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Post by Emma Wilson on Aug 30, 2007 18:18:45 GMT -5
Moving her finger over the brim of the glass, Emma gazed somewhere in her own world. She had just come back from St. Mungo's, her eyes were bloodshot and she had obviously been crying. Students were shooting her odd looks, and this just made Emma want to cry even more.
Only four years ago, Emma had been like that. Emma had been sitting in the Three Broomsticks with her friends, laughing and talking and...
And...and not knowing what would happen to her mum.
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Post by Angurth Valcent on Aug 30, 2007 18:41:23 GMT -5
Angurth ran his hand through his hair as he walked past the pub of the Three Broomsticks. Actually, he was heading toward the Hog's Head, hoping a small drink would speed up the process of digesting the latest news about his right hand. But as he stood there in front of the student-friendly pub, recalling all the memories he had from way back during his days at Hogwarts... he actually changed his mind and entered that pub. If he by chance, would not meet any old friends or comrades, then he would at least greet his memories - and that was a positive thing, indeed.
Walking past the tables inside the pub, heading toward the counter where he had already ordered so many other times, he couldn't help but smile at the other visitors. None of them rung any bells... he did not recognize a single face, actually. But he was not alone, it appeared, as several other more mature wizards and witches were also present. He greeted the bartender, ordered a glass of Firewhiskey and turned around, glaring again at the visitors inside the pub.
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Post by Emma Wilson on Aug 30, 2007 23:14:05 GMT -5
Emma shot a glance up as she saw a man enter. As soon as he ordered a drink, he took to glaring at everyone in the Three Broomsticks. She couldn't help but wonder what his problem with life was.
She shot a glance around before realising that she probably wasn't the only Ministry worker there. She wondered if any of them were her colleagues, then gave up on the thought. How many people came to the Three Broomsticks anyway? It was basically a student hangout.
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Post by Angurth Valcent on Aug 31, 2007 4:27:30 GMT -5
Angurth caught sight of a woman somewhere in the center of the pub. For some reason, she appeared to be the only one who he could approach for a talk. And yet... she appeared so very lonely. So lonely, she just wanted to be left alone... nah, it was just him and his old shyness - the very same shyness that had haunted his years at Hogwarts - that made up that truth. He shrugged, looked past her table and then slowly made his way toward it. As he approached her, he realized something that made him hesitate. Had she been crying? She looked like a bunch of tears to him.
Shouldn't he turn back, then? Wouldn't be fair of him to barge in if she was having a private moment with herself... But then again, some people would appreciate the comfort of talking with someone about something completely else - that was the main reason he was approaching her now, actually. Just to forget his 'hand'-news. He looked at a spot on her forehead, avoiding her eyes on purpose, as he set down his glass on the table and gestured with his right hand toward the chair beside her. "Is that occupied, or may I join you?"
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Post by Emma Wilson on Aug 31, 2007 6:33:07 GMT -5
Emma, busy staring hard at her Butterbeer, hadn't noticed the guy who had been glaring at everyone approach her table. That explained how startled she was when he spoke.
"Is that occupied, or may I join you?"
"Um, no - you can sit if you want," Emma said, a faint blush coming to her cheeks. She probably looked like a stupid mess. He didn't look like a student either - maybe he worked at the Ministry as well?
"Emma Wilson," Emma said, quickly regaining her composure and holding out her hand briskly.
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Post by Angurth Valcent on Aug 31, 2007 17:20:06 GMT -5
She was rather surprised when she answered him, only proving to Angurth how lost in thoughts - sad thoughts, probably - she had been before he had approached her. He felt a bit stupid now, watching as she looked at him while her cheeks blushed a bit - was she shy? Or just feeling a bit uncomfortable about him barging in as she was feeling alone?
"Um, no - you can sit if you want,";"Emma Wilson,"
Angurth smiled at her reply and reached out his right hand. But then he hesitated for a moment, his eyes falling upon the red cloth and recalling how other people seemed to distance themselves from such a 'bandage'. But finally their hands met in a shake.
He sat down silently and took a sip of the whiskey, pushing a lock of his hair away from his face in the process. "Name's Angurth... Angurth Valcent," he said and nodded, putting down the glass in front of himself as a deep, awkward silence fell between them. He couldn't help but wonder whether or not he should try to apologize for interrupting whatever she had been doing - it was so very much like him to wonder about such weird thing. And it was not long before he couldn't keep his mouth shut. "I'm sorry if I interrupted you in some..." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes as he turned his face toward the ceiling. How to apologize without telling her that he knew she had probably been crying? "You know... a private kind of moment." He eyed her in silence, the fingers of his right hand drumming on the edge of the whiskey-glass.
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Post by Emma Wilson on Aug 31, 2007 17:37:16 GMT -5
Emma's eyes fell on the red cloth before their hands met. She didn't really know what it meant, but the people around them seemed to be shooting the man wary glances. She didn't understand, and probably didn't want to. Their hands met in a shake anyway.
"Name's Angurth... Angurth Valcent."
"Pleasure," Emma said, shooting a warm smile at the man.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted you in some..." - "You know... a private kind of moment."
Either Emma could play dumb and pretend he was just playing polite, or she could acknowledge the fact that he knew that she had been crying. She decided to keep the fact anonymous and smiled at him again.
"No, you didn't interrupt anything - it's quite fine."
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Post by Angurth Valcent on Aug 31, 2007 17:53:42 GMT -5
"No, you didn't interrupt anything - it's quite fine."
Angurth smiled slightly, realizing she was sealing the problem away. In any case, it wasn't any of his business - he had stated he was sorry if he in any way had approached her during a wrong moment, and that was all she needed to know. All that he, himself, needed to know too, he figured.
"Good then," He finally answered, raising his glass like making a unspoken toast for her, and let the rest of the whiskey disappear into his mouth and down his throat. he closed his eyes briefly and set down the glass, pushing it away from him. "I can't really say that one helped," he remarked sarcastic and rested his right hand on the table's surface.
"You're an old student too, right?" Angurth asked her and turned his face toward her. Of course she was... what would she be doing here anyway? A muggle just passing through Hogsmeade and taking a drink in a local pub was impossible. And she fit in the surrounding atmosphere of wizards and witches in a way that assured him she belonged there. "What year of class?" Some part of his mind alerted him with the fact that he had just indirectly asked for her age... He just pushed the thought aside and awaited her reply.
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Post by Emma Wilson on Aug 31, 2007 17:59:24 GMT -5
"Good then."
Emma continued to smile as Angurth seemingly toasted her. She and him must look like an odd couple now, sitting in the Three Broomsticks and surrounded by young, carefree students. She remembered how she had snuck into Hogsmeade at the age of 11 and had to stifle a small giggle.
"You're an old student too, right?"
Emma nodded. "You as well, I'm supposing?" she asked.
"What year of class?"
Emma laughed, deciding to reply to the more simple question hidden inside that. "I'm 21," she replied. "Back at Hoggywarts, I was a Gryffindor who loved dropping Dungbombs in the corridor and missed classes on purpose."
She laughed again and took a sip of her Butterbeer. That had been fun.
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Post by Angurth Valcent on Aug 31, 2007 18:21:36 GMT -5
"You as well, I'm supposing?"
Angurth nodded slightly at her question. "Yeah," he said and almost laughed as he continued; "Would be difficult for me to make you believe anything else, I think - So I confess. "
"I'm 21," ;"Back at Hoggywarts, I was a Gryffindor who loved dropping Dungbombs in the corridor and missed classes on purpose."
Angurth kept his eyes at her for a moment, wondering if he had been thinking loudly when his mind had realized he could have been asking for her age... He turned his eyes toward his empty glass, hearing the rest of her reply and her laughter as she finished talking. "Well that was one of the things I never got to try out myself," He stated with a grin.
His grin faded quickly as his right hand shut tightly together in pain. It wasn't as bad as it had been yesterday but it was there... and that only few hours after leaving St. Mungo's Hospital. What on earth was going now? He grimaced a bit, determined not to show what problems his hand was giving him currently. And so, he casually looked at her again. "So where do you work?"
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Post by Emma Wilson on Aug 31, 2007 18:25:38 GMT -5
"Well that was one of the things I never got to try out myself."
Emma smiled reminiscently. "I was a full-hearted troublemaker," she remembered. "I got detention plenty of times, I think. I'm not really sure."
She frowned slightly as she saw Angurth grimace in pain. She glanced at his hand, but decided not to say anything.
"So where do you work?"
"The Ministry of Magic - I'm the Head of the Muggle Liaison Office."
Emma stated it lightly, not wanting to boast. In fact, she was starting to hate the job, considering all she ever got was spewing toilets who were eating toddlers and who were driving the mothers hysterical.
"You?" she asked.
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Post by Angurth Valcent on Aug 31, 2007 19:05:45 GMT -5
Angurth watched her with interest, paying great attention as she continued her short tale about her days as a trouble-maker at Hogwarts. He was not used to hear those, getting detention and all that - he had never tried it himself, really...
"The Ministry of Magic - I'm the Head of the Muggle Liaison Office."
Angurth's eyes lit up in surprise and newfound interest. So she was head of a department in her age? Impressive, that was true - and probably (and hopefully) well-earned too. He would give her that much. After all, the ministry was know as a long, narrow way of carrier - some went smoothly through other had to crawl their whole life just to get their own desk. Much like life itself. "Oh, the muggle-department?" Angurth commented, not hiding the respect in his voice. "Well, that must be... interesting!" He nodded as though he was agreeing with himself about her job being interesting - truth was, he had heard quite the stories about the office during his days inside the Ministry-building. But he would let that rest for now...
As she asked him about his job, he grimaced again almost even worse than before when his hand had been in pain. It took a while before he finally replied. "I work a bit here and there," he finally said and scratched the back of his head with his left hand. "Truth is, after I -" Angurth paused and swallowed hard, his eyes focused on his right hand "- retired from the ministry, I've not had much to do... other than publishing some books - they all sell bad, of course, but I don't really mind." He laughed at his last remark, knowing the truth of it.
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Post by Emma Wilson on Sept 1, 2007 5:28:54 GMT -5
"Oh, the muggle-department?" - "Well, that must be... interesting!"
Emma's cheeks flushed slightly at the amount of respect in his voice. People seemed to think that it was such a great thing, but Emma didn't see what was so good about it. She had been the only person willing for the job. That was it...wasn't it?
"Truth is, after I -" - "- retired from the ministry, I've not had much to do... other than publishing some books - they all sell bad, of course, but I don't really mind."
"You retired from the Ministry?" Emma said, this time it was her turn to be surprised. He certainly wasn't very old - at least in his mid-twenties. So why retire so soon?
"Where did you work?" she asked in hope of making light conversation.
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Post by Angurth Valcent on Sept 1, 2007 5:48:16 GMT -5
"You retired from the Ministry?"
The surprise in her voice was what he expected. Most people tend not even to believe him when he used the term 'retire'... they even went on to talk behind his back, dealing with faint rumors about whether or not he was actually sacked from the auror department. But he trusted her enough not to judge him that easily - even if they had just met, she appeared far too decent to deal with rumors like the ones he had been exposed to.
"Where did you work?"
Her second question was just as easy and light, as the surprise had been deep in her first question. It didn't bother him, though, as it was clearly her way of turning the conversation into something a bit more... cozy and easy, maybe?
"I was an auror," he stated directly, knowing the impact of the words. "Until just a year ago... then I was 'forced' to quit the job - my hand here -" he pointed his index finger at his right hand on the table, running it down the red cloth around it "- is the proof of that. Both, actually..."
He regarded her for a while and wondered if she would believe him. "It took me about four and a half year before I finally got accepted as a part of the squat... almost five, actually - even if I joined the squat after three years of training, I first got accepted as a 'true' auror after two more years, you see..."
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Post by Emma Wilson on Sept 1, 2007 5:55:27 GMT -5
"I was an auror," he stated directly, knowing the impact of the words. "Until just a year ago... then I was 'forced' to quit the job - my hand here -" - "- is the proof of that. Both, actually..."
Emma's eyes widened as she studied the hand. "I know a few good Healers at St. Mungo's," she said firmly. "I can have them look at this. I know Aurors are prone to scars, but..."
"It took me about four and a half year before I finally got accepted as a part of the squat... almost five, actually - even if I joined the squat after three years of training, I first got accepted as a 'true' auror after two more years, you see..."
Emma took a breath before launching into something quite automatic to her.
"If you need a job - a more well-paying job for that matter - I can persuade the Minister to hire you as my personnel. I have none, so it's pretty tiring for me."
She cocked her head and studied Angurth for a long moment.
"But I would understand if you wish to stay in your present position. Spewing toilets are, out of what I've heard, not exactly popular."
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