The quiet, damp spring morning of Sunday, March 21, 1982 is suddenly shattered by the crack of explosions sounding throughout Diagon Alley! As the smoke clears, it becomes clear that several buildings were caught in the blasts, most prominently Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Shoppe and Maxim Talkalot’s Apothecary. What also becomes clear are the two Dark Marks floating in the sky above the burning rubble.
The fear and confusion engendered by the explosions triples as the sight and the whole Alley erupts in chaos and terror. The DEATH EATERS are here. No one is safe.
Some of the buildings targeted seem like obvious choices; others, less so. Florean Fortescue has been thumbing his nose at blood-supremacy for years, and the gossip about his employee’s tiff with one Lucius Malfoy is still making the rounds four months later; really the Dark Mark floating above his ice cream shoppe was just a matter of time. Maxim Talkalot’s apothecary is another matter; the Talkalots have always been sensible, practical people and while almost no one would be surprised were it be revealed that Fortescue’s clerk Sirius Black were a member of that Phoenix Group just like his deceased school chum, Potter, none of Talkalot’s people have any connection to the Order...but someone must have done something to upset the Death Eaters, because a Dark Mark hangs in the air above the ruins of his shoppe, too.
Most of the members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol on duty this morning are in Newcastle-upon-Tyne investigating what turns out to be a false report of Death Eater activity; while the Ministry scrambles to call-in and dispatch available Aurors and other agents, the Death Eaters take the opportunity to sow more chaos and fear - and to fight anyone who doesn’t run screaming at the sight of their silver masks.
CHAOS AT HOME.
The Order of the Phoenix barely has a chance to begin to gather and dispatch a few members to Diagon Alley to assist - because trouble has come to find them, too. Shortly after the explosions begin, the Potter Estate is overrun by Death Eaters. It was their headquarters for over three years until it was recently compromised by the defection of one Ainsley Abbott to the Dark Lord (James having been the Secret Keeper for his home before his untimely death at Ainsley’s hands) and the Order has been waiting ever since for the other shoe to drop...but in the meantime, it seemed a perfect location for Maurice Creevey to host his new recruiting broadcasts. It’s large, available, still has a loyal house-elf on staff, is well-warded, and since its anonymity is already jeopardized it would be no real loss to the Order should the Death Eaters be able to trace the broadcasts back to their source. Not that anyone expected that so quickly...
No, a lazy Sunday morning seemed a perfect time for a trial run of their new spell-augmented program and call-in line (and for Emmeline Vance and Benjy Fenwick to finally clear-out the last of the supplies left behind during their hasty abandonment of their impromptu infirmary) and all was going well...until the Death Eaters arrived.
They were able to Apparate right through the wards, as though someone who knew the spells had told them how - or perhaps they’d simply gathered so much magical power that they overwhelmed the magicks that should have forestalled them. However they did it, they were suddenly there with little to no warning and the handful of Order members found themselves abuptly fighting for their lives.
Everything happened so fast that the first few minutes of battle actually went out live on-air before the broadcast cut-off - making for an extremely tense unintended cliff-hanger for the startled listeners! On the upside, those who don’t think it a cheap gimmick in bad-taste as sure to tune-in next time to find out what happened...provided that enough of the Order survives that there will be a next broadcast...
ASSIGNMENTS.
DIAGON ALLEY:
Caradoc Dearborn & Cordelia Greengrass. If Cora wants to play in the big leagues, she’s going to have to prove herself. Caradoc pulls her along to Diagon Alley when the explosion hits, knowing she needs the experience on the field. If she does well, they can give her a set of Phoenix Tags. If she doesn’t...well, if she doesn’t, she’ll be lucky to survive, so any problems then might be a moot point.
Dedalus Diggle & Fabian Prewett. Dedalus was at work; Fabian was browsing for supplies for his classes. An ordinary, innocent morning - but then the shoppe next to Diggle’s Delight was blasted apart so badly it shattered Dedalus’s windows, and Quality Quidditch Supplies shook so hard all the Bludgers jumped free of their chains. The chaos they found outside was even worse. Dedalus didn’t even recognize Fabian until after he’d Stunned the Death Eater who had a hold of his arm!
Ryland Greengrass & Marlene McKinnon. Ryland knew it was going to be nerve-wracking, braving the streets of Diagon Alley all alone, but he’d summoned his courage and was on his way to meet Dedalus for a morning coffee. He had no idea how much courage this morning was going to require. When Marlene popped into view, it was a relief...until he realized that she’d come here to fight, and had no hesitation in dragging him into battle beside her!
Dorcas Meadowes & Artem Tremblay. A Sunday morning shift at Flourish & Blotts isn’t usually exciting - but then, Diagon Alley isn’t usually on fire. For once, no one batted an eye when Dorcas abandoned her post to run into the street...and into battle. Artem might have approached the situation with more prudence even after their early-for-them late morning breakfast was interrupted by explosions, but when they saw Dorcas trying to duel two Death Eaters at once they couldn’t just sit back and let her...could they?
Isla Selwyn-MacMillan & Lu Travers. Usually Isla is careful about what battles she fights, about how exposed she allows herself to be - but usually, Diagon Alley isn’t on fire with Dark Marks floating in the air above the shoppes that form the jugular vein of England’s magical community. This isn’t a time for care. So when she sees Lu come stumbling out of a shoppe, she doesn’t hesitate: she grabs their arm, tells them to watch her back, and joins the battle. Never mind that nobody asked Lu if they wanted to go to war today...
Branwen Yaxley & Annalise Fawley. When Annalise volunteered to help with the Diagon Alley attack, she thought it would be a good way to earn the Order’s trust. She didn’t expect to be paired with someone as enthusiastic about the fight as Bran! At least most of the other Death Eaters don’t know she’s really on their side, so they won’t be cross with her after for fighting them a little too hard...but on the other hand, most of them don’t know not to try and kill her back. If she wants to survive, she might be forced to help Bran win every duel that comes their way...unless a truly foolproof chance to hex her in the back comes along...
Frank Longbottom & Sirius Black. Frank knew sometimes things would be hard to navigate between being an Auror and working for the Order, but never did he expect to have to try and stay on duty while helping his fellow members during a battle. Nor did he think it would entail having to hold Sirius Black back from jumping into the flames of the young wix’s destroyed workplace.
Edgar Bones & Efa Chittock. It’s important to keep the newer members teamed up with someone who’s been around a bit and no one knows that more than Edgar Bones. While Efa had joined the Order before the new mentorship came into play, that doesn’t mean he still can’t act like one now on the battlefield.
Lily Evans & Lucinda Talkalot. Lily notices the shell-shocked young girl immediately - she’s clearly an employee of the business that just exploded in front of their eyes, probably on her way to work that morning - and she intends to get Lucinda to safety before they both end up dead.
POTTER ESTATE:
Peter Pettigrew & Mary Macdonald. Peter knew that telling the Death Eaters about the Potter Estate meant he’d have to be there fighting alongside the Order when they attacked in order to avoid suspicion. What he didn’t expect, however, was to get stuck dueling Death Eaters back-to-back with Mary, who seems to question everything about this not-so-random attack.
Maurice Creevey & Arabella Figg. Arabella had been a solid choice for Maurice’s broadcast and phone service. While not exactly a Muggle, she often has to live like one. Interviewing her on air about her life might show something to people listening. Too bad they never get to finish what they’re doing before chaos ensues.
Benjy Fenwick & Emmeline Vance. Benjy and Emmeline are working on getting the remaining supplies from the estate to the House of Bones when the Death Eaters attack. Neither are used to being on the battlefield, which would prove to be a struggle if one were to get hurt...
Regulus Black & Gideon Prewett. Gideon has been tasked with looking into the mysterious necklace that Regulus claims to be a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul. He called Regulus to the Potter Estate prior to the attack to help guide him through the properties of the Horcrux. Little do they know what’s about to interrupt their discussion!
Amelia Bones & Mundungus Fletcher. After her brother gets pulled into an impromptu mission in Diagon Alley, Amelia rushes to the Potter Estate to see how she can help. She thinks she finds Mundungus Fletcher avoiding responsibility, but really, he’s looking at a list of dates. The same list that had been discovered at the Rosier house on Valentine’s Day. The chilling part is - the list has today’s date right at the top.
Remus Lupin & Severus Snape. Severus is delivering the next batch of healing potions to Emmeline to put away for packing when the attack begins. It’s hard to know what to do, given he fights for both sides, but it’s even harder to realize he hadn’t known this was planned. By the time he runs into Remus Lupin, who’s just enjoying the last days at a fallen friend’s home, it’s understandable why his old classmate might be suspicious of him.
Emma Vanity & Hestia Jones. Hestia was here to observe the broadcast; Emma was planning on helping Benjy pack and move healing supplies. Neither one of them expected to end up in a fight for their lives; neither one of them are really comfortable with the idea of being in a battle - but the battle is happening, and their only chance of getting out of it alive is to fight.
Alice Longbottom & Maddy Warren. Alice wasn’t working - not scheduled for duty today, unlike her husband. While she’s one of the best fighters in the Order, they can’t risk her being exposed by the Aurors called to the scene wondering why she, too, showed up so instead of rushing to Diagon Alley to face the Death Eaters, she’s stuck doing behind-the-scenes gigs with the newest Order member... until the Death Eaters find them.
THINGS TO CONSIDER.
This is all happening very fast and things are frightening and chaotic - for the Order as well as for the bystanders. No one in Diagon Alley knows if there are more attacks to come; no one at the Potter Estate knows how the Death Eaters got in nor how many there are. No one know who might be hurt, or worse.
This was not a planned mission, so they do not have access to the Map as they had during the last several missions. Those that have their Phoenix Tags will definitely want to use them! Remember, some characters don’t yet have them, while others may have forgotten to keep them handy when they weren’t expecting a fight.
While we definitely want you to spend your primary focus and effort on your assigned paras, you might get to a point where your characters want to split-up or trade-off writing partners or add a third character to the thread etc etc. This is allowed! Things are pure chaos in the Wixen World right now, and we aren’t going to stand in the way of that!
DETAILS.
Some of the pairings above were set by the admins based on events planned in-game. Others were chosen using random dice rolls. As always, admins will keep track of what is happening within threads. At random intervals, players might be asked to dice roll for their group, which will then spur a mini plot drop for their characters.
Remember to tags your posts with the date of event and to tag any open starters with ‘homenumstarter.’ This event does not yet have an end date, as we will vote on that like we have in the past. Threads set prior to March 21st can still be continued and more can still be started, if needed for plots!
The appearance of Lord Voldemort unsurprisingly unleashes even more chaos in the streets of Diagon Alley, but as more and more people Apparate to safely, their absence leaves little but dust and smoke to float quietly in the air. The Alley is left with an eeriness as Order members find themselves moving to various locations, many to the safehouses belonging to the organization.
Those that find themselves at the Potter Estate see a similar scene to what they’d left. But the battle does not last long. Soon, Voldemort has had his way with Dorcas Meadows and Annalise Fawley and calls his loyal servants back to him.
The destruction at the house is palpable. A chandelier was broken thanks to Remus Lupin not too far outside the infirmary, which looks like it’s gone through an explosion. Inside, bloodstains litter the floors from one Emmeline Vance, whom Benjy Fenwick managed to transfer to the McKinnon Farm. Emmeline’s life was saved thanks to help from Benjy and Severus Snape.
While the explosions in Diagon Alley had been used at least in part as a distraction for the attack on the Potter Estate, that doesn’t mean the damage wasn’t real. Florean Fortescue died in Sirius Black’s arms, a target of the Dark Lord’s attack due to Fortescue’s general speaking-out against Voldemort’s cause. Sirius thought he recognized the spell used as Severus Snape’s sectumsempra spellwork.
Lucinda Talkalot, after witnessing the destruction of her uncle’s shop, joined the ranks of the Order via an accidental trial-by-fire initiation when Lily Evans brought her to the Potter Estate, only to encounter more Death Eaters. While Lucinda’s uncle did not perish in the fray, his shopkeeper Verna died on impact of the explosion. Rumors speculate that she may have been the target.
Also in Diagon, Ainsley Abbott, in silver mask, lifted a jinx off Artem Tremblay’s eyes then ran back into the fight on the side of the Death Eaters, while Branwen Yaxley carved up a Death Eater (later discovered to be Thorfinn Rowle) like a Christmas ham. Artem was able to convince Branwen to let them play with their prey and bring her next target (Alcott Avery) back to the House of Bones for interrogation.
Lu Travers protected Charlie Weasley from being tortured by Eleanora Avery, taking the Cruciatus in the child's place. After confirming the stunned Eleanora as the Death Eater, Caradoc Dearborn wiped her memory and sent Lu to "the safe house," where they stumbled into the battle and fought alongside the Order, albeit taking care to prevent the Death Eaters from making note of their allegiance.
Regulus Black, over the ineffectual protests of Gideon Prewett, captured and murdered Death Eater Julian Selwyn to prevent his “miraculous” survival from being exposed to the rest of the Death Eaters.
Mundungus Fletcher found a list of dates that had been taken from Nott Manor on the night James Potter died. He showed it to Amelia Bones and, together, they discovered that date of the explosion was right on top.
It will likely take weeks to sort-through and repair all the damage in Diagon Alley, and even longer before some people feel safe shopping there again -- and of course, the dead cannot be revived -- and as for the Potter House, it is hard to say what will happen with no proper master left to care for it. One thing is for sure, though: this attack on the very heart of wixen London is going to bring the reality of the war home to many people who thought themselves safely insulated before. This is the sort of wound to the spirit of a community that will not soon heal.
DETAILS.
The Death Eater list will be updated to include the changes reflected from this event.
The Potter Estate has been compromised and is no longer safe. Think about what this might mean for your character.
Peter Pettigrew had given up the location and helped get the Death Eaters through the wards. At this time, only a handful of Order members (Severus Snape and Regulus Black) suspect it to be him, but this may change as the plot progresses.
The above notes of what happened during the event is not everything that was on the dash. Admins chose certain plot points to highlight, as they will be most likely to effect the overarching plot moving forward. If you believe something is missing, please IM the admins through discord and we will edit this post as necessary.
You may now begin paras set after March 21st. Threads set during the event or prior to March 21st can still be continued, with new threads being kept to a minimum.
As the mission comes to a close and a majority of those in the Order get home safely, the news that Ainsley Abbott has betrayed the organization with the murder of James Potter becomes the main topic of discussion with the members. Mary Macdonald was able to retrieve James’ body and brought it back to Lily Evans at the Potter Estate, while Emmeline Vance and Severus Snape helped continue to monitor the map and treat the injured.
Those who were focused on retrieving the orb had varying levels of success: Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn found what they assume to be the real orb in the cellar. They still need to submit the object to Gideon (without Ainsley’s help, this time) for testing, but are largely confident in their success. Meanwhile, Amos Diggory, Artem Tremblay, and Maurice Creevey discover a map with locations and a list of dates that they believe to be telling of future Death Eater plans. The last group in search of the orb, Isla Sewlyn-Macmillian and Archie Macmillian, were captured by Death Eaters in the chaos after the murder, despite the original assumption by the Order that they would be the safest to blend in.
Sirius Black and Mundungus Fletcher were caught in their attempts to locate Death Eater information by Cordelia Greengrass, thus resulting in her convincing Dorcas Meadowes to let her into headquarters once the chaos began. At the time, Dorcas was alone due to Ndulue Travers abandoning their mission at the first sight of trouble. Lydia Avery was also brought into the Order’s safe house on McKinnon Farm by Daisy Hookum. Despite having not been aware of the Order’s mission, Amelia Bones was also caught in the crossfire and was brought to headquarters later, where she tended her splinched brother.
As not many in the Order knew that Andromeda Tonks was under polyjuice as her sister, Bellatrix Black, she was mistaken to be the real Death Eater by multiple people, including an awkward encounter with Frank Longbottom where he tried to battle her. Despite this, she and Ryland Greengrass were both able to make it safely back to headquarters, where Emma Vanity was reuniting with Dorcas. As Andromeda did not want to blow her cover, she immediately went home.
Before Alice Longbottom Disapparated, she was able to track down and capture the Death Eater Lachlan Greengrass. She will have to make a statement to the Ministry of Magic about what happened at the engagement party. Lachlan has been placed under the custody of the Auror department and will stay in Ministry cells, pending trial.
On the grounds of the manor, Branwen Yaxley and Fabian Prewett discovered a sinister sighting of sixteen dead bodies. They don’t know what these bodies will be used for, but have taken a picture with a Muggle camera to show the Inner Circle. As it happened so quickly, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were not able to support the Order before the chaos began, but learned of James’ death by a patronus from Emmeline. Despite being able to get the wards down in time for the emergency Disapparition, Marlene McKinnon was still injured by Death Eaters and taken to headquarter by Gideon Prewett, who then went back to the party to help get James’ friends out without more harm.
THINGS TO CONSIDER.
Now that James has died, there is much that the members of the Order will need to discuss, particularly because his death was due to one of their own’s betrayal.
James is Secret Keeper and owner of the Order’s headquarters, along with the main funder for the organization. Do they have someone like Sirius ask James’ mother for money? How do they keep the location a secret? Do they find a new location for headquarters instead?
Now that everyone is Secret Keeper due to the original’s death, this also includes Ainsley, who has betrayed them. Not only that, but Peter could potentially give up their location as well, given he is the unknown spy.
Prior to this mission, James implied to the Order the Remus is a werewolf. What do they do about this now? They’re unable to ask James any follow-up questions.
James was working on a plan to leak fake information to the Ministry in order to figure out who is a Voldemort supporter and who isn’t. What happens to this plan? It can be found on a desk in one of the studies, where James was working on it.
Ainsley knows who they are, knows their names, and works for the Daily Prophet. What now? What will she do? What do they do about her?
How do they stop James’ friends, particularly Sirius, from tearing-off in distress to kill Ainsley and other Death Eaters, which would likely result in him getting himself - and anyone else he drags along - killed too?
Those who attended as themselves with polyjuiced partners have some explaining to do. How do they make their excuses to avoid suspicion? Do they pretend to have also been polyjuiced, or do they admit to having been at the party but having had no idea their “partner” wasn’t who they seemed? Do they pretend they thought it was a prank, or make some other excuse?
DETAILS.
Karli will be taking up the role of Regulus Black, who will come in via plot drops throughout the next few weeks. His application can be found here. He will not be set for activity requirements until the plot drops have occurred and he is officially in play.
Ainsley Abbott will be moved to a secondary role, allowing for periodic interactions without the activity requirements, given that she is no longer part of the Order.
The Death Eater list will be updated to include the changes reflected from Alice’s capture of Lachlan Greengrass.
You may now begin paras set after February 14th. Threads set during the event or prior to February 14th can still be continued, with new threads being kept to a minimum.
With the revelation that the “Lucius Malfoy” in attendance at the Rosier-Abbott engagement party was really James Potter, chaos and confusion became the order of the evening -- and for days afterward, as high society scrambled to determine who had really been at the party, and who had merely appeared to attend.
Given the duplicitous nature of many of the Order’s chosen polyjuice victims, and their haste to want to save face rather than admit to embarrassment, it is likely that the world will never know the truth of everything that happened that night. However, we know the various stratagems by which the Order of the Phoenix cleared the guest list for themselves:
LUCIUS & NARCISSA MALFOY: Andromeda "dosed" her nephew, Draco, with a tiny little potion to get him sick (just a simple cold) - but of course, Narcissa and Lucius won’t go anywhere when their precious son is sick!! (A fact well known among their circle.) So they stayed home, while Mary and James "became" them. Andromeda didn't need to get close to do so - just dropped-in while they were out and about.
Their alibi was rendered unassailable by the reversion of “Lucius” to James after his death, and while they scored themselves no social points by staying home (nor respect from the Dark Lord for having let themselves be used thus), everyone has had to get used to the fact that the Malfoys will dote on their little boy above all else.
BELLATRIX & RODOLPHUS & RABASTAN LESTRANGE: To allow Andromeda to avoid her crazier sister and because Ryland didn't think he could, Sirius did the work to slip the Lestranges a sleeping draught strong enough to keep them drowsy into the earlier morning hours. He wasn't seen breaking in to their home and, aside from a potential headache, there shouldn't be any lasting effects to what he did (unfortunate perhaps, but even Sirius wasn't about to kill his cousin in such a situation).
They were roused early by Voldemort himself descending on their home; despite their grogginess from the lingering potion, these most loyal followers dragged themselves from their respective beds and made their way back to the Rosier estate in time to witness the induction of one Ainsley Abbott into their ranks.
CASPER CROUCH: Branwen faked a letter from her mother to Casper Crouch: It's time you go on a date together, how about the party you're both invited to? Crouch, who knew Bran since they were toddlers, was as little pleased by this as Bran would have been herself had it been real. So, when Branwen showed up at his house and offered him a few Galleons saying I’ll give you this if you stay home and say you got sick, he willingly agreed.
Because Fabian (acting as Crouch) would have to leave after an hour by pretending to get sick, all messages coming to Crouch after the party would be something like I hope you feel better! and no one will notice a thing. At least, that was the plan; given what really happened, it’s unlikely anyone will be thinking of sending polite notes worrying about Casper’s health! Fortunately any gossip that “his” presence with Bran might have inspired shoul be overshadowed by the rest of the night’s events, so he’ll probably never be any the wiser -- just cross at having missed an interesting party for once!
ELLADORA ROWLE: Caradoc actually did the whole formal-proposal thing to Elladora Rowle. He does attend with the real Elladora for the first moments of the event and then brings her outside for one of those private (possibly naughty?) talks, where he and Edgar (gently) knock her out and hide her in a bush. Edgar takes over and they search the cellar. After an hour, they plan to switch back, with Caradoc just telling Elladora that she fainted. They would resume the night together. At least that was the plan... until Edgar and Caradoc come up from the cellar to the chaos following the death of James.
Then the plan changes only a little: Edgar flees with the Orb, and Caradoc fights his way to the garden where he revives Elladora and tells her that a battle broke out and both of them were Stunned in the chaos, he must get her home at once - and as no one is likely to check the precise timing of events against Elladora’s bewildered memory, his cover story will be one of the most air-tight of the night.
PERPETUA BULSTRODE: Lu meets Lady Bulstrode on the 14th for a private afternoon tea (and all that it includes). The Order knows Lady Bulstrode thinks herself too old now to attend such events so it is Lu's job to charm her into considering going together. "Oh, please Lady Bulstrode! Who else is ever going to take me to such a dazzling party!" When she agrees, Lu suggests to celebrate this decision with a little "party cocktail" to "knock that age out of your bones". In reality it's only a whisper-dreams potion where every word you hear upon falling asleep will become a vivid and delightful dream. So Lu whispers some sweet nothings about the party into her ear as she falls asleep and then catches up with Dorcas.
If during the next few days people mention her at the party, she will simply think that between the party cocktail and her age, some facts must've gotten blurred. Certainly she’s not about to admit that she doesn’t remember her heroically maternal rescue of pretty, dim-witted Cordelia Greengrass from the chaos! And if she spends the next few months paying a private Healer for some extremely discrete memory-assistance, well... she’s a miserable old codger anyway. She probably deserves to fret a bit.
EDWIN & MORGANNA YAXLEY: After they agreed on which Yaxley they each would get to play, Mundungus assured Sirius that he would take care of delaying the real couple. How? Fashion sabotage. While getting ready for the party, the Yaxleys notice that the clothes tailored and selected for the night have lost all their charms that made them unique and the latest fashion. This is nothing short of an emergency, and it forces them to ask for a tailor to fix the charms on them in haste. Unbeknownst to them, the sabotour and their 'saviour' is exactly the same person working undercover: Mundungus. Now, woven with the spells that make their garments magical, there is a little hex that causes them to lose track of time -- confused but not completely out, just delaying them enough to give Sirius, playing Morganna, and Mundungus, playing Edwin, the time to sneak into the party.
The hope was that between the fashion emergency and the hex, the real Edwin and Morganna might be a little too stressed and confused to remember exactly at what time they arrived and to whom they'd spoken first. Besides, the only thing that ought to have mattered was that everyone would be in awe of their outfits! That they arrived just in time to witness the party descend into chaos is unfortunate... but at least they didn’t happen across themselves during the hasty about-face they beat the minute they saw which way the wind was blowing!
IGOR KARKAROFF: Having known they needed to gain some part of Karkaroff for the event, Emma accepted to have tea at his house. What was innocent quickly turned sinister as Karkaroff tried to use force to seduce young Emma. Hearing the commotion, Fabian raced to the rescue and knocked Igor out. Together, they pulled a tooth for the potion.
If Karkaroff remembered this, it was unbeknownst to anyone, as he wasn’t keen on sharing how he’d been turned down. He did not plan on attending the party after the debacle and expressed this sadness vehemently to Archie while the latter got ready for the evening. Archie was able to slip Igor a sleeping draught that should last several hours, allowing Daisy to become him for the evening. If asked later, it's possible that Igor might tell the truth...but for Emma's sake, everyone is hoping he'll be too embarrassed to mention it. Still, he certainly knows he didn't go to the party with her....
Much of the above plots were conceived and written by our fantastically talented players and the admins would like to take the opportunity to both praise and thank everyone for their participation in this and every event (official and otherwise) in our game! We literally could not do this without all of you!
The engagement party thrown by the Rosiers to celebrate the impending union of their own Jayesh with one Vanessa Abbott is hardly the shindig of the century - Vanessa is of middling social rank at best, and until a little over ten years ago was not even aware of her own pureblood heritage, but Jayesh is besotted and as he’s a younger son, a pretty, vivacious wife with pure blood and little fortune but great enthusiasm is acceptable.
(Besides, there’s little chance of anyone outdoing the obnoxious gala that fêted the Malfoy-Black marriage any time soon.)
Nonetheless, in these dark times any happiness is worth celebrating, and the Rosiers are not known for their frugality or dullness so it is sure to be a memorable event...
...especially for the Order of the Phoenix.
THE MISSION.
Having learned from Isla Selwyn-Macmillan that the mysterious Orb that the Order has been chasing since that disastrous night at the Notts’ home, and which is believed to have recently been responsible for the deaths of 102 Muggles, is now being stored at the Rosier family’s chief residence, the Order has decided to take advantage of the party to infiltrate the estate discreetly and retrieve the Orb (and any other potentially useful secrets they can find along the way), an endeavor that will doubtless be helped by the fact that one of their own is the sister of the bride-to-be.
ASSIGNMENTS.
Ainsley Abbott & Amelia Bones. The latter will be attending as Ainsley’s date to the party, although they will not be arriving together since Ainsley will be there early to help her sister. Neither are technically there on Order business since Amelia is not technically in the Order, and it was decided that Ainsley would be busy enough already. Nonetheless, should any Order members find themselves in distress, both Amelia and Ainsley stand ready to help them get out unnoticed. Amelia also hopes to keep her date from being miserable...but that may be the harder mission.
Mary Macdonald & James Potter. They will be polyjuiced as Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, respectively, with James brushing-off his rusty lessons in “social comportment” to keep the both of them from getting caught. Their duty will be to watch-over the bride-to-be and keep Vanessa from noticing that there is anything amiss at her party. Knowing that Nessie would be protected by wix whose skills she trusts was the only way to get Ainsley to agree to having her sister’s party used as cover for the Order’s mission!
Lily Evans & Emmeline Vance. No one is expected to cross wands with any enemies at this party, but the Order has been around long enough to know that’s always a risk. Given that they’re meant to be bringing back a Dark Artifact, the chances of injuries are high enough anyway - so the Order wants to be ready. This leaves Emmeline and her new, reluctant assistant, at headquarters to prepare for the worst. They are thus also tasked with keeping an eye on the Order map that shows if anyone is in trouble so they can send out patronuses to Remus and Peter directing aide, if needed.
Isla Selwyn-Macmillan & Archibald Macmillan. As invited guests, the couple are among the safest of the Order members attending since the worst thing they’re likely to be exposed as being if caught is too nosy - which makes them a perfect choice to search the main floor for the Orb without drawing suspicion. The problem with this is that they often get stopped by “friends of theirs” and have to stay in character, making the search a rather slow one!
Emma Vanity & Daisy Hookum. Emma had been invited to the party with her family, but no one goes without a date. With most wix expecting her to be on the arm of a dazzling pureblooded wizard, Daisy has been assigned to polyjuice herself as Igor Karkaroff in order for Emma and her to watch over the mission and provide distraction if anything goes haywire. This means a lot of small talk with a lot of other guests (an undue amount of which seems centered on how nice it is to see Emma finally “getting over" poor Antonin and on with her life - and with such a good catch, too!). Daisy’s not used to being a man, however - nor is she very happy at having to play pureblood.
Amos Diggory & Artem Tremblay & Maurice Creevey. The Diggorys are still held in high esteem by pureblood society and Amos has thus been invited to the event. With Artem as his plus one, it’s enough to get them both through the door to look for the Orb on the upper floors where they will be joined by “Rabastan Lestrange” (really Maurice Creevey) whose name and reputation should dissuade any interference -- especially as many of the guests will have forgotten about Amos while he was away and aren’t likely to seek him out to chat. It’s expected (by many in the Order, at least) that Artem will also be willing use their veela charm to protect their mission from exposure if necessary; between the three of them, it’s hoped that they’ll be able to trespass so far beyond the bounds of the party with relative impunity.
Cordelia Greengrass & Sirius Black & Mundungus Fletcher. The former is an invited guest; the latter two are attending under polyjuice, Sirius using the old-fashioned manners he hates so much to maintain his cover and Mundungus trotting out his old theatre skills as they pretend to be Edwin Yaxley and his wife, Morganna (the rest of the Order let them fight over who’s paying whom). The assignment of the latter two is to break into the study and rifle through the Rosiers’ private documents...a task made difficult by the fact that they’ve run across an overly-curious young witch who is disinclined to let them slip away easily. But it’s not like she suspects on whose behalf they’re really there...does she?
Ryland Greengrass & Andromeda Black. Both in polyjuice, using their rusty (especially in Andromeda’s case) old social skills to pass as Bellatrix and Roldolphus Lestrange, their assignment for the night is light: they are to mingle casually among the guests, but to stay near the Entrance Hall to make sure none of the actual people they’re all polyjuiced as show up. Andromeda was asked (and suggested) for the role by Sirius, who trusts that she can pull out her old skills as a proper pureblood lady well enough to blend in; Ryland was given what was hoped to be easy duty as he is still recovering (and perhaps not entirely trusted by some) but which is likely to be made more difficult by all the familiar faces attending...not that Andromeda won’t be encountering some unwelcome familiar faces of her own, too!
Alice Longbottom & Frank Longbottom. While not in the same social circles as the Rosiers, the Longbottoms are socially acceptable enough that the Rosiers decided to “invite” them...as hired guards, not guests. (“After what happened to poor Leina Nott, well...can't be too careful with that Phoenix rabble out there, can we?“) Ordinarily they would refuse, but for the sake of the Order they agree to be the Rosiers’ “Aurors at the feast.” They will pose as guests to the public while keeping their eyes out for possible trouble...just not the sort of trouble the Rosiers expect them to watch for.
Ndulue Travers & Dorcas Meadowes. Ndulue will be attending as the “pretty play-toy” on the arm of wealthy old pureblood Perpetua Bulstrode...who will secretly be Dorcas under polyjuice disguise. Their assignment is to search the Rosiers’ bedrooms for evidence (masks, robes, etc) that will allow the Order to pinpoint which of the family are active Death Eaters...a risky task made safer by the fact that the pair have a ready-made-excuse should they be caught “dallying” in said bedrooms!
Branwen Yaxley & Fabian Prewett. The former is a required invitee who, for once, is pleasing her mother by not causing a fuss, and even bringing a date - Fabian, although everyone there will think him Casper Crouch thanks to the polyjuice. Their task is to slip (or perhaps stomp) away from the party and investigate the grounds. While Ainsley has not been involved much in the plans for the night, being preoccupied with the actual party, she did get word to the Order just prior to the event that there's something odd - something Dark - hidden out on the Rosiers' lands. (Players should connect with admins to discuss what exactly they’ll find!)
Caradoc Dearborn & Edgar Bones. The Dearborn family is always invited to things like this as a matter-of-course; they also never attend. When Caradoc arrives with Elladora Rowle on his arm (really Edgar Bones under polyjuice), it causes a stir...but Caradoc doesn’t really seem to feel like talking. No matter - the families in attendance hadn’t expected that from him anyway! It gives them the ability to slip away - down to the cellar - in search of the Orb they’ve come for.
Marlene McKinnon & Gideon Prewett. With Gideon’s position at the Ministry and Marlene’s vast knowledge in wards (given the ones set around her farm have held even under werewolves), they have been tasked with finding the anti-Apparition wards on the Rosier Estate and taking them down. The Order doesn’t know if they’ll have to make a quick escape - and they can’t all run to the Apparition point at once without getting caught! Marlene and Gideon are both purebloods who have not been invited but, should they be caught, can act as “gatecrashers” and dates of one another. They should not use their Phoenix Tags or polyjuice to keep suspicion down.
Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew. Held back as reserves should things go south, the two friends may be especially relieved to not be among the attendees given Remus’s recently exposed secrets and Peter’s yet-undiscovered ones (although Peter’s Death Eater masters would doubtless have preferred him to be there, where he could give them more warning about the Order’s plans than a vague recommendation to keep their eyes open tonight...). Still, it cannot be easy to sit and fret at the borders of the Rosiers’ grounds while they wait to see if they’ll be required to charge to the rescue. They are not under polyjuice, but should have their Phoenix Tags ready.
THINGS TO CONSIDER.
Anyone playing in a para where there is a polyjuiced party will need to decide how they kept their persona at home. (i.e. Did they break into their home and tie them up? Knock them out? Make them sick? Modify their memories? Maybe just falsified a nice sale in Diagon Alley?). This doesn’t have to be played out - we will assume it happened prior to the event - but should be kept in mind. It can also involve other characters through plotting.
Characters should be thinking about how their polyjuiced person speaks and acts - and how pureblood society in general behaves. Clothing should mimic high society wizarding families (high-end dress robes, jewelry, etc).
Some characters will be better at playing their part than others - not everyone will be perfect. It’s okay to trip them up...or even get caught!
Polyjuice only lasts for one hour and nobody has extra doses, while events like this tend to last well into the wee hours of the morning. This puts things on a tight schedule for our infiltrators! They can’t afford to dally.
Dark Marks do not show up in polyjuice and many of those being impersonated fall under the category of suspected but unconfirmed Death Eaters - but fortunately pureblood fashion and the icy temperatures combined should lead to full-length robes and long sleeves for most attendees anyway, so no one will be inadvertently exposed by failing to dress “appropriately” for their subject’s Marked status!
Just because there are para assignments does not mean you only need one thread. People can interact with others outside their assignment - this is just who the Order put them with for the mission. (i.e. Emma and Ryland could chat, Peter and Remus might find Gideon and Marlene messing with the wards, etc.) Feel free to branch-out and strike-up other interactions along the way!
Assigned paras should take priority, however!
Polyjuiced players may feel free to choose a temporary faceclaim to stand-in for whomever your character is impersonating!
DETAILS.
Some of the pairings above were set by admins based on events planned in-game. Others were chosen using random dice rolls. As always, admins will keep track of what is happening within threads. At random intervals, players might be asked to dice roll for their group, which will then spur a mini plot drop for their characters.
Remember to tags your posts with the date of event and to tag any open starters with ‘homenumstarter.’ This event does not yet have an end date, as we will vote on that like we have in the past. Threads set prior to February 14th can still be continued and more can still be started, if needed for plots!
Ainsley Abbott’s betrayal of the Order comes with a deadly cost.
When the Death Eaters cornered Ainsley with the claim that they’d discovered her true loyalties, they threatened her sister if she didn’t help them. She agreed to defect to the Death Eaters, betraying the Order of the Phoenix in the process.
Shaken up from the encounter, she watched as James Potter and Mary Macdonald followed Vanessa into an empty corridor after Nessie saw suspicious activity with Maurice, Artem, and Amos. Ainsley saw James hex her sister and assumed the worst - that the Death Eaters were the only hope she had left.
The thought ended with James Potter dead on the floor from Ainsley’s own wand, despite Mary’s best efforts to save him. Taking advantage of Mary’s distraction over James, Ainsley was able to escape with her Stunned sister while the party dissolved in chaos behind her.
DETAILS.
Yes, James is really dead. Details of how this will affect the Order will come at the end of the event, along with what will be happening with Admin Karli in terms of taking up a new character. James will be listed as ‘deceased’ on the character page and he will no longer be a played character (though past threads can be completed).
Ainsley will be moved to a secondary character and Admin Nicky will continue to play her as needed.
James’ death negated his polyjuice - so his body soon looks like him again. This can be noticed by other party-goers, therefore tipping them off that the party has been compromised. Order members should work on getting out of there and back to headquarters! They should be able to Apparate in most places of the home, given Gideon and Marlene were successful in taking down the wards. James’ body can either be left behind or retrieved, as decided by plotting amongst players.
Some characters may not be aware of the death happening at all - and think they were compromised in other ways. Or, perhaps, they aren’t aware of the compromise for a while (those on the grounds or other floors might not know people are fleeing right away!) Lily and Emmeline will be able to tell almost immediately based on having their watchful eyes on the Order’s magical map.
Please don’t feel as though you have to stay within your assigned group for this part. Because there is chaos - threads can be between any characters!
For the remainder of the event, most new threads should focus on the aftermath of the death and the attempts of other Order members to escape. Prior threads can be continued and some may be started if necessary for the plot!
The impromptu decorations provided by Emma Vanity were meant to add to the festive air of the Order’s holiday party and perhaps provide a bit of much-needed levity. Unfortunately, she did not realize that some of the harmless mistletoe she bought was charmed...
Now, anyone who finds themselves standing under Emma’s mistletoe with another party-goer may find themselves unable to move away from the charm’s area of effect until they kiss their partner.
DETAILS
The following pairs have been assigned under the mistletoe threads together, with subsequent dice-rolling to determine if it’s harmless or charmed:
Amelia & Ainsley or Dorcas
Isla & Fabian
James & Artem
Marlene & Caradoc
Remus & Emma
Nilam (Regulus) & Alice
The Order has been through a lot lately, and their standing in public perception has never been lower. In an attempt to raise spirits (and celebrate the fact that the real orb they failed to get hasn’t yet killed hundreds of Muggles), Kingsley Shacklebolt came up with the idea for a holiday party, set just a few days before Christmas.
While Alastor Moody wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea (this is war, you know!), Albus Dumbledore thought it a rather brilliant thing and approved it. The goal of the event is simple: let the members take a load off and forget about the darkness within the Wizarding World, if only for a few hours.
The event will take place on Saturday, December 20th at the Potter Estate. Gillie will be making food for the guests and drinks will be served on floating platters. A big thank you to James Potter for fronting the bill, after Kingsley approached him with it.
DETAILS
Have fun with it! This event is purely entertainment and to provide opportunities for connections. We wanted something ‘lighter’ after that failure of a mission!
Remember to tags your posts with the date of event and to tag any open starters with ‘homenumstarter.’ This event does not yet have an end date, as we will vote like we have in the past. Threads set before December 20th can be continued and new ones can still be started, if you wish. You may begin interactions!
