[LOG] Jailbreaking Azkaban

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Who: Alison Mallory, Kahvi Sidhe, Ora Yang, and the Order of the Phoenix
When: New Years Eve, 1998
Where: The Burrow, a remote English suburb
What: The Order of the Phoenix jailbreaks Azkaban, and the girls are help out

*~*~*~*~*

Ora stuffed her sash and a spare change of clothes in her bag, and bounded down the stairs to grab her winter coat from the closet in the hallway. "Mum! Dad! I'm ready!" she shouted, stuffing her arms through the sleeves and doing a quick check through the list in her mind to make sure she had packed everything she needed, and everything that would make it seem like she was going to a legitimate sleepover at the Burrow.

"Mm hm," Ora's father said simply as he folded his copy of The Daily Prophet and set it down on the sitting room table. He shot his daughter a dubious look. Ora smiled up at him cheerfully, as if nothing was wrong. She mitigated it a little when her father's look turned more severe.

"You know if you get lost, Ora, you're breaking curfew."

Ora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Dad, I know. But I'm eighteen! I can Apparate properly; I'm not going to get lost or end up in the middle of the woods."

Ambassador Yang's mouth twitched as if he didn't completely believe his daughter, but had to actually refrain from telling her so. "I'll leave the wards down for five minutes," he said simply, drawing his wand from the fold of his robes, "so if you get lost you can Apparate back."

"Okay, Dad," Ora said. She rolled her eyes again.

"Have you got everything?" Ora's mum asked. She rose from the couch and looked pointedly at Ora's bag.

"Yup," Ora said with a nod. "And if not, I'm sure Alison can lend me something."

"Toothbrush?"

Ora nodded. "Packed it already, Mum."

Ora's mother simply nodded and smiled, and came around the sofa to give her daughter a hug and a kiss. "Well, Happy New Year, and enjoy the night with your friends."

"Thanks!" Ora gave her mum and dad a hug and a kiss each. Her father still did not look entirely happy as he closed his eyes and hummed the chant to lift the anti-Apparition wards surrounding their house, but Ora still managed a smile as she waved and then thought very hard of the Burrow.

*~*~*~*~*

Ottery St. Catchpole was even colder than London, and even in a thick scarf and coat Ora was shivering. She had appeared about one hundred meters out from the Burrow, and was throughly cold by the time she got to the door and lifted a hand to knock politely at it. Even though the house seemed quiet from the outside, Ora wondered if anyone would hear here--after all, she could not imagine that a rescue the proportions of breaking in and out of Azkaban would take any less than a good chunk of the Order.

Comments

[heartswill.livejournal.com]

Lysienne paced the small, icy confines of the Hogwarts Owlery, pausing to look out into the rapidly-deepening twilight every time she passed a window. Rolan trotted at her heels, whining anxiously. New Year's Eve...New Year's Eve, and she hadn't heard from Syrien since before Christmas--and then only a brief message: It's too dangerous here. Stay put. Stay safe.

It was the first Christmas she had not spent with him, and she was afraid... Afraid of what, she hardly wanted to think about.

But it was New Year's Eve, and surely tonight-- Tonight.

She clutched the other note in her hand, whispering to it, soon. Just a little while longer. Just give me a little more time.

She hadn't told her friends that she wasn't going home this holiday. She felt guilty about deceiving them, but knew she would feel worse to worry them. She was, after all, not the only student to have remained behind in the school, where parents felt their children might be safer than out in the chaos of the wider world.

Rolan's sharp bark flung her out of her thoughts, and she whirled. A tall figure in a dark cloak appeared at the top of the stairs, and she instinctively wadded the note in her hand.

She swallowed. “Good evening, Headmaster,” she managed in a cool, even voice.

Severus Snape looked down at her with his usual dark unreadable gaze. “Good evening, Miss Aldrern. Not enjoying the company of your fellow students in the Great Hall? Might I ask why?”

Lysienne, perforce, backed against the wall as Snape strode into the Owlery. She clutched the note in her hand. “I’m waiting for a letter from my guardian. Not illegal even in this school, I think?”

Snape paused as Rolan, responding to Lysienne’s distress, moved in front of her, growling. He lifted an eyebrow. “In that case, I do hope that your guardian sees fit to send his message before the curfew.”

Lysienne lifted her head. “I’m sure he will.”

Snape regarded her for a moment. “If you’re planning to join your friends for a party later this evening, Miss Aldrern, be sure to stay away from Muggle establishments. I’m told they can become...overcrowded at this time of year. Good night.”

Lysienne stared at his back as he turned and left as silently as he had come. Muggle establishments? He couldn’t mean...

She knelt and buried her face against Rolan’s warm fur. “I don’t understand him, Rolan. I don’t.”

Just then a tiny owl, no bigger than her fist, fluttered to a landing on the windowsill beside her. She turned, and it dropped something into her hand.

“Oh...!” It was a message from Syrien, in the form of a hairpin that was a miniaturized version of her mother’s staff. A smile finally appeared on her face. “Happy New Year to you too, Syrien!”

Then she turned and ran down the stairs.

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

The quiet facade of the Burrow belied the activity within. Alison was waiting near the door; the twins and most of the adults were in the living room finalizing the plans for tonight. While she desperately wanted to be there to take part in the discussion, she knew she wasn't a rightful member of the Order and didn't have much place there - besides, she wanted to make sure her friends arrived all right, and it wouldn't do to have no one hear them knocking.

Ron and Ginny were skulking about the front of the house as well, casting glances towards the doorway to the living room every so often. Ron was in a particularly foul mood, and had been since Alison had arrived here - but for once, his mood seemed to have little to do with her presence, and more to do with the fact that Potter and Granger were not with him. Fred and George had said Ron had had a fight with his mates and ended up leaving. Alison couldn't imagine what on earth they could've fought over to make him leave them while they were hunting down the Dark Lord, of all things. But even she could tell that he deeply regretted his actions, and he had a twitchy sort of air about him, as though he were like to bolt off and try to find them again at any moment.

Ginny was all right, though - a bit irritable, but that was due to worry, and Alison understood being worried. Hell, even she was worried about Potter - he was supposed to be the savior of the wizarding world after all, right? What if he failed? What if he - heaven forbid - died of something stupid like frostbite before he could even find his foe? A right help that would be, she was thinking, when the knock at the front door startled her out of her thoughts. She leaped to answer the door, face splitting into a wide grin at the sight of Ora standing on the other side of it, breath puffing out in white clouds in the cold night air.

"Ora! Come in," Alison stepped aside and let her friend in out of the cold, closing the door quickly behind her. She glanced again towards the sound of the meeting going on in the living room, then back to her friend. "The Order is talking in the other room. The rest of us are supposed to wait out here," she said, indicating Ginny and Ron; the former nodded a greeting, the latter just stuck his hands into his pockets and went back to pacing. Alison rolled her eyes and helped Ora out of her coat, placing it onto the nearest table along with her things. "Did you have any trouble getting here? I know it's not curfew yet, but... " The most horrible stories were going around, about people being snatched away in the night.

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora's expression brightened immediately as the door opened and she stepped through, soaking in the warmth of the Burrow. "Happy New Year," she said, giving Alison a quick hug and shooting a smile and a nod at Ginny, who returned the greeting.

Ora shed her coat and let Alison drape it on the table in the entryway where she'd set down her bag.

"Did you have any trouble getting here?" Alison asked. "I know it's not curfew yet, but..."

"It's okay, for now," Ora said solemnly, glancing at the shaggy redhead pacing the hall with his hand stuffed into his trouser pockets and wondering if she ought to recognize him. "The Snatchers aren't out yet but they hardly need a reason like the curfew these days to be out in full...oh my god, Ron?" Ora gasped, she peered at him closely and he stopped pacing for a moment to give her a dismissive glare before continuing his pacing as usual. "What are you doing here? Aren't you with Pott--"

"Don't want to talk about it," he muttered.

"Well, are they safe? Did something happen? They aren't cap--"

"Don't want to talk about it!" Ron said more forcefully, shoving his hands as deep into his pockets as he could while trying not to seem miserable.

"They're fine, last we know," Ginny said quickly. Ron glowered at her, but said nothing.

"Right...that's good, I suppose," Ora said, raising an eyebrow as she turned to her friend gave her a we'll-have-to-talk-about-this-later sort of look. "I guess if they did capture Pot--I mean, Harry and Hermione, it'd be all over the news so maybe no news is good news."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks, I've figured that out for myself already."

Ora made a face, and Ginny gave her an apologetic shrug. There was a bit of an awkward pause, so Ora decided to turn the conversation to the business at hand.

"So...do we have a plan yet for what's happening tonight? Is Kahvi here yet?"

[firespice.livejournal.com]

The intense shock of cold that snapped into her body as she apparated in a shadowed corner of a nearby square wrenched a small instinctive gasp of fire from Kahvi, as if she'd taken a punch to the gut. She quickly pulled a mittened hand to her mouth in embarrassment, as if she'd just belched in a particularly unladylike fashion, and hoped the seemingly deserted square was exactly that.

It had been warm in the Leaky Cauldron, and she hadn't stepped outside to disapparate--she felt as if it was colder here and now than it had been at Hogwarts or London before she'd left. The dreadfully low temperature almost seemed like a creature alive that was attempting to seep its way through and possess Kahvi's body right down to her very bones as she shuddered in the dreary landscape. Grabbing a scrap of paper from her pocket, she referenced the hand-drawn map she'd made of how to reach "the Burrow" from her current location. Bracing herself against a shivering gust of wind, she began to trudge down the street towards her destination, duffel slung over her shoulder and her Hogwarts scarf pulled up around her face.

She found herself fervently hoping that there was hot cocoa on the other end of her trek.

[heartswill.livejournal.com]

Lysienne looked up at the glowing spires of Hogwarts for a moment, wondering again, a hand reaching up to touch the golden pin tucked into her hair. Then she checked her bags one last time and Apparated with a hand on Rolan's head.

***

She noticed the cold for the first time as a blast of icy wind greeted her at Ottery St. Catchpole. She ruffled Rolan's fur, smiling as he shook himself all over after the odd sensation of Apparation. Then they raced together to the front door of the quietly-lit Burrow. Lysienne took a deep breath before tapping gently on the door.

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison glanced uneasily between Ora and Ron for a moment; on the one hand, she wanted to know as much as Ora did, but on the other, Ron was clearly miserable. As little as she liked him, she had to admit he was probably more worried than anyone else in the house about Harry and Hermione. She glanced at Ora once more, nodding at the silent request she saw in her friend's expression. They would definitely be talking about this later.

"You're the only one here yet," Alison said, guiding Ora into the house a bit where it was warmer. "All I know is we'll be watching the portkeys. "I don't know much more than that, though. It should be safe enough," she said quietly, hoping that she wouldn't be proven wrong before the night was out. The general principle of the operation was simple enough, but... well, if history had shown anything, it was that plans and reality tended to diverge, and often. Besides, Alison didn't know anything more than the basic plan - get people out of Azkaban and get them somewhere safe. Details were something no one was talking about, outside the Order.

Just then there was another knock at the door - Alison hurried over to open it, and found Lysienne and Rolan on the stoop. "Lysienne, glad you made it safely," she said, smiling wide and ushering her friend and her lupine companion through the door. Ginny nodded a bit and gave her fellow Gryffindor a small smile; Ron just cast a glance in their direction, which was about as much in the way of greeting as he was apt to give, right now. "Ora's here already," Alison continued, stepping aside so Ora could greet Lysienne as well. "Kahvhi should be here soon. I hope she didn't get lost, it's dark out there."

[OOC: Aw, Kahvi, there will definitely be hot chocolate! :D <3]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Squinting at her map in the dim lighting, Kahvi was admittedly a bit confused. She'd expected "the Burrow" to be an underground bunker of some sort, but here she was, in front of a reasonably normal--and in fact, entirely too normally quiet--house where she had expected this "Burrow" to be. Had she made a wrong turn?

It had made sense to her that the Order would use something... reasonably protected. For certain, the hum of the wards around the place marked it as a wizarding home, but... she had been expecting something more spectacular. Perhaps it was a facade? Or a pre-meeting spot--the other girls had been part of that secret student organization that had been disbanded some time ago, and perhaps this was one of their meeting places?

A shiver crawled up her spine as a gust of wind breathed partially up her thick snow-jacket. She'd knock and at least try this house before retracing her steps out in the cold again! Trudging up to the door and readying an apology in her mind if this wasn't, in fact, the Weasley residence, she put on her best "I'm not freezing to death" face and gave the door a ginger knock.

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

It was only moments after Lysienne had arrived that a third knock came at the door; Alison hurried over to see Kahvi, her Hogwarts scarf wrapped tightly around her face. "Oh good, you found it!" She grinned broadly and invited her friend inside, offering up a hand to take her coat once she managed to disentangle herself from it. "Welcome to the Burrow... You can put your things down over here." She motioned to the couch where she'd put Ora's and Lysienne's things - after all, the cover story was that they were spending the night, which of course they were welcome to do if they liked afterward. There was a spare room (well, actually it was the twins' room, but they had the flat above their shop to sleep in) and enough blankets and pillows to go around, no matter the number of guests. Alison wondered where Mrs. Weasley came up with the space to keep everyone, sometimes.

Casting a glance over to the doorway through which the adults were meeting again, then eyeing the still moodily-pacing Ron, Alison turned back to her friends. "Actually... it may be a little while yet." She motioned towards the doorway opposite the living room, which led to the kitchen. "Maybe we should sit down in the kitchen, I can make you something warm to drink." Kahvi looked rather cold, and Alison reminded herself belatedly that she was used to much warmer climates. It was bitterly cold out tonight; she could use some hot chocolate herself, and she'd been tucked away inside the cozy Burrow all afternoon.

She led the way into the kitchen, pulling down a saucepan and hunting for the milk. There was nothing like real hot chocolate on a cold night, and they could all use the extra warmth and energy for later tonight. "Were all your Christmases all right?" She knew that Ora and Lysienne, at least, might be more affected by the changes the wizarding world was currently going through. Her father's house in Cambridgeshire was pretty far removed from any of the "action," and she hoped Kahvi's home was safe as well.

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Kahvi rubbed her hands together and then rubbed her arms briskly, trying to warm up a bit as she headed over to the designated stuff landing area. All the cold was making her speed up to try and generate heat!

"Mm, yeah, Christmas was fine. Whole island's an anti-apparition zone--floo network or a broom ride from the nearest uninhabited island are the only ways to get there, and we've got a good lot of wards up." She opened her knapsack and rummaged around it, pulling up part of her sleeping bag.

"The Wizarding community's in quite a stir though, so the aviaries have been really heavily used. Messages to family and such. Sorry I couldn't get you your presents earlier than this," and here she produced three wrapped parcels and a fancy envelope, "Deimos ended up serving as our family delivery bird and is pretty much tired out. Better late than never, though!" She shot them all an embarrassed smile.

"I don't suppose Leah will be able to make it?" Kahvi looked down at the remaining envelope after handing out the gifts, thinking she would perhaps put it away until either Leah left or the adventure was over and she could give it to one of the other girls to pass on to her.

"Oh!" Turning, she noticed the other two occupants of the room, whom she had otherwise missed were there; a grumpy-looking young man and a similarly red-headed girl who must have been related to him. "You must be the Weasleys," she smiled nervously. With a quick turn, she dove into her knapsack again, producing a parchment-wrapped plateful of chocolate chip and peanutbutter cookies.

"I made you these... as a sort of thank you for letting us stay... and letting us help... um..." Noticing the boy's scowling and the anxious expression on the girl, she wondered if she'd done something to offend them and hesitantly offered up the plate.

[OOC: Descriptions of the presents and contents are in the log of me packing, if you'd like to open them now :) And yes, Kahvi and I are a bit of a spaz sometimes XD Ahaha...]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora greeted each of her arriving friends in turn, giving them warm hugs and good wishes for the new year. As good as the year could be, she supposed wryly as the four girls settled into the kitchen, when they were celebrating it by assisting in a jailbreak on Azkaban.

Her mind wandered briefly as she took a seat down at the kitchen table, wondering what sort of plan the Order had come up with. And they were supposed to guard portkeys? Where? What if they were ambushed? Or worse, captured? There were so many stories floating about, about what the Death Eaters or the Snatchers did to you if you got caught after curfew or harboring blood traitors. Some of them seemed too outrageous to be true, but was there really anything the Death Eaters weren't afraid to do? Ora recalled the way that Draco's gaze had changed last year, the haunted look in his eyes. They'd never spoken of anything he'd witnessed, but anything that shook him that badly...

"I wonder what he's doing now," thought Ora, only vaguely aware of the conversation happening around her. There'd been no communication from him for days now, not since he passed on what little he knew of Azkaban's guards. Had they found him out and killed him, or worse, tortured him for information? What if the Death Eaters already knew of the raid planned tonight, and the Order was walking headlong into a--

"Hmm?" Ora blinked, shaken out of her reverie as a Kahvi smiled and presented her a lovely parcel wrapped in green and silver. "Oh!" she exclaimed, recovering quickly as she searched her memory for the most recent tidbits of conversation. "Oh, thank you, thank you very much! This is absolutely lovely." She accepted the gift gratefully, realizing with a flush of embarrassment that she'd left all her friends' holiday gifts in her room at home, sitting on her desk because she'd forgotten to pack them amidst all the excitement. Ora kicked herself mentally.

"I, um, think I left all your presents in my room," Ora said quietly. "I'm so sorry, I guess you'll get them when we get back to Hogwarts." She set the package down in her lap and admired its wrapping for a moment before she can began to slowly undo the silver ribbon.

"I don't think Leah's going to make it tonight," Ora said, unwinding the bow from the box and setting it aside. Her fingers worked gingerly around the paper, trying her best not to rip it. "Her parents have some really good friends who are Muggle-borns, so I think..." Ora let that statement hang in the air a bit, "I think they've got their house and their hands full."

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison nodded, glad to hear that her friend's home was safe, as far as it was from the main location of all the "action." She blinked, then grinned as Kahvi produced gifts from her bag. In all the hubbub at the Burrow today, she'd nearly forgotten that she and her friends hadn't gotten the chance to exchange holiday gifts.

"Oh! Mine are upstairs - I'll get them for you later," she said, turning to accept the beautifully-wrapped gift, noting the house colors and wondering if Kahvi had decorated the paper herself. Keeping an eye on the milk on the stove (she still liked to cook things the "Muggle" way, and was glad that Mrs. Weasley had a properly-stocked kitchen for doing just that), she opened the paper carefully, not wanting to rip it.

Her expression brightened a moment later, as she produced some beautifully-crafted Quidditch goggles with the Slytherin crest picked out on each side in skillful embroidery. "Kahvi... wow! I'll wear these at the very next practice!" she said, delighted, grinning over at the dark-haired girl. "Thank you!"

She placed them aside, wanting to try them on now but figuring she'd look a bit silly, and glanced over at the still-pacing figure as Kahvi produced a parchment-wrapped plate in thanks for the Weasley's hospitality. "Don't mind Ron, he's just sulking," she said loudly enough to carry - really, everyone was worried, but enough was enough.

"Bugger off." He shot her an angry blue-eyed glare that she shrugged off; maybe it would do better for him to get the hint from someone he didn't like, like herself, than it would from his family, who were willing to indulge him. But he'd be little help to his friends if all he did was march back and forth with a sour look on his face.

Ginny was at least more civil; she came forward to accept the plate, her eyes lighting up just a little at its contents. "Thanks," she said to Kahvi, smiling a little and setting the plate on the table and taking a cookie. "Mum's never as happy as she is when the house is full, though. Even when it's the Order." Alison offered her an apologetic smile and went back to stirring the milk before it formed too much of a skin. She did use a bit of magic to get six mugs down from the cabinet, as well as locate the cocoa powder in preparation for the milk to be done heating. Moments later it was done, and she poured out equal amounts of milk and cocoa mix into the mugs; one for each girl and, she thought with a bit of smug satisfaction as she held one out in his direction, even one for Ron.

He glared, but took it nonetheless, cradling the ceramic between his hands, though he kept pacing the length of the front room. Alison then sat down at the table to join her friends, looking at all of them and glad at least most of them had been able to gather here to help tonight. "I wonder how much longer their meeting is going to take..."

[heartswill.livejournal.com]

Lysienne hugged her friends happily, grateful to see them all safe. No matter what the circumstances, simply to be with them made her heart feel lighter.

She laughed when Kahvi started pulling out presents from her bag, delighted that they'd had the same idea, then gasped when she opened the red wrapping on her gift to see the beautiful book inside. "Oh! Kahvi, this is perfect! Thank you!" She gave her another quick hug before sitting down at the table.

She opened her own bag and carefully extracted several stoppered bottles. "I didn't really have the opportunity to go to town this Christmas, so I made these..."

She handed the first one, labeled "Fire and Ice Potion" to Kahvi, explaining shyly "the weather here is hard to get used to, so I thought that might help. It'll warm you up when you're cold, and cool you down when you're hot. There's a story about the first wizard to reach the summit of Mount Everest surviving an avalanche with that potion."

The next one she gave to Alison, saying, "This is a sort of cure-all potion for minor injuries. The difference between it and other Healing potions is that within a three-hour timespan, it'll Heal all minor injuries instantly. And it's not illegal in Quidditch, I checked." She smiled. "Just don't tell the Gryffindor team where you got it from..."

She then handed Ora a bottle labeled "Somniparticeps". Her expression became serious as she said, "Ora, this is called the 'Dream-sharing Potion'. If you take it and focus on someone before you go to sleep, you can share their dreams unless they're blocking you. It's almost a sort of Legilimens--they'll be able to feel that you're there. The thing is, it can be addictive. So you have to promise me not to use it more than once every ten days."

Finally, she pulled out two large bottles and set them on the table. "This is a Pepper-Up potion, and this is a general Healing potion for tonight, just in case..." She paused, not quite knowing how to phrase what she needed to say next. "And last...I have a warning from...Professor Snape."

"Snape?" There was a crash as Ron, who had just sat down, exploded out of his chair. "A warning from Snape?!"

Lysienne winced and touched Rolan where he sat steadily beside her. "He said...'Be sure to stay away from Muggle establishments. They can become overcrowded at this time of year.'"

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Kahvi shot a brief reassuring smile at Ora, "oh, don't worry about it--with all the holiday excitement I nearly forgot to bring these myself!"

She then nodded soberly at Ora's assessment of Leah's likely situation and carefully tucked the envelope away--she'd have to figure out how to get it to Leah another time. It was no time to be sad now; troops fought best when they embarked in high spirits.

"Oh, the lenses on those are specially treated--Muggle chemistry, which I figured you'd appreciate," she added as Alison looked over her unwrapped goggles. "It forces the water to spread into a even film over the glass rather than bead up for increased visibility. It's the same stuff they use on some high-end automobiles." Kahvi smirked with some pride over them, as she'd found out about the glass and had the lenses specially made at an auto glass workshop near her Muggle school.

Glad that her plate of cookies had been accepted by Ginny, she took a cautious step away from the brooding boy to receive and return Lysienne's hug and gift. "I've heard of these!" she exclaimed in admiration. "Wow, these are supposed to be rather difficult to make! Thank you! And... ooh, is that a new hairpin? It's lovely!"

Choosing a spot at the kitchen table next to Ora, she sat down to enjoy her warm hot chocolate and marvel at the delicate potion. It was good to be around her friends again, even if they were about to all dive into trouble over their heads. Mmm, Alison had picked a good chocolate to milk ratio...

Ron's shriek gave her just a moment's warning--just barely enough time to dive under the table to avoid getting hit in the face with what must of been at least half his mug of hot chocolate. The bit of hot chocolate she discovered dripping from the end of her braid as she resurfaced bore testament to the speed of the airborne beverage. Thankfully, her own mug and new best friend in a bottle had been spared!

The silence following the young man's outburst and Lysienne's delivery of the message loomed like an unwelcome boggart. "Well that's... sensible advice, I suppose..." Was the headmaster aware of their moon-touched shenanigans? Kahvi was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be. "...for anyone venturing out, that is," she added, hoping the headmaster was simply prone to dispensing small pearls of wisdom at random.

[OOC: Ahaha, I'm now picturing our sweet Lysienne moonlighting as a drug dealer, what with handing out addictive substances XD That's awesome!]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora's eyes widened with delight as she carefully set aside Kahvi's green and silver wrapping paper and opened the box to discover a beautiful orange orchid with gold cord and red beads. "Oh," she breathed, as she gently lifted it out of the box. "It's lovely! Thank you very much!" She wished she had a mirror, so she could immediately pin it in her hair, but instead she decided to put it away for now and wear it when there were less exciting things happening than a raid on the more secure wizarding prison.

She gratefully accepted the hot chocolate that Alison brewed, blowing on it cautiously as Lysienne handed out her presents. Ora took the small bottle of Somniparticeps, a potion she'd certainly never heard of, into her hands and looked it over. "Dream-sharing Potion," she whispered quietly, holding the bottle up to the light in the kitchen, giving its dark contents an experimental swirl. It glittered briefly before the thick liquid slowed and the sparkle died. "Right, addictive," Ora said, and put the bottle the down. Lysienne gave her a mock stern look. "No more than once every ten days," Ora assured her with a smile. "Thank you," she said earnestly, thankful that Lysienne had somehow known of the difficulty she was having this year in only having limited contact with Draco. "Thank you very much."

Ora once again wandered off in thought, still absent-mindedly blowing on her drink as she eyed the bottle her friend had just given her, wondering exactly what sort of dreams it would bring her when she tried it. The name "Professor Snape" caught her attention, and she barely snapped back into the conversation before Ron gave a shout. She ducked to the side instinctively, narrowly dodging Ron's chucked beverage as he started out of his chair.

There was a moment of stunned silence as everybody in the room digested Lysienne's message and Kahvi extricated herself from beneath the table. "Avoid Muggle establishments?" Ora looked to her friends, concern written on her face. Had Snape somehow found out what they were going to do? What did he mean by Muggle establishments? Wasn't anything a Muggle built technically a Muggle establishment? "Why did Professor Snape tell you...and what does he--"

"Oh! You're all here already!" As if sensing the kitchen had gotten too quiet for its own good, Mrs. Weasley came bustling in a rush, her cheeks flushed a little from excitement. "I'm so sorry the meeting went on a litle longer than planned. It's so nice of you girls to give a hand, we need all we can get." With a warm, welcoming smile, Molly Weasley embraced each girl in turn, even Lysienne and Kahvi, whom she'd never met before.

"Well," she said, putting her hands together once the greetings were over, "let's--" Molly paused and stared down at shoes where she had just stepped into a puddle of chocolate milk. She took one look at the puddle and one look at the empty mug, which Ron was still holding. "Ronald Weasley! Did you spill this all over the floor?" Mrs. Weasley barked. Ron flushed. "Well, you clean that up, right now! Really, not even cleaning up your own spill!" Hurried Ron dug around his pockets for wand as Molly smiled at the girls again without missing a beat. "Let's get you kids into the sitting room, so we can give you the briefing you need."

She shooed everyone into the sitting room, where some members of the Order Ora recognized were huddled together talking in low tones. Fred and George Weasley were lounging on one of the couches as if instead of planning a mission they were simply sitting around at a family gathering. The girls took their seats in mismatched chairs facing the Order, who had all suddenly stopped talking and were studying them closely. Ora swallowed nervously.

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

"All right, here's the plan," Mrs. Weasley said when all were assembled. "Arthur, go get the Portkeys while I tell them what's happening."

"Right, Molly," Mr. Weasley said and disappeared out of the room looking more than just a little harried.

Molly watched him go, shaking her head a little before getting down to business. "Okay. You girls are going to be doing some very important jobs for us tonight. Once we've gotten into Azkaban, we're going to need help getting our prisoners out. Some of them are Muggles, some of them are wizards who have been stripped of their wands. To get them to safety, we're going to need to Portkey all of them."

As if on cue, Mr. Weasley puffed back into the room holding four giant bags. He handed them, to his wife, and gave all the children a wink.

"These have your Portkeys," Molly instructed. "There are three in each bag. One of them will take you...somewhere. I can't tell you where this place is for safety reasons, but you will wait there. Two rescued groups are supposed to Portkey in to where you are at some point during the night. I can't tell when or how large those groups will be, but your job is to make sure the Portkeys stay safe and that one of them each gets to the rescued groups that will be stopping by your waystation, as it were. When you're finished, Apparate as close to the Burrow as you can. Also, if a fight breaks out, or you're attacked, grab these Portkeys and Apparate back.

So the mission tonight is wait, protect the Portkeys, and pass them on when the rescued groups appear. They should have little tags attached to them so you can tell them apart." Mrs. Weasley took one of the bags, and placed its three contents on the table.

"This," she said, holding up a cup with a blank tag on it, "will take you to your waystation." Then she held up an oversize burlap bag with a '1' tagged on it and a large handkerchief with a '2' tag. "These are the Portkeys you are to distribute. Good, any questions?"

Ora slowly raised her hand. "Um, what time are these Portkeys set to?"

"Aaaah, good question." Molly smiled, managing to look pleased. She leaned in secretively, speaking to the group in hushed tones. "So, one of our clever witches has created a new Portkey spell that allows them to be activated with a password, instead of at a certain time. This makes them safer to use in emergency situations like this. I don't think anybody else but us knows about this spell yet, so we'll have to keep it a secret between all of us. The password for your Portkeys are written on the back of the tag, in case the Order member ushering your group is incapacitated. Just touching the Portkey and saying the word, should be sufficient to activate it.

Any more questions?"

[OOC: Now heartswill has given me an excuse to share dreams with Draco. There will be logs of this, I assure you. XD Doling out addictive substances, indeed.

Anyways, so it seems that we'll be splitting in at least four Portkey groups that we know of. There'll be:
1) Ginny + Ron
2) Fred + George
3, 4) Alison, Ora, Lysienne, Kahvi

I figured it might be interesting to switch how we pair up this time around, since Ora is always hanging around with Alison and there's some precedence for Kahvi having met Lysienne first. I propose that Ora and Lysienne go together, and Alison and Kahvi go together, so our characters can get to know each other a bit more and chat while they're waiting at their assigned stations. Thoughts? :D Also, if I missed anything that Molly should've obviously told them (my brain is fried right now), feel free to insert it. :D]

[heartswill.livejournal.com]

Lysienne bit her lip, then blurted out, "Mrs. Weasley, I--um--I..." she immediately began stammering as all the eyes in the room turned to her.

"What is it, dear?" Molly asked. When Lysienne still hesitated, she said kindly, "It's okay to have second thoughts. Goodness knows I think you're all too young to be galvanizing around the countryside trying to--"

"No!" Lysienne interrupted her. "That's not it. I mean..."

"Snape said something to her about avoiding Muggle places, and she thinks he's trying to warn us," Ron said disgustedly, and despite his gruff tone, Lysienne mouthed a grateful thank you at him.

"Severus said that?" Remus Lupin stood and came forward as the room fell silent. "Muggle places--that's what he said?" His voice was as sharp as Lysienne had ever heard it.

"He said 'establishments.' 'Be sure to stay away from Muggle establishments. They can become overcrowded at this time of year.' That's what he told me," Lysienne said, as her friends gave her little nods of encouragement.

"Muggle places, Muggle establishments, what's the difference? He's a big fat git, is what Snape is, and a Death Eater to boot," Ron snarled.

"It's Order code, you berk," George supplied, looking as intrigued as if he were working on the next great Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. "It means--"

"George!" Molly exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, he's still a git and a Death Eater. Who's going to trust anything he says?" Ron said sullenly.

"Death Eater he may be, but even the fact that he knew enough to warn us cannot be dismissed out of hand. He would've been counting on that," Remus answered gravely. He looked around at the other Order members. "I think we'll need to take this into consideration. Sorry, all of you. Could you give us a few more minutes?"

Molly herded the girls and Ron out of the room and firmly closed the door. They looked at each other. "Sorry," Lysienne said in a small voice.


[OOC: Sorry I killed the meeting. XD

If you abuse that thing, my dear Ora, Lysienne will be very sad and Snape will kill her. She's just trying to be helpful because she knew you were pining for your beloved Draco. But something like that needs to come with a price, right? :D]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora bristled instinctively as Ron insulted Professor Snape, and was about to open her mouth to defend him, but stopped herself just in time. She did not miss the worry that suddenly deepened the lines of concern already written over Professor Lupin's face. She let Mrs. Weasley shoo her and the rest of her friends back into the kitchen where once more the door was shut to them again.

Ron looked moodier than ever, if that was even possible, and Ginny bit her lip as she stared at the door, arms folded in front of her, deep in thought.

"Sorry," Lysienne said in a small voice, breaking the silence.

Ora shook her head. She frowned, beginning to have second thoughts about the raid. "No, I'm glad you brought it up with the Order. I think Professor Snape meant you to deliver that message to them," she said thoughtfully, looking amongst her friends. "And I don't really like what I think that means."

[OOC: No problem. I think we get it, anyway. And this Snape issue does need to be addressed.

Hey, I never said that Ora would be the one abusing the Somniparticeps. :p Do you have a headcanon for how that potion is brewed and what the dosage is? If not, I'll just have to make it up myself.]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison hadn't even gotten to properly examine her Christmas presents - that healing potion would certainly come in handy, she'd told Lysienne gratefully, and she was still excited to try out her new Quidditch goggles - when not only had Ron sent his hot chocolate flying all over the kitchen, but the Order meeting appeared to have ended and Mrs. Weasley brought everyone over to be briefed.

Alison opted for sitting in the armchair nearest the couch, figuring that now was not the time to fling herself down between the twins - Mrs. Weasley had been watching all three of them like a hawk, and she did not want to get on the woman's bad side tonight. Things were tense enough as it was - though they actually didn't seem all that tense, it was almost the lack of tension that was more uncomfortable.

She listened carefully as Mrs. Weasley instructed them on their tasks and how to use the Portkeys - really, having password-activated Portkeys was a brilliant idea, Alison thought. It took care of many of the things she'd been worried about, like unforseen hitches or delays, which would undoubtedly happen no matter how well things were planned.

But the news of Professor Snape's warning was apparently too important for the Order to ignore, and the girls and Ron were once again herded out of the room. Alison tried to catch George's eye, mouthing, What is that supposed to mean? but all she got back was a grin, a shrug, and a mouthed, You'll find out soon enough. At least, that's what she thought he'd said.

Ron was even moodier now that his rather low opinion of Professor Snape had been disregarded, so the girls clustered together on the opposite side of the room, casting nervous glances amongst themselves. "If he knew enough to warn us, then that means the Death Eaters must know something too," Alison said nervously, glancing at Lysienne, wondering if her friend had noticed anything else about him. "What if they're waiting for the Order to show up at Azkaban or something?" She frowned, biting her lip. She did not want anyone to come back missing another body part. Or worse, not come back at all...

She sighed, trying to look at the bright side. "Well, at least we'll be out of most of the action. We're a lot safer than any of the rest of them, that's for sure. One missing ear is enough," she murmured - the less danger the better.

[OOC: I think the ideas for partner assignments (Ora and Lysienne and Alison and Kahvi) are just fine, more chances to interact among ourselves! :D And I think you covered most of the things we'd be doing, so we should be good to go once things are settled with Snape's warning. XD]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Nervously drying the end of her braid with a napkin, Kahvi watched as Mrs. Weasley swept into the room and, after making Ron clean up his spilled chocolate, ushered them into the living room. Mrs. Weasley's instructions were clear and concise, and the portkey enchantment alteration admittedly quite clever... Kahvi absently wondered if perhaps they might divulge the secret to the successful password system, but realized that as mere footsoldiers, they were unlikely to be given such information.

The people in that room were almost entirely people she didn't recognize, but her friends appeared to know at least some of them. All in all, they took Lysienne's message delivery well; the werewolf, or at least she assumed he was the famed werewolf teacher from his appearance, seemed to react more shrewdly than some of his comrades in spite of appearing to be under great duress. And at least Mrs. Weasley seemed to understand how ridiculous a task this seemed for such young folk, but it was clear that the Order needed helpers where they could find them.

In a daze of so much unfamiliarity, Kahvi let herself be led again into the kitchen, still clutching her almost-finished mug of hot chocolate and her new potion--definitely something she was planning to use before heading out tonight! A decidedly somber mood had descended upon those assembled following the announcement, and not knowing what else to do, she simply kept close to her friends.

"I suppose that being Order code does complicate things," she shrugged, nodding at Ora's and Alison's comments. "But why is he giving the Order a warning? It makes little sense to do so, unless they're just being cocky." It bothered her that the Headmaster knew his students were involved. Would there be repercussions upon their return to Hogwarts? Would there be political repercussions for her involvement? Kahvi tried not the think about the last question. "Even if the Death Eaters are prepared for us it's too late to change the portkeys, and that group didn't look like the type to cancel the plan."

[OOC: I'm fine with the assignments as well. Kind of curious, though--does Kahvi yet know that Ora is a martial artist (beyond mere suspicions, that is) or that Alison is seeing two (twin) guys at the same time? I keep forgetting to take either of that into account.]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

[OOC: I'm guessing Alison probably does mention the twins a lot... I don't know if she'd outright tell Kahvi she was dating them if she was just talking about herself (i.e., like an introduction sort of thing), but she wouldn't deny it or try to keep it from her, and if the other Snogs girls mentioned something Kahvi could certainly have asked. If you want it to have come up that's cool, otherwise I'm sure it could come up over the course of events in this log or shortly thereafter, so she doesn't have to be in the dark! I was thinking Alison might drag them into a corner for at least hugs before they go their separate ways in a bit, anyway.

I hope that was not totally unhelpful. XD;]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora folded her arms pensively. She glanced sidelong at Ginny, who finally spoke up.

"They've been planning this for a long time," she said in response to Kahvi, "so I don't think they're going to call it off just yet. But..." she trailed off into silence.

Ora bit her lip, considering the options. If the Order decided to abort the mission, they might be able to come up with something better if they spent more time to gather the intelligence. It would make sense, given that Professor Snape had just given them a signal that he, and certainly other Death Eaters, now knew what the Order of the Phoenix was up to. On the other hand, if they waited, it was likely that the Death Eaters would also have time to further reinforce their defenses and they'd miss a critical time to rescue the prisoners being held in Azkaban. It was a tough decision to make. Ora only hoped that whatever the outcome, it would result in minimal injury on the Order's side.

"Makes me wonder though," Ora mused quietly, "if we'll be safe with Professor Snape as headmaster when he knows we're working with the Order. Or maybe we're just students, so he doesn't think we'll be worth the trouble."

[OOC: I don't think anybody else in Slytherin House knows that Ora's a martial artist. It's up to you whether or not Kahvi knows certain things; it's your call. :D I can conceivably imagine all the girls telling Kahvi about themselves when they hang around the Chamber of Snogs, or maybe they're too busy talking about schoolwork and whole war thing to talk about themselves at all. So it's all up to you and what you think would make the character interaction more interesting. One for sure though--Kahvi knows that Ora has a boyfriend and that their relationship is currently under a lot of strain, but she doesn't know who exactly it is and why Ora's so worried about it all the time.]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

"I don't think so either," Alison said, in agreement with Ora. "They've been planning this too long to put it off." At least, she thought that was the case. But she didn't exactly condone going into a deathtrap either, so hopefully they would consider whatever Snape's message meant carefully.

Alison bit her lip. "I don't know... but really, what could he do to us?" They were just students after all - he wouldn't do anything to them while they were at school, would he? It was still difficult, dealing with all her mixed feelings about Professor Snape. He had been their head of house for six years, after all, and while Alison wouldn't say he was a pleasant man by any stretch of the imagination, he'd always been reasonably fair - even where Potter was involved, she'd thought. At least for the most part. But then only a few months ago he'd murdered Professor Dumbledore and hexed George's ear off and... She just didn't know what to think anymore.

"I suppose it couldn't get any worse than it is now," she murmured. "The Carrows are bad enough, I don't think Professor Snape could do much on top of that." At least, she hoped not. To take her mind off of their headmaster's questionable loyalties, she began gathering up the hot chocolate mugs and taking them to the sink to be cleaned, glancing over her shoulder towards the door, wondering what was going on just past it. It was too bad she didn't have any Extendable Ears left. She'd have to get some from the twins before the term started back up.

[heartswill.livejournal.com]

A taut, laden silence stretched into the room as Alison went into the kitchen with their mugs. Worse than what was happening at Hogwarts now? What could be worse? Lysienne didn't want to imagine the possibilities. She got up and began pacing, noting absently that she'd been doing that a lot lately. A habit learned from Syrien? He'd joked once that he was the most inefficient traveler he knew, since he could walk miles in a day and not get anywhere. She wished almost desperately that he was here with them now; he would certainly be able to untangle this mess as she could not.

But he wasn't, and would not have been able to help even if he were, so. They would have to be enough to deal with whatever lay ahead.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Professor Snape knew a lot more about what's going on in Hogwarts than we think... And...I almost want to trust him," she whispered out loud. He had been the Head of House for Ora and Alison, and from what they had said in the past, had always treated them fairly. And he had turned a blind eye on her illicit potions-making... But then she remembered Headmaster Dumblebore and the Sword, and...her throat tightened as Ron whirled on her and exploded.

"Trust that good-for-nothing sod?!" he shouted.

Lysienne clenched her fists. "Then why would he warn us?"

"You really think he's warning us?" Ron mocked. "Maybe's he's just having a laugh at our expense."

"But by your logic the Death Eaters know whatever he knows," Kahvi pointed out.

"Yeah, so he's taunting us, telling us they're going to beat us even if we know that they know, and still laughing at us."

"And risk the Dark Lord's wrath for something that petty?"

"If you haven't noticed, pettiness is his trademark. And why the hell is a Gryffindor defending that slimy git, anyway? Slytherins I can understand, but a Gryffindor?"

"Hey, what do Houses have to do with anything?" Ora flared. "If you haven't noticed, we have all four Houses here tonight!"

"A lot of good that'll do us, if this thing never gets off the ground because of Snape," Ron sneered, and went off by himself to sulk.

Lysienne dropped her head into her heads. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry..."

"Nevermind, don't worry about it," Kahvi reassured her. "Instead of going around in circles, why don't we lay out what we know and see if we can figure out what it means for us?"

[OOC:
Sorry for putting a few words into your mouths, hope you don't mind! ^^;;

Ora, feel free to describe the Somniparticeps however you want. ^_^
]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Actually, we don't have all four houses, do we? No Hufflepuff because Leah couldn't make it?]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Kahvi sighed, not entirely sure what to think of the angry young man. On the one hand, he was being extremely annoying and hurting the group's morale, but on the other hand he was (sort-of) their host and was obviously very deeply agitated over his friends unknown status. It seemed best to ignore him at this point.

"So if the Death Eaters know we're coming, what does that mean? We have Death Eaters and Dementors around--but we were expecting this even if they hadn't known, so it's a matter of numbers. It's nothing to get too riled up about as long as we keep their numbers separated and stick together ourselves."

"What I'd really like to know, though, is why the Headmaster knows Order Code."

Kahvi pulled out her wand and doodled the message in the air in shiny black lettering and gazed at it thoughtfully. "Do we have any idea what that means? Maybe some sort of anagram? Azkaban isn't near any Muggle establishments I'm not familiar with, is it? I am admittedly unfamiliar with the terrain..."

[OOC: Hopefully this isn't derailing the conversation from where you may or may not have wanted to take it, Lysienne ^^;; I just wasn't sure what we'd be able to plan out in advance given that we don't yet know our locations...]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora chewed her lip with concern as she watched Kahvi draw the letters of Snape's message in the air. They floated there as the five girls and Ron stared at it.

"I'm not sure it matters what the code really means," Ora said finally. She glanced at her friends, and Ginny cocked her head curiously. Ron tried not to look like he was listening by staring sourly off into a corner, but he was too still not to be eavesdropping. "What matters is that Professor Snape knows that something's going to happen tonight, and who's involved," she said, glancing at Lysienne who once again managed to look apologetic. "The 'who' isn't what worries me. We all, except you, Kahvi, got caught as part of Dumbledore's Army in fifth year, and Snape didn't do a thing to us then." Ora shrugged. "It seems pretty obvious that everyone knows, or at least suspects, who the Order's friends are. Nobody's made a move against us students yet."

Ora frowned, still deep in thought. It was true--while Professor Snape had not been the one to oversee their detentions in fifth year--all the teachers at school had known who the members of the DA were. The very fact that Snape hadn't done anything to curtail their freedoms or bring them into questioning without good cause was a sign that he was willing to forgive their previous transgressions.

"What I'm afraid of is that the Death Eaters actually know what's happening," Ora said, her voice low. "Somebody could have leaked it." Somebody? Who? Ora swallowed, thinking of one possibility. She had, after all, asked Draco if he knew anything of Azkaban's defenses not so long ago. Had he been caught in the act of passing information? Ora pushed down the sick feeling in the stomach, determined not to think or imagine what sort of punishments the Dark Lord reserved for traitors amongst his own servants.

Ora caught Alison's gaze, and Alison's expression softened into one of sympathy. Ora was just about to reassure her friend that she was sure everything was all right when once again the door opened and Mrs. Weasley came through, her previously cheerful manner replaced by one more grim. She motioned them into the sitting room, and everyone followed silently. The Order members, conversing with each other in hushed tones, stopped when they filed in and awkwardly look seats on the couches.

Mrs. Weasley looked uncertainly at Lupin, who addressed the children. "As you may have already guessed, we have voted to continue the rescue." He paused, letting the weight of the statement sink in. "But the stakes have been raised. We believe the Death Eaters will be expecting us--we believe there will be a trap for us at Azkaban. It is unlikely, however, that they know of the details of our plan, so we may still succeed with minimal loss of life.

"Since the mission has suddenly become just that more dangerous, if any of you are unwilling to watch the Portkeys, you may leave right now."

Ora glanced at her friends. She met Ron's stare, and bristled, annoyed at the way at which he was narrowing his eyes as if daring her to withdraw from the rescue. She glared right back at him and stayed silent.

"Good," Professor Lupin said after a long moment. "Be ready in fifteen minutes."

Then he stepped aside and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stepped in to hand the group their bags of Portkeys. Ora took one of them and glanced at Kahvi, who was sitting next to her. "This'll be interesting," she said with a nervous smile, not feeling very reassured of her own safety despite not directly partaking in the rescue.

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Just as she began to open her mouth to object to the idea of a mere leak, Mrs. Weasley returned. Kahvi dissolved the letters with a wave of her wand as they were herded away again into the living room.

Ora was right about one thing--for them, it didn't much matter what the code had meant. But it could mean something that the Headmaster was able to warn the Order in their own code. Had he broken it? Or was there a double agent afoot who'd translated all the codes for the Death Eaters? or had he simply tried to spook them by parroting a code he'd heard and understood was a warning of some sort, without truly knowing the meaning itself? A clever ruse? If he did understand, what else did the Death Eaters know? Because if the code was compromised, that could mean some very bad things for the Order's near future.

And what was that look she gave Alison? Perhaps, having been part of Dumbledore's Army, they knew something she didn't. Or perhaps it was something from within Slytherin House. From the worried look on Ora's face, it was probably best if she did not ask. At least for now...

The Order's verdict was unsurprising, as was the silence from the room as the presumed werewolf professor offered them an out. The room was thick with resolution; foolhardy, but admirable. Her mind, admittedly, was still somewhat preoccupied with why the Headmaster knew Order code until Ora's comment snapped her out of it.

"That's one way to put it..." she stood as she spoke. They were being divided, which meant at most she would be able to keep an eye on one of her three friends--this was not comforting at all. But there was little time left for worry, and now was the time to put up a calm front, if only to help soothe her increasingly agitated friends. "Well, at least with the Fire and Ice potion I won't have to be running around with my big coat on," she shot a grateful smile at Lysienne and adjusted the considerably thinner inner coat she had kept on over her sweater. "Honestly, I don't know how anyone can move with so many layers on..." There was a glimpse of a strap around her left thigh with a row of brown-tinted throwing knives before she pulled down and straightened the end of her long, form-fitting second coat.

[OOC: Sorry, I like making things up that probably have no business in the HP world ^^;; Do let me know if I'm going over-board with all the made-up stuff...

The row of throwing knives are "mage slayers," which are throwing knives made of low grade (as in, not pretty enough for jewelry) jade, a naturally magic-resistant material. The idea is that they can't be deflected by magic when thrown and need to be pulled out manually before the inflicted wound can be healed. In my head, these were typically used by witch hunters as an anti-magic weapon in olden times, although since they are made of jade, they'd obviously not have been used as much in Europe. However, given their history of witch-hunter association, those that know them tend to view them as 'the enemy's weapons.'

The majority of mage slayers are also inscribed with wards, most popularly a cast-stop or magic-resist ward, either of which will completely stop or at least severely hinder casting by anyone in contact with the knives. The downside of the engraved knives is that the wearer is inflicted with the same issue until they have used up all of their throwing knives. This is obviously not an issue for a Muggle hunting witches and levels the playing field quite a bit. For those versed in ancient runes and wards, Kahvi's knives are inscribed with pain amplification.]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison caught Ora looking to her, and gave her a small smile. She thought Draco could be a right slimy git, but she didn't think Ora's trust in him was necessarily misplaced. From what she'd heard, he was miserable where he was, and if Ora trusted him, that would be enough for her.

"Even if they don't have the element of surprise, the Order isn't stupid. They know how to handle themselves. They'll be prepared," Alison said, sure that she was right. They had to have considered the possibility that the Death Eaters had anticipated their attack, right? Even if they hadn't anticipated this specific attack, the Death Eaters (unfortunately) weren't stupid, either. So it seemed that things hadn't changed much, in the end, though she still would've preferred the Death Eaters be more unprepared as opposed to less.

Just then, the door opened and the adults came back in, informing them that the mission was still on. Alison wasn't very thrilled when Lupin mentioned "minimal loss of life," and she certainly hoped no one would lose their life tonight. Well, no one on their side, at least...

But she wasn't going to back out now, and neither was anyone else. They took the profferred bags of portkeys, glancing at each other as the adults resumed talking, most of them getting up and shuffling about to check on supplies or equipment, or perhaps just to go over the plan with their mates one last time.

Alison smiled a little as Kahvi complained about layers of clothing hindering her movement, adjusting the thin coat she was already wearing. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw... were those throwing knives? Her eyebrows shot up, but before she could ask, a hand fell on her shoulder. Glancing up, she saw Fred and George standing behind her, looking over her head at the rest of their group.

"Mum said to go ahead and pair off among yourselves," Fred said, giving her shoulder a squeeze as he spoke. "George and I are one pair - "

Immediately Ron's hand shot out and grabbed his sister's elbow. "I'm going with Ginny," he said, as though daring anyone to argue. Alison sighed. Could be possibly be any less obvious about not really liking any of them? She rolled her eyes, but fine. Let him go with Ginny; she could keep an eye on him, she was sure. And that way none of her friends - or, Merlin forbid, herself - would have to.

"Fine, Ron and Ginny, then," Fred said, exchanging a bemused glance with his brother. They looked over at the four girls.

"I'll go with Kahvi," Alison said, glancing over. Normally she would've picked to go with Ora, but... She knew Ora could fight well if it came down to hand-to-hand; Alison had spend enough time in Quidditch brawls that she was pretty confident in her own skills as well. She knew Lysienne was excellent at magic, but she wasn't sure how well off she'd be if it came down to physical combat; she wasn't sure about Kahvi either, though the girl seemed to be full of surprises, sometimes. She thought it might be best to pair up to put the two people she was sure of each with the two she wasn't. "If that's okay," she added, glancing at her friends.



[OOC: Well, Alison will certainly be asking Kahvi about her knives when they're alone guarding the portkeys~ woo, stuff to talk about!

Also, I didn't want to assume, but I figured we should break into groups and get ready to go? :D; (The twins wanted some screentime, sorry. ^^;) I didn't think we'd ever said anywhere in the log who'd go with who. If I somehow missed it though, I'll fix the comment!

Are there specific locations anyone had in mind for their characters to go? I know that we decided houses for sale, warehouses, etc., and I was thinking all the girls would probably go to houses, since it's safer, but someone else can decide that, I have no preference~]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

[OOC: And Ora's definitely going to be asking about what Lysienne's been up to all winter holiday because her message from Professor Snape implies that she's been staying at Hogwarts all holiday, which she failed to inform the rest of the girls. X3

So yeah, ready to go! :D I vote for the fact that Ora and Lysienne either end up nestled in a nice, cozy, but empty house for sale or the basement of some warehouse. XD

Also, did we want to do our pairing off RPs in separate threads and meet back here again, or did we want to them all here? :D]