Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Aug 21, 2017 7:36:11 GMT
Gabriel was not the best boyfriend in the world. He made a good effort, but he was chronically late. He had a decent excuse, though. A lot of things were happening in the auror department and all those things required a lot of paperwork. Gabriel hated paperwork. He understood why it was necessary but it felt anticlimactic. They were off fighting bad guys and at the end of the day had to sit at their desk and dip their quill (because wizards were adverse to things like ball point pens) and write out what'd happened. It always sounded less exciting on parchment. It gave him a chance to scrutinize his actions and find errors and think about what could have gone wrong. That made him feel uncomfortable and highlighted the fact that he owed just as much credit for his survival to dumb luck as he did to skill.
When the paperwork (parchment work?) was done he had a handsome, scarred face waiting for him at the tea shop. It was their first official 'date' since Remus was found innocent and set free. Gabriel didn't care much for tea but he did like drinking it with Remus, so he looked forward to the outing all day. He managed to show up to the shop about thirty minutes late, looking slightly disheveled from the amount of times he'd run a worried hand through his hair. The auror was distracted through most of their greeting and small talk. Gabriel should feel great with the Death Eater threat reduced, but there was a heavy worried feeling settling in his stomach.
Gabriel tried to push away that feeling and poured himself some tea. Proper English cup, just like Remus had shown him once or five times. Didn't make it taste any less tea like, but when in Rome... His distraction persisted through their conversation, Gabriel giving one or two word answers, needing Remus to repeat and the like Finally, after he'd downed his first cup and gone for a second, did he decide that there was no ignoring what was bothering him. THey were supposed to be transparent and honest now, anyway. Him and Remus. It was the only way their relationship would survive. "Sorry, my mind's been elsewhere..." He explained, fidgeting with his tea cup in an effort to keep from biting on his thumb nail like he was prone to do when nervous or uncomfortable. "The No-Maj's feel off lately, don't they? I was leaving the Ministry the other day and there were two men who were just staring at it, at the Ministry and at me, like they knew."
As a wizard from an American background, Gabriel was very cautious about No-Maj's. Back home wizards and non wizards didn't have a very friendly history. Wizards hid from No-Maj's for decades and were forbidden to befriend them. No-Maj's hunted wizards. "I keep hearing the word 'magic' come up in No-Maj bars." There was one time where he and Remus nearly obliviated a pair of No-Maj's because of what he overheard in their bar banter, but Remus had convinced him it was harmless drunks bullshitting. "Sometimes they even sound sober when they say it." he added with a half cocked grin. Truthfully there was a lot to give him pause. Talk of magic and sorcery by people who should have no knowledge of it. "A handful of people have gone missing lately..." he trailed off and then shrugged his shoulders and reached for a scone. Scones made everything better.
"They did find someone who'd been missing a couple days ago." Gabriel said as uneasiness crept across his normally stern features. "She turned up dead in Knockturn Alley, covered in burns." Once he started talking about what was bothering him he couldn't stop. The wizard was sure that he was probably burning the werewolf to tears, but on he went between thoughtful munches of the scone. "They said it was probably a botched potion that caught fire and did her in. It makes a little bit of sense, down in Knockturn. People there don't like to call the Medi-Wizards or aurors, warrants and all... I'm sure it's all nothing, but back home, with our history with No-Maj's and all... It just makes me wonder."
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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 Aug 22, 2017 14:40:26 GMT
Outside. He was outside! Well...technically inside, as he settled himself at one of Madam Puddifoot's many rickety tables - but he was out. Declared innocent and set free from his own home. Remus loved the place, he really did, but ever since his last trial where he'd regained his freedom, he used every excuse in the book to leave his house. Going out to pull weeds in the garden turned into long walks around town. Taking the kids to the park down the street turned into overnight adventures in London. And of course, he took every chance he could to try and see Gabriel.
Turns out, Gabriel was quite a busy man as of late. The Auror department was currently smashing its way through a multitude of longstanding problems, pushing back Remus and Gabriel's date until today. Remus was dying for some normalcy with Gabriel, but he didn't mind too much that Gabriel was too busy kicking ass. Remus was rather proud of him, actually.
He didn't really mind too much that Gabriel was currently running late, either. He was dying to see him, of course, but happy enough to simply let time slip by in a place that wasn't his house. Remus sat as comfortably as his little table would let him, contentedly sipping tea, until Gabriel showed up.
One thing Remus did mind was how stressed Gabriel looked; he could see it hanging off him the moment the man walked in the door. Remus was hyper aware now of Gabriel's little nervous tics, his tensions, as anxious and eager as he had been to get back into the Auror's good graces. He thought himself pretty good at telling when Gabriel was bothered by something. Remus didn't push, though, not at first. They'd made a promise of honesty to each other and Gabriel had already proven himself more likely to uphold that promise; Remus only had to be patient with him. Plus, in a slightly selfishness happiness as finally being with him again, Remus was letting himself enjoy - a little too much - watching Gabriel make a real, proper cup of English tea. Just like he taught him.
Gabriel did spill eventually. It was...not quite what Remus expected. It wasn't Death Eaters or his own employer bothering Gabriel...it was the Muggles again. Remus sipped quietly as Gabriel worked his way through the sometimes uncomfortable hinterlands of honesty. They'd talked about Muggles before, and Remus had all but dismissed him then. Of course Gabriel would be uncomfortable bringing this up again. But it was different this time. Remus knew Gabriel better, and he knew what an excellent Auror Gabriel was. Excellent Aurors didn't just get suspicious over nothing. He trusted Gabriel's judgment of the world.
"You think they were watching the place? Muggles aren't supposed to be able to see any part of the Ministry. But they could be watching the people." Remus didn't have any strange Muggle stories of his own to contribute, mostly because he just wasn't that bothered with ever watching them. But Gabriel had enough for the both of them. The pub going Muggles came up again, pulling half a smile from Gabriel that was like liquid sunshine in contrast to his current state, pulling a full one from Remus. He looked fondly back on that memory, even if it wasn't the happiest. It was the day he learned there was even more to Gabriel than pretty smiles and a kind heart. He had a hell of a fighting spirit, too.
Gabriel filled him in on even more information, causing Remus' smile to fall but piquing his interest. He was trusting Gabriel's judgment...and Gabriel was trusting him with this information. It brought a new feeling to Remus, one he'd avoided because he thought he didn't want it - but it was surprisingly pleasant. Part of the reason Remus had hidden so much from Gabriel was that he wanted Gabriel separate from all the other things that plagued him. Remus now realized how incredibly stupid he'd been to think he could get away with that. And stupid to think that's what he wanted, really. Even the incredibly stupid could see the two of them would make a pretty damn good team. It was exciting.
"What's making you wonder? The fact she turned up dead, or the way she turned up dead?" Remus went for a scone too, pensive. "You sound like this is something you can't really bring up at work. If you wanted, you know...I could help you. We could take a look at it together." On top of everything else, that was more time outside, and more time with Gabriel. Of course it was exciting. Still, Remus sounded slightly hesitant. They were healing, the two of them, but Remus was still unsure just how comfortable Gabriel would be with the part of himself Remus had hidden from him for so long.
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Aug 24, 2017 7:39:26 GMT
Gabriel spoke and Remus sipped. It made him feel antsy and reluctant to share his concerns. British wizards didn't have the history that American magical folk did. They had no reason to be apprehensive of the No-Maj's. Tell a Brit that someone was going to try and slaughter all the No-Maj born and you'd have their attention and their guards up in a moment. Tell them a No-Maj knew too much about magic and you'd get some gentle ribbing, an amused chuckle or two and words like 'harmless' and 'overreacting' thrown about. It was the British's folly to underestimate their non magical counterparts.
The blonde glanced up from his cup of tea to find that there was no condescension in the face looking back at him. To his surprise Remus didn't dismiss his anxiety, he actually listened. The man who once closely guarded every facial expression clearly wore a look of mild shock before he returned his attention to his cup. Gabriel nudged the teacup handle, turning it around in a circle on it's saucer. He had little intention of actually drinking the tea, it was more of a prop for him to keep his hands busy. "Right, I know they can't actually see it." he said with a shake of his beautifully blonde head. "But that doesn't mean they can't sense something's there. No-Maj's pay close attention to their intuition. You guys underestimate them." He didn't mean Remus specifically, of course. Remus was too smart for that, he had a way of seeing potential in people that they themselves miss. Like now. Remus seemed genuinely interested in his theory and concerns. "It's in their nature to investigate obsess with things they can't explain." And to react violently, if one paid attention to No-Maj history.
One moment they were smiling at each other. Gabriel's half cocked grin even grew to it's full glory in the shadow of Remus' own, but then Remus' face fell and Gabriel had an uncomfortable, hollow feeling in his chest like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. The werewolf's face looked wrong without that smile and he distracted himself from the wrongness of it by leaning back in his chair with his scone, tipping it off two legs as he thought over the man's question for a moment. A little bit longer than a moment, actually. It was hard to focus. The fact that Remus was taking him seriously was a happy distraction. "It just doesn't feel right." he answered finally, rewarding himself with a bite of his scone. Living the first part of his life as a No-Maj gave him a healthy sense of intuition himself, his gut feelings weren't always spot on, but they usually got him in the ball park of the answer. "I can't explain it, really. Maybe the way the body was burned...?"
Gabriel's rickety chair touched back down on the ground. Remus believed him and he wanted to help. That was... unusual. He was right, it wasn't really something he could bring up at the auror office. It was still in such a weird state with the past events and then you know.. Brits and their harmless muggles.. He'd be laughed right out of the Ministry. But Remus wanted to help him look into it, and that meant a lot... Excitement colored his own features and he brightened up, only to dim seconds later. "I would love to work with you but... Are you sure that's a good idea? For you to go um.. investigating something after what happened?" It was a terrible idea, actually but he was still all for it. He took another thoughtful bite of his delicious brain powering scone "We would work really well together. The questionable legality of it would be half the fun..." |
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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 Aug 25, 2017 16:00:46 GMT
Remus sort of liked the effect he was having on Gabriel, if he was being honest. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen the man look so shocked before. Remus had quickly learned that Gabriel carefully guarded his emotions, especially the unpleasant ones. So if they were starting to slip through...well, Remus must be having some kind of effect on him. Hopefully Gabriel was realizing what Remus was trying to do here.
"True," he agreed simply. There was no point in arguing that the wizards of this country didn't take Muggles seriously at all. For them, it had been hundreds of years since Muggles were even a hint of a threat...but that could just mean they were hundreds of years overdue for another attack. "It makes sense though, I suppose. Our worlds get closer and closer every day." Muggles had their own form of magic - technology - and it was growing stronger every day. And with the two worlds literally growing closer every day, it was no silly worry that the wizarding world might not be able to hold such a big secret anymore. And if Muggles were as obsessive as Gabriel said they were... "What would be their intentions of such investigation, do you think?"
Gabriel's smile was very distracting, but Remus wouldn't let himself get lost in it just yet, not when the man behind the smile still seemed so anxious. He seemed to be having a hard time explaining himself, too, so Remus waited patiently and munched on his scone. "It didn't look like an accident to you," he offered, eyeing Gabriel as he came back down. If that were the case, it was a very strange occurrence indeed. Knockturn Alley wasn't a kind place, but with all the arrests lately, it should have been relatively quiet until things settled down again. A dead body was a bit of an anomaly in times like these.
Remus could feel his thoughts rushing at a thousand miles a minute, his interest thoroughly piqued...but it felt like they were all stuck behind a wall. A wall of doubt and anxiety, that Gabriel wouldn't want his help or thought it was too dangerous. Remus watched the fascinating changes happening on the other man's face and held his breath as he waited for an answer. Gabriel was hesitant, naturally. It really wasn't the smartest idea in the world, but..."Well, to be completely honest with you here Gabriel, I'm not sure that's something I can stop doing." He paused and released his breath. "If you really think it's a bad idea for right now, I will, but...," Remus tapered off as Gabriel spoke again. This time, his words brought another smile to Remus' face. "We would," he agreed with a little nod, and then he laughed. "That's the spirit!"
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Gryffindor
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Jasmine Watson on Aug 27, 2017 3:38:26 GMT
Remus had the best effect on him. Gabriel didn't want to be restrained around him, he wanted the werewolf to know all of him and his parts and little nuisances. Especially now that he felt Remus was being completely honest and open with him. The auror felt raw and exposed, which was both terrifying and liberating all at once. There was nothing to hide, nothing to guard. Old habits didn't die easy and he often caught himself retreating back behind his protective walls but in general he was more free with his emotions.
So that surprised was worn almost proudly across his sharp features. It was well earned, they suffered through plenty to get to this point. Remus humored his own musings and managed to keep every trace of patronization out of his tone. It felt like they were having a serious conversation about a very real threat. It was real to Gabriel, at least. It meant something that it seemed real to Remus, too. Or at least that he acknowledged the possibility that it could be real. If one was blind to history it would be easy to overlook the danger muggles could pose. "Right." he nodded, building on what Remus had said. "You can only live on top of someone for so long before they start to notice."
Gabriel sighed and shrugged his muscled shoulders. "Who knows? No-Maj's aren't exactly a tolerant bunch." It wasn't that wizards were tolerant, it just seemed that the non magical community searched for reasons to separate themselves into different groups and weed out those who didn't fit into said groups. They were making real progress here, he and Remus. The man seemed to be helping him work out his own conclusions that were lurking somewhere in his brain and he didn't know how to pull out. "Yeah, exactly. It didn't look right." That was the best he could explain it, but it was a better answer than he originally brought to the table.
Even the auror in him didn't truly think it was a bad idea, he just was overly cautious with Remus. That was his protective streak kicking in. "It'll be great." The blonde said, running a hand through his hair and favoring Remus with another grin. "So tell me..." Gabriel leaned in, folding his arms on the table and completely forgetting about the tea and delicious scones as he got love drunk off the idea of them working together. He basked in their closeness too, heart thrilling in his chest. "How does one go about conducting secret illicit investigations?"
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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 Aug 29, 2017 16:07:18 GMT
Before they start to notice. The way Gabriel phrased this sent something hurtling through Remus' gut. Despite his thoroughly British upbringing and the lack of much Muggle threat while a very real wizard threat had been going on for most of his life - the attention of Muggles still gave him pause. He supposed it was something bred into wizards, from those long ago times when the attention of Muggles was dangerous. It was strange that he so intrinsically assumed the same now. If Muggles found out about magic, it would be painful for everyone. Remus couldn't explain exactly why he felt so strongly about that - and that in itself bothered him - but he felt it all the same. And Gabriel did, too. Remus was finally starting to understand.
Still, the exact intentions of such an investigation in this present day were still unclear to him. Only that they felt bad. Gabriel mentioned tolerance, and Remus nodded slowly, rubbing at the eternal scruff on his cheeks. "Or they could want what he have. That never works out very nicely, either." You couldn't blame the Muggles, really. Magic was awesome, in the truest sense of the word. But as Gabriel said - they weren't the most tolerant bunch, especially when you wouldn't give them what they wanted. That's when things got nasty. That's when people turned up dead. Wizards could be just as bad, honestly, but that didn't make this threat any less dangerous. Or scary. Gabriel was struggling to explain just what was off about the body on Knockturn, and that furthered Remus' resolution to look into all of this. He himself had a protective streak a mile wide. Anything he could do to ease Gabriel's tension, whether it was follow one dead lead or fight a whole new war, he would.
If Gabriel let him, of course. This kind of work was in his blood and he truly didn't think he could stop altogether - but he wasn't going to shove it in Gabriel's face either. Not after everything. If Gabriel wanted him to wait, he would wait. Turns out - Gabriel didn't want him to wait. They were both so very obviously excited by the prospect of working together that Remus couldn't help but grin. He leaned in, too, meeting Gabriel in the middle of the table so their heads were ducked low together - as all good secret illicit investigations should start, of course. "Well...there will probably be plenty of late nights. Stakeouts, hours of solitude. Mortal danger." He raised an eyebrow, but could only hold the expression for a moment before devolving back into a grin. "And lots and lots of super secret visits to the library, of course. Know thy enemy, as they say. Oh, I haven't been to a Muggle library in years..."
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Ministry of Magic
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Gabriel Bishop on Aug 30, 2017 4:25:30 GMT
No Wizard or Witch could pass on or teach their magic to a No-Maj. If the ability wasn't there, it just wasn't. Even Squibs struggled to accept this, but someone who had no inkling of how magic worked? The very things that he and Remus were talking about were terrifying. He wasn't too proud to acknowledge that. People would turn to magic to fix their problems once it learned of it's existence. Desperate people did desperate, often terrible things. Gabriel should look fairly uncomfortable by now, but he was too pleased with the fact that Remus wasn't chiding him for being overly suspicious but was actually discussing and engaging the topic like it was completely logical. The first British wizard he had that took him seriously. He shouldn't expect anything less from the werewolf, the man was remarkable in many different ways.
The scary thing was he didn't really know how to fight No-Maj's. Wizards were easy, just some well aimed curses, a shield charm or two and you'd have a victor. There was something unethical about using magic against a No-Maj and from what he remembered of his life before magic, the non magical community had an impressive and deadly arsenal of weapons at their disposal, though they liked to revert back to gruesome and savage ways of murder... like burnings. Witch burnings. Could they actually be burning people alive? Gabriel's mind ran wild with that thought, taking Remus' face and bathing it in flames, making the auror feel both sick and hot with anger. It was already proven that he would fight a Ministry for Remus, there was no question that he would fight a whole world of No-Maj's too, just like Remus would fight a war for him. "It could be nothing..." He admitted, busying himself by fidgeting with the tea cup, twirling it around on it's saucer like before. "But it feels like something."
Feeding off Remus turned that uneasy something into an exciting something, with their heads pressed together, scheming and talking about stakeouts and mortal danger. "Long nights with you." said the auror with a fond grin to match the werewolf's. "I've been to your house, that place is a library." Maybe not a 'Muggle' one. "I don't think muggles even go to muggle libraries anymore." The silly word felt awkward in his mouth and his tongue tripped over it just a bit, but it was said with a lightheartedness that made it feel appropriate. The subject was solemn but Gabriel was near giddy, this close to Remus and conspiring for their own super secret mission. He settled for coaxing the man's hands to him so he could press his lips against his newishly healed knuckles. Maybe it was the tea or the impending adventure, whatever it was it was making him feel rather affectionate. "We should have a practice stake out. Tonight, my apartment?"
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