Aurin and Caleb Meet

[golden_armor]

Date: Tuesday, 10 July
Time: 1 PM
Place: Alecto's Animal Emporium, Aurin's Flat
Characters: Aurin Helm, Caleb Moore, Stella Sinistra
Status: Invitation Only, Incomplete

Comments

[wolf_caleb]

The plan actually sounded absurdly simple, which made Caleb even more nervous. "Just like that? Walk in, do a change of address with you, and walk out again, registered and collared?" He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. "The less complicated the better," he repeated in agreement.

Could it really be that easy? He'd be taking a chance that nobody noticed his missing collar, but nobody would really be looking for it, nobody would know him, or his status. Or what his status should be. And if for some reason he did get stopped, he'd have to talk fast, maybe even just admit he'd been out of the country and was coming to register. If his luck held, and Aurin was as good as he seemed to be, they just might be able to get out of this relatively unscathed.

"If you're willing to take the risk, that I'm all for it. One way or another, this will be all over tomorrow," he said, looking at Stella. "Until it's done, you make sure you're somewhere public doing something with witnesses. I want you as far away from this as you can possibly get."

[prof_stargazer]

The plan sounded- well, simple, as Aurin had said. And if he was actually able to pull it off, it would make everything a lot easier for Caleb.

Stella nodded in agreement with Caleb's request- part of her wanted to accompany him to the Ministry, but she knew it would be dangerous for both of them to do so. "I'll go shopping around here, and stop in at Seamus's new pub to eat." Seamus was an Order member and trustworthy, should it happen that Stella needed someone to vouch for her whereabouts.

She turned back towards Aurin, a hopeful look in her eyes. "And you can set this all up by tomorrow?"

[golden_armor]

Aurin nodded. "That sounds like as good an alibi as any. Don't just stick to contact with Order members, though; make some small talk with one or two strangers as well, so they'll remember meeting you if the Ministry asks around."

"As for getting it set up by tomorrow, If Caleb will send an owl to Ministry HQ after you leave here asking for an appointment, I can volunteer to stay late when the request makes it in. With your permission, I'd like to bring in a colleague of mine, Cyrus Allocen, to back us up and run interference on anyone who might try to approach me while I prepare and file the Registration papers. He'll do what I ask without knowing any details, since we've gone undercover together before and have a strong trust in one another based on that. He won't be told any names, just that people are to be kept out of my office after you leave."

[wolf_caleb]

"Yeah, I can do that, no problem. If you trust him, then that will be good enough for me. Do whatever you need to do to cover yourself." Caleb scrubbed his face with his hands. "I can't believe I'm letting you do this. Aurin, are you sure this is a risk you want to take? I can find another way if I have to," he said, giving the other man a way out.

[golden_armor]

Aurin didn't want a way out. In the short acquaintance he'd had with Caleb Moore, the Auror's attitude toward the whole operation had shifted, from doing Remus a favor owed, to upholding those of his own basic beliefs that conflicted with the agenda of the Ministry at large. Werewolves were people, not animals, and to treat them any differently was to violate their basic rights. Aurin had known that for a long time, intellectually, but only since meeting June had he begun to have a personal connection to the discrimination going on in the wizarding world against those inflicted with lycanthropism. As Ministry regulations targeting werewolves got stricter and stricter, Aurin had been feeling a sense of self-loathing that he couldn't stand up and speak out without losing his job, which would be a blow to the Order, where his higher loyalties lay. Now, he had a chance to do something, and while the risk if he was discovered was great, the benefit of pulling it off was even greater.

He sat up very straight, and looked Caleb in the eyes. The light coming through the windows was at such an angle that it emphasized the scars beneath his left eye, giving him an unconsciously severe look. "Let me make something clear to you, Caleb. Even at the relatively young age of 37, I am already considered a relic in the ranks of the Aurors. Younger recruits are being brought in almost daily, boys and girls barely out of school whose minds can be molded into the Ministry's new way of thinking as the top brass weeds out those like me, who remember when the Magical Law Enforcement Agency was more than just a spiked club in the hand of the Minister of Magic. I have only retained my position through a careful balance of both concealing my actions from and blackmailing my superiors; were I, a respected Auror with a record of distinguished service, who lost family and friends in both wars, to speak against the Ministry, they would have several months of very bad press indeed, and some of my superiors would stand to lost their jobs. However, until now, I have not actually been able to take such action as I would like, as doing so would result in me losing my position, something that the Order of the Phoenix can ill afford at this time."

Aurin ran a hand through his hair, and the moment of severity passed, but his voice was still serious and steady as a rock as he continued, "So you see, my friend, and I address you as such with no irony, for I feel that despite our short acquaintance we will certainly become so in time, helping you is not, for me, an option. Had you proved a man of lesser character, I perhaps would have sought another way, one that carried less risk for myself but was not so sure to succeed. But you have shown yourself both courageous and honorable, in your willingness to move forward with this plan and your concern for Stella and myself in the matter, and I am glad to help you."

[wolf_caleb]

Caleb was stunned by not only Aurin's words, but by the passion in his voice as he spoke them. For a moment, he just stared at the man. Finally, Caleb stood and held out his hand to Aurin. "I appreciate the help, and if you ever need anything, honestly anything, I hope you'll let me know. I owe you. I owe you big," he said, meaning every word.

Whatever Aurin's motivations, he was still taking a risk to do what he thought was right, and Caleb could respect that. There were very few people left in the world willing to do the right thing, and he'd been pleasantly surprised at the number of people who were trying to help him sort things out. Caleb hadn't a clue how he could ever repay Aurin and Remus, but he made a vow to himself that he would find away.

[golden_armor]

((I think I'll wrap things up here, if that's all right with you. Then we can move on to the Registration thread and fill up that placeholder!))

When Caleb stood, Aurin stood as well, and took the hand offered in a firm handshake that had all the significance that the small gesture could contain. He grinned, a genuinely friendly expression that broke the serious atmosphere of the conversation and restored some lightness to his tone. "I don't normally like to call in favors, but in this case I think you're right; I can't say I know when, though. Maybe never. But it's good to know we're on the same side."

With the meeting thus ended, Aurin conducted his guests back downstairs and saw them off with a wave and a smile. Just as they became lost in the crowd that always seemed to be present in the Alley in the daytime, Toviel returned, coming from the opposite direction. Aurin changed the sign in the door back to "open," saw his brother settled behind the counter, and went upstairs to change; he was working half-shifts at Ministry HQ since he'd got back from America, to get back into the swing of things at home, and today he had the afternoon shift.

He pulled his scarlet Auror's robes on and summoned Romero to his shoulder. It was only then, with his arm held out for the bird, that Aurin noticed how much his hands were shaking. He sat down behind his desk and tried to steady himself. It wouldn't do to dwell on the consequences, though the scenarios running through his head showed odd parallels to the scenes of his past interspersed with them. He shoved the thoughts away almost physically, with a violent shake of his head. Caleb and Stella were obviously afraid enough for all of them, and Aurin knew it was his job to stay calm. He wouldn't fear until he had concrete reason to, instead of imagined consequences of mistakes not yet made.

Still, as he descended once more to the first floor, he thought that it would pay to be cautious. Approaching the door, Aurin stopped and turned to catch Toviel's attention. His older brother's inquisitive look changed to one of concern at the look on Aurin's face, a look which only deepened as he spoke. "Tove, I...I've gotten myself into some business that may go bad tomorrow. If it does, it will go very bad indeed, and not just for me, for everyone I know. So in the morning, I'm going to give you a list of names. Memorize it in the morning, then burn it, or eat it, just destroy it so it can't be reclaimed."

"It's very, very important that if, tomorrow or any time in the future, I send Romero to you carrying my wand, my badge, or even a scrap of my robes, you contact every person on that list and tell them that I've been found out, then get yourself and dad out of the country." Toviel drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, but he and Aurin had been working in dangerous circumstances for a long time before this. He said nothing, but nodded to show he understood.

With that, Aurin left the shop and apparated to the Ministry, the "CRACK" of his departure echoing across Diagon Alley.