Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Jul 11, 2012 20:13:08 GMT -5
"Eh? Why? Did something happen to her?" she asked curiously.
And why did he get all nervous? There was this little nagging voice in the back of her mind that told her that pushin the subject wouldn't work out well. She decided to not ask her second question; she didn't want him clamming up on her and refusing to talk. (It had happened to her a few times with Esperanza. Her friend was remarkably insecure about her status as a half-blood.)
Her face darkened and she sighed when he asked about her homeland. She blew a lazy cloud of smoke in the air before she replied. The memories that thinking about East Germany brought up were unpleasant; she didn't usually think about it...
"Ja...ja I am from East Berlin. I used to be able to see the dead zone around the Berlin Wall from my bedroom window, could hear the gunshots when someone was caught trying to escape..." she replied softly.
She closed her eyes and shoved the memories back behind the steel wall in he mind. She didn't want to think about them. They were the pat, and they could stay there.
"If he's a Death Eater, I guess I'll know in an hour or two when I have to go back," she remarked.
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Post by scorp on Jul 11, 2012 20:46:35 GMT -5
"Oh um... well, she kinda..." Scorp said nervously, before sighing, "She's no longer among us. She died two years ago." Well it was the truth to him at least. She didn't need to know who he was talking about, and after the messing with that Hufflepuff, she wouldn't die from the same thing, right? That'd be sad if she did though. He didn't know if he could just let her die knowing that she was going to die. Just like with Moody, Ted Tonks, Fred Weasley and countless others that would die next year.
Scorp did notice her smoking, but he didn't really care about second hand smoke or anything. As long as she didn't blow it in his face. But then again, he didn't know how it felt to breathe in that smoke, as he never really smoked before, nor had smoke blown in his face. He didn't really care too much anyways.
"Oh I see," Scorp said as if this was a new story to him, trying to think of a good thing to respond with after that, "At least the wall is down now so that no one has to go through that again, yeah?" Well he hoped that was a good thing to say. He just wasn't good with words most of the time. Every time he tries to sound smart he sounds like the stupidest person in teh world.
"Be careful, he might try to hurt you...and you probably shouldn't smoke while you're there, Madame Pomfrey will throw a fit if she sees you smoking," Scorp warned with a smile smile.
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Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Jul 11, 2012 21:02:47 GMT -5
"Oh, I'm sorry....the way you talk about her, though, I'm sure she was someone great. What did her in, of it's okay for me to ask?" she questioned, returning her eyes to his face.
Not wanting to blow smoke in his face, she put the cigarette out in the sand and, like before, slipped it back into the pack. She'd get mad if anyone else left their old cigs on the beach, so she didn't. It was pretty simple, really.
She smiled at his question, a touch sadly. He was right; nobody would. The memories left behind by the Wall were the most damaging thing, now. Memories and scars and fragments of a wall that split a country in half...it all sounded so crazy. Like a novel, not reality. If only...
"Ja, you're right," she agreed. "But...Germany hasn't healed. As a people, we still feel disjointed. It will take much longer to repair the Wall's damage."
Her smile widened into a wy smirk at his comment about her smoking. Oh, how funny he was...not really.
"I'm Prussian, comrade; I couldn't wear mein Iron Cross if I laid down und let myself get beaten!" she declared. "Und I'll be sure to not smoke in the Hospital. Promise."
She made no secret of her Prussian heritage or her pride in it, but she didn't know that, many years later, she would tell the other members of the Resistance that she would have to turn in the Iron Cross that hung around her neck if she let Voldemort catch her just months before her death.
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Post by scorp on Jul 12, 2012 16:54:29 GMT -5
"She was pretty cool," Scorp said with a smile, thinking that yeah, she was great, she'd probably be great if you knew that it was yourself. "She died from some old injuries that weren't checked out, I think she got a fever and it mixed with the internal injuries, and it became fatal." Yeah, he wasn't too sure on all of the details, but he was pretty informed when it came down to it, especially since he knew her better than the other kids he grew up with, well besides her own children and a good amount of her own family.
"Very true, though healing will just take time," Scorp said knowing that in the future it will heal, though the scars will still remain from it for a long while. Scorp had been to Germany in the future, when it was overrun with Death Eaters, but that was it, so he didn't know too much about it, other than what he learned about it in school and such.
The Iron Cross, Scorp knew that it was quite important to her, though this statement did remind him of when she had said that she'd turn in her Iron Cross if she let ol' Voldy catch her. Well, ol' Voldy never did catch her, nor did she let ol' Voldy catch her, at least from what Scorp knew. He wasn't informed on everything the older members did. "Well that's good to hear," Scorp said with a smile, knowing how prideful she was in her Prussian heritage, "I see you're quite proud of your heritage, which is a very good thing."
((I kinda started running out of muse at the end there))
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Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Jul 13, 2012 9:51:30 GMT -5
((If he went to Germany, she probably gave him an Iron Cross; her and the other German Resistance members would've used it as a signal to each other.))
She winced at what he'd said about how his friend died. That sounded horrifically painful. She didn't think that she'd ever wish that on even her worst enemy...well, not true. If Stalin was still alive, she'd wish it on him. Probably Lenin and Trotsky, too. But they deserved it, big time.
"That sounds painful," she mumbled.
She nodded her agreement to what he'd said about Germany. She could only hope that he was right. It was difficult to watch former East and West Germans try to interact and understand each other after decades of separation. Even within her own family, it was hard to look her Western cousins in the eye. There was just too much of a difference between how they'd lived all these years.
"I hope you're right. We do all that we can, but so far, it hasn't been enough. Families that were finally reunited after the Wall fell quickly realized that they were just...too different. Some didn't have anyone on the other side of the wall und so they don't see why it had to fall, und some just didn't care either way. There are differences in opinions and religion and political beliefs that just seem...irreconcilable," she admitted. "It's worrying."
She grinned widely when he noted her pride in her heritage. Her heritage was one of only a handful of things that she had left to be proud of, so she kind of...clung to it. Nothing like growing up in a Communist nation to strip a person's pride from them.
"Well, ja, I'm very proud of being Prussian. We Prussians don't have much besides our heritage to be proud of. Prussia recieved a lot of blame for the World Wars und was dissolved after World War II. The Iron Cross has represented mein people since time immemorial, so, for those of us that still choose to wear it, it serves as a sort of link und as a reminder to the rest of the works that we're still here. We didn't die, didn't fade away. It is the physical embodiment of an entire nation's strength und will to continue surviving," she explained. "It's a long explanation, I know. Sorry."
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Post by scorp on Jul 17, 2012 16:14:01 GMT -5
((Oh yay he probably isn't wearing it anyways, but I bet he would have the Iron Cross even if he wasn't in the battle, he was on the field because they were short on medics and he's a natural, so he probably would have one ;D ) "I think it must have been. I mean I would've tried to save her, but... It was too late," Scorp said looking down thinking about how he couldn't even save one person, who was now standing in front of him. It wasn't like he knew when she had fallen ill when it first happened, but what was the point of being a healer when he couldn't save one life of someone he respected deeply. He thought back to the time in Germany and he had saved a couple of lives being a healer that he was, and the Iron Cross. Well his cross was in his pocket right now, as he felt it was important. It was quite important, at least in his time it was as it was a communication device. Even now he felt it was something important to him, more than just something for communicating with other Resistance Members. "I know what you mean. It was a big difference in life between the Communists and the others. I can't really say I know how it feels, because I wasn't raised there, but I know a few people and... I can just hope that things eventually smooth over," Scorp sighed feeling a bit bad for those on the Communist side, and well he actually felt bad for them all, because families were separated, and it would take a long time for everything to be like it was before. "You mean like this Iron Cross?" Scorp said pulling out his Iron Cross which he wore as a necklace, "My friend, the one who died, gave this to me when I was younger. I never knew what it had meant." Well he didn't actually know what exactly it meant. He knew it was Prussian, and that it was a symbol important to Eliza, at least the one he knew, and obviously it was important back now.
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Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Jul 17, 2012 16:51:05 GMT -5
"I'm sure that she didn't blame you," she murmured reassuringly. "From what you've told me about your friend, she sounds like she was the type that didn't like people to worry about her or feel guilty over her.
She was like that, too; Eliza hated to make others worry about her. That's why she'd felt so guilty when Mikael had freaked out on her the other day. He'd looked so concerned, and she felt bad for being unable to worry about her own safety. Eliza just...wasn't of the frame of mind that allowed her to get worried about whatever injuries she sustained.
"Ja...I do, too," she sighed. "I think the biggest issue is that the West Germans don't understand what we suffered in the East. Forget the damned Wall und all of the people that were shot und killed trying to escape, we weren't even always sure about whether we would have food. Und even when we had it, we couldn't be sure that it would feed our whole family. I knew girls that sold themselves for bread because their families were sick und starving. It's hard for Westerners to understand that sort of thing."
She examined his Cross carefully before nodding. That was an Iron Cross, alright. She'd almost forgotten that he'd mentioned his friend being Prussian.
"Ja! Ja! That's an Iron Cross. The Cross was created in 1219 when the Teutonic Order, which would later become Prussia, was given permission to combine their own Black Cross with the Silver Cross of Jerusalem. It would later become a military award. It represents bravery and piety, but it represents, on a deeper level, pride und strength of conviction. This is a Cross from 1914. Mein grandfather won one for acts of bravery in World War One."
She showed him her own with a faint, fond smile.
"I used to wear mein grandfather's, but I got this one on my own. When the Wall fell, I was given the award for spying on the Communist Death Eater leadership on mein side of the Wall. I'd been relaying information to Aurors on the Western side since I was five-years-old. They gave me three jugs of milk and a loaf of bread in exchange."
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Post by scorp on Jul 18, 2012 18:43:56 GMT -5
"That's true, she wouldn't be too happy if she knew that I feel guilty over her death, even though I know it wasn't my fault. I just keep thinking, 'What if I could've been there'. She'd be alive. Why did she have to be so stubborn, if she just had got checked out... I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you," Scorp said with a sigh. He hated war. He hated losing those he liked, losing anyone was terrible, which is why he wanted to save lives.
"That's true, but it isn't the Westerners fault that they fon't understand. I believe that both sides need to open their eyes and try to see each other's sides kf the story to truly unite and understand everyone," Scorp said with a small smile. That was something that Harry Potter said before a fight though Harry was talking about Muggles, Wizards, and Muggleborns. Harry had said that for unity, understanding must be found by all sides of the people.
"I didn't know that," Scorp said with a smile, "I wonder why we don't learn all of this in Binns' class." Professor Binns taught at Hogwarts even in the future, the old ghost never seemed to quit. It was weird how they didn't learn World History in his class though, but Scorp guessed it was because it was mostly muggle history, though behind it there was a lot of magical history. Maybe they thought the ancient history was more important.
"Well uou deserved the cross, you obviously did a great service, even if it was for food," Scorp said feeling proud of Eliza, even if she was technically his father's age.
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Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Jul 19, 2012 0:56:43 GMT -5
"When I was four, the little boy who lived next door to me went up to Western soldiers by the Wall because they offered him food. That was a harsh winter, und everyone was hungry. Everyone was poor. That little boy's mutti was sick; he was going to take the food back to her, I think. The soldiers on top of the Wall saw him und thought he was trying to escape through the hole he soldiers were using to pass him the food. They shot that little boy. To this day, I think of how I might have helped him. I know it wasn't my fault, but I still feel guilty. It's nothing unnatural, the way you feel about your friend. Just human," she concluded.
She smiled a little ruefully and nodded. She knew that. She knew all of that; it was just...hard.
"It is...difficult to see things from the perspective of the Westerners, but I know that we need to," she admitted. "It's just...it's hard to not resent them. While we lived with fear und poverty und starvation, they were pretty much fine. It is a very difficult thing, understanding the suffering of those that you view as being luckier than yourself."
She wanted Germany to be unified. She wanted that more than she wanted almost anything, but reunification would be a long process. Eliza and all of the other Germans knew that. They had known from the door that there were so many things that all of them struggled with, still. All of those years of suffering had left them all tongue-tied. Even now, talking to Scorp, she still wanted to glance over her shoulder out of fear that soldiers would be waiting to arrest her.
"Wizards tend to get nervous when confronted with the darker parts of history. Especially history that both they und muggles had a hand in. It is difficult for teachers in Britain to convey the suffering that we went through in East Berlin. Because of that, they avoid it entirely," she shrugged.
The British didn't like to be confronted with things like that. They didn't want to admit that Voldemort wasn't necessarily one of history's worst monsters. They ignored regular muggles that had inflicted horrible pain and suffering without magic. To them, there was no Adolf Hitler, no Stalin, no Lenin. Lucky bastards. They could ignore this types of people; their own history hadn't been irrevocably tainted by them.
"It wasn't just for food or some sense of patriotism that I did the things I did. It was because I genuinely hated the Communists. I hated what they had done, what they had created. I hated that they broke into our house and tortured mein vatti und older bruder for crimes they had not committed. I hated that they hadn't felt bad about subjecting me to the Cruciatus Curse even though I was only seven und that they would sleep with mein neighbor girl, who was only eleven at the time, und then nearly refuse her the bread she'd been promised. The creatures in power in East Germany during mein childhood were monsters," she finished angrily.
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Post by scorp on Jul 19, 2012 17:31:58 GMT -5
Scorp wasn't sure how he should respond to that. The story was a strong one too, one in a more dramatic setting too. He remained silent for a second, before he finally decided on what he was going to say. "I guess you're right. If you had known that would happen, you would've warned him, or something, and he'd be alive. Kinda like how if I had known, I could've saved my friend." He wasn't going to get over it too soon, because it was still in his memory, and of course he was only 14 years old and a lot of pressure was put on him, by himself, as the grown ups almost insisted he stay back because he was a minor, but he insisted still.
"That really needs to change. The darker stuff teaches us to not repeat history. It's like how we didn't learn about when the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the first time, or most of the other dark times," Scorp said shaking his head, knowing that even in the camp they didn't learn all of the dark times or all the good times. They heard stories mostly of the things that had happened in the member's life times.
"I understand what you're saying. It would be great if everyone was as brave as you were. There are so many people that are all words and no action," Scorp sighed thinking about all of those who complained all the time about Voldemort yet did nothing.
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Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Jul 21, 2012 9:40:48 GMT -5
"If given the chance, we all have things that we'd like to change. Those regrets are normal. The important thing is that we don't let them rule us. Everything that we regret is a thing meant to teach us," she explained. "At least...that's what I've come up with. It helps, but it'll take years to get over everything. I still haven't."
Those regrets that she still hadn't gotten over had been what prompted her to befriend Harry Potter, what had made her join the DA. She couldn't make herself leave anyone, even the British who still treated her with mistrust for having lived in East Berlin, to face living in a Death Eater-ruled zone. She knew perfectly well how difficult that was.
She smiled at him and nodded before looking out over the lake. It really was pretty. She'd enjoyed coming out here in her first year. Back then, she hadn't even spoken passable English, and the other students had watched her with a mixture of suspicion and pity, even her own Housemates. Hermione Granger, bless her soul, had been the only one to approach Eliza willingly. When she'd realized that Eliza didn't speak English, she'd taught her. They hadn't become the best of friends, but Eliza had been grateful to Hermione forever after.
"It is easy to turn away from the darker aspects of history. It is hard to face them. Und those of us who can use magic tend to prefer easier routes," she sighed. "Unfortunate, but true. We witches und wizards make things easier for ourselves using magic. Why should history be any different?"
Muggles did that, too. They always had and always would. They didn't like to acknowledge that anyone could turn into a monster. It made them uncomfortable. It wasn't that she didn't understand why; it was just galling sometimes. How dare they act like the worst atrocities in history can be summarized in a paragraph or glossed over with a footnote. Cold facts couldn't and didn't give an understanding of the suffering inflicted on the people that had lived through it.
"Comrade, don't mistake fear for bravery. I'd like to tell you that I was brave, but the reality is that I was a scared little kid from a large family with limited rations. We all did what we had to to survive back then. You're right, though; bravery is lacking in the Wizarding World."
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Post by scorp on Jul 23, 2012 17:36:55 GMT -5
"You're right, I suppose. But we also have to realize that if we changed one event in the past, the future could change drastically, and in a way we don't want it. We could save just one person, like that boy, and then maybe the boy would grow up to be a mass murderer who takes over the world. Or if I saved my friend, then maybe she could've made one little mistake and everythind could fall apart," Scorp said thinking about it carefully. He didn't want things to turn out worse than they were when he grew up, but if they turned out better, he wouldn't be Scorpius anymore. Then again, he might never go back, so he would stay the same as he is, and see a person with the same DNA grow up differently.
Scorp hadn't been at Hogwarts too much, as he was busier with the Resistance and trying all he could, even those he was underage, to help as much as he could. He remembered the first time Harry and Scorp's father allowed him on the battlefield. He had to stay back, of course, and the injured would be carried to him. Of course since it was a wizard war, there weren't things as bad as the muggle wars, but there were limbs lost, wounds from topling trees, and things blowing up. Actually, thinking back, it probably was a lot like muggle wars, though, it might be a bit more destructive, and not as costly.
"The easy way out isn't always the right way out. Dad told me that, and he heard it from somewhere," Scorp sighed, "If I were to ever in charge, I wouldn't avoid the darker parts. The next generation deserves to know what we went, or are going to go through, and the things our ancestors went through." If he were in charge. Ha. That would be the day. Scorpius Malfoy was not a leader, or at least that was what he was told, he was a support unit, someone to follow. He didn't like that, but he did his job. He wasn't a public speaker, he wasn't the smartest, but he had a good heart, and he cared. But him? A leader? That wasn't going to happen. No one trusted him enough. Harry was a good leader. Kingsley was too. Rose would be a good one if she wanted. He would just be a healer who tried saving people's lives.
"Ah, but bravery is not never being afraid," Scorp said remembering what Harry had once told him, and Harry had heard something like it from an old professor, "Bravery is facing the fear, and you faced it. Even if you were a scared little girl who needed food, you faced the fear of being killed by the soldiers on the wall. You fought against the Communists, and spied on them. The reason doesn't matter, the fact that you did, against the fear of being caught and killed and tortured. That's true bravery, Eliza. Not many would have the guts to do what you did."
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Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Jul 23, 2012 22:19:14 GMT -5
"You're right, but, I have to admit, I never would have tried to befried Harry Potter if not for my regret over that boy," she admitted. "He didn't look like some impressive wizard that defeated the Dark Lord to me. He looked like that little boy und so many others that I saw in Berlin: lonely. I...I know how painful that can be. I spoke no English when I first came to Hogwarts, und nobody wanted to talk to me. Harry and Hermione were the exception. They didn't understand a damned thing that I said, und I didn't understand anything they said, but they stuck with me until I got on my feet, until I spoke Emglish. That's why I believe Harry. I can't make myself believe that he'd lie."
She frowned when she noticed a flicker of orange on the water and twisted around. When she saw the image above the castle, she stood to get a better look.
"Well, hell," she mumbled. "The rumors were true, after all."
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Post by scorp on Aug 4, 2012 15:32:12 GMT -5
"That's just how Harry is. He was raised by the worst kind of muggles, and yet he turned out to be as he is. He cares about people, everyone, even. I wouldn't be surprised if he saved even his arch rival, my cousin, Draco," Scorp shrugged. He loved Harry a lot as a leader. Harry was great, but then again, Scorp didn't know about his terrible problems coping with so many people dying on him, causing him to be so reckless and try to go into things that would insure his death. Scorp had too high of an opinion to think that about his leader.
"Huh? What?" Scorp asked completely confused looking back at the image over the castle, "What the bloody hell is that?"
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Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt
Gryffindor
Seventh Year Black Eagle Animagus Dumbledore's Army Member
I may have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide.
Posts: 83
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Post by Elizabeta Anne Beilschmidt on Aug 4, 2012 21:52:42 GMT -5
"He's just a kid, though," she sighed. "Und I know, it sounds funny coming from me, but...I'm from the former Soviet Union. I saw und took part in things that I can't even talk about with the average person because they make them squeamish. It was a different time, a different war. I...I worry about how he'll take what's to come. There are no wars without casualties."
She reached for the pack of cigarettes in her pocket before deciding that what she had to say was too long a story for a cig. She didn't want to have to stop mid-way to light a second. She was smoking too much that day, anyway.
"What you see over Hogwarts is what the West so eloquently calls the Banner of Rome. The last time the Banner of Rome flew over any part of London was during the Blitz in World War Two. That image in the sky announces the arrival of the Curia for diplomatic purposes," she explained. "Either that, or it means that they've conquered Hogwarts. There was no battle, so I'm going to assume it means the first."
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