Shop Staff
Three Broomsticks Bartender
Werewolf
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21 years old
Ilvermorny Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Danielle 'Dani' Carson on Sept 22, 2016 9:13:53 GMT
Business at the Three Broomsticks was winding down for the night. Barring personal catastrophes in the lives of the regular patrons, Thursdays tended to be the earliest night of the week. It was like people were storing up their energy for Friday night, which always seemed to stretch on into infinity. Probably because it rolled straight into Saturday morning. Regardless, the blinds had been pulled down on the windows, and most of the customers had stumbled off toward home. Time to start closing down for the night. Rosa finished wiping down the tables, and Dani told her to call it a night. Graham had cleared out a while ago seeing as people usually stopped ordering food after a certain point. There was only one guy left now, at a table over against the wall, and Dani could handle him. Mostly because she had actually been waiting to talk to him for the last hour. Even since the creature rally, Dani had become painfully aware of the fact that she didn’t know anyone else like her. Not really. She had her suspicions about Graham, but those had yet to be proven. Seeing so many people standing together in solidarity that day though had made her wonder what it would be like to have others around. People who might be able to help. Not that Meg hadn’t been fantastic about the whole thing, because she had. But she didn’t understand all of it. And with how quickly things were escalating around here, Dani could use some advice from someone who knew what it was like. She had settled on Remus Lupin. Meg had explained who he was after his name started coming up in the papers, and then Dani had caught sight of him at the rally. He seemed like a good person. Not a feral beast like the ones that had attacked Godric’s Hollow. And somehow he was connected to the whole mess going on with Theo. That had given Dani an idea. Meg had agreed to have a word with Mr. Lupin if he stopped by to see Theo, which he recently had. And Meg had gotten hold of him for just long enough to ask him to meet with a friend of hers who very much wanted to talk to him and quite possibly had a lot in common. She hadn’t come straight out and spilled Dani’s secret, but Mr. Lupin had probably pieced it together by now. Which was how he came to be sitting at the table against the wall. He’d been in the pub for a while now, waiting for it to clear out. But the place had finally emptied, and now at last they could talk in private. Dani headed over to the front door and flipped the sign to read ‘Closed’ before twisting the knob so it was locked from the outside. It wasn’t unusual for the pub to shut down like this, with only the bartender hanging around just until the last remaining patrons had their fill for the night, so there shouldn’t be any reason for anyone outside to suspect anything odd. If there was even anyone left on the street of the quiet village at this semi-late hour. Satisfied that they wouldn't be interrupted, Dani headed back behind the bar to grab a bottle of Butterbeer for herself and a refill of the drink Mr. Lupin had ordered earlier. Then she finally headed over to his table. She couldn’t help feeling nervous as she sat down and pushed his new drink toward him. She was actually about to talk to another werewolf. And one with a life, at that. It made her nervous, which probably showed in the quiet smile she directed at the man across from her. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me. Sorry you had to wait.” It would be safer for Dani and her secret though if she wasn’t seen openly associating with a known werewolf. Hopefully Mr. Lupin understood. The young bartender held out her hand over the table. Here went nothing. “I’m Dani.” (OOC - Hopefully this is a good start. Let me know if you want anything changed about how they set it up or whatever.) |
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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 Sept 23, 2016 3:24:06 GMT
Remus was perfectly content with waiting, especially in such a place as the Three Broomsticks. He could wait there all night, enjoying the cozy warmth and reminiscing. Hogsmeade was such a sleepy little mountain town, it had hardly changed at all from the way he remembered it (and had probably been that way for a long time before, too). He loved it. He could practically see his young self gallivanting around the place - sharing butterbeer with the boys over in their usual corner booth; taking his first shot of firewhisky on his birthday with Sirius at the bar. They were all very fond memories, and Remus was perfectly content to sit back and relive with drink in hand. It was becoming one of his favorite things to do.
The bar slowly shut down around him. Patrons trickled out into the street and even employees left, eventually leaving just him and the bartender. She wasn't going to chase him out, of course. She was the whole reason he was here in the first place. During a brief visit with Theo Ashland (he didn't visit the Medi-Wizard nearly as much as he visited Mali, but he did feel obligated to do so every once in a while, if he was going to be visiting the man's other half so much) he was approached by the man's sister. Meg, her name was. Remus vaguely remembered teaching her, once upon a time. She had a favor to ask him, and much to Remus' surprise, it had nothing to do with her brother. It was her friend - someone that had something in common with Remus, apparently, and really wanted to talk to him. Given the state of their world and their lovely Ministry, Remus thought he had a pretty good idea what this might be about. It had happened before - it was something he actively looked for, actually - and he was always happy to oblige.
Meg's friend was a werewolf. Had to be. Remus couldn't be totally sure until this friend said it to him...but what else could they have in common, as complete strangers? He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she shut down the bar. No visible scars that he could see; but that didn't mean much. Some of them got pretty good at hiding it. The bartender finished up, bringing him another drink and joining him at the table. "No problem at all," he waved off her apology, nodding his thanks for the drink. "I've been enjoying myself. Remus." He took her hand and shook it, gracing her with a gentle smile. "It's nice to meet you, Dani. I understand you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"
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Shop Staff
Three Broomsticks Bartender
Werewolf
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21 years old
Ilvermorny Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Danielle 'Dani' Carson on Sept 23, 2016 8:24:53 GMT
Mr. Lupin certainly seemed nice enough in person. Dani didn’t see how anyone could possibly demonize the man sitting across from her. There was a sort of quiet kindness about him that naturally calmed Dani’s nerves. Even so, she wasn’t really sure how to begin this conversation. “Yeah, I did. I… Well…” She smiled sheepishly down at her drink as she tried to collect her thoughts. “I’m sorry. I don’t really know where to start. I’ve never done this before. Talking to… to someone like me.” She was sitting right across from another werewolf, a kind one, and she still couldn’t bring herself to actually say the word. The shame and fear just ran too deep.
Well, supposedly actions spoke louder anyway. The sleeves of her dark green button-up shirt reached down to her wrists, but now she let go of her bottle to push one sleeve up just past her elbow. A small handful of scars were etched across her forearm. They weren’t particularly brutal. Each on its own would have been completely meaningless. But there was one set near her elbow that could only be from claws. “I’m… I’m like you. A werewolf. For about a year now.” Merlin, that was almost physically painful to say. She gave Mr. Lupin a second to take in the scars before rolling her sleeves back down. She was far too self-conscious to leave them out in the open, even with someone she was pretty sure she could trust. “Meg said you were too, and she seems to think you’re a good person, so…” So here they were.
She glanced down at her bottle, running her thumb nervously over a raised design in the glass before looking back up at Mr. Lupin. “I’m not even really sure what it is I want to ask,” she admitted quietly. “With everything that’s going on, I guess I just wanted to talk to someone who would understand.” Someone who knew how lonely and terrifying it could be. Meg was certainly the best friend Dani could’ve ever asked for, and Dani wouldn’t trade that friendship for anything. But there was a certain kind of hope that could only be giving by someone else battling the same darkness. And Dani could very much use a little of that hope right now. Because quite frankly, the new regulations were making this whole thing even scarier than it already was.
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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 Nov 15, 2016 1:22:40 GMT
Remus waited patiently, watching Dani with measured carefulness. Not too attentive as to put her off, but not aloof, either. He was here for whatever she needed him for. And usually, he was the one figuring that out for himself - by watching. It was hard to talk about, all of it, he knew that. It was even harder to ask for help. After so many times, Remus reckoned he had an eye for this sort of thing now. His main concerns were with safety and health. Beyond that, he tried to let the other take the conversation where they needed it.
"It's okay," he nodded, smiling gently back at her. He had an idea on the tip of his tongue, something to get them started if she needed help, but then she was moving and Remus remained silent. He watched her push up the sleeve of her shirt, already knowing what he would see there. He looked at her scars for as long as felt appropriate, and then looked back up at her face. There was a hint of surprise in his own expression, when she said the word. Not all of them could ever bring themselves to say it, much less after only a year. "You've made it so far," he said, reaching out to pat her hand when she pulled her sleeve back down. He understood the self-consciousness, though never had the luxury of hiding his entire face from the world. Bearing his scars actually made it easier, over time. But it did take time.
"I like to think of myself as helpful, yes," he agreed with her friend's sentiment. Maybe he wasn't always a good person but at least he tried. He sensed they were again at an important point in their conversation, but he remained patient. Dani wasn't as shy as he pegged her to be. She showed him her scars, named herself for what she was. She admitted she didn't really know why she was here, just that she wanted it - and, Remus would presume, needed it. "I get that," he nodded thoughtfully, pausing to take a sip of his drink before folding his hands in front of him. "Well, I could tell you about myself. Or you could tell me about you. Your choice - I just always find it helpful to put a personality to the condition." He shrugged, waiting.
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Shop Staff
Three Broomsticks Bartender
Werewolf
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21 years old
Ilvermorny Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Danielle 'Dani' Carson on Dec 2, 2016 5:25:53 GMT
He said she had made it. Well, sort of. “Barely.” There had been a few close calls just with her own injuries. One time in particular she could have bled out if she hadn’t woken up when she did. But those weren’t the incidents that worried her. Remus put his hand on hers, and Dani looked down to study the lines there as a way of avoiding his gaze. “I… um… I hurt someone. Someone I care about. They weren’t bitten, but…” She didn’t have to finish that sentence. The guilt hung heavy in the air. There was no way she would ever be able to forgive herself for hurting her brother.
She picked at a nick in the tabletop with the forefinger of her other hand before looking up at Remus. “How do you live with it? With knowing you could hurt the people you care about?” It was the main reason Dani had kept Meg out for so long. She couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her friend.
The suggestion to talk about themselves was a good one. At the very least they could get to know each other a bit. Dani had a feeling this was a friendship she might be needing very much in the coming days. Building trust would be a good start. “Well… I work here. Obviously. I like to draw. I like plants.” Those were all good, but he would probably be more able to help if he knew her story. “I’m from America. Sort of. My father’s British, and my mother’s American. I lived here until I was ten. Then we moved to the States so my brother and I could go to school there.”
This was where it got hard. She hadn’t told anyone the story of how it happened yet. Her hands took up a tight grip on the bottle in front of her as if it would somehow give her strength. For a second she thought it might, but then what resolve she had mustered collapsed. She couldn’t go through with it. Not yet. “I came back here about eight months ago,” she finished lamely. It wouldn’t take a genius to put together how close that was to when she had turned. But getting into that part of her story was going to take a little more trust. Instead she turned the conversation back to Remus. “What about you?” Maybe if she got a better idea of who he was, that would make it easier to tell her own story.
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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 Dec 24, 2016 6:27:58 GMT
Remus meant his gesture as one of comfort, but if it was giving Dani something to distract herself with and focus on in this difficult conversation, so be it. He kept his hand there for as long as she needed it, waiting patiently for her to speak. She certainly looked like she had something to say - and, yep, there it was. She hurt someone and was unfortunate enough to have it be someone she loved. Remus was very, very lucky in that regard, having only slipped up a handful of times and only once when he was anywhere remotely close to people he cared about. "Then they will heal," he finished her sentence for her, nodding. No bite, no big deal. A werewolf attack was an exceptionally difficult thing to heal from, so they had to take their wins where they could get them.
Dani suddenly came at him with a question that Remus had mulled over for most of his life, and still it caught him a bit by surprise. He let out a slow breath, bringing his hand back to rub at the eternal stubble on his chin. "I do everything - everything - in my power to make sure I can't hurt them," he said after a minute, looking up to meet her gaze. "But accidents do happen, Dani. The most fatal mistake you can make is thinking you can control it fully. You can't live with that sort of pressure on yourself; it will lead you down a very dark path. You may have already met some of these people already." He paused, eyeing her for any clue as to the nature of the attack that turned her. Not all of them were accidents. "I think the best way to live with it is to realize you are not just your condition. That takes time."
Remus' particular brand of abstract advice could admittedly be a bit heavy-handed, so he readily relaxed when Dani took to the more practical suggestion of getting to know one another. A smile eased its way back onto his face as she detailed her life. When she paused, Remus had a cadre of curious questions for her, but still he waited. It was more than just a pause, another pivotal point in their conversation. And still, the change he was waiting for did not come. Dani skipped through any detail of her attack, instead turning the question over to him. No matter - he knew his going first made it easier, too. And Remus had told this story so many times in his life he barely registered the trauma anymore.
But first, his life. He was so much more than his condition, after all. "Well - I'm a born and bred Englishman, been here all my life. I'm a professor at Hogwarts, I'm very fond of sweets...and I've got two five-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, with my wife. All three of them metamorphmagi, so as you can imagine, I live my life kept on my toes." He grinned at Dani. Remus was always happy to talk about his family...but it was especially important here. In some regards, he lived a deliciously normal life, and new werewolves needed to see they could still have that.
And not only happy lives, but long ones, too. Remus paused for a moment, dimming his smile to something more appropriate. "I was bitten when I was four years old. Came right into my bedroom, to get revenge on my father. That was nearly forty years ago. "
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