gave her a once-over with his eyes, and then swept out of the room in something of a hurry, only hoping Charlotte and Margo had the gall to follow him.

// OOC: Gem leaves.

@Elizabeth smith @Charlotte Marie Mahr @Margo White

Elizabeth took in the words, she felt as if they didn't trust her. She knew that they were very serious and that she needed to be wary about who was in her group. Elizabeth nodded as the boy left. She sat at another table and went over her thoughts. She didn't want to be violent but now she had no choice. People were not happy with her and if she keeps trying to keep peace then she will be the only member of her group. She sat there for a while and noticed that she wasn't being followed anymore. She smiled at the prospect of them finally leaving her alone. She had her problems but didn't need to bother anyone else with them. She figured the group either thought this was fake or just didn't care enough to give her solid advice. "Maybe the other girl were right, maybe I am not fit to be a leader I am just going to turn myself in and get it over with maybe since I came to them they won't beat me up as hard." Elizabeth muttered this outloud with her hands in her head. "Maybe I should just tell the others that there won't be a group anymore and they can just partner up with that jerk of a girl and mock me." With that Elizabeth got up but spilled all her books and supplies on the floor. Tears of anger and frustration slipped silently down her cheeks as she bent down to pick up her things.

@Elizabeth smith

Everyone had seemed to be leaving the meeting rather rapidly since the red hired girl, Elizabeth, had shown up. Margo didn't quite know what to make of the girl. Everything that had happened to her was all very dramatic, of course, but she still seemed to have a temperament very different to her own. She was secretly glad that James had chosen to focus on the Dark Witch Society, and not Lizzie's attackers. Call her selfish, but she didn't want to be stuck in a situation between her house and a club which she'd pledged loyalty to. She didn't know if Elizabeth was prejudice against Slytherins, and she wasn't very inclined to find out. 

The second person she'd felt sorry for that day was Lark. She barely knew the poor girl, but she had seemed kind and sort of quiet. They'd stood in what Margo had interpreted as companionable silence throughout the meeting, and the Slytherin had been inclined to go after the girl after she'd fled. However, when she really thought about it, she knew that it was best to leave it to Elzabeth, the absent girl's housemate and a much kinder girl that Margo ever would be. 

However, it did seem like Margo would be doing at least some comforting, for she was the only person left in the room to witness Elizabeth's self doubt cause her to drop all her books. The Slytherin knelt to join the Gryffindor, carefully collecting quills and stacking papers. 

"I'm sorry we didn't join your cause." She murmured. "But that doesn't mean it's not a valid one." She handed the girl her possessions, trying not to show her alarm at the tears on her face. Margo had vowed to herself from quite a young age not to ever let anyone see her cry, which was why she was thoroughly unprepared for the situation at hand. 

"I, uh, I don't think anyone deserves to be mocked, and even if life's not fair and you are judged, you shouldn't let it get in the way of your ambitions." Margo tried to force a smile onto her face as she gave a little wave and walked away from what had a very interesting meeting. She would have to go through the whole thing again in her head before their next encounter at 6.