(no subject)
Date: September 22
Time: Near 1 AM
Place: Muggle London, the Helm residence; Cemetary
Characters: Aurin Helm, NPCs Toviel and Colin Helm
Complete
The three men sat around the table in the small kitchen, steaming mugs of tea held between their hands. All three were unconsciously mimicking each others' position, slumped down in their chairs, elbows resting on the table, legs crossed. They looked alike enough to have been the same person at three different stages of life. Aurin, his brother, and his father all stared into their drinks, thinking their own thoughts.
"So," said Colin finally, causing his sons to look up at him, "Have you boys both thought this through carefully? Consequences and all?"
Aurin and Toviel nodded. Toviel took a sip of his tea and shifted in his seat before explaining, "I think I can do more from inside the Department ((That's Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures)) than out of it. They've agreed to let me be something of a free agent until I've completed veterinary school in November, but I'll still have the resources at my disposal. Plus, I can just do more this way. I've got nothing against werewolves on principle, but I know there are some who do, and if I've got no authority then I can't do anything to stem the prejudice."
"Same with me," said Aurin, scratching Romero's feet. While he'd managed to get the bird to take a message to Headmistress McGonagall and go hunt for dinner, Aurin hadn't been out of the eagle's sight for most of the day. He was touched by Romero's loyalty, but his shoulders were starting to get sore. "I can't do much to help if I'm just another civilian, that much was established last night when I went to the scene and was turned away by people who used to be my subordinates. Besides, they've agreed to give me half-hours until I can find and train an assistant to take over running the store when I'm not there. And I agree with Tove, the resources I'll be able to access will be invaluable."
Colin sighed, passing a hand over his brow. "If you're sure, boys...then all I can say is good luck."
"Are you sure you won't come back, dad?" Aurin asked.
Giving his younger son a tired grin, Colin nodded, "I'm afraid I'm too old to go bashing about on raids anymore, son. But I've still got my security clearance, so I can still be useful to you two as emotional support, which is all I want to do anyway. If you've ever got anything you want to talk about, or you just need to come home, I'll be here."
"Thanks, dad." Aurin and Toviel stood and drew near to their father, who held his arms out and enveloped them both in a hug. After a few moments, he gave them a comforting squeeze and let them go.
"Aurin, son, I'd appreciate it if you'd sleep here tonight. I'm not comfortable with you so close to the crime scene, at least this soon after."
Aurin nodded. "I'll go by my flat and get a few things, then. Back in a jiff." Accompanied by the usual explosions of air, Aurin apparated straight into his bedroom, stuffing overnight supplies into a duffel bag. After thoroughly checking over all the wards and all the animals, he left, but instead of going straight home he took a slight side-trip, appearing in a grassy field by a low stone wall. Across the wall lay the orderly rows of headstones that he'd come to know too well. Hopping the wall, Aurin made his way to the oft-visited grave, a white half-circle of stone engraved with an angel and the simple words, "Elsinore Helm, Devoted Wife and Friend, 1965-2000. 'You are my world.'"
Taking a seat on the grass in front of the stone, Aurin pulled his wand from his pocket, and another from his inside jacket pocket. The other wand was 12 1/2 inches, made of silver birch with a core of demiguise hair. "I know you told me not to keep it, if anything happened to you," he said, "but I just can't bring myself to get rid of it...it wouldn't feel right. I'm sure you understand...something's happened, baby. Something really bad. A Death Eater attacked one of my friends...he's going to be okay, but the Dark Mark was cast. Over the Leaky Cauldron, of all places! Even at the end, that was always a safe haven, and now this. The war's supposed to be over, it's supposed to have been over for months now. I know Voldemort can't come back, but that doesn't mean the Death Eaters can't reorganize. I'm worried about what this could mean for the relative peace that we've managed to build up-"
He cut off abruptly, staring at the wands and the gravestone. "All right, I was dancing around the subject...the Ministry invited me to come back and work again, full Auror status and ranking reinstated. And, long story short, I accepted. There's nothing Aurin the petshop owner can do..." he put the wands away, standing as he did so. He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, exposing the scar, still a faint shade of pink, that covered his left forearm. Still visible despite his efforts to remove it was a name, written in curling script. Elsinore
"But Aurin the Auror," he said, turning away to return to the apparition point, "now he's a different story."
Time: Near 1 AM
Place: Muggle London, the Helm residence; Cemetary
Characters: Aurin Helm, NPCs Toviel and Colin Helm
Complete
The three men sat around the table in the small kitchen, steaming mugs of tea held between their hands. All three were unconsciously mimicking each others' position, slumped down in their chairs, elbows resting on the table, legs crossed. They looked alike enough to have been the same person at three different stages of life. Aurin, his brother, and his father all stared into their drinks, thinking their own thoughts.
"So," said Colin finally, causing his sons to look up at him, "Have you boys both thought this through carefully? Consequences and all?"
Aurin and Toviel nodded. Toviel took a sip of his tea and shifted in his seat before explaining, "I think I can do more from inside the Department ((That's Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures)) than out of it. They've agreed to let me be something of a free agent until I've completed veterinary school in November, but I'll still have the resources at my disposal. Plus, I can just do more this way. I've got nothing against werewolves on principle, but I know there are some who do, and if I've got no authority then I can't do anything to stem the prejudice."
"Same with me," said Aurin, scratching Romero's feet. While he'd managed to get the bird to take a message to Headmistress McGonagall and go hunt for dinner, Aurin hadn't been out of the eagle's sight for most of the day. He was touched by Romero's loyalty, but his shoulders were starting to get sore. "I can't do much to help if I'm just another civilian, that much was established last night when I went to the scene and was turned away by people who used to be my subordinates. Besides, they've agreed to give me half-hours until I can find and train an assistant to take over running the store when I'm not there. And I agree with Tove, the resources I'll be able to access will be invaluable."
Colin sighed, passing a hand over his brow. "If you're sure, boys...then all I can say is good luck."
"Are you sure you won't come back, dad?" Aurin asked.
Giving his younger son a tired grin, Colin nodded, "I'm afraid I'm too old to go bashing about on raids anymore, son. But I've still got my security clearance, so I can still be useful to you two as emotional support, which is all I want to do anyway. If you've ever got anything you want to talk about, or you just need to come home, I'll be here."
"Thanks, dad." Aurin and Toviel stood and drew near to their father, who held his arms out and enveloped them both in a hug. After a few moments, he gave them a comforting squeeze and let them go.
"Aurin, son, I'd appreciate it if you'd sleep here tonight. I'm not comfortable with you so close to the crime scene, at least this soon after."
Aurin nodded. "I'll go by my flat and get a few things, then. Back in a jiff." Accompanied by the usual explosions of air, Aurin apparated straight into his bedroom, stuffing overnight supplies into a duffel bag. After thoroughly checking over all the wards and all the animals, he left, but instead of going straight home he took a slight side-trip, appearing in a grassy field by a low stone wall. Across the wall lay the orderly rows of headstones that he'd come to know too well. Hopping the wall, Aurin made his way to the oft-visited grave, a white half-circle of stone engraved with an angel and the simple words, "Elsinore Helm, Devoted Wife and Friend, 1965-2000. 'You are my world.'"
Taking a seat on the grass in front of the stone, Aurin pulled his wand from his pocket, and another from his inside jacket pocket. The other wand was 12 1/2 inches, made of silver birch with a core of demiguise hair. "I know you told me not to keep it, if anything happened to you," he said, "but I just can't bring myself to get rid of it...it wouldn't feel right. I'm sure you understand...something's happened, baby. Something really bad. A Death Eater attacked one of my friends...he's going to be okay, but the Dark Mark was cast. Over the Leaky Cauldron, of all places! Even at the end, that was always a safe haven, and now this. The war's supposed to be over, it's supposed to have been over for months now. I know Voldemort can't come back, but that doesn't mean the Death Eaters can't reorganize. I'm worried about what this could mean for the relative peace that we've managed to build up-"
He cut off abruptly, staring at the wands and the gravestone. "All right, I was dancing around the subject...the Ministry invited me to come back and work again, full Auror status and ranking reinstated. And, long story short, I accepted. There's nothing Aurin the petshop owner can do..." he put the wands away, standing as he did so. He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, exposing the scar, still a faint shade of pink, that covered his left forearm. Still visible despite his efforts to remove it was a name, written in curling script. Elsinore
"But Aurin the Auror," he said, turning away to return to the apparition point, "now he's a different story."