An Unholy Ceremony

[Melkor 'Alfie' Valenceus]

Alfie hoped Rowena didn't say anything and was quite glad when Gordon left. It was strange, Gordon really thought Alfie was trying to keep him here. He wanted to educate Rowena on what she should tell other Council members. So that they didn't get an idea of where the Hallows were. The other members, Alfie did not trust. Alfie was of the opinion that Gordon had revived him more for information on the wand and cloak more than a simple sense of duty to uphold the Council's code. After all, Gordon had killed another member to perform the ritual.

Alfie almost dropped his jaw in surprise when Rowena described her own encounter with Viktor. He watched Stacy carefully. "In that case, you have revealed our Order to the public, Ravenclaw. You should have removed those memories. I thought you of all people would do the intelligent thing." Alfie did not look to Rowena at all as he spoke. "You don't mind getting your hands dirty do you, Lady Selwyn. I cannot stand to look at her." Alfie kept watching Anastasia. He did not think he would be able to detect the trick in her shoes, but that was not how the players were arranged unfortunately. After Selwyn, Grindelwald would be the only remaining Council member.

(If Selwyn attacks Rowena, Alfie will defend the Founder and counter against Selwyn. Alternatively, she could ignore Council alliance and win a small shred of respect from Alfie. Alfie will be going neutral though. Not sure of what your own alignment or if you'd want to be allied with a neutral. So yeah. Up to you. :>)

[stacy]

Anastasia gave a nod in Gordon's direction and said, "Farewell my lord." She watched him disapparate before shifting her gaze back to Rowena. The second the founder started talking, a small smile started playing in the corner of Stacy's lips. She leaned slightly forwards and listened attentively. "I see," was all she said in response. Anastasia was starting to wonder why on earth had Melkor chosen Rowena. She was evidently incapable of even taking care of herself.

Her smile widened when Melkor started verbally chastising the woman. She cleared her throat and said mockingly, "Now now Melkor. There is no need to shame Lady Ravenclaw by saying that." She paused and raised an eye brow at his challenge. Anastasia shifted her gaze from Melkor to Rowena and back. She slid gracefully off her stool and started slowly removing her gloves. Stacy placed them on the counter beside her glass and advanced towards the two.

Although she had been walking straight towards Rowena, Stacy diverted her course and stopped a couple of inches away from Melkor. She looked up at him with a slow smile and said, "Did you really think I would have done that? You should know me better than that." Having said that, Anastasia returned back to her perch and started slowly sipping her drink. She certainly did not appreciate doing the dirty work for others.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

Rowena winced in shock, looking from Alfie to Stacy and back. She only wanted Viktor out of the way and after realizing that she wouldn’t get any help from the other founders, Rowena had to find someone else willing to get rid of the boy and Alfie’s so-called council seemed perfect for the job. It was only a matter of time before Viktor would attack again, perhaps even hurting her daughter and there was no way she would let that happen. Rowena only knew that Viktor had to be stopped, but she was also aware of the fact that she would never be able to do it herself. It didn’t matter who would do it, though, or how he’d be taken care of, Rowena only wanted him out of the way. Alfie, for some reason, didn’t agree with her. Perhaps he wanted to kill the boy himself.

Rowena froze in her chair, realizing that she was trapped. She started shaking and she bit her lower lip after taking a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down and think clearly. Alfie’s cold words hurt more than a Cruciatus curse. “Alphard?” she whimpered, hoping he would dignify her with a look. Rowena took her wand, keeping it hidden under her cloak, as she watched Stacy take off her gloves and come towards her. “Alphard?” she repeated, ready to curse the younger woman if she tried to attack. Rowena carefully eyed her movements, clenching her fist tightly around the wand. Her eyes widened and she aimed her wand, which she still kept hidden under her cloak, at the governor as she approached them.

Rowena sighed with relief when Stacy stopped, obviously unwilling to curse the founder. She sat back, still holding her wand and looked silently at Anastasia who started sipping her drink as if nothing had happened. Rowena turned to Alfie, with a look of pain and disappointment on her face. “Can’t you even look at me? Be a man and deal with me yourself!” Alfie had humiliated her in front of Stacy and it was only fair that she returned the favour.

[Melkor 'Alfie' Valenceus]

Alfie finally looked at Rowena. She had apparently been ignorant of his meaning. He would have thought she would see through him better the Stacy could. Why had she come to his re-ascension to begin with? But then, he knew how love could cloud your mind. How powerful of a force it was.

Alfie returned his gaze to Stacy. He had no power over other Council membersit seemed. They were truly equal, as Alfie had intended them to be. Still, he had since grown bored of the council. Alfie began in a whisper, "Then you understand better than Gordon that the Council is meaningless. No doubt he bought into the deluded ideaologies of those dead old men. I tried for years to save him from that fate but he has proven stubborn." Alfie nodded.

Alfie looked to Rowena again. He put a hand on her shoulder. The touch made him remember their evenings together. "Nevermind, dear. I was never angry with you. Because you've helped and mean more to me than you know. All would be lost now, if not for you. Salazar does not have the wand. His potential with such a power was all I feared." Alfie never revealed his planning to anyone but had never been entranced by the Council's plans. He did not know why. "My only goal has been to prevent conflict from ending. When conflict ends, so do we. Diplomacy, like the Hallows, is a great weapon and such power escalates conflict. The end of wars will be the end of the world."

Alfie shrugged, "No one within the Council gets their hands dirty. If we were going to harm you, neither of us would be anywhere near you. It's a part of the Code." Alfie once had many hit wizards and witches to do his bidding. They all died or fled when Alfie had though.

[stacy]

Stacy peered over her glass with a raise brow. "Indeed," she replied plainly. Gordon might be foolish to defend the ideologies of the old Council, however, Melkor was no better. Personally she preferred the former; and only because he was more prone to give in to what she had to say. Anastasia watched Melkor and Rowena in silence. There was something about them, that was plain suspicious. At the mention of Salazar, Stacy tensed up and listened to what they were saying with new interest. She nodded absentmindedly at Melkor's comment and asked, "Do you see now the importance of our Council?" Stacy shrugged and hmmed softly at Alfie's next words.

Ooc: I apologise for the above and the long wait.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

Rowena trembled when Alfie finally looked at her. She had been worried, ever since the last time he’d come to her, saying that her daughter ought to be taken away. Perhaps it had been one of his tricks; if there was anything he was good at, it was keeping secrets. Rowena was certain that he hadn’t meant what he had said that there was a perfectly good explanation of what he had done. Things might have turned differently, if he had told her the truth.

Alfie’s touch made Rowena relax. Putting her wand down, she raised her hand and placed it on top of his hand. Rowena gently squeezed his fingers, remembering the nights they had spent together and his promise that he would stay with her forever and fix any problem. She felt awful for not trusting him; she knew that he would never let anything happen to her. The man she loved more than anything would never let Stacy or anyone else hurt her. The truth was that Rowena was scared; scared that she might lose him again, that Alfie might decide she wasn’t good enough for him, or simply get fed up with her over thinking and constant unintentional mistakes, especially the foolish things she had said in the last couple of hours. Alfie’s words, however, calmed her down. If he still cared for her, there was nothing to worry about.

“Please, forgive me. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Rowena whispered. Her voice was barely audible, so that Stacy couldn’t hear her. Rowena was still a bit confused; there were so many questions she wanted to ask him, but decided to do it once they were alone. However, there was a question that had to be asked. “Darl... Alphard, I don’t understand. Salazar didn’t get the wand, but the person who did might be even more dangerous. He even managed to beat you and who knows what else he is capable of.” Rowena stopped, hoping that she hadn’t said too much again. In her perspective, she was actually the one to blame for the attack and Alfie’s death. “So, I am safe when you’re with me.” She said slowly, looking from Alfie to Stacy. Was it only Rowena’s imagination or she really tensed at the mention of Salazar?

[Melkor 'Alfie' Valenceus]

Alfie glared at Stacy. She would never understand him. Perhaps he really was too good at hiding himself after all. Alfie only joined the council to use them in the hunt for Hallows(while Gordon and Stacy joined to advance their status). A task they'd turned out to be utterly useless for. Gordon knew nothing of hunting the cloak. You had to get involved. You could not acquire the cloak unless its bearer brought it to you. So, you had to reveal yourself. And even Alfie's wand was retreivable. Alfie could disarm Rowena now and then easily sunder that foolish child from it. Viktor was completely unaware he had done more good than evil by taking the wand. Now no one knew where it was. "The Council is useless. They're no longer under control. But that was always part of the plan." Gordon was getting the stone. It was a pity Alfie no longer desired the Hallows for himself. They were all moving into the open finally and he simply cared nothing about them anymore. "You should get the stone from Gordon, Selwyn. If he even gets it. I doubt he will be able to without risking his own death."

Alfie turned his head to Rowena as she placed her hand over his. He knew his trickery must have burdened her fears by now. But the deceit would be over once Alfie silenced the Council and Viktor. He'd probably even deconstruct Salazar's plots for extra credit afterward. "Don't be foolish, simply because the kid is more bold does not make him more dangerous than Salazar. If you do not stay vigilant, Salazar will have demons in place to plague the castle for eternity. Viktor is an over-excited child that got caught in the web that is my plot. He possesses the wand, yes. But he is not its master. And he did not defeat me." Alfie did not like revealing such information to Stacy but it seemed important to let them know who was more dangerous than who.