Beyond The Darkness : RP: A Night Out At The Club

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bd_rodolphus
2007-06-06 03:06 (link)

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"Ah now, good memories should always be cherished to hold you through the hard times," he said with a slightly pained look, remembering his two stints in Azakaban. Only the knowledge that his wife had been free had allowed him to hold his sanity through the second stay until he could escape.

He raised an eyebrow at her mention of other forms of entertainment. "Ah yes, I forgot that Rosmerta provides more than just food and drink. I believe the Muggles call it the oldest profession in the books."

He raised an eyebrow at the mention of Stoke. He'd been there, hidden and observing, trying to make complete sense of the visions he'd been having of Voldemort dying. He'd seen those visions as the way of advancing his own and his wife's cause but he'd needed to understand before he could take advantage on them.

He smiled his approval of her use of Voldemort's name. "Good. He was just a man, you know. Well, he was once anyway." He looked regretful. "He was such a charismatic man when I first met him. Young, handsome and so fervent. To be honest I'm not sure if he was insane then and I just didn't see it because of how charismatic he was or whether his sanity disappeared during his constant experiments on himself." He shook his head. "I was at Stoke too. Nasty business. As bad as we were, the Aurors and Order members were just as vicious. I saw a small group of Aurors and Order members set a house on fire. Which might have been acceptable if there were Death Eaters inside but the only ones in there were innocent bystanders just trying to escape the madness."

He chuckled. "That's not a bad way of living, my dear. Your family was hardly the only pureblood family to live beyond their means. It's foolish pride that drives it, I suppose. I think your way is far better and I'm sure your son will appreciate it when he gets older. And I think you are the one who knows what's best for your son but I suppose my recommendation is don't be afraid to change your mind. Circumstances change after all and what was best now might not be so in the future."

He accepted his gin and tonic fro the waiter and sipped at it.

"No need to apologise," he said with a chuckle and a wave of his hand. "Your rambling is interesting and informative which makes it worth listening to."

He raised an eyebrow at her question. He'd wondered how long it would take her to ask the obvious question.

"The club has strict rules of behaviour," he said with a smile. "One is expected to be a gentleman... or a lady... while here. The petty politics and disagreements of the outside world do not exist here. Nor can a member use the club to track and attack another member when they leave. The punishments for breaking the rules are... harsh and permanent expulsion is merely the least of them." He chuckled. "And I'm afraid I'm terribly dull in my spare time. I like to read mostly. Rab... my brother Rastaban... and I often spar together to keep ourselves in shape. And I like to keep in contact with those who live under our protection."

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bd_romilda
2007-06-06 04:01 (link)

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"Yes," she said with a smile and a nod. "They should." She wondered what good memories Rodolphus might have, but it paid her no mind to wonder.

However her eyes widened when he mentioned that he was at Stoke. She was about to say something when he spoke of the Aurors and the Order setting fire to a house. Her hand clutched just a little tighter around her glass, and she sat a little further in her seat. "The Aurors set fire to a house?" she said, her voice just a touch unsettled. Her parents had been killed in one of the house fires in the town, and she suddenly went slightly paler at the thought. Were they killed by Aurors?

For a moment she had wanted to suspect that he had been there - fighting and possibly being responsible for her parent's deaths. But this made her see things in an entirely different light.

She made a strong attempt to put those thoughts to the back of her mind. It would do no good to dwell on them now, as she was here as Rodolphus' guest.

"Oh? I admit if I could get my hands on a time turner, I would do lots of things very differently. What if I had changed my mind about dinner?" She spoke honestly. No point in lying to this man. "Antonin suggested I not accept your invitation."

She was beginning to wonder just what sort of club this was, if they had such rules. "So it is a sort of neutral ground?" she wondered aloud.

The thought of the Death Eater reading did put a smile on her face. "I have to admit, that amuses me," she said, the smile broadening. "I'm sorry. I just have no image of Miles standing around in robes and a mask, reading a book. It's not his style. Perhaps I shouldn't judge all of your... companions on his example."

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bd_rodolphus
2007-06-06 04:55 (link)

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Rodolphus noticed her reaction to his mention of the fire. How interesting. She'd mentioned her parents died in Stoke. Had they died in a one of those fires? Could use this somehow?

"There were several houses set on fire," he said calmly. "The one I saw was set on fire by the Aurors and the Order. I can only imagine that they mistook the half a dozen people who took shelter in there for Death Eaters though I cannot imagine how. Four young people and an older couple do not look much like a group of Death Eaters, especially since we choose to garb ourselves distinctly so that our enemies know us."

He chose to drop the subject at that point. He had sowed the seeds within her mind. Now it was time to let them sit and germinate in their own time.

He chuckled at her mention of Antonin's warning. "Well, he has good reason, I suppose. Many people think I am a dangerous man. Unfortunately, like those many people, Antonin chooses to believe that a dangerous man must somehow be a raving lunatic as well. The idea that I can be a gentleman isn't something he likes to acknowledge." Amusement gleamed in his eyes. "It's because Antonin thinks of himself as a gentleman as well. In his eyes, one cannot be a gentleman and a Death Eater. The two are mutually exclusive. Now, tell me, have I been anything other than a gentleman with you?"

He gave her a wicked, teasing smile, daring her to actually acknowledge the flirting they'd done last time. He saw no reason to deny that he was dangerous and a Death Eater. It was common knowledge after all.

"However, contrary to Antonin's opinion, I do not feel the need to kill everyone I meet." He swept Romilda with an admiring look. "For example, I'm sure it would be a terrible crime to kill someone as glorious as you. I would never forgive myself. So, there you go... you are perfectly safe from me." He let amusement and a certain interest grow in his eyes for a brief moment.

He nodded and took a sip from his drink. "Yes, neutral ground is a good way of putting it. It is likely there will be Aurors and former Ministry officials in the club tonight, along with Muggles and purebloods. It's a very ecumenical place. The members come here to relax, to game, to enjoy themselves. I have seen sworn enemies enjoying themselves together in the club."

He tilted his head back and laughed. "My dear, just as there are all types in Hogsmeade, so there are all types within the Death Eaters. Miles has his uses but you are right, I did not recruit him for his brains."

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bd_romilda
2007-06-06 12:46 (link)

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She could hear the blood rushing in her ears as she heard him speak of a house being burned with an elderly couple. She closed her eyes, remembering when Headmistress McGonagall and the Auror told her of what had happened to her parents, and where they had been found. But Rodolphus had been there? She took a deep breath, swallowing down those memories. She didn't need to ruin the evening with such painful memories.

She was grateful when he changed the subject, and she gave a smile when he spoke of being dangerous, and the amusement in his eyes. "You've been a perfect gentleman," she said with a nod, agreeing with him.

She smirked at his teasing smile, toying with the stem of her glass. He had been seriously flirting with her the other night, and she sensed the hint of danger behind his eyes. "What Antonin fails to understand is what a woman likes. Or enjoys. Or wants. Some women might prefer dangerous men." Her tone softened and she looked up at him through her lashes. "They usually are much more exciting than the others." She had only realised herself that it was the danger factor that drew her to most men. Miles. Theo. Anthony. All had an air of danger about them.

She unconsciously let a finger toy with a curl of her hair, feeling a sense of relief that he admitted he didn't want to kill her. It was good to hear such words. "Well I'm certainly glad you don't want to kill me. Besides, my son would grow up and want to avenge my death, and I really don't want him to grow up having to do that. I wouldn't want him to spend his life doing that."

There was something in the way he looked at her. She couldn't put her finger on it right there, but it wasn't wholly unpleasant, and he radiated an aura that surprisingly enough, made her feel safe.

"I never thought places like this actually existed." She shook her head. "I really don't understand the intricacies of war." How could people sit down and have a civil conversation one minute, and the next, want to kill each other? "Do the Muggles here know about wizards?" It was a logical question, considering the club seemed to be so open.

"I'm surprised he hasn't already got himself killed. For a Slytherin, he's more reckless than many Gryffindors I know." Shaking her head again, she took a sip of her wine and smirked. "And I promise, that's the last I'll talk of him tonight." She had far better things to talk about. That's if talking was all they were going to do tonight.

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bd_rodolphus
2007-06-06 13:36 (link)

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Rodolphus chuckled. "Well, Antonin has never been married and has that charming, if slightly archaic, European chivalry that makes him want to protect women and wrap them in cotton wool. Which was probably acceptable four centuries ago but in these modern days..." He laughed. "If my wife has taught me nothing else, it is that women are strong, competent and do not need to be protected. And if they do, they will ask for said protection."

He smiled at her warmly. "Well, I can tell you that if you are safe from, you are safe from all those who look to me. They know better than to go against my orders. They don't like the consequences if they do."

He took a sip from his drink and looked around the room. "I'm not sure they in other countries but we British have always been a little odd. I think because we understand that just because two people are enemies, there is no reason they have to be impolite." He nodded. "Yes, some of the Muggles who come here know of the wizarding world. Those that don't are usually the ones who don't care. They're just here to play the games of chance."

He chuckled. "Good. Miles is not exactly is my good books right now. Not entirely his fault, he was just following orders but it's more the fact that he didn't think things through and ask a quiet question of me." He waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, never mind. Enough of Miles for the evening."

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bd_romilda
2007-06-06 15:30 (link)

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She let out a wry little laugh. "Antonin means well," she said honestly. "He has been very good, and was the first person to give me some honest help with Liam's fire abilities. But yes, you can get smothered far too easily in cotton wool."

"I think it's nice to know that a man would want to do that for you - to protect you to that degree. It's a good feeling to know that someone cares for you that much. I think sometimes women have to be stronger. I'm not physically imposing, and I know if it came down to hand to hand combat, I could very easily be overwhelmed."

She blinked in surprise when she heard him say that he could very easily tell his minions to make sure she was safe. She really didn't know what to think of that, and she tried to open her mouth to say something, but couldn't. It felt oddly... empowering. In the end, she just nodded her head and took another sip of wine.

She did giggle and managed to explain herself to Rodolphus. "I'm sorry, I just can't see Professor McGonagall coming here and taking tea with you. I'm sure she would be as polite as propriety allows, but her glare would be enough to kill anyone at ten paces. Although she is also a formidable woman," she added as an aside.

For a moment she wanted to ask what Miles had done to get into Rodolphus' bad books, but she truly didn't want to spend the entire night talking about him. Truly bad form to be talking about one man when in the company of another. "Indeed, I truly don't want to be put off my dinner, at least, not before the first course anyway."

"You said Voldemort was a charismatic man - once upon a time. Yet people now cower at the sound of your name. Is that what you had expected? What is it that you want for the wizarding world, truly?" She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't be offended by the question. But she didn't want that question to be hanging over her head all night. Were the Death Eaters just evil, or were they sadly misunderstood?

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bd_rodolphus
2007-06-06 16:02 (link)

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Rodolphus tilted his head to one side as he considered the woman in front of him.

"I suppose the glib answer would be to ensure that you don't get yourself into a situation where you are caught in hand to hand combat but I know that is sometimes impossible." He paused and chuckled. "Antonin will no doubt be disgusted with what I have to say next but I think it is only sensible. There is no requirement that you fight 'clean' as they say. Don't be afraid to bite and scratch and kick." He paused and his smile got positively wicked. "And if you can manage a little wandless magic, a good sharp stinging hex to the cods will make any man let go of you rather quickly. Or use your ability with fire. Creativity can go a long way to compensating for your weaknesses."

She seemed surprised that he would ensure she was protected but then she had no idea of his ultimate plans for her.

He laughed at her mention of McGonagall. "Well, there are no rules against glaring at one another and McGonagall does have a truly impressive one. I remember it from my days as a student. And yes, she is a truly formidable women, which is one of the reasons I respect her, even if I do not agree with her ideas."

He raised an eyebrow at her line of questioning. It was something of a surprise. Most people tended to dismiss Voldemort as a frothing lunatic. While he had been that way at the end, he'd been so much more when Rodolphus had first met him. And very, very few had ever asked him about his plans; his Death Eaters certainly didn't and Bella and Rab already knew most of them. Not that he intended to tell her much; he wasn't that sure of her yet.

He sighed and looked pensive. "No, I don't think I ever wanted people to cower before me. In truth I prefer those with the strength and intelligence to argue logically with me. As for what I want for the wizarding world... I want it to be strong again. Contrary to popular opinion, I do not dispise Muggles. That was Voldemort's foolishness though I'll admit he did have reason. Muggles have their place in this world and I have no arguments with that. They are useful in their own way."

He sipped at his drink before continuing, "But the rampant influx of the Muggleborn into the wizarding world has weakened us. They want us to be more like them and they do not seem to want to understand or accept wizarding traditions. Those traditions have centuries of meaning behind them and while some may be cumbersome they are nevertheless our traditions. The Muggleborn are entering our society and I would like them to adapt as much as they can, not stand around stridently demanding changes. They accuse us of being inflexible and stubborn, yet the wizarding world has moved with the times, incorporating those things that work well with our way of life. It is the Muggleborn who seem to be inflexible in my eyes, demanding we adapt to them. After all, does it really matter that they can't use their telephones when we have owls, the floo network before the Ministry botched that, apparition and mirror communication, just to name a few?"

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bd_romilda
2007-06-06 18:55 (link)

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"I don't think I would need to let of a hex. A well placed heel or knee can cause much more everlasting damage. The pain wears off long after the hex would. Not that I would know this, of course," she said with a teasing chuckle. "I could set their smalls on fire. That would be just as unpleasant." Her chuckle turned into a full on grin that matched his wicked smile.

She seemed truly surprised that he respected McGonagall. "Well you are full of surprises," she said. "Here we all think that Death Eaters just want to maim and kill and make us scared, yet you tell me you respect your opponents and just disagree with their ideals." She was going to have to go away and think about that for a while. It was a lot to process in one sitting.

She thought carefully on what he was saying about Muggleborns. "I don't know if all Muggleborns are like that. Two of my best friends are Muggleborn. They love being in the wizarding world, and I've never heard either wish for things to be different, or better, or whine about things that they had growing up." She thought on Colin and Dennis.

"If anything, they are the most flexible and adaptable guys I know. Their parents were murdered by Death Eaters, and one of them was kidnapped and kept as a prisoner for over a year. He should be angry, or furious, but he's not. Well, at least he seems to be just getting on with his life and doing what he can to be a regular everyday wizard." She wasn't necessarily arguing with him, merely pointing out that not all Muggleborns fit his description.

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bd_rodolphus
2007-06-06 19:10 (link)

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"There you are," Rodolphus said with a laugh. "You hardly need worry about being caught out in hand to hand. You have the ability to get yourself free then either deal withthe problem with magic or leave."

He raised an eyebrow. "The quickest way to make a monster out of an enemy is to demonise them. It does make you wonder how much of what you've been told is truth and how much is propoganda that the Aurors, the Order and the Isolationists would like you to believe. The more we become monsters, the more they tighten their grip on control."

He dropped that subject as well. Again it was a case of letting the seeds he'd laid germinate in their own time.

"Ah now, you see those are the kind of Muggleborn wizards I can appreciate," he said, leaning forward and looking intent. "They have embraced our community and our ways. It's people like the Granger witch who are a menace, constantly harping on about this and that. You think I didn't hear about that asinine idea she had about house elves? It makes me wonder if the girl did any research at all into the subject or did she just turn Muggle eyes on it and make assumptions."

He paused for a moment at the mention and frowned. "Kidnapped and held prisoner? By a Death Eater? Are you sure? If anyone had been held for that long, I would have known. I have extensive sources even within my own group." He leanded back and looked thoughtful. "Hmm, I shall have to look into that. It smacks of an independence that is uncalled for."

That was a curious revelation but it did fit some interesting rumours that had been reported some time ago that he'd had to put aside simply because they made no sense without context. They'd had to do with Troy Bletchley, which was a topic that irritated him quite enough on his own.

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bd_romilda
2007-06-06 20:33 (link)

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"Just so long as they remember to make their smalls fire retardant they should be fine," she added with a hearty chuckle and a wink. Again, she put her head to the side, listening as he spoke. It was true, they had all been told how monstrous the Lestranges were, yet her own eyes were showing her something totally different.

Romilda thought back about her time at school, and when Hermione Granger tried to make her free the house elves. She thought it was crazy then, as she had no idea how they would cope without them. "Unfortunately some of us have learned the hard way to live without them when we have had not other choice. Elves are loyal to a fault, and I wouldn't leave my son with one nearly every day when I work if I didn't trust them."

"I think perhaps the Muggleborns need to have a greater understanding of things. I know Colin and Dennis were constantly asking questions, and I had to think of how to answer them to explain away things I had always taken for granted. I had no idea how a floo worked, but had to find out to explain it to them. Mind you, I had to ask them how electricity worked. It seemed rather fascinating -- how they manage to adapt for the things they can't do without magic."

She saw genuine surprise in his face at the mention of Dennis' kidnapping. "Well yes. He was gone for over a year, and then Colin found him again. He went missing again just a couple of months ago, and is back again now. Dennis won't talk about it, but he's adamant it was Death Eaters. Why else would someone keep him hostage?" She shrugged. Rodolphus' response was one she expected. It would be very frustrating if she thought one of Rosie's girls was doing something behind her back and not telling them.

Something niggled in her mind as she took another sip of her wine. "You say you want people to argue intelligently and logically with you, yet you seem a little... frustrated that your... employees are acting independently." Okay, she was being bold, or stupid, but she felt she needed to understand him a little better. If this club was for people to do so in a civil manner, then she felt she could ask him the question.

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bd_rodolphus
2007-06-06 20:50 (link)

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"Hmm, I shall have to look into that," he said with an expression of mock-worry. "I rather like myself just the way I am."

"Indeed. Very few house elves do well outside of a home and family," he observed. "Though they have their own magic, they do rely on our protection."

He nodded. "Muggles are ingenious but I see no reason to bring their methods into the wizarding world when we do perfectly well with magic. At least your friends had the sense to ask about our world."

"Interesting," he said thoughtfully in regards to this Dennis. "Has he said nothing at all about what happened to him?"

He chuckled at her question and raised his glass in a salute to her, not at all offended by an intelligent question.

"Perhaps the better way of wording that would have been that I have no objection to my people coming up with their own plans and schemes but I do like it if they inform me about them if there is even the slightest possibility that the effects of their scheme is going to affect more than just themselves. I have some wide ranging and long term plans of my own and I don't like having them upset or delayed because I don't know what's going on. I dislike unpleasant surprises."

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bd_romilda
2007-06-06 21:53 (link)

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He was making her think of things long forgotten. House elves. The idea of muggle technology being integrated with magic. All crazy talk. She knew if she spent too much time thinking about it, her head would hurt.

"They are good men, and very good friends. Dennis said nothing because he claims he did not remember." She gave a worried look. "I think he does. I can see that there is something in his eyes that was not there before."

She returned the salute, pleased to see she had not offended him. "I don't think anyone likes unpleasant surprises. Pleasant ones, however --" she left off her statement, giving him a saucy little smirk. "Didn't you say that the chef has created some new delectable dessert concoction? Perhaps I only came tonight because of that?" So she was being cheeky - it was in her nature, and she wanted to get away from all this serious talk.

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bd_rodolphus
2007-06-06 22:03 (link)

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"Perhaps he simply does not want to remember," Rodolphus said with a hint of melancholy. He preferred not to remember the years in Azkaban and the effects of the Dementors after all.

He shook the mood off and smiled wickedly at Romilda. "Oh, I love pleasant surprises," he said with a hint of suggestiveness. "They're always enjoyable and often... invigorating."

He laughed and pretended to look crushed. "Thrown over for a dessert. What has my life come to? Perhaps I shall have to find a way to convince you otherwise." He let a bit of amusement and heat show in his eyes. "Whatever could I do to outdo the allure of chocolate?"

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