Order Only

[alt_daphne]

Hello, all.

Thank you for allowing me to join your organisation, and, in particular, thanks to those of you who so kindly assured me that I would find a place here. I hope that I will be an asset to all the goals and aspirations that this organisation stands for, but please have patience with me as I further familiarise myself with them.

For those who don't know me, my name is Daphne Greengrass. I'm seventeen years old and I live in the Belgravia neighbourhood of New London with my parents and two younger sisters (Astoria, 15, Slytherin; and Queenie, 13, Hufflepuff). My father, Philip (41, Hufflepuff) is the administrator at Fradswell Camp. My mother, Victoriana (née Montague; 39, Slytherin) works in decorative herbology (which is a fancy way of saying that she likes to arrange flowers in her spare time). My fraternal Grandmother Alexandria is a retired stage actress who lives in Brighton, where she can languish with her bohemian friends and reminiscence about the pre-Protectorate days. I myself have been training in dance (currently with Mr Gerald Krumgold) and voice (currently with Mrs Hortence Gibbons) since age four, and hope to one day be a stage actress like my grandmother before me.

I fully recognise that these are just surface details, and that you're likely more interested in the content of my character. I am positive that those aspects of myself be be revealed in time, through continued contact and correspondence. As I've looked over the "Order Only" journal entries it's clear to me that there is a close sense of camaraderie and friendship between many of you, and I certainly do anticipate being a part of that. Nonetheless, I should make it clear that I have a wide circle of friends (most of whom have backgrounds similar to my own) that I will continue to socialise with. Indeed, I believe that one of the things that I can contribute to this group is outreach to a particular class of citizens that you may have previously had limited contact with.

That's all for now, I think. Thank you again for having me!

Comments

[alt_ron]

Good show, Daphs.

Glad you're with us!

[alt_daphne]

Thank you, Ron. As am I!

[alt_poppy]

Miss Greengrass!

I couldn't be more pleased. Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix!

Always good to add a Prefect. It increases our quotient of responsible people of sound good sense.

[alt_daphne]

Thank you for welcoming me, Madam Pomfrey. It's wonderful to see that you're a part of this, too.

[alt_poppy]

Thank you.

I like to think that I'm occasionally useful.

[alt_justin]

Daphne,

I say, glad you decided to take the plunge, what! Jolly well done.

If you're like most new members, you'll be quickly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of reading now suddenly available to you. I say, it will change your perspective on a number of past events. The most important thing is to take your time. No one will expect you to learn everything all at once. If you wish to read back, that is, but so far everyone has done.

And if you've questions, what, you've but to ask.

Heartiest welcomes,

-Justin

[alt_daphne]

Never fear, I'm in no hurry. Though it is all very absorbing, mind you. I only wish I could see what I missed on the other "lock" - the one for people under 17 years old.

[alt_justin]

Ah, yes, well, that was its own form of enlightenment. But then again, we were all such children, what, it's probably for the best that only a few people here can still go back and read that one!

I say...have they told you about muggleborn members of the Order yet?

-Justin

[alt_daphne]

No one's told me, but it hasn't been difficult to suss out. I knew of Hermione and Terry already (though I did believe him dead), and now I've read of someone named Maureen, as well.

And then there's you. More sneaky than Sally Anne!

[alt_sally_anne]

There's also my Mum. She's also not really dead.

[alt_justin]

Er, yes. I hope you don't mind, learning that I've been deceiving you, along with the rest of our classmates.

I trust you see the necessity of it, what. Though there are certainly times one desires nothing more than to declare it openly, preferably in direct response to some of the utter nonsense one hears from time to time, from certain quarters.

-Justin

[alt_sally_anne]

Welcome, Daphne.

[alt_daphne]

Cheers!

[alt_alice]

I very much appreciated our conversation yesterday, Daphne. Continuing to expand our circle and 'reach the middle' will be such a vital part of our success.

I know you've rather a lot to catch up on at the moment, but once you're more settled, I would very much like to talk to you further about our radio programming and an idea I've been tossing around about how to address the concerns you and some of our other members have identified to see how we might go about making our case to the magical public.

I'm looking forward to working with you. Thank you.

[alt_daphne]

It was my pleasure, Mrs Longbottom. On a more personal note, I very much look forward to becoming more acquainted with you and your family.

[alt_harry]

That's really brilliant.

Well done, Daphs.

[alt_pansy]

Well done indeed.

It's absolutely wonderful that you're with us, Daphne. I'm so very glad.

Private Mesage to Daphne

[alt_pansy]

You'll probably read some things about me

about the end of term

well, I hope it'll make some things clearer. About why I was being so odd.

Please let me know if you have any questions. About anything.

Re: Private Mesage to Daphne

[alt_daphne]

Pansy, don't take this the wrong way, but you've always been odd. But you're not usually quite so disagreeable as you were at the end of this last term, however. Though I must say this horcrux thing sounds both dreadful and dodgy. How is it I've never heard of them before now?

Oh, and I am sorry I was short with you on the journals, after Draco "disappeared." Only I knew there was more to the story than I was being told, and I suppose it upset me.

Re: Private Mesage to Daphne

[alt_pansy]

It is dreadful.

Really and truly.

It'll keep him alive forever unless we do something about it.

And I certainly didn't take any offence. I understand completely why you'd be upset. Merlin knows, even if you didn't think something else was going on, you had every right to be. And I'm sorry for not being more open with you. I didn't quite trust myself. Not so soon after all that had happened.

[alt_daphne]

Cheers, Harry.

[alt_cedric]

Welcome Daphne!

We should talk some time, maybe with the Twins, about masks. You were a help for the theatrical ones we did, which turned out to be useful later, but are a little too connected to me and the twins to remain useful. In my spare time (ha!) I've been fiddling with some ideas for masks that would be more generally useful to the Order and not tied to us.

As for catch-up reading, if you can do it with a friend around so you can shout at them or hug them and cry. Also don't do it at night, you'll end up staying up way, way too late reading.

Private message to Daphne

[alt_sally_anne]

Pfft who needs sleep.

[alt_daphne]

Hello, Cedric.

Are you utterly committed to masks? The trouble with masks is that one can usually tell that you're wearing one, so they draw their own sort of attention, if you see.

[alt_cedric]

For total concealment, I'm not sure what other than masks would make sense. Though if you have suggestions I'm open to ideas. For things like train robberies or strikes on the Ministry, I don't think we would care about pretending to be someone else so much as just hiding. I've been thinking about some sort of illusionary fog or swirling colours hung on a simple mask.

If we want disguises there are lots of other options and you're much more the expert on those.

[alt_evelyn]

Welcome to the Order!

I know we haven't had a lot of opportunity to talk, really, but I've always thought you were a really fair and kind Prefect, and you did such a brilliant job with the play. I think you're a wonderful actress.

Sometimes we have to pretend not to know things, or like we're not worried about what's happening, and it can be very hard. But that's sort of like acting, I'd imagine.

[alt_daphne]

Thank you for your kind compliments. I believe you're in my sister Astoria's year, are you not? I hope she's not too horrid to bear.

[alt_evelyn]

Yes, I am. She tends to keep to her circle and I keep to mine, and she doesn't go out of her way to make things difficult, which is more than bearable in my book.

[alt_sirius]

Welcome again, Miss Greengrass.

As you'll see from continued work with us, personal freedom is one of our central precepts. That includes the freedom to choose one's friends and associates, from any and all walks of life. I can't think of anyone here who would summarily tell you to sever all ties with your friends and acquaintances, to say nothing of the fact that it would look extremely suspicious for a social person like yourself to suddenly change her patterns.

But you're quite right: The class of citizens you mention is absolutely vital to our eventual success, so crafting messages that will speak to them and shake them out of complacency is essential. From a mercenary point of view, you can't very well help with that if you cease to associate with them!

Be warned, however, that your opinions of your current friends may change as your views evolve, depending on how they respond (or do not respond) to an expanded sense of equality. If you find yourself convinced that you absolutely should not risk speaking to one or more of them, for fear that they will brand you traitor instead of listening to your point and considering the possibility that you could have one, you may have to call upon your considerable acting skills to maintain those relationships.

Nonetheless, we are glad to have you. We can be quite a raucous group, when we get going!

[alt_daphne]

Raucous? I don't believe I've ever encountered raucous.

Thank you for the warning, but the views of my friends and acquaintances are well-known to me by now, and I don't foresee my opinion of them changing based on that - barring any clearly unforgivable behaviour, or course. They are people with good qualities, in addition to the bad, and I choose to believe that what's good in there can be nursed into something with more substance.

In short, people can be terribly simple to manipulate, if you just know them well enough to know what button to push.

[alt_terry]

Hullo, Daphne. I don't know if you've run across my entries or if they told you, but I'm still alive.

You may not realise it, but you've already helped me a great deal. When Carrow took me away from Hogwarts, he was--well, nothing stopped him anymore from hurting me. The younger members of the Order sent me things to help me, and one of the things they sent was a book you recommended to Sally-Anne, Creative Theatrical Glamours. I used my hidden wand to heal myself and then put a glamour over it so he couldn't tell I wasn't injured anymore. I used that book a lot, and it really helped. So thank you.

Welcome to the Order.

[alt_daphne]

It was you who needed that book, then? Sally Anne said it was for Gemma Stretton. Ha! The sneak.

I'm glad to hear that it was put to such important use, and that you survived Carrow's grotesque machinations.

[alt_sally_anne]

Well, it was true Gemma thought putting on a play would be jolly fun. (But I'd given her the idea, for cover, so I could go rooting through the Stretton's books looking for theatrical charms and glamours and no one would be suspicious.)

[alt_neville]

We're glad you've joined us. Welcome.

[alt_daphne]

Cheers, Neville.

[alt_bill]

Don't know if Ron or Ginny or the twins have told you much about me, but I'm one of their older brothers, and I work at the Ministry. I think I've met your father a time or two, actually. Welcome, Daphne.

[alt_daphne]

Yes, I came over to the Burrow once. You didn't stay for long, though. It's my pleasure to "meet" with you again, so to speak.

[alt_luna]

It's interesting the array of different talents we've been adding to the Order. You are very welcome indeed.

[alt_daphne]

It certainly appears that way. Cheers!

[alt_gredforge]

You're one of us, now! A Prefect, on the side of revolutionary shenanigans! BRILLIANT!

[alt_daphne]

You must be the raucous ones.

[alt_kingsley]

Having a beefing up of our younger ranks has certainly kept things lively, and kept us on our toes. We're pleased to have your name added to the Order's roster.

[alt_daphne]

Cheers, sir.

[alt_molly]

Welcome, Daphne. Your friends have spoken very highly of you, and I look forward to getting to know you better.

[alt_daphne]

Thank you, Mrs Weasley. I look forward to becoming better acquainted with you as well.

[alt_severus]

Welcome, Miss Greengrass.

Do make arrangements to begin your study of Occlumency with Albus or myself at earliest convenience: it is a difficult discipline, and the more time you have to study, the better.