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Post by Sirius Black on Nov 1, 2012 16:22:49 GMT -5
 
24th September, 1976. Friday - Early afternoon
It had been a couple of days since the headmaster had made his school-wide announcement. Sirius had been turning the information around in his head since then, asking around their peers for information but nobody seemed to know a thing. The professors hadn’t found anything, Evelina’s parents had come to the school to address the students and plead with anyone with information to come forward. Everyone seemed downcast, a dark shadow hung over the castle. Even Sirius had been uncharacteristically quiet and preoccupied. He barely had barely even spoken to the girl, and could only loosely say that he knew her – but somehow he felt hugely guilty. If he wasn’t the reason for what had happened, he suspected he could have had a part in preventing it.
It was a mission they had all taken up, to find out what had happened to her. The only place he could think to start was with Alice. At the party, they had all seen her leave with the man in the mask. They had all witnessed that same man attack him, whilst he was talking with the very girl they were all so eager to find now. It didn’t add up, she had to know something. All week Sirius had been trying to get hold of her, to find out what she knew. He even resorted to visiting the girl he had the misfortune to fall prey to that evening, which was an awkward encounter, but he had at least learnt where he might find Wyman.
So, with the leads he had, Sirius somehow ended up waiting around by the oak tree near the lake, leaning beside it and looking out across the water. During the summer months the lake was bursting with student activity at this time. When they were younger they had even dared to swim in it, though the past few summers hadn’t shared their enthusiasm for good weather. Unsurprisingly, fewer students opted to venture out at this time of year. He had heard that a bit of foul weather would not deter Alice from a few laps of the school’s grounds.
Sirius saw her coming before she was anywhere near him, jogging beside the lake. It was actually some impressive pace, under different circumstances he may have taken the time to congratulate her on her athleticism, but somehow he wasn’t in the mood for a casual chat. As she passed, Sirius walked right into her path, stopping abruptly in front of her and treating her to an innocent grin.
“Alright, Wyman? Fancy seeing you hear. Time for a chat?” he said, more instruction than question, actually. “Or do you only wander off for words with mysterious masked strangers, these days?”
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Alice Wyman
Gryffindor
give me the waters of lethe that shall numb the heart
Posts: 38
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Post by Alice Wyman on Nov 2, 2012 10:25:33 GMT -5
way out in the water see it swimming [/b][/size][/font]  W H E R E I S M Y M I N D ?- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color]
Alice had done her best to be scarce all week. She made sure to creep out of the dormitory hours before any of her housemates and spent most of her free time holed up in Greenhouse Three. She spent several evenings with her textbooks sprawled across a wooden table, a cup of tea close at hand and the privacy she craved. Alice was aware that, eventually, her housemates would catch up with her, and she was dreading the occasion.
Alice spent several sleepless nights wondering how she was going to explain herself, and hadn't managed to come up with anything good. It was a weight on her mind. Even though Professor Dumbledore assured the student body that the toga party and Gamp's disappearance weren't connected, Alice didn't quite believe him. Maybe she would if she'd never holed up in the Owlery with Rabastan Lestrange, but she had, and she couldn't forget the mark.
It didn't help that his kiss had been cut entirely too short, that she was stupidly attracted to him, and that she had a rather keen desire to bump into him yet again. And his warning, his threat, only complicated things further. Gamp was missing. And Gamp was a pureblood. Alice had been terrified for Simon, and had spent that morning in the Great Hall by his side, never once letting him out of her sight. It had comforted Alice that Tonks promised to keep an eye on her younger brother, but that comfort lessened as the week dragged on and Gamp remained missing.
It was all a big mess, and Alice still didn't have a clue what to do with it. So she'd simply gone running. Most of her epiphanies happened when she was out on the grounds, free from all distractions. Well, most distractions. Certain UnGryffindor-like thoughts couldn't be deterred entirely, much to Alice's frustration. But at least out here, in the rain, she could breathe a little easier.
Her shoes were covered in mud. She'd pulled her hair back into a ponytail slicked straight, but the rain and humidity had it curling. Her red jacket, at least, kept her warm as she ran, focusing on her breathing. It was easier to forget everything if she just counted breaths, matched it to her pace, and simply ran. She wondered if she could simply run all day and never have to face her worries again. It was an attractive idea.
Before she could properly indulge the thought, she nearly ran straight into someone. Alice put on the brakes, splashing a bit of mud onto her leg. Breathing hard, she prepared to shout at...at...
Well, shit.
Black.
Alice scowled at him rather fiercely. She was tempted to turn and run, but she got the sinking feeling that even if she could outpace him, she certainly couldn't hide from him. Alice pushed wet hair out of her face, trying to feel less small. Why were all the blokes at Hogwarts so much taller than her? It was unfair. She wasn't even short. Her chin jutted out with a healthy dose of defiance as she stared him down.
"I'm rather busy at the moment, maybe I can pencil you in for late next week?" she commented cooly, already on the defensive. She'd never been especially fond of Black. His womanising wasn't exactly a secret and his predelection for hexing lower classmen hadn't helped his case. His last comment didn't help either. Her jaw clenched, and for a moment, she very much wanted to hit him. This probably wouldn't help her case but it would make her feel better.
"Very cute," she remarked with a roll of her eyes. She'd never been brazenly rude to her housemates, but her temper was rather short. He'd interrupted her run and brought up the very topic she'd been trying to avoid for the past week. She knew she'd have to face it eventually, of course, but it didn't change the fact that she didn't want to. What was she going to say? She'd wandered off with a Death Eater because she was attracted to intrigued by him? Somehow, Alice didn't think Black would take that well. Or anyone. Even in her head, it sounded stupid. She folded her arms, trying to control the wild beating of her heart. Drawing in a deep breath, she spoke with false lightness,
"Let's skip the bullshit, Black. You want me to name the bloke you set on fire," and she shot him a rather disapproving look. She'd heard the recounting of what had happened and had found that excessive, "And I won't say a word. You'll try to appeal to some sense of duty or Gryffindor pride or whatever you like, and it's not going to work. We'll have a heated argument and one of us will end up in hospital wing covered in boils, and it certainly won't be me."
It wasn't so much a threat (well, maybe it was), but Alice had spent more than enough time in hospital wing after cruel pranks and hexes throughout the years. She would never go back to that, and if she had to jinx him first, well, that wasn't her problem.
"So let's just skip all that and get on with our days. I'm sure you've got loads of first years to dangle out windows, and I'd like to finish my run." She raised her eyebrows pointedly, glancing to the mud around the lake. She doubted he'd be so easily deterred, but it was worth a shot.
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Post by Sirius Black on Nov 2, 2012 13:22:43 GMT -5
 Sirius was treated to a rather unpleasant look from Wyman as she halted in front of him. It didn’t surprise him that she wasn’t pleased to see him, she had very clearly been avoiding life all week. He was also quite used to being disliked, Sirius had spent a good five years becoming accustomed to the feeling in his own home, so her feelings weren’t a major concern for him. He did however find himself quickly irritated by her apparent disregard for the week’s events. With a girl missing, Sirius had spent his time doing what he could for information, as many others around him had. It was true that this was somewhat fuelled by his own regret and guilt for whatever involvement he may have unwittingly had in these events, but he also knew he’d have volunteered his help regardless. What he could almost certainly say he would not have done was hide in dark corners of the castle, or literally run away from the issue. “The bloke who attacked me,” he corrected, surprised at how easily she had twisted him to be the villain of that incident. “And yes, of course I do.” The identity of his attacked was still a mystery. Strangely enough, half of Slytherin had burns across their faces when they reached the Great Hall that morning. Honour among snakes. The smug, knowing look on their faces made his skin crawl. Now this Gryffindor was, as far as he was concerned, giving him the same defiant answer. “You are, I assume, intelligent enough to see the likelihood of the incident being connected to Eva.” Of course she was, he could see it in her expression – she knew exactly what it meant and had still ran away from it all. “Your silence could do her serious harm.” The whole school was doing all it could to find her, whilst Wyman was going out of her way to hide something important. Hexing wasn’t on his mind, he wanted to physically shake some sense into the girl, and was becoming more and more annoyed. He may have had a wide spread reputation for winding people up, and for failing to take life in general at all seriously – but the idea that he would rather be hanging someone out of the window was an offence. “Fine, you win. Forgive me for being so inconsiderate as to waste your time with this, I made the mistake of assuming I could appeal to your kind caring spirit, but I can see now you don’t give a shit whether she’s alive or dead,” he said, dejectedly. What a waste of his time. He hadn’t expected an easy questioning, but he certainly hadn’t expected her to be so insensitive whilst a girl’s life was at stake, possibly already lost. He had had enough of the members of the pureblood community in his own family turning a blind eye to all the ‘disappearances’. “Do continue with your leisurely jog, Alice. I truly hope this doesn’t keep you awake at night.”
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Alice Wyman
Gryffindor
give me the waters of lethe that shall numb the heart
Posts: 38
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Post by Alice Wyman on Nov 2, 2012 14:16:41 GMT -5
way out in the water see it swimming [/b][/size][/font]  W H E R E I S M Y M I N D ?- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color]
Black was as irritating as ever and it took a good deal of will power not to hit him. She set her lips into a harsh line, trying very hard to keep her temper in check. Alice was not usually so prone to anger, not usually so violent, but her frustration with the whole situation left her rather irritable. He acted as if she hadn't thought over this whole incident for the past week, hadn't felt that same terror when Gamp was announced missing. She'd had to live with the knowledge that Lestrange was most certainly involved and fear retaliation for speaking out. Snakes always went for easy prey, and her little brother wasn't much of a duellist. And Gamp was a Pureblood. There was no safety in blood anymore.
"Do you think I don't know that?" She snapped, his words incensing her. She was vaguely aware that this was probably just a tactic, but she didn't care anymore. Alice was tired of hiding this god damn secret and wished she could have forgotten to owl her parents, wished she hadn't gone to that stupid party, wished she hadn't goaded Lestrange into kissing her, wished she hadn't liked it. She hated this stupid war and just wanted Hogwarts to be safe again. Alice had wanted to be an Auror since she was six, but she hadn't wanted to have to fight like one here at school. She wasn't ready for this.
"Gamp's a pureblood, in case you've forgotten, and if that's not enough to protect her, what hope do the rest of us have?" Alice snarled. The Wyman temper was a slow boil, but when it erupted very little could stop it. Alice hadn't been this angry since the aftermath of The Man Eating Pineapple Incident, and truthfully her anger rather frightened her. She hated how it swept her into its currents, until she forgot everything that made her her. She especially hated the property damage left in its wake. "I've got a little brother, third year, Hufflepuff like Gamp. How long do you think he'll last if I start naming names? A week, maybe two?"
Alice's face had turned a particularly violent shade of red as she shouted at him, a week's worth of pent up frustration and anger exploding from her small frame, hands shaking in the rain.
"I didn't have a goddamn clue what was going to happen, and don't you dare imply that I don't care. But not all of us can parade about like big damn heroes like you, Black. Big damn heroes get the people they love killed, and there's nothing you could say, nothing anyone could say, that would make risking my brother worth it. I got caught up with the wrong bloke, fine, I'll admit that, but I won't run my mouth. I have to live with Gamp disappearing, but I can't live with anything happening to Simon."
She felt almost dizzy, winded from screaming and hating and frustration. Her throat was starting to hurt. Her last few sentences had been more like screams than anything resembling speech. Alice realised she was crying and the humiliation was like a slap to the face. She didn't cry-- Wyman's didn't cry. It was unseemly. Not for the first time, Alice hated her sorting, because it was so completely wrong. She spoke rather hoarsely, refraining from the urge to scream at him more,
"I'm sorry I can't be brave like you and Potter and Lily and the lot, but I can't get my brother killed. He's thirteen."
Alice's voice broke there and she hated how powerless she felt. She'd gotten carried away with a boy, indulged in being sixteen and feeling pretty for the first time in her life, and now she was caught up in this mess with her brother's safety on the line. It seemed exceptionally unfair.
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Post by Sirius Black on Nov 2, 2012 16:14:48 GMT -5
 Sirius didn’t need to be reminded she was a pureblood. That’s all anyone could talk about. It wasn’t that anyone thought that muggle born students deserved it more, they just found it more shocking because of her background. Many rumours were circulating, and nobody could really understand why it had happened. Not knowing why someone from such a strong pureblood background would be targeted just made everyone on edge. There was a feeling of ‘who’s next?’ troubling the atmosphere at the school. She mentioned her brother and Sirius had had quite enough. He was completely sick of the attitude, it was this fearful stupidity that caused them all anguish. What hope was there for any of them if everyone had an attitude like that. If everyone was that selfish, they’d all be at risk with nobody to look out for them. It infuriated him. “Ah I see, well maybe you’ll give more of a damn when it’s him we’re all looking for,” he accused angrily, but felt rather bad afterwards. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand the urge to protect loved ones, and he could see the fear in her was genuine. Still, it was no excuse for disregarding a girl’s life. “You aren’t the only one with loved ones. We’ve all got something to lose, but do you expect we’d do anything less than risk our lives to protect him, if the situation was reversed?” Big damn heroes get the people they know killed. Wyman said that, and it was exactly what Sirius feared. Big damn heroes were reckless, and the thought of his actions influencing her disappearance was a haunting one. Sirius didn’t want to be the reason for anyone’s misfortune. “Do you think I’m not aware of the risk? All I’m saying, is if nobody dares help anybody else, lest they be hurt themselves, then who will be left to look out for any of us?” He gave her an exasperated look. She was completely broken down now, sobbing in front of him. Open feelings were a difficult thing for him, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. As much as he needed to know that name, he knew he couldn’t make her share her information, and he didn’t want her to believe she was alone in her fears. “Look, Wyman, don’t cry. I won’t force you,” he conceded, placing a hand awkwardly on her shoulder. Crying women made him a tad nervous and he didn’t really know her well enough to console her with a hug. “I would do anything to protect you or your brother, we all would, and I’ve never met the kid. At least I don’t think so, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve dangled him out of a window on occasion,” he quipped lightly, wondering if it was a bit soon to jest. “Whether you choose tell me or not, you can count on that. Just... Think of this girl’s family. It isn’t bravery, its decency.” |
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Alice Wyman
Gryffindor
give me the waters of lethe that shall numb the heart
Posts: 38
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Post by Alice Wyman on Nov 2, 2012 20:23:45 GMT -5
way out in the water see it swimming [/b][/size][/font]  W H E R E I S M Y M I N D ?- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color]
Alice went inward for several moments, fighting for composure. She shut her eyes, trying to block out the world. Her legs were cramping. The rain was starting to hurt, drumming against her nose like that. The air was heavy, tight, and she thought she might drown in it. She needed to be clear, needed to stop this stupid crying. Her cheeks burned with shame as she collected herself, hiccuping once, twice, thrice.
She wasn't sure how to take his hand on her shoulder and simply let it be for the moment. It wasn't as if she'd fought with herself over these very words. Staying quiet offended everything her father had ever told her, every story he'd instructed her with at bedtime. But Simon... the stories had never told her how to cope with balancing morals and loved ones. And Alice couldn't pretend that Simon would ever lose to her moral compass. Her moral compass didn't have flesh.
He offered to protect her brother, and Alice didn't know if she believed him. So much of Black was show and falseness and this was too important to risk. Alice looked at him, much quieter now, hiccuping every few moments.
I gave myself hiccups. This is ridiculous.
"I... can't," she said finally, shaking her head. Black almost made her want to believe in him, but the fact of the matter was a girl had gone missing from Hogwarts. Hogwarts, the safest place in all of Britain. Alice hiccuped again.
Perhaps it was the hiccups that gave her The Idea.
"I can't right now." And the more she mulled over it, the more it appealed to her. Alice hiccuped again, considering The Idea warily. It was stupid, but stupidity hadn't gotten her killed yet, and maybe it could be useful. "But, maybe I can help, sort of."
The word 'help' was punctuated with a particularly high pitched hiccup. Alice scrunched her nose. That one had actually hurt. She refocused.
"Look, I obviously can't name him right now, because there's really no point-- hear me out," she offered quickly, sensing an interjection. "There's no point because there's no proof. An accusation will only get more people hurt unless it can actually put a stop to things, right?"
Hiccup hiccup hiccup. Alice wanted to scream again. Hiccup.
"I don't know if he even did anything, but I could find out." A few hiccups as she decided how to phrase things. "I've kept quiet on blood for years, Black. For what most people know, I could be a raging blood maniac keeping quiet because of my house." She searched his face, inviting him to follow her reasoning, to see her line of thinking. "It would make sense, if I were to, say, rather suddenly become a purist out of fear."
Hiccup.
"I can't guarantee I'll find out anything. But I'm a good liar and people underestimate me," hiccup, case in point, "It's all I can do. But it would keep Simon safe and I might get you something useful. It's stupid, but this whole fucking thing is stupid and I don't have any other bright ideas."
Alice wrapped her arms around herself, acutely aware of the chill.
Hiccup.
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Post by Sirius Black on Nov 3, 2012 7:08:47 GMT -5
 Sirius nodded and dropped the hand which supported her shoulder back down to his side. The expression on her face when she told him she couldn’t was enough that he had to believe her feelings were very genuine and beyond his sway. It was painful, knowing that their last safe place had begun to crumble but for him it was more hurtful knowing that this was only the beginning of a struggle not only against a cruel enemy but also against the fear they were already instilling in otherwise courageous individuals. But then, between hiccups, she began to explain her brainwave and there seemed hope. He listened to her explain her idea and was clearly surprised. What she was talking about was far more risky then the utterance of a name. If they found out her allegiance was elsewhere, her entire family would be at risk. “You’re talking about espionage, Alice. You’re offering to spy on them, for information.” He followed her thoughts slowly. It wasn’t a stupid idea, it was actually very clever. What worried Sirius was how far she could go with it before reverting. “That is incredibly risky,” he warned her, “They are dangerous people to play games with, clearly.” Sirius thought about it, or tried to between the distractions of heavy storms and hiccupping. Eventually he nodded in agreement. “But then, what’s life without a little risk? If you’re up for it, fine. Just be careful to keep it to yourself. I’m very aware that we were betrayed on Wednesday. We put a lot into protecting the secrecy of that event, but someone let them know everything they needed to get in.” In truth, given her actions and sudden disappearance following, Sirius had put her amongst his suspects. But then in his mind his suspects were endless. Paranoia was another side effect of this whole mess. “Just be careful.” Sirius looked her over searchingly, wondering whether this conversation would return to bite them both. There were a million things that could go wrong, and her fear worried him more than anything else. They had already intimidated her with silence, how long before the security of their protection lead her to stop pretending and actually turn to them. Why did he feel as though he was feeding her to the snakes? “Don’t be too convincing,” he said carefully, “Remember you’re only acting.”  |
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Alice Wyman
Gryffindor
give me the waters of lethe that shall numb the heart
Posts: 38
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Post by Alice Wyman on Nov 4, 2012 13:28:44 GMT -5
way out in the water see it swimming [/b][/size][/font]  W H E R E I S M Y M I N D ?- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color]
He called it espionage, but that seemed far too glamorous. Espionage was supposed to be stalking down dangerous wizards, ingratiating yourself into their world, disappearing beneath a fake name. This was like... espionage light. She just needed to get beneath Rabastan's skin, coax an admission out of him. If recent events were any indication, she was rather good at that.
Alice looked at Black, surprised he was taking to her idea. He wanted the information very dearly, and she was surprised. Perhaps Black wasn't as shallow as he made himself appear. Peculiar. She dropped tthe thought with a wave of her hand.
"I'll have to tell Lily and Ted," she said quickly, "They're my only friends, they deserve to know. You don't really think either one of them ratted out your little party?" She arched a brow at him. Alice sensed she was right and carried on. Now that there was a plan, she was able to compose herself quite quickly, and but for the redness in her eyes, she might have not been crying but a few minutes ago. A hiccup interrupted her yet again, but even they were fading away.
"I won't run off and take the mark, if that's your concern," she said a touch cooly, disliking his intimation. Alice paused, then spoke a little more softly, "Sorry, that wasn't appropriate..." She trailed off, feeling a touch awkward. "I'm sorry for shouting at you. It's... just all this."
She gestured to everything, feeling rather lost, before getting a hold of herself.
"I'll keep you posted," she nodded, then glanced back to the lake. "I should finish my run, now."
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