Dark Meeting (Dark Lady)

[Deleted]

For the most part, no one intimidated Dathan Grimstein Burke. Not a rowdy or vicious customer, not a member of the Ministry, not even the cursed Minister Malfoy himself, and certainly not anyone in Diagon Alley or the blasted school. For the most part, Dathan cared little for what power others had... or claimed they had. He was man of business. His courage came in the form of making money and doing anything and everything to ensure that a deal was made properly.

But that was for the most part. There was one who did intimidate him, one who he knew had to power to build him up to greatness or to destroy the world around him and make him the most pathetic scum in the wizarding world. There was one who he would let call him a servant. He had no other choice in the matter after all. For whatever Dathan believed of himself on a regular basis, in the presence of the Dark Lady, he was just another soul figuratively at her feet.

He approached the meeting place. His wolf, Eligos, was back watching over the shop. He had much to tell his mistress. A great deal, both good and bad, had happened in his shop over the past few weeks. Those dark wizards and witches he had met with were making progress regarding plans made, and he had a potential recruit for the Black Army. But at the same time, those who had no say or business in Burke's affairs had invited themselves to indulge in such, and had to be dealt with.

"I am here, my mistress," he said with the required loyalty and respect in his voice once he arrived at the meeting spot.

THE DARK LADY

[THE DARK LADY]

radioactive*

i'm breaking in shaping up and checking out of these prison bars this is it the apocalypse i'm waking up i feel it in my bones enough to make my systems blow welcome to the new age woah

Few members of the Black Army were so utterly and completely faithful to The Dark Lady that even she had to show them some sort of affection when she was confronted with their presence. Mr. Dathan Burke was one of these few lucky fellows. He was experienced in the world of the Dark Arts and had connections that Keira would not have been able to dream of making - well, perhaps she could make them in time, but she needed her army to rise quickly. The purity of magical blood was at stake and with every passing moment another despicable half-blood or Muggle child was born. It was sickening. The wizarding world needed to be seized and controlled by someone who knew what was best for their kind - in time, pure wizarding blood would be extinct if wizards continued to be allowed to mate with Muggles. Keira could not allow that to happen.

She sat in the corner of a less-frequented pub which was the meeting place that she and Mr. Burke had decided upon. Keira knew it was only a matter of time that Dathan would come to meet her - he was never late, and for good reason. He was extremely loyal to her and eager to please her. She was hardly ever disappointed in him. A voice beckoned her from her entrancement as she stared down at the table before her and, at last, she looked up into the face of Dathan Burke. She smirked. "On time, as usual, my good friend," Keira replied, then waved at the seat across from her. "Join me for some Firewhiskey whilst we discuss business, won't you?" she offered, then looked to her own glass. She took a swig of her whiskey, made a slight face as it burned down her throat, and then set her glass down and met Dathan's eyes with ease. "I hope your travels were easy."

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP

[Deleted]

Dathan was not normally a heavy drinker, but when the Dark Lady herself invited you to have a Firewhiskey with her, you did not decline. Burke gave her a bow and seated himself.

"Thank you for your hospitality, my mistress," he said. "As for my travels, all have gone smoothly. The meetings have gone well, both abroad and the ones conducted in my shop." Burke was served his own Firewhiskey from a waiter who did his job and quickly left the table. Burke took a sip and grimaced just a tad as the whiskey went down. He was get used to it again after a few drinks.

"I also have news for you... both good and bad," he said. There was reluctance in his voice when he said "bad". He imagined the Dark Lady was as fond of bad news as anyone else would be, but in her case, should she react badly to said news, it was an ugly, ugly sight... or so Burke believed anyway. But he would not sugar-coat things for his mistress either. THAT would be a the foolish idea.

"The good news is the object I told you about has arrived per one of my finest smugglers," he said. "If you would do me the honor of gracing my shop soon, it will be my pleasure to show my mistress what it can do. Along with that, I have found you a potential recruit, named Morgaine Etta Deluna. She's a brilliant woman with a heart as black as ours, skilled in Occumency and Wandless Magic. I have been cautious in my recruitment, however, not telling her more than she needs to know at the moment. I felt you would want to meet her in person." Burke then took another sip, a longer sip, and got the other part. "The bad news is the Ministry is snooping around my shop. An Auror came in, claiming to look for rare potion ingredients, but it was obvious he was suspicious. I had no concrete proof of this upon his first visit, and sent him on his way with his purchase. But should he return again, I feel that is proof enough and he will be dealt with."

THE DARK LADY

[THE DARK LADY]

radioactive*

i'm breaking in shaping up and checking out of these prison bars this is it the apocalypse i'm waking up i feel it in my bones enough to make my systems blow welcome to the new age woah

"Of course," Keira replied justly as she watched Dathan sit across from her. She would never have forced him to drink - however, she also knew if he protested it, he would probably go along with it anyway. Keira made no mention of the Firewhiskey again as he willingly sipped from his cup after the waiter brought it to him. "Well, for that I am glad," she answered to his description of his meetings. Dathan, whether he believed it or not, was of great value to the Black Army and Keira knew it well. Without his eagerness to hold such meetings that she had both requested and not of him, he was conducting business for the army with speed and carefulness that Keira recognized she would need to reward him well sometime in the future. As he spoke of news, however, she realized she would need to put ideas of rewards in the back of her mind for the moment.

"Go on," she said a bit coldly, bringing her Firewhiskey to her lips. Keira gazed at him over the rim of her glass as he spoke the good news - he had obtained the object she was currently most sought after. She set the glass down, her face still for a moment, and stared at the table. Keira then looked up with a wide grin. "That is most excellent," she replied. Keira shook her head, the sly smile curling round her dimples, and she released a chuckle. "I knew if anyone could get the Possession Pearl it would be you, dear Burke," she said happily. Keira ran a hand through her strikingly blonde hair and then met his eyes again. "You are certainly going to be rewarded for your efforts."

His long sip worried her and, as he spoke, Keira realized he had a good reason to be wary of telling her the bad news. She slammed her fist on the table and stared at the wood beneath her crushed palm. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. Keira closed her eyes and dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand, sure that she would start bleeding if she didn't stop. She took a deep breath and remained quiet. She met Dathan's eyes, lifted her glass and brought it to her lips once more. Her gaze into her follower's eyes never ceased as she drank her Firewhiskey. After a long sip, she set her glass down and gulped, then licked her lips and leaned a little closer. "We'll need to be safer," she whispered, then leaned back in her seat and sighed. "I thought they'd come eventually, you know...but not this soon in our planning. We'll have to deal with him, of course, if he returns...but you know we won't be able to kill him. Not right away, anyway, and we'll have to destroy the body. There can be no evidence of his death should it occur. It would only be drawing the Ministry straight to us, since they'll have record of where he's been snooping, no doubt," she explained, then looked up and stared at the ceiling. "We can't fight them yet, and I think you know that. We're not strong enough," she admitted. She then looked back to him and released a slight smile. "But with the Possession Pearl, we will be."

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP

[Deleted]

Burke was pleased in her reaction to the good news. It was nice to know the Dark Lady appreciated his efforts. Well, in general, to be in her good side. And to be rewarded appealed to him as well. Perhaps a position of great power in the Black Army. He enjoyed running his shop, but he would gladly give that up to have a piece of the proverbial pie in the Dark Lady's new world.

"Thank you again, my mistress," he said. "It is a pleasure to serve you in any way I can."

That part went well, and to be honest her reaction to the bad news went better than he expected as well. She was angry at first, but in the end, he was still sitting where he was, and in one piece. But shew as right. Now that they had hold of the Possession Pearl, they would soon be unstoppable.

"I doubt he found anything of use in my shop," he said. "Everything that would provoke suspicion is safely locked away, and I would have caught him in time if he had gone for any of that. I was tending to the vengeful brother of another I... dealt with at the time, but it did not take me long to do so, not long enough for the Auror to use the distraction to perform a thorough search anyway."

Burke then took another sip of his whiskey as a thought entered his mind that did actually worry him to an extent.

"What of the famous Harry Potter, my mistress?" he asked. "What should we do if he comes in snooping about?"

THE DARK LADY

[THE DARK LADY]

radioactive*

i'm breaking in shaping up and checking out of these prison bars this is it the apocalypse i'm waking up i feel it in my bones enough to make my systems blow welcome to the new age woah

If there was one man who could get the job done it was Dathan, and it was for that reason that Keira knew they would be invincible. Keira knew Voldemort's weakness from the moment she read about his attempt at taking power of the wizarding world while she attended Hogwarts. Voldemort ignored the powers of his enemies and trusted no one; he was set on a mission doomed to fail. Keira, however, knew that to accomplish what she was set out to do that she would need an army to back her up. She would need people who were strong in their connections with others, with their dueling skills, and with their heart to redeem the wizarding world of its wrongdoings. The wizarding world's affiliation with Muggles had long since run its course and could be seen as the destruction of the wizarding world as we know it. No - for Keira, she was determined not to let that happen. Dark as she might be, she was ultimately set on shedding light into the ignorant world before her. She would show them what the bloody hell would happen if they didn't purify the bloodlines.

From betrayal comes death.

She scoffed. "Harry Potter," she began, rolling her eyes, "is nothing but a lucky son of a bitch. The defensive shield his mother had upon him as a child is no longer in effect and the skills of his magic are mediocre at best. No...we'll have no concern where there is Harry Potter. Should he come snooping around, lock him up in whatever way you can. When the wizarding world's precious savior is found to be no more than a useless wizard with little powers of his own, we'll see what beliefs they really take of importance," Keira answered. She took a swig of her whiskey, licked her lips, then grinned. "We're gonna watch the world burn, my friend. It's all a matter of when to strike the match."

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP

[Deleted]

The Dark Lady's words made Dathan worry little about Potter. The Boy Who Lived was now washed up, like a talented child performer in the Magical Arts that could no longer get work when he or she was older. Still, to say he had gotten the best of Harry Potter would be a true accomplishment for Dathan, and now he almost hoped the famous wizard found his way into his shop.

"I will be very happy to eliminate that problem for you, my Mistress," he said. "I have a number of inescapable devices in my shop, many used in ancient times and I assure you they are still quite effective." Dathan took another sip of his whiskey. Since he didn't drink that often, the alcohol was already taking some effect on him. It gave him a nice, relaxing feeling. Perhaps she should add a bit of it to his evening tea from now on.

He smiled with the Dark Lady when she said they would watch the world burn. Those without purity would certainly burn, and hopefully some Muggles along with them.

"I have anxiously awaited the time of your rule, my Mistress," he said. "No Ministry full of incompetents, no Hogwarts allowing Mug-Bloods and Blood-Traitors. And speaking of, I do hope the recruiting is going well. I detest all children and most teenagers, but the Army does need young blood and the potential that some of those students have. I know of a few who are already ripe for your forces."

THE DARK LADY