RP: Caught in the Middle

[shh_orla]

Date: 5 December 2007
Characters: Orla Quirke, Ron Weasley, Rabastan Lestrange
Location: Quirky Thoughts
Status: Private
Summary: The day of the promised mediation arrives, and with it, some anxieties.
Completion: INComplete

Orla had spent the remainder of the week cleaning up, fielding owls about the women's group, and generally trying to avoid worrying

Comments

[shh_ron]

Shortly before 2 o'clock Ron walked from River Place to Quirky Thoughts. It was a short walk but it gave him time to calm himself, as well as he could. He had to admit he was not looking forward to this discussion, or whatever it was going to be, with Orla and Rabastan Lestrange. When he'd first met the man, Cedric had introduced him as simply "Rab". It was a couple weeks later that Ron saw Rab again, at Professor Slughorn's party, and before he could chat with him, he'd learned that Rab was actually Rabastan Lestrange, one of the Death Eaters who had tortured Neville's parents to insanity. He doubted that there was anything he could learn about Rabastan Lestrange that would make him believe that Rabastan wasn't worthy of a good hexing, and the man ought to be happy Ron hadn't hexed him to Bulgaria at Orla's party.

He was a bit surprised to find Orla and Kinsey waiting for him on the steps. "Afternoon, ladies," he said. "Hope I'm on time."

[shh_rabastan]

Rabastan had only been half joking when he asked his oldest friend and solicitor if his will was still in order because he might be killed that afternoon. He tucked the stack of papers neatly into his pack and shook hands before he disapparted to the pavement in front of Quirky Thoughts.

"Good afternoon, Miss Quirke, Ron, Kinsey, Sigmund." Rabastan bowed. "I trust you have not been waiting long."

[shh_orla]

Orla stood, lifting the cats and moving back in the front door, letting the men follow her in. She showed them into the front room, where she sat on the couch, and gestured for the men to sit in the chairs, forming a triangle.

"Alright." She began, and looked at the two men. "I trust this will stay civil, and wands will remain in their holsters." She felt like she was officiating a gunfight, not a talk. "If you need a breather, we can stop, take a walk, but I want to say that if either of you feels I'm being unfair, or biased, say so and we end it there. I value you both too much as friends. Agreed?" She looked from Ron to Rabastan.

[shh_rabastan]

Rabastan preceded Ron into the room, once again conscious of the fact that the young man would likely be uncomfortable showing Rabastan his back. "Thank you for your time, Miss Quirke." Rabastan un-shouldered his messenger bag and sat it on the sofa by Orla then deliberately crossed to the chair furthest away from his bag before he removed his muggle overcoat and sat

[shh_rabastan]

Rabastan refrained from glaring at the young woman's comment. He realized that she was only trying to help. "Ron, I am not proud of the role I played in the war, but that was all it was... a role. A characterization built only to keep my brother and as many others as possible alive. Voldemort needed the perfect poster boy for his campaign to bring the purebloods he did not have aligned with him over to his side. Join the Dark Lord. Lestrange did." Rabastan said with a sneer. "Voldemort wanted the credibility of the Lestrange name behind him and he wanted the family fortune. He could not get either without my father or me. I used my place to save as many lives as I could. The same thing I do with my relief work all over the globe. I have never wished to see harm come to anyone. I am profoundly grateful that Voldemort and Bellatrix are dead but I could not have killed even them myself

[shh_ron]

Rabastan insisted that he was only playing a part during the earlier war. Ron knew, from what Harry had learned about Sirius' brother, Regulus, that Voldemort had some horrible ways of extracting loyalty. Turning to Rabastan he said, "I've heard a few other stories of how Voldemort coerced people to be on his side, so I'm not too surprised that it happened to your family too. Sounds like you were sort of a traitor in the Dark Lord's camp all those years. Not to be too nosy, but I've got to wonder how you got away with all that. You know, the saving lives and stuff." His anger had ebbed away to the point where he mostly felt tired and curious

[shh_rabastan]

"Voldemort knew I was there against my will. He was more interested in fealty and obedience than loyalty. I am quite sure that if he did not think he needed me or my money, I would have been killed. He very nearly did kill me once, but I confess I was trying to make him angry enough to do just that. Instead I received this lovely souvenir." Rabastan drew his finger along the scar on his face. "I think it also amused him to trying to turn me. He was a sick bastard... pardon my language, Miss Quirke... but a brilliant one, who at least before his 'return' from the dead, greatly enjoyed a challenge. I presented one." It was more complicated than that but true in essentials. "I was often sent to negotiate and find or buy things for him. I was very good at it. I was also good at finding ways to make sure what I found did not work exactly as planned once delivered or at seeing that the alliances would fall apart at a crucial moment. Pity that," he smirked. "Leglimency only gets you so far when the person you are using it against has found

[shh_orla]

Orla listened to them both It was clear Ron wasn't as angry with Rabastan, if somewhat resigned to the fact that Rabastan wasn't the villain he'd always believed him to be. She hoped he'd come to find a sense of peace about what he'd learned.

"Of course I'd be willing to mediate." She said immediately. Neville, for the few times she'd talked to him, seemed sweet, and she wanted to help him as much as possible.

She looked at them both. "Now that you know all this about each other, how are you both feeling?" She wanted them to leave today with a feeling of accomplishment, or at the very lease some peace.