all we do is win (Finn)

[Deleted]

The Order of the Phoenix meeting ended and Will was headed out of Longbottom Manor with the others. Things were more complicated than ever now. Neville Longbottom himself wasn't doing well, and Harry seemed almost at a loss for what to do, distracted and his brain running a million miles a minute. Victoire had stepped down from Ministry of Magic with Hermione taking her place. Vic didn't even come to the meeting. William wasn't that close to her anyway, but from a political standpoint he knew that someone like her wouldn't just step down for no reason.

Most of the others were still talking and mingling on the way out but his head was down, his brow furrowed, his brain going a million miles a minute. He knew that things were bad here, but he had just started to get more involved in muggle politics. Not too mention Jamie, a girl he had kissed only a few weeks ago on New Years Eve. Oh, and Susan being so worried about Andromeda Lestrange being in the Hospital. There was so much going on but... he knew where he needed to be, and a part of him felt terrible about that. He needed to be with the royal family and parliament, figuring things out.

He looked up as people started apparating away, and realized he was standing right next to someone he didn't recognize. "Oh, hello. I'm Will," he said, turning toward the girl and offering a hand, "you're new," astute observation made.

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@will

Stepping out of her first Order of the Phoenix meeting, Finn was at a loss for words on how to describe the experience. It wasn’t exactly what she had expected it to be, but at the same time it was one of the most intriguing social gatherings she had ever witnessed. A lot of her time working as an auror for MACUSA was spent giving testimonies to the higher-ups about what she was planning on cracking down on next, or sitting in front of trials explaining how she had come across a dark wizard. This time though, she felt like she was back in training and watching everything go down for the first time. She only knew a handful of people at the meeting, most of whom she had only met for the first time today, and the politics of it all were so beyond her knowledge that it was insanely intimidating. She had only been in London for less than a month, and getting tossed into all of this was absolutely mind-boggling. If she packed up and went back to New York tomorrow, they probably wouldn’t hold it against her. The only reason she was asked to come was because of word of mouth about some of the things she had accomplished back home, and the leaders of the Order were somewhat interested in what she had to offer over here. Obviously the reason she had crossed the ocean was for the same reason that they were holding this reason, but she didn’t know that she would be this far behind on literally everything.

Backing down after one meeting wasn’t her though, so despite being completely numb while still trying to process everything, Finn knew that she would come back for another couple of meetings at least. Sleeping on it would definitely help. It always did. Still ticking through everything as she walked outside of the house that the meeting had been in, she heard a person next her start to introduce themselves to her. “No, I’m Finn,” she responded as the man said she was new. Closing her eyes upon realizing what he had been stating, she laughed awkwardly. “Sorry about that. Still trying to take all of that in,” Finn motioned back at the house. “I am new. First meeting if you couldn’t tell…” she returned his handshake. “And you already know my name is Finn.” Great first introduction that was.

[Deleted]

She said 'no, I'm Finn' and it took him a moment to get the joke. It was a total 'dad joke' and he laughed. She laughed, too, saying that she was sorry and that she was still trying to process everything. He nodded. He understood that. It was a lot to take in especially for someone who probably wasn't even around for most of the insanity. She had an American accent, so Will assumed she may have not been here that long. She said it was her first meeting, and took his hand. They shook, and she again reiterated her name. He chuckled. "In all fairness I didn't notice you looking lost or anything," he explained. "I was too focused on the meeting, I guess. Not sure how I missed you," he explained.

"Finn," he nodded in greeting, "what part of America are you from?" he asked, not feeling bad about assuming since her active was pretty obvious. Plus, Will had always been a blunt person and made his observations known. It was part of his charm, or so his mother told him. Then again, mothers were a bit biased...

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@will

The man, Will was his name, laughed along with her about her obvious flub. She found that it always made it easier to admit her mistakes, even the silly ones like that. It got rid of any embarrassment later on. In her line of business, having those kinds of feelings last too long would cause problems. She hated having to repress things at times, but work was work. This meeting was almost the same kind of thing, though not nearly as serious as of yet. Will explained that she must not have been that lost looking because he hadn’t noticed during the meeting, and she felt a wave of relief go over her. The last thing she had wanted to be was the stereotypical American, sitting in on something and not understanding a thing that was going on, only to come forward with her own opinions on the whole thing, and usually ten times louder at that. “I won’t hold it against you,” she joked. “I found a nice corner and stuck myself in it so that I could pay attention to everyone in there. Doubt I’d have too many listeners if I tried to speak up my first time there.”

He asked where she was from, and Finn grinned. “New York. So I’m missing some pretty cold weather over there right now.” Despite that, she still had a winter jacket on. She wasn’t the type to get tricked by a different country’s climate like most were. It was still cold out, though milder than home ever would be in January. “So Will, are most of the meetings like that? Or did I fall asleep and miss something?” It certainly left something to be desired, though she wasn’t keen on pointing that out with so many active members around.

[Deleted]

She said she wouldn't hold him not noticing her against him and his grin widened at the joke. She explained how she found a nice corner s she could pay attention to everyone in there. "I know several policemen - muggle, erh, 'no-maj', law enforcement officers who prefer to sit in the corner so they can see everyone in the room," he suggested, trying to show that he understood what she meant by wanting to sit in the corner. "Maybe you'll speak up next time... was there something you wanted to speak up about?" he asked, taking a guess since the point was brought up.

Finn grinned as he asked where she was from and he felt a laugh break through his lips a little, just amused at the pure pride that emanated from her as she explained New York and the weather. He noticed she had a jacket on, but then so did he. His wasn't as heavy as hers but he didn't really get cold easily. She asked him about the meeting and he shrugged, "I hope you didn't fall asleep. That would be embarrassing," he chuckled. "They kind of fluctuate," he said, his tone changing to one less amused, "it depends on what's going on... they could be a little more," he lowered his voice and leaned toward her, "action based if you asked me."

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@will

Finn kept herself from reacting to his statement about knowing policemen that did the same thing she had just described. She didn’t care if the Order members knew about her prior history as an auror; that was why she had been recruited in the first place. But if her sitting in the corner made it that obvious that she was potentially law enforcement…that was actually a problem. Going undercover, while somewhat decent at it, had never been her strong suit when it came down to it. There were lessons to be learned from those that didn’t know who she was, or what she was about. Will probably just saved her life at some point in the future, and had no idea. “You might be the first person that has corrected to say no-maj. I’m what you would call ‘muggleborn’ here, I think, so yeah,” she let out a small laugh, remembering having to acclimate herself to school the first year, with all the strange terminology her classmates were throwing her way. “Totally understand the different words and all that fun stuff,” Finn added.

Letting out another awkward laugh as he asked if there had been something she wanted to talk about during the meeting, Finn shook her head. “Not really, I’m just used to being asked for my thoughts on things. Old work habits I suppose,” she trailed off, thinking about her former job fondly. It was somewhat depressing that she had felt the need to leave, but it was for the best. She was sure of that. “But yeah, maybe next time I will. Have to figure out what the hell is going on over here first though. You guys have some messed up people running around these days.” She frowned as he pointed out that the meetings changed based on what was going on. That was never a good sign, but also was at the same time. When there wasn’t much to talk about, that either meant that everything was safe and sound, or that they were completely missing it all. It could go either way. “Action is definitely my thing. Unless it’s all political. I’d rather rally the crowd than take a vote on what to do next.”

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She seemed pleased that he corrected to 'no-maj' for her, and then added that she was a muggleborn. He grinned even wider, if that was possible, and she said she understood all the different words. "I'm a muggleborn too!" he exclaimed, maybe a little more energetically than he intended to. It was always good to meet someone who knew what it was like. His life was different than hers, by far, he was sure but there were still similarities in dealing with learning about magic and all of that. Being royal didn't make him that different from a girl from New York, right? Okay, okay. It did in a lot of ways. But it was still nice to have the muggleborn thing in common.

She laughed again, another smaller laugh that wasn't necessarily for amusement as she spoke about how she was used to sharing thoughts because of 'old works habits.' She went on to say maybe next time she would speak up, after she figured out what was going on. He rolled his eyes and nodded, "things here are pretty bad. I personally don't understand why everyone, countries I mean, didn't work together in the first British magical war in the nineties. And even the war before that," he paused, "but I guess not all muggle countries get involved in one anothers affairs either," he contemplated. She said that action was her thing but spoke about politics and he chuckled, "I know exactly what you mean. I work in muggle politics a bit on the other side," he explained, "I would prefer action be taken, even if that action is just having the right conversation... does that make sense?"

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@will

Hearing from other witches and wizards like her, in the no-maj born sense, was always a relief. While she wasn’t technically nervous about figuring out the blood status problem that existed in Britain, Finn certainly knew that it could be a point of contention if ever brought up at the wrong time. Some of the older Order members she had already been introduced to seemed like the stuff sort; while not necessarily strict on the whole thing, they still held onto some of the old ideals she had heard so much about. There was also the matter of the organization they were supposedly up against, in which their whole shtick was about blood purity. The details were still fuzzy since she had only just gotten to London, but the politics of it all were very interesting. “Awesome! Means I’m not all alone in this thing then,” Finn laughed. At least now she had someone that could share her struggles. She was sure there were more, considering the history of the organization, but they were also the silent majority.

It seemed like her view on the situation was well received by Will. That was a good sign. Meant there were others like her out there. “United States still tries to get all up in everyone’s business,” she shrugged. “But that’s on the no-maj side. MACUSA likes to deal with their issues on their own.” Oh all the things she could say about that. There were shady dealings in all forms of government, but there was something about the governing magical body of the USA that differed from the rest. It was amazing they let her quit so easily. “I’ve always just assumed that groups of people want to deal with their own problems, instead of dragging others into it. More satisfaction when you beat it in the end too.”

Will caught her attention with his mention of working in no-maj politics. That was…different. “No, that definitely makes sense,” Finn agreed. But words failed quite a bit, and then only physical action was left. “How’d you end up in politics? Seems like a stretch for a wizard. I don’t really see how no-maj society and politics could benefit our side of things all that much.”

[Deleted]

She celebrated, saying that she wasn't alone in this thing and he laughed. "There are a few of us around," he answered. It really was nice, though. Even if they didn't have anything else in common that would be a nice place to start in getting to know the new girl. Hopefully he would quickly stop referring to her as that in his mind. She spoke about how the United States tried to get in everyone's business and he shrugged. That was true. Then she said that MACUSA liked to deal with their own issues. "I suppose England prefers staying out of things... though, we may be a little too trusting to others at times. There's a fine line," he said with a slight frown. But then he smiled again as she spoke about the satisfaction of beating your own problem. "I guess I can agree with that. As long as I'm not entirely alone in it," Will usually did like to deal with things by himself, actually, but he was learning that this wasn't the best way to go about it.

She asked how he ended up in politics, saying it seemed like a stretch for a wizard. "I was born into it," he explained. "For a while I was trying to just focus on the Magical side of my life but my responsibilities to my family are... growing," and, even more so, it was looking like another person in line for the throne ahead of him would be knocked out. That would make him third.

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@will

A few no-maj borns and probably a few of her former classmates as well. Finn had heard that there was a sizeable crowd of Ilvermorny alumni that had contemplated coming over to England and working for the Ministry for a few years. She hadn’t run into them yet (seeing she had barely been there a month), but time would tell. Feeling right at home with both groups would certainly make the entire transition process easier on her. The only other thing she had right now that did an excellent job were her animals. Unfortunately, she would probably get weird looks taking her owl out with her while walking the dog. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice your trust to figure out the truth,” she said airily. “Then you definitely get a fine line.” Finn nodded her head as he said he liked to have others with him while dealing with problems. Having the security and back-up in certain situations helped all around, unless it was nepotism or having blind followers. She didn’t like those kinds. There was a reason independent thinking was so critical.

She continued to listen as he explained that he had been born into politics and was deciding to balance things between that and magic. That was way more intense of an answer than she had been expecting. “Are these the sort of obligations that are expected of you, or the ones that you want to do?” Finn asked. She hated the former. There was a certain level she could stand when it came to the rigidity of rules, but being forced to do something because everyone before her had done it that way was too much. That was why she had left MACUSA and was now here. She hoped that this was a conscience choice being made by Will, and not because he was required to do it.

[Deleted]

Her words about sometimes sacrificing your trust to figure out the truth resonated deeply in him. He knew that to be true, very true. "And to find out who your friends are. That line is even finer," he added. He had plenty of friends in his life, but being royalty meant you had to figure out who actually liked you and who just liked your lifestyle. Celebrities of a more pop culture nature had it harder than he did, though, which was sadly a nice thing to think about. Sometimes he had to compare himself to people who had it worse of than he did. At least he had found most of his real friends easily, not a lot of sifting had to happen. At least not on the magical side of things.

She asked if the obligations were expected of him or if he wanted to do them and he shrugged, "both, I suppose. It took me a while to decide for sure I did want them," he admitted. "But I think it's for the best. I rather like it," he corrected. He did enjoy being involved in the politics and being a positive face for the muggle community. "The politics part I get to choose, but being born into it isn't exactly a choice. I'm part of the Windsor family, it's a branch of the royal family over here," he explained casually. To him, it wasn't a fascinating thing. It was just his normal life.

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@will

This guy was a wise one, Finn was quickly realizing. She should have known that, considering the fact that he had pointed out he was in no-maj politics. Those guys tended to be smart cookies in her experience. Every once in a while there were the radicals back home – the magical mafia type, who wanted a no-maj politician taken out. Typically that wasn’t her line of work but she had been known to be added to protection details from time to time. Either way, sometimes the smartest ones knew best about who to trust, even more than she did. Determining friends while believing virtually anyone could be an enemy wasn’t the best way to go through life even if it was necessary at times. She had plenty of former coworkers that followed those ideologies. “I tend to just tell someone that they’re my friend, and then we go from there,” Finn admitted. If there were trust issues down the road, then that was that.

Finn supposed that choosing something of one’s own volition meant cutting ties would be easier than if someone had forced him to go into politics. “That and you still have this world to fall back onto,” she added after he stated that he liked the no-maj politics. “Not many people get the chance to go into a completely different world to escape.” Technically she was the same way. “I think we’re both lucky, in that regard,” Finn said after a brief pause.

She could feel her jaw start to drop in surprise as Will then explained that he was part of the royal family. Like the ones that were always on the news whenever a member got married or had a kid? She used to obsessively watch those! “Seriously?” Was all she could initially say. He definitely was something else, but the politics thing made sense now. “You might as well tell me all of your secrets, because none of those will surprise me at this point,” she joked, shaking her head in disbelief. “Royal family…unbelievable…” Finn muttered under her breath, still trying to piece it all together in her head.

[Deleted]

She said that she tended to just tell someone they were friends and go from there and he laughed. "I guess I'm a bit more cautious right away," he started by way of explanation. He would explain that more so once he told her about his background. She spoke about having this world to fall back onto and how they were lucky, he nodded. "I agree. Very lucky," he said with a smile, "my three siblings are all magical too, so that's something we can share together. Though, sometimes, I really would like them not to be a part of the magical world... especially with all of the danger that is going on," he wasn't sure how his new acquaintance would feel about him trying to take his siblings out of school, so he didn't tell her that part just yet.

Aaaand there was a the jaw drop at his story. When she asked if he was serious he nodded, waiting for her to say more. She spoke about telling her all of his secrets and he laughed again. "It's really not that strange. We're people too, I just happened to start the magical bloodline," he explained. A lot of people had a hard time wrapping their heads around it, though. "That's why I'm careful about who my friends are, Finn. On the muggle side, because a lot of people only see my title and nothing else."

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@will

“No, that makes sense,” Finn answered. Being cautious was a good thing. Sometimes she wondered if she was too trusting others. Other times, she felt like she was too critical. Like how she had been judging the majority of the Order members throughout the entire meeting. Just because they were dusty, old, washed-up witches and wizards didn’t make them any less valid in terms of what they were talking about. Everything she had learned had come from people exactly like them. The other thing she had to constantly remind herself of was that these Order members were the Order members. She supposed most of them were the heroes of the second war – something she had only ever read about. Being across an ocean kind of nullified any first-hand experience with any of that. But now she was here, and most of them were in the house she was standing outside of.

He mentioned that all three of his siblings were in the same boat as him. Finn had always wished that her sister had magic too. Even though she was seven years older than Ellie, they still would have been able to talk about their experiences with it. Instead, Finn was left wondering what regular public school was like, and how important state test grades were for her to be able to get into college. At times, Finn wished she could have worried about those things instead of worrying about whether or not the criminals she were capable of killing her. Finn nodded her head as he talked about his siblings. “But isn’t the other side just as dangerous at times? At least in this world, most of us are capable of fighting back with the same strength as the other side.”

She must have looked like an idiot, because she felt like one. Will probably got this exact same reaction every time he introduced himself. She could only imagine how old that must have gotten. Being somewhat of a nobody from the greatest city on the planet meant that she would never actually understand that larger than life feeling that Will had. “Sorry for making a scene. Not really every day someone like me gets to meet someone like you,” Finn said slowly, making sure that she formed words correctly in her shocked state. “It’s a shame people try to take advantage of that,” she continued. “Because they’re missing a lot.”

[Deleted]

He was glad he was making sense and not sounding like a jerk for being careful about friends or anything. It wasn't that he was picky, he just wanted to know intentions. She spoke about the other side, the muggle side, being just as dangerous and his brow furrowed. "I guess... but I'm there more, so I can protect them there more and... magic is so much for invasive than muggle danger, I think. It can get in your head," he explained. "I would just rather deal with muggles than magic," he said firmly, giving a short nod. "I can handle them. I have a sword and all," he said, letting his tone and facial expression lighten up a little. Though, he really did have a sword... or several...

She said she was sorry for making a scene and he shook his head, laughing. "Someone like you? And what do you consider yourself?" he asked quickly, not really thinking about how personal a question that might have been. "Thanks. Thank you," he said when she said people were missing a lot by taking advantage of him. He looked around to see everyone basically cleared out of the front yard by now and turned back to Finn, "want to grab some food? I know the best muggle places around," he offered.

@finn