Out of the blue and into the black.

Gretchen's right: some of us won't be pushed. Incite fear all you want, but we won't cave to it. All your little wireless message did for me is make me a little more determined to make sure you've never got control of us.

Fuck you, Voldemort.

Rupert "Axebanger" Brookstanton (and if I had a name like Rupert, you'd better believe I'd quickly go about kicking so much arse that people had to start calling me Axebanger instead) once said "Ennui is horseshit. There's nothing more beautiful, comfortable, and pleasant than a bit of boredom."

I think he was right.

[Warded to Emmeline]
Got free time for a ride sometime soon? Or are you not allowed anymore? Because I could really use a trip out of my own head.
[end ward]


[Warded to Melanie]
Did you know that if you set fire to Marshmallow Duckies, they burn blue?
[end ward]


[Warded to James]
I want to steal a car and wreck it.
[end ward]

[Warded to Emmeline]
Do we have an official story for how we got to be friends? Your fiance's asking. I'll answer, but I don't want to contradict anything you might have already said.

[Warded to Marauders plus Lily]

HEY REMUS.

Your birthday is in a week or so. What do you want? If you say world peace, I'm reaching through this journal and punching you. We're looking for tangible, purchasable objects here. Also, what do you want to do? Drinking seems obvious, but we also know that we can't drink but just so excessively given that we're all pretty much on-call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. So, how shall we celebrate? Keep in mind that we also have James getting old a couple weeks later, so we don't want to wear out all the good ideas now.

[Warded to Order]
Remus and Sturgis got surprised by a full pack of werewolves - about nine of them. Both Remus and Sturgis got shot with bullets. Remus just took one in the arm and Morgan's taking care of him, but Sturgis was hit three times. DMLE should have been on their way, but we don't know yet how bad off he is. Anybody in a position to find out, see what you can do.

[Warded to Marauders + Lily, staff of The Tube, Melanie, and Marlene]

It's warded out now, but I just won an insult fight with Lucius Malfoy. In French. I opened with telling him to eat a dick. It was beautiful.

I have a theory.

Everybody wants a woman who is pretty, intelligent, and mentally stable.

You can have two out of three.

[Warded to Podmore and Bones + Marauders]
Having spoken with my associates, we've decided to accept your offer of free booze and a little extra free time for Melanie on Fridays in exchange for our finely honed pranking skills to be used against Team MacDougal. Let the games begin.
[end ward]

[Warded to Dorcas Meadowes]
After speaking with my associates, we've decided to accept the offer from the opposing forces. See you across the trenches!
[end ward]

[Warded to Marauders]
A prank war is on, and we have offers from both sides.

Team Podmore: Podmore, Bones...unsure as to who else. Bet on wives and girlfriends insomuch as wives and girlfriends are ever involved.
- comes with free booze on weekend planning sessions
- releases Melanie from work early on Fridays

Team MacDougal: The residents of Caer Dubh.
- comes with higher quality free booze

History thus far:
- A. MacDougal (whose girlfriend is Podmore's ex-wife) gifted Melanie (Podmore's trainee) with jingle-bell charms for her trainers. Melanie was delighted. Podmore was not.
- Podmore sent a letter rigged to explode with glitter and garlic, declaring war.
- MacDougal responded with cupcakes baked by Lydia, one of which was charmed to make the eater's feet huge. As you may have seen in journals, Bones ate it.


So...thoughts on where we fall?

ANDROMEDA TONKS.

Stop distracting my barman!

"Malt does more than Milton can
to justify God's ways to man."
- A.E. Housman

[Order of the Phoenix]
Since I can't be there for full moon patrol, I've given myself another project to help with it.

It never hurts to have a quick escape plan, so I did some reconnaissance in Diagon Alley to check out conveniently secluded apparation points. I took some photos with angle of view in mind, so anyone who's in that area can have an easy visualisation of someplace easy to escape werewolves, Death Eaters, or Authorities Enforcing the Curfew without leaving their posted patrol area.

If this seems helpful, I can go on and do the same for the other patrol areas.

[Between and behind the Starlight and the Apothecary]

[Running behind Aesalon's Pass and Cat Cove]

[Alongside China 10]

[Behind the Orphanage]

[Between the Upper Crust and Ollivander's]

[Warded to Marauders + Lily]

All right, I'm awake. Here's the deal on Marlene:
Physically, she's fine. Mentally, she's a fucking mess. Issues she's stated include:
1. everything's falling apart
2. feels out of control, which seems to be some kind of issue related to having been Imperiused. She even said sometimes she feels like he's still up there.
3. guilt over Barty, specifically with regard to Meredith
4. Lies and secrecy are wearing on her badly.
5. And she feels like she's overcome with dark thoughts and feelings that only go away when she drinks.

Shit. It didn't occur to me to think it until I just read it all listed out like this, but now I'm starting to worry that maybe she's still being Imperiused. Fucking Merlin.

Anyway, she pretty much broke down and spilled all that when I told her if she didn't talk to me, I was going straight to her father and to Bones. She was crying, threw a glass at the wall hard enough to break it...generally a major mess. After all that got out, I still felt like I needed to talk to Bones, or at the very least she did, and though I said I could leave her father out of it, I may need to talk to Effie. She said she'd talk to Bones; I gave her today to do it.

[Warded to Charity Burbage]
I meant to say something yesterday and forgot, but thank you. Thank you very much.


[Warded to Iona Cornfoot]
Just wanted to say again that I had a really excellent time Friday night. We should get together again sometime.

[Warded to Marauders and Lily]

Looks like I'm not coming home again tonight, Remus. I will be sitting here on Marlene's floor to make sure she doesn't die of alcohol poisoning or choke on her own vomit. I cannot imagine how she could possibly have anything left in her stomach to sick up, but on the off chance that she does, since Roland left the wedding with some cute little MacFusty, I will be hanging out here.

Fucking Merlin. At least she's got a television. And in the morning, I can ask her what the fuck's wrong with her.

[Warded to Andromeda and Ted]
Remus's parents were attacked tonight. His mum's been killed and his dad's in the hospital. Don't know much more than that now. Going to the hospital to meet him there. Will keep you updated.
[end ward]

[Warded to Order]
Remus's family's been attacked. His mum was killed and his father is in the hospital. We're going to meet him there now. Will keep you posted.
[end ward]

[Warded to Marauders + Lily]

I just wanted to share with you all the magic that is Sirius Black.

Thanks to my journal entry lamenting the loss of Becky, Charity Burbage immediately thought of me when she was looking for someone to go on a blind date with her best friend. So I now have a date with a hot older woman on Friday night.

Merlin I'm good.

Oh, Becky. I always knew you were meant to be an outdoor kitty, but I had such hopes.

You need your freedom. I understand that, despite all my angry words this evening. If you're intent on running off to America, I can hardly stop you...but I will miss you. Fly free, my dearest. Fly free, and even if your happiness is not to be with me, be happy.

Journaling world, I bring you a question:

How many five year olds could you defeat in simultaneous unarmed combat?

Rules:
- You have no weapons, neither do they.
- The use of magic is not permitted. Physical combat only.
- Your opponents are healthy British five year olds of magical stock and average height and weight.
- Assume that the five year olds have some very solid motivation for taking you down. They will not run off just because you boot the first one in the head and shout menacingly. These five year olds do not scare easily, and they want you gone.
- Victory is declared when either you or all of the five year olds are either dead, unconscious, or otherwise incapable of continuing battle.
- The fight will take place in an arena approximately the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, with no furniture or other makeshift weapons present except for four walls and a floor.


I think I could take on at least 15 or so. My roommate feels I am inordinately ambitious and overconfident, but that's because he's easily frightened by small children.

[Warded to Order]
Update:
Remus is awake on and off, groggy on potions, but he'll be okay.

Caoimhe's not going to die. No word yet on how much permanent damage she might have. She's still out cold for the time being, and the Healers say it's best for her to stay that way for a while. She can only have visitors for a few minutes at a time, and only one at a time for now, other than Doyle.

Couldn't tell much at the scene except that it was six people, four male and two female, all werewolves. Peter was listening to the DMLE folks but didn't get a whole lot.

And I am going home now and getting some fucking sleep.
[end ward]

[warded to Andromeda]
You're my hero and I love you. See you tomorrow afternoon.
[end ward]

[warded to Snape]
Just got word she'll live. Not much else yet, but she's still unconscious and likely to stay that way a while.
[end ward]