Figuring Out The Snow [open]

Declan felt a bit bad, in hindsight, for not remembering that Hallie would likely not appreciate being asked to talk to those in the Order. He had forgotten for a while who she was. She had become a friend and employee more than the woman people used to talk about because of the misfortunes that followed her. He tried to hide the apologetic look that threatened to cross his features, figuring that she would not appreciate pity from him - or anyone, really.

Declan couldn't have known, of course, that his friend Oliver had taken on part of the leadership responsibility of the Order, along with Audriana. Otherwise he would have offered to contact them himself. It wasn't really his fault that she would have to put up with getting in touch with them directly, then. Still, he felt bad for being unable - or, not knowing he was able - to do it for her and make things easier.

"If you don't mind it, that would be brilliant," he conceded with a nod. "At least whoever is in charge, preferably. If they choose to call a meeting here, they're welcome to. But I'd like to see what I can do to help. And see if they're already looking into it."

They weren't, for reference. Oliver was in France with his family, eagerly awaiting New Years' Day, when they planned to have a bit of a party with his extended family and with Alice's, if she wanted to join them. After all, things had improved for him exponentially since he had gotten sick thanks to the Ministry's "vaccine trial," and since he had royally screwed up in front of Alice's family. He would undoubtedly be slightly disappointed to be called back, but thus far he had taken his role very seriously. Even more so than Audriana, though it would likely surprise people to know it, given how reluctant he was to hold their first meeting.

As for Audriana herself, she was convinced that the twins had done something mad with the little magic that they had so far. She hadn't left the house since the snow started, after all, and it seemed like there was no other reasoning. She had yet to be contacted by the Order, though, asking what was going on. So, really, she was none the wiser, though she likely should have been. Being the mother of two very young twin girls seemed to make it harder for her to see that it wasn't just her home that was being plagued by the snow.

Regardless, both would be on their way if the letters were sent. And, hopefully, they could start putting together a team to research the spell that had caused the snow. From there, they would have a far better chance of discovering what, exactly, was going wrong.

So Hallie would contact members of the Order and have gather at the Leaky Cauldron where they, along with any locals, could hatch a plan for solving the snowy situation that had covered the country. Of course, contacting them was no easy task. Who would Hallie contact first? Sophia? Audriana? Or would she be better to send word to Jack Dyllan who could pass on the message? More likely than not they'd respond to Jack over Hallie who, after all, did desert them. Nonetheless Hallie could try.

Taking a little breath Hallie's eyes fell to the floor in thought. The air passing her fragile lips was cold and chilled her body, which wasn't the best feeling before casting a patronus especially when you were out of practice. Hallie hadn't performed any complex magic since before being sentenced to Azkaban. Her Wandwork was rusty and she didn't know what sort of memory to use in order to conjure her patronus. There were childhood memories, Hogwarts memories and although her memories of Theodore wasn't fantastic Hallie did keep hold to the good times.

'Do you have an owl I could use please?' Hallie asked looking up, her teeth now beginning to chatter as nerves mixed with the icy air inhaled into her lungs.

Aria slowly listened what othera said there now. So far noone wasn't sure who was behind all this now. It was aome kind of magic for sure. That Aria could tell. It wasn ordinary snow. She heard what people said but she listened them quietly and did drink her tea. She just wasn't surw what to say at the moment there.

Getting contact with Order sounded good idea actually. Even if Aria wasn't part of it. She was still a neautral. She just didn't wanna be part of Order or DE. Even if she was more likely on Ordee side than DE. "Yeah help is always useful. They might now something about it for sure or could help figuring out," she said mostly to herself there. She smiled and looked around. It was still quite cold so she did held her handa around hee coffee mug. She wanted to get warm. "This cold isn't goo. Inside should be warm. I don't wanna catch cold because of this freaking stupid snow and coldness inside," she said there now and did shiver a little bit.

She looked what Hallie did and smiled there. To be honest Aria haven't used patronus spell for long time either. She have used some othee spless but not that one since lessons where they needed it. She usually managed to get it easily. Her life have been most of times happy one. There is few days or weeks where she wasn't happy but yeah. She doesn't regret anything at all in her life and she enjoys it as it is. Expect one thing she wants in her life and it's boyfriend. She haven't the one for her yet. She sighed on that thought in her mind. She did 't wanna think about it here and now. She had more serious problems right now, like this now around her in Leaky Couldron and any other houses.

Declan nodded, and showed Hallie to the back office where he was doing what he could to keep his owl warm. The poor thing had no choice, though, when the letter had to be sent and the bird had to take off into the night. Upon returning to the bar, Declan looked at Anya and the other girl whose name he had missed during all of their back and forth discussion. He refilled the second girl's drink before looking to Anya again.

"Were you serious about helping with the snow? Maybe we can get a team together until the Order leaders show up?" He suggested, not entirely sure that it would so much good. But at least it could give them something to do in the meantime, right?

So Declan pulled some extra shovels from the back storage and started helping anyone who wanted to work on the mess. Within the hour, a tall man walked in, flanked by a shorter woman with long, wild hair. Declan paused in his work upon catching sight of Oliver, shocked to find that the man had walked in with the woman he assumed was there to represent the Order. She seemed to have that frustrated yet determined air about her that suggested she could be no one else, and there for no other reason.

As for Oliver, he approached the owner of the Leaky and gave a firm handshake. He looked rather unamused with the whole ordeal, though his time in France had spared him the agony of dealing with it until he had gotten the letter. While Audriana looked around in hopes of seeing someone she knew, Oliver turned to Aria and Anya to introduce himself.

"I'll admit," Audriana put in after he had given his name, "I sort of expected more people to be upset by this."

"Well perhaps they are, but simply aren't here," Oliver suggested blandly.

Clearly - and that is meant in the most sarcastic of ways - the two got along brilliantly. She was often too volatile for Oliver to accept, and he was often too calm for her to ignore.

"I'll send out an alert, then." She rebutted, waving her wand and conjuring a patronus to send to other Order members who might be willing to come by and help.

OOC: You can totally ignore this post, guys. All you really need to know is Theodore Rookwood, Melissa Hayes and also, obviously, Peter are in the pub drinking with a random NPC named Philip.

---

Oliver Connolly was a very intelligent man and – by Jove! – he was right, too. Those who had grown truly incensed at the snow that was pouring into their houses were still stood in their living rooms, shivering in their dressing gowns, trying to scare the slush away with their eyes. In effect, they couldn’t get out; and many of the mad old Purebloods just out-of-hand refused to leave. The Ministry was nowhere to be seen – typical – and so it had fallen to a scatter-brained charity organisation to sort it out until a group of people more qualified to lead and sort it out manifested to help.

The arrival of the charity meant that, fool’s errand though it was, someone was going to have to start shovelling snow out of each front garden so they could get out those trapped inside the terraced houses. There was a finite resource of young men willing to start doing that and despite his desire to haul up against the snow and despite the fact that he was really no longer considering himself a ‘young man,’ Peter Howard had wound a scarf around his neck that morning and headed out into the weather with his son and their cat, Boots.

Finley remained occupied with the local children and it allowed his father to start shifting slush against the rising tide of the stuff in the garden of Old Missus Higgins. A charity worker, in shocking purple robes, was stood on the doorstep, the pointed end of his hat sagging further and further down as he grew mournful and irritated. Bless him, he was trying. While she was screaming simultaneously at the snow and at him, the man remained calm and Peter couldn’t help but smirk into his scarf as he moved more snow into the wheelbarrow he’d been provided with by a scatty ginger witch in equally shocking robes.

“Philip!” A lyrical voice called out over the mire of white. Peter looked up despite himself and turned to see a blonde witch in a long black coat and a bright red Hogwarts scarf hurrying along the low brick wall with plum coloured posters under her arm. Her boots, Peter observed, didn’t look as though they had a lot of grip on them and he stepped forward just as the inevitable happened – she slipped and fell straight into him. Thankfully, he had his wits about him enough to catch the witch and she let out a boisterous laugh, planting a kiss on his cheek in thanks before scrambling from his arms to the side of the other wizard: Philip.

Further up the road, another man appeared but this one Peter recognised instantly as Theodore Rookwood. It dawned on him then who the familiar witch was. If there were Rookwoods in the area, it meant that there were people around who he knew, too. He turned and watched as the witch shuffled her posters, talking animatedly to the wearied wizard, blathering on about something to do with Divination and how ‘her students’ were doing so well, he’d be impressed. Melissa Hayes. It had to be.

“Millie, bloody hell. Would you give that sodding witch that flipping thing so she can go down to Satan’s and we can pee off?” Theodore snapped, appearing at the garden gate.

She swivelled around and Peter felt his heart leap into his mouth. He was far too close to this. He could see Finley, too, rushing around with the other children. He was the spit of the man she’d married when he was a child. Although, thankfully the boy had taken some of his mother’s looks and so it would only take someone who knew to recognise it. Peter felt as if he was going to burst. With his cousin one side of the fence and his sister-in-law the other, they were far, far too close to him. He knew he should have become a Muggle but the etchings in his skin and his quick-fingered approach to his life meant that it was never, ever going to be something he could achieve. Azkaban was in his blood now – and so was wizardry. He couldn’t hide forever, you could say, but he’d give it a damn good go.

“Do I know you, mate?” The Irish wizard glanced over at Peter. The elder man looked up and blanched, paling the colour of the snow around them and he opened his mouth, trying to articulate that no, he didn’t but it wasn’t quite coming out.

“Oh Missus Higgins!” Millie exclaimed, poking her poster through the door. “If you’re ever going to come out – this man, what’s your name?” She looked at him pointedly.

“Peter,” he stuttered out. It was a lie, of course. An age-old lie now.

“Peter! Thank you. Peter’s cleared your garden but it won’t last long so I suggest you get your paisley panties out of their twist and get a wriggle on either to the Leaky Cauldron or to Satan’s. Thank you for your time!”

“Satan’s?” Philip looked at her curiously over the rim of his glasses.

“The alcohol in the floor makes it really sticky so the snow can’t go further than the doors. It’s upstairs, mind you, but the main bar is alright for now. I don’t think it will last much longer,” the witch explained.

“Right, good, Missus Higgins is going to die,” Theodore snapped, rubbing his hands together. “I want a brandy. Can we please go to the pub now?”

“I concur,” Philip nodded. “There’s a back way up there. Say, Peter, would you like to join us?”

“No I … I shouldn’t,” Peter muttered. “I need to shovel the snow out of—”

“Oh, sod them,” Theodore rolled his eyes. “Come and have a drink, mate.”

“You see, I have my son here,” Peter protested.

“So, they can make him a hot chocolate,” Millie pointed out, looping her arm with Peter’s. “Leave it for a bit and get your second wind for later. Come on, otherwise Theodore will die for want of alcohol.”

“I’m not that bad,” the wizard flushed pink.

“Course you’re not,” Millie rolled her eyes. “Where’s your son, Peter?”

Finley joined them when he was shouted for, having gathered up Boots in his arms. True to her fashion which Peter measured was friendly and warm, Millie left his side to talk to the boy and the pair took up conversation happily as they all wandered down the road. At one point, Theodore asked where Keiran was and that just about finished Peter’s heart off. Her reply that she’d last seen him with “your sister, Theo,” and the query “Adriana?” followed by “Yeah, by Flourish and Blott’s helping Athena” was about all Peter could take but with his son happy and talking to his aunt, albeit he didn’t know it, he couldn’t disappear now.

They arrived in the Leaky Cauldron just after the Patronus was cast and Theodore had grumbled at the sight of it. Nevertheless they walked in – trudged, more like – and Millie bounced up to the bar to order. Hot spiced cider, two of, a brandy, some hot chocolate and---

“Peter what do you want?”

He snapped from his thoughts. “Oh, um. Nothing, love. Thanks.”

“The man wants a brandy,” Theodore’s hand clapped onto his shoulder. “If all else fails we can pour it on the snow and see what happens, eh?”

“Sure,” he replied warily.

“The Order are here, Mills,” Theodore pointed out hesitantly as the witch handed them their drinks.

“Just be glad the Death Eaters aren’t,” she replied meaningfully.

They could all be glad of that point.

Within an hour after sending a couple of letters the two recipients arrived in the form of Oliver and Audriana. They looked well, especially Oliver considering what he had gone through. Not that Hallie had been there for that but she'd heard all about it. As much as she liked to shut herself from the goings on in the Wizarding world working in a pub, the busiest pub in Britain as a matter of fact, wasn't going to keep her locked away from everything.

'Hello, it's good to see you both.' Hallie said, dropping her shovel and walking towards the two Order members. Hallie had been worried for the past hour about this moment. She hadn't communicated with the Order in a long time and could only hope they'd be accepting of her, given the circumstances of being driven from the country by Gideon Pierce. In fact, Hallie no longer felt panicked at all, instead a bubbling sensation rushed through her. It felt good to see them.

Of course the bubbling sensation didn't last for long. A group of people entered the Leaky Cauldron. One of them a man with tattoos and scars who looked as though he'd spent past years in Azkaban, a woman who Hallie knew as Melissa Hayes and... Theodore Rookwood.

Hallie inhaled quickly. Of course he would come, how could Hallie have completely forgotten about the man she practically dragged to an Order meeting. Nonetheless she had matured, healed, gotten past whatever mess the pair had been together. Being in the same room as Theodore shouldn't be a problem, she'd never been given the closure she would have liked but they were in the past and Hallie couldn't go across and spark up a conversation with him... Expect that she wanted to.

All Hallie wanted to do right now was walk to the bar and see how her ex-husband was doing. Was he coping well? Had he managed to get by? How was his daughter doing? She had cared for that man, loved him in ways she didn't know how to love. Theodore Rookwood would always be held deeply in Hallie's heart no matter how much time they had apart and he was just the other side of the room.

Now, Mairen might have tried to remain out of the line of sight when it came to factions. But she had no idea what she was walking into when she entered the Leaky Cauldron in search of her new housemate. After receiving a message that he would not be home that night due to circumstances out of his control, she had assumed that it was just his not wanting to see his poor house all full up with snow. So when she entered and saw quite a crowd filling the place, she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself.

Audriana was greeting Hallie with a hug, and Oliver offered a handshake, as he had only come in to help drive things after she left. As tempted as she was to introduce herself as well, Mairen figured it would probably be best to sit off with the people she already knew and hide from those that would question her being there, as she was not part of the Order. So she pulled her coat tighter around her and looked about for the man in question.

When she found him, she was distraught to find that Millie was also in the pub. Had Keiran told her about Aiden? She desperately hoped he hadn't, and that she wouldn't be yelled at by the blonde, but she saw no real choice besides going over and sitting with them, so she sank into the seat beside Theodore and greeted them all softly.

Across the room, Oliver was looking around and trying to get his bearings on who all was there. Audriana had lifted herself up onto the top of the bar so she could see better, clearly not bothered by the snow that would inevitably surround her. But she just kept sweeping her hands back and forth to push away the new bits.

"So," she started, looking around at anyone who was there to figure out what was going on. "I think it's clear that typical methods aren't doing anything helpful, in regards to getting rid of the snow. If we've got anyone at the Ministry who can do some digging into spells, that would probably do us a lot of good. I have a feeling there's someone there who might know what's going on. After everything else the Ministry has done, we can't help but be wary."

Oliver frowned from his spot by the table nearest to Audriana, not entirely amused with her assessment of things. Yes, the Ministry had done wrong, but that was under a time of changing leadership and all the rest. So he wasn't as quick to pin it on their actions. But he could concede that if anyone knew anything, it might be the Ministry.

"It isn't looking like any Dark Magic I've ever heard of," he added, his tone more relaxed than Audriana's. "Mind, we should probably have people do some research on that end as well."

As her fingers unwound from where they’d solidified against her palm, her knuckles popped and her wrist squinted out its sound. Stretching her hand as wide as possible she watched as colour pinched at the sides and looked odd against the white gold on her fingers. The skin was covered, all of a sudden blotted out by the bright print of thermal gloves that had been found from one of the lower drawers in the wardrobe that had been smothered in white blight. It had started by trickling under the door and then had risen up by the windows until it had spurted through the gaps and sprayed into the room. No amount of magic could guard against the encroaching tide of wet and ice so when she felt that she could make it, Ellie Williams hopped off of the chest of drawers she’d stood on in order to avoid the snow and hurried out of the door.

It was no better in the hall, however, which was smothered with even more of the stuff. A whine crackled in the back of her throat and she wished to herself that she’d indulged in better boots for the winter. No one had foreseen this, however. There was an unsettling feeling in Ellie’s gut, too, that she’d be sleeping on the roof for the night – especially if the snow continued to settle within the rooms. People were abandoning them in an effort to stave off getting wet and damp but just as it did with Ellie’s, it seeped into their shoes as they walked and it frayed their nerves as all slipped on a bit of ice at the top of the stairs. The main bar was filling up – both with people and snow, though the former helped to tread down the latter. Still, it rose and her breath chilled in the air.

Folding her arms across her chest, glad to have had the sense to don her coat before it had been swallowed up, Ellie shivered a little and lifted the partitioning board to move into the bar area where it wasn’t a whole lot better but where her mitten clad hands found a cup of hot chocolate that pleasantly burned off the taste buds at the tip of her tongue. A few were demanding spiced spirits to put into it to further warm their cockles but it still felt too early for Ellie to indulge. She stood as best she could, instead, on a little hill of snow, half-shrunk into herself with her breath ghosting into the air, a little bit of a warming charm sputtering on her skin. Winter. She didn’t like winter. It was pretty in a picture but in reality it really could shove itself.

The Order, she noticed immediately, were there. She must have missed the boat on the Patronus – though to be fair it had probably been chomped by the snow – but she instantly felt reassured by the presence of the leaders. She couldn’t claim to be one of the fighters, really, but she certainly wanted to help and had allied for that reason. This wasn’t the way she had imagined spending her post-Christmas time leading up to the New Year. This wasn’t the kind of New Year she’d been expecting, either. It seemed as if this was the swansong of a truly terrible year for the Wizarding World – but did it have to be with snow? Ellie took a bitter sip of her hot chocolate, shaking her head in a manner that was more of a shiver than anything else. Of course, it had to be with snow.

Watching idly over the lip of her mug as Audriana got up onto the bar top, ironically the first thought that sprang to her mind was that it would be rotten to have to clean again. That said, the whole building would be a nightmare to have to clean. They’d be finding snow for months if it was as spell-like and not conventionally snowy as she said. The little twinge of Ministry critique made Ellie’s eyebrows lift and she folded her lips down a little bit at the sides as she considered it. It wasn’t dark magic, no, but it definitely had old magic attached to it if its aversion to magical interference was telling at all – it was like a Gemino Curse, almost. But worse.

They’d figure it out, though. Wouldn’t they?