Auror Barclay and Eve Travers
Barclay listened impassively as Rosemary laid out her case. He didn't visibly react at all. Not when Rosemary glossed over some details about how information was obtained. And not when his co-worker Darby's name was mentioned.
When she had finished, he began methodically gathering and stowing his gear, speaking as he did. "I am staying in an inn called the Grass and Blade. Please give me two hours' time to return and prepare, and then meet me in the second floor sitting room. I am very interested in this crystal recording you speak of. I would prefer that we listen in a place where we can do so discreetly and without distraction, thus my suggestion of the inn. I confess I am rather surprised--"
With the word 'surprised,' he showed the first hint of an actual reaction - turning his gaze on Eve with a puzzled expression on his face. Eve met his gaze.
"--This is not a matter I would have expected a Death Eater to take an interest. I apologize - I mean in the former sense, not present, I'm sure."
Eve shrugged one shoulder. "Former. Yes. People change. I was young and foolish. I'm much less young, and at least sufficiently less foolish not to talk myself into such horrid beliefs anymore."
Barclay inclined his head briefly, seeming - much to Eve's surprise - to accept her answer. "The Grass and Blade, then. Two hours."
He returned his attention to cleaning and packing his fishing gear, indicating the conversation was over.
In two hours, however, Barclay was waiting for them in the sitting room, looking freshly polished and all attention. "Very well," he said. "The crystal? And then I must decide how to proceed. I assure you, I take the matter seriously and will act upon what you have told me. I will be candid, though, that I would feel more comfortable with more proof. Let us hope your recording provides that."
A Visit to London
Re: A Visit to London
Rosemary Bain
The two hour wait was excruciating. Not because she was afraid of what Barclay would say - but because she really didn't know what, if anything, her crystal had recorded. She had a feeling that wasting Barclay's time would be far worse for them than any response of his to their allegations. The only thing that kept her sane was periodically thinking to herself how odd, but how fitting, it was that Barclay was a fly fishermen.
And seemingly all too soon, came the moment of truth. The three of them filed into the sitting room of the Grass and Blade and seated themselves on the antique chairs by a brass-framed fire place. Rosemary took a deep breath, then took the crystal from her pocket. She stared at it for a moment before placing it on the polished tea table before Barclay.
"I have worked out a charm by which a crystal can act as a recording device. I am still working with it to find out all the rules the charm works by, but I know that quartz is good for clear recordings and that a stone this size should be able to hold several hours of sound. I do not know if we may listen a second time to anything recorded. With your permission, I will release the recording."
Barclay was hard to read, but he nodded and she pulled her wand out of the folds of her jacket.
"Sonodico."
Cambria and Eve would see the stone glow a familiar orange which flared to life when the charm was spoken, then stayed bright. A shuffling sound came from the rock, followed by a soft thump.
"That was me setting it in the windowsill of the print shop." Rosemary explained even as soft footfalls receded into silence. Uncanny. She hadn't expected such clarity from a rough stone from the street, but she was grateful all the same.
She tucked her wand away, then sat leaning forward with her arms on her knees and hands clasped around each other. This could be a long wait.
The two hour wait was excruciating. Not because she was afraid of what Barclay would say - but because she really didn't know what, if anything, her crystal had recorded. She had a feeling that wasting Barclay's time would be far worse for them than any response of his to their allegations. The only thing that kept her sane was periodically thinking to herself how odd, but how fitting, it was that Barclay was a fly fishermen.
And seemingly all too soon, came the moment of truth. The three of them filed into the sitting room of the Grass and Blade and seated themselves on the antique chairs by a brass-framed fire place. Rosemary took a deep breath, then took the crystal from her pocket. She stared at it for a moment before placing it on the polished tea table before Barclay.
"I have worked out a charm by which a crystal can act as a recording device. I am still working with it to find out all the rules the charm works by, but I know that quartz is good for clear recordings and that a stone this size should be able to hold several hours of sound. I do not know if we may listen a second time to anything recorded. With your permission, I will release the recording."
Barclay was hard to read, but he nodded and she pulled her wand out of the folds of her jacket.
"Sonodico."
Cambria and Eve would see the stone glow a familiar orange which flared to life when the charm was spoken, then stayed bright. A shuffling sound came from the rock, followed by a soft thump.
"That was me setting it in the windowsill of the print shop." Rosemary explained even as soft footfalls receded into silence. Uncanny. She hadn't expected such clarity from a rough stone from the street, but she was grateful all the same.
She tucked her wand away, then sat leaning forward with her arms on her knees and hands clasped around each other. This could be a long wait.
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Monkey Kitty
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Re: A Visit to London
Auror Barclay and Cambria Morehouse
"Wow," Cambria murmured under her breath, astounded by the image quality produced by the crystal.
Barclay said nothing, but leaned in to watch too, evidently giving his full attention.
For a long time, however, nothing interesting happened in the crystal's recording. The stillness of the empty loading bay was periodically punctuated by arrivals and departures and the usual comings and goings of goods - exactly what one would expect the activity to be in such a location. Cambria glanced over at Barclay, worried he would be annoyed by the delay, but his expression betrayed no impatience and his attention remained on the scene. Well, Cambria thought. Hasn't that always been the one thing about Barclay, for good or ill? He isn't a man to let things go before the bitter end.
Eventually, Auror Darby himself showed up in the loading bay. Cambria drew in her breath, worried about what they might witness but hoping Darby might somehow, against all odds, incriminate himself.
In the memory, Darby picked up a bound stack of pamphlets. The contents of the pages weren't visible from this angle. He started walking away.
Cambria sighed. If all this was for nothing...
"Hey!" One of the printing press operators - judging from the ink stains on his apron, at least - had emerged from the office door. "Mr. Darby! Are you sure these are how you wanted 'em?"
Darby glanced back over his shoulder. "Yes, Mr. Hayes. These look satisfactory as always. You have my thanks."
"It's just... they don't have any information on them, do they? I mean, no meeting times, no locations, no secret codes, no instructions for what they're supposed to do..."
"Yes. That is as intended. Thank you, Mr. Hayes."
"Well, then, frankly sir... erm... what's the point?"
Darby turned fully back to Hayes, giving him his full attention, along with an enigmatic smile. "You see, Hayes... this is the point. This. Exactly what you see here. I am merely giving them the information, and they will do with it what they will. A plan can be foiled. But here, there is no plan. No coordination. No leader to be taken down and made an example of. Just witches and wizards, doing what they see fit in response, all on their own - there's no stopping that."
"But what does it accomplish? So a few people go out and harass some goblins. That isn't going to change anything."
"No. It isn't meant to. What it will do is stir up the goblins up. We will harry them until they have no choice to rise up in rebellion."
"Erm. But sir. Why do you want a goblin rebellion?"
Darby smiled the same cold, distant smile. "Because then we can put it down, Hayes. We can knock out a generation of goblins in one sweep, and we won't be the aggressors. We'll merely be defending wizardkind."
"Interesting," Barclay said.
"Wow," Cambria murmured under her breath, astounded by the image quality produced by the crystal.
Barclay said nothing, but leaned in to watch too, evidently giving his full attention.
For a long time, however, nothing interesting happened in the crystal's recording. The stillness of the empty loading bay was periodically punctuated by arrivals and departures and the usual comings and goings of goods - exactly what one would expect the activity to be in such a location. Cambria glanced over at Barclay, worried he would be annoyed by the delay, but his expression betrayed no impatience and his attention remained on the scene. Well, Cambria thought. Hasn't that always been the one thing about Barclay, for good or ill? He isn't a man to let things go before the bitter end.
Eventually, Auror Darby himself showed up in the loading bay. Cambria drew in her breath, worried about what they might witness but hoping Darby might somehow, against all odds, incriminate himself.
In the memory, Darby picked up a bound stack of pamphlets. The contents of the pages weren't visible from this angle. He started walking away.
Cambria sighed. If all this was for nothing...
"Hey!" One of the printing press operators - judging from the ink stains on his apron, at least - had emerged from the office door. "Mr. Darby! Are you sure these are how you wanted 'em?"
Darby glanced back over his shoulder. "Yes, Mr. Hayes. These look satisfactory as always. You have my thanks."
"It's just... they don't have any information on them, do they? I mean, no meeting times, no locations, no secret codes, no instructions for what they're supposed to do..."
"Yes. That is as intended. Thank you, Mr. Hayes."
"Well, then, frankly sir... erm... what's the point?"
Darby turned fully back to Hayes, giving him his full attention, along with an enigmatic smile. "You see, Hayes... this is the point. This. Exactly what you see here. I am merely giving them the information, and they will do with it what they will. A plan can be foiled. But here, there is no plan. No coordination. No leader to be taken down and made an example of. Just witches and wizards, doing what they see fit in response, all on their own - there's no stopping that."
"But what does it accomplish? So a few people go out and harass some goblins. That isn't going to change anything."
"No. It isn't meant to. What it will do is stir up the goblins up. We will harry them until they have no choice to rise up in rebellion."
"Erm. But sir. Why do you want a goblin rebellion?"
Darby smiled the same cold, distant smile. "Because then we can put it down, Hayes. We can knock out a generation of goblins in one sweep, and we won't be the aggressors. We'll merely be defending wizardkind."
"Interesting," Barclay said.
Re: A Visit to London
Rosemary Bain
She could have cheered when Darby revealed his plot for all in attendance to see, but the weight of the revelation took the wind out of her. In a way, she'd been right - there was no way a real movement could come out of the simple propaganda pamphlets. The genius of the plan which didn't require a formal movement to succeed could have impressed her if it weren't so devious. Everyone who agreed with Darby would come out of the whole ordeal clean and free of guilt - and anyone who didn't, well, they got to be labelled as the 'wrong side' for all eternity. Rosemary briefly wondered if Darby knew that there would be wizards who would side with the goblins, but quickly came to the realization that he wouldn't care.
Barclay's response made her wonder if they had been wrong to trust him. Perhaps, like Darby, he wanted goblins done away with as well - consequences be damned. This was a dark road and Rosemary decided to find out where Barclay stood sooner rather than later.
"Interesting isn't quite the word I would use, Auror. Despicable, perhaps? Unless you don't feel as though Auror Darby is in the wrong?"
Rosemary wasn't above throwing down with an auror, but if she was forced to...whom else could they trust?
She could have cheered when Darby revealed his plot for all in attendance to see, but the weight of the revelation took the wind out of her. In a way, she'd been right - there was no way a real movement could come out of the simple propaganda pamphlets. The genius of the plan which didn't require a formal movement to succeed could have impressed her if it weren't so devious. Everyone who agreed with Darby would come out of the whole ordeal clean and free of guilt - and anyone who didn't, well, they got to be labelled as the 'wrong side' for all eternity. Rosemary briefly wondered if Darby knew that there would be wizards who would side with the goblins, but quickly came to the realization that he wouldn't care.
Barclay's response made her wonder if they had been wrong to trust him. Perhaps, like Darby, he wanted goblins done away with as well - consequences be damned. This was a dark road and Rosemary decided to find out where Barclay stood sooner rather than later.
"Interesting isn't quite the word I would use, Auror. Despicable, perhaps? Unless you don't feel as though Auror Darby is in the wrong?"
Rosemary wasn't above throwing down with an auror, but if she was forced to...whom else could they trust?
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Monkey Kitty
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Re: A Visit to London
Eve Travers and Auror Barclay
"Despicable. Yes. Certainly."
Barclay wore a demeanor that Eve couldn't recall ever seeing before. He seemed... preoccupied, perhaps? It was a rather startling contrast, given his usual focused intensity.
"You will have to forgive me," Barclay went on. "This is all most unexpected. I am not accustomed to being caught flat-footed - though I must say, you three have done so rather more than most. In any case, I will do what I can to assist you. I should make my way back to London and address this matter at once."
So much for his fly fishing trip, Eve thought. It surprised her that she felt a little bad for him about that.
She just hoped he was telling the truth. If Barclay were double-crossing them, their problems had just multiplied exponentially.
"Despicable. Yes. Certainly."
Barclay wore a demeanor that Eve couldn't recall ever seeing before. He seemed... preoccupied, perhaps? It was a rather startling contrast, given his usual focused intensity.
"You will have to forgive me," Barclay went on. "This is all most unexpected. I am not accustomed to being caught flat-footed - though I must say, you three have done so rather more than most. In any case, I will do what I can to assist you. I should make my way back to London and address this matter at once."
So much for his fly fishing trip, Eve thought. It surprised her that she felt a little bad for him about that.
She just hoped he was telling the truth. If Barclay were double-crossing them, their problems had just multiplied exponentially.
Re: A Visit to London
Rosemary Bain
She felt a bit better after Barclay's confession, though she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling linked to Barclay's surprise at the situation. For him to not notice...of course, Barclay would have thought the Aurors to be above reproach. Pride. She couldn't fault him for it - they were all guilty of hoping that their co-workers were they kind of people they'd expected them to be.
"Thank-you for listening to us, Auror. We'll wait to hear from you, of course. You'll let us know if you need us? You know, in case you need someone else to have a surprise?"
Rosemary's mouth turned up at the corner, but she hoped he'd take the offer seriously. If he couldn't trust his own people...well, hopefully he'd realize that he had a few witches he could count on outside the Ministry.
"I suppose we're due back as well, ladies."
Not only did they need to get back to their jobs, but Rosemary needed to check in on Kiva. The acromantula didn't need to be fed every day, not like Basil and Shelby who could come along with them to the city. The last time she'd bumped into Saundra Davies...well, she just needed to get back. There was something odd about that woman that Rosemary just couldn't put her finger on.
She felt a bit better after Barclay's confession, though she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling linked to Barclay's surprise at the situation. For him to not notice...of course, Barclay would have thought the Aurors to be above reproach. Pride. She couldn't fault him for it - they were all guilty of hoping that their co-workers were they kind of people they'd expected them to be.
"Thank-you for listening to us, Auror. We'll wait to hear from you, of course. You'll let us know if you need us? You know, in case you need someone else to have a surprise?"
Rosemary's mouth turned up at the corner, but she hoped he'd take the offer seriously. If he couldn't trust his own people...well, hopefully he'd realize that he had a few witches he could count on outside the Ministry.
"I suppose we're due back as well, ladies."
Not only did they need to get back to their jobs, but Rosemary needed to check in on Kiva. The acromantula didn't need to be fed every day, not like Basil and Shelby who could come along with them to the city. The last time she'd bumped into Saundra Davies...well, she just needed to get back. There was something odd about that woman that Rosemary just couldn't put her finger on.
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Monkey Kitty
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Re: A Visit to London
Eve Travers
And so they went back.
First to London, to gather their belongings (and, of course, Eve's pets,) fill Liam, Shishguk, and Granrod in on what had happened in Coldstream, and bid them goodbye for the time being.
Eve gave her son an extra hug as they were leaving. She was worried for him. Not that he would be specifically targeted - the human involved was the least at risk for that - but because of his tendency to leap headlong into potential danger to protect those he loved. Eve hoped that wouldn't be necessary in this case.
They settled back into the routine at Hogwarts.
For a few days, nothing happened regarding the situation in London. Eve started to wonder if they had been wrong to confide in Barclay - but what could they have done instead? Was the situation truly hopeless?
Then, finally, Rosemary received an owl. The bird delivered a note and tightly rolled newspaper clipping
The note was short, just a salutation, single sentence, and signature printed in a neat and careful hand. It read:
Professor Bain, I hope the attached is satisfactory. -Barclay
'The attached' was an article clipped from the front page of the Daily Prophet.
Its headlines blared: Auror, Three Additional Ministry Employees, And Others Charged With Inciting Violence Toward Goblin Community! London Stunned by Shocking Arrests!
It seemed that in the days that had passed, Barclay had been quiet, but definitely not idle.
And so they went back.
First to London, to gather their belongings (and, of course, Eve's pets,) fill Liam, Shishguk, and Granrod in on what had happened in Coldstream, and bid them goodbye for the time being.
Eve gave her son an extra hug as they were leaving. She was worried for him. Not that he would be specifically targeted - the human involved was the least at risk for that - but because of his tendency to leap headlong into potential danger to protect those he loved. Eve hoped that wouldn't be necessary in this case.
They settled back into the routine at Hogwarts.
For a few days, nothing happened regarding the situation in London. Eve started to wonder if they had been wrong to confide in Barclay - but what could they have done instead? Was the situation truly hopeless?
Then, finally, Rosemary received an owl. The bird delivered a note and tightly rolled newspaper clipping
The note was short, just a salutation, single sentence, and signature printed in a neat and careful hand. It read:
Professor Bain, I hope the attached is satisfactory. -Barclay
'The attached' was an article clipped from the front page of the Daily Prophet.
Its headlines blared: Auror, Three Additional Ministry Employees, And Others Charged With Inciting Violence Toward Goblin Community! London Stunned by Shocking Arrests!
It seemed that in the days that had passed, Barclay had been quiet, but definitely not idle.