Doc rose and stretched, his long arms high above his head with hands clasped, joints popping as he and his team finished their debrief for next week's mission. He and Hestia had
finally (it was like Dumbledore was trying to keep them apart) gotten the same pair of days off, and were going to spend the weekend up in Wales with her family. So while he'd been focused during the meeting, now he was at leave to think of happier things. It was intimidating, in a way, to meet her parents so officially - they'd exchanged hellos at their graduation, naturally, but this was bigger than that. However, he'd heard so much about them over the years, and they'd heard about him - really, this was going to have an
I've-known-you-forever sort of vibe. And a weekend away was much needed. Life in the Order hadn't come naturally to the graduated Hufflepuff, and the stress of it, the disillusionment that came along with it, was intimately draining. They could do with some time away to rejuvenate.
He caught her eye as she looked over, sending her a wink before turning to Dung, who'd just started a joke quite inappropriate for HQ, but one that he, of course, had to hear. But before his comrade could get to the punch line, a patronus swept into the room.
Or, rather - the phoenix flew in, replacing soothing song with news that should have been impossible.
The flurry of activity that hit the office was muted to his ears as Doc looked to Hestia. She was struggling with this, realizing the effect of the news faster than he was, and after a moment's hesitation - they'd been warned against familiarity while at work - he went to her, sending Frank a
give-us-a-minute look. He bent to her eye-level, voice low as he tried to hold back his emotions.
Just - help her. "Look at me, Hes." He exaggerated his breaths, keeping eye contact with her as he silently encouraged her to slow her breathing, to breathe with him. They couldn't afford to panic, and he hadn't made it to being an Agent by showing what he felt. His own freak-out would come once they were home.
Because, years back, when he'd heard some of the story of Edgar and his family, he'd admired the bloke and his rather blatant f*ck you attitude towards You-Know-Who. The leader of the dark forces
didn't want witches and wizards marrying muggles? He could almost see Edgar's smirk, almost hear his taunting reply of,
"I'll one-up you there, mate - married a muggle and plan on having a full house of kids with her. What d'you think about that?" He and Phoebe had tried to live as if the war wasn't a factor, or so it seemed, not letting the world get the better of their hopes and dreams. It had been ambitious, but Ed was a phenomenal wizard. As things had seemed to quiet from their opponents lately, maybe he'd been lulled into a false sense of security?
No...he must've had every defense in the book over their house - how could this have happened?In his beginning times in the Order, he'd been too talkative (one of the things that had lost him the first round of promotions). He'd wanted to reason with the other side. But perhaps this was the nail in the coffin for that idea. Because how could you reason with people who murdered children?
The kids...He and Hes had babysat for the Bones kids a handful of times, Doc-The-Sapper having been under the same Commanding Officer as the Agent. It was always a lark, he and his girl not so well equipped to handle the care of three very different kids, and had allowed them time to bond with the family in a real way.
Was the lull exactly why this had happened, though? Doc hated to think it, but it had been a while since the Death Eaters had made a statement as large as this.
Look what we can do to your strongest.
Aren't you curious to see who's up next?
They were master manipulators of fear and the spread of mistrust among citizens, seizing opportunities in a manner most calculated. This couldn't have been random. Nothing had been, so far. They were fear-mongering, wanting a panic from both muggle and wizarding communities, wanting to gain back the slight hold it felt the Order and Aurors had claimed in this brief time of quiet.
This wasn't something the Order could put a positive spin on. The newspapers would have a heyday, the communities would shrink back in fear. How were they supposed to mobilize a fighting effort when the world had a fresh example of what happened to people who went against You-Know-Who?...