Welcome to Until The End. We are a moderate Harry Potter role-playing site set in the Marauder's Era. Our plot is generally derived from details in the book, but as an AU site we do take liberties most anywhere we like. Those who died in the books can have a second chance at living, and those who lived are always at risk.
Tom Marvolo Riddle has long since disappeared and in his stead Lord Voldemort has risen, bringing a small army with him. The Ministry of Magic has thus far ignored the growing menace that is the Death Eaters and Albus Dumbledore has taken it upon himself to defend the wizarding community from an evil he knows is building. War is coming. Pick a side!
School's Out For Summer
The Hogwart's Express has pulled up to the station in King's Cross station and the summer holidays have officially begun. What mischeif will you get into in the warm summer sun?
*Coming Soon* - Summer Solstice Carnival
Travel by portkey to the biggest summer celebration in wizard society - The Summer Solstice Carnival! There will be food, games, prizes, fun and more!
"Well, hello there. You look like a bad decision, come on over here."
35 posts
2 likes
Post by Olivia Anne Fawley on Jul 12, 2018 20:06:38 GMT -8
Olivia Fawley
perfectly made for an imperfect walk...
If Olivia was honest with herself – the job hunt was not going well. She had spent the better part of her morning cruising through various shops on Diagon Alley; speaking with the different proprietors to see if they were hiring additional help for the summer. At first she visited the stores that struck her fancy: Madam Malkin’s Robes, Twilfitt & Tatting’s, and Flourish & Blotts. Her hope was to find a place that was relatively quiet, but not completely dead, and would allow her to read the latest Witch Weekly in peace.
The shops, however, seemed to have something else in mind. Each of her inquiries were met with a polite, but firm no. It left Olivia with few options but to expand her search. So she next looked into the Eeylop Owl Emporium, the Cauldron Shop, and Merlin help her, Slug and Jiggers Apothecary. At this point she was willing to smell like rotten eggs and cabbage if it meant she found a job. She would just need to bring a change of clothes with her after each shift and pray the smell didn’t seep into her hair.
But again, like the previous stores, Olivia was told no. Sometimes the owners were polite about it and offered a small, but sad smile – wishing that they could somehow help. Others were a bit more brisk and promptly told her, “We’ve already hired for the summer.” It was an irritating albeit defeating feeling as Olivia considered her rapidly dwindling options. Perhaps Damian was right; perhaps she had waited too long.
Although if Olivia was really honest with herself, wandering the streets of Diagon Alley was better than being home. Once they returned from King’s Cross, it was obvious that the atmosphere had changed. Her parents were more tense, her father always looked exhausted, and at nights Olivia swore she heard her mother crying. It was all about Martyn of course. Everything was about Martyn since school ended. Damian popped by more frequently, naturally taking to the worried mother hen role as he fussed over everyone. Even Jonas felt uncomfortable hanging around the house for too long. If he wasn’t with his friends, he was cleaning out the shed in the yard. For almost a year their parents had badgered Jonas to clean and repaint the shed. At the time, Jonas always seemed armed with an excuse, but now his need to get out was apparently greater than any adolescent laziness.
Lost in thought, Olivia paid little attention to the direction she wandered. She stared absentmindedly at the sheet of paper in her hands – a list of stores she intended to visit today on Diagon Alley. But as she continued to think about Martyn’s disappearance and the cracks that were beginning to show in her family, Olivia never realized the slight turn she took down Knockturn Alley. It wasn’t until she nearly collided into a wizard that Olivia snapped to attention. The wizard – if one could call him that – had exited one of the smaller stores carrying a large hairy spider in a rusted birdcage. His dark brown hair was disheveled and the whites of his eyes were a sickly pale yellow, but it wasn’t until he pulled his lips back into a sneer that Olivia took a step back.
“Watch where you’re going,” the wizard said and held up the caged spider to Olivia’s face. “This guy isn’t cheap.”
“I’m so sorry,” Olivia apologized quickly as she leaned away from the cage. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
The wizard scoffed, but said nothing else to her and walked away. Olivia took a deep breath and glanced at her surroundings. She immediately knew she wasn’t in Diagon Alley – it only took looking at the weird and dodgy street vendors to know where she was. Olivia had only been to Knockturn Alley twice before – once by accident during a game of hide-and-seek with her brothers and the other during one of Jonas’s dares. But Olivia knew by the stares of the vendors and the passing shoppers that she stuck out like a sore thumb. She self-consciously pulled at the hem of her blue suede skirt – now wishing she hadn’t opted to “look cute” for her trip to Diagon Alley. It certainly didn’t help her here.
Olivia took a few steps to get her bearings as she wasn’t sure how far down Knockturn Alley she had wandered. She was about to ask an old witch which way was out until she noticed a small “Help Wanted” sign hanging in the corner of one of the shops. She peered up at the store’s sign etched between two glass pillars, and saw that it read “Borgin and Burkes, established since 1863.” From the look of the curios that sat in the windows – skulls, colored bottles, spiked instruments, and old jewelry – they looked to be an antiques shop. Or as close to one as one would get on Knockturn Alley, she reasoned.
Again Olivia found her attention drawn to the “Help Wanted” sign. It wasn’t the worst idea she’d ever had – that honor probably went to dating Oliver Pickett for most of fourth year. If Borgin and Burkes was still looking for help, it would be a job that she could tell her parents about. Obviously she’d leave out some details like the name of her employers and where the shop was at, but she didn’t even think her parents were in the right frame of mind to be asking very many questions. Besides, how busy could an old antiques shop in a dodgy part of town really be?
The small bell jingled as Olivia entered Borgin and Burkes. The large front room was dimly lit, choosing instead to use the natural sunlight from outside to provide light for the store. Olivia would at least give them credit – the dark wood floors and glass cases gave the place a certain chic look. Peering into one of the cases, Olivia tried to make sense of the shriveled hand on the red plush pillow. There was no name, no description – just an absurd price tag. ”What an odd thing,” she thought.
Saw the Darkest Hearts of Men and I saw Myself Staring Back Again
D
erek was bored out of his skull. Why he had agreed to maintain the shop for a few days on top of all of the other things on his plate was beyond him, but he never could say no to his family - except when it came to marriage, and his career, and how he spent his time.
Fine, he said no to his family often and quite heartily. This time however he had felt generous; with no leads on Diana's whereabouts, he also felt restless. All he had done for the past week was watch Christian drown himself in scotch. The highlight of the week had been a meeting with the Dark Lord outlining their new direction and focus: recruitment.
To that end, working in his relative's shop, was a decent place to look for new members - anyone who walked into the shop had spotty morals to begin with.
Or not.
She was young. Very young. And not dressed as the normal clientele for the shop. Not that there was an age limit or dress code, but Borgin and Burkes wasn't exactly Florish and Blotts. He wondered if she had lost her way, as she approached a hand of glory - a dark magical object that enabled the wielder to unlock any door it came across and paralyze others who stared into the flame (as the decrepit fingertips were also made of human tallow to provide light that only the wielder could safely see) - Derek ventured silently toward her.
He was just behind her when he spoke, "Odd. You don't look like a thief." he smiled as the low timbre of his voice filled the silence of the room.
"Well, hello there. You look like a bad decision, come on over here."
35 posts
2 likes
Post by Olivia Anne Fawley on Jul 15, 2018 23:42:27 GMT -8
Olivia Fawley
perfectly made for an imperfect walk...
Olivia was curious about the nature of the decrepit limb. Where had it come from? Did it come from some faraway exotic location – perhaps Egypt? Egypt seemed like a logical choice if one needed to find a withered hand of absurd financial value. She heard about adventurers who were brave enough to loot the tombs of deceased pharaohs; hoping after each raid that it would be enough to set them up for life. According to the price tag, the damn thing that sat so cozily on the pillow in front of her cost more than all of her textbooks for sixth year. So maybe the adventurer who found this specific hand lucked out after all.
Then again, maybe the hand was from some poor local bloke. Knockturn Alley seemed like a sketchy enough place for something like that to happen – although that particular thought was far less appealing than any catacomb potholing. She’d prefer to keep all of her appendages to herself if given the choice.
But so focused was Olivia on the hand’s dubious history that she never noticed someone else had entered the room. Even as the wooden floors creaked beneath the weight of the man as he approached, Olivia never turned around. It wasn’t until he was right behind that she caught a glimpse of a reflection in the glass case, but the sound of his deep voice followed so quickly that she didn’t have time to put two-and-two together.
She nearly jumped out of her skin.
Rocketing forward, Olivia bumped into the case and watched in horror as it wobbled on the wooden stand that held it. She reached out to quickly steady the case and hoped to Merlin that the hand was charmed to stay in place. The last thing she needed was a finger breaking off and disintegrating into dust because it hit the glass at the right angle.
Thankfully the hand did stay nestled on the cushion and the glass case didn’t fall and shatter into a million little pieces. After rocking in Olivia’s hands once or twice more, the case and its stand stilled. Olivia spun on her heels – ready to give the stranger a piece of her mind. No, she wasn’t a thief and she never planned on taking anything. The ridiculous accusation was entirely uncalled for…and who exactly sneaks up on someone like that?
But Olivia’s entire tirade died the moment she finally got a proper look at the man. He was not was she was expecting. Like at all. Olivia expected a little more hunchback, maybe a lazy eye, and a lot less of lean muscled tallness. The man was smiling, but it might have been with less confidence now after her small spectacle.
“And you have all your teeth,” she said without a second thought. So maybe she hadn’t quite let go of the thief comment even if it now seemed likely that he was joking. But he didn’t seem fit into the Knockturn Alley mold any more than she did – not like the others she had the fortune of meeting outside of the antique shop. At least he wasn’t shaking a spider in her face.
Saw the Darkest Hearts of Men and I saw Myself Staring Back Again
D
erek grinned, showing all of the aforementioned teeth perfectly white and straight in a smile that had devastated a fair share of females in his young life.
He had achieved his petty goal of startling the pretty young girl and showed no concern for the case that was now wobbling back and forth until she steadied it. Even if it hadn't been enchanted to withstand a hurricane level disruption, Derek wasn't too worried about the contents to begin with. Anything of real value was securely stationed in the back of the shop with more charms and enchantments than Gringotts.
When she turned her heated indignation toward him, he barked a short laugh. She had courage. It was rare to have anyone in the shop - in Knockturn Alley for that matter - under twenty-five. Olivia still looked as though she were a student, he would have to ask one of his nieces if that were the case. His nieces and nephews were the exception to the age group. They were known in Knockturn Alley and they were also off limits to the prowlers and troublemakers that loitered along the pathway.
While rare, it still happened. Usually some young group of kids would dare one another to the end of the alley and back. It amused Derek to watch a skittish teenager jump and run at any noise in the street. And there were some very rare exceptions of darkness that lingered even in such young souls, but he didn't sense that in the witch in front of him. So her purpose for being there amused and intrigued him.
Finally he explained, "The Hand of Glory," he said nodding toward the relic she had been staring at, "A tool most commonly used by thieves."
"Well, hello there. You look like a bad decision, come on over here."
35 posts
2 likes
Post by Olivia Anne Fawley on Jul 17, 2018 21:43:10 GMT -8
Olivia Fawley
perfectly made for an imperfect walk...
Well at least the man wasn’t angry, Olivia reasoned. If he was laughing at her then he couldn’t be quite so horrified that she came charging into the place like a hippogriff on the loose. Perhaps if she actually broke the case it would have brought out a different reaction, but he seemed marginally entertained – so that was something. Olivia wondered if the man was simply another customer who had been lurking in the shadows or was perhaps employed by Borgin and Burkes.
Straightening her white and yellow flowered blouse, Olivia squared her shoulders back as she collected herself. There was no use lingering in the past on something nearly happened, but never did. It may not have been her best first impression, but it certainly wasn’t her worst. She was a young woman who possessed far more self-confidence than most people drummed up their entire lives and she wasn’t about to let some ill-fitting Knockturn wizard ruin that for her.
Although when the blond-haired wizard explained the mummified hand as the Hand of Glory, a little light clicked on for Olivia. The name sounded familiar as something she had read in class while cramming for an exam. It was a Dark Arts object – that much was obvious – with a far more grisly history than she ever anticipated.
“That’s some criminal’s hand?” she asked him in a mix of disbelief and morbid fascination. “Don’t those people have to be executed to…make one of those?” She made a chopping motion with one of her hands against the other.
Olivia glanced back at the withered hand, but didn’t quite trust herself to get any closer to the case. She knew this was Knockturn Alley and it catered to less savory individuals, but to possibly spend a summer ringing up dark wizards, thieves, and murderers (because honestly those odds were likely to be a bit higher than somewhere like Madam Malkin’s) was a trip to think about. Her parents would be furious, Damian would be horrorstruck, but Jonas might find it kind of cool.
Looking back at the wizard, she cocked her head to one side. “Are you a thief or something? You seem pretty up-to-date on the tools of the trade.” She shrugged her shoulders. “No judgement.”
Saw the Darkest Hearts of Men and I saw Myself Staring Back Again
D
erek merely shrugged when she pointed out that someone was executed for the item within the case. Most dark objects involved some type of sacrifice, that was the cost of dark magic in general. Many dark wizards cared nothing about the consequences of their actions and chose to abuse the darkest of the arts for their own gain, but just because something was "dark" didn't make it necessarily evil. Sometimes the most righteous would also wield tools of dark power when the ends justified the means. Or maybe that's just what people told themselves to make them feel less guilt.
When she asked if he was a thief, Derek released another short chuckle at the idea.
"I should hope a proprietor of such an establishment would not line his shelves with magical items they are unfamiliar with. That could prove very dangerous indeed." he tilted his head in thought, it wasn't his shop necessarily. The store belonged to the family, both families - Borgin and Burke - but many of the items that were now on display had been procured by Derek himself through various methods of trade and travel. That was as involved as Derek cared to be.
He enjoyed traveling, he enjoyed picking up the rare artifact here and there, and there was a bit of smugness whenever he returned with a good cache. But sitting in a storeroom and pestering customers to purchase something was very far removed from Derek's skillset. Oh, he could talk a drowning man into buying water, assuming he didn't kill himself from boredom beforehand.
"Well, hello there. You look like a bad decision, come on over here."
35 posts
2 likes
Post by Olivia Anne Fawley on Jul 18, 2018 23:59:25 GMT -8
Olivia Fawley
perfectly made for an imperfect walk...
Olivia eyed the wizard carefully as he gave her an indifferent shrug regarding the hand’s former owner. She figured it probably wasn’t worth asking him if this hand in particular belonged to a murderer. She remembered reading about that too – that the hand that did the deadly deed was always used for the Hand of Glory. If anything, Olivia wasn’t sure on what to do with the information if it was true. It said a lot more about the person who went out of their way to procure such dubious items than where they originally came from. She’d hate to cross paths with that person in a dark alley.
Although at the mention of being the shop’s owner, Olivia perked up. This was better than him being an admitted thief; this was the person she was hoping to talk too. Much like her previous experiences in Knockturn Alley, Olivia expected the antique shop’s owner to be a little frightening, but this guy didn’t seem so bad. She could work with this.
Olivia flashed the wizard a bright smile, trying hard to conceal her excitement. “You’re actually just the person I wanted to talk too,” she told him. “I saw your ‘Help Wanted’ sign outside and I’m hoping you haven’t filled the position.” She held out her hand to him. “My name is Olivia Fawley.”
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they weren’t hiring, but Olivia really didn’t want to go home empty-handed.
Saw the Darkest Hearts of Men and I saw Myself Staring Back Again
D
erek was surprised at her abrupt change in demeanor now that she knew his identity. He suspected she might have been more intimidated if anything, but not excited.
Then she revealed her intentions concerning their "help wanted" sign and was even more surprised. He was barely hearing her, but reached his hand out anyway to shake the one offered him.
It took a minute before he could clear his head and understand that the teenage girl in front of him was truly looking for employment - here of all places.
"Derek." he offered after a minute, continuing to size her up and her sanity all things considered.
"Derek Burke." he finished with a slight nod.
"Well Ms. Fawley…" he said, his tone changing slightly to something more formal now that he knew he was handling an interview and not a customer, "do you have any references?"
He wanted to ask her if she knew where she was, or if she understood the shop's reputation, but that would come later.
"Well, hello there. You look like a bad decision, come on over here."
35 posts
2 likes
Post by Olivia Anne Fawley on Jul 25, 2018 4:27:14 GMT -8
Olivia Fawley
perfectly made for an imperfect walk...
If Derek was off on his game, Olivia didn’t notice. She was more concerned about the handshake – or as her father once put it: the unspoken gesture that spoke volumes about a person. If there was one thing Dennis Fawley taught his children, it was the importance of a good handshake. “A firm handshake,” he said, “With confident eye contact creates an immediate image of strength, professionalism, and belief in oneself.” He even made Olivia practice shaking hands with her brothers. Granted, Jonas was a prat about it and would secretly lick the palm of his hand before shoving it into hers (much to the amusement of her other brothers), but Olivia got the gist of it.
It was even better news when Derek didn’t immediately shut down her inquiry. Unlike the other shops in Diagon Alley, he didn’t ramble off some excuse that they weren’t hiring anymore or weren’t planning to look for help this summer. Although Derek was slow to find his words, Olivia sensed an opening that she could carefully pry from him. This was the best lead she’d gotten all day and come hell or high water, she was now determined to leave the shop as the newest summer employee at Borgin and Burke’s.
Then came the question about her references. A brief moment of panic gripped at Olivia as she scrambled to think of what to say next. No, she didn’t have any references and was without any tangible employment history to speak of. She thought of friends she could possibly pretend to use – like Dominick and Merlin help her, Jonas – but she wasn’t sure if she entirely trusted them not to mess it up. Christine would be a better option, but what if Derek wanted to use the Floo Network instead of an owl? She couldn’t hide the fact that Christine was the same age as her. Damian also wasn’t a possibility. He’d immediately shut it down and tell their parents. And Martyn….well, Martyn wasn’t an option for her right now.
So screw it, she would just go for it.
Again, Olivia collected herself and clasped her hands in front of her. Matching Derek’s more formal tone, she carefully leveled her gaze to his. “No, Mr. Burke, I do not have any references to give you. However, I don’t think that means you should immediately dismiss me. I know I can make this worth your time.”
Saw the Darkest Hearts of Men and I saw Myself Staring Back Again
D
erek's lip twitched upward at the girl's confidence. He was far from the most intimidating man Olivia could run into at the shop, but she was holding her own and that said something about her - she had spunk. He liked spunk.
The store wasn't really that dangerous, there were more charms and security jinxes on the place than just about anywhere, he'd even argue it was better protected than Gringotts (at least some of their items in the back were). Derek's nieces and nephew often visited the shop as well without hassle. As for himself as well as any of the employees, due to the nature of the items sold in the store, they had taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of those working at the shop - mostly because it was family that was typically employed. Knockturn Alley was a different matter, but provided that Olivia could safely make it to the shop she'd be fine.
Then again if it were known that she was an employee and under the "family's" protection, getting to the shop wouldn't be a problem either. Still Olivia couldn't know all that.
"Indeed." he nodded, then gestured for her to follow him further into the store, there was a sitting area just in the back, and he had a feeling Miss Fawley would be there a while.
"Do you know much about...artifacts or charmed objects?" he asked deliberately leaving out the word "dark".
"Well, hello there. You look like a bad decision, come on over here."
35 posts
2 likes
Post by Olivia Anne Fawley on Aug 11, 2018 2:42:01 GMT -8
Olivia Fawley
perfectly made for an imperfect walk...
On the surface, Oliva maintained her decorous composure when Derek motioned for her to follow him. Within, however, she gleefully congratulated herself. She survived the first hurdle of the dreaded references. All she needed to do was keep moving forward and not blow it.
Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Olivia followed closely behind Derek as they ventured further into the shop. She was careful not to touch anything as she passed – not wanting to risk another Hand of Glory incident. She did, however, try to make the most of it and scrutinized as much of the store as possible. Although without stopping to really examine the items, it was difficult to tell what exactly she was looking at. She thought she saw what looked like a deck of filthy cards, a moving eye that may or may not have been real, an assortment of possibly very real human bones, and some sort of rusty, spiked instruments that hung from above.
So this wouldn’t be like selling a new set of robes at Madam Malkin’s or stocking Quidditch Quarterlies at Flourish & Blotts. It also seemed like a safe bet that Borgin and Burke’s typical shopper wasn’t your middle-aged housewife or everyday sports fanatic. They were probably – most definitely – a lot closer to the spider wielding wizard she had the pleasure of meeting earlier today.
Maybe this wouldn't be quite as easy as she thought -- at least not without a small period of adjustment. But dear Merlin, she really needed the job. Would it really be that hard spending her summer selling questionable antiquities to people who willingly ventured down Knockturn Alley? It's not like they didn't know what part of town they were in.
At Derek’s next question, Olivia tore her attention away from two rather sinister-looking masks that hung on the wall. “Well, I know the spell changes the properties of the object,” she told him, pushing aside her momentary doubts. “And objects that have a longer lasting charm are bewitched.” She briefly glanced at an enchanted music box that sat on a nearby shelf. “Which, if I had to guess, is what you deal in?”
Most of the items in the store did look incredibly old. The more she saw, the more she hoped they kept some sort of ledger noting what everything was and, more importantly, did.
Glancing back at Derek, she continued, “Of course some things are charmed to have pleasant and positive results and others….aren’t meant to be so nice. Some are downright awful. But I think a lot of that has to do with intent – for either objects or artefacts. I mean take a Dark Curio, for example. It’s technically a dark object, but it’s used to evoke curiosity. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if you aren’t using it as an everyday crutch.”
