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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on Apr 29, 2009 4:23:44 GMT -7
It was late and it seemed the Ministry had gone to sleep. Silence dominated the entire building that was usually screaming with excited discussions, raging debates and momentous decisions. Suddenly, the clang of a lift shattered the fragile serenity of the hallways. The grate in front of Goldeye shook violently as he traveled from The Atrium. His somber black cloak was unadorned with any visitor tags- as a member of the Wizgenamot, Goldeye was given the same access as any other employee of the Ministry. Goldeye was wearing his formal attire, a black cloak with silver lining and a intricately weaved eye (like his avatar) on it's back, a formal black shirt and long black pants with polished formal shoes. He seemed nervous and kept feeling the sides of the elevator, as if afraid it would suddenly fall. Then the grate slide open and the aged Professor staggered out, all the while composing himself. As his face fell into a serious posture, the cool female voice spoke from behind him in the elevator. " Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services." Goldeye strode past boxed offices and empty hallways, making his way through the cubicle farm that was the Auror Offices. He glanced at a passing window, showing a clear, moonlight night. In reality, it was practically flooding on the streets of London. The rain was a quick turn from the strange humidity of a few nights ago. Nickarlen stopped, facing the singled-lighted office in the whole building. The person was finishing late, like he knew he would. Goldeye spared a glance at the bold, black script written on the front of the glass of the door. Gordon Flintock Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Solemnly, Goldeye raised his hand and knocked three times on the door, the hollow sound of his bones ringing off the wood reverberating down the abandoned hallways.
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Post by Gordon Flintock on Apr 30, 2009 0:37:59 GMT -7
Gordon's hand jumped as he was re-dipping his quill in his ink pot; the sudden knock on the door had startled him and sent black ink flying everywhere. Gordon had not realized how silent it was until there was a real noise to break it. It was quickly apparent that everyone that worked during the day had already gone home but him. It was the fourth time that week it had happened. He had never intended it to.
Gordon was under monumental pressure to save Minister Shacklebolt's reputation and restore his own. If Kingsley lost the upcoming election, Gordon was toast. Like many Magical Law Enforcement heads before him, he had been taking a lot of the blame during a difficult time, not all of it he felt he deserved. It seemed as if the wizarding community had forgotten about his service and successes immediately following the war. He had helped rejuvenate the train wreck that was post-war Britain and locked up a great number of Death Eaters.
But now they were all free again (the ones that were still alive, anyway). The people had reverted back to being afraid and pointing blame, and it had just happened to fall on him.
Gordon hurriedly pulled out his wand and cleaned up the mess, shoved the parchment into the overcrowded front drawer of his desk and made his way to the door of his office to welcome whoever had come to visit him. He hoped it was good news.
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Valued
Deceased Order of Merlin - First Class Wizengamot Member Head of Ravenclaw History of Magic Professor Failing Legilimency Seer[M0n:-130]
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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on Apr 30, 2009 1:07:44 GMT -7
Goldeye gave a weak smile to the man as he opened the door. "Hello Gordon." He stood in the hallway, as if unsure how to act. Usually, he would of barged into the office, sat down on Gordon's desk, maybe kiss him on the forehead, then launch into a long-winded explanation of his day. But not now.
Gordon had seemed cautiously optimistic when he opened the office door. Goldeye hated ruining people's optimism. It was like stealing candy from a baby. Too easy.
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Post by Gordon Flintock on Apr 30, 2009 1:59:06 GMT -7
Gordon responded to the weak smile with a cock of his eyebrow, and then nodded and turned away as realization set upon his face and his heart sank into his stomach. It was bad news, and knowing Goldeye and what he could do and what he had seen, it was more than likely very bad news.
He moved to the other side of his desk and sat down with a sigh. He gestured towards the chair opposite his desk for Goldeye to sit, also. "What did you see?"
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Valued
Deceased Order of Merlin - First Class Wizengamot Member Head of Ravenclaw History of Magic Professor Failing Legilimency Seer[M0n:-130]
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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on Apr 30, 2009 2:14:53 GMT -7
Goldeye slowly walked into the office with a strange reluctance, setting himself down into chair carefully. He rubbed his eyes. "Remember when we thought this was over? When the First Wizarding War was just the Wizarding, when Voldemort died for the first time?"
He leaned back in the chair, "What happened Gordon? Why couldn't he stay dead and save us all this trouble?" He didn't seem to expect any definitive answer, so much as recognition of his questions.
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Post by Gordon Flintock on Apr 30, 2009 2:51:34 GMT -7
ordon wasn't sure how to take Goldeye's question, so he took the route that he felt couldn't lead to a wrong answer, the literal way.
"Voldemort didn't die at the end of the first war," Gordon said slowly. "He was hit by his own rebounding killing curse, which, much like a basilisk's gaze reflected in a mirror will only petrify, caused Voldemort to lose his living body until it was reconstructed in 2004." This was a lie, of course, the Ministry had been covering up Voldemort's horcruxes for years in order to try and prevent copycats. Gordon sensed that Goldeye was still uncomfortable, so he continued.
"The paranoia that he could return again from the dead again is just that - paranoia. He never died, just lost his body. He's dead now, and that means its over. Dead is dead." Gordon shifted uneasily in his chair. He was never good at the figurative stuff, and he knew Goldeye probably didn't like his answer.
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Deceased Order of Merlin - First Class Wizengamot Member Head of Ravenclaw History of Magic Professor Failing Legilimency Seer[M0n:-130]
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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on Apr 30, 2009 3:44:48 GMT -7
"Is it over, Gordon? Is it really?" Goldeye sighed and began to speak, as though recanting a speech long hidden in his mind. "Does the world want this happen? Is it natural and eternal, the battle between pure-blood bigotry and magical acceptance? Even with the bastard dead, his idelogies live on. They keep fighting Gordon and even if the Death Eaters die out, I don't think the real War will ever truly end."
The Professor's fingers dug into the arms of the chair, "I haven't had a smoke in twenty-three years, Gordon, but by everything that is good in the world, I could sure as hell use one now."
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Post by Gordon Flintock on May 1, 2009 0:25:10 GMT -7
"I'm afraid I don't, Nick..." Gordon said, wishing more than an anything else that he had a smoke to provide Goldeye just so that he would appease him. "I can probably get someone to do a run for you."
He hesitated, considering whether to reveal a little secret to Goldeye. "Or I have some bourbon in my desk if you'd like..." It hardly seemed the time to hold his pride like that and he doubted Goldeye would care at that point in time. Besides, it was a well documented fact that most all Department Heads were alcoholics, so it wouldn't come to most anybody's surprise that Gordon hid liquor in his office.
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Deceased Order of Merlin - First Class Wizengamot Member Head of Ravenclaw History of Magic Professor Failing Legilimency Seer[M0n:-130]
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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on May 1, 2009 5:12:22 GMT -7
Goldeye sat up in his chair, revealing that his eyes were rimmed with tears. "You...you called me Nick." There was a heavy pause, the emotion of the scene almost too difficult too bear. Finally, Goldeye staggered out the words, "Thank you." Both for calling him Nick and to the offer of the bourbon.
The man was shaking, breathing a bit unsteadily, clearly worried about something but unwilling to talk until he had the alcohol.
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Post by Gordon Flintock on May 1, 2009 5:36:25 GMT -7
Gordon leaned down and reached into the bottom drawer of his desk, keeping his eyes on Goldeye until he needed to look at what he was doing. "You're welcome..." Gordon replied. He had expected to feel better if he recieved praise or appreciation from Goldeye but his words had only made Gordon feel even more uncomfortable.
After a small amount of fiddling Gordon's right hand returned with an odd-squarish bottle with a longer neck and a wax seal around the top. It looked expensive. "I hope you like Maker's Mark?"
The bottle was placed on the desk with a thud and two glasses summoned by wand. Upon clearing his desk, Gordon only just noticed that one of the pages he had been working on had been splashed with the ink from earlier and did not seem recoverable, but he didn't care anymore. Gordon broke the seal and began to pour.
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Valued
Deceased Order of Merlin - First Class Wizengamot Member Head of Ravenclaw History of Magic Professor Failing Legilimency Seer[M0n:-130]
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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on May 1, 2009 5:53:23 GMT -7
Goldeye drank the glass greedily as soon as it was poured, then sloched back in his chair again. "Gordon..." he began. "Would you do anything to end this conflict? Anything?" He waited for Gordon to answer, then continued, regardless of what the man said. "Kill a unborn child?"
His Vision had been disturbing but he realized what was necessary. Fate was making sure everything was falling into place and he was It's tool.
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Post by Gordon Flintock on May 1, 2009 6:37:56 GMT -7
Gordon by now was hunched over his desk, his arm propped up in front of him supporting his head on his fist. A moment of contemplation - not so much at his own answer but as to the actual meaning of the question - before he confirmed what he suspected Goldeye already knew.
"Yes."
He took a large sip from his drink, then added, "if it were necessary." Case studies and historical reports from the last two and a half decades came to mind, from which Gordon could help justify and rationalize his opinion, but he knew by now that his job was to listen.
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Deceased Order of Merlin - First Class Wizengamot Member Head of Ravenclaw History of Magic Professor Failing Legilimency Seer[M0n:-130]
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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on May 1, 2009 6:42:32 GMT -7
"Well, that's good then." Goldeye inhaled deeply, then spoke with a sudden calmness and steely resolve terribly different to what he was before. "Juliet Lee is pregnant and her child is special. The baby is the attempt of the magical pure-blood to cleanse itself. A rallying point. An argument to say that magic wants to be separated from muggles." He looked into his lap. "War would start all over again. The Wizarding World would feel the touches of this child."
He slowly raised his head, his eyes making contact with Gordon. "You know what has to be done."
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Post by Gordon Flintock on May 1, 2009 7:00:23 GMT -7
Gordon sat in silence for a few moments, holding his glass in his hand and tilting it thoughtfully. "If only it were as simple as doing it, I'd have done it already." He felt resentment towards Goldeye at the moment, for his bizarre prophecy of impending doom which questioned the laws of magic itself. He didn't want to shoot the messenger, but he felt like Goldeye's senility might finally be breaking him.
"How do you know the baby is a true pure-blood? What makes it so?"
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Deceased Order of Merlin - First Class Wizengamot Member Head of Ravenclaw History of Magic Professor Failing Legilimency Seer[M0n:-130]
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Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin...but thats what they want you to think
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Post by Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen on May 1, 2009 7:10:03 GMT -7
"Prophecies don't lie, Gordon," Goldeye told him matter-of-factly. "They are beyond human comprehension, whether or not we know the how or the why matters little. The important thing is what it tells us and it tells us this child is a true pure-blood." He'd written books on this sort of thing, couldn't Gordon take his word for it?
"I can guarantee that the Death Eaters will learn of the child's importance soon. Then it shall be a race."
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