#homenumplot

A DEADLY LIST.

On March 21, 1982, the shops and street of Diagon Alley was left in flames and rubble by a DEATH EATER attack. Suddenly, and only in tragic (and in the case of Florean Fortescue, fatal) retrospect, the import of the map and list of dates that had been found by Artem Tremblay, Maurice Creevey, and Amos Diggory in the Rosier Estate during the Order’s ill-fated mission there the month before, became clear.

The Order was not going to let themselves be caught flat-footed again.

The next date on the list was APRIL 19 and since they didn’t have enough information to ascertain which location would be targeted, they sent people to guard all of them. When the Death Eaters came, the Order was ready.

Voldemort’s people were not expecting to have the tables turned on them. When their planned assault GRINGOTTS turned into a ambush with the ORDER OF THE PHOENIX already there, braced for a fight, panic and confusion resulted in a rout.

AN ATTACK REBUFFED.

The Death Eaters fled...for the most part. VINCENT GOYLE,  ALECTO CARROW, and BRIGHTON GREENGRASS did not.

Goyle died at EMMA VANITY’s wand (a bit of a surprise all around, since no one in the Order had suspect him to be one of the faces under those silver masks, nor was Emma particularly known for her martial prowess). Carrow and Greengrass were exposed and arrested by the “timely” arrival of Aurors ALICE and FRANK LONGBOTTOM (members of the Order themselves, although they neglected to include that information in their write-up of the event, saying instead that they had been “coincidentally” in the area when they noticed the disturbance and rushed to the scene - when in reality, they had been summoned from their own assigned posts by the patronus of AMELIA BONES).

Greengrass had too much influence with the Ministry of Magic (and too much gold in the family coffers) to get anything but a slap on the wrist after insisting that he’d been Imperiused by an “unknown Death Eater” into assisting with the attack - but Carrow was not so lucky (or privileged) and was carted-off to Azkaban.

It wasn’t the paradigm-shifting mass defeat that some among the Order had hoped for - but three down wasn’t bad for a day’s work, either, especially with no corresponding losses on the Order’s side.

Not even CARADOC DEARBORN could find fault with the results, although BRANWEN YAXLEY did earn herself some suspicious looks when she turned-up after the fight with blood on her hands and no explanations...

But it was a victory. And that was what mattered.

AN ORDER REKINDLED.

After the grim losses so recently suffered, a win was a welcome change for the Order. Spirits were revitalized and new plans were implemented. The radio broadcasts went on again; the refugees continued to be shuttled to safety; their research into the orb and necklace they’d confiscated and the dead bodies they’d uncovered proceeded apace. For the first time in years, it felt as though maybe they were actually winning...

The party was over -- ended in death and disaster, rather than the laughter and dancing that Nessie had hoped for, but for once Ainsley wasn’t thinking about her sister's certain disappointment; her eyes couldn't seem to blink away the sight of James Potter's lifeless face, ash-blonde hair slowly shrinking back to black and cold gray eyes turning brown and vibrant only to fade to a lifeless mirror as bleak as a window’s broken glass. She hadn’t even seen it, but she still couldn’t erase the image from her mind...

Why had she come back? Ainsley felt like the Rosier’s estate herself: battered, broken, strewn with debris. House-elves already scurried around the wreckage, putting things to right, repairing the damage -- repairing most of it, anyway; some old and priceless treasures could never be fixed, like friendship...like James. No house-elf had the sort of magic that could fix him -- or herself. Why had she come back? Ainsley should have taken Nessie and kept running, could have left without ever knowing the extent of the damage, but her sister had insisted on returning to make sure that Jayesh was okay. Why had AInsley listened? She should have known that there would be nothing good to find here.

There was laughter and smiles in the ruined party’s aftermath, though, albeit no dancing; and most of those smiles were hidden behind cold silver masks. The chatter of their voices passed over Ainsley like jawing crows: hints of fragmentary words but no sense, no substance or sentences. She could feel strange hands clap her shoulder, strange laughs grate across her ears, strange voices praise her name…

"Didn't think you'd have it in you, Abbott!"

"Should have know better than to underestimate Vanessa's sister, eh?"

"Never thought you'd actually make the cut, but not an ounce of hesitation in you, is there? Bravo!"

"Admit I had my doubts you'd be any use, but you've proved me wrong…"

"Don't think I've seen a more impressive initiation since Bellatrix herself and those three mudbloods!"

"Pleasure to have you with us, Abbott…"

"She got Potter, on her first day? Yes, you'll be moving up the ranks fast…"

"Ranks?" Ainsley murmured, confused. She shook her head to try and clear it; it didn't help.

"Well, it is a bit quick for an induction, I admit," said a masked man who sounded eerily like one of Ainsley's favorite correspondents on archaic magicks, "but after your performance tonight I wouldn't be surprised if He decides to go ahead with it. You've impressed all the right people, my dear."

"B-but I'm not...that isn't wh-what…"

"He's come himself, you know. Wants to meet you. A great honor, for a fresh recruit especially. But we've wanted Potter's head for quite a while. Yes, He is most impressed. I wouldn't be surprised if He decides you've earned your Mark already."

"He?" Ainsley asked, although she had a sinking feeling it wasn't a question -- and then the door opened and a figure cloaked in black swept in, Bellatrix Lestrange -- the real Bellatrix Lestrange -- unmasked, on his heels. Ainsley opened her mouth to speak again, to protest--

But then the newcomer threw his hood back, revealing a gaunt face that might have once been handsome but was now sepulchral, the waxy skin stretched tight across sharp cheekbones and a razorblade nose, teeth bared in something that might have been a smile and might have been something preparatory to a bite -- and eyes, red eyes, cat-slitted and burning like a blood moon in that pale face.

Those eyes locked on Ainsley's and the rest of the room seemed to fall away. She felt like she was standing in a mist, oddly lethargic and hollow, although her mind was racing -- memories poured out across her numb senses: Nessie, laughing and young; Edgar, even younger, up in Ravenclaw Tower, ink on his nose; Amelia's lips, soft and warm, the beads of her yellow dress caressing Ainsley's fingers like hot coals; Nessie's tears over Jayesh, the plan they devised: the bribe of the clerk at the Ministry, the fake family tree; Dumbledore and Caradoc, the Order; her first battle; her first kill, whose name she'd never learned beneath that silver mask; the bleeding curse that had killed Peggy while Ainsley failed at every cure she tried to cast; the iron fence that had almost bisected Marlene; the false Orb that had nearly stymied her and Gideon both; the party, the fancy robes.. the silver masks, with their awful offer...Nessie, crumpling around a spell; Leina Nott, dead in her home; Lucius's face fading back to James, the heat of Ainsley’s Curse still warm on her frozen hands…

And somewhere, someone was laughing, high and cold and cruel. "Yes," a voice said, "oh yes, what a delight this is… Yes, do it!"

Clammy fingers closed on Ainsley's wrist, pushed her too-beautiful robes roughly aside -- a wand closed in, but she couldn't look away from that blood-red gaze -- and then there was pain, and fire curling across her skin, and a scream that she realized only later was her own…

THE SOUL OF LORD VOLDEMORT.

Lord Voldemort thought himself safe. That was why he chose now to abandon his campaign of subtlety and secrecy in favor of open war. He had finally forged his sixth and final Horcrux, so what could the Ministry of Magic hope to do to him? What could the Order of the Phoenix do? He was immortal - or so he thought.

But Lord Voldemort underestimated people. Surely, no one but he was clever enough to discover the existence of his Horcruxes! He did not anticipate the cleverness of others. He did not anticipate Regulus Black. He believed the boy to be dead, after all. A coward in his own destruction - someone who could not handle the power of Lord Voldemort. 

As it turned out, the Horcrux that Regulus had found was only one piece of the puzzle. What he needed to discover was how to find the others. It wasn’t until Sirius Black mentioned the orb and how the dark object was able to kill 100 Muggles in a single night that Regulus realized there might be more than one way - perhaps the Horcruxes could be destroyed without even finding them at all.

He waited; listening in on conversations, learning about the orb, reading about the attack. And, when the battle broke out at the Ministry of Magic, he knew it would be his chance. Regulus moved to the House of Bones and found the orb and activated it using the magic that the Dark Lord himself had taught him. 

Instead of setting its sights on Muggles, however, he selected the target as bits of Voldemort’s soul. He used the locket he had retrieved from the cave that nearly killed him as a focus, and tuned the orb to seek-out the rest. When Regulus triggered the spell, it destroyed the Horcruxes in their locations all over the Wizarding World - and the seventh and final piece as well, the one still residing in the Dark Lord himself.

Those at the Ministry who were brave or unfortunate enough to be in the presence of Lord Voldemort as he unleashed his destructive powers in the battle watched as the final piece disintegrated, though no one there could tell how.

At the same time, wix across Britain felt themselves change. As though a piece of them had suddenly... left. Their bodies, their minds, their soul altered forever. Soon, it would be discovered that Regulus’ ploy with the orb did its trick, but with a nasty consequence.

Those who had been touched by Voldemort’s magic were affected, too. A piece of them was taken from this world as the final piece of him died. Not just his Death Eaters, who were wracked with agony as their Dark Marks burned icy-hot against their skin and deep into their bones, but all those who had ever fallen victim to his dark magicks.

They would survive - the soul could be split into seven, after all; Voldemort had proved that much, even if it had ultimately been his downfall. Losing a single piece was far from fatal. But a body without a piece of its soul... is that worth the life left over?

DETAILS.

The battle is over. The war has been won. 

Those who have had their character face-to-face with Lord Voldemort (either during the game or prior to it starting) would have had a piece of their soul sucked from their body and obliterated. How would this affect them?

This remaining portion of the event will last only two weeks in real time. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER.

Have your characters finish up any final battles they’re a part of - just because Voldemort is dead does not mean all Death Eaters will give up! It will take time for word of his demise to travel.

Characters might think to gather back at the House of Bones.

DARK MARKS AND FLAME.

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.

Tuning In...

Most of the Order doesn’t take Maurice Creevey’s little wireless hobby seriously -- or wouldn’t, if they knew enough about it to have an opinion. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. And after a recent bout of brainstorming with Dedalus Diggle, it’s become something rather more than just one outraged wizard shouting into the void and hoping there is someone to hear; now, it’s a recruiting tool for the Order of the Phoenix.

Using a combination of esoteric magic and Muggle world-based cultural references, the broadcast drops hints to people who know how to listen -- to the people who need to hear it.  Dedalus hopes to eventually incorporate more spellwork to help the broadcast target right-minded folk, but even as-is it’s already doing its part: Madaléina Warren is the first (but not, Maurice hopes, the last) success story, having found her way to the Order through the cultural clues in one night’s broadcast.

In order to streamline the process of contacting recruits, Maurice wants to set-up a phone line to be run by various Order members (those who know how to use a phone, such as fellow Muggleborns like Lily Evans) that listeners can call when they’ve solved enough of the clues to understand what they’re calling, and what they’re offering.

Upcoming plans also include a radio drama -- scripted by Mundungus Fletcher, who thinks he might have finally found himself a suitable stage for his talents -- to be acted-out by any members of the Order with suitable talent...or at least a willingness to participate.

THE WAR RAGES ON...

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. 

THE HOUSE OF BONES...

The Potter Estate is no longer safe. This is something that members of the Order have known since the death of James Potter. He was the location’s Secret Keeper, after all, which means that now, so is everyone else who knew the secret. 

The Inner Circle begins to concoct a plan, spearheaded by Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn. They need to find a new headquarters - transition the Potter Estate from the main location into a backup, emergency safehouse instead.

Edgar does not like the idea, but he presents an option... The House of Bones. This estate dates far back into the Bones family’s history and was once famous for  protecting the people inside. Now, however, the house has changed. 

Over the years, it has become Cursed. 

It has a mind of its own and, with Edgar not being the official heir, it refuses to listen to him. But what of other options? The Inner Circle discusses, but comes up with nothing. The House of Bones may not be the most welcoming place, but the Potter Estate will surely lead to more death. 

By March 6th, the Order has officially begun their transition to their new headquarters, but they are not greeted with the same loving environment they are used to. Long gone is the warmth of the fire, the chatter of Gillie, the beds that felt like anyone could belong in them. It’s all been replaced with a dark, gloomy, soul-sucking place where death almost feels inevitable. 

In the House of Bones, there is no resting their heads for the night. The togetherness that the Potter Estate had brought has been replaced by an urgency for the end of the war. Their new “home” feels like a threat and the whispers of James’ name mix with that of Ainsley Abbott. Revenge? Perhaps. Obsession? Maybe. Loneliness is certain. 

...AND OTHER SPOOKY THINGS.

Thing to note:

Edgar has been entrusted as the house’s Secret Keeper, given he knows how to ward it. Whether or not he decides to keep that responsibility or transfer it on is up to him.

The house is connected to the Floo Network.

The house itself is very large and surrounded by forest; it is located atop a hill and close to a chilly sea.

The Potter Estate may still be used for threads, but the main headquarters has officially been transitioned to the House of Bones. The Potter Estate can be considered one of many rarely-used safe houses.

AN INTERROGATION.

While the initial meeting between Sirius Black and his brother, Regulus Black, doesn’t go quite as planned, the Order members who went with Sirius as back-up are impressed that the siblings don’t kill one another. Especially given Sirius’ current state. 

Once Regulus is detained and has convinced his brother of the Dark Lord’s near-immortality, Mary Macdonald and Sirius bring him back to the Potter Estate in the early hours of February 22nd, where the Inner Circle is waiting for them. 

Regulus is bound by invisible rope at the wrists for security purposes and Sirius sits on the edge of the room, watching the Inner Circle work, listening for any inconsistencies in his brother’s story. There may be the occasional quip or scoff, but mostly, it’s rather tame behavior from the older Black sibling.

The process of interrogation they utilize is one they’ve done many times before:

Alice Longbottom begins the interrogation, using her Auror skills to ask the questions in the lawful way. After, Mary enters with her own line of questioning, a bit more brutal - a bit less legal.

Typically, the interviewee is sweating by this point, unsure of what has been admitted. It’s at this juncture that Caradoc Dearborn rummages through the brain, pulling up any memories that shake the interviewee emotionally. In the end, Edgar Bones only needs to step forward and look at them with a smile until they break for good.

This same process is used on Regulus (though, without the buffer of James Potter between Mary and Caradoc, the Inner Circle might need to find another member to promote or else change their tactics) and it works fairly well. Regulus doesn’t worry nearly as much as the typical interviewee - having lied to Voldemort himself in the past - but the information given is vital.

His story stays the same throughout all questioning. He tells them of the Dark Lord’s Horcruxes and how he assumes there might be six, though that can’t be confirmed. Regulus tells the Inner Circle that he is carrying one now, but refuses to admit to the location on his person without his hands unbound - this information is found by Caradoc’s searching of his brain, anyway, and they locate the necklace in an inner pocket. The necklace is taken into custody by the Inner Circle for a thorough searching, which will likely be done by Gideon Prewett (perhaps with the help of Andromeda Tonks, though her name is not brought up with Regulus in the room) at a later date, much to Regulus’ dismay. He is promised that he will be kept in the conversation about the Horcrux. 

Regulus verbalizes his fear of the Wizarding World ending - explains he saw it in the cards and that Voldemort’s reign must stop or there will be nothing left. The Inner Circle takes this concern as less of a threat, but also understands that the Horcruxes will be the only way to end the war. 

During his search of Regulus’ mind, Caradoc also sees visions of erratic magic and dead bodies. This sparks the discussion of how Regulus came to find the necklace, along with his near-death among the bodies in the lake. He admits to his magic having been off since that experience, but refuses to state what he means in more detail. Given that the Inner Circle is not yet aware of the bodies that were discovered by Branwen Yaxley and Fabian Prewett, they do not know what to make of Regulus’ claim. The word inferi is not yet uttered and no knowledge of this dark magic has yet been identified.