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asher rowan burke
DURMSTRANG ALUM THE IVORY ROOM OWNER GAMBLING BOOKKEEPER OCCLUMENS & LEGILIMENS
90 posts
played by vanessa
I am a world before I am a man
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last online May 5, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Nov 27, 2021 13:22:12 GMT -7
Post by asher rowan burke on Nov 27, 2021 13:22:12 GMT -7
my end it justifies my means all I have to do is delay i'm given time to evade Asher’s eyes narrowed at the statement—it felt like a threat. Give the Ministry something shiny to look at that happened to be of Purifier origin, and they'd leave his family’s business and family in general alone. If he was being honest, Asher wasn’t used to being in such a position. He’d watched previous Ministers and even Krum corner a Department Head and demand specifics and answers. The Department of Mysteries had never been under such scrutiny. But Ivy, of all people, had forced him into a corner he hadn’t prepared for, and he supposed the tactic now was just to survive. His jaw clenched at the thought about his predicament.
However, it was interesting that while the cards were stacked against him, he was not in a cell yet. At least not in Azkaban. Maybe if Granger had still been Minister, he would be rotting away already, but alas, she was not—another one of Elaine’s triumphs. Asher scoffed. Of course, Krum would be hands-off. He was just there for photo-ops for the front Page as he brazenly took credit for his underling’s work. That had been one benefit of the Department of Mysteries. It wasn’t anything a sitting Minister could take credit for. Asher, while paying attention to Bianca’s words, was far too wrapped up in his mind to offer up an answer just yet.
Would Krum really give up his photo-op of an opportunity to throw a high-level Purifier into Azkaban? Asher didn’t think so. But even Asher knew it to be true that Krum didn’t have the authority in the Ministry aside from the corner office and the title at the end of the day. And if Bianca could get through his thick, bludger-damaged skull, then maybe there was a way out for Asher. There was a determination and fire in Bianca’s eyes. It was always there as much as Asher’s own eyes remained cold and guarded. ”And if I refuse?” Asher let his hands lay on the table. There wasn’t much he could do with them, and he’d gotten over the urge to cross his arms long ago.
One of the roadblocks he foresaw was a personal one. Asher and Bianca simply did not like one another, which would play a factor in whatever sentence he received. Who was there to check Bianca’s power in that case if Krum was merely a figurehead with a head full of hot air. But, he could justify it to himself that it was over. It was all over. Diana’s disobedience and statements had confirmed that for him and that he was still in chains weeks later. Ivy’s disappearance and Hazel’s desperation. Looking down at his hands, he nodded very slightly. ”I was a Purifier. I was one of Elaine’s inner circle.” Asher spoke clearly and evenly. If one listened closely, there might have even been a bit of pride in his voice.
His eyes moved back up to meet Bianca’s. There was much he needed to contemplate because the fact of the matter was he didn’t trust Bianca anymore than he trusted the Ministry as an institution or anyone for that matter. But, Asher could trust himself and his own mind. But aside from his confirmation of his role in the organization, he didn’t say more for a moment. ”Something tells me you won’t escort me to Azkaban just yet, so you’ll forgive me if I’m not feeling chatty today.” Asher had to think and for once wanted the isolation of his holding cell to do so.
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
272 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online May 4, 2024 9:33:36 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Dec 9, 2021 6:44:11 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Dec 9, 2021 6:44:11 GMT -7
It was too early to call victory, and Bianca didn’t want to get her hopes up yet. Too much had gone wrong in the last month for her to be hopeful that this one thing could go smoothly, but there was a difference now. Because this time, Bianca was in control. The burning of Hogwarts? She had done her best to cope with being dealt a bad hand, and there had been too many unpredictable factors to do anything except react as best she could. As for the results…well, she was getting her marks now from the other departments and the public. But this interrogation? They were in a controlled environment, one where she pulled the strings and dictated when they would meet and what they’d talk about. This wasn’t about luck or guts or the universe. It was pure game theory, an ongoing negotiation between two Department Heads that had been locked in a power struggle for months. But for once, they weren’t playing a zero-sum game, and the calculation had just shifted in Bianca’s favor. Asher was deep in thought, and Bianca could see the way his jaw clenched and his eyes glinted as he considered his options. It would sting for anyone, but that he had been driven into a nearly hopeless situation by his own sister…his eyes were always cold and empty, but she could still see the flash of frustration as he chewed on that inevitable conclusion. On a professional level, it was rewarding to see weeks of laying the groundwork finally paying off with the tantalizing prospect of a deal. And on a personal level? After months of being tormented by Asher Burke and his snide comments about who she was and how she’d gotten there, Bianca was deeply pleased with the new power dynamic between them. He’d always been untouchable, and she’d itched with the opportunity to tear him down. Now that it was happening, no matter what happened next, it felt like a vindication that something good could come out of all this. Like she wasn’t completely cursed after all. “If you refuse?” Bianca echoed, leaning forward in her chair to place her elbows on the table and fix Asher with an intense stare. Her lips curled into a satisfied half-smirk as she shrugged. “Then I’ll check again in ten years to see if you’ve changed your mind.” The implication was heavy in her words – that she fully expected to still be around in ten years, that nobody would miss Asher or fight for him while he skulked in a cell in Azkaban. That life imprisonment was the price to pay for his pride, if he chose to reject a deal now. That was the popular position, other Department Heads and even her own Aurors who adamantly believed Asher Burke should have been sent to Azkaban yesterday to answer for his crimes and rot in a cell. But this time, Bianca was thinking about more than just surviving the next sixty seconds. She saw a bigger picture at play here, the possibility of a bigger prize. And to destroy the Purifiers and send their cause to the grave – well, what was one wizard in the midst of all that? She exhaled slowly at Asher’s clear and careful words, his admission hanging in the air and echoing off the narrow walls. The information wasn’t new, but his solitary sentence was the most obvious piece of evidence that these last weeks hadn’t been for nothing. It sent a clear message – he was ready to negotiate. It was that fact that kept Bianca calm and professional, even if Asher’s last words were as unyielding and unhelpful as he’d been so far. She knew why he was stalling…his position was precarious, and the information in his mind was the only thing keeping him from Azkaban. His most valuable move, his only move, was to play for time and negotiate the best deal he could get. “My forgiveness doesn’t matter,” Bianca observed as she leaned back in her chair, “And every day you wait is another day the Burke family sinks deeper into disgrace.” She paused a moment to let that sink in. Asher had only just spoken to his sister, so he knew the state of the world now in a way he’d been barred from since his arrest. He knew that one sister had fled the country, and the other wasn’t doing much to save the family from being torn apart. But what was a few more days to her, a few more weeks? Bianca was so close to getting what she wanted that rushing him now might ruin everything. “But suit yourself. Think about what you might be able to give the Ministry. And whether that information will still be relevant while we conduct our own investigation and you sit in silence.” With that, she rose from the table and left the room without a glance backwards. asher rowan burke
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asher rowan burke
DURMSTRANG ALUM THE IVORY ROOM OWNER GAMBLING BOOKKEEPER OCCLUMENS & LEGILIMENS
90 posts
played by vanessa
I am a world before I am a man
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last online May 5, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Dec 9, 2021 21:42:54 GMT -7
Post by asher rowan burke on Dec 9, 2021 21:42:54 GMT -7
my end it justifies my means all I have to do is delay i'm given time to evade Oh, how the mighty fell, as they say. Asher Burke was reduced to an inmate in chains. It didn’t matter the prestige that his name brought nor his blood status, and not even his wealth. Hazel hadn’t mentioned any properties being seized, but he couldn’t be sure at this point, and he was hardly in a position to verify. His job, or former job, at the Ministry had not been for the paycheck. Asher could admit he missed the work, the research, and the freedom—it was all gone now. And never in his wildest nightmares did he ever see himself in a futile power struggle against Bianca Rivera. The muggleborn Head of Law Enforcement, yet Asher still had no idea how she had gotten that position.
It almost physically hurt Asher to think they had anything in common, but they did. They were not from this country. It was clear when they spoke, Bianca with the hint of her Latin American origins and Asher with his own accented English—not quite the same as his former peers. She taunted him with the control she had in her position of power. He didn’t have any power at the moment. He couldn’t even use magic if he wanted to. Ever since that last conversation with Hazel, his thoughts had been uncharacteristically unorganized and hard to calm. That anger still lingered heavily in his chest because he didn’t see a way forward that he would have ever agreed to otherwise.
But who could he depend on now? Apparently, nobody. The betrayal of his sister still stung, though he’d never let it show on his face or admit it out loud. But it meant that he had some things to think through. Asher needed some semblance of a plan, but he couldn’t do that in his room or with Bianca in his face since looking at her smug expression made him angrier. But when he finally did speak, it was merely stating the obvious—he assumed. And yet Asher saying it out loud did much to confirm it. Being caught as he had in a compromising position, but he’d never actually confirmed what was assumed. He didn’t feel better after saying it. In fact, he felt almost nothing saying it out loud.
Bianca was right, however. And speaking with Hazel made it undeniable. His sisters were brilliant in their own ways, but not the same way he was. His name was something he would pass on, it was his legacy and everything attached. And that legacy was walking a tightrope as Asher wondered if that tiny bit of hope that Bianca handled in front of him would save it from dying forgotten in Azkaban. Hazel didn’t know much of his side businesses. He couldn’t expect her to run it all. For now, he had said all he wanted to say--and his eyes followed Bianca as she stood up and left the room. Her last words lingered in his mind.
[ time jump ]
August 23rd, 2026 Months. Months had now passed. Asher’s hair was a bit longer, messier than he usually had kept it, and the stubble growing back from the one time they let him shave sometime late July. It was all routine now. Three meals a day, an Auror pestering him from behind the safety of his cell door and Asher still in magic binding shackles. But, it had been some time since he’d seen Bianca in the interrogation room. Hazel hadn’t stopped by as far as he knew, and all he had were his thoughts to keep him company.
The same thoughts that had carried over since June confirm that just as he was alone in that solitary cell, he was alone to regard his own life. Hazel wasn’t going to get him out, and obviously, neither was Ivy. Bianca’s words turned over in his mind as he focused on calming it, maintaining control. Occlumency helped keep his sanity among the four white walls, his piercing gaze never betraying what was on his mind. And again, he was led down the hallway as he sat at the familiar table. The surface looked a little different. There were extra marks. Maybe something had been thrown on it, and his fingers skimmed the surface lightly as he investigated the new dents and marks. He didn’t put it past him to make him wait even though he was summoned, but Asher wasn’t in a hurry to be anywhere just yet.
There had been a day where Asher had been informed that it was August 4th, and it had taken him by surprise because he hadn’t even felt the days pass. This is what it was like to be a prisoner except for his accommodations here, while crude, were better than Azkaban prison. As Asher’s gaze continued to investigate every new change to the table’s surface, he kept his hands in front of him, fingers interlaced. A few names lingered in the front of his mind. That little bit of hope that Bianca had taunted him with was a possible way out for him—if it was true. Asher needed to know because otherwise, he would resolve his life behind bars. Asher would give Bianca a name—nobody terribly important, but a foot soldier who had done some work on the Purifiers’ behalf.
It wasn’t the most crucial piece of information he knew by any means. There was the far more important thing he could tell Bianca, but he needed to know that there was some kind of exit to this and a way back to the world where his family’s reputation suffered more and more every day, and so did everything else. Asher wanted his freedom back, control, and, more importantly, power. The door opened, but Asher didn’t lookup. He would hardly start the conversation with what he knew. Plus, Asher was curious why he was summoned once more after so many weeks. Asher would bide his time during this conversation---it was all he had left.
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
272 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online May 4, 2024 9:33:36 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Dec 23, 2021 7:08:47 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Dec 23, 2021 7:08:47 GMT -7
23 August 2026 The situation was different now, and not completely for the better. It had been months since the fall of Hogwarts, and the internal panic within the Ministry was beginning to die down. Purifiers were being sent to Azkaban weekly, and efforts to rebuild the school and implement the Ministry of Education’s massive scheme was already underway. The press still ran wild with speculation about what had happened and weren’t shy with their criticism that it could have been handled better. That still set Bianca on edge, still made her grit her teeth with frustration when she opened the Daily Prophet every morning. But, some rational bit in the back of her mind reminded her that they would always say that, no matter what had happened. And it was their job to hold others accountable, anyway. But now that the immediate chaos and panic had gone away, people were asking new questions. Harder questions. Like why wasn’t Asher Burke in Azkaban yet? Bianca hadn’t gotten any interrogation from Krum on the subject during his last weeks in office. The man had been busy – well, who knows with what. Trying to save his career, maybe, not that it had done him much good. And when Root had first entered office, Bianca had explained her ambitious plan. As a new Minister, Root had given her the authority to do what she judged best, and Bianca had proceeded with very little oversight. But now? It had been months, and she had yet to receive a confession or send him to trial. A decision had to be made, Asher Burke was simply too public a figure for the status quo to continue any longer. So it was with this in mind and a stiff posture that Bianca entered the interrogation room. Last chance, she reminded herself as she sat down in front of Asher. He looked much scruffier than the last time they’d spoken, his hair wilder and expression slightly less controlled. He didn’t say anything, but that much wasn’t new. Burke always waited for her to speak first, as if there was still something he could learn to leverage later. Bianca wasn’t eager to give him the opportunity. She needed a confession, something to convince the Minister that it had all been worth the wait. Or to just admit defeat and send him to Azkaban. But Merlin, Bianca never accepted failure, least of all from herself. There was still something to be gained here – she just couldn’t afford to wait anymore. “I’ve always wondered if long-term exposure to those chains affects your ability to use magic later. Think you’ll have the chance to find out?” Bianca asked challengingly, eyes lingering on the magic-resistant restraints as she casually placed his file on the table before her. His sister had tried again to force her way in to see him, and Bianca was tempted to allow it one more time. She’d seen an impressive shift in Asher’s calculations after a brief conversation with his younger sister, but she was a wild card. Last time, she’d said enough to convince Asher that the rumors were true and Ivy’s confession was real. But next time? Bianca had no way to control what would happen, and it would be obvious if she tried. So instead she reminded Asher, “Your time is running out. And I’m not so sure you’ve got anything I want.” She slid open the file and picked up the top piece of parchment, skimming its contents before she flicked it across the table at Asher. “I might not even need to use this anymore.” The document’s purpose was obvious at even a first glance. A pardon, already signed by the Minister and only waiting for Bianca’s signature as the Head of Law Enforcement. Every Azkaban prisoner’s dream, and Asher Burke’s last hope. asher rowan burke
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asher rowan burke
DURMSTRANG ALUM THE IVORY ROOM OWNER GAMBLING BOOKKEEPER OCCLUMENS & LEGILIMENS
90 posts
played by vanessa
I am a world before I am a man
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last online May 5, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Dec 29, 2021 19:52:51 GMT -7
Post by asher rowan burke on Dec 29, 2021 19:52:51 GMT -7
my end it justifies my means all I have to do is delay i'm given time to evade Asher had heard the whispers and the loud comments from the Aurors that passed his cell and even the comments from wide-eyed trainees as they passed by for a look. The eldest Burke had been reduced to being some kind of exhibit, some kind of warning for trainees. A glimpse into the past of ideas they considered outdated and a glimpse into a more progressive future that Asher had fought against. It had been months, and yet he was still in his small cell and not in Azkaban prison with people he’d used as minions and foot soldiers—he’d never considered them his peers but just pawns in a large game toward an even larger purpose. Much like his web of black market connections and the soldiers he utilized there—though he doubted their loyalty to him and his family far less than Elaine’s soldiers.
But he’d learned that loyalty was a much more fragile thing than he realized. And the betrayal of his sister Ivy was a lesson he was still processing, but it was also an opportunity—no an excuse to do what he needed to do. His trust and loyalty were not something blindly given but something earned, and any betrayal of that was met with harsh consequences. How he would deal with his sister was a matter for another time as he would not be able to follow up on that if he was in a cell for the rest of his life. It was time. Time for Asher to seek a new goal that wasn’t some overreaching cause and instead the much smaller task of surviving and living to continue the Burke lineage. He’d mentioned it to Hazel already, though without the details.
Bianca finally entered the room and sat down quietly. There was a beat of silence before she spoke. His eyes moved from the table up to his interrogator’s face. The only face he’d really spoken to at length in the past months aside from Hazel. Asher didn’t speak just yet and waited. Bianca pushed a piece of parchment toward him, and his eyes moved down again. The large text at the top signaled this was from the office of the Minister of Magic. Asher swallowed, his throat dry before his fingers inched forward on the table to move the parchment so he could read it better.
A pardon.
It was signed but with one signature remaining, though he paused on another name. ”The diplomat.” He simply spoke. Rowena Root was a name he knew, but he’d hardly spoken to her in person. The Department of Mysteries and the International sections of the Ministry hardly overlapped, but he’d been around long enough to remember names. Well, it was clear Krum was no longer the Minister of Magic and whether that was to his advantage was unclear. And yet Root’s signature was on this page. Asher paused again, resisting the urge to throw the parchment back at Bianca as his pride refused to let this muggle-born witch help him. His jaw clenched tightly once before he let it relax. ”I fully intend to find out.” Asher spoke arrogantly, answering Bianca’s first question. Pushing the parchment back, he moved his hands back closer to him but still on the table.
Again he paused, she wanted information on the Purifiers and Elaine’s organization, but Asher mentally looked through his cards. There was one he could play. One that would let Bianca know he was serious and suddenly that ‘time’ he spoke about might mysteriously stop running out—he assumed. ”You Aurors are all the same, so short-sighted and unable to see the bigger picture.” Asher began, remembering that Bianca had refused to give him any kind of confirmation that this leap of faith would result in anything positive for him. ”So quick to point the finger at those caught red-handed, or anyone in proximity—guilty by association.” Asher’s eyes moved up from the table to meet Bianca’s again. ”What happens with the Ministry is the guilty one?” Asher still doubted the rumor that his former Unspeakables had ever turned on him. They were taught to keep their mouths closed lest they implicate themselves in several plots.
”Epidemics are funny things. They aren’t unique to our world. It doesn't care if you’re of pureblood…as much as you try to make it so.” Asher’s face remained stoic except his eyes. The Department of Mysteries had many secrets and many that Asher probably still did not know from his predecessors, but he did know much. Hag’s Fever had been relatively harmless to the wizard or witches themselves and more of risk toward the secrecy of the magical community. And yet, watching the news and progress from behind his desk had felt rather powerful. ”Hag’s Fever is still classified as an epidemic, if i’m not mistaken?” His eyes narrowed suggestively, she might have held the power of the pardon in her hands with her missing signature, but Asher had plenty of cards for the desperate Ministry of Magic—the last bit of power he still had.
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
272 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online May 4, 2024 9:33:36 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Dec 30, 2021 9:19:58 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Dec 30, 2021 9:19:58 GMT -7
Bianca was always reluctant to share information with Asher, unwilling to give him more tools that could someday be used against her. Naturally secretive, her mother would accuse whenever Bianca was sparse on the details. But some things couldn’t be helped, and the fact that there was a new Minister of Magic…she could only keep the secret for so long. She’d only gotten a quick look at Hazel Burke that one time, but the youngest Burke hadn’t come off as particularly academic or involved in current political affairs. Still, even the average witch or wizard knew who the Minister of Magic was, and Bianca couldn’t control what the two Burkes discussed when she permitted them to meet. And if it seemed like Bianca was lying about one thing, then why not lying about everything else? It would destroy the foundation she’d been slowly building with Asher for months, so she let him absorb the information written plainly on the pardon. And as cool as he played things, as emotionless as he could be – he wanted that pardon. Asher hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away since she’d flicked it at him, and his fingers inched toward it like he couldn’t stop himself from seeing whether it was real or not. “Mm,” Bianca confirmed neutrally as his rough voice commented on Rowena’s background. Law Enforcement handled domestic matters, and once a case turned international – well, then it went to Interpol. But there was still a relationship there with International Cooperation, because security diplomacy was a very real thing and it existed between European countries. And whenever Bianca wanted to send her Aurors to a conference in Paris or host Italian Hit Wizards to discuss the latest techniques in the field, that all went through the Ministry of Magical Cooperation first. She was used to Asher, and the other Department Heads, looking down on Aurors. As dependent as they were on her department for their own safety, they never hesitated to view Aurors as simplistic thugs. Never mind the degree of analysis and intuition that was needed in most of their investigative work. But she shot Asher an unamused look all the same, and gave a light scoff. The Department of Mysteries was full of big-thinkers, academics and theorists who could give high-level analyses about the origins of magic or time or love – and yet were incapable of taking care of themselves. Or being around other people, or having any degree of common sense. Bianca would take her street-smart Aurors over a philosopher any day. But she raised her eyebrows at Asher as he continued to chide her for being quick to point the finger and throw around accusations of guilt. “Are you pleading not guilty?” she asked flatly, her expression unconvinced. “That might have been a better argument if you hadn’t chosen to duel the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”But his question set her on-edge, and despite all her instincts that screamed at her not to take the bait Bianca sat up straight and leaned forward in her chair. “What are you talking about?” she demanded, her voice a growl at the sight of Asher’s cool and calm countenance as he idly speculated about the Ministry’s guilt. Bianca wasn’t naïve – she knew exactly what the Ministry was like and it had fueled her decision to join Heliopath all those years ago. She’d watched her own father be consumed by the system he’d worked in, giving everything he had while it only exploited him in turn. It had used him up until there was just nothing left, and Bianca was determined not to go the same way. She knew the sacrifices this job required from her, and she’d gone into it with her eyes open. But this thing Asher was suggesting now…it went far beyond incompetence. He was talking about the Ministry like they’d done something terrible, and it infuriated Bianca not to know what he meant. Magical Law Enforcement was a powerful department, arguably one of the most important in the Ministry. But the Department of Mysteries had a special standing far above every other department, and not even the Minister was privy to what went on in Level 9. And as Asher continued, speculating out-loud about Hag’s Fever and epidemics, Bianca felt a sense of dread settle in her stomach. He knew something. Even worse, could have been responsible for something deadly serious. Hag’s Fever had locked down the United Kingdom for months and threatened the Statute of Secrecy. Bianca had worked on that task force in Interpol for years, so she had a special sensitivity for issues about the separation between the magical and Muggle worlds. She didn’t want to get distracted from the Purifiers, but Bianca also couldn’t ignore the information that Asher was hinting at now. He’d been a senior Ministry official for so long, and it was impossible to separate what he could have done in the institution as a blood purist. He had names and places locked in his head, information that Bianca wanted so she could end the Purifiers once and for all…but if the Ministry was guilty of something, an initiative that he had driven during his time at the head of the Ministry’s most secretive department, then Bianca had a duty to act. And do what she could to make things right. “This is your last chance to tell me what the hell is going on and what you can give me,” Bianca said forcibly, her patience finally wearing down until there was nothing left, “Before I rip that pardon into a thousand pieces and send you to Azkaban for the rest of your life. No more stalling, Burke.”asher rowan burke
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asher rowan burke
DURMSTRANG ALUM THE IVORY ROOM OWNER GAMBLING BOOKKEEPER OCCLUMENS & LEGILIMENS
90 posts
played by vanessa
I am a world before I am a man
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last online May 5, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Dec 30, 2021 12:24:15 GMT -7
Post by asher rowan burke on Dec 30, 2021 12:24:15 GMT -7
my end it justifies my means all I have to do is delay i'm given time to evade Bianca had her usual front, her usual confident appearance fueled by seeing Asher in chains. The only tool at his disposal was whatever he could speak, his words. And she was not about to silence him because then Asher would never utter the information she wanted from him. He spoke slowly, confidently until he got the reaction that he wanted. Finally, it wasn’t that much of an upper hand, but it was something. And after months of being drilled and belittled, his buttons constantly pushed this sort of small victory was everything. There was that old familiar feeling in his chest—that pride.
Asher didn’t answer immediately, instead sitting up a little bit straighter as Bianca leaned into the situation. She threatened his pardon, and Asher had to suppress the urge to laugh. His eyebrow did go up though not in surprise. ”But you won’t Bianca, will you?” Asher drawled. ”Like a dog that doesn’t know when to let go, you won’t—can’t let this go. And i’ll never tell you if you destroy that pardon.” Asher moved his hands, so his fingers were interlaced and sitting neatly on the table in front of him. There was a calm smugness, a far cry from the defeated way he’d sat here weeks ago after that meeting with Hazel. He’d had a lot of time to think and process, think of plans and think of a way out. Bianca liked to push, and Asher could very well push back, but that would exhaust both of them, and in the end, he’d end up in Azkaban, but while Bianca pushed, why not use that force against her? Pull instead and let her fall on her face.
”I have had a lot of time to think…thanks to you. And I need assurances on top of this pardon.” The new Minister would not risk such an embarrassment if she could help it. No Minister would want a list of what slipped through the cracks under their command and be grouped with the likes of Viktor Krum. While he’d never have the esteem he once did, he still needed certain parts of his reputation intact. Being a suspected Purifier was far easier to live with than being known as a snitch. Not that singing about something that would be blamed on the Ministry was so bad. ”People don’t need to know that I’ve told you anything. For all, I care you can claim you have the best investigators on the job.” Those last words felt vile to say, but he pushed through it. ”Blaise Zabini is your only witness against me…” He paused, frowning for a moment before looking back. ”And a few students, but who knows what they really saw through the smoke.” Yes, he had been caught red-handed, but unless another Purifier of the inner circle confirmed who did they have? Asher knew every single one of them, and ones that would surprise people, but he wasn’t ready to play those cards yet.
Essentially he wanted to walk out of the Ministry, the full pardon intact, but he wanted to control the narrative, and if that required helping the Ministry save face, then so be it. ”You know I’m far more useful to you with those conditions than sitting in a cell in Azkaban, Bianca.”
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
272 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online May 4, 2024 9:33:36 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Jan 14, 2022 9:13:41 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Jan 14, 2022 9:13:41 GMT -7
Bianca didn’t like Asher telling her what she could or couldn’t do. Hated it, actually. It made her blood boil and jaw clench as she stared daggers at him. It was impossible to believe that he could still command so much authority, even disgraced and wearing chains, but it must be that pureblood upbringing. He was always dangerous, but now – caught in a corner, feral with the will to survive, she was reminded that Asher Burke could be a dangerous enemy. He might be able to crush people under his boot, but he would never be able to do it to her. Bianca wasn’t a nobody, and she hadn’t climbed and fought to the top of the Ministry’s most ruthless and demanding department for nothing. She obliterated obstacles, and Asher Burke was exactly that. She was a dangerous enemy too. She didn’t respond to his obvious baiting, although she grit her teeth at the comparison to a stubborn dog. He’d thrown around the word mudblood enough times that she knew how he saw her. Bianca didn’t care about his personal respect, only wanted to ensure that he knew what the dynamic was between them. Who held the power here. He seemed to have forgotten (not that his eyes had wandered away from the pardon since she had taken it out). His words were more business-like as he continued, but they were almost a worse insult than his old-fashioned blood purist ideology. Assurances. Bianca had suspected that this was coming for months, ever since she’d started to hint at the possibility of a deal. She’d spoken to Ana Karkaroff enough times about Ivy Burke to know that being seen as a snitch was a life-ruining image problem. Blood traitor was a serious insult, one that could ruin families – so it shouldn’t surprise her that it was the first thing on Asher Burke’s mind now. He was a difficult opponent, but in some ways he was still so predictable. Ana had explained what his calculus would be…the oldest son of an ancient pureblood family, and the only male heir. Asher would be in survival mode, seeking any way he could to uphold his duty and keep the family name alive. It wasn’t an impossible condition, to keep the existence of a deal private. Bianca and the Ministry could quietly act on the information, finish dismantling Purifier infrastructure and send the group to the grave once and for all. And Asher Burke would move on with his life, and become somebody else’s problem for once. It was tempting, and would be worth the beating she’d receive from the news for letting him slip between her fingers. That mattered less than seeing some wrongs in the world be righted. “For such an expensive assurance,” Bianca said coldly, “Your information would need to be just as valuable. Names won’t be enough.” There was no chance that Asher would walk free if he decided to try his luck with the Wizengamot. Blaise Zabini was a stellar witness, Bianca had witnessed the last minute of their duel herself, and he came from a certain background that would lead to an easy conviction. The question was Azkaban or a deal, and Asher seemed to have reached the same conclusion she had that there was only one real option on the table. But they were finally being direct about their demands, so Bianca set aside all of the plays she had been using for the last several months and spoke frankly. “I’ll see what I can do on my end. But I’m warning you that you better have what you say you do. Because if it isn’t good enough…I’ll send you to that hole for the rest of your life and tell everyone you broke down and gave me everything anyway.” It wasn’t an idle threat either – Bianca was a straightforward person, and she did as she said. She knew Asher was right, and that he was likely the most valuable person of interest they had captured. But he couldn’t get away with a light confession, a few names and whatever horrible deed he was hinting at. No, it had to be enough to take down the Purifiers for good. She gave him a cold look. “Put your thoughts together. The next time I come back is your last chance.” And she didn’t look back as she stormed out of the room. asher rowan burke [Last time jump?]
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asher rowan burke
DURMSTRANG ALUM THE IVORY ROOM OWNER GAMBLING BOOKKEEPER OCCLUMENS & LEGILIMENS
90 posts
played by vanessa
I am a world before I am a man
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last online May 5, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jan 14, 2022 23:08:18 GMT -7
Post by asher rowan burke on Jan 14, 2022 23:08:18 GMT -7
my end it justifies my means all I have to do is delay i'm given time to evade Asher didn’t need words from Bianca to confirm a reaction. He was the one in chains making demands, and it was challenging the control she had in this situation. But Asher desperately wanted the control back of his life, the power that had been ripped from his bloody fingers back in May. Lesser men would have crumbled into shells of their former selves before they were even led to their cell in Azkaban. But not Asher Burke. Survival was the number one lesson all purebloods were taught and raised in. Survive, and you will have power. But among other things, he still had matters to tend to outside of the walls he was a prisoner in. Hazel couldn’t keep the business afloat forever. It wasn’t where her talents lied.
Unfortunately, the Purifier connection, suspected or otherwise, was damaging on its own. Had Asher been charged with almost any other crime, his connections and money could have helped him. But this wasn’t the case, and he’d thought through this carefully with all that time he had to himself these days. Things were shifting. The world was a different place which meant that the Burkes—what was left of them, would have to adapt. Asher had never been bothered that he wasn’t as close to his sisters as siblings might be in a typical family. Status and power did not require love or any semblance of liking a person. It was about connections, talent, and gold. But, Asher had been thinking through the future. The only task he hadn’t thought through or decided upon was Ivy.
For the first time since the chains had encircled his wrists, he agreed that Bianca had said something reasonable. ”Obviously.” His tone condescending. Nothing in this life came without a cost, not even his freedom. ”You’ll see what won’t be a problem…if I get what I want.” It was a big promise to make—but Asher knew he could back that up. It had factored into his why he’d pursued his Occlumency training so vigorously. The secrets that he knew would surprise her, and not everything was about the Purifiers. But Bianca countered with her own promise, but Asher didn’t flinch. He wasn’t naïve in that the possibility of Bianca letting him run his mouth and then outing him as a snitch wasn’t possible, but she was also far too righteous to do that intentionally. Asher didn’t need to speak or answer as Bianca gave her last demand and stormed out.
[ time jump ]
September 9, 2026 Asher had a list. It sad neatly in his mind, information prepared in a specific order and a list comprised of more than just Purifier information. The first thing he would start with would be what he had alluded to in their last meeting, Hag’s Fever. But it was all dependent on Bianca Rivera and if she could meet his demands. If she wanted any of his information, he deserved all of his demands. Settling for anything less than what he was due was not in his nature. It was a calculated move, like risking a pawn or a bishop in wizard’s chess so the Queen could checkmate the opponent’s King. Bianca thought she had the upper hand just because Asher’s magic was blocked by chains attached to this steel table, but the only thread she had for him was Azkaban, while Asher knew of much more sinister things in existence.
Ivy had threatened the existence of the Burke line by acting as she had done. Hazel could still marry and have children, though which pureblood family would want to go near them if their name never recovered was a mystery to him. And there was another motivation that Asher realized existed. Hazel was alone, managing his business with its many undesirable individuals and taking on more than she’d ever been asked to. Their parents had spoiled her, and Asher had particularly cared since she was a talented and intelligent individual in her own right, but without Ivy, there was much his younger sister still had to learn. He supposed he had to step up in that regard. Though the two were such opposing forces, it was a miracle they could stand each other at any rate. But he could already hear his mother and father drilling in that lesson of loyalty and family.
An ironic lesson now, but Asher’s eyes stared at the table and the new marks from another interrogation now existing among the other ones he had memorized by now. Even with the sound of the door opening and closing, footsteps entering and then stopping. ”Was I right?” Asher asked, moving his hands to link his fingers together. He couldn’t do much else with them. Finally, his eyes moved up to Bianca—the only person he had conversed with at length during this imprisonment aside from Hazel. ”You wouldn’t have come back if you could let it go.” There was a smugness in his eyes. Bianca had said she would see what she could do but that hadn’t been a promise. All that meant was running the idea past the Minister of Magic, and if the Minister disagreed, all she had to do was order her Aurors to ship him off to Azkaban. And yet, here she was. In fact, she could have just shipped him off regardless and taken the victory for the Ministry.
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
272 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online May 4, 2024 9:33:36 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Feb 18, 2022 13:14:06 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Feb 18, 2022 13:14:06 GMT -7
9 September 2026 Being a Department Head had come with so much more than Bianca had ever bargained for. As an Auror, she’d been responsible for herself – and maybe a partner too, although she’d always preferred to work alone. It was a tough job, one that demanded good instincts and doing whatever it took to finish the mission. The danger had started to feel much farther away once she’d accepted her promotion, but the cost had risen dramatically. Because now? She was responsible for a whole department, and for the community that relied on them for safety and stability. Bianca had much more to answer for than a simple arrest rate, and the hardest part of the job was accepting that she couldn’t control all the factors anymore. Sometimes she had to take the loss. Sometimes she could do everything right, and everything would still go wrong anyway. This should have been a win, but all Bianca could stew over as she marched to the interrogation room was that Asher Burke was getting exactly what he wanted. A pardon, his reputation left intact, and a tidy escape back to his club and extravagant pureblood lifestyle. She’d agonized over it for weeks, pacing relentlessly in her office and at home while she struggled to come to terms with that fact. It didn’t feel like justice, and it certainly wouldn’t change Asher’s calculus at all. He was returning to a criminal lifestyle, of that she could be certain, and Bianca would have to stomach the fact that she’d negotiated that deal. But it was for something bigger than her own personal satisfaction, she needed to remember that. This was about burying the Purifier cause, and righting wrongs that had started even from within the Ministry itself. That had to be more important than what she wanted. She threw open the door to the interrogation room with more force than she’d intended, and it bounced off the wall before she slammed it shut behind her. Asher’s first words were so smug, and she grit her teeth as she took a seat across from him. He was right, of course – Bianca could never let anything go once she had an end goal in mind. It was a double-edged sword, but she was determined to walk out of here with everything she was going to demand. Root wasn’t micromanaging her, the new Minister instead deciding to trust that her Head of Law Enforcement knew what she was doing with Asher Burke. Bianca was going to prove her right. “Here’s how this is going to work,” Bianca said, aggravated and choosing to ignore his question before she did anything hasty like flip the table. “You’re going to write down an address. If it checks out, and it’s everything you say it is, I’ll sign this now in front of you.” She neatly slid the pardon out from her folder, a new entry promising the Ministry’s silence in exchange for a list of information that Bianca had sat down to carefully brainstorm. Root had already signed it, which left only one signature missing. Hers. “You’ll see listed here what I expect from you. Names, safe houses, and whatever you think you have on Hag’s Fever. We…” Bianca stifled a sound of frustration in the back of her throat and continued. “We also expect to learn how Purifiers entered your bases. It wasn’t through any Ministry-regulated network.” There was no room in her tone for negotiation, and she pursed her lips. After months of this process dragging on, now that there was an end in sight – Bianca wanted it over and done with. She already had a team assembled of Aurors and Hit Wizards ready to act on whatever she received from Asher to prove his information was good. There was no way to know what she’d been sending the team into, but Bianca was tired of inaction. She couldn’t justify it any longer. Instead, she slid out a fresh sheet of parchment and extracted a quill and inkwell from her bag (Merlin, wizards were so medieval). “If it all checks out, you’ll be home by Christmas. Quietly.” Each word was like a stab to her gut, and she shoved the items across the table like she didn’t want to come into contact with anything Asher Burke might touch. She never wanted to see him again after this. asher rowan burke
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asher rowan burke
DURMSTRANG ALUM THE IVORY ROOM OWNER GAMBLING BOOKKEEPER OCCLUMENS & LEGILIMENS
90 posts
played by vanessa
I am a world before I am a man
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last online May 5, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 18, 2022 14:24:56 GMT -7
Post by asher rowan burke on Feb 18, 2022 14:24:56 GMT -7
my end it justifies my means all I have to do is delay i'm given time to evade Bianca never needed to answer him to confirm a reaction. She was easy enough to read as she wore her anger on her sleeve. While some might consider her formidable for it, Asher only saw a way to pierce her armor. Emotions were a weakness. Showing people what you truly felt was weakness. It wasn’t a way to win in this world. Even Hazel’s flamboyant and bright personality didn’t always betray what the girl was thinking—she was a Burke, after all. And a true one—therefore without any inclinations of betrayal in her personality.
Immediately she began with her instructions—demands with a tone he suspected was used to direct her Aurors around. It was that simple, wasn’t it? Asher turned on the cause to protect his family—at least that was a worthy pureblood cause. But after so many months, Asher was not in a hurry to speak. The pardon was placed on the table, and Asher brought it close enough to read it. There was nothing vague about the words on the parchment and despite the idea of having to compromise himself to gain this—knowing that he would walk free while Bianca seethed behind her desk at being forced to let go the ultimate prize and show of strength against the Purifiers.
Slowly he read every word of the pardon, noting the dried ink of the Minister’s signature. How long had Bianca waited to bring him back and slide this document across the table to him? Bianca’s space, however, was still empty. There wasn’t even the indication that the quill had touched parchment in some moment of hesitation. The document stated everything Bianca demanded—details. Purifier details Asher absolutely had knowledge of and other things regarding public safety. There was along in that carefully guarded mind of his, but he was not so willing to give it up without a price.
Asher’s eyes finally moved up from the document, satisfied with its contents. But while confident—arrogant, even. He was not so close to the sun to not note a serious and important moment. Whatever Asher divulged now would secure his freedom—the true endgame. Hearing ‘Christmas’ was unexpected. While he hadn’t planned on spending a birthday behind bars, it was better than Bianca creating a reason to hold him until he turned forty. Pausing for a moment, Asher reached out for the parchment and the quill. Though his hands being so closely bound together made it awkward, he managed.
Slowly in that rigidly careful script that was his handwriting, Asher wrote out the numbers and a street name. ”Everybody you send here needs to read this.” Putting the quill back, Asher pushed the parchment back to Bianca. The Fidelius Charm had strict rules, and while Asher was not the only Secret Keeper to this location—at least one was dead. Knowing Elaine Asher was not the only one remaining, either. But those people weren’t trying to avoid dying in Azkaban, he was sure. Asher sat back, allowing for a pause rather than tactlessly giving up all the information he knew. ”You’re right.” He began. ”It’s not a Ministry-regulated network.” Asher confirmed easily, though he was in no hurry to explain.
”’If you drop me, I am sure to crack. But if you give me a smile, I’ll always smile back.’” Asher repeated a line he’d read in a book when he was young. A book of simple riddles. Asher enjoyed them, but he also enjoyed the challenge of a puzzle. The Department of Mysteries and its work had been a dream. Asher was less concerned with the consequences of dangling this answer in front of Bianca—the address he’d just given her would leave her no choice but the sign the pardon. ”I’m sure the papers would love it if you smiled more.” Always so serious, never a smile and only intensity. It was no wonder they bumped heads. But, a Head of Law Enforcement should be equal brains and brawn—so then he shouldn’t need to explain himself further.
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
272 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online May 4, 2024 9:33:36 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Feb 19, 2022 2:33:05 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Feb 19, 2022 2:33:05 GMT -7
It was hard to accept sometimes that life wasn’t the zero-sum game she’d thought it was. There weren’t only winners and losers, because there was a whole spectrum of gray in between that just didn’t fit into her black-and-white vision of the world. She missed the simplicity of her life from before, how easy and clear everything had been at school. Knowing what she wanted, knowing what she had to do to get it, and never worrying about anything more serious than a goal she’d let through in Quidditch. London was complicated, the Ministry was complicated, and Bianca was left reeling with the knowledge that she just couldn’t seem to win anymore. Misfortune was always waiting around the corner, and a feeling of dread replaced the excitement that used to turn her stomach into knots. And as she stared down Asher Burke, it was hard to remember that this could be counted as a win for her too. She’d driven Asher into a corner, forced him to choose between his principles and his family. That was a hard choice for any pureblood, but the outcome of the game was one they could both live with. It would only come with the cost of being eaten alive in the public arena, but Bianca repeated in her head like a mantra that she didn’t care. Maybe if she said it enough times, it would become true. She sat stonily as he slowly picked up the quill and scrawled an address, his handwriting tight and cramped. Still, she noticed the slight tremor in his hand like it’d forgotten how to hold a quill after months of being cut off from any hint of civilized activity. He wouldn’t easily shake off his time in captivity, and that at least silenced some of the storm that endlessly raged inside her. Bianca didn’t say a word as she snatched up the parchment the moment Asher set down the quill, instead shooting him a dark look and striding across the room to pull open the door and find her team immediately. Bianca wanted desperately to lead the team herself and uncover whatever secrets lay hidden in the neatly inked words. But that was the price of her success – she was responsible for so much more than the success of one mission, and she didn’t have the luxury of entering the field anymore to make sure the job was done right. Bianca had to place her trust in her Aurors and Hit Wizards, and even while she knew how skilled they were – it was hard to cede that control to someone else. She stalked towards the end of the hall, where the Auror captain was waiting with his group and handed the parchment over wordlessly. The corridor was dead silent, save for the occasional rustling of the parchment as it changed hands and a slight noise as Ministry-issued combat boots squeaked against the pristine marble floor. Once the team had left to find an appropriate spot to Apparate, Bianca silently returned to the interrogation room to wait for news – it seemed only fitting that Asher should get to see the moment that decided his freedom or imprisonment for himself. She pursed her lips at Asher’s little hint about whatever network they used, but it turned into a scowl at his riddle and needling comment afterwards. She felt a spike in her heartbeat, because there was no way he could know about Cade…right? Asher was an expert at uncovering other people’s secrets, and Bianca swallowed as she studied his smug smile and gleaming eyes. It would be just like him to study the other Department Heads to find their weak points, and her complicated relationship with the Prophet's Editor would certainly count. But no, there was no flicker of recognition like he was indulging in a shared secret – it was just another one of his agitating little word games. His riddle gave her pause, and her mind raced hurriedly to uncover his secret meaning. The other Department Heads liked to joke that Aurors were only mindless thugs, but they did so much more than simply obey orders. The job demanded an analytical mind and quick thinking, and Bianca processed his words silently. Merlin, she was tired of mirrors in the wizarding world. Handheld mirrors to relay messages that the Ministry couldn’t track, cursed mirrors that spelled an unsuspecting target into never being able to look away. What ungodly use had the Purifiers found for them now? Bianca sat rigidly in her chair and shot Asher a dark look. “You wouldn’t believe how many times someone's told me that,” she said harshly, “It just becomes noise after a while. They’re all gone. I’m still here.” She dropped her gaze to examine the scratched surface of the table and chipped paint, and gave a light scoff as she contemplated the thought. Bianca had never been a soft person, but the Ministry had forced her to grow tougher to stay afloat in such a treacherous landscape. Nobody would ever give her a break, so she’d had to fight hard to beat out all the others who’d done their best to make her fail. She raised her gaze to stare at Asher again. “And you’re no different, are you? Crawling back to your family with nothing so they can protect you from all that power you had in your hands and lost. And even after everybody here has forgotten you, I’ll still remember what you are.” She tapped her fingers on the unsigned pardon, a familiar challenging expression settling on her face. She might have said more, but the entrance of an Auror diverted her attention as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. Bianca turned in her chair, head tilted as she processed his frantic speech whispered in a single breath. Then she nodded her head slightly and dismissed him with a small wave. She turned back to Asher and waited a moment before saying, “You’re a lucky bastard.” Without further ado, she clenched her jaw and firmly snatched the quill so she could scrawl her name on the pardon. Then she tossed the quill back at him and slid the blank parchment across the table. “The quicker you write, the earlier I might consider releasing you.” She stood up and tucked the pardon into her robes carefully like she was handling a bomb that might go off at any moment. It was hard to decide what to say to Asher, because there was no way in hell that Bianca intended to ever see him again. She shook her head and made her way to the door, pausing in the doorway to turn her head back and study Asher's profile intently. “Watch yourself. There won’t be a pardon next time.”asher rowan burke [End post Bianca!]
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asher rowan burke
DURMSTRANG ALUM THE IVORY ROOM OWNER GAMBLING BOOKKEEPER OCCLUMENS & LEGILIMENS
90 posts
played by vanessa
I am a world before I am a man
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last online May 5, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 19, 2022 20:10:08 GMT -7
Post by asher rowan burke on Feb 19, 2022 20:10:08 GMT -7
my end it justifies my means all I have to do is delay i'm given time to evade
December 27, 2026 Their last exchange had been quiet and tense, not many words spoken and even more written and read. But Asher had given up something important to secure his freedom and acted in such a way he’d never dreamed he would before May fifteenth. Still, he’d spent the remaining almost sixteen weeks convincing himself it was all part of a plan and for the right reasons. He was the only Burke heir, and the family would not survive his life imprisonment in Azkaban. Asher had no idea how his club was doing or if had it survived his absence. Had Hazel managed to keep things afloat while he was gone?
He'd contemplated these things in the hours, days, and weeks after he watched Bianca sign that pardon, and he had scrawled sentences on that parchment: the Purifiers used an untraceable system of Mirrors for their safe houses, Hag’s Fever had been created in the Department of Mysteries. And a few other things, but never did the quill in his hand ever scrawl anyone’s name. The group’s strength had come from a sole leader and scattered organization. Few faces and names lingered in his mind, mainly his own minions and others that had been close to Elaine, such as Diana and Ondina.
Finally, as Asher ran a slim thumb and forefinger across his chin and the beard that began to grow, his door opened. A burly Auror stood there, disgust in his eyes as he motioned for Asher to stand. ”Hands.” He demanded of Asher, and a small part of him feared that the pardon had been invalidated and these cuffs that had been his companions for the better part of seven months were being swapped out for Azkaban chains. But while the Auror treated him and his cuffs as something foul had just touched his hands, the Auror tapped his wand on the chains in the middle, and they disappeared. The cuffs were still around his wrists, but Asher could place his hands at his sides for the first time in a long time.
Quickly he was walked down the hall, but instead of turning left at the end, they turned right, and he was led into the room where he saw a bag on the table. Asher was stopped at the doorway where the Auror tapped his wand again, and the cuffs were gone. The Auror looked at Asher up and down like he wasn't only an inch or two taller than him and shook his head. ”They’ll have your wand at the exit.” As the door closed behind him, Asher paused again, running his hands over his wrists and the strange sensation of nothing on them. Still, his hands trembled slightly, and he forced his fists closed tightly to make them stop. In the bag on the table were clothes, not the same he’d been brought in (considering they’d been burned and covered in blood).
After changing from his prisoner’s outfit, Asher realized how much his suit didn’t fit him like before. He’d lost weight, and along with the slight beard, he was unrecognizable until you saw his eyes. There was one last door to what he presumed was the exit. Walking through it, he saw a witch at the desk—much older than some of the Aurors, and she plainly looked at him, made him sign a ledger, and his wand was handed back to him. Immediately he realized how late it was in the day as his footsteps echoed in the empty atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Even the elevator ride had felt unusual without the crowds of employees trying to reach all the floors, but he’d been too focused on twirling his wand between his fingers or at least trying to.
When the cold air hit his face, and he took a breath, Asher closed his eyes. It almost burned his lungs—he hadn’t stepped outside or seen the sun nor the moon in seven months. But the sound of footsteps made him look to the side immediately, but it was nothing—just somebody walking by. The taste of freedom and liberation was quickly replaced by paranoia. While he didn’t have a plan yet, he did know that he had to get out of here and either home or—actually, he knew where he would go. Asher gripped the wand in his hand. He now knew what it felt like to be cut off from magic. It was an icier feeling than the cold December air that began to numb his fingertips and the tip of his nose. The ledger he’d signed read December 27. One last deep breath and Asher closed his mind, visualized his destination, and apparated. When he opened then again, he held himself steady with a hand on the wall. It had taken everything not to splinch himself, and he tried not to keel over as he lazily knocked on Hazel’s door. Asher was free.
[ end ]
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