Twenty (Almost) Random Facts About Rufus Scrimgeour
Title: Twenty (Almost) Random Facts About Rufus Scrimgeour
Fandom: Harry Potter
Character: Rufus Scrimgeour
Rating: PG (or PG-13 for those who really dislike cursing)
Other: Not so much a fic, really, as a list? Written in response to a reading of this post (HP random facts meme, or whatnot), as a means of avoiding homework and taking a few minutes to not think about Tempest-time. Erm, yes. And many thanks to Megan, who provided ideas for several of these through her Moody-ness, and to twl_main in general for background situations. Whoo. I don't promise much of a sense of order, nor anything of particular interest; all I offer is a set of random facts that, hopefully, almost make some sort of sense or other. Brain isn't entirely on the ball just now. Heh... on the ball. Anyway.
1) Rufus attended Hogwarts from 1953 to 1961 as a member of Slytherin house. He excelled in classes and generally got along with his fellow students, including those outside of his own house. From fifth year on, he served as a prefect.
2) Although he held vague ideas about entering the political scene, Rufus most always kept his eye firmly on the position of Auror. He passed through the training program and became an Auror without any horrid difficulties. He did, however, take a half year off at one point to fill in as…
3) Serving as an Auror under Barty Crouch, Rufus made liberal use of the Unforgiveables. (This broke deeper rifts into an already jilted friendship with Alastor Moody.) He used the Imperius more frequently than the other two.
4) During the first war, Rufus collected a good number of wounds that would develop as scars, though nothing horribly disfiguring. It would be five years later, rounding up…, that he would find himself in the duel that led to the shattering of his leg. He’s walked with an obvious limp ever since. On some days, the limp is less marked than others. On bad days, the leg pains him terribly; Rufus says that the leg never bothers him, though it does.
5) He enjoys playing in the world of politics, but only to a certain extent. The extent of bull can be a waste, he knows, and especially so if time is of the essence. While he is often very good at playing the politician, Rufus does have a tendency to make comments that aren’t expressly appropriate to present company (he does this intentionally, at times).
6) Rufus is very well-read, having made a point of going through any wizarding or Muggle fiction and non-fiction that happens to have been on hand. While he does enjoy some of this, his main reason for reading is more practical than enjoyment: he wishes to understand anything that may be referred to, and to pick up any bits of information possible. He has developed something of a soft spot for Joseph Conrad.
7) While he is not an Animagus, Rufus feels convinced that his form would NOT be a lion. In fact, he would be a red fox.
8) Rufus actively analyses all situations that he finds himself in. He tries not to let onto this, just as he tries to keep himself from examining people of importance as closely as he would like; he knows that this can lead to great discomfort. He also, however, does like to be able to analyze expressions, to begin to dig at what an individual might be planning.
9) He harbors an intense dislike of the press, and may refer to journalists as anything from “impetuous jackles” to “society’s fucking filthy leeches.” So far as Rufus is concerned, the press exists to cause pain; the only decent papers are those who support the workings of the Ministry, and thus of the country. (Even those are sketchy.)
10) Rufus does curse profusely, but only when he thinks himself away from the public eye. He picked up the habit of cursing from his father.
11) He does not like Cornelius Fudge at all and regrets the fact that he had to keep the coward of a man about the Ministry. Part of the reason that he dislikes having the man around is that he serves as a reminder that Rufus is not likely to outlast the war long as Minister. He knows very well that he has been selected as a Minister of war, and that with peace will come demands for a more peaceable Minister. While Rufus is willing to change some pieces of his act for the public, he will not change all; thus, he feels that he will inevitably be required to step aside. Of course, he also dislikes having Fudge around simply because the man gets in the way and is of little to no help.
12) No one is able to get under his skin as easily as Alastor Moody.
13) Rufus has learned to keep most of is comments to himself. In fact, he developed this abiltiy while in school. He still has a tendency among certain company, however, to pull snarky remarks about a good many people.
14) He is immensely frustrated by the fact that he must now wear glasses. As an Auror, he learned the importance of fully-functional senses. Besides, glasses make him feel restricted, almost impaired. (Though he thinks that they look quite nice on him.) On the other hand, he is glad of the fact that his other senses still function very well.
15) Much of his personal code of behavior is determined by that which will work best in the real world; lying is permissable in most situations, so long as the problem is overcome or at least dealty with peaceably. Out of this set of guidelines, Rufus has also developed a strong sense of honor. To breach his honor is to piss him off. (Never, never suggest that he’s taken a bribe.)
16) While Rufus enjoys the long hours and involved work that his office in the Ministry requires, a part of him very genuiniely desires to take a vacation, even if only a brief one. He will not take one, will not even seriously consider taking one, however; he prefers to keep himself dedicated to the work at hand.
17) Has something of a fear of fire, though he keeps this quiet. Also, he doesn’t like the smell of oil. At all. (Truth be told, it makes him nauseous.)
18) At times, Rufus finds himself opressed by a strong sense of loneliness and even signs of loss. These come on when he is alone at home, and he ignores them as best he can. Rufus generally deals with such sensations in two ways: he either keeps himself too busy to think about such matters, or he drinks. He tries to keep from the latter, has gotten somewhat better about it, but cannot fully resist the wamrth of a few drinks.
19) Rufus prefers to support himself, trusting only to his own resources. It is thus that he has few close friends, and thus that he has never been married. A part of this connects to his dislike of dependence and a loss of control; he feels that is dominance might be infringed upon in a relationship. Also, he does not like the need to appeal to the wizarding world in order to accomplish anything.
20) Rufus enjoys firewhiskey, but almost always drinks it only when alone. He occasionally drinks more than he should, and he refuses to admit this. In polite company, he sticks with wine.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Character: Rufus Scrimgeour
Rating: PG (or PG-13 for those who really dislike cursing)
Other: Not so much a fic, really, as a list? Written in response to a reading of this post (HP random facts meme, or whatnot), as a means of avoiding homework and taking a few minutes to not think about Tempest-time. Erm, yes. And many thanks to Megan, who provided ideas for several of these through her Moody-ness, and to twl_main in general for background situations. Whoo. I don't promise much of a sense of order, nor anything of particular interest; all I offer is a set of random facts that, hopefully, almost make some sort of sense or other. Brain isn't entirely on the ball just now. Heh... on the ball. Anyway.
1) Rufus attended Hogwarts from 1953 to 1961 as a member of Slytherin house. He excelled in classes and generally got along with his fellow students, including those outside of his own house. From fifth year on, he served as a prefect.
2) Although he held vague ideas about entering the political scene, Rufus most always kept his eye firmly on the position of Auror. He passed through the training program and became an Auror without any horrid difficulties. He did, however, take a half year off at one point to fill in as…
3) Serving as an Auror under Barty Crouch, Rufus made liberal use of the Unforgiveables. (This broke deeper rifts into an already jilted friendship with Alastor Moody.) He used the Imperius more frequently than the other two.
4) During the first war, Rufus collected a good number of wounds that would develop as scars, though nothing horribly disfiguring. It would be five years later, rounding up…, that he would find himself in the duel that led to the shattering of his leg. He’s walked with an obvious limp ever since. On some days, the limp is less marked than others. On bad days, the leg pains him terribly; Rufus says that the leg never bothers him, though it does.
5) He enjoys playing in the world of politics, but only to a certain extent. The extent of bull can be a waste, he knows, and especially so if time is of the essence. While he is often very good at playing the politician, Rufus does have a tendency to make comments that aren’t expressly appropriate to present company (he does this intentionally, at times).
6) Rufus is very well-read, having made a point of going through any wizarding or Muggle fiction and non-fiction that happens to have been on hand. While he does enjoy some of this, his main reason for reading is more practical than enjoyment: he wishes to understand anything that may be referred to, and to pick up any bits of information possible. He has developed something of a soft spot for Joseph Conrad.
7) While he is not an Animagus, Rufus feels convinced that his form would NOT be a lion. In fact, he would be a red fox.
8) Rufus actively analyses all situations that he finds himself in. He tries not to let onto this, just as he tries to keep himself from examining people of importance as closely as he would like; he knows that this can lead to great discomfort. He also, however, does like to be able to analyze expressions, to begin to dig at what an individual might be planning.
9) He harbors an intense dislike of the press, and may refer to journalists as anything from “impetuous jackles” to “society’s fucking filthy leeches.” So far as Rufus is concerned, the press exists to cause pain; the only decent papers are those who support the workings of the Ministry, and thus of the country. (Even those are sketchy.)
10) Rufus does curse profusely, but only when he thinks himself away from the public eye. He picked up the habit of cursing from his father.
11) He does not like Cornelius Fudge at all and regrets the fact that he had to keep the coward of a man about the Ministry. Part of the reason that he dislikes having the man around is that he serves as a reminder that Rufus is not likely to outlast the war long as Minister. He knows very well that he has been selected as a Minister of war, and that with peace will come demands for a more peaceable Minister. While Rufus is willing to change some pieces of his act for the public, he will not change all; thus, he feels that he will inevitably be required to step aside. Of course, he also dislikes having Fudge around simply because the man gets in the way and is of little to no help.
12) No one is able to get under his skin as easily as Alastor Moody.
13) Rufus has learned to keep most of is comments to himself. In fact, he developed this abiltiy while in school. He still has a tendency among certain company, however, to pull snarky remarks about a good many people.
14) He is immensely frustrated by the fact that he must now wear glasses. As an Auror, he learned the importance of fully-functional senses. Besides, glasses make him feel restricted, almost impaired. (Though he thinks that they look quite nice on him.) On the other hand, he is glad of the fact that his other senses still function very well.
15) Much of his personal code of behavior is determined by that which will work best in the real world; lying is permissable in most situations, so long as the problem is overcome or at least dealty with peaceably. Out of this set of guidelines, Rufus has also developed a strong sense of honor. To breach his honor is to piss him off. (Never, never suggest that he’s taken a bribe.)
16) While Rufus enjoys the long hours and involved work that his office in the Ministry requires, a part of him very genuiniely desires to take a vacation, even if only a brief one. He will not take one, will not even seriously consider taking one, however; he prefers to keep himself dedicated to the work at hand.
17) Has something of a fear of fire, though he keeps this quiet. Also, he doesn’t like the smell of oil. At all. (Truth be told, it makes him nauseous.)
18) At times, Rufus finds himself opressed by a strong sense of loneliness and even signs of loss. These come on when he is alone at home, and he ignores them as best he can. Rufus generally deals with such sensations in two ways: he either keeps himself too busy to think about such matters, or he drinks. He tries to keep from the latter, has gotten somewhat better about it, but cannot fully resist the wamrth of a few drinks.
19) Rufus prefers to support himself, trusting only to his own resources. It is thus that he has few close friends, and thus that he has never been married. A part of this connects to his dislike of dependence and a loss of control; he feels that is dominance might be infringed upon in a relationship. Also, he does not like the need to appeal to the wizarding world in order to accomplish anything.
20) Rufus enjoys firewhiskey, but almost always drinks it only when alone. He occasionally drinks more than he should, and he refuses to admit this. In polite company, he sticks with wine.