| Details for Deciphering the Scary Words |
| Summary: | After the Release of Für das Allgemeinwohl, Morgana shares her conserns with Lucian and Medusa about the Magijugend. |
| Date: | 1938-11-08 |
| Location: | Lake View Louvre |
| Related: | Scary Words! |
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So Morgana has done a bit of research, and the things she has come across are unsettling her. Since Lucian did ask her research on the book he received, she had time to make a few lists and point out a few inconsistencies. Than.. the full manifesto came out, and Morgana really couldn't stop herself from finding out more. Of course, what she read only upset her further and that little fear she had in the back of her head finally roared itself to the front of her mind. She would have sent a message to Lucian to meet with her to discuss what she found, some where quiet where they are unlikely to be disturbed. So she is there on the roof, pacing back and forth with her school robs pulled closely against her, waiting for him to show up.
Naturally, Lucian thought nothing of mentioning to Medusa about the meeting, or that he and Morgana had been talking about the book he won at Bonfire Night. But when he arrives, he is alone, carrying a new book under his arm. Not the manifesto, but a glimpse at the cover reveals a woodcut depicting a woman being burned at the stake. He gives Morgana a broad smile when he sees her. In fact, he's been smiling like a fool since yesterday, in spite of his grim reading material. "Hey, Morgana."
The sounds of Medusa's boots are echoed by those of the girls following her. While she is the only blonde amongst them, and they are younger, they have tried to style themselves a bit after her. Immitation is the most sincere form of flattery right? The Malfoy girl comes to a sudden stop and turns to look at the girls behind her, having spotted Morgana and Lucian up ahead. "Go. Now. You have your tasks, get to them and you," Medusa takes a sealed note from inside her pocket and gives it to a ginger girl, "see that Douglas gets this." Having summarily dismissed them Medusa continues on towards her friends, wondering what they could possible discussing. "Lucian. Morgana."
There is absolutely no smile on Morgana's face and her brows are knitted with worry. "Lucian." She says by way of greeting. "Have you read it? The full manifesto?" She pulls out her notes, several parchment papers that she has been writing notes on, and comparing things too. "It's.. it's worse than I thought. I can't—" Than she hears Medusa enter and stops her conversation. "Medusa." She says with a hint of surprise in her voice. "Come for more advice..?"
Lucian settles into a chair, setting his book down beside him. The title can now be seen: Magic At Stake: A History of Witch-Burnings and Other Religious Persecution. "I haven't had a chance. By the time I heard about it, every copy was checked out." At Medusa arrival, he gives her the same dopey grin he's been wearing all say. "Hey, Dusa. Why so serious?"
Morgana's question brings a flush of heat to Medusa's cheeks. "Ah…uhm…no, I was just walking to the owl tower to post a letter and saw you both in here." She looks over at Lucian, a brow quirking upwards at the dopey look on his face. "Who smacked you with a happy branch?"
"Good." Morgana says to Medusa, since that is not a topic she would dare bring up in front of a boy. Seeing Lucian's expression she'll furrow her brow. "Probably Ria." Not that she wants to know more than that. Since Medusa is here, she looks hesitant for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip before she talks again. "Look, I"m going to express my informed opinion, and you both my disagree with me and I hope it does not cost our friendships, but I'm not able to keep quiet about it." She says to the both of them cautiously.
Lucian's smiles brightens at first. "I don't need Ria to be happy. I'm just in a good mood." But then the smile starts to fade, his brow furrowing in concern. "This is about the manifesto. You read something that's got you worried. Morgana, I'm not going to turn my back on you because you have an opinion. Go ahead, I'm listening."
"Ahuh," Medusa doesn't sound terribly convinced that Lucian doesn't need Ria to be happy. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a paper bag, from inside of which she takes a mint humbug. "You can speak your mind, Morgana." The mint goes into Medusa's mouth and the bag back into her pocket.
Morgana getting the approval from both of her friends, Morgana pulls her copy of the manifesto out of her bag. It's obvious that a Ravenclaw has gotten a hold of it, because little bits of paper stick out from the ends, showing where she has made notes, and where the passages that have her most worried are. "The book you got Lucian, is mostly propaganda. Enough information to get you interested, and not enough to fully tell you what is going on. I found so many inconsistencies that I was ready to point out to you today in there, but than I got this." Taking in a breath she looks away from both of her friends. "He no longer wishes to guide the Muggles, he wants to rule them. He believes they are incapable ruling the world and believe that Wizards, or most likely himself, would be better at it. This makes him no better than the Muggle leaders he condemns in these texts."
Lucian leans back in his chair, listening intently with his arms crossed. "Okay…I see why that might worry you. But, is he wrong? I haven't read the manifesto, but this book," he taps Magic At Stake, "is pretty enlightening when it comes to the horrible things Muggles do to our kind, and that's back when all they had were torches and pitchforks."
Medusa runs her tongue over her teeth as she listens to Morgana lay out her concerns. Her pale head turns towards Lucian when he wades in but for now the Malfoy girl stays quiet, she does give the sense that there is something there on the tip of her tongue but for whatever reason she hesitates.
Morgana raises her brow at Lucian and looks at the book. "I believe I brought up that point the other night, and you countered with their lax in religion now a days that isn't a problem." Reaching for the book she'll look it over and shake her head. "I read this a few years ago, I can't say that I fully agreed with it either. You forget that they did this to their own people, because they suspected they were witches like us?" Looking at Medusa she raises her brow just a touch. "I welcome any counter arguments."
Lucian shakes his head. "My point isn't about their religion. It's about how much more dangerous their weapons are. And the fact that they did it to their own, thinking they were us, is a pretty damning defence. Look, I'm not saying he's right or wrong. I'm saying that just because he wants to take over doesn't make him wrong. If he's right, and the Muggles are a danger, then we might have no choice but to fight to protect ourselves."
Medusa exhales loudly, blowing out her cheeks. And yet still she doesn't say anything. She raises a hand and rubs tiredly at one eye with the side of her fist. Her hand goes back into her pocket and she walks slowly around to stand just behind Lucian where she enacts a rather comical pantomime: one hand points to her golden Magijugend pendant then to the back of the boy's tawny head before she wordlessly makes kissie faces and dopey love eyes and finally the international sign for 'zip it' across her mouth. Get all that Morgana?
"I would agree with you, if we had a reason to protect ourselves. Do you see them storming Hogwarts? Kicking down the door in the Cauldron? They are ignorant of our existence. What if this is what he wants, to bring ourselves known, to start chaos and pandemonium, so that he can point fingers and say he was right? He will guide us? What if the world is not enough power for him?" However she looks over Lucian's shoulder to see what sort of weird dance Medusa is doing, and even makes a confused face before she shakes her head. "What I am trying to say is, I cannot join. This could be the start of something horrible and I cannot get behind it. If you believe this, if you deep down, truly believe we should dominate our fellow humans, for the very things that we wizards are guilty of, than I will say no more. Just please. Don't do this because you think it's the only way to be with her."
Lucian gives Medusa a sidelong glance over his shoulder with mild irritation. He can't fully make out what she's doing, but it isn't difficult to get the idea. "If I was only considering joining the Magijugend for Ria, I'd have joined by now. I'm trying to do research and get informed. A little respect, please." He stands up and starts pacing back and forth, running his hand through his yellowish mane. "I haven't read the book," he gestures to Morgana's copy of For the Greater Good. "But I'm on the list for one of the library copies. When it's available, I'll read it. I can't exactly argue for or against Grindelwald's point of view until I know it."
"You can have my copy," Medusa pipes up at last. "I will have it left on your bed before curfew." She then looks at Morgana and just shakes her head, indicating Morgana clearly did not get what the pantomime had been for at all.
"I'm sorry, I just… I understand. I know what I'd do if I were in your shoes and you're doing it right." Picking up her copy, Morgana hands it to Lucian. "Just take mine." With the notes and diagrams and general Ravenclaw insanity. "I've gotten all I've needed out of it." She frowns at Medusa, shaking her head, obviously missing the point. Gesturing to the other book she'll raise her brows. "Should I tear about this one too?" She asks, since its apparently her new job.
Lucian accepts the book, lifting his brow in surprise at the weight of it. It seems Gellert Grindelwald has a lot to say. "Oh, yeah, go ahead. It's just a history book, though. I don't think the author really had an agenda." He nods to Medusa, "Thanks, though. So, what's your take on the book? This seems like something the Magijugend would be pretty happy about."
"The Magijugend are pleased to have more of Grindelwald's teaching to ensure we are better informed." Medusa pulls her letter from her pocket. "I need to go and send this off. Morgana, I will see you later for some revision." She stards to move away then, giving Lucian a little wave.
"It gives me something to do. Keeps me busy you know?" Morgana says as she takes the book and slips it in with the rest of what she was already reading. Listening to Medusa, she'll nod her head. "Of course, I will see you then." She does wave to her friend before turning back to Lucian. "I didn't mean to make it seem like an ambush." She responds quietly.
Lucian waves back. "See you, Medusa." When the Malfoy girl has moved off a bit, he shakes his head. "What's eating at her, I wonder? No, it didn't feel like an ambush. I know you're worried. So am I. But I'm just as worried that things are about to get out of our control. I'm a fighter, Morgana. I can't stand on the sidelines if there really is something big coming."
Morgana might have an idea what is eating Medusa, but she does not say it. "I.. don't know. Maybe because her newly declared best friend isn't going to join her cause?" She says with some worry in her tone. Listening to Lucian she nods her head. "I know you are, and I can see that in you. That fierce protectiveness of all those around you. I just hope whatever side that ends up with you on it, is the right side." Her pacing has seemed to stop at the very least and she leans against a near by table.
Lucian gives Morgana an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Morgana. I hope she's not just upset that you won't join the Magijugend. Can't expect it to be everyone's cup of tea. Though, maybe she's worried it will cause a rift. Do you think you might ever oppose them?" There's a hint of worry in his eyes as well. He's only just begun what seems to be a wonderful friendship. The thought of a complication threatening it sends a pang of fear through his heart.
"Considering we've been throwing around the idea of getting a flat together after we're out of here, I would share her fears as well." Morgana admits quietly. When Lucian asks her that question she frowns and shrugs her shoulders. "So far there is no opposing side is there? But if you're wondering if I am going to run away from here and join the mud club, you don't know me well enough." Though as similar feeling runs through her, having found fast friends so quickly in this group, she'd hate to loose them. "For now Lucian, my loyalty is here, to Hogwarts." She gestures toward the ground as she speaks.
"Hogwarts has less than a year left for us," Lucian says grimly. "That's why I'm trying to look to the future, beyond school." Not exactly helpful advice, but Lucian isn't all that accustomed to helping other people with their problems. He hefts the Grindelwald manifest, "I'm gonna go get started on this monster. This might take me a few days."
"And if all goes right, I know where my loyalties will be afterwards. That is if I get into Mysteries like I want, and if I do, that whole part of my life is going to have to be secret." Morgana may not have time to worry about who is quarreling from her spot on the ninth floor. When he makes motions to leave she'll nod her head to him and offer her hand, to shake at the very least. "Thank you for listening Lucian, and I will respect any decision you plan to make."
Lucian takes her hand in his. It's more a squeeze than a shake, something more intimate than just casual friends, and smiles back at her. "You're a solid mate, Morgana. No matter what happens, we'll get through this." He gives her a firm nod, turning to head toward the stairs, and is soon disappearing back into the castle.
Morgana returns the hand squeeze and finally gives him a smile. "I am sure we will. Bastards Honour after all." She says with a light laugh, letting him disappear off into the castle while she gathers her things and does the very same.