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002. St. Mungo’s Remembrance Ball

“Mungo’s Remembrance ball was surely a night to remember, though one mother may want to forget!” “Ministry security appallingly lax at this month’s second event celebrating the end of the war.” “For an event celebrating peace, the end was sure anything but peaceful!” “Sources say that Liza Nott, daughter of hostess Elizabeth Nott and convicted Death Eater Stephen Nott, was attacked in her sleep. The Ministry still has no leads as to who it was that attacked the four-year-old.”

Unlike the first celebratory event this month hosted by the Ministry, the St. Mungo’s remembrance ball did not go off without a hitch. The party was very well done and highly attended and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves until a commotion from the upstairs of the Nott Estate was heard, and news spread fast. Liza Nott, four year old daughter of hostess Elizabeth Nott, had been attacked in her sleep! 

Chaos ensued, and the event wrapped up quickly afterwards, and those witches and wizards who were present at the ball or heard of the events of the night can’t help but wonder just what sort of monster would attack an innocent child in her sleep?

The mission of the Order to discover information was unsuccessful. Minerva McGonagall and Sirius Black were interrupted in their search by the commotion, and had to quickly hurry to blend back into the crowd before they were caught and before they could find anything.

It was Alastor Moody who attacked the young girl after she caught him by surprise, but he had just enough time to modify her memory so that he wouldn’t be implicated in any way.

The Aurors in attendance were tasked with investigating, and Kingsley Shacklebolt and Marlene McKinnon took the lead, questioning the little girl under the watchful eye of her furious mother. 

Alice Longbottom was heard protesting this attack on her family. It seems that the bonds of the Rosier family go deeper than we might have thought?

Remus Lupin didn’t seem as surprised at this turn of events as the others around him, but then, Mr. Lupin is known for being a half-glass-empty kind of person, so maybe that’s not that much of a shock.

Poppy Pomfrey offered her services to check over the little girl, and it was announced that she was going to be just fine, to the relief of her mother.

The events of the ball continued to be the talk of the town for weeks to come, and people couldn’t help but be a little more hesitant about the final event at the end of the month. What if this wasn’t just a one-time thing, but a sign of the times to come? Could the rumors about Death Eaters rising be true? And if so, why would one of them attack the daughter of a convicted Death Eater?

Wohoo, our second event is officially over! Feel free to continue threads from the event, and until Saturday, you can even start new threads having to do with the plot drop, but you are now able to go past the event in game time! In game, the date range is now October 19-October 30 1986. Again, you can do any time frame before October 30, but don’t stray past that date for now.

Sneak peek -- our next event, taking place on October 31, is the end of the month’s celebrations, culminating in a day of remembrance at Hogsmeade. Characters would know that the event is coming up, and more details to come from the admin team in time!

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Due to inactivity, the role of Molly Weasley has been reopened. Please unfollow the blog below:

@mollswobblxs

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A PLAN GONE WRONG

The plan of the Order of the Phoenix to infiltrate the Nott manor and try to discover if the Death Eaters are indeed once on the move was underway. Minerva McGonagall and Sirius Black searched the downstairs, stumbling into what looked like an office. 

Marlene McKinnon, Alastor Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt went upstairs to search and found their way to the bedroom of Elizabeth Nott, where they began to snoop around for any information that they could find. Little did they know that little Liza Nott, the almost five-year-old daughter of Elizabeth, was asleep in her mother’s bed. Awoken by the arrival of three unfamiliar wizards in her mother’s room, Liza called out, startling Alastor, who is well known by now for his fast reflexes as an auror. He casts the Impedeminta curse, which throws the little girl into the headboard of the bed she is in. She screams.

Marlene, Alastor, and Kingsley barely have time to place a memory charm on the little girl so that she can’t rat them out before Liza’s screams attract the attention of one of the house elves, who quickly summons Elizabeth.

The party is thrown into chaos. The hostess’ four year old daughter has been attacked in her bed, and people are worried. Some begin to depart from the party, while others stay behind to watch the drama unfold. The Aurors in attendance at the party are called upon to investigate, and Marlene McKinnon and Kingsley Shacklebolt volunteer to question little Liza. 

OOC Details

tomorrow, there will be a wrap up post officially ending the event, but feel free to begin new threads surrounding this plot drop.

even if your character wasn’t specifically mentioned, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a part of the action in some way. Does anyone see Marlene, Alastor, and Kingsley sneaking back downstairs after the girl was attacked? Does anyone stumble across Minerva and Sirius as they are searching Elizabeth’s office?

maybe your character wants to take things into their own hands and find out what really happened. maybe your character is terrified at the thought of an attack happening at a ministry event. It might remind a lot of people of the time when voldemort was in power. many witches and wizards are sure to be spooked by this turn of events. 

as always, reach out if you have any questions!

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Rita Skeeter

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Due to personal reasons, the role of Sirius Black has been reopened. Please unfollow the blog below:

@caniicula

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The following player(s) have not met activity requirements this week and have 48 hours to post a para-length thread or their roles will be reopened:

Lucius Malfoy –– @purestpeacock

Molly Weasley –– @mollswobblxs

Sophia Burke –– @sophiaburke

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Congrats, RACHIE, you have been accepted to AL for the role of RITA SKEETER (FC: Claire Holt). RACHIEEEEEE -- you queen! So excited you’re picking up a second character, and even more excited that it’s Rita!! I know we’re all pUMPED to have her on the dash, and to see your portrayal of her. EEEPE YESSS. Please send in your blog (no sideblogs for first characters, please) in the next 24 hours and be sure to take a look at our new player checklist. Welcome home (once again), we’re so excited to have you join the family!

OOC

name — Rachieee age — 28 pronouns — she/her timezone — GMT (England yo) activity level — Uhh 7/8. Im on most daaays! triggers — Nope any questions? — I also play Alice if you hadn’t worked that out XD

IC Overview

name — Rita Skeeter faceclaim — Claire Holt, Caity Lotz, Emily Bett Rickards age — 25 gender — Cis- Female sexuality — Bisexual. Rita would probably never truly admit this, or at least not publicly. patronus — Cheetah boggart — Herself failing to achieve her dreams

IC In Depth

personality traits — 

• Manipulative - Rita is seriously manipulative. She will come across as friendly but really just wants to know people’s secrets. Then she stores them in her amazing memory to be used in the future. She really uses her manipulative nature to keep people loyal to her, otherwise she will publish their secrets to the world

• Selfish ¬– Rita is very selfish. She has a lot of knowledge, especially about the Dark Lords return that could be especially useful to the ministry, but she is currently keeping it to herself. She wants to be on the winning side, and she knows this information is valuable. She is selfish, wanting to protect herself, so she is keeping this valuable information quiet, until she can work out how it will benefit her in the most

• Loyal – To a small chosen few Rita can be very loyal. These people mostly have to prove themselves useful to her, but Rita can love deeply, and will always be loyal to these people. They are small in number, but are precious to Rita

• Hard Working – Rita was always hard working. She loves a good social life, but she also worked hard to get where she was in the Daily Prophet. She was determined to get to be where she was, and wasn’t going to let anyone get in her way.

character biography

• Rita was born to a family that weren’t really that important. They are half blood, and weren’t really that important socially. Rita is the youngest of four siblings, and she’s the only girl. Her parents weren’t too focused on her, but she got by. • At Hogwarts Rita was sorted into Slytherin. She wasn’t really sure why, knowing that she was a half blood, and not really thinking she fitted in that much. But she kind of liked the benefits that she got. Rita learnt to be selfish, and she learnt to be manipulative. Soon, it didn’t matter that she wasn’t really a pureblood, because her attitude made up for what her blood lacked. • Whilst her family wasn’t that important socially, Rita tried to make up for that. Rita didn’t exactly care who she climbed over to get to the top. She just did it. She was determined person, and wanted better than what her parents could give her. They were pretty focused upon her brothers, so she was really given a free reign to do what she wanted. • Throughout school Rita didn’t really know what she wanted to do. None of the wizarding careers really caught her attention. It wasn’t till sixth year that she realised that her writing hobby could potentially become more. The blonde started reading the Daily Prophet cover to cover. Not for the news, she couldn’t care less about that. She rather wanted to learn all she could able journalism. • Upon graduating Hogwarts, with okay grades, she began an internship at the Daily Prophet. She was a low level journalist. But she loved it. Her writing was well received, and she was finally doing something she loved. • Then the war began. Rita was careful, and she didn’t pick a side. She didn’t want to be on the losing side, so was careful, and didn’t show allegiance to either side. She had to be careful with what she wrote, not wanting to risk getting hurt. It worked well, for she exited the war well. • Over the past five years she had really grown the ranks in the Daily Prophet, and Rita is currently working as a senior journalist. She’s free to write what she wants, and she loves it. • Her work has got her in a few sticky situations though, and her illegal animagus form isn’t helping. • It has though, allowed her to gain some valuable information about the death eaters. Although she isn’t sure what to do with it. She knows Voldemort’s return is inevitable…. But she just doesn’t know what side to join this time. But she knows this time she will have to make that choice.

plot ideas — These are just a few for starters 😊

Choosing a side – SOOO. First war she didn’t pick a side. But this time she really will have to pick one side or the other. So I think this will be really cool to explore, and see which side she will go too. She wants to be on the winning side, so will try to hold out till she can tell? But it would be cool to explore her maybe being forced to pick before she can work out who will win

Journalism/Daily Prophet – Rita loves a good gossip, so would be cool to get some drama maybe from something she wrote?

Knowledge of the prophecy – Rita overheard the prophecy, so it would be really interesting to see how she might react and do with the info. This might be key to her choosing a side, with her considering who might benefit from the info the most?

Friendships – So in her skeleton she’s linked to Amelia, but would be great to explore some friendships. Rita was a half blood slytherin so would be cool to explore her relationships with the other slytherins. She learnt to be manipulative and bitchy at school, so might be cool if one of her class mates was her mentor or similar?

Romance – Rita is bisexual, though she would never admit that. She would not be against a political marriage, especially to a pureblood, and she would really see it as a way of cementing her status. She’s attracted to both men and woman, and finds both exciting, and definitely enjoys sleeping around. But she definitely hold secrets/gossip about people’s heads, especially women, as she doesn’t want anyone to find out how promiscuous she actually is.

extra —

Headcanon – Rita’s never been in a serious relationship. She was more interested in her work. Of course, she wants to be loved, but until now, it hasn’t been too important to her. Now, she kind of sees it more as an investment in finding a solid social place for herself.

Rita’s animagus is Beetle.

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When’s your next acceptance???

sorry there, nonnie -- pregnancy has been kicking my butt the last couple of days and I’ve been trying to figure out leaving my job and all that, so everything fell on the back burner yesterday. I’m here now, acceptances will take place shortly!

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MW by members?

Hey nonnie! Sorry for the delay in answering -- I wanted to consult the members. Here’s what they said:

Evan Rosier

Augustus Rookwood

Ted Tonks

Reginald Cattermole

Rita Skeeter

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our next round of acceptances will be held on thursday, july 16 @ noon EST!

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Orpheus Hitchens

Ophelia Rowle

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Alastor Moody

Dolores Umbridge

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Congrats, BEE, you have been accepted to AL for the role of DOLORES UMBRIDGE (FC:Olivia Taylor Dudley). OH MY GOODNESS, BEE! Your portrayal of Dolores was just stunning. I found myself laughing in places and gasping in others. You’ve really gotten into the head of a character that is just awful and played that out in a way that’s captivating. I can’t wait to see what chaos she brings to the dash! Please send in your blog (no sideblogs for first characters, please) in the next 24 hours and be sure to take a look at our new player checklist. Welcome home (once again), we’re so excited to have you join the family!

OOC

name — Bee age — 29 pronouns — She/her timezone — MST activity level — I have quite a bit of free time at the moment! I can usually manage being on for at least a little while every day and I’ll average a handful of replies a week at a minimum. any questions? —No questions per se, just a small disclaimer to let anyone reading know that I am a tolerant and open-minded individual, so while I’m excited for the creative challenge and entertainment of potentially writing an absolutely loathsome person like Ms. Dolores Jane Umbridge, anything offensive that she says or thinks or does IC does not reflect my own personal views!

IC Overview

name — Dolores Jane Umbridge—but my friends call me Lo, at least they would if I had any FRIENDS. -hold for laughter- Yeah, eat your fucking hearts out all you moronic lowlife swine. Hem hem. faceclaim — Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jenna Coleman, Mae Whitman age — 32 gender — Cis-female, and uncomfortably cutesy girly-girl for a woman over thirty. Hyperfemme caricature with BDE. Never met a shade of pink she didn’t just love.

sexuality — Outwardly, all Dolores cares about is locating the picture-perfect partner for the type of life she wants to be seen as having and lock them down, and in her mind that person is a man. She wants a husband with money and looks and brains and power, but not so much of any one that it would outshine her; she craves to be in the power seat of a power couple, and to get the attention she feels she’s always been unjustly robbed of. She’s got no interest whatsoever in romance and finds the whole concept a laughable waste of time. But for all she projects to the world, Dolores in reality harbors a deep, deep, DEEPDEEPDEEP same-sex attraction. She has thoroughly locked herself in that closet and a Norwegian Ridgeback swallowed the key.

patronus —Persian cat. This animal has all the appearance of being sweet and cuddly, but rub her the wrong way and those barely-retracted claws are coming out in an instant. Vain, independent, calculating, haughty, and very, very well-groomed at all times.

boggart —Stemming from her Napoleon Complex, Dolores’ boggart takes the form of herself shrunken down like Alice in Wonderland after sipping the drink me potion; her voice squeaks higher and higher into an undetectable range no matter how loud she yells and she can just barely avoid getting squashed beneath someone else’s disgusting, dirty shoes. Dolores as a person demands attention to function and she simply will not tolerate being made to feel literally small.

IC In Depth

personality traits —

tidy - Dolores is obsessed with beauty and perfection and symmetry in all things and nothing makes her skin crawl more than disorder—to the extent that after her mother and father split and she lived full-time with her father, Dolores developed OCD (though it hasn’t been properly diagnosed as such, and Dolores would immediately write off anyone who attempted to call it that to her face). In her mind she is simply particular; she has very high standards and she expects the world to rise to them, or else she’ll root out the filth around her weed by weed. She cut off the heads of her stuffies who stepped out of line at her toddler-age tea parties you’d better believe she’d do the same to you and care less about it.

passive aggressive - Dolores is well-known for her disconcerting calm in face of disagreements, her calculated cute-sweet demeanor and high-pitched voice. But make no mistake; Dolores is sugar laced with arsenic. In all likelihood she hates your guts and has already cooked up an in-depth five-year plan to chip away at you piece by painstaking piece. It’s a mystery how she manages to keep all that highly-pressurized rage simmering beneath the surface the way she’s somehow perfected, because she’s wound up so tight that it’s a wonder her eyes don’t pop out of her damn head and she’s about twenty-five seconds away from a full-blown psychotic break on a good day.

jealous - Dolores wants what she feels she’s due, plain and simple. When she sees others gain the things she wants while she gets overlooked, it stokes that ever-burning vindictive flame inside of her. It started in early childhood when her father gave attention to anyone or anything that wasn’t her, and it’s only gotten worse every day since.

intolerant - At this point in her life, her infamous intolerance is still in its earliest seed stages, but the seed is planted. One of the most interesting things for me about writing a character like Dolores at this age is to see how and why this mentality grows out of experiences she encounters in these formative years.

character biography —

Born ten pounds of spunk in a four pound, five ounce package, Dolores Jane Umbridge came into this world pink and perfect.

Perfect. Perfect. Perfectperfectperfect.

Even from a young age it was all Dolores cared about. Her father Orford Umbridge would whisper to Dolores what a beautiful perfect princess she was and Dolores believed it with every fibre of her being. Beautiful. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

Then her mother Ellen gave birth to a younger brother who showed not the faintest trace of magic, and that was not perfect. The rift between parents and siblings grew into a cavern as Orford’s whispering words turned against Ellen; her fault. Worthless. Vile. Mudblood. Filthy Squib. Repulsive. Disgraceful. Wrong.

It wasn’t long before the couple split up, with Ellen and her son being banished to the Muggle world, and then it was just Orford and Dolores, together in their once-more perfect world.

And would that it could have stayed that way forever. Orford had always had wandering eyes and Dolores, desperate always to be the only girl in her father’s life, grew jealous and suspicious and hateful (and nonononono NOT anything else nope) for the beautiful vapid creatures that drew his gaze, threatening to upend what was hers.

Knowing nothing beyond her childhood of constant praise and adoration, Dolores went to Hogwarts expecting the world to cater to her every whim. So when people didn’t immediately kiss the ground she walked on, it made her angry. When all the girls and boys didn’t fall all over themselves to try and woo her, it made her furious. When the professors and adults didn’t sing her vast praises on high, it made her outraged.

How was everyone on earth too fucking useless to see how perfect she was?!

Dolores was a bundle of dynamite wrapped up in a pretty pink bow, just waiting to blow.

She went to the Ministry with adjusted expectations on being outright offered what she knew she deserved, and was proven right when she was overlooked by grotesquely unqualified superiors in favor of the sniveling ingrates all around her. But Dolores was prepared to play the long game and bide her time, just waiting for that one weak crack in the system where she could dig in her knuckle and crumble an empire with a smile on her face.

And she thought she’d found that perfect crack when she went to the Dark Lord. Surely he would see Dolores for all she was worth, surely he would bestow upon her all that power, finally, finally, finally. He was only a silly man, after all.

But the foul, imperfect world let Dolores down again. The Dark Lord gave his preference to some other detestable twots just like Dolores always feared Orford would, and then he paid the price for his idiocy when he fell from power (serves him right the arrogant swine), and Dolores returned to her long game at the Ministry with a newfound fervor to crush all who dared try to overlook her beneath her pink kitten heels.

Waiting for the next perfect move to present itself. And when it does, she’ll be ready.

plot ideas —

Girlsgirlsgirls. I would love an opportunity to unpack some of Dolores’ deeply rooted internalized homophobia. Maybe it’s an openly gay and proud woman who drives Dolores up the wall, maybe it’s a beautiful lady who despite all of Dolores’ efforts starts to get beneath her skin, someone she can’t seem to shake… This could go in so many directions and I’m here for them all!

Ministry Spats. Anyone she might have dustups with on her Ministry stomping grounds—Arthur Weasley, Alastor Moody, etc. Also anyone with pro-creature leanings and/or sentiments at this stage could greatly inform her later mindset and I would love to have them interact.

extra —

Headcanon: Dolores hates children; she thinks they’re disgusting tiny wastes of breath and absolutely looks down on anyone who has chosen the family plan for their life.

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Congrats, JESTER, you have been accepted to AL for the role of OC ORPHEUS HITCHENS (FC: Gabriel Marques). Eeep, wow, how exciting to have a truly reformed character join us here at AL, especially one who’s distantly related to the Blacks! Jester, I fell in love with Orpheus and all of his complexities and faults and determinations. You’ve built a beautiful character and placed him here wonderfully in this plot, and I’m excited to see you continue to build him! Please send in your blog (no sideblogs for first characters, please) in the next 24 hours and be sure to take a look at our new player checklist. Welcome home (once again), we’re so excited to have you join the family!

OOC

name — jester age — 21, soon to be 22 pronouns — he/him timezone — est activity level — only reliably active afternoons & weekends

IC Overview

name — orpheus hitchens faceclaim — gabriel marques (model), naleye dolmans, miles mcmillan age — 25 gender — male sexuality — bisexual patronus — great grey shrike boggart — a coiling basilisk (representative of the lurking threat posed by the dark side and voldemort)

IC In Depth

personality traits —

+ courteous // while not raised in the wealthy, respected pureblooded family he liked to portray himself as belong to in his youth, orpheus still tried to emulate what he thought being a pureblood was. while he no longer quite aligns with the ideals of purity he used to admire, he retains the self-taught, overly formal mannerisms of his teen years.

+ quick-witted // with a honed intelligence and a natural skill for thinking on his feet, orpheus is not one to stay and ponder a decision needlessly ; this makes him particularly adept at dueling or high-action situations, but when needed he can sit still and think things through before acting.

+ confident // orpheus is proud of himself, his accomplishments and his talents.

- reactive // orpheus, for all his attempts at appearing level-headed and refined, has a hot temper and is very quick to lose it.

- conceited // hand-in-hand with his pride comes arrogance, an overinflated ego that’s rarely kept in check and is prone to pushing orpheus into a superiority complex when faced with wizards he deems “less accomplished.”

- abrasive // orpheus’ tendency towards both knee-jerk reactions and assuming superiority means he can be snappish and rude without fully thinking the consequences of his actions through.

character biography — 

short version

the grandson of the disgraced iola hitchens nee black, orpheus spent his hogwarts years scornful of his family’s past “involvement” with mixing with muggles and secretly sympathized with some of voldemort’s ideals. it wasn’t until later, when death eaters killed his half-blood mother, that it hammered home to orpheus that his black family blood wasn’t enough to protect him from the wrath of dangerous pureblood ideaology. upon graduating, he vowed to leave that part of his history behind him and strive to be a better man, training to become an auror. when whispers started to spread of darkness rising again, he threw himself further into becoming a better auror, hoping to protect the future generation from the follies he himself was once enchanted by.

in depth

EARLY YEARS Iola Black, after eloping with muggle Bob Hitchens, had one daughter, one Cassandra Hitchens. Cassandra Hitchens followed her mother’s set example and had one son out of wedlock: Orpheus Hitchens, descendant of a pureblood family that had fallen very, very far from the tree. Orpheus was raised near-muggle as far as wizards go, but was still taught from a young age about magic. This had the opposite effect as to what was intended, and instead of feeling like he belonged to both the wizarding and muggle worlds, Orpheus felt like a wizard being forced to live like a muggle.

This resentment was further compounded when he began attending Hogwarts, and got sorted into Ravenclaw. While eager to finally be a part of the wizarding world, as he felt he belonged, learning of his full family history made him even more frustrated with what he’d been denied his whole life. He felt alienated from his housemates, feeling himself above muggle-and-halfborns, but not quite on equal footing with the purebloods. He overcompensated for it, throwing himself viciously into studies to the point where his health suffered. Throughout his life, he’d felt denied something he deserved, and now that he had access to Hogwarts’ library he wanted to claim what was his by birthright. 

When he heard Voldemort’s message, the older students’ whispers of a message about reclaiming what wizarding society was owed, of blood purity and power granted to those who deserved it … it was the type of thing that resounded with dissatisfied folks like Orpheus, and he attached to the idea like it was a lifeline. He wanted to be told he was special, that he was someone who deserved good things. 

He held his quiet support of the Death Eater ideals for years, but wasn’t in the right social circles to ever reach out, ever join properly. He was locked out by his blood and by the color lining his robes, and many times he lamented not being a Slytherin. A proper Black would have been in Slytherin, but he was a damned Hitchens and never had a chance of joining Voldemort no matter what his teenaged mind convinced him. He tried, of course, but the ones already deep enough to bring him in weren’t interested in the bright-eyed mudblood who thought he could fit in with them.

But he tried, oh, he tried. He practiced every bit of manners a proper pureblood would have, sat up late nights studying ancient bloodlines and histories and fashion. He got everything he could that he thought would make him fit in, be accepted among the people he thought it was worth something to be accepted by. What he couldn’t buy he bribed others for and what he couldn’t afford through even bribery he stole. He saw no shortage of detentions for his petty misbehavior, but few ever saw his actions as anything more than juvenile delinquency. 

He was only confronted with the ugly truth of the real situation at the end of his fifth year, when his mother was brutally murdered by Death Eaters mere hours before he arrived home. The situation couldn’t have stared him more brutally in the face than it did in that moment, and he was forced to accept that no matter what clothes he wore or how he talked … he was scum to these people. He was worth less than the dirt under their boots for his blood, and there was nothing he could do about it. He buried his mother and lived alone in that house until the muggle family, two women who already had three children to care for of their own, took notice and started visiting, often bringing him meals and new books. 

Their care for him, a stranger, made the grief burn even worse. He had been so drawn in by pretty words and ideas of respect and grandeur he had never even regarded his ideals would be the type to get these kind people killed. 

He returned back to the books about old bloodlines, and decided to make a change.  REALIZING HE WAS AN IDIOT Orpheus returned to Hogwarts quieter, more aware, and more angry. For the first few months he didn’t utter a word, just sat and watched and learned. And when he was done learning, there were no shortage of fights in the halls, angry whispered arguments in classes and more than one instance of rather brutal duels in broad daylight. Most teachers chalked this up to his mothers’ passing, but nearly every instance was incited by another student suggesting they supported the Dark Lord’s actions, or simply using the word ‘mudblood’. He was still a child, but so were the students in whom he saw the face of evil leering back at him. It was a miracle he didn’t get expelled, and saw even more detentions than he had before. But his grades were kept up, and he learned to be sneakier, even if still motivated nearly entirely by hollow revenge. 

He was luckier than he knew, to avoid most of the losses of the war entirely, but it wasn’t a fortune he was pleased with. Even after graduating, still angry, still resenting the man he could have been, he wanted to fight. And Alastor Moody gave him a way to fight. He finished his Auror training before the deaths of Augusta Longbottom and Lord Voldemort, but not by much. He finally got his fight at the tail end of the war, making sure justice came to the Death Eaters he felt betrayed by.

Sometimes, he wondered if his anger was because they hadn’t wanted him. But it made no difference when he was seeing the monsters tossed into Azkaban to rot. 

He was still a bit too like them, even now. Talked the right way, acted as stuck-up as any, carried himself with an air of dignity that others would call a big head. But he was vicious in battles and eager to prove himself, and no one ever voiced their suspicions to his face.

The war ended, and people talked of peace. Orpheus thought of old books full of bloodlines and dark magic and curses that made his hair stand on end, and thought this wouldn’t be the end of it.

MODERN DAY The peace did, in fact, calm Orpheus’ anger; leaving him with a scorching temper that, at least, sat as cooled coals rather than an inferno most of the time. He still had nowhere as much respect as other Aurors he worked with, but he did his job well enough, and his colleagues grew used to how absolutely insufferable he could be. It was nowhere near the grandeur he’d once longed for, but he no longer wanted vague, unattainable things like “being a fancy and respected member of the most Ancient and Noble house of Black”. It was silly, really. He’d finally grown content with being Orpheus Hitchens, and the years had both steadied and honed his wand hand for the war he was certain was to come.

He was sure of it. While Orpheus’ colleagues would generally describe him as “annoyingly verbose” and “kind of an arse”, he had taught himself more than just stuffy manners late at night in the Ravenclaw common room. He watched, and listened, and devoured every book he could get his hands on, and came to know many undeniable facts about the world. Firstly, that wizards were absolutely bullheaded fools about many things, blood status included. Secondly, that Alastor Moody is a terrifying force of nature and constant vigilance was less about keeping an eye out for dark wizards and more worrying your attention would slip and your boss would throw his peg leg at you for it. 

And thirdly, that Voldemort’s followers were somewhere out there, like a spilled jar of oil coating the floor that you don’t notice until someone drops a match. Orpheus wasn’t sure who would drop the match, but Voldemort had struck it. So he remained insufferably verbose, with a war brewing behind his teeth and a desire to prove himself still gripping his arm, and swore to himself that this time would be different.

plot ideas —

moody // moody absolutely, certainly has heard rumors that one of his younger aurors once held voldemort’s ideals - there’s certainly room for doubt as to young hitchens’ loyalties, and there’s no room for those doubts in the coming war.

hogwarts class of ‘78 (lily, james, remus, sirius, etc.) // orpheus would have been a year or two behind them all, and was a ravenclaw, but he would be loosely familiar with them enough to potentially reach out once news reaches his ears.

sirius black // orpheus knows it’s unfair to resent sirius for something done a hundred years ago. does he hold a grudge against the black family anyways? only a little. still, he may eventually get over it and reach out to his distant cousin over their shared banishment from the family tree (even if sirius undoubtedly has little idea he even exists)

general // orpheus is a young auror who has dedicated himself to keeping voldemort from rising again, even if he has no idea how that would even come to be. while he may not be immediately accepted into the order of the phoenix’s inner ranks, he’s got a good wand hand and is eager to prove himself ; even with the smallest of tasks, he’s happy to help anyone who can tolerate his grating personality and wants to strike back against the dark side.

[alternislatronemhq]

Congrats, MOOKA, you have been accepted to AL for the role of ALASTOR MOODY (FC: Raul Esparza). Yessss, MOOODY. Mooka, you’ve done an excellent job of flushing out the kind of man that Alastor is and what motivates him. He’s known war and fighting his whole life being the son of two aurors and yet you also show so beautifully his capacity for real life, like friendship and laughter in the common room! I’m so excited to see you play him out in this plot! Please send in your blog (no sideblogs for first characters, please) in the next 24 hours and be sure to take a look at our new player checklist. Welcome home (once again), we’re so excited to have you join the family!

OOC

name — Mooka age — 24 pronouns — she/her timezone — PST (GMT-7) activity level — Fairly active ooc, and usually write one longer reply every other day Busy work schedule with weird hours, but more active on the weekends.

IC Overview

name — Alastor Moody faceclaim —, Raul Esparza, Craig Parkinson, Paddy Considine age — 48 gender — cis-Male, he/him sexuality — Pansexual patronus — Bison boggart — A burnt screaming corpse, the first death witnessed from the hands of the Dark Lord and his servants  when he was a young Auror 

IC In Depth 

personality traits — 

Determined: The impossible is possible. Moody believes anything can be accomplished with enough time, effort, and desire placed behind it. No corners are cut in his efforts at work, with Order missions, or ensuring the proper training of the newest recruits. One doesn’t take kindly to those who believe there is no hope in extinguishing the darkness in the world or making it a better place.

Loyal” Despite an outwardly gruff exterior, Alastor has a quick judge of character, latching quickly and deeply to those he believes he can trust. Too much of his thoughts lingering on ensuring his friends and his Aurors are safe, spending his own free time and sanity on completing 

Closed off: An Auror is a dangerous job, fighting against the Dark Lord and his followers is a death sentence. The idea of being harmed or killed to leave those behind with any form of regret or sadness is something to be avoided. How can someone miss you if they never knew you in the first place? Such thoughts cause Alastor to second guess the personal relations in his life, even though he knows it’s only human to bond with others. 

Paranoid: The scars of war came not only in the physical form. Already a nervous person from his youth, albeit a more healthy confliction, Alastor can never shake the feeling of being watched. Hunted. Overcautious in his personal life, not consuming foods or drink not produced in front of him to being wary of every person that appears to be moving in the  same direction on the street. 

character biography — 

Life is dangerous Alastor, one always has to be on your toes! An afterthought of a full career for two Aurors, yet he never felt as if he was a burden. His mother had a large laugh and hummed while about the house, his father in love with her ever waking moment of the day. But they were gone often, understandably, but a child could never completely rid the selfish feeling of being left behind.

He is to be an Auror, like his parents and those before them. It’s in their blood and Alastor doesn’t shrink away from the challenge. Hogwarts is everything that was promised and more, access to so much information Moody hardly has the time to consume as much as he desires. The friends a welcomed bonus to the rigors of academia, bliss such slate nights spent rolling with laughter, the camaraderie in the Gryffindor common room after a Quidditch victory are memories he holds close and often to his chest. How young and foolish they all were. 

Becoming an Auror is easy, a childhood of practice and words of those before him make the long hours and trials worth every body ache or jinxed limb. Yet the work is not as rewarding as one thought. Paperwork and a reason why things cannot be done with efficiency behind every corner. And it’s here when the reality of the depravity of wizardkind comes to light, how people treat one another purely based on their blood, yet the Ministry is slow and unable to protect their citizens while thumbs stand by idle. Of course he loves his job, loves the long hours and the small victories but Merlin! There is never enough done, a part of him lacking something in his life. 

The Order of the Phoenix was something that was missing. Something that actually mattered behind and the paperwork and mundane arrests of criminals. The fire and passion in the group, borderline erotic. Yet it takes almost everything from them, the breaking of trust, the exhaustion. Alastor finds it difficult to believe it simply ends one day, refuses to believe it just ends like that. And it comes as a painful relief to know it isn’t...even if they have to do it all again so soon.

(( Of course would add Minerva details to this if accepted! Minerva/Moody is an awesome ship I haven’t thought about before! Just didn't want to be presumptuous before chatting/plotting with Minverva’s mun! 

plot ideas — 

+All of the Order missions! Even if they do not have a great deal of actions (ie fighting) in them I love setting up scenarios for characters to have to talk about the deeper issues that come with war! Especially when they are fighting  against people they grew up with and spent years with at school. I think such great character growth comes when characters are 

+Trials from the first war? I know politics are slow and corrupt especially in the HP universe, revisiting war criminals from Voldemort’s first rise and digging up otherwise buried emotions people are putting behind them. Alastor has an awful habit of being unable to forget the past. 

+Auror training! Alastor is very eccentric as we know and his methods of teaching are very very unconventional. Constant vigilance would apply when Auror prospects are away from the Ministry as well! Moody would not be beyond kidnapping students from their beds and setting them off thinking they were captured by Death Eaters or some Dark creature only to be controlling the strings from behind the scenes. Of course he is also there when trainees might be struggling , offering helpful lessons or hope for the future. 

+Butting heads with the younger generations. Alastor is one of the most stubborn men you will ever meet, but that doesn’t mean he’s against change. The youth are what affect the future and would love to see some younger characters butt heads with him! On the other end would love to see Moody fight with people inside the Ministry in the more law making role. 

extra —

 I’m keeping Alastor’s injuries concurrent from the canon at this point if that’s fine with the admins! One fake leg, magical eye and heavy scarring on his face. 

[alternislatronemhq]

Congrats, EMILIA, you have been accepted to AL for the role of OC OPHELIA ROWLE (FC: Imaan Hammam). Ahhh, wow, Emilia, I absolutely adore Ophelia already! Your application was wonderful and you’ve built an incredible character. I can’t wait to see her come to life in the midst of our plot! Your writing was absolutely beautiful and I’m delighted that you’re joining us!! Please send in your blog (no sideblogs for first characters, please) in the next 24 hours and be sure to take a look at our new player checklist. Welcome home (once again), we’re so excited to have you join the family!

OOC

name — Emilia age — 19 pronouns — She/ Her timezone — EST activity level — As of now I have a lot of free time and can be very active, especially on weekends.

IC Overview

name — Ophelia Rowle faceclaim — Imaan Hammam, Jessica Parker Kennedy, or Rania Benchegra age — 26 gender — Female sexuality — Bisexual

patronus — A coyote.  Just like her patronus, Ophelia could be dropped just about anywhere and find a way to make it out on top. And yet, also like the coyote, Ophelia is often misunderstood and painted as a villain.

boggart — She despises the fact that it’s her mother. Then again, a shiver still runs up her spine every time she thinks about that woman. She can never forget how her voice boomed like thunder when she was angry, nor the sound of glass shattering when thrown against a wall. Ophelia sees all the qualities she hates in herself stem from her.

IC In Depth

personality traits —

+Resourceful

Ophelia finds a way to get things done. She uses quick wit to evaluate situations; to puzzle together the bigger picture and see things for how they are and how they could be.

+Industrious

When Ophelia works towards a goal, she’ll be damned before she allows someone to stand in her way. Years of having her ambitions trampled on by her father in favor of her older brother have left her diligent and downright ruthless in order to get what she desires.

- Guarded

Ophelia resembles a bear trap: get too close and she’ll snap shut, but not without taking a piece of you with her. She finds comfort within the walls she’s built up, careful not to let anyone inside. She’ll inevitably disappoint them, anyway.

- No Self-Esteem

Nothing she does is ever good enough. Ophelia tends to push herself to the absolute limit in order to prove her worth, but it will never satisfy her. She has to do her best, to be the best and she cannot accept that she’s only human. It’s only a matter of time before she breaks.

character biography —

Born in Louisiana, her earliest memories were dotted with the warmth of the summer sun and only contrasted with the polar blue of her mother’s eyes and the chill of her father’s indifference. By the time she’s five, Ophelia’s all too familiar with the metallic taste of blood in her mouth from biting her tongue too hard. Pureblood girls should be seen rather than heard, according to her mother. One off hand comment about thinking marriage is ‘icky’ and Ophelia winds up jinxed with a mouthful of soap bubbles. A life long aversion to the pink-speckled Bertie Bott jelly bean and a reluctance to argue with her mother follows. She has three older siblings, only her brother Otto makes time for her.

At eleven she stands dead-center of a gordian knot. Ophelia stares back at the four statues in front of her, insides fluttering. The whole school is looking at her from the balcony and the dark wood paneling of the entrance hall feels as though it’s closing in. She looks up to the balcony, and there he is. Her brother’s smile is crooked and good-natured. Two statues move forward: Wampus, who favors warriors and Horned Serpent, who favors scholars. Ophelia will later wonder how her life would have been different if she had joined Wampus. Either way, she prospered in Horned Serpent, her keen mind soaking up all she could get her hands on to read. Ophelia’s grades were outstanding, but it wasn’t enough. The best and only the best was all she would accept. Anything less was a failure.  Ilvermorny became her home; a place where she could flourish. She was safe behind the castle walls, even as whispers of war sailed in from across the Atlantic.

She’s fifteen when Otto is disowned. His smile was still crooked as he cursed their family name with a mouthful of blood. Ophelia watched from afar with her other siblings as her mother’s silvery voice contorted into a roar more akin to a Hungarian Horntail than a five-foot-two woman. She flinches whenever an impossibly straight red jet of light hits the young man in the chest. He goes down with a cry of unbearable pain and Ophelia’s mind drifts to Christmas, only three days away. She’s always loved the holiday. With the twinkling lights and the annual parties, or when their family tolerates each other long enough to sit at a family dinner. Now, all she sees is her brother begging for mercy on the floor. She doesn’t like the holiday season after that ever again.

England is foreign to her. The craggy cliffs of Dorset where her cousins reside are so far away from the muddy Mississippi River. But she steels herself and pulls through because that’s what she has to do. Her aunt and uncle talk about their Dark Lord with all the fervor of the religious zealots back home. He’s a messiah in their eyes, giving their hatred for no maj-borns a platform. Ophelia hears him speak at a party a few days before she turns sixteen. He’s charismatic, she’ll give him that, but there’s something about him that makes her want to turn tail and run for the hills. At Hogwarts she’s sorted into her second house with a snake as its mascot. Slytherin house is not as warm as Horned Serpent, and it is not her home. More than often she finds it hard to sleep in that cold, damp dungeon. But this is her life now, and she adapts. For the next two years she claws her way to academic success, but stays notoriously aloof to her fellow peers. There are times she feels as though there is something wrong with her. She feels empty inside, as if someone took a melon baller and scooped out everything good about her.

She doesn’t return to America when she graduates. War gives her reasons to burn bridges, makes it easier for her to claim, ‘oh, I’m busy’ and move on with her day. Ophelia gets her training as an auror and right off the bat her family disapproves. It goes against her childhood teachings of ‘seen, not heard,’ and arguments are futile. No matter how many times she claims it’s to get a foothold in the Ministry, her family finds it a waste of her time. She could do much more as a servant to the Dark Lord (by this time his name has become synonymous with the taste of bile and a retch of disgust). It’s too late anyways, Ophelia already has her mind set and by God she’d like to see them try and stop her. She will be the servant of no one, thank you very much. Her outlook on the Order isn’t much better, though. So what if they get rid of Voldemort? There will be another like him. And another after that, and so on and so forth. Maybe she’s just a cynic, but history continues to prove her right. What makes this time different? Not a goddamn thing. But there’s a part of her that wants them to prove her wrong— a first in her life, given she hates being wrong. The part of her who remembers her brother smiling with a mouthful of blood in a final act of defiance. Because Ophelia is cynical enough to know there will always be another Dark Lord, but the determined bit of hope left in her heart knows there will always be more willing to fight against him. Will she be one of them?

plot ideas — 

I think Ophelia needs someone to see through her air of indifference. She needs someone to prove to her there’s much more to life than power and control. It doesn’t matter whether it’s romantic or platonic, she just needs someone she can trust. She’s set such unrealistic standards for herself that she’s completely convinced that she’s not good enough. It’d be interesting to see how she could react to someone accepting her flaws and all… or at least calling her out on her bullshit.

Something steeped in political intrigue is right up her alley. Perhaps something sways her from her neutral position and she gets wrapped up in it. Maybe one side offers her something she desires or the other twists her arm into helping them. Even if it’s something as simple (and potentially hilarious) as sleazing it up with people in high positions of power, I really think she’d thrive in that kind of situation.

extra —

Headcannons

She’s never been in a serious relationship before besides a few noncommittal flings. Ophelia’s never really been good at keeping friends, either, because she holds them at such a far distance. She turns into a bumbling mess when it comes to talking about feelings.

Ophelia, unlike her family, doesn’t give a damn about blood politics. She only values hard work and intelligence in others.

Despite being in not one, but two houses with serpents as their mascots, Ophelia’s actually terrified of snakes. When she was a toddler, her oldest brother tossed a corn snake into her cradle and she’s hated the things ever since.