Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on May 3, 2017 3:42:55 GMT
The last few hours felt like an achy blur. He'd met Remus for lunch and what should have been a pleasant half hour turned bad very quickly. They fought and Gabriel, in a rare show of anger, might have even raised his voice. It meant so many different things, he didn't fully trust Remus anymore but was so caught up in his feelings for him that he couldn't hide behind an veil of feigned indifference. He cared and he couldn't hide that he cared, which made the fact that he felt like something was being hidden from him so infuriating. If he wasn't hiding, why should Remus? The lunch date ended on a reconciliation and a high note, but Gabriel was still feeling off by the time he returned to the auror office.
He was sitting at his desk pretending to work through a stack of parchment needing his attention when a group of Enforcers descended upon the department. People were taken away and the entire department was confused an alarmed, but no one was allowed to ask questions or leave on their own volition. They had to wait. His mind wandered, was this some sort of coup? But the enforcers worked for the Minister, most were hand picked for their positions. Slowly they worked their way through the entire auror force, escorting them out. When it was his turn, Gabriel was questioned and when all of his answers were satisfactory, he was briefed on the 'situation'. There was secret society, The Order of the Phoenix. This society was apparently using their connections to influence the wizarding world and interfere with aurors. The Order's motivations were sinister. All known or suspected members were to be arrested and tried on various charges which was proving to be difficult given that several Aurors were members of this society.
Gabriel listened intently to all of this, nodding along with understanding. This had to be a quick and quiet operation, something he was perfect for and he was all on board 'til he was presented with a task. Arrest Remus Lupin. That ache in his chest intensified at the sound of the name and then everything went numb. There was no effort from him to hide his emotions, they just sort've dried up and disappeared. He felt hollow inside, empty and maybe a little dizzy. His mind was connecting all the dots that refused to connect earlier, putting all the puzzle pieces in their place. It made sense now, why Remus was always around when something big happened, why he was getting close to him. He was a pawn. Remus must've gotten in with several Aurors to earn special favors. It worked, hadn't it? He sacrificed his 'British' wand, found a way to allow Remus to keep his when it was made illegal to do so. This wasn't an entirely fair train of thought, Gabriel had insisted on it when Remus questioned if he was sure but what if that had all been part of the game?
The Auror stalked through the halls of the Ministry, on his way out to do the deed. His face was calm and neutral but his footsteps were heavy. He wasn't alone, there were two others who'd come along for the task. Thoughts about Remus' children weighed heavily on the overwhelmed man's mind. Remus really didn't deserve his devotion but Gabriel was a man of loyalty and his feelings for the werewolf ran deep so he made an excuse to break away from the group, telling them his wand was still at his desk, to slip away to find someone he never thought he'd look for. Mali and he didn't get along but she cared for Remus and it was the only plan coming to mind. He practically jogged through the corridors to make it to the creature task force to find the woman filing something or another... She could very well be in on the whole thing, too. It didn't make sense for her to work in such a place and befriend Remus but she did and she had. Gabriel didn't know who to trust but this wasn't a matter of trust, he just needed to make sure the children were cared for. Gabriel breathlessly filled the woman in and sent her off to go warn Remus and get the twins away from the madness.
He caught up with the others at the fireplaces and did his best to stall. Gabriel fumbled with the floo powder, clarified exactly where they were going, had them go over the plan one more time and even tripped over his own feet. It made him look like a fool, but it was all to buy the woman some time. By the time the group of them arrived at Remus' door step Gabriel thought he heard a faint 'pop' of apparation from inside the home and a one of the many knots of anxiety unwound.. It was hard for him to knock, the Minister had to be a cruel and twisted individual to send him after Remus. Their relationship wasn't exactly a secret. It was unfair, punishment maybe for fraternizing with a werewolf. Maybe she knew about the wand.
Gabriel didn't look at Remus when he came to the door, he looked right past the man. If he looked at him then his defenses would crumble and the dam would break. Hurt and betrayal would drown him in a rush of emotion. There was no one to keep him from crumbling, either. The man he would turn to for that was feet from him about to be taken into custody. "Remus." his voice was flat and absent of warmth. "We're here to place you under arrest for your suspected association with the anarchist group, the Order of the Phoenix." Bravely the man chanced a look at the werewolf's face, searching for answers.. for a sign that he hadn't been lied too and used. It hurt, a sharp pain cut through his chest and he looked away again, focusing his gaze just over the werewolf's shoulder. |
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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 May 5, 2017 14:24:50 GMT
He thought the restlessness, the anxiety, was just coming from today's date. Remus was wound up from the moment he woke that morning, and it only got worse throughout the day. He definitely blamed the anniversary for the off feeling his encounter with Lavender gave him that morning. And then he'd met Gabriel, and they'd had an argument...Remus wanted to blame today's date for their tensions over lunch, but he knew that wasn't it entirely. He was lying to Gabriel.
And then...then, Gabriel told him he loved him. The soaring feeling in Remus' chest overwhelmed the off feeling in his gut for quite a while after that. Then, later in the day, they started to mix. Remus thought less and less about the Battle and more and more about how he was lying to the man he loved. The restlessness grew worse. Remus left work early and picked up his kids, needing the distraction of something normal and every day like fixing them dinner. He made them their favorites.
And then Mali was on his doorstep, kicking a hole in his unnamed anxiety and leaving it an open, gaping terror. No. This was all wrong. Not today, please Merlin, not today. Remus knew very well the poison of the Minister's words, and with her new target the Order...this was not good. Half of Remus' brain wanted to jump immediately into action, into fixing this and fighting it...but the news itself turned out to the least important of what Mali came here to tell him. Gabriel sent her, for his kids. Remus felt sick then. All of this, the Order and the battles and the fights, he did for them. But at what cost?
Whatever the cost, he wouldn't let them see it happen, see their father hauled off to jail. Gabriel didn't want that either - he'd sent a warning to Remus. That gave Remus hope, maybe Gabriel had discovered the truth but he wasn't mad; that was hope enough to get Remus moving, get the kids packed up with lots of kisses and promises of bedtime stories and fun adventures with their friend Mali. They popped away just as someone else knocked on the front door.
Remus didn't expect Gabriel himself. Maybe he'd missed that bit of Mali's rushed speech, but he didn't realize Gabriel was coming to arrest him. And he was definitely here to arrest him, not warn him or anything else...he was flanked by two menacing looking Ministry cronies. Gabriel wouldn't look at him, either. Remus was burning holes right through the Auror with his gaze, but the blonde refused to look at him. He announced his presence and cut one quick look at Remus, and Remus saw all he needed to see there. His heart fell straight to the floor.
"Do what you have to," he addressed all three of them, voice wavering but his body still as stone. His eyes never left Gabriel. "Please," he spoke softer, aimed at just the blonde. "You have to let me explain. You have to hear it from me."
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on May 6, 2017 4:44:10 GMT
There was a tightness in his chest as he made his way up the walk. Part of him hoped that Remus had the sense to leave with Mali and the children, to go into hiding or something. One minute he couldn't wrap his brain around what he was being told, that Remus was part of a secret underground group that was connected to Death Eaters and their efforts to overthrow the Ministry and then the next minute nothing else made more sense in the world. It was a little dizzying and the cogs in his brain were whirling away, trying to process everything, to make sense of it and try to figure out what to believe.
The door began to open and his heart plummeted. Remus hadn't left. On one hand there would be no explaining away Remus escaping, it would certainly mean trouble for him but on the other... the thought of Remus in Azkaban was too uncomfortable. 'Do what you have to'. He did have to do this, it was his job and he wasn't going to risk it anymore for someone who kept secrets from him. Remus wanted to explain but he ignored the plea. "Please step aside so my colleagues can search your home." The last time he was there in an official capacity it had been wonderful. The pair of them had become a 'we' and they made tea together. The memory of that day felt hollow now and Gabriel felt used. He withdrew his wand from the inside pocket of his jacket when Remus allowed the others to pass. It gave them a moment alone but he wasn't interested in alone time or talking. "Please turn around." Gabriel asked coldly, all strictly business. Any attempt for the werewolf to plead his case fell on deaf ears. Remus was capable of wandless magic and that risk had to be neutralized.
When Remus complied he gently took the man's hands one by one and guided them behind his back where they were secured by a mumble of "Incarcerous." The incantation tasted bitter and was heavy on his tongue and he felt sick as the magical rope coiled tightly around the man's wrists. He repocketed his wand to free up his hands which were promptly crossed over his chest. The pair stood for several minutes and Gabriel did his best to avoid looking at the restraints. He toed at a pebble on the ground, adjusted the elastic holding back his hair and tucked away a few stray strands of blonde. Remus was met with radio silence, not a single peep from the auror who'd just arrested him. The crumbley feeling in his chest wasn't abated and he couldn't not feel. He wanted to be numb but he couldn't be. "Are these too tight?" he asked finally as he laid a hand over them. It may have just been his own imagination but they felt tight to him so he worked to loosen them, mumbling "I gave you so many chances."
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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 Jun 1, 2017 18:52:23 GMT
Anger, a breakdown, a bloody duel...anything Remus could have handled better than being utterly ignored by Gabriel. He tried to hope it was just an act, that he was only acting that way in front of the people he'd brought with him, but it was an empty hope. Gabriel refused to look at him and that said everything to Remus. Gabriel's eyes were so expressive, they were one of Remus' many favorite things about the man, and the fact that he wasn't letting Remus see what was there was damning evidence. He had no secret, meaningful glances to pass along. He was here to perform his duty as an Auror and that was that.
Remus almost stumbled when Gabriel asked him to step aside, but he caught himself on the door and moved out of the way as the trio entered. He paid no mind to the other two Ministry officials - they would find nothing incriminating here. Almost everything Order related was kept at the headquarters - Remus' gut plummeted at the thought. Oh, no. Had they caught on to the others as well? Surely they had, if they had him. Remus was a formidable figure within the Order, but he certainly wasn't the most important. He stared at Gabriel, questions on the tip of his tongue - anything just to get the man to talk to him - but then Gabriel asked him to turn around.
Remus complied, of course. Of course he did. He wouldn't make this any harder on himself even if it weren't Gabriel arresting him (and he certainly wasn't going to make this any harder for Gabriel). Remus was growing older, settling down. He still held a lot of radical philosophies and plans, but he also had a family now. He had a home. He had no doubt he would have to leave that all behind if he tried to fight this instead of complying, and leaving all that behind was out of the question. He turned around and let Gabriel take his arms, trying not to stand too still or too lose as his wrists were bound.
After that, Gabriel was quiet. When he thought it safe, Remus turned back around to face him. The blonde still wouldn't look at him. Remus stared desperately, unsure of where to start and if it would even matter. Gabriel would need time for this, there was no doubt about that. Remus just wondered how much time - hours, weeks, or forever? "Anarchist group? Is that what they told you?" First, he needed to understand what Gabriel thought he knew - but there was no answer. Remus sighed in exasperation. "What did they tell you, Gabriel? Please. Whatever they told you, I can prove it wrong." In his slight panic over the exposure of the Order, little did Remus realize how off the mark he was with Gabriel's anger. He couldn't acknowledge that it was bad for him to lie to the man, not yet, not when he was tasked with the new responsibility of proving both his organization - and by extension, himself - good.
Gabriel did speak, eventually, and his question caught Remus off guard. And his touch. "A little," Remus mumbled distractedly. The bonds were fine, but he didn't want to break the connection between himself and Gabriel, however slight. Because Gabriel was mumbling, too, and Remus latched on to the first show of emotion the man had given him since coming in through the door. Finally. "I know. I know. Just give me one more, please. I can explain everything. It was never about you, Gabriel, or me. This is bigger than us."
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Jun 19, 2017 1:11:16 GMT
Gabriel could almost feel the questions in Remus' intense stare and he did his best to avoid meeting his gaze. There was a little peek or two, but only for half a moment before he was ignoring the werewolf. The pebbles by his shoe or crack in the paint was much safer to look at. Those things hadn't deeply betrayed him. Those things hadn't lied, hadn't convinced him that it was okay to love them only to be exposed as a liar and a criminal hours later. Hours. The poor blonde's battered heart had been yanked in several directions today and he was still recovering from the spin. It wasn't just that he didn't want to answer those questions right now.. Gabriel couldn't. It would require too much and he didn't have it to give.
So, Gabriel ignored the old werewolf as he pleaded for understanding and a chance to explain. The auror swallowed down cruel retorts in the interest of distancing himself from the whole affair. What did they tell him? A hell of a lot more in a few hours than Remus had in several days, despite his own pleas. In order for Remus to prove anything wrong he would have to have Gabriel's trust and that was so far broken he didn't think it could ever be repaired. Try as he might, Gabriel couldn't distance himself too much and mentally he hovered at about arm's length, just close enough that he wasn't completely gone. The poor man was someone that he loved and that meant Remus couldn't be totally abandoned, so he fiddled with assuring that his wrist restraints weren't too tight. Gabriel paused when Remus confirmed that they were 'a little' too tight and frowned at the back of his head before working to loosen them. It closed the emotional distance a little, brought him just close enough that it hurt again and the pain in his chest couldn't be ignored. Remus' pleading hit a nerve and gave the pain a sharpened edge.
"You could explain all you'd like, Remus..." his voice was surprisingly calm and even, if a bit low. "But I'm not interested in listening. I'm beyond believing a single word that comes out of your mouth." When the auror was satisfied that his newly detained prisoner wasn't being inhumanely restrained he stepped back to lean against the door frame. Gabriel crossed his arms across his chest and resumed his examination of floor to make it clear that he was still closed off to the old professor. "You've made it very clear that this has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to do my job, nothing more and nothing less. You should be very familiar with my job, Remus. You have yourself a little collection of aurors, don't you?" The wizard projected a cool air but his anger was burning hot just beneath his surface, barely concealed. "I suppose I fit nicely into that collection, to replace the vacancy your late wife left to help secure your finger on the pulse of the Ministry."
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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 Jul 10, 2017 6:08:44 GMT
That shut Remus up rather quickly. Remus couldn't see Gabriel, and the way he spoke sounded so...final. Like he'd already made up his mind and Remus wasn't getting that chance he was practically begging for at this point. Remus went pale and silent as stone, hanging his head. Gabriel wasn't even going to listen, much less believe him. Panic surged through Remus' veins and he had to concentrate on his breathing as Gabriel stepped around him and went back to his post. Strangely - and perhaps a bit foolishly - Remus wasn't all that worried about being arrested. The Ministry didn't scare him, and he was just stubborn (and again, probably foolish) enough to think he'd always have a way out of whatever trouble he got in with the authorities. The things that scared Remus were far more personal and intangible, centered in his very own heart like a Trojan horse, making them that much harder to fight. In short, he was a lonely little werewolf with severe abandonment issues and his worst fear was coming to life in front of his very eyes for the umpteenth time of his existence on this Earth - he was going to end up alone again.
Remus nearly started when Gabriel spoke again, wrapped up as he was in his own misery. Remus stared at him in confusion, and then blatant hurt, as he said his piece. Remus' eyebrows scrunched together so far it was almost painful, and his scars stood out red against his paleness. "I'm sorry?" He said quietly, as if he hadn't just heard what Gabriel had just said to him. How could he say such a thing? How could he think such a thing of Remus? Remus felt fire climbing up his ribs. He wanted to scream, to shout in Gabriel's face about every single thing he got wrong - but his simultaneous abject misery strangled his voice. How could Gabriel have gotten it so wrong? "How dare you." Remus dropped his gaze, feeling a wet heat around his eyes. "Accuse me of - that. I love you, you bastard." Remus shook his head at the floor. He was so angry and miserable he was forgetting how to speak properly - not that Gabriel wanted to listen, anyway.
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Jul 10, 2017 9:04:59 GMT
Gabriel was a smoldering, controlled burn. There was restraint to the anger shown, his words were sharp but left only light, superficial cuts. In hindsight when he looked back at today, he would understand Remus' own anger. He had essentially insulted the man and his dead wife, he accused Remus of a terrible thing, all while the poor man's home was being turned inside out and the werewolf was in handcuffs. It was a lot for anyone to endure but especially a man who had faced such cruelty and loss in a cold world. But in this moment, while Gabriel was still reeling and spinning and trying to process the rug being yanked out from beneath his feet, Remus' anger threw kindling on his own burning temper, igniting it into a wildfire.
He left the safety of his door frame and in one quick motion he was standing toe to toe with Remus, just inches away from him. Gabriel had lost his careful hold and was floundering in raw emotion. The auror was a formidable figure when he wanted to be, tall and lean, held up by muscles and an air of authority. Light blue eyes were ablaze with fury as he stared straight at Remus, all the avoidance in his gaze was gone. "How dare you use that word." His voice was still low but much more guttural. "How dare you lie to my face hours ago when I told you that I loved you and then stand here, your lies exposed, and expect me to just go along like you hadn't just destroyed every ounce of trust I've ever had in you."
Gabriel's hands were clenched into fists at his side as he spoke. "You're the one who fucked this up. You had several chances to tell me and I get more information from the fucking Ministry in an hour than I've gotten from you in weeks." He knew that there was something wrong with the Ministry's explanation of things, that this whole arrest was wrong. They weren't accused of any specific crime, just of being criminals and trying to overthrow the Ministry.. But he couldn't trust Remus. Not right now, when the wounds his dishonesty left were still fresh. "If you love someone you're supposed to trust them, not leave them wondering if they're a fucking idiot because they've been used. Trying to figure out if any of this was real or just a cruel way to cover up whatever the hell you've been doing. You can take your love and shove it up your ass, I'm not interested in it anymore."
That was Gabriel's piece. When all was said, the blonde stepped back from the werewolf again. He needed the distance to reign in his emotions. Gabriel returned to concealing his injuries behind a wall armored with a cool aloofness and emotional distance. The auror even took up his previous place leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. Instead of the floor he chose to watch his fellow aurors work through the open door while he stood as a sentinel, guarding their new prisoner.
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