Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Feb 7, 2017 3:35:33 GMT
Gabriel Bishop was calling it quits for the day. Normally he'd work long into the night, feeling like he had something to prove. The poor Auror had made a terrible impression on his new coworkers when he first arrived and had made it his mission to change their perception of him. He took extra shifts and could be found seated at his desk in the evenings long after most of the others had gone home. His investigations were thorough, his paperwork was flawless and his attitude was always very upbeat. One too many late nights had done him in though and he was ducking out just thirty minutes shy of his official off time. He was already pushing the tedious events of the day from his mind as he stepped onto the lift, joining a man with a vaguely recognizable scarred face. At first he merely regarded the man with a friendly nod and restrained smile as he slipped into the elevator car but the familiarity began to nag at him. Gabriel was your typical 20 something auror who carried a slight 'bad boy' air. He wore his shaggy hair down, soft waves of blonde framing his face. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt that fit his muscled physique snugly. The American wizard stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the man out of the corner of his eye. He'd seen the face before, hadn't he? Memory of the battle at the ruined apothecary came to mind, but even then he felt like he'd seen his fellow wizard before but couldn't quite put his finger on why (although he didn't really have time to ponder the issue. The two had covered each other briefly when pinned down by Death Eaters and then their alliance dissolved as quickly as it was formed as they moved on to other objectives.) When the lift finally reached the atrium, Gabriel was unabashedly staring at the man with his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He searched his brain to try and place the face. It was a memorable one, attractive in it's own way. With his scars he looked hard and soft at the same time, battle worn but kind. Maybe a bit sad, underneath it all. Something clicked for the young auror. Where he'd seen it before---the man had looked quite happy. Maybe that's why it was so hard to place? "Hey!" he called, grabbing the man's arm as went to leave. "I know you. Can you hang out a sec?" He spoke with a generic American accent, although he was still self conscious about it he'd given up on his attempt to assimilate by adopting a bad British articulation. An excited smile brightened his features as he stepped backwards back into the elevator. "Don't move, I'll be right back." He took it back up to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and jogged to his desk. Gabriel searched his drawers while cursing under his breath. After a minute of rummaging he found what he was looking for and went jogging back and down the elevator again. When he stepped off, the blonde was clutching an old photograph of a happy couple. The woman wore bubble gum pink hair and grinned at her companion, a man with a scarred but beautifully happy face. "This!" he brandished the picture, slightly breathless from his trip. "This is yours. Or it was hers, but you're in it so it should be yours too." This..was...awkward. He stood there offering a stranger, a widower, a picture of his dead wife. He stammered to explain further, telling the man "I found--this was it in my desk. Um, I mean...It was her desk. It is her desk, I just--I'm new-ish and that's where they stuck me? Anyway.. This was in it when I arrived. They told me she died. I'm sorry to hear that." Remus Lupin |
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Hogwarts
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor
Werewolf
Order of The Phoenix
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44 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
Wandless Magic
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Remus Lupin on Feb 7, 2017 18:35:23 GMT
Remus felt rather neglectful lately. Not that anyone would blame him for wanting a little space from the parts of his life that served as a constant reminder of why his chest still felt hollow and achy and why he spent most nights sleeping on the couch rather than in his old bed - but still. He was neglecting his friends. People that needed him as much as he needed them. Remus liked to feel needed; and if those friends were trying to give him space and take it easy on him, he was just going to have to force his way back into the position of the go-to. He was fine, mostly. He needed to keep busy.
And busy today was. He started out at the Burrow, visiting with Molly for a long while before dropping off his kids for the sleepover she'd planned with some redheaded cousin or the other. He'd then taken several of his former students turned Ministry workers out to lunch, and had gone to visit some newer friends in the Magical Creatures Department afterward, just to check in. He'd been seeing a lot of the same people lately (not that he really minded), and all this socializing left him rather beat at the end of the day. He finally made his way back to the lift and leaned against its smooth wall, ready to hop in the fireplace and go home.
His eyes had just shut when the lift door opened again. Remus straightened up and tried to look awake, eyeing the newcomer with casual interest. He was just in the habit of checking out every new person that came into his space by this point. And he could feel eyes on him, too. Anyone watching him like he was watching them was worth checking out.
Though - Remus didn't really stare. When the lift stopped at the atrium, he was a little taken aback to find the man's gaze completely on him. Remus raised an eyebrow and nodded as he scooted by, muttering a, "Hello." Something faint flitted across his mind, urging him to take another look back, but he chased it off. Surely if that bloke wanted something out of him, he would have said something.
Then there was a hand on Remus' arm and the man was saying something. Saying he knew Remus, and asking him to 'hang out'. Remus stared blankly at his face as it disappeared behind the lift doors. Well then. Remus took a step back, off to the side, and waited. Normally he wouldn't, wait for some stranger with such a weak explanation, but something was bothering him. Did he know that fellow? Something about his face...about his smile and how bright it was. A smile like that meant something.
Remus was leaning against another wall when the man returned with something in his hand. Again, Remus straightened up. He took the thing offered to him - it was hers. The flash of pink was the only thing Remus needed to see - he immediately pressed the picture closed into his palm and looked back up at the man, confusion deepening the lines on his face.
He had an explanation, sort of. Remus tried his best to follow along, piecing together what the man was saying. His desk. Dora's desk. Dora's picture, in her desk. "You're her replacement," he said when the man stopped. There was nothing behind his voice, just a simple fact. He wanted another look at the picture. He unfolded it, gazing down, letting himself feel the familiar whirlwind. It wasn't as intense now, like it had been - he'd finally managed to put most of her pictures back up in the house.
But Remus knew if he was still feeling it at all, other people were, too. He looked back up at the man - he wasn't from around here. Remus didn't know many Americans, he'd never gotten the chance to be as worldly as he wanted to be, but he recognized the accent. This man had walked into a place he knew nothing about, into a group of people he knew even less about. He couldn't have known. But if Remus knew anything about his friends, he was sure they let him know pretty quick. They told him she died; Merlin only knew what else they told him.
"She was a lot more than a coworker to some of them," he offered as an explanation for- he wasn't quite sure what. The man had a kind face, eyes that let people see him as much as he saw with them. "Thank you, for this." He brandished the picture, and didn't make any indication of leaving. He was stuck on that face. He knew that face.
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Feb 8, 2017 2:36:46 GMT
Gabriel got the distinct impression that the man was worn down by life, with the way he was constantly leaning against the wall when alone. Like he was resting, exhausted from trying to hold it together. He didn't look at the picture too often, maybe a glance or two when he was searching his drawers for a spare scrap of parchment or an extra quill but the man in front of him seemed like a feeble shell of the one in the picture. There was an enchanting vibrancy to the couple as they smiled at each other. Physically mismatched, a subdued older man decorated with scars and a fresh faced, lively young woman with a colorful sense of fashion but somehow they worked. Even on paper they looked like they worked.
Things only got awkwarder after the gentleman took the photo. He bluntly summed up his whole convoluted explanation in one word. Replacement. Gabriel's face fell and he cringed at the word. Replacement. It made him very uncomfortable and the auror shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. I mean, I sit at her old desk but I don't think there's really any replacing her." He didn't know the woman of course, but he'd overheard stories. The others weren't exactly warm to him but they spoke about the pink haired woman very often among themselves.
Gabriel stood quietly as the widower had his moment with the photograph, cracking half a smile when he spoke. "Yeah, they're pretty close to each other in there." There was amusement in his voice as he thought back to being told off by Meadows, a spunky young woman with a close attachment to the deceased and even slightly snarked by the boy who lived. The whole department was pretty tight knit, except for him. They were kinder, maybe grudgingly accepting of the young auror who'd put his foot in his mouth on his first day, but he hadn't managed to befriend any of them. It bothered him more than he would let on. Gabriel just wanted to be liked and while most of them tolerated him, his coworkers didn't really seem to like him. His blunt nature didn't do him any favors. If one looked past his lack of tact, they would find a caring young man capable of kindness and compassion... Like right now. He didn't have to keep the photo or go and retrieve it when he was trying to go home.
His posture eased, some of the tension and awkwardness eased with the expression of gratitude. "No problem." Then the awkwardness was right back as they both stood there, neither making any move to leave. It didn't feel right to abandon a man to drown in his feelings after being presented with something sentimental and from the guy's own reluctance to move he had a feeling that maybe he didn't want to be alone. Briefly, Gabe considered heading back up and getting Potter or Meadows to keep him company but something about the man kept him to his spot. He wanted to keep talking to him, but he didn't even know his name.
That was one problem he could fix. "I'm Auror Bishop--Gabriel! Gabriel Bishop." He had been working so much lately that he automatically introduced himself that way, much to his embarrassment. He rubbed uncomfortably at the back of his neck before offering out a hand. "And you look like you could use a drink." He sure could, after stumbling through the interaction. He was normally cool and confident. "There's this No-Maj bar down the street. I feel like I might owe you one.... Weren't you at the apothecary? I'm pretty sure you're the guy who bailed me out of a tough spot, there."
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Hogwarts
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor
Werewolf
Order of The Phoenix
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44 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
Wandless Magic
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Remus Lupin on Mar 6, 2017 20:41:17 GMT
The word 'replacement' didn't really sit well, on either of them. Remus distracted himself by looking at the picture again, but when he looked back up, the other man was clearly uncomfortable with Remus' choice of word. Remus nodded. He was right. There was no replacing Dora; and it wasn't fair to put that burden of expectation on anyone, either. He was sure this man was a fine Auror, in his own way. "You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Remus folded the picture again and slipped it into his pocket. "You're just...new. Congratulations, on the new job." Wow. Remus suddenly felt like a schoolboy again, all awkwardness and missed social cues. Why? The picture had flustered him, a surprise reminder he wasn't expecting today. And that face, too...he knew that face.
He tried to explain his way out of the corner he'd backed himself into, and it earned him half a smile from the other man. It was a nice smile; it made Remus forget the problems he was making for himself, as long as it stayed on the man's face where he could see it. "Many of them grew up together. Am I right to assume you weren't a student of Hogwarts?" Remus was glad to hear a hint of something happy in the man's voice, too. Maybe his dear friends weren't being too hard on this young man who couldn't have known what he was stepping into.
When Remus finally got to the proper part of their conversation, thanking the man for this favor, they both seemed to relax. For a moment, anyway. Until they both stood for a beat too long with no intention of leaving but neither of them saying anything else. Then they both got flustered. The man, Gabriel, stumbled through an introduction that made Remus grin. He took Auror Bishop's hand and shook it. "Remus Lupin. It's nice to meet you, Gabriel." The invitation he didn't know he was waiting for arrived and Remus' grin grew wider. "Very astute," he agreed, nodding. He raised an eyebrow at Gabriel's American slang, something to say on the tip of his tongue, but then Gabriel said something else that sent both of Remus' eyebrows rocketing upward and brought his hands together in a clap. "Ah! I knew I remembered your face from somewhere. Yes, I think I remember now." Remus was very pleased with this revelation. He was grinning nonstop now. "Shall we go reminisce over that drink?" Gabriel might want an explanation as to what Remus was doing there. Maybe not. Maybe he just wanted to get to know the face that kept popping up at his job, in his desk drawers and in the midst of battle.
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Mar 19, 2017 3:56:33 GMT
The word 'replacement' was a very heavy one. It did create expectations and obligations that Gabriel had no interest in filling. He was sure that Nymphadora Lupin.. Or Tonks, why did they call her Tonks? was a very competent and respected Auror. She was a war hero, wasn't she? But he didn't want to be the 'next' Tonks. He wanted to be Gabriel Bishop, make a name for himself where he didn't have to live in anyone else's shadow. His desire wasn't only driven by glory but he'd be lying if he told you he didn't want the same sort of recognition and respect that she managed to get. Truly, he did want to do good and make a difference but he wanted to be acknowledged and respected for it too. That would never happen as the replacement, so he had to work twice as hard to show that he wasn't the next Tonks.
"Don't worry about it, I understand what you mean." despite all that musing his voice remained kind and compassionate. New was the right word, but the congratulations was unexpected. It even took him by surprise and he blinked before easing into his charming half smile"Thank you." No one here had congratulated him. They ignored him or snapped at him or tolerated him, but no one said that... That would be too welcoming for them. "Hogwash?" he quipped with a full on, brightly lit grin before falling into a laugh. "Sorry, it's sort of an inside joke at Ilvermorny... But no, you're right, no Hogwash--Hogwarts!" That was a genuine slip up but he couldn't help but snicker at it again. A little school rivalry was all in good fun. The conversation felt a bit more natural now, peppered with a little bit of humor at Hogwarts expense.
He crossed his arms loosely over his chest, feeling very casual and relaxed. "But I'm betting you have. Ravenclaw, if I have to guess?" The man seemed to radiate a strong aura of erudition and Gabriel had an inkling that if the man hadn't just been caught off guard by a picture of his dead wife he would be very well spoken. Now that the shock had worn off he was certainly engaging... and from his limited knowledge of the Hogwarts house system the scholars ended up in Ravenclaw. "If I may ask, why is the mascot an eagle if the house is named after a Raven?" Gabriel asked the real burning questions apparently and all after he gently ribbed at the school.
Remus. The name was strong and memorable just like the man before him. While unassuming, one had to be strong to survive two wars and losing one of his most precious people. "The pleasures all mine." Gabriel cringed internally. That was a little corny, but very true. As awkward and clumsy as the conversation was he found that he enjoyed it very much. Enough that grabbing a drink with him to keep him company didn't seem like a chore. They were practically beaming at each other and the auror swept his arm out towards the door. "I think we shall."
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Hogwarts
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor
Werewolf
Order of The Phoenix
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44 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
Wandless Magic
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Remus Lupin on Mar 20, 2017 19:43:33 GMT
The Auror was all kindness and understanding, leaving Remus to rest assured that even if his coworkers made things difficult for him, the young man would succeed in what he did. Remus couldn't possibly know much more than what this man looked like and what he kept in his desk drawers right now, having just met him, but he just exuded that sort of genuineness that was severely lacking in some of these Ministry halls. He seemed so pleased with Remus' congratulations that Remus just had to smile, too.
"Pardon?" He said, smile not wanting to falter all that much even in his confusion. Hogwash? The Auror laughed and Remus enjoyed the sound so much, the way it contrasted so sharply against the dark walls around them, he even let the gravely offensive pass about Hogwarts go without a pass back at the man. Just some gentle ribbing. "Ilvermorny, I see," Remus said, with just a little bit of playful condescension (the only kind of condescension Remus was capable of, the completely fake kind) while he looked the man up and down. Then he grinned. "So you are American. You're very new, then? To the country as well?" The man didn't look all that old, he couldn't have been out of Ilvermorny for too long.
"I've been asking that same question for years. Alas, I was a Gryffindor - which naturally, as the name suggests, had the mascot of a...lion," he chuckled. Hogwarts was pretty bloody weird. British folk just sort of acknowledged that and moved on, Remus supposed. "I've read a bit about the sorting at Ilvermorny." Remus read a lot, about everything, but especially in the place of things he couldn't experience for himself. "It's quite a bit different, yeah? I'm fond of the Thunderbird house just by name alone. Is that you, ocean-crossing adventurer?"
In addition to the engaging conversation - Remus appreciated anyone who could hold more than small talk - the recognition finally came, and what Gabriel said was right: it was really very pleasant. And it was kind of charming, the way he said it. Gabriel pointed the way and the pair left the Ministry halls behind for the Muggle - or as Gabriel said, No-Maj (Remus liked that, he'd always considered Muggle to be so overbearingly...kitsch) - streets of London. "Are you staying in London, then?" He asked as they walked.
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Apr 14, 2017 15:05:17 GMT
This all sort've felt like serendipity. A really good thing that happened completely by accident but at the same time the meeting felt less like chance and more like fate. So many little decisions led up to him running into Lupin. His decision to make an ass out of himself on the first day led to him keeping the picture squirrelled away in the drawer of his desk. The same drawer he kept his quills and other important things, allowing him to become familiar with the features of the man smiling alongside the woman as he rummaged for his favorite one or a spare bottle of ink. Finally, the very out of character decision to leave early, allowing them to cross paths. If he believed in such a thing he would be convinced it was fate, not happenstance. All Gabriel knew now is that he could stand there a good long while, just talking.
The funny thing about people questioning your joke was that it wasn't quite as funny if you had to explain the punchline. A better man might've been deterred, but Gabe felt compelled to try and explain it anyway, once he could tame his laugh. "Hogwarts.. Hogwash.. The similarity can't be an accident." How kind of his new companion, to act as if his accent didn't give away his origin the moment he opened his mouth. "Very new, fresh off the boat." the auror confirmed with a bob of his blonde topped head. London could be a cold and lonely but the man in front of him was already making a little bit warmer, his interest seemed genuine and kind.
A Gryffindor, color him impressed. That imagery aligned more with the man he'd met back at the apothecary. An old lion, a little less spry and a little grey around the edges but just as fierce as he'd always been. He got a good chuckle out of the mismatched mascots. Funny enough, their respective houses seemed to compliment each other. Gabriel thought that if he ever attended Hogwarts he'd naturally be sorted into Gryffindor. "Very different, you've got a batty old talking hat and we've got a... knot." It sounded less spectacular than it felt when he was a fresh faced baby wizard. "You all got wands before sorting, didn't you? And got to take them home during breaks, didn't you?" The magical community was so Varied from region to region. "Thunderbird's a great house." Some of his best school friends were Thunderbirds, it was a wonder how often adventure and bravery went hand in hand... The body and soul, if you bought into that bit of the school mythology. "But not quite my fit. Wampus claimed me. Think less adventurer and more warrior craving the opportunity to fight for something worthwhile." That's why he'd come, after all. There was little to fight for back home, things were relatively peaceful. Voldemort was never a big thing for them. Grindelwald had been out of power even longer than He Who Must Not Be Named and the Second Salemers were very quiet the past decade or so. Gabriel needed a cause and he found it overseas.
"For now. Just a few blocks down from here." His London flat was small and cramped but it served it's purpose. Apparating was tricky when you weren't totally familiar with your surroundings and he didn't often get lost in the short walk to work. Stepping out of the stuffy, oppressive Ministry and out onto the streets of London (even if it was through a phone box) was always refreshing. The fresh air felt bracing and it always brightened his mood significantly. "You? I've heard there's a few villages here exclusively for people who share our talents." One thing that American educated wizards learned early on it was to be very discreet and vague when around mixed company, thanks to their distrust of No-Maj's.
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Hogwarts
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor
Werewolf
Order of The Phoenix
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44 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
Wandless Magic
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Remus Lupin on Apr 24, 2017 3:08:19 GMT
"Ah, I see," Remus grinned kindly. He felt the tiniest little flare of prideful irk at the man's joke, but he really looked much too kind to mean anything by it. "Welcome, then! A word of advice to our newest citizen - jokes about our most sacred school will earn him a duel with those of less wit. Especially in the pubs." Remus winked, to show he was joking, too. Mostly. Hogwarts pride was fierce, but mainly among the current students and recent grads. Remus didn't think this man would have to worry about running into any fiery teenagers just yet - at least not until the summer.
"The Gordian Knot, isn't it? I always thought it was an interesting bit of symbolism for an American school." Honestly, Remus wasn't even offended at the referencing of the Sorting Hat as batty - the thing had always sort of disturbed him. He never could quite figure out all the magic behind it, despite all the reading, and that was just bound to bother Remus for the rest of his days. "Indeed - lots of rules, though. Still can't use them outside of the school before you're of legal age." Administratively, Remus supposed, it would make sense to just leave the wands at school if the students couldn't use them anywhere else. Practically, though, Remus knew the laws of the universe hardly ever followed the laws of man. He knew plenty of underage witches and wizards, had to save their own necks with illegal magic a time or two.
Gabriel was a Wampus. Remus smiled. "Sounds like a perfect fit." He was an Auror, after all. Employed along with the best damned Aurors this Ministry had ever seen, too, in Remus' opinion. Gabriel was obviously getting a little trouble from his coworkers about fitting in - but they hadn't kicked him to the curb yet. Remus knew that meant something about the man's character, and his potential.
Gabriel was also a resident of London. "It's not a bad place to live, especially for the convenience," Remus nodded along. He'd lived in London for a time, too, though he'd strategically chosen somewhere a bit further away from the Ministry. "I live in a place called Godric's Hollow. The population is somewhat mixed now, but yes, in the places where our kind originally settled the numbers are still largely in our favor. It is nice, not having to worry every second about prying eyes."
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