[muddymary]

theunstarred‌:

Macdonald? Where had Andromeda heard that before? It seemed vaguely familiar, but not part of her old society. This girl wasn’t pureblood - Andromeda would know that. It wasn’t as though she was afraid of other bloodlines - she was married to a mudblood, after all! - but that didn’t make this girl any more sympathetic to Andromeda. 

The girl wiped her skin with the handkerchief, turning the white silk red, and Andromeda’s lips curled in slight disgust as she joked about giving it back. How crass. “No,” she said rather tersely. “I think it’s yours. If you pass out, I’ll be calling up to hospital, however.”

Andromeda tapped her foot against the ground, watching the girl stumble backwards. Honestly, she should just allow the help given. Andromeda was nearly ready to leave - not keen on catching whatever this was… but, also, she had places to be. If Macdonald wanted to die, so be it. 

Was that a threat? Mary resisted the urge to pause, weeping eyes narrowed. Could she blame the woman for wanting to alert St. Mungo’s? She couldn’t see herself, of course, and as such she didn’t know how awful she looked; but, she felt awful, so she could only imagine how lovely she was to look at. Still, she’d told the bird to bugger off, and she flexed her fingers around her wand as she stumbled backwards out of the alley. 

“I’ve got it under control, thanks.” 

She didn’t, really, but she Disapparated with a soft pop! all the same. She couldn’t stick around, not when she’d been stupid enough to give her name - she could only hope the woman wouldn’t remember.

END.

[muddymary]

alicealongbottom‌:

trustingpotter‌:

vulnussanentur‌:

“ ‘Help’ with maybe keeping you from continuing to blunder into losing this war as badly as you currently are,” Severus said in a low voice. Clearly he was going to have to appeal to the two women; Potter being so important in this circus as to be included in this moment was something he’d never accounted for. Didn’t bode well for them and their judgement that they thought giving him this sort of responsibility was a good idea. After all, this was far and beyond being ‘Head Boy’ of Hogwarts, wrapped in that institutions cotton swaddling and training wheels.

And maybe that wasn’t the most ingenuous explanation for her motives, given that his already minimal expectations of them being able to win this even with a load of miracles on their side were falling fast with the realization that the girl he recognized as Mary MacDonald seemed to be the only one with the kind of attitude and drive to do well in a war, but honesty wasn’t what he was here for.

“I can share information with you. Tell you what they’re planning give you names of people involved.Right now all you have to go on is speculation and rumors—you don’t even know for sure if I am a Death Eater. I am, by the way.” Hopefully they’d take that sort of disclosure in good faith. Only an idiot, or someone earnest, or an earnest idiot would admit that, right? Or someone with enough manipulative known how to do it without really confessing to anything.

@trustingpotter

The moment James thought that he could actually trust Alice with this, she failed him by saying that James had no proof of Severus’ existence in the Death Eaters. “How about the fact that he’s Severus bloody Snape?! Enough proof for you? He’s been practically wetting himself to join the Death Eaters since school!” In this moment, he wanted Caradoc back - for the first (and probably only) time in his life. At least then he’d have some support - and Mary couldn’t count, if her only idea was to kill the bloke!

James head snapped to Severus in the chair when he spoke, his heart racing and gritting his teeth. He would’ve been a happy man if he never had to hear this fucking voice ever again for the rest of his life. He’d nearly forgotten how much of a hold Snape had over him - how easy he could rile James. It felt like they were back at Hogwarts!

Logically, he knew that both Alice and Mary would want this information. But all James could hear was that Severus was a Death Eater. It clouded his vision and he pointed at Severus as though he’d just given them a reason to throw him out. “See! He’s not even denying it! We’re not letting a Death Eater into the Order - have you gone insane?” 

@alicealongbottom

“Unlike you, James, some of us grew up around people like Severus bloody Snape, and managed to make it through school without deciding that someone who’s friends with their crush isn’t their bloody arch-nemesis.” Alice snapped. A wave of nausea crashed over her, and she quickly took a seat as she grew pale. She had no idea what had gone on between them- she assumed schoolboy stupidity. 

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

Alice rubbed her eyes, raking her hands through her hair as she held her head in her hand. Alice held her tongue for a moment, trying to clear her brain of the illness-induced fog for a few moments so that she could think. She groaned, balling her hands into fists and rubbing her eyes once more. “At least he’s being honest.” She sighed, shooting a withering look at the tied up wizard. 

The thought gnawing at the back of her mind was a bad one. She knew it. Alice knew what an awful, terrible idea it was, and yet, it demanded to be thought. Did they use a Death Eater to their advantage, and trust that he would work for them? Trust that if he truly wanted to help the Order, he wouldn’t get himself caught and betray them all as a result. 

“I hate to admit the thought is tempting. Intell like that? Where else are we going to get an inside man? I’m not saying I trust him. But… It’s a thought.”

@muddymary​ 

She was sure she was hallucinating. Alice was right - someone switching sides wasn’t unheard of in war - but Mary couldn’t fathom a Death Eater realizing the error of his ways, much less wanting to help the Order. Her eyes narrowed, red-rimmed and fierce; she edged forward some more, raising her wand slowly but with a surprising amount of control given how wobbly she’d been just moments before. 

“’Course we don’t trust him,” she grumbled, refusing to take her eyes off their prisoner. “He hasn’t given us a reason to. Why the sudden change of heart, Snape?” As she addressed him, she lifted her free hand, swiping the sleeve of her jumper over her ear. There was a tickle there, an itch that made her cock her head, but she was about as unfazed by the blood on her sleeve as she was by Snape’s bitter words. 

“Why d’you want to help us win the war?”

@vulnussanentur  

[muddymary]

lucindctalkalot‌:

Lucinda almost gagged as Mary rolled about, her sense of smell returning just enough for her to catch a whiff of what was underneath Mary’s covers. If the other woman didn’t know any better, she would think Mary was going to die. The thought struck her abruptly because she truly hadn’t thought about it before. This was war, and yet Luci constantly forgot that death didn’t just cause a stench: it lingered too.

Of course, not wanting Mary to know how badly she stunk up the place (should she warn Potter that he might need a house elf or a freshening spell?), Luci managed to hide her disgust with a mere quirk of her brow at the question that fell from her lips. She supposed she understood the mistrust, but desperate times called for Pepper-up potion. Lucinda dug into the bag still slung from her hip and found the proper vial. It lay in her palm as she held it out to the blonde, trying again not to gag from the smell that seemed to, now, overcome the room. Blimey, she sure was far from home. At the thought of her flat, Luci wondered if that’s where she should be. Surely she couldn’t end up like Mary; rotting on a cot in Potter’s estate.

“Ah if I’m a hallucination could I do this?” Lucinda quickly tossed the potion in the air and deftly caught it in the other hand, after spinning around twice. The motion did make her head swim, though, and she had to steady herself before dropping the vial down on the couch in front of MacDonald. “Seems to me you should’ve thought of a better hallucination. If I’m merely a figment of your imagination, I’m much too wobbly.”

Luci managed her way into a chair before lazily pointing a finger at her. “I’ve heard this helps a bit with the blood, but I suppose it’s different for everyone.”

Glassy blue eyes trembled in her skull, trying to follow her new companion but still slave to the pounding and spinning behind them. Lucinda was a professional quidditch player, that much she knew, so acrobatics weren’t unexpected; but, when she wobbled and tossed the vial onto the cot, Mary snorted. “Hallucinations can do anything - that’s why they’re hallucinations. But in my defense, my imagination is a bit wobbly. ‘M sure that comes as a big surprise.”

She’d lost count of the number of times she’d had vials thrown at her in the past few hours. Perhaps she should have been grateful that her comrades wanted to help - and in the back of her mind she supposed she was - but being practically force-fed foul-tasting potions was a strange and unpleasant form of flattery she would rather forego. Pinching the vile between two fingers, she lifted it, squinting at the liquid inside as she gave it an experimental shake. 

“What is it?” 

[muddymary]

healingvance‌:

Emmeline noticed, but said nothing of it. Perhaps she’d be more worried if someone trusted her entirely, especially with everything going on, even in their own walls. “Pain is still pain, no matter what caused it.” It wasn’t as if she had expected Mary to be in no pain, not from what she had seen of her injuries so far. Moving to the tray, Emmeline reached for one of the vials, handing it over to Mary to take after removing the top. “Pain relief. Nothing too strong, but it’s a start.”

The strongest was kept for the worst case scenarios, when it was absolutely needed and this wasn’t it by far. Resources only went so far, even less when there were limited supplies for her to start with. Moving to begin cleaning the wounds on Mary’s leg and face, Emmeline kept the soft smile on her lips as she began to work. “You don’t need to apologise. This is my job, it’s what I’m here to do.”

Mary took the vial; her first instinct was to smell it, just as she’d done with the water, but by some miracle she managed to abstain. She did eye it uncomfortably, but her suspicion was finite. There was only so much she could balk at, only so much she could afford to analyze when the pain in her leg and her face was threatening to muddle her thoughts. Wincing as Emmeline began to dab at the wound on her knee, she tossed back a bit of the potion. Her nose wrinkled, and she had to force herself to swallow. 

“And that’s...ugh, supposed to help?” she coughed, setting the vial on the bedside table. If the pain became bad enough, she’d revisit it, but at the moment she wasn’t sure it was worth it. 

[muddymary]

alicealongbottom‌:

trustingpotter‌:

James rolled his eyes at Mary’s indignation - he couldn’t be sure that she wasn’t serious - but didn’t say anything. Alice had a point… they wouldn’t know what Severus knew if they let him go. But that didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t stay. There was no way in hell James would trust Severus Snape, of all people, to work for them. He was a Death Eater! The fact that the information wasn’t exactly proven yet didn’t mean James wasn’t convinced of it.

No one had owled Dumbledore but, as Caradoc stepped out to do so, Alice claimed Severus actually wanted to help. James snorted and Mary questioned it - he had to agree with her.

“And how do we know he’s not just pretending to want to be on our side so he can actually give information to Voldemort?” James asked Alice. “I get what you’re saying - we don’t know what he knows… but I also know this bloke - I went to school with him - “ James didn’t mention the animosity between them or the fact that Lily shared a past with Severus. “ - he’s not going to tell us anything unless there’s something in it for him. He can’t be trusted.”

@alicealongbottom​

“Yes, we’re trying to stop them. Not become them. Even joking about it makes us no better than them.” Alice watched as the only person to even possibly be on her side left to go write an owl to Dumbledore. Wonderful. Now she was alone. 

She sighed heavily as James talked about Snape. The wizard’s smug comment certainly hadn’t helped him any. And to be fair, if he’d hung around with any of the people in Slytherin who were prone to letting their egos and ideas of blood purity drag them down, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he was a Death Eater. Still…

“Alright, so you take him for a Death Eater,” She said, trying to keep cool and rational. One of them had to be. “But what evidence do you have of that?” She thought a moment, pacing. Trying to work this puzzle out in her brain, she started musing aloud. “And even if he is… What’s to say that he doesn’t actually want to help. Switching sides isn’t unheard of in war. I wouldn’t put it completely against someone to suddenly grow a conscience. Even if he hasn’t grown a conscience…” She couldn’t believe what she was about to utter, but the words left her mouth anyway. “I mean, I suppose we could hold it against him? Use the fact that we know what he is to get the information we need?”

@muddymary​

Since when was fighting fire with fire akin to “becoming the enemy?” The Order weren’t Death Eaters, and daring to put a dent in Voldemort’s ranks wouldn’t change that. Mary’s nose wrinkled in distaste, her exasperation all too apparent; but, she managed to hold her tongue. This was a conversation they’d had time and time again, and despite the quips dancing just behind her closed lips, she recognized that dredging it up in front of Severus Snape wasn’t the most tactically sound decision. She scowled, silent as Alice tossed around options. What evidence did they have? Casting her gaze over Severus, Mary started to move around the armchair, slightly unsteady but upright all the same. 

“And what sort of ‘help’ is he offering? ‘Help’ with what?”

@vulnussanentur? @trustingpotter?

[muddymary]

theunstarred‌: 

Andromeda wanted to help this woman - she wasn’t that cruel to not have empathy for someone dying on the street - but she didn’t want to get close to her while she did it. “What’s your name?” The girl was so familiar. Younger than Andromeda, but perhaps close enough in age that they went to school together.

“I’m not sure what collison would make you bleed from the eyes.” Andromeda didn’t mention that this wasn’t the first time she’d seen it happen - didn’t want any sort of connection to become clear until she got to Isla.

But then, the girl nearly stumbled over before falling against the wall. “Oh, for Merlin’s sake, I’m sending word St. Mungos.” She took a step back, intending to do just that, but kept her eyes on the girl, making sure none of the blood got onto her skin.

Mary didn’t know what collision would make one bleed from the eyes either. Did she look like a bloody Healer? It was a desperate grab at something practical, something that made sense and was less foreboding than the prospect of her eyes dripping blood just because. Her irritation, however - her panic - didn’t emerge, at least not at that moment. The ground was wet, and she could feel it through her clothing as she sat slumped against the wall. Her stomach was lurching and she thought she might be sick, but she forced herself to swallow hard, peering up through a bleary red haze. 

“No, no, don’t send word to - MacDonald, my name’s...MacDonald,” she said quickly, almost under her breath. 

Mustering up every bit of strength she had left, Mary struggled to her feet, using the wall for support. The woman’s handkerchief was still in her grasp, and she dabbed at her eyes with one hand whilst shaking her wand out of her sleeve with the other. Her first instinct was to threaten, but she doubted the woman would take any of her threats seriously when she could barely stay upright. So, she settled for flight, stumbling backwards along the wall. 

“Thanks anyway. Doubt y’want your handkerchief back.” 

[muddymary]

The Edge of the Woods

[muddymary]

silveranddittany‌:

“I’m sharin’, aren’t I? Out of the goodness of my heart and the blackness of my lungs, aye…” A dry smirk and the curl of smoke, hanging there in the haze of morning. Between… well, he wouldn’t presume to call Mary a friend. He’d stuck pretty close by the few he’d had, at school. Knew names and faces beyond that, sure. But not much more. Even in their own House. And it wasn’t for lack of caring, just - just, every person was a possibility, weren’t they? If the Marauders had managed to figure him out, who’s to say nobody else would? Couldn’t depend on the situation being any simpler a second time around. 

As possibilities went, though, Mary seemed - comfortable. If grim. Weren’t they all a little of that, now and then? Weren’t they allowed? That was something Remus had grown up understanding, too well. Had to let yourself take things seriously, sometimes. A laugh was good for the soul, even a dark one, but… at the end of the day, so was a dram of honesty. Or something else, barring that. Whatever it took to face the state you were in, and carry on. Somehow. “No,” he sighed, flicking ash into the breeze. “No, it doesn’t…” The horses stirred, huddling together against the damp and cold. Remus cleared his throat, huffed a heavy, blue cloud into the cold air. “People, ah?“ He’d had a thought, on that. Several. Each less kind than the last, all bit back in turn. People. All those people who’d tell them to go home, leave this nasty business to the grown-ups. As if it wasn’t them who’d built this world, who’d bred and taught and led it all here, to the bloody brink. As if. 

So, established: if he was after a good mood, don’t go to Mary. 

But, if he needed a moment away from soppy optimism, or some early charmwork done? MacDonald. “Alright, then -” Remus turned, pointing out his plan. “I dunno about you, but I was thinking to start by the red stile, and work around to the left. From there, along the edge of the forest, all the way. Loop the pond, and back.” He’d be out for hours, but. It would help him shake that jumpy, anxious energy that had started to scratch up his spine, waiting for the moon. Always waiting. “You want to double up, or meet in the middle and pass over? I don’t mind, either way.” So long as it all got seen to, and checked, and checked again. 

Mary took another drag, the smoke and tobacco warm against her throat. It was a welcome reprieve from the chill surrounding them, and she took another quick inhale before offering the stub back to Remus. “Aye, y’did share. Good on you,” she said with a smirk. It was clear that Remus wasn’t a talker, and that was just fine by Mary. Sometimes she wished Order members would do less talking, and she couldn’t help but be bolstered by the quiet sense of duty emulating from the Yorkshireman. 

She emitted a sigh, a cloud of vapor leaving her lips in place of smoke. “I’d prefer doubling up myself. They didn’t think much of sending me out here, but...” Mary paused, dark blue eyes flickering up to study Remus’ face. Yes, he was safe. 

“Charms have never been my forte.” 

She tried to make it sound nonchalant, but it came out rushed and softer than she would have liked. Still, she tried to save face; she spun and began to move along the perimeter of the forest, wand held loosely in her hand. 

“And to hear the McKinnons talk, we’re going to need all the fortifications we can get before the full moon.”

[muddymary]

alicealongbottom‌:

trustingpotter‌:

It was a lot to take in. But wasn’t that war, in a nutshell? There was Alice, looking like she wanted enough options that could allow Snape in - then there was Caradoc agreeing with James for once in their lives. James was about to speak up when Mary stumbled in, leaving fucking bloody fingerprints all over the damn place and Severus was quipping about how great he was - as though he could take on the entire Order at once.

James was glad to hear Mary say something of value, though. The only reason Snape could enter the headquarters was because he’d come with Emma - that’s all. It wouldn’t have been that simply if the younger girl hadn’t been such a gullible idiot. She and Dorcas were really quite the pair… at least Benjy hadn’t fucked up quite so bad yet. 

But then Mary ruined her wisdom with the idea that they should kill Severus. James gaped at her, astounded. He hadn’t realized they’d stooped to that level yet. “And how would that make us any better than the Death Eaters, Mary?” James shook his head. “No, we’re going to have Caradoc modify his memory and let him go. Who fucking cares if he’s confused, Alice? I’ve been questioned six times by the Ministry and does anyone see me in Azkaban right now? It doesn’t matter if his suspects - it matters what he can prove.”

James ran a hand through his hair. “Has anyone owled Dumbledore?”

@alicealongbottom

Taking in the room around her, she could tell this was going to be a long day. She pointed a finger at the wizard that they had strapped down to a chair as he began mouthing off. Narrowing her gaze, she said “I would shut up if I were you. You’re not doing yourself any favors.” She was tired, felt like absolute shit, and felt as though she were trying to herd a small army of cats. Nothing seemed to be going her way. 

“I’m not saying we’re a shelter, Caradoc.” Alice sighed, her voice strained. She tried to hide her disappointment that he’d sided with James. “But I am saying he knows things, and we don’t know how much he knew before Miss Vanity opened her big mouth.”

As Mary opened her mouth to speak, Alice’s gaze latched onto the younger witch. “You had better be kidding. And if that is the case, you had bloody well rethink your sense of humor. We are not killing anyone.” She knew she was probably being too short with the girl, but her fuse was already dangerously low, and she was not about to allow the Order to tread even further over the line of questionable legality- not on her watch. 

Having Caradoc on James’ side would prove to be difficult. But maybe they had a point. Still… 

“No, I haven’t. Have either of you?” She asked, glancing at the other two.

Her waning patience latched onto James next. “That’s not what I mean and you know it. If there was even a thought in the Ministry’s mind that Emma Vanity was in on all of this, she’d already have been dragged down there. If he knows,” Alice said, jabbing a finger towards Severus, “There’s no telling if he’s let anyone else know. And we won’t know that if we modify his memory and send him on his merry way. And even that might not work. He could very well wind up on our doorstep again if he’s actually serious about helping. So. What are our options, other than making him forget everything? And so help me, if anyone suggests homicide, I will hex your arse into next week.”

@cxradocdearborn

Maybe it was naive, but Mary wasn’t expecting so much backlash. The urgency of the situation, the adrenaline of having the enemy in front of them and at their mercy kicked her brain into high gear; she grimaced, rolling her eyes at James’ and Alice’s staunch opposition. “Bloody hell, you two, I wasn’t serious!” She was. “But even if I was -” She was. “- we’re trying to defeat the Death Eaters, aren’t we?” 

She let the question hang for a moment, expecting an answer but prepared to wave it off. Were they really trying to be “better” than the opposition? Was that why they were losing? Her fingers flexed, delicately so as not to lose her grip on her wand. Her attention stayed fixed on Severus, but she shook her head in response to Alice’s question. “I didn’t write him,” she grunted, tempted to make some off-hand, sarcastic remark about being on her deathbed. She was able to swallow it, however, latching on to the rest of Alice’s words. 

“Helping? Is that what he says he’s doing here?” 

@trustingpotter

[alreadyghostts]

karliene - become the beast

[raelynnnix]

[muddymary]

theunstarred‌:

Andromeda gave the woman an odd look - one she probably couldn’t see, given the blood - and said with an air of exasperation, “Why would I be bleeding?” As though this was surely the woman’s fault. Only… the blood. If Andromeda hadn’t been in such a shock a few minutes ago about being knocked into by a woman crying red, she would’ve remembered immediately.

Isla. Isla had had red tears, too. Not nearly as bad as this woman, but it was something. Andromeda waved her way again to conjure up a handkerchief, handing to the girl. Now that she was standing still, she almost looked familiar. Not anyone Andromeda would’ve known intimately, but there was a twinge of recognition in her face.

“What happened to you?” And, with someone else, it might’ve been gentle or kind. With Andromeda, it was just a question. Not disgusted or angry - not helpful. She was, if anything, curious why two seemingly very different woman would both be bleeding from the eyes. “When did this start? Surely, you should go to St. Mungo’s.” 

“Because I just bloody crashed into you, why -” 

There was a note of panicked irritation in her voice and she cut herself off, blinking quickly. It did nothing to stop the flow of blood into her line of vision; her eyes stung, and she was about to use the sleeve of her traveling cloak to rub at them when the woman in front of her held out a handkerchief. Mary hesitated, but only for a moment. She needed to stop the bleeding, she needed to see, and the helplessness that came with being so impaired crashed over her like a wave. Her heart beat faster, and she leaned even more heavily against the alley wall as she wiped at her eyes. 

“I don’t know, it...it started just now, I thought the collision might have done it.” 

But it hadn’t. That much was clear. Mary’s head pounded, a steady pulse at her temples, and she sucked in a breath that was shakier than she intended. “It’s fine, I don’t need St. Mungo’s, I just...” She pressed the handkerchief to both eyes, as though she could stop the bleeding and the pain in her skull if she just pushed hard enough. Her stomach lurched and stars popped on the black canvas of her closed eyelids; her head swam, and she slumped done too gently down the wall.    

[muddymary]

Caught Red-Handed

[muddymary]

cxradocdearborn‌:

More than five minutes to heal? Hardly anything took that long to heal with the right potions and spells, and the thought worried Caradoc a bit more, his head tilting in brief confusion. He should talk about this with Emmeline later, perhaps, and see what had happened. It didn’t seem right to ask now, she didn’t look like she wanted to talk about it.

He nodded when she asked about the meeting, and he hoped his desperation wasn’t clear on his voice when he spoke again.

“Absolutely mandatory,” he assured. There was no way he was letting her sneak out on him with this one, not with how tired he felt. He’d appeal to her emotional side if he’d think that would have any effect, but he doubted it. “We need as many people as we can, and we barely have anyone right now. Sorry, kiddo. Soon enough we get to go home, though.”

She rolled her eyes. Absolutely mandatory. Of course he would say something like that, and of course he would harp on the fact that more attendees were better than less. It wasn’t his fault, though - she was the one who came here, who decided that she’d fucked up well enough to need assistance from a proper Healer. Still, Mary screwed up her face as best she could when he called her “kiddo.” It wasn’t unusual, but she wasn’t about to give him a pass. 

“You’re not sorry, ‘Gran,’ but fine. The sooner we get there, the sooner it’ll be over.”

END.

[muddymary]

healingvance‌:

A tray hovering in the air, Emmeline was ready before Mary called her back in, but she didn’t let on as such as she waited patiently for when the other would be ready for her to come back in. On the tray was a various of healing ointments and potions, a start for what she thought she’d require, completely with a cup and a jug full of water that it was so apparent that Mary needed. 

When Mary spoke, Emmeline drew back the curtain to allow herself in the tray in, closing the gap behind herself as she tray floated across to land gently on the bedside table next to the cot. “It’s not so much a matter of what is worse but what I can do for each person I see. Some people need more help, some less, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t help everyone.” Now that Emmeline could see the knee more directly, the frown deepened ever so slightly as she took it in, busying herself to pour Mary a glass of water which she held out to her. 

“Have some water and how’s your pain? On a scale of one to ten?” There was a potion waiting for Mary, if she required it, something to ease the pain, though Emmeline wasn’t about to hand it out unnecessarily if it weren’t required, even if she had the feeling that it may be.

Mary took the glass, still eyeing it suspiciously despite Emmeline’s assurance. She gave it an experimental sniff that she hoped went unnoticed and sipped, swallowing quickly so she could answer. “Eh, probably a five for the leg, and a...seven for the face? Assuming ten is the worst, o’course.” Did that make her sound weak? Was a seven too high? Was any of this as bad as she thought it was? These questions rolled steadily through Mary’s head and she gnawed on the inside of her cheek, desperate to distract herself. 

“I just meant after...everything at the Ministry, I’d wager you’ve seen a lot today. Sorry I couldn’t let you have a moment of peace.”

[muddymary]

vulnussanentur‌:

cxradocdearborn‌ | UNKNOWN UNSENSIBLE

alicealongbottom‌ | LONGBOTTOM, SENSIBLE

trustingpotter‌ | POTTER

DECISIONS | The Inner-Circle+Severus

Date: November 18th, 1981 Location: The Potter Estate, Sitting Room

James was livid. Emma-Fucking-Vanity had pulled a fucking Dorcas-Fucking-Meadowes and brought a fucking Death Eater into his house! He wanted to scream - had yelled, a little bit already. And his fingers were clenched tightly around his wand, though he hadn’t thrown any stinging hexes this time. Yet.

They’d tied Severus up, magically binding him to a chair, and taken his wand - but they didn’t exactly know what to do with him. Emma had told them he knew a cure… James didn’t buy it, despite the fact that she looked much better than before. He wiped at the blood on his cheeks and glared at the rest of the inner-circle, unable to contain his resentment for the fact that they were even considering letting Severus Snape stay.

“He’s a Death Eater! We all know he’s a Death Eater! There’s no way he won’t screw us all over the second he has the chance. I don’t care if he’d cured bloody Dragon Pox, we can’t be consider letting him into the Order. Caradoc - “ James looked to the older member, almost pleading, though not expecting any sympathy. “Just wipe his memory and send him on his way. We’ve got these ‘cures’ or whatever - if that’s what you really want. We keep them and send him on his way.”

@alicealongbottom

The one thing that Alice had come to realize was that being associated with the Order meant that a never-ending heap of chaotic issues that could wind up with all of them sitting in cells in Azkaban. 

The room was a dull roar behind the drumming of her pulse that echoed in her ears, drowning out a very displeased James Potter. The list of things that were being presented to her to deal with just kept stacking up, and she was ready to burst. She didn’t trust Severus as far as she could throw him. And yet…

A cure.

She’d heard how poorly the Vanity girl had faired, and when she’d waltzed into the Order’s base of operations with one Severus Snape in toe, she’d seemed the perfect model of health. If there really was a cure, and he could provide it… It could get their side of things all back up and on their feet that much faster. And it could help Frank.

“And where does that put us, James? With a very confused Death Eater who still has suspicions of someone in our ranks. Unless Emma Vanity has suddenly taken to parading about announcing that she’s part of the organization that nearly blew up the Ministry, I suspect he’s been coming to this conclusion for a while.”

Coughing into her handkerchief and pushing her hair back, her eyes fell upon the tied up elephant in the room. The whole scene stunk of illegal activity. It looked as though they’d kidnapped him and were holding him against his will which was exactly what they were doing much to her chagrin.

“We need to think this threw. What are our options? That won’t get us locked up for life?”

@cxradocdearborn​ @muddymary​

For the first time in his life, Caradoc agreed with James Potter.

Well, perhaps he didn’t agree with all the yelling and the whining, but he was self-aware enough to know he hadn’t looked much different days ago, about the Dorcas situation. They each had subjects that hit too close to home, he supposed. He didn’t care enough to ask, but it was clear that there was some unresolved tension between the two young blokes in the room. Caradoc always made an effort not to mind these youngsters’ business, whatever happened between James and Severus in the past wasn’t relevant to their current present. Maybe it had been a love affair gone wrong, who knows.

As expected, Caradoc stood there, arms crossed, still as a statue, as everyone shouted and danced around each other in the initial frenzy. This was his role in the inner-circle, something solid to lean against. He could be that today, when he wasn’t particularly emotional about the presence of Mr. Snape, nor sick.

He listened to James’ pleas, listened to Alice’s argument. A deep breath filled his lungs and came out in a long sigh. I’m about to agree with James Potter out loud, he thought. How mildly embarrassing for all of his grudges.

“James is right,” he said, and it came out easier than he thought it would, because it was the utter truth. There was no reason they should keep Severus around, or let him keep the memory of all of this. Whatever had led them to this gigantic mistake, it could be wiped away easily. “Cure or not…”

There was a pause, as he thought about that last part. It pained him, somewhere deep in his moral compass, the idea of keeping these alleged cures and sending the poor boy off without memory. Caradoc was a righteous man, he didn’t like the idea of just stealing something, but the safety of the group had to come first. “Cure or not, he can’t leave remembering all this, and he can’t stay. That much is obvious, I reckon. I don’t see a reason for him to stay,” he looked around the room, silently inviting anyone to object, to change his mind. “We’re not a shelter, we don’t just take in the strays that come knocking on our doors, now, do we?”

@muddymary​

Severus couldn’t say this wasn’t going to plan for the simple fact that he hadn’t had a plan at this point. Not beyond getting here. Too many wild variables at plan to plan for. Ultimately, though, they were going to kill him or keep him. Oh, sure, they’d toss around the idea of a memory charm for a while, like now, but it wouldn’t be long before the fallibility of such a plan of operations would occur to them. He could have failsafes. Notes. Letters to himself. They could memory charm him to the point of coma, but that was functionally indifferent from being dead as far as he was concerned, so—

His eyes bounced from person to person, wincing occasionally as his head throbbed with the combination of effort of keeping up and the goose egg sized lump forming on his head. Not to mention the killer stunner he’d been hit with as soon as someone had shown up in response to Vanity’s greating. That had been a hell of a hex; he could feel admiration even through the dull pain.

“Clarification; I didn’t knock, I walked right in because it really was that simple,” he drawled, flexing his fingers to try and keep the blood running to them. He wondered what Potter was compensating for, spelling them so tight. “It’s a miracle that it hasn’t happened before. And if I wanted to ‘screw you over’–” His eyes flickered to Potter for a second, “—you’d all already be dead, so.” He shrugged as best he could.

@muddymary​

Mary all but punched open the sitting room door, a gesture that should have been followed by her storming in, guns blazing. However, she was six days into the worst sickness she had ever experienced, and as much as she wanted to appear unaffected, there was only so much she could do. She entered the room as quickly as she could manage, which wasn’t very quickly at all; the trip from the infirmary to the sitting room hadn’t gone as well as she’d hoped either, and there were more than a few bloody handprints on the corridor walls to reflect that. All things considered, she should have stayed in bed, but there was a ferocity to her bleary gaze that she knew none of the inner circle would challenge. 

Fixing said gaze on their captive, Mary moved forward, stumbling into the back of an armchair; she decided to use it for support, leaning against the plush upholstery. Her wand was out, and her fingers tightened around it when Severus finished speaking. 

“It was simple because Vanity was stupid enough to bring you here,” she hissed. “Don’t flatter yourself, Snape, it’s disgusting.” 

Her attention moved to the others. 

“We’re killing him, right?”

@trustingpotter   

[muddymary]

theunstarred‌:

Andromeda felt as though Knockturn Alley was becoming her place again. This new project - not exactly new, perhaps, after months in the making - often required her to venture to places such as Talon’s or even farther down the lane. It wasn’t uncommon for her to meet someone on the edge of an alleyway, exchanging coins as they pulled something illegal from their cloak, trading hands.

She preferred the trips when it was warm out, however. Not for a day like today. But the shipment of spines that Severus had assured her would be two weeks had come in early. The vial was secured tightly in a gloved hand as she moved swiftly away from Knockturn into Diagon Alley. At that very moment, however, someone rudely collided into her - causing her vial to slip from her fingers and onto the ground, shattering. The person had been standing much too close to the wall, dragging herself against it, as rain splattered her face.

Andromeda looked at the girl, who seemed to be not quite there and narrowed her eyes. She did not recognize her - much younger than Andromeda, it looked like. There was a bit of concern, but mostly annoyance. Not only for wrecking her vial - but also the girl looked worse for wear. Andromeda quickly waved her wand to put the glass back together and made the spines click safely inside again. They might still be usable, if she could work with rain water infestation. She tucked the vial more safely into her pocket.

“Are you a witch or not?” she said to the girl before waving her wand again - this time above the girl’s head, causing the rain to miss her body completely. An umbrella charm, which was keep Andromeda nice and dry right now. “Oh my - “ She just noticed the eyes. “You’re bleeding.”

Mary squeezed her eyes shut on impact; glass shattered, and the person she ran into said something (probably demeaning, but she didn’t blame them). She couldn’t hear it though, not really, and the pounding in her head intensified, forcing her eyelids to stay tightly closed. The rain stopped pummeling her, which was just as well considering her hood had slipped off, but any reaction she might have had to these things was eclipsed when she finally opened her eyes. 

She couldn’t see. 

Well, she could see, but her vision was blurred by a crimson substance that trickled thick and warm down her cheeks. She was bleeding - her eyes were bleeding. Had she crashed into the woman that hard? She’d assumed her pounding head was due to the illness creeping through her system, but perhaps she’d been moving faster than she thought? The woman standing before her seemed fine - she couldn’t really tell due to the blood pooling in front of her eyes - and she flung out a hand to steady herself against the wall. 

“Yeah, I-I guess I am. Are you?”

[muddymary]

trustingpotter‌:

cxradocdearborn‌:

James’ little outburst of anger is met with nothing else but a simple, tired glare from Caradoc. Another time, he might’ve told the kid to stop acting out like this when they were dealing with serious matters – no reason to sound like a petulant teenager fighting their mother when they were all adults here –, but today had been exhausting enough already.

Mary’s words are harsh, and they hit so close to home that he almost wanted to laugh off the pain. Another time, he would’ve reprimanded her tone, too.

“We need to be… more open, I think,” he offered, adding to Mary’s comment carefully. “Giving them a job isn’t a bad idea, but they’ll see through it, if it’s all empty promises. We need to listen to what they want. They want action, and if we don’t take full control, they’re gonna get it their way. We need to stop being their enemy. I don’t know how, James, this is why this meeting is happening, isn’t it?”

@trustingpotter​

He would never win with them… they’d already made up their mind about him and there was no changing it. So he sat back in his seat, crossed his arms, and did something James Potter was not known for - shut up. 

The moment James shut down, it was a problem. Had his friends been here, they would’ve given each other looks, sharing concerned glances. Lily would be biting her lip - taking a step back from the argument, enough room to give him some space. But these people weren’t his friends - not really. They might’ve fought together, but that only went so far. He wished Sirius were here. 

“Don’t know what to tell you,” he said, a bit more quieter than normal. “If you want to hear what they have to say, I guess pull them into a meeting. You seem to have it all figured out anyway. Do what you gotta do.”

@muddymary​

It wasn’t ‘all figured out’ - not even close - but by some miracle, Mary managed to hold her tongue. This was why younger and newer Order members were acting out and feeling neglected. Any new idea or new suggestion was met with suspicion more often than not, with crossed arms much like the ones James was holding tight across his chest. Mary’s teeth clamped down on the skin of her cheek, and she cast a brief glance at Caradoc before rising (somewhat unsteadily) to her feet. 

“Will do,” she grunted, turning for the door. “Looking forward to seeing Dorcas at the next meeting.” 

END.

[muddymary]

The Edge of the Woods

[muddymary]

silveranddittany‌:

The inner circle. Not a former title, exactly, but… a clear enough line, drawn through the Order’s ranks. Remus couldn’t say he knew any of them too well, besides James, of course. And Merlin knew, James had every right to be in that room - with all he’d given, all he would give to the cause. Mary, Remus knew she’d earned her seat, too. That spell-scar across her cheek wasn’t the half of it. She’d fought this war in the streets, she’d killed, for the Order and what it stood for. More than Remus could say. 

Though, was that how they ought to measure their achievements? Honestly, at this point, he wasn’t sure. Remus wasn’t about to weep for them, obviously - these were people who’d like as not be happy to turn him into a fucking rug, after all. At the very least, they’d rather he simply not exist. And if he just had to, well, they’d rather he do it entirely exiled from society in general, with nobody and nothing. So, really, was it so abhorrent for him to agree that a dead Death Eater was preferable to a live one? 

Something, something that leaned in close and growled up the nape of his neck until he bristled, told him no. Remus wasn’t sure he wanted to trust it. 

“Reckon so,” he chuckled, faintly. Glasgow. He didn’t mind Scotland. Didn’t mind Mary, either. “Weren’t any about in Yorkshire, either. Seasonal doxie infestation, yeah, odd grindylow, maybe…” Nothing much more than that. Peaceful country, he’d grown up in. When they stopped long enough to settle in anywhere, at least. So she was out for the wards, too; Remus nodded, appreciatively. “More the merrier. The size of this place…” Ridiculous, frankly. Convenient to their purposes, but, really. Who needed this much? It was like the Potter estate. Hard not to notice the excess, when you came from, well. Less.  Couldn’t say no, could he? Not to a colleague. Remus cocked his head, though. “The hell you doin’, smoking?” He frowned, barely. Wasn’t as if Remus had planned on acquiring the taste; but out with the packs, it had become a kind of comfort, a way to kill time. Like the drinking. The fuck else did they have to do, out there? Remus passed her that cigarette, though. And, with a snap, offered out that blue flame, drifting between his fingers. “Filthy habit. Fucking kills people, you know? And you’re far too young for dying.” He scolded, knowing full well he only had a year on her. Like it was any of his business, how soon Mary MacDonald planned to cop it. Didn’t mean he was joking, though.

Mary wasn’t around Remus enough to recall their shared northern heritage, but every time he opened his mouth, it served as a reminder. His accent wasn’t as thick or muddled as hers, and they weren’t technically countrymen, but northerners had to stick together and Mary couldn’t say she disliked his company. Her lips tightened, and she let her gaze flicker around the shrouded grounds at his words. She tended to be apathetic, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t perceptive; she knew what Remus was getting at, understood his tone of voice. Mary wasn’t going to pretend she knew what class he came from or even what his background was, but she offered a nondescript grunt in response to his comment all the same. 

‘The size of this place...’ 

Yeah. It was obnoxious. She almost said as much, and she might have if Remus hadn’t suddenly become concerned about her health. 

“Ah, fuck off, Remus. If you didn’t want to share a fag, y’could’ve said so.” 

She still took the cigarette, dipping forward to light it with the blue flame between Remus’ fingers. There was a pause as she took a long drag, and when she let it out she watched the smoke disappear among the raindrops. Remus looked older than he was, but then again, Mary thought, they all did. She snorted. 

“We’re all too young for dying - that’s why people say we’re too young for fighting as well. Doesn’t stop us, does it?”