Gloria's Mansion

Here is the home of Gloria, one of the heads of the group that Mortem Macnair was a member of. Dungeons tunnel deep into the ground, and most of the castle itself is actually underground. On the surface, there are only a few rooms, which can easily be passed for a normal home.

Protective spells surround it, hiding it from muggles.

Gloria is the co-leader of a strange group, which has no known name. It is made up of a group of witches and wizards who have made an Unbreakable Vow to make them forever loyal. They promised to protect each other and avenge anyone who causes them harm. Their removal from the wizarding world is timed and almost always unnoticed.

OOC: Ok, so I know I'm a tad hyper right now, but I didn't make this because I was bored. I actually have a plan for Gloria, that will involve Phoenix, but it can only be triggered once she has gone after Mortem. So I thought I'd give a little taster of the castle.

IC: The door closes with a soft click behind him, and the lamps on the wall light up the corridor dimly. Jay glances around, the light reflecting in his green eyes. Soft footsteps pad against the rug, and Gloria comes into view.

"Jay," she smiles. "Welcome. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"And you, Gloria." He speaks politely, as he knows she is far more powerful than him. "Why did you want me to come?"

"My boy, I know you are hesitant." The look in her eyes is sad. "So I wanted you to see that what we do here is right. We care for each other - we're almost like a family - and we will stand by each other." She holds out her arm. "Come, Jay."

He walks forward, but ignores the offer of her arm. She sighs and moves towards the door from where she entered the corridor. Behind the heavy wood, a tight spiral staircase stretches downwards. After several minutes of heading downstairs, they reach a twisting maze of dungeons. Gloria moves through them without hesitation.

She stops in front of a locked door. Gloria waves her wand and mutters a spell, and it opens with a click. They enter.

A man is sat on a chair, his wrists bound behind him. Sweat pours down his face, mixing with droplets of blood. He looks up with hate in his eyes when he sees them. "Leave me." He rasps.

"What did he do?" Jay asks in a dead voice.

"He saw fit to spy on our actions here." Gloria replies. "One of the others found him. I asked to deal with him personally."

Jay studies the damage already done. Several cuts criss-cross over his face; his lips are dry and chapped, so he clearly hasn't had anything to drink for a while.

After a few moments, Gloria speaks. "Jay, I want you to do conduct the punishment."

"You mean torture?" He retorts, strain in his voice.

"No, not torture." Gloria puts a hand on his shoulder. "Jay, he tried to find out about our secrets. We can't have that. Do you know what would happen if the wizarding world knew?" Jay doesn't reply. "My boy, this is your future. It is best if you embrace it now."

With a small nod, Jay draws his wand and steps forward.

The screams that echo through the dungeons cannot be heard by the butler upstairs.

Gloria: -She walks before the line of men, women and young adults, her face smooth. Her close friend, Alden, stands still behind her. After a moment, she turns to face the first person in the line, a woman- What did you find?

Woman: Nothing. None of our enemies made any move to Mortem's location.

Gloria: I see. -She proceeds to ask each of them the same question, until she reaches Jay- Did anyone leave the school last night? Anyone who could have known about him, or had a hand in his death?

Jay: -Stays silent. The others look down the line at him. He clears his throat before speaking- There were two people... I only passed them when entering the Great Hall. But they seemed to be urgent when they left.

Gloria: What were their names?

Jay: I can't remember the male's. The girl, however... -He trails off-

Gloria: Get on with it. Where do your loyalties lie, Hawkins? You were raised into this...

Jay: -Stiffens at the use of his father's surname- Her name is Phoenix Flame. Her twin was the girl Mortem's uncle kidnapped all those years ago, and when Mortem killed her, Phoenix was hurt by it. -Regrets giving away the information, but knows he can't do anything else-

Gloria: -Smiles slowly- Good... We have a name and a motive as well... Well done, Jay. You're coming along nicely. One day, you may be a well-respected figure amongst us.

-The others chuckle-

Gloria: Now off with you all. I need to plan. And Jay?

Jay: -Pauses in the doorway- Yes, Gloria?

Gloria: Thank you. You've saved an old girl a lot of trouble.

Jay: -Fighting the urge to be rude- Gloria, don't say that about yourself. You're not old. Any man can see your beauty.

Gloria: -Smiles- Goodbye. -As he leaves, she sighs and takes a seat at a writing desk, gets herself a fresh sheet of paper, and begins to neatly write out several ideas-

Gloria paces across her living room, her dress trailing behind her. Her blue eyes blaze with anger and she furiously kicks aside a scrunched up piece of paper. "Why can't I think of anything? Why?"

Oliver and Grace glance at each other. "Mother, calm down. You need to clear your mind to get the best ideas."

She turns to her two children, and the anger softens for a moment. "I know. But I'm angry. Your brother betrayed us! Why he would do such a thing, I don't know-"

"Mother, he doesn't even know that you're his biological parent." Grace points out. "He still thinks that muggle man is his father."

Gloria puts a hand to her forehead, as if it would soothe the pounding headache. "I should never have given him to my sister." She looks at the two and smiles fondly. Although they are young - Oliver is fourteen, Grace thirteen - they are already intelligent beyond their years, and strong enough to take on an adult duellist alone. "I made a grave mistake all those years ago... But I'm glad I have you two." She puts an arm around each of their shoulders and smiles at them.

"But, Mother," Grace says, "what will you do about Jay?"

"He is no longer family. He is just another enemy of ours, my dears."

Oliver and Grace nod. They trust Gloria with all their hearts, and agree: Jay is no longer their brother. He is an enemy. And so, if faced with the opportunity, they would capture him and bring him before Gloria just like any other rat.

Inside the house...
Gloria sits in a grand chair and faces her pupils. Some are younger than her, others older, but they all have one thing in common: they adore Gloria and would protect her and her children no matter what. Oliver and Grace sit on chairs either side of her, both obviously bored. Grace stares out of the window near her seat and frowns. What was that in the trees? She blinks, but then it is gone.

Outside...
Jay's heart beats fast as he falls back into the leaves of the tree. He had been trying to see what was happening, but he didn't get any information. Sighing softly, he climbs down from the tree and sneaks away from his former home. Once he is a safe distance away, he apparates back to Hogwarts.

OOC: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I wrote out a whole lot, and then accidentally deleted it all.

IC:

Grace walks quietly up to the door and hesitates before entering. She is the spitting image of her mother, except for her eyes; like her oldest brother, they are green. She takes a deep breath and opens the door.

The thirteen-year-old closes it silently behind her before joining Oliver, who stands a little behind Gloria. He takes his sister's hand and smiles at her briefly before looking at the young man standing calmly before Gloria. Dark hair obscures part of his face, but Grace just manages to see a pair of dark blue eyes. He seems to be around the same age as Jay. His eyes flicker to Grace for just a second before moving back to Gloria.

"My children, this is Darcy." Gloria says with a bubble of happiness in her voice. "I have been training him in secret for a while now, even before Jay left us. He has more potential than your... brother, my dears." Gloria places a hand on Darcy's shoulder. He smiles slightly.

"Mother, what do you plan to do with him?" Oliver asks.

"His first task will be to bring Jay to us." Gloria says firmly. "The boy needs to be punished for his decision. Now," she says to Darcy, "why don't you give my children a demonsration of your abilities? They need a new figure to aspire to."

Darcy's smile widens a little. "Gloria, it would be best if I didn't. I wouldn't want to damage your lovely home or your children. I don't think they would be able to protect themselves against such a show." He stares directly at Grace, smirking. "Especially the little one."

"I'm not little!" she replies angrily. "I'll have you know that despite my age and size, I am able to easily defend myself against an attacker, and to fight back! Mother has taught us from the day we were able to hold a wand. I don't suppose the same can be said for you?"

"Sadly no, little one. However, I have spent a lot of my time being trained by your mother, and I know things that she hasn't taught you yet." His eyes glitter with amusement. "After all, who would teach a little girl how to use curses correctly? I'm sure you can only jinx-"

"That's enough," Gloria interrupts, sending them both a warning look. Grace looks away, while Darcy mutters, "My apologies."

"We need to work as a team," Gloria adds, taking Oliver's hand in her own. She keeps her grip on Darcy's shoulder. "If we are to remove Jay from the opposition, we need to work together. The four of us can easily accomplish such a task, especially with our skills."

"Of course," Darcy nods. "It will be simple."

"All we have to do is wait." Gloria says confidently. "Grace told me earlier today that she spotted Jay outside, isn't that right?"

"I only think I saw him," she replies grudgingly. "I don't know."

"A sign is good enough." Gloria nods. "My children, we can do this. I know we can. Now go, my dears. You have training to do." Oliver and Grace leave the room. Grace glances over her shoulder to get one last look at Darcy before she leaves. The pair left in the room draw their wands and before Grace can see what they are casting, the door closes with a soft click.

Jay apparates a safe distance from Gloria's house.

-I follow suit-

-I do some mock stretches- Alrighty then... ready?

Jay chuckles. "Yep." He turns towards the house which is just visible through the trees and begins to walk.

-I walk alongside him-

He pauses when he reaches a break in the trees. Jay considers the door for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. He sees the tree he climbed before and lowers his voice. "That's where I went the last time I visited. I got a clear look into the study."

Perhaps it would be best if I went on alone and you stayed here?

"If you want. I'll let you know if I see anything."

-I nod my head- You got it.

-Crazy Grin, I knock on the door-

Oliver sits up at the sound of the knock. He scowls and puts his book down, leaving the living room. Grace watches him leave with a curious look.

The young boy opens the door and inspects the visitor. He draws himself up to his full height. "Can I help you?"

-Crazy Grin, I speak politely- Good day to you. I was wondering if Gloria might be here.

-I extend my hand- Crouch Jr the IV, perhaps you've heard of me?

"I can't say I have, but it's a pleasure to meet you all the same. Oliver Hawthorne. Please come in, I'll be just a moment." He turns and heads down the hallway. Oliver enters the study, where Gloria and Darcy are still practising. "Mother, someone is here to visit you."

"Thank you, Ollie. We'll be out in just a moment." Gloria smiles sweetly.


Jay stares, wide-eyed. It's that easy?

-Ah politeness, will your use never cease?-

-Crazy Grin- Take your time, Gloria... no rush...

OOC: Character juggling time...

IC:

Gloria smiles as she leaves the study, Darcy trailing close behind. "Crouch! What a wonderful surprise! Darcy, this is a friend of mine, Crouch. Crouch, this is my most successful pupil, Darcy."

Darcy nods at Crouch, eyes narrowed as he sizes him up.

Oliver rolls his eyes and heads back into the living room.

OOC: Brb.

-Crazy Grin, I extend my hand to Darcy- A pleasure to meet you... I do hope I am not catching you all at an inopportune time

Darcy shakes his hand, still watching him carefully. "Of course not. We were simply training." He shrugs.

Gloria smiles at him proudly. "Yes. We've got to keep him ready. Would you like a glass of wine, my friend?" She gestures towards the dining room.

-Crazy Grin- Ah... why thank you very much!-I walk toward the Dining Room-

Darcy helps himself to a seat. He stays silent, drumming his fingers on the table.

Gloria selects a bottle of wine and collects three glasses. "Why did you decide to come here, Crouch? I'm delighted you have, but I'm curious." She pours the wine carefully as she speaks.

-Crazy Grin, lying- Well you just up and vanished so unexpectedly, I wanted to make sure everything was alright. -I take a sip- Ah, robust...

Gloria smiles and takes a seat. "Well, you see, things didn't turn out quite the way I wanted them to. It was wiser for me to leave."

Darcy sips his wine in silence, studying Crouch.