Ravenclaw

Chapter 85- Engage

Song for the chapter: Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran

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Warning: Resistance at large.

Dark times have come upon us all, and there is almost no place that is safe for wizards and Muggles alike. The recent murders of both wizarding and Muggle families have struck fear in all of our hearts, and sadly, there is no escape from it.
These now dangerous circumstances may bring back memories of what had happened to years prior-- the Ravenclaw incident, where similar killings had happened, as did the kidnapping of one of the renown headmistress at the largest school in the Old Kingdom, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Rowena Ravenclaw.
The people who had committed these heinous crimes have not been caught-- and further evidence has lead us to believe that the same people who had murdered these innocent people are the ones doing so yet again.
They call themselves the Resistance. Believing that Muggle-borns are unworthy of magical education and status in the wizarding world, and with a mission to eradicate these 'dirty-bloods' and let the those of pure-blooded descent rise to power, these people, still unknown, pose an immense danger to us all, just like they did before.
Families with half-bloods and Muggle-borns are at a risk of being killed by these treacherous people, but those of pure blood are not safe either. It is with whom you associate yourselves with that determines your fate.
However, this does not mean we turn to beg on our knees and surrender to these bad people-- our times of testing have come, and we must prove to them that we will not fall to their vicious ways, and we will stand together, united, against their dark forces. For we are all brethren here, magic or non-magic.
So I advise you to stay safe-- to be there for one another, and to be prepared for all odds. It is unpredictable, where they would strike next. But with each other by our side, we will have the strength and the courage to stand up to the Resistance, and hopefully change their minds and their ways.

Benjamin L., Chief/ President of the Committee of the Magic Community

~

Blood dripped from her hand and onto the fresh, white snow, dripping from her finger slowly, as the crimson-red rose dropped to the ground beside the hem of her cloak. The thorns had pierced her skin once again-- no matter how many times she had handled these flowers, Maria still got cut from the thorns of the pretty rose.
But roses aren't the only beautiful things that hurt.
The snow fell slowly onto the ground-- it wasn't a heavy snowstorm, only a light drizzle of snow, where the bright blue skies were still relatively visible behind the numerous, pure-white clouds. The farmers in the area had retreated to their warm cabins; while the rest of the country began to warm up, these rural parts continued to live in the light snow of February.
A brown owl soared towards the manor, clearly contrasting against the bland white surroundings, its broad wings spread out as it flew lower, lower, and lower still; it cirled above Maria's head, before finally resting on her shoulder, its claws holding on to her gently.
She lifted a finger and stroked the back of its head; it snuggled affectionately against her, and stuck out its foot to allow her to take the newspaper attached to it. She stuck a hand inside her silk cloak and took out two large, shiny coins-- Galleons. The owl accepted its pay, before setting off again, back in the direction it came from.
Maria wiped the remaining blood that had dried up on her hankerchief before unrolling the paper, making her way back to the large home slowly. Her footsteps on the cobblestone path could not be heard as the snow softened her footsteps, leaving a trail of footprints behind.
Maria's expression only grew increasingly worried-- her eyes scanned the front page of the paper so quickly they looked like a blurr. When she had finished, she let out a gasp; how could they have found out? Who had given further evidence?
The house was quiet when she entered through the back French doors-- with a wave of her wand, the snow that landed on her had melted and left her dry. She closed the doors and hung her coat before dashing into the parlour, where her aunt and her mother-in-law should be having a cup of mid-morning tea.
She burst through the doors of the green-wallpapered room-- the two women, both dressed in varying tones of black, looked up as they sipped their tea, eyebrows raised, both torn between being surprised or annoyed. Maria ignored their looks of disgust, but still couldn't help herself and smoothened out her red-velvet dress.
"Have you seen this morning's paper?" She gasped, still slightly tired out from dashing to the parlour. Both women shook their head, curious, but only mildly curious. They never really took Maria seriously-- she was only but a pretty face to them.
"Here," she said, throwing the paper to them. Aurora put down her cup of tea and pciked up the paper, unrolling it before reading it. An audible gasp escped her lips as her eyes widened-- raising a hand to her face, she passed the newspaper to Mariana, who had a similar response.
"How could they-- impossible-- who would--?" Mariana stuttered, rising to her feet. "There's no way they could have known about us! We acted anonymously-- all f us have!" She said angrily, nearly knocking over the small table of tea and crumpets.
"It is obvious, Mariana-- we have a snitch," Aurora spat venoumously. Both women continued to converse as if Maria wasn't there. She stood uncomfortably in the doorway, shifting from the balls of her feet to her heels, biting her lip.
"You don't think.."
"What if..."
"He wouldn't've, Aurora..."
"Salazar has been very close friends with that girl--"
"It wasn't Salazar," Maria interjected. Both women turned to stare at her-- Mariana's was more of a glare. Aurora stared at her niece curiously.
"And what makes you so sure of that?" He aunt asked.
"Because... Because I know he wouldn't betray us like that," she said timidly, looking down as their stares intensified. Mariana, despite approving of the pure-blood marriage of her son and Maria, didn't really like the girl. She thought she was just a pretty face, just like all the others.
"And how would you know that?" Mariana spat. Maria found courage in herself and looked back up, meeting her mother-in-law's eyes and staring back with a defiant gaze.
"Because," she said rather importantly, "he told me he wouldn't, especially after what had happened... the other day..."
Maria's cheeks glowed scarlet as she recalled the events of the afternoon two days ago; the thought of even doing anything with Salazar and possibly revealing what had happened to his mother and her aunt would be extremely humiliating for her.
"The other day?" Mariana said sharply, crossing her arms.
"Well, yes," she said slowly. "After he... came home, he checked too if I... um... the point is, he wouldn't dare do anything to betray me or put me in harm." Maria finished smugly, smirking slightly. Mariana advanced towards her-- Aurora watched, slightly amused; it was as if she already figured out what had happened.
"And why on earth would he do that?" Mariana snapped, leering her teeth at her. "He hates you-- he despises you for being the thing that kept him away from his half-blooded lover," she said evilly. "Pray tell; why would he ensure your safety and stay faithful to you when he could let you die and hopefully return to his first-borns?"
Maria grew white for a second. "F-first-borns?" She didn't know that Salazar already had children, and the fact that they were in plural, twins, made everything much worse. Mariana smiled wickedly to herself, satisfied that she made Maria uncomfortable. But she wasn't deterred.
"Well... they are not of pure-blood descent, Salazar would care less for them but would provide more love and care for my child."
Mariana's mouth dropped open in surprise as Maria now copied her evil grin. Aurora continued to watch this exchange, the amused expression on her face becoming more apparent. She knew immediately that her niece was pregnant, the fact that Mariana took so long to get there just proved how dim-witted she was compared to Aurora, and how Aurora remained the calmer, more superior woman in the room.
"Your... your child?" Mariana said, flustered, forgetting the task at hand.
Before Maria could respond with her own snarky comment, Aurora stood up abruptly, interrupting their little insult-fest. "That is not of much importance right now," she said firmly. Both Mariana and Maria glared at her, but kept quiet.
"The baby showers can wait; the war cannot." She started to pace around the room, thinking deeply. A frown came across Maria's face.
"War? What do you mean, 'war'?" She asked, brows furrowing.
"My dear girl, it is not certain yet, but I do believe that night your little brother came to visit, he had heard enough to tell that wretch Rowena, which is why they issued this warning," Aurora said authoritatively. "We cannot afford to let them get away with this; we are one mistake away from triggering them to revealing our identities. Ophichus knows us all-- it is already difficult trying to hide from him yet find him simultaneously, we don't need any more trouble."
"And a war isn't going to create trouble?' Mariana asked, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Aurora, your extravagant ideas are going to get you nowhere."
"Quiet, you fool!" Aurora thundered. "A war is the only way to distract them. They have provoked us-- everyone is prepared, or at least starting to prepare. They are at their most crucial point, yet their weakest point, and if we take action now, we can make most people fall, turn to our side."
Aurora took out her wand from her cloak. She pointed it out the door, and, muttering a few words, she had sent her Patronus out with a message for Salazar. "Salazar should be back in the evening to discuss this issue," she said curtly. "Openly engaging with them would make people mistrust each other, becoming more reclusive-- they'd crumble from the inside before we attack from the outside."
Aurora smiled happily to herself; she was just about to exit the parlour when Mariana stopped her.
"And what about the school, Ra?" She questioned. "Where does that school come into play?"
Aurora looked back, her hair and the light from the outside casting n eerie shadow across her face. "The school, Mariana?" She said, smirking slightly. "Why, the school is the most important part."
"How?" Maria said exasperatedly. "The school is probably one of the most heavily protected places in the Old Kingdom, if not the world!" Aurora had fully turned around now-- the same amused expression had returned to her face as she listened to Maria's dilemmas.
"Yes, but the school would be the easiest to infiltrate," she explained impatiently. "Because the head of our entire little organisation is also one of the heads of the school, I remind you."
Thinking that would be an adequate explanation, she left the room again, but not before Mariana called her back in again. "Aurora, I don't know if you have noticed, but Salazar helped to make the place from scratch, before he was on our side. He would never listen to us and wreck the place, or betray his closest friends."
Aurora let out a little irritated laugh. "Oh, you imbeciles," she said through gritted teeth. Maria and Mariana glared at her once again. "We're not going to be the ones who will convince Salazar to turn the place into a warzone."
They frowned, confused expressions taking over their faces once more; Maria opened her mouth to debate again, but Aurora held out her hand to stop her.
"Godric Gryffindor is going to be doing all of our work for us."

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